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Recent Posts
- Johnny Lippiett – Jazz Musician of the 90s
- Miley Cyrus Moving Going into a Movie Career? Think Again.
- Melinda Doolittle – Will she be the next American Idol?
- Tina Turner – From 60s to 2010
- Top Ten Wealthiest UK Musicians
- In Memory of the Beatles
- Kings of Leon – One of the last in Rock and Roll
- Little Jimmy Dickens – Big Things come in little packages
- Corrosion of Conformity – From Hardcore Punk Band to Super Band
- Understanding the concept of reality
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Category Archives: Music
Johnny Lippiett – Jazz Musician of the 90s
In the early 1990s I heard a young British tenor sax player called Johnny Lippiett play in a small restaurant in Salcombe, Devon. The food and wine as excellent, and the playing of young Mr Lippiett was completely out of this world.
And very young he seemed to be at the time too – he looked about sixteen – and was, I now realise, probably either waiting to, or already studying music at the Dartington College of Arts at Plymouth University, which is effectively the only remaining link with the famous, and educationally progressive, Dartington Hall School (created by Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst in 1926), which finally closed its doors in 1987.
Afterwards I wrote a short, and glowing, review of his playing (the food and wine got a mention too), a copy of which I sent to Johnny. I received back a charming letter saying no one had ever written about him like that before, and that he had some, I think, family connection with Stratford-upon-Avon.
Over the years I listened out for him and his playing, but heard nothing more – he just seemed to vanish off the radar, at least off my radar.
Posted in Artist, Music
Tagged Arts, Canada, charming letter, College, Dartington, dartington college of arts, Devon, Dorothy, jazz, jazz couriers, John Coltrane, Johnny, Johnny Lippiett, Leonard, living and working in new zealand, Lockett, London, Mr Lippiett, Music, New York, New Zealand, North American, player, Plymouth, plymouth university, radar, salcombe devon, Steve Newman, Stratford, stratford upon avon, tenor, tenor sax player, US
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Miley Cyrus Moving Going into a Movie Career? Think Again.
Miley Cyrus (otherwise known as Hannah Montana ) from the Disney show which launched her to fame, is a talented young woman indeed. Born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992 in Nashville Tennessee, Miley is an American singer, songwriter actress. Daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus and Leticia Cyrus, Miley whose nickname “Smiley” was soon shortened to Miley, is now contemplating moving on from her Hannah Montana character and hoping to launch a career in acting alone.
Most young girls have a poster of Hannah Montana gracing their bedroom walls. The Hannah Montana Disney show which is her claim to fame, is known throughout most countries. But it appears that Miley wishes to spread her wings. She wishes to show the world that she has other talents other than simply playing the role of Hannah Montana for ever and a day. Miley Cyrus is now staring in a movie very different to her role as Hannah Montana. She does no singing within this movie and that is a shame indeed. While it is natural for a young woman to wish to spread her wings and prove herself in other areas, the world would be very saddened if they never heard Miley Cyrus sing again.
Posted in Artist, Music
Tagged ability, actress daughter, adult, Billy Ray Cyrus, child, Cyrus, day, Destiny Hope, destiny hope cyrus, Hannah Montana, hannah montana disney, Leticia Cyrus, Miley, miley cyrus, Nashville, nashville tennessee, role, star, Tennessee, voice, voice of an angel, world
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Tina Turner – From 60s to 2010
As I watched Tina Turner’s recent appearance on Oprah, I was awed by a few things. She is still one of the most beautiful women in the world, at nearly 70 years old, and I was struck by how elegant and strong she is. She’s a different woman from the girl who first gained prominence in the 1960s. Turner proved that a woman can overcome a number of obstacles with grace and fortitude and maintain a great pair of legs.
I remember the first time I’d heard of Tina Turner. It was 1984, I was about 10 or 11, and I was watching the “What’s Love Got to Do With It” music video with my family. She had this wild hairstyle and was wearing a short skirt that revealed legs that I haven’t been able to attain after years in the gym. During the video, my parents informed me that she wasn’t a new singer; they told me that she’d been around since the 1960s. Of course, my dad commented on how good she looked. Then, my parents talked about the physical abuse she received from her ex-husband, Ike Turner. Years later, while watching a documentary, I saw an old picture of her with a black eye, probably as a result of a beating.
Posted in Artist, Music
Tagged abuse, Anna Mae, Anna Mae Bullock, different woman, girl, Ike, Ike Turner, life, Mexico, mother, Music, nutbush tennessee, old picture, pair, powerful voice, short skirt, singer, St. Louis, Tina, Tina Revue, Tina Turner, vh1, video, woman
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In Memory of the Beatles
These things are always subjective, but people are wrong to say modern rock and pop music can’t cut it. There’s still good music being made, but still no group comes close to matching The Beatles.
Firstly, The Beatles made music which will surely last as long as the popular song itself. Secondly, like Elvis Presley, The Beatles made a cultural impact which transcended their music. Finally, they were great entertainers – and their comic turns in the movies ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ and ‘Help!’ shouldn’t be underestimated.
Even in a golden decade of creativity like the 1960s, which was often described as a second renaissance, The Beatles are remembered by most as the main creative force of that decade. Everything seemed to revolve around them, and bounce off them.
Individually, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr were – apart from their music and a penchant for humour – four quite different individuals. John was complicated – acerbic, harsh on himself and often on others, but, overall, he had a great humanitarian streak, and with Paul formed arguably the greatest songwriting partnership in popular music history.
Posted in Artist, Music
Tagged Abbey Road, album, animals and nature, Beatles, creative force, day, decade, Eleanor Rigby, Elvis Presley, George, George Harrison, George Martin, golden decade, group, Help, John, John Lennon, Long, Lucy, Music, Paul, Paul McCartney, Penny Lane, pop, popular music history, quiet voice, Ringo, Ringo Starr, rock, Sgt. Pepper, Sky With, solo artist, songwriting partnership, The Hill, Winding Road, Wood
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Kings of Leon – One of the last in Rock and Roll
When Kings of Leon emerged in 2003 they were one of the last bands on the American rock n’ roll wave that had started with The Strokes and The White Stripes. Whereas bands like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club were not scaling the dizzy heights many had predicted, it was tempting to think Kings of Leon might be around for a while. Mainly for two reasons. One they are made up of three brothers and a cousin and are a tight unit. Two, they have a unique sound, thanks to lead singer Caleb Followill’s dusty, whisky soaked voice.
Their debut Youth and Young Manhood was a bold and brassy start. Certainly one of the finest albums of the year, it was full of Southern fried punk / blues and produced two catchy singles in California Waiting and Molly’s Chambers which should have done so much better in the charts.
Next came Aha Shake Heartbreak. It had its moments like The Bucket and Day Old Blues, but felt much like it was the left overs from their debut. However, songs like the haunting Milk did signpost the material found on their new album Because of the Times.
Posted in Artist, Music
Tagged album, american rock n roll, Arizona, Black, black rebel motorcycle, black rebel motorcycle club, BRMC, Caleb, Caleb Followill, California, california waiting, Clarence Clearwater, clearwater revival, head banger, Jesus, Leon, Love Way, Molly, rock, sound, Stripes, tight unit, track, UK, unit, US, White, youth and young manhood
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Little Jimmy Dickens – Big Things come in little packages
Big things come in small packages, how about little?
Born James Cecil Dickens, the old school singing sensation and renowned country-novelty singer Little Jimmy Dickens is perhaps one of the smaller yet brighter stars of Hollywood. At 4-feet-11, Dickens is small but despite his miniature frame he achieved huge success.
Dickens was a regular performer for the Grand Ole Opry for decades and has been considered as the face of novelty music. He performed and traveled around the world specifically to Vietnam soldiers in the 70s.
Dickens was born and raised in Bolt, West Virginia in a family of 13 children. Dickens began his music career in the 1930s while still studying at West Virginia University. He first performed at a local radio station. Shortly, he quit college to pursue his dream of becoming a country singer.
During the decade, Dickens traveled around the country performing in small clubs and local radio stations using the screen name “Jimmy the Kid.”
In 1948 came Dickens’ biggest break, he was performing on a radio station in Michigan when the late Roy Acuff, the prominent country music singer and promoter, heard and invited him to sing on the Grand Ole Opry – a weekly country music program that features the best country music singers of America.
Posted in Artist, Music
Tagged America, bolt west virginia, country, country music program, country music singer, country music singers, Dickens, Grand, grand ole opry, hillbilly fever, Hollywood, James Cecil Dickens, Jimmy, Jimmy Dickens, Little, little jimmy dickens, Michigan, Music, Ole, Opry, radio, Roy Acuff, singer, success, Vietnam, West Virginia, west virginia university
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Corrosion of Conformity – From Hardcore Punk Band to Super Band
While Corrosion of Conformity (or “COC”) was formed in 1982, the band never really found its sound or correct lineup until nearly a decade later.
Originally founded as somewhat of a hardcore-punk band, COC released three albums in the 1980s and received a fair amount of critical acclaim for its ability to fuse together multiple sounds. Shortly after the release of 1987′s “Technocracy,” however, original bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dean and lead vocalist Simon Bob Sinister left the band, leaving the future of COC uncertain.
After a two-year hiatus, COC gave the band another shot with a trio of new members, including Pepper Keenan. When Keenan joined the band, he assumed the role of rhythm guitarist behind Woody Weatherman and backing vocals behind the newly recruited Karl Agell. Nevertheless, his influence on COC’s next record, “Blind,” already began to take the band in a different direction.
True to his southern roots, Keenan exerted a heavy dose of southern metal into “Blind,” particularly on the song Vote With a Bullet where he sang lead vocals. The song was COC’s biggest hit up to that point and influenced the band to hand the lead vocals role over to Keenan after Agell and bassist Phil Swisher left to form Leadfoot.
Posted in Artist, Music
Tagged acclaim, America, band, bassist, COC, corrosion of conformity, Dean, drowning in a daydream, drummer stanton moore, future, God, hardcore punk band, Karl Agell, Keenan, lineup, Mike Dean, Moore, Pepper Keenan, Phil Anselmo, Phil Swisher, radio, Reed Mullin, release, rhythm guitarist, rock, Simon Bob Sinister, vocalist, vote with a bullet, Woody Weatherman
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Music Band Placebo Interview at Projejt Revolution
I knew I was going to Projekt Revolution for my birthday. I had a goal to rock out and rock hard, but then came this thing. I found out I’d also be interviewing Placebo at Projekt Revolution in Camden, NJ. It started out as a phone interview but somehow by some miracle, I got to do a face to face interview. My birthday just got better. I’d been a Placebo fan for a few years and in fact, they happen to be one of my favourite bands. Happy Birthday to me!
Placebo, for those of you in the dark or on substances that don’t allow you to remember anything, is a three piece (Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal and Steve Hewitt), British rock band that have been doing their thing internationally for a little over ten years. In 1996, their self-titled debut album brought the world a sound unlike any other sound out there at the time. It was raw, untamed and uncensored honesty about sex, drugs, love and life backed by grinding guitars, heavy basslines and solid beats. Their latest album, Meds, has brought the band full circle and back to that same honesty. This summer they joined the Projekt Revolution tour and alongside bands like HIM, Taking Back Sunday and My Chemical Romance (lets not forget the reason for the season Linkin Park), they have sufficiently unleashed a Revolution upon the people of North America. I got to spend some time in a very hot and humid Camden, NJ talking to bassist/guitarist Stefan Olsdal.
Posted in Music
Tagged album, America, american audiences, band, birthday, Brian Molko, Camden, chance, Europe, interview, Linkin Park, my chemical romance, NJ, North America, Placebo, Projekt, projekt revolution tour, Revolution, Romance, Rose Spotts, sex drugs, Stefan Olsdal, Steve Hewitt, thing, titled debut album, tweeter center in camden nj
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The music of the young: Why older generations turn it off
It is not our music and that is why we turn it off. Yet not all of us condemn it or ridicule it simply because we do not understand it. We remember when we were young and we expected our parents not to understand our ways. It was our world we were living and it was going to be bigger and better and we had a right to it. We thought this more than we talked about it. That was so because whether or we liked it, or even understood it, we knew they were boss. TGherefore, it was the music that set us apart.
The loud music of the younger generation is certainly annoying to most older people for two reasons: They do not understand the ignificance of the younger group’s music and it does not react well with their increasing deafness. And often, they get a little paranoid and think the young ones are deliberately being naughty.
In most cases this is not so, but it could be true if the older person is particularly demanding and unreasonable. If there is no escaping the loud music and the elderly person is in need of rest and quiet the youngster must be forced to be quieter. Inconsideration and loud music do not harmonize; nor does grouchiness and a young child’s enthusiasm when no harm is intended.
Posted in Artist, Music
Tagged change, deafness, elderly person, family, generation, group, knack, loud music, Music, music sound, newness, old timers, person, right, something in the air, style, young ones, younger generation
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