Rory Gallagher-Etta James-Muddy Waters Live At Montreux
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Tag Archive: Blues
Amos Milburn, Joe Turner & Cab Calloway / R&B Revue
” Outstanding performances abound in this musical variety show filmed at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, New York City in 1954. We highlight different shades of the blues in this clip with Amos Milburn doing Bad Bad Whiskey, Big Joe Turner with a great version of Shake Rattle & Roll and Cab Calloway surprising everyone with a version of Minnie the Moocher
You can download the entire movie at the link below. Or watch the individual performances here at MindsiMedia.
http://www.archive.org/details/rhythm…“
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Elmore James – TV Mama (with Big Joe Turner)
” Big Joe Turner sings and Elmore James plays guitar on this novelty song credited as written by Joe’s wife, Lou Willie Turner. Cut in Chicago, October 1953.”
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Tom Hambridge – Upside of Lonely
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Gary Moore - The Stumble
” Gary Moore playing The Stumble at Montreux live in 1990
All Copyrights Are to Eagle Vision and The Montreux Live Jazz Festival”
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Gary Moore - Red House (The Strat Pack Live in Concert 2004)
Wembley Arena – a September 24, 2004, concert marking the 50th Anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar.
Pino Palladino: Bass guitar; Ian Thomas: Drums & percussion.Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 1952 — 6 Feb. 2011), was a Northern Irish musician, blues singer and guitarist.
In a career dating back to the 1960s, Moore played with artists including Phil Lynott and Brian Downey during his teens, leading him to memberships with the Irish bands Skid Row and Thin Lizzy on three separate occasions. Moore shared the stage with such blues and rock luminaries as B.B. King, Albert King, Colosseum II, George Harrison and Greg Lake, as well as having a successful solo career. He guested on a number of albums recorded by high profile musicians, including a cameo appearance playing the lead guitar solo on “She’s My Baby” from Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3.
Moore died in his sleep of a heart attack[2] in his hotel room while on holiday in Estepona, Spain, in February 2011.
RIP“Red House” is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and originally recorded by The Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966. The song, a slow twelve-bar blues, “is one of the most traditional in sound and form of all his official recordings”. It was developed during his pre-Experience days while Hendrix was performing in Greenwich Village and was inspired by earlier blues songs. Hendrix recorded several studio and live versions during his career. “
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Mike Bloomfield – Stateboro Blues – 02/19/71
” SBD recording from the Swing Auditorium, Orange Show Fairgrounds, San Bernadino, CA, February 19th 1971. From the collection of Harvey Kaslow and Craig Todd, edited and mastered by SIRMick.”
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Muddy Waters, Memphis Slim, Willy Dixon, Otis Spann et al. – Bye Bye Blues
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Larry Carlton-Robben Ford / I Put A Spell On You
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Edgar Winter & Robben Ford ” Texas Guitar Boogie Shuffle ” Olympia @ Paris – 07.04.2013
Edgar WINTER and Robben Ford guests
Live Report : http://rockmeeting.com/index.php/live…
Song : Texas Guitar Boogie Shuffle
Live second part show Johnny Winter
At Olympia from Paris – France – April 07, 2013
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Edgar Winter ( Vocal & Sax. )
Robben Ford ( Guitar )
Paul Nelson ( Guitar )
Scott Spray ( Bass )
Tommy Curiate ( Drums)
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Taste – Wee Wee Baby
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Tampa Red & Willie B. James – Travel On (1937) Blues
” Tampa Red (January 8, 1904 – March 19, 1981), born Hudson Woodbridge but known from childhood as Hudson Whittaker, was an influential American musician.
Tampa Red is best known as an accomplished and influential blues guitarist who had a unique single-string bottleneck style. His songwriting and his silky, polished slide technique influenced other leading Chicago blues guitarists, such as Big Bill Broonzy and Robert Nighthawk, as well as Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Mose Allison and many others. “
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BB King – Johnny Winter – Blues, Interviews & Jam – 8 min
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30th ANNUAL CHICAGO BLUES FESTIVAL 2013
” Chicago Blues Festival: Blues Festival Headliners Travel Up The Mississippi To Chicago ~
FREE Admission • Millennium Park • Grant Park • June 6 – 9, 2013
The Chicago Blues Festival is the largest free blues festival in the world and remains the largest of Chicago’s Music Festivals. During three days on five stages, more than 500,000 blues fans prove that Chicago is the “Blues Capital of the World.” Past performers include Bonnie Raitt, Ray Charles, B.B. King, the late Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy and the late Koko Taylor.
Performance Schedule & Lineup:
Pre-Events:
May is blues month in Chicago! Enjoy a number of Chicago Blues Festival preview events throughout the City at the Chicago Cultural Center, Daley Plaza and other locations.Thursday, June 6
The 2013 Chicago Blues Festival kicks-off on Thursday, June 6 in Millennium Park with performances by Shemekia Copeland (above) and Quinn Sullivan.Friday, June 7
The Chicago Blues Festival moves to Grant Park on Friday with performances by Irma Thomas and Bobby Rush (above) and his Blues Band.Saturday, June 8
Saturday’s headliners include Otis Clay, Uvee Hayes, The Bar-Kays, Eddie Floyd (above) and Sir Mack Rice.Sunday, June 9
The Chicago Blues Festival closes on Sunday, June 9 with performances by blues greats James Cotton (above), John Primer, Billy Branch, Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater and many more.”FESTIVAL INFORMATION & RESOURCES
Thursday, June 6
Millennium Park – Hours: 6:30-9pm
201 E. Randolph St., between Michigan Ave. & Columbus Ave. Chicago, IL 60602Friday, June 7-Sunday, June 9
Grant Park – Hours: 11am-9:30pm
Jackson & Columbus
Chicago, IL 60602Source: http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_blues_festival.html
HT/ Blues Advocate
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Happy Birthday Little Walter
Wiki Bio
Jacobs was born in Marksville, Louisiana and raised in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, where he first learned to play the harmonica. After quitting school by the age of 12, Jacobs left rural Louisiana and travelled around working odd jobs and busking on the streets of New Orleans, Memphis, Helena, Arkansas and St. Louis. He honed his musical skills on harmonica and guitar performing with much older bluesmen such as Sonny Boy Williamson II, Sunnyland Slim, Honeyboy Edwards and others.”
” Arriving in Chicago in 1945, he occasionally found work as a guitarist but garnered more attention for his already highly developed harmonica work. According to fellow Chicago bluesman Floyd Jones, Little Walter’s first recording was an unreleased demo recorded soon after he arrived in Chicago on which Walter played guitar backing Jones.[5] Jacobs reportedly grew frustrated with having his harmonica drowned out by electric guitarists, and adopted a simple, but previously little-used method: He cupped a small microphone in his hands along with his harmonica, and plugged the microphone into a public address system or guitar amplifier. He could thus compete with any guitarist’s volume. However, unlike other contemporary blues harp players such as Sonny Boy Williamson I and Snooky Pryor, who like many other harmonica players had also begun using the newly available amplifier technology around the same time solely for added volume, Little Walter purposely pushed his amplifiers beyond their intended technical limitations, using the amplification to explore and develop radical new timbres and sonic effects previously unheard from a harmonica, or any other instrument.[1] Madison Deniro wrote a small biographical piece on Little Walter stating that “He was the first musician of any kind to purposely use electronic distortion.”[6]“
Rock Hall Of Fame
” Little Walter made his way north to Chicago via stops in New Orleans and Monroe, Louisiana; St. Helena, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; and St. Louis, Missouri, arriving in the Windy City in 1947. That same year, he made his first recordings for the local Ora Nelle label. Little Walter and Muddy Waters first appeared on a session together when both backed Jimmy Rogers in 1949. Waters backed Little Walter on a session for Parkway Records in January 1950. That August, Little Walter first backed Muddy for the Chess label, and in October, they recorded the Waters classic “Louisiana Blues.”
” Nearly a year after Little Walter’s initial appearance on a Muddy Waters session for Chess, he used an amplified harmonica for the first time on a groundbreaking July 1951 session that yielded “She Moves Me.” Waters was among the earliest to recognize that blues possessed a formidable power when electrified, and with Jimmy Rogers on electric guitar and Little Walter on amplified harp, he had the hottest blues band in Chicago. Little Walter split from Waters’ band after an instrumental showcase of his that was popular with crowds – “Your Cat Will Play,” retitled “Juke” when he recorded it – became a huge solo hit. A classic juke-joint instrumental, “Juke” topped the R&B chart for eight weeks in the fall of 1952.”
” In addition to harmonica, Little Walter played guitar, sang and wrote songs. He recruited a backing band from the Chicago club scene (whom he rechristened the Jukes, after his big song), and they recorded and toured throughout the Fifties. On his own, Little Walter charted 14 Top Ten R&B hits for the Chess label’s Checker subsidiary. One of these, “My Babe” – written by Willie Dixon and featuring the melody from the spiritual “This Train” – went to Number One. Other sizable hits from Little Walter included “Sad Hours,” “Mean Old World,” “Blues With a Feeling,” “You’re So Fine,” “Oh, Baby” and ‘Last Night.” At Leonard Chess’s behest, Little Walter continued recording with Muddy Waters, too, adding his unmistakable harmonica to such classics as “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man” and “Trouble No More.” “
Allmusic Bio
” By 1950, Walter was firmly entrenched as Waters‘ studio harpist at Chess as well (long after Walter had split the Muddy Waters band, Leonard Chess insisted on his participation on waxings — why split up an unbeatable combination?). That’s how Walter came to record his breakthrough 1952 R&B chart-topper “Juke” — the romping instrumental was laid down at the tail-end of a Waters session. Suddenly, Walterwas a star on his own, combining his stunning talents with those of the Aces (guitarists Louis and David Myers and drummer Fred Below) and advancing the concept of blues harmonica another few light years with every session he made for Checker Records.”
” From 1952 to 1958, Walter notched 14 Top Ten R&B hits, including “Sad Hours,” “Mean Old World,” “Tell Me Mama,” “Off the Wall,” “Blues with a Feeling,” “You’re So Fine,” a threatening “You Better Watch Yourself,” the mournful “Last Night,” and a rocking “My Babe” that was Willie Dixon‘s secularized treatment of the traditional gospel lament “This Train.” Throughout his Checker tenure,Walter alternated spine-chilling instrumentals with gritty vocals (he’s always been underrated in that department; he wasn’t Muddy Waters or the Wolf, but who was?).”
“ Walter utilized the chromatic harp in ways never before envisioned (check out his 1956 free-form instrumental “Teenage Beat,” with Robert Jr. Lockwood and Luther Tucker manning the guitars, for proof positive). 1959′s determined “Everything Gonna Be Alright” was Walter‘s last trip to the hit lists; Chicago blues had faded to a commercial non-entity by then unless your name was Jimmy Reed.
Tragically, the ’60s saw the harp genius slide steadily into an alcohol-hastened state of unreliability, his once-handsome face becoming a road map of scars. In 1964, he toured Great Britain with the Rolling Stones, who clearly had their priorities in order, but his once-prodigious skills were faltering badly. That sad fact was never more obvious than on 1967′s disastrous summit meeting of Waters, Bo Diddley, and Walter for Chess as the Super Blues Band; there was nothing super whatsoever about Walter‘s lame remakes of “My Babe” and “You Don’t Love Me.”
“ Walter‘s eternally vicious temper led to his violent undoing in 1968. He was involved in a street fight (apparently on the losing end, judging from the outcome) and died from the incident’s after-effects at age 37. His influence remains inescapable to this day — it’s unlikely that a blues harpist exists on the face of this earth who doesn’t worship Little Walter.”
Musicianguide Bio
” Though Little Walter’s studio performances of the late 1950s continued to produce first-rate material, his rough lifestyle began to take its toll. By the 1960s he bore facial scars from drunken altercations. As Muddy Waters told Paul Oliver during the 1960s in Conversation With the Blues, “He’s real tough, Little Walter, and he’s had it hard. Got a slug in his leg right now!” Walter’s street-hardened behavior resulted in his death, at his home, on February 15, 1968, from a blood clot sustained during a street fight. He was 37.”
” Upon his death, Little Walter left a recording career unparalleled in the history of postwar Chicago Blues. His musicianship has influenced nearly every modern blues harmonica player. In the liner notes to Confessin’ the Blues, Pete Welding wrote: “Honor Little Walter, who gave us so much and, who like most bluesmen, received so little.” But as a man who lived through his instrument, Walter knew no other source of reward than the mastery of his art and the freedom to create music of original expression.”
Discography
LINKS
Little Walter Latest Albums | MTV
Essential | Little Walter Album | Yahoo! Music
Chess Blues Masters Series by Little Walter | MTV
Little Walter | Artistopia Music
VIDEOS
Little Walter’s induction into the R&R Hall of Fame
Little Walter R&R Hall of Fame film
Blue Midnight: The Film Biography of Little Walter
MUSIC
iTunes – Music – Little Walter
Little Walter - Little_walter Vinyl Records, CDs and LPs
Free Music Online – Internet Radio – Jango
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Little feat – Rock ‘n’ roll doctor
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Happy Birthday Albert King
Wiki Bio
” One of the “Three Kings of the Blues Guitar” (along with B.B. King and Freddie King), Albert King stood 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) (some reports say 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)) and weighed 250 pounds (110 kg)[2] and was known as “The Velvet Bulldozer”. He was born Albert Nelson on a cotton plantation in Indianola, Mississippi. During his childhood he would sing at a family gospel group at a church where his father played the guitar. One of 13 children, King grew up picking cotton on plantations near Forrest City, Arkansas, where the family moved when he was eight.”
” He began his professional work as a musician with a group called In The Groove Boys in Osceola, Arkansas.[2] Moving north to Gary, Indiana and later St. Louis, Missouri, he briefly played drums for Jimmy Reed‘s band and on several early Reed recordings. Influenced by blues musicians Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lonnie Johnson, the electric guitar became his signature instrument, his preference being the Gibson Flying V which he named “Lucy”. King earned his nickname “The Velvet Bulldozer” during this period as he drove one of them and also worked as a mechanic to make a living.”
” King moved to Gary, Indiana in the early 1950s, then to Chicago in 1953 where he cut his first single for Parrot Records, but it was only a minor regional success.[2] He then went back to St. Louis in 1956 and formed a new band. During this period, he settled on using the Flying V as his primary guitar.[2] He resumed recording in 1959 with his first minor hit, “I’m a Lonely Man,” written by Little Milton, who was Bobbin Records A&R man, a fellow guitar hero, and responsible for King’s signing with the label.”
AllMusic Bio
“ Albert King is truly a “King of the Blues,” although he doesn’t hold that title (B.B. does). Along with B.B. and Freddie King, Albert King is one of the major influences on blues and rock guitar players. Without him, modern guitar music would not sound as it does — his style has influenced both black and white blues players from Otis Rush and Robert Cray to Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. It’s important to note that while almost all modern blues guitarists seldom play for long without falling into a B.B. King guitar cliché, Albert King never does — he’s had his own style and unique tone from the beginning.”
“ Albert King plays guitar left-handed, without re-stringing the guitar from the right-handed setup; this “upside-down” playing accounts for his difference in tone, since he pulls down on the same strings that most players push up on when bending the blues notes. King‘s massive tone and totally unique way of squeezing bends out of a guitar string has had a major impact. Many young white guitarists — especially rock & rollers — have been influenced by King‘s playing, and many players who emulate his style may never have heard of Albert King, let alone heard his music. His style is immediately distinguishable from all other blues guitarists, and he’s one of the most important blues guitarists to ever pick up the electric guitar.”
“ Albert King left Bobbin in late 1962 and recorded one session for King Records in the spring of 1963, which were much more pop-oriented than his previous work; the singles issued from the session failed to sell. Within a year, he cut four songs for the local St. Louis independent label Coun-Tree, which was run by a jazz singer named Leo Gooden. Though these singles didn’t appear in many cities — St. Louis, Chicago, and Kansas City were the only three to register sales — they foreshadowed his coming work with Stax Records. Furthermore, they were very popular within St. Louis, so much so that Gooden resented King‘s success and pushed him off the label.”
” Following his stint at Coun-Tree, Albert King signed with Stax Records in 1966. Albert‘s records for Stax would bring him stardom, both within blues and rock circles. All of his ’60s Stax sides were recorded with the label’s house band, Booker T. & the MG’s, which gave his blues a sleek, soulful sound. That soul underpinning gave King crossover appeal, as evidenced by his R&B chart hits — “Laundromat Blues” (1966) and “Cross Cut Saw” (1967) both went Top 40, while “Born Under a Bad Sign” (1967) charted in the Top 50. Furthermore, King‘s style was appropriated by several rock & roll players, most notably Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, who copied Albert‘s “Personal Manager” guitar solo on the Cream song, “Strange Brew.” Albert King‘s first album for Stax, 1967′s Born Under a Bad Sign, was a collection of his singles for the label and became one of the most popular and influential blues albums of the late ’60s. Beginning in 1968, Albert King was playing not only to blues audiences, but also to crowds of young rock & rollers. He frequently played at the Fillmore West in San Francisco and he even recorded an album, Live Wire/Blues Power, at the hall in the summer of 1968.”
” Early in 1969, King recorded Years Gone By, his first true studio album. Later that year, he recorded a tribute album to Elvis Presley (Blues for Elvis: Albert King Does the King’s Things) and a jam session with Steve Cropper and Pops Staples (Jammed Together), in addition to performing a concert with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. For the next few years, Albert toured America and Europe, returning to the studio in 1971, to record the Lovejoy album. In 1972, he recorded I’ll Play the Blues for You, which featured accompaniment from the Bar-Kays, the Memphis Horns, and the Movement. The album was rooted in the blues, but featured distinctively modern soul and funk overtones.”
Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Bio
” In 1969, King performed live with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, forming what was called an “87-piece blues band.” During the early Seventies, he recorded the album Lovejoy with a group of white rock singers and an Elvis Presley tribute album, Albert King Does the King’s Things. King continued to tour throughout the Seventies, and in June 1970, he joined the Doors onstage at a show in Vancouver, Canada.”
” King’s sound underwent a major change in the Seventies, as he teamed up with the Bar-Kays and the Memphis Horns on the albums I’ll Play the Blues for You and I Wanna Get Funky. That partnership gave his music a much funkier sound than it had on his earlier recordings, and the former album’s title track became one of his signature songs. King also worked with Allen Toussaint and some of the Meters during this period.”
Cascade Blues Bio
” If the annals are ever logged as to who the most influential guitar greats of all time were, then there would be no question regarding the inclusion of the three “Kings” of the Blues: B.B., Freddie and Albert. There is little doubt of the impact that each of these artists brought to the future sounds of Blues, Soul and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Albert King was a master of the single-string attack and was intrigued by Blues performers that he heard while growing up outside of Memphis. In turn, he influenced a new generation of guitar players that would include the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.”
” On February 1, 1968, Albert King shared a bill that included John Mayall and Jimi Hendrix for opening night at a new venue in San Francisco called The Fillmore Auditorium. This popular music hall would become a second home for King, and later that same year he returned to record a live album “Live Wire / Blues Power” became one of the best-selling Live Blue! recordings ever and helped establishKing’s career further. Two other albums were released in the early 1990s that were taped during these same performances (“Wednesday Night In San Francisco: Recorded Live At The Fillmore Auditorium” and “Thursday Night In San Francisco…“ Though weaker than the original both serve as true testaments to the talents of Albert King’s guitar.”
” King continued to record with Stax, until the demise of the label in the mid-1970s. The output of this period included some strange mixtures for a Blues musician. In 1969, Albert became the first Blues performer to perform with a symphony orchestra in a concert that teamed him with the St. Louis Symphony. He recorded the album “Lovejoy ”at Muscle Shoals with white Southern rockers and even released a tribute album to Elvis Presley, “Blues For Elvis: Albert King Does The King’s Things“. There was even an appearance on a comedy LP by Albert Brooks, “A Star Is Bought“. After Staxfolded, King would record for a number of labels that would include Tomato, Utopia and Fantasy, until he decided to retire in the mid-1980s. Though Albert King had given up on recording, he still managed to find time to perform. He made cameo appearances on albums by up-coming Bluesmen like Chris Cain (“Cuttin’ Loose“) and Gary Moore (“Still Got The Blues“). He also made frequent stops at Blues festivals around the world, continuing to influence new generations of guitarists including Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray.”
” King played his final concert in Los Angeles on December 19, 1992. He died two days later at home in Memphis after suffering a sudden heart attack. After his funeral, a procession was led down Beale Street in a true New Orleans-style Jazz tradition, as the hearse bearing King’s body was led by the Memphis Horns playing “When The Saints Go Marching In“. King was laid to rest across the Mississippi River in the Paradise Gardens Cemetery in Edmondson, Arkansas, not far from where he spent his childhood.”
“Albert King has been honored by The Blues Foundation with his induction into their Hall of Fame. Both “Born Under A Bad Sign” and “Live Wire / Blues Power” are also honored as Classics of Blues Recordings. But, the real honor for King is the love and everlasting respect that so many of his peers have given him. Stevie Ray Vaughan would call him “Daddy” and John Lee Hooker named him as one of his all-time favorite guitarists. Michael Bloomfield once said, “Albert can take four notes and write a volume. He can say more with fewer notes than anyone I’ve ever known.” B.B. King stated in his autobiography “He wasn’t my brother in blood, but he sure was my brother in Blues.” Albert King’s legend will live on. Every time a Blues or Rock combo is on stage, in an arena or small nightclub, or just playing in their garage and grinds into “Born Under A Bad Sign” or “Crosscut Saw“, his influence will be shining true.”
” King died on December 21, 1992 from a heart attack in his Memphis, Tennessee home. His final concert had been in Los Angeles two days earlier. He was given a funeral procession with the Memphis Horns playing “When The Saints Go Marching In” and buried in Edmondson, Arkansas near his childhood home. B.B. King eulogized him by stating “Albert wasn’t my brother in blood, but he was my brother in blues.”
On December 11th, 2012, it was announced that King would be posthumously inducted into the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[3] ”
Albert Nelson King
Apr. 25, 1923-Dec. 21, 1992
Discography
Links
100 GREATEST GUITARISTS
MTV Biography
Albert King: inducted in 2013 | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame …
Albert King, Mississippi Blues musician – Mississippi writers …
Albert King | Bio, Pictures, Videos | Rolling Stone
Albert King - Profile and Biography of Blues Guitarist Albert King …
Albert King Biography – Musician Biographies
Videos
Wattstax (1973)
Albert King - Live 1/7/78 Full Show
Albert King – Maintenance Shop Blues (Live 1981)
John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers 1982 Jam With Albert King , Etta James …
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Albert King in session 1983
Albert King & Stevie Ray Vaughan — In Session 2010 1983
B.B. King & Albert King – Japan Blues Carnival 1989
Albert King / Canned Heat Aussie Tour 1990
LiveLeak.com – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - ALBERT KING
Interviews
Albert King – Interview
Albert King – Interview 2
Greg Koch On Meeting Albert King • Wildwood Guitars Story
Music
Albert King - King Albert Vinyl Records, CDs and LPs
iTunes – Music - Albert King - Apple
Albert King on Spotify
Albert King - Listen to Free Music on Pandora …
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Happy Birthday Ella Fitzgerald
Wiki Biography
” Ella Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996), also known as the “First Lady of Song“, “Queen of Jazz“, and “Lady Ella”, was an American jazz vocalist[1] with a vocal range spanning three octaves (D♭3 to D♭6).[2] She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing and intonation, and a “horn-like” improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.
Fitzgerald was a notable interpreter of the Great American Songbook.[3] Over the course of her 59-year recording career, she sold 40 million copies of her 70-plus albums, won 13 Grammy Awards and was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Ronald Reagan and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George H. W. Bush.”
Early Life
” Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Virginia, the daughter of William and Temperance “Tempie” Fitzgerald.[4] The pair separated soon after her birth, and Ella and her mother went to Yonkers, New York, where they eventually moved in with Tempie’s longtime boyfriend, Joseph Da Silva. Fitzgerald’s half-sister, Frances Da Silva, was born in 1923. She and her family were Methodists and were active in the Bethany African Methodist Episcopal Church, and she regularly attended worship services, Bible study, and Sunday School.[5][6]
In her youth, Fitzgerald wanted to be a dancer, although she loved listening to jazz recordings by Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby and The Boswell Sisters. She idolized the lead singer Connee Boswell, later saying, “My mother brought home one of her records, and I fell in love with it….I tried so hard to sound just like her.”[7]
” In 1932, her mother died from a heart attack.[4] Following this trauma, Fitzgerald’s grades dropped dramatically, and she frequently skipped school. Abused by her stepfather, she ran away to her aunt[8] and, at one point, worked as a lookout at a bordello and also with a Mafia-affiliated numbers runner.[9] When the authorities caught up with her, she was first placed in the Colored Orphan Asylum in Riverdale, Bronx.[10] However, when the orphanage proved too crowded, she was moved to the New York Training School for Girls in Hudson, New York, a state reformatory. Eventually she escaped and for a time was homeless.”
Early Career
” She made her singing debut at 17 on November 21, 1934, at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. She pulled in a weekly audience at the Apollo and won the opportunity to compete in one of the earliest of its famous “Amateur Nights”. She had originally intended to go on stage and dance, but, intimidated by the Edwards Sisters, a local dance duo, she opted to sing instead in the style of Connee Boswell. She sang Boswell’s “Judy” and “The Object of My Affection,” a song recorded by the Boswell Sisters, and won the first prize of US$ 25.00.[11]
In January 1935, Fitzgerald won the chance to perform for a week with the Tiny Bradshaw band at the Harlem Opera House. She met drummer and bandleader Chick Webb there. Webb had already hired singer Charlie Linton to work with the band and was, The New York Times later wrote, “reluctant to sign her….because she was gawky and unkempt, a diamond in the rough.“[7] Webb offered her the opportunity to test with his band when they played a dance at Yale University.”
” She began singing regularly with Webb’s Orchestra through 1935 at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom. Fitzgerald recorded several hit songs with them, including “Love and Kisses” and “(If You Can’t Sing It) You’ll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini)“. But it was her 1938 version of the nursery rhyme, “A-Tisket, A-Tasket“, a song she co-wrote, that brought her wide public acclaim.
Chick Webb died on June 16, 1939, and his band was renamed “Ella and her Famous Orchestra” with Ella taking on the role of nominal bandleader. Fitzgerald recorded nearly 150 songs with the orchestra before it broke up in 1942, “the majority of them novelties and disposable pop fluff”.”
Rising Jazz Star
” Going out on her own, Ella Fitzgerald landed a deal with Decca Records. She recorded some hit songs with the Ink Spots and Louis Jordan in the early 1940s. Fitzgerald also made her film debut in 1942′s comedy western Ride ‘Em Cowboy with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. Her career really began to take off in 1946 when she started working with Norman Granz. Granz orchestrated the Jazz at the Philharmonic, which was a series of concerts and live records featuring most of the genre’s great performers. Fitzgerald also hired Granz to become her manager.”
” Around this time, Fitzgerald went on tour with Dizzy Gillespie and his band. She started changing her singing style, incorporating scat singing during her performances with Gillespie. Fitzgerald also fell in love with Gillespie’s bass player Ray Brown. The pair wed in 1947, and they adopted a child born to Fitzgerald’s half-sister whom they named Raymond “Ray” Brown Jr. The marriage ended in 1952.”
The 1950s and ’60s proved to be a time of critical and commercial success for Fitzgerald. She even earned the moniker “The First Lady of Song” for her mainstream popularity and unparalleled vocal talents. Her unique ability to mimicking instrumental sounds helped popularize the vocal improvisation of “scatting” which became her signature technique.”
” In 1955, Fitzgerald began recording for Granz’s newly created Verve Records. She made some of her most popular albums for Verve, starting out with 1956′s Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book. Two years later, Fitzgerald picked up her first two Grammy Awards for two later songbook projects—Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book and Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book. She actually worked directly with Ellington on that album.”
” A truly collaborative soul, Fitzgerald produced great recordings with such artists as Louis Armstrong and Count Basie. She also performed several times with Frank Sinatra over the years as well. In 1960, Fitzgerald actually broke into the pop charts with her rendition of “Mack the Knife.” She was still going strong well into the ’70s, playing concerts across the globe. One especially memorable concert series from this time was a two-week engagement in New York City in 1974 with Frank Sinatra and Count Basie.”
Worldwide Recognition
” Ella continued to work as hard as she had early on in her career, despite the ill effects on her health. She toured all over the world, sometimes performing two shows a day in cities hundreds of miles apart. In 1974, Ella spent a legendary two weeks performing in New York with Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. Still going strong five years later, she was inducted into the Down Beat magazine Hall of Fame, and received Kennedy Center Honors for her continuing contributions to the arts.”
” Outside of the arts, Ella had a deep concern for child welfare. Though this aspect of her life was rarely publicized, she frequently made generous donations to organizations for disadvantaged youths, and the continuation of these contributions was part of the driving force that prevented her from slowing down. Additionally, when Frances died, Ella felt she had the additional responsibilities of taking care of her sister’s family.
In 1987, United States President Ronald Reagan awarded Ella the National Medal of Arts. It was one of her most prized moments. France followed suit several years later, presenting her with their Commander of Arts and Letters award, while Yale, Dartmouth and several other universities bestowed Ella with honorary doctorates.”
” In September of 1986, Ella underwent quintuple coronary bypass surgery. Doctors also replaced a valve in her heart and diagnosed her with diabetes, which they blamed for her failing eyesight. The press carried rumors that she would never be able to sing again, but Ella proved them wrong. Despite protests by family and friends, including Norman, Ella returned to the stage and pushed on with an exhaustive schedule.”
” By the 1990s, Ella had recorded over 200 albums. In 1991, she gave her final concert at New York’s renowned Carnegie Hall. It was the 26th time she performed there.
As the effects from her diabetes worsened, 76-year-old Ella experienced severe circulatory problems and was forced to have both of her legs amputated below the knees. She never fully recovered from the surgery, and afterward, was rarely able to perform. During this time, Ella enjoyed sitting outside in her backyard, and spending time with Ray, Jr. and her granddaughter Alice. “I just want to smell the air, listen to the birds and hear Alice laugh,” she said.
On June 15, 1996, Ella Fitzgerald died in her Beverly Hills home. Hours later, signs of remembrance began to appear all over the world. A wreath of white flowers stood next to her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a marquee outside the Hollywood Bowl theater read, “Ella, we will miss you.”
After a private memorial service, traffic on the freeway was stopped to let her funeral procession pass through. She was laid to rest in the “Sanctuary of the Bells” section of the Sunset Mission Mausoleum at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. “
Ella Fitzgerald
April 25, 1918-June 15, 1996
Discography
Links
The Official Web Site of Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : …
Ella Fitzgerald 1954 | Ella Fitzgerald, Brubeck, Coltrane and …
Ella Fitzgerald - PBS: Public Broadcasting Service
Ella Fitzgerald @ All About Jazz
Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation
Concert Videos
Joe Pass & Ella Fitzgerald – Duets in Hannover 1975
Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson Live Paris Olympia 63 part II
Ella Fitzgerld Live at The Montreux Jazz Festival 1977
Ella Fitzgerald Live Jazz festival in Cannes 1958 part II
ella fitzgerald in berlin feat. freddie waits
Interviews
Ella Fitzgerald interview 1974
Bobbie Wygant Interviews Ella Fitzgerald
ELLA FITZGERALD BIOGRAPHY PART Of 11
Music
iTunes – Music - Ella Fitzgerald - Apple
Amazon.com: Ella Fitzgerald: Songs, Albums, Pictures, Bios
Ella Fitzgerald - Listen to Free Music Pandora
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The 28th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony
Albert King (guitar, vocals; born Albert Nelson on April 25, 1923, died December 21, 1992)
” As an electric guitar player who focused more on tone and intensity than flash, Albert King had a tremendous impact on countless rock and roll guitarists, including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Bloomfield and Stevie Ray Vaughan. King was also one of the first bluesmen who crossed over into the world of soul music, signing with Stax Records and recording such classic songs as “Born Under a Bad Sign” and “Crosscut Saw.” “
” Albert King was born Albert Nelson on April 25, 1923, in Indianola, Mississippi, the same town where B.B. King grew up. As a child, he sang with his family’s gospel group at a church where his father played the guitar. When King was eight, his family moved to Forrest City, Arkansas, and he would pick cotton on plantations in the area. Around that same time, King bought his first guitar, paying only $1.25. His first inspiration was T-Bone Walker.
King began working as a professional musician when he joined a group called In the Groove Boys in Osceola, Arkansas, in the late Forties. He then moved north and played drums with Jimmy Reed, both onstage and on several early Reed recordings. In the early Fifties, King moved to Gary, Indiana, and then, in 1953, to Chicago. It was in Chicago that King cut his first singles, “Lonesome in My Bedroom” and “Bad Luck Blues,” for Parrot Records.”
” The electric guitar quickly became King’s primary instrument, his preferred instrument being a Gibson Flying V that he played left-handed, holding it upside down and tuning it for a right-handed player. A huge man, weighing more than 250 pounds and standing six-feet-four, King was a commanding physical presence onstage.
In 1956, King returned to St. Louis and formed a new band. He resumed recording in 1959 and scored his first minor hit, “I’m a Lonely Man.” The song was written by Little Milton, who was an A&R man for Bobbin Records, the label that released the record. King recorded for several other small labels during this period, including King Records. In 1961, he scored his first major hit, “Don’t Throw Your Love on Me Too Strong,” which reached Number 14 on the R&B chart.
King’s real breakthrough came in 1966, when he moved to Memphis and signed with Stax Records. Working with producer Al Jackson Jr. and backed by Booker T. and the M.G.’s, King recorded such classics as “Crosscut Saw” and “As the Years Go Passing By.” In 1967, Stax released Born Under a Bad Sign. The title track became King’s best-known song and has been covered by many artists, including Cream. King played many shows at promoter Bill Graham‘s Fillmore East and the Fillmore West venues. One show was recorded and released as the album Live Wire/Blues Power.
In 1969, King performed live with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, forming what was called an “87-piece blues band.” During the early Seventies, he recorded the album Lovejoy with a group of white rock singers and an Elvis Presley tribute album, Albert King Does the King’s Things. King continued to tour throughout the Seventies, and in June 1970, he joined the Doors onstage at a show in Vancouver, Canada.
King’s sound underwent a major change in the Seventies, as he teamed up with the Bar-Kays and the Memphis Horns on the albums I’ll Play the Blues for You and I Wanna Get Funky. That partnership gave his music a much funkier sound than it had on his earlier recordings, and the former album’s title track became one of his signature songs. King also worked with Allen Toussaint and some of the Meters during this period.”
” During the Eighties, King received considerable praise from many young blues guitarists, most notably Stevie Ray Vaughan. The two appeared together on the Canadian television show In Session in December 1983, a performance that was issued on CD in 1993. One British writer described Vaughan as a “young Texan who apparently believes that Albert King is God and the Lord should be praised regularly.”
” King continued to perform until his death from a heart attack on December 21, 1992. At his funeral, Joe Walsh played a slide-guitar rendition of “Amazing Grace” as a tribute to King.”
” From Eric Clapton, Michael Bloomfield and Johnny Winter, to Joe Walsh, Stevie Ray Vaughan,Derek Trucks and beyond, the influence of Albert King’s husky vocals and his signature Gibson Flying V guitar will live on forever.”
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