This past Thursday, (August 27th) blues rock guitar virtuoso Chris Duarte performed at The Launchpad, in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. Opening up were fast rising up and comers The Ryan McGarvey Band, fresh from playing the 1st Annual Mile High Blues Fest in Denver, Colorado.
For your viewing and listening pleasure, here's an excerpt of Duarte's headlining set in the form of a pyrotechnic cover of the Jimi Hendrix classic "Drivin' South":
On the 19th anniversary of the untimely passing of the late great Stevie Ray Vaughan comes news of the lineup for the 15th annual Stevie Ray Vaughan Remembrance Ride and Concert. The combination motorcycle parade and Blues concert benefiting the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund will take place on Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4 at various locations in and around Dallas, Texas.
The police escorted parade departs from the world's largest Hooters in Dallas' West End, proceeds 30 miles to Cowboys in Arlington for the Sunday afternoon concert starring The Edgar Winter Group, followed by an all-star jam at Sons of Hermann Hall in Dallas, Texas. Also featured during the weekend will be performances by The Andy Timmons Band, Lance Lopez, Wes Jeans, The Christian Brooks Band, The Tommy Katona Band, Tallan "T - Man" Latz, Nicole Fournier, Jackie Don Loe and many others.
The Who's guitarist Pete Townshend has revealed he is working on a new rock opera, with some of the songs set for inclusion on a new Who record.
Writing on his blog which features on the band’s official website, Townshend said: “I am writing a new musical. Floss is an ambitious new project for me, in the style of Tommy and Quadrophenia. In this case the songs are interspersed with surround-sound ’soundscapes’ featuring complex sound effects and musical montages.”
“When Walter (a pub rock musician) tries to return to music after a 15-year hiatus,” Townshend said of the musical’s story, “he finds that what he hears and what he composes evoke the ecologically rooted, apocalyptic mindset of his generation. Shaken by this and torn by personal difficulties, he and Floss (Walter’s wife) become estranged.”
After writing the youth anthem "My Generation"in his early twenties, Townshend went on to describe the new approach to music in his later years: “”At 64,” said, “I now want to take on ageing and mortality, using the powerfully angry context of rock’n'roll.”
Townshend, who has already written classic rock operas such as Tommy, in 1969, and Quadrophenia, in 1973, said he hopes to have the project ready by 2011.
The guitarist's announcement comes as a pleasant surprise after a year and a half of depressing interviews in which Townshend said things like "I am no longer a member of a band called the Who". Singer Roger Daltrey made similar comments, saying, "I think [the Who] have done enough already. It would be great to have something new, but it doesn't really matter." The Who's last album was 2006's Endless Wire.
AntiMusic.com is reporting that Aerosmith's Steven Tyler spoke with Rolling Stone to clear up some of the reports that surfaced last week, including a Boston Herald report based on band "insiders" who claimed that Tyler was drunk during his recent fall of the stage and that has created problems within the band. He tells Rolling Stone that he was "As sober as you can be" while discussing the fall. Here are a couple of excerpts from that exchange:
What happened that night?: I don't really know. There was a torrential downpour and the guys [at the campground] said, "Look, it's still slippery." I watched myself on YouTube, and it could have been my knee buckling or any ankle. The last thing I remember before I hit the ground was people grabbing for me, but they couldn't reach me because of the barricade. At any other Aerosmith show I probably would've been caught and thrown back onto the stage — naked and without jewelry [laughs]. I stood up and couldn't raise my arm and knew I'd broken something.
Care to comment on that clip [on a tabloid site] of you in a liquor store?: Oh, Jesus Christ. A good friend of mine and Joe's — the brother of the guy who works on my house, my housekeeper — passed away. I was at the funeral. And after the funeral, they're Italian and had a feast at the house, a wake, and I stopped at the liquor store and paid for the booze. I did not buy any for myself. It was never proven that I did. Some kid whipped out a phone and took a picture. Anything to sell papers. It was for the wake. I would do it over and over a million times
Bob Dylan has confirmed the release of a charity Christmas album to be released this October.
'Christmas In The Heart' features covers including 'Winter Wonderland', and is released on October 12. Dylan is donating all of his royalties from the album to charities including Feeding America.
Other songs featured include 'Here Comes Santa Claus', 'Little Drummer Boy' and 'Must Be Santa'.
As well as Feeding America, Dylan will also donate royalties from the album to an as-yet unnamed UK charity and a charity working in the developing world.
In a statement, Dylan commented that he chose to link up with Feeding America because of their work with hungry people in the US during the Christmas period.
"It's a tragedy that more than 35 million people in this country alone - 12 million of those children - often go to bed hungry and wake up each morning unsure of where their next meal is coming from," he said. "I join the good people of Feeding America in the hope that our efforts can bring some food security to people in need during this holiday season."
Led Zeppelin : Good Times, Bad Times: A Visual Biography Of The Ultimate Band by Jerry Prochnicky and Ralph Hulett, with a foreword by Anthony DeCurtis captures the public and private lives of rock gods Led Zeppelin through rare and iconic photographs. More than any other band, they embodied the rock-star lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock and roll and came to define the music and culture of the 1970s. Forty years after the release of their first album in 1969, Led Zeppelin—Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham— continues to fascinate and inspire legions of fans, young and old alike.
A general overview of the band’s history will introduce the core of the book: a gallery of more than 200 photographs, laid out in chronological order, more than half of which have never been published. Whether onstage, backstage, recording in the studio, on tour, or at home—the band is shown as never before. From their very first performance in Denmark on September 7, 1968 (as the new Yardbirds) to their last performance in London in 2007, this collection of images will remind die-hard fans why the group became, and remains, one of the greatest and most notorious bands in the history of rock and roll.
Jerry Prochnicky has been researching the Led Zeppelin story for more than 40 years. He is the co-author of Break on Through: The Life and Death of Jim Morrison. Ralph Hulett is a rock photographer and writer whose work has appeared in music magazines and on television programs, such as VH1’s Behind the Music. The two co-authored Whole Lotta Led: Our Flight with Led Zeppelin.
Led Zeppelin: Good Times, Bad Times: A Visual Biography Of The Ultimate Band will be released on October 1st via Abrams publishing.
Georgia born blues rock guitarist Tinsley Ellis is set to release his 9th studio album 'Speak No Evil' via Alligator Records on October 6th. According to the press release, the album will feature his "most groove-laden guitar work on twelve brutally honest, hard-hitting songs".
Over the last 30 years, Ellis has built a huge fan base with his guitar-driven blend of hard-edged Southern rock and roadhouse blues.
Inspired equally by British invasion bands such as The Animals, Cream, and The Rolling Stones alongside the three Kings - Freddie, B.B. and Albert, Tinsley has earned rave reviews for his brand of electric blues rock, of which Rolling Stone Magazine said, “feral blues guitar…non-stop gigging has sharpened his six-string to a razor’s edge…his eloquence dazzles…he achieves pyrotechnics that rival Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton.”
Guitarist Slash (Velvet Revolver, ex Guns N' Roses) and John Mayer joined that "Little Ol' Band From Texas" ZZ Top on Friday, August 21st at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California to perform the classic songs 'LaGrange' and 'Tush'. Check out video footage below.
Commented Slash: "That was a gas last night (Friday). Billy (Gibbons) was phenomenal and John Mayer is a pretty bad-ass player as well."
ZZ Top was forced to hastily arrange shows after an injury to Steven Tyler forced Aerosmith to pull the plug on the bands' joint summer tour and they picked two House of Blues venues in California to kickstart their own line of dates.
The Highway Star is reporting that original co founder of Deep Purple, bassist Nick Simper is scheduled to be interviewed by Roger Day on BBC Radio Kent at 19.30 GMT on Tuesday, September 1. The show is also syndicated to other local BBC stations; Solent, Surrey, Sussex, Oxford and Berkshire.
It can be listened to worldwide on the Internet directly from the BBC’s web site (RealPlayer required).
Besides Deep Purple, Simper has also been a member of Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Warhorse, Nick Simper's Fandango and Quartermass II.
Deep Purple (MK 1) 1968 performing "Hush" on 'Playboy After Dark'
Blabbermouth.net is reporting that Ozzy Osbourne has just finished playing a 10-song set minus longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California as part of the closing ceremonies at BlizzCon. His backing band for the concert consisted of guitarist Gus G. (Firewind), drummer Tommy Clufetos (Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent), bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson (Rob Zombie) and keyboardist Adam Wakeman.
Nine-year-old Japanese guitar prodigy Yuto Miyazawa joined Ozzy and the rest of his group on stage to perform the Osbourne classic "Crazy Train".
The group's setlist was as follows:
01. Bark At The Moon 02. Suicide Solution 03. War Pigs 04. I Don't Know 05. Mr. Crowley 06. I Don't Wanna Stop 07. Iron Man 08. I Don't Want to Change the World ----------------------------------- 09. Crazy Train (featuring Yuto Miyazawa) 10. Paranoid
British Blues phenom Oli Brown has announced dates for his first UK headline tour to begin October 1st.
Still only 19, Brown has already opened for artists such as Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Koko Taylor, ex Rolling Stone Mick Taylor and Eric Sardinas, and has played alongside Walter Trout, Robben Ford, and legendary Godfather of British Blues John Mayall.
His debut album 'Open Road' has received critical acclaim from all over the world, with the UK's Classic Rock magazine calling him "A blues phenomenon".
The Guardian UK is reporting that Jimi Hendrix is set to become the latest in a string of musicians to have a biopic made about their lives – if his estate will only agree to it.
Previous attempts to make a film about the life of the legendary guitarist have failed to meet with the approval of Hendrix's estate. In 2006, the high court prevented director John Hillman and Dragonslayer Films from making their proposed Hendrix biopic, ruling that the company had no rights to Hendrix's music or likeness, while Hendrix's estate, run by his stepsister Janie Hendrix, also refused to license music to a proposed film starring Outkast's Andre 3000.
But Variety reports that Legendary Pictures is planning a feature film about the life of the man named the greatest guitarist in rock history by Rolling Stone. Legendary will develop the project first and then win approval from the estate, it says – discussions so far have been "loose", with no firm rights deal put in place.
If it does make it to the cinemas, the Hendrix biopic would track the guitarist's life from his stint in the US army through his journey to musical superstardom at Woodstock to his death in London in 1970. Legendary has made no comment on possible casting.
In honor of the legacy of the late Les Paul, immergent Records will be offering five free downloads from the very last official CD that featured the playing of Les Paul - LES PAUL AND FRIENDS-A TRIBUTE TO A LEGEND beginning on the same day as his memorial service in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
After a funeral service Wednesday in New York City, Paul will be buried at a private ceremony on Friday, August 21, at the Prairie Home Cemetery in his hometown of Waukesha, WI. There will be a free public tribute and viewing from 10am to 2pm CT at Discovery World in Milwaukee. While other members of Paul's family are buried in this cemetery, his plot will be larger and separate to allow for the public to easily visit.
On Friday, the museum will also host a screening of Les Paul's final Wisconsin concert, at Milwaukee's Pabst Theater from 2008, and the guitar he used every week at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City will also be on display.
The free downloads will be available from the immergent Les Paul Tribute site at http://www.immergent.com/immergent-remembers-les-paul starting at 12:01am ET Friday, August 21 and will continue through the weekend until Midnight PT Sunday, August 23.
In addition to the songs, fans can also leave their own tribute on the website as well as stream the album and listen to The Les Paul Radio Program, a tribute special produced by music historian Denny Somach, which originally aired last year when the album was first released. This program includes a stunning cover of U2's "All I Ever Want Is You," a brand new recording by Slash, and "The Good Luck You're Having," a mesmerizing blues performance with Les trading licks with guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa (named Best Blues Guitarist by Guitar Player magazine). Also included is a rundown of some of the top rock songs that feature the Les Paul guitar from Led Zeppelin, Cream, Jeff Beck, Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Guns & Roses, ZZ Top and more.
Yesterday (8/18)rockabilly guitar legend Brian Setzer released the first two singles, "Trouble Train" and "Lonely Avenue" via iTunes in advance of the release of the upcoming studio album 'Songs From Lonely Avenue', due outOctober 13th on Surfdog Records.
Comprising ten vocal tracks and three instrumentals, 'Songs from Lonely Avenue' marks the first time Setzer has written every track on an album. With all the scope of a Raymond Chandler novel or an Orson Welles film, it's his most ambitious project to date.
To download the tracks via iTunes go to these locations :
The first artistic impression of the eagerly awaited Rory Gallagher Statue Commemoration to be located in the musician's birthplace of Ballyshannon, Co. Donegal has been released.
The statue honoring the late great Irish blues rock guitarist Rory Gallagher has been commissioned to the Scottish-based award winning Sculptor David Annand by Donegal County Council, and the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival Committee in Ballyshannon. The statue is expected to be unveiled on June 2, 2010. Gallagher remains one of the country's best loved musicians, and is honored yearly in his hometown of Ballyshannon with a festival dedicated to his music.
Gallagher, widely considered one of the greatest blues rock guitarists of all time has sold in excess of 30 million records world wide.
Last night (August 17th) The Robert Cray Band made an appearance on CBS TV's 'Late Show With David Letterman', performing "Trouble & Pain".
The song is from 'This Time', the five-time Grammy Award winning blues guitarist's first studio album in five years, released August 11th on Vanguard Records.
Since his 1980 album debut 'Who's Been Talkin', Cray has released 17 award-winning multi-platinum albums, received 13 Grammy nominations and performed thousands of sold-out shows worldwide.
Our good friends at AntiMusic are reporting that shock rock legend (and long time evangelical Christian) Alice Cooper's upcoming December concert in Tampere, Finland has been cancelled, and moved to Espoo due to concerns over his shock rock image.
Tampere Arena, which was to have hosted the December 11 show, cancelled it because a perceived conflict with the venue's "Christian-based policies".
"The [Lutheran-based charismatic revivalist] group Nokia Mission and others use Tampere Arena for their events, so the venue's management did not want Alice Cooper appearing in the same hall. The contract which we received from Tampere Arena specifies that no artists may perform there who 'incite evil and the power of darkness'," promoter Kalle Keskinen told YLE. [Ironically, Cooper is a born again Christian. Then again, Lutherans are not dispensationalists like most American born again sects]
Rock Radio is reporting that Tony Iommi, one of the world's greatest riffmeisters, is to undergo surgery for a hand problem similar to the one Eddie Van Halen went through earlier in the year. The axeman behind Black Sabbath and Heaven and Hell's greatest sounds has revealed that, after the band's live run in support of acclaimed 'first' album 'The Devil You Know', he'll go under the knife to relieve almost constant pain in his left hand.
He tells The Aquarian: "After this run we're going to have some time off. I've got to have an operation on my hand. It's sort of a major thing I need to get done and I've been putting it off.
"The cartilage has gone from the thumb in my fingering hand. It's been like that for a year, to be honest. I've been taking anti-inflammatories and all sorts of stuff to try and calm it down. But it's inevitable I have to have the operation - the bone is rubbing on the bone."
The NME is reporting that former Woodstock show stopper Sly Stone is allegedly claiming social security and living in cheap motels, according to a new documentary about the revered soul singer.
'Coming Back for More' by Dutch filmmaker Willem Alkema alleges that Stone has been forced to claim benefits after his manager Jerry Goldstein refused him access to his royalties.
A trailer for 'Coming Back for More' was uploaded to YouTube – though it has now been removed.
Alkema's film suggests that Stone signed a deal with Goldstein in the late '80s, whereby the manager acquired the rights to Stone's music and paid him a fixed wage.
Goldstein has since "turned off the tap" of wages according to the trailer due to a "debt agreement", reports The Guardian. As a result, Stone has been forced to live off social security.
Stone reportedly: "lacks the funds to engage a lawyer to proceed his case," the documentary explains.
Alkema's film also states that Stone had been working on songs for Michael Jackson's new album before the self-styled king of pop's death in June.
'Coming Back for More' is due to be released this autumn.
Jim Dickinson, a musician and producer who helped shape the Memphis sound in a career that spanned more than four decades, died Saturday. He was 67.
His wife, Mary Lindsay Dickinson, said he died in a Memphis, Tennessee, hospital after three months of heart and intestinal bleeding problems.
The couple lived in Hernando, Mississippi, but Dickinson recently had bypass surgery and was undergoing rehabilitation at Methodist University Hospital, his wife said.
Dickinson, perhaps best known as the father of Luther and Cody Dickinson, two-thirds of the Grammy-nominated North Mississippi Allstars, (with Luther being the current guitarist for The Black Crowes) managed an outsider's career in an insider's industry. He recorded with and produced greats like Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Big Star, the Rolling Stones, The Replacements and Sam & Dave.
Dickinson's career touched on some of the most important music made in the '60s and '70s. He recorded and played keyboards for the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" in Muscle Shoals, Alabama; formed the Atlantic Records house band The Dixie Flyers to record with Franklin and other R&B legends in Miami; inspired a legion of indie rock bands through his work with Big Star; collaborated with Ry Cooder on a number of movie scores, including "Paris, Texas;" and played with Dylan on his Grammy-winning return to prominence, "Time Out of Mind."
Billboard.com reports: When he gathered with U2's The Edge and Jack White to play together for the new film "It Might Get Loud", Jimmy Page wanted to have more than just his old favorites to jam on. So he produced "a couple of sort of sketches," titled "Embryo No. 1" and "Embryo No. 2" that the Led Zeppelin founder says represent the first step for some new music in the not-too-distant future.
"They just go to show I didn't go in there thinking, 'Let's see what we can get away with from the past?' " Page tells Billboard.com. "It was quite important, I felt, to actually have something that shows I'm still working on the guitar relative to just doing 'Whole Lotta Love' or something like that. It was more 'Let's show a complete picture,' so you've got that kid (a young Page on British TV) playing at 14 and you've got me playing on some things which are really pretty current for me."
During this past week, the media - broadcast, print and online have been giving extensive coverage on the 40th anniversary of the historic, legendary Woodstock Music and Arts Festival.
Drawing anywhere from an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 during the weekend of August 15 -17, 1969, it helped to galvanize a generation, becoming over the past four decades the most famous, mythical event ever held in rock's five decade plus history. While quite a few of the legends who performed those three days - including Janis, Jimi, Keith Moon and Jerry Garcia - have since passed over into rock and roll heaven, thankfully there are still those around who have not only survived, but thrived in the years since performing during that iconic weekend.
One such survivor is vocalist/keyboardist Gregg Rolie. A co - founding member of the Santana band who were show stoppers at the festival, after departing that band in 1972, he then went on to establish with guitarist Neal Schon, San Francisco AOR superstars Journey.
Subsequent to leaving the group he has recorded both in band situations and solo, with the latest release being the Gregg Rolie Band 2009 limited edition 'Rain Dance'. Recorded live in 2007 at Sturgis, it captures the musicians at a high point as they storm through many early Santana classics, including "Soul Sacrifice", immortalized in the award winning 'Woodstock' documentary and accompanying soundtrack.
While interesting to read modern day pundits' perspectives and opinions of the Woodstock Festival, it doesn't compare to the recollections of those who were actually there. Recently this very site had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Rolie for an exclusive interview, which contains the Rock and Roll Hall Of Famer's memories of being at the fest as a 22 year old performer with Santana on August 16, 1969. Excerpted below is the section of the interview referencing the event :
"We(Santana) flew in to Woodstock, and I remember Barry Imhoff, who worked for Bill Graham, was in there with us. He said, "Look at all those people down there!" I looked down, and it didn't really strike me, because it looked like ants on a hill, peas on mashed potatoes or something. It didn't really strike me at all. We had played in front of 10,000 people, but I had no consciousness of what 500,000 people looked like to know anything else. Especially from a helicopter... yeah, it looked like a lot of people. So we landed, as you couldn't drive in anymore, because they had parked on the highway and blocked everything.
We got there and played, and looking out, it didn't bother me too much because you could only see so far, and past that all you could see was brown, all the hair. So it wasn't frightening because it didn't gel. We'd played as I said to 10,000 before. Thank God it didn't, because I'd probably have been scared to death had I known what was going on. I remember staying to watch Sly & The Family Stone, because I wanted to see him play, then we left after that. They drove us out, and that's when it hit me of just how big this was, because it took forever to get through 500,000 people in a car. It was pretty amazing, but if you were there and you played, then got into the movie you had a career.
I have a great story about Hendrix. I never really met him, but when we went to go play Woodstock, I was in our truck, and I went swimming every day at this waterhole. I was coming back from it, in our truck, and I got behind somebody in a Corvette doing about 15 miles per hour. I couldn't believe it, and it was on a winding road in Upstate New York. I was honking my horn, and I was really angry. I went by, and looked over, and it was Hendrix. I'm honking and flipping him off, and I went, "Oh my God!" I just kept on going. I'll never forget that. I was like, "Man, he can't drive". (Laughs)
For more info on Gregg Rolie go to his official website.
Rock legend and cultural icon Bob Dylan was treated like a complete unknown by police in New Jersey when a resident called to report someone wandering around the neighborhood.
Dylan was about a two-hour drive south of New York City in Long Branch on July 23 as part of a tour with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp that was to play at a baseball stadium.
To hear the young New Jersey police officer Kristie Buble describe it, the scene was like something out of one of Dylan's epic song-poems: It was pouring rain, Dylan was soaked and wandering alone, far from the traveling home of his entourage of tour buses.
When the 68 year old Dylan wandered into the yard of a home that had a "For Sale" sign on it, the home's occupants became spooked by his appearance and called police with a report of an "eccentric-looking old man" in their yard, Long Branch Police said. One of the occupants even went so far as to follow Dylan as he continued on down the street.
Long Branch business administrator Howard Woolley says the24-year-old police officer apparently was unaware of who Dylan is and asked him for identification.
Dylan wasn't carrying any, so police took him back to his hotel, where tour staff vouched for him. No charges were filed.
How did it feel? A Dylan publicist hasn't returned a telephone call seeking comment.
As previously reported, guitar great Robben Ford has just released a brand new live album, 'Soul On Ten' via Concord Records, available August 11th. You can hear the entire album in full streaming on AOL Music at this location.
For Soul on Ten, his fourth and latest album for the Concord Music Group, five-time Grammy nominee Ford is definitely ‘on ten,' playing with the kind of skill and experience that had Musician magazine dubbing him one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century."
With eight of the ten tracks recorded live over two nights at The Independent in San Francisco last April-just across town from the Fillmore, where the north California native grew up hearing the likes of B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Jerry Garcia, Albert King, Jimmy Page, Michael Bloomfield and Elvis Bishop-Soul on Ten captures Ford's unique style, one that combines, yet transcends, his roots in jazz, fusion, blues, soul and rock, distilling the past into the moment, with an eye on the future.
You can purchase the album at the Concord Records web site at this location.
Les Paul, the guitar virtuoso and inventor who revolutionized music and created rock 'n' roll as surely as Elvis Presley and the Beatles by developing the solid-body electric guitar and multitrack recording, died Thursday at age 94.
Known for his lightning-fast riffs, Paul performed with some of early pop's biggest names and produced a slew of hits, many with wife Mary Ford. But it was his inventive streak that made him universally revered by guitar gods as their original ancestor and earned his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the most important forces in popular music.
Paul, who died in White Plains, N.Y., of complications from pneumonia, was a tireless tinkerer, whose quest for a particular sound led him to create the first solid-body electric guitar, a departure from the hollow-body guitars of the time. His invention paved the way for modern rock 'n' roll and became the standard instrument for legends like Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page.
He also developed technology that would become hallmarks of rock and pop recordings, from multitrack recording that allowed for layers and layers of "overdubs" to guitar reverb and other sound effects.
"He was truly the cornerstone of popular music," said Henry Juskiewicz, chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar, which mass produced Paul's original invention. "He was a futurist, and unlike some futurists who write about it and predict things, he was a guy who actually did things."
Paul remained an active performer until his last months: He put out his very first rock album just four years ago, and up until recently played every week at a New York jazz club.
The news of his death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from the music world.
"Les Paul was truly a 'one of a kind.' We owe many of his inventions that made the rock 'n roll sound of today to him, and he was the founding father of modern music," B.B. King said in a statement. "This is a huge loss to the music community and the world. I am honored to have known him."
Keith Richards said, "Les Paul, along with Leo Fender, the most important developer of the electric guitar. He actually taught himself to play guitar in order to demonstrate his electronic theories. WOW!! All of us owe an unimaginable debt to his work and his talent. Mary Ford didn't hurt either."
"Les Paul and Mary Ford were among my most favorite musicians in the 50s. He was the first guy to do multi-guitar multitrack recording and that turned me on to guitars and stacking vocals for our records." — Brian Wilson
Joe Satriani said in a statement: "Les Paul set a standard for musicianship and innovation that remains unsurpassed. He was the original guitar hero and the kindest of souls. Last October I joined him onstage at the Iridium club in [New York], and he was still shredding. He was and still is an inspiration to us all."
In a statement, Slash said, "Les Paul was a shining example of how full one's life can be; he was so vibrant and full of positive energy."
Warren Haynes of The Allman Brothers Band/Gov't Mule said, "Les was the Jimi Hendrix of his time".
Hard rockin' blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa said, "Rest in Peace Les, the world has never nor will ever see the likes of your genius again. Thank you for your kind words and your wisdom".
Lester William Polfuss was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on June 9, 1915. Even as a child he showed an aptitude for tinkering, taking apart electric appliances to see what made them tick.
But Paul likely will be best remembered for the Gibson Les Paul, a variation on the solid-body guitar he built in the early 1940s -- "The Log" -- and offered to the guitar company.
A musician since childhood, he experimented with guitar amplification for years before coming up in 1941 with what he called "The Log," a 4-by-4 piece of wood strung with steel strings.
"I went into a nightclub and played it. Of course, everybody had me labeled as a nut." He later put the wooden wings onto the body to give it a traditional guitar shape.
The use of electric guitar gained popularity in the mid-to-late 1940s.
Leo Fender's Broadcaster was the first mass-produced solid body electric on the market in the late 1940s.
Gibson solicited Paul to create a prototype for a guitar, and began production on the Les Paul guitar in 1952. Townshend of the Who, Steve Howe of Yes, jazz great Al DiMeola and Led Zeppelin's Page all made the Gibson Les Paul their trademark six-string.
The Les Paul series has become one of the most widely used guitars in the music industry. In 2005, Christie's auction house sold a 1955 Gibson Les Paul for $45,600.
Paul's use of multitrack recording was unique: Before he did it, most recordings were made on a single tape. By recording each element separately, from the vocals to instrumentation on different tracks, they could be mixed and layered, adding to the richness in sound.
"In the old days, if you only had one track, you put a microphone in the middle of the music and hope for the best," Juskiewicz said.
In 1954, Paul commissioned the first eight-track tape recorder, later known as "Sel-Sync," in which a recording head could simultaneously record a new track and play back previous ones.
In the late 1960s, Paul retired from music to concentrate on his inventions. His interest in country music was rekindled in the mid-'70s and he teamed with Chet Atkins for two albums. The duo were awarded a Grammy for best country instrumental performance of 1976 for their "Chester and Lester" album.
In 2005, he released the Grammy-winning "Les Paul & Friends: American Made, World Played," his first album of new material since those 1970s recordings and his first official rock CD. Among those playing with him: Peter Frampton, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Richie Sambora.
"They're not only my friends, but they're great players," Paul said at the time. "I never stop being amazed by all the different ways of playing the guitar and making it deliver a message."
Paul, besides being enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also was honored by the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Inventors Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is survived by three sons, a daughter, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Thank you Les for everything you were - your spirit will live on forever. Our condolences to all of his family and multitude of friends - in this day and age where so called "legends" are seemingly a dime a dozen -truly you were one of a kind!
David Bowie's 1969 album 'Space Oddity' is to be re-released on October 12, complete with a host of previously unreleased tracks.
The album was initially released under the title 'David Bowie' in November 1969, before being renamed 'Space Oddity' in 1972. It has been remastered for the new release.
Unreleased tracks includes demos, radio sessions and alternate versions of album songs.
The 40th anniversary edition is to be released digitally, on CD and on 180 gram vinyl.
Rock Radio is reporting that Whitesnake fans are concerned David Coverdale's live career may be over after he cancelled a show four songs in last night - because he couldn't hit the notes.
The singer, 57, is renowned for his larger-than-life stage persona and his big-ego live shows, but in recent months has been seen to add more conversation to the set, seemingly to give his singing voice more downtime.
The issue appeared to come to a head in Denver, Colorado last night when Coverdale stopped the show after four songs, admitted to the crowd he couldn't go on, and walked off stage.
And there are now rumors the band will not continue their US tour with Judas Priest.
Witness J Morton reports:"He looked fine but sounded awful. Honestly, I've never been so concerned for his future. Even after his many pauses I knew he was coming back - but this is something different. I foresee a tour cancellation."
Another fan says: "He indicated his voice wasn't hacking it. It was a graceful exit considering the circumstances. He really did give it the 'old college try' but it was no use. It was really sad to watch."
But there are also hopes the singer is simply unwell, and got back on stage too quickly after suffering an attack of laryngitis. Whitesnake cancelled their scheduled show in Arizona last Friday after doctors advised Coverdale not to sing. At the time the band stated they had no intention of cancelling further gigs.
Morton adds: "David couldn't hit anything mid-range and he was very croaky. He may legitimately be ill. The sad part was you could really see him trying to make it through."
Eric Clapton has earned his way into three spots -- including Number One - on the Rolling Stone Reader's Rock List for Supergroups. Clapton tops the list with Cream, snagging 7th place with Derek & the Dominoes -- which featured the late Duane Allman, and rounded out the Top Ten with Blind Faith which included Cream drummer Ginger Baker and Steve Winwood.
Jack Bruce credits Baker with the original idea to form Cream in 1966: "I did play briefly with Eric with John Mayall, but he left the band, and then I left the band, and I joined Manfred Mann for a while, to pay the rent. Ginger had the idea of Cream, and he approached Eric, and Eric said that he would love to do it, but only if I was in the band, and I was the singer, so that was how it came about."
The Rolling Stone 'Readers' Rock List -- Supergroups: 1. Cream 2. Velvet Revolver 3. Audioslave 4. Raconteurs 5. Traveling Wilburys 6. Temple Of The Dog 7. Derek & the Dominos 8. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 9. Oysterhead 10. Blind Faith 11. The Dead Weather 12. Bad Company 13. Chickenfoot 14. Foo Fighters 15. Mad Season
Bravewords.com is reporting that Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash(ex-Guns 'N' Roses) has issued the following update:
"I've been recording my solo record since the end of April, its basically done, we start mixing soon. it is a very cool record, I must say."
Slash has been recording his new solo album with producer Eric Valentine in Los Angeles with drummer Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle) and bassist Chris Chaney (ex-Jane's Addiction). Guest on the as-yet-untitled new solo album include former Guns N' Roses men Steven Adler (drums) and Izzy Stradlin (guitar) along with Flea (bass - Red Hot Chili Peppers)
As previously reported, the blues rockin' The Ryan McGarvey Band made an extremely well received appearance today (August 8th) at the first annual Mile High Blues Festival in Denver, Colorado.
Here's a taste of the set in the form of an excerpt from a scorching 18 minute version of the Jimi Hendrix classic "Voodoo Child". McGarvey, a recent Fender guitar endorsee, has been hard at work recording the long awaited follow up to the critically acclaimed debut 'Forward In Reverse'. The festival continues today, culminating with a headlining performance by Joe Bonamassa.
Fuel Records is scheduled to release the Guitar Zeus project by legendary drummer Carmine Appice, featuring a compilation of twenty-four of the best Guitar Zeus songs. "Conquering Heroes" hits the streets on August 18th. The double-disc set showcases the prolific talents of many world-renown rock guitarists including Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big), Yngwie Malmsteen, Leslie West,(Mountain) Brian May(Queen), Neal Schon (Journey), Steve Morse (Deep Purple), Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson), Mick Mars (Motley Crue) Zakk Wylde(Ozzy Osbourne), and the core band featuring Tony Franklin (The Firm, Blue Murder) on bass, Kelly Keeling (Blue Murder, MSG, TSO) on vocals/keys/rhythm guitar, with Appice on drums.
Some newsworthy happenings in the world of blues and blues rock : Guitar great Robben Ford is set to release the long awaited live album 'Soul On Ten', recorded this past April via Concord Records August 11th.
This weekend sees the first blues festival held in Denver, Colorado in 5 years with the first annual Mile High Blues Festival. Held August 8th and 9th, the festical headliner will be none other than "New King Of The Blues", hard rockin' guitarist Joe Bonamassa.
Other featured acts include Bernard Allison, Jimmy Thackery, Curtis Salgado and the pride of Albuquerque, New Mexico, fast rising (and brand new Fender guitar endorsee) blues rock guitarist Ryan McGarvey. It will be the first festival appearance for 22 year old McGarvey (who recently joined fellow rising star Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam for the majority of their set in Santa Fe) since replacing long time bassist Kevin Kraybill with Sam Miller. Rumor has it of a possible joint appearance between Bonamassa and McGarvey during the festival, so if you don't have your tickets, this would be an excellent opportunity to see some scorching blues rock. UPDATE : It appears that McGarvey will be joining Bonamassa sometime during his headlining set on Sunday the 9th so those who will be in the Denver area, or surrounding areas be sure to go, as it's sure to be extra special.
Speaking of Mr. Knowles, the reconfigured Back Door Slam, who recently released the Peter Frampton produced 'Coming Up For Air' is joining up as opening act for new rock supergroup Chickenfoot (Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, Chad Smith) on the latest leg of their North American tour.
Last but certainly not least, Sun Records music legend Billy Lee Riley passed away August 2nd at the age of 75 from complications of colon cancer. One of his best known songs was the Billy “The Kid” Emerson composition “Red Hot.” Another was the Ray Scott-penned “Flyin’ Saucers Rock ‘N’ Roll” which featured Roland Janes on lead guitar, Jerry Lee Lewis on piano, and James Van Eaton on drums. Riley also played on many sessions for Sun Records including Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire.”
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has been hospitalized after injuring his head, neck and shoulder in a fall from a concert stage in South Dakota, a spokesman for the venue said on Thursday.
Tyler, 61, accidentally stepped off a runway near the main stage while the band was performing Wednesday night at Buffalo Chip Campground in Sturgis, South Dakota, concert spokesman Michael Sanborn said.
Tyler, 61, fell several feet while entertaining the crowd by dancing around as the sound crew replaced a fuse that blew during the song "Love in an Elevator," said Mike Sanborn, spokesman for the Buffalo Chip Campground, which hosted the Wednesday night concert. An amateur video showed him spinning around before falling off the stage.
A concertgoer said Tyler's head was bleeding and he was holding his shoulder after the fall, but it wasn't immediately clear how seriously he was hurt. The frontman was airlifted to Rapid City Regional Hospital, Sanborn said, the only major hospital in western South Dakota. A hospital spokeswoman would not confirm whether Tyler was there, and a representative for Aerosmith's publicity firm said the company was gathering information about the accident.
The band's next concert, which was scheduled for Friday in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was postponed. On June 28, Tyler hurt his leg at a concert in Uncasville, Conn., and the band had to postpone seven shows in July. Tyler also battled pneumonia before the tour began in June, while guitarist Joe Perry fought a knee infection.
Many in the crowd were surprised and thought it was part of the act, said Jessica Kokesh, a University of South Dakota journalism student who covered the concert for the Rapid City Journal.
"We thought maybe he stage-dived into the crowd, but he didn't get back up," Kokesh said. "I thought he was falling back to crowd surf
Tyler landed on a couple of fans, Sanborn said, and security rushed to help him. Sanborn did not immediately return a call Thursday evening about exactly how high the catwalk was. The crowd cheered when Tyler got up.
"There was like a big sigh, a collective 'Whoa' from everybody," said Chuck Baker, 53, of Denver, who was about 20 rows from the stage when Tyler fell.
The rocker was taken backstage, where a physician attended to him. Later, Perry told the audience the show would not go on.
"It was an unfortunate end to an extraordinary evening," Sanborn said.
On September 20th Landslide Records will release a 20-track memorial retrospective collection saluting the late blues guitarist and singer, Sean Costello. Entitled 'Sean's Blues', the tracks are culled from his three commercial album releases from 1996 through 2001, as well as 12 previously unreleased tracks including three live songs.
Sean's Blues captures the essence of what made Sean Costello such a rising star in the blues world until his tragic death in April, 2008, one day before his 29th birthday. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the album will benefit the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bi-Polar Research (http://www.seancostellofund.org).
The album's liner notes include personal remembrances from Landslide Records President Michael Rothschild, who co-produced the compilation with Jeff Bakos and recorded two albums with Costello in 2000 (Cuttin' In) and 2001 (Moanin' for Molasses). Five tracks from those two albums are included in 'Sean's Blues'. The CD package also contains several previously unpublished Sean Costello photos.
For more info, including the complete track listing go to this location.
Sean Costello performing a version of B.B. King's classic "It's My Own Fault" live at The Yale, Vancouver, Canada February 14, 2008 :
On August 3, two British rock legends, drummer Ian Paice (Deep Purple, Whitesnake) and guitarist Bernie Marsden (ex Whitesnake, UFO) joined guitarist Matt Filippini and the rest of the Matt Filippini Band onstage at the Dragon Beer Fest in San Giorgio Piacentino Italy, where they performed a rousing version of the Whitesnake classic "Sweet Talker".
Hot on the heels of their new live CD 'Fortyfied', prog rock music legends Nektar will be playing several select concerts in the UK and Germany in celebration of their 40th anniversary. Nektar's contribution over the past 40 years has quite rightly earned them their place in any 'Progressive Rock Hall of Fame'.
Recorded on their 2008 tour of Europe, 'Fortyfied' is released on the band's own label Treaclemusic and features many beloved Nektar classics such as "Tab In The Ocean", "Recycled pt.1", "Man In The Moon" and part two of the group's classic "Remember The Future".
The dates are as follows:
Sat 29th Aug 2009 Northeim Germany Waldbuhne Northeim Mon 31st Aug 2009 Bristol UK Bristol - Thekla Tue 1st Sep 2009 Wales UK Cardiff - Barfly Wed 2nd Sep 2009 London UK Borderline Thu 3rd Sep 2009 Nottingham UK Nottingham - Rock city Fri 4th Sep 2009 Athens Downtown Greece Rodeo club Sat 5th Sep 2009 Athens Downtown Greece Rodeo club
On September 15, 2009, legendary blues master John Mayall, through Eagle Records will release a brand new studio album 'Tough'.
On his self-produced 57th studio album to date Mayall once again proves why he is known as "The Godfather of British Blues."
Taking on multiple instruments (piano, organ, six and twelve string guitar, and harmonica, along with his signature vocals) Mayall is backed by his touring band–guitar phenomenon Rocky Athas, bassist Greg Rzab, drummer Jay Davenport, and organist/pianist Tom Canning.
76 years young, Mayall has spent 44 years cultivating his brand of blues and has helped launch the careers of some of the greatest contemporary blues musicians, including Eric Clapton, Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, Fleetwood Mac's Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Peter Green, as well as guitarists Walter Trout and Coco Montoya. He has enjoyed many deserved accolades for his extraordinary contributions to blues music, including an honor from the Queen of England herself. In 2005, she named him an officer of the Order of the British Empire. He accepted this prestigious honor alongside Brian May (Queen) and Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin).
In a posting on his official website, Austin, Texas guitar legend Eric Johnson has announced that he has finished recording a new studio album, and to celebrate will be embarking on a mini tour consisting of four special Texas shows in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
Performing as Alien Love Child, which besides Johnson includes bassist Chris Maresh and drummer Bill Maddox, these will undoubtedly be some of the finest shows on offer this year. “I’ve spent the last year and a half in the studio, and I really want to get up on stage and do some playing,” says Johnson.
Johnson will now be giving various tracks to three of the top engineers in contemporary music to mix: George Massenberg, Gary Paczosa and Andy Johns.
More information about the upcoming shows can be found on the Eric Johnson Tour page.
Billboard is reporting that with the Who inactive for the moment, Roger Daltrey is gearing up to launch his first solo tour of North America since 1985.
The Use It Or Lose It theater trek -- a nod to the 65-year-old singer's vocal cords -- kicks off October 10 in Vancouver, B.C., and runs through November 30 in Clearwater, Fla.
Daltrey will dust off material from his nine solo albums, some covers (he's previously preformed songs by Queen, Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen) and, of course, a generous selection of Who favorites.
"I feel so passionate about (Who guitarist/songwriter Pete) Townshend's music, what he wrote and his standing in the big scheme of things,"said Daltrey. "I love playing Townshend's music old, new, whatever."
Daltrey said the Who had "no intention of stopping" but that after more than 45 years together he's learned to be patient.
"I think Pete's got every intention of writing more new Who stuff," Daltrey said, "but he hates to say that until he's actually written it 'cause it's in the lap of the gods, isn't it? I wish I could write it, 'cause we'd be doing it tomorrow. But, sadly, I'm not the writer that Townshend is. One genius is enough in a band....You just have to be there for him if he needs you. That's my function. I'm just an instrument for him, and...I'm quite happy with that."
Daltrey, meanwhile, is not ruling out the possibility of another solo album, though he hasn't released one since 1992's "Rocks in the Head."
"I think I've got one more really good album in me," he said. "I'm working on ideas. There's whole new dimensions to come out of me, I think. It's finding the material, but the way I always feel is there must be an enormous amount of really talented songwriters out there who can't sing, so please send your songs."
Townshend's younger brother Simon Townshend, a touring guitarist with the Who, will accompany Daltrey on the tour, along with guitarist and musical director Frank Simes, keyboardist Loren Gold, bassist Jon Button and drummer Scott Devours.
The BBC is reporting that the death of former Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones is to be reviewed following new evidence, it has been revealed.
