Back in the days when music ruled the world, we all had our benchmarks. The night The Beatles played Ed Sullivan. That day at Altamont. The many deaths of greats and those who would have been greats, from Buddy Holly to Duane Allman and too many others. Musical moments which marked where you were in your life and how important music was. Because music used to be that important.
I always seem to playing catch-up. I’ve managed to reduce the number of projects by a whole two. There’s a very, very, very long list of shows and photo’s that need to be addressed (metaphorically speaking) before I start loading up the flash drives on the camera again. September came and went in about 30 seconds….and in that 30-second clip it was go, go, go with music, music and…….yep, more music. When at home there were brief forays to the fridge for what sustenance could be found and the occasional trip out to the back deck to savour a Bombay Sapphire. With the weather being what it was, and still is, we can all be excused for thinking it’s still mid-August and Christmas is months away. Ya right!!!! Heeeeeere’s October and the back end of Thanksgiving. Hang on to your hats, it’s December tomorrow……
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?
When last we heard from Mr. Colegrove, he was headed back to Ohio with drummer N.D. Smart II for Christmas. When he got back, the first person he called was his old buddy Phil. They talked over old times with Phil’s brother, Bruce, and as Jim told them of the happenings in the Big Apple, Bruce became enraptured. He had a week before classes were to start up again so he volunteered to drive Jim back. When it was time, they piled Jim’s belongings into Bruce’s VW and headed back. Two days later, they were in New York.
Pat Blythe continues her series The Women of Blues with this fourth installment on a Legendary Scottish singer….
Imagine, if you will … writing not one, not two … but literally dozens of top ten hits, for groups as diverse as The Beatles, Solomon Burke, Edwin Starr, the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin and Barbara Lewis. Yeah, that’s lightning, baby …
Bullseye Records of Canada
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 