by Robert Wilkinson
August 31 brought the birthdays of Jerry Allison, drummer for Buddy Holly and the Crickets, the late great Bob Welch of Fleetwood Mac, Cyril Jordan of the Flamin’ Groovies, and blues legend Bobby Parker.
Our Saturday early birthday show features classic sets of each of these greats! If you want to dance to Buddy Holly, I have some live performances! If you want to dance to Fleetwood Mac in the transitional era between Peter Green and Lindsay Buckingham, then we have all the videos you could want! I found a lot of great material by the legendary Flamin’ Groovies, and if you haven’t heard Bobby Parker’s music, you’re in for a treat!
We begin with the legendary Jerry Allison (August 31, 1939 – August 22, 2022) who checked out a couple of years ago. If you want some great drumming, check out his work, past and present, please check out Buddy Holly’s September 16, 2023 birthday celebration in the archives, since these show off his drumming at its early best. You can also catch Jerry's work with the Crickets and Waylon Jennings by visiting the recent May 10, 2024 birthday celebration for Sonny Curtis.
For now, here are some iconic videos!
From The Ed Sullivan Show on December 1, 1957.“That’ll Be The Day” and because Ed’s acts pretty much always got two songs, here’s the classic ”Peggy Sue.” It’s clear Jerry was having fun laying down this beat used by thousands since then.
From December 29, 1957, on The Arthur Murray Dance Party, have fun listening to this time capsule complete with bow tie tuxes. ”Peggy Sue.”
Our last live Buddy Holly performance takes us back to January 26, 1958 on The Ed Sullivan Show with Buddy performing “Oh Boy” while Ed fumes and has the guitar feed totally cut at the solo because he was in a snit. But it does show off Jerry’s chops! ”Oh Boy.” (Because the audience ratings were sky high, Ed asked him back, and Buddy told him “You can’t afford us.”)
He also had a hit under the name “Ivan.” Check out “Real Wild Child” (Said to be the birth song of Oz rock and roll, Jerry’s version made #68 on Billboard and had Buddy Holly on guitar playing “Peggy Sue” chords and a few classic surf guitar riffs of the era.)
We’ll close it with the latter day Crickets, Sonny Curtis on lead and Jerry on drums and singing, echoing a distant era with “Real Wild Child”
Here's a great Interview with Jerry Allison
Happy Birthday, Jerry. "Peggy Sue" still rocks harder than almost any other tune that's ever been written, and set the standard for 10,000 drummers since then!
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We now turn our Birthday greetings to Bob Welch, guitarist for Fleetwood Mac in the early 1970s who wrote some of their most haunting tunes.Bob Welch (August 31, 1945 – June 7, 2012) was a spectacular guitarist and songwriter. Here are some memories, some hauntingly beautiful tunes, and an RIP Birthday to a great talent.
Future Games was the first album he did with Fleetwood Mac in 1971. Here’s the title track which he wrote, “Future Games” Here’s the entire 42 minute studio album featuring Bob’s guitar: “Future Games”
Here’s a live performance by Fleetwood Mac in 1972 on their German tour of “Future Games” set to stills. Also from Future Games, the studio version of Bob’s other composition on that great album, “Lay It All Down”
From the second album he did as lead guitarist with Fleetwood Mac in 1972, Bare Trees, one of his most famous compositions, the beautiful “Sentimental Lady” Here’s the music video for the studio version from his first solo album in 1977, French Kiss, of “Sentimental Lady” (He was backed on the album by Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, and Lindsey Buckingham.)
Here’s the other tune he wrote on Bare Trees, “The Ghost”
Because his guitar work is exquisite on the title track, even though he didn't write it, check out his licks! "Bare Trees."
From 1973’s Penguin, here’s the Bob Welch penned “Bright Fire”
Here’s the entire 37 minute studio album featuring Bob’s guitar work. Penguin (The link includes all kinds of other stuff as well.)
From 1973’s Mystery To Me, the studio version of the haunting “Hypnotized”
From 1973 on The Midnight Special tv show, here’s Bob and Fleetwood Mac live performing “Believe Me” (Bob Weston was the other guitarist in the band at the time. The band officially broke up in October 1973.)
This one supposedly is a mashup of their 1973 Midnight Special show and a Don Krishner’s Rock Concert from 1974. For your enjoyment, 46 minutes of Fleetwood Mac Live on Midnight Special and Rock Concert – 1973-74
Also from Mystery to Me, the studio versions of Bob’s compositions.
Here’s the entire album! Mystery to Me
Heroes are Hard to Find was Bob’s last album with Fleetwood Mac, and these performances are from his last gig with Fleetwood Mac live at the Record Plant in December 1974. Since last year the video clips with “Sentimental Lady” and “Hypnotized” have disappeared..
From the album, “Angel” followed by “Bermuda Triangle” and “Coming Home.”
Also from that last gig, “Mystery to Me”
The entire hour and 13 show was broadcast on KSAN in Sausalito! Bob does an awesome job on “Green Manalishi,” knowing no one could match Peter Green’s performances.
Fleetwood Mac Live at the Record Plant – December 1974 (Song List: Green Manalishi // Angel // Spare Me A Little // Sentimental Lady with false start // Future Games // Bermuda Triangle // Why // Believe Me // Black Magic Woman/Oh Well // instrumental with band introduction // Rattlesnake Shake // Hypnotized)
Here are two more from the album Heroes are Hard to Find
After FM, he created the band Paris who did two albums before Bob began his solo career.
Paris and Big Towne 2061
From 1977, his first solo album! French Kiss
From that album, the #14 hit "Ebony Eyes"
From the 1978 Cal Jam live show, here’s Bob with Stevie Nicks doing “Ebony Eyes.”
We’ll close with a great live set at the Roxy in 1981, Bob is joined by Christine, Lindsey, and Mick performing “Sentimental Lady.” From the same gig, Stevie’s “Gold Dust Woman,” which we’ll follow with another Bob Welch legendary composition from his post-Fleetwood Mac days, “Ebony Eyes.” His lead at the end really smokes!
We also have this 18 minute clip of :Hypnotized,” “Gold Dust Woman,” “Remember Me,” and “Rattlesnake Shake”
This year the entire hour and 21 show resurfaced! Bob Welch Live at the Roxy - 1981
For our encore, we’ll close this sad tribute with another play of his most famous tune set to a music video. “Sentimental Lady”
For the second encore, an entire hour and 5 audio set in Long Beach! Fleetwood Mac Live in Long Beach, CA - 1972 (The set list rocks! They were still a blues band with this set. “Tell Me All the Things You Do,” “Get Like You Used to Be,” “Sunny Side of Heaven,” “Future Games,” “Homeward Bound,” “The Ghost,” “Black Magic Woman,” “Oh Well,” “Shake Your Moneymaker.”)
For the final encore, 54 minutes from Seattle in March, 1972! Fleetwood Mac Live at the Paramount - 1972
RIP Bob. Sorry you felt you had to check out so young at 66. Too bad you're gone. I understand you not wanting to be an invalid, but your death is our loss. The world is a poorer place for you not being here.
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We now rock, and rock hard, to the music of Cyril Jordan (August 31, 1948), guitarist and founding member of the legendary Flamin’ Groovies, one of the great obscure bands in history. Out of San Fran, they were some of the hardest rocking music in the world between 1965 and 1992. Once you hear them, you’ll understand why the Groovies are a rock and roll legend! Today takes you from the beginning through 1979, a few 80s performances, as well as the first new material he's released in 25 years which rocks as hard as ever!
Supersnazz (1969)
Flamingo (1970)
Teenage Head (1971)
Their 4th album was hugely influential! Invoking the British Invasion, they took power pop into the stratosphere with the title song “Shake Some Action”
It’s reappeared! For your enjoyment, the entire 1976 album Shake Some Action
Because I assembled these links in other years, I’ll leave them up in case you don’t want to do the entire album. Here’s 3 from the album! ”Shake Some Action,” “Sometimes,” and “Yes It’s True”
Here's the rest of the album in order of the song list.
In 1978, they changed record companies, and moved in a "Beatleesque" direction. The next 2 albums were produced by the great Dave Edmunds, and feature some great music! From that year, the seminal Flamin' Groovies Now. From that album, "House of Blue Lights" and the John Lennon early Beatles' tune "There's a Place.:
They followed up followed in 1979 with Jumpin' In the Night. Here’s the rocking title track! "Jumpin' In the Night." Two more of my favorites from that album are the rocking Dylan masterpiece "Absolutely Sweet Marie" and this tune which George Martin thought "had good atmosphere," written by some guy named Dr. Winston O'Boogie, "Please Please Me."
We’ll begin to close this tribute with a great video from French tv in 1972 of the Groovies cranking out “Little Queenie,” “Slow Death,” and “Roll Over Beethoven”
Here's an undated performance clip of the early Groovies cranking out “Slow Death”
I found it again! Here’s a great 26 minute live set in 1987 at “Sala The End” in the Basque country! Flamin’ Groovies Live in Basque Country - 1987
Our closer is a two part 21 minute set from Stuttgart in 1987! Flamin’ Groovies Live in Germany 1987 Pt.1 and Flamin’ Groovies Live in Germany 1987 Pt. 2
Our encore is this great 1986 tv performance of “Shake Some Action”
Our second encore features the reunited Flamin' Groovies in an hour and 22 from Wien in June 2015! The music begins about 5 minutes in, and the party begins with classic Groovies! The Flamin' Groovies: live at Arena Wien - 2015
Our third encore features the first original music by the Groovies since 1993! Fantastic Plastic (2017) features the classic FG lineup doing their best to sound like a mashup of the classic Groovies, with an occasional dash of Byrds, Stones, Blue Oyster Cult, and psychedelic surf guitar. From that album.
“I’d Rather Spend My Time With You”
If you want to keep track of this amazing talent, here's his FB page! Cyril Jordan.com
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We now close our show with the music of Bobby Parker (August 31, 1937 – October 31, 2013), blues cat extraordinaire! His songs have inspired the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, and his guitar work is amazing.
He hit big in 1961 with “You Better Watch Your Step.” Check out the guitar riff, and then compare it to “I Feel Fine.”
Live at the Silver Spring Blues Fest in 2013, “You Better Watch Your Step” and from the same gig, “Love and Happiness” and “I’m So Glad I Found You”
Back in 1957-58, he wrote two songs that both became classics! First, a “B” side that the DC5 turned into a major hit about 10 years later! “You Got What It Takes” (A side: “Blues Get off My Shoulder”). Both of these were covered more than once and became hits.
Berry Gordy founded Motown on his production work helped by this version by Marv Johnson of “You Got What It Takes” and of course, if you lived in the 60s you heard this! “You Got What It Takes”
Even though I gave it to you above, here it is again! From 1958, the “A” side, another major league composition, which has become a serious blues classic! “Blues Get off My shoulder”
It was covered by more acts than you can count, but here are three! First, from 1959, Dee Clark (“Raindrops”) gave it a shot! “Blues Get off My Shoulder” and here’s the Chamber’s Brothers version! “Blues Get off My Shoulder.” Our last one is from 1970, with Little Milton giving us a full brass wailing version of “Blues Get off My Shoulder”
From the Waterfront Blues fest in Portland, Oregon (I believe it’s 2010), Bobby’s cranking out the blues standard “Born Under A Bad Sign” From the same gig, “Talking to the Postman” and “I Call Her Baby”
Also from 2010, Joe Bonamassa and Bobby live in Washington DC giving us “Blues Deluxe/The Sky is Crying” and “Steal Your Heart”
We’ll close this brief set with a live offering from 2008 at Madam’s Organ in DC! Bobby Parker Live at Madam’s Organ – 2008
For the encore, from 2011 at the Maryland Blues Fest, Bobby’s blues are taking us “Home”
© Copyright 2024 Robert Wilkinson
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