1886 James Doug Suggs*
1903 Georgia White*
1930 Fritz Rau*
1933 Lloyd Price*
1942 Papa Don McMinn*
1944 King Biscuit Boy*
1945 Robin Trower*
1966 Henry Stuckey*
1985 Selwyn Birchwood*
Blind Dog Mayer*
Nedra Russ*
Happy Birthday
King Biscuit Boy *09.03.1944
Richard Alfred Newell (March 9, 1944 – January 5, 2003), better known by his stage name King Biscuit Boy, was a Canadian blues musician. He was the first Canadian blues artist to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S..
King Biscuit Boy played with artists such as Muddy Waters, Joe Cocker, and Janis Joplin.
Newell was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and played guitar and sang, but was most noted for his harmonica playing. His stage name was taken from the King Biscuit Flour Hour, an early American blues broadcast. He was given the name by Ronald "Ronnie" Hawkins, a pioneering rock and roll musician, while he was part of Hawkins' back-up band.
Newell reportedly started his career by stealing his first harmonica (Marine Band, key of B) from a joke shop near his home on Hamilton Mountain, Hamilton, Ontario.[1]
Newell played with The Barons (later renamed Son Richard and the Chessmen) from 1961 to 1965, followed by a stint with The Midknights and in the summer of 1969 helped to form And Many Others, which was Ronnie Hawkins' backing band at that time. After one LP and several US appearances, Hawkins fired the entire band in early 1970,[2] upon which the members, including Newell, formed themselves into their own band, which they named Crowbar. Newell recorded an album with Crowbar, then embarked on a solo career, although he played with Crowbar off and on throughout his career.
After leaving Crowbar, he signed a major American deal with Paramount/Epic. Seven solo albums followed, along with two Juno nominations (the Juno Awards are the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. Grammy Awards).[1]
Newell released his last album in early 2003 at Race Records, an independent record label in Hamilton, Ontario. It was a collaboration with saxophonist Sonny Del-Rio (a former Crowbar bandmate and long-standing friend) entitled Two Hound Blues. The album was a combination of six lost tracks from the 1981 King Biscuit Boy album, Biscuits 'n' Gravy, and the 1991 Sonny Del-Rio effort, 40 Years of Rock & Roll and All I Got's the Blues, which was recorded in 2002.[1]
Blake 'Kelly Jay' Fordham (a former Crowbar bandmate and friend) recalled that Newell had a soft spot in his heart for 1950s doo-wop music. "We'd do a medley, four chords in F, and see how many songs we could fit into it; stuff by Johnnie & Joe - ""Over the Mountain, Across the Sea," and "You Belong to Me", or "Talk to Me", by Little Willie John. Each week we'd try to best ourselves, see who could come up with more. He would always find the most obscure stuff."[3]
Newell preferred Hohner Special 20 (diatonic) harmonicas, and was using a Danelectro amplifier late in his career. He rarely played a chromatic, either on stage or in the studio.
Newell fought repeated battles with alcohol abuse throughout his life. Poor health due to alcoholism stunted his career through the 1990s. The bright spot in this time period was his release of the album Urban Blues Re: Newell in 1995. Newell succumbed to the disease at his home in Hamilton, Ontario, in 2003, just two months short of his fifty-ninth birthday
A couple of months after his death, friends of Newell held a benefit show at a downtown Hamilton, Ontario club, to create a trust fund in his name. More than 100 musicians from across the country showed up to play at Club 77 at the first annual "Blues With A Feeling" benefit show. The show was successful and "The Friends of Richard Newell" have held one every year since, with the money raised going to a music scholarship fund at Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology in Hamilton, Ontario.
King Biscuit Boy "Hoy Hoy Hoy"
Lloyd Price *09.03.1933
Lloyd Price (* 9. März 1933 in Kenner, Louisiana) ist ein US-amerikanischer Rhythm & Blues- und Rock-’n’-Roll-Sänger, der vor allem in den 1950er und frühen 1960er Jahren erfolgreich war.
Price wuchs in Kenner auf, einem Vorort von New Orleans, wo er durch die Jukebox in der Fischbude seiner Mutter schon früh mit der Musik von Louis Jordan, Amos Milburn, Jimmy und Joe Liggins sowie Roy Milton vertraut wurde. Zusammen mit seinem kleinen Bruder Leo stellte Price in den frühen 1950ern eine Band zusammen, die vor allem in der Umgebung Kenners spielte. Bei einem solchen Auftritt wurde Dave Bartholomew auf den jungen Sänger aufmerksam. Infolgedessen bekam Price 1952 einen Plattenvertrag bei Specialty Records. Seine Komposition Lawdy Miss Clawdy schnellte an die Spitze der R&B-Charts und gilt heute als Klassiker. Es folgten noch die Hits Ooh, Ooh, Ooh, Restless Heart, Tell Me Pretty Baby und Ain’t It a Shame, dann musste Price zum Militär und wurde nach Korea entsandt.
Nach seiner Rückkehr gründete er zusammen mit Harold Logan und Bill Boskent ein eigenes Label namens KRC Records. Durch die Ballade Just Because, zunächst auf KRC veröffentlicht, wurde ABC-Paramount auf Price aufmerksam und er bekam dort 1957 einen Plattenvertrag. Stagger Lee, seine Version des Folksongs Stack-a-Lee, schaffte es 1958 sowohl an die Spitze der R&B- als auch der Pop-Charts. 1959 folgten die Hits Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)?, Personality, I’m Gonna Get Married und Come Into My Heart. 1960 hatte Price mit Lady Luck und Question Erfolg.
1962 verabschiedete Price sich von ABC-Paramount und gründete zusammen mit Logan Double L Records, wo Wilson Pickett seine ersten Aufnahmen machte. Später leiteten die beiden noch ein weiteres Label, Turntable Records. Doch nachdem Logan 1969 ermordet wurde, zog sich Price zunächst vollkommen aus der Musikszene zurück. Er zog nach Afrika und unterstützte dort finanziell Muhammad Ali bei zwei Boxkämpfen. In den frühen 1980ern kehrte Price nach Amerika zurück, trat jedoch weiterhin nicht öffentlich auf, bis er 1993 an einer Europa-Tournee mit Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard und Gary "U.S." Bonds teilnahm.
1998 wurde er in die Rock and Roll Hall of Fame aufgenommen.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Price
Fritz Rau (* 9. März 1930 in Pforzheim, Republik Baden; † 19. August 2013 in Kronberg im Taunus, Hessen[1]) war ein deutscher Konzert- und Tourneeveranstalter.
Fritz Rau wurde als Sohn eines Ittersbacher Schmieds in Pforzheim geboren. Seine Eltern verstarben früh, weshalb er ab 1940 bei Verwandten in Berlin aufgenommen wurde. Später besuchte er das Eichendorff-Gymnasium in Ettlingen, wo er auch Schülersprecher war, und studierte dann, gefördert von der Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, Jura an der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg. Er beendete sein Studium mit dem Ersten Staatsexamen (am OLG Karlsruhe) und seine praktische Ausbildung als Gerichtsreferendar in Rheinland-Pfalz mit dem zweiten Staatsexamen beim Justizministerium Rheinland-Pfalz. Er war auch kurz als Rechtsanwalt in einer Kanzlei in Neustadt an der Weinstraße tätig.[2] Bereits im Studium engagierte er sich im Jazz-Club Cave 54 in Heidelberg. Noch als Student heiratete Rau und bekam mit seiner Frau zwei Kinder.[3]
Am 2. Dezember 1955 veranstaltete er sein erstes großes Konzert in der Heidelberger Stadthalle mit Albert Mangelsdorff, das mit 1.400 Besuchern weit über dem üblichen Publikumsinteresse bei deutschen Jazzclubs lag. Der Konzertagent und Jazz-Promoter Horst Lippmann wurde dadurch auf ihn aufmerksam und engagierte ihn als „Kofferträger“ für die Tournee-Reihe Jazz at the Philharmonic des US-amerikanischen Impresarios Norman Granz.[3] Neben seiner Ausbildung übte er weiterhin die Nebentätigkeit als Tourneeleiter aus. So wurde er der verantwortliche Konzertorganisator der Deutschen Jazz Föderation. 1963 bot ihm sein Freund Horst Lippmann eine Zusammenarbeit an und nahm ihn als Partner in seine Konzertagentur auf, die nun „Lippmann + Rau“ genannt wurde. Sie wurde durch die Organisation des American Folk Blues Festivals bekannt, auf denen die bisher nur in Insiderkreisen gefeierten Blues-Größen wie Willie Dixon und Howlin’ Wolf auftraten. Raus Aufgabe als Tourneeleiter bestand auch darin, die Bluesmusiker von hartem Alkohol fernzuhalten. Einigen Fans, die Whiskey einschmuggelten, erteilte er Hausverbot – Mick Jagger und Keith Richard, kurz bevor sie die Rolling Stones gründeten, sowie Robert Plant. Aus dem mit dem Festival geförderten Blues-Boom gingen in England Rockgruppen wie die Rolling Stones, die Yardbirds, Cream und viele andere hervor; die Tourneen der Rolling Stones wurden ab 1970 von Rau organisiert, der sich auch mit Jagger befreundete. Rau entwickelte neue Konzertformate und veranstaltete die ersten Open-Air-Rockkonzerte in Deutschland.
Gemeinsam mit Horst Lippmann hat Fritz Rau auch die Plattenlabels Scout und L+R (Lippmann + Rau) gegründet und betrieben. 1989 fusionierte „Lippmann + Rau“ mit der Agentur „Mama Concerts“ von Marcel Avram zu „Mama Concerts und Rau“. 1998 folgte die Ausgründung zur „Fritz Rau GmbH“. Seit 2001 arbeitete Rau als unabhängiger Produzent und Tourneeorganisator.
Rau arbeitete mit zahlreichen Musikgrößen der Pop-Kultur zusammen, darunter den Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Joan Baez, Peter Maffay, Scorpions, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Charles Aznavour, Bob Dylan, Marlene Dietrich, Ella Fitzgerald, The Doors, The Les Humphries Singers, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, Rory Gallagher, The Who, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury und Queen, Janis Joplin, Udo Lindenberg, Udo Jürgens, Gitte Hænning, Nana Mouskouri, Madonna, Prince, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Simon & Garfunkel, Harry Belafonte, ABBA, Ton Steine Scherben bis hin zu Albert Mangelsdorff. Außerdem war er bis 2005 langjähriger Organisator von Jethro Tull und mit deren Bandleader Ian Anderson eng befreundet. Waren es anfänglich noch überwiegend Musiker der Jazz- und Bluesmusik, deren Tourneen er organisierte, verlagerte er mit dem Aufkommen der Hippie-Bewegung ähnlich wie der Musikproduzent Ertegün sein Interesse auf die Rock- und Popmusik. Raus tatkräftige, aufbrausende Art brachte ihm den Spitznamen „Ayatollah Choleri“ ein. Seine juristische Ausbildung war ihm bei geschäftlichen Konflikten ein hilfreiches Mittel, seine Interessen durchzusetzen.[3]
1983 unterstützte Rau, bewegt durch Petra Kelly, die junge Partei Die Grünen in ihrem Bundestagswahlkampf, indem er die Grüne Raupe organisierte. Hierbei handelte es sich um politische Veranstaltungen, bei denen grüne Redner Ansprachen hielten und Bands, die der Friedensbewegung nahestanden, unentgeltlich für den musikalischen Rahmen sorgten.
Einen Tag nach der Bundestagswahl 1983 trat Fritz Rau aus der Grünen-Partei aus. Der Konzertveranstalter vertrat später die Ansicht, dass „es nicht Aufgabe von Künstlern sein kann, ihre Popularität und ihr Können als sachfremdes Argument in den Wahlkampf einzubringen.“[4]
Als Madonna 1987 auf Europatournee ging und ihren einzigen Deutschlandauftritt im Frankfurter Waldstadion absolvierte, bot Rau als Veranstalter in gemeinsamer Planung mit der Deutschen Bundesbahn 20 Sonderzüge mit je 1000 Fahrplätzen an, die aus der ganzen Bundesrepublik zum Konzertort hin- und zurückfuhren. Diese Aktion lief unter dem Namen „Rock’n’Rail“, die Bahn schaltete dazu im Vorverkauf bundesweit eine ganzseitige Werbeanzeige in der Bild-Zeitung. Der Bahnhof Sportfeld in Frankfurt wurde vorübergehend in „Bahnhof Madonna“ umbenannt. Während der Fahrt wurde in jedem Zug unter den Mitreisenden eine „Miss Madonna“-Wahl abgehalten.
Fritz Rau förderte deutschsprachige Rockmusiker wie Udo Lindenberg oder Peter Maffay. Einer weiteren kommerziell erfolgreichen wie umstrittenen Rockgruppe mit deutschen Texten, den Böhsen Onkelz, verweigerte er jedoch die Zusammenarbeit. „Ich habe keine Lust, eine Tournee mit den Böhsen Onkelz durchzuführen, weil ich nicht der Meinung bin, dass sich die Böhsen Onkelz von ihrer Vergangenheit, die äußerst bedenklich ist, seit den früheren Platten vor acht bis zehn Jahren distanziert haben“, erklärte Fritz Rau in der Fernsehsendung ARD-Kulturreport am 31. Januar 1993.[5]
In seiner 2005 erschienenen Biographie 50 Jahre Backstage - Erinnerungen eines Konzertveranstalters zog er auf humorvolle Weise die Bilanz eines reichen und erfüllten Lebens. Das Buch ist seiner verstorbenen Frau Hildegard und seinem langjährigen Partner Horst Lippmann gewidmet.
Rau trat als Gastdozent an Musikhochschulen und Universitäten auf. Ab dem Sommersemester 2007 lehrte er als Honorarprofessor an der Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main. Er lebte in einer Seniorenresidenz in Kronberg im Taunus.[6] Die Lippmann+Rau-Stiftung bewahrt mit dem Lippmann+Rau-Musikarchiv in Eisenach das Andenken an zwei verdiente Promoter.
Fritz Rau (1984)
Anlässlich des 50-jährigen Jubiläums sowohl der American Folk Blues Festivals als auch der Rolling Stones im Jahr 2012 trat Rau zusammen mit dem Musiker Biber Herrmann mit einem aus Vortrag und Livemusik bestehenden Programm auf, das Anfang 2013 unter dem Titel Ein Plädoyer für den Blues auf einer Doppel-CD erschien. Im selben Jahr wurde er zusammen mit Horst Lippmann in die Blues Hall of Fame aufgenommen.
Rau litt an Diabetes.[7] Ein Herzinfarkt 1994 veranlasste ihn dazu, sich einer Bypass-Operation zu unterziehen. Seit einem Schlaganfall 1999 litt er an einem eingeschränkten Sehvermögen.
Zu dem Jazz-Pianisten Oscar Peterson pflegte Fritz Rau eine Freundschaft, weshalb Rau seinen 1958 geborenen Sohn Andreas Oscar nannte; zugleich war Peterson der Pate von Raus Sohn.
Zitate zu Fritz Rau
„Er ist wie ein Vater für mich.“[4] (Udo Lindenberg)
„He is everybody's Papa.“[8] (Al Jarreau)
„Fritz ist eine der legendären Figuren des deutschen Showbusiness. Ohne ihn hätte es diese großen Hallenkonzerttourneen mit vielen Künstlern nicht gegeben“[9] (Udo Jürgens)
„You are the godfather of us all. Rock’n’Rau Forever!“[3] (Mick Jagger)
„Er schläft nie. Er überlebt bei Bier, Schnitzeln und Gugelhupf.“[4] (Joan Baez)
„Fritz ist absolut raumfüllend. Fritz hat eine spontane herzliche Seite. Ich habe Fritz auch lautstark erlebt. Wenn er sich durchsetzen wollte, dann hat man ihn total wahrgenommen. Nicht nur argumentativ. Auch physisch. Wenn Fritz gegen eine Wand lief, dann wackelte die.“[10] (Peter Maffay)
„Fritz Rau sagt: «An Spargel / Sollten sich nur Leute laben / Die einen Haufen Geld / Auf einem Nummernkonto haben!»“ (Zitat aus dem Liedtext des Musikstücks Shall we take Ourselves Seriously? von Frank Zappa).[11]
Mitgliedschaften
Deutsche Jazz Föderation
Ehrenmitglied des Verbandes der Deutschen Konzertdirektionen
Mitglied des Stiftungsbeirats der Tabaluga-Stiftung unter der Schirmherrschaft von Peter Maffay
Ehrenmitglied des Deutschen Designer Clubs DDC
Ehrenmitglied der Creative Sounds Kronberg
Mitglied des Stiftungskuratoriums der Entrée Musikstiftung von Jean-Jacques Kravetz
SPD
Auszeichnungen
1995: Echo für die Co-Produktion von „Tabaluga“
1998: Hessischer Verdienstorden
2001: Echo für sein Lebenswerk
2002: Großes Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
2002: Ehrenmitgliedschaft des Deutschen Design Clubs für sein Lebenswerk
2003: SWR1 Blues Preis
2007: Live Entertainment Award (LEA) für sein Lebenswerk
2010: Peter-Cornelius-Plakette
2012: Blues Hall of Fame (zusammen mit Horst Lippmann)
http://www.robintrower.com/
Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist and vocalist who achieved success with Procol Harum during the 1960s, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio.
Biography
Trower was born in Catford, London but grew up in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. In 1962, he formed a group that became The Paramounts, later including Westcliff High School pupil Gary Brooker. The Paramounts disbanded in 1966 to pursue individual projects. During this time, Trower created a local three-piece band called the Jam (not to be confused with the later group with Paul Weller). Trower then joined Brooker's new band Procol Harum following the success of their debut single "A Whiter Shade of Pale" in 1967, remaining with them until 1971 and appearing on Procol Harum's first five albums.[citation needed]
Before launching his own eponymous band, he joined singer Frankie Miller, ex-Stone the Crows bassist/singer James Dewar, and former Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker to form the short-lived combo Jude.[1] This outfit did not record and soon split up.
Trower retained Dewar as his bassist, who took on lead vocals as well, and recruited drummer Reg Isidore (later replaced by Bill Lordan) to form the Robin Trower Band in 1973.[2]
Perhaps Trower's most famous album is Bridge of Sighs (1974). This album, along with his first and third solo albums, was produced by his former Procol Harum bandmate, organist Matthew Fisher. Despite differences, Trower's early power trio work was noted for Hendrixesque influences.[2]
Trower is an influential guitarist who has inspired other guitar legends such as Robert Fripp, who praised him for his bends and the quality of his sounds, and took lessons from him.[3]
In the early 1980s, Trower teamed up with former Cream bassist Jack Bruce and his previous drummers Lordan and Isidore, for two albums, BLT (Bruce, Lordan, Trower) and Truce (Trower, Bruce, Isidore).[2] After those albums, he released another album with James Dewar on vocals titled Back It Up in 1983.[4] Robin Trower was dropped from Chrysalis Records afterwards.[5]
In 1991 Trower was also a part of the Night of the Guitars II European tour organised by Sting and The Police manager Miles Copeland. The tour featured Ronnie Montrose, Saga's Ian Crichton, Dave Sharman, Jan Akkerman and Laurie Wisefield.
Thirteen albums later, Trower's album, Living Out of Time (2003), features the return of veteran bandmates Dave Bronze on bass, vocalist Davey Pattison (formerly with Ronnie Montrose's band Gamma) and Pete Thompson on drums—the same line-up as the mid 1980s albums Passion and Take What You Need.
With the same bandmates Trower gave a concert on his 60th birthday in Bonn, Germany. The concert was recorded by the German television channel WDR. It was then released on DVD and subsequently on CD throughout Europe and later the US under the title Living Out of Time: Live. Trower toured the United States and Canada in the summer and autumn of 2006.
In 2007 Trower released a third recording with Jack Bruce, Seven Moons, featuring Gary Husband on drums.
A 2008 world tour began in Ft. Pierce, Florida on 16 January 2008. Joining Davey Pattison and Pete Thompson was Glenn Letsch (formerly of Gamma) playing bass. European dates began in April. The show of 29 March 2008 at the Royal Oak Music Theater in Royal Oak, Michigan was released as a double album on V12 Records.
As his "big hero" he referenced the early James Brown where blues is crossing over into rock and roll.[6]
Equipment
In Procol Harum Trower typically played Gibson guitars. Upon launching his solo career Trower changed to a Fender Stratocaster almost exclusively. During a tour with Jethro Tull, Robin arrived early for a sound check and found Martin Barre's Stratocaster (which Barre used for slide playing) propped up against an amplifier. Trower picked up the guitar, plugged it in, and with a shout which resounded around the auditorium he yelled, "This is it!". "I then switched to Strat" he says. "Up to then I had been playing Les Pauls."[7]
Since then Trower has been an ongoing proponent of the Fender Stratocaster. He currently uses his custom-built Strat (made by the Fender Custom Shop) which comes in Black, Arctic White and Midnight Wine Burst. The guitar is equipped with a 1950s reissue pick-up in the neck position, a 1960s reissue in the middle position, and a Texas Special at the bridge.[8] Other features included a custom C-shaped maple neck featuring a large headstock with a Bullet truss-rod system, locking machine heads and a maple fingerboard with narrow-spaced abalone dot position inlays and 21 frets. The Strats he plays live are an exact model of his signature guitar, which is entirely unmodified. For his first two albums, his guitar was tuned in Standard Tuning EADGBE. Starting from the third album, he detuned the strings a semitone to an Eb Tuning Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb. For example, to the listener, the track "A Tale Untold" sounds as if it is in the key of C minor, whereas from Trower's point of view, he is playing it in C# minor. It is reported that during live performances, his guitar is tuned a full step down to a DGCFAD tuning.
Trower uses between one and three 100-watt Marshall heads with four to six cabinets on stage. While he usually uses two JCM 800s and a JCM 900, he also links 100-watt Marshall Plexi heads. In studio sessions, Trower uses a mix of amplifiers, such as a Fender Blues Junior and Cornell Plexi Amplifers models to acquire different tonality. Recently, Trower has been using Marshall Vintage Modern 2466 heads live.
He has recently been using Fulltone pedals and effects. He favours the OCD, Distortion Pro, Fat Boost, CLYDE Deluxe Wah, Deja Vibe 2, Soul-Bender, and a BOSS Chromatic Tuner. He runs his Deja Vibe into his distortion pedal to get his famous tone. He was given his own signature Fulltone Robin Trower Overdrive in late 2008.
For his 2009 and 2011 US tours Robin was using his Fender Custom Shop Signature Stratocaster into a Fulltone Deja Vibe 2, Fulltone Wahfull, Fulltone Clyde Standard Wah, Fulltone Full Drive, Fulltone Robin Trower Overdrive and Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner into two Marshall Vintage Modern 2466 heads.
Big "Blind Dog" Mayer – The Blues is my passion!
Mit unverkennbarer Stimme und virtuosem Harp-Spiel hat er seinen eigenen Stil gefunden und interpretiert seit vielen Jahren den Blues.
Das haben auch Bluesgrößen wie: Big Daddy Wilson, Blues Company, Henrik Freischlader, Rudy Rotta, Louisiana Red, Aynsley Lister, u. a. gemerkt und ihn als Sideman neben sich auf die Bühne gestellt.
An diversen Projektarbeiten und CD-Produktionen hat er ebenfalls erfolgreich mitgewirkt, wie z. B. zusammen mit der Stuttgarter Band "Bürger 7" und unter anderem an den Drums Mark Schulman (PINK, Foreigner), an deren Projekt für die Peter Maffay Stiftung "Musik ohne Grenzen", im Jahre 2012.
Pünktlich zu Anfang 2015 wird die neue Promo-CD "They call me..." von BADGE feat. Blind Dog Mayer erscheinen!
Auch in dem gemeinnützigen Bluesförderverein für die Region Saar-Lor-Lux - >SaarBlues e. V., ist er als 1. Vorsitzender seit Anfang 2015 aktiv!
Er spiele ua als Sideman bei Bluesgrößen WIE: Big Daddy Wilson, Blues Company, Pete Lancaster, Michael van Merwyk, Dr. Slide, Thomas Blug, Henrik Freischlader, Rudy Rotta, Louisiana Red und Aynsley Lister ...
An diversen Projektarbeiten und CD-Produktionen hat er ebenfalls erfolgreich mitgewirkt, wie z. B. zusammen mit der Stuttgarter Band "Bürger 7" und unter anderem an den Drums Mark Schulman (PINK, Foreigner), an deren Projekt für die Peter Maffay Stiftung "Musik ohne Grenzen".
Anfang 2015 teilte er sich zusammen mit Michael van Merwyk & Bluesoul in einem Double CD Release-Konzert die Bühne und spielte kurze Zeit später als Support-Act für den Headliner EZIO aus UK.
He plays, among others as a sideman with the likes of Blue: Big Daddy Wilson, Blues Company, Pete Lancaster, Michael van Merwyk, Dr. Slide, Thomas Blug, Henrik Freischlader, Rudy Rotta, Louisiana Red and Aynsley Lister ...
At various project works and CD productions he has also worked successfully, such. As with the Stuttgart band "Citizens 7" and, among other things on the drums Mark Schulman (PINK, Foreigner) , at the project for the Peter Maffay Foundation " music without borders ".
Early 2015 he shared with Michael van Merwyk & Blue Soul in a double CD release concert stage and played a short time later as a support act for the headlining EZIO from UK.
Lloyd Price (born March 9, 1933) is an American R&B vocalist.[1] Known as "Mr. Personality", after one of his million-selling hits. His first recording, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", was a hit on Specialty Records in 1952, and although he continued to release records, none were as popular until several years later, when he refined the New Orleans beat and achieved a series of national hits.[2] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.[3]
Biography
Born in Kenner, Louisiana, United States, and growing up in a suburb of New Orleans, Price had formal musical training in trumpet and piano, sang in his church's gospel choir, and was a member of a combo in high school. His mother, Beatrice Price, owned the Fish 'n' Fry Restaurant, and Price picked up a lifelong interest in business and in food from her.
When Art Rupe of Specialty Records came to New Orleans scouting for talent and heard Price's song, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", he wanted to record it. Because Price did not have a band (though he would eventually start his own band in 1949),[4] Rupe hired Dave Bartholomew and his band (which included Fats Domino on piano) to do the arrangements and back up Price in the recording session. The song turned out to be a massive hit and his next release cut at the same session, "Oooh, Oooh, Oooh" a much smaller one. Price continued making recordings for Speciality but did not chart any further hits at that time.
In 1954 he was drafted and ended up in Korea. When he returned he found he had been replaced by Little Richard.[5] In addition, his former chauffeur, Larry Williams, was also recording for the label, having released "Short Fat Fannie".
Price eventually formed KRC Records with Harold Logan and Bill Boskent. The first single was "Just Because". It was picked up by ABC Records and from 1957 to 1959 Price recorded a series of national hits on ABC Records that were successful adaptations of the New Orleans sound, such as "Stagger Lee", "Personality",[6] which reached #2, and the #3 hit "I'm Gonna Get Married".[2] "Stagger Lee" topped the pop and R&B charts, sold over a million copies. Dick Clark insisted the violent content of the song be toned down when Price appeared on American Bandstand but it was still the "violent" version that was on top of the R&B charts of 1959.[3] "Stack-o-Lee" is an old blues standard recorded many times previously by other artists. Greil Marcus, in a critical analysis of the song's history, has written that Price's was an enthusiastic hard rock version with a screaming saxophone. In all of these early recordings of Lloyd Price, "Personality", Stagger Lee", "I'm Gonna Get Married", etc., Merritt Mel Dalton was the lead sax man; he was in the traveling band as well and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show with Price.[7]
In 1962, Price formed Double L Records with Logan. Wilson Pickett got his start on this label. In 1969, Logan was murdered. Price then founded a new label, Turntable, and opened a club by the same name in New York City.[8]
During the 1970s Price owned a Manhattan restaurant-nightclub called Turntable and helped Don King promote fights including Muhammad Ali's "Rumble in the Jungle." He later became a builder, erecting 42 town houses in the Bronx.[9]
Price toured Europe in 1993 with Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Gary U.S. Bonds. He performed in 2005 with soul legends Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler, and Ben E. King for the "Four Kings of Rhythm and Blues" tour, concerts captured for a DVD and PBS television special.
On March 9, 2010, his 77th birthday, in New Orleans, Price was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and on June 20, 2010, he appeared and sang in the season 1 finale of the HBO series "Treme".
Price currently manages Icon Food Brands, which makes a line of primarily Southern-style foods, including Lawdy Miss Clawdy food products, ranging from canned greens to sweet potato cookies, and a line of Lloyd Price foods, such as Lloyd Price's Soulful 'n' Smooth Grits and Lloyd Price's Energy-2-Eat Bar (with the brand slogan "Good taste ... Great Personality"), plus Lawdy Miss Clawdy clothing and collectibles.[10]
Lloyd Price Avenue in Kenner, Louisiana, was named for the singer and the city celebrates an annual Lloyd Price Day.[11]
In 2011 Price was promoting his autobiography The True King of the Fifties: The Lloyd Price Story and was working on a Broadway musical called "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," in conjunction with a team that includes producer Phil Ramone. The musical details how rock and roll evolved out of the New Orleans music scene of the early 1950s. He continues to sing.[9]
Price lives with his wife in Westchester County, New York.
Biography
Born in Kenner, Louisiana, United States, and growing up in a suburb of New Orleans, Price had formal musical training in trumpet and piano, sang in his church's gospel choir, and was a member of a combo in high school. His mother, Beatrice Price, owned the Fish 'n' Fry Restaurant, and Price picked up a lifelong interest in business and in food from her.
When Art Rupe of Specialty Records came to New Orleans scouting for talent and heard Price's song, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", he wanted to record it. Because Price did not have a band (though he would eventually start his own band in 1949),[4] Rupe hired Dave Bartholomew and his band (which included Fats Domino on piano) to do the arrangements and back up Price in the recording session. The song turned out to be a massive hit and his next release cut at the same session, "Oooh, Oooh, Oooh" a much smaller one. Price continued making recordings for Speciality but did not chart any further hits at that time.
In 1954 he was drafted and ended up in Korea. When he returned he found he had been replaced by Little Richard.[5] In addition, his former chauffeur, Larry Williams, was also recording for the label, having released "Short Fat Fannie".
Price eventually formed KRC Records with Harold Logan and Bill Boskent. The first single was "Just Because". It was picked up by ABC Records and from 1957 to 1959 Price recorded a series of national hits on ABC Records that were successful adaptations of the New Orleans sound, such as "Stagger Lee", "Personality",[6] which reached #2, and the #3 hit "I'm Gonna Get Married".[2] "Stagger Lee" topped the pop and R&B charts, sold over a million copies. Dick Clark insisted the violent content of the song be toned down when Price appeared on American Bandstand but it was still the "violent" version that was on top of the R&B charts of 1959.[3] "Stack-o-Lee" is an old blues standard recorded many times previously by other artists. Greil Marcus, in a critical analysis of the song's history, has written that Price's was an enthusiastic hard rock version with a screaming saxophone. In all of these early recordings of Lloyd Price, "Personality", Stagger Lee", "I'm Gonna Get Married", etc., Merritt Mel Dalton was the lead sax man; he was in the traveling band as well and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show with Price.[7]
In 1962, Price formed Double L Records with Logan. Wilson Pickett got his start on this label. In 1969, Logan was murdered. Price then founded a new label, Turntable, and opened a club by the same name in New York City.[8]
During the 1970s Price owned a Manhattan restaurant-nightclub called Turntable and helped Don King promote fights including Muhammad Ali's "Rumble in the Jungle." He later became a builder, erecting 42 town houses in the Bronx.[9]
Price toured Europe in 1993 with Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Gary U.S. Bonds. He performed in 2005 with soul legends Jerry Butler, Gene Chandler, and Ben E. King for the "Four Kings of Rhythm and Blues" tour, concerts captured for a DVD and PBS television special.
On March 9, 2010, his 77th birthday, in New Orleans, Price was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and on June 20, 2010, he appeared and sang in the season 1 finale of the HBO series "Treme".
Price currently manages Icon Food Brands, which makes a line of primarily Southern-style foods, including Lawdy Miss Clawdy food products, ranging from canned greens to sweet potato cookies, and a line of Lloyd Price foods, such as Lloyd Price's Soulful 'n' Smooth Grits and Lloyd Price's Energy-2-Eat Bar (with the brand slogan "Good taste ... Great Personality"), plus Lawdy Miss Clawdy clothing and collectibles.[10]
Lloyd Price Avenue in Kenner, Louisiana, was named for the singer and the city celebrates an annual Lloyd Price Day.[11]
In 2011 Price was promoting his autobiography The True King of the Fifties: The Lloyd Price Story and was working on a Broadway musical called "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," in conjunction with a team that includes producer Phil Ramone. The musical details how rock and roll evolved out of the New Orleans music scene of the early 1950s. He continues to sing.[9]
Price lives with his wife in Westchester County, New York.
Lloyd Price - Mailman Blues
Fritz Rau *09.03.1930
Fritz Rau (* 9. März 1930 in Pforzheim, Republik Baden; † 19. August 2013 in Kronberg im Taunus, Hessen[1]) war ein deutscher Konzert- und Tourneeveranstalter.Fritz Rau wurde als Sohn eines Ittersbacher Schmieds in Pforzheim geboren. Seine Eltern verstarben früh, weshalb er ab 1940 bei Verwandten in Berlin aufgenommen wurde. Später besuchte er das Eichendorff-Gymnasium in Ettlingen, wo er auch Schülersprecher war, und studierte dann, gefördert von der Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, Jura an der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg. Er beendete sein Studium mit dem Ersten Staatsexamen (am OLG Karlsruhe) und seine praktische Ausbildung als Gerichtsreferendar in Rheinland-Pfalz mit dem zweiten Staatsexamen beim Justizministerium Rheinland-Pfalz. Er war auch kurz als Rechtsanwalt in einer Kanzlei in Neustadt an der Weinstraße tätig.[2] Bereits im Studium engagierte er sich im Jazz-Club Cave 54 in Heidelberg. Noch als Student heiratete Rau und bekam mit seiner Frau zwei Kinder.[3]
Am 2. Dezember 1955 veranstaltete er sein erstes großes Konzert in der Heidelberger Stadthalle mit Albert Mangelsdorff, das mit 1.400 Besuchern weit über dem üblichen Publikumsinteresse bei deutschen Jazzclubs lag. Der Konzertagent und Jazz-Promoter Horst Lippmann wurde dadurch auf ihn aufmerksam und engagierte ihn als „Kofferträger“ für die Tournee-Reihe Jazz at the Philharmonic des US-amerikanischen Impresarios Norman Granz.[3] Neben seiner Ausbildung übte er weiterhin die Nebentätigkeit als Tourneeleiter aus. So wurde er der verantwortliche Konzertorganisator der Deutschen Jazz Föderation. 1963 bot ihm sein Freund Horst Lippmann eine Zusammenarbeit an und nahm ihn als Partner in seine Konzertagentur auf, die nun „Lippmann + Rau“ genannt wurde. Sie wurde durch die Organisation des American Folk Blues Festivals bekannt, auf denen die bisher nur in Insiderkreisen gefeierten Blues-Größen wie Willie Dixon und Howlin’ Wolf auftraten. Raus Aufgabe als Tourneeleiter bestand auch darin, die Bluesmusiker von hartem Alkohol fernzuhalten. Einigen Fans, die Whiskey einschmuggelten, erteilte er Hausverbot – Mick Jagger und Keith Richard, kurz bevor sie die Rolling Stones gründeten, sowie Robert Plant. Aus dem mit dem Festival geförderten Blues-Boom gingen in England Rockgruppen wie die Rolling Stones, die Yardbirds, Cream und viele andere hervor; die Tourneen der Rolling Stones wurden ab 1970 von Rau organisiert, der sich auch mit Jagger befreundete. Rau entwickelte neue Konzertformate und veranstaltete die ersten Open-Air-Rockkonzerte in Deutschland.
Gemeinsam mit Horst Lippmann hat Fritz Rau auch die Plattenlabels Scout und L+R (Lippmann + Rau) gegründet und betrieben. 1989 fusionierte „Lippmann + Rau“ mit der Agentur „Mama Concerts“ von Marcel Avram zu „Mama Concerts und Rau“. 1998 folgte die Ausgründung zur „Fritz Rau GmbH“. Seit 2001 arbeitete Rau als unabhängiger Produzent und Tourneeorganisator.
Rau arbeitete mit zahlreichen Musikgrößen der Pop-Kultur zusammen, darunter den Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Joan Baez, Peter Maffay, Scorpions, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Charles Aznavour, Bob Dylan, Marlene Dietrich, Ella Fitzgerald, The Doors, The Les Humphries Singers, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, Rory Gallagher, The Who, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury und Queen, Janis Joplin, Udo Lindenberg, Udo Jürgens, Gitte Hænning, Nana Mouskouri, Madonna, Prince, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Simon & Garfunkel, Harry Belafonte, ABBA, Ton Steine Scherben bis hin zu Albert Mangelsdorff. Außerdem war er bis 2005 langjähriger Organisator von Jethro Tull und mit deren Bandleader Ian Anderson eng befreundet. Waren es anfänglich noch überwiegend Musiker der Jazz- und Bluesmusik, deren Tourneen er organisierte, verlagerte er mit dem Aufkommen der Hippie-Bewegung ähnlich wie der Musikproduzent Ertegün sein Interesse auf die Rock- und Popmusik. Raus tatkräftige, aufbrausende Art brachte ihm den Spitznamen „Ayatollah Choleri“ ein. Seine juristische Ausbildung war ihm bei geschäftlichen Konflikten ein hilfreiches Mittel, seine Interessen durchzusetzen.[3]
1983 unterstützte Rau, bewegt durch Petra Kelly, die junge Partei Die Grünen in ihrem Bundestagswahlkampf, indem er die Grüne Raupe organisierte. Hierbei handelte es sich um politische Veranstaltungen, bei denen grüne Redner Ansprachen hielten und Bands, die der Friedensbewegung nahestanden, unentgeltlich für den musikalischen Rahmen sorgten.
Einen Tag nach der Bundestagswahl 1983 trat Fritz Rau aus der Grünen-Partei aus. Der Konzertveranstalter vertrat später die Ansicht, dass „es nicht Aufgabe von Künstlern sein kann, ihre Popularität und ihr Können als sachfremdes Argument in den Wahlkampf einzubringen.“[4]
Als Madonna 1987 auf Europatournee ging und ihren einzigen Deutschlandauftritt im Frankfurter Waldstadion absolvierte, bot Rau als Veranstalter in gemeinsamer Planung mit der Deutschen Bundesbahn 20 Sonderzüge mit je 1000 Fahrplätzen an, die aus der ganzen Bundesrepublik zum Konzertort hin- und zurückfuhren. Diese Aktion lief unter dem Namen „Rock’n’Rail“, die Bahn schaltete dazu im Vorverkauf bundesweit eine ganzseitige Werbeanzeige in der Bild-Zeitung. Der Bahnhof Sportfeld in Frankfurt wurde vorübergehend in „Bahnhof Madonna“ umbenannt. Während der Fahrt wurde in jedem Zug unter den Mitreisenden eine „Miss Madonna“-Wahl abgehalten.
Fritz Rau förderte deutschsprachige Rockmusiker wie Udo Lindenberg oder Peter Maffay. Einer weiteren kommerziell erfolgreichen wie umstrittenen Rockgruppe mit deutschen Texten, den Böhsen Onkelz, verweigerte er jedoch die Zusammenarbeit. „Ich habe keine Lust, eine Tournee mit den Böhsen Onkelz durchzuführen, weil ich nicht der Meinung bin, dass sich die Böhsen Onkelz von ihrer Vergangenheit, die äußerst bedenklich ist, seit den früheren Platten vor acht bis zehn Jahren distanziert haben“, erklärte Fritz Rau in der Fernsehsendung ARD-Kulturreport am 31. Januar 1993.[5]
In seiner 2005 erschienenen Biographie 50 Jahre Backstage - Erinnerungen eines Konzertveranstalters zog er auf humorvolle Weise die Bilanz eines reichen und erfüllten Lebens. Das Buch ist seiner verstorbenen Frau Hildegard und seinem langjährigen Partner Horst Lippmann gewidmet.
Rau trat als Gastdozent an Musikhochschulen und Universitäten auf. Ab dem Sommersemester 2007 lehrte er als Honorarprofessor an der Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main. Er lebte in einer Seniorenresidenz in Kronberg im Taunus.[6] Die Lippmann+Rau-Stiftung bewahrt mit dem Lippmann+Rau-Musikarchiv in Eisenach das Andenken an zwei verdiente Promoter.
Fritz Rau (1984)
Anlässlich des 50-jährigen Jubiläums sowohl der American Folk Blues Festivals als auch der Rolling Stones im Jahr 2012 trat Rau zusammen mit dem Musiker Biber Herrmann mit einem aus Vortrag und Livemusik bestehenden Programm auf, das Anfang 2013 unter dem Titel Ein Plädoyer für den Blues auf einer Doppel-CD erschien. Im selben Jahr wurde er zusammen mit Horst Lippmann in die Blues Hall of Fame aufgenommen.
Rau litt an Diabetes.[7] Ein Herzinfarkt 1994 veranlasste ihn dazu, sich einer Bypass-Operation zu unterziehen. Seit einem Schlaganfall 1999 litt er an einem eingeschränkten Sehvermögen.
Zu dem Jazz-Pianisten Oscar Peterson pflegte Fritz Rau eine Freundschaft, weshalb Rau seinen 1958 geborenen Sohn Andreas Oscar nannte; zugleich war Peterson der Pate von Raus Sohn.
Zitate zu Fritz Rau
„Er ist wie ein Vater für mich.“[4] (Udo Lindenberg)
„He is everybody's Papa.“[8] (Al Jarreau)
„Fritz ist eine der legendären Figuren des deutschen Showbusiness. Ohne ihn hätte es diese großen Hallenkonzerttourneen mit vielen Künstlern nicht gegeben“[9] (Udo Jürgens)
„You are the godfather of us all. Rock’n’Rau Forever!“[3] (Mick Jagger)
„Er schläft nie. Er überlebt bei Bier, Schnitzeln und Gugelhupf.“[4] (Joan Baez)
„Fritz ist absolut raumfüllend. Fritz hat eine spontane herzliche Seite. Ich habe Fritz auch lautstark erlebt. Wenn er sich durchsetzen wollte, dann hat man ihn total wahrgenommen. Nicht nur argumentativ. Auch physisch. Wenn Fritz gegen eine Wand lief, dann wackelte die.“[10] (Peter Maffay)
„Fritz Rau sagt: «An Spargel / Sollten sich nur Leute laben / Die einen Haufen Geld / Auf einem Nummernkonto haben!»“ (Zitat aus dem Liedtext des Musikstücks Shall we take Ourselves Seriously? von Frank Zappa).[11]
Mitgliedschaften
Deutsche Jazz Föderation
Ehrenmitglied des Verbandes der Deutschen Konzertdirektionen
Mitglied des Stiftungsbeirats der Tabaluga-Stiftung unter der Schirmherrschaft von Peter Maffay
Ehrenmitglied des Deutschen Designer Clubs DDC
Ehrenmitglied der Creative Sounds Kronberg
Mitglied des Stiftungskuratoriums der Entrée Musikstiftung von Jean-Jacques Kravetz
SPD
Auszeichnungen
1995: Echo für die Co-Produktion von „Tabaluga“
1998: Hessischer Verdienstorden
2001: Echo für sein Lebenswerk
2002: Großes Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
2002: Ehrenmitgliedschaft des Deutschen Design Clubs für sein Lebenswerk
2003: SWR1 Blues Preis
2007: Live Entertainment Award (LEA) für sein Lebenswerk
2010: Peter-Cornelius-Plakette
2012: Blues Hall of Fame (zusammen mit Horst Lippmann)
Fritz Rau (9 March 1930 – 19 August 2013[1]) was a German music promoter, who was influential in the development of the appreciation of jazz and blues music in Europe in the 1950s and 1960s, and has since been a leading promoter of rock and pop music. He was nominated to the Blues Hall of Fame in 2012, together with his former business partner Horst Lippmann.
Life and career
Rau was born in Pforzheim, but after the death of his parents moved at the age of ten to live with relatives. He studied in Ettlingen, and later graduated with a degree in Law from the University of Heidelberg. He worked as a court clerk in Rhineland-Palatinate, and in a law firm in Neustadt an der Weinstraße, while at the same time becoming involved in running a jazz club, Cave 54, in Heidelberg. In December 1955, he organised his first major concert, featuring Albert Mangelsdorff at Heidelberg Town Hall, where his abilities were noticed by concert agent and promoter Horst Lippmann. Lippmann then hired him to help run the Jazz at the Philharmonic tours of Europe arranged by Norman Granz, and they began to work together regularly from 1957.[2] Rau also became concert organiser of the German Jazz Federation.[3]
In 1962 he and Lippmann established the concert agency "Lippmann + Rau", and organised the first European tour by the American Folk Blues Festival.[4] This brought American blues musicians such as Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson II, John Lee Hooker, Memphis Slim, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Little Brother Montgomery, J.B. Lenoir, Lonnie Johnson, Victoria Spivey, Big Joe Williams, Sleepy John Estes and others to Europe for the first time.[4] Several annual tours by American blues musicians over the following years directly influenced a generation of young musicians, especially in Britain where new bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds with an interest in blues music were already emerging. Albums by the AFBF artists were also released on Lippmann and Rau's own Scout and L+R labels.[4] The promotional approach adopted by Lippmann and Rau has been criticised for taking a conservative and romantic view of blues music, and presenting it as a heritage rather than putting in the context of the civil rights movement in the US.[2]
Lippmann and Rau worked together to promote a wide variety of jazz, rock, pop and gospel acts across Europe in the 1970s and 1980s.[3] After Lippmann's death in 1997, Rau worked as an independent promoter and tour organiser, and also helped establish the Lippmann + Rau Music Archive in Lippmann's home town of Eisenach.
Life and career
Rau was born in Pforzheim, but after the death of his parents moved at the age of ten to live with relatives. He studied in Ettlingen, and later graduated with a degree in Law from the University of Heidelberg. He worked as a court clerk in Rhineland-Palatinate, and in a law firm in Neustadt an der Weinstraße, while at the same time becoming involved in running a jazz club, Cave 54, in Heidelberg. In December 1955, he organised his first major concert, featuring Albert Mangelsdorff at Heidelberg Town Hall, where his abilities were noticed by concert agent and promoter Horst Lippmann. Lippmann then hired him to help run the Jazz at the Philharmonic tours of Europe arranged by Norman Granz, and they began to work together regularly from 1957.[2] Rau also became concert organiser of the German Jazz Federation.[3]
In 1962 he and Lippmann established the concert agency "Lippmann + Rau", and organised the first European tour by the American Folk Blues Festival.[4] This brought American blues musicians such as Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson II, John Lee Hooker, Memphis Slim, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Little Brother Montgomery, J.B. Lenoir, Lonnie Johnson, Victoria Spivey, Big Joe Williams, Sleepy John Estes and others to Europe for the first time.[4] Several annual tours by American blues musicians over the following years directly influenced a generation of young musicians, especially in Britain where new bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds with an interest in blues music were already emerging. Albums by the AFBF artists were also released on Lippmann and Rau's own Scout and L+R labels.[4] The promotional approach adopted by Lippmann and Rau has been criticised for taking a conservative and romantic view of blues music, and presenting it as a heritage rather than putting in the context of the civil rights movement in the US.[2]
Lippmann and Rau worked together to promote a wide variety of jazz, rock, pop and gospel acts across Europe in the 1970s and 1980s.[3] After Lippmann's death in 1997, Rau worked as an independent promoter and tour organiser, and also helped establish the Lippmann + Rau Music Archive in Lippmann's home town of Eisenach.
Fritz Rau & Biber Herrmann - Ein Plädoyer für den Blues (2CD)
Robin Trower *09.03.1945
Robin Trower (* 9. März 1945 in Catford, heute London Borough of Lewisham, Vereinigtes Königreich) ist ein englischer Gitarrist und Rockmusiker.
Bekannt wurde er durch die Band The Paramounts und ab 1967 mit Procol Harum. Er verließ die Gruppe 1971, gründete 1972 mit Frankie Miller, Clive Bunker und James Dewar[1] die Gruppe Jude, die allerdings erfolglos blieb. Im Jahr 1973 gründete Robin Trower eine Band unter seinem Namen, die musikalisch den Gitarrensound von Jimi Hendrix zum Vorbild hatte und später weiterentwickelte. Die ersten drei Alben wurden von Matthew Fisher produziert. Bis 1981 waren Trower's Alben in den USA sehr erfolgreich.
Ab 1980 arbeitete Trower mit wechselnden Musikern, darunter Jack Bruce. Er beteiligte sich 1991 an der Wiedervereinigung von Procol Harum und wirkte auf dem Album The Prodigal Stranger mit. Im Anschluss daran konzentrierte er sich wieder auf seine Solokarriere.
An seinem 60. Geburtstag gab Robin Trower ein Konzert in Bonn, das vom WDR aufgezeichnet und auf DVD sowie CD veröffentlicht wurde.
Bekannt wurde er durch die Band The Paramounts und ab 1967 mit Procol Harum. Er verließ die Gruppe 1971, gründete 1972 mit Frankie Miller, Clive Bunker und James Dewar[1] die Gruppe Jude, die allerdings erfolglos blieb. Im Jahr 1973 gründete Robin Trower eine Band unter seinem Namen, die musikalisch den Gitarrensound von Jimi Hendrix zum Vorbild hatte und später weiterentwickelte. Die ersten drei Alben wurden von Matthew Fisher produziert. Bis 1981 waren Trower's Alben in den USA sehr erfolgreich.
Ab 1980 arbeitete Trower mit wechselnden Musikern, darunter Jack Bruce. Er beteiligte sich 1991 an der Wiedervereinigung von Procol Harum und wirkte auf dem Album The Prodigal Stranger mit. Im Anschluss daran konzentrierte er sich wieder auf seine Solokarriere.
An seinem 60. Geburtstag gab Robin Trower ein Konzert in Bonn, das vom WDR aufgezeichnet und auf DVD sowie CD veröffentlicht wurde.
ROBIN TROWERS Karriere ist mehr als vier Dekaden lang. Bereits
in den frühen sechziger Jahren galt er als einer der
virtuosesten Gitarristen der damals blühenden Londoner
Clubszene. Weltweiten Erfolg heimste er etwas später mit
Procol Harum ein. Aber erst nachdem Trower 1972 Procol Harum wieder
verließ und unter eigenem Namen auftrat, wurde sein
bluesig-psychedelisches Spiel zum unverwechselbaren Markenzeichen.
Verschiedentlich wurde er als "the white Hendrix"
tituliert - was ihm selbst von Herzen egal war. In den letzten drei
Jahrzehnten nahm er zahlreiche Alben auf, befand sich fast
pausenlos auf Tournee und schaffte es darüber hinaus noch,
diverse Filmmusik zu schreiben und zu produzieren. In diesem Jahr
wird die Gitarrenmarke Fender gar Trower dadurch ehren, dass zum
50. Geburtstag der Stratocaster ein Trower Signature-Modell auf den
Markt gebracht wird.
Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist and vocalist who achieved success with Procol Harum during the 1960s, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio.
Biography
Trower was born in Catford, London but grew up in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. In 1962, he formed a group that became The Paramounts, later including Westcliff High School pupil Gary Brooker. The Paramounts disbanded in 1966 to pursue individual projects. During this time, Trower created a local three-piece band called the Jam (not to be confused with the later group with Paul Weller). Trower then joined Brooker's new band Procol Harum following the success of their debut single "A Whiter Shade of Pale" in 1967, remaining with them until 1971 and appearing on Procol Harum's first five albums.[citation needed]
Before launching his own eponymous band, he joined singer Frankie Miller, ex-Stone the Crows bassist/singer James Dewar, and former Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker to form the short-lived combo Jude.[1] This outfit did not record and soon split up.
Trower retained Dewar as his bassist, who took on lead vocals as well, and recruited drummer Reg Isidore (later replaced by Bill Lordan) to form the Robin Trower Band in 1973.[2]
Perhaps Trower's most famous album is Bridge of Sighs (1974). This album, along with his first and third solo albums, was produced by his former Procol Harum bandmate, organist Matthew Fisher. Despite differences, Trower's early power trio work was noted for Hendrixesque influences.[2]
Trower is an influential guitarist who has inspired other guitar legends such as Robert Fripp, who praised him for his bends and the quality of his sounds, and took lessons from him.[3]
In the early 1980s, Trower teamed up with former Cream bassist Jack Bruce and his previous drummers Lordan and Isidore, for two albums, BLT (Bruce, Lordan, Trower) and Truce (Trower, Bruce, Isidore).[2] After those albums, he released another album with James Dewar on vocals titled Back It Up in 1983.[4] Robin Trower was dropped from Chrysalis Records afterwards.[5]
In 1991 Trower was also a part of the Night of the Guitars II European tour organised by Sting and The Police manager Miles Copeland. The tour featured Ronnie Montrose, Saga's Ian Crichton, Dave Sharman, Jan Akkerman and Laurie Wisefield.
Thirteen albums later, Trower's album, Living Out of Time (2003), features the return of veteran bandmates Dave Bronze on bass, vocalist Davey Pattison (formerly with Ronnie Montrose's band Gamma) and Pete Thompson on drums—the same line-up as the mid 1980s albums Passion and Take What You Need.
With the same bandmates Trower gave a concert on his 60th birthday in Bonn, Germany. The concert was recorded by the German television channel WDR. It was then released on DVD and subsequently on CD throughout Europe and later the US under the title Living Out of Time: Live. Trower toured the United States and Canada in the summer and autumn of 2006.
In 2007 Trower released a third recording with Jack Bruce, Seven Moons, featuring Gary Husband on drums.
A 2008 world tour began in Ft. Pierce, Florida on 16 January 2008. Joining Davey Pattison and Pete Thompson was Glenn Letsch (formerly of Gamma) playing bass. European dates began in April. The show of 29 March 2008 at the Royal Oak Music Theater in Royal Oak, Michigan was released as a double album on V12 Records.
As his "big hero" he referenced the early James Brown where blues is crossing over into rock and roll.[6]
Equipment
In Procol Harum Trower typically played Gibson guitars. Upon launching his solo career Trower changed to a Fender Stratocaster almost exclusively. During a tour with Jethro Tull, Robin arrived early for a sound check and found Martin Barre's Stratocaster (which Barre used for slide playing) propped up against an amplifier. Trower picked up the guitar, plugged it in, and with a shout which resounded around the auditorium he yelled, "This is it!". "I then switched to Strat" he says. "Up to then I had been playing Les Pauls."[7]
Since then Trower has been an ongoing proponent of the Fender Stratocaster. He currently uses his custom-built Strat (made by the Fender Custom Shop) which comes in Black, Arctic White and Midnight Wine Burst. The guitar is equipped with a 1950s reissue pick-up in the neck position, a 1960s reissue in the middle position, and a Texas Special at the bridge.[8] Other features included a custom C-shaped maple neck featuring a large headstock with a Bullet truss-rod system, locking machine heads and a maple fingerboard with narrow-spaced abalone dot position inlays and 21 frets. The Strats he plays live are an exact model of his signature guitar, which is entirely unmodified. For his first two albums, his guitar was tuned in Standard Tuning EADGBE. Starting from the third album, he detuned the strings a semitone to an Eb Tuning Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb. For example, to the listener, the track "A Tale Untold" sounds as if it is in the key of C minor, whereas from Trower's point of view, he is playing it in C# minor. It is reported that during live performances, his guitar is tuned a full step down to a DGCFAD tuning.
Trower uses between one and three 100-watt Marshall heads with four to six cabinets on stage. While he usually uses two JCM 800s and a JCM 900, he also links 100-watt Marshall Plexi heads. In studio sessions, Trower uses a mix of amplifiers, such as a Fender Blues Junior and Cornell Plexi Amplifers models to acquire different tonality. Recently, Trower has been using Marshall Vintage Modern 2466 heads live.
He has recently been using Fulltone pedals and effects. He favours the OCD, Distortion Pro, Fat Boost, CLYDE Deluxe Wah, Deja Vibe 2, Soul-Bender, and a BOSS Chromatic Tuner. He runs his Deja Vibe into his distortion pedal to get his famous tone. He was given his own signature Fulltone Robin Trower Overdrive in late 2008.
For his 2009 and 2011 US tours Robin was using his Fender Custom Shop Signature Stratocaster into a Fulltone Deja Vibe 2, Fulltone Wahfull, Fulltone Clyde Standard Wah, Fulltone Full Drive, Fulltone Robin Trower Overdrive and Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner into two Marshall Vintage Modern 2466 heads.
Robin Trower - Full Concert - Rockpalast Crossroads, Bonn - 2005
1. Too Rolling Stoned
2. Sweet Angel
3. What's Your Name
4. Rise Up Like The Sun
5. Daydream
6. Living Out Of Time
7. Breathless
8. Day Of The Eagle
9. Bridge Of Sighs
10. I Want You To Love Me
11. Please Tell Me
12. Little Bit Of Sympathy
13. Close Every Day
2. Sweet Angel
3. What's Your Name
4. Rise Up Like The Sun
5. Daydream
6. Living Out Of Time
7. Breathless
8. Day Of The Eagle
9. Bridge Of Sighs
10. I Want You To Love Me
11. Please Tell Me
12. Little Bit Of Sympathy
13. Close Every Day
Georgia White *09.03.1903, + um 1980
Georgia White (* 9. März 1903; † um 1980) war eine US-amerikanische Bluessängerin in den 1930er und 1940er Jahren.
Über die jungen Jahre von Georgia White ist wenig bekannt. In den späten 1920er Jahren sang sie in den Nachtclubs von Chicago und machte erste Schallplatten-Aufnahmen, so den Titel „When You're Smiling, the Whole World Smiles With You“ mit Jimmie Noones Orchester 1930. Erst 1935 nahm sie wieder Stücke auf; in den nächsten sechs Jahren entstanden über 100 Titel für das Plattenlabel Decca Records. Dabei wurde sie meist von dem Pianisten Richard M. Jones begleitet und in den späten 1930er Jahren von dem Gitarristen Lonnie Johnson.
Sie nahm auch unter dem Namen Georgia Lawson auf. Zu diesen Titeln gehörten „I'll Keep Sitting on It“, „Take Me for a Buggy Ride“, „Mama Knows What Papa Wants When Papa's Feeling Blue“ und „Hot Nuts“. Ihr bekanntester Song war „You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now“. In den 1940er Jahren, formierte Georgia White eine reine Frauenband, die jedoch keine Platten aufnahm und trat mit Bumble Bee Slim auf. 1949 begleitete sie Big Bill Broonzy als Pianist in seinem Laughing Trio. In den 1950er Jahren sang sie wieder in Clubs, ihr letzter bekannter Auftritt war 1959 in Chicago.
Von ihren weiteren Einspielungen sind erwähnenswert: Trouble In Mind 1936, New Trouble In Mind 1937,Freddie Blues 1938, Jazzin' Babies Blues, You Ought To Be Ashamed Of Yourself, Papa Pleaser 1940, When You're Away 1941.
Georgia White (March 9, 1903 – c.1980) was an African American blues singer, most prolific in the 1930s and 1940s.
Little is known of her early life. By the late 1920s she was singing in clubs in Chicago, and she made her first recording, "When You're Smiling, the Whole World Smiles With You," with Jimmie Noone's orchestra in 1930. She returned to the studio in 1935, and over the next six years recorded over 100 tracks for Decca Records, usually accompanied by the pianist Richard M. Jones and also, in the late 1930s, by guitarist Lonnie Johnson.[1]
She also recorded under the name Georgia Lawson. Tracks included "I'll Keep Sitting on It," "Take Me for a Buggy Ride," "Mama Knows What Papa Wants When Papa's Feeling Blue," and "Hot Nuts." Her best-known song was "You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now."[1]
White formed an all-women band in the 1940s, and also performed with Bumble Bee Slim. She joined Big Bill Broonzy's Laughing Trio in 1949 as pianist. "She was very easy to get along with," said Broonzy. "Real friendly."[1] She was a club singer in the 1950s, finally performing in 1959 in Chicago. She then resumed performing weekends at the Blue Pub, a bar on Irving Park Road near the Kennedy Expressway, where she quickly won a loyal following. She arrived and left by cab, always dressed as a star. She sang many of her famous songs but the one she loved the most and did brilliantly was "Maybe I'm Wrong Again," a ballad from an early Bing Crosby movie. Crosby had recorded it and one or two British bands. I know because I arrived in Chicago in September, 1964, from St. Louis and one of my new friends took me to the Blue Pub particularly to hear Georgia as I was in the music business (also a journalist and about to become a teacher). I was immediately caught up in her music and style and we talked a lot. I could never find "Maybe I'm Wrong Again," a record or sheet music or anything but I made a record of it using only the lyrics I knew from Georgia's performances. Around 2001 I finally found a British C.D. with Bing's recording and was surprised to find I had gotten the melody and the lyrics exactly right.
One of her songs, "Alley Boogie" (recorded November 9, 1937),[2] was used as the theme music for the British romantic comedy drama series, Love Soup.
Florian Meyer (Blind Dog Mayer) *09.03.
Big "Blind Dog" Mayer – The Blues is my passion!Das haben auch Bluesgrößen wie: Big Daddy Wilson, Blues Company, Henrik Freischlader, Rudy Rotta, Louisiana Red, Aynsley Lister, u. a. gemerkt und ihn als Sideman neben sich auf die Bühne gestellt.
An diversen Projektarbeiten und CD-Produktionen hat er ebenfalls erfolgreich mitgewirkt, wie z. B. zusammen mit der Stuttgarter Band "Bürger 7" und unter anderem an den Drums Mark Schulman (PINK, Foreigner), an deren Projekt für die Peter Maffay Stiftung "Musik ohne Grenzen", im Jahre 2012.
Pünktlich zu Anfang 2015 wird die neue Promo-CD "They call me..." von BADGE feat. Blind Dog Mayer erscheinen!
Auch in dem gemeinnützigen Bluesförderverein für die Region Saar-Lor-Lux - >SaarBlues e. V., ist er als 1. Vorsitzender seit Anfang 2015 aktiv!
Blind Dog Mayer interpretiert mit unverkennbarer Stimme sowie markantem Harp-Spiel den Blues und hat seinen eigenen Stil gefunden!
Er spiele ua als Sideman bei Bluesgrößen WIE: Big Daddy Wilson, Blues Company, Pete Lancaster, Michael van Merwyk, Dr. Slide, Thomas Blug, Henrik Freischlader, Rudy Rotta, Louisiana Red und Aynsley Lister ...
An diversen Projektarbeiten und CD-Produktionen hat er ebenfalls erfolgreich mitgewirkt, wie z. B. zusammen mit der Stuttgarter Band "Bürger 7" und unter anderem an den Drums Mark Schulman (PINK, Foreigner), an deren Projekt für die Peter Maffay Stiftung "Musik ohne Grenzen".
Anfang 2015 teilte er sich zusammen mit Michael van Merwyk & Bluesoul in einem Double CD Release-Konzert die Bühne und spielte kurze Zeit später als Support-Act für den Headliner EZIO aus UK.
Blind Dog Mayer interpreted with unmistakable voice and striking Harp game the Blues and has found his own style!
He plays, among others as a sideman with the likes of Blue: Big Daddy Wilson, Blues Company, Pete Lancaster, Michael van Merwyk, Dr. Slide, Thomas Blug, Henrik Freischlader, Rudy Rotta, Louisiana Red and Aynsley Lister ...
At various project works and CD productions he has also worked successfully, such. As with the Stuttgart band "Citizens 7" and, among other things on the drums Mark Schulman (PINK, Foreigner) , at the project for the Peter Maffay Foundation " music without borders ".
Early 2015 he shared with Michael van Merwyk & Blue Soul in a double CD release concert stage and played a short time later as a support act for the headlining EZIO from UK.
BADGE feat Blind Dog Mayer Live @ Breite 63 Saarbrücken 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly85XeXX0Z0
Doug Suggs
pianist, referred to by Bob Koester and Harris who calls him a "Chicago pianist," but says he was born in St. Louis, Dec 3, 1894. Not to be confused with James Douglas Suggs, a guitarist. The notes to Harry Oster's Primitive Piano LP on his Folk-Lyric label state that he was an "ear player" influenced most of all by Claude Brown, the composer of "Sweet Patootie, a number that reached Chicago's South Side via Doug. He adds that Suggs supplemented his income by working as a porter at the Sox Ball Park in the summer and at the Merchandise Mart in the winter.
https://www.selwynbirchwood.com/
https://www.nedraruss.com/music
https://de.pinterest.com/pin/299067231480282809/
James Doug Suggs *09.03.1886
Doug Suggs
pianist, referred to by Bob Koester and Harris who calls him a "Chicago pianist," but says he was born in St. Louis, Dec 3, 1894. Not to be confused with James Douglas Suggs, a guitarist. The notes to Harry Oster's Primitive Piano LP on his Folk-Lyric label state that he was an "ear player" influenced most of all by Claude Brown, the composer of "Sweet Patootie, a number that reached Chicago's South Side via Doug. He adds that Suggs supplemented his income by working as a porter at the Sox Ball Park in the summer and at the Merchandise Mart in the winter.
"Papa" Don McMinn has been touring the world with other great artists and his own band for over fifty years and is still going strong. With his two sons, Doug (drums, harp and vocals), and Rome (bass and vocals), they “spread a lot of grease” when they go on stage. Papa was part of a team that built and opened the world famous "Rum Boogie Cafe" on Beale Street in Memphis Tennessee in 1985. He held forth there until 1994, at which time he moved on and returned to his love of recording and touring. There is no better blue-eyed soul singer than “Papa” Don. Listen to his original music and you will hear traces of Kansas City’s jazz clubs and the music of the Delta he loves.
Papa Don McMinn | Painkiller Blues
Selwyn Birchwood *09.03.1985
Selwyn Birchwood, Florida’s rising young blues fireball, is a guitar and lap-steel-playing bundle of pure energy. He delivers his original songs with a revival tent preacher’s fervor and a natural storyteller’s charisma made all the more impactful by his raw, unvarnished vocals. Birchwood plays high-octane blues – at once deeply rooted, funky and up-to-the-minute – with true passion and honest emotion. With his band feeding off his drive and exuberance, the striking 6’3” 29-year-old with his trademark Afro roams the stage (often barefoot), ripping out memorable guitar licks with ease. His ability to win over an audience – any audience – is proven night after night on the bandstand. With his warm, magnetic personality, Birchwood is as down-to-earth as his music is fun, thought-provoking and vital. His mission is to spread his music far and wide, to share his joy, to play his heart out, and to push the blues into the future. “There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than playing the blues,” he says. “And I try to convey that with every song and with every performance.”
In 2013, Birchwood catapulted from local hero to shooting star. He won the world-renowned International Blues Challenge, beating out 125 other bands from the U.S. and abroad. He also took home the Albert King Guitarist Of The Year Award. It wasn’t long before Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer offered Birchwood a contract. His debut album, Don’t Call No Ambulance, is a fully realized vision of contemporary blues. Birchwood’s original songs range from raucous romps to hill country stomps, from searing, serious slow blues to modern blues rock. Between his uninhibited sense of fun and adventure and his serious-as-a-heart-attack musicianship, Don’t Call No Ambulance is a window into the future of the blues. “All originals and no filler,” he says of the album. “It’s that genuineness of emotion in the songs that people can hear.”
The Tampa Tribune says Birchwood plays with “power and precision reminiscent of blues guitar hero Buddy Guy. He is a gritty vocalist [who is] commanding with his axe.” According to Iglauer, Birchwood is the real deal. “Selwyn Birchwood is a terrific young blues talent with a huge future. He writes smart, infectious, fresh songs and delivers them with a warm, conversational vocal style and a fun-loving attitude. He’s a killer guitarist, switching between a regular six-string and lap steel. Live, he’s a ball of energy, interacting with the audience like they were in his living room. Selwyn is destined to be one of the next stars in the blues world.”
Birchwood, his father from Tobago, his mother from the UK, was born in 1985 in Orlando, Florida. He first grabbed a guitar at age 13 and soon became proficient at mimicking what he heard on the radio. But the popular grunge rock, hip-hop and metal of the 1990s didn’t move him, and he quickly grew bored. And then he heard Jimi Hendrix. “He was larger than life. What he did was mind-blowing. When I realized Hendrix was influenced by the blues, I found my path,” he says. By 17 he was deep into the blues, listening to Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins and especially Buddy Guy. As luck would have it, just as Birchwood was discovering Guy, the blues master had a concert scheduled in Orlando. Birchwood was there, front and center. “I was floored,” he recalls. “I completely connected with the blues. I knew I had to make this music.”
As Selwyn’s guitar proficiency grew, a friend told him that his neighbor was a blues guitarist and had a band. The 19-year-old Selwyn went over to check it out and jam. The guitar-playing neighbor turned out to be the Texas-born blues legend Sonny Rhodes, who was instantly impressed with the enthusiastic young guitar slinger. Within one month’s time, Rhodes asked Birchwood to pack his bags and join him on the road. It was an incredible experience for Birchwood, as Rhodes took the youngster under his wing, not only teaching him guitar and lap steel, but also how to conduct business, how to run a band, how to reach an audience. “Sonny always said, ‘Play what’s in your heart.’ I’ve never lost sight of that,” says Birchwood.
Rhodes insisted Birchwood go to college and always held the guitar spot in his band open for Selwyn whenever he was available. It was a win-win situation, as Birchwood – through hard work and scholarships – received his MBA from The University of Tampa. “I challenged myself to get that degree,” Birchwood says. "These days, it's not good enough to just be a good player.” Combining the musical lessons learned from Rhodes and his business acumen, Birchwood, now living in Tampa, formed the current version of The Selwyn Birchwood Band in 2010. The band, with the same members still together today, features veteran musicians older than Selwyn, testifying to Selwyn’s musical chops and his leadership skills. On stage, they play off each other with ease, feeding each other energy, sharing the fun with the audience.
In 2011 the self-released FL Boy helped the band land gigs outside of their Tampa home, where they were becoming local heroes. Birchwood and his band won their way to spots at the 2012 and 2013 International Blues Challenges in Memphis. After taking ninth place in 2012, they came back determined the next year, taking first place. Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer was sitting at the judges table at the time. “I saw Selwyn’s potential in 2012. He absolutely deserved to win in 2013,” he says. The victory opened more doors for Birchwood, increased his exposure and helped the band land a deal with Intrepid Artists booking agency, which led to more and better gigs.
The Selwyn Birchwood Band has been touring non-stop since winning the IBC. The band has performed at festivals including The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Springing The Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival as well as on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Birchwood has opened for major blues stars including Robert Cray and Buddy Guy and has shared the stage with another friend and teacher, Joe Louis Walker (who guests on Don’t Call No Ambulance’s The River Turned Red). He recently had the opportunity, when performing in San Francisco, to bring his friend and mentor Sonny Rhodes on stage to sit in with his band. It was a moment Birchwood will never forget. “He did so much for me; it was a real honor to return the favor, if only a little.”
With Don’t Call No Ambulance, Selwyn Birchwood steps onto the world stage, bringing a new wave of blues to a new generation of blues fans. “If I can play my music, travel the world, bring happiness to people, then I’m blessed and happy,” he says. “It’s like Sonny always told me, ‘If you follow your heart, you’ll always get what you want.’”
In 2013, Birchwood catapulted from local hero to shooting star. He won the world-renowned International Blues Challenge, beating out 125 other bands from the U.S. and abroad. He also took home the Albert King Guitarist Of The Year Award. It wasn’t long before Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer offered Birchwood a contract. His debut album, Don’t Call No Ambulance, is a fully realized vision of contemporary blues. Birchwood’s original songs range from raucous romps to hill country stomps, from searing, serious slow blues to modern blues rock. Between his uninhibited sense of fun and adventure and his serious-as-a-heart-attack musicianship, Don’t Call No Ambulance is a window into the future of the blues. “All originals and no filler,” he says of the album. “It’s that genuineness of emotion in the songs that people can hear.”
The Tampa Tribune says Birchwood plays with “power and precision reminiscent of blues guitar hero Buddy Guy. He is a gritty vocalist [who is] commanding with his axe.” According to Iglauer, Birchwood is the real deal. “Selwyn Birchwood is a terrific young blues talent with a huge future. He writes smart, infectious, fresh songs and delivers them with a warm, conversational vocal style and a fun-loving attitude. He’s a killer guitarist, switching between a regular six-string and lap steel. Live, he’s a ball of energy, interacting with the audience like they were in his living room. Selwyn is destined to be one of the next stars in the blues world.”
Birchwood, his father from Tobago, his mother from the UK, was born in 1985 in Orlando, Florida. He first grabbed a guitar at age 13 and soon became proficient at mimicking what he heard on the radio. But the popular grunge rock, hip-hop and metal of the 1990s didn’t move him, and he quickly grew bored. And then he heard Jimi Hendrix. “He was larger than life. What he did was mind-blowing. When I realized Hendrix was influenced by the blues, I found my path,” he says. By 17 he was deep into the blues, listening to Albert King, Freddie King, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, Lightnin’ Hopkins and especially Buddy Guy. As luck would have it, just as Birchwood was discovering Guy, the blues master had a concert scheduled in Orlando. Birchwood was there, front and center. “I was floored,” he recalls. “I completely connected with the blues. I knew I had to make this music.”
As Selwyn’s guitar proficiency grew, a friend told him that his neighbor was a blues guitarist and had a band. The 19-year-old Selwyn went over to check it out and jam. The guitar-playing neighbor turned out to be the Texas-born blues legend Sonny Rhodes, who was instantly impressed with the enthusiastic young guitar slinger. Within one month’s time, Rhodes asked Birchwood to pack his bags and join him on the road. It was an incredible experience for Birchwood, as Rhodes took the youngster under his wing, not only teaching him guitar and lap steel, but also how to conduct business, how to run a band, how to reach an audience. “Sonny always said, ‘Play what’s in your heart.’ I’ve never lost sight of that,” says Birchwood.
Rhodes insisted Birchwood go to college and always held the guitar spot in his band open for Selwyn whenever he was available. It was a win-win situation, as Birchwood – through hard work and scholarships – received his MBA from The University of Tampa. “I challenged myself to get that degree,” Birchwood says. "These days, it's not good enough to just be a good player.” Combining the musical lessons learned from Rhodes and his business acumen, Birchwood, now living in Tampa, formed the current version of The Selwyn Birchwood Band in 2010. The band, with the same members still together today, features veteran musicians older than Selwyn, testifying to Selwyn’s musical chops and his leadership skills. On stage, they play off each other with ease, feeding each other energy, sharing the fun with the audience.
In 2011 the self-released FL Boy helped the band land gigs outside of their Tampa home, where they were becoming local heroes. Birchwood and his band won their way to spots at the 2012 and 2013 International Blues Challenges in Memphis. After taking ninth place in 2012, they came back determined the next year, taking first place. Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer was sitting at the judges table at the time. “I saw Selwyn’s potential in 2012. He absolutely deserved to win in 2013,” he says. The victory opened more doors for Birchwood, increased his exposure and helped the band land a deal with Intrepid Artists booking agency, which led to more and better gigs.
The Selwyn Birchwood Band has been touring non-stop since winning the IBC. The band has performed at festivals including The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Springing The Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The King Biscuit Blues Festival as well as on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Birchwood has opened for major blues stars including Robert Cray and Buddy Guy and has shared the stage with another friend and teacher, Joe Louis Walker (who guests on Don’t Call No Ambulance’s The River Turned Red). He recently had the opportunity, when performing in San Francisco, to bring his friend and mentor Sonny Rhodes on stage to sit in with his band. It was a moment Birchwood will never forget. “He did so much for me; it was a real honor to return the favor, if only a little.”
With Don’t Call No Ambulance, Selwyn Birchwood steps onto the world stage, bringing a new wave of blues to a new generation of blues fans. “If I can play my music, travel the world, bring happiness to people, then I’m blessed and happy,” he says. “It’s like Sonny always told me, ‘If you follow your heart, you’ll always get what you want.’”
Selwyn Birchwood Blues Band - Don't Call No Ambulance
Nedra Russ *09.03.
An accomplished and award winning multimedia artist and musician, Nedra Russ is a vessel of creative energy steeped in tradition. With subjects ranging from Italian vineyards to Janis Joplin and other contemporary musicians, to 3D paintings capturing the spiritual essence of nature’s warriors, dragonflies, wolves, and bumblebees, her work details the visual and auditory legacy of the human experience. Nedra’s paintings and songs can be seen and heard across the United States and as far as Europe, Asia, and Australia
Studied Art at Bavard College, Cocoa Florida, Sacramento City College Sacramento Ca.
Studied under Alice Frederick Fran McKenny and Lou Edwards. Owned and operated Nedra’s Fine art gallery in Amador City, CA,
Safeway Art Director, overseeing regional projects, #1 display artist, winning every prize and honor to be had, upon leaving Safeway, earned degree in graphic communication electronic publishing .
Nedra Russ’s The Harmonica LadyTM line of jewelery features miniature, fully- playable harmonicas. Her designs earned her the distinction of being the very first HOHNER USA Juke Joint Representative accepted on the basis of artistic
representation of the instrument. Since its founding in Germany in 1857, HOHNER has been crafting high quality harmonicas and other musical instruments, including accordions, guitars, and mandolins, to name a few.
Following an intensive course of study, Nedra is now certified by the renowned Berklee School of Music as a Modern Musician Specialist with emphasis on Songwriting, Musicianship and Music Production.
In 2009, Nedra studied speech-level singing with Daniel Hayes in Roseville (DEHTM) and with Brett Manning’s Singing SuccessTM program. This foundation led to giving speech-level singing lessons to local youth in her hometown of West Point, CA. Along with Art classes her volunteer work earned her the community’s gratitude and the Teamagic award from the Blue Mountain Coalition for Youth and Families in 2010.
Nedra’s grandfather inspired her to first pick up the harmonica at age 12 and she never put it down. She refined the skill by participating in master classes in San Jose in 1999, 2009, and 2010, working with such greats as David Barrett, Dennis Gruenling, Howard Levy and Joe Filisko at the classes and in subsequent online course offerings.
Nedra, an active member of SPAH (Society for the Preservation and Advancement of Harmonica), has been to their annual conventions in Sacramento, CA and Virginia Beach, VI. Nedra will have her booth at this years SPAH in San Antonio Texas. Nedra and Julio will be holding a seminar
Creating the Music
Nedra Russ & Julio Guerra
This husband and wife acoustic duo will show you how a team works, writing original material, working out songs, making cover tunes your own and doing shows. You don’t have to be in a duo to attend. Bring your harps.
Check the kink below for more information.
SPAH
On Nedra and Julio’s 2012 album of original music, “Everybody’s Been Somewhere,” Nedra produced the album from start to finish. This album was selected as the World Of Harmonica (UK) Peoples Choice 2nd place winner that year.
Nedra won the gold spike award at Jamestown 1897 rail town harmonica train competition 2013
Also, in 2012, Nedra was ranked 94 on the list of All Time Top 100 Harmonica Players by the World of Harmonica.
Studied Art at Bavard College, Cocoa Florida, Sacramento City College Sacramento Ca.
Studied under Alice Frederick Fran McKenny and Lou Edwards. Owned and operated Nedra’s Fine art gallery in Amador City, CA,
Safeway Art Director, overseeing regional projects, #1 display artist, winning every prize and honor to be had, upon leaving Safeway, earned degree in graphic communication electronic publishing .
Nedra Russ’s The Harmonica LadyTM line of jewelery features miniature, fully- playable harmonicas. Her designs earned her the distinction of being the very first HOHNER USA Juke Joint Representative accepted on the basis of artistic
representation of the instrument. Since its founding in Germany in 1857, HOHNER has been crafting high quality harmonicas and other musical instruments, including accordions, guitars, and mandolins, to name a few.
Following an intensive course of study, Nedra is now certified by the renowned Berklee School of Music as a Modern Musician Specialist with emphasis on Songwriting, Musicianship and Music Production.
In 2009, Nedra studied speech-level singing with Daniel Hayes in Roseville (DEHTM) and with Brett Manning’s Singing SuccessTM program. This foundation led to giving speech-level singing lessons to local youth in her hometown of West Point, CA. Along with Art classes her volunteer work earned her the community’s gratitude and the Teamagic award from the Blue Mountain Coalition for Youth and Families in 2010.
Nedra’s grandfather inspired her to first pick up the harmonica at age 12 and she never put it down. She refined the skill by participating in master classes in San Jose in 1999, 2009, and 2010, working with such greats as David Barrett, Dennis Gruenling, Howard Levy and Joe Filisko at the classes and in subsequent online course offerings.
Nedra, an active member of SPAH (Society for the Preservation and Advancement of Harmonica), has been to their annual conventions in Sacramento, CA and Virginia Beach, VI. Nedra will have her booth at this years SPAH in San Antonio Texas. Nedra and Julio will be holding a seminar
Creating the Music
Nedra Russ & Julio Guerra
This husband and wife acoustic duo will show you how a team works, writing original material, working out songs, making cover tunes your own and doing shows. You don’t have to be in a duo to attend. Bring your harps.
Check the kink below for more information.
SPAH
On Nedra and Julio’s 2012 album of original music, “Everybody’s Been Somewhere,” Nedra produced the album from start to finish. This album was selected as the World Of Harmonica (UK) Peoples Choice 2nd place winner that year.
Nedra won the gold spike award at Jamestown 1897 rail town harmonica train competition 2013
Also, in 2012, Nedra was ranked 94 on the list of All Time Top 100 Harmonica Players by the World of Harmonica.
Rambler & a Gambler
R.I.P.
Henry Stuckey +09.03.1966
Henry
Stuckey was the accidental founder of the so-called Bentonia tradition
of country blues. Born in 1897 in Bentonia, MS, Stuckey learned an open E
minor guitar tuning from black Bahamian soldiers while serving in
France during World War I, and upon returning home in 1919, incorporated
the tuning into his playing, eventually teaching it to a younger guitar
player, Skip James, around 1924. James featured the tuning on several
of the 18 sides he recorded for Paramount in 1931, recordings that
became treasured by blues scholars, historians, and collectors for their
distinctive plaintive and eerie sound. A handful of guitarists in the
Bentonia region took up the tuning, including Jack Owens and Cornelius
Bright, as well as Stuckey and James, and songs like "Hard Times,"
"Cherry Ball," "Devil Blues," and the eight-bar fiddle tune "Drunken
Spree" formed the repertoire of a distinct local blues tradition.
Stuckey, unfortunately, was never recorded, although he was interviewed
by blues researchers in the mid-'60s, at which time he described
teaching the tuning and picking style to James and others. Henry Stuckey
died of cancer in 1966.
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen