Podcast appearances and mentions of charlie mccoy

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Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2025 59:59

Mikael Backman joins me on episode 130.Mikael is from Sweden where he started playing blues harmonica, recording six albums with the band Ramblin' Minds. He then joined the band John Henry. Initially a bluegrass band, they went on to play country, honky tonk and western swing. Mikael is truly a doctor of the harmonica, having conducted various academic studies with the harmonica at center stage, as part of his work at the Piteå School of Music. One of these resulted in a music thesis on how practicing the chromatic and diatonic harmonicas can improve the playing of both. Mikael has also recently completed a PhD where he wrote a doctoral thesis on country harmonica, which included an article and recording session with the legendary Charlie McCoy.Links:Website: https://harpatwork.com/John Henry band: www.johnhenry.nuMike Caldwell playing Roly Poly: https://soundcloud.com/mike-caldwell-2/roly-polyMikael's recordings on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/07qOtgwTkCHlzYgx6P8Goh?si=d7e648990fd9420bOne Lick - Two Harps: chromatic / diatonic: https://tinyurl.com/yfnh9fcvPhD thesis My Bag of Licks: https://tinyurl.com/mybagoflicksArticle on Charlie McCoy: https://www.internationalcountrymusic.org/_files/ugd/83ada7_e189b0dca9ad431dbc743cea3ffd5a88.pdfCharlie McCoy Transcriptions link: https://www.researchcatalogue.net/profile/show-exposition?exposition=1510243Neil's harmonica transcriptions: https://www.harptranscripts.co.uk/Videos:Same lick on chromatic and diatonic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIcnyGTtv6AMikael talks through what he plays on Oklahoma song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJeskt_Vo1UAmazing Grace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h04Q9k6eEokPodcast website:https://www.harmonicahappyhour.comDonations:If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GBSpotify Playlist: Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQPodcast sponsors:This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS--------------------------------Blue Moon Harmonicas: https://bluemoonharmonicas.comSupport the show

Taking In Strays

The 1937 Flood Watch Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2024 5:44

Holidays were hard for Roger Samples in 1975.He was living alone, just him and Josephine the Cat rattling around on Mount Union Road where he was house-sitting for Susan and David Peyton. (As reported earlier, the Peyton family had left town for six months in Lafayette, Louisiana, where Dave was researching Cajun culture for his Alicia Paterson Foundation fellowship project.)Nonetheless, that autumn was a fertile one for Roger and the fledgling Flood. That's because every few days, Joe Dobbs would come by to jam with Rog; when he didn't, Charlie Bowen did. In those waning days of the year, life-long friendships were formed.Holiday AdoptionAs the holidays rolled in, though, the pickings got slim. Busy with Dobbs family affairs, Joe couldn't drop by as frequently. As a result, Roger starting spending many of his evenings at the Bowen house with Charlie and Pamela.“Y'all take in strays?” Roger asked the first night he appeared on their doorstep.“Come on in, buddy! Pull up a chair.”A new routine developed. Getting home from a day of teaching at Mason County's Hannah High School in Apple Grove, Rog would have supper with Charlie and Pamela, then he and Charlie broke out the guitars.That year Roger was even there to help decorate the Bowens' Christmas tree, stringing lights and hanging tinsel while they listened to the new albums by Jackson Browne and David Bromberg, Steve Goodman and John Prine.Pamela usually was the only audience for the tunes Roger and Charlie worked out in those last weeks of 1975, songs like this one, which she recorded in the Bowen living room on Nov. 28, the night after Thanksgiving.About the SongOne of the first things Charlie and Roger learned about each other was their shared love for Bob Dylan songs. For nearly a decade by then, both had been listening to Dylan discs and working up their own versions of his songs.Quickly they found they each had a rendition of “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” which they had heard a few years earlier on the 1971 release of Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Vol. II.Dylan wrote the song in 1962, including it as a demo for M. Witmark & Son, which became his publishing company at the time. (That particular track, incidentally, has long been available as a bootleg; so has an outtake from the June 1970 studio sessions for Bob's New Morning album.)Over the years, “Tomorrow Is a Long Time” has been covered by many Dylan friends and admirers. Most notably, Elvis Presley recorded it in the spring of 1966, appearing as a bonus track on his Spinout album.Elvis and OthersPresley was taken with the song after learning it from West Virginia's legendary harmonica player Charlie McCoy, who played it the previous year on Odetta's album Odetta Sings Dylan. Dylan has said Presley's cover of the song is "the one recording I treasure the most.”Besides Elvis and Odetta, others who have recorded the song include Joan Baez and Ian and Sylvia (1963), Judy Collins (1965), the Pozo-Seco Singers (1966), The Kingston Trio (1969), We Five and Glenn Yarbrough (1970), Rod Stewart (1971), Sandy Denny (1972).Stay TunedMeanwhile, if you enjoyed today's trek in the time machine, hang around. More of that late ‘75 vibe will be featured in a Flood Watch report next week, including a trio of Roger-and-Charlie originals and some vintage solos by fiddlin' Joe Dobbs. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 1937flood.substack.com

Charlie McCoy Interview: Bob Dylan Created a STAMPEDE in Nashville

Everyone Loves Guitar

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2024 44:28

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MUSICIAN & ARTIST: Charlie McCoy

Sippin' On Country

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2024 63:04

Get ready for a special treat on this week's episode of Sippin' On Country as we welcome the legendary Charlie McCoy! Known for his incredible harmonica skills, Charlie has played with the best of the best—from Johnny Cash's "Orange Blossom Special" to Roy Orbison, Elvis, and Bob Dylan. In our chat, we dive into his remarkable 63-year career, exploring how the industry has evolved and even touching on Taylor Swift. And don't miss the end of the episode—you might just catch Charlie working his magic on the harmonica! Tune in for a captivating conversation with one of Nashville's finest talents.https://www.charliemccoy.com/https://open.spotify.com/artist/4LwB86Ve6LpHYtsbnu6bvChttps://music.youtube.com/channel/UCymS8_aGool-8IIkt_Mkk1Q Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Coffee, Country & Cody Digest - May 10, 2024

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2024 30:43

On this week's Coffee, Country & Cody Digest, we revisit our interviews with Opry member Charlie McCoy, award-winning songwriter Matthew West, and American Idol alum Carrie Brockwell... Plus, the crew has some fun with Kelly Sutton for buying her own Mother's Day gift, and Charlie talks about his plans for Mother's Day with his wife. Make the Grand Ole Opry part of YOUR Nashville experience! With at least three shows every week, there are plenty of opportunities to see The Show That Made Country Music Famous -- plus, take the Opry Backstage Tour while you're there, and (on most tours) you'll get to stand in the world-famous circle where so many country greats have performed. Thanks for listening to the Coffee, Country & Cody podcast from WSM Radio! Be sure to listen to WSM anytime for free on the iHeartRadio app! Tap here to go straight to the station in your app, and set us as one of your favorites so we're always there!

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Coffee, Country & Cody: May 6, 2024 - Jon Brennan and Charlie McCoy

TCBCast: An Unofficial Elvis Presley Fan Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2024 39:28

On this episode of Coffee, Country & Cody we welcome Jon Brennan and Charlie McCoy! For more on Jon, head to https://jonbrennan.com/ . For Charlie, visit https://www.charliemccoy.com/ Nothing gets a morning started better than “Coffee, Country and Cody.” The show’s namesake is Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Famer and affable television personality Bill Cody. Joining Bill is his producer/sidekick/sports guy/fellow brilliant conversationalist, Charlie Mattos. And rounding out WSM’s dynamic morning crew is Kelly Sutton, Nashville’s go-to entertainment journalist. Together, Bill, Charlie and Kelly start every weekday off with great music—country, bluegrass, Americana, Opry cuts, and live studio guests, the latest news, entertaining features, and more. Coffee, Country & Cody airs LIVE Monday - Friday! You can listen on WSM 650 AM, and watch on Circle Country through the CircleNow app, and stream on Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Peacock, Vizio, Xumo, Redbox, Sling, and Fubo! About WSM Radio: WSM is the most famed country music radio station in the world. Each day since it first signed on in 1925, the station has shared country, bluegrass, and Americana music, as well as the excitement of Music City with friends in Middle Tennessee and listeners around the world. Listen anytime on 650 AM, WSMradio.com, or our free mobile app. Connect with WSM Radio: Visit the WSM Radio WEBSITE: http://bit.ly/650AMWSM Follow WSM Radio on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wsmradio Like WSM Radio on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/WSMRadioFB Check out WSM Radio on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/WSMRadioInsta Follow WSM Radio on X: http://bit.ly/WSMRadioTweets Listen to WSM Radio LIVE: http://bit.ly/WSMListenLive Listen to WSM on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/live/wsm-radio...

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TCBCast 308: The Nashville 1970 Sessions, Part 1

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2024 139:26

Justin and Bec explore Elvis' "marathon" sessions from June 1970, starting with laying the groundwork for the return to Nashville's RCA Studio B, pondering why Elvis may not have chosen to return to Chips Moman's American Sound in Memphis. Instead Elvis is joined this time by a new band led by his live guitarist James Burton but otherwise comprised largely of country-soul players who had worked alongside producer Felton Jarvis in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, including Chip Young, Jerry Carrigan, David Briggs, Norbert Putnam and Charlie McCoy, and rather than a meticulous planned session with Chips' guiding vision... they tear through dozens of songs across four nights, with a follow-up session later that September. Part 1 focuses on the establishing information and the first two nights, June 4-5 and June 5-6, 1970. For Song of the Week, Bec highlights "I Met Her Today," the understated Don Robertson ballad that was cut in 1961's Pot Luck sessions but held until the hodgepodge Elvis For Everyone album four years later. Meanwhile, Justin goes way back to the Sun era, selecting the middle child single "Milkcow Blues Boogie" - couched between Good Rockin' Tonight and Baby Let's Play House, yet containing that same genius melding of blues (it was written and originated by Kokomo Arnold) and country (also highly popularized by western swing artists like Bob and Johnnie Lee Wills) in a new rockabilly style as anything else he did at Sun. If you enjoy TCBCast, please consider supporting us with a donation at Patreon.com/TCBCast. Your support allows us to continue to provide thoughtful, provocative, challenging and well-researched perspectives on Elvis's career, his peers and influences, and his cultural impact and legacy.

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The Colgate Country Showdown

Brothers Of The Road

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2024 36:32

In 2008, Matt gets a call from casino owner Betty Laughlin (The Riverside, Laughlin, NV) to come be a part of The Colgate Country Showdown, that was taking place at her casino. What happens next is a long and crazy journey that lead the brothers to The Ryman auditorium with LeAnn Rimes and Charlie McCoy.

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Christian Marsh interview

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2024 59:44

Christian Marsh joins me on episode 102.Christian is an Australian who plays both the diatonic and chromatic harmonica. Starting out playing diatonic, Christian drew inspiration from players such as Norton Buffalo and Charlie McCoy, absorbing as much harmonica as he could lay his hands on . He picked the chromatic up a few years later after hearing Toots Thielemans play, and even went on to maintain Larry Adler's harmonicas while he was touring Australia.Christian is a mainstay on the Australian music scene, having 60 album credits sessions to his name, as well as a number of albums with Dr Goodvibe, and several under his own name, with a new release coming out in January 2024. Christian has also performed a concerto written for harmonica, as well as performing at the Sydney Opera House.Links:Christian Marsh website:https://christianmarsh.com.au/Recording credits:https://christianmarsh.com.au/credits/Online tracks:https://www.reverbnation.com/christianmarsh/song/27991199-sven-libaeks-harmonica-concertoVideos:Nun In The Back Seat, with Dr Goodvibe:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cov-WjwvCp4&t=200sRoxanne, live with Dr Goodvibe:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh136n8OQHYLive with Paul Robert Burton trio:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBMiFbRZYSkPodcast website:https://www.harmonicahappyhour.comDonations:If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GBor sign-up to a monthly subscription to the podcast:https://www.buzzsprout.com/995536/supportSpotify Playlist:Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQPodcast sponsors:This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or InstagramSupport the show

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Episode 167: “The Weight” by The Band

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2023

Episode one hundred and sixty-seven of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “The Weight" by the Band, the Basement Tapes, and the continuing controversy over Dylan going electric. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a half-hour bonus episode available, on "S.F. Sorrow is Born" by the Pretty Things. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Also, a one-time request here -- Shawn Taylor, who runs the Facebook group for the podcast and is an old and dear friend of mine, has stage-three lung cancer. I will be hugely grateful to anyone who donates to the GoFundMe for her treatment. Errata At one point I say "when Robertson and Helm travelled to the Brill Building". I meant "when Hawkins and Helm". This is fixed in the transcript but not the recording. Resources There are three Mixcloud mixes this time. As there are so many songs by Bob Dylan and the Band excerpted, and Mixcloud won't allow more than four songs by the same artist in any mix, I've had to post the songs not in quite the same order in which they appear in the podcast. But the mixes are here — one, two, three. I've used these books for all the episodes involving Dylan: Dylan Goes Electric!: Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties by Elijah Wald, which is recommended, as all Wald's books are. Bob Dylan: All The Songs by Phillipe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon is a song-by-song look at every song Dylan ever wrote, as is Revolution in the Air, by Clinton Heylin. Heylin also wrote the most comprehensive and accurate biography of Dylan, Behind the Shades. I've also used Robert Shelton's No Direction Home, which is less accurate, but which is written by someone who knew Dylan. Chronicles Volume 1 by Bob Dylan is a partial, highly inaccurate, but thoroughly readable autobiography. Information on Tiny Tim comes from Eternal Troubadour: The Improbable Life of Tiny Tim by Justin Martell. Information on John Cage comes from The Roaring Silence by David Revill Information on Woodstock comes from Small Town Talk by Barney Hoskyns. For material on the Basement Tapes, I've used Million Dollar Bash by Sid Griffin. And for the Band, I've used This Wheel's on Fire by Levon Helm with Stephen Davis, Testimony by Robbie Robertson, The Band by Craig Harris and Levon by Sandra B Tooze. I've also referred to the documentaries No Direction Home and Once Were Brothers. The complete Basement Tapes can be found on this multi-disc box set, while this double-CD version has the best material from the sessions. All the surviving live recordings by Dylan and the Hawks from 1966 are on this box set. There are various deluxe versions of Music From Big Pink, but still the best way to get the original album is in this twofer CD with the Band's second album. Transcript Just a brief note before I start – literally while I was in the middle of recording this episode, it was announced that Robbie Robertson had died today, aged eighty. Obviously I've not had time to alter the rest of the episode – half of which had already been edited – with that in mind, though I don't believe I say anything disrespectful to his memory. My condolences to those who loved him – he was a huge talent and will be missed. There are people in the world who question the function of criticism. Those people argue that criticism is in many ways parasitic. If critics knew what they were talking about, so the argument goes, they would create themselves, rather than talk about other people's creation. It's a variant of the "those who can't, teach" cliche. And to an extent it's true. Certainly in the world of rock music, which we're talking about in this podcast, most critics are quite staggeringly ignorant of the things they're talking about. Most criticism is ephemeral, published in newspapers, magazines, blogs and podcasts, and forgotten as soon as it has been consumed -- and consumed is the word . But sometimes, just sometimes, a critic will have an effect on the world that is at least as important as that of any of the artists they criticise. One such critic was John Ruskin. Ruskin was one of the preeminent critics of visual art in the Victorian era, particularly specialising in painting and architecture, and he passionately advocated for a form of art that would be truthful, plain, and honest. To Ruskin's mind, many artists of the past, and of his time, drew and painted, not what they saw with their own eyes, but what other people expected them to paint. They replaced true observation of nature with the regurgitation of ever-more-mannered and formalised cliches. His attacks on many great artists were, in essence, the same critiques that are currently brought against AI art apps -- they're just recycling and plagiarising what other people had already done, not seeing with their own eyes and creating from their own vision. Ruskin was an artist himself, but never received much acclaim for his own work. Rather, he advocated for the works of others, like Turner and the pre-Raphaelite school -- the latter of whom were influenced by Ruskin, even as he admired them for seeing with their own vision rather than just repeating influences from others. But those weren't the only people Ruskin influenced. Because any critical project, properly understood, becomes about more than just the art -- as if art is just anything. Ruskin, for example, studied geology, because if you're going to talk about how people should paint landscapes and what those landscapes look like, you need to understand what landscapes really do look like, which means understanding their formation. He understood that art of the kind he wanted could only be produced by certain types of people, and so society had to be organised in a way to produce such people. Some types of societal organisation lead to some kinds of thinking and creation, and to properly, honestly, understand one branch of human thought means at least to attempt to understand all of them. Opinions about art have moral consequences, and morality has political and economic consequences. The inevitable endpoint of any theory of art is, ultimately, a theory of society. And Ruskin had a theory of society, and social organisation. Ruskin's views are too complex to summarise here, but they were a kind of anarcho-primitivist collectivism. He believed that wealth was evil, and that the classical liberal economics of people like Mill was fundamentally anti-human, that the division of labour alienated people from their work. In Ruskin's ideal world, people would gather in communities no bigger than villages, and work as craftspeople, working with nature rather than trying to bend nature to their will. They would be collectives, with none richer or poorer than any other, and working the land without modern technology. in the first half of the twentieth century, in particular, Ruskin's influence was *everywhere*. His writings on art inspired the Impressionist movement, but his political and economic ideas were the most influential, right across the political spectrum. Ruskin's ideas were closest to Christian socialism, and he did indeed inspire many socialist parties -- most of the founders of Britain's Labour Party were admirers of Ruskin and influenced by his ideas, particularly his opposition to the free market. But he inspired many other people -- Gandhi talked about the profound influence that Ruskin had on him, saying in his autobiography that he got three lessons from Ruskin's Unto This Last: "That 1) the good of the individual is contained in the good of all. 2) a lawyer's work has the same value as the barber's in as much as all have the same right of earning their livelihood from their work. 3) a life of labour, i.e., the life of the tiller of the soil and the handicraftsman is the life worth living. The first of these I knew. The second I had dimly realized. The third had never occurred to me. Unto This Last made it clear as daylight for me that the second and third were contained in the first. I arose with the dawn, ready to reduce these principles to practice" Gandhi translated and paraphrased Unto this Last into Gujurati and called the resulting book Sarvodaya (meaning "uplifting all" or "the welfare of all") which he later took as the name of his own political philosophy. But Ruskin also had a more pernicious influence -- it was said in 1930s Germany that he and his friend Thomas Carlyle were "the first National Socialists" -- there's no evidence I know of that Hitler ever read Ruskin, but a *lot* of Nazi rhetoric is implicit in Ruskin's writing, particularly in his opposition to progress (he even opposed the bicycle as being too much inhuman interference with nature), just as much as more admirable philosophies, and he was so widely read in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that there's barely a political movement anywhere that didn't bear his fingerprints. But of course, our focus here is on music. And Ruskin had an influence on that, too. We've talked in several episodes, most recently the one on the Velvet Underground, about John Cage's piece 4'33. What I didn't mention in any of the discussions of that piece -- because I was saving it for here -- is that that piece was premiered at a small concert hall in upstate New York. The hall, the Maverick Concert Hall, was owned and run by the Maverick arts and crafts collective -- a collective that were so called because they were the *second* Ruskinite arts colony in the area, having split off from the Byrdcliffe colony after a dispute between its three founders, all of whom were disciples of Ruskin, and all of whom disagreed violently about how to implement Ruskin's ideas of pacifist all-for-one and one-for-all community. These arts colonies, and others that grew up around them like the Arts Students League were the thriving centre of a Bohemian community -- close enough to New York that you could get there if you needed to, far enough away that you could live out your pastoral fantasies, and artists of all types flocked there -- Pete Seeger met his wife there, and his father-in-law had been one of the stonemasons who helped build the Maverick concert hall. Dozens of artists in all sorts of areas, from Aaron Copland to Edward G Robinson, spent time in these communities, as did Cage. Of course, while these arts and crafts communities had a reputation for Bohemianism and artistic extremism, even radical utopian artists have their limits, and legend has it that the premiere of 4'33 was met with horror and derision, and eventually led to one artist in the audience standing up and calling on the residents of the town around which these artistic colonies had agglomerated: “Good people of Woodstock, let's drive these people out of town.” [Excerpt: The Band, "The Weight"] Ronnie Hawkins was almost born to make music. We heard back in the episode on "Suzie Q" in 2019 about his family and their ties to music. Ronnie's uncle Del was, according to most of the sources on the family, a member of the Sons of the Pioneers -- though as I point out in that episode, his name isn't on any of the official lists of group members, but he might well have performed with them at some point in the early years of the group. And he was definitely a country music bass player, even if he *wasn't* in the most popular country and western group of the thirties and forties. And Del had had two sons, Jerry, who made some minor rockabilly records: [Excerpt: Jerry Hawkins, "Swing, Daddy, Swing"] And Del junior, who as we heard in the "Susie Q" episode became known as Dale Hawkins and made one of the most important rock records of the fifties: [Excerpt: Dale Hawkins, "Susie Q"] Ronnie Hawkins was around the same age as his cousins, and was in awe of his country-music star uncle. Hawkins later remembered that after his uncle moved to Califormia to become a star “He'd come home for a week or two, driving a brand new Cadillac and wearing brand new clothes and I knew that's what I wanted to be." Though he also remembered “He spent every penny he made on whiskey, and he was divorced because he was running around with all sorts of women. His wife left Arkansas and went to Louisiana.” Hawkins knew that he wanted to be a music star like his uncle, and he started performing at local fairs and other events from the age of eleven, including one performance where he substituted for Hank Williams -- Williams was so drunk that day he couldn't perform, and so his backing band asked volunteers from the audience to get up and sing with them, and Hawkins sang Burl Ives and minstrel-show songs with the band. He said later “Even back then I knew that every important white cat—Al Jolson, Stephen Foster—they all did it by copying blacks. Even Hank Williams learned all the stuff he had from those black cats in Alabama. Elvis Presley copied black music; that's all that Elvis did.” As well as being a performer from an early age, though, Hawkins was also an entrepreneur with an eye for how to make money. From the age of fourteen he started running liquor -- not moonshine, he would always point out, but something far safer. He lived only a few miles from the border between Missouri and Arkansas, and alcohol and tobacco were about half the price in Missouri that they were in Arkansas, so he'd drive across the border, load up on whisky and cigarettes, and drive back and sell them at a profit, which he then used to buy shares in several nightclubs, which he and his bands would perform in in later years. Like every man of his generation, Hawkins had to do six months in the Army, and it was there that he joined his first ever full-time band, the Blackhawks -- so called because his name was Hawkins, and the rest of the group were Black, though Hawkins was white. They got together when the other four members were performing at a club in the area where Hawkins was stationed, and he was so impressed with their music that he jumped on stage and started singing with them. He said later “It sounded like something between the blues and rockabilly. It sort of leaned in both directions at the same time, me being a hayseed and those guys playing a lot funkier." As he put it "I wanted to sound like Bobby ‘Blue' Bland but it came out sounding like Ernest Tubb.” Word got around about the Blackhawks, both that they were a great-sounding rock and roll band and that they were an integrated band at a time when that was extremely unpopular in the southern states, and when Hawkins was discharged from the Army he got a call from Sam Phillips at Sun Records. According to Hawkins a group of the regular Sun session musicians were planning on forming a band, and he was asked to front the band for a hundred dollars a week, but by the time he got there the band had fallen apart. This doesn't precisely line up with anything else I know about Sun, though it perhaps makes sense if Hawkins was being asked to front the band who had variously backed Billy Lee Riley and Jerry Lee Lewis after one of Riley's occasional threats to leave the label. More likely though, he told everyone he knew that he had a deal with Sun but Phillips was unimpressed with the demos he cut there, and Hawkins made up the story to stop himself losing face. One of the session players for Sun, though, Luke Paulman, who played in Conway Twitty's band among others, *was* impressed with Hawkins though, and suggested that they form a band together with Paulman's bass player brother George and piano-playing cousin Pop Jones. The Paulman brothers and Jones also came from Arkansas, but they specifically came from Helena, Arkansas, the town from which King Biscuit Time was broadcast. King Biscuit Time was the most important blues radio show in the US at that time -- a short lunchtime programme which featured live performances from a house band which varied over the years, but which in the 1940s had been led by Sonny Boy Williamson II, and featured Robert Jr. Lockwood, Robert Johnson's stepson, on guiitar: [Excerpt: Sonny Boy Williamson II "Eyesight to the Blind (King Biscuit Time)"] The band also included a drummer, "Peck" Curtis, and that drummer was the biggest inspiration for a young white man from the town named Levon Helm. Helm had first been inspired to make music after seeing Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys play live when Helm was eight, and he had soon taken up first the harmonica, then the guitar, then the drums, becoming excellent at all of them. Even as a child he knew that he didn't want to be a farmer like his family, and that music was, as he put it, "the only way to get off that stinking tractor and out of that one hundred and five degree heat.” Sonny Boy Williamson and the King Biscuit Boys would perform in the open air in Marvell, Arkansas, where Helm was growing up, on Saturdays, and Helm watched them regularly as a small child, and became particularly interested in the drumming. “As good as the band sounded,” he said later “it seemed that [Peck] was definitely having the most fun. I locked into the drums at that point. Later, I heard Jack Nance, Conway Twitty's drummer, and all the great drummers in Memphis—Jimmy Van Eaton, Al Jackson, and Willie Hall—the Chicago boys (Fred Belew and Clifton James) and the people at Sun Records and Vee-Jay, but most of my style was based on Peck and Sonny Boy—the Delta blues style with the shuffle. Through the years, I've quickened the pace to a more rock-and-roll meter and time frame, but it still bases itself back to Peck, Sonny Boy Williamson, and the King Biscuit Boys.” Helm had played with another band that George Paulman had played in, and he was invited to join the fledgling band Hawkins was putting together, called for the moment the Sun Records Quartet. The group played some of the clubs Hawkins had business connections in, but they had other plans -- Conway Twitty had recently played Toronto, and had told Luke Paulman about how desperate the Canadians were for American rock and roll music. Twitty's agent Harold Kudlets booked the group in to a Toronto club, Le Coq D'Or, and soon the group were alternating between residencies in clubs in the Deep South, where they were just another rockabilly band, albeit one of the better ones, and in Canada, where they became the most popular band in Ontario, and became the nucleus of an entire musical scene -- the same scene from which, a few years later, people like Neil Young would emerge. George Paulman didn't remain long in the group -- he was apparently getting drunk, and also he was a double-bass player, at a time when the electric bass was becoming the in thing. And this is the best place to mention this, but there are several discrepancies in the various accounts of which band members were in Hawkins' band at which times, and who played on what session. They all *broadly* follow the same lines, but none of them are fully reconcilable with each other, and nobody was paying enough attention to lineup shifts in a bar band between 1957 and 1964 to be absolutely certain who was right. I've tried to reconcile the various accounts as far as possible and make a coherent narrative, but some of the details of what follows may be wrong, though the broad strokes are correct. For much of their first period in Ontario, the group had no bass player at all, relying on Jones' piano to fill in the bass parts, and on their first recording, a version of "Bo Diddley", they actually got the club's manager to play bass with them: [Excerpt: Ronnie Hawkins, "Hey Bo Diddley"] That is claimed to be the first rock and roll record made in Canada, though as everyone who has listened to this podcast knows, there's no first anything. It wasn't released as by the Sun Records Quartet though -- the band had presumably realised that that name would make them much less attractive to other labels, and so by this point the Sun Records Quartet had become Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks. "Hey Bo Diddley" was released on a small Canadian label and didn't have any success, but the group carried on performing live, travelling back down to Arkansas for a while and getting a new bass player, Lefty Evans, who had been playing in the same pool of musicians as them, having been another Sun session player who had been in Conway Twitty's band, and had written Twitty's "Why Can't I Get Through to You": [Excerpt: Conway Twitty, "Why Can't I Get Through to You"] The band were now popular enough in Canada that they were starting to get heard of in America, and through Kudlets they got a contract with Joe Glaser, a Mafia-connected booking agent who booked them into gigs on the Jersey Shore. As Helm said “Ronnie Hawkins had molded us into the wildest, fiercest, speed-driven bar band in America," and the group were apparently getting larger audiences in New Jersey than Sammy Davis Jr was, even though they hadn't released any records in the US. Or at least, they hadn't released any records in their own name in the US. There's a record on End Records by Rockin' Ronald and the Rebels which is very strongly rumoured to have been the Hawks under another name, though Hawkins always denied that. Have a listen for yourself and see what you think: [Excerpt: Rockin' Ronald and the Rebels, "Kansas City"] End Records, the label that was on, was one of the many record labels set up by George Goldner and distributed by Morris Levy, and when the group did release a record in their home country under their own name, it was on Levy's Roulette Records. An audition for Levy had been set up by Glaser's booking company, and Levy decided that given that Elvis was in the Army, there was a vacancy to be filled and Ronnie Hawkins might just fit the bill. Hawkins signed a contract with Levy, and it doesn't sound like he had much choice in the matter. Helm asked him “How long did you have to sign for?” and Hawkins replied "Life with an option" That said, unlike almost every other artist who interacted with Levy, Hawkins never had a bad word to say about him, at least in public, saying later “I don't care what Morris was supposed to have done, he looked after me and he believed in me. I even lived with him in his million-dollar apartment on the Upper East Side." The first single the group recorded for Roulette, a remake of Chuck Berry's "Thirty Days" retitled "Forty Days", didn't chart, but the follow-up, a version of Young Jessie's "Mary Lou", made number twenty-six on the charts: [Excerpt: Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, "Mary Lou"] While that was a cover of a Young Jessie record, the songwriting credits read Hawkins and Magill -- Magill was a pseudonym used by Morris Levy. Levy hoped to make Ronnie Hawkins into a really big star, but hit a snag. This was just the point where the payola scandal had hit and record companies were under criminal investigation for bribing DJs to play their records. This was the main method of promotion that Levy used, and this was so well known that Levy was, for a time, under more scrutiny than anyone. He couldn't risk paying anyone off, and so Hawkins' records didn't get the expected airplay. The group went through some lineup changes, too, bringing in guitarist Fred Carter (with Luke Paulman moving to rhythm and soon leaving altogether) from Hawkins' cousin Dale's band, and bass player Jimmy Evans. Some sources say that Jones quit around this time, too, though others say he was in the band for a while longer, and they had two keyboards (the other keyboard being supplied by Stan Szelest. As well as recording Ronnie Hawkins singles, the new lineup of the group also recorded one single with Carter on lead vocals, "My Heart Cries": [Excerpt: Fred Carter, "My Heart Cries"] While the group were now playing more shows in the USA, they were still playing regularly in Canada, and they had developed a huge fanbase there. One of these was a teenage guitarist called Robbie Robertson, who had become fascinated with the band after playing a support slot for them, and had started hanging round, trying to ingratiate himself with the band in the hope of being allowed to join. As he was a teenager, Hawkins thought he might have his finger on the pulse of the youth market, and when Hawkins and Helm travelled to the Brill Building to hear new songs for consideration for their next album, they brought Robertson along to listen to them and give his opinion. Robertson himself ended up contributing two songs to the album, titled Mr. Dynamo. According to Hawkins "we had a little time after the session, so I thought, Well, I'm just gonna put 'em down and see what happens. And they were released. Robbie was the songwriter for words, and Levon was good for arranging, making things fit in and all that stuff. He knew what to do, but he didn't write anything." The two songs in question were "Someone Like You" and "Hey Boba Lou": [Excerpt: Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, "Hey Boba Lou"] While Robertson was the sole writer of the songs, they were credited to Robertson, Hawkins, and Magill -- Morris Levy. As Robertson told the story later, “It's funny, when those songs came out and I got a copy of the album, it had another name on there besides my name for some writer like Morris Levy. So, I said to Ronnie, “There was nobody there writing these songs when I wrote these songs. Who is Morris Levy?” Ronnie just kinda tapped me on the head and said, “There are certain things about this business that you just let go and you don't question.” That was one of my early music industry lessons right there" Robertson desperately wanted to join the Hawks, but initially it was Robertson's bandmate Scott Cushnie who became the first Canadian to join the Hawks. But then when they were in Arkansas, Jimmy Evans decided he wasn't going to go back to Canada. So Hawkins called Robbie Robertson up and made him an offer. Robertson had to come down to Arkansas and get a couple of quick bass lessons from Helm (who could play pretty much every instrument to an acceptable standard, and so was by this point acting as the group's musical director, working out arrangements and leading them in rehearsals). Then Hawkins and Helm had to be elsewhere for a few weeks. If, when they got back, Robertson was good enough on bass, he had the job. If not, he didn't. Robertson accepted, but he nearly didn't get the gig after all. The place Hawkins and Helm had to be was Britain, where they were going to be promoting their latest single on Boy Meets Girls, the Jack Good TV series with Marty Wilde, which featured guitarist Joe Brown in the backing band: [Excerpt: Joe Brown, “Savage”] This was the same series that Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent were regularly appearing on, and while they didn't appear on the episodes that Hawkins and Helm appeared on, they did appear on the episodes immediately before Hawkins and Helm's two appearances, and again a couple of weeks after, and were friendly with the musicians who did play with Hawkins and Helm, and apparently they all jammed together a few times. Hawkins was impressed enough with Joe Brown -- who at the time was considered the best guitarist on the British scene -- that he invited Brown to become a Hawk. Presumably if Brown had taken him up on the offer, he would have taken the spot that ended up being Robertson's, but Brown turned him down -- a decision he apparently later regretted. Robbie Robertson was now a Hawk, and he and Helm formed an immediate bond. As Helm much later put it, "It was me and Robbie against the world. Our mission, as we saw it, was to put together the best band in history". As rockabilly was by this point passe, Levy tried converting Hawkins into a folk artist, to see if he could get some of the Kingston Trio's audience. He recorded a protest song, "The Ballad of Caryl Chessman", protesting the then-forthcoming execution of Chessman (one of only a handful of people to be executed in the US in recent decades for non-lethal offences), and he made an album of folk tunes, The Folk Ballads of Ronnie Hawkins, which largely consisted of solo acoustic recordings, plus a handful of left-over Hawks recordings from a year or so earlier. That wasn't a success, but they also tried a follow-up, having Hawkins go country and do an album of Hank Williams songs, recorded in Nashville at Owen Bradley's Quonset hut. While many of the musicians on the album were Nashville A-Team players, Hawkins also insisted on having his own band members perform, much to the disgust of the producer, and so it's likely (not certain, because there seem to be various disagreements about what was recorded when) that that album features the first studio recordings with Levon Helm and Robbie Robertson playing together: [Excerpt: Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, "Your Cheatin' Heart"] Other sources claim that the only Hawk allowed to play on the album sessions was Helm, and that the rest of the musicians on the album were Harold Bradley and Hank Garland on guitar, Owen Bradley and Floyd Cramer on piano, Bob Moore on bass, and the Anita Kerr singers. I tend to trust Helm's recollection that the Hawks played at least some of the instruments though, because the source claiming that also seems to confuse the Hank Williams and Folk Ballads albums, and because I don't hear two pianos on the album. On the other hand, that *does* sound like Floyd Cramer on piano, and the tik-tok bass sound you'd get from having Harold Bradley play a baritone guitar while Bob Moore played a bass. So my best guess is that these sessions were like the Elvis sessions around the same time and with several of the same musicians, where Elvis' own backing musicians played rhythm parts but left the prominent instruments to the A-team players. Helm was singularly unimpressed with the experience of recording in Nashville. His strongest memory of the sessions was of another session going on in the same studio complex at the time -- Bobby "Blue" Bland was recording his classic single "Turn On Your Love Light", with the great drummer Jabo Starks on drums, and Helm was more interested in listening to that than he was in the music they were playing: [Excerpt: Bobby "Blue" Bland, "Turn On Your Love Light"] Incidentally, Helm talks about that recording being made "downstairs" from where the Hawks were recording, but also says that they were recording in Bradley's Quonset hut. Now, my understanding here *could* be very wrong -- I've been unable to find a plan or schematic anywhere -- but my understanding is that the Quonset hut was a single-level structure, not a multi-level structure. BUT the original recording facilities run by the Bradley brothers were in Owen Bradley's basement, before they moved into the larger Quonset hut facility in the back, so it's possible that Bland was recording that in the old basement studio. If so, that won't be the last recording made in a basement we hear this episode... Fred Carter decided during the Nashville sessions that he was going to leave the Hawks. As his son told the story: "Dad had discovered the session musicians there. He had no idea that you could play and make a living playing in studios and sleep in your own bed every night. By that point in his life, he'd already been gone from home and constantly on the road and in the service playing music for ten years so that appealed to him greatly. And Levon asked him, he said, “If you're gonna leave, Fred, I'd like you to get young Robbie over here up to speed on guitar”…[Robbie] got kind of aggravated with him—and Dad didn't say this with any malice—but by the end of that week, or whatever it was, Robbie made some kind of comment about “One day I'm gonna cut you.” And Dad said, “Well, if that's how you think about it, the lessons are over.” " (For those who don't know, a musician "cutting" another one is playing better than them, so much better that the worse musician has to concede defeat. For the remainder of Carter's notice in the Hawks, he played with his back to Robertson, refusing to look at him. Carter leaving the group caused some more shuffling of roles. For a while, Levon Helm -- who Hawkins always said was the best lead guitar player he ever worked with as well as the best drummer -- tried playing lead guitar while Robertson played rhythm and another member, Rebel Payne, played bass, but they couldn't find a drummer to replace Helm, who moved back onto the drums. Then they brought in Roy Buchanan, another guitarist who had been playing with Dale Hawkins, having started out playing with Johnny Otis' band. But Buchanan didn't fit with Hawkins' personality, and he quit after a few months, going off to record his own first solo record: [Excerpt: Roy Buchanan, "Mule Train Stomp"] Eventually they solved the lineup problem by having Robertson -- by this point an accomplished lead player --- move to lead guitar and bringing in a new rhythm player, another Canadian teenager named Rick Danko, who had originally been a lead player (and who also played mandolin and fiddle). Danko wasn't expected to stay on rhythm long though -- Rebel Payne was drinking a lot and missing being at home when he was out on the road, so Danko was brought in on the understanding that he was to learn Payne's bass parts and switch to bass when Payne quit. Helm and Robertson were unsure about Danko, and Robertson expressed that doubt, saying "He only knows four chords," to which Hawkins replied, "That's all right son. You can teach him four more the way we had to teach you." He proved himself by sheer hard work. As Hawkins put it “He practiced so much that his arms swoll up. He was hurting.” By the time Danko switched to bass, the group also had a baritone sax player, Jerry Penfound, which allowed the group to play more of the soul and R&B material that Helm and Robertson favoured, though Hawkins wasn't keen. This new lineup of the group (which also had Stan Szelest on piano) recorded Hawkins' next album. This one was produced by Henry Glover, the great record producer, songwriter, and trumpet player who had played with Lucky Millinder, produced Wynonie Harris, Hank Ballard, and Moon Mullican, and wrote "Drowning in My Own Tears", "The Peppermint Twist", and "California Sun". Glover was massively impressed with the band, especially Helm (with whom he would remain friends for the rest of his life) and set aside some studio time for them to cut some tracks without Hawkins, to be used as album filler, including a version of the Bobby "Blue" Bland song "Farther On Up the Road" with Helm on lead vocals: [Excerpt: Levon Helm and the Hawks, "Farther On Up the Road"] There were more changes on the way though. Stan Szelest was about to leave the band, and Jones had already left, so the group had no keyboard player. Hawkins had just the replacement for Szelest -- yet another Canadian teenager. This one was Richard Manuel, who played piano and sang in a band called The Rockin' Revols. Manuel was not the greatest piano player around -- he was an adequate player for simple rockabilly and R&B stuff, but hardly a virtuoso -- but he was an incredible singer, able to do a version of "Georgia on My Mind" which rivalled Ray Charles, and Hawkins had booked the Revols into his own small circuit of clubs around Arkanasas after being impressed with them on the same bill as the Hawks a couple of times. Hawkins wanted someone with a good voice because he was increasingly taking a back seat in performances. Hawkins was the bandleader and frontman, but he'd often given Helm a song or two to sing in the show, and as they were often playing for several hours a night, the more singers the band had the better. Soon, with Helm, Danko, and Manuel all in the group and able to take lead vocals, Hawkins would start missing entire shows, though he still got more money than any of his backing group. Hawkins was also a hard taskmaster, and wanted to have the best band around. He already had great musicians, but he wanted them to be *the best*. And all the musicians in his band were now much younger than him, with tons of natural talent, but untrained. What he needed was someone with proper training, someone who knew theory and technique. He'd been trying for a long time to get someone like that, but Garth Hudson had kept turning him down. Hudson was older than any of the Hawks, though younger than Hawkins, and he was a multi-instrumentalist who was far better than any other musician on the circuit, having trained in a conservatory and learned how to play Bach and Chopin before switching to rock and roll. He thought the Hawks were too loud sounding and played too hard for him, but Helm kept on at Hawkins to meet any demands Hudson had, and Hawkins eventually agreed to give Hudson a higher wage than any of the other band members, buy him a new Lowry organ, and give him an extra ten dollars a week to give the rest of the band music lessons. Hudson agreed, and the Hawks now had a lineup of Helm on drums, Robertson on guitar, Manuel on piano, Danko on bass, Hudson on organ and alto sax, and Penfound on baritone sax. But these new young musicians were beginning to wonder why they actually needed a frontman who didn't turn up to many of the gigs, kept most of the money, and fined them whenever they broke one of his increasingly stringent set of rules. Indeed, they wondered why they needed a frontman at all. They already had three singers -- and sometimes a fourth, a singer called Bruce Bruno who would sometimes sit in with them when Penfound was unable to make a gig. They went to see Harold Kudlets, who Hawkins had recently sacked as his manager, and asked him if he could get them gigs for the same amount of money as they'd been getting with Hawkins. Kudlets was astonished to find how little Hawkins had been paying them, and told them that would be no problem at all. They had no frontman any more -- and made it a rule in all their contracts that the word "sideman" would never be used -- but Helm had been the leader for contractual purposes, as the musical director and longest-serving member (Hawkins, as a non-playing singer, had never joined the Musicians' Union so couldn't be the leader on contracts). So the band that had been Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks became the Levon Helm Sextet briefly -- but Penfound soon quit, and they became Levon and the Hawks. The Hawks really started to find their identity as their own band in 1964. They were already far more interested in playing soul than Hawkins had been, but they were also starting to get into playing soul *jazz*, especially after seeing the Cannonball Adderley Sextet play live: [Excerpt: Cannonball Adderley, "This Here"] What the group admired about the Adderley group more than anything else was a sense of restraint. Helm was particularly impressed with their drummer, Louie Hayes, and said of him "I got to see some great musicians over the years, and you see somebody like that play and you can tell, y' know, that the thing not to do is to just get it down on the floor and stomp the hell out of it!" The other influence they had, and one which would shape their sound even more, was a negative one. The two biggest bands on the charts at the time were the Beatles and the Beach Boys, and as Helm described it in his autobiography, the Hawks thought both bands' harmonies were "a blend of pale, homogenised, voices". He said "We felt we were better than the Beatles and the Beach Boys. We considered them our rivals, even though they'd never heard of us", and they decided to make their own harmonies sound as different as possible as a result. Where those groups emphasised a vocal blend, the Hawks were going to emphasise the *difference* in their voices in their own harmonies. The group were playing prestigious venues like the Peppermint Lounge, and while playing there they met up with John Hammond Jr, who they'd met previously in Canada. As you might remember from the first episode on Bob Dylan, Hammond Jr was the son of the John Hammond who we've talked about in many episodes, and was a blues musician in his own right. He invited Helm, Robertson, and Hudson to join the musicians, including Michael Bloomfield, who were playing on his new album, So Many Roads: [Excerpt: John P. Hammond, "Who Do You Love?"] That album was one of the inspirations that led Bob Dylan to start making electric rock music and to hire Bloomfield as his guitarist, decisions that would have profound implications for the Hawks. The first single the Hawks recorded for themselves after leaving Hawkins was produced by Henry Glover, and both sides were written by Robbie Robertson. "uh Uh Uh" shows the influence of the R&B bands they were listening to. What it reminds me most of is the material Ike and Tina Turner were playing at the time, but at points I think I can also hear the influence of Curtis Mayfield and Steve Cropper, who were rapidly becoming Robertson's favourite songwriters: [Excerpt: The Canadian Squires, "Uh Uh Uh"] None of the band were happy with that record, though. They'd played in the studio the same way they played live, trying to get a strong bass presence, but it just sounded bottom-heavy to them when they heard the record on a jukebox. That record was released as by The Canadian Squires -- according to Robertson, that was a name that the label imposed on them for the record, while according to Helm it was an alternative name they used so they could get bookings in places they'd only recently played, which didn't want the same band to play too often. One wonders if there was any confusion with the band Neil Young played in a year or so before that single... Around this time, the group also met up with Helm's old musical inspiration Sonny Boy Williamson II, who was impressed enough with them that there was some talk of them being his backing band (and it was in this meeting that Williamson apparently told Robertson "those English boys want to play the blues so bad, and they play the blues *so bad*", speaking of the bands who'd backed him in the UK, like the Yardbirds and the Animals). But sadly, Williamson died in May 1965 before any of these plans had time to come to fruition. Every opportunity for the group seemed to be closing up, even as they knew they were as good as any band around them. They had an offer from Aaron Schroeder, who ran Musicor Records but was more importantly a songwriter and publisher who had written for Elvis Presley and published Gene Pitney. Schroeder wanted to sign the Hawks as a band and Robertson as a songwriter, but Henry Glover looked over the contracts for them, and told them "If you sign this you'd better be able to pay each other, because nobody else is going to be paying you". What happened next is the subject of some controversy, because as these things tend to go, several people became aware of the Hawks at the same time, but it's generally considered that nothing would have happened the same way were it not for Mary Martin. Martin is a pivotal figure in music business history -- among other things she discovered Leonard Cohen and Gordon Lightfoot, managed Van Morrison, and signed Emmylou Harris to Warner Brothers records -- but a somewhat unknown one who doesn't even have a Wikipedia page. Martin was from Toronto, but had moved to New York, where she was working in Albert Grossman's office, but she still had many connections to Canadian musicians and kept an eye out for them. The group had sent demo tapes to Grossman's offices, and Grossman had had no interest in them, but Martin was a fan and kept pushing the group on Grossman and his associates. One of those associates, of course, was Grossman's client Bob Dylan. As we heard in the episode on "Like a Rolling Stone", Dylan had started making records with electric backing, with musicians who included Mike Bloomfield, who had played with several of the Hawks on the Hammond album, and Al Kooper, who was a friend of the band. Martin gave Richard Manuel a copy of Dylan's new electric album Highway 61 Revisited, and he enjoyed it, though the rest of the group were less impressed: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Highway 61 Revisited"] Dylan had played the Newport Folk Festival with some of the same musicians as played on his records, but Bloomfield in particular was more interested in continuing to play with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band than continuing with Dylan long-term. Mary Martin kept telling Dylan about this Canadian band she knew who would be perfect for him, and various people associated with the Grossman organisation, including Hammond, have claimed to have been sent down to New Jersey where the Hawks were playing to check them out in their live setting. The group have also mentioned that someone who looked a lot like Dylan was seen at some of their shows. Eventually, Dylan phoned Helm up and made an offer. He didn't need a full band at the moment -- he had Harvey Brooks on bass and Al Kooper on keyboards -- but he did need a lead guitar player and drummer for a couple of gigs he'd already booked, one in Forest Hills, New York, and a bigger gig at the Hollywood Bowl. Helm, unfamiliar with Dylan's work, actually asked Howard Kudlets if Dylan was capable of filling the Hollywood Bowl. The musicians rehearsed together and got a set together for the shows. Robertson and Helm thought the band sounded terrible, but Dylan liked the sound they were getting a lot. The audience in Forest Hills agreed with the Hawks, rather than Dylan, or so it would appear. As we heard in the "Like a Rolling Stone" episode, Dylan's turn towards rock music was *hated* by the folk purists who saw him as some sort of traitor to the movement, a movement whose figurehead he had become without wanting to. There were fifteen thousand people in the audience, and they listened politely enough to the first set, which Dylan played acoustically, But before the second set -- his first ever full electric set, rather than the very abridged one at Newport -- he told the musicians “I don't know what it will be like out there It's going to be some kind of carnival and I want you to all know that up front. So go out there and keep playing no matter how weird it gets!” There's a terrible-quality audience recording of that show in circulation, and you can hear the crowd's reaction to the band and to the new material: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Ballad of a Thin Man" (live Forest Hills 1965, audience noise only)] The audience also threw things at the musicians, knocking Al Kooper off his organ stool at one point. While Robertson remembered the Hollywood Bowl show as being an equally bad reaction, Helm remembered the audience there as being much more friendly, and the better-quality recording of that show seems to side with Helm: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Maggie's Farm (live at the Hollywood Bowl 1965)"] After those two shows, Helm and Robertson went back to their regular gig. and in September they made another record. This one, again produced by Glover, was for Atlantic's Atco subsidiary, and was released as by Levon and the Hawks. Manuel took lead, and again both songs were written by Robertson: [Excerpt: Levon and the Hawks, "He Don't Love You (And He'll Break Your Heart)"] But again that record did nothing. Dylan was about to start his first full electric tour, and while Helm and Robertson had not thought the shows they'd played sounded particularly good, Dylan had, and he wanted the two of them to continue with him. But Robertson and, especially, Helm, were not interested in being someone's sidemen. They explained to Dylan that they already had a band -- Levon and the Hawks -- and he would take all of them or he would take none of them. Helm in particular had not been impressed with Dylan's music -- Helm was fundamentally an R&B fan, while Dylan's music was rooted in genres he had little time for -- but he was OK with doing it, so long as the entire band got to. As Mary Martin put it “I think that the wonderful and the splendid heart of the band, if you will, was Levon, and I think he really sort of said, ‘If it's just myself as drummer and Robbie…we're out. We don't want that. It's either us, the band, or nothing.' And you know what? Good for him.” Rather amazingly, Dylan agreed. When the band's residency in New Jersey finished, they headed back to Toronto to play some shows there, and Dylan flew up and rehearsed with them after each show. When the tour started, the billing was "Bob Dylan with Levon and the Hawks". That billing wasn't to last long. Dylan had been booked in for nine months of touring, and was also starting work on what would become widely considered the first double album in rock music history, Blonde on Blonde, and the original plan was that Levon and the Hawks would play with him throughout that time. The initial recording sessions for the album produced nothing suitable for release -- the closest was "I Wanna Be Your Lover", a semi-parody of the Beatles' "I Want to be Your Man": [Excerpt: Bob Dylan with Levon and the Hawks, "I Wanna Be Your Lover"] But shortly into the tour, Helm quit. The booing had continued, and had even got worse, and Helm simply wasn't in the business to be booed at every night. Also, his whole conception of music was that you dance to it, and nobody was dancing to any of this. Helm quit the band, only telling Robertson of his plans, and first went off to LA, where he met up with some musicians from Oklahoma who had enjoyed seeing the Hawks when they'd played that state and had since moved out West -- people like Leon Russell, J.J. Cale (not John Cale of the Velvet Underground, but the one who wrote "Cocaine" which Eric Clapton later had a hit with), and John Ware (who would later go on to join the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band). They started loosely jamming with each other, sometimes also involving a young singer named Linda Ronstadt, but Helm eventually decided to give up music and go and work on an oil rig in New Orleans. Levon and the Hawks were now just the Hawks. The rest of the group soldiered on, replacing Helm with session drummer Bobby Gregg (who had played on Dylan's previous couple of albums, and had previously played with Sun Ra), and played on the initial sessions for Blonde on Blonde. But of those sessions, Dylan said a few weeks later "Oh, I was really down. I mean, in ten recording sessions, man, we didn't get one song ... It was the band. But you see, I didn't know that. I didn't want to think that" One track from the sessions did get released -- the non-album single "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?" [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?"] There's some debate as to exactly who's playing drums on that -- Helm says in his autobiography that it's him, while the credits in the official CD releases tend to say it's Gregg. Either way, the track was an unexpected flop, not making the top forty in the US, though it made the top twenty in the UK. But the rest of the recordings with the now Helmless Hawks were less successful. Dylan was trying to get his new songs across, but this was a band who were used to playing raucous music for dancing, and so the attempts at more subtle songs didn't come off the way he wanted: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan and the Hawks, "Visions of Johanna (take 5, 11-30-1965)"] Only one track from those initial New York sessions made the album -- "One Of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)" -- but even that only featured Robertson and Danko of the Hawks, with the rest of the instruments being played by session players: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan (One of Us Must Know (Sooner or Later)"] The Hawks were a great live band, but great live bands are not necessarily the same thing as a great studio band. And that's especially the case with someone like Dylan. Dylan was someone who was used to recording entirely on his own, and to making records *quickly*. In total, for his fifteen studio albums up to 1974's Blood on the Tracks, Dylan spent a total of eighty-six days in the studio -- by comparison, the Beatles spent over a hundred days in the studio just on the Sgt Pepper album. It's not that the Hawks weren't a good band -- very far from it -- but that studio recording requires a different type of discipline, and that's doubly the case when you're playing with an idiosyncratic player like Dylan. The Hawks would remain Dylan's live backing band, but he wouldn't put out a studio recording with them backing him until 1974. Instead, Bob Johnston, the producer Dylan was working with, suggested a different plan. On his previous album, the Nashville session player Charlie McCoy had guested on "Desolation Row" and Dylan had found him easy to work with. Johnston lived in Nashville, and suggested that they could get the album completed more quickly and to Dylan's liking by using Nashville A-Team musicians. Dylan agreed to try it, and for the rest of the album he had Robertson on lead guitar and Al Kooper on keyboards, but every other musician was a Nashville session player, and they managed to get Dylan's songs recorded quickly and the way he heard them in his head: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine"] Though Dylan being Dylan he did try to introduce an element of randomness to the recordings by having the Nashville musicians swap their instruments around and play each other's parts on "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35", though the Nashville players were still competent enough that they managed to get a usable, if shambolic, track recorded that way in a single take: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35"] Dylan said later of the album "The closest I ever got to the sound I hear in my mind was on individual bands in the Blonde on Blonde album. It's that thin, that wild mercury sound. It's metallic and bright gold, with whatever that conjures up." The album was released in late June 1966, a week before Freak Out! by the Mothers of Invention, another double album, produced by Dylan's old producer Tom Wilson, and a few weeks after Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys. Dylan was at the forefront of a new progressive movement in rock music, a movement that was tying thoughtful, intelligent lyrics to studio experimentation and yet somehow managing to have commercial success. And a month after Blonde on Blonde came out, he stepped away from that position, and would never fully return to it. The first half of 1966 was taken up with near-constant touring, with Dylan backed by the Hawks and a succession of fill-in drummers -- first Bobby Gregg, then Sandy Konikoff, then Mickey Jones. This tour started in the US and Canada, with breaks for recording the album, and then moved on to Australia and Europe. The shows always followed the same pattern. First Dylan would perform an acoustic set, solo, with just an acoustic guitar and harmonica, which would generally go down well with the audience -- though sometimes they would get restless, prompting a certain amount of resistance from the performer: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Just Like a Woman (live Paris 1966)"] But the second half of each show was electric, and that was where the problems would arise. The Hawks were playing at the top of their game -- some truly stunning performances: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan and the Hawks, "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (live in Liverpool 1966)"] But while the majority of the audience was happy to hear the music, there was a vocal portion that were utterly furious at the change in Dylan's musical style. Most notoriously, there was the performance at Manchester Free Trade Hall where this happened: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Like a Rolling Stone (live Manchester 1966)"] That kind of aggression from the audience had the effect of pushing the band on to greater heights a lot of the time -- and a bootleg of that show, mislabelled as the Royal Albert Hall, became one of the most legendary bootlegs in rock music history. Jimmy Page would apparently buy a copy of the bootleg every time he saw one, thinking it was the best album ever made. But while Dylan and the Hawks played defiantly, that kind of audience reaction gets wearing. As Dylan later said, “Judas, the most hated name in human history, and for what—for playing an electric guitar. As if that is in some kind of way equitable to betraying our Lord, and delivering him up to be crucified; all those evil mothers can rot in hell.” And this wasn't the only stress Dylan, in particular, was under. D.A. Pennebaker was making a documentary of the tour -- a follow-up to his documentary of the 1965 tour, which had not yet come out. Dylan talked about the 1965 documentary, Don't Look Back, as being Pennebaker's film of Dylan, but this was going to be Dylan's film, with him directing the director. That footage shows Dylan as nervy and anxious, and covering for the anxiety with a veneer of flippancy. Some of Dylan's behaviour on both tours is unpleasant in ways that can't easily be justified (and which he has later publicly regretted), but there's also a seeming cruelty to some of his interactions with the press and public that actually reads more as frustration. Over and over again he's asked questions -- about being the voice of a generation or the leader of a protest movement -- which are simply based on incorrect premises. When someone asks you a question like this, there are only a few options you can take, none of them good. You can dissect the question, revealing the incorrect premises, and then answer a different question that isn't what they asked, which isn't really an option at all given the kind of rapid-fire situation Dylan was in. You can answer the question as asked, which ends up being dishonest. Or you can be flip and dismissive, which is the tactic Dylan chose. Dylan wasn't the only one -- this is basically what the Beatles did at press conferences. But where the Beatles were a gang and so came off as being fun, Dylan doing the same thing came off as arrogant and aggressive. One of the most famous artifacts of the whole tour is a long piece of footage recorded for the documentary, with Dylan and John Lennon riding in the back of a taxi, both clearly deeply uncomfortable, trying to be funny and impress the other, but neither actually wanting to be there: [Excerpt Dylan and Lennon conversation] 33) Part of the reason Dylan wanted to go home was that he had a whole new lifestyle. Up until 1964 he had been very much a city person, but as he had grown more famous, he'd found New York stifling. Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary had a cabin in Woodstock, where he'd grown up, and after Dylan had spent a month there in summer 1964, he'd fallen in love with the area. Albert Grossman had also bought a home there, on Yarrow's advice, and had given Dylan free run of the place, and Dylan had decided he wanted to move there permanently and bought his own home there. He had also married, to Sara Lowndes (whose name is, as far as I can tell, pronounced "Sarah" even though it's spelled "Sara"), and she had given birth to his first child (and he had adopted her child from her previous marriage). Very little is actually known about Sara, who unlike many other partners of rock stars at this point seemed positively to detest the limelight, and whose privacy Dylan has continued to respect even after the end of their marriage in the late seventies, but it's apparent that the two were very much in love, and that Dylan wanted to be back with his wife and kids, in the country, not going from one strange city to another being asked insipid questions and having abuse screamed at him. He was also tired of the pressure to produce work constantly. He'd signed a contract for a novel, called Tarantula, which he'd written a draft of but was unhappy with, and he'd put out two single albums and a double-album in a little over a year -- all of them considered among the greatest albums ever made. He could only keep up this rate of production and performance with a large intake of speed, and he was sometimes staying up for four days straight to do so. After the European leg of the tour, Dylan was meant to take some time to finish overdubs on Blonde on Blonde, edit the film of the tour for a TV special, with his friend Howard Alk, and proof the galleys for Tarantula, before going on a second world tour in the autumn. That world tour never happened. Dylan was in a motorcycle accident near his home, and had to take time out to recover. There has been a lot of discussion as to how serious the accident actually was, because Dylan's manager Albert Grossman was known to threaten to break contracts by claiming his performers were sick, and because Dylan essentially disappeared from public view for the next eighteen months. Every possible interpretation of the events has been put about by someone, from Dylan having been close to death, to the entire story being put up as a fake. As Dylan is someone who is far more protective of his privacy than most rock stars, it's doubtful we'll ever know the precise truth, but putting together the various accounts Dylan's injuries were bad but not life-threatening, but they acted as a wake-up call -- if he carried on living like he had been, how much longer could he continue? in his sort-of autobiography, Chronicles, Dylan described this period, saying "I had been in a motorcycle accident and I'd been hurt, but I recovered. Truth was that I wanted to get out of the rat race. Having children changed my life and segregated me from just about everybody and everything that was going on. Outside of my family, nothing held any real interest for me and I was seeing everything through different glasses." All his forthcoming studio and tour dates were cancelled, and Dylan took the time out to recover, and to work on his film, Eat the Document. But it's clear that nobody was sure at first exactly how long Dylan's hiatus from touring was going to last. As it turned out, he wouldn't do another tour until the mid-seventies, and would barely even play any one-off gigs in the intervening time. But nobody knew that at the time, and so to be on the safe side the Hawks were being kept on a retainer. They'd always intended to work on their own music anyway -- they didn't just want to be anyone's backing band -- so they took this time to kick a few ideas around, but they were hamstrung by the fact that it was difficult to find rehearsal space in New York City, and they didn't have any gigs. Their main musical work in the few months between summer 1966 and spring 1967 was some recordings for the soundtrack of a film Peter Yarrow was making. You Are What You Eat is a bizarre hippie collage of a film, documenting the counterculture between 1966 when Yarrow started making it and 1968 when it came out. Carl Franzoni, one of the leaders of the LA freak movement that we've talked about in episodes on the Byrds, Love, and the Mothers of Invention, said of the film “If you ever see this movie you'll understand what ‘freaks' are. It'll let you see the L.A. freaks, the San Francisco freaks, and the New York freaks. It was like a documentary and it was about the makings of what freaks were about. And it had a philosophy, a very definite philosophy: that you are free-spirited, artistic." It's now most known for introducing the song "My Name is Jack" by John Simon, the film's music supervisor: [Excerpt: John Simon, "My Name is Jack"] That song would go on to be a top ten hit in the UK for Manfred Mann: [Excerpt: Manfred Mann, "My Name is Jack"] The Hawks contributed backing music for several songs for the film, in which they acted as backing band for another old Greenwich Village folkie who had been friends with Yarrow and Dylan but who was not yet the star he would soon become, Tiny Tim: [Excerpt: Tiny Tim, "Sonny Boy"] This was their first time playing together properly since the end of the European tour, and Sid Griffin has noted that these Tiny Tim sessions are the first time you can really hear the sound that the group would develop over the next year, and which would characterise them for their whole career. Robertson, Danko, and Manuel also did a session, not for the film with another of Grossman's discoveries, Carly Simon, playing a version of "Baby Let Me Follow You Down", a song they'd played a lot with Dylan on the tour that spring. That recording has never been released, and I've only managed to track down a brief clip of it from a BBC documentary, with Simon and an interviewer talking over most of the clip (so this won't be in the Mixcloud I put together of songs): [Excerpt: Carly Simon, "Baby Let Me Follow You Down"] That recording is notable though because as well as Robertson, Danko, and Manuel, and Dylan's regular studio keyboard players Al Kooper and Paul Griffin, it also features Levon Helm on drums, even though Helm had still not rejoined the band and was at the time mostly working in New Orleans. But his name's on the session log, so he must have m

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Episode 209 Part 2: Doris Troy

the Millennial Throwback Machine

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2023 54:18

Hey Guys! So I'm back with another episode of this podcast. My apologies for missing last week. sometimes I get so caught up in other things in my life that I forget to release an episode one week, and sometimes record one too, but I alway s get back on it sooner then later. but let me catch you up on what has happened since the last episode. first, I put out a single called Possibility. this one is REALLY personal and every time I listen to the song, it makes me both happy and sad, but it's an honest song about a situation I was in a few years ago and I hope you'll be able to relate to it & enjoy it. I'll post the link in this text description of this episode. also I dropped my next interview episode and I gotta say i absolutely LOVE this one. it was such a treat getting to interview this guy and I TOTALLY loved the information that I got out of him. This one was a total winner. I hope you enjoy that one as well, as much as I did conducting it. but anyways, here's the link to last week's song just in case you wanted to listen to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI3OYR_XM0w Don't forget to also follow me & reach out to me on Instagram & Tik Tok right here: https://www.instagram.com/iheartoldies/ https://www.tiktok.com/@iheartoldies also PLEASE do check out the premium subscription version of this podcast. I want to make very clear with you guys I won't be putting out free interview episodes anymore. they will all be on this private feed going forward so this is how you'll get to hear me interview legendary 60's musicians including my latest one with Charlie McCoy. here's the link to that: https://themillennialthrowbackmachine.supercast.com/new_landing? also would LOVE it if you guys could listen to my new song. look it, I could use your help with building my streaming numbers for my music on Spotify and you guys could do that for me if you listen to my music. I would really appreciate that because then my streaming numbers will look better then they do right now. here's the link: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/samlwilliams/possibility Please do also listen to the Spotify and Youtube playlists for this podcast. here you'll be able to find all of the songs that I talk about each week if you have any suggestions for songs I should talk about next on my podcast that I haven't yet, please email those ideas to me at samltwilli@icloud.com: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/21f3uBS6kU4hUF6QAC5JMj?si=c82c8d238b944da7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS1sYR7xky8&list=PL66sgq_GAmRcXy8yKZJfVmAD14HUYj7Nf also would TOTALLY love it if you guys could check out the official Redbubble Merch page for this podcast. I think it's time for a new logo but I will do that soon I promise. for now, here's the link to where you can check out the merch that is related to this podcast. definitely let me know your thoughts on this merch, you can write to me at samltwilli@icloud.com, you can also reach out on Instagram & Tik Tok @iheartoldies: https://www.redbubble.com/people/60ssam95/works/36806158-keep-things-groovy?asc=u&ref=recent-owner if you found out some GREAT facts & information about last week's song from listening to this podcast and you didn't know too much about this song & the artist that recorded it, please email me at samltwilli@icloud.com, you can also follow me & reach out to me on Instagram & Tik Tok @iheartoldies. thank you guys for staying on top of listening to this podcast even if I miss a week. I hope you'll love my new song & I hope you'll sign up for the premium version of this podcast so you can listen to my latest interview episode with Charlie McCoy. I will be back next month with a new interview episode on the private feed and the next song will come out in May. thank you guys for your continued listening and I will talk to you all next week.

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Celtic

The Harmonica Lady

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2023 55:41

From my CDS enjoy the Irish jigs, ballads, and melodies Charlie McCoy https://www.charliemccoy.com Tony Eyers https://harmonicatunes.com/about/ James Conway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Conway_(musician). Nedra and Julio https://www.nedraruss.com Song Book https://theharmonicasongbook.com Steve Baker https://www.stevebaker.de/bio_en_10.html

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Episode 207 Part 2: Joe Hinton

the Millennial Throwback Machine

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2023 52:32

Hey Guys! I"m back with one more R&B/Soul themed episode for Black History Month, so in this episode I do a deep dive with the history behind last week's song, which is Funny How Time Slips Away by Joe Hinton, and in this episode I talk about the history behind a very little known sub genre of soul music known as Country Soul Music, and I go more into the weeds of that genre in this episode. also unfortunately my interview with 97.3 the Rock is no longer up on their site but I did download a copy of the interview the guy who interviewed me sent me, so if anyone wants to hear it, write to me at samltwilli@icloud.com, and I'll WeTransfer over to you the file as it will be too big of an file to send in an email attachement. but anyways, here's the link to last week's song and this week's example just in case anybody wanted to listen to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HkGn2jifbM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTzQhr6AQdM You can also follow me & reach out to me on Instagram & Tik Tok right here: https://www.instagram.com/iheartoldies/ https://www.tiktok.com/@iheartoldies don't forget to also sign up for the premium subscription version of my podcast. here you'll be able to access all of the interview episodes that I"m doing currently plus the new ones that will be coming out soon. the next interview will be with Nashville session musician Charlie McCoy. lots of songs are talked about during that interview so I really do hope enjoy it. here's the link to where you can find that interview plus all of the other new ones right here: https://themillennialthrowbackmachine.supercast.com/new_landing? don't forget to also listen to my brand new song "I Don't Look The Same Anymore" and also, my new song "Possiblity" comes out on the 15th of March, I really like that song. it's a personal favorite of mine, but it's also one of my most vulnerable songs to date. but I Don't Look The Same Anymore is too, but in Possiblity, I take my my honesty vulnerability in the lyrics to the next level, but anyways, I''ll talk more about that later. here's the link to where you can find the song: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/samlwilliams/i-dont-look-the-same-anymore also please do check out the Spotify and Youtube playlists for this podcast. I hope you'll find some of your favorite new songs to you on these playlists, and again I apologize if these playlists are too long for you to listen to now, but you can easily follow along with this podcast and find the song I talk about each week because each episode is labeled by a specific artist and you can find that artist through the songs on this playlist, so here are the links to them and definitely write to me if you have any suggestions for songs I should talk about next on my podcast at samltwilli@icloud.com, you can also follow me & reach out to me on Instagram And Tik Tok @iheartoldies: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/21f3uBS6kU4hUF6QAC5JMj?si=36cf7ae64b9842e3 please do also check out the official Redbubble Merch store for this podcast. I hope you find some cool merch that you enjoy from this podcast. please send me any thoughts you have on the logo plus the prices for each item in the store at samltwilli@icloud.com: https://www.redbubble.com/people/60ssam95/works/36806158-keep-things-groovy?asc=u&ref=recent-owner if you found out some cool information about this week's song & artist & you didn't know anything about them and your a millennial/Gen Z, or if you learned about a whole new sub genre of country music, definitely email me at samltwilli@icloud.com, or you can reach out to me on Instagram and Tik Tok @iheartoldies. thanks for being patient with me guys and I will talk to you all next week.

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Episode 9 - Wayne Moss & Dee Moeller (Part 2 of 2)

Chasin' That Neon Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2023 39:12

Wayne & Dee share the following stories and more- - Wayne continues his story of recording "Rainy Day Women" with Bob Dylan and how him and his fellow musicians got left off the session notes - how they were eventually paid "musician pay" for songs appearing in blockbuster films such as "Forrest Gump" and more - playing guitar on the Tammy Wynette session & hit song "Stand By Your Man" - the origins of Nashville session player, super-band's "Area Code 615" and "Barefoot Jerry" - Dee tells of opening for Elvis Presley in the 1950's - Dee talks about Producer Buddy Killen hiring her for a demo session that included Wayne Moss, Charlie McCoy, and Ray Stevens - more on Bob Dylan - Wayne shares incredible details on how the "Oh, Pretty Woman"guitar intro was created For more info on Wayne Moss, merchandise, and CDs go to - http://barefootjerry.com To hear the full story on how Wayne & Dee's relationship started and grew to the love they share today, click on this link and you can hear it on Peter Rodman's show- https://www.wxnafm.org/broadcasts/26926

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Episode 207 Part 1: Joe Hinton

the Millennial Throwback Machine

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2023 52:16

Hey Guys! sorry for missing a week. My life has been super crazy lately. but I"m back with another episode and lots of updates for you about my music & my podcast. I don't think I'll have enough character space to tell you everything that has happened with me since my last episode. so if you want to hear everything that has happened with me since my last episode, please do listen to this episode. but just to give you a small taste of what has happened with me, I got my hard drive back with all of my data recovered, and I did an on air radio interview with 97.3 the Rock. I will post the link to that in this description of this episode, I also lost one of my all time favorite songwriters from the 60's one week but then I met another really great songwriter from the 60's the following week. so yeah, it's been crazy with me but I"m back with another episode I will try to be back with one more before the month is over. we'll see. but I'm back with another great song by a black artist for black history month, this one is really cool. here's the link to where you can listen to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HkGn2jifbM you can also follow me & reach out to me on Instagram & Tik Tok right here: https://www.instagram.com/iheartoldies/ https://www.tiktok.com/@iheartoldies don't forget to also check out the premium subscription version of this podcast. here you'll be able to find all of my upcoming interview episodes plus the newest ones that will come out soon. my latest interview is with Tony Powers, the next interview will be with Nashville session musician Charlie McCoy. here's the link to where you can find the premium version of this podcast: https://themillennialthrowbackmachine.supercast.com/new_landing? also would love for you guys to check out the latest interview I did with a station out of Morro Bay CA called 97.3 the Rock here's the link to where you can listen to it. it should be under Bryce Davis After Six under the the two week archives tab: https://streamdb8web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/index.cfm?stationCallSign=KEBF&onDemandAutoStart=true also please do check out my latest single I Don't Look The Same Anymore. I got another song coming out next month on the 15. I hope you guys enjoy it, here's the link: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/samlwilliams/i-dont-look-the-same-anymore also please do check out the official Spotify and Youtube playlists for this podcast. please send me any ideas for songs I should talk about next on my podcast that I haven't yet. you can do that by emailing me at samltwilli@icloud.com: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/21f3uBS6kU4hUF6QAC5JMj?si=4893f8ea3ef24601 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS1sYR7xky8&list=PL66sgq_GAmRcXy8yKZJfVmAD14HUYj7Nf don't forget to also check out the official Redbubble Merch store for this podcast. here you'll be able to find all of these super cool merch items that have this specific logo attached to it. here's the link to that. I hope you guys enjoy it: https://www.redbubble.com/people/60ssam95/works/36806158-keep-things-groovy?asc=u&ref=recent-owner if you loved my analysis on this week's song and you have never heard this song before and your a Millennial/Gen Z, please do email me at samltwilli@icloud.com, you can also follow me & reach out to me on Instagram & Tik Tok @iheartoldies. thanks for being patient with me guys and your continued listening. the next song comes out on March 15th, and the song is called Possibility. I hop you guys enjoy it and in this episode, I talk more about the song. I also talk about the next podcast guest for next month, so lots of stuff happening with me, and I will be in touch with you again soon. I will talk to you again next week.

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Talking to Nashville Session Legend Charlie McCoy

My Back Pages

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2022 21:51

Sam Paddor and Charlie McCoy discuss Charlie's time playing with legends like Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and more on their songs "Desolation Row", "Oh, Pretty Woman" and more. Charlie McCoy's Website: https://www.charliemccoy.com My Back Pages Website: https://www.mybackpages.org

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Christmas

The Harmonica Lady

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2022 116:30

End of the year Christmas show. Thank you for tuning in and loving the harmonica Heres to a Happy New Year filled with music joy and peace. Enjoy from my vaults at KQBM and home studio music I purchase and that is giving by the artist for this show. Christmas Time In The Country Kenny Neal Alligator records Christmas Collection Santa Claus Little Charlie and the night cats Alligator Records Christmas Collection Dashing through the snow Joe Filisko Please let me be your Santa claus William Clark Alligator Records Christmas Collection Oh Christmas Tree Mike Caldwell Christmas With Harmonica Mike Holiday Silent Night Charlie Musslewhite Silent Night Mike Caldwell Christmas with Mike Silent night Joe Filisko Harmonica for Christmas Baked A La Ska Ska of Wonder Reggae Stoplight for Christmas The Mystic Cowboys Harmonica Winds Country Hole int he soul of my Christmas stocking Nedra and Julio Blues Jingle Bell Rock Nashville Harmonicas Best-Loved Songs of Christmas Holiday Ave Maria (Bach-Gounot) Beata Kossowska Harmonica Christmas Europe Silver Bells Nashville Harmonicas Best-Loved Songs of Christmas Holiday O Christmas Tree Harmonica Rascal Rare Gene Jones Harmonica Classics Pop Rednose rdear Nedra Russ Christmas in Killarney David Court What Christmas Means to Me (feat. Stevie Wonder) 2:41 John Legend A Legendary Christmas Holiday Rockin around the Joy to the World White Christmas all byMike Caldwell Christmas With Harmonica Mike Holiday What the World need snap Charlie McCoy ear candy Custard Pie Sonny Terry Classic Harmonica Blues from Smithsonian Folkways Telephone BluesJingle Bell 4:02 Kwon Byung Ho Blue Christmas - EP Jazz 100 R.J. Mischo East Meets West: Blues Harp Meltdown, Vol. 2 Blues Jingle Bell Kwon Byung Ho Blue Christmas - EP Jazz Black Limousine JJ Appleton & Jason Ricci Dirty Memory Blues037 Bring It On Home (Single) Sonny Boy Williamson II His Best BluesNine Below Zero (1961 Single) 3:30 Sonny Boy Williamson II Never Leave Me Home Diana Redlin Blues Harp Women Blues-Rock It's Only A Paper Moon Filip Jers Quartet Filip Jers Quartet Jazz8/26/18, Angel With Straw Wings Him And Her Him & Her Do Texas Women Alternative Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring / Blackbird (Live) (Featuring Anthony Molinaro) Howard Levy Tango & Jazz (Live) Jazz 0

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Country music stars remember Loretta Lynn on Coffee, Country & Cody

Ian McKenzie's Blues Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2022 77:23

Country music icon Loretta Lynn died at age 90 on October 4, 2022. She was the first woman to win Entertainer of the Year awards from both the CMA & ACM, won three Grammy Awards, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2013. She had been a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1962. She recorded 54 studio albums over her 60+ year career. The day after her passing, several stars of country music joined Coffee, Country & Cody to tell stories of how Loretta's extraordinary life and career impacted each of them. You'll hear memories in this episode from Riders In The Sky's Too Slim, Rhonda Vincent, Craig Morgan, Kathy Mattea, Charlie McCoy, Caylee Hammack, David Bellamy, Rudy Gatlin, Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood, John Berry, Ricky Skaggs, and Lainey Wilson. Loretta Lynn was a friend and a mentor to all of us here at WSM and the Grand Ole Opry, along with the millions of fans around the world who enjoyed her music and saw her as an inspiration. She will be greatly missed.

Episode 427: DRIVE TIME BLUES VOL4 #15

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2022 60:03

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Buddy Greene

Christian Music Archive Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2022 51:50

To get things started today, I'm going to throw out a few names and see if you can figure out how these musicians are related: Little Walter, Toots Thielemans, Charlie McCoy, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Darrell Mansfield, Buddy Greene. If you are a student of music, you'll probably recognize that these are all harmonica players. Astute listeners will also realize that these are some of the most popular and best harmonica players. Well, today we get to talk with Buddy Greene, yup. He was on that list of amazing musicians. But more importantly than his incredible music skills, Buddy is a man who loves Jesus. Buddy Greene: Website, Facebook, and YouTube. And of course, on our page: Christian Music Archive. Christian Music Archive Links: Website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. The podcast and our website are made possible through the generous support of listeners like you. Click here to donate. **** Please check out Mercy, inc. and see how you can support them today! ****

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S34E27 - Vision, Mission, and Purpose and the Grooming Alchemist, with Charlie McCoy Oyekwe

Human Capital Innovations (HCI) Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2022 36:30

In this HCI Podcast episode, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Charlie McCoy Oyekwe about vision, mission, and purpose and his non-profit, The Grooming Alchemist. See the video here: https://youtu.be/tlUOwZXmepo. Charlie McCoy Oyekwe (https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-mccoy-oyekwe-64379755/) is a investor, serial entrepreneur and mens's grooming expert, with over 20 years of barber and beauty industry experience. Charlie has a Babson education and is the founder and CEO of Artisan Luxury Brands, a cpg parent company and creative agency based in New York City and founder of The Grooming Alchemist, a non-profit on a mission to improve the mental health, wellness & grooming of At- Risk Youth and Former High-Control group members aka cult survivors. Please leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts! Please consider supporting the HCI Podcast on Patreon. Check out the HCI Academy: Courses, Micro-Credentials, and Certificates to Upskill and Reskill for the Future of Work! Check out the LinkedIn Alchemizing Human Capital Newsletter. Check out Dr. Westover's book, The Future Leader. Check out Dr. Westover's book, 'Bluer than Indigo' Leadership. Check out Dr. Westover's book, The Alchemy of Truly Remarkable Leadership. Check out the latest issue of the Human Capital Leadership magazine. Ranked #6 Performance Management Podcast Ranked #6 Workplace Podcast Ranked #7 HR Podcast Ranked #12 Talent Management Podcast Ranked in the Top 20 Personal Development and Self-Improvement Podcasts Ranked in the Top 30 Leadership Podcasts

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238 | How Entrepreneurship Can Help People Leave High Control Groups with Charlie McCoy

Awarepreneurs

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2022 43:05

Our guest this week on the pod is Charlie McCoy. Charlie is a 5x Founder including NYC's renown Artisan Barber and his newest organization, The Grooming Alchemist - a mential health & wellness advocay foundation working to improve the lives of cult survivors and empower underserved youth. This work is inspired by his personal story of leaving a cult and finding community in his local barbershop. Resources mentioned in this episode are: Artisan Barber site The Grooming Alchemist site Artisan Luxury Brands site Artisan Barber on Instagram Artisan Brands on YouTube The Awarepreneurs Community Paul's social entrepreneur coaching

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CHARLIE McCOY - "Nashville Royalty & Member of Nashville's A-Team" - Episode 70

Rick Flynn Presents

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2022 58:07

CHARLIE McCOY is a Grammy-winning American session musician, harmonica player, and multi-instrumentalist. In 2009, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Based in Nashville, McCoy's playing is heard on recordings by Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, Roy Orbison, Waylon Jennings and Loretta Lynn. He has recorded thirty-seven studio albums, including fourteen for Monument Records. Thirteen of his singles have entered the Billboard country charts. He was a member of Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry. In 2007, McCoy was inducted into the International Musicians Hall of Fame as a part a group of session musicians dubbed "The Nashville A-Team" --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/rick-flynn/support

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Episode 135: “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2021

Episode one hundred and thirty-five of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel, and the many records they made, together and apart, before their success. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "Blues Run the Game" by Jackson C. Frank. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Errata I talk about a tour of Lancashire towns, but some of the towns I mention were in Cheshire at the time, and some are in Greater Manchester or Merseyside now. They're all very close together though. I say Mose Rager was Black. I was misremembering, confusing Mose Rager, a white player in the Muhlenberg style, with Arnold Schultz, a Black player who invented it. I got this right in the episode on "Bye Bye Love". Also, I couldn't track down a copy of the Paul Kane single version of “He Was My Brother” in decent quality, so I used the version on The Paul Simon Songbook instead, as they're basically identical performances. Resources As usual, I've created a Mixcloud playlist of the music excerpted here. This compilation collects all Simon and Garfunkel's studio albums, with bonus tracks, plus a DVD of their reunion concert. There are many collections of the pre-S&G recordings by the two, as these are now largely in the public domain. This one contains a good selection. I've referred to several books for this episode: Simon and Garfunkel: Together Alone by Spencer Leigh is a breezy, well-researched, biography of the duo. Paul Simon: The Life by Robert Hilburn is the closest thing there is to an authorised biography of Simon. And What is it All But Luminous? is Art Garfunkel's memoir. It's not particularly detailed, being more a collection of thoughts and poetry than a structured narrative, but gives a good idea of Garfunkel's attitude to people and events in his life. Roots, Radicals, and Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World by Billy Bragg has some great information on the British folk scene of the fifties and sixties. And Singing From the Floor is an oral history of British folk clubs, including a chapter on Dylan's 1962 visit to London. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript Today, we're going to take a look at a hit record that almost never happened -- a record by a duo who had already split up, twice, by the time it became a hit, and who didn't know it was going to come out. We're going to look at how a duo who started off as an Everly Brothers knockoff, before becoming unsuccessful Greenwich Village folkies, were turned into one of the biggest acts of the sixties by their producer. We're going to look at Simon and Garfunkel, and at "The Sound of Silence": [Excerpt: Simon and Garfunkel, "The Sound of Silence"] The story of Simon and Garfunkel starts with two children in a school play. Neither Paul Simon or Art Garfunkel had many friends when they met in a school performance of Alice in Wonderland, where Simon was playing the White Rabbit and Garfunkel the Cheshire Cat. Simon was well-enough liked, by all accounts, but he'd been put on an accelerated programme for gifted students which meant he was progressing through school faster than his peers. He had a small social group, mostly based around playing baseball, but wasn't one of the popular kids. Art Garfunkel, another gifted student, had no friends at all until he got to know Simon, who he described later as his "one and only friend" in this time period. One passage in Garfunkel's autobiography seems to me to sum up everything about Garfunkel's personality as a child -- and indeed a large part of his personality as it comes across in interviews to this day. He talks about the pleasure he got from listening to the chart rundown on the radio -- "It was the numbers that got me. I kept meticulous lists—when a new singer like Tony Bennett came onto the charts with “Rags to Riches,” I watched the record jump from, say, #23 to #14 in a week. The mathematics of the jumps went to my sense of fun." Garfunkel is, to this day, a meticulous person -- on his website he has a list of every book he's read since June 1968, which is currently up to one thousand three hundred and ten books, and he has always had a habit of starting elaborate projects and ticking off every aspect of them as he goes. Both Simon and Garfunkel were outsiders at this point, other than their interests in sport, but Garfunkel was by far the more introverted of the two, and as a result he seems to have needed their friendship more than Simon did. But the two boys developed an intense, close, friendship, initially based around their shared sense of humour. Both of them were avid readers of Mad magazine, which had just started publishing when the two of them had met up, and both could make each other laugh easily. But they soon developed a new interest, when Martin Block on the middle-of-the-road radio show Make Believe Ballroom announced that he was going to play the worst record he'd ever heard. That record was "Gee" by the Crows: [Excerpt: The Crows, "Gee"] Paul Simon later said that that record was the first thing he'd ever heard on that programme that he liked, and soon he and Garfunkel had become regular listeners to Alan Freed's show on WINS, loving the new rock and roll music they were discovering. Art had already been singing in public from an early age -- his first public performance had been singing Nat "King" Cole's hit "Too Young" in a school talent contest when he was nine -- but the two started singing together. The first performance by Simon and Garfunkel was at a high school dance and, depending on which source you read, was a performance either of "Sh'Boom" or of Big Joe Turner's "Flip, Flop, and Fly": [Excerpt: Big Joe Turner, "Flip, Flop, and Fly"] The duo also wrote at least one song together as early as 1955 -- or at least Garfunkel says they wrote it together. Paul Simon describes it as one he wrote. They tried to get a record deal with the song, but it was never recorded at the time -- but Simon has later performed it: [Excerpt: Paul Simon, "The Girl For Me"] Even at this point, though, while Art Garfunkel was putting all his emotional energy into the partnership with Simon, Simon was interested in performing with other people. Al Kooper was another friend of Simon's at the time, and apparently Simon and Kooper would also perform together. Once Elvis came on to Paul's radar, he also bought a guitar, but it was when the two of them first heard the Everly Brothers that they realised what it was that they could do together. Simon fell in love with the Everly Brothers as soon as he heard "Bye Bye Love": [Excerpt: The Everly Brothers, "Bye Bye Love"] Up to this point, Paul hadn't bought many records -- he spent his money on baseball cards and comic books, and records just weren't good value. A pack of baseball cards was five cents, a comic book was ten cents, but a record was a dollar. Why buy records when you could hear music on the radio for free? But he needed that record, he couldn't just wait around to hear it on the radio. He made an hour-long two-bus journey to a record shop in Queens, bought the record, took it home, played it... and almost immediately scratched it. So he got back on the bus, travelled for another hour, bought another copy, took it home, and made sure he didn't scratch that one. Simon and Garfunkel started copying the Everlys' harmonies, and would spend hours together, singing close together watching each other's mouths and copying the way they formed words, eventually managing to achieve a vocal blend through sheer effort which would normally only come from familial closeness. Paul became so obsessed with music that he sold his baseball card collection and bought a tape recorder for two hundred dollars. They would record themselves singing, and then sing back along with it, multitracking themselves, but also critiquing the tape, refining their performances. Paul's father was a bass player -- "the family bassman", as he would later sing -- and encouraged his son in his music, even as he couldn't see the appeal in this new rock and roll music. He would critique Paul's songs, saying things like "you went from four-four to a bar of nine-eight, you can't do that" -- to which his son would say "I just did" -- but this wasn't hostile criticism, rather it was giving his son a basic grounding in song construction which would prove invaluable. But the duo's first notable original song -- and first hit -- came about more or less by accident. In early 1956, the doo-wop group the Clovers had released the hit single "Devil or Angel". Its B-side had a version of "Hey Doll Baby", a song written by the blues singer Titus Turner, and which sounds to me very inspired by Hank Williams' "Hey, Good Lookin'": [Excerpt: The Clovers, "Hey, Doll Baby"] That song was picked up by the Everly Brothers, who recorded it for their first album: [Excerpt: The Everly Brothers, "Hey Doll Baby"] Here is where the timeline gets a little confused for me, because that album wasn't released until early 1958, although the recording session for that track was in August 1957. Yet that track definitely influenced Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel to record a song that they released in November 1957. All I can imagine is that they heard the brothers perform it live, or maybe a radio station had an acetate copy. Because the way everyone has consistently told the story is that at the end of summer 1957, Simon and Garfunkel had both heard the Everly Brothers perform "Hey Doll Baby", but couldn't remember how it went. The two of them tried to remember it, and to work a version of it out together, and their hazy memories combined to reconstruct something that was completely different, and which owed at least as much to "Wake Up Little Suzie" as to "Hey Doll Baby". Their new song, "Hey Schoolgirl", was catchy enough that they thought if they recorded a demo of it, maybe the Everly Brothers themselves would record the song. At the demo studio they happened to encounter Sid Prosen, who owned a small record label named Big Records. He heard the duo perform and realised he might have his own Everly Brothers here. He signed the duo to a contract, and they went into a professional studio to rerecord "Hey Schoolgirl", this time with Paul's father on bass, and a couple of other musicians to fill out the sound: [Excerpt: Tom and Jerry, "Hey Schoolgirl"] Of course, the record couldn't be released under their real names -- there was no way anyone was going to buy a record by Simon and Garfunkel. So instead they became Tom and Jerry. Paul Simon was Jerry Landis -- a surname he chose because he had a crush on a girl named Sue Landis. Art became Tom Graff, because he liked drawing graphs. "Hey Schoolgirl" became a local hit. The two were thrilled to hear it played on Alan Freed's show (after Sid Prosen gave Freed two hundred dollars), and were even more thrilled when they got to perform on American Bandstand, on the same show as Jerry Lee Lewis. When Dick Clark asked them where they were from, Simon decided to claim he was from Macon, Georgia, where Little Richard came from, because all his favourite rock and roll singers were from the South. "Hey Schoolgirl" only made number forty-nine nationally, because the label didn't have good national distribution, but it sold over a hundred thousand copies, mostly in the New York area. And Sid Prosen seems to have been one of a very small number of independent label owners who wasn't a crook -- the two boys got about two thousand dollars each from their hit record. But while Tom and Jerry seemed like they might have a successful career, Simon and Garfunkel were soon to split up, and the reason for their split was named True Taylor. Paul had been playing some of his songs for Sid Prosen, to see what the duo's next single should be, and Prosen had noticed that while some of them were Everly Brothers soundalikes, others were Elvis soundalikes. Would Paul be interested in recording some of those, too? Obviously Art couldn't sing on those, so they'd use a different name, True Taylor. The single was released around the same time as the second Tom and Jerry record, and featured an Elvis-style ballad by Paul on one side, and a rockabilly song written by his father on the other: [Excerpt: True Taylor, "True or False"] But Paul hadn't discussed that record with Art before doing it, and the two had vastly different ideas about their relationship. Paul was Art's only friend, and Art thought they had an indissoluble bond and that they would always work together. Paul, on the other hand, thought of Art as one of his friends and someone he made music with, but he could play at being Elvis if he wanted, as well as playing at being an Everly brother. Garfunkel, in his memoir published in 2017, says "the friendship was shattered for life" -- he decided then and there that Paul Simon was a "base" person, a betrayer. But on the other hand, he still refers to Simon, over and over again, in that book as still being his friend, even as Simon has largely been disdainful of him since their last performance together in 2010. Friendships are complicated. Tom and Jerry struggled on for a couple more singles, which weren't as successful as "Hey Schoolgirl" had been, with material like "Two Teenagers", written by Rose Marie McCoy: [Excerpt: Tom and Jerry, "Two Teenagers"] But as they'd stopped being friends, and they weren't selling records, they drifted apart and didn't really speak for five years, though they would occasionally run into one another. They both went off to university, and Garfunkel basically gave up on the idea of having a career in music, though he did record a couple of singles, under the name "Artie Garr": [Excerpt: Artie Garr, "Beat Love"] But for the most part, Garfunkel concentrated on his studies, planning to become either an architect or maybe an academic. Paul Simon, on the other hand, while he was technically studying at university too, was only paying minimal attention to his studies. Instead, he was learning the music business. Every afternoon, after university had finished, he'd go around the Brill Building and its neighbouring buildings, offering his services both as a songwriter and as a demo performer. As Simon was competent on guitar, bass, and drums, could sing harmonies, and could play a bit of piano if it was in the key of C, he could use primitive multitracking to play and sing all the parts on a demo, and do it well: [Excerpt: Paul Simon, "Boys Were Made For Girls"] That's an excerpt from a demo Simon recorded for Burt Bacharach, who has said that he tried to get Simon to record as many of his demos as possible, though only a couple of them have surfaced publicly. Simon would also sometimes record demos with his friend Carole Klein, sometimes under the name The Cosines: [Excerpt: The Cosines, "Just to Be With You"] As we heard back in the episode on "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?", Carole Klein went on to change her name to Carole King, and become one of the most successful songwriters of the era -- something which spurred Paul Simon on, as he wanted to emulate her success. Simon tried to get signed up by Don Kirshner, who was publishing Goffin and King, but Kirshner turned Simon down -- an expensive mistake for Kirshner, but one that would end up benefiting Simon, who eventually figured out that he should own his own publishing. Simon was also getting occasional work as a session player, and played lead guitar on "The Shape I'm In" by Johnny Restivo, which made the lower reaches of the Hot One Hundred: [Excerpt: Johnny Restivo, "The Shape I'm In"] Between 1959 and 1963 Simon recorded a whole string of unsuccessful pop singles. including as a member of the Mystics: [Excerpt: The Mystics, "All Through the Night"] He even had a couple of very minor chart hits -- he got to number 99 as Tico and the Triumphs: [Excerpt: Tico and the Triumphs, "Motorcycle"] and number ninety-seven as Jerry Landis: [Excerpt: Jerry Landis, "The Lone Teen Ranger"] But he was jumping around, hopping onto every fad as it passed, and not getting anywhere. And then he started to believe that he could do something more interesting in music. He first became aware that the boundaries of what could be done in music extended further than "ooh-bop-a-loochy-ba" when he took a class on modern music at university, which included a trip to Carnegie Hall to hear a performance of music by the avant-garde composer Edgard Varese: [Excerpt: Edgard Varese, "Ionisation"] Simon got to meet Varese after the performance, and while he would take his own music in a very different, and much more commercial, direction than Varese's, he was nonetheless influenced by what Varese's music showed about the possibilities that existed in music. The other big influence on Simon at this time was when he heard The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Girl From the North Country"] Simon immediately decided to reinvent himself as a folkie, despite at this point knowing very little about folk music other than the Everly Brothers' Songs Our Daddy Taught Us album. He tried playing around Greenwich Village, but found it an uncongenial atmosphere, and inspired by the liner notes to the Dylan album, which talked about Dylan's time in England, he made what would be the first of several trips to the UK, where he was given a rapturous reception simply on the grounds of being an American and owning a better acoustic guitar -- a Martin -- than most British people owned. He had the showmanship that he'd learned from watching his father on stage and sometimes playing with him, and from his time in Tom and Jerry and working round the studios, and so he was able to impress the British folk-club audiences, who were used to rather earnest, scholarly, people, not to someone like Simon who was clearly ambitious and very showbiz. His repertoire at this point consisted mostly of songs from the first two Dylan albums, a Joan Baez record, Little Willie John's "Fever", and one song he'd written himself, an attempt at a protest song called "He Was My Brother", which he would release on his return to the US under yet another stage name, Paul Kane: [Excerpt: Paul Kane, "He Was My Brother"] Simon has always stated that that song was written about a friend of his who was murdered when he went down to Mississippi with the Freedom Riders -- but while Simon's friend was indeed murdered, it wasn't until about a year after he wrote the song, and Simon has confused the timelines in his subsequent recollections. At the time he recorded that, when he had returned to New York at the end of the summer, Simon had a job as a song plugger for a publishing company, and he gave the publishing company the rights to that song and its B-side, which led to that B-side getting promoted by the publisher, and ending up covered on one of the biggest British albums of 1964, which went to number two in the UK charts: [Excerpt: Val Doonican, "Carlos Dominguez"] Oddly, that may not end up being the only time we feature a Val Doonican track on this podcast. Simon continued his attempts to be a folkie, even teaming up again with Art Garfunkel, with whom he'd re-established contact, to perform in Greenwich Village as Kane and Garr, but they went down no better as a duo than Simon had as a solo artist. Simon went back to the UK again over Christmas 1963, and while he was there he continued work on a song that would become such a touchstone for him that of the first six albums he would be involved in, four would feature the song while a fifth would include a snippet of it. "The Sound of Silence" was apparently started in November 1963, but not finished until February 1964, by which time he was once again back in the USA, and back working as a song plugger. It was while working as a song plugger that Simon first met Tom Wilson, Bob Dylan's producer at Columbia. Simon met up with Wilson trying to persuade him to use some of the songs that the publishing company were putting out. When Wilson wasn't interested, Simon played him a couple of his own songs. Wilson took one of them, "He Was My Brother", for the Pilgrims, a group he was producing who were supposed to be the Black answer to Peter, Paul, and Mary: [Excerpt: The Pilgrims, "He Was My Brother"] Wilson was also interested in "The Sound of Silence", but Simon was more interested in getting signed as a performer than in having other acts perform his songs. Wilson was cautious, though -- he was already producing one folkie singer-songwriter, and he didn't really need a second one. But he *could* probably do with a vocal group... Simon mentioned that he had actually made a couple of records before, as part of a duo. Would Wilson be at all interested in a vocal *duo*? Wilson would be interested. Simon and Garfunkel auditioned for him, and a few days later were in the Columbia Records studio on Seventh Avenue recording their first album as a duo, which was also the first time either of them would record under their own name. Wednesday Morning, 3AM, the duo's first album, was a simple acoustic album, and the only instrumentation was Simon and Barry Kornfeld, a Greenwich Village folkie, on guitars, and Bill Lee, the double bass player who'd played with Dylan and others, on bass. Tom Wilson guided the duo in their song selection, and the eventual album contained six cover versions and six originals written by Simon. The cover versions were a mixture of hootenanny staples like "Go Tell it on the Mountain", plus Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'", included to cross-promote Dylan's new album and to try to link the duo with the more famous writer, and one unusual one, "The Sun is Burning", written by Ian Campbell, a Scottish folk singer who Simon had got to know on his trips to the UK: [Excerpt: Simon and Garfunkel, "The Sun is Burning"] But the song that everyone was keenest on was "The Sound of Silence", the first song that Simon had written that he thought would stand up in comparison with the sort of song that Dylan was writing: [Excerpt: Simon and Garfunkel, "The Sound of Silence (Wednesday Morning 3AM version)"] In between sessions for the album, Simon and Garfunkel also played a high-profile gig at Gerde's Folk City in the Village, and a couple of shows at the Gaslight Cafe. The audiences there, though, regarded them as a complete joke -- Dave Van Ronk would later relate that for weeks afterwards, all anyone had to do was sing "Hello darkness, my old friend", for everyone around to break into laughter. Bob Dylan was one of those who laughed at the performance -- though Robert Shelton later said that Dylan hadn't been laughing at them, specifically, he'd just had a fit of the giggles -- and this had led to a certain amount of anger from Simon towards Dylan. The album was recorded in March 1964, and was scheduled for release in October. In the meantime, they both made plans to continue with their studies and their travels. Garfunkel was starting to do postgraduate work towards his doctorate in mathematics, while Simon was now enrolled in Brooklyn Law School, but was still spending most of his time travelling, and would drop out after one semester. He would spend much of the next eighteen months in the UK. While he was occasionally in the US between June 1964 and November 1965, Simon now considered himself based in England, where he made several acquaintances that would affect his life deeply. Among them were a young woman called Kathy Chitty, with whom he would fall in love and who would inspire many of his songs, and an older woman called Judith Piepe (and I apologise if I'm mispronouncing her name, which I've only ever seen written down, never heard) who many people believed had an unrequited crush on Simon. Piepe ran her London flat as something of a commune for folk musicians, and Simon lived there for months at a time while in the UK. Among the other musicians who stayed there for a time were Sandy Denny, Cat Stevens, and Al Stewart, whose bedroom was next door to Simon's. Piepe became Simon's de facto unpaid manager and publicist, and started promoting him around the British folk scene. Simon also at this point became particularly interested in improving his guitar playing. He was spending a lot of time at Les Cousins, the London club that had become the centre of British acoustic guitar. There are, roughly, three styles of acoustic folk guitar -- to be clear, I'm talking about very broad-brush categorisations here, and there are people who would disagree and say there are more, but these are the main ones. Two of these are American styles -- there's the simple style known as Carter scratching, popularised by Mother Maybelle Carter of the Carter family, and for this all you do is alternate bass notes with your thumb while scratching the chord on the treble strings with one finger, like this: [Excerpt: Carter picking] That's the style played by a lot of country and folk players who were primarily singers accompanying themselves. In the late forties and fifties, though, another style had become popularised -- Travis picking. This is named after Merle Travis, the most well-known player in the style, but he always called it Muhlenberg picking, after Muhlenberg County, where he'd learned the style from Ike Everly -- the Everly Brothers' father -- and Mose Rager, a Black guitarist. In Travis picking, the thumb alternates between two bass notes, but rather than strumming a chord, the index and middle fingers play simple patterns on the treble strings, like this: [Excerpt: Travis picking] That's, again, a style primarily used for accompaniment, but it can also be used to play instrumentals by oneself. As well as Travis and Ike Everly, it's also the style played by Donovan, Chet Atkins, James Taylor, and more. But there's a third style, British baroque folk guitar, which was largely the invention of Davey Graham. Graham, you might remember, was a folk guitarist who had lived in the same squat as Lionel Bart when Bart started working with Tommy Steele, and who had formed a blues duo with Alexis Korner. Graham is now best known for one of his simpler pieces, “Anji”, which became the song that every British guitarist tried to learn: [Excerpt: Davey Graham, "Anji"] Dozens of people, including Paul Simon, would record versions of that. Graham invented an entirely new style of guitar playing, influenced by ragtime players like Blind Blake, but also by Bach, by Moroccan oud music, and by Celtic bagpipe music. While it was fairly common for players to retune their guitar to an open major chord, allowing them to play slide guitar, Graham retuned his to a suspended fourth chord -- D-A-D-G-A-D -- which allowed him to keep a drone going on some strings while playing complex modal counterpoints on others. While I demonstrated the previous two styles myself, I'm nowhere near a good enough guitarist to demonstrate British folk baroque, so here's an excerpt of Davey Graham playing his own arrangement of the traditional ballad "She Moved Through the Fair", recast as a raga and retitled "She Moved Thru' the Bizarre": [Excerpt: Davey Graham, "She Moved Thru' the Bizarre"] Graham's style was hugely influential on an entire generation of British guitarists, people who incorporated world music and jazz influences into folk and blues styles, and that generation of guitarists was coming up at the time and playing at Les Cousins. People who started playing in this style included Jimmy Page, Bert Jansch, Roy Harper, John Renbourn, Richard Thompson, Nick Drake, and John Martyn, and it also had a substantial influence on North American players like Joni Mitchell, Tim Buckley, and of course Paul Simon. Simon was especially influenced at this time by Martin Carthy, the young British guitarist whose style was very influenced by Graham -- but while Graham applied his style to music ranging from Dave Brubeck to Lutheran hymns to Big Bill Broonzy songs, Carthy mostly concentrated on traditional English folk songs. Carthy had a habit of taking American folk singers under his wing, and he taught Simon several songs, including Carthy's own arrangement of the traditional "Scarborough Fair": [Excerpt: Martin Carthy, "Scarborough Fair"] Simon would later record that arrangement, without crediting Carthy, and this would lead to several decades of bad blood between them, though Carthy forgave him in the 1990s, and the two performed the song together at least once after that. Indeed, Simon seems to have made a distinctly negative impression on quite a few of the musicians he knew in Britain at this time, who seem to, at least in retrospect, regard him as having rather used and discarded them as soon as his career became successful. Roy Harper has talked in liner notes to CD reissues of his work from this period about how Simon used to regularly be a guest in his home, and how he has memories of Simon playing with Harper's baby son Nick (now himself one of the greats of British guitar) but how as soon as he became successful he never spoke to Harper again. Similarly, in 1965 Simon started a writing partnership with Bruce Woodley of the Seekers, an Australian folk-pop band based in the UK, best known for "Georgy Girl". The two wrote "Red Rubber Ball", which became a hit for the Cyrkle: [Excerpt: The Cyrke, "Red Rubber Ball"] and also "Cloudy", which the Seekers recorded as an album track: [Excerpt: The Seekers, "Cloudy"] When that was recorded by Simon and Garfunkel, Woodley's name was removed from the writing credits, though Woodley still apparently received royalties for it. But at this point there *was* no Simon and Garfunkel. Paul Simon was a solo artist working the folk clubs in Britain, and Simon and Garfunkel's one album had sold a minuscule number of copies. They did, when Simon briefly returned to the US in March, record two tracks for a prospective single, this time with an electric backing band. One was a rewrite of the title track of their first album, now titled "Somewhere They Can't Find Me" and with a new chorus and some guitar parts nicked from Davey Graham's "Anji"; the other a Twist-beat song that could almost be Manfred Mann or Georgie Fame -- "We Got a Groovy Thing Goin'". That was also influenced by “Anji”, though by Bert Jansch's version rather than Graham's original. Jansch rearranged the song and stuck in this phrase: [Excerpt: Bert Jansch, “Anji”] Which became the chorus to “We Got a Groovy Thing Goin'”: [Excerpt: Simon and Garfunkel, "We Got a Groovy Thing Goin'"] But that single was never released, and as far as Columbia were concerned, Simon and Garfunkel were a defunct act, especially as Tom Wilson, who had signed them, was looking to move away from Columbia. Art Garfunkel did come to visit Simon in the UK a couple of times, and they'd even sing together occasionally, but it was on the basis of Paul Simon the successful club act occasionally inviting his friend on stage during the encore, rather than as a duo, and Garfunkel was still seeing music only as a sideline while Simon was now utterly committed to it. He was encouraged in this commitment by Judith Piepe, who considered him to be the greatest songwriter of his generation, and who started a letter-writing campaign to that effect, telling the BBC they needed to put him on the radio. Eventually, after a lot of pressure, they agreed -- though they weren't exactly sure what to do with him, as he didn't fit into any of the pop formats they had. He was given his own radio show -- a five-minute show in a religious programming slot. Simon would perform a song, and there would be an introduction tying the song into some religious theme or other. Two series of four episodes of this were broadcast, in a plum slot right after Housewives' Choice, which got twenty million listeners, and the BBC were amazed to find that a lot of people phoned in asking where they could get hold of the records by this Paul Simon fellow. Obviously he didn't have any out yet, and even the Simon and Garfunkel album, which had been released in the US, hadn't come out in Britain. After a little bit of negotiation, CBS, the British arm of Columbia Records, had Simon come in and record an album of his songs, titled The Paul Simon Songbook. The album, unlike the Simon and Garfunkel album, was made up entirely of Paul Simon originals. Two of them were songs that had previously been recorded for Wednesday Morning 3AM -- "He Was My Brother" and a new version of "The Sound of Silence": [Excerpt: Paul Simon, "The Sound of Silence"] The other ten songs were newly-written pieces like "April Come She Will", "Kathy's Song", a parody of Bob Dylan entitled "A Simple Desultory Philippic", and the song that was chosen as the single, "I am a Rock": [Excerpt: Paul Simon, "I am a Rock"] That song was also the one that was chosen for Simon's first TV appearance since Tom and Jerry had appeared on Bandstand eight years earlier. The appearance on Ready, Steady, Go, though, was not one that anyone was happy with. Simon had been booked to appear on a small folk music series, Heartsong, but that series was cancelled before he could appear. Rediffusion, the company that made the series, also made Ready, Steady, Go, and since they'd already paid Simon they decided they might as well stick him on that show and get something for their money. Unfortunately, the episode in question was already running long, and it wasn't really suited for introspective singer-songwriter performances -- the show was geared to guitar bands and American soul singers. Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the director, insisted that if Simon was going to do his song, he had to cut at least one verse, while Simon was insistent that he needed to perform the whole thing because "it's a story". Lindsay-Hogg got his way, but nobody was happy with the performance. Simon's album was surprisingly unsuccessful, given the number of people who'd called the BBC asking about it -- the joke went round that the calls had all been Judith Piepe doing different voices -- and Simon continued his round of folk clubs, pubs, and birthday parties, sometimes performing with Garfunkel, when he visited for the summer, but mostly performing on his own. One time he did perform with a full band, singing “Johnny B Goode” at a birthday party, backed by a band called Joker's Wild who a couple of weeks later went into the studio to record their only privately-pressed five-song record, of them performing recent hits: [Excerpt: Joker's Wild, "Walk Like a Man"] The guitarist from Joker's Wild would later join the other band who'd played at that party, but the story of David Gilmour joining Pink Floyd is for another episode. During this time, Simon also produced his first record for someone else, when he was responsible for producing the only album by his friend Jackson C Frank, though there wasn't much production involved as like Simon's own album it was just one man and his guitar. Al Stewart and Art Garfunkel were also in the control room for the recording, but the notoriously shy Frank insisted on hiding behind a screen so they couldn't see him while he recorded: [Excerpt: Jackson C Frank, "Blues Run the Game"] It seemed like Paul Simon was on his way to becoming a respected mid-level figure on the British folk scene, releasing occasional albums and maybe having one or two minor hits, but making a steady living. Someone who would be spoken of in the same breath as Ralph McTell perhaps. Meanwhile, Art Garfunkel would be going on to be a lecturer in mathematics whose students might be surprised to know he'd had a minor rock and roll hit as a kid. But then something happened that changed everything. Wednesday Morning 3AM hadn't sold at all, and Columbia hadn't promoted it in the slightest. It was too collegiate and polite for the Greenwich Village folkies, and too intellectual for the pop audience that had been buying Peter, Paul, and Mary, and it had come out just at the point that the folk boom had imploded. But one DJ in Boston, Dick Summer, had started playing one song from it, "The Sound of Silence", and it had caught on with the college students, who loved the song. And then came spring break 1965. All those students went on holiday, and suddenly DJs in places like Cocoa Beach, Florida, were getting phone calls requesting "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel. Some of them with contacts at Columbia got in touch with the label, and Tom Wilson had an idea. On the first day of what turned out to be his last session with Dylan, the session for "Like a Rolling Stone", Wilson asked the musicians to stay behind and work on something. He'd already experimented with overdubbing new instruments on an acoustic recording with his new version of Dylan's "House of the Rising Sun", now he was going to try it with "The Sound of Silence". He didn't bother asking the duo what they thought -- record labels messed with people's records all the time. So "The Sound of Silence" was released as an electric folk-rock single: [Excerpt: Simon and Garfunkel, "The Sound of Silence"] This is always presented as Wilson massively changing the sound of the duo without their permission or knowledge, but the fact is that they had *already* gone folk-rock, back in March, so they were already thinking that way. The track was released as a single with “We Got a Groovy Thing Going” on the B-side, and was promoted first in the Boston market, and it did very well. Roy Harper later talked about Simon's attitude at this time, saying "I can remember going into the gents in The Three Horseshoes in Hempstead during a gig, and we're having a pee together. He was very excited, and he turns round to me and and says, “Guess what, man? We're number sixteen in Boston with The Sound of Silence'”. A few days later I was doing another gig with him and he made a beeline for me. “Guess what?” I said “You're No. 15 in Boston”. He said, “No man, we're No. 1 in Boston”. I thought, “Wow. No. 1 in Boston, eh?” It was almost a joke, because I really had no idea what that sort of stuff meant at all." Simon was even more excited when the record started creeping up the national charts, though he was less enthused when his copy of the single arrived from America. He listened to it, and thought the arrangement was a Byrds rip-off, and cringed at the way the rhythm section had to slow down and speed up in order to stay in time with the acoustic recording: [Excerpt: Simon and Garfunkel, "The Sound of Silence"] I have to say that, while the tempo fluctuations are noticeable once you know to look for them, it's a remarkably tight performance given the circumstances. As the record went up the charts, Simon was called back to America, to record an album to go along with it. The Paul Simon Songbook hadn't been released in the US, and they needed an album *now*, and Simon was a slow songwriter, so the duo took six songs from that album and rerecorded them in folk-rock versions with their new producer Bob Johnston, who was also working with Dylan now, since Tom Wilson had moved on to Verve records. They filled out the album with "The Sound of Silence", the two electric tracks from March, one new song, "Blessed", and a version of "Anji", which came straight after "Somewhere They Can't Find Me", presumably to acknowledge Simon lifting bits of it. That version of “Anji” also followed Jansch's arrangement, and so included the bit that Simon had taken for “We Got a Groovy Thing Going” as well. They also recorded their next single, which was released on the British version of the album but not the American one, a song that Simon had written during a thoroughly depressing tour of Lancashire towns (he wrote it in Widnes, but a friend of Simon's who lived in Widnes later said that while it was written in Widnes it was written *about* Birkenhead. Simon has also sometimes said it was about Warrington or Wigan, both of which are so close to Widnes and so similar in both name and atmosphere that it would be the easiest thing in the world to mix them up.) [Excerpt: Simon and Garfunkel, "Homeward Bound"] These tracks were all recorded in December 1965, and they featured the Wrecking Crew -- Bob Johnston wanted the best, and didn't rate the New York players that Wilson had used, and so they were recorded in LA with Glen Campbell, Joe South, Hal Blaine, Larry Knechtel, and Joe Osborne. I've also seen in some sources that there were sessions in Nashville with A-team players Fred Carter and Charlie McCoy. By January, "The Sound of Silence" had reached number one, knocking "We Can Work it Out" by the Beatles off the top spot for two weeks, before the Beatles record went back to the top. They'd achieved what they'd been trying for for nearly a decade, and I'll give the last word here to Paul Simon, who said of the achievement: "I had come back to New York, and I was staying in my old room at my parents' house. Artie was living at his parents' house, too. I remember Artie and I were sitting there in my car one night, parked on a street in Queens, and the announcer said, "Number one, Simon & Garfunkel." And Artie said to me, "That Simon & Garfunkel, they must be having a great time.""

christmas united states america tv american new york history game black world art english uk house england british sound song dj friendship wild australian devil south nashville silence blessed bbc mountain sun fall in love britain cbs joker beatles roots queens mississippi columbia cd burning dvd rolling stones scottish village elvis rock and roll north american flip floor bob dylan twist bart djs riches pilgrims fever bach celtic mad pink floyd steady flop freed triumphs motorcycle alice in wonderland wins carnegie hall joni mitchell lutheran tilt paul simon seekers housewives moroccan gee james taylor mixcloud little richard tony bennett rags rising sun lancashire garfunkel rock music cheshire greenwich village tom wilson cloudy jimmy page macon woodley merseyside radicals jerry lee lewis white rabbit wigan carole king nat king cole verve artie go tell joan baez byrds burt bacharach rediffusion sound of silence hank williams cat stevens columbia records warrington glen campbell david gilmour greater manchester nick drake billy bragg wrecking crew walk like wednesday morning everly brothers dave brubeck richard thompson art garfunkel bill lee manfred mann varese freedom riders tico cheshire cat american bandstand chet atkins johnny b goode hempstead tim buckley too young cocoa beach al stewart garr brooklyn law school heartsong anji bandstand clovers carthy simon and garfunkel john martyn kirshner ian campbell freewheelin birkenhead al kooper brill building goffin sandy denny roy harper hal blaine big bill broonzy big joe turner muhlenberg alan freed times they are a changin all through kooper widnes bert jansch paul kane merle travis dave van ronk bye bye love seventh avenue michael lindsay hogg martin carthy bob johnston jackson c frank joe south lionel bart ralph mctell charlie mccoy blind blake tommy steele little willie john don kirshner john renbourn georgy girl gameit dave gilmour will you love me tomorrow robert hilburn everlys mother maybelle carter martin block both simon gaslight cafe blues run she moved through we can work make believe ballroom edgard varese dick summer davey graham rockers how skiffle changed in travis paul simon the life tilt araiza

Episode Bob Kelly (362): Carl Landra of the 4th Line Podcast Returns. Connor McDavid Lights Up the Flames.

ScuttlePuck NHL Hockey Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2021 75:37

The Oilers are off to a good start on the shoulders of Connor McDavid. Carl Landra of the 4th Line Podcast tells about their Snides Retirement tour and preview the Central Division. Listen Here: iTunes Google Play Stitcher Direct MP3 iHeart Radio Banter: Sci 93 Reunion Title Player Bob Kelly News: Contract for Brady Tkachuk Several other key players - Nick Suzuki, Charlie McCoy, Ryan Pulock Carl Landra of the 4th Line podcast Guess the 5th Oilers and Leafs off to a good start

lights nhl flames toronto maple leafs oilers connor mcdavid central division line podcast nick suzuki bob kelly charlie mccoy carl landra

Rock's Backpages Ep 111: Miles Marshall Lewis on Kendrick Lamar + Wynton Marsalis + Bob Marley

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2021 80:20

While held captive for 32 months by Somali pirates, writer and Dylan fan Michael Scott Moore had plenty of opportunity to contemplate lyrics, especially All Along The Watchtower. He was given a Bible during his captivity and discovered, in Isaiah, “the ramparts, the princes, the two horsemen and the wildcat. The whole song clicked! It's about the fall of Babylon! Or Western Capitalism. Or the music business.” His other favourite captivity song was Jokerman (“freedom just around the corner for you”).We delve into the mysterious Infidels album in detail (“is he accusing the audience or himself with that title? I never got the sense that he left himself out of the equation”). Other topics covered: Dick Dale, Charlie McCoy, Bobbie Gentry, surfing in the Gaza Strip and the philosophy of Richard Mitchell. Don't miss our most wide-ranging episode so far.Michael Scott Moore is an award-winning journalist and novelist, author of a comic novel about L.A., Too Much of Nothing, as well as a travel book about surfing, Sweetness and Blood, which was named a best book of 2010 by The Economist. He's been a visiting professor at the Columbia School of the Arts and worked for several years as an editor and writer at Spiegel Online in Berlin. Michael was kidnapped in early 2012 on a reporting trip to Somalia and held hostage. The Desert and the Sea, his memoir about that ordeal, became an international bestseller.WebsiteTrailerTwitterSpotify playlistListeners: please subscribe and/or leave a review and a rating.Twitter @isitrollingpodRecorded 10th August 2021This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts

Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan: Michael Scott Moore

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2021 47:57

Rock's Backpages Ep 111: Miles Marshall Lewis on Kendrick Lamar + Wynton Marsalis + Bob Marley

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2021 81:50

While held captive for 32 months by Somali pirates, writer and Dylan fan Michael Scott Moore had plenty of opportunity to contemplate lyrics, especially All Along The Watchtower. He was given a Bible during his captivity and discovered, in Isaiah, “the ramparts, the princes, the two horsemen and the wildcat. The whole song clicked! It's about the fall of Babylon! Or Western Capitalism. Or the music business.” His other favourite captivity song was Jokerman (“freedom just around the corner for you”). We delve into the mysterious Infidels album in detail (“is he accusing the audience or himself with that title? I never got the sense that he left himself out of the equation”). Other topics covered: Dick Dale, Charlie McCoy, Bobbie Gentry, surfing in the Gaza Strip and the philosophy of Richard Mitchell. Don't miss our most wide-ranging episode so far. Michael Scott Moore is an award-winning journalist and novelist, author of a comic novel about L.A., Too Much of Nothing, as well as a travel book about surfing, Sweetness and Blood, which was named a best book of 2010 by The Economist. He's been a visiting professor at the Columbia School of the Arts and worked for several years as an editor and writer at Spiegel Online in Berlin. Michael was kidnapped in early 2012 on a reporting trip to Somalia and held hostage. The Desert and the Sea, his memoir about that ordeal, became an international bestseller. Website Trailer Twitter Spotify playlist Listeners: please subscribe and/or leave a review and a rating. Twitter @isitrollingpod Recorded 10th August 2021 This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan: Michael Scott Moore

Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2021 49:27

While held captive for 32 months by Somali pirates, writer and Dylan fan Michael Scott Moore had plenty of opportunity to contemplate lyrics, especially All Along The Watchtower. He was given a Bible during his captivity and discovered, in Isaiah, “the ramparts, the princes, the two horsemen and the wildcat. The whole song clicked! It's about the fall of Babylon! Or Western Capitalism. Or the music business.” His other favourite captivity song was Jokerman (“freedom just around the corner for you”). We delve into the mysterious Infidels album in detail (“is he accusing the audience or himself with that title? I never got the sense that he left himself out of the equation”). Other topics covered: Dick Dale, Charlie McCoy, Bobbie Gentry, surfing in the Gaza Strip and the philosophy of Richard Mitchell. Don't miss our most wide-ranging episode so far. Michael Scott Moore is an award-winning journalist and novelist, author of a comic novel about L.A., Too Much of Nothing, as well as a travel book about surfing, Sweetness and Blood, which was named a best book of 2010 by The Economist. He's been a visiting professor at the Columbia School of the Arts and worked for several years as an editor and writer at Spiegel Online in Berlin. Michael was kidnapped in early 2012 on a reporting trip to Somalia and held hostage. The Desert and the Sea, his memoir about that ordeal, became an international bestseller. Website Trailer Twitter Spotify playlist Listeners: please subscribe and/or leave a review and a rating. Twitter @isitrollingpod Recorded 10th August 2021 This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Scott Moore

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2021 47:57

While held captive for 32 months by Somali pirates, writer and Dylan fan Michael Scott Moore had plenty of opportunity to contemplate lyrics, especially All Along The Watchtower. He was given a Bible during his captivity and discovered, in Isaiah, “the ramparts, the princes, the two horsemen and the wildcat. The whole song clicked! It's about the fall of Babylon! Or Western Capitalism. Or the music business.” His other favourite captivity song was Jokerman (“freedom just around the corner for you”).We delve into the mysterious Infidels album in detail (“is he accusing the audience or himself with that title? I never got the sense that he left himself out of the equation”). Other topics covered: Dick Dale, Charlie McCoy, Bobbie Gentry, surfing in the Gaza Strip and the philosophy of Richard Mitchell. Don't miss our most wide-ranging episode so far.Michael Scott Moore is an award-winning journalist and novelist, author of a comic novel about L.A., Too Much of Nothing, as well as a travel book about surfing, Sweetness and Blood, which was named a best book of 2010 by The Economist. He's been a visiting professor at the Columbia School of the Arts and worked for several years as an editor and writer at Spiegel Online in Berlin. Michael was kidnapped in early 2012 on a reporting trip to Somalia and held hostage. The Desert and the Sea, his memoir about that ordeal, became an international bestseller.WebsiteTrailerTwitterEpisode playlist on AppleEpisode playlist on SpotifyListeners: please subscribe and/or leave a review and a rating.Twitter @isitrollingpodRecorded 10th August 2021This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts

8/12/2021: Horny Dylan: Bob Dylan's Use of Horns pt 1

Hard Rain & Slow Trains: Bob Dylan & Fellow Travelers

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2021 64:40

We begin a four-part series tonight exploring Dylan's use of horns on record and in concert. This first episode covers 1966 to 1976. This series delves into the producers, arrangers, and musicians with whom Dylan worked when adding horns to his song arrangements. This episode explains the difference between brass horns, reed wind instruments, and edgeblown wind instruments, considers why Dylan's early work may have had more instances of string parts overdubbed to his songs instead of horn arrangements, and it looks at songs recorded for albums with horn arrangements that were not, ultimately, used for the album in question. In "20 Pounds of Headlines" we round up news from the world of Bob Dylan, which includes mourning the passing of Walter Yetnikoff and celebrates last-one-standing Tony Bennett, who is releasing a new album and just performed his final concert at the age of 95. In "Who Did It Better?" we ask you which version of "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" you think is better: the 1966 BLONDE ON BLONDE mono mix or the 2007 Remix done by Mark Ronson to mark the release of the 2007 album DYLAN? Go to our Twitter page at @RainTrains to vote!

Patti Smith, Mollie O' Brien and Rich Moore, Robbie Fulks, and more

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2021

Recorded in 2018 in Charleston, WV this episode features Patti Smith, Mollie O'Brien and Rich Moore ft. Brigid and Lucy Moore, Robbie Fulks, Van William, and a Tribute to Little Jimmy Dickens ft. Tim O'Brien, Charlie McCoy and more. Podcast support provided by Digital Relativity. https://bit.ly/2VuWnZv

Episode 127: “Ticket to Ride” by the Beatles

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2021

This week's episode looks at "Ticket to Ride", the making of the Beatles' second film, and the influence of Bob Dylan on the Beatles' work and lives. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a ten-minute bonus episode available, on "The Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources No Mixcloud this week, as there are too many songs by the Beatles. I have read literally dozens of books on the Beatles, and used bits of information from many of them, but the ones I specifically referred to while writing this episode were: The Complete Beatles Chronicle by Mark Lewisohn, All The Songs: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Release by Jean-Michel Guesdon, And The Band Begins To Play: The Definitive Guide To The Songs of The Beatles by Steve Lambley, The Beatles By Ear by Kevin Moore, Revolution in the Head by Ian MacDonald, and The Beatles Anthology. For material on the making of the film, I referred to Getting Away With It by Steven Soderbergh, a book which is in part a lengthy set of conversations between Soderbergh and Richard Lester. Sadly the only way to legally get the original mix of "Ticket to Ride" is this ludicrously-expensive out-of-print box set, but the 1987 remix is widely available on the CD issue of the Help! soundtrack. The film is available on DVD. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript When we last looked at the Beatles, they had just achieved their American success, and had appeared in their first film, A Hard Day's Night. Today, we're going to look at the massive artistic growth that happened to them between late 1964 and mid 1965, the making of their second film, Help!, the influence, both artistic and personal, of Bob Dylan on the group, and their introduction both to studio experimentation and to cannabis. We're going to look at "Ticket to Ride": [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Ticket to Ride"] 1964 was a tremendously busy year for the Beatles. After they'd finished making A Hard Day's Night, but even before it was released, they had gone on yet another tour, playing Denmark, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand, though without Ringo for much of the tour -- Ringo had to have his tonsils removed, and so for the first eight shows of the tour he was replaced by session drummer Jimmy Nicol, the former drummer with Colin Hicks and his Cabin Boys, who had played on several cheap soundalike records of Beatles songs. Nicol was a competent drummer, though very different in style from Ringo, and he found his temporary moment of celebrity hugely upsetting -- he later described it as the worst thing to ever happen to him, and ended up declaring bankruptcy only nine months after touring with the group. Nicol is now a recluse, and hasn't spoken to anyone about his time with the Beatles in more than thirty years. After Ringo returned to the group and the film came out they went back into the studio, only two months after the release of their third album, to start work on their fourth. They recorded four songs in two sessions before departing on their first full US tour. Those songs included two cover versions -- a version of "Mr. Moonlight" by Doctor Feelgood and the Interns that appeared on the album, and a version of Little Willie John's "Leave My Kitten Alone" that didn't see release until 1995 -- and two originals written mostly or entirely by John Lennon, "Baby's In Black", and "I'm a Loser": [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I'm a Loser"] "I'm a Loser" was an early sign of an influence that had particularly changed Lennon's attitude to songwriting -- that of Bob Dylan. Dylan had been on the group's radar for some time -- Paul McCartney in the Anthology book seems to have a confused memory of seeing Madhouse on Castle Street, the TV play Dylan had appeared in in January 1963 -- but early 1964 had seen him rise in prominence to the point that he was a major star, not just an obscure folk singer. And Lennon had paid particular attention to what he was doing with his lyrics. We've already seen that Lennon had been writing surreal poetry for years, but at this point in his life he still thought of his songwriting and his poetry as separate. As he would later put it "I had a sort of professional songwriter's attitude to writing pop songs; we would turn out a certain style of song for a single, and we would do a certain style of thing for this and the other thing. I'd have a separate songwriting John Lennon who wrote songs for the meat market, and I didn't consider them (the lyrics or anything) to have any depth at all." This shouldn't be taken as Lennon saying that the early Beatles songs were lacking in quality, or that he didn't take the work seriously, but that it wasn't about self-expression. He was trying to do the best work he could as a craftsman. Listening to Dylan had showed him that it was possible instead to treat pop songwriting as art, in the sense Lennon understood the term -- as a means of personal expression that could also allow for experimentation and playing games. "I'm a Loser" is a first tentative step towards that, with Lennon for one of the first times consciously writing about his own emotions -- though careful to wrap those feelings both in a conventional love song structure and in a thick layer of distancing irony, to avoid making himself vulnerable -- and the stylistic influence of Dylan is very noticeable, as much in the instrumentation as in the lyrics. While several early Beatles singles had featured Lennon playing harmonica, he had been playing a chromatic harmonica, a type of harmonica that's mostly used for playing single-note melodies, because it allows the player to access every single note, but which is not very good for bending notes or playing chords. If you've heard someone playing the harmonica as a single-note melody instrument with few or no chords, whether Stevie Wonder, Larry Adler, or Max Geldray, the chances are they were playing a chromatic harmonica. On "I'm a Loser", though, Lennon plays a diatonic harmonica -- an instrument that he would refer to as a "harp" rather than a harmonica, because he associated it with the blues, where it's often referred to as a harp. Diatonic harmonicas are the instrument of choice for blues players because they allow more note-bending, and it's easier to play a full chord on them -- the downside, that you have a smaller selection of notes available, is less important in the blues, which tends towards harmonic minimalism. Diatonic harmonicas are the ones you're likely to hear on country, blues, and folk recordings -- they're the instrument played by people like Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Charlie McCoy, and Bob Dylan. Lennon had played a diatonic before, on "I Should Have Known Better", another song which shows Dylan's influence in the performance, though not in the lyrics. In both cases he is imitating Dylan's style, which tends to be full of chordal phrases rather than single-note melody. What's interesting about “I'm a Loser” though is contrasting John's harmonica solo with George's guitar solo which follows immediately after: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I'm a Loser"] That's a pure Carl Perkins solo, and the group would, in their choices of cover versions for the next few months, move away somewhat from the soul and girl-group influences that dominated the covers on their first two albums, and towards country and rockabilly -- they would still cover Larry Williams, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry, but there were no more covers of contemporary Black artists, and instead there were cover versions of Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, and Buck Owens, and Harrison switched from the Rickenbacker that had been his main instrument on A Hard Day's Night to playing a Gretsch -- the brand of guitar that Chet Atkins and Eddie Cochrane played. The consensus among commentators -- with which, for once, I agree -- seems to be that this was also because of the influence of Dylan. The argument is that the Beatles heard Dylan's music as a form of country music, and it inspired them to go back to their other country-oriented influences. And this makes a lot of sense -- it was only fifteen years earlier, at the same time as they replaced "race" with "rhythm and blues", that Billboard magazine chose to rename their folk chart to the country and western chart -- as Tyler Mahan Coe puts it, "after years of trying to figure out what to call their “poor Black people music” and “poor white people music” charts". And Dylan had been as influenced by Hank Williams as by Woody Guthrie. In short what the Beatles, especially Lennon, heard in Dylan seems to have been three things -- a reminder of the rockabilly and skiffle influences that had been their first love before they'd discovered R&B and soul, permission to write honestly about one's own experiences, and an acknowledgement that such writing could include surrealistic wordplay. Fundamentally, Dylan, as much as being a direct influence, seems to have given the group a kind of permission -- to have shown them that there was room in the commercial sphere in which they were now operating for them to venture into musical and lyrical areas that had always appealed to them. But of course, that was not the only influence that Dylan had on the group, as anyone who has ever read anything at all about their first full US tour knows. That tour saw them playing huge venues like the Hollywood Bowl -- a show which later made up a big part of their only official live album, which was finally released in 1977: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Things We Said Today (live at the Hollywood Bowl 1964)"] It was nine days into the tour, on the twenty-eighth of August 1964, that they met Bob Dylan for the first time. The meeting with Dylan is usually called the first time the Beatles ever smoked cannabis -- and that's true, at least if you're talking about them as a group. Lennon had tried it around 1960, and both Lennon and Harrison had tried it at a show at the Southport Floral Hall in early 1962, but neither had properly understood what they were smoking, and had both already been drunk before smoking it. According to a later interview with Harrison, that had led to the two of them madly dancing the Twist in their dressing room, shouting "This stuff isn't doing anything!" But it was at this meeting that Paul and Ringo first smoked it, and it also seems to have been taken by Lennon and Harrison as their "real" first time, possibly partly because being introduced to cannabis by Bob Dylan in a New York hotel sounds a lot cooler than being introduced to it by your support band's drummer in Southport, possibly because it was the first time that they had all smoked it together as a group, but mostly because this was the time when it became a regular part of the group's life. Oddly, it happened because of a misheard lyric. Dylan had loved "I Want to Hold Your Hand", and had misheard "I can't hide" as "I get high", and thus just assumed that the British band were already familiar with cannabis. The drug had a profound effect on them -- McCartney later recalled being convinced he had discovered the meaning of life, writing it down on a bit of paper, and getting their roadie Mal Evans to hold the paper for safekeeping. The next morning, when he looked at the paper, he found it merely said "there are seven levels". Lennon, on the other hand, mostly remembered Dylan playing them his latest demos and telling them to listen to the words, but Lennon characteristically being unable to concentrate on the lyrics because in his stoned state he was overwhelmed by the rhythm and general sound of the music. From this point on, the use of cannabis became a major part of the group's life, and it would soon have a profound effect on their lifestyles, their songwriting, the production on their records, and every other aspect of their career. The Beatle on whom it seems to have had the strongest and most immediate effect was Lennon, possibly because he was the one who was coping least well with success and most needed something to take his mind off things. Lennon had always been susceptible to extremes of mood -- it's likely that he would these days be diagnosed as bipolar, and we've already seen how as soon as he'd started writing personally, he'd written "I'm a Loser". He was feeling trapped in suburbia, unsuited for his role as a husband and father, unhappy about his weight, and just generally miserable. Cannabis seemed, at least at first, to offer a temporary escape from that. All the group spent much of the next couple of years stoned, but Lennon probably more than any of them, and he was the one whose writing it seemed to affect most profoundly. On the group's return from the US, they carried on working on the next album, and on a non-album single designed to be released simultaneously with it. "I Feel Fine" is a major milestone in the group's career in a number of ways. The most obvious is the opening -- a brief bit of feedback which Lennon would always later claim to be the first deliberate use of the technique on a record: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I Feel Fine"] Feedback had, up until this point, been something that musicians generally tried to avoid -- an unwanted sound that could wreck a performance. But among guitarists in London, especially, it was becoming the fashionable sound to incorporate, in a carefully controlled manner, in order to make sounds that nobody had heard before. Jeff Beck, Dave Davies, and Pete Townshend would all argue about which of them was the first to use the technique, but all were using it on stage by the time the Beatles recorded "I Feel Fine". But the Beatles were, if not the first to deliberately use feedback on a record (as I've said in the past, there is no such thing as a first anything, and there are debatable examples where feedback may be deliberate going back to the 1930s and some records by Bob Wills), certainly the most prominent artists to do so up to that point, and also the first to make it a major, prominent feature of a hit record in this manner. If they hadn't done it, someone else undoubtedly would, but they were the first to capture the sound that was becoming so popular in the London clubs, and as so often in their career they were able to capture something that was at the cutting edge of the underground culture and turn it into something that would be accepted by millions. "I Feel Fine" was important to the Beatles in another way, though, in that it was the first Beatles original to be based entirely around a guitar riff, and this was if anything a more important departure from their earlier records than the feedback was. Up to this point, while the Beatles had used riffs in covers like "Twist and Shout", their originals had avoided them -- the rhythm guitar had tended to go for strummed chords, while the lead guitar was usually reserved for solos and interjections. Rather than sustaining a riff through the whole record, George Harrison would tend to play answer phrases to the vocal melody, somewhat in the same manner as a backing vocalist. This time, though, Lennon wrote an entire song around a riff -- one he had based on an R&B record from a few years earlier that he particularly loved, "Watch Your Step" by Bobby Parker: [Excerpt: Bobby Parker, "Watch Your Step"] Parker's record had, in turn, been inspired by two others -- the influence of Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" is very obvious, but Parker had based the riff on one that Dizzy Gillespie had used in "Manteca", a classic early Afro-Cuban jazz record from 1947: [Excerpt: Dizzy Gillespie, "Manteca"] Parker had played that riff on his guitar, varied it, and come up with what may be the most influential guitar riff of all time, one lifted not only by the Beatles (on both "I Feel Fine" and, in a modified form, "Day Tripper") but Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, the Allman Brothers Band, and many, many others: [Excerpt: Bobby Parker, "Watch Your Step"] Lennon took that riff and based a new song around it -- and it's important to note here that "I Feel Fine" *is* a new song. Both songs share the same riff and twelve-bar blues structure, but Lennon's lyric and melody are totally different, and the record has a different feel. There's a blurry line between plagiarism and homage, and to my mind "I Feel Fine" stays on the right side of that line, although it's a difficult issue because the Beatles were so much more successful than the unknown Parker. Part of the reason "I Feel Fine" could be the Beatles' first single based around a riff was it was recorded on a four-track machine, EMI having finally upgraded their equipment, which meant that the Beatles could record the instrumental and vocal tracks separately. This allowed Lennon and Harrison to hold down the tricky riff in unison, something Lennon couldn't do while also singing the melody -- it's noticeable that when they performed this song live, Lennon usually strummed the chords on a semi-acoustic guitar rather than doubling the riff as he does on the record. It's also worth listening to what Ringo's doing on the drums on the track. One of the more annoying myths about the Beatles is the claim made by a lot of people that Starr was in some way not a good drummer. While there has been some pushback on this, even to the extent that there is now a contrarian counterconsensus that says he was the best drummer in the world at the time, the general public still thinks of him as having been not particularly good. One listen to the part Starr played on "I Feel Fine" -- or indeed a close listen to any of his drum parts -- should get rid of that idea. While George and John are basically duplicating Parker's riff, Ringo picks up on the Parker record's similarity to "What'd I Say" and plays essentially the same part that Ray Charles' drummer had: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "I Feel Fine (isolated drum part)"] There are copies of that posted on YouTube, and almost all of them have comments from people claiming that the drumming in question must be a session drummer, because Starr couldn't play that well. Several of the Beatles' singles for the next two years would feature a heavy guitar riff as their main instrumental hook. Indeed, it seems like late 1964 is a point where things start to change a little for the Beatles in how they conceptualise singles and albums. Up to this point, they seem to have just written every song as a potential single, then chosen the ones they thought of as the most commercial as singles and stuck the rest out as album tracks. But from autumn 1964 through early 1966 there seems, at least on Lennon's part, to be a divide in how he looked at songs. The songs he brought in that became singles were almost uniformly guitar-driven heavy rockers with a strong riff. Meanwhile, the songs recorded for albums were almost all based on strummed acoustic guitars, usually ballads or at most mid-tempo, and often with meditative lyrics. He clearly seems to have been thinking in terms of commercial singles and less commercial album tracks, even if he didn't quite articulate it that way. I specify Lennon here, because there doesn't seem to be a comparable split in McCartney's writing -- partly because McCartney didn't really start writing riff-based songs until Lennon dropped the idea in late 1966. McCartney instead seems to start expanding his palette of genres -- while Lennon seems to be in two modes for about an eighteen-month period, and not really to venture out of either the bluesy riff-rocker or the country-flavoured folk rock mode, McCartney starts becoming the stylistic magpie he would become in the later period of the group's career. The B-side to the single, "She's a Woman" is, like the A-side, blues-based, but here it's McCartney in Little Richard mode. The most interesting aspect to it, though, is the rhythm guitar part -- off-beat stabs which sound very much like the group continuing to try to incorporate ska into their work: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "She's a Woman"] The single went to number one, of course, as all the group's singles in this period did. Beatles For Sale, the album that came out of these sessions, is generally regarded as one of the group's weaker efforts, possibly because of the relatively large number of cover versions, but also because of its air of bleakness. From the autumnal cover photo to the laid-back acoustic feel of much of the album, to the depressing nature of Lennon's contributions to the songwriting -- "No Reply", "I'm a Loser", "Baby's in Black", and "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" all being a far cry from "I Feel Fine" – it's not a fun album by any means. I've always had a soft spot for the album myself, but it's clearly the work of people who were very tired, depressed, and overworked. And they were working hard -- in the four months after the end of their American tour on the twentieth of September, they recorded most of Beatles For Sale and the accompanying single, played forty-eight gigs, made TV appearances on Shindig, Scene at 6:30, Thank Your Lucky Stars, Ready Steady Go, and Top of the Pops, radio appearances on Top Gear and Saturday Club, and sundry interviews. On top of that John also made an appearance on Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's show "Not Only... But Also", performing versions of some of his poetry with Moore and Norman Rossington, who had co-starred in A Hard Day's Night: [Excerpt: John Lennon, Dudley Moore and Norman Rossington, "All Abord Speeching"] They did get a month off from mid-January 1965 through mid-February, but then it was back to work on a new film and accompanying soundtrack album. The group's second film, Help!, is generally regarded with rather less fondness than A Hard Day's Night, and it's certainly the case that some aspects of the film have not dated at all well -- in particular the way that several characters are played by white actors in brownface doing very unconvincing Indian accents, and the less than respectful attitude to Hindu religious beliefs, are things which will make any modern viewer with the slightest sensitivity to such issues cringe terribly. But those aren't the aspects of the film which most of its critics pick up on -- rather they tend to focus only on the things that the Beatles themselves criticise about the film, mostly that the group spent most of the filming stoned out of their minds, and the performances are thus a lot less focused than those in A Hard Day's Night, and also that the script -- written this time by Richard Lester's regular collaborator Charles Wood, from a story by Marc Behm, rather than by Alun Owen -- is also a little unfocused. All these are fair criticisms as far as they go, but it's also the case that Help! is not a film that is best done justice by being viewed on a small screen on one's own, as most of its critics have viewed it most of the time. Help! is part of a whole subgenre of films which were popular in the 1960s but largely aren't made today -- the loose, chaotic, adventure comedy in which a nominal plot is just an excuse for a series of comedy sketches strung together with spectacular visuals. The genre encompasses everything from It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World to Casino Royale to The Pink Panther, and all of these films are meant to be seen on a big screen which allows the audience to appreciate their visual inventiveness, and in a communal audience which is laughing along with them. And when seen in that light, Help! is actually a remarkably entertaining example of the type. Yes, it doesn't hold together as well as A Hard Day's Night, and it doesn't resolve so much as just stop, but structurally it's remarkably close to the films of the Marx Brothers, especially their Paramount films, and it's odd that the Marx comparisons get made about A Hard Day's Night, a slice-of-life film inspired by the French New Wave, and not about the screwball comedy that ends in a confused chase sequence. There is one thing that is worth noting about Help! that is often obscured -- part of the reason for its globetrotting nature was because of the levels of taxation in Britain at the time. For top earners, like the Beatles were, the marginal rate of income tax was as high as ninety-five percent in the mid-sixties. Many of us would think this was a reasonable rate for people who were earning many, many times in a year what most people would earn in a lifetime, but it's also worth noting that the Beatles' success had so far lasted only two years, and that a pop act who was successful for five years was remarkably long-lived -- in the British pop industry only Cliff Richard and the Shadows had had a successful career as chart artists for longer than that, and even they were doing much less well in 1965 than they had been in 1963. In retrospect, of course, we know that the Beatles would continue to sell millions of records a year for more than sixty years, but that was not something any of them could possibly have imagined at the time, and we're still in a period where Paul McCartney could talk about going into writing musicals once the Beatles fad passed, and Ringo could still imagine himself as the owner of a hairdresser's. So it's not completely unreasonable of them to want to keep as much of their money as they could, while they could, and so while McCartney will always talk in interviews about how many of the scenes in the film were inspired by a wishlist from the group -- "We've never been skiing", "We've never been to the Bahamas" -- and there might even be some truth to that, it's also the case that the Bahamas were as known for their lax tax regime as for their undoubted charm as a tourist destination, and these journeys were not solely about giving the group a chance to have fun. But of course, before making the film itself, the group had to record songs for its soundtrack, and so on February the sixteenth they went into the studio to record four songs, including the next single, "Ticket to Ride": [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Ticket to Ride"] While "Ticket to Ride" is mostly -- or possibly solely -- John's song, the record is very much Paul's record. For most of 1964, McCartney hadn't really been pulling his weight in the songwriting department when compared to John -- the handful of songs he had written had included some exceptional ones, but for the most part he hadn't written much, and John had been the more productive member of their partnership, writing almost all of the A Hard Day's Night album, most of the better tracks on Beatles For Sale, and the non-album single "I Feel Fine". But now, John was sinking into one of his periodic bouts of depression -- he was still writing strong material, and would produce some of the best songs of his career in 1965, but he was unfocused and unhappy, and it was showing in his slowed productivity -- while McCartney was energised by living in London, the cultural capital of the world at that point in time, and having a famous girlfriend who was exposing him to vast areas of culture he had never been aware of before. I say that "Ticket to Ride" is written by John, but there is some slight dispute about who contributed what to the writing. John's statement was that the song was all him, and that Paul's main contribution was the drum pattern that Ringo plays. Paul, on the other hand, claims that the song is about a sixty-forty split, with John being the sixty. McCartney's evidence for that is the strong vocal harmony he sings -- usually, if there's a two-part harmony like that on a Beatles song, it came about because Lennon and McCartney were in the same room together while writing it, and singing the part together as they were writing. He also talks about how when writing it they were discussing Ryde in the Isle of Wight, where McCartney's cousin ran a pub. I can certainly see it being the case that McCartney co-wrote the song, but I can also easily see the musicianly McCartney feeling the need to harmonise what would otherwise have been a monotonous melody, and adding the harmonies during the recording stage. Either way, though, the song is primarily John's in the writing, but the arrangement is primarily McCartney's work -- and while Lennon would later claim that McCartney would always pay less attention to Lennon's songs than to McCartney's own, in this middle period of the group's career most of their truly astounding work comes when Lennon brings in the song but McCartney experiments with the arrangement and production. Over and over again we see McCartney taking control of a Lennon song in the studio and bringing out aspects of it that its composer either had not considered or had not had the musical vocabulary or patience to realise on his own. Indeed one can see this as part of the dynamic that eventually led to the group breaking up. Lennon would bring in a half-formed idea and have the whole group work on it, especially McCartney, and turn it into the best version of itself it could be, but this would then seem like McCartney trying to take over. McCartney, meanwhile, with his greater musical facility, would increasingly not bother asking for the input of the group's other members, even when that input would have turned a mediocre song into a good one or a good one into a great one. But at this point in their careers, at least, the collaboration brought out the best in both Lennon and McCartney -- though one must wonder what Harrison and Starr felt about having their parts dictated to them or simply replaced. In the case of "Ticket to Ride", one can trace the evolution of McCartney's drum pattern idea over a period of a few months. He was clearly fascinated by Hal Blaine's drum intro to "Be My Baby": [Excerpt: The Ronettes, "Be My Baby"] and came up with a variation of it for his own song "What You're Doing", possibly the most interesting song on Beatles For Sale on a pure production level, the guitar part for which, owing a lot to the Searchers, is also clearly a pointer to the sound on “Ticket to Ride”: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "What You're Doing"] "Ticket to Ride"s drum part is a more complex variation on that slightly broken pattern, as you can hear if you listen to the isolated drum part: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Ticket to Ride (isolated drums)"] Interestingly, Ringo doesn't keep that precise pattern up all the way through in the studio recording of the song, though he does in subsequent live versions. Instead, from the third verse onwards he shifts to a more straightforward backbeat of the kind he would more normally play: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Ticket to Ride (isolated drums)"] The mono mix of "Ticket to Ride", which is how most listeners of the time encountered it, shows much more than the stereo mix just what the group, and particularly Paul, were trying to do. It's a bass-heavy track, sluggish and thundering. It's also a song that sounds *obsessed*. For the first six bars of the verse, and the whole intro, the song stays on a single chord, A, only changing on the word "away", right before the chorus: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Ticket to Ride"] This obsession with one chord was possibly inspired by soul music, and in particular by "Dancing in the Street", which similarly stays on one chord for a long time: [Excerpt: Martha and the Vandellas, "Dancing in the Street"] We'll be looking more at how soul music was increasingly doing away with chord progressions in favour of keeping to an extended groove on a single chord when we next look at James Brown in a few weeks' time. But in its single-chord focus and its broken drum beat, "Ticket to Ride" is very much a precursor of what the group would do a little over a year later, when they recorded "Tomorrow Never Knows". Of course, it was also around this time that the group discovered Indian music for the first time. There are scenes in the film Help! which feature musicians playing Indian instruments, and George Harrison became fascinated by the sound of the sitar and bought one, and we'll be seeing the repercussions of that for much of the next year. But it's interesting to note that a lot of the elements that make Indian classical music so distinctive to ears used to Western popular music -- the lack of harmonic movement, the modal melodies, the use of percussion not to keep a steady beat but in melodic interplay with the string instruments -- were all already present in songs like "Ticket to Ride", albeit far less obviously and in a way that still fit very much into pop song conventions. The Beatles grew immensely as musicians from their exposure to Indian music, but it's also the case that Indian music appealed to them precisely because it was an extension of the tastes they already had. Unlike when recording Beatles For Sale, the group clearly had enough original material to fill out an album, even if they ended up not doing so and including two mediocre cover versions on the album -- the last time that would happen during the group's time together. The B-sides of the two singles, John's "Yes It Is" and Paul's "I'm Down", both remained only available on the singles, even though the previous film soundtrack had included the B-sides of both its singles. Not only that, but they recorded two Lennon/McCartney songs that would remain unreleased until more than thirty years later. "If You've Got Troubles" was left unreleased for good reason -- a song written for Ringo to sing, it's probably the single worst Lennon/McCartney song ever attempted by the group, with little or nothing to redeem it. McCartney's "That Means a Lot" is more interesting. It's clearly an attempt by McCartney to write a "Ticket to Ride" part two, with a similar riff and feel: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "That Means a Lot"] It even has a sped-up repurposing of the hook line at the end, just as "Ticket to Ride" does, with "Can't you see?" taking the place of "My baby don't care": [Excerpt: The Beatles, "That Means a Lot"] The group spent a couple of sessions on that track, but seem to have given up on it. While it's far from the best thing they did, it's not worthless or unreleasable, and one suspects that they ended up thinking that the track couldn't go on the same album as "Ticket to Ride" because the two songs were just too close. Instead, they ended up giving the song to P.J. Proby, the American singer who had been brought over by Jack Good for the About The Beatles show, and who had built something of a career for himself in the UK with a string of minor hits. Lennon said "we found we just couldn't sing it. In fact, we made a hash of it, so we thought we'd better give it to someone who could do it well". And Proby *could* have done it well -- but whether he did or not is something you can judge for yourself: [Excerpt: P.J. Proby, "That Means a Lot"] Somehow, Proby's version of the song made the top thirty. When the group started filming "Help!", the film was still going under the working title "Eight Arms to Hold You", which absolutely nobody involved liked -- the title was even included on the label of some copies of "Ticket to Ride", but Lennon and McCartney particularly disliked the idea of writing a song to that title. Some have suggested that the plan was to use McCartney's "Eight Days a Week", an album track from Beatles For Sale that had been released as an American single, as a title track, but it seems unlikely that anyone would have considered that -- United Artists wanted something they could put out on a soundtrack album, and the song had already been out for many months. Instead, at almost the last minute, it was decided to name the film "Help!". This was actually close to the very first working title for the film, which had been "Help, Help". According to Lester, "the lawyer said it had already been registered and you mustn't use it so we had Beatles Two and then Eight Arms to Hold You". The only film I've been able to discover with the title "Help, Help", though, is a silent film from 1912, which I don't imagine would have caused much problem in this case. However, after the group insisted that they couldn't possibly write a song called "Eight Arms to Hold You", Lester realised that if he put an exclamation mark after the word "help", that turned it into a different title. After getting legal approval he announced that the title of the new film was going to be "Help!", and that same day John came up with a song to that title: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Help!"] Lennon later said that the song had started out as a slow, intense, ballad, and he had been persuaded to speed it up in the studio somewhat against his will. The song being performed as an upbeat pop song possibly made it harder for the public to see what was obvious to Lennon himself, that the song itself was a cry for help from someone going through a mental health crisis. Despite the title not being his, the sentiments certainly were, and for the first time there was barely even the fig-leaf of romantic love to disguise this. The song's lyrics certainly could be interpreted as being the singer wanting help from a romantic partner, but they don't actually specify this, which is not something that could be said about any of the group's other originals up to this point. The soundtrack album for Help! is also notable in other ways. George Harrison writes two songs on the album, when he'd only written one in total for the first four albums. From this point on he would be a major songwriting presence in the group. It also contains the most obvious Dylan homage yet, with Lennon impersonating Dylan's vocal style on "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", recorded three days after "Ticket to Ride": [Excerpt: The Beatles, "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"] "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" was notable in another way as well -- it was the first time that a musician other than the Beatles or George Martin was called in to work on a Beatles record (other than Andy White on the "Love Me Do" session, which was not something the Beatles chose or approved of). The flute player Johnny Scott overdubbed two tracks of flute at the end of the recording: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"] That was a sign of things to come, because in June, once filming had completed, the group went into the studio to continue recording for the non-soundtrack side of the soundtrack album. This was the height of the group's success and embrace by the establishment -- two days earlier it had been announced that they were all to be awarded MBEs -- and it's also the point at which McCartney's new creative growth as a songwriter really became apparent. They recorded three songs on the same day -- his Little Richard soundalike "I'm Down", which ended up being used as the B-side for "Help!", an acoustic country song called "I've Just Seen a Face", and finally a song whose melody had come to him in a dream many months earlier. McCartney had been so impressed by the melody he'd dreamed that he'd been unable to believe it was original to him, and had spent a long time playing it to other people to see if they recognised it. When they didn't, he eventually changed the lyrics from his original jokey "Scrambled eggs/Oh my baby how I love your legs" to something more appropriate, and titled it "Yesterday": [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Yesterday (Anthology 2 early take)"] "Yesterday" was released as a Beatles track, on a Beatles album, but it had absolutely no involvement from John, George, and Ringo -- nobody could figure out how to adapt the song to a guitars/bass/drums format. Instead George Martin scored it for a string quartet, with some assistance from McCartney who, worried that strings would end up meaning something Mantovani-like, insisted that the score be kept as simple as possible, and played with almost no vibrato. The result was a Beatles track that featured five people, but only one Beatle: [Excerpt: The Beatles, "Yesterday"] The group's next album would see all the band members appearing on every track, and no musicians brought in from outside the group and their organisation, but the genie was now out of the bottle -- the label "The Beatles" on a record no longer meant that it featured John, Paul, George, and Ringo, but just that at least one of them was on the track and the others had agreed it could go out under their name. This would lead to immense changes in the way the group worked, and we'll be seeing how that played out throughout the rest of the 1960s.

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Patti Smith, Mollie O' Brien and Rich Moore, Robbie Fulks, and more

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2021

Recorded in 2018 in Charleston, WV featuring Patti Smith, Mollie O'Brien and Rich Moore with Brigid and Lucy Moore , Robbie Fulks, Van William, Tribute to Little Jimmy Dickens ft. Tim O'Brien, Charlie McCoy and friends. Podcast support provided by Digital Relativity. https://bit.ly/3etrmMf

Dierks Bentley & The Travellin' McCourys, John Jorgenson Quintet, Charlie McCoy, and more

Funky16Corners Radio Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2021

Recorded in 2010 in Charleston, WV in partnership FestivAll. Podcast support provided by Digital Relativity.

Disco Grande - Rocío y Matt nos llevan al mundo adictivo de Disturbios - 14/06/21

Disco grande

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2021 58:59

Disco de estreno. Lo publica la etiqueta Midnight Cruiser (conexión con Subsonics) y es una colección de diez temas que no pueden ser más adictivos. Entre Rocío (conexión con el mundo noventero, aquí, en España, de Nitros, Los Imposibles o Animal records) y Matt (Madder Rose o Jon Spencer) han tejido una colección de diez temas que saben a poco. El avance fue la inquietante "Starr" y luego han seguido apareciendo singles (el próximo será "Dear boy"). Establecimos comunicación telefónica con Rocío, la mitad del dúo, y nos contó detalles de cómo pasaron por el estudio cercano a su casa de Nueva York un buen montón de músicos de la escena cercana a sus coordenadas musicales que dejaron su muestra en el disco que estaban grabando. A finales de este mes hay una fiesta de presentación del álbum que se llama como el proyecto (Disturbios) y que encierra en su denominación un toque punk. El paseo por ese vinilo (de color rosa chicle) nos lleva a sumergirnos hay teclados de todos los colores: Farfisa, Wuelitzer, piano, ramalazo surfero...) en sonidos de otras décadas pero pasados por el tamiz propio de sus protagonistas. Noticia del día es que Noel Gallagher (que estuvo en el "This morning" de CBS anteayer) planea hacer un tour acústico (quizás con orquesta) de canciones de Oasis yno quiere mezclarlo con el hoy de sus temas con High Flying Birds. Novedad internacional es el rescate con motivo del 25º aniversario de la película "She´s the one" con Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Por su parte Rick Treffers (holandés-valenciano) suelta un tema de "Looking for a place to stay") con sabor a la magia que provoca una canción. Por su lado, Christina Rosenvinge compuso dos canciones nuevas que acompañaran a su vuelta al cine como actriz en "Karen". J´Aime nos sorprende con una edición en cassette (apenas 50 unidades) de "Seis versiones" desempolvando el viejo Tascam y las cuatro pistas. Como muestra la lectura de un tema de 1969 de Charlie McCoy. Stereoskop nos dejan ver un tema que conocerá dos remezclas de ese "Silk" que saldrá con la etiqueta Reptile Music. ....Y muchas gracias por tanta muestra de afecto. Hasta he recibido email de Amelia Fletcher, lo que nos dio pie a rescatar aquella histórica g.a.t.o. noventera de Heavenly. Escuchar audio

Funky16Corners Radio Show Episode #566 – Airdate 05/03/21

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2021

Show #566 Originally broadcast 05/03/2021 Charlie McCoy and the Escorts – Screamin’, Shoutin’, Beggin’ Pleadin’ (Monument) Charlie McCoy – Fingertips (Monument) Charlie McCoy – Shotgun (Monument) Area Code 615 – Stone Fox Chase (Polydor) Slim Harpo – Baby Scratch My Back (Excello) Frank Frost – My Back Scratcher (Jewel) Little Sonny – Sonny’s Bag (Revilot) […]

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Is it Rolling Bob? Talking Dylan: Charlie McCoy

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2021 51:48

Nashville musician Charlie McCoy's Dylan-related achievements include those distinctive guitar licks on Desolation Row, that blues harmonica on Obviously Five Believers (a rare example of another person playing harp on a Dylan session) and the inventive bass lines on John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline and Self Portrait. His motto: “Say yes - and then figure it out!” On his work as a session musician: “The song is the picture and we are the frame”. On Dylan's harmonica style: “I've tried to do it like that and it doesn't sound as good”. On waiting until 4:00 in the morning to record Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands: “How much coffee can you drink?”Charlie has played with them all: Elvis (13 albums), Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Ringo Starr, Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Robbie Robertson, Linda Ronstadt; even the rockers known as Ween. His tale of Leonard Cohen and the horsewhip is worth the price of admission. Any regrets? “I never played bass for Elvis” (only harmonica, organ, vibes and guitar). We are honoured to welcome the Nashville cat who has been there and done pretty much everything.In addition to being a fixture in Nashville recording studios for almost 60 years, Charlie McCoy has released 35 solo albums and served as music director for the long-running television series, “Hee Haw”. Charlie is member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. His session work includes Oh Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison, Simon and Garfunkel's The Boxer, George Jones's He Stopped Loving Her Today and Johnny Cash's Orange Blossom Special. He has played harmonica for Waylon Jennings, Steve Miller, Gordon Lightfoot, Loretta Lynn, Leon Russell, Rodney Crowell and countless others. Charlie won a Grammy for his album, The Real McCoy. He has won the CMA's Instrumentalist of the Year Award two times and the Academy Of Country Music's Specialty Instrument Award seven times. Charlie was a member of legendary Nashville band Area Code 615, whose song Stone Fox Chase was the theme tune for the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test TV series.WebsiteTrailerSpotify playlistListeners: please subscribe and/or leave a review and a rating.Twitter @isitrollingpodRecorded 19th February 2021This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts

Is it Rolling Bob? Talking Dylan: Charlie McCoy

Is It Rolling, Bob? Talking Dylan

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2021 52:48

Nashville musician Charlie McCoy’s Dylan-related achievements include those distinctive guitar licks on Desolation Row, that blues harmonica on Obviously Five Believers (a rare example of another person playing harp on a Dylan session) and the inventive bass lines on John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline and Self Portrait. His motto: “Say yes - and then figure it out!” On his work as a session musician: “The song is the picture and we are the frame”. On Dylan’s harmonica style: “I’ve tried to do it like that and it doesn’t sound as good”. On waiting until 4:00 in the morning to record Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands: “How much coffee can you drink?” Charlie has played with them all: Elvis (13 albums), Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Ringo Starr, Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Robbie Robertson, Linda Ronstadt; even the rockers known as Ween. His tale of Leonard Cohen and the horsewhip is worth the price of admission. Any regrets? “I never played bass for Elvis” (only harmonica, organ, vibes and guitar). We are honoured to welcome the Nashville cat who has been there and done pretty much everything. In addition to being a fixture in Nashville recording studios for almost 60 years, Charlie McCoy has released 35 solo albums and served as music director for the long-running television series, “Hee Haw”. Charlie is member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. His session work includes Oh Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison, Simon and Garfunkel’s The Boxer, George Jones’s He Stopped Loving Her Today and Johnny Cash’s Orange Blossom Special. He has played harmonica for Waylon Jennings, Steve Miller, Gordon Lightfoot, Loretta Lynn, Leon Russell, Rodney Crowell and countless others. Charlie won a Grammy for his album, The Real McCoy. He has won the CMA’s Instrumentalist of the Year Award two times and the Academy Of Country Music’s Specialty Instrument Award seven times. Charlie was a member of legendary Nashville band Area Code 615, whose song Stone Fox Chase was the theme tune for the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test TV series. Website Trailer Spotify playlist Listeners: please subscribe and/or leave a review and a rating. Twitter @isitrollingpod Recorded 19th February 2021 This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts

Charlie McCoy

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2021 51:48

Nashville musician Charlie McCoy's Dylan-related achievements include those distinctive guitar licks on Desolation Row, that blues harmonica on Obviously Five Believers (a rare example of another person playing harp on a Dylan session) and the inventive bass lines on John Wesley Harding, Nashville Skyline and Self Portrait. His motto: “Say yes - and then figure it out!” On his work as a session musician: “The song is the picture and we are the frame”. On Dylan's harmonica style: “I've tried to do it like that and it doesn't sound as good”. On waiting until 4:00 in the morning to record Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands: “How much coffee can you drink?”Charlie has played with them all: Elvis (13 albums), Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, George Jones, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Ringo Starr, Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Robbie Robertson, Linda Ronstadt; even the rockers known as Ween. His tale of Leonard Cohen and the horsewhip is worth the price of admission. Any regrets? “I never played bass for Elvis” (only harmonica, organ, vibes and guitar). We are honoured to welcome the Nashville cat who has been there and done pretty much everything.In addition to being a fixture in Nashville recording studios for almost 60 years, Charlie McCoy has released 35 solo albums and served as music director for the long-running television series, “Hee Haw”. Charlie is member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. His session work includes Oh Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison, Simon and Garfunkel's The Boxer, George Jones's He Stopped Loving Her Today and Johnny Cash's Orange Blossom Special. He has played harmonica for Waylon Jennings, Steve Miller, Gordon Lightfoot, Loretta Lynn, Leon Russell, Rodney Crowell and countless others. Charlie won a Grammy for his album, The Real McCoy. He has won the CMA's Instrumentalist of the Year Award two times and the Academy Of Country Music's Specialty Instrument Award seven times. Charlie was a member of legendary Nashville band Area Code 615, whose song Stone Fox Chase was the theme tune for the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test TV series.WebsiteTrailerEpisode playlist on AppleEpisode playlist on SpotifyListeners: please subscribe and/or leave a review and a rating.Twitter @isitrollingpodRecorded 19th February 2021This show is part of Pantheon Podcasts

Applaudable Perspectives featuring multi-instrumentalist Charlie McCoy (Part 2)

Applaudable Perspectives

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2021 18:47

Welcome back to another episode of Applaudable Perspectives hosted by PLA Media president, Pam Lewis! Multi-instrumentalist, Charlie McCoy is back again to discuss the stories behind his success, including the journey to his number one album “Good Time Charlie” and his eighteen year run as Music Director on the American television variety show “Hee Haw”. Stay in touch with Charlie McCoy by heading over to his website as he prepares for the release of his newest album. For more episodes head to our website, PLAmedia.com.

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Applaudable Perspectives featuring multi-instrumentalist Charlie McCoy (Part 1)

Applaudable Perspectives

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2021 21:30

This week PLA Media President, Pam Lewis sits down with multi-instrumentalist and International Musicians Hall of Fame inductee, Charlie McCoy. As a musician before the digital age, recording and creating relationships within the industry looked a lot different. Listen to McCoy as he discusses his rise to success and discovery, from purchasing his first 50 cent harmonica to playing drums, guitar and much more with the legends such as, Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley. Next week Charlie McCoy returns with Part 2! For more episodes head to our website, PLAMedia.com.

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Episode 2- Charlie McCoy

Chasin' That Neon Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2021 52:46

Adam Pope has a fascinating conversation with session musician Charlie McCoy about his career on Music Row. Starting with moving to Nashville, meeting Chet Atkins, sitting in on a session with Ann-Margret, how he ended up playing on sessions with Roy Orbison, Elvis, Bob Dylan, and more. Charlie reveals who hollered "when you goin' down to Florida?" on the Johnny Cash session when Charlie was playing harmonica on the famous "Orange Blossom Special" song. Charlie also takes us through how he ended up becoming music director for "Hee Haw" television series. Charlie McCoy is a great storyteller and has one of the most incredible resume's in Nashville music history! After this podcast was recorded Charlie McCoy was invited to be inducted as a member of the Grand Ole Opry!

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Episode 2- Charlie McCoy

Chasin' That Neon Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2021 52:47

starting nashville elvis bob dylan johnny cash roy orbison harmonica music row hee haw chet atkins ann margret sideman charlie mccoy orange blossom special

Donald Black interview

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Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2020 59:59

Donald Black is predominantly a tremolo player, using the instrument to great effect across the range of traditional Scottish music. He learnt many of the tunes he loves from accordion music, emulating the sound on the tremolo harmonica. Donald’s musical career started quite late in life, and since then he has performed around the world, appearing at the SPAH convention and even in Moscow. With five albums to his name, Donald has also recorded two tracks with the great Charlie McCoy. His music summons the beautiful scenery of the misty glens of bonny Scotland.Select the Chapter Markers tab above to select different sections of the podcast (website version only).Links:Donald's website:https://donald-black.com/Album reviews:https://donald-black.com/albums-reviews/Tony Eyers site on Tremolo harmonica:http://tremoloharmonica.com/Profile of Donald: http://tremoloharmonica.com/donald-black.shtmlWinslow Yerxa's, author of 'Harmonica For Dummies':https://winslowyerxa.com/The Encyclopedia of Harmonica book by Peter Krampert:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Encyclopedia-Harmonica-Peter-Krampert-ebook/dp/B07TW9MRW5Di Mundharmonica by Cristoph Wagner:https://www.amazon.de/Die-Mundharmonika-Ein-musikalischer-Globetrotter/dp/3887471105YouTube:NHL Bristol in 2007:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7R3vZclR2MHarmonica UK Lockdown session from 2020:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89fnOFmU9poPiping Live in 2018:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtXnQpyYcmcDonald Black Band in Klingenthal in 2018:https://www.facebook.com/100004723477107/videos/1118269991673773/Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains some of the songs discussed in the podcast:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQSponsor website:https://www.lonewolfblues.com

Harmonica Legend Charlie McCoy

My Backstage Pass

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2020 54:38

A conversation with iconic harmonica player Charlie McCoy! Charlie has played on dozens of hit records, including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash. George Jones, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Perry Como, Joan Baez, Steve Miller Band, Kris Kristofferson, Paul Simon, Barefoot Jerry, on Ringo Starr's 'Beaucoups of Blues', and many more! At the height of his activity, McCoy played on over 400 recording sessions per year. He played guitar on Dylan's "Desolation Row", from the album Highway 61 Revisited; and "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands", from the album Blonde on Blonde; bass guitar (on all the tracks from Bob Dylan's John Wesley Harding); keyboards, and drums plus several wind and brass instruments. For 19 years McCoy worked as music director for the popular television show Hee Haw and was a member of the Million Dollar Band, a group of all-star session musicians who performed on the show. The solo work of this Country Music Hall Of Fame member is contained on more than three dozen albums that Charlie has released over the past four decades.In 2009, McCoy was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame along with Roy Clark and Barbara Mandrell. He is also a member of the International Musicians' Hall of Fame and the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. Charlie has performed all over America, Japan twenty times and in over two hundred cities and towns in Europe. Please check out Charlie online at https://www.charliemccoy.com where you can purchase his book, CDs, and other merch!

Business Unusual Part 1: Charlie McCoy

You Are Not Alone with Ian Quinlan

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2020 38:20

Ian interviews his barber, Charlie, in this episode about business in the time of a pandemic.

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Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie McCoy checks in on the Big Time Talker

Big Time Talker with Burke Allen — by SpeakerMatch

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2020 44:00

There are numerous super-session musicians in Nashville, but very few with the longevity of West Virginia native Charlie McCoy. In addition to being a fixture in Nashville studios for over five decades, he has recorded almost 40 solo albums, and served as the music director for eighteen years for the syndicated television series, “Hee Haw”. Charlie became one of the in-demand session players in Nashville. His session credits are literally a who’s who of country music. For a fifteen-year stretch, he did more than 400 sessions a year. A grand total would number more than 12,000. (and he’s still going) In the last twenty years, he has been touring more with many appearances in Europe and Japan. In addition to country sessions, Charlie was a mainstay on Elvis Presley recordings both in Nashville and Los Angeles. When Bob Dylan recorded “Highway 61”, “Blond On Blond”, “John Wesley Harding”, and “Nashville Skyline”, Charlie was there, playing on these landmark recordings. He was also heard on Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer”. He won a Grammy in 1972 for his album, “The Real McCoy” and in 2009, Charlie was inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame along with Roy Clark and Barbara Mandrell. Charlie still performs and records today, all over the world; he says "if you need a harp, I'm still harpin'!" Visit him online at www.charliemccoy.com. Remember, you can ask Alexa to play the Big Time Talker with Burke Allen, or subscribe at iTunes or Stitcher so you don't miss a show. Thanks for listening!

Charlie McCoy interview

nashville bob dylan select elvis presley johnny cash paul simon spotify playlist roy orbison chapter markers charlie mccoy

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2020 59:57

Charlie McCoy is the leading figure in Country harmonica playing, where he joined the Nashville scene in 1961.With over 13000 sessions to his name, Charlie is probably the most recorded harmonica artist of all time.Although best known as a country harmonica player, along with his 40 solo albums, Charlie has played with some of the truly legendary names in popular music, from Roy Orbison, to Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Paul Simon.Select the Chapter Markers tab above to select different sections of the podcast (website version only).https://www.charliemccoy.com/YouTube: Hee Haw TV show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtlWa7zsCTUAlso check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains songs discussed in the podcast:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQSponsor website:https://www.lonewolfblues.com

Charlie McCoy (Harmonica) on Blue Suede Forever

Tennessee Underground

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2020 25:17

Charlie McCoy with Steve Bowers and Willi X Evans "Nashville and Parts Unknown" on Blue Suede Forever December 2019. … The phone has never stopped ringing ..

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Podcast Episode #9 – Pianist and Composer Eric Bikales

The Miller Piano Specialists Podcast | Nashville, TN

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2020 35:29

Episode #9 of the Miller Piano Podcast is finally here! In this episode, host Jason Skipper talks with Eric Bikales, a musician, composer, and amazing pianist. If you are a music lover, this is an episode you do not want to miss out on! Topics Discussed: Eric's Relationship with Miller Piano How Eric Became the Musician He Is Today Advice to an Aspiring Musician The Music Business and LA Living Eric's Music and New Album Transcript Jason Skipper 0:12 Welcome to the Miller Piano Podcast! I'm your host, Jason Skipper, and in this episode, we have special guest, Eric Bikales connected with us. Eric has been a longtime friend of Miller piano specialist and is a musician. Specifically a wonderful pianist, composer, also a flute player and many other things. Eric has played for 37 years, I believe, with Neil Sedaka. He has composed music and played for many different artists, TV shows, and much more. I'm really looking forward to having Eric share so many of his stories. Eric, welcome to the podcast! Eric Bikales 0:47 Hey, Jason, great to be here. I'm really happy to speak with you. The first thing I want to say is thank you to Miller Piano for being such a great home to me. All the people over there so nice, and they have treated me so well. For years now they just really make me feel like I have a place here in Franklin, Tennessee. You know, they also sell the best pianos too! Jason Skipper 1:18 That is for sure! I know you've been with their events, "The River of Calm" and other events that they've done over the years at Miller Piano Specialists. I heard your music there and heard it online many times. Your music is amazing. Talking about Miller since we started there, how did your relationship start with Miller Piano Specialists? Eric Bikales 1:37 Well, it was kind of funny. I had just moved to Franklin from a little bit north of Nashville. I lived there for a number of years. When I moved to Franklin, I decided that I want to start teaching piano out of my home. So I designed some posters and I just looked up what music stores were in the area and the first one on the list happened to be Miller. I went over there and I met Sherry Carlisle Smith, who was their general manager and a saleswoman, and she and I just really hit it off. Jason Skipper 2:16 It's hard not to with Sherry in it? Eric Bikales 2:19 She's got that bubbly personality! We sat down and talked for I think what amounted to like a couple of hours. I was only going to ask her if I could hang up an ad for teaching in her music store and it wound up that we knew all kinds of people in common. Then I found out that she had been in the business herself as one of the Jordanaires, which is a very famous singing group who used to backup Elvis and a lot of other artists. One of the guys in the Jordanaires and the name escapes me now (Charlie McCoy), who actually devised the Nashville Number System that we still use today. Sherry was there on the ground level when all that was happening, she was touring as a singer and she didn't become a piano salesperson until later on in life. Anyway, we had a great conversation and became really good friends. I just wound up starting to go there weekly to check up on how things were going, and then I got involved in their Writers Night, and she let me play original material. I developed a little audience and following at Miller, and then one thing developed into another and we've just been going strong for years. Jason Skipper 3:43 How long has that been? Eric Bikales 3:45 Well, I've been here for about six years, something like that. I think that she was one of the first people I met when I got here. Jason Skipper 3:52 Okay. I know you've been connected through "Writers Night," you've been involved in that activity. Also "The River of Calm." How often are you in these events? And how often are these events held? Eric Bikales 4:03 Miller Piano has events going every month. They have a whole schedule of things ranging from "Writers Night" where anybody can come out there and talk to Sherry about it, or Dave and get signed up to perform on a Writers Night. It is just such a good experience for people who write original material and want to test it out on an audience. Believe it or not, even though it is a piano store, "Writers Night" doesn't even cater to piano artists, in particular. Lots and lots of guitars, people who sing and play guitar, come out there and participate in Writers Nights as well. Then there's "The River of Calm" and that's something that started up a couple of years ago with Ed Bazell. "The River of Calm" is an internet radio station that promotes healing, soothing, relaxing music. It's primarily based on piano but not totally. I met Ed Bazell at Miller Piano. Come to think of it, I met Ed at my CD release party for my first CD that I put out called "Follow Your Heart." That was an event that Sherry was kind enough to sponsor for me at Miller Piano to be able to have my release party there. I had a nice sized crowd and I got to play a few of my tunes from the upcoming record, and I played a few new ones. We had a great time. Ed and I actually started hanging out and decided to form a drone company because we're both into flying drones. So, we joined forces and we started a company called "Fly by Day." Jason Skipper 6:05 Oh wow! Very cool! Eric Bikales 6:08 We still have a little Facebook page up and some of our work. That continued for a couple of years until the laws changed regarding commercial drone flying. Of course, now, it requires a pilot's license of sorts, and things kind of came unglued at that point. But, we still do it and we still have our drones. So in fact, I use the drone now for taking photos from my records and my latest record, which is called "Fire in the Clouds." That piece, "Fire in the Clouds" is written for a scene that I took a photo of which was a beautiful sunset right here in Tennessee. I guess I had it up there at almost as high as you could get it about 380 feet or so. I got a really gorgeous shot and that wound up being the cover of the new CD. To continue about Miller, they sponsor their "Writers Night" I think those are the first Thursday of every month. They sponsor "The River of Calm," which is the third Thursday of every month. Then, they have various other things like CD release parties, and of course, they have teachers on-site there who give lessons. Sherry also gives a class lesson on piano. It's a busy place you know, they've always got stuff going on there. Jason Skipper 7:29 Always, always. Well for our listeners, follow Miller Piano Specialists Facebook page, because we're always sharing when these events are. You can see it on our website, Millerps.com, as well. I know that these are always going out live from the Miller Piano Facebook page, and also The River of Calm Facebook page, I believe. Always come out, too. It's quite an experience, as Eric said. Eric, let's get to know you a little bit more, just about you, where you're from. So let me just ask you that, where are you from? Eric Bikales 7:58 I'm a Kansas City guy. Jason Skipper 8:00 Kansas City! Eric Bikales 8:01 Yeah! Kansas City, Kansas. My family was all musical, everybody in the family played instruments. There were four kids in my family, two boys, and two girls. We all started on the piano, and if we chose to, we could take a second instrument after a couple of years. I chose flute, I really chose drums, but my folks said, "No!" Then I said okay well then, saxophone and they said no again. And then they suggested, "How about flute" and I went, "Okay." I mean, my folks were totally classically oriented. What we listened to at home was classical music or show tune. So that was the era in which my folks grew up in. To them, The Beatles would have been kind of like new crazy music that you know, they just don't listen to. Which seems so funny to us, because The Beatles are so accepted at this point. But back then, it was a new thing. So I didn't get into listening to pop music until I got into junior high school or middle school, as they call it now. That's, that's when I got turned on to pop music and jazz in particular. Once I heard a couple of jazz artists that really spoke to me, I was off and running. I just, I love this stuff. I mean, I heard Dave Brubeck. His song "Take Five" was brand new, I think was released in the late 50s or maybe early 60s. I can't remember. But, it was a cool, cool thing. That record "Time Out" just captivated me. Then when I heard Ramsey Lewis come out with "In Crowd," that was it. I had to learn how to play that note for note and so I did! I just learned the whole thing, see by then, I had already had several years of classical lessons and so I had some fingers at that point. I just had to try to copy what Ramsey was doing. I didn't know what I was doing, I'm sure I ruined a couple of record albums, putting the needle back and forth, making sure I had everything exactly the way he did it. Then I did the same thing with Herbie Mann on a flute because the first time I heard Herbie Mann live at the Village Gate, which only had three songs on it which were "Summertime," "Comin' Home Baby" and something else. It absolutely captivated me and it gave me a direction besides classical. Although I love classical, I was at the age where I was really interested in integrating into the music of my generation, and music that my peers were listening to. I know that when I performed classical music, in school and talent shows and stuff like that, people were receptive to it, and I think they were more impressed than the present. Really, I think that classical music was always something that some people listen to and other people never really bothered with. I love it to this day, I still have a classical repertoire that I play on the piano and a little bit of flute. I try to keep those things up as best I can. The problem these days is that there's so much music that you collect throughout your life, that it's just really hard to keep it all going at once. Jason Skipper 11:24 Right! Well, let me ask you this. I understand you lived in Los Angeles for a while, and you've done quite a bit of commercial music. I know you've moved around, played with Neil Sedaka, I believe 37 years. How did you get into all of that? Eric Bikales 11:37 Well, I guess it all started in college. Just briefly what happened was that I discovered when I went to the University of Kansas that contrary to my entire belief system, I wasn't going to be a doctor. I thought I was going to go to medical school like my dad. I just figured that was what I was going to do because it seemed like a really good thing to do. Of course, that's pretty naive. So when it really gets down to brass tacks, you find out pretty quickly if you've got what it takes to be in that world. The magic wasn't there for me, I wasn't really actively taking physics and chemistry and biology when I got to college. I was in the liberal arts program, and I realized that I'm not going to be a doctor. Then I didn't know what I wanted to do. I wound up deciding that I should do what I do best, and that's music. So it had nothing to do with making a living or anything else. I didn't really consider anything except, "What do I do the best? What do I love doing? What do I want to go into?" It's just so naive, but that's where I was. So I said, "Follow your heart." Yeah, I just decided to do that and I got into the Music School at the University of Kansas. I did that for two years until I realized that it was kind of a dead-end for me because the school didn't even recognize jazz or pop music as a legitimate art form. They really only did classical and they went right from classical into all this postmodern stuff that I didn't really like all that much. I didn't really look like serial music and 12 tones and all the really weird stuff just didn't appeal to me at all and I didn't see the purpose of it. So after two years of music school, I quit and I joined a band. The band became really popular in a regional way. It's called Sanctuary, and that attracted the attention of a producer in Los Angeles named Mike Post. Mike had a couple of hit tunes, one with classical gas, Mason Williams, and he had a hit with Kenny Rogers in the first edition called, "To See What Condition My Condition Was In." So everybody knew who Mike Post was, and he was interested in producing my own song "Sanctuary." He and I became really good friends, and we did a recording session together with him. At that session, he pulled me aside and said, "You know, you should really consider coming out to LA and being a studio musician." I said, "Yeah, I definitely want to do that. And what is a studio musician by the way? Jason Skipper 14:29 Right! Eric Bikales 14:29 He said, "You know, you could play people's records for a living!" I said, "I could make a living from that?" And he said, "Sure, you could get paid union scale for playing with different people. You just have to know how to play in all styles. Your time has to be good. You have to play in tune, you have to be able to read a little bit. Look, why don't you just work on all those skills for a year or two, save your money, move out to LA and I'll help you!" I said, "Man, that's an incredible offer. I would love to do that." It opened up a whole world to me that I could go into. I just had never thought about moving to California or making a living in music or anything else. I was just kind of floating with what was going on. So I took him at his word, and I wood-shed for two solid years, and I practiced between five and eight hours a day, took lessons, and I really worked hard. I saved my money, and I moved out to LA. Sure enough, he made good on his word only he had also, in the meantime, become a really hot TV composer. When I saw what he was doing, he was splitting focus between producing records and writing music for TV. He had shows like Rockford Files, The A-Team and Black Sheep Squadron and those were all hit shows. He said, "Eric, you really need to follow me into this, you'd be perfect for this." Off show, you had to write for a picture. So he sat down with me and taught me how to write music for TV. However, I didn't have any training as an orchestrator or an arranger, and he was using like a 37 piece orchestra. So I had to take lessons on the fly from a guy in Hollywood. He took one of the pieces that I wrote, and he scored it for A-Team. He had me come to the session, and I got to hear my music played on the air. Then he sat down, showed me how to do it, and he showed me how it all worked. He gave me an opportunity to write some music for A-Team and then for a show called Hunter. Later on, there was NYPD Blue, Hill Street, and LA Law, White Shadow, just a whole bunch of shows. Ten one of the guys that he was working with, I started working with that person. His name's Danny Lux, and he had that he had the work on like Party of Five, Ally McBeal, My Name Is Earl, Sliders, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Scrubs, Good Wife. It just goes on. Jason Skipper 17:12 That had been amazing the first time that you heard your music being played live on these shows. Eric Bikales 17:19 Yeah, it really was. It was an incredible experience for me. As exciting as it was even then I didn't really get how cool it was until years later when I could gain some perspective on it and realize how fortunate I was to have come across Mike Post and become one of his protegees, have him show me the ropes as he did. He's amazing. I mean, this guy was just so talented musically, and so good at business, so sharp and so good at thinking on his feet. He was just like a perfect role model and he was hot at that point. He was the number one TV composer. He kind of was to TV what Hans Zimmer became in the movie industry, later on. In looking at everything, for me, it's been a game of trying to be the absolute best you can be at all times and never stopping with practicing and learning and being a student, just absorbing everything you can. But then the other half of the equation is accessibility, and we just all need to have access to something that can propel us in the right direction with the right people at the right time. My guy was Mike Post at that time, and I was just so fortunate. During that time, I had a lot of opportunities to audition for different people and play in different recording situations and road situations that work with The Pointer Sisters, [Inaudible], Chere, Bette Midler, a whole bunch of different artists. I wound up auditioning for Niels Sedaka one point, and I had played recording sessions with everybody in his band, and so when they decided to have a second keyboard player, I got the call. I didn't get the job, but I just had to audition along with all the other usual suspects. I would see the same piano players that all the auditions, it's all the same guys. They're all really good, sometimes you get it sometimes, they get it. You take turns and it was really fun. I happened to get the audition for Neil, so I joined his band in 1983. I have been doing it ever since and I just never thought I could possibly last that long. Yet it has he just keeps going and he keeps using more or less the same guys. It's changed a little bit. We have been all over the world, we've played so many different places everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Billy Bob's in Texas. The best place everywhere and I've been in so many different countries Jason Skipper 20:03 Really? Eric Bikales 20:06 Oh, it's been an incredible experience. It's not all smooth sailing, but it's provided me with so much travel and experience that I never would have gotten any other way. You know, Jason, it's really a question of being ready for those opportunities when they come around. Sometimes you are and sometimes you aren't, it's not a matter of luck, It's a matter of good fortune. There were auditions that I went out for that I did not get. I thought, "Gosh, I mean, I thought I played pretty well. "And yet, there are reasons, they're there sometimes things beyond your control, or maybe somebody came in and played a lot better. One thing I did learn in LA very quickly is that there are 10 people that probably live on the block that can play circles around you, and it's just amazing. You just don't want to pin all your hopes and dreams and your ego on the fact that other people can't outplay you, because you won't be able to deal with it psychologically if you've got that kind of a personality. You really have to let that go and figure out there are people that can play better than you all over the place. You know you find your own little niche. You have your own way of doing things. Everybody is special in their own way. You know, they have their way of writing songs, their way of playing their style, and you can find your place. Jason Skipper 21:44 That is a great life motto. It doesn't matter what niche you're in, it doesn't matter what you do. There's always someone that can run circles around you. So I love that! Eric Bikales 21:56 I'm constantly amazed, and especially with it with YouTube now and all the phenomena's that you see on YouTube. Little kids that are six years old that can play rock [Inaudible.] It never ceases to amaze me, but I don't I really don't think about it too much. It's one of those things that there's always somebody that can outdo you at something. It's really not the point of it. Jason Skipper 22:23 Right. You mentioned you have a new album out, of course, with the drone, you were able to take the footage of that, but I'd like to hear more about the album. Exactly, what did it take to make that? How long have you been working on it? Eric Bikales 22:35 I'm going to start with the album for that, which was my first release in quite a long time. I actually had a little record deal toward the end of my stay in Los Angeles. I released four CDs as a new age electronic artist. I was on a label called "Mood Tape". I guess the best-known record that I did of the four was called "Tranquility." There's still stuff on the radio that they play from some of those four albums. At that point in time, the easiest way and the most inexpensive way to record was to do it all electronically and digitally. That's what I did because I've always enjoyed synthesizers and electronics. Then the styles when Windham Hill came along, the style started shifting more toward acoustic music. That really left me out in the cold because I was an electronic guy, with that deal. It wasn't that I couldn't play acoustic piano, that's my main instrument. It's just that's not what I was known for. So there was some period of inactivity there and then I didn't pick back up on being a solo artist until I got to Tennessee. Then I decided I wanted to do something to take the place of the TD music that I'm really not doing anymore because most of that's done out in LA or at least was then. So I started working toward making a solo CD and I wanted to make it all piano because I wanted to show people that I can play the piano and that I love acoustic music as much as electronic. So I released an album called "Follow Your Heart." It did moderately well and got a lot of radio play all over the world. My follow up album is the one that you're speaking of, and it's called "Fire in the Clouds." The difference between these two records is mainly that "Fire in the Clouds" was recorded completely at home in my own studio. I've got this great studio, I've had a studio for as long as I've been in the music business and it's always changed. It's morphed from one thing into another because technology changes so much. At this point, It's a pretty efficient little studio. I decided I'm going to try to do the whole thing at home. That's what I did. This record now is just being released as we speak. It's not up on Spotify yet, but it will be within the week. You can find it on any of the usual vendors online from Apple Music, iTunes, it'll be streaming on Spotify, Pandora, basically everywhere. I have a promotion company that was helping me get it out there called "Higher Level Media," and they're just great. So they're helping me with the effort, and I'm getting a lot of help from The River of Calm and from Sherry down at Miller. I'm just hoping that the follow-up record does better than the first record. I mean, that's sort of the idea, Jason Skipper 25:51 Right, of course! Eric Bikales 25:54 What's really changed that is hard to completely get my mind around is the fact that CDs are going away. I find fewer and fewer people who are buying CDs. So it's really hard for me to let go of, I'm at the age where I grew up with records, and then that that gave way to CDs. I didn't mind that so much. CDs to me sound better than records even though records are kind of a kick down for a lot of younger people, it's just it's like a nostalgic thing. You know, it's vintage and all that. But, the fact that CDs could be seeing their last days is a difficult thing to transition for me to make. Personally, I really like the idea of having physical media that you can hold in your hands and say, "This is my record, you know, this is my music." I find that what we're going to is a world where you can say, "Yes, I'm a composer. Here's my music because you can't hold it in your hand because now it's just a file. Jason Skipper 27:00 Right, It's just a file. Eric Bikales 27:02 This may be a weird thing for some people to understand but for those of us musicians who were old enough to have been through the era of vinyl, it's kind of sad to see it all going away. It's only going to be streaming at least for now. We never know what the future holds. Jason Skipper 27:23 It has changed so much the music industry I know that I didn't grow up with records, but I grew up with cassette tapes, and then, of course, CDs and everything along with that. It has changed so much over the years. We don't have a CD player in our house. Of course, I do in my truck, but I don't at my house. And I think that's the norm anymore. Everyone uses digital now. Eric Bikales 27:45 You can't fight the trend, right? I mean, you can't. You have to go with where everybody is going if you want to be a part of it. Honestly, for me, Jason, it's been a struggle to let go of the old school music business and embrace the new music business. Suffice it to say, that where I am in my career right now, I mean forget about records and forget about CDs and all that you really need to get your stuff out there on the streaming stations so that people can hear you because that's how music is being listened to. We're making this transition and while CDs are not completely dead yet, they're just like gasping for breath. So you still have to make a CD sometimes. I find that at some radio station if you want them to play your music, you have to submit it on a CD. Jason Skipper 28:41 Oh, is that right? Eric Bikales 28:42 Yeah, it is! That's one good reason to go ahead and at least make a short run on CDs. I like having the physical thing that I can hold in my hand and I like it when I go play for a gig and I want to sell my music at the gig, that I can sell a CD. So I'm still making CDs. But I think by the time I do another record, ooh, I don't know. That may be the end of us. Jason Skipper 29:13 Wow, yeah. It's hard to let go but it very well maybe because it has changed so much. Well, one more follow up question here. So we don't get too long. You mentioned that you had put together some footage from your drone and put it with music. Do you post that anywhere? Is there a way to see that footage? Eric Bikales 29:32 Well, what footage we've actually had time to do, my wife Khai has put together for me, she's really getting into the video editing portion of this. You are asking where you can find it. Well, right now it's only on my Facebook, but I intend to put that up on YouTube and I intend to see if I can develop a YouTube channel. It's just another way of adapting to what there is to do at this point in time. I still have a lot of music that I want to write, I have lots and lots of ideas. I have a nice studio and I'm at a time in my life where I'm really kind of foregoing a lot of the activities that I used to be involved with, because I'm sort of tired of doing those and I want to focus more attention on writing and getting my music out there. So I want to build a following and I want to build a fan base that enjoys my music and is willing to buy it or download it or at least listen to it stream. Which, again, that's the main thing I guess. I'm in their pitch and you know, I haven't turned in the towel a doubt If I'll ever do that. Jason Skipper 30:38 Well, I think that's the way it has to be done today. That would be great if you could get something up on YouTube. Now, for everyone who is looking for on Facebook, we can find you on I believe it's facebook.com/ebikales, correct? Eric Bikales 30:55 That's right, yes. The other thing too is that I've gotten to enjoy teaching, which is something I never did in my earlier years. I work for the Academy of Art in San Francisco as an instructor, and I've written several courses for them, and I teach them. So I have college students and graduate students from all over the world that are enrolled in the Academy of Art based in San Francisco. I teach online, I teach harmony and theory, notation, ear training, arranging and film scoring. I do that full time I've been doing that for about, over five years, maybe six years, I really enjoy it. So being an educator is another thing that is part of my life. It's a stabilizing factor. I enjoy helping people to understand what music is important and what's not and what you really ought to do to equip yourself to do your art. Jason Skipper 31:49 All right. Do you still do personal lessons as well? Eric Bikales 31:52 I do, I do. I still have piano students and love to teach a piano and I've given lessons on B3. I have one of those over here. I've taught people in film scoring, how to write for a picture. Yes, I can do it all privately. So if you're in the Tennessee area, I'm happy to oblige. Jason Skipper 32:11 All right, well, how can people get ahold of you? Eric Bikales 32:13 The best way is to go to my website, which is undergoing a facelift right now. But It is www.Ericbikales.com. That website is being redone as we speak. Also there's the Facebook site that you mentioned already is facebook.com/ebikales. By all means, you can friend me on Facebook and my email address is easy to find on both of those sites, so you can write me a personal email if you wish to do that. I am selling the second CD and the first one, and copies of it if you have a CD player! Jason Skipper 32:51 Well, I'm gonna buy it off of Apple Music, but I'm really looking forward to that as soon as it comes out there. I was looking forward to earlier. Eric Bikales 32:57 Well, great. It's been a pleasure, Jason, I am so happy to be associated with Miller Piano. You know, they sell the best pianos in the world. Even when I go out of town with Neil Sedaka, and play concerts with him, we always have a grand piano for him. Then I play it for part of the evening. 90% of the time, that's a Yamaha. They just make the most consistent pianos. Jason Skipper 33:22 They really do. Well, that is amazing. I just love hearing all your stories, Eric, I imagine we could probably talk for another two hours. You can probably share maybe more, you know, of just all the things you've been through. This has just been a great, great time to hear your stories. This has been great, Eric, I really appreciate it. One last question. As a personal note here, you said you're from Kansas City. Are you a Chief's fan? Eric Bikales 33:47 Oh, you betcha. I am so proud of the chiefs. The Super Bowl, It was an amazing thing. Yeah, I was jumping up and down. Jason Skipper 33:56 I bet, I bet. We're a little sad here that Tennessee didn't make it, that the Titans didn't make it this year, but we were written for the Chiefs when they made it through. At least I was and everyone I know was, as well. So, alright Eric. Well, thank you. Eric Bikales 34:11 Thanks, Jason. It's been really fun talking to you. I appreciate the opportunity of coming to your podcast and getting to talk to everybody. I'm so happy and proud to be associated with Miller Piano, and I'm going to be a supporter from now until the end! Jason Skipper 34:28 Well, thank you, Eric, so much for being a part of Miller Piano and everything that we're doing and we appreciate that. This has been great. This was Eric Bikales, a pianist, flutist, composer, drone flyer, just a great guy, get his music! As always on this podcast, you can find show notes and a transcript of this episode right on our website at Millerps.com, as well as you can also find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Play podcasts and Spotify. Look us up on your favorite podcast listening platform. Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe. It really does help us, we'd really appreciate it. Once again, I'm your host Jason Skipper, and we'll see you next time!

1405 Raiders of the Vanishing Everglades

Riders Radio Theater

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2019 30:07

Special Treasury Agents Riders In The Sky are still in hot pursuit of Charlie and Slocum, and their search has led them to the famed southwestern theme park Reality Land. It was there America’s Favorite Cowboys decided to ride the park’s most famous ride, the Financial Rollercoaster, unaware of the bomb placed at the top of the attraction by Charlie the night before… featuring Charlie McCoy!

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Ep. 61 - The Nashville A-Team

The Music History Project

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2019 72:48

In this episode of The Music History Project, we examine the story behind one of Nashville's most popular set of Studio Musicians - The A-Team. Included in this episode are musicians: Charlie McCoy, Pig Robbins, Wayne Moss, Bob Moore and Buddy Harman.

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Even Legends Get Passed On (Guest Charlie McCoy) Pt 2

Soundtracker With Lionel Cartwright

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2019 36:20

Today's "Ask Lionel" Question:What are some of your Top 5 most influential songs from another artist?Special performances @31:35: Charlie McCoy on harmonica and Lionel on piano.SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for conversation highlights.Artist links:Charlie McCoy Spotify PlaylistCharlie McCoy YouTube Playlistcharliemccoy.comFollow us on:FacebookTwitterInstagramYou might enjoy our other Mana 3 Media podcast:Dad Matters With David Wilkinsonsoundtrackerpod@gmail.com Interested in booking Lionel for a public speaking engagement? Email us to find how his songs, story, and insights on career and change can help craft a fantastic experience for your audience.

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Even Legends Get Passed On (Guest Charlie McCoy) Pt 1

Soundtracker With Lionel Cartwright

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2019 37:52

SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for conversation highlights.Artist links:Charlie McCoy Spotify PlaylistCharlie McCoy YouTube Playlistcharliemccoy.comFollow us on:FacebookTwitterInstagramYou might enjoy our other Mana 3 Media podcast:Dad Matters With David Wilkinsonsoundtrackerpod@gmail.com Interested in booking Lionel for a public speaking engagement? Email us to find how his songs, story, and insights on career and change can help craft a fantastic experience for your audience.

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September 4 Bundle Drop Teaser

Soundtracker With Lionel Cartwright

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2019 3:00

Teaser clips include:Guest, country music hall of fame member, Charlie McCoy on "What Makes Nashville Special"Guest, country music hall of fame member, Charlie McCoy performs "Harmonica Jones" with LionelGuest, session bass player and lawyer, Alison Prestwood on "Early Influences"Guest, session bass player and lawyer, Alison Prestwood on "Music Couldn't Save Me"Guest, founder of The Violin Shop, Fred Carpenter performs on the fiddleGuest, founder of The Violin Shop, Fred Carpenter on "The Road Gig Trifecta"soundtrackerpod@gmail.com Interested in booking Lionel for a public speaking engagement? Email us to find how his songs, story, and insights on career and change can help craft a fantastic experience for your audience.

29: Derrick Procell, blues musician

The Deerfield Public Library Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2019 29:12

Blues musician and longtime Deerfield resident Derrick Procell has made a name for himself in the music and ad industry for his energy, talent, and strong vocals. Today, Procell is the frontman of the Chicago soul and blues band "Derrick Procell and the Redeemers" and has been heard on everything from beer commercials to The Office, King of the Hill, and Ladybird. Listen to this special **early release** musical episode to find out how Procell got his start at 16, how he found success as a voiceover actor, and his interactions with musicians like Charlie McCoy, Chicago saxaphonist Eddie Shaw, and his writing partner, Grammy-winning songwriter Terry Abrahamson. You can check out Procell's latest album and other music at www.derrickanamerican.com. To see what Procell and his band are up to, visit their facebook page or catch their free concert at the Deerfield Summer Sampler Concert Series on Sunday, July 7, from 5- to 6:30 p.m, at Mitchell Park, 951 Wilmot Road. We welcome your comments and feedback--please send to: podcast@deerfieldlibrary.org. More info at: http://deerfieldlibrary.org/podcast Follow us: Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest

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52: Charlie McCoy

The Nikhil Hogan Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2019 55:46

Country music legend, GRAMMY Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, known for his harmonica playing, Charlie McCoy, joins us on the program for the first time! A fixture in Nashville studios for over 50 years, Charlie worked with some of the biggest names in music such as Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill and many, many more. For a 15 year stretch, he did more than 400 sessions a year. A grand total would number more than 12,000 sessions. He won the GRAMMY in 1972 for “The Real McCoy” for Best Country Instrumental Performance, in addition to a total of 7 nominations He's been awarded the Country Music Association's “Instrumentalist Of The Year” two times and over his career he has recorded 42 solo albums. In addition, he served as the music director for 18 years for the syndicated television series, “Hee Haw”. In 2009, it was announced that Charlie would be inducted into the Country Music Hall Of Fame along with Roy Clark and Barbara Mandrell.

Coffee, Country, Cody and Christmas 2018 Podcast

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Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2018 61:07

This episode was recorded on December 7, 2018 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Listen to hear conversations with Tenille Townes, Gary Morris, Lionel Cartwright, Charlie McCoy and John Carter Cash!

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Talking Dylan and Blonde On Blonde

The String

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2018 59:14

Bob Dylan's transition from solo folk troubadour to electric roots rocker was as important a precursor to the idea of Americana music as any other. And that transition reached its apex with the 1966 masterpiece Blonde On Blonde. We devote this whole episode to the album. My featured guest is longtime Nashville music journalist Daryl Sanders who's just published That Thin Wild Mercury Sound, the first book to carefully track how and why Dylan came to Music City to work with young and creative session musicians such as Charlie McCoy, Wayne Moss, Mac Gayden and Kenneth Buttrey. The companion interview features songwriter Robyn Hitchcock who talks about how Blonde on Blonde changed his life and gave him a lifetime's benchmark of artistry.

015: Hockey Is Back In Smashville! - Preseason, Ryan Ellis, Austin Watson and More

Talking Preds: Nashville Predators

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2018 35:29

This is what we've all been waiting for! Hockey is back tonight in Nashville. There's just nothing like it, and we are ecstatic to be back talking about it. This is Talking Preds after all. The summer seemed long, but give this a listen and you'll be right back in the action. Herbie Brooks and Charlie McCoy dive into what's happened in preseason so far. The Predators looked good against Florida. The top line with Kevin Fiala joining Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen looked absolutely unstoppable. This was fun to watch. We also has some other contributors that was nice to see. Austin Watson was arrested over the summer. Hear our take on the situation and what the Preds have to say about it. Their statement is pretty powerful for the whole family. Ryan Ellis is with us for 7 more years! This is an excellent move by Poile and Ellis to sign a 6 year, 36 million dollar contract. Ellis left a lot of money on the table for the Preds. A humble man. Follow us on Twitter! Twitter.com/TalkingPreds Facebook.com/TalkingPreds Follow our contributors @SoBroHerbie_B @StoneyKeeley @mccoy3pm

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Wayne Moss at Cinderella Sound

The String

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2018 60:51

Episode 61: Craig H. and sometime producer companion Gina Frary Bacon sit down with iconic Nashville Cat Wayne Moss. Raised in Charleston WV, Moss was obsessed with music and recording and made his way to Music City in 1959. He put his guitar to work with The Casuals, Nashville's first rock and roll band. And his web of relationships - Buzz Cason, Charlie McCoy, Norbert Putnam, Mac Gayden and others - put him at the center of the recording scene. He played famous licks and solos for Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton, Charlie Daniels and others. He formed the bands Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry for an extra dash of creative freedom. He built his studio Cinderella Sound in 1961 and it's still in business, the oldest surviving indie studio in the region. Moss talked about his extensive career and his new anthology CD called Collaborations With My Guitar Heroes.

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915- Patti Smith, Van William, Mollie O'Brien & Rich Moore, Robbie Fulks and more.

Talking Preds: Nashville Predators

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2018

This special episode features a set from Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Patti Smith, whose husband Fred ''Sonic'' Smith, born in Lincoln county, WV was honored the previous evening at the 2018 WV Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Plus you'll hear Mollie O'Brien & Rich Moore perform along with their daughters Lucy & Brigid Moore, a set from Robbie Fulks, Van William, and an all-star tribute to WV's Rhinestone Hillbilly Little Jimmy Dickens, featuring Tim O'Brien, Charlie McCoy and more.

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007: Preds Rebound From Recent Slump and Tolvanen Watch

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2018 34:06

After a 3 game slid, the Nashville Predators are back in the win column Smashville. There's no reason to panic! We answer some fan questions regarding this and give insights as to what the Preds need to do to accomplish the ultimate goal, Lord Stanley. Tolvanen watch is in full swing! Herbie Brooks and Charlie McCoy discuss this guy's skills and what kind of impact he will have going down the stretch. David Poile will probably want to be careful, because if he ends up playing 9 games, he could be snagged by Seattle's expansion draft. If he doesn't play 9, then he's not eligible. The contest for Stanley Cup Playoff Tickets continue with the winner being announced on next week's show! Tune in for details on how you can have a chance to win! Be a part of history! Follow on Twitter! Twitter.com/TalkingPreds Like on Facebook! Facebook.com/TalkingPreds Follow our contributors: @SoBro_HerbieB @mccoy3pm @StoneyKeeley TalkingPreds.com

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Episode 24 with Harold Bradley (Legendary Nashville A-Team guitarist- Patsy Cline, Elvis, Roy Orbinson etc...)

The Riff Raff with Shane Theriot

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2018 73:58

( L-R) Andy Reiss, Harold Bradley, Shane Theriot My guest today is a now legendary figure in the history of Nashville and a member of the original “A”- team of session musicians. Mr. Harold Bradley. And, as one of the most recorded guitarists in history, if not the most (he has the session logs and union contracts to prove it) he played on thousands of recording sessions, but not just any old sessions, some of the most iconic and timeless songs of all time. I'm talking about songs like Patsy Cline's “Crazy”, Roy Orbison's “Only The Lonely”, and “Cryin'”, Tammy Wynette's “Stand by your Man”, Loretta Lynn's “Coal Miners Daughter” and so many, many others. And it's not just country music that Harold lent his giant musical thumbprint to- how ‘bout Elvis Presley? Oh and remember Burl Ives “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas?” Of course you do. You hear it every time "Frosty the Snowman" comes on every year…That's Harold. “The Battle of New Orleans” and that intro on banjo? Yep that's Harold. Brenda Lee's “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree?”…on and on…He also recorded 3 solo records “Misty Guitar”, “Guitar For Lover's Only” and “Bossa Nova Goes to Nashville” that are still both musically jaw-dropping and stunning today some 50 years later. His brother, the legendary producer Owen Bradley, was one of the architects of country music and opened the first studio on what is now known as Music Row in Nashville. It's all here folks in this interview- Harold, now 92 years young and with a memory as sharp as ever tells us the most amazing stories and recalls his legendary career. I first met Harold many years ago when we worked together with the great singer Slim Whitman -one of my first gigs when I moved to town. On the few shows we did together Harold taught me a few things that I still think about- showmanship, the importance of staying in tune, building up a collection of nice instruments and even switching up picks during the same song to get different tones. He made a real impact on a young cat back then. Even though I hadn't spoken to him in years, I phoned him and he graciously agreed to meet me and set up a time to chat. I'm so thrilled to be able to have him on Riff Raff. He is such a humble and kind person, always downplaying the impact he made and instead quick to share and give credit to the other musicians, many of whom have now passed on. You'll hear him mention the other original A team throughout this interview- Besides Harold, the other 11 people that made up the original A team were guitarists Hank Garland, Ray Edenton, and Grady Martin, steel guitarist Pete Drake, fiddler Tommy Jackson, harmonica player Charlie McCoy, bassist Bob Moore, pianist Hargus “Pig” Robbins, Floyd Cramer, piano, drummer Buddy Harman, and saxophonist Boots Randolph My old friend Andy Reiss, a great guitatrist in his own right who plays with the Time Jumpers and also a close friend of Harold's also joined us for this interview. Recorded at Nashville Musicians Union, Nashville Feb 2018Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-riff-raff-with-shane-theriot/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

#27 - Charlie McCoy

The Paul Leslie Hour

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2017 36:51

On this episode of The Paul Leslie Hour, we're in the presence of a legend. For 50 years, Charlie McCoy has worked as a session player. He's in great demand. In addition to his 41 solo albums, he's done more than 12,000 recording sessions. Charlie McCoy has worked with Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel as well as countless country artists. A harmonica player, guitarist, bassist and multi-instrumentalist, Charlie McCoy is an inductee of the Country Music Hall of Fame.Support The Paul Leslie Hour by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/the-paul-leslie-hour

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Robert Wells och hans gäster radar upp hits

Jukeboxen i P4

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 19, 2017 70:09

Robban är tillbaka vid Jukeboxen och har bjudit in en trio av hitmakare, från några av musikbranschens alla hörn. Kvällens första gäst - Charlie McCoy - har i decennier varit en profil i musiklivet i Nashville och spelat med artister som Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan och Johnny Cash. Kvällens andra gäst heter Gösta Linderholm och han skrev in sig i den svenska musikhistorien med "Rulla in en boll och låt den rulla". Kvällens tredje gäst - Tony Borg - klättrade i slutet på 80-talet högst upp i Trackslistan med sin grupp Alien och låten "Only one woman". Räkna med idel hits och ljuva musikminnen!

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Charlie McCoy on Coffee, Country & Cody (2017)

Music Makers and Soul Shakers Podcast with Steve Dawson

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2017 23:03

Bill Cody with Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie McCoy, recorded May 25th, 2017 at WSM Radio in Nashville. Charlie joined us to chat about his just published autobiography "50 cents and a Box Top" and was joined by his co-writer Travis Stimeling. Coffee, Country & Cody podcasts powered by NashvilleGuitarStore.com!

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32. Charlie McCoy

Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2017 83:30

My guest this week is the legendary session harmonica maestro and multi-instrumentalist, Charlie McCoy. Charlie is perhaps the definitive Nashville session musician, a multi-talented performer best known for his harmonica playing and whose mastery of the instrument virtually defined its role within the context of modern country music. By the mid-'60s, McCoy was a fixture on Elvis Presley's Nashville and Los Angeles sessions, and in 1965, he began working with Bob Dylan, appearing on a string of legendary LPs that included Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde, John Wesley Harding, and Nashville Skyline. As a result, McCoy became as much in demand among rock and folk artists as he was within the Nashville community and recorded with the likes of Ringo Starr, Al Kooper, Roy Orbison, Simon and Garfunkel, and Gordon Lightfoot. At his peak, he was performing on over 400 sessions annually. Charlie is still very active around Nashville and was generous enough to spend some time talking with me about his incredible history. Enjoy my conversation with Charlie McCoy, and please subscribe to the podcast for free on iTunes!

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Episode 65 Superstars And Smashing Guitars

Hillbilly Luchadore's Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2017 47:00

A southern man talking Merle Haggard, Charlie McCoy, Waylon Jennings, fitness, Wrestlemania 33, Darryl Hannah, Neil Young, John Prine, Smashing Guitars, and more

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Harmonicast Episode 17 - Martin Lang

Harmonicast with Bob Kessler

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2016 42:53

Martin Lang has backed up Chicago blues icons for decades. He first learned what it takes to be a real-deal player by spending time with blues masters on the West and South Sides of the city. He talks about what he learned by having contact with these great blues artists, how its essential to have "weight" as harmonica player in both soloing and accompanying others, and his overall blues philosophy. The Kickstarter campaign to get me to Nashville to interview three of the greats: Charlie McCoy, Buddy Greene and Jelly Roll Johnson is well on its way to being funded. However, there's just a few days left! Contributing $10 or more is the only way to get this exclusive content and $25 contributions get you a Harmonicast coffee mug!

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Portrait d'artistes - Bootleggers

Histoire & Country Music

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2016 64:20

Habitués de longue date à des concerts et des festivals européens, les Bootleggers originaires d’Arthez -de-Béarn en Pyrénées-Atlantiques, parcourent la route depuis 1987 emportant dans leurs bagages des chansons et musiques liées au Rock and Roll, Boogie-Woogie et autres rythmes des années 1950-1960. Leurs prestations sont hors du commun car le groupe a fait la scène avec des artistes tels que: Johnny Hallyday, Dick Rivers, Dale Watson, Calvin Russell, Skinny Molly, Rosie Flores, Billy Joe Shaver, Steve Young, Charlie McCoy et bien d’autres pointures du Rock et de la Country Music. Quelques dates : Mirande 1994, Craponne 1996, Faro au Portugal…etc. Bootleggers est un vieux band country-rock qui existe depuis 1987 avec diverses formations; Didier Céré et Fredo Bordeneuve sont à l’origine de la création du groupe; Didier est aujourd’hui le seul présent de la formation d’origine.

Harmonicast Episode 16 - Phil Alvin

Harmonicast with Bob Kessler

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2016 37:52

Phil Alvin, in addition to being harmonica player, is an incredible singer, advanced set theorist and great storyteller. His powerful voice was first heard by much of the public in the Blasters, a band he and his brother Dave Alvin founded in the late 70s. This, after years of tutelage performing alongside Big Joe Turner, T-Bone Walker, Lee Allen and other musical greats Dave and Phil met while growing up in Downey, California. Phil talks about taking harmonica lessons from Sonny Terry, his years of study in mathematics, his latest duo albums Common Ground and Lost Time with his brother and their potential follow-up recordings. This is also week 2 of the Kickstarter campaign to get me to Nashville to interview three of the greats: Charlie McCoy, Buddy Greene and Jelly Roll Johnson. Contributing $10 or more is the only way to get this exclusive content and $25 contributions get you a Harmonicast coffee mug!

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Harmonicast Episode 15 - Karen Mantler

Harmonicast with Bob Kessler

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2016 42:02

Karen Mantler is a singer, songwriter, pianist, organist AND chromatic harmonica player who got her professional start at age 10 playing glockenspiel with Carla Bley (the jazz composer and arranger who also happens to be her mother). She's made a handful of wonderful records including her most recent, Business is Bad which showcases her highly personal, often humorous and sometimes deeply touching lyrics along with her piano and harmonica playing. We talk about her musical upbringing, her frustrations as a major label signee in the early 2000s, how she came to discover and fall in love with the sound of the harmonica, her recordings with Robert Wyatt and much more. I've also launched a Kickstarter campaign in order to fund a trip to Nashville I'm hoping to make in early November to interview three harmonica greats: Charlie McCoy, Buddy Greene and Jelly Roll Johnson. All three have agreed to be interviewed for Harmonicast and if it's funded through Kickstarter, I'll head to Music City to meet up with them. You can contribute here.

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Episode 95: Bob Dylan’s Nashville Recordings

Thanks For Giving A Damn

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 16, 2014 40:14

Jay McDowell is the Multimedia/Assistant Museum Exhibit Curator at the Musician’s Hall Of Fame And Museum and he’s sharing stories about Bob Dylan and the musicians who played on his Nashville sessions. He shares stories about Charlie McCoy, Hargus “Pig”… Continue Reading →

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Woodsongs 671: Marty Raybon & Charlie McCoy

Woodsongs Vodcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2012 70:50

MARTY RAYBON has been called one of the greatest singers in music. Marty's signature country soulful vocals with Shenandoah were developed many years ago when he performed Bluegrass and Gospel music with his family.Throughout his epic journey, spanning nearly three decades, Marty has produced a remarkable list of career accomplishments including; multiple number one singles, top selling albums, CMA, ACM, IBMA, and Grammy Awards, along with scores of other accolades. Collectively, his contributions to the recording industry have sold well into the millions and he has performed literally thousands of live concerts at four corners of the earth. Marty has just released two new albums, Hand to Plow & Southern Roots & Branches, this year on Rural Rhythm Records. CHARLIE McCOY and his world class harmonica work has been a mainstay in Music City since the '60s. Charlie has played on dozens of hit records, including work for such legends as Elvis Presley, Simon & Garfunkel, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and many more. But the work that has distinguished this harmonica ace is contained on more than two dozen albums that Charlie has released over the past 3 decades. In 2009, Charlie was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Charlie latest is Lonesome Whistle: A Tribute to Hank Williams.

Charlie McCoy, Guest Host part 1 on WSM

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2012 47:19

Charlie Mattos with 2009 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Charlie McCoy. Charlie was our Guest Host on Monday July 23rd when Bill Cody was on vacation. Charlie told some great stories and featured music from his latest cd, "Lonesome Whistle, a tribute to Hank Williams"

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Charlie McCoy, Guest Host part 2 on WSM

wsm charlie mccoy bill cody

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2012 45:10

Part 2 of Charlie McCoy's Guest Host morning on WSM, with Charlie Mattos. Charlie was sitting in for Bill Cody on Monday July 23rd, 2012.

Charlie McCoy on Coffee, Country & Cody