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July 15, 2010
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Tuli Kupferberg, Bohemian and Fug, Dies at 86
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/arts/music/13kupferberg.html
Tuli Kupferberg, right, with his comrade Ed Sanders in 2003.
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Fugs - Slum Goddess (1965)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eibE_WI3_3k
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Reggae singer Sugar Minott dies at 54
By HOWARD CAMPBELL, Associated Press Writer
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Sugar Minott, a smooth-voiced singer and producer who helped to popularize reggaemusic, has died. He was 54.
Minott (MY'-naht) died Saturday at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Jamaica's capital, Kingston, his wife Maxine Stowe said Sunday. She did not disclose the cause of death.
Two months ago, Minott had canceled performances in Canada after suffering chest pains.
Born in Kingston in May 1956, the singer, whose real name was Lincoln Barrington Minott, launched his musical career as a youngster in the late 1960s as a member of the African Brothers reggae trio.
He started a successful solo career in the 1970s, gaining a following in Jamaica's dancehalls with songs like "Vanity" and "Mr. DC" while recording for the famed Studio One, the Caribbean island's first black-owned music studio.
In 1981, he had his biggest hit with a cover of the Jackson Five's "Good Thing Going," which reached No. 4 in the United Kingdom's singles chart in March of that year.
Minott was known for nurturing young talent with his own Black Roots record label and Youthman Promotion company. Reggae and dancehall artists such as Junior Reid and Tenor Saw began their careers under his tutelage.
"Sugar Minott was a man who gave a lot of strength to the music although he got no love from the business," Reid said.
A new Album from Minott, "New Day," is scheduled to be released in coming weeks.
Stowe said funeral arrangements had not yet been made.
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'Scuse me? Hendrix bandmate sues over '03 release
By DAVID PORTER (AP)
LODI, N.J. — Lonnie Youngblood was a hotshot sax player on the New York club circuit in the mid-1960s when he crossed paths with Jimmy James, a young musician who was turning heads with his dazzling virtuosity on the electric guitar.
After briefly playing in Youngblood's band, James went back to using his real last name and conquered the music world as Jimi Hendrix, while Youngblood fronted a series of rhythm and blues bands that toured with James Brown, Jackie Wilson and other '60s legends.
The friendship between the two endured, though, and in 1969, at the peak of Hendrix's popularity, the two men recorded several songs in a New York studio that became a coda to their relationship when Hendrix died in London the following year of a drug overdose.
The tunes recorded during those two or three days are the subject of a lawsuit Youngblood filed this spring that claims one of the songs, "Georgia Blues," was included on a 2003 compilation without his permission and without crediting him as its author.
The suit seeks unspecified lost-income damages from Hendrix's estate, MCA Records and film director Martin Scorsese, who collaborated on the collection "Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Jimi Hendrix." Through representatives, all three parties declined to comment on the lawsuit or didn't return calls Monday.
The lawsuit has not marred Youngblood's memories of Hendrix, whom he describes in terms that evoke Chuck Berry's mythical "Johnny B. Goode":
"He had a guitar in a sack, a change of pants and a shirt in another sack, maybe a toothbrush and some type of comb. And basically that was it," Youngblood said. "He basically didn't have a worry."
Though Youngblood was just one year older than Hendrix, the blues shouter and the future prince of psychedelia were headed in opposite directions musically. Their paths began to diverge around 1965 or '66, when Hendrix discovered hallucinogenic drugs and began to spend more time in New York's Greenwich Village, Youngblood remembers.
"He wanted me to go down to Cafe Wha and play for tips," he said. "To me, that was out of the question. I had a car, a wife, a son, an apartment. I told him, 'You've got to go where you can get some sure money.'"
While Hendrix's popularity soared with such songs as "Hey Joe," "Purple Haze" and "Foxy Lady," Youngblood became a star on Harlem's club circuit and a fixture on college campuses around the Northeast. Then, one night in 1969 Youngblood was onstage when Hendrix showed up unexpectedly, wearing his signature floppy hat, tassels and ruffled shirt, and "turned the place inside out."
Hendrix told Youngblood he would record some songs with him, Youngblood remembers, as payback for his help several years earlier.
"Jimmy had moved on to another place by then, but it was his way of saying thank you," he said.
Youngblood said he wrote "Georgia Blues" and points out that one line in the song goes, "I was born in Georgia 27 years ago" — a clear reference to Youngblood, who was 27 at the time and a native of Augusta, Ga.
The lawsuit claims Youngblood released the song himself on the Internet and copyrighted it in 2002. Youngblood said he refused an offer of $3,000 by a lawyer for Hendrix's estate to sell the song.
Lawsuits over authorship or royalties from popular songs were hardly uncommon even back in Hendrix's heyday. Hendrix was dogged by a small-time record producer who claimed to have a contract giving him part of Hendrix's career earnings, according to David Henderson, author of the Hendrix biography "'Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky."
New, or purportedly new, recordings made by legendary artists can produce the same feeding frenzy, he said.
"Stuff that's in the vault is very valuable and very important to collectors and historians and music lovers," he said. "If someone's famous, that stuff is going to have legs."
Youngblood, 68, who still performs at clubs and private parties in New York and northern New Jersey, said he just wants what is legally his.
"It's the principle," he said. "I want my song back. They had no right to take my song."
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Pearl Jam's Hiatus Statement Misinterpreted
The band's publicist said Eddie Vedder makes the remark all the time at the end of every tour and it happened to get lost in translation in Portugal.
Rockers Pearl Jam stunned fans at a Portuguese music festivalon Sunday, July 11 by declaring the concert would be their "last in a long time". The "Alive" hitmakers were performing at the Optimus Alive festival in Lisbon at the weekend when frontmanEddie Vedder left devotees shocked and confused when he announced the band was going on an indefinite hiatus - without giving any further explanation.
Reading in Portuguese from a piece of paper, Vedder told the audience, "Thank you for coming to our last show. Not our last ever, but our last in a long time."
However, the band's publicist Nicole Vandenberg told Seattle Weekly's Reverb in an email that it's nothing serious. "He says that at the end of all tours, because the tour has ended. The remark may have gotten a little lost in translation," Vandenberg explained.
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Roger Waters and David Gilmour Perform Together For Charity
by Tim Cashmere
Roger Waters and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd performed an unexpected charity gig last night in support of the HOPING Foundation.
It was the first time the pair had performed on stage together since the Live 8 concert in London on July 2, 2005.
The pair played with Guy Pratt on bass, Harry Waters on keyboards, Andy Newmark on drums, Chester Kamen on guitar and Jonjo Grisdale on keyboards.
They played ‘To Know Him Is To Love Him’ by The Teddy Bears, ‘Wish You Were Here’, ‘Comfortably Numb’ and ‘Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)’.
The even was organised by Bella Freud and Karma Nabulsi and took place at Kidlington in Oxfordshire, England, raising £350,000.
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Santana Proposes To Drummer On Stage
by Paul Cashmere
Carlos Santana proposed to his drummer on stage on Friday and will be getting married again.
Early into the show at the Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinsley Park, Il last Friday, Carlos went over to Cindy Blackman after performing ‘Corazon Espinado’ and asked her to marry him.
She accepted.
50-year old Cindy is best known for her time touring and recording with Lenny Kravitz. That is her in the ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’ video.
She is primarily a jazz and rock drummer and has also performed with Cassandra Wilson, Bill Laswell and Pharoah Sanders.
Carlos divorced Deborah, his wife of 34-years in 2007.
In a statement at his website, Santana says, “Cindy and I are blessed to have found each other. Being in love is a gift from the universe, and the spirit and vibrations that come with it are infinitely powerful. I look forward to expressing that incredible energy through my music, and in helping to tip the balance toward more love in the world with what Cindy and I share.”
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Badfinger, Billy Preston, Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, and more
Apple Records catalogue remastered and reissued on CD and digital download - Classics Set For Release on October 26th
Launched by The Beatles in 1968, as the new outlet for their own recordings as well as the music of an eclectic roster of artists - James Taylor, Badfinger, Billy Preston, Mary Hopkin, Doris Troy, and Jackie Lomax among them - who were all personally brought to the label by The Beatles (individually and/or collectively), Apple Records made popular music history from the very moment it opened its doors.
Four decades later, Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI Music raise the curtain on remastered CD and digital download releases of 15 key albums from the Apple Records catalog. All 15 titles will be released on October 26th. Most of the physical CDs will include bonus material. Together, the 15 albums represent the first ever Apple Records releases to be available via digital download.
In the revolutionary spirit of 1968, The Beatles’ explosive musical output (characterised by their double-LP White Album) was only exceeded by their fascination with what they saw and heard going on around them. Five years into The Beatles’ reign, Apple Records afforded them the unique opportunity to sign new (and established) artists who appealed to each of them. In turn, the introduction of an artist on The Beatles’ record label was an imprimatur taken very seriously by fans across the universe.
Apple Records’ utopian artist-orientated mission immediately set it apart, as the first operation of its kind in the major-label sphere. Diversity was celebrated, and artists were encouraged to record and release their music in a friendly creative environment. Apple developed a distinctive graphic aesthetic, from its legendary ‘apple-core’ logo to its advertising and merchandising, in the process setting a subtle new benchmark for the industry to follow.
From 1968 to 1973, Apple Records bedazzled the world with a rainbow spectrum of releases - and fans were unusually well-informed about individual involvements of The Beatles with nearly every project. 1968’s self-titled debut album by Boston-based singer-songwriter James Taylor, for example, features Paul McCartney and George Harrison on “Carolina In My Mind”. Paul was instrumental in bringing the Welsh chanteuse Mary Hopkin to Apple, and produced her debut single, “Those Were The Days”. Badfinger, also from Wales, was still known as The Iveys when they recorded “Come And Get It”, written and produced by Paul (for The Magic Christian movie soundtrack).
The Beatles had been fans of Billy Preston ever since seeing him in Little Richard’s band in Hamburg in 1962. George went on to produce and play on Preston’s Apple debut, That’s the Way God Planned It. Harrison was one of the producers and played (along with Ringo Starr) on Doris Troy’s self-titled Apple album. George also produced and played (with Paul and Ringo) on Jackie Lomax’s debut album, Is This What You Want? featuring the Harrison composition, “Sour Milk Sea”.
John was much taken with the music of The Modern Jazz Quartet, who released the only two jazz albums in the Apple catalogue. Ringo was intrigued by the music of contemporary British classical composer John Tavener, and his Apple album, The Whale has become one of the most sought-after Apple collectibles of all time.
Each of the 15 albums in this bumper batch of Apple Records releases has been digitally remastered at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London by the same dedicated team of engineers behind The Beatles’ recent remastered catalogue releases of 2009.
For details about the release, visit www.applerecords.com
Many Thanks
thebeatles.com
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Bill Wyman Glad To See Exile Back
Former Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyamn says he is glad the iconic `Exile On Main Street` album has been introduced to a new generation.
Wyman says he has 'mad memories' of his time with the Rolling Stones.
The bassist – who quit the group in 1992 – is pleased the 'Gimme Shelter’ hitmakers’ iconic 1972 album 'Exile on Main St.’ has recently been reissued because it can attract a new generation of fans to the band.
He told BANG Showbiz: 'It brought back some mad memories. It was a very bizarre time and a very bizarre way of making a record.
'It was a great album and there’s that whole new generation who don’t know about it so it’s good.'
The group – who were famously at the height of their drink and drug excesses when they recorded the LP – are the subject of rumours they will tour next year, but 73-year-old Bill is adamant he wouldn’t get on stage with them again.
He said: 'I don’t care if they tour. Maybe they will maybe they won’t, I’m not involved.
'I’m very close to Charlie Watts, the drummer and he never wants to go on tour anyway! He hasn’t wanted to since 1965 but he still goes.'
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Sean Lennon And Girlfriend Launch New Single
by Andrew Tijs
Sean Lennon releases the first single from a new project with ex-model girlfriend called The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger.
Lennon joined his model-turned-musician girlfriend Charlotte Kemp-Muhl for the first collaborative project after his 2006 solo album Friendly Fire.
The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger’s first single, ‘Jardin Du Luxembourg’, has been released on Lennon’s recently launched Chimera Music record label, with a b-side cover of Serge Gainsbourg ‘Comic Strip’.
Uber-producer Mark Ronson played bass on the single and helped out with production.
Lennon and Kemp-Muhl plan to release a succession of singles over the coming months, with cover song b-sides.
Lennon has told Spinner that they have two albums in the works. The first is all-acoustic and will be released early next year. A second, more electronically-oriented album should follow in 2011.
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SINGER HARVEY FUQUA PASSES AT 80; FOUNDED THE MOONGLOWS, WAS AN EARLY MENTOR OF MARVIN GAYE
(Detroit, MI) -- Soul singer, songwriter, record producer and record label executive Harvey Fuqua, who founded the R&B/doo-wop group the Moonglows, and discovered singer Marvin Gaye and others, died Tuesday, July 6th in a Detroit hospital at 5:15 PM EST. He was 80.
Born on July 27, 1929, in Louisville, KY, Fuqua (the nephew of Charlie Fuqua of the Ink Spots) started a vocal group in his hometown called the Crazy Sounds Later, they moved to Cleveland, OH, where Fuqua was the lead singer with Bobby Lester, Alexander "Pete" Graves and Prentiss Barnes, with Billy Johnson on guitar.
The group caught the eye of legendary rock & roll DJ Alan Freed, who got them to appear on his radio show and concerts. In 1952, Freed signed the group to his Champagne Records labelafter changing their name to the Moonglows. They later left Freed and signed to Chance Records for a short stay, then signed to Chess Records.
Their first single, "Sincerely," became an instant doo-wop classic in November, 1954. Later hits included "Most of All" (1955), "See Saw" (1956), and "Please Send Me Someone To Love" (1957).
In early 1958, the group broke up. It was then that Fuqua met a young vocal group from Washington, DC who called themselves the Marquees. One of the group's members was Marvin Gaye, whose vocals especially impressed Fuqua.
Trying to keep the sound of the Moonglows alive, Fuqua joined the group together, and with Reese Palmer, James Knowland, Chester Simmons, Chuck Barksdale (on loan from the Dells) and Gaye, he continued to record. The group changed their name to Harvey and the Moonglows.
In 1958, they scored their massive signature hit, "Ten Commandments of Love."
Later that year, Fuqua left the group, while still retaining Gaye. He joined Anna Records, a small label in Detroit, MI under then fledgling producer Berry Gordy.
There he recorded Lamont Dozier and Johnny Bristol, two talents who would go on to success with Motown Records. Meanwhile, Fuqua was still working with Chess, producing sides on Etta James.
In 1961, he started his own independent labels, Tri-Phi and Harvey Records. His roster included the Spinners, Junior Walker & the All Stars and Shorty Long.
After growing tired of the rigors of running a small independent label with no distribution or edge against the major labels, Fuqua got a break when he was hired by Berry Gordy to head Motown's Artist Development department.
The move allowed Fuqua to bring Johnny Bristol, Tammi Terrell and the Spinners to Motown Records, where he was assisted by Gwen Gordy, Anna Gordy, Maxine Powell and Cholly Atkins.
Success began to happen for Fuqua as he recorded Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (summer 1967), "Your Precious Love" (fall 1967), and "If This World Were Mine" (late 1967).
He also scored a hit with former Temptations lead singer David Ruffin's solo "My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) (early 1969).
In 1971, Fuqua left Motown Records, signing a production deal with RCA Records. Two acts that he had previously signed to his talent agency, The Nightlighters ("K-Jee") and New Birth ("It's Been A Long Time") were also signed to the label. He also discovered disco pioneer Sylvester, producing several hit singles, including "Dance (Disco Heat") and "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)." Fuqua was also Smokey Robinson's road manager for a while.
The Moonglows reunited in 1972, with Fuqua, Lester, Graves, Doc Williams, and Chuck Lewis. They produced an LP, "The Return of the Moonglows," and made a remake of "Sincerely, " which went to number 43 on the R&B chart.
The summer of 1982 saw Fuqua reuniting with Marvin Gaye, collaborating on Gaye's "Midnight Love" LP which went to number seven pop in late 1982, sold two million copies, including the gold single "Sexual Healing" which stayed at number one R&B for ten weeks.
The Moonglows received the 1995 Pioneer Awards and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
In 2000, he set up his own Resurging Artist Records, and was an Advisory Board member of The Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
Fuqua was working with S.T.A.R.S., an inspirational group at the time of his transition.
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Thanks to Dave Basner for these news stories
STAY IN OZZY’S HOME
Want to stay in Ozzy Osbourne’s home? Well now you can! According to The Real Estalker, for just 40-thousand dollars a month, you can rent the Prince of Darkness’ three-story oceanfront home in Malibu, California. Ozzy bought the five bedroom, five bath house in 2003 for 5.1-million dollars and you can learn more about it and see photos of it at RealEstalker.Blogspot.com.
BUY JIMMY PAGE’S FORMER HOME
Jimmy Page’s former home is up for sale. The Led Zeppelin guitarist used to own the English manor home, called Plumpton Place. According to The Argus, the property is in East Sussex and boasts six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a library, a tennis court, three lakes, two cottages and even a moat. The price tag is about 12-million bucks. Learn more at TheArgus.co.uk.
PLANT GETS STAR ON MEMPHIS SIDEWALK
Robert Plant was honored with a star on a sidewalk in Memphis, Tennessee this week. According to the Associated Press, the Led Zeppelin singer was presented with the recognition on Monday and during the ceremony, he spoke about how a generation of British musicians owe a debt to early Southern blues artists. Plant’s star will be placed on the Orpheum Theater Sidewalk of Stars.
SATRIANI STRUGGLES TO STAY THIN IN CHICKENFOOT
Today, Joe Satriani turns 54 years old. The famed guitarist is looking pretty good for his age, no thanks to his Chickenfoot bandmate Sammy Hagar. Joe told us that when the band goes out to eat, Sammy encourages that they EAT.
(Cut #1) “We get together obviously for some really great dinners. I gotta say, I wound up somehow 20 pounds overweight and I blame that on Sammy Hagar. The man is a hard-living bon vivant and I can’t keep up with him. Now he calls me a skinny, little something because I lost like 15 pounds and I said, ‘No, this is the normal, pre-Sammy Hagar Joe Satriani. Not the fat guy you see on the video.’ So there’s lots of dinners.”
Joe will no doubt be eating well in September. Chickenfoot have a pair of shows on the 10th and 11th of that month. Find out more about them and stay up to date with the band at Chickenfoot.us.
McCARTNEY VS. McDONALD’S
McDonald’s sell a lot of meat. Paul McCartney is a vocal vegetarian. So when Sir Paul learned that the fast food chain had posted pictures of him and The Beatles at a Liverpool McDonald’s restaurant, he got pretty upset. Britain’s Daily Star newspaper reports the singer made sure the shots were removed. Representatives at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) explained that McCartney would never authorize his photo to endorse meats.
MANY ROCKERS ON DWEEZIL ZAPPA’S PROJECT
Dweezil Zappa is preparing his long-awaited new project and the rocker told The Huffington Post that the set will boast many impressive collaborations. Among the guests on the CD are Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai, Queen’s Brian May, Deep Purple’s Steve Morse, Malcolm Young of AC/DC and Ratt’s Warren DeMartini. The album is called What the Hell Was I Thinking? and Dweezil described it as “an audio movie.” So far, there are 30 different people on the album and Zappa isn’t sure how or when it will be released. He might try to perform the project live but stated, “I have to finish the record first.” Read more at HuffingtonPost.com.
JERRY LEE LEWIS NOT SLOWING DOWN
This year, Jerry Lee Lewis turns 75, and after more than five decades in the music industry, the rocker isn’t slowing down. In fact, three weeks before his birthday, Lewis plans to release his latest album. It’s called Mean Old Man and includes country-inspired covers and plenty of impressive guest appearances. Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, John Fogerty, Ringo Starr, Kid Rock, Ronnie Wood, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard are just some of the musicians on the disc. Mean Old Man comes out on September 7th.
ARTIMUS PYLE DOESN’T THINK HE’S A LEGEND
Today, former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle turns 62. With his 36 years of making music, many fans consider the Artimus to be a legend, or at the very least, a rock star. But Pyle told us he never thinks of himself that way and neither do many of his peers.
(Cut #2) “None of us consider ourselves rock stars or legends and when we hear ourselves hence referred to as that, we kind of go, ‘Who do you mean? Oh, me!?’”
Keep up to date with the legendary rock star at ArtimusPyle.com.
MORSE’S NEW ANGELFIRE PROJECT’S DEBUT CD
Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse has paired up with singer Sarah Spencer to form a new project called Angelfire. Now, the band plans to release their debut album on August 11th. According to Blabbermouth.net, Morse described the music as “kind of acoustic stuff…that is so good.” Steve met Sarah through her parents, who he is friends with. Learn more at AngelfireMusic.com.
TALK SHOW GUESTS
Thursday, July 15th
David Letterman (CBS 11:35 PM ET) Jimmy Cliff
BONHAM: ZEP TOUR WAS “AS CLOSE AS YOU COULD GET”
Drummer Jason Bonham sat in for his dad, John Bonham, during Led Zeppelin’s reunion show in 2007 and has revealed that the group was incredibly close to touring after that gig, only without singer Robert Plant. Jason told Music Radar that when Plant refused to hit the road as Zeppelin, the remaining members spent a year rehearsing and writing with various singers with the hope to tour. Bonham explained, “It got as close as you could get,” but obviously didn’t happen. While Jason didn’t give a reason as to why the tour never came to fruition, he did imply that guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones had a falling out. Read more at MusicRadar.com.
U2 RESCHEDULE TOUR DATES
U2 have officially rescheduled their 360º Tour dates that were cancelled in the wake of Bono’s emergency back surgery. The Irish band is set to play those rescheduled shows in the spring and summer of 2011, starting with a show on May 21st, 2011 in Denver. The guys are still on track to kick off a European tour on August 6th in Turin, Italy.
COOPER BRINGING BACK OLD FRIENDS FOR NEW CD
Alice Cooper is currently working on his new album, the sequel to his 1975 record, Welcome to My Nightmare, and the shock rocker is collaborating with some old friends on the effort. According to Blabbermouth.net, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith, the original bassist and drummer (respectively) for the Alice Cooper group, are teaming back up with the singer on his latest album. The new CD is called Welcome 2 My Nightmare and does not yet have a release date.
STOP ASKING STING ABOUT THE POLICE
Sting’s new album, Symphonicities, came out this week, and while the singer is doing press for the record, he’s being asked if he’ll ever reunite with The Police. The answer is a firm no and when we last caught up with Gordon Sumner, he seemed to be tired of answering the questions about his old group.
(Cut #2) “Well I keep saying the same thing, of course I’m not going to reunite with The Police, it’s like trying to recreate the past, it doesn’t work. You don’t need to recreate the past, the past was great and I’m proud of it but it was the past. People know the answer, they just ask it because they can’t think of anything more interesting to ask.”
In the meantime, hear Sting’s new arrangements of some of his and The Police’s hits on Symphonicities, which features the singer backed by an orchestra. He performs with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra tonight in New York. Get all his dates atSting.com.
MANY GUESTS ON BRIAN FERRY’S NEW ALBUM
Brian Ferry is working on a new album called You Can Dance and on it, he reunited with his former Roxy Music bandmate Brian Eno. Eno isn’t the only guest collaborator though. Ferry also teams up with Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood and others. In fact, fellow Roxy Music alumni Phil Manzanera and Andy Mackay also appear on the CD, making it the first album all four Roxy Music members have been on since 1973’s For Your Pleasure. You Can Dance is out on August 9th.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM BAD COMPANY’S TOUR
Bad Company have announced plans to once again tour in America. Singer Paul Rodgers told us how this trek might be different from their last one.
(Cut #1) “What I’m trying to do is include, you know, there are some songs that we didn’t play because the band disbanded in whenever it was, 79 or 80, one of the songs was ‘Electric Land’ and we never actually played that live and it’s something that I’m revisiting and we’re having a lot of fun with that and doing different things.”
Bad Company will start breaking out some of the rarer tracks when they kick off their tour. Get all the band’s dates at BadCompany.com.
BON JOVI INJURED DURING SHOW
Jon Bon Jovi played in his home state of New Jersey on Friday and during the encore, a rock cover of the Dave Clark Five’s “Glad All Over,” Jon jumped away from the mic and clutched his left leg in pain. The 48-year-old singer told the crowd he was hurt adding, “I’m old, but I’m still good looking.” Even with an injury, the rocker finished the song and the set and the next day, released a statement explaining he tore a calf muscle but that no future dates will be affected. Read more at Billboard.com.
DOOBIE BROTHERS PLAYING NEW MUSIC LIVE
In September, the Doobie Brothers will release their first album of original material in ten years, but in the meantime, they’re on the road, and while on tour, they’re performing some new tunes. Singer Tom Johnston told us about what they’re playing and how the crowds are liking it.
(Cut #2) “They’ve been very receptive. I remember in the old days, it used to be a little scary and sometimes they weren’t. But they’ve been… we’re playing three songs off the album right now, one of them’s the single that’s coming out right now and then we’re doing ‘World Gone Crazy’ and we’re also doing a song called ‘Chateau’ that [guitarist] Pat [Simmons] wrote. And they’re all going over very well.”
Find all their dates at DoobieBrothers.net.
STEVE EARLE NOMINATED FOR EMMY
Steve Earle was nominated for an Emmy. The singer got an Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics nod for his song “This City,” which closed the season finale of HBO’s Treme. The tune was produced by T Bone Burnett and marks Steve’s first Emmy nod. See if he wins when the Emmys air on August 29th on NBC.
• Steve appeared on The Wire, a series created by David Simon, who also created Treme.
THE WHO HOPING TO TOUR NEXT YEAR
Earlier this year, there were reports that The Who might call it quits because of guitarist Pete Townshend’s tinnitus, but now, things have really changed – so much so that the band is now hoping to tour next year. Singer Roger Daltrey told Billboard that The Who hope to hit the road in 2011 with “a new show” or possibly with a retooled stage presentation of their 1973 rock opera Quadrophenia. Daltrey stated that they’ve got ideas and are just figuring out what to do, but they “definitely don’t want to stop.” As for Pete’s tinnitus, Roger feels it is nothing different monitor systems and on-stage volumes can’t fix. Read more at Billboard.com. <
• Daltrey didn’t know much about the status of Floss, the new musical Townshend is working on, saying, “That’s not my bag, that’s Pete’s.”
NILS LOFGREN TALKS ABOUT NEW SPRINGSTEEN DVD
London Calling: Live in Hyde Park, the new concert DVD from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, is already a huge success. The disc debuted at number one in America, the U-K, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Austria and many other countries. It includes the group’s June 2009 show at London’s Hard Rock Calling Festival and guitarist Nils Lofgren told us about that gig.
(Cut #2) “Well the experience was amazing. First of all, we don’t do many festivals with Bruce at all so I was surprised we did one. I loved it. But the show felt great to me, we did a really long show and the audience seemed almost abnormally into it for a three day festival, because you figure the Bruce fans will be up close and then a lot of people…But it really had a communal good vibe and feel to it and it was one of our better shows.”
Pick up London Calling: Live in Hyde Park today and keep up to date with all things Bruce at BruceSpringsteen.net.
BRIAN MAY ON A BOOK TOUR
Queen guitarist Brian May is going on tour in America – a book tour. The rocker will be doing a series of lectures across the country this summer, discussing the contents of his book, A Village Lost & Found. The tome is an authoritative study of the work of 1850s stereo photographer T.R. Williams, who Brian has spent the past 30 years researching. May’s first stop will be as the keynote speaker at the National Stereoscopic Convention in Sandusky, Ohio on July 17th. Learn more at BrianMay.com.
• Stereo Photography is an early form of 3-D imaging.
ROBERT PLANT ANNOUNCES UK TOUR DATES
Robert Plant has scheduled some UK tour dates in the fall. The former Led Zeppelin frontman will play four shows in September in support of his Band of Joy album, which will be released on September 13th. Plant will play the HMV Forum in London on September 2nd, the St. David’s Hall in Cardiff on October 26th, Symphony Hall in Birmingham on October 27th and a Halloween show at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. He plays the Orpheum Theater in Memphis, Tennessee on Tuesday.
DAVID BOWIE TO REISSUE STATION TO STATION
David Bowie’s classic 1976 album Station To Station is to be reissued as an expanded edition featuring unreleased tracks. The record will hit shelves on September 20th as a three CD special edition and a deluxe edition featuring 5 CDs, a DVD, a triple LP and a host of exclusive replica memorabilia including replica stage passes, fan club packs and more. According to PlanetRock.com, both editions contain a previously unreleased Nassau Coliseumconcert from March 23rd, 1976.
• TIDBIT: Station to Station featured Bowie’s foray into more of a funk and soul infused sound. It includes Bowie’s hit “Golden Years.”
ELTON JOHN AND LEON RUSSELL JOIN IN ON THE UNION
Elton John and Leon Russell’s album The Union will hit shelves on October 19th. This album marks the first time these iconic artists have worked together since 1970. The recording was produced by Oscar and multiple-GRAMMY winning producer T Bone Burnett, who took home numerous awards in 2009 for his production work on Raising Sand with Robert Plant and Alison Krause. The Union features songs written by John and his lifelong lyricist Bernie Taupin, as well as in combination with Russell and Burnett. The album was recorded live in the studio with both John and Russell playing piano. It features a variety of musical genres from R&B, soul, gospel, country, pop and rock. Neil Young and Brian Wilson provide guest vocals on the effort, as well as legendary R&B organist Booker T. Jones, steel guitarist Robert Randolph and a 10-piece gospel choir.
A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT PHIL SPECTOR
There is a new documentary out about Phil Spector. It’s called The Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector and covers the producer’s development of his Wall of Sound, his time working with The Beatles, his own music and of course, the murder charges he’s since been convicted on. Among the interesting items viewers will see in the doc is Phil’s explanation of his bizarre hairdo at a pre-trial hearing, which he claims was just a joke. You can learn more about the flick by heading to RollingStone.com and reading the interview they posted with the movie’s director.
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Undercover Karaoke with Jewel from Jewel, Eric Appel, Antonio Scarlata, and FOD Team - Video
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4a87d48fdd/undercover-karaoke-with-jewel
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Santana Kicks Off Tour With Steve Winwood
by Paul Cashmere
Santana is back on the road with Steve Winwood slotted in as opening act.
The tour kicked off in St Paul, MN and will go through to August 1 ending in West Palm Beach. Florida.
After that, Santana will have an eight show residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas from August 25 and then head to Europe on September 9.
For the first show, Santana performed the Cream classic ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’. The song, with vocals by Rob Thomas, will feature on the next Santana album ‘Guitar Heaven’.
The set list for opening night of the tour was:
Yaleo (from Supernatural, 1999)
Maria Maria (from Supernatural, 1999)
Foo Foo (from Shaman, 2002)
Corazon Espinado (from Supernatural, 1999)
Jingo (from Santana, 1969)
Europa (from Amigos, 1976)
Singing Winds Crying Beast (from Abraxas, 1970)
Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen (from Abraxas, 1970)
Oye Como Va (from Abraxas, 1970)
Welcome/Inner City Blues (from Welcome, 1973/Marvin Gaye cover)
Evil Ways/A Love Supreme (from Santana, 1969/Love Devotion Surrender, 1973)
Sunshine of Your Love (from Guitar Heaven, 2010)
Smooth/Dame Tu Amour (from Supernatural, 1999/All That I Am, 2005)
Woodstock Chant/Soul Sacrifice (from Santana, 1969)
Into the Night (from Ultimate Santana, 2007)
Love, Peace & Happiness/Freedom
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Bobcat Goldthwait To Direct Kinks Concept Film
by Andrew Tijs
Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait will turn the Kinks album Schoolboys In Disgrace into a movie.
The comedian best known as the lunatic cop from thePolice Academy films and as a director of freaky films Shakes The Clown and World’s Greatest Dadwill makes the kooky concept album into a bizarre silver screen musical.
The 1976 concept album purports to be able a “naughty little schoolboy” who “always playing tricks on the teachers and bullying other children in the school.” The naughty schoolboy gets in trouble with a naughty schoolgirl and is disgraced by the school principal.
The album is actually the genesis story of Mr Flash, the supervillain who previously appeared in the rock opera across two albums Preservation Act 1 and 2.
Goldthwait told The Hollywood Reporter that all this saucy silliness will be “a realistic high school musical for all the kids who hate sugary, sweet, unrealistic high-school musicals.”
Kinks singer Ray Davies has signed on as executive co-producer. No word on the cast yet, although producers have said that they will be rerecording the original songs from the album for the film’s soundtrack.
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THEBEATLES.COM: John Lennon: Gimme Some Truth
http://thebeatles.com/#/news/John_Lennon_Gimme_Some_Truth
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Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
This title will be released on August 17, 2010
PRE-ORDER IT NOW AT THIS LINK
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RWKSII?ie/punmastercom
Track Listings
1. Rhapsody in Blue/Intro
2. The Like in I Love You
3. Summertime
4. I Loves You, Porgy
5. I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'
6. It Ain't Necessarily So
7. 'S Wonderful
8. They Can't Take That Away from Me
9. Love Is Here to Stay
10. I've Got a Crush on You
11. I Got Rhythm
12. Someone to Watch Over Me
13. Nothing But Love
14. Rhapsody in Blue/Reprise
Stream an advance track here:
http://www.brianwilson.com
Brian Wilson Sings Gershwin
One of the greatest songwriters in the world is about to cover one of the greatest songwriters in the world. Brian Wilson is covering George Gershwin.
70-years separates the two songwriting legends. They will come together for ‘Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin’
“Along with Irving Berlin, Gershwin basically invented the popular song, but he did something more,” Brian Wilson said in a statement. “He had a gift for melody that nobody has ever equaled, yet his music is timeless and always accessible. This is the most spiritual project I've ever worked on.”
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Al Jardine Recruits Alec Baldwin For Solo Album
by Paul Cashmere
At 67-years of age, former Beach Boys guitarist Al Jardine has released his first solo album `A Postcard From California` and it features a spoken word piece from Alec Baldwin.
Baldwin recites the Stephen Kalinich poem ‘Tide Pool Interlude’.
The album also features guest appearances from his fellow Beach Boys Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Mike Love and Bruce Johnson and features Steve Miller, Flea, Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Glen Campbell, David Crosby and America’s Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell.
The Carl Wilson part dates back to a recording session in the 1980s. Carl died in 1998.
On the ‘A Postcard From California’ album, Jardine has remade his Beach Boys classic ‘Help Me, Rhonda’. Al sang lead on the Beach Boys original. Two other lesser known Beach Boys songs, ‘California Saga’ (featuring Neil Young on joint lead vocal) and ‘Honkin’ Down The Highway’ (featuring Brian Wilson on backing vocals), as well as the unreleased Stephen Kalinich penned Beach Boys track ‘California Feelin’ (which eventually did come out on a solo Brian Wilson record) are on the record.
The Baldwin voiced, Kalinich worded ‘Tide Pool Interlude’ features a backing track of a piano part from the unreleased Mike Love track ‘Big Sur’.
Al Jardine & Alec Baldwin - Tidepool Interlude
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59szS51cx34
The Al Jardine website has samples from the record.
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Thanks to Bob Merlis
HENDRIX DAGGER CATALOG GOES DIGITAL
Experience Hendrix LLC today announced that releases on its official ‘bootleg’ Dagger label are now available for digital download for the first time in the company’s history. Dagger Records was founded in 1998 by Experience Hendrix to provide fans of the legendary guitarist with exciting, never before released studio recordings, home demos, rare interviews and unforgettable live performances. Each album in the acclaimed series provides new insights into Jimi’s remarkable creativity.
Experience Hendrix LLC CEO Janie Hendrix encapsulated the label’s history, “With my late father’s blessing, Dagger Records was devised as an avenue to fulfill the requests of the ‘deep’ Jimi collectors and worshipers for recordings beyond the ‘core releases’ such as Electric Ladyland, Are You Experienced and the recent Valleys of Neptune. Dagger material is certainly of great historical significance but might not have been recorded most optimally, a situation that mandated the establishment of a specialty imprint to ensure that consumers are treated as fairly and as honestly as possible.”
Prior to Dagger’s founding, an underground market existed for Jimi Hendrix recordings that was rife with expensive, poorly annotated bootlegs, often of questionable quality. Dagger releases offer inspired live performances and revealing home and studio recordings that are highly valued by Hendrix cognoscenti. As has been the case with physical releases since its inception in 1998, Dagger’s digital assets will be available exclusively at www.jimihendrix.com Dagger’s digital catalog of 11 albums is offered in high resolution (320kpbs) MP3 format that are DRM free.
Janie Hendrix recalled, “Before we were able to get back the rights to Jimi's music, I used to see a lot of bootleg albums and I, too, was one of the victims of high prices and shabby product. It really made no sense [considering] that we have a whole vault full of Jimi Hendrix material to not make much of it available to enthusiasts on our own terms in a transparent way. Obviously, not all of the material is of the commercial and sonic quality of the core titles so Dagger was devised as a means to market these recordings honestly to offer new insights into Jimi’s creative process for those who are most interested. Our alliance with Sony Legacy launched very successfully with the release of Valleys of Neptune and the re-issue of classic Jimi Hendrix Experience titles earlier this year so it seemed like the appropriate time to take the Dagger catalog into the digital domain."
Dagger Records Catalog releases to date:
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At The Oakland Coliseum
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At Clark University
Morning Symphony Ideas
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live In Ottawa
Jimi Hendrix: Baggy's Rehearsal Sessions
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Paris 67 / San Francisco 68
Hear My Music
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At The Isle Of Fehmarn
Burning Desire
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Paris/Ottawa 1968
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At Woburn
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Thanks to Cary Baker...
LUCKY PETERSON’S ‘YOU CAN ALWAYS TURN AROUND,’ RECORDED WITH WOODSTOCK’S “A-LIST” PLAYERS, HERALDS TURNAROUND IN LIFE AS WELL AS MUSIC
Blues singer/keyboardist/guitarist’s first album in seven years features Larry Campbell, Scott Petito and Gary Burke, and songs by Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, Tom Waits, Ray LaMontagne and Lucinda Williams
WOODSTOCK, N.Y. — Lucky Peterson was discovered by blues legend Willie Dixon when he was three years old, released his first record at five and soon after appeared on The Tonight Show. Trained by keyboardists Bill Doggett and Jimmy Smith, Peterson went on to play behind Little Milton, Bobby “Blue” Bland and Kenny Neal. On return from the “Young Blues Giants” tour of Europe, he signed first with Alligator, then Verve, Blue Thumb and Birdology/Dreyfus, where he recorded what Amazon.com called “his finest album,” Black Midnight Sun, in 2003. The New Yorker called him “a master of the guitar, organ and microphone.”
But Lucky’s journey was not a smooth one, and Peterson spent the next few years in transition, working to free himself of drug troubles that had affected his health, family life and professional life. He spent time in treatment, making one-off records for small European labels, but never a proper follow-up to Black Midnight Sun.
But you can always turn around. These words took on special meaning for the 45-year-old Peterson, which is why the first album since his rehabilitation is titled You Can Always Turn Around. It is an uplifting collection of songs that speak of struggles and salvation, using the gritty clarity of acoustic roots-blues (with modern touches) as its main musical vehicle.
The album, scheduled for September 28, 2010 release on Dreyfus Records, was made in the Catskills with master Woodstock musicians Larry Campbell, guitar (Bob Dylan, Levon Helm); Scott Petito, bass (The Fugs, Mercury Rev, Rick Danko Band); and Gary Burke, drums (Joe Jackson, Shania Twain). Peterson as usual plays a mix of instruments: duolian resonator, piano and acoustic and electric guitars. Also prevalent is the acoustic piano on which Lucky sounds like a bluesy Elton John. “He’s something of a genius — his piano playing reminds me of Aretha Franklin,” says drummer Burke, who has played behind Franklin on the road.
But it’s Peterson’s vocal instrument that some might find most arresting. Peterson wraps his voice around an eclectic selection of blues-based materials including songs by original Delta bluesmen Robert Johnson, Rev. Gary Davis and Blind Willie McTell up through the music of today’s top songwriters including Lucinda Williams, Tom Waits and Ray LaMontagne. The album closes with a version of Curtis Mayfield’s “Think.”
“This album is very different for me — it’s more from the heart,” says Peterson. “The songs were picked by (co-producer) Doug Yoel, and he knew my heart. I feel like all these songs were for me.” The album would be the last co-production of Francis Dreyfus, who passed away on June 24, before the album’s release.
One standout on the album is the civil-rights era anthem “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free,” written by Billy Taylor and popularized by Nina Simone. The new recording introduces Tamara Peterson, Lucky’s wife, a worthy blues singer in her own right. The chemistry between Lucky and Tamara on that session was so exciting that Larry Campbell was prompted to invite the pair to appear with the Levon Helm Band at the Midnight Ramble concert the following night.
Peterson creates something brand new on “Trampled Rose,” turning a wordless hook into a seductive Arabian-flavored line. The band responded to and fed the creativity of the newly awakened Lucky Peterson, and the results are truly special.
Peterson continues to tour, doing dates big and small. This new album should increase awareness of and demand for this one-of-a-kind musician.
And when off the road, he’ll be at his church in Dallas, Texas with his family, holding on, and playing for one very lucky congregation.
TRACK LIST:
1. I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom (Robert Johnson)
2. I'm New Here (Bill Callahan)
3. Statesboro Blues (Blind Willie McTell)
4. Trouble (Ray LaMontagne)
5. Trampled Rose (Tom Waits / Kathleen Brennan)
6. Atonement (Lucinda Williams)
7. Why Are People Like That (Bobby Charles)
8. Four Little Boys (James Peterson / Judge Peterson)
9. Death Don't Have No Mercy (Rev. Gary Davis)
10. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free (Billy Taylor and Dick Dallas)
11. Think (Curtis Mayfield)
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THE BAND OF HEATHENS TO RELEASE FREE ONLINE SONG, “FREE AGAIN,” A CATCHY SUMMER TUNE FOR THE OIL SPILL SEASON
Touring behind current album One Foot in the Ether, Austin band is on the road all summer and fall, with appearance at Lollapalooza
AUSTIN, Texas — While the Band of Heathens’ new song “Free Again” will keep fans happily humming and tapping, it will probably raise some eyebrows as well. The track — available for free on the band’s web site <http://www.bandofheathens.com> on July 15 — references the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. “It’s sure to be the feel-good hit of the summer,” quips band member Ed Jurdi. “Imagine the Silver Surfer making his way through Brian Wilson’s brain and ending up on summer holiday in the Gulf of Mexico. That’s the loose plot of the tune.”
In between tour segments, the band took a couple of days in the studio to record some new material. The two-day session yielded three songs showcasing the group’s wide musical horizons. In a move that that echoes the hallmark of the Heathens’ independent spirit, they’ve decided to release one song from those sessions as a free track to fans.
“A big belief of the band is that we shouldn’t put limitations on when we release material,” says Jurdi. “We are always available and open to the creative muse. If we’re working on something that feels good, the next logical step is to share it with people who have helped us create our own little space in this weird and woolly time.”
The Band of Heathens’ One Foot in the Ether made it to #1 on the Americana airplay charts as did its eponymous predecessor. For the second year in a row they are nominated for Americana Music Honors & Awards – this year for “Best Group,” last year for “Best Emerging Artist.” The band appeared on PBS’ Austin City Limits program last November on a bill with Elvis Costello. In the past year they have toured ceaselessly hitting such festivals as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and Wakarusa. Maverick magazine called One Foot in the Ether album “a quality album from a quality group,” adding, “If you haven’t caught up with this group, why not?”
“Free Again” takes the view that as long as there’s gas in the tank, food in the fridge and America’s Got Talent on TV, we’re good, right? From the lyrics: “Flip the channel, turn the dial, watch tomorrow going on today. We go sinking further down the mess that we have made. Just asking for forgiveness ’cause we all know that Jesus saves.” Someone somewhere, the song hopes, has figured it out and will fix it and put it back together again.
So sit back and enjoy the summer, bring the family and enjoy the sand. If a few tar balls wash up on the beach, not to worry.
As much as the Band of Heathens would love to join the ranks of beach-goers, they remain on tour all summer and into the fall.
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Thanks to Bob Merlis
Busy Cajun artist/author Ann Savoy releases second solo album, 'Black Coffee'
Manhattan Local Music Examiner - Jim Bessman
Ann Savoy & Her Sleepless Knights' "Black Coffee" CD cover
Memphis International Records
One of the busiest artists in Cajun music, Ann Savoy has just released her second album with Her Sleepless Knights swing-jazz band, Black Coffee (Memphis International).
The disc continues in the French Louisiana-flavored vintage jazz vein of the preceding If Dreams Come True (2007).
"The first album was really made to express the things I've been doing musically at home my whole life," says vocalist/guitarist Savoy ((pronounced Suh-VWAH), a Virginia native who lives on a farm near the Cajun prairie capital of Eunice, La. While she's known for traditional Cajun recordings with her other bands the Savoy Family Band (also featuring her legendary husband Marc and sons Wilson and Joel), the Savoy-Doucet Band (also featuring Marc on accordion and BeauSoleil fiddler Michael Doucet) and the Magnolia Sisters (also featuring Jane Vidrine, Anya Schoenegge, and Lisa Reed), If Dreams Come True reflected the sounds of Peggy Lee, Pete Fountain and Al Hirt, which she grew up listening to and has continued to perform at parties.
"I decided to record those kinds of songs and called on some friends and practiced for two days and made the record," she continues. "But now we've been a band for a while and the new record has a noticeably high level of professionalism musically--thanks to the killer arrangements of [lead guitarist] Tom Mitchell and [fiddler] Kevin Wimmer."
Wimmer and fellow Sleepless Knights' upright bassist Eric Frey, rhythm guitarist Chas Justus and drummer Glenn Fields, are also members of top Cajun swing band the Red Stick Ramblers; Mitchell has played extensively with Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks.
She singles out the Rodgers & Hart classic "My Funny Valentine" as the type of "vulnerable song" she was looking for this time out.
"I wanted it to sound like a person who was broken down," she says, adding that her take is influenced by jazz great Chet Baker. "I love the way he tries to sound like his own horn when he sings, and the sparseness. But there's a lot more sassy stuff on the album, too."
Here she cites the Mitchell-supplied titletrack, a song recorded in the 1930s by the one-armed New Orleans trumpeter Wingy Manone, "which is about trying to sober up and is one of my favorites." She also credits Bessie Smith as a key influence.
"I can't sing like an urban tough cookie," she notes of her version of Smith's "You've Been A Good Ole Wagon" (she also covers the blues queen's "Whoa, Tilly, Take Your Time"), "so we changed it into a string band sound with fiddle and guitars rather than horns."
The net effect brings Black Coffee into Django Reinhardt's “Hot Club de France” territory--as further evidenced by Savoy's version of the great Gypsy jazz guitarist's French classic "Nuages."
"The band's a string band now with upright bass," she adds (it lacks sons Joel and Wilson, who graced If Dreams Come True respectively on guitar and piano; Joel did co-produce Black Coffee with his mom, while daughter Gabrielle Savoy did the photography). Although the current band "is scattered around a lot since we're all in many different bands," she says she'll definitely work on a tour with Her Sleepless Knights.
Meanwhile, she looks forward to making another album with pal Linda Ronstadt, to follow-up their Grammy-nominated 2006 album Adieu False Heart. She's also working on a follow-up to her award-winning 1984 book Cajun Music, A Reflection of a People, Volume 1, which comprehensively chronicled the history of Cajun and Zydeco music.
"Ann Savoy is a trusted keeper of the flame--the kind of girl Duke Ellington had in mind when he wrote 'Sophisticated Lady,'" writes T Bone Burnett in Black Coffee's CD booklet (Burnett worked with Savoy on the movie soundtracks to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and All The King's Men). "She doesn't imitate the past, she animates it. She makes dead men walk along a crooked line from the paddocks of Virginia to the swamps of Louisiana. She is a blues singer. In French."
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JIMI HENDRIX AND GEORGE FULLERTON TO BE INDUCTED INTO FENDER HALL OF FAME
Honorees to be inducted Aug. 13, 2010, during fourth annual Fender Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (July 8, 2010) – Fender Musical Instruments Corp. (FMIC) is proud to announce that it will honor rock legend Jimi Hendrix and founding employee George Fullerton at its fourth annual Fender Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Fri., Aug. 13, 2010, at the Tempe Center of the Arts in Tempe, Ariz.
The Fender Hall of Fame was created in 2007 as an annual celebration of Fender® founders, artists, leaders, innovators and other historically significant figures, and as an institution in which their contributions to the company’s legacy are permanently commemorated.
Special guests at the 2010 induction ceremony will include Janie Hendrix, Eddie Kramer, Geoff Fullerton, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Chris Layton.
Janie Hendrix, CEO of Experience Hendrix LLC, is the central figure in preserving and protecting the ongoing legacy of her legendary stepbrother, Jimi Hendrix. As the head of the Hendrix estate for nearly a decade, she will be present at the induction ceremony that afternoon to accept the honor on behalf of Jimi Hendrix and the Hendrix family.
Over a career spanning nearly half a century, world-famous recording producer and engineer Eddie Kramer is well known as the man who recorded Jimi Hendrix; playing an integral role in recording every seminal Hendrix album from the 1967 debut Are You Experienced to 1971’s The Cry of Love. Kramer is unquestionably one of the most renowned and well-respected producer/engineers in rock history; his work has also included famous albums for the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Peter Frampton and many other artists.
Fender’s own Geoff Fullerton is the son of George Fullerton, one of Leo Fender’s best friends, first employees and key right-hand men during Fender’s original 1940s-1960s golden age. A generation later, Geoff Fullerton has lent his own talents as a builder to the Fender Custom Shop in Corona, Calif.; he remains there today and will be on hand at the induction ceremony to accept the honor on behalf of his father and family.
The fourth annual Fender Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will also feature a musical performance by noted blues guitarist/singer/songwriter Kenny Wayne Shepherd, ably backed by premier electric blues drummer Chris Layton, formerly of Double Trouble and also known for his work with a variety of artists including Storyville, Arc Angels, Doyle Bramhall II and many others.
ABOUT THE INDUCTEES:
James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix (1942-1970) is universally hailed as the greatest electric guitarist in the history of rock and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. In the annals of rock history—and especially in Fender history—he towers above all others as an artist whose life and work were as phenomenal as the era which he helped to define and personify.
Innovative, enigmatic and astoundingly talented, Hendrix pioneered an explosive new role for the electric guitar in the latter 1960s over the course of a meteoric career that was as musically adventurous as it was all too brief. Indeed, one can only speculate on the even greater musical heights he would have achieved had he lived beyond the age of 27.
With bands the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys, he recorded groundbreaking hit singles and albums, including Are You Experienced and Axis: Bold as Love (1967), Electric Ladyland (1968) and Band of Gypsys (1970), all of which are as acclaimed and influential today as when first released. A mesmerizing performer, Hendrix also turned in unforgettable concert moments, including his literally fiery performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and his immortal appearance at the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair.
With his Stratocaster® guitar slung upside down and his artful and inventive use of distortion, feedback, and other effects, Jimi Hendrix bequeathed to the world an artistic legacy so powerful that he has transcended mere stardom to become a worldwide cultural phenomenon that endures to this day.
George William Fullerton (1923-2009) played a pivotal role during Fender’s original 1940s-1960s golden age.
In the mid-1940s, as a gifted artist and working musician with a keen interest in electronics, George became friends with Leo Fender. The two men eventually became business associates after Leo personally enlisted George to sign on with the fledgling guitar and amplifier company. With his artistic sense and natural ability to translate ideas into practical processes and machinery on the shop floor, Fullerton contributed to the creation of several of the most important musical instruments of the 20th century, including the Telecaster®, Stratocaster, Precision Bass® and Jazz Bass® guitars.
George Fullerton reported to work at Fender on Feb. 2, 1948, after performing several years of side work for Leo. He ran the small shop and supervised the crew during those first formative years, bringing a congenial, family-like atmosphere to the feisty young company. He became vice president in charge of production in April 1959, and from that early era through the 1960s, he remained both well liked by everyone at Fender and steadfastly loyal to Leo, with whom he remained a lifelong friend and business partner long after both men retired from Fender in 1970.
NOTE: The media are welcome to attend and cover the event; however, it is not open to the public.
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Hey Davy, Minor correction...Willie's 1st 4th of July Picnic was in 1973. He did have a gathering a year before, but it was in March. I moved to Texas (Austin) from Ann Arbor, Michigan for the 1st 4th of July Picnic on July 2nd, 1973. Except for the 11 years I spent in Marin County, I've been in Austin ever since. Jack Ortman
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>>> INSERT JOKE HERE <<<
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*** PUNMASTER'S TRIVIA CORNER ***
The trivia question from the last MusicWire was:
Name this band that formed in the 1950s and included a heavyweight session musician that went on to a successful solo career, plus a guitarist/songwriter who's songs were covered by a heavyweight guitarist. The drummer in this band went on to play on a famous tour that also became a movie and also played with another artist who also appeared in an infamous film that was finally released a few years ago. This band was instrumental in creating the style of music known as the _______ Sound.
Name this seminal band to win or at least the two main members that went on to achieve greater success.
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ANSWER: THE STARLIGHTERS
"The Starlighters," which included Leon Russell, J.J. Cale, Chuck Blackwell and Johnny Williams; instrumental in creating the style of music known as the Tulsa Sound in the 1950s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Russell
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the winners are... (in order of appearance)
Tim Bernett
Rog (in Scotland)
Don Mennie
Terry Hansen
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Dear PunMaestro,
Must be The Starlighters, purveyors of the Tulsa Sound!
In the band were Leon Russell, JJ Cale, and drummer Chuck Blackwell (Mad Dogs & Englishmen, and Rock & Roll Circus).
Tim Bernett
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The Wrecking Crew - the guitarist was Glen Campbell. I think the drummer you refer to is Hal Blaine.
David Kunian
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I reckon the band is the Starlighters and the sound is the Tulsa sound. The main
members were Leon Russell and JJ Cale but also included Chuck Blackwell.
Rog (in Scotland)
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A tough one Dave...
The Champs
Glen Campbell
Jerry Cole
Could be Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks
Robbie Robertson
Levon Helm
Pat Travers
Brad Strickland
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Just maybe...'The Champs'
Larry Weinberg
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The band was the STARLIGHTERS (it included heavyweight session musician LEON RUSSELL and also J.J. CALE). This band was instrumental in creating the style of music known as theTulsa Sound.
Becoming a part of Phil Spector's studio group, Leon Russell played backup for many of the most popular successes of the 1960s. During 1972, his album "Carney" hit #2 on the US charts, due largely to the song "Tight Rope."
Don Mennie
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David, The Starlighters w/ J.J. Cale, Leon Russell, and drummer Chuck Blackwell. Blackwell went on to play with Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs And Englishmen (later a movie) and appeared in the The Rollings Stones' Rock & Roll Circus (released in '96 on VHS/ DVD in 2004) playing with Taj Mahal. They helped create the Tulsa Sound.
- Terry Hansen
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*** TODAY'S EASY BAKE TRIVIA QUESTION ***
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Here's a twist.......I'll name these following artists and YOU pose the correct question to win!
Brian Jones, Peter Green, Syd Barrett, Denny Laine, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan
INCLUDE YOUR NAME WITH YOUR ANSWER OR YOU MAY SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS!
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If you want to be listed as a winner....INCLUDE YOUR NAME!
Give it your best shot...you may not get a yes/no response until the
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The answer will appear in the next MusicWire...
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THIS DAY IN MUSIC HISTORY - JULY 15
In 1952…An eight-year-old Gladys Knight took home two-thousand dollars and a gold cup for winning a talent competition.
In 1954…Quincy Jones led the Trenners’ recording session of “Say Hay.”
In 1958…John Lennon’s mother died in a road accident in Liverpool, England.
In 1963…Elvis Presley began shooting Viva Las Vegas.
In 1963…Paul McCartney was busted for speeding and fined 17 English pounds for the offense.
In 1965…Jan & Dean sang on the television show Where the Action Is.
In 1967…Jefferson Airplane and The Doors both performed at the Anaheim Civic Center.
In 1968…Creedence Clearwater Revival released their self-titled debut album.
In 1969…Singer Judy Collins appeared in a New York Shakespeare Festival production.
In 1970…Creedence Clearwater Revival released their fifth album Cosmo’s Factory.
In 1971…Yoko Ono appeared at the London department store Selfridges, where she signed copies of her book Grapefruit. John Lennon turned up to help.
In 1973…A depressed Ray Davies, balancing a beer can on his head, announced he was retiring from the music scene at London’s White City Stadium during a Kinks concert.
In 1974…Elton John re-signed with the record label MCA. Elton received eight-million dollars for delivering his next five albums to them, which included Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy.
In 1978…Bob Dylan played to an audience of 200 thousand at his open-air concert at England’s Blackbushe Airport.
In 1986…Colulmbia Records dropped Johnny Cash after a 28-year partnership.
In 1989…Pink Floyd performed in Venice on a floating stage. 200-thousand people gathered to see them and they ended up causing damage to the city’s bridges and made marble crumble from centuries-old buildings.
In 1992…Aretha Franklin opened up the Democratic National Convention with her rendition of the national anthem.
In 1994…In Detroit, Pink Floyd performed Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety for the first time in almost 20 years.
In 1999…Bruce Springsteen kicked off the North-American leg of his reunion tour with The E Street Band at New Jersey’s Continental Airlines Arena.
In 1999…The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir married Natasha Muenicr.
In 2002…Bob Seger’s boat, Lightning of St. Clair Shores, finished first in its division in the Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race in Michigan.
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VIDEO CLIPS OF THE WEEK
------------------------------------------------
Thanks to Mike Hart...
The Band- Don't Do It
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11Y987Uf1wY
(live 12/28-12/31/71, the Academy of Music, NYC) [performance previously unissued]
Van Morrison & The Chieftains Raglan Road
Van & The Chieftains live at the Balmoral Studio in Belfast. Okt.1987
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2Oaq59CF_k
Bobby Darin & Clyde McPhatter sing "Have Mercy Baby"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXxMkQLgx1A
Miles Davis & John Lee Hooker - End Credits (Hot Spot)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Asq4r42zwk
audio only - the great film and great soundtrack. Dennis Hopper, the hot spot
Ry Cooder, Bobby King - Chain Gang
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqW3zGeeIUU
Band:
Ry Cooder: guitar, vox
Jim Keltner: drums
Van Dyke Parks: keys
Jorge Calderon: bass
Flaco Jimenez: accordion
Miguel Cruiz: percussion
Steve Douglas: sax
George Bohannon: trombone
Singers:
Bobby King: tenor
Terry Evans: baritone
Arnold McCuller: tenor
Willie Green Jr: bass
John Hiatt & The Goners - Your Dad Did
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG-iVJpJXkc
From a TV concert in Hamburg, Germany on Oct. 9'th, 1987. Another rarely heard live.
Jimmy Smith w. Kenny Burrell - Organ Grinder's Swing - 1993
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkLbjHnhA8Y
B.B. King on Ralph Gleason's Jazz Casual 1968 Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBWcSc3nPow
Jimmy Cliff: Tiny Desk Concert
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128383652
Pete Townshend, Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny I Put A Spell On You 1990
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Q9PPbDXjU
Pete Townshend, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJonette and Dave Holland perform "I Put A Spell On You," London 1990. Four years earlier, Pete Townshend played this with David Gilmour and the Deep End band Brixton Nov 1985 - which was professionally released.
How could this even happen?
the beatles - help ! - {rare video} studio version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lxn8fjSxHQ
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You Can Quote Me On That...
"Mick needs to know what he's going to do tomorrow. Me, I'm just happy to wake up and see who's hanging around. Mick's rock, I'm roll." -Keith Richards
"I don't know anything about music, In my line you don't have to." - Elvis Presley
"I opened the door for a lot of people, and they just ran through and left me holding the knob." - Bo Diddley
"The only Maybelline I knew was the name of a cow." - Chuck Berry
"A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or Ph.D. Unfortunately, they don't have a J.O.B." - Fats Domino
"It's not the size of the ship; it's the size of the waves." - Little Richard
"Hippies? Why, I'm the original." - Jerry Lee Lewis
"The older I get, the harder to get around....gravity's got me down." - Barry Goldberg
“I'm one of those regular weird people.” - Janis Joplin
"There are more love songs than anything else. If songs could make you do something we'd all love one another." - Frank Zappa
"I've always felt that blues, rock 'n' roll and country are just about a beat apart." - Waylon Jennings
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix
"Rock is so much fun. That's what it's all about -- filling up the chest cavities and empty kneecaps and elbows." - Jimi Hendrix
"I taught them everything they know, but not everything I know." - James Brown
"David Gross (Punmaster's MusicWire) is the Arianna Huffington of music news!" - Barry "The Fish" Melton
"The older you get, the better you were!" - Leslie West
"It's much too late to do anything about rock & roll now ..." - Jerry Garcia
"Albert King wasn't my brother in blood, but he sure was my brother in Blues" - B.B. King
"More bass." - Jerry Wexler
"I'm as country as a dozen eggs." - Elvin Bishop
"I liked the first sixties better...." - Al Kooper
"I still have all my vinyl. You can’t roll a joint on an iPod.” - Shelby Lynne
"I think I just killed somebody." - Phil Spector
"The problem with history is, the folks who were there ain't talking. And the ones who weren't there, you can't shut 'em up." - Tom Waits
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." - Hunter S. Thompson
"I want my more money & I want my more fame" - Chubby Checker
"When you don't know where you're going, you have to stick together just in case someone gets there." - Ken Kesey
"I smash guitars because I like them." - Pete Townshend
"It's a good thing I had a bag of marijuana instead of a bag of spinach. I'd be dead by now." - Willie Nelson
"Rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk in order to provide articles for people who can't read." - Frank Zappa
"You can learn something, both good or bad, watching any guitar player. You learn what to do or what not to do. Over the years I've learned things from Carlos, Mike Bloomfield, Clapton, George, Garcia, Knopfler and let's not forget Robbie Robertson." - Bob Dylan, 2002
"There 'is' a difference between rock and rock and roll; beware of inferior imitations (avoid contact with any musician who doesn't know how to play Chuck Berry music)." - Cub Koda
"This heah is Rufus Thomas....I'm young and loose and full of juice. I got the goose, so what's the use." - Rufus Thomas
"Mike Love, not war." - Scott Mathews
"I have outlived my dick" - Willie Nelson (2008)
"Anybody with a trade can work as long as they want. A welder, a carpenter, an electrician. They don't necessarily need to retire...Every man should learn a trade. It's different than a job. My music wasn't made to take me from one place to another so I can retire early." -Bob Dylan
To see a slew of quotes check out http://www.punmaster.com
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