Gene McDaniels (wrote: try to make it real, compared to what?) dead at 76...

Eugene McDaniels in 1994.

(NY Times article)   Eugene McDaniels, whose mellifluous voice brought him high onto the Billboard charts several times in the early 1960s, and who wrote “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” which Roberta Flack took to the top of the charts in 1974, died on Friday at his home in Kittery Point, Me. He was 76. He died after a brief illness, his wife, Karen, said. With his four-octave range, Gene McDaniels, as he was first professionally known, hit No. 3 in the spring of 1961 with “A Hundred Pounds of Clay” and No. 5 later that year with “Tower of Strength.” He last hit the Top 40 with “Spanish Lace” in late 1962.  Mr. McDaniels’s songs, including those he wrote for other artists later in his career, jumped from jazz to blues to ballads to gospel and could be peppered with cultural criticism and political protest.

The lyrics of his bluesy up-tempo song “Compared to What,” recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1969 by the pianist and singer Les McCann and the saxophonist Eddie Harris, include:

“The president, he’s got his war

Folks don’t know just what it’s for

Nobody gives us rhyme or reason

Have one doubt, they call it treason” 

A classic!

The 'Big Man' leaves the band...

Clarence Clemons dead at 69
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Clarence Clemons, the burly saxophone player who played a crucial role in shaping Bruce Springsteen's early sound, died on Saturday, six days after suffering a stroke at his Florida home, media reports said. He was 69.  The New York Times said Clemons' death was confirmed by a spokeswoman for Springsteen. Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports.  Clemons, dubbed the "Big Man," started working with Springsteen in 1971 and was a charter member of the backing group that came to be known as the E Street Band.  His gritty, evocative saxophone solos powered such notable Springsteen songs as "Born to Run," "Jungleland," "Prove It All Night," "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out," and "Badlands."

On stage, Clemons proved a worthy foil for Springsteen and his bandmates. In a 1975 concert review, Rolling Stone said Clemons betrayed an "ominous cool" in contrast to guitarist Steven Van Zandt's "strange hipster frenzy."  "Clarence was the big black saxophone player who completely represented the tradition of rock 'n' roll and R&B," Van Zandt told Britain's Mojo magazine in 2006.  Alongside Van Zandt, Clemons personified the E Street Band, and he took it hard when Springsteen broke up the group for a decade in 1989. But by then, Clemons was being used less in the studio. On stage, he was often reduced to playing tambourine or engaging in crowd-pleasing theatrics, like kissing Springsteen during the live staple "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)."

Hall of Famer passes on...

(Email from Jim Kane, Bristol's oldies guru)- A good friend of mine, Carl Gardner, lead singer for the Coasters, has passed away.  It was my band's good fortune to have played with and for the Coasters many times.  Carl was an inspiration to both of my kids.  They both played for Carl and the Coasters, and were proud that Carl chose them to be his band during the 80s in Florida.  He is in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, and the Coasters were the first group ever elected to the Hall.  Check out the Hartford Courant's web site - there is a great write up about Carl.

 

Carl Gardner, founding member/lead singer of Coasters dies at 83

Carl Gardner, a founding member and lead singer of the Coasters, the renowned R&B vocal group whose memorably amusing hits included "Yakety Yak," "Charlie Brown" and "Poison Ivy," has died. He was 83.  Gardner, who had been battling congestive heart failure and Alzheimer's disease, died Sunday in hospice care in Port St. Lucie, Fla., said his wife, Veta.  The Texas-born Gardner was lead tenor vocalist for the Los Angeles-based R&B vocal group the Robins before he and fellow Robins member Bobby Nunn teamed with Billy Guy and Leon Hughes —along with guitarist Adolph Jacobs — to form the Coasters in 1955. (more)

Very sad news on the doorstep. One of my favorites...

NEW YORK – Musician Gil Scott-Heron, who helped lay the groundwork 
for rap by fusing minimalistic percussion, political expression and 
spoken-word poetry on songs such as "The Revolution Will Not Be 
Televised," died Friday at age 62.  A friend, Doris C. Nolan, who answered the telephone 
listed for his Manhattan recording company, said he died in the 
afternoon at St. Luke's Hospital after becoming sick upon returning from
a European trip. - (more)

(per Wikipedia, so it must be true)- Gil Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American poet, musician, and author known primarily for his work as a spoken word performer in the 1970s and 80s, and for his collaborative soul works with musician Brian Jackson. His collaborative efforts with Jackson featured a musical fusion of jazz, blues and soul music, as well as lyrical content concerning social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melismatic vocal styles by Scott-Heron. The music of these albums, most notably Pieces of a Man and Winter in America in the early 1970s, influenced and helped engender later African-American music genres such as hip hop and neo soul. Scott-Heron's recording work is often associated with black militant activism and has received much critical acclaim for one of his most well-known compositions "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". His poetic style has been influential upon every generation of hip hop since his popularity began. In addition to being widely considered an influence in today's music, Scott-Heron remained active until his death, and in 2010 released his first new album in 16 years, entitled I'm New Here. (more)

Early Brian Wilson influence passes on...

LAS VEGAS – Bob Flanigan, an original member of the four-part jazz vocal harmony group The Four Freshmen, has died in Las Vegas at age 84, a manager of the group said Monday.  Flanigan and his cousins Ross Barbour and Don Barbour formed the group in 1948 with Hal Kratzsch while attending Butler University in Indiana. Flanigan played trombone and bass and sang lead parts.   Don Barbour died in a car crash in 1961. Kratzsch died in 1970.   The group produced more than 50 albums and 70 singles, and had six Grammy nominations over the years.  Their best-known recordings were "It's a Blue World" in 1952, "Mood Indigo" in 1954, "Day by Day" in 1955 and "Graduation Day" in 1956. The group was credited with being an early influence on Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson. - (more)

Darling, you send me, honest you do....

Happy 80th birthday, Sam Cooke!

In honor of Sam Cooke's 80th birthday, Amazon MP3 has made "Portrait of a Legend" their Daily Deal! Click Share and tell your friends that this is their chance to get 30 of Sam's greatest hits for only $3.99! Happy Birthday Sam!

NPR article -  

It feels strange to suggest that Sam Cooke isn't appreciated enough. Cooke, a legend of soul, has been celebrated in nearly every way a musician can. He's been included in lists of the greatest singers of all time, voted a charter member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and awarded a posthumous lifetime achievement Grammy. You can still hear his songs in movies and sing them in karaoke parlors.  But the adulation has an effect of obscuring what's most enduring about Cooke's legacy — that he never sat still long enough to become as big a star as he might have deserved. - (complete story)

Rest in peace, Big Guy...

The larger-than-life Solomon Burke opened for Van Morrison a few years ago at Oakdale and nearly stole the show from The Man.  His 2002 album, Don't Give Up On Me, featuring an eccentric selection of cover tunes by Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello, got him a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album.  I wore out that CD.  I've pulled out Solomon Burke, King of Rock 'N' Soul, Live at the House of Blues to listen to as I post this.

Testimonial from Pool Hall Stud Marky G: 

SB was awesome.  I remember seeing him at the HOB in Nola years ago = Burgundy velour tux with all the ruffles... his son passing out the roses, with Barry & your old roommate Texas Jeff.  Great show and another legend we'll never see again.  Looking forward to this years fest.

(Per Wikipedia, so it must be true):

Artistically, Burke was influenced by the music of the church, as well as by Little Richard.  In the 60s, Burke signed with Atlantic Records and began moving towards more secular music. His first hit was "Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)", a cover of a country song. Though well-received by both peers and critics, and attaining a few moderate pop and several major R&B hits, Burke never could quite break through into the mainstream as did Sam Cooke or Otis Redding, who covered Burke's "Down in the Valley" for 1965's Otis Blue. Burke's best known song is "Cry to Me", which was a hit twice: first in the 60s, and again in the 1980s when it was used in the film – and appeared on the soundtrack for – Dirty Dancing.  In 1964, with Bert Berns and Jerry Wexler, he wrote and recorded "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", his most prominent bid for an enduring soul standard. Almost immediately covered by The Rolling Stones the same year, other well-known versions include one by Wilson Pickett and another, a decade and a half later, in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.  Burke fathered 21 children (14 daughters and 7 sons), had 90 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

As a tribute to Solomon Burke, here is The Wire Season 3 ending montage with his Fast Train as the background music:

Please help me, I'm falling...

The autumn leaves drift by my window....or not

'50s pop singer Eddie Fischer dies at age 82 by Raquel Maria Dillon, AP
LOS ANGELES – Eddie Fisher, whose huge fame as a pop singer was overshadowed by scandals ending his marriages to Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor, has died. He was 82.  His daughter, Tricia Leigh Fisher of Los Angeles, told The Associated Press that Fisher died Wednesday night at his home in Berkeley of complications from hip surgery.  "Late last evening the world lost a true America icon," Fisher's family said in a statement released by publicist British Reece. "One of the greatest voices of the century passed away. He was an extraordinary talent and a true mensch."  The death was first reported by Hollywood website deadline.com.  Fisher's clear dramatic singing voice brought him a devoted following of teenage girls in the early 1950s. He sold millions of records with 32 hit songs including "Thinking of You," "Any Time," "Oh, My Pa-pa," "I'm Yours," "Wish You Were Here," "Lady of Spain" and "Count Your Blessings." - more

Can't you tell by the way I run every time you make eyes at me...

Stone Poneys' Kenny Edwards dead at 64 (AP)
LOS ANGELES – Kenny Edwards, an original member of the Stone Poneys country-rock band and longtime collaborator with singer-songwriters Linda Ronstadt and Karla Bonoff, has died in California at age 64.  A statement on his website says he died Wednesday.  The Los Angeles Times reports Edwards was hospitalized earlier this month in Denver after collapsing while on tour with Bonoff. He was airlifted to a hospital near his home in Santa Barbara where he died.  After the Stone Poneys disbanded after their 1967 breakthrough hit "Different Drum," Edwards formed the folk-rock band Bryndle with singer-songwriter Wendy Waldman, Bonoff and Andrew Gold.  He also was a supporting guitarist and singer for Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, Brian Wilson, Art Garfunkel, Vince Gill and others.

I don't care what they say, I won't stay in a world without love...

Waller of '60s pop duo Peter and Gordon dies at 64 (AP)
LEDYARD, Conn. – Gordon Waller of the British pop duo Peter and Gordon, who had a string of hits in the 1960s including several written by Paul McCartney, has died. He was 64. Waller died Friday at The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich, Conn., nursing supervisor Nity Oris confirmed Monday. The duo's Web site says Waller went into cardiac arrest Thursday night. Waller and Peter Asher, who met at the Westminster School in London, topped music charts around the world in 1964 with "A World Without Love." McCartney, who was dating Asher's sister, actress Jane Asher, wrote the song. Peter and Gordon had hits with other McCartney-written songs, including "Nobody I Know" and "I Don't Want to See You Again." Waller was born in Scotland and had been living in Ledyard, Conn.

Peter & Godon singing Lennon/McCartney's A World Without Love.

Lie down, don't walk, don't run...

Ventures Founder and Surf Rock Mastermind Dead
Los Angeles (E! Online) – Talk about a guitar hero. Bob Bogle, cofounder and lead guitarist of the Ventures, whose riffs on hits like "Walk Don't Run" and "Perfidia" defined surf rock, died Sunday at 75. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was hospitalized after falling ill over the weekend, per Washington's News Tribune of Tacoma. He had reportedly been suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which forced him to quit the band he founded five decades ago with Bob Wilson. "Even though you know it's gonna happen, when it does it's like a bomb dropping on you," Wilson told the paper.

Bogle did manage to see his band enshrined in the Rock Hall in 2008 after recording indelible instrumentals that include versions of "Hawaii Five-O," "Pipeline" and the Pulp Fiction staple "Surf Rider," and selling more than 100 million records. "If you listen to 'Walk, Don't Run' and 'Perfidia,' the lead guitar is just totally unique," said Wilson of his longtime mate. "He used that vibrator bar—they call it a whammy bar—and he used it like nobody else."

R.I.P. Kenny Rankin...

Singer-songwriter Kenny Rankin dead of lung cancer (AP)
LOS ANGELES – Kenny Rankin, a brilliant pop vocalist and highly regarded musician-songwriter whose stylings ranged from jazz to pop to the world music influences he picked up as a child in New York, has died of complications related to lung cancer, his record company announced Monday. He was 69. Rankin died Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Mack Avenue Records spokesman Don Lucoff said.

The musician, who first gained acclaim as one of the guitarists on Bob Dylan's landmark 1965 album, "Bringing it all Back Home," had been preparing to record an album of new material when he became ill a few weeks ago. Recording sessions scheduled with producer Phil Ramone were canceled as his health began to deteriorate. - complete article - Blackbird (youtube)

First Snooks, now Eddie Bo checks out before Jazz Fest...

Jazz pianist Eddie Bo dies at 79: report
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Eddie Bo, a New Orleans jazz pianist, singer and songwriter has died at the age of 79, The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Saturday. The newspaper said Bo had died last Wednesday of a heart attack. "He was one of the last great New Orleans piano professors, kind of a bridge between Professor Longhair and Allen Toussaint," the paper quoted New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival producer Quint Davis as saying. "Everyone now has to remember to check their bucket on their own, without Eddie to tell us." Born Edwin Joseph Bocage, Bo grew up in Algiers and the 9th Ward of New Orleans, the report said.

After graduating from high school, he served in the army and then studied arranging and composing at the Grunewald School of Music, a training ground for scores of professional musicians. He fronted various bands and wrote and released singles for the Ace, Ric, Apollo and Chess labels. - complete article

Phil didn't do it, he's still in jail...

Estelle Bennett, member of The Ronettes, dies
NEW YORK – Estelle Bennett, one of the Ronettes, the singing trio whose 1963 hit "Be My Baby" epitomized the famed "wall of sound" technique of its producer, Phil Spector, has died at her home in Englewood, N.J. She was 67. Bennett's brother-in-law, Jonathan Greenfield, said police found her dead in her apartment on Wednesday after relatives had been unable to contact her. The time and cause of death have not yet been determined. Greenfield is the manager and husband of Bennett's sister, Ronettes lead singer Ronnie Spector.

The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007; its Web site hails the group as "the premier act of the girl group era." Among their admirers were the Beatles and the Rolling Stones; their exotic hairstyles and makeup are aped by Amy Winehouse. The Ronettes — sisters Veronica "Ronnie" and Estelle Bennett and their cousin Nedra Talley — signed with Spector's Philles Records in 1963. Their recording of "Be My Baby" hit No. 2 on Billboard magazine's pop music chart that year. Among their other hits were "Walkin' in the Rain" and "Baby I Love You." - complete article

& Bonnie and Friends....

Rock songwriter Delaney Bramlett dies in LA at 69
LOS ANGELES – Singer-songwriter-producer Delaney Bramlett, who penned such classic rock songs as "Let it Rain" and worked with musicians George Harrison and Eric Clapton, has died. Born in Mississippi, Bramlett enjoyed a career in the music business that spanned 50 years. With his then-wife Bonnie Lynn, he created the Southern blues-rock band Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. The group opened for Blind Faith, which featured British guitarist Clapton, in 1969. - complete story -

YouTube of Delaney & Bonnie Comin' Home featuring George Harrison and Eric Clapton

The original Santa Baby takes the big sleigh ride...

Eartha Kitt, sultry `Santa Baby' singer, dies at 81
NEW YORK – Eartha Kitt, a sultry singer, dancer and actress who rose from South Carolina cotton fields to become an international symbol of elegance and sensuality, has died, a family spokesman said. She was 81. Andrew Freedman said Kitt, who was recently treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, died Thursday in Connecticut of colon cancer. Kitt, a self-proclaimed "sex kitten" famous for her catlike purr, was one of America's most versatile performers, winning two Emmys and nabbing a third nomination. She also was nominated for several Tonys and two Grammys.

Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you....SPOOKY!

Former Classics IV singer Dennis Yost dies (AP)

CINCINNATI – Lead singer Dennis Yost of the 1960s soft rock group The Classics IV has died in an Ohio hospital. He was 65. Yost's friend and biographer Joe Glickman said the singer died Sunday at Fort Hamilton Hospital in Hamilton, about 30 miles northwest of Cincinnati. Hospital spokeswoman Marielou Vierling said Yost died of respiratory failure. The Classics IV's hits included "Spooky," "Stormy" and "Traces of Love." Glickman said Yost had been in nursing homes since suffering a brain injury sustained in a fall in 2005.

Endless sleep, indeed...

PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Ralph Joseph Reynolds, known as Jody, the rockabilly singer and songwriter whose lone hit, “Endless Sleep,” ushered in a wave of tragic teenage pop songs in the 1950s, died here on Nov. 7. He was 75. Mr. Reynolds was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in 1999. "Endless Sleep,” which sold more than a million copies in 1958, kicked off the melodramatic teenage-tragedy genre, including Mark Dinning’s “Teen Angel,” Ray Peterson’s “Tell Laura I Love Her,” Dickey Lee’s “Patches” and the Shangri-Las’ “Leader of the Pack.” - complete article