Memphis, Tn - Soul singer and Stax music legend J. Blackfoot died Wednesday afternoon.
David Porter,
who discovered Blackfoot at a bar across the street from Stax records in the 60s, says every song he sang was memorable.
Porter says he and Isaac Hayes worked with Blackfoot as a solo artist. He then joined the group, 'The Soul
Children,' which spawned one of his biggest hits, Taxi.
Although he had been sick with pancreatic cancer for
about a year, friends say you would never know it from his voice.
Blackfoot, who's real last name was Colbert, got his
nickname for walking barefoot on tarred sidewalks as a child (Article).
Legendary Singer-Actress Lena Horne Dead at 92
Lena Horne, the enchanting jazz singer and actress who reviled the bigotry that allowed her to entertain white audiences
but not socialize with them, slowing her rise to Broadway superstardom, died Sunday. She was 92.
Horne died
at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, according to hospital spokeswoman Gloria Chin. Chin would not release any other details.
Horne, whose striking beauty and magnetic sex appeal often overshadowed her sultry voice, was remarkably candid
about the underlying reason for her success.
"I was unique in that I was a kind of black that white people
could accept," she once said. "I was their daydream. I had the worst kind of acceptance because it was never for
how great I was or what I contributed. It was because of the way I looked."
In the 1940s, she was one of
the first black performers hired to sing with a major white band, the first to play the Copacabana nightclub and among a
handful with a Hollywood contract.
In 1943, MGM Studios loaned her to 20th Century-Fox to play the role of Selina
Rogers in the all-black movie musical "Stormy Weather." Her rendition of the title song became a major hit and
her signature piece.
On screen, on records and in nightclubs and concert halls, Horne was at home vocally with
a wide musical range, from blues and jazz to the sophistication of Rodgers and Hart in songs like "The Lady Is a Tramp"
and "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered."
The jolly man of the accordion is with us no longer. Sometimes known as Zydeco Roy,
Roy Carrier is the last of the original Zydeco players that came up in the 50's and 60's who put Louisiana's sexy blend
of Cajun and LaLa music on the American roots map. A contemporary and devotee of Clifton Chenier, Boozoo Chavis and Delton
Broussard, Roy's attitude towards basing zydeco music on the blues ensured his longevity and the affectionate nickname of
"Living Legend." His was a hard life begun February 11th, 1947 on the fields of Louisiana with his sharecropping
family and joining the live music circuit alongside his father at the age of ten honed his craft. Usually backed by one of
the many incarnations of his Night Rockers Band, Roy Carrier was a stalwart persona of the genre that can be compared to
what Junior Kimbrough did for Delta blues.
There's something endemically fun in Zydeco music and it is best
portrayed in the ease and skill with which he created sound on the accordion, a beast of an instrument that is
often forgotten or relegated to "Mariachi" music, which is cool because the genres share a similar ancestry.
Though he did not record until the 1980's, there are plenty of compact disc compilations of his studio and live work available
through his website. Make a racket in Heaven baby, get them angels dancing!
Robert 'Squirrel' Lester, 1942-2010: Original member of Chi-Lites
Group had hits with 'Oh Girl' and 'Have You Seen Her'
I am happy to have met him, he is a very nice person
(Robert "Squirrel" Lester, far right)
Robert "Squirrel" Lester teamed with singers from a rival South Side doo-wop group to form
the Chi-Lites, which scored chart-topping hits in the 1970s with "Oh Girl" and "Have You Seen Her."
Mr. Lester, 67, died of cancer Thursday, Jan. 21, in Roseland Community Hospital in Chicago, said Marshall Thompson, a fellow
original Chi-Lites member. He was a South Side resident. Mr. Lester got his nickname for his propensity to clamber up trees
as a small boy in Mississippi, Thompson said. His family moved to Chicago, and he met Thompson and other singers as a student
at Hyde Park High School in the late 1950s. Mr. Lester and Eugene Record were singing with the Chantours, while Thompson was
with the Desideros. Both sang in the fashion of the day. "They were modeled on the Flamingos, we were the Spaniels,"
Thompson said with a laugh, referring to doo-wop's big groups of the time. The Chantours and the Desideros faced off at South
Side talent shows but members from each group eventually combined forces in the Hi-Lites.
Mr.
Thompson convinced an uncle to lend him money for a recording session at a studio on 47th Street. They later found there was
another group called the Hi-Lites, so they added a "C" to reflect their hometown. Mr. Record, who died in 2005,
was the group's lead singer and songwriter, while Mr. Lester sang second tenor. The Chi-Lites took awhile to get going, but
by the late 1960s were on a roll. They played Harlem's Apollo Theater in 1969 — Thompson remembered it as "crazy" — and recorded 11 top-20 R&B hits in the ensuing decade.
Members occasionally came and went, but Mr. Lester was a staple of the Chi-Lites throughout his life, playing concerts all
over the world with stops in Japan, Germany, Korea and Greenland, Thompson said. His final performance with the group was
last summer.
Mr. Lester is survived by his wife, Louise; his mother, Ann Hines; two sons, Robert
Jr. and Carey; seven daughters, Kimberly Johnson, Tijwana, Robin, Latoia, Chrystal, Kimberly and Lynnette; three sisters,
Jacqueline Wahl, Pamela Denson and Joanne Hines; and 19 grandchildren.
The Boogie Report has learned that Music Industry Veteran JK McCoy died yesterday in Montgomery.McCoy who's given name was Bruce Knight was discovered yesterday when he didnt respond to severalattempts to contact him. McCoy who was CEO of JK Consulting had worked as a radio announcer
throughoutthe southwest he also was the founding editor of the Chittlin Circuit Magazine Additional information to comeas
facts are made available. RIP Jay K I will miss u and will never forget back in the day all the times you helped with my career andthe many times we all laughed together under the carport at Mrs. Magee house and on the roadat Reggie P and Nathaniel Kimble.
Love you, enjoy your lovely wife you are with her now Roni (You
knew me as Rhonda)
King of Pop
Michael Joseph Jackson has Died
August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009
LA - June 25, 2009 -On June 25, 2009, he collapsed at his home in Los Angeles. After being taken to
the hospital in a coma, Jackson was pronounced dead.
Michael
Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, hedebuted
on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still
a
member
of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums are among the
world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and History (1995).
In the early 1980s, he became a dominant figure in popular music and the first African-American entertainer
to amass a strong crossover following on MTV. The popularity of his music videosairing on MTV, such
as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller-credited for transforming the music video into an art form and
a promotional tool-helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream"
made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. With stage performances and music videos, Jackson popularized a number
of physically complicated dance techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style
influenced hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists.
Jackson donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his foundation, charity singles and
support of 39 charities. Other aspects of his personal life, including his changing appearance and behavior, generated significant
controversy, damaging his public image. Though he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, the criminal investigation was
closed due to lack of evidence and Jackson was not charged. The singer experienced health concerns from the early 1990s until
his death, as well as conflicting reports regarding the state of his finances. Jackson married twice and fathered three children,
all of which caused further controversy. In 2005, Jackson was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and
several other charges.
One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include
multiple Guinness World Records-including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"-13 Grammy Awards, 13
number one singles in his solo career-more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era-and the sales of over 750 million
albums worldwide. Cited as one of the world's most famous men, Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his
successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades.
From a young age Jackson was physically and mentally
abused by his father, enduring incessant rehearsals, whippings and name-calling. Jackson's abuse as a child affected him throughout
his grown life.[7] In one altercation—later recalled by Marlon Jackson—Joseph held Michael upside down by one leg
and "pummeled him over and over again with his hand, hitting him on his back and buttocks".[8] Joseph would often trip up, or push the male children into walls.[8] One night while Jackson was asleep, Joseph climbed into his room through the bedroom window. Wearing a fright
mask, he entered the room screaming and shouting. Joseph said he wanted to teach his children not to leave the window open
when they went to sleep. For years afterward, Jackson suffered nightmares about being kidnapped from his bedroom.[8]
Jackson first spoke openly about his childhood abuse in a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey. He said that during his childhood he often cried from loneliness and would sometimes get sick or start to
regurgitate upon seeing his father.[9][10][11][12] In Jackson's other high profile interview, Living with Michael Jackson (2003), the singer covered his face with his hand and began crying when talking about his childhood abuse.[8] Jackson recalled that Joseph sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed and that "if
you didn't do it the right way, he would tear you up, really get you."[13]
Jackson showed musical talent early in his life, performing in front of classmates and others during a Christmas
recital at the age of five.[6] In 1964, Jackson and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by brothers Jackie, Tito and Jermaine—as
backup musicians playing congas and tambourine, respectively. Jackson later began performing backup vocals and dancing; at the age of eight, he and Jermaine
assumed lead vocals, and the group's name was changed to The Jackson 5.[6] The band toured the Midwest extensively from 1966 to 1968. The band frequently performed at a string of black clubs and venues collectively
known as the "chitlin' circuit", where they often opened for stripteases and other adult acts. In 1966, they won a major local talent show with renditions of Motown hits and James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)", led by Michael.[14]
The Jackson 5 recorded several songs, including "Big Boy", for the local record label Steeltown in 1967 and signed with Motown Records in 1968.[6]Rolling Stone magazine later described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts", noting
that Michael "quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer" after he began to dance and sing with his brothers.[15] Though Michael sang with a "child's piping voice, he danced like a grown-up hoofer and sang with the R&B/gospel
inflections of Sam Cooke, James Brown, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder".[15] The group set a chart record when its first four singles ("I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There") peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] During The Jackson 5's early years, Motown's public relations team claimed that Jackson was nine years old—two
years younger than he actually was—to make him appear cuter and more accessible to the mainstream audience.[16] Starting in 1972, Jackson released a total of four solo studio albums with Motown, among them Got to Be There and Ben. These were released as part of the Jackson 5 franchise, and produced successful singles such as "Got to Be There", "Ben" and a remake of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin". The group's sales began declining in 1973, and the band members chafed under Motown's strict refusal
to allow them creative control or input.[17] Although the group scored several top 40 hits, including the top 5 disco single "Dancing Machine" and the top 20 hit "I Am Love", the Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975.[17]
A gold plated military style jacket with belt, worn by Jackson in
the Bad era.
One of many identical statues, positioned throughout
Europe to promote HIStory. The statue illustrates the singer's flamboyant clothing and hair style, influenced by
military imagery.
Image of US patent 5255452 filed by Jackson describing the anti-gravity lean used in the music video for "Smooth Criminal".
Jackson's star on the Hollywood walk of fame, set in 1984.
He was characterized as "an unstoppable juggernaut, possessed of all the tools to dominate the charts seemingly
at will: an instantly identifiable voice, eye-popping dance moves, stunning musical versatility and loads of sheer star power".[157] In the mid-1980s, Time described Jackson as "the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley".[33] By 1990, Vanity Fair had already cited Jackson as the most popular artist in the history of show business.[66]Daily Telegraph writer Tom Utley called him an "extremely important figure in the history of popular culture" and a "genius".[200] His total lifetime earnings from royalties on his solo recordings and music videos, revenue from concerts and endorsements have been estimated at $500 million;
some analysts have speculated that his music catalog holdings could be worth billions of dollars.[67][201] Cited as one of the world's most famous men, Jackson's highly publicized personal life, coupled with his successful career, made him a part of popular culture for almost four decades.[76][202]
All information derived and quoted from read more by clicking this link (Wikipedia)
“QUEEN OF THE BLUES” KOKO TAYLOR
1928 - 2009 from Alligator Records, posted: 06/03/2009
Grammy Award-winning
blues legend Koko Taylor, 80, died on June 3, 2009 in her hometown of Chicago, IL, as a result of complications following
her May 19 surgery to correct a gastrointestinal bleed. On May 7, 2009, the critically acclaimed Taylor, known worldwide as
the “Queen of the Blues,” won her 29th Blues Music Award (for Traditional Female Blues Artist Of The Year), making
her the recipient of more Blues Music Awards than any other artist. In 2004 she received the NEA National Heritage Fellowship
Award, which is among the highest honors given to an American artist. Her most recent CD, 2007’s Old School, was nominated
for a Grammy (eight of her nine Alligator albums were Grammy-nominated). She won a Grammy in 1984 for her guest appearance
on the compilation album Blues Explosion on Atlantic.
Born Cora Walton on a sharecropper’s farm just
outside Memphis, TN, on September 28, 1928, Koko, nicknamed for her love of chocolate, fell in love with music at an early
age. Inspired by gospel music and WDIA blues disc jockeys B.B. King and Rufus Thomas, Taylor began belting the blues with
her five brothers and sisters, accompanying themselves on their homemade instruments. In 1952, Taylor and her soon-to-be-husband,
the late Robert “Pops” Taylor, traveled to Chicago with nothing but, in Koko’s words, “thirty-five
cents and a box of Ritz Crackers.”
In Chicago, “Pops” worked for a packing
company, and Koko cleaned houses. Together they frequented the city’s blues clubs nightly. Encouraged by her husband,
Koko began to sit in with the city’s top blues bands, and soon she was in demand as a guest artist. One evening in 1962
Koko was approached by arranger/composer Willie Dixon. Overwhelmed by Koko’s performance, Dixon landed Koko a Chess
Records recording contract, where he produced her several singles, two albums and penned her million-selling 1965 hit “Wang
Dang Doodle,” which would become Taylor’s signature song.
After Chess Records was sold, Taylor found a home with
the Chicago’s Alligator Records in 1975 and released the Grammy-nominated I Got What It Takes. She recorded eight more
albums for Alligator between 1978 and 2007, received seven more Grammy nominations and made numerous guest appearances on
various albums and tribute recordings. Koko appeared in the films Wild At Heart, Mercury Rising and Blues Brothers 2000. She
performed on Late Night With David Letterman, Late Night With Conan O’Brien, CBS-TV’s This Morning, National Public
Radio’s All Things Considered, CBS-TV’s Early Edition, and numerous regional television programs.
Over the course of her 40-plus-year career, Taylor
received every award the blues world has to offer. On March 3, 1993, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley honored Taylor with a
“Legend Of The Year” Award and declared “Koko Taylor Day” throughout Chicago. In 1997, she was inducted
into the Blues Foundation’s Hall of Fame. A year later, Chicago Magazine named her “Chicagoan Of The Year”
and, in 1999, Taylor received the Blues Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2009 Taylor performed in Washington,
D.C. at The Kennedy Center Honors honoring Morgan Freeman.
Koko Taylor was one of very few women who found success
in the male-dominated blues world. She took her music from the tiny clubs of Chicago’s South Side to concert halls and
major festivals all over the world. She shared stages with every major blues star, including Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf,
B.B. King, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy as well as rock icons Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.
Taylor’s final performance
was on May 7, 2009 in Memphis at the Blues Music Awards, where she sang “Wang Dang Doodle” after receiving her
award for Traditional Blues Female Artist Of The Year.
Survivors include Taylor’s husband Hays Harris, daughter
Joyce Threatt, son-in-law Lee Threatt, grandchildren Lee, Jr. and Wendy, and three great-grandchildren. Visit the Queens Site and leave your condolences
December 20, 2007
BMI Songwriters Dominate List of 2008 Blues Music Awards Nominees
Once
again, noted BMI songwriters overwhelmingly populate the list of nominees for the upcoming Blues Music Awards. 2008's round
of recognition will take place May 8, 2008, at Grand Casino Event Center in Tunica Resorts, Mississippi. In addition to the
impressive caliber of 2008's honorees, the ceremony itself boasts historic significance: it will mark the first time the Blues
Foundation has ever presented its annual awards in the Mississippi Delta, birthplace of the blues. Bobby Rush
Koko Taylor Dykes
& Vaughan
Legend
Bobby Rush earned four nominations this year, including Artist of the Year nods in both Acoustic and Soul Blues categories. Rush is
the first artist to ever garner simultaneous Artist of the Year nominations in the two separate categories - a reflection
of his distinct acoustic and soul revue performances witnessed throughout 2007. His aptly titled Raw album also snagged
an Acoustic Album of the Year nod. Nick Moss
Sugar Ray Lurrie
Bell
"Queen of the Blues" Koko Taylor also secured four nominations. The Grammy-award winning chanteuse recorded her 2007 release,Old School, after a
seven year recording hiatus. Taylor's welcome return cured her aching absence and garnered the icon nods in Album, Song and
Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year categories.
Omar
Kent Dykes & Jimmie Vaughan'sOn the Jimmy Reed Highway snagged three prestigious nominations, including Album
of the Year. Singer Dykes, frontman of Omar & The Howlers, and guitarist Vaughn, co-founder of blues rockers The Fabulous
Thunderbirds, collaborated to pay homage to revered bluesman Jimmy Reed.
Nick
Moss & the Flip Tops also garnered three nods. Their project,Play It 'Til Tomorrow, earned an Album of the Year
nomination, while the group itself is up for Band of the Year, and frontman Nick Moss received a Guitarist of the Year nod.
My
Life, My Friends, My Music by Sugar Ray & the Bluetones also received an Album of the Year nomination, while frontman Sugar Ray Norcia snagged an Instrumentalist
of the Year nod in the Harmonica category. The band's tune "The Last Words of A Fool" also numbers among the prestigious
Song of the Year nominees.
Eclectic
artist Lurrie Bell also earned three nominations. Bell received individual nods in the Guitarist and Traditional Blues Male
Artist of the Year categories, while he also shares a nomination with his late father, legendary harpist Carey Bell, in the
newly created DVD category. The DVD, entitledGettin' Up: Live at Buddy Guy's Legends, captures a stunning live performance by the father and son.
Online
voting began December 13 for members. For voting, ticket and host hotel information, please visit blues.org.
The Blues Music Awards are
universally recognized as the highest Read More
Although she's gone I am remembering the
Mother
of the Blues
Johnnie Mae Dunson wasn't supposed to live past her 14th birthday, let alone turn the
blues on its head with her singing and drumming. But she's not one to let `supposed to' get in her way.
By Howard Reich |Tribune arts
critic
June 10, 2005
She's not nearly as famous as Koko Taylor or Buddy Guy or "Honeyboy" Edwards
or any other Chicago blues legend who comes to mind.
But at 84, Johnnie Mae Dunson--still strong of spirit and
mighty of voice--knows as much about the blues as anyone in this town......read more
Musician Ike Turner Dies at 76
By ELLIOT SPAGAT
- 1 hour ago
SAN
DIEGO (AP) - Ike Turner, whose role as one of rock's critical architects was overshadowed by his ogrelike image as the man
who brutally abusedformer wife Tina Turner, died Wednesday at his home in suburban
San Diego. He was 76.
"He did pass away this morning" at his home in San Marcos, said Scott M. Hanover of Thrill Entertainment
Group, which managed Turner's musical career........read more
Lena Horne, the enchanting jazz singer and actress who reviled the bigotry that allowed her to entertain white audiences
but not socialize with them, slowing her rise to Broadway superstardom, died Sunday. She was 92.
