1891 Frank Hutchison*
1909 Frank Edwards*
1915 Rosetta Tharpe*
1935 Sam Lay*
1937 Eddie Shaw*
1948 Marva Wright*
1949 Marcia Ball*
1951 Jimmie Vaughan*
1958 Victor Uris*
1994 Jay Gaunt*
1997 Ronnie Barron+
2008 Skeeter Brandon+ *1949
2009 Mel Brown+
Happy Birthday
Frank Hutchison *20.03.1891
Frank Hutchison (* 20. März 1897 im Raleigh County, West Virginia; † 9. November 1945 in Dayton, Ohio) war ein US-amerikanischer Old-Time-Musiker. Der stark vom Blues beeinflusste Hutchison gilt als innovativer und einflussreicher Musiker auf der Slide-Gitarre.
Kindheit und Jugend
Hutchison wurde 1897 im Raleigh County geboren, aber kurz danach zog seine Familie ins Logan County. Als Kind lernte er Mundharmonika und später Gitarre zu spielen. Die schwarzen Minenarbeiter Henry Vaughan und Bill Hunt beeinflussten Hutchins später immens – vor allem Hunt brachte Hutchison viele Blues-Songs bei, darunter auch Worried Blues und The Train That Carried the Girl from Town (die Hutchison später auf Platte aufnahm). Als junger Mann begann er, in den Minen des Logan County zu arbeiten, in denen er möglicherweise einen Arbeitsunfall erlitt, da Zeitgenossen in Interviews später aussagten, Hutchison habe gehinkt.
Karriere
Nebenbei trat er im Logan County in Kinos und auf Tanzabenden auf, die ihm bereits lokale Bekanntheit verschafften. Im Herbst 1926 reiste Hutchison nach New York City, wo er am 28. September seine ersten beiden Titel Worried Blues / Train That Carried the Girl from Town für OKeh Records einspielte. Die Verkäufe der Platte waren gut, sodass OKeh im Februar 1927 eine weitere Session für Hutchison organisierte, auf der er neun weitere Stücke einspielte. Unter ihnen befanden sich traditionelle Stücke wie The Wild Horse oder Gitarren-Rags wie der West Virginia Rag. Letzterer wurde von Hutchison mit einem Text, den er selbst gedichtet hatte, auf der gleichen Session unter dem Titel Coney Isle erneut aufgenommen. Cowboy Copas benannte das Stück 1960 in Alabam um und hatte damit einen großen Hit.
Hutchison stieg mit seinen Platten zu einem von Okehs erfolgreichsten Old-Time-Musikern auf. Viele seine Stücke beinhalteten viele Elemente des Blues, nicht zuletzt auch durch Hutchisons Slide-Stil auf der Gitarre. Er legte das Instrument wie eine Steel Guitar auf seine Beine und spielte die Töne mit einem Metallstab, wie seine damalige Freundin Jennie Wilson sich erinnerte. Hutchison gilt damit als erster weißer Musiker, der in diesem Stil Plattenaufnahmen machte.
Bis 1929 nahm Hutchison weitere Platten für OKeh auf, darunter der Logan County Blues, ein Gitarrenstück, das nach Hutchisons Heimat benannt ist, Lonesome Valley und Neueinspielungen von Worried Blues und The Train That Carried the Girl from Town sowie einige Stücke mit dem Fiddler Sherman Lawson. Seine letzte Session spielte Hutchison im Juli 1929 ein. Seine letzte Aufnahme war der K.C. Blues, eine Instrumentalversion des Traditionals John Henry.
Die Weltwirtschaftskrise zerstörte Hutchisons Plattenkarriere. Nach seinen letzten Aufnahmen der OKeh Medicine Show zusammen mit einigen anderen Old-Time-Musikern, die für OKeh unter Vertrag standen, machte er nie wieder weitere Aufnahmen. 1934 zog Hutchison zusammen mit seiner Familie erst nach Chesapeake, Ohio, dann aber wieder zurück nach Lake, West Virginia, wo er einen kleinen Laden besaß und als Postbeamter arbeitete. 1942 brannte sein Laden nieder und Hutchison wurde alkoholkrank. Mit seiner Familie zog er nach dem Brand nach Ohio, wo er 1945 an Leberkrebs starb.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Hutchison
Frank Hutchison (March 20, 1891 – November 9, 1945) was an American early country blues and Piedmont blues musician and songwriter.[1] Hutchison was best known as a slide guitar player, where he held the guitar in his lap.[1]
Biography
Born in Logan County, West Virginia, United States, Hutchison is considered to be the first white rural guitarist to record the blues,[1] as he cut several tracks for Okeh Records. He worked as a coal miner at various coal mines in Logan County, West Virginia, both before and after his career as a recording artist. Between 1926 and 1929, Hutchison recorded forty-one sides for Okeh, of which nine were unissued.[1] Three of the issued sides and three of the unissued were recorded with Sherman Lawson, a Logan County fiddler; others featured Hutchison's guitar, harmonica and voice. Hutchison also performed in the "Okeh Medicine Show," released by Okeh in 1929.[1]
Hutchison is considered to be one of the finest performers of the "white country blues" genre of early folk music. One of his more famous recordings is "The Train That Carried My Girl From Town." His recording of "Stackalee" was included in Harry Smith's 1952 Anthology of American Folk Music, and influenced a number of musicians during the 1950s and 1960s folk revival.
Some years after his recording career had ended and after he left the Logan County coal mines, Hutchison and his wife operated a store in Lake, West Virginia, where he also served as postmaster. His family lived above the store. The store burned down, Hutchison lost everything and reportedly developed alcohol problems after that. He worked as a riverboat entertainer[1] on the Ohio River and eventually moved to Columbus, Ohio.
He died in 1945 at a Dayton, Ohio hospital, of liver disease, aged 54.
Biography
Born in Logan County, West Virginia, United States, Hutchison is considered to be the first white rural guitarist to record the blues,[1] as he cut several tracks for Okeh Records. He worked as a coal miner at various coal mines in Logan County, West Virginia, both before and after his career as a recording artist. Between 1926 and 1929, Hutchison recorded forty-one sides for Okeh, of which nine were unissued.[1] Three of the issued sides and three of the unissued were recorded with Sherman Lawson, a Logan County fiddler; others featured Hutchison's guitar, harmonica and voice. Hutchison also performed in the "Okeh Medicine Show," released by Okeh in 1929.[1]
Hutchison is considered to be one of the finest performers of the "white country blues" genre of early folk music. One of his more famous recordings is "The Train That Carried My Girl From Town." His recording of "Stackalee" was included in Harry Smith's 1952 Anthology of American Folk Music, and influenced a number of musicians during the 1950s and 1960s folk revival.
Some years after his recording career had ended and after he left the Logan County coal mines, Hutchison and his wife operated a store in Lake, West Virginia, where he also served as postmaster. His family lived above the store. The store burned down, Hutchison lost everything and reportedly developed alcohol problems after that. He worked as a riverboat entertainer[1] on the Ohio River and eventually moved to Columbus, Ohio.
He died in 1945 at a Dayton, Ohio hospital, of liver disease, aged 54.
Jimmie Vaughan *20.03.1951
_Jimmie_Vaughan_and_Band_jm13059.jpg)
Jimmie Vaughan (* 20. März 1951 in Dallas) ist ein Bluesrock-Gitarrist und -Sänger, der vor allem als Gründungsmitglied der Fabulous Thunderbirds und durch seine Arbeit mit seinem jüngeren Bruder Stevie Ray Vaughan als „Vaughan Brothers“ bekannt geworden ist.Vaughan begann schon sehr früh Gitarre zu spielen. Als Teenager spielte er bei verschiedenen Garage-Rock-Bands, die allerdings erfolglos blieben. Im Alter von 19 Jahren verließ er seine Geburtsstadt und zog nach Austin, wo er in einigen Blues-Bands spielte. 1972 gründete er The Storm, seine erste eigene Band.
1974 lernte er Kim Wilson kennen, mit dem er bald darauf die Fabulous Thunderbirds gründete. Erst 1986, drei Jahre nach dem landesweiten Erfolg von Vaughans kleinem Bruder, schafften die T-Birds mit einem Album den Durchbruch. Nach weiteren drei Jahren verließ Vaughan die Fabulous Thunderbirds, da ihm der inzwischen recht kommerzielle Stil der Band nicht mehr gefiel. Er schloss sich daraufhin mit seinem Bruder Stevie Ray Vaughan zusammen. Das einzige Album der Vaughan Brothers, Family Style, erschien Anfang 1990 und erhielt den Grammy 1991 als Best Contemporary Blues Album.
Im August des Jahres starb sein Bruder Stevie Ray bei einem Hubschrauber-Unfall. Jimmie Vaughan zog sich zunächst aus der Musikszene zurück, bis er 1994 sein Solo-Debüt Strange Pleasures veröffentlichte. Es folgten Out There (1998) und Do You Get the Blues? (2001).
1989 spielte Jimmie Vaughan den Gitarristen in Jerry Lee Lewis’ Band im Film Great Balls of Fire. 1998 hatte er einen Auftritt im Film Blues Brothers 2000, wo er in der Gruppe The Louisiana Gator Boys auftrat, die eigens für den Film gegründet worden war.
1997 widmete Fender ihm ein eigenes Stratocaster-Modell.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Vaughan
Jimmie Lawrence Vaughan (born March 20, 1951, Dallas County, Texas, United States) is an American blues rock guitarist and singer based in Austin, Texas.[1][2] He is the older brother of the late Texas blues guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Several notable blues guitarists have had a significant influence on Vaughan's playing style including Freddie King, Albert King, BB King, and Johnny "Guitar" Watson.
Early career
Jimmie Lawrence Vaughan was born on March 20, 1951 in Dallas County, Texas, to parents, Jimmie Lee Vaughan and Martha Jean Cook. Raised in Dallas, Texas, Vaughan moved to Austin in the late 1960s and began playing with such musicians as Paul Ray and WC Clark.
In 1969, Vaughan's group opened for The Jimi Hendrix Experience in Fort Worth, Texas. It was at this show that Vaughan lent Jimi Hendrix his Vox Wah-wah pedal which Hendrix ended up breaking. In return, Hendrix gave Vaughan his own touring Wah-wah pedal.
Jimmie Vaughan developed his own easily recognized personal style. He formed the band The Fabulous Thunderbirds with singer and harpist Kim Wilson, bassist Keith Ferguson, and drummers Mike Buck and Fran Christina. (The original Fabulous Thunderbirds were all protégés of Austin, Texas, blues club owner Clifford Antone). The band's first four albums, released between 1979 and 1983, are ranked among the most important 'white blues' recordings. These early albums did not sell well, so the band was left without a recording contract for a couple of years (during the time when Vaughan's younger brother achieved commercial success). During this time, Vaughan played lead guitar on fellow Texas blues musician Bill Carter's 1985 album, Stompin' Grounds, also playing Carter's most well-known song, "Willie The Wimp",[3] which would later be introduced a year later to Stevie Ray Vaughan and played on live albums.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds got a new contract in 1986, and made several albums with a more commercially popular sound and production style. Vaughan left the band in 1989, and made his only "duo album", Family Style, with his younger brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan. Before the album's release, Stevie Ray died in a helicopter crash along with three members of Eric Clapton's entourage in East Troy, Wisconsin, on August 27, 1990. The album was released a few days after the accident. The artist listed on the album was "The Vaughan Brothers". The album was light, blues-influenced rock, with Jimmie Vaughan singing on several tracks.
Vaughan released his first solo album Strange Pleasure in 1994. The album contained a song "Six Strings Down" that was dedicated to the memory of his brother. He has continued his solo career since then. Vaughan's solo albums contain mostly blues-rock material that he writes himself. He made a special guest appearance on Bo Diddley's 1996 album A Man Amongst Men, playing guitar on the tracks "He's Got A Key" and "Coatimundi". In 2001, Vaughan paid an installment on his (and the Fabulous Thunderbirds') debt to harmonica swamp blues when he contributed guitar to the Lazy Lester album Blues Stop Knockin.'
Since 1997 Fender has produced a Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex Stratocaster.
Vaughan appeared in the 1998 released film Blues Brothers 2000 as a member of the fictional "Louisiana Gator Boys" blues band led by BB King.
Vaughan is close friends with Dennis Quaid. They worked together on the film Great Balls of Fire.
Vaughan was the third opening act for most of the dates of Bob Dylan's summer 2006 tour, preceded by Elana James and the Continental Two and Junior Brown.
Vaughan loves classic and custom cars, and is an avid car collector. Vaughan has had many of his customs and hot rods displayed in museums, as well as featured in rodding and custom magazines.[4]
Recent activities
Vaughan continues to perform. He has also been politically active to some degree. He endorsed Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul in 2008 and played before one of Paul's speeches at the University of Texas.[5] Vaughan also opened for Ron Paul's keynote address at the Rally For The Republic in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 2, 2008. Vaughan appeared with Boz Scaggs & The Blue Velvet Band at the 2009 Hardly Strictly Blugrass Festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Vaughan performed at Ron Paul's "We are the Future" rally in Tampa, Florida on August 26, 2012.
Shout! Factory released Jimmie Vaughan's first new album in nine years, "Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites," on July 6, 2010.
Vaughan played with Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, BB King, Hubert Sumlin, and others during the 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival.[6]
Vaughan performed on the episode of the TBS cable television show Conan that aired December 22, 2010.
Vaughan performed at the 11th Edition of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival on Friday, June 29, 2012. Vaughan was one of many performers in the week-long festival, which, this year, drew record crowds of 187,000.
Vaughan performed guitar, as a guest, on an episode of the PBS cable television show "Austin City Limits" (ACL), with the band "Foo Fighters", that aired on 07 February 2015. He and the Foo Fighters were accompanied, on stage, by another guest guitarist, Gary Clark, Jr., a native of Austin, TX.
Jimmie Lawrence Vaughan (born March 20, 1951, Dallas County, Texas, United States) is an American blues rock guitarist and singer based in Austin, Texas.[1][2] He is the older brother of the late Texas blues guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan.Several notable blues guitarists have had a significant influence on Vaughan's playing style including Freddie King, Albert King, BB King, and Johnny "Guitar" Watson.
Early career
Jimmie Lawrence Vaughan was born on March 20, 1951 in Dallas County, Texas, to parents, Jimmie Lee Vaughan and Martha Jean Cook. Raised in Dallas, Texas, Vaughan moved to Austin in the late 1960s and began playing with such musicians as Paul Ray and WC Clark.
In 1969, Vaughan's group opened for The Jimi Hendrix Experience in Fort Worth, Texas. It was at this show that Vaughan lent Jimi Hendrix his Vox Wah-wah pedal which Hendrix ended up breaking. In return, Hendrix gave Vaughan his own touring Wah-wah pedal.
Jimmie Vaughan developed his own easily recognized personal style. He formed the band The Fabulous Thunderbirds with singer and harpist Kim Wilson, bassist Keith Ferguson, and drummers Mike Buck and Fran Christina. (The original Fabulous Thunderbirds were all protégés of Austin, Texas, blues club owner Clifford Antone). The band's first four albums, released between 1979 and 1983, are ranked among the most important 'white blues' recordings. These early albums did not sell well, so the band was left without a recording contract for a couple of years (during the time when Vaughan's younger brother achieved commercial success). During this time, Vaughan played lead guitar on fellow Texas blues musician Bill Carter's 1985 album, Stompin' Grounds, also playing Carter's most well-known song, "Willie The Wimp",[3] which would later be introduced a year later to Stevie Ray Vaughan and played on live albums.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds got a new contract in 1986, and made several albums with a more commercially popular sound and production style. Vaughan left the band in 1989, and made his only "duo album", Family Style, with his younger brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan. Before the album's release, Stevie Ray died in a helicopter crash along with three members of Eric Clapton's entourage in East Troy, Wisconsin, on August 27, 1990. The album was released a few days after the accident. The artist listed on the album was "The Vaughan Brothers". The album was light, blues-influenced rock, with Jimmie Vaughan singing on several tracks.
Vaughan released his first solo album Strange Pleasure in 1994. The album contained a song "Six Strings Down" that was dedicated to the memory of his brother. He has continued his solo career since then. Vaughan's solo albums contain mostly blues-rock material that he writes himself. He made a special guest appearance on Bo Diddley's 1996 album A Man Amongst Men, playing guitar on the tracks "He's Got A Key" and "Coatimundi". In 2001, Vaughan paid an installment on his (and the Fabulous Thunderbirds') debt to harmonica swamp blues when he contributed guitar to the Lazy Lester album Blues Stop Knockin.'
Since 1997 Fender has produced a Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex Stratocaster.
Vaughan appeared in the 1998 released film Blues Brothers 2000 as a member of the fictional "Louisiana Gator Boys" blues band led by BB King.
Vaughan is close friends with Dennis Quaid. They worked together on the film Great Balls of Fire.
Vaughan was the third opening act for most of the dates of Bob Dylan's summer 2006 tour, preceded by Elana James and the Continental Two and Junior Brown.
Vaughan loves classic and custom cars, and is an avid car collector. Vaughan has had many of his customs and hot rods displayed in museums, as well as featured in rodding and custom magazines.[4]
Recent activities
Vaughan continues to perform. He has also been politically active to some degree. He endorsed Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul in 2008 and played before one of Paul's speeches at the University of Texas.[5] Vaughan also opened for Ron Paul's keynote address at the Rally For The Republic in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 2, 2008. Vaughan appeared with Boz Scaggs & The Blue Velvet Band at the 2009 Hardly Strictly Blugrass Festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Vaughan performed at Ron Paul's "We are the Future" rally in Tampa, Florida on August 26, 2012.
Shout! Factory released Jimmie Vaughan's first new album in nine years, "Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites," on July 6, 2010.
Vaughan played with Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, BB King, Hubert Sumlin, and others during the 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival.[6]
Vaughan performed on the episode of the TBS cable television show Conan that aired December 22, 2010.
Vaughan performed at the 11th Edition of the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival on Friday, June 29, 2012. Vaughan was one of many performers in the week-long festival, which, this year, drew record crowds of 187,000.
Vaughan performed guitar, as a guest, on an episode of the PBS cable television show "Austin City Limits" (ACL), with the band "Foo Fighters", that aired on 07 February 2015. He and the Foo Fighters were accompanied, on stage, by another guest guitarist, Gary Clark, Jr., a native of Austin, TX.
Marcia Ball *20.03.1949
Marcia Ball (* 20. März 1949 in Orange, Texas) ist eine US-amerikanische Blues-Sängerin und Pianistin.
Ball wuchs in Vinton, Louisiana auf,wo sie in einer musikalischen Familie aufwuchs. Alle weiblichen Familienmitglieder spielten Klavier. Sie begann mit dem Klavierspielen bereits im Alter von fünf Jahren, aber mit dem Blues kam sie erst im Alter von 13 Jahren in Kontakt, als sie bei ihrer Tante modernere Musik hörte als die, die sie bisher aus der Sammlung der Großmutter gehört hatte. 1970 wollte sie nach San Francisco, aber eine Autopanne in Austin, Texas veranlasste sie, nachdem sie die Stadt kennengelernt hatte, dort zu bleiben. Dort gründete sie ihre erste Band (Freda and the Firedogs), 1974 begann sie ihre Solokarriere. Zuerst nahm sie von der Kritik gefeierte Alben bei Rounder Records auf, 2001 unterzeichnete sie eine Plattenvertrag für Alligator Records.
Ihr Pianospiel wurzelt im New Orleans Blues, wie ihn James Booker und Professor Longhair vertreten, und enthält Elemente des Zydeco und des Boogie-Woogie. Als Haupteinfluss für ihren Gesangsstil bezeichnete sie Irma Thomas. Sie ist eine der bekanntesten Vertreterinnen des Louisiana Blues.
Marcia Ball hat sich als wichtiger Teil der Clubszene sowohl von New Orleans als auch Austin etabliert und tritt neben ihren Konzerten in Nordamerika auch bei Festivals und Konzerten in Europa auf.
Marcia Ball (born March 20, 1949, Orange, Texas, United States)[1] is an American blues singer and pianist, born in Orange, Texas who was raised in Vinton, Louisiana.[1] She was described in USA Today as "a sensation, saucy singer and superb pianist... where Texas stomp-rock and Louisiana blues-swamp meet."[2] The Boston Globe described her music as "an irresistible celebratory blend of rollicking, two-fisted New Orleans piano, Louisiana swamp rock and smoldering Texas blues from a contemporary storyteller."[3]
Career
Ball was born into a musical family. Her grandmother and aunt both played piano music of their time and Ball started piano lessons when she started school,[4] and showed an early interest in New Orleans style piano playing, as exemplified by Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, and James Booker. She has named Irma Thomas, the New Orleans vocalist, as her chief vocal inspiration. Ball studied English at Louisiana State University in the 1960s while playing in a band called Gum.[1] In 1970, at age 21, she started a progressive country band called Freda and the Firedogs in Austin, Texas, and began her solo career in 1974.[5]
Ball's piano style includes elements of zydeco, swamp blues, Louisiana blues and boogie woogie.[6] She began her recording career as a solo artist with Rounder Records in the 1980s and early 1990s.[5] In 2001, she joined Chicago-based Alligator Records.
Her Rounder album, Sing It!, which featured vocalists Irma Thomas and Tracy Nelson, released in January 1998 was nominated for a Grammy Award and a Blues Music Award for "Best Contemporary Blues Album." Ball received the 1998 Blues Music Award for "Contemporary Female Vocalist of the Year" and "Best Blues Instrumentalist-Keyboards."[7] She was awarded "Contemporary Blues Album of the Year" for her albums Presumed Innocent (2002) and So Many Rivers (2004). The same year she also won "Contemporary Blues Artist of the Year-Female." She won the "Best Blues Instrumentalist-Keyboards" again in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009. Her 2003 Alligator release, So Many Rivers, was nominated for a Grammy as were Live! Down The Road (2005) and Peace, Love & BBQ (2008). She was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 1990.
Ball has continued to work with Irma Thomas. In 2006, the two contributed a duet ("Look Up") on the New Orleans Social Club release, Sing Me Back Home (Burgundy Records/Honey Darling Records). In 2007, the two contributed another duet ("I Can't Get New Orleans Off My Mind") to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard Records).
Ball continues to play at nightclubs, particularly in Austin and New Orleans, and performs at music festivals in North America and overseas.
Rosetta Tharpe *20.03.1915
Sister Rosetta Tharpe (* 20. März 1915 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas als Rosetta Nubin; † 9. Oktober 1973 in Philadelphia) war eine US-amerikanische Gospel-, Jazz- und Blues-Sängerin und Gitarristin.
Sie war erst sechs Jahre alt, als sie mit ihrer Mutter Katie Bell Nubin nach Chicago zog, um dort zu singen. In Kirchen war sie sonntags zu hören; nebenbei lernte sie Gitarre. Bald wurde sie „Little Sister“ genannt.
1934 heiratete sie Reverend Thomas A. Thorpe, von dem sie sich bald scheiden ließ – dessen Nachnamen sie, leicht verändert zu Tharpe, als Künstlernamen nutzte. 1938 nahm sie einige Gospelsongs auf Schallplatte auf. Im selben Jahr wurde sie für Cab Calloways berühmte Cotton Club Revue in Harlem engagiert. Sie machte Aufnahmen mit Calloway und mit Lucky Millinders Big Band. Sie trat dann in Nachtclubs auf, entschied sich aber für den Gospel-Markt, nahm Duette mit Marie Knight wie auch mit ihrer Mutter, Katie Bell Nubin auf.[1]1938 trat sie am 23. Dezember in John Hammonds berühmten Konzert From Spiritual to Swing in der Carnegie Hall auf. Ihre Popularität war so groß, dass sie als einer von zwei Gospelacts während des Zweiten Weltkriegs V-Discs für die amerikanischen Überseetruppen aufnahm.[2] 1944 legte sie sich den Namen „Sister Rosetta Tharpe“ zu, und wurde fortan zu einer der herausragendsten Stimmen der Geschichte des Gospel-Musik. Ihre Hitsingle This Train verwendete Willie Dixon als Vorlage für den Song My Babe, der ein großer Hit für Little Walter wurde.
In ihrem Gospelstil stecken Jazz, Blues und Rock ’n’ Roll. Einzigartig ihre Selbstbegleitung auf der Gitarre, teils im Slide-Gitarrenstil. Ein kurzer Auftritt von ihr wird in dem Spielfilm Die fabelhafte Welt der Amélie gezeigt. Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg ließen ihre Erfolge immer mehr nach, sie hörte aber nie auf, Platten aufzunehmen oder Konzerte zu geben. Nach einem Schlaganfall 1970 musste sie kürzertreten, arbeitete aber auch weiterhin als Musikerin bis zu ihrem Tod am 9. Oktober 1973 in Philadelphia.
Elvis Presley nahm Songs von Rosetta Tharpe auf, und auch Johnny Cash nannte sie als musikalischen Einfluss. 1998 gab die US-Post eine Briefmarke mit ihrem Bild heraus. 2003 wurde das Album Shout, Sister Shout: A Tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe veröffentlicht, auf dem unter anderen Maria Muldaur, Odetta und Marcia Ball Songs der Künstlerin interpretierten.[3] Der 11. Januar 2008 wurde vom Gouverneur von Pennsylvania zum Sister-Rosetta-Tharpe-Day erklärt, um die Gospelsängerin zu ehren.[4]
2007 wurde Sister Rosetta Tharpe in die Blues Hall of Fame aufgenommen.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosetta_Tharpe
Sister Rosetta Tharpe (March 20, 1915 – October 9, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and recording artist. A pioneer of twentieth-century music, Tharpe attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings that were a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and rhythmic/early rock accompaniment. She became gospel music's first crossover artist and its first great recording star, referred to later as "the original soul sister".[3][4][5] She was an early influence on figures such as Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis.[6]
Willing to cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her music of "light" in the "darkness" of the nightclubs and concert halls with big bands behind her, Tharpe pushed spiritual music into the mainstream and helped pioneer the rise of pop–gospel beginning with her 1939 hit "This Train."[3] Her unique music left a lasting mark on more conventional gospel artists such as Ira Tucker, Sr. of the Dixie Hummingbirds. While she offended some conservative churchgoers with her forays into the pop world, she never left gospel music.
Tharpe's 1944 hit "Down By The Riverside" was selected for the American Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2004, with the citation stating that it captured her "spirited guitar playing" and "unique vocal style", which were an influence on early rhythm and blues performers, as well as gospel, jazz, and rock artists.[7] Her 1945 hit "Strange Things Happening Every Day", recorded in late 1944, featured Tharpe's vocals and electric guitar, with Sammy Price (piano), bass and drums. It was the first gospel record to cross over, hitting no. 2 on the Billboard "race records" chart, the term then used for what later became the R&B chart, in April 1945.[8][9] The recording has been cited as an important precursor of rock and roll.[10] Tharpe has been called the Godmother of Rock n' Roll.[11]
Childhood and early career
She was born Rosetta Nubin in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, United States, to parents Katie Bell Nubin and Willis Atkins, who were cotton pickers. Little is known of her father, although it is known that he was a singer. Tharpe's mother, Katie Bell Nubin, was a singer, mandolin player, evangelist and preacher for the COGIC, which was founded by a black Baptist bishop named Charles Mason in 1894, who encouraged rhythmic musical expression, dancing in praise and allowing women to preach in church. With the encouragement of her mother, Tharpe began singing and playing the guitar as 'Little Rosetta Nubin' from the age of four and was cited as a musical prodigy.[2][3][4]
By age six, Tharpe had joined her mother as a regular performer in a traveling evangelical troupe. Billed as a "singing and guitar playing miracle," Tharpe accompanied her mother in hybrid performances—part sermon, part gospel concert—before audiences all across the American South.[2]
In the mid-1920s, Tharpe and her mother settled in Chicago, Illinois, where the duo continued to perform religious concerts at the COGIC church on 40th Street while occasionally traveling to perform at church conventions throughout the country. As a result, Tharpe developed considerable fame as a musical prodigy, standing out in an era when prominent black female guitarists remained very rare. In 1934, at the age of 19, Rosetta Tharpe married a COGIC preacher named Thomas Thorpe, who had accompanied her and her mother on many of their tours. Although the marriage only lasted a short time, she decided to incorporate a version of her first husband's surname into her stage name, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, which she would use for the rest of her career.[2] In 1938, Tharpe left her husband, and with her mother, moved to New York City. Although she had more than one marriage, she performed under the name of Tharpe for the rest of her life.
Recording career
On October 31, 1938, at age 23, Tharpe recorded for the first time – four sides with Decca Records backed by "Lucky" Millinder's jazz orchestra.[12] The first gospel songs ever recorded by Decca, "Rock Me," "That's All," "My Man and I" and "The Lonesome Road" became instant hits, establishing Tharpe as an overnight sensation and one of the first commercially successful gospel recording artists.[2] She had signed a seven-year contract with Reminder and was managed by Mo Galye. Her records caused an immediate furor: many churchgoers were shocked by the mixture of gospel-based lyrics and secular-sounding music, but secular audiences loved them.
Tharpe's appearances with jazz artist Cab Calloway at Harlem's Cotton Club in October 1938 and in John Hammond's "Spirituals to Swing" concert at Carnegie Hall on December 23, 1938, gained her even more fame, along with notoriety. These performances, which both shocked and awed the crowds, were controversial as well as revolutionary in several respects. Performing gospel music in front of secular, 'nightclub' audiences and alongside blues, jazz musicians and dancers was highly unusual, and within conservative religious circles the mere fact of a woman performing guitar music, particularly in those settings, was frowned upon. For these reasons, Tharpe was often falling out of favour with segments within the gospel community.[2][13] Other late 1930s hits, such as her self-penned "This Train" and "Rock Me", which combined gospel themes with bouncy up-tempo arrangements, continued to become hits among audiences with little previous exposure to gospel music.
It has been suggested Tharpe had little choice in the material she was contracted to record with Millinder. "Rosetta and Millinder were increasingly at odds in 1943, as Rosetta itched to quit the big-band circuit and renew her career as a strictly gospel act. As Roxie Moore remembers, she hadn't wanted to do light fare poking fun at old-time religion or worldly material like Tall Skinny Papa, but found herself bound by contractual obligations."[14] Her nightclub performances initially led to her being ostracised by some in the gospel community, as she would sometimes be required to sing her gospel songs amid scantily clad showgirls.[13] She played on a number of occasions with the white singing group The Jordanaires.[11]
Tharpe continued recording during World War II, one of only two gospel artists able to record V-discs for troops overseas. Her song "Strange Things Happening Every Day", recorded in 1944 with Sammy Price, Decca's house boogie woogie pianist, showcased her virtuosity as a guitarist and her witty lyrics and delivery. It was the first gospel song to make Billboard's Harlem Hit Parade (later known as Race Records, then R&B) Top Ten. This achievement was something that Sister Rosetta Tharpe accomplished several more times in her career. This 1944 record has been credited by some as being the "First rock and roll record".[15] Tharpe toured throughout the 1940s, backed by various gospel quartets, including The Dixie Hummingbirds.
In 1946 Tharpe saw Marie Knight perform at a Mahalia Jackson concert in New York. Tharpe recognized a special talent in Knight. Two weeks later, Tharpe showed up at Knight's doorstep, inviting her to go on the road. They toured the gospel circuit for a number of years, during which they recorded hits such as "Up Above My Head" and "Gospel Train". [16]Tharpe was so popular that she attracted 25,000 paying customers to her wedding to her manager Russell Morrison (her third marriage), followed by a vocal performance, at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. in 1951.
Their popularity took a sudden downturn, however, when they recorded several blues songs in the early 1950s. Knight attempted afterward to cross over to popular music, while Tharpe remained in the church, but rebuffed by many of her former fans. In 1957, Tharpe was booked for a month-long tour of the UK by British trombonist Chris Barber.
In April – May 1964, at the height of a surge of popular interest in the blues, she toured Europe as part of the Blues and Gospel Caravan, alongside Muddy Waters and Otis Spann, Ransom Knowling and Little Willie Smith, Reverend Gary Davis, Cousin Joe, and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Tharpe was introduced on stage and accompanied on piano by Cousin Joe Pleasant.[17] Under the auspices of George Wein, the Caravan was stage-managed by Joe Boyd.[18] A concert, in the rain, was recorded by Granada Television at the disused railway station at Wilbraham Road, Manchester in May 1964. The band performed on one platform while the audience members were seated on the opposite platform.
Later life and death
Tharpe's performances were curtailed by a stroke in 1970, after which she had a leg amputated as a result of complications from diabetes.[19] On the eve of a scheduled recording session, she died in Philadelphia on October 9, 1973 after another stroke. She was buried in Northwood Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[20]
Later recognition
A resurgence of interest in Tharpe's work has led to a biography, several NPR segments, scholarly articles, and honors. The United States Postal Service issued a 32-cent commemorative stamp to honor Tharpe on July 15, 1998.[21] In 2007, she was inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame. In 2008, a concert was held to raise funds for a marker for her grave, and January 11 was declared Sister Rosetta Tharpe Day in Pennsylvania.[22] A gravestone was put in place later that year,[23] and a Pennsylvania historical marker was approved for placement at her home in the Yorktown neighborhood of Philadelphia.[23] The PBS series American Masters featured her story in the opening program of their 2013 season.[24]
Musical influence
Musically, Tharpe's unique guitar style blended melody-driven urban blues with traditional folk arrangements and incorporated a pulsating swing sound that is one of the first clear precursors of rock and roll.[25]
Little Richard referred to the stomping, shouting, gospel music performer as his favorite singer when he was a child. In 1945, she heard Richard sing prior to her concert at the Macon City Auditorium and later invited him on stage to sing, his first public performance outside of the church, with her. Following the show, she paid him for his performance, which inspired him to become a performer.[26] When Johnny Cash gave his induction speech at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, he referred to Tharpe as his favorite singer when he was a child. His daughter Rosanne similarly stated in an interview with Larry King that Tharpe was her father's favorite singer. Tharpe began recording with electric guitar in the 1940s, with "That's All", which is cited to have been an influence on Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley.[27] A number of other musicians, including Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis,[6] and Isaac Hayes have identified her singing, guitar playing, and showmanship as an important influence on them. She was held in particularly high esteem by UK jazz/blues singer George Melly. Tina Turner credits Rosetta Tharpe besides Mahalia Jackson as an early musical influence on her.[28] Even today, artists such as Sean Michel have credited her influence with the performance of gospel songs in more secular venues.
Brixton band Alabama 3 named a track after Sister Rosetta on their debut album Exile on Coldharbour Lane (1997), as well as recording a version of her song "Up Above My Head". In 2007, UK indie rock band The Noisettes released the single "Sister Rosetta (Capture the Spirit)" from their album What's the Time Mr. Wolf? Also in 2007, singers Alison Krauss and Robert Plant recorded a duet version of the song "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us", written by Sam Phillips. Phillips released her version of the song on her 2008 album, Don't Do Anything. Michelle Shocked opened her live gospel album ToHeavenURide (2007) with "Strange Things Happening Every Day", along with a tribute to Tharpe.
In 2001, the French film Amélie included a scene showing the protagonist's house-bound neighbor mesmerized by a montage of video clips which featured a performance of "Up Above My Head" by Tharpe.
Willing to cross the line between sacred and secular by performing her music of "light" in the "darkness" of the nightclubs and concert halls with big bands behind her, Tharpe pushed spiritual music into the mainstream and helped pioneer the rise of pop–gospel beginning with her 1939 hit "This Train."[3] Her unique music left a lasting mark on more conventional gospel artists such as Ira Tucker, Sr. of the Dixie Hummingbirds. While she offended some conservative churchgoers with her forays into the pop world, she never left gospel music.
Tharpe's 1944 hit "Down By The Riverside" was selected for the American Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2004, with the citation stating that it captured her "spirited guitar playing" and "unique vocal style", which were an influence on early rhythm and blues performers, as well as gospel, jazz, and rock artists.[7] Her 1945 hit "Strange Things Happening Every Day", recorded in late 1944, featured Tharpe's vocals and electric guitar, with Sammy Price (piano), bass and drums. It was the first gospel record to cross over, hitting no. 2 on the Billboard "race records" chart, the term then used for what later became the R&B chart, in April 1945.[8][9] The recording has been cited as an important precursor of rock and roll.[10] Tharpe has been called the Godmother of Rock n' Roll.[11]
Childhood and early career
She was born Rosetta Nubin in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, United States, to parents Katie Bell Nubin and Willis Atkins, who were cotton pickers. Little is known of her father, although it is known that he was a singer. Tharpe's mother, Katie Bell Nubin, was a singer, mandolin player, evangelist and preacher for the COGIC, which was founded by a black Baptist bishop named Charles Mason in 1894, who encouraged rhythmic musical expression, dancing in praise and allowing women to preach in church. With the encouragement of her mother, Tharpe began singing and playing the guitar as 'Little Rosetta Nubin' from the age of four and was cited as a musical prodigy.[2][3][4]
By age six, Tharpe had joined her mother as a regular performer in a traveling evangelical troupe. Billed as a "singing and guitar playing miracle," Tharpe accompanied her mother in hybrid performances—part sermon, part gospel concert—before audiences all across the American South.[2]
In the mid-1920s, Tharpe and her mother settled in Chicago, Illinois, where the duo continued to perform religious concerts at the COGIC church on 40th Street while occasionally traveling to perform at church conventions throughout the country. As a result, Tharpe developed considerable fame as a musical prodigy, standing out in an era when prominent black female guitarists remained very rare. In 1934, at the age of 19, Rosetta Tharpe married a COGIC preacher named Thomas Thorpe, who had accompanied her and her mother on many of their tours. Although the marriage only lasted a short time, she decided to incorporate a version of her first husband's surname into her stage name, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, which she would use for the rest of her career.[2] In 1938, Tharpe left her husband, and with her mother, moved to New York City. Although she had more than one marriage, she performed under the name of Tharpe for the rest of her life.
Recording career
On October 31, 1938, at age 23, Tharpe recorded for the first time – four sides with Decca Records backed by "Lucky" Millinder's jazz orchestra.[12] The first gospel songs ever recorded by Decca, "Rock Me," "That's All," "My Man and I" and "The Lonesome Road" became instant hits, establishing Tharpe as an overnight sensation and one of the first commercially successful gospel recording artists.[2] She had signed a seven-year contract with Reminder and was managed by Mo Galye. Her records caused an immediate furor: many churchgoers were shocked by the mixture of gospel-based lyrics and secular-sounding music, but secular audiences loved them.
Tharpe's appearances with jazz artist Cab Calloway at Harlem's Cotton Club in October 1938 and in John Hammond's "Spirituals to Swing" concert at Carnegie Hall on December 23, 1938, gained her even more fame, along with notoriety. These performances, which both shocked and awed the crowds, were controversial as well as revolutionary in several respects. Performing gospel music in front of secular, 'nightclub' audiences and alongside blues, jazz musicians and dancers was highly unusual, and within conservative religious circles the mere fact of a woman performing guitar music, particularly in those settings, was frowned upon. For these reasons, Tharpe was often falling out of favour with segments within the gospel community.[2][13] Other late 1930s hits, such as her self-penned "This Train" and "Rock Me", which combined gospel themes with bouncy up-tempo arrangements, continued to become hits among audiences with little previous exposure to gospel music.
It has been suggested Tharpe had little choice in the material she was contracted to record with Millinder. "Rosetta and Millinder were increasingly at odds in 1943, as Rosetta itched to quit the big-band circuit and renew her career as a strictly gospel act. As Roxie Moore remembers, she hadn't wanted to do light fare poking fun at old-time religion or worldly material like Tall Skinny Papa, but found herself bound by contractual obligations."[14] Her nightclub performances initially led to her being ostracised by some in the gospel community, as she would sometimes be required to sing her gospel songs amid scantily clad showgirls.[13] She played on a number of occasions with the white singing group The Jordanaires.[11]
Tharpe continued recording during World War II, one of only two gospel artists able to record V-discs for troops overseas. Her song "Strange Things Happening Every Day", recorded in 1944 with Sammy Price, Decca's house boogie woogie pianist, showcased her virtuosity as a guitarist and her witty lyrics and delivery. It was the first gospel song to make Billboard's Harlem Hit Parade (later known as Race Records, then R&B) Top Ten. This achievement was something that Sister Rosetta Tharpe accomplished several more times in her career. This 1944 record has been credited by some as being the "First rock and roll record".[15] Tharpe toured throughout the 1940s, backed by various gospel quartets, including The Dixie Hummingbirds.
In 1946 Tharpe saw Marie Knight perform at a Mahalia Jackson concert in New York. Tharpe recognized a special talent in Knight. Two weeks later, Tharpe showed up at Knight's doorstep, inviting her to go on the road. They toured the gospel circuit for a number of years, during which they recorded hits such as "Up Above My Head" and "Gospel Train". [16]Tharpe was so popular that she attracted 25,000 paying customers to her wedding to her manager Russell Morrison (her third marriage), followed by a vocal performance, at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. in 1951.
Their popularity took a sudden downturn, however, when they recorded several blues songs in the early 1950s. Knight attempted afterward to cross over to popular music, while Tharpe remained in the church, but rebuffed by many of her former fans. In 1957, Tharpe was booked for a month-long tour of the UK by British trombonist Chris Barber.
In April – May 1964, at the height of a surge of popular interest in the blues, she toured Europe as part of the Blues and Gospel Caravan, alongside Muddy Waters and Otis Spann, Ransom Knowling and Little Willie Smith, Reverend Gary Davis, Cousin Joe, and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Tharpe was introduced on stage and accompanied on piano by Cousin Joe Pleasant.[17] Under the auspices of George Wein, the Caravan was stage-managed by Joe Boyd.[18] A concert, in the rain, was recorded by Granada Television at the disused railway station at Wilbraham Road, Manchester in May 1964. The band performed on one platform while the audience members were seated on the opposite platform.
Later life and death
Tharpe's performances were curtailed by a stroke in 1970, after which she had a leg amputated as a result of complications from diabetes.[19] On the eve of a scheduled recording session, she died in Philadelphia on October 9, 1973 after another stroke. She was buried in Northwood Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[20]
Later recognition
A resurgence of interest in Tharpe's work has led to a biography, several NPR segments, scholarly articles, and honors. The United States Postal Service issued a 32-cent commemorative stamp to honor Tharpe on July 15, 1998.[21] In 2007, she was inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame. In 2008, a concert was held to raise funds for a marker for her grave, and January 11 was declared Sister Rosetta Tharpe Day in Pennsylvania.[22] A gravestone was put in place later that year,[23] and a Pennsylvania historical marker was approved for placement at her home in the Yorktown neighborhood of Philadelphia.[23] The PBS series American Masters featured her story in the opening program of their 2013 season.[24]
Musical influence
Musically, Tharpe's unique guitar style blended melody-driven urban blues with traditional folk arrangements and incorporated a pulsating swing sound that is one of the first clear precursors of rock and roll.[25]
Little Richard referred to the stomping, shouting, gospel music performer as his favorite singer when he was a child. In 1945, she heard Richard sing prior to her concert at the Macon City Auditorium and later invited him on stage to sing, his first public performance outside of the church, with her. Following the show, she paid him for his performance, which inspired him to become a performer.[26] When Johnny Cash gave his induction speech at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, he referred to Tharpe as his favorite singer when he was a child. His daughter Rosanne similarly stated in an interview with Larry King that Tharpe was her father's favorite singer. Tharpe began recording with electric guitar in the 1940s, with "That's All", which is cited to have been an influence on Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley.[27] A number of other musicians, including Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis,[6] and Isaac Hayes have identified her singing, guitar playing, and showmanship as an important influence on them. She was held in particularly high esteem by UK jazz/blues singer George Melly. Tina Turner credits Rosetta Tharpe besides Mahalia Jackson as an early musical influence on her.[28] Even today, artists such as Sean Michel have credited her influence with the performance of gospel songs in more secular venues.
Brixton band Alabama 3 named a track after Sister Rosetta on their debut album Exile on Coldharbour Lane (1997), as well as recording a version of her song "Up Above My Head". In 2007, UK indie rock band The Noisettes released the single "Sister Rosetta (Capture the Spirit)" from their album What's the Time Mr. Wolf? Also in 2007, singers Alison Krauss and Robert Plant recorded a duet version of the song "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us", written by Sam Phillips. Phillips released her version of the song on her 2008 album, Don't Do Anything. Michelle Shocked opened her live gospel album ToHeavenURide (2007) with "Strange Things Happening Every Day", along with a tribute to Tharpe.
In 2001, the French film Amélie included a scene showing the protagonist's house-bound neighbor mesmerized by a montage of video clips which featured a performance of "Up Above My Head" by Tharpe.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - This Train
Sam Lay *20.03.1935
Sam Lay (* 20. März 1935 in Birmingham, Alabama) ist ein Blues-Schlagzeuger und Sänger.
Seine Karriere begann 1954 in Cleveland, als er sich der Moon Dog Combo anschloss. Von 1957 bis 1959 war er Mitglied der Original Thunderbirds, bis er schließlich nach Chicago zog, um dort mit Little Walter zusammenzuarbeiten. 1960 schloss er sich zusammen mit Jerome Arnold der Begleitband von Howlin' Wolf an, bis die beiden 1965 Paul Butterfield kennenlernten und Mitglieder von dessen Butterfield Blues Band wurden. Lay ist nur auf dem Debütalbum der Band zu hören.
Noch im gleichen Jahr lernte Lay Bob Dylan kennen, als die BBB als dessen Begleitband auf dem Newport Folk Festival spielte. Als Folge dessen verabschiedete er sich von der BBB, um Dylan auf dessen 65er Produktion Highway 61 Revisited auszuhelfen. In der zweiten Hälfte der 60er Jahre betätigte Lay sich viel als Session-Drummer, er ist auf mehr als 40 Blues-Alben von Chess Records zu hören. So spielte er beispielsweise 1969 auf Muddy Waters' Album Fathers and Sons.
Weiterhin war er 1969 Gründungsmitglied der James Cotton Blues Band und spielte eine Zeit lang bei der Siegel-Schwall Band, bis er schließlich die Sam Lay Blues Revival Band gründete, in der zeitweise unter anderem Jimmy Rogers, George "Wild Child" Butler und Eddie Taylor spielten.
1992 wurde Lay in die Blues Hall of Fame aufgenommen und für einen W.C. Handy Award nominiert. Ebenfalls 1992 gründete er die Sam Lay Blues Band, die im selben Jahr ihr Debütalbum Shuffle Master veröffentlichte. Es folgten Sam Lay Live (1994 aufgenommen, doch erst 1996 veröffentlicht), Stone Blues (1996), Rush Hour Blues (2000) und Live on Beale Street (2000).
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Lay
Sam Lay (born March 20, 1935, Birmingham, Alabama, United States) is an American drummer and vocalist, who has been performing since the late 1950s.[1][2][3][4]
Life and career
Lay began his career in 1957, as the drummer for the Original Thunderbirds, and soon after became the drummer for the harmonica player Little Walter.[1]
In the early 1960s, Lay began recording and performing with prominent blues musicians such as Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Eddie Taylor, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells, Bo Diddley, Magic Sam, Jimmy Rogers, Earl Hooker, and Muddy Waters. The recordings Lay made during this time, along with Waters' Fathers and Sons album recorded in 1969, are considered to be among the definitive works from the careers of Waters and Wolf.[citation needed]
In the mid 1960s, Lay joined the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and recorded and toured extensively with them. Bob Dylan, with Lay as his drummer, was the first performer to introduce electric-rock at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Lay also recorded with Dylan, most notably on the Highway 61 Revisited album.[1] (Lay drums on the "Highway 61" track. The majority of the drum tracks are Bobby Gregg.)
Lay's drumming can be heard on over 40 recordings for the Chess Records label, with many notable blues performers.[1] He has toured the major blues festivals around the US and Europe with the Chess Records All-Stars.
In the late 1980s Sam Lay was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis. He was recently inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame in Los Angeles, and the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. He was nominated eight times for the coveted W. C. Handy Award for "Best Instrumentalist" including a recent 2005 nomination.
Lay has two recent recordings with his own band on Appaloosa Records and Evidence Records, and two recordings on Alligator Records with the Siegel-Schwall Band.[1] His own 1969 release on Blue Thumb Records, Sam Lay in Bluesland, was produced by Michael Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites. He was nominated in 2000 for a Grammy Award for his performances on the Howlin' Wolf Tribute CD, and was honored by the Recording Academy in January 2002 with a Legends and Heroes Award for his significant musical contributions. He was prominently featured on a PBS-TV broadcast of seven episodes on the 'History of the Blues', produced by Academy Award winning director Martin Scorsese.
Lay also shot many home movies of fellow blues performers in small Chicago venues of the late 1950s and 1960s.[5] These home movies were seen in the PBS special History of the Blues and the WTTW production Record Row by filmmaker Michael MacAlpin.
Life and career
Lay began his career in 1957, as the drummer for the Original Thunderbirds, and soon after became the drummer for the harmonica player Little Walter.[1]
In the early 1960s, Lay began recording and performing with prominent blues musicians such as Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Eddie Taylor, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells, Bo Diddley, Magic Sam, Jimmy Rogers, Earl Hooker, and Muddy Waters. The recordings Lay made during this time, along with Waters' Fathers and Sons album recorded in 1969, are considered to be among the definitive works from the careers of Waters and Wolf.[citation needed]
In the mid 1960s, Lay joined the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and recorded and toured extensively with them. Bob Dylan, with Lay as his drummer, was the first performer to introduce electric-rock at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Lay also recorded with Dylan, most notably on the Highway 61 Revisited album.[1] (Lay drums on the "Highway 61" track. The majority of the drum tracks are Bobby Gregg.)
Lay's drumming can be heard on over 40 recordings for the Chess Records label, with many notable blues performers.[1] He has toured the major blues festivals around the US and Europe with the Chess Records All-Stars.
In the late 1980s Sam Lay was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis. He was recently inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame in Los Angeles, and the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. He was nominated eight times for the coveted W. C. Handy Award for "Best Instrumentalist" including a recent 2005 nomination.
Lay has two recent recordings with his own band on Appaloosa Records and Evidence Records, and two recordings on Alligator Records with the Siegel-Schwall Band.[1] His own 1969 release on Blue Thumb Records, Sam Lay in Bluesland, was produced by Michael Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites. He was nominated in 2000 for a Grammy Award for his performances on the Howlin' Wolf Tribute CD, and was honored by the Recording Academy in January 2002 with a Legends and Heroes Award for his significant musical contributions. He was prominently featured on a PBS-TV broadcast of seven episodes on the 'History of the Blues', produced by Academy Award winning director Martin Scorsese.
Lay also shot many home movies of fellow blues performers in small Chicago venues of the late 1950s and 1960s.[5] These home movies were seen in the PBS special History of the Blues and the WTTW production Record Row by filmmaker Michael MacAlpin.
Eddie Shaw (born March 20, 1937 in Stringtown, Mississippi, United States)[1] is an American Chicago blues tenor saxophonist.
Biography
In his teenage years, Shaw played tenor saxophone with local blues musicians such as Little Milton and Willie Love.[2] At the age of 14, he was involved in a jam session in Greenville, Mississippi, with Ike Turner's band. At a gig in Itta Bena, Mississippi, when the then 20-year-old Shaw performed, Muddy Waters invited him to join his Chicago-based band.[1]
Shaw more or less divided the tenor saxophone duties with A.C. Reed.[2] In 1972 he joined Howlin' Wolf, leading his band, the Wolf Gang, and writing half the songs on The Back Door Wolf (1973). After the singer's death in 1976 he took over the band and its residency at the 1815 Club, renamed Eddie's Place. Shaw led the gang on Living Chicago Blues Vol. 1 and Have Blues – Will Travel (1980), and recorded albums in different company for Isabel Records, Rooster Blues, and Wolf Records.[2]
By the late 1970s, Shaw's own recording career started, with an appearance on Alligator Records' Living Chicago Blues anthologies (1978), his own LPs for Evidence and Rooster Blues, and more recent discs for Rooster Blues (In the Land of the Crossroads) and Wolf (Home Alone).[1]
Shaw's many contributions to the blues include arranging tracks for The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions (which featured Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, Ringo Starr and others) and performing with a list of blues notables that included Hound Dog Taylor, Freddie King, Otis Rush and Magic Sam (on his Black Magic album).
In 2013 and 2014, Shaw won the Blues Music Award in the "Instrumentalist – Horn" category.[3][4] May 3 is now Eddie Shaw Day in Chicago, via a proclamation by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.[5]
Legacy
One of his sons, Eddie "Vaan" Shaw Jr. (born November 6, 1955),[6] joined the Wolf Gang playing on some of his father's recordings. A disciple of Wolf's protégé, Hubert Sumlin, he has recorded two albums of his own – Morning Rain and The Trail of Tears.[2]
Another son, the husky Stan Shaw (born 1952), is a Hollywood, California-based character actor.
Frank Edwards *20.03.1909
Frank Edwards (March 20, 1909 – March 22, 2002)[1] was an American blues guitarist, harmonica player and singer. He was variously billed as Mr. Frank, Black Frank and Mr. Cleanhead.[1]
Edwards was born in Washington, Georgia.[1]
He recorded for three record labels in his career; Okeh Records in 1940, Regal Records in 1949, and Trix Records in the mid-1970s. Some more recent sessions were done for the Music Maker Relief Foundation. His most noted recordings were "Three Women Blues" and "Terraplane Blues".[1]
Frank Edwards died of a heart attack[1] in Greenville, South Carolina, while being driven back to his Atlanta, Georgia home, after completing his final recordings at the age of 93.
Marva Wright *20.03.1948
Marva Wright (March 20, 1948 – March 23, 2010)[1] was an American blues singer.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana,[1] Wright's first public singing efforts were heard in church, with her mother the late Mattie Gilbert, a piano player and gospel singer as her accompanist. Top honors in a school-sponsored singing competition followed. Mahalia Jackson, the esteemed gospel singer, was an early friend of the family.[2]
Wright did not turn professional until 1987, when she was almost forty years old. Even then, she only began singing as a way to support her family with a second job. Early in 1989 during a live set at Tipitina's in New Orleans, Wright made her first recording, Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean. She made her debut on national television in 1991, when her hometown was the setting for a special that revolved around the Super Bowl where she met CBS news anchorman Ed Bradley, in which at that time he thought she only sang Gospel, it wasn't until the same year that he rediscovered her at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and from that day on had been introducing her every year. Heartbreakin' Woman, Wright's first full-length release, appeared later that year. Wright's 1993 album Born With The Blues was originally released in France, then three years later the major-label imprint Virgin picked it up for the rest of the world. Her 2007 effort, After The Levees Broke, addressed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina - which destroyed her house and all her belongings - by repurposing songs like Willie Nelson's "Crazy," Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," and Bruce Hornsby's "The Way It Is.".[2] In August 2008, she performed with the Louisiana Wetlands All Stars at both the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado as well as the Republican National Convention in Minnesota.
Marva is well known all over Europe where she had many of fans and frequent visits overseas, doing festivals in places like France, Italy, Germany, Australia to name a few.
She also sang backup for such artists as Allen Toussaint, Glen Campbell, and Joe Cocker, and the long list of others Wright performed with includes Cyril Neville, Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby McFerrin, Aaron Neville, Fats Domino, Lou Rawls, and Marcia Ball.[2]
In May and June 2009, Wright suffered a pair of strokes from which she never fully recovered, and on March 23, 2010, she died a few days after her 62nd birthday at her eldest daughter's home in New Orleans.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana,[1] Wright's first public singing efforts were heard in church, with her mother the late Mattie Gilbert, a piano player and gospel singer as her accompanist. Top honors in a school-sponsored singing competition followed. Mahalia Jackson, the esteemed gospel singer, was an early friend of the family.[2]
Wright did not turn professional until 1987, when she was almost forty years old. Even then, she only began singing as a way to support her family with a second job. Early in 1989 during a live set at Tipitina's in New Orleans, Wright made her first recording, Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean. She made her debut on national television in 1991, when her hometown was the setting for a special that revolved around the Super Bowl where she met CBS news anchorman Ed Bradley, in which at that time he thought she only sang Gospel, it wasn't until the same year that he rediscovered her at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and from that day on had been introducing her every year. Heartbreakin' Woman, Wright's first full-length release, appeared later that year. Wright's 1993 album Born With The Blues was originally released in France, then three years later the major-label imprint Virgin picked it up for the rest of the world. Her 2007 effort, After The Levees Broke, addressed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina - which destroyed her house and all her belongings - by repurposing songs like Willie Nelson's "Crazy," Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," and Bruce Hornsby's "The Way It Is.".[2] In August 2008, she performed with the Louisiana Wetlands All Stars at both the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado as well as the Republican National Convention in Minnesota.
Marva is well known all over Europe where she had many of fans and frequent visits overseas, doing festivals in places like France, Italy, Germany, Australia to name a few.
She also sang backup for such artists as Allen Toussaint, Glen Campbell, and Joe Cocker, and the long list of others Wright performed with includes Cyril Neville, Harry Connick, Jr., Bobby McFerrin, Aaron Neville, Fats Domino, Lou Rawls, and Marcia Ball.[2]
In May and June 2009, Wright suffered a pair of strokes from which she never fully recovered, and on March 23, 2010, she died a few days after her 62nd birthday at her eldest daughter's home in New Orleans.
Victor Uris *20.03.1958
Victor Uris: The man who keep on harpin'
He was born in Palma de Mallorca in 1958. With self taught formation he began in the music's world at the end of 1982 soon after the birth of the band Harmonica Blues Band that was fruit of the union of three musicians from Mallorca: Pep Banyo, Toni Reynes and Victor Uris. With this formation began to play for the island with a classic repertoire of blues and own compositions. During the following two years they went uniting other element until in 1985 where they were consolidated.
Starting from here they act in the main holidays and musical events of the capital and of the rest of the island. Pure acoustic style and piedmont, having gone by so diverse formations as, the Harmonica Coixa Blues Band and multiple collaborations with diverse musicians of this country. In 1987 they recorded their first single in study and other live engraving in the Auditorium of Palm during the VI Jazz Festival of Palma. Soon they recorded a collective record, Jazz festivals with other groups mallorquines. In 1988 their first L.P recorded as own production. It is then when they took the relief of the voice Errol Woiski. Beginning decade 90´s some changes they arised in the composition of the group entering to be part of the same one the guitar player Vicenç Caldentey and the Catalan vocalist Big Mama.
With this formation in 1991 they carried out the recording of their second L.P. "Walking Blues". They recorded an acoustic CD with the incorporation of Amadeu Houses (dobro and guitars), reaching a remarkable success and recognition. At the moment heworks in a project with the Victor Uris Band with a new repertoire of versions of Blues and Jazz including own topics. On the other hand Victor Uris has collaborated in study as live with other musicians, for example: Johnny Copeland, Kevin Ayers, Phil May Band (Pretty Things), Joan Bibiloni, Max Sunyer, Salvador Font.
In the theater, he has composed music for "Les nits blanque" of T.M. Dostoevsky and also of "Surabaya" interpreted by Aina Compte. In television, he has participated in different programs as well as different musical festivals and workshops and seminars of the harmonica.
VICTOR URIS & BLUES QUARTET -BOTTLE UP & GO
Jay Gaunt *20.03.1994
Jay Gaunt began playing harmonica at the age of 12, developing a passion for blues music. One of Jay’s first exposures to blues was The Blues Brothers movie and shortly thereafter he went to see Dan Aykroyd (in full Elwood mode) at the Opus Theater in West Nyack, NY, at which time Dan called up Jay to sit in for the encore. The moment he stepped on stage and played the Mississippi sax, Jay was hooked. Since then he has been hungrily seeking out everything he can find that relates to harmonica, blues and roots music.
While Jay’s favorite music is the blues, he is not limited to just one genre. He also plays jazz, funk, rock and pop. Jay’s main influences on harmonica are James Cotton, Jason Ricci, Little Walter, Dennis Gruenling, Paul Butterfield, Chris Michalek, Sonny Boy Williamson, Kim Wilson, and Junior Wells. However, Jay does not only listen to harmonica players, but also draws influences from an array of musicians as diverse as Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, and Donny Hathaway.
Jay has shared the stage with Dan Aykroyd, Honeyboy Edwards, the James Cotton Blues Band, Tab Benoit, Kenny Brown, Keith Sykes, Jason Ricci & New Blood, Bob Margolin, Dave Fields, Rich DelGrosso, Eric McFadden, Zac Harmon, Jimmy Hall, Mark Hummel, Jon Paris, Rob Paparozzi, Michael Powers, Richie Canata, Victor Wainwright, Davis Coen, Treasa Lavasseur and Mike Zito.
In addition to performing at B.B. King’s Clubs in New York and Memphis, Terra Blues and The Cutting Room in NYC, Jay has also gigged at Ground Zero Blues Club, Rum Boogie and New Daisy in Memphis, and Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco. Festival performances include The Greeley Blues Fest (2008 & 2009) and Blues from the Top (2008 & 2009) in CO as well as the Cape May Jazz Festival (2009) in NJ. In December 2009 he undertook his first European dates performing with Knut Reiersrud and The Alabama Lovesnakes in Oslo, Norway.
Gaunt has studied with Dennis Gruenling, David Barrett, Jason Ricci, Chris Michalek, Mark Hummel, Jon Paris and Michael Peloquin. He is presently studying music composition with Dr. Pedro Da Silva of NYU.
He is a regular attendee and performer at the annual SPAH conventions and is featured in the spring 2010 issue of Harmonica Happenings. A recent interview with Jay is posted at www.harmonica411.com. Late fall 2009 he appeared in a New Jersey Network State of the Arts TV program and earlier this year Jay was the featured artist on a CBS Sunday Morning segment about Harrison Harmonicas, both videos of which are posted on his YouTube channel.
In 2008 he released his debut album, Blown Away, recorded in San Francisco. His 2010 release, Harmonicopia, was recorded at Royal Studios, Memphis, TN and produced by Lawrence \"Boo\" Mitchell and Charley Burch.
Jay Gaunt plays Harrison Harmonicas, www.harrisonharmonicas.com, and uses the Ultimate Series Microphones from BlowsMeAway Productions, www.blowsmeaway.com.
While Jay’s favorite music is the blues, he is not limited to just one genre. He also plays jazz, funk, rock and pop. Jay’s main influences on harmonica are James Cotton, Jason Ricci, Little Walter, Dennis Gruenling, Paul Butterfield, Chris Michalek, Sonny Boy Williamson, Kim Wilson, and Junior Wells. However, Jay does not only listen to harmonica players, but also draws influences from an array of musicians as diverse as Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, and Donny Hathaway.
Jay has shared the stage with Dan Aykroyd, Honeyboy Edwards, the James Cotton Blues Band, Tab Benoit, Kenny Brown, Keith Sykes, Jason Ricci & New Blood, Bob Margolin, Dave Fields, Rich DelGrosso, Eric McFadden, Zac Harmon, Jimmy Hall, Mark Hummel, Jon Paris, Rob Paparozzi, Michael Powers, Richie Canata, Victor Wainwright, Davis Coen, Treasa Lavasseur and Mike Zito.
In addition to performing at B.B. King’s Clubs in New York and Memphis, Terra Blues and The Cutting Room in NYC, Jay has also gigged at Ground Zero Blues Club, Rum Boogie and New Daisy in Memphis, and Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco. Festival performances include The Greeley Blues Fest (2008 & 2009) and Blues from the Top (2008 & 2009) in CO as well as the Cape May Jazz Festival (2009) in NJ. In December 2009 he undertook his first European dates performing with Knut Reiersrud and The Alabama Lovesnakes in Oslo, Norway.
Gaunt has studied with Dennis Gruenling, David Barrett, Jason Ricci, Chris Michalek, Mark Hummel, Jon Paris and Michael Peloquin. He is presently studying music composition with Dr. Pedro Da Silva of NYU.
He is a regular attendee and performer at the annual SPAH conventions and is featured in the spring 2010 issue of Harmonica Happenings. A recent interview with Jay is posted at www.harmonica411.com. Late fall 2009 he appeared in a New Jersey Network State of the Arts TV program and earlier this year Jay was the featured artist on a CBS Sunday Morning segment about Harrison Harmonicas, both videos of which are posted on his YouTube channel.
In 2008 he released his debut album, Blown Away, recorded in San Francisco. His 2010 release, Harmonicopia, was recorded at Royal Studios, Memphis, TN and produced by Lawrence \"Boo\" Mitchell and Charley Burch.
Jay Gaunt plays Harrison Harmonicas, www.harrisonharmonicas.com, and uses the Ultimate Series Microphones from BlowsMeAway Productions, www.blowsmeaway.com.
R.I.P.
Mel Brown +20.03.2009
Mel Brown (* 7. Oktober 1939 in Jackson, Mississippi; † 20. März 2009 in Kitchener, Ontario[1]) war ein US-amerikanischer Blues-Gitarrist, Bassist und Pianist.
Brown wuchs in Jackson (Mississippi) auf; frühe Idole waren die Bluesgitarristen B. B. King and T-Bone Walker. Er zog dann nach Los Angeles, wo er seit Ende der 1950er Jahre vorwiegend als Sessionmusiker arbeitete und u.a an Aufnahmen von Bobby Darin, Bill Cosby, aber auch bei T-Bone Walkers Album Funky Town mitwirkte. Ende 1960 ging er mit der Formation The Olympics auf Tournee; dann spielte er zwei Jahre in der Begleitband der Sängerin Etta James; später spielte er auch in der Band von Oliver Nelson (Live from Los Angeles, 1967), Jimmy McGriff (The Starting Five, 1986) oder mit dem West Coast-Bassisten Leroy Vinnegar (Walking the Basses, 1992). Außerdem spielte er in verschiedenen lokalen Blues-Bands.
Im Sommer 1967 entstand auf Jazz-Label Impulse! Records ein erstes Blues-Funk-Album unter eigenem Namen (Chicken Fat), an dem Gerald Wiggins, Herb Ellis, Arthur Wright, Ronald Brown und Paul Humphrey mitwirkten. Es folgten auf Impulse! Alben wie The Wizard, I'd Rather Suck My Thumb und Big Foot Country Gal.
1971 wurde Brown Mitglied der Band des Sängers Bobby „Blue“ Bland, wirkte an dessen California Album (1973) mit. 1979 trat Brown auf dem San Francisco Blues Festival auf. Außerdem arbeitete Brown in dieser Zeit mit Blues-Legenden wie John Lee Hooker und Lightnin' Hopkins; er blieb bis 1982 bei Bland.
Brown arbeitete 1983 in einer Bluesband in Austin, Texas in der Hausband in dem Club Antone's; später begleitete er Musiker wie Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan und Clifton Chenier. 1986 wurde er Mitglied von Albert Collins' Band the Icebreakers und wirkte an dessen Album Cold Snap mit; danach arbeitete er weiter im Club Antone's in Austin.
Anfang 1990 zog Brown nach Kitchener, Ontario in Kanada, wo er eine eigene Band gründete, The Homewreckers. Es entstand das Album Neck Bones & Caviar (1999). Im Jahr darauf wurde er mit dem W.C. Handy Award ausgezeichnet. 2001 und 2002 erhielt er den Juno Award. 2006 nahm Brown sein letztes Album auf (Blues: A Beautiful Thing). 2007 erhielt er den Living Blues Award als bester Gitarrist. Im April 2008 stand er ein letztes Mal auf der Bühne; er trat er mit Buddy Guy im Kitchener Ontario. Brown starb im März 2009 an Emphysem-Komplikationen.
Brown vereinte in seinem Stil Elemente des Soul, Funk und Jazz zu einer zeitgenössischen Blues-Spielweise.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Brown
Mel Brown (October 7, 1939 – March 20, 2009) was an American-born blues guitarist.
Brown was nominated for a Juno Award in both 2001 and 2002. Brown, a long-time smoker, died aged 69, on March 20, 2009, in Kitchener, Ontario, of complications from emphysema.[1][2]
One of his most celebrated tracks is the 11+ minute guitar solo "Eighteen Pounds of Unclean Chitluns", which is on his "I'd Rather Suck My Thumb" LP, and was reissued as the lead track (and title) on a Blueway collection released sometime after the Impulse albums. In 1969-1970, it got quite a bit of airplay on the San Francisco FM rock station, KSAN.
A documentary film, titled "Love Lost & Found: The Story of Mel Brown" directed by Sean Jasmins for Blue Fusion Productions is slated for theatrical release in 2014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Brown_%28guitarist%29Brown was nominated for a Juno Award in both 2001 and 2002. Brown, a long-time smoker, died aged 69, on March 20, 2009, in Kitchener, Ontario, of complications from emphysema.[1][2]
One of his most celebrated tracks is the 11+ minute guitar solo "Eighteen Pounds of Unclean Chitluns", which is on his "I'd Rather Suck My Thumb" LP, and was reissued as the lead track (and title) on a Blueway collection released sometime after the Impulse albums. In 1969-1970, it got quite a bit of airplay on the San Francisco FM rock station, KSAN.
A documentary film, titled "Love Lost & Found: The Story of Mel Brown" directed by Sean Jasmins for Blue Fusion Productions is slated for theatrical release in 2014.
Ronnie Barron +20.03.1997
Ronnie Barron (born Ronald Raymond Barrosse, October 9, 1943, Algiers, New Orleans; died March 20, 1997) was an American actor, keyboardist, organist, and white soul singer during the 1970s. He was known for his work as a session musician for several artists, as well as his collaborations with Dr. John, a fellow New Orleans native.
Musicians who employed him include Paul Butterfield, Canned Heat, Ry Cooder, Tom Waits, Eric Burdon & The Animals, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, and others.
Barron met Mac Rebennack in 1958 and performed with him at several venues around New Orleans. During that period, he created the Reverend Ether persona to satisfy audiences who were primarily interested in entertainers. Rebennack was so impressed with the gimmick, that he wanted Barron to become Dr. John.[1] Barron was hired by Sonny and Cher in 1965, and relocated to California to become a session musician, and left the Reverend Ether character behind.
He was married to Linda Kelly and had two children, Ronald Raymond, Jr. and Ava. He died in 1997 from complications of heart problems.
Keyboardist, singer, and songwriter Skeeter Brandon was born in 1949 and raised in Goldsboro, NC. He and his band, Highway 61, made a name for themselves as a touring act up and down the East Coast and nearby in the 1980s and '90s. He began singing in the church as a six-year-old and began playing piano at age nine. Blind since early childhood, he was sent to the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, NC. He had some success as a teenager leading his own band around Raleigh and Goldsboro, NC, where he was raised. Through his youth, Brandon sang and played keyboards, trumpet, and drums. He later specialized by sticking mostly to keyboards and vocals. After playing trumpet through most of the 1960s with bands that were doing classic R&B covers by Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, and Wilson Pickett, he formed the Soul Stars Band. They became so popular they were the house band for the Playboy Club in Goldsboro.
He caught his first big break with Clarence Carter, who hired him for his band in 1970 when Carter was playing at the Playboy Club in Goldsboro. Brandon toured the world with Carter and his band before joining the Chi-Lites in 1973. By the mid-'70s, he felt he was ready to record and tour under his own name and went to Muscle Shoals Studios in Alabama with producer Charles Johnson. He recorded a single, "Kept on Smiling" b/w "24 Hour Love Man" for Hit Man records. It sold well enough around the south that Atlantic Records became interested and re-released it on Atlantic in 1975. This led to a tour with Stax Records singer William Bell, and Brandon came home to Goldsboro in 1974. After some time touring in the late '70s, Brandon returned to Goldsboro again to be closer to his family and stick closer to home. He plied his craft in the local gospel scene, recording with two North Carolina gospel groups, Slim and the Supreme Angels and Willis Pittman and the Burden Lifters in the early '80s.
Brandon and Highway 61 released several solid albums in the '90s when they were at the height of their tours in support of them: Hi-Test Blues, I'm a Man of My Word, and License to Thrill. These albums included the same band that accompanied Brandon on his festival and club tours; Armand Lencheck on guitar and vocals; bassist Chris Grant, and drummer Wes Johnson. Guests on Hi-Test Blues (1993) include Mark Wenner of the Nighthawks, Ann Rabson of Saffire -- The Uppity Blues Women, and Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin. Lenchek's background includes working with Lightning Bug Rhodes since 1989, touring with Nappy Brown and sitting in regularly with the likes of Eddy Clearwater, Bob Margolin, and Tom Principato. Aside from Brandon, Lenchek has recorded on albums by Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, Buddy Skipper, Bob Margolin, and David Nelson and the Prowlers.
Brandon's backing band was the former Lightning Bug Rhodes Blues Band. After Rhodes passed unexpectedly, the band regrouped mentally and spiritually and began accompanying Brandon at clubs in the Charlotte, NC area. His recordings for New Moon Music led to subsequent tours around the U.S.Brandon passed away in March 2008. He had stopped performing in the Charlotte area just four months before that in December 2007.
Skeeter Brandon & Highway 61 - Chickadee
The Color Of Blues- The Skeeter Brandon Story
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