Mostly Music Covers

Country Covers of Classic Country Songs (Part 1)
Can’t think of a better place to start than with the amazing Chris Stapleton who is a throwback to the great voices of Country music. Here he takes a classic by one of the celebrated singer songwriters of Country Music, ironically though he didn’t write this one…but what a fantastic song. And no, far as I know they aren't related.
“Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton, written by Linda Hargrove and Dean Dillon.

“Tennessee Whiskey” by David Allen Coe, the original.

Some songs are just destined to be hits but there are few that have done that with three different artists. First was the original, Dec. 24, 1988 by Keith Whitley, #1 on US Hot Country Songs (Billboard).Next Alison Krauss hit #3 in 1995 and then Ronan Keating in 1999 where it hit #1 in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand. Personally I came to this song through Alison Krauss, how about you?

“When You Say Nothing at All” (1988) by Keith Whitley, written by Paul Overstreet and …

Bruce Springsteen Part 2

I’m not the first nor last to state that the legacy of Springsteen’s music is a gift for not only the present listeners to enjoy but the distant future ones as well. I talk about this all the time, history shows we consistently don't fully appreciate many a talented artist during their lifetime, someone will be recording and no doubt blogging about his music in 3018. While we don't have to pass the hat, I just don't think he gets the credit he deserves. Sounds silly perhaps as he has had amazing success and a remarkable career thus far, but you may be surprised to know he has never had a number one hit single on the Billboard charts. Not that Billboard is the benchmark for greatness but it does reflect popularity, even if just briefly. His highest charting song was “Dancing In The Dark” which peaked at #2 on June 30, 1984. He has had a total of 26 songs chart and 12 hit the top 10. I draw a comparison to Chuck Berry, with one exception he didn’t c…

Delta Blues Musicians (Part 1)
Where to start on this topic is difficult, but it seems to me the geography is perhaps best. What we now know as the Delta Blues came from (not surprisingly) the Mississippi Delta. This is a region of the United States that stretches from north to south between Memphis, Tennessee, and Vicksburg, Mississippi, and from east to west between the Yazoo River and the Mississippi River. The river being the blood that feeds the land which at one time was not only the heart of slave country but the farms, plantations and agriculture that brought them there to begin with.
Born of hardship, the life of a slave, subject to discrimination, indentured servitude, sharecropping, and mostly just being very poor the Delta Blues has travelled a long long way.
That travel came typically in the form of the Great Migration, identified as beginning around 1916 and lasting through to nearly 1970. Blacks from the south (not just the Delta) travelled north by the millions for hig…

Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born September 23, 1949 in New Jersey, USA. Now 69 years old. Inspired by Elvis Presley, Bruce bought his first guitar for $18 when he was 13 years old. These days I expect that’s a bit late to be taking up an instrument that will carry you to the pinnacle of Rock and Roll stardom, but a lot of hard work and practice got him his first record deal with Columbia in 1972. Now a multi-instrumentalist playing piano, electric piano, pump organ, autoharp, ukulele, banjo, electric guitar, and stomping board, as well as acoustic guitar and harmonica the man provides a live performance like no other as I can attest through personal experience. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, he is a Kennedy Center Honouree and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, has a Tony Award, an Academy Award, 20 Grammy Awards and his own Broadway Play. Yet he remains I think a humble man. Not a one blog pony this guy so I will move c…

Chuck Berry

Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017)

Just ahead of the birth date of Chuck Berry I thought it time to blog about him. While there are many artists that shaped the Rock and Roll landscape, other than Elvis one of the biggest, and most enduring was Chuck Berry. While he would later cover many songs, in many ways Berry was a true original. Not to say he did not rest on the shoulders of many of the greats before him and copy a tune or three, but few people capitalized on this new music like Chuck Berry. At least 60 of his songs have been covered and many by the best pop music has ever seen such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, Buddy Holly, Eric Clapton, Elvis and list goes on and on. While being 'out of fashion' soon after his initial success and not producing any popular new music, he still managed to influence a generation or two at least. I’ve referenced him a few times because of his musical reach and impact.

Having said …

Carole King

Carole King (born Carol Joan Klein, February 9, 1942) in Manhattan is now 76 years old. At the age of four her mother (a piano player) and father noticed she had absolute pitch. What was known to me and others I'd imagine as 'perfect pitch' it means among other things that little Carol could name any note she heard, her formal music lessons began shortly thereafter. Her genius had her accelerated through school and she attended Queens College at The University of New York at age 17. She had changed her name in High School, a common practice among Jewish people to try to avoid Antisemitism .
Also at age 17 Carole met Gerry Goffin, got pregnant and then married. Initially after quitting college to raise their daughter Louise they worked day jobs and started writing songs at night, Gerry wrote lyrics, Carole the music. The two of them would form one of the most formidable writing duos of the 1960’s and part of the legend of the Brill Building in New York City.

The…