Of the galaxy of stars at Chess Records, the grandmaster of them all was Rev. C.L. Franklin, pastor of the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan. Clarence LaVaughn Franklin (1915-84) was one of the greatest black ministers of the post-war era, a civil rights activist, and a friend of Martin Luther King. Many consider …
Obituaries from the LA Times and NPR.
Full story is here.
Howlin’ Wolf—“Spoonful” (Chess 1960, 2:45) The day before I flew home to Montana from Providence (23 May 1982) I found a very useful, cartoon-jacketed, budget-line blues sampler—America’s Musical Roots—that contained many of the most famous singles ever to appear on Chess Records, this one foremost among them. Nothing about the chundering roar of Cream’s infamous …
This Rollin’ Stone clip is extraordinary for several reasons. It gives us a Muddy Waters on film that’s as young as he’ll ever be, dressed to the nines, performing one of his signature tunes before a completely new audience, mostly young and largely white. It’s a warm summer afternoon fifty years ago. As yet there …
Here’s is John Siscoe‘s take on Koko Taylor and “Wang Dang Doodle“: “Despite the antiseptic setting and lackluster backing, this is a valuable clip. Any blues performance from the ’60s is a relative rarity, and this gives us a look at Koko Taylor when she was young and in her prime, plus a fleeting glimpse …
By Tom Kipp “If I had to boil down for a Martian what “it” IS that made rock music the joy of my life, there could be no finer aural aid than this [The Sonics version of “Louie Louie” ] guitar/vocal Tandem Scream from the Id. They say Grunge was “raw”, but it may as …
This little Youtube clip is a national treasure. Click on the photo above or view here – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1__zadGXR3A