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Born Under a Bad Sign – Albert King

23 Jan
Albert King

Albert King

When the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame announced 2013′s inductees, one name stuck out to me as well deserving of the honor. That’s not to say that I am not happy for Rush, Heart, and the other bands and artists who are being inducted, but The Velvet Bulldozer stands out. Albert King (one of the 4 kings of blues guitar) will be posthumously inducted into the Hall, and, if he was still alive today, I’m sure he would accept it with amicable poise.

Before we talk a little bit about Albert King’s impact on music, it is important to know that King was a true musician. He was a wonderfully kind individual and when he hit the stage he put all things aside and just played music. He loved music. He loved the guitar. His passion for melody and harmony was apparent in his playing, and his infectious, friendly personality made him beloved on and off the stage.

King’s career traversed the 1960s. He first played professionally with The Groove Boys from Arkansas and then moved around the midwest during the 1950s hooking up with various musicians and labels. What remained consistent was his Flying V guitar (as you see above) which, like George Harrison, he named Lucy.

In 1961, King landed his first major hit, “Don’t Throw Your Love on Me So Strong,” which reached number 14 on the Billboard R&B chart. He released his first album The Big Blues in 1962. Ike Turner played piano on the studio version of “Don’t Throw Your Love on Me So Strong,” which is track seven on the album. Listen to it below:

Classic electric blues. King’s voice is velvety with excellent vibrato. His guitar skill is evident. The man knew how to get feeling out of his Lucy, and his clean, bright and whiny playing style has been imitated by those he has inspired (Derek Trucks, Joe Walsh, etc.).

After the release of The Big Blues, King’s popularity continued rising in the Midwest and, in 1966, he rode that popularity to Stax records where he signed in 1966. There, with the widely influential Booker T & the MGs, he recorded premier blues tracks, including his most famous track, “Born Under a Bad Sign.” The track, also the name of his first album with Stax, helped propel him to all of America and other countries.

“Born Under a Band Sign” is a unique song because of King’s unique guitar, which bathes ears with an authentic twang. The looping bass line carries the song, and the horns further accentuate the song’s comfortable bluesy power.

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It Never Rains On The Music Court – Albert Hammond’s Illustrious Career

20 Jul

Albert Hammond with his son Albert Hammond Jr.

If you are of the Millenials generation the name Albert Hammond might immediately spark images of the curly-haired Strokes’ guitarist. Yeah, that guy in the picture. But who is the dude next to him? That, my friends, is Albert Hammond, father of the Strokes’ guitarist and tremendous musician in his own rite. Hammond has been releasing and writing music for over 40 years and has skillfully adjusted to the transformation of music along the way. In 2008, he was inducted into the songwriter’s hall of fame (source for picture above). Let’s explore the musical life that is Albert Hammond.

Artist: Albert Hammond

Origin: Gibraltar

Genre: Singer/Songwriter – Mainstream

History:

Albert Hammond was born in London but grew up in Gibraltar with his Gibraltarian parents. Hammond, like many other musicians, left school to pursue music and first found a small market in the emergence of Spanish rock. While his first band, The Diamond Boys, wasn’t successful, it did help Hammond get performance experience and this came in handy later in his career.

1966 can be pointed to as the year Hammond broke out of his shell and started succeeding at song creation. He partnered with singer/songwriter Mike Hazelwood and helped form Family Dogg, a British vocal group, that also featured Steve Rowland. Hazelwood and Hammond not only performed with Family Dogg, but also became one of Britain’s most successful songwriting teams, scoring with hits like “Little Arrows.”

Family Dogg gave them an opportunity to sing and perform. The band released A Way of Life in 1969. The album’s success can be somewhat accredited to the historical personnel, but we will get to that later. Here is the Family Dogg performing the same-named “A Way of Life,” which appeared as the last track of the album. Just to make it clear, “A Way of Life” was not written by the songwriting duo of Hammond and Hazelwood (written instead by Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway). Hammond and Hazelwood’s only conjoined songwriting credits come from track 10, “Moonshine Mary” and track 11, “You Were On My Mind.”

That is how the 60′s ended for Hammond. But despite his successes, Hammond’s true contribution to music came in the 1970s. Hammond and Hazelwood moved to Southern California and continued writing together. Hammond signed with Columbia Records and started showing off his chops. Numerous famous 70′s acts starting covering his material. The list includes Johnny Cash, Elton John, Mama Cass, The Association, Steppenwolf, Sonny & Cher, etc. Hammond, who is bilingual, was able to start making Spanish-language albums. Then, in the 1980s, Hammond wrote several other highly successful songs including “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” He continues to write music today.

If I had to choose a highlight from Hammond’s brilliant career it would have to be the release of his most known, and arguably best song in 1972. The song, “It Never Rains in Southern California,” is such a classic 70′s song. For what it is, it’s great. The song is soft-rock at its finest. It mixes light horns and Hammond’s pleasant voice into the pot and out comes a hit. I’ll leave you with a low-key performance of the song below.

Did You Know: The Family Dogg‘s album A Way of Life featured some pretty special guest musicians in the studio, including Elton John and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, John Bonham and Jimmy Page.

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60′s Band of the Week: Al Martino

22 Jun

This is the first time I am including a video prior to writing a 60′s Band post. Al Martino, the guest on today’s weekly section, is best known for this 1966 hit. And since he is a vocalist who performed from the early 1950′s to the 2000′s, prior to his passing in 2009, I thought it was important to place him in the rich 60′s vocalist culture. I present to you Al Martino.

Artist: Al Martino (Born Alfred Cini – Martino was adopted from his maternal grandfather)

Origin: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Genre: Italian Pop Crooner

History:

Al Martino will forever be known as one of the greatest Italian-American pop crooners. His trademark deep voice and voluble Italian helped him hit the charts in the 50s, 60s and 70s, an impressive feat for any artist. Martino, or Johnny Fontane for those who recognize him from his role in The Godfather, had to deal with real-life mob implications that slowed down his career, but this did not prevent him from becoming popular three times. Let me explain.

Martino first hit success with his 1952 debut single “Here in My Heart.” He got the recoding gig with BBS, a Philadelphia-based label, after garnering exposure from a first place finish on the Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts show. The song shot up both the U.S. and U.K. charts. It was number one on the first-ever U.K. singles chart earning a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. The song also went number one on the U.S. pop charts for three weeks. The record sold over a million copies and Martino was immediately picked up by Capitol records where he recorded three more hits through 1953, all of which hit the top 40. And then the records stopped dropping.

The mafia took over Martino’s contract and ordered Martino to pay a $75,000 fee upfront which he did to ensure his family’s safety. He then fled to England to avoid the mafia. I guess it was an offer he couldn’t refuse. That was awful, I’m sorry. Luckily, the mafia would not wreck his career any longer, and after a few productive years in England, Martino was able to return to the U.S. in 1958. The next time the mafia came knocking it was fake and he made profit.

It took a few years before Martino was able to establish himself in the U.S. again. He recorded for 20th Century Fox and didn’t do that poorly, but they dropped him. He then got a new deal with Capitol Records in 1962. The music climate had changed significantly in 10 years. Instead of competing with other crooners, Martino was now faced with Booker T., Ray Charles and Chubby Checker. Rock n’ Roll was the rage and Martino was far from this genre. But there was still room for powerful crooners, and Martino was one of them. He started charting again through the early 60s and then in 1966 released “Spanish Eyes,” an adaptation of an instrumental piece by Bert Kaempfert. While the song did only reach 15 on the pop charts it spread like wildfire throughout Europe. The song is no synonymous with Martino.

And when his career began to slow down again, Martino’s friend Phyllis McGuire (one of the McGuire Sisters) alerted him of Paramount’s decision to make a film version of Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. She also told him he’d be great for the role of Johnny Fontane, a fading pop idol who needs the mob to land a film role. Martino didn’t need the mob’s help on this one. The real mob taketh, but the movie mob giveth back. The role propelled him to visibility again and he recorded two popular songs in the mid 70s, including a disco version of “Volare,” which is awful, but Europe enjoyed it.

Think about it. Martino was able to transcend music genres. Not many musicians can say they did that. Give the man credit. He overcame obstacles, but still marked himself as a legendary pop crooner.

Here is “Here in My Heart”

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60′s Band of the Week: Adam Wade

15 Jun

Band/Artist: Adam Wade

Origin: Pittsburgh, PA

Genre: Crooner

History:

Adam Wade? Isn’t he that guy who hosted that game show Musical Chairs back in 1975? Yes, indeed, but did you know that Wade also released several singles on both Coed and Epic records in the 1960s? Well, that’s why I am here.

Adam Wade can definitely fit into the expansive category of singer, who is also quite proficient in other creative fields. He actually started his odd career as a lab assistant to Dr. Jonas Salk. For those of you who have completely forgotten 9th grade biology, Salk invented the vaccine for polio. Wade’s passion for singing outlasted his scientific endeavors and he followed in the vocal tradition of Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole. Wade moved to New York in 1960, played the Copacabana, and was consequently snatched up quickly by the eastern doo-wop inspired Coed records (the record label of the Duprees and The Crests).

Wade, like Mathis, took on good-looking male performer status like many vocalists were doing at the time, but he did not use this as a crutch. He was a prolific performer and his large collection of releases were rich in quality and quantity. Throughout the 1960s, beginning with his single Ruby/Too Far in 1960, Wade released several singles each year of the decade and this included full-length LPs. Here are a few highlights:

“Ruby”/ “Too Far” was Wade’s first major success in 1960

“Take Good Care of Her” hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961

“As If I Didn’t Know” hit #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961

“The Writing on the Wall” hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1961

After switching from Coed Records to Epic Records in 1962, Wade experienced a steep decline in singles popularity and after several years of unsuccessful recordings, Wade dropped the music studio for the movie studio and thus started a long career in acting, highlighted by his hosting of “Musical Chairs.” Wade became the first African American to host an American game show. The show, which had contestants fill in lyrics, allowed Wade to sing and act. After the show he went back into music in 1978 with funkier recordings and then back into acting, switching off between music and acting and usually combining the two in theater.

Suggested Listening

I am going to embed “The Writing on the Wall” because I think it best demonstrates his textured croon.

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60′s Band of the Week: Adrian Pride and The Comfortable Chair

8 Jun

Band/Artist: Adrian Pride (Bernie Schwartz)

Origin: West Coast

Genre: Pop Psychedelic

Name: Adrian Pride was a pseudonym for Bernie Schwartz (not to be confused with actor Tony Curtis who was born Bernard Schwartz) that was created by producer (at the time) Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers. Apparently, people do not like the name Bernie Schwartz.

History:

Like I said above, Adrian Pride was the false name of Bernie Schwartz, a West Coast musician with Psychedelic Pop aspirations. And while Adrian Pride does sound like an awesome, but corny superhero, Schwartz only recorded under the name once. Yes, once. He used Pride for his dreamy meditation “Her Name is Melody,” an apt title for a song that attempts to lure listeners into its constant rhythm, eastern guitar and melodic vocals. This example of psychedelic pop is from 1966 and was produced by The Everly Brothers. Well all you have to do is dream, dream, dream. Right? I couldn’t help it.

Unfortunately, “Her Name is Melody” (and its B-side “I Go To Sleep” – Kinks cover) did not chart and fell off into the realm of psychedelic nuggets of the late 60s. It was picked up by a compilation CD and you can still hear it today if you search for rare psychedelic gems.

After his Adrian Pride phase, Schwartz became one of the vocalists for late 60s band Comfortable Chair, yet another obscure West Coast psychedelic sunshine band. And while The Everly Brothers originally produced Schwartz’s music, Jim Morrison of the Doors found Comfortable Chair and Doors’ drummer John Densmore and Doors’ guitarist Robbie Kreiger happened to produce Comfortable Chair’s first album in 1969. The album went nowhere and the band found no success outside of the sinking late 60′s psychedelic scene.

Adrian Pride, Bernie Schwartz, Comfortable Chair. Schwartz represents a large group of unheard 60′s musicians who were lost in the crowded sea of popular musicians. But you can still hear his music if you search. Here is “Her Name is Melody.”

http://therisingstorm.net/audio/her-name-is-melody-1.mp3

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