Podcasts about sun studios

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Best podcasts about sun studios

Latest podcast episodes about sun studios

C86 Show - Indie Pop
Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill - The Bangles & The Beach Boys

C86 Show - Indie Pop

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 49:35


Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill in conversation with David Eastaugh https://www.vickipetersonandjohncowsill.com/ ‘Long After The Fire' sees Vicki Peterson of The Bangles (whose work includes worldwide smash hits such as ‘Eternal Flame' and ‘Walk Like An Egyptian') team up with John Cowsill, drummer/vocalist for The Beach Boys for over 23 years and an original member of the platinum-selling family band The Cowsills, Their debut album as a duo, ‘Long After The Fire' is a set of Americana songs written by John's late brothers, Barry and Bill Cowsill.A new single from the album entitled ‘Is Anybody Here' is out today (21st March), with Peterson revealing that “it is the song that kicked off the entire ‘Long After The Fire' record. John and Paul Allen recorded this track at Sun Studios in Memphis, without me, in the spur of the moment and absolutely set the template for the album. At this stage, John and I were considering calling the project Dead Brothers!”

Radio Toilet ov Hell
Toilet Radio 556 – Pre-Metal

Radio Toilet ov Hell

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2025 65:22


This week on Toilet Radio, Joe and Jordo watch the first part of Sam Dunn's impressive 2011 documentary series Metal Evolution. We begin with "Pre-Metal" and talk about the primordial ooze from which blast beats and tremolo picking emerged. We're reviewing medieval chord progressions, Black Sabbath ripping off classical composers, jazz, Howlin' Wolf, the big money hustlas at Sun Studios, the origins of distortion and much, much more. But that's not all: We're also talking about discontinued energy drinks for reasons I cannot really ascertain. Folks, this is a very good one. If you enjoy it, please tune into the Patreon later today for the second part in this series as we talk about early metal in the US and the UK. Music featured on this show: Nocturnal Spawn – Unbroken Want more Toilet Radio? Get hundreds of hours of exclusive content and access to the TovH Discord over at the Toilet ov Hell Patreon. This program is available on Spotify. It is also available on iTunes or whatever they call it now, where you can rate, review, and subscribe. Give us money on Patreon to get exclusive bonus episodes and other cool shit.

What the Riff?!?
1989 - February: U2 "Rattle and Hum"

What the Riff?!?

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2025 43:44


U2 released a part-live, part studio album in October 1988 called Rattle and Hum.  This album accompanied a filmed “Rockumentary” of the band which was filmed in Denver and Arizona.  Originally intended to be entitled  “U2 in the Americas,” the album and film instead take their name from lyrics in the song “Bullet the Blue Sky' from their album “The Joshua Tree.” Studio sessions for Rattle and Hum included time at Sun Studio in Memphis, and include collaborations with other musicians including Bob Dylan and B.B. King.  The intent of Rattle and Hum was to explore more American blues rock, and folk, and roots music of the 50's and 60's, and includes both original and cover songs.  Critics were divided on the album at the time of its release.  Some felt that U2 was not celebrating blues rock and artists as much as they were attempting to insert themselves into higher echelons of rock celebrity.  Over time the criticisms of egotism would fade, as U2 has indeed proven to be a major force in the Rock pantheon.  In retrospect, both Bono and The Edge have found Rattle and Hum to be a bit of a side excursion for the band, more of a “scrapbook” than a true direction.  The new direction of U2 would be set beginning with their next studio album, “Achtung Baby” in 1991.  Regardless, Rattle and Hum is a great album, well worth a listen.  The collaboration with other artists is worth special attention, as is its examination of the way that modern rock finds its roots in the delta blues.Friend of the show Greg Lyon sits in for Wayne, while Rob brings us this hybrid album for today's podcast.Angel of HarlemThe second single from the album is an original studio release which was written as an homage to Billie Holiday.  Songwriting took place during the tour for ”The Joshua Tree,” and the lyrics take inspiration form various landmarks around New York City.  The track reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 9 on the UK Singles chart.  When Love Comes to TownRecorded in Sun Studios, this U2 original song features collaboration with blues guitarist B.B. King. Live performances included B.B. King and his band during the “Lovetown Tour” in 1989.  U2 would discontinue playing the song in concert over time, but revived it in 2015 as a tribute to B.B. King after his death.  King plays lead on this song written by The Edge, who takes on rhythm guitar for this track.All Along the WatchtowerThis live cover is of a song written by Bob Dylan and made famous by Jimi Hendrix.  The lyrics are of a conversation between a joker and a thief, and several lines echo lines of scripture from the book of Isaiah in the Bible.  U2 performed this live cover in San Francisco at the “Save The Yuppie Free Concert.”  Some of the lyrics were altered, which irritated Dylan. Pride (In the Name of Love)A live version of the studio song from the 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire, this was recorded in Denver.  The popularity of this song can be heard in the audience call-and-response.  The lyrics were inspired by elements of the civil rights movement, particularly the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Iko Iko by The Belle Stars (from the motion picture “Rain Man”)Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman turned in stellar performances in this dramatic film exploring autism. STAFF PICKS:Kiss by Art of Noise featuring Tom JonesBruce leads off the staff picks with a cover of a Prince song performed by an unusual pairing of art rock group the Art of Noise with Vegas crooner Tom Jones.  This became the biggest hit for the Art of Noise to that point, reaching number 5 on the UK charts and number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100.  She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young CannibalsLynch brings us the most successful single from the British pop trio, off their second and final album, “The Raw & the Cooked.” The band formed from two previous bands, one Ska, and one Punk.  The track was composed at Prince's Paisley Park Studios in Minneapolis.Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Great WhiteGreg features a rocker.  Great White covered a song originally written and performed by Ian Hunter in 1975.  This song went to number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Great White had a more blues-oriented sound than many of the hair metal bands of the late 80's.  Lead singer Jack Russell passed after a battle with Lewy body dementia in August 2024.What I Am by Edie Brickell & New BohemiansRob closes out the staff picks with the signature song off Edie Brickell & New Bohemians' debut album, "Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars."  The inspiration for the song was Brickell's frustration with the dogma exhibited in a world religions class in college.  Brickell would meet her husband and fellow musician, Paul Simon, when she performed this song on Saturday Night Live. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:Sunset Road by Bela Fleck & the FlecktonesThis jazz fusion piece with an unusual banjo lead was on the group's debut album, and takes us out for this episode. Thanks for listening to “What the Riff?!?” NOTE: To adjust the loudness of the music or voices, you may adjust the balance on your device. VOICES are stronger in the LEFT channel, and MUSIC is stronger on the RIGHT channel.Please follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/whattheriffpodcast/, and message or email us with what you'd like to hear, what you think of the show, and any rock-worthy memes we can share.Of course we'd love for you to rate the show in your podcast platform!**NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.

Plátubarrin
TEMAPLÁTAN: 'Moirae' 1996 - øll løgini og prát við Terja og Kim

Plátubarrin

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2025 104:02


Sjálvheitisfløgan hjá Moirae hoyrist framvegis í føroyskum útvarpi. 'Longbrá', 'Vónloysi', 'Vátir logar', 'Tú', 'Eg flýggi til tónleikin', 'Myndugleikin', og 'Rúsevnistoka' eru dygdarløg, umframt onnur, sum Kaj Johannesen, sáli, skrivaði einsamallur. Í prátinum við Kim Hansen og Terja Rasmussen verður týdningurin av tí Kaj Johannesen megnaði, lýstur, og sagt verður m.a. eisini frá tónleika- og lívsskeiðnum hjá teimum báðum. Í løtum er prátið álvarsligt, men fyri tað mesta lætt og stuttligt; til dømis tá Terji og Kim siga søguna um stóra hittið, 'Tú'. Annar nógv spældur sangur, 'Rúsevnistoka', har Gentukórið í Nólsoy er við, tekur beinleiðis støði í húsinum, har Terji og Kim búðu í felagsskapi eitt skifti. Har var nógv balling og eisini 'syrgiligar lagnur' komu á gátt. Talan er um eitt rokkverk við nógvum ymiskum íblástri og tí er tað rættiliga fjølbroytt. Ljóðdygdim er eisini góð. Jón McBirnie tók upp í West River Recordings, hann spælir eisini við á einstøkum løgum. Uttanhýsis gestatónleikarar, lagskrivarar, og tøkningur tóku eisini lut. Óli Poulsen mixaði í Sun Studio, Keypmannahavn. Moirae høvuðsmanningin: Terji Rasmussen, sangur og kór Kim Hansen, tangentar, sangur og kór Mikkjal Joensen, bassur Hjalti Joensen, gittarar Kaj Johannesen, slagverk og trummur, sangur og kór Plátubarrin 1. og 15. mars 2025. Upptøkan varð býtt í tvey og send í tveimum Plátubarrum, meðani alt tilfarið varð lagt saman til hesa netúgávu. Samrøðan varð gjørd tann 27. februar í tónleikabarrini, Maggie's, í Nólsoy.  

hanging out with audiophiles
HOWA EP 136 - MATT ROSS-SPRANG

hanging out with audiophiles

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2025 105:05


I met Matt Ross-Sprang thanks to Mark Rubel. Mark was an amazing knowledge and super generous chap who sadly died not so long ago. RIP to that legend. I'll never forget that trip to visit some of America's most amazing studios. We toured most of the iconic rooms in Memphis which is the city where Matt Ross-Sprang has always resided. We went to Sun where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Howlin' Wolf all recorded and then on to Sam Philips recording service which Matt helped restore to its former glory. What a place! Just full of history and so beautiful both aesthetically and sonically. Matt has had quite the journey. He started interning at Sun Studios as a teen and now he has been awarded the key to the city of Memphis!  Somewhere in the middle of this wild ride is what we spend of our time chatting about in this pod. From humble beginnings to mixing Elvis, getting those Grammy's and the key to the city of Memphis, Matt has seen and heard an awful lot of good stuff! ________________________   Music for this episode comes courtesy of Indy500 check it here: https://indy500.bandcamp.com/    ________________________   This episode is sponsored by the MLC or The Mechanical Licensing Collective. They're a nonprofit organization that's revolutionizing how creators get paid their mechanical streaming royalties from platforms like Spotify and Apple Music in the U.S. Every month, The MLC collects the streaming data and royalties from those platforms, matches the money to the creator who has earned it, and then pays out the royalties due. With over $2.5 billion in royalties distributed and more than 50,000 Members worldwide, The MLC is already making a huge impact. And the best part? Membership is completely free! Don't leave money on the table — visit TheMLC.com today to sign up!        

Memphis Flash
Episode 24: My Wish Came True

Memphis Flash

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2025 44:07


In the spirit of the Elvis song "My Wish Came True", Brad and Mark celebrate something they've been wishing for...the upcoming release of unseen footage of Elvis.  That and other wishes are shared during this first episode of 2025.

NDR Info - Zwischen Hamburg und Haiti
Elvis würde 90 - Besuch in den Sun Studios

NDR Info - Zwischen Hamburg und Haiti

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2025 31:22


Es gibt wenige internationale Topstars, bei denen es genügt, den Vornamen zu nennen und jeder und jede weiß Bescheid. Wie bei Elvis. Ohne ihn gäbe es weder Rockmusik noch Popkultur. Das bleibt sein Vermächtnis: Rock'n'Roll. Der Hüftschwung. Der Schlafzimmerblick. Später hat Elvis am Fließband seichte Musikfilme gedreht. Gut für seine Kasse, aber zum Fremdschämen. Noch später ist er in Las Vegas aufgetreten - der Todesstoß für jede Kreativität. Ein Leben in Widersprüchen. Wäre Elvis Presley noch am Leben, würde er am 8. Januar 90 Jahre alt. Zu diesem Anlass hat sich Tom Noga dort umgesehen, wo der King of Rock´n' Roll geboren wurde und wo er gelebt hat: in Tupelo im Bundesstaat Mississippi und in Memphis, Tennessee.

Our Liner Notes
249: Memphis (Part 2)

Our Liner Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2024 68:45


Matt continues his journey through Memphis with more tales from the St Jude tournament, Beale Street, BBQ and Sun Studio...and of course more legendary Memphis artists! Track list: 00:00 - Intro (Marc Cohn - Walking in Memphis) 00:54 - Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes 18:32 - Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On 34:10 - Million Dollar Quartet - Brown Eyed Handsome Man (version 2) 40:06 - Otis Redding - Try A Little Tenderness 54:13 - U2 (ft BB King) - When Love Comes to Town 66:35 - Outro (The Bar-Kays - Soul Finger) Reach Us:  @ReasonsAre  @ChrisMaierBC  @olinernotes  olinernotes@gmail.com Web Site: https://ourlinernotes.libsyn.com/ Check out our merch store: https://teespring.com/stores/ourlinernotes   

Our Liner Notes
248: Memphis (Part 1)

Our Liner Notes

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2024 69:17


Matt recently took a birthday trip to Memphis where he experienced a lot of musical history at Sun Studio and on Beale Street. Have a listen to stories from the trip and an allstar list of Memphis musical artists. Track list: 00:00 - Intro (Booker T & the M.G.'s - Green Onions) 09:30 - Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats (Ike Turner & the Kings of Rhythm) - Rocket 88 19:41 - Howlin' Wolf - How Many More Years 34:22 - Junior Parker - Love My Baby 45:21 - Elvis Presley - That's Alright 58:28 - Johnny Cash - Hey Porter 66:15 - Outro (Isaac Hayes - Walk On By) Reach Us:  @ReasonsAre  @ChrisMaierBC  @olinernotes  olinernotes@gmail.com Web Site: https://ourlinernotes.libsyn.com/ Check out our merch store: https://teespring.com/stores/ourlinernotes   

PNR: This Old Marketing | Content Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose
Will OpenAI's Seeds Grow a Strawberry Harvest? (446)

PNR: This Old Marketing | Content Marketing with Joe Pulizzi and Robert Rose

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2024 75:37


OpenAI launches the "Strawberry" version within ChatGPT claiming better reasoning and complex thinking. Joe and Robert take it to the test. TikTok heads back to court with a January 19th ban date looming. Joe predicts what will happen. And Instagram launches a version for teens only. Is it enough? Finally, MrBeast "leaks" his personal YouTube production manual. Is there gold within? Winners and losers include Sun Studio and the 2024 Content Marketing Award winner. Rants and raves include MAICON's headsets and CMI's marketing career study. ----- This week's links: OpenAI's Strawberry Is Scary Good at Deception TikTok Goes to Court Inst Launches Teen Accounts MrBeast's Playbook Uncovered MrBeast: How to Succeed at YouTube Playbook ----- This week's sponsor: Grow better, faster with Hubspot's all-in-one intuitive customer platform - Hubspot.com/ ------- Liked this show? SUBSCRIBE to this podcast on Spotify, Apple, Google and more. Catch past episodes and show notes at ThisOldMarketing.com. Catch and subscribe to our NEW show on YouTube. NOTE: You can get captions there. Subscribe to Joe Pulizzi's Orangeletter and get two free downloads direct from Joe. Subscribe to Robert Rose's newsletter at Experience Advisors.  

Rock N Roll Pantheon
Imbalanced History: Talkin' Elvis With Author James Cosby!

Rock N Roll Pantheon

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2024 48:27


Lawyer by day, Rock n' Roll author by night, this week the Imbalanced Boys are Talkin' Elvis with James Cosby! Hit his website for more info on Jim and his books, and buy here! The journey this week takes us to Tupelo and Memphis, and the move towards Rock & Roll for the man who would be The King! The roles of radio and the recording studios in Memphis' fertile scene are part of the discussion. That leads to Sam Phillips and Sun Studios, that magic recording moment, and how it reacted from airplay! The move to RCA, national TV, movies and more are part of this episode, our first about Elvis! Find all of our episodes on our web site! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Imbalanced History of Rock and Roll
Talkin' Elvis With Author James Cosby!

The Imbalanced History of Rock and Roll

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2024 48:27


Lawyer by day, Rock n' Roll author by night, this week the Imbalanced Boys are Talkin' Elvis with James Cosby! Hit his website for more info on Jim and his books, and buy here! The journey this week takes us to Tupelo and Memphis, and the move towards Rock & Roll for the man who would be The King! The roles of radio and the recording studios in Memphis' fertile scene are part of the discussion. That leads to Sam Phillips and Sun Studios, that magic recording moment, and how it reacted from airplay! The move to RCA, national TV, movies and more are part of this episode, our first about Elvis! Find all of our episodes on our web site! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Music History Today
Amy Winehouse Passes Away: Music History Today Podcast July 23

Music History Today

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2024 16:11


On the July 23 edition of Music History Today podcast, Amy Winehouse passes away, Sun Studios becomes a landmark, and rock and roll gets banned in Iran. Also, it's Alison Krauss's birthday. For more music history, subscribe to my Spotify Channel or subscribe to the audio version of my music history podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts from ALL MUSIC HISTORY TODAY  PODCAST NETWORK LINKS - ⁠https://allmylinks.com/musichistorytoday --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/musichistorytodaypodcast/support

Music History Today
Lilith Fair Starts: Music History Today Podcast July 5

Music History Today

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2024 13:18


On the July 5 edition of Music History Today, Lilith Fair starts and lots of debuts, including the King. Also, happy birthday to Huey Lewis and the RZA.  For more music history, subscribe to my Spotify Channel or subscribe to the audio version of my music history podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts from ALL MUSIC HISTORY TODAY  PODCAST NETWORK LINKS - ⁠https://allmylinks.com/musichistorytoday⁠  On this date: In 1943, big band leader Harry James married actress Betty Grable. Coincidentally, Harry passed away on this date 40 years later. In 1954, Elvis had his first official recording session at Sun Studios. He recorded That's Alright Mama & 3 other songs. In 1957, Frank Sinatra divorced actress Ava Gardner. In 1958, Ray Charles recorded his performance at the Newport Jazz Festival for a live album. In 1961, blues great Slim Harpo performed on American Bandstand, becoming one of the few times that a blues artist performed on the show. In 1962, Little Eva performed the song Locomotion for the first time on television.  In 1965, Dick Clark's TV show Where the Action Is premiered. In 1966, Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers had vocal cord surgery. In 1966, Chas Chandler of the Animals was in the audience during a Jimi Hendrix performance in New York City. Chas decided to become Jimi's manager, based on that performance. In 1968, John Lennon sold his famous Rolls-Royce with the psychedelic paint scheme. In 1969, The Rolling Stones gave a free concert in London. In 1969, the Royal Albert Hall banned rock concerts from taking place after fans rushed the stage during a performance by Chuck Berry & The Who. In 1974, Linda Ronstadt recorded her song You're No Good. In 1975, Pink Floyd performed songs from their album Wish You Were Here at the Knebworth Music Festival. In 1980, drummer Simon Kirke of Bad Company became the last guest performer to play with Led Zeppelin, as the band called it quits after drummer John Bonham's death only 2 months later. In 1984, The Everly Brothers started their reunion show. In 1987, Ben E King & Elton John were among those who performed at the Prince's Trust Rock Gala charity concert in London. In 1989, Rod Stewart accidently knocked himself unconscious after hitting his head while performing on stage. In 1997, the first Lilith Fair tour started. The all-female tour featured Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole, Suzanne Vega, and Jewel. In 2003, the Lollapalooza concert tour started for the first time in 6 years. In 2007, Marilyn Manson was divorced by burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese.  In 2014, Jessica Simpson married football player Eric Johnson. In 2015, Damon Albarn of Blur & The Gorillaz collapsed on stage after a long performance. In 2018, Stormzy partnered with Penguin Books to create the book publishing imprint #Merky Books. In 2022, Carlos Santana collapsed on stage during a performance from dehydration. In classical music: In 1942, Heitor Villa-Lobos' piece Choros 6/9/11 was first performed. In 1965, opera star Maria Callas gave her final opera performance. In theater:  In 1947, the Broadway musical Barefoot Boy With Cheek closed. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/musichistorytodaypodcast/support

gonstFM: Off Air
On the Square with Matthew Lidwin of 616

gonstFM: Off Air

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2024 64:47


On the inaugural episode of the podcast's new in-show series "On the Square," we welcome Matthew Lidwin of 616! Matt carries the spirit of Rock music, with influences from HIM, Frank Zappa, Black Sabbath, Type O Negative, and a slew of others. We discuss these artists, Matt's time recording in Sun Studios in Memphis, working with Gas Lipstick of HIM, getting his music heard by Bam Margera, and a LOT of other stories including a HILARIOUS run-in with Tobias Forge at a Ghost Ritual in 2013. See 616 at Farmapalooza III on June 8! Buy tickets here! 616 on Facebook 616 on IG gonstFM LINKS linktr.ee/gonstFM Official gonstFM Merch Store JOIN THE GONSTFAM FACEBOOK GROUP gonstFM STATIONHEAD CHANNEL gonstFM IG gonstFM on YouTube MAKE A DONATION TO THE STATION

The Sidebar
S5E18: Grammy Award winner Matt Ross-Spang on becoming a producer

The Sidebar

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2024 28:17


In this first of a two-part interview on The Sidebar, Matt joined Eric Barnes to talk about how he started working at Sun Studio as a teenager then became a producer of musicians ranging from Jason Isbell to the Mountain Goats to Margo Price and many, many more.

BACK 2 THE BALCONY
BACK 2 THE BALCONY EP#21 - GREAT BALLS OF FIRE!

BACK 2 THE BALCONY

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2024 56:02


This week Justin and I discuss GREAT BALLS OF FIRE from 1989.Upstart rock 'n' roll singer Jerry Lee Lewis (Dennis Quaid) has just cut a record at Sun Studio. Jerry's cousin, pastor Jimmy Swaggart (Alec Baldwin), tries to steer him away from a depraved life in the music business, but Jerry was born to play the so-called "devil's music." With rock 'n' roll king Elvis Presley busy with military service, Jerry sees his chance to claim the throne of popular music. But, his unabashed love of his 13-year-old cousin, Myra (Winona Ryder), may ruin his chances.Hear our take on the film - as well as the review of SISKEL AND EBERT.Be sure to subscribe on your favorite pod platform and our YOUTUBE channel!Visit thecultworthy.comVisit https://www.themoviewire.comVideo: https://www.youtube.com/@back2thebalcony

Dear Discreet Guide
Episode 266: Having a Ball with Hullabaloo

Dear Discreet Guide

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2024 59:02


Join Steve Denyes, of Hullabaloo, the best kids' music band in these parts (and maybe the universe!), as he chats about songwriting, kids and parents, and what has changed in the twenty years that Hullabaloo has been performing. Hullabaloo's first live album, their 15th album overall, came out this month. It was recorded live in Sun Studio, and Steve talks about what it was like to be in Memphis, learning about its history and living some of it too. We also get to talk about word play, folk songs, Feeding San Diego, and the community that has grown up around the band. An insightful episode with a thoughtful and funny musician. Hullabaloo's website:https://hullabalooband.com/Thoughts? Comments? Potshots? Contact the show at:https://booksshowstunes.discreetguide.com/contact/Sponsored by Discreet Guide Training:https://training.discreetguide.com/Follow or like us on podomatic.com (it raises our visibility :)https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/books-shows-tunes-mad-actsSupport us on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/discreetguideJennifer on Post.News:@JenCrittendenJennifer on XTwitter:@DiscreetGuideJennifer on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferkcrittenden/

NIGHT DEMON HEAVY METAL PODCAST
Episode #187 - Raven Tour 2014 - Coast to Coast

NIGHT DEMON HEAVY METAL PODCAST

Play Episode Play 59 sec Highlight Listen Later Feb 23, 2024 47:47


This week, we continue our narrative of Night Demon's 2014 North American tour with the mighty Raven. In this week's episode, we hear about the triumphs and hardships encountered by the band as they drove from Ventura, CA to Atlanta, GA to pick up the tour.  You will hear about the pivotal importance of Andrew Bansal's tour blog, of aborted tourist plans in Memphis, and why the band missed the first show of the tour in Pompano Beach, FL. The guys also explain how Atlanta provided a warm welcome to them, and a proper kickoff for the tour.Become a subscriber today at nightdemon.net/subscriber. This week, subscribers have access to the bonus content below:Streaming Video:  Raven live in Pompano Beach, Fl - 10.03.14 (filmed by Brian "Brutal" Wilson)Exmortus - Exmortus (exmortusmusic.com)Death of Kings - https://deathofkings.bandcamp.com/A Rippin Production - A Rippin' Production – Keeping Atlanta Relevant Since 2014Drunken Unicorn - https://thedrunkenunicorn.net/ Listen at nightdemon.net/podcast or anywhere you listen to podcasts! Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook

Our True Crime Podcast
247. Death of a Butterfly: Heather Palumbo-Jones

Our True Crime Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2024 48:39


Want to travel to the UK with Cam and Jen in June of 2025? Check out the itinerary for Our True Crime Podcasts Dark History Tour. Or go to ourtruecrimepodcast.com and check out the link there.Thank you to Holly Elenor for the episode request.The entertainment district of Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, draws people from all over the world to participate in its blues music and dine on the famous Memphis-style barbecue. Home of Sun Studios and Graceland, it's often referred to as the birthplace of rock-n-roll. So, it might surprise some people to find a little hotspot, an inconspicuous-looking (in kun spic yoo us) building, where the Latin beats pulse through the crowd of dancers. They go there for the salsa dancing with its fast, syncopated celebration of life. Dancers are bathed in pink and purple lights and sweat the night away.It was there, in that little rumba room, where Heather Palumbo-Jones would spend one of her last happy nights on earth, wearing a brand-new dress and a big beaming smile. She danced for three hours with one of her best friends, something she might not have even been able to do just a year or two earlier. It would turn out to not just be one of Heather's last happy nights on earth; it was one of her last nights on earth, period.Join Cam and Jen as they discuss 'Death of a Butterfly: Heather Palumbo-Jones.'If you are suffering from domestic violence and need help, please call the hotline at 1-800-799-7233.Thank you to our team:Written and researched by Lauretta AllenListener Discretion by Edward October from OctoberpodVHSExecutive Producer Nico Vitesse of The Inky Paw PrintSources:https://law.justia.com/cases/tennessee/court-of-criminal-appeals/2017/w2015-01028-cca-r3-cd.htmlhttps://wreg.com/news/mother-of-murder-victim-hoping-to-start-movement/https://www.peacocktv.com/watch/playback/vod/GMO_00000000372680_01/24947c74-4386-359b-9fb8-995607ff5c62?paused=true https://www.newspapers.com/image/777114190/?terms=Palumbo&match=1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/777110979/?terms=Palumbo&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/777123966/?terms=Palumbo&match=1https://www.newspapers.com/image/777133521/?terms=Palumbo&match=1 (Obituary)https://www.newspapers.com/image/777111347/?terms=Palumbo&match=1https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/231540199/heather-leigh-palumbo-joneshttps://wickedwe.com/heather-palumbo-jones-murder/https://www.southernfriedtruecrime.com/37-heather-palumbo-joneshttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt6057688/ Season 23 episode 33

The Georgia Songbirds
Nathan Morgan Live from the Digital Bird's Nest

The Georgia Songbirds

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2024 92:58


Let's welcome to the Georgia Songbirds Family local singer-songwriter Nathan Morgan. Nathan came on the show and we talked Classic Rock, Wrestling, Sun Studios where he recorded his music and more. Wew even listened to a few of his songs. So pull up a seat and listen to some funny stories and some good music. Nathan also accepts submissions from fellow songwriters --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thegeorgiasongbirds/message

Armchair Explorer
The Birth of Soul and Rock N' Roll: On Location in Memphis, Tennessee

Armchair Explorer

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 15, 2024 51:58


"It was here, on the banks of the Mississippi River, where music changed the world." In Memphis, music has always been more than a melody and lyrics - it's a movement. This is a city that launched some of the world's most beloved musicians, from Otis Redding to Isaac Hayes, Carla Thomas, Elvis Presley, and more. And in the midst of segregation and racial tension, the music of Memphis became a powerful tool for bringing people together - and creating the sound of a civil rights movement that would move the world. Join host Aaron Millar and step into some of the world's most famous recording booths all around the city. It's in these rooms where the greats of soul and rock n' roll have shed blood, sweat and tears for decades. You'll hear how Elvis Presley was discovered completely by accident at Sun Studios; learn about Otis Redding and the joyous growth of soul at the Stax Museum; and go behind the scenes of pop music with Bruno Mars at Royal Studios. WANT MORE TENNESSEE MUSIC? Tennessee Music Pathways is a guide that connects visitors to the rich musical heritage of the state. Visitors can curate their own path based on interests using an interactive guide at TNmusicpathways.com. Follow the conversation on social using or searching hashtag #tnmusicpathways. Thank you to our guests and musicians: Hal Lansky, Lansky Brothers Clothing lanskybros.com Crockett Hall, Sun Studio sunstudio.com Jeff Kollath, Stax Museum of American Soul Music staxmuseum.com Boo Mitchell, Royal Studios boomitchellmemphis.com and royalstudios.com Dr. Noelle Trent, National Civil Rights Museum civilrightsmuseum.org Visit Memphis memphistravel.com SOCIAL Share the show with your friends! Subscribe to the podcast wherever you're listening, follow @armchairexplorerpodcast on Instagram and Facebook, check out Armchair Explorer's website, armchair-explorer.com, and learn more about APT Podcast Studios on their website at APTpodcaststudios.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Papumba: Podcasts for Kids
Brave Stories: Elvis Presley, the king of rock 'n' roll

Papumba: Podcasts for Kids

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2024 5:14


Hello, little listeners! We're back with another exciting Brave Story, are you ready?In a dance hall, Emma encounters a magical staircase that transports her to Sun Studio in Memphis, where she meets the legendary Elvis Presley. Witness this transformative encounter with an iconic figure who shaped the history of music.Pssst, parents! This message is for you: if you enjoyed this podcast, you can download Papumba to access 500+ educational activities for your little ones, including games, videos, books, and more!

Papumba: Podcasts Infantiles
Historias Valientes: Elvis Presley, el rey del rock 'n' roll

Papumba: Podcasts Infantiles

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 12, 2024 5:14


¡Hola, pequeños oyentes! Regresamos con otra emocionante Historia Valiente. ¿Están preparados para la aventura? En un salón de baile, Emma encuentra una escalera mágica que la transporta al Sun Studio de Memphis, donde conoce al legendario Elvis Presley. Sean testigos de este encuentro transformador con una figura icónica que marcó la historia de la música.¡Pssst, familias! Este mensaje es para ustedes: si les ha gustado este podcast, pueden descargarse ⁠Papumba⁠ para acceder a más de 500 actividades educativas para los más pequeños, ¡incluidos juegos, vídeos, libros y mucho más!

The Retrospectors
Elvis, Jerry Lee, Johnny & Carl

The Retrospectors

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2023 11:46


Today we discover the iconic jamming session that birthed ‘The Million Dollar Quartet' - Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl ‘Blue Suede Shoes' Perkins - who spent the day making music together at Sun Studios, Memphis on 4th December, 1956. Although the event began as an impromptu get-together, Sun's Sam Phillips was quick to call a press photographer to document the troupe, which also included Elvis's then-girlfriend, Marilyn Evans. Luckily, a savvy recording engineer also switched on the mics. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider why this rock n' roll quartet quickly reverted to gospel, bluegrass, blues, and country; unpick Johnny Cash's claim that he can't be heard on-mic because he was matching Presley's higher register; and marvel at Elvis's impression of Jackie Wilson… Further Reading: • ‘Million Dollar Quartet - Dec. 4 1956' (Sun Records, 2008): https://sunrecords.com/million-dollar-quartet-dec-4-1956/ • ‘Johnny Cash Elvis Presley: The story behind their epic recording session' (Daily Express, 2021): https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/music/1424775/Johnny-Cash-Elvis-Presley-story-behind-recording-session-the-million-dollar-quartet-evg • ‘The Million Dollar Quartet' (Sun Records, 1956): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOorJPVc6_M This episode first premiered in 2022, for members of

Yale Brothers Podcast
Episode 82 - "Adam Holt: Perpetual Music Machine"

Yale Brothers Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2023 45:02


Adam Holt's life would never be the same after, at nine years old, he saw Aerosmith's Joe Perry play a Silver Sparkle Gretsch Duo Jet on cable TV. Flash forward: Adam is a musical renaissance man - a performing songwriter focusing on contemporary Southern rock and blues. He lives near Gulf Shores, Alabama and has been a staple of the live music scene in the region for well over two decades. He's got three albums under his belt along with freestanding singles and other recording projects - and operates his own analog (two-inch tape) recording studio.  The twins enjoy a conversation with Adam about all of this and much more, including two original tracks - one of which has garnered more than a million streams on Spotify. SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - "The End" by Adam Holt - from the album, Kind of Blues 4:23 - Greetings and about the song / About Adam Holt 6:16 - Welcome, Adam / Admiring his studio on Zoom / Road trip to Memphis / Adam visits The Crossroads in Clarksdale, Miss. / B.B. King Museuum / Robert Johnson gravesite / Muddy Waters birthsite  7:51 - Spin Doctors in Tunica, Miss. / Gold Strike Casino Resort  8:22 - Joe Perry's influence on nine-year-old Adam / Aerosmith "Dude Looks Like a Lady" / Gretsch Duo Jet Silver Sparkle  9:00 - More about "The End" / Recording studio locations and history / Live recording versus multitracking / Recording Kind of Blues / Players on "The End" - Greg DeLuca, bass / Pierre Robinson, drums / Donnie Sundall, Hammond B-3 10:49 - Adam Holt on Spotify / Other projects / Recording at Sun Studio in Memphis / Curry Webber / More about Sun Studio Experience  13:37 - "The End" racked up 1.3 million streams on Spotify so far / Dutch magazine cover feature / Streaming and compensation / Concert ticket pricing / Touring and merch  17:02 - Early music experiences, instruments and education / First guitar at 14: Yamaha electric  18:18 - Goals for next album  18:37 - Highlights from more than two decades in music / Bayfest / Lynyrd Skynrd / Drivin and Cryin 19:43 - 20 years as a performer at Lucy Buffett's LuLu's  21:34 - Booking talent at LuLu's 22:40 - Producing other artists / More about Adam's recording studio / 1964 Gibson Hummingbird / 3M M79 two-inch Tape Machine / Producing Richard Douglas Jensen  29:46 - GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome / Gibson SJ 200 / Picker's Paradise / Gigs at Hard Rock Casino, Biloxi / Slot wins / Cash is king 33:30 - Family life / The Dad club 34:43 - Co-writing "Don't Give Up on Me Baby" with wife Jillian.  36:05 - Get your copy of Kind of Blues on limited run 180-gram blue vinyl by visiting www.adamholtmusic.com  39:03 - "Don't Give Up on Me Baby" by Adam Holt (Songwriters: Adam W. Holt / Jillian J. Holt)

METAL UP YOUR PODCAST - All Things Metallica
Episode 350 - M72 in Arlington

METAL UP YOUR PODCAST - All Things Metallica

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2023 117:39


Clint speaks with friends and patrons of the show Mark Potter (night 1) and Elizabeth Gleaton (night 2) about their very unique experiences at the Arlington M72 shows. Notably, Mark breaks down the entire Nothing Else Matters experience and weighs in on whether or not it's worth the expense, and Elizabeth goes bowling with the Metallica crew! Here are other topics discussed:Night 1:- getting into Metallica through top 40 radio- the unique quality of the “One” music video- mom's reacting to “So What” lyrics- record collecting and 50's/60's rock- the wide appeal of Metallica- Mark's most prized piece of vinyl- Sun Studios- curiosity about music- Springsteen, DMB and obsession- Hetfield making concerts special for kids- a full breakdown of the Nothing Else Matters M72 experience- touring the M72 stage- Wolfgang and Pantera 2.0- what it's like in the new Snake Pit- the Ross Halfin Q&A- the meet and greet with Lars and Robert- enjoying St. AngerNight 2:- meeting through Bob Schneider- seeing Metallica in '88 with Van Halen on the Monsters of Rock Tour- growing up in small town Texas- seeing Metallica without James on the Summer Sanitarium tour- becoming a super fan- seeing Rock in Rio in Vegas- Insanity Palace of Metallica- the friendliness of Metallica fans- bowling with the Metallica crew- Metallica bowling puns- the Frantic package- snake pit vs. rail experience- spreading the Load/Reload gospel- re-investigating St. Anger- Leaving out a section of “You Must Burn”- the power of Enter Sandman- Kid Rock karaokeIf you'd like to be on a future episode of Metal Tales, consider supporting Metal Up Your Podcast through PATREON.Mark's podcast about The Mavericks is HERE.Insanity Palace of Metallica is HERE.Clint Wells - Going Supernova (Out Now!)Merch store HERE!If you think Metal Up Your Podcast has value, please consider taking a brief moment to leave a positive review and subscribe on iTunes  here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/metal-up-your-podcast-all-things-metallica/id1187775077You can further support the show by becoming a patron. All patrons of Metal Up Your Podcast at the $5 level receive volumes 1-4 of our Cover Our World Blackened EP's for free. Additionally, patrons are invited to come on the show to talk about any past Metallica show they've been to and are given access to ask our guests like Ray Burton, Halestorm, Michael Wagener, Jay Weinberg of Slipknot and members of Metallica's crew their very own questions. Be a part of what makes Metal Up Your Podcast special by becoming a PATRON here:http://www.patreon.com/metalupyourpodcastJoin the MUYP Discord Server:https://discord.gg/nBUSwR8tPurchase/Stream Lunar Satan:https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/lunarsatan/lunar-satanPurchase/Stream VAMPIRE:https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/clintwells/vampirePurchase/Stream our Cover Our World Blackened Volumes and Quarantine Covers:https://metalupyourpodcast.bandcamp.comFollow us on all social media platforms.Write in at:metalupyourpodcastshow@gmail.com

Richard Syrett's Strange Planet
907 Living Colour Guitarist Vernon Reid on A.I. and the Music Industry

Richard Syrett's Strange Planet

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2023 54:06


EPISODE #907 Living Colour Guitarist Vernon Reid on A.I. and the Music Industry Richard speaks with a legendary musician about the impact Artificial Intelligence is having on the Music Industry. GUEST: Vernon Reid is the founder and primary songwriter of the rock band Living Colour, Reid was named No. 66 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Reid has played with artists ranging in style from Mariah Carey to Public Enemy, and from Mick Jagger to jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. He has undertaken a wide range of musical journeys, including the production of James Blood Ulmer's blues album at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis, reuniting with Living Colour for a series of shows, and touring with former Cream front man Jack Bruce. LINKS: https://www.facebook.com/VernonReid SUPPORT MY SPONSORS!!! Copy My Crypto Discover how over 2,800 people - many of who know nothing about crypto or how to invest - are building rapid wealth the cabal can never steal. "You don't need to know a thing about cryptocurrency if you copy someone who does." Gain Access for just $1 https://copymycrypto.com/richard BECOME A PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER https://strangeplanet.supportingcast.fm Use the discount code "Planet" to receive one month off the first subscription. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. By using our website and services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://strangeplanet.supportingcast.fm/

Inside Appalachia
Drop of Sun Studios and Appalachian Syrup, Inside Appalachia

Inside Appalachia

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2023 53:24


This week… Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, North Carolina has put out some of the hottest indie rock records of the year. We talked with one of its co-founders. We also visit the Allegheny Highlands, where Appalachia's maple syrup traditions are changing with the times. And, poet Lacy Snapp introduces us to east Tennessee's poetry scene. You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

West Virginia Morning
Asheville, NC's Music Recording Scene And Our Song Of The Week On This West Virginia Morning

West Virginia Morning

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2023


On this West Virginia Morning, Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, North Carolina has become something of an “it” record studio. Run by Alex Farrar and Adam McDaniel, the studio has racked up a slew of acclaimed records inside the past year, including albums by Angel Olsen, Archers of Loaf and more. The post Asheville, NC's Music Recording Scene And Our Song Of The Week On This West Virginia Morning appeared first on West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

One Step Beyond
S2E10: Driving the Blues Highway and Riding the Soul Train, from Chicago to New Orleans

One Step Beyond

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2023 58:52


On this Episode, host Tony Fletcher is in conversation with his old London friend Richard Heard about the latter's recent Great American Road Trip from Chicago to New Orleans, setting out to trace the Story of the American Blues. Covering 1300 miles in 10 days, Richard and his American road partner also visited the Stax Museum of American Soul in Memphis, took in revered Country revue show the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, attended Jazz Fest in New Orleans, traveled through the Robert Johnson Crossroads in Clarksdale, and saw the destruction wrought by a recent tornado in Rolling Rock, Mississippi. As Richard says, "Once I lifted the bonnet [translation: the hood] on the road trip, I thought, 'This is not just about music, this is a really really interesting part of American culture and social history which I didn't really know a lot about.'"Subjects include:Planning an American Road Trip around musicChoosing the right travel partnerFocusing on four cities: Chicago, Nashville, Memphis, New OrleansLearning about The Great MigrationThe Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, with Isaac Haye's gold-plated Cadillac, the Soul Train disco ball, the recreated sloping studio - and a history of Black American Music from Gospel on through.The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and the Stax songwriters wrote many of their hits.Seeing Buddy Guy jump on stage to jam at his Buddy Guy's Legends Club in Chicago - on the first night of their road trip.Why doing the Tourist Trail in these cities is no bad thingThe best live music of the whole journeyFrenchman Street in New Orleans, with a live music bar every 20 yardsThe Johnny Cash Museum in NashvilleThe magic of Sun Studio in MemphisDriving Highway 61 from Memphis to New Orleans, via the Blues capital of Clarksdale.Planning a return journey: Detroit, Cleveland and so much moreShort videos from Richard's trip can be seen at: https://www.instagram.com/rh64.2022/Tony Fletcher's books on:Wilson PickettEddie FloydMusic from the Streets of New York, 1927-77One Step Beyond Socials:Instagram is OneStepBeyondPodcastFacebook is One Step Beyond with Tony FletcherE-mail us at onestepbeyond@ijamming.net.Tony's other podcast, the [Jamming!] Fanzine Podcast is available via https://wavve.link/JammingPodcast/episodes (Richard was a guest on the first episode)Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/onestepbeyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Little Light
Margo Price

This Little Light

Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2023 43:57


Margo Price's music education and evolution, from 1. Growing up making plays for her sister and friends → 2. Buying herself her first guitar with her eighth grade graduation money → 3. Moving to Nashville and wanting to play a different kind of country music → 4. Pawning her wedding ring and selling her car to pay for recording at Sun Studios in Memphis, making the record, and then pitching it to every label and no interest for a year, until eventually Jack White's Third Man Records picked it up → 5. Navigating political influences on country music → 6. Facing pain and learning how to channel it through her music. Margo Price has something to say but nothing to prove. In just three remarkable solo albums, the singer and songwriter has cemented herself as a force in American music and a generational talent. A deserving critical darling, she has never shied away from the sounds that move her, the pain that's shaped her, or the topics that tick her off, like music industry double standards, the gender wage gap, or the plight of the American farmer (in 2021, she even joined the board of Farm Aid). While the last few years have seen remarkable moments of acclaim – a Best New Artist GRAMMY nomination, Americana Music Honors, a Saturday Night Live performance, and just about every outlet and critics' year-end Best Of list – Price is still hungry. On her fourth full-length Strays, a clear-eyed mission statement delivered in blistering rock and roll, she's taking on substance abuse, self-image, abortion rights, and orgasms. Musically extravagant but lyrically laser focused, the 10-song record tears into a broken world desperate for remedy. And who better to tell it? Price has been to the mountain and back, but finds herself, at long last, free. Feral. Stray. Follow Silverlake Conservatory of Music at @silverlake_conservatory  For more information on Parallel, visit parallel.la Follow Cadence13 at @cadence13 Follow Margo Price at @missmargoprice Follow Flea at @flea333 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Success Made to Last
Success Legends Honors Merle Haggard with his son Marty Haggard

Success Made to Last

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2023 43:41


MERLE HAGGARD, WHO over six decades composed and performed one of the greatest repertoires in country music, capturing the American condition with his stories of the poor, the lost, the working class, heartbroken and hard-living, lived for 79 years. In American and country music, few artists loomed larger. Haggard's career spanned 38 Number One country hits, and his rough hard-edged style influenced country and rock & roll artists from Waylon Jennings and Gram Parsons to Jamey Johnson and Eric Church. As a songwriter, Willie Nelson called him “one of the best.” “Merle Haggard has always been as deep as deep gets,” Bob Dylan told Rolling Stone in 2009. “Totally himself. Herculean.Even too big for Mount Rushmore. No superficiality about him whatsoever. He definitely transcends the country genre. If Merle had been around Sun Studio in Memphis in the Fifties, Sam Phillips would have turned him into a rock & roll star, one of the best.”Haggard didn't have to look far for material. His greatest songs – the Depression-era poverty described in “Hungry Eyes,” the prison diaries “Sing Me Back Home” and “Mama Tried,” the hard-living anthems like “I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink” and “Back to the Barrooms” – were all taken from the pages of his own life. He was born April 6th, 1937 near Bakersfield, California, two years after his family moved west from Oklahoma during the great dust bowl migration.Haggard's father found work on the railroad, playing fiddle in roadhouse bands on the side, and bought the family a $500 boxcar house. When Haggard was nine, he lost his father to a stroke, setting him on a path of what he called “illegal motion.” A year later, he hopped his first train with a friend, riding for 18 hours until getting caught. “I tried to explain [to my mother] that anybody could ride with a pass; it took a man to ride the way we had,” he said.

Vinyl Emergency
Episode 178: Magnolia Electric Co. 'Sojourner' Special

Vinyl Emergency

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2023 77:54


Releasing nearly 20 albums over 15 years, singer/songwriter Jason Molina penned "bruised and barren songs of longing and lost salvation" (NPR). Delivered with a soul-cutting, unadorned tenor, his discography continues to connect with a devoted fan base through varied incarnations -- whether in a group dynamic as Magnolia Electric Co. under his first solo moniker, Songs: Ohia or his own birthname -- despite his death in 2013, at the age of 39.   A particularly prolific period in the mid-00's saw the release of the 4-CD Magnolia box set Sojourner, encompassing full-band recordings with Steve Albini in Chicago, an alternate line-up in Virginia with Cracker frontman David Lowery producing, an EP's worth of tracks from Memphis' legendary Sun Studio, and Molina solo tapes from home. If the wide-range of performances weren't enough, Molina wanted to double-down on his mythological side by adding a ouija board and real chicken bones to the screen-printed wooden box. Eventually, label and artist settled on a celestial map and Magnolia medallion. They also put out a truncated version of this massive collection as the 10-track single LP, Fading Trails in 2006.   Today, former Magnolia bandmate Jason Evans Groth and Secretly Canadian label co-founder Ben Swanson discuss their memories of the sessions that make up Sojourner, the journey this project has taken to get to vinyl (released earlier this month, available via secretlystore.com), and how artists today continue to spread the gospel of Molina's canon a decade after his passing. Follow @jasonamolina on Instagram for archival content, and join the Molina fan community via staticanddistance.substack.com.   Secretly Canadian is also auctioning off vinyl test pressings of Molina's work and more via eBay, linked here. All proceeds are donated to housing non-profit New Hope for Families.

Treasures of our Town
Top 10 Spring Trip Locations in USA

Treasures of our Town

Play Episode Play 35 sec Highlight Listen Later Apr 17, 2023 60:29 Transcription Available


Send us a Text Message.Spring is a beautiful time to travel in the USA, as the weather begins to warm up and nature comes back to life. In this episode of "Treasures of Our Town," we're going to share our top 10 favourite places to visit in the USA in the springtime. Join us as we share our love for these special places. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just starting out, this episode is sure to inspire your next springtime adventure in the USA.Social Media Links - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YoutubeLinks from the showSanta Fe, Meow Wolf, Naples, Florida, Gumbo Limbo, St Augustine,  Josh's St Augustine Video,  Benchmark Geocache GC1MVYP,  Visit Phoenix,  Papago Park,  Mesa GeoTour 1  - Mesa Geotour 2, Arizona's Oldest Geocache GC57, Josh's Video of Phoenix, Craig's Video of Phoenix,  Cheleas Kitchen - Phoenix, Texas Hill Country, Texas Challenge,  Memphis, Tennessee,  Sun Studio, Josh's Memphis Video, Shelby Farms, Cachefest, Civil Rights Museum, Lake Tahoe,Lake Tahoe Scuba Cache GC9TCVF, Rome, Georgia, Going Caching Mega,  Creel Home, Support the Show.FacebookInstagramTwitterYoutube

Six String Hayride
Episode 9 Sam Phillips and the Million Dollar Quartet

Six String Hayride

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2023 69:42


Season 2, Episode 1. Sam Phillips, The Million Dollar Quartet, and SUN Studio. A look at the Musical Institution that is SUN Studio with discussions on Sam Phillips, Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis.https://www.patreon.com/user?u=81625843

Known Pleasures
Known Pleasures Ep 41 - U2

Known Pleasures

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2023 56:41


In 1988, U2 seemed to believe their roots lay with the Beatles, Hendrix, Billie Holliday and Bo Diddley. The album – and film – Rattle and Hum saw them referencing the above, as well as recording with Dylan, then BB King, at Sun Studio in Memphis. But where were their actual influences in this telling of the tale? The Rottens and Viciouses? The Curtises and Hooks? The Strummerses? Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0NTcqN7km05UEpZB2auX5S?si=adc61be685084e11 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Known-Pleasures-131768500804116 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knownpleasurespodcast/ Twitter: @pleasuresknown Known Pleasures Theme Song: Untitled Red - Ephemeral : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTMSO2ax8SA  

D Side Stories
S2E59 Legendary Studios

D Side Stories

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2023 33:57


From Abbey Road to Sun Studios, the recording studio has played a fundamental role in a band's sound. What are these famous studios and what makes them so important for the sound, vibe and overall effect? Join us as we discover why.

Lewis Black's Rantcast
#105 - Stuck Inside of Memphis with the Mobile Blues Again

Lewis Black's Rantcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2022 63:42


Our host Lewis checks in this week from the Home of the Blues, Memphis, Tennessee! We're recording this week's episode in the parking lot of Sun Studios. Sun Studios has produced some legendary, great music. Countless hits. Midterm elections were this week and all the news coverage of it has been people standing in line. Even though people are standing in line to vote, our host reminds you that you need to give people a reason to vote! One political party comes up with solutions they can't explain. The other political party wants to keep their good ideas a secret. It's important to vote. It matters. Lewis is sick of people saying that George Carlin didn't vote. How do you know that to be true? He could just be saying that because he's George and he is a comedian! But then again, voting probably did genuinely bother him a lot. Lewis had an extra day to spend some time in Memphis. If he's being honest, he ordered enough BBQ to feed a family of six. Also, if you're ever in Memphis, you need to visit the civil rights museum. It will be one of the most extraordinary experiences you can ever have. It's crazy that they don't want to teach about civil rights history in school. Kids need to learn about this.  Our host's next stops in his tour are in Georgia and North Carolina. As always, our host reminds us that we take care of each other. It's the most important thing we can do for one another.  This week's live rants were filmed at Austin City Limits at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas and the Majestic Theater in Dallas, Texas.  For advertising opportunities email: advertise@thelaughbutton.com  SUBMIT RANTS TO LEWIS https://www.lewisblack.com/live Lewis' Grammy-nominated special, "Thanks For Risking Your Life" is available now! https://tlbrecords.lnk.to/LewisWE SUBSCRIBE TO THE RANTCAST https://www.lewisblacksrantcast.com https://thelaughbutton.podlink.to/Ran... FOLLOW LEWIS https://www.lewisblack.com  https://www.instagram.com/thelewisblack https://twitter.com/thelewisblack https://www.facebook.com/thelewisblack https://www.youtube.com/OfficialLewis... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Obscura: A True Crime Podcast
Our Team Presents: Hometown History

Obscura: A True Crime Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 0:30


From the same team that brings you Obscura - introducing our podcast Hometown History. Since 2016, Shane has been traveling to hometowns across America in search of forgotten history. Sure, these places may not be your hometown, but they are someone's and that is what makes them important. Shane travels to these places of forgotten historical significance and shares these stories with you. We all love hearing the unknown stories of the places we visit when planning a trip - like the Redwoods National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, or Sun Studio. But what about Parker's Cross Roads, Tennessee? Or the Island in Michigan where the only American King ruled? But if you also enjoy traveling vicariously then this is also a podcast for you. Find Hometown History wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory

Foul Play
Our Team Presents: Hometown History

Foul Play

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 0:30


From the same team that brings you Foul Play: Crime Series - introducing our podcast Hometown History. Since 2016, Shane has been traveling to hometowns across America in search of forgotten history. Sure, these places may not be your hometown, but they are someone's and that is what makes them important. Shane travels to these places of forgotten historical significance and shares these stories with you. We all love hearing the unknown stories of the places we visit when planning a trip - like the Redwoods National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, or Sun Studio. But what about Parker's Cross Roads, Tennessee? Or the Island in Michigan where the only American King ruled? But if you also enjoy traveling vicariously then this is also a podcast for you. Find Hometown History wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory

The Peripheral
Our Team Presents: Hometown History

The Peripheral

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 0:30


From the same team that brings you Foul Play: Crime Series - introducing our podcast Hometown History. Since 2016, Shane has been traveling to hometowns across America in search of forgotten history. Sure, these places may not be your hometown, but they are someone's and that is what makes them important. Shane travels to these places of forgotten historical significance and shares these stories with you. We all love hearing the unknown stories of the places we visit when planning a trip - like the Redwoods National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, or Sun Studio. But what about Parker's Cross Roads, Tennessee? Or the Island in Michigan where the only American King ruled? But if you also enjoy traveling vicariously then this is also a podcast for you. Find Hometown History wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory

The Asian Madness Podcast
Our Team Presents: Hometown History

The Asian Madness Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 0:30


From the same team that brings you The Asian Madness Podcast - introducing our podcast Hometown History. Since 2016, Shane has been traveling to hometowns across America in search of forgotten history. Sure, these places may not be your hometown, but they are someone's and that is what makes them important. Shane travels to these places of forgotten historical significance and shares these stories with you. We all love hearing the unknown stories of the places we visit when planning a trip - like the Redwoods National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, or Sun Studio. But what about Parker's Cross Roads, Tennessee? Or the Island in Michigan where the only American King ruled? But if you also enjoy traveling vicariously then this is also a podcast for you. Find Hometown History wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory

Frightful
Our Team Presents: Hometown History

Frightful

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 0:30


From the same team that brings you Frightful - introducing our podcast Hometown History. Since 2016, Shane has been traveling to hometowns across America in search of forgotten history. Sure, these places may not be your hometown, but they are someone's and that is what makes them important. Shane travels to these places of forgotten historical significance and shares these stories with you. We all love hearing the unknown stories of the places we visit when planning a trip - like the Redwoods National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, or Sun Studio. But what about Parker's Cross Roads, Tennessee? Or the Island in Michigan where the only American King ruled? But if you also enjoy traveling vicariously then this is also a podcast for you. Find Hometown History wherever you get your podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 22, 2022 is: abide • uh-BYDE • verb Abide is often used in negative constructions, such as “can't abide,” to say that someone cannot tolerate or accept something. Abide can also mean “to accept without objection” and “to remain or continue.” // I just can't abide such blatant dishonesty. // Residents of the dorm agree to abide by the dorm's rules. See the entry > Examples: “When it comes to the quality of recording, mixing and mastering, the industry standard is quite flexible. ‘Mostly it comes down to taste and finding someone with the skill set to achieve a desired outcome,' says Adam McDaniel, co-owner of Drop of Sun Studios in West Asheville. ... ‘But the subjective qualities of tone and fidelity are dictated by the songs and the artists' preference. Personally, I can't abide an attitude of ‘that's good enough.' If something can be better, then let's go further.'” — Edwin Arnaudin, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, North Carolina), 10 Aug. 2022 Did you know? Abide has abided in the English language since before the 12th century, picking up along the way several meanings and inflections that are now rare or no longer in use. For instance, one of abide's former meanings was “to stop” and its former past participle was abidden (whereas we now use abided or abode). Today, abide often turns up in the phrase “can't abide” to say that someone cannot tolerate or accept something. The expression abide by, which means “to accept and be guided by (something),” is also common. Related terms include abiding, meaning “continuing for a long time” or “not changing” (as in “an abiding friendship”), abidance (“continuance” or “the act or process of doing what you have been asked or ordered to do”), and abode (“the place where someone lives”).

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs
Episode 152: “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield

A History Of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2022


Episode 152 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “For What It's Worth”, and the short but eventful career of Buffalo Springfield. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a twenty-five-minute bonus episode available, on "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" by Glen Campbell. 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 As usual, there's a Mixcloud mix containing all the songs excerpted in the episode. This four-CD box set is the definitive collection of Buffalo Springfield's work, while if you want the mono version of the second album, the stereo version of the first, and the final album as released, but no demos or outtakes, you want this more recent box set. For What It's Worth: The Story of Buffalo Springfield by Richey Furay and John Einarson is obviously Furay's version of the story, but all the more interesting for that. For information on Steve Stills' early life I used Stephen Stills: Change Partners by David Roberts.  Information on both Stills and Young comes from Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young by David Browne.  Jimmy McDonough's Shakey is the definitive biography of Neil Young, while Young's Waging Heavy Peace is his autobiography. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript A quick note before we begin -- this episode deals with various disabilities. In particular, there are descriptions of epileptic seizures that come from non-medically-trained witnesses, many of whom took ableist attitudes towards the seizures. I don't know enough about epilepsy to know how accurate their descriptions and perceptions are, and I apologise if that means that by repeating some of their statements, I am inadvertently passing on myths about the condition. When I talk about this, I am talking about the after-the-fact recollections of musicians, none of them medically trained and many of them in altered states of consciousness, about events that had happened decades earlier. Please do not take anything said in a podcast about music history as being the last word on the causes or effects of epileptic seizures, rather than how those musicians remember them. Anyway, on with the show. One of the things you notice if you write about protest songs is that a lot of the time, the songs that people talk about as being important or impactful have aged very poorly. Even great songwriters like Bob Dylan or John Lennon, when writing material about the political events of the time, would write material they would later acknowledge was far from their best. Too often a song will be about a truly important event, and be powered by a real sense of outrage at injustice, but it will be overly specific, and then as soon as the immediate issue is no longer topical, the song is at best a curio. For example, the sentencing of the poet and rock band manager John Sinclair to ten years in prison for giving two joints to an undercover police officer was hugely controversial in the early seventies, but by the time John Lennon's song about it was released, Sinclair had been freed by the Supreme Court, and very, very few people would use the song as an example of why Lennon's songwriting still has lasting value: [Excerpt: John Lennon, "John Sinclair"] But there are exceptions, and those tend to be songs where rather than talking about specific headlines, the song is about the emotion that current events have caused. Ninety years on from its first success, for example, "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" still has resonance, because there are still people who are put out of work through no fault of their own, and even those of us who are lucky enough to be financially comfortable have the fear that all too soon it may end, and we may end up like Al begging on the streets: [Excerpt: Rudy Vallee, "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?"] And because of that emotional connection, sometimes the very best protest songs can take on new lives and new meanings, and connect with the way people feel about totally unrelated subjects. Take Buffalo Springfield's one hit. The actual subject of the song couldn't be any more trivial in the grand scheme of things -- a change in zoning regulations around the Sunset Strip that meant people under twenty-one couldn't go to the clubs after 10PM, and the subsequent reaction to that -- but because rather than talking about the specific incident, Steve Stills instead talked about the emotions that it called up, and just noted the fleeting images that he was left with, the song became adopted as an anthem by soldiers in Vietnam. Sometimes what a song says is nowhere near as important as how it says it. [Excerpt: Buffalo Springfield, "For What It's Worth"] Steve Stills seems almost to have been destined to be a musician, although the instrument he started on, the drums, was not the one for which he would become best known. According to Stills, though, he always had an aptitude for rhythm, to the extent that he learned to tapdance almost as soon as he had learned to walk. He started on drums aged eight or nine, after somebody gave him a set of drumsticks. After his parents got sick of him damaging the furniture by playing on every available surface, an actual drum kit followed, and that became his principal instrument, even after he learned to play the guitar at military school, as his roommate owned one. As a teenager, Stills developed an idiosyncratic taste in music, helped by the record collection of his friend Michael Garcia. He didn't particularly like most of the pop music of the time, but he was a big fan of pre-war country music, Motown, girl-group music -- he especially liked the Shirelles -- and Chess blues. He was also especially enamoured of the music of Jimmy Reed, a passion he would later share with his future bandmate Neil Young: [Excerpt: Jimmy Reed, "Baby, What You Want Me To Do?"] In his early teens, he became the drummer for a band called the Radars, and while he was drumming he studied their lead guitarist, Chuck Schwin.  He said later "There was a whole little bunch of us who were into kind of a combination of all the blues guys and others including Chet Atkins, Dick Dale, and Hank Marvin: a very weird cross-section of far-out guitar players." Stills taught himself to play like those guitarists, and in particular he taught himself how to emulate Atkins' Travis-picking style, and became remarkably proficient at it. There exists a recording of him, aged sixteen, singing one of his own songs and playing finger-picked guitar, and while the song is not exactly the strongest thing I've ever heard lyrically, it's clearly the work of someone who is already a confident performer: [Excerpt: Stephen Stills, "Travellin'"] But the main reason he switched to becoming a guitarist wasn't because of his admiration for Chet Atkins or Hank Marvin, but because he started driving and discovered that if you have to load a drum kit into your car and then drive it to rehearsals and gigs you either end up bashing up your car or bashing up the drum kit. As this is not a problem with guitars, Stills decided that he'd move on from the Radars, and join a band named the Continentals as their rhythm guitarist, playing with lead guitarist Don Felder. Stills was only in the Continentals for a few months though, before being replaced by another guitarist, Bernie Leadon, and in general Stills' whole early life is one of being uprooted and moved around. His father had jobs in several different countries, and while for the majority of his time Stills was in the southern US, he also ended up spending time in Costa Rica -- and staying there as a teenager even as the rest of his family moved to El Salvador. Eventually, aged eighteen, he moved to New Orleans, where he formed a folk duo with a friend, Chris Sarns. The two had very different tastes in folk music -- Stills preferred Dylan-style singer-songwriters, while Sarns liked the clean sound of the Kingston Trio -- but they played together for several months before moving to Greenwich Village, where they performed together and separately. They were latecomers to the scene, which had already mostly ended, and many of the folk stars had already gone on to do bigger things. But Stills still saw plenty of great performers there -- Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonius Monk in the jazz clubs, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, and Richard Pryor in the comedy ones, and Simon and Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Fred Neil and Tim Hardin in the folk ones -- Stills said that other than Chet Atkins, Havens, Neil, and Hardin were the people most responsible for his guitar style. Stills was also, at this time, obsessed with Judy Collins' third album -- the album which had featured Roger McGuinn on banjo and arrangements, and which would soon provide several songs for the Byrds to cover: [Excerpt: Judy Collins, "Turn, Turn, Turn"] Judy Collins would soon become a very important figure in Stills' life, but for now she was just the singer on his favourite record. While the Greenwich Village folk scene was no longer quite what it had been a year or two earlier, it was still a great place for a young talented musician to perform. As well as working with Chris Sarns, Stills also formed a trio with his friend John Hopkins and a banjo player called Peter Tork who everyone said looked just like Stills. Tork soon headed out west to seek his fortune, and then Stills got headhunted to join the Au Go Go Singers. This was a group that was being set up in the same style as the New Christy Minstrels -- a nine-piece vocal and instrumental group that would do clean-sounding versions of currently-popular folk songs. The group were signed to Roulette Records, and recorded one album, They Call Us Au-Go-Go Singers, produced by Hugo and Luigi, the production duo we've previously seen working with everyone from the Tokens to the Isley Brothers. Much of the album is exactly the same kind of thing that a million New Christy Minstrels soundalikes were putting out -- and Stills, with his raspy voice, was clearly intended to be the Barry McGuire of this group -- but there was one exception -- a song called "High Flyin' Bird", on which Stills was able to show off the sound that would later make him famous, and which became so associated with him that even though it was written by Billy Edd Wheeler, the writer of "Jackson", even the biography of Stills I used in researching this episode credits "High Flyin' Bird" as being a Stills original: [Excerpt: The Au-Go-Go Singers, "High Flyin' Bird"] One of the other members of the Au-Go-Go Singers, Richie Furay, also got to sing a lead vocal on the album, on the Tom Paxton song "Where I'm Bound": [Excerpt: The Au-Go-Go Singers, "Where I'm Bound"] The Au-Go-Go Singers got a handful of dates around the folk scene, and Stills and Furay became friendly with another singer playing the same circuit, Gram Parsons. Parsons was one of the few people they knew who could see the value in current country music, and convinced both Stills and Furay to start paying more attention to what was coming out of Nashville and Bakersfield. But soon the Au-Go-Go Singers split up. Several venues where they might otherwise have been booked were apparently scared to book an act that was associated with Morris Levy, and also the market for big folk ensembles dried up more or less overnight when the Beatles hit the music scene. But several of the group -- including Stills but not Furay -- decided they were going to continue anyway, and formed a group called The Company, and they went on a tour of Canada. And one of the venues they played was the Fourth Dimension coffee house in Fort William, Ontario, and there their support act was a rock band called The Squires: [Excerpt: The Squires, "(I'm a Man And) I Can't Cry"] The lead guitarist of the Squires, Neil Young, had a lot in common with Stills, and they bonded instantly. Both men had parents who had split up when they were in their teens, and had a successful but rather absent father and an overbearing mother. And both had shown an interest in music even as babies. According to Young's mother, when he was still in nappies, he would pull himself up by the bars  of his playpen and try to dance every time he heard "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie": [Excerpt: Pinetop Smith, "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie"] Young, though, had had one crucial experience which Stills had not had. At the age of six, he'd come down with polio, and become partially paralysed. He'd spent months in hospital before he regained his ability to walk, and the experience had also affected him in other ways. While he was recovering, he would draw pictures of trains -- other than music, his big interest, almost an obsession, was with electric train sets, and that obsession would remain with him throughout his life -- but for the first time he was drawing with his right hand rather than his left. He later said "The left-hand side got a little screwed. Feels different from the right. If I close my eyes, my left side, I really don't know where it is—but over the years I've discovered that almost one hundred percent for sure it's gonna be very close to my right side … probably to the left. That's why I started appearing to be ambidextrous, I think. Because polio affected my left side, and I think I was left-handed when I was born. What I have done is use the weak side as the dominant one because the strong side was injured." Both Young's father Scott Young -- a very famous Canadian writer and sports broadcaster, who was by all accounts as well known in Canada during his lifetime as his son -- and Scott's brother played ukulele, and they taught Neil how to play, and his first attempt at forming a group had been to get his friend Comrie Smith to get a pair of bongos and play along with him to Preston Epps' "Bongo Rock": [Excerpt: Preston Epps, "Bongo Rock"] Neil Young had liked all the usual rock and roll stars of the fifties  -- though in his personal rankings, Elvis came a distant third behind Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis -- but his tastes ran more to the more darkly emotional. He loved "Maybe" by the Chantels, saying "Raw soul—you cannot miss it. That's the real thing. She was believin' every word she was singin'." [Excerpt: The Chantels, "Maybe"] What he liked more than anything was music that had a mainstream surface but seemed slightly off-kilter. He was a major fan of Roy Orbison, saying, "it's almost impossible to comprehend the depth of that soul. It's so deep and dark it just keeps on goin' down—but it's not black. It's blue, deep blue. He's just got it. The drama. There's something sad but proud about Roy's music", and he would say similar things about Del Shannon, saying "He struck me as the ultimate dark figure—behind some Bobby Rydell exterior, y'know? “Hats Off to Larry,” “Runaway,” “Swiss Maid”—very, very inventive. The stuff was weird. Totally unaffected." More surprisingly, perhaps, he was a particular fan of Bobby Darin, who he admired so much because Darin could change styles at the drop of a hat, going from novelty rock and roll like "Splish Splash" to crooning "Mack The Knife" to singing Tim Hardin songs like "If I Were a Carpenter", without any of them seeming any less authentic. As he put it later "He just changed. He's completely different. And he's really into it. Doesn't sound like he's not there. “Dream Lover,” “Mack the Knife,” “If I Were a Carpenter,” “Queen of the Hop,” “Splish Splash”—tell me about those records, Mr. Darin. Did you write those all the same day, or what happened? He just changed so much. Just kinda went from one place to another. So it's hard to tell who Bobby Darin really was." And one record which Young was hugely influenced by was Floyd Cramer's country instrumental, "Last Date": [Excerpt: Floyd Cramer, "Last Date"] Now, that was a very important record in country music, and if you want to know more about it I strongly recommend listening to the episode of Cocaine and Rhinestones on the Nashville A-Team, which has a long section on the track, but the crucial thing to know about that track is that it's one of the earliest examples of what is known as slip-note playing, where the piano player, before hitting the correct note, briefly hits the note a tone below it, creating a brief discord. Young absolutely loved that sound, and wanted to make a sound like that on the guitar. And then, when he and his mother moved to Winnipeg after his parents' divorce, he found someone who was doing just that. It was the guitarist in a group variously known as Chad Allan and the Reflections and Chad Allan and the Expressions. That group had relatives in the UK who would send them records, and so where most Canadian bands would do covers of American hits, Chad Allan and the Reflections would do covers of British hits, like their version of Geoff Goddard's "Tribute to Buddy Holly", a song that had originally been produced by Joe Meek: [Excerpt: Chad Allan and the Reflections, "Tribute to Buddy Holly"] That would later pay off for them in a big way, when they recorded a version of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates' "Shakin' All Over", for which their record label tried to create an air of mystery by releasing it with no artist name, just "Guess Who?" on the label. It became a hit, the name stuck, and they became The Guess Who: [Excerpt: The Guess Who, "Shakin' All Over"] But at this point they, and their guitarist Randy Bachman, were just another group playing around Winnipeg. Bachman, though, was hugely impressive to Neil Young for a few reasons. The first was that he really did have a playing style that was a lot like the piano style of Floyd Cramer -- Young would later say "it was Randy Bachman who did it first. Randy was the first one I ever heard do things on the guitar that reminded me of Floyd. He'd do these pulls—“darrr darrrr,” this two-note thing goin' together—harmony, with one note pulling and the other note stayin' the same." Bachman also had built the first echo unit that Young heard a guitarist play in person. He'd discovered that by playing with the recording heads on a tape recorder owned by his mother, he could replicate the tape echo that Sam Phillips had used at Sun Studios -- and once he'd attached that to his amplifier, he realised how much the resulting sound sounded like his favourite guitarist, Hank Marvin of the Shadows, another favourite of Neil Young's: [Excerpt: The Shadows, "Man of Mystery"] Young soon started looking to Bachman as something of a mentor figure, and he would learn a lot of guitar techniques second hand from Bachman -- every time a famous musician came to the area, Bachman would go along and stand right at the front and watch the guitarist, and make note of the positions their fingers were in. Then Bachman would replicate those guitar parts with the Reflections, and Neil Young would stand in front of him and make notes of where *his* fingers were. Young joined a band on the local circuit called the Esquires, but soon either quit or was fired, depending on which version of the story you choose to believe. He then formed his own rival band, the Squires, with no "e", much to the disgust of his ex-bandmates. In July 1963, five months after they formed, the  Squires released their first record, "Aurora" backed with "The Sultan", on a tiny local label. Both tracks were very obviously influenced by the Shadows: [Excerpt: The Squires, "Aurora"] The Squires were a mostly-instrumental band for the first year or so they were together, and then the Beatles hit North America, and suddenly people didn't want to hear surf instrumentals and Shadows covers any more, they only wanted to hear songs that sounded a bit like the Beatles. The Squires started to work up the appropriate repertoire -- two songs that have been mentioned as in their set at this point are the Beatles album track "It Won't Be Long", and "Money" which the Beatles had also covered -- but they didn't have a singer, being an instrumental group. They could get in a singer, of course, but that would mean splitting the money with another person. So instead, the guitarist, who had never had any intention of becoming a singer, was more or less volunteered for the role. Over the next eighteen months or so the group's repertoire moved from being largely instrumental to largely vocal, and the group also seem to have shuttled around a bit between two different cities -- Winnipeg and Fort William, staying in one for a while and then moving back to the other. They travelled between the two in Young's car, a Buick Roadmaster hearse. In Winnipeg, Young first met up with a singer named Joni Anderson, who was soon to get married to Chuck Mitchell and would become better known by her married name. The two struck up a friendship, though by all accounts never a particularly close one -- they were too similar in too many ways; as Mitchell later said “Neil and I have a lot in common: Canadian; Scorpios; polio in the same epidemic, struck the same parts of our body; and we both have a black sense of humor". They were both also idiosyncratic artists who never fit very well into boxes. In Fort William the Squires made a few more records, this time vocal tracks like "I'll Love You Forever": [Excerpt: The Squires, "I'll Love You Forever"] It was also in Fort William that Young first encountered two acts that would make a huge impression on him. One was a group called The Thorns, consisting of Tim Rose, Jake Holmes, and Rich Husson. The Thorns showed Young that there was interesting stuff being done on the fringes of the folk music scene. He later said "One of my favourites was “Oh Susannah”—they did this arrangement that was bizarre. It was in a minor key, which completely changed everything—and it was rock and roll. So that idea spawned arrangements of all these other songs for me. I did minor versions of them all. We got into it. That was a certain Squires stage that never got recorded. Wish there were tapes of those shows. We used to do all this stuff, a whole kinda music—folk-rock. We took famous old folk songs like “Clementine,” “She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain,” “Tom Dooley,” and we did them all in minor keys based on the Tim Rose arrangement of “Oh Susannah.” There are no recordings of the Thorns in existence that I know of, but presumably that arrangement that Young is talking about is the version that Rose also later did with the Big 3, which we've heard in a few other episodes: [Excerpt: The Big 3, "The Banjo Song"] The other big influence was, of course, Steve Stills, and the two men quickly found themselves influencing each other deeply. Stills realised that he could bring more rock and roll to his folk-music sound, saying that what amazed him was the way the Squires could go from "Cottonfields" (the Lead Belly song) to "Farmer John", the R&B song by Don and Dewey that was becoming a garage-rock staple. Young in turn was inspired to start thinking about maybe going more in the direction of folk music. The Squires even renamed themselves the High-Flying Birds, after the song that Stills had recorded with the Au Go Go Singers. After The Company's tour of Canada, Stills moved back to New York for a while. He now wanted to move in a folk-rock direction, and for a while he tried to persuade his friend John Sebastian to let him play bass in his new band, but when the Lovin' Spoonful decided against having him in the band, he decided to move West to San Francisco, where he'd heard there was a new music scene forming. He enjoyed a lot of the bands he saw there, and in particular he was impressed by the singer of a band called the Great Society: [Excerpt: The Great Society, "Somebody to Love"] He was much less impressed with the rest of her band, and seriously considered going up to her and asking if she wanted to work with some *real* musicians instead of the unimpressive ones she was working with, but didn't get his nerve up. We will, though, be hearing more about Grace Slick in future episodes. Instead, Stills decided to move south to LA, where many of the people he'd known in Greenwich Village were now based. Soon after he got there, he hooked up with two other musicians, a guitarist named Steve Young and a singer, guitarist, and pianist named Van Dyke Parks. Parks had a record contract at MGM -- he'd been signed by Tom Wilson, the same man who had turned Dylan electric, signed Simon and Garfunkel, and produced the first albums by the Mothers of Invention. With Wilson, Parks put out a couple of singles in 1966, "Come to the Sunshine": [Excerpt: The Van Dyke Parks, "Come to the Sunshine"] And "Number Nine", a reworking of the Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony: [Excerpt: The Van Dyke Parks, "Number Nine"]Parks, Stills, and Steve Young became The Van Dyke Parks Band, though they didn't play together for very long, with their most successful performance being as the support act for the Lovin' Spoonful for a show in Arizona. But they did have a lasting resonance -- when Van Dyke Parks finally got the chance to record his first solo album, he opened it with Steve Young singing the old folk song "Black Jack Davy", filtered to sound like an old tape: [Excerpt: Steve Young, "Black Jack Davy"] And then it goes into a song written for Parks by Randy Newman, but consisting of Newman's ideas about Parks' life and what he knew about him, including that he had been third guitar in the Van Dyke Parks Band: [Excerpt: Van Dyke Parks, "Vine Street"] Parks and Stills also wrote a few songs together, with one of their collaborations, "Hello, I've Returned", later being demoed by Stills for Buffalo Springfield: [Excerpt: Steve Stills, "Hello, I've Returned"] After the Van Dyke Parks Band fell apart, Parks went on to many things, including a brief stint on keyboards in the Mothers of Invention, and we'll be talking more about him next episode. Stills formed a duo called the Buffalo Fish, with his friend Ron Long. That soon became an occasional trio when Stills met up again with his old Greenwich Village friend Peter Tork, who joined the group on the piano. But then Stills auditioned for the Monkees and was turned down because he had bad teeth -- or at least that's how most people told the story. Stills has later claimed that while he turned up for the Monkees auditions, it wasn't to audition, it was to try to pitch them songs, which seems implausible on the face of it. According to Stills, he was offered the job and turned it down because he'd never wanted it. But whatever happened, Stills suggested they might want his friend Peter, who looked just like him apart from having better teeth, and Peter Tork got the job. But what Stills really wanted to do was to form a proper band. He'd had the itch to do it ever since seeing the Squires, and he decided he should ask Neil Young to join. There was only one problem -- when he phoned Young, the phone was answered by Young's mother, who told Stills that Neil had moved out to become a folk singer, and she didn't know where he was. But then Stills heard from his old friend Richie Furay. Furay was still in Greenwich Village, and had decided to write to Stills. He didn't know where Stills was, other than that he was in California somewhere, so he'd written to Stills' father in El Salvador. The letter had been returned, because the postage had been short by one cent, so Furay had resent it with the correct postage. Stills' father had then forwarded the letter to the place Stills had been staying in San Francisco, which had in turn forwarded it on to Stills in LA. Furay's letter mentioned this new folk singer who had been on the scene for a while and then disappeared again, Neil Young, who had said he knew Stills, and had been writing some great songs, one of which Furay had added to his own set. Stills got in touch with Furay and told him about this great band he was forming in LA, which he wanted Furay to join. Furay was in, and travelled from New York to LA, only to be told that at this point there were no other members of this great band, but they'd definitely find some soon. They got a publishing deal with Columbia/Screen Gems, which gave them enough money to not starve, but what they really needed was to find some other musicians. They did, when driving down Hollywood Boulevard on April the sixth, 1966. There, stuck in traffic going the other way, they saw a hearse... After Steve Stills had left Fort William, so had Neil Young. He hadn't initially intended to -- the High-Flying Birds still had a regular gig, but Young and some of his friends had gone away for a few days on a road trip in his hearse. But unfortunately the transmission on the hearse had died, and Young and his friends had been stranded. Many years later, he would write a eulogy to the hearse, which he and Stills would record together: [Excerpt: The Stills-Young Band, "Long May You Run"] Young and his friends had all hitch-hiked in different directions -- Young had ended up in Toronto, where his dad lived, and had stayed with his dad for a while. The rest of his band had eventually followed him there, but Young found the Toronto music scene not to his taste -- the folk and rock scenes there were very insular and didn't mingle with each other, and the group eventually split up. Young even took on a day job for a while, for the only time in his life, though he soon quit. Young started basically commuting between Toronto and New York, a distance of several hundred miles, going to Greenwich Village for a while before ending up back in Toronto, and ping-ponging between the two. In New York, he met up with Richie Furay, and also had a disastrous audition for Elektra Records as a solo artist. One of the songs he sang in the audition was "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing", the song which Furay liked so much he started performing it himself. Young doesn't normally explain his songs, but as this was one of the first he ever wrote, he talked about it in interviews in the early years, before he decided to be less voluble about his art. The song was apparently about the sense of youthful hope being crushed. The instigation for it was Young seeing his girlfriend with another man, but the central image, of Clancy not singing, came from Young's schooldays. The Clancy in question was someone Young liked as one of the other weird kids at school. He was disabled, like Young, though with MS rather than polio, and he would sing to himself in the hallways at school. Sadly, of course, the other kids would mock and bully him for that, and eventually he ended up stopping. Young said about it "After awhile, he got so self-conscious he couldn't do his thing any more. When someone who is as beautiful as that and as different as that is actually killed by his fellow man—you know what I mean—like taken and sorta chopped down—all the other things are nothing compared to this." [Excerpt: Neil Young, "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing (Elektra demo)"] One thing I should say for anyone who listens to the Mixcloud for this episode, that song, which will be appearing in a couple of different versions, has one use of a term for Romani people that some (though not all) consider a slur. It's not in the excerpts I'll be using in this episode, but will be in the full versions on the Mixcloud. Sadly that word turns up time and again in songs of this era... When he wasn't in New York, Young was living in Toronto in a communal apartment owned by a folk singer named Vicki Taylor, where many of the Toronto folk scene would stay. Young started listening a lot to Taylor's Bert Jansch albums, which were his first real exposure to the British folk-baroque style of guitar fingerpicking, as opposed to the American Travis-picking style, and Young would soon start to incorporate that style into his own playing: [Excerpt: Bert Jansch, "Angie"] Another guitar influence on Young at this point was another of the temporary tenants of Taylor's flat, John Kay, who would later go on to be one of the founding members of Steppenwolf. Young credited Kay with having a funky rhythm guitar style that Young incorporated into his own. While he was in Toronto, he started getting occasional gigs in Detroit, which is "only" a couple of hundred miles away, set up by Joni and Chuck Mitchell, both of whom also sometimes stayed at Taylor's. And it was in Detroit that Neil Young became, albeit very briefly, a Motown artist. The Mynah Birds were a band in Toronto that had at one point included various future members of Steppenwolf, and they were unusual for the time in that they were a white band with a Black lead singer, Ricky Matthews. They also had a rich manager, John Craig Eaton, the heir to the Eaton's department store fortune, who basically gave them whatever money they wanted -- they used to go to his office and tell him they needed seven hundred dollars for lunch, and he'd hand it to them. They were looking for a new guitarist when Bruce Palmer, their bass player, bumped into Neil Young carrying an amp and asked if he was interested in joining. He was. The Mynah Birds quickly became one of the best bands in Toronto, and Young and Matthews became close, both as friends and as a performance team. People who saw them live would talk about things like a song called “Hideaway”, written by Young and Matthews, which had a spot in the middle where Young would start playing a harmonica solo, throw the harmonica up in the air mid-solo, Matthews would catch it, and he would then finish the solo. They got signed to Motown, who were at this point looking to branch out into the white guitar-group market, and they were put through the Motown star-making machine. They recorded an entire album, which remains unreleased, but they did release a single, "It's My Time": [Excerpt: The Mynah Birds, "It's My Time"] Or at least, they released a handful of promo copies. The single was pulled from release after Ricky Matthews got arrested. It turned out his birth name wasn't Ricky Matthews, but James Johnson, and that he wasn't from Toronto as he'd told everyone, but from Buffalo, New York. He'd fled to Canada after going AWOL from the Navy, not wanting to be sent to Vietnam, and he was arrested and jailed for desertion. After getting out of jail, he would start performing under yet another name, and as Rick James would have a string of hits in the seventies and eighties: [Excerpt: Rick James, "Super Freak"] Most of the rest of the group continued gigging as The Mynah Birds, but Young and Palmer had other plans. They sold the expensive equipment Eaton had bought the group, and Young bought a new hearse, which he named Mort 2 – Mort had been his first hearse. And according to one of the band's friends in Toronto, the crucial change in their lives came when Neil Young heard a song on a jukebox: [Excerpt: The Mamas and the Papas, "California Dreamin'"] Young apparently heard "California Dreamin'" and immediately said "Let's go to California and become rock stars". Now, Young later said of this anecdote that "That sounds like a Canadian story to me. That sounds too real to be true", and he may well be right. Certainly the actual wording of the story is likely incorrect -- people weren't talking about "rock stars" in 1966. Google's Ngram viewer has the first use of the phrase in print being in 1969, and the phrase didn't come into widespread usage until surprisingly late -- even granting that phrases enter slang before they make it to print, it still seems implausible. But even though the precise wording might not be correct, something along those lines definitely seems to have happened, albeit possibly less dramatically. Young's friend Comrie Smith independently said that Young told him “Well, Comrie, I can hear the Mamas and the Papas singing ‘All the leaves are brown, and the skies are gray …' I'm gonna go down to the States and really make it. I'm on my way. Today North Toronto, tomorrow the world!” Young and Palmer loaded up Mort 2 with a bunch of their friends and headed towards California. On the way, they fell out with most of the friends, who parted from them, and Young had an episode which in retrospect may have been his first epileptic seizure. They decided when they got to California that they were going to look for Steve Stills, as they'd heard he was in LA and neither of them knew anyone else in the state. But after several days of going round the Sunset Strip clubs asking if anyone knew Steve Stills, and sleeping in the hearse as they couldn't afford anywhere else, they were getting fed up and about to head off to San Francisco, as they'd heard there was a good music scene there, too. They were going to leave that day, and they were stuck in traffic on Sunset Boulevard, about to head off, when Stills and Furay came driving in the other direction. Furay happened to turn his head, to brush away a fly, and saw a hearse with Ontario license plates. He and Stills both remembered that Young drove a hearse, and so they assumed it must be him. They started honking at the hearse, then did a U-turn. They got Young's attention, and they all pulled into the parking lot at Ben Frank's, the Sunset Strip restaurant that attracted such a hip crowd the Monkees' producers had asked for "Ben Frank's types" in their audition advert. Young introduced Stills and Furay to Palmer, and now there *was* a group -- three singing, songwriting, guitarists and a bass player. Now all they needed was a drummer. There were two drummers seriously considered for the role. One of them, Billy Mundi, was technically the better player, but Young didn't like playing with him as much -- and Mundi also had a better offer, to join the Mothers of Invention as their second drummer -- before they'd recorded their first album, they'd had two drummers for a few months, but Denny Bruce, their second drummer, had become ill with glandular fever and they'd reverted to having Jimmy Carl Black play solo. Now they were looking for someone else, and Mundi took that role. The other drummer, who Young preferred anyway, was another Canadian, Dewey Martin. Martin was a couple of years older than the rest of the group, and by far the most experienced. He'd moved from Canada to Nashville in his teens, and according to Martin he had been taken under the wing of Hank Garland, the great session guitarist most famous for "Sugarfoot Rag": [Excerpt: Hank Garland, "Sugarfoot Rag"] We heard Garland playing with Elvis and others in some of the episodes around 1960, and by many reckonings he was the best session guitarist in Nashville, but in 1961 he had a car accident that left him comatose, and even though he recovered from the coma and lived another thirty-three years, he never returned to recording. According to Martin, though, Garland would still sometimes play jazz clubs around Nashville after the accident, and one day Martin walked into a club and saw him playing. The drummer he was playing with got up and took a break, taking his sticks with him, so Martin got up on stage and started playing, using two combs instead of sticks. Garland was impressed, and told Martin that Faron Young needed a drummer, and he could get him the gig. At the time Young was one of the biggest stars in country music. That year, 1961, he had three country top ten hits, including a number one with his version of Willie Nelson's "Hello Walls", produced by Ken Nelson: [Excerpt: Faron Young, "Hello Walls"] Martin joined Faron Young's band for a while, and also ended up playing short stints in the touring bands of various other Nashville-based country and rock stars, including Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison, and the Everly Brothers, before heading to LA for a while. Then Mel Taylor of the Ventures hooked him up with some musicians in the Pacific Northwest scene, and Martin started playing there under the name Sir Raleigh and the Coupons with various musicians. After a while he travelled back to LA where he got some members of the LA group Sons of Adam to become a permanent lineup of Coupons, and they recorded several singles with Martin singing lead, including the Tommy Boyce and Steve Venet song "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day", later recorded by the Monkees: [Excerpt: Sir Raleigh and the Coupons, "Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day"] He then played with the Standells, before joining the Modern Folk Quartet for a short while, as they were transitioning from their folk sound to a folk-rock style. He was only with them for a short while, and it's difficult to get precise details -- almost everyone involved with Buffalo Springfield has conflicting stories about their own careers with timelines that don't make sense, which is understandable given that people were talking about events decades later and memory plays tricks. "Fast" Eddie Hoh had joined the Modern Folk Quartet on drums in late 1965, at which point they became the Modern Folk Quintet, and nothing I've read about that group talks about Hoh ever actually leaving, but apparently Martin joined them in February 1966, which might mean he's on their single "Night-Time Girl", co-written by Al Kooper and produced and arranged by Jack Nitzsche: [Excerpt: The Modern Folk Quintet, "Night-Time Girl"] After that, Martin was taken on by the Dillards, a bluegrass band who are now possibly most famous for having popularised the Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith song "Duellin' Banjos", which they recorded on their first album and played on the Andy Griffith Show a few years before it was used in Deliverance: [Excerpt: The Dillards, "Duellin' Banjos"] The Dillards had decided to go in a country-rock direction -- and Doug Dillard would later join the Byrds and make records with Gene Clark -- but they were hesitant about it, and after a brief period with Martin in the band they decided to go back to their drummerless lineup. To soften the blow, they told him about another band that was looking for a drummer -- their manager, Jim Dickson, who was also the Byrds' manager, knew Stills and his bandmates. Dewey Martin was in the group. The group still needed a name though. They eventually took their name from a brand of steam roller, after seeing one on the streets when some roadwork was being done. Everyone involved disagrees as to who came up with the name. Steve Stills at one point said it was a group decision after Neil Young and the group's manager Frazier Mohawk stole the nameplate off the steamroller, and later Stills said that Richey Furay had suggested the name while they were walking down the street, Dewey Martin said it was his idea, Neil Young said that he, Steve Sills, and Van Dyke Parks had been walking down the street and either Young or Stills had seen the nameplate and suggested the name, and Van Dyke Parks says that *he* saw the nameplate and suggested it to Dewey Martin: [Excerpt: Steve Stills and Van Dyke Parks on the name] For what it's worth, I tend to believe Van Dyke Parks in most instances -- he's an honest man, and he seems to have a better memory of the sixties than many of his friends who led more chemically interesting lives. Whoever came up with it, the name worked -- as Stills later put it "We thought it was pretty apt, because Neil Young is from Manitoba which is buffalo country, and  Richie Furay was from Springfield, Ohio -- and I'm the field!" It almost certainly also helped that the word "buffalo" had been in the name of Stills' previous group, Buffalo Fish. On the eleventh of April, 1966, Buffalo Springfield played their first gig, at the Troubadour, using equipment borrowed from the Dillards. Chris Hillman of the Byrds was in the audience and was impressed. He got the group a support slot on a show the Byrds and the Dillards were doing a few days later in San Bernardino. That show was compered by a Merseyside-born British DJ, John Ravenscroft, who had managed to become moderately successful in US radio by playing up his regional accent so he sounded more like the Beatles. He would soon return to the UK, and start broadcasting under the name John Peel. Hillman also got them a week-long slot at the Whisky A-Go-Go, and a bidding war started between record labels to sign the band. Dunhill offered five thousand dollars, Warners counted with ten thousand, and then Atlantic offered twelve thousand. Atlantic were *just* starting to get interested in signing white guitar groups -- Jerry Wexler never liked that kind of music, always preferring to stick with soul and R&B, but Ahmet Ertegun could see which way things were going. Atlantic had only ever signed two other white acts before -- Neil Young's old favourite Bobby Darin, who had since left the label, and Sonny and Cher. And Sonny and Cher's management and production team, Brian Stone and Charlie Greene, were also very interested in the group, who even before they had made a record had quickly become the hottest band on the circuit, even playing the Hollywood Bowl as the Rolling Stones' support act. Buffalo Springfield already had managers -- Frazier Mohawk and Richard Davis, the lighting man at the Troubadour (who was sometimes also referred to as Dickie Davis, but I'll use his full name so as not to cause unnecessary confusion in British people who remember the sports TV presenter of the same name), who Mohawk had enlisted to help him. But Stone and Greene weren't going to let a thing like that stop them. According to anonymous reports quoted without attribution in David Roberts' biography of Stills -- so take this with as many grains of salt as you want -- Stone and Greene took Mohawk for a ride around LA in a limo, just the three of them, a gun, and a used hotdog napkin. At the end of the ride, the hotdog napkin had Mohawk's scrawled signature, signing the group over to Stone and Greene. Davis stayed on, but was demoted to just doing their lights. The way things ended up, the group signed to Stone and Greene's production company, who then leased their masters to Atlantic's Atco subsidiary. A publishing company was also set up for the group's songs -- owned thirty-seven point five percent by Atlantic, thirty-seven point five percent by Stone and Greene, and the other twenty-five percent split six ways between the group and Davis, who they considered their sixth member. Almost immediately, Charlie Greene started playing Stills and Young off against each other, trying a divide-and-conquer strategy on the group. This was quite easy, as both men saw themselves as natural leaders, though Stills was regarded by everyone as the senior partner -- the back cover of their first album would contain the line "Steve is the leader but we all are". Stills and Young were the two stars of the group as far as the audience were concerned -- though most musicians who heard them play live say that the band's real strength was in its rhythm section, with people comparing Palmer's playing to that of James Jamerson. But Stills and Young would get into guitar battles on stage, one-upping each other, in ways that turned the tension between them in creative directions. Other clashes, though were more petty -- both men had very domineering mothers, who would actually call the group's management to complain about press coverage if their son was given less space than the other one. The group were also not sure about Young's voice -- to the extent that Stills was known to jokingly apologise to the audience before Young took a lead vocal -- and so while the song chosen as the group's first A-side was Young's "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing", Furay was chosen to sing it, rather than Young: [Excerpt: Buffalo Springfield, "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing"] On the group's first session, though, both Stills and Young realised that their producers didn't really have a clue -- the group had built up arrangements that had a complex interplay of instruments and vocals, but the producers insisted on cutting things very straightforwardly, with a basic backing track and then the vocals. They also thought that the song was too long so the group should play faster. Stills and Young quickly decided that they were going to have to start producing their own material, though Stone and Greene would remain the producers for the first album. There was another bone of contention though, because in the session the initial plan had been for Stills' song "Go and Say Goodbye" to be the A-side with Young's song as the B-side. It was flipped, and nobody seems quite sure why -- it's certainly the case that, whatever the merits of the two tracks as songs, Stills' song was the one that would have been more likely to become a hit. "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" was a flop, but it did get some local airplay. The next single, "Burned", was a Young song as well, and this time did have Young taking the lead, though in a song dominated by harmonies: [Excerpt: Buffalo Springfield, "Burned"] Over the summer, though, something had happened that would affect everything for the group -- Neil Young had started to have epileptic seizures. At first these were undiagnosed episodes, but soon they became almost routine events, and they would often happen on stage, particularly at moments of great stress or excitement. Several other members of the group became convinced -- entirely wrongly -- that Young was faking these seizures in order to get women to pay attention to him. They thought that what he wanted was for women to comfort him and mop his brow, and that collapsing would get him that. The seizures became so common that Richard Davis, the group's lighting tech, learned to recognise the signs of a seizure before it happened. As soon as it looked like Young was about to collapse the lights would turn on, someone would get ready to carry him off stage, and Richie Furay would know to grab Young's guitar before he fell so that the guitar wouldn't get damaged. Because they weren't properly grounded and Furay had an electric guitar of his own, he'd get a shock every time. Young would later claim that during some of the seizures, he would hallucinate that he was another person, in another world, living another life that seemed to have its own continuity -- people in the other world would recognise him and talk to him as if he'd been away for a while -- and then when he recovered he would have to quickly rebuild his identity, as if temporarily amnesiac, and during those times he would find things like the concept of lying painful. The group's first album came out in December, and they were very, very, unhappy with it. They thought the material was great, but they also thought that the production was terrible. Stone and Greene's insistence that they record the backing tracks first and then overdub vocals, rather than singing live with the instruments, meant that the recordings, according to Stills and Young in particular, didn't capture the sound of the group's live performance, and sounded sterile. Stills and Young thought they'd fixed some of that in the mono mix, which they spent ten days on, but then Stone and Greene did the stereo mix without consulting the band, in less than two days, and the album was released at precisely the time that stereo was starting to overtake mono in the album market. I'm using the mono mixes in this podcast, but for decades the only versions available were the stereo ones, which Stills and Young both loathed. Ahmet Ertegun also apparently thought that the demo versions of the songs -- some of which were eventually released on a box set in 2001 -- were much better than the finished studio recordings. The album was not a success on release, but it did contain the first song any of the group had written to chart. Soon after its release, Van Dyke Parks' friend Lenny Waronker was producing a single by a group who had originally been led by Sly Stone and had been called Sly and the Mojo Men. By this time Stone was no longer involved in the group, and they were making music in a very different style from the music their former leader would later become known for. Parks was brought in to arrange a baroque-pop version of Stills' album track "Sit Down I Think I Love You" for the group, and it became their only top forty hit, reaching number thirty-six: [Excerpt: The Mojo Men, "Sit Down I Think I Love You"] It was shortly after the first Buffalo Springfield album was released, though, that Steve Stills wrote what would turn out to be *his* group's only top forty single. The song had its roots in both LA and San Francisco. The LA roots were more obvious -- the song was written about a specific experience Stills had had. He had been driving to Sunset Strip from Laurel Canyon on November the twelfth 1966, and he had seen a mass of young people and police in riot gear, and he had immediately turned round, partly because he didn't want to get involved in what looked to be a riot, and partly because he'd been inspired -- he had the idea for a lyric, which he pretty much finished in the car even before he got home: [Excerpt: The Buffalo Springfield, "For What it's Worth"] The riots he saw were what became known later as the Riot on Sunset Strip. This was a minor skirmish between the police and young people of LA -- there had been complaints that young people had been spilling out of the nightclubs on Sunset Strip into the street, causing traffic problems, and as a result the city council had introduced various heavy-handed restrictions, including a ten PM curfew for all young people in the area, removing the permits that many clubs had which allowed people under twenty-one to be present, forcing the Whisky A-Go-Go to change its name just to "the Whisk", and forcing a club named Pandora's Box, which was considered the epicentre of the problem, to close altogether. Flyers had been passed around calling for a "funeral" for Pandora's Box -- a peaceful gathering at which people could say goodbye to a favourite nightspot, and a thousand people had turned up. The police also turned up, and in the heavy-handed way common among law enforcement, they managed to provoke a peaceful party and turn it into a riot. This would not normally be an event that would be remembered even a year later, let alone nearly sixty years later, but Sunset Strip was the centre of the American rock music world in the period, and of the broader youth entertainment field. Among those arrested at the riot, for example, were Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda, neither of whom were huge stars at the time, but who were making cheap B-movies with Roger Corman for American International Pictures. Among the cheap exploitation films that American International Pictures made around this time was one based on the riots, though neither Nicholson, Fonda, or Corman were involved. Riot on Sunset Strip was released in cinemas only four months after the riots, and it had a theme song by Dewey Martin's old colleagues The Standells, which is now regarded as a classic of garage rock: [Excerpt: The Standells, "Riot on Sunset Strip"] The riots got referenced in a lot of other songs, as well. The Mothers of Invention's second album, Absolutely Free, contains the song "Plastic People" which includes this section: [Excerpt: The Mothers of Invention, "Plastic People"] And the Monkees track "Daily Nightly", written by Michael Nesmith, was always claimed by Nesmith to be an impressionistic portrait of the riots, though the psychedelic lyrics sound to me more like they're talking about drug use and street-walking sex workers than anything to do with the riots: [Excerpt: The Monkees, "Daily Nightly"] But the song about the riots that would have the most lasting effect on popular culture was the one that Steve Stills wrote that night. Although how much he actually wrote, at least of the music, is somewhat open to question. Earlier that month, Buffalo Springfield had spent some time in San Francisco. They hadn't enjoyed the experience -- as an LA band, they were thought of as a bunch of Hollywood posers by most of the San Francisco scene, with the exception of one band, Moby Grape -- a band who, like them had three guitarist/singer/songwriters, and with whom they got on very well. Indeed, they got on rather better with Moby Grape than they were getting on with each other at this point, because Young and Stills would regularly get into arguments, and every time their argument seemed to be settling down, Dewey Martin would manage to say the wrong thing and get Stills riled up again -- Martin was doing a lot of speed at this point and unable to stop talking, even when it would have been politic to do so. There was even some talk while they were in San Francisco of the bands doing a trade -- Young and Pete Lewis of Moby Grape swapping places -- though that came to nothing. But Stills, according to both Richard Davis and Pete Lewis, had been truly impressed by two Moby Grape songs. One of them was a song called "On the Other Side", which Moby Grape never recorded, but which apparently had a chorus that went "Stop, can't you hear the music ringing in your ear, right before you go, telling you the way is clear," with the group all pausing after the word "Stop". The other was a song called "Murder in my Heart for the Judge": [Excerpt: Moby Grape, "Murder in my Heart for the Judge"] The song Stills wrote had a huge amount of melodic influence from that song, and quite a bit from “On the Other Side”, though he apparently didn't notice until after the record came out, at which point he apologised to Moby Grape. Stills wasn't massively impressed with the song he'd written, and went to Stone and Greene's office to play it for them, saying "I'll play it, for what it's worth". They liked the song and booked a studio to get the song recorded and rush-released, though according to Neil Young neither Stone nor Greene were actually present at the session, and the song was recorded on December the fifth, while some outbursts of rioting were still happening, and released on December the twenty-third. [Excerpt: Buffalo Springfield, "For What it's Worth"] The song didn't have a title when they recorded it, or so Stills thought, but when he mentioned this to Greene and Stone afterwards, they said "Of course it does. You said, 'I'm going to play the song, 'For What It's Worth'" So that became the title, although Ahmet Ertegun didn't like the idea of releasing a single with a title that wasn't in the lyric, so the early pressings of the single had "Stop, Hey, What's That Sound?" in brackets after the title. The song became a big hit, and there's a story told by David Crosby that doesn't line up correctly, but which might shed some light on why. According to Crosby, "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing" got its first airplay because Crosby had played members of Buffalo Springfield a tape he'd been given of the unreleased Beatles track "A Day in the Life", and they'd told their gangster manager-producers about it. Those manager-producers had then hired a sex worker to have sex with Crosby and steal the tape, which they'd then traded to a radio station in return for airplay. That timeline doesn't work, unless the sex worker involved was also a time traveller,  because "A Day in the Life" wasn't even recorded until January 1967 while "Clancy" came out in August 1966, and there'd been two other singles released between then and January 1967. But it *might* be the case that that's what happened with "For What It's Worth", which was released in the last week of December 1966, and didn't really start to do well on the charts for a couple of months. Right after recording the song, the group went to play a residency in New York, of which Ahmet Ertegun said “When they performed there, man, there was no band I ever heard that had the electricity of that group. That was the most exciting group I've ever seen, bar none. It was just mind-boggling.” During that residency they were joined on stage at various points by Mitch Ryder, Odetta, and Otis Redding. While in New York, the group also recorded "Mr. Soul", a song that Young had originally written as a folk song about his experiences with epilepsy, the nature of the soul, and dealing with fame. However, he'd noticed a similarity to "Satisfaction" and decided to lean into it. The track as finally released was heavily overdubbed by Young a few months later, but after it was released he decided he preferred the original take, which by then only existed as a scratchy acetate, which got released on a box set in 2001: [Excerpt: Buffalo Springfield, "Mr. Soul (original version)"] Everyone has a different story of how the session for that track went -- at least one version of the story has Otis Redding turning up for the session and saying he wanted to record the song himself, as his follow-up to his version of "Satisfaction", but Young being angry at the idea. According to other versions of the story, Greene and Stills got into a physical fight, with Greene having to be given some of the valium Young was taking for his epilepsy to calm him down. "For What it's Worth" was doing well enough on the charts that the album was recalled, and reissued with "For What It's Worth" replacing Stills' song "Baby Don't Scold", but soon disaster struck the band. Bruce Palmer was arrested on drugs charges, and was deported back to Canada just as the song started to rise through the charts. The group needed a new bass player, fast. For a lipsynch appearance on local TV they got Richard Davis to mime the part, and then they got in Ken Forssi, the bass player from Love, for a couple of gigs. They next brought in Ken Koblun, the bass player from the Squires, but he didn't fit in with the rest of the group. The next replacement was Jim Fielder. Fielder was a friend of the group, and knew the material -- he'd subbed for Palmer a few times in 1966 when Palmer had been locked up after less serious busts. And to give some idea of how small a scene the LA scene was, when Buffalo Springfield asked him to become their bass player, he was playing rhythm guitar for the Mothers of Invention, while Billy Mundi was on drums, and had played on their second, as yet unreleased, album, Absolutely Free: [Excerpt: The Mothers of Invention, "Call any Vegetable"] And before joining the Mothers, Fielder and Mundi had also played together with Van Dyke Parks, who had served his own short stint as a Mother of Invention already, backing Tim Buckley on Buckley's first album: [Excerpt: Tim Buckley, "Aren't You the Girl?"] And the arrangements on that album were by Jack Nitzsche, who would soon become a very close collaborator with Young. "For What it's Worth" kept rising up the charts. Even though it had been inspired by a very local issue, the lyrics were vague enough that people in other situations could apply it to themselves, and it soon became regarded as an anti-war protest anthem -- something Stills did nothing to discourage, as the band were all opposed to the war. The band were also starting to collaborate with other people. When Stills bought a new house, he couldn't move in to it for a while, and so Peter Tork invited him to stay at his house. The two got on so well that Tork invited Stills to produce the next Monkees album -- only to find that Michael Nesmith had already asked Chip Douglas to do it. The group started work on a new album, provisionally titled "Stampede", but sessions didn't get much further than Stills' song "Bluebird" before trouble arose between Young and Stills. The root of the argument seems to have been around the number of songs each got on the album. With Richie Furay also writing, Young was worried that given the others' attitudes to his songwriting, he might get as few as two songs on the album. And Young and Stills were arguing over which song should be the next single, with Young wanting "Mr. Soul" to be the A-side, while Stills wanted "Bluebird" -- Stills making the reasonable case that they'd released two Neil Young songs as singles and gone nowhere, and then they'd released one of Stills', and it had become a massive hit. "Bluebird" was eventually chosen as the A-side, with "Mr. Soul" as the B-side: [Excerpt: Buffalo Springfield, "Bluebird"] The "Bluebird" session was another fraught one. Fielder had not yet joined the band, and session player Bobby West subbed on bass. Neil Young had recently started hanging out with Jack Nitzsche, and the two were getting very close and working on music together. Young had impressed Nitzsche not just with his songwriting but with his arrogance -- he'd played Nitzsche his latest song, "Expecting to Fly", and Nitzsche had said halfway through "That's a great song", and Young had shushed him and told him to listen, not interrupt. Nitzsche, who had a monstrous ego himself and was also used to working with people like Phil Spector, the Rolling Stones and Sonny Bono, none of them known for a lack of faith in their own abilities, was impressed. Shortly after that, Stills had asked Nitzsch

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Hometown History
Sun Studio, Part 3

Hometown History

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2022 14:29


That's the voice of Dewey Phillips hosting his radio show called “Red, Hot & Blue,” on WHBQ, a Memphis station. In the 1950s, more than 100,000 people listened to his primetime slot every day.If you couldn't make out what Dewey was saying, don't feel bad. I had to listen to it a few times myself. But for Memphians of that era, Dewey's frantic and crazed cadence was just part of the experience.-Visit us online at: Itshometownhistory.com-Find us on all podcasting platforms: https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory-Support our podcast by becoming a patron at: Patreon.com/itshometownhistory-Check out our other podcasts: itsarclightmedia.com

Hometown History
Sun Studio, Part 2

Hometown History

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2022 25:45


In 2015, musical artist Jack White paid $300,000 for a 78-rpm record at auction. The record was of Elvis Presley singing the songs “My Happiness” and “That's When Your Heartaches Begin.” It was the first record Elvis ever made.That $300,000 price tag is a far cry from the $4 that Elvis originally paid to make the record at Sun Studio, a place I visited recently.-Visit us online at: Itshometownhistory.com-Find us on all podcasting platforms: https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory-Support our podcast by becoming a patron at: Patreon.com/itshometownhistory-Check out our other podcasts: itsarclightmedia.comEpisode Sponsor:-go to Talkspace.com. Make sure to use the code HOMETOWN to get $100 off of your first month

Hometown History
Sun Studio, Part 1

Hometown History

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2022 18:59


You're hearing the song “Rocket 88,” widely considered to be the first rock and roll song ever recorded. It was recorded here, at Sun Studio, by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats. The Delta Cats included Ike Turner, just one of the many legendary musicians to record here.Artists from many genres such as B.B. King, Roy Orbison, and Rufus Thomas all used Sun Studio. It was the home to one of the most legendary nights in music history when the Million Dollar Quartet – consisting of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis – recorded a spontaneous jam session.-Visit us online at: Itshometownhistory.com-Find us on all podcasting platforms: https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory-Support our podcast by becoming a patron at: Patreon.com/itshometownhistory-Check out our other podcasts: itsarclightmedia.com

Create Clarity with Charity
The Business of Horror and Production

Create Clarity with Charity

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2022 46:45


Darrin G. Ramage is the CEO of Sun Studios of Arizona and has successfully produced and marketed numerous independent films. He has over 20 years of experience in the international film rights sales and North American video distribution industry. He has vast knowledge of the many phases of the production process such as script supervision, budgeting, casting and marketing. Darrin has elevated filming production and music recording in Arizona to a level that rivals Los Angeles and New York. Tune in as Charity and Darrin discuss: The unique business challenges he had to overcome to start his business.  What makes Sun Studios of Arizona one of the best locations to film and record music videos. Why pricing and studio rates are competitive and worth the investment. How the affiliation with Arizona State University provides film students with important insight and opportunities. Why horror film making became his passion and niche in this industry. The different media productions he started to keep up with changes in the film and entertainment industry. Why making a movie is a business within itself.. Connect with Darrin: WEBSITE: https://www.sunstudiosaz.com/ LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrinramage  Connect with Charity Website: https://nowanswergroup.com/, https://www.charitybrown.biz/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CharityBrownNOW Facebook: :  https://www.facebook.com/nowbusinessacademy/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnswerGroupPDX Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charitybrownbiz/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charity-brown-3539533a/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices