Cameron K's Blog

Bonnie Raitt Rollin' and Tumblin'

2011-12-30T15:05:00.000-08:00

Jacques Brel Ne Me Quitte Pas

2011-11-24T02:17:00.000-08:00

Alan Rogan

2011-11-09T22:32:00.001-08:00

Labour of Love Hue and Cry (Jazz Version)

2011-11-09T22:13:00.001-08:00

Guitar lesson from Angus Young

2011-11-01T05:13:00.001-07:00

Sandy Denny (1947 – 1978)

2011-10-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny was born in London in 1947. She loved music and learned to play both piano and guitar as well as sing in the school choir. She left school with the intention of becoming a nurse and whilst training became a popular act on the London folk club scene of the early 60s. Influenced by traditional folk music she also included songs by contemporary folk artists such as Bob Dylan and Tom Paxton. As her popularity grew she began to write her own songs and eventually left college to pursue a singing career. At first she worked solo and signed with Saga Records in 1967, there she made albums with Alex Campbell and Johnny Silvo. Keen to stretch herself as a vocalist, she sang with The Strawbs whilst continuing to record a solo album, 'Sandy Denny'. Sandy eventually left the Srawbs in 1968 to join Fairport Convention as a replacement for Judy Dyble. They made three albums with Sandy as the lead singer in 1969),(What We Did On Our Holidays, Unhalfbricking, and Liege & Lief). Sandy’s distinctive vocals (similar to Judith Durham) combined with the rock folk arrangements meant Fairport Convention became the forefront of British folk rock movement and established them with an international reputation. She left the group in 1969 to form Fotheringay. Although the group only stayed together for a year they made one album which ranks amongst her finest works. The group consisted of Pat Donaldson (bass), Jerry Donahue (guitar), Gerry Conway (drums) and Trevor Lucas (guitar). After she left the group she returned to solo work and concentrated on writing songs. She recorded three albums , "The North Star Grassman And The Ravens" (1971) , “Sandy” (1972) and 'Like An Old Fashioned Waltz' (1973). During this time Sandy worked with many well known session musicians including Richard Thomson (guitar), Dave Swarbrick, Jerry Donahue, Sneaky Pete Kleinow (Flying Burrito Brothers ), Robin and Barry Dransfield, John (Rabbit) Bundrick, Allen Toussaint, Diz Disley, Steve Winwood and Acker Bilk. In 1971, Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) invited her to duet with him on the song "The Battle of Evermore". She also undertook different projects including appearing in Tommy. In 1974 she briefly rejoined Fairport Convention but left after a disappointing album and tour. By the late 70’s Sandy’s health was deteriorating as she battled alchoholism and addiction. Despite this and the turmoil of her private the singer recorded what is considered by many, her definitive album, Rendezvous which was released in 1977. After a fall, Sandy Denny died in hospital in 1978.

Worth a listen
Fhir a Bhata (1967)
Green Grow the Laurels (1967)
The North Star Grassman And The Ravens (1971)
Late November (1971)
Blackwaterside (1971)
Let’s jump the broomstick (1971)
The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood (1972)
Tomorrow is a long time (1972)
Bushes and Briars (1972)
It Suits Me Well (1972)
The music weaver (1972)
Like An Old Fashioned Waltz (1973)
Solo (1973)
At the end of the day (1973)
No more sad refrains (1977)

The Strawbs
Who Knows Where The Time Goes? (1967)
Tell me what you see in me (1967)
Two weeks last summer (1967)

Fairport Convention
Fortheringay (1969)
She moves through the fair (1969)
The Lord is in this place (1969)
Who knows where the time goes (1969)
A sailor’s life (1969)
Matty Groves (1969)
Tam Lin (1969)
Sir Patrick Spens (1969)

Fotheringay
Wild mountain thyme (1969)
Two weeks last summer (1969)

Bert Jansch (1943 – 2011) ( Pentangle)

2011-10-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

Herbert Jansch was born in1943 in Glasgow. He grew up in Edinburgh and learned to play the guitar as a teenager. His first guitar was made from a kit but he later got a "Lonnie Donegan guitar" (Zenith). Influenced by the blossoming folk music boom he hung around the Edinburgh folk clubs. Bert’s early influences were Anne Briggs, Clive Palmer, and Davey Graham. He started playing one-night stands around the UK during which times he was exposed to a range of influences including Brownie McGhee and Big Bill Broonzy. Between 1963 and 1965, he hitched around Europe earning a living by busking and casual musical performances in bars and cafes. When he came back to London in the mid 60s he had developed his own guitar style. This included a claw hammer style of right-hand playing combined with distinguished chord voicings. Another characteristic was his ability to hold a chord in the lower strings whilst bending an upper string. In his songs he also fitted the accompaniment to the natural rhythm of the words of his songs, rather than playing a consistent rhythm throughout. Bert signed for Transatlantic Records, and had his first album released in 1965. It sold 150,000 copies and included Jansch's "Do You Hear Me Now." Later Donovan included his version of the song on his Universal Soldier EP, which reached No. 1 in the UK EP chart. In quick succession Bert brought out another two albums: It Don't Bother Me and Jack Orion. The latter contained his first recording of "Blackwaterside." Bert mixed with many gifted musicians and played at the main folk club venues in London. There he rubbed shoulders with Paul Simon, Davey Graham and John Renbourn. Renbourn and Jansch frequently played together and developed a style of intricate interplay which became known as the 'Folk baroque'. They recorded the Bert and John album in 1966 and became the resident musicians at The Horseshoe pub, 264-267 Tottenham Court Road. This was a popular haunt for folkies in the UK and many would jam with the duo on stage. Eventually in 1968 the nucleus became Pentangle. The line up consisted of Jacqui McShee (singer), John Renbourn (guitar), Bert Jansch (guitar), Danny Thompson (string bass) and Terry Cox (drums). The group played jazz folk fusion and signed to Transatlantic Records . The album, Basket of Light (1969) was a huge commercial success with Light Flight released as a single. The song was made popular after it was used as theme music for a TV drama series Take Three Girls (BBC). A year later, at the peak of their popularity, they recorded a soundtrack for the film Tam Lin, but their fourth album, Cruel Sister, was a commercial disaster and their popularity began dwindle. Tired from touring and of working together the band fell out with Transatlantic, in a bitter dispute regarding royalties. They moved to Warner Brothers/Reprise for their final album, Solomon's Seal. Pentangle broke up in 1972 after which Bert took a few years' break from music before returning in the late 1970s to work on a series of projects with other musicians. He toured Australia, Japan and the US with a band called Conundrum and after the group broke up he recorded Heartbreak album with Albert Lee. He also toured Scandinavia with Martin Jenkins before opening his own guitar shop in Fulham. Pentangle reformed in the early 1980s and Bert Jansch remained with them until 1995. The original band again reformed in 2008 and in 2011to play concerts. Bert continued as a solo artist until his death from cancer in 2011. Bert reamins one of the more influencial UK musicians who inspired many, many others including Donovan, Paul Simon and Neil Young.

Worth a listen
Do You Hear Me Now (1965)
Needle of Death (1965)
Angie (1965)
Blackwaterside (1966)
Birthday blues (1969)
Reynardine (1971)
Magdalina’s dance (2006)
Blues run the game

Pentangle
Sweet Child (1969)
Haitian Flight Song (1968)
Basket of light (1969)

Jeff Beck

2011-10-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

Geoffrey Arnold Beck was born in 1944, in Wallington, England. From the age of 10 he sang in the local church choir and as a teenager learned to play the guitar. Jeff like many other UK kids became fascinated with making guitars as well as playing them. In post war England the electric guitar was a rare commodity because import restrictions from the US prevented them from general sale. The UK guitarists keen on the sound were left to build their own. Jeff’s early heroes were Les Paul, and Cliff Gallup (lead guitarist with Gene Vincent’s Blue Caps). Later he came under the influence of BB King and Steve Cropper (The MGs). After leaving school he attended Wimbledon College of Art before working in a series of jobs. During this time he joined "The Rumbles (1963). His talents were quickly recognized and became a session musician playing guitar on 'I'm Not Running Away' by Fitz and Startz (1964). His sister introduced him to Jimmy Page who invited him to join the Yardbirds, as a replacement for Eric Clapton. During 1966 the band had several hit singles but despite this Jeff was keen to pursue other avenues and recorded Beck’s Bolero in 1967. Fellow musicians on the album were Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Nicky Hopkins and Keith Moon. As a solo artist he had two hit singles in the UK, "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and "Tallyman," He formed The Jeff Beck Group, with Rod Stewart (vocals), Ronnie Wood (bass), Nicky Hopkins (keyboards) and Micky Waller (drums). The band released two highly acclaimed albums Truth (1968) and Beck-Ola (1969) before breaking up soon after. Jeff continued to work with other musicians until a serious car accident forced him out of the music business. In 1971 he reformed the Jeff Beck Group with Bobby Tench (guitar and vocals), Max Middleton (keyboards), and Clive Chaman (bass) and they released Rough and Ready. The second album entitled Jeff Beck Group, was produced by Steve Cropper and released a year later. A new collaboration followed with bassist Tim Bogert, Max Middleton (vocals), Kim Milford (then later Bobby Trench), and drummer Carmine Appice, and the group continued to tour as Jeff Beck Group. Tench and Middleton left but Beck, Bogert & Appice continued as a trio. When their album was not well received and the trio dissolved in April 1974. Jeff continued to be in demand as a musician and appeared with many luminaries including David Bowie. His next solo album Blow by Blow was produced by George Martin and released in 1975. This gave Jeff Beck his most commercially-successful release. Beck was a perfectionist and difficult to work with at times. This caused tension in the studio and on tour. During the mid seventies he toured the States and jammed with many other musicians at festivals and experimented with jazz rock fusion. Towards the end of the decade Jeff beck became a tax exile and lived in the US. In 1981, he appeared with Clapton at the Secret Policeman’s Ball and other benefit gigs before he took a four year break. In 1989 he released an instrumental album entitled, Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop. The guitarist began to be plagued with noise-induced tinnitus which forced him to reduce his workload. He came back to the studio in the 90s and has worked ever since touring and recording.

Worth a listen
Hi ho silver lining (1967)
Tallyman (1967)
Beck’s Bolero (1969)
You shook me up (1969)
All shock up (1969)
Freeway Jam (1975)

Yardbirds
Still I’m sad (1965)
Heart Full of Soul (1965)
I'm A Man (1965)
Shapes of Things (1966)

Beck, Bogert & Appice
Black cat moan ( 1972)
Oh to love you (1973)
Lady (1973)

The Shaggs

2011-09-18T01:27:00.001-07:00

The group came from Fremont, New Hampshire and was formed in 1968. The group was formed by Austin Wiggin and originally consisted of three of his daughters: Dorothy "Dot" Wiggin (vocals/lead guitar), Betty Wiggin (vocals/rhythm guitar), and Helen Wiggin (drums). Later the quartet was completed with Rachel Wiggin (bass). Austin’s mother predicted her grand-daughters would become a successful musical group and he saw the commercial opportunity with the coming of the English Invasion. The group were called the Shaggs after the popular shaggy hair style of the period. The group made one studio album in 1969 called Philosophy of the World but this failed to attract much attention. The all girl group were a popular novelty and continued to appear in live. Their idiosyncratic compositions were both charming and unsettling. Their instruments were often out of tune and the songs set to heavy drumbeat often had no obvious meter. At best their style was compared to the free jazz compositions of Ornette Coleman and Philosophy of the World soon gained cult status. Both Frank Zappa and Kurt Cobain were fans of the album. The group eventually broke up in 1975 after their father’s death. The album was later released in 1980 and became an avant-garde cult classic. The group reformed briefly in 1999 with Dot, Betty, Rachel. Helen declined to attend and Tom Ardolino played drums.

Worth a listen
My Companion (1969)
Who are the parents (1969)
What should I do? (1969)
That little sports car (1969)
My pal Foot Foot (1969)

Sailing Shoes by Robert Palmer

2011-09-15T03:38:00.001-07:00

Karl Denver (1932 - 1998)

2011-09-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

Angus Murdo Mckenzie was born in Springburn, Glasgow, in 1932. When he left school at 15, he joined the Norwegian Mercantile Marine as a deckhand. There he practiced the guitar and entertained his shipmates. After leaving the merchant navy in 1951 he joined the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and served in the Korean War. He was wounded then discharged and during his recuperation developed a liking for country music. Once recovered he went back to the sea before jumping ship in the US when he was 21. Angus made a living playing country music in clubs up to Nashville. During this time he took the stage name Karl Denver and became friends with Faron Young and Lefty Frizzell. Karl Denver was the first British performer to play on the Grand Ole Opry radio show. In 1959 the US immigration department caught up with him and he was deported back in Britain. He settled in Manchester and formed the Karl Denver Trio with Gerry Cottrell (bass) and Kevin Neill (guitarist). They became popular and toured the Northern working men’s clubs until they were seen by impresario Jack Good. He featured them on his television series Wham! Jack Good also negotiated a record deal with Decca and acted as producer on the series of their hit singles. A popular song performed by the group on stage was the Zulu chant, "Wimoweh." The trio recorded it but the record company felt it too bizarre to release as a single. Instead "Marcheta" was their first single and became a minor hit in the UK in 1961. This was followed by "Mexicali Rose" which also sold well. Karl Denver Denver had a distinctive voice with a multi-octave range, and falsetto yodeling register. Many of his growing fans enjoyed the songs of Slim Whitman and when the US group the Tokens released ‘The lion sleeps tonight’ (a vocal version of "Wimoweh") and it began to rise in the UK charts they organized a petition for Decca to release his version of "Wimoweh.” The company relinquished and the single shot to #4 in the UK in 1962. In the same year "Never Goodbye", was an entry in A Song for Europe. The Karl Denver Trio toured the UK extensively and were regulars on public variety radio. In 1962 the Trio was given their own BBC Light Programme show, Side by Side. Inevitably the popularity of the Mersey Beat over took popular demand and the Karl Denver Trio lost hold in the charts. They did continue for several years to perform in cabaret at home and overseas. Karl Denver was declared bankrupt in 1966, then again in 1973and in 1978. About the same time Gerry Cottrell left the trio but they continued to perform in cabaret although were never able to recapture their salad days. Karl did enjoy a brief return in 1989 after guesting on the Happy Monday’s single "Lazyitis (One-Armed Boxer)". In 1993 he released his final album which was a frail effort from an aging and ill performer. Karl Denver died in 1998 from complications from a brain tumor.

Worth a listen
Marcheta (1961)
Mexicali Rose (1961)
Wimoweh (1962)
Still (1963)

Happy Mondays
Lazyitis - One Armed Boxer (1990)

(Oscar) Buddy Woods

2011-09-03T00:45:00.001-07:00

David "Honeyboy" Edwards (1915 - 2011)

2011-08-30T04:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Hook

2011-08-22T15:55:00.001-07:00

Gene McDaniels (1935 - 2011)

2011-08-22T03:43:00.001-07:00

Eugene Booker McDaniels was born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1935. He was the son of a minister and grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. His early gospel influences included the Soul Stirrers and the Swan Silvertones. He had a four-octave range singing voice and joined his first gospel group, the Echoes of Joy (later the Sultans), when he was 11. He learned to play trumpet and saxophone and loved bebop with Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, his early heroes. He studied at the Omaha Conservatory of Music, and became a member of the Mississippi Piney Woods Singers and enjoyed singing jazz. He was signed to Liberty Records and was produced by the legendary, Snuff Garrett . In 1961 he enjoyed two major hits with A hundred pounds of clay, and Tower of Strength (covered by Frankie Vaughan in the UK). Both songs were penned by himself with the latter in collaboration with Burt Bacharach. He continued to enjoy several other minor hits before leaving Liberty in 1965. He signed to Columbia then a series of smaller labels before opting out of the music business for several years to travel in Europe. He returned as "Eugene McDaniels" and resumed recording, on Atlantic. Despite his previous commercial success he preferred jazz and later changed his style of music to incorporate a more black consciousness. He wrote the protest song, "Compared to What," which was a hit for Les McCann and Eddie Harris in 1969. “Feel like makin’ love,” in 1974 was sang by Roberta Flack and became a massive worldwide hit. He continued to work 80s and 90s before becoming a recluse. Eugene McDaniels died aged 76 on July 29, 2011.

Worth a listen
A hundred pounds of clay (1961)
Tower of Strength (1961 )
Point Of No Return (1962)
Spanish Lace (1962 )
Jagger the Dagger (1971)
Les McCann and Eddie Harris
Compared to What (1969)
Roberta Flack
Feel like makin’ love (1974 )

The 10 Most Overused Songs in Movie History

2011-08-21T23:11:00.001-07:00

The 10 Most Overused Songs in Movie History

Prince Buster One step beyond

2011-08-13T01:11:00.001-07:00

The Great British Synth Documentary

2011-08-03T03:32:00.000-07:00

The Videodrome Discothèque Vault Presents: The Great British Synth Documentary from Videodrome Discothèque on Vimeo.

Davey (Davy) Graham (1940 - 2008)

2011-07-30T05:27:00.000-07:00

David Michael Gordon Graham was born in 1940 in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England. His father was Scottish and his mother, Guyanese. David learnt to play the piano and harmonica as a child and took up the classical guitar at the age of 12. He enjoyed folk music and was inspired by folk guitarist, Steve Benbow. He was also influenced by American folk and blues men, like Big Bill Broonzy, Josh White, Brownie McGee and Jessie Fuller. By the time he was 19 his mastery of guitar was recognized and he appeared in a Monitor (BBC) documentary, ‘Hound Dogs and Bach Addicts: The Guitar Craze.’ The program was produced by Ken Russell and Davy played an acoustic instrumental version of Cry Me a River. In the same year he wrote "Angi" (or "Anji") which Alexis Korner encouraged him to record in 1962. The EP highlighted Davy playing double-string choruses which helped the emerging generation of players caught between Skiffle and R&B. In 1963 he played with folkie, Shirley Collins on "Folk Routes And New Routes", for Decca. Always a free spirit Davy travelled and when he was in Tangiers he developed a modal tuning system similar to that used on the oud (a pear-shaped stringed instrument). Then it was standard for guitar players to use EADGBE tuning i.e., the six guitar strings are tuned, from low to high. Davy used DADGAD (Open Dsus4) by tuning the first and sixth strings down a whole tone (two steps) which allowed him to explore the modal characteristics of traditional celtic music, like "She Moved Through The Fair". He also experimented with the folk music of India and Morocco. Later DADGAD (Open Dsus4) became standard tuning system for many folk and some rock guitarists. Davy’s distinctive finger style acoustic guitar style also influenced many musicians. He released a string of albums during the sixties which highlighting his command of different and diverse genres. In modern folk music he became a seminal influence. Always unpredictable and increasingly unreliable he skirted with commercial success. After he started experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs his marriage to Holly Gwinn (Singer) broke up and he dropped out. Davy did charity work in Camden Town whilst scraping a living teaching acoustic guitar.

His friends did encourage him back to perform and he played with Bert Jansch, Duck Baker and Martin Carthy. His last album, Broken Biscuits (2007) consisted of originals and new arrangements of traditional songs from around the world. A year later Davy Graham was diagnosed with lung cancer and died.

Worth a listen
Angi (1962)
Davy’s Train Blues (1962)
3/4 AD (1962)
Going Down Slow (1964)
She moved through the fair (1964)
Mustapha (1964)
I’m looking through you (1966)
Fakir (1966)
Babe, it aint no lie (1968)
Freight Train Blues (1968)
Good morning blues (1968)
Blue Raga (1968)
Afta (1970)
Panic (2007)
Blood Red Roses (2007)

TRex

2011-07-29T17:14:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday Mick (68)

2011-07-26T00:41:00.001-07:00

Stay with me by Lorraine Ellison

2011-07-19T03:55:00.000-07:00

Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers

2011-07-10T05:54:00.001-07:00

John Martyn

2011-06-15T16:08:00.001-07:00

Robert Stigwood

2011-06-12T02:21:00.000-07:00

Robert Stigwood was born in 1934 in Adelaide, South Australia and was educated at Sacred Heart College. He began his career as a copywriter for a local advertising agency but in 1955 aged 21, he moved to England. At first he took odd jobs including working as an assistant in institution for "teenage boys" in East Anglia. There he became friends with Stephen Komlosy and they decided to start a small theatrical agency. One of their first clients was a handsome young actor called John Leyton. Stigwood spotted his potential as a pop singer but after Leyton had been turned down by a number of recording companies, Stigwood took him to meet Joe Meek. Meek was an independent record producer who had his own small recording and company, RGM Sound Ltd. He used a small roster of artists and wrote, produced and recorded their works before offering the completed tape to established record companies to manufacture and distribute. Leyton’s first couple of singles, a cover of ‘Tell Laura I love her’; and ‘Girl on the Floor Above’ were released in 1960 but met with no interest. As John Leyton’s agent, Stigwood managed to get him cast in the role of a pop star, Johnny St. Cyr ("sincere") in a new TV soap called, Harper's West One. The role called for Leyton’s character to perform a song on the show. The single, ‘Johnny Remember me’ became an instant Number One hit in the UK. Encouraged by initial success Stigwood became more involved in record production. Other artists like Mike Sarne, and Mike Berry soon joined the Stigwood stables. The Stigwood/Meek success set a new pattern for the industry and within a couple of years over half the hits in the UK were independent productions. Despite this success Robert Stigwood became increasingly dissatisfied with Joe Meek's erratic behavior. Eventually they parted company and Stigwood took on the role of record producer and made a deal with Sir Joseph Lockwood, (managing director of EMI) in 1961. Now agent, manager and independent producer, he continued to thrive as a music publisher and pop concert promoter. Keen to encourage greater success for his UK acts, the entrepreneur reversed the normal process fir UK acts by regularly visiting America to acquire potential songs to rush release UK covers before the originals hit the American charts. His business rapidly expanded and Stigwood bathed in excess with success. His management style was abrupt and was not always popular. By the mid 60s his business was in serious financial trouble although Stigwood managed to avoid complete disaster he went bankrupt but kept his creditors at bay as he re-established himself. Within two years, he was back on top. The music business is aggressive and highly competitive and a common practice for agents then, was to try and ‘pouch’ acts from other agencies. This often met with violent repercussions and it is alleged, Don Arden reacted menacingly to Stigwood when he made advances to The Small Faces to switch to his agency. Stigwood took on a new business partner, David Shaw, to strengthen his financial position. The Robert Stigwood Agency (RSA) remained intact as he worked to rebuild his career as a manager and independent producer. In 1966, Robert Stigwood became, The Who's booking agent and eventually lured the band to join his Reaction Records and record, "Substitute". Cream, consisting of Eric Clapton (John Mayall's Bluesbreakers), bassist Jack Bruce, and drummer Ginger Baker (The Graham Bond Organisation) were also an aspiring act in the UK but the trio had never appeared in the US. Stigwood arranged for them to debut at a 9 day gig in New York for the Who in 1967. To finance this venture he released capital by moving his recording activities to Polydor Records in a lucrative deal. The band went on to record at Atlantic Records with producer-engineer Tom Dowd. In the same year the Australian entrepreneur signed a career-making deal with his friend and colleague Brian Epstein to merge their two companies. This was not a popular decision as Stigwood had a reputation of being a ruthless and a cavalier style that upset many people. The move effectively placed him at the pinnacle of the British pop industry however whilst Brian Epstein remained manager of The Beatles. Stigwood was now in control of most of NEMS other acts but Epstein would soon found himself at odds with his new partner. Why Epstein decided to merge with Stigwood remains uncertain. There had been numerous other offers made for NEMS over the previous few years which Epstein turned down. They were friends but Stigwood’s reputation as a tough operator, meant Epstein’s decision to merge was not too popular. Stigwood was effectively placed at the pinnacle of the British pop industry, but Epstein stayed as the manager of The Beatles, with the responsibility for the other NEMS acts passing to Stigwood. Epstein would soon regret the partnership. The next big break came only weeks after he started with NEMS with The Bee Gees. They arrived from Australia with hopes of making it in the UK, and Stigwood signed them to a five-year deal while still at NEWS. Later when he left the company he took their contract with him and signed them to Polydor. Their first single flopped despite heavy hype, but undeterred, and with NEMS' resources behind him, he embarked on a concerted campaign (no to break The Bee Gees in the UK. Their second single, New York Mining Disaster 1941, was a major UK hit and was followed by Massachusetts, which went Top 5 in both England and the USA. After Brian Epstein died Robert Stigwood left NEMS to form his own company, The Robert Stigwood Organisation. By the end of the sixties, Stigwood was enjoying huge success with his music ventures. Cream and The Bee Gees were the biggest attractions in the world and Stigwood took production credits on their early works. He moved into theatre production in 1968 after he saw the Broadway production of Hair. He decided to stage it in London and it was a huge success and followed this with a series of other successful productions: Oh Calcutta!, The Dirtiest Show in Town, Pippin, Sweeney Todd, Sing a Rude Song, John, Paul, Ringo and Bert, Evita and Jesus Christ Superstar. By the beginning of the 70s Stigwood's companies had expanded into almost every field of entertainment, including both film and TV production. Stigwood had purchased a controlling interest in Associated London Scripts, an independent writers' agency co-founded in the 1950s by Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes, which subsequently developed the hit series All in the Family and Sanford and Son in the USA, which were adapted from the popular British TV shows Til Death Us Do Part and Steptoe and Son. In 1973 Stigwood moved into film and produced Jesus Christ Superstar as a motion picture in association with its director, Norman Jewison. He followed this with the acclaimed film version of The Who's Tommy, directed by Ken Russell. RSO Films then produced Saturday Night Fever with a sound track by the Bee Gees. This became the largest-selling soundtrack album ever released, and one of the biggest-selling albums in recording history. Stigwood followed this with another huge success, Grease, which became one of the most successful film musicals ever released. His company produced the cult 'gangster' movie for kids, Bugsy Malone, as well as Peter Weir's Gallipoli and Evita, starring Madonna. Not all the musical movies were a great success and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, starring Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees, bombed at the box office. He has continued with mixed fortunes in the film industry. By the mid 80s, RSO had shuttered and its catalogue was sold off. RSO teamed up with Bob Banner Associates in 1975 to produce a stunt game show, Almost Anything Goes (ABC) which lasted four seasons. He became more active in the second half of the 1990s, producing the long-awaited film version of another Lloyd Webber/Rice concept album-turned-stage musical, Evita (1996), and being involved with the stage version of Saturday Night Fever (1999).

Worth a listen
John Leyton
Johnny Remember me (1961 )

The Who
Substitute (1966)
I’m a boy (1966)
Happy Jack (1966)
Pictures of Lily (1966)
I can see for miles (1967)
Magic Bus (1968)
Pinball Wizzard (1969)

The Cream
Strange Brew (1967)
Spoonful (1967)
Sunshine of your love (1968)
White Room (1968)
Crossroads (1969)
Badge (1969)

The Bee Gees
New York Mining Disaster 1941 (1967)
Jive talkin’ (1975)
Styin’ Alive (1977)
Night Fever (1978)

Tito Burns (1921 – 2010)

2011-05-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

Nathan Bernstein was born in London in 1921, the youngest of six children. After leaving school aged 15, he tried cabinet making, but he was heart set on becoming a musician. Nathan had played accordion since he was 12 and joined Don Marino Barreto and his Rumba Band, aged 17. He was nicknamed Tito (‘the little one’) because he was the youngest in the band and the soubriquet stuck although he was six foot tall. By the late 30s, he worked freelance as a musician at several London nightclubs until he formed his own swing band with a residency at the Nut House club in London. From 1942 until the end of the War, he served in the RAF and after Victory over Japan (V-J) Day, Tito worked on forces radio with McDonald Hobley and David Jacobs. AS soon as he was demobbed he briefly joined the Clarrie Wears Sextet before forming the Tito Burns Sextet in 1947. Charles Chilton (BBC producer) was a guitar player in the band and persuaded the BBC to showcase them on the Accordion Club (BBC Light Programme) radio series. They were first jazz group to perform bebop on BBC Radio. They recorded and toured with various line-ups, including Dennis Rose (trumpet and piano), Joe (Muddle) Mudele (double bass), Ray Ellington (drums), Ronnie Scott (tenor sax) and Johnny Dankworth (saxophonist), among many others. During the early 50s, the band singer was Terry Devon and she sang in a style based on Charlie Ventura's singer Jackie Cain. Terry regularly performed scat singing. In 1954, Burns added comedy to his performance and played the halls with Dorothy Squires and Jimmy Wheeler. Tito supported Sarah Vaughan at the Royal Albert Hall but as music styles changed the band eventually broke up in 1955. Tito continued to work as a musician and was one of the resident bandleaders on the Six-Five Special (BBC).
He was not a great fan of rock’n roll but realized he could make more money as an agent, manager and impresario. He established Tito Burns Productions and managed Cherry Wainer (organist) among many others. In 1958 Cherry told him, Cliff Richard was in dispute with his personal manager, Franklyn Boyd which was enough for Tito be become Cliff ‘s manager. He was an old style deal maker and what he lacked in diplomacy he made up in salesmanship who lived by the maxim ‘grab it while you can.’ Burns quickly set to smartening Cliff Richard up by introducing him to Dougie Millings (tailor to the Beatles). Sensing the rock’n roll era was on the wane Burns groomed Cliff to become an all round entertainer. He quickly made changes to the Shadows by replacing drummer, Terry Smart with Tony Meehan. In the three years he managed Cliff he had him appear at the London Palladium with Vera Lynn as well as doing comedy with David Kossoff (father of Paul Kossoff). Cliff also completed his second film the musical Expresso Bongo (1959). The relationships between agent and artist were often tart and short and Cliff and The Shadows were no exception, they parted company after disagreement over money. He had the reputation of working his clients hard and although he had a wide range of talent including actress, Janette Scott (daughter of Thora Hurd); singers Jackie Rae and Al Saxon and the Allisons, their associations seldom lasted long. He was the agent for the Searchers until Tony Jackson (lead singer) left the band claiming Burns owed him money. The Zombies also parted company after disputes over fees. The Springfields including Dusty Springfield, and Cat Stevens were no different. In 1963, Burns co-promoted the Beatles' UK tour with Roy Orbison and for a time Tito was actively involved in bringing American acts including Bobby Vee, Del Shannon, Dionne Warwick, Otis Redding and the Isley Brothers to the UK. In 1965 he arranged for Bob Dylan to perform at the Royal Albert Hall to a sellout audience. In the same year Andrew Loog Oldham, invited Burns to act as the Rolling Stone’s agent. Tito Burns became a booking agent for Jimi Hendrix, and The Moody Blues. In 1966 he signed a deal with the International Talent Association of New York to represent American artists in Britain, among them George Shearing, and Peter, Paul and Mary. Later the same year he sold his agency to the Grade Organisation and became deputy managing director of Harold Davison Ltd, the company within the Grade empire that acquired his artists. In 1968, he was hired by London Weekend Television as their head of variety to work alongside, the head of light entertainment, Frank Muir. He managed to pull off two major deals the first was booking Woody Allen and the second in 1969 he enticed Simon Dee away from the BBC. Dee was then the biggest name on television, commanding a weekly audience of 10 million for his Saturday night chat show, Dee Time. During his two year tenure he handled UK appearances for Tony Bennett, Sacha Distel and Victor Borge. He went on to join the Management Agency and Music (MAM) empire, which handled stars like Tom Jones, Englebert Humperdinck and Adam Faith. In the mid 70s he created and produced the inaugural Britannia Wards (Brit Awards), marking the centenary of Thomas Edison’s invention of sound recording and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Tito Burns retired in 1976 but continued to book international stars for appearances in Britain. Tito Burns died in August 2010, aged of 89.

Worth a listen
Cliff Richard
Move it (1958)
Living doll (1959)
Travellin’ Light (1959)
Dynamite (1959)

The Springfields
Silver threads and golden needles (1962)
Island of dreams (1962)

The Searchers
Sweets for my sweet (1963)
Sugar and spice (1963)
Don’t throw your love away (1964)
Love potion #9 (1964)

The Zombies
She’s not there (1964)

The Beatles
Please please me (1963)
From me to you (1963)
She loves you 91963)
I want to hold your hand (1963)
I saw her standing there (1963)
All my loving (1963)
This Boy (1963)

Dusty Springfield
I only want to be with you (1963)
Wishing and hoping (1964)
I just don’t know what to do with myself (1964)

The Rolling Stones
Route 66 (1965)
Under the boardwalk (1965)
The last time (1965)
(I can’t get no) satisfaction (1965)
Get off my cloud (1965)

Bob Dylan
The times they are a-changing (1965)
Maggie’s Farm (1965)
Subtertanian homesick blues (1965)
Like a rolling stone (1965)
Positively Fourth Street (1965)

SAHB and Faith healer

2011-05-27T03:57:00.001-07:00

The Beatles come to town

2011-05-25T02:11:00.001-07:00

Andrew Loog Oldham

2011-05-20T18:25:00.001-07:00

Andrew Loog Oldham was born in 1944 in Paddington, West London. His father was of Dutch descent and was killed during the War. His mother was an Australian nurse and comptometer operator. Andrew was a pretentious teenager and self-proclaimed hustler who spent his summers swindling tourists in French towns. He started working as an assistant in Carnaby Street, first for designer John Stephen, then Mary Quant and Alexander Plunkett Greene at their newly opened Bazaar. He became a PR stringer and worked briefly with Joe Meek and Bob Dylan (on his first visit to the UK in 1962/63). Later the same year he joined Brian Epstein promoting The Beatles. Andrew recognised the importance of youth culture and more importantly how he could manipulate it. A journalist and friend, Peter Jones (Record Mirror), recommended a young R&B band called The Rolling Stones. Oldham immediately saw the commercial potential to create an ‘anti-Beatles,’ and asked the group if he could become their manager. Only 19, he was bursting with ideas and soon convinced Mick and co., to accept him as their agent. Andrew had a winning combination of boundless self-confidence and hopeless naiveté which had refreshing appeal. He realized his own limitations however and went into partnership with Eric Easton. The Stones were signed to Decca Records and Andrew produced the group’s early studio work until late 1967. Andrew felt Ian "Stu" Stewart’s image did not fit with the rest of the band and insisted he was sidelined. Stu agreed to become their road manager and play session piano. As their manager he was particularly successful in developing the ‘bad boy’ image that positioned the band in opposition to The Beatles. The group grew their hair, wore casual Pop Art clothing, and appeared unruly and of unkempt appearance. Their off stage antics filled the tabloids and one of Andrew’s earliest successes was when he rhetorically posed the question, “Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone?” The media lapped it up. The image created by Loog Oldham suited the Stones attitude, looks and music perfectly. Always keen to maximize exposure he invited Lennon and McCartney to the studios to meet the Stones. Both Mick and Keith were Beatle fans and got on well. McCartney and Lennon agreed the Stones should record “I wanna be your man” for their second single and it was produced by Eric Easton. Andrew Loog Oldham savvy was acute and he followed Phil Spector’s lead by retaining ownership of the original master tapes. This was then leased to the record company which allowed greater artistic freedom and financial rewards.

As with most groups of the time, the Stones’ repertoire included many covers of US songs, so Andrew encouraged Mick Jagger and Keith Richards to start writing their own material. At first (between 1963 and 1965) the group opted a collective pseudonym, Nanker Phelge (aka Nanker/Phelge) to share writing royalties. Apparently Phelge was a flatmate, and Nanker was a ‘funny face’ Brian would pull. The first original Jagger/Richards song to make a UK number one hit was ‘The Last Time’ in 1965. In the main the pair settled to Mick Jagger as lyricist and Keith Richards, the music. Much later the songwriting pair contributed both lyrics and music.
In 1966 Andrew sold his interest in The Rolling Stones to Allan Klein but continued in the role as the band's de facto manager. Relations deteriorated, and The Stones officially severed business connection in 1967 after the making of Between the Buttons.

After meeting a teenage Marianne Faithfull at a party he later recorded her singing Jagger and Richards' "As Tears Go By." ( co-written by Andrew Loog Olham). The single became a hit in both the UK and US in 1964. A year later he and Tony Calder set up Immediate Records which was one of the first independent labels in the UK. The label concentrated on the London based R&B artists and signed Rod Stewart, P.P. Arnold, songwriter Paul Korda, Billy Nicholls, John Mayall, Savoy Brown, Small Faces, The Nice, Fleetwood Mac, The Groundhogs, Chris Farlowe, Duncan Browne and Humble Pie. Despite an amazing amount of chart success the label closed in 1970 and many of the artists were never paid for the work.

Throughout his successful years Oldham thrived on his reputation as a garrulous, androgynous gangster and employed a bodyguard to threaten rivals. He was infrequently seen without makeup and dark glasses and took every opportunity to indulge himself as reward for his success. He was a regular drug user until he resettled in North America. Andrew Loog Oldham has continued to work in the music business in various capacities and is now living in Bogotá, Colombia.

Worth a listen
The Rolling Stones
Come on (1963)
I wanna be your man (1963)
Not Fade Away (1963)
Carol (1964)
It’s all over now (1964)
Little Red Rooster (1964)
Route 66 (1965)
Under the boardwalk (1965)
The Last time (1965)
(I can’t get no) satisfaction (1965)
19th nervous breakdown (1966)
Have you seen your mother baby standing in the shadow (1966)
Let’s spend the night together (1967)

Marianne Faithfull
As tears go by (1964)

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers
I'm Your Witchdoctor (1965)

McCoys
Hang On Sloopy (1965)

The Poets
Call Again (1965)
Baby don’t do it (1966)

Chris Farlowe
Out of time (1966)
Yesterday’s Papers (1967 )
Handbags and Gladrags (1967)
Paint It Black (1967)

PP Arnold
The first cut is the deepest (1967)
Angel of the Morning (1968)

The Small Faces
Here comes the nice (1967)
Itchycoo Park (1967)
Lazy Sunday (1968)

The Nice
The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (1967)

Humble Pie
Natural born bugie (1969)

Amen Corner
If Paradise Was Half as Nice (1969)
Hello Suzie (1969)

Fleetwood Mac
Man of the World (1969)

Tony Secunda (1940 – 1995)

2011-05-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

Anthony Michael "Tony" Secunda was born in Epsom, Surrey, England in 1940. Educated at public school he first came to prominence as manager of the Moody Blues. The Birmingham based group was signed to Decca Records and had a No 1 hit in the UK with "Go Now," in 1965. Tony also managed another Birmingham based band called the Move and promoted them as a mod band with a wild stage act (similar to the Who). He had the group dress in the style of Chicago gangsters and Carl Wayne (lead singer) smashed up television sets and effigies with an axe at the end of their act. The onstage antics were called "Auto Destruction," and had been made popular by Pete Townsend and Jimi Hendrix, who regularly smashed their guitar (or set it on fire in the case of Hendrix) as a finale. The group played a season at London's Marquee Club and the ensuing notoriety soon helped them gain a recording contract with Deram, a subsidiary of Decca Records. Tony Secunda was an astute publicists and effective wheeler dealer and the group had a couple of hits with Night of Fear (1966) and I can hear the grass grow (1967). The former was written by Roy Wood who had been encouraged by his manager to write more contemporary songs for the group. Wood borrowed a catchy riff from Tchykovsky’s 1812 Overture for Night of Fear, something he would repeat later in his career. Ever the sensationalist, Secunda gained notoriety in 1967, when unbeknown to the band, he circulated postcards showing a nude caricature of the then Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, in a bath, The cards were supposed to promote the Move's latest single, "Flowers in the Rain". The innuendoes made about Wilson led him to sue the band successfully and in settlement all the royalties from the record went to a charity. Flowers in the rain got to No 2 in the UK charts but after the controversy the band sacked their manager. Tony Secunda had a business partner, Denny Cordell (Regal Zonophone) and he was a record producer who worked with the Moody Blues and the Move. Cordell produced another of Secunda’s groups, Procol Harum ‘s "Whiter Shade of Pale." This was another pop song based on a classic i.e. Bach's "Air on a G-String." The single was a hit in 1967 and went on to sell over 6 million copies. Secunda continued his involvement with Trevor Burton (former Move), and helped him establish a band called Balls with singer Denny Laine (Moody Blues and Wings). The venture failed. In 1971, Marc Bolan asked Tony to become his manager and he was able to re- negotiate a new recording and publishing contract with EMI as well as set up the T. Rex Wax label. Despite early success with Get it on in the US they parted company after Bolan got drunk at a Carnegie Hall concert and fell over on stage. In 1975, now the manager of Steeleye Span and the group had a surprise UK Top Ten hit with "All Around My Hat." A year later he was manager of Motörhead and offered Lemmy and Co some outlandish promotions but by 1978 both parties had fallen out irrevocably and parted company. Tony wanted to break into the punk scene and after he heard of a singer song writer called Chrisy Hyde he helped her in her musical career. He dropped out then reappeared on the pop scene in the 80s as the manager of Marianne Faithfull, but their association was short lived. By the mid-eighties he moved to San Anselmo, California, where he remained active in music publishing and promotion, and developed an interest in the ecology and green issues. He started a literary agency and published biographies of bands and musicians, until his death in 1995.

Worth a listen
Moody Blues.
Go Now (1965)

The Move
Night of Fear (1966)
I can hear the grass grow (1967)
Flowers in the Rain (1967)

Procol Harum
Whiter Shade of Pale (1967)

Marc Bolan
Get it on (1971)

Steeleye Span
All Around My Hat (1975)

Motörhead
Motörhead (1977)

Hound Dog Taylor The Sun is Shining

2011-05-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

Buddy Guy Hard time killing floor

2011-05-13T16:39:00.001-07:00

Steve Ellis and The Love Affair

2011-05-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

Stephen John Ellis was born in 1950 at Edgware, Middlesex. Although he learned to play drums at school he had a good singing voice. He fronted a group called Soul Survivors when he was just 15. The band consisted of Maurice 'Mo' Bacon (drummer and founder), Morgan Fisher (keyboards), Ian Miller (guitar) and Warwick Rose (bass). As their musicianship improved they moved from wedding singers to club performers featuring in many of the mod clubs in London and the South coast. Their first single was a cover of the Rolling Stones’ "She Smiled Sweetly" and was produced by Mike Vernon. Sadly the single flopped. They moved labels to CBS and now, Love Affair the line-up consisted of Rex Brayley (guitar), Lynton Guest (keyboards), Maurice Bacon (drums) and Mick Jackso (bass), with Steve Ellis on vocals. They recorded Robert Knight's 'Everlasting Love' (written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden) with a 40-piece orchestra. The song was a minor hit for Knight and the cover version was initially offered to Marmalade. They thought it too poppy and rejected it. The first recording of the song was produced by Muff Winwood (ex Spencer Davis Group) and featured the group playing all the instruments. CBS decided to rerecord it with Ellis on vocals and supported by full orchestration and session musicians. The new version was produced by Mike Smith arranged by Keith Mansfield. The session musicians included Herbie Flowers (bass) and Clem Cattini (drums) with Madeline Bell, Lesley Duncan and Kay Garner making up the female choir. The group was allowed to play on the B-side. The single started to slowly climb the UK charts. The impact of commercial radio stations on sales was well known and after an illegal backhander was paid to Radio Caroline the song rocket up the charts. It became Number One in the UK in 1968. The average age of the band was under 19 and Love Affair became a teen sensation. The practice of using session musicians on a pop record was commonplace but rarely acknowledged. Many bubblegum groups were inexperienced musicians and with studio time a premium professional musicians were used. This had the added advantage of freeing up the group to complete often punishing tours as well as maintain regular single releases. When Love Affair appeared live on Good Evening hosted by Jonathan King, the band admitted to not playing on their singles. The public hue and cry that followed saw the group branded a makeshift band and blacklisted from Top of the Pops. Members of Love Affair were naïve and reacted arrogantly, which won them few friends. Their records however kept on selling. Other UK hits followed including: "Rainbow Valley, " and "A Day Without Love." Most of their latter hits were written by Phillip Goodhand-Tait. In 1968 Love Affair rivaled only the Beatles for record sales in the UK. More and more the group became frustrated at being pigeonholed as teen idols and were further annoyed the group did not play on their A sides. By the summer 1969 cracks were showing and when the single “Baby I Know," flopped Steve Ellis announced his departure. In his absence, the Love Affair struggled to maintain their profile and in 1970 CBS dropped the band. Despite several lineup changes, different musical styles and labels the group lost their fan base and eventually packed it in. Steve Ellis continued to pursue a solo career. He worked with several musicians and released a handful of singles, but was never able to recapture his initial success. He formed the band Ellis (or the Ellis Group) with Zoot Money (keyboards), Jim Leverton (bass and ex Fat Mattress), and Nick South (ex-Vinegar Joe/Alexis Korner), Andy Gröber (aka Andy Gee guitar and ex-Springfield Park) and Davie Lutton (drums). His first album "Riding On The Crest Of A Slump", was produced by Roger Daltrey. After the second album Why not (produced by Mike Vernon) was released in 1973 and did nothing Steve joined Widowmaker and signed to Jet. The strength of Widowmaker, a heavy progressive rock band, was their live performances but record sales were weak. Steve Ellis left the band after their first album due to artistic differences. Despite his undoubted talent he never would repeat the success of Love Affair and in 1981 retired from the music industry. He made a living as a docker until he had a serious accident leaving him with very badly crushed feet. It took until the 90s for him to recover. He decided to make a return and toured and recorded as Steve Ellis' Love Affair. As the decades passed Steve has kept himself busy both recording and performing and is currently singer with The New Amen Corner.

Worth a listen
She Smiled Sweetly (1967)
Everlasting Love (1968)
Rainbow Valley (1968)
A Day Without Love (1968)
One Road (1969)
Bringing On Back The Good Times (1969)

Philip Lynott Ode to a black man

2011-05-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

Don Arden (1926 – 2007) "The Al Capone of Pop"

2011-05-06T04:36:00.000-07:00

Harry Levy was born in Cheetham Hill, Manchester in 1926. From an early age Harry had set his sights on show business. He sang as a cantor in the local synagogue, and by the age of 14 he was appearing on stage as a professional singer and comedian. In 1944 his agent suggested he change his name to Don Arden, after the Hollywood actor Robert Arden. He was called up to the army during and after being demobed he went back to working on the stage as an entertainer and impressionist. He got a reputation for being quick tempered and because of his developed physique was nicknamed "Tarzan". He was not averse to boxing the ears of others who fell fowl of him. In 1954 he gave up performing to become a showbiz agent and started putting together his own shows. He recognized early the commercial possibilities of rock and roll; he signed Gene Vincent for a tour of the UK and later became his manager. Arden continued to bring US rockers like Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry to tour Britain. Unfortunately Vincent's compulsive alcoholism made him difficult to work with and the pair soon parted in less than an amicable way. Don continually scouted for new talent and briefly managed Elkie Brooks before she broke into the big time. The rise in popularity of the beat groups in the early 60s saw Don became agent for the Newcastle-based Animals. He brought the group to London for a residency at the Scene Club and the group swiftly hit No 1 with House of the Rising Sun. Arden’s association proved to be short-lived after a dispute with the group’s manager, Mike Jeffrey. Don increases his stable of hopefuls to include Nashville Teens, Amen Corner, and the Small Faces. Despite chart success the groups were never given their full royalties which led to several confrontations with their management. Don Arden was not beyond "chart-fixing" and was fined on at least one occasion. Inter manager rivalry was fierce and any attempt to poach acts was frequently met with the threat of violent reprisals. In 1966, Don Arden threatened to throw impresario Robert Stigwood out his office if he ever interfered with Arden’s business after Stigwood had approached the Small Faces. Don Arden enjoyed playing up to his image as a ruthless operator. He affected broad-lapelled gangster suits, and hung a picture of himself impersonating Edward G Robinson on his office wall. The dilemma many of his artists faced was whilst they acknowledged Arden had discovered them and invested considerably in their early development; royalties from their top selling singles were not filtering through. In 1967 Don Arden released a single of his own called "Sunrise Sunset", (taken from Fiddler on the Roof), but it failed to chart. He signed The Move in 1968 and continued to manage ELO (1970) and Wizzard (1972) when the original band broke up. In 1974 he started his own record label, Jet Records and Lyndsey De Paul had the first hit with "No Honestly" (1974). She repeated the success with "My Man and Me" before leaving the label in 1976 after an acrimonious split with Arden. In 1975, ELO and Wizzard signed to Jet Records in the UK. Roy Wood left Jet Records and disbanded Wizzard in 1976 after Jet refused to release Wizzard's third album Wizzo because it was not commercial enough. In the same year Jet's UK distribution moved to United Artists but after inferior pressings of ELO’s album Out of the Blue were discovered Jet sued UA and abruptly switched their distribution to CBS Records worldwide early in 1978. During this time ELO became one of the most popular bands in the world. Don Arden was also the manager of Black Sabbath but when Ozzy Osbourne was sacked he was signed to Jet. Sharon was Arden’s daughter and she an Ozzy became an item. When Sharon took over as manager of the singer, he father was not pleased and father and daughter became estranged for over 20 years. By the late 70s Don Arden’s business practices were coming under increasing scrutiny. In the early eighties Jet Records were facing financial troubles after ELO had become less popular and Ozzy Osborne had left the label. Jet carried on in a diminished capacity into the late 1980s before it eventually collapsed. Despite this Don Arden enjoyed a high-rolling lifestyle of a top music mogul and lived between homes in Beverly Hills and Surrey, England. In 1987, he was tried at the Old Bailey on charges of kidnapping, blackmail, torture and assault in the case of Harshad Patel, an accountant whom Arden alleged had stolen money from him. Arden was acquitted on all charges. In 2004 Don Arden was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and died in 2007.

Worth a listen
Gene Vincent
Be-Bop- A-Lula (1956)

The Animals
Baby let me take you home (1964)
Gonna send you back to Walker (1964)
The house of rising sun (1964)
I’m crying (1964)
Boom boom (1964)

Nashville Teens
Tobacco Road (1964)
Google eye (1964)

The Small Faces
Whatcha gonna do about it (1965)
Sha la-la-la lee (1966)
All or nothing (1966)

Amen Corner
Gin House (1967)
Bend me shape me (1968)
Hello Suzie (1969)

The Move
Fire Brigade (1968)
Blackberry Way (1968)

Black Sabbath
Evil woman (1970)
Paranoid (1970)

Wizzard
Ball Park Incident (1972)
See my baby jive (1973)
Angel fingers (1973)

ELO
10538 Overture (1972)
Roll over Beethoven (1973)
Showdown (1973)
Evil woman (1975)
Livin’ Thing (1976)
Rockaria (1977)
Do ya (1977)
Telephone Line (1977)

Roy Wood
Dear Elaine (1973)
Look thru’ the eyes of a fool (1975)
Any old time will do (1975)

Lou Rawls You'll never find another love like mine

2011-05-04T02:58:00.000-07:00

Gary Glitter Do ya wanna touch

2011-04-29T01:56:00.001-07:00

Sweet Ballroom Blitz

2011-04-28T01:25:00.000-07:00

X-Ray Spex and Poly Styrene (1957 – 2011)

2011-04-26T04:06:00.000-07:00

Marianne Joan Elliott-Said was born in 1957 in Bromley, Kent. Daughter of single parent she was brought by her mother. She ran away from home when she was 15 and lived as a hippie travelling from one music festival to another. Attracted to making music she released reggae single "Silly Billy" as Mari Elliot on GTO Records in 1976. The record failed to attract much attention. After seeing the Sex Pistols, Marie was inspired to form the punk band. She put an ad in the paper for ‘young punx who want to stick it together’ to form a band. The X-Ray Spex were born. Initially, the band featured singer, Poly Styrene (aka Marie), Jak Airport (aka Jack Stafford on guitars), Paul Dean (bass), Paul 'B. P.' Hurding (drums), and Lora Logic (aka Susan Whitby) on saxophone. Poly had an unorthodox appearance and wore thick braces on her teeth and sported a gaudy Dayglo wardrobe. The band proved the epitome of punk and their first single, "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" (1977), is now acknowledged as classic punk rock and the album, Germ Free Adolescents, is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest albums of all time. Despite her distinctive sax Lora Logic left the band in 1977 to form to form Essential Logic. She was replaced initially by Glyn John, then Rudi Thompson (aka Steve Rudi). In the same year X-Ray Spex undertook a punishing tour of the UK by the end of which Poly Styrene left the band. Her health was at risk and she was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder Poly continued to perform as a solo artist and released, Translucence, (1980).The album was quieter than her previous works and contained a more jazz influence. She was initiated into the Hare Krishna movement and recorded at their recording studios while living as a devotee in the Bhaktivedanta Manor. Without Poly Styrene, X-Ray Spex lost momentum and split up. She continued to record and perform including and briefly working with a reformed X-Ray Spex in the 90s. Poly Styrene died on 25 April 2011 after battling breast cancer.

Worth a list
Oh Bondage Up Yours! (1977)
The Day The World Turned Day-Glo (1978)
Germ Free Adolescents (1978)

A short history of the music video (1894-1979)

2011-04-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

A music or pop video is a short film to accompany a piece of music and or song. At first they were described as "illustrated songs", "filmed inserts", "promotional (promo) films", "promotional clips" or "film clips". Music videos came to use a wide range of styles from film making, including animation, live action filming, documentaries, and non-narrative approaches such as abstract film. Many were mini dramas, some mirroring the song lyrics but others with no association . Many new directors cut their teeth on pop videos. Music videos were made as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. By the 80s MTV based their format around the medium.

The use of illustrated songs started in the 19th century, when in 1894, sheet music publishers promoted sales of their song using a magic lantern. Come the 20s and the talkies, short musical films were made highlingting popular bands, vocalists and dancers. A decade later Art Deco-style animations and backgrounds started to feature. A popular cinema feature was to engage cinema audiences to sing along to popular songs by "following the bouncing ball". Many of the early animated films by Walt Disney also featured several interpretations of classical pieces and both Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, were initially fashioned around specific songs from upcoming Warner Brothers musical films. In the US, Panoram visual jukeboxes were introduced and featured one-song promotional films called "soundies." Many hundreds were made and became popular in taverns and night spots.
By the mid 50s, short musical films were distributed to television stations so they could show popular stars of the time filmed and set to their recordings. This was generally used for only the top acts. By the late 50s visual jukeboxes had again made a reappearance and in 1959 DJ, J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) was considered the person to refer to them as musical video.

The first pop video arguably featured Ricky Nelson singing ‘Travelin Man.’ Nelson was an actor before becoming a pop singer and his father Oxzzie Nelson directed the video in 1961.

Studios started to make musical videos by pre-recording audio then filming musicians lip-syncing, these were later edited together. Japanese pop singer Kyu Sakamoto was filmed singing Sukiyaki walking through an alley past barrels in 1963.

One of the first colour pop music videos was released in 1964 and featured the Animals "House Of The Rising Sun". The clip was filmed in a studio on a specially-built set with the group lip-synching.

The Beatles management saw the potential of ‘filmed inserts’ and started making promotional clips in 1965. This meant the Fab Four could simultaneously release a record without physically being there in person. In the US, The Byrds used the same strategy to promote their singles in the United Kingdom. By the mid to late sixties other groups including The Who, The Troggs, Procol Harem, The Stones, The Small Faces, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues and Kinks were using promotional videos. In Australia The Masters Apprentices and The Loved Ones were the first to release musical videos and all were filmed in black and white because colour television was not available until the mid seventies.

By the early 70s the promotional clip played a significant role in the success of the songs. When Mick Rock directed four David Bowie musical clips this changed the mould and saw a professional photographer directing, until now that role had fallen to TV directors. Rock’s influence on the genre was immense.

By the mid 70s music video clips were the basis of many television stations across the globe keen to attract teenage viewers with up to date pop programs. Distance prevented bands being in different countries at the same time but the video could admirably fill this gap. Lack of funds also meant many programs were unable to pay for live acts and the musical video was the preferred cheaper option. Acceptance of the musical video increased the competitiveness of the market as acts from outside the US and UK enjoyed greater exposure. In Australia, Paul Drake (director of Countdown) made several musical video for home and international consumption. One memorable example was ACDC’s ‘It’s a long way to the top.’

Abba had made good use of the musical video but in 1975 it was Queen who set the miles stone in music video with Bohemian Rhapsody which was shot and edited entirely on videotape by Bruce Gowers.

Other great musical videos followed and by now the promotional video was almost as important as the artist. New developments in technology meant producing a video became easier and the DIY approach had major appeal to the new Punk culture. In the US, Devo created many self-produced music videos including, "The Day My Baby gave me a Surprise" was the first to use computer and traditional animation. The introduction of cable network in the US ensured the musical video were given plenty airtime.

After cutting his teeth on Australian pop show Countdown, director Russell Mulcahy, he relocated to London and started to make music videos including the landmark video "Video Killed The Radio Star" by Buggles in 1979. This became the first music video played on MTV in the US.

Let there be rock ACDC

2011-04-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

Dutch Tilders (1941 -2011)

2011-04-23T21:04:00.001-07:00

Matthew Tilders was born in the Netherlands in 1941. His parents emigrated to Australia in 1955 and settled in Melbourne. Matthew sang in school and church choirs but developed an interest in blues music. He learned to play harp (mouth organ) and joined a local band. He later took up the guitar and by 1960 was busking in the cafe bars around Melbourne. With no particular mentor he developed his own blues style using his wide vocal range. He cut his first album in 1961 at a friend's home studio but it sold very few copies. A year later he was teamed up with Shane Duckham and they played on the Sydney folk circuit for many years. In 1970 after Dutch appeared on New Faces, he was signed by Ron Tudor to the Bootleg label. In 1972 he recorded the first album for the label and worked with Phil Manning, Barry Sullivan and Barry Harvey (Chain), Laurie Prior (The Twilights) and Broderick Smith (The Dingoes). Paul Cadd played and produced the album with features Delta blues on side one and Chicago blues on side two. Throughout the 70s Dutch became a stalwart of Australian blues music and popular performer at clubs and festivals. During the 70s he toured as support for John Mayall. Although Dutch was not a commercial success he did become a firm favourite with other musicians and blues fans. Among his many admirers was B B King, who along with Sonny Terry regarded him as a genuine bluesman. Througout the 70s Dutch recorded and performed with Kevin Borich, Taj Mahal, John Mayall and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. In 1975 he recorded with Jimmy Conway and Kevin Borich and his third album, Working Man was released in 1977 and an all star backing group of blues harp maestro Jim Conway (Captain Matchbox), Kerryn Tolhurst and John Bois (Country Radio, Dingoes), Ray Arnott (Spectrum), and Jeff King (Foreday Riders). By the 80s Dutch formed the 'R&B Six', a band that included Charley Elul (drums), Peter Frazer (sax), Suzanne Petersen (flute and vocals), Mick Eliot (guitar) and Dave Murray (bass and vocals). This band toured Australia extensively. During the late seventies, Dutch fronted several blues and boogie bands including The Elks, the Cyril B. Bunter Band and Mickey Finn. In 1979 he made an album with Jim Conway, Bob Bertles (The Meteors), and Peter Howell (bass) . In1980 he formed the 'R&B Six', a band that included Charley Elul (drums), Peter Frazer (sax), Suzanne Petersen (flute and vocals), Mick Eliot (guitar) and Dave Murray (bass and vocals). This band toured Australia extensively. Unfortunately Dutch did not release any new recordings, but formed The Blues Club with Geoff Achison (guitar), Martin Corcoran and Terry Noone (sax), Barry Hills (bass), and Winston Galea (drums). Later he joined the The Holey Soles with Anthony Harkin (harmonica), Barry Hills (bass) and Ian Clarke (drums); the second lineup featured Clarke, Luke Keogh (harp), and Peter Howell (bass). This was followed by The Dutch Tilders Band with Greg Dodd (guitar), Barry Hills and Winston Galea. Over the last decade Dutch continued to perform but more recently as a solos artist. Ill health forced him into retirement.

Worth a listen
I'm a mean mistreater (1976)
21st Birthday Rag (1976)
Dutchman’s Boogie (1979)
Glory of Love (1979)
Stoned again (1979)
Stoned again (1979)
Kb Blues (1980)
Bad books (1980)
Kb Blues (1980)
The blues had a baby (1980).
They call me midnight (1980)
Nobody knows when you are down and out (1989)
Baby please don’t go (1993)
Goodmorning blues (1993)
I’m a bluesman (1998)

Joe Bonamassa

2011-04-22T02:10:00.001-07:00

A brief introduction to Earworms

2011-04-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

What is it that makes some songs stick in your head and other not. Scientists call songs that get stuck in our head “earworms,” after the German, Ohrwurm (ear-worm). According to neuroscientists no-one is quite sure how and why this happens. It is often not to be a whole song that gets stuck in the head, just 15-20 seconds of one, and it tends to be a simple song that even non-singers can hum without effort. Earworms can also be jingles, and tunes. Songs with lyrics are reported as most frequently stuck (74%), followed by commercial jingles (15%) and instrumental tunes without words (11%). Almost everyone seems susceptible to them, but with some more than others. On average, the episodes last over a few hours and occur 'frequently' or 'very frequently' among 61.5% of the sample. Some people can get earworms so bad that it interferes with their ability to sleep or work. Others use their earworms as an impetuous to write music. Neil Young, for example, started writing songs because he could not get rid of the tunes in his head. Earworms are more likely to last longer for women and to irritate them significantly more than men. The length of earworm attack is reported longer for musicians and music lovers. People with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are more prone to report being troubled by ear worms.

The technical name for ‘earthworms’ is Musical Imagery Repetition (MIR) or involuntary musical imagery (IMI) but should not be confused with endomusia (or musical hallucinations), a serious condition where people hear music that is not playing externally.

There is no known cure but many try to use another tune to dislodge the one that is stuck. People with songs stuck in their heads often try talking with someone about it. And about half the survey deliberately try to distract themselves from hearing the stuck song. And 14% of the time, people try to complete the song in their heads in an effort to get it to end. Almost 25% of people polled complained earworm episodes stopped them from doing other tasks and 14%felt it wasted their time.
Researchers at Goldsmiths College, (University of London), believe while earthworms remain a mystery to psychologists, getting to understand them may help to unravel how the human brain works. They discovered spontaneous musical imagery comes without any conscious effort and the catchiness of something is the result of a particular balance of certain pitch intervals and particular rhythmic structures. They have developed a formula which can currently predict whether a tune is likely to be an earworm with approximately 75 percent success.

Researchers from the University of Reading found that when respondents attempted to distract themselves from the earworms, they lasted an average of 40 minutes. But, when respondents did nothing about the earworm, the experience lasted for an average of 22 minutes. Previous research has suggested that earworm experiences are limited by the capacity of auditory memory but current research would contest this and believe when earworms involve more than auditory memory, such as ] reactivation of long-term memory, then this allows for memories of a longer duration.

WARNING THIS WILL STICK IN YOUR HEAD

Interesting sites
How to write an earworm
the earwormery
unherit.com

Reference
James J. Kellaris J.J 2003 "Dissecting Earworms: Further Evidence on the 'Song-Stuck-in-Your Head' Phenomenon, presentation to Society for Consumer Psychology, Feb. 22, 2003.

Help

2011-04-16T19:14:00.001-07:00

Fat Boys and Chubby Checker The Twist

2011-04-16T18:54:00.001-07:00

Wilson Picket (1941 - 2006)

2011-04-16T03:38:00.000-07:00

Wilson Picket was born in 1941, in Prattville, Alabama and the fourth of 11 children. The family moved to Detroit in his mid teens and he sang in several Baptist church choirs. His forceful, passionate style of singing was developed between the sacred and the secular whist singing on the streets with the other kids. Wilson was a wild child with a fascination for guns but his love of singing kept him grounded. In 1955 he joined the Violinaires and sang gospel-harmony for four years. In 1959 he became lead singer of the Falcons, singing soul. The line-up of the group included Eddie Floyd (Knock on wood), Joe Stubbs (brother of Levi Stubbs) and songwriter, Mack Rice (Mustang Sally and Respect yourself). The group had previously found success with "You're So Fine," which sold over one million copies. Wilson co-wrote and sang lead on "I Found a Love" which made number six on Billboard's soul charts in 1962. Record producer, Robert Bateman recognized his potential and encouraged him to try a solo career. Wilson released several singles including “I'm Gonna Cry," collaboration with Don Covay) before moving to "Double L" records. There he released two earthy R&B singles, "If You Need Me" and "It's Too Late". When Jerry Wexler (Atlantic Records) heard them he took the singer to Memphis (1964) but not before he took “If you need me” (co-written by Wilson Picket) and recorded Solomon Burke singing it. The single became a soul classic. Wilson was less than amused although his own version was a minor hit. In the Stax studio, Wexler eventually matched Wilson with Booker T. and the MG's and his third single was ‘In the Midnight Hour.’ The single reached the top of the R&B chart and hit #21 on the pop chart in 1965. The album ‘The exciting Wilson Picket’ was recorded at Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and established the artist as a major soul star. Steve Cropper and Wilson Picket continued their song writing collaboration at Atlantic Records and produced a long series of hits, including: "Don't Fight It" (1965), "634-5789",(1966) "Land Of 1,000 Dances",(1966) "Mustang Sally" (1966) and "Funky Broadway" (1967). By the end of the year the singer was working with producers Tom Dowd and Tommy Cogbill, and also began recording numerous songs by Bobby Womack. In 1968, he produced the album, Midnight Mover with the hit single of the same name. Other hits followed including "Hey Jude," (1969) with guitarist, Duane Allman, and a year later, "Sugar, Sugar" was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami. In 1970, he worked with producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia which yielded two crossover hits, "Engine No.9," and "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You." In 1972 Picket left Atlantic but by now his run of soul hits had dried up. As an artist he failed to develop other musical genres and as the popularity of soul music dwindled his record sales dropped. By the early 70s Wilson was no longer making hit records. Despite this he continued to be a popular live performer and tirelessly toured with ‘The Soul Clan,’ i.e. Joe Tex, Don Covay, Ben E. King and Solomon Burke. Wilson continued to work on and off through the 90s despite spending some time in prison for a drunken driving. Plagued by health problems, he suffered a fatal heart attack in 2006, and died aged of 64.

Worth a listen
If you need me (1962)
It’s too late (1962)
In the Midnight Hour (1965)
Don't Fight It (1965)
634-5789 (Soulville, USA) (1966)
Land of 1,000 Dances (1966)
Mustang Sally (1966)
Everybody needs somebody to love (1966)
I found a love Part 1 (1966)
Funky Broadway (1967)
I’m in love (1967)
Hey Jude (1968)

The Four Tops Same old song

2011-04-15T03:05:00.001-07:00

ZZ Tops

2011-04-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

“That Little Ol' Band from Texas" was formed in 1970 in Texas with Billy Gibbons (guitar, vocals), Lanier Greig (bass) and Dan Mitchell (drums). They signed to London Records and recorded "Salt Lick", before Greig was fired and replaced by Bill Ethridge. More line –up changes followed and Frank Beard replaced Dan Mitchell, then Dusty Hill came in for Lanier Ethridge. The trio was best known for southern boogie music and popular on the local touring scene. Their first local hit was "Francene" which introduced the band to a much wider audience. As their popularity grew the band drew influence from delta music and high-energy rock. The band's first national Top 50 hit in the US was "La Grange.” Despite this initial success their album sales failed to meet expectation. The band continued to tour before taking an extended break. In 1979 they got back together and both Gibbons and Hill had grown lengthy beards. Now signed with Warner Brothers the trio released a couple of well received albums "Deguello" and "El Loco." Both "Cheap Sunglasses" and "Tube Snake Boogie" sold well as singles. The next album, "Eliminator," featured controversial synthesizers and drum machines. Eliminator became an international best seller and clever use of the medium of video and MTV ensured singles like "Gimme All Your Lovin," "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Legs" were enormous world-wide hits. The videos took the band's famous mystique and popularity to an all-time high. ZZ Tops continued to use synthesizers on their eighth album, "Afterburner," which sold well and the band were now synonymous with barrelhouse R&B. Their stage craft was second to none which established them as one of the world's leading live attractions. The band found it impossible to match their earlier success with studio albums but have continued to work as a live band to the delight of their fans, worldwide.

Worth a listen
Salt Lick (1970)
Francene (1972)
La Grange (1973)
Tush (1973)
Gimme all your lovin (1982)
Got me under pressure (1983)
Sharp dressed man (1983)
TV Dinners (1983)
Legs (1984 )
Sleeping Bag (1985)
Velcro Fly (1985)
Rough Boy (1986)

Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone

2011-04-09T16:43:00.001-07:00

John Martyn Just couldn't love you more

2011-04-08T03:32:00.000-07:00

Playingforchange.com

2011-04-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

playing for change.com

Joni Mitchell - Blue

2011-04-05T03:01:00.000-07:00

ZZ Top - Gimme All Your Lovin' (music video)

2011-04-05T02:47:00.000-07:00

Tony Meehan (1943 – 2005)

2011-04-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

Daniel Joseph Anthony Meehan was born in 1943 in New End, Hampstead, and London. Daniel started playing the drums when he was 10 and by 13 year old he was playing in a skiffle band. He learned to play the kettledrums (timpani) and was a member of the London Youth Orchestra. His musical career took off which prevented him from studying to become a lawyer. After leaving the Vipers he became an original member of The Drifters and stayed with the Shadows until 1961. Tony left the group in 1961and worked as an arranger/producer and session drummer for Joe Meek. The following year he joined Decca Records as an A&R man and auditioned the early Beatles. Decca rejected the Fab Four, choosing The Tremeloes instead. Tony and Jet Harris were reunited when Harris signed to Decca as a solo artist and played together with their first single, "Diamonds" taking them to the top of the UK charts. The legendary Jimmy Page played acoustic rhythm guitar on the track. Two other hits followed with "Scarlett O'Hara" and "Applejack". After the near fatal accident which left Jet Harris with head injuries Tony Meehan did continue for a short time with The Tony Meehan Combo. He did step in as replacement drummer for Brian Bennett when he was briefly was hospitalized but otherwise kept himself in the background of the industry. In 1977 he produced Roger Daltrey’s third solo album, One of the Boys, and was reunited with Hank Marvin who played session guitar. He trained as a psychologist and in the 1990s left the music industry to work in London at a local college lecturing psychology. Tony Meehan died in 2005 after a fall.

Mason Williams Classical Gas (original video)

2011-03-31T01:45:00.000-07:00

Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK Studio Version

2011-03-28T03:15:00.000-07:00

Andy Cameron - I Want To Be A Punk Rocker (1978).wmv

2011-03-25T16:33:00.000-07:00

Dave Edmunds I Hear You Knocking

2011-03-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

Goanna

2011-03-24T04:09:00.001-07:00

Shane Howard was the middle child and enjoyed singing at church with his mum playing the organ. His sister Marcia joined the family troop and they played and sang at weddings, parties, kitchen teas, and celebrations. Shane was drawn to the spiritual centre of Australia and as a student spent time at Uluru where he became overcome with the plight of indigenous Australians. He formed The Goanna Band whilkst still at university in 1977. The original line-up was Mike Biscan (guitar), Richard Griffiths (bass guitar) and Rod Hoe (drums). The line-up changed many times but Shane Howard remained the mainstay. In 1979, the group signed to Custom Press (a subsidiary of EMI) and recorded ‘Livin' on the Razor's Edge’, a four track EP. It met with some local interest. In 1981 they shortened their name to Goanna and with a changed line-up of Shane Howard (keyboardist and vocalist), Rose Bygrave (drummer), Gary Crothall (lead guitarist and vocalist), Warwick Harwood (vocalist and harmonica-player) Ian Morrison and Carl Smith (bass) they signed for signing for WEA Australia in 1982. The company reluctantly released the single, "Solid Rock." This was one of the first pop songs to broach the subject of Aboriginal rights in Australia and the first charting rock record to feature extensive use of the didgeridoo. WEA were fearful it would be lost, receiving no airplay but instead "Solid Rock" caught the mood of the country perfectly and peaked at No. 3 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart. Also as a surprise it also reached No. 31 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and appeared on the US Hot 100. Their debut album, Spirit of Place was produced by Trevor Lucas, (Fairport Convention,) and became a chart topper in Australia and sold well in the US. Howard was a prolific songwriter and wrote their second single "Let the Franklin Flow.” The band were confirmed environmentalists and the royalties went to supported the Tasmanian Wilderness Society's campaign against the proposed damming of Tasmania's Gordon and Franklin Rivers for a hydroelectricity project. A reworked version of "Razor’s Edge" was released in 1983 as a single . This was followed by "That Day (Is Coming Sooner)". Despite respectable sales WEA dropped the band from the label. Eventually Warners in Australia did resign them and they released their second album, Oceania, produced by Billy Payne (Little Feat) in 1985. The single "Common Ground", peaked at No. 42, and "Dangerous Dancing" made it to the top 100. To promote the album the band toured constantly but by now the pressure of fame and failure to maintain their initial success took its toll. Shane Howard dropped out and went walkabout. Meantime Goanna could not function without him and effectively broke up. Howard relocated from the city and lived in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Out of the blue an Irish singer, called Mary Black, invited him to open her show on the Australian tour. Shane accepted and wrote 'Flesh and Blood' which Mary later recorded and it topped the Irish charts. Mary and Shane became friends and she invited him to Dublin. The songwriter wrote more song for her and eventually he started to perform in Ireland. He continued to record albums: Back to the Track in 1988, River (1990), Time Will Tell (1993) and Clan (1996). In 1998, Shane with his sister (Marica Howard) and Rose Bygrave to reform Goanna for the album Spirit Returns. Shane Howard continues to work and regularly tours both Australia and Ireland.

Worth a listen
Solid Rock (1982)
Razor's Edge (1983)
That Day is Comin' Sooner (1983)
Let the Franklin Flow (1983)
Common Ground (1984) Sorry (1998)

Jet Harris (1939 – 2011)

2011-03-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

Terrence Harris was born in 1939, in Kingsbury, North London. A child he was a fast runner and got called “Jet” by his school friends and the name stuck. From an early age he had an ear for music and enjoyed the bass sound on Winifred Atwell's "Left Hand Boogie" (1952). He started playing in a school group when he was fourteen. He left school at fifteen and became an apprentice welder making milk churns. He had learned to play the clarinet but eventually settled on the double bass. Jet started gigging in jazz clubs and his first professional engagement was with Terry Dene. In 1957, he worked in the 2 Is Club, Soho selling coffees and cokes whilst playing bass in bands, including Tony Crombie's Rockets. Post War austerity meant electric guitars were a rarity in UK but because Crombie wanted his band to be modern he got Jet a Framus electric bass guitar from the US. Later when it was damaged he imported a Fender Precision Bass, for Jet to play. This made Harris one of the first professional British musicians to play electric bass. As a sideman he toured with Wee Willie Harris, and then briefly joined the skiffle band The Vipers with Wally Whyton. There he occasionally jammed and recorded with fellow musicians, Hank Marvin (aka Brian Rankin) and Tony Meehan. In 1958 he went on tour with The Most Brothers (Mickie Most) and sometimes sat in with Cliff Richard and The Drifters. Ian "Sammy" Samwell (wrote Move it, High Class Baby, and Dynamite) decided to leave the group and Jet became the resident Drifters, bass player. The new line-up was Hank Marvin (lead), Bruce Welch (rhythm), Jet Harris (bass) and Tony Meehan (drums). Jet played bass on "High Class Baby" and "Livin' Lovin' Doll." The latter was a massive hit in 1958 but later in the same year The Drifters first single, Feelin' Fine/Don't Be A Fool (With Love), failed to chart. The group then recorded the instrumental “Chinchilla” for the soundtrack of "Serious Charge" starring Cliff Richard which pricked up a few ears. At first Atlantic Records objected to the name, Drifters and issued an injunction to prevent the use of the name. At the suggestion of Jet, Cliff’s backing group was renamed The Shadows but chart success continued to be elusive in the early years. Cliff and The Shadows toured the US in 1960 but returned to the UK after making little impression. When the group met singer/songwriter Jerry Lordan, they recorded his composition called Apache . Cliff played bongos. The instrumental was a major UK hit and the first of many with Jet on electric guitar. After Tony Meehan left the group and by 1962 artistic differences between Jet and Bruce Welch came to a head and the bass player walked out to pursue a solo career. Jet was initially replaced by Brian "Liquorice" Lockin (Krew Kats). Jet’s first solo recording was a six-string Fender Bass VI guitar version of "Besame Mucho" produced by Jack Good and sold over 50,000 copies. Tony Meehan played the drums. The follow up was called "Main Title Theme" and was taken from "The Man With The Golden Arm". It broke into the Top Twenty and spent 11 weeks in the charts. In 1963, now credited as Jet Harris and Tony Meehan, Diamonds (written by Jerry Lordan) got to the Number One position in the UK Charts (ironically replacing Dance On by the Shadows). The follow-ups "Scarlett O'Hara" and "Applejack" also charted in the same year. As the duo were courting success an almost fatal car accident left Jet with serious head injuries. Sadly the artist never quite recovered despite several attempts to recapture his pop career. Throughout the 70s and 80s, Jet continued to play and record, working with many artists and enjoying some success on the retro circuit. He rerecorded many of his earlier hits and guested with several bands including The Local Hero's in the 90s. All his adult life he battled alcoholism and despite attempts to stop his health began to deteriorate. Jet Harris died on 18 March 2011, two years after being diagnosed with throat cancer. Jet Harris' singles were relatively unusual in that they made prominent use of the bass as a lead instrument. Big Jim Sullivan was the famous session man who first made use of the technique and Paul McCartney would later take this as his own with Wings.

Worth a listen
The Drifters
Feelin’ Fine (1959)

The Shadows
Apache (1960)
Man Of Mystery (1960)
F.B.I. (1961)
Frightened City (1961)
Kon-Tiki (1961)
The Savage (1961)
Wonderful Land (1962)

Jet Harris
Besame Mucho (1966)
Main Title Theme (from "The Man With The Golden Arm) (1962)

Jet Harris and Tony Meehan
Diamonds (1963)
Scarlett O’Hara (1963)
Applejack (1963)

Guns of Navarone - The Skatalites

2011-03-18T02:42:00.000-07:00

Red Hot Chilli Pipers Smoke On The Water and Thunderstruck

2011-03-16T05:41:00.000-07:00

Q5 Piano Tune by Spike Milligan

2011-03-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

Jesse Fuller _ Leavin Memphis, Frisco Bound

2011-03-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

The Proclaimers-Sunshine On Leith

2011-03-05T02:36:00.000-08:00

Dave Stewart & Candy Dulfer - Lily Was Here

2011-02-28T03:56:00.000-08:00

Joe Brown - See you in my dreams

2011-02-28T03:41:00.000-08:00

Five Finger Boogie by Winifred Atwell

2011-02-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

Hard Hearted Hannah -Temperance 7.

2011-02-24T01:37:00.000-08:00

Otis Redding - Try A Little Tenderness

2011-02-23T03:12:00.000-08:00

Jose Feliciano - light my fire

2011-02-21T02:02:00.000-08:00

The "F" word in pop songs (1966 -1978)

2011-02-17T02:35:00.000-08:00

Theatre and film critic Kenneth Tynan was a well respected if not rather cynical reviewer who was invited to partake in a debate in the BBC's late-night satirical show BBC-3 on 13 November 1965. The panel were asked whether he would allow a play to be staged in which sexual intercourse was represented on the stage. Tynan replied , “Well, I think so, certainly. I doubt if there are any rational people to whom the word 'fuck' would be particularly diabolical, revolting or totally forbidden. I think that anything which can be printed or said can also be seen." This was the first time the word "fuck" had been spoken on British television and for a time it made him the most notorious man in the country.

Billy Connolly later commemorate this event in his song "A Four-Letter Word".

Tynan campaigned tirelessly to break down linguistic inhibitions on the stage and in print. He had previously managed to get ‘fuck’ into an Observer article about the Lady Chatterley Trial in 1960. A decade after the "angry young men" of British literature, the critic’s utterance had Parliamentarians and censorship advocates up in arms. Later Tynan wrote an erotic revue called Oh! Calcutta! which debuted in 1969 and became one of the most successful theatre hits of all time.

Until this time the “F” word had not featured in recordings and certainly not pop songs. But this was the 60s and soon all that changed. During the recording session which produced the The Troggs hit ‘With a girl like you’ in 1966. Unbeknown to the band an unknown sound engineer caught an in-studio argument between the Troggs which later appeared as a bootleg known as "The Troggs Tapes." Many believe the dialogue was the inspiration for the movie This Is Spinal Tap. The band members' vocabulary barely extends beyond repeated usages of "fuck," and the behind the scenes attempt at actual music is hilarious in its demonstration of just how musically incompetent the Troggs actually were.

In 1967, Country Joe and the Fish, released an album called I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die. It was the group’s second album. The title track remains one of the most popular Vietnam protest songs from the 1960s. The group used “The F-i-s-h Cheer” at concerts but when they appeared at Woodstock, Country Joe had the crowd yell F-U-C-K instead of F-I-S-H.

Ray Davies wrote Apeman as a protest song against polution and the modern world. The Kinks caused some controversy in 1970 because in the line "...the air pollution is a-foggin' up my eyes...", the word "a-foggin'" sounds too much like "a-fuckin'", they had to re-record it prior to its single release. The original lyric remains intact on the album.

In the same year John Lennon released Working Class Hero on his first post-Beatles solo album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band. Working class hero is as also a protest song decrying the class system and how working class individuals are being processed into the middle classes. John plays acoustic guitar with basic progression of chords as his backing. The lyrics include "But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see." The song was banned from many radio stations and in Australia, the album was released with the expletive removed from the song and the lyrics censored on the inner sleeve.

In 1977 Ian Dury and the Blockheads released the New Boots and Panties album in the UK. The album did not enter the top of the British charts but it did go platinum. The album includes "Plaistow Patricia," with the wonderful introduction “Arse holes, bastards, fuck’en cunts and pricks.”

The Who were never far from controversy and in 1978 recorded “Who are you,”
Which included the line, "Who the f**k are you?" Who Are You was the eighth studio album and peaked at number 2 on the U.S. charts and number 6 on the U.K. charts. It is The Who's last album with Keith Moon as the drummer.

Working Class Hero-John Lennon

2011-02-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

Country Joe McDonald - "Feel Like I'm Fixing To Die"

2011-02-16T02:47:00.000-08:00

Manfred Mann with Paul Jones

2011-02-12T00:18:00.000-08:00

Jim Diamond (Ph.D.)

2011-02-10T00:39:00.000-08:00

Jim Diamond was born in Glasgow in 1953. His father was a fireman and he attended St Mongo Academy. He joined his first band was called The Method when he was 15 and later played with Jade, a Glasgow band who moved to London. In the line was Chris Glen (bass and "The Sensational Alex Harvey Band" and Jim Lacey (lead guitar) who later joined The Alan Bown. Diamond left Jade to join Gully Foyle and toured Europe until he was discovered by Alexis Korner. For the next two years Jim Diamond was a member of the Alexis Korner Band. He left in 1976 to form Bandit with Cliff Williams (ACDC) and signed for Arista Records. Their debut album failed to chart and Diamond left to join the Japanese band BACCO as their lead singer in 1979. Later he went to LA and formed Slick Diamond with Earl Slick to tour and perform. Back in the UK Jim linked with Tony Hymas (drums and former Jeff Beck Group) and Simon Phillips (piano/keyboard), to form PhD . The name came from the first initial from each of their surnames. The band signed to WEA Records and their debut album in 1981 contained the single "I Won't Let You Down." It peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart in early 1982. The follow up single "I Didn't Know," failed to chart in the UK but sold well in Europe. The group disbanded and Jim pursued a solo charting with I Should Have Known Better in 1984. In 1986 he released his last top five hit, “Hi Ho Silver” (Theme tune from TV series Boon). Jim Diamond continued to work and often featured as a guest vocalist on other artist’s songs.
Worth a listen

I Should Have Known Better (1984)

Hi Ho Silver (1986)

Ph. D.

I Won't Let You Down (1982)

Gary Moore one of greatest rock guitarists

2011-02-09T02:56:00.000-08:00

Gladys Catherine Horton (Lead singer) died recently

2011-02-09T01:36:00.000-08:00

The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (The Swampers)

2011-02-08T03:41:00.000-08:00

"Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers;

And they've been known to pick a song or two.

Lord they get me off so much.

They pick me up when I'm feeling blue

Now how about you?"

"Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd

The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section was the resident band at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, Alabama. Like the Wrecking Crew in Los Angeles, and the Funk Brother at Motown, they were the backing band on dozens of gold and platinum hits. The four founding members were Barry Beckett (keyboards), Roger G Hawkins (drums), David Hood (bass and trombone), and Jimmy Johnson (guitar) . Originally they had worked at Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Florence, AL., then in 1969, left to start the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. At Fame, the rhythm section had gained a reputation working with Arthur Alexander’s 1961 hit "You Better Move On; " Wilson Pickets’s "Land of 1000 Dances (1966) and Mustang Sally (1966 ); "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge (1966); and Aretha Franklin’s "I Never Loved a Man" (1967). According to Hood, the name, Muscle Shoals Sound was intended as a joke. The group felt Detroit had its sound (Motown); Nashville and Memphis had theirs, so Muscle Shoals would have its own too. The Muscle Shoals Sound Rhythm Section, was the first rhythm section to own its own studio and, eventually, its own publishing and production companies. During the late 60s and throughout the 70s the cream of rock, pop and soul found their way to 3614 Jackson Highway in Sheffield, AL. Other session musicians joined Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. Their sound was unique and singer/songwriter Leon Russell dubbed them "The Swampers" and the name stuck. The Swampers included Pete Carr (lead guitar, sound engineer and producer). He played on almost all the sessions throughout the 70s, and can be heard on Bob Seger’s "Main Street," and Rod Stewart’s "Tonight's The Night," and "Sailing" ; Clayton Ivey (keyboards), Randy McCormick (piano). Randy penned several hits including: Eddy Rabbitt’s "Suspicions" (1979 ); Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ "Real Love" (1985); Kim Carnes’ "Crazy In Love"(1988 ). Will McFarlane (guitar) joined the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section in 1980 after playing with Bonny Raitt and Dewey Lyndon "Spooner" Oldham (piano) came from FAME. “Spooner “ was an accomplished songwriter and together with Dan Penn wrote The Box Tops’ ‘Cry Like a Baby’(1968), "I'm Your Puppet" (James and Bobby Purify) (1966), and "It Tears Me Up" (Percy Sledge) (1966). Muscle Shoals Sound was a unique blend of country, gospel and R & B. Jerry Wexler (Atlantic Records) liked the sound from the Alabama studios and brought artists like Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin to record with the Swampers. The initial successes led to the arrival of more mainstream rock and pop performers among them The Rolling Stones, Traffic, Boz Scaggs, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Dr. Hook, Elkie Brooks, and Millie Jackson to work at the studios. The Staple Singers (from Stax Records) enjoyed their greatest crossover successes with "Respect Yourself" (1971) and "I'll Take You There" (1972) and which were recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. In 1973 Paul Simon's collaborated with Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section to produce the hits "Kodachrome" and "Loves Me Like a Rock." The Sound studio also produced hits for Mary MacGregor ("Torn Between Two Lovers" 1976) and the brilliant "Smoke from a Distant Fire" by Sanford-Townsend Band in the same year. The studios were not set in the most salubrious area and more often than not artists were put up in mobile homes at the local trailer park. In 1978, the facility moved to another building in Sheffield but by the early 80s the Swampers had broken up. They had from time to time gone on tour but gradually solo projects overtook their interest. The Rhythm Section partners sold the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in 1985 but as new technology took over and the studio finally closed.

Worth a listen

Wilson Pickett

Hey Jude (1969)

R.B. Greaves

Take a Letter, Maria (1969)

(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me (1970)

Boz Scaggs

Loan Me A Dime (1969)

Aretha Franklin

This Girl's in Love with You (1970)

Call Me (1970)

Lulu

Oh Me, Oh My (1970)

The Rolling Stones

Brown Sugar (1971)

Wild Horses (1971)

The Staple Singer

Respect Yourself (1971)

Paul Simon

Kodachrome (1973)

Love me like a rock (1973)

Bob Seger

Katmandu (1975)

Dr Hook

Pain and Pleasure (1978)

Buddy Holly - Not Fade Away

2011-02-08T02:17:00.000-08:00

GEORGE THOROGOOD "Bad To The Bone"

2011-02-05T01:29:00.000-08:00

John Barry (1933 -2011)

2011-01-31T01:31:00.000-08:00

Scottish Australian Rockers

2011-01-30T02:13:00.000-08:00

The Young Brothers
Alexander Young was born in Cranhill, in the east end of Glasgow, in 1938. His parents William and Margaret had eight children and four boys became musicians Alexander (Grapefruit), and younger brothers George (Easybeats), Malcolm and Angus (ACDC). The family immigrated to Australia in 1963 and settled in Sydney but Alexander (aka George Alexander) stayed in the UK and continue his career as a professional musician. He played with The Bobby Patrick Six before forming (The) Grapefruit with three former members of Tony Rivers and the Castaways, (John Perry, Geoff Swettenham, and Pete Swettenham). He had been signed as songwriter with Apple Music Publishing Ltd and Grapefruit became a pet project of the Beatles after Lennon named the band. They released two albums and several singles on the Apple label. Despite Beatle patronage the band had little commercial success and split in 1969. George Alexander continued to work as a session musician and later collaborated with brother George Young and Harry Vanda (The Easybeats) as Paintbox and Tramp.

George Redburn Young was born in 1946 when the family moved to Australia they stayed in Villawood Migrant Hostel, Sydney. There he made friends with Johannes Hendricus Jacob van den Berg (aka Harry Vanda) a fellow immigrant (from the Netherlands). Inspired by the "British Invasion" George and Harry formed the Easybeats in 1964. The line-up was Stevie Wright (lead singer); Gordon Henry "Snowy" Fleet (drummer) and Dick Diamonde Bass) with George (rhythm guitar) and Harry (lead guitar). They soon became a popular Sydney group and were signed to Albert Productions. By the end of 1965 the Easybeats were the most popular pop band in Australia with a string of hit singles co-written by Young and Wright. In 1966 the group signed to United Artists Records and relocated to London. The Easybeats released "Friday on My Mind" which rocketed up the charts in the UK and US. Due to a combination of factors the Easybeats failed to make much headway after their initial success and returned to Australia. The band began to drift apart and by1970 the Easybeats were no more. To pay off debts Vanda & Young stayed in London and concentrated on writing and producing pop and rock songs for other recording artists. One of the bands was 'Marcus Hook Roll Band', which was made up of Malcolm and Angus Young and Harry Vanda. In 1973 they returned to Australia and with Ted Albert became the house producers for Albert Productions. They wrote and produced several major hits for John Paul Young including "Love Is in the Air" and "Yesterday's Hero." As Flash and the Pan, they had Australian hits with "Hey St. Peter" and "Down Among the Dead Men". In the70s "Waiting for a Train", "Midnight Man", "Early Morning Wake Up Call", and "Ayla", all sold well and charted in Europe. Meantime when Angus and Malcolm Young formed AC/DC in 1973 Vanda and Young recognized AC/DC had potential and co-produced their early successful albums.

Malcolm Mitchell Young was born in 1953 and is younger sibling, Angus McKinnon Young two years later. Growing up the Young brothers were all influenced by 50s rock and roll, and blues-based rock guitarists of the 1960s. Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Freddie King, loomed large with John Lee Hooker, Jimi Hendrix, and Keith Richards all seminal to their playing style. Encouraged by Alexander and George, Malcolm learned to play rhythm guitar Angus first played banjo but re-strung them with six strings. The teenage brothers were soon playing with local bands and in 1973 when Malcolm founded AC/DC he invited Angus to join the line-up. The original group was Angus on lead guitar, Malcolm on rhythm guitar, Colin Burgess on drums, Larry Van Kriedt on bass guitar and Dave Evans on vocals. After building a loyal following in Sydney as a glam band they started touring Australia in 1974. Keen to stamp originality on their live performances Angus dressed as a schoolboy on stage wearing an Ashfield Boys High School (Sydney) cap and uniform. His guitar antics on stage became a focal point for the band. Later in the same year Bon Scott replaced Dave Evans as lead singer. The band had several successful albums before relocating to the UK and embarking on a European tour in 1976. The bands popularity grew internationally and their 1979 album Highway to Hell reached the top twenty in the United States. In February 1980 Bon Scott suddenly died and AC/DC briefly considered disbanding. However they recruited Brian Johnson (Geordie) and completed the album Back in Black, as a tribute to Bon Scott. It went on to become the second best-selling album in history. The band continues to record and perform.

Bon Scott (1946 – 1980)

Ronald Belford Scott was born in Forfar, Scotland. His family immigrated from Kirriemuir to Melbourne in 1952. Ronald attended the Sunshine Primary School and the kids called him Bon because he had recently arrived from ‘Bonnie’ Scotland.’ The name stuck. In 1956, the family relocated to Fremantle, Western Australia and Bon joined the associated Fremantle Scots Pipe Band where he learned to play the drums. Bon was a rebel and dropped out of school and soon got into trouble with the police. In 1964 he formed his first band The Spektors who eventually became The Winstons. Bon shared the lead vocals with Vince Lovegrove when he joined The Valentines. Before disbanding the band had a couple of hits with "Every Day I Have to Cry" and "Juliette." In 1970 Scott moved to Adelaide to become the singer with Fraternity and soon after the group changed their name to "Fang". The band continued to work in Australia and had a UK tour but when they returned in 1973 Scott began singing with the Mount Lofty Rangers. Scott liked to drink and after a boozy session at the Old Lion Hotel in North Adelaide, in 1974 had a motorcycle accident and suffered head injuries. Whilst recovering he was introduced to ACDC and joined the band replacing Dave Evans as the lead singer of AC/DC. In 1980 he passed out after a night of heavy drinking in a London club. Left to sleep it off in a friend’s car Bon Scott died from inhaling his own vomit. Five months after Scott's death, AC/DC finished the work they began with Scott and released Back in Black as a tribute to him with two tracks from the album, "Hells Bells" and "Back in Black", dedicated to his memory.

John Paul Young

John Paul Young was in Bridgeton, Glasgow, in 1950. His family immigrated to Australia in 1962 and settled in Sydney. He left school when he was 15 to work as an apprentice sheet metal worker. He and some school mates formed a band called Elm Tree in 1967. The group consisted of Robert (Slim) Barnett (bass), Ollie Chojnacki (guitar), Phillip Edwards and Andy Imlah (co-lead vocals), Dave Kaentek, Ron Mazurkiewicz (keyboards) and Geoff Watts (drums). The made one record, a cover version of “Rainbow” (Marmalade) in 1970 but it failed to make an impact. Simon Napier-Bell, heard them in a pub in Newcastle and persuaded John Paul Young to sign as a solo artist to Albert Productions. His first single "Pasadena," under the name John Young was a hit in Australia and was co-written by George Young and Harry Vanda (The Easybeats) and UK actor, David Hemmings (Blow Up). In 1972 he joined the Sydney cast of Jesus Christ Superstar and played Annas until 1974. Keen to rekindle his solo career he signed for Albert Productions and liked up again with Vanda & Young. "Yesterday's Hero" was released in 1975, and gave him another Australian single and album chart topper. The single sold strongly in the United States, and reached No. 44 in 1976. John Paul Young became a popular fixture on Countdown in Australia and regularly featured as a performer or guest. Presenter Molly Meldrum christened the singer “Squeak,” and he toured as John Paul Young and The All Stars. Other chart success came with "Love Game", "I Hate the Music", "I Wanna Do It with You," and "Standing in the Rain". John Paul Young had already proven himself to be popular outside Australia with several European and South African hits. Standing in the rain was a disco hit which led the way for his biggest international success, “Love is in the Air." By 1989 JPY had stopped recording to concentrate on a career as a DJ with New Fm (Newcastle) but when the film Strictly Ballroom was released in 1992 with a new version of “Love is in the air” it catapulted the singer back into recording and performing. He was a featured performer at the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He continues to perform and remains active participant in children’s charities

John and Jimmy Swann (Barnes)

John Archibold Dixon Swan was born in 1952 and his younger sibling James Dixon Swan four years later, both in Glasgow. The family immigrated to Australia in 1961and settled in Elizabeth, Adelaide. Jim and Dorothy Swan divorced soon after and their mother remarried to Reg Barnes. Dorothy encouraged her children to change their surname to Barnes. All of them did except for John who kept his natural father’s name, Swan. He became know as ‘Swanee.’ Initially Jim (Barnes) had little interest in music but John learned to play drums and joined his first band, Happiness when he was 14. After serving time in the army he took up his musical career by playing in a few bands until he joined Fraternity and for a short while Jim sang with the group. The previous singer was Bon Scott (ACDC), but . Jim left to front Cold Chisel and Swanee took over as lead vocalist. He later left to sing with Feather in 1977 and recorded one single, "Girl Trouble." A year later Swanee decided to break with the band and go solo. He had a minor Australian hit with his version of "If I Were a Carpenter." Then in 1982 he released the album This Time is Different which gave him two hit singles, "Temporary Heartache" and "Lady What's Your Name." Whilst John did not achieve the same success as brother he did earn the respect of the Australian rock music industry. Swan continues to perform.

Jim Barnes left Fraternity to front Orange, The group consisted of organist and songwriter Don Walker, guitarist Ian Moss, drummer Steve Prestwich and bass player Les Kaczmarek. The group quickly changed name to Cold Chisel and build up a loyal fan base before moving to Melbourne in 1976 and then three months later shifted base to Sydney. The group had an on- off attitude but eventually live performances convinced them to stay together. Cold Chisel signed to WEA and by 1980 became the biggest band in Australia. They were the perfect pub rock outfit but try as they might to crack the US market they failed to make an impact. After a disastrous tour in 1981 Cold Chisel returned to Australia ready to break up. A second chart topping Australian album followed and by the next year the band were touring Germany. Constant touring caused many arguments and Jim was drinking heavily. They decided to call it a day on return to Australia and The Last Stand farewell tour became the highest-grossing concert series by an Australian band. The group's final performance was in Sydney in December 1983. Jimmy Barnes launched his solo career and signed to Mushroom Records. Each of his first six solo albums debuted in the Number One position in Australia, a record unsurpassed by any other act. Determined to break into the US market he signed to Geffen Records and his second album, "Working Class Man," sold well. The song featured in Ron Howard’s film Gung Ho. Jimmy toured Canada and US with ZZ Top. More and more he worked with US artists producing highly commercial rock albums. Depite his successes he continued to battle drug and alcohol addiction which led to artistic differences causing him to switch labels. In 1990 he was signed to Atlantic for worldwide release. Jimmy’s love for soul music saw him release Soul Deep, an album of soul covers which became his most successful album. He returned to his hard rock roots with subsequent albums and continued to sell well in Australia and New Zealand. In 1993, Jimmy Barnes did a duet version of (Simply) The Best with Tina Turner. By the mid 90s Jimmy faced financial ruin in Australia and relocated to Europe. He toured with the Rolling Stones and continued to record. His albums sold well in Australia and eventually Jimmy Barnes returned to the country to pursue his career. He underwent heart surgery in 2007, made a full recovery and continues to work and record both as a solo artist as well as with a reformed Cold Chisel. Jimmy Barnes remains the most popular and best-selling Australian music artists of all time.

Colin Hay

Colin James Hay was born in 1953 in Kilwinning, Scotland. The family moved to Australia when Colin was 14. He met Ron Strykert and formed a duo in 1978 then later they expanded to become Men at Work. The group line up was complete with Jerry Speiser (drums), Greg Sneddon (keyboards) who was quickly replaced by and Greg Ham (flautist/saxophonist), and John Rees (bassist). The group released their debut album Business as Usual in 1981 on the Columbian Records. It topped the Australian and New Zealand charts. The album was eventually released in the USA and the UK. Men at Work toured the USA to promote the album, supporting Fleetwood Mac."Who Can It Be Now?"and “Downunder” topped the American charts in 1982. Their second album “Cargo” produced three chart singles in the USA: "Overkill“, "It's a Mistake", and "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive". In 1983 the band toured the world extensively. By 1984 Jerry Speiser and John Rees left the band and Hay, Ham and Strykert) recorded a third album “Two Hearts.” The single from the album "Everything I Need", was a minor hit in the US. Line-up changes followed with Hay and Ham to only remaining original members. Eventually Ham left the group and Men at Work folded in 1986. Following the breakup Hay followed a solo career as singer and actor. In 2002 Hay appeared as the Troubadour in the Scrubs episode, "My Overkill," and made a cameo in the season 8 finale of Scrubs, "My Finale. . His music is a feature of the series. Back in Australia Hay established his own record label, Lazy Eye Records, inspired from his own strabismus (lazy eye) condition. Men at work did reform briefly in 1996 to tour South America, and they continued to play until 2000. Men at Work performed "Down Under" at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Colin Hay continues to perform and record as a solo artist and has played with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band.

Worth a listen

AC/DC

High Voltage (1974)

TNT (1975)

It’s a long way to the top (If you want to rock and roll) (1975)

Dirty Deeds (1975)

Jailbreak (1975)

The Jack (1975)

Let there be rock (1977)

Highway to Hell (1979)

Jimmy Barnes

No second prize (1984)

Working class man (1985)

Many rivers to cross (1991)

Simply the best (1992) with Tina Turner

Cold Chisel

Khe Sanh (1978)

My Baby ( 1980)

You Got Nothing I Want (1981)

Flame Trees (1984)

Easybeats

She's So Fine (1965)

Friday on My Mind (1966)

Colin Hay

Waiting for my life to begin (1994)

Are you lookin’ at me (2007)

Men at Work

Who can it be now (1981)

Downunder (1981)

Be Good Johnnie (1982)

Overkill (1983)

John ‘Swannee’ Swan

Temporary Heartache (1982)

Lady What's Your Name (1982)

John Paul Young

Pasadena (1972)

Yesterday’s Hero (1975)

I hate the music (1976)

Where the action is (1977)

Love is in the air (1978)

The Beatles - This Boy

2011-01-28T14:50:00.000-08:00

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - Walk on

2011-01-28T02:45:00.000-08:00

Colin Hay "Are You Lookin' at Me?" Video

2011-01-26T03:34:00.000-08:00

Well it is Australia Day AC/DC - Thunderstruck

2011-01-26T03:08:00.000-08:00

A brief history of pop music and movies (1950-1959)

2011-01-22T22:12:00.001-08:00

By the end of the Second World War popular culture changed forever with a broader availability of records and turntables, and a proliferation of dance halls. Singers, not the bandleaders, became the focus of attention. By the early 50s records out sold sheet music as the new golden era of pop took over. Published leagues of best selling recorded music dominated the popular music press and whoever held the number one position became pop aristocracy. Keen to be part of this new economy and developing culture, the movie industry in the US and UK continued to play up the musical elements (the scores) of their film in the hope the public would see the movie and buy the record. A significant number of the 50s Top Ten singles in the US and UK came from movie scores. Covers also charted and sometimes displaced the originals in sales. In 1950, the first chart topper from a movie was ‘There’s no tomorrow’ from ‘Two tickets to Broadway’. It was recorded by Tony Martin and written by Al Hoffman, Leo Corday, and Leon Carr. The song was based on the Italian song "O Sole Mio" (music by Eduardo di Capua). A second, more popular interpretation came in 1960 with "It's Now or Never", sung by Elvis Presley. Possibly the most reluctant film score chart topper was Anton Kara with the ‘Third Man’ Theme. Carol Reed (director) happened to see Kara play zither in a night club. Reed convinced Kara to return to England and record the score for his 1950 film, ‘The Third Man’. Both movie and the score became a gigantic success. Film genre which dealt with Post war Europe was especially popular and many writers were fascinated with the aftermath of war. Captain Carey, U.S.A. (After Midnight) was a box office success and starred Alan Ladd, Wanda Hendrix, and Francis Lederer. Based on the novel No Surrender by Martha Albrand, it told the story of an American returning to post-World War II Italy to bring a traitor to justice. The theme song ‘Mona Lisa’ became a major hit for Nat King Cole. A couple of years later, Nat King Cole would have another hit with Blue Gardenias (1953). ‘Three Little Words’ was a musical film biography of the Tin Pan Alley songwriting partnership of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. The film starred Fred Astair and Red Skelton. The movie was incredibly popular and spawned two major chart successes ‘Thinking of You’ and ‘Nevertheless’. The songs were recorded by several artists with chart success and on release of the movie both songs reached first and second place respectively, in the U.S. charts. The last movie inspired top ten of 1950 was a double A side, ‘Blind Date’/’Home Cookin’. Performed by Margaret Whiting and Bob Hope, the song came from the film score from ‘Fancy Pants’.

In 1951 the romantic musical comedy ‘Two Weeks with Love,’starring Jane Powell, and Debbie Reynolds was a box office success. ‘Aba Daba Honeymoon’ was originally written by Arthur Fields and Walter Donovan in 1914, but when it appeared in the movie it became an instant favorite. Recorded by Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter the song reached #3 in the US. In the same year, Jane Powell had a hit single with Fred Astaire with possibly the longest title of hit single ever. How could you believe me when I said I love you when you know I’ve been a liar all my life. The song came from the highly successful musical comedy ‘Royal Wedding’ (Wedding Bells). The fabulous tenor, Mario Lanza sang ‘The loveliest night of the year’, in the film, ‘The Great Caruso’. The tune was originally a waltz called "Sobre las olas" ("Over the Waves") and written in 1888 by Juventino P. Rosas. Irving Aaronson adopted it and Paul Francis Webster added the lyrics. ‘The loveliest night of the year’ became one of the most popular songs of 1951. ‘Come on-a My House’ was a major hit for Rosemary Clooney. The melody was based on an Armenian folk song and written in 1939 by Ross Bagdasarian and William Saroyan. The singer despised the song and almost refused to record it. It appeared in the movie ‘The stars are singing.’ Tony Bennett had a number one hit (his first) with ‘Because of you,’ from the film, ‘I was an American Spy’. The last movie hit for 1951 was the classic ‘My resistance is low,’ sung by Hoagy Carmichael. It came from ‘The Vegas Story’ in which Hoagy Carmichael played Happy, the eccentric pianist at the bar, where the singer used to work.

1952 was low year for movie inspired hit records and the only one to break through to the charts was ‘Zing a little zong,’ from the movie ‘Just for You’, sang by Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. The following year saw a return starting with the successful movie ‘Moulin Rouge’ which met with great critical success in 1953. ‘Where Is Your Heart’ came from the movie and was recorded by several artists. The best selling version was by Percy Faith and his Orchestra with vocals by Felicia Sanders. The music was written by Georges Auric and the original French lyrics were by Jacques Larue, the English words by William Engvick. In the movie the song is called ‘It's April Again’ and the theme song was sung by Muriel Smith, dubbing for Zsa Zsa Gabor. The Percy Faith version remained in the US chart for 24 weeks and reached Number #1. In the UK a version by Mantovani topped the UK Singles Chart. King Vidor’s ‘Ruby Gentry’ starred Jennifer Jones, Charlton Heston and Karl Malden and the theme song "Ruby," was composed by Heinz Eric Roemheld. The pop standard was covered many times but the biggest commercial success came from Lex Baxter and his Orchestra. Dean Martin established himself as the 50s coolest pop singer, with ‘That’s Amore’ from the Lewis Martin movie ‘The Caddy’. On screen, the song is performed mainly by Dean Martin, with Jerry Lewis joining in, followed by the other characters. The hit version was rerecorded and peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts. The song remains closely identified with Dean Martin. Guy Mitchell had a hit with ‘Chicka Boom ‘from the movie, ‘Those redheads from Seattle’. The big screen success of the year was ‘Calamity Jane’ starring Doris Day. The singer enjoyed a number one hit with "Secret Love," then a year later a second chart topper with The Black Hills of Dakota .

In 1954 Guy Mitchell was once again riding high in the charts with, ‘A Dime and a dollar’ from the movie ‘Red Garters’. Billy Eckstine also had a hit with ‘No one but you’, from the movie ‘The flame and the flesh’. Eddie Fisher was no stranger to the pop charts in the 50s and enjoyed great success with ‘Count your blessings (instead of sheep),’ from the film ‘White Christmas’. The Four Aces had a hit with ‘Three Coins in the Fountain’ from the movie of the same name. The song was written by Jule Styne and lyricist Sammy Cahn and Frank Sinatra’s version topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.

In 1955 there were three recorded versions of the Ballad of Davy Crockett in the top 30. Bill Hayes' version was the most popular, and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks. ‘The Ballad of Davy Crockett’ was written by George Bruns and Thomas W. Blackburn. Fess Parker, brought out the first recording which was quickly followed by versions by Bill Hayes and Tennessee Ernie Ford. ‘Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White ("Cereza rosa")’ was a number one instrumental hit for Percy Prado his Orchestra . Alan Dale scored a top twenty hit with a vocal version in the same year and Eddie Calvert topped the UK charts with his instrumental version. ‘Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White’ featured in the adventure film ‘Underwater!’ starring Jane Russell and Richard Egan. ‘Prize of Gold’ sung by Joan Regan was used in main credits of another adventure film, ‘A Prize of Gold’. It became a hit. ‘Ready willing and able’ was another hit for Doris Day and was taken from the film score from ‘Young at heart’. Frank Sinatra had previously had a hit with,’Young at Heart’. ‘Battle Cry’ starring Van Heflin and Aldo Ray featured ‘Honey Babe’ by Art Mooney and His Orchestra which became a Top 5 hit in the United States. ‘There's No Business Like Show Business’ was featured in the movie of the same name and sung by Ethel Merman as the main musical number. The popular hit from the film was ‘If you believe’, and sung by Johnnie Ray. In the same year the McGuire Sisters had a top five hit with their version of ‘Something gotta give’, from the movie of ‘Daddy Longlegs’. Fred Astaire sang the original on the film score but Sammy Davis Jnr also had a hit with the same song in 1955. Morris Stoloff and his Orchestra played ‘Moonglow’, the theme from ‘Picnic’. The movie was a huge success when it was released in 1955 and launched the career of Kim Novak.

In 1956, Bill Haley and His Comets had a hit with ‘See You Later Alligator,’ it was originally entitled ‘Later Alligator.’ The song was featured in ‘Rock Around the Clock’. Another hit for Bill Haley was ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’ which came from the same film. The title song ‘Rock Around the Clock’ had previously been used in the soundtrack of the film ‘Blackboard Jungle’, (1955) but when it was featured over the film's opening credits, and at the close of the movie, it became an instant classic and topped the singles charts. In the UK another song to catch popular attention from Rock aound the clock in the UK was Giddy up a ding dong by Freddie Bell and the Bell Boys (UK) it topped the charts in the UK and many other countries but was not a hit in the United States. Doris Day was back in the singles charts again with ‘Que sera sera (Whatever will be will be)’ which appeared in the film score of Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The man who knew too much’. Doris Day reached number two on the U.S. pop charts and number one in the UK\. ‘A Woman in Love’ was written by Frank Loesser and appeared in ‘Guys and Dolls’. The biggest hit version of the song was recorded by The Four Aces, but Frankie Laine also recording a version that scored a big success in the United Kingdom, reaching #1 on the UK Singles Chart in the UK. Elvis Presley’s screen debut was in the drama ‘Love Me Tender’ in 1956. The title song was a hit. Another civil war drama was ‘Friendly Persuasion’ and starred Gary Cooper and Dorothy McGuire. The movie featured a song with music by Dimitri Tiomkin and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster. The best-known version of the song was recorded by Pat Boone. True love was a massive success for Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, written by Cole Porter the song appeared in the musical film ‘High Society’. ‘The Girl Can't Help It’ was a comedy musical film, shot in Technicolor and starring Jayne Mansfield and Edmond O'Brien. It was intended as a satire of teenagers and rock ‘n’ roll music but unintentionally featured the “most potent” celebration of rock music ever captured on film. Little Richard sang the title song but it was Fats Domino who rode high in the pop charts with ‘Blue Monday’ which featured on the musical score. It became one of the earliest rhythm and blues songs to make the Billboard magazine pop music charts, peaking at number five and reaching the number one spot on the R&B Best Sellers chart. Bill Halley and his Comets were back in the top ten with ‘Don’t Knock the rock’, taken from another teen movie by the same name. The film was an immediate follow-up to ‘Rock Around the Clock’ and although the Haley recording was played over the opening credits, it is Alan Dale who actually performs the number on screen.

By 1957 the rock’n roll musical had become well established Elvis Presley was certainly box office and made two movies in that year. ‘Loving you’ and ‘Jailhouse Rock.’ The title song from the former appeared on the B side of ‘Let me be your teddy bear,’ and became a number one hit in the US. This was quickly followed by ‘Jailhouse Rock,’ from the movie of the same name. The song ‘Jailhouse Rock’ was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and released as a 45rpm single to coincide with the motion picture, Jailhouse Rock. The song became a US #1 hit for 7 weeks in the autumn of 1957, and a UK #1 hit for three weeks early in 1958. In the UK, Skiffle a type of jug music had taken hold and the Chas McDermott Skiffle Group scored a top 5 hit with ‘Freight Train.’ The song appeared on the soundtrack for ‘The Tommy Steele Story.’ Tommy Steele also had a trio of top ten hits which appeared on the same soundtrack i.e. ‘Singing the blues’, ‘Butterfingers’, and ‘Water/Water/Handful of Songs.’ Only ‘Singling the blues’ held the number one position. Debbie Reynolds had a massive international success with the Tammy films i.e. a series of four light-hearted American films about a naive 18-year-old girl from Mississippi. Needless to say ‘Tammy’ sung by Reynolds was a top ten single in 1957. ‘All the Way’ was written by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. It appeared in film ‘The Joker Is Wild’ and Frank Sinatra had the best-selling recorded version of the song. He also sang "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)" for the movie and it was on the flipside.

Elvis Presley was back in the singles charts with ‘Hard Headed Woman’ and ‘King Creole’ in 1958. Both songs featured on the sound track of King Creole. ‘Hard Headed Woman’ was written by African American songwriter Claude Demetrius. The Royal Teens had a novelty hit with ‘Short Shorts’, from the movie ‘Keep it cool.’

In the UK in 1958 Frankie Vaughan had a hit with ‘The heart of the man’ taken from the movie of the same name. The big Hollywood musical in 1958 was Gigi and despite being a much awarded movie, the music did not appear to catch the single buying public. Then in 1959 Billy Eckstine recoded ‘Gigi’ and had a UK success in the singles chart. Cliff Richard was also aspiring rocker and sang Living Doll in the film Serious Charge (1959); the song peaked at #1 on the UK singles chart for six weeks. Paul Anka had a hit in the US with Lonely boy which he wrote and sang in the film Girls Town. A second hit from the same film was, "It's Time to Cry." Anthony Newly played a pop star in the UK comedy ‘Idle on Parade’. He scored a UK top 5 hit with ‘I’ve waited so long.’ Tommy Steele was back in the charts with ‘Little White Bull’ which was taken from the UK musical comedy ‘Tommy the Toreador’ starring Tommy Steele, Janet Munro, Sid James, Bernard Cribbins, Noell Purcell and Kenneth Williams.

Tubeway Army / Gary Numan - Are 'friends' electric?

2011-01-21T02:54:00.000-08:00

Beach Boys - Fun Fun Fun

2011-01-21T02:40:00.000-08:00

Jamaica Funk

2011-01-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

Cold Chisel - "When the War is Over"

2011-01-17T03:12:00.000-08:00

A Message To You Rudy

2011-01-12T04:21:00.000-08:00

John Martyn - May You Never

2011-01-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

Edgar Winter "Tobacco Road" Live at Rockpalast 2007 Part One

2011-01-07T15:44:00.000-08:00

Johnnie Winter

2011-01-07T15:37:00.001-08:00

Gerry Rafferty (1947 -2011)

2011-01-04T15:19:00.001-08:00

Benny Hill (1924 –1992)

2011-01-03T01:13:00.000-08:00

Alfred Hawthorne Hill was born in Southampton, Hampshire. During World War II, he was evacuated to various towns along the West Coast of England. When he left school he did various casual jobs including a milkman, before becoming an assistant stage manager. He worked as a comic from age 16 but always in the provinces and never London. His early comic style was based on American comedians like Danny Thomas and Danny Kaye. Alfred particular loved Jack Benny, so he took the stage name ‘Benny’ Hill. He progressed to becoming a straight man for Reg Varney, and then tried radio. Benny was never happy with live work and found TV the medium that suited him best. His first appearance was on Hi There (BBC) in 1951. On television he excelled in vaudeville styled gags with heavy slapstick, innuendo, and parody. He had a long career on television and appeared in several movies usually in short cameos: such as in Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) ; and The Italian Job (1969). Benny Hill was a modern master of double entendre. During Victorian Times because concerns were expressed at the open lewdness of public performers in music halls, censorship was introduced. In an attempt to clean up reference to bodily functions and sex were all banned but clever comedians derived double entendres (double meaning) avoided breaking the law whilst at the same time was plain to all, what was being referred to. Benny loved comic songs and parodies , and combined these with double entendres. Most of his recordings which were done in the 60s, lampooned the popular pop music of the time with several of his comic records ironically reaching the UK singles charts. ‘Gather in the Mushrooms,’ (1961) was produced by Tony Hatch and reached Number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. In the same year this was followed by ‘Pepys Diary, another song written and performed by Benny Hill. This was one if his personal favourites, and featured a restoration-style arrangement with harpsichord and woodwind. Later the same year Benny Hill recorded ‘Transistor Radio’, written by himself and produced by Mark Anthony (a pseudonym of producer Tony Hatch). The song told the story of a man whose attempts at intimacy with his girlfriend are constantly thwarted by music played from the girl's transistor radio. The song reached the UK Top-20. Another chart success came with "Harvest of Love" (1963) co-written by Benny Hill and Tony Hatch (aka M. Anthony). The backup singers were called the Kestrels (Roger Greenaway, Tony Burrows, Jeff Williams, and Roger Gullane) but instead of singing they provide a vocal back-up of farmyard impressions. The b-side was Bamba 3688 which was parody of La Bamba. Throughout the 60s Benny released a series of humorous singles most of which originally appeared on the Benny Hill television shows. By far the most successful of Benny Hill’s recording was "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)," written again by the comedian. It rose to top the Christmas charts in 1971 and remained there for four weeks. The lyrics were proportedly inspired by his early experience as a milkman and the song was composed in 1955.

Worth a listen
Gather in the Mushrooms (1961)
Pepys Diary (1961)
Transistor Radio (1961)
Harvest of Love (1963)
Bamba 3688 (1963)
Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West) (1971 )

Arthur Alexander (1940 - 1993)

2010-12-31T18:05:00.001-08:00

Arthur Alexander was born in 1940, in Florence, Alabama. He grew up in nearby Sheffield, Alabama. Arthur’ father played slide guitar in juke joints and encouraged him to take an early interest in music. He joined a local gospel group called the Heartstrings in 1953. After high school, he worked as a l bellhop and became friendly with Tom Stafford, an R&B-obsessed white kid who fancied himself a lyricist. Arthur started adding melodies to his words. Together they blended into a likeminded crowd of fledgling musicians. Arthur co-wrote "She Wanna Rock," with Henry Lee Bennett which became a hit for country singer Arnie Derksen in 1960. Alexander released his first single 'Sally Sue Brown' written and produced with Tom Stafford, under the name of June Alexander ('June' is an abbreviation for 'Junior') on the Judd Records label. Bob Dylan later covered 'Sally Sue Brown' on his 1988 LP, 'Down In The Groove'. In 1962 Arthur signed for Dot Records and released 'You Better Move On' b/w 'A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues' in Muscle Shoals (a former tobacco warehouse turned recording studio). The song became a soul/ R&B classic and was later recorded by the Rolling Stones. More hits followed with ‘Anna (Go to Him)’ (covered by the Beatles), ‘Soldier of Love, (covered by Pearl Jam), "A Shot of Rhythm and Blues", (covered by Gerry and the Pacemakers), "Where Have You Been" recorded live at the Star Club, in Hamburg, 1962, and "Set Me Free." Failure to constantly be in the Top Hundred however meant Dot terminated his contract in early 1965. Despite his songs being recorded by many others he could not find commercial success as a solo artist. He changed record labels (Sound Stage 7 1965 – 1972; Warner Brothers 1972 – 1975; Buddah Records 1975 – 1977; and the Music Mill) but to no avail. He did briefly appear in the charts with "Every Day I have to Cry" in 1975 but the follow up single "Sharing The Night Together, " was less successful than the cover version by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show in 1978. Disillusioned with the industry and incapacitate by a debilitating illness he dropped out. He moved back to Alabama, rejoined the church and started working with the young people. In 1978 he moved to Cleveland and by 1981 he became a bus driver for Cleveland’s Center for Human Services. His talents were not forgotten and after he appeared at New York’s Bottom Line in 1991, the artist agreed to go back to the recording studio. He released the album Lonely Just Like Me in 199 to great critical acclaim . Arthur signed a new recording/publishing contract and had performed with his new band, but tragically suffered a fatal heart attack and died. Without doubt he was one of the more influential Soul/R&B artists yet despite his repeated success in the chart and many of his original compositions being covered by other artists, Alexander remained underpaid for his music. Arthur Alexander combined the influences of country and soul and was an inspiration to many including, John Lennon.

Worth a listen
You Better Move On (1961)
A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues (1961)
Anna (Go to him) (1962)
Every Day I Have To Cry Some (1975)
Everybody Needs Someone To Love (1975)