Medley-Makers Anthology

Buffy Sainte-Marie

2008-11-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

Buffy Sainte-Marie (born Beverly Sainte-Marie, on February 20, 1941) has enjoyed a long career from stardom on the folk circuit to country, rock, soundtrack themes, acting, activism, and children's television. For most listeners, she remains identified with the material she wrote and sang for Vanguard in the mid-'60s. Her songs that addressed the plight of the Native American, particularly "Now That the Buffalo's Gone" and "My Country 'Tis of Thy People You're Dying," were the ones that generated the most controversy. Yet she was also skilled at addressing broader themes of war and justice ("Universal Soldier") and romance ("Until It's Time for You to Go"). She was also a capable interpreter of outside material, although her idiosyncratic vibrato made large-scale commercial success out of the question.

Sainte-Marie was born to Cree Indian parents and adopted by a white family. Signed to Vanguard, she was one of the folk scene's more prominent rising stars in the '60s, and certainly the only widely heard performer articulating Native American viewpoints in song. Much of her best material from this era, however, gained its greatest commercial inroads via cover versions. "Universal Soldier" was one of Donovan's first hits. "Until It's Time for You to Go," perhaps her best composition, was covered by numerous pop singers, and became a big British hit for Elvis Presley in the early '70s. "Cod'ine," one of the few '60s songs to explicitly address the dangers of drugs, was covered by Californian rock bands Quicksilver Messenger Service and the Charlatans.

Sainte-Marie didn't pigeonhole herself as a folky, though, recording in Nashville in the late '60s in attempts to break into the country market. In the 1970s, she would make some rock records, including one (1971's She Used to Wanna Be a Ballerina) with contributions from Ry Cooder and Crazy Horse. These country and rock outings were far less successful, both commercially and artistically, than her early folk efforts.

But Sainte-Marie was never as reliant on selling units as most musicians. She kept busy with a long-running stint on Sesame Street, performing benefits for and organizing on behalf of Native Americans, and composing for movies (she won an Oscar for the theme to An Officer and a Gentleman, co-written with her husband, producer Jack Nitzsche). She hadn't made an album for 15 years before issuing Coincidence and Likely Stories in 1992.

France named Buffy Sainte-Marie Best International Artist of 1993. That same year, she was selected by the United Nations to proclaim officially the International Year of Indigenous Peoples.She was inducted into the Juno Hall of Fame for her life-long contribution to music in 1995 and won a Gemini Award in 1997 for the Canadian TV special Buffy Sainte-Marie: Up Where We Belong. This also marked the first time she had performed her famous song to a live audience. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation in Canada in 1998, and was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1999, she received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. Find out more about her at: http://www.creative-native.com/

Research info gathered at: www.allmusic.com

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Inez & Charlie Foxx

2008-11-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

Inez Foxx (born 9 September 1942) and her brother Charlie Foxx (23 October 1939 – 18 September 1998) were an American rhythm and blues and soul duo from Greensboro, North Carolina. Inez sang lead vocal, while Charlie sang back-up and played guitar.

Their most successful record was with their novelty composition, "Mockingbird". Released in 1963, it made the Top 10 on both the rhythm and blues and pop charts; the song was later covered by James Taylor and Carly Simon, as well as Dusty Springfield and more recently by country music artist Toby Keith (featuring his daughter, Krystal).

Other notable recordings were "Hurt by Love," "Ask Me," and "(1-2-3-4-5-6-7) Count the Days."

They were known for their exciting live performances, of which a highlight was Inez's rendition of "I Stand Accused", which finished with a supposedly distraught Inez singing the last verse, while being carried offstage by Charlie. They toured extensively in Europe and their music played a key role in the development of the Northern Soul movement.
Inez also had some success recording on her own, beginning in 1969, but her popularity faded in the 1970s. Charlie was already working as a record producer when they finally disbanded their act.

Charlie Foxx died in 1998, at the age of 58. Find out more about the sister/brother act at: www.last.fm/music/Inez%2B%2526%2BCharlie%2BFoxx

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Bobbie Gentry

2008-11-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

Of Portuguese descent, Bobbie Gentry was born Roberta Streeter in Chickasaw County, MS, on July 27, 1944; her parents divorced shortly after her birth and she was raised in poverty on her grandparents' farm. After her grandmother traded one of the family's milk cows for a neighbor's piano, seven-year-old Bobbie composed her first song, "My Dog Sergeant Is a Good Dog," years later self-deprecatingly reprised in her nightclub act; at 13, she moved to Arcadia, CA, to live with her mother, soon beginning her performing career in local country clubs. The 1952 film Ruby Gentry lent the singer her stage surname.

After graduating high school, Gentry settled in Las Vegas, where she appeared in the Les Folies Bergère nightclub revue; she soon returned to California, studying philosophy at U.C.L.A. before transferring to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music. In 1964, she made her recorded debut, cutting a pair of duets — "Ode to Love" and "Stranger in the Mirror" — with rockabilly singer Jody Reynolds. Gentry continued performing in clubs in the years to follow before an early 1967 recording a demo found its way to Capitol Records producer Kelly Gordon; upon signing to the label, she issued her debut single, "Mississippi Delta." However, disc jockeys began spinning the B-side, the self-penned "Ode to Billie Joe" — with its eerily spare production and enigmatic narrative detailing the suicide of Billie Joe McAllister, who flings himself off the Tallahatchie Bridge, the single struck a chord on country and pop radio alike, topping the pop charts for four weeks in August 1967 and selling three million copies. Although the follow-up, "I Saw an Angel Die," failed to chart, Gentry nevertheless won three Grammy awards, including Best New Artist and Best Female Vocal. She was also named the Academy of Country Music's Best New Female Vocalist.

With her second album, 1968's The Delta Sweete, Gentry returned to the country charts with the minor hit "Okolona River Bottom Band." Although her recordings were typically credited to Capitol staff producers, she later maintained she helmed the sessions herself and also wrote much of her own material, drawing on her Mississippi roots to compose revealing vignettes that typically explored the lifestyles, values, and even hypocrisies of the southern culture. Favoring more soulful and rootsy arrangements in vogue in Nashville at the time, Gentry's records sound quite unlike anything on either the country or pop charts at the time and her smoky, sensuous voice adapted easily to a variety of musical contexts. But to many listeners, she remained a one-hit wonder and her excellent third album, 1968's Local Gentry, received little notice. That same year, Gentry issued a duet album with Glen Campbell, returning to the country Top 20 with "Let It Be Me"; the duo regularly collaborated throughout the 1970s, scoring their biggest hit with a cover of "All I Really Want to Do."

In 1969, Gentry reached her creative zenith with Touch 'Em With Love — though cut in Nashville, the record owed far more to the gritty R&B sounds emanating across the state in Memphis and generated her first U.K. number one, a smoldering rendition of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David perennial "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."

In 1971, she issued her final Capitol effort, Patchwork, primarily confining her performing to her nightclub act for the next several years. A CBS summer replacement series, The Bobbie Gentry Happiness Hour, aired for four episodes in 1974; Gentry next surfaced on the big screen, credited as co-writer for a 1976 film adaptation of Ode to Billie Joe. After a second marriage, to fellow singer/songwriter Jim Stafford, ended in 1979 after only 11 months, Gentry gradually receded from public view, retiring from performing and eventually settling in Los Angeles. Find more about her at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobbie_Gentry

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Hugh Masekela

2008-10-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hugh Ramopolo Masekela (b. Witbank, South Africa, April 4, 1939) is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer. He began singing and playing piano as a child. At age 14, after seeing the film Young Man With a Horn (in which Kirk Douglas portrays American jazz trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke), he took up playing the trumpet. His first trumpet was given to him by Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, the anti-apartheid chaplain at St. Peters Secondary School.

Huddleston asked the leader of the then Johannesburg "Native" Municipal Brass Band, Uncle Sauda, to teach Masekela the rudiments of trumpet playing. Masekela quickly mastered the instrument. Soon, some of Masekela's schoolmates also became interested in playing instruments, leading to the formation of the Huddleston Jazz Band, South Africa's very first youth orchestra. By 1956, after leading other ensembles, Masekela joined Alfred Herbert's African Jazz Revue.

Masekela began to play music that closely reflected his life experience. The agony, conflict, and exploitation South Africa faced during 1950’s and 1960’s, all inspired his music. His music also protested about apartheid, slavery, government; the hardships individuals were living under and reached a large population of people that also felt oppressed due to the country situation.

Following a Manhattan Brothers tour of South Africa in 1958, Masekela wound up in the orchestra for the musical King Kong, written by Todd Matshikiza. King Kong was South Africa's first blockbuster theatrical success, touring the country for a sold-out year with Miriam Makeba and the Manhattan Brothers' Nathan Mdledle in the lead. The musical later went to London's West End for two years.

Following the March 21, 1960, Sharpeville Massacre - where 69 peacefully protesting Africans were shot dead in Sharpeville, and the South African government banned gatherings of ten or more people - and the increased brutality of the Apartheid state, Masekela left the country. He was helped by Trevor Huddleston who got him admitted into London's Guildhall School of Music. He visited the United States, and was befriended by Harry Belafonte. There he recorded the pop jazz tunes "Up, Up and Away" and the number one smash "Grazin' in the Grass" (1968), which sold four million copies.

In 1987, he had a hit single with "Bring Him Back Home" which became an anthem for the movement to free Nelson Mandela. A renewed interest in his African roots led him to collaborate with West and Central African musicians, and finally to reconnect with South African players when he set up a mobile studio in Botswana, just over the South African border, in the 1980s. Here he re-absorbed and re-used mbaqanga strains, a style he has continued to use since his return to South Africa in the early 1990s. In the 1980s, he toured with Paul Simon in support of Simon's album Graceland, which featured other South African artists such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Miriam Makeba, and other elements of the band Kalahari, which Masekela recorded with in the 1980s. He also collaborated in the musical development for the Broadway play, Sarafina!

In 2003, he was featured in the documentary film Amandla!. In 2004, he released his autobiography, Grazin' in The Grass: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela, which details his struggles against apartheid, as well as his personal struggles against alcoholism from the late 1970s through to the 1990s, a period when he began to blend South African sounds to an adult contemporary sound through two albums he recorded with Herb Alpert, and solo recordings, Techno-Bush, Tomorrow, Uptownship, Beatin' Aroun' de Bush, Sixty, Time, and his most recent studio recording, "Revival". His song, "Soweto Blues", sung by his former wife, Miriam Makeba, is a blues/jazz piece that mourns the carnage of the Soweto riots in 1976. Since October 2007, he is a Board Member of the Woyome Foundation. Find out more at: www.ritmoartists.com/Hugh/Masekela.htm

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The Doors

2008-10-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

The Doors, one of the most influential and controversial rock bands of the 1960s, were formed in Los Angeles in 1965 by UCLA film students Ray Manzarek, keyboards, and Jim Morrison, vocals; with drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger. The group never added a bass player, and their sound was dominated by Manzarek's electric organ work and Morrison's deep, sonorous voice, with which he sang and intoned his highly poetic lyrics. The group signed to Elektra Records in 1966 and released its first album, The Doors, featuring the hit "Light My Fire," in 1967.

Like "Light My Fire," the debut album was a massive hit, and endures as one of the most exciting, groundbreaking recordings of the psychedelic era. Blending blues, classical, Eastern music, and pop into sinister but beguiling melodies, the band sounded like no other. With his rich, chilling vocals and somber poetic visions, Morrison explored the depths of the darkest and most thrilling aspects of the psychedelic experience. Their first effort was so stellar, in fact, that the Doors were hard-pressed to match it, and although their next few albums contained a wealth of first-rate material, the group also began running up against the limitations of their recklessly disturbing visions. By their third album, they had exhausted their initial reservoir of compositions, and some of the tracks they hurriedly devised to meet public demand were clearly inferior to, and imitative of, their best early work.

On The Soft Parade, the group experimented with brass sections, with mixed results. Accused (without much merit) by much of the rock underground as pop sellouts, the group charged back hard with the final two albums they recorded with Morrison, on which they drew upon stone-cold blues for much of their inspiration, especially on 1971's L.A. Woman. From the start, the Doors' focus was the charismatic Morrison, who proved increasingly unstable over the group's brief career. In 1969, he was arrested for indecent exposure during a concert in Miami, an incident that nearly derailed the band.

Nevertheless, the Doors managed to turn out a series of successful albums and singles through 1971, when, upon the completion of L.A. Woman, he decamped for Paris. He died there, apparently of a drug overdose. The three surviving Doors tried to carry on without him, but ultimately disbanded. Yet the Doors' music and Morrison's legend continued to fascinate succeeding generations of rock fans: In the mid-'80s, he was as big a star as he'd been in the mid-'60s, and Elektra has sold numerous quantities of the Doors' original albums plus reissues and releases of live material over the years, while publishers have flooded bookstores with Doors and Morrison biographies. In 1991, director Oliver Stone made The Doors, a feature film about the group starring Val Kilmer as Morrison.

The surviving Doors continued for some time, initially considering replacing Morrison with a new singer. Instead, Krieger and Manzarek took over on vocals and The Doors released two more albums before disbanding. The recording of Other Voices took place from June to August 1971, and the album was released in October, 1971. The recordings for Full Circle took place during the spring of 1972, and the album was released in August, 1972. The Doors went on tour after the releases in support of the albums. The last album expanded into jazz territory.

While neither album has been reissued on CD in the United States, they have been released on 2-on-1 CDs in Germany and Russia. The legality of the re-issues is debatable.
Both albums sold less than the Morrison era releases, and The Doors stopped performing and recording at the end of 1972, effectively dissolving in March, 1973, during a stay in London while looking for a vocalist. Find out more at: http://www.thedoors.com/

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Brenda Holloway

2008-10-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

Brenda Holloway (born June 21, 1946) is a singer and songwriter best known for her period as a recording artist for the Motown label during the 1960s and is best known for the soulful hits, "Every Little Bit Hurts" and "You've Made Me So Very Happy", which later became a pop smash by Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Born in Atascadero, California, she grew up in the Watts section of Los Angeles where she took up violin and sung in her church choir. At 14, she and sister Patrice Holloway began working on demonstration records and singing backup for local L.A.-based R&B acts. In 1962, Brenda made her recording debut with the single, "Poor Fool". That same year, she recorded the song that she would later be famously known for in the coming decades, "Every Little Bit Hurts".

After being overheard singing Mary Wells' "My Guy", Motown Records CEO Berry Gordy signed her to the label's Tamla imprint. For her first single, she was required to re-record "Every Little Bit Hurts" much to the budding singer-songwriter's chagrin. Released in May of 1964, "Every Little Bit Hurts" became a smash hit for Holloway reaching number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 helping to win the singer a concert spot on Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars tour. She followed "Every Little Bit Hurts" with the more modest follow-up, "I Will Always Love You", before hitting the top forty again with the number 25 pop hit, "When I'm Gone", released shortly after now-former Motown star Mary Wells' Motown contract expired. Wells ironically recorded "When I'm Gone" before Holloway. Motown produced Holloway with songs that were originally recorded by Wells including "Operator" and "I'll Be Available". She became a fixture to several sixties television shows including Shindig! and later was asked by The Beatles to open for them on their U.S. tour in 1966.

She performed in the first rock stadium concert at Shea Stadium for the Beatles as their opening act. Holloway was only one of three female acts who opened for the Beatles including Mary Wells and Jackie DeShannon. Despite her modest success, Holloway felt out of place at the Detroit-based label. Being the first West Coast-based artist on the label, she also was one of the few female artists in Motown to write her own songs and had a much grittier approach to songs than her contemporaries in the label.

Between 1966 and early 1968, she recorded a string of singles that was to be put on her second album, Hurtin' & Cryin'. Its first single was "Just Look What You've Done", which hit the top 30 on the R&B chart. Its follow-up would have a stronger span: the Holloway co-penned "You've Made Me So Very Happy", was one of the few singles written by Holloway allowed to be released. Upon its release, the single peaked at number 40 on the pop chart and number 39 on the R&B chart. Its momentum was stopped when Holloway suddenly left Motown in 1968. A year later, Holloway received royalties for "You've Made Me So Very Happy" when jazz-rock troupe Blood, Sweat & Tears took it to number 2 on the US pop chart and the top 40 in the UK. A year afterwards, Holloway retired from performing.

For more than ten years, she married a pastor and became a housewife while occasionally singing with her sister Patricia. In 1980, she briefly stepped out of retirement to record a gospel album. She divorced her husband shortly afterward, and returned to performing secular music in 1988 recording for the UK label, Motorcity Records. In 1990, she issued the album, All It Takes. After the 1992 death of her friend, Mary Wells, from throat cancer, she came out of retirement from performing and has since kept a healthy performing schedule while recording sporadically. Her most recent album was the 2003 recording, My Love is Your Love. Her vocals, alongside her sister's, were prominently featured in the background of Joe Cocker's hit version of The Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends". In the UK, she's regarded as a "Northern Soul legend" while in the U.S., she's often considered the "lost" Motown artist among other Motown acts that didn't get the recognition that many felt they deserved. Still, she is looked upon as a "sixties Motown legend". Find out more at: www.soullyoldies.com/brenda-holloway-biography.html

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Traffic

2008-10-10T14:30:00.000-07:00

Traffic was an English rock band from Birmingham, formed in 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. They began as a psychedelic rock group influenced by The Beatles when releasing early pop singles, and diversified their sound through the use of instruments such as keyboards, reed instruments, and by incorporating jazz and improvisational techniques in their music.

Traffic's singer and keyboardist Steve Winwood experienced success as a musician prior to joining Traffic, becoming the frontman of the Spencer Davis Group at age 15 in 1963 . The Spencer Davis Group released four Top Ten singles and three Top Ten albums in the United Kingdom, as well as two Top Ten singles in the United States. Winwood left that group in April 1967, and formed Traffic with drummer Jim Capaldi, guitarist Dave Mason and multi-instrumentalist Chris Wood, after playing together as musicians at a club called The Elbow Room in Aston, Birmingham. Soon afterwards, Traffic's four members went to a cottage in Aston Tirrold, Berkshire to write and rehearse new music.

Traffic signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records label (of which Steve Winwood's elder brother Muff Winwood later became an executive) and their debut single "Paper Sun" was a UK hit in mid-1967. The second single, Mason's psych-pop classic "Hole in My Shoe", was an even bigger hit, and it became one of their best-known tracks, but it set the stage for increasing friction between Winwood and Mason, the group's principal songwriters. From the beginning, they were quite popular in their native England, though success elsewhere was slower in coming. Their first three albums combined psychedelic rock with elements of folk and soul music.

Around 1971, Mason left for good (having been in and out of the band from the beginning), and the the band experienced a variety of personnel changes. The resulting band added some jazzy elements to their style, and the compositions tended to stretch out over longer lengths. With their albums The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971) and Shootout at the Fantasy Factory (1973) their popularity in the US grew. After one more album, personnel problems resulted in the band calling it quits (but for a brief reunion in 1994 without Wood, who had died in 1983). Winwood, Mason, Capaldi, and Wood all pursued solo careers, with Winwood garnering the most success.

Capaldi and Winwood reunited as Traffic in 1994 for a one-off tour, and they recorded and released a CD of all-new material Far From Home, but it was made without Chris Wood, who had died in 1983 from alcohol-related causes. Traffic was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 2004. Find out more at: http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=:difixqr51dse~T1

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Etta James

2008-10-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles, California. James is an American Blues, R&B and gospel singer also known by the nickname Miss Peaches.Born to an unmarried 14 year old mother (although she believes that Minnesota Fats was her father), she received her first professional vocal training at the age of 5, from James Earle Hines, musical director of the Echoes of Eden choir at St. Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

Her family moved to San Francisco, California in 1950, and in 1952 the trio (the Creolettes) she had formed with two of her friends came to the attention of Johnny Otis. Otis reversed the syllables of her first name to give her her stage name and began recording her. Her first record, and her first R & B hit, was her own composition, “The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry.Drug-related and romantic problems interfered with her career, but James managed to maintain a career throughout the latter half of the 20th century. Later in life, James struggled with obesity.

She reached more than 400 pounds, experienced mobility and knee problems, and often needed a wheelchair. In 2003, James underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost over 200 pounds.

James was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame. Her pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. In 2003 she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She still tours. Find out more about her life and career at: http://www.etta-james.com/

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Rick Nelson

2008-09-30T14:09:00.001-07:00

Rick Nelson was born May 8, 1940 and entered professional entertainment before his tenth birthday, when he appeared with father Ozzie (once a jazz musician), mother Harriet, and brother David on a radio comedy series based around the family. By the early '50s, the series was on television, and Ricky grew into a teenager in public. He was just the right age to have his life turned around by rock & roll in 1956 and started his recording career almost accidentally the following year. The single, a cover of Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin'" that went to number four, was helped immensely by plugs on the Ozzie & Harriet TV show.

Over the next five years he would offer his own brand of rockabilly music, albeit one with some smooth Hollywood production touches and occasional pure pop ballads. Nelson recruited one of the greatest early rock guitarists, Some of his best and toughest songs ("Believe What You Say," "It's Late") were written by Johnny and/or Dorsey Burnette, who had previously been in one of the best rockabilly combos, the Johnny Burnette Rock 'n Roll Trio. Ricky could rock pretty hard when he wanted to, as on "Be-Bop Baby" and "Stood Up," though in a polished fashion that wasn't quite as wild and threatening as rockabilly's Southern originators.

From 1957 to 1962, he was about the highest-selling singer in the U.S. except for Elvis, making the Top 40 about 30 times. "Poor Little Fool" and "Lonesome Town" (1958) were early indications of his ballad style; in the early '60s, "Travelin' Man," "Young World," "Teen Age Idol," and other hits pointed to a more countrified, mature style as he honed in on his 21st birthday (by which time he would shorten his billing from "Ricky" to "Rick"). He could still play rockabilly from time to time, the most memorable example being "Hello, Mary Lou" (co-written by Gene Pitney), with its electrifying James Burton solos.

He left the Imperial Record label for a 20-year contract with Decca in 1963 (which would be terminated prematurely in the mid-'70s), and for a year or so the hits continued, at a less frenetic pace. Early-1964's "For You," however, would be his last big smash of the '60s. Much of the material was either substandard pop or Tin Pan Alley standards, although isolated tracks still generated some sparks. He also continued to appear on Ozzie and Harriet. But by the mid-'60s even that institution was declining in popularity, leading to its cancellation in 1966.

Influenced by the music of Willie Nelson and Doug Kershaw, he formed one of the earliest country-rock groups, the Stone Canyon Band. A cover of Bob Dylan's "She Belongs to Me" made the Top 40 in 1970, but his country-rock outings attracted more critical acclaim than commercial success, until 1972's "Garden Party." A rare self-composed number, based around the frosty reception granted his contemporary material at a rock & roll oldies show, it became his last Top Ten hit.

Nelson would continue to record off and on for the next dozen years and toured constantly, yet he was unable to capitalize on his assets. A big part of the problem was that although he wanted to play contemporary music, he didn't write much of his own material, which was a basic precept of self-respecting rock acts after the advent of the Beatles. Nor did he tap into good outside compositions, and there's little of interest on the albums he recorded over the last decade or so of his life. He died (along with his fiancée) in a private plane crash on December 31, 1985, on his way to a New Year's Eve gig in Dallas, at the age of 45. Find out more about him and his music at: www.rockhall.com/inductee/ricky-nelson

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Lavern Baker

2008-09-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American Rhythm & Blues singer. She was one of the sexiest divas gracing the mid-'50s rock & roll circuit, boasting a brashly seductive vocal delivery tailor-made for belting the catchy novelties "Tweedlee Dee," "Bop-Ting-a-Ling," and "Tra La La" for Atlantic Records during rock's first wave of prominence.

Born Delores Williams, she was singing at the Club DeLisa on Chicago's south side at age 17, decked out in raggedy attire and billed as "Little Miss Sharecropper" (the same handle that she made her recording debut under for RCA Victor with Eddie "Sugarman" Penigar's band in 1949). She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for OKeh in 1951 with Maurice King's Wolverines, then settled on the first name of LaVern when she joined Todd Rhodes' band as featured vocalist in 1952 (she fronted Rhodes' aggregation on the impassioned ballad "Trying" for Cincinnati's King Records).

She signed with Atlantic as a solo in 1953, debuting with the incendiary "Soul on Fire." The coy, Latin-tempo "Tweedlee Dee" was a smash in 1955 on both the R&B and pop charts, although her impact on the latter was blunted when squeaky-clean Georgia Gibbs covered it for Mercury. An infuriated Baker filed suit over the whitewashing, but she lost. By that time, though, her star had ascended: Baker's "Bop-Ting-A-Ling," "Play It Fair," "Still," and the rocking "Jim Dandy" all vaulted into the R&B Top Ten over the next couple of years.

Baker's statuesque figure and charismatic persona made her a natural for TV and movies. She co-starred on the historic R&B revue segment on Ed Sullivan's TV program in November of 1955 and did memorable numbers in Alan Freed's rock movies Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr. Rock & Roll. Her Atlantic records remained popular throughout the decade: she hit big in 1958 with the ballad "I Cried a Tear," adopted a pseudo-sanctified bellow for the rousing Leiber & Stoller-penned gospel sendup "Saved" in 1960, and cut a Bessie Smith tribute album before leaving Atlantic in 1964. A brief stop at Brunswick Records (where she did a sassy duet with Jackie Wilson, "Think Twice") preceded a late-'60s jaunt to entertain the troops in Vietnam. She became seriously ill after the trip and was hospitalized, eventually settling far out of the limelight in the Philippines. She remained there for 22 years, running an NCO club on Subic Bay for the U.S. government.

Finally, in 1988, Baker returned stateside to star in Atlantic's 40th anniversary bash at New York's Madison Square Garden. That led to a soundtrack appearance in the film Dick Tracy, a starring role in the Broadway musical Black & Blue (replacing her ex-Atlantic labelmate Ruth Brown), a nice comeback disc for DRG (Woke Up This Mornin'), and a memorable appearance at the Chicago Blues Festival. Baker died on March 10, 1997. Find out more about this soul legend at: http://home.att.net/~marvy42/Lavern/lavern.html

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Georgie Fame

2008-09-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Georgie Fame (b. June 26, 1943) is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player whose real name is Clive Powell.

Fame was born in Leigh in Lancashire. At sixteen years of age he entered into a management agreement with Larry Parnes, who gave artists new names such as Marty Wilde and Billy Fury. Fame was already playing piano for Billy Fury in a backing band called The Blue Flames, which later became billed as “Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames”. The band had great success with rhythm and blues. Their greatest success was “The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde” in 1968, which was a number-one hit in the United Kingdom and in the United States; they also had UK number-one hits with “Yeh Yeh” (1965) and “Get Away” (1966). Although he enjoyed regular chart success with singles in the late 60s, it was a peculiar quirk of chart statistics that his only three Top 10 hits all made number one.

He continued playing into the 1970s, enjoying a hit with Alan Price (ex-keyboard player of The Animals), “Rosetta”, in 1971. He has also toured as one of the Rhythm Kings, with his friend Bill Wyman playing bass.From the late 1980s, until the 1997 album The Healing Game he was a core member of Van Morrison’s band, as well as his musical producer, playing keyboards and singing harmony vocals on tracks like “In the Days before Rock ‘n’ Roll”. In 1998, Fame split with Morrison to record and tour with former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman's new group the Rhythm Kings, contributing organ and vocals to several albums. In 2000, now signed to Ben Sidran's Go Jazz label, Fame released the acclaimed Poet in New York, which established him as an impressive student of jazz's vocalese tradition. He frequently plays residences at jazz clubs such as Ronnie Scott’s. Find more at: http://www.geocities.com/mikegriffiths6/thegeorgiefamediscography.html

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Jerry Butler

2008-09-16T23:18:00.000-07:00

Jerry Butler (born Jerry Butler Jr., December 8, 1939, Sunflower, Mississippi) is an American soul singer and songwriter also known as "The Ice Man" because of his cool demeanour while singing often intensely emotional lyrics. He is also noted as being the original lead singer of the legendary R&B vocal group, The Impressions, as well as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.

The mid-1950s had a profound impact on Butler’s life. He grew up poor, having lived in Chicago’s rough Cabrini Green housing complex. Music and the church provided solace from a city that was as segregated as those in the Deep South. He performed in a church choir with Curtis Mayfield. As a teenager, Butler sang in a gospel quartet called Northern Jubilee Gospel Singers, along with Mayfield. Mayfield, a guitar player, became the lone instrumentalist for the six-member Roosters group, which later became The Impressions.

At age 18, Butler wrote the song "For Your Precious Love" and wanted to record a disc. The Impressions auditioned for Chess Records and VeeJay Records and were eventually signed with Vee-Jay, where they released "For Your Precious Love" in 1958, which became The Impressions' first hit and gold record. Due to conflicts between the group and Vee-Jay, which wanted to bill the group as "Jerry Butler and The Impressions," which neither Butler nor the other group members wanted, he left the group shortly thereafter.

He co-wrote, with Otis Redding, the song "I've Been Loving You Too Long" in 1965. Butler’s solo career had a string of hits, including the Top 10 successes "He Will Break Your Heart (He Don't Love You, Like I Love You)," "Find Another Girl," "I'm A-Telling You" (all written by fellow Impression Curtis Mayfield and featuring Mayfield as harmony vocal), "Only the Strong Survive," "Moon River," "Need To Belong" (recorded with the Impressions after he went solo), "Make It Easy On Yourself," "Let It Be Me" (with Betty Everett), "Brand New Me," "Ain’t Understanding Mellow" (with Brenda Lee Eager), "Hey, Western Union Man," and "Never Gonna Give You Up." Butler released two successful albums, The Ice Man Cometh (1968) and Ice On Ice (1970). The Iceman Cometh garnered Butler three Grammy nominations. He collaborated on many of his successful recordings with the Philadelphia-based songwriting team, Gamble and Huff.

Butler continues to perform while serving as a Cook County Board Commissioner since the 1980s. In recent years, he has served as host of PBS TV music specials, such as Doo Wop 50 and 51, Rock Rhythm and Doo Wop, and Soul Spectacular: 40 years of R&B, among others. He has also served as Chairman of the Board of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 1991, Butler was inducted, along with the other original members of the Impressions, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Gooden, Fred Cash, and Arthur and Richard Brooks, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He currently resides in Chicago with his wife Annette. He has two sons, Randy and Tony, and a grandson. Find out more at about the singer at: http://shs.starkville.k12.ms.us/mswm/MSWritersAndMusicians/musicians/ButlerJerry/Butler.Jerry.html

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The Troggs

2008-09-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Remembered chiefly as proto-punkers who reached the top of the charts with the "caveman rock" of "Wild Thing" (1966), the Troggs were also adept at crafting power pop and ballads. Hearkening back to a somewhat simpler, more basic British Invasion approach as psychedelia began to explode in the late '60s, the group also reached the Top Five with their flower-power ballad "Love Is All Around" in 1968.

Hailing from the relatively unknown British town of Andover, the Troggs hooked up with manager/producer Larry Page (who was involved in the Kinks' early affairs) in the mid-'60s. After a flop debut single, they were fortunate enough to come across a demo of Chip Taylor's "Wild Thing" (which had already been unsuccessfully recorded by the Wild Ones). In the hands of the Troggs, "Wild Thing" — with its grungy chords and off-the-wall ocarina solo — became a primeval three-chord monster, famous not only in its original hit Troggs version, but in its psychedelic revamping by Jimi Hendrix, who used it to close his famous set at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.

"Wild Thing" made number one in the States, but the Troggs' momentum there was impeded by a strange legal dispute which saw their early records simultaneously released on two different labels. Nor did it help that the band didn't tour the U.S. for a couple of years. As a consequence, the fine follow-up singles "With a Girl Like You" and "I Can't Control Myself" didn't do as well as they might have. In Britain, it was a different story — they were smashes, although "I Can't Control Myself" had such an open-hearted lust that it encountered resistance from conservative radio programmers all over the globe.

The Troggs tempered their image on subsequent ballads, which utilized a sort of pre-"power ballad" approach. These weren't bad, and a few of them were British hits, but they weren't as fine as the initial blast of singles which established the band's image. "Love Is All Around," which restored them to the American Top Ten in 1968, was their finest effort in this vein. It was also their final big hit on either side of the Atlantic.By 1970, they were struggling.

They continued to release a stream of singles, most of which had a straightforward simplicity that was out of step with the progressive rock of the time, all of which flopped, though some were fairly good. They found enough live work (sometimes on the punk/new wave circuit) to keep going, although their intermittent records generally came to naught. In 1992, they rose to their highest profile in ages when three members of R.E.M., which had covered "Love Is All Around," backed the Troggs on the comeback album Athens Andover.

In 1994 The Troggs single from 1960s, Love is all Around, was used in the hit Hugh Grant English comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral. This usage of the song revived it completely, so much so that it hit #1 on the UK charts for 15 weeks straight. Find out more about them at their website: www.my-generation.org.uk/Troggs

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Irma Thomas

2008-09-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

Irma Thomas (b. February 18, 1941, Ponchatoula, Louisiana) is a Grammy Award winning soul and rhythm and blues singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans."

She is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial success; still, she has a large cult following among soul aficionados. In 2007, she won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album for "After The Rain", her first Grammy in an acclaimed career spanning over 45 years.

Born Irma Lee, as a teen she sang with a Baptist church choir, auditioning for Specialty Records as a 13 year old. By the age of 19 she had been married twice and had four children. Keeping her second ex-husband's surname, she worked as a waitress in New Orleans. Her first single, "(You Can Have My Husband But) Don't Mess With My Man," was released in spring 1960, and reached the number 22 spot on the Billboard R&B chart.

She then began recording on the Minit label, working with songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint on songs including “It’s Raining” and “Ruler of my Heart”, which was later reinterpreted by Otis Redding as "Pain In My Heart". Imperial Records acquired Minit in 1963, and a string of successful releases followed, including "I Wish Someone Would Care” (her biggest national hit), its B-side " Break-a-Way” (later covered by Tracey Ullman among others), "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is”, and "Time Is on My Side" (a song later by the Rolling Stones).

Although her first four Imperial singles all charted on Billboard's pop chart, later releases were less successful, and, unlike her contemporaries she never managed to cross over into mainstream commercial success. She recorded for Chess Records in 1967/68 with some success, the Otis Redding song "Good To Me" reaching the R&B chart. She then relocated to California, releasing records on various small labels, before returning to Louisiana, and in the early 1980s opened her own club, the Lion's Den.

After several years’ break from recording, she was signed by Rounder Records, and in 1991 earned her first-ever Grammy nomination for "Live! Simply the Best". She subsequently released a number of traditional gospel albums, together with more secular recordings. The album “Sing It !” was nominated for a Grammy in 1999.

She is still active as a performer, appearing annually at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. She reigned as Queen of the Krewe du Vieux for the 1998 New Orleans Mardi Gras season. She often headlined at her own club, which is now out of business due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Thomas relocated to Gonzales, Louisiana, 60 miles from New Orleans, after Hurrican Katrina, but, according to her web site, she is now back in her home in New Orleans. In 2007, The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame honored her contributions to Louisiana music by inducting her into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.Visit her official website at: http://www.irmathomas.com/

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Kay Starr

2008-09-04T17:20:00.000-07:00

Kay Starr (born July 21, 1922) is an American jazz and popular singer. She was born Katherine Laverne Starks on an Indian reservation in Dougherty, Oklahoma. Her father was a full-blooded Iroquois Indian; her mother, Annie, was of mixed Irish and American Indian heritage. When her father got a job installing water sprinkler systems for the Automatical Sprinkler Company, the family moved to Dallas, Texas. There, her mother raised chickens, whom Kay used to serenade in the coop. Kay's aunt Nora was impressed by her 7-year-old niece's singing and arranged for her to sing on a Dallas radio station, WRR. Eventually she had her own 15-minute show, singing pop and "hillbilly" songs with a piano accompaniment. By age 10 she was making $3 a night, which was quite a salary in the Depression days.

When her father changed jobs, the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where she continued performing on the radio. She sang "Western swing music," still mostly a mix of country and pop. During this time at Memphis radio station WMPS,misspellings in her fan mail inspired her and her parents to change her name to "Kay Starr."

At 15, she was chosen to sing with the Joe Venuti orchestra. Venuti had a contract to play in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis which called for his band to feature a girl singer, which he did not have. Venuti's road manager heard Kay Starr on the radio and suggested her to Venuti. She was still in junior high school and her parents insisted on a midnight curfew.

After finishing high school, she moved to Los Angeles and signed with Wingy Manone's band; then from 1943 to 1945 she sang with Charlie Barnet's band. She then retired for a year because she developed pneumonia and later developed nodes on her vocal cords, and lost her voice as a result of fatigue and overwork. In 1946 she became a soloist, and in 1947 signed a solo contract with Capitol Records. In 1948 when the American Federation of Musicians was threatening a strike, Capitol wanted to have all its singers record a lot of songs for future release. Since she was junior to all these other artists, every song she wanted to sing got offered to all the others, leaving her a list of old songs from earlier in the century, which nobody else wanted to record.

Around 1950 she made a trip back home to Dougherty and while there heard a fiddle recording of Pee Wee King's song, "Bonaparte's Retreat". She liked it so much that she wanted to record it, and contacted Roy Acuff's publishing house in Nashville, Tennessee, and spoke to Acuff directly. He was happy to let her record it, but it took a while for her to make clear that she was a singer, not a fiddler, and therefore needed to have some lyrics written. Eventually Acuff came up with a new lyric, and "Bonaparte's Retreat" became her biggest hit up to that point, with close to a million sales.

In 1955, she signed with RCA Victor Records. However, at this time, traditional pop music was being superseded by rock and roll, and Kay had only one hit, which is sometimes considered her attempt to sing rock and roll and sometimes as a song making fun of it, "The Rock And Roll Waltz". She stayed at RCA Victor until 1959, then returned to Capitol.

Most of her songs have jazz influences, and were sang in a style that sounded decidedly close to the rock and roll songs that follow. These include her smash hits "Wheel of Fortune" (her biggest hit, number one for 10 weeks), "Side by Side", "The Man Upstairs", and "Rock and Roll Waltz". One of her biggest hits was her cover version of "The Man with the Bag", a Christmas song, which can be heard non-stop every holiday season in stores, restaurants, and on the radio. Her career declined in the late 1950s but she continued to work.

In 2006 a remix by Stuhr of Starr's vocal of the classic "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" was used in a commercial for Telus. As of 2007 she resides in Bel Air, California; married six times, she has a daughter and a grandchild. Find out more at: http://www.members.tripod.com/~Kay_starr/biography.html

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Dobie Gray

2008-08-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

Dobie Gray (born Lawrence Victor Ainsworth, 26 July 1940) is a musician/singer best known for his cover of the song "Drift Away", which was one of the biggest hits of 1973, and still remains a staple of radio airplay.

He was born in Texas although the exact place is unknown, Simonton being one of the most generally agreed on locations. There is also some argument as to his date of birth, but it is generally placed in the early 1940s. His birth name is also disputed, being listed as "Leonard Victor Ainsworth" or "Laurence Darrow Brown". However, Gray is listed in the Fort Bend County Birth Records in Texas, as being born on 26 July 1940, to Jane P. Spencel and Jethro Clifton Brown.

He moved from Texas to California in the 1960s, where he was mentored by Sonny Bono and later took up residence in Nashville, Tennessee. Both the original "Drift Away" single, and album of the same title, were the final records pressed on the Decca Records label. MCA absorbed the Decca label (along with its other subsidiaries) shortly thereafter.

Gray had other hits though, with songs such as "The 'In' Crowd" in 1965, and "Out On The Floor" a decade later. "The 'In' Crowd" is the song which first brought international recognition to Gray. Written by Billy Page, it extolled the cool sassiness and hipness of being "In" in the mid-sixties. The record was in the charts for three months. The Ramsey Lewis Trio's hit version of it came two years later.

"Drift Away" became a hit again in 2003, when it was covered by Uncle Kracker on his No Stranger to Shame album. The recording is a duet between Kracker and Gray, who is also featured in the video. Gray is still in the entertainment business and has a website at: http://www.dobiegray.com/

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Chris Montez

2008-08-26T23:55:00.000-07:00

Chris Montez (born Ezekiel Christopher Montanez, January 17, 1943, in Los Angeles, California, the last of twenty children), is a Mexican American singer. He grew up in Hawthorne, California, influenced by the Latino flavored music of his community and the success of Ritchie Valens.

In 1962, he recorded the single, “Let’s Dance” on Monogram Records. It went to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in the U.S. and to #2 on the U.K. Singles Chart. Though he would tour with Clyde McPhatter, Sam Cooke, the Platters, and the Miracles, there would be no more hits for Montez until four years later. This was despite a relatively new and highly popular group of Liverpudlians, who called themselves The Beatles, opening a London show for him.

He returned to the recording studio in 1965, this time at A&M Records. Montez was searching for the same rock and roll formula that would replicate the success of “Let’s Dance”. During a recording session, A&M co-founder Herb Alpert dropped in and suggested that Montez try a different approach: a Middle of the road, soft ballad sound.

Montez trusted Alpert’s insticts enough to give it a try. “Call Me” was the first single released from his 1966 A&M album, “The More I See You”. The title single from the album, making its way to primarily adult-formatted radio stations, confused some non-rock and roll DJs, who were unfamiliar with Chris’ past work. When back-announcing the song, the DJs would often refer to Chris as a female ( Likely because these songs were sung in a falsetto). But by the time the album was released, Montez’ pictures on the front and back of the jacket cleared up any mystery surrounding his gender.

“The More I See You” album yielded three top 40 singles for Montez: The title cut, plus “Call Me” and “There Will Never Be Another You”. Unfortunately, it was this album that would yield the most Top 40 hits for Montez.He would record three more albums for A&M: “Time After Time”, “Foolin’ Around”, and “Watch What Happens”. None of these albums mirrored the success of The More I See You album. The title cut album, “Time After Time”, did hit the Top 40, but no other hits followed. Following the release of “Watch What Happens” in 1968, Montez left A&M Records.In November, 1972, Montez charted a Latin hit in Brazil: “Loco por ti (Crazy about you)” became very popular in that country. Montez resurfaced in 1974 at CBS Records, with the release of a new LP, “The Best of Chris Montez”, a mix of both old and new recordings, with the new ones having little to no resemblance of his past hits.[citation needed] This, and Chris’ more mature appearance on the cover, with longer hair, a mustache, and a stylish (for the mid-1970s) patterned shirt, was proof that the album marked time.

He recorded one more album for CBS: Raza: Ay No Digas, which did well internationally, but failed to make an impact in the U.S. His final album, with exclusively Spanish-language material, was Cartas de Amor, released on the independent label AYM in 1983 and later released on A&M Records (A&M Discos) of Mexico.

He continues to perform, mainly to foreign audiences, but still maintains a series of concert dates stateside. Most of his American appearances are in Branson, Missouri, where he performs with Dick Clark's “Original Stars at American Bandstand” show on stage along with Fabian, Bobby Vee, Brian Hyland, and The Chiffons. Find out more about him and his career at: http://www.chrismontez.com/

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Les McCaan

2008-08-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Born in 1935 in Lexington, Kentucky, Les McCann is a self-taught musician (other than the four piano lessons he took as a youth from a nice old lady who lived in the neighborhood). In the early fifties, he left the South and joined the Navy. While stationed in California, he took every opportunity to visit San Francisco’s jazz clubs, where he first experienced Miles Davis and his music. His first major influence though, was pianist Erroll Garner, who shared the same exuberance and bursting vocalizations. After his discharge from the military, McCann moved to Los Angeles and formed a trio, Les McCann Ltd., which became a favorite on the Sun Strip in the late fifties.

He reached the peak of his career at the 1968 Montreux Jazz Festival, recording "Compared to What" and "Cold Duck Time" for Atlantic (Swiss Movement) with Eddie Harris and Benny Bailey. Although he has done some worthwhile work since then, much of it has been anti-climatic.McCann first gained some fame in 1956 when he won a talent contest in the Navy as a singer that resulted in an appearance on television on The Ed Sullivan Show. After being discharged, he formed a trio in Los Angeles. McCann turned down an invitation to join the Cannonball Adderley Quintet so he could work on his own music.

He signed a contract with Pacific Jazz and in 1960 gained some fame with his albums Les McCann Plays the Truth and The Shout. His soulful funk style on piano was influential and McCann's singing was largely secondary until the mid-'60s. He recorded many albums for Pacific Jazz during 1960-64, mostly with his trio but also featuring Ben Webster, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Blue Mitchell, Stanley Turrentine, Joe Pass, the Jazz Crusaders and the Gerald Wilson Orchestra.

He switched to Limelight during 1965-67 and then signed with Atlantic in 1968. After the success of Swiss Movement, McCann emphasized his singing at the expense of his playing and he began to utilize electric keyboards, notably on 1972's Layers. His recordings became less interesting to traditional jazz fans from that point on, and after his Atlantic contract ran out in 1976, McCann appeared on records much less often. However he stayed popular and a 1994 reunion tour with Eddie Harris was quite successful.

A mid-1990's stroke put him out of action for a time and weakened his keyboard playing (his band began carrying an additional keyboardist) but Les McCann returned to a more active schedule during 1996 and was still a powerful singer. His comeback was solidified by 2002's Pump it Up, a guest-heavy celebration of funk and jazz released on ESC Records. Find out more about this jazz legend at: http://www.lesmccann-officialsite.com/biography.html

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Ten Years After

2008-08-17T19:08:00.000-07:00

Ten Years After are an English blues rock band, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group was form after several years of local success in the Nottingham/Mansfield area as a band known as The Jaybirds (its core was formed in late 1960 as Ivan Jay and the Jaycats), and later as Ivan Jay and the Jaymen, Ten Years After was founded by Alvin Lee and Leo Lyons. Ivan Jay sang lead vocals from late 1960 to 1962 and was joined by Ric Lee in August 1965, replacing original drummer Dave Quickmire, who had joined in 1962. In 1966 The Jaybirds moved to London, where Chick Churchill joined the group.

That November the quartet signed a manager, Chris Wright, and decided to change their name to Blues Trip, Blues Yard and finally in November 1966, to Ten Years After ( in honour of Elvis Presley, an idol of Lee's whose momentous year in rock, 1956, helps to better explain the band's title). They became the first band of the soon-to-be Chrysalis Agency. They received an invitation to play at the renowned Windsor Jazz Festival in 1967. That performance led to a contract with Deram, a subsidiary company of Decca – the first band so signed without a hit single. In October, their 1967 self-titled debut album was released.

In 1968, after touring Scandinavia and the United States, Ten Years After released their second album, live Undead, which brought their first classic, "I'm Going Home." This was followed in February 1969 by studio issue, Stonedhenge, a British hit, that included another classic, "Hear Me Calling" (it was released also as a single, and covered in 1972 by British glam rock rising stars, Slade). In July 1969 they appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, in the first event to which rock bands were invited. In August, the band performed at Woodstock; their furious-to-soft-to-furious rendition of "I'm Going Home" was featured in both the subsequent film and soundtrack album and catapulted them to star status.

During 1970, they released "Love Like a Man," their only hit in the UK Singles Chart. This song was on their fifth album, Cricklewood Green. It was the first record to be issued with a different playing speed on both sides – one a three-minute edit at 45rpm, the other, a nine-minute live version at 33rpm. In August, Ten Years After played the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 to an audience of 600,000.

In 1971, the band released the album A Space in Time which marked a move toward more commercial material. It featured their biggest hit, "I'd Love To Change The World". But a few albums later, the band broke up after the 1974 album "Positive Vibrations". In 1988, they re-united for a few concerts and recorded the album About Time (1989).

Alvin Lee has since then mostly played and recorded under his own name. In 2004, the other band members substituted him with Joe Gooch and recorded the album Now. Material from the following tour was used for the 2005 double album Roadworks. Ric Lee is currently in a band called The Breakers, along with Ian Ellis (Clouds). Find out more about this British musical contribution to the world at: http://tenyearsafter.com/

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Bettye LaVette

2008-08-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

Bettye LaVette (born Betty Haskins in Muskegon, Michigan, 1946) is an American soul singer who cut her first record at 16, but achieved only intermittent fame until her 2005 record, I've Got My Own Hell to Raise. Her style combines elements of country, rock, soul, funk, and gospel, which has prevented her from being easily marketed.

She grew up in Detroit, where she was discovered by a Detroit record producer. In 1962, aged 16, she recorded a single, "My Man - He's A Lovin' Man" which became a national hit after Atlantic Records bought distribution rights. This led to a tour with R&B musicians Clyde McPhatter, Ben E. King, Barbara Lynn and then-newcomer Otis Redding, and then a stint touring with James Brown. Her next single was "Let Me Down Easy", which has become her theme song. She would cut numerous other singles for various labels, without an album contract.

An album to be titled Child of the Seventies was produced in 1972, but it was shelved and was not released until 2000. Despite drawing enthusiastic live crowds across the country, she continued to be rebuffed by labels. She spent six years on Broadway and touring with the musical Bubbling Brown Sugar opposite Cab Calloway. During the disco era, she managed a small hit with the ironically titled "Doin' The Best That I Can".

In 1982 Motown finally offered her a contract to fill the void left by the departing Diana Ross, and LaVette recorded Tell Me A Lie, with the single "Right in the Middle of Falling in Love" which was a modest hit. Still her career languished, though she found steady work on the European festival circuit. In 1991, she completed the album Not Gonna Happen Twice for Ian Levine's Motorcity label.

In 1999, Gilles Petard, a French soul collector, discovered the masters of Child of the Seventies. He licensed the album from Atlantic and released it on his Art and Soul label as Souvenirs (2000). (Child of the Seventies was reissued by Rhino Handmade in 2006 with additional tracks.) This led to a LaVette revival which has so far included a live album and two brand new albums, including 2005's I've Got My Own Hell to Raise, an album whose title is taken from the lyrics of the Fiona Apple hit Sleep to Dream, which is covered on the album. Other notable songwriters on the album were Aimee Mann, Sinead O'Connor, Lucinda Williams, Joan Armatrading, and Dolly Parton. The album was relased by ANTI- Records and produced by Joe Henry.

Her 2007 album, The Scene of the Crime, was recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. She recorded Child of the Seventies not at FAME but at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, which ceased operation in 2005. LaVette talks about her experiences at Muscle Shoals Sound and FAME in a Knoxville Voice interview conducted by Edd Hurt in September 2007. Rock/Alt-Country outfit Drive-By Truckers served as the back-up band for the album. Drive-By Truckers frontman, Patterson Hood, produced the album alongside LaVette. The album also features one song co-written by LaVette and Patterson Hood. Find out more at: http://www.bettyelavette.com/

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Cliff Richards

2008-08-08T23:44:00.000-07:00

Sir Cliff Richard, (born Harry Roger Webb on 14 October 1940) is an English singer, actor and businessman. With his band The Shadows, he dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s. During six decades, he has charted many singles, and holds the record (with Elvis Presley) as the only act to make the UK singles charts in all of its decades (1950s–2000s) selling some 250 million records.

Cliff Richard was born at the King George Hospital in Lucknow, British India to Roger Oscar Webb, a steward, and Dorothy Marie (born Dazely) Webb. He is known to have mixed Indian and White ancestry. In 1947, following Indian independence, the family moved to Britain.

He became lead singer of the rock and roll group, the Drifters (not to be confused with the U.S. group of the same name). In 1958 they adopted the name "Cliff Richard and the Drifters". In the summer of that year he was signed to a recording contract with EMI's Columbia label for himself only, leaving the band behind. He remained with EMI until signing with Decca in 2004. Richard recorded his first single on 24 July 1958. For his debut session, he was given "Schoolboy Crush", a cover of an American record by Bobby Helms, and was permitted to record one of his own songs for the B-side; "Move It", written by the Drifters' Samwell on a number 715 Green Line bus on the way to Richard's house for a rehearsal. Music critics Roy Carr and Tony Tyler wrote that it was the first genuine British rock classic, followed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates's "Shakin' All Over".

In the early days, he was marketed as the British equivalent to Elvis Presley, adopting Presley-like dress and hairstyle. His late 1958 and early 1959 follow-up singles, "High Class Baby", and "Living Doll" were followed by "Mean Streak". It was on "Living Doll" that the Drifters began to back Richard on record. The group was obliged to change its name to "The Shadows" after legal complications with the U.S. Drifters. The Shadows would end up having several major hits own their own, including five UK #1s.

Richard's fifth single "Living Doll" triggered a softer, more relaxed, sound. Subsequent hits, the #1s "Travellin' Light" and "I Love You" and also "A Voice in the Wilderness" and "Theme for a Dream" cemented Richard's status as a mainstream pop. Throughout the early sixties his hits were consistently in the top five.

His career took a sudden turn because the sudden advent of The Beatles in 1963 and 1964 and he would never again enjoy the amount of success as before. Nor did doors open to him in the U.S. market; he was not considered part of the British Invasion, despite four Hot 100 hits (including the top 25 "It's All In The Game") between August 1963 and August 1964. Although baptised as an Anglican Christian, he did not appear to practice the faith in his early years. However, in 1964, he became an active Christian and this conversion has become an important aspect of his life. Soon after, he re-emerged, performing with Christian groups and recording some Christian material. He still recorded secular songs with the Shadows, but devoted a lot of his time to Christian work, including appearances with the Billy Graham crusades.

In 1976 the decision was made to repackage him as a "rock" artist. That year he produced the landmark album I'm Nearly Famous, which included the successful but controversial guitar-driven track Devil Woman (his first true hit in the United States) and the ballad Miss You Nights. In 1979, he teamed up with the producer Bruce Welch for the pop hit single We Don't Talk Anymore, which hit #1 in the UK and #7 in the U.S. The record gave him the distinction of becoming the first act to reach the Hot 100 in the 1980s who had also reached the Hot 100 in each of the three previous decades.

In 1986, he teamed up with The Young Ones to re-record his smash hit "Living Doll" for the charity Comic Relief. The release went to no.1. Further top ten albums included Stronger in 1989, which included the UK No.2 hit "Best Of Me", and UK No.3 "Just Don't Have The Heart" and yet another number one with The Album in 1993. Cliff Richard was knighted on 25 October 1995, the first rock star to be so honoured. He finished number 56 in the 2002 100 Greatest Britons list, sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public. This year, Richard's 50th year in music, will see the release of the 8CD box set, And They Said It Wouldn't Last (My 50 Years In Music). Find out more about this living British legend at his website: http://www.cliffrichard.org/

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Nina Simone

2008-08-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

Eunice Kathleen Waymon, was better known by her stage name Nina Simone (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), was a fifteen-time Grammy Award-nominated American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger and prominate civil rights activist. Although she disliked being categorized, she is generally classified as a jazz musician.

Raised in a family of eight children in Tryon, North Carolina, she originally harbored hopes of becoming a classical pianist, studying at New York's prestigious Juilliard School of Music — a rare position for an African-American woman in the 1950s. Needing to support herself while she studied, she generated income by working as an accompanist and giving piano lessons. Auditioning for a job as a pianist in an Atlantic City nightclub, she was told she had the spot if she would sing as well as play. Almost by accident, she began to carve a reputation as a singer of secular material, though her skills at the piano would serve her well throughout her career.

Her work covers an eclectic variety of musical styles besides her classical basis, such as jazz, soul, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop music. Her vocal style is characterized by intense passion, a loose vibrato, and a slightly androgynous timbre, in part due to her unusually low vocal range which veered between the alto and tenor ranges (occasionally even reaching baritone lows). Sometimes known as the High Priestess of Soul, she paid great attention to the musical expression of emotions. Within one album or concert she could fluctuate between exuberant happiness or tragic melancholy. These fluctuations also characterized her own personality and personal life, worsened by a bipolar disorder with which she was diagnosed in the mid-1960s, but was kept secret until 2004.

She recorded over 40 live and studio albums, the biggest body of her work being released between 1958 (when she made her debut with Little Girl Blue) and 1974. Songs she is best known for include "My Baby Just Cares for Me", "I Put a Spell on You", "I Loves You Porgy", "Feeling Good", "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", "Sinnerman", "To Be Young, Gifted and Black", "Strange Fruit", "Ain't Got No/I Got Life" and "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl". Her music and message made a strong and lasting impact on African-American culture, illustrated by the numerous contemporary artists who cite her as an important influence (among them Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Jeff Buckley, and Lauryn Hill), as well as the extensive use of her music on soundtracks and in remixes.

She left the U. S. in September 1970. She flew to Barbados, expecting her husband and manager, Andrew Stroud, to contact her when she had to perform again. However, Stroud interpreted her sudden disappearance (and the fact that she left behind her wedding ring) as a cue for a divorce. As her manager, Stroud was also in charge of Simone's income. This meant that after their separation she had no knowledge about how her business was run, and what she was actually worth. Upon returning to America she also learned that she was wanted for unpaid taxes, causing her to go back to Barbados again to evade the authorities and prosecution. She stayed in Barbados for quite some time, and had a lengthy affair with the Prime Minister, Errol Barrow. A close friend, singer Miriam Makeba, convinced her to come to Liberia. After that she lived in Switzerland and the Netherlands, before settling in France in 1992.

Though her on-stage style could be somewhat haughty and aloof, in later years, she particularly seemed to enjoy engaging her audiences by recounting sometimes humorous anecdotes related to her career and music and soliciting requests. Her autobiography, I Put a Spell on You, was published in 1992 and she recorded her last album, A Single Woman in 1993. That same year she settled near Aix-en-Provence in Southern France. She had been ill with breast cancer for several years before she died in her sleep at her home in Carry-le-Rouet, Bouches-du-Rhône on April 21, 2003, aged 70. Her funeral service was attended by singers Miriam Makeba and Patti Labelle, poet Sonia Sanchez, actor Ossie Davis and hundreds of others. Her ashes were scattered in several African countries. She left behind a daughter, Lisa Celeste, now an actress/singer who took on the stagename Simone who has appeared on Broadway in Aida. Find out more about her music and her life at: http://ninasimone.com/

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Procol Harum

2008-07-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

Procol Harum is a British rock band, formed in the 1960s. They are best known for their 1967 hit single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", which is not only a regular item on classic singles polls, but is also regarded as being a seminal track in the development of pop music and particularly progressive rock music. Based in Southend, England, The Paramounts, led by Gary Brooker and Robin Trower and including Chris Copping, scored a moderate British success with a cover of The Coasters song "Poison Ivy" in 1964, reaching number 35 in the UK singles chart.They were unable to recreate this, however, and the band fell apart in 1966.

In April 1967, Brooker began working as a singer/songwriter and formed Procol Harum with non-Paramounts Keith Reid (poet), Hammond organist Matthew Fisher, guitarist Ray Royer and bassist David Knights. The band name was chosen by its original manager Guy Stevens after a friend's Burmese cat.

At Olympic Studios, the group recorded "A Whiter Shade of Pale." The song was officially released on May 12, 1967. With the sudden success of this single and The Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin", their label Deram Records became known as a premier progressive rock label. With its Bach-like tonality, provided by Fisher's Hammond organ, Brooker's soulful vocals and Reid's mysterious, if not impenetrable, lyrics, the song reached #1 on the British charts and reached #5 in the U.S. In the years since, it has become an enduring classic, placing on several polls of the best songs ever.

With the song's success the band consolidated their studio success by touring; their live debut was opening for Jimi Hendrix in 1967. A Salty Dog (1969) was their first album to sell well in the UK; it is still regarded as one of their finest albums. The title track in particular gained a good deal of US FM radio airplay, with Reid's ominous lyrics in the forefront. However, Fisher, who produced this album, departed the band soon after its release. This would lead to many personnel changes with former Paramount Chris Copping joining on organ and bass in 1970, and from late 1972 till 1977, the group's guitarist was Mick Grabham, who replaced Trower.

Musically, Procol Harum was split during all these years between Trower's guitar-driven blues rock style and Brooker's and Fisher's structured classical rock sound. The group often combined the two into a dynamic fusion, but by 1971 the disparities in style became too great; the end of an era was marked for Procol, with the release of their fifth album Broken Barricades, and subsequent departure of Trower to form his own power trio band; he would be replaced by Dave Ball.

The band reformed in 1991 with Brooker, Fisher, Trower and Reid (Wilson had died in 1990), and released The Prodigal Stranger, but sales were modest. In July 1997, fans arranged the celebration of the 30-year anniversary of the success of "A Whiter Shade of Pale", and invited the then-inactive band to play. The concert, at Redhill, drew fans from all over the world. A direct result of the concert was the creation of the fan website "Beyond the Pale" in October 1997. In late 1999, Gary Brooker promised that "Procol will play in 2000", and in September the band played an open-air gig with the New London Sinfonia in Guildford, UK.

Since 2001 the band [Brooker; Fisher; Geoff Whitehorn (also guitarist with Elkie Brooks), guitar; Matt Pegg, bass, Mark Brzezicki, drums] has made several tours of mostly Europe, but also Japan and the US. A 2001 concert in Copenhagen was released on DVD in 2002. In 2003, the band released the album The Well's on Fire. A December, 2003 London concert with much of the material from that record was released on DVD in 2004: Live at the Union Chapel. Fisher quit Procol Harum in 2004.

The band still tours, with Josh Phillips replacing Fisher on Hammond, leaving Gary Brooker as the only original performing member. In June 2006 they played at the Isle of Wight festival, the only act also to have played the original festival in 1969. In July of 2007, fans arranged the celebration of the 40-year anniversary of the success of "A Whiter Shade of Pale", and invited the band to play in two concerts at St John's, Smith Square in London. Find out more at: www.classicbands.com/procol.harum

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Brook Benton

2008-07-17T22:50:00.000-07:00

He was born Benjamin Franklin Peay on Sep. 19, 1931 in Camden, South Carolina. He would become unknown all over the world for his silky smooth and baritone voice, and is perhaps best remembered for his hit recording of the song, 'Rainy Night In Georgia,' which also became a hit for other recording artists.

Also a noted songwriter with writer and producer Clyde Otis he began his recording career in the early 1950s while touring the gospel circuit. In 1953, he began a recording session with the Okeh Record Label, and that lasted until he met Otis. He co-wrote several hundreds of demos for other artists, and was a great success as a songwriter, but his greatest success was as a soul singer throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1959, Benton landed on the R&B charts with the single, 'It's Just A Matter Of Time,' and then followed that release up with several other highly succesful hits including, 'Kiddio,' 'So Many Ways,' ' 'This Time Of The Year,' 'Fools Rush In,' 'Thank You Pretty Baby,' and the 1960 duet, 'A Rockin Good Way,' with singer Dinah Washington.

Benton continued recording throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, with some more successes, and even took a crack at the Disco era. His biggest hit though was the 1970 hit, 'Rainy Night In Georgia,' on the Cotillion Record Label.

His albums include, "Brook Benton At His Best" in 1959, "Endlessy" in 1959, "There Goes That Song Again" in 1963, "Do Your Own Thing" in 1969, "The Gospel Truth" in 1970, "Sings A Love Song" in 1975, "Ebony" in 1978, "Brook Benton Sings The Standards" in 1984, and "Brook Benton R.I.P. in 1988. His other list of studio recordings include, 'Shadrack,' 'Revenge,' 'Frankie And Johnny,' 'So Close,' 'Hotel Happiness,' 'The Boll Weevil Song,' and 'It's Just A House Without You.'

Although he continued to record throughout the 1970s and 1980s his career was pretty much over by the late 1970s. On April 9, 1988, Brook Benton passed away from spinal meningitis complications at the age of 56, in New York City. Find out more about one of my favorite satin soul singers at: www.soulwalking.co.uk/Brook%20Benton.html

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Jackie DeShannon

2008-07-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

Jackie DeShannon, real name Sharon Lee Myers, (born August 21, 1944) is an American singer/songwriter with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards. She was one of the first female singer songwriters of the rock ‘n’ roll period.

Few performers have enjoyed as versatile a career as Jackie DeShannon, and although she made a couple of well-remembered Top Ten pop hits in the '60s, she's never achieved the level of success or artistic recognition she deserves. Starting as a pop-rockabilly singer as a teenager in the late '50s, she quickly developed into one of the L.A. pop scene's hottest songwriters, penning hits for Brenda Lee, the Fleetwoods, and Irma Thomas, and often collaborating with fellow noted songwriter Shari Sheeley.

She was a crucial midwife to the birth of folk-rock, with the wonderful singles "Needles and Pins" and "When You Walk in the Room." Using the circular, jangling guitar lines that would become a prime feature of early folk-rock, both of those songs were covered by the Searchers for much bigger hits; she also wrote "Don't Doubt Yourself Babe," covered by the Byrds on their first album, and penned a couple of Marianne Faithfull's early hits. In the mid-'60s, she also found time to write some songs with then-sessionman Jimmy Page, and perform as an opening act for the Beatles on the group's first big American tour.

Her famous affiliations and success as a songwriter have sometimes obscured her own enormous talents. She's a superb singer, capable of both sweet ballads and (more satisfyingly) a gutsy, soulfully husky delivery. She performed her own material with an honest, vulnerable, intelligent intensity that pre-figured the singer/songwriter movement by several years, and demonstrated command of pop, soul, hard rock, girl group, and country styles. Her greatest success, however, came not with her own material, but with Bacharach-David's "What the World Needs Now Is Love," which made the Top Ten in 1965.

Perhaps as a result, she gravitated toward more middle-of-the-road pop sounds in the last half of the '60s, though she cut a good deal of strong material, by both herself and emerging writers like Randy Newman, Tim Hardin, and Warren Zevon. The soft rock "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" gave her another Top Ten hit in 1969, and she made some well-received singer/songwriter albums in the 1970s. One of the songs from her '70s LPs, "Bette Davis Eyes," became a number one hit for Kim Carnes in 1981. "Put A Little Love In Your Heart" was performed as the closing number at the Music for UNICEF Concert, broadcast worldwide from the United Nations General Assembly in 1979 and Annie Lennox and Al Green teamed up to do a cover, creating a worldwide smash hit all over again in 1988. Find out more about this singer/songwriter at: http://www.jackiedeshannon.com/

Research info gathered at: www.allmusic.com

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The Clovers

2008-07-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

The group formed in 1946 at Armstrong High School in Washington, D.C., with members Harold Lucas, Billy Shelton, and Thomas Woods. John "Buddy" Bailey was added soon after, and they began calling themselves the "Four Clovers", with Bailey on lead. In perfecting their sound, the group pushed Shelton and Woods out in 1948, and brought in Matthew McQuarter and Harold Winley.

Their break came in 1950, when they were introduced to Lou Krefetz, who became their manager. They signed to New York's Rainbow Records and released one single, "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" backed with "When You Come Back To Me". Soon after, Krefetz brought them to Atlantic Records' Ahmet Ertegün, and they were signed to Atlantic in 1951. At this point, Bill Harris was added as their guitarist. Their first appearance came in February of that year at the Apollo Theater.

Their very first Atlantic session produced their first big hit, "Don't You Know I Love You", which hit #1 on the national charts in June of 1951. "One Mint Julep" and "Fool Fool Fool" also went #1 in September. Bailey was drafted in 1952, and John Phillip was brought in to replace him. He stayed for just a few months, before leaving and being replaced by Charlie White, who had been in the Dominoes and the Checkers.

With personal problems, White was fired near the end of 1953. His replacement was Billy Mitchell. The group continued recording with Atlantic, without as much success as they'd previously seen. Buddy Bailey was discharged from the Army in May of 1954, and rejoined the group, making them a quintet. They continued in recording, and in 1955, found moderate success with "Devil or Angel".

Mitchell left in 1957 to do solo work, but rejoined shortly thereafter, opting to do both solo work and work with the Clovers. Their Atlantic contract expired, and Krefetz moved them to his own label, Poplar Records. Poplar was purchased by United Artists Records shortly thereafter. The group's work with United Artists put them in contact with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. After a few recordings there, they had their biggest hit, "Love Potion #9", which came in July of 1959, and featured Mitchell on lead.

Their UA contract expired in 1961, and they moved to Winley Records. With little success there, the group split. Lucas and Mitchell brought in new members James "Toy" Walton and Robert Russell, and recorded shortly for Atlantic. Mitchell left in 1962, and was replaced by Roosevelt "Tippie" Hubbard.

Following The Searchers' remake of "Love Potion #9" in 1965, an album called The Original Love Potion #9 By The Clovers was released. This version of the song was not the same as the original. To add to the confession, by 1968 ex-members of the group had formed three different groups using the Clovers name. No remnants of any of the former three spin-off groups exist today but a lineup including former-member Johnnie Mason currently tours under the Clovers name. Find more at: http://www.vocalgroups.org/inductees/the_clovers.

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The Everly Brothers

2008-07-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

Don (born February 1, 1937) and Phil (born January 19, 1939) were professionals way before their teens, schooled by their accomplished guitarist father Ike, and singing with their family on radio broadcasts in Iowa. In the mid-'50s, they made a brief stab at conventional Nashville country with Columbia. When their single flopped, they were cast adrift for quite a while until they latched onto Cadence. Don invested their first single for the label, "Bye Bye Love," with a Bo Diddley beat that helped lift the song to number two in 1957.

"Bye Bye Love" began a phenomenal three-year string of classic hit singles for Cadence, including "Wake Up Little Susie," "All I Have to Do Is Dream," "Bird Dog," "('Til) I Kissed You," and "When Will I Be Loved." The Everlys sang of young love with a heart-rending yearning and compelling melodies. The harmonies owed audible debts to Appalachian country music, but were imbued with a keen modern pop sensibility that made them more accessible without sacrificing any power or beauty. They were not as raw as the wild rockabilly men from Sun Records, but they could rock hard when they wanted. Even their midtempo numbers and ballads were executed with a force missing in the straight country and pop tunes of the era. The duo enjoyed a top-notch support team of producer Archie Bleyer, great Nashville session players like Chet Atkins, and the brilliant songwriting team of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant. Don, and occasionally Phil, wrote excellent songs of their own as well.

In 1960, they left Cadence for a lucrative contract with Warner Bros. label (the Everlys would do a lot to establish Warners as a major force in the record business). Phil and Don peaked both commercially and artistically with their first Warners releases. "Cathy's Clown," their first Warners single, was one of their greatest songs and a number one hit. Their first two Warners LPs, employing a fuller and brasher production than their Cadence work, were not just among their best work, but two of the best rock albums of the early '60s. The hits kept coming for a couple of years, some great ("Walk Right Back," "Temptation"), some displaying a distressing, increasing tendency toward soft pop and maudlin sentiments ("Ebony Eyes," "That's Old Fashioned").

Their personal lives came under a lot of stress in the early '60s: they enlisted into the Marine Corps Reserves (together), and studied acting for six months but never made a motion picture. More seriously, Don developed an addiction to speed and almost died of an overdose in late 1962. By that time, their career as chart titans in the U.S. had ended; "That's Old Fashioned" (1962) was their last Top Ten hit. Their albums became careless, erratic affairs, which was all the more frustrating because many of their flop singles of the time were fine, even near-classic efforts that demonstrated they could still deliver the goods.

They remained big stars overseas — in 1965, "Price of Love" went to number two in the U.K. at the height of the British Invasion. They incorporated jangling Beatle/Byrdesque guitars into some of their songs and recorded a fine album with the Hollies (who were probably more blatantly influenced by them than any other British band of the time). In the late '60s, they helped pioneer country-rock with the 1968 album Roots, their most sophisticated and unified full-length statement. None of this revived their career as hitmakers, though they could always command huge audiences on international tours and hosted a network TV variety show in 1970.

The decades of enforced professional togetherness finally took their toll on the pair in the early '70s, which saw a few dispirited albums and, finally, an acrimonious breakup in 1973. They spent the next decade performing solo. In 1983, enough water had flowed under the bridge for the two to resume performing and recording together. The tours, with a backup band led by guitarist Albert Lee, proved they could still sing well. The records (both live and studio) were not in nearly the same league as their '50s and '60s classics, although Paul McCartney penned a small hit single for them ("On the Wings of a Nightingale"). One of the more successful and dignified reunions in the rock annals, the Everlys continued to perform live, although they didn't record an album since the late '80s. Find out more about these sensational siblings at: http://www.theerverlybrothers.com/

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Miriam Makeba

2008-06-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

Miriam Makeba (b. March 4, 1932) is a Grammy Award-winning South African singer, also known as Mama Afrika. She was born in Johannesburg. Her mother was a Swazi sangoma and her father, who died when she was six, was a Xhosa. As a child, she sang at the Kilmerton Training Institute in Pretoria, which she attended for eight years.

Her professional career began in the 1950s with the Black Manhattan Brothers, before she formed her own group, The Skylarks, singing a blend of jazz and traditional melodies of South Africa. In 1959, she performed in the musical King Kong alongside Hugh Masekela, her future husband. Though she was a successful recording artist, she was only receiving a few dollars for each recording session and no provisional royalties, and was keen to go to the US. Her break came when she starred in the anti-Apartheid documentary Come Back, Africa in 1959. When the Italian government invited her to the premier of the film at the Venice Film Festival, she decided not to return home. Her South African passport was revoked shortly afterwards.

Makeba then travelled to London where she met Harry Belafonte, who assisted her in gaining entry to and fame in the United States. She released many of her most famous hits there including Pata Pata, The Click Song (Qongqothwane in Xhosa), and Malaika. In 1966, Makeba received the Grammy Award for Best Folk Recording together with Harry Belafonte for An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba. The album dealt with the political plight of black South Africans under Apartheid.

In 1963, after an impassioned testimony before the United Nations Committee Against Apartheid, Makeba's records were banned in South Africa and her South African citizenship and her right to return to the country were revoked.

Her marriage to Trinidadian civil rights activist and Black Panthers leader Stokely Carmichael in 1968 caused controversy in the United States, and her record deals and tours were cancelled. As a result of this, the couple moved to Guinea, where they became close with President Ahmed Sékou Touré and his wife. Makeba separated from Carmichael in 1973, and continued to perform primarily in Africa, South America and Europe. She also served as a Guinean delegate to the United Nations, for which she won the Dag Hammarskjöld Peace Prize in 1986.

After the death of her only daughter Bongi Makeba in 1985, she moved to Brussels. In 1987, she appeared in Paul Simon's Graceland tour. Shortly thereafter she published her autobiography Makeba: My Story. Nelson Mandela persuaded her to return to South Africa in 1990. In the fall of 1991, she made a guest appearance in an episode of The Cosby Show, entitled "Olivia Comes Out Of The Closet". In 1992 she starred in the film Sarafina!, about the 1976 Soweto youth uprisings, as the title character's mother, "Angelina." She also took part in the 2002 documentary Amandla!: A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony where she and others recalled the days of Apartheid.

In January 2000, her album, Homeland, was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best World Music" category. In 2001 she was awarded the Gold Otto Hahn Peace Medal by the United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN) in Berlin, "for outstanding services to peace and international understanding". In 2002, she shared the Polar Music Prize with Sofia Gubaidulina. In 2004, Makeba was voted 38th in the Top 100 Great South Africans. Makeba started a worldwide farewell tour in 2005, holding concerts in all of those countries that she had visited during her working life. She is still touring as of May 2008. Find out more at: http://www.miriammakeba.co.za/

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The Paris Sisters

2008-06-24T00:43:00.000-07:00

The Paris Sisters bridged the gap between traditional vocal pop post-World War II and the generation-defining girl group sound that emerged in the wake of rock & roll. By the 1961 release of their Phil Spector-produced breakthrough "I Love How You Love Me," the siblings were already longtime veterans of the music business. Albeth (the oldest), Sherrell (the middle child), and Priscilla Paris (the baby) were born and raised in San Francisco. Their mother, Faye, was the quintessential stage parent, a former opera singer who continued her career vicariously through her children.

They got their start singing and dancing at local Air Force showcases, and circa 1953 they made their recording debut with a pair of singles for the tiny Cavalier label: "The Bully, Bully Man" and the seasonal effort "Christmas in My Home Town." In 1954, their mother engineered a backstage visit during an Andrews Sisters performance, who were so impressed by the siblings' uncanny imitations of their hits that they were invited on-stage for encore performances of the canteen classics "Rum and Coca Cola" and "Beer Barrel Polka." An MCA Records executive in the audience signed them to the label's Decca imprint immediately thereafter, and the single "Ooh La La" appeared by year's end.

Their early Decca tunes adhered to the old-fashioned vocal harmony approach popularized by gruops like the Andrews Sisters. After their seventh Decca single, 1956's "Daughter, Daughter," the label terminated their contract, and the siblings signed with Imperial to release 1957's "Old Enough to Cry," quickly followed by "My Original Love." Imperial opted to cut its losses then and there, and they did not make another record for four years. When they finally resurfaced on Lester Sill's fledgling Gregmark label in 1961, the impresario insisted on a top-to-bottom overhaul of their approach, tapping up-and-coming producer Phil Spector to shepherd the transformation. Spector relegated Albeth and Sherrell to the background, and while he turned the spotlight on Priscilla, he insisted she dial back her powerful voice to a dusky whisper.

While their debut, "Be My Boy," earned little notice, the follow-up, "I Love How You Love Me," cracked the U.S. Top Five, galvanized by Priscilla's intimate lead turn and Spector's atypically restrained production. After the 1962 singles "He Knows I Love Him Too Much" and "What Am I to Do" also generated positive response at radio and retail, Spector began work on an LP, but as production costs began to skyrocket, Sill attempted to exert control of the project. Their skirmish ended disastrously when one of his assistants accidentally discarded the master tapes, although rumors persist it was no accident. Either way, the siblings did not make another record until 1964, signing with MGM to cut a cover of the Bobby Darin smash "Dream Lover" overseen by Spector's erstwhile arranger Jack Nitzsche.

After a pair of singles for Mercury, "When I Fall in Love" and "Always Waitin'," the Paris Sisters recorded the 1966 Unifilms LP Sing from "The Glass House", a soundtrack LP to a failed television series. That same year they signed to Reprise, which paired them with Nitzsche and production partner Jimmy Bowen — though a commercial failure, their 1967 Reprise LP Everything Under the Sun!!! remains an unsung classic of the waning girl group era, featuring several original songs written by Priscilla herself.

Priscilla released her debut solo single, "He Noticed Me," on the York label after Everything Under the Sun!!! belly-flopped. The solo LP Priscilla Sings Herself soon followed, and she closed out 1967 with Priscilla Sings Billy, a tribute to the jazz great Billie Holiday. They reunited the following year to release "Stark Naked Clown" on the GNP Crescendo imprint. "Golden Days," a 1968 one-off for Capitol, proved to be the siblings' swan song. While Albeth gradually moved behind the scenes into television production and public relations work, Sherrell formed her own group, Sherrell Paris & the Now People, touring nightclubs for several years before joining the staff of Mark Goodman-Bill Todman Productions and spending more than two decades as the personal assistant of The Price Is Right host Bob Barker.

Priscilla eventually relocated to London before settling in Paris, France, where she lived for a quarter century. After a 1978 solo LP, Love Is..., she suffered an accident resulting in partial facial paralysis, effectively ending her music career for a number of years. By the 1990s Priscilla was again playing the occasional Parisian club date, and in the spring of 2002 she returned to the U.S. for a proposed reunion concert. Sadly, the show was aborted after the 18-hour flight left her too exhausted to perform. Priscilla died on March 5, 2004, from injuries suffered in a fall at her home. She was 59. Find out more at: www.wtv-zone.com/dpjohnson/parissisters/index.html

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Ben E. King

2008-06-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

Ben E. King (born Benjamin Earl Nelson in September 28, 1938 in Henderson, North Carolina) is an American soul and pop singer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of “Stand by Me”, a top ten hit in both 1961 and 1986.

In 1958, Ben Nelson joined a doo wop group, The Five Crowns. Later that same year, The Drifters’ manager fired the members of the group and replaced them with the Five Crowns, who had performed several engagements with the Drifters. He co-wrote the first hit by the new version of the Drifters, “There Goes My Baby” (1959). He also sang lead, using his birth name, on “Save the Last Dance for Me,” a song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, “Dance With Me,” “This Magic Moment,” “I Count the Tears,” and other Drifters hits.

In 1960 he left the Drifters because he wanted a higher salary and a fairer share of the group’s royalties. At this point he assumed the more memorable stage name Ben E. King in preparation for a solo career. He remained wit Atlantic and scored his first solo hit with the stylish, Latin-tinged ballad “Spanish Harlem” (1961). “Stand by Me” was his next recording. “Stand by Me”, written by King along with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller was voted one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America. “Stand by Me” and “Spanish Harlem” were named as two of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and were both also given a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

King’s records continued to place well on the pop charts until 1963, when British pop bands began to dominate the popular music scene. His hits after 1963 were “What is Soul?” (1967), “Supernatural Thing, part 1” (1975), and the re-issue in 1986 of “Stand by Me” following the song’s use as the theme music to the movie of the same name. In its wake, King returned to solo recording, issuing a new album every few years all the way up through the '90s. He also guested on recordings by Heaven 17 and Mark Knopfler, among others. King's 1999 album Shades of Blue (on Half Note Records) found him branching out into jazz territory, performing with a big band and guests like Milt Jackson and David "Fathead" Newman. 2006 saw the release of a brand new album, I've Been Around, on True Life Records. Find out more about Ben E. King and his caeer with The Drifters at: http://vocalgrouphalloffame.com/inductees/ben_e_king.html

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Moody Blues

2008-06-15T23:28:00.000-07:00

The band, formed in 1964, originally featured Denny Laine as lead singer and Clint Warwick on bass guitar, Ray Thomas on Flute, and Graeme Edge on drums. In late 1966, Laine was replaced on lead guitar and vocals by Swindon-born Justin Hayward and Warwick was replaced on bass guitar and vocals by fellow Brummie, John Lodge. Both assumed the roles of main songwriters for the band and it was then that they were transformed from a mainly covers band to a unique combination of classical, symphonic, progressive and psychedelic rock.

Their debut album by the new line-up, ‘Days of Future Passed’, featured a full orchestra conducted by Peter Knight, subsequent recordings were performed entirely by band members on a wide variety of instruments - including the distinctive sounds of Mike Pinder on the mellotron. The album included the title song and "Nights In White Satin" which became a big hit single.

Between 1967 and 1972, the band released seven multi-million selling studio albums and performed worldwide sell-out tours. After a hiatus of five years, during which most of the members released solo and duo projects (most notably the album ‘Blue Jays’ and the single ‘Blue Guitar’ by Justin Hayward and John Lodge in 1975; the album ‘Songwriter’ and the single ‘One Lonely Room’ by Justin Hayward in 1977; the album ‘Natural Avenue’ by John Lodge in 1977; and Justin Hayward’s collaboration with Jeff Wayne on the 1978 concept album ‘The War of the Worlds’ and the singles taken from it, ‘Forever Autumn’ and ‘The Eve of the War’), the band reformed and released the album ‘Octave’ and the singles ‘Stepping in a Slide Zone’ and ‘Driftwood’. Keyboard player, Mike Pinder, left the band soon after recording of ‘Octave’ was complete and was replaced by Patrick Moraz, formerly of Yes. The band embarked on a world “comeback” tour that took the best part of a year, culminating in a show at Wembley in November 1979.

Their 1981 album, ‘Long Distance Voyager’ (the first with Patrick Moraz on keyboards), saw them back at the No. 1 spot. The videos accompanying their 1986 releases ‘Your Wildest Dreams’ and ‘The Other Side of Life’ (from the album ‘The Other Side of Life’) and 1988’s ‘I Know You’re Out There Somewhere’ (from the album ‘Sur la Mer’) introduced the band to a new generation and ensured that their popularity endured beyond their legions of loyal fans from their early days.

Following the departure of Moraz in 1990 and vocalist/flutist Ray Thomas in 2002, the remaining members of the second incarnation - Justin Hayward, John Lodge and Graeme Edge - have continued to tour and record with regular named keyboard players, including Bias Boshell and Paul Bliss, and recent flute accompaniment in the form of the established Norda Mullen.

There have followed a further seven studio albums, the most recent being ‘December’ in 2003, along with numerous tours, several popular live albums and DVDs, and contributions to film soundtracks. Find out more about them at: http://www.moodyblues.co.uk/

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Syreeta Wright

2008-06-12T21:38:00.000-07:00

Syreeta Wright (August 3, 1946 – July 6, 2004), who recorded professionally under the single name Syreeta, was a singer-songwriter active from the 1960s until her death. She is considered one of the most underrated R&B vocalists to emerge out of the 1970s Motown scene.

Born Syreeta Wright in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Syreeta was working in the ’60s as a Motown secretary when she was enlisted as a backup singer. Founder Berry Gordy later signed her to the label and she recorded a Brian Holland/Ashford & Simpson tune initially meant for Diana Ross, “I Can’t Give Back the Love I Feel for You.”

Wright married Stevie Wonder on September 14, 1970, and although they were divorced just 18 months later, their professional collaboration as songwriters spawned a series of hits, including “If You Really Love Me,” “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” and The Spinners’ “It’s a Shame.”

She released her first Wonder-produced Motown album, the critically acclaimed "Syreeta", under MoWest label in 1972. Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta, which musically depicted their relationship from love/marriage to divorce/enduring friendship, was released in 1974. The titles peaked at No. 185 and No. 116, respectively, on the Billboard album chart. Her singles included “Spinnin’ and Spinnin’” and “Your Kiss Is Sweet.”

Her best showing on the chart came with 1980’s simply titled Syreeta, released on Motown’s Tamla imprint, which reached No. 73. The duet with Billy Preston, “With You I’m Born Again,” originally appeared on that year’s soundtrack to the Paramount movie Fast Break. The track reached No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart in 1980.

Syreeta recorded her last studio album, The Spell, in 1983. The album was produced by Jermaine Jackson. During this time, Syreeta boasted a résumé that included work with Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Leon Ware and Donald Byrd, among others.

After “The Spell,” she kept a relatively low profile. She appeared as guest vocalist on albums by artists such as Kirk Whalum (1989) and Nelson Rangell (1992). In 1994, she re-emerged to tour with the Jesus Christ Superstar cast featuring Ted Neeley as Jesus and Carl Anderson as Judas. She played the role of Mary Magdalene. She also recorded with Michael Bolton. Syreeta spent a lot of time in the United Kingdom in the last 15 years. She recorded some songs released in the UK as part of a series of compilations on the Motorcity label. The songs also appeared on a Japanese only CD called With You I’m Born Again.

She died on July 6, 2004 of congestive heart failure, which she acquired as a side effect of chemotherapy and radiation treatments she was receiving for an ongoing bout with breast cancer. She was 57 years old. Find out more at: www.soulwalking.co.uk/syreeta.html

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Louis Prima

2008-06-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

Born on December 7, 1910 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Louis Prima was a trumpeter, band leader, singer, composer, and sometime film star. He was the son of Italian immigrant parents Angelina and Anthony Prima and was educated at Jesuit High School, and studied the violin for several years under Hemmersback, before switching to the trumpet. At the tender age of 17, Louis was inspired by such jazz greats as Louis Armstrong and King Oliver.

In the early 30s he worked with Red Nichols, before forming his own seven-piece group called 'New Orleans Gang', with its signature tune, 'Way Down Yonder In New Orleans'. They recorded more than 70 titles in New York for various labels from 1934-39, some of which made the US Hit Parade.

He was composing songs by then, and one of them, 'Sing, Sing, Sing', when developed by Benny Goodman, became a smash hit for the 'King Of Swing', and remains a Swing Era classic. Through the years, Prima wrote and co-wrote many other songs, including 'Robin Hood', which was a success for Les Brown in 1945. Also in 1945, Prima had engagements at Frank Dailey's Terrace Room in Newark New Jersey. He also wrote the 1947 Jo Stafford hit, 'A Sunday Kind Of Love'.

In 1948, Prima began working with the poker-faced 16 year old singer Dorthy Keely Smith daughter of Fannie and Jesse Smith, she was born in Norfolk, VA. After having a hit in 1950 with their joint composition 'Oh, Babe!', they were married on July 13, 1953 and had two daughters,Toni Elizabeth and Luanne Frances. Keely was his fourth wife.

During the next decade they were one of the hottest nightclub acts in the USA, and became known as 'The Wildest Show In Las Vegas'. Prima's inspired clowning and zany vocals delivered in a fractured Italian dialect, coupled with Smith's cool image and classy singing, were anchored by tenor saxophonist Sam Butera and his group, the Witnesses. Even if the music was aimed at older listeners, it shared a great deal of the spirit of early rock & roll.

In 1956, Prima inked a new deal with Capitol, marking the most celebrated and influential period of his recording career. His first album for the label was 1956's The Wildest!, which successfully translated the high energy of his live act into a studio recording; it featured many of his best-known latter-day songs, including the "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" medley, "Jump, Jive an' Wail," "Buona Sera," "Oh Marie," and the jive-talking duet "The Lip." Over the next few years, Capitol issued six more Prima albums. In 1958 he and Smith won a Grammy for their hit version of "That Old Black Magic." In 1959, they appeared in the film Hey Boy! Hey Girl!, which featured their renditions of the title song, "Lazy River," and "Banana Split for My Baby," among others.

While Prima and Smith boasted terrific chemistry on stage, their infidelity-riddled marriage was floundering by the close of the '50s. In 1961, Prima switched from Capitol to Dot Records. Smith divorced him later that year, scuttling the act and largely negating the deals. Without Smith, he was never again as popular or prolific on record, but he continued to perform in Las Vegas with his band, and toured successfully as well. He spent much of the late '60s playing Vegas casinos and lounges. In the early '70s he and Butera returned home to New Orleans, where they made a steadier living playing in the French Quarter for the tourist crowd. In late 1975, Prima underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor, and fell into a coma; although he survived for nearly three more years, he never regained consciousness, and died on August 24, 1978. Find out more about his life and music at http://www.louisprima.com/

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Shirley Ellis

2008-06-04T12:49:00.001-07:00

Shirley Ellis (born Shirley Marie Elliston, circa 1941, The Bronx, New York) is a soul music singer and songwriter of West Indian origin, and is best known for her novelty hits "The Nitty Gritty", which reached the top ten in 1963, "The Name Game", which peaked at number four R&B and number three pop in 1965, and "The Clapping Song", which reached number 16 R&B, but also represented the end of the creative line for the trend.

By 1954 she had written two songs which were recorded by The Chords. Ellis was originally in the group, The Metronomes, and she went on to marry the lead singer, Alphonso Elliston. All her solo hits were written by her and her manager, producer, and songwriting partner Lincoln Chase.

Ellis had recording contracts with the Kapp Records subsidiary, Congress, and later Columbia and Bell Records, but retired from the music industry in 1968.

Cover versions of her hits have been recorded by Madeline Bell, The Belle Stars, Laura Branigan, Aaron Carter, Gary Glitter, Ricardo Ray, Pia Zadora, and Gladys Knight and the Pips (a version of "The Nitty Gritty", produced by Norman Whitfield).

In addition, her song "Soul Time" was sampled by the U.K. band, The Go! Team for their single "Bottle Rocket". Find out more about her musical career at http://keepkey.yochanan.net/shriley1.htm

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Van Morrison

2008-06-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born August 31, 1945) is a Grammy Award-winning Irish singer, songwriter, author, poet and multi-instrumentalist, who has been a professional musician since the late 1950s. He plays a variety of instruments, including the guitar, harmonica, keyboards, drums, and saxophone. Featuring his characteristic growl — a unique mix of folk, blues, Irish, scat, and Celtic influences — Morrison is widely considered one of the most unusual and influential vocalists in the history of rock and roll.

Known as “Van the Man” by his fans, Morrison first rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Northern Irish band Them, penning their seminal 1964 hit “Gloria”. A few years later, Morrison left the band for a successful solo career.

Morrison has pursued an idiosyncratic musical path. Much of his music is tightly structured around the conventions of American soul and R&B, such as the popular singles “Brown Eyed Girl”, “Moondance”, “Domino” and “Wild Night”. An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, loosely connected, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, jazz, and stream-of-consciousness narrative, such as his classic album Astral Weeks and lesser known works such as Veedon Fleece and Common One. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as “Celtic Soul”.

Morrison’s career, spanning some five decades, has influenced many popular musical artists. In 1993 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2000, Morrison ranked #25 on American cable music channel VH1’s list of its 100 greatest artists of rock and roll, and in 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Van Morrison 42nd on their list of The Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Paste Magazine ranked him 20th in their list of 100 Greatest Living Songwriters in 2006 and Q Magazine ranked him 22nd on their list of 100 Greatest Singers in April 2007. Find out more about this Irish legend at http://www.vanmorrison.co.uk/

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Dizzy Gillespie

2008-05-29T01:39:00.000-07:00

John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. He was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and composer. Gillespie, with Charlie Parker, was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz.

In addition to featuring in these epochal moments in jazz, he was instrumental in founding Afro-Cuban jazz. Gillespie was a trumpet virtuoso and gifted improviser. In addition to his instrumental skills, Dizzy’s beret and horn-rimmed spectacles, his scat singing, his bent horn and pouched cheeks, and his light-hearted personality endeared many to what was regarded as threatening and frightening music.

In his playing, Gillespie built on the “saxophonic” style of Roy Eldridge and the harmonic complexity of Charlie Parker and then went far beyond Bird. That is, unlike his great contemporary, Dizzy made a point of enthusiastically teaching future generations (such as Miles Davis at the time) about the convolutions of bop. His memorable trademarks were distending his cheeks while playing (unlike most trumpet players, who are trained not to do this — “Gillespie’s pouch” is purportedly a term used by the medical community for cheek distention) and a trumpet whose bell was bent at a 45 degree angle rather than a traditional straight trumpet. This was originally the result of accidental damage, but the constriction caused by the bending altered the tone of the instrument, and Gillespie liked the effect. Find out more about this legendary jazz artist's life at: www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/1965/The_heart_of_jazz_Dizzy_Gillespie

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Dinah Shore

2008-05-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore February 29, 1916 - February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress and television personality. She was most popular during the Big Band era of the 1940s and 1950s.

During the '40s, she recorded several of the decade's biggest singles — "Buttons and Bows," "The Gypsy," and "I'll Walk Alone" — all of which spent more than a month at number one on the Hit Parade. After launching a television variety series in 1951, Shore appeared on one program or another, with few gaps, into the 1980s.

Born in rural Tennessee to Solomon and Anna Stein Shore, Jewish immigrants from Russia. When she was two years old, she was stricken with polio (infantile paralysis), a disease that was not preventable at the time, and for which treatment was limited to bedrest. Her parents provided intensive care for her and she recovered and overcame the disease. However, she continued to have a slightly deformed foot and limp, which did not physically impede her. As a small child she loved to sing, encouraged by her mother, a contralto with operatic aspirations. Her father would often take her to his store where she would perform impromptu songs for the customers.

In 1924 the Shore family (which included Dinah's only sibling, older sister Bessie) moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where her father had opened a department store. At 14, She debuted as a torch singer at a Nashville night club only to find her parents sitting ringside, having been tipped off to their daughter's performance ahead of time. They allowed her to finish, but put her professional career on hold. She was paid $10.

Dinah Shore was performing on Nashville radio while still a teenager. Her professional career later took her to New York, where she sang with Xavier Cugat. After failing auditions with Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey however, she decided to simply become a solo singer. Shore signed to Bluebird, and recorded several hits during 1940-41, including "Yes, My Darling Daughter," "I Hear a Rhapsody" and "Jim." Her first million-seller came in 1942 with the prototypical blues crossover nugget, "Blues in the Night." Later that year, she moved to Victor and hit big with "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" and her first number one hit, 1944's "I'll Walk Alone." Shore also began appearing in films, including 1944's Up in Arms and 1946's Till the Clouds Roll By.

The late '40s proved to be her most popular era for recording. Between 1946 and 1949, she hit big with several songs, including "The Gypsy," "I Love You for Sentimental Reasons," "Anniversary Song," "I Wish I Didn't Love You So," "Buttons and Bows" and "Dear Hearts and Gentle People."

Though her records didn't chart as high during the '50s, Dinah Shore enjoyed even more exposure with her top-rated variety show, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show. For many, Shore's opening and closing every show with "See the USA in your Chevrolet, America's the greatest land of all" practically defined the '50s. Her Chevrolet sponsorship lasted until 1963, but she returned in the '70s with a new format, the daytime talk-show. During the 1980s, she began performing once again, but returned to television once more with a series that ran for two years. She died of cancer in 1994. I use to watch her TV show every week. You can find out more about her at http://www.dinahshorefanclub.com/

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Bobby Hebb

2008-05-21T15:43:00.000-07:00

Bobby Hebb (born Robert Von Hebb, 26 July 1941, Nashville, Tennessee) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for his writing and 1966 recording of "Sunny".

Hebb's parents, William and Ovalla Hebb, were both blind musicians. Hebb and his older brother Harold performed as a song-and-dance team in Nashville, beginning when Bobby was three and Harold was nine. Hebb performed on a TV show hosted by country music record producer Owen Bradley, which earned him a place with Grand Ole Opry star Roy Acuff. He played spoons and other instruments in Acuff's band. Harold later became a member of Johnny Bragg and the Marigolds. He sang backup on Bo Diddley's "Diddley Daddy". Hebb played "West-coast-style" trumpet in a US Navy jazz band, and replaced Mickey Baker in Mickey and Sylvia.

On 23 November 1963, the day after John F. Kennedy's assassination, Harold Hebb was killed in a knife fight outside a Nashville nightclub. Hebb was devastated by both events and sought comfort in songwriting. The song he wrote was the optimistic "Sunny":

"Sunny" was recorded in New York City, which resulted in a tour with The Beatles for Hebb. It is one of the most covered popular songs, with hundreds of versions released. BMI rates "Sunny" number 25 in its "Top 100 songs of the century".

"Sunny" has been recorded by, among others, Boney M, Cher, Georgie Fame, Johnny Rivers, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra with Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, the Electric Flag, The Four Seasons, the Four Tops, Wilson Pickett, Les McCann, Dusty Springfield, and The Alex Trio featuring David Wise. One cover, a disco version called "Sunny '76" was a hit for Hebb in that year.

Although he is considered a one-hit wonder, Hebb also had hits with his "A Satisfied Mind" in 1966 and "Love Me" in 1967, and has written many other songs.

He released a new album in 2005 in Europe, thirty five years after Love Games for Epic Records was recorded in 1970. It was released by Tuition, a new pop indie label. New versions of "Sunny" were also issued (two duets: one with Astrid North, and one with Pat Appleton). He lives in Rockport MA and works for the DPW. Find out more about him at his website: http://www.bobbyhebb.com/

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The Turtles

2008-05-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

Though many remember only their 1967 hit "Happy Together," the Turtles were one of the more enjoyable American pop groups of the 1960s, moving from folk-rock inspired by the Byrds to a sparkling fusion of Zombies-inspired chamber-pop and straight-ahead good-time pop reminiscent of the Lovin' Spoonful, the whole infused with beautiful vocal harmonies courtesy of dual frontmen Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. Though they hit number one in 1967 with the infectious "Happy Together," the Turtles scored only three more Top Ten hits and broke up by the end of the '60s. Kaylan and Volman later joined Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention during the early '70s and also recorded themselves as Flo & Eddie, but were on the oldies circuit with a revamped Turtles by the mid-'80s.

The group got its big break in 1965 after local disc jockey and club owner Reb Foster became their manager and found the group a contract with White Whale Records. The sextet changed their name from the Crossfires to the Tyrtles (an unveiled homage to the Byrds, soon amended to the correct spelling) and recorded a Bob Dylan cover as their first single. The song's fusion of folk with glittering rock & roll was also lifted from the Byrds, and "It Ain't Me Babe" reached the Top Ten in August 1965, just three months after "Mr. Tambourine Man" had hit number one.

Moving from the songwriting talents of Dylan to the new "king of protest," producer P.F. Sloan, the Turtles hit the Top 40 twice more during 1965-66 with "Let Me Be" and "You Baby". Though the Turtles had appeared to run out of steam by the beginning of 1967, the group stormed back with a song they'd heard in a batch of demos, a surefire hit written by Gary Bonner and Alan Gordon. "Happy Together" spent three weeks at number one on the American charts, and proved to be one of the biggest hits of the year.

The Turtles' next three singles each hit the Top 20: the number three hit "She'd Rather Be with Me" (which eclipsed even "Happy Together" in terms of international success), plus "You Know What I Mean" and "She's My Girl." Chip Douglas, who had arranged the horns on "Happy Together," left the group to work with the Monkees, and was replaced by Jim Pons (formerly with the Leaves). Original member Jim Tucker left the group as well, after a tour of dingy pubs in England caused more than a bit of disillusionment about the group's lack of success.

Like so many other pop groups in the late '60s, the Turtles felt they had to stretch artistically to keep pace with their more critically respected rivals. The group asserted their rights in late 1967, and self-produced the disappointing "Sound Asleep," which was the band's first single after "Happy Together" to miss the Top 40. The only other hit from the group was the career-saving "Elenore" in September 1968, which hit number six (the best placing by a single actually written by the Turtles).

By the end of 1970, Kaylan, Volman and Pons had joined Frank Zappa's early-'70s edition of the Mothers of Invention. (The use of the Turtles' name or even their own names in a musical context was illegal according to an earlier contract, so Kaylan and Volman appeared as the Phlorescent Leech & Eddie.) Besides touring with Zappa, the trio appeared on four of his albums from 1970 to 1972: Chunga's Revenge, 200 Motels, Live at the Fillmore and Just Another Band from L.A. After Zappa was injured in an onstage altercation, though, the re-christened Flo & Eddie toured with several of the Mothers for awhile, and recorded five LPs for themselves between 1975 and 1981. The duo also did session work, composed music for childrens' movies (The Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake) and broadcast their own radio show on L.A.'s KROQ and later New York's WXRK. By 1984, the Turtles' name had reverted back to the group, and Volman and Kaylan began touring with a new lineup as the Turtles...Featuring Flo & Eddie. Find out more about them at http://www.theturtles.com/

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Fontella Bass

2008-05-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

Fontella Bass (born July 3, 1940 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American soul singer, who is best known for the 1965 R&B hit "Rescue Me". The 1965 classic "Rescue Me" is widely regarded as the greatest record Aretha Franklin never made. The song in question was instead cut by singer Fontella Bass, who like Franklin channeled the power and passion of her gospel roots to create some of the finest music of soul's golden age. Bass was the daughter of gospel vocalist Martha Bass, a longtime member of the renowned Clara Ward Singers. Her grandmother Navada Carter was also a professional gospel performer, and it was inevitable that Fontella follow suit, making her church choir debut at age five.

Nevertheless, during the mid-'50s she rebelled against tradition, sneaking out of the house to sing secular R&B at local fairs and nightclubs. By 16, Bass was the house pianist at the St. Louis nightspot the Showbar, and in 1961 she joined local blues great Little Milton Campbell, later marrying the band's trumpeter, fledgling jazz titan Lester Bowie. Bass first earned notice for her vocal on Little Milton's 1962 hit "So Mean to Me," soon followed by her Bobbin label solo debut, "I Don't Hurt Anymore." But when Campbell and his pianist Oliver Sain parted ways, Bass exited along with Sain, who named her lead vocalist of his Oliver Sain Soul Revue. Her second single, the Ike Turner-produced "I Love the Man," followed on Turner's Prann label in 1963. Bass then cut "Poor Little Fool," a duet with Tina Turner issued on the Vesuvius imprint. And when she wasn't performing with Sain and his group, she moonlighted as a solo act, playing gigs across East St. Louis under the alias "Sabrina."

She relocated to Chicago in 1965 and scored the biggest hit of her career with her solo debut, "Rescue Me." A buoyant dance classic made memorable by Bass' impassioned, gritty vocal as well as the percolating bass of Chess session mainstay Louis Satterfield and Gene Barge's dynamic horn arrangement, the single topped the R&B charts for a month and crossed over to the pop Top Five. One of her all-time biggest-selling records in Chess' storied history, "Rescue Me" remains an unqualified classic of the era and is a staple of oldies radio to this day. She never received proper credit or the financial remuneration for co-writing the song, and her subsequent battles with Chess execs earned her a reputation as a malcontent. In ealry 1966 "Recuse Me" was followed by the soundalike "Recovery", reaching the R&B Top 20. As it turned out, her run as a hitmaker proved frustrating short, and after scoring a minor hit late that same year with " Sweet Lovin' Daddy," she never returned to the U.S. charts again.

She left Checker in 1969 and with husband Bowie — now a renowned avant-garde player best known for his work with the Art Ensemble of Chicago — relocated to Paris. There she collaborated with the group on an LP, the acclaimed The Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fontella Bass, but otherwise focused on raising a family until returning to St. Louis in 1971, renewing ties with Oliver Sain and signing to the Shreveport, LA-based Paula label.

The superb single "Who You Gonna Blame" anticipated the 1972 release of the Sain-produced Free, a remarkably soulful set that is by far the most memorable LP of Bass' career. Attention from radio and retail was negligible, however, and after subsequent singles including "Now That I've Found a Good Thing" and "It's Hard to Get Back In" flopped, she exited Paula in 1974, not resurfacing until three years later with the Epic single "Soon as I Touched Him."

Apart from occasional guest appearances with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, she spent the remainder of the 1970s and most of the 1980s as a homemaker, confining her musical pursuits to her Baptist church choir, but in 1990 she teamed with her mother and brother David Peaston for a gospel LP, Promises: A Family Portrait of Faith. Bass continued her return to spiritual music with the 1995 Nonesuch release No Ways Tired, touring Europe regularly in the years leading up to the 2001 appearance of her follow-up outing, Travellin', a collaboration with the Voices of St. Louis gospel choir issued on the Canadian indie Justin Time. Find out more at: http://www.fontellabass.com/

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Conway Twitty

2008-05-07T23:14:00.000-07:00

The son of a riverboat captain, Twitty (born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, September 1, 1933; died June 5, 1993) was born in Mississippi and raised in Helena, AR, where he learned to love not only country, but also blues and gospel. When he was ten years old, he joined his first group, the Phillips Country Ramblers, who occasionally performed on local radio. Despite his interest in music, he originally planned to become a professional baseball player. Jenkins was talented enough to be offered a contract by the Philadelphia Phillies, but he was unable to join the team, since he was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. While he was serving in the Far East, he sang with a country band called the Cimarrons. Returning to America in 1956, Jenkins still had an open offer to join the Phillies, yet he decided to pursue a musical career after he heard Elvis Presley.

When he returned from the war he headed to Memphis and was signed by Sam Philips to a recording contract at Sun Records, but none of the tracks he cut were ever released; Jenkins' biggest contribution to the label was writing "Rock House," a minor hit for Roy Orbison. Leaving Sun in late 1956, he set out on a rockabilly package tour, during which he invented the stage name of Conway Twitty by combining the names of an Arkansas and Texas city, respectively. In 1957 he signed to Mercury Records, where he released a handful of singles that didn't make much of an impact. In 1958, he moved to MGM Records, where he finally achieved success with "It's Only Make Believe," a song he had written with Jack Nance. Recorded with vocal support by Presley's back group, the Jordanaires, "It's Only Make Believe" became a major hit, spending two weeks at number one and going gold. Over the course of 1959 and 1960, Twitty released a number of singles, the most popular of which were the Top Ten "Danny Boy" and "Lonely Blue Boy," and appeared in the B movies Sex Kittens Go to College, Platinum High School, and College Confidential.

Twitty's rock & roll fame arrived suddenly and it went away just as quickly. By the beginning of 1961, his singles had stopped entering the Top 40. Nevertheless, he continued to tour, but soon MGM dropped him from their roster. Signing with ABC-Paramount, he began to add more country songs to his repertoire, yet he was still primarily recording pop material. Once Ray Price took Twitty's "Walk Me to the Door" to the country Top Ten, Conway decided he wanted to become a country singer. By 1965 he had begun a collaboration with record producer Owen Bradley, one of the cornerstones of the Nashville sound, and had signed to Decca Records. In the spring of the following year, he released his first country single, "Guess My Eyes Were Bigger Than My Heart," which peaked at number 18. For the next two years, he had a steady stream of four minor hits, finally breaking into the Top Ten with "The Image of Me" in the spring of 1968, followed a few months later by his first number one hit, "Next in Line." For the next four years, he had a string of 12 Top Five singles for Decca, eight of which — including "I Love You More Today," "To See My Angel Cry," "Hello Darlin'," "Fifteen Years Ago," and "How Much More She Can Stand" — were number one hits.

In 1970 he began a professional relationship with Loretta Lynn, releasing their first duet, "After the Fire Is Gone," early in 1971. The record became the first of five straight number one country hits, which also included "Lead Me On," "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man," "As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone," and "Feelins'." For the entire decade they continued to work together, releasing one album a year and racking up a total of 14 Top Ten hits; they also won four Duo of the Year awards from the Country Music Association, three Vocal Group of the Year honors from the Academy of Country Music, and one Grammy for Best Vocal Performance by a Group ("After the Fire Is Gone").

He had a remarkably consistent string of Top Ten singles for Decca until 1983. Most of which hit number one. Among his best-known hits from this era were "I See the Want To in Your Eyes," "Linda in My Mind," "Touch the Hand," "After All the Good Is Gone," "I've Already Loved You in My Mind," "Happy Birthday Darlin'," "Tight Fittin' Jeans," and "Red Neckin' Love Makin' Night." As he continued to rule the charts, Twitty expanded into other business ventures, including banking, property, a booking agency, and ultimately, a theme park called Twitty City. The size of his international popularity was confirmed when he re-recorded "Hello Darlin'" in Russian for a joint American/Soviet space mission.

He signed with Warner Bros. in 1983, where he had a string of hits over the next three years. Again, he covered several pop songs — the Eagles' "Heartache Tonight," the Commodores' "Three Times a Lady" — but he kept recording country songs, including the number ones "Somebody's Needin' Somebody," "I Don't Know a Thing About Love (The Moon Songs)," "Don't Call Him a Cowboy," and "Desperado Love," a 1986 chart-topper which proved to be his last number one. Though he continued to have Top Ten hits through the end of the decade, his success began to slip slightly in the early '90s, once new country forced older performers off the top of the charts. Nevertheless, he remained quite popular, selling both records and concert tickets, until his sudden death from an abdominal aneurysm in the summer of 1993. Immediately following his death, he was praised and mourned from all quarters of the public, not just country music fans, and his record of over 40 number one hits remains unlikely to be surpassed. Find out more about this country legend at: http://conway.musiccitynetworks.com/

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Billy Preston

2008-05-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

Billy Preston (9 September, 1946 - 6 June, 2006) was a child prodigy pianist. He performed with Mahalia Jackson at the age of 16 and appeared as a young W.C. Handy in a 1958 bio pic. His first solo record was a gospel album called “16 Year Old Soul”.

On tour backing Little Richard & Sam Cooke he met the Beatles (early in their career) in Hamburg, Germany (1962). He was later invited by George Harrison to join The Beatles in the studio for the filming/recording of Let It Be (1970). Preston’s most memorable performance with the Beatles is on the track "Get Back".

The apparent reason for the collaboration was the project was being done live—without overdubs—and the Beatles wanted a second keyboardist. Preston’s soulful style was to compliment the rhythm-and-blues approach the Beatles had for this album. His was a genre they’d grown up listening to and were reaching back to/paying tribute to.

While he was never considered for permanent membership in the Beatles (despite stories to the contrary), he did continue working with them through to the end of the 60s: releasing two solo albums on Apple Records (the Beatles’ label); collaborating with George Harrison on All Things Must Pass as well as joining in on The Concert for Bangladesh—one of the first significant benefit concerts of it’s kind (Madison Square Gardens,1972). He also later made an appearance in the Beatles tribute film “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (1978), as the title character—Sgt. Pepper.

He also toured with The Rolling Stones playing on significant albums such as Sticky Fingers and “Exile on Main St." In the 1970s. He worked with Bob Dylan playing as an accompanist on the track Blood on the Tracks and Aretha Franklin’s record Young, Gifted and Black, and other artists including Barbra Streisand and Miles Davis and toured with Sly & The Family Stone for a time. He won a Grammy Award for best pop instrumental performance for “Outa Space” (1971). Preston penned Joe Cocker's 1975 smash hit "You Are So Beautiful" and appeared in the movie "The Blues Brothers".

In the 80s and 90s, Preston suffered substance abuse and financial issues and spent three years in prison in 1997 for a drugs possession charge handed out earlier that year (cocaine possession and assault).

His last recordings were on the Red Hot Chili Peppers “Stadium Arcadium” album and with Neil Diamond for his “12 songs” record, both produced by Rick Rubin. The US keyboard legend passed away at the age of 59 in a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, as a result of “malignant hypertension that resulted in kidney failure and other complications”. Visit the website in his honor at http://www.billypreston.net/

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Marianne Faithful

2008-04-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

Marianne Faithfull (born 29th December 1946) is an English singer-songwriter and actress whose career spans more than four decades. She was born in Hampstead, London, to a military officer father, Major Glynn Faithfull, and the Baroness Eva Erisso, a Viennese noblewoman of half Jewish and half noble Austrian descent, coming from the Habsburg dynasty.

Coaxed into a singing career by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham in 1964, she had a big hit in both Britain and the U.S. with her debut single, the Jagger/Richards composition "As Tears Go By" (which prefaced the Stones' own version by a full year). Considerably more successful in her native land than the States, she had a series of hits in the mid-'60s that set her high, fragile voice against delicate orchestral pop arrangements: "Summer Night," "This Little Bird," and Jackie De Shannon's "Come and Stay with Me." Not a songwriter at the outset of her career, she owes more of her fame as a '60s icon to her extraordinary beauty and her long-running romance with Mick Jagger, although she offered a taste of things to come with her compelling 1969 single "Sister Morphine," which she co-wrote (and which the Stones released themselves on Sticky Fingers later).

In the '70s, she split up with Jagger, developed a serious drug habit, and recorded rarely, with generally dismal results. This occurred until late 1979, when she pulled off an astonishing comeback with Broken English. Displaying a croaking, cutting voice that had lowered a good octave since the mid-'60s, she had also begun to write much of her own material, and addressed sex and despair with wrenching realism.

Faithfull's recordings in the '80s and '90s were sporadic and erratic, but generally quite interesting; Strange Weather, a Hal Willner-produced 1987 collection of standards and contemporary compositions that spanned several decades for its sources, was her greatest triumph of the decade. In 1994, she published her self-titled autobiography; the biography As Tears Go By by Mark Hodkinson is an objective and thorough account of her life and times.

She returned to recording in 2002 with Kissin' Time, an eclectic collection of songwriting collaborations with Beck, Damon Albarn, Billy Corgan, Jon Brion, and Jarvis Cocker among others. In 2004, Before the Poison was released in the U.K., making its entrance into the U.S. market in early 2005. This album continued in the vein of its predecessor, with songwriting and production contributions from PJ Harvey, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Brion, and Albarn, but with far more consistent results.

She has also made a modestly successful foray into an acting career and has given notable performances in the 1967 film I’ll Never Forget What’s ‘Is Name alongside Orson Welles, as a leather-clad motorcyclist in the 1968 French film Girl on a Motorcycle opposite Alain Delon, and in the 1969 Kenneth Anger cult film Lucifer Rising. In 1969, she played Ophelia in the Nicol Williamson adaptation of Hamlet. In 1993 she played the role of Pirate Jenny in The Threepenny Opera at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. Later she performed The Seven Deadly Sins with the Vienna Radio Symphony. She has made brief guest star appearances in the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous (as God), in Patrice Chéreau’s Intimacy (2001 film), and played Empress Maria-Teresa in Sofia Coppola’s biopic Marie-Antoinette, starring Kirsten Dunst in the title role. Find out more about this breast cancer survivor at her official website http://www.mariannefaithful.org.uk/

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The Fifth Dimension

2008-04-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

The Fifth Dimension were best-known during the late 1960s and early 1970s for popularizing the hits "Up, Up and Away" and "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire also includes R&B, soul, and jazz.

The five original members were Billy Davis, Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore, and Ron Townson. They have recorded for several different labels over their long career. Their first work appeared on the Soul City label, which was started by Imperial Records/United Artists Records recording artist Johnny Rivers.

The members began rehearsing in early 1966 and took the name of the Versatiles. They auditioned for Marc Gordon, who headed Motown's Los Angeles office. Although their demo tape was rejected by Motown, he agreed to manage them and brought them to the attention of Johnny Rivers, who had just started his own label, Soul City Records. Their first Soul City single, "I'll Be Lovin' You Forever", was a flop, but a cover of the Mamas and the Papas' "Go Where You Wanna Go" climbed into the top 20 on both R & B and pop stations.

Budding young songwriter Jimmy Webb supplied the group with their breakthrough hit, "Up, Up and Away", a top 10 hit in mid-1967, which won five Grammy Awards. The following year, the group scored major hit singles with Laura Nyro's "Stoned Soul Picnic" and "Sweet Blindness" and received a gold record for their album Stoned Soul Picnic, which also included the Ashford & Simpson written "California Soul". In 1969, they had two number one singles: "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" from the musical Hair and the Nyro composition "Wedding Bell Blues." Later hits included "One Less Bell to Answer" (1970), "Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes", "Never My Love" (1971) and "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All" (1972).

In 1975, McCoo and Davis, who became husband and wife while with the group, left the group to do both collective and individual projects. The remaining trio carried on with new members, and nearly had a hit in 1976 with the LaRue-sung "Love Hangover"; unfortunately, Motown issued Diana Ross' own version shortly after the Fifth Dimension's hit the charts, and hers soared to the top of the charts. Strangely enough, the group signed with Motown not long after, releasing two albums in 1978. The original quintet reunited in 1990 for a tour. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002. Find out more about them at: www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/fifth_dimension.html

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Buffalo Springfield

2008-04-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

Apart from the Byrds, no other American band had as great an impact on folk-rock and country-rock — really, the entire Californian rock sound — than Buffalo Springfield. The group's formation is the stuff of legend: driving on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay spotted a hearse that Stills was sure belonged to Neil Young, a Canadian he had crossed paths with earlier. Indeed it was, and with the addition of fellow hearse passenger and Canadian Bruce Palmer on bass and ex-Dillard Dewey Martin on drums, the cluster of ex-folkys determined, as the Byrds had just done, to become a rock & roll band.

Buffalo Springfield wasn't together long — they were an active outfit for just over two years, between 1967 and 1968 —but every one of their three albums was noteworthy. Their debut, including their sole big hit (Stills' "For What It's Worth"), established them as the best folk-rock band in the land barring the Byrds, though Springfield was a bit more folk and country oriented. Again, their second album found the group expanding their folk-rock base into tough hard rock and psychedelic orchestration, resulting in their best record.

The group was blessed with three idiosyncratic, talented songwriters in Stills, Young, and Furay (the last of whom didn't begin writing until the second LP) yet they also had strong and often conflicting egos, particularly Stills and Young. The group, who held almost infinite promise, rearranged their lineup several times, Young leaving the group for periods and Palmer fighting deportation, until disbanding in 1968. Their final album clearly shows the group fragmenting into solo directions.

Eventually, the inter-personal tensions and creative battles led to a perhaps inevitable split, starting with Young's departure for a solo career. He would later reunite with Stephen Stills in Crosby, Stills, & Nash, joining the trio once a decade for various projects. In addition to CSN, Stills released solo albums and worked with a nother band, Manassas. Initially, Jim Messina and Richie Furay stayed together, forming the country-rock group Poco, but Messina left after three albums to team up in a duo with Kenny Loggins. Furay himself left Poco and teamed with Chris Hillman and JD Souther in the Souther Hillman Furay Band before pursuing a solo career. Rumors of a Buffalo Springfield reunion circulated for years — Young even hinted at it with the song "Buffalo Springfield Again" — but it never materialized. Find out more about this great if short lived band at: www.thrashwheat.org/tfa/bufspring.htm

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Edwin Hawkins

2008-04-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

Edwin Hawkins (born 18 August 1943, Oakland, California) is a Grammy Award-winning American gospel and R&B musician, pianist, choir leader, composer and arranger. He is one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound. He (and the Edwin Hawkins Singers) are best known for his arrangement of "Oh Happy Day" (1968-69), which was included on the Songs of the Century list. "Oh Happy Day" was covered by The Four Seasons on their 1970 album Half & Half. The Edwin Hawkins Singers are somewhat less well-known for backing Melanie on the song, "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)".

At the age of seven Hawkins was already the keyboardist to accompany the family's gospel choir. Together with Betty Watson he was the co-founder of the Northern California State Youth Choir, which included almost 50 members. This ensemble recorded its first album in 1968, Let Us Go into the House of the Lord, which was a flop. When radio stations of the San Francisco Bay area started broadcasting a song from the album, "Oh Happy Day", it became very popular. Featuring the lead vocal of Dorothy Coombs Morrison, the subsequently released single rocketed to sales of over a million copies within two months. It crossed over to the pop charts making U.S. #4 and UK #2 in 1969.

In 1996, Edwin, always searching for fresh, new ways to promote the music he loves, teamed up with “Svart Pa Vitt”, an all-Swedish Gospel choir, on a ten-city U.S. tour to promote the album they released in late ‘95. Later on that year, he was part of “An Evening With The Boston Pops” a wonderful hour-long television special, shown on PBS, that also featured Patti LaBelle and Desiree Coleman Jackson.

Since 1996, the Godfather of Contemporary Gospel has remained quite busy. Edwin has recently completed his latest album entitled “Love Is The Only Way”. The project, which is Edwin’s first solo album since 1989, includes a new version of his classic hit “Oh Happy Day”. The project also includes guest appearances by Dita Jackson, Brenda Roy, cousin, Lawrence Matthews, brother, Walter Hawkins and sister, Lynette Hawkins-Stephens. In addition, Edwin continues to not only perform abroad, but organize and host his successful Music and Arts Seminar.

The song became an international success, selling more than 7 million copies, and Hawkins was awarded his first Grammy for it. Altogether he has won four Grammy Awards. Find out more about his music at: http://www.edwinhawkins.tv/

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Melanie

2008-04-16T00:28:00.000-07:00

Melanie Ann Safka-Schekeryk (known professionally as Melanie) is an American singer-songwriter. Born on February 3rd, 1947, in Astoria, New York City, Melanie made her first recording, “Gimme a Little Kiss”, when she was five.

She first found chart success in Europe. Her 1969 song “Bobo’s Party” reached number one in France. Later that year she had a hit in the Netherlands with “Beautiful People” before performing at Woodstock. Apparently, she was inspired to write “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” by the audience lighting candles during her set; the song became a hit in both Europe and the USA. Her biggest hit in the USA was “Brand New Key”, also known as “The Roller Skate Song”. She has been awarded three gold albums.

Three of Melanie’s compositions were hits for The New Seekers: “Look What They’ve Done to My Song Ma”, “Beautiful People”, and “The Nickel Song”.

Since 1969 Melanie has released almost one album a year. With one exception her albums have been produced by her husband, Peter Schekeryk. Her three children - Leilah, Jeordie and Beau-Jarred -are also musicians. Beau-Jarred is a guitarist and accompanies his mother on tour.The 2003 Australian hip-hop track “The Nosebleed Section” by The Hilltop Hoods sampled Melanie’s “People in the Front Row”.

In 2004 Melanie released Paled by Dimmer Light, which is co-produced by Peter and Beau-Jarred Schekeryk. Find out more aobut this folk legend at http://www.melaniesmusic.com/

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Esther Phillips

2008-04-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

Esther Phillips was born Esther Mae Jones in Galveston, TX, on December 23, 1935, and began singing in church as a young child. When her parents divorced, she split time between her father in Houston and her mother in the Watts area of Los Angeles. It was while she was living in Los Angeles in 1949 that her sister entered her in a talent show at a nightclub belonging to bluesman Johnny Otis. So impressed was Otis with the 13-year-old that he brought her into the studio for a recording session with Modern Records and added her to his live revue. Billed as Little Esther, she scored her first success when she was teamed with the vocal quartet the Robins (who later evolved into the Coasters) on the Savoy single "Double Crossin' Blues." It was a massive hit, topping the R&B charts in early 1950 and paving the way for a series of successful singles bearing Little Esther's name: "Mistrustin' Blues," "Misery," "Cupid Boogie," and "Deceivin' Blues." In 1951, Little Esther moved from Savoy to Federal after a dispute over royalties, but despite being the brightest female star in Otis' revue, she was unable to duplicate her impressive string of hits. Furthermore, she and Otis had a falling out, reportedly over money, which led to her departure from his show; she remained with Federal for a time, then moved to Decca in 1953, again with little success.

In 1954, she returned to Houston to live with her father, having already developed a fondness for the temptations of life on the road; by the late '50s, her experiments with hard drugs had developed into a definite addiction to heroin. Short on money, Little Esther worked in small nightclubs around the South, punctuated by periodic hospital stays in Lexington, KY, stemming from her addiction. In 1962, she was rediscovered while singing at a Houston club by future country star Kenny Rogers, who got her signed to his brother's Lenox label. Too old to be called Little Esther, she re-christened herself Esther Phillips, choosing her last name from a nearby Phillips gas station. Phillips recorded a country-soul reading of the soon-to-be standard "Release Me," which was released as a single late in the year, topping the R&B charts and hitting the Top Ten on both the pop and country charts. Back in the public eye, Phillips recorded a country-soul album of the same name, but Lenox went bankrupt in 1963.

Thanks to her recent success, Phillips was able to catch on with R&B giant Atlantic, which initially recorded her in a variety of musical settings to see what niche she might fill best, recording Phillips in as many different styles as possible, but none of the resulting singles really caught on and the label dropped her in late 1967.

With her addiction worsening, Phillips checked into a rehab facility; while undergoing treatment, she cut some sides for Roulette in 1969 and upon her release, she moved to Los Angeles and re-signed with Atlantic. In 1971, she signed with producer Creed Taylor's Kudu label, a subsidiary of his hugely successful jazz fusion imprint CTI. In 1975, she scored her biggest hit single since "Release Me" with a disco-fied update of Dinah Washington's "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" (Top Ten R&B, Top 20 pop), and the accompanying album of the same name became her biggest seller yet.

In 1977, Phillips left Kudu for Mercury, landing a deal that promised her the greatest creative control of her career. She recorded four albums for the label, but none matched the commercial success of her Kudu output and after 1981's A Good Black Is Hard to Crack, she found herself without a record deal. Her last R&B chart single was 1983's "Turn Me Out," a one-off for the small Winning label; unfortunately, her health soon began to fail, the culmination of her previous years of addiction combined with a more recent flirtation with the bottle. Phillips died in Los Angeles on August 7, 1984, of liver and kidney failure. Find out more abut a great voice and a tragic life at: http://home.earthlink.net/~jaymar4/Lesther.html

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Glen Campbell

2008-04-09T00:19:00.000-07:00

Glen Campbell (April 22, 1936 in Delight, Arkansas) is an American pop-country singer, best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a TV variety show.

Campbell was greatly in demand as a session musician in the 1960s. He is heard on some of the largest-selling records of the era by such artists as Bobby Darin, Ricky Nelson, Merle Haggard, The Monkees, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, The Association, and The Mamas & the Papas.

He was a full-fledged member of The Beach Boys, filling in for an ailing Brian Wilson on tour in 1964 and 1965 and he also played on the Pet Sounds album. Glen’s accolades as a musician and singer are as impressive as his talent. He made history by winning a Grammy in both country and pop categories in 1967: “Gentle On My Mind” snatched the country honors, and “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” won in pop. He owns trophies for Male Vocalist of the Year from both the CMA and the ACM, and took the CMA’s top honor as Entertainer of the Year.

During his 40 years in show business, Glen has released more than 70 albums. He has sold 45 million records and racked up 12 RIAA Gold albums, 4 Platinum albums and 1 Double-Platinum album. Of his 75 trips up the charts,27 landed in the Top 10.

In 2005, Campbell was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He is reportedly working on a new CD with Jimmy Webb scheduled for release in late 2006. Find out more about this country-cross-over legend at his website: http://www.glenncampbellshow.com/

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Jimmy Cliff

2008-04-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

Jimmy Cliff OM (born James Chambers, 1 April 1948, St Catherine, Jamaica)is a Jamaican reggae musician, best known among mainstream audiences for songs like “Sittin’ in Limbo”, “You Can Get It If You Really Want It” and “Many Rivers to Cross” from The Harder They Come, a film soundtrack which helped popularise reggae across the world.

Cliff moved to Kingston in 1962.After two singles that failed to make much impression, his career took off after his “Hurricane Hattie” became a hit, while he was aged just 14; it was produced by Leslie Kong, with whom Cliff would remain until Kong’s death. Later his local hit singles included “King of Kings”, “Dearest Beverley” and “Pride and Passion”. In 1964, Cliff was chosen as one of the Jamaican representatives at the World’s Fair, and Cliff soon signed to Island Records and moved to Britain. His international debut album was Hard Road to Travel, which received excellent reviews and included “Waterfall”, a Brazilian hit that won the International Song Festival.

“Waterfall” was followed in 1969 by “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” and “Vietnam” in 1970, both popular throughout most of the world. Folk rock singer-songwriter Bob Dylan even called “Vietnam” the best protest song he’d ever heard. Wonderful World included a cover of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World”, which was a success in 1970.

Leslie Kong died of a heart attack in 1971. The soundtrack to the reggae film The Harder They Come was a huge success that sold well across the world, but did not break Cliff into the mainstream. After a series of albums, Cliff took a break and traveled to Africa, exploring his newfound Muslim spirituality. During the 1981 River Tour, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band added Cliff’s little-known “Trapped” to their live set; it achieved great prominence when included on 1985’s We Are the World benefit album. The follow-up, Cliff Hanger (1985) won a Grammy Award, though it was his last major success in the U.S. until 1993. He continued to sell well in Jamaica and, to a lesser extent, the UK, returning to the mainstream pop charts in the U.S. and elsewhere with a version of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” on the Cool Runnings film soundtrack in 1993 .

In 2002, Cliff released his new album, Fantastic Plastic People in Europe, after first providing free downloads using Delacove’s People Music Media p2p software. This album featured collaborations with Joe Strummer, Annie Lennox, and Sting as well as new songs that were very reminiscent of Cliff’s original hits. In 2004 Cliff completely reworked the songs, dropping the traditional reggae in favor of an electronica sound, for inclusion in Black Magic.

His recording of ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’ was used as a campaign anthem by the Sandinista National Liberation Front in the 1990 election in Nicaragua (they lost). It was also adopted by the British Conservative Party during their annual conference in October, 2007. It is unclear whether Mr Cliff endorsed either party. His official website is http://www.jimmycliff.com/

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Patti Page

2008-04-03T12:04:00.001-07:00

Patti Page (born Clara Ann Fowler on November 8, 1927 in Claremore, Oklahoma) is one of the best-known female singers in traditional pop music. She is the best-selling female artist of the 1950s and was among the first to cross over from country music to pop. Her recording career spans the years 1947 to 1981. Page continues to perform live and was billed as "The Singing Rage, Miss Patti Page".

She was born into a large and poor family. Her father worked on the MKT railroad, while her mother and older sisters picked cotton. They went without electricity, so young Clara could not read after dark, as she related on TV many years later. Clara Ann Fowler became a featured singer on a 15-minute radio program on radio station KTUL, Tulsa, Oklahoma at age 18. The program was sponsored by the Page Milk Company; thus, young Clara Ann Fowler became Patti Page on the air. In 1946, Jack Rael, a saxophone player and band manager, came to Tulsa to do a one-nighter. He turned on the radio, and heard the musical program with the 18-year-old featured vocalist. He liked what he heard, and asked her to join the Jimmy Joy band, which Rael managed. Eventually, both left the band, and Rael became Patti's personal manager and leader of the backup orchestra for many of her recordings.

In 1947, she recorded a song called "Confess" which had a portion requiring one singer to answer another. (The other hit version involved a duet of Doris Day and Buddy Clark.) Because of a low budget, a second singer could not be hired, so Jack Rael suggested that Page sing the second part as well. The novelty of her doing two voices on one record possibly contributed to the song becoming a Top 20 hit for her.

"With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming" became another big hit for Page, her first to sell a million. Page's first number one hit was "All My Love". It was based on Maurice Ravel's "Bolero". "All My Love" was #1 for five weeks in 1950. Her bigest hit was "The Tennessee Waltz", which was also released in 1950. "The Tennessee Waltz" was #1 for thirteen weeks in 1950 and eventually sold more than 6,000,000 copies, making it the biggest charted Billboard hit of the entire decade. She had a huge hit in 1953, "(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?", a novelty song written by Bob Merrill, adapted from a well-known Victorian music hall song. Page recorded it in 1952, and it made #1 on the Billboard and Cash Box charts in 1953. To say that it was a major hit would be a tremendous understatement; it was almost constantly on the radio.

In 1963, Page left Mercury Records for Columbia Records, returning to Mercury in 1971. While at Columbia, she scored her most recent Top 10 pop hit in 1965 with the title song from the Bette Davis film Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte. In 1973, she went back to the Columbia again, recording for their Epic Records subsidiary.

She last appeared on the pop chart in 1968, with her version of O.C. Smith's hit, "Little Green Apples", and on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Give Him Love" in 1971. In 2007 Patti Page was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. She continues recording to this day, with a new album debuting in 2008 from Curb Records and featuring a duet with Vince Gill on the song “Home Sweet Oklahoma.” Find out more at: http://www.misspattipage.com/

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Muddy Waters

2008-03-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 – April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered "the Father of Chicago blues".

Muddy Waters was the leading exponent of Chicago blues in the '50s. With him, the blues came up from the Delta and went electric, and his guitar licks and repertoire have fueled innumerable blues bands. Muddy Waters was the son of a farmer and, following his mother's death in 1918, was raised by his grandmother. He picked up his nickname because he fished and played regularly in a muddy creek. He learned to play harmonica, and as a teen he led a band that frequently played Mississippi Delta clubs. His singing was influenced by the style of local bluesman Son House. At 17, Waters began playing guitar by studying Robert Johnson records. In 1940 he traveled to St. Louis and in 1941 joined the Silas Green tent show as a singer and harmonica player. Sometime around 1941–42, Waters was recorded by folk archivists/researchers Alan Lomax and John Work in Mississippi for the Library of Congress.

In 1943 he moved to Chicago, where he found employment in a paper mill. The following year, Waters got an electric guitar and began performing at South Side clubs and rent parties. He cut several sides in 1946 for Columbia’s Okeh subsidiary, but none was released until 1981, when they appeared on a Columbia blues reissue, Okeh Chicago Blues. In 1946 bluesman Sunnyland Slim helped Waters get signed to Aristocrat Records, where he cut several unsuccessful singles, and Waters continued playing clubs every night and driving a truck six days a week.

In 1948 the Chess brothers changed Aristocrat to Chess. Waters’ first single on the new label was “Rollin’ Stone,” a major blues hit. “I Can’t Be Satisfied” and “I Feel Like Going Home” from that year secured his position as a major blues performer. Most of Waters’ early recordings featured him on electric guitar, Big Crawford or writer/producer Willie Dixon on bass, and occasionally Little Walter on harmonica. By 1951 he was supported by a complete band with Otis Spann on piano, Little Walter on harmonica, Jimmie Rodgers on second guitar, and Elgin Evans on drums.

“Honey Bee” in 1951; “She Moves Me” (#10 R&B) in 1952; “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man” (#8 R&B), “I Just Wanna Make Love to You” (#4 R&B), “I’m Ready” (#5 R&B), and “Got My Mojo Working” in 1954; and “Mannish Boy” (#9 R&B) in 1955 are all regarded as blues classics and have been recorded by numerous rock groups. During the ’50s, many of the top Chicago bluesmen passed through Waters’ band, including Walter Horton, Junior Wells, Jimmie Rodgers, James Cotton, and Buddy Guy. In addition, Waters was helpful in the early stages of both Howlin’ Wolf’s and Chuck Berry’s careers.

During his peak years as a record seller, most of Waters’ sales were confined primarily to the Mississippi Delta, the New Orleans area, and Chicago. But his reputation and music were internationally known, as the attendance at concerts on his 1958 English tour revealed. The Rolling Stones named themselves after his song “Rollin’ Stone.” In the early ’70s Waters left Chess and sued Chess’s publishing arm for back royalties.

He signed with Steve Paul’s Blue Sky records in 1976, the year he appeared at the Band’s farewell concert. Using members of his ’50s bands and producer/guitarist Johnny Winter, Waters made three of his best-selling albums, Hard Again, I’m Ready, and King Bee. Winter and Waters frequently performed together in the ’70s and ’80s. He last performed publicly at a June 1982 Eric Clapton show. Waters died of a heart attack. In 1987 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004 Waters was ranked #17 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Find his official website at: http://www.muddywaters.com/

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Lou Reed

2008-03-25T18:03:00.000-07:00

Lou Reed (born March 2, 1942) is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, originally from Brooklyn, New York. Especially while a member of the The Velvet Underground in the 1960s, Reed broke new ground for the rock genre in several important dimensions, influencing the rock and roll movement in general, introducing more mature and intellectual themes to what was then considered a music genre for children and teenagers.

Reed first found prominence as the guitarist and principal singer-songwriter of The Velvet Underground. The band, which lasted from 1965 until 1973 (with Reed departing in late 1970 after the Loaded sessions), gained relatively little notice during its life but is often considered the seed from which most alternative and underground traditions of rock music sprang. As the Velvet's songwriter, Reed wrote about such taboo subjects as S&M (Venus in Furs), transvestites and transsexuals (Sister Ray, and Lady Godiva's Operation), prostitution (There She Goes Again), and drug addiction (I'm Waiting for the Man, White Light/White Heat, Heroin). As a guitarist, he made innovative use of abrasive distortion, volume-driven feedback, and nonstandard tunings. Reed's flat, New York voice, stripped of superficial emotions and, like Bob Dylan's, flaunting its lack of conventional training, was no less important to the music's radical effect.

Reed began a long and varied solo career in 1972. He scored a hit that year with Walk on the Wild Side off the Bowie-produced Transformer. For more than a decade he then seemed purposely to evade mainstream commercial success. Transformer was followed by the dark and challenging Berlin, an album that shed his fan base just as he'd cultivated it.

Despite his best efforts, the 70's were not without artistically and commercially successful albums. He had a major success with the live Rock 'n Roll AnimalLP, recorded following the release of Transformer, which received vast FM airplay in the mid-to late '70s due in no small part to the superb guitar solos of Steve Hunter. Coney Island Bady contained some of the best written and performed songs in Reed's oeuvre and Street Hassle saw Reed brave new-wave stylings.

His work won him wide recognition by the late 1980s as an essential elder statesman of rock. For decades he has written about intense subjects including heroin, transexuals, and S&M - not to mention the horror stories on Berlin - which had never been presented in rock and roll before. The industry had matured, to the extent that his commercial position as an "art rocker" was secure. Recently Lou Reed has teamed up with "The Killers" on a song called Tranquilize for their new compilation album "Sawdust". Which was released on Nov. 13, 2007. Find out more about this prince of rock at: http://www.loureed.com/

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Kim Weston

2008-03-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Best known as a duet partner of Marvin Gaye, Kim Weston also charted with some of her own solo sides during the '60s, although she never had the breakout success of a Martha Reeves or Diana Ross.

Born Agatha Natalie Weston in Detroit in 1939, she started singing in her church choir at age three, and by her teenage years had joined a touring gospel group called the Wright Specials. She signed with Motown during the company's early days, scoring a minor R&B hit in 1963 with "Love Me All the Way." The following year, she recorded her first duet with Gaye, "What Good Am I Without You," but made the tactical error of turning down a chance to record "Dancing in the Street," which subsequently became a smash hit for Martha & the Vandellas. She enjoyed her biggest solo hit in 1965 with "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)" and followed it up in 1966 with the equally soulful "Helpless," both of which helped make her reputation among soul collectors.

Also in 1966, she cut an entire album of duets with Gaye, Take Two, which produced the Top Five R&B classic "It Takes Two." By the time it was peaking on the charts in early 1967, however, Weston had already left Motown; she and her husband, producer William "Mickey" Stevenson, moved to MGM, but a pair of albums there (For the First Time and This Is America) proved to be commercial failures. Weston subsequently recorded for Volt (Kim Kim Kim), People (Big Brass Four Poster, an album of jazz standards with the Hastings Street Jazz Experience), and Johnny Nash's Banyan Tree, all without much success.

She did, however, chart with her version of the anthem "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" in 1970. Weston largely disappeared from the music industry during the '70s; in 1987, Weston became the first of many Motown artists to work with British producer Ian Levine on the Motorcity label, re-recording many of her old hits for the Northern soul market; her two albums for Motorcity, 1990's Investigate and 1992's Talking Loud, also featured some new material.

Today she is a disc jockey on a local Detroit, Michigan radio station, where she sponsors the summer events at Hart Plaza. She also tours sporadically, often alongside former Motown colleagues Mary Wilson, Martha Reeves and Brenda Holloway. She is also featured on the 2006 four CD release of the Motortown Revue series. Find out more at her website: http://home.imprimus.com.au/Stephenbardsley/Kim%20Weston.htm

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The Zombies

2008-03-19T22:15:00.000-07:00

The group formed in 1961 in St Albans, England, and gained their initial reputation playing the Old Verulamians Rugby Club in that town. The group was formed whilst the members were at school. Some sources state that Argent, Atkinson and Grundy were at St Albans School, while Blunstone and White were students at St Albans Boys' Grammar School (since renamed Verulam School). Other sources claim they were all at St Albans Boys' Grammar School.

After winning a beat-group competition sponsored by the London Evening News, the Zombies signed to Decca and recorded their first hit, "She's Not There" (Argent's second song, written specifically for this session), which was released in mid-1964 and peaked at number 12 in the UK, where it would be their only Top 40 hit. This minor-key, jazz-tinged number, distinguished by its musicianship and Blunstone's breathy vocal, was unlike anything previously heard in British rock and would become a bona fide classic. It was first aired in the United States in early August 1964 on New York City rock station WINS by Stan Z. Burns, who debuted the song on his daily noontime "Hot Spot" segment during which new songs were played. The tune began to catch on in early fall and eventually climbed to #2.

In early 1965, "Tell Her No" became another big seller in the United States (where it was a hit a second time in 1983 for American vocalist Juice Newton), but had failed to make the Top 40 in the band's native UK. Although subsequent recordings such as "I Love You" (which became a hit for People! in 1968), "Indication", "Whenever You're Ready", and "Is This the Dream" were of uniformly high quality, none achieved the success of the previous two singles.

In 1967, the Zombies signed to CBS Records for one final LP, only the second of their career and the first one produced as a single unit. Their previous LP, Begin Here (1965), was a collection of early singles, half a dozen original songs combined with several R&B covers. The resulting album, Odessey and Oracle, was one of the very first to utilize a Mellotron keyboard, as the band's budget did not allow for the hiring of session musicians. The band discovered too late that "odyssey" had been misspelled by the cover designers and were reportedly deeply embarrassed.

By the time Odessey and Oracle was released in April 1968, the band had broken up. The album sold little, and was only released in the U.S. because musician Al Kooper vouched for it. An album track called "Time of the Season" was released as a single and eventually (1969) it became a huge nationwide hit (Billboard #3) after a radio DJ discovered it and put it on heavy rotation. Since the group declined to perform, various concocted groups tried to capitalize on the success and falsely toured under the band's name. Find out more about them at: http://www.rodargent.com/

Research info gathered at: www.last.fm.com

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The Spinners

2008-03-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

The Spinners were the greatest soul group of the early '70s, creating a body of work that defined the lush, seductive sound of Philly soul. Ironically, the band's roots lay in Detroit, where they formed as a doo wop group during the late '50s. Throughout the '60s, the Spinners tried to land a hit by adapting to the shifting fashions of R&B and pop. By the mid-'60s, they had signed with Motown Records, but the label never gave the group much consideration.

"It's a Shame" became a hit in 1970, but the label continued to ignore the group, and dropped the band two years later. Unsigned and featuring new lead singer Phillipe Wynne, the Spinners seemed destined to never break into the big leagues, but they managed to sign with Atlantic Records, where they began working with producer Thom Bell. With his assistance, the Spinners developed a distinctive sound, one that relied on Wynne's breathtaking falsetto and the group's intricate vocal harmonies. Bell provided the group with an appropriately detailed production, creating a detailed web of horns, strings, backing vocals, and lightly funky rhythms.

Between 1972 and 1977, the Spinners and Bell recorded a number of soul classics, including "I'll Be Around," "Could It Be I'm Fallin in Love," "Mighty Love," "Ghetto Child," "Then Came You," "Games People Play," and "The Rubberband Man." Wynne left in 1977 and the Spinners had hits for a few years after his departure, but the group will always be remembered for its classic mid-'70s work. Not only were their singles hits, but their albums constantly went gold and charted in the Top 20.Wynne left the band to pursue a solo career in 1977; he was replaced by John Edwards. Though none of Wynne's solo records were big hits, his tours with Parliament-Funkadelic were well-received, as were his solo concerts. In October 1984, he died of a heart attack during a concert in Oakland, CA. The Spinners, meanwhile, had a number of minor hits in the late '70s, highlighted by their disco covers of "Working My Way Back to You" and the medley "Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time." During the early '80s, they had several minor hits before fading away from the charts and entering the oldies circuit, reprising their earlier material for 1999's new studio effort At Their Best. They were inducteed into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. Find out more about this classic act at: www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/the_spinners.html

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Lulu

2008-03-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie OBE (born 3 November 1948), best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer and songwriter most known for the 1960s international hit record "To Sir, With Love".

A native of Glasgow, Lulu shot to fame at the age of fifteen with her version of "Shout!", delivered in a raucous and extremely mature voice. Her backing group were called "The Luvvers", but after several more British hits she left the group to become a solo artist.

In 1966, Lulu toured Poland with the British rock and roll band The Hollies, making her the first British female singer to appear live behind the Iron Curtain.

In 1967 she made her debut as a film actress in To Sir, with Love, a British vehicle for Sidney Poitier. She had a major hit with the film's title song, which shot to No. 1 in the United States (in the U.K., it was released only on the B-side of Let's Pretend, a much less successful hit). In the meantime, she continued with a thriving pop career in the U.K. and several television series of her own. On 29 March 1969, she represented the United Kingdom by performing the song "Boom bang-a-bang" at the Eurovision Song Contest, and was joint winner with the representatives of Spain, the Netherlands and France—there had never been a draw before, and the rules were altered to prevent it ever happening again.

In the same year, Lulu married Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees in a ceremony in Gerrards Cross. Their careers forced them apart, and they divorced, childless, in 1973. Lulu then married her hairdresser, John Frieda, and remained with him for twenty years until another divorce. They had one son, Jordan Frieda. She became interested in Eastern mysticism and joined Siddha Yoga Meditation.In 1974 she performed the title song in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun. After that, her singing career waned, but she remained in the public eye, continuing to act. In 1987, she played Adrian Mole's mother on television, and in the 1990s she made a comeback, guesting on the cover version of the Dan Hartman song "Relight My Fire", with Take That. The single reached number one in the British charts. She also appeared as herself in 2 episodes of the hugely popular BBC television programme Absolutely Fabulous.

In 2000 she was awarded an OBE by the British Government. Her 2003 autobiography is called Don't Wanna Fight No More after a hit song she wrote for Tina Turner. In 2002 her gold album Together was a collection of duets with the likes of Elton John and Paul McCartney. In 2004 she released the album Back on Track and went on a UK-wide tour to celebrate 40 years in the business. In late 2004, Lulu became the host of her own 2-hour radio show, on BBC Radio 2, playing an eclectic blend of music from the 1950s to the 2000s, all having to do with the influence of songwriting. In 2005, Lulu released "A Little Soul In Your Heart", a collection of Motown Soul Covers and Soul classics, which entered the UK charts at #28.She has more recently appeared in the BBC's reality TV show Just The Two Of Us in 2006 as a judge. Find out more about one of my favorite UK artist at: http://www.luluofficial.com/

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Percy Sledge

2008-03-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

Percy Sledge (born 25 November 1941 in Leighton, Alabama) is an American R&B and soul performer.

Percy Sledge worked in the fields in Leighton before he worked as an orderly at Colbert County Hospital in Sheffield. By the mid-1960s, Sledge was touring the Southeast with the Esquires Combo on weekends and working at the hospital. A former patient who was a friend of producer Quin Ivy introduced the two, an audition followed, and Sledge was signed to a recording contract. Sledge's smooth voice was perfect for the series of soul ballads produced by Ivy and Marlin Greene, which rock critic Dave Marsh called "emotional classics for romantics of all ages."

"When a Man Loves a Woman" was the first song recorded under the contract (released in 1966), and it became not only an international hit (it reached #1 in the US) but was also the first gold record released by Atlantic Records. The magnificent soul anthem became the cornerstone of Sledge's career and was followed by "Warm and Tender Love", "Take Time to Know Her", and "Cover Me".

He charted with "I'll Be Your Everything" and "Sunshine" during the 1970s, and has become an international concert favorite throughout the world, especially in the Netherlands, Germany, and on the African continent.

His career enjoyed a renaissance in the 1980s when "When a Man Loves a Woman" re-entered the Top 10 in the UK after being used in a Levi's commercial.

Sledge was an inaugural Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award honoree in 1989. In 2005, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You can find out more about the soul singer at: www.psledge.com

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Bobby Darin

2008-02-29T14:33:00.000-08:00

Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert "Bobby" Cassotto, May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was one of the most popular American big band performers and rock and roll teen idols of the late 1950s.

When Darin had his first hits in the late '50s, he was a teen idol of sorts, albeit a teen idol with much more talent and mature command than the typical singer in that style. The novelty-tinged "Splish Splash" was his breakthrough smash, followed by "Queen of the Hop" and the ballad "Dream Lover." There was a slight R&B feel to Bobby's delivery that may well have influenced R&B-pop/rock singers such as Dion, though it would be an exaggeration to call Darin a blue-eyed soul man. In late 1959, he found a new direction when the swinging "Mack the Knife," a tune from Brecht-Weill's Threepenny Opera musical, made number one. The song came from an album of pop standards, heralding his move toward light big band jazz, which was consolidated by the Top Ten success of "Beyond the Sea" in 1960.

In the early '60s, Darin had mostly abandoned rock for the adult pop market, becoming a huge success on the Vegas-nightclub circuit, and moving into the all-around entertainer mode with starring roles in movies (including one as a non-singing jazz musician in John Cassavetes' Too Young Blues). He also continued to score regular hits with the likes of "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," "Things," and "Lazy River." In 1965, there was a rather nice self-penned jangly folk-rocker, "When I Get Home," that become a British hit for the Searchers. Another 1965 flop, "We Didn't Ask to Be Brought Here," was an unexpected antiwar tune. When he made his return to the Top Ten in late 1966, it was with a cover of a gentle Tim Hardin folk-rock song, "If I Were a Carpenter." His final Top 40 hit the following year, "Lovin' You," opted for material by another major folk-rock composer, John Sebastian.

Darin may indeed have been far hipper and more politically aware than the average nightclub act, covering tunes by Dylan and the Rolling Stones, participating in a 1965 civil rights march to Alabama, and penning some Dylan-influenced songs of his own in the late '60s.

By the early '70s he was working Vegas and similar joints again, exchanging his blue jeans for a tuxedo, and hosting a TV variety series. In a much odder turn of events, he was now recording for Motown, though these efforts met little success.

Afflicted with a rheumatic heart, Darin was always aware that his time might be limited, and he died near the end of 1973 during open-heart surgery. He left behind a considerable quantity (and diversity) of recorded work, and underwent a critical reevaluation of sorts, especially among rock critics, which might have aided his election to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. A 1996 four-CD box set, divided into thematic discs, attempted to put his wide-ranging efforts into perspective. In 2004, actor Kevin Spacey starred as Bobby Darin in the feature film biography Beyond the Sea. Spacey also directed the film and sang Darin's songs for the film, which were released as the film's soundtrack. Find out more about the entertainer and his music at: http://www.bobbydarin.net/

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Mahalia Jackson

2008-02-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

Born in one of the poorest sections of New Orleans on October 16, 1911, Mahalia Jackson made her debut in the children's choir of the Plymouth Rock Baptist Church at the age of four, and within a few years was a prominent member of the Mt. Moriah Baptist's junior choir. Raised next door to a sanctified church, she was heavily influenced by their brand of gospel, with its reliance on drums and percussion over piano; another major inspiration was the blues of Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey.

After quitting school during the eighth grade, Jackson relocated to Chicago in 1927, where she worked as a maid and laundress; within months of her arrival, she was singing leads with the choir at the Greater Salem Baptist Church, where she joined the three sons of her pastor in their group the Johnson Brothers. Although other small choir groups had cut records in the past, the Johnson Brothers might have been the first professional gospel unit ever; the first organized group to play the Chicago church circuit, they even produced a series of self-written musical dramas in which Jackson assumed the lead role. Her provocative performing style — influenced by the Southern sanctified style of keeping time with the body and distinguished by jerks and steps for physical emphasis — enraged many of the more conservative Northern preachers, but few could deny her fierce talent.

As her reputation as a singer grew throughout the Midwest, in 1937 she made her first recordings for Decca, becoming the first gospel artist signed to the label; curiously, none of the tracks she recorded during her May 21 session was by Thomas A. Dorsey, the legendary composer for whom she began working as a song demonstrator around that same time. (He even wrote "Peace in the Valley" with her in mind.) While her Decca single "God's Gonna Separate the Wheat from the Tares" sold only modestly, prompting a lengthy studio hiatus, Jackson's career continued on the upswing — she soon began performing live in cities as far away as Buffalo, New Orleans and Birmingham, becoming famous in churches throughout the country for not only her inimitable voice but also her flirtatious stage presence and spiritual intensity.

Jackson did not record again until 1946, signing with Apollo Records; although her relations with the label were often strained, the work she produced during her eight-year stay on their roster was frequently brilliant. While her first Apollo recordings, including "I Want to Rest" and "He Knows My Heart," fared poorly — so much so, in fact, that the label almost dropped her — producer Art Freeman insisted Jackson record W. Herbert Brewster's "Move on Up a Little Higher"; released in early 1948, the single became the best-selling gospel record of all time, selling in such great quantities that stores could not even meet the demand. Virtually overnight, Jackson became a superstar; beginning in 1950, she became a regular guest on journalist Studs Terkel's Chicago television series, and among white intellectuals and jazz critics, she acquired a major cult following based in large part on her eerie similarities to Bessie Smith. In 1952, her recording of "I Can Put My Trust in Jesus" even won a prize from the French Academy, resulting in a successful tour of Europe — her rendition of "Silent Night" even became one of the all-time best-selling records in Norway's history.

Jackson's success soon reached such dramatic proportions that in 1954 she began hosting her own weekly radio series on CBS, the first program of its kind to broadcast the pure, sanctified gospel style over national airwaves. Also in 1954 she signed to Columbia, scoring a Top 40 hit with the single "Rusty Old Halo," and two years later made her debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. However, with Jackson's success came the inevitable backlash — purists decried her music's turn towards more pop-friendly production, and as her fame soared, so did her asking price, so much so that by the late '50s virtually no black churches could afford to pay her performance fee.

A triumphant appearance at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival solidified Jackson's standing among critics, but her records continued moving her further away from her core audience — when an LP with Percy Faith became a smash, Columbia insisted on more recordings with orchestras and choirs; she even cut a rendition of "Guardian Angels" backed by comic Harpo Marx. In 1959, she appeared in the film Imitation of Life, and two years later sang at John F. Kennedy's Presidential inauguration. During the 1960s, Jackson was also a confidant and supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King, and at his funeral sang his last request, "Precious Lord"; throughout the decade she was a force in the civil rights movement, but after 1968, with King and the brothers Kennedy all assassinated, she retired from the political front. At much the same time Jackson went through a messy and very public divorce, prompting a series of heart attacks and the rapid loss of over a hundred pounds; in her last years, however, she recaptured much of her former glory, concluding her career with a farewell concert in Germany in 1971. She died January 27, 1972. Find out more about this gospel legend at: www.nndb.com/249/000088982

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Credence Clearwater Revival

2008-02-20T00:59:00.000-08:00

At a time when rock was evolving further and further away from the forces that had made the music possible in the first place, Creedence Clearwater Revival brought things back to their roots with their concise synthesis of rockabilly, swamp pop, R&B, and country. The band's genius was their ability to accomplish this with the economic, primal power of a classic rockabilly ensemble and owned much of this creidt to singer, songwriter, guitarist, and leader John Fogerty's classic compositions which both evoked enduring images of Americana and reflected burning social issues of the day.

The key elements of Creedence had been woodshedding in bar bands for about a decade before their breakthrough to national success in the late '60s. John's older brother Tom formed the Blue Velvets in the late '50s in El Cerrito, CA, a tiny suburb across the bay from San Francisco. By the mid-'60s, with a few hopelessly obscure recordings under their belt, they'd signed to Fantasy, releasing several singles as the Golliwogs that went nowhere. In fact, there's little promise to be found on those early efforts, primarily because Tom, not John, was doing most of the singing. The group only found themselves when John took firm reigns over the band's direction, singing and writing virtually all of their material.

On their first album as Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1968, the group played it both ways, offering extended, quasi-psychedelic workouts of the '50s classics "I Put a Spell on You" and "Suzie Q." The latter song became their first big hit, but the band didn't really bloom until "Proud Mary," a number-two single in early 1969 that demonstrated John's talent at tapping into Southern roots music and imagery with a natural ease. It was the start of a torrent of classic hits from the gritty, Little Richard-inspired singer over the next two years, including "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," "Down on the Corner," "Travelin' Band," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Up Around the Bend," and "Lookin' Out My Back Door."

With John Fogerty holding such a strong upper hand, Creedence couldn't be said to have been a democratic unit, and Fogerty's dominance was to sow the seeds of the group's quick dissolution. Tom Fogerty left in 1971 (recording a few unremarkable solo albums of his own), reducing the band to a trio. John allowed drummer Doug Clifford and bassist Stu Cook equal shares of songwriting and vocal time on the group's final album, Mardi Gras (1972), which proved conclusively that Fogerty's songs and singing were necessary to raise CCR above journeyman status.

It was John Fogerty, of course, who produced the only notable work after the quartet broke up. Even his solo outings, though, were erratic and, for nearly ten years, nonexistent as he became embroiled in a web of business disputes with Fantasy Records. His 1984 album Centerfield proved he could still rock in the vintage Creedence mode when the spirit moved him, but Tom Fogerty's death in 1990 from AIDS due to a blood transfusion, ended any hopes of a CCR reunion with the original members intact.

John and Tom never fully reconciled the estrangement that followed their bitter falling out in CCR, though John did visit his older brother several times during Tom's final illness. CCR was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 on the first ballot. Find out more about one of my favorite rock groups at: http://www.creedence-online.net/

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Mary Wells

2008-02-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

Both time and legions of other soul superstars have obscured the fact that for just a brief moment, a lady named Mary Wells was Motown's biggest star. She came to the attention of Berry Gordy as a 17-year-old, hawking a song she'd written for Jackie Wilson; that song, "Bye Bye Baby," became her first Motown hit in 1961. The full-throated approach of that single was quickly toned down in favor of a pop-soul sound. Few other soul singers managed to be as shy and sexy at the same time as Wells (Barbara Lewis is the only other that springs to mind), and the soft-voiced singer found a perfect match with the emerging Motown production team, especially Smokey Robinson. Robinson wrote and produced her biggest Motown hits; "Two Lovers," "You Beat Me to the Punch," and "The One Who Really Loves You" all made the Top Ten in the early '60s, and "My Guy" hit the number one spot in mid-1964, at the very height of Beatlemania.

Mary turned 21 years old as "My Guy" was rising to the top of the charts, and left Motown almost immediately afterward for a reported advance of several hundred thousand dollars from 20th Century Fox. The circumstances remain cloudy years later, but Wells and her husband-manager felt Motown wasn't coming through with enough money for their new superstar; she was also lured by the prospect of movie roles through 20th Century Fox (which never materialized). It's been rumored that Wells was being groomed for the sort of plans that were subsequently lavished upon Diana Ross; more nefariously, it's also been rumored that Motown quietly discouraged radio stations from playing Wells' subsequent releases. What is certain is that Wells never remotely approached the success of her Motown years, entering the pop Top 40 only once (although she had some R&B hits). Motown, for their part, took care throughout the rest of the '60s not to lose their big stars to larger labels.

Wells' departure from Motown was so dramatic and unsuccessful that it has tended to overshadow the quality of her later work, which has almost always been dismissed as trivial by critics. True, it didn't match the quality of her Motown recordings — Smokey Robinson could not be replaced. But her '60s singles for 20th Century Fox (whom she ended up leaving after only a year), Atco, and Jubilee were solid pop-soul on which her vocal talents remained undiminished. She wrote and produced a lot of her late-'60s and early-'70s sessions with her second husband, guitarist Cecil Womack (brother of Bobby), and these found her exploring a somewhat earthier groove than her more widely known pop efforts. She had trouble landing recording deals in the '70s and '80s, and succumbed to throat cancer in 1992. Find out more about this Motown artist at: www.cmgww.com/music/index.html

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Jerry Lee Lewis

2008-02-12T00:43:00.000-08:00

Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935) is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist, as well as an early pioneer of rock and roll music. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the rockabilly Hall of Fame. His nickname is The Killer.

Like Elvis Presley, he was raised singing the Christian gospel music of integrated southern Pentecostal churches. In 1950 he attended Southwestern Bible Institute in Texas but was expelled for misconduct, including playing rock and roll versions of hymns in church.

Leaving religious music behind, he became a part of the burgeoning new rock and roll sound, cutting his first record in 1954. Two years later, at Sun Records studio in Memphis, Tennessee, producer and engineer Jack Clement discovered and recorded Lewis for the Sun label, while owner Sam Phillips was away on a trip to Florida. As a result, Lewis joined Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash as stars who began their recording careers at Sun Studios around this same time.

His first recording at Sun studios was his own distinct version of the country ballard Crazy Arms. In 1957, his piano and the pure rock and roll sound of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" propelled him to international fame. "Great Balls Of Fire" soon followed, and would become his biggest hit. Watching and listening to Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis said if he could play the piano like that, he'd quit singing. Lewis' early billing was Jerry Lee Lewis and his Pumping Piano.

He was a pioneer of piano rock, not only through his sound by also through his dynamic performance. He would often kick the piano bench out of the way to play standing, rake his hands up and down the keyboard for dramatic accent, and even sit down on it. These performance techniques have been adopted by recent piano rock artists, notably admirer Elton John.

Lewis' turbulent personal life was one scandal after another and was hidden from the public until a 1958 British tour, when reporters learned about the twenty-three year old star's third wife Myra Gale Brown. She was thirteen years old, and Lewis's first cousin once removed. The publicity caused an uproar and the tour was cancelled after only three concerts. The scandal followed him home to America, and as a result he almost vanished from the music scene.His popularity recovered somewhat in Europe, especially in the UK and Germany during the mid-1960s. Although he was always a heavy drinker who often combined his sprees with raucous, even violent behavior, he increasingly became plagued by alcohol and drug problems after Myra divorced him in 1970.

On November 5, 2007 the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame and a university in Cleveland, Ohio honored him with 6 days of conferences, interviews, a DVD premier, film clips, etc. dedicated to him entitled 'The Life And Music of Jerry Lee Lewis'. He is the first living artist to be so honored. Find out more about this rock & roll living legend at: http://www.jerryleelewis.com/

Research info gathered at: www.allmusic.com

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The Crystals

2008-02-08T22:37:00.000-08:00

Among aficionados of the girl group sound, there can't be five acts more beloved than the Crystals. Their best-known songs, which include "He's a Rebel," "Uptown," "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Then He Kissed Me," and "There's No Other Like My Baby," are among the finest examples of the best that American rock & roll had to offer in the period before the British Invasion; and decades into the CD era, the group's records are still prized in their original vinyl pressings even by non-collectors, who seem to recognize that there was something special about the Crystals' work.

The group was originally a quintet consisting of Barbara Alston (born 1945), Dee Dee Kennibrew (born 1945), Mary Thomas (born 1946), Patricia Wright, and Myrna Gerrard, organized by Benny Wells while they were still in high school. All of whom had started out singing in churches, they began performing in more of a pop vein, and one of the gigs that they got was cutting demos for the publisher Hill & Range, which brought them to the Brill Building in midtown Manhattan. It was there, while they were rehearsing, that they chanced to be heard by Phil Spector, who at that time was just starting up his own label, Philles Records. He was in the market for new talent and the Crystals — who, by that time, had lost Gerrard and added La La Brooks to their lineup as lead singer — were just what he was looking for, sort of. He liked their sound and their range, but he didn't initially like Brooks' voice and insisted on Alston taking the lead, somewhat reluctantly on her part.

In September of 1961, the slightly reconfigured group cut their first hit, "There's No Other Like My Baby," which rose to number 20 nationally. But it wasn't until early 1963 that the group had their first big hit "Da Doo Ron Ron." By that time, Spector had accepted La La Brooks in lieu of Alston as lead singer. The record rose to number three in America and became their second biggest British hit, reaching the number five spot in the U.K. That placement, along with the U.K. number two position for "Then He Kissed Me" (which also got to number six in America), was very important, because at the time a lot of major British bands were about to break onto the charts at home, before coming to dominate American music a year later. "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me" became among the most popular American rock & roll songs of the period in England, covered by all manner of acts on-stage and on-record.

By 1964, the group and their producer Spector were increasingly at odds with each other. Spector had lately discovered a girl trio called the Ronettes on whose music and lead singer, Veronica Bennett (whom he would later marry), he was lavishing ever more of his time and energy. So, following the failure of two consecutive genuine Crystals singles, the group with Frances Collins replacing Patricia Wright — was no longer interested in working with Spector. The following year they bought out their contract and headed to the seemingly greener pastures of the Imperial label, where they found no success; by that time, the only girl groups that were still competitive in the music marketplace were associated with Motown.

By 1966, the Crystals had disbanded, and for five years no one heard anything about the group except in airplay on oldies stations. Spector had even closed down Philles Records, and the resulting unavailability of their records except on the radio only raised the value of the old copies that were out there, and made his periodic reissues of the group's work that much more prized by fans. Then, in 1971, with the rock & roll revival in full swing, the groupmembers reunited and spent a few years delighting audiences on the oldies circuit. Various incarnations of the group resurfaced every so often in the late '70s and 1980s, but at the dawn of the 21st century, Dee Dee Kennibrew was still leading a version of the group and had even managed to get them recorded. Find out more at: http://www.thecrystals.com/

Research info gathered at: www.allmusic.com

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Nancy Sinatra

2008-02-04T00:27:00.000-08:00

Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940, in Jersey City, New Jersey) grew up as the child of one of the greatest icons in American music can't be easy, but Nancy Sinatra managed to create a sound and style for herself fully separate from that of her (very) famous father, and her sexy but strong-willed persona has endured with nearly the same strength as the image of the Chairman of the Board. Nancy grew up in the spotlight, and made her first appearance on television with her father in 1957. It wasn't long before she developed aspirations of her own as a performer — she had studied music, dancing, and voice through much of her youth — and in 1960 she made her debut as a professional performer on a television special hosted by her father and featuring guest star Elvis Presley, then fresh out of the Army.

After appearing in a number of movies and guest starring on episodic television, she was eager to break into music, and she signed a deal with her father's record label, Reprise. However, her first hit single, 1966's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," made it clear she had the talent and moxie to make it without her father's help. Sounding both sexy and defiant, and belting out a definitive tough-chick lyric over a brassy arrangement by Bill Strange (and with the cream of L.A.'s session players behind her), "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" was an immediate and unstoppable hit, and took the "tuff girl" posturing of the Shangri-Las and the Ronettes to a whole new level.

A number of hits followed, including "How Does That Grab You," "Sugar Town," and the theme song to the James Bond picture You Only Live Twice. Nancy also teamed up with her father for the single "Somethin' Stupid," which raced to the top of the charts in 1967. Most of Nancy's hits were produced by Lee Hazlewood, who went on to become a cult hero on his own and recorded a number of memorable duets with her, including "Sand," "Summer Wine," and the one-of-a-kind epic "Some Velvet Morning." Nancy reinforced her "bad girl" persona in 1966 with co-starring role opposite Peter Fonda in The Wild Angels, the Roger Corman film that helped kick off the biker flick cycle of the 1960s and early '70s; she also teamed up with Elvis Presley in the 1968 movie Speedway.

She continued to record into the early '70s, but in 1970 she married dancer Hugh Lambert (a brief marriage to British singer and actor Tommy Sands ended in 1965), and she devoted most of her time to her new life as a wife and mother, as well as working with a number of charitable causes. In 1985, she published the book Frank Sinatra: My Father, and became increasingly active in looking after her family's affairs; she published a second book on Frank Sinatra in 1998 and currently oversees the Sinatra Family website.

In 1995, she returned to the recording studio with a country-flavored album called One More Time, and she helped publicize it by posing for a sexy photo spread in Playboy magazine. Nancy launched a concert tour in support of the album, and in 2003 teamed up with Hazlewood to record a new album together, Nancy & Lee 3, which sadly was not released in the United States. However, Nancy soon returned to the recording studio at the urging of longtime fan Morrissey, and in the fall of 2004 she released a new disc simply entitled Nancy Sinatra, an ambitious set which included contributions from members of U2, Pulp, Calexico, Sonic Youth, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and other contemporary rock performers.

The album's release was followed by more live work from Nancy, including a memorable appearance at Little Steven's International Underground Garage Rock Festival 2004, in which she performed songs from her new album as well as "These Boots Are Made for Walkin" backed by an all-star band (including a horn section) and flanked by dozens of frugging go-go dancers. Find out more at her website: http://nancysinatra.com/

Research info gathered at: www.allmusic.com

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Louis Armstrong

2008-01-31T15:39:00.000-08:00

His life story could fill a dozen books, and in fact it has. Armstrong was a charismatic, innovative performer whose inspired, improvised soloing was the main influence for a fundamental change in jazz, shifting its focus from collective melodic playing, often arranged in one way or another, to the solo player and improvised soloing. One of the most famous jazz musicians of the 20th century, he was first known as a cornet player, then as a trumpet player, and toward the end of his career he was best known as a vocalist and became one of the most influential jazz singers.

He rose to fame with his own "Hot Five" group in the 1920s. The nickname "Satchmo" is derived from "Satchelmouth"; incidentally, he was known to his closest friends as "Pops". Movies began to demand his services in 1930.

His earliest film appearances-- notably the Betty Boop cartoon (!) I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You (32)--exemplified the "dangerous," sexually suggestive Armstrong who had become famous in nightclubs and on 78 RPM records. The racial barriers of 1930s Hollywood required Armstrong to smooth out his rough edges and sometimes to come in through the servant's entrance; in 1938's Going Places, for example, he appears as a stableboy, and introduces the lively but comparatively antiseptic ditty "Jeepers Creepers."

Armstrong was serendipitously teamed with Bing Crosby on two memorable occasions: the 1936 musical drama Pennies From Heaven and the 1956 tune-filled remake of Philadelphia Story, High Society. Usually cast as himself (or a thinly disguised facsimile), Louis was given a rare chance to act in the 1943 all-black MGM musical Cabin in the Sky, playing the heavenly emissary "The Trumpeter."

In 1964, Louis Armstrong scored so huge a hit with his recording of the title tune from the Broadway musical Hello Dolly that he was arbitrarily written into the 1969 film version, sharing a few precious on-screen moments with Barbra Streisandand would be the last of his 25 feature-film appearances. In 1967 he made the pop single "What A Wonderful World" which did not do well in America but became a #1 hit on the UK singles chart, making him the oldest male to top the charts in British history at the age of sixty-six years and ten months old. The song was featured in the movie Good Morning Vietnam and became a huge success once again in 1988 reaching #1 on the US and Australian charts.

Louis Armstrong died of a heart attack on July 6, 1971, at age 69, three months after playing a famous show at the Waldorf Astoria's Empire Room. Shortly before his death he stated, "I think I had a beautiful life. I didn't wish for anything that I couldn't get and I got pretty near everything I wanted because I worked for it".

Armstrong was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972, by the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy's National Trustees to performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artist significance to the field of recording. Find our more about this jazz icon at: http://www.satchmo.net/

Research info gathered at: www.vh1.com

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Neil Young

2008-01-27T14:11:00.000-08:00

Neil Young was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on November 12, 1945. He is a singer-songwriter with a long and extensive musical career. He has become one of the most respected and influential musicians of his generation.

Neil started his professional music career in the mid-1960's with a number of bands in Canada, notably the Mynah Birds, which also included fellow future Buffalo Springfield bassist Bruce Palmer and future funk star Rick James. When the Mynah Birds broke up, Young and Palmer headed to California to meet Stephen Stills, whom he had met in Winnipeg, and the result was Buffalo Springfield.

That band split up after three albums, and Neil soon started his solo career with the release of Neil Young November 12, 1968. The album did not do very well commercially. On May 14, 1969 he recruited Crazy Horse and made the critically acclaimed Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. But it was Harvest in 1972 that would make Neil Young into a well-known star with his first solo hit "Heart of Gold".

During this time he also enjoyed considerable success as a quarter of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Neil's subsequent work has zig-zagged across genres - dabbling in country rock on Old Ways; electronics on Trans; hooking up with the Shocking Pinks in a homage to old-time Rock 'n' Roll on Everybody's Rockin'; creating a wall of feedback on the live Arc-Weld; and cementing his status as Godfather of grunge when collaborating with Pearl Jam on Mirrorball.

His idiosyncratic approach to genre even led to him being sued by his record company (Geffen) in the 80's for making "uncharacteristic" music.

Young has also dabbled in film, most recently on the album/concert series/dvd Greendale. Now, over 60 years old and still going strong the very special and often strange Neil Young keeps on making music. His latest release is Living With War, a rock protest against George W. Bush and the war in Iraq. Find out more about this legend from Canada at: http://www.neilyoung.com/

Research info gathered at: www.lastfm.com

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Babara Lewis

2008-01-25T00:06:00.000-08:00

Pop-soul doesn't get much better than Barbara Lewis, whose seductive, emotive croon took "Hello Stranger" to #3 in 1963. The Michigan native had been writing songs since the age of nine, and began recording as a teenager with producer Ollie McLaughlin, who'd also had a hand in the careers of Del Shannon, the Capitols, and Deon Jackson.

Lewis wrote all of the songs on her debut LP (including "Hello Stranger"), and confidently handled harmony soul numbers (some with backing by the Dells) and more pop-savvy tunes, some of which, like "Hello Stranger," were driven by an organ and a bossa nova-like beat. Follow-ups to "Hello Stranger" didn't sell nearly as well (although one of her singles, "Someday We're Gonna Love Again," was covered by the Searchers for a British Invasion hit). In the mid-'60s, she began doing some recordings in New York City, with assistance from producers like Bert Berns and Jerry Wexler, that employed more orchestral arrangements and pop-conscious material. The approach clicked, both commercially and artistically: "Baby I'm Yours" and "Make Me Your Baby" were both big hits, and both among the best mid-'60s girl group style productions.

Lewis cut an album in the late '60s for Stax (on the Enterprise subsidiary) that, as one would expect, gave her sound a grittier approach, without compromising the smooth and poppy elements integral to the singer's appeal. It passed mostly unnoticed, though, and Lewis withdrew from the music business after a few other singles. The "beach music" scene of the Carolinas remains a bastion of appreciation for Lewis' records, which continue to enjoy popularity and airplay there decades after their original release.

Over the next decade, a number of other artists had success with Lewis' songs, most notably Yvonne Elliman, who made the U.S. Top 20 (and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart) and the UK Singles Chart Top 30 with her version of "Hello Stranger" in 1977. "Baby I'm Yours" also charted in versions by country singer Jody Miller and Debby Boone (the B-side of her single "God Knows"). In Canada, Suzanne Stevens had a hit in 1975 with a disco version of "Make Me Your Baby." Cover versions of Barbara Lewis' tracks continue into the new millennium with the Arctic Monkeys, including a version of "Baby I'm Yours" as a B-side to their 2006 single, "Leave Before the Lights Come On."

In 1995, Lewis' "Baby I'm Yours" was featured on the "The Bridges of Madison County" soundtrack. She received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999. Find out more about her life and career at: www.hitsvillesoulclub.com/articles/art008/art_babara_lewis_html

Research info gathered at: www.allmusic.com

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The Animals

2008-01-21T23:07:00.000-08:00

Of the original British Invasion bands, the Animals were the most clearly influenced by black American R&B rather than blues. Originally the Alan Price Combo (formed in 1958), they became the Animals shortly after the addition of lead vocalist Eric Burdon in 1962. By 1964, under the wing of U.K. producer Mickie Most, they had recorded their second single, "House of the Rising Sun," a #1 hit on both sides of the Atlantic in summer 1964.

More hits followed through 1966: "Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood" (#15, 1965), "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" (#13, 1965), and "It's My Life" (#23, 1965). In late 1965 Price left the band (the result of tension between him and Burdon) for a solo career. That, and frequent drug use by members, shook up the band somewhat, but Price was replaced by Dave Rowberry, and the Animals had another hit (“Inside-Looking Out,” #34, 1966) before John Steel left. With Barry Jenkins (formerly of the Nashville Teens) replacing Steel, the group had several more hits (“Don’t Bring Me Down,” #12, 1966; “See See Rider,” #10, 1966), but by the end of the year Hilton Valentine left to pursue a solo career, and Chas Chandler became a successful manager (the Animals, Jimi Hendrix, and Slade). Steel became Chandler’s assistant.

When the billing was changed to Eric Burdon and the Animals, the band endorsed psychedelia with “San Franciscan Nights” (#9, 1967), “Monterey” (#15, 1968), and “Sky Pilot” (#14, 1968). The Animals fell apart, but a year and a half later Burdon formed Eric Burdon and the New Animals, with a lineup that briefly included future Police guitarist Andy Summers, before embarking on an intermittently successful solo career.

The original Animals reunited for a Christmas show at City Hall in Newcastle in 1968. In 1969 Valentine recorded a solo album entitled All in Your Head The original band reunited in 1976 to record a one-shot LP, Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted. In 1983 they reunited once more. The Animals recorded Ark and mounted a tour (captured on Rip It to Shreds) before the band members again went their separate ways. In 1992 an Animals lineup that included Vic Briggs (who had become a Sikh and recorded under the name Vikram S. Khalsa) and Barry Jenkins performed in Moscow’s Red Square. In 1994 the Animals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Chandler died of a heart attack in 1996. Find out more about this famous British band at http://www.ericburdonalbums.com/

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The Coasters

2008-01-17T00:21:00.000-08:00

The Coasters were one of the few artists in rock history to successfully straddle the line between music and comedy. Their undeniably funny lyrics and on-stage antics might have suggested a simple troupe of clowns, but Coasters records were no mere novelties — their material, supplied by the legendary team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, was too witty, their arrangements too well-crafted, and the group itself too musically proficient. That engaging and infectious combination made them one of the most popular early R&B/rock & roll acts, as well as one of the most consistently entertaining doo wop/vocal groups of all time.

The Coasters grew out of a successful Los Angeles doo wop group called the Robins, which had been recording since 1949 and working with Leiber & Stoller since 1953. Atlantic Records acquired the Robins in 1955. Amid uncertainties over their new major-label arrangement, the Robins split up in the fall of 1953; lead tenor Carl Gardner (a more recent addition) and bass Bobby Nunn formed a new group, the Coasters (named for their West Coast base), which maintained the Leiber & Stoller association — an extremely wise move. The initial Coasters lineup was completed by baritone Billy Guy (a gifted comic vocalist) and second tenor Leon Hughes, with guitarist Adolph Jacobs figuring prominently on their recordings through 1959.

Their first single, "Down in Mexico," became a Top Ten R&B hit in 1956, epitomizing the sort of humorous story-song Leiber & Stoller were perfecting. The Coasters hit again in 1957 with the double-sided smash "Young Blood"/"Searchin'," both sides of which reached the pop Top Ten. The follow-ups weren't as successful, and it was decided that both the group and Leiber & Stoller would move their operations to New York, where Atlantic was based. As a result, Nunn and Hughes left the group in late 1957, to be replaced respectively by bass Will "Dub" Jones (ex-Cadets, of "Stranded in the Jungle" fame) and second tenor Obie Jessie (for a very short period), then Cornell Gunter (ex-Flairs).

The Coasters' first recording in New York was 1958's "Yakety Yak," which featured King Curtis on tenor sax. Its witty, slice-of-life lyrics about a teenager being hassled by his parents struck a resounding chord, and "Yakety Yak" became the Coasters' first number-one pop hit that summer, topping the R&B charts as well. "Charlie Brown," which cast Jones in the title role of class clown (and immortalized him with the catch-phrase, "why's everybody always pickin' on me?"), hit number two on both the pop and R&B charts in 1959, firmly establishing the Coasters' widespread crossover appeal. More hits followed: the Western-themed "Along Came Jones," "Poison Ivy," "Shoppin' for Clothes," and the group's final Top 30 hit, 1961's burlesque-dancer tribute "Little Egypt."

The Coasters parted ways with Atlantic in early 1966, signing with Columbia's Date subsidiary and reuniting with Leiber & Stoller for a time. Although they charted several times, no more hits were forthcoming, given the radically different musical climate; their last chart single was a 1971 cover of "Love Potion No. 9" (by which time Gardner was the only remaining original member), and their last new release came with a 1976 version of "If I Had a Hammer." Since then, numerous different Coasters lineups have toured the oldies circuit; Gardner's holds the legal claim to legitimacy, but Gunter, Guy, Jones, Nunn, and Hughes all led differing lineups at one point or another. Nunn died of a heart attack in 1986, one year before the Coasters became the first vocal group inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gunter was murdered in Las Vegas in 1990, and Jones passed away in early 2000. Find our more about this famous doo-hop group at: www.angelfire.com/mn/coasters

Research info gathered at: http://www.allmusic.com/

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Lesley Gore

2008-01-13T00:55:00.000-08:00

Lesley Gore (born May 2, 1946 in New York City as Lesley Sue Goldstein) is an American singer and songwriter, one of the best known performers of the girl group era.

Raised in Tenafly, New Jersey to Jewish parents, Gore was discovered as a teenager. Her first single at age 16 was the #1 hit "It's My Party," still perhaps her best known recording, which also made #9 in Britain. It was followed by others, including "Judy's Turn to Cry" (the sequel to "It's My Party"), "She's a Fool", the proto-feminist "You Don't Own Me," and "Maybe I Know. "

Her record producer was Quincy Jones, who would later become one of the most famous producers in American music.Instead of accepting the television and movie contracts that came her way, Gore chose to attend Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. This limited her public career to weekends and summer vacations and undoubtedly hurt her career.

Nevertheless, throughout the mid-1960's, Gore continued to be the one of the most popular female singers in the United States and Canada.By the late 1960s, though, her fame lessened as popular tastes evolved towards a harder-edged, psychedelic sound. Her last major hit was "California Nights," (1967) which she performed on an episode of the Batman TV series in which she guest-starred as one of Catwoman's minions.

During the 70's and 80's she continued to stay busy in the music industry, performed at concerts and in cabarets and achieved noted success as a professional songwriter, including composing songs for the soundtrack of the 1980 film, Fame. She received an Academy Award nomination for "Out Here on My Own," written with her brother Michael. Find out more at http://www.lesleygore.com/

Research info gathered at: http://www.lastfm.com/

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Garnet Mimms

2008-01-09T00:21:00.000-08:00

Garnet Mimms is perhaps best known for his original rendition of "Cry Baby," later a major item in Janis Joplin's repertoire, Garnet Mimms' pleading, gospel-derived intensity made him one of the earliest true soul singers. His legacy remains underappreciated, since for some reason he never scored another hit on the level of "Cry Baby," but his output from the early to mid-'60s — a blend of uptown sophistication and earthy, impassioned vocals — has earned comparisons to Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson from hardcore soul aficionados. Mimms was actually born Garrett Mimms in Ashland, WV, on November 26, 1933. He was mostly raised in Philadelphia, and began singing in church as a boy; during his teen years, he performed with several area gospel groups, including the Evening Stars, the Harmonizing Four, and the Norfolk Four, with whom he cut his first record in 1953.

He subsequently served several years in the military, and upon his release, he returned to Philadelphia in 1958 and formed a doo wop quintet called the Gainors, whose ranks included Sam Bell and onetime Evening Star Howard Tate (later an acclaimed solo singer in his own right). The Gainors recorded singles for several labels over the next three years, including Red Top (later picked up by Cameo), Mercury (from 1959-1960), and Tally Ho (1961). Failing to produce a hit, he left the group along with Bell and put together Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters, which were completed by Charles Boyer and Zola Pearnell. Thanks to Dick Clark's American Bandstand program, Philadelphia had become a haven for teen idols, and Mimms took his group to New York in 1963 in search of a more receptive scene. There they met songwriter/producer Bert Berns, who signed them to United Artists and teamed them with another songwriter/producer, Jerry Ragovoy.

Mimms quickly struck gold with the proto-soul performance of "Cry Baby," a smash hit that reached the pop Top Five and topped the R&B charts in 1963. The follow-up, a cover of Jerry Butler & the Impressions' "For Your Precious Love," hit the pop Top 40 later that year, as did the flip side, "Baby Don't You Weep." Mimms and the Enchanters parted ways in 1964; the group to record separately with a new lead vocalist, while he cut solo sides for UA steadily over the next few years. Ragovoy's productions became increasingly polished, mirroring the shift in R&B spearheaded by Motown, yet Mimms' vocals retained all the fire of his gospel training, making for a combination that was fairly unique for the time. Minor hits like "It Was Easier to Hurt Her" and "I'll Take Good Care of You" (the latter Mimms' last Top 40 hit in 1966) didn't perform nearly as well commercially as their quality seemed to indicate. In 1967, United Artists moved him to their Veep subsidiary, where "My Baby" was another inexplicable flop (it, too, was later covered by Janis Joplin on Pearl).

He went on to follow Ragovoy to Verve, where he recorded four singles to little response; ditto for his brief stint at MGM. Mimms did make one last minor chart appearance in 1977, recording for Arista as Garnet Mimms & the Truckin' Company; the disco-funk single "What It Is" was produced by Brass Construction mastermind Randy Muller. Mimms retired from the music business permanently after becoming a born-again Christian. Find out more about him at: www.rockabilly.nl/references/meassges/garnet_mimms.htm

Research info gathered at: www.allmusic.com

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Elvis Presley

2008-01-04T11:19:00.000-08:00

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935–August 16, 1977), was an American singer, musician and actor. He is a cultural icon, often known as "The King of Rock 'n' Roll", or simply "The King".

He began his career as one of the first performers of rockabilly, an uptempo fusion of country and rhythm and blues with a strong back beat. His novel versions of existing songs, mixing "black" and "white" sounds, made him popular—and controversial—as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the rock and roll genre, with tracks like "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads and pop. To date, he is the only performer to have been inducted into four music halls of fame.

His music career began at Sun Records in the spring of 1954 when Sam Philips recorded Elvis performing several of Elvis' favourite songs with Scotty Moore (guitar) and Bill Black (bass). One of these covers was a country and western song, "Blue Moon of Kentucky".

Before Sam Philips sold Elvis' contract to RCA in 1956 for $35,000 they had recorded six two-sided singles. Each of these recordings featured a country and western song on one side and a rhythm and blues song on the other. One of the reasons Elvis was so popular was because of his ability to merge attributes of what was perceived to be "white" (C&W) and "black" (R&B) music. An example of this is evident in Elvis' hit song "Heartbreak Hotel" which reached #1 not only in the Pop charts, but the R&B and C&W charts as well. This was the first time that a single song held the #1 spot in all three charts.

In the 1960s, he made the majority of his thirty-three movies—mainly poorly reviewed musicals. In 1968, he returned to live music in a television special and thereafter performed across the U.S., notably in Las Vegas. Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance, television ratings and recordings sales. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of popular music. Health problems plagued Presley in later life which, coupled with a punishing tour schedule and addiction to prescription medication, led to his premature death at age 42.

Elvis remains a popular and enigmatic star. His legend has only grown stronger since his death. In fact, there is a widespread belief that Elvis—who was known by his first name—did not die in 1977. Many fans persist in claiming he is still alive, that he went into hiding for various reasons. This claim is allegedly backed up by thousands of so-called Elvis sightings that have occurred in the years since his death, and by the fact that his middle name Aron was mispelled Aaron, with two As, on his tombstone. Find out more at: http://www.elvisthekinguk.com/

Research info gathered at: www.wikipedia.org & www.lastfm.com

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Roberta Flack

2008-01-01T18:32:00.000-08:00

Classy, urbane, reserved, smooth, and sophisticated — all of these terms have been used to describe the music of Roberta Flack (born February 10, 1937 in Asheville, North Carolina), particularly her string of romantic, light jazz ballad hits in the 1970s, which continue to enjoy popularity on MOR-oriented adult contemporary stations. Flack was the daughter of a church organist and started playing piano early enough to get a music scholarship and eventual degree from Howard University. After a period of student teaching, Flack was discovered singing at a club by jazz musician Les McCann and signed to Atlantic.

Her first two albums were well received but produced no hit singles; however, that all changed when a version of Ewan MacColl's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," from her first LP released in 1969, was included in the soundtrack of Play Misty for Me. The single zoomed to number one in 1972 and remained there for six weeks, becoming that year's biggest hit. Flack followed it with the first of several duets with Howard classmate Donny Hathaway, "Where Is the Love." "Killing Me Softly With His Song" became Flack's second number one hit (five weeks) in 1973, and after topping the charts again in 1974 with "Feel Like Makin' Love," Flack took a break from performing to concentrate on recording and charitable causes.

She charted several more times over the next few years, but a major blow struck in 1979 when Hathaway committed suicide. Devastated, Flack was forced to find another partner and eventually did in Peabo Bryson, with whom she toured in 1980. The two recorded together in 1983, scoring a hit duet with "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love." Flack spent the remainder of the '80s touring and performing, often with orchestras, and also several times with Miles Davis. She returned to the Top Ten once more in 1991 with "Set the Night to Music," a duet with Maxi Priest that appeared that year on the album of the same name. Her Roberta full-length, featuring interpretations of jazz and popular standards, followed in 1995.

In 1999, a star with Flack's name was placed on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. That same year, she gave a concert tour in South Africa, whose final concert was attended by President Nelson Mandela. I discovered Roberta during my first year in college when one of my dormmates can into my room one night with an album his Jazz DJ father had sent him from NYC hot off the press. The album was Roberta's "First Take". I'm been a fan ever since. Find out more about this living legend at her website http://www.robertaflack.com/

Cilla Black

2007-12-29T15:20:00.001-08:00

Cilla Black (born 27 May 1943) is an English singer-songwriter and television personality, born Priscilla Maria Veronica White to a Protestant father and a Catholic mother in Liverpool. She holds a unique position in the history of pop music, and the British invasion. As Brian Epstein's discovery and protégé, she was the first and only important female performer to emerge from Liverpool in the heyday of the British beat boom. In conjunction with Epstein's management and George Martin's production skills, she became a formidable ballad singer, her hits lasting longer than any of Epstein clients other than The Beatles. And she became one of the most beloved pop-rock performers in England during the late '60s and '70s, and one of the country's most popular and enduring television stars.

In the early 1960s, determined to break into show business, she got a part-time job as a cloakroom attendant at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, where The Beatles regularly played. Ideally placed to promote herself to local musicians, she impressed the Beatles and others with her talent and began her stage career with impromptu performances at the Cavern. She became a guest singer with Merseybeat bands Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, Kingsize Taylor and the Dominoes, and later The Big Three. During this period she also worked as a waitress at the Zodiac coffee lounge, where she met her future husband Bobby Willis.

Epstein signed Cilla to Parlophone Records and introduced her to George Martin, who produced her debut single, Love of the Loved (written for her by Lennon and McCartney), which was released only three weeks after she signed with Epstein. The single peaked at a modest #35, a failure compared to debut releases of Epstein's other artists.

Her second single - released at the beginning of 1964 - was the Burt Bacharach-Hal David composition "Anyone Who Had a Heart". In the United States, it was a new single destined to be a hit for Dionne Warwick where it peaked at #8 while Cilla's version shot to #1 in Britain - where it remains to this day the top selling single of all time by a British female artist. Her second UK #1 hit, You're My World, was an English-language reading of the Italian popular song Il Mio Mondo. She also enjoyed chart success with the song in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South Africa and Canada. This was followed by another Lennon-McCartney composition, It's For You. Paul McCartney played piano at the recording session and the song proved to be another major international success for Black.

She belonged to a generation of British female singers which included Dusty Springfield, Sandie Shaw, and Lulu. These artists were not singer-songwriters but interpreters of Sixties contemporary pop song writers/producers. She recorded a great range of material during this time, including songs written by Phil Spector, Randy Newman, Tim Hardin, and Burt Bacharach. All were produced by George Martin at Abbey Road Studios. She has unfairly been dubbed by the uneducated as the "Queen of covers". Statistics prove that this is quite untrue. Of the 21 hit singles Cilla has had in the UK, only 2 were covers - "Anyone Who Had A Heart" and "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" - and both of these were major chart successes for Cilla in the UK and internationally.

Cilla Black outsold all other female recording artists in Britain during the 60s and was second most successful act after the The Beatles to emerge out of the 60s Liverpool Merseybeat boom. She has released 15 studio albums and 37 singles (many of which have charted world-wide). Her first TV series called "Cilla" aired in 1968 and continued successfully until 1976. By the 80's she performed mainly in cabaret and concert tours. Her marriage to her manager Bobby Willis (born 25 January 1942) lasted for over 30 years until his death from lung cancer on 23 October 1999. They had three sons, Robert (now her manager, born in 1970), Ben (born in 1973), and Jack (born in 1980). Find out more about this English icon at: http://www.cillablack.com/

Research info gathered at: www.wikipedia.org

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Johnny Nash

2007-12-25T22:52:00.000-08:00

Johnny Nash (born John Lester Nash Jr, 19 August 1940, Houston, Texas) is perhaps best known for his 1972 hit, "I Can See Clearly Now".

Though by no means an artistic innovator on par with contemporaries such as Bob Marley or Jimmy Cliff, singer Johnny Nash nevertheless proved a pivotal force behind the mainstream acceptance of reggae with the international success of his 1972 chart-topper "I Can See Clearly Now." Born in Houston, TX on August 19, 1940, Nash honed his vocal skills singing in his Baptist church's choir and by 13 was a regular on the local television series Matinee, performing covers of current R&B hits; in 1956 he was discovered by Arthur Godfrey, appearing on his radio and TV broadcasts for the next seven years. Nash signed to ABC-

Paramount to release his 1957 debut single "A Teenager Sings the Blues," scoring his first chart hit early the following year with a rendition of Doris Day's "A Very Special Love"; in late 1958, he also teamed with Paul Anka and George Hamilton IV for the inspirational "The Teen Commandments." Marketed as a rival to Johnny Mathis, he even began a film career with 1959's Take a Giant Step, also appearing in 1960's Key Witness before his career flagged with a series of little-noticed singles for Warner Bros., Groove, and Argo.

Nash returned to prominence in 1965 when the ballad "Let's Move and Groove Together" reached the R&B Top Five; more imporantly, the record became a major hit in Jamaica, where he traveled in 1967 on a promotional tour. During a return trip, he cut the ska-influenced single "Hold Me Tight" at Byron Lee's Federal Studios -- a Top Five pop hit on both sides of the Atlantic, the record was issued on his own JAD label, which in early 1970 scored a Top 40 hit with a reggaefied rendition of Sam Cooke's "Cupid" as well.

The following year Nash scored a major British hit with his reading of the Bob Marley perennial "Stir It Up"; while living in Britain, he signed to Epic, which in 1972 released his biggest hit, "I Can See Clearly Now," which sat atop the American pop charts for four weeks. Although his popularity at home again dimmed, Nash returned to the UK charts in 1975 with his number one cover of the Little Anthony classic "Tears on My Pillow," followed a year later by another Sam Cooke cover, "(What a) Wonderful World." He gradually retired from performing during the coming years, although Jimmy Cliff successfully covered "I Can See Clearly Now" in 1994. Find out more about him at: www.classicbands.com/nash.html

Research info gathered at: www.cduniverse.com

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Peter, Paul & Mary

2007-12-21T01:43:00.000-08:00

The trio Peter, Paul and Mary (often PP&M) is an American musical group that was one of the most successful folk-singing groups of the 1960s. The trio comprises Peter Yarrow, Noel "Paul" Stookey, and Mary Travers.

The group was created by manager Albert Grossman, who sought to create a folk "supergroup" by bringing together "a tall blonde (Travers), a funny guy (Stookey), and a good looking guy (Yarrow)." He launched the group in 1961, booking them into the Bitter End, a coffee house in New York City's Greenwich Village that was a favorite place to hear folk artists.

The group recorded their first album, Peter, Paul and Mary, the following year. It included "500 Miles," "Lemon Tree","Where Have All the Flowers Gone," and the hit Pete Seeger tune "If I Had a Hammer," ("The Hammer Song") as well as Huckleberry Hound. The album was listed on Billboard Magazine Top Ten list for ten months and in the Top One Hundred for over three years.

By 1963 they had recorded three albums; released the now-famous song "Puff the Magic Dragon", which Yarrow and fellow Cornell student Leonard Lipton originally wrote in 1959 and was on the charts in 1963; and performed "If I Had a Hammer" at the 1963 March on Washington, which is perhaps best remembered for Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Their biggest single hit came with the Bob Dylan song, "Blowin' in the Wind," which was an international #1 hit. It was the fastest selling single ever cut by Warner Brothers Records. For many years after, the group was at the forefront of the civil rights movement and other causes promoting social justice. Their later hit "Leaving on a Jet Plane" was actually written by the then unknown John Denver.

The trio broke up in 1970 to pursue separate solo careers, but found little of the success they did as a group, although Stookey's "The Wedding Song (There Is Love)" (written for Yarrow's marriage to Marybeth McCarthy, the niece of senator Eugene McCarthy) was a hit and has become a wedding standard since its 1971 release. In 1978, they reunited for a concert to protest nuclear energy, and have recorded albums together and toured since. They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999.

In 2005, Travers was diagnosed with leukemia, leading to the cancellation of the remaining tour dates for that year. She received a bone marrow transplant and is recovering successfully. She and the rest of the trio resumed their concert tour on December 9, 2005 with a holiday performance at Carnegie Hall. In 2006 they received the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievment Award from Songwriters Hall of Fame. Find out more about this iconic folk group at: http://www.peterpaulandmary.com/

Research info gathered at: www.lastfm.com

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The Marvelettes

2007-12-17T00:59:00.000-08:00

While still in her teens, Michigan's Georgeanna Dobbins wrote "Please Mr. Postman," and the song so impressed Motown Records head Berry Gordy that he signed Dobbins and four of her girlfriends as the Marvelettes. Illness forced Dobbins' departure not very long after that, but the upbeat, supercatchy "Postman" -- which gave Motown its first #1 pop hit -- remains the group's signature tune. "Beechwood 4-5789" is nearly its equal in perkiness (and remains perhaps the best of rock & roll's many "phone number" songs); "Too Many Fish in the Sea" is also prime early Marvelettes; lead singer Gladys Horton exudes good-humored sass.

Probably the most pop-oriented of Motown's major female acts, the Marvelettes didn't project as strong an identity as the Supremes, Mary Wells, or Martha Reeves, but recorded quite a few hits, including Motown's very first number one single, "Please Mr. Postman" (1961). "Postman," as well as other chirpy early-'60s hits like "Playboy," "Twistin' Postman," and "Beechwood 4-5789," were the label's purest girl group efforts. Featuring two strong lead singers, Gladys Horton and Wanda Young, the Marvelettes went through five different lineups, but maintained a high standard on their recordings.

After a few years, they moved from girl group sounds to up-tempo and mid-tempo numbers that were more characteristic of Motown's production line. They received no small help from Smokey Robinson, who produced and wrote many of their singles; Holland-Dozier-Holland, Berry Gordy, Mickey Stevenson, Marvin Gaye, and Ashford-Simpson also got involved with the songwriting and production at various points.

After the mid-'60s Wanda Young assumed most of the lead vocal duties; Gladys Horton departed from the group in the late '60s. While the Marvelettes didn't cut as many monster smashes as most of their Motown peers after the early '60s, they did periodically surface with classic hits like "Too Many Fish in the Sea," "Don't Mess With Bill," and "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game." There were also plenty of fine minor hits and misses, like 1965's "I'll Keep Holding On," which is just as memorable as the well-known Motown chart-toppers of the era.

The group quietly disbanded in the early '70s after several years without a major hit. They were overshadowed by The Supremes and Martha & the Vandellas but they were still one of my favorite female groups of all-time. They were inducted into the Music Hall of Fame in 2004. Find out more at:www.vocalgroup/inductees/the_marvelettes.html

Info gathered at: www.allmusic.com & www.lastfm.com

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Patsy Cline

2007-12-12T00:40:00.000-08:00

Patsy Cline (September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963) is widely considered to be one of the greatest singers in the history of country music. She helped blaze a trail for female singers to assert themselves as an integral part of the Nashville-dominated country music industry. Cline has the most legendary aura of any female country singer, however, perhaps due to an early death that cut her off just after she had entered her prime.

Cline began recording in the mid-'50s, and although she recorded quite a bit of material between 1955 and 1960 (17 singles in all), only one of them was a hit. That song, "Walkin' After Midnight," was both a classic and a Top 20 pop smash. Those who are accustomed to Cline's famous early-'60s hits are in for a bit of a shock when surveying her '50s sessions (which have been reissued on several Rhino compilations). At times she sang flat-out rockabilly; she also tried some churchy tear-weepers. She couldn't follow up "Walkin' After Midnight," however, in part because of an exploitative deal that limited her to songs from one publishing company.

Circumstances were not wholly to blame for Cline's commercial failures. She would have never made it as a rockabilly singer, lacking the conviction of Wanda Jackson or the spunk of Brenda Lee. "I Fall to Pieces," cut at the very first session where Cline was at liberty to record what she wanted, was the turning point in her career. Reaching number one in the country charts and number 12 pop, it was the first of several country-pop crossovers she was to enjoy over the next couple of years. More important, it set a prototype for commercial Nashville country at its best. Crafted with lush orchestral arrangements, with weeping strings and backup vocals by the Jordanaires, that owed more to pop (in the best sense) than country. Cline's voice sounded richer, more confident, and more mature, with ageless wise and vulnerable qualities that have enabled her records to maintain their appeal with subsequent generations.

Her final four Top Ten country singles, in fact, didn't make the pop Top 40. Despite a severe auto accident in 1961, Cline remained hot through 1961 and 1962, with "Crazy" and "She's Got You" both becoming big country and pop hits. Much of her achingly romantic material was supplied by fresh talent like Hank Cochran, Harlan Howard, and Willie Nelson (who penned "Crazy"). Although her commercial momentum had faded slightly, she was still at the top of her game when she died in a plane crash in March of 1963, at the age of 30, and although she was only a big star for a couple of years, but her influence was and remains huge. Find out more about her life and her music at: http://www.patsy.nu/

Research info gathered at: www.wikipedia.com & www.allmusic.com

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Chuck Jackson

2007-12-08T01:20:00.000-08:00

Chuck Jackson is a US soul and r 'n' b singer from Latta, South Carolina. He was born Charles Jackson on 22nd July 1937.

He was a regular visitor to the R&B charts (and an occasional one to the pop listings) in the early '60s with such early pop-soul concoctions as "I Don't Want to Cry," "Any Day Now," and "Tell Him I'm Not Home." His records were very much of a piece with New York pop/rock-soul production, with cheeky brass, sweeping strings, and female backup vocalists. Those production trills make his work sound dated to some listeners, and his hoarse, emotional vocals weren't as subtle or commanding as peers like Ben E. King or Wilson Pickett. On its own terms, though, his best work is quite good, whether you prefer pop to soul or vice versa.He started out as a gospel singer in The Raspberry Singers. He was in the Dell-Vikings from 1957 to 1959.

After recording as Charles Jackson for the Clock label in 1959 he signed with Wand Records in 1961. He was immediately successful with his first single I Don't Want to Cry which reached No. 5 R&B, No. 36 Pop. He was with Wand through most of the sixties, scoring several R&B and Pop hits. In 1969 he moved to Motown but didn't do so well there. He continued to record throughout the seventies for labels like ABC, All Platinum and EMI America, scoring his last R&B hit in 1980.

Although never hugely successful his rich, soulful voice resulted in 23 R&B top 100 singles and the same number of Pop 100 hits over the course of 20 years. Several of Jackson's songs later became successful hits for other artists; Ronnie Milsap covered "Any Day Now" in 1982, and reached #1 on the Country and Adult Contemporary charts, and Michael McDonald (formerly of The Doobie Brothers) had a hit that same year with "I Keep Forgettin'." He remains a favorite on England's "Northern soul" scene. Visit his website at: www.videovault.com/link/chuckj/chuckj2.html

Info gathered at: www.allmusic.com & www.lastfm.com

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The Dave Clark Five

2007-12-04T00:56:00.000-08:00

For a very brief time in 1964, it seemed that the biggest challenger to the Beatles' phenomenon was the Dave Clark Five. From the Tottenham area of London, the quintet had the fortune to knock "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the British charts with "Glad All Over," and were championed (for about 15 minutes) by the British press as the Beatles' most serious threat.

They were the first British Invasion band to break in a big way in the States after the Beatles, though the Rolling Stones and others quickly supplanted the DC5 as the Fab Four's most serious rivals. The Dave Clark Five reached the Top 40 17 times between 1964 and 1967 with memorable hits like "Glad All Over," "Bits and Pieces," "Because," and a remake of Bobby Day's "Over and Over," as well as making more appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show than any other English act.

The DC5 were distinguished from their British contemporaries by their larger-than-life production, Clark's loud stomping drum sound, and Mike Smith's leathery vocals. Though accused by detractors of lacking finesse and hipness, they had a solid ear for melodies and harmonies and wrote much of their early material, the best of which endured quite well. Interestingly, and unusually for that era, bandleader Dave Clark managed and produced the band himself, negotiating a much higher royalty rate than artists of that period usually received. After a couple years of superstardom, the group proved unable to either keep up with the changing times or maintain a high standard of original compositions, and called it quits in 1970.

Following the break-up of the band, Clark set up a media company. In the process, he acquired the rights to the iconic '60s pop series Ready, Steady, Go!.

Smith returned to performing in 2003 after a layoff of 25 years. He formed Mike Smith's Rock Engine and did two mini-tours of the U.S., although he was legally forbidden from using any mention of the DC5 in his advertising. Just a few months after his only son died in a diving accident, Smith suffered a spinal cord injury in a fall at his home in Spain on 12 September 2003. He died in October 2007. Denis Payton died on 17 December 2006 after a long battle with cancer. He was 63.

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Patti LaBelle

2007-11-30T00:44:00.000-08:00

Soul diva Patti LaBelle enjoyed one of the longest-lived careers in contemporary music, notching hits in a variety of sounds ranging from girl group pop to space age funk to lush ballads. Born Patricia Holt in Philadelphia on May 24, 1944, she grew up singing in a local Baptist choir, and in 1960 teamed with friend Cindy Birdsong to form a group called the Ordettes. A year later, following the additions of vocalists Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash, the group was rechristened the Blue Belles; with producer Bobby Martin at helm, they scored a Top 20 pop and R&B hit in 1962 with the single "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman," subsequently hitting the charts in 1964 with renditions of "Danny Boy" and "You'll Never Walk Alone."

In 1965, the quartet — now known as Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles — signed to Atlantic, where they earned a minor hit with their version of the standard "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." The group's Atlantic tenure was largely disappointing, however, and in 1967 Birdsong replaced Florence Ballard in the Supremes. The remaining trio toured the so-called "chitlin circuit" for the remainder of the decade before signing on with British manager Vicki Wickham in 1970; Wickham renamed the group simply LaBelle and pushed their music in a funkier, rock-oriented direction, and in the wake of their self-titled 1971 Warner Bros. debut they even toured with the Who. (The trio also collaborated with Laura Nyro on her superb R&B-influenced album Gonna Take a Miracle.)

By 1973, LaBelle had gone glam, taking the stage in wildly theatrical, futuristic costumes; a year later they became the first African-American act ever to appear at New York's Metropolitan Opera House, a landmark performance that also introduced their lone chart-topping single, the Allen Toussaint-produced classic "Lady Marmalade." However, after two more albums — 1975's Phoenix and the following year's Chameleon — LaBelle disbanded, and its namesake mounted a solo career, issuing her eponymous debut in 1977. In addition to subsequent releases including 1979's It's Alright with Me and 1980's Released, LaBelle also turned to acting, co-starring in a 1982 Broadway revival of Your Arms to Short to Box with God.

Upon signing with the Philadephia International label, LaBelle scored a number one R&B hit with "If You Only Knew," from 1983's I'm in Love Again. Two years later, she reached the pop Top 20 with her Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack contribution "New Attitude." Her subsequent MCA debut, 1986's The Winner in You, went platinum on the strength of the Burt Bacharach-penned "On My Own," a duet with Michael McDonald, while the follow-up, 1989's Be Yourself, featured a pair of cuts written by Prince. 1991's Burnin' earned a Grammy for Best Female R&B Performance. LaBelle recorded less and less frequently in the years to follow, in 1995 publishing her autobiography, Don't Block the Blessings: Revelations of a Lifetime, which remained at the top of the New York Times best-seller list for several weeks. She returned five years later to release When a Woman Loves.

On October 20, 2007 LaBelle appeared as a surprise guest (with Whitney Houston, who introduced Patti) on the Swarovski Fashion Rocks for the Princes Trust Concert, singing a unique rendition of Lady Marmalade alongside the Sugababes for the finale of the concert in London, England. On November 4, 2007, the World Music Awards paid tribute to 63-year-old LaBelle for her enduring contribution to R&B. LaBelle sang a rendition of "Lady Marmalade" at the event with Shaggy. "I love this show because it unites the world with music; we need peace in the world," LaBelle said. She is also a bestselling cookbook author, actress, entrepreneur and philantropist. Visit this living legend's website at http://www.pattilabelle.com/

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The Four Seasons

2007-11-26T00:15:00.000-08:00

The Four Seasons was formed in 1961. The Four Seasons and the Beach Boys were virtually the only American groups whose successful careers were not derailed when the Beatles and the British Invasion bands hit the States in 1964. In fact, 1964 ranks as the Four Seasons' biggest year of all, despite the insurgency from abroad, which attests to their durability and appeal among America's teenagers.

Their appeal stemmed from their ability to complement spotless Italian-American doo-wop harmonies with the forceful falsetto and three-octave range of lead vocalist Frankie Valli the other members where Bob Gaudio on keyboards and tenor vocals, Tommy DeVito on lead guitar and baritone vocals, Gerry Polci on drums, and Nick Massi on bass guitar and bass vocals. The Four Seasons were heavily influenced by the songwriting of band member Bob Gaudio, with arrangements and production that drew upon everything from Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" to the danceable beat of Motown's pop/R&B singles. During a hitmaking streak that spanned the years 1962-68, the Four Seasons netted two dozen Top Forty singles, including the Number One hits "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man" and "Rag Doll." They've sold over 100 million records worldwide, making them the most successful white doo-wop group in rock and roll history.

At their peak, the Four Seasons made recordings that expressed the tough-but-tender sensibility of their home turf in the Northeast much in the way the Beach Boys encapsulated the world of Southern California in harmony and song. In the words of Billy Joel, a longtime fan who grew up listening to them on Long Island, "The Four Seasons had wonderful chord progressions, beautiful writing, terrific production fantastic harmony, records that really spoke to us." The band released their first hit "Sherry" in 1962. Under the guidance of producer/songwriter Bob Crewe, The Four Seasons followed up "Sherry" with several well-remembered hits, including "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man" and "Candy Girl". In the mid 1960s, the British Invasion slowed down their career somewhat, but the Four Seasons released several more big hits in 1964, such as "Dawn", "Rag Doll", which was the first single on WABC Radio, New York to be "pick hit of the week" one week and the number 1 single the following week, "Big Man in Town", "Ronnie" and "Save It for Me".

Nick Massi left the Four Seasons in 1965 and was replaced by Joe Long who became the mainstay on bass and backup vocals until 1976. Several more Top 10 singles followed, including "Let's Hang On", "Working My Way Back To You", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", and "C'mon Marianne"; but by late 1967, the group's popularity was deteriorating, as public interest moved towards rock with a harder edge and more socially conscious lyrics. The band would, however, enjoy a brief revival in their popularity in the mid 1970s, with the hits "Who Loves You", "Swearin' to God", and their last number one hit "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)".

Valli went on to become a succesful solo act. In 1975, he song My Eyes Adored You which hit number 1 on Billboard's Hot 100. In 1976, Valli covered the Beatles song "A Day in the Life" for the ephemeral musical documentary All This and World War II. Valli also sang the theme song from the 1978 film version of Grease, which was a #1 hit. Find out more about one of my favorite male groups from the 60's at: http://gilgweb.com/

Research info gathered at: www.lastfm.com

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Ashford & Simpson

2007-11-22T00:05:00.000-08:00

Nickolas Ashford (b. May 4, 1942, Fairfield, SC) and Valerie Simpson (b. Aug 26, 1946, New York City) have two careers, as songwriters and as performers, with the former seemingly more important than the latter until the mid-'80s. The two met in 1964 and scored their first songwriting hit in 1966 with Ray Charles' recording of their "Let's Go Get Stoned." After a period at Scepter Records, they moved to Motown, where they wrote hits for the duo of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell ("Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "You're All I Need to Get By"). When Diana Ross left the Supremes for a solo career, Ashford & Simpson wrote "Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand" for her.

Their own performing career was launched in 1973 with Keep It Comin' on Motown and Gimme Something Real on Warner Bros. Their first success came in 1977 with the gold-selling Send It, which contained the Top Ten R&B hit "Don't Cost You Nothing." Is It Still Good to Ya, a second gold album, contained the number two R&B hit "It Seems to Hang On" in 1978. Stay Free, their third straight gold album, contained "Found a Cure," another R&B smash that also made the Top 40 on the pop chart. A Musical Affair, in 1980, featured the hit "Love Don't Make It Right," but was not as successful as previous efforts.

Meanwhile, Ashford & Simpson continued to work with other artists, scoring successes with Ross, Chaka Khan ("I'm Every Woman"), and Gladys Knight. Their own career saw a resurgence in 1984 with Solid, which went gold and produced the R&B number one "Solid" (number 12 on the pop charts), "Outta the World," and "Babies." During the late '80s and '90s, Ashford & Simpson continued to tour and record sporadically. One of my all-time favorite hits of the 80's was "Solid" and it still remains a classic pop tune to me.

The duo continues to write and score today. They are given credit for their writing talents on the Amy Winehouse 2007 CD "Back to Black" for the single "Tears Dry On Their Own".
Find out more about them at: www.e-fansite.com/ashfordandsimpson

Research info gathered at: www.allmusic.com

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The Monkees

2007-11-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

The Monkees were a four-man musical band created to be the stars of an American television series of the same name, which ran on NBC from 1966 to 1968. The members were: Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, David Jones and Peter Tork. The Monkees were formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California and disbanded in 1970. At their peak they were one of the most popular musical acts of their time.

Created by producers of a TV series to be an American Beatles, the antics of the Monkees band members on the television series were very reminscent of Beatles' antics in films like 'Help' and 'Hard Day's Night'. Indeed, in songs like 'Forget that Girl...', the band and even the lead singer could sound just like the Beatles. With songs provided by Don Kirschner from such writers as Neil Diamond and Carole King, among others, the Monkees were assured of pop success.

However, in the beginning, the four group members were hired only as actors to front the band and to provide the vocals whilst studio musicians recorded the backing music. These recordings were provided by Kirschner. Things changed though after the success of the single 'Last Train to Clarksville', the first hit, leading to demands that the band play live gigs. Having learnt to play the music, the band were angry when their second LP was recorded (by Kirschner) only with studio musicians. They therefore demanded and obtained control of the music.

However, this move contributed to the death knell of the band and the TV series. The music just did not sound the same as it had in the successful format used by Don Kirschner, his studio musicians and his writers (though many argue the subsequent albums show a more mature-style of Monkee studio trickery). Michael Nesmith was the first to produce his own songs with Peter Tork on guitar. But it was Nesmith who revealed that the band did not perform on their records. He was also instrumental in getting Don Kirschner sacked, but thereby also losing the talents of some of the most successful writers in pop music.

Some of the best studio musicians had also been used, a group of musicians known as 'The Wrecking Crew'. They had been used on Phil Spector recordings, and on tracks by the Byrds and Beach Boys and on Motown tracks. They are reputed to have also been used on Simon and Garfunkel sessions. Further disaster then followed: Mickey Dolenz was even allowed to write a bad TV episode, the last one. Members of the band may simply have taken themselves too seriously. The show ran for only two seasons and the musical actors then found themselves effectively out of work. The band itself folded the next year.

There has, however, been a resurgent interest in The Monkees' music (and their completely insane 1968 art-house acid-trip film "Head", written by Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson). Rhino Records has been instrumental in restoring all their albums, adding bonus tracks, and equipping them with complementary liner notes and stories. Find out more about them at: http://www.themonkees.net/

Research info gathered from: www.allmusic.com

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Shirley Bassey

2007-11-13T00:17:00.000-08:00

Known to Americans most for her belting rendition of the theme to Goldfinger, the 1964 edition in the James Bond series (as well as 1971's Diamonds Are Forever and 1979's Moonraker), Shirley Bassey was one of the most popular female vocalists in Britain during the last half of the 20th century. Known as Bassey the Belter and also the Tigress of Tiger Bay, her early career in touring shows and cabaret brought her a recording contract with Philips by the late '50s. After reaching the top of the British charts in 1959 with "As I Love You" and later "Reach for the Stars/Climb Every Mountain". She was soon tapped to swing the theme song to the third James Bond vehicle. Her voice, brassy and sexy, conveyed the James Bond myth perfectly and became a big hit in America. Though later chart placings in the U.S. were few, she continued to do well in Great Britain, France and the Netherlands into the mid-'70s.

Born in January 1937 in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, Wales, she was the youngest of seven children. Her parents, a Nigerian sailor and an English woman, divorced before she was three years old, but they kept the family together for the most part, and Shirley was able to sing duets with her brother at family get-togethers. After finishing school, she found a job at a local factory, and earned extra money singing at men's clubs after-hours. She traveled around the country in revues during the early '50s, and made her big breakout in 1955 at a London Christmas show given by comedian Al Read (though it was promoted by bandleader Jack Hylton, who had caught Bassey's act at the nearby Albany Club).

Soon after, she began appearing in Read's revue, Such Is Life. The show ran for over a year, and gained her a recording contract for Philips Records. "Banana Boat Song" hit the British Top Ten in early 1957, followed by her number one hits, 1959's "As I Love You" and 1961's "Reach for the Stars/Climb Every Mountain." A 1962 pairing with arranger Nelson Riddle increased her prestige in America, and a vaunted live show gained her headlining spots in both New York and Las Vegas during the early '60s. Popular recognition in the United States came in early 1965, when "Goldfinger" hit number eight in the American charts, instantly becoming her signature song across the Atlantic. (Strangely though, it missed even the Top 20 in Great Britain.)

Bassey's hits in the U.K. continued into the mid-'70s, led by Top Ten entries such as "Something," "For All We Know" and "Never Never Never." After the crowning achievement of her career, a 1977 Britannia Award for Best Female Solo Singer in the Last 50 Years, Shirley Bassey gained her own highly rated BBC-TV show in the late '70s, but gradually slowed down her busy schedule during the next decade. Semi-retired to Switzerland by 1981, she nevertheless emerged quite frequently, spurred by the recording of several television specials and LPs, including a 1987 date with the synth-pop group Yello. Bassey became much more visible during the '90s, opening a nightclub in Cardiff, and touring the world several times.

In recognition of her career longevity, endurance and a particular admiration from the Royal Family, Bassey was created a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) on 31 December 1999 by HM Queen Elizabeth II. In August 2007, Bassey signed a new recording contract with Universal Music's Decca Records and has been reported soon to be collaborating with Pink for a duet. Find out more about this diva at: http://www.dameshirleybassey.com/

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Neil Diamond

2007-11-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter.From the 1960s to the 1980s, Diamond was one of the more successful pop music performers, scoring a number of hits in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. As critic William Ruhlmann writes, "as of 2001, he claimed worldwide record sales of 115 million copies, and as of 2002 he was ranked third, behind only Elton John and Barbra Streisand, on the list of the most successful adult contemporary artists in the history of the Billboard chart." As of May 2005 he has sold 120 million records worldwide, including 48 million records in the U.S.

Though his record sales declined somewhat after the 1980s, Diamond continues to tour successfully, and maintains a very loyal following. Diamond's songs have been recorded by a vast array of performers from many different musical genres.

Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and then in 2000 was given its Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. He has been eligible for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame since 1989, but has thus far been ignored.

He continues to tour and record. 12 Songs, recorded with producer Rick Rubin was released on November 8, 2005 in two editions: a standard 12-song release, and a special edition with two bonus tracks, including one featuring backing vocals by Brian Wilson. The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard album chart, and has received generally positive reviews. My favorite tune remains the 1979 classic with Barbra Streisand "You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore". Find out more about this living legend go to his website at http://www.neildiamond.com/

Research info gathered at: www.lastfm.com

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Tammi Terrell

2007-11-03T22:50:00.000-07:00

Singer Tammi Terrell joined forces with the immortal Marvin Gaye to create some of the greatest love songs ever to emerge from the Motown hit factory; sadly, their series of classic duets — "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," and "You're All I Need to Get By" among them — came to an abrupt and tragic halt with her premature death. She was born Thomasina Montgomery in Philadelphia on April 29, 1945; after winning a number of local talent contests, by the age of 13 she was regularly opening club dates for acts including Gary "U.S." Bonds and Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles. In 1961, she was discovered by producer Luther Dixon and signed to Scepter. Credited as Tammy Montgomery, she made her debut with the single "If You See Bill," followed early the next year by "The Voice of Experience." After James Brown caught Terrell's live act, she was signed to his Try Me label, issuing "I Cried" in 1963 and also touring with his live revue. "If I Would Marry You" appeared on Checker a year later, during which time she also studied pre-med at the University of Pennsylvania.

While performing with Jerry Butler in Detroit in 1965, she was spotted by Motown chief Berry Gordy, Jr., making her label debut with "I Can't Believe You Love Me." When subsequent outings "Come On and See Me," "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)," and "Hold Me Oh My Darling" earned little notice, she was paired with Gaye, who previously recorded duets with Mary Wells and Kim Weston. His chemistry with Terrell was immediate and in 1967, they entered the pop Top 20 with the magnificent "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," the first in a series of lush, sensual hits authored by the husband-and-wife team of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. "Your Precious Love" cracked the Top Five a few months later and in 1968, the twosome topped the R&B charts with both "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By." The success of these later hits was nevertheless tempered by Terrell's off-stage travails — after an extended period of severe migraine headaches, in 1967 she collapsed in Gaye's arms while in concert at Virginia's Hampton-Sydney College, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Although the tumor forced her to retire from performing live, she continued to record with Gaye even as her health deteriorated; however, as time went on, Valerie Simpson herself assumed uncredited vocal duties on a number of hits, including 1969's "Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By" and "What You Gave Me." (For several other tracks, Gaye's vocals were added to pre-existing Terrell solo recordings.) In all, Terrell endured eight operations, ultimately resulting in loss of memory and partial paralysis; she finally died in Philadelphia on March 16, 1970. Gaye was so devastated by her decline and eventual passing that he retired from the road for three years; her loss also contributed greatly to the spiritual turmoil which informed his 1971 masterpiece What's Going On. At the time of her death, Tammi Terrell was just 24 years old. Find out more about one of my favorite Motown artist at her website http://www.tammiterrell.com/

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