I thought this might be fun & informitive. Feel free to add your own rocker, with trivia!
I picked Freddie Mercury becouse I don't think he sometimes gets the credit he deserves.
"Gifted with one of the most distinctive and powerful voices in all of rock music, Freddie Mercury was the lead singer of Queen and a driving force behind the band's musical and visual style. He composed many of Queen's signature songs including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Somebody to Love", and "We Are the Champions".
Often described as "operatic", his compositions include strong elements of harmony, layered vocal arrangements, and complex melodies. Freddie Mercury delivered his music with a stunning voice - he had more power, range, and control than any of his contemporaries.
Believing strongly in the importance of style and fashion, his artistic direction shaped much of Queen's early image. He designed the initial Queen "Crest" logo - using the Zodiac signs for the four members of the band: The crest consisted of two lions (Leos for Roger and John Deacon), holding up a Q around a crown, a crab on top (Cancer for Brian May) , and two fairies (Virgo for himself). He applied this kind of creative sculpting to all aspects of his life.
As a live entertainer, Freddie Mercury was magnificent. He would feed from the crowd's energy, amplifying and projecting it back to them. His 1985 performance at the massive multi-band "Live Aid" concert at Wembley Stadium is a perfect example of his stage prowess. With a super-charged Freddie playing maestro to the audience, Queen drove the crowd of 72,000 into a frenzy with a tight set that stole the show.
Reputed to have led a flamboyent and hedonistic lifestyle, he was also known to be generous and kind to the same extreme. His passing in 1991 was a great loss to the world of music, and in the next year the "Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert" was held in his honor."
*Lead singer of rock group Queen.
*Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara, on the island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania.
*He was a staunch supporter of the British monarchy.
*His ancestors, the Parsees, originated in Persia and fled to India in the 7th century. The reason being they are Zoroastrians and did not want to get converted to Islam.
*Lead singer and keyboard player of the rock group Queen.
*Neglected to get corrective oral surgery (to fix his famous overbite) out of fear that it would damage his voice. Ironically, Freddie was a smoker.
*Attended Ealing College of Art before forming the glam rock group Smile, which eventually became Queen.
*Freddie didn't form the band Smile (nor were Smile "glam"). Brian May formed Smile with Roger Taylor and Tim Stafell. When they split, Freddie, Brian and Roger formed Queen.
*Some of his estate was left to Mary Austin, a woman he had dated regularly.
*Attended many operas and performed in one.
*Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 (as a member of Queen).
*Sang a duet of "Tutti Frutti" with Marillion frontman Fish at the Mungersdorfer Stadion, Cologne, West Germany.
*Was an avid and fastidious philatelist (stamp collector). His extensive collection is still exhibited at stamp shows world-wide as being under the estate of his birth name.
*Loved his cats, and dedicated his solo-album "Mr. Bad Guy" to them. When he was out touring, he used to phone his cats and talk to them for hours. On one of his waistcoats, he has painted portraits of all of his cats.
*He was educated at St. Peter's boarding school near Bombay, India, where he had his first musical training (Grade V piano) and also his first experience of performing onstage, with his band, the Hectics. It was at St. Peter's where he picked up the name 'Freddie', soon even his parents addressed him by that name.
*His song "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975) was named Britain's favourite pop single of all time on 2002 in a poll by Guinness World Records (GWR). More than 31,000 people voted in the poll for GWR's "British Hit Singles" book.
*After a revolution in Zanzibar, he and his family were forced to flee to England, where he pursued a Diploma in Art and Graphic Design. This knowledge was to come in useful when he designed Queen's famous crest.
*Came in 58th place in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.
*He was a Zoroastrian. His famous overbite was caused by the presence of four extra teeth which pushed his incisors out. He commented early in his career that he wished to have work done on his teeth, but regretted that he didn't have time to do it.
*Was an ardent fan of Jimi Hendrix.
*Designed Queen's famous crest using his and his fellow bandmates' birth signs: Two lions for Roger and John (Leo), a crab for Brian (Cancer), and two fairies for himself (Virgo).
*Mercury's vocal range spanned three octaves in full voice, from F2 to F5, with an additional octave up to E6 in falsetto. Although his speaking voice naturally fell in the baritone range, he delivered the songs in the tenor range.
*Achieved grade IV in practical piano and theory.
*Was of Persian descent. His parents were Persians born in India.
*Said that Aretha Franklin was one of his favorite singers.
*There is a breed of yellow rose named after him.
*Loved cats, and owned many of them. The song "Delilah" is written about his favorite.
*His baby photo won photograph of the year in 1947 in his hometown.
*Knew about his illness for 7 years prior to his death.
[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 05-16-2009).]
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02:00 PM
PFF
System Bot
css9450 Member
Posts: 5500 From: Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA Registered: Nov 2002
Heaven & Hell is a musical collaboration featuring Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice.
The four members of Heaven and Hell recorded and toured together as Black Sabbath from 1980*-1982 and again from 1991-1992. (*Bill Ward played on the album Heaven & Hell, Vinny Appice did the tour)
According to Geezer Butler, from the DVD that was attached to the Best Buy version of the album, the name of the CD is telling everyone that the band is really Black Sabbath, or that they are The Devil You Know.
The new CD features the famous flying devil logo used by Black Sabbath, better know as Henry.
"Henry" is flanked on the cover by the numbers 25:41. This is a reference to the biblical verse Matthew 25:41, which reads in the King James verision: Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
For the week ending May 9th, the CD "The Devil You Know" broke the top 10 on the Billboard 200 record charts, coming in at 8th ( METAL IS STILL ALIVE AND KICKING!! \m/ \m/ )
They will tour North America this summer (2009) with Coheed and Cambria as the opening act
My recent avatar change is a depiction of the band name. They are my favorite line-up of Black Sabbath and my favorite band.
edited to add band photo
[This message has been edited by WingNut - MD (edited 05-16-2009).]
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12:09 PM
Boondawg Member
Posts: 38235 From: Displaced Alaskan Registered: Jun 2003
"Steve Perry is frequently considered one of the best male rock vocalists of all time. Perry's vocal classification is tenor altino, a term used to describe a man who sings in the highest possible male register (above tenor and including what would, if sung by a woman, be called alto or mezzo), using a natural or "chest" voice and employing falsetto only in his extreme upper register. He consistently ranks among the top ten rock vocalists of all time in many music polls. With Perry's wide range of vocal abilities, he was able to invent the power ballad and take it to a new level of emotion and feeling. It was said that Jon Bon Jovi gave him the name "The Voice". Queen guitarist Brian May said in a 2007 interview "Perry is a truly luminous singer, in my opinion — a voice in a million".
*Born in Hanford, California, Perry is of Portuguese heritage. His family originally came from Pico Island, Azores.
*When Steve was ten years old, he heard Sam Cooke's song "Cupid" on his mother's car radio. This inspired Perry to become a singer.
*On his twelfth birthday (January 22, 1961) Mary presented her son with a gold eighth note necklace, which he still wears for good luck.
* In his mid-twenties, Steve fronted for the band Alien Project.
*He nearly gave up music when the bassist of his first band Alien Project, Richard Michaels, was killed in a tragic automobile accident.
* Journey was formed by two ex-members of Santana, Greg Rollie ("Black Magic Woman") and Neal Schon.
* After hearing Perry's Alien Project song, "If You Need Me, Call Me," Walter "Herbie" Herbert, manager of the struggling San Francisco-based band, Journey, decided Perry would be a great replacement for Journey's current frontman, Robert Fleischman, who had never really integrated well with the band's then progressive rock style.
* Perry was brought on tour and to avoid alarming Fleischman was introduced clandestinely as roadie John Villanueva's Portuguese cousin and surreptitiously performed a song with Journey during a sound check in Long Beach while Fleischman was away from the stage and Herbert informed the band of the line-up change.
* Tired of being considered a "kid", shortly after joining Journey, Steve grew a moustache to reshape his image. Steve soon changed it back when he decided that he still wanted to have the "kid" image.
* Perry has sang backup vocals on several Sammy Hagar songs, including the 1980 track "Run For Your Life," and duetting with Kenny Loggins on the 1982 #17 hit single "Don't Fight It." Perry also worked with other musicians such as Sheena Easton, Clannad and Jon Bon Jovi.
* The song's "Oh Sherrie" and "Foolish Heart" were written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford.
* After The Sopranos finale, which used "Don't Stop Believing" to close out, Perry argued that he deserved to find out how the show ended in order to know if his song had been used properly. Perry said he didn't wish the song to play over a slaughter of one or several of the main characters. The shows producers initially would not tell Perry the ending, but relented when it became clear to them that he would not give his approval without first seeing how the song was to be used.
[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 05-16-2009).]
Freddy is #1, no argument, for second place I favour Roy Orbison, great range and an early entrant into the rock scene who had a big influence on later singers. Who do you pick for #1 female? I'm going with Dusty Springfield.
I present to you the greatest rock and roll artist ever: Jimi Hendrix
-Jimi was left handed, and he would restring right handed guitars instead of playing left handed ones.
-Hendrix was a devout Bob Dylan fan. He covered Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," which Dylan actually admitted is superior to the original.
-Hendrix got in trouble with the law once for riding in a stolen vehicle. He got the choice of two years in prison, or joining the army. He chose the army, for which he was out in the 101st Airborne Division.
-Jimi's childhood nickname was Buster.
-Jimi never had guitar lessons or learned how to read guitar chords.
-Jimi first tried marijuana when he was 15.
-Jimi Hendrix died by choking on his own vomit.
-Backed Little Richard and The Isley Brothers before being "discovered" by Chas Chandler of The Animals in 1966.
-Name was legally changed from "Johnny Allen Hendrix" to "James Marshall Hendrix" on September 11, 1946. He was 3 years old at the time.
-As an Army paratrooper, Hendrix followed up a jump by trying to recreate the sound of the air rushing by, with his guitar and amplifier, back at the barracks.
-His father was African-American and his mother was of Cherokee, Aztec and Irish heritage.
-Was said to put LSD litmus ("blotter acid") under his bandana while he was playing on stage.
-The footage of him playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in the film Woodstock (1970) is one of the most studied pieces of musical film ever.
-Fathered a daughter - this is never mentioned. She was introduced during one of the tributes to him
-Played in the Ike Turner Review under the name Jimmy James.
The soul of Rock and Roll, Jimi Hendrix
[This message has been edited by DCRFiero1 (edited 05-16-2009).]
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10:57 PM
May 17th, 2009
Boondawg Member
Posts: 38235 From: Displaced Alaskan Registered: Jun 2003
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 – August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician, among the most famous of Delta blues musicians. His landmark recordings from 1936–1937 display a remarkable combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given rise to much legend.
Considered by some to be the "Grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll", his vocal phrasing, original songs, and guitar style have influenced a broad range of musicians, including Muddy Waters, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton, who called Johnson "the most important blues singer that ever lived".
He was also ranked fifth in Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
He is an inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The following musicians have been heavily influenced by him, as evidenced by recording several of his songs:
Eric Clapton (Love In Vain, Hell Hound On My Trail, 32-20 Blues, Steady Rollin' Man, If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day, Come On In My Kitchen, Kind Hearted Woman Blues, Milkcow's Calf Blues, Stop Breakin' Down Blues, Last Fair Deal Gone Down, Traveling Riverside Blues, Me And The Devil Blues, They're Red Hot, Little Queen Of Spades, When You Got A Good Friend, Walkin' Blues, Malted Milk, Sweet Home Chicago, From Four Until Late, Ramblin' On My Mind, Stones in My Passway, Terraplane Blues)
The Rolling Stones (Love in Vain, Stop Breaking Down)
Bob Dylan (Kindhearted Woman Blues, Milk Cow's Calf Blues, Rambling On My Mind, I'm A Steady Rolling Man)
Fleetwood Mac (Hell Hound On My Trail, Kind Hearted Woman, Preachin' Blues, Dust My Broom, Sweet Home Chicago)
Peter Green Splinter Group (all 29 songs)
Keb' Mo (Come On In My Kitchen, Last Fair Deal Gone Down, Kindhearted Woman Blues, Love In Vain)
John Hammond Jr. (32-20 Blues, Milkcow's Calf Blues, Traveling Riverside Blues, Stones In My Passway, Crossroads Blues, Hellbound Blues , Me And The Devil Blues, Walking Blues, Come On In My Kitchen, Preaching Blues, Sweet Home Chicago, When You Got A Good Friend, Judgement Day, Rambling Blues)
Robert Junior Lockwood (32-20 Blues, Stop Breakin' Down Blues, Little Queen Of Spades, I Believe I'll Dust My Broom, Ramblin' On My Mind, Love In Vain Blues, Kind Hearted Woman Blues, Walking Blues, I'm A Steady Rollin' Man, Sweet Home Chicago)
Led Zeppelin (Travelling Riverside Blues)
The White Stripes (Stop Breaking Down)
Red Hot Chili Peppers (They're Red Hot)
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07:52 AM
PFF
System Bot
May 18th, 2009
Boondawg Member
Posts: 38235 From: Displaced Alaskan Registered: Jun 2003
Few artists have created a body of work as rich and varied as Prince. During the '80s, he emerged as one of the most singular talents of the rock & roll era, capable of seamlessly tying together pop, funk, folk, and rock. Not only did he release a series of groundbreaking albums; he toured frequently, produced albums and wrote songs for many other artists, and recorded hundreds of songs that still lie unreleased in his vaults. With each album he released, Prince has shown remarkable stylistic growth and musical diversity, constantly experimenting with different sounds, textures, and genres. Occasionally, his music can be maddeningly inconsistent because of this eclecticism, but his experiments frequently succeed; no other contemporary artist can blend so many diverse styles into a cohesive whole.
Prince opened his own nightclub and Jazz Cuisine at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas in November 2006.
Prince's half-sister, Lorna Nelson, accused him of stealing her lyrics and using them in U got the look. Prince won a court battle against her.
Prince's music video Te Amo Corazon was shot in Marrakesh and directed by Salma Hayek.
His father, John L. Nelson was born on June 29, 1916 and died on August 25, 2001. His sister, Tika Evene, was born in 1960.
Prince's video for the song Cinnamon Girl caused quite a stir even before its release, as it follows the hardships of a teen Arab-American girl after the 9th of September.
In November 2006, Prince was told by his doctors that he would need a hip replacement due to years of energetic dancing on stage.
Prince writes, produces and composes all his music by himself. On most albums, he also plays all the instruments, except for the brass instruments.
Prince refused to let 'Weird Al' Yankovic make a parody any of his songs. At some point, 'Weird Al' Yankovic obtained video parody permission, and the video for UHF in 1989 included a sequence that spoofs the bathtub scene in Prince's video of When Doves Cry.
His father is jazz pianist John L. Nelson.
Prince had performed at the Super Bowl XLI halftime show in Miami, Florida, on February 4, 2007 to a worldwide television audience of 140 million viewers.
Prince had written a song for his friend the actress Jackie Swanson that was entitled "Palomino Pleasure Ride."
He has sold over 80 million albums worldwide.
Prince has won a total of 6 Grammys.
Prince gave Carmen Electra her stage name.
Prince's 2006 tour was the highest grossing music tour of 2006, having taken in a total of $87.4 million.
Prince won an Academy Awards for Best Original Score in 1985, for the score to the movie Purple Rain.
Prince played a invitation only, private event at 'Club Rio' November 1, 2006 in Las Vegas--marking the start of his taking up residence at the hotel as a permanent performer.
Prince is a workaholic, having released over a thousand songs both under his name, and other artists as well. He also has composed and recorded many more that have been unreleased as of yet.
Prince has a reputation for being difficult to work with and very protective of his music.
Prince was set to record a duet with Michael Jackson on his Bad album, but the two of them couldn't decide on the words, so he left the project.
Prince retired his hit song "1999" after he played it live one last time at a New Year's Eve party in 1999.
Prince provided the soundtrack for the Spike Lee movie Girl 6 in 1996, under the name 'Prince'. The only time that he used his name, not his symbol from 1993 through 2000.
Prince, engaged in a battle of power with his record company, Warner Bros, changed his name to a symbol: o(+> in June of 1993.
Prince dropped the symbol that he was using as his name in May of 2000, when he came to an agreement with Warner Bros Records.
Prince was engaged in a battle with Warner Bros Records over artistic and financial control of his output in 1994. During their war, he appeared in public with the word 'Slave' drawn on his cheek.
Prince married his former Paisley Park employee Manuela Testolini in Hawaii in a Jehovah's Witness ceremony on December 31, 2001. The couple filed for a divorce in early 2006.
Prince recorded the soundtrack for the movie Batman in 1989. The album brought him to the top of the United States album charts at #1, with the single "Batdance" reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Prince's 2006 tour made him the most lucrative live performer of the year. His 69 city, 96 show tour took $87.4 million (£45.5 million), beating Céline Dion's Las Vegas residency, which came in second, taking $80.4 million (£41.8 million).
Prince wrote the lyrics to the song "Manic Monday" that was released by The Bangles, under the pseudonym "Christopher". The song went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Prince's album Purple Rain ranks in the top 100 of Rolling Stone's '500 Greatest Albums of All Time' list, released in December 2003.
Prince held the spot of #1 film, #1 single, and #1 album for Purple Rain, at the same time.
Prince's album Purple Rain sold over 13 million copies in the United States and spent 24 weeks at the top of the Billboard 200. The film grossed over $80 million in the United States alone.
Prince has recorded with: Gwen Stefani, Chuck D, Angie Stone, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Miles Davis, and Ani DiFranco.
Prince was the opening act for The Rolling Stones in 1981. He was on stage for two Los Angeles Coliseum shows where he was pelted with garbage and booed off of the stage for wearing his underwear and a trenchcoat while performing.
Prince is known for his colorful clothes, small body frame, provocative dance moves, and high heeled boots.
Prince's first album for Warner Bros was For You, released in 1978. He wrote the entire album except for one song, "Soft and Wet". That was co-written by C. Moon.
Prince signed with Warner Brothers Records in 1976 after a bidding war for his deal, they were the only label to offer him creative control over his songs, so he accepted their contract.
Prince has written songs for: Tevin Campbell, Morris Day, Sinead O'Conner, Chaka Kahn, and Jordan Knight.
Prince writes, produces, composes, and performs all of his own music.
Prince was voted the 28th 'Greatest Rock & Roll Artist of All Time' by Rolling Stone magazine in 2005.
Prince was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in March of 2004.
Prince dated: Sherilyn Finn, Apollonia Six, Kim Bassinger, and Sheena Easton.
Prince discovered: Vanity, Apollonia Six, and Carmen Elektra and signed them to his label.
Prince had a son with Mayte Garcia that was born on October 16, 1996 with Pfeiffers Syndrome, a rare skull disease. He was unable to breath without a ventilator. The ventilator was turned off on October 23, his son died later that day.
Prince's father bought him his first guitar at age ten. His first band was in junior high, called Grand Central.
Prince’s website was shut down due to a lawsuit filed on July 3 2006. The UK book company HM Publishing Holdings launched the lawsuit.
He is a Jehovah's Witness.
Sometimes also credited as: Prince, Camille, Alexander Nevermind, Paisley Park, Artist Formerly Known as Prince, Prince & The Revolution, Jamie Starr.
[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 05-18-2009).]
Patterned after hard rock power trios, such as Cream, Grand Funk Railroad, with Terry Knight's marketing savvy, developed their own populist style.
In 1970 they sold more albums than any other American band and had become a major concert attraction. The first record in 1969 was On Time, which eventually went gold in 1970, that same year they earned their second gold record award for their second album Grand Funk, (aka the Red Album) and a rare hit single also followed in 1970, "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" from the album Closer to Home, which was stylistically close to the old Terry Knight and the Pack. A year later, in 1971, they broke the attendance record set by The Beatles at Shea Stadium, selling out in just 72 hours.
Despite critical pans and lack of radio airplay, the group's first six albums (5 original material, one live album), released from 1969 to 1971, were quite successful.
In 1972 Grand Funk Railroad added a fourth band member, keyboardist Craig Frost.
The band had attempted to bring Peter Frampton, late of Humble Pie into the band, but he wasn't available, due to a just-signed solo-record deal, so they asked Craig Frost, whom they knew from their time in The Pack (1968).
The band hired musician Todd Rundgren as a producer to refine their sound. Two successful albums and two #1 hit singles resulted: the Don Brewer penned, "We're an American Band" (from We're An American Band) and "The Loco-Motion" (from Shinin' On, written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin for Little Eva). The album We're an American Band topped out at #2 on the charts, while the "We're An American Band" single was Grand Funk's first #1 hit, released in the summer of 1973. "The Loco-Motion" would be Grand Funk's second chart topping single, in 1974.
Grand Funk Railroad disbanded in 1977.
In 1996, the three original members of Grand Funk Railroad reunited once more, playing to 250,000 people in 14 shows during a three month period.
In 1999, after three years of touring, Farner left the band, acrimoniously, to continue his solo career. Farner had originally agreed to reunite for one year, but had stayed on because of the success of the original trio's comeback, yet old issues had re-emerged, necessitating his leaving once again. Brewer and Schacher would decide to continue on without Farner, and recruit new members.
In 2000, Brewer and Schacher decided to recruit lead vocalist Max Carl (of 38 Special), former Kiss lead guitarist Bruce Kulick, and keyboardist Tim Cashion, and continue as Grand Funk Railroad. The band has toured steadily since then. Mark Farner also tours with his band NRG, and has continued to release recordings under his own name.
[This message has been edited by WingNut - MD (edited 05-19-2009).]
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10:29 PM
Boondawg Member
Posts: 38235 From: Displaced Alaskan Registered: Jun 2003
Highly underrated in the USA back in the day, the enoromously talented performer Willy DeVille is just about as original as it gets. He recently canceled a tour because of illness.
quote
Willy DeVille (born August 25, 1950) is an American singer and songwriter. First with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1985) and later on his own, DeVille in his 35-year career has created songs that are wholly original yet rooted in traditional American musical styles. DeVille has worked with collaborators from across the spectrum of American music, including Jack Nitzsche, Doc Pomus, Dr. John, Mark Knopfler, Allen Toussaint, Eddie Bo, Brenda Lee, Los Camperos de Nati Cano, and David Hidalgo. The typical DeVille song—if any of his songs can be called "typical"—is filled with romantic conviction and yearning. Latin rhythms, blues riffs, doo-wop, Cajun music, strains of French cabaret, and echoes of early-1960s uptown soul can be heard in DeVille's work.
Mink DeVille was a house band at CBGB, the historic New York nightclub where punk rock was born in in the mid-1970s. DeVille helped redefine the Brill Building sound, and after his move to New Orleans in 1988, helped spark the roots revival of classic New Orleans R&B. His soulful lyrics and explorations in Latin rhythms and sounds have helped define a new musical style sometimes called "Spanish-Americana."[1] Jack Nitzsche said that DeVille was the best singer he had ever worked with.[2] He is a star in Europe but unheralded in his native United States.
Critic Robert Palmer wrote about him in 1980, "Mr. DeVille is a magnetic performer, but his macho stage presence camouflages an acute musical intelligence; his songs and arrangements are rich in ethnic rhythms and blues echoes, the most disparate stylistic references, yet they flow seamlessly and hang together solidly. He embodies (New York's) tangle of cultural contradictions while making music that's both idiomatic, in the broadest sense, and utterly original."[3]
Doc Pomus, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member with whom he penned several songs, wrote about him, "DeVille knows the truth of a city street and the courage in a ghetto love song. And the harsh reality in his voice and phrasing is yesterday, today, and tomorrow—timeless in the same way that loneliness, no money, and troubles find each other and never quit for a minute."[4]
Critic Mark Keresman wrote about Willy DeVille, "In some respects, DeVille is the rock & roll counterpart to Sinatra—both can rock, both stared down personal demons, both are capable of rousing memories sweet and sad, and both can navigate the mean streets with panache before winding up on Lonely Avenue at daybreak."[5]
Another one of my favorite rockers: Stevie Ray Vaughan
-Classic Rock Magazine ranked him #3 in their list of the 100 Wildest Guitar Heroes in 2007.
-Rolling Stone magazine ranked Stevie Ray Vaughan #7 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time
-Born in Dallas, TX (My hometown!)
-Almost had a street named after him in Dallas, TX (Industral Blvd.)
-Stevie was playing in rock bands by age 12.
-In 1991, Texas governor Ann Richards proclaimed October 3, Vaughan's birthday, to be "Stevie Ray Vaughan Day."
-In 1992, the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation released the Stevie Ray Vaughan Signature Stratocaster, which Vaughan had helped design.
-Stephen King's short story "You Know They Got a Hell of a Band" concerns a small town called Rock and Roll Heaven that's populated by late rock musicians, one of whom is Vaughan.
-The last guitar that Vaughan played before his death is on display in the Hard Rock Cafe in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
-He did not have any children.
-Vaughan's blues style was strongly influenced by many blues guitarists. Foremost among them were Albert King, who dubbed himself Stevie's "godfather," Otis Rush, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and Jimi Hendrix.
-Musicians such as John Mayer, Robert Randolph, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Colin James, Johnny Lang, Los Lonely Boys, Mike McCready, Eric Johnson, John Petrucci, and Doyle Bramhall II have cited Vaughan as an influence.
Here is another one: Buddy Guy (Can you see a pattern in my posts?)
-Born in Lettsworth, Louisiana,
-Guy is known for his showmanship, playing his guitar with drumsticks, or strolling into the audience while jamming and trailing a long guitar cord.
-Jimi Hendrix himself once said that “Heaven is lying at Buddy Guy’s feet while listening to him play guitar.”[
-Known as an inspiration to Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and many other guitarists,
-He was ranked thirtieth in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[
-His music can vary from the most traditional, deepest blues to a creative, unpredictable and radical gumbo of the blues, avant rock, soul and free jazz that morphs at each night’s performance.
-One technique Hendrix may have learned from Guy was playing the guitar with only the fretting hand: Hammering on and pulling off the strings to sound them, without plucking the strings with his picking hand at all. Guy would often do something entirely different with his right hand, like swigging from a can of beer, while his left hand did all the work.
-Guy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 14, 2005 by Eric Clapton and B.B. King.
-Jimi Hendrix got two other tricks from Buddy, playing with his teeth and playing it over his head.
-In 2008, Buddy Guy was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame while performing at Texas Club, Baton Rouge, LA.
-He is the father of female rapper Shawnna
-Guy’s songs have been covered by Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayall, Jack Bruce, and others.
-Guy’s guitar playing was loud and aggressive; used pioneering distortion and feedback techniques; employed longer solos; had shifts of volume and texture; and was driven by emotion and impulse.
\m/ )
