Much has been written about Clapton, easy enough to find in a quick Google search.  His catalog of work is simply amazing, and I marvel at all the changes he’s endured.  The man is still going strong at 70, even though there’s been talk of his retirement.

You can find information on his forthcoming new release album on the official website www.ericclapton.com.  Reprise Records will release Forever Man on April 28th in multiple configurations….a three CD set, a two CD set, a vinyl double LP set, and digital formats as well.  Forever Man will feature 51 tracks spanning three decades of Clapton’s solo career…it’s a new compilation of studio and live tracks, plus a bonus disc with a blues theme (of course!)

Eric Clapton’s fan site Where’s Eric? at whereseric.com has all the latest tour dates, with details about the upcoming shows scheduled at Madison Square Garden on May 1st and 2nd, which are the only North American dates in 2015.

Eric Clapton on Facebook facebook.com/ericclapton

Related articles across the web

• Eric Clapton Plans 70th Birthday With Two Madison Square Garden Gigs
• Eric Clapton – Blues Hall of Fame 2015 Inductee

Not only is the Wrecking Crew story itself part of rock n’ roll history , but the years long process it took to get the film financed and produced is fascinating.

pledgemusic.com has a great write up….
They were Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. They also played so many of the hits you know and love from the ’50s and the ’60s, from artists like the Beach Boys, The Monkees, Cher, The Carpenters, Sam Cooke and many, many more. The Wrecking Crew was their name, and their story has yet to be told. Until now. With a documentary, a soundtrack and a book, The Wrecking Crew will finally receive the acclaim they deserve, even if, as executive producer Danny Tedesco says, they felt just fine with their place away from the spotlight.

The Wrecking Crew movie was released on Friday March 13th on the following media:

iTunes: bit.ly/TWCiTunes

On Demand: bit.ly/WreckCrewOnDem

The Soundtrack will be available in various bundles…pledgemusic.com has all the details.

The Book is called Sound Explosion and they’re advertising it as a really cool coffee table book that’s 12×12 just like a vinyl LP.  Sounds like a collector’s item to me!

Denny Tedesco talks about how he put the project together….

Official Website: magpictures.com/thewreckingcrew

Related articles across the web

• ‘The Wrecking Crew’ Celebrates One of the Music Industry’s Best Kept Secrets (Review)
• Film Review: ‘The Wrecking Crew’

It’s a great mix of old and new, in the way these oh so familiar songs are redone and the way each song is interpreted by the artist, each in turn taking their salute to one of the most successful songwriters of the twentieth century.

It’s no wonder it took ten years for music producer Ralph Sall to complete this project.  Forty-two songs selected from the fifty-year legacy of McCartney’s career with The Beatles, Wings and his solo career, many of which were recorded with Paul’s backing back of the past ten years…guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray; keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens and drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr.

I would have never imagined Alice Cooper doing Eleanor Rigby, but I love his take on it.  The real pleasure of this double album is finding those rare gems that surprise and delight you, like hearing Willie Nelson’s cover of Yesterday…I like the way he makes it his own.  Not an easy task considering it’s one of the most covered songs in pop music history.

And then some of these songs just seem to match the artist, like Roger Daltrey belting out Helter Skelter, or Paul Rodger’s soulful Let Me Roll It.  Paul McCartney’s son James also makes a guest appearance with The Cure performing a rollicking Hello Goodbye.

The Art of McCartney is available in a variety of formats…34 track CD, vinyl and digital (you get mp3 copies included with your CD purchase), 42 track deluxe set with hardbound book & DVD documentary about the making of the album, and a limited edition deluxe box set (limited to 1,000 copies) with a USB drive designed like a Hofner bass, DVD & audio documentary, an illustrated guide, art cards, CDs, vinyl and certificate of authenticity.

All in all The Art of McCartney is a wonderful celebration, as so many voices urge us to Listen To What The Man Said.

Website: theartofmccartney.com

YouTube Channel: youtube.com/user/theartofmccartney

His many other projects include collaborations with Gary Moore, Robin Trower, John Mcaughlin, Leslie West, Tony Williams, Corky Laing, Carla Bley, and Ringo Starr’s All Star Band, as well as his own big blues band.  Jack Bruce also worked as a session man with Lou Reed on Berlin and Frank Zappa, with whom he co-wrote Apostrophe.

Jack’s released thirty solo albums, including live festival sets and video…his latest release is entitled Silver Rails and features Phil Manzanera and Robin Trower on guitars.

His website jackbruce.com lists very touching tributes to Jack Bruce the man, husband, musician, songwriter and friend.

More comments and info on his Facebook page Facebook.com/JackBruceMusic

Clapton shares his thoughts in the Uncut interview about how life on the road has become unbearable, his latest album (a tribute to J.J. Cale,) and the prospect of retirement.  Thanks to Uncut Magazine and interviewer Graeme Thomson for the insights into one of our favorite guitarists.

Related articles across the web

• Eric Clapton Hints at Retirement, Says Touring is ‘Unbearable’
• Eric Clapton and Friends Honor JJ Cale With New Tribute LP
• Clapton, Petty, Willie & More Honor Cale With Tribute Album

On the album Me And Mr. Johnson, Eric Clapton pays tribute to Robert Johnson, reknown as the most mythic figure of the blues era, and covers 14 of the 29 songs Johnson wrote and recorded in his 27-year lifetime.

One hundred years ago, a boy-child was born in Mississippi – a dirt-poor, African-American who would grow up, learn to sing and play the blues, and eventually achieve worldwide renown.

In the decades after his death, he has become known as the King of the Delta Blues Singers, his music expanding in influence to the point that rock stars of the greatest magnitude – the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers – all sing his praise and have recorded his songs.

That boy-child was Robert Johnson, an itinerant blues singer and guitarist who lived from 1911 to 1938. He recorded 29 songs between 1936 and ‘37 for the American Record Corporation, which released eleven 78rpm records on their Vocalion label during Johnson¹s lifetime, and one after his death.

Most of these tunes have attained canonical status, and are now considered enduring anthems of the genre: “Cross Road Blues,” “Love In Vain,” “Hellhound On My Trail,” “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom,” “Walking Blues,” & “Sweet Home Chicago.”

Source:  robertjohnsonbluesfoundation.org

Related articles across the web

• The Crossroads of Eric Clapton
• Robert Johnson: rare new photograph

Eric Clapton gathered a group of like-minded friends and musicians to honor J.J.’s legacy, a year after his passing.  With performances by Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Tom Petty, Derek Trucks, Willie Nelson and Don White. J.J. Cale is one of the single most important figures in rock history, a sentiment echoed by many of his fellow musicians.  Eric Clapton has often stated that Cale’s influence on him and many of today’s artists cannot be underrated.  (read more) The Breeze                  (Tribute to J.J. Cale)   by Eric Clapton & Friends

Shop:  Eric Clapton & Friends  ~  The Breeze  (An Appreciation of J.J. Cale)

Related articles across the web

• Eric Clapton and Friends Honor JJ Cale With New Tribute LP
• Clapton, Petty, Willie & More Honor Cale With Tribute Album
• Hear Eric Clapton Cover JJ Cale’s ‘Cajun Moon’ – Premiere

Croz by David Crosby

David Crosby just turned 73.  This guy has led an amazing life, what a survivor.  Kinda reminds me of the Grateful Dead’s lyric…”what a long strange trip it’s been.”

Rolling Stone posted a great article about Crosby…David Crosby: The Golden Years of Rocks Unlikeliest Survivor.

The official website for David Crosby has information about the summer/fall CSN tour with Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.

David Crosby’s latest album…Croz…is his first studio album in over twenty years, featuring eleven new recordings, with guest appearances from Leland Sklar, Mark Knopfler, Steve Tavaglione and Wynton Marsalis…on Blue Castle records.

Related articles across the web

• Crosby Stills Nash and Faux Young Perform Iggy Azalea For Jimmy Fallon
• David Crosby Showcases Croz In Concert SETLIST
• David Crosby Returns From 20-Year Hiatus With ‘Croz’ – Album Premiere
• Classic Rock Almanac August 14, 2014
• David Crosby: Croz – review

My favorite of Gilmour’s solo albums is his first self-titled release from 1978.  Listen to “There’s No Way Out of Here…” the sustain is amazing…he can squeeze so much emotion out of just one note.

Happy Birthday to guitarist David Gilmour, who is 68 today…

Solo Albums:
David Gilmour (self-titled, released in 1978)
About Face (1984, several songs co-written with Pete Townshend)
On an Island (2006, “Castellorizon” won a Grammy for best rock instrumental)
Live in Gdansk (2008, the last recording featuring keyboardist Richard Wright before his death)

davidgilmour.com

pinkfloyd.com

After a little research I found some awesome websites like thebeatlesgear.com that features guitars like the group used…here’s a little snippet of their fab gear…

John Lennon’s 1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri guitar was extensively modified from the original model, and featured a black finish (to match the group’s black suits from that early period) and a Vintage Bigsby vibrato.

George Harrison’s 1963 Gretsch Country Gentleman guitar, a model of which was endorsed by Chet Atkins whom Harrison admired.

Paul McCartney’s 1962/63 Hofner 500/1 left-handed bass guitar that he used throughout the sixties during The Beatles performances, and still plays it today!

The Beatles used Vox amps for their February 1964 appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show and their first U.S. concert at the Washington Colisseum.  These were the first 100 and 50 watt heads produced by Jennings Musical Industries in late 1963, and featured a 2×15″ enclosure on the AC-100 bass head, and two 12″ Celestion G12 Alnico speakers and a Goodmans Midax horn on the AC-50 guitar amps.  Previously most British groups were using the Vox AC-30 watt amp, but it wasn’t enough volume to keep up with the screaming fans!

As for drums I found two sources, the official Ludwig Drum Company and another labor-of-love site ringosbeatlekits.com

Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drumkit featured a 14”X22” Bass Drum, 16”X16” Floor Tom, 9”X13” Ride Tom and a 5”X14” Snare Drum, with 3-ply Maple/Poplar shells in a Black Oyster Pearl finish.  Ludwig revamped it and offered the “Liverpool 4″ drumkit during their 100th Anniversary.

The cymbals Ringo used are a bit of a controversy, but Gary Astridge at ringosbeatlekits.com hits the stick on the head with his quote…

By far, the most popular question is wanting to know details on the hi hat cymbals Ringo used early on to get his unique wash sound.  Jeff Chonis, Ringo’s drum technician for 25 years has the answer.  “Ringo said that he used the same 14-inch Zildjian A hi hats on all Beatle recordings.”

There’s more 50th Beatles anniversary fab gear celebration at Facebook.com/TheBeatlesGear

CBSnews.com posted a great article, and I like what Anthony Mason writes here…

When The Beatles burst on the scene 50 years ago, many of our greatest young rock musicians-to-be were listening, and with songs such as “All My Loving,” they inspired performers who entertain to this day.

When the Fab Four were first beamed out over the airwaves, it wasn’t just that America discovered The Beatles, but that a whole new generation of musicians discovered themselves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ll never forget seeing The Beatles for the first time on Ed Sullivan’s “really big” show, and how much of an impact it was at the time.  As a teenager searching for myself, I found music was a creative outlet that I could really plug into.  And when I saw them standing there on stage, well that was it!   I would be a drummer, on tour with my rock ‘n roll band, playing a set of Ludwig drums, just like Ringo.

What’s funny is I still play alot like him, but I digress…the point is, an entire new generation of musicians were born out of that supernova explosion of British Invasion groups like The Beatles and The Dave Clark Five.  I identified with their records, and became one of them, and I know countless other musicians who say the same thing…their world changed after hearing John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, with Beatle songs like “I Saw Her Standing There” and “All I’ve Got To Do!”

David Crosby talks about going out to buy a guitar just like George Harrison had, a Gibson Tennessean.  Yeah, they had fab gear, man…Gibson guitars, Paul’s Hofner bass, and Ringo’s beautiful pearl Ludwig drumkit.

The Beatles first Ed Sullivan Show, at the CBS Theatre in New York was seen by 70 million viewers, but the group also taped another 3 songs before their live performance, to be aired weeks later.  By the third consecutive Sullivan show, over 75 million people had witnessed “Beatlemania,” including me and all my friends.

It’s a big club, and I’m proud to say I’m a member who remembers the time when there was magic in the airwaves.  And it sparked generations of new music, the sounds of which are still reverberating today.

The Beatles 50th Anniversary will be celebrated on CBS TV this Sunday night…there’s more at newyork.cbslocal.com

p.s.  The U.S. Albums CD collection has just been released by Capitol Records, the record label that initially passed on The Beatles in ’63, but gave into increasing public pressure by signing the group and releasing their debut LP in 1964.  The whole idea behind the U.S. Albums set is the big difference in early albums, between the States and the British releases.

The Americana Music Association presented a pre-Grammy all star tribute show and salute to the Everly Brothers, remembering Phil Everly, who passed away on January 3rd, 2014.    thebluegrasssituation.com posted a great article with photos!

The 56th Annual Grammy Awards show took place last Sunday, with special performances from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as a 50th anniversary celebration of the appearance of The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, who was nationally televised on the NBC TV network fifty years ago  in 1963.

ultimateclassicrock.com posted a short clip of Ringo and his All-Starr Band performing “Photograph” at the Grammys.  Paul and Ringo then teamed up with McCartney’s touring band to do a brand new song.  Hopefully I’ll find a video of it to post soon.

americanamusic.org

grammy.com

americanamusic.org

I did setup a Twenty Fourteen Child Theme so I could make modifications. The only change I made so far is to the footer file so I could add my copyright.

The main idea is that I want my site to be flexible enough to change easily and being able to switch to the default theme at any time pretty much assures me I have everything set to make easy changes.

This was the easiest change I have seen when it comes to using the theme that ships with WordPress. The only real change I needed was to go into the Menu option and save the location of the menu. Previously that was a little more work and required rebuilding the menu.

Host Daryl Hall said the idea of “playing with my friends and putting it up on the Internet,” started as a free monthly web show in late 2007.

Influential blogger Bob Lefsetz has described Live From Daryl’s House as a perfect example of a veteran artist reinventing himself in the digital age by collaborating with both established colleagues and newer performers.

The program is now being broadcast on two great music channels, VH1 and Palladia TV.

livefromdarylshouse.com

palladia.tv

…from their 1974 self-titled debut album, to Clockwork Angels in 2012…

…after performances spanning the world, from the band’s 2112 tour in 1976, to their current Clockwork Angels tour…

…Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson finally get the recognition they deserve!

It was such a pleasure to see Rush finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year, although I just saw the show on HBO, which included performances by Gary Clark Jr., Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters, Heart, and John Mayer.

Show highlights include Dave Grohl’s impassioned induction speech for the 3-piece band from Canada, along with a scorching cover of “Born Under A Bad Sign” performed by Gary Clark Jr. with his band, and John Mayer.   Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters performed the 2112 Overture, in a rockin’ tribute to Rush.

Geddy Lee acknowledged the band’s legendary fans, who pushed for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for years.

Rush performed “Tom Sawyer” and “The Spirit of Radio” after their induction speech, followed by a grand finale performance of “Crossroads,” in a tribute to the late Albert King.

Felder continues his country-rock style on “Road to Forever” in “Life’s Lullaby” and “Fall From Grace,” and he’s been touring in support of the new album.

Felder, 65,  sought meditation and wrote down his life-in-the-fast-lane recollections that morphed into an autobiography, “Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001).”

Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001)

Showtime recently broadcast an in-depth documentary by Alison Ellwood, “The History of The Eagles,” with the next showing on Sunday September 8th at 1:30 pm ET/PT.

More info at donfelder.com

And here is one of my favorites performed live on Midnight Special, now that’s a flashback!

The official event website sums it up this way…
The audience can expect unrivaled entertainment, brilliant guitar work, surprise guests and impromptu jams…featuring two nights of musical performances with once-in-a-lifetime guitar collaborations.  Source:  crossroadsguitarfestival.com

Here’s an prime example…Keith Urban and John Mayer performing “Don’t Let Me Down”

Eric Clapton online ericclapton.com

Crossroads Guitar Festival on Facebook facebook.com/CrossroadsGuitarFest

I found a great article on Willie in a most unlikely place…forbes.com

Willie just released a new album ‘Let’s Face The Music and Dance.’

Willie’s 4th of July Picnic @ Billy Bob’s in Fort Worth Texas/ticket info:  http://bit.ly/YpmMQw

Willie Nelson online:  willienelson.com

Wille on Facebook

Willie on the air: SiriusXM channel 56, Willie’s Roadhouse

It’s sweet because Bob played so many different styles of music as a blues guitarist, so his music is a wonderful mix of global styles and textures that have been touched by cultures from all over the world.

In fact Brozman has jammed and recorded about half of his amazing discography with various musicians from about sixty different countries.  He was a highly regarded player, educator, performer, and Ethnomusicologist.

What’s bitter about my discovery is that Bob Brozman just recently passed away, leaving behind a legacy of a lifelong musical journey, a timeline with countless appearances, concerts, shows, travels, and workshops, along with dozens of CDs, instructional DVDs, and books.

PRI’s The World posted a great article about Bob Brozman at theworld.org/2013/04/bob-brozman.

I’ve never heard “Crossroads” done quite like this before, but here’s Bob Brozman performing “Crossroads Blues” live in Brisbane in 2002.

His website describes him as ‘traveling the world of music…’

Bob Brozman is a guitarist like no other: an established and prolific recording artist, performer, producer, and author, Bob is a non-stop world traveler and tireless researcher in ethnomusicology. His work with musicians from around the world in the past several years has marked him as not only a virtuoso musician and slide guitarist, but also as a pioneer in finding a common thread among global musical cultures.  Source: bobbrozman.com

Here’s the most recent video I could find, an interview and workshop with Bob Brozman, published on Feb. 16, 2013…it’s a fascinating look into the heart and soul of this amazing musician who loved to share his music with the entire world, and did it with a sense of humor, a sharp wit, and lots of style.

Richards was instrumental in the success of a number of Motown artists, most notably The Jackson Five with their hit “I Want You Back” and Diana Ross & The Supremes “Love Child.”

ElmoreMagazine is a great resource of American music; the website says it’s for true music aficionados who see music as the sound track of their lives and identify with the creative people who are saving American music as our cultural calling card to the world.

My wife added “Searching For Sasquatch” and “Tornado Chasing” to her bucket list.

And just as the family says, I think like a database, so the first thing that comes to mind is I need a database of Sasquatch sightings and cross query them against a database of Tornados. See where I am going with this? Now to think like a guy and try and kill two birds with one stone, I would think that I could get a location to jump out of that data set fairly easy.

Now, getting that data could be the fun part. And away we go…

This year is definetly going to be different than any I have experienced.

After jumping into playing music last year, live music now takes a lot of my spare time. I know it is driving my wife crazy because she was used to me having nothing to do in my non work time and now I am constantly on the go.

I need to work on balancing time more than I ever have before.

Ok, time to go practice my music!

If you send an email and you put all the recipients in the TO: field you expose all the emails addresses to everyone on the list. Although you hopefully do not have any clients that would use this information maliciously it is also considered bad etiquette, and Netiquette (Internet etiquette)

The easy solution is to put an address in the TO: field that you own, and then BCC (Blind CC) the rest of the recipients therefore keeping the email addresses hidden from each other.

Last year I posted that I was going to start playing the guitar. I never thought I would play so much, have so much fun, and get paid for it.

It was an awesome year for me and I want to thank my brother Mike Withrow. We started playing as a duo under the name Withrow Cooley in June and had a blast all year long. Looking forward to a full year in 2012 of playing and having fun!