The quality in music

Deep Purple-Child In Time

2012-02-29T10:16:00.000-08:00

Sweet child in time
You'll see the line
The line that's drawn between
Good and bad

See the blind man
Shooting at the world
Bullets flying
Ohh taking toll

If you've been bad
Oh Lord I bet you have
And you've not been hit
Oh by flying lead

You'd better close your eyes
Ooohhhh bow your head
Wait for the ricochet

I wanna hear you sing

Snowy White - Midnight Blues

2012-02-22T03:43:00.000-08:00

Palermo Shooting-the film and the music (Wim Wenders)

2012-02-16T01:26:00.000-08:00

After the wild life-style of a famous young German photographer almost gets him killed, he goes to Palermo, Sicily to take a break. Can the beautiful city and a beautiful local woman help him calm himself down?

Director:
Wim Wenders
Writers:
Wim Wenders, Norman Ohler , and 1 more credit »
Stars:
Campino, Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Dennis Hopper

request the link to
ghikasathan@peoplestring.com

http://www.imdb.com

Μια ταινία που με καθηλώσει μια καθημερινή και με έβγαλε απο την ανία της άσκοπης περιήγησης στους τηλεοπτικούς διαύλους.
Και ενω νόμιζα ότι ο Βεντερς είχε περάσει στην απραξία, με αυτη την έλεγεια στον Θάνατο επανέλθει ώριμοτερος απο ποτε στο πανι.
Κάθε πλάνο του και μια καταπληκτικη φωτογραφία. Το εσωτερικό ταξίδι του ήρωα μέσα απο το φακό της φωτογραφικής μηχανής του μέχρι την συνάντηση του με τον Θάνατο προσωποποιημενο στη μορφή του Ντενις Χοπερ που δίνει συγκλονιστική ομολογία και με δόση παράπονου για το πόσο παρεξηγημενος ειναι, μπροστα στον ήρωα μας.
Όλα αυτα με τη συνοδεία ενός underground soundtrack δομημένο απο επιλεγμένους καλλιτέχνες.

στείλτε για το link στο
ghikasathan@peoplestring.com

So long Whitney...I will always love you...

2012-02-12T01:46:00.000-08:00

Houston was declared dead at 3:55 p.m. in a fourth-floor room of the Beverly Hilton after paramedics spent nearly 30 minutes trying to revive her, authorities said.

The cause of her death was unknown. Houston was in town for music executive Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party, one of Hollywood's hottest events of the year. In a creepy twist, the swanky shindig went on early Sunday with Houston's body still upstairs.

Davis, in an address to the numb crowd, spoke of Houston's "unspeakable passing."

"Whitney would have wanted the music to go on," Davis added.

Houston appeared belligerent and disheveled Thursday at the rehearsals for Davis' annual gala. Her hair wet and her clothes mismatched, the visibly bloated singer flitted erratically around the ballroom, the Los Angeles Times reported.

But her mother, Cissy Houston and her cousin, Dionne Warwick, reportedly spoke to the troubled singer over the phone Saturday and had no indication anything was wrong.

Her death casts a pall on Sunday's Grammy Awards ceremonies and she will be honored in a musical tribute by Jennifer Hudson and Chaka Kahn, ET reported.

Houston's death marked a dramatic end for a musical prodigy who always had a flair for the dramatic. At her peak, Houston reigned as the queen of pop music. Her voice carried an intensity that brought listeners to tears, and her looks were just as striking.

From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, she ranked as one of the world's best selling artists. She took home six Grammy Awards and was nominated 26 times.

Houston's influence was not confined to pop music. She also became a movie star and an inspiration for dozens of future musical icons, including Christina Aguilera and

But her life and career ended in tatters, drug and alcohol abuse stripping her of her voice and her beautiful looks. Her death prompted a flood of tributes.

"I am absolutely heartbroken at the news of Whitney's passing," music producer Quincy Jones said in a written statement. "I always regretted not having had the opportunity to work with her. She was a true original and a talent beyond compare. I will miss her terribly."

Born in Newark, Houston grew up with music. Her father, John Russell Houston, was an entertainment executive; her mother was a gospel singer. By the age of 11, Whitney was performing solos as part of a junior gospel choir.

Houston's mother often brought her along to her nightclub gigs, and it was not uncommon for the future pop sensation to perform on stage with her mom. She went on to sing backup on a string of albums by musical giants, including Khan and Lou Rawls.

BOBBY BROWN BREAKS DOWN

While still in her teens, she quickly became a rising star in the modeling world, appearing in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazines.

In time, Houston's magical voice outshone her striking looks. She signed her first record deal, with Arista Records, in 1983. Her first album, "Whitney Houston," became a sensation, topping the Billboard chart for weeks and turning her into a global star.

Houston was nominated for three Grammy Awards in 1986, including Album of the Year. Her second album, "Whitney," was nominated for Album of the Year in 1988.

Three years later, she performed a stirring rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV, while American troops were embroiled in the Persian Gulf War. The performance was hailed so widely it was released as a commercial single.

Houston married bad boy R&B singer Bobby Brown in 1992, and gave birth to her only child a year later. The relationship would soon explode in public as the pair's messy spats became regular fodder in gossip columns.

Her first film came in 1992, when she starred in "The Bodyguard" alongside Kevin Costner, a performance that won her rave reviews and established her as one of the world's biggest stars.

In the late 1990s, her pristine image began to unravel. Houston appeared gaunt in public on numerous occasions, fueling rumors that she was battling drug problems. In an infamous 2002 interview with Diane Sawyer, a frazzled Houston fueled concerns with her claim: "Crack is wack."

But in later years, there was no way she could hide from her drug battles. She was seen in public slurring her words and unsteady on her feet. She admitted to being hooked on cocaine, marijuana and pills. The years of drug use took a toll on her face and voice.

http://my-greek.blogspot.com/2012/02/whitney-houston-died.html

Η Whitney Houston βρέθηκε νεκρή σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες στο δωμάτιο του ξενοδοχείου της στο Μπέβερλι Χιλς για άγνωστη μέχρι στιγμής αιτία το απόγευμα του Σαββάτου. Μεταφέρθηκε στο νοσοκομείο, αλλά οι γιατροί δεν κατάφεραν να την επαναφέρουν. Επί 20 λεπτά προσπαθούσαν να.....

την επαναφέρουν αλλά αυτό δεν κατέστη δυνατό. Το θάνατο της επιβεβαίωσε ο εκπρόσωπός της χωρίς να θέλει να πει περισσότερα για τα αίτια ή για το χώρο όπου συνέβη.
Η 48χρονη σταρ είχε χρόνια προβλήματα εθισμού στα ναρκωτικά και μετά από πολύ καιρό στην αποτοξίνωση είχε κάνει μια προσπάθεια να επιστρέψει στη μουσική σκηνή, αλλά η φωνή της........
δεν ήταν όπως παλιά. Κι ενώ ήταν «καθαρή» και μάλιστα είχε δώσει και συνέντευξη στην Oprah Winfrey στην οποία είχε μιλήσει ανοικτά για τα προβλήματα της, φαίνεται πως ποτέ δεν τα ξεπέρασε ολοκληρωτικά.
Παλαιότερα στην Diane Sawyer είχε δηλώσει ότι έχει το "διάολο" μέσα της, όταν το 2002 είχε αποκαλύψει ότι αντιμετωπίζει πρόβλημα με ναρκωτικά. Ο πρώην σύζυγός της Bobbi Brown και η κόρη της Bobbi Christina είναι συντετριμμένοι από το θάνατό της, ενώ μισή ώρα νωρίτερα είχε μιλήσει στο τηλέφωνο με τη μητέρα της Cissie. Πριν από δύο μέρες είχε επισκεφθεί κλαμπ στο Λος Άντζελες και δεν έδειχνε να είναι πολύ καλά, προκαλώντας καβγάδες με τους φωτογράφους και όποιον έβρισκε μπροστά της.
www.dailymail.co.uk

Read more: http://www.i-diadromi.com/2012/02/whitney-houston.html#ixzz1m9vuZMn0

Pink Floyd - The Division Bell - 1994

2012-02-08T08:53:00.000-08:00

Pink Floyd - High Hopes

2012-02-08T08:35:00.000-08:00

High Hopes Lyrics
Artist(Band):Pink Floyd

Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young
In a world of magnets and miracles
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begun

Along the long road and on down to the causeway
Do they still MEET there by the cut

There was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps
Running before time took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The nights of wonder

Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by the force of some inner tide

At a higher altitude with flag unfurled
We reached the dizzy heights OF that dreamed of world

****

Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we've been so many times

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river

Forever and ever

Πελομα Μποκιου-Γαρυφαλλε Γαρυφαλλε

2012-02-07T06:14:00.000-08:00

Οι Πελόμα Μποκιού ήταν ελληνικό συγκρότημα ροκ μουσικής της δεκαετίας του '70. Το όνομα του αποτελείται απο συλλαβές από τα επώνυμα των ιδρυτικών μελών του: Νίκος ΔαΠΕρης, Νίκος ΛΟγοθέτης, Τάκης ΜΑρινάκης, Βλάσης ΜΠΟνάτσος, Γιάννης ΚΙΟΥρκτσόγλου.

ROD STEWART - YOU KEEP ME HANGIN ON 1977

2012-02-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

(Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Edward Holland, Jr.)

Set me free, why don't cha babe
Get out my life, why don't cha babe
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on
You don't really need me
But you keep me hangin' on

Why do you keep a coming around
Playing with my heart?
Why don't you get out of my life
And let me make a new start?
Let me get over you
The way you've gotten over me

Set me free, why don't cha babe
Let me be, why don't cha babe
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on
Now you don't really want me
You just keep me hangin' on

You say although we broke up
You still wanna be just friends
But how can we still be friends
When seeing you only breaks my heart again
And there ain't nothing I can do about it

Woo, set me free, why don't cha babe
Woo, get out my life, why don't cha babe
Set me free, why don't cha babe
Get out my life, why don't cha babe

You claim you still care for me
But your heart and soul needs to be free
Now that you've got your freedom
You wanna still hold on to me
You don't want me for yourself
So let me find somebody else Hey!

Why don't you be a man about it
And set me free
Now you don't care a thing about me
You're just using me
Go on, get out, get out of my life
And let me sleep at night
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on...

Etta James- her hard life is over ....

2012-01-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

Απο τα ΝΈΑ

Ένα εικοσιτετράωρο έπειτα απο τον Τζονι Οτις ( 18 Ιανουάριου 2012) τον άνθρωπο που την ανακάλυψε ως καλλιτέχνιδα και συνέθεσε την πρώτη της επιτυχία " The wallflower" έφυγε απο την ζωη στο Λος Αντζελες ,σε ηλικία 73 ετών απο επιπλοκες λευχαιμιας η θρυλική τραγουδίστρια του ρυθμ έν μπλουζ Ετα Τζειμς.
η Τζειμσετ Χοκινς όπως ήταν το πραγματικό της όνομα γεννήθηκε το 1938 . Οι θαυμαστές της συμμερίζονται την άποψη του βετεράνου μουσικού παραγωγού Τζερι Γουεξλερ υ την είχε αποκαλέσει " τη μεγαλύτερη απο όλους τους σύγχρονους τραγουδιστές του μπλουζ.... Την αδιαφιλονικητη Μητέρα Γη".
Ερμηνεύτρια μεγάλων επιτυχιών όπως το At last, something's got a hold on me, και το Tell mamma, η Ετα Τζειμς είχε τιμηθεί στη διάρκεια της καριέρας της με τέσσερα βραβεία Grammy και 17 Blues music awards.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Etta James

James in 2006 in Lansing, Michigan
Background information
Birth name Jamesetta Hawkins
Also known as Miss Peaches,
The Matriarch of R&B
Born January 25, 1938
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died January 20, 2012 (aged 73)
Riverside, California, U.S.
Genres Blues, R&B, rock and roll, jazz, soul, gospel
Occupations Singer
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 1954–2012
Labels Modern, Chess/MCA Records, Argo, Crown, Cadet, Island/PolyGram Records, Private Music/RCA, RCA Victor Records, Elektra, Virgin/EMI Records, Verve Forecast/Universal Records
Associated acts Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Otis, Sugar Pie DeSanto
Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins; January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012) was an American singer whose style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, gospel and jazz. Starting her career in the mid 1950s, she gained fame with hits such as "Dance With Me, Henry", "At Last", "Tell Mama", and "I'd Rather Go Blind" for which she claimed she wrote the lyrics.[1] She faced a number of personal problems, including drug addiction, before making a musical resurgence in the late 1980s with the album The Seven Year Itch.[2]
She is regarded as having bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and is the winner of six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008.[3] Rolling Stone ranked James number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 62 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists.[4][5]

Early life and early career: 1938–1959

Jamesetta Hawkins was born on January 25, 1938, in Los Angeles, California, to Dorothy Hawkins, who was only 14 at the time. Her father has never been identified, but was rumored possibly to be white (Caucasian).[6] James speculated that her father was the pool player, Rudolf "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone, and met him briefly in 1987.[7] Due to her mother being often absent carrying on relationships with various men, James lived with a series of caregivers, most notably "Sarge" and "Mama" Lu. James called her mother "the Mystery Lady".[6]
James received her first professional vocal training at the age of five from James Earle Hines, musical director of the Echoes of Eden choir, at the St. Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles. She became a popular singing attraction at the church, and Sarge tried to pressure the church into paying him money for her singing, but they refused. During drunken poker games at home, he would wake James up in the early hours of the morning and force her through beatings to sing for his friends. As she was a bed-wetter, and often soaked with her own urine on these occasions, the trauma of being forced to sing meant she had a life-long reluctance to sing on demand.[8]
In 1950 Mama Lu died, and James' real mother took her to the Fillmore district in San Francisco.[9] Within a couple of years, James began listening to doo-wop and was inspired to form a girl group, called the Creolettes (due to the members' light skinned complexions). The 14-year-old girls met musician Johnny Otis. Stories on how they met vary including Otis' version in which James had come to his hotel after one of his performances in the city and persuaded him to audition her. Another story came that Otis spotted the group performing at a Los Angeles nightclub and sought them to record his "answer song" to Hank Ballard's "Work With Me, Annie". Nonetheless, Otis took the group under his wing, helping them sign to Modern Records and changing their name from the Creolettes to the Peaches and gave the singer her stage name reversing Jamesetta into Etta James. James recorded the version, which she was allowed to co-author, in 1954, and the song was released in early 1955 as "Dance with Me, Henry". Originally the name of the song was "Roll With Me, Henry" but was changed to avoid censorship due to the subtle title. In February of that year, the song reached number one on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Tracks chart.[10] Its success gave the group an opening spot on Little Richard's national tour.[11]
While on tour with Richard, pop singer Georgia Gibbs recorded her version of James' song, which was released under the title "The Wallflower", and became a crossover hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, which angered James. After leaving the Peaches, James had another R&B hit with "Good Rockin' Daddy", but struggled with follow-ups. When her contract with Modern came up in 1960, she decided to sign with Leonard Chess' namesake label, Chess Records, and shortly afterwards got involved in a relationship with singer Harvey Fuqua, founder of the doo-wop group, The Moonglows.
Bobby Murray, aka "Taters", toured with Etta James for 20 years. He wrote that James had her first hit single when she was 15 years of age and went steady with B.B. King when she was 16. Etta James believed the hit single "Sweet Sixteen" by B.B. King was about her.[12]

Chess years: 1960–1978

James was put on the Chess subsidiary label Argo (and later recorded with another subsidiary, Cadet) and had her first hit singles under duets with Fuqua including "If I Can't Have You" and "Spoonful". Her first solo hit was the doo-wop styled rhythm and blues number, "All I Could Do Was Cry", becoming a number two R&B hit.[13] Leonard Chess had envisioned James as a classic ballad stylist who had potential to cross over to the pop charts and soon surrounded the singer with violins and other string instruments.[13] The first string-laden ballad James recorded was "My Dearest Darling", which peaked in the top five of the R&B chart. James was notable singing background vocals on label mate Chuck Berry's "Back in the USA".[14]

Vinyl recording of "At Last"/"I Just Want to Make Love"
Her debut album, At Last!, was released in late 1960 and was noted for its varied choice in music from jazz standards to blues numbers to doo-wop and rhythm and blues (R&B).[15] The album also included James' future classic, "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "A Sunday Kind of Love". In early 1961, James released what has become her signature song, "At Last", which reached number two on the R&B chart and number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though the song wasn't as successful as expected, it has become the most remembered version of the song.[14] James followed that up with "Trust in Me", which also included string instruments.[13] Later that same year, James released a second studio album, The Second Time Around. The album took the same direction as her previous album, covering many jazz and pop standards, and using strings on many of the songs spawning two hit singles, "The Fool That I Am" and "Don't Cry Baby".[16]
James started adding gospel elements in her music the following year releasing "Something's Got a Hold on Me", which peaked at number four on the R&B chart and was also a top 40 pop hit.[17] That success was quickly followed by "Stop the Wedding", which reached number six on the R&B charts and also had gospel elements.[14] In 1963, she had another major hit with "Pushover" and released the live album Etta James Rocks the House, which was recorded at the New Era Club in Nashville, Tennessee.[13] After a couple years scoring minor hits, James' career started to suffer after 1965. After a period of isolation, James returned to recording in 1967 and reemerged with more ballsy R&B numbers thanks to her recording at the legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama releasing her comeback hit "Tell Mama", which was co-written by Clarence Carter and reached number ten R&B and number twenty three pop. An album of the same name was also released that year and included her take of Otis Redding's "Security".[18] The B-side of "Tell Mama" was "I'd Rather Go Blind", which became a blues classic in its own right and was recorded by many other artists. She wrote in her autobiography Rage To Survive that she heard the song outlined by her friend Ellington "Fugi" Jordan when she visited him in prison.[19] According to her account, she wrote the rest of the song with Jordan, but for tax reasons gave her songwriting credit to her partner at the time, Billy Foster.
Following this success, James became an on-demand concert performer though she never again reached the heyday of her early-to-mid 1960s success. She continued to chart in the R&B Top 40 in the early 1970s with singles such as "Losers Weepers" (1970) and "I Found a Love" (1972). Though James continued to record for Chess, she was devastated by the death of Chess founder Leonard Chess in 1969. James ventured into rock and funk with the release of her self-titled album in 1973 with production from famed rock producer Gabriel Mekler, who had worked with Steppenwolf and Janis Joplin, who had admired James and had covered "Tell Mama" in concert. The album, known for its mixtures of musical styles, was nominated for a Grammy Award.[18] The album didn't produce any major hits, neither did the follow-up, Out On the Street Again, in 1974, though like Etta James before it, the album was also critically acclaimed. James continued to record for Chess releasing two more albums in 1978, Etta Is Betta Than Evah and Deep in the Night, which saw the singer incorporating more rock-based music in her repertoire.[13] That same year, James was the opening act for The Rolling Stones and also performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Following this brief success, however, she left Chess Records and didn't record for another ten years as she struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism for the better part of a decade.

Later career: 1988–2012

Etta James in 1990
Though she continued to perform, little was heard of Etta James until 1987 when she was seen performing "Rock & Roll Music" with Chuck Berry on his "Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll" documentary. In 1989, James signed with Island Records and released the album Seven Year Itch. The album was produced by Barry Beckett. She released a second album, also produced by Barry Beckett, in 1989 titled Stickin' to My Guns. Both albums were recorded at FAME Studios.[18] James participated in rap singer Def Jef for the song "Droppin' Rhymes on Drums", which mixed James' jazz vocals with hip-hop. In 1992, James released The Right Time produced by Jerry Wexler on Elektra Records and the following year, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[10] James signed with Private Music Records in 1993 and recorded the Billie Holiday tribute album Mystery Lady: Songs of Billie Holiday.[17] The album later set a trend for James' music to incorporate more jazz elements.[13] The album won James her first Grammy Awards for best jazz vocal performance in 1994. In 1995, she released the David Ritz-co authored autobiography, A Rage to Survive, and recorded the album Time After Time. Three years later she issued the Christmas album Etta James Christmas in 1998.[13]
By the mid-1990s, James' earlier classic music was included in commercials including, most notably, "I Just Wanna Make Love to You". Due to exposure of the song in a UK commercial, the song reached the top ten of the UK charts in 1996.[10] Continuing to record for Private Music, she released the blues album Matriarch of the Blues in 2000, which had James returning to her R&B roots with Rolling Stone hailing it as a "solid return to roots", further stating that the album found the singer "reclaiming her throne — and defying anyone to knock her off it."[17] In 2001, she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the latter for her contributions to the developments of both rock and roll music and rockabilly. In 2003, she received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her 2004 release, Blue Gardenia, returned James to a jazz music style. James' final album for Private Music, Let's Roll, was released in 2005 and won James a Grammy for best contemporary blues album.[20]

Etta James performing in San Jose, California, in 2000.
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked her #62 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[21] James has performed at the top world jazz festivals in the world, such as the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1977, 1989, 1990 and 1993,[22] performed nine times at the legendary Monterey Jazz Festival, and the San Francisco Jazz Festival five times. She also performs often at free city outdoor summer arts festivals throughout the US.
In 2008, James was portrayed by Beyoncé Knowles in the film, Cadillac Records, loosely based on the rise and fall of James' label of 18 years, Chess Records, and how label founder and producer Leonard Chess helped the career of James and other label mates, though it was noted that James was successful prior to her signing with Chess Records.[23] In the film, Etta James' character is in constant search to seek the recognition as well as love from an infamous pool shark named Minnesota Fats, whom she believed to be her white biological father.[24] The film also portrayed "At Last" as a huge pop hit, but the single only charted briefly when it was initially released and James had bigger hits. It also indicated that James and Chess, who were 21 years apart in age, were lovers but that was also inaccurate. Though James and Knowles were later seen at a red carpet event following the film's release embracing each other, James expressed her displeasure with Knowles at a Seattle concert in January 2009, a few days after Knowles sang her song, "At Last", at the first inaugural ball for Barack Obama. James claimed she "can't stand Beyoncé" and that Knowles would "get her ass whipped".[25] James later said that her remarks about Knowles were a joke but admitted she was hurt that she was not invited to sing her song and that she could've performed it better.[26]
In April 2009, the 71-year-old James made her final television appearance performing "At Last" during an appearance on Dancing with the Stars. In May 2009, James received the Soul/Blues Female Artist of the Year award from the Blues Foundation, the ninth time James had won the award. James carried on touring but by 2010 had to cancel concert dates to her gradually failing health after it was revealed that she was suffering from dementia and leukemia. In November 2011, James released her final album, The Dreamer, which was critically acclaimed upon its release. James announced via her manager's statement that this would be her final album. On January 8, 2012, her continuing relevance was affirmed when Avicii reached number 1 on Beatport with the song "Levels", which samples her song "Something's Got a Hold on Me". A vocal sample of James' 1962 song, "Something's Got a Hold On Me," was also sampled by rapper Flo Rida in his 2011 single, "Good Feeling."[27]

Style and influence

James's musical style changed during the course of her career. When beginning her recording career in the mid-50s, James was marketed as an R&B and doo wop singer.[13] After signing with Chess Records in 1960, James broke through as a traditional pop-styled singer, covering jazz and pop music standards on her debut album, At Last!.[28] James's voice deepened and coarsened, moving her musical style in her later years into the genres of soul and jazz.[13]
Etta James had once been considered one of the most overlooked blues and R&B musicians in American music history. It wasn't until the early 1990s when James began receiving major industry awards from the Grammys and the Blues Foundation that she began to receive wide recognition. In 2011 James was voted one the Best Singers On Earth by viewers to Btoe, the multimedia Web site founded by Colin Larkin, creator of the Encyclopedia of Popular Music. In recent years, she has been seen as bridging the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll. James has influenced a wide variety of American musicians including Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland,[17] and Hayley Williams of Paramore[29] as well as British artists The Rolling Stones,[30] Rod Stewart,[31] Elkie Brooks,[32] Amy Winehouse,[31] Paloma Faith,[33] Joss Stone[34] and Adele.[35]

Illness and death

James was hospitalized in January 2010 to treat an infection caused by MRSA, a bacterium that is resistant to antibiotic treatment. During her hospitalization, her son Donto revealed that James had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2008, and attributed her previous comments about Beyoncé Knowles to "drug induced dementia".[36]
She was diagnosed with leukemia in early 2011. The illness was announced as terminal by Dr. Elaine James (no relation) in December 2011, in a plea for prayers from fans.[37] On January 20, 2012, longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon, stated that James had died with her husband and sons by her side at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, California.[38] De Leon said "It's a tremendous loss for her fans around the world, ... [s]he'll be missed. A great American singer. Her music defied category."[39] Fellow musicians also paid tribute to James. Kelly Rowland described her as "Classic. One of a kind. Pure soul."[39] Bryan Adams believed that James possessed "one of the best voices of all time".[39]

Personal life

James encountered a string of legal problems during the early 1970s due to her heroin addiction. She was continuously in and out of rehabilitation centers, including the Tarzana Rehabilitation Center, in Los Angeles, California. Her husband Artis Mills, whom she married in 1969, accepted responsibility when they were both arrested for heroin possession and served a 10-year prison sentence.[40] He was released from prison in 1982 and was still married to James at her death.[17] She was also arrested around the same time for her drug addiction, accused of cashing bad checks, forgery and possession of heroin.[41] In 1974, James was sentenced to drug treatment instead of serving time in prison. She was in the Tarzana Psychiatric Hospital for 17 months, at age 36, and went through a great struggle at the start of treatment. She later stated in her autobiography that the time she spent in the hospital changed her life. However, after leaving treatment, her substance abuse continued into the 1980s, after she developed a relationship with a man who was also using drugs. In 1988, at the age of 50, she entered the Betty Ford Center, in Palm Springs, California, for treatment.[17] In 2010, she received treatment for a dependency on painkillers.[42]
James had two sons, Donto and Sametto. Both started performing with their mother in 2003—Donto on drums and Sametto on bass guitar.[43]

Awards

From 1989, James received over 30 awards and recognitions from eight different organizations, including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences which organizes the Grammys.
In 1989, the newly formed Rhythm and Blues Foundation included James in their first Pioneer Awards for artists whose "lifelong contributions have been instrumental in the development of Rhythm & Blues music".[44] The following year, 1990, she received an NAACP Image Award, which is given for "outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts";[45] an award she cherished as it "was coming from my own people".[46]
1993, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
2001, Rockabilly Hall of Fame
2003, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Hollywood Walk of Fame, star at 7080 Hollywood Blvd, and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) Lifetime Achievement Award[47]
2006, Billboard R&B Founders Award[48]
Grammys
The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. James has received six Grammy Awards. Her first was in 1994, when she was awarded Best Jazz Vocal Performance for the album Mystery Lady, which consisted of covers of Billie Holiday songs.[49] Two other albums have also won awards, Let's Roll (Best Contemporary Blues Album) in 2003, and Blues To The Bone (Best Traditional Blues Album) in 2004. Two of her early songs have been given Grammy Hall of Fame Awards for "qualitative or historical significance": "At Last", in 1999,[50] and "The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)" in 2008.[51] In 2003, she was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[52]
Year Nominated work Award Result
1961 "All I Could Do Was Cry" Best Rhythm & Blues Performance Nominated
1962 "The Fool That I Am" Best Rhythm & Blues Performance Nominated
1968 "Tell Mama" Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance, Female Nominated
1969 "Security" Nominated
1974 Etta James Nominated
1975 "St. Louis Blues" Nominated
1989 "Seven Year Itch" Best Contemporary Blues Recording Nominated
1991 Stickin' to My Guns Nominated
1993 The Right Time Nominated
1995 Mystery Lady - Songs of Billie Holiday Best Jazz Vocal Performance Won
1999 "At Last" Grammy Hall of Fame Award Inducted
Life, Love & Blues Best Contemporary Blues Album Nominated
2000 Heart of a Woman Best Jazz Vocal Performance Nominated
2002 Matriarch of the Blues Best Contemporary Blues Album Nominated
2003 Etta James Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Inducted
2004 Let's Roll Best Contemporary Blues Album Won
2005 Let's Roll Best Traditional Blues Album Won
2008 "The Wallflower" Grammy Hall of Fame Award Inducted
Blues Foundation
The members of the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up in Memphis, Tennessee, to foster the blues and its heritage,[53] have nominated James for a Blues Music Award nearly every year since its founding in 1980; and she has received some form of Blues Female Artist of the Year award 14 times since 1989, continuously from 1999 to 2007.[54] In addition, the albums Life, Love, & The Blues (1999), Burnin' Down The House (2003), and Let's Roll (2004) were awarded Soul/Blues Album of the Year,[54] and in 2001 she was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.[49]
See also

Etta James discography
References

^ Etta James, David Ritz. Rage to survive: the Etta James story. Da Capo Press, 2003. p. 173. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
^ Liz Sonneborn (2002). A to Z of American women in the performing arts. Infobase Publishing. p. 116. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
^ Down Beat Magazine July 27, 2007 Etta James Hospitalized, Tour Suspended
^ "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
^ "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
^ a b Bob Gulla (2008). Icons of R&B and Soul. ABC-CLIO. p. 149. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
^ Denise Quan (September 25, 2002). "CNN.com — A life singing the blues". Retrieved May 21, 2011.
^ Etta James, David Ritz. Rage to Survive: the Etta James Story. Da Capo Press, 2003. p. 20. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
^ Etta James, David Ritz. Rage to Survive: the Etta James Story. Da Capo Press, 2003. p. 31. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
^ a b c "Etta James – inductee". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2006-11-23. Retrieved 2006-12-05.
^ White, Charles (2003), pp. 68, 78. The Life and Times of Little Richard: The Authorised Biography. Omnibus Press.
^ "Taters and Other Fascinating People". Noquarterusa.net. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
^ a b c d e f g h i Dahl, Bill. "Etta James > Biography". allmusic. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
^ a b c "Etta James: Biography". Rolling Stone.com. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
^ Cook, Stephen. "At Last! album review". allmusic. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
^ Unterberger, Richie. "The Second Time Around album review". allmusic. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
^ a b c d e f "Etta James Biography". Musician Guide.com. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
^ a b c Larkin, Collin. "Etta James Biography". oldies.com. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
^ Etta James and David Ritz, Rage To Survive, 1995, ISBN 0-306-80812-9.
^ "Etta James awards". Grammy.com. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
^ The Immortals, the First fify. 946. Rolling Stone.
^ Montreux Jazz Festival Database[dead link]
^ "Beyonce To Portray Legendary Blues Singer Etta James In 'Cadillac Records'". MTV.com. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
^ "The Truth Behind Cadillac Records"www,lipstick.alley.com [Retrieved January 20, 2012.]
^ "Etta James to Beyonce: I'll Whoop Your Ass!". TMZ.com. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
^ "Etta James says rip on Beyonce was a joke". MSNBC. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
^ Vena, Jocelyn (2012-01-20). "Etta James Remembered By will.i.am, Hayley Williams". MTV.com. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
^ Dahl, Bill. "Tell Mama album review". allmusic. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
^ "Musicians Mourn Etta James". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-01-21.
^ "Etta James: A life in music". www.telegraph.co.uk. January 21, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
^ a b "Grammy-award winning singer Etta James dies at 73 after battle with leukaemia". www.dailymail.co.uk. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
^ "Book Elkie Brooks with JazzCo". Jazzbookings.com. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
^ "Who is Paloma Faith?". 4Music. 2010-04-19. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
^ "100 Greatest Artists of all Time:Etta James". www.rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
^ "Interview: Adele – Archive | State Magazine". State.ie. 2008-03-08. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
^ "Hospitalized Etta James battling Alzheimer's, infection, son says". CNN. 2010-01-30. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
^ "Doctors ask for prayers for 'At Last' singer, 73". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
^ Leopold, Todd. "Singing legend Etta James dies at 73". Cnn. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
^ a b c "Etta James: Soul legend dies in California". BBC News. January 20, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
^ "How Etta Got Her Groove Back". People.com. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
^ "Etta James". NNDB.com. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
^ "Son says singer Etta James changes hospitals". USA Today. 2010-02-11. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
^ Thor Christensen (April 23, 2004). "James pours heart, soul into set To the 'Last'". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
^ "Rhythm & Blues Foundation - Preserving America’s Soul". Retrieved May 22, 2011.
^ "The 42nd NAACP Image Awards - History". Retrieved May 22, 2011.
^ Etta James, David Ritz. Rage to Survive: the Etta James Story. Da Capo Press, 2003. p. 256.
^ "Recording Academy Honors Etta James, Simon & Garfunkel, Alan Lomax | News". BMI.com. 2002-12-08. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
^ Up for Discussion Jump to Forums. "Billboard Honors Etta James". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
^ a b Bob Gulla (2008). Icons of R&B and Soul. ABC-CLIO. p. 164. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
^ "Grammy Hall of Fame Induction". Grammy.org. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
^ "Grammy Hall of Fame Induction". Grammy.org. Retrieved 2011-07-30.
^ Greg Winter (December 2002). CMJ New Music Report - Music News. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
^ "The Blues Foundation: About The Blues Foundation". Retrieved May 22, 2011.
^ a b "The Blues Foundation: Past Blues Music Awards". Retrieved May 22, 2011.
Further reading

Johnny Otis. The Greek who gave rhythm to black music

2012-01-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

Απο τα ΝΈΑ
Επιμέλεια Μαρία Μαρκουλη

Πρωτοπόρος του ροκ ένα ρόλ ," νονός του ρυθμ ένα μπλουζ" Έλληνας την καταγωγή. Ο κόσμος της μουσικής αποχαιρέτησε τον Τζονι Οτις η Γιάννη Βελιωτη , όπως ήταν το όνομα του , που έφυγε στις 17 Ιανουαρίου 2012 απο τη ζωη. Στο Λος Αντζελες στα 90 του χρόνια.
Ο Τζονι Οτις , με φαν της μουσικής του σε όλο τον κόσμο ,διέγραψε μια αστρονομικη πορεία με μεγάλες επιτυχίες και καταλυτικές κινήσεις. Έζησε μια ζωη που είναι για ταινία και πέρασε στην ιστορία του ροκ με χαρακτήρα και θρυλικες ηχογραφησεις .
Ένας απο τους πρώτους λευκούς αμερικανούς μουσικούς που αγνόησε στην πράξη κάθε ρατσιστικό διαχωρισμό ,μεγάλωσε σε κοινότητα μαύρων και βούτηξε με πάθος στη μουσική και στη κουλτούρα τους αντλώντας έμπνευση απο τη τζαζ και τα μπλουζ , που πίστευε πως ήταν μια αστείρευτη πηγή για ιδέες και ρυθμούς.
Παίκτης για πολλούς ρόλους άλλωστε : συνθέτης ,τραγουδιστής, ντραμερ, παραγωγός, διευθυντής ορχήστρας, ραδιοφωνικός dj,τηλεοπτικός παρουσιαστής, ζωγράφος, αλλα και πολιτικός ακτιβιστής και παστορας .

Γεννήθηκε στην Καλιφορνια, γιος ελλήνων μεταναστών . Ο πατέρας του Αλέξανδρος Βελιωτης είχε μαναβικο και η μητέρα του Ειρήνη Κισκακη ήταν ζωγράφος. Νεαρός ακόμη είχε δηλώσει ότι, αν ο άνθρωπος μπορούσε να επιλέξει το χρώμα που θα είχε το δέρμα του , εκείνος θα είχε διαλέξει να είναι μαύρος.
Ήταν ο Νατ Κινγκ Κοουλ εκείνος που του είχε προτείνει να παει στο Λος Αντζελες και να παίζει στη τζαζ ορχήστρα του Χαρλαντ Λεοναρντ.
Ο Τζονι ήταν μια τεράστια δύναμη στο ρυθμ έν μπλουζ . Ήταν τόσο σημαντικός όσο ο Σάμ Φιλιπς ( της Sun Records απο όπου επίσημα ξεκίνησε το ροκ έν ρόλ ) ή ο Λεοναρντ Τσες ( της Chess records) στο να ανακαλύπτει νέα ταλέντα. Εκείνος ανακάλυψε τον Τζονι Εις, τον Λιτλ Ριτσαρντ, την Μπινγκ Μαμα Θορτον ,έλεγε χθες στους L.A Times ο κιθαρίστας συνθέτης τραγουδιστής και πρώην μέλος των X Dave Alvin .

Το 1949 ο Οτις υπέγραψε τη 13 χρονη τότε Εσθερ Φιλιπς ως τραγουδίστρια στη μπάντα του και με την Εσθερ στο μικρόφωνο έκανε μεγάλες επιτυχίες .

Στη δεκαετία του 60 όμως η αγγλική εισβολή στην Αμερική με τους Beatles δυσκόλεψαν τα πράγματα. " τα λευκά αγόρια απο την Αγγλία ήρθαν με μια ανακύκλωση έκδοση αυτου που εμείς είχαμε δημιουργήσει. Και εμείς βρεθήκαμε χωρίς δουλεια" έλεγε τότε.

Αν το ραδιόφωνο και η τηλεόραση έπαιξαν καθοριστικό ρόλο στην ποπ κουλτούρα , έτσι όπως διαμορφώνοταν στα 50 ς στην Αμερική , ο Τζονι Οτις ήταν εκει και έμεινε στο μικρόφωνο για πολλα χρόνια αργότερα. Με εκπομπές που παρουσίαζε ουσιαστικά οδηγούσε τους νεαρούς ακροατές και τηλεθεατές στο να ανακαλύψουν μουσικές και καλλιτέχνες που ήταν άγνωστοι στο πλατύ κοινό.
Οι πολλοί θαυμαστές του και κυρίως το δικο του πάθος για τα κοινωνικά θέματα και τη μουσικη τον έφεραν πάλι πίσω στη σκηνη. Η Ace records μάλιστα πρόσφατα κυκλοφόρησε δυο cd "The Johnny Otis story".
Έγραψε βιβλία έγινε παστορας ασχολήθηκε με τα κοινά και με την πολιτικη και μετέδωσε το ταλέντο του στον γιο του Shuggie Otis ο οποίος στη συνέχεια δημιούργησε την δική του καριέρα στη μουσικη.

Σήμ.
( Ο Shuggie Otis σε νεαρή ηλικία συμμετείχε στην ηχογράφηση του ιστορικού δίσκου του Mike Bloofield " Super Session" )

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Johnny Otis

Background information
Birth name Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes
Born December 28, 1921
Vallejo, California, U.S.
Died January 17, 2012 (aged 90)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres Blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel, rock & roll, doo-wop, soul, funk
Instruments Piano, vibraphone, drums, percussion, vocals
Years active 1930s-2000s
Labels Various
Website johnnyotisworld.com
Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes[1] (December 28, 1921 – January 17, 2012), better known as Johnny Otis, was an American singer, musician, talent scout, disc jockey, composer, arranger, recording artist, record producer, vibraphonist, drummer, percussionist, bandleader, impresario and pastor[2]. Born in Vallejo, California,[1] he is commonly referred to as the "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues".[3]

Personal life

Otis was the child of Greek immigrants Alexander J. Veliotes, a Mare Island longshoreman and grocery store owner, and his wife, the former Irene Kiskakes, a painter.[1][4]
He was the older brother of Nicholas A. Veliotes, former U.S. Ambassador to Jordan (1978–1981) and to Egypt (1984–1986).
Otis was well-known for his choice to live his professional and personal life as a member of the African-American community.[5][6][7] He has written, "As a kid I decided that if our society dictated that one had to be black or white, I would be black."[8]
He was the father of musician Shuggie Otis.

]Music career

After playing drums in a variety of swing orchestras, including Lloyd Hunter's Serenaders,[9] and Harlan Leonard's Rockets,[10] he founded his own band in 1945 and had one of the most enduring hits of the big band era, "Harlem Nocturne". This band played with Wynonie Harris and Charles Brown. In 1947, he and Bardu Ali opened the Barrelhouse Club in the Watts district of Los Angeles, California. He reduced the size of his band and hired singers Mel Walker, Little Esther Phillips and the Robins (who later became the Coasters). He discovered the teenaged Phillips when she won one of the Barrelhouse Club's talent shows. With this band, which toured extensively throughout the United States as the California Rhythm and Blues Caravan, he had a long string of rhythm and blues hits through 1950.
In the late 1940s, he discovered Big Jay McNeely, who then performed on his "Barrelhouse Stomp". He began recording for the Newark, New Jersey-based Savoy label in 1949,[10] and began releasing a stream of records that made the R&B chart, including "Double Crossing Blues", "Mistrustin' Blues" and "Cupid Boogie", which all featured either Little Esther or Mel Walker, or both, and all reached no. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart.[11] He also began featuring himself on vibraphone on many of his recordings.[10]
He moved to the Mercury label in 1951, but his chart success began to diminish. However, he discovered Etta James, for whom he produced her first hit, "Roll With Me, Henry" (also known as "The Wallflower"). Otis produced the original recording of "Hound Dog" written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller with vocal by Big Mama Thornton, and was given a writing credit on all six of the 1953 releases of the song. He was a successful songwriter; one of his most famous compositions is "Every Beat of My Heart", first recorded by The Royals in the 1952[12][13] but which became a hit for Gladys Knight and the Pips in 1961. As an artist and repertory man for King Records he also discovered Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard, and Little Willie John, among others.[10] He also became an influential disc-jockey in Los Angeles.[14]
After starting his own label, Dig, in 1955, he continued to perform and appeared on regular TV shows in Los Angeles from 1957. On the strength of their success, he signed to Capitol Records. Featuring singer Marie Adams, and with his band now being credited as the Johnny Otis Show, he made a comeback, at first in the British charts with "Ma He's Making Eyes At Me" in 1957.[15] In April 1958, he recorded his best-known recording, "Willie and the Hand Jive", which relates to hand and arm motions in time with the music, called the hand jive. This went on to be a hit in the summer of 1958, peaking at #9 on the U.S. Pop chart, and becoming Otis' only Top 10 single. The song was covered by Eric Clapton in 1974, and became a staple of his live repertoire. Otis' success with the song was short-lived, and he briefly moved to King Records in 1961, where he backed Johnny "Guitar" Watson on some recordings.[10]
In 1969 he recorded an album of sexually explicit material under the name Snatch and the Poontangs.[16] In 1970 he played at the legendary Monterey Jazz Festival with Little Esther Phillips and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. In the 1980s he had a weekly radio show in Los Angeles, playing R&B music,[17] and also recorded with his son Shuggie Otis, releasing the 1982 album The New Johnny Otis Show.[10]
Otis continued performing through the 1990s and headlined the San Francisco Blues Festival in 1990 and 2000, although because of his many other interests he went through long periods where he did not perform. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 as a nonperformer for his work as a songwriter and producer.[18]

Other work

In the 1960s, he entered journalism and politics, losing a campaign for a seat in the California State Assembly (one reason for the loss may be that he ran under his much less well known real name). He then became chief of staff for Democratic Congressman Mervyn M. Dymally.[19] He was also was the pastor of Landmark Community Church.
In the 1990s, Otis bought a farm near Sebastopol, California, north of San Francisco. For a time he ran a coffee shop/grocery store/blues club, where one of the featured singers was the Georgia-born singer Jackie Payne. Around this time Otis also founded and pastored a new church, Landmark Community Gospel Church, which held weekly rehearsals in the tiny town of Forestville, California, and Sunday services in Santa Rosa, California. Landmark's worship services centered on Otis' preaching and the traditional-style performances of a gospel choir and a male gospel quartet, backed by a rocking band that featured Otis' son Nicky Otis and Shuggie's son, Lucky Otis. The church closed its doors in the mid-1990s.[citation needed]
Otis hosted a radio show on KPFA, The Johnny Otis Show. This show was aired every Saturday morning, live from the Powerhouse Brewery in Sebastopol. Listeners were invited to stop in for breakfast and enjoy the show live. Due to declining health, as well as his relocation to Los Angeles, his participation in the show decreased. The show last aired on August 19, 2006.[citation needed]
He died on January 17, 2012.[2]

Discography

]Chart singles
Year Single Artists Chart Positions
US Pop[20] US
R&B[11] UK[21]
1948 "That's Your Last Boogie" Joe Swift with Johnny Otis & His Orchestra - 10 -
1950 "Double Crossing Blues" Johnny Otis Quintette, The Robins and Little Esther - 1 -
"Mistrustin' Blues" /
"Misery" Little Esther with Mel Walker and the Johnny Otis Orchestra
Little Esther with the Johnny Otis Orchestra -
- 1
9 -
-
"Cry Baby" The Johnny Otis Orchesta, Mel Walker and the Bluenotes - 6 -
"Cupid Boogie" The Johnny Otis Orchesta, Little Esther and Mel Walker - 1 -
"Deceivin' Blues" Little Esther and Mel Walker with the Johnny Otis Orchestra - 4 -
"Dreamin' Blues" Mel Walker with the Johnny Otis Orchestra - 8 -
"Wedding Boogie" /
"Far Away Blues (Xmas Blues)" Johnny Otis' Congregation: Little Esther, Mel Walker, Lee Graves
The Johnnie Otis Orchestra with Little Esther and Mel Walker -
- 6
6 -
-
"Rockin' Blues" The Johnny Otis Orchestra with Mel Walker - 2 -
1951 "Gee Baby" /
"Mambo Boogie" The Johnny Otis Orchestra -
- 2
4 -
-
"All Nite Long" The Johnny Otis Orchestra - 6 -
1952 "Sunset To Dawn" Mel Walker with the Johnny Otis Orchestra - 10 -
"Call Operator 210" Johnny Otis and His Orchestra featuring Mel Walker - 4 -
1957 "Ma He's Making Eyes At Me" Johnny Otis and His Orchestra with Marie Adams and The Three Tons of Joy - - 2
1958 "Bye Bye Baby" The Johnny Otis Show, vocals by Marie Adams and Johnny Otis - - 20
"Willie and the Hand Jive" The Johnny Otis Show 9 1 -
"Crazy Country Hop" The Johnny Otis Show 87 - -
1959 "Castin' My Spell"
The Johnny Otis Show 52 - -
1960 "Mumblin' Mosie"
The Johnny Otis Show 80 - -
1969 "Country Girl" The Johnny Otis Show - 29 -
]References

^ a b c "California Birth Index, 1905-1995 - online database on-line". United States: The Generations Network. 2005. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
^ a b Lewis, Randy. "Johnny Otis obituary: R&B singer, drummer, bandleader dies at 90". latimes.com. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
^ "Johnny Otis". www.history-of-rock.com. Retrieved 2008-07-01.
^ "Fifteenth Census of the United States (1930) [database on-line, Berkeley (Health District 2), Alameda County, California, Enumeration District: 1-280, Page: 16A, Lines: 1-6, household of Alex J. Veliotes"]. United States: The Generations Network. 1930-04-10. Retrieved 2009-11-23.
^ Dahl, Bill. "Johnny Otis". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation.
^ "Johnny Otis" entry at Soulbot.com"
^ Powers, Ann (2007-03-27). "Will the real Stone rise up?". Los Angeles Times.
^ Johnny Otis, with preface by George Lipsitz (1968). Listen to the Lambs, p. xiii. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-0-8166-6531-0.
^ Perry, J.J. (1998) "Johnny Otis: Pioneering Rhythm and Blues Legend", Bloomington, Indiana Herald-Times (10/23/1998). Retrieved 7/4/2007.
^ a b c d e f Bill Dahl, Biography of Johnny Otis at Allmusic.com. Accessed 19 January 2012
^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. 336.
^ "Ask 'Mr. Music' Jerry Osborne: For the week of March 26, 2007". Mr. Music. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
^ "Hank Ballard". Soulful Kinda Music. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
^ Honkers And Shouters. The Golden Years Of Rhythm And Blues. Crowell-Collier Press, New York, 1978, p. 160
^ J. C. Marion, My Search Is Over - Marie Adams, 2002. Accessed 19 January 2012
^ Richie Unterberger, Snatch and the Poontangs, Allmusic.com
^ Kiersh, Ed (August 1985). "Ike's Story". Spin 1 (4): 36–43. doi:August 2005. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
^ "Johnny Otis: inducted in 1994". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
^ Otis, Johnny (1993). Upside Your Head!. Wesleyan University Press. p. xxviii. ISBN 0819562874.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc.. p. 529. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 577. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
[edit]External links

Official website
Johnny Otis at Allmusic
JohnnyOtis.com

The Rolling Stones - Sister Morphine

2012-01-21T08:17:00.000-08:00

Maybe the most psychedlic song of Rolling Stones in a slow tempo bluesy way. This taste is coming up by the slide guitar of a young man, then, who contributed to the song. His name Ry Cooder.

The song is among the other hits of the band's masterpiece "Sticky fingers"

Here is another version sang by the "Lady" Marianne Faithful

THE LYRICS
(m. jagger/k. richards/m. faithfull)

Here I lie in my hospital bed
Tell me, sister morphine, when are you coming round again?
Oh, I don't think I can wait that long
Oh, you see that Im not that strong

The scream of the ambulance is sounding in my ears
Tell me, sister morphine, how long have I been lying here?
What am I doing in this place?
Why does the doctor have no face?

Oh, I can't crawl across the floor
Ah, can't you see, sister morphine, Im trying to score

Well it just goes to show
Things are not what they seem
Please, sister morphine, turn my nightmares into dreams
Oh, can't you see Im fading fast?
And that this shot will be my last

Sweet cousin cocaine, lay your cool cool hand on my head
Ah, come on, sister morphine, you better make up my bed
Cause you know and I know in the morning I'll be dead
Yeah, and you can sit around, yeah and you can watch all the
Clean white sheets stained red.

Stelios Vamvakaris-The rebetiko and blues connection

2012-01-13T09:24:00.001-08:00

J.J.CALE - Friday

2012-01-13T03:18:00.000-08:00

Pink Floyd - Live at Pompeii-Echoes Part 2

2012-01-06T15:10:00.000-08:00

Pink Floyd - Echoes Part 1 (Live At Pompeii)

2012-01-06T15:02:00.000-08:00

Pink Floyd - Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun

2012-01-06T14:38:00.000-08:00

Nico

2012-01-05T06:44:00.000-08:00

Nico (born Christa Päffgen, 16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988)^[1] was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s. She is known for both her vocal collaboration on The Velvet Underground's debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967), and her work as a solo artist from the late 1960s through the early 1980s. She also had roles in several films, including a cameo in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960) and Andy Warhol's Chelsea Girls (1966), as herself.
She was related to Hermann Päffgen, who founded the Päffgen brewery in 1883 in Cologne. Nico died in July 1988, as a result of injuries sustained in a bicycling accident while vacationing in Ibiza with her son.^[1]

Early life

Nico was born Christa Päffgen in Cologne, five years after the the Nazis came to power in Germany. When she was two years old, she moved with her mother and grandfather to the Spreewald forest outside of Berlin. Her father was enlisted as a soldier during the war, and sustained head injuries that caused severe brain damage; he was later used in experiments by Nazi doctors in a concentration camp where he eventually died.^[2]^[3] In 1946, Nico and her mother relocated to downtown Berlin, where Nico worked as a seamstress. She attended school up until the age 13, and then began selling lingerie and eventually getting modeling jobs in Berlin.^[3] Standing at five feet, ten inches tall and with chiseled features and porcelain skin, Nico rose to prominence as a fashion model as a teenager.
Her adopted name, 'Nico', which she used for most of her life, was given to her by photographer Herbert Tobias,^[4] who was photographing her on a modeling job. He named her this after his ex-boyfriend, filmmaker Nikos Papatakis. She soon moved to Paris and began working for Vogue, Tempo, Vie Nuove, Mascotte Spettacolo, Camera, Elle, and other fashion magazines. At age 17, she was contracted by Coco Chanel to promote their products, but she fled to New York City and abandoned the job.^[2] Through her travels, she learned to speak English, Spanish, and French.

Career

Acting and modeling

After appearing in several television advertisements, Nico got a small role in Alberto Lattuada's film La Tempesta (1958). She also appeared in Rudolph Maté's For the First Time, with Mario Lanza, later that year.
In 1959 she was invited to the set of Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita, where she attracted the attention of the acclaimed director, who gave her a minor role in the film as herself. By this time, she was living in New York and taking acting classes with Lee Strasberg.^[3]

Nico in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita.

She appears as the cover model on jazz pianist Bill Evans' 1962 album, Moon Beams.^[5] After splitting her time between New York and Paris, she got the lead role in Jacques Poitrenaud's Strip-Tease (1963). She recorded the title track, which was written by Serge Gainsbourg but not released until 2001, when it was included in the compilation Le Cinéma de Serge Gainsbourg.
In 1962 Nico gave birth to her son, Christian Aaron "Ari" Päffgen, commonly held to have been fathered by French actor Alain Delon.^[6] Delon always denied his paternity. The child was raised mostly by Delon's mother and her husband and eventually was adopted by them, taking their surname, Boulogne.^[7]

[edit] Music career

In 1965 Nico met Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones and recorded her first single, "I'm Not Sayin'"/"The Last Mile", produced by Jimmy Page for Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label. Actor Ben Carruthers introduced her to Bob Dylan in Paris that summer. Dylan wrote the song "I'll Keep It with Mine" for her shortly thereafter, which she recorded for her first album, Chelsea Girl, in 1967.^[1]
After being introduced by Brian Jones, she began working in New York with Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey on their experimental films, including Chelsea Girls, The Closet, Sunset and Imitation of Christ.

] The Velvet Underground & Nico

Nico performing Exploding Plastic Inevitable in Ann Arbor.

When Warhol began managing The Velvet Underground he proposed that the group take on Nico as a "chanteuse." They consented reluctantly, for both personal and musical reasons.^[8]^[9] The group became the centerpiece of Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable, a multimedia performance featuring music, light, film and dance. Nico sang lead vocals on three songs ("Femme Fatale", "All Tomorrow's Parties", "I'll Be Your Mirror") and backing vocal on "Sunday Morning", on the band's debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967).^[10] The album went on to become one of the most legendary rock albums of all time, and ranked in at #13 on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,^[11] though it was poorly received at the time of its release.

[edit] Solo career

Chelsea Girl and The Marble Index

Immediately following her musical work with the Velvet Underground, Nico began work as a solo artist. For her debut album, 1967's Chelsea Girl, she recorded songs by Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin and Jackson Browne, among others. Velvet Underground members Lou Reed, John Cale and Sterling Morrison contributed to the album, with Nico, Reed and Cale co-writing one song, "It Was a Pleasure Then."^[12] Chelsea Girl is a traditional chamber-folk album, which influenced artists such as Leonard Cohen,^{[citation needed]} with strings and flute arrangements by producer Tom Wilson. Nico was not satisfied with the album and had little say in production matters. In retrospect, Nico said in 1981:

"I still cannot listen to it, because everything I wanted for that record, they took it away. I asked for drums, they said no. I asked for more guitars, they said no. And I asked for simplicity, and they covered it in flutes! [...] They added strings, and— I didn't like them, but I could live with them. But the flute! The first time I heard the album, I cried and it was all because of the flute."^[13]

For The Marble Index, released in 1969, Nico wrote the lyrics and music. Accompaniment mainly centered around Nico's harmonium, while John Cale added an array of folk and classical instruments, and arranged the album. The harmonium became her signature instrument for the rest of her career. The album has a classical-cum-European folk sound.

Desertshore and The End

Nico released two more solo albums in the 1970s, Desertshore and The End.... Nico wrote the music, sang, and played the harmonium. Cale produced and played most of the other instruments on both albums. The End... featured Brian Eno on synthesizer. She appeared at the Rainbow Theatre, in London, with Cale, Eno, and Kevin Ayers. The album June 1, 1974 was the result of this concert. Nico performed a version of the Doors' "The End", which was the catalyst for The End... later that year.
On 13 December 1974, Nico opened for Tangerine Dream's infamous concert at Reims Cathedral in Reims, France. The promoter had so greatly oversold tickets for the show that members of the audience couldn't move or reach the outside, eventually resulting in some fans urinating inside the cathedral hall.^[14] The Roman Catholic Church denounced these actions, ordered the rededication of the cathedral and banned future performances on church property.
Nico and Island Records allegedly had many disputes during this time, and in 1975 the label dropped her from their roster.
She made a vocal contribution in Neuronium second album, Vuelo Químico as she was at the studio, by chance, while it was being recorded in Barcelona in 1978. She read excerpts from Ulalume poem by Edgar Allan Poe, for musical background of the main theme of this recording. She said that was deeply moved by the music, so she couldn't help to make a contribution.

Drama of Exile and final album

Nico returned to New York in late 1979 where her comeback concert at CBGB in early 1980 was glowingly reviewed in The New York Times. She began playing regularly at the Mudd Club and other venues with Jim Tisdall accompanying her on harp and Gittler guitar. They played together on a sold-out tour of twelve cities in the East and Midwest.
Nico recorded her next studio album, Drama of Exile, in 1981.^[1] It was a departure from her earlier work with John Cale, featuring a mixture of rock and Middle Eastern arrangements. She recorded her final solo album, Camera Obscura, in 1985, with The Faction (James Young and Graham Dids). Produced by John Cale, it featured Nico's version of the Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart song "My Funny Valentine".
A number of Nico's performances towards the end of her life were recorded and released, including 1982's Heroine, Live In Tokyo, and her final concert, Fata Morgana, recorded on 6 June 1988. The double live album Behind the Iron Curtain was recorded during a tour of Eastern Europe, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, and made from recordings of concerts in Warsaw, Prague, Budapest and other cities, and was released before her death in 1988.
A duet called "Your Kisses Burn" with singer Marc Almond was her last recorded song (about a month before her death). It was released a few months after her death on Almond's album "The Stars We Are".

Philippe Garrel films

Between 1970 and 1979, Nico made about seven films with French director Philippe Garrel. She met Garrel in 1969 and contributed the song "The Falconer" to his film Le Lit de la Vierge. Soon after, she was living with Garrel and became a central figure in his cinematic and personal circles. Nico's first acting appearance with Garrel occurred in his 1972 film, La Cicatrice Intérieure. Nico also supplied the music for this film and collaborated closely with the director. She also appeared in the Garrel films Anathor (1972); the silent Jean Seberg biopic, Les Hautes Solitudes, released in 1974; Un ange passe (1975); Le Berceau de cristal (1976), starring Pierre Clémenti, Nico and Anita Pallenberg; and Voyage au jardin des morts (1978). His 1991 film J'entends Plus la Guitare is dedicated to Nico.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Personal life

Nico's grave in Berlin

Nico saw herself as part of a tradition of bohemian artists, which she traced back to the Romanticism of the early 19th century. She led a nomadic life, living in different countries. Apart from Germany, where she grew up, and Ibiza, where she died, Nico lived in Italy and France in the 1950s, spent most of the 1960s in the US, and lived in London in the early 1960s and again later in the 1980s, when she lived intermittently between London and Manchester.
Nico was a heroin addict for over 15 years. In the book Songs They Never Play on the Radio, James Young, a member of her band in the 1980s, recalls many examples of her troubling behaviour due to her "overwhelming" addiction – and also that Nico claimed to have never taken the drug whilst with the Velvets/Factory scene but only began using during her 1970s relationship with Philippe Garrel. Shortly before her death, Nico stopped taking heroin and began methadone replacement therapy while also embarking upon a regimen of bicycle exercise and healthy eating.
Despite her musical talents and singing, she was deaf in one ear, which made it difficult for her to understand what others were saying.^[15] She was also a vegetarian, as well as a self-proclaimed nihilist.^[16]

Death

On 18 July 1988, while on holiday with her son on the Spanish island of Ibiza, Nico had a minor heart attack while riding a bicycle and hit her head as she fell. A passing taxi driver found her unconscious and had difficulty getting her admitted to local hospitals. She was incorrectly diagnosed as suffering from heat-exposure and died at eight o'clock that evening. X-rays later revealed a severe cerebral hemorrhage as the cause of death.^[3]
Nico was buried in her mother's plot in Grunewald Forest Cemetery in Berlin. A few friends played a tape of "Mütterlein", a song from Desertshore, at her funeral.

Legacy

Nico has influenced many musicians, including Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Stevie Nicks, Patti Smith, Morrissey, Björk, Coil, Jocelyn Pook, Fabienne Shine (who covered "All Tomorrow's Parties"), Dead Can Dance, Marcus Reeves as well as numerous contemporary goth bands.^{[citation needed]} Kevin Ayers painted a withering and beautiful portrait of Nico in "Decadence" (the centerpiece of his Bananamour album in 1973) Late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith cited her as a major inspiration and was said to have listened to The Marble Index for months. Smith performed covers of some of her songs – most notably "Chelsea Girls" and "These Days", both of which he performed live at Satyricon in Portland, Oregon in October 1999. Two of her songs from Chelsea Girl, "The Fairest of the Seasons" and "These Days", both written by Jackson Browne, are featured in Wes Anderson's film The Royal Tenenbaums. Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon named his daughter 'Nico Blue' partly after Nico. Blind Melon's album Nico was released after Hoon's death.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a movie written by John Cameron Mitchell, mentions Nico as an influential artist in its song, "Midnight Radio". The song is written by Stephen Trask. Icelandic singer Björk opened concerts on her 1995–1997 Post tour with "Le Petit Chevalier" from Desertshore. The Cult recorded the song "Nico", which celebrates the life of the singer, on their 2001 album Beyond Good And Evil. For her 2002 album, Kissin' Time, Marianne Faithfull recorded "Song for Nico", cowritten with Dave Stewart. Los Angeles band The Warlocks recorded a different song, also entitled "Song for Nico" on their 2003 album, "Rise and Fall".
Nico was portrayed by Christina Fulton in the 1991 biopic The Doors. She was later portrayed by Meredith Ostrom in the 2006 film, Factory Girl, which chronicles the life of fellow "Warhol Superstar", Edie Sedgwick. Soap & Skin portrayed Nico in the theatre play Nico - Sphinx aus Eis in 2008, written by Werner Fritsch. In the play, Nico was portrayed by several actors. Soap & Skin also recorded her song "Janitor of Lunacy". Natasha Khan (Bat for Lashes) has quoted Nico as an influence in particular Desertshore (The opening song on her first album, Fur and Gold, uses the name of the album in its lyrics). During 2007 she would start concerts with "Le Petit Chevalier" from that record.^[17]
Singer-songwriter Patrick Wolf has been influenced by Nico, and released cover versions of "Afraid" and "Ari's Song" as b-sides on EPs. Rock band Anberlin named one of their songs after her: "Dance, Dance Christa Päffgen" on their album "Never Take Friendship Personal". The song also makes reference to her death, and her drug use. Austin based band Shearwater dedicated their album Palo Santo to the memory of Nico. The opening song ("La Dame Et La Licorne") depicts Nico's death at Ibiza, Spain. Windsor for the Derby, another Austin-based band, released an instrumental track in 2000 on their Young God Release "Difference and Repetition." A live version of the song can be found on a limited edition 7-inch.
Low, an American indie rock group from Duluth, Minnesota, has a song titled "Those Girls (Song For Nico)". It is included on the box set A Lifetime of Temporary Relief: 10 Years of B-Sides and Rarities, released in 2004.^[18]^[19]
Two Nico tribute concerts took place in Europe in the autumn of 2008 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Nico's birth and the 20th anniversary of her death. On 11 October 2008, John Cale, James Dean Bradfield (of the Manic Street Preachers), Fyfe Dangerfield of the Guillemots and others appeared on stage at the Royal Festival Hall in London. On 17 October 2008 at the Volksbuehne in Berlin, Nico's ex-boyfriend Lutz Ulbrich presented another tribute concert, which featured Marianne Rosenberg, Soap & Skin, Marianne Enzensberger and James Young, the keyboardist from The Faction, Nico's last band. Nico's son, Ari Boulogne (sometimes called Ari Päffgen), made a brief appearance on stage at the close.
The poetry collection Father Silicon (The Poet's Press, 2006) by American poet Joel Allegretti contains "Poem for Nico," which first appeared in the magazine Art/Life Limited Editions.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Title
1967	The Velvet Underground & Nico (United States #171, UK #59, IRL #56, IT #76)
1967	Chelsea Girl
1969	The Marble Index
1970	Desertshore
1974	The End...
1981	Drama of Exile (released in two versions)
1985	Camera Obscura (with the Faction)

Αν και δεν απέκτησε ποτέ τη φήμη και τη δόξα συναδέλφων της όπως ο David Bowie ή ο Iggy Pop, για πολλούς η Νico ανήκει σε αυτούς που σημάδεψαν ανεξίτηλα τα πρώτα βήματα του ροκ την δεκαετία του '60. Η ομορφιά και το στιλ της ενέπνευσαν τον Άντι Γουόρχολ. Η ζωή της σημαδεύτηκε από τον εθισμό της στην ηρωίνη και τελείωσε τραγικά, σαν σήμερα, έτσι όπως και έζησε.

Η Christa Paffgen, όπως ήταν το πραγματικό της όνομα, γεννήθηκε το 1938 στη Δυτική Γερμανία. Αρχικά ασχολήθηκε με τη μόδα, όντας ένα από τα κορυφαία μοντέλα της εποχής εκείνης. Μετά τη συμμετοχή της σε αρκετές τηλεοπτικές διαφημίσεις, η Nico έλαβε μέρος και σε ταινίες της εποχής, σε μικρούς ρόλους. Μεταξύ άλλων, συμμετείχε στην ταινία «Dolce Vita» του Φεντερίκο Φελίνι.

Από τις σελίδες των μεγαλύτερων περιοδικών μόδας όπως η Vogue, σύντομα μεταπήδησε στις θολές rock & roll νύχτες του Andy Warhol και των Velvet Underground. Από εκείνη τη στιγμή αρχίζει και η σταδιοδρομία της στην μουσική. Συνεργάζεται με τους Velvet Underground στον πρώτο δίσκο της μπάντας το 1967, με τίτλο «The Velvet Underground & Nico». Το 1969 κάνει τα πρώτα σόλο βήματα της στην μουσική με τον δίσκο «Chealsea Girl». Παραγωγός, ο διάσημος John Cale. Ακολουθούν και άλλα άλμπουμ, όπως το «Marble Index», το «Desert Shore», και το τελευταίο «The End». Τελευταίοι της δίσκοι οι «Drama of Exile» και «Camera Obscura».
Αν και δεν απέκτησε ποτέ τη φήμη και τη δόξα συναδέλφων της όπως ο David Bowie ή ο Iggy Pop, για πολλούς η Νico ανήκει σε αυτούς που σημάδεψαν ανεξίτηλα τα πρώτα βήματα του ροκ την δεκαετία του '60. Η ομορφιά και το στιλ της ενέπνευσαν τον Άντι Γουόρχολ. Η ζωή της σημαδεύτηκε από τον εθισμό της στην ηρωίνη και τελείωσε τραγικά, σαν σήμερα, έτσι όπως και έζησε.

Η Christa Paffgen, όπως ήταν το πραγματικό της όνομα, γεννήθηκε το 1938 στη Δυτική Γερμανία. Αρχικά ασχολήθηκε με τη μόδα, όντας ένα από τα κορυφαία μοντέλα της εποχής εκείνης. Μετά τη συμμετοχή της σε αρκετές τηλεοπτικές διαφημίσεις, η Nico έλαβε μέρος και σε ταινίες της εποχής, σε μικρούς ρόλους. Μεταξύ άλλων, συμμετείχε στην ταινία «Dolce Vita» του Φεντερίκο Φελίνι.

Από τις σελίδες των μεγαλύτερων περιοδικών μόδας όπως η Vogue, σύντομα μεταπήδησε στις θολές rock & roll νύχτες του Andy Warhol και των Velvet Underground. Από εκείνη τη στιγμή αρχίζει και η σταδιοδρομία της στην μουσική. Συνεργάζεται με τους Velvet Underground στον πρώτο δίσκο της μπάντας το 1967, με τίτλο «The Velvet Underground & Nico». Το 1969 κάνει τα πρώτα σόλο βήματα της στην μουσική με τον δίσκο «Chealsea Girl». Παραγωγός, ο διάσημος John Cale. Ακολουθούν και άλλα άλμπουμ, όπως το «Marble Index», το «Desert Shore», και το τελευταίο «The End». Τελευταίοι της δίσκοι οι «Drama of Exile» και «Camera Obscura».

Η Νico δεν γνώρισε την επιτυχία που γνώρισαν άλλοι του είδους της. Όσο ήταν εν ζωή δεν είχε ποτέ την δόξα του Iggy Pop ή του David Bowie ή άλλων ροκ καλλιτεχνών του '60. Κι αυτό γιατί ίσως γιατί οι δίσκοι της δεν είχαν εμπορική επιτυχία. Παρόλα αυτά η Nico αποτέλεσε μια ιδιαίτερη και σπουδαία καλλιτέχνη, μούσα του rock&roll και της folk rock.

Η Nico, τόσο με τη μουσική όσο και με τη goth απόκοσμη ερμηνεία της, έχει επηρεάσει πολλούς μουσικούς, συμπεριλαμβανομένων των Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Stevie Nicks, Patti Smith, Morrissey, Björk, Dead Can Dance, Marcus Reeves καθώς και πολυάριθμες σύγχρονες goth μπάντες.

Η ίδια ζούσε τη ζωή της αυτοκαταστροφικά όπως ήταν και ο χαρακτήρας της. Εθισμένη για πολλά χρόνια στην ηρωίνη, ζούσε τον εφιάλτη των ναρκωτικών μέχρι και τα τελευταία χρόνια της ζωή της, όταν κατάφερε με την χρήση μεθαδόνης να συνέλθει και να αρχίσει την υγιεινή διατροφή και την γυμναστική.

Πέθανε μια καλοκαιριάτικη μέρα του Ιουλίου του 1988 μετά από ένα καρδιακό επεισόδιο την ώρα που έκανε ποδήλατο.
TVXS

Patti Smith-Dancing Barefoot

2011-12-31T10:51:00.000-08:00

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2011

Dancing Barefoot is the full and true story of Patti Smith, widely acknowledged as one of the most significant American artists of the rock ’n’ roll era, a performer whose audience and appeal reach far beyond the parameters of rock.

An acclaimed poet, a respected artist, and a figurehead for many liberal political causes, Patti Smith soared from an ugly-duckling childhood in postwar New Jersey to become queen of the New York arts scene in the 1970s. This book traces the brilliant trajectory of her career, including the fifteen reclusive years she spent in Detroit in the 1980s and ’90s, as well as her triumphant return to New York. But it is primarily the story of a performer growing up in New York City in the early and mid-1970s.

Dancing Barefoot is a measured, accurate, and enthusiastic account of Smith’s career. Guided by interviews with those who have known her—including Ivan Kral, Tom Verlaine, Richard Lloyd, John Cale, and Jim Carroll—it relies most of all on Patti’s own words. This is Patti’s story, told as she might have seen it, had she been on the outside looking in.

Σπαγγετέρια - Β. Παπακωνσταντίνου, Ν. Άσιμος

2011-12-31T09:08:00.000-08:00

SAVOY BROWN - Tolling Bells

2011-12-21T14:13:00.000-08:00

Persian Funk-Various Artists (V.A)

2011-12-18T14:06:00.000-08:00

Persian Funk

It seems hard for most westerners to imagine today, but in the middle part of last century, the Iranian government was very supportive of the western way of life. In addition to pushing for women’s right to vote, the Shah and his organization encouraged art, music, and film in Iranian society. The Ministry of Culture founded Ahang Rooz, a record label featuring the biggest acts in the country. Over time, they launched additional imprints such as Caspian, Royal, Apollon, and Olympic.
The music that came out of this renaissance (’53-’79) was an incredible mix of rock, jazz, soul, funk, and indigenous music. The influence of American and British music was extremely present. In fact, some artists even covered songs (in English) by the Beatles, John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin, and more. Successful Iranian musicians were treated like America treats Hollywood A-listers.
In 1979 religious leaders throughout Iran grew angry with what they perceived to be the Shah’s attempt to wipe out Islam from their country. This sparked the Iranian revolution that put the anti-western Ayatollah Kohmeini in power. Once in power, Kohmeini eliminated the Iranian record business. He saw it as being riddled with western influence and a threat to his regime’s power. They burned most of the country’s recording studios and rid the country of its popular musicians. Most were exiled from Iran while others were put on house arrest.
Finally, 40 years later, some of the long lost popular music of Iran is beginning to resurface. Secret Stash Records is extremely proud to announce this release that focuses exclusively on Funk and Soul tunes recorded in Iran during the 70s. These tracks have been hand selected after hundreds of hours of digging and searching through almost forgotten archives. They are a mix of instrumental, Farsi vocal, and English cover songs. This record is packed full of deep grooves, killer breaks, and high energy, all with a healthy dose of Persian influence. Each LP comes with a free digital download of the entire album and is packaged in a re-sealable dust bag.

thanks to
www.granazi.blogspot.com

ModePlagal-Μαυρα μου Χελιδονια

2011-12-10T04:22:00.000-08:00

Herbie Mann - Yardbird Suite (1957)

2011-12-09T06:13:00.000-08:00

Yardbird suite

Herbie Mann - Yardbird Suite [Jazz][flac][h33t][schon55]

Herbie Mann - Yardbird Suite
Year: 1957 (Savoy)
Label: Denon (Digital Remastering, 1992)
Total time: 34:16
Bitrate: flac

Recorded in the great year of music and especially jazz -- 1957 -- Herbie Mann at the time was gaining momentum as a premier flute player, but was a very competent tenor saxophonist. Teamed here with the great alto saxophonist Phil Woods and criminally underrated vibraphonist Eddie Costa, Mann has found partners whose immense abilities and urbane mannerisms heighten his flights of fancy by leaps and bounds. Add to the mix the quite literate and intuitive guitarist Joe Puma, and you have the makings of an emotive, thoroughly professional ensemble. The legendary bass player Wilbur Ware, who in 1957 was shaking things up with the piano-less trio of Sonny Rollins and the group of Thelonious Monk, further enhances this grouping of virtuosos on the first two selections. Ware spins thick, sinuous cables of galvanized steel during the Mann penned swinger "Green Stamp Monsta!" with the front liners trading alert phrases, and into his down-home Chicago persona, strokes sly, sneaky blues outlines surrounding Mann's tenor and the alto of Woods in a lengthy jam "World Wide Boots." Bassist Wendell Marshall and drummer Bobby Donaldson step in for the other six selections, with three originals by Puma set aside from the rest. "One for Tubby" (for Brit Tubby Hayes) has Mann's flute in a gentle tone as Woods and Costa chirp away while keeping the melody going. The midtempo bopper "Who Knew?" (P.S.; the phrase was coined long ago before its contemporary hipness) is shaded by Costa and deepened by the colorful saxes, and the excellent "Opicana," is a complex and dicey chart, showing the most inventive side of this group and Puma's fertile imagination. You also get the quintessential bop vehicle "Yardbird Suite" with the classic flute and vibes lead spurred on by the alto talkback of Woods. An early version of the enduring, neat and clean bop original "Squire's Parlor" from the book of Woods in inserted. Costa's "Here's That Mann," brims with swing and soul from the perfectly paired, harmonically balanced saxes, demonstrably delightful as the horns, especially the celebrated altoist, step up and out. This is not a complete reissue from the original Savoy LPs The Jazz We Heard Last Summer and Yardbird Suite. One wonders why more tracks could not be included as the CD clocks in at 50 1/2 minutes. As is, this is a solid document of all of the participants' burgeoning skills, and increasing cache as modern jazz masters. ~ Michael G. Nastos, AMG

Personnel:
Herbie Mann (Flute and Tenor Saxophone)
Phil Woods (Alto Saxophone)
Eddie Costa (Piano and Vibes)
Joe Puma (Guitar)
Wendell Marshall (Double Bass)
Bobby Donaldson (Drums)

Herbie Mann - Yardbird Suite tracks:
1. Yardbird Suite (Charlie Parker) 5:57
2. Here's That Mann (Eddie Costa) 4:27
3. One For Tubby (Joe Puma) 6:10
4. Squire's Parlor (Phil Woods) 4:54
5. Who Knew (Joe Puma) 7:17
6. Opicana (Joe Puma) 5:27

Baumstrasse feat.Martha Frintzila and Vassilis Mantzoukis

2011-12-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

Baumstrasse

TRACK LIST

1. Καρδαμύλη στίχοι Β. Μαντζούκης 4:41
2. Ο Άγγελος στίχοι Μ. Φριντζήλα 2:23
3. Ο Κουτεντές στίχοι Μ. Φριντζήλα 3:11
4. Απόψε ποίηση Κ. Βραχνός 3:30
5. Ο Δαίμονας στίχοι Μ. Φριντζήλα 2:49
6. Celan ποίηση P.Celan / μτφ. Α. Τριφύλλης 4:08
7. Το Παιδί ποίηση Κ. Βραχνός 3:00
8. Ο Ερωτευμένος στίχοι Μ. Φριντζήλα 3:02
9. Κωδικός ‘Καρχαρίας’ ορχηστρικό 2:47
10. Λουκία Μαρτίνεθ ποίηση F. G. Lorca / μτφ. Ρ. Καπάτος 2:49
11. Ο Άνδρας μου στίχοι Μ. Φριντζήλα 3:52
12. Καστελλόριζο παραδοσιακό 4:29
13. Κλείνει ο Τόπος ποίηση Β. Μαντζούκης 3:51

14. bonus track Ο Αμφίβολος ποίηση Κ. Βραχνός
bonus video Adieu στίχοι Νικολέττα Φριντζήλα

ΜΠΑΟΥΜΣΤΡΑΣΣΕ

Στο βάθος του δρόμου
φωνάζουν τα δέντρα
Σας έμεινε ένας δρόμος σταχτής-
πού πηγαίνει;
Στο βάθος σάς ορμάνε τα πουλιά-
τι θα κάνετε;
Θα σφίξετε το χέρι της γυναίκας σας
και θα πάρετε τον δρόμο που φεύγει
στις εννιά.
Φαίνεστε από το βάθος
ιδίως τα βράδια.
Β. Μαντζούκης

c + p LIBRA MUSIC Ltd. 2007

Εδώ έχουμε να κάνουμε με κάτι πραγματικά ψαγμένο!!Ενα απαύγασμα κατ' αρχήν μουσικών με πολυποίκιλες επιρροές που ξεκινάνε από το δημοτικό τραγούδι, το ρεμπέτικο, και καταλήγει στην Βαλκανική fusion ethnic jazz.
Ο δίσκος είναι ένα must για αυτούς που θέλουν πραγματικα΄να ακούσουν κάτι με προσήλωση, και κατά μοναδικη΄μουσική εμπειρία, να κάνουν ένα ταξίδι εκπλήξεων και συνεχών εναλλαγών στα ατέλειωτα μουσικά μονοπάτια της νότιας Βαλκανικής . Ενα ταξίδι που όσο και πιό πολύ το κάνουμε τόσο πιό πολύ μας αρέσει .
Πάμε λοιπόν στο μονοπάτι του Baumstrasse ή αλλιώς στο δρόμο των δέντρων.

και τώρα ένα βιντεάκι των δημιουργών του έργου με την Μάρθα με τσιγάρο και καφέ να αποδίδει το adieu την εξάιρεση του κομματιού που παραπέμπει στην αξέχαστη Edith ...

Takis Barberis

2011-12-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

Takis Barberis is probably little known outside of his native Greece, which is a shame, because his music would have wide appeal if it were better known worldwide. Barberis sports incredible talent and amazing versatility, and is now among my three favorite jazz guitarist (along with John McLaughling and Pat Metheny). Most of his music is unmistakably influenced by the Indian Classical tradition, often with numerous Indian accompianists, including (on at least one album) TRILOK GURTU.

Album: Naiva (1998, Lyra ML 0661)
Personnel: Takis Barberis (guitar, synth, programming), George Polyhronakos (percussion), Yiorgos Georgiadis (bass), Manos Saridakis (keys), Shankar Lal (tabla), Reshma Srivastava Pizanis (sitar), Girish Chandra Srivastava (tabla), Asha Srivastava (tanpura), Petros Loucas Chalkias (clarinet), George Kontrafouris (piano), Takis Farazis (accordion), Takis Paterelis (sax)

Album: Episodes (1995, Lyra ML 0177)
Personnel: Takis Barberis (guitar, synth, programming), Takis Farazis (keys, accordion), Pandeus Benetatos (keys, programming), Takis Paterelis (sax), Yiannis Vassalos (bass), Costas Kalogirou (drums), Petros Kourits (percussion), Yiotos Kiourtsoglou (bass), Yiannis Papayiannis (oboe), Trilok Gurtu (percussion), Petros Loucas Chalkias (clarinet)

Album: Are you Happy? (1992, Lyra CD 4684)
Personnel: Takis Barberis (guitar), Takis Paterelis (sax), George Contrafuris (keys), Yannis Vasalos (bass), Costas Kalogirou (drums), George Delis (piano)

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