THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDY HENSKE.
The Life and Times Of Judy Henske.
It was in 1962, when Judy Henske was living in Los Angeles, that the Queen of the Beatniks first came to the attention of Elektra Records’ founder Jac Holzman. He had just setup A&R and marketing operation in LA and was on looking for new artists to add to Elektra Records’ roster. The first night he saw Judy Henske sing, he knew that he had to sign her. It wasn’t just her powerful voice, it was also her presence onstage and bawdy humour. Jac Holzman was sure that this was a winning combination, and set about signing Judy Henske.
Eventually, it cost Jac Holzman $2,000 to sign Judy Henske to Elektra Records. His initial offer was $1,000, which Jac Holzman was hoped would secure the signature of Judy Henske. However, he was so keen to sign Judy Henske that he was willing to double his initial offer, to $2,000. That was enough to secure the signature of Judy Henske.
Not long after this, Judy Henske recorded her eponymous debut album in front of studio audience. Judy Henske was released on Elektra Records in 1962, with High Flying Bird following in 1963. By the time High Flying Bird was released in 1963, twenty-seven year old Judy Henske had come a long way since embarking upon a solo carer four years earlier.
The Judy Henske story began in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin where Judith A. Henske was born on December ’20th’ 1936. She attended Notre Dame Grade School and then Notre Dame-McDonell Memorial High School, before heading to Rosary College, River Forest, Illinois. After that, Judy Henske enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison, and when she graduated moved to Ohio.
Judy Henske began working in the office of Oberlin College, Ohio. That was where Judy Henske’s first starting making music. Her boyfriend left Judy and moved to India. However, he left behind his banjo, and soon, Judy Henske had taught herself to play it. This was the start of a musical voyage of discovery. Soon, she was playing Dixieland jazz and murder ballads. Not long after this, Judy Henske relocated.
This time, Judy Henske moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she worked for a while as a cook in a Quaker co-operative. During this period, Judy was able to find herself and grow as a person. After that, Judy Henske was on the move again.
In 1959, Judy Henske relocated to San Diego where she lived in a sloop in a yacht basin. Not long after her arrival in San Diego, Judy Henske started singing in the coffee houses in Pacific Beach and soon, in Los Angeles. That was where she first encountered comedian Lenny Bruce. The pair often worked together, during the time Judy Henske spent in San Diego. However, after spending the best part of two years in San Diego, Judy Henske was ready for a change of scenery.
Judy Henske headed to New York, where she was asked to contribute four songs live, that would appear on a compilation. The Coffee House was released on the Dorian label in 1959, and marked the debut of Judy Henske. Soon, she was moving from East Coast to the West Coast.
1960 saw Judy Henske arrive in Los Angeles. She was a stranger in town, and the only person she knew of, was Herb Cohen who was one of the leading lights of Sunset Strip folk scene. For a new folk singer who had arrived in LA, Herb Cohen was a good man to know.
On her first night in Los Angeles, Judy Henske went looking for Herb Cohen. She met him outside of Cosmo Alley, one of two coffee shops Herb Cohen owned. When he saw Judy clutching her banjo, he asked if she could play it? This lead to an impromptu audition and before he had hired Judy Henske and become her manager. She would receive $90 for playing at his other coffee shop, the Unicorn.
At the Unicorn, Judy soon became the warmup act for Lenny Bruce. By then, she had acquired a strong stage presence, where in-between songs, Judy Henske’s bawdy humour entertained patrons. They were a tough crowd, but Judy Henske’s put downs and her incredible powerful voice that captivated the patrons at Herb Cohen’s coffee shops. Before long, Judy Henske had developed an act which was a combination humorous monologues and music, which made her a popular draw.
Dave Guard and The Whiskeyhill Singers.
So much so, that Herb Cohen decided to send Judy Henske to one of the biggest coffee shops in Oklahoma City. That was where she was spotted in early 1961 by Dave Guard, who previously, had been a member of the Kingston Trio. Dave Guard was about to form a new group The Whiskeyhill Singers and he asked Judy Henske to join his new folk group and sing the female lead vocal. Before she could agree, Judy Henske had to ask her manager Herb Cohen. When he agreed, Judy Henske joined The Whiskeyhill Singers.
Compared to her gigs at the Unicorn, and warming up for Lenny Bruce, The Whiskeyhill Singers were somewhat staid by comparison. Dave Guard brought to Judy Henske onboard The Whiskeyhill Singers to provide balance to the group. She was going to be yin to his yang, on their debut album.
This was Dave Guard and The Whiskeyhill Singers which was released on Capitol in 1962. By then, the group had honed their own, unique sound and style. It was hailed as often innovative by critics. However, Dave Guard and the Whiskeyhill Singers failed to find an audience upon its release. Nether did the singles Ride On Railroad Bill nor Plane Wreck At Los Gatos when they were released in 1962. Despite this, The Whiskeyhill Singers began work on their sophomore album.
Before that, The Whiskeyhill Singers were asked to provide some songs to the How The West Was Won soundtrack. Originally, the producers of this MGM wanted to the Kingston Trio to feature on the soundtrack. However, when they heard that Dave Guard had a new group, The Whiskeyhill Singers they felt their sound was much more suited to the soundtrack. This resulted in the The Whiskeyhill Singer being asked to feature on the How the West Was Won soundtrack. For Judy Henske, and the rest of The Whiskeyhill Singers this was the break they were looking for.
The Whiskeyhill Singers began work on their sophomore album, which was completed later in 1962. However, The Whiskeyhill Singers 2nd Album was never released by Capitol Records. Nor long after that, Dave Guard called time on The Whiskeyhill Singers. It had been a short-lived, unfortunately, unsuccessful project that lasted just over six months. However, they had managed to record a lot of music during this period.
After the demise of The Whiskeyhill Singers, Judy Henske decided to return to Los Angeles, where the folk boom was continuing. She was able to pickup where she left off, singing at the Unicorn and at the Troubadour which was well on its way to coming one of LA’s top music venues. It was where many of the biggest names in music hung out, including some of the leading lights of the folk scene.
As the folk boom continued, many within the music industry were keen to profit from the genre’s popularity. Many music industry veterans were aware that folk music, like previous genres, was a bubble, that could burst at any minute. The trick was to make hay while the sun shined. This included compiling and releasing a slew of folk compilations. With Judy Henske’s star in the ascendancy, it was no surprise that she was asked to feature on a couple of these compilations.
This included featuring on folk compilations like and Folk At The Troubadour. These compilations would introduce Judy Henske and the other artists to a much wider audience when they were eventually released. By then, twenty-six year old Judy Henske had made a big breakthrough.
It was just another night when Judy Henske took to the stage at an LA club. She had honed her stagecraft and had onstage presence that was the envy of many less talented singers. Judy Henske made it look unleashes her incredible powerful voice. She brought meaning and emotion to lyrics, and seamlessly, switched between folk and blues. Then in-between songs, she embarked on a long, but carefully cultivated monologue. The patrons were won over by Judy Henske. So was Elektra Records’ founder Jac Holzman.
He had just setup A&R and marketing operation in LA and was on looking for new artists to add to Elektra Records’ roster. That was why he was sitting in the club, as Judy Henske started to sing. Straight away, he knew that he had to sign her. Her combination of music, monologues and bawdy humour Jac Holzman was sure, was a winning combination. Jac Holzman set about signing Judy Henske, and adding her to Elektra Records’ burgeoning roster.
Eventually, it cost Jac Holzman $2,000 to sign Judy Henske to Elektra Records. His initial offer was $1,000 which Jac Holzman was hoping would secure Judy Henske’s signature. When she hesitated, Jac Holzman reached over and scored out $1,000 and replaced it with $2,000. That was enough to secure the signature of Judy Henske, who joined Elektra Records’ roster of folk singers.
Not long after this, Judy Henske recorded her eponymous debut album in front of studio audience. This was what Judy Henske had been working towards for three years.
Judy Henske.
When Judy Henske joined Elektra Records, she joined Phil Ochs and Fred Neil, Judy Collins and soon, Tim Buckley. Jac Holzman was well on his way to securing the signatures of the creme de la creme of young American folk singers.
Not long after signing to Elektra Records, Judy Henske began preparing to record her debut album. Jac Holzman had decided to record the album in front of a large studio, with an invited audience. At first, Jac Holzman thought of recording just Judy Henske and her guitar. However, he wanted a bigger sound, so decided to hire an orchestra.
Jac Holzman secured the services of Onzy Matthews, an experienced LA based bandleader. Meanwhile, guitarist John Forsha would trombonist John ‘Streamline” Ewing would lead the orchestra. They would accompany Judy Henske on eleven tracks.
For her debut album, Judy Henske chose two of her own songs, Hooka Tooka and Lily Langtree. Judy Henske arranged Low Down Alligator, Ballad Of Little Romy, Wade In The Water, I Know You Rider, Love Henry, Every Night When The Sun Goes In and wrote new lyrics to Salvation Army Song. They were joined by JC Johnston’s Empty Bed Blues and James Shelton’s Lilac Wine. These songs would be recorded in LA, and become Judy Henske’s eponymous debut album.
Once Judy Henske had recorded her much-anticipated eponymous debut album, it was released on Elektra Records in 1962. Critics on hearing Judy Henske, realised she was a very special and versatile singer, and the album received praise and plaudits.
While Judy Henske was well received by critics, who were appreciative of the album and a very special young singer who was making her debut, the album failed to find an audience outside of the folk community. While this was disappointing, Judy Henske and Elektra Records’ founder Jac Holzman were playing the long game.
High Flying Bird.
By the time it came time for Judy Henske to record her sophomore album High Flying Bird, she was a popular draw in Los Angeles and New York. It looked as if her star was in the ascendancy. This was the perfect time for Jac Holzman to send Judy Henske back into the studio.
When it came to recording High Flying Bird, Judy Henske penned Oh, You Engineer with Shel Silverstein. She also added new lyrics to a number of traditional songs, including Buckeye Jim, Columbus Stockade, Lonely Train, Duncan and Brady, Good Old Wagon and Charlotte Town. Judy Henske also arranged Blues Chase Up A Rabbit. The other songs included Billy Ed Wheeler’s High Flying Bird which was joined by Till The Real Thing Comes Along, Hoagy Carmichael’s Baltimore Oriole, Arthur Herzog Jr and Billie Holliday’s God Bless The Child and Bart Howard and John Peter Windsor’s You Are Not My First Love. These thirteen songs became Judy Henske’s sophomore album High Flying Bird.
This time around, Jac Holzman who oversaw production, decided to take a different approach. There was no orchestra on Flying Bird, just a small band that featured a rhythm section of drummer Earl Palmer, bassist Bill Montgomery and guitarist Jack Marshall. They were augmented by two familiar faces, trombonist John ‘Streamline’ Ewing and Jack Forsha who would play the twelve string guitar. This quintet accompanied Judy Henske who switched between banjo and guitar on the thirteen tracks. They were recorded in small studio in Los Angeles and became High Flying Bird.
When critics heard High Flying Bird, they were greeted by a very different side of Judy Henske. Gone is the orchestra that accompanied Judy Henske on her eponymous debut album. High Flying Bird featured a much pared back sound, where the arrangements play second fiddle to Judy Henske as she moves between tear jerking ballads and rousing, uptempo tracks where she kicks loose. High Flying Bird was a potent and heady brew, and one that won over critics.
Just like Judy Henske, High Flying Bird proved popular within the folk community upon its release in 1963. The problem was, that Judy Henske’s music wasn’t finding a wider audience beyond the folk community. When Jac Holzman ran the numbers, he realised that High Flying Bird hadn’t sold enough copies to warrant offering Judy Henske another contract. For Judy Henske, it was the end of the for her at Elektra Records.
After just two album, Judy Henske and High Flying Bird, one of the rising stars of the American folk scene found herself without a label. For Judy Henske her recording career was already at a crossroads.
It was ironic that she had released to accomplished albums, Judy Henske and High Flying Bird, which later, was credited as one of the albums that led to the folk rock genre. However, in 1963, nobody realised that Judy Henske had provided what was essentially the blueprint to folk rock. It was only much later, when music historians were tracing folk rock’s roots that they realised the importance and relevance of Judy Henske’s sophomore album High Flying Bird.
After leaving Elektra Records, Judy Henske released Little Bit of Sunshine…Little Bit of Rain on Mercury Records in 1965. Just like her two Elektra Records albums, Little Bit of Sunshine…Little Bit of Rain failed to find a wider audience. Sadly, it was a similar case with The Death Defying Judy Henske, which was released on Reprise in 1966.
Three years later, in 1969, and Judy Henske and her husband Jerry Yester, who was also a musician, released their cult classic Farewell Aldebaran in 1969. There was no followup, as the couple were about to embark upon a new musical venture.
By 1971, Judy Henske and Jerry Yester had founded Rosebud with Craig Doerge, John Seiter, and David Vaught. Rosebud released their eponymous debut album in 1971. However, following Rosebud’s release, the band played a couple of live shows, and split up. Judy Henske and Jerry Yester divorced, and Judy went on to marry and Craig Doerge in 1973. Not long after this, Judy Henske retired from performing and recording.
Judy Henske was only thirty-even when she announced that she was retiring from music. She continued to write songs, and eventually, after over twenty years away from music, Judy Henske was ready to make a comeback in the nineties.
Her comeback went so well, that Judy Henske released two studio albums 1999s Loose In the World and 2004s She Sang California. By then, Judy Henske’s music was finding a wider audience receiving the recognition it deserved. Especially her first two albums Judy Henske and High Flying Bird. They’re a reminder on Judy Henske at the peak of her powers, when it looked like she was destined to become one of the biggest names in folk music. Sadly, that wasn’t the case, and Judy Henske whose now eighty, and has been blind for the past ten years, didn’t enjoy the success her talent warranted. A reminder of Judy Henske’s talent can be found on the two albums she released Elektra Records Judy Henske and High Flying Bird.
The Life and Times Of Judy Henske.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MUSICAL MAVERICK HOLGER CZUKAY.
The Life and Times Of Musical Maverick Holger Czukay.
Although the word innovator is one of the most overused words in the English language nowadays, it perfectly describes Holger Czukay who cofounded Can in 1968. This was the start of a near fifty year career where Holger Czukay continued to make groundbreaking music, and push musical boundaries to their limits, and sometimes way beyond. That had was the case throughout his long and illustrious career.
Sadly, on the ‘5th’ of September 2017, one of the cofounders of Can and the founding fathers of Krautrock passed away at Can Studio aged seventy-nine. This came just a fortnight after the death of his wife Ursula Schüring aged fifty-five. Holger was devastated and since then, hadn’t returned to the flat they had shared. Instead, he spent final days at Can Studio in Cologne, which was where he died. This marked the end a six decade career, where one of music’s mavericks produced several classic albums with Can and a string of critically acclaimed solo albums. That was all still to come.
The future Holger Czukay was born in March 1938, as Holger Schüring. Holger’s home was what was then called the Free City of Danzig. Nowadays, it’s known as Gdansk. In January 1945, Holger and his family were forced to flee their home.
“When I was a child I had to leave my hometown Danzig in Poland. My mother had already bought the tickets for the ship, the Wilhelm Gustlof, when my grandmother warned us that the ‘water hasn’t got any planks.’ I never forgot this sentence, because it saved our lives. We didn’t go onboard the ship, but went to the main station on January 13th 1945. It was a freezing night We were extremely lucky that a train with wounded soldiers picked us up, and they gave us a little bit of room on their mattresses to sleep, and we headed to Berlin. When we arrived I looked out of the window and all I could see were stones and a free field and I asked myself if this can be a capital city?” Having arrived in Berlin, Holger and his family became refugees.
Just like so many children, the war had an impact upon Holger’s education. Like so many displaced children, Holger’s education suffered. Despite this, Holger managed to get a job in a radio repair shop. Not only did he learn how to repair electrical equipment, but became fascinated by radio and the opportunities it offered. This would prove crucial to Holger Czukay’s later career. Before that, Holger served his musical apprenticeship.
For a three-year period between 1963 and 1966, Holger Czukay was privileged to study music under the legendary Karlheinz Stockhausen. He was: “a true pioneer, Karlheinz was way ahead of time.” It was during his time studying with Karlheinz Stockhausen that Holger met Conny Plank and Irmin Schmidt.
Holger remembers “Conny sitting behind him, writing out a score by hand.” At first “Conny was quiet, be we soon became close friends.”As their nascent friendship blossomed, they continued to study with Karlheinz Stockhausen and enjoy what was a truly comprehensive musical education. Karlheinz Stockhausen’s pupils listened as he taught his pupils about aleatoric music, serial composition and musical spatialisation.
Karlheinz Stockhausen wasn’t just a “visionary” in terms of electronic music, but was fascinated by aleatoric music. Essentially, aleatory is controlled chance. With aleatoric music, some element of a piece are left to chance. Granted there will only be a certain number of outcomes, but the musician has to choose the outcome they believe is correct. Serialism was another subject Karlheinz Stockhausen was interested in. With serialism, a series of values are used to manipulate musical elements. This form of composition fascinated Karlheinz Stockhausen. So did musical spatialisation, which would influence Can. Karlheinz was an evangelist, encouraging his pupils, including Holger Czukay, Irmin Schmidt and Conny Plank to investigate, examine and scrutinise each of these subjects between 1963 and 1966.
For Holger, he could have asked for a better musical education. He admits “Karlheinz taught me so much, including importantly to: ‘find your own sound.'” Holger never forget those words of advice. They became his musical mantra when eventually, he decided to make a career as a musician. However, when Holger finished studying with Karlheinz Stockhausen in 1966, he became a musical teacher.
Having graduated, Holger was enjoying life as a music teacher. Holger was enjoying his newfound career as an educator. He wasn’t a fan of pop or rock music. That was about to change in 1967.
That’s when Holger heard The Beatles’ I Am A Walrus in 1967, he was captivated by this psychedelic rock single. Holger describes this “as a life-changing moment…the music of the past and present came together.” At last; “here was music that made the connection between what I’d studied and I was striving towards” With the innovative use of bursts of radio and the experimental sound and structure, “I went in search of similar music.”
For Holger this was a case of trial and error. “Frank Zappa I didn’t really get. Velvet Underground they were different, they really influenced me and my music. They influenced the music I made…I remember the first time I heard Velvet Underground and where I was when I heard it.”
Much of the music that went on to influenced Holger was heard whilst spending time with his friends. He remembers: “sitting in a friend’s flat looking through piles of albums. We’d study the sleeve-notes and then spread the album covers all over the floor. We scrutinised them, then immersed ourselves in the music. It was a shared experience. We listened and discussed the music. I can remember these times well.” Listening to Holger speak, it’s obvious that he genuinely loves music and is still a real music fan. His enthusiasm is infectious. So much so, that it’s as if you’re sitting in the flat with Holger and his friends, looking at the album covers, listening to the music and discussing it.
Holger remembering those times fondly and still loves vinyl, which he calls: “the perfect medium, you hear the music as you’re meant to.” Listening to Holger, he’s almost evangelic about vinyl. Not compact discs though. “Compact discs reduce music to background music. No longer do you have to immerse yourself in the music. Instead, it becomes background noise.” The last thing Holger wants in music to become an accidental soundtrack to daily life. Music is much more important than that. Especially for someone who founded one of the most influential and innovative groups in musical history, Can.
Inspired by the music he had been listening to, Holger decided to form his own band in 1968…Can. However, Can’s he roots can be traced back to the previous year. That was when Holger first encountered future Can drummer Irmin Schmidt. The pair was both studying under Karlheinz Stockhausen. In 1968, the two former pupils of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Irmin Schmidt and Holger would eventually form Can. Before that they went their separate ways,
After graduating, Irmin Schmidt headed to New York, where he spent time with avant-garde musicians like Steve Reich, Terry Riley and La Monte Young. Soon, Irmin Schmidt was aware of Andy Warhol and Velvet Underground. This inspired him to form his own band when he returned home to Cologne.
In Cologne, pianist and organist Irmin Schmidt and bassist Holger Czukay formed Can with the American avant-garde flautist David C. Johnson and bassist Holger Czukay. Up until then, the trio had exclusively played avant-garde classical music. Now their ambitions lay beyond that. Their influences included garage, rock, psychedelia, soul and funk. So they brought onboard three new members of the group, which started life as Inner Space, and then became The Can. Eventually, they settled on Can, an acronym of communism, anarchy, nihilism
The first two new additions were guitarist Michael Karoli and drummer Jaki Liebezeit. Vocalist and New York-based sculptor Malcolm Mooney joined the band midway through 1968. By then, they were recording material for an album Prepare To Meet Thy Pnoom. Two tracks, Father Cannot Yell and “Outside My Door were already recorded. Unfortunately, record companies weren’t interested in Prepare To Meet Thy Pnoom. As a result, it wasn’t released until 1981, when it was released as Delay 1968. Undeterred, Can continued to record what became their debut album, Monster Movie.
Despite not being able to interest a record company in Prepare To Meet Thy Pnoom, Can were confident in their own ability. So Can continued recording what would become their debut album Monster Movies. That’s despite being what Holger referred to as: “a poor man’s band.” They didn’t have the equipment that other groups did. What Can had was: “an ambition to create innovative music.” However, before long, there was a problem.
David C. Johnson left Can at the end of 1968. He was disappointed at the change in musical direction. Little did he realise that he’d lost the chance to be part of one of the most groundbreaking band’s in musical history, Can.
Monster Movie.
Monster Movie had been recorded in Schloss Nörvenich, a 14th-century castle in North Rhine-Westphalia. Can recorded Monster Movie between 1968 and 1969. It was the released in August 1969. This marked the debut of Can. Their career started as they meant to go on, creating a groundbreaking, genre-melting fusion of blues, free jazz, psychedelia, rock and world music. Monster Movies has a Velvet Underground influence. It’s as if Can have been inspired by Velvet Underground, but pushed musical boundaries to their limits.
Throughout Monster Movie, Can improvised, innovated and experimented. Multilayering and editing played an important part in Monster Movie’s avant-garde sound. So did spontaneous composition, which Can pioneered.
Spontaneous composition was hugely important in Can’s success. Holger remembers “that the members of Can were always ready to record. They didn’t take time to think. It was spontaneous. The music flowed through them and out of them.” Holger remembers that he was always “given the job of pressing the record button. This was a big responsibility as the fear was failing to record something we could never recreate.” In some ways, Can were an outlet for this outpouring of creativity, which gave birth to a new musical genre…Krautrock.
This new musical genre was dubbed Krautrock by the British music press. So not only was Monster Movie the album that launched Can’s career, but saw a new musical genre, Krautrock coined. The founding father’s of Krautrock was Can, lead by Holger Czukay.
Canaxis 5.
1969 saw the release of Holger Czukay’s debut album. Credited to the Technical Space Composer’s Crew, Canaxis 5 was a collaboration between Holger and Ralf Dammers. Canaxis 5 is an often overlooked album, which features two lengthy tracks. It shows two innovative musicians pushing the musical envelope, as Can would continue to do.
Soundtracks.
Released in 1970, Soundtracks, was Can’s sophomore album. Essentially, Soundtracks is a compilation of tracks Can wrote for the soundtracks to various films. It’s the album that marked the departure of vocalist Malcolm Mooney. Replacing him, was Japanese busker, Kenji Damo Suzuki. He features on five of the tracks, contributing percussion and vocals. The addition of Damo wasn’t the only change Can were making.
Soundtracks was a coming of age for Can. It marked a move away from the psychedelic jams of Monster Movie and a move towards their classic sound. That saw the music becoming much more experimental and avant-garde. The music took an ambient, meditative, mesmeric and thoughtful sound. This marked the beginning of what became known as Can’s classic years, when albums like Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi and Future Days were released.
Tago Mago.
The first instalment in the golden quartet was Tago Mago. This was the first album where Kenji Damo Suzuki was a permanent member of Can. He and the rest of Can spent a year in the castle in Schloss Nörvenich. It was owned by an art collector named Mr. Vohwinkel. He allowed Can to stay at Schloss Nörvenich rent free. For what Holger described as “a poor man’s band,” this was perfect.
Holger remembers Can during this year as “just jamming and seeing what took shape. Songs started as lengthy jams and improvised pieces.” This Holger remembers is “how Can always worked” After that, Holger worked his magic. He edited them and these mini masterpieces featured on Tago Mago, which was four months in the making.
For four months between November 1970 and February 1971, Can recorded what would become one of their most innovative and influential albums, Tago Mago.
A double album, Tago Mago featured seven groundbreaking tracks. Tago Mago was released in February 1971. Straight away, critics realised the importance of Tago Mago. Here was a game-changer of an album. It has an intensity that other albums released in 1971 lacked. Jazzier with an experimental sound, the music is mysterious, mesmeric and multilayered. It’s innovative, with genres and influences melting into one. Nuances, subtleties and surprises reveal themselves. No wonder. Can deliver an avant-garde masterclass.
This comes courtesy of jazz-tinged drumming, improvised guitar playing and showboating keyboard solos. Then there was Kenji Damo Suzuki’s unique vocal style. All this, resulted in an album that was critically acclaimed, influential and innovative.
Released to widespread critical acclaim in 1971, Tago Mago was the start of a golden period for Can. Their reputation as one of the most innovative groups of the seventies started to take shape. Can had released one of the most innovative albums, Tago Mago. Holger remembers the reaction to Tago Mago. “I knew Tago Mago was an innovative album, but I never realised just how innovative an album it would become?
On Tago Mago’s release, it was hailed as Can’s best album yet. However, not in Holger’s opinion. “Tago Mago is a classic album, but I much prefer Future Days.” Despite Holger’s preference, several generations of musicians have been inspired by Tago Mago, a true Magnus Opus, that belongs in every record collection. So does the followup Ege Bamyasi.
Ege Bamyasi.
Can were on a roll. It seemed they could do no wrong. They released Spoon as a single in 1972. It reached number six in Germany, selling over 300,000 copies. That was helped no end, by the single being used as the theme to a German thriller Das Messer. It seemed nothing could go wrong for Can. The money the made from Spoon, allowed Can to hire disused cinema to record what became Ege Bamyasi.
Can advertised for a space to record their next album, Ege Bamyasi. Recording began in a disused cinema, which doubled as a recording studio and living space. The sessions at Inner Space Studio, in Weilerswist, near Cologne didn’t go well. Irmin Schmidt and Kenji Damo Suzuki took to playing marathon chess sessions. As a result, Can hadn’t enough material for an album. This resulted in Can having to work frantically to complete Ege Bamyasi. Despite this, Can were still short of material. So Spoon was added and Ege Bamyasi was completed.
Ege Bamyasi was a fusion of musical genres. Everything from jazz, ambient, world music, psychedelia, rock and electronica melted into one. When it was Ege Bamyasi released in November 1972, it was to the same critical acclaim as previous albums. Critics were won over by Can’s fourth album which was perceived as a more accessible album than its predecessors. Just like Can’s previous albums, the quality of music was consistent.
Critics hailed Can as one of the few bands capable of creating consistent and pioneering albums. They were one of the most exciting bands of the early seventies. Can were continuing to innovate and influence musicians and music lovers alike. Just like its predecessor, Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi is an essential part of any self-respecting record collection. Having released two consecutive classic albums and their first single, it seemed nothing could go wrong for Can.
Future Days.
Despite Tago Mago and Ege Bamyasi being referred to as two of the most influential albums ever released, Holger Czukay prefers Future Days. This is the album he calls “my favourite Can album.” It was the third in Can’s golden quartet, and marked a change in direction from Can.
Future Days saw Can’s music head in the direction of ambient music. The music is atmospheric, dreamy, ethereal, melancholy, expansive and full of captivating, mesmeric rhythms. It’s also pioneering and progressive, with elements of avant-garde, experimental, psychedelia and rock melting into one. Rather than songs, soundscapes describes the four tracks. Future Days and Bel Air showcase Can’s new sound. Bel Air was the Future Day’s epic. It lasted just over nineteen minutes, and sees can take you on an enthralling musical journey. Just like the rest of Future Days, critics hailed the album a classic.
On its release in August 1973, Future Days was hailed a classic by music critics. The move towards ambient music may have surprised some Can fans. However, Brian Eno was just one artist pioneering ambient music. This move towards ambient music must have pleased Holger’s guru Karlheinz Stockhausen. He must have looked on proudly as Can released the third of a quartet of classic albums. The final album in this quartet, Soon Over Babaluma was released in 1974.
Soon Over Babaluma.
Soon Over Babaluma marked the end of Can’s golden period. It was the end of a period where they were releasing some of their most innovative and groundbreaking music. There was a change of direction on Soon Over Babaluma. Can were without a vocalist. Kenji Damo Suzuki left Can and married his German girlfriend. He then became a Jehovah’s Witness. Despite the lack of a vocalist, Can continued as a quartet. They released Soon Over Babaluma in November 1974.
When Can released Soon Over Babaluma in November 1974, it received praise from critics. With a myriad of beeps, squeaks and sci-fi sounds, Soon Over Babaluma is like musical journey into another, 21st Century dimension. A musical tapestry where layers of music are intertwined during five tracks on Soon Over Babaluma. It followed in the ambient footsteps of Future Days and brought to a close the most fruitful period of Can’s career. Following the “golden quartet,” Can didn’t go into decline. Instead, Can continued to reinvent themselves and their music.
Landed.
Landed was released in September 1975. It had been recorded between February and April 1975 at Inner Space Studios. Just like previous albums, Can produced Landed. Holger and Tony Robinson mixed the first four tracks at Studio Dierks, Stommeln. The other two tracks were mixed by Holger at Inner Space Studios. These six tracks marked a change of direction from Can.
As well as a change in direction musically, Landed was the first Can album to be released on Virgin Records. Gone is the ambient sound of Soon Over Babaluma. Only Unfinished on Landed has an ambient influence. Instead, Landed has a poppy, sometimes glam influence. With uptempo, shorter songs, Landed was a much more traditional album. How would the critics react?
Critics were divided about Landed. Some critics saw Landed as the next chapter in the Can story, while others praised the album as adventurous, eclectic and innovative. Others thought Can were conforming. Surely not?
Flow Motion.
Flow Motion was Can’s eight album. As usual, it was recorded at Inner Space Studios. Produced by Can, Flow Motion was an album that drew inspiration from everything from funk, reggae, rock and jazz. It was an eclectic, genre-melting album. It’s also one of Holger Czukay’s favourite Can albums.
Holger remembers Flow Motion as an “Innovative and eclectic” album. He calls it “one of Can’s underrated albums.” Flow Motion also marked a another change in Can’s way of working.
Released in October 1976, Flow Motion featured lyrics written by Peter Gilmour. This was a first. Never before, had anyone outside the band had written for Can. It worked. Can enjoyed their first UK single I Want More. It would later be recorded Fini Tribe and then Italo disco group Galaxis. With what was just their second hit single in seven years, maybe Can were about to make a commercial breakthrough?
Saw Delight.
Sadly, that wasn’t to be. Saw Delight which was released in March 1977, wasn’t the commercial success many people forecast. That’s despite the new lineup of Can embracing world music.
Joining Can were bassist Rosko Gee and percussionist and vocalist Rebop Kwaku Baah. They’d previously been members of British rock band Traffic. Rosko Gee replaced Holger on bass. Holger decided to add a percussive element, Holger added a myriad of sound-effects. This was Holger at his groundbreaking best. Experimental sounds including a wave receiver was used. The result was one of the most ambitious albums can had released.
Despite the all-star lineup and a bold, progressive and experimental album, Saw Delight wasn’t a commercial success. It was well received by critics. The problem was, Saw Delight was way ahead of its time. If it had been released in the eighties, like albums by Paul Simon or Peter Gabriel, it would’ve been a bigger commercial success. Sadly, by then Can would be no more. That was still to come. However, things weren’t well within the Can camp.
Out Of Reach.
Nine years after Can had released their debut album Monster Movie, they released their tenth album, Out Of Reach. It was released in July 1978. The title proved to be a prophetic. After all, commercial success always seemed to elude Can. Not only did Out Of Reach fail commercially, but the Out Of Reach proved to be Can’s most controversial album.
So much so, that they disowned Out Of Reach. On Out Of Reach Holger was left to add myriad of sound-effects. Bassist Rosko Gee and percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah of Traffic returned. They were part of the problem. Holger confirms this.
“During the recording of Out Of Reach, I felt an outsider in my own group. I was on the outside looking in. I was on the margins. All I was doing was add sound-effects.” For Holger, he felt” his group had been hijacked by Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah.” Things got so bad, that Holger quit Can.
Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah dominated Out Of Reach. Gone was the loose, free-flowing style of previous albums. Even Jaki Liebezeit’s play second fiddle to Baah’s overpowering percussive sounds. The only positive thing was a guitar masterclass from Michael Karoli. Apart from this, things weren’t looking good for Can. It was about to get worse though.
The critics rounded on Out Of Reach. They found very little merit in Out Of Reach. Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah were rightly blamed for the album’s failure. Even Can disliked Out Of Reach. They later disowned Out Of Reach. Despite this, Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah remained members of Can.
Unable to play with the necessary freedom Can were famed for, the two ex-members of Traffic stifled Can. Rebop’s percussion overpowers Jaki’s drums, which have always been part of Can’s trademark sound. At least Michael’s virtuoso guitar solos are a reminder of classic Can. A nod towards Carlos Santana, they showed Can were still capable of moments of genius. There wouldn’t be many more of these. Can would breakup after their next album.
Can.
Following the failure of Out Of Reach, the members of Can began recording what became Can. Remarkably, Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah were still part of Can. Sadly, Holger was not longer a member of Can. He’d left during the making of Out Of Reach. His only involvement was editing Can.
Can, which is sometimes referred to as Inner Space, was released in July 1979. Again, critics weren’t impressed by Can. It received mixed reviews. No longer were Can the critic’s darlings. The music on Can was a fusion of avant-garde, electronica, experimental, psychedelia and rock. Add to that, a myriad of effects including distortion and feedback, and here was an album that divided the opinion of critics. The critics agreed, it was better than Out Of Reach. They agreed that Holger was sadly missed.
Even Holger’s renowned editing skills couldn’t save Can. Try as he may, he could only work with what he was given. He did his best with Can, which the eleventh album from the group he co-founded. By the time Can was released, Holger “had come to a realisation, that it was time to go his own way.” Holger describes this as “necessary.”
Can decided to split-up after the release of Can. Sadly, Can was their swan-song. However, even before that, Holger “felt marginalised, this had been the case since he Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah became part of Can. They’d hijacked Can.” Now, Holger would embark upon his solo career.
The Solo Years Part 1.
Movie!
Holger hadn’t really been making music since 1976. The last two Can albums saw Holger editing the music. So, Holger set about finding “his own sound again.” He’d “been through this with Can,” Now he’d have to do so again. It would be worth it though, when he released his first solo album since 1969s Canaxis 5, Movies.
Recording of Movie! took place at Inner Space Studio, Cologne. This was where Can had recorded the best music of their career. It was like a Can reunion. Jaki Liebezeit played drums on Movie! Irmin Schmidt and Michael Karoli played on Oh Lord, Give Us More Money. Even Baah was drafted in to play organ on Cool In The Pool. Holger threw himself into the project. He recorded Movie! and played guitars, bass, keyboards and synths. Then when the four songs that became Movie! were completed, Holger mixed and produced the album. Movie! saw Holger hailed the comeback King.
Released to critical acclaim, Movies! was hailed as one of the best albums of 1979. It was an eclectic album. Described as variously psychedelic, cinematic, melodic, moody, understated and progressive, here was the next chapter in Holger’s musical career. The one track that everyone agreed was a minor masterpiece was Cool In The Pool. It was Movies’ Magnus Opus. Holger’s decision to embark upon a solo career had been vindicated. He was back doing what he did best, creating ambitious, groundbreaking and pioneering music. That would continue in 1981, when Holger released On The Way To The Peak Of Normal.
On The Way To The Peak Of Normal.
For Holger, 1981s’ On The Way To The Peak Of Normal was “one of the albums I’m most proud of. It was also Holger’s first collaboration with Conny Plank.
Working with Conny Plank Holger remembers, was a revelation. Holger felt Conny was a consummate professional. “Here was someone who understood what I was trying to achieve.” He ensured that I never made music people neither understood, nor wanted to buy. The sessions were organised and disciplined, very difference from the indiscipline of late Can albums.”
Recording took place in the familiar surroundings of Inner Space Studios, Cologne. The only member of Can were present was Jaki Liebezeit. Other members of the band included Conny Plank and Jah Wobble, who Holger and would collaborate with on the 1982 E.P. Full Circle and the 1983 Snake Charmer E.P. They’re two of many collaborations Holger would be involved with. That was still to come.
Before that, Holger released On The Way To The Peak Of Normal in 1981. Just like the early days of Can, Holger was once again, the critic’s darling.
Critics were won over by On The Way To The Peak Of Normal. The album was a fusion of ambient, avant-garde, electronic, experimental, funk, industrial, jazz, psychedelia and rock. Genre-melting describes an album of bold, challenging, innovative, inventive and influential music. It was a case of expect the unexpected on On The Way To The Peak Of Normal, which saw Holger continue to create groundbreaking music. Here, was one of the most inventive albums Holger had recorded.
Although Holger had been making music for three decades, he still had plenty to say musically. That would continue throughout the rest of the eighties, with his various collaborations and his 1984 album Der Osten ist Rot.
Der Osten ist Rot.
There was a three-year gap between On The Way To The Peak Of Normal and Der Osten ist Rot. During that period, Holger was busy collaborating with other artists. A new generation of artists discovering his music, and Holger was discovering their music.
He remembers spending time with Conny Plank in Cologne. Devo and the Eurythmics had been working with Conny. Holger was able to spend time in their company. One night, Holger remembers “Devo jamming, and they asked me to join them. I was impressed by their discipline and stability. It was a pleasure to play with them. Compared to Can in the end, it was totally different and a great experience. Especially with the Eurythmics watching.” Conny Plank, Holger remembers, was a hugely important influence on him and his music.
When recording of Der Osten ist Rot began at Inner Space Studios, Cologne, there was still a Can influence. Holger had written six songs and cowrote three with Jaki Liebezeit of Can. Jaki also played drums, piano, trumpet and organ. Conny played synths and Michy took charge of vocal duties. Together, they played their part in another groundbreaking album from Holger Czukay.
Released in 1984, critics welcomed another ambitious and groundbreaking album. The combination of Holger, Conny Plank and Jaki Liebezeit had proved a powerful partnership. This is apparent when you listen to Der Osten Ist Rot, which remarkably, was released thirty years ago. Ambitious, progressive and eclectic, Holger and his band weave musical genres. They become something other artists will never have envisaged. These artists however, aren’t a visionary like Holger Czukay. That’s obvious on Der Osten Ist Rot, and its followup.
Rome Remains Rome.
The followup to Der Osten Ist Rot, Rome Remains Rome it would feature a tantalising taste of a musical pioneer who at that time, was at the peak of his powers. That’s apparent on Rome Remains Rome.
Rome Remains Rome saw Holger joined by some familiar faces. This included two of Holger’s old friends from Can, guitarist Michael Karoli and drummer Jaki Liebezeit. Bassist Jah Wobble completed what was a fearsome rhythm section. They provided the heartbeat to Rome Remains Rome, which was released in 1987.
On its release in 1987, Rome Remains Rome saw the continued reinvention of Holger Czukay. Rome Remains Rome was a fusion of art rock, avant-garde, electronica, experimental and rock. Determined not to stand still, Holger takes you on a mesmeric, genre-melting musical adventure.
Veering between musical genres, the album is like a musical tapestry. Layers of music go into the making of Rome Remains Rome. Again, it’s a case of expect the unexpected. No wonder. Holger as always, was a musical chameleon. That’s why no two Holger Czukay albums are the same. Far from it. Holger’s music continued to evolve. That is what one would expect from Holger Czukay, who was by then, one of the most innovative musicians of his generation, Holger Czukay had been rejuvenated since leaving Can and found a new lease of live musically. Despite that, Can were about to hit the comeback trail.
After the release of Rome Remains Rome, former Japan frontman David Sylvian joined forces with Holger Czukay. The pair released two albums together, Plight and Premonition in 1988, and then Flux + Mutability in 1989. Both albums were ambitious albums and saw the two musical pioneers combine abstract, ambient and experimental music. This received praise and plaudits from critics. However, the release of Flux + Mutability was somewhat overshadowed by The Return Of Can in 1989.
The Return Of Can.
Rite Time.
In December 1986, Can were reunited, and began work on their comeback album Rite Time in the South of France. Many within the music industry thought that Can would never record another album. However, time seemed to heal the wounds and the five members of Can decided to record their twelfth album.
For the recording sessions, normal service was restored. Can’s lineup featured Jaki Liebezeit, Holger Czukay, Michael Karoli and Irmin Schmidt, who had written eight new songs. They were joined in the studio by the vocalist Malcolm Mooney. However, Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah were nowhere to be seen. They were’t part of the reunion that marked the return of Can.
Once the eight songs that would eventually become Rite Time were recorded, three years passed before the album was released. During this period, Can undertook extensive editing of Rite Time. As a result, when the album was eventually released, it was a different album to the one Can had originally envisaged.
Critics on hearing Rite Time, discovered that Can hadn’t tried to replicate their classic sound. That remained firmly in the past. Instead, Can continued to reinvent their music. Especially on songs like Give The Drummer Some, which showcased Can’s funky side, while the single Hoolah Hoolah was tinged with humour. Only the album closer In The Distance Lies The Future, hints at Can’s previous abstract, ambient sound. While Rite Time wasn’t the finest album of Can’s career, critics thought it was an improvement on Can and Out Of Reach.
When Rite Time was eventually released in October 1989, the album sold reasonably well. Despite the resurgence of interest in Can’s music and Krautrock in general, the album wasn’t a huge seller. Nor was the single Hoolah Hoolah, which was the last single that Can would release.
The Solo Years Part 2.
Nearly two-year after Can’s brief comeback, Holger returned with a new solo album in Radio Wave Surfer in 1991. It was much more experimental electronic album, and received mixed reviews from critics. This was a disappointment for Holger, who was concentrating on his solo career now that Can were consigned to the past.
When Holger returned with Moving Pictures in 1993, it was released to widespread critical acclaim. This marked a return to form from Holger Czukay. So did Holger’s seventh album Good Morning Story which was released in 1999. Critics hailed Good Morning Story as one of Holger’s finest albums of recent years. By then, a new generation of musicians and record buyers had discovered Can’s music and Holger Czukay’s earlier solo albums. For Holger, an exciting period of his career has about to begin.
In 2001, Holger returned with a new album La Luna. It featured one extended work, La Luna, an electronic gamelan piece. This was another stylistic departure for Holger, who continued on his mission to innovate.
This mission continued in 2001, when Holger and U-She released the first of two albums together. U-She was the alias of Ursula Schüring née Kloss who was by then, Holger’s wife. They released two critically acclaimed albums together, Time and Tide in 2001 and The New Millennium in 2003. The two albums were very different to Holger’s previous albums, and ranged from the ambient, experimental , new age sound and pop on Time and Tide to the dance-floor friendly sound of The New Millennium. It introduced Holger Czukay and Can’s music to a new and wider audience.
Over the next few years, Holger continued to collaborate with a variety of artists. However, in 2007 Holger and his wife Ursula Schüring released a new album together. This time they were billed as Holger Czukay and Ursa Major when they released 21st Century a marriage of synth pop and experimental music. This was a new departure for Holger who was sixty-nine, and hadn’t lost any of his enthusiasm for music.
Especially when discussing Can,who nowadays, are regarded as one of the founding father’s of Krautrock. Holger playing and edited Can’s golden quartet of Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi, Future Days and Soon Over Babaluma. Despite playing such an important part in Can’s golden quartet of classic albums, Holger almost plays down what he has achieved. Later, when Holger enthuses about his solo career, it’s obvious that he feels his solo albums have been overlooked. That was certainly the case for a while.
Not any more. More recently, Holger’s solo albums have been reevaluated and have started to find a new audience. This is very different to when Holger released his solo album. Back then, Holger had been a member of Can, who were one of the biggest and most innovative bands in musical history. As a result, Holger solo albums were always going be compared against Can’s albums, and especially golden quartet. Now though, a new generation of record buyers and bands have discovers Holger’s solo albums and of course, Can’s music.
Nowadays, Can’s music and Holger’s solo albums still influence and inspired this lasted generation of band. They’re the latest generation who reference Can as one of their main influences. Holger on hearing this, quietly and modestly said “nice.” “We never expected that. We were just a poor man’s band making music.” He admits that: “when we made albums like Tago Mago and Ege Bamyasi, we knew these albums were good, special even. However, we never knew the effect they would have. It’s incredible. I’m proud to have been a part of that.” Holger was part of a wider musical movement, and one that even today, continues to influence musicians worldwide…Krautrock.
Can were one of the founding fathers of the nascent Krautrock movement in the late-sixties and were pioneers of the new genre through the seventies. Nowadays, Can are regarded as one of the holy trinity of Krautrock during the seventies. Holger remembers “spending time with the members of Neu! Sadly, we never got the opportunity to play together. That’s a regret. We didn’t even share a bill.” There’s a sense of sadness in Holger’s voice at the thought of two giants of German music sharing the same stage.
“Now back then, Kraftwerk were a very different band. They were just an ordinary band, not the art band they’ve become. Their music was very different, especially when you listen to their first two albums.” Holger isn’t envious of Kraftwerk’s success. He seems proud to have known them, and seen them play, before they changed direction. Looking back, the Holy Trinity of German music are all success stories. They’ve all played an important part in modern music. Can, Neu and Kraftwerk were all innovators, who influenced several generations of musicians and music lovers. They’ll continue to do so. However, what if Can were a new band nowadays ?
Holger says: “would I like be to starting Can today?. No. I’m happy we founded our poor man’s band when we did. We achieved more than we ever expected.” I mentioned the technology available to bands nowadays? He seems happy that Can had to “make do, mend and innovate.” Holger is also a huge fan of “analogue equipment and vinyl.” He recommends that “people should listen to Can on vinyl. That’s how the music was meant to be heard back then. We recorded our music with vinyl in mind, not eight-track, cassettes or compact discs.” Holger is disparaging about compact discs and is far from a fan of their sound. Instead, Holger is an advocate of vinyl’s superior sound. “You must buy the albums on vinyl. The music comes alive.”
That was the case in 2016, when Holger Czukay’s 1979 sophomore album Movies was reissued and renamed Movie. It’s without doubt Holger Czukay’s finest solo album, and features musical maverick and innovator Holger Czukay pushing boundaries to their limits as he ensures his music stays relevant. This was what Holger Czukay spent a lifetime doing, and why he enjoyed such a long and successful career.
Many young and up-and-coming musicians and bands could learn a lot from Holger Czukay and Can the band he cofounded in 1968. Holger Czukay’s advice to new bands was: “find your own sound.” That what Karlheinz Stockhausen told Holger to do. “It’s what Can did, and I then had do so as a solo artist.” This advice set stood Holger Czukay in good stead during a career that spanned six decades and forty-nine years.
During his long and illustrious career, Holger Czukay created groundbreaking music. That was the case with Can, and then when Holger Czukay embarked upon a career a solo artist and collaborated with a new generation of artists. This resulted in Holger Czukay’s music finding a new and wider audience. So much so, that by 2017, Holger Czukay’s music was more popular than ever. Sadly, on the ‘5th’ of September 2017, Holger Czukay one of the cofounders of Can and the founding fathers of Krautrock passed away at Can Studio aged seventy-nine. That day music lost one of its true pioneers.
The late, great Holger Czukay will be much missed by everyone who ever came into contact with him. This includes his fans, fellow musicians and everyone who was fortunate enough to meet and interview this charming and engaging man. Unlike many musicians Holger Czukay was also a humble man who played down his achievements, rather than talking them. Holger Czukay had achieved more than most, and leaves behind a rich musical legacy.
That musical legacy includes Can’s sophomore album Soundtracks and their golden quartet of of Tago Mago, Ege Bamyasi, Future Days and Soon Over Babaluma, plus solo albums like Movies, On The Way To The Peak Of Normal and Rome Remains Rome. They’re a reminder of an innovative and pioneering musician Holger Czukay, at the peak of his musical powers. Whether it was with Can, or as a solo artist, Holger Czukay wasn’t afraid to push musical boundaries to their limits, and sometimes, way beyond. That is what one expects from a maverick musician like Holger Czukay.
Throughout his long and successful career, he released some of the most ambitious, innovative, inspiring and influential music of the past fifty years. Right up until his death, Holger Czukay was a true musical visionary who was way ahead of his time. That is why in the future, the music of Holger Czukay and Can will continue to stand the test of time and influence a new generation of musicians. They’ll continue to be inspired and influenced by a true mmusical maverick and innovator Holger Czukay, who was one of the founding fathers of Krautrock and released several classic albums with Can and a string of critically acclaimed solo albums.
The Life and Times Of Musical Maverick Holger Czukay.
THE RISE AND FALL OF SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE.
The Rise and Fall Of Sly and the Family Stone.
Between 1966 and 1976, psychedelic soul pioneers Sly and The Family Stone released eight studio albums and their first Greatest Hits album. These albums showcased Sly and the Family Stone’s genre-melting music, which took as a starting point psychedelic soul and added funk and rock to this heady musical brew. This proved an irresistible for many record buyers. However, that was only part of the story of Sly and the Family Stone whose message was one of peace, brotherly love, and anti-racism
There’s much more to the story of Sly and the Family Stone. It’s also a story that features gangsters, death threats, drugs and the thugs that infiltrated one of the greatest bands of the late-sixties and early seventies. All of this played a part in the rise and demise of Sly and the Family Stone.
Their story began in 1966, when Sly Stone formed Sly Stone and The Stoners which featured his friend Cynthia Robinson on trumpet. Meanwhile, Sly Stone’s brother Freddie Stone was also founding a new group Freddie and The Stone Souls. Its lineup included drummer Gregg Errico and saxophonist Ronnie Crawford. Saxophonist Jerry Martini who was a friend of Sly Stone’s, suggested that the Sly and Freddie Stone should combine the two bands. This made sense, and Sly Brothers and Sisters was born. However, in October 1966 Sly Brothers and Sisters became Sly and the Family Stone.
Soon, Vanetta Stewart, Mary McCreary and Elva Mouton who had their own gospel group The Heavenly Tones approached Sly Stone about joining the nascent group. He agreed and they became Little Sister, who became Sly and the Family Stone’s backing vocalists.
It wasn’t long before Sly and the Family Stone came to the attention of record companies. This happened after a gig at the Winchester Cathedral, which was a night club in Redwood City, California. After the show, CBS Records David Kapralik executive approached Sly and the Family Stone. He had heard the group’s set and wanted to sign them to CBS’s Epic Records label. Soon, a deal was concluded and Sly and The Family Stone began work on their debut album A Whole New Thing.
A Whole New Thing.
In October 1967, Sly and the Family Stone prepared to release their debut album A Whole New Thing. It had been recorded live in the studio and found Sly and The Family Stone fusing soul and funk. Although reviews of the album were mixed, a number of musicians, including Mose Allison and Tony Bennett were won over by the album. Alas, when A Whole New Thing was released, it failed to chart. This was a disappointing start to Sly and the Family Stone’s recording career.
Dance To The Music.
After the commercial failure of A Whole New Thing, CBS executive Clive Davis asked Sly Stone to make his music more poppy. This he hoped would find favour with DJs and record buyers. Sly Stone decided to write music that would please his employer, and come up with what was essentially a musical formula. Still, though, it allowed Sly and the Family Stone to spread their message of peace, brotherly love, and anti-racism and reach a much wider audience.
The song that Sly Stone wrote was the anthemic Dance To The Music. When it was recorded, new vocalist and keyboardist Rose Stone made her debut. On it release, Dance To The Music reached number eight in the US Billboard 100 and US R&B charts. This was Sly and The Family Stone’s psychedelic soul debut, which was copied by many within the music industry.
In April 1968, Sly and the Family Stone returned with their sophomore album Dance To The Music. This album of psychedelic soul was released to critical acclaimed and is now regarded as an influential and innovative album. Dance To The Music reached 142 in the US Billboard 200 and eleven in the US R&B charts. Sly and The Family Stone’s career was underway.
Life.
Sly and The Family Stone was keen to build on the success of Dance To The Music, and four five months later returned with their third album Life. While it was well received by critics and featured songs of the quality of Fun, Love City and M’Lady, Life failed to replicate the success of Dance To The Music. Instead, it stalled at a lowly 195 on the US Billboard 200. It was a case of one step forward and two back for Sly and The Family Stone.
Stand.
After the disappointing sales of Life, Sly and The Family Stone began work on the band’s fourth album Stand. It was written and produced by lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone. He and the rest of Sly and The Family Stone had surpassed their previous efforts.
When critics heard Stand the hailed the album Sly and The Family Stone’s finest hour, pointing at the quality of songs like Sing A Simple Song, I Want To Take You Higher, Stand and Everyday People. Stand was a classic in-waiting and would transform Sly and The Family Stone’s career.
Everyday People was released as the lead single from Stand in 1969, and topped the US Billboard 100 and US R&B charts. This augured well for the release of Stand. When it was released in May 1969, Stand reached number thirteen in the US Billboard 200 and three in the US R&B charts. By November 1969 Stand had sold over 500,000 copies, was certified gold. Seventeen years later, and Stand was certified platinum. Now Stand was sold over three million copies and is one Sly and The Family Stone’s most successful albums.
Woodstock.
Following Stand, Sly and The Family Stone were one of the stars of Woodstock.Their early morning set on ‘17th’ August 1969, was one of the highlights of Woodstock. This further cemented their huge popularity.
After Woodstock, Sly and The Family Stone’s profile was at an all time high. Their record company CBS was desperate for a new album.Deadlines for a new album were set, and deadlines were missed. For CBS, this was frustrating as Sly and The Family Stone had never been as popular. If the band had completed their album on time, it could’ve been their biggest selling album. When CBS realised that a new album wasn’t going to be imminent, a Greatest Hits album was released in 1970.
Greatest Hits.
Sly and The Family Stone’s first Greatest Hits album was released in November 1970, and featured the five singles from Dance To The Music, Life and Stand. They were augmented B-Sides and trio of new tracks. This included Hot Fun In The Summertime, Everybody Is A Star and Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin). These twelve tracks became Sly and The Family Stone’s Greatest Hits album which was released to satisfy consumer demand.
On its release, Greatest Hits reached number two in the US Billboard 200 and reached number one on the US R&B charts. Sly and The Family Stone’s first Greatest Hits album went on to sell five million copies, and was certified platinum five times over. This surpassed the success of Stand, and reinforced that fact that Sly and The Family Stone was one of the most popular American bands. However, all wasn’t well within Stand, Sly and The Family Stone.
At this time, relationships within the band were at an all time low, especially among Sly and Freddie Stone and bassist Larry Graham. Tense doesn’t come close to describe their relationship. Ironically, Larry’s bass playing would be crucial to the success of what became There’s A Riot Goin’ On. It provided the heartbeat to the album. Sadly, the tension between the band members wasn’t the only problem surrounding Sly and The Family Stone.
Drug use was rife within Sly and The Family Stone, and allegations were made that that Sly Stone spent most of his waking hours taking drugs. When the band were touring, Sly Stone carried a violin case full of drugs everywhere the band went. The drug use had worsened ever since Sly and The Family Stone had relocated to California. Since then, PCP and cocaine were the drugs of choice for the band. This started to affect the recording schedule and tours.
Sly Stone’s moods started to change, and he swing between upbeat and happy, to suddenly moody and broody. Onlookers noted that his behaviour started to become erratic. Between concerts, it was reported that he spent much of his time taking drugs. For a band who’d just enjoyed two hugely successful albums, Sly and The Family Stone were shooting themselves in their foot at every turn.
Controversy then arose when Sly Stone became friendly with The Black Panthers. Soon, this was said to be affecting Sly and The Family Stone’s music. They wanted the band’s music to be more militant, both lyrically and musically. The Black Panthers also felt that Sly and The Family Stone should reflect the movement’s beliefs. Even more controversial was that The Panthers demands that Sly Stone fire the two white instrumentalists Greg Errico and Jerry Martini. Their replacements, The Panthers said, should be black musicians. Their final request, was that manager David Kapralik be sacked. Replacing him, should be a black manager who would represent the group. Soon, politics were the least of Sly Stone’s problems, when he became involved with gangsters.
This came about when Sly Stone was looking for someone to manage his affairs. To do this, he could’ve hired any of the Los Angeles’ top music managers. Instead, Sly Stone hired two of his streetwise acquaintances Hamp “Bubba” Banks and J.B. Brown, as his personal managers; However, it was alleged that their was more to the role of Sly Stone’s manager than looking after his affairs. They would also have to source his drugs and protect him from his supposed ‘enemies’. This included members of The Family and some of his staff. The perfect people to do this were the gangsters that Hamp “Bubba” Banks and J.B. Brown were alleged to have hired.
With the problems Sly Stone’s problems with drugs, The Black Panthers and gangsters it was a tumultuous time for the band. Especially when drummer Greg Errico decided to leave Sly and The Family Stone. By then, a rift had developed between Sly Stone and members of The Family, who were disappointed with the loss of Greg Errico.
This was a huge disappointment given how important his role within the band. However, it also meant that The Black Panthers had gotten their wish and removed one of the two white musicians from the band. It was a sad for Sly and The Family Stone, whose music was meant to be about peace, brotherly love, and anti-racism. Ironically, Sly Stone had let The Black Panthers which was a virulently racist and anti-semitic organisation infiltrate the band, and intimidate the two white members of the band. So much so, that Greg Errico left Sly and The Family Stone. This was the backdrop for the recording of new album in 1970 and 1971. Sly and The Family Stone were up against it when recording of There’s A Riot Goin’ On began.
There’s A Riot Goin’ On.
When recording of There’s A Riot Goin’ On began at the Record Plant, in Sausalito, in 1970 Sly and The Family Stone’s popularity was at an all-time high. CBS wanted a new album from Sly and The Family Stone. However, it soon became apparent that was easier said than done.
Tensions were high within Sly and The Family Stone as they began recording There’s A Riot Goin’ On. There were also the various problems within Sly Stone’s life. Gangster and The Black Panthers were regular visitors to the studio as Sly and The Family Stone began recording the twelve songs penned by Sly Stone. Just like previous albums Sly Stone was also arranging and producing There’s A Riot Goin’ On. However, there was a distinct lack of progress, the sessions continued into 1971.
By then, deadlines had been set, but were constantly missed. The executives at CBS were frustrated at the lack of progress. Adding to their woes was the departure of drummer Greg Errico. He was replaced for the rest of the sessions by Gerry Gibson. Eventually, amidst rancour, tension and a haze of drugs, the genre-melting opus There’s A Riot Goin’ On was completed in 1971.
When executives at CBS heard There’s A Riot Goin’ On, it was a delicious fusion of funk, soul, rock, psychedelia and jazz. They scheduled the release of There’s A Riot Goin’ On for November 1971. Ironically, There’s A Riot Goin’ On wasn’t immediately recognised as a classic album.
Initially, There’s A Riot Goin’ On divided the opinion of critics. Some hailed the album a masterpiece, while others weren’t won over by the change of sound and style. There’s A Riot Goin’ On was the result of the long sessions where Sly Stone honed the album’s sound. This involved lengthy overdubbing sessions, which gave the album its multilayered sound. The music had a darker, harder edge than the soulful sounding Stand. Gone also was the optimism of previous albums. In its place was music that was pessimistic, even nihilistic as it describes a world that’s gone wrong. In reality, this was more a description of Sly and The Family Stone by 1971. However, with critics opinions divided over There’s A Riot Goin’ On, record buyers had a casting vote.
On There’s A Riot Goin’ On release in November 1971, it topped the US Billboard 200 and US R&B Charts. By November 1972 the album was certified gold in and later was certified platinum. Meanwhile, Family Affair was released as the lead single from There’s A Riot Goin’ in November 1971. It reached number one in the US Billboard 100 and number three in the US R&B Charts, and was certified gold. There’s A Riot Goin’ On may have taken the best part of two years to record in far from idea circumstance, but it transformed the career of Sly and The Family Stone.
While There’s A Riot Goin’ On transformed Sly and The Family Stone’s career all wasn’t well behind the scenes. Jerry Martini approached Sly Stone and his managers about money that he believed was owed to him. This didn’t go down with Sly Stone’s ‘managers’ and Pat Rizzo was lined up as a potential replacement for Jerry Martini. He had made the fatal mistake of questioning the ‘Family’s business practices. Despite that, Jerry Martini remained part of the band. However, if he ever asked the same question then Pat Rizzo would replacement.
Meanwhile. the relationship between Sly Stone and Larry Graham was an all-time low. Things came to a head after a concert when a huge fight broke out between Sly Stone and Larry Graham’s entourages. The cause of this was allegations being made by Bubba Banks and Eddie Chin. They alleged that they heard that Larry Graham had hired a hit man to kill Sly Stone. This was a laughable allegation, and more likely invented by the ‘business managers’ to drive a wedge between the two musicians. It worked, and later that night, Larry Graham and his wife had to climb out of a hotel window, and were driven to safety by Pat Rizzo. Larry Graham knew his time with Sly and The Family Stone was over, and went on to found his own successful group, Grand Central Station. Meanwhile, Sly and The Family Stone began work on a new album.
Fresh.
Given the success of On There’s A Riot Goin’ On, executives at CBS were keen for Sly and The Family Stone to record a followup quickly. However, it took nineteen month before Sly and The Family Stone returned with their sixth studio album Fresh in June 1973.
By then, Sly and The Family Stone were beset by more problems. Sly Stone’s drug use had escalated, and his drug of choice for the recording of Fresh was cocaine. Sly and The Family Stone’s other problem was the loss of their original rhythm section. As a result, session drummer Andy Newmark was drafted in and joined Sly Stone in the rhythm section. Replacing Greg Errico wasn’t going to be easy, and several drummers would enjoy brief spell in Sly and The Family Stone’s rhythm section. Sly Stone laid down the bass and guitar parts plus piano, organ, harmonica and vocals. Together, Sly and The Family Stone’s new rhythm section recorded the syncopated and complex rhythms. They were part of quite different album, and one showcased a much more stripped down sound.
Once the album was recorded, Sly Stone constantly remixed the tracks on Fresh. It became the second consecutive album to be delayed by Sly Stone’s constant remixing.
Even after Sly Stone handed over the master tapes he continued to remix Fresh. As a result, several versions of each track on Fresh exist.
When critics heard Fresh it as well received by the majority of critics. They were won over by tracks of the quality of If You Want Me To Stay, Frisky, Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) and Babies Makin’ Babies. Fresh was a much more upbeat album, and had the same funkiness as There’s A Riot Goin’ On. It was no surprise that a number of high-profile musicians had been won over by Fresh.
Jazz legend Miles Davis was so impressed In Time which opened Fresh, that he made his band spend thirty minutes listening to the song. Brian Eno thought that Fresh signalled a change in recording history saying it was an album: “where the rhythm instruments, particularly the bass drum and bass, suddenly [became] the important instruments in the mix.”. Later, P-Funk pioneer George Clinton called Fresh one of his favourite albums. However, when Fresh was released in the summer of 1973, it was receiving praise from critics and musicians alike. It was against this backdrop that Fresh was released.
When Fresh was released on June the ‘30th’ 1973, the album reached number seven in the US Billboard 200 and topped the US R&B charts. This resulted in a gold disc for Sly and the Family Stone who were now one of the most successful soul and funk bands of the seventies.
Small Talk.
In 1974, Sly and The Family Stone headed to the Record Plant in Los Angeles to record their seventh studio album Small Talk. By then, Sly Stone had penned ten tracks and cowrote Small Talk with W. Silva. Just like previous albums, Sly Stone arranged and produced Small Talk, which was a stylistic departure from Sly and the Family Stone.
The release of Small Talk was scheduled for July 1974. Before that, critics had their say on album. They discovered another album of soulful and funky music. What was different was a much more laid-back and mellow sound. Strings were used effectively and softened the sound and changed the mood of the music. Sometimes they replaced the horns which had been a feature of Sly and the Family Stone’s music. Gone also was the fuller arrangements on a number of tracks, to be replaced by a much sparser sound. Another change was the use studio chatter on around half the songs on Small Talk. This added a degree of spontaneity to the album. Its highlights included the ballad Mother Beautiful, Can’t Strain My Brain, Time For Livin’ and Wishful Thinkin’ plus the funky Loose Booty and Livin’ While I’m Livin’. Small Talk was another album of quality music from Sly and the Family Stone. However, the big question was what would record buyers think of Sly and the Family Stone’s new sound?
When Small Talk was released in July 1974, it reached number fifteen in the US Billboard 200, but never troubled the US R&B charts. Despite that, Small Talk was certified gold. By then, Frisky had been released as the lead single and reached thirty-two in the US Billboard 100 and thirty-nine in US R&B charts. Loose Booty then stalled at eighty in the US Billboard 100 and ninety in US R&B charts. However, this was the least of Sly Stone’s worries.
Ever since the dawn of the seventies, Sly Stone or other band members would often fail to turn up to play at gigs. Other times, they refused to play or passed out after taking a cocktail of drugs. After a while, this started to affect Sly and the Family Stone’s bookings. No longer was the band able to command the same sums of money they once had. When promoters were willing to book Sly and the Family Stone, they were only willing to pay smaller sums of money. This was no surprise.
Often when Sly and the Family Stone played live, the audience rioted if the band failed to turn up for the gig. It was a similar case if Sly Stone walked off the stage or the band failed to finish their set. Suddenly, chaos reigned and There’s A Riot Goin’ On. This made life difficult for Ken Roberts who was Sly and The Family Stone’s promoter and later general manager. Many promoters wouldn’t hire Sly and The Family Stone due to the problems they brought with them.
Despite the package they brought with them, Sly and The Family Stone hired the Radio City Music Hall, in New York. This was one of the Big Apple’s most prestigious venues. When Sly and The Family Stone took to the stage on the ‘15th’ of January 1975, the venue was only one-eighth occupied. For Sly and The Family Stone this was a disaster and the band had to scrape together the money to get home.
On their return to California, a decision was made to dissolve Sly and The Family Stone. After eight years, and eight million albums Sly and The Family Stone was no more. However, Sly Stone continued as a solo artist.
High On You.
Ten months after that fateful nights at Radio City Music Hall, Sly Stone released his debut solo album High On You on November the ‘8th’ 1975. It featured ten new songs penned by Sly Stone, and featured most of the former members of The Family Stone.
This included Freddie Stone, Cynthia Robinson, Jerry Martini, Dennis Marcello and Little Sister. They were augmented by various session musicians and guest artists as work began at Columbia Studios and the Record Plant in Los Angeles. Sly Stone played many instruments and again, used multi tracking to record multilayered songs. This time, Sly Stone worked quickly and the album was ready for release in late 1975.
When High On You was released on November the ‘8th’ 1975 this was the start of new chapter for Sly Stone. It was his debut solo album and he was eager that the album would be well received by critics. They were impressed by High On You, which was a funkier album than Small Talk.
Especially songs like I Get High On You where which was a fusion of funk proto-boogie, the sinuous Crossword Puzzle and the accusing Who Do You Love? There was a departure into soul on the string drenched ballad That’s Loving’ You. It’s a reminder of Sly Stone’s versatility as he’s transformed into a soul man. Green Eyed Monster Girl is an organ driven jam that shows Sly Stone hadn’t lost his touch. Organize sounded like vintage Sly and The Family Stone, while Le Lo Li and My World are a return to the soulful side. So Good To Me finds Sly Stone fusing soul and funk before he takes a bow on Greed. Given the quality of music on High On You surely it would launch Sly Stone’s solo career?
On the release of High On You, it reached forty-five on the US Billboard 200 and eleven in the US R&B chart. This time there was no gold disc for Sly Stone. When I Get High On You was released as a single in 1975, it stalled at fifty-two on the US Billboard 100 and fifty-eight in the US R&B chart. Alas, that was as good as it got for Sly Stone. Le Lo Li was released later in 1975, but failed to chart. It was a similar case when Crossword Puzzle was released in 1976. However, on the whole, High On You was a successful start to Sly Stone’s solo career.
Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back.
Just over a year after the release of High On You, Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back was released on December the ’18th’ 1976 and heralded the return of Sly and The Family Stone. It was very different lineup of the group that sold eight million album between 1969 and 1973.
There was only remaining member of The Family Stone left, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson. She was joined by Vet Stone and Elva Mouton who previously, were members of Little Sister who were Sly and The Family Stone’s backing vocalists. They were going up in the world and were now members of The Family Stone. Joining them in The Family Stone were a number of new faces, plus guest artist Peter Frampton who plays guitar on Let’s Be Together. He joined Sly and The Family Stone at Columbia Recording Studio in San Francisco.
By then, Sly Stone had penned new songs. They were recorded by what was essentially a new lineup of Sly and The Family Stone. What didn’t change was that Sly Stone took charge of production at Columbia Recording Studio. However, when Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back was recorded, it wasn’t Sly Stone who mixed the album. Instead, the tapes were sent to Joe Tarsia at Sigma Sound Studios in Philly. He was mixing many of the successful Philly Soul albums for Gamble and Huff and Thom Bell. Executives at CBS must have been hoping that some of this success would rub off on Sly and The Family Stone.
Before Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back had their say on Sly and The Family Stone’s comeback album. It featured their usual fusion of soul and funk, which was joined by Latin, proto-boogie. Mostly, Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back was well received by critics. However, what would record buyers make of Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back?
When Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back was released by Epic, it failed to chart in the US Billboard 200, The last time this had happened was in 1967, Sly and The Family Stone released their debut album A Whole New Thing. Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back wasn’t triumphant return that Sly Stone or executives at Epic had hoped. To make matters worse, the only single released from Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back, Family Again failed to chart. Sly Stone must have known what was about to happen next.
In 1977, Epic released Sly Stone from his recording contract. He had spent ten years at Epic, and released eight studio albums and the 1970 Greatest Hits’ album. These nine albums sold in excess of eight million copies. However, that was the past. There was no sentiment in music and Sly and The Family Stone left Epic in 1977.
The most successful period of Sly and The Family Stone’s career was between 1969 and 1974. This golden period started with the release of Stand in 1969, with Sly and The Family Stone’s first Greatest Hits album following in 1970. A year later, Sly and The Family Stone release their Magnus Opus There’s A Riot Goin’ On which is a classic album. So was the followup Fresh which was released in 1973. The final album from a period where Sly and The Family Stone could do no wrong was 1974s Small Talk, and are a reminder of the band’s golden period.
Sadly, many people concentrate on Sly and The Family Stone most successful albums, especially those released between 1969 and 1974. In doing so, they’re overlooking albums like A Whole New Thing, Dance To The Music and Life which were released between 1967 and 1968. These three albums find Sly and The Family Stone pioneering and honing their trademark psychedelic soul sound. By then, Sly and The Family Stone were ready to embark upon a five-year period where they could do wrong. That period ends with 1974s Small Talk, which was certified gold. This was the end of a five-year period where commercial success and critical acclaim had been constant companions to Sly and The Family Stone.
Lead by the inimitable musical maverick Sly Stone, Sly and The Family Stone were musical trailblazers who pioneered the psychedelic soul sound. Soon, many other musicians and bands were following in their footsteps, including The Temptations and The Undisputed Truth. However, neither group came close to replicating Sly and The Family Stone’s unique, genre-melting sound. It found favour with critics and record buyers and even today, fifty years after Sly and The Family Stone released their debut album A Whole New Thing in 1967, they continue to inspire and influence a new generation of musicians.
By 1976, the dream was over and Sly and The Family Stone’s comeback album Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back had failed to chart. By then, much had happened to Sly and The Fly Stone, including much that made a mockery of their message of message peace, brotherly love, and anti-racism
During the ten-year period Sy and The Family Stone had been together, there had been stories of involvement with gangsters, brawls and bickering and backstabbing between members of Sly and The Family Stone. This resulted in Greg Errico and Larry Graham leaving Sy and The Family Stone. There were also death threats, while drug taking was rife. The involvement of The Black Panthers was just another bad decision that Sly Stone that hindered the progress of Sly and The Family Stone. Bad decisions were being made at every turn within Sly and The Family Stone and may have hampered the band’s progress.
While Sly and The Family Stone are regarded as one of the most successful soul and funk bands of the late-sixties and early seventies, maybe they underachieved? Of the eight million albums Sly and The Family Stone sold, five million albums were copies of their 1970 Greatest Hits’ album. This meant that the eight studio albums that Sly and The Family Stone released sold just three million copies. The psychedelic soul pioneers 1971 Magnus Opus There’s a Riot Goin’ On sold a million copies and was certified platinum. Sadly, Sly and The Family Stone never again reached the same heights.
Sometimes, Sly and The Family Stone’s problems with gangsters, death threats, drugs and The Black Panthers got in the way of making music. This meant that they sometimes never reached the heights that they should’ve. They had shown what they were capable of with their platinum certified albums Stand! and There’s a Riot Goin’ On. Sadly, five years after the release of There’s a Riot Goin’ On in 1971, Sly and The Family Stone released Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I’m Back in 1976. When it failed to chart, this was the end of the road for Sly and The Family Stone. After ten years together and classic albums like Stand!, There’s A Riot Goin’ On and Fresh it was the end of the road for the psychedelic soul pioneers.
A year later, in 1977, Epic dropped Sly and The Family Stone, who had released eight studio albums and their first Greatest Hits album since signing to the label in 1967. The following ten years were a roller coaster ride with Sly and The Family Stone releasing classic and often, being embroiled in controversy. This controversy hampered Sly and The Family Stone and to some extent, stopped them from fulfilling their potential, and enjoying a longer and more successful career. Some of the controversy also made of mockery of Sly and The Family Stone’s ‘message’ of peace, brotherly love, and anti-racism. This has been forgotten in the mists of time.
Forty years after Sly and The Family Stone were released from their contract by Epic, and Sly Stone is now seventy-four. Just like Icarus, Sly Stone flew too close to the sun, and nowadays, is a pale shadow of his former self. The years of hard living and drug taking have taken their toll on this former musical pioneer. Incredibly, his best days were behind him by 1976, when he was just thirty-three. Never again would Sly Stone reach the same heights as he had with Sly and The Family Stone. Their finest moments were their triumvirate of classic albums Stand!, There’s A Riot Goin’ On and Fresh, which show what Sly and The Family Stone were capable of in their prime.
The Rise and Fall Of Sly and the Family Stone.
DIETER MOEBIUS-LIFE AFTER CLUSTER: THE SOLO YEARS.
Dieter Moebius-Life After Cluster: The Solo Years.
Ten years after Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius formed Cluster in 1971, the first chapter in the Cluster story drew to a close 1981, after the release of their seventh studio album, Curiosum. Hans-Joachim Roedelius said: “Cluster had run its course. We decided to concentrate on other projects. There was no fall-out, Cluster just came to a natural end.”
In the post-Cluster years, Dieter Moebius divided his time with a variety of projects, including a variety of collaborations and, his solo career. Dieter Moebius’ solo career solo career had to fit round his many other musical commitments. This included the albums Dieter Moebius recorded with his friend Conny Plank.
Moebius and Plank.
Rastakraut Pasta.
In 1980, Dieter and Conny Plank entered Conny’s Studio to record seven tracks. They were joined by another giant of German music, Can bassist Holger Czukay. He played on Feedback 66, Missi Cacadou and Two Oldtimers. When the seven tracks were completed, Rastakraut Pasta was would be released later in 1980.
Critics hailed Moebius and Plank’s debut Rastakraut Pasta a truly groundbreaking album. It was a fusion of avant-garde Kominische, industrial, electronica, experimental and dub reggae. This disparate and unlikely fusion of genres proved a potent musical pot-pourri, that proved popular with critics and record buyers. So much so, that Conny Plank and Dieter Moebius released a second album together.
Material.
The Moebius and Plank partnership returned in 1981 with their sophomore album, Material. It featured five songs recorded at Conny’s Studio. This time, there was no sign of Holger Czukay. Instead, the two old friends and musical pioneers worked together on another album of truly groundbreaking music that became Material.
Just like Rastakraut Pasta, Material was hailed as another album of groundbreaking, genre-melting music. Elements of avant-garde Kominische, industrial, electronica, experimental and dub reggae. This resulted in music that wasn’t just innovative, but way ahead of its time. Material was also a timeless album, and one that resulted in what seemed like a queue of musicians wanting to collaborate with Dieter Moebius.
First in the queue was Gerd Beerbohm. They released their first collaboration, Strange Music in 1982. This was the first of two albums that the pair would record tougher. The followup Double Cut was released in 1983. That same year, Dieter Moebius released his debut album Tonspuren.
Tonspuren.
To record his debut solo album, Dieter Moebius headed for the familiar surroundings of Conny’s Studio, in Cologne. He had made this journey countless times before, and in the second half of 1982, Dieter began recording ten soundscapes. With Conny looking on approvingly, and making a few suggestions, Tonspuren began to take shape. Once the album was recorded, Conny mixed Tonspuren. It was then released in 1983.
Just like his previous collaborations with Conny Plank, Tonspuren was released on Günter Körber’s Sky Records. It was the perfect label for an album of minimalist, experimental and ambient music.
Günter Körbe had setup Sky Records in 1975, and had never been afraid to release music that many labels would’ve shied away from. Many other German labels were only interested in commercial music. However, Sky Records, just like Brain and Ohr before them, were determined to released groundbreaking music. This was how some critics described Tonspuren.
Critics had awaited the release of Tonspuren with interest. They wondered what direction Dieter Moebius’ music would head? When they heard Tonspuren, with its minimalist, ambient and sometimes experimental sound, they knew. It was a captivating debut album, and critics awaited Dieter’s sophomore album with interest. Sadly, they would have a long wait.
Sixteen years to be exact. Dieter Moebius would released several collaborations, and Cluster would’ve reunited before Dieter Moebius released his sophomore album. By then, Dieter Moebius had reinvented himself, while music, and the way it was made had changed.
Following the release of Tonspuren, Dieter Moebius continued to collaborate with other artists, This included two collaborations with Karl Renziehausen. Dieter Moebius also wrote the soundtrack to Blue Moon in 1986. However, it was Conny Plank that Dieter Moebius collaborated with most often. They recorded three further albums with Conny Plank, This included 1983s Zero Set which featured Guru Guru drummer Mani Neumeier; 1995s En Route; and Ludwig’s Law which featured Mayo Thompson. However, still, Dieter Moebius found time to reunite with Hans-Joachim Roedelius for the comeback of Cluster.
Apropos Cluster.
Recording of Cluster’s tenth album took place during 1989 and 1990. Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius recorded five tracks, including the twenty-two minute epic title-track. It was part of an album that was similar to Grosses Wasser.
That is the comparisons critics drew, when Apropos Cluster was released in 1991. The only difference was, that Apropos Cluster wasn’t as rhythmic as Grosses Wasser. Instead, it was understated, ethereal and thoughtful ambient music. The followup to Apropos Cluster was the first of three live albums that Cluster would release.
One Hour.
The first of the trio of live albums Cluster released during the nineties, was One Hour. It came about after Cluster improvised in the studio for four hours. This they edited this down to One Hour, and the result is a truly captivating album that was released in 1995.
One Hour features Cluster at their most imaginative as they take their music in the most unexpected directions. Curveballs are constantly bowled, as what sounds like the soundtrack to a surrealist film unfolds. Elements of ambient, avant-garde and modern classical music combine, resulting in one of the most intriguing albums in Cluster’s discography.
Two years later, in 1997, Cluster released the first of two live albums. The first was Japan 1996 Live. It was followed by First Encounter Tour 1996, which was their thirteen album, was the first double album Cluster had released. It would also be the last album they released for eleven years. During that period, Dieter Moebius released four further solo albums. The first of this quartet of solo albums was Blotch.
Blotch.
After a sixteen year period where he was constantly collaborating with other artists, the release of Blotch in 1999, marked the start of a period where mostly, Dieter Moebius would concentrate on his solo career. While there was the occasional excursion with Cluster, and a collaboration with Asmus Tietchens in 2012, mostly, the period between 1999 and 2014 are best described as the solo years.
One thing that never changed during the solo the solo years, was Dieter Moebius’ determination to innovate. Helping Dieter Moebius to innovate, was the technology that hadn’t been available when he recorded his debut solo album, Tonspuren in 1983. Dieter Moebius embraced this new technology when he recorded Blotch, which featured Tim Story. The result was his long-awaited comeback album, Blotch.
Blotch featured a series of playful mesmeric loop based tracks. They’re atmospheric and experimental, with Dieter Moebius adding bursts of speech and samples to the musical canvas. They were ‘painted’ by Dieter Moebius, who makes full use of musical palette, which included the new technology. Dieter Moebius’ willingness to innovate and embrace this new technology resulted in an album that was well worth the sixteen year wait.
When Blotch was released, Dieter Moebius was hailed as the comeback King. He had reinvented himself musically, and recorded a much more experimental, genre-melting album. Dieter Moebius had made good use of new technology, and added snatches of speech to the seven soundscapes. This proved a potent combination on album that fused everything from ambient and avant-garde, through to electronica and experimental to industrial, Krautrock and Musique Concrète. The result was an album of atmospheric, dramatic, futuristic and sometimes, ethereal, understated and beautiful music. These soundscapes were always cinematic and mostly, have a hypnotic quality on Blotch, the album that marked the return of Dieter Moebius.
Nurton.
Seven years after Dieter Moebius’ comeback, he returned in 2006 with the third album of his solo career, Nurton. The album was recorded a year earlier in 2005, with Dieter Moebius making good use of some of the technology that he had used on Blotch. One of Dieter Moebius’ secret weapons was the Korg Prophecy which replicated a variety of analog synths. This Dieter Moebius put to good use on Nurton.
Dieter Moebius had pushed musical boundaries to their limit on Nurton. Just like he had throughout his career, he had turned his back on musical convention and structure. Instead, he let his imagination run riot, and studio became a laboratory, where Dieter Moebius experimented.
The result was Nurton, which veers between moody and broody, to dark and dramatic, to ethereal and elegiac to understated and beautiful. Always, though, the best words to describe Nurton were futuristic, cinematic and hypnotic. Dieter Moebius had pulled out the stops on Nurton, which was a captivating album that painted pictures in the mind’s eye. Much of the music on Nurton was akin to a sci-fi soundtrack. Nurton also has a timeless quality, and featured some of the most ambitious, innovative and experimental music of Dieter Moebius’ career. He had set the bar high for the followup album, which was Kram, which was released in 2009.
Kram.
By the time Dieter Moebius came to record Kram, life was good for one of the leading lights of the German music scene. Somewhat belatedly, the music Dieter Moebius recorded with Kluster, Cluster and Harmonia was receiving the recognition it deserved at home and abroad. German music fans realised that Dieter Moebius was one of their national treasures and had grown to appreciate his music.
Dieter Moebius was still one of the leading lights of the Berlin music scene in 2008, when his thoughts turned to recording a new studio album. By then, Dieter Moebius and his wife Irene were dividing their time between Berlin and Majorca, where they could enjoy a much more agreeable climate. However, Dieter Moebius spent some of his time in Majorca working on new music. He had a small mobile recording setup, which replicated the one he kept at him home in Berlin.
This meant that whenever he felt inspired to make music, Dieter Moebius could enter his studio, and work on music for his latest project. In 2008, the project that Dieter Moebius was working on was his fourth studio album, which would eventually become Kram, which translates as “stuff”. The time he sent in his studios in Berlin and Majorca resulted in ten soundscapes which lasted nearly fifty-two minutes. These soundscapes became Kram, which when it was released, became Dieter Moebius’ first album in three years.
With the release of Kram fast approaching in 2009, it was changed days for Dieter Moebius. In the early days of his career, when albums by Kluster, Cluster and Harmonia failed to attract the attention of critics. Sometimes, they passed almost unnoticed, or received just a few reviews. By 2009, Dieter Moebius was fifty-five and one of the elder statesmen of German music. He had been one of the pioneers in the late sixties, and forty years later, was still going strong and releasing ambitious and innovative music on Kram.
Critics upon hearing Kram, hailed the album one of Dieter Moebius’ finest hours as a solo artist. The album received praise and plaudits, with one of the founding fathers of modern German music creating a captivating album that was a musical roller coaster.
Kram is best described as veering between understated, ruminative and elegiac to playful, joyous and tinged with humour, to charming and moderne. Other times, the music is mesmeric and hypnotic, before becoming dark and dramatic. Sometimes, the music becomes experimental and ambitious, while other times, Dieter Moebius unleashes a myriad of futuristic and sci-fi sounds. They join found and throwaway sounds, samples and Dieter Moebius’ trusty synths which he uses to create another genre-melting album which is sometimes cinematic, but captivates from the opening bars of Start to the closing notes of Markt.
During Kram, Dieter Moebius combines elements of ambient, avant-garde, the Berlin School, electronica, experimental music, Krautrock and even briefly rock. The result is an album that features Dieter Moebius at most ambitious and innovative. Proof of this are some of the highlights of Kram.
After three years away, Dieter Moebius returned with one of the finest solo albums of his career. Sadly, it would prove to the penultimate album of his long and illustrious career.
Ding.
Two years after the release of Kram returned with his fifth solo album Ding in 2011. He had recorded Ding a year earlier, in Berlin studio. Now he was ready to release the much-anticipated followup to Kram. By then, the music Dieter Moebius had created with Kluster, Cluster and Harmonia had never been as popular. This resulted in an upsurge of interest in his solo career.
Just like previous solo albums, Dieter Moebius had embraced the latest technology. This included a random loop generator, which he had put to good use during the making of Ding. The loops it generated, were combined with bifurcate rhythms, impalpable and ghostly voices and a myriad of assorted audio matter which became part of the eleven soundscapes on Ding.
When critics heard Ding, they realised that it was quite different from its predecessor. It was another ambitious album, where Dieter Moebius set about reinventing his music once again. To do this, he combined elements of avant-garde with the Berlin School, electronica, experimental, industrial, Krautrock and Musique Concrète. There was also an array of hypnotic, industrial mechanical and robotic sounds on Ding, which was one of the most ambitious and experimental albums of Dieter Moebius’ solo career.
Just as he had been doing throughout his long and illustrious career, Dieter Moebius had created groundbreaking music and ambitious music on Ding. He embraced new technology, and used an array of samples, found sounds and leftfield sounds to create new and ambitious music. The music on Ding pushed musical boundaries to their limit, which amongst the most ambitious music released during 2011. That was what critics and record buyers had come to expect from sonic pioneer Dieter Moebius. Sadly, Ding was the last album that Dieter Moebius released.
Musik für Metropolis.
The following year, 2012, Dieter Moebius was invited to perform music to accompany a screening of Fritz Lang’s legendary silent film Metropolis. For the screening, Dieter Moebius began work on producing new tracks and samples. These he would play on the night and treated with a myriad of effects during Dieter Moebius’ improvised performance. His performance was planned so that it would provide the soundtrack to what was happening on the sliver screen. The Metropolis project took a lot of planning, but it was well worthwhile.
When the day of the screening of Metropolis arrived, Dieter Moebius made his way to the venue. With him, he took the equipment which he planned to put to good use that night. That was the case. It was a masterful and triumphant performance from Dieter Moebius, as he provided the perfect soundtrack for Metropolis. It had highlighted the drama and tension of Fritz Lang’s classic film. Buoyed by the success of his performance, Dieter Moebius began contemplating the next part in the Metropolis project.
All along, Dieter Moebius planned to record a full-length album featuring the music from the Metropolis project. Dieter Moebius began work on the Metropolis’ project, and continued to work on other projects. The sixty-eight year old still had an insatiable appetite for music, and immersed himself in the Metropolis’ project, which gradually started to take shape. Then tragedy stuck, when Dieter Moebius was diagnosed with cancer.
Suddenly, music didn’t matter any more, as Dieter Moebius was fighting for his life. He battled bravely against cancer, fighting for his future and very life. Sadly, Dieter Moebius died on the ‘20th’ of July 2015’ after what had been a brave and lengthy battle against cancer. He left behind a richest musical legacy.
This included the albums he released with Kluster, Cluster and Harmonia, plus his many collaborations. They feature one of the founding fathers of modern German music doing what he did best, creating ambitious and innovative music. So do the five solo albums Dieter Moebius had released during his long and illustrious career. It should’ve six solo albums. Sadly, Dieter Moebius passed away before completing Musik für Metropolis.
Musik für Metropolis.
Two of Dieter Moebius’ friends and longtime musical partners had been discussing trying to complete Musik für Metropolis. To do this, Tim Story and Jon Leidecker would require the permission of Dieter Moebius’ widow, Irene. She granted her permission, and was fully supportive of the project.
Over the next few months, Tim Story, Jon Leidecker and Berlin based musician Jonas Förster worked on the Musik für Metropolis’ project. This was their way of paying homage to a true giant of modern German music, Dieter Moebius.
Less than years after the death of Dieter Moebius, Tim Story, Jon Leidecker and Jonas Förster completed the Musik für Metropolis’ project. They had worked hard on the project and wanted to make Musik für Metropolis an album that Dieter Moebius would’ve been proud to put his name to. Once Irene Moebius had heard Musik für Metropolis and given her approval, the next step was to find a label who would were willing to release the album.
Fortunately, Hamburg-based label Bureau B had already agreed to reissue the five albums Dieter Moebius release Blotch, Nurton, Kram and Ding. They also agreed to release Musik für Metropolis which was Dieter Moebius’ swan-song.
When critics heard Musik für Metropolis it was hailed as another ambitious and genre-melting album, where Dieter Moebius, fused disparate musical genres. Elements of ambient, avant-garde and the Berlin School rub shudders with drone, electronica and experimental music. That is not forgetting industrial, Krautrock and musique concrète. They all become part of a musical tapestry, that is Musik für Metropolis. It was woven by the late, great Dieter Moebius.
He created four soundscapes that are variously atmospheric, dramatic, futuristic, melodic, menacing, mesmeric, poignant and full of tension. Always the cinematic music on Musik für Metropolis captivates and compels as Dieter Moebius paints pictures with music. This he does throughout Musik für Metropolis, which is a cinematic epic from one of the most important, innovative and influential musicians in the history of modern German music, Dieter Moebius.
He had spent six decades of his career creating ambitious and groundbreaking music. That was the case from his earliest days Kluster, Cluster and Harmonia, plus all the various collaborations that Dieter Moebius had been involved in. It was a similar case with Dieter Moebius’ solo career.
From Tonspuren in 1983 right through to Musik für Metropolis, Dieter Moebius was always a musical pioneer and someone who pushed musical boundaries to their limits and sometimes way beyond. That was the case on the six solo albums that bare Dieter Moebius’ name. They’re a reminder of one the most important, influential and innovative musicians in the history of German music. Dieter Moebius was a sonic pioneer and musical maverick, who constantly and continually sought to reinvent his music during the six albums he released during the solo years.
Dieter Moebius-Life After Cluster: The Solo Years.
ERIC GALE-9 IN 10, THE SOLO YEARS 1973-1983.
Eric Gale-9 In 10, The Solo Years 1973-1983
Jazz guitarist Eric Gale was born in Brooklyn, New York on September the ‘20th’ 1938, and by the time he was eleven, had already discovered music. Fittingly, it was guitarist Les Paul that piqued Eric Gale’s interest in music. When he heard Les Paul and his wife Mary Ford on the radio they were on their way to becoming one of the biggest stars of early fifties. Hearing Les Paul inspired Eric Gale to pickup a guitar for the first time.
Initially, Eric Gale had a few guitar lessons, and this was enough for him to learn the basics. Mostly, though, Eric Gale was a self-taught guitarist. However, by the time Eric Gale was twelve, he briefly turned his back on the guitar.
This came after Eric Gale’s father introduced him to Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie. Suddenly, twelve-year-old Eric Gale was captivated by bebop. Especially how quickly Bird and Dizzy Gillespie could play. Suddenly, Eric Gale wanted to try the saxophone.
Eric Gale’s father arranged for his son to start weekly saxophone lessons. However, after a month, Eric Gale decided that the saxophone wasn’t for him. He returned to the guitar, and spent the next few years honing his sound. This would pay off in the long run.
Having graduated high school, Eric Gale headed to Niagara University, where he studied chemistry. It was there that Eric Gale realised he didn’t want to pursue a career in science. So Eric Gale left academia behind, and decided to pursue a career as session musician.
By then, Eric was in his early twenties, and was a novice in terms of session work. Despite this, he caught a break. Bobby Lewis was looking for a guitarist for the session when Tossin’ and Turnin’ was recorded. Eric Gale got the job, and played alongside saxophonist King Curtis. He was so impressed by Eric Gale that he asked the young guitarist to play on his Old Gold album. By then, Bobby Lewis’ Tossin’ and Turnin’ had reached number one on the US R&B charts in 1961. Eric Gale’s career was underway.
After playing on a number one single and King Curtis’ Old Gold album, Eric Gale became a familiar face in New York Studios. He played on sessions by The Drifters, Maxime Brown, Aretha Franklin, Red Holloway, Clark Terry, Jimmy McGriff and Oliver Nelson. By 1967, Eric Gale was accompanying a young Van Morrison, drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie, Bobby Timmons and Herbie Mann. Unlike many session musicians, Eric Gale didn’t specialise in one type of music and could pay everything from jazz and soul to rock. That would be the case throughout his career as a session musician.
As the seventies dawned, there was no sating Eric Gale’s insatiable appetite for session work. He would have happily spend day and night in the studio. That had been the case in the sixties, and wasn’t going to change in the early seventies. Eric played on a number of sessions for Creed Taylor’s CTi and Kudu label. This included on albums by Quincy Jones, Johnny Hammond, Stanley Turrnetine, Hank Crawford and Esther Phillips. This gave Creed Taylor the opportunity to see and hear Eric Gale at close quarters. He liked what he heard, and in 1973, Creed Taylor signed Eric Gale to his Kudu imprint.
No longer was Eric Gale “just” a session musician, now he could add solo artist to his already impressive C.V. His debut solo album was Forecast, which was released later in 1973.
Forecast.
Forecast saw Eric Gale joined by some of the Big Apple’s top session players. They stepped up to the plate on an album where cover versions sit side-by-side with Eric Gale compositions. With his all-star band for company, Eric showcased his versatility, veering between jazz, funk, blues and soul-jazz. Prior to its release, reviews of Forecast were positive. Alas, after Forecast only reached twenty-two in the US Jazz charts, it proved to the only album Eric released on Kudu.
Negril.
It was another two years before Eric Gale released his sophomore album, Negril. By then, Eric Gale was living in Jamaica, where he was enjoying a well-earned sabbatical. Despite being on sabbatical, Eric Gale couldn’t stay away from music. and decided to record his sophomore album. He wrote, arranged and produced Negril at Harry J’s Studio in Kingston, in Jamaica. The album was an homage to the beautiful village of Negril and its unspoilt beaches. Once the album was complete, it was released in 1975.
When Negril was released in 1975, listeners discovered an album of laid-back, instrumental reggae. It was a very different album from Forecast, and one that showcased Eric’s versatility. This would be put to good use over the next couple of years.
Stuff
After a three-year sabbatical, Eric Gale returned to New York. When he arrived home, the money had run dry and he was without a job. Fortunately, one of the jazz supergroups were looking for a guitarist, and Eric Gale fitted the bill. Soon, he was member of Stuff.
With a lineup that featured bassist drummers Chris Parker Steve Gadd, bassist Gordon Edwards, guitarist Cornell Dupree and pianist Richard Tee, Stuff was worthy of being called a supergroup. Eric Gale played on Stuff’s 1976 eponymous album, and the 1977 followup More Stuff. Still thought, Eric Gale continued to work as a session musician, divided his time between Stuff and session work.
Still, he was literally happy to work around the clock, recording studios were like a second home to Eric Gale. During 1976, Eric Gale played on albums by Ashford and Simpson, Stanley Turrentine, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Bob James, Grover Washington, Paul Butterfield, Joe Coker, Patti Austin and Randy Crawford.
1977 was just as busy, with Eric Gale accompanying everyone from Ashford and Simpson, to Tom Scott, Bob James, Esther Phillips, Jun Fukamachi, Idris Muhammad, Yuseef Lateef and Kenny Loggins. However, 1977 was also the year Eric Gale was offered a solo deal by Columbia.
Ginseng Woman.
For Eric Gale, signing to Columbia meant he could rekindle his solo career which had been on hold for the past couple of years. Since then, Eric Gale’s music had changed his Columbia debut saw him debut a new sound.
When Ginseng Woman which was released in 1977, Eric Gale’s album of smooth jazz was reasonably well received by critics. Eric Gale was already one of the finest practitioners of the genre, and it was no surprise when Ginseng Woman reached 148 in the US Billboard 200, fifty-six in the US R&B charts and number seven in the US Jazz charts. This was a good start to Eric Gale’s career at Columbia considering disco was at the peak of its popularity.
Multiplication.
Buoyed by the success of Ginseng Woman, Eric Gale returned in 1978 with his second album for Columbia, Multiplication. Unfortunately for Eric Gale, Multiplication wasn’t as well received as Ginseng Woman. However, as usual, record buyers had the final say.
When Multiplication was released, it reached just number six in the US Jazz charts. Multiplication failed to trouble the US Billboard 200 and US R&B charts. For Eric Gale, this was disappointing.
Following the release of Multiplication, Eric Gale continued to juggle his various roles. In 1978, he worked with everyone from Carly Simon, to Billy Joel and Thijs van Leer. Eric Gale also worked on albums by Loleatta Holloway, Ashford and Simpson and his old friend Bob James. Still, Eric Gale found time to play and record with Stuff. Then there was the small matter of his third solo album for Columbia.
Part Of You.
Despite the disappointing performance of Multiplication, Eric Gale returned in 1979 with a new album, Part Of You. Before it was released, this album of smooth jazz garnered positive reviews from critics. Part Of You critics said was a return to form from Eric Gale.
Record buyers agreed, and Part Of You reached 154 in the US Billboard 200 and eleven in the US Jazz charts. Part Of You had almost replicated the success of Ginseng Woman, which was Eric Gale’s Columbia debut. Things were looking up for Eric Gale.
Touch Of Silk.
As a new decade dawned, Eric Gale returned in 1980 with his fourth album for Columbia Touch Of Silk. Despite the commercial success Part Of You enjoyed, Eric decided to change a winning formula on Touch Of Silk. He moved away from the smooth jazz of Part Of You, and Touch Of Silk showcases a sound that veered between funky to dark and bluesy. Eric Gale’s decision to change direction was a risky one, and he must have been hoping that it wouldn’t backfire.
While Touch Of Silk was well received by critics, record buyers turned their back on the album. The only success Touch Of Silk enjoyed was in the US Jazz charts, where it reached number twelve. For Eric Gale, this was the end of the road at Columbia.
Blue Horizon.
With Eric Gale’s time at Columbia at an end, he signed to Elektra/Musician. For Eric Gale this was a new start and he hoped that things were going to be different. He was going to dispense with the big name session players, and bring in an entirely new band. The other change Eric wanted to make, was to produce his albums at Elektra/Musician. First he had to get Bruce Lundvall to agree.
The question arose when Bruce Lundvall,who oversaw Elektra/Musician, asked who Eric Gale wanted to produce Blue Horizon. Immediately, and hopefully, Eric Gale through his name into the hat. To Eric’s delight, Bruce Lundvall agreed. Now Eric could and would explore various different musical genres.
For what became Blue Horizon, Eric Gale wrote Blue Horizon, Mako D’Amour and 97th and Columbus. Wait Until The City Sleeps was penned by Gene Ritchings and Mark Mazur while When Tokyo? was a Clive Phillips and Nasser Nasser composition. Peter Schott of Kid Creole and The Coconuts wrote Clock-A-Pa and cowrote Call Me At The Same Number with Winston Grennan. These seven songs were recorded by Eric’s new, hand-picked band.
Recording of Blue Horizon took place at House Of Music, New Jersey. The new band’s rhythm section featured drummers Freddie Waits and Winston Grennan, bassist Neddy Smith and rhythm guitarist Mark Mazur. They were joined by keyboardist Peter Schott, percussionist Nasser Nasser and Hugh Masakela on flugelhorn. Eric Gale took charge of lead guitar and produced Blue Horizon. Once recording of the album was complete, Blue Horizon was released in 1982.
Before that, critics had their say on Blue Horizon. They were surprised, but welcomed such an eclectic album. It was as if Eric had been reenergised by the move to Elektra/Musician. Despite this, Blue Horizon only reached twenty-nine on the US Jazz charts. This was a disappointment for Eric Gale and everyone involved.
Record buyers had missed out on an album that featured Eric Gale with a new-found musical freedom. He was allowed to explore new musical genres on Blue Horizon, a truly electric album that featured elements of blues, Caribbean, disco, dub, funk, jazz, pop and reggae. Elektra/Musician had afforded Eric Gale the freedom he longed for. With his new band, Eric Gale explored a variety of disparate new musical genres on Blue Horizon. He sounds as if he’s been reinvigorated, and as a result, delivers a series of almost flawless performances. Sadly, very few people heard Blue Horizon, which became one of the hidden gems of Eric Gale’s back-catalogue. However, later in 1982, Eric Gale returned with another solo album.
In The Shade Of A Tree
After releasing Blue Horizon, Eric Gale released In The Shade Of A Tree in Japan later in 1982. Stylistically, the album was similar to Blue Horizon, and was well received in Japan. In The Shade Of A Tree also sold well in Japan, where Eric was a popular artist. It was ironic that Eric Gale’s music was more popular halfway around the world than in his home country. Maybe his next album for Elektra/Musician would see Eric Gale’s fortunes improve in America?
Island Breeze.
Having released In The Shade Of A Tree, Eric Gale was constantly busy with various projects. He was a member of the NY-LA Dream Band, and had toured Japan with them. Then on his return, he had only a few days before he headed out to Montreux to record a live album. On his return, Eric Gale’s thoughts turned to his next album for Elektra/Musician.
For what became Island Breeze, Eric chose four cover versions. This included Bob James’ Boardwalk and Dark Romance. The other covers were Joe Sample’s My Momma Told Me So and Jeff Medina’s Island Breeze. Eric Gale’s new musical director Jimmy Kachulis penned We’ll Make It, Sooner Or Later and I Know That’s Right. These songs were recorded by a new lineup of Eric Gale’s band.
Since the recording of Blue Horizon, the lineup of Eric’s band had changed quite dramatically. The rhythm section now featured drummers Webb Thomas and Joey DeFrancesco bassist Neddy Smith and rhythm guitarists Mark Mazur and Jimmy Kachulis. They were joined by keyboardists Ted Lo and Andy Schwartz. This new lineup headed to Rosebud Recording Studio, New York, where Eric Gale took charge of production and played lead guitar. Once Island Breeze was complete, the album was released in 1983.
Before the release of Island Breeze, critics had their say on the followup to Blue Horizon. The reviews were positive, with critics enjoying an album of music that ranged from beautiful ballads to smooth fusion to reggae, funk, jazz and soul. For many, the uber funky, dancefloor friendly I Know That’s Right which closed Island Breeze was the highlight of the album.
When Island Breeze was released, it reached just thirty-five on the US Jazz charts. This was a huge blow for Eric Gale, especially considering the quality of music on Island Breeze, which brought Eric Gale’s career at Elektra/Musician to an end.
For Eric Gale, Island Breeze marked the end of the most productive period of his solo career. Between 1973 and 1983 Eric Gale, who is regarded as one of the greatest jazz guitarists of his generation, released nine albums. These albums contain the best music of Eric Gale’s solo career, and are the perfect starting place to newcomers to his music. Sadly, many of these albums failed to find the audience that they deserved, and Eric Gale remains one of jazz’s best kept secrets.
Many people will know the name Eric Gale through his work as a session musician. During his career Eric Gale played on over 500 albums, accompanying the great and good of music. From 1967 to 1994 Eric Gale was the go-to guitarist for many musicians. Eric Gale was a truly talented and versatile guitarist who could switch seamlessly between genres, even in mid-song. This he often did on the eleven albums he released during his recording career.
Sadly, Eric Gale’s career was cut tragically short when he passed away on May the ‘25th’ 1994, in Baja California, Mexico, asked just fifty-five. That day, music was robed of one of its most talented sons, Eric Gale, who left behind a rich musical legacy, including the nine albums he released between 1973 and 1983, which was the most prolific and successful period of his solo career.
Eric Gale-9 In 10, The Solo Years 1973-1983
STEVE YOUNG-THE STORY OF A MUSICAL PIONEER AND FREE SPIRIT.
Steve Young-The Story Of A Musical Pioneer and Free Spirit.
Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll, there have been countless examples of truly talented and gifted artists music whose music failed to find the audience it deserved during their lifetime. This ranges from Nick Drake and Gram Parsons and to some extent, Tim Buckley. It’s only in death that their music started to received the attention and critical acclaim it so richly deserves. Sadly, that is also the case with Steve Young, who passed away just over a year ago, on ‘17th’ March 2016, aged just seventy-three. Sadly, very few people outside of a small coterie of musical connoisseurs were aware of Steve Young’s music.
Despite that, most people withe even a passing interest in music would instantly recognise one of Steve Young’s best known songs.This was Seven Bridges Road, which had been covered by everyone from Rita Coolidge, Joan Baez and Dolly Parton to The Eagles, Ian Matthews. The royalties Steve Young received from other artists covering Seven Bridges Road, allowed Steve Young to live his life on his own terms. While that is something many people would welcome, deep down Steve Young must have felt disappointed that his music didn’t find a wider audience. However, Steve Young was grateful that the steady stream of money the royalties from Seven Bridges Road brought him made his life more comfortable than it had been growing up.
Steve Young was born in Newnan, Georgia on the ‘12th’ of July 1942, into a family of sharecroppers. His father who was a Native Indian, and had been a sharecropper since the age of thirteen. Life as a sharecropper was tough, and money was tight. To make matters worse, Steve’s father was often getting into trouble. As a result, the family were often on the move. Eventually, they settled in Gadsden, Alabama. By then, Steve knew how he wanted to make a living.
Ever since he had been a young boy, Steve had listened to music, and it made life that bit more bearable. He could see the beauty in music, especially, the Southern music, which Steve listened to. However, from an early age, Steve Young wasn’t content to listen to music. When people asked him what he wanted to do, he told them he wanted to be a singer, songwriter and musicians. To most people, this was a pipe dream.
Things changed when Steve’s grandfather took him to a swap meet, where he saw a warp necked Silvertone guitar. It was love at first sight. Steve tried to talk his grandfather into getting him the guitar. However, the answer was no, and a disappointed Steve returned home.
Still, he was determined to get a guitar of his own, and when he was fourteen, his mother relented and agreed to buy Steve his first guitar. She bought Steve a Gibson ES 125 thin body electric guitar. This was enough to make his dreams come true, and he hoped, follow in the footsteps of Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley at Sun Records.
By the time Steve had mastered his guitar, the folk boom had hit Birmingham, Alabama. Despite his love of Southern music, Steve started playing folk music. By his early twenties, Steve was a regular face on Birmingham music scene, and was regarded as one of the city’s rising stars.
During gigs he played a mixture of his own songs and covers of Bob Dylan songs. Sometimes, he took to the mic and started voicing his support for the nascent civil rights movement. While this was admirable, such talk was dangerous in Birmingham, Alabama, which was Klan country.
Some folks around Birmingham, Alabama didn’t take kindly to folk singers talking about equality and civil rights. Especially, ones like Steve, who after gigs, headed out on the town and enjoyed carousing. Sometimes, this lead to trouble, but Steve didn’t seem to care. He was determined to live life on his own terms. This included voicing his support for the civil rights movement. Fortunately, he never came to any harm, and in 1963, left Birmingham, Alabama.
This came about after Steve met Richard Lockmiller and Jim Miller, who were both folk musicians. They had signed to Capitol Records as a folk duo Richard and Jim, and were heading to Los Angeles to record their debut album. Steve joined the pair on their road trip, and in LA, played on Richard and Jim’s 1963 debut album Folk Songs and Other Songs.
Steve’s guitar playing on Folk Songs and Other Songs, brought him to the attention of other musicians. It was a similar case when Richard and Jim played live, Steve’s playing brought him to the attention of other musicians and record buyers. One of the first musicians to discover Steve Young was Van Dyke Parks.
From the first time he saw Steve play live, he realised that he was a cut above most musicians. Here was a versatile and talented singer and guitarist who seamlessly could switch between disparate musical genres. His live act saw Steve playing folk, blues and even a hint of Celtic music. The audience was enthralled by Steve’s vocal and virtuoso performance on guitar. Despite this, Steve spent time busking on Sunset Strip. This was only temporary.
Soon, Steve was about to go up in the world when he joined the ranks of LA’s session musicians. He also became the lead guitarist for the Steve Battin Band. After shows, Steve partied with some of the biggest names in the LA scene, including Mama Cass, Tim Hardin and Van Dyke Parks. At these parties, Steve partied hard, drinking and taking drugs in ever-increasing greater qualities. Still, though, Steve turning up for sessions the next day and even formed a new band with two well-known names.
The Gas Company included Van Dyke Parks and a young Stephen Stills, who played rhythm guitar. However, The Gas Company was just a stepping stone for Stephen Stills en route to greater things. Meanwhile, Steve’s life was professional and personal life was changing.
He met and married Terry Newkirk, who with Roger Tillison performed as The Gypsy Trips. Now a married man, Steve decided to take a job as a postman to make ends meet. However, he hadn’t given up on his dream.
It was only a matter of time before Steve caught a break, and was approached by Stone Country’s manager. They were looking for a guitarist, and Steve fitted the bill. He played on their debut album. Not long after this, Steve’s dream came true when he was signed by A&M.
This was the break he had been waiting for, and the twenty-six year old began work with producer Tommy LiPuma. Backed by a band that featured some top LA session players, plus Gram Parsons and Gene Clark. Gradually, Rock, Salt and Nails took shape, and was released in 1969. Sadly, the album passed an indifferent record buying public by. They had overlooked what’s now regarded as one of the hidden gems of the late-sixties, Rock, Salt and Nails.
After the commercial failure of Rock, Salt and Nails, Steve did a lot of soul-searching, and with a heavy heart announced that he was turning his back on music. This was something that he had never envisaged would happen. However, there was only so long anyone could struggle to make ends meet, with the hope that one day, he might make a breakthrough. Steve decided to make a fresh start and he and his wife left LA, and headed to San Francisco, where they settled in the Bay Area.
This was a new start for Steve, and was the first day of his life after music. However, by then, all Steve knew was music. He and Terry Newkirk setup a guitar shop in San Anselmo in 1970. It was the new start Steve had been looking for. That was until Andy Wickham of Reprise Records came calling.
When Steve turned his back on music, he was still under contract to A&M. Andy Wickham who had followed Steve’s career approached A&M to ask if they would be willing to release him from the contract. They agreed, and now all Andy Wickham had to do was convince Steve to sign on the dotted line.
Given Steve was disillusioned with life as a professional musician, this was going to be easier said than done. Especially with the new guitar shop up and running. However, for Andy Wickham it was a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained. He approached Steve about signing to Reprise, and eventually, he agreed to make a comeback.
Once Steve had signed to Reprise, he was paired with Ry Cooder, who would produce his first single for the label. The song chosen for the single was Bob Dylan’s Down In The Flood, which was retitled as Crash On the Levee. On the B-Side was The White Trash Song. Once the single was recorded, it was released in 1970. Despite featuring a barnstorming performance from Steve Young, and a guest appearance from guitarist Ry Cooder, the single failed to trouble the charts. History was repeating itself.
After the failure of Crash On the Levee, a decision was made to pair Steve with a new producer. After just one single, the Steve Young and Ry Cooder partnership was over. Replacing Ry Cooder was Nashville based Paul Tannen. This was a strange decision, given Nashville in 1970 was, and to some extent, still is, a conservative town. Steve Young with liberal politics, wasn’t going to be well received in some quarters. That proved to be the case.
Steve Young journeyed to Nashville, to meet his new producer and record his sophomore album. He was aware that Paul Tannen had penned twenty songs and had around forty production credits to his name. This experience Steve hoped would be put to good use when he recorded his sophomore album. However, Steve was in for a surprise.
When Steve met Paul Tannen, he quickly came to the conclusion that his new producer was more of interested in music publishing than songwriting. This didn’t bode well for the future. However, Nashville had some of the best session musicians in America, and Steve hoped some of them would join him in the studio.
Before recording got underway, Steve was joined by Paul Tannen and some top session players. When they ran through the songs, some of the musicians took umbrage to the lyrics. To make matters worse, Steve’s liberal politics and outlook on life didn’t going down well with some of the band. As the session got underway, it soon became apparent that the band weren’t all on the same page. Some of the musicians couldn’t understand how to play the songs. It wasn’t the type of music they were used to playing. By then, the decision to record in Nashville and the choice of Paul Tannen as producer wasn’t looking like the right one. Steve later, would claim that he ended up producing what later became Seven Bridges Road himself. However, it wasn’t an easy album to record.
For parts of the session, there was an undercurrent and a degree of tension. Partly, this was because of the difficulties had understanding how to play their parts, but also because some members of some the band and Steve Young were polar opposites. Steve was a sixties child with liberal politics and views, while the band were older, and much more conservative. With his long hair, and liberal views, some of the band most likely saw Steve as a hippy from California. He saw some of the band as rednecks, and the type of people who he had spent his life avoiding. It was the case of never the two shall meet. However, in Nashville session musicians were professionals, and the album was eventually recorded. Steve hotfooted it home to San Francisco.
When Steve Young arrived home, he brought with him what would eventually become Seven Bridges Road. He took the tapes which featured twelve songs to Andy Wickham at Reprise. They listened to the tapes, and before long, everyone in the room realised that despite the difficulties Steve had experienced recording Seven Bridges Road, it was a very special album.
That was the case from the opening song, Seven Bridges Road, which is a beautiful, haunting paean to Terry Newkirk who Steve had to leave behind in San Francisco when he travelled to Nashville to record the album. Steve who was obviously homesick and missing his wife, lays bare his soul, and sets the bar high for the rest of the album.
While everyone at Reprise Records realised that they had heard a very special album, they had no idea how to market the album that showcased Steve’s new Southern country sound which was now fully formed. There was even a diversion via the blues on Ragtime Blue Guitar where a defiant Steve sings: “I’ve a right to sing these blues as he records in Nashville. Seven Bridges Road was very different from the country music that was being released at that time. Reprise Records were faced with the same problems as A&M when realising Steve Young’s debut album, what to do with it? The problem was, the album was way ahead of its time.
Steve Young was a musical visionary who was the architect of a new Southern country sound. This was a forerunner of the outlaw sound, which Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson later went on to pioneer. Sadly, very few record buyers would know of the part Steve Young played in musical history.
On its release in 1972, Seven Bridges Road failed to find an audience, and before long the album couldn’t be found record shop shelves. Steve who watched his dream destroyed for the second time, for the second time, turned his back and music.
He and Terry Newkirk sold their guitar shop and bought some land in Nashville. They built a log cabin and raised their son Jubal. The couple went on what Steve later called: “your basic vegetarian-mystical trip.” This lasted for a while, until Steve started drinking heavily. That was when Terry Newkirk packed her bags and left. Quickly, Steve’s life was unravelling. That was until Jim Terr entered the picture.
Jim Terr owned Blue Canyon Records, and thought that Seven Bridges Road was the best record ever committed to vinyl. When Steve told him the album wasn’t even in circulation, the pair started hatching a plan.
The first part of the plan was to get Steve playing live again. He started playing around Albuquerque and then rerecorded The White Trash Song with The Last Mile Ramblers. After that, Jim Terr discussed with Steve buying the master to Seven Bridges Road from Warners, with a view to reissuing the album. Jim Terr hit Warners with a lowball offer, and they accepted.
Before reissuing Seven Bridges Road, two changes to the track-listing were made. The newly rerecorded version of The White Trash Song replacing the Nashville version. A cover of Merle Haggard’s I Can’t Hold Myself In Line replaced One Car Funeral Procession. Both of these songs that featured on Blue Canyon Records’ 1973 reissue of Seven Bridges Road. However, although Blue Canyon Records was a small company, that didn’t have a distribution network like Warners, the reissue of Seven Bridges Road introduced Steve Young to more record buyers. Still, though, he was one of music’s best kept secrets.
Sadly, that continued to be the case with Steve Young’s next three albums finding a limited audience. His third album was Honky-Tonk Man, which was released on Mountain Railroad Records in 1975. Despite its quality, again, the album failed to find the wider audience it deserved. Despite that, the following year, RCA Victor took a chance on Steve Young, and the original outlaw released Renegade Picker in 1976. It was the same old story, with the Renegade Picker showcasing a talented singer, songwriter and musician, whose music was enjoyed by a small coterie of discerning record buyers. There was no improvement in record sales after No Place To Fall in 1978, and RCA and Steve Young parted company.
After that, Steve Young’s spiralled out of control. He seems hellbent on destruction, and nearly drank himself to death. Eventually, he entered a clinic for homeless alcoholics in Nashville. It was during his stay in the clinic, that Steve realised that his lifestyle had come close to destroying him. He made the decision to embrace his Native Indian heritage and became a Buddhist. His new approach to life worked, and Steve managed to rebuild his life. It took time but paid off.
It wasn’t until 1981 that Steve Young returned with a new album. It was a remixed version of Seven Bridges Road, with a different track-listing. There’s a remixed version Seven Bridges Road plus new songs like Down in the Flood, Ballad of William Sycamore, My Oklahoma, Wild Goose and Days Of 49. The reissue of Seven Bridges Road meant that the album was available for a new generation of record buyers to discover.
By then, Steve Young had released another new album To Satisfy You, which was released on Mill Records in 1981. This marked the next start in the reinvention of Steve Young. Another five years passed before Steve returned with a much more experimental album, while Look Homeward Angel in 1986 which showcased a much more contemporary sound. That was the last album Steve released during the eighties.
He returned in 1990 with Long Time Rider, with Switchblades Of Love following three years later in 1993. Still, interest in Steve’s music and his landmark album Seven Bridges Road continued to grow. Despite that, Steve didn’t release another album until Primal Young in 1999. The sixty year old had released his best album in recent. However, after that albums continued to be sporadic.
It wasn’t until 2005 that Steve released Songlines Revisited Volume One, where he revisited many of his best known songs. The White Trash Song, Montgomery In The Rain, Rock Salt and Nails and of course Seven Bridges Road were all rerecorded. Steve sold the album at his gigs when he played live. Two years later in 2007, Steve Young released the live album Stories Round The Horseshoe Bend. Sadly, it was his swan-song.
Although Steve Young continued to play until 2010, he never released another album. That was despite having around a 100 songs that he had yet to record. Sadly hey never saw the light of day, because on the ‘17th’ March 2016, aged just seventy-three, Steve Young passed away. That day, music lost one of its most talented sons. His greatest album is Seven Bridges Road which nowadays, is regarded as a true cult classic and the perfect introduction to Steve Young.
Nowadays Steve Young is regarded as a pioneer of the Southern country sound which was a foreigner of the outlaw sound. With his maverick ways and a defiant attitude to authority Steve Young was also a musical outlaw. In music and live, Steve Young was a free spirit who did things his way.
Sadly, despite enjoying a lengthy career, Steve Young’s music never enjoyed the success it deserved. That was despite Steve Young being one of the finest purveyors of what Gram Parson called Cosmic American Music. It’s only relatively recently that Steve Young’s music is starting to find a wider audience, and maybe he will no longer be one of music’s best kept secrets?
Steve Young-The Story Of A Musical Pioneer and Free Spirit.
SPAIN’S FIRST LADY OF MUSIC-SUSANA ESTRADA.
Spain’s First Lady Of Music-Susana Estrada.
Ever since 1939, the brutal Francoist regime had ruled Spain with an iron fist. This came to an end with the death of dictator Francisco Franco on ’20th’ November 1975. After Franco’s death, control of Spain passed to King Juan Carlos. By then, Spain was in a state of paralysis, and had been, during the last few months of Franco’s reign. The Spanish people hoped that things were about to change.
They hoped that after the death of Franco, that Spain’s transition to a liberal democratic state could begin. The transition began on ’20th’ November 1975 with the passing of Franco, and took nearly seven years until the electoral victory of the socialist PSOE party on the ‘28th’ October 1982. That seven-year period is nowadays remembered in Spain as the ‘transition’, and marked a new beginning for the Spanish people.
The transition to democracy saw a liberalisation of values and social mores. Suddenly, the Spanish people were enjoying their newfound freedom. This was something that hadn’t previously existed under the Francoist regime. Life, the Spanish people were realising, was for living and this coincided with a sexual revolution that began during the transition.
During the transition and sexual revolution, singer, model and actress and Susana Estrada represented the new Spain. She was independent and modern women, who lived her life on her terms. Susana Estrada wanted to bring about change, and was an advocate for women’s rights, sexual liberation and freedom. One of the ways she sought to bring about change was through her music, and Susana Estrada was at the vanguard of change that took place during the transition in Spain.
Susana Estrada was born in the city of Gijón, in 1949. By then, Franco had ruled Spain since 1936. Growing up, Susana Estrada she watched as the Francoist regime crushed their opponents mercilessly. Many of Franco’s opponents were imprisoned, others disappeared in mysterious circumstances and some were murdered. For anyone who grew up in Spain the forties and fifties, life was tough. It certainly was for Susana Estrada.
By the time she was twenty-one, Susana Estrada had been married, had two children and was now divorced. She was left to bring up two children on her own. This she managed to do on the salary she received working as a librarian. However, Susana Estrada had dreams beyond working in a library. What she really wanted to do, was work as a fashion model.
Eventually, Susana Estrada left her job as a librarian, to embark upon a career as a fashion model. Initially, she worked for small, local companies, but within a year had been accepted into Madrid’s official model school. It looked like Susana Estrada’s dream was about to come true. However, it turned out that Susana Estrada wasn’t tall enough. Even when she took to wearing fifteen centimetre heels, she wasn’t tall enough. For Susana Estrada, it looked as if her career as a model was over before it began.
It looked unlikely that Susana Estrada would ever model for magazines like Vogue or luxury clothing brands, she found her own niche within the fashion world. Susana Estrada modelled the ready-made, pret-à-porter fashion lines. Sometimes, though, she was recruited by overseas model agencies, and occasionally found herself featuring on album cover. By 1971, Susana Estrada had gone up in the world.
She made her acting debut in El Zorro de Monterrey in 1971, which was the start of Susana Estrada’s acting career. During the second half of the seventies, Susana Estrada began to feature in a new genre of film, Destape which were erotic comedies. However, before long, Susana Estrada realised that to make a career in the movie industry: “you had to pay a high price and do some things I didn’t want to do.” However, by then, Susana Estrada had embarked on a new chapter in her career.
This began in 1976, when she started acting in erotic musicals. Her debut came in 1976, in Historias del Strip-Tease which was roundly panned by critics. Despite the terrible reviews, it was a huge commercial success and turned Susana Estrada into a star. However, this came at a cost: “in the beginning, women hated me. They thought that I was lacking decorum, that I was shameless, lecherous, rude…Not all of them but the vast majority. People were not ready for this.”
After featuring in several erotic musicals, Susana Estrada became a sex counsellor in the magazine Play-Lady. At one point, she was receiving 7,000 letters a week. By then, Susana Estrada’s new role was attracting the attention of Franco’s regime. She was accused of public scandal, fined, had her passport cancelled and banned from voting for ten years. This was just the latest controversy for Susana Estrada, who was skating on thin ice. Any further controversy could see her receive further sanctions from the Franco regime. Most people would’ve kept a low profile.
Susana Estrada wasn’t most people, and was about to embark on a career as a singer. Her debut single Ya Me Voy De Tu Vida was released on Odeon in 1978. It was written by Alejandro Jaén, who co-produced the single with Marion Bronley. They were responsible for a single that had been heavily influenced by both classic disco, and the Munich Sound, which was pioneered by Giorgio Moroder. The release of Ya Me Voy De Tu Vida marked the start of a new chapter in Susana Estrada’s career. Despite this, she continued her career in musicals.
Between 1978 and 1980, the musicals that Susana Estrada appeared in grew in popularity. However, they became increasingly explicit. By then, Spain was undergoing a period of transition, and Susana Estrada was campaigning for women’s rights, sexual liberation and freedom. Still, though, some women didn’t approve of what she was doing, and felt it was demeaning. However, Susana Estrada remembers: “I fought very hard for women’s rights. I knew that through sexual liberation you obtain total freedom. This was something which men knew at first and women discovered it late.” Susana Estrada was determined to bring about change, and didn’t seem to care if she caused controversy. Her sophomore single would certainly prove controversial.
Two years after releasing her debut single, Susana Estrada returned in 1980 with her sophomore single Acaríciame, which was released on the Barcelona based Belter label. Acaríciame was written by Carlos Moncada, Félix Lapardi and Óscar Rubio, with Josep Llobell Oliver taking charge of the production. They played their part in the success of Acaríciame, which resulted in Susana Estrada recording and releasing her debut album, Machos.
Susana Estrada entered the studio in 1980, and recorded eight tracks which featured in Machos, which was the musical that she was appearing in. This included the robotic funk of Espacial and the space cosmic disco of Hagamos El Amor which were both written by the songwriting partnership of C. De Las Eras and Manuel Gas. When the album was recorded, Belter scheduled the release for later in 1980. However, Susana Estrada and her legion of fans were in for a surprise when Machos was released by Belter as a cassette album in 1980. Nowadays, Susana Estrada’s Machos is a much coveted collector’s item that changes hands for upwards of £100. That is despite Amor Y Libertad, rather than Machos as being regarded as Susana Estrada’s official debut album.
When Susana Estrada came to record Amor Y Libertad, it featured ten songs penned by Carlos De Las Heras. They were recorded at the Belter Studio, in Barcelona, with producer by Josep Llobell Oliver. To accompany Susana Estrada, he had brought onboard Atlanta a talented and experienced funk group who were familiar faces on the local music scene. The combination of Susana Estrada, Atlanta and Josep Llobell Oliver resulted in what would eventually be regarded as a Euro Disco and cosmic disc classic, Amor Y Libertad.
Initially, Amor Y Libertad was underrated and didn’t receive the recognition many thought it deserved. Critics didn’t seem to ‘get’ Amor Y Libertad, despite its innovative fusion of boogie, cosmic disco, funk, Italo Disco, modern soul and the Munich Sound. Maybe critics were shocked by what many regarded as provocative lyrics, sensual vocals and moans and groans? If that was the case, then songs about sexual liberation and freedom were definitely going to get critics hot under the collar. The reception that Amor Y Libertad received was hugely disappointing for everyone involved in the project.
It was only later that Amor Y Libertad began to receive the recognition it deserved. Nowadays, though, Amor Y Libertad is regarded as a Euro Disco and cosmic disco classic, That comes as no surprise, given the quality of music on the album, and somewhat belatedly, Amor Y Libertad received the recognition it deserved.
After the release of Amor Y Libertad, Susana Estrada released Mi Chico Favorito as a single later in 1981. This was Susana Estrada’s penultimate release during the eighties.
Susana Estrada’s eighties swan-song was the cassette mini album Historias Inconfesables. It was released by Star Grabaciones Originals later in 1981 and was billed by those within conservative Spain as a: “porno-cassette.” Nowadays, Historias Inconfesables is a real rarity which is almost impossible to find.
It’s a similar case with Susana Estrada’s most recent album Tócame, which was recorded in 2007, and is best described as Hi-Energy meets Euro Disco. It was a low-key, self-released album by one of the most controversial figures in Spanish music, Susana Estrada.
She was the one time model who went on to enjoy a career as an actress, agony aunt and singer. Susana Estrada also fought for women’s rights, sexual liberation and freedom. Sadly, her campaigning is often overshadowed by parts of her career that caused controversy. This may not have been the case in America, Britain or other parts of Europe. However, Spain which was a conservative catholic country, which was in a period of transition from a dictatorship to democracy.
Many people were unprepared for Susana Estrada, who was regarded and perceived as an outspoken, and sometimes, outrageous and controversial figure even in the eighties. By then, her campaigning and much of her music meant that the establishment and press in Spain portrayed Susana Estrada as a controversial figure. That was somewhat ironic.
What Susana Estrada was campaigning for was women’s rights, sexual liberation and freedom, which were things that women in other parts of Europe, Britain and America took for granted. Alas, in the newly democratic Spain, Susana Estrada’s campaigns caused controversy in the corridors of power. Maybe Spain’s patriarchy were scared or intimated by a strong and independent woman who was willing to make a stand for what she believed in?
Despite being fined, having her passport cancelled and losing her vote for ten years, Susana Estrada wasn’t going to be silenced. She continued to speak for all the Spanish women who had no way of making their views heard. They had been treated as second class citizens during the Francoist regime, and early in Susana Estrada’s career she became the voice of all Spanish women. In doing so, she risked the wrath of the brutal Francoist regime and could’ve lost her liberty. However, Susana Estrada was willing to stand up for what she believed and continued to do so, throughout a career that lasted four decades.
Throughout her musical career, Susana Estrada became the voice of all Spanish women, and the Spanish Euro Disco diva used her music to reach a wider audience. Susana Estrada who was and is a confinement and modern woman spoke for and to Spanish women, and advised, counselled and campaigned for women’s rights, sexual liberation and the freedom that women in other parts of Europe took for granted. Spain’s first lady of music was determined to make a difference and the grey men in the corridors of power called in favours from their friends in the press and media to blacken Susana Estrada’s name and portray her as a controversial and outrageous figure. However, while nobody remembers the mendacious politicians who were part of a patriarchal political system, they remember Susana Estrada, Spain’s first lady of music not just for the music she made, but for her campaigning and counselling which is part of her legacy.
Spain’s First Lady Of Music-Susana Estrada.
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BETTYE SWANN.
The Life and Times Of Bettye Swann.
The Bettye Swann story is a case of what might have been. She could’ve and should’ve been one of the biggest names in soul music. That looked like being the case when Bettye Swann released her debut single Don’t Wait To Long in 1964. Three years later, in 1967, Betty Swann was topping the US R&B charts with Make Me Yours. The future looked bright for Bettye Swann and critics forecast she was about to enjoy a long and successful career.
Sadly, that wasn’t to be and Bettye Swann never scaled the same heights. Apart from a couple of minor hit singles, commercial success eluded Bettye Swann. Her recording career was over by 1976, and in 1980, Bettye Swann gave her last concert. Later that year, Betty’s husband and manager George Barton died in 1980,
Following the death of her husband and manager, Bettye Swann retired from the music industry aged thirty-six. It was then that Bettye decided upon a change of name and career. In a sense Bettye Swann died and Bettye Barton was born. The “newly born” Bettye Swan embarked on a career in education in Las Vegas and became a Jehovah’s Witness. Never again, did Bettye return to soul music.
Thirty-six years after Bettye Swann turned her back on music, her music is more popular than ever. Six compilations of Bettye Swann’s music has been released, and her songs regularly feature on compilations. That’s how a new generation of record buyers have discovered one of the finest voices in soul music, Bettye Swann. Her story began in Shreveport, Louisiana, on October 24th 1944.
That’s the date that Betty Jean Champion was born. She was one of fourteen children. Betty grew up in Arcadia, Louisiana. It wasn’t until Bettye was in her teens that she starting singing secular music. She became part of The Fawns, a vocal group who sung locally. However, in 1963, when Bettye Swann was nineteen, she decided to move to Los Angeles, where she would stay with her sister.
Once she had settled in Los Angeles, Betty was spotted by songwriter Huey Harris. Realising that Bettye Swann had potential, Huey Harris told Betty about a friend of his, Al Scott who ran Money Records.
Just like Huey Harris, Al Scott spotted Bettye Swann’s potential and wanted to sign her to Money Records. However, he didn’t like her name. So he advised Bettye Swann to change her name. She needed something that rolled off the tongue. He had a think, and came up with Bettye Swann. That was more showbiz. With a new name, she signed to Money Records.
Soon, Bettye Swann’s life was transformed. Not only had she a new name, but a manager. She had began writing what she hoped would become her first hit. After a few false starts, Bettye Swann had penned Make Me Yours, which would become her first single.
Recording of Make Me Yours, took place at Gold Star Records, In L.A. Al Scott put together a tight, talented band. For the flip side, Huey Harris’ What Is The World Coming To was chosen? This was Al Scott’s way of thanking Huey Harris for bringing Bettye Swann to Money Records. With Doc Siegel engineering the sessions, Make Me Yours and What Is The World Coming To were recorded at the foot of the Hollywood hills in late 1964. Now that Bettye’s debut single was recorded, all that was left, was to release it.
The release was scheduled for late December 1964. Before that, Money Records began promoting their latest singing’s debut single. Money Records didn’t skimp on promotion, and this paid off. By February 1965, Don’t Wait Too Long had reached number twenty-seven in the US R&B charts. For Bettye Swann, this was the stuff dreams were made of. However, the tricky thing was coming up with another hit single.
For the followup The Man That Said No was chosen. Bettye Swann and Huey Harris cowrote The Man That Said No. The single was released later in June 1965. Everything was looking good for Bettye Swann. She had booked to appear on television, where she would sing her new single. Accompanying her, were The Blossoms, who would add backing vocals. This was great publicity. Al Scott must have thought this would boost sales. Ultimately, it didn’t. Bettye’s sophomore single was a commercial failure. For Bettye Swann, it was back to the drawing board.
The song chosen for Bettye’s third single was The Heartache Is Gone. It showcased the new soul sound which was seen as the future of soul. Tucked away on the B-Side was a heart wrenching ballad Our Love. It’s another Bettye Swann composition, and could’ve been released as a single. Sadly, that wasn’t to be. Our Love was destined to be just a flip side. When The Heartache Is Gone was released in 1966, it failed commercially. By then, Al Scott had started to work on Bettye Swann’s debut album.
When work began of Bettye Swann’s debut album, the plan was to used her first three singles and some of the flip sides. New songs would be recorded at Gold Star. They would become Bettye Swann’s debut album. That never happened.
With Bettye’s last two singles failed commercially, the proposed album was shelved. For Bettye this was a huge disappointment. However, Al Scott hadn’t lost faith in Bettye Swann.
He sent her back into the studio. At Arts Studio Bettye recorded a song she had penned, Make Me Yours. For the flip side, I Will Not Cry was chosen. After Bettye had cut Make Me Yours, her career was transformed.
Make Me Your was released in April 1967. Straight away, the track began to climb the charts. Eventually, it reached number one on the US R&B charts and number twenty-one on the US Billboard 100. After three long and frustrating years, Bettye Swann had made a breakthrough. Now came the hard bit, following up Make Me Yours.
For the followup Fall In Love With Me was chosen. This was another song penned by Bettye. When it was released in August 1967, it charted, but stalled at just thirty-six in the US R&B charts. While this was disappointing compared to Make Me Yours, it took Bettye Swann’s tally of hits to three in three years. She was hot property. So Al Scott’s thoughts turned to Bettye Swann’s debut album.
Rather than rush out Bettye’s debut album, Al Scott decided to rerecord some of the tracks. This included two B-Sides, I Will Not Cry and Lonely Love. New tracks were recorded, including The Temptations’ Don’t Look Back, Ray Charles’ I Can’t Stop Loving You and Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Cone. With the album completed, it was released in 1967 as Make Me Yours.
Despite the effort of everyone at Money Records put into the release of Make Me Yours, the album wasn’t a commercial success. The album passed records by. This was hugely disappointing for Al Scott, whose thoughts turned to Bettye Swann’s next single.
The song chosen was a track from Make Me Yours, Don’t Look Back. Hidden away on the B-Side You Gave Me Love. It falls into the category of hidden gem. Don’t Look Back was released in 1968, but failed commercially. Things weren’t going well for Bettye Swann. Her time at Money Records was almost at an end.
Bettye Swann would only released one more single on Money Records. Don’t Take My Mind was another track from Make Me Yours. It was paired with the soul-baring I Think I’m Falling In Love. History repeated itself when Don’t Take My Mind failed to chart. That proved to be the end of two chapters in Bettye Swann’s career.
The money spent on promoting Bettye’s Make Me Yours album had taken its toll on Money Records’ finances. This wasn’t helped by the failure of her last two singles. Something had to give. So, Bettye Swann left Money Records.
Just a year after enjoying a number one single, Bettye Swann parted company with Al Scott. Not only did Al Scott produce and manage Bettye Swann, but they had been a couple. Their relationship faltered, and by 1968, Bettye Swann had a new manager George Barton.
Following her departure from Money Records, Bettye and George Barton moved to Athens, Georgia. George Barton who was twenty years older than Bettye, was a veteran of the music industry. He knew his way around the music business, and in mid-1968 Bettye Swann signed to what was one of the biggest, and most prestigious labels in music, Capitol Records. So far, so good.
Now Capitol Records had to pair Bettye Swann with a producer. They decided to pair Bettye Swann with Wayne Shuler. He was a relative newcomer to Capitol Records. Most people would’ve called Wayne Shuler a rookie, but that wasn’t the case. Wayne’s father was Eddie Shuler, the producer and owner of Goldband Records. From an early age, he had taught Wayne tricks of the trade. So when he began work at Capitol Records, he had an edge on the real “rookies.” He was well versed not just in soul and R&B. All of a sudden, the pairing of Wayne and Bettye Swann made sense. Maybe Wayne could get Bettye’s career back on track?
Unlike Money Records, Capitol Records’ priority was albums. That was where the money was to be made. Singles were a bonus. Despite this, Bettye Swann’s Capitol Records debut was a single,
I’m Lonely For You. It’s another of Bettye’s compositions. So was the B-Side was (My Heart Is) Closed For The Season. It had a much more grownup sound, and featured Bettye singing about the travails of life. This was the polar opposite of the pop soul of I’m Lonely For You. However, (My Heart Is) Closed For The Season was the direction Bettye’s music would take in the future. Maybe that was as well.
When I’m Lonely For You was released in August 1968, the single failed to chart. This wasn’t a good start to Bettye’s time at Capitol Records. However, better times weren’t far away.
For Bettye’s second single for Capitol Records, Bettye covered Hank Cochran’s Don’t Touch Me. When it was released in January 1969, it reached number fourteen in the US R&B charts. Now all thoughts turned to Bettye Bettye Swann’s first album for Capitol Records.
Ten tracks had been chosen for what became The Soul View Now! Only two of the tracks were penned by Betty. The rests were cover versions. This included Otis Redding’s These Arms of Mine, Chip Taylor’s Angel Of The Morning, Don Gibson’s Sweet Dreams. So do John D. Loudermilk’s Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye and Aaron Neville’s Tell It Like It Is. They both feature on The Very Best Of Bettye Swann. However, back in 1969, some of the top session players accompanied Bettye on The Soul View Now! Once the album was soon recorded, it was ready for release.
Bettye Swann’s first album for Capitol Records, The Soul View Now! was released in the first half of 1969. It reached number forty-eight in the US R&B Charts. Bettye’s luck seemed to be changing.
For her next single, the Chip Taylor penned Angel Of The Morning was chosen and was released in May 1969, but failed to chart. This was another disappointment for Bettye Swann and executives at Capitol Records. However, still Capitol Records had faith in Bettye Swann and sent her back into the studio.
Capitol Records didn’t spare any expense. Some top session musicians were drafted in to record the ten tracks. They accompanied Bettye, while Wayne Shuler produced Don’t You Ever Get Tired Of Hurting Me? Among the songs Bettye and her band recorded were Don’t You Ever Get Tired Of Hurting Me?, Little Things Mean A Lot, You’re Up To Your Same Old Tricks Again, Just Because You Can’t Be Mine, Stand By Your Man, Traces, Today I Started Loving You Again and Willie and Laura Mae Jones. On these tracks, Bettye breathed life and meaning into the lyrics. Sometimes, it sounds as if she had lived and survived them as she delivers a vocal tour de force. Once Don’t You Ever Get Tired Of Hurting Me? was completed it was released later in 1969.
When Don’t You Ever Get Tired Of Hurting Me? was released, it failed to chart. Little did Bettye Swann realise, that sadly, thing were going to get a whole lot worse.
Bettye Swann released just two more singles on Capitol Records. The first was Don’t You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)? It was released in September 1969, and failed to chart. When Little Things Mean A Lot was released in 1970, it also failed to chart. Mean A Lot was the last single she released on Capitol Records.
This left Bettye Swann looking for a new label. She found it in 1971, when she signed to Fame Records. It was enjoying the most successful period in its history. Candi Staton was its most successful artist. However, Fame Records were alway looking to add to their roster. So with Bettye Swann without a label, Fame Records swooped. Sadly, Bettye’s time at Fame Records was short-lived.
Mickey Buckins had been trying to get an in at Fame Records. His patience was eventually recorded, when he was given a job as staff songwriter and technician. Although Mickey was mainly based at Fame Records’ demo studio, this didn’t matter to him. He was just happy to be working at such a prestigious studio. He eventually formed a fruitful songwriting partnership with George Jackson. One of their songs was I’m Just Living A Lie. It seemed like the perfect song for Bettye Swann.
Bettye Swann went into the Fame studios and cut I’m Just Living A Lie. It was released in March 1971, but failed to chart. For Bettye, history was repeating itself. There was no followup to I’m Just Living A Lie, and Bettye’s time at Fame Records was over.
It was nearly another year before Bettye Swann released another single. However, it was well worth the wait when Victim Of A Foolish Heart was released on Atlantic Records. However, it wasn’t written or produced in-house.
Instead, it had been written and recorded at Fame Records. Just like I’m Just Living A Lie, it was penned by Mickey Buckins and George Jackson. The song was produced by Mickey and Rick Hall. When executives at Atlantic Records heard the song, they knew they had a hit on their hands.
When Victim of A Foolish Heart was released on 30th March 1972, it reached number fourteen in the US R&B Charts and sixty-one in the US Billboard 100. After six singles that failed to chart, Bettye was back. Could she make it two in a row?
For the followup to Victim of A Foolish Heart, the song chosen was Merle Haggard’s Today I Started Loving You Again. Again, recording took place at Fame Studios. This time though, the producers were Phil Hurtt, Tony Bell and LeBaron Taylor. They reinvented Today I Started Loving You Again. When it was released in November 1972, it reached number twenty-four in the US R&B charts and number forty-six in the US Billboard 100. Bettye’s career had been rejuvenated at Fame.
Sadly, Bettye wouldn’t return to Fame to record the follow-up to Today I Started Loving You Again. Instead, Bettye was Philly bound. Executives at Atlantic Records seeing the success of Philly Soul. So they sent Bettye to Philly. However, Bettye wasn’t working with Gamble and Huff or Thom Bell. The Big Three were too busy, so Bettye was paired with The Young Professionals.
Their first single with Bettye was The Boy Next Door. On its release in August 1974. it stalled at a disappointing seventy-four in the US R&B charts. On the flip side was Kiss My Love Goodbye an uptempo track that epitomises the Philly Soul sound. Although quite different from much of the music Bettye Swann had recorded, it showcased her versatility. So did her next single.
For the followup to The Boy Next Door, Time To Say Goodbye and When The Game Is Played On You were chosen. They were released as a double-A-side. Neither track caught the imagination of the record buying public. They missed one of the best tracks from Bettye’s Philly Soul era, When The Game Is Played On You. After the commercial failure of Bettye’s latest single, executives at Atlantic Records were watching events in Philly closely.
Time To Say Goodbye was the last single produced by The Young Professionals. When it was released in September 1974, the single never troubled the charts. This spelt the end of Bettye Swann’s Philly Soul era.
There was no sentimentality at Atlantic Records. When The Young Professionals failed twice to deliver a hit, they brought onboard a new producer, Dave Shapiro.
He chose Red Lane and Curly Putnam’s All The Way In Or All The Way Out. The Dave Shapiro produced All The Way In Or All The Way Out was released in 1975, but reached just eighty-three in the US R&B charts. Then in 1976, Bettye released Heading In The Right Direction. When it failed to chart, this spelt the end of Bettye Swann’s time at Atlantic Records.
Four years later, in 1980, Bettye Swann made what was the final appearance of her career. Betty’s husband and manager George Barton died in 1980,
Following the death of her husband and manager, Bettye Swann retired from the music industry aged thirty-six. It was then that Bettye decided upon a change of name and career. In a sense Bettye Swann died and Bettye Barton was born. The “newly born” Bettye Swan embarked on a career in education in Las Vegas and became a Jehovah’s Witness. Never again, did Bettye return to soul music.
That was a great shame. Bettye Swann was one of the most talented singers of her generation. She could breath life, meaning and emotion into lyrics. They were transformed, and the song took on new meaning. Sometimes, it seemed as if Bettye Swann had lived and survived the lyrics. However, despite her undoubtable talent, Bettye Swann didn’t scale the heights that Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and Gladys Knight did. Nor did Bettye Swann make a fortune from music.
Far from it. Bettye Swann made very little money from music. It’s only relatively recently that Bettye Swann has received a small income from the music she recorded during a career which promised much. Bettye Swann could’ve and should’ve been one of the biggest names in soul music and was of the finest soul singers of her generation. Sadly, that wasn’t to do be and Bettye Swann turned her back on music.
Nowadays, Bettye Swann is retired, and lives quietly in Las Vegas, Bettye Swann is a modest and humble woman, who doesn’t court publicity. Instead, Bettye Swann has spent so much of her life helping others. Very few of these people will even be aware of Bettye Swann’s past, or her rich musical legacy.
This includes over twenty singles and the three albums that Bettye Swann released. They’re a tantalising reminder of one of the most talented soul singers of her generation, and tell the first part of the Bettye Swann story.
The second part of the Bettye Swann story began in 1980, when after the death of her husband George Barton, thirty-six year Bettye Swann turned her back on music. She became a Jehovah’s Witness, and embarked upon a career in education in Las Vegas. The Bettye Swann story had taken an unexpected twist. Music’s loss was education’s gain. Since then, Bettye Swann has dedicated her life to helping others.
Recently, there’s been a resurgence in interest in Bettye Swann’s music which is starting to receive the recognition it so richly deserved. That is no surprise, as Bettye Swann was one of the finest, and most talented soul singers of her generation,
The Life and Times Of Bettye Swann.
BETTY HARRIS-NEW ORLEANS’ LOST SOUL QUEEN.
Betty Harris-New Orleans’ Lost Soul Queen.
Not every artist is fortunate enough to enjoy a long and illustrious career where they enjoyed commercial success and critical acclaim. For many artists, it’s quite the opposite and their career is cut short, and is over before it has even began. That was the case with Florida born singer Betty Harris, whose career lasted just eight years.
It began in 1962 with the release of Taking Care of Business, and was over by 1970. By then, Bettye Harris had three minor hit singles to her name, and hadn’t enjoyed the success that her talent warranted. Many music industry insiders were surprised that Betty Harris hadn’t enjoyed more success during the past eight years. However, commercial success continued to elude Betty Harris, who given her talent had underachieved. It was a case of what might have been? Especially when out of the blue, Betty Harris announced that she was calling time on her musical career. The thirty-one year old had decided to retire and raise a family in her native Florida.
That was where the future Betty Harris was born, and where she still called home when she retired from music in 1970. Betty Crews was born in Orlando, Florida, in 1939. Both of her parents, Rufus C. Crews and Winifred Crews, were ministers in the Pentecostal Church. As a result, religion played an important part in the Crews’ home. It was also a house where music played an important part in everyday life.
The Rev. Rufus C. Crews was a multi-instrumentalist and singer, who sported a powerful tenor voice. He was also a part-time booking agent for a variety of gospel groups and artists. This was a role Rev. Rufus C. Crews would continue, when the family moved to Alabama.
When the Crews moved Alabama, Betty was just four. It would be her home for the next thirteen years, and where her father introduced Betty to Rosetta Sharp, Sam Cooke, The Soul Stirrers, Johnny Taylor and The Blind Boys Of Alabama. Soon, young Betty Crews would be following in their footsteps.
By the age of twelve, Betty Crews had already singing lead vocal in a choir which had supported Brother Joe May. Already, people were taking notice of Betty Crews.
Over the next few years, Betty Crews continued to sing gospel, and during that period, she spoke to and learnt from, all the gospel singers who stayed over in the Crews’ household. Despite meeting and learning from some of the biggest names in gospel music, Betty Crews soon came to realise that she didn’t want to make a career out of gospel music.
Realising that there was little money to be made in gospel music, Betty Crews wanted to crossover and sing secular music. She was listening to the music coming out of Nashville, Tennessee. This was when Betty Crews realised there was more to music than gospel. Around her seventeenth birthday, Betty Crews began plotting how she could escape from Alabama.
It was around this time that Betty Crews saw an advert in the local paper, advertising jobs for maids in a New Jersey hotel. Betty Crews packed her bags and headed to New Jersey. Once there, Betty Crews and her future colleagues decided to head out to a local nightclub. That was when Betty Crews made her debut as a singer, and was spotted by producer Zell Sanders.
He recruited Betty Harris to become the lead singer of The Hearts, who released their debut single Like Later Baby later in 1958. It failed commercially, and The Hearts’ recording career came to nothing. Betty Harris’ nascent musical career had hit the buffers.
In 1960, Betty Harris decided to move to New York, and before long, was singing in some of the Big Apple’s smaller clubs. When she was finished her set, Betty Harris would head to venues like the Apollo, where she would study the technique of some of the top singers. One night, when Betty Harris arrived at the Apollo, Mabel Louise Smith. a.k.a. the R&B singer Big Maybelle was about to go on stage. Betty watched and was captivated as Big Maybelle unleashed a vocal powerhouse on Candy. Betty Harris was so impressed that later, she headed backstage to introduce herself to Big Maybelle.
Having introduced herself to Big Maybelle, Betty Harris asked if she could study her technique. Big Maybelle agreed, and took Betty Harris out on the road where she became the young singer’s mentor. It wasn’t just technique and stagecraft that Big Maybelle taught Betty Harris, it was how to conduct herself.
Over the next few weeks, Big Maybelle coached Betty Harris. She also had a powerful vocal, and Big Maybelle helped Betty Harris harness her powerful vocal, and improve her technique. This they continued to do on a two-week tour. It began in Chicago and headed to Tennessee, before ending in Chicago. That was where Betty Harris landed a job, and would record her debut single.
The time Betty Harris had spent with Big Maybelle had been time well spent. Big Maybelle made Betty promise that she would continue to sing each day. It was as if the older woman wanted her protegé to fulfil the potential she saw in her. Even in what was a relatively short space of time, Betty Harris had improved as a vocalist, and was ready to make the next step in her career
This included recording her debut single. Now living in Chicago, Betty Harris got her break when she recorded Taking Care Of Business for Douglas Records. Taking Care Of Business was released in 1962, and failed to make any impression commercially. Betty Harris’ time at Douglas Records was over after just one single.
Fortunately, Betty Harris met Solomon Burke’s manager, Marvin Leonard ‘Babe’ Chivian. He introduced Betty Harris to Bert Berns, who had produced Solomon Burke’s hit single Cry To Me.
Bert Berns was a songwriter and producer, who was housed within the famous Brill Building, and had already written a string of classic songs, including Under The Boardwalk and Piece Of My Heart. Among Bert Berns’ various songwriting partners, were none other than Leiber and Stoller. However, Bert Berns wasn’t just a songwriter; he was also a producer, who would transform Betty Harris’ fortunes.
For Betty Harris’ debut for Jubilee Records, Cry To Me was chosen. It gave Solomon Burke a hit single a year earlier. The man who had produced Solomon Burke hit single was none other than Bert Berns. He took a different approach to Cry To Me this time around. By dropping the tempo, Cry To Me became a heart wrenching ballad, which later, would become a deep soul classic. Before that, Cry To Me was released in 1963 on Jubilee Records.
Cry To Me reached twenty-three in the US Billboard 100 and number ten in the US R&B charts. Considering this was merely Betty Harris’ sophomore single, this was a good start to her nascent recording career. For the followup, His Kiss was released on the 4th of January 1964. Although it was another deep soul ballad, His Kiss stalled at the lower reaches of the charts. This was a disappointment for Betty Harris.
Although His Kiss hadn’t come close to matching the success of Cry To Me, Betty Harris was a popular live draw, and even had topped the bill at Apollo Theatre, in New York. Betty who had shared the bill with Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin and James Brown seemed to be going up in the world.
For Betty Harris’ next single, the oft-covered Mojo Hannah was chosen and released later in 1964. It became Betty Harris’ third single for Jubilee Records and gave Betty Harris a minor hit single. Mojo Hannah proved to be Betty Harris’ swan-song for Jubilee Records. That was despite Betty Harris being still under contract to Jubilee Records.
After the release of Mojo Hannah, Betty Harris met New Orleans based singer, songwriter, arranger and producer Allen Toussaint. He was about to launch a new record label with his business partner Marshall Sehorn. This new label Sansu Records, was based in New Orleans, and Allen Toussaint wanted to Betty Harris to sign to the Sansu. So did Marshall Sehorn. There was only one problem, what was Betty Harris contractual status?
Later, allegations and counter allegations were made regarding Betty Harris’ contractual status. Jubilee Records believed that Betty Harris was still their artist. Betty Harris later alleged that Allen Toussaint told her that he had bought her out of her Jubilee Records’ contract. If that was the case, Betty Harris was free to sign to Jubilee Records, and record and release her debut single for Sansu Records. However, Betty Harris later stated that Allen Toussaint hadn’t bought her out of her Jubilee Records’ contract when he stated he had.This meant that she was still under contract to Jubilee Records when she recorded her Sansu Records’ debut.
To record her Sansu Records’ debut, Betty Harris flew from her home in Florida to New Orleans, where she spent a month living in the city’s Mason’s motel. Much of the time was spent recording with producer Allen Toussaint. He put together a band that featured some of the Big Easy’s top session musicians. The initial sessions didn’t go well. Betty Harris didn’t like recording the songs live, and preferred working with backing tapes. This was a lesson learnt for future sessions. Backing tracks would be recorded and then Betty Harris would add her vocals. However, during the first recording sessions the tracks were recorded live, including What A Sad Feeling which became Betty Harris’ debut single for Sansu Records.
What A Sad Feeling, a soul-baring ballad would be the first of just ten singles Betty Harris released on Sansu Records. On the B-Side I’m Evil Tonight, which features a vocal powerhouse from Betty Harris. Alas, when What A Sad Feeling was released in 1965, it failed commercially. While the single found an audience within New Orleans, elsewhere it was a different story. . Sansu Records was just a small independent label, with neither the financial muscle nor marketing expertise to give Betty Harris another hit single. This would be a familiar story.
It wasn’t until 1966, that I Don’t Wanna Hear It was released as Betty Harris’ second single for Sansu Records. Tucked away on the B-Side was the ballad Sometime, where Betty Harris’ vocal veers between tender to hurt filled and powerful. Just like What A Sad Feeling, I Don’t Wanna Hear It failed to find an audience outside of the Big Easy. Later, I Don’t Wanna Hear It became a favourite with the UK’s Northern Soul scene.
Later in 1966, Betty Harris returned with the Allen Toussaint penned 12 Red Roses. On the flip side was another Allen Toussaint composition, What’d I Do Wrong. This future deep soul classic, was, without doubt, a much stronger track. and maybe if Sansu Records had released it as a single, it would’ve given Betty Harris that elusive hit single? 12 Red Roses certainly didn’t, and it was now two years since a Betty Harris single had even troubled the lower reaches of the chart. Betty Harris’ career had stalled.
During 1967, Allen Toussaint saw Art Neville and The Neville Sounds playing on Basin Street. Straight away, he realised that here was the band he wanted to play on the Sansu Records’ releases. By then, Sansu Records were recording at Cosimo Matassa’s state of the art eight-track studio. This was where the Neville Sound was born, and soon, Betty Harris would be accompanied by Art Neville and The Neville Sounds.
It wasn’t until later in 1967 that Betty Harris released her fourth single for Sansu Records. The song chosen was the ballad Lonely Hearts, which could only have been recorded in New Orleans. Horns and harmonies accompany Betty, as she delivers an impassioned, heartfelt vocal. On the flip side was Bad Luck, a mid tempo slice of R&B. Just like her previous singles, Lonely Hearts made no impression on the charts. However, Betty Harris’ luck was about to change.
For her second single of 1967, the ballad Nearer To You was chosen. It features an atmospheric, Southern Soul arrangement. It’s one of Betty Harris’ finest moments, is helped no end by Allen Toussaint’s arrangement. On the flip side, I’m Evil Tonight made a reappearance. When Nearer To You was released, it entered the US Billboard 100 but stalled at a lowly eighty-five. Nearer To You deserved to fare better, and was a case of what might have been?
After Nearer To You had given Betty Harris a minor hit single, Sansu Records was keen to build on the relative success of the single. By then, Betty Harris had embarked upon a gruelling tour of America, which lasted much of 1967. The tour it was hoped, would raise Betty Harris’ profile and introduce her to a much wider audience. This Betty Harris and everyone at Sansu Records hoped would translate into an increase in record sales. Sansu Records tested the market by releasing Can’t Last Much Longer as a single, with I’m Gonna Git Ya on the B-Side. When the single was released later in 1967, it never even came close to troubling the US Billboard 100. This was another blow for Betty Harris.
During 1967, Betty Harris had toured with Otis Redding, Carla Thomas and Bettye Swann. They played tour fifty-three dates, before Otis Redding was killed in a plane crash. For Betty Harris this was a tragedy for several reasons.
She had become friendly with many of the artists on the tour, including Otis Redding. He had recently cofounded a new management company with Phil Walden, Redwal Enterprises. The new company was going to manage some of the biggest names in soul, including Percy Sledge, Sam and Dave and Wilson Pickett. Betty Harris who was about to embark upon a European tour with Otis Redding, had also signed a management contract with Redwal Enterprises. After the death of Otis Redding, this came to nothing.
Despite this, Betty Harris’ recording career continued, and she released Love Lots Of Lovin’, a duet with Lee Dorsey in 1968. Just like previous singles, it failed to make any impression on the charts.
Neither did the former B-Side What’d I Do Wrong, which was belatedly released as a single with later in 1968. This time around, the B-Side was Mean Man, another Allen Toussaint composition. Just like his other songs, Betty Harris brought the lyrics to life. The singer and songwriter had formed a formidable partnership. There was only one thing missing…commercial success which continued to elude Betty Harris.
Despite this, Betty Harris released the ballad Hook, Line ’N’ Sinker as a single later in 1969. On the B-Side was the uptempo dancer Show It, which later, found favour with DJs and dancers on the UK Northern Soul scene. However, when Line ’N’ Sinker was released it sunk without trace. This was another disappointment for Betty Harris, whose time at Sansu Records was almost at an end.
In 1969, Betty Harris released Ride Your Pony as a single. It sounded like novelty dance track and wasn’t Betty Harris’ finest hour. Ironically, the B-Side Trouble With My Lover was a slightly stronger track. When Betty Harris release Ride Your Pony it never came close to troubling the charts. Ride Your Pony was the tenth and final single Betty Harris released on Sansu Records.
Only one of the ten singles had charted, and even then, Nearer To You struggled into the lower reaches of the US Billboard 100. The Sansu Records’ years hadn’t been the most successful period of Betty Harris’ career. Maybe Sansu Records’ was the wrong label for Betty Harris, and she might have enjoyed more success if she had signed to a bigger label? Allen Toussaint belatedly came to the same conclusion, after he convinced Betty Harris to record one more single, There’s A Break in The Road.
It was their last roll of the dice for Betty Harris and Allen Toussaint. When it came time to record There’s A Break in The Road, Allen Toussaint brought onboard The Meters. They unleashed their trademark heavy-duty funk which was the perfect backdrop for Betty Harris as she delivered a vocal that was a mixture of power, frustration and sass. When Allen Toussaint listened to the song, he realised that it had the potential to transform Betty Harris’ ailing career.
Originally here’s A Break in The Road meant to be released on Sansu Records, but after some thought, Allen Toussaint decided to license the single to Shelby Singleton’s SSS International label. It was a larger label, and it might result in a change of fortune for Betty Harris.
There’s A Break in The Road was released in 1969. It was without doubt, one of the best singles of Betty Harris’ career. Despite the undoubted quality, and the decision to release There’s A Break in The Road on SSS International, the single failed to find an audience. It was all too familiar a story for Betty Harris, and marked the end of her recording career for thirty-six years.
In 1970, Betty Harris decided to retire from music, and concentrate on bringing up her family. By then, she was thirty-one, had been making music since the late-fifties. Apart from four minor hit singles, Betty Harris’ career had been a case of what might have been?
Through no fault of her own, Betty Harris had underachieved. Sansu Records was just a small independent label, with neither the financial muscle nor marketing expertise to promote Betty Harris singles. While each of the ten singles Betty Harris released for Sansu Records sold reasonably well within New Orleans, they never found an audience further afield. That was the case between 1965 and 1969, when Betty Harris released ten singles on Sansu Records. Only Nearer To You charted, but only reached a lowly eighty-five in the US Billboard 100. This must have been hugely frustrating for Betty Harris.Maybe it was no surprise when Betty Harris decided to turn her back on music in 1970?
That was the last that was heard of this Betty Harris until 2005, when she decided to hit the comeback trail. By then, several of Betty Harris’ singles had found a new audience. I Don’t Want to Hear It and I’m Evil Tonight were favourites within the UK Northern Soul circles, while ballads like What’d I Do Wrong and Can’t Last Much Longer were favourites within the Deep Soul community. Somewhat belatedly, Betty Harris whose a talented and versatile vocalist, and one of New Orleans’ soul music’s best kept secrets, was receiving the recognition her music deserved, and enjoying the success that had eluded her for so long.
Betty Harris-New Orleans’ Soul’s Best Kept Secrets.
L.A. EXPRESS: TOM SCOTT’S SHORT-LIVED JAZZ SUPERGROUP.
L.A. Express: Tom Scott’s Short-Lived Supergroup.
Musical history is littered with artists and groups that never enjoyed the commercial success that their music deserved. That was the case with L.A. Express an oft-0verlooked fusion supergroup who released a quartet of albums between 1973 and 1976. Sadly, these albums never found the audience they deserved and it was only later, that L.A. Express’ music started to be appreciated by jazz and fusion aficionados. By then, the group’s founder Tom Scott had moved onto other things.
This included founding The Blues Brother Band, providing the theme tune to Starsky and Hutch and receiving thirteen nominations for a Grammy Award. By then, Tom Scott had enjoyed a long and illustrious career which began as a fifteen year old, when t featured on Jan and Dean’s 1963 album Surf City And Other Swingin’ Cities. However, the one that got away for the jazz saxophonist, composer and producer, Tom Scott was L.A. Express. His career began in earnest in 1967.
By 1967, seventeen year old Tom Scott, L.A. based jazz saxophonist had already decided to embark upon a career as a professional musician, and became the leader of the jazz ensemble Neoteric Trio. This came as no surprise to those that knew Tom Scott and his family.
Especially his father Nathan Scott, who was a prolific and well-respected composer, conductor and orchestrator, who was well on his becoming one of the most prolific composers in the history of American film and television. He had started out in the music industry in 1939, after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in music. Since then, Nathan Scott had lived in L.A. where his son Tom Scott was born on May the ‘19th’ 1948. Now that Tom Scott was making his own way in the musical world and it was a proud day for Nathan Scott.
He had watched as his son made his recording debut on Jan and Dean’s 1963 album Surf City And Other Swingin’ Cities four years previously. Now just years later, in 1965, and Tom Scott was the leader of the Neoteric Trio. This was just the start of the rise and rise of Tom Scott, who soon, would be playing alongside the great and good of jazz.
This included joining the Don Ellis Orchestra when they recorded Live At Monterey! which was released in 1966. The next album Tom Scott played on was Live In 3⅔/4 Time which tested his skills as a musician. However, Tom Scott rose to the challenge and played an important part in the album’s sound and success. Live In 3⅔/4 Time was released in 1967, and was one of number of albums that featured Tom Scott.
He also collaborated with Roger Kellaway on the album Spirit Feel. When it was released on Pacific Jazz, they were billed as Roger Kellaway Featuring Tom Scott on Spirit Feel. Tom Scott also featured on Gábor Szabó’s Light My Fire With Bob Thiele, Oliver Nelson’s Live From Los Angeles and Bob Thiele And His New Happy Times Orchestra’s Light My Fire, which were all released in 1967 on Impulse! This was the label that the nineteen year old Tom Scott had signed to, and was preparing to record his debut alum.
It was Bob Thiele who ran Impulse! for ABC, that had signed Tom Scott to Impulse!, which by 1967, was one of jazz’s top labels. Bob Thiele would also produced many of the albums released by Impulse!, including a number of classic albums. This made Bob Thiele the perfect person to produce Tom Scott’s debut album. It featured nine cover versions and the Tom Scott composition Blues For Hari. Later in 1967, Impulse! released Tom Scott’s debut album The Honeysuckle Breeze where the saxophonist was billed as Tom Scott With The California Dreamers. Despite marketing the album towards a younger generation of jazz fans, The Honeysuckle Breeze wasn’t the commercial success that Impulse had hoped.
By 1968, Tom Scott was already a familiar face in the West Coast session scene, and was always in demand. Partly this was because of his versatility, but mostly because he was already regarded as one of the top young saxophonists. As result, he played on Ravi Shankar’s Charly soundtrack, Sergio Mendes’ Favorite Things, The Mason Williams Phonograph Record, Gábor Szabó’s Macho, Richard “Groove” Holmes’ album Welcome Home, Plummer’s Cosmic Brotherhood, Monk Higgins’ Extra Soul Perception and Oliver Nelson and Steve Allen’s Soulful Brass. Tom Scott was also drafted in to play saxophone on two albums by psychedelic rockers Carnival, Carnival and Gypsy Carnival Caravan. This was all good experience for twenty years old Tom Scott.
1969 saw Tom Scott successfully juggle his career as a sideman with his solo career, and soon, his nascent career as a bandleader. However, Tom Scott’s career as a sideman was flourishing, and in 1969 he found himself playing on a number of albums, including Lalo Schifrin’s soundtrack to Che!, Howard Roberts’ Spinning Wheel, Joe Byrd and The Field Hippies’ The American Metaphysical Circus. Some of the other albums Tom Scott played were produced by Bob Thiele, including Jimmy Gordon And His Jazznpops Band’s Hog Fat, T-Bone Walker’s Every Day I Have The Blues, Otis Spann’s Sweet Giant Of The Blue and Bob Thiele Emergency’s album Head Start. Still, though, Tom Scott found time to record his sophomore album.
This was Rural Still Life which featured three of Tom Scott’s own compositions and marked the twenty-one year old’s production debut. However, just like The Honeysuckle Breeze, Rural Still Life failed commercially and Tom Scott left Impulse!
Fortunately, Bob Thiele had just founded his new label Flying Dutchman Productions, and one of his signings later in 1969 was the Tom Scott Quartet. They released Hair To Jazz in 1969, and followed this up with Paint Your Wagon in 1970. While the albums were well received, they never found a wider audience. This was a disappointment for Tom Scott, who had come a long way in a short space of time.
Five years after making his professional debut, Tom Scott had already released two solo albums and two albums with his new Quartet. By 1970 Tom Scott was also one of Los Angeles’ top session players, and a familiar face on the West Coast music scene and that year, accompanied some of the biggest names in music, including Neil Diamond, Jimmy Webb, Phil Ochs, The 5th Dimension, Dave Antrell, Sergio Mendes and Freddy Robinson.
Over the next two years, Tom Scott continued to work with some of the top names in music. In 1971, albums were released by Nillson, Lalo Schifrin, Sérgio Mendes and Brasil, Jimmy Webb and The Fifth Dimension that featured Tom Scott’s saxophone. So did albums by Joni Mitchell, Albert Hammond, Gerry Mulligan and Claudine Longet in 1972. While Tom Scott was still enjoying session work, he still wanted to release another solo album,
Later in 1972, twenty-four year old Tom Scott had just signed to A&M and was preparing to record his third album Great Scott. When it was released in 1972, it was well received by critics. However, it was three years before Tom Scott returned with his fourth album, as he was about to found a new supergroup L.A. Express.
The Birth Of Tom Scott and The L.A. Express.
By 1973, Tom Scott was looking for a backing band within the West Coast music scene. The contacts that he had established over the last few years served him well, and he was able to secure the services of four talented, versatile and vastly experienced musicians who had worked as session musicians and bandleaders. This included drummer and percussionist John Guerin, bassist Max Bennett, guitarist Larry Carlton and keyboardist Joe Sample. They would become L.A. Express which was formed in 1973.
Tom Scott and The L.A. Express.
Not long after Tom Scott recruited the four members of The L.A. Express, they headed into the studio to record an album together. That album was Tom Scott and L.A. Express, which was an accessible album of fusion which was released by Old in August 1973. By then, fusion was at a crossroads.
The West and East Coast sounds were quite different, and jazz-funk was growing in popularity. All this affected sales of Tom Scott and L.A. Express, which is a vastly underrated album from the all-star band. This was a disappointing start to the partnership between Tom Scott and L.A. Express.
Joni Mitchell -Court and Spark.
The second album that Tom Scott and The L.A. Express worked on together, was Joni Mitchell’s sixth album Court and Spark. Tom Scott and John Guerin featured on all eleven tracks, while Max Bennett and Larry Carlton featured on eight songs. Joe Sample only featured on Raised on Robbery, but in doing so, played his part in what was Joni Mitchell’s most successful album.
When Court and Spark was released in January 1974, it reached number one in Canada, where Joni Mitchell was born. Across the border, Court and Spark reached number two in the US Billboard 200, and was certified gold in America and Britain. Later Court and Spark was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 1975, with Joni Mitchell and Tom Scott winning the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals. By then, things had changed for L.A. Express.
Joni Mitchell and The L.A. Express-Miles of Aisles.
Two months after the release of Court and Spark, work began on what would become Joni Mitchell’s seventh album Miles of Aisles. Joni Mitchell decided that The L.A. Express should accompany her on Miles of Aisles. This time, The L.A. Express received equal billing with Joni Mitchell.
Recording took place between the ‘2nd’ and ‘4th’ of March 1974, and was completed between August the ’14th’ and ‘17th’ of 1974. Not long after this, two members of L.A. Express dropped a bombshell.
Larry Carlton and Joe Sample left L.A. Express, and decided to concentrate their efforts on their ‘other’ group The Crusaders. However, the original members of L.A. Express would later be reunited. Before that, Tom Scott and the remaining members of L.A. Express started looking for replacements for Larry Carlton and Joe Sample.
Tom Cat.
This wasn’t easy, given that Larry Carlton and Joe Sample were talented, versatile and vastly experienced musicians. Eventually, though, L.A. Express settled on guitarist Robben Ford and keyboardist Larry Nash. They would make their debut on the Tom Scott and L.A. Express album Tom Cat, which was recorded in late 1974.
Early in 1975, Tom Scott and L.A. Express’ sophomore album Tom Cat was released. Just like their eponymous debut album, it was a carefully crafted and memorable album of fusion. With fusion no longer as popular as it had been in the late-sixties and early seventies, Tom Cat failed to find the audience it deserved. It was only later that Tom Cat which is an underrated album, became popular album amongst fusion and jazz aficionados. However, in 1975 the commercial failure of Tom Cat resulted in Tom Scott parting company with L.A. Express and returned to his solo career.
Tom Scott-New York Connection.
Ode Records signed Tom Scott, who soon, began recording his first album in three years, New York Connection. It featured six new compositions from Tom Scott and three cover versions. They were recorded at the Hit Factory, in New York, between the ‘25th’ and ‘29th’ August 1975, and featured a band included some top musicians.
Among the names that joined Tom Scott were Bob James, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Hugh McCracken and Ralph MacDonald. When it came to record Appolonia (Foxtrata), a slide guitarist was needed and George Harrison agreed to make a guest appearance. When the album was completed, it was scheduled for release in late 1975.
Four months later, New York Connection was released and found favour with critics, and reached forty-two in the US Billboard 200. This vindicated Tom Scott’s decision to leave L.A. Express who were hard at work recording L.A. Express,
L.A. Express.
After Tom Scott’s departure from the band, the rest of L.A. Express had to think about the future. For the remaining member of L.A. Express the loss of Tom Scott was a huge disappointment. He had founded the band, recruited some of the musicians and been its driving force. However, the loss of Tom Scott was also an opportunity for the remaining members of L.A. Express to strike out on their own. This would mean a few changes though, and before long, there were two changes to the lineup.
The first thing L.A. Express needed to do, was recruit a new saxophonist. They set their sights on securing the services of David Luell, a talented and experienced saxophonist, who was equally comfortable playing baritone, soprano and tenor sax. While David Luell agreed to join L.A. Express, there was still one more change to make, replace the keyboardist Larry Nash.
Replacing Larry Nash, was none other than Victor Feldman. He was born into a musical family in London, England, but was now resident in Los Angeles. Victor Feldman was perfect fit for L.A. Express, given he could play keyboards, synths, percussion and vibes. Now the final piece of the L.A. Express jigsaw was in place.
Now L.A. Express began to think about recording their debut album. However, there was a problem. It was Tom Scott and L.A. Express who were signed to Ode Records. This was essentially a partnership, where Tom Scott was perceived as the senior partner, and it no longer existed. For L.A. Express this was a problem, but also was an opportunity for what was essentially L.A. Express Mk.III.
When L.A. Express got the chance to sign for Caribou Records, which was founded by James William Guercio, who produced Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears, Ode Records didn’t stand in their way. It was a new start for third line-up of L.A. Express.
L.A. Express.
Now that L.A. Express were signed to James William Guercio’s Caribou Records, they began work on their eponymous debut album. Bassist Max Bennett penned a trio of tracks, Midnite Flite, Suavemente (Gently) and Cry Of The Eagle and cowrote It’s Happening Right Now with Victor Feldman. He contributed The Shrug and Western Horizon, while John Guerin write Down The Middle. Guitarist Robben Ford chipped in with two songs, Stairs and Transylvania Choo Choo. The nine songs that became L.A. Express had all been written by the band.
Recording of L.A. Express took place at A&M Studios, in Los Angeles during early 1975. By then, L.A. Express’ rhythm section featured drummer and percussionist John Guerin, bassist Max Bennett and guitarist Robben Ford. They were joined by saxophonist David Luell and Victor Feldman, who switched between keyboards, percussion, synths and vibes. Rather than employ a producer, The L.A. Express decided to take charge of production. Once the album was recorded, it was ready for release in 1976. Before that the original members of L.A. Express were reunited their former band mates and some new names.
Joni Mitchell who was then engaged to L.A. Express drummer John Guerin, was about to record her seventh album, The Hissing Of Summer Lawns. L.A. Express were invited to play on the album. This included the two former members of L.A. Express, Larry Carlton and Joe Sample. They would meet L.A. Express’ new guitarist Robben Ford. However, neither David Luell nor Victor Feldman played on The Hissing Of Summer Lawns. It would be released to critical acclaim in November 1975, and become one of Joni Mitchell’s most successful classic albums. The following year, L.A. Express released their eponymous debut album.
When L.A. Express was released early in 1976, it was to critical acclaim. Inevitably, comparisons were drawn with the two albums Tom Scott and L.A. Express had released. While L.A. Express was another fusion album, it was a much more accessible and pop-oriented take on fusion. Still, though, the emphasis was on quality for fusion’s latest supergroup.
When L.A. Express was released in early 1976, the album failed to trouble even the lower reaches of the charts. By then, music was changing, and fusion was no longer as popular as it had been. Record buyers missed out on the critically acclaimed L.A. Express. Its commercial failure was a huge disappointment for fusion’s latest supergroup.
For Tom Scott who must have been watching with interest, this further vindicated his decision to leave L.A. Express to record a solo album and pursue other musical interests. Meanwhile, the band he had founded was about to receive another bitter blow.
Not long after the release of L.A. Express, guitarist Robben Ford left the band. This was a big loss, as he contributed two tracks to L.A. Express and wasn’t just a talented, versatile guitarist, but one who was expressive and inventive. His guitar played an important part in L.A. Express’ sound on their eponymous debut album. Replacing Robben Ford wasn’t going to be easy.
Eventually, the other members of L.A. Express settled on guitarist Peter Maunu as Robben Ford’s replacement. Now work could begin on L.A. Express’ sophomore album, Shadow Play.
Shadow Play.
With Peter Maunu onboard, L.A. Express Mk. IV headed out of Los Angeles to work on their sophomore album Shadow Play. Their destination was James William Guercio’s Caribou Ranch, in Colorado which sat high above the mountains. It was an atmospheric and inspiring place, and perfect for writing and recording an album.
Founder member of L.A. Express, John Guerin, wrote Velvet Lady and Mad Drums And Englishman (Mavro). New recruit Peter Maunu contributed Nordic Winds, Double Your Pleasure and Virtex. Victor Feldman penned Chariot Race, Dance The Night Away and Silhouette. Shadow Play was written by David .Luell and R.Philipe. These songs were recorded by L.A. Express at the Caribou Ranch, with a little help from their friends.
This time around, when recording Shadow Play began, L.A. Express’ rhythm section featured drummer and percussionist John Guerin, bassist Max Bennett and guitarist Peter Maunu. They were joined by saxophonist David Luell and Victor Feldman, who played piano, Fender Rhodes, Arp Odyssey, Hammond organ and congas. Joining L.A. Express were two vocalists Paulette McWilliams and Joni Mitchell, who featured on three tracks. Again rather than employ a producer, The L.A. Express decided to take produce the Shadow Play themselves. It was ready for release during the second half of 1976.
Before that, critics had their say on Shadow Play, which would be the second album L.A. Express had released. Shadow Play was well received by critics, who noticed that L.A. Express had moved from fusion towards a rockier sound on Shadow Play. The addition of the two guest vocalists was welcomed, which showed another side to L.A. Express They were a chameleon-like and versatile band.
While critics were won over by Shadow Play, the album failed to attract the attention of record buyers. Just like L.A. Express, Shadow Play didn’t trouble the charts. For L.A. Express it was the end of the road.
By then, the members of L.A. Express were involved in a number of different projects, which would prove more successful and lucrative. It wasn’t going to be as easy to find time for L.A. Express to record together any more. So a decision was made that Shadow Play would be L.A. Express’ swan-song.
Meanwhile, Tom Scott’s fortunes had improved since his departure from L.A. Express. He continued to work with the great and good of music, and accompanied everyone from Minnie Riperton, Carole King, Aretha Franklin to Merry Clayton to Wings, Melvin Van Peebles, George Harrison, The Carpenters, Glen Campbell, Joni Mitchell to Boz Scaggs and Hall and Oates. Still, millions of viewers heard one of Tom Scott’s most successful compositions when they tuned in to The Streets of San Francisco between 1972 and 1977. However, in 1975, another Tom Scott composition, Gotcha, became the theme to Starsky & Hutch. This would prove lucrative for Tom Scott, who recorded Gotcha for his 1977 a bum Blow It Up. By then, L.A. Express called time on their career, and like Tom Scott had moved on to other projects.
When L.A. Express called time on their career in 1976, they had only been together for just three years, but had accomplished a lot. They had recorded two albums as Tom Scott and L.A. Express, featured on a trio of Joni Mitchell albums and released two albums for Caribou Records, L.A. Express and Shadow Play. The albums they recorded as Tom Scott and L.A. Express and then Tom Scott is a reminder of one fusion’s oft-overlooked, but multitalented and versatile supergroups which was founded by Tom Scott and should’ve reached greater heights.
L.A. Express: Tom Scott’s Short-Lived Supergroup.
CREAM BRITAIN’S FIRST AND BEST SUPERGROUP?
Cream-Britain’s First and Best Supergroup.
It was in July 1966, when Britain’s first supergroup, Cream was born. Eric Clapton who was regarded as the greatest British blues guitarist of his generation, was looking beyond life with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers. That was the group Eric Clapton had joined after his departure from The Yarbirds.
By July 1966, Eric Clapton was in his second spell with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers. He originally joined in April 1965 and was a Bluesbreaker until August 1965. Three months later, Eric Clapton returned to the fold in November 1965. For the next eight months, Eric Clapton was a Bluesbreaker. During this period, John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers recorded their classic album Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton in April 1966.
Three months later, and Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton was released by Decca on the 22nd July 1966. Critical acclaim accompanied what’s regarded as a British blues classic. It reached number six in the UK charts. This should’ve been a reason to celebrate. However, Eric Clapton was neither happy nor feeling fulfilled musically.
Instead, he felt constrained musically. Eric Clapton was unable to stretch his legs within John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers. There was certainly no room for invention. This was frustrating for Eric Clapton. So much so, that he was even considering forming his own band. However, Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton had just been released and looked like being the band’s most successful album. For Eric Clapton, his nascent career was at a crossroads.
To take his mind off his problems, Eric Clapton decided to go and see blues guitarist Buddy Guy in concert. That night, Buddy Guy took to the stage with a trio. When Eric Clapton saw the trio live, he was so impressed that he decided to form a new band. They would also be a trio, Cream.
Having made the decision to leave John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers, Eric Clapton began looking for musicians to join his band. He knew drummer Ginger Baker, who was a member The Graham Bond Organisation. Ginger Baker was tiring of Graham Bond’s drug addiction and bouts of instability. So much so, that he was considering his future.
When Eric Clapton approached Ginger Baker about joining his trio, the answer was yes. However, there was a catch. Eric Clapton had to agree to hire The Graham Bond Organisation’s bassist Jack Bruce.
Eric Clapton already knew Jack Bruce and played alongside him on two occasions. The first came in November 1965 when Jack Bruce sat in with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers during November 1965. More recently, Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce were part of Steve Winwood’s band Powerhouse, which also featured Paul Jones. During the two sessions, Eric Clapton had been impressed by Jack Bruce proficiency and prowess as a bassist. Jack Bruce who had previously enjoyed working with Eric Clapton, agreed to join the band. However, he was surprised that Ginger Baker had recommended him to Eric Clapton.
During their time with The Graham Bond Organisation, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce had a volatile relationship. The two members of the rhythm section were known to argue onstage. Sometimes, things got so bad that they traded blows. However, that was the past. Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce agreed to put their differences aside. A musical truce was declared. Suddenly, there was peace in our time. All for the good of the new group.
With the lineup complete, the nascent band set about establishing the ground rules. They envisaged that songs would be collaborations, with each member playing a part in writing the lyrics and music. Next on the agenda was a name for the group. It didn’t take long for them to come up with the name Cream. The music press had been describing the new band as the: “cream of the crop” of British musicians. Cream was essentially the first British supergroup. They were about to make what was their unofficial debut.
This took place on the 29th of July 1966, at the Twisted Wheel nightclub in Manchester. That night, it was hosting the Sixth Annual Windsor Jazz & Blues Festival. Cream were special guests, and in absence of new material, ran through a set of blues covers. Little did those in the audience realise that they had just witnessed history being made.
Just three months later, in October 1966, Cream took to the stage with another legend of sixties music, Jimi Hendrix. He was a fan of Eric Clapton’s was keen to jam with his new band on his arrival of London. Little did anyone realise that by the end of the sixties, both Cream and Jimi Hendrix would’ve become two of the biggest names of the late-sixties music scene.
Later in 1966, Cream were still experimenting musically. They had yet to decide who would be the group’s lead vocalist. Eric Clapton’s shyness meant he was reluctant to take charge of the lead vocals. Instead, Jack Bruce became Cream’s lead vocalist. However, during Cream’s lifetime, Eric Clapton would add harmonies and the lead vocal on a number of tracks.This included a track on Cream’s debut album Fresh Cream.
Fresh Cream.
Almost straight away, work began on Cream’s debut album, which later became Fresh Cream. It featured ten songs. They were a mixture of new songs and cover versions.
The new songs included Jack Bruce’s N.S.U. and Dreaming. He cowrote Sleepy Time Time with his first wife and songwriting partner Janet Godfrey. She cowrote Sweet Wine with Ginger Baker, who wrote the instrumental Toad. Other songs included a cover of song Cat’s Squirrel, which was arranged by Cream and a quartet of blues classics.
This included Willie Dixon’s Spoonful. Cream decided to cover Robert Johnson’s From Four Until Late which Eric Clapton arranged. It was joined by Rollin’ and Tumblin’ which Muddy Waters penned using his real name, McKinley Morganfield. The final blues classic was Skip James’ I’m So Glad. These songs were recorded over a three month period.
Recording of Fresh Cream took place between July and October 1966 at two separate studios in London. Some sessions took at Rayrik Studios, while others took place at Ryemuse Studios. Drummer Ginger Baker joined bassist Jack Bruce in the rhythm section. He also played harmonica, piano and took charge of seven of the eight lead vocals. Guitarist Eric Clapton added the lead vocal on Four Until Late. Meanwhile, Robert Stigwood produced what would later became Fresh Cream. It was completed by October 1966.
The release of Fresh Cream was scheduled for the 9th of December 1966. Before that, Cream released their debut single Wrapping Paper in October 1966 . It was penned by Jack Bruce and Pete Brown, but didn’t feature on Fresh Cream. Wrapping Paper showcased a psychedelic pop sound that Cream returned to. This proved popular and reached thirty-four in the UK charts. Things were looking good for Cream.
Nearer the release of Fresh Cream, critics had their say on the nascent supergroup’s debut album. Nearly every critic lavished praise and plaudits on Fresh Cream. They were won over by an album that ranged from blues rock to psychedelia and a much more hard rocking sound. Cream’s debut was an eclectic and accomplished album. Especially the psychedelic sound of N.S.U, the bluesy Sleepy Time and the Jack Bruce penned ballad Dreaming. Four Until Late shakes off his shyness and makes his debut on lead vocal on the cover Robert Johnson’s Four Till Late. However, one of Cream’s finest moments on Fresh Cream was their reinvention of I’m So Glad. It’s transformed into something that Skip James could never have envisaged. Given the critical reaction to Fresh Cream, it seemed that the future looked bright for Cream.
They prepared to release Fresh Cream on the 9th of December 1966 on Robert Stigwood’s new independent record label, Reaction Records. The same day, Cream released their sophomore single, I Feel Free. Just like their debut single, it didn’t feature on Fresh Cream. Despite that, I Feel Free reached number eleven in the UK and fifty-three in Australia. Meanwhile, Fresh Cream reached number six in the UK, ten in Australia and twenty in France. This resulted in Fresh Cream being certified gold in Britain and France. The success continued when Fresh Cream was released in America.
The American version of Fresh Cream was released by Atco. It featured a slightly different track listing. I Feel Free opened the album, with the British version of Fresh Cream following. This proved popular among American record buyers. Fresh Cream eventually reached thirty-nine in the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold. For Cream, this meant that their debut album Fresh Cream had been certified gold in three different continents. Critics wondered how they could they followup such a successful album? Cream returned with a classic album, Disraeli Gears.
Disraeli Gears.
Following the success of Fresh Cream, Cream headed out on tour. In March they landed in America, to play their first American tour. They were part of a package tour, and were booked to play nine dates at the Brooklyn Fox Theater in New York.
Each day, Cream played three times. However, the early concerts weren’t well received. DJ turned promoter Murray the K wasn’t impressed. He placed Cream at the bottom of the bill. Towards the end of the run, they were reduced to playing just one song during each set. The New York part of their American tour had been a disaster. They wouldn’t forget Murray the K in a hurry.
Having returned home from their American tour, Cream’s thoughts turned to their sophomore album. They had been writing what later became Disraeli Gears for some time.
When Cream was formed, the plan had been for the band to collaborate on songs. Alas, none of the eleven tracks on Disraeli Gears were written by the three members of Cream. They arranged the traditional song, Mother’s Lament. Sometimes, the members of Cream wrote alone. Jack Bruce wrote We’re Going Wrong and Ginger Baker penned We’re Going Wrong. Mostly, the members of Cream wrote alone or formed songwriting partnerships with other musicians and songwriters.
Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton cowrote Sunshine Of Your Love with Pete Brown. It would become one of their known songs. So would Strange Brew, which Eric Clapton wrote with Felix Pappalardi Gail Collins penned. Meanwhile,Jack Bruce wrote Dance the Night Away, SWLABR and Take It Back with Pete Brown. Eric Clapton wrote just the one song. This was Tales of Brave Ulysses with Martin Sharp. However, Eric Clapton arranged Arthur Reynolds’ Outside Woman Blues. It was one of just three covers on Disraeli Gears. Another was World Of Pain, which the Felix Pappalardi and Gail Collins songwriting partnership wrote. Just like the rest of Disraeli Gears, it was recorded in New York, during May 1967.
The prestigious surroundings of Atlantic Studios, New York were where Cream began work on Disraeli Gears. This time around, Felix Pappalardi had replaced ‘musical impresario’ Robert Stigwood. Twenty-seven year old was a classically trained musician who having turned his back on classical music, became a successful singer, songwriter, bassist and producer. One of his biggest projects was producing Disraeli Gears. It was a much more complex album than Fresh Cream.
Ginger Baker played drums and percussionist and joined his cohort, bassist Jack Bruce in the rhythm section. Jack Bruce also played harmonica, piano and took charge of seven of the eight lead vocals. Eric Clapton switched between lead guitar, rhythm guitar and twelve-string guitar. He also added the lead vocal on Strange Brew, World of Pain and Outside Woman Blues. It seemed that Eric Clapton was well on his way to overcoming his shyness, as Cream changed direction musically.
Critics realised this when they received their promotional copies of Disraeli Gears. It took its name from a malapropism which alluded to the former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. Eric Clapton had been taking about buying a racing bike during a car journey. Mick Turner who was driving the car responded that it should have: “Disraeli Gears” when he meant derailleur gears. That malapropism gave birth to tittle of the album critics were holding. When they listened to Disraeli Gears, they soon realised that Cream were moving away from the blues’ roots.
That was apart from on the cover of Blind Boy Reynolds’ Outside Woman Blues and Take it Back. It had been inspired by American students burning their draft cards. These were the only bluesy tracks on Disraeli Gears. Mostly, Cream moved towards psychedelia on Disraeli Gears. Tracks like Strange Brew, Sunshine Of Your Love, Dance The Night Away, Tales Of Brave Ulysses and We’re Going Wrong found Cream embracing psychedelia on an album that stood head and shoulders above the competition. Critic acclaim accompanied the release of Disraeli Gears.
On 2nd November 1967, Cream released their sophomore album Disraeli Gears. In Britain, Disraeli Gears reached number six and was certified platinum. Meanwhile, Disraeli Gears reached number two in France and twenty in Norway. Halfway round the world, Disraeli Gears reached number one in Australia and was certified platinum. However, Disraeli Gears was a huge success across North America. It reached number ten in Canada and number four in America. By then, Disraeli Gears had sold over a million copies. This resulted in Cream receiving their first platinum disc in America. However, that wasn’t the end of the success for Cream.
They released Sunshine Of Your Love as a single in January 1968. It reached seventeen in the UK, eighteen in Australia, three in Canada and five in the US Billboard 100. This resulted in Sunshine Of Your Love being certified gold in Britain, Australia and America. After just two albums, Cream were one of the biggest bands in the world. They were keen to build on this success, and began work on their third album, Wheels Of Fire.
Wheels Of Fire.
For their third album Wheels Of Fire, Cream decided to release a double album. This was no ordinary album. The first album was recorded in the studio, while the second disc was entitled Live At The Fillmore. Wheels Of Fire was an ambitious project for one of the most successful bands in the world.
Some of the tracks that became part of disc one of Wheels Of Fire had already been recorded. Others were still to be recorded. A total of nine tracks were chosen.
This included White Room, As You Said, Politician and Deserted Cities of the Heart which were penned by the Jack Bruce and Pete Brown songwriting partnership. Ginger Baker formed a songwriting partnership with Mike Taylor, and cowrote Passing The Time, Pressed Rat and Warthog and Those Were The Days. They were joined by two cover versions, Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon’s Sitting on Top of the World and Booker T. Jones and William Bell’s Born Under A Bad Sign. These nine songs were recorded between July 1967 and June 1968.
The Wheels Of Fire sessions took place at a variety of studios. This included the IBC Studios during July and August 1967. From there, Cream headed Atlantic Studios, New York. They spent January and February of 1968 recording at the famous studios. Later in 1968, Cream returned to Atlantic Studios, New York during June 1968. During the various sessions, Cream used a myriad of instruments.
Each member of Cream had expanded their musical arsenal. Ginger Baker played drums and percussionist. He also added bells, glockenspiel, timpani and add the spoken word part on Pressed Rat and Warthog. Bassist Jack Bruce played acoustic guitar, calliope, cello, harmonic and recorder. Jack Bruce took charge of the lead vocals. Meanwhile, Eric Clapton laid down the guitar parts. Augmenting Cream, was Felix Pappalard, who played organ pedals, Swiss hand bells, tonette, trumpet and the viola. This left just Live At The Fillmore to be recorded.
Despite being entitled Live At The Fillmore, only Toad was recorded at the Filmore in San Francisco on 7th March 1968. However, Toad is transformed and becomes a sixteen minute epic where Cream stretch their legs and improvise. At last, Eric Clapton had the freedom he missed so much during his last spell with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers. After the show at the Filmore, Cream headed to another venue in San Francisco, Winterland.
Just like at the Filmore, Cream were due to play two shows each night. On first show of 8th of March 1968, Cream’s set included Traintime a Jack Bruce composition. It made it onto Live At The Fillmore. Two nights later, Cream played two more shows at Winterland. During the first show, Cream covered Robert Johnson’s Crossroad and Willie Dixon’s Spoonful. Eric Clapton’s takes charge of the vocal on Crossroads. Later in the set, Cream cover and transform Willie Dixon’s Spoonful. Cream enjoy the opportunity to improvise and take the song in new directions over a sixteen minute period. This was a tantalising taste of Cream live.
Critics agreed when they received their copies of Wheels Of Fire. They were won over by what was an ambitious double album of studio and live recordings. Cream seemed to be maturing as a band. Especially live, where they enjoyed deconstructing and reconstructing songs. That was the case with Spoonful and Toad, which featured Cream at their best live. Critical acclaim preceded the release of Wheels Of Fire
Wheels Of Fire was released during July 1968, and quickly became Cream’s most successful album. It reached number three in the UK, two in France, fifteen in Germany and sixteen in Norway. In Australia, Canada and America, Wheels Of Fire reached number one. This resulted in Wheels Of Fire being certified platinum in Australia, America and British. For Cream this should’ve been a reason to celebrate.
Sadly, all wasn’t well within Cream. It hadn’t been for some time. Musically, the three members of Cream were no longer on the same page. Eric Clapton was now interested in the music that Bob Dylan was producing. He also cast envious glances at Bob Dylan’s former backing band, The Band. He was interested in their music, and the way that it was heading. Meanwhile, the truce Eric Clapton had been brokered between Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker was over. Their arguing was putting pressure on the very future of Cream. It was almost inevitable that the three members of Cream would decide to call it a day.
What had hastened the demise of Cream was when Eric Clapton read a review of Cream in the contrarian publication, Rolling Stone. The reviewer in what was nothing more than a hatchet job of review, resorted to name calling. Cream the reviewer said were a: “master of the blues cliché.” When Eric Clapton read the review, he decided that it was the end of road for Cream.
They embarked upon a Farewell Tour that began in Oakland on 4th October 1968. The tour ended fifteen days later at the Forum, Los Angeles, on the 19th of October 1969. That show was recorded, and became part of of Cream’s final album, Goodbye Cream.
Goodbye.
For their fourth and final album, the three members of Cream returned to London to record three tracks at IBC Studios in London. This included Badge, which Eric Clapton wrote with Beatle George Harrison. Doing That Scrapyard Thing was penned by the Jack Bruce and Pete Brown songwriting partnership. It had been a source of successful song’s during Cream’s lifetime. Ginger Baker contributed What a Bringdown. This meant that each of the members of of Cream wrote new song on their swan-song.
Joining Cream at IBC Studios, was producer Felix Pappalardi. When recording Badge, Doing That Scrapyard Thing and What a Bringdown at IBC Studios, keyboards were used extensively. This was a first. Cream were innovating to the end. Cream also used a Leslie speaker on Badge and Doing That Scrapyard Thing. This added to the psychedelic sound of both tracks. The three tracks that were recorded at IBC Studios became half of Goodbye.
The rest of Cream consisted of a trio of live tracks. They had been recorded at the Forum, in Los Angeles, on the 19th of October 1969. Skip James’ I’m So Glad, Jack Bruce and Pete Brown’s Politician and Walter Vinson and and Lonnie Chatmon’s Sitting on Top of the World featured Cream at their very best.
So much so, that when critics heard Goodbye, they hailed the live tracks as better as those on Wheels Of Fire. This was a glimpse of what Cream were capable of producing live. Similarly, the three songs recorded at IBC Studios were regarded as groundbreaking, and saw Cream reinventing their music. Badge critics said, was the standout track, and without doubt one Cream’s finest hours. It looked as if Cream were about to bow out at the top.
By the time Goodbye was released in March 1969, Cream had been dissolved. They played a farewell concert at the Royal Albert Hall, in London. Despite this, Goodbye reached number one in the UK, three in France, nine in Germany and seven in Norway. In Australia, Goodbye reached number six. Meanwhile, Goodbye reached number five in Canada and number two in America. This resulted in Goodbye being certified platinum in the UK and gold in America and Australia. Cream bowed out at the top, with their fourth albums in just under three years.
Each of these albums were released to critical acclaim and went on to sell in vast quantities. Cream’s four albums were certified gold and platinum on three continents. Britain’s first supergroup became one of the country’s most successful bands. Cream sold over fifteen million copies of Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears and Wheels Of Fire and Goodbye. That’s why, nowadays, Cream are regarded as rock royalty.
They were also the first British supergroup. Other followed in Cream’s wake. However, Cream achieved more than most in just under three years. Each of their albums found Cream’s music evolving as they continued to create groundbreaking music. This ranged from blues rock to hard rock and psychedelia. The quartet of albums Cream’s released between December 1966 and March 1969 are a reminder of the first, and many say best British supergroup, Cream.
Cream-Britain’s First and Best Supergroup.
THE LIFE AND CAREER OF CHI COLTRANE.
The Life and Career Of Chi Coltrane.
The word prodigy is an overused word, but that is the only way to describe Chi Coltrane who could play eight different instruments by the time she was twelve. What makes this all the more remarkable is that Chi Coltrane had absolutely no formal musical training. Instead, her ability to play such a wide variety of instruments was innate. It was her gift. Eventually, Chi Coltrane decided to concentrate on one instrument the piano.
It was at the piano that eighteen year old Chi Coltrane wrote her first song as an eighteen year old. By then, she was a playing bars, clubs and restaurants in Chicago. That was where she was discovered by the manager of the Shubert Theatre, who took Chi Coltrane to the West Coast where she recorded a six song demo which was sent to Columbia Records. Soon, an audition with Clive Davis was arranged, and after singing just one verse Chi Coltrane was offered a contract.
With the contract signed, Chi Coltrane recorded a trio of albums for Columbia Records. For Chi Coltrane, embarking upon a career as a singer-songwriter was her destiny. It was what she as born to do.
The Early Years.
Chi Coltrane was born on November the ’16th’ 1948 in Racine, Wisconsin, and was one of seven children born to a Canadian mother and German father who was a violinist. Soon, it became apparent that Chi Coltrane had inherited his musical talent.
Just like most young girls growing up in the early fifties, Chi Coltrane and her friends played with dolls. One day seven-year old Chi Coltrane took her doll and went to play with her friend next door. When she went into the house, Chi Coltrane discovered the family piano. Suddenly, Chi Coltrane lost interest in her dolls and started to play the piano. This was the start of a new chapter in Chi Coltrane’s young life.
Not long after this, Chi Coltrane’s mother remarried and moved into her stepfather’s house, where she discovered a piano. When Chi Coltrane started to play the piano, her mother was surprised. She had no idea about her daughter’s musical gift. Soon, Chi Coltrane’s mother was receiving notes from the school telling her that her daughter was gifted musically.
That was something of an understatement. By the time Chi Coltrane was twelve, she was able to play eight different musical instruments. She could usually work out how to play an instruments within an hour. This was almost unheard of. However, it wasn’t Chi Coltrane’s only gift.
Another innate gift that Chi Coltrane had, was the ability to empathise and connect with animals. This was an unusual gift something very few people were able to do. However, Chi Coltrane was a very gifted child.
Meanwhile, Chi Coltrane was singing in church, where he voice started to develop. Soon, she was being asked to sing solo, which allowed Chi Coltrane to become used to singing in front of audiences. This would stand her in good stead for the future.
Musical Apprenticeship.
By her late teens, Chi Coltrane was already singing in bars, clubs, restaurants and supper clubs in Chicago. This was where Chi Coltrane would serve her musical apprenticeship over the next few years and mature as a singer and indeed songwriter.
Chi Coltrane had already written her first song as an eighteen year old, and this was the start of a successful songwriting career. However, the patrons at the establishments Chi Coltrane played and sang at, wanted to hear very different songs. So Chi Coltrane made a point of learning the classic songs that her older, wealthier audience would enjoy.
Many of the venues Chi Coltrane played at were frequented by some of Chicago’s local celebrities, politicians and businesspeople, and each night, she tailored her sets to the suit her audience. As she sang and played the piano, the audiences started to take notice of the young singer. Sometimes they spoke to Chi Coltrane, and many members of her appreciative audience left tips in the crystal jar that sat on top of her piano. Before log, Chi Coltrane was a popular draw across the Windy City with people flocking to see the young singer.
This included the manager of the Shubert Theatre, who when he heard Chi Coltrane singing in a restaurant, suddenly lost all interest in his meal. All he wanted to do was listen to the singer next door on the lounge. When he arrived in the lounge and listened to Chi Coltrane, he realised that this was no ordinary singer. By the end of the evening, Chi Coltrane had a new manager who would take the young singer-songwriter to the West Coast.
Big Break.
When Chi Coltrane and her new manager arrived in the West Coast, she recorded a six song demo which was promptly dispatched to Columbia Records. The demo worked its magic, and Chi Coltrane was invited audition in front of Clive Davis. He asked Chi Coltrane to sing, and before she had finished the first verse, was offering the her a contract. The years that Chi Coltrane had spent playing the local circuit in Chicago had paid off. That was her
Chi Coltrane.
With the contract signed, Chi Coltrane was soon working on her debut album for Columbia Records. She was paired with studio drummer turned producer Toxey French. He had played on albums by some well known artists including Judy Henske, The Dillards and Tommy Rae. More recently, Toxey French had produced another Los Angeles based singer-songwriter Patty Dahlstrom. This was most likely why he was paired with Chi Coltrane.
Despite not yet being twenty-four, Chi Coltrane was writing songs that belied her relative youth. She was maturing into a talented and versatile songwriter who had an old head on young shoulders. When it came to choosing the material for her eponymous debut album, the eleven songs that were all Chi Coltrane compositions. They were recorded by a band that featured some of LA’s top session players.
Columbia Records was backing their latest signing by allowing producer Toxey French to put together a band that included some of the finest session musicians LA had to offer. Some of the musicians featured on the entire album, while others featured on one or two tracks. This included a rhythm section that included drummers Jim Gordon and Ron Tutt, bassist Larry Knechtel, Lee Sklar and Steve Lefever and guitarists Dean Parks and Ben Benay. They were augmented by percussionist Victor Feldman, King Errisson on congas, plus strings, woodwinds, horns and The Billy Barnum Chorus. No expense was spared for Chi Coltrane who played piano, organ and added vocals. She also on arranged the eleven songs with producer Toxey French, and was involved in the production process on her eponymous debut album.
With Chi Coltrane completed, the time came to choose a lead single. This was a hugely important decision that could make or break an album. If the wrong song was chosen, an album could sink without trace. That wasn’t the case with Chi Coltrane which was full of possible singles. Eventually, the song that became the lead single, was the song that opened the album, Thunder and Lightning.
Thunder and Lightning was the perfect debut single for Chi Coltrane, who unleashes one of her trademark vocal powerhouse on this soulful single. This was very different to many of the Laurel Canyon singers who didn’t lacked the power, control or soulfulness that Chi Coltrane had. When Thunder And Lightning was released as a single in 1972, it reached seventeen in the US Billboard 100 and entered the top ten in the Cash Box and Record World charts. This was the perfect start to Chi Coltrane’s recording career.
Meanwhile, Chi Coltrane was released to critical acclaim later in 1972, and spent the best part of the three months in the US Billboard 200 and found an audience across mainland Europe. Already, twenty-four years Chi Coltrane was enjoying success on both sides of the Atlantic. After Chi Coltrane had showcased the young singer- songwriter skills, more success came her way.
Chi Coltrane’s controversial album track Go Like Elijah was released as a single later in 1972, and although it failed to trouble the charts in America. It was a very different story in Europe, where Go Like Elijah spent a month at number one in the Netherlands. This gave Chi Coltrane her first number one single, and was something to celebrate.
By then, Chi Coltrane was enjoying success across Europe. Just like many American before her, Chi Coltrane was more popular in Europe than in America. The only country she had yet to make a breakthrough was in Britain, where restrictive trade union practises hampered her progress.
This came about when Chi Coltrane’s appearance on Old Grey Whistle Test was cancelled at the last-minute. A musician’s union rule stated that if an American musician appeared on British television, a British musician had to be booked to appear on American television. When that wasn’t about to happen, Chi Coltrane’s television appearance was suddenly cancelled. Despite that disappointment, Chi Coltrane had come a long way since the release of her eponymous debut album.
Let It Ride.
After the success of Chi Coltrane the twenty-four year old singer-songwriter decided to enrol at the Salter School of Music in Los Angeles. She managed to combined the course with her burgeoning musical career.
One of Chi Coltrane’s priorities was writing her eagerly awaited sophomore album Let It Ride. Chi Coltrane wrote nine new songs, which joined Hallelujah which was written by Gary Zekley, Mitch Bottler and Roberta Twain. With the songs written, Chi Coltrane was already thinking about asking if she could produce Let It Ride herself. She had learnt a lot from producer Toxey French, and was ready to put that knowledge to good use.
When Chi Coltrane asked about producing Let It Ride, executives at Columbia Records agreed, pointing out that she was essentially the de facto producer of her eponymous album.
Now that it had been agreed that Chi Coltrane could produce Let It Ride, she set about putting together a band that featured a mixture of old faces and new names. The rhythm section included drummers Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner, Barry De Souza and Steve Parsons, bassists Larry Knechtel, Chris Lawrence, Emory Gordy, Joe Puerta, John Gustafson, Klaus Voorman and Mark Cipola and guitarists Ben Benay, Larry Byron and Lee Ritenour. They were joined by Paul Buckmaster on synths, Alan Estes on tambourine and Bobbye Hall who played congas and tambourine. Completing the lineup were backing vocalists Merry Clayton, Clydie King and Stephanie Spruill plus a horn, string and woodwind section. This was the band that accompanied Chi Coltrane at Mama Jo’s studio in North Hollywood, and Trident Studios in London, during her European tour.
Once Let It Ride was completed, Chi Coltrane’s sophomore album was released later in 1973. By then, Chi Coltrane had established a following within the music press who realised that she was a cut above the majority of singer-songwriters around at that time.
Proof of that was Let It Ride which featured a songwriting masterclass from Chi Coltrane who as a vocalist, was equally comfortable on ballads and uptempo songs. Critics hailed Let It Ride as an even better album than Chi Coltrane. She had reached new heights on an album that marked the musical coming of age of twenty-six year old Chi Coltrane.
When Let It Ride was released in 1973, it was more popular in Europe than in America. Let It Ride was quickly certified gold in several European countries. It was only later that Chi Coltrane would be certified gold in these countries. By then, all wasn’t well at Columbia Records.
Clive Davis left Columbia Records not long after the release of Let It Ride. After some changes within Columbia Records, it became apparent that Chi Coltrane wasn’t high on the label’s priorities. Eventually, Chi Coltrane’s lawyer negotiated her release from the Columbia Records’ contract.
Road To Tomorrow.
Now the search began for a new label for Chi Coltrane. By then, over three years had passed since the release of Let It Ride. Despite this, Chi Coltrane had no problem finding a new label, and signed a two album deal with the TK/Cloud label, a Miami based label which specialised in disco, funk and soul releases.
Given Chi Coltrane’s musical background, the TK/Cloud label seemed the wrong label for the LA based singer-songwriter. Despite the misgivings of many music industry insiders, Chi Coltrane began work on their album Road To Tomorrow.
It featured ten new songs penned by Chi Coltrane, which were recorded by a band that featured some of LA’s top session musicians including drummer Jim Gordon and Jeff Porcaro and percussionist Victor Feldman who also played vibes. Adding backing vocals was none other than Jennifer Warnes. Some members of this multitalented had worked with Chi Coltrane before on her two previous albums. However, Road To Tomorrow was the first album produced by Peter Bernstein.
When Road To Tomorrow was released the album was well received by critics, but failed to find an audience in America. Road To Tomorrow was more popular in America, but failed to replicate the success of Chi Coltrane and Let It Ride. This was disappointing for Chi Coltrane.
Fortunately, fate intervened when Chi Coltrane attended a meeting at the Beverley Hills Hilton, and mistakenly went into a room where a CBS conference was taking place. Straight away, the various executives recognised Chi Coltrane and soon, were trying to sign her to CBS Germany. The only problem was the contract with TK/Cloud.
Eventually, a decision was made that CBS Germany would offer to buy Chi Coltrane out of her contract with TK/Cloud. When CBS Germany approached the Miami-based label, they accepted the offer and Chi Coltrane was free to sign to another major label. She was going up in the world again.
Silk and Steel.
As soon as Chi Coltrane had signed to CBS Germany, she began work on Silk and Steel, her fourth album. Eventually, Chi Coltrane had written eight new songs that would become Silk and Steel. It featured a very different band and producers.
For the recording of Silk and Steel, Larry Brown and Freddie Piro were chosen to produce the album. Wim Kutz and Chi Coltrane assumed the role of associate producers, as she began working with a new band.
Joining Chi Coltrane was a rhythm section of drummers David Kemper and Mark Sanders, bassists Charlie Souza, David Edelstein and Jeff Eyrick and guitarists Daryl Caraco, David Mansfield, Eric Turner, Steve Hunter and Tom Fowle. They were joined by Bernie Leadon on acoustic guitar and Larry Brown who played synths and percussion. As usual, Chi Coltrane played piano, keyboards and now synths while adding lead vocals. Once the album was complete it was ready for release in 1980.
Silk and Steel marked a return to form from Chi Coltrane. Her carefully crafted fourth album received praise and plaudits from critics, who were won over by the longer songs on Silk and Steel that which was a quite personal album for Chi Coltrane.
By then, Chi Coltrane was constantly touring and playing around 300 concerts each year. This was starting to take its toll and she deals with the exhaustion caused by gruelling tours. This was something that Chi Coltrane addressed on the uptempo rocker Jet Lag. Little did she realise the effect the constant touring was having on her. That would only become apparent later. Before that, Chi Coltrane released Silk and Steel
Eight years after releasing her debut album, Chi Coltrane released her fourth album Silk and Steel, which showcased a truly versatile vocalist who was maturing with every album. Sadly, still commercial success continued to elude Chi Coltrane at home, and again, Silk and Steel was more popular in Europe than in America. It was a familiar story for Chi Coltrane.
That had been the case since Chi Coltrane released her sophomore album Let It Ride. Since then, her albums sold well in Europe and her concerts sold out. Meanwhile, in America Chi Coltrane was still trying to replicate the success of her 1972 eponymous debut album.
Sadly, Chi Coltrane never came close to replicating the success of her eponymous debut album at home in America. Meanwhile, Chi Coltrane’s career was blossoming in Europe. Eventually, she decided to move to Europe, which became her adopted home.
Live!
Having settled in Europe, Chi Coltrane decided to release he first live album of her career. The album was recorded in the spring of 1982. Chi Coltrane’s skills as a multi-instrumentalist were put to good use as she played Fender Rhodes, piano and synths as she worked her way through ten tracks for her burgeoning back-catalogue. The set-list included You Were My Friend, Leavin’ It All Behind, It’s Not Easy and her number one single in the Netherlands Go Like Elijah joined the album closer Road To Tomorrow on the setlist to what became Live!
Once the album was recorded, Chi Coltrane decided there would be no overdubbing. Unlike many artists, Chi Coltrane wanted to replicate her true live sound. This proved popular when it was released by the Teldec label later in 1982. Live! kept her fans happy while Chi Coltrane began work on her next album.
Ready To Roll.
Chi Coltrane went away and wrote the nine new songs that would become her new album. When it came to recording Ready To Roll, Chi Coltrane arranged and produced the album which was released later in 1983 by Teldec.
When Ready To Roll was released, it was well received by critics, and sold well in Europe. That was where Chi Coltrane was most popular, and often she played 300 concerts a year. This was a gruelling schedule, but one Chi Coltrane kept over the next three years.
The Message.
Three years passed before Chi Coltrane returned with a new album, The Message. It featured nine new songs from Chi Coltrane, which she had arranged and produced. They were recorded by a tight talented band, and when The Message was completed, it was released in 1986.
Critics hailed The Message as the best album Chi Coltrane had released for Teldec. It showcased how she had matured as a singer, songwriter and producer. She had come a long way since released her eponymous debut album in 1972.
Upon its release in 1986, The Message found favour with Chi Coltrane’s European fans and had sold well. Sadly, nearly two decades of constant touring took its toll on Chi Coltrane. She was exhausted and had burnt out.
Chi Coltrane was no longer able to play live and it wasn’t until a holistic doctor treated the illness in 2007, that she was able to make a comeback in 2009.
That was when Chi Coltrane resumed her career after twenty-three long and frustrating years. Chi Coltrane released new compilation The Essential Chi Coltrane–Yesterday, Today and Forever in 2009. It featured songs from the three albums Chi Coltrane had released for Teldec during the eighties, Live!, Ready To Roll, and The Message, and also contained three new recordings, including Yesterday, Today and Forever. Chi Coltrane was back and making music.
Three years later, in 2012, and Chi Coltrane released her second live album The Comeback Concert-Live In Vienna. Fifty-four year old Chi Coltrane was back doing what she did best, making music, which was what she had been doing since releasing her eponymous debut album in 1972.
The Life and Career Of Chi Coltrane.
THE RISE, DEMISE AND RETURN OF SKID ROW.
The Rise, Demise and Return Of Skid Row.
By late 1967, Dublin’s vibrant rock scene was thriving with many newly founded bands playing in universities and clubs around the city. Some were already spreading their wings, and heading further afield taking their music to other parts of the Republic of Ireland. Its music scene had come a long way since the mid-sixties, when it started to take shape.
Since then, two recent graduates of the Dublin music scene had gone on to greater things, and were well on their way to becoming international stars. This included Ian Whitcomb and Bluesville and Van Morrison, the former lead singer of Them who had just embarked upon a solo career and released his debut album Blowin’ Your Mind! in September 1967. It charted on both sides of the Atlantic and gave Van Morrison a tantalising taste of the commercial success and critical acclaim that he would enjoy over the next fifty years. Meanwhile, a new group was already making waves on the Dublin music scene, and looked like it would be the next to graduate from the Irish music scene…Skid Row.
Skid Row had only been formed in August 1967 by formed The Uptown Band]s former bassist Brendan ‘Brush’ Shiels, drummer Noel ‘Nollaig’ Bridgeman, guitarist Ben Cheevers and vocalist Phil Lynott. They were all experienced musicians, and were veterans of numerous groups. Two members of Skid Row had been in a number of bands together, Brendan ‘Brush’ Shiels and Ben Cheevers. Skid Row they hoped was the band that would transform their fortunes.
Given Skid Row comprised experienced musicians, it wasn’t long before the newly founded Skid Row made their debut in September 1967. This took place at basement club in Lower Abbey Street in the centre of Dublin. Little did those that were present that night, realise that they had witnessed history being made and that Skid Row were in the process of writing their way into rock history.
By September 1968, Skid Row’s lineup started to change. First to leave was guitarist Ben Cheevers, who decided to continue working full-time in the electrical industry. There was a problem though. Skid Row didn’t have a suitable guitarist lined up to replace him. However, waiting in the wings was sixteen year old virtuoso guitarist Gary Moore who stylistically, modelled himself on his hero Peter Green.
Before Ben Cheevers’ departure, Gary Moore joined Skid Row and briefly, they became a five piece band. The two guitarists played together during what was hand over period. When Ben Cheevers left the band in September 1968, Gary Moore stepped out of the shadows and a star was born.
Meanwhile, Robbie Brennan temporarily replaced original drummer Noel ‘Nollaig’ Bridgeman until June 1969. Robbie Brennan featured on Skid Row’s debut single New Places, Old Faces which featured Misdemeanour Dream Felicity on the B-Side. The single was released on Song Records, an Irish label in mid-1968 and featured Gary Moore’s recording debut. Skid Row’s debut single was the only recording to feature vocalist Phil Lynott.
Later in 1968, Phil Lynott was dropped from Skid Row’s lineup after a bout of tonsillitis. During his absence, Brendan ‘Brush’ Shiels took charge of lead vocals. This spelt the end of end of the Phil Lynott. During his absence, Phil Lynott spent his time learning to play the bass. This was just as well, as his days with Skid Row were numbered.
When Phil Lynott returned from his illness, he was told that Skid Row were about to become a power trio. To compensate the disappointed Phil Lynott, Brendan ‘Brush’ Shiels gave him a bass that he had purchased from former musician Robert Ballagh for £49. Brendan ‘Brush’ Shiels also taught Phil Lynott how to play the bass, which he would put to good use when he formed Orphanage and then Thin Lizzy. However, little did Phil Lynott realise that his sacking from Skid Row was the best thing that happened to him.
Not long after this, Skid Row released their sophomore single Saturday Morning Man, which featured Mervyn Aldridge on the B-Side. Saturday Morning Man was released on Song Records. This was the last recording before Skid Row’s classic era began.
There was just one more change to Skid Row’s lineup before their classic era began. This was the return of Noel ‘Nollaig’ Bridgeman in June 1969. With drummer Noel ‘Nollaig’ Bridgeman, bassist Brendan ‘Brush’ Shiels and guitarist Gary Moore, the classic lineup of Skid Row would soon emerge as one Ireland’s leading bands.
During the remaining of the sixties, and into 1970, Skid Row’ emerged as one of Ireland’s best unsigned bands. They opened for the great and good of rock, including Fleetwood Mac. Peter Green was so impressed by Gary Moore’s guitar playing that he introduced him to Fleetwood Mac’s manager Clifford Davis and executives at the Columbia/CBS Records. This was the break that Skid Row had been looking for.
Skid.
Not long after this, Skid Row signed to CBS, and began working on their debut album Skid with producer Mike Smith. Nine songs were recorded during the session, including a new version of New Places, Old Faces. However, the session wasn’t the most fruitful of Skid Row’s career. Only two tracks were released by CBS, when Sandie’s Gone (Part 1)and Sandie’s Gone (Part 2) became Skid Row’s third single in April 1970.
By then, a decision had been made by Clifford Davis that Skid Row should re-record their debut album, and change some of the songs. The other change was the producer.
While some of the Mike Smith sessions were well recorded, he had failed to capture what was an innovative and vivacious band at the peak of their powers. They had honed their sound during their US tour, and in the process, changed rock critics’ perception of what a power trio was capable of. Skid Row’s music had been inspired and influenced by a fusion of country rock and angular progressive rock that headed in the direction of jazz. These songs featured complex arrangements, but Skid Row were a versatile and talented band who were capable of producing virtuoso performances and making it sound easy. To capture Skid Row’s sound would take a special producer, and one who understood what the band were about. Clifford Davis’ suggestion was that Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac produced Skid Row.
Skid Row added four new songs to their debut album Skid. By then, Brendan ‘Brush’ Shiels had emerged as the band’s songwriter-in-chief writing Mad Dog Woman, Virgo’s Daughter, Heading Home Again, An Awful Lot Of Woman and After Im Gone. Gary Moore contributed Felicity and the three members of Skid Row penned Unco-Up Showband Blues, For Those Who Do and The Man Who Never Was. These songs were produced by Peter Green.
As the sessions for Skid began, Gary Moore arrived with his favourite guitar, a maple Les Paul Standard which Peter Green had sold him not long after the pair first met. While it had been well used, it quickly became Gary Moore’s favourite guitar. He put it to good use on Skid Row, which was just another recording session for the band. They took recording Skid in their stride. For Skid Row it was another day at the office.
Skid Row had already recorded a number of live sessions for the BBC Radio and a number of studio sessions. This was all good experience for the band. Especially, when Skid Row went into the BBC studios, which was home to some of the best engineers in London. They took pride in getting the best performance out of the bands that they were recording, including Skid Row.
With Skid recorded, Skid Row prepared for the release of their debut album in October 1970. Skid was hailed as a groundbreaking debut album and was quite unlike the majority of albums produced by power trios. It was a cerebral album, that married disparate and unlikely musical genres, while drawing inspiration from all manner of sources during what was akin to a musical roller coaster.
Skid Row flit between and combine elements of various musical genres. This includes blues rock and hard rock, which were important components in their sound. That was only part of the story, as Skid Row were very different to the many blues rock and hard rock bands that were around in 1970. Their sound was much more sophisticated and cerebral as Skid Row take occasional diversions via blues, country, fusion, jazz and skiffle on their genre-melting debut album. It finds Skid Row playing with as one, as they combine speed, accuracy and power on what’s a breathtaking debut album. The music is complex and urgent, as musical butterflies Skid Row flit seamlessly between musical genres.
When Skid was released in October 1970, the album reached number thirty in the British charts. Considering this was Skid Row’s debut album, this was a good start to their recording career.
By then, Skid Row had moved to London, where they lived in two houses in Belsize Park. However, much of Skid Row’s time was spent touring, and opening for groups like The Allman Brothers, Santana, Ten Years After, Jethro Tull and Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. The constant touring helped to spread the word about Skid Row, whose star was definitely in the ascendancy. However, after tours of America, Britain and Germany, Skid Row returned home to record their sophomore album 34 Hours.
34 Hours.
For 34 Hours, Skid Row penned Night Of The Warm Witch, First Thing In The Morning, Lonesome Still and Love Story, Pt. 1. Songwriter-in-chief Brendan ‘Brush’ Shiels wrote Mar and Go, I’m Never Gonna Let You, Parts 1 to 4. These songs became 34 Hours.
When recording of 34 Hours began, Clifford Davis took charge of production. Watching and learning, was nineteen year old Gary Moore. He and the rest of Skid Row spent just 34 Hours recording the band’s debut album.
Critics on hearing 34 Hours realised that it was a much tighter album. It received the same plaudits and praise as Skid, and a great future was forecast for Skid Row.
This was proof that the weeks and months spent touring was time well spent. Skid Row had honed their sound through constantly playing live, and on 34 Hours showcased a much heavier, progressive rock sound. It featured two nine minute epics, Night Of The Warm Witch and Go, I’m Never Gonna Let You, Parts 1 to 4. They allowed Skid Row to stretch their legs musically. By then, Skid Row had matured into a much tighter, accomplished and assured band. Still, the music on 34 Hours was groundbreaking, complex and cerebral. There was still a spontaneity to Skid Row’s playing as they continued to combine speed, accuracy, power on 34 Hours
The result was 34 Hours, an album of music that veered between, caustic, cerebral, challenging and complex to energetic and explosive to forceful, urgent and vigorous. Still, Skid Row combined elements of blues rock, country, fusion and progressive rock on 34 Hours. Apart from the country sound of Lonesome Still, 34 Hours is hard rocking album of progressive album that incorporates elements of fusion. This is a potent and heady brew, and should’ve found favour with record buyers in 1971.
Sadly, when 34 Hours was released by CBS in early 1971 the critically acclaimed album failed to find the audience it deserved. For Skid Row, this was a huge disappointment.
Throughout the rest of 1971, Skid Row continued to tour. However, in December 1971, Gary Moore left Skid Row. Thin Lizzy’s Eric Bell briefly filed the void on a temporary basis. Ironically, Gary Moore would later replace Eric Bell in Thin Lizzy.
Paul Chapman then became Skid Row’s new full-time guitarist. However, his time with Skid Row proved brief, and the band split-up in August 1972.
While Skid Row reformed in 1973, the original lineup never took to the stage again. Over the next three years, Skid Row’s lineup continued to change, until they split-up for a second time in 2012.
That was the end of the Skid Row story until 2012, when the band reformed and released their first new album in forty-one years Bon Jovi Never Rang Me. By then, the only original member of Skid Row was Brendan ‘Brush’ Shiels. While many welcomed the Skid Row’s new album, many couldn’t help but compare them to the two cult classics they released between 1970 and 1971. Skid and 34 Hours and feature Skid Row at the peak of their considerable powers.
On Skid and 34 Hours, Skid Row rewrite the rules for future power trios. They created music that was cerebral, complex, hard rocking, innovative and progressive. Skid Row also fused and flitted between disparate and unlikely musical genres during Skid and 34 Hours, which are a reminder of one Ireland’s greatest musical exports during their sadly short but memorable musical career.
The Rise, Demise and Return Of Skid Row.
THE STORY OF THOS. RAPP AND PEARLS BEFORE SWINE.
The Story Of Thos. Rapp and Pearls Before Swine.
When Pearls Before Swine released their fifth album City Of Gold in April 1969. it was the first album credited to Tom Rapp and Pearls Before Swine. This seemed only fair, as Tom Rapp was the only original member of Pearls Before Swine left. The rest of the band left en masse in 1969, before Pearls Before Swine signed to Reprise Records. Since then, Pearls Before Swine consisted of Tom Rapp, his wife Elisabeth and session musicians that were brought onboard for recording sessions and tours. It was no surprise that Tom Rapp wanted equal billing with Pearls Before Swine. However, that hadn’t always been the case.
Pearls Before Swine was founded by Tom Rapp in Melbourne, Florida in 1965. The nascent band featured Tom Rapp and his high school friends Wayne Harley, Lane Lederer and Roger Crissinger. Tom Rapp quickly became the band’s songwriter-in-chief, and wrote the material that would feature on the demo that Pearls Before Swine sent to the avant-garde label ESP-Disk. By then, the band were sporting the name Pearls Before Swine, which they took from a quotation in The Bible (Matthew. 7:6).
Not long after sending their demo to ESP-Disk, Pearls Before Swine were offered a recording contract by the label. This was what every new band dreamt of, and Pearls Before Swine signed on the dotted line. Soon, they began work recording their debut album, One Nation Underground with producer Richard L. Alderson.
One Nation Underground.
While Pearls Before Swine were a four piece band, they didn’t have a drummer. So session drummer and percussionist Warren Smith was drafted in before work began on One Nation Underground at Impact Sound, in New York.
The sessions began on the ‘6th’ of May 1967, and were scheduled to last just four days. The band planned to record ten songs, including the six penned by Tom Rapp. He had written Another Time, (Oh Dear) Miss Morse, Drop Out, Morning Song, Regions Of May and Uncle John. Lead vocalist and guitarist Tom Rapp also two songs cowrote Ballad To An Amber Lady and I Shall Not Care. It took just four days for Pearls Before Swine to record One Nation Underground, and the session was completed on ‘9th’ May 1967.
Five months later, and Pearls Before Swine released their debut album One Nation Underground. Critical acclaim accompanied the release of this minor psychedelic folk classic. When One Nation Underground was released, it was soon, well on its way to becoming ESP-Disk’s most successful recording. It’s thought that One Nation Underground sold anywhere between 100,000 to 250,000 copies. This should’ve proven profile for Pearls Before Swine.
Alas, contractual problems meant that Pearls Before Swine received very little in the way of royalties. Later, a rueful Tom Rapp alleged: “we never got any money from ESP. Never, not even like a hundred dollars or something.” For Pearls Before Swine this must have been disheartening, especially as they were still under contract to ESP-Disk.
Balaklava.
In early 1968, Pearls Before Swine’s begun work on their sophomore album, Balaklava. By then, there had been a change in the band’s lineup. Jim Bohannon had replaced Roger Crissinger. Meanwhile, Tom Rapp continued in his role as Pearls Before Swine’s songwriter-in-chief.
For Balaklava, Tom Rapp wrote eight of the ten songs on the album and cowrote Translucent Carriages. The other song on the album was a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne. These songs were recorded with producer Richard L. Alderson[ at Impact Sound in New York.
When the recording sessions began, Pearls Before Swine were augmented by session musicians. They added flute, English horn, piano, organ, guitar and strings. Overdubbing was used extensively, with recordings of Florence Nightingale and the original buglers from the Battle of Balaclava in 1854 added to Balaklava. They played their part in an album of evocative, cerebral and complex music which was full of allegorical classical references.
Just over a year after the release of One Nation Underground, Balaklava was released to the same critical acclaim as its predecessor in November 1968. Critics marvelled at the innovative way songs were arranged and the eclectic nature of instruments deployed on Balaklava. It was an album that the band were extremely proud of, and which critics hailed as more than a fitting followup to One Nation Underground. However, despite the critical acclaim Balaklava received, all wasn’t well within Pearls Before Swine.
Not long after the release of Balaklava, Tom Rapp managed to negotiate his way out of the contract with ESP-Disk. This left him free to sign with Reprise Records, which was home to many folk and folk rock artist. However, the rest of Pearls Before Swine didn’t follow Tom Rapp to Reprise Records and called time on their career with the band.
The rest of Pearls Before Swine had never played live during their time together. This wasn’t ideal for a band trying to make a breakthrough. After that, Pearls Before Swine consisted of Tom Rapp his wife Elisabeth and session musicians that were brought onboard for recording sessions and tours. The first album that this new lineup would feature on was, These Things Too.
These Things Too.
Having signed to Reprise Records, Tom Rapp was keen to get to work on the next Pearls Before Swine album. This would eventually become These Things Too, which marked the start of the Reprise Records’ years.
For These Things Too, Tom Rapp wrote ten new songs. He also wrote Green And Blue and Mon Amour with his wife Elisabeth and added music to W. H. Auden’s poem Footnote. The only cover version on the album was Bob Dylan’s folk anthem I Shall Be Released. It was covered in the familiar surroundings of Impact Sound, in New York.
This was the same studio where Pearls Before Swine recorded their first two albums. They were produced by Richard L. Alderson, who returned to produce These Things Too. He helped put together the session musicians who would feature on the album. One of the musicians Richard L. Alderson brought onboard was Jim Fairs who previously, had been a member of the garage band The Cryin’ Shame. Jim Fairs played on These Things Too and co-produced the album. It featured jazz drummer Grady Tate, bassist Bill Salter, electric violinist Richard Greene, who later would join Seatrain. This small, but tight and talented band recorded the fourteen songs that became These Things Too.
The release of These Things Too was scheduled for September 1969. Before that, critics had their say on Pearls Before Swine’s Reprise Records’ debut. While the album was well received by critics, it didn’t receive the same critical acclaim as previous albums. Critics described These Things Too as a mystical and “dreamy” sounding album. Later, it turned out a reason for the album’s dreamy sound. Tom Rapp later admitted that These Things Too was the first Pearls Before Swine album that: “reflected drug use in the writing of the songs.” This was a first for Pearls Before Swine.
Nowadays, These Things Too has been reappraised by critics, and is regarded as one of Pearls Before Swine’s most underrated albums.
It was also one of the Pearls Before Swine’s least successful albums. These Things Too didn’t sell in vast quantities, and was a disappointing start to Pearls Before Swine’s time at Reprise Records.
The Use of Ashes.
By the time that Tom Rapp began writing Pearls Before Swine fourth album, The Use of Ashes he and his wife Elisabeth were living in the Netherlands. That was where Elisabeth was born and brought up. Tom and Elisabeth Rapp had sailed from New York to the Netherlands on the maiden voyage of the QE2. This was idyllic journey and one that was sure to provide inspiration for Tom Rapp.
On their arrival in the Netherlands, Tom and Elisabeth Rapp spent several months living in a house near Utrecht. That was where Tom Rapp began writing The Use of Ashes.
Most of the ten songs that feature on The Use of Ashes were written by Tom Rapp in Utrecht. It was the first album he had written entirely himself. Elisabeth is credited as having helped pen God Save The Child, while Rocket Man was based on a short story by Ray Bradbury. Rocket Man was heard by Bernie Taupin, and would inspire him to write Rocket Man for Elton John. That was still to come.
Before that, a decision was made to record The Use of Ashes in Nashville. Peter H. Edmiston was brought onboard to produce the album, and some of Nashville’s top sessions musicians would feature on The Use of Ashes. This included many of the members of the country rock band Area Code 615. They made their way to Woodland Studios, in Nashville where they spent much of March 1970 was spent recording material for The Use of Ashes. By the time the sessions were over, Pearls Before Swine had more than enough music for one album. However, the albums wasn’t complete and some sessions took place at Impact Sound, in New York. After that, The Use of Ashes was ready for release.
In August 1970, The Use of Ashes was released to widespread critical acclaim. Critics hailed the album a return to form from Pearls Before Swine. They had reached the same heights as One Nation Underground and Balaklava. However, some critics preferred The Use of Ashes which featured country rock, folk rock and psychedelic folk. It was a much more eclectic album, which featured some of Tom Rapp’s finest songs. Especially The Jeweller, which was later recorded by This Mortal Coil, the cinematic Rocket Man and the jazz-tinged, playful Tell Me Why? One of the highlights was Riegal, a sobering song that was inspired by a newspaper article that told how 4,000 prisoners of war died after the prison ship MS Rigel was sunk. It’s a poignant song, that shows just how Tom Rapp was maturing as a songwriter. The Use of Ashes featured some of Tom Rapp’s finest songs. He seemed to have come of age as a songwriter, on what was Pearls Before Swine’s most successful album for Reprise Records. Things were looking up for Pearls Before Swine.
City Of Gold.
When it came time for Pearls Before Swine to begin work on their third album, and fifth album overall, Tom Rapp announced that he wanted equal billing with the band he had founded six years earlier in 1965. From City Of Gold, onwards the band would be billed as Thos. Rapp and Pearls Before Swine.
Much of what would become City Of Gold had already been recorded in Nashville, during the sessions for The Use of Ashes’ album. Further sessions would take place at Impact Sound, in New York with Tom Rapp taking charge of production. Eventually, eleven tracks featured on City Of Gold.
This included seven Tom Rapp compositions, including Once Upon A Time, Raindrops, City Of Gold, The Man, Casablanca Wedding and Did You Dream Of? Tom Rapp also added music to William Shakespear’s Sonnet #65. They were joined by cover versions Leonard Cohen’s Nancy, Jacques Brel and Rod McKuen’s Seasons In The Sun and Judy Collins My Father. These tracks became City Of Gold, which was Pearls Before Swine’s fifth album.
Once Upon A Time was scheduled for release in April 1971, and was a mixture of country folk, country rock and folk rock. The album was well received by critics, who noticed that Tom Rapp was continuing to mature as a singer and songwriter. He had come of age as a songwriter on The Use Of Ashes, and this continued on Once Upon A Time, much of which was recorded at the same time.
Just like his two previous albums for Reprise Records, Once Upon A Time didn’t sell in vast quantities. Pearls Before Swine had a loyal fan-base, but their music deserved to reach a much wider audience. That hadn’t happened so far. Tom Rapp was hoping that things would change when …Beautiful Lies That You Could Live In was released.
…Beautiful Lies That You Could Live In.
Recording of …Beautiful Lies That You Could Live In had taken place in early 1971, so that Pearls Before Swine could embark on their first tour. That was highly unusual for a band that was formed in 1965. Most bands spent much of their time on the road. However, Pearls Before Swine weren’t most bands.
They were one of music’s best kept secrets, despite releasing five albums. Pearls Before Swine had still to make a breakthrough. Taking the band on the road it was hoped, would introduce Pearls Before Swine to a new audience. So with an all-star band that featured drummer Billy Mundi , guitarist Amos Garrett and pianist Bob Dorough, Tom and Elisabeth Rapp headed out on their first ever tour.
In November 1971, Pearls Before Swine were preparing to release their sixth album …Beautiful Lies That You Could Live In. It featured eleven songs, including nine from the pen of Tom Rapp. Elisabeth Rapp wrote music to A. E. Housman’s Epitaph On An Army Of Mercenaries. The other song on …Beautiful Lies That You Could Live In was a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Bird On A Wire. These songs were recorded at three studios with producer Peter H. Edmiston.
Recording of …Beautiful Lies That You Could Live In took place at A&R Studios and Aura Sound, New York, and at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock. This was where Tom Rapp and Pearls Before Swine recorded an album that moved towards what was a much more orthodox folk rock sound.
When critics heard …Beautiful Lies That You Could Live In, they hailed the album as one of Pearls Before Swine’s best albums. No wonder, as the music was beautiful, enchanting, evocative and captivating. The album opener Snow Queen, Butterflies, Simple Things, Island Lady and Freedom were among the album’s highlight of …Beautiful Lies That You Could Live In. It was a cohesive album that showcased Tom Rapp’s skills as a singer, songwriter and storyteller. Just like on previous albums, he had the ability to breath meaning and emotion into the lyrics and make the songs come to life. This he did on throughout …Beautiful Lies That You Could Live In, which surely, would introduce Tom Rapp and Pearls Before Swine to a much wider audience?
Sadly, that wasn’t to be, and when …Beautiful Lies That You Could Live In was released was a familiar story. The album didn’t reach the wider audience that it so richly deserved. That was despite the popularity of folk rock. It seemed that Tom Rapp and Pearls Before Swine were destined to remain one of music’s best kept secrets.
Especially after Tom Rapp decided to embark upon a career as a solo artist. This came not long after the release of …Beautiful Lies That You Could Live In, Tom Rapp decided to embark upon career as a solo career. This marked the end of the road for Thos. Rapp and Pearls Before Swine.
Tom Rapp’s debut solo album Familiar Songs, was released on Reprise Records in 1972. Despite what was another album of carefully crafted songs, it was a familiar story for Tom Rapp, when the album failed to find an audience. For Tom Rapp, Familiar Songs marked the end of era.
Not long after Reprise Records released Familiar Songs, they parted company with Tom Rapp. He signed to Blue Thumb Records, and released Stardancer later in 1972. Stardancer featured the impassioned underground anti-war anthem Fourth Day Of July. It played its part in an album that won the approval of critics and cultural commentators. Despite this, still, commercial success continued to elude him.
Tom Rapp returned in 1973 with Sunforest, which featured a mixture of folk rock, art rock and jazz. Although Sunforest wasn’t as strong an album Stardancer it showcased a talented a singer-songwriter. When the album was released in 1973, it failed commercially and Tom Rapp’s talents were no nearer to finding a wider audience. For Tom Rapp this was hugely frustrating.
So much so, that after his contract with Blue Thumb Records expired, Tom Rapp turned his back on music. He enrolled at Brandeis University and graduated in 1981. Tom Rapp then enrolled at University of Pennsylvania Law School and three years later, in 1984, embarked upon a career as a civil rights lawyer. This was the start of a successful legal career for Tom Rapp.
It wasn’t until 1997 that Tom Rapp returned to music, when he made a guest appearance at the Terrastock music festival. Although his comeback was successful, still Tom Rapp continued his career as a civil rights lawyer. However, two years later in 1999, Tom Rapp returned with a new album A Journal Of The Plague Year. This was the first album that Tom Rapp had released since Sunforest in 1973. Since then, Tom Rapp hasn’t released a followup to A Journal Of The Plague Year. Instead, he’s concentrated on his successful legal career. Law’s gain is music’s loss.
Twenty years have passed since Tom Rapp released A Journal Of The Plague Year. Since then, his quartet of solo albums and the six albums he released with Pearls Of Swine are starting to find a wider audience. This hopefully, will continue to be the case, as music lovers young and old discover the musical delights ofThos. Rapp and Pearls Before Swine who are one of the folk rock’s best kept secrets.
The Story Of Thos. Rapp and Pearls Before Swine.
PHIL SEYMOUR-THE PRINCE OF POWER POP.
Phil Seymour-The Prince Of Power Pop-
Sadly, not every artist goes on to enjoy a long and successful musical career, and their star shines only briefly. That was the case with Nick Drake and Gram Parsons, whose tragic and untimely deaths cut short what could’ve and should’ve been a long and successful career. Neither of these talented singer songwriters got the chance to fulfil their potential, and it was only later that their music found the wider audience that it so richly deserved.
It was a similar case with Phil Seymour, the Prince Of Power Pop, who had the potential and talent to become one of the biggest artists of the eighties. Sadly, Phil Seymour’s star shawn briefly and he released just two albums and half-a-dozen carefully crafted singles between 1980 and 1982. Eleven years later, on August the ’17th’ 1993, forty-one year old Phil Seymour succumbed to lymphoma, a disease he had bravely battled for eight years. The Prince Of Power Pop’s death left his friends, family and fans distraught at the loss of one so young, and indeed talented.
Phillip Warren Seymour was born in Oklahoma City, on May the ‘15th’ 1952, and growing up, discovered music. Soon, his life revolved around listening to and playing music. By then, Phil Seymour could play the drums, bass and guitar. He was a one man rhythm section, who live and breathed music.
By the age of fifteen, it was apparent that Phil Seymour would eventually embark upon a musical career. However, his career began sooner rather than later, when Phil Seymour met Dwight Twilley met by chance in 1967.
This chance meeting took place at the Bowman Twin Cinema, in Tulsa, which was showing The Beatles’ 1965 film A Hard Day’s Night. Despite being two years old, Phil Seymour decided to take in the film. So did Dwight Twilley, another local musician, who lived just a couple of blocks from Phil Seymour, and who also a pupil at Charles Edison High School, in Tulsa. The two young musicians shared much in common, and realised this when they met at the Bowman Twin Cinema.By the time they parted that night, the two young musicians had already decided to write and record together.
Having decided to write and record together, Phil Seymour and Dwight Twilley using the name Oister. For the next few years, they spent much of their free time honing their skills as musicians, playing piano, drums, bass and guitar, and also learning to harmonise.
This took time, practise, patience and persistence. Eventually, their two voices became one, as they seamlessly harmonised. This had taken time and many hours of practise, but they realised was worth it. The next thing that Phil Seymour and Dwight Twilley started to do, was write songs.
After a couple of years, two became three, when Phil Seymour and Dwight Twilley were joined by guitarist Bill Pitcock IV, who had started life as a drummer. He had been taught the drums by his father, who had his own band. However, the drums wasn’t for Bill Pitcock IV and he switched to guitar. This worked out well for Bill Pitcock IV, and soon, he was playing with his father’s band. The young guitarist was a talented player, and soon was ready to spread his wings.
Bill Pitcock IV started to join Phil Seymour and Dwight Twilley as they practised and played, in an attempt to hone their skills. He joined them during these practise sessions, and as they started to write songs. The next step was to form a band together, Oister.
Oister.
The nascent Oister started to practise in a room above Pitcock Electrical, which was run by Bill Pitcock IV’s grandfather. He spent his days installing recording equipment and running his own recording studio he called The Shop. It was where Oister spent much of their time, recording their new songs. Later, Oister recorded a session at B.J. Recordings in Arkansas. What they didn’t do much of, was playing live.
On the occasions that played live, they proved a popular draw on the local live scene. Instead, Oister concentrated on recording demos, in the hope that they would be signed by a record company.
While The Shop was a good place for Oister to record demos in the early days of the band, by the late-sixties they had started to outgrow the small studio. However, they didn’t have the funds to hire a studio in L.A., New York or Nashville. Despite that, the three members of Oister found themselves in Tupelo, Mississippi where they met Ray Harris.
He had been sent a tape by Judd Phillips, who was Sam Phillips’ brother, and was running Sun Records. Judd Phillips had been impressed by Oister and decided to send the band Ray Harris’ way. Maybe his old friend could help Oister, and in doing so, help himself. While Oister never recorded with Ray Harris, he introduce the band to rockabilly, but encourage Oister to toughen up their vocals.
These two pieces of advice proved invaluable for Oister, who when they returned home to Tulsa, changed their musical approach slightly. Soon, it had taken on a roots sound that added a much-needed character and depth to Oister’s music. They were on the right track now.
Back home in Tulsa, Oister continued to hone and refine their sound. Sometimes, at sessions the three members of Oister were joined by bassist Johnny Johnston and pianist Jim Barth, who augmented the core trio’s sound. When they played live this proved popular. However, before long, the members of Oister had decided to leave town.
By 1974 Oister decided that the time had come to try to make the breakthrough that they had been working towards. This they realised wasn’t going to happen if they stayed in Tulsa, so Oister decided to head to Los Angeles, which was one of America’s musical capitals.
Dwight Twilley Band.
Within just two weeks of arriving in Los Angeles, Oister was signed by Shelter Records, which was owned and run by Leon Russell and Denny Cordell. Oister decided to change their name, and it was the Dwight Twilley Band that signed to Shelter Records. The newly named band was told by executives at Shelter Records that they had to get used to working in a sixteen track studio.
That was how the members of the Dwight Twilley Band found themselves in Church Studio, Tulsa, in November 1974. With a sixteen track desk, it was very different to anything they had studio they had worked in. Despite that, Phil Seymour took charge of the situation, and told Dwight Twilley: “let’s make a hit record right now.”
Incredibly, the song that the Dwight Twilley Band recorded, I’m On Fire, gave the band their first hit single. When I’m On Fire was released in 1975, the single with very little promotion, peaked at number sixteen in the US Billboard 100. This was just the start for the Dwight Twilley Band.
The initial lineup of the Dwight Twilley Band saw bassist and drummer sharing lead vocal and harmonising with guitarist Dwight Twilley, while Bill Pitcock IV played guitar. This was the lineup that featured on the Dwight Twilley Band’s 1976 debut album Sincerely. It saw the band fused power pop with classic pop and rock influences on a carefully crafted and effervescent album that found favour with critics. On its release, Sincerely reached 138 in the US Billboard 200, and built on the success of the single I’m On Fire.
Before long, the Dwight Twilley Band’s started thinking about a sophomore single, and chose Shark (In The Dark). However, it was pulled by Shelter Records who feared that the single would be seen as a cash-in on the film Jaws, and that the Dwight Twilley Band would be regarded as a novelty act. While this made sense, it was a disappointing for the band. However, there was worse to come.
At the end of 1976, Shelter Records was in the process if changing distributors, from ABC to Arista. This the two owners hoped would steer the label into calmer waters. However, after an argument between Leon Russell and Denny Cordell, Leon Russell quit Shelter Records. This was a disaster for the Dwight Twilley Band, who were caught in the crossfire, and had no idea where they stood contractually.
It wasn’t until 1977 that the Dwight Twilley Band returned with Twilley Don’t Mind, which was released on Arista. Just like their debut album Sincerely, critical acclaim accompanied the release of Twilley Don’t Mind. Although it featured power pop at its best, some songs, including Rock And Roll 47 showcased a tougher, R&B sound. This combination of power pop and R&B proved popular and Twilley Don’t Mind reached seventy on the US Billboard 200. The Dwight Twilley Band’s popularity was growing, and it looked as if the band had a bright future.
After touring Twilley Don’t Mind during 1977 and 1978, Phil Seymour decided to call time on his career with the Dwight Twilley Band. A solo career beckoned for twenty-six year old Phil Seymour, who was managed by Denny Cordell.
The Solo Years.
With Denny Cordell’s help and guidance, Phil Seymour embarked upon a solo career. By then, Denny Cordell who was born in England, and was a successful producer who had worked with The Moody Blues, Joe Cocker and Leon Russell, had decided not to produce Phil Seymour. He knew someone who he believed would bring out the best in Phil Seymour, Chris Spedding.
Once again, Phil Seymour journeyed to London, and Olympic Studios, where he worked with guitarist Chris Spedding and some top session musicians. Phil Seymour was no stranger to London, as the Dwight Twilley Band had regularly recorded in the city. While it wasn’t exactly a second home for Phil Seymour, he enjoyed his time in London, which he hoped had been fruitful. Sadly, the tracks recorded in London weren’t released until 2016.
Following the London sessions, Phil Seymour continued to work as a session musician, and added backing vocals on Darlin’ a track from Dwight Twilley’s debut solo album. After that, Phil Seymour then met another Tulsa musician, Scott Musick of the L.A. based band Airtight, which also featured songwriter and bassists Michael Been and keyboardist Dale Ockerman. This looked like the perfect fit for Phil Seymour, until However, Scott Musick and Michael Been went onto form Call. For Phil Seymour it was a case of what might have been?
It was a similar case when producer Phil Spector spotted Phil Seymour’s potential, and wrote to Denny Cordell. The two men tried to work out a deal, but couldn’t come to an agreement. It was another case of what might have been for Phil Seymour.
Live On Detroit Street.
In 1980, Phil Seymour put together a band that featured drummer Lee Kix, bassist Michael Anderson and guitarist Jeff Rollings. They recorded a session in a house on Detroit Street, which is just off Sunset Strip. That day, this tight band unleashed a nine track set of high energy rock ’n’ roll. Just before the band started to play, someone pressed play as Phil Seymour and his band launch into Baby It’s You.
Later in 1980, producer Richard Podolor and engineer Bill Cooper heard a cassette that featured Phil Seymour’s music, and within thirty-seconds had spotted his potential. They asked the other passenger in the car Mark Levy, a talent agent, what he knew about Phil Seymour? He hadn’t heard of Phil Seymour, but soon would be hearing more about him.
Richard Podolor and Bill Cooper were the most successful team at American Recording Company, and had already enjoyed success with Three Dog Night, Iron Butterfly and Steppenwolf, decided to see Phil Seymour live. They went to a show at the Starwood, where Phil Seymour was opening for 707. That night, after Phil Seymour had blown the headliners away, he headed backstage which was where he met Richard Podolor and Bill Cooper. Their message was simple, that they wanted to record him.
Phil Seymour.
It didn’t take Phil Seymour long to agree to work with producer Richard Podolor and engineer Bill Cooper, who had an enviable track record of success. This Phil Seymour helped would transform his fortunes when he joined them at the American Recording Company, where they would soon, begin work on his long-awaited eponymous debut solo album.
Of the ten tracks on his eponymous debut solo album, only Precious To Me, baby It’s You and I Really Love You were penned by Phil Seymour. They were joined by three songs from two of old friends and bandmates. This included Dwight Twilley’s Love You So Much and Then We Go Up, and Bill Pitcock IV’s Won’t Finish Here. These were tracks that Phil Seymour had been playing for years, and were part of his live shows. Phil Seymour also decided to include four cover versions on his eponymous debut album.
Phil Seymour was recorded at Recording Company with band that featured some top session players. Adding lead and rhythm guitar was Phil Seymour’s old friend and former bandmate Bill Pitcock IV. He played his part on Phil Seymour, which was produced by Richard Podolor and engineered by Bill Cooper.
Before the release of Phil Seymour, it found favour amongst critics, who were won over by this near flawless album of slick, polished power pop which showcased a talented singer, songwriter and musician. It was no surprise that when Neil Bogart’s new label The Boardwalk Entertainment Co released Phil Seymour later in 1980 the album reached sixty-four on the US Billboard 200. This was no surprise.
By 1980, Phil Seymour was able to craft melodic songs with poppy hooks that also packed a punch. These songs were also slick, polished and featured Phil Seymour’s trademark harmonies that had been honed over many years. They featured on songs like It’s You, Precious To Me, I Really Love You, Then We Go Up, Don’t Blow Your Life Away and Love You So Much, which ooze quality. With their slick, melodic, memorable and often radio friendly sound, they played their part in the sound and success of Phil Seymour, which showed what Phil Seymour was capable of.
When it came to choose a single from Phil Seymour, Precious To Me was chosen and released later in 1980. Tucked away on the B-Side of later version of the single was the melodic ballad Suzie Glider. The single Precious To Me went on to reach twenty-two in the US Billboard, and built on the success of Phil Seymour. Meanwhile, Precious To Me was so successful when it was released as a single, that it gave Phil Seymour his first gold disc. For Phil Seymour this was the icing on what was a delicious cake.
Phil Seymour 2.
Despite the success of Phil Seymour, the Prince Of Power Pop continued to work as a session musician and backing vocalist. By then, he had made many friends within the L.A. scene, and was a familiar and popular draw when he played at the city’s top clubs. Before long, it was time for Prince Of Power Pop to record his sophomore album Phil Seymour 2.
This time around, Phil Seymour had only written Better To Me Than You, and cowrote Suffering with Jimmie Podlor. Just like his eponymous debut album, Phil Seymour featured a Dwight Twilley composition, Looking For The Magic. These and the rest of the ten tracks were recorded by a tight, talented band at Recording Company by producer by Richard Podolor and engineer Bill Cooper.
Critics on hearing Phil Seymour 2, were impressed by the Prince Of Power Pop’s sophomore album. Just like its predecessor, the songs on Phil Seymour 2 were slick, polished and packed a power pop punch.
This was quite remarkable, as Phil Seymour seemed to be struggling to cope with his newfound fame. On several occasions Phil Seymour failed to turn up to shows, and other times seemed confused as he took to the stage. Some music industry insiders feared that Phil Seymour couldn’t cope with the fame, and worried about his future.
When Phil Seymour 2 was released in 1982, but didn’t stand a chance of making an impression on the charts. The Boardwalk Entertainment Co which was struggling financially, failed to promote the album, and many record buyers never even knew the album was out. This was a huge disappointment given the success of Phil Seymour.
With Phil Seymour 2 failed to even trouble the lower reaches of the US Billboard 200, record buyers missed out on hearing songs of the quality of Dancing A Dream and Better To Me Than You. Little did anyone know that Phil Seymour 2 was the last album the thirty year old would release.
After the commercial failure of Phil Seymour 2, Phil Seymour found himself at a crossroads. The death of Neil Bogart spelt the end for his record company The Boardwalk Entertainment Co, and Phil Seymour found himself without a recording contract.
Even though he had no recording contract, Phil Seymour recorded the anthem-in-waiting Now and Teaching Me. They showcase the Prince Of Power Pop’s considerable talents. Despite his talent, no recording contract was forthcoming and Phil Seymour continued to work as a session musician.
In 1984, Phil Seymour became the drummer in Carla Olson’s band The Textones. They were a familiar face on the LA live scene, and Phil Seymour transformed The Textones’ sound and played on their debut album Midnight Mission. However, Carla Olson knew that Phil Seymour was too good to be playing drums in her band, and made it her mission to help her drummer secure a new recording contract.
That was admirable, as The Textones had been booked to tour America, Britain and Europe, and Phil Seymour played an important part in the band’s sound. Replacing Phil Seymour wasn’t going to be easy. However, the solo deal wasn’t forthcoming, and Phil Seymour played on The Textones’ albums Through The Canyon and Back In Time. Three songs by The Textones that featured Phil Seymour would also feature on the 1985 movie Sylvester. By then, Phil Seymour’s life had been turned upside down.
During a tour in 1985, Phil Seymour discovered a lump on the back of his neck, which later, was diagnosed as a lymphoma. Phil Seymour left The Textones and returned to Tulsa for chemotherapy treatment. Suddenly, music wasn’t as important as it had once been.
Just a year later, and Phil Seymour was back in the studio in 1986, and covered Michael Anderson’s Maybe It Was Memphis. Sadly, it lay unreleased until 2011, when it was released alongside Teaching Me.
Despite making a comeback in 1986, Phil Seymour never again released another album. Eight years after he was diagnosed with lymphoma, forty-one year old Phil Seymour passed away on August the ’17th’ 1993. Forty-one year old Phil Seymour succumbed to lymphoma, a disease he had bravely battled for eight years. The Prince Of Power Pop’s death left his friends, family and fans distraught at the loss of one so young and talented.
Phil Seymour was oa truly talented singer, songwriter, musician and producer, who had the potential and talent to become one of the biggest artists of the eighties. Sadly, Phil Seymour’s the Prince Of Power Pop’s star shawn briefly, when he released just two albums and half-a-dozen carefully crafted singles between 1980 and 1982. During that period, it looked like Phil Seymour was going to become one of the biggest stars of the eighties. That way well have been the case, if Phil Seymour hadn’t been diagnosed with lymphoma in 1985, which was the illness that robbed music of one of its most talented sons in 1993, and the man many still refer to as the Prince Of Power Pop.
Phil Seymour-The Prince Of Power Pop.
SUE BARKER-AUSTRALIA’S BEST KEPT MUSIAL SECRET-A CASE OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
Sue Barker-Australia’s Best Kept Musical Secret-A Case Of What Might Have Been.
Forty-two years ago, in 1977, Adelaide-based singer Sue Barker released what’s without doubt, one of the greatest soul-jazz albums in the history of Australian music. That album was Sue Barker, which was released on Marcus Herman’s label Crest International.
The release of Sue Barker should’ve been the start of a long and glittering career. Sadly, that wasn’t the case, and nine years later, Barker turned her back on music in 1986. That day, Australian music lost one of its most talented singers in the history of modern music.
The Sue Barker story began in Sydney, when she started singing along with Guy Mitchell songs when was just two. Little did her parents realise that this would be the start of a lifelong love affair with music.
By the time she was in primary school, Barker was a regular in the school choir. When she was nine, Barker decided to join a local church choir so she could join their choir. However, by then, Barker was already taking an interest in spiritual matters.
In the local church, Barker joined the choir and started taking trying to understand and explore the meaning of life. This was something that was a lifelong commitment and something that at time, would offer solace to Barker in time of trouble.
When Barker completed primary school, her family decided to move back to Adelaide. When she returned to Adelaide, Barker was initially at a loss. That was until her uncle found her a suitable church. Soon, she was playing an active role in and a church member. It was at that church, where Barker’s potential was first discovered.
A church member spotted Barker’s potential, and offered to give her free singing lessons. Not long after this, Sue’s father sent his daughter to the prestigious Adelaide College Of Music for extra tuition.
Attending Adelaide College Of Music was an eye-opener for Barker, and she blossomed. She was introduced to classical music by her tutors in her early teens. By then, Barker had discovered The Beatles and other Liverpool-based singers and bands. This lead to her looking for a band needing a singer.
Each day, Barker looked through the small adverts in the local papers, looking for a suitable band. One day, she found a band without a singer, and decided to audition for The Cumberlands. This lead to her first gig, where she joined The Cumberlands on-stage for one song. That song marked the start of her career. Already, she knew that she wanted to embark on a career as a singer.
Not long after her first gig with The Cumberlands, she embarked upon a short tour of south Australian towns. This was good experience for Barker. So was singing in a television talent contest, where she was the runner-up. Her appearance on the talent contest lead to further television appearances. All this was good experience for her future career.
This included when Barker joined her first band. By then, her parents had returned to Sydney, and seventeen year old Barker had remained in Adelaide. That was where she heard a band rehearsing on a Sunday afternoon. Upon hearing the music, she decided to investigate. Having made her way up the stairs, Sue asked if she could sing with the band. They agreed, and before long, Barker and the guitarist began a relationship.
Two days after her eighteenth birthday, Barker and the guitarist were married. Within a year, her first child was born. She stayed at home whilst her husband played with the band. By the time Sue was twenty, she had moved to Sydney and was the mother of two children. Motherhood rather than music was what kept her busy. However, she missed music, and decided to return to Adelaide.
Back in Adelaide, Barker, her husband and two children were living close to her parents. With a support network around her, Sue Barker and her husband started putting a band together. They were helped by a booking agent, who hit on the idea of making Barker the focus of the band. This didn’t go down well with her husband, who was in her shadow. However, this was just the start of Barker’s comeback.
Before long, Barker was being asked to sing with some of Adelaide’s established bands. That was when she started to take on a new stage persona, that she had modelled on Janis Joplin. She had it off pat, right down to some serious on-stage drinking. By then, Barker was rubbing shoulders with top musicians, and her star was in the ascendancy. There was even talk of international record deals. Barker was one of Australia’s musical rising stars.
Not long after this, Barker met her future backing band, The Onions. By then, Barker was constantly busy playing live, doing session work and even testing recording equipment at various local recording studios. That wasn’t all.
Barker also decided to hire an old ballroom, where she would put on her own gigs. She would charge $2 to get in, and patrons would watch local musicians jamming after they had finished in the studio. While the nights became extremely popular, but it became clear they weren’t going to make her rich. However, it was one of these gigs where Sue Barker was discovered.
After one of the gigs, Barker was approached her and asked if she had ever thought of recording an album? By then, there were a few recording of Barker and her band testing new equipment at the various local studios. However, they hadn’t recorded any singles, never mind an album. Barker gave the stranger who was from Melbourne, one of her recordings, and never expected to hear anything.
She was wrong. One of the tapes ended up in the hands of Marcus Herman who ran the label Crest International. When he heard the recording he was impressed by Barker’s feel, understanding and command of jazz, which was way beyond her years. Herman realised that Barker was a special talent, and contacted her and asked if she would like to travel to Melbourne to discuss business.
When Barker set out on her journey to Melbourne, to discuss her future with Herman, she wasn’t alone. She took along her two children and one of her musician friends, Graham Conlon. When they arrived in Melbourne, Barker went to the meeting with Herman.
He offered Barker a three album deal, and after some discussion, she put the pen to paper. Later, Barker, like many singers and musicians claims she was naive when she signed the contract. For Barker it was never about money, and was always about the music. She just wanted to release an album that featured her own music. Having signed a three album deal in March 1976, she began work on her debut album.
After signing the contact, Barker discovered that the contract only covered her, and not her backing band The Onions. This must have been a disappointment for the band, but reluctantly, they agreed to play on Barker’s eponymous debut album. The Onions weren’t on points, but instead, would be paid as session musicians when recording began.
Before that, Barker started choosing songs for her debut album. She eventually, settled on the songs that would feature on the album. Or so she hoped. The songs were sent to Herman, who had to give his final approval. It wasn’t easy for Sue to get her choice of songs approved, but eventually, the ten songs that became Sue Barker were approved.
This included Eddie Holland, Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier’s How Sweet It Is, Gus Kahn and Nacio Herb Brown’s You Stepped Out Of A Dream, Duke Ellington and Sidney Keith Russell’s Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me, Curtis Mayfield’s Love To The People and Eddie Brigati and Felix Cavaliere’s Groovin’ featured on side one. Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield’s I Heard It Through The Grapevine joined Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper’s 6345789, Jimmy Davis, Jimmy Sherman and Roger Ramirez’s Lover Man, Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye and Renaldo Benson’s What Goin’ On and Aretha Franklin and Ted White’s Think made-up side two of Sue Barker. It was recorded in Adelaide with The Onions.
Before the recording sessions began, Graham Conlon arranged the songs that Barker had chosen. Some were given a makeover, to ensure that they would suit Barker who discovered she had only three days to record the album.
Herman was covering the costs of the recording sessions, and was only willing to pay for three days at Pepper Studios, in Adelaide. This was going to be cutting it tight, but Herman adamant that Barker should be able to record the album in just three days.
She entered the studio with The Onions in a cold day in July 1976. The Onions lineup featured a rhythm section of drummer Dean Birbeck, bassist Geoff Kluke, guitarist Graham Conlon and keyboardist Phil Cunneen. They were augmented by a horn section that featured trumpeter Fred Payne and saxophonists Bob Jeffrey and Sylvan Elhay. They accompanied Barker as she laid down her eponymous debut album.
Somehow, Barker and The Onions managed to complete the album in the three days that Herman had paid for. This left just the album to mixed and mastered. However, before that, Barker was in for a surprise.
Not longer after recording Sue Barker, she discovered that she was pregnant and expecting her third child. While she continued to play live, she knew that motherhood beckoned. Meanwhile, Barker was experiencing a spiritual awakening.
This was partly inspired by the birth of her third child. Soon, after the birth, Barker’s thoughts turned to spirituality. Meanwhile, Crest Records were preparing for the release of Sue Barker.
Marketing manager Donald Fraser sent out press releases to the press, magazines, radio and television. He was determined that Sue Barker had every chance of being a success. It didn’t matter that the album would be Crest’s final release. He saw the potential in Barker.
So did Channel 9, who booked Sue Barker to appear on the Tonight Show. This was a huge break forBarker, who unfortunately, had to cancel the appearance. Despite that, Barker’s concert at the Dallas Brook Hall in Melbourne was a sell-out.
When the reviews were published, Sue Barker received praise and plaudits from critics and cultural commentators. The album had also sold well at the concert at the Dallas Brook Hall. Things were looking good for Barker.
After the success of the Dallas Brook Hall concert, Crest began planning a promotional tour to coincide with the release of Sue Barker. However, her priority was her new daughter, which frustrated Herman at Crest Records. Their relationship became difficult, and Barker prioritised motherhood over the release of her eponymous debut album on Crest International. While this was admirable it would prove costly.
When Sue Barker was released by Crest International, the album received praise, plaudits and critical acclaim. Sadly, Sue Barker received little promotion which was frustrating for everyone at Crest International who had worked hard on the release. They realised that Barker was on the verge of a breakthrough. Had she had promoted the album, it’s very likely that it would’ve sold well and introduced her to a much wider, and possibly, international audience. However, Barker’s decision not to promote the album resulted in poor album sales.
Very few copies of Sue Barker sold, and her relationship with Marcus Herman at Crest Records broke down completely. As a result, Barker never made any money from her future Australian soul-jazz classic. After the release of Sue Barker, eventually, the Adelaide-based singer returned to the local circuit.
This time, Barker wasn’t going to spend all her time playing live. While she continued to sing in local venues she didn’t mind if weeks or months passed without a gig. She who was a free spirit at heart and did things her way. Sometimes, when gigs dried up, promoted concerts. Barker wasn’t the type of person to wait for opportunities to arise. Instead, she would go out and make things happen. As long as these promotions covered their costs, Sue was happy. It had never been about the music for Barker.
Not long after this, came the news that Crest International had folded. Barker still owed the label two albums when it folded. Barker, though, realised that chance of releasing any more albums was gone. Especially given how fraught relationship with Herman was latterly. The likelihood of Barker releasing two more albums seemed unlikely. Her dream of releasing any more albums was over.
Following the demise of Crest International, Barker spent a year teaching music at the Centre For Aboriginal Studies In Music. Her time spent teaching the Centre For Aboriginal Studies In Music resulted in Barker becoming interested in reggae. Barker’s interest in reggae inspired a further spiritual awakening. However, as her spirituality began to blossom, Barker’s newfound faith was severely tested.
Tragedy struck when Barker was out walking down the street with her third child. A car mounted the pavement, and struck her daughter Billie, who was so seriously injured that she spent three months in hospital. During that time, Barker started to ask herself some of life’s big questions. Her search for the meaning of lifewould prove to an ongoing spiritual quest.
Once her daughter had recovered, Barker continued to pursue her interest in reggae music. She even decided to form a reggae band, which disappointed some of those who had followed her career as a jazz singer. Some of the musicians in her band were disappointed with this volte-face and left her employ.
As a result, Barker had to put together a new group of musicians. They would accompany Sue who had been booked to play at the Adelaide Jazz Club. When the patrons at the Adelaide Jazz Club heard about Barker’s Damascene conversion to reggae, and were unsure about this. However, Sue decided to continue down this new road.
Barker’s career continued until 1986, when sadly, tragedy struck again. Eight months after the birth of her fifth child, her eldest child died on Thursday October 30th 1986.
Despite this tragedy, Barker decided to sing at a gig she had been booked to play two nights later on the Saturday evening. That night, she said that when she sang: “she felt closer to God than I had ever before.” As she watched the patrons party that night she realised that this was the end of road for her.
After a lifetime spent in and around the music industry, after the gig Barker called time on her career. She suddenly felt that the entire music business was a “sham,” and didn’t want to be part of it anymore.
When she had recorded her soul-jazz classic Barker, never received any payment. Ironically, The Onions who had originally been disappointed not to be included in the recording contract with Herman’s label Crest International, were paid as session musicians and made more out of Sue Barker than the star of the show did. It was no wonder that Barker regarded the music industry as a sham.
Nowadays, her one and only album Sue Barker, is regarded as a soul-jazz classic, and copies of the album are now extremely rare. When they do change hands, it’s for hundreds of Dollars. That comes as no surprise, given the quality of music on Sue Barker. It features one of music’s best kept secrets, Sue Barker, who if things had been different, would’ve gone to enjoy a long and successful career. Sadly, Lady Luck didn’t smile on her and it was a case of what might have been.
Barker only released one album during a career that spanned three decades. Her career began in the late-sixties, and it wasn’t until 1977 that Sue Barker was released on Crest International. By then, Sue Barker looked destined for greatness. However, when Sue Barker was released, her third child had just been born. Barker was reluctant to leave the child to embark upon a promotion tour. Her failure to tour Sue Barker was a costly one, and the album was commercial failure.
Barker never regretted this decision as she was enjoying being a mother. She found this rewarding and loved spending time with her children.
Herman who owned Crest International certainly regretted Barker’s failure to tour her album. It resulted in the breakdown in their business relationship, and not long after this, Crest International folded. However, Barker’s decision not to promote the album was not the reason the label folded. It’s thought that the label has financial problem’s before signing Barker.
Barker may have only recorded one album, but Sue Barker is a soul-jazz classic. It’s an album that definitely deserved to find a much wider audience.
In 2017, Barker rereleased Sue Barker on CD with extra songs and a collector booklet along. There was also a remastered vinyl reissue. It was a welcome reissue of a long-lost soul-jazz classic that should’ve transformed the career of Australian songstress Sue Barker, who sadly, instead, remained Australia’s best kept musical secret.
Sadly, in December 2022 Sue Barker passed away. She was a truly talented and versatile vocalist whose one and only album is a soul-jazz classic that’s loved and appreciated by her fans new and old, worldwide.
Sue Barker-Australia’s Best Kept Musical Secret-A Case Of What Might Have Been.
GIL SCOTT-HERON-AMERICA’S SOCIAL CONSCIENCE: 1970-1980.
Gil Scott-Heron-America’s Social Conscience: 1970-1980.
After releasing a trio of studio albums on Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions between 1970 and 1972, Gil Scott-Heron signed to Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell’s Strata-East Records. By then, Gil Scott-Heron was well on his way to becoming America’s social conscience.
Gil Scott-Heron was a poet, musician, and author who highlighted the social and political problems affecting and blighting American society. He was, to all intents and purposes, America’s social conscience, highlighting the problems of racism, poverty, corruption, inequality and drug addiction on 1970s Small Talk At ‘125th’ and Lenox which was released, 1971s Pieces Of A Man and 1972s Free Will. This was the trio of studio albums that Gil Scott-Heron released for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Records. The lyrics were cerebral, witty, scathing and most importantly, honest as Gil Scott-Heron speaks up for the downtrodden and disenfranchised. Fearlessly, Gil Scott-Heron highlighted the social and political problems that blighted America. This what he continued to do throughout his long and illustrious career as he released album after album of powerful music. However, when Gil Scott-Heron first met Bob Thiele he was an author and poet. He had made an appointment with Bob Thiele, to see if he any of his artists could use his poetry.
During the meeting, Gil Scott-Heron recounted how he was born on April Fool’s Day in 1949, which later, he joked become an important day in Chicago’s musical history. That will always be the remembered as the day poet, author, musician and political activist Gil Scott-Heron was born.
His mother Bobbie Scott-Heron, was an opera singer, who sang with New York’s Oratorio Society. Gil Scott-Heron’s father was Gil Heron, a Jamaican footballer, who at one time, played for Glasgow Celtic Football Club. Sadly, though, Bobbie and Gil’s marriage ended when Gil Scott-Heron was young.
After this, Gil Scott-Heron was sent to live with his maternal grandmother, Lillie Scott, who lived in Jackson, Tennessee. Then when Gil Scott-Heron was just twelve, Lillie Scott died.
Gil Scott-Heron returned to New York to live with his mother, who was now living in the Bronx. Originally, Gil Scott-Heron enrolled at the DeWitt Clinton High School, but later, moved to the Fieldston High School.
This came after impressing the head of the English department read one of Gil Scott-Heron’s essays, and recommended that he received a full scholarship. This proved a poisoned chalice. While the education he was receiving was far superior, Gil Scott-Heron was one of only five black students. He felt alienated and alone. That wasn’t the only problem. There was also a socioeconomic gap, with the other students coming from a much more affluent background. Gil Scott-Heron by comparison, was the son of a single mother and was from a very different background. It was during this time that Gil Scott-Heron became socially and politically aware. His eyes were opened to inequality, injustice and racism. This would shape his music in later years. Before that, Gil Scott-Heron headed to Lincoln University,
When Gil Scott-Heron was considering which university to enrol at, Langston Hughes recommended Lincoln University, which where he was staying. Gil Scott-Heron took his friend’s advice, and enrolled at Lincoln University. This was where Gil Scott-Heron’s musical career began.
At Lincoln University, Gil Scott-Heron formed his first band, the Black and Blues. Joining Gil Scott-Heron in the band was Langston Hughes. Little did Gil Scott-Heron know that this was the start of a long and illustrious career. However, after two years at Lincoln University, Gil Scott-Heron decided to take time out Lincoln University to write a novel.
During this period, Gil Scott-Heron wrote two novels. His first novel was a thriller entitled The Vulture, which was published in 1970. Whilst writing The Vulture, Gil Scott-Heron saw The Last Poets in Lincoln in 1969. This had a huge effect on him.
After watching The Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron approached the band and asked: “can I form a band like you guys?” The seed had already been sown. Maybe, making music rather than writing books was the direction that Gil Scott-Heron’s career headed?
Having been impressed and inspired by The Last Poets and now considering a career in music, Gil Scott-Heron had a lot on his mind as he headed back to New York, where he found a new home in Chelsea, Manhattan. This concluded with the publication of Gil Scott-Heron’s book of poetry, Small Talk At ‘125th’ and Lenox by World Publishing. Now Gil Scott-Heron could add poet to his burgeoning CV. Soon, he hoped to add singer and songwriter.
Once he’d settled in to his new apartment in Manhattan, Gil Scott-Heron decided to make his dream a reality and started looking for a record company. Gil Scott-Heron just so happened to approach a label tailor-made for his music, Flying Dutchman Productions.
The Birth Of Flying Dutchman Productions.
Following his departure from ABC/Impulse Bob Thiele had decided to found his own label. He was perfectly qualified to do so, having worked with some of the most innovative and creative musicians in the history of jazz over the last few years. During that period, Bob came to the conclusion that often, large record companies aren’t the best environment for innovative and creative musicians. Often, these musical mavericks didn’t thrive within such an orthodox environment. Instead, their creativity is restricted, and they’re unable to experiment and innovate. For many a musical maverick who had signed to a large record label, the experienced had proved frustrating and unsatisfactory. So when Bob Thiele parted company with Impulse, who he had transformed into one of jazz’s pioneering labels, he founded Flying Dutchman Productions. This was the label that Gil Scott-Heron approached. However, there was a problem.
While Bob wanted to sign Gil Scott-Heron, there was a problem,… funding. The funding that Phillips, the Dutch record label had given Bob Thiele wasn’t going as far as he had hoped. Despite this, when he met Gil Scott-Heron he was impressed by the poet, musician, and author. So much so, that Bob Thiele decided to fund an album that was a fusion of poetry accompanied by understated, percussive arrangements.
Small Talk At 125 and Lenox.
This was Small Talk At 125 and Lenox, which featured fourteen songs from the pen of Gil Scott-Heron. Initially, it was claimed that Gil Scott-Heron and two percussionists, David Barnes, Eddie Knowles and Charlie Saunders, recorded the album live at a night club on the corner of 125 and Lenox. That wasn’t strictly true.
Forty-two years later, one of the best kept secrets in music was no more. It transpired that Small Talk At 125 and Lenox was recorded live in the studio in front of a few invited guests. Taking charge of production was Bob Thiele, who was an experienced producer.
With Bob Thiele at the controls, Gil Scott-Heron recorded an accomplished album that is a mixture of jazz, proto-rap, spoken word poetry and soul. It was released later in 1970, and immediately, comparisons were drawn with the group who had inspired Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets. This was a fair comment to some extent.
When one listen to tracks like the original version The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, plus Brother, Whitey On The Moon, Paint It Black and Who’ll Pay Reparations On My Soul? critics realised that Gil Scott-Heron had taken what The Last Poets had been doing to the next level. This he managed to do with just a trop percussionists accompanying him, on Small Talk At 125th and Lenox, which was a potent and explosive mix of scathing political and social comment.
Although Small Talk At ‘125th’ and Lenox was a groundbreaking and powerful debut album, it didn’t sell in vast quantities. Instead, it sold steadily, and shouldn’t have lost Flying Dutchman Productions money, as they had managed to keep their overheads low. However, Small Talk At ‘125th’ and Lenox slipped under the musical radar, and many record buyers only discovered the album when Gil Scott-Heron released Winter In America and The Bottle in 1975. By then, Gil Scott-Heron had released a trio of albums for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions.
Pieces Of A Man.
The second of the Flying Dutchman Productions’ trio was Pieces Of A Man, which featured eleven songs, including four written by Gil Scott-Heron. This included The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, which made its debut on Small Talk at ‘125th. and Lenox. The other seven songs were penned by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, who would forge a successful songwriting partnership.
Recording of Pieces Of A Man took place on the ‘19th’ and ‘20th’ April 1971, RCA Studios, in New York. This time, Gil Scott-Heron was accompanied by a full band which featured a few well-known names.
When Bob Thiele asked Gil who he’d like to accompany him, jokingly, Gil Scott-Heron said flautist and saxophonist Hubert Laws and bassist Ron Carter. Bob Thiele who know everyone who was everyone in jazz, got them onboard for the recording of Pieces Of A Man. This was Bob Thiele’s way of making Gil Scott-Heron feel at home. Bob Thiele knew that putting together a top class bands was the way to get the best performance possible from an artist.
With a crack band in tow, Gil Scott Heron set about recording his sophomore album Pieces Of A Man. The crack band included a rhythm section of drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie and guitarist Burt Jones. Brian Jackson played piano and Gil Scott Heron played guitar, piano and sang lead vocals. Producing Pieces Of A Man was Bob Thiele. After a recording season that lasted just two days, Pieces Of A Man was completed. Now it was ready for release.
When Pieces Of A Man was released in 1971, only Rolling Stone magazine realised the cultural importance of the album. Pieces Of A Man passed the rest of the music press by. This is a sad indictment on music journalism at what was one of the most important periods in musical, social and political history.
By 1971, America was struggling with a variety of social problems, ranging from the Vietnam War, poverty and racism. Gil Scott Heron was using his music to speak for the poor, downtrodden and disenfranchised. Pieces Of A Man was an important album, and one that had the potential to make Americans think about the status quo, and consider change. Sadly, just like Pieces Of A Man passed the mainstream music by, it was a similar case with record buyers. Pieces Of A Man failed to find the audience it deserved.
Apart from spending six weeks in the US Jazz Charts, where it peaked at a lowly number twenty-five, commercial success passed Pieces Of A Man by. That was as good as it got for Pieces Of A Man. This was somewhat ironic, given the later reappraisal of the album.
When critics reappraised Pieces Of A Man at a later date, they hailed it a classic album. The music was intense, politically charged, innovative and influential. That comes as no surprise, as Pieces Of A Man features some of the best and most powerful songs Gil Scott-Heron wrote during his time at Flying Dutchman Productions. This included The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Save the Children, Lady Day and John Coltrane, Home Is Where The Hatred Is, When You Are Who You Are, I Think I’ll Call It Morning, Pieces Of A Man and Or Down You Fall. They’re part of what was the first classic album of Gil Scott-Heron’s career. Alas, the critics has still to rewrite musical history.
Gil Scott-Heron had released two innovative and influential albums, Small Talk At ‘125th’ and Lenox and Pieces Of A Man, they had passed music lovers by. This was disappointing for Gil Scott-Heron, who would only release one more album for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions, Free Will. However, would it be a case of third time lucky?
Free Will.
For the followup to Pieces Of A Man, Free Will, Gil Scott-Heron had written seven new songs. The other five songs, Free Will, The Middle Of Your Day, The Get Out Of The Ghetto Blues, Speed Kills and Did You Hear What They Said? were collaborations between Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. He played a huge part in the rise and rise of Gil Scott-Heron over the next few years.
Brian Jackson and Gil Scott-Heron had already formed a successful songwriting partnership. However, Brian Jackson was more than a songwriter. He was also a talented multi-instrumentalist who played piano, keyboards flute and bells on Free Will.
The Free Will sessions took place at RCA Studios, in New York, between the ‘2nd’ and ‘3rd’ March 1972. Just like on Pieces Of A Man, an all-star lineup accompanied Gil Scott-Heron. The rhythm section included drummer Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie, bassist Jerry Jemmott, drummer Pretty Purdie and guitarist David Spinozza. Flautist and saxophonist Hubert Laws, who’d played on Pieces Of A Man, returned, while Brian Jackson played electric piano, flute and bells. Gil Scott-Heron took charge of the lead vocals on Free Will. Arranging and conducting Free Will was Horace Ott, while Bob Thiele took charge of production. After just two days of lengthy recording sessions, Free Will was completed. It was released later in 1972.
On Free Will’s release later in 1972, it was well received by critics. Rolling Stone flew the flag for Free Will and Gil Scott-Heron. Despite this, Free Will failed to chart in the US Billboard 200 and US R&B charts However, Free Will sold between 20,000 to 30,000 copies, and reached the US Jazz charts. Despite this, this was a huge disappointment Gil Scott-Heron.
With keyboardist Brian Jackson at his side, Gil Scott-Heron had fused elements of jazz, blues, funk, proto-rap and soul on Free Will. Fearlessly, he continued to highlight the social and political problems of the early seventies, and tackle controversial subjects and scenarios head on. Gil Scott-Heron delivered the lyrics with his unique and inimitable proto-rap style on Free Will. Among its highlights were Free Will, The Middle Of Your Day, The Get Out Of The Ghetto Blues, Speed Kills and Did You Hear What They Said? That took care of side one, which was one of the most cohesive sides of Gil Scott-Heron’s nascent career. It was almost flawless. Then on side, Gil Scott-Heron picks up where he left off on two No Knock and Sex Education: Ghetto Style. It was the third album from musical pioneer Gil Scott-Heron, who would become one of the most important artists of his generation.
Sadly, Free will was his final album for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions. Not long after the release of Free Will, Gil Scott-Heron left Flying Dutchman Productions.
By then, Gil Scott-Heron’s thoughts were said to have turned to academia, and his unfinished degree. Gil Scott-Heron and his band returned to Washington D.C. which became their home. However, Gil Scott-Heron never came close to enrolling at his former alma mater Lincoln University.
Winter In America.
Not when Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell of Strata-East Records offered Gil Scott-Heron a new recording contract. Having signed to Strata-East Records, Gil Scott-Heron began work on his fourth studio album Winter In America with Brian Jackson who co-produced the album at D&B Sound, in Silver Spring, Maryland. The sessions began on the ‘4th’ and ‘5th’ September and were completed on the ‘15th’ of October of 1973. By then, Gil Scott-Heron had recorded the nine tracks that became Winter In America.
Seven months later, on the ‘5th’ of October 1975, Winter In America was released with Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson receiving equal billing for the first time. Winter In America was released to widespread critical acclaim with some critics stating that Winter In America was Gil Scott-Heron’s finest album. So much so, that some critics wondered if this was going to be Gil Scott-Heron’s breakthrough album?
At first, this was looking doubtful. Initially, copies of Winter In America were in short supply, as a result of Strata-East Records independent distribution policy. This meant that many record shops struggled to secure the copies of Winter In America that they needed. Eventually, this problem was resolved and on June ’29th’ 1974, Winter In America entered the US Top Jazz Albums charts.
Little did Gil Scott-Heron realise that this as the start of a forty week run in the US Top Jazz Albums charts, which saw Winter In America eventually reach number six. This was helped by the success of only single released from Winter In America, The Bottle. Helped by an underground following, The Bottle gave Gil Scott-Heron the biggest hit of his career, when it reached number fifteen in the US R&B charts. The success of The Bottle resulted in Winter In America selling 300,000 copies. Incredibly, this wasn’t enough to even reach the lower reaches of the US Billboard 200. However, Winter In America was the only album Gil Scott-Heron released for Strata-East Records. Clive Davis of Arista came calling, and offered Gil Scott-Heron the opportunity to sign to a major label.
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.
In the space of just a few short years, Gil Scott-Heron’s life had been transformed. The former poet, author and ‘academic’ had come a long way. Gil Scott-Heron had Bob Thiele to thank for his success. He had believed in him and given him first recording contract. Then when Gil Scott-Heron was considering returning to academia, and decided to move back to Washington with the rest of his band, Bob Thiele didn’t stand in his way. What Bob Thiele never foresaw was Strata-East Records offering Gil Scott-Heron a recording contract. This was enough for Gil Scott-Heron to turn his back on academia and release the most successful album of his career. This must have been frustrating for Bob Thiele.
Although the three albums that Gil Scott-Heron released on Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions weren’t hugely successful they had sold reasonably well. Bob Thiele wanted to record more albums with Gil Scott-Heron. For Bob Thiele, Gil Scott-Heron was the one that got away.
By 1974, Bob Thiele had just signed a new deal with RCA. Part of the deal was that Flying Dutchman Productions released a compilation of tracks from Gil Scott-Heron’s first three albums, 1970s Small Talk At ‘125th’ and Lenox, 1971s Pieces of a Man and 1972s Free Will. This was perfect timing, as Gil Scott-Heron was now officially one of music’s rising stars.
For the Gil Scott-Heron compilation, Bob Thiele spent time choosing eleven tracks from 1970s Small Talk At ‘125th’ and Lenox, 1971s Pieces of a Man and 1972s Free Will, that would eventually become The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. There was no way that Bob Thiele was going to be accused of throwing together a compilation that cashed-in on Gil Scott-Heron’s newfound popularity. Instead, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised was a lovingly curated compilation that was compiled by the man who discovered him…Bob Thiele. When he had finalised the track-listing, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised was released in late 1974, and for forty-three years has been the perfect introduction to Gil Scott-Heron’s Flying Dutchman Productions’ years.
When The Revolution Will Not Be Televised was released in 1974, it was to widespread critical acclaim and indeed commercial success. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised reached number twenty-one on October the ’12th’ 1974 and spending five weeks on the US Billboard Jazz charts. This meant that Gil Scott-Heron’s Flying Dutchman Records’ years closed with a successful album. By then, Gil Scott-Heron was preparing to start life at a major label.
The Start Of The Arista Years.
The First Minute Of A New Day.
Clive Davis of Arista came calling, and offered Gil Scott-Heron the opportunity to sign to a major label. This was the start of a relationship that produced nine albums and lasted until 1985.
Gil Scott-Heron’s debut for Arista was The First Minute Of A New Day featured nine new songs. This included Offering, The Liberation Song (Red, Black and Green), Pardon Our Analysis (We Beg Your Pardon) and Alluswe which were written by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. They also wrote Must Be Something with Danny Bowens and Bob Adams. Gil Scott-Heron penned Ain’t No Such Thing As Superman, Guerrilla and Winter In America. The other song was Bilal Sunni Ali’s Western Sunrise which were recorded at two studios.
Recording of The First Minute Of A New Day began on June 1975 at New York University and DB Sound Studios, Silverspring, Maryland. Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson took charge of production while The Midnight Band accompanied them on The First Minute Of A New Day. When the recording was completed in July 1974, The First Minute Of A New Day was scheduled for release in January 1975.
Prior to the release of The First Minute Of A New Day, Arista embarked upon a marketing campaign to promoted their latest signings album label debut. When critics heard the album, they were impressed by a carefully crafted album where the production was much slicker than Winter In America, and benefited from the addition of The Midnight Band. The songs were full of social and political comment and focused on the theme was struggle. Especially social, geographical and environmental oppression. They played their part in The First Minute Of A New Day, which was a powerful album that was released to critical acclaim.
When The First Minute Of A New Day was released in January 1975, it reached number five in the US Top Jazz Albums charts, eight in the US R&B charts and thirty in the US Billboard 200. Gil Scott-Heron’s music had crossed over and reached the wider audience that Bob Thiele knew it always would.
Just like Winter In America, The First Minute Of A New Day was credited to Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. Ironically, The First Minute Of A New Day was the most successful album of Gil Scott-Heron’s recording career. It was a proud moment for the poet, musician, and author who was still America’s social conscience. However, hat Gil Scott-Heron’ didn’t know, was that The First Minute Of A New Day was the most successful album of Gil Scott-Heron’s forty-one year recording career. He would spend the rest of his career trying to replicate the success of The First Minute Of A New Day.
From South Africa To South Carolina.
Having released the most successful album of his career, the pressure was on Gil Scott-Heron to record a followup that replicated the success of The First Minute Of A New Day. That was easier said than done.
For From South Africa To South Carolina, Gil Scott-Heron wrote Johannesburg, Beginnings (The First Minute Of A New Day), South Carolina (Barnwell) and A Lovely Day, while writing A Toast To The People, The Summer Of ’42. They were joined by Bilal Sunni-Ali of The Midnight Band’s Essex.
Recording of From South Africa To South Carolina took place at D & B Sound, in Silver Spring, Maryland, with many of the same musicians that featured on The First Minute Of A New Day joining Gil Scott-Heron. Work began in June 1975, with Gil Scott-Heron taking charge of the production. It took two months to record Gil Scott-Heron From South Africa To South Carolina, which was finished in July 1975. Gil Scott-Heron that From South Africa To South Carolina would replicate the success of The First Minute Of A New Day.
Four months later, From South Africa To South Carolina was released accompanied by mixed reviews. While some critics felt that it was another powerful album full of insightful political and social comment, the contrarian Rolling Stone magazine wasn’t convinced. Neither was the “self-styled” dean of rock critics Robert Christgau. This was disappointing for Gil Scott-Heron.
Especially when From South Africa To South Carolina failed to chart, and didn’t even come close to replicating the success of The First Minute Of A New Day. However, that was never going to be easy as The First Minute Of A New Day was one of Gil Scott-Heron’s finest albums. However, things were about to improved for Gil Scott-Heron.
He was invited to appear on the comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live in December 1975. He sang two songs from his new album From South Africa To South Carolina, Johannesburg and A Lovely Day, which introduced his music to a new audience nationwide. Sadly, this didn’t make an impact on album sales, and Gil Scott-Heron began making plans for his next album.
It’s Your World.
This was It’s Your World which was a double album which was recorded over a four-day period between the ‘1st’ and ‘4th’ of July 1976. Some of the sessions took place in various recording sessions, including Electric Lady Studios in New York and American Star Studios in Merrifield, Virginia. Other sessions took place at St. Paul’s Mall in Boston, Massachusetts, with Gil Scott-Heron’s backing band The Midnight Band accompanying them. They played their part in what was a remarkable album.
The four sides of It’s Your World were a showcase for the considerable talents of America’s social conscience Gil Scott-Heron. His music was cerebral, thoughtful and incisive music as he dealt the social and political problems affecting America as it bicentennial approached. Gil Scott-Heron delivered ballads gave readings of his poetry while he and his talented band switched between and combined elements of jazz, funk, Latin and proto-rap during what was an impassioned and powerful performance that was uplifting, inspirational and also full of anger, compassion, indignation and wisdom that seemed almost obvious. Even forty-one years later, It’s Your World is just as relevant.
It’s Your World was scheduled for release in November 1976, and found favour with the majority of critics. They hailed the album a powerful and potent album that was a return to form from Gil Scott-Heron. However, other critics were still to be convinced by Gil Scott-Heron and their reviews ranged from favourable to mixed. Some of these critics still seemed unwilling to give Gil Scott-Heron’s music a chance. This was a great shame.
When It’s Your World was released in November 1976, it was more successful than From South Africa To South Carolina but still failed to chart. Still, Gil Scott-Heron hadn’t come close to replicating the success of The First Minute Of A New Day.
Bridges.
Seven years after releasing his debut album Small Talk At 125th and Lenox in 1970, Gil Scott-Heron working on what was the eighth album of his career, Bridges. Just like his two previous albums, Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson received equal billing, on an album they hoped would reach the charts.
Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s two previous albums had failed to chart, and they were under pressure to come up with a successful album. This time around, Gil Scott-Heron wrote seven of the nine tracks, including Hello Sunday! Hello Road!, Song Of The Wind, Under The Hammer, We Almost Lost Detroit, Tuskeegee #626, Delta Man (Where I’m Coming From) and 95 South (All Of The Places We’ve Been). Gil Scott-Heron also wrote Racetrack In France and Vildgolia (Deaf, Dumb and Blind) with Brian Jackson. These tracks were recorded during the first half of 1977, and featured nine new songs.
Taking charge of production on Bridges were Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. They were joined in the studio by members of The Midnight Band, on another powerful album of music that was full of social and political comment.
Prior to the release of Bridges, critics hailed the album as one of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s finest hours. Especially We Almost Lost Detroit which documented the story of the nuclear meltdown at the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Generating Station near Michigan, in 1966. Little did Gil Scott-Heron realise that We Almost Lost Detroit would become one of his most popular songs.
When Bridges was released in September 1977, it reached 130 in the US Billboard 200 and sixteen in the US Jazz albums charts. After two albums that had failed to chart, Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson were back in the charts. This was a relief for the pair as their thoughts turned to their next album, and the last of the seventies, Secrets.
Secrets.
In April 1978, Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson entered the TONTO studio in Santa Monica, California, with an all-star band that included Harvey Mason, Greg Phillinganes, Leon Williams and vocalists Julia Waters, Maxine Waters Waddell and Marti McCall. They joined Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson who written nine new tracks.
Gil Scott-Heron wrote Angel Dust, Cane, Better Days Ahead, Angola, Louisiana and Show Bizness. The Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson songwriting partnership wrote Third World Revolution and Three Miles Down, and also wrote Madison Avenue with Brenda Morocco. Brian Jackson contributed A Prayer For Everybody/To Be Free. These songs were recorded between April and June 1978 and became Secrets.
With Secrets complete, the album was released in September 1978. Before that, critics had their say on the album. While there weren’t as many hooks on Secrets as there had been on Bridges, the music was just as powerful and focused on the social and political problems on Angola, Louisiana and Third World Revolution. However, on Show Bizness Gil Scott-Heron reflected on the trials and tribulations of his newfound fame. Other songs dealt with injustice and drug addiction on Angel Dust. Secrets closed with the hopeful A Prayer For Everybody/To Be Free. It was well received by critics, with some calling it a fitting followup to Bridges.
On the release of Secrets in September 1978, it reached sixty-one on the US Billboard 200, forty-five on the US R&B charts and eleven on the US Jazz charts. Secrets was the second consecutive Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson album to chart since they had signed to Arista. Could they make it three in a row?
1980.
Despite the success of Bridges, Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson didn’t return with a new album until 1980 in…1980. It was well worth the wait, but unlike Bridges and Secrets, was written mostly by Gil Scott-Heron.
For 1980, Gil Scott-Heron wrote seven of the eight songs on his tenth album. That was apart from Corners which Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson wrote. They also co-produced 1980 with Malcolm Cecil.
Recording of 1980 took place at TONTO studio in Santa Monica, California between August and October 1979. Joining Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson were drummer Harvey Mason, guitarist Ed Brady and Mario Henderson, flautist Carl Cornwell and trombonist Bill Watrous. Just like Bridges, backing vocalists Julia Waters, Maxine Waters Waddell and Marti McCall returned. They would play their part in an album that featured elements of funk, jazz, jazz-funk and proto-rap which would prove popular with critics and record buyers.
Just like Bridges, 1980 was well received by critics who welcomed another carefully crafted album. It featured the anti-nuclear song Shut ‘Um and Alien where Gil Scott-Heron documented the plight of the illegal Mexican immigrants in California. On Push Comes To Shove and Willing Gil Scott-Heron describes how he dealt with the pressure of life. 1980 featured a thoughtful Gil Scott-Heron who seemed to be feeling alienated disillusioned, as he looked back to his past. Closing 1980 was Late Last Night, a song that Gil Scott-Heron wrote when he woke up one nights with an idea for a song, and had to convince members of the hotel staff to let him use the piano in hotel’s lounge. Meanwhile, Gil Scott-Heron was worried he would lose melody to the song that became Late Last Night which was inspired by Gil Scott-Heron’s experience of touring and writing music. This closed what was another successful album for Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson.
Upon the release of 1980 in late 1980, the album reached eighty-two in the US Billboard 200, twenty-two in the US R&B charts and seven in the US Jazz charts. This was the third consecutive Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson album that had charted. They were enjoying the most successful period of their career.
Although Gil-Scott Heron was far from an overnight success, ever since his early days Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions he had release album after album of carefully crafted music full of social and political comment. This continued after his departure from Flying Dutchman Productions with the release of Winter In America on Strata-East, and at Arista with The First Minute Of A New Day, which became the most successful album of Gil Scott-Heron’s career. However, replicating the success of The First Minute Of A New Day wasn’t going to be easy.
Neither From South Africa To South Carolina nor It’s Your Day charted, which was disappointing for Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. Just like the previous albums he had released since Flying Dutchman Productions, From South Africa To South Carolina and It’s Your Day were powerful albums as Gil Scott-Heron continued in his role of America’s social conscience. However, despite the quality of the music, neither album sold in great quantities.
Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson’s fortunes improved on Bridges, Secrets and 1980, which brought to an end a ten-year period where America’s social conscience released the best music of his forty-one year career. He wrote, sang and produced powerful songs that often, were full of social and political comment, and other times, found in a reflective mood. Sometimes, he was reflecting on his newfound fame, other times he spoke of the problems that everyone had to deal with. As a result, many people could relate to the music Gil Scott-Heron had released since he left Flying Dutchman Productions. That had been the case throughout his ten-year recording career, which saw Gil Scott-Heron release ten albums between 1970 and 1980.
Looking back at Gil Scott-Heron’s forty-one year career with the benefit of hindsight, he released his best music between 1970 and 1980. During this golden period, Gil Scott-Heron could do no wrong. Having signed for Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions, he released his debut album Small Talk At ‘125th’ and Lenox in 1970, and followed this up with Pieces of a Man in 1971 and Free Will in 1972. This triumvirate of albums feature some of the best music of Gil Scott-Heron’s career. However, for Gil Scott-Heron there was life after Flying Dutchman Productions.
After leaving Flying Dutchman Productions, Gil Scott-Heron signed to Strata-East, and released Winter In America It was the first album to be credited to Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, and is one of their finest albums. Winter In America has more in common with the albums Gil Scott-Heron released on Flying Dutchman Productions. After signing to Arista, Gil Scott-Heron’s music changed stylistically.
While his lyrics were just as hard-hitting, powerful and poignant, the production became much slicker with bigger bands and backing vocalists accompanying Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. This found favour with record buyers, especially on The First Minute Of A New Day, which is the finest albums Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson released at Arista. Other notable albums were Bridges and Secrets, which feature the best of Gil Scott-Heron’s Arista years.
The triumvirate of albums Gil Scott-Heron released for Flying Dutchman Production, Winter In America and The First Minute Of A New Day, Bridges and Secrets showcases one of the most talented singer and songwriters of his generation as he blossoms and flourishes during what was a golden period for Gil Scott-Heron.
He blossomed at Flying Dutchman Production, when Bob Thiele gave Gil Scott-Heron a platform and the freedom to record and release music that he believed in. This was the start of the rise and rise of Gil Scott-Heron.
Soon, was well on his way to becoming America’s social conscience, as he provided a voice for those who had none. Hs lyrics were cerebral, witty, scathing and most importantly, honest as Gil Scott-Heron spoke up for the poor, downtrodden and disenfranchised. Fearlessly, Gil Scott-Heron highlighted the social and political problems that blighted America between 1970 and 1980 using his unique, imitable and emotive proto-rap and soulful styles on the albums he recorded at Flying Dutchman Records, Strata-East and Arista. This includes Small Talk At ‘125th’ and Lenox , Pieces Of A Man, Free Will and and later, Winter In America, The First Minute Of A New Day, Bridges and Secrets. These albums contain some of the most important, powerful, poignant and cerebral music of Gil Scott-Heron’s career. Over forty years later, and Gil Scott-Heron’s music is timeless and is still relevant today, as the man who was once America’s social conscience continues to influence and inspire a new generation of musicians.
Gil Scott-Heron-America’s Social Conscience: 1970-1980.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO JEANETTE JONES?
Whatever Happened To Jeanette Jones?
The history of soul music is littered with artists who could’ve and should’ve gone on to greater things, but for whatever reason, commercial success and critical acclaim passed them by. That, sadly, was the case with Jeanette Jones.
She had talent in abundance, and a voice that was a mixture of power, passion, emotion and sheer soulfulness. Sadly, Jeanette Jones’ recording career was all too brief, and amounts to just one single, Darling, I’m Standing By You which was released on the Golden Soul label in 1969, and the two years later, was reissued by Kent Records in 1971. Sadly, nothing came of the single.
Jeanette Jones’ last recording session was in 1974, when she recorded a publishing demo for Barry Goldberg. Sadly, that was the last time she entered a recording studio. It was also the end of Jeanette Jones’ musical career. For Jeanette Jones, the dream was over.
Since then, Jeanette Jones has remained an enigmatic and mysterious figure. Very little is known of her life pre and post music. Nowadays, it is thought that Jeanette Jones lives quietly in San Francisco,
Details of Jeanette Jones’ early life are somewhat sketchy. It’s thought that she was born and brought up in San Francisco. That was certainly where Jeanette Jones first discovered music.
Just like many future soul singers, Jeanette Jones first started singing in church. That proved to be Jeanette Jones’ gateway into music. However, it was with the Voices Of Victory gospel choir that Jeanette Jones’ first came to prominence.
Cora Wilson had formed The Voices Of Victory gospel choir in 1962. Hers was no ordinary choir though. The Voices of Victory gospel choir featured sixty singers, who travelled the West Coast in their own bus. They sang in churches and at gospel conventions and The Voices of Victory in full flight was an impressive sight and sound. Especially when the soloists enjoyed their moment in the spotlight. By 1965, one of the soloists was Jeanette Jones.
She was the owner of an impressive and powerful voice. When Jeanette Jones stepped into the spotlight, she combined, power, passion and emotion. Given the her vocal prowess, it was no surprise that Jeanette Jones was one of the stars of The Voices Of Victory gospel choir. Everyone who heard them realised this, including Leo Kulka at Golden State Recorders.
Leo Kulka first encountered Jeanette Jones in November 1965. Cara Wilson had booked Golden State Recorders to record an album by The Voices Of Victory gospel choir. Given the size of the choir, Leo Kulka decided to use Golden State Recorders’ larger studio in Harrison Street. After the recording session, Cara Wilson planned to have a limited number of albums pressed which would be sold after concerts. In a way, Cara Wilson was just testing the water, to see if there was a market for albums featuring her choir. Soon, Leo Kulka realised that Cara Wilson was underselling her choir.
As the recording session got underway, Leo Kulka immediately realised just how good The Voices Of Victory gospel choir were. Cara Wilson’s choir wasn’t just one of the best in San Francisco or even California, but one of the best on the West Coast. Leo Kulka realised this as the session progressed, and Jeanette Jones prepared to record the lead vocal on Why.
When Leo Kulka heard Jeanette Jones’ lead vocal on Why, her voice stopped Leo Kulka in his tracks. It was a cut above the rest of the soloists as Jeanette Jones was capable of singing with power, but was always in control as she delivered the lyrics with emotion and sincerity. From the moment Leo Kulka heard Jeanette Jones sing, he promised himself he was going to sign her. As soon as the recording session was over, Leo Kulka approached Jeanette Jones, with a view to signing her.
Jeanette Jones wasn’t interested in signing a recording contract. She had no intention in crossing over, and instead, wanted to continue to do what she saw as the “Lord’s work” with The Voices Of Victory gospel choir. This must have come as a surprise to Leo Kulka.
Back in 1965, the majority of singers, including gospel singers, dreamt of signing a recording contract. Even if this meant crossing over from gospel to secular music. Jeanette Jones it appeared was the exception. That was until late 1967.
It wasn’t until late 1967 that Leo Kulka next encountered Jeanette Jones. By then, things had changed for Jeanette Jones. Not only had she crossed over, and was singing secular music, but she also had acquired a manager, Jay Barrett.
Jay Barrett explained to Leo Kulka that he wasn’t from a musical background, and instead, was a banker who was based in Palo Alto. He was a relative newcomer to the music industry, and hope that as well as managing artists, that he could forge a career as a songwriter.Jeanette Jones he hoped, would go on to record some of the songs he had written in the future. With that, Jay Barrett went away to work on a proposal for Jeanette Jones and Leo Kulka.
By then, Jeanette Jones had signed to Leo Kulka’s Golden Soul label. This was a smart move by Jeanette Jones, as Leo Kulka had a lifetime of experience within the music industry, and the knowledge and skill-set to guide the talented singer through the early stages of her recording career.
Soon, Jay Barrett came up with a proposal which stated that if Jeanette Jones was willing to record his songs, then he was willing to part-finance the recording of a demo. This would be recorded Leo Kulka’s Golden State Recorders. Leo Kulka agreed to this, and began preparing for his first session with Jeanette Jones.
The recording session was scheduled to take place in the February of 1968. No expense was spared, and Leo Kulka began to put together an extensive backing band. There was a problem though. The songs that Jay Barrett had written were totally unsuited to Jeanette Jones in their present form.
They were poppy and sounded like a remnant from earlier in the sixties. This was the wrong type of songs for Jeanette Jones and Leo Kulka was faced with a problem. Jay Barrett had agreed to part-finance the demo on the condition that Jeanette Jones recorded some of his songs. It was time for Leo Kulka to put his years of experience to good use and come up with a solution. After some thought, Leo Kulka had worked out a solution,..backing vocalist and put in a call to Ramona King and her brother Cleo.
Ramona King’s career began in 1962, when she signed to Eden Records. Since then, she had spent time at Warner Bros. Records, Amy and most recently, Action Records. Leo Kulka explained that he needed backing vocalists to accompany Jeanette Jones and help her add some much-needed soulfulness to Jay Barrett’s songs. The Kings agreed and when they arrived at Golden State Recorders the recording sessions began.
At that first recording session, Jeanette Jones recorded a couple of Jay Barrett songs, Jealous Moon and Quittin’ The Blues. With the large ensemble accompanying her, the two songs were soon recorded with Leo Kulka taking charge of production, Despite that, Jay Barrett received a co-production credit. The next step, was to try to interest another label in the songs.
Leo Kulka began shopping Jealous Moon and Quittin’ The Blues to various labels where he had a contact in the hope that they would release them as a single. However, none of the labels expressed an interest in releasing the songs. For Leo Kulka, this was a huge disappointment. He believed that Jeanette Jones had the potential to forge a career as a singer, and decided to dig deep into his contact book.
The man he decided to consult was Larry Goldberg, an independent producer who was based in Los Angeles. Although Larry Goldberg was a producer, he was also a talent scout, and spent much of his time finding and developing artists. Sometimes, after discovering and developing these artists, Larry Goldberg shopped them to major labels, where they embarked upon the next stage of their career. Larry Goldberg had set a number of artists on the road to stardom and just like Leo Kulka, Larry Goldberg had a wealth of experience. He also thought he might have the answer to Leo Kulka’s problem.
The answer Larry Goldberg thought were three backing tracks that he wanted to play Leo Kulka.This included the Ben Raleigh composition Break Someone Else’s Heart. Another possibility was Andy Badale and Albert Elias’ I Want Action, which had recently given Ruby Winters a hit. The third and final song was Sam Russell’s Cut Loose, which had been arranged by H.B. Barnum. Having listened to the three pop soul cuts, Leo Kulka agreed that they had the potential to solve his problem and gave Jeanette Jones a call. She agreed to make her way to Golden State Recorders.
Although Jeanette Jones was signed to Leo Kulka’s Golden Soul label, she had continued to sing with the Voices Of Victory gospel choir. Maybe she was keeping her options open, given the life of a professional singer could sometimes, be perilous? The ccareers of soul singers were often short, and could be unpredictable and unprofitable. Jeanette Jones must have realised this after her first recording session. Despite that, she was prepared to return to the studio to record the triumvirate of tracks with Leo Kulka.
Having listened to the trio of backing tracks, Jeanette Jones set about laying down vocals. She combined power and emotion, delivering an almost defiant vocal on Break Someone Else’s Heart. Then on Cut Loose, Jeanette Jones delivers a vocal tour de force, as horns and harmonies accompany her vocal. On the final song, I Want Action Jeanette Jones again combines power and emotion as she delivers a needy, hopeful vocal. With the vocals recorded, Jeanette Jones had done her part and now it was over to Leo Kulka.
His job was to shop the songs to various labels. Given the quality of the songs, Leo Kulka must have been confident of securing a deal for Jeanette Jones. Despite his best efforts, none of the labels he approached were interested in releasing the songs, and llightning had struck twice for Jeanette Jones.This must have been a huge disappointment for Jeanette Jones who returned to the Voices Of Victory gospel choir.
By the spring of 1969, Jeanette Jones was now fronting the Voices Of Victory gospel choir who were still one of the biggest and most successful gospel choirs on the West Coast. Despite this, Jeanette Jones returned to Golden State Recorder for an another recording session.
Still Jeanette Jones hadn’t given up on her dream of making a career out soul music and again, made the journey to Golden State Recorders. That was where she first encountered singer-songwriter Wally Cox. Leo Kulka had asked him to write a song that would showcase Jeanette Jones’ conferable vocal talents. He delivered a trio of songs, including Darling, I’m Standing By You which was tailor-made for Jeanette Jones.
At Golden State Recorders, Jeanette Jones prepared to record Darling, I’m Standing By You. With Leo Kulka producing, Jeanette Jones delivered a spine-tingling, soul-baring, testifying vocal. Backing vocalists accompany her every step of the way, as Jeanette Jones combines gospel and soul, on what was a career defining moment.
Meanwhile, Wally Cox went away and wrote two new songs including the beautiful mid-tempo ballad The Thought Of You which. Just like Darling, I’m Standing By You it seemed tailor-made for Jeanette Jones. She was in a reflective mood on The Thought Of You, as she gives thanks for the love she’s found. Unlike some of the soul being released in 1969, it had a much more modern, contemporary sound. It was a similar case with the recording of Wally Cox’s other composition was I’m Glad I Got Over You, which features a defiant Jeanette Jones as she delivers another vocal powerhouse against an urgent, driving arrangement. It’s another song that could’ve and should’ve transformed Jeanette Jones’ career. Leo Kulka realised this and decided to back Jeanette Jones with his own money.
Realising the potential of Darling, I’m Standing By You and The Thought Of You Leo Kulka decided to release the single on his own Golden Soul record label. Leo Kulka hoped that the local R&B and gospel and radio stations would pickup on the single. This Leo Kulka hoped, would result in him being able to cut a distribution deal with a major label. That was the plan.
Leo Kulka had 1,000 copies of Darling, I’m Standing By You and The Thought Of You pressed. These copies he hoped would sell out, and the single would be picked up radio stations in the San Francisco area. However, the 1,000 copies of Darling, I’m Standing By You failed to sell, and Leo Kulka was back to square one.
While many people would’ve called it a day, Leo Kulka decided to use the single to shop Darling, I’m Standing By You to major labels. He took the single to Atlantic, but they turned the song down. When Motown then passed on Darling, I’m Standing By You, things weren’t looking good for Darling, I’m Standing By You, and Jeanette Jones’ career.
She had been trying to make a breakthrough since 1967, and was no nearer to doing so. Things however changed in 1971, when the Bihari brother agreed to release some of Leo Kulka’s releases on their Kent Records and Modern Records’ labels. One of the singles they chose to release was Jeanette Jones’ Darling, I’m Standing By You. Maybe, Jeanette Jones’ luck was changing?
Alas it wasn’t to be and when Darling, I’m Standing By You was released in 1971, the single failed to find an audience, and soon it had disappeared without trace. For Leo Kulka and Jeanette Jones this was hugely frustrating and disappointing. Leo Kulka felt the single hadn’t received sufficient promotion by Modern Records. It was no surprise when it failed for commercially and Leo Kulka and Jeanette Jones were left to rue the Bihari brothers’ short-sightedness. However, by then, Jeanette Jones was beginning to rethink her future.
Following the commercial failure of Darling, I’m Standing By You, Jeanette Jones started to work as a session singer. She also began working with Mike Bloomfield on his Mill Valley Bunch project. Jeanette Jones sung the lead vocal What Would I Do Without My Baby and Ooh Ooh Ooh, La, La, La which featured on the Mill Valley Bunch’s one and only album, Casting Pearls, which was released by Verve Records in 1972. Soon, though, Jeanette Jones began to look beyond music.
Jeanette Jones began to do some voiceover work, and was chosen as the voice of the Swiss Colony Wine radio campaign. It was also around this time, that Jeanette Jones began to do some modelling. This kept her busy, and gradually, Jeanette Jones seemed to lose interest in music. Indeed, she only returned to Golden State Recorders one more time.
This was in 1974, when Jeanette Jones headed to Golden State Recorders to record a publishing demo for Barry Goldberg, who was a friend of both Mike Bloomfield and Leo Kulka. During that last session, Jeanette Jones cut two tracks penned by Gerry Goffin and Barry Goldberg. The first was You’d Be Good For Me, which was followed by the beautiful, heart wrenching ballad What Have You Got To Gain By Losing Me? Sadly, after recording the publishing demo for Barry Goldberg, Jeanette Jones turned her back on music.
Since then, nothing has been heard of Jeanette Jones, and her story is a case of what might have been? That is a great shame as Jeanette Jones’ could’ve and should’ve enjoyed commercial success and critical acclaim. Jeanette Jones was a hugely talented singer, who had the ability to breath life, meaning and emotion into lyrics. She could combine power and passion, and seamlessly switch between ballads and uptempo tracks. Despite her undoubted talent, sadly, Jeanette Jones never made a breakthrough.
That was despite Leo Kulka championing Jeanette Jones throughout her short career. He produced her, and then shopped the songs to bigger labels. Sadly, only once did a single get picked up by a bigger record, Darling, I’m Standing By You. Even when that happened in 1971, Modern Records didn’t promote the single sufficiently. Maybe this led to Jones considering her future?
After four years struggling to make a breakthrough, maybe reality kicked in and Jeanette Jones realised that not all dreams come true? It was certainly around this time that Jeanette Jones began to work as a session singer which. Sadly, after this, the only time Jeanette Jones returned to a recording studio was to record a publishing demo for Barry Goldberg, Ironically, during that session, Jeanette Jones recorded one of her finest songs What Have You Got To Gain By Losing Me? It’s a poignant reminder of Jeanette Jones, whose career is a case of what ifs?
What if Jeanette Jones has signed to Leo Kulka’s Golden State in 1965, when he recorded The Voices Of Victory gospel choir? Maybe she would’ve gone on to enjoy a successful career as a soul singer? However, Jeanette Jones wanted to continue doing the “Lord’s work.”
Maybe by the time she changed her mind in 1967, it was too late? Music was changing, and changing fast. Suddenly the musical landscape was totally different. By 1967, pop and rock dominated the musical landscape, and the psychedelic revolution was well underway. While soul was still popular, it was nowhere near as popular as pop or rock which dominated the charts and the radio airwaves. Some soul labels, including Stax and Motown were still releasing hit singles by 1967 and would continue to do so over the next four years. Meanwhile, Atlantic Records’ soul years had finished in 1967, but the label had just released Aretha Franklin’s Atlantic Records’ debut I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You in 1967. This was the start of Aretha Franklin’s Atlantic Records years, which was the most successful period of her career. Sadly, many other talented soul singers struggled to make a breakthrough during this period. This included Jeanette Jones.
Despite her undeniable talent, and her ability to breath life and meaning into a song, commercial success eluded Jeanette Jones.The question is why? Maybe if Leo Kulka had managed to interest a major label in Jeanette Jones, things would’ve been very different? However, there is also the possibility that Jeanette Jones was neither driven nor determined enough to make a career out of music. It could be that Jeanette Jones wasn’t comfortable singing secular music, given her background in gospel music? There’s any number of reasons why commercial success eluded Jeanette Jones.
Deep down, maybe Jeanette Jones knew that enjoying a successful career as a soul singer was a long shot, and very few succeeded? That is doubtful, and if it that was the case, it would be ironic, as Jeanette Jones had what the talent and voice to enjoy a long and successful career in music. The music she recorded with Leo Kulka at Golden State Records is proof of that. Sadly, commercial success and critical acclaim passed Jeanette Jones by who is proof that not All Dreams All Come True.
Over forty years later, and Jeanette Jones still remains an enigmatic and mysterious figure. Very little is known about her life before she embarked upon a musical career, and similarly, very little known about Jeanette Jones career after music. It’s thought that she lives quietly in San Francisco, where her career began over fifty years ago.
Since then, Jeanette Jones has never been tempted to make a comeback, despite her music somewhat belatedly finding the audience it deserves. Both Ace Records and Playback Records have released compilations of Jeanette Jones’ music which showcases a truly talented soul singer who should’ve enjoyed a long and illustrious career. Sadly, Jeanette Jones’ career amounts to just one single, and it’s a case of what might have been for this truly talented singer.
Jeanette Jones-What Might Have Been.
Q
MELVIN SPARKS-FIVE FRUITFUL YEARS 1970-1975.
Melvin Sparks-Five Fruitful Years 1970-1975.
Although American jazz and blues guitarist Melvin Sparks enjoyed a career that spanned five decades, the most fruitful period of his career was the seventies, when he released five albums between 1970 and 1975. Melvin Sparks’ career began at Prestige Records, where he released a triumvirate of albums between 1970 and 1972. However, after leaving Prestige, Melvin Sparks signed to Armen Boladian’s Eastbound Records in Detroit. This was the latest chapter in a story that began in Houston, Texas, where Melvin Sparks discovered music.
Melvin Sparks was born in Houston, Texas, on March the ‘22nd’ 1946, into what was a musical family. His two brothers both played guitar, and his mother ran a cafe which was a favourite hangout for local musicians. This included Don Wilkerson, Stix Hooper and Cal Green, who would prove supportive of Melvin Sparks and influenced him later in his career.
At the age of eleven, Melvin Sparks received his first ever guitar, and by the time he was in high school, was playing in his first band alongside organist Leon Spencer. Within a few years, seventeen year old Melvin Sparks had left school and embarked upon a career as a processional musician.
Initially, Melvin Sparks went out on the road with The Upsetters, who had been Little Richard’s backing band, and then went on to back some of the biggest names in R&B. For the next three years, Melvin Sparks served what was akin to a musical apprenticeship with The Upsetters, as they crisscrossed America. In 1966, The Upsetters arrived in New York which was where Melvin Sparks met the man who would transform his career.
In New York, Melvin Sparks met bandleader and jazz organist Brother Jack McDuff, who just happened to be looking for a guitarist. Melvin Sparks fitted the bill and in 1966, he joined Brother Jack McDuff’s band. Over the next few years, Melvin Sparks played on several albums that featured Brother Jack McDuff. This included his 1967 album Do It Now, and the same year, Melvin Sparks played on Do It Now, Jimmy Witherspoon with Jack McDuff’s The Blues Is Now. The following year, Melvin Sparks played on Brother Jack McDuff and David Newman’s 1968 collaboration Double Barrelled Soul. That was just part of the story.
Soon, Melvin Sparks was the go-to-guitarist for anyone who was looking for a jazz guitarist, and played alongside Lonnie Smith on his 1967 album Finger Lickin’ Good. After that, Melvin Sparks played alongside several top boogaloo artists signed to Blue Note between 1968 and 1970, including Lou Donaldson, Reuben Wilson and Lonnie Smith. However, in 1970 Melvin Sparks made the transition from sideman to solo artist.
By 1970, Melvin Sparks signed to Prestige, where he was reunited with his old friend and former high school bandmate Leon Spencer Jr, who was also signed to the label. The pair would play on each other’s albums over the next couple of years.
Sparks!
Having signed to Prestige Records, twenty-seven year old Melvin Sparks soon, began work on his much-anticipated debut album, Sparks! He was paired with producer Bob Porter who by 1970, had already established the Prestige soul-jazz sound. Now they had to choose the songs that suited this sound.
Just like many albums of soul jazz, cover versions were often the order of the day. That was the case with Melvin Sparks’ first album of Prestige soul-jazz, which featured Sly Stone’s Thank You For Being Myself, Rogers and Hart’s I Didn’t Know What Time It Was and Leiber and Stoller’s Charlie Brown. However, Melvin Sparks had decided to record The Stinker which was written by his old friend and now label mate Leon Spencer Jr, who was also part of all-star band that recorded Sparks!
When recording of Melvin Sparks debut album Sparks! began, Bob Porter took charge of production and Rudy Van Gelder was the recordist. Backing guitarist Melvin Sparks was a tight and talented band that featured drummer Idris Muhammad, organist Leon Spencer Jr, trumpeter Virgil Jones and tenor saxophonists Houston Person and John Manning. Once the album was recorded, Sparks! was scheduled for release later in 1970.
Before the release of Sparks!, critics had their say on Melvin Sparks debut album, which was an album of soul-jazz that headed in the direction of pop. Sparks! was well received by critics, and when it was released in later 1970, it was hoped that it would launch Melvin Sparks’ solo career. However, despite the favourable reviews, Sparks! failed to find a wider audience which was a disappointing start to Melvin Sparks’ career at Prestige.
Spark Plug.
After the commercial failure of his debut album Sparks!, Melvin Sparks went away and wrote Spark Plug, Conjunction Mars and Dig Dis which would featured on his sophomore album Spark Plug. These three tracks were joined by covers of Gene Redd’s Who’s Gonna Take The Weight? and Schwartz and Dietz’s Alone Together. The songs that became Spark Plug were recorded by many of the musicians that featured on Sparks!
Drummer Idris Muhammad, organists Leon Spencer Jr and Reggie Roberts, trumpeter Virgil Jones and tenor saxophonists Grover Washington Jr join guitarist Melvin Sparks. Taking charge of production on Spark Plug was Bob Porter, as a much more laid back, but funky album of soul-jazz took shape. This was similar to the Prestige “sound” that had evolved over the last few years under Bob Porter. Melvin Sparks was the latest purveyor of the Prestige sound.
Just like his debut album Sparks!, Sparks Plug, was well received by critics, and many thought that Melvin Sparks was one of Prestige’s rising stars. However, when Melvin Sparks released Sparks Plug later in 1971, the album wasn’t the commercial success that Prestige nor Melvin Sparks had hoped. For both parties, this was hugely disappointing.
Akilah!
With neither Sparks! nor Spark Plug proving particularly popular, Melvin Sparks was well aware that his third album Akilah!, was make or break for him at Prestige. Melvin Sparks was still regarded as one of Prestige’s rising stars, but he had still to make a breakthrough. It was a case of now or never as Melvin Sparks began work on Akilah!
For his third album, Melvin Sparks had written four new tracks, On The Up, All Wrapped Up, Akilah and Blues For JB. They were joined by Leon Spencer Jr’s The Image Of Love and Gene Redd and Kool and The Gang’s Love The Life You Live.
By the time Melvin Sparks recording his third album, producer Bob Porter had left Prestige, and this time, he was joined in the studio by Ozzie Cadena who supervised the recording of Akilah! This wasn’t the only change, as a very different band accompanied Melvin Sparks during the Akilah! sessions.
Familiar faces included Idris Muhammad, organist and pianist Leon Spencer Jr and trumpeter Virgil Jones. They were joined by some new names including alto saxophonists George Coleman and Sonny Fortune, flautist Hubert Laws, percussionist Buddy Caldwell, trumpeter Ernie Royal and tenor saxophonists Frank Wess and Dave Hubbard who also played flute on Akilah! It built on Melvin Sparks’ two previous albums, Sparks! and Sparks Plug, and was the most important album of his solo career.
With Akilah! completed, Melvin Sparks’ third album was scheduled for release later in 1972, and again, just like his two previous well received by critics upon its release. However, history repeated itself, and Akilah! failed to find the audience that it deserved. This was a huge blow for Melvin Sparks, who left Prestige later in 1972.
Fortunately, by the time Akilah! was released, Bob Porter who had left Prestige Records, had joined Armen Boladian’s Detroit-based label Eastbound Records. With Melvin Sparks without a label, Bob Porter recommended that Eastbound Records sign his old friend and protégé. This was the start of a new era for Melvin Sparks.
Texas Twister.
After signing to Eastbound Records, began work on his fourth album Texas Twister with his old mentor and producer Bob Porter. Melvin Sparks hoped that renewing his partnership with Bob Porter might kickstart his career.
For Texas Twister, Melvin Sparks wrote four new compositions Whip! Whop!, Judy’s Groove, Texas Twister and Star In The Crescent. They were joined by Bobby Graham’s Gathering Together, Billy Eckstine’s Want To Talk About You and Brian Potter and Denise Lambert’s Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I Got). These seven tracks became Melvin Sparks’ Eastbound Records’ debut Texas Twister.
No expense was spared for the recording of Texas Twister which was produced by Bob Porter and was recorded by band that featured some top musicians. The rhythm section of drummer Idris Muhammad, bassist Wilbur Bascomb and guitarists Ron Miller. They were joined by organist Caesar Frazier, Sonny Phillips on Fender Rhodes and Buddy Caldwell on bongos. A horn section that featured baritone saxophonist Ed Xiques, tenor saxophonist Ron Bridgewater and trumpeters Cecil Bridgewater and Jon Faddis was the final piece of the jigsaw. Melvin Sparks played his trusty Guild guitar on Texas Twister which was meant to be the start of a new era for him.
Texas Twister was released to plaudits and praise, and hailed as Melvin Sparks’ finest album. Although it was a much funkier album than his previous offerings, Melvin Sparks hadn’t turned his back on soul jazz as he led three different lineups of his band on Texas Twister. Sometimes, Melvin Sparks’ all-star band are reduced to a trio, while other times he leads an impressive ten piece combo on Texas Twister. One of Melvin Sparks’ secret weapons on Texas Twister were the bongos which added a Latin sound as he flitted between funk and soul-jazz on his comeback album.
Despite being well received by critics, who thought Texas Twister Melvin Sparks’ finest album, it failed to find an audience when it was released later in 1973. History had repeated itself again, and Melvin Sparks who had just released his fourth album Texas Twister was still looking to make a commercial breakthrough.
Melvin Sparks ’75.
After the release of Texas Twister, Melvin Sparks’ friend and ally Bob Porter left Eastbound Records, and just when it looked as if things couldn’t get any worse, they did. Armen Boladian decided to close Eastbound Records, and Melvin Sparks became part of Westbound Records’ roster, which included Funkadelic and Parliament. Both were enjoying the most successful periods of their career, while jazz was in the doldrums.
By 1975, jazz albums were becoming a hard sell, but Melvin Sparks entered the studio with his band and vocalist Jimmy Scott who featured on two tracks on Melvin Sparks ’75. It was co-produced by Melvin Sparks and Bernie Mendelson and when it was completed, scheduled for release in later in 1975.
When Melvin Sparks ’75 was released by Westbound Records in 1975, interest in jazz was at an all-time low. Despite that, critics were impressed by an album that featured some of Melvin Sparks’ finest performances and two deeply soulful vocals from Jimmy Scott. Sadly, when Melvin Sparks ’75 was released, just like Texas Twister the album failed commercially. The big question was what did the future hold for Melvin Sparks?
Westbound Records allowed Melvin Sparks to record what would’ve been his sixth album I’m Funky Now, which should’ve been released later in 1976. However, Westbound Records decided not to release the album, and this spelt the end of Melvin Sparks’ career Westbound Records.
After recording six albums in six years, Melvin Sparks was left without a recording contract. Westbound Records had decided to cut their loses, as Melvin Sparks had still to make a commercial breakthrough.
That was despite Melvin Sparks being a talented and versatile composer and musician, who had released five albums which were well received by critics. However, he was out of luck as the most fruitful period of his career coincided with jazz being in the doldrums.
Record buyers turned their attention to other genres and many jazz musicians no longer released albums on a regular basis. That was the case with Melvin Sparks who released albums sporadically. This began with Sparkling in 1981, which was followed sixteen years later in 1997 with I’m A ‘Gittar’ Player. After that, Melvin Sparks didn’t release a new album until the new millennium.
What You Hear Is What You Get was released in 2001 and was the start of another fruitful period for Melvin Sparks. It Is What It Is followed in 2004 with This Is It! in 2005. However, when Groove On Up was released in 2006, it proved to be his swan-song.
Five years later, Melvin Sparks, who was one of the great jazz guitarists of his generation, passed away in on March the ’15th’ 2011, just before his sixty-fifth birthday. Jazz music was in mourning at the loss of a talented and versatile guitarist, whose career had spanned five decades. However, looking back at Melvin Sparks long career, the five fruitful years he enjoyed between 1970 and 1975 was when he released the finest albums of his career at Prestige, Eastbound Records and Westbound Records
Melvin Sparks-Five Fruitful Years 1970-1975.
CYMBELINE-SWEDEN’S LOST GROUP.
Cymbeline-Sweden’s Lost Group.
Nowadays, Norway and Sweden both have vibrant and thriving music scenes, where pioneering musicians record and release some of the most ambitious, important and innovative music that is currently being released in Europe. This is nothing new, and both countries have a long and illustrious musical history stretching back to the early sixties.
Back then, Norrköping, an industrial town in Sweden, the town had a thriving music scene, with local bands playing covers of both instrumental and pop music. This ranged from Bobby Darin, Elvis Presley and Neil Sedaka, to The Shadows and The Ventures. Among the most popular local bands in Norrköping, were The Tigers and The Mixers, who initially enjoyed local success before finding success behind the Iron Curtain. By then, music had changed beyond all recognition.
The song that changed Swedish musical history was The Beatles’ I Want To Hold Your Hand which was entered the Swedish charts in late 1963, and reached number one in early 1964. This was The Beatles’ first number one single in Sweden, after Please Please Me spent just two weeks in the charts in March 1963. Just like America, Sweden didn’t ‘get’ The Beatles’ brand of three chord pop until 1964, but now that they had, the effects of Beatlemanina transformed could be felt across the country.
Suddenly, new bands were being formed across Sweden, including in Norrköping. These new groups were keen to copy the Mersey Sound bands musically and stylistically. The new bands wanted to sound and look like the Mersey Sound bands, and even copied the way their hairstyles and dress sense.
Soon, new bands joined existing bands on Norrköping’s vibrant music scene. By then, the Mersey Sound had transformed the local scene, with band vying to become the Swedish Beatles.
By 1965, The Scarlet Ribbons which featured lead guitarist Anders Weyde, was a popular beat group on the Norrköping music scene. So was The Rovers, who featured lead guitarist Michael Journath. Their paths would cross when The Rovers was booked to play a gig in a local venue. That night, Anders Weyde just happened to be the audience, and was invited to join the band on stage. After the concert, the two lead guitarists got talking, and realised that they had much in common. This was the start of a friendship between Michael Journath and Anders Weyde.
Before long, the two musicians were spending time recording music in Anders Weyde’s small home studio, which was where another new band was born, Cymbeline. The new band was together between 1965 and 1971, and featured Anders Weyde and Michael Journath who were augmented by a few of their musical friends. This includes Ulf Ryberg, who features on Cymbeline’s best known song New York, which was released as their debut single in 1971, with Sixth Image on the B-Side. Later in 1971, Cymbeline split-up, and never recorded any more music.
By then, Cymbeline’s music had veered between garage-psych, experimental, progressive, psychedelia and psych-prog. Cymbeline was a cut above the average sixties beat group, created ambitious, exciting and innovative music. Sadly, the majority of that music has never been released, and Cymbeline 1965-1971 is a tantalising taste of what lies within the group’s vaults.
The music within Cymbeline’s vaults was recorded using what was relatively basic equipment, two Tanberg tape reel-to-reel tape recorders and a four channel mixer. However, what Cymbeline lacked in equipment, they made up for in skill and imagination. That became apparent when Anders Weyde and Michael Journath recorded their first two songs together.
At Anders Weyde’s small recording studio, the two musicians planned to record two teen beat songs with a psych influence, Imagination and Look At The Stars. Anders Weyde became a one man rhythm section playing drums and bass. He also played acoustic guitar and shared the lead vocal duties as they laid down the two songs. Sadly, the two songs were never released, and Anders Weyde and Michael Journath’s respective careers continued.
As 1965 gave way to 1966, Anders Weyde and Michael Journath continued to play with the other groups they were involved with. Cymbeline as the nascent band became known during 1966, was a side project that they worked on when they had time. However, like many imaginative and innovative musicians, Anders Weyde and Michael Journath were tiring of playing cover versions of popular songs. They had ambitions beyond being in a covers band, and started to realise their ambitions by unleashing their creativity.
It was around this time, that Cymbeline recorded the triumvirate of Image songs. During the recording of Third Image, Fifth Image and Sixth Image, usually, the session started with a bass line being laid down. To this, guitars were added, with chord progressions being joined by either an electric guitar or piano. Sometimes, drums were added, before Cymbeline embarked upon a science experiment. This would see the two members of Cymbeline adding recordings of everyday items, ranging from the sound of a refuse chute or an electric cocktail mixture. Sometimes, the sounds of birds were recorded, and added to the mix. Other times, pieces of furniture, including an armchair was transformed into a makeshift musical instrument. Usually, everything was improvised with no melody in place. That came later, and was based upon the chord progressions. The result was the triumvirate of Image songs, which are among the most ambitious, innovative tracks Cymbeline ever recorded. They fused elements of avant-garde, experimental, garage rock, pop, psychedelia and rock on the trio of Image tracks that were far removed from the covers they had been playing with their other bands.
Despite enjoying the freedom to experiment with Cymbeline, Anders Weyde hadn’t given up on making a breakthrough and enjoying a successful musical career. He wrote the lyrics to the single he released in 1966, which Anders Weyde sung in Swedish. However, commercial success eluded Anders Weyde, and it was a case of as you were.
By 1967, Anders Weyde had decided the time had come to upgrade his home studio. After the building work was complete, he had a professional recording studio which rivalled anything in the local area. This wasn’t the only change that Anders Weyde had made.
As 1967 downed, Anders Weyde and Michael Journath decided to turn their back on the experimental music that they had been making. This was a great shame, as the Image triumvirate was a tantalising taste of the type of music Cymbeline was capable of making. In its place, the two members of Cymbeline decided to make more traditional music, and music that they could replicate live. This wasn’t possible with their much more experimental sound.
In the upgraded recording studio, the quality of music that Cymbeline started to improve. The music they wrote was full of social and political comment, and showcased a talented, versatile and imaginative band with a social conscience.
This was apparent on the ballads Stolta Vingar which combines elements of folk on this blissful examples of fuzzed out Scandinavian psych-prog. Ur Asfalt Ropar Rösterna incorporates the sound of birds and running water before a much more traditional folk-tinged song unfolds and includes elements of experimental and psychedelia
Another song that took shape during this period was the piano lead Motala Ström, which was also the band’s name for a while. It’s a carefully crafted fusion of garage-psych and rock. Cymbeline showcase their considerable musical skills during Mittuppslag, as a funky wah wah guitar sits above the rhythm section until it’s replaced by the vocal. When it returns it continues to play a starring role on what’s one of Cymbeline’s finest examples of fuzzy Swedish psych-prog. However, Flicka was one of Cymbeline’s finest songs as they combine elements of psychedelia, jazz and progressive rock. This more than hinted at the direction Cymbeline’s music was heading.
Having moved away from experimental music, and embraced a much more commercial sound, Cymbeline would occasionally play live. Augmenting Anders Weyde and Michael Journath were a few of their musical friends, as Cymbeline showcased their latest songs. When they played live, Cymbeline was a popular draw. Despite this, Cymbeline continued to spend the majority of their time in studio.
During this period, Cymbeline proved to a prolific band and continued to write and record new music. This continued as the sixties gave way to the seventies, and two became three, when Ulf Ryberg joined Cymbeline.
The addition of Ulf Ryberg coincided with Cymbeline recording and releasing the Ulf Ryberg composition New York as a single. The addition of Ulf Ryberg’s distinctive vocal played an important part in transformation of Cymbeline, as they combined elements of progressive rock, psychedelia and rock on his this long-lost hidden gem. Tucked away on the B-Side was a rerecorded and rearranged version of Sixth Image with Ulf Ryberg taking charge of the lead vocal. Cymbeline’s long-awaited debut single New York was released on the Greenlight label in 1971. Sadly, the single failed to make any impression on the Swedish charts.
Despite the failure of the single, Cymbeline headed to Europafilm Studios, in Stockholm where they began recording demos for their debut album. During the sessions, they recorded several tracks, including Stolta Vingar II. It finds Cymbeline fusing elements of folk and blistering, rocky guitar licks on this glorious examples of fuzzed out Scandinavian psych-prog. Strax Nedanför Tornen is another song that shows a very different side to Cymbeline’s music as they combine psychedelia, progressive rock and some funky wah wah guitar. It’s another of Cymbeline’s finest hours, and shows that the band was on the right road.
Sadly, Cymbeline never finished recording the demos for their debut album. There was no fall out, and Cymbeline certainly didn’t take a wrong turning. Instead, the three members of Cymbeline decided to turn their back on music, and focus on their education and careers.
Later, Anders Weyde founded his own video production company, while Ulf Ryberg became a writer for Swedish television. Michael Journath turned his attention to science, and became the editor of a Swedish scientific magazine. However, they never forgot about the time they spent writing, recording and performing as Cymbeline. Sadly, Cymbeline’s music never found the audience it deserved, and they’re regarded as one of Sweden’s great lost bands.
Although Cymbeline were only together for the six-year period between 1965-1971, they were a prolific band who recorded an eclectic selection of music. Cymbeline was a talented and versatile group that had the potential to enjoy a long and successful career. Ironically, Cymbeline’s music was tailor-made for the seventies, and they could’ve gone on to enjoy commercial success and critical acclaim. Sadly, that that wasn’t to be and three members of Cymbeline decided to concentrate on their education and careers. As a result, the Cymbeline’s story is a case of what might have been?
Just like Terry Malloy in On The Waterfront, Cymbeline: “could’ve been a contender, could’ve been someone.” However, the three members of Cymbeline all went on to enjoy successful career in other fields, and didn’t seem to miss music. To quote Tom Rush’s song No Regrets it was a case of: “there’s no regrets, no tears goodbye. Don’t want you back.” Cymbeline’s decision to split-up in 1971, and concentrate on their education and careers was music’s loss.
There were no reunions nor comeback from Cymbeline, who had enjoyed the six years they had spent making music. That music veered between garage-psych, progressive, psychedelia and fuzzed out Scandinavian psych-prog. Cymbeline’s music also incorporated elements of avant-garde, experimental, folk and rock during the six years they were together. In doing so, they continually recorded music that was ambitious, exciting and innovative, and as is befitting of one of Sweden’s great lost groups.
Cymbeline-Sweden’s Lost Group.
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