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Post by razorbacker on Sept 1, 2024 17:39:14 GMT
Rush was a Canadian rock band formed in Toronto in 1968.
Other than the very early days of the band the lineup comprised Geddy Lee (vocals, bass guitar, keyboards), Alex Lifeson (guitar) and Neil Peart (drums, percussion). The band called it quits in 2015. Neil Peart passed away in 2020.
Their style changed over the years, from a blues-inspired hard rock beginning, later moving into progressive rock, then a period in the 1980s marked by heavy use of synthesizers, before returning to guitar-driven hard rock at the end of the 1980s.
They were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013
The group was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, but never won.
During their career they have released 19 studio albums 11 Live albums & 38 singles. 14 of their albums have been certified platinum and 3 of them went multi-platinum. This was the title song to their 2nd studio album, it was released on February 14, 1975. The album stalled out at #113 but has been certified Platinum.
The song is based on Neil Peart's experience of moving from Canada to London as a young musician before joining Rush.
Fly By Night by Rush
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 2, 2024 11:19:05 GMT
Bad Girls was the 7th studio album by Donna Summer. It was released on April 25, 1979. It was her 1st #1 album & has been certified 2 X Platinum.
It was a much-nominated album & group of songs.
The song "Bad Girls" was nominated for Best Disco Recording which it lost to “I’ll Never Love This Way Again” by Dionne Warwick, but it did win the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.
"Dim All the Lights" was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance which she also lost to Dionne Warwick, this time for “Déjà Vu”.
The album itself was nominated for Album of the Year which she lost to "52nd Street" by Billy Joel, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance which went to Dionne Warwick again for “I’ll Never Love This Way Again”. The album was also nominated for "Favorite Pop/Rock Album" at the American Music Awards of 1980, it lost to Spirits Having Flown by The Bee Gees.
The album included the singles "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls", both hit #1, “Dim All The Lights” was the 3rd single & it got to #2.
In the middle of all this, she released her 1st Greatest hits album which also went to #1 & included the #1 hit “No More Tears” as a duet with Barbra Streisand & “On The Radio” which got to #5. That album was also certified 2 X Platinum.
They then ended up the Bad Girls era with 3 more singles, “Sunset People”, & “Our Love” neither charted & finally “Walk Away” which hit #36.
It was a pretty huge time for Donna.
Can’t Get To Sleep At Night by Donna Summer
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 2, 2024 17:25:12 GMT
This song was a big turning point in the singing career of Ray Price & the songwriting career of Kris Kristofferson.
For Ray Price, the single hit #1 in June of 1970, & it established Kris as one of country and popular music's top songwriters.
This was Ray’s first chart-topping country song in 11 years. He hadn’t hit #1 since a song called The Same Old Me in 1959. After this release his next 5 singles hit either #1 or #2.
Kristofferson wrote most of the song in 1968 while on a work-related road trip from Nashville to the Gulf of Mexico. It recounts the end of a love affair, based on a real life experience of his.
The 1st recording of the song was by Bill Nash in 1968.
Ray's recording was released as a single and made its chart debut on June 27, 1970, topping the country chart and reaching #11 on the Hot 100. It was his 5th #1 Country single & his only Top 40 hit on the pop chart.
For The Good Times by Ray Price
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 3, 2024 11:03:34 GMT
Juice Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categories – winning once in 1983 – as well as an ACM Award for Top New Female Artist and two consecutive Billboard Female Album Artist of the Year awards.
Her biggest successes came during the 1980s when she had 14 top 10 hits across the Country, AC, and Hot 100 charts, with many of the recordings achieving crossover success and six of the songs hitting #1.
During her career she released 17 studio albums, one live album, 10 compilation albums, & 39 singles.
This was the title song from her 6th studio album, it was released by in 1984. The album is her last studio album to chart on the Billboard 200, reaching No. 128, but her next 2 albums did land on the Country albums charts.
The album includes her last two songs to date to chart on the Billboard Hot 100: "A Little Love", which peaked at No. 44, and the song linked to here which peaked at No. 66.
This may have been her final Pop charting single, but she goes on to have 7 more top 10 Country hits including three #1’s.
This song was written & produced by Bryan Adams.
Can’t Wait All Night by Juice Newton
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 3, 2024 19:15:37 GMT
Joe Hinton was a soul singer from either Clarksdale Mississippi, or Evansville, Indiana. There seems to be some dispute about exactly where he was born. What’s not in dispute is that he died of skin cancer in 1968 in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 38.
He began as a gospel singer with the Blair Gospel Singers, the Chosen Gospel Quartet and the Spirit of Memphis Quartet. Producer Don Robey asked him to try doing secular tunes, and he began recording for Robey's record label, Peacock Records, in 1958. He didn’t have his 1st chart hit until 1963.
This song was of course written by Willie Nelson, but it became Joe’s biggest chart hit. He released it as a single in 1964 & it hit #13 on the Hot 100 becoming his only Top 40 pop hit, & it spent 4 weeks at #1 on the R&B chart. It was his only #1 hit single & it went on to sell over a million copies for him.
He released 2 subsequent singles without charting on the pop side & never getting any higher than 19 over on R&B.
Funny How Time Slips Away by Joe Hinton
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 4, 2024 11:27:11 GMT
Hi-Five is an R&B quintet from Waco, Texas. They are another group that has split & re formed multiple times with multiple different members. The have been back since 2012.
The band was formed in 1989 and originally consisted of a trio; with childhood friends Tony Thompson, Russell Neal, and Oklahoma native, Toriano Easley. Jive Records, later suggested that the trio's other childhood friends, Roderick "Pooh" Clark, and Marcus Sanders, be added to the group, making them the founding members.
Talk about a group with a checkered past:
During the release of their debut album, Toriano Easley was charged with a crime, which involved a dispute with his neighborhood friends, which made him unable to continue with the group. The label recruited New York native Treston Irby, as a replacement member. After the release of their second album, Russell Neal left the group after financial conflicts with the record label. Unfortunately, while the group was on tour carrying on as four members, Roderick "Pooh" Clark was injured in a vehicle collision, paralyzing him from the chest down, he had to depart depart from the group. The label added Shannon Gill, and Terrence Murphy as replacement members.
On June 1, 2007, Tony Thompson's body was discovered by security officers at around 10 p.m. near an air-conditioning unit outside of an apartment complex in his native Waco, Texas. An autopsy later determined that he had died from "toxic effects of chlorodifluoromethane", or inhaling a toxic amount of freon.
On July 2, 2014, former member Russell Neal was charged with murder, over the fatal stabbing of his wife in Houston.
Roderick “Pooh” Clark died on April 17, 2022, at the age of 49.
During their career they released 7 studio albums with the most recent one coming in 2017. This song was included on their self – titled debut album from 1990. The album landed at #30. It included the hit singles “I Like The Way” #1 on pop & R&B & the song linked to here which also hit #1 on R&B but stalled out at #8 on the pop chart.
At the time of this record the group consisted of Tony Thompson – lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals, Roderick Clark – harmony and backing vocals, Marcus Sanders – harmony and backing vocals, Toriano Easley – lead vocals, harmony and backing vocals, & Russell Neal – harmony and backing vocals.
Can’t Wait Another Minute by Hi Five
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 4, 2024 17:58:33 GMT
This song was included on Out of Our Heads. It was the 3rd studio album by the Rolling Stones. In the US it was released on 30 July 1965.
As with the previous two albums, it consists mostly of covers of American blues, soul and rhythm and blues songs. This particular song was written by Sam Cooke who charted at #11 with it in 1964. The album included "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", which would be the band's first #1 US hit, and would go on to top the charts in 10 other countries, including the UK; in 2004 it was ranked as the second greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone. The other single released was “The Last Time” which hit #9.
The album was their first #1 album in the states & has been certified Platinum.
Good Times by The Rolling Stones
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 5, 2024 11:14:05 GMT
Steve Lawrence was a singer, comedian, and actor from Brooklyn. He died from complications due to Alzheimer's disease on March 7, 2024, at the age of 88. His real name was Sidney Liebowitz.
He was best known as a member of the duo Steve and Eydie with his wife Eydie Gormé, but he also had solo success as a vocalist.
In 1952 at the age of 16, he signed a contract with King Records after winning a talent contest on Arthur Godfrey’s CBS TV show. The next year, talk show host Steve Allen hired him to be one of the singers on Allen's local New York City late night show on WNBC-TV, with vocalists Eydie Gormé and Andy Williams.
In the late 1950s, Steve was drafted into the Army and served as the official vocal soloist with the United States Army Band "Pershing's Own" in Washington, D.C.
He received nominations for a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and a Tony Award for his performance as Sammy Glick in What Makes Sammy Run? on Broadway (1964).
He released this song as a single in 1957, it just missed out on the top 40 by stalling out at #42. It was also included on his 1957 album called Songs By Steve Lawrence. It was his 3rd album & it also included the #18 hit The Banana Boat Song (Day O), & the #5 hit Party Doll.
Can’t Wait For Summer by Steve Lawrence
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 5, 2024 17:21:06 GMT
Tyler Childers is a country/Americana singer and songwriter from Louisa, Kentucky. He turned 33 in June.
He started to play guitar and write songs when he was about 13. His music is influenced by his home state of Kentucky and its connection to country music and bluegrass. He often writes about coal mining, which was his father's occupation, and its effects.
He described himself in 2020 as a "recovering alcoholic" who had "drunk and drugged himself around the world playing music for the better part of eleven years." He noted in September 2020 that he had "six months of sobriety."
He has been nominated for multiple Grammys but has not broken through for the win yet. He did win the 2018 Emerging Artist Of The Year Award from the Americana Music Honors & Awards.
In 2011, when he was 19, he released his first album, Bottles And Bibles, & that is where we got this song. The album did not chart & it seems as though there were no songs released as singles.
Hard Times by Tyler Childers
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 6, 2024 11:07:01 GMT
Laura Nyro was a songwriter and singer from the Bronx. She died of ovarian cancer on April 8, 1997 at the age of 49.
She recorded 10 albums of her own with the final one being released posthumously in 2001.
But her bigger commercial successes happened when artists such as Barbra Streisand and the 5th Dimension recorded her songs. Between 1968 and 1970, a number of artists had hits with her songs: the 5th Dimension with "Blowing Away", "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Sweet Blindness", and "Save the Country"; Blood, Sweat & Tears and Peter, Paul and Mary with "And When I Die"; Three Dog Night and Maynard Ferguson with "Eli's Comin'"; and Barbra Streisand with "Stoney End", "Time and Love", and "Hands off the Man (Flim Flam Man)".
Todd Rundgren stated that once he heard her, he "stopped writing songs like the Who and started writing songs like Laura."
Elton John sighted her influence on his 1970 song "Burn Down the Mission", from Tumbleweed Connection, in particular. "I idolized her," he concluded. "The soul, the passion, just the out and out audacity of the way her rhythmic and melody changes came was like nothing I've heard before."
She was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010, and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
This song comes from New York Tendaberry. It was her 3rd album & was released in the autumn of 1969. It was her most commercially successful record, peaking at #32 on the Billboard 200. The album included the song Save The Country which she released to no success but The 5th Dimension reached US #27 on the Hot 100 with their version .
Captain or Dark Mornings by Laura Nyro
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 6, 2024 17:23:19 GMT
"Sammi" Smith was a country singer and songwriter born in Orange County, California but raised in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and Colorado. She died on February 12, 2005, at the age of 61, of emphysema. Her real name was Jewel Fay Smith.
She dropped out of school at the age of 11 and began to sing professionally in nightclubs. She was 15 when she married Floyd L. "Bobby" White, one of the best-known steel guitar players of his day. (White was inducted into the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 1990.)
Her final charting album happened in 1977 & even though she continued to land singles on the Country chart until 1981, she had her last top 10 hit in 1975. After 1979 she had moved to Arizona and became involved in Native American causes, working with the Apaches. She also started her own band named Apache Spirit.
During her career she released 13 studio albums & 43 singles. The song linked to here was her career defining hit. It hit #1 on the Country Chart (her only #1) #3 on the AC chart & #8 on the Hot 100 (her biggest hit on either of those charts).
The song was written by Kris Kristofferson & it won the CMA Award in 1971: Single of the Year & the 1972 Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
The song was installed into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1998.
Help Me Make It Through The Night by Sammi Smith
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 8, 2024 11:13:03 GMT
The Crusaders were a jazz/jazz fusion group originally from Houston.
High school friends Joe Sample (piano), Wilton Felder (tenor saxophone) and Nesbert "Stix" Hooper (drums) formed their first band together, the Swingsters, in Houston, in 1954, they moved to LA in 1960 & called themselves The Jazz Crusaders.
The group was still a thing until they finally called it quits in 2010. Joe Sample passed away in 2014 & Wilton Felder in 2015. Stix Hooper is still alive & turned 86 just last month.
Over the years they have had multiple members including guitar player Larry Carlton & they have featured many different vocalists like Bill Withers & Joe Cocker.
They have released multiple albums over the years with many different lineups. This song was included on Street Life & released in 1979. The album hit #18 on the top 200, #3 on the Black Albums Chart & #1 on the Jazz Albums Chart. It was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
The title song was released as a single & hit #36 on the Hot 100 & #17 on the R&B Chart. The song included vocals by Randy Crawford & was used for the opening sequence of the noir crime drama Sharky's Machine, directed by Burt Reynolds in 1981. It was also featured in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, released in 1997.
Carnival Of The Night by The Crusaders
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 8, 2024 17:28:23 GMT
"Skip" James was a Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter from Bentonia, Mississippi. He passed away in 1969 at the age of 67. His full name was Nehemiah Curtis James.
His first records sold poorly due to being released during the Great Depression, and he drifted into obscurity. He was rediscovered in 1964 by blues enthusiasts including John Fahey, helping further the blues and folk music revival of the 1950s and early 1960s.
His song "Devil Got My Woman" was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2020.
This song was originally released as single, sometime around 1930 as a “B” side to a song called Four O’Clock Blues. The song was released by Herwin Records which was founded in 1924 & defunct by 1930.
How Long Blues by Skip James
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 9, 2024 11:06:22 GMT
Harry Aaron Finkelman made his first recording, playing the trombone in 1932. At some point in his early career, he decided to adopt the name Ziggy Elman & that’s who we hear on this song.
He had quite the career, only to be derailed later on as musical styles changed.
In 1936, he joined the Benny Goodman orchestra as a trumpeter. In 1938, while with Goodman, he got a contract with Bluebird, to record 20 sides as Ziggy Elman and his Orchestra. At various points in his life he also recorded with Tommy Dorsey & Lionel Hampton.
By the 1950s, the music had changed. Big bands had declined & he was financially ruined, and he went to work for a car dealership. In 1961, it was revealed at an alimony hearing that he was virtually bankrupt. He later worked in a music store and gave trumpet lessons.
He died of a heart attack in 1968 at the age of 54.
This song debuted on Broadway in the musical revue The Passing Show of 1922 at the Winter Garden Theater. It has also been in multiple movies beginning in 1939. Ziggy recorded this version in 1949 as a part of the soundtrack to the movie Jolson Sings Again. It was released as a single with a “B” side called Boppin With Zig.
Carolina In The Morning by Ziggy Elman
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 9, 2024 17:33:08 GMT
ZZ Top is a rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For 51 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. The band continues on with the new bass player Elwood Francis.
In November 2020, it was announced that the 2019 Netflix documentary That Little Ol' Band from Texas was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Music Film, it lost out to The Sound Of My Voice, about Linda Ronstadt.
They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
Their catalog includes six #1 singles on the Mainstream Rock chart. They have earned 4 gold, 3 platinum, 2 multiple-platinum and 1 diamond album certification.
During their career they have released 15 studio albums, 4 Live albums & 38 singles. This song comes from their 1983 album Eliminator. It was their 8th studio album. The album hit #9, & has been certified as a Diamond release with over 11 million sold in the US alone. It is still their most commercial release & it included 4 hit singles—"Gimme All Your Lovin'" which reached the American Top 40, "Sharp Dressed Man", "TV Dinners" and "Legs".
I Need You Tonight by ZZ Top
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 10, 2024 11:10:12 GMT
Led Zeppelin was an English rock band formed in London in 1968.
The band comprised Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitar), John Paul Jones (bass and keyboards) and John Bonham (drums).
Robert Plant is still with us & making new music with Allison Krauss. He just turned 76 in August. Jimmy Page hasn’t released any new music since he & Robert released an album called Walking Into Clarksdale in 1998. He is now 80. John Paul Jones has been a producer & guest musician for the past few years, he is 78. John Bonham died in 1980 at the age of 32, resulting in the band breaking up.
They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. They were the recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005, and four of their recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
This song comes from Led Zeppelin III it was released in 1970. The album showed the band moving from straight forward rock towards folk and acoustic music. Although many critics gave the album a mixed response, it has since been acknowledged as representing an important milestone in the band's history and a turning point in their music.
The album hit #1 in many countries including here in the states. It has been certified 6 X Platinum. It included the single Immigrant Song which landed at #16.
The lyrics to this song were inspired by Plant’s initial impressions of New York City on their 1971 concert tour of the United States, he would sometimes introduce it as "The New York Song".
Celebration Day by Led Zeppelin
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 10, 2024 17:10:10 GMT
The Modern Jazz Quartet were active between 1952 & 1997. During that time, they released at least 40 albums as a group & collaborated on many others.
After all that time & all those records, their lineup was relatively stable compared to what we have seen from other groups over the years. There seems to have been just 7 different members associated with them.
They have recorded this song many times over the years, but it 1st appeared on album called Concorde released in 1955. At the time of this record the group included Milt Jackson – vibraphone, John Lewis – piano, Percy Heath – bass, & Connie Kay – drums.
The album is the first to feature drummer Connie Kay, who replaced Kenny Clarke in 1955. It is also the first Modern Jazz Quartet LP conceived from the beginning as a long playing record; previous recordings had been released as 78's, 10 inch 33's or reissues of these formats on a 12-inch LP.
I’ll Remember April by The Modern Jazz Quartet
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 11, 2024 11:21:27 GMT
Donald Fagen is a singer/songwriter/ musician from Passaic, New Jersey. He will be 77 in January.
He was the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker. Even before Steely Dan, he played keyboards for Jay & The Americans using the name Tristan Fabriani.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Steely Dan in 2001.
In addition to his work with Steely Dan, he has released 4 solo albums, & been the featured artist on some movie soundtracks, like the one linked to below. Other artists writing music for the movie included Prince, Bryan Ferry & Depeche Mode among others.
The movie & the album came out in 1988. There was a big cast, but the main stars were, Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland, Phoebe Cates, & Swoosie Kurtz.
This was the only song released as a single, it charted at #83.
Century’s End by Donald Fagen
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 11, 2024 19:26:57 GMT
This song comes from an album called Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book. It is a 1956 double album & she is accompanied by an orchestra conducted and arranged by Buddy Bregman.
This album inaugurated her Song Book series, each of the eight albums in the series focuses on a different composer of the canon known as the Great American Songbook. The album was recorded February 7–9 and March 27, 1956, in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000 & in 2003, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.
The song was written by Cole Porter for the 1937 MGM film Rosalie, it was sung by Nelson Eddy. The movies also starred Eleanor Powell, Frank Morgan & Ray Bolger.
In The Still Of The Night by Ella Fitzgerald
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 12, 2024 11:19:54 GMT
Hair of the Dog was the 6th studio album by the Scottish rock band Nazareth,it was released on 3 April 1975. The album is the group's best known and highest selling release, with over two million copies sold worldwide.
The album hit #17 here in the states & has been certified Platinum. The title song to this album was the cause of the album getting a name change.
According to Nazareth frontman Dan McCafferty, the song Hair of the Dog in which a dishonest young woman finally meets her match provided the original album title with its recognizable chorus of "now you're messing with a… a son of a bitch!". But, their record label wasn't about to let them name the project Son of a Bitch. Thus, Hair of the Dog was the compromise they reached.
Nazareth’s version of that song charted only in Germany but Guns & Roses hit #11 on the US Mainstream Rock chart with theirs.
They did have a #8 chart hit with their version of Love Hurts which was included on the album. That song was initially recorded back in 1960 by The Everly Brothers.
The song linked to here was not released as a single.
Changin Times by Nazareth
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 12, 2024 17:27:39 GMT
Julee Cruise was a singer and actress from Creston, Iowa. She died on June 9, 2022, aged 65; her death was a suicide by suffocation. She had been suffering the effects of lupus for the previous 4 years.
She is best known for her collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti and film director David Lynch in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
During her career she released just 4 albums beginning with the one this song comes from. It was called Floating into the Night & was released in 1989. It was her only album to chart, landing at #74. It included the singles Falling which hit #11 on the US Modern Rock Tracks, an instrumental version was used as the theme song for the TV show Twin Peaks. It also includes Rockin Back Inside My Heart, which she performed on Episode 14 of Twin Peaks.
David Lynch produced the album & wrote this song.
Into The Night by Julee Cruise
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 13, 2024 11:19:45 GMT
Tom Waits is a musician, composer, songwriter and actor from Pomona, California. He will turn 75 in December.
He was inspired by the work of Bob Dylan and the Beat Generation & began his career singing on the San Diego folk circuit. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1972, where he worked as a songwriter before signing a recording contract with Asylum Records.
His songs have been covered by Bruce Springsteen, Tori Amos, Rod Stewart and the Ramones among many others and he has written songs for Johnny Cash and Norah Jones.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.
Introducing him, Neil Young said "This next man is indescribable, and I'm here to describe him. He's sort of a performer, singer, actor, magician, spirit guide, changeling... I think it's great that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has recognized this immense talent.
During his career he has released 14 studio albums, 2 live albums, 23 singles & been a part of 2 soundtrack albums . This was the title song to his debut album from 1973. The album did not chart and received little attention from music press. But it has been reissued in 1976,1992,1999,and in 2010. The record has gained a contemporary cult following among rock fans.
The 1st cut on the album was called Old 55. Tom didn’t have any luck with it but it has been covered multiple times including by The Eagles on their On The Border album.
Closing Time by Tom Waits
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 13, 2024 17:40:22 GMT
Carole King is a singer-songwriter and musician from New York City. She turned 82 last February. Her real name is Carol Joan Klein.
She is one of the most successful female songwriters in the US, she wrote or co-wrote 118 Hot 100 hits over the latter half of the 20th century. Her major success began in the 1960s when she and her first husband, Gerry Goffin, wrote more than two dozen chart hits. She was a big part of the music that came out of The Brill Building.
She has won four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a performer and songwriter.
She is the recipient of the 2013 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, the first woman to be so honored. She is also a 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree.
This song comes from her 2nd solo album, but it was her breakthrough. The album was called Tapestry & it came out in 1971. The album topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks, and remained on the charts for more than six years. It has been certified 14 X Platinum. The album was on the charts for 313 weeks (second only to The Dark Side of the Moon's 724 weeks)
The album won a Grammy for Album Of The Year & Carole won another for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. You’ve Got A Friend won for Song Of the Year & the song linked to here won for Record Of The Year. She the first solo female artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and the first woman to win the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
Also on the album were "I Feel The Earth Move" released as a “B: Side to You’ve Got A Friend & "So Far Away" #14.
The album, You've Got A Friend & It's Too Late have all been installed into the Grammy Hall Of Fame.
It’s Too Late by Carole King
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 14, 2024 11:20:42 GMT
Count Basie said that Earl Hines was "the greatest piano player in the world". Horace Silver said, "He has a completely unique style. No one can get that sound, no other pianist".Erroll Garner said, "When you talk about greatness, you talk about Art Tatum and Earl Hines".
Earl left home at the age of 17 to take a job playing piano with Lois Deppe and His Symphonian Serenaders in a Pittsburgh nightclub called the Liederhaus. He got his board, two meals a day, and $15 a week.
In 1924 he met Louis Armstrong in the poolroom of the Black Musicians' Union, local 208, on State and 39th in Chicago. Hines was 21, Armstrong 24. They played the union's piano together.
He won the 1966 International Critics Poll for DownBeat magazine's Hall of Fame. DownBeat also elected him the world's "No. 1 Jazz Pianist" in 1966 (and did so again five more times).
This song was included on an album from 1965 called Grand Reunion. Earl plays piano, Roy Eldredge on trumpet, Coleman Hawkins on tenor sax, George Tucker bass & Oliver Jackson Jr. drums. It was recorded Live At The Village Vanguard.
Come Sunday by Earl Hines
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 14, 2024 17:56:39 GMT
Mel Tormé was a musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author from Chicago. He died from a 2nd stroke on June 5, 1999, at the age of 73. He was nicknamed "the Velvet Fog”.
He was a child prodigy that first performed professionally at age four with the Coon-Sanders Orchestra, singing "You're Driving Me Crazy" at Chicago's Blackhawk restaurant. He was invited back and sang every Monday night for six months; he was paid $15 a night with a free dinner for his family.
Between 1942 & 1943, he was a member of a band led by Chico Marx of the Marx Brothers. He was the singer and drummer and also created some arrangements.
He wrote more than 250 songs, including the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") and co-wrote the lyrics with Bob Wells.
He won two Grammy Awards and was nominated for 12 others. He was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.
A lot of folks have recorded this song over the years & this version comes from Mel Tormé Swings Shubert Alley. It is a 1960 album with the music arranged by Marty Paich, (we see this guy again, the father of David who will become a pretty famous studio musician & then a founding member of Toto.)
The song was written by Jule Styne and the lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. It was introduced by Judy Holliday and Sydney Chaplin in the musical Bells Are Ringing in 1956.
Just In Time by Mel Torme
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 15, 2024 11:05:57 GMT
Fairport Convention is an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig).
They took a 6 year hiatus between 1979-85, but are back in operation ever since with Simon Nicol as the only remaining original member involved. Drummer Dave Mattacks & bass player Dave Pegg weren’t there at the beginning, but have been members since 1969.
The band received a "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the 2002 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. At the 2006 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards they received an award when their album Liege & Lief was voted 'Most Influential Folk Album of All Time' by Radio 2 listeners.
In a career spanning over 50 years, notable for numerous changes of line-up as well as continued success, they have released over 50 albums. This song comes from their self – titled debt album from June 1968.
This is the only studio album on which Judy Dyble sings. She left in 1968 and was replaced by Sandy Denny. At the time of this record their lineup included Judy Dyble – lead vocals, electric and acoustic autoharps, recorder, piano, Ian MacDonald (Iain Matthews) – lead vocals, Jew's harp, Richard Thompson – vocals, lead electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, Simon Nicol – vocals, electric 12- and 6-string and acoustic guitars, Ashley Hutchings – bass guitar, jug, double bass, & Martin Lamble – percussion, violin.
Chelsea Morning by Fairport Convention
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 15, 2024 16:16:31 GMT
Traveling Wilburys were a British-American supergroup active from 1988 to 1991 consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. They were a roots rock band and described as "perhaps the biggest supergroup of all time".
The band formed in April 1988 after the five members united to record a bonus track for Harrison's next European single. When this collaboration, "Handle with Care", was deemed too good for such a limited release, the group agreed to record a full album, titled Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1.
In the Rolling Stone Press book The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, the Traveling Wilburys are described as "the ultimate supergroup", with a line-up that represented four eras of rock music history and included "three indisputable gods" in Dylan, Harrison and Orbison.
They were together just long enough to release 2 studio albums. This song comes from their 1988 debut album called The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1. The album landed at #3 & has been certified 3 Times Platinum. It included the hit singles “Handle With Care” #45 on the Hot 100 but #2 on the Album Rock Tracks Chart & “End Of The Line” #63 & #2 on those same charts.
The album won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group & was nominated for Album Of The Year but lost out to Nick Of Time by Bonnie Raitt.
This was the only album Roy Orbison was involved with as he died less than 2 months after the release.
All members contributed to the writing, whether solo or as a group. Tom Petty wrote most of this & sings lead with some help from Roy.
Last Night by The Traveling Wilburys
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 16, 2024 11:16:20 GMT
Whitesnake is an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978.
The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. They have broken up & reformed many times over the years but they are an entity again since 2003. David Coverdale is still there as the only remaining original member still involved.
During their career they have released 13 studio albums with the most recent one coming in 2019, 9 Live albums, & 44 singles. This song comes from their self - titled 7th studio album, it was released on 23 March 1987. The album landed at #2 on the Top 200 & has sold over 25 million copies worldwide & is certified at 8 X Platinum here in the states.
The album included the singles “Still Of The Night” #79 on the Hot 100 & #18 on the Albums Track charts, “Is This Love” #2 on the Hot 100 & #13 on Mainstream Rock, “Here I Go Again” #1 on the Hot 100 #4 on Mainstream Rock & “Give Me All Your Love” #48 on the Hot 100 & #22 on Mainstream Rock.
It has been rated by multiple sources as one of the greatest Hair Metal/Glam Metal albums ever. At the time of this record the lineup of the band was David Coverdale – vocals, John Sykes – guitar, backing vocals, Neil Murray – bass, Aynsley Dunbar – drums, percussion, & Don Airey – keyboards.
Children Of The Night by Whitesnake
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 16, 2024 17:39:31 GMT
Spanky and Our Gang was a 1960s sunshine pop band led by Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane.
The band name comes from Hal Roach's Our Gang comedies of the 1930s (known as The Little Rascals), because of the similarity of McFarlane's surname with that of George McFarland (Spanky).
The group consisted of Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane – lead vocals, Nigel Pickering – rhythm guitar, vocals, Paul "Oz" Bach – bass guitar, vocals, Malcolm Hale – lead guitar, trombone, vocals & John "The Chief" Seiter – drums.
Spanky is still with us & is now 82. Nigel Pickering passed in 2011 he was 81. “Oz” Bach passed in 1998 he was 59. John Seiter is still alive & is now 80. Malcolm Hale died in 1968 he joined Club 27. He was the band’s main arranger & multi - instrumentalist, his death along with the group's satisfaction over what they had achieved already, led to the decision to disband early in 1969.
This song comes from their self – titled debut album, released on August 1, 1967. 3 songs that were released as singles, all became big hits. "Sunday Will Never Be the Same", their biggest hit, which reached # 9 on the Hot 100 chart in the summer of 1967, "Making Every Minute Count", which reached Number 31, and "Lazy Day", reaching Number 14. "Sunday Will Never Be The Same" and "Lazy Day" both sold over one million copies.
Lazy Day was written by George Fischoff and Tony Powers, the song received generally positive reviews. According to AllMusic, "Lazy Day" "...is a giddy joy no matter what." Despite calling the lyrics frothy, The Milwaukee Journal writer Dick Young called the melody magnetic.
Lazy Day by Spanky & Our Gang
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