Circa 2005, Apple presents a Martin Scorsese Picture- 2 CD set.
Lots of Joan Baez and Maria Muldaur interviews on Bob. Especially early Bob in New York. Have you seen it?
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
(465) JOAN BAEZ : SHE OWNED THE LABEL PROTEST SINGER
BBC - Joan invading Britain. When Less is More. Simply beautiful voice, and a strong connection to the Americanfolk and country music.
Joan Baez and Bob Dylan worked together and were involved very early on. She says she introduced him to audiences and he moved on and didn't look back of return the favor. Yet they both stayed true to themselves.
JOAN BAEZ OFFICIAL! There's an excellent biography here that explains the social causes Joan has backed through many years, a discography, and so much else.
Joan Baez and Bob Dylan worked together and were involved very early on. She says she introduced him to audiences and he moved on and didn't look back of return the favor. Yet they both stayed true to themselves.
JOAN BAEZ OFFICIAL! There's an excellent biography here that explains the social causes Joan has backed through many years, a discography, and so much else.
Monday, May 20, 2013
(464) BOB DYLAN OFFICIALLY GENIUS
BOB DYLAN OFFICIAL SITE Still touring, but you knew that!
Probably the most prolific songwriter of the 21st century, Bob Dylan is officially a genius - a creative genius. Many of his songs stand as poetry without the music. He's literary.
I remember sitting around with a group of songwriters talking about Bob. The question was "How does he do it?" The answer seemed to be that Bob used newspapers - stories and headlines - as inspiration. He was living many lives vicariously through the news.
Bob seemed to be cagey - sometimes inarticulate - on some interviews. He would protest being a protest singer. He would put on people he thought were putting him on. He didn't want to be stereotyped in terms of what sort of music he was writing and singing and was annoyed to be portrayed as a "jingle jangle man." He was not so mellow. And private; you heard very little about the true loves of his, had no idea.
Maybe he just didn't want to close any doors on what he would write about or which direction he would go. Still today there is understood to be a Bob Dylan sound, and it has a lot to do with his distinctive voice, which is not the best voice in the music business. No three octave range or high notes for Bob but some artists with that range have covered his songs and made them their own.
One of the most successful songwriters financially, he made millions early and could have retired and been OK, say after his motorcycle accident. He went off somewhere and disappeared. Ex-Beatle George Harrison pulled him out of a funk to be on stage in his Concert for Bangladesh in 1971, and they were lifelong friends who respected each other and recorded and played together in The Traveling Willburys.
Probably the most prolific songwriter of the 21st century, Bob Dylan is officially a genius - a creative genius. Many of his songs stand as poetry without the music. He's literary.
I remember sitting around with a group of songwriters talking about Bob. The question was "How does he do it?" The answer seemed to be that Bob used newspapers - stories and headlines - as inspiration. He was living many lives vicariously through the news.
Bob seemed to be cagey - sometimes inarticulate - on some interviews. He would protest being a protest singer. He would put on people he thought were putting him on. He didn't want to be stereotyped in terms of what sort of music he was writing and singing and was annoyed to be portrayed as a "jingle jangle man." He was not so mellow. And private; you heard very little about the true loves of his, had no idea.
Maybe he just didn't want to close any doors on what he would write about or which direction he would go. Still today there is understood to be a Bob Dylan sound, and it has a lot to do with his distinctive voice, which is not the best voice in the music business. No three octave range or high notes for Bob but some artists with that range have covered his songs and made them their own.
One of the most successful songwriters financially, he made millions early and could have retired and been OK, say after his motorcycle accident. He went off somewhere and disappeared. Ex-Beatle George Harrison pulled him out of a funk to be on stage in his Concert for Bangladesh in 1971, and they were lifelong friends who respected each other and recorded and played together in The Traveling Willburys.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
FOLK SINGER BOB DYLAN INVADES BRITAIN AND GOES ELECTRIC
Bob Dylan went to England as an established "American Folk Singer" and went Electric and fans protested. Bob was protesting being called a "Protest Singer."
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
WHAT DID ELVIS HAVE TO DO WITH BOB DYLAN? Quote
"When I first heard Elvis' voice I just knew that I wasn't going to work for anybody; and nobody was going to be my boss. Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail." - Bob Dylan
Monday, May 13, 2013
NEIL YOUNG ON SONGWRITING : NOT THE TIME FOR INTERROGATION OR ANALYSIS
"When i write a song, it starts with a feeling. I can hear something in my head or feel it in my heart. It may be that I just picked up the guitar and mindlessly started playing. That's the way a lodt of songs begin. When you do that, you are not thinking. Thinking is the worst thing for writing a song. So you just start playing and something new comes out. Where does it come from? Who cares? Just keep it and go with it. That's what I do. I never judge it. I believe it. It came as a gift when I picked up my musical instrument and it came through me laying with the instrument. The chords and melody just appeared. Now is not the time for interrogation or analysis. Now is the time to get to know the song, not change it before you even know it. It is like a wild animal, a living thing. Be careful not to scare it away. That's my method, or one of my methods, at least. - Neil Young.
This quote and others from Neil Young are from his recent memoir.
This quote and others from Neil Young are from his recent memoir.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
(463) BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD DEBUT ALBUM 1966 : THAT CALIFORNIA ROCK SOUND
NEIL YOUNG,
DAVID CROSBY,
STEPHEN STILLS,
RICHIE FURAY,
JIM MESSINA
...
We can think of them as a kind of Supergroup that spawned other groups and a whole lot of music that changed the sound of Rock and Roll and has provided us some of the most renown songwriters and most memorable music.
Buffalo Springfield was short but sweet and helped define the California Folk Rock sound of the mid 1960's.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
DVD : ED SULLIVAN PRESENTS ROCK N ROLL REVOLUTION : THE BRITISH INVADE AMERICA - AMERICA FIGHTS BACK
I performed on the Ed Sullivan show, and a while back we contacted the owners of the archive to see if they have preserved that performance. Never heard a thing. These days the Ed Sullivan Show (SOFA Entertainment) has their own YouTube station.
This DVD is a series of Ed Sullivan show performances of The Beatles, Gerry (Marsden) and the Pacemakers, The Rollings Stones, The Animals, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, The Hollies, Herman's Hermits, James Brown, The Supremes, The Righteous Brothers, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Mamas and the Papas, The Beach Boys...Well selected by SOFA ENTERTNAINMENT to truly present the American and British bands that were hitting the charts about the same time in the min 1960's. As you can see from the list, it touches on the American Invasion of Britain as well.
Hosted by Graham Nash and Michelle Phillips, Producted by Andrew Solt, Greg Vines, Leslie Tong, and written by Andrew Solt... C 2011 SOFA Entertainemtn.
This DVD is a series of Ed Sullivan show performances of The Beatles, Gerry (Marsden) and the Pacemakers, The Rollings Stones, The Animals, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, The Hollies, Herman's Hermits, James Brown, The Supremes, The Righteous Brothers, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Mamas and the Papas, The Beach Boys...Well selected by SOFA ENTERTNAINMENT to truly present the American and British bands that were hitting the charts about the same time in the min 1960's. As you can see from the list, it touches on the American Invasion of Britain as well.
Hosted by Graham Nash and Michelle Phillips, Producted by Andrew Solt, Greg Vines, Leslie Tong, and written by Andrew Solt... C 2011 SOFA Entertainemtn.
Monday, May 6, 2013
(462) SINGER -SONGWRITER FRED NEIL : COVERED BY A NEW GENERATION OF ARTISTS
FRED NEIL - OFFICIAL SITE!
We link to a lot of official sites and we're glad to know that one of them is dedicated to Freddy Neil. Fred recorded with Gram Parsons, Vince Martin... His songs were covered by Peter, Paul and Mary... and so many others you may know about. A little closer to today, Fiona Apple, Chris Robinson, and The Black Crowes, have covered songs he wrote. Here's Fred's Dolphin Song:
The Black Crowes
Linda Ronsandt
Freddy Neil, the songwriter
We link to a lot of official sites and we're glad to know that one of them is dedicated to Freddy Neil. Fred recorded with Gram Parsons, Vince Martin... His songs were covered by Peter, Paul and Mary... and so many others you may know about. A little closer to today, Fiona Apple, Chris Robinson, and The Black Crowes, have covered songs he wrote. Here's Fred's Dolphin Song:
The Black Crowes
Linda Ronsandt
Freddy Neil, the songwriter
Saturday, May 4, 2013
FROM WES BRYAN ARCHIVES : POST (376) FRED NEIL STUDIO MUSICIAN : CAPITOL RECORDS
FRED NEIL : What a voice! And a great person!
Freddy was six foot two, a freckled face, red hair. I met him in Saint Petersberg, Florida in December of 1957. He paled around with me and Ersel Hickey in New York and became a real good friend. He was a lot of fun - very comical - a prankster.
One time as I was walking across Broadway with some business people, I heard a loud voice, someone yelling for me with some profanity thrown in. I turned around and there he was, laughing at me. Freddy was turned loose in a big city.
Fred had a couple records on Capitol Records but his claim to fame was the song "Everybody's Talking," the movie Midnight Cowboy's theme song.
NICK VENET WAS THE PRODUCER ON THIS HIT.
Fred signed a contract with Southern Music, a division of Hill and Range, and became a big writer.
I wrote a song for Buddy Knox called "Bye Bye Helloa" and Freddy played all the instruments on the demo. It was recorded in a little studio in the Brill building. Freddy also worked in the studio with Bobby Darin.
Freddy was six foot two, a freckled face, red hair. I met him in Saint Petersberg, Florida in December of 1957. He paled around with me and Ersel Hickey in New York and became a real good friend. He was a lot of fun - very comical - a prankster.
One time as I was walking across Broadway with some business people, I heard a loud voice, someone yelling for me with some profanity thrown in. I turned around and there he was, laughing at me. Freddy was turned loose in a big city.
Fred had a couple records on Capitol Records but his claim to fame was the song "Everybody's Talking," the movie Midnight Cowboy's theme song.
NICK VENET WAS THE PRODUCER ON THIS HIT.
Fred signed a contract with Southern Music, a division of Hill and Range, and became a big writer.
I wrote a song for Buddy Knox called "Bye Bye Helloa" and Freddy played all the instruments on the demo. It was recorded in a little studio in the Brill building. Freddy also worked in the studio with Bobby Darin.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
SINGER-SONGWRITER NEIL YOUNG ON SINGER - SONGWRITER FRED NEIL
pages 199 and 200 from Neil Young's recent music memoir
The Grove in Coconut Grove Florida.
"The Grove was intoxicating, and I stayed there on and off for years. I had a suite in a local hotel called the Rangoon. There were a lot of high rollers in and out of the hotel all the time. Fred Neil, the great folksinger/songwriter who wrote "Everybody's Talkin." which ws eventually used in the movie Midnight Cowboy, was there hanging out at the dock a lot with some of his friends. (It is ironic to me that someone as seminal and influential as Freddy Neil would become more known for a movie song than the influence he had on a generation of musicians, including Stephen Stills, but that's the way it goes.)
The Grove in Coconut Grove Florida.
"The Grove was intoxicating, and I stayed there on and off for years. I had a suite in a local hotel called the Rangoon. There were a lot of high rollers in and out of the hotel all the time. Fred Neil, the great folksinger/songwriter who wrote "Everybody's Talkin." which ws eventually used in the movie Midnight Cowboy, was there hanging out at the dock a lot with some of his friends. (It is ironic to me that someone as seminal and influential as Freddy Neil would become more known for a movie song than the influence he had on a generation of musicians, including Stephen Stills, but that's the way it goes.)
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
GRAM PARSONS : AINT NO BEATLE AINT NO ROLLING STONE
GRAM PARSONS OFFICIAL SITE link here! (This is an EXCELLENT SITE!)
Out of Harvard Singer-Songwriter founded the International Submarine band. He moved on to The Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
ROCK AND ROLL AT FIFTY : LIVE FROM BENEDUM CENTER - PITTSBURGH PA
Creator and Executive Producer T.J. Lubinsky Producer Henry J. DeLuca and many others, this DVD features live performances recorded during the 2003 show. Lots of fun and you'll be tempted to sing along to a few songs while a few tears collect in the corners of your eyes, like mine did when I heard Gerry Marsden...
www.shoutfactory.com
Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, The Heartbeats, Terry Johnson's Flamingos, the Fiestas, Jack Scott and The Jourdanaires, Paul and Paula, Johnny Tillotson , Darlene Love, Brian Hyland, Garyu U.S. Bonds, Lesley Gore, The Manfreds, Gerry Marsden *(Don't let the Sun Catch you Crying), Avalones, Jaguars, Danny and the Juniors featuring Joe Terry... You could say it's our kind of show.
Christine
www.shoutfactory.com
Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, The Heartbeats, Terry Johnson's Flamingos, the Fiestas, Jack Scott and The Jourdanaires, Paul and Paula, Johnny Tillotson , Darlene Love, Brian Hyland, Garyu U.S. Bonds, Lesley Gore, The Manfreds, Gerry Marsden *(Don't let the Sun Catch you Crying), Avalones, Jaguars, Danny and the Juniors featuring Joe Terry... You could say it's our kind of show.
Christine
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
(461) LOU CHRISTIE : FROM DOO WOP TO LIGHTENING STRIKES
LOU CHRISTIE Official Web Site
Christine here : Frankie Valli with the Four Seasons wasn't the only singer hitting the high notes and the charts. But there must be something about Italians in the Eastern United States. Lou grew up in the Pittsburgh area and was once a member of the University of Pittsburgh Glee Club. Doo Wop required a full range of voices or ranges of voice to create that harmonious blend and though Lou will be the first to tell you that he kind of got stuck hitting those high notes - because he could - he has a full range and came out of the Doo Wop. (Try not to confuse Lou Christie with the New Christie Minstrels, the folk group that launched the career of Gene Clark of the Byrds, and several others.)
Today Lou lives in the Palm Springs area where he is active singing for his special cause - Brain Injured Veterans of the United States.
Christine here : Frankie Valli with the Four Seasons wasn't the only singer hitting the high notes and the charts. But there must be something about Italians in the Eastern United States. Lou grew up in the Pittsburgh area and was once a member of the University of Pittsburgh Glee Club. Doo Wop required a full range of voices or ranges of voice to create that harmonious blend and though Lou will be the first to tell you that he kind of got stuck hitting those high notes - because he could - he has a full range and came out of the Doo Wop. (Try not to confuse Lou Christie with the New Christie Minstrels, the folk group that launched the career of Gene Clark of the Byrds, and several others.)
Today Lou lives in the Palm Springs area where he is active singing for his special cause - Brain Injured Veterans of the United States.
Monday, April 22, 2013
Saturday, April 20, 2013
(460) FOLK ROCK : A SYNERGY OF FOLK MUSIC and COUNTRY and ROCK AND ROLL
Country music, Folk music, Rock Music... In the mid 1960's music by the Turtles and the Byrds was recognized as something called FOLK ROCK. Some say Bob Dylan's song "Mr. Tambourine Man," was the song that began the Folk Rock "revolution."
Let's go to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, where we got our definition for HARMONY, and see how the term is officially explained:
BRITANNICA : FOLK ROCK Link!
The definition begins : "As the American folk music revival gathered momentum in the 1950s and ’60s, it was inevitable that a high-minded movement that prided itself on the purity of its acoustic instrumentation and its separation from the commercial pop mainstream would be overtaken and transformed by pop music’s rapidly evolving technology. Rock music also was transformed by its intersection with folk. Although rock previously had been perceived and created almost exclusively as entertainment, it now began to take on folk music’s self-conscious seriousness of intent...
Let's go to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, where we got our definition for HARMONY, and see how the term is officially explained:
BRITANNICA : FOLK ROCK Link!
The definition begins : "As the American folk music revival gathered momentum in the 1950s and ’60s, it was inevitable that a high-minded movement that prided itself on the purity of its acoustic instrumentation and its separation from the commercial pop mainstream would be overtaken and transformed by pop music’s rapidly evolving technology. Rock music also was transformed by its intersection with folk. Although rock previously had been perceived and created almost exclusively as entertainment, it now began to take on folk music’s self-conscious seriousness of intent...
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
MR TAMBOURINE MAN WRITTEN BY SINGER-SONGWRITER BOB DYLAN : CLASSIC COVER TUNE
: THE BYRDS REMASTERED
THE SONGWRITER BOB DYLAN : AT ALBERT HALL
or maybe
JUDY COLLINS:
THE SONGWRITER BOB DYLAN : AT ALBERT HALL
or maybe
JUDY COLLINS:
Monday, April 15, 2013
PETE SEEGER : A SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS SONGWRITER
Linking to the SONGWRITER'S HALL OF FAME - PETE SEEGER PAGE PETE SEEGER - SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME right here!
"In 1949, he joined with Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman to form The Weavers, one of the most successful and influential folk music groups ever... Pete Seeger has always been a socially conscious songwriter. Inspired by the movement, Seeger wrote “We Shall Overcome”, based on an old spiritual. The song quickly became the anthem of the movement. Since the end of the 1960s, Seeger has been increasingly involved in the environment movement, another source of inspiration... Among some of Seeger’s other hit songs are "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" (written with The Weavers), "Wimoweh" (written with The Weavers and based on the African song “Mbube”, by Soloman Linda), and "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season"), a number one hit for The Byrds in 1965."
"In 1949, he joined with Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman to form The Weavers, one of the most successful and influential folk music groups ever... Pete Seeger has always been a socially conscious songwriter. Inspired by the movement, Seeger wrote “We Shall Overcome”, based on an old spiritual. The song quickly became the anthem of the movement. Since the end of the 1960s, Seeger has been increasingly involved in the environment movement, another source of inspiration... Among some of Seeger’s other hit songs are "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" (written with The Weavers), "Wimoweh" (written with The Weavers and based on the African song “Mbube”, by Soloman Linda), and "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season"), a number one hit for The Byrds in 1965."
Saturday, April 13, 2013
(459) THE BYRDS GIVE THE BEATLES A RUN FOR THE CHARTS
THE BYRDS OFFICIAL SITE link here for their story their way!
David Crosby
Chris Hillman
Roger McGuinn
Gene Clark
Michael Clarke (The Byrds official site has links for each of these musicians individually as well!)
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME BYRDS PAGE link here!
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME BYRDS PAGE link here!
The Byrds were predicted to give the Beatles a real run for the charts. I remember talking to Elmer Bernstein and Bob Dylan about the Byrds one night on the Sunset Strip. Elmer was really excited about them. "They're better than the Beatles ! he cried out, as one of their songs was broadcast on the radio.
Bob just smiled. He had placed songs with them and was already recieving money on their recordings of his songs, which were hits for them. Look at that line up though. Every name on that list was a unique talent if not creative genius and they all went on to write winning songs and make music with other groups after the Byrds.
Bob just smiled. He had placed songs with them and was already recieving money on their recordings of his songs, which were hits for them. Look at that line up though. Every name on that list was a unique talent if not creative genius and they all went on to write winning songs and make music with other groups after the Byrds.
"Turn Turn Turn" was written by PETE SEEGER.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
NEEDLES AND PINS : DO YOU LIKE THE TURTLES, JACKIE DESHANNON or THE RAMONES' VERSION BEST?
Written by Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono! NEEDLES AND PINS is a cover tune classic that's been covered by a great many, including Jackie DeShannon, The Turtles, The Ramones...
Jackie DeShannon :
The Ramones:
The Turtles:
Want to read about Jackie DeShannon, The Turtles, or the Ramones at WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC? Use the Google Search feature to bring up past posts!
Jackie DeShannon :
The Ramones:
The Turtles:
Want to read about Jackie DeShannon, The Turtles, or the Ramones at WES BRYAN - MY LIFE IN MUSIC? Use the Google Search feature to bring up past posts!
Saturday, April 6, 2013
(458) THE TURTLES : CROSSING THE BIG POND and LANDING IN LOS ANGELES!
THE TURTLES FEATURING FLO AND EDDIE official site! link here! (Lot's of laughs!)
The TURTLES crossed "the Big Pond" and were a great success in Britain as they were in New York and then Southern California.
Like so many others we've covered here at Wes Bryan - My Life in Music, the Turtles spent years becoming an "overnight success." I remember when one of my associates who ran a club on the Sunset Strip were sure they were the competition for the Beatles. This was the time of my life when, after working at American Music all day and sometimes spending all night in recording studios doing unpaid "overtime," recording demos and pitching songs, that I also spent a lot of time on the Sunset Strip (and surrounds) going to clubs like The Whiskey.
From their site: "When the Turtles played at the Phone Booth in New York, they were pleased to see Bob Dylan sitting a mere eight feet away. He had his shades on and was slumped over. Afterwards the boys eagerly introduced themselves. Dylan responded, deadpan, to the Turtles live performance of their hit, Dylan's very own "It Ain't Me Babe,": "That's a great last song, it should be a record."
Yes friends, we're going to be covering Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Johnny Rivers on this blog as we head towards a Motown summer!
Introduced by Pat Boone!
The TURTLES crossed "the Big Pond" and were a great success in Britain as they were in New York and then Southern California.
Like so many others we've covered here at Wes Bryan - My Life in Music, the Turtles spent years becoming an "overnight success." I remember when one of my associates who ran a club on the Sunset Strip were sure they were the competition for the Beatles. This was the time of my life when, after working at American Music all day and sometimes spending all night in recording studios doing unpaid "overtime," recording demos and pitching songs, that I also spent a lot of time on the Sunset Strip (and surrounds) going to clubs like The Whiskey.
From their site: "When the Turtles played at the Phone Booth in New York, they were pleased to see Bob Dylan sitting a mere eight feet away. He had his shades on and was slumped over. Afterwards the boys eagerly introduced themselves. Dylan responded, deadpan, to the Turtles live performance of their hit, Dylan's very own "It Ain't Me Babe,": "That's a great last song, it should be a record."
Yes friends, we're going to be covering Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Johnny Rivers on this blog as we head towards a Motown summer!
Introduced by Pat Boone!
Friday, April 5, 2013
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