This weekend's musical treat

[TwoTankAmin]

Travelling ahead one decade from last weekend would find us in the 60s. That was the decade of the the Beatles and the Stones as well as a host of others like Jimi, Credence, the Dead, the Beach Boys etc. But, there was more to the 60s than those folks.

Shotgun · Jr. Walker & The All Stars (They wrote the song)
Released on: 1965-02-03 by Motown Records
(play it in 720 or higher)


Wilson Pickett-
Writer: Steve Cropper Writer: Wilson Pickett
released in by 1965 Atlantic Records
(play it in 720 or higher)


Marvin Gaye wrote this one.
Also from 1968 and Motown Records
(play it in 720 or higher)


I cannot forget the female acts, it would not be right.
So here is Martha and the Vandellas
Nowehere to Run (Thankyou Wiki for the below.)
"Holland–Dozier–Holland, often abbreviated as H-D-H, was a songwriting and production team consisting of Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland.[1] The trio wrote, arranged and produced many songs that helped define the Motown sound in the 1960s.
Released on: 1965-01-01 by Motown Records"
(play it in 720 or higher)


And perhaps one of the all time great tunes
Otis Redding
(It was not all Motown) 1968 Atlantic Records
Composer: Otis Redding Writer: Otis Redding
Composer: Steve Cropper Writer: Steve Cropper
(play it in 720 or higher)


(edited to get the credits correct)

 

[TwoTankAmin]

This weekend is not music. We all need to laugh and this lady can make us do so. And she does not need to use bad language.
I have watched an number of her vids. This one is long and a very funny story. The only thing you should know ahead of playing it is that she likes to refer to her husband as "Left Brain."



(edited to fix typos)

 

[fishorama]

Martha Reeves is probably my favorite Motown dancing music! I'll have to listen to your latest song after the end of the very close Bills game or tomorrow.

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Just scrolling back through this, you reminded me what a great movie The Commitments is. Great music and fine acting.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

@Rusty_Shackleford

 

[Fishmanic]

I love the Commitments’ version of Mustang Sally

Now I have to rewatch the movie. It’s available for free on the Pluto streaming app.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I think this may be the best song in the movie?

(play it in 720p or 1080p)


But this version from the album may be better. It is just the song w/o the movie chatter.
(play it in 720p)

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

@TwoTankAmin Are you a fan of the blues?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I have listened to blues sinc the 1960s. At that time I was living in the Washington DC area or Fairfax, VA. I was engged in some nefaroius stuff back then and it required we travel to NYC now and then, We had to spend a bunch of time waing in an apartment and the person we were visiting was a blues fan. At that time Coloumbia niv, had a radio show that featured blues. They played a lot of the older stuff. So I learned to like the blues. Some of the names I remember from then are:
Blind Willie McTell
Mississippi John Hurt
Lead Belly
Mississippi Fred McDowell
Sonny Boy Williamson
Big Bill Broonzy
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Robert Johnson

There were more, but the late 1960s were a long time ago. Also, in the 1970s when I was a partner in a sound company, we did two shows with Muddy Waters. We also did as show with Taj Mahal who was pretty blues oriented then. I know I did the mix for at least two of them. Also, in the early days of cable TV I would often listen to the Blues channel. However, I am more of an R+B fan though I think. But not all of the genre. I am a fan of Wilson Picket for example. Or how about Sam?

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Oh that's all good stuff. We have all had influential moments in our lives. I remember one Christmas, I was in my early teens, a cousin gifted me The Very Best of Sam and Dave. What a record full of gems that was. While my peers were listening to hair metal I was jamming out to good R&B and soul.
That led me to the blues. I was fortunate to grow up in the Chicago area, which had a wealth of blues artists.
I got a horrible fake ID at 18. I even grew a cheesy mustache for the photo just to look older. I would go to clubs like Rosa's or Kingston Mines and try to get in. I remember one bouncer/door man in particular. He knew I wasn't 21, but he snuck me in if I promised not to drink. I told him I wasn't there to drink, I just wanted to hear the music. He was cool with it. It came to be a thing. As long as I didn't drink or try and bring a group of friends in. I wasn't going to bring friends, this was like going to church for me. More often than not I went on a weeknight as opposed to a weekend. Many times I was the only white dude there.
So that brings me to one of my favorite artists. Melvin Taylor & The Slack Band. This dude is straight fire. I rank him among the guitar greats, not just blues greats, he's up there with Jimi, and Clapton and SRV. If you listen close I swear you can hear the smoke from his sizzling fingers. Some good Chicago West Side blues.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I was not familiar with Melvin T, but I sure am familiar with those he lists as having influenced him:

Melvin Taylor was born in 1959 in Jackson, Mississippi. His musical roots however have always been in Chicago, where he moved with his family when he was 3 years old. The proverbial musical prodigy, started playing guitar at age 6. He learned from his uncle Floyd Vaughan, and his great aunt, Rosetta Tharpe. Melvin was influenced and inspired by some of the world’s greatest blues players, many of whom lived in or near his Chicago neighborhood.

You may have noticed one of my weekend treat selections was a tune by Sister Rosetta.

Melvin Taylor is one of the greatest guitarists in the history of rock, blues, and jazz. He is often referred to as a guitar players guitarist.

This self taught master was influenced by many of history's true guitar pioneers including - Albert King, Jimmy Reed, Wes Montgomery, and Jimi Hendrix. He has appeared on the same ticket with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Carlos Santana, George Benson, Buddy Guy, and BB King.

My first concert was Jimi. And I know every one of the above listed influencers as well as those above with whom he shared an evening.

Here is some non blues amazing guitar work. "This is from Tommy Emmanuel’s set from The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival in upstate New York. It was on July 20, 2020. He plays Guitar Boogie & Working Man Blues with Billy Strings."

(Play it in 1080p)

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

That video was great! I watched it twice.

Oh you have Spotify. Melvin's album Dirty Pool is great, one of his few albums on Spotify.
Yeah I'm familiar with Sister Rosetta Tharpe's work. She laid the groundwork for other Chicago greats like Koko Taylor and Shemika Copeland .
You might like another group, well duo really. Rodrigo y Gabriela, they started in in a Mexican metal band. Basically they rock with Flamenco guitars. Very different. Their Mettallica covers are pretty cool.

 

[GaryE]

I still kick myself for seeing the posters of many Chicago blues greats playing a small club in Montreal, and never going. The reason? Sheer ignorance.
By the time I'd educated myself, these artists were gone.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Rodrigo y Gabriela were excellent.

Here is my idea of really great blues. The louder you can play, the better.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

From the Goggle AIlaying for Change records

Playing for Change records "Songs Around the World" by using a high-end, portable recording studio to capture musicians live in their local environments around the globe. A small film and recording crew takes the mobile rig to locations, where a lead musician starts the song, often with a metronome or backing track, and subsequent musicians listen via headphones to the evolving song and add their own performance. These individual recordings are then blended together in post-production, creating a "virtual collaboration" where musicians from different cultures unite to perform the same song.

Here's a step-by-step overview of the recording process:

1. The Mobile Studio: The process begins with a small crew, including co-founder Mark Johnson, traveling the world with a specialized mobile recording studio.
2. Recording the Lead: The crew finds a musician—like a street performer or a local artist—and records them performing the song. This first recording sets the key and tempo for the track.
3. Adding to the Mix: Subsequent musicians around the world listen to the previous recordings on headphones and record their own part, adding their unique style and talent to the song.
4. A Collaborative Environment: The goal is to create a comfortable environment where each musician feels connected to the others and can perform freely, fostering a sense of unity.
5. Blending the Tracks: After recording numerous parts from various locations, the individual tracks are mixed and edited together to create the final Song Around the World.
6. Documenting the Journey: Simultaneously, video cameras record the musicians and their environments, documenting the entire process of creating the song in real-time.

This process allows musicians who might never meet in person to collaborate, creating powerful performances that highlight a shared human connection through music.

So here are some blues tunes played around the world.

George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936)[1] is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Gary Clark Jr., and John Mayer. In the 1960s, Guy played with Muddy Waters as a session guitarist at Chess Records and began a musical partnership with blues harp virtuoso Junior Wells.

(Play in Hi Def)


Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his recording career spanned only seven months, he is recognized as a master of the blues, particularly the Delta blues style, and as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as perhaps "the first ever rock star".

(Play in Hi Def)



Samuel Cooke[5] (né Cook; January 22, 1931[6] – December 11, 1964)[5] was an American singer and songwriter. Considered one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred to as the "King of Soul" for his distinctive vocals, pioneering contributions to the genre, and significance in popular music.[7] During his eight-year career, Cooke released 29 singles that charted in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as 20 singles in the Top 10 of Billboard's Black Singles chart. In 1964, he was shot and killed by the manager of a motel in Los Angeles.[8] After an inquest and investigation, the courts ruled Cooke's death to be a justifiable homicide.[9] His family has since questioned the circumstances of his death.In 2015, Cooke was ranked number 28 in Billboard magazine's list of the "35 Greatest R&B Artists of All Time".


(Play in Hi Def)



Robert Leroy Johnson again.
(Play in Hi Def)

For the grand finale I chose the closing music from the Blues brothers movie. Some of the greatest blues artists will appear.
Enjoy and play it loud!!!
(Play in Hi Def and turn on the CC for the names of those you do not recognize)