vrijdag 6 september 2019

The Music of Bert Berns - (8 November 1929 – 30 December 1967)


                                                             Bertrand Russell Berns

Born in the Bronx, New York City, to Russian Jewish immigrants, Berns contracted rheumatic fever as a child, an illness that would mark the rest of his life. Turning to music, he found consonance in the sounds of his African American and Latino neighbors. As a young man, Berns danced in mambo nightclubs, and made his way to Havana before the Cuban Revolution.

 Berns also hit the charts in late 1962 with the Exciters' "Tell Him" on United Artists, and with Solomon Burke's "Cry to Me" on Atlantic Records. As an independent producer working with myriad record labels, Berns also made important records with Garnet Mimms ("Cry Baby") and Gene Pitney ("If I Didn't Have a Dime (to Play the Jukebox)").

  His first hit record was "A Little Bit of Soap", performed by The Jarmels in 1961

  Beginnings (1960–1963)

Shortly after his return from Cuba, Berns began a seven-year run from an obscure Brill Building songwriter to owner of his own record labels. He signed as a $50/week songwriter with Robert Mellin Music at 1650 Broadway in 1960. His first hit record was "A Little Bit of Soap", performed by the Jarmels on Laurie Records in 1961.
 Atlantic Records (1963–1965)


 Berns himself had a short-lived career as a recording artist, and in 1961, under the name "Russell Byrd", Berns scored his only Billboard Hot 100 appearance with his own composition, "You'd Better Come Home", which peaked at Number 50. That song would later be recorded by the Isley Brothers, and featured as the B-side of their 1962 single "Twistin' With Linda". Also in 1962, the Isley Brothers recorded "Twist and Shout" on Wand Records, written by Berns and Phil Medley.


Atlantic Records (1963–1965) 

Berns's early work with Solomon Burke brought him to the attention of Atlantic label chiefs Ahmet Ertegün and Jerry Wexler. In 1963, Berns replaced Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller as staff producer at Atlantic, where he wrote and produced hits for Solomon Burke ("Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"), the Drifters ("Under the Boardwalk" and "Saturday Night at the Movies"), Barbara Lewis ("Baby I'm Yours" and "Make Me Your Baby"), Little Esther Phillips ("Hello Walls"), Ben E. King, Wilson Pickett and LaVern Baker.


 The Drifters ("Under the Boardwalk" and "Saturday Night at the Movies"),



British Invasion (1964–1965)

With many of Berns's songs being recorded by British Invasion bands such as the Beatles ("Twist and Shout"), the Rolling Stones ("Cry to Me") and the Animals ("Baby Let Me Take You Home"), Berns became the first American record producer to travel across the Atlantic to work in London.[1]:222 He went to England three times between 1964 and 1965, where he produced a number of British Decca artists such as Van Morrison's Them ("Here Comes the Night", "Baby Please Don't Go") and Lulu.




 Barbara Lewis ("Baby I'm Yours" and "Make Me Your Baby")


BANG Records (1965–1967)

Berns formed his own record label, BANG Records, in 1965. BANG Records was founded with his Atlantic Records partners, with the label's name derived from the initials of each of their respective personal names—in order, Bert Berns, Ahmet Ertegün, Nesuhi Ertegün, and Gerald (Jerry) Wexler. BANG was home to such artists as the McCoys ("Hang on Sloopy"), the Strangeloves ("I Want Candy"), Them's ex-lead singer Van Morrison ("Brown Eyed Girl"), and, most notably, Neil Diamond ("Solitary Man" and "Cherry Cherry").





Shout Records (1966–1967)
With BANG Records releasing predominantly rock and roll, Berns formed Shout Records in 1966 as an outlet for his greatest passions of R&B and soul music, recording artists such Freddie Scott ("Are You Lonely for Me Baby") and Erma Franklin ("Piece of My Heart"). "Piece of My Heart", one of his last songs, was covered shortly thereafter by Big Brother and the Holding Company, which the then unknown Janis Joplin fronted.


 Them's ex-lead singer Van Morrison ("Baby Please Dont Go)

 "I remember him coming out of the console: he walked over to the drum kit, grabbed a stick and started beating on a cymbal and saying, 'Let's get this thing cooking,' and created an atmosphere. Suddenly everybody went, 'Yeah we're not sitting here tied to these seats, we're allowed to express ourselves.' Berns just created a whole freedom of atmosphere within the studio. Hellova producer. The guy was magic."
- Them guitarist Billy Harrison, interview with Wavelength

 Neil Diamond ("Solitary Man" and "Cherry Cherry").


 Berns formed Shout Records as an outlet for his R&B passions, recording Freddie Scott ("Are You Lonely for Me Baby")



 and Erma Franklin ("Piece of My Heart")



Berns, who had a history of cardiac trouble, as a result of his heart being damaged from rheumatic fever contracted during childhood, died in his New York apartment of heart failure on December 30, 1967, aged 38. He was buried two days later, following a funeral service at Riverside Memorial Chapel on New York's 180 West 76th Street in Manhattan. His widow Ilene outlived her husband by nearly 50 years, passing away at the age of 73 on February 20, 2017.



                                            Solomon Burke & Bert Burns

                                         Bert,Van Morrison & Janet Planet

                                     



woensdag 4 september 2019

Reverend Gary Davis - "Death Don't Have No Mercy"

                                     

 Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis (born Gary D. Davis, April 30, 1896 – May 5, 1972)

Davis was born in Laurens, South Carolina, in the Piedmont region. Of the eight children his mother bore, he was the only one who survived to adulthood. He became blind as an infant. He recalled being poorly treated by his mother and that his father placed him in the care of his paternal grandmother. Davis reported that when he was 10 years old his father was killed in Birmingham, Alabama; he later said that he had been told that his father was shot by the Birmingham sheriff.
He sangs for the first time at Gray Court's Baptist church in South Carolina.
 He took to the guitar and assumed a unique multivoice style produced solely with his thumb and index finger, playing gospel, ragtime, and blues tunes along with traditional and original tunes in four-part harmony.
                                                        
                                          "Death Don't Have No Mercy"

 In the mid-1920s, Davis migrated to Durham, North Carolina, a major center of black culture at the time. There he taught Blind Boy Fuller and collaborated with a number of other artists in the Piedmont blues scene, including Bull City Red. In 1935, J. B. Long, a store manager with a reputation for supporting local artists, introduced Davis, Fuller, and Red to the American Record Company. The subsequent recording sessions (available on his Complete Early Recordings) marked the real beginning of Davis's career. During his time in Durham, he became a Christian. In 1933, Davis was ordained as a Baptist minister in Washington, North Carolina. Following his conversion and especially his ordination, Davis began to prefer inspirational gospel music.

 In the 1940s, the blues scene in Durham began to decline, and Davis moved to New York.[2] In 1951, he recorded an oral history for the folklorist Elizabeth Lyttleton Harold (the wife of Alan Lomax). who transcribed their conversations in a typescript more than 300 pages long.
The folk revival of the 1960s invigorated Davis's career. He performed at the Newport Folk Festival. Peter, Paul and Mary recorded his version of "Samson and Delilah", also known as "If I Had My Way", a song by Blind Willie Johnson, which Davis had popularized. "Samson and Delilah" was also covered and credited to Davis by the Grateful Dead on the album Terrapin Station. The Dead also covered Davis' "Death Don't Have No Mercy". Eric Von Schmidt credited Davis with three-quarters of Schmidt's "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down", covered by Bob Dylan on his debut album for Columbia Records. The Blues Hall of Fame singer and harmonica player Darrell Mansfield has recorded several of Davis's songs.

 Davis died of a heart attack in May 1972, in Hammonton, New Jersey. He is buried in plot 68 of Rockville Cemetery, in Lynbrook, Long Island, New York.

dinsdag 3 september 2019

Steely Dan - live at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (12 Aug.2006)

                                                            WALTER BECKER (right) R.I.P

Steely Dan is goed vertegenwoordigd in mijn verzameling maar vreemd genoeg nog niet veel op mijn blog ,Can't Buy a Thrill,Countdown to Ecstasy,Pretzel Logic,Katy Lied,The Royal Scam,Aja,Gaucho,Two Against Nature ,ik heb ze allemaal ,zowel op LP als op CD.Mooie ,tijdloze soms wat jazzachtige muziek met op elk album wel hoogtepunten als Do It Again,Hey Nineteen,Bodhisattva,Aja,Rikki Don't Lose That Number,Deacon Blue enz,enz..


Bodhisattva

De band toert nog steeds in verschillende samenstelllingen met als constante factor beide oprichters Donald Fagan en Walter Becker.In 1996 deden ze sinds lange tijd ook Nederland weer eens aan.Natuurlijk een ticket gekocht(veld Ahoy),ik zou vroeg wegrijden om een mooi plaatsje te bemachtigen toen mijn jongste zoon thuiskwam met..een gebroken pols!Dus inplaats van op weg naar Rotterdam zat ik in de spoedeisende hulp van het ziekenhuis in Goes.


Aya

Dat alles had tot gevolg dat ik pas om 7 uur kon rijden(aanvang concert 8 uur)en om half 9 op de plaats van bestemming was.De band was natuurlijk al lang begonnen,mijn mooie plaats kon ik wel vergeten,het geluid was halverwege het veld beroerd.Gelukkig was de band zo vriendelijk een korte pauze te nemen en kon ik me nog een mooi plekje voor het podium veroveren.Mijn meest favoriete nummers waren bewaard voor het tweede gedeelte en had ik toch nog een mooie avond.En met die pols van Jesper is het,getuige zijn gitaarspel, gelukkig ook allemaal goed gekomen.


Hey Nineteen

De Band:Donald Fagen - Keyboards and Vocals,Walter Becker - Guitar,Keith Carlock - Drums,Jon Herington - Guitar,Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery - Backing Vocals,Michael Leonhart - Trumpet,Cindy Mizelle - Backing Vocals,Jim Pugh - Trombone,Roger Rosenberg - Baritone Sax,Freddie Washington - Bass,Walt Weiskopf - Sax,Jeff Young - Keyboards and Backing Vocals


Deacon Blue

 
                               Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Charlotte, North Carolina USA