Duke Fakir, last original Four Tops member, RIP - updated

Duke Fakir, last original member of the Four Tops, has died at the age of 88. Duke was a founder member of the group who had countless hit records from 1964 onwards for Motown. The original line up of Duke, Levi Stubbs, Lawrence Payton and Obie Benson got together in 1953, when they called themselves the Four Aims. Changing their name to the Four Tops to avoid confusion with the Ames brothers they initally recorded for Chess, but it wasn't until they joined Motown in 1963 that their long run of hits began. Their first, 'Baby I Need You're Loving', was an instant smash (a number one in my personal top ten at the time) and it was followed by such great records as 'Ask The Lonely', I Can't Help Myself', It's The Same Old Song', 'Shake Me Wake Me'. 'Something About You', 'Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever', 'Reach Out I'll Be There' (their biggest hit), 'Standing In the Shadows Of Love', 'Bernadette', 'Seven Rooms Of Gloom' and countless others. After leaving Motown in the early seventies they moved to ABC Dunhill where they had hits with 'Keeper Of the Catle', 'Ain't No Woman Like The One You Got' and 'Are You Man Enough'. 'When She Was My Girl' was a big success for Casablanca in the early eighties and they returned to Motown with 'Back Where I Belong' in 1983. Duke was a regular member throughout and it was only a few days ago that I read that he had at last retired from the group, which continues to this day with a much changed line up. Yet from their formation in the fifties until 1997, when Lawrence Payton died, their line up remianed unchanged - a record for any vocal group I suspect. RIP Duke, and the original Four Tops. You are missed.

It's farewell also to the 'Godfather of British Blues' John Mayall, who has died aged 90. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers was a highly influential blues band from the mid sixties onwards and just about anyone who was anyone in the UK blues arena was a member at one time or another. The list includes John McVie, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jack Bruce, Aynsley Dunbar, Mick Fleetwood, Keef Hartley, Mick Taylor, Dick Heckstall-Smith and Andy Fraser. He also recorded with American musicians, including Paul Butterfield, Don 'Sugarcane' Harris and Freddy Robinson. Despite this he never had a hit, although his albums sold well. He moved to the US in the early seventies and toured extensively for many years

Sandy Posey RIP

Sorry to hear of the death, aged 80, of Sandy Posey who made some memorable pop/country records in the mid sixties including 'Born A Woman' and 'Single Girl'. Born in Alabama, she moved to West Memphis where she became a backing singer for Chips Moman, including on Percy Sledge's 'When A Man Loves A Woman, and for Elvis, Bobby Goldsboro, Tommy Roe and Joe Tex. Her first solo recording for Bell was under the name of Sandy Carmel and wasn't successful but her demo of the Martha Sharp song 'Born A Woman', which is something of an anti feminist anthem, impressed Chips, who produced her recording in Nashville for MGM. This sold over a million copies and her follow up, 'Single Girl' also sold well and reached the UK top 20. She had further success with 'What A Woman In Love Won't Do' and 'I Take It Back'. Sandy moved into the country field in the seventies, produced by Billy Sherrill for Columbia, and had some success with 'Bring Him Safely Home To Me' but later recordings, for Monument and Warner Brothers, failed to become major hits.

Another recent music death is that of Kinky Friedman, (79) who was an offbeat singer. songwriter, humorist and politician, even standing for election as Governor of Texas in 2006. Musically, he formed a surf band King Arthur and the Carrots in 1966 and the satirical but controversially named Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys in 1973. His break came when Commander Cody, of Lost Planet Airmen fame, introduced him to Vanguard records and he recorded an album for ABC and toured with Bob Dylan. Not afraid of bad publicity his songs 'They Ain't Making Jews Like Jesus Any More' and 'The Ballad of Charles Whitman' received a mixed reception and a performance in Buffalo ended early when he lampooned feminism. It's fair to say that he was an acquired taste - one I failed to acquire - but he certainly made his mark. For more information it's worth reading Garth Cartwright's excellent obituary in The Guardian.

Glasto time again

It's Glastonbury Festival time again and as usual I'm not there. Those who made it are enjoying good weather for a change. But newswise there is a lot of competition. We have an election on Thursday when, most of us hope and pray, the Tories will be voted out. There'a a rather sad contest taking place in the States between a befuddled but basically decent Democrat and an evil lying Republican. What a choice! And there's sport going on as well. The Euro football is reaching its climax, with all England fans hoping for improved performances, India has just won the T20 Cricket World Cup and Wimbledon starts on Monday. Everything happens at the same time it seems. Glastonbury continues to attract thousands of people, but there's fairly little that interests me. Looking through the line up it seems that Cold Play have taken up residence in Somerset and that Shania Twain has been promoted to 'legend' status. P J Harvey, Dua Lipa and Cyndi Lauper (pictured below) are among the acts that have attracted most approval so far. Other than those there are many performers whose names mean nothing to me: no genuine roots acts that I can see and no one who I can get really excited by. There are a few who are of some interest, such as Femi Kuti, Michael Kiwanuka (whose female co star is pictured above), the Skatalites (none of whom are originals), Steel Pulse, the Manfreds, Albert Lee and the Gypsy Kings.

For the first time in many years I won't be going to the Porretta Soul Festival this year. There are precious few original soul acts who are still performing and I can't raise much enthusiasm for the line up this year. Hopefully I will be back next year. I haven't given up on festivals, but it's getting really hard to find a schedule that excites. That's an age thing I guess - although I live in hope. Meanwhile my local village, Odiham in Hampshire put on its annual 'Bands In The Bury' music festival today featuring local groups of varying quality. The photo below shows the Accelerators, a ska band from Basingstoke.

Latest music deaths

Another soul man has passed on, this time Bertram Brown. He wasn't a major name but was a member of Memphis group the Newcomers, who had success in the early seventies with 'Pin The Tail On The Donkey' and 'Keep An Eye On Your Close Friends', both on Stax. He was the brother of Randy Brown who made an excellent impression when he appeared at the Blackpool Soul Festival in 2019. Bertram (pictured above) was one of his backing singers that day.

A female soul singer has also died - Angela Bofill, at the age of 70. Born in New York of Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage she had a lengthy career as an R and B singer/songwriter, her best known recordings being 'This Time I'll Be Sweeter', 'Angel Of the Night' and 'I Try'.

Another female singer who passed on recently, at the age of 80, is Francoise Hardy, a chanteuse who was one of the few French singers to make a big impression in the UK during the 1960s. Francoise was always the epitome of cool and her light sexy voice always sounded good, particularly on sad songs, whether she was singing in French or English. She found success initially with 'Tous Les Garcons Et Les Filles' for Disque Vogue. She made an impact in the UK in 1964 with a version of 'Catch A Falling Star' and 'All Over The World'. The following year she had success in the US as 'The Ye-Ye Girl From Paris'. She went on to have a long singing career and also acted in a number of movies. She also took an interest in astrology and wrote several fiction and non-fiction books.

Recent music deaths

It's time to catch up on some recent music deaths. The latest is that of Doug Ingle, (78), founder, organist and vocalist with Iron Butterfly, whose recorded work was an influence on later hard rock and heavy metal bands. Formed in San Diego in 1966 their early albums included 'Heavy' and their best seller 'In-A-Gada-Da Vidda' in 1968. According to drummer Ron Bushy, Ingle wrote the song while drinking a gallon of wine. Bushy wrote down the words and the eventual title came about because Ingle was slurring his words. It was supposed to be 'In The Garden Of Eden'. Other albums included 'Ball' and 'Metamorphosis'. Ingle left the band in 1971 but returned for several reunions.

Another death is that of Randy Fuller, who was the brother of Bobby Fuller whose band the Bobby Fuller Four had great success with 'I Fought The Law' before Bobby's untimely death. Randy, who was the band's bass player, co-wrote several of the songs on their first album 'KRLA King Of The Wheels'. Originally from El Paso the band moved to LA in 1964 where they recorded with Bob Keane for his Mustang label. After Bobby's death Randy continued to record as the Randy Fuller Four without much success. He co-wrote a biography of his brother called 'The Life and Strange Death of Bobby Fuller' with Mirian Linna, owner of Norton Records.

Jimmy James, who has died aged 83, was born in Jamaica and formed his band the Vagabonds in 1960 before relocating to the UK four years later. Their first LP 'Presenting The Vagabonds' was released prior to that move on Island and when Jimmy and his band arrived in the UK they quickly established themselves, acting as support for the Who and Steampacket. They played several times on the same bill as Jimi Hendrix and released their first UK album 'The New Religion' in 1966 on the Pye label. Their live performance was captured on the 'London Swings - Live At The Marquee Club.' The band folded in 1970 but Jimmy formed a new band with white musicians and had disco and soul success in the seventies with 'I'll Go Where the Music Takes Me' and 'Now Is The Time'. The band had over 50 members at various times between 1960 and Jimmy's final appearance in 2021.

Just before I went to the US I heard of the death of the great guitarist Duane Eddy at the age of 86. Many tributes have been made about his sterling career, his relationship with producer Lee Hazlewood and his many hits. I was able to see him on several occasions, the most recent being in 2012 in Basingstoke when he was promoting his latest album 'Road Trip' which was recorded in Sheffield and produced by Richard Hawley. He was an ever present in the UK charts of the early sixties. He had eight entries in my personal chart between 1960 and 1962 and I own nearly all of his early records, including well over a dozen LPs.

Finally we say goodbye to Australian balladeer and yodeller Frank Ifield at the age of 86. I can't say that I was ever a big fan but he was undoubtedly a big star in 1962/3 reaching UK number one with 'I Remember You', 'Lovesick Blues', 'The Wayward Wind' and 'I'm Confessin'.

Photos from the US road trip

So we're back after our 3000 mile American road trip that started and ended in Minneapolis and took in Albert Lea, Clear Lake, Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, Memphis, Clarksdale, St Louis, Hannibal, Fort Madison, Davenport and Dubuque plus a lot of other towns along the way. Here are some music related photos from the trip. The above photo shows Los Straitjackets above and Wasted Major below, at the Turf Club in Minneapolis.

John Howard and me in Albert Lea.

Here's a photo of the rather understated memorial to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper at the crash site in Clear Lake.

This is Ray Wylie Hubbard who we saw at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.

Here I am at 12th Street and Vine in Kansas City.

This is Chris Cain at the Blues Jam at Alfreds on Beale Street, Memphis.

This is Terrie Odabi at the same show.

Here's a pic of me with Terrie.

This is Mr Sipp.

Me with Mr Sipp in Beale Street.

This is Tierinii Jackson, lead singer of Southern Avenue.

Singer at Wild Bill's in Memphis with Big Don Valentine playing some southern soul and blues.

Big A Sherrod at the Blues Caravan Festival in Clarksdale.

Guitar Frenchie and Stan Street at the Hambone Art Gallery in Clarksdale.

Watermelon Slim at the Bluesberry Cafe.

Here's Johnny Rawls playing with Bob Corritorre at the Hambone.

Here's one of me with Johnny Rawls.

Johnny Rawls with John Primer with Dave Keller on guitar.

Gunnar Samson of the Rockin' 88s at the Blues City Cafe in Memphis.

John Stowe dancing in the Blues City Cafe.

John McVey band in Hammerstone's in St Louis.

Chuck Berry display at the National Blues Museum in St Louis.

Jim's Journey museum in Hannibal.

John Primer in Davenport.

Back to Minneapolis

The American road trip is nearing its end and we are back in Minneapolis in readiness for the flight home tomorrow. But before the trip ended we had one more unexpected music experience. We were heading for Rock Island planning to spend the night there but the hotels were busy and expensive. So we went to nearby Davenport which is over the Illinois state border in Iowa. I picked up a free paper and saw that the great blues guitarist and singer John Primer was playing in town that very evening at the Redstone Room. We hurried along and he was every bit as good as we expected, playing with his Real Deal Blues Band. Numbers included 'Love Of A Woman', 'Before You Accuse Me', 'Real Mother For Ya' and 'Rainy Night In Georgia'. Supporting him was Iowa bluesman Kevin Burt who came back on to share 'Hoochie Coochie Man' with John. Now 79, John Primer's voice is as good as ever and his guitar playing was exemplary.

Next day we had a look around Dubuque in northern Iowa which is quite a pleasant town on the Mississippi close to where Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin meet. We drove towards Madison but ended up staying overnight in a small town called New Lisbon. On our final day we drove back to Minneapolis stopping off at its twin city St Paul, where the state capitol is located on my hunt for records. Finally we are staying in a rather expensive hotel, in contrast to the rather more modest places that have been our home for the last three weeks.

US road trip heads north

We arrived in St Louis in a rainstorm so didn't do much on our first night apart from having a meal at Chuck Berry's former club Blueberry Hill and checking out his statue opposite. Next day we went to the city's biggest landmark the Gateway Arch. I've been up before so gave the trip to the top a miss but it was a first time for Alan and John S. From there we drove to the cemetery out of town where Chuck's mausoleum is located.

In the evening we went to Hammerstones bar in the Soulard district for the John McVey blues band. John is a big man who plays and sings Texas blues and his band comprises bass player Tecora Morgan and her brother Riley who manages to combine drumming with playing keyboards at the same time, tucking a drum stick under his arm while doing so.

Before leaving St Louis next morning we did a tour of the National Blues Museum which is glitzy and colourful if a little superficial. On the road heading north again we went to Hannibal, boyhood home of Mark Twain where there are many touristy reminders of his time there. We also visited a small museum called Jim's Journey (organised by Alan). Founded and curated by a lady called Faye Dant it is devoted to the struggle for equality undertaken by African Americans and was featured on a Channel 4 series about the Mississippi with Nick Knowles.

The following day we continued our journey north stopping off at Fort Madison where the Chicago to LA railway crosses the river. There are up to 80 very long freight trains passing every day plus a couple of Amtrak passenger trains and a webcam showing the activity is viewed by hundreds of people every day. Two very enthusiastic ladies made us welcome and we had a good brunch at a newly opened restaurant and bar on the river front. Continuing alongside the river we stopped off at Burlington, Iowa, where there is another preserved loco and a curious road which is claimed to be the second most crooked street in the US.