1937 Magic Slim*
1944 Denny Freeman*
1955 Johnny Feds*
1957 Nuno Mindelis*
1984 Eddy Ghossein*
1984 Esther Phillips+
1984 Harmonica Frank+
Happy Birthday
Denny Freeman *07.08.1944
Denny Freeman (born Dennis Edward Freeman,[2] August 7, 1944, Orlando, Florida) is an American Texas and electric blues guitarist.[1] Although he is primarily known as a guitar player, Freeman has also played piano and electric organ, both in concert and on various recordings. He has worked with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Bob Dylan, Angela Strehli, Lou Ann Barton, James Cotton, Taj Mahal, and Percy Sledge amongst others.
Freeman spent his adolescence in Dallas, Texas in the late 1950s and played in a rock group called "The Corals" while in high school. He went to college in North Texas, and had a brief stay in Los Angeles, before relocating in 1970 to Austin, Texas.[2][3] He was co-lead guitarist in the Cobras with Stevie Ray Vaughan,[1] then in 1972, became a founding member of Southern Feeling, along with W. C. Clark and Angela Strehli.[4] He later recorded with Lou Ann Barton.[1] Freeman lived and played with both Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He played piano on Jimmie Vaughan's first solo tour, and on a James Cotton album. At Antone's nightclub in the early 1980s, Freeman was a member of the house band and backed Otis Rush, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Lazy Lester.[2]
After touring with Jimmie Vaughan in the mid 1990s he toured with Taj Mahal until 2002. A songwriter on his five mainly instrumental albums, Freeman lived again in Los Angeles from 1992 until 2004.[2] Freeman played with Bob Dylan's backing band between 2005 and 2009. Dylan's album, Modern Times was recorded with Dylan's then touring band, including Freeman, Tony Garnier, George G Receli, Stu Kimball, plus multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron. During a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone, Dylan spoke about his current band:
This is the best band I've ever been in, I've ever had, man for man. When you play with guys a hundred times a year, you know what you can and can't do, what they're good at, whether you want 'em there. It takes a long time to find a band of individual players. Most bands are gangs. Whether it's a metal group or pop rock, whatever, you get that gang mentality. But for those of us who went back further, gangs were the mob. The gang was not what anybody aspired to. On this record (Modern Times) I didn't have anybody to teach. I got guys now in my band, they can whip up anything, they surprise even me.[5]
—Bob Dylan, August 2006, Rolling Stone
Clem Burke played the drums on Freeman's latest solo offering, Twang Bang (2006).
Credits
Freeman co-wrote "Baboom/Mama Said" on the The Vaughan Brothers' 1990 album, Family Style[1]
He played piano on Jimmie Vaughan's 1994 album, Strange Pleasure,[7] and organ on his 1998 follow-up, Out There.[8]
He co-wrote "Boom Boom in the Zoom Zoom Room" on Blondie's 1999 No Exit album.[9]
Freeman played guitar on Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band's Grammy Award winning live album, Shoutin' in Key (2000).[10][11]
He played guitar on Percy Sledge's 2004 album, Shining Through the Rain, and co-wrote with Fontaine Brown the song "Love Come and Rescue Me".[12]
Freeman played guitar, organ and piano on Doyle Bramhall's 2007 album, Is It News.
Magic Slim *07.08.1937
Magic Slim (eigentlich Morris Holt; * 7. August 1937 in Torrence, Mississippi; † 21. Februar 2013 in Philadelphia) war ein US-amerikanischer Blues-Gitarrist, Sänger und Songschreiber. Mit seiner Band "The Teardrops" war er – neben Magic Sam – der bekannteste Vertreter des "West Side Chicago Blues".Ursprünglich spielte Magic Slim Klavier. Bei einem Unfall verlor er jedoch einen Finger und war daher dazu nicht mehr in der Lage. 1955 spielte er in Chicago einige Zeit in Robert Perkins Band "Mr. Pitiful & the Teardrops", bevor er nach Mississippi zurückkehrte.
1965 versuchte er es mit seinen Brüdern Nick und Lee Baby erneut in Chicago. Als "Magic Slim & the Teardrops" machten sie einige Aufnahmen und hatten beträchtlichen Erfolg. Der große Durchbruch gelang ihnen 1977 mit dem Album Born Under A Bad Sign.
Magic Slim & the Teardrops wurden 2000 mit dem Living Blues Award und 2003 mit einem Handy Award als Bluesband des Jahres ausgezeichnet. Insgesamt hat Magic Slim im Lauf seiner Karriere sechs Handy Awards gewonnen (Stand: 2006).
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Slim
Morris Holt (August 7, 1937 – February 21, 2013), known as Magic Slim, was an American blues singer and guitarist.[1][2] Born at Torrance, near Grenada, Mississippi, the son of sharecroppers, he followed blues greats such as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf to Chicago, developing his own place in the Chicago blues scene.[3]
Biography
Magic Slim was forced to give up playing the piano when he lost his little finger in a cotton gin mishap.[4] He moved first to nearby Grenada.[5] He first came to Chicago in 1955 with his friend and mentor Magic Sam. The elder Magic (Sam), (by 6 months), let the younger Magic (Slim) play bass with his band and gave him his nickname.[4]
At first Slim was not rated very highly by his peers.[6] He returned to Mississippi to work and got his younger brother Nick interested in playing bass. By 1965 he was back in Chicago and in 1970 Nick joined him in his group, the Teardrops.[6] They played in the dim, smoke-filled juke joints popular in Chicago in the 1970s on bandstands barely large enough to hold the band.[1]
Slim's recording career began in 1966 with the song "Scufflin'", followed by a number of singles into the mid 1970s. He recorded his first album in 1977, Born Under A Bad Sign, for the French MCM label. During the 1980s, Slim released titles on Alligator, Rooster Blues and Wolf Records and won his first W.C. Handy Award. In 1980 he recorded his cover version of "Mustang Sally".
In 1982, the guitarist John Primer joined the Teardrops and stayed and played for him for 13 years.[6] Releases include Spider in My Stew on Wolf Records, and a 1996 Blind Pig release called Scufflin', which presented the post-Primer line-up with the new addition of the guitarist and singer Jake Dawson.[6]
In 1994, Slim moved to Lincoln, Nebraska where the Zoo Bar had been booking him for years.[6] Slim was frequently accompanied by his son Shawn Holt, an accomplished guitarist and singer.
In 2003, Magic Slim and the Teardrops won the W.C. Handy Award as 'Blues Band Of The Year' for the sixth time. They released a live performance on CD and DVD in August 2005 entitled Anything Can Happen.[7]
Slim died at a hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 21, 2013 at age 75. He had health problems that had worsened while he was on tour several weeks earlier.[8] His manager had stated bleeding ulcers had sent Slim to the hospital, but that he also suffered from heart, lung and kidney problems.[8]
In May 2013, Magic Slim was posthumously awarded another Blues Music Award in the 'Traditional Blues Male Artist' category.
Biography
Magic Slim was forced to give up playing the piano when he lost his little finger in a cotton gin mishap.[4] He moved first to nearby Grenada.[5] He first came to Chicago in 1955 with his friend and mentor Magic Sam. The elder Magic (Sam), (by 6 months), let the younger Magic (Slim) play bass with his band and gave him his nickname.[4]
At first Slim was not rated very highly by his peers.[6] He returned to Mississippi to work and got his younger brother Nick interested in playing bass. By 1965 he was back in Chicago and in 1970 Nick joined him in his group, the Teardrops.[6] They played in the dim, smoke-filled juke joints popular in Chicago in the 1970s on bandstands barely large enough to hold the band.[1]
Slim's recording career began in 1966 with the song "Scufflin'", followed by a number of singles into the mid 1970s. He recorded his first album in 1977, Born Under A Bad Sign, for the French MCM label. During the 1980s, Slim released titles on Alligator, Rooster Blues and Wolf Records and won his first W.C. Handy Award. In 1980 he recorded his cover version of "Mustang Sally".
In 1982, the guitarist John Primer joined the Teardrops and stayed and played for him for 13 years.[6] Releases include Spider in My Stew on Wolf Records, and a 1996 Blind Pig release called Scufflin', which presented the post-Primer line-up with the new addition of the guitarist and singer Jake Dawson.[6]
In 1994, Slim moved to Lincoln, Nebraska where the Zoo Bar had been booking him for years.[6] Slim was frequently accompanied by his son Shawn Holt, an accomplished guitarist and singer.
In 2003, Magic Slim and the Teardrops won the W.C. Handy Award as 'Blues Band Of The Year' for the sixth time. They released a live performance on CD and DVD in August 2005 entitled Anything Can Happen.[7]
Slim died at a hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 21, 2013 at age 75. He had health problems that had worsened while he was on tour several weeks earlier.[8] His manager had stated bleeding ulcers had sent Slim to the hospital, but that he also suffered from heart, lung and kidney problems.[8]
In May 2013, Magic Slim was posthumously awarded another Blues Music Award in the 'Traditional Blues Male Artist' category.
Eddy Ghossein *07.08.1984
Eddy Ghossein (born August 7, 1984) is a Lebanese musician best known as the guitarist for The Wanton Bishops, a blues rock band from Beirut, Lebanon.[1] As a member of the band, Ghossein has recorded one studio album with his bandmate Nader Mansour called "Sleep with the Lights On".
In Beirut’s vibrant and varying districts wind caresses carpets hung out to dry, children play in the street, and elders drink tea under the Eastern sun. In this environment alongside abandoned buildings, crowded streets and a mix of cultural backgrounds, confusing, chaotic and beauteous moments are simultaneously stimulated.
It is here that the musical duo, The Wanton Bishops – Eddy Ghossein and Nader Mansour – emerged in 2011. Before their internationally recognised music careers, Eddy and Nader were orbiting in different worlds: Eddy was a financial auditor, and Nader studied finance engineering in Paris. Thanks to the powers that be, these former finance professionals got lost in the pervasive sound of harmonica and guitar blues riffs, never to look back. In the blink of an eye the band was appointed the opening act of Guns n’ Roses in Lebanon’s capital, and have since toured throughout Turkey, France and Norway. Their music is as sincere as it is wild, conveying deep emotions, just like their hometown.
Nader – who sports a distinctive look with a full grown beard and tattoos on each arm – and Eddy started the interview at Torino Express in Gemmayzeh. The boys then walked to Eddy and his girlfriend’s calm light filled apartment on the hill of Achrafieh followed by a stop at Nader’s home and sanctuary that he shares with a friend in the bustling district of Mar Mikhael. Here they discussed how pain and little bit of craziness play a role in being creative, and the dramatic changes that have taken place in Beirut in recent years.
It is here that the musical duo, The Wanton Bishops – Eddy Ghossein and Nader Mansour – emerged in 2011. Before their internationally recognised music careers, Eddy and Nader were orbiting in different worlds: Eddy was a financial auditor, and Nader studied finance engineering in Paris. Thanks to the powers that be, these former finance professionals got lost in the pervasive sound of harmonica and guitar blues riffs, never to look back. In the blink of an eye the band was appointed the opening act of Guns n’ Roses in Lebanon’s capital, and have since toured throughout Turkey, France and Norway. Their music is as sincere as it is wild, conveying deep emotions, just like their hometown.
Nader – who sports a distinctive look with a full grown beard and tattoos on each arm – and Eddy started the interview at Torino Express in Gemmayzeh. The boys then walked to Eddy and his girlfriend’s calm light filled apartment on the hill of Achrafieh followed by a stop at Nader’s home and sanctuary that he shares with a friend in the bustling district of Mar Mikhael. Here they discussed how pain and little bit of craziness play a role in being creative, and the dramatic changes that have taken place in Beirut in recent years.
Wanton Bishops Official Music Video - Sleep With The Lights On
Nuno Mindelis *07.08.1957
Nuno Mindelis (born August 7, 1957, Cabinda, Angola), nicknamed "The Beast from Brazil", is an Angolan-born Brazilian blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.[1]
Most of his recorded work has been sung in English; however, he recorded his 2006 album Outros Nunos in Portuguese, his native language. He has recorded two albums with the band Double Trouble. Mindelis counts Otis Redding and Johnny Winter among his musical influences.
Life and career
Mindelis became a guitar enthusiast at the age of 5. By the age of 9 he began building and playing self-made guitars.[2] A primary influence at that time was Otis Redding and his rhythm section, Booker T. & the MG's.
In 1990, an independent recording he had made began to receive airplay on local radio stations. In 1991, he recorded his debut solo album, Blues & Derivados, which received positive reviews in Brazilian media. In 1992, he recorded his second solo album, Long Distance Blues for Movieplay Records. In this album Mindelis was joined by Larry McCray, and the French harmonica player, J.J. Milteau. As part of his promotional tour for the album, Mindelis played at a blues festival in São Paulo, featuring Robert Cray, Otis Clay, Ronnie Earl, Lonnie Brooks and Bo Diddley.
In 1994, Guitar Player magazine profiled Mindelis. In the article, Jas Obrecht (the editor at the time) compared Mindelis to Jimmy Page. Further recognition came in their May 1998 issue, as Mindelis was selected as "Best Blues Guitarist" in the 30th Anniversary Guitar Player competition. In 1995, Mindelis played at Antone's 20th Anniversary in Austin, Texas, opening for Guy Forsite and Junior Wells others. Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Storyville also performed at the event.
Later that year, Mindelis recorded his album Texas Bound, featuring Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton, of Stevie Ray Vaughan's rhythm section, Double Trouble. Texas Bound was the 12th best selling album seller in Benelux.
In 1999, Mindelis released Blues On The Outside. Mindelis appeared at the 25th edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2001, and did other presentations in Quebec, Ottawa. Mindelis played at the festival again in 2004, after the release of his album Twelve Hours, and again played Quebec and Ottawa, and also the Montremblant Blues Festival, sharing the stages with Keb' Mo' and Jimmie Vaughan. Andy Grieg in Canada's Real Blues magazine asked, "Is the new King of the blues a man based in Brazil?"
In 2005, Mindelis recorded the album, Outros Nunos, dedicated to Brazil, with all of the songs sung in Portuguese and including versions of Brazilian music standards.
Most of his recorded work has been sung in English; however, he recorded his 2006 album Outros Nunos in Portuguese, his native language. He has recorded two albums with the band Double Trouble. Mindelis counts Otis Redding and Johnny Winter among his musical influences.
Life and career
Mindelis became a guitar enthusiast at the age of 5. By the age of 9 he began building and playing self-made guitars.[2] A primary influence at that time was Otis Redding and his rhythm section, Booker T. & the MG's.
In 1990, an independent recording he had made began to receive airplay on local radio stations. In 1991, he recorded his debut solo album, Blues & Derivados, which received positive reviews in Brazilian media. In 1992, he recorded his second solo album, Long Distance Blues for Movieplay Records. In this album Mindelis was joined by Larry McCray, and the French harmonica player, J.J. Milteau. As part of his promotional tour for the album, Mindelis played at a blues festival in São Paulo, featuring Robert Cray, Otis Clay, Ronnie Earl, Lonnie Brooks and Bo Diddley.
In 1994, Guitar Player magazine profiled Mindelis. In the article, Jas Obrecht (the editor at the time) compared Mindelis to Jimmy Page. Further recognition came in their May 1998 issue, as Mindelis was selected as "Best Blues Guitarist" in the 30th Anniversary Guitar Player competition. In 1995, Mindelis played at Antone's 20th Anniversary in Austin, Texas, opening for Guy Forsite and Junior Wells others. Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Storyville also performed at the event.
Later that year, Mindelis recorded his album Texas Bound, featuring Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton, of Stevie Ray Vaughan's rhythm section, Double Trouble. Texas Bound was the 12th best selling album seller in Benelux.
In 1999, Mindelis released Blues On The Outside. Mindelis appeared at the 25th edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2001, and did other presentations in Quebec, Ottawa. Mindelis played at the festival again in 2004, after the release of his album Twelve Hours, and again played Quebec and Ottawa, and also the Montremblant Blues Festival, sharing the stages with Keb' Mo' and Jimmie Vaughan. Andy Grieg in Canada's Real Blues magazine asked, "Is the new King of the blues a man based in Brazil?"
In 2005, Mindelis recorded the album, Outros Nunos, dedicated to Brazil, with all of the songs sung in Portuguese and including versions of Brazilian music standards.
HEY JOE - NUNO MINDELIS
Johnny Feds *07.08.1955
Johnny Feds & Da Bluez Boys
5pc blues band playing contemporary and traditional blues throughout the tr-state area. John Elmo Lawson-bass, Paul Undersinger-drums, Fred Lind-keys, Frankie Munz-harp/vocals, Johnny Feds-guitar/vocals
Walking Blues - Johnny Feds & Da Bluez Boyz
JP Patrick w/ Johnny Feds & Friends 2013 Wounded Warrior Concert
JP Patrick singing the Johnny Feds' tune, "Christmas Blues" at the
Tarrytown Music Hall during the 2013 Wounded Warrior Christmas
Show/Benefit hosted by Bill Edwards! Joining JP in this rewarding effort
for a great cause were Johnny Feds: Guitar, John "Elmo" Lawson: Bass,
Paul Undersinger : Drums and Fred Lind: Keys...
Johnny Feds & da Bluez Boys live at 12 Grapes
When Johnny's in da house, guest musicians are sure to be around, ready
to sit in. Here, JP Patrick and Dave McDowell on sax, Chris Burke on
keys and Tom Dowd on guitar jam with Feds & da Boyz.
R.I.P.
Esther Phillips +07.08.1984
Esther Mae Jones (* 23. Dezember 1935 in Galveston, Texas; † 7. August 1984 in Los Angeles, Kalifornien), die als Little Esther und Esther Phillips auftrat, war eine US-amerikanische Sängerin, die neben dem Blues auch Jazz, Country, Soul und Disco sang. Sie wurde oft mit Nina Simone verglichen, wohingegen sie Dinah Washington als ihr Vorbild angab. Insgesamt gelangen Phillips über einen Zeitraum von 33 Jahren 19 Hits in den amerikanischen R&B-Charts.
1949 nahm sie an einem Talentwettbewerb im „Barrelhouse Club“ von Johnny Otis in Los Angeles teil. Otis war so beeindruckt, dass er sie für seine Revue The California Rhythm and Blues Caravan engagierte, wo sie als Little Esther auftrat.
1950 hatte sie mit dem Gesangsquartett „The Robins“ ihren ersten Hit, Double Crossin’ Blues. Noch im gleichen Jahr gelangen ihr eine ganze Reihe von großen R&B-Hits: Mistrustin’ Blues, Misery, Cupid Boogie, Deceivin’ Blues, Wedding Boogie und Far Away Blues (Xmas Blues). 1952 folgte Ring-A-Ding-Doo. Nach ihrem Weggang von Otis ließ der Erfolg nach.
1962 wurde Little Esther von Kenny Rogers wiederentdeckt. Sie trat jetzt unter dem Künstlernamen Esther Phillips auf und hatte mit Release Me einen Top-10-Hit in den Pop- und Nummer-eins-Hit in den R&B-Charts. Die Beatles luden sie nach England ein, wo sie eine eigene TV-Show bekam. Mitte der 1960er Jahre stand sie bei dem Label Atlantic unter Vertrag. Hier gelangen ihr kleinere Erfolge mit And I Love Him (1965) und When a Woman Loves a Man (1966). Zu dieser Zeit kämpfte Phillips bereits mit ihrer Heroinsucht.
1972 erschien das Album From a Whisper to a Scream, das für einen Grammy nominiert wurde. Den Preis erhielt dann Aretha Franklin, die ihn aber - als Geste der Bewunderung - an Phillips weitergab. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt stand sie bei Creed Taylors Kudu unter Vertrag, einem Unterlabel von CTI. 1975 hatte sie hier mit einer Disco-Fassung des Klassikers What a Difference a Day Makes (Original von den Dorsey Brothers, eine sehr bekannte Version stammt von Dinah Washington) einen weiteren, weltweiten Hit. Ende 1976 gelang ihr mit Magic's in the Air/Boy, I Really Tied One on ein weiterer Top-5-Erfolg in den US-Disco-Charts.[2] Auch danach nahm sie noch einige Songs in diesem Stil auf, ein größerer Erfolg gelang ihr jedoch nicht mehr.
Phillips starb 1984 an Leber- und Nierenversagen infolge ihrer Heroin- und Alkoholabhängigkeit.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Phillips
Esther Phillips (December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984)[1] was an American singer. Phillips was known for her R&B vocals,[2] but she was a versatile singer, also performing pop, country, jazz, blues and soul music.
Biography
Early life
Born Esther Mae Jones in Galveston, Texas. When she was an adolescent, her parents divorced, and she was forced to divide her time between her father in Houston and her mother in the Watts area of Los Angeles. Because she was brought up singing in church, she was hesitant to enter a talent contest at a local blues club, but her sister insisted and she complied. A mature singer at the age of 14, she won the amateur talent contest in 1949 at the Barrelhouse Club owned by Johnny Otis. Otis was so impressed that he recorded her for Modern Records and added her to his traveling revue, the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, billed as "Little Esther Phillips" (she reportedly took the surname from a gas station sign).[3]
Early career
Her first hit record was "Double Crossing Blues", recorded in 1950 for Savoy Records. After several hit records with Savoy, including her duet with Mel Walker on "Mistrusting Blues", which went to number one that year, as did "Cupid Boogie". Other Phillips records that made it onto the U.S. Billboard R&B chart in 1950 include "Misery" (number 9), "Deceivin' Blues" (number 4), "Wedding Boogie" (number 6), and "Faraway Blues" (number 6). Few female artists, R&B or otherwise, had ever enjoyed such success in their debut year.[2] Phillips left Otis and the Savoy label at the end of 1950 and signed with Federal Records.
But just as quickly as the hits had started, they stopped. Although she recorded more than thirty sides for Federal, only one, "Ring-a-Ding-Doo", charted; the song made it to number 8 in 1952. Not working with Otis was part of her problem; the other part was her drug usage. By the middle of the decade Phillips was chronically addicted to drugs.[4] Being in the same room when Johnny Ace shot himself (accidentally) on Christmas Day, 1954, while in-between shows in Houston, did not help matters.
In 1954, she returned to Houston to live with her father to recuperate. Short on money, she worked in small nightclubs around the South, punctuated by periodic hospital stays in Lexington, Kentucky, stemming from her addiction. In 1962, Kenny Rogers re-discovered her while singing at a Houston club and got her signed to his brother Leland’s Lenox label.
Comeback
Phillips ultimately got well enough to launch a comeback in 1962. Now billed as Esther Phillips instead of Little Esther, she recorded a country tune, "Release Me," with producer Bob Gans. This went to number 1 R&B and number 8 on the pop listings. After several other minor R&B hits on Lenox, she was signed by Atlantic Records. Her cover of The Beatles' song "And I Love Him" nearly made the R&B Top Ten in 1965 and the Beatles flew her to the UK for her first overseas performances.[5]
She had other hits in the 1960s on the label, such as the critically acclaimed Jimmy Radcliffe song "Try Me" (YouTube video) that featured the saxophone work of King Curtis and is often mistakenly credited as the James Brown song of the same title, but no more chart toppers, and she waged a battle with heroin dependence. With her addiction worsening, Phillips checked into a rehab facility where she met fellow vocalist Sam Fletcher. While undergoing treatment, she cut some sides for Roulette in 1969, mostly produced by Leland Rogers. On her release, she moved back to Los Angeles and re-signed with the Atlantic label. Her friendship with Sam Fletcher resulted in a late 1969 gig at Freddie Jett's Pied Piper club that produced the album Burnin'. She performed with the Johnny Otis Show at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1970.
The 1970s
One of her biggest post-1950s triumphs was in 1972 with her first album for Kudu Records. The song penned by Gil Scott-Heron, "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" - an account of drug use — was the lead track on From a Whisper to a Scream, which went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award. When Phillips lost to Aretha Franklin, the latter presented the trophy to Phillips, saying she should have won it instead.[6]
In 1975, she scored her biggest hit single since "Release Me" with a disco-style update of Dinah Washington's "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes". It reached a high of a Top 20 chart appearance in the U.S., and Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.[7] On November 8, 1975 she performed the song on an episode of NBC's Saturday Night (Now Saturday Night Live) hosted by Candice Bergen. The accompanying album of the same name became her biggest seller yet, with arranger Joe Beck on guitar, Michael Brecker on tenor sax, David Sanborn on alto sax, and Randy Brecker on trumpet to Steve Khan on guitar and Don Grolnick on keyboards.
She continued to record and perform throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, completing a total of seven albums on Kudu and four with Mercury Records, for whom she signed in 1977. In 1983, she charted for the final time on a tiny independent label, winning with "Turn Me Out," which reached No. 85 R&B. She completed recording her final album a few months before her death, but it was not until 1986 that the label (Muse) released the record.
Death
Phillips died at UCLA Medical Center in Carson, California in 1984, at the age of 48 from liver and kidney failure due to drug use.[8] Her funeral services were conducted by Johnny Otis.[6] She was buried in the Morning Light section at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. The bronze marker recognizes her career achievements, as well as quoting a Bible passage: "In My Father's House Are Many Mansions" - St. John 14:2
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Phillips has been twice nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and 1987 without getting in.
Biography
Early life
Born Esther Mae Jones in Galveston, Texas. When she was an adolescent, her parents divorced, and she was forced to divide her time between her father in Houston and her mother in the Watts area of Los Angeles. Because she was brought up singing in church, she was hesitant to enter a talent contest at a local blues club, but her sister insisted and she complied. A mature singer at the age of 14, she won the amateur talent contest in 1949 at the Barrelhouse Club owned by Johnny Otis. Otis was so impressed that he recorded her for Modern Records and added her to his traveling revue, the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, billed as "Little Esther Phillips" (she reportedly took the surname from a gas station sign).[3]
Early career
Her first hit record was "Double Crossing Blues", recorded in 1950 for Savoy Records. After several hit records with Savoy, including her duet with Mel Walker on "Mistrusting Blues", which went to number one that year, as did "Cupid Boogie". Other Phillips records that made it onto the U.S. Billboard R&B chart in 1950 include "Misery" (number 9), "Deceivin' Blues" (number 4), "Wedding Boogie" (number 6), and "Faraway Blues" (number 6). Few female artists, R&B or otherwise, had ever enjoyed such success in their debut year.[2] Phillips left Otis and the Savoy label at the end of 1950 and signed with Federal Records.
But just as quickly as the hits had started, they stopped. Although she recorded more than thirty sides for Federal, only one, "Ring-a-Ding-Doo", charted; the song made it to number 8 in 1952. Not working with Otis was part of her problem; the other part was her drug usage. By the middle of the decade Phillips was chronically addicted to drugs.[4] Being in the same room when Johnny Ace shot himself (accidentally) on Christmas Day, 1954, while in-between shows in Houston, did not help matters.
In 1954, she returned to Houston to live with her father to recuperate. Short on money, she worked in small nightclubs around the South, punctuated by periodic hospital stays in Lexington, Kentucky, stemming from her addiction. In 1962, Kenny Rogers re-discovered her while singing at a Houston club and got her signed to his brother Leland’s Lenox label.
Comeback
Phillips ultimately got well enough to launch a comeback in 1962. Now billed as Esther Phillips instead of Little Esther, she recorded a country tune, "Release Me," with producer Bob Gans. This went to number 1 R&B and number 8 on the pop listings. After several other minor R&B hits on Lenox, she was signed by Atlantic Records. Her cover of The Beatles' song "And I Love Him" nearly made the R&B Top Ten in 1965 and the Beatles flew her to the UK for her first overseas performances.[5]
She had other hits in the 1960s on the label, such as the critically acclaimed Jimmy Radcliffe song "Try Me" (YouTube video) that featured the saxophone work of King Curtis and is often mistakenly credited as the James Brown song of the same title, but no more chart toppers, and she waged a battle with heroin dependence. With her addiction worsening, Phillips checked into a rehab facility where she met fellow vocalist Sam Fletcher. While undergoing treatment, she cut some sides for Roulette in 1969, mostly produced by Leland Rogers. On her release, she moved back to Los Angeles and re-signed with the Atlantic label. Her friendship with Sam Fletcher resulted in a late 1969 gig at Freddie Jett's Pied Piper club that produced the album Burnin'. She performed with the Johnny Otis Show at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1970.
The 1970s
One of her biggest post-1950s triumphs was in 1972 with her first album for Kudu Records. The song penned by Gil Scott-Heron, "Home Is Where the Hatred Is" - an account of drug use — was the lead track on From a Whisper to a Scream, which went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award. When Phillips lost to Aretha Franklin, the latter presented the trophy to Phillips, saying she should have won it instead.[6]
In 1975, she scored her biggest hit single since "Release Me" with a disco-style update of Dinah Washington's "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes". It reached a high of a Top 20 chart appearance in the U.S., and Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.[7] On November 8, 1975 she performed the song on an episode of NBC's Saturday Night (Now Saturday Night Live) hosted by Candice Bergen. The accompanying album of the same name became her biggest seller yet, with arranger Joe Beck on guitar, Michael Brecker on tenor sax, David Sanborn on alto sax, and Randy Brecker on trumpet to Steve Khan on guitar and Don Grolnick on keyboards.
She continued to record and perform throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, completing a total of seven albums on Kudu and four with Mercury Records, for whom she signed in 1977. In 1983, she charted for the final time on a tiny independent label, winning with "Turn Me Out," which reached No. 85 R&B. She completed recording her final album a few months before her death, but it was not until 1986 that the label (Muse) released the record.
Death
Phillips died at UCLA Medical Center in Carson, California in 1984, at the age of 48 from liver and kidney failure due to drug use.[8] Her funeral services were conducted by Johnny Otis.[6] She was buried in the Morning Light section at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. The bronze marker recognizes her career achievements, as well as quoting a Bible passage: "In My Father's House Are Many Mansions" - St. John 14:2
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Phillips has been twice nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and 1987 without getting in.
Esther Phillips - Blow Top Blues Jelly Jelly BluesLong John Blues *k-kat blues & jazz café*
Harmonica Frank +07.08.1984
Harmonica Frank Floyd (* 11. Oktober, 1908 in Toccopola, Mississippi; † 7. August 1984 in Blanchester, Ohio) war ein US-amerikanischer Bluessänger, -gitarrist und -harmonikaspieler.
Er war das Kind von Wanderarbeitern, wuchs aber bei seinen Großeltern auf. Im Alter von zehn Jahren brachte er sich selbst das Mundharmonikaspiel bei und lernte auch das Gitarre spielen. Nachdem seine Großeltern gestorben waren, schloss er sich einer Medizinshow an, in der er viele verschiedene Dinge Folkstile lernte. Harmonica Frank hat mehrere Schallplatten für Sam Phillips aufgenommen (die auf den Plattenlabeln Chess und Sun herausgegeben worden sind), darunter auch Rockin' Chair Daddy, das drei Wochen vor Elvis' That's All Right Mama erschien. Er war der erste weiße Musiker, der in den Sun-Studios aufnahm und Sam Phillips die Idee gab, dass ein Weißer, der schwarze Musik singt, ein großer Erfolg sein müsste. Unter Eingeweihten gilt er als 'Legende'. Wie der Titel eines seiner Alben sagt, (The Missing Link) verbindet er in seiner Person die Tradition der Medizinshows mit dem frühen Rock ´n Roll.
Bevor er in den frühen 1950er Jahren von Sam Phillips für Sun Records[1] aufgenommen wurde, hatte er bereits ein lange Karriere in Medizinshows hinter sich. Er perfektionierte eine Technik des gleichzeitigen Mundharmonikaspiels mit einer Seite und des Singens mit der anderen Seite seines Mundes. Er konnte auch mit der Nase Mundharmonika spielen und auf diese Art zwei Harmonikas gleichzeitig bedienen, eine Fertigkeit, die er mit den Blues-Harpisten Walter Horton und Gus Cannon's Partner Noah Lewis gemein hatte.
1972 wurde er von Steve LaVere (Stephen C. LaVere) 'wiederentdeckt' und nahm in den darauffolgenden Jahren zwei Langspielplatten auf den Labeln Adelphi und Barrelhouse auf.
In seinem Buch Mystery Train aus dem Jahre 1975 hat sich Greil Marcus mit seinen Gedanken über die Vereinigten Staaten und den Rock ’n’ Roll auf die sechs Musiker Robert Johnson, Harmonica Frank, Randy Newman, The Band, Sly Stone und Elvis Presley konzentriert.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonica_Frank
Harmonica Frank (October 11, 1908, Toccopola, Mississippi - August 7, 1984, Blanchester, Ohio)[1][2] was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonicist.
Biography
Early life, performing technique
Frank Floyd was the son of itinerant parents who separated without giving him a name.[2] He was raised by his sharecropping grandparents, who died while he was a teenager. He taught himself to play harmonica when he was 10 years old, and he eventually learned guitar. He gave himself the name Frank Floyd,[2] and began performing in the 1920s for traveling carnivals and medicine shows.
He learned many types of folk music and became a mimic, effortlessly switching from humorous hillbilly ballads to deep country blues.
With his self-taught harmonica technique, he was a one-man band, able to play the instrument without his hands or the need for a neck brace. While also playing guitar, he perfected a technique of manipulating the harmonica with his mouth while he sang out of the other side. He could also play harmonica with his nose and thus play two harmonicas at once, a skill he shared with blues harp players Walter Horton and Gus Cannon's partner Noah Lewis.
Early recordings
After years of performing on the medicine-show circuit, Harmonica Frank began working in radio in 1932.[2] His first records were made in 1951, engineered by Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee.[2] The songs, "Swamp Root", "Goin’ Away Walkin'", "Step It Up and Go", "Howlin’ Tomcat", and "She Done Moved", were licensed to Chess Records. Phillips put out another single on Sun Records, "Rockin Chair Daddy"/"The Great Medical Menagerist" in 1954. Harmonica Frank thus became the first white musician to record at that studio.[2] Floyd and Larry Kennon released a shared single, "Rock-A-Little Baby"/"Monkey Love" in 1958, on their own record label, F&L.
Rediscovery, legacy and death
Harmonica Frank's songs appeared on many all-black blues compilations in the 1960s and 1970s, collectors being unable to distinguish his race.
In 1972 he was "rediscovered" by Stephen C. LaVere and in the following years recorded two albums for the Adelphi and Barrelhouse labels, including a compilation of the early material. Additional full albums were recorded before his death in 1984, many of which have become available on CD, though his vintage recordings (1951–59) remain mostly out of print and unavailable aside from occasional tracks on compilations.
In his 1975 book Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music, author Greil Marcus presented a unique vision of America and music, and how they relate by using (as metaphors) six musicians, one of whom was Harmonica Frank.
Frank Floyd died in Blanchester, Ohio, on August 7, 1984, due to complications from Type II diabetes (which had previously cost him his leg) and lung cancer. He was survived by his late-life spouse, Frances Kincaide-Pierce-Floyd. She died in June 2008, in Georgetown, Ohio, from natural causes.
Biography
Early life, performing technique
Frank Floyd was the son of itinerant parents who separated without giving him a name.[2] He was raised by his sharecropping grandparents, who died while he was a teenager. He taught himself to play harmonica when he was 10 years old, and he eventually learned guitar. He gave himself the name Frank Floyd,[2] and began performing in the 1920s for traveling carnivals and medicine shows.
He learned many types of folk music and became a mimic, effortlessly switching from humorous hillbilly ballads to deep country blues.
With his self-taught harmonica technique, he was a one-man band, able to play the instrument without his hands or the need for a neck brace. While also playing guitar, he perfected a technique of manipulating the harmonica with his mouth while he sang out of the other side. He could also play harmonica with his nose and thus play two harmonicas at once, a skill he shared with blues harp players Walter Horton and Gus Cannon's partner Noah Lewis.
Early recordings
After years of performing on the medicine-show circuit, Harmonica Frank began working in radio in 1932.[2] His first records were made in 1951, engineered by Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee.[2] The songs, "Swamp Root", "Goin’ Away Walkin'", "Step It Up and Go", "Howlin’ Tomcat", and "She Done Moved", were licensed to Chess Records. Phillips put out another single on Sun Records, "Rockin Chair Daddy"/"The Great Medical Menagerist" in 1954. Harmonica Frank thus became the first white musician to record at that studio.[2] Floyd and Larry Kennon released a shared single, "Rock-A-Little Baby"/"Monkey Love" in 1958, on their own record label, F&L.
Rediscovery, legacy and death
Harmonica Frank's songs appeared on many all-black blues compilations in the 1960s and 1970s, collectors being unable to distinguish his race.
In 1972 he was "rediscovered" by Stephen C. LaVere and in the following years recorded two albums for the Adelphi and Barrelhouse labels, including a compilation of the early material. Additional full albums were recorded before his death in 1984, many of which have become available on CD, though his vintage recordings (1951–59) remain mostly out of print and unavailable aside from occasional tracks on compilations.
In his 1975 book Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock 'n' Roll Music, author Greil Marcus presented a unique vision of America and music, and how they relate by using (as metaphors) six musicians, one of whom was Harmonica Frank.
Frank Floyd died in Blanchester, Ohio, on August 7, 1984, due to complications from Type II diabetes (which had previously cost him his leg) and lung cancer. He was survived by his late-life spouse, Frances Kincaide-Pierce-Floyd. She died in June 2008, in Georgetown, Ohio, from natural causes.
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