General Comments for all Naweedna CDs

Will Moyle’s Jazz Alive, a locally produced master collection of classic jazz. The Will Moyle stuff is the best collection of jazz I’ve ever heard. I taped it in the 80s from WXXI broadcasts.

FFUSA: Folk Festival USA, a nationally distributed collection of excerpts recorded live at various folk festivals around the country – varying from traditional country to purely ethnic, to socio-political (one lesbian festival, in fact). FFUSA is eclectic, and the live recordings often catch a lot of crowd noise as well as bad microphone placement. Originally taped from WXXI in the 80s.

GTWG: The Glory That Was Grease, another locally produced broadcast that featured the formative years of Rock and Roll from the 50s and 60s – my youth. The “Grease” may have been “Greece”, the Rochester suburb where the program originated. The GTWG is marginal but good for reminding my generation of their teenage years – if that can be considered a good thing. Originally taped from WXXI in the 80s.

BBGR: Big Band Go Round, yet another local program featuring … Big Band, but also including most anything recorded from 20s to the 50s. The BBGR is so broad that it is unlikely to be duplicated anywhere. However, you have to have a fondness for the crackle of scratchy old 78’s and an appetite for schmaltz to fully appreciate it. Originally taped in the 80s.

PHC & PHC-D: Prairie Home Companion – the middle years. I didn’t get started with PHC until the 80s, so I missed the early period, and I stopped taping when Garrison retired – for the first time. Remember the unfortunate guy who took over the time slot from Garrison? Me, neither. AS IF anyone could do that – a classic no-win situation. When Garrison un-retired (like Michael Jordan), the second version of the show was based in NYC, and I didn’t care for it that much, so I didn’t tape it. A few years later I discovered that he had gone back to the old format and was broadcasting from St Paul MN again. I’ve been digitizing those programs in real time ever since, and they are designated as PHC-D. The PHC stuff contains the essence of American music – in my not-so-humble opinion. The only nationally broadcast show that ever came close to matching PHC for quality and variety was the TV show, Northern Exposure – go figure. I have two Northern CDs; if there are more, I would like to know about them ASAP.

The dates represent the release date of the album or CD source. These dates are as accurate as I can obtain. The dates for some tracks from compilations reflect the release date of the compilation.

As usual, my comments are in blue. The other information comes from www.allmusic.com. Additions and corrections are welcome … encouraged, in fact.

In Memoriam … 2006: Wilson Pickett Freddy Fender (Texas Tornados) Lou Rawls Desmond Dekker Ali Farka Toure Etta Baker Link Wray

The Playlist and Notes for Naweedna 2006

01 Somebody Loves You(Intro) - Singing SamBGR (1930s)

This seemed like an appropriate lead track. After selecting the tracks, I noticed there was a “love” theme … and a “guitar” theme. So be it. These are the tracks I like, and I hope you like ‘em too ;-)

Be sure to read the last line of the bio …

Harry Frankel (AKA Singin’ Sam)Years Active 1910 20 30 40 50

Performers who want to make records but never get the opportunity always envy those that do — seen from this light, the performer known as Singin' Sam would be the supreme recipient of bad vibes emanating from what Rahsaan Roland Kirk called "the jealous bone." Not only did Singin' Sam make records in the traditional sense of singing on them, he also spent a great deal of time making records in the literal sense. Real name Harry Frankel, this man headed up the Gennett pressing and manufacturing plant located in Richmond, IN, in the '40s. Presumably, this gave him quite an edge over the usual round of performers loaded down with demo tapes and letters of

solicitation. Singin' Sam could put out his music on records whether anybody else wanted him to or not — all he had to do was enter his own factory and turn on the machines.

In actuality this was hardly the case. Singin' Sam products sold very well, especially a trademark version of "Sleepy-Time in Caroline" as well as the popular "Dreamy Housatonic." Singin' Sam recorded the former tune not once but twice, beginning with a transcription disc made for the Coca-Cola company in the spring of 1942 and continuing with a session for producer Joe Davis in 1946. Davis, already a veteran publisher, A&R man, and label manager with several decades of experience under his belt, was the right man to recreate a '20s ambience on the later version of the song, bringing in session veterans from the roaring years such as keyboardist Frank Banta and the multi-instrumentalist Andy Sanella. Meanwhile promotional efforts for "Sleepy-Time in Caroline" included pitching it to the governors of the Carolinas, North and South. While the song was indeed popular, no official support ever materialized — it has been speculated that South Carolina governor Strom Thurmond regretted that at least politically, things weren't actually sleepy enough in the Carolinas to justify making it the official state song.

Thurmond would have approved of Frankel's professional beginnings, on the other hand. Inspired by minstrel performers, Frankel had become one of them by 1908, including his own shoeshine kit for "blacking up." He toured with the Al G. Field Minstrels and in a vaudeville duo, the Two Blackbirds. By the '30s broadcasting seemed a better performing opportunity, Frankel going to work for a lawn mower company and reinventing himself as Singin' Sam, the "lawnmower man." The personality stuck, although there would be a shift in products being promoted. In 1931 he went to work for Barbasol, still Singin' Sam but now the "Barbasol man." In 1934 he settled in Richmond with his wife, the performer Helene "Smiles" Davis. Staying put in Indiana became high priority, with the Barbasol contract reorganized to allow recording to be done in nearby Cincinnati and any and all offers that were further away turned down. The recording industry having left this area of the Midwest long ago, many music lovers might assume there is absolutely nothing to do in Richmond, IN. Not true: Frankel's grave can be visited in the Earlham Cemetary, complete with the epitaph: "Howdy folks. This is your old friend Singin' Sam."

02 634-5789 - Wilson PickettClassic R&B Collection (1966)

Oh my, how do you pick a Wilson Pickett track? You could pick "In the Midnight Hour," "Land of 1000 Dances," "Mustang Sally," "Funky Broadway" … or "634-5789" which is exactly what I did. Goodbye Mr. Pickett, we will miss you.

Of the major '60s soul stars, Wilson Pickett was one of the roughest and sweatiest, working up some of the decade's hottest dance floor grooves on hits like "In the Midnight Hour," "Land of 1000 Dances," "Mustang Sally," and "Funky Broadway." Although he tends to be held in somewhat lower esteem than more versatile talents like Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin, he is often a preferred alternative of fans who like their soul on the rawer side. He also did a good deal to establish the sound of Southern soul with his early hits, which were often written and recorded with the cream of the session musicians in Memphis and Muscle Shoals.

Before establishing himself as a solo artist, Pickett sang with the Falcons, who had a Top Ten R&B hit in 1962 with "I Found a Love." "If You Need Me" (covered by the Rolling Stones) and "It's Too Late" were R&B hits for the singer before he hooked up with Atlantic Records, who sent him to record at Stax in Memphis in 1965. One early result was "In the Midnight Hour," whose chugging horn line, loping funky beats, and impassioned vocals combined into a key transitional performance that brought R&B into the soul age. It was an R&B chart-topper and a substantial pop hit (number 21), though its influence was stronger than that respectable position might indicate: thousands of bands, black and white, covered "In the Midnight Hour" on-stage and record in the 1960s.

Pickett had a flurry of other galvanizing soul hits over the next few years, including "634-5789," "Mustang Sally," and "Funky Broadway," all of which, like "In the Midnight Hour," were frequently adapted by other bands as dance-ready numbers. The king of that hill, though, had to be "Land of 1000 Dances," Pickett's biggest pop hit (number six), a soul anthem of sorts with its roll call of popular dances, and covered by almost as many acts as "Midnight Hour" was.

Pickett didn't confine himself to the environs of Stax for long; soon he was also cutting tracks at Muscle Shoals. He recorded several early songs by Bobby Womack. He used Duane Allman as a session guitarist on a hit cover of the Beatles' "Hey Jude." He cut some hits in Philadelphia with Gamble & Huff productions in the early '70s. He even did a hit version of the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar." The hits kept rolling through the early '70s, including "Don't Knock My Love" and "Get Me Back on Time, Engine Number 9."

One of the corollaries of '60s soul is that if a performer rose to fame with Motown or Atlantic, he or she would produce little of note after leaving the label. Pickett, unfortunately, did not prove an exception to the rule. His last big hit was "Fire and Water," in 1972. He continued to be active on the tour circuit; his most essential music, all from the 1960s and early '70s, was assembled for the superb Rhino double-CD anthology A Man and a Half. It's Harder Now, his first new material in over a decade, followed in 1999. Pickett spent the early part of the 2000s performing, before retiring in late 2004 due to ill health. He passed away on January 19, 2006, following a heart attack.

03 Baby Please Don't Go - Mary FlowerLadyfingers (2001)

I knew this one was going on a Naweedna CD the very first time I heard it. I got it from BrianT, Brian Sheldon’s friend and band mate. She’s in my generation and plays the way I like my blues played … simple and direct with some understated guts for effect. Have a look at the people she admired and played with.

Mary FlowerBlues

Chances are that you'll find Mary Flower in the folk section of your local record shop. She did found a folk-cum-jazz-based ensemble called Mother Folkers in Denver, which was the mile-high city's leading women's folk collective; and she could look the part of a folkie "Earth mother" type. Flower moved seriously into blues over the last decade, however, and hasn't looked back since.

Born in Delphi, IN, Flower made her way to Denver at the beginning of the '70s, when she was in her twenties, and set up shop in the city's folk community; her gigs made her a name locally, and she established Mother Folkers. She always appreciated the blues, but it was a two-week period of study with Jim Schwall and Steve James at a blues workshop in West Virginia that transformed her.

Flower described herself as "consumed" by the experience, and made the decision to devote herself to the blues. She restarted her career, but initially encountered resistance, partly because she was a white blueswoman who didn't conform to expectations — ever since Janis Joplin, white female blues performers have been expected to sound like Big Mama Thornton, which Flower didn't, Scrapper Blackwell being more of a role model. Since the early 1990s, however, she has gradually achieved acceptance, and has played places like Buddy Guy's club in Chicago as well as various festivals, where she has been well received, and tours regionally and nationally.

As a folk artist, Flower played alongside Geoff Muldaur, David Bromberg, and Ramblin' Jack Elliot. Her work in blues, however, has been strongly influenced by Scrapper Blackwell, Henry Glover, and Robert Johnson, but especially Blind Lemon Jefferson. She plays with passion, none of it forced or posed, and she has a husky voice to go with the kind of stuff she covers — she could sing prettier than she does, but what she does seems honest. She also writes originals with a cutting, clever edge. Flower has been around about as long as Bonnie Raitt, only without the major-label record contracts, the arena and movie appearances, or the Grammy, and deserves to be known by at least as many people.

Mary Flower Ladyfingers Rating 4 *Release Date Sep 11, 2001 Recording Date 2001 Blues

Unassuming blues heroine Mary Flowers proves once again that she's one of the nation's premier fingerstyle blues guitarists on Lady Fingers. More importantly, she's made a beautifully eclectic and listenable record, which can't be said of many traditionalist outings. Though primarily a purveyor of the Piedmont blues (the Delta tradition's brighter, syncopated cousin), Flower takes flight on this record, not limiting herself to scholarly ragtime reproductions. One moment, she's getting low-down and dirty on an imaginative medley of Big Joe William's "Baby, Please Don't Go" and Booker T. Jones' "Green Onions." The next, she's delivering a torchy rendition of Toots Thielemans' jazz classic "Bluesette," followed by a country spiritual and two thoughtful original instrumentals, showing off her heavyweight chops. Memphis Minnie, Jimmie Oden, and Ivory Joe Hunter also get their due. Flower's version of Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind" is priceless, featuring harmony from Mollie O'Brien. Thoughtful accompaniment by Pat Donohue (guitar), John Magnie (accordion), and Mark Diamond (string bass) really adds to the session. Flower's technique is exceptional throughout and, in the end, serves the highest purpose — the music.

04 Little Bit Is Better Than Nada - Texas Tornados4 Aces(96)

This track commemorates Freddy Fender, a member of the Texas Tornados. You can sample Freddy’s work on two other Fender tracks on previous Naweedna CDs: Naweedna 01, “Across The Borderline” and Naweedna 2002B, “Who Were You Thinking Of When We Were Making Love Last Night”. I first heard of the Tornados from Mahoney – along with a lot of other stuff. We’re all gonna miss Freddy. Ah, but we still got Flaco … maybe he’ll be on next year’s compilation ;-)

Texas Tornados

The ultimate Tex-Mex supergroup, Texas Tornados were composed of some of the genre's most legendary figures: Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers (Sahm's bandmate in the groundbreaking Sir Douglas Quintet), Hispanic country star Freddy Fender, and accordion virtuoso Flaco Jimenez. The group's infectious, party-ready sound blended country, early rock & roll, Mexican folk music, R&B, blues, and whatever other roots musics crossed their paths. The Tornados first assembled in 1989 at a concert in San Francisco, billing themselves as the Tex-Mex Revue. They enjoyed the collaboration so much they decided to stick with it and generated far more publicity together than they would have solo; Jimenez had released several acclaimed albums by that point, but Sahm had recorded only sporadically during the '80s, and Fender hardly at all. Their self-titled debut album was released on Reprise in 1990 — in both English and Spanish versions — to rapturous reviews and also sold pretty well, reaching number 25 on the country charts. The group toured extensively behind it and issued the Grammy-nominated follow-up album Zone of Our Own in 1991, again to hugely positive reviews. By the time of 1992's Hangin' on by a Thread, the group's primary audience was Latino, and Jimenez accordingly took more and more of the spotlight. After more touring, the group went their separate ways to concentrate on other projects and work on new material; most notably, Sahm and Meyers formed a new version of the Sir Douglas Quintet. In the meantime, Reprise issued a compilation, The Best of Texas Tornados. The Tornados reconvened in 1996 for the album 4 Aces, which didn't attract quite as much attention or acclaim as their previous work. The group's late-1998 concert at Antone's in Austin was recorded and released the following summer as Live From the Limo, Vol. 1; unfortunately, it would prove to be the only volume, as Sahm died of a heart attack in late 1999.

Texas Tornados 4 Aces Rating 3 *Release Date Jul 9, 1996 Time 42:43 RockTex-Mex

Despite a few good moments — like the rollicking "Clinging to You" — 4 Aces is a bit too predictable of a good time from the Texas Tornados. Certainly, all of the ingredients that made their previous recordings delightful are present, but the problem is the album doesn't ever quite catch fire with the goofy fun that distinguished their best music.

1 Little Bit Is Better Than Nada Sahm 3:33 2 Amor de Mi Vida Baca, Ortega 3:12 3 In My Mind Fender 2:59 4 4 Aces Sahm 5:36 5 My Cruel Pain Ayala, Fender, Reyna 3:29 6 Tell Me Carrasco 3:33 7 Ta Bueno Compadre (It's Ok Friend) Sahm 2:54 8 The Gardens Gaffney 3:16 9 Rosalita Wallisch 4:22 10 Clinging to You Sahm 2:58 11 Mi Morenita Baca, Jimenez, Ortega 2:58 12 The One I Love the Most Dobbins, Huffman, Morrison 3:53

05 Fine Brown Frame - Lou Rawls & Dianne ReevesAt Last (1989)

Lou is one of our favorite artists, and we have a bunch of his stuff. This selection isn’t what I’d call typical Lou, but Janie lobbied for it, so it is in. What are Lou’s signature tracks? Here are the ones I was considering using:

Stormy MondayTobacco RoadDead End Street

Goin’ To Chicago BluesI'd Rather Drink Muddy Water

You might see a couple of them in the future ;-)

When Chicago-born Lou Rawls croons a soulful love song, his deep-hued pipes rumble with simmering passion. Rawls did the usual gospel apprenticeship before breaking out on a landmark jazz album with pianist Les McCann's trio for Capitol that launched his secular career. But it took Rawls a while to establish himself as a soul artist - perhaps he was perceived as a little too sophisticated and jazzy (although his uncredited responses on Sam Cooke's "Bring It on Home to Me" certainly proved he could wail). "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing" instantly changed that notion when it topped the R&B charts in 1966, and the unyielding "Dead End Street" and "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" perpetuated his success.

After memorably delivering Bobby Hebb's powerful "A Natural Man" in 1971, Rawls joined forces with Philadelphia producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in 1976, emerging with the silky "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine," another gigantic R&B and pop smash tailor-made for nattily sweeping across the classiest disco dance floors. The disco era's long gone now, but Rawls maintains elegantly. He's still as cool as cool can be. - Bill Dahl

At Last Rating 1.5 *Release Date Jun 1989 Time 37:06 Vocal Jazz

He's never deserted either blues or jazz, but Lou Rawls hasn't always found a receptive audience for these styles at notoriously conservative major labels. That wasn't the case on this 1989 album, on which Rawls performed straight ahead jazz and pre-rock pop or blues, and was backed by an all-star lineup including Ray Charles, Cornell Dupree, Steve Khan, Richard Tee and Dianne Reeves. His voice had an exuberance and fervor that spoke volumes about how happy he was in the setting.

1 At Last Gordon, Warren 3:37 2 Two Years of Torture Mayfield 2:47 3 Fine Brown Frame Cartiero, Williams 3:02 4 Good Intentions Lovett 3:08 5 That's Where It's At Alexander, Cooke 3:12 6 If I Were a Magician Brown, Vera 3:01 7 You Can't Go Home No More Vera 5:32 8 Room With a View Fulson, Vera 3:56 9 After the Lights Go Down Low Lovett, White 2:33 10 She's No Lady Lovett 2:58 11 Oh What a Nite Vera 3:32

Stormy Monday Artist Lou Rawls Album Title Stormy Monday Date of Release Feb 5, 1962+Feb 12, 1962 (release) AMG Rating 4.5 * Soul, R&B, Vocal Jazz Time 45:34 Lou Rawls has had a long and commercially sucessful career mostly singing soul, r&b and pop muisc. Originally a gospel singer, Rawls' first album as a leader (reissued on CD) features him performing soulful standards backed by the Les McCann Trio. Few of the songs have exactly been underrecorded through the years but they sound fresh and lively when sung by Rawls; highlights include "Stormy Monday," "In the Evening" and "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water." Pianist McCann gets a generous amount of solo space and the reissue has three "bonus cuts" that were being released for the first time. This is still Lou Rawls' definitive recording in the jazz idiom, cut before he went on to more lucrative areas.

1. (They Call It) Stormy Monday performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 3:45 2. God Bless the Child performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 4:30 3. See See Rider performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 3:11 4. Willow Weep for Me performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 5:57 5. I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 4:00 6. In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down) performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 3:28 7. 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 2:45

8. Lost and Lookin' performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 3:12 9. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 3:55 10. Sweet Lover performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 3:08 11. Blues Is a Woman [*] performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 2:58 12. A Little Les of Lou's Blues [*] performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 2:23 13. (They Call It) Stormy Monday [alternate take/*] performed by Rawls / Les McCann - 2:58

06 Israelites - Desmond DekkerRockin' Steady (1992)

Yeah, I know, this is a well-known, popular track … but it is still good and represents Dekker’s work. My other choice was “007 (Shanty Town),” but, after comparing the two, I opted for Israelites even if it is so well known. I got this CD from Irene. Thanks, ‘Reney ;-)

Desmond Dekker

Probably no other Jamaican artist has brought more international acclaim to his island home than Desmond Dekker, barring, of course, Bob Marley, but Dekker came first. Most people's introduction to the island's unique musical sound came via the singer's many hits, most notably "Israelites" and "0.0.7. (Shanty Town)." Needless to say, he was even more influential in his homeland.

Born Desmond Dacres in Kingston, Jamaica, on July 16, 1942, the star-to-be was orphaned in his teens. Left to earn a living on his own, he apprenticed as a welder. It was his workmates who first noted his vocal talents, as the youngster sang around the workshop. With their encouragement, in 1961 the young man decided to have a go at recording and auditioned for both Coxsone Dodd at Studio One and Duke Reid at Treasure Isle. Neither man found anything remarkable about this young hopeful and sent him on his way. Not discouraged, Dacres next tried his luck with Leslie Kong, owner of the Beverley's label. He auditioned before the stable's biggest hitmaker, Derrick Morgan, who immediately spotted the young man's potential. However, it was to be two long years before Kong finally took him into the studio, waiting patiently for him to compose a song worthy of recording.

In 1963, Dacres presented Kong with "Honour Your Father and Mother," and the producer knew the wait had been worth it. Upon its release, the song's heartfelt message soared to the top of the Jamaican charts. Having been renamed Desmond Dekker, the new star followed up with "Sinners Come Home" and "Labour for Learning," which were also successful. However, it was with his next release, "King of Ska," that Dekker's star was truly established. Backed by the Cherrypies, aka the Maytals, the boastful song, a raucous celebration of ska in all its glory, swiftly attained classic status and remains one of the genre's masterpieces. Before the year was out, Dekker had found his own backing group, the Aces, a quartet of singing siblings — Carl, Clive, Barry, and Patrick Howard — initially known as the Four Aces. Together the five men cut a slew of excellent ska-fired singles, such as the jubilant "Get Up Edina," the advice to "Parents," the bouncy love letter "This Woman," and the sublime "Mount Zion." All were big hits.

However, as can be seen by the titles, Dekker's initial appeal was as a respectful young man (admittedly with a penchant for admonishing misbehaving young ladies). That would all change in 1967. Derrick Morgan helped set the stage with his trio of rudeboys-go-to-court songs beginning off with "Tougher Than Tough," which featured Dekker and his brother George on backing vocals. Wisely, Dekker himself steered clear of what swiftly turned into a judicial soap opera, instead he rocketed "0.0.7. (Shanty Town)" into the Jamaican charts. Set to a sturdy rocksteady beat, the song quickly became a rudeboy anthem and established Dekker as a virtual rudeboy icon. Across the water in Britain in the wake of its own mod revolution, the Jamaican singer was seen as one of the mod's own. The single looted and shot its way into the U.K. Top 15, and Dekker immediately set off on his first visit to England. The response there astonished him, and he was trailed everywhere by mods almost acting as informal bodyguards. More rudeboy hits followed, including the indeed soulful "Rudy Got Soul and "Rude Boy Train." Others were often in keeping with the more temperate subjects of Dekker's past: the religious-themed "Wise Man," "Hey Grandma," the warning for "Mother's Young Girl," the lovelorn "Sabotage," the bouncy "It's a Shame" (wherein another girl gets a telling off), and the inspirational "Unity" (which took second place at Jamaica's Festival Song Competition that year). One of the most evocative was "Pretty Africa"; one of the earliest repatriation songs composed, it's haunting beauty and yearning quality has kept it a strong favorite. "It Pays," another hit from 1967, features some of the most exquisite falsetto harmonies ever to be recorded and showcases the Aces as their best. Although none repeated the success of "0.0.7.," Dekker remained a powerful force in the U.K. and a superstar at home. Many of the hits from this era were included on the singer's debut album, which was naturally titled after "0.0.7. (Shanty Town)."

In 1968, the singer unleashed the mighty sufferers' lament "Israelites" on an unsuspecting world. For half a year, the song simmered on the U.K. charts, finally coming to a boil in March, when it topped the chart. Meanwhile in the U.S., the song had also begun to rise, peaking thee months later just inside the Top Ten. Dekker had achieved the dream of every Jamaican artist, to break into the U.S. market. He was the first to do so, at least with a pure Jamaican song. Although Dekker would never put another single so high into the U.S. charts, his career continued unabated both at home and in the U.K. The heartbreak of "Beautiful and Dangerous" was the perfect theme for another smash, as was the exuberant "Shing a Ling" and the equally infectious "Music Like Dirt." For the more religiously minded there was "Writing on the Wall," but what did buyers of that popular single make of the highly suggestive and equally successful "Bongo Girl"? Before the year was out, the Beverley's label gathered up a group of hits from the year for the Action! collection.

In 1969, the upbeat "Problems" spoke directly to the Jamaican public, who bought the single in droves. But the year was defined by "It Mek," wherein another girl gets her comeuppance. Dekker composed the song about his rambunctious younger sister. Initially released to muted response, the original was a charmer but lacked punch; the re-recorded version was much stronger and smashed into the Jamaican chart, then soared into the Top Ten across the water. "Pickney Gal," however, although very successful in Jamaica, did less well in the U.K. As to be expected, Beverley's rounded up this year's hits for a new album, Israelites. In the U.K., fans were treated to This Is Desmond Dekker, which the Trojan label also released in 1969, a virtual nonstop chart-busting party, drawn from the three Beverley's sets.

By the time the '70s dawned, Dekker had relocated to Britain and was spending most of his time touring. However, he continued releasing excellent singles, as always backed by the superb Beverley's All Stars house band and accompanied by the exquisite Aces. Neither the band nor singers have ever received the credit they were due. The former's flawless and sympathetic performances powered every one of Dekker's songs, while the latter's sublime soaring vocals and perfect harmonies helped define his sound. Unusually, Dekker's next hit would not come from his own pen, but another's. Leslie Kong had to argue vociferously to convince the singer to cover Jimmy Cliff's "You Can Get It If You Really Want," but in the end, Dekker put his faith in the producer. He was rewarded with a timeless masterpiece that was a smash on both sides of the Atlantic. The song titled yet another hit-laden collection, released by Trojan in 1970 as well. In retrospect, it was fitting that Kong's two greatest stars should have combined talents in this way. In August 1971, the great producer, still only in his thirties, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. Unlike virtually every other artist on the island, Dekker had spent his entire career under Kong's wing and was devastated by his death. (Barring a few very early recordings, Cliff had as well and was equally distraught and directionless in the aftermath.) The definitive collection of Dekker's work with Kong is found on the Trojan label's Original Reggae Hitsound of Desmond Dekker and the Aces compilation.

Initially at a total loss of how to now proceed, eventually Dekker found his way, and over the next few years, he released a steady stream of fine singles. However, he seemed to have lost his grip on Britain and none of his releases charted there. In hopes of remedying this situation, in 1974 Dekker joined forces with the pop production team Bruce Anthony (aka Tony Cousins) and Bruce White. Their session together resulted in the singles "Everybody Join Hands" and "Busted Lad," released in the U.K. by the Rhino label. They had little impact however, but in 1975, another song from the session, "Sing a Little Song," charmed its way into the British Top 20. A sugary offering with lush production, it was far removed from the work Dekker had done with Kong. A new album, titled Israelites, and not to be confused with the Beverley's album of the same name, was also released this year. Although it featured a ferocious version of the title track, it then sank quickly into syrupy waters, much like "Sing..." After that and for the next five years, Dekker disappeared off the U.K. radar almost entirely. He continued to release records in Jamaica, although they were sporadic in comparison to his prolific output in the '60s.

However, as the '70s came to a close, the 2-Tone movement gave fresh impetus to the singer's career, and Dekker inked a deal with the independent punk label Stiff. His debut for them was the wittily titled Black & Dekker album, which featured re-recordings of past hits, backed by the British rock band the Rumour. The Rumour, of course, were famous as the group behind Graham Parker. A series of singles also announced his return, with the first, a re-recorded "Israelites," almost breaking into the Top Ten in Belgium. That was followed by "Please Don't Bend" and a cover of Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross." A fourth single, "Book of Rules," was especially strong and produced by Will Birch, best known for his work with power pop bands. Dekker's follow-up, 1981's Compass Point, in contrast, featured mostly new compositions and was produced by Robert Palmer. Both it and the single "Hot City," however, did poorly. Regardless, Dekker was in big demand on-stage, where he continued to be accompanied by the Rumour. As the 2-Tone movement disintegrated, so too did Dekker's revival. In 1984, the singer was forced to declare bankruptcy, although this was less a reflection on him than on his past management.

Dekker veritably disappeared from view for the rest of the decade, with only Trojan's 1987 Officially Live and Rare album breaking the drought, which was recorded during an enthusiastic live club appearance in London. A new version of "Israelites," utilized in a Maxell tape ad, brought the singer back into public view in 1990. The following year, Dekker released King of Ska, again featuring re-recordings of past glories. Two years later, he entered the studio with an equally revitalized Specials for the King of Kings album. And although this set too featured old hits, this time around the vast majority weren't Dekker's own, but his personal heroes, including, of course, Derrick Morgan, the man who had discovered him.

In 1996, Moving On appeared, not one of Dekker's best. However, the Trojan label has continued to keep the singer's back catalog to the fore. Beginning back in 1974, when they released the humorously titled Double Dekker, across Sweet 16 Hits (1978), The Original Reggae Hitsound in 1985, and 1992's Music Like Dirt, there's never been a dearth of excellent Dekker material for fans to revel in. Other labels have jumped in on the action, and the shelves have quickly filled with compilations of the singer from varying stages of his career. Dekker's vast catalog of music, songs that defined the ska, rocksteady, and reggae eras have provided the singer with a rich legacy that has rarely been equaled. On May 25, 2006, Dekker passed away at age 64 in his London home.

Desmond Dekker Rockin' Steady: The Best of Desmond Dekker Rating 5 * checkedRelease Date 1992 Compilation Reggae

To pick a truly essential Desmond Dekker collection from the myriad best-ofs, box sets, and period anthologies that dot the musical landscape would be almost impossible; many of the Dekker compilations currently on the market are practically interchangeable in terms of both content and sound quality. But if you're looking for a starting point, you can't do much better than this 20-track retrospective, which includes just about every hit single Dekker made during the peak of his popularity in the late '60s. There are the songs of Biblical warning ("Honour Your Mother and Your Father," "This Woman"), the rude boy anthems ("007 (Shanty Town)," "Rude Boy Train"), the topical admonishments ("Keep a Cool Head," "Unity"), and, of course, the immortal "Israelites," which introduced most of North America to the ska sound when it was a worldwide radio hit in 1969. Not to mention charming period pieces like "Intensified Festival 68" and the irresistible romantic come-on "Pickney Gal." Highly recommended. 1 Honour Your Mother and Father Dekker 2:26 2 This Woman Dekker 2:34 3 007 (Shanty Town) Dekker 2:48 4 Keep a Cool Head Dekker 2:09 5 Unity Dekker 2:15 6 Wise Man Dekker 2:07 7 Mother Long Tongue Dekker 2:19 8 Fu Man Chu Dekker 3:12 9 Israelites Dekker 2:39 10 It Is Not Easy Dekker, Kong 2:13 11 Intensified Festival 68 Dekker 2:44 12 A It Mek Dekker 2:28 13 My Precious World (The Man) Dekker, Kong 2:58 14 Rude Boy Train [*] Dekker, Kong 2:20 15 Mother Pepper [*] Dekker 2:18 16 Pickney Gal Dekker 2:56 17 You Can Get It If You Really Want Cliff 2:30 18 Licking Stick [*] Dekker 2:15 19 Reggae Recipe [*] Dekker, Kong 3:05 20 Warlock Dekker, Kong 3:54

07 Do You Want My Job - John Hiatt & Ry CooderLittle Village (1993)

I bought this CD because of Cooder, and it turned out to be my introduction to John Hiatt. I now have eleven other Hiatt CDs, and I still think this one is the best overall. This is my favorite track from this CD, and there are several more tracks from it just waiting for future Naweedna compilations. Stay tuned ;-)

John Hiatt's sales have never quite matched his reputation. Hiatt's songs were covered successfully by everyone from Bonnie Raitt, Ronnie Milsap and Dr. Feelgood to Iggy Pop, Three

Dog Night and the Neville Brothers, yet it took him 13 years to reach the charts himself. Of course, it nearly took him that long to find his own style. Hiatt began his solo career in 1974, and over the next decade, he ran through a number of different styles from rock & roll to new wave pop before he finally settled on a rootsy fusion of rock & roll, country, blues and folk with his 1987 album Bring the Family. Though the album didn't set the charts on fire, it became his first album to reach the charts, and several of the songs on the record became hits for other artists, including Raitt and Milsap. Following its success, Hiatt became a reliable hit songwriter for other artists, and he developed a strong cult following that continued to gain strength into the mid-'90s.

While he was growing up in his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana, John Hiatt played in a number of garage bands. Initially, he was inspired by the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, and the music of those two artists would echo strongly throughout his work. Out of all the bar bands he played with in the late '60s, a group called the White Ducks was the one that received the most attention. Following his high-school graduation, he moved to Nashville at the age of 18, where he landed a job as a songwriter for Tree Publishing. For the next several years, he wrote and performed at local clubs and hotels. Within a few years, his songs were being recorded by several different artists, including Conway Twitty, Tracy Nelson and Three Dog Night, who took Hiatt's "Sure as I'm Sittin' Here" to number 16 in the summer of 1974. Eventually, his manager secured him an audition at Epic Records, and the label signed him in 1974, releasing his debut album Hangin' Around the Observatory later that year. Despite their critical acclaim, neither Hangin' Around the Observatory nor its 1975 follow-up Overcoats sold many copies, and he was dropped by the label. By the end of the year, Tree Publishing had let him go as well.

Following his failure in Nashville, Hiatt moved out to California. By the summer of 1978 he had settled in Los Angeles, where began playing in clubs, opening for folk musicians including Leo Kottke. With Kottke's assistence, Hiatt hired a new manager, Denny Bruce, who helped him secure a record contract with MCA Records. Slug Line, his first record for MCA, was released in the summer of 1979. Where his first two records were straightahead rock & roll and folk-rock, Slug Line was in the new wave vein of angry English singer/songwriters like Elvis Costello, Graham Parker and Joe Jackson, as if Hiatt was vying for the role of the American angry young man. The new approach earned some strong reviews, yet it failed to generate any sales. Two Bit Monsters, his second MCA album, faced the same situation. Although it was well-received critically upon its 1980 release, it made no impression on the charts, and the label dropped him.

Apart from working on Two Bit Monsters, Hiatt spent most of 1980 as a member of Ry Cooder's backing band, playing rhythm guitar on the Borderline album and touring with the guitarist. Hiatt stayed with Cooder throughout 1981, signing a new contract with Geffen Records by the end of the year. Produced by Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex), his Geffen debut All of A Sudden was released in 1982, followed by the Nick Lowe/Scott Matthews & Ron Nagel-produced Riding with the King in 1983. As with his previous records for Epic and MCA, neither of his first two Geffen releases sold well. By this time, Hiatt's personal life was beginning to spin out of control as he was sinking deep into alcoholism. Around the time he completed 1985's Warming Up to the Ice Age, his second wife committed suicide. Following the release of Warming Up to the Ice Age, Hiatt was dropped by Geffen. By the end of 1985, he had entered a rehabilitation program. During 1986, he remarried and signed a new deal with A&M Records.

For his A&M debut, Hiatt assembled a small band comprised of his former associates Ry Cooder (guitar), Nick Lowe (bass), and Jim Keltner (drums). Recorded over the course of a handful of days, the resulting album Bring the Family had a direct, stripped-down rootsy sound that differed greatly from his earlier albums. Upon its summer 1987 release, Bring the Family received the best reviews of his career and, for once, the reviews began to pay off, as the album turned into a cult hit, peaking at 107 on the US charts; it was his first charting album. Hiatt attempted to record a follow-up with Cooder, Lowe and Keltner, but the musicians failed to agree on the financial terms for the sessions. Undaunted, he recorded an album with John Doe, David Lindley and Dave Mattacks, but he scrapped the completed project, deciding that the result was too forced. Hiatt's final attempt at recording the follow-up to Bring the Family was orchestrated by veteran producer Glyn Johns, who had him record with his touring band, the Goners. Despite all of the behind-the-scenes troubles behind its recording, the follow-up album, Slow Turning, actually appeared rather quickly, appearing in the summer of 1988.

Slow Turning, like Bring the Family before it, received nearly unanimous positive reviews and it was fairly well-received commercially, spending 31 weeks on the US charts and peaking at 98. Within the next year, Hiatt successfully toured throughout America and Europe, strengthening his fan base along the way. Inspired by the success of Hiatt's two A&M albums, Geffen released the compilation Y'All Caught? The Ones That Got Away 1979-85 in 1989. That same year, other artists began digging through Hiatt's catalog of songs, most notably Bonnie Raitt, who covered "Thing Called Love" for her multi-platinum comeback album, Nick of Time.

In 1990, Hiatt returned with Stolen Moments, which was nearly as successful as Slow Turning, both critically and commercially. "Bring Back Your Love to Me," an album track from Stolen Moments that was also recorded by Earl Thomas Conley, won BMI's 1991 Country Music Award. By the time "Bring Back Your Love to Me" won that award, it had become a standard practice for artists to cover Hiatt's songs, as artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Ronnie Milsap, Suzy Bogguss and Iggy Pop all covered his songs in the early '90s. In 1993, Rhino Records released Love Gets Strange: The Songs of John Hiatt, which collected many of the cover versions that were recorded during the '80s and '90s.

During 1991, the group that recorded Bring the Family - Hiatt, Cooder, Lowe, and Keltner - re-formed as a band called Little Village, releasing their eponymous debut in early 1992. Based on the success of Bring the Family and Hiatt's A&M albums, expectations for Little Village were quite high, yet the record and its supporting tour were considered a major disappointment. Later, the individual members would agree that the band was a failure, mainly due to conflicting egos.

Hiatt decided to back away from the superstar nature of Little Village for his next album, 1993's Perfectly Good Guitar. Recorded in just two weeks with a backing band comprised of members of alternative rock bands School of Fish and Wire Train, the album was looser than any record since Bring the Family, but it didn't quite have the staying power of its two predecessors, spending only 11 weeks on the charts and peaking at number 47. The following year, he released his first live album, Hiatt Comes Alive at Budokan?. Hiatt left A&M Records after the release of the record, signing with Capitol Records the following year.

Walk On, Hiatt's first Capitol album, was recorded during his supporting tour for Perfectly Good Guitar and featured guest appearances by the Jayhawks and Bonnie Raitt. Walk On entered the charts at 48, but slipped off the charts in nine weeks, indicating that his audience had settled into a dedicated cult following. His A&M tenure was recalled on 1998's Greatest Hits. Crossing Muddy Waters was released on Vanguard two years later.

Little Village Rating 3 * 1992 Recording Date 1991

Sometimes you just can't get lightning to strike in the same place twice, no matter how hard you try, and the sole album from Little Village serves as proof. In 1987, guitarist Ry Cooder, bassist Nick Lowe, and drummer Jim Keltner backed up singer and songwriter John Hiatt on his album Bring the Family; the album was hailed as an instant classic, but negotiations to reassemble the group for Hiatt's next album failed. Five years later, the four musicians were persuaded to give working together another try, but this time instead of backing Hiatt, they'd form a band called Little Village, with all the members writing collectively and Hiatt, Cooder, and Lowe trading off on vocals. The idea certainly sounded promising, and there's no denying that these guys play together brilliantly; Little Village rocks harder than Bring the Family, with Keltner and Lowe generating a bucketful of groove, and Cooder chiming in with a man-sized portion of his trademark funky guitar. But while the songs on Bring the Family were powerful, personal, and often deeply moving, here the band sounds like they're just looking to make a good-time party album, and while it is indeed a good time, the results just aren't as satisfying; bald spots and bad driving may be funny, but love and family are the kind of stuff that sticks with you. Also, while Little Village was supposed to be a democracy, it's significant that John Hiatt ended up with the lion's share of the vocals, and most of the songs sound like ... well, like John Hiatt songs, which is by no means a bad thing, but with writers and vocalists of the caliber of Nick Lowe and Ry Cooder on board, it's a shame we don't hear more from them. After one album and one tour, Little Village called it a day, and while the album shows they knew how to work together, the finished product is just good fun, rather than the second instant classic they were shooting for. 1 Solar Sex Panel Cooder, Hiatt, Keltner, Lowe 3:47 2 The Action Cooder, Hiatt, Keltner, Lowe 3:25 3 Inside Job Cooder, Hiatt, Keltner, Lowe 4:17 4 Big Love Cooder, Hiatt, Keltner, Lowe 6:26 5 Take Another Look Cooder, Hiatt, Keltner, Lowe 3:40 6 Do You Want My Job Cooder, Hiatt, Keltner, Lowe 5:36 7 Don't Go Away Mad Cooder, Hiatt, Keltner, Lowe 3:39 8 Fool Who Knows Cooder, Hiatt, Keltner, Lowe 3:46 9 She Runs Hot Cooder, Hiatt, Keltner, Lowe 3:19 10 Don't Think About Her When You're Trying to Drive Cooder, Hiatt, Keltner, Lowe 4:33 11 Don't Bug Me While I'm Working Cooder, Hiatt, Keltner, Lowe 3:56

08 Comes Love - Stacey KentLove Is The Tender Trap (1999)

Jason introduced me to Stacey Kent and I’m sure glad he did. I really like her voice and styling and have been anxious to put one of her tracks on a Naweedna compilation. Here it is … there will be more … I’m a chump for sexy female voices … among other things ;-)

New York native Stacey Kent never anticipated a career in jazz music, for she was a Sarah Lawrence graduate with a degree in comparative literature. But her childhood days spent listening to the traditional beauty of Frank Sinatra and Nat "King" Cole undoubtedly influenced her. While on holiday in Europe after graduating from college, she took up singing without much formal training and never looked back. Kent became acquainted with several musicians at Oxford in 1991 and through them she found herself participating in a jazz course at the famed Guildhall School of Music and Drama. There she also met her future husband, tenor saxophonist Jim Tomlinson, and also landed a spot in the class. Her next spot was singing with the Vile Bodies Swing Orchestra at the Ritz Hotel in London, quickly landing a role in Ian McKellen's Richard III film, playing the big-band singer. The mid-'90s were more focused on recording and in 1996, Kent inked a deal with Candid Records. A year later, the critically acclaimed Close Your Eyes was issued; Tender Trap followed in 1999. Her third LP Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire, which showcased popular standards, appeared in spring 2000. The ballad-oriented Dreamsville appeared the next spring.

09 Glory of Love - Big Bill BroonzySings Folk Songs (1956)

I almost didn’t put this track on because Broonzy’s “Baby Please Don't Go” was on Naweedna 05. However, the two tracks are very different, so I went ahead and put it on. We discovered “Glory of Love” while watching movies. As fate would have it, we watched “The Terminal” and “Intolerable Cruelty” on consecutive nights and they both had this track. I took that as an omen and ordered the CD the next day.

In terms of his musical skill, the sheer size of his repertoire, the length and variety of his career and his influence on contemporaries and musicians who would follow, Big Bill Broonzy is among a select few of the most important figures in recorded blues history. Among his hundreds of titles are standards like "All by Myself" and "Key to the Highway." In this country he was instrumental in the growth of the Chicago Blues sound, and his travels abroad rank him as one of the leading blues ambassadors.

Literally born on the banks of the Mississippi, he was one of a family of 17 who learned to fiddle on a homemade instrument. Taught by his uncle, he was performing by age ten at social functions and in church. After brief stints on the pulpit and in the Army, he moved to Chicago where he switched his attention from violin to guitar, playing with elders like Papa Charlie Jackson. Broonzy began his recording career with Paramount in 1927. In the early '30s he waxed some brilliant blues and hokum and worked Chicago and the road with great players like pianist Black Bob, guitarist Will Weldon and Memphis Minnie.

During the Depression years Big Bill Broonzy continued full steam ahead, doing some acrobatic label-hopping (Paramount to Bluebird to Columbia to Okeh!). In addition to solo efforts, he contributed his muscular guitar licks to recordings by Bumble Bee Slim, John Lee (Sonny Boy) Williamson and others who were forging a powerful new Chicago sound.

In 1938, Broonzy was at Carnegie Hall (ostensibly filling in for the fallen Robert Johnson) for John Hammond's revolutionary Sprirtuals to Swing Series. The following year he appeared with Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong in George Seldes's film production Swingin' the Dream. After his initial brush with the East Coast cognoscenti, however, Broonzy spent a good part of the early '40s barnstorming the South with Lil Green's road show or kicking back in Chicago with Memphis Slim.

He continued alternating stints in Chicago and New York with coast-to-coast road work until 1951 when live performances and recording dates overseas earned him considerable notoriety in Europe and led to worldwide touring. Back in the States he recorded for Chess, Columbia and Folkways, working with a spectrum of artists from Blind John Davis to Pete Seeger. In 1955, Big Bill Blues, his life as told to Danish writer Yannick Bruynoghe, was published.

In 1957, after one more British tour, the pace began to catch up with Broonzy. He spent the last year of his life in and out of hospitals and succumbed to cancer in 1958. He survives though; not only in his music, but in the remembrances of people who knew him...from Muddy Waters to Studs Terkel. A gentle giant they say...tough enough to survive the blues world...but not so tough he wouldn't give a struggling young musician the shirt off his back. His music, of course, is absolutely basic to the blues experience, and was celebrated in 1999 with the release of the three-disc retrospective The Bill Broonzy Story.

10 I'm Shakin' - Little Willie JohnShure Thing (1961)

What’s not to like about Little Willie John? I was a senior in HS when this came out, and I never heard it again until Mahoney gave me some of his stuff last year. His version of “A Cottage For Sale” is way different but equally good. A future selection for sure.

Little Willie John Sure Things Rating 4 *Release Date 1961 R&B

Big-voiced R&B singer Little Willie John's 1961 record Sure Things contained his biggest pop hit yet, the charming "Sleep," which introduced strings to his sound. The rest of the album follows in the orchestrated footsteps at least part of the time. The strings back John as he essays a swooning cover of "A Cottage for Sale," the very poppy "I'm Sorry," a swinging "The Very Thought of You," and a corny "Loving Care." It is interesting to hear John's wondrously powerful voice in these restrained settings, but the real thrill comes from the rest of the record, which includes some of the best performances of his career. "My Love Is" is a "Fever" retread with just bass, drums, and finger snaps, and one of John's best vocals; "I Like to See My Baby" is a jaunty R&B jumper; "There's a Difference" is a happy doo wop-styled ballad. Best of all are the last two tracks on the record. The incendiary, moody blues "You Hurt Me" is very tough, John sounds ready to break things up, and the guitarist is right there with him; "I'm Shakin'" is an R&B rocker with a raw as uncooked-meat vocal and a knockout blow of a hook. The consistent high quality of the material and the strong performances make this disc highly desirable to Little Willie John fans and fans of first rate R&B, as well. 1 Sleep Little Willie John 2:58 2 A Cottage for Sale Conley, Robison 2:57 3 There's a Difference 2:28 4 I'm Sorry 1:47 5 My Love Is Myles 2:14 6 I Like to See My Baby 1:52 7 Walk Slow Little Willie John 1:56 8 The Very Thought of You Little Willie John 2:25 9 Heartbreak (It's Hurtin' Me) Little Willie John 2:56 10 Loving Care 2:17 11 You Hurt Me Darlynn, Kertis 3:02 12 I'm Shakin' 2:26

11 One Dime Blues - Etta BakerOne Dime Blues (1988)

I first heard Etta Baker on a CD playing in the background at the Folk Art Center in Ashville NC. I refused to pay the $20 for it, but it haunted me for several months thereafter. Eventually, I managed to download both of her CDs: “One Dime Blues” & “Railroad Bill”.

You gotta read the bio information to fully appreciate her work. She was born in 1913 and was SEVENTY-FIVE when she cut this album! Equally wondrous, the last track on the CD, “Carolina Breakdown”, actually has a Carolina Wren singing in the background – like it was recorded while sitting on her porch or something.

Etta Baker Title One-Dime Blues Date of Release Oct 1988 - Jul 1990 (release) inprint AMG Rating 4.5 *Piedmont Blues, Country Blues, Acoustic Blues Time 53:17

Guitarist Etta Baker quietly enjoyed one of the blues' most enduring careers, working in almost total obscurity and recording only on the rarest of occasions while honing her craft throughout the greater part of the 20th century. Born in Caldwell County, North Carolina on March 31, 1913, she was the product of a musical family, taking up the guitar as a child and learning from her father and other relatives traditional blues and folk songs. Over time, Baker emerged among the foremost practitioners of acoustic Piedmont guitar finger-picking, an open-tuned style not far removed from bluegrass banjo picking; however, for decades only relatives and friends ever

heard her play, as she confined her performances solely to family gatherings and parties. She finally made her initial recordings in 1956, joining her father and other family members on a field recording titled Instrumental Music of the Southern Appalachians; she again faded into willful obscurity, however, raising her nine children and toiling in a textile mill. Finally, while in her sixties - at an age at which most performers consider retirement - Baker finally began pursuing music professionally, hitting the folk and blues festival circuit. In 1991 - 35 years after her debut recording - she issued the album One-Dime Blues, and continued performing live throughout the decade to follow, returning in 1999 with Railroad Bill. AMG EXPERT REVIEW: Guitarist/vocalist Etta Baker hadn't made any recordings or even been in a studio since 1956 before making the 20 numbers comprising this CD. But judging from the arresting vocals, prickly accompaniment and commanding presence she displayed on each song, it seemed as if she had been cutting tracks daily. Baker moved from sassy and combative blues tunes like "Never Let Your Deal Go Down" and "But On The Other Hand Baby" to chilling numbers like "Police Dog Blues," novelty tunes, double-entendre cuts, folk pieces, and even country-flavored material. Singing and playing in vintage Piedmont style with a two- and three-finger technique, Etta Baker offered timeless, memorable performances. 1. Never Let Your Deal Go Down (Public Domain) - 3:05 2. One-Dimes Blues (Public Domain) - 2:35 3. Knoxville Rag (Baker) - 2:00 4. Broken Hearted Blues (Baker) - 4:55 5. Lost John (Public Domain) - 2:51 6. Dew Drop (Public Domain) - 2:21 7. Going Down the Road Feeling Bad (Public Domain/Traditional) - 2:23 8. Near the Cross I Watch and Pray (Public Domain) - 2:06 9. Spanish Fandango (Public Domain) - 2:18 10. Round My Back Door Selling Coal (Public Domain) - 2:55 11. But on the Other Hand Baby (Charles/Mayfield) - 3:03 12. Crow Jane (Public Domain) - 2:01 13. John Henry (Public Domain/Traditional) - 5:15 14. Alabama Wagonwheel (Public Domain) - 1:52 15. Bully of the Town (Public Domain/Traditional) - 2:59 16. Going to the Racetrack (Public Domain) - 1:45 17. Police Dog Blues (Baker/Public Domain) - 2:32 18. Marching Jaybird (Public Domain) - 2:29 19. Railroad Bill (Public Domain/Traditional) - 2:29 20. Carolina Breakdown (Public Domain/Traditional) - 2:48 Etta Baker - Banjo, Guitar, Vocals

12 Someone Loves You - Simon BonneyMore Nothern Exposure (1994)

Another track from the two Northern Exposure CDs. If you can only have two CDs, these are the two – in my humble opinion. You will find “Hip Hug Her” by Booker T & The MGs on Naweedna 05 … and you will find more on future compilations … I have eleven more tracks in the queue … eventually, you will have ‘em all ;-)

I originally had this as the second track. You know, “Somebody Loves You” followed by “Someone Loves You” is pretty obvious. However, the raw energy of Singin’ Sam seemed to conflict with the subtleness of Simon Bonney, so I rearranged a bit. Yeah, I do give some thought to positioning, but not a lot ;-)

Simon BonneyYears Active 1990RockVocals

As the lead singer of Crime & the City Solution (which featured several ex-members of the Birthday Party), Bonney was an important figure on the Australia's post-punk scene. On his own, he's moved to a much rootsier, less gothic angst-infused sound. Much of that transformation is due to his relocation to the United States, where he hung out with L.A. country-influenced rockers who had played with Dwight Yoakam and True Believers. His two solo albums were lyrically inspired by American landscapes, sounding at times like post-modern takes on the sound of Johnny Cash or Marty Robbins. Bonney, however, with the help of his multi-instrumentalist wife Bronwyn Adams, uses a much wider range of sounds than Cash, including mandolin, violin, dobro, steel guitar, keyboards, cello, and horns.

Simon Bonney Forever Release Date 1992 Time 44:17 RockRoots Rock

Drawing on a fine range of performers (including Congo Norvell singer Sally Norvell and Ethyl Meatplow/Geraldine Fibbers frontwoman Carla Bozulich on background vocals), Bonney creates a mystic, almost mythic atmosphere on Forever. Much like the final efforts of Crime and the City Solution, but with an even more haunting, nearly religious atmosphere, Bonney's music conjures up the feeling of a West that never was, where hoe-downs and wild dances are replaced by contemplation, lyrically and musically. While it's facile to simply say Bonney does for country what fellow expatriate Nick Cave does for the blues, there's a similar sense of reverence and transformation at play. Bonney's deep but not cavernous voice suits his images and songs perfectly, eschewing over-the-top drama for a more considered approach. Main collaborators J.D. Foster, on guitars and mandolin, and Jon-Dee Graham, on lap steel, dobro, and bottleneck guitar, contributed excellent performances while avoiding musical clichés, just as Bonney looks to avoid simply aping Nashville or neo-traditional country both. "Ravenswood," Forever's stunning opening number, sets the overall mood faultlessly; Bonney's call for the rain to come down on him backed by a slow, deceptively powerful arrangement where the guitars sound like flashes of lightning in dark clouds. Low drums boom in the distance, as what almost sounds like an invocation unfolds. Many songs move at a faster clip; Forever isn't trudging in its pace, instead combining various influences and touches from the vocal/electric guitar/violin combination of "Now That's She's Gone" to fairly lush rock/country fusions. This said, even more energetic numbers as "Like Caesar Needs a Brutus," as the title alone indicates, grapple with questions of love and belief with strength, and nothing completely lets loose just for the heck of it. Then again, that's not the intent of Forever in the first place. 1 Ravenswood Bonney 2 Forever Bonney 3 A Part of You Bonney 4 Like Caesar Needs a Brutus Bonney, Foster 5 Saw You Falling Bonney 6 Someone Loves You Bonney 7 There Can Only Be One Bonney 8 Now That She's Gone Bonney 9 The Sun Don't Shine Bonney 10 Ravenswood (Reprise) Bonney

13 Who Do You Love - Bo DiddleyTL Blues Legends (1956)

Who do I love? Bo Diddley, of course. This goes back to my youth; back in the days of the “race records” Ed & I played when we were DJs at the YMCA on Fridays. Oh those were heady days for sure. I just love the “Arlene” reference and “47 miles of barbwire” – it doesn’t get much better than this.

He only had a few hits in the 1950s and early '60s, but as Bo Diddley sang, "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover." You can't judge an artist by his chart success, either, and Diddley produced greater and more influential music than all but a handful of the best early rockers. The Bo Diddley beat - bomp, ba-bomp-bomp, bomp-bomp - is one of rock & roll's bedrock rhythms, showing up in the work of Buddy Holly, the Rolling Stones, and even pop-garage knock-offs like the Strangeloves' 1965 hit "I Want Candy." Diddley's hypnotic rhythmic attack and declamatory, boasting vocals stretched back as far as Africa for their roots, and looked as far into the future as rap. His trademark otherworldly vibrating, fuzzy guitar style did much to expand the instrument's power and range. But even more important, Bo's bounce was fun and irresistibly rocking, with a wisecracking, jiving tone that epitomized rock & roll at its most humorously outlandish and freewheeling.

Before taking up blues and R&B, Diddley had actually studied classical violin, but shifted gears after hearing John Lee Hooker. In the early '50s, he began playing with his longtime partner, maraca player Jerome Green, to get what Bo's called "that freight train sound." Billy Boy Arnold, a fine blues harmonica player and singer in his own right, was also playing with Diddley when the guitarist got a deal with Chess in the mid-'50s (after being turned down by rival Chicago label Vee-Jay). His very first single, "Bo Diddley"/"I'm a Man" (1955), was a double-sided monster. The A-side was soaked with futuristic waves of tremolo guitar, set to an ageless nursery rhyme; the flip was a bump-and-grind, harmonica-driven shuffle, based around a devastating blues riff. But

the result was not exactly blues, or even straight R&B, but a new kind of guitar-based rock & roll, soaked in the blues and R&B, but owing allegiance to neither.

Diddley was never a top seller on the order of his Chess rival Chuck Berry, but over the next half-dozen or so years, he'd produce a catalog of classics that rival Berry's in quality. "You Don't Love Me," "Diddley Daddy," "Pretty Thing," "Diddy Wah Diddy," "Who Do You Love?," "Mona," "Road Runner," "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover" - all are stone-cold standards of early, riff-driven rock & roll at its funkiest. Oddly enough, his only Top 20 pop hit was an atypical, absurd back-and-forth rap between him and Jerome Green, "Say Man," that came about almost by accident as the pair were fooling around in the studio.

As a live performer, Diddley was galvanizing, using his trademark square guitars and distorted amplification to produce new sounds that anticipated the innovations of '60s guitarists like Jimi Hendrix. In Great Britain, he was revered as a giant on the order of Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. The Rolling Stones in particular borrowed a lot from Bo's rhythms and attitude in their early days, although they only officially covered a couple of his tunes, "Mona" and "I'm Alright." Other British R&B groups like the Yardbirds, Animals, and Pretty Things also covered Diddley standards in their early days. Buddy Holly covered "Bo Diddley" and used a modified Bo Diddley beat on "Not Fade Away"; when the Stones gave the song the full-on Bo treatment (complete with shaking maracas), the result was their first big British hit.

The British Invasion helped increase the public's awareness of Diddley's importance, and ever since then he's been a popular live act. Sadly, though, his career as a recording artist - in commercial and artistic terms - was over by the time the Beatles and Stones hit America. He'd record with ongoing and declining frequency, but after 1963, he'd never write or record any original material on par with his early classics. Whether he'd spent his muse, or just felt he could coast on his laurels, is hard to say. But he remains a vital part of the collective rock & roll consciousness, occasionally reaching wider visibility via a 1979 tour with the Clash, a cameo role in the film Trading Places, a late-'80s tour with Ronnie Wood, and a 1989 television commercial for sports shoes with star athlete Bo Jackson.

14 Gomni - Ali Farka Toure & Ry CooderTalking Timbuktu (1993)

Oh my, another Cooder collaboration. I don’t care much for Toure’s voice, but I find no fault with his music otherwise. This is my first choice track from a very good CD. Check it out ;-)

Ali Farka Toure

1970 80 90 2000

One of the most internationally successful West African musicians of the '90s, Ali Farka Toure was described as "the African John Lee Hooker" so many times that it probably began to grate on both Toure's and Hooker's nerves. There is a lot of truth to the comparison, however, and it isn't exactly an insult. The guitarist, who also played other instruments such as calabash and bongos, shared with Hooker (and similar American bluesmen like Lightnin' Hopkins) a predilection for low-pitched vocals and midtempo, foot-stomping rhythms, often playing with minimal accompaniment.

Toure's delivery was less abrasive than Hooker's, and the general tone of his material somewhat sweeter. Widespread success on the order of Hooker was somewhat elusive, though, as Toure sang in several languages, and only occasionally in English. As he once told Option, his are songs "about education, work, love, and society." If he and Hooker sounded quite similar, it's probably not by conscious design, but due to the fact that both drew inspiration from African rhythmic and musical traditions that extend back many generations.

Toure was approaching the age of 50 when he came to the attention of the burgeoning world music community in the West via a self-titled album in the late '80s. In the following years he toured often in North America and Europe, and recorded frequently, sometimes with contributions from Taj Mahal and members of the Chieftains. In 1990, Toure retreated from music entirely to devote himself to his rice farm, but was convinced by his producer to again pick up the guitar to record 1994's Talking Timbuktu, on which he was joined by Ry Cooder. It was his most well-received effort to date, earning him a Grammy for Best World Music Album, but it was also proof that not all Third World-First World collaborations have to dilute their non-Western elements to achieve wide acceptance. However, Toure found the success to be draining and again retreated to tend his farm.

He didn't release a record on American shores for five years afterward; he finally broke the silence in 1999 with Niafunké, which discarded the collaborative approach in favor of a return to

his musical roots. Then, once again, Toure stepped away from the limelight. In 2005, perhaps partly to keep his name familiar to music lovers, Nonesuch issued (for the first time on compact disc) Red & Green, two albums Toure recorded in the early '80s, packaged together as a two-disc set. In the Heart of the Moon was also released in 2005. Toure died on March 7, 2006, from the bone cancer that he had been battling for years; however, he was able to complete one last album before passing. His final album, Savane was released posthumously in July 2006.

Ali Farka Toure Talking Timbuktu Rating 3 *Release Date 1994 Recording Date Sep 1993 World

Guitarist Ali Farka Toure has repeatedly bridged the gap between traditional African and contemporary American vernacular music, and this release continues that tradition. The CD features him singing in 11 languages and playing acoustic and electric guitar, six-string banjo, njarka, and percussion, while teaming smartly with an all-star cast that includes superstar fusion bassist John Patitucci, session drummer Jim Keltner, longtime roots music great Ry Cooder (who doubled as producer), venerable guitarist Gatemouth Brown, and such African percussionists and musicians as Hamma Sankare on calabash and Oumar Toure on congas. Composed by: Toure Performed by: Toure, Ali Farka, Ry Cooder 1 Bonde Toure 5:28 2 Soukora Toure 6:05 3 Gomni Toure 7:00 4 Sega Toure 3:10 5 Amandrai Toure 9:22 6 Lasidan Toure 6:06 7 Kelto Toure 5:42 8 Banga Toure 2:32 9 Ai Du Toure 7:09 10 Diaraby Traditional 7:25

15 Long Hard Climb - Maria MuldaurMaria Muldaur (1973)

This is one of the albums we used to play while boning chicken for our fondue dinner-parties in Klumz. I have a lot of Maria and Geoff albums and CDs – all I can find, in fact. Yeah, once I find something I like, I ride it to the end … if possible. This is Maria’s first solo event and along with her second, “Waitress In A Donut Shop (74)” represent some of her best work.

Singer Maria Muldaur was born Maria D'Amato in New York City. In the '60s, she was a member of the New York-based Even Dozen Jug Band and later of the Boston-based Jim Kweskin Jug Band, who also included her husband, Geoff Muldaur, from whom she was divorced in 1972. She found solo success with the sultry single "Midnight at the Oasis," which was featured on her debut solo album, Maria Muldaur, in 1973, and she followed with several similar albums, though her commercial success declined. In the '80s, Muldaur began performing as a Christian artist. She continued to work the club circuit successfully while issuing records like 1994's Meet Me at Midnite, 1996's Fanning the Flames, and 1999's Meet Me Where They Play the Blues. Music for Lovers followed in fall 2000.

16 I Don't Want No Other Baby But You - Pat DonohuePHC (2003)

Okay, if you can’t get the Northern Exposure CDs, tune into Prairie Home Companion (Saturday at 6, 5 Central). Pat Donohue is a regular on the show. This particular track really hit a chord with me (hee, hee). I’d wanted to put it on the last couple Naweedna CDs but it kept getting bumped. Well, its time is now, so here it is. Hope you like it as much as I do ;-)

According to Chet Atkins, Pat Donohue is "one of the greatest fingerpickers in the world." Any praise that could be given to a guitar player seems insignificant next to such a statement, but Donohue's work warrants even more acclaim. He was named the 1983 National Fingerpicking Guitar Champion, and continues to garner recognition as an exceptional musician and entertainer. Fans of National Public Radio's A Prairie Home Companion have been treated to the fingerpicked guitar work of Pat Donohue for years, whether they know it or not. Donohue started

appearing as a guest performer in the '80s and has been a regular member of the show's house band since 1993.

The full range of Donohue's talents, however, are evident on his recorded works, which blend folk, jazz, blues, ragtime, and boogie woogie. After recording Manhattan to Memphis and Pat Donohue for Red House Records, Donohue founded his own label: BlueSky Records. In 1991, he released Life Stories and an album of jazz and instrumental standards, Two Hand Band followed two years later. Donohue shifted gears with Big Blind Bluesy, a collection of classic country blues from the likes of Blind Blake and Big Bill Broonzy, as well as Donohue originals. Atkins appears on 1996's Backroads, which features solo and full-band performances of Donohue-penned songs. American Guitar showcases Donohue's ability as a solo performer and includes more of his own songs, as well as his arrangements of traditional American pieces such as "Maple Leaf Rag" and "the Star Spangled Banner."

Donohue travels extensively for A Prairie Home Companion and, in addition to his solo concert performances, he conducts numerous group workshops for guitar players across the U.S.

17 Kiko And The Lavender Moon - Los LobosJust Another Band From East LA (1993)

Mahoney put this on his “Mahoney’s Moons” compilation, and I fell in love with it instantly. I’ve waited a couple years to include it on a Naweedna CD, but I just couldn’t wait any longer.

Los Lobos was one of America’s most distinctive and original bands of the ‘80s. They may have had a hit with “La Bamba” in 1987, yet that cover barely scratches the surface of their talents. Los Lobos is eclectic in the best sense of the word. While they draw equally from rock, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music, their music never sounds forced or self-conscious. Instead, all of their influences become one graceful, gritty sound. From their very first recordings their rich musicality was apparent; on nearly every subsequent record they have found ways to redefine and expand their sound, without ever straying from the musical traditions that form the heart and soul of the band.

After releasing an independent EP in the late ‘70s and an EP in 1983, Los Lobos delivered their first major-label album, How Will the Wolf Survive?, in 1984; it received an enormous amount of critical acclaim, as well as a dedicated following of fans. In the next four years, they released a marginally successful attempt to make their wildly eclectic sound palatable for a pop audience (By the Light of the Moon), a soundtrack of old Ritchie Valens songs that was a hit (La Bamba), and an album of traditional Mexican music (La Pistola y el Corazón). The band took two years off and returned with The Neighborhood in 1990; the album was a varied and powerful rock & roll record that was better than anything they had released in six years. Kiko, released in 1992, brought the band into more experimental territory, without ever abandoning their graceful songwriting.

The band celebrated their 20-year anniversary with Just Another Band From East L.A., a modestly titled two-CD set that featured most of their biggest singles and recognized songs. It also had rare tracks from their first album, outtakes, and live tracks that fans had been waiting for. They didn’t appear together on record again until 1995, when they released the children’s record Papa’s Dream on Music for Little People Records. They also scored the film Desperado and contributed tracks to several other soundtracks and tribute albums.

Their last release for Warner Bros. came in the form of 1996’s Colossal Head, another critically acclaimed album that still failed to excite the label enough to keep them on the roster. Feeling dejected, they left one another to concentrate on side projects, like Soul Disguise, Houndog, and the Latin Playboys. The latter was the most dedicated project of the bunch, eventually becoming another regular group for David Hidalgo and Louie Pérez, on top of their duties for Los Lobos, after previously releasing an album in the early 90s.

Los Lobos came back together in 1999, when they recorded and released their debut for Hollywood Records, This Time. Another Los Angeles-themed gem from the group, it didn’t perform up to the label’s liking and they only managed to deliver one more record for the company, the re-release of 1977’s Del Este de Los Angeles. Rhino/Warner Archives released the Cancionero: Mas y Mas box set the following year, but despite the career retrospective, they were still together and came back on Mammoth Records for the Good Morning Aztlan release in 2002.

Just Another Band from East L.A.: A Collection Los Lobos Date of Release Aug 31, 1993 AMG Rating 4.5 *Rock

Time 145:48 By the time Los Lobos made their debut on record, they already had a half-decade of live gigs under their belt. That initial independent release, Del Este de Los Angeles, went largely unrecognized, however, and it wasn’t until a half-decade later that the music business took notice. With the arrival of ...And a Time to Dance, however, they began to realize what many Southern California music fans had discovered years earlier. Here was a band that combined stunning instrumental chops with a flare for everything rootsy, from ‘50s rock & roll and R&B to country twang and traditional norteño. They were a formidable live unit as well, and the restaurants, weddings, and parties that served as the group’s initial circuit were soon replaced by gigs at the Olympic Auditorium (a defunct boxing arena where the group opened for P.I.L.) and the Whiskey a Go Go. Just Another Band from East L.A., this two-disc, 41-song compilation of album cuts, soundtrack contributions, live tracks, and unreleased material, celebrates the group’s first 14 years on record. It follows the band from their first recordings in the late ‘70s to 1992’s visionary Kiko. Along the way, Los Lobos honed their blend of rock & roll and Tex-Mex on a pair of T-Bone Burnett-produced albums, returned to their roots for the traditional flavors of La Pistola y el Corazon, and scored a number-one hit with the title track to director Luis Valdez’s film La Bamba. With each new full-length, the penmanship of David Hidalgo, Louie Perez, and Cesar Rosas only seemed to improve, and Just Another Band includes all of the songwriting highs. An excellent place to begin a journey into the music of Los Lobos. — Nathan Bush 1. Volver, Volver [live] (Maldonado) – 3:45 2. El Cuchipe (Canción Boliviana) (Bueno/Orozco) – 2:18 3. La Feria de la Flores (Monge) – 2:40 4. Sabor a Mi (Carrillo) – 3:49 5. Let’s Say Goodnight [live] (Hidalgo/Perez) – 3:29 6. Anselma (Suedan/Trigo) – 3:08 7. Will the Wolf Survive? (Hidalgo/Perez) – 3:43 8. A Matter of Time (Hidalgo/Perez) – 3:48 9. I Got to Let You Know [live] (Rosas) – 2:35 10. Don’t Worry Baby (Burnett/Perez/Rosas) – 2:46 11. One Time One Night (Hidalgo/Pérez) – 4:48 12. Shakin’ Shakin’ Shakes (Rosas/T-Bone Burnett) – 4:10 13. River of Fools [live] (Hidalgo/Pérez) – 2:42 14. Carabina 30-30 [live] (Nunez) – 3:36 15. Tears of God (Hidalgo/Perez) – 3:45 16. Set Me Free (Rosa Lee) (Rosas) – 3:35 17. Come on, Let’s Go (Valens) – 2:00 18. La Bamba – 2:52 19. El Gusto (Ramirez) – 2:56 20. Estoy Sentado Aquí (Rosas) – 2:27 21. La Pistola y el Corazón (Hidalgo/Pérez) – 3:28 22. I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song) [From Jungle Book] (Sherman/Sherman) – 3:17 23. Someday [#] (Hidalgo/Perez) – 3:42 24. Down on the Riverbed (Hidalgo/Perez) – 4:05 25. Be Still (Hidalgo/Perez) – 3:34 26. The Neighborhood (Hidalgo/Perez) – 4:07 27. I Can’t Understand (Dixon/Rosas) – 3:57 28. Angel Dance (Hidalgo/Perez) – 3:12 29. Bertha [live] (Garcia/Hunter) – 4:59 30. Saint Behind the Glass (Hidalgo/Pérez) – 3:15 31. Angels With Dirty Faces (Hidalgo/Perez) – 4:02 32. Wicked Rain [live] (Rosas) – 3:36 33. Kiko and the Lavender Moon (Hidalgo/Pérez) – 3:35 34. When the Circus Comes (Hidalgo/Pérez) – 3:15 35. Peace [live] (Hidalgo/Pérez) – 6:21 36. Bella Maria de Mi Alma (Glimcher/Kraft) – 4:26 37. What’s Going On [live] (Benson/Cleveland/Gaye) – 4:51 38. Wrong Man Theme [#] (Los Lobos) – 1:45 39. Blue Moonlight [#] (Perez/Rosas) – 3:46 40. Politician [live] (Brown/Bruce) – 4:35 41. New Zandu [#] (Hidalgo/Pérez) – 3:08

18 La Ti Da - Marcia BallGatorhytms (1989)

Bob & Char were kind enough to send me this CD. You may recognize Marcia from Naweedna 02A (Red Hot). There will be more in the future ;-)

Pianist, singer and songwriter Marcia Ball is a living example of how east Texas blues meets southwest Louisiana swamp rock. Ball was born March 20, 1949, in Orange, TX, but grew up across the border in Vinton, LA. That town is squarely in the heart of "the Texas triangle," an area that includes portions of both states and that has produced some of our country's greatest blues talents: Janis Joplin, Johnny and Edgar Winter, Queen Ida Guillory, Lonnie Brooks, Zachary Richard, Clifton Chenier and Kenny Neal, to name a few. Ball's earliest awareness of blues came over the radio, where she heard people like Irma Thomas, Professor Longhair and Etta James, all of whom she now credits as influences. She began playing piano at age five, learning from her grandmother and aunt and also taking formal lessons from a teacher.

Ball entered Louisiana State University in the late '60s as an English major. In college, she played in a psychedelic rock & roll band, Gum. In 1970, Ball and her first husband were headed west in their car to San Francisco, but the car needed repairs in Austin, where they had stopped off to visit one of their former bandmates. After hearing, seeing and tasting some of the music, sights and food in Austin, the two decided to stay there. Ball has been based in Austin since then.

Her piano style, which mixes equal parts boogie woogie with zydeco and Louisiana swamp rock, is best exemplified on her series of excellent recordings for the Rounder label. They include Soulful Dress (1983), Hot Tamale Baby (1985), Gatorhythms (1989) and Blue House (1994). Also worthy of checking out is her collaboration with Angela Strehli and Lou Ann Barton on the Antone's label, Dreams Come True (1990). Ball, like her peer Angela Strehli, is an educated business woman, fully aware of all the realities of the record business. Ball never records until she feels she's got a batch of top-notch, quality songs. Most of the songs on her albums are her own creations, so songwriting is a big part of her job description.

Although Ball is a splendid piano player and a more than adequate vocalist, "the songwriting process is the most fulfilling part of the whole deal for me," she said in a 1994 interview, "so I always keep my ears and eyes open for things I might hear or see....I like my songs to go back to blues in some fashion." As much a student of the music as she is a player, some of Ball's albums include covers of material by O.V. Wright, Dr. John, Joe Ely, Clifton Chenier and Shirley and Lee.

Ball, who's established herself as an important player in the club scenes in both New Orleans and Austin, continues to work at festivals and clubs throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Gatorhythms Marcia Ball Date of Release 1989 (release) inprint AMG Rating 4.5 * SelectedGenre Blues Time 34:11 Marcia Ball explored R&B and honky-tonk country on this album, keeping her blues chops in order while expanding her repertoire. She included a pair of tunes by country vocalist Lee Roy Parnell, "What's A Girl To Do" and "Red Hot," doing both in a feisty, attacking fashion. She also was challenging and upbeat on Dr. John's "How You Carry On" and "Find Another Fool." Her third Rounder album was her most entertaining and dynamic, as Ball became less of an interpreter and more of an individualist. 1. How You Carry On (David/Rebennack) - 2:42 2. La Ti Da (Ball) - 3:42 3. The Power of Love (Ball) - 4:16 4. Mobile (Ball) - 3:10 * 5. Find Another Fool (Ball) - 4:20 6. Mama's Cooking (Ball/Bruton) - 3:03 7. What's a Girl to Do? (Moore/Parnell) - 3:28 8. Daddy Said (Ball) - 2:43 9. You'll Come Around (Ball) - 3:54 * 10. Red Hot (Moore/Parnell) - 3:11

Marcia Ball - Organ, Piano, Accordion, Vocals, Producer Lou Ann Barton - Vocals (bckgr) Don Bennett - Bass Jon Blondell - Trombone Stephen Bruton - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Slide Guitar Turner Stephen Bruton - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Slide Guitar Rodney Craig - Drums, Triangle, Bells, Cowbell James Hinkle - Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm) Mark Kazanoff - Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor) Derek O'Brien - Guitar

Angela Strehli - Vocals (bckgr) Jesse Taylor - Guitar Keith Winking - Trumpet

19 He Had A Long Chain On - Jimmy DriftwoodAmericana V2 (1960)

I first heard Jimmy Driftwood on FFUSA. About twenty years later, BrianT gave me the Americana CD, a compilation of his work. You gotta read the bio to fully appreciate Driftwood’s work – especially if you are in the teaching profession. You all know at least two of his songs: Tennessee Stud and Battle of New Orleans. Well, now you know one more. I’ve always liked this – I find it moving in its simple story and unpretentious presentation.

Jimmie Driftwood was almost an anachronism in the years he was at his commercial peak, from 1957 through 1961. A schoolteacher by training, he originally started writing songs as a way of helping his students learn about history, and subquently composed (or collected and re-composed) over 5000 songs, many of them dealing with some element of America's past and its history, telling old folk tales, or preserving some aspect of the daily lives of the people who sang them. Only one modern figure in folk music remotely approaches his contribution to American song and the popular undertanding of its roots, and that is Lee Hayes of the Weavers — Driftwood was never the activist that Hayes was, however, being more concerned with teaching than political causes, and, thus, never engendered either the blacklisting or the subsequent canonization by the Left that Hayes received. And Hayes, for all of his leftist sympathies, was never invited to sing before Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on the occasion of the first visit of any Soviet leader to the United Nations, as Driftwood was.

In September of 1959, in the midst of the rock & roll era and the burgeoning boom in folk music, Driftwood had half a dozen of his songs somewhere on the American charts, pop or country. The best known of these was "The Battle of New Orleans," which managed to top both the country and pop charts in a version recorded by Johnny Horton, but also charting in September of 1959 were "Tennessee Stud," as recorded by country giant Eddy Arnold, Hawkshaw Hawkins' version of "Soldier's Joy," Johnny and Jack's "Sailor Man," Horton's recording of "Sal's Got a Sugar Lip," and Homer and Jethro's parody, "The Battle of Kookamonga." Moreso than Lee Hayes, Pete Seeger, or Woody Guthrie, Jimmie Driftwood helped pull together elements of folk, pop, and country music, and gave the mass public some sense of the history of all of it in the bargain.

James Corbett Morris' father was a singer who was well known locally, and who had been recorded by several folk song collectors in the early decades of the 20th century. He learned traditional folk songs from his mother and grandmother, while his father and grandfather taught him old-style fiddle tunes. And he grew up seemingly knowing every folk tale that there was to learn from the Ozarks, from whites and Native Americans (of whom there were many, including his future wife, who was one-quarter Cherokee) alike. It was his grandfather on his father's side, a fiddle maker, who built him the unique guitar that he used throughout his career, the neck made from a fence rail, the sides from an ox yoke, and the head and bottom from the headboard of a bed.

He began writing poetry at an early age, encouraged by a teacher. After graduating high school, he attended John Brown College and later qualified as a teacher, eventually earning a proper education degree from Arkansas Teachers College. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, when he was still trying to earn some college credits, he headed west to Arizona, driving in an old Model A Ford that made it as far as Texas and hitchhiking the rest of the way. There wasn't much work to be found there in the midst of the Great Depression, but then an opportunity arose through a singing contest sponsored by a local radio station — he had his guitar with him, and had written a song called "Arizona."

He won the contest, which got him a spot on the station in the early morning hours, if he could find a sponsor. He eventually found one, in the guise of the grocery store chain that was willing to hire him as a worker and back his show. He was later taken in by an older couple who had heard him through the contest and not only gave him a place to live, but brought his mother — who, as it turned out, was dying from secondhand smoke from his father's cigarette habit — out to Arizona. Mrs. Morris died in Arizona, and eventually his father died of cancer as well, by which time Driftwood was back in Arkansas teaching.

It was while teaching history in elementary school that he discovered the positive influence of music in presenting the panorama of American history. He wrote "The Battle of New Orleans," drawing his melody from the traditional fiddle tune "The Eighth of January," in order to help his students distinguish between the events of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the War of 1812. All of the songs and stories that he'd heard during his childhood now stood him in good stead, as he was able to draw on a multitude of tales and traditional melodies, as well as devise

his own traditional-sounding melodies, to deliver up songs as needed for his students or anyone else who would listen.

Driftwood married a former student of his, Cleda Azalea Johnson, in 1936, and the couple moved into a home that they built together, where they later raised their family. For the next 20 years, his life was concerned almost exclusively with teaching and his family, and during that time he wrote thousands of songs, almost all having to do with some aspects of American history.

By the 1940s, he had his college degree and proper teaching credentials, and was becoming a well-known local figure. That might have been as far as the music took James Corbett Morris, as he was still known, but for several cultural changes that were taking place far from his home.

The late 1940s had seen the beginnings of a revival of interest in folk music, with the success of the Almanac Singers and their successors, the Weavers, who transformed an activist songwriting process into popular success. Although their careers were interrupted by a political backlash against their activist roots, the 1950s saw a spread of interest in folk music and the roots and stories behind it to the college campuses, newly swelling with the ranks of middle-class students.

By the mid-1950s, Jimmie Driftwood suddenly found himself being sought after by scholars and folk song collectors, and he also began receiving invitations to speak at colleges and universities throughout the south and beyond. In 1957, a friend of Driftwood's, Hugh Ashley, told a friend of his, Don Warden, a steel guitar player in Porter Wagoner's band who had just started up a new publishing company and was looking for material, about a schoolteacher who'd written a huge number of songs that seemed to be pretty catchy, at least among the local school children.

At that time, he was still legally James Morris. The name Jimmie Driftwood was the outcome of a joke played on his grandmother when he was born — his grandfather had handed his wife a bundle that was supposed to be James Corbett Morris, but proved to be a piece of wood, to which his grandmother exclaimed, "It's just a piece of driftwood." Morris liked the "Driftwood" name and picked it up and used it, both publicly and legally, from the late 1950s onward.

Warden signed Driftwood up as a songwriter after hearing him run through 100 songs, of which "The Battle of New Orleans" was the last. The folk boom was in full swing, and soon after he was signed to RCA-Victor, which was looking for folk singers. Driftwood's first recording session was held on October 27, 1957, the same month he signed with the label, and the first song he cut — to his own guitar accompaniment with backing from Chet Atkins on guitar and Bob L. Moore on bass — was "The Battle of New Orleans." There were 11 songs cut that day, all of which ended up on his first album, the rather awkwardly titled Newly Discovered Early American Folk Songs, issued in the summer of 1958. That album sold in small but respectable numbers, and received good reviews, but there was no hit single from it, principally because "The Battle of New Orleans" didn't get much airplay, a result of the use of the words "hell" and "damn" in the lyrics.

A second set of sessions was scheduled for November of 1958, but in the meantime, Don Warden's work as Driftwood's publisher was about to pay off in a totally unexpected way. Porter Wagoner had toured with Johnny Horton late in 1958, and in the course of their work together, Warden had pitched "The Battle of New Orleans" to Horton by way of his manager, Tillman Franks. Horton immediately wanted to record the song, and after a few cuts that reduced its length — and an appearance on the Louisiana Hayride, where Driftwood sang "The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny Horton cut the song on January 27, 1959 in Nashville.

Released early the following spring, Horton's single eventually rose to the number one spot on the country charts, which it held for ten weeks out of a 21-week run. Better yet, it crossed over onto the pop charts for a 21-week stay in that much bigger arena, holding the top spot there for six weeks out of that time. Horton helped the song's cause and its exposure by performing it live on The Ed Sullivan Show in June of that year.

Suddenly, everybody wanted to record Jimmie Driftwood's songs, even as Driftwood's own second album, The Wilderness Road, was being released. That record, in the wake of the exposure from Horton's single, sold considerably better than his first. By mid-1959, Driftwood's success was confirmed with dozens of recordings of his songs either out or in the works, and then there came the moment in September of that year when six of those records were on the Billboard chart simultaneously. "The Battle of New Orleans" earned him a Grammy Award, and The Wilderness Road not only sold well but yielded an additional Grammy, followed three years later by another award for Billy Yank and Johnny Reb.

The unusual nature of his success at first confused Driftwood, who originally thought of the publishing contract as a vehicle by which to get his songs heard, that he might succeed as a recording artist. His records did sell, but never in numbers resembling Horton's recording of "The Battle of New Orleans," which easily became a gold record and sold in huge numbers around the

world — it can safely be considered the model upon which not only direct successors such as Horton's "Sink the Bismarck" were built, but also the impetus behind the willingness of labels like Columbia Records to record such more topical-historical songs as Pete Le Farge's "Ballad of Ira Hayes," in both its original form and the version by Johnny Cash, and even extending to England, where American-born skiffle/country star Johnny Duncan recorded "The Legend of Gunga Din."

He expected lots of money from RCA, and there was some, to be sure. But the checks he got from Warden's publishing company were enormous, in the five-figure range, which, by the standards of Timbo, Arkansas in 1959, was about as much money as anyone had ever seen. It set Driftwood and his wife and family up comfortably for years to come, and allowed them to buy all of the land they wanted for themselves.

"The Battle of New Orleans" was recut by Driftwood in a slightly more commercial arrangement, and in stereo, and it had a short run of its own on the country charts in mid-1959, its sales only a pale shadow of Horton's record, which was still riding the charts. Driftwood was still a star, however, and in April of that year performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, made the folk festivals in Berkeley and Newport, received an honorary doctorate in American folklore from Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee, sang before the United Nations for Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's visit, appeared on network television game shows (To Tell The Truth etc.), and got regular spots on the Grand Ol' Opry, the Louisiana Hayride, and the Ozark Jubilee.

Amid all of this activity, Driftwood was forced to end his teaching career, which didn't sit well with him. He continued to educate audiences, most notably those consisting of other teachers, about the power of songs as a teaching tool, and was an invited lecturer before many national teachers meetings and organizations throughout the early 1960s.

Finally, in the early 1960s, Driftwood found a cause closer to home that he could devote himself to, the Arkansas Folk Festival, which eventually attracted 100,000 people every year to hear the musicians that performed there. That led to the formation of the Rackansack Folklore Society, which led to the building of the Ozark Folk Center in the early 1970s. His next endeavor was the Jimmie Driftwood Barn, which became a major performing showcase for players from the Rackansack Folklore Society. Driftwood's other concerns included environmental issues, among them the preservation of the Blanchard Caverns in Arkansas, and the Buffalo River. He served as head of the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Commission, and was named to the Advisory Committee of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and worked as a musicologist for the National Geographic Society. During the 1960s and 1970s, in the course of this work, he appeared before audiences at hundreds of colleges and universities.

Driftwood's recording career ended in 1961, but his six albums for RCA remain a compelling country-folk legacy. Artists from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen can trace some elements of their repertory and success to his unique brand of songwriting, and even '80s roots-rock outfits like the Del Lords have performed his songs with the kind of fervor that most acts usually reserve for songs by Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie. Driftwood died on July 12, 1998 in Fayetteville Arkansas; he was 91.

Americana Jimmie Driftwood Date of Release 1991 (release) AMG Rating 4.5 * checkedGenre Folk Comprising Jimmie Driftwood's complete recordings for RCA, cut between 1957 and 1961, this three-CD set opens with Driftwood's most famous song, "The Battle of New Orleans," and the ten other songs that comprised the classic country-folk collection Newly Discovered Early American Folk Songs. The material here, when compared to the music of the Weavers or the Kingston Trio, seems like a field recording from 100 years earlier, with Driftwood's rural Arkansas pronunciation, twangy intonation, and spare backing. The Wilderness Road is every bit as good and even more entertaining, since Driftwood seems even more comfortable with the recording process. Disc Two opens with Driftwood's September 1959 sessions for The Westward Movement, a series of songs about the beginnings of the great American migration west, which features a somewhat more sophisticated sound. The second half of the disc is made up of Tall Tales in Song, Driftwood's series of songs about myths and tall tales from history and local legend. The last five songs come from a Time-Life LP, How the West Was Won, and deal with such figures as General Custer, Jesse James, and Billy the Kid. Disc Three opens with the Grammy-winning album Billy Yank and Johnny Reb, which returns Driftwood to his more familiar backing band (including John D. Loudermilk), accompanied in surprisingly restrained manner by the Anita Kerr singers. The last half of the disc includes Sea Shanties, Driftwood's final album from 1961. The sound throughout is excellent, and the music is all priceless, whether one's taste runs toward country or folk. The booklet transcends

Bear Family's usual standard, with extremely detailed notes and essays (some by the man himself), as well as the usual full sessionography. 1. The Battle of New Orleans (Driftwood) 2. Unforntunate Man 3. Fair Rosamond's Bower 4. Soldier's Joy 5. Country Boy 6. I'm Too Young to Marry 7. Pretty Mary 8. Sailor Man 9. Zelma Lee 10. Rattlesnake Song 11. Old Joe Clark 12. Tennessee Stud (Driftwood) 13. Razorback Steak (Driftwood) 14. First Covered Wagon (Driftwood) 15. The Maid of Argenta (Driftwood) 16. Bunker Hill (Driftwood) 17. Song of the Cowboys (Driftwood) 18. Peter Francisco (Driftwood) 19. Four Little Girls in Boston (Driftwood) 20. Slack Your Rope 21. Run Johnny Run 22. Arkansas Traveler (Traditional) 23. Damyankee Lad (Driftwood) 24. Chalamette (Driftwood) 25. The Battle of New Orleans (Driftwood) 26. The Land Where the Blue Grass Grows (Driftwood) 27. The Widders of Bowling Green (Driftwood) 28. Get Along Boys (Driftwood) 29. Sweet Betsy from Pike 30. Shoot the Buffalo (Driftwood) 31. Song of the Pioneer (Driftwood) 32. I'm Leavin' on the Wagon Train (Driftwood) 33. Jordan Am a Hard Road to Travel (Driftwood) 34. The Marshall of Silver City (Driftwood) 35. The Wilderness Road (Driftwood) 36. The Pony Express (Driftwood) 37. Mooshatanio (Driftwood) 38. The Shanty in the Holler (Driftwood) 39. Big River Man (Driftwood) 40. Big John Davy (Driftwood) 41. On Top of Pikes Peak (Driftwood) 42. Fidi Diddle Um A-Dazey (Driftwood) 43. The Song of Creation (Driftwood) 44. The Battle of San Juan Hill (Driftwood) 45. Banjer Pickin' Man (Driftwood) 46. Tucumcari (Driftwood) 47. St. Brendon's Isle (Driftwood) 48. He Had a Long Chain On (Driftwood) 49. Big Hoss (Driftwood) 50. Sal's Got a Sugarlip (Driftwood) 51. Mooshatanio (Driftwood) 52. Ox Driving Song (Traditional) 53. General Custer 54. What Was Your Name in the States? 55. Billy the Kid 56. Jesse James 57. Billy Yank and Johnny Reb (Driftwood) 58. Won't You Come Along and Go (Driftwood) 59. Rock of Chickamauga (Driftwood) 60. How Do You Like the Army? (Driftwood) 61. Git Along Little Yearlings (Driftwood) 62. Oh Florie (Driftwood) 63. I'm a Pore Rebel Soldier (Driftwood) 64. My Blackbird Has Gone (Driftwood) 65. Goodbye Reb, You'all Come (Driftwood) 66. On Top of Shiloh's Hill (Driftwood)

67. When I Swim the Golden River (Driftwood) 68. The Giant of the Thunderhead (Driftwood) 69. Shanghied (Driftwood) 70. Santy Anno 71. Row Bullies Row 72. The Land of the Amazon (Driftwood) 73. What Could I Do? (Driftwood) 74. Driftwood at Sea (Driftwood) 75. In a Cotton Shirt and a Pair of Dungarees (Driftwood) 76. Davy Jones (Driftwood) 77. Sailor, Sailor, Marry Me (Driftwood) 78. The Diver Boy 79. The Ship That Never Returned (Traditional) 80. Sailing Away on the Ocean (Driftwood) 81. John Paul Jones 82. The Bear That Flew over the Ocean

20 Ain't No Free – NRBQAt Yankee Stadium (1977)

Yet another gift from Mahoney. You may remember NRBQ from Naweedna 05’s “A Little Bit Of Bad.” This is a dynamite group with a highly varied repertoire – and all of it is go-go-go-good. I really like the sniggering on this track. I guess it’s about prostitution, but, hey, whatever works, right?

NRBQ NRBQ at Yankee Stadium Rating 4.5 *Release Date 1978 Recording Date Nov 1977 Time 34:31 Rock

More than just NRBQ's best record, but one of the great records of the '70s (maybe ever!). This album contains the strongest batch of new Q songs on one record, many of them the best and most memorable songs in the band's long and storied career. Starting with Terry Adams' herky-jerky "Green Lights" to the rollicking "I Want You Bad," the band has rarely sounded better. The record's gem, however, is an Al Anderson song left over from their previous record (All Hopped Up on Red Rooster), "Ridin' in My Car." A song about lost love and blown chances, it has Anderson's characteristic wry sensibility and (non-fatal) heartache, all wrapped up in a ebullient pop package driven by Terry Adams' melodic keyboard riffing and Tom Ardolino's amazingly assertive drumming. Yankee Stadium should have been a huge album, but Mercury booted it and never capitalized on the band's fanatical support base. Caveat emptor: When this record was issued by Mercury on CD just a couple of years back, they inexplicably left off "Ridin' in My Car." 1 Green Lights Adams, Joseph, Spampinato 2:54 2 Just Ain't Fair Spampinato 3:01 3 I Love Her, She Loves Me Spampinato 2:28 4 Get Rhythm Cash 2:58 5 That's Neat, That's Nice Adams 3:09 6 Ain't No Free Adams 3:24 7 I Want You Bad Adams, Crandon 2:32 8 The Same Old Thing Matthews 2:21 9 Yes, Yes, Yes Adams 2:53 10 It Comes to Me Naturally Anderson 3:00 11 Talk to Me Adams 2:41 12 Shake, Rattle & Roll Calhoun 3:10

21 Mean Woman Blues - Roy Orbison & Friends A Black & White Night (1987) If you were at last year’s Holiday Gathering at Naweedna, you probably saw part of the Roy Orbison video from which this track came. It is a most remarkable video with a real who’s who list of accompanying artists (see list below). We spent a lot of time trying to identify each of the artists. It took Mahoney to pick out JD Souther. That’s why we call him “The Music Man.”

Roy died 12/88, so this had to be one his last performances … maybe THE last. Watching him perform on the video and comparing his understated mannerisms to the younger performers is instructive. It is equally instructive to see the glint of admiration in each of the young eyes as

they interact with Roy during the performance. At the end, as Roy is thanking them individually, Bonnie Raitt looks like she’s ready to have his baby or something. Yeah, the girl chorus of KD Lang, Jennifer Warnes, and Bonnie Raitt is something to behold.

I was really struck by cross-generational aspect of this performance. Here was Roy, a product of my generation, rockin’ out with all those future stars of the next generation. It was like the young’ns were paying homage to their roots. Kinda reminds me of our Alumni Gatherings. We old farts passing the torch to you young people, who, in turn will pass it to the next generation. ‘Round and ‘round it goes.

You can get the DVD at Amazon for less than $20. It is worth it for sure … especially if you are an Orbison and/or Springsteen fan. Now there is a generational gap ;-)

Roy Orbison & Friends – A Black & White Night

Vocalists:Jackson BrowneT Bone BurnettElvis CostelloKD LangBonnie RaittSteven SoulsJD SoutherBruce SpringsteenTom WaitsJennifer Warnes

Band:Alex Acura – percussionJames Burton – guitarGlen D Hardin – pianoJerry Scheff – bassRon Tutt – drumsMike Utley – keyboards

Although he shared the same rockabilly roots as Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison went on to pioneer an entirely different brand of country/pop-based rock & roll in the early ‘60s. What he lacked in charisma and photogenic looks, Orbison made up for in spades with his quavering operatic voice and melodramatic narratives of unrequited love and yearning. In the process, he established rock & roll archetypes of the underdog and the hopelessly romantic loser. These were not only amplified by peers such as Del Shannon and Gene Pitney, but also influenced future generations of roots rockers such as Bruce Springsteen and Chris Isaak, as well as modern country stars the Mavericks.

Orbison made his first widely distributed recordings for Sun Records in 1956. Roy was a capable rockabilly singer, and had a small national hit with his first Sun single, “Ooby Dooby.” But even then, he was far more comfortable as a ballad singer than as a hepped-up rockabilly jive cat. Other Sun singles met with no success, and by the late ‘50s he was concentrating primarily on building a career as a songwriter, his biggest early success being “Claudette” (recorded by the Everly Brothers).

After a brief, unsuccessful stint with RCA, Orbison finally found his voice with Monument Records, scoring a number-two hit in 1960 with “Only the Lonely.” This established the Roy Orbison persona for good: a brooding rockaballad of failed love with a sweet, haunting melody, enhanced by his Caruso-like vocal trills at the song’s emotional climax. These and his subsequent Monument hits also boasted innovative, quasi-symphonic production, with Roy’s voice and guitar backed by surging strings, ominous drum rolls, and heavenly choirs of backup vocalists.

Between 1960 and 1965, Orbison would have 15 Top 40 hits for Monument, including such nail-biting mini-dramas as “Running Scared,” “Crying,” “In Dreams,” and “It’s Over.” Not just a singer of tear-jerking ballads, he was also capable of effecting a tough, bluesy swagger on “Dream Baby,” “Candy Man,” and “Mean Woman Blues.” In fact, his biggest and best hit was also his hardest-rocking: “Oh, Pretty Woman” soared to number one in late 1964, at the peak of the British Invasion.

It seemed at that time that Roy was well-equipped to survive the British onslaught of the mid-‘60s. He had even toured with the Beatles in Britain in 1963, and John Lennon has admitted to trying to emulate Orbison when writing the Beatles’ first British chart-topper, “Please Please Me.” But Orbison’s fortunes declined rapidly after he left Monument for MGM in 1965. It would be

easy to say that the major label couldn’t replicate the unique production values of the classic Monument singles, but that’s only part of the story. Roy, after all, was still writing most of his material, and his early MGM records were produced in a style that closely approximated the Monument era. The harder truth to face was that his songs were starting to sound like lesser variations of themselves, and that contemporary trends in rock and soul were making him sound outdated.

Orbison, like many early rock greats, could always depend on large overseas audiences to pay the bills. The two decades between the mid-‘60s and mid-‘80s were undeniably tough ones for him, though, both personally and professionally. A late-‘60s stab at acting failed miserably. In 1966, his wife died in a motorcycle accident; a couple of years later, his house burned down, two of his sons perishing in the flames. Periodic comeback attempts with desultory albums in the 1970s came to naught.

Orbison’s return to the public eye came about through unexpected circumstances. In the mid-‘80s, David Lynch’s Blue Velvet film prominently featured “In Dreams” on its soundtrack. That led to the singer making an entire album of re-recordings of hits, with T-Bone Burnett acting as producer. The record was no substitute for the originals, but it did help restore him to prominence within the industry. Shortly afterward, he joined George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne in the Traveling Wilburys. Their successful album set the stage for Orbison’s best album in over 20 years, Mystery Girl, which emulated the sound of his classic ‘60s work without sounding hackneyed. By the time it reached the charts in early 1989, however, Orbison was dead, claimed by a heart attack in December 1988.

22 My Baby Just Cares For Me - Nina SimoneStealing Beauty Soundtrack (1996)

By now you probably realize that Nina is one of my favorite artists. And why not? She gave us a version of “At Last” that only Ray Charles could challenge. Although we have lots of Nina, this particular track came from Mare of Mikey’n’Mare. Apparently, Mare is a Nina fan, too.

This track is very similar to Lou Rawl’s “Fine Brown Frame”, but I opted to put them both on the came CD anyway. I did separate them as much as possible, so they won’t be competing with each other – unless you put ‘em on shuffle, like I do ;-)

Of all the major singers of the late 20th century, Nina Simone is one of the hardest to classify. She's recorded extensively in the soul, jazz, and pop idioms, often over the course of the same album; she's also comfortable with blues, gospel, and Broadway. It's perhaps most accurate to label her as a "soul" singer in terms of emotion, rather than form. Like, say, Aretha Franklin, or Dusty Springfield, Simone is an eclectic, who brings soulful qualities to whatever material she interprets. These qualities are among her strongest virtues; paradoxically, they also may have kept her from attaining a truly mass audience. The same could be said of her stage persona; admired for her forthright honesty and individualism, she's also known for feisty feuding with audiences and promoters alike.

If Simone has a chip on her shoulder, it probably arose from the formidable obstacles she had to overcome to establish herself as a popular singer. Raised in a family of eight children, she originally harbored hopes of becoming a classical pianist, studying at New York's prestigious Juilliard School of Music - a rare position for an African-American woman in the 1950s. Needing to support herself while she studied, she generated income by working as an accompanist and giving piano lessons. Auditioning for a job as a pianist in an Atlantic City nightclub, she was told she had the spot if she would sing as well as play. Almost by accident, she began to carve a reputation as a singer of secular material, though her skills at the piano would serve her well throughout her career.

In the late '50s, Simone began recording for the small Bethlehem label (a subsidiary of the vastly important early R&B/rock & roll King label). In 1959, her version of George Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy" gave her a Top 20 hit - which would, amazingly, prove to be the only Top 40 entry of her career. Nina wouldn't need hit singles for survival, however, establishing herself not with the rock & roll/R&B crowd, but with the adult/nightclub/album market. In the early '60s, she recorded no less than nine albums for the Candix label, about half of them live. These unveiled her as a performer of nearly unsurpassed eclecticism, encompassing everything from Ellingtonian jazz and Israeli folk songs to spirituals and movie themes.

Simone's best recorded work was issued on Philips during the mid-'60s. Here, as on Candix, she was arguably over-exposed, issuing seven albums within a three-year period. These records can be breathtakingly erratic, moving from warm ballad interpretations of Jacques Brel and Billie Holiday and instrumental piano workouts to brassy pop and angry political statements in a heartbeat. There's a great deal of fine music to be found on these, however. Simone's moody-yet-

elegant vocals are like no one else's, presenting a fiercely independent soul who harbors enormous (if somewhat hard-bitten) tenderness.

Like many African-American entertainers of the mid-'60s, Simone was deeply affected by the Civil Rights Movement and burgeoning Black Pride. Some (though by no means most) of her best material from this time addressed these concerns in a fashion more forthright than almost any other singer. "Old Jim Crow" and, more particularly, the classic "Mississippi Goddam" were especially notable self-penned efforts in this vein, making one wish that Nina had written more of her own material instead of turning to outside sources for most of her repertoire.

Not that this repertoire wasn't well-chosen. Several of her covers from the mid-'60s, indeed, were classics: her revision of Weill-Brecht's "Pirate Jenny" to reflect the bitter elements of African-American experience, for instance, or her mournful interpretation of Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas." Other highlights were her versions of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," covered by the Animals for a rock hit; "I Put a Spell on You," which influenced the vocal line on the Beatles' "Michelle"; and the buzzing, jazzy "See Line Woman."

Simone was not as well-served by her tenure with RCA in the late '60s and early '70s, another prolific period which saw the release of nine albums. These explored a less eclectic range, with a considerably heavier pop-soul base to both the material and arrangements. One bona fide classic did come out of this period: "Young, Gifted & Black," written by Simone and Weldon Irvine Jr., would be successfully covered by both Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway. She did have a couple of Top Five British hits in the late '60s with "Ain't Got No" (from the musical Hair) and a cover of the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody," neither of which rank among her career highlights.

Simone fell on turbulent times in the 1970s, divorcing her husband/manager Andy Stroud, encountering serious financial problems, and becoming something of a nomad, settling at various points in Switzerland, Liberia, Barbados, France, and Britain. After leaving RCA, she recorded rarely, although she did make the critically well-received Baltimore in 1978 for the small CTI label. She had an unpredictable resurgence in 1987, when an early track, "My Baby Just Cares for Me," became a big British hit after being used in a Chanel perfume television commercial. 1993's A Single Woman marked her return to an American major label, and her profile was also boosted when several of her songs were featured in the film Point of No Return. She published her biography, I Put a Spell on You, in 1991.

Stealing Beauty Rating 3 * Release Date 1996 Soundtrack

In such films as Last Tango In Paris and The Last Emperor, director Bernardo Bertolucci has taken special care with the soundtrack music, resulting in albums that stood on their own. Stealing Beauty, on the other hand, is a "music from the motion picture" disc of 12 songs that range from Billie Holiday's "I'll Be Seeing You" to Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." The element that seems to bring the disparate tracks together is an overall low-key moodiness, whether John Lee Hooker or Portishead is performing. The draw for rock fans is liable to be Liz Phair's "Rocket Boy," though there are also some intriguing selections by Lori Carson and the Cocteau Twins, and it's nice to hear Sam Phillips' Beatlesque "I Need Love" again. Still, apart from the film, this remains a miscellaneous collection. 1 2 Wicky Hoover 3:33 2 Glory Box Portishead 5:01 3 If 6 Was 9 Axiom Funk, Bootsy Collins ... 5:58 4 Annie Mae Hooker, John Lee 5:17 5 Rocket Boy Liz Phair 3:20 6 Superstition Stevie Wonder 4:27 7 My Baby Just Cares for Me Nina Simone 3:36 8 I'll Be Seeing You Billie Holiday 3:30 9 Rhymes of an Hour Mazzy Star 4:10 10 Alice Cocteau Twins 4:27 11 You Won't Fall Lori Carson 4:36 12 I Need Love Sam Phillips 3:39

23 That's All Right - Elvis PresleySun Sessions (1954-55)

There are a lot of Elvis tracks out there, but this one stands out for me. It is from his early years and has a simple rock-a-billy style that I find endearing. I especially like the high notes when he

pulls the sounds out like so much taffy. Apparently lots of other people like it also because you tend to hear it in commercials and such. Gawd, they can ruin a good thing, can’t they?

Elvis Presley The Sun Sessions Rating 5 *Release Date Mar 1976 Recording Date Jul 1954-Jul 1955 Time 39:47 Compilation Rock & Roll

There aren't many rock albums that feature music one can honestly say changed the world as we know it, but that is, if anything, a modest appraisal of the contents of Elvis Presley's The Sun Sessions. Elvis certainly didn't invent rock & roll, and he wasn't even the first white guy to play it, but much as Louis Armstong did for jazz, Elvis created a distinctive new way to play the music that combined a number of influences with his own one-of-a-kind outlook and personality; also like Armstrong, Presley was one of the most naturally gifted performers his genre ever knew, and was the performer who truly brought the music to the people as no one had before or since, and the 16 tracks on this album capture the thrilling sound of Elvis first learning to put his ideas together in the recording studio. Collecting the ten sides Elvis released on Sun Records in 1954 and 1955 with six outtakes (several more would surface over the years), this album captures Elvis in his first flush of greatness — at once confident and curious, swaying between R&B, country, and pop, and somehow bringing them together and finding a common ground between them that was his and his alone. Of course, it helps that Elvis also had Sam Phillips producing these sides, a fellow eccentric visionary with different but eminently compatible ideas about bringing together black and white music (not to mention a killer tape echo unit), and Scotty Moore playing guitar, whose slightly fractured guitar runs gave birth to the dominant rockabilly guitar sound. And beyond its historical importance, this music is fun; one can hear the thrill of discovery and experimentation on every cut, and if Elvis would sound stronger and more savvy with time, he never sounded freer or more excited with the possibilities of his own voice as he does on this material. Elvis was (with little room for argument) the single most important artist in the history of rock & roll, and The Sun Sessions collects his first, and arguably most important, recordings into one convenient package. Who doesn't need this in their record collection? 1 That's All Right Crudup 1:57 2 Blue Moon of Kentucky Monroe 2:04 3 I Don't Care If the Sun Don't Shine David 2:28 4 Good Rockin' Tonight Brown 2:14 5 Milk Cow Blues Arnold 2:39 6 You're a Heartbreaker Sallee 2:12 7 I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone Kesler, Taylor 2:37 8 Baby Let's Play House Gunter 2:17 9 Mystery Train Parker, Phillips 2:26 10 I Forgot to Remember to Forget Feathers, Kesler 2:30 11 I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin') Wakely 2:26 12 Trying to Get to You McCoy, Singleton 2:33 13 I Love You Because Payne 2:44 14 Blue Moon Hart, Rodgers 2:41 15 Just Because Robin, Shelton, Shelton 2:34 16 I Love You Because [2nd Version] Payne 3:25

24 Rumble - Link WrayTL Rock'n'Roll Era Still Rockin (1958)

Okay, this is not my favorite piece on the CD. However, Link Wray died this year, and he pretty much invented the power chord that is so ubiquitous in subsequent R’n’R (see article below). If you are at all familiar with Richard Thompson, then you are probably also familiar with his “Shoot Out The Lights.” If so, then you are also familiar with Link Wray’s power chord because “Shoot Out The Lights” is essentially identical to the 1958 track. Soooo, this track was included for three reasons: To honor Link Wray To show how things get “rediscovered” over the years To fill 1:15 on the CD

The track is actually a little over two minutes long, but I edited it a bit to get it to fit on the CD. Can you tell?

Guitar master Link Wray, the father of the power chord in rock ‘n’ roll who inspired legends such as Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and Pete Townshend, has died.

Wray, 76, died at his home in Copenhagen on Nov. 5, 2005, according to a statement from his wife and son on his Web site. No cause of death was given, but his family said his heart was “getting tired.” He was buried at Copenhagen’s Christian Church on Nov. 18.

In the past three years, Wray made several appearances at Montage Grille and Milestones. With his long, silver hair and black-leather jacket, he looked like a biker-wizard. But his frail appearance disappeared once he got onstage, seemingly energized at yet another opportunity to show the young rockers in the audience how to get it done with rousing versions of ‘5Os instrumental hits such as “Rumble,” ‘Rawhide” and “Jack the Ripper.”

Wray developed a style considered the blueprint for heavy metal and punk music. His music has been featured in movies including Pulp Fiction,” ‘Independence Day” and “Desperado.’

Wray, who was three-quarters Shawnee Indian, is said to have inspired many other rock musicians, including Townshend of the Who, but also Bowie, Bob Dylan, Steve Van Zandt and Springsteen.

All have been quoted as saying that Wray and “Rumble” inspired them to become musicians.

“He is the king; if it hadn’t been for Link Wray and Rumble,’ I would have never picked up a guitar,” Townshend wrote on one of Wray’s albums. Neil Young once said: “If I could go back in time and see any band, it would be Link Wray and the Raymen.”

The power chord — a thundering sound created by playing fifths (two notes five notes apart, often with the lower note doubled an octave above) — became a favorite among rock players.

Wray claimed because he was too slow to be a whiz on the guitar, he had to invent sounds.

When recording “Rumble,” he created the fuzz tone by punching holes in his amplifiers to produce a grumbling Sound.

“I was looking for something that Chet Atkins wasn’t doing, that all the jazz kings weren’t doing, that all the country pickers wasn’t doing. I was looking for my own sound, Wray told The Associated Press in 2002.

25 Mellow Bruno (Sign Off) - Cannonball AdderleyJazz Workshop Revisited (1962)

A fitting ending to what I hope you found an entertaining collection of music.

Don’t forget to tell me what you actually thought ;-)

One of the great alto saxophonists, Cannonball Adderley had an exuberant and happy sound (as opposed to many of the more serious stylists of his generation) that communicated immediately to listeners. His intelligent presentation of his music (often explaining what he and his musicians were going to play) helped make him one of the most popular of all jazzmen.Adderley already had an established career as a high school band director in Florida when, during a 1955 visit to New York, he was persuaded to sit in with Oscar Pettiford's group at the Cafe Bohemia. His playing created such a sensation that he was soon signed to Savoy and persuaded to play jazz full-time in New York. With his younger brother, cornetist Nat, Cannonball formed a quintet that struggled until its breakup in 1957. Adderley then joined Miles Davis, forming part of his super sextet with John Coltrane and participating on such classic recordings as Milestones and Kind of Blue. Adderley's second attempt to form a quintet with his brother was much more successful for, in 1959, with pianist Bobby Timmons, he had a hit recording of "This Here." From then on, Cannonball always was able to work steadily with his band.

During its Riverside years (1959-1963), the Adderley Quintet primarily played soulful renditions of hard bop and Cannonball really excelled in the straight-ahead settings. During 1962-1963, Yusef Lateef made the group a sextet and pianist Joe Zawinul was an important new member. The collapse of Riverside resulted in Adderley signing with Capitol and his recordings became gradually more commercial. Charles Lloyd was in Lateef's place for a year (with less success) and then with his departure the group went back to being a quintet. Zawinul's 1966 composition "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" was a huge hit for the group, Adderley started doubling on soprano, and the quintet's later recordings emphasized long melody statements, funky rhythms, and electronics. However, during his last year, Cannonball Adderley was revisiting the past a bit and on Phenix he recorded new versions of many of

his earlier numbers. But before he could evolve his music any further, Cannonball Adderley died suddenly from a stroke.