Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Tributes to Bo Diddley


Artists from around the world have been commenting on the passing of Bo Diddley. Here are some highlights from those comments.

Mick Jagger:

"He was a wonderful, original musician who was an enormous force in music and was a big influence on The Rolling Stones. He was very generous to us in our early years and we learned a lot from him. We will never see his like again."

George Thorogood:

“I first heard Bo Diddley in 1966. I knew the Rolling Stones were big on this guy and I got a copy of Bo Diddley's 16 All-Time Greatest Hits and flipped over it, and played it constantly."

"I first met him in 1979, and as years went on we got closer and closer. It’s an honor to be associated with his great music. I just had Hand Jive’ on last night. It goes, ’A doctor, a lawyer and an indian chief/They all dig that Diddley beat.’ That says it all.”

Elvis Costello:

"Listening to Bo Diddley, you could convince yourself that the only thing you need to create great rock 'n' roll is a tremolo guitar, a killer beat and one and a half chords. Many tried and some have failed, but nobody did it like Diddley."

Robert Plant:

"Bo Diddley's voice and relentless, glorious anthems echo down through my years. Without him, the history of music would not have developed as it has. This royal shape shifter continues to influence four generations of musicians on a daily basis."

Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart:

"'Bo Diddley-beat' was "the bedrock for thousands of bands including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Greateful Dead, and countless others."

"His slashing rhythm guitar brought the most powerful rhythms from west Africa into rock 'n roll."

"When I was 14 years old I happened to wander into a club and have the opportunity to play my first public performance with the master. It seems his drummer was late and asked if there was drummer in the house. That moment will always be with me."

"Rock the heavens, Mr Diddley, like only you can."

Bonnie Raitt:

"Bo Diddley was a monumental figure in early rock 'n' roll, a huge influence on everyone. He was a wonderful man, a true original musician and beloved the world over. He will be sorely missed."

Billy F. Gibbons of Z.Z. Top:

"It's a good day because I've walked on the planet at the same time as Bo Diddley.

"The simplistic and humorous artistry that accompanied this creation we all know as the Bo Diddley beat is a resounding testament to someone who knew how to touch us in a rock 'n' roll way. Bo Diddley was the man who constructed the sound we all grew to revolve around and a vision of simplicity delivered through effortless expression and sense of humor. Many times, Bo made a point to say, "I'll always be around" and we know he will."

Source: http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com/2008/06/tributes-to-bo-diddley.html

This Date In Music History- June 4

Birthdays:

Frank's little girl, Nancy Sinatra was born in Jersey City, N.J. in 1940.

DeBarge singer El DeBarge was born in Grand Rapids, Mich in 1964.

Michelle Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas ("Creeque Alley") is 64.

Gordon Waller of Peter & Gordon was born in Braemar, Scotland in 1945. The duo's biggest hit was 1964's "A World Without Love," written by Paul McCartney.

History:

Ray Charles performed with his old band in Chicago in 1998 as part of his "50th year in show biz" celebrations.

Ronnie Lane, bassist and songwriter for the Faces, died in 1997 at age 51 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis.

The world collectively holds its breath as, at Graceland, Priscilla Presley announced who will appear on the Elvis stamp in 1992. Will it be the young, handsome Elvis? Or the fat, aging Elvis? Some 277,000 people wanted Elvis '77, but luckily 851,000 voted for Elvis '57.

The producers of Broadway's Beatlemania were ordered to pay $10 million to the Beatles' Apple Corps Ltd. in 1986 because the show is deemed too much like the Beatles. Now that’s a surprise!

The Rolling Stones become the first Western rock group to actually collect royalties on albums sold in Russia in 1975.

In 1972, Pink Floyd began sessions for their next album at London's Abbey Road. Tentatively titled Eclipse, the record was eventually released as Dark Side of the Moon.

The late Freddy Fender ("Wasted Days And Wasted Nights") was born in 1937.

Former Beach Boys manager Murry Wilson (father of the group's Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson) died in 1973. His alleged physical abuse left songwriting genius Brian deaf in one ear. Murray also managed the group when it was first starting out. (Brian did not attend the funeral)

Janis Joplin joined Big Brother & the Holding Company in 1966.

The Beatles signed a recording contract with EMI Parlophone in Britain in 1962.

Freddie Scott ("Hey Girl") died from a heart attack in 2007.

Gene Vincent performed his first concert, in his home town of Norfolk, Virginia, in 1956.

The Monkees TV show won the Emmy Award for "Outstanding Comedy Series" in 1967. And I thought it was all about their music.

The Beach Boys released "Surfin' Safari" in 1962, their first single on Capitol.

On TV in 1956, you could have watched Elvis make his second appearance on the wacky, cross-dressing Milton Berle Show. Berle presented Elvis with a Billboard Triple Crown award after "Heartbreak Hotel" tops the pop, country, and R&B charts.

Glenn Wallichs set up Capitol Records in 1942 and inaugurates the era of record promotion by sending free copies of the label's records to radio stations in the hope of garnering airplay.

Bruce Springsteen released the album, "Born In The USA" in 1984, which topped the US LP chart for 7 weeks and spawned 7 Top-10 singles.

Derek Leckenby, lead guitarist for Herman's Hermits, died of cancer on June 4th at the age of 51 in 1994.

John Hartford, the songwriter who wrote Glen Campbell's hit "Gentle On My Mind" and recorded a catalog of more than 30 albums, winning Grammy awards in three different decades, died on June 4, 2001 after a long battle with non-hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was 63.

Don’t Bring Me Down,” by the Animals, enters the Top Forty, where it will peak at #12 in 1966. It will be the last charting single by the original quintet, although Eric Burdon will pilot a new lineup of Animals through the end of the decade.

Your Vinyl Record Update!

CD sales are down. Digital sales are up (but not as much as CD sales are down). So what's growing in the music industry?

Vinyl.

According to Nielsen SoundScan, 858,000 vinyl LPs were purchased in 2006, 1,000,000 in 2007 and 2008 is projected to go to 1,600,000.

In addition, turntable sales, which were at 275,000 in 2006, jumped sharply to 500,000 last year.

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Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales

Week Ending 05/31/2008


1) 78rpm - King Solomon Hill "Whoopee Blues" / "Down On My Bended Knee" Paramount 13116 - $4,169.99

2) LP - Various (incl Bob Dylan) "Columbia April Demonstration Record" 1962 - $4,155.00

3) LP - Jaques Dumont Bach Sonata & Partitas Belvedre - $4,049.00

4) LP - Elvis Presley "Gold Records Vol 4" Mono Sealed = $3,300.01

5) LP - Elvis Presley "Aloha From Hawii" Promo w/ Starkist Sticker - $3,000.00