Category: Remembering

Remembering – Bob Brunning

Little known fact time.  Who was the original bass player in Fleetwood Mac.  Bob Brunning of course, the guy I am writing about.   Unfortunately, he passed away on October 18.  Peter Green started up Fleetwood Mac and wanted Mick Fleetwood and John McVie for the rhythm section.  Mick was the Fleetwood and John was the Mac for the band name.  John McVie was with a band and earning a steady income so was not keen on joining up.  Peter then hired Bob Brunning to be the bass player on a temporary (maybe permanent)basis while he waited and hoped McVie would change his mind, which he did a few weeks later.  Bob’s career lasted a few weeks but he did contribute the bass on one song on the band’s debut album (Fleetwood Mac), “Long Grey Mare”.

After leaving Fleetwood Mac, he went on to play with Savoy Brownthen ended up with the blues group “The Lonesome Whistle Blues Band”. which morphed into the “De-luxe Blues Band”.  He was a mainstay of the British blues scene for over 30 years.  The track included here is Bob’s first gig with The Lonesome Whistle Blues Band and is live.  Enjoy the video.  RIP Bob Brunning.

Related articles

Remembering – George “Mojo” Buford

Legendary blues harmonica player, George “Mojo” Buford passed away yesterday, October 11, 2011.  He was 81.  His early career consisted of playing in Muddy Waters junior band.  This band covered the Chicago dates when Muddy was on tour.  He eventually graduated to the back up band and began touring steadily.  He then struck out on his own, building his own repertoire.  The attached video is a live version of “Everything Going To Be Alright”.  The second is “Got My Mojo Working” from which he got his nickname.

RIP Mojo.

 

 

Related articles

Al Davis – Just Win Baby

Samson Satele, a player on the Oakland Raiders...
Image via Wikipedia

A cultural icon, Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders of the NFL passed away on October 8th.  A straight shooter and rebel, who coined the phrase “Just Win Baby”, lived his life, and ran his team, in the way he wanted to, damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead.  His teams were always stressing the vertical passing game and usually consisted of misfits and “characters” that did not fit well on other teams.  He let them be themselves as long as they won and the strategy usually paid off in victories.  RIP Al Davis.

 

Related articles

Remembering – Harry Muskee

Cuby + the Blizzards in Dutch television show ...
Cuby & The Blizzards

Harry Muskee, lead vocalist for renowned Dutch blues band, Cuby & The Blizzards, passed away today.  Who you say?  A bit of history.  Cuby & The Blizzards was formed in 1964 by Harry Muskee and Eelco Gelling.  Eelco Gelling went on to form another Dutch group, this one you may have heard of, Golden Earring, famous for Radar Love.  The video attached is from 1968 and is a live recording, with Harry on vocals and Gelling on guitar.  If you are a Led Zepplin fan, you will love this tune.

Remembering – Willie "Big Eyes" Smith

Grammy Award winning artist Willie “Big Eyes” Smith passed away today, September 16, 2011. He was 75. Exceptionally talented, he played harmonica, guitar, sang and was a renowned drummer. He was the drummer for Muddy Waters band, and was the drummer on every Grammy award-winning album by Muddy Waters. His most recent Grammy was this year when he, along with Pinetop Perkins were awarded the Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album. His list of accomplishments is huge. He was the harmonica player on Bo Diddly‘s hit “Diddy Wah Diddy”. He formed and was an integral part of “The Legendary Blues Band“. This band backed up John Lee Hooker in the movie “The Blues Brothers” and toured with Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. An astounding career without a doubt.

The first video is a 2006 live performance featuring Willie, the second celebrates the lives of Willie Smith and the late Pinetop Perkins, with some interviews and some playing. The playing part is very cool as it was done when Pinetop was 100 years old. Amazing.

Remembering – David "Honeyboy" Edwards

David "Honeyboy" Edwards
Image by joseph a via Flickr

Blues great and Grammy winner, David “Honeyboy” Edwards passed away on August 29 of heart failure.  He was 96.  He was a friend of, and played with legendary   Robert Johnson and was with him the night he died.  His story of that night became the definitive version of what happened.  He describes his life as blues performer in this quote from “Deep Blues” by Robert Palmer.

“On Saturday, somebody like me or Robert Johnson would go into one of these little towns, play for nickels and dimes. And sometimes, you know, you could be playin’ and have such a big crowd that it would block the whole street. Then the police would come around, and then I’d go to another town and where I could play at. But most of the time, they would let you play. Then sometimes the man who owned a country store would give us something like a couple of dollars to play on a Saturday afternoon. We could hitchhike, transfer from truck to truck, or if we couldn’t catch one of them, we’d go to the train yard, ’cause the railroad was all through that part of the country then…we might hop a freight, go to St Louis or Chicago. Or we might hear about where a job was paying off – a highway crew, a railroad job, a levee camp there along the river, or some place in the country where a lot of people were workin’ on a farm. You could go there and play and everybody would hand you some money. I didn’t have a special place then. Anywhere was home. Where I do good, I stay. When it gets bad and dull, I’m gone.”

Edwards was still touring well into his 90’s, actually only retiring in July of 2011.  A chapter in Blues history just closed.

The first video is his classic “Gambling Man”, the second is live 2009 (he was 94) version of Sweet Home Chicago).

Related articles

Remembering – Eddie Marshall

Une Histoire des Geants du Jazz

Jazz drummer extraordinaire, Eddie Marshall passed away on September 7.  He was 73.  In his career he played with such notables as Stan Getz, The Pointer Sisters and Dionne Warwick.  He was also part of the fusion group The Fourth Way.  His other work included the project Bebop and Beyond, which compiled tributes to Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonius Monk.

The video is a clip of the Eddy Marshall Quartet, live at the Piedmont Piano Company and features his composition “Too Much Romance”.

408

A Tough, Sad Off Season For Hockey

Pavol Demitra spent two years with Ottawa, but...
Pavol Demitra

Unbelievable summer. First the Vancouver Stanley Cup riot, then Derek Boogard dies, followed by Rick Rypien then we lose Wade Belak, and now a plane crash that took the lives of almost an entire hockey team in Russia. As the plane crash was being reported, Sidney Crosby holds a press conference to communicate that he is still suffering from his concussion and will return “sometime”.

I have posted in memory of Rick Rypien and Derek Boogard in the past. I had a shallow connection with Wade Belak, having watched him play on several occasions when he was a Saskatoon Blade. A first round pick in the annual NHL draft, he earned a niche in the league as a big strong defenceman, with enforcer qualities. I feel that even though he had the build for it, and the toughness, he would have been a much more successful player being that number 3 or 4 defence guy, the one that is stable as a rock, few mistakes and a goalies best friend. Another one gone to young.

The crash in Russia was mind boggling. The team, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, was decimated in the crash, which killed 43 of the 45 people on board. The connections to the North American game included the coach, Brad McCrimmon, an ex: Brandon Wheat King, who played with the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames and the Philadelphia Flyers during a successful and lengthy NHL career.

The Europeans who had played in the NHL were

Igor Korolev, who was assistant coach of the team. He played with the old Winnipeg Jets, following the team to Phoenix. He also played with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Pavol Demitra, a star with the St Louis Blues and several other teams.

Karel Rachunek, who played with Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers and the New Jersy Devils.

Ruslan Salei, a solid defencemen, best know for his time with the Anaheim Ducks and the Detroit Red Wings.

Karlis Skrastins, another solid defenseman that spent time with Nashville Predators and the Colorado Avalanche, enough time to set the NHL record for consecutive games played by a defenceman, 495.

Josef Vasicek, who played most of his career with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Rest in Peace.

Related articles

Remembering – Nickolas Ashford

Nick Ashford

Nickolas Ashford passed away on August 22, 2011.  He had been suffering from throat cancer.  He was 71 years old.  An integral part of Motown, Ashford and his wife Valerie Simpson ran the gamut.  From writing to backing vocals to solo endeavours, and most famously, as a duo, they were major players in the Barry Gordy network.  Their songs were recorded by such diverse talents as The Shirelles, Ray Charles and Marvin Gaye.  The song list is phenomenal, “Let’s Get Stoned”, “I Don’t Need No Doctor“, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and their own big hit “Solid“.

It always amazes me how true talent somehow hides in the background, surfacing from time to time in short bursts into the spotlight.  Once the exposure fades, they move comfortably and easily into the background to once again write and produce, always creating, always sharing their talents.  Nickolas Ashford was one of those people.  His body of work supports this fact.

The video is a live version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, performed by Ashford and Simpson.  Rest in Peace.

 

Related articles

Remembering – Jerry Lieber

Cover of "Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller...
Cover via Amazon

Jerry Lieber, who, along with Mike Stoller virtually created the R&B pop standard, died on August 22, 2011.  He was 78.  Some may not know the name, but you would certainly know the songs.  Stand By Me.  Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock. Yakety Yak.  On Broadway.  Kansas City.  There Goes My Baby.  All in all, Lieber and Stoller wrote 24 songs that hit the US charts for “The Coasters” alone.  Among his accomplishments are induction to the “Songwriters Hall of Fame” and the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” among many others.  Many people, including Phil Spector apprenticed or collaborated with him.

Prior to Lieber and Stoller, R&B was primarily a straight forward in style.  They surrounded it with a “big” sound and pop lyrics, allowing the sound to crossover into mainstream radio.  This was evident in not only the Coasters and Ben E King, but also for white artists such as Elvis Presley.  They were instrumental in moving R&B out of the black clubs into the traditional pop music mould.

A chapter in rock and roll history is now closed.  His contributions were large and still impact today’s music.  A true giant of the industry.

The video is “Stand By Me”, by Ben E King.

Related articles