The post was co-authored by Cameron Chapman and Alec Feld.
Twitter: @cameron_chapman
Blog: Cameronchapman.com
Twitter: @alecfeld
Blog: http://alecfeld.com

Reading the comments after their post is also very enlightening because almost every visitor had an additional musician or favorite artist to add to the list.

Here’s a few of our favorite artists, bands and musicians that we just discovered on Twitter recently:

Jon Anderson
http://twitter.com/TheJonAnderson
Bio: The Official Twitter of Jon Anderson Online
Web: http://www.jonanderson.com

Big Brother & The Holding Company
http://twitter.com/bbhc
Bio: Big Brother and the Holding Company ~ Official Twitter site for the band.
Web: http://bbhc.com/

Bob Dylan
http://twitter.com/bobdylan
Bio: The Official Bob Dylan Twitter Page
Web: www.bobdylan.com

John Mayer
http://twitter.com/johncmayer
Bio: Recording/Sandwich Artist
Web: www.johnmayer.com/battlestudies

Kenny Loggins
http://twitter.com/kennyloggins
Bio: Singer-songwriter and guitarist. With a few friends tweeting the latest.
Web: www.kennyloggins.com

Rick Derringer
http://twitter.com/rickderringer
Web: www.rickderringer.com

Steve Lukather
http://twitter.com/stevelukather
Bio: Guitarist, vocalist, composer, producer
Web: www.stevelukather.net

Follow MusicRamble on Twitter at http://twitter.com/musicramble

Please comment if your favorite artist, band or musician isn’t on our list and we will add them. Chances are there’s plenty I just haven’t discovered yet!

Brian Jones was pulled out of his swimming pool in July 1969, but medical help arrived too late to save him. The coroner labeled it “Death by misadventure” and noted his liver and heart were heavily enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse.

In just a month before his death, Brian’s departure from the band he helped form, was announced. The Rolling Stones staged a free concert in London’s Hyde Park as a tribute to Brian, just a week after his untimely death. It was also the Stones first performance with new guitarist Mick Taylor.

Brian Jones’s contributions in the recording studio were more as a multi-instrumentalist than as a guitarist, playing recorder, kazoo, accordion, sitar, marimbas, theremin and mellotron. His most notable work is on these albums:
Aftermath (1966)
Between the Buttons (1967)
Their Satanic Majesties Request (1967)

Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Jones

brianjonesfanclub.com

Ringo will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year, according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The news is posted on his official website ringostarr.com

USAtoday.com has a great Starr tribute story written by Dennis Diken.

So Happy Birthday Ringo! Thanks for holding down the backbeat on the soundtrack of so many lives, influenced by the music of The Beatles. You made it look so easy, with just a little help from your friends.

beatles.com

youtube.com/user/thebeatlesofficial

The Associated Press has a great article about the Walkman’s 30th anniversary.

Sony has posted some interesting company history on it’s Walkman.

The album features 19 tracks digitally remastered by Giles Martin at EMI’s Abbey Road Studios. The most familiar tracks include “My Sweet Lord,” “Isn’t It A Pity,” “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth),” and “Got My Mind Set On You.”

Let It Roll also features three live recordings of Beatle songs written by Harrison and recorded live during his Concert For Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden in 1971; “Here Comes The Sun,” “Something,” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”

The digital version of the album, exclusively being offered by iTunes, includes a bonus track, which is an early demo of “Isn’t It A Pity.”

OK that’s the only track I’ve not heard before, but it’s all great material. After all, we’re talking about the former Beatle that was the deep thinker and philosopher of the group, as well as a very successful solo artist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, as a solo artist and as a member of The Beatles. Eleven Grammy Awards for his recordings with The Beatles, The Traveling Wilburys, and as a solo artist. Last April George Harrison was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

Video e-Card: Let It Roll

Audio:
“Got My Mind Set On You” ~ WindowsMedia ~ QuickTime

“My Sweet Lord” ~ WindowsMedia ~ QuickTime

georgeharrison.com

The Traffic songs “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” “Glad” and “Pearly Queen” were sheer delight. Winwood’s vocals are just as warm as ever.

The big surprise of the night came when Steve Winwood let loose with a haunting rendition of “Georgia On My Mind,” stirring up soulful memories of Ray Charles. An acoustic set fit in nicely afterwards, giving the band a short rest, while Steve and Eric pulled up chairs and six-string acoustic guitars to pick and pluck their way down memory lane.

The touring band with Clapton and Winwood were superb! Chris Stainton on keyboards, Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums, Willie Weeks on bass, with Sharon White and Michelle John on backup vocals.

The stage setup was sparse, but more than ample to pull off two-and-a-half hours of musical bliss for an almost sold-out crowd at the huge American Airlines Center in Dallas. The large, multi-screen video display behind the stage presented larger-than-life close ups of Steve and Eric, including hand movements, which thrilled all the musicians watching the show. I always love to watch the masters at work!

And this show was definitely a masterful performance by two of rock’s biggest living legends. Thankfully it wasn’t a hit parade of their biggest sellers, but a thoughtfully crafted tribute to some of classic rock’s most meaningful songs. These lyrical legends were demonstrated during “Presence of The Lord,” “Well Alright,” a crowd-pleasing acoustic version of “Layla,” and a stirring version of “Voodoo Chile.”

A big Thank You goes to the guy who offered me his spare tickets for less than face value. This show was definitely worth it! I just had to marvel at the very diverse age groups that made up the audience. It reminded me of a Paul McCartney concert, where you might see two or three generations of fans, both old and new.

More info on this tour can be found on whereseric.com/

DVD: Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live From Madison Square Garden

The recently released concert DVD was filmed and recorded during a sold-out-three-night-stand at Madison Square Garden in February 2008. The shows made history, as Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood performed together for the first time since their partnership with Blind Faith in 1969. The 2 DVD Set features exclusive documentary, interviews, rare video footage, and photographs of Blind Faith, Cream and Traffic. The bonus track is an acoustic soundcheck of the Robert Johnson standard “Rambling On My Mind.”

Sky Saxon, the founder and lead singer of the sixties band The Seeds, also passed away on Thursday. The Seeds had one of the first hit records of the sixties psychedelic period in 1967 with “Pushin’ Too Hard.”

This YouTube video is a good one. Note the teardrop bass guitar he’s playing. Some say this song set the stage for garage bands, some say it was the precursor of punk; for me it was the first taste of psychedelia that etched it’s way into the summer of 1967.

We didn’t hear much about Sky’s death because of the mega headlines on Michael Jackson. Did you notice how Farrah Fawcett barely got on the front page, while The King of Pop grabbed all the major attention?

I got the news about Farrah on the radio, Michael on all the TV networks, but I learned about Sky Saxon from my friends on Facebook. One of those friends commented about the fact that we now know plenty about heart attacks, but little about the anal cancer that claimed the life of Farrah Fawcett.

Wouldn’t we like to know more about this rare disease? At least Farrah Fawcett had the moxie to make her own video documentary about her life and loss. I saw it last spring and there’s nothing like hearing the details of someone’s fatal illness to make me feel fortunate in my own life.

But no one really likes to talk about a pain in the ass. LOL!!

www.skysaxon.com

Just two days ago, Ed McMahon had also lost his battle with cancer, as did Farrah Fawcett, but a heart attack had claimed the life of Michael Jackson. Such a shame too, since he was getting ready to launch a world tour to get his career back on track, and put his bizarre past behind him.

Before I got the news, I had stopped at a gas station, and as I was filling up my tank, a car at another pump was blasting the Jackson 5. When I got home, almost every news station was broadcasting a story about Michael Jackson. Local radio stations were getting tons of fans calling in, giving a community voice to the grief that people were feeling.

As I’m posting this, CNN is reporting live from a candlelight vigil for Michael Jackson and getting comments from the many fans who have gathered together to bond in their grief, but more in their love for the “King of Pop.”

It’s the same feeling of fans coming together in loving adoration that I felt when Elvis, John Lennon and George Harrison passed away. A huge outpouring of emotion from around the world, in shared moments of tears in candlelight or their music blasting from car speakers.

Michael Jackson is one of the very few artists who have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, plus he has collected a amazing number of awards including 13 Grammy Awards. He has also had 13 Number One hit singles during his solo career, with sales of over 750 million albums worldwide.

His death also raises a question in classic rock circles. Now who gets control of that large share of Beatle songs that Jackson bought? Paul McCartney had tried to get back those copyrights years ago, but Jackson still had the money and the business smarts to purchase such a fantastic piece of rock and roll history.

We’ve always wondered how the surviving Beatles could have lost the rights to their own songs, but that’s just one of the strange twists in the world of rock and roll. So beat it.

michaeljackson.com

Gutarist Peter Green was also in the Bluesbreakers; he had replaced Eric Clapton, who left with Jack Bruce to form Cream. Then Peter Green left in 1967 with Mick Fleetwood and another Bluesbreaker John McVie to create Fleetwood Mac.

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and the Yardbirds both went through an incredible lineup of stellar blues musicians like Clapton, Beck and Page, and both bands have released over fifty albums in their lifetime.

mickfleetwood.com

fleetwoodmac.com

One of my favorite musicians and songwriters, Todd has also produced records for Cheap Trick, Hall and Oates, Meat Loaf, the Runaways and XTC.

Rundgren also joined the New Cars, replacing Ric Ocasek, recording an album and touring with the band.

One of the great things that I love about Todd Rundgren is his ability to play any style of music, with any group of musicians, or simply record an album entirely by himself, such as his latest CD.

Todd’s latest album is Arena, a guitar-driven collection of songs that rock like a stadium concert. Plus the entire album was recorded in Reason, a computer-based recording program.

Todd has always been the “mad scientist of the studio,” exciting his fans with the latest cutting edge technology for recording, and on stage during his dynamic performances.

Todd Rundgren’s official website www.tr-i.com has more information on his amazing career.

Happy Birthday Todd, you’re a wizard, a true star who created his own musical utopia. Please don’t ever stop!

McCartney is not showing any signs of slowing down because of age, that’s for sure. Just look at his tour itinerary.
July 11 at Halifax Commons, Nova Scotia
July 17, 18, 19 at New York’s Citi Field (the new home of the Mets)
August 1st at FedEx Field (the home of the Washington Redskins)

Plus Macca contributed an inspired performance at Coachella this past spring. Sir Paul and Ringo Starr recently made an appearance at the E3 video game expo in Los Angeles, along with Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison to unveil the new Beatles video game. The Beatles: Rock Band will be released in September.

paulmccartney.com

beatles.com

Malcolm Mayhew posted a great review of the show in the local newspaper, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he said “The veteran rock and soul singer’s set was often physically and emotionally moving. Joe Cocker performed some of his most enduring hits over the course of the evening.

Amazing fact: Joe Cocker is a real sixties survivor. Remember his stirring performance at the Woodstock Music Festival? That forty year anniversary is coming up in August. I recall his first album with the track “She Came In Through the Bathroom Window,” one of my favorites. I was wowed by the soulful way he belted out Beatles tunes like that and “With A Little Help From My Friends.”

Joe Cocker, who is now 65, is promoting his latest album, a collection of songs by hit artists like The Beatles and Bob Dylan. The album, Hymn For My Soul, is getting great reviews since it came out last month. No wonder, considering the stellar cast of fellow performers on the new album; drummers Jim Keltner and James Gadson, Benmont Tench and Dave Palmer on keyboards, Bob Babbitt on bass, Mike Finnigan on Hammond organ, and on backing vocals Merry Clayton, who was once one of Ray Charles’s Raelettes. She also sang on the Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.”

Read amazon.com’s product description and you’ll see what I mean: Nearly four decades after he thrilled the throngs at Woodstock, Joe Cocker remains one of rock’s pre-eminent survivors, recording and touring prolifically and maintaining a loyal worldwide fan base.

On Hymn For My Soul “The Sheffield Soul Shouter” delivers a stellar album that includes songs by Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, the Meters, John Fogerty, Percy Mayfield and more. The album was produced by Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Ray LaMontagne), the son of Glyn Johns, who was the engineer on many of Cocker’s early albums.

Fantasy has the exclusive U.S. release of this album, which contains the bonus track “Come Together,” from the Across The Universe soundtrack.

Source: http://astore.amazon.com/musicramble-20/detail/B00160ANPU

This is another post spawned from my one-hit wonders discussion. I had flipped to the other extreme, from one-hit wonders to thinking of classic rock bands in the sixties that had many big hit records.

The Grass Roots came to mind, and the first song I could remember was “Midnight Confessions.”

“Let’s Live For Today” was another huge record for the Grass Roots, epitomizing the sixties lifestyle.

“Temptation Eyes” is another good one.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grass_Roots
The Grass Roots sold over thirty million records worldwide, achieving one platinum album, two gold albums, and thirteen gold singles. Between 1967 and 1972, The Grass Roots set a record for being on the Billboard charts for 307 straight weeks.

Their concert tour of the U.S. and Europe starts June 3rd. Tour info at crosbystillsnash.com Plus, Crosby, Stills & Nash will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 18th in New York City.

CSN is also releasing a collection of demos, recorded between 1968 and 1971. These twelve previously unreleased demos provide a glimpse into the group’s early days, showcasing their hit songs in the developing stages…
“Marrakesh Express” recorded four months before their debut album was released.
“Long Time Gone” recorded in June ‘68, just before Nash joined the group.
“Music Is Love” featuring Neil Young with Crosby and Nash, a song that later appeared on Crosby’s 1971 solo debut, If I Could Only Remember My Name.
“Almost Cut My Hair,” David Crosby’s track from the Déjà Vu album.
“My Love Is A Gentle Thing” by a solo Stephen Stills, which was never released on a studio album.
“Sleep Song,” “Be Yourself,” & “Chicago” all Graham Nash demos recorded at Wally Heider studios, where he did his 1971 solo album Songs For Beginners.

Sample these demo tracks: “Marrakesh Express,” “Almost Cut My Hair” & “Love The One You’re With” Quicktime ~ WindowsMedia ~ RealAudio

This new album, Crosby, Stills & Nash Demos, will be available June 2nd from Rhino Records
www.rhino.com

CSN Official site: www.crosbystillsnash.com

MySpace pages:
myspace.com/crosbystillsandnash
myspace.com/stephenstills
myspace.com/davidcrosby
myspace.com/grahamnash

tonepedia.com is offering a chance to win a vintage 1982 Ibanez TS-808 Overdrive pedal. It’s the same overdrive pedal Stevie Ray Vaughan used; the Holy Grail of tube screamers! Tonepedia notes that this pedal is not a reissue, but an original 1982 Ibanez TS-808 Overdrive pedal.

For your chance to win this vintage stompbox:

tonepedia.com is a great resource for electric guitars. Most of the content is user generated making it easy to find just the right tone you’re searching for, just by browsing their growing library of sound samples. The site also encourages you to share the details of your gear setup, so others can learn from your experience.

Vintage Tube Screamer Giveaway Contest details can be found at tonepedia.com

The couple also recorded “Give Peace a Chance” in the hotel room on June 1st. The song became an instant anti-war protest anthem and was released as a single credited to the Plastic Ono Band.

The press conference and resulting live recording was a media circus, drawing dozens of famous celebrities and journalists, including Allen Ginsberg, Derek Taylor, Dick Gregory, Murray the K, Timothy Leary, Tommy Smothers (on acoustic guitar) and Petula Clark.

Also in May of 1969, The Beatles released “The Ballad of John and Yoko,” mainly written by Lennon, describing the events happening around his marriage to Yoko, including their first bed-in for peace at the Amsterdam Hilton.

In December 1969, John and Yoko continued their message of peace by putting up billboards in eleven major cities around the world.

“WAR IS OVER! (If you want it.) Happy Christmas from John and Yoko.”

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed-In

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_Peace_a_Chance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ballad_of_John_and_Yoko

www.johnlennon.com/

From The Last Waltz, “Forever Young” and “Baby Let Me Follow You Down.” Bob Dylan with Robbie Robertson and The Band.

I actually forgot it was Dylan’s birthday, but was thankfully reminded by a post from our friends at rockandrollguru.com.

On Tour this summer, The Bob Dylan Show will feature Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp. The stadium and ballpark tour begins July 1st. More info can be found on www.bobdylan.com/

The subject of one-hit wonders comes up and we toss around names like John Fred & His Playboy Band (”Judy In Disguise (With Glasses),” The Kingsmen (”Louie, Louie”) and Spiral Staircase (”More Today Than Yesterday.”)

We just know there’s a lot more in this category, just can’t think of them right now. Know the feeling? It’s on the tip of your tongue, and you finally remember it hours or days later.

I started searching online for one-hit wonders, and Wikipedia gets all hung up on the official definition of “one-hit wonders” vs. “two-hit titans,” and I’m just going for a good-time feeling here, not hard research.

I run a Google search and wouldn’t you know it? onehitwondercentral.com has already compiled a list of one-hit wonders, and categorized them by year and decade. Yeah OK, now this is fun!

This is by no means any kind of definitive list, as extensive research has already been done many times. It was fun trying to think of all these bands as we heard them on the radio, or just remembered the songs.

As we kick off this Memorial Day weekend, bring the tunes with you, whatever you’re doing. Grilling outside or chillin’ inside with the A/C, these songs hold the magic of summer.

Ain’t no summertime blues here!

onehitwondercentral.com