Dream a Little Dream…

Today in rock history (7-29-08), Mama Cass Elliot died in 1974 from a heart attack. Her only solo hit was the song, “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” which received backing by the rest of The Mamas and The Papas. The song, and its parent album, were released to fulfil contractual obligations in 1968. It was the last hit recording by the band, making it to number 12. A popular legend about Elliot is that her vocal range was improved by three notes after she was hit on the head by some copper tubing shortly before joining the group, while they were in the Virgin Islands. Elliot herself confirmed the story; in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine in 1968 she said,
" It’s true, I did get hit on the head by a pipe that fell down and my range was increased by three notes. They were tearing this club apart in the islands, revamping it, putting in a dance floor. Workmen dropped a thin metal plumbing pipe and it hit me on the head and knocked me to the ground. I had a concussion and went to the hospital. I had a bad headache for about two weeks and all of a sudden I was singing higher. It’s true. Honest to God.” However, according to people who knew her well, this was not true - Elliot always had a standout singing voice. Her friends said that the pipe story was used as a more politically-correct explanation for why John had kept her out of the group for so long, because the real reason she was not accepted sooner was that John considered her to be too fat. After her death, an urban legend arose that Elliot died choking on a ham sandwich. Speaking to the press shortly after her body was discovered, the police noted that a partly eaten sandwich had been found in her room and speculated that she may have choked while eating it. When the coroner's autopsy was performed, no food was found in her trachea and the cause of death was determined to have been heart failure and that she had died in her sleep. But by then, the specious story was already making the rounds and the real cause of death was rarely discussed. Elliot died in the same flat, No.12 at 9 Curzon Place, Mayfair that The Who drummer Keith Moon would die in, a little over four years later. Ooh – déjà vu! I’ll bet that that flat goes for a pretty penny (or shilling, as the case may be) today, just for the morbid curiosity value! Here is Mama Cass singing her swan song. This is a rather swarmy live version from the Smothers Brothers Show in 1968. Truly icky! Thanks, as always, to HYPERLINK "http://www.garylessard.com" www.garylessard.com and HYPERLINK "http://www.wikipedia.org" www.wikipedia.org for the info, and keep on rockin’, carefully, and don’t sing with your mouth full!

Rockin’ Roadhouse Blues!

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, I’m a big fan of Dave Lambert, who hosts the Roadhouse Jam at Renegade’s on Wednesday nights. Getting to know Dave a little bit, it seems like he is the consummate jammer – he’ll jam with anyone, anytime! Here he is sittin’ in with a guitar player known as Pistol Pete live from Bozley's Blues Jam on 6-1-08 doing a song called "The Highway is Like a Woman" – get ready for some searing, smokin’ blues! Keep on rockin’, and we’ll see you at Renegade’s next Wednesday!

Live from the Slide On Inn...

Just came back from the annual family reunion. This year's episode was held at my cousin's in Kansas City. My brothers and I started a tradition 3 or 4 years ago of having a big jam session while we're together - this is one of the few times we do get together every year. And we do get better every year...we managed to rehearse a bit and crank out 13 or 14 tunes and didn't sound too bad. I am ably assisted by brothers Mike on guitar and vocals (he just got himself a Martin, so I'm jealous)and Jack on guitar and bass. We were joined by my son Cody on drums, and Orion (my niece's husband) on guitar and vocals, so it's really a multi-generational affair. This year I debuted a couple of songs I wrote on the assembled family members - a captive audience, it's true. Here is a snippet of a song I wrote called the "Talkin' Bob Dylan Blues," and I dedicate this one to Mr. Whoamus, who is (and if you read his blog "Who Am Us Anyway?", you know) a big fan. Of Dylan, that is, not necessarily of my song stylings! Until next time, keep on rockin'!

I’m a Seeker and a Knower in a Six-Man Band…

… No, what you really are is…dead…Today in rock history, “Windy” by The Association hit number 1 in the U.S. at the beginning of the Summer of Love in 1967. It stayed there for 4 weeks, making it their biggest hit. The song was written by a friend of the band, while still in her teens, and was included as one of the 22 songs on a demo tape she submitted to producer Bones Howe. Ruthann Friedman also got to contribute some vocals to the successful track in an all night recording session. But tragedy struck on August 2, 1972, when Brian Cole, one of the founding members of the band, was found dead in his Los Angeles home of an overdose of heroin. Geez – what happened to him? Wasn’t the Association that squeaky-clean bunch who appeared in three-piece suits as the lead-off band at Monterey Pop? Kind of like a button-down version of the Beach Boys…Currently, the band includes Russ Giguere, Larry Ramos, Jim Yester, Del Ramos, Bruce Pictor, and most interestingly, Jordan Cole (son of Brian) on keyboards who joined in 1999. The Association still tours, playing up to 70 dates a year, mostly on bills with other similar styled acts of that era, like the Grass Roots, the Buckinghams, Tommy James, Gary Puckett, etc. In 2003, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Here they are with a live version of the tune from 1967 (no lip-syncing here!). Thanks to www.garylessard.com and www.wikipedia.org for the info, and keep on rockin’!

Ride the Tiger

On this date in rock history, Jefferson Starship released their second album after changing their name from Jefferson Airplane. Red Octopus and the “Miracles” single taken from the LP were both smash hits in 1975. The album would hit number 1 in the U.S. 2½ months later, while “Miracles” peaked at number 3 in the middle of October that year. “Play On Love” and “Tumblin'” were also standout tracks from the best-selling album. I remember seeing the Starship in the Spring of 1975 at the University of Iowa. One of their standout tunes from that concert (I believe it was their opening song) was “Ride the Tiger,” and the lyric “Look to the Summer of ‘75/all the world is gonna come alive” sticks in my mind. Thinking about this now, 33 years later, it seems so fitting that they would be singing that back then. First of all, it rhymes – they’d have to come up with something like “Look to the Summer of ‘08/the whole world is what we create” to have a similar vibe, and it’s just not the same. Also, for me, it was a time of optimism – middle of the decade, I wasn’t quite 24 years old, summer’s almost here, it was a time to “come alive.” So let’s relive this tune and see if we can muster up some enthusiasm – c’mon people, it’s the Summer of ’08! Thanks as always to www.garylessard.com and www.wikipedia.org for the info, and keep on rockin’!

We Were The World...

While not happening on this specific day in rock history, this is a serious blast from the past. You know it but you obviously haven't thought about it in a long time. Remember the superstar track, "We Are the World", which raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia? The performers read like a who’s who of mid-eighties pop culture: Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Kim Carnes, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Sheila E, Bob Geldof, Daryl Hall, James Ingram, Jackie Jackson, LaToya Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Michael Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Al Jarreau, Waylon Jennings (wait a minute – Waylon Jennings was there? Ya gotta be kidding me!), Billy Joel, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis, Kenny Loggins, Bette Midler, Willie Nelson, John Oates, Jeffrey Osborne, Steve Perry, The Pointer Sisters, Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder. The year was 1985, and the song reached #1 on the Billboard chart on April 17th. The song was also Billboard’s #1 song of 1985, which meant it was the fastest-selling single of that year. There are some good stories behind the recording... like all the artists arrived in limos, except the Boss, who showed up behind the wheel of a pickup. The song has been parodied in the Simpsons (duh) and also Saturday Night Live. Flashback to the '80s for real! Our local radio station broadcast a dumbed-down version of the song where an announcer would dub in the name of the singer or singers doing a solo verse. As if we couldn’t recognize distinctive voices like those of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, or Cyndi Lauper! It may interest you to know that John Denver, who had been actively campaigning against world hunger in the 1980s, had offered to participate in the recording, but was turned down. Speaking of ol’ Waylon, he wasn’t there for long - he left the recording session due to a dispute over the lyrics. The dispute started when Stevie Wonder announced that he would like to substitute a line in Swahili. After a few rehearsals, a full-fledged creative conflict broke out. Geldof pointed out that Ethiopians do not speak Swahili. Michael Jackson then proposed to keep his original line "Sha-lim sha-lingay" but after a few rehearsals, it too ran into opposition, because it does not have a meaning. Eventually Al Jarreau cried, "We can make a meaning" and came up with "One World, our word" which was changed one last time in "One world, our children." Alright already – we get it! So here it is one more time, the “We Are The World” video. Feel free to remember it any way you want to! Thanks to www.wikipedia.org and http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/?aid=35309 for the info, and keep on rockin’ – in a socially responsible way, of course!

Still The One...

My wife and I just rode another MS 150 this past weekend, our third. This is a 150 mile bike ride from Duluth to the Twin Cities to raise money for multiple sclerosis. We never cease to be amazed at the folks who just keep on riding and volunteering for this great cause year after year. The MS Society does an excellent job of supporting this group of riders (3200 strong this year) with well-staffed rest stops, support vehicles, overnight accomodations, and entertainment for the weary riders. I was trying to think of a musical theme for this weekend, and I happened to hear the old Orleans tune "Still The One" blasting from one of the team tents at the camp ground in Hinckley Saturday night. You know, that sums up the committment that so many people give to this weekend - year after year, they're still the ones out there riding and volunteering to raise money for this worthy cause. So here's to you, the riders, the volunteers, the corporate sponsors...year after year, you're still the ones that care so much and give so much. Keep on believing that we can find a cure, and we'll be right there riding along with you. Thanks for a wonderful time, and we'll see you next year!