New Orleans Pianist Eddie Bo dies

Famed New Orleans jazz pianist, singer and songwriter Eddie Bo passed away on March 18, 2009 from an apparent heart attack. He was 79.

Bo was scheduled to perform at this years New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and in a statement to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Festival producer Quint Davis said: “He was one of the last great New Orleans piano professors, kind of a bridge between Professor Longhair and Allen Toussaint, everyone now has to remember to check their bucket on their own, without Eddie to tell us.”

Bo grew up in the 9th Ward of New Orleans and after a stint in the army, he studied arranging and composing at the Grunewald School of Music, which is a training ground for scores of professional musicians.

His first record was released in 1955 for Ace Records, a novelty dance song called “Check Mr. Popeye.” His next release, on Apollo Records, was “I’m Wise,” a ditty that Little Richard later recorded as the song “Slippin’ and Slidin.’” Bo also wrote the Etta James’ song, “My Dearest Darling,” which landed on the top of the rhythm and blues charts in 1959.

In 1969, at the height of the funk movement, he wrote and sang the Scram Records hit “Hook and Sling,” which peaked at #13 on the R & B charts and scored another hit the next year with the cut “Check Your Bucket.”

Bo wound up releasing more singles than any other New Orleans artist except for Fats Domino and produced artists such as Irma Thomas, Chris Kenner, Robert Parker, The Vibrettes, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, Johnny Adams, among others and recorded and worked for more than forty different record labels including Ace, Apollo, Checker, Chess, Nola, Ric and many more.

In the 1970’s, Bo worked in the renovation business (he was a skilled carpenter) and essentially disappeared from the music business only to come back at the end of the decade with two new albums, “Another Side of Eddie Bo” and “Watch for the Coming” (which he produced himself).

In the 1980s and 1990s, Bo recorded with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and resurrected his Bo-Sound record label. He also played with Willy DeVille, Victory Mixture and Big Easy Fantasy as well as tour and record under the names The Louisiana Legends, The District Court and The Hoodoo Kings.

Blues Guitarist Mel Brown Passes Away

Legendary Blues Guitarist Mel Brown died on March 20, 2009 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, at the age of 69. He had been admitted to the intensive care unit at a local hospital on March 1 with a collapsed lung and sadly never made it home.

Mel Brown devoted his life to playing with a style and grace that endeared him to audiences worldwide. Soft spoken and humble, he will be remembered as one of the most talented blues guitarists that ever came out of the Mississippi Delta.

Brown was born in Jackson, Mississippi on October 7, 1939 and resided with his wife in various music centers like Los Angles, Nashville and Austin, Texas, before settling down in Kitchener in 1999.

Besides working on television performing on the Steve Allen Show, the Bill Cosby Show and the Jerry Lewis Telethon, Brown recorded several albums on the World Pacific jazz label in the late 60s and early 70s.

During the 1980s, Brown was a member of the house band at Antone’s Night Club in Austin and he also toured with the Silent Partners. The Silent Partners recorded one album, which is available on Antones Records.

Mel Brown and the Homewreckers cut their first LP in 1998 called “Live At Wally’s” and in 2001, Brown and the Homewreckers released the critically acclaimed album, “Neck Bones and Caviar” which was awarded the W.C. Handy Award for the “Best Comeback Album of the Year” and was also nominated for a Juno Award for “Best Blues Album of the Year” in Canada.

In addition to his legendary work with the Homewreckers, Brown released several albums with Snooky Pryor, including “Double Shot,” “Snooky Pryor and the Mississippi Wrecking Crew” and most recently recorded with Snooky Pryor for the live LP called “Mojo Ramble.”

Brown has played and recorded with a long list of famed musicians including: B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Sonny Boy Williamson, Johnny Otis, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Etta James, Bobby Blue Band, Buddy Guy and many, many more.

Although his health had been declining in recent years, he never stopped playing and his influence and his love for the music will live on for decades to come.

Great Album Cover Art

EDENBRIDGE: Live Album Release Date Announced - Mar. 22, 2009

Austrian female-fronted symphonic metal band EDENBRIDGE will release a live album on April 27. Entitled "LiveEarthDream" (see cover artwork below), the disc was recorded at various concerts in 2008 and can only and exclusively be ordered through the band's fanshop. The album will be limited to 1,000 copies and will not be available anywhere else.

Bassist Frank Bindig left EDENBRIDGE last year in order to focus on his other projects. The group has not yet announced a replacement.

EDENBRIDGE's sixth studio album, "MyEarthDream", was released in Europe in April 2008 via Napalm Records. The cover art was created by Anthony Clarkson, who has previously worked with BLIND GUARDIAN, among other artists. The mixing sessions for the CD were completed at Thin Ice Studios in England with Karl Groom (THRESHOLD). The mastering took place at the Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland with Mika Jussila

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Top 5 eBay Vinyl Record Sales

Week Ending 03/21/2009

1. 45 - U2 "All I Want Is You" / "Unchained Melody" Australian Puple Vinyl - $3,526.76 - Start: $0.01 - Bids: 27

2. 45 - The Vals "The Song Of A Lover" / "Compensation Check" Unique Lab - $3,525.00 - Start: $7,000 - Bids: Best Offer

3. LP - The Beatles "Yesterday And Today" Butcher Cover 1st State - $3,275.00 - Start: $3,275.00 - Bids: BIN

4. 45 - Frankie Beveryly "Because Of My Heart" / "I Want To Fee I'm Wanted" Fairmount - $3,164.00 - Start: $9.99 - Bids: 42

5. LP - The Beatles "Yesterday And Today" Butcher Cover 1st State - $2,900.00 - Start: $3,900.00 - Bids: Best Offer

Selling for the first time since 2006, a purple vinyl 7in from U2 bids to a record price at over $3.5k. Next, one of five known copies of The Vals' Doo-Wop single from 1961 gets a best offer of one quarter past $3.5k.

One of two butcher covers making the top five this week lands in the #3 spot, selling on a Buy-It-Now for close to $3.3k.

A Northern Soul 45 from Frankie Beverly bids well over $3.1k for the #4 spot. And last, from the same seller as the #3 butcher cover, this one gets a best offer of $2.9k.

As always, thank you to Norm over at http://ccdiscoveries.blogspot.com/ for this great information.

This Date In Music History- March 23

Birthdays:

Ric Ocasek- Cars (1949)

Chaka Khan (1953)

Damon Albarn- Blur (1968)

Marti Pellow- Wet Wet Wet (1966)


They Are Missed:

Bill Kenny of the legendary harmony group the Ink Spots died in 1978.

Jeanine Deckers - aka the Singing Nun - killed herself in 1985 as part of a suicide pact (age 51). In 1963 she went to #1 with "Dominique."

In 2008, Neil Aspinall, who ran the Apple Corps music empire for the Beatles from 1970 – 2007 died at a hospital in New York from cancer (age 66). A school friend of Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison, he was regarded by some of the band as the "fifth Beatle" becoming he the Beatles' road manager in 1961 before becoming their personal assistant. Aspinall had also played background instruments on Beatles tracks including “Magical Mystery Tour,” “Within You Without You” and “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite.”


History:

Elvis Presley recorded "Can't Help Falling In Love" in 1961.

The Beach Boys released "Surfin' USA” in 1963.

The movie "Blackboard Jungle" (which launched the featured song, "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley) was released in 1955.

Johnny Cash recorded "Ring Of Fire" in 1963

In 1969, the Rally for Decency in Miami attracted 30,000 people, including Jackie Gleason and the Lettermen. The rally protested "longhairs and weird dressers" and later was commended by President Richard Nixon.

In 2004, Usher released Confessions, featuring the hit singles "Burn" and "Yeah!" Allegedly inspired by his break-up with TLC's Chili, the album tops the Billboard 200 chart.

In 1996, "Real Love," a 1979 John Lennon demo finished in 1995 by the other Beatles, became the second new Beatles single to chart in less than three months. Released as part of 'The Beatles Anthology' recordings and TV special, it reaches #11 – not bad for a band that broke up in 1970.

John Lennon's book In His Own Write is published in Britain in 1964.

In today's issue of Rolling Stone in 1978, it was reported that Fleetwood Mac were planning on performing in Moscow. However, their adviser Michael Shapiro says there's one small condition: "Everything of course, depends on world peace."

Former CCR front man John Fogerty went to #1 on the US album chart in 1985 with “Centerfield.”

John Lennon was ordered to leave the US within 60 days by the immigration authorities in 1973; he then began a long fight to win his “Green Card” which he was given on July 27, 1976.

The film of The Concert For Bangla Desh featuring George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton premiered in New York in 1972.

Ruby and the Romantics went to #1 on the US singles chart with “Our Day Will Come.”

The Police signed with A&M Records in 1978.

The Soul Train Music Awards debuted in 1987. It was the first televised awards ceremony to pay exclusive homage to black producers, songwriters and recording artists in the music industry.

Pope John Paul II's "Abba Pater" was released in 1999. The 11 tracks are filled with chanting and praying with musical accompaniment. Ohmmmm...