Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

He’ll be playing at 10.  Johnny began playing in Z.Z. Hill’s band while still in high school, and played later with Little Johnny Taylor and the Sweet Inspirations.  In the mid to late 70s, he was O.V. Wright’s band leader, and then lead Johnny Talyor’s band for [...]]]> Click here to view the embedded video.

He’ll be playing at 10.  Johnny began playing in Z.Z. Hill’s band while still in high school, and played later with Little Johnny Taylor and the Sweet Inspirations.  In the mid to late 70s, he was O.V. Wright’s band leader, and then lead Johnny Talyor’s band for five years.  Since then, he’s been a frontman, recording for Jim O’Neal’s Rooster BLues, JSP, and other labels.

He puts on an excellent show.  He’ll be solo tonight, and I’ll be there.

This is Levon and the Band, before they became the Band, and when Levon Helm was 21 and just a couple of years out of Helena.  And here’s their recording of “Farther On Up The Road” from the same year.

This is all from a blog new to me, Gloom and Doom from [...]]]>

This is Levon and the Band, before they became the Band, and when Levon Helm was 21 and just a couple of years out of Helena.  And here’s their recording of “Farther On Up The Road” from the same year.

This is all from a blog new to me, Gloom and Doom from the Tomb (presumably named after a wonderful Richard Thompson outtakes collection originally a cassette only release?).  The blog has a number of other 1961 performances by Levon and the Hawks.

As his manager pointed out, Keith Moon died before he got old.  Like 34 years ago.

But why think small?  Why not [...]]]> Olympic organizers in London are staging a “Symphony of Rock” as a part of the closing ceremonies this Summer.  They wrote Keith Moon’s manager asking if he would be interested in playing.

As his manager pointed out, Keith Moon died before he got old.  Like 34 years ago.

But why think small?  Why not invite John and George?  If they’d play, I’m sure Paul and Ringo would be in.

Mr. Love was black, tall and laid back. His musical partner, the trumpeter Wayne Jackson, was [...]]]> One element of the defining sound of Memphis soul was two horn players who recorded at Stax, Hi Records, and elsewhere, the Memphis Horns, which was Andrew Love on sax and Wayne Jackson on trumpet.  From his NY Times obit;

Mr. Love was black, tall and laid back. His musical partner, the trumpeter Wayne Jackson, was white, short and intense. After meeting at Stax Records in the mid-1960s, they became a singular musical force, backing up label performers like Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Rufus and Carla Thomas, and Isaac Hayes. They went on to add ballast and blast to soul performers on other labels, like Atlantic’s Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett.

The Memphis Horns helped shape classic records like Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds,” Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” and Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man.” They backed up Stephen Stills, Rod Stewart, the Doobie Brothers, Joe Cocker, Sting, Bonnie Raitt, Peter Gabriel, U2, Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson, B. B. King and Robert Cray.

Here they are (supplemented with another sax player– Love is the one closer to center stage) on tour with Otis Redding in Europe in 1967.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Mississippi Hill Country bluesman RL Boyce’s home in Como was broken into last week, and his guitar (red Epiphone 335 style) and amplifier were stolen along with other things. If anyone has a guitar or amp to donate to RL (or cold hard cash!), he will be at Juke [...]]]> Roger Stolle writes on Facebook:

Mississippi Hill Country bluesman RL Boyce’s home in Como was broken into last week, and his guitar (red Epiphone 335 style) and amplifier were stolen along with other things. If anyone has a guitar or amp to donate to RL (or cold hard cash!), he will be at Juke Joint Festival next Saturday, April 14th — Wade Walton Stage at 12 noon. OR… if you want to send him a donation to help out, please make checks out to “RL Boyce” and mail to my Cat Head store (252 Delta Ave., Clarksdale, MS 38614), and I’ll be sure he gets it asap. Thanks y’all!