Friday Funk ~ The Funk Brothers Receive Star on Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

 

Joe Messina dies.

https://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/joe-messina-1928-2022-guitarist-with-motowns-funk-brothers/

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/people/2022/04/04/joe-messina-motown-guitarist-and-member-funk-brothers-has-died-age-93/7271120001/

So Saddened. you were apart of one of the greatest set of musicians in the history of Music. There wouldn’t have been a Motown Sound without all of you.

God Speed and Rest in Rock and Jazz.

 

Longshot's Blog

Yesterday March 21, 2013 Detroit’s own got their due by Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Our treasures, musicians, sound, style, epitome of the definition of Instrumentation.

Surviving members Eddy Willis & Jack Ashford attending this honor. Joe Messina who has been said to be sick viewed the ceremony via a live stream from his Detroit suburban home. To me this should have been done long ago and about time!

Because what you heard on every single one of the Motown Hits you was the music behind the vocals and they were simply called The Funk Brothers. But what a sound they created. No one on this earth could ever duplicate them if they tried.

The were not only Detroit’s legends they were the worlds. They were musics magicians. Extraordinary talents each and every single one of them. And if I repeat myself more than one time on this blog so be…

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Sunday Sleep In ~ “The Peacocks” ~ Stan Getz presents Jimmie Rowles.

I never thought I’d ever say that Bill Evans could be out done but Jimmie Rowles does a masterful interpretation of this composition.

… and Getz… could play with anybody and make them sound 500% better. This pianist didn’t need any help.

 

 

The Peacocks

Composed by Bill Evans.
Recorded in 1975 and Released off the 1997 album Stan Getz presents Jimmie Rowles – Label: CBS in The Neverthands and Label: Columbia in the US. ‎

Jimmie Rowles – piano
Stan Getz – Sax

 

 

 

 

Thursday Throwdown ~ Canned Heat ~ A Change Is Gonna Come/Leaving This Town

Woodstock 1969

A Change is Gonna Come and Leaving This Town are the same song and not affiliated with Sam Cooke’s song or the latter one a Beach Boy’s.

It is a Canned Heat Jam created by band.

Bob “The Bear” Hite – vocals, harmonica
Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson – guitar, slide guitar, vocals
Harvey “The Snake” Mandel – guitar
Larry “The Mole” Taylor – bass
Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra – drums

A Befitting Farewell to “Motown’s Matriarch” Esther Gordy Edwards.

On Wednesday August 24, 2011 91-year-old Esther Gordy Edwards may have been surrounded by family and some friends when she died but certainly not all the friends this lady of Motown had. For they would have had to have a museum a thousand times bigger then the one she created for the Detroit’s recording studio she founded.

When you hear our city’s legacy it makes you wonder how all that music, all those artists, all those musicians and all those hits got cranked out of a garage ( Studio A ) of a house that has sat at 2648 West Grand Boulevard from the start, but they did. And that house would be transformed into “Hitsville USA”.

Friday At The Fillmore ~ The Doors

Motown Monday ~ Mr. Excitement Jackie Wilson ~ Baby Workout!

You don’t need any details of why this Man was called this. The music says it all.

Jackie was one of the most dynamic performers to watch and listen to. If that man couldn’t make you dance you were DEAD!

Woodstock 1969 ~ I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die ~ Country Joe & The Fish

Generations

We were tougher, unspoiled ( unless you wanted your ass kicked by your parents ), more mature and willing to take to the streets and fight for what we believed in. Even if we got our heads kicked in.

Weren’t always right, weren’t always wrong.

In 1968 two of our hero’s were murdered before the nations eyes. Bobby Kennedy & Martin Luther King Jr.

The 68′ Tet offensive threw Nam into another realm as if it hadn’t been disastrous enough. No doubt in any body’s minds that RFK would have been our next President had he not been assassinated.

And Nam would have ended soon after. But as the words goes it just wasn’t meant to be. And I still say why the hell not.

Saturday’s ” Sweetwater ” ~ In A Rainbow

Written by Alex Del Zoppo
Released in 1968 off their self entitled album and the first.

Nancy ( Nansi ) Nevins – vocals
Alex Del Zoppo – piano, and harmonica and backing vocals
Fred Herrera – bass and backing vocals
August Burns – cello
Alan Malarowitz – drums
Elpidio “Pete” Cobian – congas, percussion and backing vocals
Albert Moore – flute, Tambourine, Cowbell, backing vocals

You can tell it’s getting closer to the original Woodstock Anniversary.

Friday At The Fillmore ~ So Hard To Share ~ John Mayall

Written by John Mayall
Recorded July 12, 1969 – Fillmore East
Album title – THE TURNING POINT

John Mayall – vocals, harmonica, slide guitar, telecaster 6 string guitar, tambourine, mouth percussion
Jon Mark – acoustic finger-style guitar
Steve Thompson – bass guitar
Johnny Almond – tenor and alto saxophones, flutes, mouth percussion

Sunday “Summertime” ~ Billy Stewart

Written by George Gershwin – Music
DuBose Heyward – Lyrics

There was no other like Billy Stewart. This man blew this 1935 written song completely apart with his rendition in 1966. Talk about explosive, man a total understatement.

Friday At The Fillmore ~ Down By The River ~ Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Written By Neil Young
Album: Live at the Fillmore East recorded March 6-7, 1970.

Neil Young – guitar, vocals
Danny Whitten – guitar, vocals
Jack Nitzsche – electric piano
Billy Talbot – bass
Ralph Molina – drums, backing vocals

This was the first live release and last tour that featured Danny Whitten who died in 1972. The tour which included a stop in N.Y. for the Fillmore performances was to support their May 14, 1969 release of Young’s second album, ” Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere ” and was the first album being backed by Crazy Horse.

Although Whitten wrote songs, played and contributed on more of Young’s albums and recorded one album with Crazy Horse in 1971.

Addicted to heroin during the recording of 1970 album ” After The Gold Rush ” Young dismissed the whole band before the album was finished and in 1972 ultimately it was Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina who fired Whitten from Crazy Horse.

“The Needle and the Damage Done” was actually Young’s expression for Whitten’s destruction of talent caused by his drug use. In Oct. of 1972 Young contacted Whitten for the final time wanting him for rhythm guitar for the upcoming tour behind Young’s “Harvest” album but was so drugged out of it he couldn’t even cut it during rehearsals. Young fired him on Nov. 18th, gave him a plane ticket and $50 dollars to get him back to L.A.

Later that night Danny Whitten O’D on Valiums and Vodka. Another sad ending to such a talented individual.

“Down By The River” was just one of many standards that to today Young still plays at his concerts. As far as I’m concerned everything he wrote and every performance he played on, at or with whom is a standard.

In reality Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young wrote the soundtrack of my adolescence. They never wrote or performed a bad song between the four of them.

Blues of the Century ~ ” Loan Me a Dime ” ~ Boz Scaggs – Duane Allman & Co. (via Longshot’s Blog)

Blues Worthy of a Reblog if ever I heard one.

Written by Fenton Robinson in 1967 Released in 1969 by Boz Scaggs Boz Scaggs- vocals and guitar Duane Allman – dobro and slide Eddie Hinton, Jimmy Johnson – guitars Barry Beckett – keyboards David Hood – bass Roger Hawkins – drums Gene "Bowlegs" Miller – trumpet and trombone Joe Arnold – tenor sax James Mitchell – baritone sax I have said for 40 years if there was a song I'd ever want to hear as my life concludes on this earth it is this one. For … Read More

via Longshot's Blog

Motown Monday ~ Take Me In Your Arms ~ Kim Weston

“Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)”
Written by Holland / Dozier / Holland
Released in 1965

Kim Weston – vocals
The Funk Brothers – music

Another powerful voice of Motown but you wouldn’t know it since this was another artist Berry Gordy just left on the shelf.

Kim Weston born Agatha Natalie Weston was signed by Motown in 1963.

Friday At The Fillmore ~ Elton John ~ 60 Years On

Written by Elton John
Recorded at the Fillmore West Nov. 12, 1970

Elton John – piano, vocals
Dee Murray – bass
Nigel Olsson – drums

Motown Monday ~ The Velvelettes ~ Stop Beating Around The Bush

Written by Harvey Fuqua
Recorded in 1964

Mildred Gill, Bertha Barbee, Carolyn Gill, Betty Kelley & Norma Barbee

Saturday ” Sundown ” ~ Son House

Written by Eddie James “Son” House, Jr.
Released 1965

‘

Wednesday ~ Worried Dream ~ Fleetwood Mac

Written by BB King
Recorded June 8, 1968 Live at the Carousel Ballroom (San Francisco, CA).

Peter Green – vocals, guitar
Jeremy Spencer – vocals, guitar
John McVie – bass
Mick Fleetwood – drums

Friday At The Fillmore ~ Joe Cocker ~ Mad Dogs and Englishmen ~ Cry Me A River

Written by Arthur Hamilton.
Recorded March 27–28, 1970 at Fillmore East, New York.

Sunday’s Sermon ~ God Bless The Child ~ Blood, Sweat & Tears

Written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Hertzog Jr.

BS&T’s version was released off there second album in Dec. 1968.

In 1970 it won a Grammy Award for Album of the year.

David Clayton-Thomas – lead vocals Lew Soloff – trumpet, flugelhorn
Bobby Colomby – drums, percussion, vocals
Jim Fielder – bass
Dick Halligan – organ, piano, flute, trombone, vocals
Steve Katz – guitar, harmonica, Fred Lipsius – alto saxophone, piano
Chuck Winfield – trumpet, flugelhorn
Jerry Hyman – trombone, recorder

~

All I can say is ” Lady Day ” certainly knew what she was talking about when she wrote this song. Every single word contained in it rings the absolute truth.

Friday at the Fillmore ~ Band of Gypsys ~ Machine Gun

Written by Jimi Hendrix
Released off the Band of Gypsys Album in March of 1970.
This version was recorded at the Fillmore East 2nd show Jan. 1, 1970.

Jimi Hendrix – guitar, vocals
Buddy Miles – drums, backing vocals
Billy Cox – bass guitar, backing vocals

Tuesday’s Time Machine ~ 1965 ~ Ted Heath ~ Wives and Lovers

Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

My Sunday Feeling ~ Jethro Tull

Written by Ian Anderson.
From Tull’s debut album ” This Was ” released in 1968.

Ian Anderson: Vocals, flute, mouth organ, harmonica, “claghorn”, piano
Mick Abrahams: Vocals, guitar, nine-string guitar
Clive Bunker: drums
Glenn Cornick: Bass guitar

Motown Monday ~ Gino Washington ~ Gino Is A Coward

Written by Ronald Davis
Released in 1963

Sunday Sadness ~ Clarence Clemons of the E-Street Band Dies

Mellow Monday ~ Here’s To Life ~ Shirley Horn

Written by:
Lyrics – Phyllis Molinary
Muse Composed – Artie Butler
And what an absolutely beautiful arrangement by Johnny Mandel.

A fabulous song sung by a fabulous singer.

Friday At The Fillmore ~ Work Me Lord ~ Janis Joplin

Written By Nick Gravenites.
Recorded Feb. 12, 1969 at the Fillmore East.

Motown Monday ~ I Want A Love I Can See ~ The Temptations

Written by Smokey Robinson
Released in 1963

Lead vocals by Paul Williams
Background vocals by Eddie Kendricks,
Al Bryant, and Otis Williams
Instrumentation: The Funk Brothers

How in the world this didn’t become the very first hit for ” The Temptations ” is beyond me.

Friday “Fallout!” ~ Henry Mancini

Just some of the Musicians in the Orchestra on this 1987 TV Special.

Pete Candoli, Bill Watrous, Vincent De Rosa, Ronny Lang, Ray Pizzi, Abe Most…….

Tuesday’s “Taste” ~ It’s happened before, it’ll happen again

Written and Composed by Rory Gallagher.

This song was off the “On The Boards” album released in Jan. 1970

Rory Gallagher – guitars, vocals, saxophone, harmonica
Richard “Charlie” McCracken – bass guitar
John Wilson – drums

A Real Sunday Soul Story ~ Tony Joe White ~ “Polk Salad Annie” – Stay Strong Louisiana

 

Talk about some blue-eyed soul this mans sound epitomized it.

Born in Goodwill, Louisiana he wrote the song from having been raised and experienced those roots in the swamplands where he was born in 1943. Oak Grove, La. situated just west of the Mississippi River, it’s a land of cotton-fields, where polk salad grows wild and alligators lurk in moss-covered swamps.

White stated: