Angel Of The Morning – Juice Newton

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Kneeknee

Angel Of The Morning – Juice Newton

Angel Of The Morning - Juice Newton

“I always see singing as a painting project,” Juice Newton says. “It’s very visual for me ““ the story of the song unfolds before my eyes while I sing.”

Now this Grammy, CMA and Billboard award-winning artist, who has multiple platinum and gold albums, ten million records sold and 15 Top 10 hits under her belt, has a new set of paintings to display ““ only this time she’s invited some legendary vocalists to join her at the easel. The result is Duets: Friends & Memories (Fuel 2000), which finds her stellar voice paired with those of Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell, Frankie Valli, Randy Meisner, Melissa Manchester, Gary Morris and the late Dan Seals.

“I’d never done a duets project,” Newton says of the record’s origins. “I called various people I knew and asked them: Are there songs you’ve thought about recording? It could be your song or somebody else’s. The point was to let them pick songs they were interested in. I wanted it to be fun for them and take the pressure off. Though the pressure was on me to learn the tunes!”

She took that pressure in stride, as she has throughout her career, but the challenges were considerable: Working in multiple keys with singers known for wildly different styles, all while endeavoring to create distinctive versions of beloved material like “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (which she sings with Manchester), “Still the One,” “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” (both with Morris), “Up Where We Belong,” “Without You” (both with Campbell), “These Dreams” (with Seals), “The Biggest Part of Me” (with Valli), “Take It to the Limit” (with Meisner, the song’s author) and two songs by and with Nelson, “Funny How Time Slips Away” and “Touch Me.”

“For me, it was like making three records,” she says of the collection’s musical and logistical difficulty level. “These singers are so wonderful and unique ““ I really wanted to be on my game. I lived with my headphones on, studying the songs and preparing my interpretations.” By the time she entered the studio, however, Newton was ready to wield her painter’s brush like a master, as evidenced by the emotional force of her vocal delivery ““ whether she’s punching the soaring high notes of “Without You” withCampbell, trading the silken phrases of “Funny How Time Slips Away” with Nelson, or putting an evocatively feminine spin on “Lovin’ Feelin’” with righteous sister Manchester.

Read more…..juicenewton.net

Picture source….juicenewton.net

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Seasons In The Sun – Terry Jacks

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Kneeknee

Seasons In The Sun – Terry Jacks

Seasons In The Sun - Terry Jacks

Singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer Terry Jacks was born on March 29, 1944 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. A member of the hippie generation, Jacks resisted his family’s wishes to become an architect and decided to pursue a career in music instead. In the mid 60s Terry joined the Vancouver, British Columbia-based band The Chessmen as both a singer and guitarist.

The group had a few minor local hits before breaking up. Jacks subsequently met singer Susan Jacks and formed a duo with her called The Poppy Family. Terry and Susan eventually married. The Poppy Family scored a big smash with the touching ballad “Which Way You Goin’ Billy?”; the song was a #1 hit in Canada and peaked at #2 on the Billboard pop charts in America. “Which Way You Goin’ Billy?” sold over two million copies and won several Juno Awards.

The follow-up singles “That’s Where I Went Wrong” and “Where Evil Grows” likewise did pretty well. Alas, Jacks and Susan broke up in 1973. In 1974 Terry scored himself a massive international success with the sad, sappy song “Seasons in the Sun;” the song peaked at #1 in both Canada and America alike, reportedly sold over eleven million copies worldwide, and went on to win three Juno Awards.

Terry was never able to either match or surpass the monumental success of “Seasons in the Sun,” but did manage to eke out a nice career as a record producer (among the artists he’s worked as a producer for are the Beach Boys, Nana Mouskouri, D.O.A., and Chilliwack). In 1986 Jacks produced, acted in, and composed the score for a flop made-for-TV adaptation of his signature hit song “Seasons in the Sun.” A dedicated environmentalist, Terry Jacks is the founder of the organization Environmental Watch, which makes sure that major pulp and logging companies are properly adhering to Canadian pollution laws. He lives in Pender Harbour, British Columbia, Canada.

Bio Source…..www.imdb.com

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Procol Harum – A Whiter Shade Of Pale

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Kneeknee

Procol Harum – A Whiter Shade Of Pale

Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade Of Pale

July, 1967. ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ is the #1 song in the world. But it’s more than that. This is an era of rock revelations; each year has seen the deepening of rock as art. The Beatles have gone from ‘Hard Day’s Night’ to ‘Revolver’ to ‘Sgt. Pepper.’ And now there is ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale,’ one song that has instantly defined something new: ‘classical rock.’ It’s the melding of rock’s electric guitar, powerful vocals and bombastic drums with thoughtful lyrics and the artful complexities of classical melody and arrangement. The very name of the group suggested something far deeper than ordinary pop music … PROCOL HARUM.

The oddly-named band had arrived out of nowhere with a #1 hit. To add to the thrill and confusion, the song was enigmatic (many to this day aren’t exactly sure what it’s about), the group was already fractured by changes in personnel, and by the time people learned what the band’s name meant (even if to this day they rarely seem to spell it right), the group’s stunning #1 reign was over. The #1 hit was like a massive earthquake; unforgettable but unrepeatable. Over the next decade, there were plenty of songs that could have been #1 hits. For fans, every new album became a classic, filled with memorable and moving songs. And while rock critics argued whether the next lp should be ‘more rock’ or ‘more classical,’ and whether singles like ‘Homburg’ and ‘Conquistador’ were as good as the legendary ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale,’ and indeed, amid the confusing disappearance of various band members, all fans hoped was that ‘still there’ll be more.’

If you’re new to the band, this ‘history’ of the band might help you find your way through the years. If you’re an old friend and fan, maybe you’ll find some glimpses of nirvana in recalling with me the memories that still shine on brightly. Gary Brooker (vocals, piano) Robin Trower (guitar) and B.J. Wilson (drums) joined forces in the early 60’s. Their band was THE PARAMOUNTS influenced, as were so many British bands, by American R&B. Their first single, released in 1963, was a cover of The Coasters’ ‘Poison Ivy.’ (They also did a wicked version of ‘Bad Blood,’ and a few originals co-written by the team of Brooker/Trower). The Beatles had chart hits with old Chuck Berry tunes, The Animals adapted ‘House of the Rising Sun,’ but these and other bands soon found their own voices via original material. Read More…..www.sing365.com

Kung Fu Fighting Carl Douglas

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Kneeknee

Kung Fu Fighting Carl Douglas

Carl Douglas was born in 1942 in Jamaica. He grew up in both Jamaica and California. Douglas eventually moved to England to study sound engineering. In 1964 Carl formed the group the Big Stampede, which released two singles in Britain. In 1966 Douglas formed another band called the Explosions while living in Spain.

He then returned to England and teamed up with the band Gonzales prior to becoming a session vocalist for Pye Records. Carl worked with Indian-born music producer Biddu on the soundtrack to the movie “Embassy” in 1972. Two years later Biddu asked Douglas to sing the vocal on the song “I Want to Give You My Everything.” Biddu needed another song for the B-side to the single, so Biddu came up with a melody for some lyrics Carl had written about the then trendy martial arts craze that was sweeping the United States in the 70’s.

The resultant song “Kung Fu Fighting” was recorded in a mere ten minutes and was released as the A-side to the single. “Kung Fu Fighting” peaked at #1 on the pop charts in both Britain and America alike and went on to sell over nine million copies worldwide.Moreover, the song’s tremendous smash success gave Douglas the distinction of being the first Jamaican-born singer to score a #1 hit song in the United States. Alas, the follow-up single “Dance the Kung Fu” bombed in America, but was a top 20 hit in Britain. Carl had another top 30 hit in England with “Run Back” in 1977.

He released the albums “Love, Peace and Happiness” in 1979 and “Keep Pleasing Me” in 1983. One of the most beloved of funky disco novelty one-hit wonder songs of the 70’s, “Kung Fu Fighting” has been featured on the soundtracks to such films as “Rush Hour 3,” “Epic Movie,” “Daddy Day Care,” “Bowfinger,” “Beverly Hills Ninja,” “Mortal Thoughts,” and “Spirit of ’76.” Carl Douglas now lives in Hamburg, Germany and owns a production company that supplies music for films and advertisements.

Biography source…..www.imdb.com

Picture source…..ring.cdandlp.com

The Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Kneeknee

The Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin

The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin

Although they’re best known today for their lush, lyrically and musically profound (some would say bombastic) psychedelic-era albums and singles, the Moody Blues started out as one of the better R&B based combos of the British Invasion. The Moody Blues’ history began in Birmingham, England, where one of the more successful bands during that time was El Riot and the Rebels, co-founded by Ray Thomas (harmonica, vocals) and Mike Pinder (keyboards, vocals).

Pinder left the band, first for a gig with Jackie Lynton and then a stint in the Army. In May of 1963, he and Thomas reunited under the auspices of the Krew Cats. They were good enough to get overseas bookings in Germany, where English rock bands were the rage. Upon their return to Birmingham in November of 1963, the entire English musical landscape was occupied by 250 groups, all of them vying for gigs in perhaps a dozen clubs.

Thomas and Pinder decided to try and go professional, recruiting members from some of the best groups working in Birmingham. This included Denny Laine (vocals, guitar), Graeme Edge (drums), and Clint Warwick (bass, vocals). The Moody Blues made their debut in Birmingham in May of 1964, and quickly earned the notice and later the services of manager Tony Secunda. A major tour was quickly booked, and the band landed an engagement at the Marquee Club, which resulted in a contract with England’s Decca Records less than six months after their formation. The group’s first single, “Steal Your Heart Away,” released in September of 1964, didn’t touch the British charts.

Their second single “Go Now,” released in November of 1964, fulfilled every expectation and more, reaching number one in England; in America, it peaked at number 10. Following it up was easier said than done. Despite their fledgling songwriting efforts and the access they had to American demos, this version of the Moody Blues never came up with another single success. By the end of the spring of 1965, the frustration was palpable within the band.

The group decided to make their fourth single, “From the Bottom of My Heart,” an experiment with a different sound. Unfortunately, the single only reached number 22 on the British charts following its release in May of 1965. Ultimately, the grind of touring coupled with the strains facing the group, became too much for Warwick, who exited in the spring of 1966, and by August of 1966 Laine had left as well. Warwick was replaced by John Lodge. His introduction to the band was followed in late 1966 by the addition of Justin Hayward.

Read More…..www.themoodyblues.com

Jim Reeves – He’ll Have To Go

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Kneeknee

Jim Reeves – He’ll Have To Go

Jim Reeves - He'll Have To Go

Country Music’s ‘Gentleman Jim‘ Was a ‘Combination of Good and Bad,’Says LarryJordan,

It could be said that Jim Reeves was one country artist who was more popular in death than in life. First charting in 1953 with “Mexican Joe,” the singer’s death in a Nashville plane crash in July of 1964 did not slow down his success with fans. For two decades after his passing, Reeves continued to place many singles on the Billboard Country Singles Charts, and in 2009 – some 45 years after his death at age 40 – the singer was represented in the UK Top Ten Albums chart.

The life and music of Jim Reeves is chronicled in a brand new book titled “Jim Reeves: His Untold Story.” Larry Jordan, author of the book, recalls becoming a fan of the singer at a young age, and becoming a friend to Jim’s widow, Mary.

“I had known Mary Reeves for thirty-three years from the first time I wrote a letter to her in 1966 when I was thirteen,” Jordan recalls. “I would go down there on several weekends, and spend time with her. She would tell me many stories about Jim on a personal and professional level. I brought along a tape recorder, and taped them. I was fascinated by all of these different stories.”

A 1998 Reeves bio did the singer no favors, and Jordan felt an obligation to paint a more balanced picture of the man behind such hits as “He’ll Have To Go” and “Welcome To My World.”

Jordan thought “Why should this be the last word? So, I thought about it a little bit, and talked to Leo Jackson (who was in Jim’s band, the Blue Boys.) I thought ‘Maybe I’m in a unique position to do this. I knew Mary. I had the tapes. I had a writing background, and the means to get a book into print.”

Though the author is a Reeves fan, he didn’t put the singer on a pedestal. “I’ve said that the only obligation I have felt was to the truth. Some of the things I discovered about Jim disturbed me, and offended my own moral sensitivities,” he told Billboard. “But, this was the way he was – a combination of good and bad as we all are. I wanted the full picture, and that’s what I think I ended up with.”

Read More…..www.billboard.com

Picture Source…..www.zoomerradio.ca

Louis Armstrong – What a Wonderful World South Vietnam

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Kneeknee

Louis Armstrong – What a Wonderful World South Vietnam

Louis Armstrong -
Louis Armstrong was a famous jazz trumpet player and singer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential musicians in the history of jazz music.

Early life
Louis Daniel Armstrong was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. He was one of two children born to Willie Armstrong, a turpentine worker, and Mary Ann Armstrong, whose grandparents had been slaves. As a youngster, he sang on the streets with friends. His parents separated when he was five. He lived with his sister, mother, and grandmother in a rundown area of New Orleans known as “the Battlefield” because of the gambling, drunkenness, fighting, and shooting that frequently occurred there.In 1913 Armstrong was arrested for firing a gun into the air on New Year’s Eve. He was sent to the Waif’s Home (a reform school), where he took up the cornet (a trumpet-like instrument) and eventually played in a band. After his release he worked odd jobs and began performing with local groups. He was also befriended by Joe “King” Oliver, leader of the first great African American band to make records, who gave him trumpet lessons. Armstrong joined Oliver in Chicago, Illinois, in 1922, remaining there until 1924, when he went to New York City to play with Fletcher Henderson’s band.

Jazz pioneer

When Armstrong returned to Chicago in the fall of 1925, he organized a band and began to record one of the greatest series in the history of jazz. These Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings show his skill and experimentation with the trumpet. In 1928 he started recording with drummer Zutty Singleton and pianist Earl Hines, the latter a musician whose skill matched Armstrong’s. Many of the resulting records are masterpieces of detailed construction and adventurous rhythms. During these years Armstrong was working with big bands in Chicago clubs and theatres. His vocals, featured on most records after 1925, are an extension of his trumpet playing in their rhythmic liveliness and are delivered in a unique throaty style. He was also the inventor of scat singing (the random use of nonsense syllables), which originated after he dropped his sheet music while recording a song and could not remember the lyrics.

By 1929 Armstrong was in New York City leading a nightclub band. Appearing in the theatrical revue Hot Chocolates, he sang “Fats” Waller’s (1904–1943) “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” Armstrong’s first popular song hit. From this period Armstrong performed mainly popular

Image Source…..www.notablebiographies.com

The Monkees – I’m A Believer

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Kneeknee

The Monkees – I’m A Believer

The Monkees - I'm A Believer

Unlike most bands of the time, the Monkees were not formed by its members, but rather by TV producers: they were a fictional band in the TV show of the same name.

TV producers, Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson, formulated an idea for a show about a Beatles-like band, then put ads in newspapers, seeking musicians to star in the series.

The band was composed of Mike Nesmith, Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork. All of the members had some musical experience.

The show debuted on NBC in 1966 and became a huge hit. When the series got the greenlight to go ahead, development of the musical side of the project accelerated with Columbia Screen Gems and RCA Records forming a partnership called Colgems Records to distribute Monkees records.

Each week the group would sing a song or two written by top industry names like Carole King, Neil Diamond and Gerry Goffin, while instrumentation was provided by talented musicians, including Stephen Stills and Harry Nilsson.

‘Last Train to Clarksville’ was the band’s first single was released in August 1966 before the debut of the show and it became a huge hit. Their first album ‘The Monkees’ was released a month later and shot to the top of the chart.

The Monkees’ principle audience consisted of young teenagers and children. Nonetheless, singles like ‘I’m a Believer’ became Top 10 hits, and the ‘Prefab Four’ became media icons. By 1967 the Monkees were the most popular band in the US, their records outselling the Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

Other top hits included ‘I’m a Believer’ (1966), ‘A Little Bit Me A Little Bit You’ (1967), ‘Mary Mary’ (1968) and ‘I’m Not Your Stepping Stone’, with the group selling over 65 million records worldwide.

But the Monkees themselves grew frustrated at not being able to play their own instruments or write their own songs, and began to rebel against their producers and record company.

The Monkees began playing some of their instruments and writing some songs on 1967’s ‘Headquarters’. That year they embarked on a major tour, proving they could perform live.

By 1968 the Monkees were already deviating from their manufactured image and straining for credibility, starring in the bizarre psychedelic movie ‘Head’. It was not a commercial success but has since gained a cult status. Read More…www.thebiographychannel.co.uk

Picture Source…..www.showbiz411.com

Talking Heads – And She Was

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Kneeknee

Talking Heads – And She Was

Talking Heads - And She Was

Talking Heads were a band of smart, self-conscious white musicians intrigued by the rhythms and spirit of black music. They drew on funk, classical minimalism, and African rock to create some of the most adventurous, original, and danceable music to emerge from new wave — a movement Talking Heads outlasted and transcended in their accomplishment and influence.

David Byrne and Chris Frantz met at the Rhode Island School of Design, where they were part of a quintet called, variously, the Artistics and the Autistics. With Tina Weymouth, Frantz’s girlfriend, they shared an apartment in New York and formed Talking Heads as a trio in 1975; they played their first shows at CBGB that June. Their music was never conventional punk rock; it was more delicate and contrapuntal, and their early sets included covers of the Sixties bubblegum group the 1910 Fruitgum Company. Jerry Harrison, a Harvard alumnus who had been a Modern Lover with Jonathan Richman until 1974 and had also backed singer/songwriter Elliott Murphy, completed the band in 1977.

Talking Heads toured Europe with the Ramones before recording their first album, which included “Psycho Killer,” a tightly wound curiosity (and killer song) that Byrne delivered in wild-eyed yelp. The album reached the Top 100, and every subsequent album reached the U.S. Top 40. Read more…..www.rollingstone.com

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Agnetha Fältskog – When You Really Loved Someone

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Kneeknee

Agnetha Fältskog – When You Really Loved Someone

Agnetha Fältskog - When You Really Loved Someone

One of pop’s most enigmatic voices has emerged with her first album in nine years. Agnetha Faltskog’s new album sees her duet with Gary Barlow and collaborate with Britney Spears’ Swedish songwriting team. Just don’t call her “mysterious”.

Forty-five years ago, before Abba were even a twinkle in Eurovision’s eye, Agnetha Faltskog made her very first TV appearance.

Aged just 17, she performed Jag Var Sa Kar (I Was So In Love), a syrupy self-penned waltz, on Swedish TV show Studio 8.

The melancholy lyrics, inspired by her idol Connie Francis, were a stark contrast to the exuberant blonde singer, who “took the radio in my arms and danced around” when she first heard her single on the air.

Little did she know, misery would become her musical forte, especially when she teamed up with Benny, Bjorn and Anni-Frida to form Abba.

The songs on which Faltskog took lead vocals – Hasta Manana, The Name Of The Game, Chiquitita – were the band’s biggest tear-jerkers.

On The Winner Takes It All, recorded as her marriage to Bjorn Ulvaeus fell apart, the emotion is almost too much to bear.

Faltskog is by turns defiant and broken. “I was in your arms, thinking I belonged there,” she cries, as her husband merely shakes her hand and turns away.

Oddly, the singer calls it “her biggest favourite” from the band’s back catalogue. “It’s a shame we never got to play it live,” she adds.

Since the band went their separate ways in 1982, the girl with golden hair has been the band’s most elusive member. She largely shuns the limelight, living quietly on the secluded island of Ekero, west of Stockholm.

Perhaps because of those world-weary lyrics, she was portrayed as a frail recluse – the Greta Garbo of pop.

The revelation in 2000 that she had entered a relationship with an obsessed Dutch fan, 16 years her junior, who turned dangerous when she broke off the affair, only added to the perception that she was lonely and unhappy.

Nervous return

Today, she cannot talk about the relationship for legal reasons, but Faltskog says the media have the wrong impression of her private life.

“I have been described as a very mysterious human being and that hurts a little bit, because it’s not like that at all,” she says.

Read More…..www.bbc.co.uk

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Angel Of The Morning – Juice Newton