09.29.05 (MusicPortal.com) Executive-produced by founding member Robbie Robertson, THE BAND's new career-spanning box set, "A Musical History" -- the most comprehensive collection ever created for the group -- has been released. Packaged within a 108-page hardcover book brimming with previously unseen photos and memorabilia are five CDs and one DVD documenting THE BAND's entire recording career from 1963 to 1976. Among the set's 111 audio and video tracks are 37 previously unreleased recordings and filmed clips captured live and in-studio. Issued by Capitol/EMI Music Catalog Marketing, this definitive collection features a cover painting of THE BAND by world-renowned artist Ed Ruscha and extensive biographical liner notes by the Grammy-winning writer Rob Bowman. In-demand production partners Cheryl Pawelski and Andrew Sandoval, who also teamed for the in-depth restoration of THE BAND's original Capitol albums in 2000 and 2001, joined Robertson on the project. "This is by far the most comprehensive, in-depth, and beautifully put together collection of THE BAND's musical journey," says THE BAND's Robbie Robertson. Among "A Musical History"'s previously unreleased audio tracks are live and studio recordings THE BAND created with Bob Dylan and Ronnie Hawkins, as well as various song sketches, while the DVD's nine film clips include rare and previously unreleased concert performances, a filmed studio jam, and three songs THE BAND performed on television "Saturday Night Live" in 1976 which have never before been issued in their entirety. "A Musical History"'s release concludes a comprehensive restoration campaign for THE BAND's entire Capitol Records catalog. By the late 1960s, THE BAND was one of the most popular and influential Rock groups in the world, and the group's members shared an extensive collaborative history dating back to the late 1950s and early '60s. Between 1958 and 1962, the then-teenaged multi-instrumentalists Levon Helm (drums, vocals), Robertson (guitar, piano, vocals), Rick Danko (bass, vocals), Richard Manuel (keyboards, vocals, drums) and Garth Hudson (keyboards, horns) first performed and recorded together as members of the backing band for Ronnie Hawkins called THE HAWKS. In late 1963, THE HAWKS struck out on their own and became LEVON & THE HAWKS, playing and recording under that name in 1964 and 1965. In 1965, Robertson met with Bob Dylan in New York, just as Dylan was seeking an electric guitarist for his touring band. The Band was born, with all of the former members of THE HAWKS backing Bob Dylan on the road from October 1965 through 1966 as he incensed audiences in the U.S., Australia and Europe, performing electric sets. Disheartened by the vocally disdainful "folkie purist" audience response to their first plugged-in performances with Dylan, Helm left THE BAND in November of 1965. After the 1966 tour concluded, THE BAND woodshedded for the next year in upstate New York, often in the company of Bob Dylan, forging a highly original sound that in one... [full story]
[LISTEN]

09.28.05 (MusicPortal.com) Los Angeles' THE BELLRAYS will hit the road beginning tonight in Dallas, Texas for an extensive North American Fall tour in support of their current Alternative Tentacles full-length album, "The Red, White, And Black." Pioneering a sound described by the band as "maximum Rock 'N' Soul," THE BELLRAYS have been honing their craft over the course of fifteen years. A Molotov cocktail of Rock aggression is liberally infused with a level of raw Soul on "The Red, White, And Black," a powerful combination seldom heard in today's vacuous music landscape. While THE BELLRAYS' sound is something that uses familiar musical reference points, it somehow takes them in a refreshingly different direction. Vocalist Lisa Kekaula's pipes are world-class, recalling the halcyon days of Soul, resonating with undeniable grit and emotion, providing the perfect emotions to accompany the primal, sometimes jazzy Rock stylings of guitarist Tony Fate and bassist Bob Vennum. "Most people think that a record is the complete culmination of all that goes into a band", explains Kekaula. "When you use your voice, guitar, bass, or drums to express feelings where words do not exist, you are your own Superman and Kryptonite. In all that The Bellrays, do there is life, blood, emotion and dedication. We know no other way. For every second of music on this recording there was at least a day that led us both individually and as a group to this point, by either practice, songwriting, fighting, accounting, gigging, sleeping in the van, death, etc. We have dedicated our lives to the art of rock and roll." Tour Dates: 09/28 Dallas, TX [The Galaxy] • 09/29 San Antonio, TX [Sanctuary] • 09/30 Austin, TX [Emo's] • 10/01 Houston, TX [Rudyard's] • 10/04 St. Louis, MO [Hi-Pointe] • 10/05 Nashville, TN [Mercy Lounge] • 10/06 Atlanta, GA [Star Bar] • 10/07 Mt. Pleasant, SC [Village Tavern] • 10/08 Chapel Hill, NC [Local 506] • 10/11 Richmond, VA [Nanci Raygun] • 10/12 Washington, DC [Black Cat] • 10/13 Baltimore, MD [Sonar] • 10/14 New York, NY [Rothko] • 10/15 Rochester, NY [Bug Jar] • 10/16 Cambridge, MA [TT The Bear's] • 10/18 Montreal, QC [La Sala Rosa] • 10/19 Ottawa, ON [Babylon] • 10/20 Toronto, ON [Lee's Palace] • 10/21 Pittsburgh, PA [Club Cafe] • 10/22 Cleveland, OH [Beachland Tavern] • 10/23 Newport, KY [Southgate House] • 10/25 Detroit, MI [Magic Stick] • 10/26 Chicago, IL [Double Door] • 10/27 Madison, WI [High Noon Saloon] • 10/28 Minneapolis, MN [Triple Rock Social Club] • 10/29 Fargo, ND [Great Northern Brewery] • 10/30 Winnipeg, MB [Pyramid Cabaret] • 11/01 Calgary, AB, [The HiFi] • 11/02 Edmonton, AB [Sidetrack Cafe Canada] • 11/05 Denver, CO [Larimer Lounge] • 11/10 San Francisco, CA [Bottom Of The Hill] • 11/11 Sacramento, CA [Blue Lamp] • 11/12 Santa Barbara, CA [Mercury Lounge] • 11/17 Portland, OR [Dante's] • 11/18 Seattle, WA [Sunset Tavern] • 11/19 Vancouver, BC [Railway Club]
[LISTEN]

09.22.05 (MusicPortal.com) Explosive singer, songwriter, and pianist JAMIE CULLUM -- whose breakout album "Twentysomething" was a worldwide smash last year -- has finished work on his newest release, "Catching Tales," confirmed for U.S. release on October 11th via Verve Forecast Records. Recorded in London and Los Angeles between April and June of this year and produced by "Twentysomething" producer Stewart Levine, the album showcases both Cullum's raw energy and insatiable musical curiosity and creativity. "Catching Tales" kicks off with a bang -- literally -- with the lead-off track 'Get Your Way,' a strutting backbeat-driven collaboration with Dan The Automator. Other highlights include the wistful 'London Skies,' the easy groove of 'Mind Trick' and the lyrical touchstone 'Photograph.' Consisting primarily of originals (plus a few choice standards like the smoky 'I Only Have Eyes For You' and a cheeky cover of 'Our Day Will Come'), the songs on "Catching Tales" were borne of the introspection and spontaneity that is the twenty-six-year-old's trademark. "Songwriters often talk about how songs are caught, or grabbed out of the ether" says Cullum of the writing process. "This was clearly the experience for me during the first three months of this year. What solidified this was the way the album was recorded. It was done quickly. We caught the tracks in a net and trapped them in a CD - live." The release comes on the heels of a remarkable run for JAMIE CULLUM. Released in the U.K. in the fall of 2003 and in the U.S. in mid-2004, Cullum's "Twentysomething" marked the "the American debut of a major talent, a young man we will be hearing from for a long time," said Downbeat. At every turn, JAMIE CULLUM proved a success with fans and critics alike, and his debut notched over two million units in sales (including almost 400,000 in the U.S.) and garnered a Grammy award nomination. Highlights range from a perfect four-star review in People to "Best Singer Of The Year" honors in Vanity Fair, from dazzling concert reviews in The New York Times and Variety to rave reviews in Rolling Stone, Esquire, GQ and Interview, and from a sweep of major late-night shows to slots on "The Today Show" and "Austin City Limits." Having weathered a non-stop, whirlwind schedule for the past two years, JAMIE CULLUM could have easily taken some well-earned time off in 2005. But instead of cooling his jets and catching some ZZZs, Cullum kept doing what he loves best: Making music, and recording a new album in "Catching Tales." "I was so ready for it," Cullum recalls of crafting his sophomore set for Verve Forecast. "The only way you get the energy to tour the world and do all the hard work is to love the music you make. I'd had two mad years but I was back at the place I remembered the best, which was just really wanting to do my music." The new album took shape at a brisk pace, reflecting his high levels of enthusiasm and inspiration: Cullum wrote enough material for nearly two albums in four months, then set to recording the album. The fourteen-song set begins with 'Get Your Way,' a strutting number featuring celebrated hip-hop DJ and producer Dan The... [full story]
[LISTEN]

09.15.05 (MusicPortal.com) The cherished recordings that music legend JOHNNY CASH made at the historic Memphis Sun Studios in the mid-1950s have been meticulously restored to their original versions and compiled into a 61-song box set, "Johnny Cash - The Complete Sun Recordings 1955-1958," due for release on November 8th. The three-disc set chronicles the singer's early days and the birth of what became his unmistakable performance style. Timed to reach stores just as a new biopic, "Walk The Line," (starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon) hits movie theaters nationwide, "Johnny Cash - The Complete Sun Recordings 1955-1958" is the first elaborate box set from the newly revamped retail music division of Time Life. Sun Studios was home to innovative producer Sam Phillips, whose staunch reputation for refusing to churn out assembly line-sounding records like so many Nashville studios were doing at that time drew JOHNNY CASH in. Fresh from his sessions with a new singer named Elvis Presley, Phillips boldly decided to make Cash's voice the most important instrument on his songs; deep, warm, and larger than life. It was within the Sun Studios walls that the "Man In Black" was born. With Nashville's slick Country sound dominating the music charts, the Sun recordings were shocking in their simple purity - mistakes and all. It was Phillips who recognized the true talents of JOHNNY CASH and dared to let the singer be himself, embracing the powerful barebones voice that resonated with honesty. 'Cry, Cry, Cry' was the first song to break, cracking the country charts for a week in 1955, but it was 1956's 'I Walk The Line' that would propel him into musical history. "Johnny Cash - The Complete Sun Recordings 1955-1958" includes the original JOHNNY CASH Sun Recordings gems 'Folsom Prison Blues,' 'Give My Love To Rose,' 'Cry, Cry, Cry' and 'I Walk The Line,' set alongside Rockabilly classics such as 'I Love You Because' (Leon Payne), 'Oh Lonesome Me' (Don Gibson), 'I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow' (Hank Williams), and 'Blue Train' (Billy Smith). In his final days with Sun, JOHNNY CASH also recorded songs written by others, including Gene Autry ('Goodbye Little Darlin''), Roy Orbison ('You Tell Me'), and several by Hank Williams ('You Win Again,' 'Cold Cold Heart,' 'Hey Good Lookin',' 'I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow,' 'I Can't Help It'). "Time Life will continue to carefully craft and deliver to the consumer genre-defining compilations that appeal to collectors and the everyday music lover," says Mike Jason, the newly appointed Senior Vice President of Audio & Video Retail at Time Life, regarding future projects like "Johnny Cash - The Complete Sun Recordings 1955-1958." "However, I very much look forward to combining the powerful Time Life brand with high quality multi-disc sets as well as creating audio and video offerings in some newer genres." The Cash project is the first of hopefully many such offerings."
[WATCH]

09.13.05 (MusicPortal.com) One of RAY CHARLES' final requests before his passing in 2004 was that the songs he recorded in 1998 for an album of superstar duets be completed and released. Rhino Entertainment fulfills Charles' final artistic vision with "Genius & Friends," due for release September 20th - three days before Charles would have turned 75 years old. Charles is in stellar form and so are his partners as they trade lines from memorable originals and covers on this collection of 14 new and previously unreleased duet recordings, a birthday gift of sorts from RAY CHARLES to his fans. Produced by Phil Ramone and overseen by Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, the album features beautifully crafted 1990s RAY CHARLES master recordings, completed by some of the most acclaimed singers spanning three generations. Among the album's highlights are Charles singing the poignant ballad 'It All Goes By So Fast' with Mary J. Blige and the sound of THE ANDRAE CROUCH SINGERS joyfully raising their voices alongside Charles and Patti LaBelle on the gospel original, 'Shout.' Charles teams up to cover two very different classics on the upbeat swing version of 'You Are My Sunshine' with Chris Isaak and the powerful Funk/Rock groove of 'Compared To What' with neo-Soul vocalist Leela James. "Genius & Friends" also includes RAY CHARLES' collaborations with Alicia Keys in her stirring rendition of 'America The Beautiful,' from the 2005 Super Bowl, Soul legend Gladys Knight on 'You Were There,' as well as 'Touch,' by rising star John Legend. Idina Menzel, from the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Wicked" and the motion picture and original Broadway production of "Rent," joins Charles on 'I Will Be There.' Additionally, George Michael lends his vocals to the Stevie Wonder/Syreeta Wright-penned 'Blame It On The Sun,' while RAY CHARLES' longtime friend Willie Nelson joins him on 'Busted' from the 1991 "Ray Charles - 50 Years In Music" television special. The album also showcases international star Laura Pausini on 'Surrender To Love' and music icon Diana Ross on 'Big Bad Love.' Angie Stone opens the CD with the seductive 'All I Want To Do,' while Ruben Studdard covers the John Lennon classic, 'Imagine.' RAY CHARLES' legacy reached new heights last year with the release of the movie "Ray," the lauded film biography, which has grossed more than $70 million since its release. The film's soundtrack also went platinum, and "The Very Best Of Ray Charles" went gold. In addition, "Genius Loves Company -- an album of duets Charles recorded shortly before his death in June of 2004 -- sold more than three million copies and earned eight Grammy Awards, including "Best Album Of The Year" and "Best Record Of The Year."
[LISTEN]

09.12.05 (AP) CLARENCE "GATEMOUTH" BROWN, the singer and guitarist who built a 50-year career playing Blues, Country, Jazz and Cajun music, died Saturday in his hometown of Orange, Texas, where he had gone to escape Hurricane Katrina. He was 81. Brown, who had been battling lung cancer and heart disease, was in ill health for the past year, said Rick Cady, his booking agent. Cady said the musician was with his family at his brother's house when he died. Brown's home in Slidell, La., a bedroom community of New Orleans, was destroyed by Katrina. "He was completely devastated," Cady said. "I'm sure he was heartbroken, both literally and figuratively. He evacuated successfully before the hurricane hit, but I'm sure it weighed heavily on his soul." Although his career first took off in the 1940s with Blues hits 'Okie Dokie Stomp' and 'Ain't That Dandy,' CLARENCE "GATEMOUTH" BROWN bristled when he was labeled a bluesman. In the second half of his career, he became known as a musical jack-of-all-trades who played a half-dozen instruments and culled from Jazz, Country, Texas Blues, and the Zydeco and Cajun music of his native Louisiana. By the end of his career, Brown had more than 30 recordings and won a Grammy award in 1982. "I'm so unorthodox, a lot of people can't handle it," Brown said in a 2001 interview. Brown's versatility came partly from a childhood spent in the musical mishmash of southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas. He was born in Vinton, Louisiana, and grew up in Orange, Texas. Brown often said he learned to love music from his father, a railroad worker who sang and played fiddle in a Cajun band. Brown, who was dismissive of most of his contemporary Blues players, named his father as his greatest musical influence. "If I can make my guitar sound like his fiddle, then I know I've got it right," Brown said. Cady said Brown was quick-witted, "what some would call a 'codger.'" Brown started playing fiddle by age 5. At 10, he taught himself an odd guitar picking style he used all his life, dragging his long, bony fingers over the strings. In his teens, Brown toured as a drummer with Swing bands, and was nicknamed "Gatemouth" for his deep voice. After a brief stint in the Army, he returned in 1945 to Texas, where he was inspired by Blues guitarist T-Bone Walker. Brown's career took off in 1947 when Walker became ill and had to leave the stage at a Houston nightclub. The club owner invited Brown to sing, but Brown grabbed Walker's guitar and thrilled the crowd by tearing through 'Gatemouth Boogie' - a song he claimed to have made up on the spot. He made dozens of recordings in the 1940s and '50s, including many regional hits - 'Okie Dokie Stomp,' 'Boogie Rambler,' and 'Dirty Work At The Crossroads.' But he became frustrated by the limitations of the Blues and began carving a new career by recording albums that featured Jazz and Country songs mixed in with the Blues numbers.

09.07.05 (MusicPortal.com) TRISHA YEARWOOD's new album, "Jasper County," is set for release next week on Tuesday, September 13th via MCA Nashville Records. A collection that comes from a period of re-evaluation, introspection, reinvigoration and self-reflection, the multi-Platinum, multi Grammy-winning star has never before given as much consideration and concern to a recording project. "I've never taken this long to make a record," comments Yearwood. "I've never recorded as many songs. I'd never completely started over on an album like I did on this one. Overall, it was a two-year process to make this record." Reunited with her original producer Garth Fundis, TRISHA YEARWOOD seems to dig deeper into her expressive powers on "Jasper County" than ever before - the 11 resulting soundscapes all being intense listening experiences. After 12 years of non-stop touring and career building, Yearwood decided to take a break following 2001's Gold-certified "Inside Out" album and its top-10 single, 'I Would've Loved You Anyway.' "I planned to take a year off. I just thought it was a good time to take a break for a lot of reasons. A year goes by really quickly, even if you're not doing anything. Then I started getting ready to make a record and listening to songs. I think I was just so anxious to get back into the studio that Garth Fundis and I just went in and cut a bunch of stuff. Then, for the first time, I stopped and reevaluated: 'These songs are good, but are they the right ones?' At that point, we had to say, 'You know what? It's OK to start over.' Once we did that, we were able to get to the next layer of songs, to dig a little deeper. When we got into the second set of sessions, it felt instantly right. That's when I knew. You could just feel that it was special. It's been such a long road to get here, and there've been so many road blocks along the way. You feel really protective of your music. You don't want to just throw it out there. You really want everybody on board and focused. So now the timing seems right. I think there were probably reasons for it to have taken the time it did." In the interim, the radio landscape has changed profoundly. So has the live-performance business. She says she's eager to embrace the Country industry's evolution. "How can they miss you if you don't go away?" Yearwood says with a chuckle. "It wasn't intentional to be gone this long, and a lot has changed in four years. But the response I've had to the new music has been just so nice. Radio people were saying, 'We're just really happy to hear your voice again.' The new people at MCA who don't know me very well are on board. There's a momentum. The more things roll along, the more optimistic I am. It's just like coming home," says Yearwood. "Everything is in the best perspective of my life, both professionally and personally. I feel wiser. I am just very, very happy. I consciously took a break, but I am not finished. I miss performing, and I do love the applause."
[LISTEN]

09.01.05 (MusicPortal.com) Blues icon R.L. BURNSIDE, who redefined the genre by incorporating Indie Rock acts and Hip-Hop production, has died at St. Francis Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. R.L. BURNSIDE was born November 21st, 1926, in Harmontown, Mississippi, and spent most of his life in the north Mississippi hill country, where he worked as a sharecropper and a commercial fisherman and played guitar at weekend house parties. Fed up with the hopelessness of sharecropping, Burnside migrated to Chicago in hope of finding economic opportunity. Around 1959, R.L. BURNSIDE returned to Mississippi to again work the farms and raise a family. He also started to play music at night and on weekends, first recordings appeared on a 1967 Arhoolie Records compilation. Although he preferred electric guitar, the fashion of the day dictated that he be recorded acoustically. So in 1968, noted folklorist George Mitchell recorded R.L. BURNSIDE for the first time. These recordings earned Burnside enough of a reputation to play festivals and tours at home and abroad. Throughout the '70s and '80s Burnside played with a family band consisting of sons Joseph and Daniel, as well as son-in-law Calvin Jackson, collectively known as THE SOUND MACHINE. Though a local favorite, R.L. they were barely known outside of North Mississippi. That all began to change for R.L. BURNSIDE in the early '90s when a documentary film based on author Robert Palmer's book "Deep Blues" featured Burnside as one of its highlights. Subsequently, Palmer produced his "Too Bad Jim" album for the fledgling Fat Possum Records label. Along with Junior Kimbrough's "All Night Long, "Too Bad Jim" was one of the most important and influential Blues albums of the '90s, bringing R.L. BURNSIDE to the attention of rocker Jon Spencer. Burnside toured extensively with THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION, which led to a collaboration between the two, the result being "A Ass Pocket Of Whiskey - the album making R.L BURNSIDE an unlikely champion in the Indie Rock world. In 1997, Burnside's "Mr. Wizard" was released by Fat Possum, the album featuring touring mates Cedric Burnside (his grandson) and adopted son Kenny Brown. In 1998, "Come On In" was released, with one of its tracks, 'It's Bad You Know,' becoming a respectable radio hit. It was also featured on "The Sopranos" and on its soundtrack. R.L BURNSIDE is survived by his wife Alice Mae, twelve children, and numerous grandchildren.

[Blues News: August 2005]
[Top]