Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted

     Last time many of you heard from me on this forum, we had stopped the radio show and the blog posts had slowed to a trickle. Life had changed our plans, and although we willing accepted the changes in our career plans and our move to Southern Mississippi, the extra responsibilities caused me to rethink some priorities and the radio show AND blog went by the wayside.

     There were attempts on my part to re-ignite the blog by setting up a new site and domain name, but just couldn't get the mojo working again. A friend of mine said to me several years back to do what I was passionate about, and stick with it, not because there would be financial gain (although that would be nice), but because it was what I loved. That has never been far from my mind.

     Circumstances are allowing me again to pick up where I had left off. However this blog will not be an everyday thing, nor will it be in exactly the same format as before. I have an opportunity to resurrect the radio show again, and that will be my major focus. This blog will attempt to expand on some ideas and opinions concerning music which I might not have on a chance to on the radio.

     The show itself will also change. Before it was a mix of rock, pop, soul and r&b. My wheelhouse musically is rock from 1966-1980, in other words, the salad days of FM rock. This is where the base of the show will come from. Many a day (and night) of my childhood was spent listening to KSHE 95.5 in St. Louis, and the personality and vibe from that station molded my philosophy of how a radio show should be conducted.

     There are already three stations lined up to carry the new show. Actually, one of them never stopped airing the old one, and a new station in Oregon picked up repeats of the old broadcast about two months ago. I'm excited to attempt to bring things back to you. The readership of the blog never waned, and almost 65,000 of you have check it out. For this I am eternally grateful. Keep watching on the blog for updates as the day where we broadcast again come near.   

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Saturday Music Digest--May 18, 2013

Stemming from an "inflamation of his vocal cords," Smokey Robinson postponed his concerts for the rest of May on Friday (May 10).

Little Richard received an honorary Doctorate of Humanities degree from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia Saturday (May 11). Meanwhile, Macon officials announced Friday that Richard's boyhood home there will be moved to avoid being demolished by a highway construction project. In its new location, the home will become a neighborhood resource center.

Doctors have ordered Aretha Franklin to cancel performances in Chicago May 20 and Connecticut May 26 so she can undergo an unspecified "treatment." The announcement was made Monday (May 13). The 71 year-old's next scheduled performance is June 22 in Clarkston, Michigan. This didn't keep the singer however from making an appearance on American Idol this past week.

Judith Durham, lead singer of the Seekers, suffered a brain hemmorhage Tuesday (May 14) while the group was on tour in Melbourne, Australia. She was hospitalized, but was described as "lucid and comfortable" as she undergoes further tests. The group's 50th anniversary tour has now been scrapped.

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Songwriter Ray Whitley, who gave us the Tams' "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy", "What Kind Of Fool" and "I've Been Hurt" (the latter two also hits for Bill Deal & the Rhondels), died Sunday (May 5) in Gainesville, Georgia at the age of 69. Ray recorded a smattering of unsuccessful singles himself and also wrote songs for-- among others-- Billy Joe Royal, the Swinging Medallions, Joe South and Tommy Roe. He should not be confused with the similarly-named country singer/songwriter who wrote "Back In The Saddle Again."

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Bob Dylan did not attend his induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters Wednesday (May 15). He did issue a statement concerning the prestigious membership, which allows only 250 members at a time. Said Bob, “I feel extremely honored and very lucky to be included in this pantheon of great individual artists who comprise the Academy of Arts and Letters. I look forward to meeting all of you some time soon."

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A two-day auction of artwork owned by the late Andy Williams brought in $46 million on the first day Wednesday (May 15) in New York. One painting alone by Willem de Koonings garnered $9.7 million.


Carlos Santana Inducted Into Vegas House of Blues:  http://www.rttnews.com/2116519/carlos-santana-inducted-into-vegas-house-of-blues.aspx?type=crk

John Densmore Comments on Feud With Doors Bandmates: http://www.rttnews.com/2116305/john-densmore-comments-on-feud-with-doors-bandmates.aspx?type=crk

Fleetwood Mac Planning To Release More New Music: http://www.rttnews.com/2116302/fleetwood-mac-planning-to-release-more-new-music.aspx?type=crk

Allman Brothers Band Releasing "Brothers and Sisters' 40th Anniversary Box Set: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/allman-brothers-band-brothers-and-sisters-box-set/

Jimi Hendrix Invited Paul McCartney For Miles Davis Recording Session:  http://www.rttnews.com/2116664/jimi-hendrix-invited-paul-mccartney-for-miles-davis-recording-session.aspx?type=crk

John Mellencamp Musical To Tour: http://www.rttnews.com/2116662/john-mellencamp-musical-to-tour.aspx?type=crk

The Moody Blues Announce 10-city Tour: http://www.oldies1150.com/News/Music.aspx?articleID=1143185

 Harry Nilsson 'The RCA Albums Collection' Box Set Announced: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/harry-nilsson-box-set/

Lou Gramm Considering Retirement:  http://www.rttnews.com/2116673/lou-gramm-considering-retirement.aspx?type=crk

New Beach Boys Musical in Planning Stages: http://www.oldies1150.com/News/Music.aspx?articleID=1143233

John Fogerty Announces Birthday Bash & Album Release Gig: http://www.oldies1150.com/News/Music.aspx?articleID=1143226

Lennon Missed England Prior to Death: http://www.rttnews.com/2117801/lennon-missed-england-prior-to-death-in-nyc-says-new-book.aspx?type=crk

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Bobby Fuller Four--I Fought the Law (1966)

     Bobby Fuller was born in Baytown, Texas then as a small child moved to Salt Lake City. Shortly after his move at the age of 12 to El Paso, his life changed forever like many others who heard Elvis Presley. More importantly, he was influenced greatly by fellow Texan Buddy Holly and attempted several independent recordings with local musicians including his brother Randy, who would be the only constant throughout his Fuller's life.
     He build his own recording studio complete with an echo chamber in the back yard. It was a demo sent to Bob Keane of Del-Fi Records in California that got them signed. Keane didn't hear a song that caught his attention, but thought there was potential there. At this time, they were known as either just Bobby Fuller, or Bobby Fuller and the Fanatics, the change over to the Bobby Fuller Four wasn't until 1965 when they became more established.
     The song "I Fought The Law" is actually a cover from The Crickets. It was written in 1958 by Sonny Curtis who brought the song with him when he replaced Buddy Holly on guitar after his death. It was released as a 'b' side of "A Sweet Love" in 1960. Fuller recorded it first in Texas while working on material for Bob Keane. It was re-recorded in 1965 and released in early 66 on the Mustang label which was an offshoot of Del-Fi, just for the group.
     The song went up to number 6 and it's follow up, "Love's Made A Fool Of You" also reached the top 40. By the summer of that year tensions began to build within the band (who's members were never crazy about Fuller being singled out in the band name anyway). When guitarist James Reese received his draft notice, drummer Dalton Powell decided it was time to go home and be closer to his family.
     The band meeting on July 18th where Reese was going to finalize the sale of his Jaguar XKE to Fuller and Powell was announcing his leaving the band went on without Fuller. It was later that day he was found dead in his car of apparent asphyxiation. There was no foul play or signs of struggle, it was considered a suicide, but the case remains open.

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Saturday Music Digest--May 11th, 2013

     I have become a big fan of twitter. Those are naysayers who grouse about the massive amount of inane stuff posted, but have you looked at Facebook lately? I can assure you as well that most phone conversations are just as useless. We just live now in a newer generation of consumers, where idiocy can be broadcast world-wide. On the other hand, it can and is a powerful tool for getting information out quickly and for those who want to find people of like mind on any subject, in my case, older music.
     There is software that allows you to not only see all of the activity on your twitter account at any time, but also to filter words. For instance, I have 60's music, and 70's music in my filter. Anytime anyone uses those words, anywhere in the world, I get to see it, this allows me to perhaps answer a question, or interject an opinion (which I'm full of those). A very useful tool for those who do not have a marketing budget.
     It also allows me to see trends at times, and there are a couple that I find intriguing and/or amusing, and it gives me cause to address a couple of them, even though given the audience for this blog, I'm probably preaching to the choir.

    The first trend is an odd interest in 70s porn music. First of all, in full disclosure, I've seen a few 70's porn flicks in my life, but cannot remember for the life of me any music in the background. It could have been that the movies I saw had such low standards for production that there was no thought to actually use any music, or was just so gobsmacked by what my eyes were seeing that my ears shut down to allow my vision to capture with the upmost clarity what was going on.
     With so many of the tweets mentioning it's use, I figured that there must be something going on. So I put out a call to my twitter family to see if anyone could give examples. Either thinking that my mind had checked out early for the weekend, or just too embarrassed to admit it in public, there was no response. 
     Having struck out there, I went to You Tube (not to find porn...just to find the music. Perverts.) and found songs from an album called, "Porno Sonic", and a picture of Ron Jeremy on the front. Ron, who has come to the point in career where a woman will not get within a 10 inch...er...10 foot pole of his...well...uh...pole, has happily become the Gene Simmons of porn, allowing the likeness (just of his face thank God) to be put on any product that will get him some extra cash.
    The following song is not only humorous, but gives a pretty good example of what those who never actually lived in the 70's, an idea of what this music was suppose to sound like

    It says on the front of the cover that it was, "unreleased" 70's porno music. What audience the producers of this CD were marketing this for, I'm not sure. As far as I can remember this kind of music brought back visions of the 70's like Colt 45 malt liquor and shag carpeting. Just goes to show there is an audience for everything ...especially if  that something didn't actually exist.

    Which brings me to my second observation. I hate to break it to a couple of generations of men and women, but not everyone who grew up in the 60's grew their hair long, wore tie-die, and dropped acid. I hear all the time, "I SOOOO wish I could live back in the 60's where everyone got stoned, and there was so much LOVEEEE all the time.'
     Let me put it to you straight, unless you were white, male and rich, the 60's (outside of the music) wasn't that cool of a place to be. I love Grace Slick's  (singer from the Jefferson Airplane...Starship...etc.) comment on the subject of what it was like to in the "in" crowd; "If you can remember the 60's, you weren't there". I wasn't quite old enough for that era to be exactly in my wheelhouse (I was born in 1960), but can remember that growing hair beyond your collar was a sin, and those who did it, even in the mid-70's, were ostracized. There was a lot of experimentation with pot, but alcohol was the drug of choice, not only because it was more available, but because it was CHEAP. There were lame attempts a 60's fashion in my school, but few pulled it off. Thank God there were no pictures of me in my imitation Nehru jacket that I wore in 5th grade....
     Why is there a  need to always go back to the good ole' days anyway? There are many more answers to that question than I want to delve into in a blog, but just to say the reasons are legion. Our media however (many who are Baby Boomers themselves) has sanitized and sanctified the era to the point where much of the reality has left the building. This is not an anomaly with the 60's however. Growing up, if all I had was the radio and television to decide what the 50's were all about, than it would occurred to me that it would have ROCKED to been a teenager in the 50's. Thankfully I had
older siblings who reminded me that the decade wasn't all that hot either.
     Having said that, what we are left with is how the music of a certain time relates to the good memories that we have, no matter which era we grew up in. It is natural for us to remember the fun times, but even for those times that were not so good, songs and artists frame the era that define our lives. To my younger readers, let me remind you that if your lucky, the music that defines you will be around 30, 40 or more years as well, but don't forget the reality of your life and times now, before the generation of your children or grandchildren attempt to redefine it as well.  

The following is a short digest of the news of classic rock/pop. The first link is a fantastic story about the musicians behind the scenes of many of the classic soft pop/rock albums of the 70s.
     
The Knights of Soft Rock:  http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-section-knights-of-soft-rock-20130411

Bon Jovi playing Europe and South Africa without Richie Sambora: http://www.oldies1150.com/News/Music.aspx?articleID=1142684

Robert Plant Gets Restraining Order Against Delusional Fan: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/robert-plant-restraining-order-stalker/

Aerosmith Cancel Concert Due to Bomb Threat: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/aerosmith-cancel-concert-bomb-threat/

Boston an Aerosmith to perform at Boston Benefit Show:  http://www.rttnews.com/2109928/boston-and-aerosmith-to-perform-at-boston-benefit-show.aspx?type=crk

Foreigner's Lou Gramm Puts and End to Reunion Talk: http://www.rttnews.com/2109864/foreigner-s-lou-gramm-puts-an-end-to-reunion-talk.aspx?type=old

Jethro Tull To Release 1970-2005 DVD Set:  http://www.rttnews.com/2111036/jethro-tull-to-release-1970-2005-dvd-set.aspx?type=crk

Motley Crue Guitarist Gets Tackled On Stage: http://www.rttnews.com/2111867/motley-crue-guitarist-gets-tackled-onstage.aspx?type=crk

Three Donovan Classics to be Reissued: http://www.rttnews.com/2111875/three-donovan-classics-to-be-reissued-on-vinyl.aspx?type=old

Grateful Dead to Release Box Set of 1977 Tour: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/grateful-dead-may-1977-box-set/

David Bowie Releases "The Next Day" Featuring Gary Oldman:  http://www.rttnews.com/2113559/david-bowie-releases-the-next-day-video-featuring-gary-oldman.aspx?type=crk

Rod Stewart Wants to Reunite the Faces:  http://www.rttnews.com/2111783/rod-stewart-wants-to-reunite-the-faces.aspx?type=crk

Bruce Springsteen Collaborates With The Dropkick Murphys:  http://www.rttnews.com/2113442/bruce-springsteen-collaborates-with-the-dropkick-murphys.aspx?type=crk

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Saturday Bus Digest--May 4, 2013

This is the first "Saturday Bus Digest". Hopefully we will be a one stop new source for your favorite artists and news of the past week. Included will be commentary on things that are related to music, rock and otherwise.
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Remembering George....

This past Thursday Nashville laid to rest one of the last links to old school country. In a very moving service at the Grand Ole Opry, his personal family, colleagues and fans came to say goodbye to the Possum.

I've never made any attempt to hide the fact that Country music isn't my favorite kind of music. However, from my earliest years I had a strong appreciation of the "hillbilly" music of my Daddy's day. He was older than most of the Dad's of my peers (he was 43 when I was born), so his link to Country music was through Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Snow, Ernest Tubb, and especially Hank Williams. He had a double set of Williams' biggest hits, and I can remember playing those albums, impressed by the total honesty and accessibility, yet poetic lyrics of the man. Although my tastes ran mostly to rock, the Country artists of the day impressed me for the same reason, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, George Jones, and especially Dolly Parton.

Watching the funeral I was reminded of how small and close knit this family of Nashville artists are. There is not a genre today that has such a family-like closeness. Much of that has to do with the fact that the vast majority of popular Country music historically has come from one city. That closeness also is felt by all who call Nashville home. Even if you are not a fan of Country music, there is a sense of pride by those who have "made it". At the same time the city is used to it enough to where many artists and stars have made this town their own because there is no fuss over them. It's not unusual to have lunch at the local Mexican restaurant with George and Nancy (which my wife and I have several times), or to go to the movies and be sitting next to Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman (we've done that as well).

George was different, but similar. His long time roots here not only made him an institution, but his story of redemption has also endeared him even more to the city. He never hesitated to give credit to his beloved wife Nancy for saving his life which allowed for a well deserved victory lap as the grand patriarch and standard bearer for "traditional" Country, and also made for some epic music. He wasn't afraid to mix it up with the newer generation as he became close friends to those in the New Traditionalist movement, such as Alan Jackson, Randy Travis and Garth Brooks. As that group moved aside for the likes of Brad Paisley and Kid Rock, he was willing to write and record with them as well.

So now he's gone, and there are very few from his generation still alive. Merle Haggard and Dolly Parton came several years after George. Willie Nelson is just a year younger, but he is as much a citizen of the world and a product of Austin Texas as to any real ties to Nashville. Watching the funeral Thursday reminds me of that thread of traditional country that still pervades in the genre, also it's not quite as easy to hear because of the strangulation caused by what is today's country radio. My hopes are raised though when you go on the streets of Broadway here in Nashville and not only hear the cover bands play George Jones, but when you slowly hear a return to the kind of songwriting that has more to do with heartbreak, and the joys and sorrows of life than partying on a dirt road or the sexiness of someone's tractor. When that happens, I may just start listening to Country music all over again.

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In case you missed it...here are some headlines from the past week in Rock and Roll.

Rick Dees, the late “Tennessee” Ernie Ford and Rufus Thomas, the late Dewey Phillips (the first DJ to play Elvis Presley) and Elvis’ “Memphis Mafia” buddy, George Klein are being inducted Saturday (May 4) into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame in ceremonies in Murfreesboro TN. 

It's been learned that Don Shirley, best-known for his 1961 #40 pop instrumental, "Water Boy," died of complications from heart disease April 6 at his home in Manhattan. The Jamaican-born pianist was 86.

Jeff Hannerman of Slayer Dead at 49: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/jeff-hanneman-of-slayer-dead-at-49-20130502


Bob Weir, 'Unable to Perform in Any Capacity' Further Band Cancels Show:  http://ultimateclassicrock.com/bob-weir-unable-to-perform-in-any-capacity-further-band-cancels-show/

Lou Gramm says he may reunite with Foreigner for Fairwell Tour: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/lou-gramm-foreigner-reunion-tour/

O' Jays Sue Crown Royal for $1Million: http://oldies.about.com/b/2013/04/27/ojays-sue-crown-royal-for-1m.htm

The Monkees reveal U.S. Summer Tour Dates: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-monkees-reveal-u-s-summer-tour-dates-20130429

Doors' John Densmore Speaks On Feud With Former Band Mates:  http://www.rttnews.com/2106246/doors-john-densmore-speaks-on-feud-with-former-band-mates.aspx?type=crk

Fleetwood Mac Releases First New Music in a Decade: http://www.oldies1150.com/News/Music.aspx?articleID=1142498

Don Henley Calls New Album, 'A Record For Grown Ups': http://www.oldies1150.com/News/Music.aspx?articleID=1142491

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts headed back on the road: http://www.oldies1150.com/News/Music.aspx?articleID=1142536

Cheap Trick Celebrate at Budokan:  http://www.rttnews.com/2107599/cheap-trick-celebrate-at-budokan.aspx?type=crk

KISS add U.S. Dates to North America: http://www.rttnews.com/2107515/kiss-add-u-s-dates-to-north-american-tour.aspx?type=crk





 

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Co-Founding member of the Guess Who: Chad Allan--Through the Looking Glass (1968)

    Chad Allan and the Silvertones were formed in the late 50's and several years later was changed to Chad Allan and the Reflections and then finally the Expressions in 1963. In 1965, they recorded, "Shakin All Over" and in the promo material sent to the radio stations the song was credited to "Guess Who?" as a promotional stunt. As the year went on however, the name stuck and was soon officially the "Guess Who". 
     The next year he began to have some problems singing and gave over part of the duties to newcomer Burton Cummings, and after their third album, he left for good. Over the next five years he worked in television and a solo career which this song was his first release. After 1973, he has dabbled more in television, writing gospel music, and even some teaching. He now lives in Vancouver and performs often.

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