Kate Rusby - Old Man Time

For New Years, Kate Rusby singing "Old Man Time"

Maria Muldaur

Maria Muldaur is one of my favorite singers, and I cannot believe that I have not done a post on her before now. So to end the year I will rectify this omission. Muldaur is most famous in popular music for her monster hit with "Midnight at the Oasis". It is unfortunate that she known mainly for this, since her talent ranges for beyond this one song.

Here is a recent clip with Muldaur discussing her early influences, and a rendition of the Bessie Smith song "Empty Bed Blues".



A short clip of the young Maria from her jug band days.



This is "Cajun Moon", off the album "Lousiana Love Call". I have a personally signed copy of this CD, plus she winked at me when she signed it.



A clip from the Odetta Memorial. Muldaur sings "Down by the Riverside" with the Holmes Brothers. Also on this clip Steve Earle sings Woody Guthie's "Deportee".



If you like this, try these previous posts:

St. Louis Blues/Bessie Smith - September 7, 2009

Odetta - January 25, 2010

Labor Day - Woody Guthrie - September 6, 2009

Mavis Staples - O Holy Night

Today's gospel song is also the last Christmas song I am posting this year. Here is Mavis Staples, from 1994, with "O Holy Night".




For more Mavis Staples see these previous posts:

Mavis Staples - April 30, 2010

http://coltonwayne.blogspot.com/2010/09/mavis-staples-you-are-not-alone.html - September 25, 2010

A Baltimore Christmas

A post of Christmas music related to Baltimore.

From MPT, "Crabs for Chritstmas"



A track from John Waters' Christmas Album, this is "Christmas Time Is Coming (A Street Carol)" by Stormy Weather



Last year Rick Dempsey and Deanna Bogart released a Christmas CD called Home Run Holiday. There is no video from it, but here is a clip of Dempsey talking about the CD. You can listen to previews of the songs on the album here on the UK Amazon site.

Christmas with Darlene Love

I posted one of Darlene Love's annual Letterman Christmas appearances last in Christmas 2009 - Pt 2. This year Love gets an entire post to herself to acknowledge that she has just been named one of the 2011 inductees into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. A much deserve honor!!!!

From Home Alone 2, Love and the E Street Band - "All Alone on Christmas"



Love has been associated with Christmas since 1963, when she appeared as one of the performers on Phil Spector's album A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records. Here is one of Love's tracks from that album, "Marshmallow World".



Last year's Letterman appearance. I can only hope that I have held up this well when I am in my 70's, actually I hope to have held up this well when I am in my 60's.

Christmas 2010 (Con't)

More Christmas songs.

This video is a bit saccharine, but I do like Trisha Yearwood's singing "Sweet Little Jesus Boy"



From the Cats of Cool, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Darlene Love's version of this was in yesterday post. I am posting this if for no other reason than to show that there was actually a time when you could go on television and sing Christmas carols while smoking a cigarette.



Kay Starr - "The Man With the Bag"



Bessie Smith - "At the Christmas Ball"

Christmas 2010

"A Creole Christmas" at the Preservation Hall.



Irma Thomas - "Go Tell it on the Mountain"



Sister Rosetta Tharpe - "Silent Night"




If you like this, try these previous posts:

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band - January 22, 2010

Irma Thomas - February 22, 2010

Rock & Roll Turns 65/Sister Rosetta Tharpe - September 17, 2009

Mahalia Jackson

Today's gospel song is also a Christmas song. Mahalia Jackson performs "Sweet Little Jesus Boy".




If you like this, try these previous posts:

Walk Over God's Heaven - November 13, 2009

Tammy Wynette

Since the last post was on George Jones, I guess this one should be about Tammy Wynette. They were both superstars in their own right, but because of their many duets, and tumultuous marriage they are often associated.

Here is one of the most iconic songs in country music, and a song that Wynette co-wrote, "Stand By Your Man".



Another of Wynette's monster hits, "D-I-V-O-R-C-E".



Unfortunately, Wynette had a lot of health problems, and died while she was still in her 50's. I saw here perform not too long before she died. This video is billed as her last appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. She appears with Lorrie Morgan.





If you like this, try these previous posts:

Wanda Jackson - December 28, 2009

Kitty Wells - October 13, 2010

George Jones

Another blog post prompted by NPR's 50 Greatest voices series. Today's segment was on country singer George Jones. Now 79, Jones' career has spanned over half a century. Here is some video.

"Corvette Song"



"He Stopped Loving Her Today"



"I Don't Need Your Rocking Chair"



In addition to his solo career, Jones had big duet success with his one time wife, Tammy Wynette. Here they perform "Two Story House".




If you like this, try these previous posts:

Songs About Drinking - June 26, 2010

John Prine - Pt. 2 - June 9, 2010

Marion Williams

This Sunday's gospel song—to reflect my impending move—is Marion Williams' performing "Packin' Up". Williams has had a wide influence, even outside gospel music. As is apparent from this video, she was a major influence on Little Richard.

Kasey Chamber & Shane Nicholson

Having now done so many posts on this blog, it seems that I have started remembering doing post that I have not actually done. I was sure that I had previously done a complete post on Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson. I have posted a couple of their videos, but in looking back, I don't seem to have given them a complete post. So here it is now.

I saw Kasey Chamber a couple years ago, before she married Shane Nicholson. They recently put out an album—Rattlin' Bones—together. I think that Chambers has more recently put out a solo album, but it does not seem to be available from the U.S. iTunes Store. Both Chambers and Nicholson are from Australia.

He is an older Kasey Chambers song, with Nicholson playing piano on it, "The Captain".



The title track off their album, "Rattlin' Bones".



Another great song off Rattlin' Bones, "Sweetest Waste of Time".

Kasey Chambers & Catherine Britt

I am going to start posting a gospel song every Sunday on this blog. To start off, from Australia, here is Kasey Chambers and Catherine Britt performing "I Have Found the Way".



More Kasey Chambers:

Ponies - March 31, 2010
Flowers - August 25, 2009

Darrell Scott - Con't

I have done some posts on Darrell Scott before. Tonight I saw him, at the Kennedy Center, live for the first time. You can watch that concert at the link above.

Also great news last night, Scott recieved two Gammy Nominations. One for Best Country Instrumental Performance for "Willow Creek" and the Band of Joy has received a nomination for Best Americana Album!

So I am inspired to do another post with his videos. These are all songs of his latest release, A Crooked Road.

"A Crooked Road"



"The Day Before Thanksgiving"



"The Open Door"




If you like this, try these previous posts:

Darrell Scott - December 2, 2009

Darrell Scott Covers - December 4, 2009

Annie Lennox Christmas

It is a little early for Christmas posts, but Annie Lennox has released a great Christmas album called A Christmas Cornucopia, so I am doing a post on it.

Also on her web site is an Annie Lennox advent calendar, promising a new unlocked window every day from December 1 through Christmas.

Here is a video about the album.



"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"



Most of the album is traditional songs, but there is this new Lennox compostion, "Universal Child"

Jackson & Memphis

I saw two musicals on Broadway last weekend

Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson is a non-traditional musical about the seventh President of the United States. Jackson—from Tenneessee— was the first President who was not from either the Virginia or Massachusetts aristocracy. He attained the Presidency on a tide of populism, and resentment against the eastern elite. Once he gained the Presidency he instituted a brutal policy of Indian removal to force all tribes west of the Mississippi, despite the fact that some of the tribes had agreements with the U.S. government guaranteeing them their land.

The show, despite it's rather bleak subject matter, is very funny. In fact, it almost turns the story into a farce. The music is mostly rock, but I don't think the kind of music you would listen to outside the context of the show. It was very intelligently written, and dealt with a lot of the same issues that come up in U.S. politics today. The performances in the show were very good, especially Benjamin Walker, who plays Andrew Jackson.



Memphis is a more traditional Broadway show, with big songs and dance numbers. The music is not traditional show tunes, but blues. gospel and rock and roll. The story is set in Memphis in the 1950's and deals with the birth of Rock and Roll, and relations between the races. The talent in the cast is very deep, including great performances by the leads, Montego Glover and Chad Kimball. The music for the show was writen by David Bryan, the keyboard player for the band Bon Jovi.

Here is a performance from the Tony Awards, where it won best musical.

Shemekia Copeland

I said in my last post that Johnny Copeland left a lot of great music. He also left a daughter with a powerful voice. I've seen Shemekia Copeland perform live a couple times, and she puts on an incredible show. Here is some video of her.

"Beat Up Old Guitar"



"Ghetto Child", she dedicates this song to her father. I believe he wrote this one.



""I Was Born a Penny", I believe that Shemekia wrote this one.

Johnny Copeland

Johnny "Clyde" Copeland performed in one of the Stevie Ray Vaughan videos on my last post. Here are a couple videos of him. Copeland died at the relatively young age of 60 from heart disease, but he left a lot of good music.

"Honky Tonkin' "



"Cut Off My Right Arm"



A rare performance with acoustic guitar.

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Twenty years after his death in an airplane crash, Stevie Ray Vaughan is probably still one of the most influential guitar players of all time. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2000, and will hopefully be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the near future.

All three videos below are songs off of the album Soul to Soul, which may have the distinction of being the only album that I ever purchased as an LP, a Cassette, a CD, and from iTunes. I am not 100% sure that I had the Cassette version, but I am pretty sure that I did.

"Look at Little Sister" performed with Johnny "Clyde" Copeland.

"Change It" "Lookin' Out the Window"

Neil Young

A post to recognize that today is Neil Young's 65th Birthday. A couple videos from 1971, and one from the 1985 Farm Aid Concert.

"Heart of Gold"



"Old Man"



"My My Hey Hey"





If you like this, try these previous posts:

Farm Aid 1985 - September 22, 2010

Lizz Wright - April 14, 2010

John Prine - Pt. 2 - June 9, 2010

The Dark End of the Street

The last song on my last post was Marti Jones and Don Dixon's performance of The Dark End of the Street. This is such a great song that I have decided to do an entire post with covers of it.

Written in 1966 by Dan Penn and Chips Moman, this is the first recording, which was done by James Carr.



Dolly Parton & Porter Wagoner



Gram Parsons with The Flying Burrito Brother



Eva Cassidy

Marti Jones & Don Dixon

Marti Jones had a more active musical career back in the 80's. I think recently she have focused more on her painting, including a whole series on Grey Gardens. But she has been doing some concerts recently. Here are some videos of her performing with her husband Don Dixon.

"Follow You All Over the World"



"Any Kind of Lie"



"Dark End of the Street"

Lizz Wright

Lizz Wright has a new album out titled Fellowship. I have been enjoying it a lot. It has more gospel music than her previous albums have had, though all of her music has had a pretty strong gospel influence. I cannot find much live performance of the songs on the album, but I am going to go ahead and do this post with a video for one of the songs, and an interview/performance from Mountain Stage. She does sing Amazing Grace on the album. At one time a year or two ago there was a video of here performing this song, which was probably one of my all time favorite YouTube videos. I cannot find that video anymore, but if it shows up again, I will be sure to post it.

"I Remember, I Believe", written by Bernice Johnson Reagon. This is my favorite track on the album.



An interview interspersed with some performance clips from Mountain Stage.



If you like this, try these previous posts:

Lizz Wright - October 14, 2009

Lizz Wright - April 14, 2010

Patsy Cline

I was surprised when I realized that I have not already done a blog post on Patsy Cline. I did include here in one of my Christmas Posts last year. So to rectify the situation, here are a couple clips.

Despite the fact that she was killed in an airplane crash before she was 30, she is still one of the most beloved singers of the 20th century. As Pam Tillis says in the video at the end of this post, "She wasn't a voice that belonged to any time period."

One of her biggest hits was this song, written by Willie Nelson, "Crazy".



"She's Got You"



This clip of "Walkin' After Midnight" is practically a music video from the days before video.



A clip with interviews of her daughter, Julie Fudge, and Pam Tillis.

Howlin' Wolf - Pt. 2

I did a post on Howlin' Wolf just last month to mark his 100th birthday. He is another one of NPR's 50 greatest voices, and there are some more great videos of him, so I have decided to do a second Howlin' Wolf post.

"Don't Laugh at Me"



"Dust My Broom"



"I'll Be Back Someday"





If you like this, try these previous posts:

Howlin' Wolf - September 14, 2010

Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Pt. 3 - December 18, 2010

Kitty Wells

This post was prompted by NPR's 50 Great Voices Series. This this week's segment was on Kitty Wells.

She is now 91 years old, and no longer performs in public, but she had a career that lasted several decades, and was one of the first women to make it big in country music. She had an unadorned signing style that she always remained true to, no matter what the fashion was.

Here is her monster hit, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"



"A Woman Half My Age"



"Making Believe"




If you like this, try these previous posts:

Iris Dement - August 5, 2010

Emmylou Harris - April 5, 2010

Hank Williams - April 19, 2010

RIP Solomon Burke

A video tribute to Solomon Burke who died yesterday at 70 in an Amsterdam airport. While never attaining the commercial success that he deserved, over the last decade he has released several critically acclaimed albums, including Don't Give Up on Me in 2002 which won a grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Through out the many years of his career his voice remained smooth and powerful. Here are some examples.

"If You Need Me"



"Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"



Buddy Miller and Patty Griffin accompany Burke on "Up to the Mountain" - The words from Martin Luther King's final speech that Griffin set to music.



In this fun video Burke joins the Rolling Stones on stage in a performance of "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love"




If you like this, try these previous posts:

Martin Luther King Day - Jnauary 18, 2010

The Blind Boys of Alabama - January 20, 2010

Percy Sledge - August 27, 2010

Mavis Staples - Wrote a Song for Everyone

I know I just posted this song a few days ago, but here are Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy on David Letterman earlier this week.

Janis Joplin

Today is the 40th anniversary of the death of Janis Joplin, who died on October 4, 1970 at the age of 27. So a post in tribute to her.

My last post was on Big Mama Thornton, who was a big influence on Joplin. One of Joplin's biggest successes was "Ball & Chain", a song Big Mama wrote, and was included in my last post.



Joplin had another hit with this song that Kris Kristofferson wrote, "Me and Bobby McGee"



Here Joplin performs George Gershwin's classic "Summertime"



Finally, "Mercedes Benz" a song Joplin co-wrote with the poet Michael McClure and Bob Neuwirth

Big Mama Thornton

I am doing this post on Big Mama Thornton in anticipation of a post I will be doing next week. She was a great singer and songwriter, who made the first recording of the song "Hound Dog", later made famous by Elvis Presley. Here are a couple videos.

"Ball 'n' Chain" a song she wrote.



"Hound Dog"



Playing harmonica on "Down Home Shakedown"



Later in life Big Mama was not so big, but she could still "Rock Me"




If you like this, try these previous posts:

Homemade Jamz' Blues Band - September 1, 2009

B.B. King - September 13, 2009

Howlin' Wolf - September 14, 2010

Happy Birthday Jerry Lee Lewis

Today—September 29— is Jerry Lee Lewis' 75th Birthday. So a couple videos as a Happy Birthday salute.

The title track from his recently released album, "Mean Old Man"



A short interview about the new album, which includes the piano his family bought him when he was 8 years old.




If you like this, try these previous posts:

We Remember the King - August 16, 2010

Jerry Lee Lewis - November18, 2009

Rock & Roll - September 24, 2009

Autumn Leaves

I have missed the beginning of autumn by a couple days, and last Friday felt too much like summer in hell for a fall day. Still I am going to do this post to mark the change in seasons. This is a beautiful song that Paolo Nutini wrote about his grandfather. There are several live videos of it available, but it is difficult to get a good version of such a quiet song on a live recording, so here is the track from the album with fall pictures.

"Autumn Leaves"



If you like this, try these previous posts:

Fall - October 19, 2009

Paolo Nutinin - January 15, 2010

Trouble So Hard - February 1, 2010

Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone

Mavis Staples has a new album out this month produced by Jeff Tweedy. Titled You Are Not Alone, here are some videos of the two of them performing and discussing songs from the album.

From this summer's Lollapalooza concert, here is the title track.



"Wrote A Song For Everyone"



Staples and Tweedy discuss the album.




If you like this, try these previous posts:

Hard Times Come Again No More - September 10, 2009

Mavis Staples - April 30, 2010

The Staple Singers - May 13, 2010

Farm Aid 1985

Today is the 25th anniversary of the Willie Nelson's first Farm Aid Concert. Held in Memorial Stadium at my Alma Mater, the University of Illinois. Here are a couple videos from the concert.

"Heart of Gold" - Neil Young



"Rock and Roll" - Sammy Hagar & Eddie Van Halen



"Highwayman" - The Highwaymen (Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Glen Campbell substituting for Kris Kris Kristofferson)



Another video from the concert in this previous post:

John Prine Covers (Duets) - September 3, 2009

Jelly Roll Morton

Today may mark the 125 anniversary of the birth of Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, although the actual date of his birth is in dispute. One of the most important influences in American music, he was one of the founders of Jazz Music. He considered himself the inventor of Jazz Music, but not everyone agreed with this.

I don't see any video of Morton, but here is some audio, some including photographs.

"Steamboat Stomp"



"Finger Breaker"



A young Billy Taylor as Jelly Roll Morton




If you like this, try these previous posts:

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band - January 22, 2010

St. Louis Blues/Bessie Smith - September 7, 2009

Trombone Shorty - Pt. 2 - October 23, 2009

Jimi Hendrix

Today is the 40th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death on September 18, 1970. He was not quite 28. A couple videos as a commemoration.

"Hey Joe"



"Wild Thing" - Disclaimer for Children: Despite what happens in this video, squirting lighter fluid into a burning flame is not a bright idea.



"Voodoo Child"




If you like this, try these previous posts:

Bob Dylan Covers - August 23, 2009

Danielia Cotton - January 11, 2010

Danielia Cotton Recent Concerts - September 8, 2010

Rosanne Cash and The List

Rosanne Cash won album of the year at the Americana Music Awards a couple days ago. Many years ago her father, Johnny Cash, gave her a list of what he considered the 100 essential country music songs. All of the songs on her album, The List, are from that set of songs. Some of them are old traditional songs, and some are more recent. Here are three videos of songs from the album.

"500 Miles" written by Hedy West



"Girl from the North Country" written by Bob Dylan



"Motherless Children" an old traditional song




If you like this, try these previous posts:

Odetta - January 25, 2010

July 4th - July 4, 2010

Darrell Scott - December 2, 2009

Howlin' Wolf

I am a couple months late on this, but June 10 was the centennial of Howlin' Wolf's birth. So here are a couple videos as a belated Happy Birthday.

"Smokestack Lightning"



Here he discusses "What is the Blues?" I am guessing that the name of the song he sings is "Bring Me My Runnin' Shoes".



"Shake It for Me"




If you like this, try these previous posts:

Happy Birthday B.B. King - September 13, 2010

Homemade Jamz' Blues Band - September 1, 2010

Chris Isaak & Stevie Nicks

This is one of those videos that I just stumbled on by accident.

Chris Isaak & Stevie Nicks performing "Red River Valley"

Robin & Linda Williams

I realized after seeing Robin & Linda Williams at the Prairie Home Companion show tonight that I have not previously posted any video of them. There are not a lot of good videos of them available, but here are a couple. This is a song they performed tonight at the show—"Green Summertime".



They did two Carter Family songs tonight—"Hello Stranger" and "Anchored in Love". No video of either of those two, but here is part of another Carter Family song, "Wildwood Flower".



Finally, here is a new song, "Lonesome".




If you like this, try these previous posts:

June Carter & Johnny Cash - August 19, 2009

Emmylou Harris - How She Could Sing the WIldwood Flower - April 9 , 2010

Flowers - August 25, 2009