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In Memoriam | Johnny Cash | 1932-2003
Better known as the “Man in Black”, John R. Cash was born February 26, 1932 and passed on September 12, 2003. His music has stood the test of time, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.
As stupid as it sounds, I learned about the Man In Black through the movie “Swingers” when we learn that a character in the movie is named after a the Johnny Cash Song “A Boy Named Sue.” If you haven’t seen the movie (which is a personal favorite of mine) you can catch the scene at around the 35 second mark in the video at the link here.
Such a classic scene. Johnny Cash’s music is classic as well. “I Walk the Line“, “Folsom Prison Blues“, “Ring of Fire“, “Man in Black“… all Johnny Cash classics. If you’re not familiar with those songs, maybe you should google them. I’m not going to embed them here. Rather, I’d like to list 9 interesting facts that I found at this link. Stuff I didn’t know, that you may find interesting or amusing:
1. Johnny Cash started smoking when he was 12 years old.
2. His first gig with the Tennessee Two was playing for a group of elderly ladies in a church basement.
3. During his act in the 1950s, Cash flaunted a killer Elvis impersonation.
4. Roy Orbison was Cash’s next-door neighbor in Tennessee for over 20 years.
5. An ostrich attack left Cash with five broken ribs and internal bleeding.
6. Muhammad Ali wrote a poem for Cash called “Truth” which Cash kept locked in a vault.
7. According to his autobiography Cash, if he were stuck on a desert island, Cash would bring Bob Dylan’s The Freeweelin’ Bob Dylan, Merle Travis’ Down Home, Jimmie Davis’s Greatest Gospel Hits, Emmylou Harris’ Roses in the Snow, Rosanne Cash’s The Wheel, a gospel album by Rosetta Tharpe, “something by Beethoven,” and You Are There by Edward R. Murrow.
8. Cash suffered from aviataphobia (fear of flying) and ophidophobia (fear of snakes).
9. In the Air Force, Cash wrote short stories under the pen name Johnny Dollar.
In Memoriam | Ernie K-Doe | 1936-2001 | How I Was Introduced to “The Emperor of the Universe”
There’s so much music out there these days that unless by some divine intervention, you may never hear some of the best music that’s ever been recorded. If it weren’t for a bachelor party down in New Orleans, I probably would have never heard of Ernest Kador, Jr. (February 22, 1936 – July 5, 2001), professionally known as Ernie K-Doe.
It’s been a few years so I may fail to remember all of the details, but a close friend of mine decided to have his bachelor party in New Orleans. It was after Hurricane Katrina hit, so the groom-to-be decided to mix in some community service with the bar hopping. We woke up early one morning and took a shuttle down to the Lower Ninth Ward and spent the day painting walls, hammering in floors, throwing out debris, etc. in a temporarily abandoned theater of a local high school. Drenched in our sweat (and a little blood) by day’s end, we really felt like we had done some good for the local community.
Afterwards, the person who facilitated the community service for the day suggested we head to a local spot, in the heart of Treme, called Mother-In-Law Lounge for some traditional New Orleans’ eats. We picked up some crawfish and other local cuisine, and drove up to this small, unassuming “lounge”. We walked into the side yard, and was immediately approached by spritely, enthusiastic, elderly woman with maroon dyed hair. Our guide introduced her as Miss Antoinette.
Miss Antoinette ushered us into her establishment and started to gush about her late husband, Ernie K-Doe. She explained to us that the lounge had been completely destroyed by Katrina, but that the community came together to rebuild the lounge and the city. She explained that the bar was opened by her late husband and was named after his only number one hit song, “Mother-in-Law”, which was written and produced by Allen Toussaint and which is possibly THE biggest hit in the history of New Orleans R&B.
I was so taken by Miss Antoinette’s personality, and probably a little taken by the life-size statue of Ernie in standing near the entrance, that music unheard, I went ahead and bought compilation album of Ernie’s greatest hits. After all, Antoinette said that her late husband was the self-proclaimed “Emperor of the Universe”, so how could I not buy the Emperor of the Universe’s greatest hits? LOL. We ate, and drank, then head back to our hotel rooms to get ready for the evening.
I popped in the CD, and the first song was “Here Come the Girls”, a song that was also written by Allen Toussaint. It was the first time I had ever heard the song, and I was immediately blown away. Why had I never heard this song before? I love a good horn section, and this song has it. Ernie’s vocals were soaked with attitude. And the hook does what it’s supposed to do … and it hooked me in for the rest of the album. This was New Orleans R&B, and I’m glad I found it. The rest of the album is solid, and I’ve posted a few of my favorite songs below:
1. “Here Come The Girls”
2. “Back Street Lover”
3. “Whoever is Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)” [which was also covered by Rufus]
4. “Fly Away With Me”
Miss Antoinette died the following year of a heart attack on Mardi Gras Day at the lounge. The lounge is still open, and hopefully it stays open for years to come. I’ll always have fond memories of the evening we spent with her, and learning about some essential New Orleans music. Thankfully, we still have The Emporer of the Universe’s music.
R.I.P. Ernie K-Doe and Miss Antoinette. You’ve helped write a chapter in my life, and it comes with a soundtrack.
In Memoriam | Nina Simone | 1933-2003
On this day, February 21, 1933, Eunice Kathleen Waymon, better known as Nina Simone, was born. Below are videos of her performing live some of my favorite songs from her catalog.
1. “Black is the Colour (Of My True Love’s Hair)”
3. “Backlash Blues” (Written by Langston Hughes)
I was able to find a recording of Nina’s entire set at the 1976 Montreaux Jazz Festival. The clip of “Backlash Blues” is from that show. The entire set is amazing and is: “Little Girl Blue”, “Backlash Blues”, “Be My Husband”, “Wish I Knew how It Is To Feel Free”, “Stars”, “Feelings” and “Africa”. If you have some spare time, it’s a classic performance of music legend. Very highly recommended.
R.I.P., Nina. Your spell will always be over us.
In Memoriam | Kurt Cobain | 1967-1994
February 20, 1967, one of the most iconic figures in rock music was born. Kurt Donald Cobain, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana. Nirvana’s legacy is well documented. They made “alternative music” cool, bringing that which was part of the “underground” into the foreground, and popularized a new genre of music that we call “grunge”.
Whether he wanted it to or not, Kurt Cobain became the voice of a generation. For all of the Gen X kids, his voice spoke to our frustrations and Nirvana’s music was the outlet. His early death immortalized his legacy, and it is a shame that there isn’t more music with him featured out there.
Below are three video clips of my favorite Kurt Cobain moments:
1. For Nirvana’s MTV unplugged TV performance, Nirvana closed with “Where did you Sleep Last night’. The song itself is heavy and brooding, and quite repetitive. Kurt’s vocals starts off muted, and suspicious, but slowly rises to intense accusation. As he escalates the tension throughout the song, it culminates (at around the 4:40 mark) in the deepest and most intense breath in taped music performance history. A breath, which to me, signifies a final realization that he in fact knew where his lover was. So intense. The exact way I want to remember Kurt Cobain.
2. If you google “Kurt Cobain, interview” and watch whatever is pulled up from the search engines, you will see that Kurt Cobain was real person. Very human. The following interview is quite long (20 minutes), but it’s the kind of interview that made his fans adore him. No pretentiousness. Honest talk.
3. When Nirvana was asked to play for England’s “Tops of the Pops”, and play to a pre-recorded, instrumental track, the band decided to have some fun at the show’s expense. With the band faking to play their instruments, and Kurt doing his best (or worst) Johnny Cash impression, this is pure comedy awesomeness.
4. I’ve only read about this, but damn … I wish I was there.
“Amidst rumors that Nirvana was breaking up, not to mention Kurt Cobain’s questionable mental and physical state at the time, the band makes a scheduled appearance at the annual Reading Festival. Many fans, doubting that Cobain will even show, is rolled out on stage in a wheel chair. Krist Novoselic addresses the sea of the people, “With the support of his friends and family, he’s gonna make it.” Cobain stands up, sings a Bette Midler tune, and collapses on the stage. He then rises to his feet and leads Nirvana in a performance that Novoselic calls his highlight of the year. If Cobain dressed in a hospital gown wasn’t funny enough, the band later performs Boston’s “More Than A Feeling” (Boston had said “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was a rip-off of their hit song). Cobain also delivers a classic line of stage banter during the set: This is our last show–until the next one.” – From IFC’s list of “Top 10 Nirvana Moments”. http://www.ifc.com/fix/2009/04/lists-top-10-nirvana-moments
As an added bonus, here a list of Kurt Cobain’s 50 favorite albums (written in his own hand). I’m proud to say I have a lot of them:
I hope you’re resting in peace, Kurt.
Music Tidbit: “Tuesday Heartbreak” by Stevie Wonder
“Tuesday Heartbreak” was track 4 on Stevie Wonder’s 15th album “Talking Book“. The album’s first track was “You Are the Sunshine of My Life“,which earned Stevie Wonder his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. “Talking Book” is a must have for anybody who wants vintage, hit-making Stevie.
“Tuesday Heartbreak” is one of my favorite tracks off of the album. Written by Steve, a notable player on the track is world renowned alto saxophonist David Sanborn. “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” was released as a 7 inch vinyl single. On the “B-Side” is “Tuesday Heartbreak”. My copy of this vinyl single is perhaps may favorite Motown collectible. I shot the video using a small digital camera…. it sounds a lot better in person… 😉
Album Review: Alphonso Johnson’s “Yesterday’s Dreams”
Hardly known, and often overlooked, Alphonso Johnson was an electric bass player of the highest order in the 70s. He has played alongside some jazz music’s greats, including, Horace Silver, Woody Herman, Chuck Mangione, and Chet Baker. His popularity rose to its heights during the late 70’s had was able to record solo albums while simultaneously playing Weather Report.
“Yesterday’s Dream” epitomizes Alphoso Johnson’s expertise in jazz fusion and funk. While the album, as a whole, is average, passages do reveal why Alphonso Johnson’s playing ability in those genres was at the time, and currently, in such high demand.
The album is mostly instrumental. Though there are some notable features and musicians on the album (i.e. Sheila E, Philip Bailey, Mark Jordan, and Grover Washington Jr.), the songwriting doesn’t live up to Alphonso’s, or his sidemen’s, talent. It’s a shame too, because with all the talent on the album, I wish I could remember something to hum other than just the introductory bass line riff at the start of “Balls To The Wall”.
“Yesterday’s Dream” is an interesting listen, but I’d rather save my money and buy another Victor Wooten album.
Below is the track and ratings with my video clips of the songs I enjoyed the most.
1. “Loves The Way I Fell’ Bout Cha”-***
2. “As Little as You”- ****
3. “Scapegoat”- ***
4. “Show Us The Way”- ***
5. “Balls to the Wall”- ****
6. “Tales of Barcelona”- ***
7. “Flight to Hampstead Heath”- ***
8. “One to One”- ****
Album rating: ***.
Album Review: Soundgarden’s “King Animal”
In anticipation of the Soundgarden concert I’ll be going to later today (2/16/13) at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, today’s album review will be that of Soundgarden’s latest album, “King Animal”.
The picture above is the King Animal box set that I purchased. No, the picture above isn’t the box set that I purchased. Mine is still in its plastic shrink wrap. I’m a music dork, what can I say? Instead, I can only look at this picture and gain some satisfaction knowing that my set will rest in pristine condition until … well … who knows …
“King Animal” is Soundgarden’s 6th studio album, and first in 18 years. It was released on November 12, 2012 (one day before my birthday!) and received very solid reviews across the board, and I agree with all of them.
The production quality on this album is so much more polished than their prior albums. Each guitar lick is steady like a metronome, and pierces through without being intrusive, with the drums anchoring the steady count. I mean, just listen to “By Crooked Steps”.
Let’s not forget about Chris Cornell’s ability to wail through songs. His voice definitely sounds more mature than on the prior Soundgarden albums, but he can still wail. Check out “Black Saturday”. Though his voice may not be able to hit ALL of the notes he used to be able to sing, he’s smart enough to write melodies that fits the voice he as today.
The album starts with a bang. “Been Away Too Long” (very fitting title, by the way), the first track, is classic Soundgarden. Big and loud, it’s the kind of song that makes you want bust out the air guitar and fantasize about being a rock star. Other highlights for me include “A Thousand Days Before”, “Non-State Actor” and “Blood on the Valley Floor” (which, for me, sounds like a slowed down “Spoonman”). Coincidently, all of these tracks are in the first third of the album.
The rest of the album seems to be more toned down that the songs at the start of the album. I’m not sure if that’s what the band was looking to do, but that’s how it feels. I can’t say I particularly liked “Attrition”, “Taree”, “Halfway There” or “Eyelid’s Mouth”. They are average songs to me. In fact, and I hate to even say this, but “Halfway There” and “Eyelid’s Mouth” almost feels like <gasp> soft rock.
The album, as a whole, doesn’t finish as hard as it opens, but that’s besides the point. This is still a solid album. And if you are a Soundgarden fan, you will not be disappointed. I’m excited about what the future holds for them. The album was produced by Adam Kasper, but I’d love for them to branch out and get a cutting edge producer to do the next album… “Hello, is this Jack? Is Jack White there?”…
1. “Been Away Too Long”: *****
2. “Non-State Actor”: *****
3. “By Crooked Steps”: *****
4. “A Thousand Days Before”: *****
5. “Blood On The Valley Floor”: *****
6. “Bones of Birds”: ****
7. “Taree”: ***
8. “Attrition”: ***
9. “Black Saturday”: *****
10: “Halfway There”: ***
11: “Worse Dreams”: ****
12: “Eyelid’s Mouth”: ***
13. “Rowing”: ****
Album Rating: ****
In Memoriam | George “Shadow” Morton | 1940-2013
On February 14, 2013, George “Shadow” Morton passed away. The casual music fan won’t realize it, but Shadow’s legacy in music history is quite profound. Having introduced The Shangri-Las to the world in the 1960s, he set the stage for the evolution of women of music, giving women a “tough girls” persona, as compared to their contemporaries. Music historians and critics point to Shadow as one of the original building blocks of punk, pointing to the New York Dolls, and women in punk, particularly pointing to Blondie, as being influenced by The Shangri-Las.
He wrote all of The Shangri-Las biggest hits. His discography credits him with having worked with, or written songs that were covered by, artists ranging from Aerosmith to Janis Ian to Vanilla Fudge to The New York Dolls. RIP, Shadow. Your legacy should not be forgotten.
Album Review: Allen Stone’s “Last to Speak”
Allen Stone’s vocal style reminds me of the classic soul and R&B singers of the 60s and 70s. Growing up in the small community of Chewelah, Washington (population 2,606 as of 2010!), it can be hard to imagine a voice as soulful coming from such an isolated city, especially since his dad was a pastor, and he grew up on gospel music, so you’d expect more of a secular influence.
Allen’s first full album release is “Last to Speak”, which, unfortunately, is only (as of the date of this writing) only available in a digital format.
It is a strong debut and gives the listener a craving to follow this talented singer to see where he evolves and takes his music. Though lyrically the music leans closer to folk than I necessarily would prefer, there is no doubt this album highlights the wide range of musical influences that Allen Stone has been able to cultivate at his young age (25 as of the date of this posting).
Elements of classic soul, popular music and R&B are used to tell various stories of heartache, social and religious commentary and self exploration, reminiscent of Stevie Wonder’s work during the late 70s and early 80s (Allen Stone has stated that Stevie Wonder was one of his idols).
I’ll admit that the album sequence could have been better. I would have put “Running Game” and “False Alarms” (in that order) before “Last to Speak”. That’s just a personal preference.
The vocal production is raw. It isn’t polished, softened or auto-tuned, and it shows all of the natural tendencies of Allen’s voice. I saw Allen Stone in concert in 2012, and I can guarantee you that what you hear on this album is how it sound live and in concert.
1. Shelter-I would have picked a different track to open up the album – ****
2. Quit Callin – ***
3. Better Off This Way – *****
4. Reality – I’m a big fan of the keys that open this track – *****
5. Figure It Out -I really love the chorus of this song- *****
6. Poison – For a song about that’s social commentary, I didn’t think the music matched the message-***
7. Running Game – Solid bass line – *****
8. False Alarms – *****
9. Vibe With Ya – ****
10. Breathe Anymore – ****
11. Last To Speak – Strong social message – ****
ALBUM RATING: ****
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