Hank Locklin Passes Away

Written By Robert Benson


Country singing legend Hank Locklin died on March 8, 2009 at his home in Brewton, Alabama. He was 91.

He is best remembered for writing and recording the Top Ten hit “Send Me The Pillow You Dream On” in 1958. Locklin also helped to usher in the “Nashville Sound” that gave country music a more definable sound and feel. He had also been a Grand Ole Opry member for more than forty years and performed as recently as 2003.

“I’ve been blessed to have hit songs that are timeless and appeal to the generations,” Locklin stated in 2001.

Locklin was born in McLellan, Florida and began playing guitar at age nine while he was bedridden after being hit by a school bus. When he was a teenager, he began performing on a local radio show. While in his twenties and thirties, he worked a variety of odd jobs, all the while keeping his dreams of becoming a star in the world of music.

His first hit record was “The Same Sweet Girl,” which reached the Top Ten in 1949 and enjoyed his first number one single in 1953 with “Let Me Be The One.”

Over the next two decades, Locklin would have twenty more Top 40 country hits including the classic cut “Please Help me I’m Falling,” which also made it to number eight on the pop charts.

During the seventies, the country balladeer toured overseas, especially in Great Britain and Ireland, where he was very popular.

Locklin is also credited as one of the early innovators of the concept album, with albums like “Foreign Love” and “Irish Songs, Country Style.” Additionally he recorded the popular album, “A Tribute To Roy Acuff, King Of Country Music” in 1962.

In 2001, Locklin released “Generations In Song,” an LP that featured many contemporary country artists such as Dolly Parton and Vince Gill, among others. He recently released his 65th album, “By The Grace Of God,” a collection of gospel songs.

This country innovator and star will always be remembered for his quick wit and legendary career and will be missed by millions of fans all around the world.

Buy Hank Locklin Music

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Local Record Store Closing

This is a sad reminder for everyone to make sure to visit their local record stores. I have been down to Atomic many, many times and I am truly sad to hear of this. Buy Your Vinyl At Local Record Stores!

Music Aficionados Are Going to Lose a Gem
By Marti Mikkelson
March 9, 2009 | WUWM | Milwaukee, WI

A music lover’s paradise will close at the end of the week. Atomic Records on Locust Street in the heart of Milwaukee’s east side business district has been known as the place to go to get rare cuts of music you can’t find anywhere else. But the times have taken a toll. WUWM’s Marti Mikkelson stopped by the store and took in its going-out-of-business sale.

It’s Saturday afternoon at Atomic Records and an old Beatles video is airing on the TV. The place is packed, not only with customers but with merchandise. Every nook and cranny of the tiny store is crammed with cds and vinyl; everything from the Yardbirds to Timbuk 3 to The Osmond Brothers. Meghan Arnold is combing through one bin marked “everything’s $2.” Her arms are stuffed with music to add to her collection.

“I have Teenagers, Lavender Diamond, Manic Street Preachers. I got all those LPs and then um, just a ton of 45s, Stereo Lab, Blondie, Annuals, Eurythmics,” Arnold says.

Arnold says she’s been coming to the store once every few months for the past decade. She says it’s sad that the shop is closing at a time when the music scene is taking off in Milwaukee.

One local musician who’s just purchased a couple of rare finds is Damian Strigens. He says besides the availability of obscure music, Atomic Records has been the place for local musicians to gather. Sometimes they would step up on stage for impromptu jam sessions with national acts.

“Performing artists that would come through town would occasionally do little acoustic sets right over here on the small little stage. People like Frank Black, Camper Van Beethoven played here, Smashing Pumpkins played here,” Strigens says.

Strigens says those concerts drew big crowds, and it’s one thing he’ll miss most when the store closes. Rich Menning opened Atomic Records in 1985. He was 24 years old at the time and had recently moved here from Madison, where his only music experience was as a sales clerk at a record store.

“I have to give props to my dad for lending me a little money to get started and he never thought it would work out to be honest. He thought at the very least I would get an education in business and oh what an education I’ve gotten the last few years,” Menning says.

Menning says what he’s learned is that you have to respond to changes in the industry. Business boomed throughout the 80s and 90s, with his focus on local and alternative music satisfying a hunger unlike any other shop in Milwaukee. He sold cds and vinyl at competitive prices ranging from $10 to $20.

But by 2001, Menning started to notice sales tapering off. Then in the past couple of years, foot traffic in his store slowed to a trickle. He attributes the decline to the rise of the internet.

“It was kind of the one-two punch of illegal downloading and cd burners is what really kind of kicked our butt overall, and unfortunately now, there’s an entire generation of people that have never paid for music and think it should be free. I sell music and I think it’s worth something,” Menning says.

Menning says the final nail in the coffin was the downturn in the nation’s economy and he knew it was time to get out of the music business. He announced in December that the store will be closing.

He says ironically, the internet will keep him afloat for the next year or two as he sells off most of his record collection on ebay and amazon. After that, he says he doesn’t know what he’ll do. Another person in the store who faces an uncertain future is employee Mark Waldoch.

“I play music in two different groups. I don’t know, I mean I bartend. I’m trying to do more of that. Ideally, I’d like to do more touring and things like that but I haven’t done a lot of that with the band yet. I’m not going to start a record store, I’ll tell you that,” Waldoch says.

The closing of Atomic Records means there will be only a couple of independent record stores left in the Milwaukee area. As they’ve disappeared, music lovers have lost places to share their passion and are having a tougher time growing their collections.

Source: http://www.wuwm.com

U2 Unveils Stadium Dates

U2 and Live Nation have confirmed the first round of stadium dates on the band's global "360°" tour.

Here are the tour dates dates:

June 30: Barcelona (Nou Camp)
July 7: Milan (San Siro)
July 11: Paris (Stade de France)
July 15: Nice, France (Parc Charles Ehrmann)
July 18: Berlin (Olympic Stadium)
July 20: Amsterdam (Arena)
July 24 Dublin (Croke Park)
July 31: Gothenburg, Sweden (Ullevi)
Aug 6: Chorzom, PL (Slaski Stadium)
Aug 10: Zagreb, HR (Maksimir Stadium)
Aug 14: London (Wembley Stadium)
Aug 18: Glasgow, UK (Hampden Park)
Aug 20: Sheffield, UK (Don Valey Stadium)
Aug 22: Cardiff, UK (Millennium Stadium)
Sep 12: Chicago (Soldier Field)
Sep 16: Toronto (The Rogers Center)
Sep 20: Foxborough (Gillette Stadium)
Sep 24: New York (Giants Stadium)

According to today's statement, during September and October, the tour will also visit: Atlanta; Charlottesville, Va.; Dallas; Houston; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Norman, Okla.; Phoenix; Tampa, Fla.; Washington, D.C. and Vancouver.

Vinyl Collective Update

Virgil, over at www.vinylcollective.com just posted the top sellers for Feb. Stop by and get soome vinyl!

Vinyl Collective Top 40 Sales for February 2009

1 AUSTIN LUCAS/FRANK TURNER “Under the Influence Vol 8″ 7″ Red/White color in colo
2 TWO TONGUES “S/T” LP picture disc
3 LAWRENCE ARMS “Guided Tour of Chicago” LP red vinyl
4 O PIONEERS!!! “Neon Creeps” LP
5 Suburban Home Pick 5 for $25 Sale (CDs, Pint Glasses)
6 THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM “Great Expectations” 7″ import
7FRIDGE “Happiness” dbl LP
8 ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD/ COBRA SKULLS “Under the Influence Vol 6″ 7″ s
9 IN THE RED “Volume 2″ LP red vinyl
10 AUSTIN LUCAS/FRANK TURNER “Under the Influence Vol 8″ 7″ both colors
11 FAKE PROBLEMS “It’s Great To Be Alive” LP clear gold vinyl
12 DRAG THE RIVER “Under the Influence Vol 5″ 7″ WHISKEY AND COKE COLORED VINYL
13 THE COPYRIGHTS “Learn the Hard Way” gatefold LP white/light blue a-side/b-side
14 MINUS THE BEAR “Acoustics” LP baby blue w/ cream haze vinyl
15 PROPAGANDHI “Supporting Caste” dbl LP
16 ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD/ COBRA SKULLS “Under the Influence Vol 6″ 7″ w
16 NEW FOUND GLORY “Not Without A Fight” LP
18 THE COPYRIGHTS “Learn the Hard Way” gatefold LP white/yellow a-side/b-side vinyl
18 AUSTIN LUCAS “Somebody Loves You” LP gold vinyl
18 JON SNODGRASS “Visitor’s Band” CD
21 RIVERDALES “Phase 3″ LP clear gold vinyl
21 DRAG THE RIVER “Bad at Breaking Up” CD w/ DTR guitar pick
23 THE COPYRIGHTS “Learn the Hard Way” gatefold LP set of both colors
24 RIVERDALES “Phase 3″ LP black vinyl
25 THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM “The 59 Sound” LP black vinyl
26 ALKALINE TRIO “Goddamnit” re-release LP clear vinyl
26 JOEY CAPE/ JON SNODGRASS “Who Wants to Get Down” 7″ white vinyl
26 THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES/ALL THE SAINTS split 7″
26 12” Record Jacket Sleeve. Fits over album jacket.
30 THURSDAY “Common Existence” LP
31 BON IVER “For Emma, Forever Ago” LP
32 OFF WITH THEIR HEADS “Hospitals” LP black vinyl
33 WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE “Animals In The Dark” LP
33 PORTUGAL THE MAN “Church Mouth” LP raspberry vomu;
33 AUSTIN LUCAS “Somebody Loves You” CD
33 MUSTARD PLUG / BOMB THE MUSIC INDUSTRY “Under the Influence Vol 3″ 7″ vinyl
33 GREEN DAY “Kerplunk!” LP + 7″
38 DRUGLORDS OF THE AVENUES “Sing Songs” LP translucent dark blue vinyl
38 WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE “Ashes to Dust” LP clear vinyl
38 THE LOVED ONES “Distractions” LP
41 BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME “Colors” dbl LP blue vinyl
41 SHARKS KEEP MOVING “Desert Strings and Drifters” LP translucent & opaque orange
41 CHUCK RAGAN/ AUSTIN LUCAS “Bristle Ridge” LP clear vinyl
41 JON SNODGRASS “Visitor’s Band” LP clear vinyl w/ mp3 coupon
41 TOM GABEL “Heart Burns” LP
41 JOEY CAPE “Bridge” CD lagwagon, bad astronaut

Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales

Week Ending 03/07/2009

1. LP - Pavement "Terror Twilight" Domino TEST PRESS - $9999.99 - Start: n/a - Bids: Best Offer

2. LP - U2 "Under A Blood Red Sky" Red Vinyl Swedish Press - $5,600.00 - Start: $9.90 - Bids: 29

3. 45 - Kell Osbourne "A Law Against A Heartbreaker" / "Trouble Trouble Baby" Highland - $5,213.00 - Start: $9.99 - Bids: 31

4. LP - Lee Morgan "Indeed" Blue Note 1538 Original - $2,425.00 - Start: $0.99 - Bids: 10

5. The Professionals "That's Why I Love You" / "Did My Baby Call" - $2,204.00 - Start: $9.99 - Bids: 19

A test pressing of Pavement's last album tops the list this week, selling on a Best Offer for a penny less than $10k. In the #2 spot, a red vinyl "Under A Blood Red Sky" from Sweden sells for exactly $5.6k. These Swedish colored pressings are unofficial and typically resulted from record plant employees having fun.

Next, a Northern Soul 45 bids up over 5.2k. In the #4 spot, an original Blue Note LP from Lee Morgan sells for over $2.4k. And last, another Northern Soul 45 from The Professionals bids a little over $2.2k.

As always, I want to thank Norm at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com for this valuable information.

This Date In Music History-March 9

Birthdays:

Mark Lindsay (Paul Revere & the Raiders) is 67.

Lloyd Price ("Personality") turns 76.

Keely Smith ("That Old Black Magic" with one-time husband Louis Prima) is 77.

Mickey Gilley (1936)

Chris Thompson- vocals, Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1948)

Robert Calvert, singer, poet, Hawkwind (1945)

John Cale- Velvet Underground (1942)


They Are Missed:

In 1997, the Notorius B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace) was killed in a drive-by shooting at the age of 24.

Guitarist Mike Anthony died from a heart attack in 1999 (age 68). He worked with Harry Nilsson, The 5th Dimension, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins.

Boston singer, Brad Delp was found dead in his Atkinson, NH, home in 2007. Days later, Delp's family revealed the cause of death was suicide. "He gave as long as he could, as best he could, and he was very tired," read a family statement. Police confirmed that Delp died from carbon monoxide poisoning, and that he had left notes for his fiancée and family members.

Born on this day in 1945, Ron Wilson, drummer, The Surfaris (died on May 19, 1989).

George Scott, a founding member of the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama gospel group, died of diabetes complications in Durham, N.C. in 2005. He was 75.


History:

Steely Dan's fourth album, “Katy Lied,” was released in 1975. Founders Donald Fagen and Walter Becker were backed by a who's who of rock and jazz personnel.

Sam Cooke, John Lennon & Paul McCartney, Carole King & Gerry Goffin and Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil were all inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987.

In 1976, Keith Moon collapsed onstage at the beginning of a Who concert at the Boston Garden.

In 1969, CBS canceled The Smothers Brothers' Comedy Hour, a variety show notable for its satiric humor and musical appearances by the Beatles, the Doors, and the Who.

The Beach Boys recorded "God Only Knows" in 1966.

Today in 1959, the song "Venus" by Frankie Avalon topped the charts and stayed there for 5 weeks.

Bad Company performed its first concert in England in 1974.

In 1975, Elvis Presley began his final recording session at RCA's Hollywood studios.

U2 released the legendary LP "The Joshua Tree" in 1987.

The Birmingham based Black Sabbath, formed in ’67, played their first show in London in 1970.

In 1985, REO Speedwagon’s "Can’t Fight This Feeling" goes to #1 for three weeks. The #3 slot is held by Glenn Frey’s "The Heat Is On" with David Lee Roth’s cover of the Beach Boys’ classic "California Girls" right behind.

Tom Jones was banned from wearing tight leather pants in 2004 by his own son and manager Mark Jones. His son said it was time to “dress his age” as he was in danger of becoming a laughing stock at 63.

The Beatles filmed the last day of train scenes for the movie A Hard Dad’s Night in 1964. During their six days of filming aboard a moving train, they traveled a total of 2,500 miles on the rails.