Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
STEVE GUNN-WAY OUT WEATHER.
STEVE GUNN-WAY OUT WEATHER. Although Philly born guitarist Steve Gunn’s career began fifteen years ago, it wasn’t until 2007 that he released his eponymous debut album. Before that, Steve was the guitarist in Kurt Vile’s band The Violators. Since then, Steve has enjoyed parallel careers. Apart from his solo career, Steve has been a member …
T-BONE WALKER-T-BONE BLUES.
T-BONE WALKER-T-BONE BLUES. When eventually, someone writes the history of blues music, T-Bone Walker’s name will loom large. There’s no doubt about that. T-Bone Walker was, without doubt, one of the most innovative and influential blues guitarists ever. He was a true musical pioneer. T-Bone Walker was pioneer of firstly, the jump blues, then the …
SPIRIT OF MALOMBO: MALOMBO JAZZ MAKERS, JABULA AND JAZZ AFRIKA 1966-1984.
SPIRIT OF MALOMBO: MALOMBO JAZZ MAKERS, JABULA AND JAZZ AFRIKA 1966-1984. Four years have passed since the last instalment in Strut Records’ critically acclaimed Next Stop Soweto series. At last, however, the wait is over. Recently, Strut Records have released Spirit of Malombo: Malombo, Jazz Makers, Jabula and Jazz Afrika 1966-1984. This is a double …
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED-MOTOWN GUYS 1961-1969.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED-MOTOWN GUYS 1961-1969. During the sixties, Berry Gordy Jr’s Motown Records, was a musical colossus. Between 1961 and 1969, seventy-nine of the singles released by Motown reached the top ten in the US Billboard 100. It seemed Motown could do no wrong. That’s not surprising. Look at the artists signed to Motown. This included …
EDDY GILES-SOUTHERN SOUL BROTHER-THE MURCO RECORDINGS 1967-1969.
EDDY GILES-SOUTHERN SOUL BROTHER-THE MURCO RECORDINGS 1967-1969. For the last sixty years, Eddy Giles has been a regular on KOKA, a Shreveport based radio station. Originally, Eddy was a guitarist in various local groups. Then between 1967 and 1969, Eddy Giles was signed to Murco Records. His singles, which feature on Southern Soul Brother-The Murco …
GOOD ALL OVER-RARE SOUL FROM THE WESTBOUND RECORDS VAULTS 1969-1975.
GOOD ALL OVER-RARE SOUL FROM THE WESTBOUND RECORDS VAULTS 1969-1975. It was in late 1968, that music veteran Armen Boladian founded Westbound Records, in Detroit. This was a boost for Detroit’s ailing independent music scene. During the previous years, Motown had put most of Detroit’s independent labels to the sword. Gradually, Detroit’s independent labels fell …
JOZEF VAN WISSEM-IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO RETURN.
JOZEF VAN WISSEM-IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO RETURN. It was back in 2000, that avant-garde composer and baroque lutenist Jozef Van Wissem released his debut album, Retrograde Renaissance Lute. Since then, Josef has released a series of groundbreaking solo albums and collaborations. Jozef’s latest album, It Is Time For You To Return, will be …
BRING IT ON HOME-BLACK AMERICA SINGS SAM COOKE.
BRING IT ON HOME-BLACK AMERICA SINGS SAM COOKE. By the time of his death on 11th December 1964, Sam Cooke was soul’s first superstar. Throughout his career, it seemed Sam could do no wrong. You Send It, Sam’s 1957 debut single, reached number one in the US Billboard and US R&B charts. This was was …
CHARLIE GILLETT’S RADIO PICKS-HONKY TONK VOLUME 2.
CHARLIE GILLETT’S RADIO PICKS-HONKY TONK VOLUME 2. Music was Charlie Gillett’s life. He literally lived for music. It was his passion. As a result, Charlie had an encyclopaedic and eclectic knowledge of music. That was apparent to listeners to his radio show Honky Tonk, which first hit Radio London’s airwaves in 1972. Soon, Charlie was …
HARD TO EXPLAIN-MORE SHATTERED BLUES-FUNKY BLUES 1968-1984.
HARD TO EXPLAIN-MORE SHATTERED BLUES-FUNKY BLUES 1968-1984. Nearly three years have passed, since BGP Records, a subsidiary of Ace Records, released Funky Blues and Shattered Dreams 1967-1978. It was released to widespread critical acclaim in early 2012. No wonder. Funky Blues and Shattered Dreams 1967-1978 featured blues greats like Lowell Fulson, Albert King, Buddy Guy …
ERIK HONORE-HELIOGRAPHS.
ERIK HONORE-HELIOGRAPHS. Erik Honoré is no stranger to a recording studio. He’s played on, or produced, over fifty albums. These albums are all very different. They’re best described as eclectic. No wonder. This eclectic selection of albums features everyone from David Sylvian to Arve Henrikse, through Eivind Aarset, Jon Hassell and Laurie Anderson, to Brian …
DAVID SANCIOUS AND TONE-TRANSFORMATION (THE SPEED OF LOVE).
DAVID SANCIOUS AND TONE-TRANSFORMATION (THE SPEED OF LOVE). Although David Sancious was a self-taught guitarist, the New Jersey born multi-instrumentalist was a classically trained pianist. David, who was born on November 30th 1953, first started playing piano aged seven. That was the start of David Sancious’ long and illustrious career. David went on to play …
WILLIAM ONYEAEBOR 2.
WILLIAM ONYEAEBOR 2. Enigmatic. That’s the perfect word to describe synth funk pioneer, William Onyeabor. He is, without doubt, one of the most mysterious and elusive musicians. There’s a good reason for this, Much of William Onyeabor’s life is shrouded in mystery. After releasing eight albums between 1978 and 1985, which will feature in Luaka Bop’s …
BLACK FIRE! NEW SPIRITS! RADICAL AND REVOLUTIONARY JAZZ IN THE USA 1957-1982.
BLACK FIRE! NEW SPIRITS! RADICAL AND REVOLUTIONARY JAZZ IN THE USA 1957-1982. Throughout the last hundred years, jazz music has been in a constant state of evolution. Jazz refused to stand still. New genres grew out of old ones. From swing, bebop was born. After bebop, there was the cool school. Suddenly, the cool school …
GEORGE HARRISON-ELECTRONIC SOUND
GEORGE HARRISON-ELECTRONIC SOUND. Whenever people discuss the disparate personalities of The Beatles, George Harrison is billed as the “quiet one.” That’s doing a George Harrison a huge disservice. He was spiritual, cerebral, and a humanitarian. Away from the constraints of The Beatles, George Harrison was also a truly innovative musician. Anyone familiar with George Harrison’s …
THE VENTURES-IN THE VAULTS VOLUME 5.
THE VENTURES-IN THE VAULTS VOLUME 5. When Don Wilson and Bob Bogle founded The Ventures in Seattle in 1958, little did they know that fifty years later, in 2008, they would be inducted into the Rock ’N’ Roll Hall of Fame. In the intervening fifty years, The Ventures sold over 100 million records. This makes …
I’M JUST LIKE YOU:SLY STONE’S FLOWER 1969-1970.
I’M JUST LIKE YOU:SLY STONE’S FLOWER 1969-1970. Having just released their fourth album Stand, Sly and The Family Stone took Woodstock by storm. Their early morning set on 17th August 1969, was one of the highlights of Woodstock. This further cemented their huge popularity. After Woodstock, CBS, their record company were desperate for a new …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 