Vocalist/keyboardist BurtonCummings and guitarist RandyBachman led the Canadian band TheGuessWho to legend and lore by the late sixties. Personnel changes ensued, with Bachman leaving to form BTO, and Cummings pursued a solo career. The band, though, touched the skies during their heyday. Randy Bachman’s composing and guitar skills were instrumental. Cummings leaves a legacy as one of the greatest vocalists ever to walk the earth.
In closing…the development of the BTO hit You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet deserves a read. Here.
Eric was simply otherworldly in his approach, especially on bass clarinet and alto saxophone. A number of jazz titans held him near and dear, including CharlesMingus and JohnColtrane, with whom some of his most stunning work was achieved. No one sounds remotely like EricDolphy. In his improvisations, he could be intensely intimate and tender, or utterly explosive and groundbreaking, or both, often in rapid succession.
Upon hearing of Eric’s death, at 36, Mingus said: ” Usually, when a man dies, you rememberβor you say you rememberβonly the good things about him. With Eric, that’s all you could remember. I don’t remember any drags he did to anybody. The man was absolutely without a need to hurt.”
Dolphy’s shocking death came shortly before the release of his masterpiece Out to Lunch. He was supposedly very interested in playing in AlbertAyler’s group, and was even preparing to play with CecilTaylor.
Gifted with one of the most magnificent voices ever to be heard, Linda Ronstadt knew how to use it, as well. A vibrant performer with great presence, as is well-documented in the above vids. Can’t fault her material, either; she covered the likes of Emitt Rhodes, Warren Zevon, and Buddy Holly, to name just a few. A remarkable vocalist.
Noteworthy practitioners of drumming who also have pipes. Paper Lace with Philip Wright, Ozark Mountain Daredevils with Larry Lee, Jigsaw with Des Dyer, and of course Karen Carpenter, though she’s away from the set in this performance.
AC/DC has had a long reign, with many great moments. But, at their very best, they had perhaps the most charismatic front man/lead singer ever: Mr. Bon Scott.
The great Jackie Wilson gives two electric performances of Higher and Higher, circa 1974. His mindboggling gifts are on full display throughout; it’s as if time/space were suspended.
Transition.Spiritual.Liberia.Amen.Mr. P.C.Equinox.Bye Bye Blackbird. (Live, 1960, with Miles Davis)All Blues. (Live, 1960, Stockholm. w/Miles Davis)So What. (Stockholm, 1960)Out of This World. (Live in Seattle)Your Lady.
Saxophonist John Coltrane’s impossible power as an improviser simply cannot be described. He provided one of the high water marks in music history with his ground-and-everything-else-breaking work in the 1960’s.
Queen, featuring vocalist Freddie Mercury, and guitarist Brian May, with a live Youβre My Best Friend, performed in December of 1979 at the Hammersmith Odeon. This shows Mercury in top form vocally; a true maestro at work.
“Burton later claimed ill health, but those near him were positive the Welshman wept openly, clenched his fists in impotent rage, and frequently muttered uncomplimentary remarks whilst shaking with hysteria, losing his balance more than once.” -Thrustus Simmonds, noted author of “Titans of Britondom, and Such”.
Lastly, the rousing Keep Yourself Alive. Live, 1974, at The Rainbow. Truly uplifting, and the musicianship, as was typical from this band, occupied Upper-Echelon terrain. This band indeed changed lives.
