I didn’t have the best week, to be honest. On Tuesday, I learned that a very dear friend had passed away after a series of health setbacks. Scott Shelson was a good man; look up ‘mensch’ in the dictionary – his photo should be there.
Archive for Aretha Franklin
Roxanne Tellier – Stuff is Hard
Posted in Opinion, politics, Review with tags Aretha Franklin, August 16, babe ruth, Baby Boomers, civil rights, Dark Ages, DBAWIS, Elvis Presley, preformationism, Queen of Soul, Robert Johnson, Roxanne Tellier, Scott Shelson, segarini, Stuff is Hard, Titanic, Titivillus the Error Demon on August 19, 2018 by segariniDOUG THOMPSON – RISING TO THE TOP AT MOTOWN
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags alice cooper, Aretha Franklin, Barney Ales, Berry Gordy, Bill Withers, Brian Holland, Carl Wilson, Carly Simon, Carpenters, Carvin Winans, Chicago, Daryl Hall, David Foster, DBAWIS, Deke Richards, Dennis Coffey, Diana Ross, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Doug Thompson, Earth, Eddie Holland, Eric Clapton, Frank Wilson, Gary Brooker, George Harrison, James Dean, Jimmy Ruffin, Joe Messina, John Oates, Lamont Dozier, Luther Vandross, Martha Reeves, Martina McBride, marvin gaye, Marvin Winans, Michael McDonald, Motley Crue, music, Norman Whitfield, Pam Sawyer, Paul Anka, Paul Riser, Phil Collins, Procol Harum, Quincy Jones, R. Dean Taylor, R. Kelly, radio, Records, Roger Desjardin, Rupert Holmes, segarini, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Tami Terrell, The Beach Boys, THE TEMPTATIONS, The Winans, Tommy Lee, Toronto, Was Not Was, William Witherspoon, Wind & Fire on September 15, 2017 by segarini
Sometimes meeting your heroes can be very disappointing. They could just be having a bad day or had a fight with their significant other or their manager, or recently received bad news about a pet project…or as is sometimes the case, they could just be an asshole.
On the other hand, some heroes exceed your expectations and then some.
Pat Blythe – The Women of Blues Revisited – Part IV – Maggie & Janis
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags A Girl With A Camera "The Picture Taker", Albert Collins, Alex Harvey, Archie Hind, Aretha Franklin, Atlantic Records, Austin, Big Brother and the Holding Compan, Bob Segarini, Chris Helms, Colin Allen, Courtaney, David Kelly, DBAWIS, Dennistoun Palais Band, Dick Cavett, Dionne Warwick, Discovering the Vulnerable Woman Behind Janis Joplin’s Legend, Dusty Springfield, Fillmore West, Frankie Vaughan, Freedom Road, Graeme Noble, Greg Simpson, Hold Me, It Ain't Easy, James Dewar, Janis Joplin, Jerry Wexler, Joe Cocker, John McGinnis, Kinning Park Ramblers, La Cave, Led Zeppelin, Leslie Harvey, Lightning Hopkins, Live At Montreaux, Locarno Ballroom, Long John Baldry, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Maggie Bell, Mark London, Maryhill Estate, Mecca Band, Melody Maker, Mike Moran, Miles Davis, Monterey Pop Festival, New Musical Express, Nina Simone, No Mean City, NYC, Oh My! My!, Pat Blythe, Patsy Cline, Pearl, Peter Grant, Polydor, Port Arthur, Queen of the Night Midnight Flyers, Ray Charles, Ringo Starr, Ron Leahy, San Francisco, Sheila Weller, Shirley Bassey, Southern Comfort, Steve Thompson, Stone the Crows, Suicide Sal, Swan Song, Taggart, Taj Mahal, Teenage Licks, Texas, The Alex Harvey Soul Band, The British Blues Quintet, The Dear Green Place, The Easterhouse Project, The Full Tilt Boogie Band, The Kozmic Blues, The Power, The Power of Music, The Queen of Psychedelic Soul, The Who, University of Texas, Vancouver Island Musicfest, Vanity Fair, Woodstock, Yardbirds, Young Rascals, Zoot Money on August 17, 2017 by segarini
I have “moved” Janis Joplin from my Women in Rock series to this one. When I started the “Women of ……” series, I felt she had a foot in both camps. However, the more I listen to Joplin the more I realize her feet were far more firmly planted in the blues as her voice alone attests. There have been comparisons over the years between Maggie Bell and Janis Joplin. They are reminiscent of each other and that starts with the hair. Scotland is steeped in the blues (just listen to the pipes and some of the Celtic music) but the seeds were planted, and the roots run to the core of the earth, in the U.S.’s “deep south”. Keep in mind, much of the southern U.S. became home to the Scots fleeing the oppressive English in the late 1700’s. Combine that with the African “slave” songs….mix with oppressive heat and stir….so, sometimes I wonder, who exactly influenced whom?
Pat Blythe – Women of Blues Revisited – Part III
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags 81 Theatre, A Girl With A Camera "The Picture Taker", Aretha Franklin, Billie Holliday, Blue Goose Hollow, Bob Segarini, Buck Washington, Charlie Green, Chu Berry, Clarence Smith, Coleman "Hawk" Hawkins, David Dicaire, DBAWIS, Dori Previn, Empress of the Blues, Fletcher Henderson, Frank Teagarden, Frank Walker, Frankie Newton, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, HBO, Jack Gee, James P Johnson, Janis Joplin, Jazz, Joe "Fox" Smith, John Hammond, Louis Armstrong., luvthemusic, Ma Rainey, Mahalia Jackson, Mamie Smith, Mo'nique, Mount Lawn Cemetery, National Endowment for the Arts, New Race Records, Norah Jones, Okeh Records, Pat Blythe, Queen Latifah, Recording Industry of America, Richard Morgan, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Songs of the Century, Swing Era, the blues, The Charleston, The Greatest Blues Singer in the World, The Roaring Twenties, Viola Smith, White Elephant Saloon on August 10, 2017 by segarini
Thoughts and ramblings…..
Let me just wander/wonder for a moment. It’s a simply gorgeous day today (Wednesday) and there are way, way too many diatribes written about “he who shall not be shamed”, south of the 49th parallel. Noodling around in amongst what neurons are actually firing is this thought…… What if we all just simply stopped reporting on his every move, his every tweet, his every fart (cause that’s what comes out of his mouth….gas) What if it ALL just completely halted….any mention of his name or his family’s. No Tweets or tweet responses, no Facebook or Facebook sharing, no comedy shows, no “fun” news (i.e. John Oliver), nadda, zip, bupkis….. NOTHING! A complete blackout for say……48 hours. What would we talk about? What exactly are we missing in other news and stories? My curiosity has got the better of me…. what would “he” do. No attention paid, nothing to rail against, no media outlet to harangue, no “fake news” to protest….. I wonder…….and my neurons wander……
Pat Blythe – The Women of Blues Revisited, Part I….
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags A Girl With A Camera "The Picture Taker", Alannah Myles, Algiers, Aretha Franklin, Beale Street, Bessie Smith, Betty Garon, Big Bill Broonzy, Big Momma Thornton, blues, Blues Hall of Fame, Bob Segarini, Bonnie Raitt, boogie woogie, Chess Records, Chicago blues, Christopher Blythe, Columbia Records, DBAWIS, Decca, Dina Washington, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Erin Harpe, Ernest Lawlars, Etta James, Frisco Town, Ida Cox, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Jeil Nursing Home, Jimmy Rodgers, JOB Records, John Lee Hooker, John Roach, Johnny Shines, Julia Lee, Kansas Joe McCoy, Ken Jarvis, Kid Douglas, Little Son Joe, Lucille Hegamin, Maria Muldaur, Maxine Sullivan, Mazzy Star, Melrose sound, Mount Zion Memorial Fund, Muddy Waters, New Hope Baptist Church Cemetary, Pat Blythe, Paul Garon, R&B, Ringling Brothers, Rolling Stones, Roosevelt Sykes, Sarah Vaughan, Texas Tessie, urban blues, Victoria Spivey, Vocalian, Washboard Sam, Woman with Guitar: Memphis Minnie Blues, World of Trouble on July 27, 2017 by segarini
I am swamped with another project that is sucking up all my time during the waking hours. I have less than two weeks to complete it and it’s seems to be growing arms and legs I wasn’t expecting. So…..just to rehash a bit of blues history, specifically the ladies, I thought I’d have my editor post this again as many of you have probably not seen it. I wrote three series, Women of Rock, Women of Blues and Women in Song. The Women of Blues was actually inspired by a contemporary whom I saw for the first time a couple of years ago. She had dedicated her latest album to a female blues artist I had never heard of. Read all about her and the women who contributed so, so much to the genre we call the blues. The famous and not so famous. They were tough, talented, single-minded, sexually liberated, passionate and most of them had more balls than the men. Read on, you might even learn something.
Pat Blythe …and The Blues Continue – Big Mama Thornton
Posted in Opinion with tags ABC-TV, American Folks Blues Festival Tour, Apollo Theatre, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Ball and Chain, Big Mama Thornton, Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame, Bob Segarini, Cheap Thrills, Chitlin' Circuit, DBAWIS, Don Robey, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Duke-Peacock, Elvis Presley, Fund for Women Artists, Hal Holbrook, Harlem, Hound Dog, Jerry Leiber, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Otis, Juneteenth Blues Fest, Junior Parker, Little Esther Phillips, Little Richard, Los Angeles Bicentennial Blues, Ma Rainey, Memphis Minnie, Mercury Records, Mike Stoller Notable Black American Women, Monterey Fairgrounds, Monterey Pop Festival, Muddy Waters, New York City, Newport Jazz Festival, Pat Blythe, Peacock Records, Pentagram Records, R&B, Rhythm and Blues Caravan, Rolling Stone, Saved, The Big Mama Thornton Project, Third Annual Sacramento Blues Festival, Tribal Stomp, Willie Mae on August 19, 2015 by segarini
Who pops into your mind when you hear the song title “Hound Dog”? How about “Ball and Chain”? Big Mama Thornton? Probably not. However, “Hound Dog” was her biggest hit, selling more than two million copies when it was first released in 1953. “Hound Dog”reached number one on the R&B charts and made Thornton a star. However, her total compensation was the paltry sum of $500. Elvis Presley recorded it three years later and with it (for Presley) came fame and great financial reward. After meeting Big Mama, Janis Joplin recorded “Ball and Chain” with her band Big Brother and Holding Company, but it was Joplin’s famous performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 that made this song a hit (note Cass Elliot’s face in the crowd) with “bluesaphobes” everywhere, reintroducing the genre to a brand new audience and rekindling interest in Big Mama herself.
Doug Thompson: ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE MISSES THE MARK…..AGAIN!
Posted in Opinion with tags Adam Lambert, Ahmet Ertegun, Al Green, Allen Toussaint, Aretha Franklin, Arianna Grande, ‘Shadow’ Morton, Barrett Strong, Barry Gibb, Barry Mann, Benny Andersson, Bernie Taupin, Bert Berns, Billy Joe Armstrong, Billy Joel, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Bono, Boudeaux Bryant, Brian Eno, Brian Holland, Brian Wilson, Britney Spears, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, Buddy Holly, Burt Bacharach, Burton Cummings, Captain & Tennille, Carole King, Casey Kasem, Chips Moman, Chrissie Hynde, Chuck Berry, Country Music Hall of Fame, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Curtis Mayfield, Cynthia Weil, Dan Penn, Daniel Lanois, Dave Barthomolew, Dave Davies, David Bowie, David Foster, David Porter, DBAWIS, Def Leppard, Diana Krall, Diane Warren, Doc Pomus, Dolly Parton, Don Henley, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Donald Fagen, Doug Thompson, Eddie Holland, Ellie Greenwich, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Eminem, fats domino, Felice Bryant, Frank Sinatra, George Clinton, George Harrison, Gerry Goffin, Glenn Frey, Gordon Lightfoot, Grateful Dead, Green Day, Hal David, Hank Williams, Harry Nilsson, Howie Greenfield, Huey Lewis & The News, Isaac Hayes, Jackson Browne, James Brown, James Taylor, Jay-Z, Jeannie C. Riley, Jeff Barry, Jerry Garcia, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jerry Leiber, Jerry Wexler, Jimmy Jones, Jimmy Webb, Joe Strummer, John Cage, John Fogerty, John Lennon, John Phillips, John Prine, Johnny Cash, Johnny Marr, Joni Mitchell, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Keith Richards, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, Kenny Gamble, Kenny Rogers, Kris Kristofferson, Kurt Cobain, Lamont Dozier, Led Zeppelin, Leon Huff, Leonard Cohen, Little Willie John, Loretta Lynn, Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, Madonna, marvin gaye, Max Martin, Merle Haggard, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Mick Jones, Mike Stoller, Morrissey, Mort Shuman, Nazareth, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, Neil Young, Nesuhi Ertegun, Nicholas Ashford, Nirvana, Norman Whitfield, Notorious B.I.G., Otis Blackwell, Patti Smith, Paul Anka, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Paul Westerberg, Peggy Lee, Pete Townshend, Phil Spector, Prince, R. Kelly, R.E.M., randy bachman, Randy Newman, Ray Davies, Robbie Robertson, Robert Hunter, Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange, Robert Johnson, Robin Gibb, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone Magazine, Sam & Dave), Sam Cooke, segarini, Shania Twain, Sly Stone, Smokey Robinson, Steely Dan, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, The Backstreet Boys, The Bee Gees, The Box Tops, The Clash, The Edge, The Everly Brothers, The Glimmer Twins, The Smiths, Tom Jones, Tom Petty, Tom T. Hall, Tom Waits, Valerie Simpson, Van Morrison, Walter Becker, Whitney Houston, Willie Dixon, Willie Nelson, Woody Guthrie on August 17, 2015 by segariniRolling Stone Magazine recently released their latest ‘list’, “The 100 Greatest Songwriters” rollingstone.com). Let me repeat that title, “The 100 Greatest Songwriters”. Their descriptive line states “From Brill Building tunesmiths to Punk poets, from Woody Guthrie to Max Martin, the visionaries who defined music history.”
Pat Blythe: The Women of Blues Part Four – Maggie Bell
Posted in Opinion with tags AC/DC, Albert Collins. I Was I Chains, Alex Harvey, Archie Hind, Aretha Franklin, Atlantic Records, Bob Segarini, Colin Allen, Courtaney, David Kelly, Davie Bowie, DBAWIS, Dennistoun Palais Band, Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, Earth, Every Picture Tells a Story, Felix Caveliere, Felix Pappalardi, Fillmore West, Frankie Vaughan, Freedom Road, Graeme Noble, Greg Simpson, Hold Me, Humble Pie, It Ain't Easy, James Dewar, Jerry Wexler, Jimi Page, Joe Cocker, John Mayall Ode to John Law, John McGinnis, Kinning Park Ramblers, La Cave, Led Zeppelin, Leslie Harvey, Lightning Hopkins, Live At Montreaux, Locarno Ballroom, Long John Baldry, Luther Vandross, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, Maggie Bell, Marc Bolan, Mark London, Maryhill Estate, Mecca Band, Melody Maker, Mike Moran, Miles Davis, New Musical Express, Nina Simone, No Mean City, NYC, Oh My! My!, Ontinuious Performance, Pat Blythe, Patsy Cline, Peter Grant, Peter Kurtz, Polydor, Queen of the Night Midnight Flyers, Ray Charles, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, Ron Leahy, Roxy Music, Sad Mary, Shirley Bassey, Steve Howe, Steve Thompson, Stone the Crows, Suicide Sal, Swan Song, Taggart, Taj Mahal, Teenage Licks, The Alex Harvey Soul Band, The British Blues Quintet, The Dear Green Place, The Easterhouse Project, The Power, The Power of Music, The Who, Vancouver Island Musicfest, Weeley Festival, Wind and Fire, Yardbirds, Yes, Young Rascals, Zoot Money on July 22, 2015 by segarini
Pat Blythe continues her series The Women of Blues with this fourth installment on a Legendary Scottish singer….
Pat Blythe: Women of Blues 3 – Bessie Smith – The Empress of The Blues
Posted in Opinion with tags 81 Theatre, Andrew Smith, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Blue Goose Hollow, blues, Bob Segarini, Buck Washington, Charlie Green, Chu Berry, Clarence Smith, Coleman "Hawk" Hawkins, David Dicaire, DBAWIS, Dori Previn, Empress of the Blues, Fletcher Henderson, Frank Teagarden, Frank Walker, Frankie Newton, HBO, If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight), Jack Gee, James P Johnson, Janis Joplin, Jazz, Joe "Fox" Smith, John Hammond, Louis Armstrong., luvthemusic, Ma Rainey, Mahalia Jackson, Mamie Smith, Mo'nique, Mount Lawn Cemetery, New Race Records, Norah Jones, Okeh Records, Pat Blythe, piano, Queen Latifah, Richard Morgan, rock 'n roll, Rock and Roll, swing, Swing Era, tenor saxophone, The Charleston, The Greatest Blues Singer in the World, The Roaring Twenties, trombone, trumpet, Viola Smith, White Elephant Saloon on July 8, 2015 by segarini
“The blues is not about people knowing you, it’s about you knowing the people.” –– Ma Rainey, (from the HBO movie Bessie)
Pat Blythe: The Women of Blues
Posted in Opinion with tags Alannah Myles, Algiers, Aretha Franklin, Beale Street, Bessie Smith, Betty Garon, Big Bill Broonzy, Big Momma Thornton, Black Velvet, blues, Blues Hall of Fame, Bob Segarini, Bonnie Raitt, boogie woogie, Broken Heart, Bumble Bee, Chauffeur Blues, Chess Records, Chicago, Chicago blues, Christopher Blythe, Columbia Records, country blues, DBAWIS, Decca, Dinah Washington, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Erin Harpe, Ernest Lawlars, Etta James, Frisco Town, Going Back To Texas, I'm Salin', Ida Cox, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplan, Jeil Nursing Home, Jimmy Rodgers, Jo Ann Kelly, JOB Records, John Lee Hooker, John Roach, Johnny Shines, Julia Lee, Kansas Joe McCoy, Ken Jarvis, Kid Douglas, Kissing in the Dark, Langston Hughes, Led Zeppelin, Lester Melrose, Little Son Joe, Lizzie Douglas, Louisiana, Lucille Hegamin, Maria Muldaur, Maxine Sullivan, Mazzy Star, Me And My Chauffeur, Melrose sound, Memphis, Mount Zion Memorial Fund, Muddy Waters, National, New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery, Pat Blythe, Paul Garon, postwar blues, R&B, Ringling Brothers, Rolling Stones, Roosevelt Sykes, Sarah Vaughan, She Hangs Brightly, Signe Anderson, St. Louis Jimmy Oden, Tennessee, Texas Tessie, That Will Be Alright, The Lydia Taylor Band, urban blues, Victoria Spivey, Vocalian, Washboard Sam, When The Levee Breaks, Woman with Guitar: Memphis Minnie Blues, World of Trouble, You Got To Move (You Ain't Got To Move), You Wrecked My Happy Home on May 27, 2015 by segarini
Prologue….
Anyone heard of Memphis Minnie? How about Ida Cox, Victoria Spivey, Lucille Hegamin, Julia Lee or Maxine Sullivan? Me neither. How about Bessie Smith, Etta James, Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, Big Momma Thornton, Dinah Washington or even Janis Joplin. The latter are a smattering of the ladies most frequently thought of or mentioned when we think of great female blues singers….the former, not so much.
