tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-212584592024-03-18T09:48:03.295+00:00The Vinyl WordBlues, rock and roll, soul, fifties and sixties pop, cajun, jazz, folk, vinyl records, LPs, EPs, singles, New Orleans, Memphis, UK rock, nostalgia, girl groups, ska, rocksteady.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.comBlogger1588125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-53287860654732774822024-03-10T21:43:00.011+00:002024-03-14T11:15:06.770+00:00Steve Lawrence RIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYZuT_fjt4WGywCQT1NabB7vry4oGBUSlq5HVVsG5vV0dufn5K2rTEPL9FY2OZhj2Cj24RCljN8wO7QBSeXXvZXkbbQ2WAdtDBWcrK8Gs_4_nIhfOmvuh-Q1rNwKrKx-lzDCBYW-YmnPEkyDLVOqpi4n97KjZiYL2qR67Z_aDe4Me3ceN-DH4/s1600/DSCN9806.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYZuT_fjt4WGywCQT1NabB7vry4oGBUSlq5HVVsG5vV0dufn5K2rTEPL9FY2OZhj2Cj24RCljN8wO7QBSeXXvZXkbbQ2WAdtDBWcrK8Gs_4_nIhfOmvuh-Q1rNwKrKx-lzDCBYW-YmnPEkyDLVOqpi4n97KjZiYL2qR67Z_aDe4Me3ceN-DH4/s400/DSCN9806.JPG"/></a></div>
I've seen no coverage of the death of singer Steve Lawrence at the age of 88. Yet he was one of the founding fathers of pop music in many ways. He was perhaps best known as the husband of Eydie Gorme who recorded a series of duets including 'I Want To Stay Here'. a UK number three in 1963, 'I Can't Stop Talking About You' and 'The Honeymoon Is Over'. But in the 1950s and early sixties he was a major solo star. He had success with a cover of Buddy Knox's 'Party Doll', 'Pretty Blue Eyes' (covered in the UK by Craig Douglas), 'Footsteps', which made it to number four in the UK in 1959, 'Why Why Why', 'Portrait Of My Love' (a cover of Matt Munro's hit), and 'Go Away Little Girl', which was first recorded by Bobby Vee, sold a million for Steve and was later covered by Donny Osmond and Marlena Shaw. As well as releasing numerous albums Steve was also a TV star and actor and appeared as Maury Sline in 'Blues Brothers' and 'Blues Brothers 2000' as well as several other movies. Top photo shows a UK demo copy of 'Fabulous', which rather quaintly describes the backing group as 'Dick Jacobs and his Skiffle band'.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6pWDywP4ApuUULRARrD8mOrH0SCCCBuK2sueXtZBDbLM0agkXDGO1MQpZ_tk_2Gd3JC006kJymGRdYwm1Sn9YAim5hAkk8_2kk6txJjKTf23N9iel5k8FYS4JQc06SlDbMxyP-USs0ehoYZ69vFOHXErhTW-mz6GEJAWzF1gWaVLGtUo4Gpr/s299/steve%20and%20Eydie.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6pWDywP4ApuUULRARrD8mOrH0SCCCBuK2sueXtZBDbLM0agkXDGO1MQpZ_tk_2Gd3JC006kJymGRdYwm1Sn9YAim5hAkk8_2kk6txJjKTf23N9iel5k8FYS4JQc06SlDbMxyP-USs0ehoYZ69vFOHXErhTW-mz6GEJAWzF1gWaVLGtUo4Gpr/s400/steve%20and%20Eydie.jpg"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYet-WO6vWKsiU36RYoMSAEQzcvHPiBXShvFfAmAD4Un3aHrHpueE9vPDWkeUECNVTpXAeYOXcXcM4-oKZpVeG5NckEPxeN0PaCrh3jBPoW3lvJhnig-txcFh0a0IXgP4tNhxBKRiYZSR3KivhpW1OCd77_9cAbtLKN0xvsWBs6WFkRl1HShb_/s1199/DSCN9805.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYet-WO6vWKsiU36RYoMSAEQzcvHPiBXShvFfAmAD4Un3aHrHpueE9vPDWkeUECNVTpXAeYOXcXcM4-oKZpVeG5NckEPxeN0PaCrh3jBPoW3lvJhnig-txcFh0a0IXgP4tNhxBKRiYZSR3KivhpW1OCd77_9cAbtLKN0xvsWBs6WFkRl1HShb_/s400/DSCN9805.JPG"/></a></div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-78238607239867092712024-03-07T19:46:00.000+00:002024-03-07T19:46:03.916+00:00Johnny Knight RIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4p4cavpph_x4fDSh9ndiSs81FekvaF21kSt_CkwgHddvXBlQSYyYcsTz1JyBYJJZ_WBZ3EUJLED9aJ6LECGYeigUe7xEasbaORIs3blRledwyGntfV5y9rrj5OPS6ztHlEGvjDTCukkZ9r534lA25lEedJLuSqLDoZurOFV3xfWYx8LTGqGH/s1600/DSCN9586.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4p4cavpph_x4fDSh9ndiSs81FekvaF21kSt_CkwgHddvXBlQSYyYcsTz1JyBYJJZ_WBZ3EUJLED9aJ6LECGYeigUe7xEasbaORIs3blRledwyGntfV5y9rrj5OPS6ztHlEGvjDTCukkZ9r534lA25lEedJLuSqLDoZurOFV3xfWYx8LTGqGH/s400/DSCN9586.JPG"/></a></div>
Very sorry to hear of the death, at the age of 86, of 'Mr Rock and Roll Guitar' Johnny Knight. Born John Mangiagli, Johnny played with Johnny Otis in LA in the late 50s and recorded his best known record 'Rock and Roll Guitar', backed by 'Snake Shake', for the short lived Morocco label in 1958. The record did pretty well but the label folded and Johnny found himself label-less. Later he recorded under various other names, including Johnny Marlo, Johnny Donn and Johnny Mangelli before coming up with the comedy character Gamma Goochee. I saw Johnny on a couple of occasions. At Viva Las Vegas in 2016 he appeared wearing a glittery jacket and was pretty good on 'Snake Shake', 'Two Ton Annie' and 'What Happened Last Night'. I had a chat with him at the time (see photo above) and he was very friendly and enthusiastic. At the Rockin' Race in 2019 I wrote: '<i>The highlight on the first evening (was) 82 year old Mr 'Rock and Roll Guitar' Johnny Knight, backed by the Deke Dickerson band, with Johnny's son on keyboards. Dressed in a splendid sparkly black jacket, Johnny was good on his sole hit, 'Rock and Roll Guitar',and it's B side 'Snake Shake', plus 'Got My Mojo Working', 'What Happened Last Night', 'I'm Going To Buy Me A Dog', 'Two Ton Annie', 'Ooh Poo Pah Doo' and 'Shake A Hand'. He also reappeared as his alter ego, the comedy character Gamma Goochee. Only 30 minutes on stage but effective.'</i> The photos below show him at the Rockin' Race, including one of him in his Gamma Goochee persona. RIP Johnny.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIow0KN7NJeGLntrwnohZLR6T8NoZOCeWAw6Gk-IEM5Uumx8SDX8LzkVMi4ZnSkaMUbx4_tSsrkwvfpVpTmGU05KSx56a-Df7Gws3VI3m_oCaG7hyphenhypheno8cV4na2cxR_eynMRZxlCTUnCWs6t_54kw4HJ_CoyagI0foI5_2qRlj9BkM-59Zhhm-e/s400/johnny%20knight.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIow0KN7NJeGLntrwnohZLR6T8NoZOCeWAw6Gk-IEM5Uumx8SDX8LzkVMi4ZnSkaMUbx4_tSsrkwvfpVpTmGU05KSx56a-Df7Gws3VI3m_oCaG7hyphenhypheno8cV4na2cxR_eynMRZxlCTUnCWs6t_54kw4HJ_CoyagI0foI5_2qRlj9BkM-59Zhhm-e/s400/johnny%20knight.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdA8Bjf9mPmnQhd-5dk1YPR2aQD3TE1fNWQz1jfD22ntAumStSygtlAOQn4DV_XXScTKqQXQKE-QTkqKjxJnrWNaojvmaqmwkTR5_GY-2ER6GQjgOAoD4h0K0DySH6QnzGuyjXRFHykFNDcfXO-mMIZfvLK43MWhTJPgz6vDiyqlptyjpAGEo/s400/Gamma%20Goochee.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSdA8Bjf9mPmnQhd-5dk1YPR2aQD3TE1fNWQz1jfD22ntAumStSygtlAOQn4DV_XXScTKqQXQKE-QTkqKjxJnrWNaojvmaqmwkTR5_GY-2ER6GQjgOAoD4h0K0DySH6QnzGuyjXRFHykFNDcfXO-mMIZfvLK43MWhTJPgz6vDiyqlptyjpAGEo/s400/Gamma%20Goochee.JPG"/></a></div>
Another recent death is that of W C Clark, at the age of 84, who was known as the Godfather of Austin Blues. Wesley Curley Clark played around Austin in his youth before joining Joe Tex's band. Returning to Austin he helped develop the city's blues scene, forming several bands, with members at various times including Jimmie Vaughan and Angela Strehli. His W C Clark Blues Revue played with the likes of B B King, Albert King and Bobby Bland and he played alongside Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lou Ann Barton and Kim Wilson on the Austin City Limits TV show.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpvEZ5YHcQ19JLEJQ_qiq2olnw8GfpQTZjNc7PxVwsoopNdp_8TIbJK5hBIyqK4SSdGRQS53IJlSxCH6WB7ZJS7Ic8datbFf5flkmXwo4aEfEM7i349JH0NhSJhu6KpaQUhn9KFwuzHrcheoz2TOtpQpWaHYt87H4BOiqhVv5w905VGCG9RYP/s300/w%20c%20clark.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpvEZ5YHcQ19JLEJQ_qiq2olnw8GfpQTZjNc7PxVwsoopNdp_8TIbJK5hBIyqK4SSdGRQS53IJlSxCH6WB7ZJS7Ic8datbFf5flkmXwo4aEfEM7i349JH0NhSJhu6KpaQUhn9KFwuzHrcheoz2TOtpQpWaHYt87H4BOiqhVv5w905VGCG9RYP/s400/w%20c%20clark.jpg"/></a></div>
Another death, at the age of 79, is that of BB Seaton (Bibby) who was a Jamaican singer/ songwriter with the Gaylads, the Astronauts and the Messengers. He first recorded with the duo Winston and Bibby in 1960 and aafter leaving the Gaylads had a successful solo career. He was the first reggae artist to be signed by Virgin leading to the formation of Front Line records and was active in the UK from the 1970s onwards as a producer as well as performing with the Gaylads.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0upa-CR3E7KKsc5nBCwL4bAlJBH1CzJ3lctFHYbsrgp2aBnSSn6jW4yVKpMj4EcDyDsZ1dFh9dcPFLo-ug5603vzwnAgOzhOms0_h5lxnR9HBrgqzU2SHIPkrEfk0RI_Sjo0XYQZx1oF9dCQQLuVN0eFDc7pjbSqXH72U1YOXDOxVFuy19m1/s1600/DSCN9797.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0upa-CR3E7KKsc5nBCwL4bAlJBH1CzJ3lctFHYbsrgp2aBnSSn6jW4yVKpMj4EcDyDsZ1dFh9dcPFLo-ug5603vzwnAgOzhOms0_h5lxnR9HBrgqzU2SHIPkrEfk0RI_Sjo0XYQZx1oF9dCQQLuVN0eFDc7pjbSqXH72U1YOXDOxVFuy19m1/s400/DSCN9797.JPG"/></a></div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-15889653844382381662024-02-23T20:36:00.008+00:002024-02-23T20:46:27.684+00:00High Numbers indeed<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQGrw8Kbd7stGk-Q3EWN2mu-mzxbpABcdcZ5NDWSZjw-VqOMHf0MWVfSpMEwDKCs8docufPuATUwvl8ZbLvU7F9etpVoBRvB09kU7wjzzDjNXJ_lZfFntcRDuc2p4xv9HMhiTYgaVCTUr77SvZXKl07jg88TXNrTW9e_aMj6UM-yFfkgke3Pn/s604/zoot%20suit.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="598" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQGrw8Kbd7stGk-Q3EWN2mu-mzxbpABcdcZ5NDWSZjw-VqOMHf0MWVfSpMEwDKCs8docufPuATUwvl8ZbLvU7F9etpVoBRvB09kU7wjzzDjNXJ_lZfFntcRDuc2p4xv9HMhiTYgaVCTUr77SvZXKl07jg88TXNrTW9e_aMj6UM-yFfkgke3Pn/s400/zoot%20suit.jpg"/></a></div>
As regular readers will know I spend a lot of time at car boot sales and charity shops chasing down records of interest. Many of those I buy have little value, but are at least of some interest to me. But now and again I come across one that is a collector's dream - a rarity that is in great demand. When that happens, and i decide to sell it, I choose not to use eBay, which is my usual choice, but go to a specialist record selling site such as John Manship. A few years back I picked up a one sided Pink Floyd demo ('It Would Be So Nice') which sold for over £800. That one set me back 50p at a car boot sale in Hampshire. Last week I sold a 45 that I bought for a mere 20p some time in the nineties at a car boot in North London, again through John Manship. It was the highly sought after single by the High Numbers, an early incarnation of the Who, comprising 'Zoot Suit', a rip off of the Dynamics' 'Misery', and 'I'm The Face', a copy of Slim Harpo's 'Got Love If You Want It'. The record was aimed at the Mod market but clearly sold very few copies. But the band went on to become the Who. Today it is highly collectable and my 20p copy sold for around £1400.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDREruLufU-Slkx6w0R82x61XR0-0a9nshrHZcg50Jiu7VyWiN6qTp6qC5ULZ1WPIOk2TpH18_KESkEDPdZGWix-QPToC3u1eZJQ8-7EZuF4cT7XkyAQM7g_8FPVwhHuVJDDNzS9PEWqKXS5ecJiWgCmX_jWLuR4ot2bXBcQ2eSmEZOLYvjyH/s576/i%27m%20the%20face.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="576" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDREruLufU-Slkx6w0R82x61XR0-0a9nshrHZcg50Jiu7VyWiN6qTp6qC5ULZ1WPIOk2TpH18_KESkEDPdZGWix-QPToC3u1eZJQ8-7EZuF4cT7XkyAQM7g_8FPVwhHuVJDDNzS9PEWqKXS5ecJiWgCmX_jWLuR4ot2bXBcQ2eSmEZOLYvjyH/s400/i%27m%20the%20face.jpg"/></a></div>
I've got quite a few records that I picked up for next to nothing over the years and I am considering selling a few more as I am moving house soon, getting older and hardly ever play my rare records. The days when bargains fell into my lap at car boot sakles are pretty well over, although I will continue to keep my eyes open. You never know, I might just find another crock of gold in the form of a rare record that makes 'High Numbers' when I sell it.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-29423068930513734372024-02-10T20:14:00.006+00:002024-02-10T20:22:24.973+00:00Jimmy Van Eaton RIP and others<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2Q9OPANZy869wGMVYHgc3GoxgAXlmQywOrTkQIKSWJrUakAYD2SHtTKquYbqTA6wjSfnRVxqFotNMzdjuyWi5cnZQvTAf0jdvmiAywA_IdZddP6jraSDFxAZ5lL5hPcqwD5OOhSv2pCWS_m5rGAHdBKV9JWB6G15t9JwUaL1OXZvZurlVIhb/s1600/333.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM2Q9OPANZy869wGMVYHgc3GoxgAXlmQywOrTkQIKSWJrUakAYD2SHtTKquYbqTA6wjSfnRVxqFotNMzdjuyWi5cnZQvTAf0jdvmiAywA_IdZddP6jraSDFxAZ5lL5hPcqwD5OOhSv2pCWS_m5rGAHdBKV9JWB6G15t9JwUaL1OXZvZurlVIhb/s400/333.JPG"/></a></div>
It's time to catch up on a few significant music deaths in the last few days. The latest is that of drummer <b>Jimmy Van Eaton</b>, aged 86, one of the last of the original Sun artists. Born in Memphis, Jimmy, sometimes known as J M, formed a group called the Echoes and shortly after recording a demo for Sun he joined Billy Lee Riley's touring band. He went on to become Sun's session drummer, playing on a string of classic recordings. These included 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Going on'. recorded in a single take, 'High School Confidential', 'Down The Line', 'Raunchy', 'Lonely Weekends', 'Flying Saucers Rock and Roll', 'Uranium Rock', Ubangi Stomp', 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'Red Hot'. I saw Jimmy on several occasions. At the Ponderosa Stomp in 2015 he did an interview session about his time at Sun and played a set with Deke Dickerson on vocals. At Viva Las Vegas in 2018 he took part in a Stars of Sun segment, taking over from fellow drummer W S Holland to back Alton and Jimmy and Narvel Felts. The top photo shows him at the Stomp. Pictured below he is at Viva Las Vegas.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXY69VVk6Lc2rWtaipuK90ht3jxdn3AdV0_n-om24IZSGqBBvi-xf0UdDEt9t92VX5d0rrEZ6UwzIVpaVxlEF5wsaYL-eDs8r_tj4aUfUndZUQGeUznqwSq4481_JXuiv0_gyZDMfpaIkPClxiNf5JfO-LrTHMsZj7ZHasTLqS-wFsedM14Tp/s1223/DSCN9788.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXY69VVk6Lc2rWtaipuK90ht3jxdn3AdV0_n-om24IZSGqBBvi-xf0UdDEt9t92VX5d0rrEZ6UwzIVpaVxlEF5wsaYL-eDs8r_tj4aUfUndZUQGeUznqwSq4481_JXuiv0_gyZDMfpaIkPClxiNf5JfO-LrTHMsZj7ZHasTLqS-wFsedM14Tp/s400/DSCN9788.JPG"/></a></div>
Another death is that of Tony Middleton (89), lead singer of doowop group the Willows who went on to be a signifant name on the Northern Soul scene. He joined a group called the Dovers (which also included famed New York Fury label owner Bobby Robinson) which changed its name to the Five Willows after Tony joined in 1952. Their first record was 'Please Baby' for the PeeDee label, followed by 'My Dear Dearest Darling' for Allen. Theit biggest success was 'Church Bells May Ring' after they had changed their name to the Willows. It was a hit in New York and would have been even bigger if it hadn't been covered by the Diamonds. The group made various other recordings before disbanding in 1965, but Tony moved into the soul scene, recording 'Paris Blues', recalling his time in France in the mid sixties. His recording of the Nat King Cole song 'To The Ends of the Earth' got a UK release on Polydor and is now highly collectable. He visited the UK on several occasions and I saw Tony with the Willows at the Long Island Doowop weekend in 2014 when he sang 'Church Bells May Ring' along with 'Only My heart' and 'Taste of Love' and again in 2016 and 2017 (pictured below).
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstI4-x_3m6wP79BbPnHhi5M0E88PdmqHkJkT1h7mHtQwYU7CjHQWkfNZga66jBKf6NGLAn9az2VXZjmO36hYQAbfetgySsuZfud02AJgZ5hwbEshe769niblKmYBEWt5dYwgLsgBkr6mhScQ_ZkLQoEbdiZGUcwDaHYSyF0ePkMy61I0mHQ_g/s400/tony%20middleton.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjstI4-x_3m6wP79BbPnHhi5M0E88PdmqHkJkT1h7mHtQwYU7CjHQWkfNZga66jBKf6NGLAn9az2VXZjmO36hYQAbfetgySsuZfud02AJgZ5hwbEshe769niblKmYBEWt5dYwgLsgBkr6mhScQ_ZkLQoEbdiZGUcwDaHYSyF0ePkMy61I0mHQ_g/s400/tony%20middleton.JPG"/></a></div>
One of the highlights of my trip to the Americana Fest in Nashville in 2019 was 'Mojo's Mayhem', an afternoon show at Roberts Western World bar where a host of acts gave brief performances, including the North Mississippi All Stars, Carlene Carter, Rosie Flores and the Mavericks. Hosting the event was Mojo Nixon, who has died aged 66. Mojo was a musician and actor best known for the novelty song 'Elvis is Everywhere', which became a regular on MTV. Mojo lampooned the music industry with 'Stuffin' Martha's Muffin' and 'Debbie Gibson is Pregnant with My Two Headed Love Child'. By a weird coincidence Mojo made his acting debut playing Jimmy Van Eaton in the 1989 Jerry Lee Lewis biopic 'Great Balls Of Fire'. Photo below shows Mojo at the Nashville event.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9SicxsELVZfxR6LGmXQvOXqUWklUhxV-kx7BeQhUJQJwZKdKLpJIErS2cWJQVY3JSHMWPwjwvWGLXsd9QToBuBR_JFGi35ATQjog-o9BnFGtQd2dckLMmU_uZyzNOWg_1KAl9M_pCzlEoMXmS7-DFnzGH_SDnihyMtZ9dhkTo7bGEH_yGGhp/s1600/DSCN0123.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9SicxsELVZfxR6LGmXQvOXqUWklUhxV-kx7BeQhUJQJwZKdKLpJIErS2cWJQVY3JSHMWPwjwvWGLXsd9QToBuBR_JFGi35ATQjog-o9BnFGtQd2dckLMmU_uZyzNOWg_1KAl9M_pCzlEoMXmS7-DFnzGH_SDnihyMtZ9dhkTo7bGEH_yGGhp/s400/DSCN0123.JPG"/></a></div>
Fianlly the Vinyl Word pays tribute to Aston 'Family Man' Barrett(77) who played bass guitar with Bob Marley's band the Wailers and was the band's leader. Before joining the Wailers he had been with Lee 'Scratch' Perry's band the Upsetters. He was a key part of the Wailers' success throughout the seventies. His 'Family Man' name came about as a result of him seeing his band as a family, not because he was a father - although he went on to father 41 children, 23 daughters and 18 children, according to an interview he gave to the BBC in 2013. Also to Henry Fambrough, original member of the Spinners from its formation in 1954 until his retirement last year. RIP to them all.
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-39031716446852807712024-02-04T11:55:00.005+00:002024-02-04T12:09:12.376+00:00Day 3 of the Rockin' Race<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXFXy71q-suqajHWM9BTu77vflJnzga1iwGOqj_mkQFeT7I5v7Nv4ySg0yhNJSmiz_S5yWV21Nd9P30d-ScTqkHb-pL66_sLKMKmb_r-o0ZcA2GxW9cZfF1RH_9PN338qJ5Urnq_36jce8EnZWkUtJpOSBly7PzFXyvO_Pj6xwZEy6XFVkXS4/s3024/20240203_140205.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXFXy71q-suqajHWM9BTu77vflJnzga1iwGOqj_mkQFeT7I5v7Nv4ySg0yhNJSmiz_S5yWV21Nd9P30d-ScTqkHb-pL66_sLKMKmb_r-o0ZcA2GxW9cZfF1RH_9PN338qJ5Urnq_36jce8EnZWkUtJpOSBly7PzFXyvO_Pj6xwZEy6XFVkXS4/s400/20240203_140205.jpg"/></a></div>
The sun came out in time for the car show at the Rockin' Race so we wandered down there and joined the crowds. Watched a bit of the Domestic Bumblebees from Sweden who seemed pretty good.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCN4O-WXk05kXSBS9vQmG_1yNzT_k_gjTqe7H4RACk4-bb9byoK3FStAf_vJnSohJqdBHcfWCk2rC_WswKplQdvFJNptzKWp2EqDBQILjCrCmJiHsN1CDYDo4GZgytKjEp05sN08RQ4BKQfrHD1BFAbfsdX_JkyerN6RmnpKJ3oPLJrTMkRN-/s3024/20240203_200252.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCN4O-WXk05kXSBS9vQmG_1yNzT_k_gjTqe7H4RACk4-bb9byoK3FStAf_vJnSohJqdBHcfWCk2rC_WswKplQdvFJNptzKWp2EqDBQILjCrCmJiHsN1CDYDo4GZgytKjEp05sN08RQ4BKQfrHD1BFAbfsdX_JkyerN6RmnpKJ3oPLJrTMkRN-/s400/20240203_200252.jpg"/></a></div>
Day three of the festival itself was a decent one. First on were the Rimshots from Wales who played to a rather thin crowd (the place was heaving later). The singer has a strong voice and the material was a mix of country and fifties style pop.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuQyh8jo1VeU1ZCum7qQqEViZuYz4v9KeCAUjeUHaZAVC3FmmBvRyZSq-1w0YdMOUqLZTfqN2YwlIruzGoYYoVCns4MlsoUFYqZLoQiM4CNA_2_DGGUD4iKhl8vPslHC8itBqD_xGx24E63yjHtTB9Cdu154sYwITmTB7C9nvtitc9LbpL4R3/s3024/20240203_205518.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuQyh8jo1VeU1ZCum7qQqEViZuYz4v9KeCAUjeUHaZAVC3FmmBvRyZSq-1w0YdMOUqLZTfqN2YwlIruzGoYYoVCns4MlsoUFYqZLoQiM4CNA_2_DGGUD4iKhl8vPslHC8itBqD_xGx24E63yjHtTB9Cdu154sYwITmTB7C9nvtitc9LbpL4R3/s400/20240203_205518.jpg"/></a></div>
On the small stage next were the Po' Rambling Boys, a very competent bluegrass band comprising four colourfully dressed guys and a gal.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYeLLoeFkBhhK1I1ko6jBoMWQbjHFVbDgptise6eXrT2LvrCBIGd1fQhhd7yZZOuKRCIetkUpNezf-kgScgUEm7-StT-KAuNUiHdw8y_rmOK2_qL4RVhZuYyDTgXQVJJGPqbkoRMxyyKHjrGimpX9baB5o0fYVDzHhUwd6OBYS1RCu9pe9y2u/s3024/20240203_213102.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYeLLoeFkBhhK1I1ko6jBoMWQbjHFVbDgptise6eXrT2LvrCBIGd1fQhhd7yZZOuKRCIetkUpNezf-kgScgUEm7-StT-KAuNUiHdw8y_rmOK2_qL4RVhZuYyDTgXQVJJGPqbkoRMxyyKHjrGimpX9baB5o0fYVDzHhUwd6OBYS1RCu9pe9y2u/s400/20240203_213102.jpg"/></a></div>
I didnt stay long as the main stage then featured the amusing but very well performed hillbilly hokum of the Dave and Deke Combo who were accompanied on stage by a bunch of hillbilly extras. Dave Stuckey and Deke Dickerson played some decent country and hillbilly tunes amonst the mayhem including 'Corn Dog', 'Hillbilly Twist' and 'Hey Mae'. There was a tribute to Larry Collins with Deke assisting Kyle Eldridge on his double necked guitar and a wacky sequence with Deke and drummer Bobby Tribble doing a weird dance.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcV0Hu0Re0DBRrPEChEsaTtpPVVR_VA4xEME4wdE8FIRYO8Q_OgToS6tmiQ6xuPWMVMeCyaHxQeWux1az0mmmzeB_U6n2wXILkQY1YWXUEDjrvRxmW85DBYtfUto9Ich4faU5ZujxlqUOBNG5W7A-hncessvZ1S-B_0lcP8i_bJvqzqc735tV/s3024/20240203_221400.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcV0Hu0Re0DBRrPEChEsaTtpPVVR_VA4xEME4wdE8FIRYO8Q_OgToS6tmiQ6xuPWMVMeCyaHxQeWux1az0mmmzeB_U6n2wXILkQY1YWXUEDjrvRxmW85DBYtfUto9Ich4faU5ZujxlqUOBNG5W7A-hncessvZ1S-B_0lcP8i_bJvqzqc735tV/s400/20240203_221400.jpg"/></a></div>
It was packed in the small stage area and I couldn't get in at first but I did eventually and I'm glad I did. Playing was double bass player Jimmy Sutton whose act ranges from jazz to wild rock and roll. I enjoyed his 'Don't Make Me Beg' and his encore of 'Don't You Just Know It' with a bit of 'Justine' was brilliant.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIiiOIzzaBV_es-MJO9EuN50icv5XNyzPvQDJMI55QOvLox1iR_t1U_IQAoWxeHBprSKL54ktC82ml6Gp8ujPVx3mL4g9DKvJZNpOrhTsPPl5PylWjcwV6tcJrhyLQRZ7lWXEAlvQXjLJm2hDORrhw4-v2E8olxE1reMQO0WKHJbZtfKmC585/s3024/20240203_224712.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIiiOIzzaBV_es-MJO9EuN50icv5XNyzPvQDJMI55QOvLox1iR_t1U_IQAoWxeHBprSKL54ktC82ml6Gp8ujPVx3mL4g9DKvJZNpOrhTsPPl5PylWjcwV6tcJrhyLQRZ7lWXEAlvQXjLJm2hDORrhw4-v2E8olxE1reMQO0WKHJbZtfKmC585/s400/20240203_224712.jpg"/></a></div>
The high quality continued on the main stage with Big Sandy and the Fly Rite Boys who oozed class on some country flavoured rockabilly numbers including "It's A Mystery To Me", 'Spanish Style','Walk Me To The Door', 'Before The Last Teardrop Falls' and, as an encore 'Chalk It Up To The Blues'.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdN2gxEuIxB5Og8eu76n6-UwUM_veNRh1xRBGdlqDFeFCPBLrP4-OhpMULMMSsGyhmf9y-nzpiOQODi9oKCUKPhNXxRccficx4dIPMhwAZT9PgEQ0waDUGjtmxCIPDPTiNbPfB1PmM8IjLLiaXn313sr-X7nCJ-sMqYa5kWgYz8NIRLRtl1ftz/s3024/20240203_230747.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdN2gxEuIxB5Og8eu76n6-UwUM_veNRh1xRBGdlqDFeFCPBLrP4-OhpMULMMSsGyhmf9y-nzpiOQODi9oKCUKPhNXxRccficx4dIPMhwAZT9PgEQ0waDUGjtmxCIPDPTiNbPfB1PmM8IjLLiaXn313sr-X7nCJ-sMqYa5kWgYz8NIRLRtl1ftz/s400/20240203_230747.jpg"/></a></div>
The next act, German band the Ray Collins Hot Club, went down a storm with the crowd. There were ten people on stage including three horns and together they produced an exciting show in the swing and jump blues genres. Very visual indeed. There was a genuine clamour for an encore at the end and they came back to perform 'Knockout Boogie'.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfHj_rKOgvYYdTNmgpNqoZBRfE7sumwtddPVq3VTta_osHlsor2YQ73kopl5eSUYH-R7LD9WBaRlH_wQY5_xrRCHyco8yS9CqNxIt3I1PB1xrNcT0i8LZMWVnJtsMIAgNm_r_dd-MgVcwdRVCb38DQKA6sV36fQ2fVPM-aegq-Cf4uBxGTCZQ/s3024/20240204_001929.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfHj_rKOgvYYdTNmgpNqoZBRfE7sumwtddPVq3VTta_osHlsor2YQ73kopl5eSUYH-R7LD9WBaRlH_wQY5_xrRCHyco8yS9CqNxIt3I1PB1xrNcT0i8LZMWVnJtsMIAgNm_r_dd-MgVcwdRVCb38DQKA6sV36fQ2fVPM-aegq-Cf4uBxGTCZQ/s400/20240204_001929.jpg"/></a></div>
We stayed for the penultimate act the Reverend Horton Heat but we didn't stay long. Jim Heath's heavy guitar playing was not to our taste so we exited stage left quickly, thereby missing the final act Sonny George.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPwPBeJkpoZqjuJ_ec3v52ipZQcx7GIyCsOVWGKmJSfKyBUHK4RFLS3UKcvkahaLGjE3cqYjcTCzdtVVF0lhCuSOCGKuDNtBTOtQOOxQeYQG11B4RUBymrCxuphyphenhyphenyX2k4_C_MkENklXrWTspKzAn-xcJjtDolsmmYWOwbRAmkjI2WAwEHTzOJ/s3024/20240204_012332.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPwPBeJkpoZqjuJ_ec3v52ipZQcx7GIyCsOVWGKmJSfKyBUHK4RFLS3UKcvkahaLGjE3cqYjcTCzdtVVF0lhCuSOCGKuDNtBTOtQOOxQeYQG11B4RUBymrCxuphyphenhyphenyX2k4_C_MkENklXrWTspKzAn-xcJjtDolsmmYWOwbRAmkjI2WAwEHTzOJ/s400/20240204_012332.jpg"/></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-36915739395712931902024-02-03T14:10:00.003+00:002024-02-05T21:54:13.014+00:00Linda Gail stars on day 2 of the Race<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0jjrd-8qLXYPasnSkS-YQtx6x3ysZ1E35qKdiajqcWukZ3vZzwNf5iYZWuhUfPPjLcV6w1NrAEI5x33hqk6SwWFfPaBzQfD9nuHVDZ_8sacehpK3pAM_GVgsOH_5QOaOC2UHJNWjSikccA6sZqUne-UKUFh5KiSNUrq8lNec6MAVVLZBKFB1/s3024/20240203_010303.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq0jjrd-8qLXYPasnSkS-YQtx6x3ysZ1E35qKdiajqcWukZ3vZzwNf5iYZWuhUfPPjLcV6w1NrAEI5x33hqk6SwWFfPaBzQfD9nuHVDZ_8sacehpK3pAM_GVgsOH_5QOaOC2UHJNWjSikccA6sZqUne-UKUFh5KiSNUrq8lNec6MAVVLZBKFB1/s400/20240203_010303.jpg"/></a></div>
Linda Gail Lewis was the undoubted star of night two of the Rockin' Race. Assisted by daughter Annie Marie and guitarist Danny B Harvey she rocked her way through a selection of her own and brother Jerry Lee's numbers, pummelling the keyboard to within an inch of its life. Songs included 'Good Rocking Man', 'Wild Wild Wild', Down The Line', the excellent 'Kicking My Way Out Of Hell' from her new album, 'It's Been Seven Long Years' and 'Rocking My Life Away'. Other numbers included 'Roll Over Beethoven', 'High School Confidential' 'Whole Lotta Shakin' and 'Great Balls Of Fire" with 'Long Tall Sally as an encore. Annie Marie chipped in with 'Should I Ever Love Again'. It was high energy stuff throughout and very enjoyable.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfPUoXeFIKBf0gZt4-UhAIMJgyGMrmoa-dF3dyOo4UQlfbfjmj2isdC5pvqnT4NGZDcLyJyxLC7ZkFIiGza1Qk8_lpKsEKeB1dt3LqV9iS4uMTTY0jVtT9xOLRH1lfh8h6w-dgJKbTDpOHvGOE2zACZTloAosf3-vJsudRvngkYk0OGCtJPmL/s3024/20240203_010320.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdfPUoXeFIKBf0gZt4-UhAIMJgyGMrmoa-dF3dyOo4UQlfbfjmj2isdC5pvqnT4NGZDcLyJyxLC7ZkFIiGza1Qk8_lpKsEKeB1dt3LqV9iS4uMTTY0jVtT9xOLRH1lfh8h6w-dgJKbTDpOHvGOE2zACZTloAosf3-vJsudRvngkYk0OGCtJPmL/s400/20240203_010320.jpg"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdzTegugIwR_UX2m5d4eUKXS5-we5Zb8I7PyeQtjG4nVEelJX1k0SvmO5uLLI9qZl1ZqTEotQQgEkigJcKX8b21tKfk-cmPWp5DjIugbhlA4KdrGgyQFCpmQt3JiRK15owTkfODUiSTBcDB9DHIurw9SGIgfMP0QErdlSpSpgtbwPS6Rv3hy1/s3024/20240203_010244.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdzTegugIwR_UX2m5d4eUKXS5-we5Zb8I7PyeQtjG4nVEelJX1k0SvmO5uLLI9qZl1ZqTEotQQgEkigJcKX8b21tKfk-cmPWp5DjIugbhlA4KdrGgyQFCpmQt3JiRK15owTkfODUiSTBcDB9DHIurw9SGIgfMP0QErdlSpSpgtbwPS6Rv3hy1/s400/20240203_010244.jpg"/></a></div>
It was also in contrast to the earlier acts, some of whom were somewhat disappointing. First act was veteran Spanish show band Los Sirex, formed in 1959, who did Spanish language versions of songs such 'Flying Saucers Rock and Roll' and 'Judy In Disguise'. Most of them are well into their seventies and they would not have been out of place on a budget cruise ship. But they tried hard and the locals enjoyed them.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvhnZS-wgY7U3YKTLWoMpRCXvIhNfHjf0kcyamw4t4OZLfARmu1zRsazOot6neihizBuqxiJZQKEMxFfP5XDtdnns2oZeUHa8Hg3jXF9stkYCq7cMWwX7P6dKD5NfWFreAgcvAzfo3m2ki4z9gHPJsCQ4d091gYKdo2fIGM_zWoBvqt8W5mic/s3024/20240202_214049.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvhnZS-wgY7U3YKTLWoMpRCXvIhNfHjf0kcyamw4t4OZLfARmu1zRsazOot6neihizBuqxiJZQKEMxFfP5XDtdnns2oZeUHa8Hg3jXF9stkYCq7cMWwX7P6dKD5NfWFreAgcvAzfo3m2ki4z9gHPJsCQ4d091gYKdo2fIGM_zWoBvqt8W5mic/s400/20240202_214049.jpg"/></a></div>
First act on the second stage was of more interest. Theo Lawrence was born in France but is now based in Austin. He has a soft rock vocal style reminiscent of Ricky Nelson and his languid approach went down well. His version of Connie Francis's 'My Heart Has A Mind Of It's Own' was an unexpected treat.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbq5sL-zssuxXM-1d_acPlGdpDvBa8MB4TrA69lYpoxXk4NOMvGbzlelUYZ8jbTDI3ywsTSPeBxBMpja9HQeMg3e_B8IYNVxYLLqsQ4iq_gs1_gbUaJVjt4J8zyKdfrfvNHfQNdgp4S1vBwdmmhkLiZrYGXHMjUBbQNLNwJR_Z7R7T8lQ8WhR/s3024/20240202_222258.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbq5sL-zssuxXM-1d_acPlGdpDvBa8MB4TrA69lYpoxXk4NOMvGbzlelUYZ8jbTDI3ywsTSPeBxBMpja9HQeMg3e_B8IYNVxYLLqsQ4iq_gs1_gbUaJVjt4J8zyKdfrfvNHfQNdgp4S1vBwdmmhkLiZrYGXHMjUBbQNLNwJR_Z7R7T8lQ8WhR/s400/20240202_222258.jpg"/></a></div>
Back on the mainstage The Country Side of Harmonica Slim stuck very much to old style country music with hints of Hank Williams but didn't do much for me. There was some high quality blues meanwhile from the UK's Big Joe Louis on the small stage.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVAflaNatpaiI_q0Ui06yDToCNL8FRcRoR1qz-pVCdh-xlhLItXc26ULyeDbl6LjDR6JDJywPvNFvsOaZtvJ97KjXzGf3nnJBieUdMuFNb-EWoNTEFVUTxE2Ai9xYOAG9W6OvBIiO2XEcjBVeOvspEanHwWQi8KMhOpR3yrtbpSU_oZaZpLdb/s3024/20240202_231803.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVAflaNatpaiI_q0Ui06yDToCNL8FRcRoR1qz-pVCdh-xlhLItXc26ULyeDbl6LjDR6JDJywPvNFvsOaZtvJ97KjXzGf3nnJBieUdMuFNb-EWoNTEFVUTxE2Ai9xYOAG9W6OvBIiO2XEcjBVeOvspEanHwWQi8KMhOpR3yrtbpSU_oZaZpLdb/s400/20240202_231803.jpg"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBxW8jVUOAmgALzS6C-ZFeQeMdvSBRgJOt9grOVlt0dY_yQGcvR7mc454-6JJjRa7j5iWwKXsYGZiLNSy5dMlylz0OUJrZBvxgmjbFPA6BTkNPBNjydr2ESuBvoZeZRDjuHtlM5vqo85BSTGIJgVst_PbIk8asl1TczPYbgQxiM_ly4dNNIXm/s3024/20240202_235525.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJBxW8jVUOAmgALzS6C-ZFeQeMdvSBRgJOt9grOVlt0dY_yQGcvR7mc454-6JJjRa7j5iWwKXsYGZiLNSy5dMlylz0OUJrZBvxgmjbFPA6BTkNPBNjydr2ESuBvoZeZRDjuHtlM5vqo85BSTGIJgVst_PbIk8asl1TczPYbgQxiM_ly4dNNIXm/s400/20240202_235525.jpg"/></a></div>
An act that I had been looking forward to came next,Canadian instrumental surf guitar band the Surfrajettes. They looked good visually in matching pink dresses and it was great to have a female act after all the men, but the music got a bit boring after a while despite them being joined by the ubiquitous Deke Dickerson for one number. Deke also guested with Theo and Harmonica Sam. Despite that a rather average night overall, made special by the phenomenal Linda Gail. Long may she reign.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-25049718391857313022024-02-02T09:18:00.001+00:002024-02-02T09:29:42.293+00:00Rockin' Race day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnwfy_7hBEqbGQp8coyaY-hKCXXFTlcLaOIcXMZG1ZB9n0PH5w3TCGLvlQTvgMskLqve-zxEoZ3ZaqyMAimJzYn4DMEggPkdLEOBS92SJmJG0HeXuVPG4F3seovRq13vqzE-CuSmHVGLgQQnLjqP9VZf_YTWWM29QQ8LsRTL2Y30acdu12EHu/s3024/20240201_220843.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTnwfy_7hBEqbGQp8coyaY-hKCXXFTlcLaOIcXMZG1ZB9n0PH5w3TCGLvlQTvgMskLqve-zxEoZ3ZaqyMAimJzYn4DMEggPkdLEOBS92SJmJG0HeXuVPG4F3seovRq13vqzE-CuSmHVGLgQQnLjqP9VZf_YTWWM29QQ8LsRTL2Y30acdu12EHu/s400/20240201_220843.jpg"/></a></div>
Round this time of year I like to escape the English winter and head to Spain for a bit of sunshine and the ever entertaining Rockin' Race Jamboree. This year is no exception and although the weather in Torremolinos is rather cool this time the music at this sold out rock and roll festival is hot. The first evening saw a good mix of bands, although all of them were male, with several stand out acts. First up were the Barnshakers from Finland, a fairly bog standard rockabilly outfit, but they were followed on the smaller stage by US guitarist Kyle Eldridge (pictured above), who came highly recommended by Boston based friend Noah Shaffer, who it was good to see after a long time. Kyle didn't disappoint. He plays a double neck guitar with lightning speed, so much so that he blew his amp at one stage. His numbers have a bit of a bluegrass feel and included his forthcoming single 'Root Beer' and 'Washing Machine Boogie'. Back on the main stage it was the turn of a double headed act featuring Pike Cavallero and Charlie Hightone which, despite some classy vocal support from the Velvet Candles, was all a bit raucous.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4zzAbcsHVFBAPsP_aQHo_tad84tSYb1vYkYN0Kret4an55eTSC0rG7UJdBYg9miGFQSgYpUrSJvV7xjGgRA53GC9MLgCFSBwuE-OtBUYKZR72tcwtx8akX9O_vsSztyyPc1aNFlRkizbb5j7WBtRmFHJSp8tJdQi8PVJuDThqDWMMzTX94dQ/s3024/20240201_234804.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4zzAbcsHVFBAPsP_aQHo_tad84tSYb1vYkYN0Kret4an55eTSC0rG7UJdBYg9miGFQSgYpUrSJvV7xjGgRA53GC9MLgCFSBwuE-OtBUYKZR72tcwtx8akX9O_vsSztyyPc1aNFlRkizbb5j7WBtRmFHJSp8tJdQi8PVJuDThqDWMMzTX94dQ/s400/20240201_234804.jpg"/></a></div>
I took a quick look at the Western Toneflyers on the second stage but things really took off with the next act Deke Dickerson and the Whippersnappers. Deke is a regular performer here and does not disappoint. The big crowd reacted enthusiastically to his top notch guitar work on a range of rockabilly and Country flavoured rockers. Stand outs included 'High Noon', 'Besame Mucho' and 'Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor' and he and his young band got two encores, culminating in 'Mule Skinner Blues'.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOc_rfpQJWl4eqZg3XEGb6hZTDUMvLLkYy-Io7ekBfbF-FsnUAUz4tTi0JWcApGwgjzKAVaPISgnsaKilMQE7-dLBl8vAoUmP9kvORL6nSnVKCBQmlVhreWspXTZbYo0qQ5xpEgGTtlMWAcEJg21SPWSa0mokZnxyxnCayoPGpYf8NMWW3p4kW/s3024/20240202_010619.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOc_rfpQJWl4eqZg3XEGb6hZTDUMvLLkYy-Io7ekBfbF-FsnUAUz4tTi0JWcApGwgjzKAVaPISgnsaKilMQE7-dLBl8vAoUmP9kvORL6nSnVKCBQmlVhreWspXTZbYo0qQ5xpEgGTtlMWAcEJg21SPWSa0mokZnxyxnCayoPGpYf8NMWW3p4kW/s400/20240202_010619.jpg"/></a></div>
Next up was another popular act, James Intvelt, once of the Blasters, who put it an enjoyable and quite bluesy set which ranged from 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man' to an extended 'Polk Salad Annie'. By this time it was getting late but I decided to hang on to find out out who this year's 'surprise' band was. It turned out to be 70s favourites Matchbox, with Graham Fenton fronting, who launched straight into their hits including 'Rockabilly Rebel' and 'Buzz Buzz A Diddle It'. The audience, dwindling by this time, loved it and it was a great way to end the evening.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm42eWHf6M2HoOWc3iBupi_HBzqB_Si7598B6jtTtU0b6dG8b_AS0g-ooldinfhDiVqlnnGM9vz274j8W_AR9rDMIXHigfhBv9u_WRmrdQ-otjopZrxKFYxiGAMwjJSnLGMC9Wguj7dtX0g_anZoItOjZzo2vc1mKpARbLWLJfe5OCIEyAoAlE/s3024/20240202_021605.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm42eWHf6M2HoOWc3iBupi_HBzqB_Si7598B6jtTtU0b6dG8b_AS0g-ooldinfhDiVqlnnGM9vz274j8W_AR9rDMIXHigfhBv9u_WRmrdQ-otjopZrxKFYxiGAMwjJSnLGMC9Wguj7dtX0g_anZoItOjZzo2vc1mKpARbLWLJfe5OCIEyAoAlE/s400/20240202_021605.jpg"/></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-87245110605794166722024-01-29T20:14:00.001+00:002024-01-29T20:31:31.133+00:00Dick Waterman RIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiul97QRsphTjo8Y3h5FnEHFSAKMkxIeq4ZbFbwzcttT7BmDbKF4g7n7JTLwRtdlvIfpUIeky8uNna1FOQahQw75Qf_3R1djba6fXLO247I4NHJyjpJEWwQuHS79dDRXTiCKVWT958Z_t7dT2pis59nKPzrGW45qYP-La-0AdlyBBBDeY0vEfB3/s3648/DSCN0669.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiul97QRsphTjo8Y3h5FnEHFSAKMkxIeq4ZbFbwzcttT7BmDbKF4g7n7JTLwRtdlvIfpUIeky8uNna1FOQahQw75Qf_3R1djba6fXLO247I4NHJyjpJEWwQuHS79dDRXTiCKVWT958Z_t7dT2pis59nKPzrGW45qYP-La-0AdlyBBBDeY0vEfB3/s400/DSCN0669.JPG"/></a></div>
I was sorry to hear of the death of Dick Waterman at the age of 88. Dick was a writer, photographer and manager of many blues artists and did much to draw attention to many of the great blues artists of the fifties and sixties. From the early sixties onwards he promoted shows by Mississippi John Hurt, Bukka White and Mississippi Fred McDowell and went on to rediscover Son House and represent other blues artists including Skip JamesEven more memorable was a visit to Dick's house in Oxford, Mississippi, in 2008. I was travelling through the South with my late girlfriend Maxine and had been to Tutwiler, famed as the place W C Handy found the blues. I was with a group of Woodies who were also visiting various blues locations. One of them, Alan Lloyd, had arranged a visit to Dick's house and Maxine and I set off to his house. The only problem was that we didn't have an address. By a complete fluke we came across the car containing the other Woodies on the outskirts of town which led us to his house. There we were made very welcome and were charmed by his stories and his many excellent photographs. I wrote at the time: <i>'From Tutwiler we went to Oxford, where one of the group, Alan, had arranged for us to visit the home of Dick Waterman, one of the pioneers of blues recording and management. We spent a fascinating couple of hours looking at his photographs of Son House, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Bonnie Raitt (who he managed for 20 years), the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and many more taken over the last 45 years. Dick is a great storyteller and seems a happy man, newly married as he is to Cindy at the age of 73. A fascinating man with so much to tell, and boy did he tell it.'</i> RIP Dick. Top picture shows the Woodies group: L-R Paul Waring, Alan Lloyd, Brian 'Bunter' Clark, Bill Haynes, Ken Major, Maxine, Nick Cobban, Dick Waterman. Picture below shows Maxine with Dick and the second photo shows a few of his examples of blues art.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfYTLDH5kK3utd9G9braG7xrrnmdIwBQgkV4RK87PAHwLqADXxIaAqB5G3iqFmxkVumxptjYHjwIZx27nKENamXHHg_3wHMLwNw49JBoEOI3ngueo4mxVeG5TR78vLh-0I34ibM06CwU2o_96s_cWplgpCWDUD2dTcIe_9F3aDFyDajPBGip9/s3648/DSCN0671.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfYTLDH5kK3utd9G9braG7xrrnmdIwBQgkV4RK87PAHwLqADXxIaAqB5G3iqFmxkVumxptjYHjwIZx27nKENamXHHg_3wHMLwNw49JBoEOI3ngueo4mxVeG5TR78vLh-0I34ibM06CwU2o_96s_cWplgpCWDUD2dTcIe_9F3aDFyDajPBGip9/s400/DSCN0671.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFB0ob1DhxvpKsDFjcdng3rSF-EmhcMrpgpf6KrwrLXhnHG6f0XOkQkQ5LLTwVOzhfg2gKv_pfhYim64RwA_LjD9gySjapquaVmdkpm2tdLgl5QWf3xPSppeAOEnRV_kaxWWrvZFZHMYD67cm5nPX5BGFM7vW3BmYxH36QmvcGi5ub7PciAapL/s3648/DSCN0672.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFB0ob1DhxvpKsDFjcdng3rSF-EmhcMrpgpf6KrwrLXhnHG6f0XOkQkQ5LLTwVOzhfg2gKv_pfhYim64RwA_LjD9gySjapquaVmdkpm2tdLgl5QWf3xPSppeAOEnRV_kaxWWrvZFZHMYD67cm5nPX5BGFM7vW3BmYxH36QmvcGi5ub7PciAapL/s400/DSCN0672.JPG"/></a></div>
Another recent death is that of Melanie, an American singer/songwriter, at the age of 76. Melanie came to fame in 1970 with 'Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)' which was inspired by the Woodstock festival. She went on to have success with 'Brand New Key', 'Ruby Tuesday' and 'What Have They Done To My Song Ma'.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3y0VAWkY2ENXzjv4fiubTCLRlJx4P81YPiX9y7n_MEMnPofossnO-UVpP16gWOWmvcue0jZoQx6jeI7jH-uyP7i6p3eFVUwKRwEUEGybvL37mUV5c4IXlPlh8wC2lYkK-cC-5t7fHz1dFk5ePnBgC2EYtx8Yycvg2JsyG7N0NpuMz7GmvvniI/s1147/DSCN0182.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3y0VAWkY2ENXzjv4fiubTCLRlJx4P81YPiX9y7n_MEMnPofossnO-UVpP16gWOWmvcue0jZoQx6jeI7jH-uyP7i6p3eFVUwKRwEUEGybvL37mUV5c4IXlPlh8wC2lYkK-cC-5t7fHz1dFk5ePnBgC2EYtx8Yycvg2JsyG7N0NpuMz7GmvvniI/s400/DSCN0182.JPG"/></a></div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-40543684772851746412024-01-20T12:10:00.008+00:002024-01-21T18:52:01.363+00:00Mary Weiss RIP Updated<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KY1V-xUYozzobxw7FH6fmquVC_S8S5E_8O0rTKjRp0JdIGUswh63PosK-5FJsdxwmHbBmoXoCyrC12xArTqGXeYnuyRdtXIz2USPHbaXPjhn4l8HK1BJFwSWpEkNzgSoem2VhfkZrkAe266OeJSdHdzA-WTD1Mr5aMSHi8GMH02OiHZ8M5-C/s3648/DSCN0880.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KY1V-xUYozzobxw7FH6fmquVC_S8S5E_8O0rTKjRp0JdIGUswh63PosK-5FJsdxwmHbBmoXoCyrC12xArTqGXeYnuyRdtXIz2USPHbaXPjhn4l8HK1BJFwSWpEkNzgSoem2VhfkZrkAe266OeJSdHdzA-WTD1Mr5aMSHi8GMH02OiHZ8M5-C/s400/DSCN0880.JPG"/></a></div>
Mary Weiss, lead singer of girl group the Shangri-Las, has died aged 75. The group had a run of magnificently broody and sometimes downright gloomy records in the mid sixties which epiomised teenage angst and emotion. Mary and her sister Betty came from Queens and joined with twins Marge and Mary Ann Ganser in 1963 to form a group which they named the Shangri-Las after a local restaurant. They were discovered by Artie Ripp who arranged a record deal with Kama Sutra records. Their first recordings included 'Simon Says' and 'Wishing Well' and in January 1964, when Mary was just 15, they met up with George 'Shadow' Morton who played their demo of 'Remember (Walkin' In The Sand') to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, owners of Red Bird records. The record was a smash hit and was followed by any even bigger one with 'Leader Of The Pack', the archetypal 'death disc' which was a huge hit in the US, the UK and elsewhere. A succession of dramatic singles followed, including 'Give Him A Great Big Kiss', with its intro line 'When I say I'm in love you best believe I'm in love L-U-V', 'Give Us Your Blessings', the dramatic 'I Can Never Go Home Any More', 'Long Live Our Love', 'He Cried' and 'Past Present and Future', spoken over Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata'. Betty left the group for a while resulting in many photos showing just three members, but returned before the Ganser sisters eventually left and the group broke up in 1968. Mary retired from the music business and there was a final reunion of the Shangri-Las in 1989. She recorded an album for Norton Records in 2007 entitled 'Dangerous Game' and I saw Mary perform at the Ponderosa Stomp in 2008 (pictured above) where she sang several Shangri-Las songs including, of course, 'Leader Of The Pack'. RIP to Mary - and that's called Sad.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FdOiTf5EhK5ZZPeR_R3Evvd9JrqFNFrZH36V-1faZJKRsfgpirNJgC1jRitQck1qgGCDA4cKzhNzTyXLQNRe_4Dl6FSEIKcJrC3kiYlnH4t_Tir_7dmE3zAcwgn0ak0B6RYiWtQ4vXmrt99ARMuPjuOhMjI8ddhpWqsKIxmFVpn3zp5fpYtF/s1147/DSCN0176.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="1147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4FdOiTf5EhK5ZZPeR_R3Evvd9JrqFNFrZH36V-1faZJKRsfgpirNJgC1jRitQck1qgGCDA4cKzhNzTyXLQNRe_4Dl6FSEIKcJrC3kiYlnH4t_Tir_7dmE3zAcwgn0ak0B6RYiWtQ4vXmrt99ARMuPjuOhMjI8ddhpWqsKIxmFVpn3zp5fpYtF/s400/DSCN0176.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgfhJOG3ULaPeaISCuMr99ks3YJ7m1sAOASj3sYkcg9P2VmmmZLAZCkcTFolmeUqouu0PtHnBou_UBhnCZiPwrCItka4H4pDHGprdkpAls29KmDCqy6vQU86_KOn0q7g5UMjcakpll1ilebjdGR2JTKXURAA36Pk3Li3wB0gtsjpaYecdVUL4/s1124/DSCN0175.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="1124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbgfhJOG3ULaPeaISCuMr99ks3YJ7m1sAOASj3sYkcg9P2VmmmZLAZCkcTFolmeUqouu0PtHnBou_UBhnCZiPwrCItka4H4pDHGprdkpAls29KmDCqy6vQU86_KOn0q7g5UMjcakpll1ilebjdGR2JTKXURAA36Pk3Li3wB0gtsjpaYecdVUL4/s400/DSCN0175.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdltt9PKhoB_tJBUBwVZ-fyOq73AxGnBRlEiBBCt1uKyZKX45rtccjgfQQiXPOFdxfVhb8eAo6xs8_uFobjAUeChFpYaj9XNKZVpjW3AkrmSC0nNmuhxPgGAoyuH4IPaidgXppNwNB1uWNJc6G2R6nvcaP-IbeUZZvGRQImrid2d9lrLJKZjx1/s1119/DSCN0174.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="1114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdltt9PKhoB_tJBUBwVZ-fyOq73AxGnBRlEiBBCt1uKyZKX45rtccjgfQQiXPOFdxfVhb8eAo6xs8_uFobjAUeChFpYaj9XNKZVpjW3AkrmSC0nNmuhxPgGAoyuH4IPaidgXppNwNB1uWNJc6G2R6nvcaP-IbeUZZvGRQImrid2d9lrLJKZjx1/s400/DSCN0174.JPG"/></a></div>
Another recent death is that of reggae singer Pluto Shervington. whose 1970s hits included 'Dat' and 'Ram Goat Liver'.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkpyzaqoTovRURKJ0wII6Z1yrn2FsTXqJzlJB9WjOmAnqSn8PbuDXNqW6aWMTs633OaHJ3syW8Ppa_CyFvXhgAxXx-BnxGxvc0iFtEP_TzHlRVG2863b2ucUTgH6d1aVv1Gfclb2xPprapm_pjoTwjWB7MrX_qC2vxkwIO3jQtyJ0K9Fimqgr/s1584/DSCN0177.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1021" data-original-width="1584" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkpyzaqoTovRURKJ0wII6Z1yrn2FsTXqJzlJB9WjOmAnqSn8PbuDXNqW6aWMTs633OaHJ3syW8Ppa_CyFvXhgAxXx-BnxGxvc0iFtEP_TzHlRVG2863b2ucUTgH6d1aVv1Gfclb2xPprapm_pjoTwjWB7MrX_qC2vxkwIO3jQtyJ0K9Fimqgr/s400/DSCN0177.JPG"/></a></div>
The bad start to the year has continued with the news that jazz, soul and blues singer Marlena Shaw has died at the age of 81. She began as a jazz singer but her career took off in the late sixties with her soul/funk version of 'California Soul'. She moved from the Cadet label to Blue Note and later to Columbia, Verve and Polydor as her career progressed, with her best known tracks including 'Mercy Mercy Mercy' and 'Go Away Little Boy'. I saw Marlena several times during the nineties, including one memorable night at the short-lived Rhythmic in Islington when she co-starred with Jean Carne. Photo below shows Marlena at the Jazz Factory in Camden in 1993.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRNQLW853BGrFA4CC8fQpJ51siVFF3sKWDiOluILGNu58Y-2VgmXKbYZnLK-9NXZXep5c7SbHDD9DjMpw5NYEyano7XcypCUN9rh8kIk_qlcsxkMtNQEhBpqRE-reFh-2DIsylQOEUED6W1K4vqRmZEyK12kSUI3hl6LneC8LHo1pfXe6o-j8/s2913/Marlena%20Shaw.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="2913" data-original-width="1894" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRNQLW853BGrFA4CC8fQpJ51siVFF3sKWDiOluILGNu58Y-2VgmXKbYZnLK-9NXZXep5c7SbHDD9DjMpw5NYEyano7XcypCUN9rh8kIk_qlcsxkMtNQEhBpqRE-reFh-2DIsylQOEUED6W1K4vqRmZEyK12kSUI3hl6LneC8LHo1pfXe6o-j8/s400/Marlena%20Shaw.jpg"/></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-52932700531294083082024-01-14T13:52:00.003+00:002024-01-14T15:15:17.110+00:00Jo-El Sonnier and Bill Hayes RIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5kj61tIM2oTSHz7Tk1ZZwuxC0WeI1YllCCbQ3kCvXFxedYSbKmHohhyphenhyphenkC1XTezd0zOlv1UQD74ouvNeM71mysXpeL0AmoodeD45AoUykUI5cMezs7IDfNeSP2taUspstO_k8WX3YZs9S30HrOUW6xv8cwUX9adaqblqqc6F8HazOFK-uv_wo/s1600/DSCN0192.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX5kj61tIM2oTSHz7Tk1ZZwuxC0WeI1YllCCbQ3kCvXFxedYSbKmHohhyphenhyphenkC1XTezd0zOlv1UQD74ouvNeM71mysXpeL0AmoodeD45AoUykUI5cMezs7IDfNeSP2taUspstO_k8WX3YZs9S30HrOUW6xv8cwUX9adaqblqqc6F8HazOFK-uv_wo/s400/DSCN0192.JPG"/></a></div>
I was rather shocked to hear of the death of Cajun singer/songwriter and accordionist Jo-El Sonnier at the age of 77 as it's only a few months since I saw him at the New Orleans Jazzfest, when he seemed in top form. Born in Rayne, Louisiana, he first recorded for the Lake Charles based Goldband label in 1967. Three albums were released at the time - 'Hurricane Andy', 'The Scene Today in Cajun Music' and 'The Cajun Valentino'. He recorded many tracks in the Cajun and country fields between 1980 and 2005 and had chart success with songs such as 'No More One More Time', 'Tear Stained Letter' and 'Rainin' In My Heart'. His final album was the Cajun French album 'The Legacy' in 2013 which earned him his fifth Grammy nomination. I first saw Jo-El at Jazzfest in 2013 when he guested with Michel Doucet, leader of the Cajun band Beausoleil (pictured below). When I saw him last year I wrote: <i>'Final act was the rocking Cajun accordion player Jo-El Sonnier. This was high quality and at times exciting stuff with songs including 'Knock Knock Knock', Fats Domino's 'You Hurt Me So', 'Tear Stained Letter', 'Raining In My Heart', 'Jole Blon', 'Louisiana 1927' and Cleveland Crochet's 'Sugar Bee'. A good way to close the day.'</i> Top photo shows Jo-El at Jazzfest in May of 2023.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQv2RBzLPr6GXNx2y14uaaWKHh9ZuBKZoD42Y4G9qjb6fWnl1L22Xblsqaod0vw1UC6QNMh6ldlY4l8bhjf_98bqRqg74CtTUDUYc-fplxG82GgPRzF99zI1S8awLiNIoPn2ytI6uYz-A9lfwANYT8WGrFN-AT2J_h9cMDMR3_sOFsofs3jfq_/s1600/219.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQv2RBzLPr6GXNx2y14uaaWKHh9ZuBKZoD42Y4G9qjb6fWnl1L22Xblsqaod0vw1UC6QNMh6ldlY4l8bhjf_98bqRqg74CtTUDUYc-fplxG82GgPRzF99zI1S8awLiNIoPn2ytI6uYz-A9lfwANYT8WGrFN-AT2J_h9cMDMR3_sOFsofs3jfq_/s400/219.JPG"/></a></div>
Another less surprising death was that of Bill Hayes at the age of 98. When I was at primary school I knew all the verses of his biggest hit 'The Ballad of Davy Crockett'. His version of the song, originally sung by Fess Parker, who played Crockett in the film 'Davy Crockett - King Of the Wild Frontier', was a major hit, outselling Fess's version and one by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Everyone my age knew that Davy was 'born on a mountain top in Tennessee', so when I visited the Davy Crockett State Park in 2019 I was disappointed that there wasn't a mountain anywhere in sight. Bill's hit sold over two million copies but he failed to replicate his chart success although 'The Legend of Wyatt Earp' did quite well. But he was successful as an actor, including a long running role in 'Days Of Our Lives'.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFxbmcO2c2kpY4Hk_beJ5fjC4caw_O15I4uyeJX7yhBRB-5i42I7NbR_57zsmvhVpcuD4i8nhwZDkQv2lN2av9vzZDL_V6x6r_UH7worbXZbCEgn2tq8XbbaZKH7iAWcAzoMYyMg6Rs18fsM7jpTz2MXkhS_ecgeNsSPQXM5fWir-pWYTK82a/s1600/DSCN0153.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFxbmcO2c2kpY4Hk_beJ5fjC4caw_O15I4uyeJX7yhBRB-5i42I7NbR_57zsmvhVpcuD4i8nhwZDkQv2lN2av9vzZDL_V6x6r_UH7worbXZbCEgn2tq8XbbaZKH7iAWcAzoMYyMg6Rs18fsM7jpTz2MXkhS_ecgeNsSPQXM5fWir-pWYTK82a/s400/DSCN0153.JPG"/></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-89556657574887369972024-01-09T19:33:00.000+00:002024-01-09T19:33:08.230+00:00Larry Collins RIP and other recent deaths<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRATMduAH-WNQL1hg6SZQYwDWcEbWUD8afjbrW92j5gTTge2vdBetrUe8h1E1d86uSSyMklrALnmxi0jfFD-Bo7N17xYqGU9SgJyAVfMiuUl5ekIoVSW3XolIUf8SfVonk8pMcumUZB95toGJoi_TpUQ8ZVtHodP4bpkpgH_vmkgRX1oFsBhX/s1600/DSCN0773.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRATMduAH-WNQL1hg6SZQYwDWcEbWUD8afjbrW92j5gTTge2vdBetrUe8h1E1d86uSSyMklrALnmxi0jfFD-Bo7N17xYqGU9SgJyAVfMiuUl5ekIoVSW3XolIUf8SfVonk8pMcumUZB95toGJoi_TpUQ8ZVtHodP4bpkpgH_vmkgRX1oFsBhX/s400/DSCN0773.JPG"/></a></div>
It's time to catch up on some recent music deaths. The latest is rockabilly guitarist Larry Collins at the age of 79. Originally from Tulsa, he was just eight when he began playing with his older sister Lorrie as the Collins Kids, appearing on US TV programmes such as 'Town Hall Party' and 'Tex Ritter's Ranch Party'. Together they recorded numerous records including 'Hop Skip and Jump', 'Whistle Bait' and 'Beetle Bug Bop' way back in 1957 and 1958. Larry said: 'We were apprentice to the best. Bob Willis, Johnny Horton, Lefty Frizzell and Johnny Cash.' His mentor was guitarist Joe Maphis and like him Larry played a double neck guitar. 'Joe Maphis was 'king of the strings' and back-stage I learned to finger-pick watching Merle Travis', Larry said. The Collins Kids stopped playing together in the mid sixties but reunited in 1993 to play at the Hemsby festival in the UK. I saw them at the Ponderosa Stomp in 2008 (pictured below) and Larry appeared solo at Viva Las Vegas in 2017 where he was on stage with Deke Dickerson and Ashley Kingman, both of whom also played double neck guitars. I wrote at the time: '<i>Highlight of this segment was Larry Collins, once a child star in the Collins Kids, who came on stage with a double neck guitar, as did Deke Dickerson and the house band's Ashley Kingman. Larry showed that he's an excellent guitarist with dramatic flourishes which created a moody sound. Numbers included the death song '1955' and the Bo Diddley flavoured 'Hoy Hoy', when he was joined by Ruby Ann. He ended with 'Rockabilly Forever'.</i> For a superb tribute to Larry I suggest you seek out Deke's recent Facebook item.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6keykTniYWjdTMokNrqqCM_Qg4NkTqvqRZbYoYeBvKh7miGWNaCzwWEyxTv_t7j4liEYu-HJ7PYKuukl8PVOsYVX-EjRedRd6hWAt1EsSGfc34wWehup7buvK3aALBwFl0632Md_8flrsgBe2hsKoqa497g7MjCaKqno7y8tWVRqvLP14xKD/s3027/DSCN0889.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2164" data-original-width="3027" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx6keykTniYWjdTMokNrqqCM_Qg4NkTqvqRZbYoYeBvKh7miGWNaCzwWEyxTv_t7j4liEYu-HJ7PYKuukl8PVOsYVX-EjRedRd6hWAt1EsSGfc34wWehup7buvK3aALBwFl0632Md_8flrsgBe2hsKoqa497g7MjCaKqno7y8tWVRqvLP14xKD/s400/DSCN0889.JPG"/></a></div>
Here's a photo of Larry with Deke and Ashley, and another with Deke.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCbAqVfw3bGI99pdIwZHKWNx9CNEenOQ_YF7piypY9kq5w3YVdmlPW5LJGcwgcUl1np0IxErq1dDwfGRKFn1SQHm4vrxchQ_31RYf7zTnza-upxkYQySnUww4dKUJ8OUFgvsnmfcydNCzCrPgoYq_Ys7kKSMf7yZpkA7JIzpm2oovwFy73iRf/s1600/DSCN0770.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCbAqVfw3bGI99pdIwZHKWNx9CNEenOQ_YF7piypY9kq5w3YVdmlPW5LJGcwgcUl1np0IxErq1dDwfGRKFn1SQHm4vrxchQ_31RYf7zTnza-upxkYQySnUww4dKUJ8OUFgvsnmfcydNCzCrPgoYq_Ys7kKSMf7yZpkA7JIzpm2oovwFy73iRf/s400/DSCN0770.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3fTiXmJBIWP-EMKgWexjt0pYtop4LTWIReWZpXAdKAc0UDuDfi_iGipy1IqK_PZhZGfxzzh_Ao_XDVJjZVbWC3MNySNulbSsUDqyh75G-UK-Ta26IcZ_I_1yzdRidKbM2ReETuAGTiUNgXCYyaclMRi-JVzH3SzkHHniMEBWgodl2mZXdekf/s1600/DSCN0774.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3fTiXmJBIWP-EMKgWexjt0pYtop4LTWIReWZpXAdKAc0UDuDfi_iGipy1IqK_PZhZGfxzzh_Ao_XDVJjZVbWC3MNySNulbSsUDqyh75G-UK-Ta26IcZ_I_1yzdRidKbM2ReETuAGTiUNgXCYyaclMRi-JVzH3SzkHHniMEBWgodl2mZXdekf/s400/DSCN0774.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLK6Gly5MF3pbgezP9GX5jIFpNkplWw9NLGxnrJ6f626nHIcuuBvNPIsz2M4cphzLa8oEpP_b7gG6a85AgM0s-qAMrtIm8MFPiS6aC_Nv7rgYyywUY5fZHHVDxNrcI81uZQ2bWRpk0__4xD7mSHTtbp5DTPLq1s5_nGOwvuQ6gBAMDIs6zri01/s1570/DSCN0136.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="1570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLK6Gly5MF3pbgezP9GX5jIFpNkplWw9NLGxnrJ6f626nHIcuuBvNPIsz2M4cphzLa8oEpP_b7gG6a85AgM0s-qAMrtIm8MFPiS6aC_Nv7rgYyywUY5fZHHVDxNrcI81uZQ2bWRpk0__4xD7mSHTtbp5DTPLq1s5_nGOwvuQ6gBAMDIs6zri01/s400/DSCN0136.JPG"/></a></div>
Another recent death is that of Red Paden, owner of Red's juke joint. Red's in something of an institution in the capital of the blues, Clarksdale, MS , and despite being frequented by many blues fans from out of town it remains a genuine juke joint, with great blues, basic facilities and twinkly Christmas lights. I first went there in 2005 when I drove down from Memphis with Alan Lloyd and Ken Major to catch Pinetop Perkins at the Hopson Plantation (he didn't perform as it was a Sunday!). In the evening we went to Red's where Bob Stroger was playing. I've been many times on subsequent visits and the photo shows local blues man Lucious Spiller in 2017. I can only hope that Red's survives and is still operating when I visit Clarksdale later this year. The second photo shows Red at a synmposium on juke joints at the King Biscuit Festival in 2015.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdE4R0ZUbTGwl1TTgE12FF43ysSLGVRQTvLIJhVdYxm_ARdChJL4YXSDSYLSen-gYUW7nsdeuEgX1z-qp0tR-Vs2deQd6fg6JRTRlSmrmnxSOOiZpVEffof6mAyU0BlOuh_Hv6umArkf_IPlakUScCIiWS2kMyEZzflilbMLZsg7dy1oiOweS/s400/Red%27s.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitdE4R0ZUbTGwl1TTgE12FF43ysSLGVRQTvLIJhVdYxm_ARdChJL4YXSDSYLSen-gYUW7nsdeuEgX1z-qp0tR-Vs2deQd6fg6JRTRlSmrmnxSOOiZpVEffof6mAyU0BlOuh_Hv6umArkf_IPlakUScCIiWS2kMyEZzflilbMLZsg7dy1oiOweS/s400/Red%27s.jpg"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmN9kJ2QTAHHB4vzEKsu2QjCDZkac4KSqlRT_cVKU5C_9bp7HmWSBBkQ1CcJ5gc4_yTngsr2Ut7Evhyphenhyphen_YPfBJEK9BlepuhAmOv-GfGElALZabp-JK9jHDgucl60SDwX_RS9ghWPqExWrHU2rsp3NZVSWXsQ8VdnBkTbZ5bgRyJEHDHZ-Nmg5D/s1600/867.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmN9kJ2QTAHHB4vzEKsu2QjCDZkac4KSqlRT_cVKU5C_9bp7HmWSBBkQ1CcJ5gc4_yTngsr2Ut7Evhyphenhyphen_YPfBJEK9BlepuhAmOv-GfGElALZabp-JK9jHDgucl60SDwX_RS9ghWPqExWrHU2rsp3NZVSWXsQ8VdnBkTbZ5bgRyJEHDHZ-Nmg5D/s400/867.JPG"/></a></div>
Another recent death at the age of 88 is soul/jazz pianist and vocalist Les McCann. Also David Soul, aged 80, who was one half of Starsky and Hutch and who had huge pop hits in 1977 with 'Don't Give Up On Us' and 'Silver Lady'. RIP to them all.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4joTUuFIAeKCqX1sEc4jPEICgU8uNTokshDCS298NCxNs9utfVKBZDpcoATRwFsL1To9OtRHzqlhtlobZEmQHWsFvCFyLKZ4BSqoheNBNYaLiRXoJ-5WrQy2RTnZtyGaMqX_NE1b5PxIK7-02nJiOUgkKLikqeF71JS5M4VX-Woc4Psq99nj/s1152/DSCN0132.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="1144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4joTUuFIAeKCqX1sEc4jPEICgU8uNTokshDCS298NCxNs9utfVKBZDpcoATRwFsL1To9OtRHzqlhtlobZEmQHWsFvCFyLKZ4BSqoheNBNYaLiRXoJ-5WrQy2RTnZtyGaMqX_NE1b5PxIK7-02nJiOUgkKLikqeF71JS5M4VX-Woc4Psq99nj/s400/DSCN0132.JPG"/></a></div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-65364504311077916222024-01-06T13:27:00.002+00:002024-01-06T21:13:26.449+00:00US package shows of the sixties<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyA6FGKThDKGOSqod9BTZd16MUAsnrkB2Dhv71d3lFAnanRDtQqU2a0TFB6UXszNNcnmzhcybCeg9eJtsy3OVFvvJK3DIuWGHEPSMeo7FNGpKnzvIwwzckIeYeTFzUIbE9SuZCFrrhlmSANgzVAGLqTHlP_qa825OEmbSTQE4QctyBw8g4sLn/s1188/DSCN0135.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="827" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyA6FGKThDKGOSqod9BTZd16MUAsnrkB2Dhv71d3lFAnanRDtQqU2a0TFB6UXszNNcnmzhcybCeg9eJtsy3OVFvvJK3DIuWGHEPSMeo7FNGpKnzvIwwzckIeYeTFzUIbE9SuZCFrrhlmSANgzVAGLqTHlP_qa825OEmbSTQE4QctyBw8g4sLn/s400/DSCN0135.JPG"/></a></div>
I have been to many superb music shows featuring American fifties and sixties artists over the last 40 years or so (although those days are now sadly over as most of them have now retired or passed on). But back in the early sixties, when I first became obsessed with music, it was a different matter. There was little pop music broadcast on mainstream TV or radio. Awareness of new records only came about via Radio Luxembourg or, later, the pirate stations. What TV shows there were, such as Oh Boy! and Boy Meets Girls, mostly featured the bland UK pop acts of the day. American artists struggled to get a look in and we often didn’t even know what they looked like. So when a US music package tour came to town I did my best to see it.
<p>I was too young to see Buddy Holly live or Jerry Lee’s disastrous 1958 tour, and only saw Eddie Cochran on TV. The first genuine package tour that I became aware of was by Bobby Darin, Duane Eddy and Clyde McPhatter but I didn’t get to see it. After that I tried to ensure that I did, and from 1962 to the mid sixties I caught quite a few that have gone down in music history. Living near Croydon as I did, they tended to be around that area or a little further away at the Granada cinema in Tooting, which hosted some of the best. Here are a few that I remember going to. Most had UK acts on the bill as well, but with a few exceptions, they were of no interest to me, so I won’t mention them unless really necessary. <p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMhnn0KKua0Y3Nw-b9o8OYFegws6Af3xgJoG7CgI4lk3heTNY2xd6EoBEnox5Q49pFP2_5JFF-PJbY3IEYXG45_v3wO8hzB-2zs4cxZcYEl6LvddobS-K0pr_Q2__wSOo6s63vWXfK74P4WymPt3mGQ_ml4bS0KawpPmuNc210eT7ZovlvBz2/s350/bobby%20vee%20show.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMhnn0KKua0Y3Nw-b9o8OYFegws6Af3xgJoG7CgI4lk3heTNY2xd6EoBEnox5Q49pFP2_5JFF-PJbY3IEYXG45_v3wO8hzB-2zs4cxZcYEl6LvddobS-K0pr_Q2__wSOo6s63vWXfK74P4WymPt3mGQ_ml4bS0KawpPmuNc210eT7ZovlvBz2/s400/bobby%20vee%20show.jpg"/></a></div>
<p> <b>10/2/62 Tooting Granada - Bobby Vee, Tony Orlando, Clarence Henry.</b> This was the first US package show that I went to I think, although there may have been others that I don’t recall. Bobby was flying high from ‘Take Good Care Of My Baby’, Tony from ‘Bless You’ and the Frogman from ‘But I Do’. <p>
<p> <b>8/4/62 Tooting Granada - Gene Vincent, Brenda Lee</b>. I saw Gene several times during the sixties, including one or two when he was past his best, but I didn’t see Brenda Lee live again until Viva Las Vegas in 2017. <p>
<p> <b>6/5/62 Tooting Granada - Johnny Burnette , Gary US Bonds, Gene McDaniels</b>. His rockabilly years well behind him, Johnny enjoyed great pop success with ‘Dreamin’’, ‘You’re Sixteen’ and ‘Little Boy Sad’ but sadly died young in a boat accident. Gene contributed one superb track recorded during this tour – ‘Another Tear Falls’ – to the otherwise dreadful album ‘It’s Trad Dad’. Gary is still going strong of course. <p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfYu0X7KTCZZRnHU1O3x34JtcoPR2SwCYeE-hVvxh1n3oEN-RpPlx7dc2S0c4PA1MOZqwTV6vBOjUOyqv4OZFnqc07eoiySj3J1AoYU3NiscoTapwD4GtGZAiqf9sEl0MBXdQSUhoz5gudc7FZmHE-YmcG_6LzwX1Bls85Y-PXo-5bqIa-8hQ/s712/J%20burnette%20tour.webp" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfYu0X7KTCZZRnHU1O3x34JtcoPR2SwCYeE-hVvxh1n3oEN-RpPlx7dc2S0c4PA1MOZqwTV6vBOjUOyqv4OZFnqc07eoiySj3J1AoYU3NiscoTapwD4GtGZAiqf9sEl0MBXdQSUhoz5gudc7FZmHE-YmcG_6LzwX1Bls85Y-PXo-5bqIa-8hQ/s400/J%20burnette%20tour.webp"/></a></div>
<b>29/9/62 Tooting Granada – Dion, Del Shannon. Buzz Cliffford.</b> Dion is still great today and I’ve seen him several times in recent years. Del committed suicide in 1990. Both were big favourities of mine. Buzz was a one hit wonder with ‘Baby Sittin’ Boogie’.
<p> <b>27/10/62 Tooting Granada - Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Jet Harris, backed by Sounds Incorporated</b>. This was a real highlight. Sam Cooke, my favourite singer then and now, was great and Little Richard was the most exciting live performer I ever saw. What’s more I got to go back stage and get their autographs. <p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIE6PAKp46hrw80nfklQGMJ4jyGX5HSEWNj1dWdhSfSrc0hT_r3HuZ_qhp4tg_51rdcCk63_zRjaVUyjvA-9SzRKmdFapw8J6vr6E3ZruLGV1hGtSFnxx9p7J29zt8jcIxUmGQ0YgiZoL29KywuJ5lPzihSN84EqvBKqwxGJuAD_MnNnRlWQfN/s320/little%20richard%20programme.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIE6PAKp46hrw80nfklQGMJ4jyGX5HSEWNj1dWdhSfSrc0hT_r3HuZ_qhp4tg_51rdcCk63_zRjaVUyjvA-9SzRKmdFapw8J6vr6E3ZruLGV1hGtSFnxx9p7J29zt8jcIxUmGQ0YgiZoL29KywuJ5lPzihSN84EqvBKqwxGJuAD_MnNnRlWQfN/s400/little%20richard%20programme.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>21/3/63 ABC Croydon - Chris Montez, Tommy Roe, The Beatles</b>. Chris and Tommy had enjoyed big hits with ‘Let’s Dance’ and ‘Sheila’ respectively. The Beatles, bottom of the bill, were having a huge hit with ‘Please Please Me’ and were very popular with the audience it seemed. I wonder whatever happened to them.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQJ-BEB4rcykzIjTkf41JoBcDJaKXMLzVnCEakW00pG5T_OTr3reD3BOvp3PfMtybcYx_Id71sd3pxV4976l2wUjDDNYTVulsKNpgWSiVuKvYu3c5-qy3T-XbhVscy2a5a6BlReb_91o8TysLK9XTd0OyfHiTlJMRrcJUlubO1kerTrp_UpuO/s1413/DSCN0134.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1084" data-original-width="1413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQJ-BEB4rcykzIjTkf41JoBcDJaKXMLzVnCEakW00pG5T_OTr3reD3BOvp3PfMtybcYx_Id71sd3pxV4976l2wUjDDNYTVulsKNpgWSiVuKvYu3c5-qy3T-XbhVscy2a5a6BlReb_91o8TysLK9XTd0OyfHiTlJMRrcJUlubO1kerTrp_UpuO/s400/DSCN0134.JPG"/></a></div>
<b>28/5/63 Fairfield Hall, Croydon - Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Heinz backed by the Outlaws.</b> Jerry Lee, making his big comeback after his previous curtailed tour, was superb, as was Gene. Heinz was roundly booed by the predominantly rocker audience.
<p> <b>1/6/63 Tooting Granada - Roy Orbison, The Beatles</b>. Those pesky Beatles again! I was there to see Roy Orbison. <p>
<p> <b>1/10/63 Odeon Streatham - Bo Diddley, Everly Brothers, the Rolling Stones.</b> Bo Diddley, along with The Duchess and Jerome was great, as were the Everly Brothers. Strangely though, many in the crowd seemed more interested in the support act, the Rolling Stones. Again, I wonder what happened to them. <p>
<p> <b>8/10/63 Fairfield Hall, Croydon – ‘American Negro Blues Festival’ with Muddy Waters, Lonnie Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Joe Williams, Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim , Victoria Spivey, Matt Guitar Murphy and Otis Spann.</b> The first of several superb blues shows to be held at the Fairfield Hall prompted by the blues boom in the UK. <p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqcCfvSc6cgiwZJMSNAvCdqpccxFyWA95l0C5JrL_qDE3KWmNI29R1id5Z7zoVoPHV3TasiPfITZD2g6SbWVtxqHxlw_fT24PtB0QsKJUHKgZjDfu7K_etUplbmZ1oRPTooEP41LH2saj1nJZNmixK3r0xeYJyOoypiFJx9GZrNE3jzfrZozf/s600/folkblues.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqcCfvSc6cgiwZJMSNAvCdqpccxFyWA95l0C5JrL_qDE3KWmNI29R1id5Z7zoVoPHV3TasiPfITZD2g6SbWVtxqHxlw_fT24PtB0QsKJUHKgZjDfu7K_etUplbmZ1oRPTooEP41LH2saj1nJZNmixK3r0xeYJyOoypiFJx9GZrNE3jzfrZozf/s400/folkblues.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>October/November 1963 West Wickham – ‘Wickham Goes Pop’ festival with the Konrads. The Trubeats and other local groups</b>. I only mention this because West Wickham is where I grew up and many of these local groups played at the weekly Justin Hall music gig. I only found out much later that David Bowie was a member of the Konrads and Peter Frampton was the leader of the Trubeats, later the Herd.
<p> <b>21/11/63 Fairfield Hall, Croydon - Duane Eddy, Gene Vincent, The Shirelles</b>. Another chance to see Duane Eddy and Gene Vincent and the first time I saw the Shirelles. <p>
<p> <b>10/5/64 ABC Croydon - Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Animals</b>. Chuck was in the middle of his comeback and put on an excellent show. Carl Perkins was very good and the Animals weren’t bad either. <p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5_yFhVdcoaxzlhyc1VV4OQRMKjtX51-YsYI3WJ4Kqc4ek5OhXlI6Ky7iZtGkgloHnyc9wVYEJ29LssEWd-mD3YOPH3DT7_3P2OFTLT4ldZBQGAeZPMmgrL3XOpwdVFevIgHWd4eeMei-cDtYY7qo-W_eo3KwT4wVM7I1Jvm0imf1vRjWgZ33/s269/chuck%20berry%20tour.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5_yFhVdcoaxzlhyc1VV4OQRMKjtX51-YsYI3WJ4Kqc4ek5OhXlI6Ky7iZtGkgloHnyc9wVYEJ29LssEWd-mD3YOPH3DT7_3P2OFTLT4ldZBQGAeZPMmgrL3XOpwdVFevIgHWd4eeMei-cDtYY7qo-W_eo3KwT4wVM7I1Jvm0imf1vRjWgZ33/s400/chuck%20berry%20tour.jpg"/></a></div>
<b>19/10/64 Fairfield Hall, Croydon – Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howlin’ Wolf, Sleepy John Estes, Hubert Sumlin, Sugar Pie Desanto, Sunnyland Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Willie Dixon.</b> Another great folk blues show in the series that took place in Croydon in the sixties.
<p> <b>4/11/64 Fairfield Hall - Tommy Tucker, the Animals, Carl Perkins, Nashville Teens, Elkie Brooks.</b> <p>
<p> <b> 29/1/65 Fairfield Hall - Chuck Berry, Long John Baldry, Moody Blues, Graham Bond Organisation.</b> <p>
<p> <b>11/10/65 Fairfield Hall - Big Mama Thornton, Roosevelt Sykes Buddy Guy, J B Lenoir, Dr Ross, Eddie Boyd, Mississippi Fred McDowell</b>. Last of the great run of folk blues shows in Croydon as far as I know. <p>
<p> <b>27/3/67 Fairfield Hall - Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Arthur Conley, Booker T and the MGs, the Mar-keys, Eddie Floyd. </b>. This Stax concert was one of last great US package shows as stadium shows and open air festivals took over. Sam and Dave were the highlight of a brilliant show but Otis was excellent as well. I wrote a review for my paper the Croydon Advertiser (see The Vinyl Word, December 9, 2015).
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngwdp9jjWo9QbEo3vitsfwYbr1gZB0FRPjZ82twBs3Vpn5QfbmY7u6LA5msamqBb4KJIpY6hMKvrbD5pcBZy27peDKe9ZnsIjE7uORBO3HtimhjOcLAYh4QmHhBvPBYH7FkHHUsmW72ZxFefOGsSDJt9tBzxYwQa9o23kBhJxsQUQR3OMZp8G/s1134/DSCN0133.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="796" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngwdp9jjWo9QbEo3vitsfwYbr1gZB0FRPjZ82twBs3Vpn5QfbmY7u6LA5msamqBb4KJIpY6hMKvrbD5pcBZy27peDKe9ZnsIjE7uORBO3HtimhjOcLAYh4QmHhBvPBYH7FkHHUsmW72ZxFefOGsSDJt9tBzxYwQa9o23kBhJxsQUQR3OMZp8G/s400/DSCN0133.JPG"/></a></div>
Before the advent of MTV and Youtube these shows were just about the only way of seeing our music heroes performing live in the early sixties. They mostly stuck to their hits and in many cases only performed a couple of numbers. But what magical events they were. If only I had the photos to remind me!
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-7626801079700000092023-12-23T10:49:00.000+00:002023-12-23T10:49:17.801+00:00Sam Hutchins RIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMb7jdb4zV6Bkf4UDEEXBk_9TECF6OdoY17gSdNLCjxQ362UJOYDqinXlnAME5slPD8D6uilE2LfaaNgy2GvYuirxhyYJG1h59EuvqeS9GXS1cy-1OQPTJ_Wp83Nl-FgKPm5CEKzV0EVCSuvHxnhu3XNWRljf9_k7e6EwjhJW0akcD0z4lc5G/s291/Sam%20Hutchins.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHMb7jdb4zV6Bkf4UDEEXBk_9TECF6OdoY17gSdNLCjxQ362UJOYDqinXlnAME5slPD8D6uilE2LfaaNgy2GvYuirxhyYJG1h59EuvqeS9GXS1cy-1OQPTJ_Wp83Nl-FgKPm5CEKzV0EVCSuvHxnhu3XNWRljf9_k7e6EwjhJW0akcD0z4lc5G/s400/Sam%20Hutchins.jpg"/></a></div>
Yet another soul man has passed on, this time Sammie 'Sam' Hutchins at the age of 79, who recorded as a solo artist and was for many years lead singer of the Masqueraders. He wasn't an original member of the group, which was formed in Dallas in 1957 and who also recorded some records in Detroit in the mid sixties, but recorded three solo singles for Mala and Chips Moman's AGP label with background support from the group. These included a cover of Roger Miller's 'Dang Me', 'I Can't Stop Crying' and 'Big D Breakdown'. The group recorded tracks for AGP, including two which were leased to Wand. The Masqeraders had success with 'I Ain't Gonna Love Nobody Else', which was later recorded by Bobby Womack on his 'Womagic' album, and just missed the R and B top 20 with 'I'm Just An Average Guy' on AGP. They returned to Dallas, with Sam now a member, and released a couple of singles without success. Returning to Memphis they met Willie Mitchell and recorded two singles for Hi ('Let The Love Bells Ring' and 'Wake Up Fool') and then linked up with Isaac Hayes on his Hot Buttered Soul label. This was probably their most successful period, with two albums ('Everybody Wanna Live On' and 'Love Anonymous') and three singles, including 'Baby It's You'. They recorded some singles for the Pathfinder label, owned by Al Green's producer Al Zalesky, and a final album for Bang in 1980. That might have been the end but they reappeared in 2017 singing 'A Change Is Gonna Come' on America's Got Talent, which led to several singles of previously unreleased tracks being issued. In 2020 they collaborated with Eli 'Paperboy' Reed on 'Anytime You Want Me'. Sadly I never got the chance to see the group live, but those who did were mightily impressed. RIP Sam.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyQ2awGLaRg26X9cu28fmScJWsEyUbZVc6Tti3PTtg3u9Roolq0ozB3vb3m0WUrdy7aB-r80WFfxIj0iyIHDXn4VJxJoWLQ5-b8eYdrcNsT_IS9SLuFrBC-RuIdvRDmtQ2ytiZ72VF5WVKE0Q1LJINvi-cTzCH9HuxiIjtdt8zE99bSzaX320/s1600/DSCN0110.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyQ2awGLaRg26X9cu28fmScJWsEyUbZVc6Tti3PTtg3u9Roolq0ozB3vb3m0WUrdy7aB-r80WFfxIj0iyIHDXn4VJxJoWLQ5-b8eYdrcNsT_IS9SLuFrBC-RuIdvRDmtQ2ytiZ72VF5WVKE0Q1LJINvi-cTzCH9HuxiIjtdt8zE99bSzaX320/s400/DSCN0110.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARI2MBk7wMdNdSBjfhGWmFNugcEUg5-FBtbr3Pd2rZ9JeLIJ4xb0yBiM0E8J77SVX5loNspuxwrFN8ucT8Rjo-OzeJcvyUm3w3zb0lQm5l899R3_joweMRjOiQFBDh8c5sqDkw3UNtMv_ndZCRpFXwV6AFGY1JVHpeu7ApggPZZiPiF_JqdQP/s1128/DSCN0111.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1127" data-original-width="1128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgARI2MBk7wMdNdSBjfhGWmFNugcEUg5-FBtbr3Pd2rZ9JeLIJ4xb0yBiM0E8J77SVX5loNspuxwrFN8ucT8Rjo-OzeJcvyUm3w3zb0lQm5l899R3_joweMRjOiQFBDh8c5sqDkw3UNtMv_ndZCRpFXwV6AFGY1JVHpeu7ApggPZZiPiF_JqdQP/s400/DSCN0111.JPG"/></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-13644326801369378142023-12-10T20:12:00.002+00:002023-12-13T08:43:49.915+00:00Death list 2023 - RIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejg_o0nJb7M9zjKSwQudR8jBGnJS5XVIHUilczcK13CtaKgkTqPzBBTbTkfJynMTMRV3tlia1VTU3ZCAplY6at8mdJB2qVT3FG25ZSMKp_2BnQnPvjAeERSMl6AcR_EmLZvmtLKaa7avv6vrY6yvMH7o_QNOXBY4PS_z1D5Xk8fibev0XFoka/s259/peggy%20scott%20adams.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejg_o0nJb7M9zjKSwQudR8jBGnJS5XVIHUilczcK13CtaKgkTqPzBBTbTkfJynMTMRV3tlia1VTU3ZCAplY6at8mdJB2qVT3FG25ZSMKp_2BnQnPvjAeERSMl6AcR_EmLZvmtLKaa7avv6vrY6yvMH7o_QNOXBY4PS_z1D5Xk8fibev0XFoka/s400/peggy%20scott%20adams.jpg"/></a></div>
It's around this time of year that The Vinyl Word pays tribute to those musicians and those associated with the music industry who have passed on during the year. The list is a long one, as ever, and includes quite a few that I either didn't become aware of or omitted to mention at the time. To them all, I thank them for their contribution to the music we love and wish them RIP.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGiMJpOY8OX3W0-nJ1ZFBuEWJNZigsh03EjtFTHOy_6aECG0xyjpRvgcL1FqxEln9JZdfQroGVgr3iIkkcPVdFqCH2fZeDV6Fls9sDd578eHIKzYOEag5N_EaxP0at_I1mkmNHZg774KfsHBEq0C8Kf0JJZjMuKb9bGzUoJGBqvJ3g5PcEfWa/s300/tony%20bennett.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGiMJpOY8OX3W0-nJ1ZFBuEWJNZigsh03EjtFTHOy_6aECG0xyjpRvgcL1FqxEln9JZdfQroGVgr3iIkkcPVdFqCH2fZeDV6Fls9sDd578eHIKzYOEag5N_EaxP0at_I1mkmNHZg774KfsHBEq0C8Kf0JJZjMuKb9bGzUoJGBqvJ3g5PcEfWa/s400/tony%20bennett.jpg"/></a></div>
Stephen Ackles - Norwegian singer and pianist; Peggy Scott-Adams - soul singer with Jo Jo Benson and solo (pictured top) Katherine Anderson - long standing member of the Marvelettes; Vicki Anderson - member of James Brown Revue and widow of Bobby Byrd; Clarence Avant - record executive and Sussex record label owner; Burt Bacharach - influential songwriter, record producer and pianist; Tim Bachman - guitarist and singer with Bachman Turner Overdrive; Chuck Badie - New Orleans bass player; Russell Batiste Jr - drummer with the Meters; Rose Battiste - Detroit based soul singer; Nidra Beard - member of disco band Dynasty; Keith Beaton - member of Blue Magic; Jeff Beck - English guitarist with the Yardbirds and solo; Harry Belafonte - US calypso/folk singer, actor and civil rights activist; Tony Bennett - singer whose career spanned over 70 years (pictured above); R L Boyce - Mississippi bluesman; Victor Brox - UK blues singer with Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation; Jimmy Buffett - US rock singer and restaurant chain owner; Bobby Caldwell - jazz and R and B singer; Steve Calloway - member of soul group the Professionals; Brian Cassar - Liverpool singer aka Casey Jones; Larry Chance - singer with doowop group the Earls; Lawrence Cohn - producer of Robert Johnson box set; David Crosby - singer/songwriter, member of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash (pictured below);
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUriMp_q0aDgC-ZZ5VaOD2gok08-KDyCH36LKaO9dnrR1Hc8tUaEDI5gspuxq0kAGkV_Q9tgU9gy9YNMPG8JiaNxEbQDJbSR0f08PCDeiuaO9kdL7qt7kFKPWd4BTrNqzuEwhMZi5MKKO93ibg2CK8LnHiZyuZNZ1Ph8nMKodmTkmSsiz7qPq/s299/david%20crosby.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUriMp_q0aDgC-ZZ5VaOD2gok08-KDyCH36LKaO9dnrR1Hc8tUaEDI5gspuxq0kAGkV_Q9tgU9gy9YNMPG8JiaNxEbQDJbSR0f08PCDeiuaO9kdL7qt7kFKPWd4BTrNqzuEwhMZi5MKKO93ibg2CK8LnHiZyuZNZ1Ph8nMKodmTkmSsiz7qPq/s400/david%20crosby.jpg"/></a></div>
Ms Cubie - Detroit R and B singer; Lee Curtis - Liverpool born singer with the All Stars; David Dee - East St Louis blues singer; Lola Dee - fifties singer; Errol Dixon - Jamaican born blues singer and pianist; Jack Earls - Tennessee born rockabilly singer; Bobby Eli - founder member of Philadelphia band MFSP; Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - fifties R and b and rock and roll singer; Junior English - Jamaican reggae singer; Raymond Froggatt - English songwriter and singer; Astrud Gilberto - Brazilian bossa nova singer; Otis Grand - UK based R&B guitarist and bandleader; Dickie Harrell - drummer with Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps; Rolf Harris - disgraced Australian artist and singer; Wee Willie Harris - British rock & roll pioneer; Fuzzy Haskins - singer with Parliament and Funkadelic; Ray Hildebrand - Paul of Paul and Paula; James Holland - Chicago based soul singer; Redd Holt - drummer with Ramsey Lewis and Young-Holt Unlimited; Rudolph Isley - founder member of the Isley Brothers; Chuck Jackson - R and b and soul singer who recorded for Wand and Motown; Ahmad Jamal - jazz pianist and composer; Fanita James - member of the Blossoms; Stu James - singer with the Mojos; James 'Tail Dragger' Jones - Chicago bluesman; Howie Kane - member of Jay and the Americans; Bill Kenwright - actor, theatre producer, singer and Everton chairman; Terry Kirkman - member of the Association; Jean Knight - New Orleans singer best known for 'Mr Big Stuff' (pictured below);
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXfcHR3IJM9cEL7Dx1efMl4SIz94xeDdPKw9H5NZoMcM2PlzUDmVgYtaFFFw_Jt27kkUPBhozlmNmRQSL7fvvI3-qTlGLVVxwi4j0yzjVaL2DrZVj6DBXTs-49Invy9kRv64tmNFYLE5K189RBmBdjGaXxEFrTq2-V5KF8yxL2VM7mFFw8GA4/s225/jean%20knight.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXfcHR3IJM9cEL7Dx1efMl4SIz94xeDdPKw9H5NZoMcM2PlzUDmVgYtaFFFw_Jt27kkUPBhozlmNmRQSL7fvvI3-qTlGLVVxwi4j0yzjVaL2DrZVj6DBXTs-49Invy9kRv64tmNFYLE5K189RBmBdjGaXxEFrTq2-V5KF8yxL2VM7mFFw8GA4/s400/jean%20knight.jpg"/></a></div>
Linda Lewis - English singer/songwriter; Denny Laine - musician, singer and founder member of the Moody Blues and Wings; Gordon Lightfoot - Canadian singer/songwriter; Toussaint McCall - Louisiana R and B singer and organist; David McCallum - star of 'The Man From Uncle' and recording artist; Shane McGowan - Irish singer/songwriter with the Pogues; Tony McPhee - British singer and guitarist with the Groundhogs; Randy Meisner - founder member of the Eagles; Jerry Moss - record executive co-founder of A & M Records; Napoleon XIV (Jerrold Samuels) - novelty hit maker and songwriter; Arlie Neaville - gospel, soul and rockabilly singer, AKA Dean Carter; Sinead O'Connor - Irish singer/songwriter and activist; Kendrick Patrick - Trinidad born calypso and ska singer aka Lord Creator; Berman Patterson - founder member of the Cleftones; Bill 'Howl'n'Madd' Perry - bluesman; Johnny Powers - rockabilly singer and guitarist; Lisa Marie Presley - singer songwriter daughter of Elvis; Otis Redding III - soul singer son of famous father; Robbie Robertson - Canadian guitarist and songwriter who worked with Bob Dylan and the Band; Sixto Rodriguez - Detroit musician made famous by movie 'Searching For Sugar Man'; Richard Roundtree - US actor, star of 'Shaft'; Ritchie Routledge - singer with the Cryin' Shames; Peter Shelley - seventies pop singer, originator of Alvin Stardust persona; Robb Shenton - UK rock and roll singer; Don Shinn - keyboard player with the Soul Agents; Wayne Shorter - jazz saxophonist and bandleader; Huey 'Piano' Smith - New Orleans rock and roll pioneer (pictured below);
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcmgWtCsHYsUXXPkINxj2TMghAHRjWOAO1F6KgX20_yR5ZAObe1ooIOIRVULmgD_KXr-ltu3Gt6QV_z7TJD4nLiVZava91OfUPBjL6lewY7l2CgSIFvZ5M12njIBLeaZ6FctBnXdm6vk_IprbuzjZb_yJLoDcM2NDjWqPC5nY1rzb7eL8EnAI/s170/huey%20piano%20smith.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcmgWtCsHYsUXXPkINxj2TMghAHRjWOAO1F6KgX20_yR5ZAObe1ooIOIRVULmgD_KXr-ltu3Gt6QV_z7TJD4nLiVZava91OfUPBjL6lewY7l2CgSIFvZ5M12njIBLeaZ6FctBnXdm6vk_IprbuzjZb_yJLoDcM2NDjWqPC5nY1rzb7eL8EnAI/s400/huey%20piano%20smith.jpg"/></a></div>
Seymour Stein - music executive, co-founder of Sire records; Lester Sterling - Jamaican trumpet and saxophone player; April Stevens - vocalist sister of Nino Tempo; Chris Strachwitz - record producer, founder of Arhoolie Records; Barrett Strong - Motown singer and songwriter; Ted 'Kingsize' Taylor - Liverpool rock and roll singer and band leader of the Dominoes; Charlie Thomas - member of and later lead singer of the Drifters; Nick Todd - fifties pop singer, brother of Pat Boone; Top Topham - blues guitarist with the Yardbirds and Duster Bennett; Tina Turner - former wife of Ike and global superstar; Conny Van Dyke - Motown recording artist; Lillian Walker-Moss - member of the Exciters; Cynthia Weil - songwriting partner of Barry Mann; Fred White - member of Earth Wind and Fire; Roger Whittaker - British folk singer/songwriter; Spencer Wiggins - Memphis deep soul singer who recorded for Goldwax; Reuben Wilson - soul jazz organist; Gary Wright - singer and keyboard player with Spooky Tooth; Benjamin Zephaniah - British dub poet (pictured below).
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwz4COJ4gjZzHLdbDnr6ClJPw9j9ykKDpWfmvNoykzwG1gPsvRowPpzf-IULviAe-W0HK8u52Vb6P4bcfAsvicFYS7xzWzhGSS5NFkMcSX4VB4x3_vO6EQ4M8yA6q2PL7gXEStfbzRInv1CGSdxvfNGyiW2qMu-w5IwoSKugeumZ5dAt7TbTF/s285/Zephaniah.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwz4COJ4gjZzHLdbDnr6ClJPw9j9ykKDpWfmvNoykzwG1gPsvRowPpzf-IULviAe-W0HK8u52Vb6P4bcfAsvicFYS7xzWzhGSS5NFkMcSX4VB4x3_vO6EQ4M8yA6q2PL7gXEStfbzRInv1CGSdxvfNGyiW2qMu-w5IwoSKugeumZ5dAt7TbTF/s400/Zephaniah.jpg"/></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-64466256285653692992023-12-05T15:21:00.001+00:002023-12-05T15:21:49.996+00:00Brenda Lee 's Christmas Number 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhVjygzm6TXoV3K1vY6_7bFqLgWZRFprq4dGKbx4UvGM6QsCpM51T47-jjTRlFB4U_IWI6ocwz5baYvv8GRQXZQ6a0t66BMYP-iXJl5xBB5S4xe5Avusoz3EgFXo2Y_irb3JCQriTojADiPOfXZXT2rfAiUIqzjRQSLaPdY-BrI8yQV2WUNIc/s1600/DSCN0836.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhVjygzm6TXoV3K1vY6_7bFqLgWZRFprq4dGKbx4UvGM6QsCpM51T47-jjTRlFB4U_IWI6ocwz5baYvv8GRQXZQ6a0t66BMYP-iXJl5xBB5S4xe5Avusoz3EgFXo2Y_irb3JCQriTojADiPOfXZXT2rfAiUIqzjRQSLaPdY-BrI8yQV2WUNIc/s400/DSCN0836.JPG"/></a></div>
It's only taken 65 years but Brenda Lee has reached the US number one spot at last with her seasonal offering 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree'. Recorded in 1958 when she was just 13 and known as 'Little Miss Dynamite', the song makes an annual appearance in the Christmas music charts, alongside other dirges - sorry songs - by the likes of Mariah Carey, Wham, Bing Crosby, Shakin' Stevens and the Pogues. But it's only now that Brenda's contribution to Christmas has made it to the top spot - and it's rising in the UK charts as well. Christmas songs are mostly pretty awful (although those on the Phil Spector Christmas album are an exception) but Brenda's teenage ditty is one of the better ones. A huge star in the sixties, Brenda is all but forgotten these days, apart from at Christmas, and her many LPs fetch very small sums. But I have a soft spot for her run of hits. 'Sweet Nuthin's' was the first number one in my personal top ten chart in March, 1960, and she went on to have another 12 entries in my top ten, including 'Let's Jump The Broomstick', 'Dum Dum, 'Fool Number One' and 'Here Comes That Feeling'. Her Christmas offering got to number eight in my top ten when it was released as a single in the UK in 1962. Like many US artists, including fellow female star Connie Francis, she went out of fashion as the sixties progressed and her hits dried up, although she still had a strong following and a successful career as a middle of the road cabaret favourite. It was good to see her when she performed at Viva Las Vegas in 2017, although her act was a long way removed from the rock and roll that dominates the festival. My take on her performance was: '<i>Still little, but looking more like a granny, she mostly does cabaret shows these days and it showed. There was too much chat and attempts at audience requests that the band didn't know, with some good old US patriotism thrown in. She had a go at 'Sweet Nothin's' and 'Dum Dum', but her quavery voice struggled somewhat on ballads such as 'Losing You', 'Fool Number 1', 'As Usual' and 'All Alone Am I'. 'Let's Jump The Broomstick' wasn't too bad, as was the unseasonal 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree,' but, great though it was to see a legend who I hadn't seen since 1963 when she toured the UK with Chris Montez and the Beatles bottom of the bill, this was a disappointing set.</i>' Despite that. it's good to know that at the age of 78 her career continues to thrive - at Christmas time anyway. Photo above shows Brenda at Viva Las Vegas while the bottom one is of Alan Lloyd, John Howard and myself at the festival on that day. The three of us have plans for further music trips in 2024 so watch this space.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg367RGk2Lzyk65zM7GwFWfBIEP0x6CXTecEqW4f3F-ShTm7aqwxDQAf5jI1pnPQpD3x6vqZFGlN4JByjPkzeYHjavoZhyJR6k8YMaAy4mCpmQYFy5JvtJJHuEbnugLaoaGivgaj_jNnIOcoJgupcdDKTc2MKhyphenhyphenvS_SqDx0OztvMr3yjllji6Tr/s1508/DSCN0063.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="1508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg367RGk2Lzyk65zM7GwFWfBIEP0x6CXTecEqW4f3F-ShTm7aqwxDQAf5jI1pnPQpD3x6vqZFGlN4JByjPkzeYHjavoZhyJR6k8YMaAy4mCpmQYFy5JvtJJHuEbnugLaoaGivgaj_jNnIOcoJgupcdDKTc2MKhyphenhyphenvS_SqDx0OztvMr3yjllji6Tr/s400/DSCN0063.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZ8K687ScarVAdrcc9vnSxNtDIDfBrztV2Xmi2xc-tQc49Bk3bwqbWTHiK8vzuf5TRwtYIp_gsuokWUoKDwRL1g_xjKSamvr5ASKRPZ7Of4F8uT-9oeLutLqNUhOnc0USoc4du42wWWRPGzMqo66pMv8QVyWZOsEeAYUZ0lt1wIoPWF-oaYcp/s1600/DSCN0829.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZ8K687ScarVAdrcc9vnSxNtDIDfBrztV2Xmi2xc-tQc49Bk3bwqbWTHiK8vzuf5TRwtYIp_gsuokWUoKDwRL1g_xjKSamvr5ASKRPZ7Of4F8uT-9oeLutLqNUhOnc0USoc4du42wWWRPGzMqo66pMv8QVyWZOsEeAYUZ0lt1wIoPWF-oaYcp/s400/DSCN0829.JPG"/></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-85131058045119019122023-11-27T09:15:00.004+00:002023-11-27T21:13:02.001+00:00Jean Knight RIP and others<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9sGFp3QObLEay4u-fvJ3y7hTG3pAgyksSr0sxxNZmySirAXBq6UQb1wj2pvX-7q_ZZ0nZWq3qe2wfuLDYZnMkoEn5hzIugycbARoVg-WPVBfgeEqjyRL5oR_-ALCJM-sepnHXLTHHqDz-OGeyHyIp8sSQeod9oYaqpJelK08kwk_vGr7dcBc/s3648/DSCN0837.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="3648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9sGFp3QObLEay4u-fvJ3y7hTG3pAgyksSr0sxxNZmySirAXBq6UQb1wj2pvX-7q_ZZ0nZWq3qe2wfuLDYZnMkoEn5hzIugycbARoVg-WPVBfgeEqjyRL5oR_-ALCJM-sepnHXLTHHqDz-OGeyHyIp8sSQeod9oYaqpJelK08kwk_vGr7dcBc/s400/DSCN0837.JPG"/></a></div>
Very sad to hear of the death, at the age of 80, of New Orleans born singer Jean Knight. Jean was best known for her huge 1971 hit 'Mr Big Stuff' which sold over two million copies. Produced by Wardell Quezerque, the record was recorded at Malaco in Jackson, Ms, but was released on Stax, becoming their biggest selling single. Sadly Stax apparently snubbed Jean afterwards by not including her on their shows and even using an impersonator despite her being in fine voice. Born Jean Caliste, Jean's career began when she recorded a cover demo of Jackie Wilson's 'Doggin' Around' which resulted in her being signed by Huey Meaux to his JetStar/ Tribe labels. Early singles did not result in a hit but led to her being produced by Wardell Quezerque leading to her Grammy nominated hit. She had a couple more minor hits, including 'Carry On' and 'Do Me' but disagreements with Stax led to her leaving the label and turning to local oldies shows to perform. In 1981 she was signed to the Soulin' label where she recorded 'You Got The Papers But I Got The Man' and in 1985 she recorded a cover of Rockin' Sidney's 'My Toot Toot'. A rival version by Denise Lasalle was a hit in the UK but Jean's version triumphed in the US where it reached the top 50. I saw Jean perform at Jazzfest in the early nineties and she was one of the stars at the Ponderosa Stomp in 2008 (pictured above with Wardell Quezerque) and 2011 (below with Lil Buck Sinegal).
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIns80vUzdd7bEfk0tVUPE9GXKbrx6NDXacuyBSE2g6IZvkX-Dh_NFPWoHGbpg2mw5BGTug-QRoAr6FnFu9AxNOfDOg0jwakrSwTfaTXHm004F0i3gmpBsqcIMokFvLFdRUeziVjcTOVAzjsgWLwzOtiO0MnlnZ4DqFBdAxxANw_1BtteqDxp/s4000/DSCN2918.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIns80vUzdd7bEfk0tVUPE9GXKbrx6NDXacuyBSE2g6IZvkX-Dh_NFPWoHGbpg2mw5BGTug-QRoAr6FnFu9AxNOfDOg0jwakrSwTfaTXHm004F0i3gmpBsqcIMokFvLFdRUeziVjcTOVAzjsgWLwzOtiO0MnlnZ4DqFBdAxxANw_1BtteqDxp/s400/DSCN2918.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzyl3y52gtANbZ_I1rvrQdVxa96nVfiJHlfD-V-QJ3UodhcH7-Jmvw8wi-JepeqPQ5_zQoaIKz5hBsfWvbzYm2UfSe966enATA_zP3pOrv5DqzZrbuNz0pNB98lwIv1dskf7lcI1AN0RWVPVO93YBTSl5QL3ytu9gv3os4zesBqCchyphenhyphenOPJbvW/s1185/DSCN0017.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1140" data-original-width="1185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzyl3y52gtANbZ_I1rvrQdVxa96nVfiJHlfD-V-QJ3UodhcH7-Jmvw8wi-JepeqPQ5_zQoaIKz5hBsfWvbzYm2UfSe966enATA_zP3pOrv5DqzZrbuNz0pNB98lwIv1dskf7lcI1AN0RWVPVO93YBTSl5QL3ytu9gv3os4zesBqCchyphenhyphenOPJbvW/s400/DSCN0017.JPG"/></a></div>
Another recent death is that of Mississippi bluesman R L Boyce, aged 68. Born in Como, Ms, Robert L Boyce was the nephew of fife and drum performer Othar Turner and played with Hill country bluesmen such as R L Burnside and Mississippi Fred McDowell. He appeared at the 2015 Ponderosa Stomp (pictured below).
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgnGgRx6DDGOwkx25EAQojHH6FsqSsdfLkk4JVTmve5N9iU4dMVO_98LUlGtYYs_UJHOAT2g3meiPJ9lUcc7RwuyXQ97aT54PixkJNIJouRhVRQEbi5ku1-RnUv_NqyfpycS1-9qdA2qa55Et6566KWzrRyCvY646nE3wp0iRAzfS8nPIPA1M/s1600/194.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitgnGgRx6DDGOwkx25EAQojHH6FsqSsdfLkk4JVTmve5N9iU4dMVO_98LUlGtYYs_UJHOAT2g3meiPJ9lUcc7RwuyXQ97aT54PixkJNIJouRhVRQEbi5ku1-RnUv_NqyfpycS1-9qdA2qa55Et6566KWzrRyCvY646nE3wp0iRAzfS8nPIPA1M/s400/194.JPG"/></a></div>
Other recent music deaths include Fanita James, a member of the Blossoms alongside Darlene Love and Jean King. The group had a number of hits under their own name for Capitol, including 'Move On' and 'No Other Love' but achieved their greatest success with 'He's A Rebel', which was credited by Phil Spector to the Crystals. They provided backing for several sixties hits including 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' and 'Monster Mash' and were highlighted in the 2013 Oscar winning film '20 Feet From Stardom'.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4wGrF5sUnFNy03F69EcbXf10xVF7zIabN2-PAbAAvoFUCdxH6NdclcIuqs1ix2mwSvVOOUSBeqtyxjY3RVoUvKCPj8JYf8K99UgsPMPV4NhjKnq7jcsgI8Tgo_7_y3xP-9kQSzAg7U3oRWtp99hhJ_LuGUSlLy4Vlvw12oPPHU8sBa8zJomE/s1600/DSCN0018.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4wGrF5sUnFNy03F69EcbXf10xVF7zIabN2-PAbAAvoFUCdxH6NdclcIuqs1ix2mwSvVOOUSBeqtyxjY3RVoUvKCPj8JYf8K99UgsPMPV4NhjKnq7jcsgI8Tgo_7_y3xP-9kQSzAg7U3oRWtp99hhJ_LuGUSlLy4Vlvw12oPPHU8sBa8zJomE/s400/DSCN0018.JPG"/></a></div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-25706397356493120402023-11-24T09:56:00.000+00:002023-11-24T09:56:16.763+00:00The Three Degrees 60th anniversary tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJQqvnxHkY9WbbHJZJWji007VcXiJMG6CMZypAZyFGpkJO1fzozfGNgPP69ONJjXtnf3aPVL3WbokK2K4jKYO5Sgo2_WEmg6fshF4aZervPEwsUmau2NKR1u1ch7aoKj-TaUe2m82kKeYNWeOLxnX284iGRRyyuSAjDsHI7gc6KQIZNFPnAmi/s3024/20231123_212002.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJQqvnxHkY9WbbHJZJWji007VcXiJMG6CMZypAZyFGpkJO1fzozfGNgPP69ONJjXtnf3aPVL3WbokK2K4jKYO5Sgo2_WEmg6fshF4aZervPEwsUmau2NKR1u1ch7aoKj-TaUe2m82kKeYNWeOLxnX284iGRRyyuSAjDsHI7gc6KQIZNFPnAmi/s400/20231123_212002.jpg"/></a></div>
The Three Degrees hold the record for being the longest running female group in history. Formed in 1963 by Richard Barrett, they are now touring the UK for the umpteenth time celebrating their 60th anniversary. The original line up was Fayette Pinkney, Linda Turner and Shirley Poole but by the late sixties the classic line up of Fayette, Sheila Ferguson and Valerie Holiday was in place and it was Valerie who sang lead on their breakthrougfh hit, a cover of the Chantels' 'Maybe', in 1970. They were famous for being Prince, now King Charles' favourite group in the seventies and had hit after hit yet in all those years I've never seen them perform live, a glaring omission on my part.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3G3WPqEppSd-n564nL2aWoHYCt4JU8AtcnDYPm7IZ2iIdEwsprAyIiOGGf5LeuQwwkllpqbCwzcC1tPNueSm_iunEIlIxKVFat-SLC8MB6KOnAR8vmCzYaNUOcz0kVcjxBieRufbM2p8hGZX5qLqGKACBoVkdYcTKHNrcIHqqLJtP6CWuxRbB/s3024/20231123_205510.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3G3WPqEppSd-n564nL2aWoHYCt4JU8AtcnDYPm7IZ2iIdEwsprAyIiOGGf5LeuQwwkllpqbCwzcC1tPNueSm_iunEIlIxKVFat-SLC8MB6KOnAR8vmCzYaNUOcz0kVcjxBieRufbM2p8hGZX5qLqGKACBoVkdYcTKHNrcIHqqLJtP6CWuxRbB/s400/20231123_205510.jpg"/></a></div>
I put that right last night at the intimate Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke and was pleased I had. The group's line up has changed often over the years and the current line up comprises Valerie Holiday (pictured below), who joined the group way back in 1967, Freddie Poole, a member of the trio since 2011, and Tabitha King, who has been filling in for established member Helen Scott since January of last year. Dressed identically in elegantly glamorous black sparkly gowns they ran through a selection of their many hits with all the confidence and professionalism you would expect from singers who tour constantly. The voices melded perfectly as did the choreography and this was a show that you felt they could do in their sleep. They kicked off with 'Can't You See What You're Doing To Me' and followed with 'Year Of Decision', 'My Simple Heart', 'Take Good Care Of Yourself', 'Get Your Love Back', 'Dirty Old Man' (with some audience involvement), 'I'm So Excited' and, of course, their biggest hit 'When Will I See You Again'. It was predicable stuff but enjoyable and a celebration of the Philly soul sound which the majority female audience clearly loved. I gather the ladies do not tour much in the States, but they are frequent visitors this side of the Atlantic. Judging by last night's show they will be back again soon as they embark on their seventh decade.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgX87vaW4IwvDdWQmY2Q4M1QKUEsq4ghanMfRXDGjtsCox8nsHSoCvY8H35654ExzgIlmSufkM8yii0XN11FVEiBQh4-DeYj5-B4UE5bcznVeBLO9MxiUEiFb0AOM9ueX9Jp1jjng3_Sz3NuR1RCiqEND0BjQ9deKpG5vaTP_ZQftahMfpy3v9/s3024/20231123_204639.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgX87vaW4IwvDdWQmY2Q4M1QKUEsq4ghanMfRXDGjtsCox8nsHSoCvY8H35654ExzgIlmSufkM8yii0XN11FVEiBQh4-DeYj5-B4UE5bcznVeBLO9MxiUEiFb0AOM9ueX9Jp1jjng3_Sz3NuR1RCiqEND0BjQ9deKpG5vaTP_ZQftahMfpy3v9/s400/20231123_204639.jpg"/></a></div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-91074379236439155702023-11-09T09:48:00.001+00:002023-11-09T09:48:34.235+00:00Robert Finley at the Jazz Cafe<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggavKUjS-_TdX8HfG58kZb_HCyFjkB_m6dJ7-iHMArT5JxGVf-jiRhAFXqx6CE6spYaxteRiwO9uLzuggKboVpL_RKTIWSCz_I44XdndCjNtVpDJMzVBjzcntyP5xmTATLo7OCmo3gH5a6fYO40cnRvXjw5P4pdOMrYD2917XxvGmoKp3B6oB3/s1600/DSCN9973.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggavKUjS-_TdX8HfG58kZb_HCyFjkB_m6dJ7-iHMArT5JxGVf-jiRhAFXqx6CE6spYaxteRiwO9uLzuggKboVpL_RKTIWSCz_I44XdndCjNtVpDJMzVBjzcntyP5xmTATLo7OCmo3gH5a6fYO40cnRvXjw5P4pdOMrYD2917XxvGmoKp3B6oB3/s400/DSCN9973.JPG"/></a></div>
Robert Finley played an entertaining show to a sell out crowd at the Jazz Cafe last night. Just a few years ago, after plying his trade as a carpenter for many years, he was busking on the streets of Memphis and other Southern US cities. Robert is partially sighted and was declared legally blind and forced to retire from carpentry in 2015. But that marked the start of his new career as a blues singer. His breakthrough to success came in 2016 when he recorded his first album 'Age Don't Mean A Thing' for Big Legal Mess Records having been discovered by the Music Makers Relief Foundation, a non profit organisation. Ironically his current age (a mere 69) was a recurring theme throughout last night's show, as he mentioned it several times. I first saw Robert at the Blues and Barbecue Festival in New Orleans in 2017 and and his latest show - his second in London in recent years - marked the launch of his fourth album 'Black Bayou'. Many of the numbers he sang, in a powerful and very soulful voice with some surprisingly high notes at times, came from that album. But he began with the autobiographical 'Sharecropper's Son' from the 2021 album of the same name, which was inspired by his early life in Bernice, north Louisiana. He continued with the soulful 'Miss Kitty' from his new album and another from that source included a plea to be kind to the elderly in 'Nobody Wants To be Lonely'. Other songs included the powerful 'Medicine Woman' from 2017, and the upbeat 'Tell Everybody', 'You Got It and I Need it', 'Waste of Time' and, as an encore, the swamp blues of 'Alligator Bait', all from 'Black Bayou'.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw6yBcOJtkUgSZ6h3C_LiJK61By35UUDnHr7wIDkSe5hHOQZxSw0lUTovzc_Ugek-T_Bb14f2MaLl0FXEqMvtFZC1teAps8WKj_yTjl10k2DfdeVTTvn7mZaiXTuhp30CMiBiEP_H1prZHP5u0P-b0AkRJWccdKblnLX4j6OHQs_vHdB8K86m/s1600/DSCN9985.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRw6yBcOJtkUgSZ6h3C_LiJK61By35UUDnHr7wIDkSe5hHOQZxSw0lUTovzc_Ugek-T_Bb14f2MaLl0FXEqMvtFZC1teAps8WKj_yTjl10k2DfdeVTTvn7mZaiXTuhp30CMiBiEP_H1prZHP5u0P-b0AkRJWccdKblnLX4j6OHQs_vHdB8K86m/s400/DSCN9985.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmptg3rTYc4wbJKKAxkdjfWrF710QCBJwo6G3O-FSJLt2M3VsFXUcuZBORX0KtGDgS99AGOkEAm0cUZLb6MdXw0vdncgBHwaH_aXG8_XR2cArlda-I6OIZ72X8pMju8Q0GW0MfaWgYf5vajQ7kt__24_Ku_P2YitubOEEjj331wJCuOQlnMVtE/s1600/DSCN9990.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmptg3rTYc4wbJKKAxkdjfWrF710QCBJwo6G3O-FSJLt2M3VsFXUcuZBORX0KtGDgS99AGOkEAm0cUZLb6MdXw0vdncgBHwaH_aXG8_XR2cArlda-I6OIZ72X8pMju8Q0GW0MfaWgYf5vajQ7kt__24_Ku_P2YitubOEEjj331wJCuOQlnMVtE/s400/DSCN9990.JPG"/></a></div>
Supporting Robert vocally was his daughter Christy Johnson who, together with a grand daughter, provided background vocals on his new album. Christy is a fine vocalist in her own right and did good solo versions of 'I'd Rather Go Blind' and 'Clean Up Woman' and there are plans for her to record an album, Robert said. Much of Robert's recent success has been down to the interest of Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and his Easy Eye Sound label. But it's Robert's sheer force of personality, despite rather mediocre backing from his band. that made this Jazz Cafe show one to remember. Judging by the enthusiastic response of the big crowd he will be back.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzU0DcNxLpBlH1Bi3tHRfEGy8lM7TjxiLZctEsyVehirHS114KnylJPRj8P3L7jy1sO_IJF6_ohE9Fn7IU_4ucLBhBU5nZSVSxKhsE6RAKbiI7aK1IuOp6HbboXgGXZLFLXei_Set85TD9W8xALeWgj2mmcSYXK7sTHJqTNQP1cJuxGplP66m/s1600/DSCN9991.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzU0DcNxLpBlH1Bi3tHRfEGy8lM7TjxiLZctEsyVehirHS114KnylJPRj8P3L7jy1sO_IJF6_ohE9Fn7IU_4ucLBhBU5nZSVSxKhsE6RAKbiI7aK1IuOp6HbboXgGXZLFLXei_Set85TD9W8xALeWgj2mmcSYXK7sTHJqTNQP1cJuxGplP66m/s400/DSCN9991.JPG"/></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-64417930893685554122023-10-25T19:08:00.004+01:002023-10-26T08:14:22.391+01:00Bill Kenwright & Richard Roundtree RIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4la26O00O2Pqa8_6OdEVChsPBMJdFNSL2CwaQczLn54etHsO83hT1bRcsWxnLcIt0K6i8J4ydxPU8QuTsL67HAufXRXGMboLN10woxG5jQ-T2P7QQxheyj307QAtEVaE3k38Xy0OkwouXeTMEXhFooU0A3JtVSUT7NYTMdcKhApqxqC2fKQ-1/s1026/Scan_20231025%20%282%29.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="1026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4la26O00O2Pqa8_6OdEVChsPBMJdFNSL2CwaQczLn54etHsO83hT1bRcsWxnLcIt0K6i8J4ydxPU8QuTsL67HAufXRXGMboLN10woxG5jQ-T2P7QQxheyj307QAtEVaE3k38Xy0OkwouXeTMEXhFooU0A3JtVSUT7NYTMdcKhApqxqC2fKQ-1/s400/Scan_20231025%20%282%29.png"/></a></div>
The Vinyl Word says farewell to two people who have died who have musical links but who are better known in other fields. Bill Kenwright, who was 78, came to fame when he played Gordon Clegg in Coronation Street in 1968. He became a very successful theatre producer, best known for 'Blood Brothers', 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' and 'Whistle Down the Wind' among other West End shows. A lifelong Everton fan he became a director of the club in 1989 and later the largest shareholder and was club Chairman for 19 years. But before any of this Bill pursued a musical career. His first record, in 1967, with a group called the Runaways, was 'I Want To Go Back There Again', a Berry Gordy song first recorded by Chris Clark. Other 45s, for MGM and Fontana, included 'Giving Up', a Van McCoy song, 'Tiggy', 'Baby I Could Be So Good At Loving You' and 'Sugar Man'. He also tried his hand at record production, including a couple of singles by a band called Money.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZUExVF6QhlXSgIbpkrkUEBejbqq2grOf-1SVW7aWmz0C39Wc4e3UgkXA9NsLp0wP1XB9XVnhyAwtvU7mLN3nfdcpfsH66LjfY5B2mZYIsXxTAX3EN6g7mDyCH0XeSNnmlmbNDqHSHrG72u0C2omMk3byVsLSJsbtVF9PwV0phWX8qs1gi9px/s987/Scan_20231025.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="987" data-original-width="940" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZUExVF6QhlXSgIbpkrkUEBejbqq2grOf-1SVW7aWmz0C39Wc4e3UgkXA9NsLp0wP1XB9XVnhyAwtvU7mLN3nfdcpfsH66LjfY5B2mZYIsXxTAX3EN6g7mDyCH0XeSNnmlmbNDqHSHrG72u0C2omMk3byVsLSJsbtVF9PwV0phWX8qs1gi9px/s400/Scan_20231025.png"/></a></div>
Another significant death is that of actor Richard Roundtree at the age of 81. He was the first black action hero, playing the role of John Shaft in the movie 'Shaft' as well as the sequels 'Shaft's Big Score' and 'Shaft In Africa'. Many other acting roles followed over the following 50 years. The fame he achieved in his original role of 'Shaft', one of the first blaxploitation movies, was greatly helped by the highly successful soundtrack album by Isaac Hayes and 'Shaft In Africa' featured a track by the Four Tops, 'Are You Man Enough'.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUaKMClyZstw3Ts1gspe9-jdo4cGYmDlcob3vI7k5a9dBLkGcyuABYdzrRrv7lHLJj-j_Bgkz9_BkIhgQZ20wbgDfbjig-L84L2KrWzab6ShTW__F6MagxUk2zeSPGFeCVClj-hlRwcglM4BDqzA6jQ2dvMq8a5u5DI6PYqmXzp7xvkEalKsk/s1557/DSCN9947.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1557" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUaKMClyZstw3Ts1gspe9-jdo4cGYmDlcob3vI7k5a9dBLkGcyuABYdzrRrv7lHLJj-j_Bgkz9_BkIhgQZ20wbgDfbjig-L84L2KrWzab6ShTW__F6MagxUk2zeSPGFeCVClj-hlRwcglM4BDqzA6jQ2dvMq8a5u5DI6PYqmXzp7xvkEalKsk/s400/DSCN9947.JPG"/></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-91710348808360557392023-10-20T16:35:00.003+01:002023-10-20T16:43:43.645+01:002 great films - 'Summer Of Soul' and 'I Am Everything'<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzKUivTDnCyEhrvlOAmw8VpydBXb3BAH2A9h377j8gyt3WsKRrZZrllUtcdsozbx2Aml2XmMLxENi8j0erjysANte6GMbRoioWfSg3xHYyI7zhu5rPzZAjdG7vpyTozbPf0L-DxtucGhSKGH_RXIbzP-z7k-ySQ64AmcJD6AnpJ0RJc4XGhyd/s282/Nina%20Simons.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQzKUivTDnCyEhrvlOAmw8VpydBXb3BAH2A9h377j8gyt3WsKRrZZrllUtcdsozbx2Aml2XmMLxENi8j0erjysANte6GMbRoioWfSg3xHYyI7zhu5rPzZAjdG7vpyTozbPf0L-DxtucGhSKGH_RXIbzP-z7k-ySQ64AmcJD6AnpJ0RJc4XGhyd/s400/Nina%20Simons.jpg"/></a></div>
Here in the UK we've been treated to two superb music documentaries on Channel 4 in the last few days. Both of them in their own ways exposed the racism that existed in the US in the fifties and sixties (and still does to this day to a large extent) and how black people dealt with it. Perhaps the most surprising programme was 'Summer of Soul', an excellent film of the Harlem Cultural Festival which took place in 1969 and which featured many of the biggest black artists of the era. We've all heard of Woodstock, but few people knew of this other festival in Harlem - certainly not me until very recently. The whole thing was filmed but did not get any kind of release for over 50 years. The audience was virtually 100 per cent black. Security was provided by the Black Panthers rather than the New York Police. The concerts, held over six weeks, took place against a background of civil rights protests, the Vietnam War and the Moon landings and the film made the cultural and stylistic influences of the time clear. There was support from New York Mayor John Lindsay and strong contributions by a young Jesse Jackson. Clearly there were many superb performances, but that of Nina Simone was particularly powerful. Other performers included Stevie Wonder, who was just about to enter his superstar seventies phase, the Chambers Brothers, B B King, the 5th Dimension, David Ruffin, Sly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Hugh Masakela. There was gospel from the Staple Singers (with brilliant vocals by Mavis Staples), Mahalia Jackson, Clara Walker, Voices of Harlem and the Edwin Hawkins Singers, Latin and Puerto Rican music by Mongo Santamaria and Ray Barretto and jazz from Max Roach with Abbey Lincoln and Herbie Mann. It's great that this wonderful festival was filmed and that we have at last had a chance to see it. But you have to ask why it look so long.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-BWzyAYgYEPYwXeG4aefKxyY8J6RtTOZJjpqOectPs6cb_QBq7bdmGEp4uAjzLBAfmyh8pAiuQS5DWr-RoTMKTJK38wCtWTe5hPl_PjUP24EEk1GnfeF0DwMPbiIwWsI68VgiMRcbcg4NOERRpMKEUrAwZ3ocXSwBiPk68XSU5HzCz2vdK_b/s275/Gladys%20Knight.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-BWzyAYgYEPYwXeG4aefKxyY8J6RtTOZJjpqOectPs6cb_QBq7bdmGEp4uAjzLBAfmyh8pAiuQS5DWr-RoTMKTJK38wCtWTe5hPl_PjUP24EEk1GnfeF0DwMPbiIwWsI68VgiMRcbcg4NOERRpMKEUrAwZ3ocXSwBiPk68XSU5HzCz2vdK_b/s400/Gladys%20Knight.jpg"/></a></div>
The second Channel 4 film was 'Little Richard - I Am Everything' which saw its first UK TV broadcast. It told the story in some detail of the rise of Little Richard from his humble beginnings in Macon, Georgia, his incredible impact on popular music with his fifties hits, his personal battle between his own sexuality and his religious beliefs, the racism he experienced and his later over the top appearances on TV shows as he fought to gain the respect his career deserved. He was truly the King of Rock and Roll - and the Queen - and was held in high regard by the UK bands that emerged in the sixties, as many of those appearing on the programme made clear. I saw him several times in his prime and he was without doubt the most exciting performer I ever saw. The show with Sam Cooke at the Tooting Granada in 1962 remains my number one music memory. I met him (and Sam) backstage and the photo below shows the autograpoh I obtained on the programme. Over the years I saw Little Richard many times and he always gave a superb performance. The hits may have been many years old but who can ever forget his 'Tutti Frutti' (the record that first showed what an impact he had), the power of 'Long Tall Sally' and 'Good Golly Miss Molly' and the amazing drumming (by Charles Connor, who contributed to the film) on 'Keep A Knockin''. When he threw away his rings on a tour of Australia and vowed never to sing rock and roll again it looked as though the 'quasar' of rock had burned himself out. But somehow he was persuaded to leave his church and tour the UK in 1962 - possibly believing that he would be singing gospel - and what a joy that was.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9qQYEYUy3pCb-gYphHKxZzeZ01QqksSmUXf76AXy7RJ5na3TbOPxEAQSbqe9yrnCFEZYWkkD1nGSYt5EAbo6B58fdxTvTNZTcTGiD4RWcaZATnZq2w7ItbITOek3RsopYhZsw6wnkFydRbxnKUcYBjzKIv0wzqG2uQwi-afHgnoYMueEpYhA/s3128/Scan_20231020%20%282%29.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="3128" data-original-width="2337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9qQYEYUy3pCb-gYphHKxZzeZ01QqksSmUXf76AXy7RJ5na3TbOPxEAQSbqe9yrnCFEZYWkkD1nGSYt5EAbo6B58fdxTvTNZTcTGiD4RWcaZATnZq2w7ItbITOek3RsopYhZsw6wnkFydRbxnKUcYBjzKIv0wzqG2uQwi-afHgnoYMueEpYhA/s400/Scan_20231020%20%282%29.png"/></a></div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-30654454399740823552023-10-13T13:23:00.004+01:002023-10-13T16:19:09.805+01:00Rudolph Isley RIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgkPWbm82lksnvOdQaOh86FpGouXTxJ4L7GlPac9ZtfwKw88__o8DKtrfaXv7jt3n5YZGnmEi3BFFGx0YwQIIYwuJFFbS9jjlIxktRGpkcu76BNx99fklz3Zb9LjIcBt-kmIpRzzLD_6ItxeWH9dYTcso3GnYyW0yAp3FNT_YiQmg1HdgXfNr/s299/Isley%20Bros.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxgkPWbm82lksnvOdQaOh86FpGouXTxJ4L7GlPac9ZtfwKw88__o8DKtrfaXv7jt3n5YZGnmEi3BFFGx0YwQIIYwuJFFbS9jjlIxktRGpkcu76BNx99fklz3Zb9LjIcBt-kmIpRzzLD_6ItxeWH9dYTcso3GnYyW0yAp3FNT_YiQmg1HdgXfNr/s400/Isley%20Bros.jpg"/></a></div>
Sorry to hear of the death of Rudolph Isley (pictured right, above), one of the founding members of the Isley Brothers, at the age of 84. Together with brothers Ronald and O'Kelly, the Isley Brothers had a career that spanned six decades and Rudolph was an integral part of the group for the first 30 years before he retired to become a Christian minister. Together with a fourth brother, Vernon, who died in 1956, the Isleys began as a gospel group and subsequently recorded for a number of labels before having a huge hit in 1959 for RCA with 'Shout', one of the first 45s that carried a single song over two sides. One of their early records was the original version of 'I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door', later a hit for Eddie Hodges. Other hits during their RCA period included 'Respectable', 'How Deep Is The Ocean' and 'Tell Me Who' - all of them R and B classics. After a couple of records for Atlantic they struck gold again with 'Twist and Shout' for Wand in 1962. Like 'Shout', which became a big hit for Lulu, 'Twist and Shout' was picked up by a UK act, in this case the Beatles, who made an inferior, but very successful cover version. Other Isley tracks from this period included 'Twistin' With Linda' and 'Nobody But Me'. The brothers moved to United Artists and had some success with 'Tango' and 'Shake It With Me Baby'. From there they were signed to Motown and had a run of very successful records and albums, including'This Old Heart Of Mine', 'Take Some Time Out For Love', 'I Guess I'll Always Love You', 'Take Me In Your Arms' and 'Behind A Painted Smile', which has one of the best intros ever. After leaving Motown they recorded for T-Neck, a label they had set up some years before, and had success through to the early eighties with hits including 'Do Your Thing', 'I Turned You On', 'Was It Good To You' and 'Warpath'. UK hits during the seventies included 'That Lady', 'The Highways Of My Life' and 'Summer Breeze'. By this time two younger brothers had joined the group - Ernie and Marvin - plus brother in law Chris Jasper. Successful albums included '3 Plus 3', 'Live It Up', 'Harvest To The World' and 'Showdown'. Their success continued into the eighties but in 1983 Ernie, Marvin and Chris left the group to form Isley-Jasper-Isley. The three original brothers, including Rudolph, made an album for Warner Brothers in 1985 called ''Masterpiece' but O'Kelly died in 1986 and after releasing two albums with brother Ron - 'Smooth Sailin' and 'Spend The Night' - Rudolph retired in 1989. In March of this year Rudolph began legal action against his brother Ron claiming joint ownership of the Isley Brothers name and royalties from records made in the 1990s after he had left the band.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZQOjGPZo8aIOE1-85x7h1vNj46lF8mlFeXA4FT7OJKQSqc65lS18b2Ph58wkdVfclBs6S2SV4RgNEjpDedkE1etK9tSdbCWZKIE4yM84CK8ldh3p1ZuccdWtjXYXJuTD18DOvtpGU2Naln5XhNHlt1MdPUSidUGBtE1swKUOl5YDKOcr2L18/s1148/DSCN9945.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="1125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZQOjGPZo8aIOE1-85x7h1vNj46lF8mlFeXA4FT7OJKQSqc65lS18b2Ph58wkdVfclBs6S2SV4RgNEjpDedkE1etK9tSdbCWZKIE4yM84CK8ldh3p1ZuccdWtjXYXJuTD18DOvtpGU2Naln5XhNHlt1MdPUSidUGBtE1swKUOl5YDKOcr2L18/s400/DSCN9945.JPG"/></a></div>
A selection of Isley Brothers LPs (above) and some of the many UK labels that released their 45s.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBnRsnnqdir-A58tlxX3laA00RbmscN3GTPd9YIij587Ky2-eee5vbxIwK4EPAEf3iy8sAuUUFSvfh94zFYKxk_ZSrhMec8ZyjUBnKx-tIlaNnht7vJpx0ELss5FIq4zRLHf8QbbX5aIGqhlgnuKN_b18P3YNsW35-nxFxleJgjidDSEN4wyv/s1118/DSCN9946.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1096" data-original-width="1118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBnRsnnqdir-A58tlxX3laA00RbmscN3GTPd9YIij587Ky2-eee5vbxIwK4EPAEf3iy8sAuUUFSvfh94zFYKxk_ZSrhMec8ZyjUBnKx-tIlaNnht7vJpx0ELss5FIq4zRLHf8QbbX5aIGqhlgnuKN_b18P3YNsW35-nxFxleJgjidDSEN4wyv/s400/DSCN9946.JPG"/></a></div>
Another death is that of Ritchie Routledge who became a member of UK group the Cryin' Shames ahed 16. They had a hit in 1966 with an atmospheric version of 'Please Stay', which became Joe Meek's last hit before his death.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiT9n1DZ6MUk_BsfsEF4jz6oaKK5s9jN3-0L0f3oJ6MeTIVP5hIMwL-7kNc6H0k_Qa2HPSLcFOR5AxtQ-WiiGaXWqmGxeBJ3LvtX3YzErlAL4vVhU3CeBjURhMy76LvmhlvDjDRgJN4KlCyEk1u_tgd5a-aHAfrunO6kcpdBQtQ2n6O1BDhR8H/s1034/Scan_20231013.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1026" data-original-width="1034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiT9n1DZ6MUk_BsfsEF4jz6oaKK5s9jN3-0L0f3oJ6MeTIVP5hIMwL-7kNc6H0k_Qa2HPSLcFOR5AxtQ-WiiGaXWqmGxeBJ3LvtX3YzErlAL4vVhU3CeBjURhMy76LvmhlvDjDRgJN4KlCyEk1u_tgd5a-aHAfrunO6kcpdBQtQ2n6O1BDhR8H/s400/Scan_20231013.png"/></a></div>
Another artist who is reported as having died is Liverpool born Lee Curtis, who formed a group called the Detours, later the All Stars, which included former Beatle Pete Best in the early sixties. The band played at the Star Club in Hamburg frequently and as a solo singer he recorded several 45s including several covers, including 'Little Girl', 'Let's Stomp', 'What About Me' and 'Ecstasy'. Lee appeared on the Tales From The Woods show in 2014 (pictured below) where he performed versions of 'Route 66', 'Be Bop A Lula', 'Heartbreak Hotel' and 'Jezebel' among others.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dwRtObTl0ItskxsUxmXrPKSW7RBIuLzkSg9pDpc-ZZoIcKsWboICsyZtgmSRQhNNyKhqjclz9oU9qASUJlRfEMg2i4rI10srnpjq2J6DpU3V0OMzrYw2QtpUoZnPL66a0CkxjuxtVjcFfZSrEADaevx8U3-6o9xcajDrnO3NYwug1CMCz-b-/s1600/015.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8dwRtObTl0ItskxsUxmXrPKSW7RBIuLzkSg9pDpc-ZZoIcKsWboICsyZtgmSRQhNNyKhqjclz9oU9qASUJlRfEMg2i4rI10srnpjq2J6DpU3V0OMzrYw2QtpUoZnPL66a0CkxjuxtVjcFfZSrEADaevx8U3-6o9xcajDrnO3NYwug1CMCz-b-/s400/015.JPG"/></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-56411237287703983382023-10-10T21:09:00.001+01:002023-10-10T21:15:04.586+01:00Jimmy Savile - The Reckoning<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipne3H64_oJBVCiOBRRjzyPfw-hTdX9QyE9znKJFXX1n9mzGYEHsVjboYT03hQgzt2GUlg3daKhq4mVf4FIeCGxyhANYLxx7DXVuYvbbqsOYjcTKl-9PojMeTatYSVvsSkWjtWPOkRRlmh895KZe6DL7QmQaIyWi92nz0VjPz2qFtzxZ4vcDoi/s300/Steve%20Coogan.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipne3H64_oJBVCiOBRRjzyPfw-hTdX9QyE9znKJFXX1n9mzGYEHsVjboYT03hQgzt2GUlg3daKhq4mVf4FIeCGxyhANYLxx7DXVuYvbbqsOYjcTKl-9PojMeTatYSVvsSkWjtWPOkRRlmh895KZe6DL7QmQaIyWi92nz0VjPz2qFtzxZ4vcDoi/s400/Steve%20Coogan.jpg"/></a></div>
I was gripped last night by the first episode of 'The Reckoning' - a drama documentary about Jimmy Savile's life and very shady career. Steve Coogan (pictured above) was brillant in the part of the DJ and TV personality who began life as a miner and a wrestler (not mentioned as far as I can tell) and went on to be a knight of the realm and an infamous paedophile. OK, there were faults in episode one (why did they invent records that didn't exist for example) but the central character of Savile, his slimy, arrogant, vicious manner underpinned by his Catholic faith, charity work and devotion to his mother, the Duchess, was superbly portrayed in all its insidiousness. It was brave of the BBC to broadcast this (made by ITV Studios by the way) as it showed the Beeb to be spineless and prepared to overlook Savile's activities despite plenty of evidence. But at least they can take comfort from the fact that he fooled plenty of others, from Margaret Thatcher to Prince Charles, and even the Pope, and won himself an MBE and later a knighthood for his charity work. Yet all the time, in plain sight (as he made no secret of it) he was seducing and assaulting young girls and young men in his camper van and at various places which he frequented, including his late mother's house in Scarborough, Leeds Infirmary, Stoke Mandeville Hospital and Broadmoor.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-_ddlc_KfbLLZXreYqPeq_xEQKufm5qQ6HxNkXM0oaDzIIX2aBpZWS7vRTMQCziPrFsywbizcuUB8UCWva3njNd03Z274GhLJYuYYyE_l7dNbtvP43jl-a2cyGddb7y24Dcryg26jx_O6d3vo8sEB0ZfKddrN4qQuhbp9-SKCUyJrwhb-cSX/s285/savile%20and%20thatcher.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-_ddlc_KfbLLZXreYqPeq_xEQKufm5qQ6HxNkXM0oaDzIIX2aBpZWS7vRTMQCziPrFsywbizcuUB8UCWva3njNd03Z274GhLJYuYYyE_l7dNbtvP43jl-a2cyGddb7y24Dcryg26jx_O6d3vo8sEB0ZfKddrN4qQuhbp9-SKCUyJrwhb-cSX/s400/savile%20and%20thatcher.jpg"/></a></div>
He fooled me too, although I always thought there was something fishy about him. When he died in 2011 I wrote on The Vinyl Word the following: '<i>Now then, now then. As it happens, the Vinyl Word lifts a glass to Sir Jimmy Savile, who has died at his home in Leeds at the age of 84. It's hard to exaggerate the importance of Jimmy in the world of pop music in the sixties. I was one of the earliest members of Radio Luxembourg's Teen and Twenty Disc Club (the TTDC) back in around 1961, when Jimmy was a DJ on 208. I had a membership card with a low membership number, but I've no idea what happened to it. Around that time he attempted a pop career with an unsuccessful cover of Ray Stevens' Ahab the Arab.
But it was as a radio presenter and, even more so, as a TV presenter that Jimmy really shone, with his catchphrases, northern affability, dyed hair and track suits. He was, notably, the first presenter of Top of the Pops in 1964 (and also the last when it ended in 2006), a big name on Radio One from 1968 onwards and presenter of the rather naff, but very popular Jim'll Fix It.
A former miner and professional wrestler, he was awarded his knighthood for services to charity, especially money raised through his long distance walks and marathons. I remember in 1972 when I was a local newspaper reporter in Lancashire I met Jimmy, who was one of a number of nutty people who took part in a non-stop walking competition around the motor racing circuit at Aintree. This mad event took places for days - perhaps even weeks - and Jimmy was one of the last to give up. I also recall that on the night Elvis died I tuned into Radio Luxembourg - and there was Jimmy on the line reminiscing about his meetings with The King.
Jimmy was always a strange fish. He doted on his mother - The Duchess - and never married. With his huge cigars, white Rolls Royce and constant cheeriness he came across as somehow rather a lonely person. But he was a big personality in his day and a leading figure in the pop music of the day.' </i>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbSNx1gp2rn7_zB5uFNOlX795nioZqYhUuORAuwUV_3gd7fXsNRtya-F9T3LF7eOFoi10L3QniuyIn8ijCxOb10Aadv9-KwdsFlgNfkh9wC-TcToU4AnQL6HpfcCl7wRUCDiZ1b0G9WEjakLxBj3rQ1Ni8BnvIlKXD2XeUs7NK-FRVACzLGG9/s340/jimmy-saville-not-a-pervert.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEbSNx1gp2rn7_zB5uFNOlX795nioZqYhUuORAuwUV_3gd7fXsNRtya-F9T3LF7eOFoi10L3QniuyIn8ijCxOb10Aadv9-KwdsFlgNfkh9wC-TcToU4AnQL6HpfcCl7wRUCDiZ1b0G9WEjakLxBj3rQ1Ni8BnvIlKXD2XeUs7NK-FRVACzLGG9/s400/jimmy-saville-not-a-pervert.jpg"/></a></div>
Yet only a few months later, after his predatory nature had been revealed to the world I wrote: '<i>I said on the blog when he died last October, that Jimmy Savile was a strange fish. Just how strange a fish he was, neither I nor the general public knew. The revelations of sex with under age girls have been shocking, and the rubbishing of his reputation has been total, with his name being removed from a road named after him in Scarborough and his gravestone being taken away (no doubt to stop it being defaced). His charity efforts, which were considerable, have been forgotten in this avalanche of oppobrium. Of course, it's all a bit pointless, as it's far too late to have the accusations challenged in court. But it's a reminder of just how fleeting fame can be. Now he is not famous - just imfamous. How about that then Jimmy.</i>'
The 'Reckoning' for Jimmy Savile came too late for any of his victims to have any satisfaction or reparations. But he did change public attitudes to claims by victims of sexual abuse by public figures. Just ask Russell Brand, or Philip Schofield, Max Clifford, Huw Edwards or Rolf Harris. Who will be next in the firing line I wonder.Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-49678151085490844952023-09-26T20:59:00.006+01:002023-09-28T21:01:17.965+01:00More music deaths - updated<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhTqirZ5iTrFQwJEl_7XdumVavNGcMUSyM4V7Ok5nzEvBvWUhLKix_vZ42DGzIZUzyqGzAgaajDpiag3EYPWuYyZ7PCPM9D1GOOtc0yJwGONJ8w0-XUk7WXZjL1mM4LBzehSMfWyvB-0Tv_C2aIiWvIQgt8g4EhtI33u1rUEDCLS0HmfoN-yy/s1155/DSCN9927.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1138" data-original-width="1155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhTqirZ5iTrFQwJEl_7XdumVavNGcMUSyM4V7Ok5nzEvBvWUhLKix_vZ42DGzIZUzyqGzAgaajDpiag3EYPWuYyZ7PCPM9D1GOOtc0yJwGONJ8w0-XUk7WXZjL1mM4LBzehSMfWyvB-0Tv_C2aIiWvIQgt8g4EhtI33u1rUEDCLS0HmfoN-yy/s400/DSCN9927.JPG"/></a></div>
There have been a couple more deaths which are worthy of mention. Terry Kirkman, who has died aged 83, is hardly a household name but he was a founder member and vocalist of the Association, one of the better American soft pop groups of the sixties. He joined up with fellow band member Jules Alexander in LA in 1963 and played with Frank Zappa. They formed the Inner Tubes, which included Mama Cass Elliot and David Crosby at one time, before forming the Association in 1965. The latter band had success with 'Cherish' (written by Kirkman) and 'Along Came Mary' as well as songs such as 'Pandora's Golden Heebie Jeebies', 'Windy', 'Never My Love' and 'Time For Livin', culminating with 'Darling Be Here Soon' in 1972, after which Kirkman left the group. They appeared at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and other Kirkman songs included 'Requiem For The Masses' about the Vietnam War. He rejoined the reformed Association in 1979 and made occasional guest appearances thereafter.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mD9AlmP709YAduYvrDIhr1R3Q4zb89Sana149CF-5YxOzu2fkFghIosLPN_mkKKpVfw15Bceg5TkoLfsiUU2CbAKbefjrH3dlHRQIBMMtXvKiH640njl9p3LDZSE-hZU4__IGXzO6lCQpIYf1WKmJnMrrGdg6M2SftTelXslRDay3AGg7XnP/s300/david%20mccallum.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8mD9AlmP709YAduYvrDIhr1R3Q4zb89Sana149CF-5YxOzu2fkFghIosLPN_mkKKpVfw15Bceg5TkoLfsiUU2CbAKbefjrH3dlHRQIBMMtXvKiH640njl9p3LDZSE-hZU4__IGXzO6lCQpIYf1WKmJnMrrGdg6M2SftTelXslRDay3AGg7XnP/s400/david%20mccallum.jpg"/></a></div>
Another recent death is that of David McCallum, at the age of 90, who memorably played the role of Illya Kuryakin in 'The Man From Uncle', one of the most successful sixties TV series. He became a major sex symbol and even had a record dedicated to him, 'Love Ya Illya' by Alma Cogan, under the name Angela and her Fans. He had a recording career himself, largely instrumental but also singing, or rather talking his way (with female backing) through 'Communication'. He made four albums for Capitol and one of his tracks 'The Edge' was sampled by Dr Dre and was included in the soundtrack of 'Grand Theft Auto IV' and 'Baby Driver'. Later acting roles included 'The Great Escape', 'Colditz', 'Sapphire and Steel' and 'NCIS'. RIP to them both.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ub4uvIR11FtD3WKTkMb_BhuUMiSXhv9MKv80eZLXyCRTY453aVaCyDytUelCeYF_hV2xsJiH8wHXQmOmzFfZzpRPNND0zvGiuCOdf61Vh6swl6LX5wnChhoOt70JZSt38ZUO2YLcxSRnFnAwt_Tl4-LGYY2DuuFHPbViVniedpqFULuZm0uc/s971/Scan_20230926.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ub4uvIR11FtD3WKTkMb_BhuUMiSXhv9MKv80eZLXyCRTY453aVaCyDytUelCeYF_hV2xsJiH8wHXQmOmzFfZzpRPNND0zvGiuCOdf61Vh6swl6LX5wnChhoOt70JZSt38ZUO2YLcxSRnFnAwt_Tl4-LGYY2DuuFHPbViVniedpqFULuZm0uc/s400/Scan_20230926.png"/></a></div>
Another death I am sad to report is that of Stephen Ackles, a Norwegian piano player who appeared at one of Keith Woods' shows in London in 2016 (pictured below). He was just 57. Here is what I wrote at the time: '<i>Next up was Stephen Ackles, a new name to me but very popular in his native Norway and further afield apparently, as there were quite a few of his fans in the house. Stephen is a very proficient Jerry Lee Lewis piano player, who performed accurate versions of numbers such as High School Confidential, Great Balls Of Fire, Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On and You Win Again. But he showed that he is more than that with Johnnie Ray's Cry, featuring a great guitar break from John Spencely, and a Cajun flavoured Bettina, featuring Claire Hamlin on organ. Other Jerry Lee favourities included Mexacali Rose, No Headstone On My Grave and Rockin' My Life Away, featuring a great sax break by Alex Bland. At the end of his set Stephen introduced two other piano players to the stage who have a show in a theatre near Leicester Square soon. I didn't catch their names and it wasn't entirely clear why they were there, apart from plugging their show. Nevertheless Stephen went down well, ably supported once again by the house band.'</i>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo7Nu6a1XnCpkEbYqL-C1DcirGyCxCpJNxOWra0Dg0YyKqvCGm4hkEhJ8EpfCtUfWIrdlAsBAFVl1l1HxrUmfheBRhtoMAZ_wfAA5FJP07K2__EWz4EaD1aqJu4KBTigUHgwcAYzuyJ2BBJlxfh2Rb8kjvCgVHZpfgx_IZbpSZqhgzEJjHiMm/s400/Stephen%20Ackles.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo7Nu6a1XnCpkEbYqL-C1DcirGyCxCpJNxOWra0Dg0YyKqvCGm4hkEhJ8EpfCtUfWIrdlAsBAFVl1l1HxrUmfheBRhtoMAZ_wfAA5FJP07K2__EWz4EaD1aqJu4KBTigUHgwcAYzuyJ2BBJlxfh2Rb8kjvCgVHZpfgx_IZbpSZqhgzEJjHiMm/s400/Stephen%20Ackles.JPG"/></a></div>Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-64853470641239002852023-09-24T17:22:00.001+01:002023-09-24T17:22:38.487+01:00Aaron Neville 'Tell It Like It Is'<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnjmzGiBpG3wIIoO22Xzvl0GZxcLMuTXemp6ptuvQNL8J5Ak5KL5Vubk4qojNvorJxAPelhtzoj-PxHdH-qRNxE9CdNcoZkk4U3sW83Z7PMj9iKRL4qaoEuF9F6w1AiTTaOyqsKF4RsT2HVgB0FTUWH5BoIyHRDJMTxRTpPYone2ptfzoI0sF/s2823/Scan_20230923.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="2823" data-original-width="1891" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnjmzGiBpG3wIIoO22Xzvl0GZxcLMuTXemp6ptuvQNL8J5Ak5KL5Vubk4qojNvorJxAPelhtzoj-PxHdH-qRNxE9CdNcoZkk4U3sW83Z7PMj9iKRL4qaoEuF9F6w1AiTTaOyqsKF4RsT2HVgB0FTUWH5BoIyHRDJMTxRTpPYone2ptfzoI0sF/s400/Scan_20230923.png"/></a></div>
I have always loved Sam Cooke's voice. He is and always will be my favourite singer. But if anyone can come close to matching him in terms of beauty and intensity it is Aaron Neville. Aaron has the voice of an angel which is in marked contrast to his muscular body. He had huge success as a solo artist, including his 1967 hit 'Tell It Like It Is', and went on to be the heart and soul of the greatest of all New Orleans groups the Neville Brothers. Now Aaron has written his autobiography, appropriately called 'Tell It Like It Is'. It tells of his poor beginnings, his struggles against drug addiction, his time in jail and his eventual breakthrough. He describes his voice as 'the strength of my father, the tenderness of my mother and the innocence of my childhood', but anyone who has witnessed Aaron singing acapella knows that it goes beyond that. One of the driving forces behind me going to New Orleans for the first time in 1989 was the great Neville Brothers album 'Yellow Moon'. I saw the brothers perform and Aaron singing solo. I loved the band's late night performances at Tipitina's which seemed to be endless. Hearing Aaron perform in the gospel tent at Jazzfest was inspiring, even to a non-believer like me. Over the years I've seen Aaron many times, both solo and with his brothers. He never failed to move me, even on songs that I would ordinarily dismiss as being too cliched such as 'Ave Maria'. On my recent trip to New Orleans this spring I held out hope that he would perform at Jazzfest, perhaps at the tribute show to Walter 'Wolfman' Washington, which attracted the likes of irma Thomas and Jon Cleary. But it was not to be. His book makes clear that he retired after the COVID pandemic and that he will not be performing again. He says that 'I don't want to be onstage singing and not sounding like Aaron Neville.' He seems to be happily retired with his wife, dog and cats in New York's Hudson Valley. And at the age of 82 we can't really expect him to come out of retirement. It's a shame, but we still have his beautiful voice recorded forever. So I am grateful for the memories and the records and wish him a long and happy retirement.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9tl-z4k326zosDP1A86dRalE7N7UJyfaJiPAzBWP4Z51ZTg9dJWxvNukHscVy3ELAsNJDPuQpabt839cjX0ibKHxdtswtpWYGCx2Qj2lQy8kW_CzwhAJr-RTN2jgEbTdxIdXqGg217HJc4ufBeDzG26t4XxmxtVon5v8nAf4s6dvwjp0tLdq/s2808/Scan_20230923%20%282%29.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="2808" data-original-width="1958" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9tl-z4k326zosDP1A86dRalE7N7UJyfaJiPAzBWP4Z51ZTg9dJWxvNukHscVy3ELAsNJDPuQpabt839cjX0ibKHxdtswtpWYGCx2Qj2lQy8kW_CzwhAJr-RTN2jgEbTdxIdXqGg217HJc4ufBeDzG26t4XxmxtVon5v8nAf4s6dvwjp0tLdq/s400/Scan_20230923%20%282%29.png"/></a></div>
Here's a photo of Aaron at the Porretta Soul Festival in 2006.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLcDeVDXKgfndrwOTt68VUTickGyV6cAqN-tlp5rvxxPh8A8BhFEPXu29NxQArD3SXmJZTJ-8iv6p20DHil4f7YfMIUMuvnTBY2ggD-ATkQKsyYJhPGamr-C1aMvfOhlNiEs8PlXSJ_8B2vv3y9L9nf9jqdHEwag7ie1lKa9C69t1Gpo7zfjV/s2048/HPIM0976.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkLcDeVDXKgfndrwOTt68VUTickGyV6cAqN-tlp5rvxxPh8A8BhFEPXu29NxQArD3SXmJZTJ-8iv6p20DHil4f7YfMIUMuvnTBY2ggD-ATkQKsyYJhPGamr-C1aMvfOhlNiEs8PlXSJ_8B2vv3y9L9nf9jqdHEwag7ie1lKa9C69t1Gpo7zfjV/s400/HPIM0976.JPG"/></a></div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21258459.post-84889755975983443962023-09-21T18:44:00.003+01:002023-09-21T19:01:24.905+01:00Katherine Anderson of the Marvelettes RIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4owf6M16ytF3lv4PhGhWQ-r2Iw5MhuJCYkLS1h0jgRW80oJO47abw8dQTKkLV-BipA_6SnThUeqbkFDdE46RqhhT6AQ3mxeGDzeMc7lchJSjI7jfhI9AtfbrAfuwnSGzqAsBbQBPKo4oSbwuOsxyHXtJJgnI2b50UmdlFGVBclU2Chp5xscn/s1600/DSCN9779.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4owf6M16ytF3lv4PhGhWQ-r2Iw5MhuJCYkLS1h0jgRW80oJO47abw8dQTKkLV-BipA_6SnThUeqbkFDdE46RqhhT6AQ3mxeGDzeMc7lchJSjI7jfhI9AtfbrAfuwnSGzqAsBbQBPKo4oSbwuOsxyHXtJJgnI2b50UmdlFGVBclU2Chp5xscn/s400/DSCN9779.JPG"/></a></div>
Very sorry to hear that the last surviving original member of the Marvelettes, Katherine Anderson Schaffner, has died at the age of 79. The group had one of Motown's earliest major hits, 'Please Mr Postman', and other big hits including 'Beechwood 4-5789', 'Playboy', 'Locking Up My Heart', 'As Long As I Know He's Mine', 'You're My Remedy', 'Too Many Fish In the Sea', 'Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead', 'Don't Mess With Bill' and 'My Baby Must Be A Magician'. Formed in 1960 in Inkster, Michigan, the Marvelettes' early hits were written by the likes of Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye as well as Holland, Dozier and Holland, and, despite being slightly over shadowed by the Supremes, continued to make fantastic records throughout the sixties. Original lead singer Gladys Horton died in 2011 and she and Katherine fought to get back ownership of the group's name when other copycat groups emerged. When I went to the Detroit A Go-Go festival in 2019 Katherine was the only original member of the group still performing. I wrote at the time: 'Next came the Marvelettes, with one original member, Katherine Anderson Schaffner seated on a throne and three younger members dressed in long green gowns. I enjoyed them a lot and their versions of 'Please Mr Postman', 'I'll Keep On Holding On', an acapella version of 'Locking Up My Heart' (a personal favourite) and 'Your Love Can Save Me' were a delight.' Afterwards I had a chance to chat to Katherine at the St Regis Hotel and she and the others were delightful (see photos below).
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmAFRTPwUC8uE6yr8v-u1KSriPnUAVCsrVcOmDZagIhVPVRNfToZrIVO1C-sgysSi7Rqi3OiCbEeestGkERaPMpPS-3OAXt7X0NO7UH--WYG1ALRulBQ-dR2ltd0lywvj0Uj2rvz73Awr7qmaRoesjI7OyHtIRKr06n8jY8I--8_KcPJ77k7V/s1403/DSCN9972%20%284%29.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmAFRTPwUC8uE6yr8v-u1KSriPnUAVCsrVcOmDZagIhVPVRNfToZrIVO1C-sgysSi7Rqi3OiCbEeestGkERaPMpPS-3OAXt7X0NO7UH--WYG1ALRulBQ-dR2ltd0lywvj0Uj2rvz73Awr7qmaRoesjI7OyHtIRKr06n8jY8I--8_KcPJ77k7V/s400/DSCN9972%20%284%29.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkoffPDyTPu6MkYw7OCZtD6GUJSxg2MMI8VD-FJJ11MURnZgBJ6flRt6Br0bQ9EP9EVE0jpIWSIu0Ua9Zwdt7R29woKjprhajXNyHU_w13UoHnS-TwV7tjbhz3VPrP8Uxo42iXjyL7CBrld4lopPGr-J0DeFXpvD5Wy0akMPFxP7CfUEG--rY/s1600/DSCN9976%20%283%29.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkoffPDyTPu6MkYw7OCZtD6GUJSxg2MMI8VD-FJJ11MURnZgBJ6flRt6Br0bQ9EP9EVE0jpIWSIu0Ua9Zwdt7R29woKjprhajXNyHU_w13UoHnS-TwV7tjbhz3VPrP8Uxo42iXjyL7CBrld4lopPGr-J0DeFXpvD5Wy0akMPFxP7CfUEG--rY/s400/DSCN9976%20%283%29.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillo6zYazao2QY1vOVMOOgYWvpbh8k5KmjJKgUwyCUZ_iDgGCyRjlO4eJc4Zp9Sy1eWNzYpDWw7epktidAdH_WZuqsASg2nCzQ79r2SDrnM7WbI1BG8PicUxSKyW8ZE9TeJCaaBxnQLu3AdLmSuvlKPkro1k_ATpzWiAMJHR5KRZWDdfQXJ3Zk/s1600/DSCN9773.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillo6zYazao2QY1vOVMOOgYWvpbh8k5KmjJKgUwyCUZ_iDgGCyRjlO4eJc4Zp9Sy1eWNzYpDWw7epktidAdH_WZuqsASg2nCzQ79r2SDrnM7WbI1BG8PicUxSKyW8ZE9TeJCaaBxnQLu3AdLmSuvlKPkro1k_ATpzWiAMJHR5KRZWDdfQXJ3Zk/s400/DSCN9773.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpG5mHZQQaoOJH4pt8YIofog47mQJjJYwpB0W_tE_JO6vu6v0CvnOEEB2PgMiTmUvaqz4f3hZaRywYQXbr2OG_q3r9jiwSMCF_vTxEskgCs15Tn7HaZkA8KBFvkCVJjSelu_hV29LvDrkiXW12uDVr922odK5j5qsSoIDAraJYzUXaiVbnW9j8/s1156/DSCN9918.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1156" data-original-width="1148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpG5mHZQQaoOJH4pt8YIofog47mQJjJYwpB0W_tE_JO6vu6v0CvnOEEB2PgMiTmUvaqz4f3hZaRywYQXbr2OG_q3r9jiwSMCF_vTxEskgCs15Tn7HaZkA8KBFvkCVJjSelu_hV29LvDrkiXW12uDVr922odK5j5qsSoIDAraJYzUXaiVbnW9j8/s400/DSCN9918.JPG"/></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WQfGZ7KHvYA0fct1mKuJy6RZNKCEg3doGR9WRDz1Bp3yZaZg46Yu5c1eJkPjxvoEmmaChG-9oM5K8UZd8bnvKW6EHXbIq1kCjU5F-2ev2uV8DgdYGT7Ko8bzKq6t-uAVhU90MS35yfBjHHcVvLNUBjCWyK5suCDg9Xrv8AXvUiP6qhJThAF-/s983/Scan_20230921.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="959" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WQfGZ7KHvYA0fct1mKuJy6RZNKCEg3doGR9WRDz1Bp3yZaZg46Yu5c1eJkPjxvoEmmaChG-9oM5K8UZd8bnvKW6EHXbIq1kCjU5F-2ev2uV8DgdYGT7Ko8bzKq6t-uAVhU90MS35yfBjHHcVvLNUBjCWyK5suCDg9Xrv8AXvUiP6qhJThAF-/s400/Scan_20230921.png"/></a></div>
Nickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03534654679371832525noreply@blogger.com2