by Robert Wilkinson
September 9 was the birthday of several great talents. This short set early show features the music of the early 60s, great mid-60s blues rock, and the steel guitar on some of the biggest of the big!
We begin this early dance with twist music! Dee Dee Sharp (born Dione LaRue, September 9, 1945) was a huge hitmaker in the early 60s! From wiki, “In 1962 she began a string of successful Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hits: "Slow Twistin'" (with Chubby Checker) (#3) for which she was uncredited on the label, "Mashed Potato Time" (#2), "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" (#9), "Ride" (#5) and "Do the Bird" (#10). Both "Mashed Potato Time" and "Ride" each sold over one million copies.”
Her first 4 hits all hit big in 1962! Let’s start with her biggest, “Mash Potato Time,” (#2 pop, #1 R&B)
We groove into the following hit, “Gravy (for my Mashed Potatoes).” (#9 pop)
Here’s her 1962 tv appearance with Chubby doing “Slow Twistin’”
After “Gravy,” she took this “pony” dance tune to #5! “Ride”
In early 1963, she rode this one to #10! “Do The Bird”
In the 70s, she scored a few big ones as part of the “Philadelphia Sound” (TSOP) with her husband, Kenny Gamble. That union produced these hits!
She joined Lou Rawls, Billy Paul, Teddy Pendergrass, The O'Jays and Archie Bell as a member of the Philadelphia International All Stars, contributing “Ooh Child” and here’s the hit from that effort, "Let's Clean Up the Ghetto."
And for our closer, this 1980 hit spent 4 weeks at #1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart! This one’s should inspire you to sheik yerbouti! "Breaking and Entering"
*********
Danny Kalb (September 9, 1942) is a guitarist who founded the Blues Project with Al Kooper, one of New York’s most advanced musical offerings in the 60s, fusing blues, rock, and jazz into a unique sound! After that he did a huge number of collaborations with some of the best of the best across several musical genres, so enjoy this brief offering! Today, we’ll focus on his work with the Blues Project.
Their first album was live, so you will get a sense of the electricity they could generate!
Here’s a site where going to the first link takes you to the entire album in sequence.
The Blues Project Live at the Café Au Go Go - 1966
From the Projections album, the original studio version of “I Can’t Keep From Crying Sometimes”
“Wake Me Shake Me” (Not the 4 Tops song!)
Blues Project Live!
At the legendary 1967 Summer of Love Monterey Pop Festival, the Blues Project performing “Flute Thing” (Last year I had “Wake Me Shake Me” but this year it’s disappeared, as did their audio-only entire 22 minute set! )
From Steve Paul’s television show The Scene in Sept 1967 from 46th and 8th in midtown, some pretty psychedelic camera work! “Wake Me Shake Me”
We’ll close this brief tribute set with something from 1967! Here’s the Blues Project in a live performance of Steve Katz’s beautiful “Steve’s Song”
For the encore, from the same session, another great live performance of “Flute Thing”
For the second encore, from their 1973 album Reunion In Central Park, their version of the Donovan classic “Catch the Wind.”
*********
Last but not least, we send out a big birthday happy to John McFee (September 9, 1950), singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and long-time member of The Doobie Brothers. He’s played steel guitar on more albums than I can name here, so kick back and enjoy some great music! When you hear a steel guitar on any of these, it’s our birthday boy!
He’s all over the entire album! Tupelo Honey as well as the title song from the following album, St. Dominic’s Preview
This 1971 offering by Boz Scaggs is "blue eyed soul" at its best, and one of my favorite albums of all time! He had great players, and "The Rita Coolidge Ladies Ensemble" provided background vocals!
Moments Pt. 1 - "We Were Always Sweethearts" and "Downright Women."
Moments Pt. 2 - "Painted Bells" and "Alone, Alone."
Moments Pt. 3 - "Near You" and "I Will Forever Sing (The Blues)"
Moments Pt. 4 - "Moments" and "Hollywood Blues."
Moments Pt. 5 - "We Been Away" and "Can I Make It Last?"
He was on the pedal steel on this 1974 offering from the Grateful Dead! Grateful Dead - From the Mars Hotel
He played the dobro on this 1976 tune from Fly Like An Eagle, “Dance Dance Dance”
In 1977, his lead playing and pedal steel was all over Elvis Costello’s first album! My Aim Is True
For our closer, his guitars and vocals are a huge part of the Doobie Brothers’ sound on their 1980 album One Step Closer
© Copyright 2024 Robert Wilkinson
Comments