Zero to 180 – Three Minute Magic
Jon Landau, in his thoughtful analysis of the contemporary pop scene – “Rock 1970” – for the December 10, 1970 edition of Rolling Stone, made the following statement about Billy Preston‘s former writing partner: While it may be sacrilegious to say it, the most influential black artist of recent years,
I was having a rare meal out alone and needed something to read, so I purchased a Rolling Stone back issue (September 6, 1979 edition – mostly likely at Joe’s Record Paradise) that included Michael Barackman‘s article about a new and somewhat radical 10-stringed electric instrument invented by Emmett Chapman
I am stunned to discover that Marie “Queenie” Lyons’ playful retort to The Isley Brothers — “Your Thing Ain’t No Good Without My Thing” (answer song of sorts to “It’s Your Thing“) and an obvious candidate for an A-side — ended up as an album-only track from 1970’s Soul Fever,
Weapons of Peace would spend their entire recording career on Playboy Records, interestingly enough. Robert Pruter at Chicago Soul, writes — Playboy Records was part of Hugh Hefner‘s Playboy empire and aspired to be an all-around label recording rock, country, and rhythm and blues. Although headquartered in Los Angeles, Playboy
Freddie Roulette coaxes all manner of sweet, funky feeling out of his doubleneck lap steel guitar on the track “Joaquin” from his debut solo album: “Joaquin“ Freddie Roulette (1973) Steel Guitar: Freddie Roulette Bass, Acoustic Guitar: Victor Conte Drums: Paul Lagos Guitar: Coleman Head Saxophone: Richard Aplanap Mixed by Fred
“Look Up In The Sky” is a commanding slab of 1977 West African funk that was recorded in Paris and voiced by 7-year-old Francis “The Great” Mbarga: Francis the Great “Look Up In The Sky” (1977) I wonder if the person who paid $750 last September for the original 1977
Today’s piece is a birthday tribute to my college roommate, Gavin Martin, who once rescued me from a very unpleasant housing situation, when he advocated successfully on my behalf for a vacancy that suddenly popped up in his much cooler adjoining dorm suite – and for that, I will be
My first encounter with a kalimba, the African instrument (also known as a “thumb piano” or mbira) was when I read the album credits for Space Oddity in my youth and learned that David Bowie played a kalimba on the title track, Bowie’s first American breakout hit (a.k.a., “Major Tom“).
45Cat contributor, mickey rat, asserts that Bumble Bee Slim & Memphis Minnie‘s “New Orleans Stop Time” from 1936 might “possibly be the earliest recorded use of the word ‘funky‘”: [word uttered around the 0:45 mark] 1936 “Jive with Tapping, Piano & Guitar Acc.”
“Let the Music Take Your Mind” is the third of three singles released by Kool & The Gang on indie label, De-Lite, in 1969 — the group’s first year of its recorded existence: “Let the Music Take Your Mind“ Kool & the Gang (1969) Cash Box‘s May 23, 1970 edition
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