T Model Ford & Some Rock, Blues, Jazz and Country Figures Pass On

T Model Ford ~ Blues singer/guitarist. Born some time in the early 1920's (he wasn't sure when) but he didn't become a professional recording artist until he was discovered in 1995 and signed to Fat Possum Records, the label that had resurrected RL Burnside. Ford had spent most of his life in rural Mississippi doing manual labour, supervising a saw mill and truck driving. He was also sentenced to prison for ten years for murder, although he only served about two. When he was released and his wife left him and he began playing guitar, learning from records by Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Son House and Jimmy Reed. He did not record but spent his career locally playing juke joints and opening for Buddy Guy until he was discovered by Matt Johnson of Fat Possum for who he recorded five well regarded albums. He also toured widely, in fact I remember working at a club in Toronto back in the late 1990's when we tried to bring in Ford only to find he couldn'y get over the border becuase of his old murder conviction.

T MODEL FORD ~ "SALLIE MAE";


T MODEL FORD ~ "CHICKEN HEAD MAN";


Billy Bowers ~ American gospel vocalist Blind Boys of Alabama ~ 71

THE FIVE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA ~ "TOO CLOSE TO HEAVEN";


THE FIVE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA ~ "SOMEBODY GOT TO MAKE IT TO HEAVEN"


Lewis Lymon ~ 1950's Doo Wop singer, brother of Frankie Lymon and replaced him in the Teenagers after he quit to go solo ~ 69

LEWIS LYMON & THE TEENAGERS ~ "DANCE GIRL";


Texas Johnny Brown ~ Blues singer/guitarist, played with Joe Hinton, Amos Milburn, Ruth Brown, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Lavelle White, Buddy Ace and Junior Parker ~ 85


Curly Lewis ~ Fiddler for Bob Wills' Western Swing Band ~ 88

BOB WILLS & TEXAS PLAYBOYS ~ "SAN ANTONIO ROSE";


BOB WILLS & TEXAS PLAYBOYS ~ "STAY A LITTLE LONGER";


Bengt Hallberg ~ Swedish Jazz pianist and accordionist, played with Clifford Brown, Stan Getz and Quincy Jones ~ 80

CLIFFORD BROWN ~ "OH LADY BE GOOD" & "MEMORIES OF YOU";


Butch Warren ~ BeBop Jazz bassist w/ Miles Davis, Hank Mobley, Donald Byrd, Sonny Clark, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Jackie McLean, and Stanley Turrentine and Thelonious Monk ~ 74

MILES DAVIS ~ "SO WHAT":


THELONIUS MONK ~ "ROUND MIDNIGHT";


Bernard Vitet ~ French Jazz trumpet player w/ Serge Gainsbourg, Yves Montand,Brigitte Bardot, Marianne Faithfull, Lester Young, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, Gato Barbieri, Jean-Luc Ponty, Django Reinhardt, Eric Dolphy, Albert Ayler and The Art Emsemble Of Chicago. He also worked on film scores. ~ 77

SERGE GAINSBOURG & BRIGITTE BARDOT ~ "J'T'AIME";


Gary Shearston ~ Australian singer/songwriter, had a hit in the UK with a cover of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" ~ 74

GARY SHEARSTON ~ "I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU";

A Few New Wave Figures Pass On

Gypie Mayo ~ English guitarist w/ Dr Feelgood in the 1980's and later the reformed Yardbirds ~ 62

DR FEELGGOD ~ "SHE'S A WINDUP";


DR FEELGOOD ~ "DOWN AT THE DOCTORS";


Alastair Donaldson, AKA William Mysterious - 57 - Bassist for Scotland's most beloved Punk band The Revillos (AKA The Rezillos)

THE REVILLOS ~ "TOP OF THE POPS";


THE REVILLOS ~ "MOTORBIKE BEAT";


Tim Wright ~ American bass guitarist for New Wave bands Pere Ubu and DNA ~ 61
PERE UBU ~ "30 SECONDS OVER TOKYO";


PERE UBU ~ "ELECTRICITY";


PERE UBU ~ "WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY";


Alan Myers; Drummer for 1980's Ohio Icons Devo ~ 58;
DEVO ~ "SATISFACTION";


DEVO ~ "WHIP IT";


Dan Van Patten - 60's - Drummer for 1980's American Techno Pop band Berlin ("Sex", "The Metro", "No More Words", "Take My Beath Away")

BERLIN ~ "SEX";


BERLIN ~ "THE METRO";


BERLIN ~ "THE MASQUERADE";


BERLIN ~ "NO MORE WORDS";


James Gray ~ Keyboardist Blue Rodeo and Vital Sines ~ 52

VITAL SINES ~ "COLLAGE";


BLUE RODEO ~ "LOST TOGETHER";


Charlie Salmon ~ Singer/guitarist w/1980's Toronto Indie Band The Plasterscene Replicas

THE PLASTERSCENE REPLICAS ~ "ALL I SEE":


Peppi Marchello ~ Singer/Guitarist with New Jersey garage band The Good Rats from the late 1960's to the punk era ~ 68

THE GOOD RATS ~ "REASON TO KILL";


Jon Brookes ~ British drummer with Britpop band The Charlatans ~ 44
THE CHARLATANS ~ "WEIRDO";

Chris Levoir of The Mark Inside

THE MARK INSIDE ~ "SHOTS FROM INSIDE A BROKEN BOTTLE";


The local Toronto scene was shocked to hear of the sudden death of Chris Levoir, guitarist with neo-garage band The Mark Inside. Since their 2007 debut "Static/Crush" The Mark Inside were one of those buzz bands always on the verge of a breakthrough. They had some good songs, some well made videos and one of the best live shows around. Rather like Tangiers, Young Rival and The Ride Theory. I'm not sure why things never seemed to work out for them but they had played just s few months ago at CMW and had a new album on the way. Levoir also worked as a sound-man at a few local clubs and was universally popular with other bands both for his professionalism and his laid back attitude. The rumours seem to point to snorting heroin as being the culprit. He was only 31.

THE MARK INSIDE ~ "CAROUSEL";


THE MARK INSIDE ~ "SWEET LITTLE SISTER";


THE MARK INSIDE ~ "THE BOTTOM LINE";

Some Rock, R&B, Doo Wop & Jazz figures of the 1950's & 60's Pass On

Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for the Doors died of cancer. A hugely influential band but I must say it was years before I could listen to them. See I grew up in Scarbourgh listening to punk, new wave as well as garage and rockabilly from the 50's & 60's while everybody else was listening to Q-107 who insisted on playing the same playlist every fucking day for years and years. The Doors, Zeppelin, Stones, Who, Floyd and Rush literally every fucking day, at least twice a day. No exaggeration. I really resented that at the time. It wasn't till years later that I got over that and decided that they were actually good bands. Except for Rush, they still suck.

Anyway where was I? Oh right, Ray Manzerek. He also produced the first X album as well, on which they buzz-sawed their way through "Soul Kitchen". Which was in turn later used in an episode of "Miami Vice" just before something blew up real good. So there's that.

THE DOORS ~ "LIGHT MY FIRE";



X & RAY MANZAREK ~ "SOUL KITCHEN";


Ronnie Splinter ~ Guitarist for influential 1960's Dutch garage band The Outsiders (not be confused with the 1960's American garage band The Outsiders who had a hit with the classic "Time Won't Let Me")

THE OUTSIDERS ~ "LYING ALL THE TIME";


Marshall Lytle ~ Bassist with Bill Haley's Comets as well as his preceding band The Saddlemen. Also co-wrote "Crazy Man Crazy" and a few songs for Haley associated group The Jodimers including their big hit "Rattle Shakin' Daddy", pioneer of the Rockabilly "Slap Bass" sound ~ 79

BILL HALEY & THE COMETS ~ "ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK";


BILL HALEY & THE COMETS ~ "RAZZLE DAZZLE";


Johnny Smith ~ 1955 Guitarist who did the original version of the surf classic "Walk Don't Run", later covered by The Ventures, Shadows, Belaires, Los Straitjackets and virtually every other surf band ~ 90

THE VENTURES ~ "WALK DON'T RUN";


Roger LaVern ~ British rock keyboardist with The Tornados and Joe Meek ~ 75
JOHN LEYTON ~ "JOHNNY REMEMBER ME" & THE TORNADOS ~ "TELSTAR";


Jim Sundquist ~ Guitarist for 1960's garage band The Fendermen "Mule Skinner Blues" ~ 75

THE FENDERMAN ~ "MULE SKINNER BLUES";


Eddie Bond ~ 1950's Rockabilly singer originally on Sun Records then on Mercury later became a country singer ~ 79

EDDIE BOND ~ "TORE UP";


EDDIE BOND ~ "ONE WAY TICKET";


Bobby Blue Bland ~ American Blues and R&B singer from the 1950's on. With hits like "Turn On Your Love Light", "I Pity The Fool", "Stormy Monday", "I'll Take Care Of You". Sang with BB King as well. "Turn On Your Love Light" was covered by Van Morrison & Them, Edgar Winter, Greatful Dead, Grand Funk Railroad, Rascals, Paramounts, Fugitives, Jerry Lee Lewis and more.

BOBBY BLUE BLAND & BB KING ~ "IT'S MY OWN FAULT";


BOBBY BLUE BLAND & BB KING ~ "THE THRILL IS GONE";


Cedar Walton ~ American Jazz Pianist from 1960's w/ The Jazztet, Art Farmer, John Coltrane, Don Ellis, Lee Morgan, Abbey Lincoln ~ 79
THE JAZZTET ~ "KILLER JOE";


Donna Hightower ~ American 1960's & 70's R&B singer ("The World's In A Mess") ~ 86

DONNA HIGHTOWER ~ "THE WORLD TODAY IS IN A MESS";


Floyd McRae ~ Singer with 1950's Doo-Wop group The Chords who did the original version of the classic hit "Sh-Boom" later covered by The Crewcuts ~ 80

THE CHORDS ~ "SH-BOOM" (recorded in 1980);


THE CREWCUTS ~ "SH-BOOM";


Virgil Johnson ~ Singer with Doo-Wop group The Velvets ~ 77

THE VELVETS ~ "MY LOVE";


Bob Engemann ~ Singer with 1950's Pop Vocal Group The Letterman w/hits like "Love is A Many Splendored Thing", "When I Fall In Love", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Softly", and covers of pop hits like "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Up Up And Away", "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" and "Walk On By" ~ 76

THE LETTERMEN ~ "LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING";


THE LETTERMEN ~ "WALK ON BY";


Ed Shaughnessy ~ Jazz and Swing drummer from the 1950's on; played with Benny Goodman, Dorsey Brothers, Gene Ammons, Roy Eldridge, Billie Holiday, Charles Mingus, Shirley Scott, Horace Silver, Count Basie and Jimmy Smith among others. Later played with Doc Severnson's Tonight Show Band ~ 84

THE DORSEY BROS ~ "MARIE";
Marion McPartland ~ British born Jazz Pianist, and composer from the 1940's on, called the "First Lady of Jazz". Married American Jazz Cornetist Jimmy McPartland, later became a jazz historian and host of a long running radio show ~ 86

MARION MCPARTLAND ~ "IN A MIST";


Marilyn King ~ American singer and actress, last surviving member of 1940's and 50's pop vocal group The King Sisters ~ 82

THE KING SISTERS ~ "ROUTE 66";




Pixie Williams ~ New Zealand 1950's pop singer, scored the first New Zealand based hit record with "Blue Smoke" in 1949 later covered by Nat King Cole ~ 85

George Jones and some other classic Country singers

This week country legend George Jones died. Considered by many to be the greatest male country singer of all time (Hank Williams Sr. doesn't count, because he's Hank, and so is Johnny Cash). Starting out as just another hyperactive Honky Tonk and Rockabilly singer (recordong a rockabilly single, which he later disowned, under the name Thumper Jones), George Jones sang with a sobbing tenor on the verge of a nervous breakdown that would personify the Hurtin' Song for the Honky Tonks of the 1960's and 70's. He had a more modern style than the older nasal twang of the previous post war generation of Hank, Webb, Ernest and Hank Snow, and having an obvious influence on Buck Owens and Johnny Paycheck in particular. Jones was also able to absorb the new Nashville Sound with it's assembly line approach of syrupy back ground vocals and lush string laden production on the strength of his instantly recognizable voice. In a way he was the male Patsy Cline.

GEORGE JONES ~ "WHITE LIGHTNING";


Of course his county outlaw persona helped keep him from becoming another faceless product, especially since the image was largely real. Jones was not a rebel in the sense of being a bad-ass rebel without a clue, like his friend Johnny Paycheck say. Jones was by all accounts a nice, friendly, down-to-earth guy, but he did like to drink and popped a lot of pills. By the late 1960's his reputation for blowing off gigs by being too drunk or hungover had earned him the nick-name "No Show Jones". On one occasion he had to be carried off stage in a straight jacket after having a bizarre on-stage meltdown in which he stumbled and slurred, insulted the audience, forgot the words to his songs or the names of his band and launched into an extended imitation of Donald Duck.

GEORGE JONES ~ "WHO SHOT SAM";


He went through a few marriages (of course) including to Tammy Wynette, with whom he would record a number of hit duets. They would continue to do so even after their divorce. All the while he would continue to churn out the hits, always supported by his devoted fans.

GEORGE JONES ~ "THE RACE IS ON";


By the 1990's he had quit, or at least cut back on the drinking and was still recording and touring up to a few years ago. He was 81.

GEORGE JONES ~ "SHE THINKS I STILL CARE";


Gordon Stoker ~ Singer with 1950's & 1960's Country, Pop and Gospel vocal group The Jordanaires who sang with Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Faron Young, Don Gibson, Jim Reeves, ~ 88

THE JORDINAIRES ~ "SOMETHING WITHIN";


THE JORDINAIRES ~ "GREAT GETTING UP MORNING";


DON GIBSON & THE JORDINAIRES ~ "I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU";


FARON YOUNG & THE JORDINAIRES ~ "THE SHRINE OF ST CECILIA";


Claude King ~ 1950's Country singer with classic hit "Wolverton Mountain" ~ 90

CLAUDE KING ~ "THE COMANCHEROS";


Jack Greene ~ 1960's & 70's Country singer with hits w/ "There Goes My Everything", "Statue of a Fool", "All The Time" ~ 83

JACK GREENE ~ "THERE GOES MY EVERYTHING";


JACK GREENE ~ "ALL THE TIME";


Cal Smith ~ 1950's Country singer ("The Lord Knows I'm Drinking", "Country Bumpkin" ~ 81

CAL SMITH ~ "LORD KNOWS I'M DRINKING";


CAL SMITH ~ "I TOOK HER FOR A FOOL";


Slim Whitman, 90, American yodeling country singer from the 1950's w/hits "Indian Love Call", "Rose Marie" Besides having hits in the USA he was also hugely successful in Europe, Austrailia, Japan and South Africa throughout the 1960's and 70's ~ 90

SLIM WHITMAN ~ "I REMEMBER YOU";
Slim Whitman, 90, American country singer-songwriter ("Indian Love Call", "Rose Marie"),

Two One Hundred Year Old Singers Pass On

This week had the odd distinction of having not one but two totally different singers die who were over one hundred years old.

George Beverly Shea ~ A Canadian/American Gospel singer who sang with The billy Graham Crusdae since the 1950's on and had recorded hundreds of songs.His style, with a deep stately baritone had little to do with the black gospel tradition and showed his formal vocal training. Although he came from a devout christian background Shea did make an attempt to succeed as a secular singer in the 1930's on the popular Fred Allen Radio Show and On "Your Hit Parade", however he soon decided to give up secular music and focus on Gospe lwhich he did from the early 1940's on. He was best known for his work with Billy Graham. He was 104 and was still occasionally active as of few years ago. .

GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA ~ "HE'S GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS";


GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA ~ "HOW GREAT THOU ART";


GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA ~ "THE LORDS PRAYER";


Bi Kidude was billed as The World's Oldest Singer although her real age was unknown. Born in Zanzibar about one hundred years ago she was a master of singing styles known as Taarab and Unyago music by the Muslim people of Tanzania. She was still active as of a few years ago.

BI KIDUDE ~ "PAKISTANI";


BI KIDUDE& CULTURAL MUSIC CLUB ~ "KIJITI";

A Few Punk & Metal Figures Pass On

Steve Knight ~ Keyboardist for 1960's & 70's Proto-Metal band Mountain, best known for their appearance at Woodstock and the hit "Mississippi Queen" ~ 76

MOUNTAIN ~ "MISSISSIPPI QUEEN";


Allen Lanier ~ American rock keyboardist and guitarist for Blue Öyster Cult ~ 67

BLUE OYSTER CULT ~ "DON'T FEAR THE REAPER";


BLUE OYSTER CULT ~ "ASTRONOMY/ETI";


Clive Burr was the original drummer for classic British band Iron Maiden during the pre-Bruce Dickenson Paul Dianno era of the late 1970's & early 1980's died of Muscular Dystrophy ~ 56

IRON MAIDEN ~ "PHANTOM OF THE OPERA";


IRON MAIDEN ~ "IRON MAIDEN";


Chris Bailey ~ Bassist for 1970's & 80's Australian Proto-Punk band The Angels, he had previously been in Mount Lofty Rangers with Bon Scott in 1974 ~ 62

THE ANGELS ~ "TAKE A LONG LINE";


THE ANGELS ~ "AM I A+EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN";


Neil Smith ~ Bassist for 1970's versions of AC/DC and Rose Tattoo ~ 59

ROSE TATTOO ~ "ROCK N ROLL OUTLAW";


ROSE TATTOO ~ "BAD BOY FOR LOVE";


Chi Cheng ~ Bassist for California Metal Band The Deftones (in a coma from a car crash since 2008) ~ 42

THE DEFTONES ~ "DIAMOND EYES";


Kent Abbott ~ Guitarist for Toronto Hardcore Band Grade ~ 32

GRADE ~ "TERMITES HOLLOW";


GRADE ~ "A YEAR IN THE PAST, FOREVER IN THE FUTURE";


Roach, the bassist for 1990's Toronto?Hamilton Hardcore band the Liquor Pigs died aged 44

THE LIQUOR PIGS ~ "IRAQI LOVE";


THE LIQUOR PIGS ~ "ENERGIZER";


Jeff Hanneman ~ Guitarist for Thrash Metal Legends Slayer ~ 49

SLAYER ~ "SEASONS IN THE ABYSS";


Dani Crivelli ~ Drummer for 1980's Swiss Metal Band Krokus

KROKUS ~ "HEADHUNTER";