Kenny Rogers - Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town
[Verse 3]
She's leavin' now 'cause I just heard the slammin' of the door
The way I know I've heard it slam 100 times before
And if I could move, I'd get my gun and put her in the ground
[Refrain 1]
Oh, Ruby
Don't take your love to town
[Refrain 3]
Oh, Ruby
For God sake's, turn around
[Verse 1]
You've painted up your lips and rolled and curled your tinted hair
Ruby, are you contemplating going out somewhere?
The shadow on the wall tells me the sun is goin' down
[Refrain 1]
Oh, Ruby
Don't take your love to town
[Verse 2]
It wasn't me that started that old crazy Asian war
But I was proud to go and do my patriotic chore
And yes, it's true, that I'm not the man I used to be
[Refrain 2]
Oh, Ruby
I still need some company
[Verse 3]
It's hard to love a man whose legs are bent and paralyzed
And the wants and the needs of a woman of your age
Ruby, I realize
But it won't be long, I've heard them say, until I'm not around
[Refrain 1]
Oh, Ruby
Don't take your love to town
Who was Kenny Rogers?
Grammy Award winning musician, singer and songwriter, Kenny Rogers had scored over 120 hit singles and hadtopped the country and pop charts for an unparalleled 200 individual weeks. He was one among ‘the highest- selling artists of all time’, and had sold more than 130 million record copies across the world. The‘USA Today’ and ‘People’ magazine poll, voted him the ‘Favorite Singer of All-Time’. He was also a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. A man who wore many hats, Rogers was also a photographer, record producer, actor, entrepreneur and author. He had appeared in the movie, ‘Six Pack’, and TV movies, ‘The Gambler’, ‘Christmas in America’ and ‘Coward of the County’. He authored the photo books, ‘Kenny Rogers' America’ and ‘Your Friends and Mine’. He also authored the autobiographical book, ‘Luck or Something Like it: A Memoir’. Some of his well-known albums include, ‘TheGambler’, ‘Kenny’, ‘Eyes That See in the Dark’, ‘Share Your Love', 'Gideon’, ‘Love or Something Like It’and ‘Kenny Rogers’. He also owned the restaurant chain, ‘Kenny Rogers Roasters’.
Kenneth Ray ‘Kenny’ Rogers was born in Houston, Texas, to Edward Floyd Rogers, a carpenter and Lucille Rogers, a nurse assistant. He was raised in poor circumstances in a federal housing project.
He attended the Jefferson Davis High School, Houston, and became the first member of his family to finish high school. It was in high school that he decided to pursue a career in music.
Kenny Rogers was married five times and all of his marriages ended in divorce. His spouses include, Janice Gordon, Jean Rogers, Margo Anderson, Marianne Gordon and Wanda Miller.
He fathered five children, one each from his previous marriages with Janice Gordon, Margo Anderson, Marianne Gordon and two from Wanda Miller.
Kenny Rogers died of natural causes at his home in Sandy Springs, Georgia, on 20 March 2020.
RUFUS THOMAS - DO THE FUNKY CHICKEN. LIVE FILMED PERFORMANCE 1972 Wattstax
RUFUS THOMAS
Born on March 26, 1917 and raised in Memphis, Rufus Thomas performed for over seventy-five years. His roles ranged from singer, dancer and comedian to deejay and recording artist. At the age of six, he made his debut on Beale Street in a theatrical production, playing the role of a frog. While still in his teens, he was touring the South as a member of the famous Rabbit Foot Minstrels (both roles preparing him for composing “The Funky Chicken”). He returned home to perform in vaudeville shows and as an emcee for the popular Beale Street talent contests.
Rufus' way with words led him to Memphis radio station WDIA in the late 1940s. As a deejay on one of the country's first black-oriented stations, he regaled listeners with his hometown jive in between playing the top rhythm and blues records of the day. During this time, he began playing regular gigs around town and in neighboring Arkansas and Mississippi, performing both at local black roadhouses and upper-crust fraternity parties. It was at these gigs that Rufus began devising the novelty dance steps that later would become his trademark.
Rufus was a crucial force in the birth of Memphis' two great record companies, Sun and Stax. When Sam Phillips started Sun Records in the early 1950s, Rufus Thomas launched his recording career with a song called “Bear Cat.” Written as an "answer song" to big Mama Thornton's hit “Hound Dog,” “Bear Cat” brought Sun its first real taste of success. And in 1960, when Satellite Records opened its doors, Rufus persuaded the label to cut a duet with him and his teenage daughter Carla. The song was “Cause I Love You,” and it became Satellite's first hit. Soon after, Satellite changed its name to Stax Records and the rest is history.
As Stax kept churning out hit after hit on the soul and pop charts throughout the '60s, Rufus carved out his own niche with grooving dance tunes like “The Dog,” “Walking The Dog,” “The Funky Chicken,” The Funky Penguin,” and “The Push And Pull.” With his hit songs and outrageous stage presence (he typically wore purple hot pants with matching cape), Rufus truly became Memphis' own "godfather of soul."
In the 1970s and 1980s, Rufus continued to keep busy performing and doing his regular stint as a deejay. He became an integral part of the Stax Reunion in 1988, joining daughter Carla, William Bell, Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, the "new" Sam and Dave and other soul greats, and he appeared on the Atlantic Records anniversary TV show (Atlantic distributed Stax in the '60s). His charismatic appearance at the famed Wattstax concert has recently been issued on DVD.
Early in 1988, producer Bob Greenlee and Rufus met and began making plans for the return of the world's funkiest grandfather. Greenlee, whose King Snake Records had already released albums by Lazy Lester, Noble "Thin Man" Watts, Raful Neal and Kenny Neal, thought it was time for Rufus to record a true blues record. Rufus, who had been performing blues and spinning blues records for almost 50 years, agreed wholeheartedly.
The result of their collaboration was That Woman Is Poison!, released on Alligator Records. And while it had been a few years since his last album, Rufus' raspy, growling voice was still in fine shape, whether on the title track and other originals like “Breaking My Back,” or on his raucous readings of two Jimmy McCracklin tunes, “The Walk” and “I Just Got To Know.”
Thomas continued to record albums on a variety of labels after the release of That Woman Is Poison! in addition to hosting a radio show on Memphis' WDIA and making personal appearances, including hosting the Blues Music Awards. In 2001, Rufus Thomas was inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame. He passed away on December 15, 2001.
Discography:
1964 Walking The Dog (Rhino reissue)
1969 Do The Funky Chicken (Stax)
1971 Did You Heard Me? (Stax)
1971 Doing The Push And Pull Live (Stax)
1977 I Ain’t Getting Older, I’m Getting Better (Avid)
1977 If There Were No Music (Avid)
1980 Rufus Thomas (Hollywood)
1988 That Woman Is Poison! (Alligator)
1992 Can’t Get Away From This Dog (Stax)
1995 Rufus Thomas Live! (Stax)
1996 Blues Thang! (Castle)
1996 Do The Funky Somethin’ (Rhino)
1998 Rufus Live (Ecko)
1998 Memories (MCA)
1999 Swing Out With Rufus (High Stacks)
2003 The Funkiest Man Alive (Stax)
2005 Just Because I’m Leavin’ (Segue)
Don Fardon - Belfast Boy
George Best was arguably one of the most talented footballers of his era who captivated his fans with his extraordinary skill, agility and flair. Since his childhood, he nurtured a single-minded love for football. At the tender age of 15, his raw talent caught the eye of ‘Manchester United’ scout Bob Bishop, who was convinced about George’s potential. Before long, George Best started playing for ‘Manchester United’ and immediately endeared himself to the club’s fans with his fast and attractive style of playing. What followed was four glorious seasons for both Best and his club, during which the team won a host of trophies. Best forged a deadly partnership with Denis Law and Bobby Charlton, the two other ‘Manchester United’ greats and reached the zenith of his career when he led his club to a European Cup triumph. Among the three, Best was considered to be the most gifted. He was certainly the most flamboyant but his hedonistic attitude and his overwhelming success did not help as he began a downward spiral into debauchery and decadence, effectively ending his career as a player. Throughout his shenanigans, he adopted an air of nonchalance and disarming honesty. He lived a similar lifestyle right till his last days and the greatest heartache for his fans was the fact that he could have accomplished so much more on the field.
George Best was born in Cregagh, Belfast, Northern Ireland to Dickie Best and Anne Best. His father was a member of the Orange Order, a Protestant fraternal organisation based in Belfast.
He loved football right from his earliest years and played for a local boys club in Cregagh.
In 1957, when he was 11 years old, he earned a scholarship to ‘Grosvenor High School’, where Rugby was the only sport played. Without football, he lost interest in studies as well and began to skip school, after which he was sent back to his old school, ‘Lisnasharragh Secondary’, where he could play football again.
He was noticed by the local club Glentoran, but did not get selected because of his small build. However, Bob Bishop, a scout for the English club ‘Manchester United’ was impressed by George and immediately took him to Manchester.
In 1961, George Best underwent a proper trial and was signed by Joe Armstrong, the chief scout at ‘Manchester United’.
After his arrival in Manchester, George became extremely homesick within just two days and returned to Cregagh. However, his father and the Manchester United coach at that time, Matt Busby, persuaded him to return to Manchester within two weeks.
At that time, English clubs were prohibited from taking Northern Irish players, due to which young George played for two years as an amateur. He worked at the ‘Manchester Ship Canal’ during this time and trained with the club two times every week.
In 1963, Best made his debut for ‘Manchester United’ against West Bromwich Albion at ‘Old Trafford’, United’s home stadium. He played very well and United won the match 1-0. By the end of that season, he had played in 26 matches and scored 6 goals.
In 1963, he played his first match for Ireland in the under-18 youth team. Soon, he made his debut for the senior team too, against England. Overall, he played 37 matches for Ireland and scored 9 goals.
In his first season, United did not win either the ‘First Division League Title’ or the ‘FA Cup’, but won the ‘FA Youth Cup’, in which he played.
In the next season of 1964-1965, he became a regular in the side and played most matches. That season, United won the league title and reached the semi-finals of FA Cup. Best’s contribution was 14 goals in 59 games.
In 1965, his performance in a European Cup match against Portuguese team ‘Benfica’ catapulted him to stardom. Having already scored two goals in the previous match against Helsinki, he scored two goals again.
In the next season of 1965-1966, Best further established himself as a great player. Scoring 17 goals in 43 matches, he formed a formidable partnership with 2 other players in the team – Bobby Charlton and Denis Law.
In the season of 1966-1967, he was influential in helping the ‘Manchester United’ claim both their 7th league title and the charity shield, scoring 10 goals in 45 games.
The season of 1967-1968 was the most outstanding one of his career. He was highest scorer in the league, netting 28 goals in 41 games and carried United to second place, just two points behind winners ‘Manchester City’. His noteworthy performances include 2 goals against Liverpool and a hat-trick against Newcastle.
The same season, he played an important role for his team in the European Cup as well, which United won, becoming the first English team to do so. Best produced mesmerizing displays against Sarajevo, Real Madrid and the finalists Benfica.
In the 1968-1969 season, he continued his hot streak and scored 22 goals in 55 games. But, with the rest of the team not performing well, and the new players not up to the mark, United finished the season without any trophies.
Over the next three seasons, Best continued to play well but could not take United to their previous heights. Some of his best performances in this period include his 6 goals in a match against Northampton Town, hat-tricks against Southampton and West Ham United and a goal against Sheffield in which he went past 4 players with a solo run before scoring.
1970 onwards, he started getting entangled into a lot of discipline issues, such as being booked for misconduct, missing a match to spend a weekend with actress Sin�ad Cusack and again missing a whole week of training to spend time with Miss Great Britain. He started drinking a lot and even announced retirement twice, but returned to play both times.
Already on a sharp decline, the 1973-1974 season was Best’s last at United. Overall, he scored 179 goals in 470 games for United.
From 1975 to 1984, he signed for various clubs in different leagues, playing in South Africa, Ireland, US, Scotland and Australia. He even returned to England and played for Fulham for two years. He had troubles with his transgressions almost everywhere and never lasted more than two seasons anywhere.
In his standout season of 1967-1968, he won the ‘FWA Footballer of the Year’ award, given to the best player in English Football in the previous season.
In 1968, he won the ‘Ballon d’Or’, an award which was given to the best player of the year in Europe.
In 2008 he was posthumously inducted into the ‘English Football Hall of Fame’ for his lifelong achievements in English Football.
Personal Life & Legacy:
In 1973, George Best opened ‘Slack Alice’, a nightclub in Manchester. He also owned restaurants and boutiques in the city.
In 1978, he got married to Angela MacDonald-Janes, an English model, in Las Vegas. After three years, a son, Calum was born to the couple. The marriage ended in divorce eight years later.
In 1995, he got married for the second time to Alex Pursey in Chelsea, London. This marriage too ended in divorce after nine years.
George Best had alcoholism issues throughout his career due to which he missed a number of matches and practice sessions and committed acts like stealing money for alcohol from a woman’s handbag, drunk driving and appearing drunk on a talk show.
In 2000, he was found to be suffering from liver damage. Two years later, he had a successful liver transplant in London.
He died in 2005, due to kidney infection and multiple organ failure, caused by side-effects of his medication. His ashes were buried in his home town of Belfast.
At the age of 19, this Manchester United legend became a worldwide sensation overnight after his virtuoso performance against Benfica in the European Cup. His two-goal effort earned him the title “O Quinto Beatle” or “the fifth beetle” by the Portuguese media.
b. Donald Maughn, 19 August 1943, Coventry, West Midlands, England. As the vocalist with the Sorrows, Maughn was featured on this cult act’s most durable release, the pulsating ‘Take A Heart’. A number 21 hit in September 1965, its hypnotic, throbbing beat was maintained on subsequent releases, several of which the singer co-composed. Here, however, he preferred to use an alternative surname, Fardon, which was then retained for the artist’s solo career. His cover version of John D. Loudermilk’ s ‘(The Lament Of The Cherokee) Indian Reservation’ gave him his first and only US hit single in 1968, reaching the Top 20. He broke into the UK Top 40 in 1970 with ‘Belfast Boy’, a homage to the talented, but troubled Northern Irish footballer, George Best. This success paved the way for the re-issue of ‘Indian Reservation’ which, when resurrected, climbed to a respectable number 3 and became one of that year’s most distinctive chart entries. Yet despite several further releases in the early 70s, some of which were remakes of former Sorrows material, Fardon was unable to secure consistent success. He went into the licensing trade, running pubs in Coventry and Eathorpe, while continuing to work on the cabaret and country circuits. He later helped run a security firm looking after pop stars. Fardon re-released ‘Belfast Boy’ in December 2005 in honour of the recently deceased Best.
Joni Mitchell ~ Big Yellow Taxi + Both Sides Now (BBC - 1969)
Joni Mitchell
In her nearly four decades as a musician and lyricist, Joni Mitchell (born 1943) has spanned the fields of folk, pop, rock, and jazz with 23 albums. Her willingness to change direction without warning has frequently left fans upset, but her free spirit has endowed her creativity. By 2002, Mitchell had achieved the stature of Bob Dylan and influenced the likes of Madonna and Prince. Even Frank Sinatra recorded one of her songs.
Joni Mitchell was born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943, in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada. She was daughter of Bill Anderson, a grocer, and his wife Myrtle, a schoolteacher. Mitchell moved with her parents to North Battleford, Saskatchewan, after World War II ended. At the age of nine, she and her family would move again to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which Mitchell today considers her hometown.
After a friend introduced her to classical music, Mitchell asked her parents whether she could study piano. Although the seven-year-old aspiring musician did in fact start piano lessons, the lessons only lasted eighteen months. By then Mitchell had had enough of the "knuckle-rapping" school of music that was then in vogue. More importantly, she had discovered that she enjoyed creating her own music more than she did learning to do piano exercises. Also at the age of 9, Mitchell contracted polio, a disease that was often fatal at the time. Cared for by her mother, she eventually recovered. Mitchell also dates her taking up smoking to this period—a habit she continues to indulge in.
In the seventh grade, Mitchell was inspired by an English teacher who encouraged her to write about things she knew and to develop her ability to convey descriptive imagery. Mitchell would later dedicate her first record album to this teacher. Unable to afford a guitar, Mitchell purchased a baritone ukulele, which she played at parties and the local coffeehouse. After she graduated from high school, she enrolled in Calgary's Alberta College of Art. Finding the classes to be uncreative, she left after a year. Mitchell had, by this time, become a regular performer at a club in Calgary, so it was not entirely surprising that she left in June 1964 for Toronto to pursue a career as a folksinger.
Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada
Finding success in the Toronto music scene proved to be more difficult than Mitchell had imagined. Unable to afford membership in the musician's union, she was unable to get many performing jobs. Instead, she was forced to take a job in a department store. In February 1965, she gave birth to a baby girl who had been fathered by her ex-boyfriend from college. Shortly before giving birth, she had met a folk singer named Chuck Mitchell, who had offered to take care of her and the child. A few weeks after the birth of her daughter Joni and Chuck were married. Soon after, Mitchell gave her daughter up for adoption. (Mitchell kept the child a secret for 30 years, not even telling her parents. In 1995, following rumors that appeared on the Internet, Mitchell made contact with the lost daughter.) In the summer of 1965, Chuck Mitchell took Joni with him to Detroit, Michigan, where he found work. A year and a half later Joni and Chuck Mitchell had separated.
Following the 1967 divorce, Mitchell relocated to New York to pursue her musical career. Based in New York City, she acquired a reputation as an East Coast songwriter and live performer. In the fall of 1967 she met Elliot Roberts, who began managing her career. With the help of former Byrds band member David Crosby, she landed a recording contract for a solo acoustic album. In the meantime, she moved to California, where she shared a house with Crosby.
Mitchell was given very little compensation in her first recording contract. Eventually Elliot Roberts negotiated a better deal for her at Reprise, and she received total artistic control of her work. When Mitchell left Reprise, she was able to negotiate similar arrangements with Asylum Records—and later with Geffen Records—that gave her considerably more autonomy than most other recording artists enjoyed. However, disagreements over unpaid royalties would follow and relations with record boss, David Geffen, were strained.
Toronto 1960's to early 1970's
Mitchell's debut album, Joni Mitchell, was released in March 1968. On the album she declined to record any of her songs that other artists had turned into hits. That December, Judy Collins' version of Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" would reach the top of the record charts, earning Mitchell considerable income in royalties. Instead she performed her relatively unknown folk songs. Interestingly, Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" was written when she was only 21. This fact has amazed many people who have been struck with the depth of emotion expressed in the song. But as Mitchell told W magazine in 2002, "When I did experience these things, I was right, so I seemed to know what I was talking about."
In April 1969, Mitchell's second album, Clouds, was released. It included her classics, "Chelsea Morning," "Both Sides Now," and "Tin Angel." Although Mitchell was unable to get to the 1969 Woodstock rock festival due to excessive highway traffic, she chronicled the event with her song of the same name, which became a hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. In 1970, shortly before Reprise released her third album, Ladies of the Canyon, Mitchell won a Grammy for Clouds. " In Ladies of the Canyon, Mitchell ventured into increasingly complex arrangements, adding woodwinds, backup singers, and a cello to her own performance. Ladies would become her first gold album (with 500,000 copies sold).
At this point, Mitchell decided to take a year off from performing. She began traveling through Europe, visiting France, Spain, and Greece. Her subsequent album, Blue, released in 1971, featured songs she had written during her travels. Blue was also of note because it saw Mitchell alternating between acoustic guitar-and piano-based arrangements. In "For The Roses" (1972), Mitchell used pop-rock arrangements to back up her songs about the problems with being in love and the difficulties of being an artist. The album quickly climbed the charts. Looking back, Mitchell noted that she passed through her folk period rather rapidly. Her rock 'n' roll career was equally short-lived, probably, she said, because she was never much of a "druggie."
In 1974, Court and Spark was released. The album found Mitchell increasingly embracing a "pop" sound, but with the addition of orchestral arrangements and jazz-inspired sounds. Court and Spark had the distinction of appearing when Mitchell was at the peak of her popularity. Her next offering, Miles of Aisles (1974), was a live rock album based on concerts she gave during the summer of 1974 at the Universal Amphitheater, backed up by the L.A. Express. The Hissing Of Summer Lawns (1975), although a top seller, evoked some of the first negative reviews to greet Mitchell's work. Some of her fans took particular issue with the criticisms that Mitchell levelled at society in the album. A year later, Mitchell's Hejira (1976) found the artist vocalizing about a spiritual journey she had made. On this album a guitar, bass, and drums accompanied her. With songs written for the most part when Mitchell was traveling by car though the U.S., the album was recorded in the summer of 1976. Many of the songs dealt with Mitchell's concerns about not having a family.
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (1977) was followed by Mingus (1979). It is generally felt that in Mingus, which Mitchell composed with jazz great Charles Mingus shortly before his death, she failed to reach her own, and presumably Mingus's, expectations. The news was scarcely better a year later when Mitchell released Shadows and Light (1980), which contained live versions of songs that Mitchell had already recorded in the studio on Miles of Aisles. Critics called the album a disappointment.
In December 1980, Mitchell returned to Toronto for her acting debut in a film anthology entitled Love, about women's perceptions of love. She also contributed the title song. However, the film was never released. But there was also good news—in 1981 Mitchell was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. She subsequently left for a six-week Caribbean vacation, during which she took time to paint.
About this time, Mitchell became embroiled in a dispute with a salmon fishing company that wanted to build a hatchery near some property she owned in Vancouver, Canada. The local newspaper sided with the hatchery, arguing that its construction would lead to more jobs, while pointing out that Mitchell was not even a full-time resident. The salmon company, for its part, claimed that Mitchell was just some Hollywood celebrity who was out to ruin its business.
The Last Pogo Jumps Again recalls Toronto’s short-lived punk club, the Crash ‘n’ Burn.
The Limelight of Decline
In 1985, the all-star single, "We Are the World" was released. Mitchell, who was at the time studying yoga, later said her yoga teacher sent her to a psychic dietician who hardly allowed her to eat anything. In response, she recorded "Ethiopia" in 1985, a song about an Ethiopian who is experiencing famine. In Dog Eat Dog (1985), Mitchell complained angrily about increasing trends toward censorship, especially in rock 'n' roll music. The response to Dog Eat Dog was, as usual by this time, mostly negative, and the album ended up with only moderate sales. The disappointing reception led Mitchell to cancel her six-month 1986 tour. She instead stayed home and painted.
But there would be bright spots too. In the fall of 1990, the Los Angeles Theater Center put on a revue with five singers performing the songs of Mitchell. The show ran for three months. Then in the early part of 1991, a traveling exhibit of Mitchell's paintings made the rounds in Europe. In Night Ride Home, released the same year, Mitchell made do without any guest artists, and her vocals came across as deep and rich. Turbulent Indigo (1994) saw Mitchell return full circle in a melancholy mood to her earlier work.
In February 1996, Mitchell received the Orville H. Gibson Award for best Female Acoustic Guitar Player, even though she had by that time switched from acoustic to electric guitar. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Mitchell in 1997. On Taming the Tiger (1998), Mitchell played a computerized guitar to produce a sound unlike anything she had achieved before.
Books
Fleischer, Leonore, Joni Mitchell, Flash Books, 1976.
Periodicals
Guardian (London, England), November 21, 2002.
New York Times, January 5, 2003.
W, December 2002.
With Both Sides Now (2000), Mitchell's voice came across as ravaged from her years of smoking. The album could not be salvaged even with the backup of a large orchestra conducted by Vince Mendoza. Travelogue (2002) once again saw Mitchell performing well past her prime. On the album, she recorded some of her old songs with the backup of the London Symphony Orchestra, Wayne Shorter, and Herbie Hancock. The album had few admirers. Part of the problem was that by 2002, Mitchell's voice no longer had the three-octave range of her youth. While her cigarette smoking had contributed, it was also as Mitchell told W magazine, "I don't take good care of my voice." But she added that she would rather sound gravelly like Louis Armstrong than pitch-perfect like Streisand.
Parting Shots
Following the release of Travelogue in 2002, Mitchell took aim at the music industry, calling it a "corrupt cess-pool," while announcing her decision to stop recording. Mitchell also said that musicians today are made, not born. She told W magazine, "The artists don't have to play anything—they can cheat, buy songs and put their name on them, so they can build the illusion that they are creative. And because [the record companies] made you, they can kiss you off. Me, I don't sell that many records, but they can't kiss me off so easily." As she notes, her records have rarely sold large numbers. During her remarkable career she had only one Top 10 record ("Help Me"), and that was in 1974.
In November 1982—although the dates vary—Joni married bass player and sound engineer Larry Klein. Although they separated in 1994, they have continued to collaborate professionally. Besides her marriages to Chuck Mitchell and Larry Klein, Mitchell has been romantically linked to David Crosby, Graham Nash, James Taylor, Warren Beatty, and Jackson Browne.
The Rattles - The Witch (1970)
The Rattles are a German rock band, formed in Hamburg in 1960, best known for their 1970 psychedelic hit single, "The Witch". The Rattles performed in Hamburg and played at the same venues as The Beatles on several occasions in 1962. In 1964, the group recorded "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah", which charted in the UK. In 1968, they recorded their first version of "The Witch", with vocals by Henner Hoier. The band's records sold well in Germany throughout the 1960s.
Their second version of "The Witch" in 1970, this time with vocals by Edna Bejarano, was their only international hit. It reached the Top 10 on the UK Singles Chart, the top 20 in Austria, and the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. It eventually sold over one million copies. Rosetta Stone released a gothic rock cover of "The Witch" in the 1990s. The Norwegian psychedelic hard rock band, Motorpsycho, covered the song during 1999 and 2000. A recording of this song can be found on their bootleg Live Union Scene from 14 April 1999.
Current members
Herbert Hildebrandt - bass
Manfred Kraski - vocals, guitar
Eggert Johannsen - guitar
Reinhard "Dicky" Tarrach - drums
Can't you see me runnin'
I am really runnin'
For my life
Guess from where I'm
Comin'
Guess why I'm runnin
For my life
Can't you see the witch
Can't you see the witch
Can't you see the witch by my side
Can't you see the witch
Can't you see the witch
Can't you see the witch by my side
Can't you see my deathfear
I can hear her voice
Shoutin' everywhere
Who know what I've could done
It must be so bad
That a witch does care
Can't you see the witch
Can't you see the witch
Can't you see the witch by my side
Can't you see the witch
Can't you see the witch
Can't you see the witch by my side
Johnny Pearson - Sleepy Shores - (Playas De Ensueño, Imagenes) 1972
Johnny Pearson was a British composer, orchestra leader and pianist. He led the Top of the Pops orchestra for sixteen years, wrote a catalogue of library music, and had many of his pieces used as the theme music to television series. Johnny Pearson, better known by the Family name John Valmore Pearson, was a popular Musician, Singer, Song Creater. he was born on 20 March 2011, in Plaistow, Kent, England. Kent is a beautiful and populous city located in Plaistow, Kent, England United Kingdom.
Cilla Black Something Tells Me 1971 Remastered by Decade Productions
Cilla Black Something Tells Me 1971 Remastered by Decade Productions
Cilla Black
Who was Cilla Black?
Priscilla Maria Veronica White, better known as “Cilla Black,” was a British singer, actor, TV presenter, and author. She was born and raised in Liverpool, England, and was always interested in the prospect of becoming a musician. She started her career in 1965, with the release of her debut album, ‘Cilla,’ which was a big success. A year prior to that, her singles ‘Anyone Who Had a Heart’ and ‘You’re My World’ made waves across the country. Throughout her music career, she released 15 albums, including ‘It Makes Me Feel Good’ and ‘Surprisingly Cilla,’ and attained international success. She was the second and the only female singer from Liverpool to become a bestselling music star, after ‘The Beatles.’ Along with managing a successful singing career, she hosted her own variety show for ‘BBC’ named ‘Cilla’ between 1968 and 1976. Later, she became a successful TV presenter. She hosted a number of popular shows, such as ‘Blind Date,’ ‘Surprise Surprise,’ and ‘The Moment of Truth,’ between 1985 and 2001. Cilla Black died on August 1, 2015, following an accident in her villa in Estepona.
Cilla Black was born Priscilla Maria Veronica White, on May 27, 1943, in Vauxhall, Liverpool, to John Patrick White and Priscilla Blythen. She had Irish roots from both her parents’ families. She inherited Welsh genes from her maternal grandfather, Joseph Henry Blythen, who was from Wrexham.
Black spent her childhood in a highly religious household and studied at ‘St. Anthony’s School.’ She attended the ‘Anfield Commercial College,’ where she gained the knowledge of office skills.
She always wanted to become a musician and showed glimpses of her talent when she started working at Liverpool’s ‘Cavern Club.’ She worked part-time in the club’s cloakroom. The club was famous for its association with ‘The Beatles,’ and during one her shows, she managed to impress the band’s members.
She got her first chance to sing professionally at the ‘Casanova Club,’ located on London Road. Liverpool-based promoter Sam Leach booked her first show, which was a success. She also performed at a few more venues and slowly gained fame with her stunning performances.
Cilla Black hosted the popular dating show Blind Date..
Cilla Black, The Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr
No knickers! Cilla Black walks down stairs at Granada Studios in Manchester as John Lennon and Paul McCartney sit at the bottom - and John cheekily said she hadn't been wearing underwear to make her laugh
Happy: Cilla with her future husband Bobby back in 1969. He joined her on a world tour, firstly to Australia and then the USA, after her manager arranged for her US debut to be on the hugely popular Ed Sullivan show
She worked as a guest singer with bands such as ‘Rory Storm and the Hurricanes’ and ‘The Big Three.’ At the same time, in the early 1960s, she worked as a waitress at the ‘Zodiac Coffee Lounge,’ where she met Bobby Willis, who later became her husband.
Black signed her first contract with Terry McCann, who was her neighbor and a longtime friend. However, this contract was never honored, as it was made when she was a minor. Later, she was introduced to Brian Epstein by John Lennon, who convinced him for an audition. The audition turned out to be a failure.
When Epstein saw her performing at the jazz club known as the ‘Blue Angel,’ he contacted Black in September 1963 and introduced her to George Martin. Her career was launched successfully with her debut single, ‘Love of the Loved,’ which was released 3 weeks after she joined ‘Epstein,’ in 1963. The song peaked at the 35th spot in the UK. This debut success turned out to be a big breakthrough for Cilla.
In 1965, Cilla released her debut self-titled album, ‘Cilla,’ under the label ‘Parlophone Records.’ The album had 12 songs and attained critical and commercial success, reaching the fifth spot on the ‘UK Albums Chart.’ The album was produced by George Martin and had some successful songs, such as ‘Dancing in the Street’ and ‘Love Letters.’
Following the success of her debut album, Cilla started working on her sophomore studio album, ‘Cilla Sings a Rainbow,’ which was released in 1966. This album, too, was a major success and reached the fourth spot on the ‘UK Albums Chart.’ The album saw her collaborate with George Martin yet again. Consisting of 13 songs, the album was a chartbusting success.
Following the success of two albums, Cilla became a national music icon. She started working on her third album, which was ready for release by 1968.
Cilla’s third solo album, ‘Sher-oo!,’ was released in April 1968 and turned out to be yet another success. Following this, she released three more albums: ‘Surround Yourself with Cilla,’ ‘Sweet Inspiration,’ and ‘Images.’ ‘Sweet Inspiration’ and ‘Images’ made their place on the UK charts. ‘Surround Yourself with Cilla’ was her first album recorded in stereo sound format, and yet, it was her first album that failed to appear on the UK charts.
Throughout the 1970s, she remained a successful musician with consecutive releases. However, in the 1980s, she became additionally interested in her TV career and released only two albums: ‘Surprisingly Cilla’ and ‘Especially for You.’
In the 1990s, too, her focus remained on her career as a TV presenter. Thus, her musical endeavors took a backseat. She released two albums in the entire decade: ‘Cilla’s World’ and ‘Through the Years.’
Her last album, ‘The Very Best of Cilla Black,’ was released in 2013. Following her death in 2015, it attained the top spot on the ‘UK Albums Chart.’ It was her first number one album.
Cilla’s attempts to be an actor were not too successful. She made her film debut with a small appearance in ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’ in 1965 and then played a lead role in ‘Work is a Four-Letter Word’ in 1968. However, she failed to impress film critics with her performances in both films. Thus, her career in films was short-lived.
In 1968, she made her full-fledged debut as a TV presenter, with the show ‘Cilla,’ which ran between 1968 and 1976. The show was immensely successful. She had also starred in the TV special ‘Cilla at the Savoy’ in 1966.
She performed in a comedy series titled ‘Cilla’s Comedy Six’ in 1975, which turned out to be yet another success. She managed to tickle the funny bones of her fans and won the title of ‘Britain’s Top Female Comedy Star.’ She became a TV regular and later appeared on chat shows such as ‘Parkinson,’ ‘Go Graham Norton,’ and ‘Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.’ She also appeared on shows on ‘ITV and ‘Sky 1.’
She wrote two autobiographies: ‘Step Inside’ (1985) and ‘What's It All About?’ (2003).
She was honored with the ‘Order of the British Empire’ (OBE) in 1997.She was also honored by ‘ITV’ for competing 50 years in the entertainment industry, with a show titled ‘The One and Only Cilla Black,’ aired in 2013. The show starred Cilla Black and was hosted by Paul O’Grady.
Friendship: Cilla Black at rehearsals for ABC's 'Thank Your Lucky Stars' programme with The Beatles
Cilla Black married her lover and personal manager, Bobby Willis, in 1969 and had three sons with him: Robert, Benjamin, and Jack. Her eldest son, Robert, eventually became her manager.
She also gave birth to a premature daughter in 1975. Her daughter survived only for 2 hours. Cilla and Bobby had named her Ellen. Bobby Willis died due to lung cancer on October 23, 1999.
Cilla was politically active and supported the ‘Conservative Party’ all her life. She displayed her adoration for Margaret Thatcher publicly in 1993. She made a stage appearance in an April 1992 rally of the ‘Conservative Party’ and supported Margaret’s successor, John Major, who later won the elections.
Cilla died on August 1, 2015, after a fall at her villa during a trip to Spain. It was rumored that her body was found 4 hours after her death and that she had died due to a stroke.
Her funeral was held at ‘St. Mary’s Church’ in Liverpool on August 20, 2015.
Sutherland Brothers and Quiver - Arms of Mary 1976
The lights shine down the valley
The wind blows up the alley, Oh
Well I wish I was lying in the arms of Mary
She took the pains of boyhood
And turned them in to feel good, Oh
How I wish I was lying in the arms of Mary
Mary was the girl who taught me all I had to know
She put me right on my first mistake
Summer wasn't good when I learned all she had to show
She really gave all a boy could take Oh
So now when I get lonely
Still looking for the one and only
That's when I wish was lying in the arms of Mary
Mary was the girl who taught me all I had to know
She put me right on my first mistake
Summer wasn't good when I learned all she had to show
She really gave all a boy could take
The lights shine down the valley
The wind blows up the alley Oh
Well I wish I was lying in the arms of Mary
Lying in the arms of Mary, Lying in the arms of Mary
Lying in the arms of Mary
The Sutherland Brothers (Gavin and Iain Sutherland) were a Scottish folk and soft rock duo. From 1973 to 1978, they performed with rock band Quiver, and recorded and toured as Sutherland Brothers & Quiver. Under this combined moniker, the group recorded several albums and had a significant international hit single with the song "Arms of Mary" in 1976. In North America, they are primarily known for their 1973 single "I Don't Want to Love You But) You Got Me Anyway".
Gavin Sutherland (born 6 October 1951 in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland) – bassist and vocalist.
Iain Sutherland (born 17 November 1948 in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, died 25 November 2019) – vocalist, guitarist and keyboards.
Sutherland Brothers and Quiver
Cliff Richard - Sunny Honey Girl (Drehscheibe, 09.07.1971)
Born Harry Roger Webb, October 14, 1940, in Lucknow, India. Addresses: Record company--EMI Records, 810 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.
Considered the most successful artist in the history of British pop music, Cliff Richard has showed remarkable staying power in an industry known for short careers. From the late 1950s through the late 1980s, he placed nearly 100 songs on the British pop charts as he managed to survive through revolutionary changes in musical tastes. During this span he progressed from an Elvis Presley-like rocker, to a well-scrubbed teen idol, to a purveyor of mellow rock, to a singer of songs with a Christian theme.
After moving from India to England as a boy, Richard began learning how to play the guitar after he was given a used one as a present. Like many teens in Britain at the time, he became interested in the outgrowth of blues music known as "skiffle." He formed the Quintones vocal group in 1957, then sang with the Dave Teague Skiffle Group. Richard sang gigs around his Hertfordshire home on nights and weekends, while working as a credit control clerk at his father's factory during the day. Eventually he teamed up with drummer Terry Smart and guitarist Ken Payne to form the Drifters, who worked their way up on the club circuit until they were playing at London's famous 21's coffee bar. While performing they were seen by guitarist Ian Samwell, who then joined the group. With his musicians providing a Ventures-like background, Richard continued to develop his rocking style and grow in popularity.
In 1958 Cliff and the Drifters attracted the attention of theatrical agent George Ganyou while performing at a Saturday morning talent show at Gaumont cinema in Shepherd's Bush, London. Ganyou approached them about making a demo, then paid for their recording of "Breathless" and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." Norrie Paramour, a producer at EMI, gave the group an audition after hearing the demo. He immediately saw Richard's obvious "Elvis-like" appeal and wanted to sign him up as a solo act who would be backed up by an orchestra. Richard insisted on retaining his band members, and the producer agreed to bring the Drifters on board as well.
For his first single with EMI, Richard recorded a cover of Bobby Helms's American teen ballad "Schoolboy Crush." However, when British television producer Jack Good heard the record, he preferred the B-side's "Move It." According to the Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, "Good reacted with characteristically manic enthusiasm when he heard the disc, rightly recognizing that it sounded like nothing else in the history of UK pop." Richard and the Drifters had brought a much-desired American sound to British rock, and Good launched a massive publicity campaign to herald the arrival of the group's first single. His instincts turned out to be right, and "Move It" soared to Number Two on the U.K. charts. In no time Cliff Richard was hailed as Britain's top rock and roller, ousting Marty Wilde from the slot.
Samwell decided to quit the group and become a songwriter when Richard started receiving most of the attention, and by the end of 1958, the group included new members Hank B. Marvin and Bruce Welch. To avoid confusion with the American rhythm-and-blues group of the same name, the group then became Cliff and the Shadows. While the group enjoyed massive popularity, Richard also generated controversy with his highly physical gyrations on stage that were labeled offensive by some groups. The New Musical Express chastised him for his "hip-swinging" and "crude exhibitionism."
Richard really came into his own in 1959, reaching Number One with Lionel Bart's "Living Doll." By then he had already appeared on British television's Oh Boy!, and had also landed roles in two feature films. In Expresso Bongo, he played an average singer who is repackaged into a major pop star. The Guinness Encyclopedia said that it was "one of the most revealing and humorous films ever made on the music business and proved an interesting vehicle for Richard's varied talents."
After his sensational arrival on the entertainment scene at the end of the 1950s, Richard generated songs in the 1960s that were relatively tame but dependably popular. From 1960 to 1965 he enjoyed a streak of seven consecutive Top Ten singles, and appeared in two more popular movie musicals. He demonstrated his versatility by having success with both rocking numbers such as "Nine Times Out of Ten" and pensive tunes such as "Theme for a Dream." One of his best showings in the early 1960s was "The Young Ones" released in 1962. Guinness called it "A glorious pop anthem to youth, with some striking guitar work from Hank Marvin." During the first half of the 1960s, Richard toured actively in Europe, Japan, Australia, South Africa, and the U.S.
Although Richard never got on the track of the British invasion or beat groups of the mid-1960s, he managed to keep churning out fresh material that kept him in the Top Ten in Britain. He became a fundamentalist Christian in 1966, and at first was going to quit the pop music scene. Instead, he used his voice to promote faith in God. He became active with the English Christian youth group the Crusaders and often spoke to groups on the merits of Christian living.
Popular culture was changing too fast for Richard to adapt in the late 1960s, and he was left somewhat behind as other British groups ushered in a new era in music. A new Richard song in the 1970s was no longer assured of Top Ten status, although he continued to break the Top 20 with songs such as "Sunny Honey Girl" in 1971 and "Sing a Song of Freedom" in 1972.
After being absent from the charts for nearly two years, Richard sprang back to pop life in 1976 when Bruce Welch of the Shadows took over as his producer. The collaboration led to the best-selling 1976 album I'm Nearly Famous, which contained the hits "Miss You Nights" and "Devil Woman," Richard's first song to chart in the U.S. since 1959. Following another creative trough after "My Kinda Life" was released in 1977, Richard resurfaced again with "We Don't Talk Anymore" in 1979. That song became his first Number One hit in the U.K. since 1968, and it heralded a new, well-arranged sound for Richard that sustained him on the hit parade through the 1980s. The success of the song overseas triggered a tour in the U.S., his first there since 1963.
Richard added another dimension to his career in the 1980s by demonstrating a keen ability to harmonize, as shown in duets with Olivia Newton-John, Phil Everly, Sarah Brightman, Sheila Walsh, Elton John, and Van Morrison. He also starred in Dave Clark's (of the Dave Clark Five) musical Time, which was first staged in the West End of London in 1985. Retaining his youthful good looks over the years, Richard retained a loyal army of fans well into his forties. By 1988 there were 29 Cliff Richard fan clubs in Britain, consisting mostly of middle-aged women. At age 50, he showed his continuing ability to adapt when he recorded his first anti-war song, "From a Distance," which proved to be a hit.
Cliff Richard managed to remain viable as a pop act for an incredible three decades, in an era when most singers fade from the scene in just a few years. As acknowledged in New Statesman and Society, he is "undoubtedly the most important pop symbol modern British culture has produced."
by Ed Decker
Devil Woman - Cliff Richard - HQ/HD
Cliff Richard's Career
Moved from India to Cheshunt, Hertfordshire in England, 1948; sang with local "skiffle" groups as teenager in Hertfordshire, England; became part of the Quintones vocal group, 1957; joined Dave Teague Skiffle Group; worked as credit control clerk in a television factory; formed Drifters, 1958; performed at London's 21's coffee bar; signed contract with EMI/Columbia, 1958; reached number two on U.K. charts with first single, "Move It," 1958; made television debut on British television's Oh Boy!; recorded 93 songs that charted in the U.K., including six that reached Number One, 1958-86; renamed group Cliff and the Shadows, 1959; had first Number One hit, "Living Doll," 1959; appeared in first film, Serious Charge, 1959; received critical acclaim for role in Expresso Bongo, 1959; made acting debut on stage in Five Finger Exercise, 1970; hosted variety show on British television, 1970s; gave lectures on Christian living and worked with the Crusaders, an English Christian youth group, 1970s; made Top Ten for first time in U.S. with "Devil Woman," 1976; recorded duets with Olivia Newton-John, Phil Everly, Sarah Brightman, Elton John, and Van Morrison, 1980-87; appeared in London stage musical Time, 1985.
Cliff Richard's Awards
Voted Number One in one or more categories every year in polls conducted by New Musical Express, 1959-70.
Famous Works
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Selective Works
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Singles; with others (With the Drifters) "Move It," 1958.
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(With the Drifters) "Living Doll," 1959.
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(With the Shadows) "Fall in Love with You," 1960.
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(With the Shadows) "On the Beach," 1964.
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(With the Shadows) "The Minute You're Gone," 1965.
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(With Hank Marvin) "Throw Down a Line," 1969.
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(With Olivia Newton-John) "Suddenly," 1980.
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(With Phil Everly) "She Means Nothing to Me," 1983.
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(With Sarah Brightman) "All I Ask of You," 1986.
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Solo singles "The Twelfth of Never," 1964.
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"Visions," 1966.
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"Congratulations," 1968.
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"Devil Woman," 1976.
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"We Don't Talk Anymore," 1979.
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Solo albums The Young Ones, Columbia, 1961.
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Summer Holiday, Epic/Columbia, 1963.
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I'm Nearly Famous, Rocket/EMI, 1976.
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40 Golden Greats, EMI, 1977.
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Wired for Sound, EMI America/EMI, 1981.
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Always Guaranteed, EMI, 1987.
Roger Whittaker ~ New World In The Morning (HQ)
"New World In The Morning"
Everybody talks about a new world in the morning
New world in the morning so they say
Now I, myself, don't talk about a new world in the morning
A new world in the morning, that's today
And I can feel a new tomorrow coming on
And I don't know why I have to make a song
Now, everybody talks about a new world in the morning
New world in the morning takes so long
I met a man who had a dream he'd had since he was twenty
I met that man when he was eighty-one
He said too many folks just stand and wait until the morning
Don't they know tomorrow never comes
And he would feel a new tomorrow coming on
And when he'd smile his eyes would twinkle up in thought
Now, everybody talks about a new world in the morning
New world in the morning takes so long
And I can feel a new tomorrow coming on
And I don't know why I have to make a song
Now, everybody talks about a new world in the morning
New world in the morning takes so long
Since the summer of 1962 when he took his first steps on the road to a career in entertainment, Roger Whittaker has become an outstanding star all over the world, enjoying a series of highly acclaimed albums and a string of hit singles that includes such classics as "Durham Town," "New World in the Morning," "I Don't Believe in 'If' Anymore," and "The Last Farewell." He has amassed worldwide record sales nearing 50 million. His success has embraced the United States and Canada as well as Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Holland, Belgium, France, and Austria. In Germany alone, more than 10 million albums have been sold in the last six years, to add to 250 platinum, gold, and silver record awards.
Roger was born in Nairobi, Kenya on March 22, 1936. His parents hailed originally from Staffordshire in England: his father came from a family of grocers; his mother was a teacher. The music of East Africa left a mark on Roger's childhood. "In over 30 years of singing and playing musical sounds - the wonderful drumming, and those marvelous, infectious rhythms - have played a great part in everything I have ever written and sung." In school, he was an avid member of the school choir and gained top grades. "In the last three years of my formal education, I managed to work hard enough to get top grades in all my school exams and I had great hopes later of studying to become a teacher or a doctor," he says.
A rhinoceros grazes in Kenya’s Nairobi National Park.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY VERONICA PARADINAS DURO, GETTY IMAGES
However, within three weeks of leaving school, Roger was drafted into national service, and he spent the next two years in uniform in the Kenya Regiment. In 1956, Roger was demobilized and decided that it was time to concentrate on a career in medicine. He enrolled at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, but he wasn't ready to study day in, day out. After 18 months, he left the university and joined the civil service education department to try teaching. "It was a very exciting time. I was teaching -and loved it! However, this was just an apprenticeship. I could go no further because I had no qualifications. The next hurdle was to find a suitable university. The University of Bangor in Wales was suggested. It was ideal."
University of Cape Town in South Africa
Roger arrived in Britain in 1959. For the next three years, he studied zoology, biochemistry, and marine biology with such intensity that he ended up with the second highest grades of his year and a B.Sc. However, during his early days of teaching in East Africa, Roger had continued to sing and entertain in local clubs, and he had by now started to write his own songs. In the last year before sitting for his degree at Bangor, Roger became involved with the University Rag Week when he was approached to compose some songs to sing in the Rag Show. In doing so, he made a demo track that found its way to a major music publisher. Before he knew it, Roger was back in the studio recording his first single, "The Charge of the Light Brigade."
East Africa Women fetching water for their domes at Burgabo Borehole
Roger's second release, "Steel Men," started to pick up radio air play while he was sitting his exams. When he was given the news that he had passed his finals and landed his prized degree, Roger also learned that "Steel Men" had entered the British charts. It was the first hit of what has become a remarkable career.
Faced with the dilemma of which career to choose, Roger sought the advice from his professor. "Take your chance," he was advised. "Have a try in show business and if you haven't made it in ten years, come back here and teach. I shall always have a place at the university for you."
Finding himself an agent and manager, Roger set out to establish his name and almost immediately was booked for a summer season in Northern Ireland. He then spent the next five years learning his trade. Not long afterwards, he landed his first major breakthrough when he was signed to appear on an Ulster Television show called "This And That." In the spring of 1964, Roger met his future wife, Natalie, and they were married on August 15th after a mere three month's courtship. Today they live in the heart of England --with their five children, Emily, Lauren, Jessica, Guy and Alexander. By 1967, Roger was slowly beginning to make his name. He had enjoyed several record releases during this time, though the elusive big hit single had still escaped his clutches. Still, he was earning a healthy living and appearing occasionally on radio and television.
Roger Whittaker with his wife..
Roger was asked to join a British team for the annual music festival at Knokke, Belgium. Singing "If I Were a Rich Man," and his own composition "Mexican Whistler," he helped Britain to win the competition. He also emerged as the hit of the entire contest and picked up the coveted and highly prestigious Press Prize as the personality of the festival. Issued on the Continent as singles shortly afterward, "Mexican Whistler" soon reached number one in three different European countries while "If I Were a Rich Man" peaked at number two. Suddenly, Roger was inundated with offers to tour Europe and star on the major television programs. At home in Britain, however, he was still virtually unknown on a national scale, although his records were played extensively, and he enjoyed a fair amount of success on television and in cabaret. In the fall of 1969, his British record company issued a new single; another of his own compositions with the unusual title of "The Leavin' (Durham Town)." "I just didn't have any faith in that song at all," Roger admits. "Far from promoting the single in Britain, I went off to Finland for a cabaret season and television appearances." By the time he returned in November, "Durham Town" was rapidly climbing the British charts.
Durham Town Centre by Ken Fisher
THE LAST FAREWELL
One of Whittaker's best-loved songs in America is "The Last Farewell." And he enjoys telling the story of how the tune came to be a favorite. Originally recorded in 1971, the lyrics to the song were written by a Birmingham, England, silversmith who entered a contest in which the best lyric or poem sent to Whittaker would be put to music and recorded. Although "The Last Farewell" was not the winner, the song was included on an album, along with the winner "Why" "Suddenly, five years, later, I got the call from Atlanta, Georgia," Whittaker relates. "The wife of a program director had requested the song be played on WSB radio there. She had heard the song while traveling to Canada.
"The Last Farewell" went on to become the most requested song on WSB's playlist and within weeks, it became a massive hit all over the world, reaching the coveted Number One slot in 11 different countries. In the USA, "The Last Farewell" became a Top 20 hit in 1975 and finally selling over 11,000,000 copies worldwide. The song broke down the barriers to success in America for Whittaker and opened up a vast new country for his music to explore.
Birmingham England - Canary Wharf
Germany, particularly, has been a highly successful market for Roger over the years. It all started back in 1976 when he undertook his first major concert tour of the country, following the success of "The Last Farewell". Record success, however, has established Whittaker's name in the country and hoisted him to superstardom. His sings and records in the German language. Indeed, in 1985, he was acclaimed as the country's most successful recording artist, singing in the German language, a distinction no other major international record star could claim. Roger admits to being unable to speak a word of German and records his songs phonetically.
THE 1980's
In conjunction with his first American tour in 1980, Roger launched a major international song writing competition, Children Helping Children, from the United Nations in New York through UNESCO. Children from all over the world were asked to submit lyrics and poems on the subject of promoting peace and understanding, the best of which Roger would put to music and record. The contest attracted over one million entries from 57 countries. The winner was 13-year-old Odina Batnag from Manila in the Philippines who was flown to New York and introduced to the huge audience at Roger's Radio City Music Hall concert where her entry "I Am But A Small Voice", was performed for the very first time. The song has been released worldwide with all proceeds raised by sales being donated to UNESCO's education for handicapped children programme. That year also finished on a note of extreme triumph when Roger received America's prestigious B'nai B'rith Humanitarian Award for his work with children.
In 1982, Roger was persuaded to make a movie in his native Kenya. It was an ambitious project, and for six weeks the film cameras followed him throughout the East African country as Roger related the story of Kenya's history -the British colonial development and the rediscovery of his homeland - through his own unique words and music. The result, Roger Whittaker in Kenya, was screened in Britain by BBC Television in the autumn of 1983, followed by a worldwide transmission.
In 1986, Whittaker made a reappearance on the UK Top 10 singles chart with the standard 'The Skye Boat Song' in a duo performance with Des O'Connor. Also in 1986, he published his autobiography, So Far, So Good, co-written with his wife. And, in 1989, Roger was awarded the prestigious Gold Badge of Merit from his peers in the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.
THE 1990s
The 1990's have seen Roger continue to perform and record. In the summer of 1991, he was personally invited by Bob Hope to appear in a highly prestigious Gala Charity show at the London Palladium. In 1993 Roger recorded "Celebration," a self-penned album offering a wide array of his vocal and song writing talents. As part of his celebration of 30 years in the music business Roger launched a world tour. His concert in Sacramento California was taped and shown across the United States on Public Television. "The Celebration Concert," was also made available as a home video release from RCA.
In 1997 Roger released "A Perfect Day, His Greatest Hits and More." The title track to this album features Roger singing a sentimental duet with his daughter Jessica. In spite of knee replacement surgery, Roger continued an active concert schedule with nearly 100 concert dates in one European and two North American tours in 1997.
Now established at the very pinnacle of international stardom the sheer magnitude of the demand to see Roger Whittaker performing in concert, or on tour, or on television has resulted in an extensive almost non-stop round of engagements all over the world, making him one of the most traveled entertainers in show business history...and needless to say one of the most successful and respected.
THE PRESENT
2001 saw a grueling German tour again, at the end of which an exhausted Roger celebrated his 65th Birthday - the natural age for retirement and announced that he would stop touring completely. However, having moving to Ireland and settling down by the River Shannon, he was soon inspired to start writing again, and needless to say, like all artists missed the roar of the crowds. So in 2003 he again toured Germany to great acclaim, recorded a new German Christmas album, and is currently in the studio, working on his first English album for seven years, hopefully to be released in 2004, with tours of Ireland, Canada, Scandinavia and in 2005 in Germany again, as well as the USA. TV specials and new compilations are in the pipeline, with many of his old songs, long since deleted but so frequently requested by his fans.
Gilbert O'Sullivan - Nothing Rhymed (Official HD Video)
GILBERT O'SULLIVAN - We Will (1971)
Biography
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Born
1 December 1946 (age 76)
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Born In
Waterford, County Waterford, Munster, Ireland
Gilbert O'Sullivan (born Raymond Edward O'Sullivan in Waterford, Ireland, on 1 December 1946) is an Irish-English singer-songwriter, best known for his early 1970s hits "Alone Again (Naturally)", "Clair", and "Get Down".
ln Waterford, O'Sullivan's father worked in a meat factory while his mother ran a sweet shop. In 1958, at the age of 11, he moved with his family to Swindon in England in search of a better life. He attended St. Joseph's Comprehensive school in Swindon. While there he developed an interest in both music and amateur boxing. Musically he began with the guitar and progressed to the piano. In the boxing ring he had nearly 50 bouts. Meanwhile his painting and drawing had won him a place at Swindon Art College. He started there in September 1963. His aim was to be a graphic designer. He played drums in his first group The Doodles and left them to join The Prefects while attending Swindon Art College. It was while at college that he met Rick Davies, who was later a member of Supertramp. While at college he began writing songs and sending out demo tapes, alas they were always returned unopened. The first song he remembers writing was Ready Miss Steady.
After finishing college, O'Sullivan moved to London in 1967 to try and further his musical career. He took a part-time job as a salesman at the C & A department store in Oxford Street. Mike Ward who also worked at C & A, had a contract with CBS and Gilbert went with him one day and played his tapes for some of the CBS executives. Gilbert signed a five year publishing contract with CBS which called for one single a year, and released two singles Disappear/You in 1967 and What Can I Do/You in 1968. Gilbert was disappointed that he was not allowed any input into the arranging or production of the singles. Neither single did well. Disillusioned with CBS, O'Sullivan signed with the Major Minor label and released I Wish I Could Cry/Mr. Moody's Garden in 1969.
O'Sullivan came to the attention of BBC Radio 1 disc jockey, John Peel, who gave him a slot on his radio show Top Gear, little of note resulted, and O'Sullivan spent part of 1969 applying to other record labels and management companies. It was at this time that O'Sullivan formulated his 'Bisto Kid' image; grey flannel suit, flat cap, school boy tie, football socks and hobnail boots. In search of a manager he sent some demo tapes to Gordon Mills, an ex-pop singer and himself a songwriter of repute, who had successfully guided the careers of Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. Gordon Mills recognised something unique in the young Irishman and signed him for management as well as to a songwriting contract.
O'Sullivan made an irresistible impression with Nothing Rhymed, his first Top 10 hit and an introduction to his witty lyrics and original approach as a singer/songwriter. Signed to MAM Records, the label launched by Gordon Mills, who was also his record producer, great friend and surrogate older brother, O'Sullivan enjoyed four years of major success, incorporating a dozen more hit singles, ten of which reached the UK Top 10, and four Top 5 albums: Himself (1971), Back To Front (1972), I'm A Writer Not A Fighter (1973) and A Stranger In My Own Back Yard (1974).
Both Clair (written about Mills's infant daughter for whom Gilbert occasionally babysat) and Get Down were number one hit singles in Britain, and additionally, Back To Front topped the UK LP chart in 1972, emulating the success of the two million seller Alone Again (Naturally), a six week US chart-topper in 1972. O'Sullivan made his live debut in The National Stadium in Dublin in October of '72. Around this time, the singer jettisoned his so-called "Bisto Kid" image in favour of an endless series of collegiate-styled sweaters embossed with the letter "G". As quickly as O'Sullivan ascended to fame, however, his star began to fall , although singles like Ooh Baby and Happiness Is Me and You continued to chart, they sold increasingly fewer copies, and after 1973 his overseas popularity essentially ceased altogether. At home, he notched his final Top 20 hit with 1975's I Don't Love You But I Think I Like You. After a Greatest Hits album in 1976, and Southpaw in 1977, by which time the hit singles had dried up, disagreements over future direction led to a bitter split between O'Sullivan and Mills, which effectively sidelined the former as a recording artist for five years. The gruelling court case between O'Sullivan and his erstwhile manager, producer, music publisher and record company boss finally gave him control of his own recordings and the copyright in his songs, although it exacted an inevitable toll on his energy and his creativity during it's precedent-setting course.
Gilbert returned to CBS in 1980 and released Off Centre (1980) and Life & Rhymes (1982) but maintained a low profile during much of the 1980s, recharging his batteries and moving to Jersey, where he still lives with his wife and two children. Off Centre provided his 13th UK Top 20 single, What's In A Kiss?, after which legal proceedings monopolised his time. However, he continued writing songs, performing what he called "concepts within four walls" rather than starting back on the road before it was appropriate. He later recalled that the lyrics he wrote during that period were too heavily influenced by his personal emotions - having been extremely close to Mills before their disagreement, he was highly distressed to discover that his dear friend had been guilty of considerable financial greed at Gilbert's expense. Even so, he applied himself to his lonely creativity, working from 9 to 5 each day "just like Goffin & King and people like Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield at the Brill Building in New York used to do", although he later confessed "Really, the words were no good, because my mind was cluttered with all the problems". Lyrics have always been O'Sullivan's most unique facet, reflecting what's going on in his mind, and the strain under which he found himself was hardly conducive to much positive artistic or commercial creativity.
The first release for five years was Frobisher Drive and was only available in Germany. The same album with a slightly different track listing was released in the UK in 1989 under the title In The Key Of G, and included So What, his first chart single in almost a decade. Since the low-key comeback, the pace has increased, with five more albums. Gilbert also made a return to live performances in the early nineties, playing regularly in both Europe and Japan. In 1991, Gilbert was again in court, this time he sued American rapper Biz Markie and won the decision after Markie's unauthorized sample of "Alone Again (Naturally)" on his 1991 album I Need a Haircut. A 1992 single, Tomorrow Today had topped the Japanese charts for nine weeks, and this success led to a tour of Japan in early 1993 with his newly formed backing group, during which he recorded and filmed his first ever live album Tomorrow Today. Gilbert's newfound success in Japan led to the Japanese only release of The Little Album (1992) and Rare Tracks (1992). 1993's critical acclaimed Sounds Of The Loop (Daily Telegraph's Record Of The Week) included a duet with the legendary Peggy Lee on Can't Think Straight and even a solo version of the same song in Japanese. This album was recorded almost entirely at his home in Jersey in the Channel Islands.
By Larry (with a similar track listing to the Japanese released The Little Album) was released in 1994. Larry is a famous English cartoonist, much admired by Gilbert. Larry provided original cartoons for the album sleeve and booklet. Every Song Has It's Play was released the following year and was the soundtrack of the semi-autobiographical stage show that Gilbert had acted and sang in, in 1991. Singer Sowing Machine was released in 1997. The title is a humorous reaction by Gilbert to being constantly referred to as a singer/ songwriter. Irlish was released in 2000 and yielded three singles, Have It, Say Goodbye and Two's Company (Three Is Allowed). The album title Irlish, combination of the words Irish and English, appropriate for someone born in Ireland and raised in England. Gilbert's family was part of this migration. In 2001 The Official Gilbert O'Sullivan Website was launched as well as his own record label ByGum Records.
Gilbert continued to tour and he played a series of concerts in Ireland in 2001 and in the UK in 2002 to promote the Irlish album. A new studio album Piano Foreplay followed in 2003. In 2004 Rhino Handmade Records released a 3 CD anthology in the USA of Gilbert's music entitled Caricature: The Box. It contains 73 tracks which span the years 1967-2001. This is the first in-depth survey of Gilbert's lengthy career. It contains numerous singles and B-sides, tracks from 16 of his albums, and five previously unreleased tracks. A b-side collection entitled The Other Sides of Gilbert O'Sullivan was released in Japan in 2004 and contained many tracks available on CD for the first time. A series of concerts followed in Japan in June 2004 followed by a 20 date European Tour of the UK, Ireland, Norway and Denmark in November and December. In February 2005 a DVD/CD set of the 2004 Japanese show was released in Japan. Gilbert returned to Japan in June 2005 for a series of 13 shows. Gilbert spent the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006 recording his next studio album "A Scruff At Heart" which was released in Japan on 25 October 2006.
Waterford, County Waterford, Munster, Ireland
The castle at Lismore, County Waterford, southern Ireland.
Eric Carle/Shostal Associates
JOHNNY WAKELIN – Muhammad Ali, BLACK SUPERMAN With Lyrics
Muhammad Ali
Born: January 17, 1942
Louisville, Kentucky
African American boxer
Muhammad Ali was the only professional boxer to win the heavy-weight championship three times. He provided leadership and an example for African American men and women around the world with his political and religious views.
Early life
Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky, the first of Cassius Marcellus Clay Sr. and Odessa Grady Clay's two sons. His father was a sign painter who also loved to act, sing, and dance; his mother worked as a cleaning lady when money was tight. Ali began boxing at the age of twelve. His bicycle had been stolen, and he reported the theft to a policeman named Joe Martin, who gave boxing lessons in a local youth center. Martin invited Ali to try boxing and soon saw that he had talent.
Martin began to feature Ali on his local television show, "Tomorrow's Champions," and he started Ali working out at Louisville's Columbia Gym. An African American trainer named Fred Stoner taught Ali the science of boxing. Among the many things Ali learned was how to move with the grace and ease of a dancer. Although his schoolwork suffered, Ali devoted all of his time to boxing and improved steadily.
Muhammad Ali, whose birth name was Cassius Clay, kisses his mother, Odessa, in front of the family's Louisville, Kentucky, home in 1963, as his father, Cassius Clay Sr. and brother, Rudy look on.
Steve Schapiro
Muhammad Ali and Lonnie, Louisville, Kentucky, 1965
"Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee"
As a teenager Ali won both the national Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and Golden Gloves championships. At the age of eighteen he competed in the 1960 Olympic games held in Rome, Italy, winning the gold medal in the lightheavyweight division. This led to a contract with a group of millionaires called the Louisville Sponsors Group. It was the biggest contract ever signed by a professional boxer. Ali worked his way through a series of professional victories, using a style that combined speed with great punching power. He was described by one of his handlers as having the ability to "float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee."
Ali's unique style of boasting, rhyming, and expressing confidence brought him considerable media attention as he moved toward a chance to fight for the world heavyweight boxing championship. When he began to write poems predicting his victories in different fights he became known as "The Louisville Lip." Both the attention and his skill as a fighter paid off. In February 1964, when he was only twenty-two years old, he fought and defeated Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship of the world.
MUHAMMAD ALI (CASSIUS CLAY) IS A FIGHTER BEDEVILED BY HIS OWN EXCELLENCE. HE KNOCKED OUT BIG SONNY LISTON WITH A PUNCH SO MARVELOUSLY FAST THAT ALMOST NO ONE BELIEVED IN IT—BUT IT WAS HARD AND TRUE
Religious change
Inspired by Muslim spokesman Malcolm X (1925–1965), Ali began to follow the Black Muslim faith (a group that supports a separate black nation) and announced that he had changed his name to Cassius X. This was at a time when the struggle for civil rights was at a peak and the Muslims had emerged as a controversial (causing disputes) but important force in the African American community. Later the Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad (1897–1975) gave him the name Muhammad Ali, which means "beloved of Allah." (Allah is the god worshipped by Muslims.) In his first title defense in May 1965 Ali defeated Sonny Liston with a first-round knockout. (Many called it a phantom punch because it was so fast and powerful that few watching the fight even saw it.) Ali successfully defended his title eight more times.
In April 1967 Ali was drafted into military service during the Vietnam War (1957–75; a war fought in an unsuccessful attempt to stop Communist North Vietnam from overtaking South Vietnam). He claimed that as a minister of the Black Muslim religion he was not obligated to serve. The press criticized him as unpatriotic, and the New York State Athletic Commission and World Boxing Association suspended his boxing license and stripped him of his heavyweight title. Ali told Sports Illustrated, "I'm giving up my title, my wealth, maybe my future. Many great men have been tested for their religious beliefs. If I pass this test, I'll come out stronger than ever." Ali was finally sentenced to five years in prison but was released on appeal, and his conviction was thrown out three years later by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Malcolm X (C), standing behind tux-clad Muhammad Ali (L), who is surrounded by jubilant fans after he beat Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship of the world.
Photo: Bob Gomel/The LIFE Images Collection via Getty Images/Getty Images
Back in the ring
Ali returned to the ring and beat Jerry Quarry in 1970. Five months later he lost to Joe Frazier (1944–), who had replaced him as heavyweight champion when his title had been stripped. Ali regained the championship for the first time when he defeated George Foreman (1949–), who had beaten Frazier for the title, in a fight held in Zaire in 1974. Ali referred to this match as the "Rumble in the Jungle." Ali fought Frazier several more times, including a fight in 1974 staged in New York City and a bout held in the Philippines in 1975, which Ali called the "Thrilla in Manila." Ali won both matches to regain his title as the world heavyweight champion. In 1975 Sports Illustrated magazine named Ali its "Sportsman of the Year."
Ali now used a new style of boxing, one that he called his "rope-a-dope." He would let his opponents wear themselves down while he rested, often against the ropes; he would then be strong and lash out in the later rounds. Ali successfully defended his title ten more times. He held the championship until Leon Spinks defeated him in February 1978 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Seven months later Ali regained the heavyweight title by defeating Spinks in New Orleans, Louisiana, becoming the first boxer in history to win the heavyweight championship three times. At the end of his boxing career he was slowed by a condition related to Parkinson's disease (a disease of the nervous system that results in shaking and weakness of the muscles). Ali's last fight (there were sixty-one in all) took place in 1981.
Oct. 26, 1970: Ali vs Quarry
Role as statesman
As Ali's boxing career ended, he became involved in social causes and politics. He campaigned for Jimmy Carter (1924–) and other Democratic political candidates and took part in the promotion of a variety of political causes addressing poverty and the needs of children. He even tried to win the release of four kidnapped Americans in Lebanon in 1985. As a result, his image changed and he became respected as a statesman. At the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, the world and his country honored Ali by choosing him to light the Olympic torch during the opening ceremonies.
Ali remains in the public eye even as he continues to suffer from the effects of Parkinson's disease. In 1998 he announced he was leaving an experimental treatment program in Boca Raton, Florida, claiming that the program's leader was unfairly using his name to gain publicity. In 1999 Ali became the first boxer to ever appear on a Wheaties cereal box. Later that year he supported a new law to clean up the business side of boxing. After the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, Ali agreed to record sixty-second announcements for airing in Muslim countries to show that the United States remained friendly to those of the Muslim faith. Among many documentaries and books about Ali, a film version of his life, Ali, was released in December 2001.
GEORGE FOREMAN AND MUHAMMAD ALI MEET IN THE RING IN ZAÏRE 1974
Joe Frazier beats Muhammad Ali in Fight of the Century... Under the lights at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971, Ali was once again fighting for the world title and, for many fans, boxing's true heavyweight champion had finally returned from exile.
In the 15th and final round, Frazier floored Ali with a devastating left hook.
"Three hundred million people throughout the world saw this fight on television, in Africa and Asia, Europe, Japan, China ... When that first bell rang, a roar went up, a roar!" "This wasn't just a prize fight," says boxing author Mike Silver. "This had other dimensions to it: the dimensions of race, politics, the Vietnam War."
Johnny Wakelin (born 1939, Brighton, Sussex, England) is an English Pye Records recording artist. Discovered by Pye record producer Robin Blanchflower, the man who launched Carl Douglas to the top of the charts with "Kung Fu Fighting", and working with Steve Elson and Keith Rossiter in addition to Branchflower, Wakelin set about writing songs that would, he hoped, "catch people's eye". Then he got the idea of writing a homage to the boxing champion Muhammad Ali who fought on 30 October 1974 in Kinshasa against George Foreman in a matchup known as The Rumble in the Jungle, gaining victory in the eighth round. In January 1975 Wakelin's "Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)" reached number seven in the UK Singles Chart. It reached number one in Australia and spent six months in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in more than one chart run in 1975, eventually peaking at #21 in September of that year. Ali, however, did not approve of the song and shunned it completely. It is thought that the American success of Wakelin's song inspired DC Comics to publish the 1978 comic Superman vs. Muhammad Ali. 1975 brought a further single, "Cream Puff," backed by "Gotta Keep on Going"; it flopped, but both songs would be incorporated into Wakelin's March 1976 album, Reggae, Soul & Rock 'n' Roll. A bigger success was "In Zaire" (also about Muhammad Ali) in 1976, which reached the charts in many parts of Europe. After few further hits ("Africa Man", "You Turn Me On", "Dr. Frankenstein's Disco Party") his success cooled down. He re-recorded his hit "In Zaire" in different versions which had a little success. Furthermore he stayed active as a songwriter, and continued to release albums.
Albums
Black Superman (1975)
Reggae, Soul & Rock 'n' Roll (1976)
In Zaire (1976)
African Man (1976)
Double Trouble (1978)
Gems from the Pen (1984)
Rock 'n' Country Blues (1996)
From Ali to the Naz (1997)
Sway with Me (2005)
In Africa (2005)
Right Before My Eyes (2006)
No Smoking (2007)
The Bellamy Brothers - Let Your Love Flow -1976 HD (Subtitulado en español)
BELLAMY BROTHERS; PHOTO CREDIT: DERREK KUPISH, DKUPISHPRODUCTIONS
Brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946), known professionally as “The Bellamy Brothers” were born and raised and are from Darby, Florida.
Despite having never had formal music training, both brothers learned how to play guitar, mandolin, and banjo. In addition, David learned accordion, fiddle, organ, and piano.
The Bellamy Brothers are an American pop and country music duo. They are noted to be the most successful duo in Country Music history.
The duo had considerable musical success in the 1970s and 1980s, starting with the release of their crossover hit “Let Your Love Flow”, that started in their home state of Florida. The song exploded nationally as a number one single on the pop charts amidst the ’70’s pop music culture of L.A. in 1976.
A turn of events led to country music in the ’80’s, paving the way for duos, such as Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, Big & Rich, and previously-The Judd’s.
By the late ’70’s The Bellamy’s hit the country charts with another smash hit, “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me),” originally scrawled on a dinner napkin by David. This song sky rocketed them to the top of the country charts the way “Let Your Love Flow,” had done in
the pop market just a few years earlier. It proved to be the first of a string of fourteen #1 singles in the U.S. alone.
Success followed success lining the Bellamy’s musical history and their walls with platinum and gold.
Throughout the 2000’s, The Bellamy Brothers hold the record in both the Academy of Country Music (ACM) and the Country Music Association Awards (CMA) for the most duo nominations. Numerous Grammy nods have also been directed toward the brothers.
The story has been the same Internationally, -though the titles may be different. The Bellamy’s have released more than two-dozen hit songs outside the U.S. that were never released here. With a sharp eye on the song writing skills that have been the bedrock of their success, Howard and David concur
that their career is unique in their international finesse for matching their songs to the market.
“For the international releases, you have to have a strong melody,” notes David. “The lyric is very important, but internationally the melody is something fans can lock into, even if they can’t understand the lyrics.” Howard and David continue to perform and film TV specials in Europe and around the world.
When asked about touring. “We’re old road dogs,” grins Howard when asked about the 200 plus around the world concert dates each year. “Our live draw is bigger than it was in the ’80’s”, says David.
The brothers have pushed the borders of country music, adding elements ofrock, reggae, and even rap. Resulting in a string of top 10 singles that ran in to the early 90’s.
In total, they have released albums in Canada (25), Germany (21), the UK (11), the Netherlands (9), Australia (8), New Zealand (8), Japan (3), Portugal (3), Italy (2), Austria (1), Belgium (1), Czechoslovakia (1), France (1), Kenya (1), South Africa (1) and Spain, in addition to their 73 recordings in America.
They have garnered a number of awards including, three special awards. “International Artist Achievement Award” (2002), Members of the German Country Music Hall of Fame (only American members with the exception of Johnny Cash, “Old Hippie” named by Rolling Stone as one of its top 100 greatest country songs of all time (2014)
The Bellamy Brothers latest project is their new album titled ’40 Years’ is an ambitious project that celebrates their career with 20 of their biggest hits and then adds 20 brand new songs in this 2 cd anniversary collection.
Music Genres
Country, country pop, country rock, soft rock, southern rock
Years active
1968-present
Redbone ~ The Witch Queen Of New Orleans (1971)
Redbone: The True Story of a Native American Rock Band (Paperback)
One part behind the music and one part American history lesson, packaged in a visually interesting graphic memoir. Redbone was an American rock band who rose to fame in the 60's and 70's. If this was just the story of their journey through the music industry, which included brushes with the likes of Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix, it would be an interesting read, but it's so much more than that. Composed of four Native American members, the band faced challenges and discrimination that tested their courage and commitment and, ultimately, prevented them from reaching the heights and recognition they undoubtedly deserved. This is not a story of defeat, though; not at all. Told primarily through the voice of founding member and lead singer Paul Vegas, this is a story that, against all odds, vibrates with hope, joy and optimism (just like Paul, himself). It's a much needed history lesson on the era of Native American activism when groups like the American Indian Movement (AIM) were taking a stand and bringing attention to long-buried or long-denied abuses and crimes against indigenous people; and it's an important reminder that many of the issues they worked so hard to shed light on decades ago are still plaguing our country today. It's easy sometimes to underestimate the depths and power that can be contained in a graphic novel. Redbone is a classic example of a deceptively slim, accessible comic that packs an intellectual and emotional punch.
— Nicole
Mexican-US band Redbone on a single-page poster in Bravo of 19 January 1972.
Members include Aloisio Aguiar (joined group, 1977), keyboards, drums; Anthony "Tony" Bellamy (left group, 1977), guitar; Peter DePoe (also known as Last Walking Bear; left group, 1972), drums; Arturo Perez (left group, 1973), drums; Butch Rillera (group member, 1973-77), drums; Lolly Vegas (born Vasquez), guitar, vocals; Pat Vegas (born Vasquez), bass guitar.
Taking its name from a Cajun epithet for "half-breed," Redbone boasted members of such Native American tribes as Cherokee, Yaqui, Apache, and Shoshone. Remembered primarily as the first commercially successful American Indian rock group, the band attained brief success in the early 1970s for two bona fide pop singles, "Witch Queen of New Orleans" and "Come and Get Your Love." The band's albums, however, were more complex affairs, mingling topical issues--including the Wounded Knee massacre of Sioux Indians by the Seventh Cavalry in 1890 and the Native American protests on Alcatraz Island in 1969--with Native American chants and long, improvisational jams. Following the success of "Come and Get Your Love," which became a huge dance hit, the band increasingly tilted toward dance- and disco-flavored music before disbanding in the late 1970s.
Brothers Pat and Lolly Vasquez were born in Fresno, California. Boasting Yaqui, Shoshone, and Mexican blood, the duo reputedly worked in cotton fields and apricot orchards in the migrant camps surrounding Fresno. Developing as musicians at an early age, the brothers played with Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson at the Monterey Jazz and Pop Festival before relocating to Los Angeles in 1963. Calling themselves the Avantis, the brothers attempted to cash in on the surf craze popularized by Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys, with such songs as "Gypsy Surfer" and "Wax 'em Down" on the Chancellor label, and "The Phantom Surfer" on the Regency label. The Avantis featured future Beach Boy drummer Mike Kowalski, and their recordings earned them an opening slot on a Beach Boys' tour. The Vasquez brothers also recorded the singles "Let's Go" as the Routers, "Surf Stomp" and "Batman" as the Mar-kets, and "Hotrodders' Choice," "Dawn Patrol," "Double A Fueller," and "Satan's Chariot" as the Deuce Coupes. The 1963 Deuce Coupes' sessions featured impressive session help from Glen Campbell, David Gates, and Leon Russell.
In 1964 the Vasquez brothers recorded as the Sharks, releasing the singles "Big Surf" and "Robot Walk." By the time they had made a musical appearance in the film "It's a Bikini World" in 1965, they had changed their last name to Vegas. They also became members of the Shindigs, the house band on the hit television program Shindig, where they performed weekly with band members Leon Russell and Delaney Bramlett. During this period they also performed session work with pop duo Sonny and Cher, and provided instrumental support to Elvis Presley on the soundtrack to the film Kissin' Cousins. The brothers also managed a residency at the Los Angeles venue Haunted House, which prompted the release of their first full-length album, Pat and Lolly Vegas at the Haunted House, produced by Leon Russell and Snuff Garrett. They became sought-after session musicians and song writers following their studio work on Dobie Gray's hit single "In Crowd" and the 1967 P.J. Proby single "Nicky Hoeky," which was also recorded by Bobbie Gentry and Duane Eddy.
While fulfilling a residency at a Los Angeles nightclub named Gazzarri's, the Vegas brothers met guitarist Tony Bellamy. A Yaqui Indian who had performed with Dobie Gray, and a member of Peter and the Wolves (a San Francisco band that evolved into the psychedelic band Moby Grape), Bellamy had grown up in a family of dancers and musicians. He had learned to play flamenco guitar as part of his musical education as well, and he was recruited by the Vegas brothers to accompany them on session work with Odetta, John Lee Hooker, and the Everly Brothers. According to Pat, it was Jimi Hendrix who talked the musicians into forming an all-Native American rock group. Vegas told Record Collector writer Jeremy Isaac, "Hendrix was a friend of ours.... and he was half Indian. Once he knew that we were Indian too he used to come and hang with us because of that. Jimi made me aware of my roots: He'd say 'Native American is beautiful, man, be proud of that.'"
The Vegas brothers and Bellamy rented a house and rehearsed for a year before attempting to land a recording contract. During this period the trio produced and performed on the Jim Ford album Harlan County, which featured the Lolly Vegas composition "Working My Way to L.A." While the group was perfecting their sound, they came close to hiring drummer Wayne Bibbey. Bobby Womack, however, suggested that the group hire Pete "Last Walking Bear" DePoe, a Cheyenne drummer from Neah Bay Reservation, Washington. "Bobby said, 'I'll give you my drummer and you give me yours,'" Pat Vegas told Isaac. The band adopted the name Redbone from the Cajun epithet Rehbon, which is a derogatory name for half-breed. The group signed to Epic Records in 1969, and released their debut album, Redbone, in 1970. A double album, it featured the group's reworking of "Nicky Hoeky," as well as the Cajun-influenced "Danse Calinda" and "Crazy Cajun Cakewalk Band." The album also featured such extended jams as "Jambone," "Suite Mode," and "Things Go Better." The follow-up album, Potlatch, featured the song "Alcatraz," which dealt with the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz Island by Native Americans, and a moderately successful single, "Maggie."
In 1971 the band's third album, Message from a Drum, hit pay dirt for Redbone. The album featured the Cajun-swamp rocker "Witch Queen of New Orleans," which bore a lyrical and musical resemblance to the swamp-rock songs of Creedence Clearwater Revival. While the song was a success in the United States, it was a monster hit in the United Kingdom, propelling the band to tour as an opening act for such groups as Traffic, Alice Cooper, and the Faces. The death of DePoe's father prompted the drummer to quit the band. "He couldn't stay with us because his family was dependent on him," Pat told Isaac. DePoe was replaced by Arturo Perez on the 1972 album Already Here. Perez departed shortly thereafter, however, and was replaced on the 1974 release Wovoka by Butch Rillera. Wovoka contained the band's most successful single, "Come and Get Your Love," which featured a popping disco bass beat and Leslie-amplifed guitars supporting the husky call-and-response vocals of Pat and Lolly Vegas.
The group was never able to repeat the single's success, however, despite several attempts on subsequent studio releases, including Beaded Dreams through Turquoise Eyes and the 1977 album Cycles. The latter album marked the recent departures of Bellamy and Rillera, the addition of keyboardist and percussionist Aloisio Aguiar, and the band's new label, RCA. Cycles failed to generate much interest, however, and the group disintegrated. A live concert recording in 1977 was eventually released in 1994 as Redbone: Live.
The Vegas brothers continued to work as a duo and as solo acts throughout the 1980s. They also did voiceover work for documentaries on Native American history. The brothers attempted to reform the band's original lineup in the early 1990s, but their plans were waylaid by Lolly's illness from a stroke and DePoe's reluctance to tour. Drummer Rillera became unable to perform due to an aneurysm. Despite these setbacks, Bellamy and Pat Vegas continued to work the Native American casino circuit with a group of supporting musicians. In 1998 members of the group appeared as special guest presenters at the Native American Music Awards.
by Bruce Walker
Have You Ever Seen The Rain ? - Creedence Clearwater Revival (lyrics)
Creedence Clearwater Revival
BIOGRAPHY
Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band that recorded and performed from 1959 to 1972 under various names before settling on the Creedence Clearwater Revival name in 1967. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty; bassist Stu Cook; and drummer Doug Clifford. These members had played together since 1959, first as the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs.
CCR’s musical style encompassed roots rock,swamp rock,blues rock,Southern rock,country rock, and blue-eyed soul. Despite their San Francisco Bay Area origin, the band played in a Southern rock style, with lyrics about bayous, catfish, the Mississippi River and other popular elements of Southern United States iconography. The band’s songs rarely dealt with romantic love, concentrating instead on political and socially conscious lyrics about topics such as the Vietnam War. The band performed at the 1969 Woodstock festival in Upstate New York, and was the first major act signed to appear there.
CCR disbanded acrimoniously in late 1972 after four years of chart-topping success. Tom Fogerty had officially left the previous year, and John was at odds with the remaining members over matters of business and artistic control, all of which resulted in subsequent lawsuits among the former bandmates. Fogerty’s ongoing disagreements with Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz created further protracted court battles, and John Fogerty refused to perform with the two other surviving members at Creedence’s 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
CCR’s music is still a staple of U.S. classic rock radio airplay; 28 million CCR records have been sold in the U.S. alone. The compilation album Chronicle The 20 Greatest Hits, originally released in 1976, is still on the Billboard 200 album chart and reached the 500-weeks mark in December 2020. It has been awarded 10x platinum, indicating it has sold over 10 million copies.Rolling Stone ranked them 82nd on its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
ALSO KNOWN AS
The Blue Velvets, Tommy Fogerty and The Blue Velvets (1959-1964), Vision, The Golliwogs (1964-1967)
Paul McCartney - Another Day (1971)
Cher - Gypsys Tramps And Thieves
