Above: Musical pioneer Bo Diddley was cruelly excluded from the “Cadillac Records” story. By Joel Francis With Willie Dixon feeding steady hits to Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and other Chess artists, the label had become a driving force of popular taste less than a decade after it was founded. While blues were the label’s backbone, [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Joel Francis’
The True Story of Cadillac Records (Part Two): Chess Records and the Birth of Rock and Roll
Posted in Music history, tagged Ahmad Jamal, birth of rock and roll, blues music, Bo Diddley, Bo Diddley Beat, British Invasion, Cadillac Records, Chess Records, Chuck Berry, doo-wop, Howlin Wolf, Ike Turner, jazz, Joel Francis, Johnny B. Goode, Johnny Otis, Moms Mabley, Moonglows, Muddy Waters, Ramsey Lewis, Rev. C.L. Franklin, Rocket 88, Sonny Boy Williamson, soul, Willie Dixon, WVON on December 10, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Review: Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Posted in Concert review, Kansas City Star, tagged Allman Broters, Bo Diddley, Doobie Brothers, gospel music, Jam bands, Joel Francis, Michael Jackson, pedal steel, Robert Randolph, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Stevie Wonder, Voodoo Lounge on December 6, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Above: Robert Randolph persuades the ladies of Albany to shake their hips. By Joel Francis The Kansas City Star A casino is as unlikely a setting for church as beer employees are a congregation. Yet on Friday night, Robert Randolph and the Family Band snuck 90 minutes of gospel on an unsuspecting crowd that loved [...]
The Miracles – “The Tracks of My Tears”
Posted in Motown, tagged Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Elvis Costello, Hitsville U.S.A., Joel Francis, Johnny Rivers, Smokey Robinson, soul music, The Miracles, The Tracks of My Tears on December 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
The Miracles – “The Tracks of My Tears,” Pop #16, R&B #2 By Joel Francis Smokey Robinson had little to prove in 1965. Since joining Motown four years ago, he had not only given the label its first million-selling single and its first No. 1, but written, produced or performed on scores of classic tracks. [...]
The Contours – “First I Look at the Purse”
Posted in Motown, tagged Dirty Dancing, Four Tops, Hitsville U.S.A., Joel Francis, Motown 25, Smokey Robinson, soul music, The Contours, The Miracles, The Temptations on December 3, 2008 | 2 Comments »
The Contours – “First I Look at the Purse,” Pop #57, R&B #12 By Joel Francis The name on the label says “The Contours,” but all four of the singers who found success with 1962′s chart-topping “Do You Love Me” were gone by the time this number came out three years later. A novelty song [...]
Top 10 concerts of 2008
Posted in Kansas City music scene, review, Top 10, tagged 2008 Top 10, Alison Krauss, Bruce Springsteen, Carbon/Silicon, Dap-Kings, Dave Brubeck, Dirtbombs, E Street Band, Folly Theater, Granada Theater, Joel Francis, Largo, Mick Jones, Old 97s, Paul Desmond, Plant/Krauss, Radiohead, Randy Newman, Rhet Miller, Robert Plant, Sharon Jones, Starlight Theater, The Bottleneck, The Clash, Thom Yorke, Tom Waits, year in music on December 1, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Above: Watching the Dirtbombs rip through “Ever Lovin’ Man” at The Bottleneck was one of the Top 10 shows of the year. By Joel Francis (Note: All concerts in Kansas City, Mo., unless otherwise stated.) 10. Dirtbombs, The Bottleneck, Lawrence, Kan., May 25 The Dirtbombs didn’t get started until midnight, but no one seemed to [...]
Four Tops – “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)”
Posted in Motown, tagged Berry Gordy, Byrds, Four Tops, Funk Brothers, Hitsville U.S.A., Holland-Dozier-Holland, Joel Francis, Rolling Stones, soul music, Supremes on November 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Four Tops – “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch),” Pop #1, R&B #1 By Joel Francis The piano riff that kicks off this tune is instantly and universally recognizable – and with good reason. Depsite the apologetic lyrics, Levi Stubbs’ magnificent vocals are a ray of sunshine. He might be singing that he’s [...]
Brenda Holloway – “When I’m Gone”
Posted in Motown, tagged Berry Gordy, Blood Sweat and Tears, Brenda Holloway, Hitsville U.S.A., Joel Francis, Mary Wells, Shea Stadium, soul music, the Beatles on November 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Brenda Holloway – “When I’m Gone,” Pop # 25, R&B #12 By Joel Francis Brenda Holloway isn’t the biggest name in soul music, but she was on top of the world when this song hit 1965. She opened for the Beatles on their U.S. tour that year, and performed at the legendary Shea Stadium show. [...]
Junior Walker and the All-Stars – “Shotgun”
Posted in Motown, tagged Hitsville U.S.A., Joel Francis, Jr. Walker and the All-Stars, Junior Walker, soul music on November 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Junior Walker and the All-Stars – “Shotgun,” Pop #4, R&B #1 Motown raided the juke joints for Junior Walker’s biggest hit. The song is propelled by Victor Thomas’s Hammond organ as much as Walker’s sax, and is closer to the Southern styling of Booker T. and the MGs and King Curtis than the Motown sound. [...]
Review: Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks” at the Hollywood Bowl
Posted in Concert review, tagged Astral Weeks, Brown-Eyed Girl, Caravan, Eddie Delahunt, Gloria, Hollywood Bowl, Irish music, Joel Francis, Martin Scorsese, The Last Waltz, Van Morrison on November 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Above: Van the Man’s down on “Cypress Avenue.” By Joel Francis If Van Morrison’s 1968 release “Astral Weeks” is the album of a lifetime, then watching him perform it live in its entirety is the chance of a lifetime. Kansas City’s own Irish troubadour Eddie Delahunt took advantage of that opportunity and booked a trip [...]
Four Tops – “Ask the Lonely”
Posted in Motown, tagged Berry Gordy, Four Tops, Hitsville U.S.A., Joel Francis, Levi Stubbs, soul music on November 10, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Four Tops – “Ask the Lonely,” Pop #24, R&B #9 The name on the label says “Four Tops” but this is really a Levi Stubbs record. Stubbs was never one of Motown’s marquee vocalists, and the injustice of that act is amplified by his three-minute tour-de-force singing here. Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Hunter’s song and [...]
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