But first, a quick reminder to catch Chicago's very own Ides Of March TONIGHT at the Music In The Park Concert Series in Bensenville, Illinois. Weather (and work schedule)-permitting, we're hoping to be there to cheer The Boys From Berwyn on in another great concert performance! Show starts at 7:30 pm. (kk)
Looks like we've got another one of those great PBS Oldies Concerts to look forward to ... FH Field Reporter Mike Bush just filed this report from Pittsburgh:
HEY KENT!
I'VE BEEN AT THE PBS TAPINGS IN PITTSBURGH AND I HAVE ANOTHER 50 ROLLS OF FILM TO ADD TO MY COLLECTION! IT WAS THREE DAYS OF "HEAVEN ON EARTH". IT WAS GREAT TO MEET SOME PERFORMERS I'VE NEVER MET BEFORE (LA LA BROOKS OF THE CRYSTALS "DA DOO RON RON", DEE DEE SHARP, JACKIE DESHANNON, EDDIE FLOYD, JONATHAN EDWARDS & MANY MORE), BUT IT WAS EVEN BETTER TO SEE A LOT OF SINGERS I HAVEN'T RAN ACROSS IN AWHILE. FINALLY GOT A PIC OF "McGUINN & McGUIRE" TOGETHER, AND BARRY ACTUALLY JOINED OUR ALL NITE HOTEL LOBBY PARTY ON THE LAST DAY AROUND 3 AM, TWO HOURS BEFORE HE WAS SCHEDULED TO LEAVE FOR THE AIRPORT. WHAT A GREAT GUY!! THOSE SHOWS ARE WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD. DAVY JONES WAS A FANTASTIC HOST AS WELL ... EVERYONE WORKING THERE FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM! IT WAS PURE MAGIC. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE FINISHED PRODUCT IN DECEMBER!
MICHAEL G BUSH
Sounds like a fantastic time ... please keep us posted, Mike! (kk)
Hi Kent
Loved this weekends column.
Always the most interesting stories on legendary artists.
My new CD "Favorites" ships next week and will be on Itunes and Amazon.com.
It has songs on there by my favorite groups and artists.
All the best,
Ronnie D.
Best,
Tom Cuddy
Sounds great ... can't wait to hear it. (I wonder if he's going to resurrect THIS one ... one of MY all-time, overlooked favorites that Micky did an OUTSTANDING job on back in the hey-hey days of The Monkees!) kk
Gigatone Entertainment, a Sacramento-based next generation entertainment company, has announced that the company is planning to release a new album by Monkees lead singer, MICKY DOLENZ. Scheduled for release on August 24, 2010, the new album entitled KING FOR A DAY is his tribute to the songs of singer / songwriter Carole King.
“To honor Carole King’s body of work has always been a career-long dream come true” said Dolenz. “KING FOR A DAY brings this lifelong vision to reality with 15 classic Carole King songs”.
King was a prominent songwriter for The Monkees, penning a number of memorable hits such as “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “Sometime In The Morning.” Carole King’s prolific songwriting of iconic songs and memorable hits was an important contribution to The Monkees selling over 65 million records worldwide. These songs continue to be played on the radio today and are among the most memorable in popular music.
“We’re very excited to be able to work with Micky in the creation of KING FOR A DAY” said Mitchell Koulouris, CEO of Gigatone Entertainment. “Micky is one of Pop music’s most recognizable voices. Coupling Micky’s great vocal performances with Carole King’s great songs provide an amazing combination for an album that fans will enjoy for years to come.”
The album, recorded in L.A., was produced by Jeffrey Foskett, who has worked extensively with The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, and played on Wilson’s 2004 Grammy-winning album, “Smile.” Dolenz teams up with Bill Medley (The Righteous Brothers) on a track and teen-star Emily Osment (from TV’s “Hannah Montana”) in a duet of the King classic “I Feel The Earth Move.”
Dolenz, who recently returned from a run in the West End production of HAIRSPRAY (as Wilbur Turnblad), is embarking on a summer tour (both with his own band, and as part of the “Happy Together” tour), and will preview the album to select guests and media in several cities. Added Dolenz, “Carole King’s songs have withstood the test of time and continue to resonate like never before. She’s a tremendous artist and songwriter and I'm honored and privileged to perform her work in KING FOR A DAY.”
According to Billy James of Glass Onyon Promotions, original members James Lowe and Mark Tullin of The Electric Prunes have reformed the band and are in the process of recording a brand new CD ... tour dates to follow. Stay tuned!
Also:
Santana / Journey Legend Gregg Rolie Prepares For Summer Tour
6/7/2010 - Houston, TX - Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Gregg Rolie, best known for his vocals and keyboard work with legendary music groups Santana and Journey, will be playing select dates with his band throughout the summer.
The Gregg Rolie Band will be performing electrifying versions of several Santana classics such as "Evil Ways", "Black Magic Woman" "Soul Sacrifice", "Jingo" and "No One To Depend On" as well as tracks from Rolie's previous effort 'Roots' and new songs. The Gregg Rolie Band consists of Adrian Areas (son of original Santana percussionist Jose Chepito Areas) on Timbales, drummer Ron Wikso (who was also in The Storm), Elliot "Toby" Borrero on congas, Kurt Griffey on guitars, internationally acclaimed bassist, Chapman Stick artist and Santana alumni Alphonso Johnson and former Jean Luc Ponty keyboardist Wally Minko.
As you might imagine from his work with Santana and Journey, Gregg is no stranger to great musicianship. Given his experience and his desire to make the music the best it can be, he has chosen some of the best musicians in the world to bring his band and its music to life. Gregg was determined to resurrect the sound he helped shape and make famous as Santana's original lead singer and keyboard player, while at the same time bringing it forward to the 21st century. To do that required finding just the right mix of experience, musicianship and chemistry. Having worked with some of the biggest names in music over the years and having toured the world many times over, these musicians have the skills to interpret this music in the way it is meant to be interpreted, as Gregg so intimately knows. “The band is great, because we all really enjoy each other and I think the sound reflects the fun we are having," Gregg recently told Voices of Latin Rock. "We subtitle the band; Gregg Rolie Band ... 'Santana - the way you remember it.' ”
The Gregg Rolie Band will be performing on the following dates:
Jun 17 - Thurs - 05:00 PM - City Park, Albany, NY
Jun 18 - Fri - 08:00 PM - BB King's Club, New York, NY
Jun 19 - Sat - 08:00 PM - Mohegan Sun Wolf Den, Uncasville, CT
Jun 20 - Sun - 08:00 PM - Hershey Park, Hershey, PA
Jun 21 - Mon - 08:00 PM - Ram's Head On Stage, Annapolis, MD
Jun 22 - Tues - 07:30 PM - Jaxx Nite Club, Springfield, VA
Jun 25 - Fri - 08:00 PM - Lakeside Amphitheater, Lakeside, OH
Jul 09 - Fri - 05:00 PM - Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, CA
Jul 23 - Fri - 08:00 PM - Meadowbrook Park, Hamden, CT
Sep 03 - Fri - 07:00 PM - Wind River Casino, Riverton, WY
For tour information go to: www.greggrolie.com/tour.html
Most recently Gregg Rolie has caused a flurry of excitement amongst the music press with the release of his latest CD 'Rain Dance". This live CD captures Gregg and his all-star band performing at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2007. The music press and fans alike have been raving about the new CD and have even compared Rolie's band to that of the original Santana group, in which Rolie was a founding member.
"The reviews have been great," says Gregg. "The band and I are anxious to get out on the road and play as many cities as possible in 2010, 2011, 2012 and so on ..."
Gregg Rolie's 'Rain Dance' CD is available through CD Baby. For more information visit the official website: http://www.greggrolie.com/
We gave the "live" CD a rave review a few weeks ago ... highly recommended! And if they happen to add a stop in Chicago to the tour list, please let us know ... we would LOVE to be there! (kk)
BLUE ROAD / BLUES FESTIVAL WEEKEND
Friday June 11 Reggie's Music Joint
Opening for grammy-winning harp player Sugar Blue
(played on the Stones "Miss You")
Doors open at 7 pm, Blue Road set time approximate between 9:30 and 11 p.m., followed by Sugar Blue
Saturday June 12 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL -
Grant Park Front Porch Stage - FREE
Ramblin' Rose with the Blue Road Band
featuring Jimy Rogers, Gary Gand, Joan Gand, Steve Nevets and Joel Treadwell
Bring the kids!
And, speaking of The Chicagoland Blues Festival ...
CHICAGO BLUES REUNION ON
BLUESFEST STAGE & SILVER SCREEN
Barry Goldberg, Nick Gravenites, Harvey Mandel, Corky Siegel with Sam Lay and Charlie Musselwhite Headline Chicago Blues Festival - Sunday, June 13
White, Black & Blues Work-In Progress Documentary Screens - Monday, June 14
Chicago Blues Reunion, the band of original, second-generation blues players who spread the message of the blues from their musical forefathers on Chicago’s south side to the rock world in the ‘60s, will be bringing it all back home this month to “Sweet Home Chicago.”
The band — whose nucleus is Barry Goldberg, Nick Gravenites, Harvey Mandel and Corky Siegel — will be playing at the Petrillo Music Shell, Chicago Blues Festival’s main stage on Sunday June 13th at 7 PM. These native Chicagoans, who learned their craft at the feet of blues masters such as Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and others, will be joined by two very special guests who have long been associated with the great tradition of authentic Chicago electric blues: Charlie Musselwhite and Sam Lay with backing from Rick Reed and Gary Mallaber.
Goldberg, Gravenites, Mandel, Siegel, Musselwhite and Lay, along with such notables as Steve Miller, Jack White, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Marshall Chess and others are part of White, Black & Blues, a feature-length documentary from filmmaker John Anderson that is nearing completion. A rough cut of the film will be screened for an invited audience including CBR members on Monday, June 14th at Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash, in Chicago. The screening will be preceded by a reception for the musicians and guests at 7 PM and will be followed by a Q and A session. Underwriting White, Black & Blues has been a three-year labor of love for Chicago’s own Out The Box Records and the company’s managing partners Timm Martin, Chris Stewart, and Bert Moreno.
White, Black & Blues chronicles the cultural fusion of the 1960's that brought middle-class white kids to inner city blues joints where they were, against all odds, accepted by their idols who, in essence, mentored them during a time when racial boundaries were only just starting to crumble. This small group which included Paul Butterfield, Michael Bloomfield, Steve Miller, and Elvin Bishop, as well as Gravenites, Goldberg, Mandel, Siegel and Musselwhite, sought out their musical heroes and ultimately established working relationships with them. In England, a similar phenomenon was taking place as the records by those original blues greats such as Muddy, Wolf, B.B., and Little Walter, were snapped up by future members of The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Animals, and The Who, among others. The result was a worldwide “bluesquake” the roots of which can be directly traced back to Chicago’s rough and tumble club scene and the giants of the genre who, crossing racial and generational lines, took the young players they had so inspired under their wing. White, Black & Blues tells that story.
About the CBR principals and guests:
Barry Goldberg (Hammond B-3) was a fixture on the 60’s Chicago blues scene dating from his teen years. He co-founded The Goldberg-Miller Blues Band, went on to form The Barry Goldberg Blues Band, recorded the seminal Two Jews Blues with Michael Bloomfield, and co-founded The Electric Flag. Along the way, he’s written hit songs for Rod Stewart and Gladys Knight, backed up Bob Dylan at Newport, worked with Phil Spector and The Ramones, produced a Grammy-nominated album for Percy Sledge, and scored numerous films and TV shows.
Nick Gravenites (vocals / guitar) wrote the anthemic and largely autobiographical “Born In Chicago” that was the Butterfield Blues Band’s signature song as well as "Buried Alive in the Blues" one of CBR’s signature songs that was originally intended for Janis Joplin who died the day before she was scheduled to record it. He co-founded The Electric Flag with Mike Bloomfield and Barry Goldberg, and recorded as a solo artist for Columbia Records.
Harvey Mandel (guitar) is considered by many critics to be one of the best electric guitarists in the country. He’s recorded with The Rolling Stones, was a member of Canned Heat—who were featured in the landmark music film, Woodstock—and toured with British blues icon John Mayall. As a soloist and as a band member, his musical pedigree is legendary.
Corky Siegel (harmonica / vocals) is the co-founder of The Siegel-Schwall Band that included Sam Lay, and has earned an international reputation as one of the top blues harp masters with 18 recordings. He is the creator of the award-winning Chamber Blues project whose music transcends genres and categorization.
If it happened in Chicago, Sam Lay (drums / vocals) was there. This Zelig-like icon of electric blues has played with Little Walter, Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and was there with Barry Goldberg backing up Bob Dylan at Newport, as well as appearing on his 61 Revisited album. He has performed and recorded with Chicago Blues Reunion in the past, most prominently on the 2005 CD and DVD release Buried Alive In The Blues. Sam Lay has been inducted into The Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame and received the organization's Howlin' Wolf Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Like his forebears, Charlie Musselwhite (harmonica / vocals), made the journey from his Mississippi birthplace to Memphis and on to Chicago where he emerged as one of the most lauded bluesmen of the late 1960's. Over the course of his remarkably eclectic career during which he released over 20 albums, he has collected the Blues Foundation's W.C. Handy Award no fewer than 18 times, was honored with six GRAMMY® nominations, and was awarded the Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. His native state erected a Blues Trail Marker on the square of Kosciusko, Mississippi, his birthplace.
About John Anderson:
John Anderson is an Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated Executive Producer, Director, and Editor whose work has aired on PBS, A&E, MTV, VH1, Showtime, Cinemax, HBO, FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, MuchMusic, BBC, The Oprah Winfrey Show, NOVA, and others. He was nominated for a GRAMMY® for his direction of Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE, the platinum-selling DVD release from Warner Brothers / Rhino Home Video. The live performance DVD, which Wilson hailed as “a masterpiece,” marked Anderson’s fourth DVD collaboration with the former Beach Boys leader, following Imagination, Brian Wilson On Tour, and Pet Sounds Live In London. Over the course of his career, Anderson has worked on projects with such music greats as Pete Townshend, Neil Young, Ray Davies, Patti Smith, Kanye West, John Fogerty, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Green Day, Jeff Tweedy, Fountains of Wayne, Sheryl Crow, John Prine, Steve Miller, Brian McKnight, Jackson Browne, Eric Clapton, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Charlie Musselwhite, Arlo Guthrie, Dave Mason, Tiny Tim, Todd Rundgren, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, John Cage, Roger McGuinn, Tom Jones, Steve Goodman, Phil Ochs, Marcy Levy, Neil Innes, David Bromberg, Mike Smith of The Dave Clark 5, and The Residents. He won a 2008-2009 Midwest Emmy for his work as Executive Producer of CPS Right Now! a bi-weekly television newsmagazine he created for Chicago Public Schools. Current projects include White, Black & Blues, My Friend Tiny Tim, and Making of Van Ghost. More info about John Anderson and White Black & Blues: www.thisisandersonproductions.com/JustIn.html
Check http://www.otbrecordsevents.com/ for Chicago Blues Reunion / White Black & Blues updates.
To whet your appetite, we strongly suggest you check out the trailer:
http://thisisandersonproductions.com/Video/WhiteBlackBlues.html
Bob Merlis / Merlis For Hire
We've been telling you about RockCon for months now ... a "can't miss" event to be sure. And now comes word regarding ANOTHER unbelievable East Coast get-together! Check THIS out:
Click here: Super Mega Show Home
Hi Kent:Wasn't sure if you were aware of this Mega Show that features appearances fromsome FH favorites!
Tom Cuddy
Looks like another INCREDIBLE show ... wish we could be there! (kk)
Interesting story about Nigel Pickering, co-founder of Spanky and Our Gang - and info about an upcoming concert:
http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2010-06-08/spanky-our-gang-honor-member
And: Melanie is performing here in Nashville soon in a flood-relief benefit concert. See photo. David Lewis
And don't forget, Saturday Night Elton John is playing at Rush Limbaugh's wedding!!! (What, you didn't get an invitation?!?!?) A MILLION BUCKS!!! To be the Wedding Singer?!?! (What, Adam Sandler wasn't available? For a WHOLE lot less money?!?!?) Unfrickinbelievable!!! (kk)
