Rob Bernard (front and center): guitar, vocals Ron Byrd (left): guitar, vocals Tim Kinard (right): bass, vocals Keith Langford (not pictured): drums, percussion Chris Deaner (in back): drums, percussion Hometown: Austin, TX The original version of this post appeared on Star Maker Machine . However, writing that post got me thinking that Prescott deserved a more expansive overview. So, here we are. While you may not have heard of them, Prescott Curlywolf was a beacon of real-deal rock 'n' roll righteousness in an era ... [...]
Shot at Storyville nightclub in New Orleans in the mid-'80s, here are three titans of rock 'n' roll piano throwing down for one very lucky crowd. Yes, that's Ronnie Wood in the band, playing guitar, and the ubiquitous Paul Shaffer is on hand as well, apparently in the role of head cheerleader. Hey, not bad work if you can get it! This was originally available on the long out-of-print video, Super Sessions Live: Fats Domino & Friends , but has since been retitled and repackaged in convenient DVD format. From Fats [...]
It's been a few weeks since the last installment of the Clarence White Chronicles, so here's a capsule review of events from the summer of 1968: The Byrds played South Africa in July without Gram Parsons , who decided that shooting smack with Keith Richards was better than playing segregated Johannesburg, so he essentially fired himself. While GP's political motives were undoubtedly more expedient than heartfelt, to his credit he flew the coop on a tour that was, by all accounts, "Custer-esque." Back on home turf ... and without the [...]
Greetings once again from The Adios Lounge! For those of you wondering where I was, well, occasionally one has to take a mental vacation for some rest, relaxation, and rechargification. It was nice to play in the sand, but the Lounge is a stern mistress, so here we are. When we last commiserated, I was bemoaning the loss of longtime Motown Records songwriter and producer, Norman Whitfield ( pictured left ), who died last month. My original plan was to pay homage to his legendary [...]
Man, the hits just keep on coming. Caught this headline on Yahoo about 15 minutes ago and had to do a double-take: Hall of Fame drummer Earl Palmer dead at 84 Not much to add right now, but I'd like to declare a six-month moratorium on anymore of my musical heroes dying. Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. Oh well. Rest in peace, Brother Earl. As it happens, I did a fairly extensive profile on Earl Palmer in July. Check it out, yo.
I've been taking a short respite from the Lounge, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity to post. A few days ago, in the wake of Hurricane Ike, a friend sent me an email saying that guitar playing phenom and Texas/Gulf Coast music encyclopedia, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown , was discovered missing. What makes this story disconcerting is that Gate's been dead for three years. Apparently, Ike flooded the cemetery where Brown was interred ... Hollywood Cemetery in Orange, Texas ... and his casket floated away. This was after Hurricane Katrina forced Gate, then [...]
Sad news at The Adios Lounge. On August 31, we found out that the man born Jerry Reed Hubbard, known professionally as Jerry Reed , and known casually as the Alabama Wild Man (from his 1968 LP), the Georgia Wild Man (he was born and raised in Georgia), The Guitar Man (the name of his first hit, later a hit for Elvis, and the instrument upon which he dazzled), and of course, as Cledus "Snowman" Snow (after his star turn in Smokey And The Bandit ) had passed on to the great pickup [...]
"To have been a Renaissance Hillbilly in Hollywood in the 1960s would have been great for me. I could have hung out with Leo Fender, Buck Owens and Don Rich, Moon (Ralph Mooney), Merle and Roy Nichols. Gone to check out Wynn Stewart recording at Capitol or witnessed Johnny Cash, Joe Maphis, and Merle Travis terrorizing Tex Ritter. Cruised up Lankershim Boulevard to the Palomino with Nudie (Cohn) to catch James Burton burning it up with Ricky Nelson while anticipating the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, or Lester (Flatt) and Earl (Scruggs) bringing some bluegrass to the West. [...]
While researching The Byrds circa 1967, I was surprised to find out that they played at Monterey Pop ... or as its known officially, The Monterey International Pop Music Festival . The reason I didn't know about The Byrds' performance is because they were excluded from D.A. Pennebaker's concert film, no doubt due to David Crosby's tiresome, cocaine-fueled jackassery , which ruined what might have been a decent set. I'll have more about Crosby's me-first antics in the next installment of the Clarence White Chronicles ... coming soon, by the way ... but viewing Monterey [...]
1917–2008 The Adios Lounge would be remiss if we didn't acknowledge the passing of Jerry Wexler, who died Friday at the age of 91. I've often said that if I could live anyone else's life in history, I'd live Jerry Wexler's. He coined the phrase "rhythm and blues" while writing for Billboard, and when he was at Atlantic, he not only helped create rock 'n' roll, but later proved crucial in popularizing soul music. He worked with Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin at their peak, worked with Dusty Springfield and Wilson Pickett at [...]
Apologies for not getting this post out sooner. I came down with a Category 4 head cold and was unable to communicate in English for about a week. Anyway, today's post is Part 3 in the Clarence White Chronicles, so if you'd like to read Part 1 and/or Part 2 , please click the links. Obviously, you can also check the archives or methodically scroll down the page, your call. Anyway, I apologize for the truancy, but I'm back, baby! So let's get to it. "HOLY MACKEREL! CAN [...]
"Now, your mama she done told you, Papa told you, too, Them boys with guitars, Can't take care of you, They only run and they're reckless, They live the way they want to." --Glossary, "Almsgiver" I'm taking a very brief respite from the Clarence White Chronicles to talk about a band that you can actually see live in the here and now. I know, I know, The Adios Lounge teeters on the edge of recklessness with these new bands and their modern music. But, if you're like me, you prefer your modern bands to [...]
1965 had to be bittersweet for Clarence White ( pictured far right ) and The Kentucky Colonels. In February of that year, fiddler Scotty Stoneman ( pictured far left ) joined the band for a half-year stint, transforming the Colonels into perhaps the greatest bluegrass group of all-time. If Clarence and Scotty weren't the Bird and Diz of bluegrass ... which is what I contend ... they were at least its Moon and Entwhistle . Unfortunately, the downside to that musical brilliance were diminishing paying gigs. By 1965, bands like The Beatles, Stones, [...]
OK, so my original plan was to focus solely on Clarence White's electric guitar work and I've already backtracked on that commitment. However, it's a brief switchback and for what I think is a pretty good reason. As astonishing as White's electric playing is, it's also important to understand where he was coming from. So, I want to look at a few of CW's highlights with The Kentucky Colonels , to make plain why he was so highly regarded in the world of bluegrass, and to set the table for his early sessions in the world [...]
35 years ago today, the great guitar player, Clarence White, was killed by a drunk driver as he and his brother, Roland, were loading out after a gig. Clarence has been one of my favorite musicians for as long as I can remember, so I've decided to pay homage to him in a fun (and hopefully unique) way. Beginning with my next post, I'm gonna take a year-by-year look at CW's electric guitar legacy. Though he revolutionized bluegrass guitar playing with The Kentucky Colonels , my favorite stuff has generally featured him on electric. [...]
My previous post on Sam Cooke featured a brief aside about drummer Earl Palmer. At the time, I wasn't sure if Palmer manned the kit for "Bring It On Home To Me" ... I since found out it was actually Frank Capp ... but in researching the "did he or didn't he" factotum, I found myself listening to a decent sampling of Palmer's recorded work. Which brings us to today's discussion. Too often, "greatest ever" musician discussions become a roll call of showoffs and shredders. You know who I'm talking about. The [...]
Sam Cooke is my favorite singer and has been since I was 13-14 years old. While most of my friends were obsessing over U2 and Depeche Mode concert tickets, I was obsessing over Sam Cooke records. While time has mostly vindicated me, even I have to laugh that while I liked The Joshua Tree well enough, given my druthers I would've rather listened to Sam sing, "They Call The Wind Maria." Yeah, I was a blast at keggers. The one song that stood up and harpooned me in [...]
"There's a ringing in my ears that's heaven sent, There's a beast out on the ruins, Some broken down lover's lament, It goes on and on, but it won't go away." Yesterday's post may have featured Soul Asylum , Slobberbone , and a discussion of the greatest rock 'n' roll songs of all-time, but one song was conspicuous in its absence. Dan Murphy of Soul Asylum wrote "Cartoon" for their 1988 Hang Time album and it's unquestionably one of the most sweeping anthems of its era. [...]
We begin this edition of Six Degrees in Miami Beach. Not the actual Miami Beach, mind you, but the Miami Beach of Neil Young's fevered imagination. In 1973, Neil was one year removed from the career-defining behemoth that was Harvest and its feel-good granola anthem, "Heart Of Gold." Problem was, Neil wasn't in a particularly "feel good" frame of mind and sure as hell didn't want his career defined by granola anthems. Reeling with guilt from the November 1972 heroin overdose of his guitarist and friend, Danny Whitten , Neil embarked on [...]
Congratulations to Stephen Heiden of Houston, Texas, for winning the "Medleying With Bo" contest. To review, I created a medley of 30 songs featuring the Bo Diddley Beat and assorted Bo covers. I asked y'all to send in submissions naming both artist and song, with a half-point for each correct answer. At stake was a zip file containing all 12 discs of The Chess Years box set and Mr. Heiden won with an impressive 18 point total. Thanks to everybody for their entries and, as promised, here's a link to the medley and the [...]
The Adios Lounge
Princesse - Tell Me | MP3
Beck - 'I Just Started Hating Some People Today' [Listen]
[LISTEN] Gotye (Passion Pit Remix)
New Remix: Jonquil - Run (RxGibbs Remix)
