The famous spiritual is often associated with American country music and Merle Travis but it was a black spiritual long before that. More importantly, it had a double meaning about the underground railroad.
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James Taylor (picture James Taylor)
James Taylor is offering to teach the world how to play his unique finger picking guitar style. Free. On YouTube.
The project started in October and he just posted Lesson 3 called Second Wheel. Continue reading
Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan is a lot of Bob Dylan songs for only $20 sung by artists famous and not-so-famous. The project will raise money for Amnesty International.
Amnesty International are fighting for human rights and freedom around the world. They deserve our $20 and more for defending people from oppression.
It’s the 50th Anniversary of Amnesty International, Bob Dylan’s 50th anniversary of recording. The project seems like a winner. Continue reading
It takes guts to video your gig playing in the lobby of a seniors home. It’s a tough room but Harlan Pepper turns a few smiles and gets them dancing in the aisles.
Since graduating from high school almost three years ago, Harlan Pepper have honed their chops with a fresh mix of alt country, folk and rock.
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The Newfoundland folk trio The Once is a phrase that means ‘imminently’.
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Mumford and Sons live on The Edge 102.1 FM Toronto
Mumford and Sons were relatively unknown before their appearance with Bob Dylan at this year’s Grammy Awards. Mumford and Sons win on Grammys
Since then, the band of West London lads have been on a whirlwind rise in popularity. Three concerts in Canada in October player to enthusiastic audiences.
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Paul Leka (photo Joseph Bly NY Times)
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye went # 1 for a band called Steam. Today it is the sports chant of fans for retiring pitchers and sports losers of all stripes.
Paul Leka died of lung cancer on October 12th in hospice near his Connecticut home. Leka was 68.
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You know me – I`m into all things Bob Dylan and 60s rock and roll. When Apple released Outlaw Blues – Adventures in Counter-Culture Wars by Jonathan Taplin I was like `show me the store`.
Soon I was trapped in the iPhone store.
The book promised first person narrative from Jonathan Taplin who now teaches at USC. He was Bob Dylan`s tour manager.
Outlaw Blues is a searing tale of the rock and roll and film revolutions of the 1960s and 1970s told by an insider who worked with Bob Dylan and The Band, George Harrison and Martin Scorsese to change the cultural landscape of America. Continue reading
Gordon Lightfoot, Red Shea (some fine guitar picking), Rick Haynes (Bass) Live performance from BBC 1972.
Melanie
Our lives are filled with songs. I was reminded today of the song Brand New Key by Melanie when messaging a band in Allentown, PA.
Back in the 60s, I dated a girl in Easton, PA down the highway from Allentown. She was dead ringer for Melanie, at least to me. The resemblance would stick with me despite the fact that Melanie was just another folk singer in Greenwich Village in 1966 when I was hitch hiking to the States.
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Red Shea pickin’ and grinnin’
Gordon Lightfoot’s guitarist is caught in a rare video on YouTube.
His playing was legendary for style, speed and humor. Shea, who passed away in 2008, played on most of Lightfoot’s early recordings. He left the road band in 1972 and became a TV studio musician for Tommy Hunter.