Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Tuesday This And That

re:  From the "Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction" Department:
Paul Kantner's passing on January 28th made headline news around the world. He was a founding member of The Jefferson Airplane ... but when the group first got together, they had a different female lead singer.  (Grace Slick, then with a band called The Great Society, wouldn't join The Airplane until their second album, "Surrealistic Pillow", which became a HUGE hit in 1967 thanks to the hit singles "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit", two songs Slick brought along with her from her days with The Great Society.)
The ORIGINAL female lead singer of The Jefferson Airplane was a girl by the name of Signe Anderson and, on the VERY SAME DAY as Kanter's passing, Signe Anderson died, too ... apparently without any fanfare whatsoever.
It's Signe's voice you hear on the group's first LP, "The Jefferson Airplane Takes Off" but after getting married and having a child, she found life on the road to be more than she could handle ... so after a series of shows here in Chicago in July of 1966, she informed Bill Graham that she was leaving the band.  Graham asked her to stay with the band through their October shows at Winterland in San Francisco to give the Airplane time to find a suitable replacement ...which is how Grace Slick came to join the Airplane.  (Signe's final appearance with The Jefferson Airplane was at The Fillmore on October 15th, 1967.  Slick joined them on stage for their very next show.)
Without question, Grace's addition pointed the band in a hit-making direction ... by 1967 everybody in America would know who they were ... and two years later they were one of the many acts performing at Woodstock.
Slick and Kantner eventually hooked up (but never married), producing a daughter named China ... and Grace was on hand to watch the band evolve from Jefferson Airplane to Jefferson Starship to simply Starship.  She announced her retirement in 1990 and has only made sporadic appearances since then.  (Her autobiography is a fascinating read, by the way.)

 The Original Jefferson Airplane - 
With Signe Anderson as Lead Female Vocalist
re:  This And That:
Thanks so much for mentioning the Goldmine Hall of Fame Induction. It was quite an honor. I am pleased and proud to be included on their list of performers.
Lou Christie
And we're very happy for you.  Congratulations again, Lou!  (kk)

Kent ...
I got my "Bobby Darin Sweatshirt" yesterday ... wearing it now.
Taking it to the Pub for tryout.
I have one rule when playing Bobby Darin in the Jukebox -- must play "Mack The Knife" every time.
After that, its a combination of Hits and Album Cuts.
Sometimes I follow "Mack" with "Hello Dolly" (same ending).
I'll be thinking of you when I play "Rainin'."
Frank B.

That Peter Noone / Micky Dolenz special interview CD we talked about on Sunday is now available for preorder in the UK ... just click on the link below to reserve your copy now.  (I definitely want a copy of this!!!  In fact, ALL of the 7A material is right up my alley, with special emphasis on unreleased Monkees-related material.  Check out their website to see the first official Bobby Hart solo album too!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01B51HK5A/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1453932549&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=peter+noone&dpPl=1&dpID=51W6Z4cVTAL&ref=plSrch

PBS / American Masters is putting together a special series profiling early rocker Fats Domino.  Word is that after the 1-hour television version airs (February 26th), it will be made available for home dvd along with a 90-minute director's cut featuring additional material.  (kk) 

PHILADELPHIA MUSIC ALLIANCE MOURNS THE LOSS OF ‘ONE OF OUR OWN,’
‘SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA’ MUSICIAN T.J. TINDALL
‘King of Soul’ Guitar Was Inducted Twice into The Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame as Member of both MFSB and the Salsoul Orchestra  

PHILADELPHIA (Jan. 27, 2016) — The Philadelphia Music Alliance is heartbroken to report the passing last night of guitarist Thomas Joshua “ T.J.” Tindall, who was inducted twice into the PMA’s Walk of Fame during 2013 ceremonies as a member of MFSB and the Salsoul Orchestra.  
“He was a vital member of MFSB’s famed rhythm section, which laid the foundation for the Sound of Philadelphia,” said PMA Board Chairman Alan Rubens. “You can hear his guitar on so many great hits out of Philadelphia from the ‘70s and ‘80s, from ‘Disco Inferno’ to ‘You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine.’ We truly lost one of our own.”   
Tindall played on over 30 gold and platinum hits produced by legendary “Sound of Philadelphia” architects Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff (Gamble & Huff) for artists such as the O’Jays, the Trammps, Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, the Intruders, and the Three Degrees. He also played and recorded with Bonnie Raitt, the Chambers Brothers, the Jacksons, Robert Palmer, the Temptations, and many others. Most recently, the Trenton, NJ, native was brought out of retirement to play and record with In the Pocket, the all-star Philly tribute collective led by drummer David Uosikkinen of platinum Philly recording artists The Hooters.   
“We just lost one of the greats,” said Uosikkinen. “He was the King of Soul Guitar, the northern version of Steve Cropper. No one played like TJ.”   
Tindall’s roots were in the well-regarded Trenton music scene of the 1970s, primarily as guitarist of local legends Duke Williams and the Extremes. Drummer Charles Collins, who played and toured with Tindall in both Duke Williams and the Extremes as well as MFSB and the Salsoul Orchestra, was shocked to hear of the loss of his musical “brother,” who he said “had a natural feel for the music.” Collins, now based in Texas, would always make a point to visit Tindall at the lighting shophe owned in Princeton “just to hang out” every time he returned to the area. 
“We definitely had a brotherhood,” said Collins. “With TJ, the glass was always half full, not half empty. He always had a smile, always had something positive to say. And if you were feeling sad, he could always say something to take you out of it,. When you spoke to TJ, you felt like you were the most important person in the room, because he listened thoroughly.”

re:  Helping Out Our Readers:
Last week we ran a request from a FH Reader looking for vintage video of the original Drifters from 1953 - 1964 when they lost Rudy Lewis.  (Still no responses to that one)

Today we received a request looking for a particular Eagles concert from 1977 ...

Hi Kent,
I was wondering if you know whether or not a home video was ever available of the fantastic Eagles concert from 1977 at the Capital Center in Washington? I've seen a number of videos from the show, each one a top notch performance. I have searched several site to no avail. I have the Hell Freezes Over and History of the Eagles DVDs, but would love to find that particular '77 concert. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
P.S., I found an excellent video of Glenn Frey singing Desperado with harmonies from two members of the Little River Band on a 1988 tour!
Thanks Kent!
Eddie,
Ashley, PA
That IS an especially nice video of Glenn Frey with The Little River Band ... I didn't even know that one existed so thanks for sharing.
I'm happy to put the word out ... I'm not aware of any specific commercially released video of this particular show ... but we've got some folks on the list who put these videos out for a living (and others who have quite extensive libraries of, shall we say, "collectible home-use" video as well ... so let's see if anything comes back.  Good luck, Eddie!  (kk)

And here's another place fans and collectors can pitch in and help out.

Eagle Rock Entertainment by way of Banger Films is putting together a ZZ Top documentary ... and they're reaching out to fans of the band for archival footage.  Read on below ... 

Banger Films Announce Upcoming Full-Length ZZ Top Documentary - Looks to Fans of the Band for Rare Visual Material 
January 28, 2016 - Toronto, ON, Banger Films, in association with Eagle Rock Entertainment, is set to produce the first-ever feature length documentary exploring the fascinating, mysterious tale of Texas band, ZZ Top. The filmmakers, Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn, are calling out to fans for help finding rare photos, videos, and audio to tell the story.  
“We’re big admirers of ZZ Top, so we’re thrilled to be working on this film. ZZ Top is rock’s longest-standing power trio and have influenced legions of rock, pop and country artists, but there’s very little archival material documenting this band’s past. So we need their fans to help us out!,” says Sam Dunn.  
ZZ Top’s Billy F Gibbons noted, “We’re excited that Banger Films have undertaken the challenge setting the ZZ Top story into motion. The band is enthusiastic about the effort. Yes, it’s going to be a fact-based documentary yet considering the subject matter, we expect there to be a continuing element of the band's infamous surrealism.”  
ZZ Top, guitarist Gibbons, Dusty Hill on bass and drummer Frank Beard, ascended the rock ladder through a combination of infectious boogie-blues riffs, restless experimentation, and blistering live shows to become one of the most celebrated and successful bands of all-time. And yet for many music fans they remain a mystery. In the 1980s, when the group was at the top of the MTV heap, with fur-lined guitars, foot-long beards, a bevy of babes, and selling upwards of twenty million records, they remained shrouded in a gumbo of conjecture, folklore, and downright leg pulling. As 2016 dawns, with the band still beloved by fans and musicians alike, ZZ Top’s story remains untold – until now.  
Leveraging on Banger Films’ own trailblazing documentaries, Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage and Super Duper Alice Cooper, the yet-to-be-titled ZZ Top documentary will be an unblinkered, uninhibited film featuring the band, their friends and intimates—stuffed with unseen footage and photos and never-before-heard audio tracks, detailing the band’s history. Viewers will witness the extraordinary story of three friends, each musical purists and master bluesmen on a lifelong mission to show music lovers a Texas-style good time.  
As Banger FIlms digs deep into the vaults, the filmmakers are calling on fans to do the same by giving fans and collectors alike the opportunity to send descriptions of their ZZ Top footage, photos and audio to: zzfans@bangerfilms.com with the subject “ZZ Top Fan Submission.”

Hi Kent -
Can you put a note to Bill  who asked a question on your website about The Wrecking Crew?
Bill - .
The two people to ask first would be the great Hal Blaine, legendary drummer with The Wrecking Crew, who played on 35 000 pieces of music including 1000 hits and 100 number one hits ... his memory recall is fantastic about The Wrecking Crew ... he has been on my radio show twice and each time was a real pleasure ...
Plus Denny Tedesco, who made the movie.
Hope that helps, Bill!
Regards ~
Geoff Dorsett
Radio Presenter 
Kent -
Thanks for posting for me. 
I hadn't checked out the box set -- I just figured it would contain songs that I already had.  However, there are some good extras to at least look at, so it's now in the mail via Amazon. 
I saw the film at a film festival here in the twin cities when Denny was trying to raise money, and then, because I'm a music freak like you and all the Forgotten Hits readers, gave to the cause online. Thanks for the tips. Can't wait to get the box set in my eager fingers. 
Bill
Honestly, that last disc is a little bit hard to get thru ... definitely for the die-hard fanatics ... but the rest reflects that nearly every time these guys got together it was music history in the making ... and INCREDIBLE body of work.  Anybody who considers themselves to be a music fan that has not yet picked up a copy of this amazing documentary owes it to themselves to order a copy now.  (I've worked very hard with Denny Tedesco for over eight years now to help get the word out about this remarkable film ... it is SO rewarding to finally see the fruit of all that labor finally come to be as the dvd, BlueRay and soundtrack are now available for purchase worldwide.  (kk)
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+wrecking+crew
(Not shown on this page but well worth seeking out is the EXCELLENT book "Sound Explosion" by Ken Sharp.  It'll run you about fifty bucks but it features some AMAZING photographs along with interviews, comments and memories from all of the key players of this incredible era.)  kk
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