Tag: Gospel

Saturday Matinee – Chris Thomas King, The Bo-Keys & Dan Patlansky

Chris Thomas King‘s haunting cover of John The Revelator is made even spookier by the voodoo queen aura of the dancer. King became the last major folk blues discovery of the 20th Century when he was discovered in Louisiana in 1979 by a folklorist from the Smithsonian Institute. He was also chosen by the Coen brothers to play the role of itinerant bluesman Tommy Johnson in the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000).

The Bo-Keys features soul gospel singer Percy Wiggins. Led by producer / bassist Scott Bomar, the group includes historic session musicians from legendary Stax and Hi Records studio bands. (This song is NOT a cover – they released it in 2011).

Dan Patlansky was voted the #4 Best Guitarist in the world and (besides Joe Bonamassa!) remains the only artist in the world with two worldwide No. 1 and two worldwide No. 2 Best Blues Rock Albums as voted by Blues Rock Review USA.

Thanks to FIFA, visitors from around the world are giving rave reviews about everything from American food and hospitality to the wonders of state routes and Walmart. Oil prices are dropping, Iran promised to keep its promises a bit longer before breaking them again; everyone on Xwitter has suddenly  become experts on pool sealants and algae mitigation, and Clay Aiken hasn’t spoken to Kelly Ripa in 20 years.

The days seem to be getting shorter after last week’s solstice, so tomorrow is Porch Time. See you at half-past whenever.

Saturday Matinee – Jovin Webb, Sonny Gullage & The Melbourne Ska Orchestra

Lionel Richie once described his voice as “the sound of barbecue sauce.” Luke Bryan remarked, “I could sit and drink a lot of bourbon listening to that voice.” Louisiana blues and soul singer Jovin Webb made it to the final ten performers on the 2020 season of American Idol and moved on from there.

Singer, songwriter and keyboardist  Kevin ‘Sonny’ Gullage has earned much acclaim despite his young age (26 years old this year), and combines the sounds of New Orleans roots blues, boogiewoogie and gospel with modern styles.

The Melbourne Ska Orchestra covers a tune from the 1927 Broadway show Good News.

Been pretty busy this week. A lot of time and effort goes into pretending to be busy, and I’m definitely getting better at it. Free lessons tomorrow on the porch. See you there.

Saturday Matinee – Ruthie Foster, Mingo Fishtrap & The California Honeydrops

Gospel, soul, blues and jazz singer Ruthie Foster began her career singing at churches in rural Texas, described herself as a “little Black girl with a guitar.” After college, she joined the US Navy where she began singing in the naval band Pride, playing pop and funk hits at recruitment drives. Since then, she’s won numerous Blues Music Awards and earned three Grammy nominations.

“Austin, Texas, doesn’t have a Trombone Shorty, the Subdudes or Dirty Dozen Brass Band like New Orleans does but they do have Mingo Fishtrap, and they’re just as funky and soulful as those bands with a healthy dash of Motown tossed into their pot.” –Something Else Reviews

From Oakland, The California Honeydrops cover Wilson Pickett.
“The California Honeydrops…evoke the greasy rumble of Booker T. and channel the spiritual ecstasy of Sly and the Family Stone.” -Rolling Stone

It seems the news machine has skipped the soak, wash and rinse cycles and is stuck on spin with a noisy unbalanced load. It’s just about time to fire up the porch and take it for a sit. See you there.

Saturday Matinee – Don Bryant & The Bo-Keys, Caffeinated Rock&Roll, and The Guy Forsyth Blues Band

Don Bryant & The Bo-Keys. In 1998, bassist Scott Bomar wanted to preserve the Memphis Sound and formed the Bo-Keys. The group’s name is a hat-tip to the session groups The Bar-Kays and The Mar-Keys.

Caffeinated Rock&Roll is a one-man band and  skateboarder from Buchs, Switzerland, with very little info available online aside from his Utoobage channel.

The Guy Forsyth Blues Band out of Austin, Texas, sounds a bit like early Fabulous Thunderbirds to me, and I like it. Forsyth’s earlier collaborations include The Asylum Street Spankers and The Hot Nut Riveters.

Not sure where all the days are going, and I’m about to rip up my calendar for lying. Have a great weekend, see you back here tomorrow for some uncomplicated porch time.

Saturday Matinee – The Blind Boys of Alabama, Toby Beard & King King

Jaw-dropping rendition of the gospel standard by The Blind Boys of Alabama. The lyrics were penned by English abolitionist Rev. John Newton in 1773, and the tune predates House of the Rising Sun by decades.

Toby Beard  is a blast from Down Under [h/t Aerchie].

King King features frontman Alan Nimmo and brother Stevie on rhythm guitar, with Jonny Dyke (keyboard), Andrew Scott (drums) and Zander Greenshields (bass). Unpretentious blues rock with a kilt.

Quite an odd week, got some milestone decisions to think about, so I’ll be sitting on the porch with the dogs and a Coleman if you want to stop by for a slab of coldies.

Saturday Matinee – A Band of Bees, The Hi-Jivers & The Future Shape of Sound

A Band of Bees got a bit of swampy jug band in their blood.

Nashville retro-rockers The Hi-Jivers, filmed in the Torremolinos hills of Spain during the 2020 Rockin’ Race Jamboree.
Dawna Zahn – Vocals
Austin John – Guitar
Hank Miles – Upright Bass
Jason Smay – Drums

Lord help me. I don’t think I’ve heard shakedown gospel this good since Sister Rosetta Tharpe. This is The Future Shape of Sound.

Gonna get hot again this week, maybe get wet, maybe not. See you back here tomorrow for an in-depth discussion, or maybe we’ll do something else instead.

Saturday Matinee – The Dixie Hummingbirds, A1 Hundo & The Brothers Comatose

The Dixie Hummingbirds on Jubilee Showcase in 1964. James Walker on lead vocals. Formed in 1928, and with changing lineups, they have performed for over 90 years.

A1 Hundo resurrects the grooves of Booker T. & The MG’s. Hard to find anything about the band.

The Brothers Comatose did a happy doomsday song.

Gotta go, but we’ll be back tomorrow. Have a great weekend.

Saturday Matinee – SOUR, A Southern Gospel Revival, The Kentucky Headhunters & The Reverend Horton Heat

SOUR ‘日々の音色 (Hibi no neiro)‘  video from 2009 coordinated Zoom before Zoom.

A Southern Gospel Revival updates classic gospel with amazing vocals and bluegrass.

The Kentucky Headhunters showed up on my radar long ago with the best (and only?) cover of Davy Crockett ever. Glad to see they’re still having fun.

Reverend Horton Heat tells the story before he growls out Motörhead‘s classic Ace of Spades.

Running out of useful brain cells tonight, so have a great weekend and we’ll see you back her tomorrow for no good reason at all.

Saturday Matinee – Johnny Blues Cárdenasis, Percy Wiggins & The Bo-Keys, & Wycliffe Gordon’s Big Band

Johnny  “Johnny Blues” Cárdenasis is a blind self-taught street  musician from Santiago, Chile, who plays nothing but roots blues. There are  interviews with him on the Utoobage, but they lack captions and my Spanish is rusty.

The Bo-Keys featuring soul gospel singer Percy Wiggins.

Big band speed skat courtesy Wycliffe Gordon. The video comments section is an eyeroller.

Ran out of time for this edition – too much real life bouncing in my noggin. See you tomorrow when things cool down a tad.

 

Saturday Matinee – Floorboarding, The Paul Whiteman Orchestra, The Jubalaires & A Burberry Ad

Great animation followed by “the making of” [via].

Paul Whiteman was known as the King of Jazz, and no one as yet has come near carrying that title with more certainty and dignity. – Duke Ellington

Remastered footage from the 1930 movie King of Jazz (filmed entirely in two-color Technicolor) featured the Paul Whiteman Orchestra performing Happy Feet. Some amazing dance moves in that clip.

The Jubalaires – Orville Brooks, Ted Brooks, J.C. Ginyard & George McFadden – were a gospel group who recorded in the 40’s & 50’s. This version of Noah has a unnecessary modification towards the end, but it sorta works.

Singin’ in the Rain is one of the better ads I’ve seen, and I’m still not sure what they’re selling. [via].

I guess that’s eclectic enough for this edition. Have a great holiday weekend, see you tomorrow for the the post-Christmas sales.