RIP Mel McDaniel

Grand Ole Opry member Mel McDaniel has passed away. RIP to one of the good guys of country music.

RIP Billy Lee Riley passes at age 75

Billy Lee Riley, a rambunctious performer who helped develop the Sun Records sound as a studio musician for other headliners, has died. He was 75.

Riley’s singles included “Red Hot” and “Flyin’ Saucers Rock & Roll,” the latter of which led him to call his band “The Little Green Men” for a time. Riley died Sunday in Jonesboro, according to Dillinger Funeral Home in Newport, which is handling arrangements. He had been suffering from colon cancer, and it had moved to his bones, his wife, Joyce, told The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis, Tenn.

“He was actually feeling better lately. So the very end was unexpected. But, he went peacefully,” Joyce Riley said.

Riley was one of the early performers who recorded at Memphis’ legendary Sun Records, but he was overshadowed by his cohorts, including Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. Among many other songs, Riley and his band played on the original Sun recording of Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire.”

Riley’s voice at times had a cadence similar to Presley’s but early on he sang with more of a growl. His voice softened in his later recordings, which focused more on blues. A 22-song compilation, “Red Hot: The Best of Billy Lee Riley,” is among records still available.

Born in the town of Pocahontas, Riley grew up in a sharecropper family in northeast Arkansas and learned guitar and harmonica from other families.

In the early 1960s, Riley took his talents to California, where he worked as a studio musician for The Beach Boys, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. He also played bass, drums and sang.

Riley continued to perform, touring in Europe in the 1970s and 1980s to receptive rockabilly audiences. He kept performing late in life, including a June gig in Memphis with Sonny Burgess, another northeast Arkansas native and Sun performer.

The funeral home said there would be no visitation, and that a graveside service is set for 3 p.m. Wednesday at Walnut Grove Cemetery in Newport.

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RIP: Mighty Joe Young, Jr.

June 11, 2009 – Mighty Joe Young, Jr. a Chicago Blues notable quietly slipped away from us in the pre-dawn hours after 3:00 a.m. following a harrowing bout with terminal pancreatic cancer. The International Blues Community took two hits in as many weeks with first the legendary Koko Taylor’s passing last week and now Young’s untimely death.

Young was the son of the late Mighty Joe Young, Sr. (Blind Pig Records). His guitar can be heard on his father’s recordings. He shared the stage with the Queen of the Blues herself on more than one occasion, as well as with such powerhouses as Roy Hytower (the root doctor), his renowned father & many others.

Mighty Joe Young, Jr. will lie in state Friday June 12, 2009 at Corbin Colonial Funeral Chapel 1001 Madison in Maywood, IL 60153 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Funeral Services are at Corbin on Saturday 10:00 a.m. – Noon.

Singer, Songwriter, Musician Mighty Joe Young, Jr. began his love affair with the guitar when his older brother Earl realized she wasn’t the girl for him and introduced the siren to his younger brother.

Like his famous father the late Mighty Joe Young, Sr., Joe was a natural and was wed to his music ever since. Flourishing under the tutelage of his father, Joe formed his first band while still in high school.

After marrying and starting a family, Joe traveled around the country with his father performing and honing his chops playing rhythm and lead guitar. His powerful sound has been featured on studio sessions for his late father Mighty Joe Young, Sr. and on varied projects for other artists.

Joe burned up the Chicago blues scene for several decades. Gifted with the phenomenal ability to play music by ear, Joe was at ease playing everything from cool jazz to hot soul, but the melodies of white-hot electric blues fueled his performances.

Joe’s band included some of Chicago’s best musicians who formed the Mighty Joe Young Rhythm & Blues Band. Continuing the family tradition, his own daughters Leah Chanelle & Chontella Renee along with his granddaughters Natalia Renee & LaDonna Chanelle often accompanied him on stage.

Throughout his career Joe headlined many events including the 24th Annual Blues Festival in June 2007. He played such stellar venues as the Isaac Hayes Club, Buddy Guy’s Legends, Famous Dave’s, Koko Taylor’s Celebrity, Blues Etcetera, Frankie’s Blues Room to name a few in the Chicago land area. He also played an assortment of national venues & corporate affairs.

Joseph Young, Jr. was born the second child to the late Mighty Joe Young, Sr. and Lorene Sneed Young in Milwaukee, Wisconsin November 14, 1948. Both parents made their celestial transition before him.

Joseph married in July 1967 to Lavera Levy and was later divorced. There were three children born to their union. Joseph & Lavera remained friends.

Joseph attended Richard Crane High School where he was a good student, but exhibited a much more keen interest in studying music than the three “R’s”. Throughout his youth “Joe Joe” (as he was affectionately called) competed successfully in numerous showcases and talent shows.

In 1999, Joe became a founding member of The Mighty Joe Young Blues Foundation where he served on the Board of Directors until 2002. Each year Joe spearheaded an annual Tribute Show in honor of his late father the legendary Mighty Joe Young, Sr.

Rest In Peace, Martha Vaughan

from the S.R.V. Remembrance Ride & Concert:

Martha Vaughan, mother of Stevie and Jimmie Vaughan, passed away Sunday, June 14, 2009. Everyone at the S.R.V. Remembrance Ride & Concert are deeply saddened by her passing. Martha’s support of the Ride & Concert sustained the event in the early years and she often attended with her brother Joe and his family. Our condolences go out to “Uncle” Joe, Jimmie Vaughan and the rest of the Vaughan and Cook families.

After Stevie’s passing, Martha established the SRV Memorial Scholarship Fund for students at W.E.Greiner Middle School. The Ride & Concert has been proud to contribute the proceeds of the events to that scholarship fund. To date, 173 music scholarships have been awarded to music students at W.E. Greiner Middle School. This year marks the fifteenth annual event and it will be dedicated to Mrs. Vaughan’s memory as well as Stevie’s.

Koko Taylor Passes at age 80

“Blues is my life,” … “It’s a true feeling that comes from the heart, not just something that comes out of my mouth”

Chicago blues icon Koko Taylor died Wednesday afternoon at age 80, after surgery May 19 to correct a gastrointestinal bleed.

    “She was recovering slowly but surely, and then she had a real bad night,” said Marc Lipkin, a spokesman for Taylor’s longtime Chicago-based label, Alligator Records. Taylor was recovering from her surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital when she died.

She had performed only weeks earlier at the Blues Music Awards ceremony in Memphis, Tenn., where she received her record 29th Blues Music Award .

More here

Singer-Songwriter Vern Gosdin Dies in Nashville at Age 74

Original post from CMT

Singer-songwriter Vern Gosdin, who achieved mainstream country success in the ’80s with hits such as “Set ‘Em Up Joe” and “Chiseled in Stone,” died late Tuesday (April 28) at a Nashville hospital at age 74. Gosdin, who was often referred to as “the Voice,” reportedly suffered a stroke several weeks ago.

Born in Woodland, Ala., he had already achieved success with his brother, Rex, as the Gosdin Brothers before launching his solo career. As a teenager, his family hosted The Gosdin Family Gospel Show on a radio station in Birmingham, Ala. Vern and Rex Gosdin moved to the Los Angeles area in 1961 and began performing in a bluegrass group, the Golden State Boys. The band evolved into another bluegrass group, the Hillmen, featuring Chris Hillman, who later became a founding member of the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothersand the Desert Rose Band. With the demise of the Hillmen, the Gosdin Brothers scored one country hit, “Hangin’ On,” which peaked at No. 37 on theBillboard chart in 1967. Rex Gosdin died in 1983.

In the early ’70s, Vern Gosdin moved to Atlanta, where he ran a retail store, but he continued to perform in area clubs. Emmylou Harris, who knew him from their days in California, teamed with Gosdin to record a demo single featuring two songs — a remake of “Hangin’ On” and a new one, “Yesterday’s Gone.” The demo resulted in Gosdin’s contract with Elektra Records. “Yesterday’s Gone” became his first single for the label and reached No. 9 on the country chart in 1977.

During the late ’70s and early ’80s, Gosdin charted other Top 10 singles for the Elektra, Ovation and AMI labels before scoring his first No. 1 hit in 1984 with “I Can Tell by the Way You Dance (You’re Gonna Love Me Tonight),” written by Sandy Pinkard and Rob Strandlund. After moving to Columbia Records in the late ’80s, he quickly scored a series of Top 10 singles with songs he co-wrote, including “Do You Believe Me Now,” “Chiseled in Stone,” “Who You Gonna Blame It On This Time” and “That Just About Does It.” His recordings of two other original songs from that era — “Set’ Em Up Joe” and “I’m Still Crazy” reached No. 1. Gosdin’s last Top 10 singles were released in 1990 — “Right in the Wrong Direction” and “Is It Raining at Your House.”

In 1989, Gosdin and one of his longtime songwriting collaborators, Max D. Barnes, shared a CMA Award for song of the year for “Chiseled in Stone.” George Strait enjoyed a Top 10 hit in 1997 with “Today My World Slipped Away,” a song Gosdin co-wrote with Mark Wright. It had been a Top 10 single for Gosdin in 1982.

Aubrey Mayhew, Johnny Paycheck’s Supporter and Producer, Dead at 81

From CMT

Aubrey Mayhew, who co-founded Little Darlin’ Records with Johnny Paycheck in 1966 primarily as a vehicle for Paycheck’s own music, has died at a Nashville hospice at the age of 81. Time and cause of death have not yet been announced. Despite its focus on Paycheck, Little Darlin’ became a home to such other country artists as Bobby Helms and Jeannie C. Riley. Mayhew also served as Paycheck’s producer, manager and occasional co-writer. Paycheck’s first and highest-charting single on Little Darlin’ was “The Lovin’ Machine,” which went to No. 8 in 1966. In all, Paycheck charted nine singles on the label, four of them co-written with Mayhew. Paycheck would go on to achieve his greatest fame at CBS/Epic Records in the 1970s. He died in 2003. Mayhew’s other passion was collecting memorabilia of President John Kennedy’s assassination, a passion that extended to purchasing the Texas Book Depository building in Dallas from which Kennedy was shot. Some of Little Darlin’s extensive catalog has been released on Koch Records, including the 2004 compilation album A Little Darlin’ Christmas, featuring seasonal tracks by Helms and Paycheck. Other Little Darlin’ artists spotlighted in the Koch re-releases were Riley, Jeannie C. Riley, Don Williams, Lightnin’ Hopkins and steel guitar player Lloyd Green.

RIP Duane Jarvis

Original Article by Peter Cooper/The Tennessean

Duane Jarvis, the amiable singer-songwriter who commanded stages with what Rosie Flores called a “Keith Richards flair and a honky-tonk heart,” died this morning in his Los Angeles apartment. He was 51, and he battled colon cancer for 16 months.

Mr. Jarvis, who recorded five critically acclaimed solo albums, lived in Nashville from 1994 until recently. He played guitar on recordings by Flores, Lucinda Williams, John Prine, Dwight Yoakam, Frank Black, Amy Rigby, Giant Sand, Peter Case and many others. He toured with artists including Prine, Black and The Divinyls, and his songs were featured in motion pictures The Horse Whisperer and The Rookie. He was an admirable conundrum: a rock ’n’ roller known for kindness and gentility, and a shy and soft-spoken man known for his electrifying stage presence.

 

“This is what we live for,” he sometimes told audiences at a concert’s outset, before striking a chord on his electric guitar and beginning to sing one of his self-penned stories.

Mr. Jarvis grew up on the west coast, in Oregon, Washington and California. His father — who often played country records around the house — was in the U.S. Coast Guard, and his mother was a nurse. He was fascinated by music from an early age. As a pre-teen, he lived briefly in Florida, where he saw blues legend BB King in concert. At show’s end, he moved to the edge of the stage, where King saw him and handed him a guitar pick that he kept throughout his life. As a teenager, Mr. Jarvis joined a blues band and then became a member of power pop group The Odds. 

“I was very quiet, and music was my big outlet which helped me communicate with people,” he told interviewer Shuichi Iwami. “I think I would have been kind of lost without it.” 

In the mid-1980s, Mr. Jarvis moved from Oregon to Los Angeles, and he became part of an L.A. country scene that included Flores, Yoakam, Williams, Buddy Miller, The Blasters and Jim Lauderdale. Mr. Jarvis wrote songs and worked in Long Tall Marvin, a band fronted by Lone Justice founder Marvin Etzioni, and his session work included playing guitar on Williams’ Sweet Old World album. He also played club gigs and made demo recordings, and the recordings caught the ear of former Replacements manager Peter Jesperson, who ran Medium Cool Records in Minnesota. Medium Cool released D.J.’s Front Porch in 1994, the same year that Mr. Jarvis moved to Nashville. 

“The careening ‘Good On Paper’ and the wistful ‘Back of Beyond’ sound like lost gems that were left off (the Rolling Stones’) Let It Bleed,” wrote Bob Cannon of Entertainment Weekly in a review ofD.J.’s Front Porch. “Jarvis seems to spit out these evocative country-soul tunes effortlessly, indicating that Front Porch is built to last.” 

For Mr. Jarvis, Nashville offered an opportunity to collaborate with like-minded, left-of-center talents such as Tim Carroll, Amy Rigby, Steve Allen, Joy Lynn White and Dave Coleman. Music City was also a place for him to settle into healthier routines. 

“Los Angeles was a fast track, and I was the one driving the car,” he told The Tennessean in 2000. “I’m the eternal optimist. I feel there’s a place for my songs in Nashville.” 

One of those songs, a co-write with Williams called “Still I Long For Your Kiss,” wound up in a movie soundtrack and was recorded by Williams on her breakthrough Car Wheels On A Gravel Roadalbum. 

He also placed songs on albums by Carroll, White, Greg Trooper, Pinmonkey, Peter Case and others. Mr. Jarvis’ music was a mash of rock, country, R&B and blues, distilled into what is now often called “Americana.” As a staff songwriter for Lieber and Stoller, he scored no major radio hits, but his songs and guitar work were key elements in a street-level movement that offered a creatively compelling alternative to the more sanitized sounds coming from Music Row. 

That movement was synthesized on a Bloodshot Records compilation called Nashville: The Other Side of the Alley, an album that featured Mr. Jarvis’ “Cocktail Napkin” alongside cuts from artists including Carroll, Paul Burch, Phil Lee and Jason & The Scorchers. 

In Nashville, Mr. Jarvis recorded solo albums Far From Perfect (1998), Combo Platter (1999),Certified Miracle (2001) and Delicious (2003). Each album found Mr. Jarvis combining hard-won knowledge with his signature soulful wit. 

“It takes a worried man to sing a worried song/ Had no idea I’d be singing for so long,” he wrote on “Spread My Soul Too Thin,” from 2003’s Delicious. On Certified Miracle’s “Broke Not Busted” Mr. Jarvis sang, “I might not be what you bargained for/ I’m a discount bin, not a money drawer.” 

In 2007, Mr. Jarvis — who by then had moved back to Los Angeles — was inducted into theOregon Music Hall of Fame. That same year, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He endured multiple surgeries and round of chemotherapy, and in March of 2009 he entered hospice care. 

Music remained a constant through his final days. Friend Billy Block said Mr. Jarvis offered a bed-ridden but note-perfect version of the Ben E King hit “Stand By Me” last Thursday.

RIP Dan Seals

From CMT:

March 26, 2009 — Dan Seals, who amassed 11 No. 1 country singles as a solo performer in 1980s and ‘90s, died Wednesday after a long bout with cancer, The Tennessean reported.

Dan’s easy-going nature was well represented in a smooth voice that fit some of the most infectious releases of his era. His recording of the nostalgic “Bop” won the Country Music Association’s Single of the Year award in 1986, the same year he and Marie Osmond claimed Vocal Duo of the Year for “Meet Me In Montana.” Both songs were penned by singer-songwriter Paul Davis, who died last April.

Long before Jewel, Jessica Simpson and Darius Rucker attempted transitions from pop music to country, Dan had one of the most successful shifts ever into the genre. He had previously established himself as one-half of the pop duo England Dan & John Ford Coley, which earned a gold record with its first single, “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight,” in 1976. The pair went on to cut such hits as “Sad To Belong,” “Nights Are Forever” and the Todd Rundgren-penned “Love Is The Answer” before parting ways.

Dan released his first country single — “Everybody’s Dream Girl,” written with BlackHawk founders Dave Robbins and Van Stephenson — in 1983. The following year, “God Must Be A Cowboy” led him to country’s Top 10 for the first time, and in 1985, “Meet Me In Montana” began a phenomenal run in which 11 of 12 consecutive releases hit the top of the Billboard chart. Those successes included uplifting hits such as “I Will Be There,” “Love On Arrival” and the Sam Cooke-written “Good Times,” as well as such emotional ballads as “Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold),” “Addicted” and “You Still Move Me.”

Dan was just one success story in a very musical family. Brother Jim Seals was a member of the pop duo Seals & Crofts, uncle Chuck Seals wrote the Ray Price standard “Crazy Arms,” cousin Johnny Duncan had his own solo country hits in the ‘70s and cousin Troy Seals authored familiar songs by Willie Nelson, Randy Travis and Vince Gill. Nephew Brady Seals has been a member of both Little Texas and Hot Apple Pie.

Dan had an unusual distinction in 1990 as the music industry shifted from the LP to CDs: His Love On Arrival was the first Capitol Records country album not released on vinyl.

Hank Locklin Passes at Age 91

Hank Locklin, one of the first country music artists to enjoy popularity among pop music fans, died Sunday at the age of 91.

His song, “Please Help Me I’m Falling” reached No. 8 on the Billboard Top 100.

Other hits included “Geisha Girl” and, more notably, “Send Me the Pillow that You Dream On.”

While they did not record it, U2 paid tribute to Hank in concert by performing his song “Wild Irish Rose.”

Hank began recording in the 1950s. By the 1970s, new artists had passed him by.

His final album was “By the Grace of God: The Gospel Album,” released in 2006.