The ‘In’ Crowd: Dobie Gray; Ramsey Lewis Trio; The Mamas and the Papas

Hello there!  This is an update of an earlier post on the pop song, The “In” Crowd.  We will begin with the original version by Dobie Gray.  We will then include a cover from The Ramsey Lewis Trio, and another cover by The Mamas and The Papas. Pianist Ramsey Lewis passed away on Sept. 12, 2022; we have provided some additional material on Ramsey and we dedicate this post to him.

 Dobie Gray and The “In” Crowd:

Dobie Gray was a rather versatile American pop singer.  He was born in July, 1940.  There is some ambiguity about his real name; some sources list it as Lawrence Brown and others as Leonard Ainsworth. 

He moved to L.A., intending to become an actor, and he sang in order to make some money while attempting to land acting gigs.  His first few years he found little singing success; during that time he took the stage name Dobie Gray at the urging of Sonny Bono.  Below is a photo of Dobie Gray in the 70s.

Dobie Gray’s fortunes would change dramatically with his hit record The “In” Crowd.  That song was written in 1964 by Billy Page. It was included in Dobie Gray’s album Dobie Gray Sings for “In” Crowders that Go “Go-Go.”  The song was subsequently released as a single; it reached #11 on the Rhythm & Blues singles charts, and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 playlists. 

The “In” Crowd describes all of the perks – popularity, romance, inside information — that members of an elite group enjoy. 

I’m in with the in crowd
I go where the in crowd goes
I’m in with the in crowd
And I know what the in crowd knows

Any time of the year, don’t you hear?
Dressin’ fine, makin’ time
We breeze up and down the street
We get respect from the people we meet
They make way day or night
They know the in crowd is out of sight

I’m in with the in crowd
I know every latest dance
When you’re in with the in crowd
It’s easy to find romance

So here is Dobie Gray in a live performance of The “In” Crowd.

This was from an appearance on the TV pop music program Shindig! from March 10, 1965.  Dobie gives a fine performance of one of his biggest hits.  He is backed up by the Shindig singers and a horn section.  

At a time when many TV music shows followed Dick Clark’s lead by having artists lip-sync their records, we give a shout-out to Shindig! for insisting on live performances.  Other programs like Soul Train and Midnight Special also included live music, so good for them. 

After his big 1965 hit, Dobie Gray’s fortunes declined.  However, in 1972 he signed a recording contract with Decca Records.  There, he teamed up with songwriter Mentor Williams on the song Drift Away.  That song rose to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Dobie Gray’s signature song. 

Once again, Dobie Gray’s commercial success waned after his biggest hit.  So he focused on his songwriting career, and his songs were recorded by artists such as Ray Charles, George Jones, Johnny Mathis, Charley Pride, and Don Williams. 

In the 1980s Gray moved to Nashville and commenced a country-music career.  It was not easy for a black man to break into the country music scene; however, he benefited when Charlie Daniels invited Gray to several of Daniels’ annual Volunteer Jam concerts. 

In December, 2011 Dobie Gray passed away from complications arising from cancer surgery.  He was 71 years old. 

We salute Dobie Gray, a talented singer-songwriter-actor. 

The Ramsey Lewis Trio and The “In” Crowd:

Ramsey Lewis was an American jazz pianist and composer.  He was born in Chicago in 1935, and was already taking piano lessons at the age of four.  Ramsey joined a few jazz groups before he formed the Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1956.  He gained a dedicated following as a jazz pianist and improviser before his career skyrocketed in 1965.  Below is a photo of Ramsey Lewis.

That year, just a few months after Dobie Gray released his version of The “In” Crowd, the Ramsey Lewis Trio released their jazz cover of that song.  It reached #5 on the Billboard pop charts (beating Dobie Gray’s version, that peaked at #13), and the album containing that song reached #2 on the album pop charts. 

So here is the Ramsey Lewis Trio in a live version of The “In” Crowd. 

This is actually a medley.  Ramsey starts out with The “In” Crowd, then commences an extended solo.  In stride-piano style, he noodles around with his right hand while his left hand meanders through the lower register.  At around the 5-minute mark, a guitar solo begins; at the 8-minute mark there are some impressive runs on electric guitar.  The song then ends with the song Sun Goddess. 

Sun Goddess was written by Maurice White, and first performed by White’s band Earth, Wind & Fire with Ramsey Lewis sitting in as a guest pianist.  Actually, Ramsey Lewis and Maurice White had a long association.  When the original Ramsey Lewis Trio drummer Red Holt left the group, Maurice White replaced him.  A few years later, Maurice White left to form the R&B ensemble Earth, Wind & Fire. 

By 1966, the Ramsey Lewis Trio was quite likely the most commercially successful jazz group.  In addition to The “In” Crowd, Lewis released single versions of Hang On, Sloopy and Wade In The Water.  All three of these were million-selling records, and many were purchased by people outside of the jazz community.   

In addition to his piano playing, Ramsey Lewis also hosted various jazz shows.  He was the host of a weekly radio program called Legends of Jazz; it was broadcast for 30 years.  In 2006, Lewis hosted a public-TV series also called Legends of Jazz. The TV show featured live performances by such jazz greats as Dave Brubeck and Tony Bennett.

Ramsey Lewis was artistic director of the Jazz at Ravinia that is part of an annual Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois.  Lewis was also an honorary board member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra. In 2007, the National Endowment for the Arts fittingly named Lewis a Jazz Master, our country’s highest award for a jazz musician.

Ramsey Lewis enjoyed much commercial success for his highly accessible jazz styling, and he worked hard to introduce audiences of all ages to jazz and to modern jazz performers. He moved effortlessly between jazz and rhythm & blues.

Ramsey Lewis passed away on Sept. 22, 2022. Apart from being a fine musician, Ramsey was a great ambassador in bringing jazz to people all over the world. We salute him — he will be missed.

The Mamas and the Papas and The “In” Crowd:  

The Mamas and the Papas were formed from the remnants of two folk-singing groups.  John Phillips and Michelle (Gilliam) Phillips were members of a folk group called The New Journeymen, while Denny Doherty and Cass Elliott were in a folk-rock group The Mugwumps. 

As a big folk music fan, I caught a live concert of The New Journeyman in early 1965.  I thought that the group had a promising future.  Well, the individual performers did, but not in this particular ensemble.   

John Phillips subsequently wrote the autobiographical song Creeque Alley about the history of the Mamas and Papas, that opens with 

John and Michie were gettin’ kind of itchy

Just to leave the folk music behind.  

Actually, that statement is inaccurate, as John was loath to switch from folk to pop, but was eventually persuaded by the other group members.  Below, the Mamas and the Papas in 1965, L to R: John, Michelle, Cass and Denny. 

Apparently John was opposed to inviting Cass into the group.  He argued that Mama Cass’ weight would distract from the other, more svelte bandmates, and that her personality clashed with his. 

But Michelle, Denny and producer Lou Adler argued strongly for including Cass, and she eventually joined the group.  In spring 1965 the band traveled to the Virgin Islands to rehearse their act.  Folk-rock was something new for John Phillips, who was previously a “straight” folksinger (acoustic guitar, banjo, upright bass, no electric instruments or drums).   

However, John Phillips discovered that he had a real talent for writing and arranging.  He was the musical genius behind the group, blending the four voices in novel and interesting ways, and combining this with innovative instrumental mixes. John and Michelle’s background vocals were a perfect fit with Denny’s smooth vocals and Cass’ marvelous, resonant voice. 

So, here are The Mamas and the Papas in a performance of The “In” Crowd.  This tune was the final cut on the Mamas and Papas’ 1966 album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears. 

This clip provides only the audio of this song, which is pretty much a bravura performance by Mama Cass, with John, Denny and Michelle coming in on background vocals.  I am a big fan of Cass’ big, bold, brassy singing style.  The song also features a fine keyboard solo in the middle. 

It’s not easy to find live performances by The Mamas and the Papas.  When they appeared on TV, they were nearly always lip-syncing their tunes.  I admire John Phillips’ clever and creative arrangements, but I really want to see groups performing live. 

So here is a legitimate live performance of The Mamas and the Papas singing Dancing In The Street. 

This is from the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.  The Mamas and the Papas were the closing act at Monterey, one of the greatest rock concerts. 

Mama Cass is decent here, but it is more like a solo performance.  You can barely hear John and Denny, and I’m not sure that Michelle is even singing the same tune as everyone else.  And, far from John Phillips’ inventive arrangements in the studio, the band here is really pedestrian. 

This sub-par live performance may explain why the Mamas and Papas only lip-synced afterwards.  John Phillips was one of the main organizers of Monterey Pop, and he claimed that he was so busy with the festival organization that the band had no time to rehearse.  Well, that may be. 

It seems that the sound of the Mamas and Papas was strongly dependent on sophisticated instrumental arrangements and tight harmonies, and that brilliant balance could only be obtained in the recording studio. 

At their best, The Mamas and the Papas produced beautiful music together.  Songs like California Dreaming and Monday, Monday brought a fresh new perspective to pop music and established the group as genuine superstars. 

For a brief shining moment, it appeared as though the Mamas and Papas might continue their success indefinitely.  However, if the Mamas/Papas were a family they would be ‘super-dysfunctional.’   The group’s personal saga would be considered too over-the-top for a daytime soap opera. 

Unfortunately, the group was unraveling from the moment they became famous.  An initial jolt was Michelle’s affair with Denny, that began in 1965 and continued for some time before being discovered.  To make matters even messier, Denny was sharing a house with John and Michelle at the time.  Worse still, Mama Cass had been silently in love with Denny for years. 

John then built a recording studio in the attic of his house, and did most of his work from there.  But because of John’s increasingly serious addiction issues, it took tremendous amounts of time to record their albums.  The group members would often record their tracks individually, mixing the separate vocals in later sessions. 

In 1968 they began a European tour, but abandoned it as the group was clearly dissolving.  They patched together a final album or two to satisfy contractual arrangements, but the tracks were all recorded separately.  A toxic brew of messy love triangles, personality problems and addiction issues dissolved a once-brilliant partnership. 

Following their breakup, the members of the Mamas and Papas tried to carry on as solo acts.  Cass Elliott had the most successful solo career, releasing a few hit singles.  However, in 1974 while on a tour of London, Cass died of a heart attack.  It was rumored that she choked to death on a ham sandwich, but apparently that was simply ‘fake news.’ 

John Phillips kept singing and writing, though his major success came from producing records for other artists.  However, his later work was severely hampered by persistent addiction issues.  John Phillips stayed off heroin, but remained addicted to alcohol, cocaine, and pills, as did his daughter.  In March 2001, John Phillips died of heart failure at the age of 65. 

Denny Doherty pursued a largely unsuccessful solo career, but after returning to his native Canada he managed to secure acting parts in several TV shows.  Doherty died in 2007 after suffering an abdominal aortic aneurysm.  Michelle Phillips, the only surviving member of the Mamas/Papas, had a solo singing career that also faltered, but found success as an actress and appeared in several acclaimed movies. 

The Mamas and the Papas were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. 

We will always remember their career as resembling a supernova, a blazing light that suddenly appears in the sky but rapidly fades out.  But what a brilliant glow while it lasted! 

Source Material:

Wikipedia, The ‘In’ Crowd (song)

Wikipedia, Dobie Gray

Wikipedia, Ramsey Lewis

Wikipedia, The Mamas and the Papas

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down 2: The Band; Joan Baez; Allman Brothers Band

Hello there!  This week features a great ‘roots rock’ tune, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.  We will first review the original song by The Band.  Next we will discuss covers of this song by Joan Baez and by the Allman Brothers Band.  As Robbie Robertson of The Band died just a few weeks ago, we dedicate this post to his memory.     

The Band and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down:   

The Band was a terrific ‘roots rock’ ensemble during the 60s and 70s.  Originally, each of them had been a member of Ronnie Hawkins’ band.  They included (in photo below) multi-instrumentalist Garth Hudson, guitarist Robbie Robertson, drummer Levon Helm, keyboardist Richard Manuel and bassist Rick Danko (note: most of the members also played different instruments from time to time). 

After leaving Hawkins’ band in 1964, the members worked on a couple of projects until Bob Dylan hired them in 1965.  At that time, Dylan had just transitioned from his initial persona as a folksinger who accompanied himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica, to a rock musician. 

So Dylan hired the group, then known as The Hawks, to play backup on a U.S. tour in 1965 and his world tour in 1966.  I was fortunate enough to see The Hawks backing up Dylan on his legendary May, 1966 Royal Albert Hall concert in London (everyone except Levon Helm, who had departed earlier in that tour).   

In 1966, Bob Dylan broke his neck in a motorcycle accident and temporarily retired from performing.  Dylan moved into a house in Woodstock, N.Y. while he recuperated.  Three members of what was to become The Band (Richard Manuel, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson) rented a house called “Big Pink” in West Saugerties, N.Y.

Over the next couple of years, those three collaborated with Bob Dylan and Robbie Robertson on a series of informal recordings that included not only a number of original songs, but also their own versions of traditional tunes and covers of other favorite songs.  Those recordings, made during the period 1967-68 and recorded under fairly primitive conditions at Big Pink and other houses in the Woodstock area, would eventually be released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes. 

At that point, the group decided to issue an album of their own music.  They settled on the name The Band, persuaded Levon Helm to leave his work on oil rigs and re-join them, signed with Bob Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman, and landed a deal with Capitol Records.  

The Band’s first release was the 1968 Music From Big Pink.  Although the songs were recorded in New York and L.A., the group attempted to re-create the atmosphere of the songs they had earlier taped in the basement of Big Pink. 

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down is a 1969 song that appeared on the group’s eponymous second album.  The song is told from the point of view of a Southern white who describes the trials and suffering in 1865, near the end of the Civil War. 

Virgil Caine is the name, and I served on the Danville train
‘Til Stoneman’s cavalry came and tore up the tracks again
In the winter of ’65, we were hungry, just barely alive
By May the tenth, Richmond had fell, it’s a time I remember, oh so well

[CHORUS] The night they drove old Dixie down, when all the bells were ringing
The night they drove old Dixie down, and all the people were singin’ they went
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na

Back with my wife in Tennessee, when one day she called to me
“Virgil, quick, come see, there goes Robert E Lee”
Now I don’t mind choppin’ wood, and I don’t care if the money’s no good
You take what you need and you leave the rest
But they should never have taken the very best

Although the songwriting credits are assigned to Robbie Robertson, it is fairly clear that the song represented a collaborative effort between Robertson and Levon Helm, the lead vocalist on this tune.  Helm, the only American in The Band and a native of Arkansas, had a deep interest in Civil War history. 

The lyrics are extraordinarily moving, and provide not only detailed descriptions of the situation at that period of time, but a poignant depiction of the end of this bitter and bloody conflict. Ralph Gleason’s review of the song in Rolling Stone magazine gives an excellent appreciation of this terrific tune. 

Nothing I have read … has brought home the overwhelming human sense of history that this song does. The only thing I can relate it to at all is The Red Badge of Courage. It’s a remarkable song, the rhythmic structure, the voice of Levon and the bass line with the drum accents and then the heavy close harmony of Levon, Richard and Rick in the theme, make it seem impossible that this isn’t some traditional material handed down from father to son straight from that winter of 1865 to today. It has that ring of truth and the whole aura of authenticity.

So here is The Band in a live performance of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. 

This is from the final performance by The Band, that took place on Thanksgiving Day 1976.  That concert was filmed and immortalized in Martin Scorsese’s epic 1978 documentary The Last Waltz (more about that film later).

Isn’t this a great song?  The combination of the lyrics and Levon Helm’s heartfelt delivery make this an unforgettable tune. It’s no wonder that several “best of” compilations include this song; this includes Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time (it enters at #245), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll, and Time magazine’s All-Time 100 rock songs.  

Following their final concert in Nov. 1976, The Band disbanded.  For a time, the band members pursued individual projects.  In 1983, members of The Band re-united, minus Robbie Robertson who was then working as a music producer.  The Band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.  You can find their Hall of Fame bio here:  

Since Robbie Robertson has died so recently, we will provide some details about his career.  He was born in July 1943 in Toronto; his mother was a member of the Mohawk tribe and his father was a factory worker.  At age 13, Robbie became infatuated with the guitar and joined a rock cover band, Little Caesar and the Consuls.  Robbie’s first big break came when he joined the backup band, The Hawks, to country-rock performer Ronnie Hawkins.  From there they backed up Bob Dylan before releasing their own records.

Unfortunately, there was considerable acrimony amongst The Band members following their dissolution.  Levon Helm’s bitterness towards Robbie Robertson became evident with the publication of his autobiography in 1993. 

A major focus of discontent was the fact that Robertson retained the songwriting credits for most of The Band’s songs, and therefore received the considerable royalties when their tunes were played in media or re-recorded.  Helm insisted that all members of the band had made substantial contributions to their songs, and felt that he and other band members had been screwed out of money that was rightfully theirs. 

Another point of contention was the group’s dissolution and final concert in 1976.  Helm maintained that Robertson had more or less forced the group to disband, while Robbie suggested that the ensemble broke up because of heavy drug use by the members.  Levon was also miffed that Martin Scorsese’s documentary on the group appeared to focus on Robertson’s role as ‘leader’ of the ensemble. 

In fact, while nearly everyone agrees that Scorsese’s The Last Waltz is the best rock video ever released, that movie has now become controversial.  A number of people feel that Scorsese came to believe that Robbie was the “leader” of The Band, and that was how his film was presented; while Levon Helm and others believed that The Band was a collective and didn’t really have a “leader.” 

It’s difficult to entangle competing claims in situations such as this. However, it is clear that the aftermath of this great collaborative effort produced long and lingering resentments.  What a shame.   

Currently, Garth Hudson is the only living member of The Band.  Richard Manuel committed suicide in 1986, Rick Danko died of heart failure in 1999, Levon Helm died of throat cancer in 2012, and Robbie Robertson died on August 8, 2023 after a long illness. In honor of Robbie’s recent passing, we dedicate this post to him. 

Joan Baez and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down:  

Joan Baez is an American folk icon.  She performed for over 60 years before her retirement, and to me she is the female equivalent of Pete Seeger.  Her bright, shining voice and staunch convictions have been utilized for decades to further progressive causes. 

Joan became a legend in the civil-rights movement after performing We Shall Overcome at the 1963 Washington March (site of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech).  She was also active in anti-Vietnam war activities, including draft resistance efforts and tax protests against the war.  She has also been a champion for women’s rights.  

Joan Baez made her debut appearance in 1958 at Café 47 in Cambridge, Massachusetts (at the time her physicist father, Albert Baez, was a faculty member at MIT). 

Then in the fall of 1959, Joan appeared at the Newport Folk Festival, where she accompanied folksinger Bob Gibson on two songs.  After that, she continued to make strides in her career until she became a folk superstar. 

I had the great good fortune to see Joan Baez in 1961, at a Greenwich Village place called Café Bizarre (on Washington Square, kind of a dump, at 106 W 3^rd St, now demolished), that featured live music.  And Joan Baez was a real revelation.  Her voice was exceptionally clear and strong, with a piercing vibrato. I have since seen her perform several times, and I always marvel at her voice – initially for the clarity and timbre, more recently for the staying power.  Sitting about 30 feet away from her at Café Bizarre was a palpable, unforgettable thrill.  

In her first few records Joan Baez worked her way through the catalog of traditional American and English folk ballads.  She later expanded her portfolio to include modern-day folk songs and pop tunes.  I still find her earliest songs haunting and riveting, particularly the compilations (Joan Baez I and Joan Baez II) of her early work. 

Here is Joan Baez performing The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, from a 1971 live concert. 

This shows a young Joan Baez performing the song by The Band.  Over the years, this has become one of Joan’s signature tunes, and one that is frequently the last song on her program. I do hope this is live and not lip-synched – it sounds just like her recording which features a choral group on the chorus (and which I don’t see in this video). 

Joan Baez recorded The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down in 1971, and it reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts.  Not only was this Joan Baez’ highest-rated song on the pop charts, but it is the highest appearance of this song by The Band. 

In addition to her appearance at the 1963 Washington March, Joan also was one of the artists at Woodstock where she performed 14 songs; she also had a prominent appearance in the Woodstock concert film.  

Joan finished off a “farewell tour” in 2019, ending a 60-year performing career.  She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.   All the best, Joan – good luck and good health! 

The Allman Brothers Band and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down:    

The Allman Brothers Band was one of the great Southern rock bands.  Along with groups like the Charlie Daniels Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd, they defined Southern rock in the late 60s and 70s. 

Brothers Duane and Gregg Allman grew up in Daytona Beach, FL and were budding musicians in the mid-60s.  Duane worked at Muscle Shoals, Alabama where he became the primary session guitarist, while Gregg headed out to the West Coast in an elusive search for fame. 

The brothers re-united in Miami in 1969, where Duane began to assemble a band.  He had in mind a group with two guitarists and two drummers.  After a number of tryouts, Duane settled on an ensemble with guitarist Dickey Betts, bassist Berry Oakley, and drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe Johanson.  At Duane’s insistence, the group added his younger brother Gregg as the group’s lead vocalist and keyboardist.  Eventually Gregg also became the group’s primary songwriter.  Below is a photo of the Allman Brothers Band from their 1971 Fillmore East concert.  From L: Dickey Betts; Duane Allman; Gregg Allman; Jaimoe Johanson; Berry Oakley; Butch Trucks. 

The Allman Brothers were seen as a very promising band, but it took them awhile to find their groove.  Although record company executives put them under considerable pressure to relocate to a major industry hub such as New York, the band chose to remain in Macon, Georgia. 

While Duane and Gregg worked on combining rock and roll with R&B music, Dickey Betts had his roots in country and bluegrass, and Jaimoe Johanson was a big fan of jazz.  The net result was that the Allman Brothers adopted an R&B style that also incorporated aspects of both country and jazz. 

The Allman Brothers Band honed their style in Macon, where the band members became known both for their impressive improv jams, and for their hard-living lifestyle and heavy drug use.  The band became cult favorites in the South, but for a time were unable to score a hit album.

This all changed dramatically in 1971.  Over three days in March, 1971, the band recorded a live double album at the Fillmore East theatre in New York.  The resulting album, At Fillmore East, became a runaway best-seller, and established the group’s reputation for hard-rocking R&B music. 

Unfortunately, the first great incarnation of the Allman Brothers band was tragically short-lived.  Within months of the release of At Fillmore East, two of the band members and two of their roadies checked into rehab for heroin addiction.  And just one month later, Duane Allman was killed after his motorcycle collided with a flatbed truck. 

And just a year later, bassist Berry Oakley died following a collision of his motorcycle with a bus.  The band soldiered on, adding new musicians and continuing to tour.  However, the communal harmony that had characterized the band in their early days began to unravel. 

Gradually, the members of the band grew apart during these tours, with sound checks and rehearsals “[becoming] a thing of the past.” … The shows were considered lackluster and the members were excessive in their drug use.

As a result, the band dissolved in spring 1976.  Some initial efforts at a reunion produced a couple of albums, but did not produce a cohesive group.  Eventually, in 1989 the Allman Brothers Band re-united for a 20^th-anniversary tour. 

Initial band members Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts and Jaimoe Johanson added guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody.  They returned to the studio with long-time producer Tom Dowd, and began a heavy touring schedule. 

In 1999, the group added drummer Butch Trucks’ nephew Derek as a guitarist.  Then in 2000 the group ousted its original guitarist Dickey Betts, who had been the de facto leader of the group after their reunion. 

So here is the Allman Brothers Band live performing The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.  This took place in March 2009 at New York’s legendary Beacon Theater. 

Nearly every year, the Allman Brothers performed at the Beacon.  Their version of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down serves as a fine appreciation of the original by The Band.  Gregg Allman and guest artist Bruce Hornsby play keyboards and alternate on the vocals; they have a little trouble remembering the lyrics, but otherwise give a faithful impression of Levon Helm. 

The group is backed up by the Southside Juke horn section, and as usual rely on the work from their two lead guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. Near the end of the song, Derek Trucks produces a short but impressive slide guitar solo. 

The Allman Brothers band retired in 2014.  They returned to the Beacon Theater for a final show on Oct. 28, 2014, where the band reprised several of its classic songs from their first five albums. 

In 1995, the Allman Brothers Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Sadly, on this occasion Gregg Allman was so drunk that he was unable to make it through his acceptance speech.  However, this had a silver lining, as Gregg was sufficiently embarrassed by this incident that it motivated him to get clean of alcohol and drug abuse. 

The only living original members of the Allman Brothers Band are Dickey Betts and Jaimoe Johanson.  Butch Trucks committed suicide in 2017 and that same year Gregg Allman died of liver cancer.  We wish the surviving members continued success in their endeavors. 

Source Material:

Wikipedia, The Band

Wikipedia, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

Wikipedia, Robbie Robertson

Bio of The Band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Wikipedia, Joan Baez

Wikipedia, Allman Brothers Band

Take It To The Limit, 2: Eagles; Dave Mason; Etta James.

Hello there!  This week our blog features a moving pop song, Take It To The Limit.  We will begin with the original version by The Eagles.  We will then include a cover from Dave Mason, and another cover by Etta James. 

On July 26, 2023, Randy Meisner, the original bassist for the Eagles, passed away.  We dedicate this post to him and have included some additional material about Randy. 

The Eagles and Take It To The Limit:

In the late 60s and early 70s, an extraordinary group of musicians gravitated to Los Angeles, which became the epicenter of the folk-rock scene.  Groups like the Lovin’ Spoonful and the Mamas and Papas first gained a foothold, and were soon followed by the Byrds.  Joni Mitchell also appeared around this time.  As a result, the area attracted a number of ambitious young performers, eager to gain fame. 

One of the early folk-rock groups was Poco (or, if you prefer, they were a country-rock band).  They were formed in 1968 by Richie Furay and Jim Messina after the breakup of their former band, Buffalo Springfield.  Below is a photo of the original lineup of Poco: from L guitarist Jim Messina, bassist Randy Meisner, drummer George Grantham, guitarist Richie Furay and pedal steel guitarist Rusty Young.  Poco put out a number of albums over a twelve-year period but had limited commercial success. 

Randy Meisner’s time with Poco was quite limited: he quit the band during the processing of their first album Pickin’ Up the Pieces, apparently because Richie Furay and Jim Messina insisted on being the only band members with access to the final mixing session.  So, for a short period of time Jim Messina played bass for the group, and even though Meisner’s bass and vocals appear on that album, Poco went as far as replacing Meisner’s photo on their album cover with that of a dog! 

One of the early folk-rock artists was Linda Ronstadt.  She made her way to L.A. from Arizona where she had been lead singer for The Stone Poneys, and now she was embarking on a solo career. In 1971, Ronstadt assembled a touring band to promote her Silk Purse album.  Among them were (from L below) guitarist Bernie Leadon from the Flying Burrito Brothers, bassist Randy Meisner from Rick Nelson’s Stone Canyon Band, drummer Don Henley from Texas and guitarist Glenn Frey from Michigan.  This ensemble actually performed live on only one occasion, but all four musicians played on Ronstadt’s album Linda Ronstadt.  The group then decided to form their own band, which they named Eagles.  

The Eagles’ first eponymous album was released in June 1972, and immediately made a splash.  Their first big hit was Take It Easy; although it reached only #12 on the Billboard pop charts, it made the group instantly famous for their country-rock sound. 

Don Henley and Glenn Frey became a powerhouse song-writing team. Over the years they churned out hit country-rock tunes, which typically featured hook-filled melodies coupled with memorable lyrics.   The duo co-wrote at least a dozen classic songs that defined the country-rock genre. 

Take It To The Limit was the third single from the Eagles’ 1975 album One of These Nights.  It made it to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 playlists.   It remains one of the most popular Eagles songs, and is one of my personal favorites.  It combines a haunting melody with effective lyrics, that depict a man reminiscing on his life and the choices he has made. 

All alone at the end of the evening
And the bright lights have faded to blue
I was thinking ’bout a woman who might have loved me
I never knew

You know I’ve always been a dreamer
Spent my life runnin’ ’round

And it’s so hard to change
Can’t seem to settle down
But the dreams I’ve seen lately keep on turning out
And burning out and turning out the same

[CHORUS] So put me on a highway and show me a sign
And take it to the limit one more time

You can spend all your time making money
You can spend all your love making time
If it all fell to pieces tomorrow
Would you still be mine?

And when you’re looking for your freedom
Nobody seems to care
And you can’t find the door
Can’t find it anywhere
When there’s nothing to believe in still you’re coming back
You’re running back for more

So here are the Eagles in a live performance of Take It To The Limit. 

I believe this was from a 1976 or 1977 Eagles tour.  Randy Meisner sings the lead here; it was the only Eagles hit on which he sang lead.  Take It To The Limit is also one of the few Eagles songs in 3/4 (waltz) time. 

According to Meisner, he came up with the melody and title for the song.  Meisner also worked on the lyrics, but he had not completed the tune by the time the Eagles were scheduled to go into the recording studio. So Don Henley and Glenn Frey finished the song, and they appear as co-authors with Meisner. Take It To The Limit was a big hit in concerts, as audiences were thrilled when Randy hit the high falsetto notes during the repeated refrain “take it to the limit” at the end of the song – pretty impressive, at the end of the tune!   

However, as time went on Meisner became concerned that he would be unable to hit the high notes in concerts.  In June 1977, Meisner was suffering from a stomach ulcer during the band’s Hotel California tour, plus he had come down with the flu, so he decided against singing the song during an appearance in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Apparently, this led to a bitter argument and physical altercation between Meisner and Glenn Frey.  After that, Meisner believed that the band had frozen him out of group decisions. 

So later in the Hotel California tour, Randy Meisner left the group and was replaced by Timothy Schmit.  This was ironic on several levels.  First, although Take It To The Limit was Meisner’s big lead vocal appearance with the Eagles, it also became the reason that he left the band.  Second, Meisner’s replacement Timothy Schmit had also replaced Meisner after Randy left the folk-rock group Poco. 

In 1974, the Eagles had added guitarist Don Felder to the group, and in 1975 guitarist Bernie Leadon left the band and was replaced by Joe Walsh. The video above has both Felder and Walsh with the Eagles. This lineup persisted until 1980, when the group disbanded after particularly nasty and lingering disagreements amongst the members. 

The individual Eagles members then embarked on solo efforts or joined other bands, with varying degrees of success. The group re-formed in 1994.  When a band names their reunion tour the “Hell Freezes Over Tour,” you know the dissolution was a contentious one!  After their reunion, the Eagles once again became one of the highest-grossing touring acts, in part because of the astronomically high ticket prices for their concerts. 

The Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.  In a classy move, both the original lineup and their current lineup performed at their induction ceremony.  In terms of record sales, they are the best-selling American band in history.  Their Greatest Hits album alone has sold over 45 million copies. 

Don Felder was fired from the band in 2001 and later sued the group.  In January 2016, Glenn Frey died from complications from intestinal surgery.  At present Glenn’s son Deacon and Vince Gill have joined the Eagles, and this October the Eagles released a new live album.  So, the (reconstituted) Eagles are still making music.  After leaving the Eagles, Randy Meisner had a solo career and also played in a number of bands.  He died of COPD on July 26, 2023.  All of his former bandmates said he was a wonderful guy, very sweet and that he was shy of the limelight after the Eagles became superstars.  We dedicate this post to Randy. 

Dave Mason and Take It To The Limit:

Dave Mason is an English rocker who has had an interesting career.  In the mid-60s, he co-founded the progressive-rock band Traffic with Steve Winwood, drummer Jim Capaldi and woodwinds player Chris Wood.

However, Mason was only with the group for a short time.  He participated in Traffic’s first album Mr. Fantasy in 1967, but he left the band shortly after that.  However, he re-joined Traffic while they were recording their second album, only to leave for a second time. 

Autosave-File vom d-lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH

Then in 1971, Mason once again joined Traffic where he toured with the band; but he left again after a brief period of time.  Part of the problem was that the other members of Traffic considered themselves a collective.  They wrote songs and worked out the instrumental parts in a collaborative fashion.  However, Mason would go away, write a song by himself and present it to the group as a finished product. Creative differences also led to Mason’s departure from Traffic.  While the other members wanted to move to a blues/folk/jazz style, Mason preferred the group’s original psychedelic pop orientation. 

After leaving Traffic, Mason enjoyed collaborations with a number of the top R&B musicians of that era.  Mason played guitar on a few Jimi Hendrix songs, as well as some Rolling Stones cuts.  He also collaborated with George Harrison and Eric Clapton. 

In fact, when Eric Clapton formed the supergroup Derek and the Dominos, Mason was intended to be the second guitarist on that group; however, Mason soon left that band as well.  After that he pursued a fairly successful solo career. 

So here is Dave Mason performing the song Take It To The Limit. 

This was a live performance at L.A.’s Universal Amphitheater in 1975; however, we have only the audio of Dave’s performance, but we do hear his powerful, lovely vocals. 

Dave Mason is best known for two signature tunes.  The first is Feelin’ Alright, a tune that he wrote with Traffic.  The Traffic version is a psychedelic pop tune; however, Joe Cocker had a big hit with an R&B cover of that song, and Mason also sings a gritty R&B version of that song. The second big Dave Mason song was his 1977 solo hit We Just Disagree. 

In 2004, Dave Mason was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a founding member of Traffic.  We salute British rocker Dave Mason, and wish him continued health and success.   

Etta James and Take It To The Limit:  

Etta James was a versatile singer who survived some very gritty times to produce some extraordinary records.  She was born Jamesetta Hawkins in L.A. in 1938.  Her mother was 14 at the time of her birth, and her father is unknown, although Etta said she had been told her Dad was legendary pool shark “Minnesota Fats” Wanderone. 

As her mother was rarely at home, Jamesetta was raised primarily by relatives and friends.  But she suffered serious physical abuse at the hands of some of her mentors.  For example, she began singing in an L.A. gospel choir at the age of five; but the choir director would punch her in the chest in an attempt to force her to project her voice from her diaphragm. 

The result was that Ms. Hawkins ended up with an unusually powerful voice, but at the same time she developed anxieties regarding singing in public.  At the age of 14, she had her first big break when bandleader Johnny Otis spotted her in a girl group and groomed her as a singer. 

Otis arranged for a record contract for the group, and convinced Ms. Hawkins to adopt the stage name Etta James.  Otis also gave Etta a song he had written called Roll With Me, Henry.  But the record company insisted that the name be changed to remove the sexual connotation of “roll.”  So the song became Dance With Me, Henry.  It shot up to #1 on the Hot Rhythm and Blues playlists in 1955.    

The success of this record gave the 17-year-old James a big start.  This was further advanced when her 1960 debut album At Last! was released.  The album showcased Etta’s amazing versatility – from R&B to jazz, doo-wop and pop music; and the title cut from that album became her signature song. 

Here is Etta James in a performance of Take It To The Limit. 

This is a live performance from an appearance by Etta on the Tom Snyder Show.  It highlights Etta James’ powerful vocals and her impeccable styling, with backing from blues guitarist Kal David.  Ms. James mentioned on several occasions that in her opinion, the song Take It To The Limit expressed her philosophy of life. 

Etta James had periods of commercial success, but she suffered greatly from addiction issues.  During the late 60s and 70s, she continued to record but struggled with addiction to heroin and alcohol.  She recounts that she would steal money from her friends, bounce checks and forge prescriptions. 

She and her husband Artis Mills were caught in possession of heroin; but Mills convinced the judge that he was the responsible party, so he got 10 years in jail and she was released on probation. 

But beginning in the late 1980s, people began to pay more attention to Etta’s amazing musical contributions.  She became a regular performer at international jazz festivals.  In addition, many female artists, including Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera, Janis Joplin, Brandy, and Bonnie Raitt,

have attested to her influence on their vocal style.  In 2001, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, and in 2003 she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. 

In 2009, Etta James began showing symptoms of dementia.  She released her final album in 2011, and later that same year she was diagnosed with leukemia.  That disease progressed and she passed away in January 2012. 

In honor of her accomplishments, Etta James was given a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1989.  She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, and to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001. 

Etta James was an exceptionally versatile performer.  Despite her early years of poverty and her serious addition issues, she made important contributions to many different musical genres.  We salute the amazing Ms. Etta James.  

Source Material:

Wikipedia, Take It To The Limit (Eagles song)

Wikipedia, Eagles (band)

Wikipedia, Randy Meisner

Wikipedia, Dave Mason

Wikipedia, Etta James

Proud Mary 2: Creedence Clearwater Revival; Solomon Burke; Ike & Tina Turner

Hello there!  In this post we consider Proud Mary, a great `swamp rock’ song from the 60s.  We will review the original version by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and then covers of that song by Solomon Burke and Ike & Tina Turner. 

Tina Turner passed away on May 24, 2023. She was one of the most dynamic R&B performers ever.  We have added some material on Tina’s life and career to our original post from 2015, and we dedicate this post to her. 

Creedence Clearwater Revival and Proud Mary:

Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock and roll quartet, who enjoyed tremendous popular success in the late 60s and early 70s.  Because their music featured a Southern-style “swamp music,” many assumed they were a Southern band, although they were actually from northern California’s Bay Area. 

The band was initially formed by Tom Fogerty and also included his younger brother John.  Fairly quickly, John replaced Tom as the leader of the band, as it became evident that John was an incredibly talented musician.  In addition to lead vocalist, John was the band’s lead guitarist, songwriter, and arranger.  He also proved very proficient in the studio, overseeing production of the group’s records. Here is a photo of Creedence Clearwater circa 1970.  From L: Doug Clifford; Tom Fogerty; Stu Cook; John Fogerty.  

Once they gained national exposure in the late 60s, for the next five years CCR became a pop music phenomenon.  Their albums shot up to Number One on the charts, their singles were smash hits, and they were headliners on tour. 

John Fogerty’s raspy vocals, which owed a great deal to Little Richard, seemed just perfect for the group’s up-tempo, hook-filled swamp rock. Songs like Who’ll Stop the Rain, Fortunate Son, Down on the Corner and Bad Moon Rising established the band as a leader in this genre.  CCR were pioneers in what is now called `roots rock.’  They managed to produce new pop songs that seemed to retain the flavor of authentic down-home Southern music. 

The song Proud Mary details the life of a working man who recounts a life of hard labor, which was brightened when he rode a riverboat on the Mississippi. 

Left a good job in the city
Workin’ for the man ev’ry night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleepin’
Worryin’ ’bout the way things might have been

[CHORUS] Big wheel keep on turnin’
Proud Mary keep on burnin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river

Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis
Pumped a lot of ‘pane down in New Orleans
But I never saw the good side of the city
‘Til I hitched a ride on a river boat queen

Here is CCR performing Proud Mary live, one year after the record was released.  This was the ‘break-out hit’ for Creedence Clearwater Revival; the song went up to #2 on the Billboard charts, the first of five #2’s for CCR.  Interestingly, despite their extraordinary commercial success, the group never had a #1 record.

Pretty nice, huh?  John Fogerty is rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on lead vocals and lead guitar.  His brother Tom plays rhythm guitar with Stu Cook on bass and Doug ‘Cosmo’ Clifford on drums.  This is from a 1970 concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall, featuring CCR at their ‘swamp-rock’ best, with a song that took them right to the top of the charts. For a few years during this period, CCR albums consistently struck gold and their popularity seemed untouchable. 

However, discord was simmering just below the surface for the band.  The other three members chafed at what they perceived to be John Fogerty’s high-handed ways in making decisions for the group.  They were angry that John insisted on more or less total control of the band, and they felt that several of his decisions were detrimental to their musical and commercial success. 

From John’s perspective, it seemed only natural that he should be making the decisions, as he was clearly the driving force behind the group.  He wrote the songs, sang lead vocals, played lead guitar, supervised the recording sessions, and for a while even managed the group! 

On the other hand, CCR did suffer from some of the decisions made during this time.  In hindsight, their record company deal did not look very generous (bassist Stu Cook, who had a degree in business, claimed that because of poor judgment on Fogerty’s part, CCR had to abide by the worst record deal of any major American recording artist.).  In addition, although CCR were headliners at Woodstock, John was disappointed in their live performance, so he insisted that the group’s numbers be left off both the Woodstock movie and soundtrack.  The group clearly lost substantial exposure and lots of cash from that decision. 

Perhaps the final straw was that without informing his bandmates, John Fogerty and Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz transferred nearly all of the group’s funds to an off-shore tax shelter in the Bahamas.  The bank subsequently dissolved, taking with it nearly all the group’s collected income. 

Tom Fogerty quit the group in 1970, and they continued as a trio for two more years before disbanding.  The breakup was followed by an avalanche of lawsuits.  Fantasy sued CCR as they owed the label eight more records.  John sued his former bandmates when they formed Creedence Clearwater Revisited.  When John Fogerty came out with a solo album in 1985, Zaentz sued John for plagiarizing his old CCR hits, as Zaentz owned the CCR copyrights! 

There have been scores of acrimonious breakups of rock bands, but the legacy of animosity over CCR’s dissolution continues to this day.  For decades after their breakup, John refused to perform his CCR songs because the performance royalties would have gone to Saul Zaentz.  Most notably, when CCR was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, John refused to go on stage with his surviving bandmates Stu Cook and Doug Clifford, and instead he performed with an all-star band. 

However, we prefer to remember the group from their heyday.  Quoting from the CCR bio in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: “Creedence Clearwater Revival … were progressive and anachronistic at the same time. An unapologetic throwback to the golden era of rock and roll, … their approach was basic and uncompromising, holding true to the band members’ working-class origins. … Creedence Clearwater Revival became the standard bearers and foremost celebrants of homegrown American music.”

Solomon Burke and Proud Mary:

Solomon Burke was a titanic figure in the history of soul music.  He is also one of the greatest largely unknown artists in that field.  Although he released 35 albums during his lifetime for 17 different record companies, and though he sold nearly 17 million albums, he never had that blockbuster hit that would have made him a household name. 

Like so many other R&B artists, Solomon Burke came to soul music from gospel.  He first gained fame as a teenage preacher, where he gave sermons and sang in tent revivals.  Like former gospel singers such as Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett, Burke had considerable ambivalence and guilt about abandoning gospel music for popular music.  In fact, because of the taboo that the blues was the “devil’s music,” Burke was highly reluctant to be labeled a “rhythm and blues” performer, always insisting that he was a “soul artist.”  In fact, he only adopted the title “soul singer” after clearing it with his church. 

There was no denying the influence of gospel on Solomon Burke’s music.  Eventually he was reconciled to believe that popular music was simply an efficient alternative method to deliver God’s message.  Burke’s live performances adopted many of the trappings of revival tent meetings, and audience members experienced some of the same emotions and audience participation that are characteristic of gospel services. Burke took seriously his nickname as the “King of Rock ‘n Soul,” so much so that his live performances would often include a crown, a scepter, a cape, robe, dancing girls, and colored lights.

Apparently Burke’s robe was ermine-tipped and his crown was an exact replica of one of the crown jewels of London.  Burke’s performances pre-dated those of James Brown, whose act also included capes and other apparel.  At one point Burke received $7,500 to appear at one of James Brown’s concerts and `surrender’ his robe and crown (apparently Burke took the cash, but continued to use the props in his own act).  Above is a photo of the “King of Soul” Solomon Burke, complete with a throne and some dazzling clothes. 

Here is a live version of Solomon Burke performing Proud Mary.  This is from Festival Lent in June 2009 in Slovenia. 

As we will see, I believe that this version is strongly influenced by Ike & Tina Turner’s cover of Proud Mary.  If you can get past the extremely poor video work (the cameraman seems unable to remain focused, constantly jerking the camera around), you will see many of the trappings from Burke’s live shows.  He is seated on a gigantic throne, symbolic of his nickname the “King of Soul.”  Burke is also wearing clothing covered with gold glitter. 

You can also see that Burke is truly gigantic.  Later in life his weight hovered between 350 and 400 pounds.  He performs sitting down, and it is unclear whether or not he could stand up.  Anyway, it is nice to hear his wonderful voice, still strong and powerful just a year before his death in 2010.  In 2001, Burke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  This was a well-deserved honor and must have been appreciated by Burke, since he had been nominated but failed to be inducted eight times previously. 

Ike & Tina Turner and Proud Mary:

Ike and Tina Turner formed one of the great R&B bands of the 60s and 70s.  Ike Turner was a true rock music pioneer.  Many people credit the 1951 record “Rocket 88” as being the first rock and roll song ever.  Although the song is credited to “Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats,” it is actually performed by then 19-year-old Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm – Brenston was a saxophonist and singer with Ike Turner’s group, and is credited with writing the song. 

Ike Turner subsequently moved to St. Louis, where he and his Kings of Rhythm became one of the most famous bands in the area.  Apparently they would play clubs in St. Louis until they closed, and then move to East St. Louis and continue to play until dawn. 

In 1958 a nurse’s aide, Anna Mae Bullock, began dating one of Ike Turner’s bandmembers.  After hanging out with the group for some time, Anna asked if she could sing with the band.  When she was given the opportunity, Ike was impressed with both her singing ability and her flamboyant personality. 

Anna’s big break occurred when Ike and his Kings of Rhythm were set to record the song A Fool in Love.  When the lead singer didn’t show up, the band recorded it with Anna on lead vocals.  The song turned out to be a surprise hit, reaching #2 on the R&B charts and 27 on the Billboard pop charts.  Here is a rather early photo of Ike and Tina Turner from 1964.  

At this point, Ike Turner had an epiphany.  He gave Anna the stage name Tina Turner, and re-named his band The Ike and Tina Turner Revue.  Perhaps even more importantly, Ike deliberately moved into the background, and made Tina’s singing and dancing the centerpiece of their shows. 

Tina was an electrifying performer.  With her teeny-tiny miniskirts, the exuberant energy of her dancing, and her rough and powerful vocals, she would rip a song right up.  Combining this with Ike Turner’s tight, disciplined backing band and the vocals and dancing from backup singers the Ikettes made a wonderful combination. 

The Ike and Tina Revue gained substantial fame.  For quite some time they did not have a major hit – their most popular song, River Deep – Mountain High was a top-10 song in Europe but bombed in the States.  However, they were well known as one of the highest-octane live acts.  On a couple of tours, they opened for the Rolling Stones, which gave them even more exposure. 

Things finally clicked for Ike and Tina in 1970.  They released two albums that were both certified as gold records, their cover of CCR’s Proud Mary made it to #2 on the pop charts, and they won a Grammy with that record in the category Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. 

Here is the Ike and Tina Turner revue in 1971, giving a live performance of their version of Proud Mary. 

The Ike & Tina version is really effective.  As Tina says introducing the song, it “starts off nice and easy, and ends rough.”  The first half of the song proceeds with a slow, soulful cadence, with just a guitar and bass accompanying Ike and Tina.  However, following this beginning, the song changes gear and morphs into a raucous up-tempo gospel-tinged celebration. 

The horn section really gets into this song, as Tina howls out the lyrics.  With Tina and the Ikettes bopping across the stage, you can’t help but dance along to the song’s insistent beat.  Ike and Tina became known for their high-energy sets, and Tina was famous for the dresses she wore onstage at their performances.  Here is a montage of several of her memorable gowns.   

However, Tina’s comment that “we never do nothin’ easy, we always do it rough” brings to mind disturbing images of Ike Turner’s penchant for domestic violence.  Apparently Tina endured several years of truly violent abuse until she finally left Ike in July 1976.  Their situation was exacerbated by Ike’s serious drug addiction issues.  He was snorting so much cocaine that he had burned a hole in his nasal septum (!), and both Ike and Tina agreed that their final altercation occurred after Ike had been up for five straight days on a cocaine-fueled binge. 

Tina received a divorce after a prolonged legal battle with Ike, although she relinquished nearly all financial claims in order to obtain a settlement.  Both of their careers languished for a time following their divorce. However, in 1984 Tina’s Private Dancer project became one of the best-selling albums of all time.  It re-established her solo career and made her one of the top-grossing rock music tours.  Good for Tina – after years of violent treatment, she rebounded with a fantastic comeback! 

Tina Turner even had a successful film career, appearing as the Acid Queen in the movie version of The Who’s Tommy, and as Aunty Entity in the 1985 move Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. 

In the 1993 movie What’s Love Got To Do With It, the movie version of Tina Turner’s autobiography I, Tina, Lawrence Fishburne gives a chilling performance as Ike Turner.  Fishburne’s portrayal in What’s Love Got To Do With It made Ike Turner the poster child for domestic violence, and this had a serious negative effect on his career thereafter. 

Ike and Tina Turner were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.  Alas, Ike was in prison for drug offenses at the time, and Tina did not attend the induction.  Two of their single records, River Deep – Mountain High and Proud Mary, were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. 

After her solo comeback in 1984, Tina continued to shine.  In 2000, she embarked on a “Twenty Four Seven” tour that grossed $100 million in ticket sales. Then in 2021, Tina Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. 

Ike Turner died in 2007 from a cocaine overdose.  Tina, on the other hand, married German music producer Erwin Bach in 2013.  She moved to Küsnacht, Switzerland, where she became a Swiss citizen, and where she died in May 2023.  Above is a recent photo of Tina and Erwin. 

Tina Turner – what a great artist, a riveting performer and one of the most dynamic performers ever in rock music.  We dedicate this post to the great Ms. Turner.

Source Material:

Wikipedia, Proud Mary

Wikipedia, Creedence Clearwater Revival

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Creedence Clearwater Revival

Wikipedia, Solomon Burke

Wikipedia, Ike and Tina Turner

William Grimes, Tina Turner, Magnetic Singer of Explosive Power, is Dead at 83, New York Times, May 24, 2023

Day-O (The Banana Boat Song): Edric Connor; Harry Belafonte; The Tarriers

Hello there!  In this post we consider the calypso song Day-O, also known as The Banana Boat Song. We will review the original by Edric Connor & the Caribbeans; then the most famous cover by Harry Belafonte; and finally a cover by The Tarriers.    

The great singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte passed away on April 25, 2023, and we dedicate this post to his memory.  

Edric Connor & the Caribbeans and Day Dah Light:

Edric Connor was born in August 1913 in Trinidad.  Although he won a scholarship to study engineering, in his spare time he performed Caribbean folk songs.  After working on construction of the American naval base in Trinidad, in 1944 he saved up enough money to emigrate to Britain. 

There, he quickly established himself as an expert on the West Indies, and he was hired by BBC Radio to host a program for BBC listeners in the Caribbean.  Here is a photo of Edric Connor.

In 1952, Connor recorded a number of Jamaican folk songs from a collection called Folk Songs of Jamaica published by Tom Murray.  Connor used Murray’s arrangements to produce an album titled Songs From Jamaica.  It was the first album of its kind and became very influential in subsequent Caribbean music. 

The song Day Dah Light from Songs From Jamaica is a version of a Jamaican call-and-response calypso song.  This would be sung by workers who picked bananas and loaded them onto ships.  In order to avoid the searing heat of the daytime, the work would take place throughout the night.  When the workers were done at daybreak, they would wait until a foreman (“tally-man”) arrived and added up their contributions.  The lyrics below are taken from Harry Belafonte’s classic version of the song.  Every line would be followed by the refrain “Daylight come and we want go home.”  

Work all night on a drink of rum
Stack banana ’til the morning come

[CHORUS] Day-o, day-o
Daylight come and we want go home
Day, is a day, is a day, is a day, is a day, is a day-o
Daylight come and we want go home

Come Mister tally man, tally me banana
Come Mister tally man, tally me banana

Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
Six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch

So here are Edric Connor and the Caribbeans with his version of this folk song, here called Day Dah Light.  As far as we know, this appears to be the first recorded version of this classic Jamaican folk song. 

As you can see, Connor has a rich baritone voice and appears to have been heavily influenced by Paul Robeson.  Although the song differs in various respects from Harry Belafonte’s version a few years later, the basic elements of the song remain the same. 

Edric Connor went on to have a wide-ranging career in Britain.  In the late 1940s, he and his wife founded the Negro Theatre Company.  His wife ran The Edric Connor Agency that represented black actors, dancers, writers and musicians.  Connor also worked as an actor on stage and screen; he was the first black actor to perform for the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing in a role where he had been recommended by Paul Robeson. 

Connor also appeared in 18 movies.  Perhaps his best-known role was as a co-star to Rita Hayworth, Robert Mitchum and Jack Lemmon in the 1957 film Fire Down Below. 

Edric Connor passed away in October, 1968 after suffering a stroke.  His life is commemorated by a couple of awards, the Edric Connor Inspiration Award for work in film and television, and the Edric Connor Trailblazer Award.  We salute Edric Connor, indeed a trailblazer in several fields. 

Harry Belafonte and Day-O (The Banana Boat Song):

Harold George Ballanfanti, Jr. was born in Harlem in March 1927. His parents, chef Harold Sr. and housekeeper Melvine, had been born in Jamaica.  When he was five, he was sent to Jamaica to live with his grandmother; he returned to New York City for his high school years, after which he joined the Navy and fought in World War II. 

Harold was working as a janitor’s assistant when he was given two tickets to see a play mounted by the American Negro Theatre.  He was fascinated by the theater, and became good friends with young actor Sidney Poitier.  As both young actors were financially strapped, they would purchase a single ticket for plays, and would each watch a single act and then give the ticket to their friend.  At this point he adopted the stage name Harry Belafonte.  Below we have a photo of a young Harry Belafonte.

Poitier and Belafonte were both admitted to the New School’s Dramatic Workshop, and both performed with the American Negro Theater.  To help finance his tuition, Harry began a sideline as a singer.  On his first gig, his backing band included Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Max Roach. Although Harry began performing pop music, he quickly switched to folk music and began to appear at folk clubs, notably the Village Vanguard. 

On the basis of his folk performances, Harry was signed to a contract by RCA Victor.  Harry’s big breakthrough was his 1956 album Calypso.  It introduced American listeners to calypso music, and it  became the first album to sell over 1 million copies in a single year.  The album spent 31 weeks at #1 on the Billboard American album charts; it continued for 58 weeks in the top 10, and 99 weeks in the top 100 of the Billboard charts.   

One of the big hits on Belafonte’s Calypso album was Day-O, or The Banana Boat Song. This was a modified version of the song Day Dah Light that had been released by Edric Connor in 1952. Here is Harry Belafonte performing Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) live, in a 1960 performance at Sankei Hall in Japan. 

From the first instant where he shouts out “Day-O,” we are captivated by Belafonte’s beautiful voice, a bit husky but pure and powerful.  Harry converts this traditional Jamaican folk tune into a timeless classic.  I was moved to tears when I saw this performance, nearly 70 years after his original recording of the song. 

Harry Belafonte went on to become one of the premier vocalists of his generation.  He sold millions of albums and appeared on a number of special events, including John F. Kennedy’s inaugural in 1961.  By the late 60s, folk music was less in demand, but Harry continued to be a hit with TV specials and touring around the world.

Harry Belafonte was also an accomplished actor.  He appeared in a number of films, and he particularly concentrated on films that advanced issues of civil rights and populist movements.  He was offered the role of Porgy in Otto Preminger’s Porgy and Bess, but he declined because he thought the play featured racial stereotypes; instead, his friend Sidney Poitier played that role.  

However, beginning in the 1950s and continuing afterwards, Harry Belafonte was focusing on civil rights activism. Here, he was inspired by Paul Robeson.  For a number of years beginning in 1954, Belafonte refused to perform in the American South because of its racist policies.  Harry provided Martin Luther King, Jr. and his family with financial support, and King stayed with him whenever he was in New York. 

Belafonte helped fund the 1961 Freedom Riders and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, and he was one of the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington.  He was also a vocal critic of the apartheid regime in South Africa.  In retaliation for his activism, Harry Belafonte was blacklisted during the McCarthy era.   

Belafonte’s political activism did not stop at civil rights.  For decades, he was a strident critic of U.S. foreign policy.  This led him to praise Latin American strongmen such as Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.  He was especially critical of George W. Bush and his 2003 invasion of Iraq.  He called Bush a ‘terrorist,’ and he was widely criticized for his allegation that Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice were behaving like Uncle Toms for their support of the Iraq War.  Harry Belafonte was an honorary co-chair of the Women’s March on Washington, that took place on Jan. 21, 2017. 

Harry Belafonte was widely honored for his music, his acting and his activism.  He received three Grammy Awards, an Emmy, a Tony, and in 2014 he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  He also received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1989, the National Medal of Arts in 1994 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Early Influence category in 2022. 

Harry Belafonte’s activism was both notable and courageous. He was not afraid of criticism, nor threats against himself.  In standing up for his principles, he was willing to forego income (in the South and South Africa) and he also provided funding for many individuals and groups.  He also served for many years as a UNICEF Global Ambassador.  Harry died of congestive heart failure on April 25, 2023; he was 96 years old. 

Harry Belafonte was a multi-talented artist and maintained a life-long commitment to human rights activism.  We salute him – he will be greatly missed.   

The Tarriers and The Banana Boat Song:

The Tarriers were a folk group that performed during the 1950s and 1960s.  They were initially formed from a group of folk singers who would perform in New York City’s Washington Square.  Below is a photo of The Tarriers from one of their albums.  From L: Erik Darling; Alan Arkin; and Bob Casey. 

The Tarriers signed with Glory Records in 1956, and rapidly scored two top-10 pop hits.  The first was Cindy, Oh Cindy with Vince Martin, which made it to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.  Their second hit was The Banana Boat Song.  Folksinger Bob Gibson taught The Tarriers the Banana Boat Song, and they merged it with another Jamaican calypso song, Hill and Gully Rider.  Their version of this Jamaican folk tune made it to #4 on the pop charts. In fact, both the Belafonte and Tarriers renditions appeared almost simultaneously. On February 20, 1957 the Tarriers’ version of Banana Boat Song made it to #5 on the Billboard pop charts, while Harry Belafonte’s version ranked #6.  So here are The Tarriers with their version of The Banana Boat Song. 

This video does give you some live shots of The Tarriers.  In the first segment, the boys appear to be singing The Banana Boat Song but the audio is taken from their studio version of the song (and the live and studio versions sync rather poorly).  After that, the scene shifts to a night club where the group sings a different folk song, Choucroute Yellow Bird.  In both segments, Alan Arkin appears in the center.

The Tarriers’ version of Banana Boat Song is pleasant, although it suffers greatly by comparison with the great Harry Belafonte.  But the Tarriers’ rendition actually reached higher in the pop charts than Belafonte’s version — go figure.  

On the basis of their two hits, The Tarriers embarked on a tour of Europe.  However, upon their return, Alan Arkin left the group to pursue a career in acting (which turned out to be a great career move on Arkin’s part).  After some additional re-shuffles in the band, they ended up as a quartet that included Bob Casey, Eric Weissberg, Marshall Brickman and Charles Cooper.  That group lasted until 1964, when Brickman left The Tarriers to join John and Michelle Phillips in The New Journeymen. 

However, in 1965 The Tarriers disbanded.  At that time, folk music was in decline, and all of American pop music was being decimated by the British Invasion.  The Tarriers turned out to be “two-hit wonders,” but both of their hits landed in the top ten on the pop charts.  So we salute The Tarriers for their brief success as a folk group.     

Source Material:

Wikipedia, Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)

Wikipedia, Edric Connor

Wikipedia, Harry Belafonte

Wikipedia, The Tarriers

Good Lovin’ 2: The Olympics; The Rascals; The Grateful Dead

Hello there!  In this post we consider the 60s rock song Good Lovin’.  We will review the original by The Olympics, and covers of that song by The Young Rascals and The Grateful Dead. 

This is a re-post of an article first posted in July 2015. The drummer for The Young Rascals, Dino Danelli, died in Dec. 2022. Here, we include some additional details about Mr. Danelli’s life and we dedicate this post to his memory.   

The Olympics and Good Lovin’:

The Olympics were a doo-wop quartet formed by a group of students in a Los Angeles high school.  Their lead singer was Walter Ward.  The group’s first (and biggest) hit was a 1958 novelty song called Western Movies, which made it up to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The song reflected the nation’s preoccupation with western themed movies and television programs. It told the story of a man who lost his girl to TV westerns, and it included doo-wop harmonies as well as background gunshots and ricochet sound effects.

Below is a photo of The Olympics. 

The group continued to record songs over the following decade, primarily up-tempo R&B songs, frequently songs that featured the latest dance crazes (so we get songs like (Baby) Hully Gully, The Slop, The Philly Dog, and The Duck). 

All of these earlier songs were released on the Arvee label.  In 1965, The Olympics signed with Loma Records and released Good Lovin’ .  Their tune was a re-working of a song originally titled Lemme B. Good by a singer named Limmie Snell.  Songwriters Rudy Clark and Arthur Resnick re-wrote the lyrics to the song, changed the name, and The Olympics recorded it.  The song didn’t make much of an impression, reaching only #81 on the Billboard charts. 

The lyrics are basically just a good-natured joke; a fellow is feeling weird, so he goes to his doctor, who tells him his ‘suffering’ will be cured by some“good lovin’.”  The description of the doctor’s visit is exaggerated, with much emphasis on the doctor-patient dialogue,

I was feelin’ … so-oo bad,

I asked my family doctor just what I had.

I said, “Doctor, [Doc-turrr …]

“Mister M.D., [Doc-turrr …]

“Now can you tell me,

What’s ailin’ me??” [Doc-turrr …]

Here are The Olympics appearing on Shindig in May, 1965 and performing Good Lovin’.  The song is highlighted by a very prominent organ part, played here by Billy Preston – yes, “Fifth Beatle” Billy Preston.  

The group’s member Charles Fizer was shot and killed during the Watts riots in LA in 1965.  After that the group shuffled its membership, but never achieved any subsequent success in the pop or R&B charts.  They did, however, re-convene later and do a fair amount of touring with oldies concerts. 

The Young Rascals and Good Lovin’:

The Young Rascals formed in 1965 when three former members of Joey Dee and the Starliters (Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati and Gene Cornish) joined up with drummer Dino Danelli.  Below is a photo of the group circa 1966.  From L: guitarist Gene Cornish; vocalist Eddie Brigati; drummer Dino Danelli; and Felix Cavaliere on organ and vocals.  I presume their outfits are meant to recall those of the old TV show featuring Our Gang, also called The Little Rascals.  But their weird collars, stubby ties, short pants and knee-length socks just looked weird to me. 

The group was initially called The Rascals, but changed their name to The Young Rascals because of potential legal action from a group called Harmonica Rascals.  They hit the jackpot in 1966 when they covered Good Lovin’. The song shot up to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became a monster hit. 

Both the song and the Rascals’ treatment of it have become iconic.  The record starts out with Cavaliere shouting “one-two-three”, and the song is propelled forward by Cavaliere’s pulsating organ line and Cornish strumming on his guitar.  It features Cavaliere’s enthusiastic vocals as well. 

Then, right in the middle of the song, there is a false ending – a dramatic pause broken when Cavaliere once more breaks in on keyboards.  The song eventually ends with a big crescendo on organ.  So here are The Rascals live in the studio in 1966. 

Is that a great song, or what?  If this doesn’t get your fingers snapping, you need to check your pulse.  No wonder Good Lovin’ has become an unusually durable hit, and why it is such a popular song in movies and TV shows.  For me, the most effective use of the song was in the great 1983 ensemble movie The Big Chill.  The song is playing while a group of people who have assembled for Alex’s funeral are driving in a car.  His girlfriend Chloe announces,“Alex and I made love the night before he died, it was fantastic.” Everyone in the car with her is surprised by the comment, which ends at the exact moment of the pause in the song.

After appreciating this terrific classic, your next thought is likely to be “Golly, the Rascals’ version is extraordinarily similar to The Olympics’.”   This immediately suggests that perhaps this is yet another variation on a familiar theme – African-American artists produce a song that goes nowhere, which is then copied by no-talent whites who make a fortune. 

However, that’s not the case in this situation.  Sure, The Rascals copied The Olympics – Felix Cavaliere freely admits that his group was looking for a song that they might cover, and that their version owed a great deal to The Olympics original. Furthermore, The Rascals had a clause in their performing contract that stated they would only play gigs with a Black act on the bill. That closed off many Southern venues for their tours, but The Rascals stuck to their principles.   

The song was ‘discovered’ by Dino Danelli when he found a single of Good Lovin’ by The Olympics. Despite the fact that the song had peaked at # 81 on the Billboard Hot 100, Danelli convinced his bandmates that the song could be a hit for The Rascals.

However, after they scored with Good Lovin’, Cavaliere and Brigati began writing original songs, and repeated their success with their own work. They produced a slew of top-10 hits such as Groovin’, How Can I Be Sure, A Beautiful Morning and People Got to Be Free.  Their later hits were an inspired mix of rock and jazz, and cemented their reputation as pop icons.  In 1997, The Rascals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

And now some words about Dino Danelli, who passed away in Dec. 2022.  Mr. Danelli began his career as a jazz drummer, and he was tutored by the greats Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa.  Danelli brought some of their jazz stylings to his rock drumming. He was also known as a highly disciplined drummer, who would always keep the band’s rhythms right on track. We dedicate this post to Mr. Danelli. 

For many years now, Billy Joel has been playing regular gigs at Madison Square Garden.  Although he has not written new material since about 1993, Joel has had a fabulous career, charting over 30 songs in the Billboard Top 40.  His Greatest Hits double album is one of the best-selling records ever.  Above is a photo of Billy Joel from early in his career. 

In May 2015, Joel brought in guest artist Felix Cavaliere to his monthly MSG concert, and they performed Good Lovin’ together, with Cavaliere on the organ and vocals.  Here is the footage for that number – enjoy! 

The Grateful Dead and Good Lovin’:

The Grateful Dead are arguably the most unique band in the history of rock music.  They seemed to defy all conventions, break all the rules, and they produced a body of work that spanned an enormous range over a thirty-year period.  After Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995, it looked as though the surviving members of the Dead were finally hanging up their instruments after an amazing fifty-year “long strange trip.”  However, they re-surfaced as Dead and Company, which united guitarist/vocalist John Mayer with various members of earlier Dead lineups. 

There is a 4-hour documentary on The Dead, Long Strange Trip, that was directed by Amir Bar-Lev and which was released in 2017. It also seems that Martin Scorsese is planning to film a bio-pic on the Grateful Dead, with Jonah Hill playing Jerry Garcia.  If this is ever finished and released, it promises to be a fascinating blend of ensemble music and social history. 

The Grateful Dead originated in 1965 in Palo Alto, CA.  Below is a photo that shows several of the Dead in 1979 at a concert at Oakland Coliseum.  L to R: Bill Kreutzmann (drums), Bob Weir (guitar and vocals), Jerry Garcia (guitar and vocals), Mickey Hart (drums), Donna Godchaux (vocals) and Phil Lesh (bass and vocals).  Original member Pigpen McKernan (keyboards and vocals) passed away in 1973.  Photo courtesy of Getty Images. 

OAKLAND – FEBRUARY 1979: The Grateful Dead (L to R: Bill Kreutzmann, Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, Donna Godchaux and Phil Lesh) perform at the Oakland Coliseum in February 1979 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images)

The group first formed as the remnants of a Bay Area jug band, and for a short time were called The Warlocks.  The band then (quite literally) got turned onto rock and psychedelic music, and simultaneously to psychedelic drugs.  Below is a poster from an early Dead event in 1967, the “Mantra-Rock Dance” music and consciousness-raising event at the Avalon Ballroom (poster designed by Harvey Cohen). 

The Dead were very active in the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco.  Deeply imbued with the hippie ethos, they are believed to have given more free concerts than any band in history.  In the mid-60s they joined up with Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, who took their bus “Furthur,” their music and their copious supplies of LSD all the way across the U.S. Along the way, the Dead participated in both the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and Woodstock in 1969. 

For most bands, the litmus test of success was to produce single records that cracked the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts.  The Grateful Dead only ever had a single song make it into the top 50, and that was Touch of Grey in 1987. However, that didn’t stop the band from selling over 35 million albums and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. 

To the outside world, the Grateful Dead’s leader and frontman was Jerry Garcia.  The bearded bear-like Garcia was the lead guitarist for the group, and shared lead vocal duties with Bob Weir.  Garcia was also an excellent banjo and steel guitar player, and from time to time in his early career moonlighted on those instruments with various West Coast folk and bluegrass combos. 

However, Jerry was quick to point out that he was merely one member of the Dead ensemble.  From their founding in 1965 until Garcia’s death in 1995 from a heart attack while in a drug-rehab clinic, the Dead were more or less permanently touring and giving performances.  The group is believed to have given more than 2,300 concerts – or perhaps more precisely, jam sessions.  The Dead generally did not prepare a set list for any given concert, preferring instead to pick songs on the spot from a playlist that usually contained about 100 songs.  During their life span, the Grateful Dead played over 500 different songs at their various performances. 

Over the years I attended three Dead concerts.  The first was fascinating, but overall seemed a bit listless and lacking in energy.  It is quite possible that this period coincided with a time when Jerry’s health was precarious.  The second concert was wonderful – the band featured songs from their Workingmen’s Dead album, the music was crisp and lively, and the audience was really into it.  The third concert started out well; however, after an intermission the band launched into a single 50-minute convoluted, meandering jam, which I found pointless and boring, but which their biggest fans thought was terrific.    

Perhaps the most unique feature of the Grateful Dead was their relationship to their fans, or Deadheads.  It was not unusual for Deadheads to follow the band on concerts from town to town – since each concert was a unique live jam, Deadheads would have a different experience in each venue.  Whereas most bands are extremely paranoid about fans filming or taping their live shows, the Dead had exactly the opposite impulse: they actively welcomed Deadheads taping their shows.  They even allowed several of them to tap into the Dead’s own soundboards. 

The net result was that the Deadheads began to resemble more a gigantic extended commune than the ‘normal’ followers of musical groups.  Deadheads were an exceptionally eclectic lot, ranging from 60s-era hippies to professional athletes, from panhandlers to distinguished scientists. 

And for a band composed of hippies from Haight-Ashbury, the group banked scads of money. They owned their own music rights, sold boatloads of gear at concerts, and owned merchandising rights to a whole series of logos, from the iconic “dancing bears” (above) to the “steal your face” skull to the “skull and roses” (below), and many more.  In the 1990s, the Dead made $285 million in concert revenue (and remember that touring stopped after Jerry died in 1995, so this is essentially the income from half a decade).   

[Artwork for the Grateful Dead Logo. Images of Alton Kelley and his artwork downloaded from http://webpictures.emgpr.com/Kelley%20Mouse%20Photos. Permission to use granted from Evolutionary Media Group, 1111 N. Las Palmas, Los Angeles, CA 90038, Phone: 323-658-8700, Mobile: 323-459-2138, Fax: 323-658-8750, Email: tiffany@@emgpr.com] *** []

The Grateful Dead performed their cover of Good Lovin’ at several concerts, beginning apparently as early as 1966.  It must have been a favorite on their playlists.  The song was included on the Dead’s 1978 album Shakedown Street.  Their version did not meet with uniform critical acclaim; Rolling Stone said it “feature[d] aimless ensemble work and vocals that Bob Weir should never have attempted.”  Here it is, from a March 1981 concert in Essen, Germany.

I really enjoyed this, but what did you think?  This is by no means a direct copy of the Olympics/Rascals version; the ensemble converts the song into a Grateful Dead jam.  Jerry Garcia is noodling along on guitar, with some tasty improvisational licks, while Phil Lesh produces very interesting bass lines – Lesh was initially trained as a classical trumpeter, and his bass playing tends to be much more melodic, and less concerned with setting the beat, than most bassists.  Mickey Hart and Bill Kreuzmann are great on drums, with lots of cowbell mixed in. The song meanders along for quite a while, slowing down for an interlude of talking blues from Bob Weir, but after the 6-minute mark picks up steam for a rousing finish.  Great stuff – keep on truckin’! 

Source Material:

Wikipedia, Good Lovin’

Wikipedia, The Olympics (band)

Wikipedia, The Rascals

Wikipedia, The Big Chill (film)  

Wikipedia, The Grateful Dead

Wikipedia, Dead & Company

Teach Your Children, 2: Crosby, Stills & Nash; Hanson; Richie Havens

Hello there!  In this post we consider the song Teach Your Children.  This is an inspirational folk-rock song and one of my personal favorites.  We will start with the original version by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and then discuss covers of that song by Hanson and Richie Havens.

This is a re-issue of our post from Jan. 18, 2016.  On Jan. 19, 2023 David Crosby passed away.  We dedicate this post to him, and we include more details on Crosby’s life and times. 

 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Teach Your Children:

The group Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young was formed by members of three different singing groups.  In fact, this band is unique in that every member of this group has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.  Crosby, Stills and Nash were inducted in 1997 for their work in this band.  Below is a photo of the cover of the 1969 Crosby, Stills & Nash album.  From L, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills and David Crosby. 

David Crosby had been tossed out of the Byrds in 1967, and in 1968 Stephen Stills’ band Buffalo Springfield had disintegrated.  Then in 1968, Graham Nash dropped out of his band, The Hollies.  All three musicians had been burned by their experiences with their earlier bands, and were reluctant to join a new group.  On the other hand, their jam sessions together produced some exciting music, and so they decided to form a group.  They deliberately gave the band all of their surnames, as identification to ensure independence and a guarantee that the band could not continue without one of them, unlike both the Byrds and the Hollies.

The band then signed with Atlantic Records, particularly because Atlantic executive Ahmet Ertegun had produced Buffalo Springfield. Their first album was released in May, 1969 and was really a revelation.  Stephen Stills was a superb, creative guitarist.  David Crosby was arguably the best folk-rock harmony singer on the planet, and Graham Nash was an extremely talented singer.  In addition, all three proved to be first-rate songwriters. 

In particular, Stephen Stills’ song Suite: Judy Blue Eyes was a stunningly beautiful depiction of Stills’ disintegrating relationship with his then-girlfriend Judy Collins.  The album sold like hotcakes.  In addition, CSN headlined along with Neil Young at Woodstock in August 1969, and although I thought that their appearance there was sub-par, their fame was considerably strengthened by their exposure at Woodstock. 

Teach Your Children is a Graham Nash song that appeared on the 1970 Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young album Déjà Vu.  Apparently the direct inspiration for the song came when Nash saw Diane Arbus’ famous photograph “Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park.” Upon seeing that photo, Graham became concerned about the messages that children were absorbing from the media focus on war and conflict. 

In addition, Nash’s relationship with his father was a rather tense one.  So he wrote a song in which he first directed his attention to the issues parents face when attempting to provide their children with a set of uplifting moral values.  Conversely, he urged children to transmit their idealism and activism to their parents. The first half of the song is directed to parents, regarding advice for bringing up children at this time (remember, this is the late 60s).  Parents are urged to “teach your children well,” and “feed them on your dreams.”

You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good-bye.

Teach your children well,
Their father’s hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked, the one you’ll know by.

At the same time, since your children will undoubtedly choose their own path and quite possibly break your heart in the process, parents are given the following advice:

Don’t you ever ask them why, if they told you, you would cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.

The second half of the song provides the mirror image: advice for children in coping with their parents. 

And you, of tender years,
Can’t know the fears that your elders grew by,
And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth before they can die.

The song ends by giving children exactly the same advice that was earlier provided to their parents. 

In general, I have a deep emotional attachment to the music I grew up with; even so, this song touches a special chord with me. The song has become an anthem for my generation, and I hope that it continues to inspire parents and children to attempt to communicate.  The song makes me cry nearly every time I listen to it. 

Here is the audio of Teach Your Children from the 1970 CSNY album Déjà Vu. 

The wonderful pedal steel guitar work on this song was provided by Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia.  It is said that Jerry volunteered his services for this song, in return for CSN helping to coach the Dead on harmony singing for their upcoming album Workingman’s Dead. 

If this is true, it represents a tremendous “win-win” situation.  Jerry’s guitar work here is uplifting, and the Workingman’s Dead album marked a major shift (and, to my taste, a significant step forward) in the Grateful Dead’s musical focus. 

Apparently for the Déjà Vu album, CSNY recorded the vocal tracks separately.  Each member came in to the recording studio and produced his individual vocal contribution.  I must admit, it seems strange that an album that features such beautiful harmonies was recorded in individual sessions, but one can’t argue with the outcome. 

Now here are Crosby, Stills and Nash performing Teach Your Children at Live Aid 1985, in Philadelphia. 

Teach Your Children is frequently the final song at CSN concerts.  As you see from the video, it remains a terrifically popular tune, and apparently it touches the hearts of many people in addition to me.

I originally attributed the song Teach Your Children to Crosby, Stills and Nash, even though it is a cut from a ‘Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’ album.  My understanding is that Neil Young does not appear on this particular song.  [Neil, if I’m wrong, my apologies]. 

David Crosby had a remarkable career.  His father was Floyd Crosby, who won an Academy Award for his cinematography.  Starting in the mid-60s, David was a member of The Byrds, who practically invented folk-rock music with their 1965 cover of Bob Dylan’s Mr. Tambourine Man.  Crosby’s beautiful voice admirably complemented Roger McGuinn’s lead vocals. The Byrds rocketed to fame, and one of their big hits, Eight Miles High, was written by Crosby.  However, tensions arose in the group, exacerbated by Crosby’s decision to sing along with the Mamas and Papas at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.  Eventually, Crosby was kicked out of The Byrds. 

But David landed on his feet when he joined up with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.  Their debut album Crosby, Stills & Nash became a blockbuster hit, and included three songs by Crosby including Wooden Ships.  Although Crosby should have been on Cloud 9 following this great success, he fell into deep depression when his girlfriend Christine Hinton was killed in an automobile accident. 

During this period Crosby became seriously addicted to hard drugs, and this started him on decades of troubles with addiction and with the law.  Crosby spent two stints in jail: on drugs and weapons charges in 1982; and for drunken driving and hit & run in 1986.  His drug addiction left him with a long fight with Hepatitis C, and in 1994 he underwent a liver transplant. 

After just a couple of years Crosby, Stills & Nash broke up and spent many years re-forming and breaking up again. Despite this, Crosby continued to write music, play in bands, and tour (particularly with his mate Graham Nash).  His melodies often show a strong influence from jazz, and he greatly influenced later musicians in progressive folk-rock. David Crosby died on Jan. 19, 2023; he is greatly missed. 

Crosby, Stills and Nash each carved out a significant individual career, and together they have been a major influence on folk-rock music.  What terrific songs they have produced, enough to fill up a most satisfying segment of my iPod.  Well done, guys! 

Hanson and Teach Your Children:

Hanson are an American pop-rock trio, originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma.  The three brothers each sing, and play piano and guitar. In addition, from L in the photo below: Taylor Hanson plays keyboards and drums, Zac plays drums, and Isaac plays bass. 

In the early 90s, the brothers began as a capella singers, performing in the Tulsa area.  They recorded two independent albums early on.  In 1996, they were ‘discovered’ at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas and eventually signed with Mercury Records. 

In 1997 they released their first Mercury album Middle of Nowhere, which contained the single record MMMBop.  That song exploded like a bombshell, racing up to #1 on the pop charts in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Germany and Mexico. 

MMMBop was a throwback – it sounded like an updated doo-wop record, or an early Jackson Five production.  The comparison to the Jackson Five was apt, as at the time of its release the youngest Hanson brother, Zac, was twelve.  MMMBop made Hanson overnight sensations, and they immediately attracted a devoted following of screaming teeny-boppers.  In addition, the governor of Oklahoma denoted May 6 “Hanson Day” in their honor. 

Hanson also came in for much criticism, partly because of their status as teen idols, and partly because MMMBop was perceived by some critics as saccharine and insubstantial.  Personally, I loved MMMBop.  The record was energetic and bouncy, I really enjoy this type of pop music, and the Hanson brothers’ vocals were very impressive.   

Since that first big record, Hanson have never quite re-captured the commercial magic of MMMBop.  However, they have demonstrated that they are not just one-hit wonders. 

Here is a live video of Hanson performing Teach Your Children, from 2003. 

I find this quite impressive.  It is extremely simple, basically the three brothers singing with acoustic guitar accompaniment.  Also it is a very respectful performance of an inspirational song. 

Hanson’s career suffered when their label, Mercury Records, was merged with Island Def Jam Records.  Unfortunately, Hanson had major creative differences with the new company’s management. 

As a result, Hanson was forced to pay the expenses for their own tour for their second album.  In 2003, they left Island Def Jam and now produce records through their own company 3CG Records.  This is a tough way to negotiate the music business, and although Hanson’s sales are impressive for a private label, they don’t get the same support and distribution as they would with a major record label. 

However, their initial success has kept them going.  Their career has been the subject of a couple of movie documentaries, and they continue to produce records and go on tours.  We wish them much success. 

Richie Havens and Teach Your Children:

Richie Havens was a prominent folk-singer, songwriter and political activist.  He was the oldest of nine children born in Brooklyn to a Native American father and a mother of West Indian descent. 

Havens’ paternal grandparents had a fascinating history.  They were both members of the Blackfoot tribe.  They toured the U.S. as members of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.  However, they quit the touring company once they reached New York City, and the family eventually settled in Brooklyn. 

Richie gravitated to the Greenwich Village beatnik scene. Initially, he participated in poetry readings, but then gravitated to folk music.  He attracted a following there and was signed by super-manager Albert Grossman, who also managed artists like Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary. 

Below is a photo of Richie Havens as most of the world was introduced to him: as the first performer at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. 

In the late 1960s, Richie Havens was not widely known outside East Coast folk music circles.  However, that all changed radically after his performance at Woodstock in 1969.  Havens was the first performer during the Woodstock Festival.  He was scheduled to perform a short set; however, the crowds were so enormous that all the roads leading into the festival were blocked. 

The net result was that subsequent performers were caught in massive traffic jams, and had to be helicoptered in to the festival.  The organizers asked Richie to prolong his set until the next performers could arrive. 

Not only did Richie Havens perform for three hours at Woodstock, but his live performance was one of the highlights of the Woodstock movie.  After Havens completely exhausted his repertoire of songs, he improvised a song on the spot, using the traditional spiritual Motherless Child as a template.  This became Freedom, one of Havens’ signature songs.  

His electrifying performance at Woodstock made Havens into an international celebrity, and he enjoyed a long and notable career thereafter.  Richie Havens developed a unique playing style, which led him to be very creative in his music. 

For example, he taught himself an “open-tuning” guitar-playing style.  By re-tuning the strings on his guitar, he was able to play a number of chords just by strumming the guitar and sliding his thumb up and down the neck of his instrument. 

One result was that Havens’ music is almost never a direct copy of another tune.  He brings a thoughtful and intriguing character to virtually every one of his songs. This is evident in his live version of Teach Your Children. Although this is just the audio, Havens supplies his unique open-tuning style to this tune.

Isn’t this terrific?  Richie Havens takes a great song from Graham Nash, and converts it to a totally different but equally impressive tune.  Accompanied by acoustic guitar, bass and conga drum, Havens produces a slow-paced but deeply moving song about communication between generations. 

Richie Havens was also a political activist.  He was very energetic in organizing for environmental issues, in fact he founded an oceanographic children’s museum located on City Island in the Bronx.  In addition, Richie performed at Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993, and he was a headliner at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in 1999. 

In April 2013, Richie Havens died of a heart attack at his home in New Jersey.  He was 72 years old.  He will be remembered as a cerebral and vibrant singer-songwriter. 

Wikipedia, Teach Your Children

Wikipedia, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Jim Farber, David Crosby, Folk-Rock Voice of the 1960s Whose Influence Spanned Decades, Dies at 81, New York Times Jan. 19, 2023

Wikipedia, Hanson (band)

Wikipedia, Richie Havens

Don’t Stop: Fleetwood Mac; Status Quo; Elton John

Hello there!  Our latest post features an iconic pop song, Don’t Stop.  We first review the original by Fleetwood Mac.  Then we discuss a contribution by Status Quo; and we finish with a cover by Elton John. 

Christine McVie, the keyboardist from Fleetwood Mac, wrote this song.  She passed away on Nov. 30, 2022 at the age of 79.  We dedicate this post to her.    

Fleetwood Mac and Don’t Stop:  

In this post we will focus on the life and career of Fleetwood Mac member and songwriter Christine McVie.  She was born Christine Perfect in England in July 1943.  Her father was a college music professor.  Although Christine was trained in classical music, at the age of 15 she discovered the work of Fats Domino.  After that, it was blues keyboards for Ms. Perfect.  Here is a photo of Christine McVie from the 1990s. 

Christine was performing as a keyboardist and vocalist for the band Chicken Shack when she left the group after marrying John McVie, the bassist for Fleetwood Mac. That band had formed in 1967 and was named for its drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie.  After their lead guitarist Peter Green left in 1970, they invited Christine McVie to join their group. 

From 1970 until 1975, Fleetwood Mac experienced some chaotic times. The band hit rock bottom in 1974, when their manager Clifford Davis sent a ‘fake Fleetwood Mac’ out on tour. Davis told those musicians that the other members of the band had quit, and that Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie would be joining them shortly, which was a bald-faced lie. 

But at the end of 1974 the band added American guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and his girlfriend and musical partner Stevie Nicks. This produced the “classic lineup” of Fleetwood Mac.  That group is shown in the photo below, circa 1975.  From L: John McVie; Christine McVie; Stevie Nicks; Mick Fleetwood; Lindsey Buckingham. 

In 1975, the group released an eponymous album that became a blockbuster. The album sold 5 million copies, with two big single hits (Over My Head and Say You Love Me) written by Christine McVie. 

Their first big album turned Fleetwood Mac into rock superstars. Unfortunately, all of their personal lives cratered just as they reached the pinnacle of commercial success.  Christine and John McVie divorced, in large part due to John’s serious addiction issues with drugs and alcohol. But everyone in the band was floating along on a sea of drugs and alcohol in Sausalito, California, where Rumours was recorded.  Nicks and Buckingham’s romantic relationship also imploded.  And Mick Fleetwood separated from his wife. 

To top off this hot mess, Mick Fleetwood had an affair with Stevie Nicks.  You would think Mick would know better; a few years back he had fired his bandmate and best friend for sleeping with his wife. But at this time, Mick was consuming enormous amounts of cocaine, so perhaps his judgment was clouded. 

In spring 1977, Fleetwood Mac released another album, Rumours.  This behemoth has now sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.  However, Rumours was also the ultimate “tell-all” record, containing numerous songs that detailed the chaos within the band.  One of the more famous was the third single from Rumours, Christine McVie’s song Don’t Stop. 

If you wake up and don’t want to smile
If it takes just a little while
Open your eyes and look at the day
You’ll see things in a different way

[CHORUS] Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow
Don’t stop, it’ll soon be here
It’ll be better than before
Yesterday’s gone, yesterday’s gone

Why not think about times to come?
And not about the things that you’ve done
If your life was bad to you
Just think what tomorrow will do

[CHORUS]

All I want is to see you smile
If it takes just a little while
I know you don’t believe that it’s true
I never meant any harm to you

Don’t Stop made it to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts in October 1977.  Here is Fleetwood Mac in a live performance of Don’t Stop. 

This is from a concert after their album Tusk was released in 1979.  This time the band is joined by the USC marching band, so the sound is considerably bolder than on the Rumours album.  The song begins with a drum riff from the hyper-caffeinated Mick Fleetwood. Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie split the lead vocals on this one, with Lindsey taking the first verse, Christine the second and they join together on the third verse.

At the time this song was recorded, Christine was having an affair with the lighting director for the band.  She says that Don’t Stop was in part a message to her ex-husband John McVie – Christine had moved on from their eight-year marriage and was urging John to do the same.   

On the album, Christine plays piano and Vox Continental on Don’t Stop.  The Vox Continental was an interesting instrument.  It was designed as an alternative to the Hammond B3 organ, as it was lighter and more suitable to take on tour.  It was manufactured by the British musical equipment company Vox. In the 60s and 70s, it became popular with various rock bands.  For example, the Beatles’ Think For Yourself and I’m Down featured the Vox Continental, as did The Animals’ House of the Rising Sun and The Doors’ Light My Fire.  The Vox corporation went bankrupt in 1971.  However, more recently Arturia has issued an instrument designed to sound like the original Vox Continental; below is a photo of the Arturia Vox Continental V. 

Don’t Stop gained another round of fame in 1992, when it became the theme song for Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign.  The song was played at the 1992 Democratic National Convention in New York, and it was very popular at Clinton rallies during his campaign.  After Clinton took office in 1993, he persuaded the five members of Fleetwood Mac to re-unite to perform the song at his inaugural ball (the band had dissolved in 1987).  So here is Fleetwood Mac performing Don’t Stop live at the Clinton inaugural. 

The band is a bit rusty after a long layoff, but the audience is still having a great time.  We see the Clintons and Gores clapping and singing along with Fleetwood Mac.   

Given the toxic combination of personal turmoil and rampant substance abuse, it is amazing that the band stayed together for another 10 years before dissolving in 1987.  In 1997 Fleetwood Mac reunited for a new album, The Dance, and a world tour. 

In 1998, Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  This induction included both the original lineup (Mick, John, Peter Green, Danny Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer), as well as the “classic lineup” with Christine, Stevie and Lindsey. 

Christine McVie left the group in 1998.  She returned to England, in part to get away from the band’s residence in Los Angeles and in part because she had developed a serious fear of flying. However, Christine re-joined the band in 2014. Then, in a shocking move, the group fired Lindsey Buckingham in 2018. He had been replaced on tour by Mike Campbell, former lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and Neil Finn, former lead singer for Crowded House. 

Christine McVie passed away on November 22, 2022.  At this time we don’t know any more details about her cause of death.  She was a valuable member of Fleetwood Mac; in fact she wrote eight of the sixteen songs on the group’s Greatest Hits compilation.  Her songwriting skills, keyboard work and vocals were all part of the extraordinary body of work of one of the greatest groups of the “classic rock” era. 

Status Quo and Don’t Stop: 

Status Quo are a British rock group who have had a long history.  They were originally formed by Francis Rossi (lead guitar) and Alan Lancaster (bass) in 1962, when they were schoolboys.  So they are now celebrating their 60^th year as a rock band.   

After a few changes in both lineup and name of the band, the group settled on The Status Quo in 1967 (they would become simply “Status Quo” a year later). By then they had added John Coghlan on drums and Rick Parfitt on rhythm guitar. 

Below is a 60s photo of Status Quo, courtesy of Getty Images.  From L: John Coghlan; Alan Lancaster; Francis Rossi; Rick Parfitt. 

An interesting trivia note: in 1967 the group chose the name Traffic.  However, they lost a battle with Steve Winwood, who had chosen the identical name for his progressive-rock ensemble.

In 1968 the group joined the craze for psychedelic rock, and issued a song Pictures of Matchstick Men, which rose to #12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and became the only song by the band to crack the Billboard top 40. 

However, Status Quo then switched to a harder rock boogie sound, and they became British superstars.  They were one of those bands that had tremendous success in Britain while never denting the American pop charts. 

For example, I remember hearing about Status Quo but can’t remember any of their songs – although I have a hazy memory that perhaps I had listened to Pictures of Matchstick Men back in 1968, when I was a graduate student at Oxford. 

Here is Status Quo in a live performance of Don’t Stop. 

Status Quo has the composition of the classic five-man rock band: lead guitar; rhythm guitar; bass; drums and keyboards.  This is the title song from their 1996 album Don’t Stop, which was a collection of cover songs.  The band gives an energetic take on Don’t Stop.  However, it is rather derivative – for example, Francis Rossi’s guitar solo is almost note-for-note identical with Lindsey Buckingham’s solo on this tune.   

Status Quo is quite an enjoyable band.  I could see why they were so popular in the U.K., although it’s not really clear why they had so little commercial success in the States. 

In an amazing feat of longevity, Status Quo is still performing today, some 60 years after Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster formed a band in high school.  The group has sold nearly 120 million records and charted 22 top-10 hits in the U.K. playlists.  They have released 25 albums that made it to the top 10 in the British album charts. All told they have placed more than 60 songs in the U.K. charts, which is apparently the highest total ever (more than the Beatles??) 

Only Francis Rossi remains from the original band, although keyboard player Andy Bown has been playing with Status Quo since 1976.  Rhythm guitarist Rick Parfitt died of a heart attack in 2016 and original bassist Alan Lancaster died in 2021; we send our best wishes for continuing success to the surviving members of Status Quo. 

Elton John and Don’t Stop: 

Elton John is one of our favorite rock musicians. He was born Reginald Dwight in a suburb of London in 1947.  He adopted the stage name “Elton John” as a composite of Elton Dean, saxophonist in his first band, and blues singer and mentor Long John Baldry. 

At age 11, he was awarded a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music.  Elton recalls that he was not a diligent student and was not particularly attracted to classical music.  He subsequently left high school at age 17 to pursue a career in pop music. 

Below is a photo of Elton John in 1973.  This is the way I remember him – as the wild and crazy rocker sporting a feather boa, before his more sedate (but sober) recent appearances as Sir Elton John. Nothing seemed too outrageous in those days – gigantic embossed glasses; feather boas; ruffles and lace; you name it, Elton appeared in it.

A unique feature of Elton John’s career was his decades-long collaboration with lyricist Bernie Taupin.  The two were introduced in 1967 when each of them answered an ad for musicians in the British magazine New Musical Express. 

Following the first big Taupin-John hit Your Song in 1970, Elton John embarked on an incredibly productive and versatile career.  During the 70s he came out with one blockbuster album after another.  Taupin and John produced ballads, rocking tunes and funky cross-over hits. 

Elton’s outrageous behavior occurred during his ‘manic phase,’ a time when he was heavily into cocaine and sexually voracious.  Elton still marvels that he did not die of a cocaine overdose, or catch AIDS. The upside of this otherwise dangerous and destructive period was that Elton John was incredibly productive. 

Here is the audio of Elton John performing Don’t Stop.  This is from the album Legacy: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. 

This Fleetwood Mac tribute album was recorded in 1998.  Elton’s version of Don’t Stop is characterized by rather funky bass and drum lines, together with a variety of keyboards (various pianos and an organ).  The net result is a very enjoyable cover, that was produced by two of Elton’s long-time studio musicians and traveling band members, keyboardist Guy Babylon and guitarist Davey Johnstone. 

I want to end not with more discussion of Elton John’s musical accomplishments but a shout-out to his courage.  In the late 1980s, there was tremendous animosity towards the LGBTQ community.  This manifested itself strongly with the AIDS pandemic.  In 1980, Evangelical Christian leaders presented President Jimmy Carter with a petition demanding a halt to the gay rights movement.  Bob Jones III stated “God’s judgment is going to fall on America as on other societies that allowed homosexuality to become a protected way of life.”   Two years later, Ronald Reagan’s press secretary laughed when he was asked if Reagan was tracking the spread of AIDS.  Below is a poster criticizing New York mayor Rudy Giuliani’s lack of action to combat AIDS. 

Ryan White was an Indiana youth who had contracted AIDS through a tainted blood transfusion.  Elton John went out of his way to publicize Ryan’s case and to spread the word that AIDS could not be contracted through normal non-sexual contact.  Elton did this despite the fact that his outspoken association with Ryan and his mother could have had serious negative ramifications for his musical career.  In fact, Elton now states that his association with Ryan and his mother convinced him to change his way of life.  “I knew that my lifestyle was crazy and out of order,” said Elton.  “Six months later [after Ryan’s death], I got sober and clean and have been ever since.”  

Elton has continued his advocacy through the years.  He has raised a ton of money for AIDS research, and he has been at the center of efforts to aid the LGBTQ community.  When the surviving members of Queen set up a tribute concert to honor the memory of their lead singer Freddie Mercury, who died from AIDS, Elton John was the first person they invited to participate in the tribute concert.  The LGBTQ community had to work hard to overcome vicious anti-gay sentiment in England’s tabloid press and from anti-gay politicians such as Margaret Thatcher. 

We salute Sir Elton John both for his music and for his advocacy and charity efforts.    

Source Material:

Wikipedia, Don’t Stop (Fleetwood Mac song)

Wikipedia, Status Quo (band)

Wikipedia, Elton John

Christine McVie, Hitmaker for Fleetwood Mac, is Dead at 79, Jim Farber, New York Times, Nov. 30, 2022

Great Balls of Fire: Otis Blackwell; Jerry Lee Lewis; Sha Na Na

Hello there! In this week’s blog we consider the song Great Balls of Fire. This is one of the classic ‘roots’ rock ‘n’ roll songs. We will start with the original version by Otis Blackwell, who co-wrote the song. We will then discuss covers of that song by Jerry Lee Lewis, and Sha Na Na.

We originally released this post in 2016.  However, with the recent death of Jerry Lee Lewis in October 2022, we are re-issuing this post with some additional material about The Killer, Jerry Lee.  And we dedicate this post to that absolutely original rock ‘n roll/country artist.

Otis Blackwell and Great Balls of Fire:

The genesis of the song Great Balls of Fire came about through songwriter Earl Solomon Burroughs.  Burroughs, using the pseudonym Jack Hammer, wrote a song in the mid-50s called Great Balls of Fire, and submitted the song to fellow songwriter Paul Case. 

Case liked the name, but was not enamored of Hammer’s song; so he in turn contacted colleague Otis Blackwell.  Case requested that Blackwell write a song with this name, intending that the song be used in the 1957 rock ‘n roll movie Jamboree.  Blackwell wrote the song Great Balls of Fire, sharing the songwriting credits with “Jack Hammer.” Below is a photo of Otis Blackwell composing at a piano, taken circa 1957. 

The lyrics to Great Balls of Fire are rather simple.  The singer recounts the ways in which his lover thrills and un-nerves him. 

You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain
Too much love drives a man insane
You broke my will, oh what a thrill
Goodness gracious, great balls of fire

… You kissed me baby, woo, it feels good
Hold me baby, I wanna love you like a lover should. 
You’re fine, so kind,

I’m gonna tell this world that you’re mine, mine, mine, mine

The movie Jamboree was a typical rock and roll movie from the mid-50s.  A poster advertising that movie is shown below.  The film was based on a format popularized by Cleveland DJ Alan Freed, whom many credit as the “godfather of rock ‘n roll.”  However, this movie featured Freed’s arch-rival Dick Clark, who portrayed a DJ and host of the entertainment in the film. 

The 50s rock and roll movies served as publicity vehicles for the artists who were showcased.  There was hardly any plot to speak of, and the sparse dialogue was both cheesy and amateurish.  However, Jamboree featured a number of current artists including Fats Domino, Frankie Avalon, Count Basie’s orchestra, and Slim Whitman. 

In Jamboree, rockabilly star Carl Perkins was given his choice of two songs, Glad All Over and Blackwell’s Great Balls of Fire.  Although Perkins’ reaction was that “both of ‘em was junk,” the offer of a $1,000 fee was sufficiently sweet to entice him to perform Glad All Over (by the way, Perkins’ Glad All Over is an entirely different song from the Dave Clark Five hit of the same name). 

As a result, the song Great Balls of Fire was turned over to little-known rocker Jerry Lee Lewis.  This turned out to be yet another of the bad decisions and even worse luck that characterized Carl Perkins’ career.  While the song Glad All Over sunk without a trace, Great Balls of Fire became a smash hit for Jerry Lee. 

Great Balls of Fire sold a million copies in its first ten days after its release to the public.  At the time, this was one of the fastest-selling records ever; eventually it sold more than five million records. The song was also a gigantic cross-over hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard pop charts, #1 on the country list, and #3 on the R&B charts. 

To make matters even worse for poor Carl Perkins, his ‘flop’ Glad All Over later became a much more influential song.  In 1963, the Beatles recorded covers of Glad All Over on two occasions on the program The Beatles Live at the BBC.  George Harrison was lead vocalist on both of those songs.  Then in 1972, the Jeff Beck Group also produced a cover of Glad All Over on their album Orange, which was produced by Steve Cropper. 

Here is the audio of Otis Blackwell singing his version of Great Balls of Fire. 

Blackwell’s version of his own tune is played at a considerably faster tempo than Jerry Lee Lewis’ better-known cover of the song.  Although this version also includes a honky-tonk piano in the background, the instrumental backing primarily features the guitar.  This song features a couple of high-octane guitar solos, which are more hard-edged than the rockabilly guitar licks associated with artists like Carl Perkins.  

Although Otis Blackwell was not personally well known to the general public, and though his recordings of his own songs were rather unsuccessful, he was nevertheless one of the most influential songwriters in the early rock and roll period of the late 50s.  He was particularly successful with songs recorded by Elvis Presley, for whom he wrote All Shook Up, Don’t Be Cruel and Love Me Tender. 

In addition, Blackwell also had great success with the song Fever, co-written with Eddie Cooley, which turned into a monster hit in 1956 for Peggy Lee. He also wrote Breathless for Jerry Lee Lewis, and Handy Man which became a bit hit for Jimmy Jones. 

In 2002, Blackwell died of a heart attack and was buried in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. We salute him for his songwriting hits at the beginning of rock ‘n roll.   

Jerry Lee Lewis and Great Balls of Fire:

Jerry Lee Lewis was one of the great early stars of rock and roll.  He appeared suddenly in the mid-50s, and became an overnight sensation. His piano playing helped define rock and roll as a new and separate musical genre.  As we will see, Jerry Lee was a larger-than-life performer, whose career featured a number of dramatic twists and turns. 

Jerry Lee Lewis was born in 1935 in Concordia parish, Louisiana.  While young, Jerry Lee and his two cousins Mickey Gillis and Jimmy Swaggart became seriously interested in music.  Mickey and Jerry Lee would continue in music, while Jimmy later became a famous, indeed infamous, preacher and TV evangelist.  Below is a photo of Jerry Lee Lewis performing circa 1958. 

After Jerry Lee showed a serious interest in music, his parents, bless their souls, mortgaged their farm to buy him a piano.  But while Jerry Lee was interested in popular music, particularly R&B and country, his parents were thinking of gospel music for their boy. 

Jerry Lee subsequently enrolled at the Southwest Bible Institute.  Fortunately for all of us, he was expelled from the Bible college for playing boogie-woogie at a church assembly. With a vocation in the church closed off, Jerry Lee then began to play at clubs in Louisiana and Mississippi. 

In 1956 Jerry Lee moved up to Memphis, where he became a session musician for Sam Phillips’ Sun Records while he attempted to score a hit record.  Jerry Lee’s distinctive piano licks can be heard on Sun recordings of artists such as Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. 

At that time, rockabilly music tended to emphasize the guitar. But Jerry Lee Lewis’ distinctive piano licks were creative and notable, and began to influence other producers to add piano into their instrumental mix. 

In those beginning days, rock music was a distillation of several different genres of popular music, including big bands, folk and country music, jazz, and rhythm and blues.  When I consider the importance of keyboards in rock music, I think of three major early influences. 

Jerry Lee Lewis would be one of the greatest exemplars for piano and keyboards in rock music.  The other two I would add are Johnnie Johnson, pianist and leader of a pop group that was taken over by Chuck Berry, and southern R&B artist Little Richard. 

Jerry Lee Lewis’ piano style was an over-the-top combination of boogie-woogie stride piano, which is characterized by a regular left hand bass figure and dancing beat. Jerry Lee combined this with elements he absorbed from his Southern gospel upbringing. 

In Lewis’ talented hands, the results were electrifying.  He was an incendiary showman who often played with his fists, elbows, feet, and backside, sometimes climbing on top of the piano during gigs and even apocryphally setting it on fire.

For many artists, Jerry Lee Lewis was the definition of rock and roll piano artistry.  Young musician Elton John recounted that My dad collected George Shearing records, but this was the first time I heard someone beat the shit out of a piano. When I saw Little Richard at the Harrow Granada, he played it standing up, but Jerry Lee Lewis actually jumped on the piano! … Those records had such a huge effect on me. 

The following clip shows Jerry Lee Lewis performing two of his biggest hits, Great Balls of Fire and Breathless, on the Dick Clark Show in 1958. 

I greatly enjoy this video, even though what we view here is the “restrained” Jerry Lee.  No jumping on the top of the piano, no playing the piano with his feet, elbows, or butt – just The Killer pounding away at the keyboard, accompanied only by guitar and drums. 

This clip is a great introduction to Jerry Lee’s playing style.  It clearly originates with boogie-woogie piano, but Lewis has subtly transformed it into rock and roll.  You can also see why he earned the appellation as “rock and roll’s first wild man.”  Perhaps more precisely, he should be credited as “rock and roll’s first white wild man,” since artists like Little Richard and James Brown were also capable of whipping their audiences into a frenzy. 

It’s also neat to see the reaction of the kids in the audience.  The boys are nearly all dressed in coats and ties, but they are clearly loving the excitement and sexual tension that were so evident in Jerry Lee’s songs. 

In fact, several radio stations refused to play Jerry Lee Lewis’ records on the grounds that they were too sexually explicit.  Well, duh –sexual innuendo was an important element in 50s rock and roll, particularly when expressed by artists like Elvis and Jerry Lee. 

His huge hits in the mid-50s made Jerry Lee Lewis a celebrity, as he experienced a meteoric rise to super-stardom.  However, in 1958 his career suddenly hit the rocks.  As he embarked upon a tour of England, a reporter inquired about Lewis’ recent wife, Myra Gale Brown.  Below is a photo of Jerry Lee Lewis and his wife Myra in 1958. 

It was revealed that Myra, Jerry Lee’s third wife and his first cousin once removed, was just 13 (while Jerry Lee was 22).  When news of Myra’s age became known, Lewis was immediately enveloped in scandal.  He had to cut short his British tour after just 3 shows. And it didn’t help when it was later revealed that Jerry Lee was not yet divorced from his second wife when he married Myra.  

When he returned to the States, Jerry Lee’s American career also underwent a catastrophic decline.  He was blacklisted from the radio, and Dick Clark dropped him from American Bandstand.  Lewis also felt that his producer, Sun Records’ chief Sam Phillips, had betrayed him. 

Almost overnight, Jerry Lee Lewis went from headlining the top rock and roll shows, to showing up at juke joints.  It took him a few years to get out of his Sun Records contract and on his feet again. 

Then, paradoxically, in late 1963 British Invasion artists like the Beatles and Rolling Stones, for whom Jerry Lee Lewis was a major inspirational figure, came along and essentially wiped out Jerry Lee’s comeback attempt. So, Jerry Lee experienced a real roller-coaster ride, from a young unknown artist to worldwide superstar, and then back into obscurity.  However, he faced even more hurdles in his life. 

An important issue was that Jerry Lee Lewis was seriously conflicted about his music.  He had been brought up in a deeply religious family, and it was apparent to him that his choice of rock and roll meant that he was playing “the Devil’s music.”  Jerry Lee’s cousin, noted evangelical preacher Jimmy Swaggart, never failed to remind him of his sinful ways. 

In addition, Jerry Lee had major issues with both alcohol and pills.  He was not only a wild man onstage, but a prodigious drinker offstage as well.  He also took copious quantities of amphetamines to fuel his manic lifestyle. “That was blues and yellows time…. I tell you, greatest pills ever made,” he says. … That would keep me going. Desbutal. Man, you couldn’t beat the Desbutal. Went hundreds of miles a day on them… biphetamines [black beauties], Placidyls, up and down. I took ’em all.”

But in the late 60s, just when it appeared that Jerry Lee was pretty much through in rock and roll, he re-surfaced as a country artist.  His new career began with a couple of surprise country hits.  Then it turned out that his songs were extremely popular with country fans. 

A defining event for Jerry Lee was his first appearance on Grand Ole Opry in 1973.  Back in 1955, near the beginning of his career, the unknown artist Jerry Lee Lewis had played some clubs in Nashville, and then interviewed for Grand Ole Opry. 

Not only was Jerry Lee turned down for an appearance on both Grand Ole Opry and Louisiana Hayride country shows, but they suggested that he consider switching from piano to guitar!  So when Grand Ole Opry finally brought him onstage in 1973, Jerry Lee had something to prove.  He introduced himself as follows:   “Let me tell ya something about Jerry Lee Lewis, ladies and gentlemen: I am a rock and rollin’, country-and-western, rhythm and blues-singin’ motherfucker!”

While typical Grand Ole Opry performances consisted of two songs and lasted no more than eight minutes, Lewis played for 40 minutes … He also blasted through … a host of his classics before leaving the stage to a thunderous standing ovation.

For the past 40 years, Jerry Lee Lewis continued on as a living legend in rock and roll.  He was one of the inaugural group of artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. 

In May 2013 he opened a club in Memphis, and he performed there until a serious stroke sidelined him in 2019.  As befits the title of his 2006 album, Jerry Lee Lewis was truly the Last Man Standing.  He died of unknown causes in October 2022.  Jerry Lee survived a lifetime of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and bless his soul, he is now playing in Rock ‘n Roll Heaven.      

Sha Na Na and Great Balls of Fire:

Sha Na Na is an American rock and roll group.  They were formed in the late 1960s.  They were initially members of an a capella group at Columbia University called The Kingsmen (no relation to the Seattle one-hit-wonder rock group of the same name, who recorded the garage-band classic Louie Louie). 

In 1969, Columbia grad student George Leonard formed a band, and they began giving concerts in the New York City area.  The band quickly achieved cult status when they appeared at the Woodstock Festival in August, 1969.  Below is the advertising poster for Woodstock, which was designed by Arnold Skolnick. Sha Na Na appeared immediately before Jimi Hendrix on the program.  The group was featured in the concert film Woodstock, where they performed a frenetic version of the Danny & the Juniors song At The Hop. 

At that time, Sha Na Na had roughly a dozen performers.  Typically, three of them were dressed in tight-fitting gold lame outfits, while the remaining members appeared in 50s “greaser” attire.  Below is a photo of Sha Na Na from about 1970. 

Sha Na Na had a dramatic impact on popular culture.  Their focus on fifties rock and roll helped spark a 1950s nostalgia craze that inspired similar groups in North America, as well as the Broadway musical Grease, the feature film American Graffiti and the TV show Happy Days.

Sha Na Na appeared in the 1978 movie Grease, as the (fictional) band Johnny Casino and the Gamblers.  There, they sang two songs from the Broadway play of the same name, and also versions of four 50s oldies. 

Here is the band Sha Na Na singing a live cover of Great Balls of Fire.  The song features Screamin’ Scott Simon on piano and lead vocals. 

The group hosted a self-titled TV variety show from 1977 to 1981.  The show had high ratings, and generally featured a series of 50s songs, sketches and guest artists. 

My reaction to Sha Na Na hinges on the issue of whether their music represents an appreciation of 50s rock, for which I enjoy them.  On the other hand, their act could be seen as a parody of rock music, in which case I am sort of offended. 

It appears that their music is partly an affectionate look backward, and partly parody.  The “parody” aspects seemed to be more strongly emphasized in the band’s TV show.  This was particularly true with two of the most popular cast members at that time, bass singer Jon “Bowzer” Bauman and pianist Screamin’ Scott Simon. 

Although some of the group members have been successful in the music business, it should not be surprising that a singing group composed of Columbia University students would produce several notable alumni. 

For example, former Sha Na Na members included physicians (notably a sports medicine physician who serves on the medical staff for our national soccer team), lawyers (e.g., the VP for production and features at Columbia Pictures), and professors (faculty in linguistics, English, and religious studies). 

Sha Na Na still continues to perform today, although they have now undergone dozens of changes in personnel.  We appreciate their energetic performances of Doo Wop and other early rock music.

Source Material:

Wikipedia, Otis Blackwell

Wikipedia, Jamboree (1957 movie)

Wikipedia, Jerry Lee Lewis

Wikipedia, Sha Na Na

William Grimes, Jerry Lee Lewis, a Rock ‘n’ Roll Original, Dies at 87, New York Times, Oct. 28, 2022

Piano Man: Billy Joel; Elton John & Billy Joel

Hello there!  Our latest post features a great pop song, Piano Man.  We first review the original by Billy Joel.  Then we discuss a contribution by Elton John and Billy Joel from their joint Face to Face concert tours.    

Billy Joel and Piano Man:  

Billy Joel is an American singer-songwriter.  He has had an extraordinary career, and has emerged as one of the best-selling musicians of all time. 

Joel was born in the Bronx in May 1949, and raised in Levittown, Long Island.  His father was a classical pianist who emigrated from Germany after the Nazis came to power. 

Bill’s mother forced him to take piano lessons as a child.  Although Joel resisted this, he nevertheless became an accomplished piano player. 

In high school, Bill performed at a piano bar as a means of raising some extra money.  Unfortunately, this resulted in poor attendance at school.  As a result, he came up short of the credits required to graduate from Hicksville High School. 

Joel reports that his response to not graduating was: ‘To hell with it. If I’m not going to Columbia University, I’m going to Columbia Records, and you don’t need a high school diploma over there’.” Apparently Bill was inspired to pursue a career in music after watching the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. 

Billy Joel joined several bands, in search of fame and fortune.  Although he found some work as a session musician, initially he found no commercial success.  Below is a photo of Billy Joel, early in his career.

In 1969 Billy Joel joined forces with drummer Jon Small to form the duo Attila.  They disbanded after Joel had an affair with Small‘s wife, Elizabeth Weber; Elizabeth eventually became Billy Joel’s first wife.

Billy landed a contract with a small record company, and began recording and touring.  His first big break came when a Philadelphia DJ began playing Joel’s song Captain Jack. Most people agree that Captain Jack refers to heroin; but I remember when it was thought that it might refer to a sex toy, or something else entirely.    

Captain Jack became a popular hit on the East Coast.  At that time Billy moved to L.A., at least in part to escape a record contract with Family Productions, whose production of Joel’s first album had flopped. In order to make ends meet, Billy worked at the Executive Room piano bar on Wilshire Boulevard for six months during 1972-73. In order to disguise from his record company the fact that he had moved to LA, he performed at the piano bar under the name Bill Martin (Martin is Joel’s middle name). 

Billy Joel wrote the song Piano Man about his experiences at the Executive Room. The lyrics from Piano Man give a graphic description of a lounge singer working at a piano bar.

It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday
The regular crowd shuffles in
There’s an old man sittin’ next to me
Makin’ love to his tonic and gin

He says, “Son can you play me a memory?
I’m not really sure how it goes
But it’s sad and it’s sweet and I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man’s clothes”

[Chorus] La, la-la, di-di-da
La-la di-di-da da-dum

Sing us a song, you’re the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we’re all in the mood for a melody
And you’ve got us feelin’ alright

Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
He gets me my drinks for free
And he’s quick with a joke, or to light up your smoke
But there’s some place that he’d rather be

He says, “Bill, I believe this is killing me”
As a smile ran away from his face
“Well, I’m sure that I could be a movie star
If I could get out of this place”

Joel notes that the people described in Piano Man were actual folks who were regulars at the Executive Room. As just one example, the waitress who “is practicing politics” refers to his first wife Elizabeth Weber, who worked at the lounge while Billy performed. 

Piano Man was released as a single in November, 1973 and was the title tune from Billy Joel’s 1973 Columbia Records album. The song has become an iconic hit and Billy’s signature tune.  However, it was initially only a minor hit, and peaked at #25 on the Billboard charts. 

The original tune ran to 5:37, which Columbia Records deemed too long for a pop song.  For the single release they cropped a couple of the verses and cut it to 4:30. They also released a 45 single of the song that cut it even further to 3:16. 

Here is Billy Joel in a live performance of Piano Man from 1976. 

This was an appearance on the Tonight Show.  Bill stars on piano and harmonica on this tune. It is a waltz that features a series of notes declining down the scale, and the melody will stick in your head for weeks.   

By now, Piano Man has become one of the great pop standards.  It is one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, and in 2015 the Library of Congress named it to its National Recording Registry, labeling it “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” 

Billy returned to New York in 1975, where he made two decisions that had a major effect on his career.  First, he assembled a group of musicians who would become the Billy Joel band.  Second, he began to collaborate with Phil Ramone, who would produce his records for the next 11 years.  

Billy Joel then proceeded to release a number of blockbuster albums. The first was the 1977 release The Stranger.  That album produced four top-25 singles and reached #2 on the Billboard album charts.  The album outsold Columbia’s previous best-selling record, Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water. 

Billy Joel then became a pop superstar.  At that time, Piano Man became Joel’s signature tune and the final song he would perform in his concerts.  His fans know the words by heart and sing along with him.  

For the next couple of decades, Billy Joel had his finger on the pulse of contemporary America.  He could write beautiful sentimental ballads such as She’s Got A Way and Just The Way You Are. He provided caustic commentary on America’s social and military history in Allentown, Good Night Saigon, and We Didn’t Start The Fire. 

He also produced songs that skewered American social and cultural mores, such as Only The Good Die Young, Big Shot, and The Entertainer. Later in his career, while he was married to Christie Brinkley, Joel even harked back to his doo-wop roots with songs like Uptown Girl and The Longest Time. 

In 2014, the New Yorker ran a profile of Billy Joel titled Billy Joel, 33-Hit Wonder.  Author Nick Paumgarten pointed out that following an extraordinary career as a singer-songwriter, Joel had not written an original hit for nearly 20 years (nearly 30 years by now). 

However, he has continued many successful tours during this period.  Among these were a number of the afore-mentioned Face To Face tours with Elton John.  Since 2014, Billy Joel has been playing roughly one concert every month in Madison Square Garden.  The concerts have become exceptionally popular events. Billy can no longer hit the high notes, so the songs are performed in a lower key, but otherwise the arrangements are nearly identical to the original tunes.

Billy Joel is currently a “living national treasure,” a singer-songwriter who wrote and performed a series of brilliant tunes over a 20-year period from roughly 1970-1990. Thanks for the memories, Bill — “We’re all in the mood for a melody, and you’ve got us feelin’ alright!”   

Elton John & Billy Joel and Piano Man: 

Elton John is one of our favorite rock musicians. He was born Reginald Dwight in a suburb of London in 1947.  He adopted the stage name “Elton John” as a composite of Elton Dean, saxophonist in his first band, and blues singer and mentor Long John Baldry. 

At age 11, he was awarded a junior scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music.  Elton recalls that he was not a diligent student and was not particularly attracted to classical music.  He subsequently left high school at age 17 to pursue a career in pop music. 

Below is a photo of Elton John in 1973.  This is the way I remember him – as the wild and crazy rocker sporting a feather boa, before his more sedate (but sober) recent appearances as Sir Elton John. Nothing seemed too outrageous in those days – gigantic embossed glasses; feather boas; ruffles and lace; you name it, Elton appeared in it.

A unique feature of Elton John’s career was his decades-long collaboration with lyricist Bernie Taupin.  The two were introduced in 1967 when each of them answered an ad for musicians in the British magazine New Musical Express. Taupin would mail sets of lyrics to Elton, who supplied the melodies that produced ballads, rocking tunes and funky cross-over hits (the two never collaborated in person).

Following the first big Taupin-John hit Your Song in 1970, Elton John embarked on an incredibly productive and versatile career.  During the 70s he came out with one blockbuster album after another. 

Elton’s outrageous behavior occurred during his ‘manic phase,’ a time when he was heavily into cocaine and sexually voracious.  Elton still marvels that he did not die of a cocaine overdose, or catch AIDS. The upside of this otherwise dangerous and destructive period was that Elton John was incredibly productive. 

I have vivid memories of one of the Face To Face tours that paired Billy Joel with Elton John.  I was visiting Adelaide University in South Australia in March 1998, doing physics research, when I noticed that the Elton John-Billy Joel concert would be playing at the Adelaide Oval cricket grounds. 

Alas, the ticket prices ($400 Australian and up) were out of my league.  However, on the evening of the concert I wandered past the Adelaide Oval.  To my great delight, a gigantic pair of video screens were mounted directly behind the stage. 

Although I could not see either of the performers directly, I had a great view of them onscreen; and even outside the cricket venue, the sound was terrific.  I sat on the grass and thoroughly enjoyed watching Joel and John play selections of their own and each other’s greatest hits, and perform several duets. 

The final set of encores featured a number of favorites, and the concert concluded with Piano Man.  Here are Elton John and Billy Joel performing Piano Man on one of their Face to Face tours.

Elton and Billy trade verses and join in together on the chorus. They both noodle on their pianos while Billy plays harmonica.  They portray a sense of great friendship and camaraderie, which is heightened when Elton screws up the lyrics near the end.  And the audience loves it. 

Sadly, the Face to Face tours did not leave Elton and Billy as great friends.  Elton, who has now maintained his sobriety for decades, has criticized Joel for his alcoholism.  And Joel, who swears that he now drinks only wine, and in moderation, responded angrily to Elton’s claim that Billy never took his rehab stints in 2002 and 2005 seriously.  

In any case, fans loved seeing the two most famous “piano men” on the planet performing “Face to Face” in concert. We salute Elton and Billy – two pop superstars. 

Source Material:

Wikipedia, Piano Man (song)

Wikipedia, Billy Joel

Wikipedia, Elton John

Nick Paumgarten, Billy Joel, Thirty-Three-Hit Wonder, The New Yorker, Oct. 27, 2014

Judith Durham and The Seekers

Hello there!  Our latest post is somewhat different from our usual formal, where we pick a single song and find a couple of interesting covers of the same song.  This time our blog features a single group, The Seekers, and their lead singer Judith Durham.  As Judith recently passed away, we dedicate this post to her memory.    

As soon as he saw the news release, my friend Rich Sorensen contacted me.  He remembered our fondness for The Seekers back in the 60s, and he knew that I would want to write a blog post about the group and their lead singer, Judith Durham, who had just passed away. 

The Seekers were an Australian folk-pop singing group.  They were initially a trio formed by Bruce Woodley, Keith Potger, and Athol Guy. All three had been high school classmates in Melbourne. 

When the group’s lead singer quite, the Seekers then added singer Judith Durham.  She was born Judith Cock in July 1943 in Essendon, Australia.  Her musical talent and perfect pitch were noticed at a very early age.  Durham became a jazz vocalist, and was already an established singer when she joined The Seekers.  This was a very fortuitous move: Athol Guy was an account executive at the Melbourne branch of J. Walter Thompson, and Judith was working as a secretary at that firm.   

Below is a photo of The Seekers. From L: bassist Athol Guy; vocalist Judith Durham; Keith Potger, who played twelve-string guitar and banjo; and guitarist Bruce Woodley.

The group’s fortunes really took off when they traveled to Britain and met Tom Springfield. Springfield was an established folk singer and songwriter, who had led the British folk group The Springfields along with his sister Dusty. Tom Springfield presented The Seekers with one of his songs, I’ll Never Find Another You.  That song became a surprise smash hit in 1965, reaching #1 on both the U.K. and Australian pop charts, and making it to #4 on the U.S. Billboard charts. 

The lyrics for I’ll Never Find Another You are pretty standard folk-music fare.  They paint a picture of a relationship so strong and nurturing that it can never be equaled. 

There’s a new world somewhere
They call the promised land
And I’ll be there someday
If you could hold my hand

I still need you there beside me
No matter what I do
For I know I’ll never find another you

There is always someone
For each of us, they say
And you’ll be my someone
Forever and a day

I could search the whole world over
Until my life is through
But I know I’ll never find another you

It’s a long, long journey
So stay by my side
When I walk through the storm
You’ll be my guide, be my guide

Here are The Seekers in a performance of I’ll Never Find Another You. 

This is “enhanced video” (translation: lip-synched music video). The notion behind the video is that The Seekers are making the final take of this song in the Abbey Road Studios in fall 1964.  Although I am not a fan of lip-synched music, I do appreciate that the sound has been re-mastered in stereo, and the audio quality is first-rate. 

The Seekers are quite competent instrumentalists and singers; they provide a steady beat and propel the song forward.  But it should be pretty obvious that the best thing about The Seekers is Judith Durham’s lovely vocals, which are clear as a bell, bright and upbeat.  Tom Springfield’s melody is also catchy and uplifting.  No wonder the song shot up to the top of the pop charts in several countries.   

The Seekers then became a major success, naturally in their native Australia, but also in the U.K. and around the world. The publication New Musical Express named The Seekers the Best New Group of 1965, and in 1966 they appeared at a concert in London’s Wembley Arena that included The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield and The Animals. The Seekers thus became Australia’s first big internationally successful pop group.  

Springfield subsequently wrote two more of the Seekers’ biggest hits, A World of Our Own and Georgy Girl (Springfield wrote the melody and Jim Dale the lyrics for Georgy Girl).  The latter tune was the title song for a bittersweet British comedy starring James Mason, Lynn Redgrave and Alan Bates. The song was nominated for an Academy Award in 1967, and it peaked at #2 on the U.S. Billboard charts and made the top 3 in both Britain and Australia.  Above is a photo of Alan Bates and Lynn Redgrave in Georgy Girl. 

Here are The Seekers in a performance of Georgy Girl. 

This is from a free concert The Seekers performed in 1967 in Melbourne.  The crowd of 200,000 was at that time a record audience in the Southern Hemisphere. Once again, The Seekers produce a lively and memorable version of this Tom Springfield song (and once again, this is a lip-synched version of an otherwise live tune). The song features an insistent whistling background, and as always Judith Durham’s vocals are superb.

I have always enjoyed Judith Durham’s bright, clear, easily recognizable voice.  Paired with the group’s traditional folk arrangements (very similar to those of The Kingston Trio or Peter, Paul & Mary), and combined with Tom Springfield’s songwriting, this made for a very appealing combination. 

For many people, this amount of fame and fortune would drive them to even greater success.  However, Judith Durham found the spotlight to be oppressive.  She was concerned about her weight, and designed her own floor-length skirts in an attempt to look slimmer.  She felt that she looked frumpy when compared to her elegantly dressed band-mates, and she convinced herself that “these guys don’t really need me.”  

Judith Durham left The Seekers in July, 1968.  Although the group then attempted to continue with a replacement singer, it proved impossible for them to find a lead singer of comparable stature to Ms. Durham.  

The group soldiered along, picking up new members along the way, and then in 1993 the four members of the original Seekers re-united for a Silver Reunion Celebration tour.  That tour was sufficiently successful that the group continued on tour for another eleven years. 

Over the years, The Seekers sold roughly 50 million records.  They also paved the way for later Aussie groups such as The Bee Gees and Olivia Newton-John.  On August 5, 2022, Judith Durham died from bronchiectasis, a lung disease that makes it difficult for the lungs to clear mucus. With this disease, the patient has a cough that can persist for years, and produces copious quantities of phlegm. 

Apparently Ms. Durham had suffered from this condition since a very early age.  She provided us with some lovely songs and we salute her, together with her band-mates in The Seekers. 

Source Material:

Wikipedia, I’ll Never Find Another You

Wikipedia, The Seekers

Wikipedia, Judith Durham

Alex Williams, Judith Durham, Singer of ‘Georgy Girl’ and Other Hits, Dies at 79, New York Times, August 9, 2022