Hank Williams Sr. is legendary. Called the “Hillbilly Shakespeare,” he lived fast, died young, and left a beautiful legacy. Hank Williams Jr. is almost as legendary as his dad. Like many sons with famous fathers, Hank II grew up in his father’s shadow; but he eventually heeded his genes’ call…
If Alice Cooper is rock ‘n’ roll’s Vincent Price and Randy Newman its Jonathan Swift, then Webb Wilder is a combination of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Think about it — Dino was a confident stylist who didn’t take himself too seriously; Lewis was unpredictable and over-the-top. That’s Wilder all…
Alejandro Escovedo hasn’t had it easy — his first wife committed suicide; his excellent, critically praised discs haven’t set any charts afire; and he battled a recent bout of hepatitis without the support of health insurance. With that in mind, one might expect his first release since 2002’s By the…
When the Talking Heads’ David Byrne sang Memphis/Did I forget to mention Memphis?/Home of Elvis and the ancient Greeks, he was celebrating a major wellspring of Western Civilization — and we’re not talkin’ about Athens. Memphis, Tennessee, has long been a massive musical incubator, from Booker T. & the MG’s…
Don’t let the tackily generic, low-budget packaging fool you — these three collections are packed with the finest old-school Southern R&B/soul you’re likely to hear in two lifetimes. On Deep In My Soul, Roscoe Shelton’s impassioned, Solomon Burke-style vocals bridge older styles of Southern blues with the fervent, gospel-charged vibe…
The side project is an established rock phenomenon. Distanced from the bread-and-butter band, one can engage in pursuits that might not fit the profile of the mothership group. The late Jerry Garcia played bluegrass banjo with Old & In the Way, and the Mekons’ Jon Langford played big rock riffs…
When both halves of a couple drink from Dame Fame’s trough, it’s often marriage’s acid test. While some pairs eventually implode (e.g. Bennifer), some endure, their bond buttressed. Take Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. While the country music stars can be lumped in with the beautiful rich category, they seem…
Those who remember the glory days of grunge might recall Mark Pickerel as the drummer for Screaming Trees. He’s traded (in part) his drum kit for guitar and lead microphone and signed with Bloodshot, one of the primo outfits for alt-Americana. But any assumptions that he’s “gone country” are swept…
Many folks maintain that jazz is the one uniquely American form of music, but what about bluegrass? Perhaps its connection to what some perceive as “hillbilly culture” keeps it slighted, but bluegrass, an earthy and complex music, was born of American confluences of Irish and British folk ballads, early country…
Every once in a while, the good stuff (i.e., the real thing) actually makes the charts and even gets to stick around for a spell. Take Alan Jackson, one of the photogenic “hat hunks” following the wake of Garth Brooks’ ascendance. The more cynical might pigeonhole Jackson that way, but…
Once a feral, reviled thing, the genre known as fusion — blending jazz with funk/R&B, rock, etc. — had by the 1980s been absorbed into the mainstream. ‘Round the same time, there was a parallel, though less-high-profile movement, thriving. Musicians established in bluegrass and traditional country circles were branching out…
More a collective than a literal band, the Minus 5 is Young Fresh Fellow Scott McCaughey’s vehicle for writing the perfect pop song, 1960s-style (i.e., inspired by era archetypes the Beatles, the Kinks, etc.). This time around, the 5 includes John Wesley Harding, luminaries from Wilco, and, of course, recurring…
Styles come and fads go, yet thankfully, the funk always lurks, its spirit manifest in different forms and from unlikely tributaries. Believe it or not, New Orleans’ Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes hail from classical-music backgrounds. At Loyola U., goat- eed bandleader Johnny Sketch (a.k.a. Marc Paradis) majored in…
Willie Nelson has made a career of bucking the conservative conventions of Nashville’s Music Row, the nominal capital of mainstream country music. Still, Nelson achieved hard-won stardom with and beyond the country music audience: rednecks, punks, squares, and hepcats comprise Nelson’s fan base. But this past Valentine’s Day, Nelson pulled…
Few R&B divas have the career longevity of Patti LaBelle. Born in Philadelphia in 1944, LaBelle, like virtually every singer of her generation, began singing in church. The Lord beheld her mighty pipes and said, “You go, girl!” Early on, she hooked up with Cindy Birdsong, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah…
Why there hasn’t been an A&E Biography dedicated to Miami soul goddess Betty Wright is unfathomable. She’s been writing, singing, and recording fine R&B since the mid-1960s; collaborated with Stevie Wonder (“What Are You Gonna Do With It”); had her own talk show; sang backup for Erykah Badu, Jennifer Lopez,…
An R&B fable: Once upon a time, performers didn’t employ DJs or lip-sync on stage — there were musicians playing with them real-time live. Call us Luddites or incorrigible old-schoolers, but cuts and samples don’t convey the fiery immediacy and spontaneity of horn-blowers like Pee Wee Ellis. A lifelong member…
When music historians/collector geeks (these are my people) chat about colossal production styles of the 1960s, they always mention Phil Spector and his Wall of Sound. But Teddy Randazzo has yet to get his props — aside from being a singer and songwriter himself, he produced the classic ’60s sides…
As the Jackson 5 grew into the Jacksons, the Five Blind Boys of Alabama became, after a member´s passing, the Blind Boys of Alabama. Formed in 1937 at the Talladega Institute for the Deaf and Blind, they began recording in the ´40s, scored gospel hits in the ´50s, and their…
West Palm Beach émigré Scott Henderson honed his electric-guitar acumen playing alongside iconic jazz keyboard aces Joe Zawinul and Chick Corea. Like fellow fusioner Robben Ford before him, he stylistically transitioned from electric jazz to electric blues. Henderson, however, brings along many tricks of his previous trade — although Live!…
The baddest alto sax in R&B/funk history is back (albeit on a German label). Maceo Parker, featured saxophonist in James Brown’s great 1960s band, has crafted a classic-to-be platter of old-school, deep-groove-laden funk. Parker blows fierce and jubilant with his tastily tart, sinewy tone, while his touring band throws down…
When the ocean breezes of Florida get a little tetchy, a city with winter winds that smack like a hand across the face might feel like a welcome respite. “But I can’t get up to Chicago as often as I’d like!” you cry. Hold on — a taste of Chicago…
