We Ain't Fakin'...

...whole lotta shakin'goin' on ...Today in rock history, in 1957, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" enters the Top Forty, remaining there for 20 weeks. The song gets a boost when Jerry Lee Lewis performs it on The Steve Allen Show on July 28. It peaks at #3 and tops the country and R&B charts. Probably 'nuff said about ol' Jerry Lee and his various scandals, so let's just focus on the music. Here's that original performance from 1957, and a funky cover of this tune, done by George Clinton in 2001. Check 'em out, and keep on rockin'!

Gonna Get By...

... with a little help from my friends. Today in rock history, in 1940, Ringo Starr was born Richard Starkey in Liverpool, England. To build on what Mr. Whoamus stated in a recent blog entry, probably the smartest thing Ringo ever did was develop the concept of the All-Starr Band, where he gives "B List" rock stars (and I mean the term in the kindest way) a chance to play their big hits in an all-star variety format. Mr.Whoamus and I and our spouses took in an All-Starr show at the MN State Fair way back in '01, and I agree that it was probably the finest rock show I've ever seen; that tour featured Greg Lake, Sheila E., Roger Hodgson, Ian Hunter, Howard Jones and Mark Rivera. This year, the 11th tour features Edgar Winter, Gary Wright, Richard Page, Wally Palmar, Rick Derringer and Gregg Bissonette. I'm glad to see that Ringo is still going strong at 70. Let's check out the current tour with this clip of a collage of the hits. Thanks to http://rockhall.com/story-of-rock/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringo_Starr, and http://www.ringostarr.com/home.php for the info, and keep on rockin'!

Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay!

Today in rock history, Chuck Berry hits #2 on the R&B chart and #29 on the pop chart with the Chess single "Roll Over Beethoven." Little Richard hits #2 on the R&B chart and #33 (6/30) on the pop chart with "Slippin' and Slidin' (Peepin' and Hidin')" and #1 on the R&B chart and #17 (8/04) on the pop chart with "Rip It Up". Both singles are released on Specialty Records. This, then, is a red-letter day for fans of ‘50’s rock; these songs have been covered countless times by everybody from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Meat Loaf and Otis Redding, as well as just about every high school ‘50’s band (mine included). In 2004, "Roll Over Beethoven" was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. Here are a couple of the more (shall we say) unkown cover versions of these songs. Thanks to http://rockhall.com/story-of-rock/today-in-rock/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll_Over_Beethoven for the info, and keep on rockin’!

I Drink Alone...

... with nobody else...if you come to see Aces Wild Rockin' Blues Revue at the Ugly Mug tomorrow night, you can hear us play a killer version of this tune, as well as 29 other rockin' blues tunes! Hope to see you there, and keep on rockin', in a bluesy kind of way!

Summer of Love

Today in rock history, in 1967, the Monterey Pop Festival begins in California. 50,000 see first major US appearances of the Who, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, and the introduction of Otis Redding, Ravi Shankar and Hugh Masakela to rock audiences --plus Byrds, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and more. Ah yes, the "Summer of Love;" where were you in the summer of '67? I was a soon-to-be driving 16-year-old, just itchin' for the chance to hot rod around town in my parents' yellow '67 Mustang; that would come later, in August. In the meantime, we had all this groovy music a happenin' out in Monterey; obviously I didn't make the scene (I could barely get from the farm into "town," much less get out to California), but let's enjoy Eric Burdon and the Animals' documentation of the event, and keep on rockin'!

This F***ing Job

Speaking of employment, this one is dedicated to Mr. Who - hope it works out, and hope you still have one... keep on rockin' in any case!

It's Just a Kiss away...

Today in rock history, in 1941, Charlie Watts was born Charles Robert Watts in London, England. As well as being my namesake, Charlie is one of my favorite rock drummers, which is odd, since he really doesn't consider himself a rock drummer; his tastes have always run to jazz and R&B. No matter where his interests lie, he has always been an integral part of the Rolling Stones; guitarist Keith Richards went so far as to say in a 2005 Guitar Player magazine interview that the Rolling Stones would not be, or could not continue as, the Rolling Stones without Watts. An example of Watts's importance was demonstrated in 1993, after Bill Wyman had left the band. After auditioning several bassists, Jagger and Richards asked Watts to choose the new bass player; he selected the respected session musician Darryl Jones, who had previously been a sideman for both Miles Davis and Sting. Lately, "Watts At Scott's" was recorded with his group, The Charlie Watts Tentet, at the famous jazz club in London, Ronnie Scott's. In April 2009 he started to do concerts with "The ABC&D of Boogie Woogie" together with pianists Axel Zwingenberger and Ben Waters plus his childhood friend Dave Green on bass. Charlie has always been, to my mind, a minimalist, less-is-more kind of drummer, illustrated here by his use of the "traditional grip," his hi-hat work, and in his approach to "Gimme Shelter." Glad to see ol' Charlie is still doin' it at age 69! Thanks to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Watts for the info, and keep on rockin'!