Any Major Dude With Half A Heart

The 60th anniversary on June 20 passed me by, but it’s never too late to pay tribute to Bob Dylan’s epochal Blonde On Blonde double album. This Recovered set slides in nicely with the five-part Bob Dylan Songbooks. In my song selection for this Blonde On Blonde Recovered set, I’ve tried not to duplicate any of the Songbook tracks, other than one for which there were no alternatives.

Blonde On Blonde was recorded in Nashville in February and March 1966. By then, Dylan was already one of the most influential songwriters of his generation. Within four years he had evolved from the earnest folk singer of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan into the gone-electric provocateur whose performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival had, charitably put, split opinion.

Highway 61 Revisited had yielded the folk-and-rock fusion of Like A Rolling Stone — “Judas!” — so expectations for what would come next were immense.

Dylan delivered an album quite unlike anything before it. Blonde On Blonde was the first widely recognised double album in rock consisting entirely of new material. At the time, double LPs were generally live recordings or collections of jazz or classical music. Dylan wasn’t the first artist to demonstrate that rock, like jazz, could use the long-playing record as an artistic canvas rather than just a collection of songs, but he nevertheless broke new ground by doing so on a double album — and one on which a single song, Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands, filled an entire side (after an hour and 13 minutes of music, you wouldn’t quibble that he might have fit another track to Side 4).

It took a lot of self-confidence to omit both artist’s name and album title from the front cover, and even the back, which also features no track-listing, nor did the inside gatefold. If you wanted to know the title playing, you had to be able to read a label at 33 rotations per minute.

Dylan didn’t just go electric, but also eclectic, drawing on folk, rock, blues, country and pop. On Fourth Time Around he openly copies The Beatles’ Norwegian Wood — whether as a droll dig at a band that had been inspired by him or as an affectionate homage is unclear, but it reportedly freaked out John Lennon when he first heard the song, seeing it as a dig.

Dylan’s lyrics became increasingly stream-of-consciousness, making songs such as Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again and Visions Of Johanna difficult to interpret. But when it came to love, Dylan could also be direct, as he was on I Want You, reportedly written for his wife Sara. The eleven-minute Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands was a meditation on his relationship with Sara, with the title playing on her maiden name, Lownds.

Initial reviews of the album reflected both admiration and bafflement. It was not long before it came to be regarded as a masterpiece. Whether it is Dylan’s greatest album is a matter of personal preference (though perhaps less so if you reduce Blonde On Blonde to a single LP!), but it is undeniably one of the defining albums in the history of popular music.

When it comes to covers of Dylan songs, it is usually pointless to argue whether they are better or worse than the originals. Of course, some are really bad (none here, of course), but much depends on how one can bear Dylan’s voice and delivery. Some people can’t abide by it; for others, the voice is an inseparable part of the package. And others still — I hope including the readers of this blog — can delight in both.

The Recovered set kicks off with perhaps the least unexpected cover: bluegrass legends Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs doing Rainy Day Women #12 & #35, with its chant, “Everybody must get stoned”, a double entendre referring both to public stoning and getting high. It must have been quite a thing for the conservative Lester Flatt to be involved in. Yet on the duo’s 1968 album Nashville Airplane, four of the 11 tracks are Dylan songs, alongside the Dylan-inspired protest songs Universal Soldier and Catch The Wind.

Three covers here stand out in particular. Richie Havens, that superb interpreter of songs, gives Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands a lovely 1970s pop sensibility. I’d play this ahead of Dylan’s version any time. Nina Simone brings Just Like A Woman a raw emotional vulnerability, and a quite wonderful arrangement. And Australian singer-songwriter Emma Swift (no relation to the other Swift) turns the rather overlooked One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later) into one of the highlights of this set. It comes from her superbly titled 2020 Dylan tribute album Blonde On The Tracks.

As always, the mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R and includes home-leopardskinned covers as well as the text above in an illustrated PDF. PW in comments.

1. Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs – Rainy Day Women #12 & #35 (1968)
2. Luther Johnson – Pledging My Time (1995)
3. Marianne Faithfull – Visions Of Johanna (1985)
4. Emma Swift – One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later) (2020)
5. Cher – I Want You (1966)
6. Grateful Dead – Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (live) (1988)
7. Beck – Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (2009)
8. Nina Simone – Just Like A Woman (1971)
9. Rita Coolidge – Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine) (1971)
10. Deborah Coleman – Temporary Like Achilles (2003)
11. The Flamin’ Groovies – Absolutely Sweet Marie (1979)
12. The Sports – Fourth Time Around (1981)
13. Toni Price – Obviously 5 Believers (1995)
14. Richie Havens – Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands (1974)

GET IT!

More Recovered albums:
What’s Going On (Marvin Gaye)
Tapestry (Carole King)
Blue (Joni Mitchell)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Elton John)
Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Bruce Springsteen)
Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (David Bowie)
Purple Rain (Prince)
Every Beatles album

More Cover Mixes
Previous Albums Recovered
More CD-R Mixes

Many tracks featured in this series made a great impact, but rarely do they qualify as being the first to do something. This month, one track did: English power-pop band Koopa’s 2007 song Blag Steal & Borrow was the first to make the UK top 40 on strength of digital downloads alone in January 2007, following a change in rules the week before that made all legally downloaded singles chart-eligible. They did so without a record label, also a first (that is, even without a self-release label). So one could add this to the Any Major Firsts mix.

A quick reminder that all In Memoriams going back to January 2017 are back up. You can find them HERE!

The Rasper
She had one of the most instantly recognisable voices in pop music — thanks to a surgery and disobeying her doctor. Bonnie Tyler, born as Gaynor Hopkins in Wales, was singing in local clubs before she won a talent contest in 1969. She adopted the stage name Bonnie Tyler soon afterwards.

After surgery on her vocal chords, Tyler ignored doctor’s orders not to speak for several weeks — and thus she was left her with her trademark gravelly voice.

Tyler’s breakthrough came in late 1976 with Lost in France. In early 1978 she had a huge hit with It’s A Heartache, which topped the charts in several countries and reached the top 5 in both the UK and the United States.

For a few years after that, things became quiet until she teamed up with producer Jim Steinman. Their first collaboration, the wonderfully overblown Total Eclipse Of The Heart, became a worldwide mega hit 1983, helped along by the most inexplicable video (which inspired this “literal video” masterpiece).

In 1984 she had a hit with a duet with Shakin’ Stevens, the amiable but inessential A Rockin’ Good Way. The same year she reunited with Steinman for Holding Out For A Hero, featured in the 1984 film Footloose, another 1980s pop classic. The Steinman-produced follow-up Loving You’s A Dirty Job But Somebody’s Gotta Do It, with Todd Rundgren on guest vocals, deserved a little better than flopping badly. Steinman also produced her on 1986’s If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man), a terrible 1980s production that was a hit in Europe but flopped in the UK and the US. It was later repurposed as You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi.

Tyler continued recording and touring, but never resumed chart success. She represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013 with Believe In Me. She was awarded an MBE in 2022 for services to music. By all accounts, she was a most lovely, grounded person.

The Sax Legend
Chances are that at some point in your life, you have whistled the saxophone lines of Plas Johnson, who has died at the age of 94. When Henry Mancini wrote The Theme Of The Pink Panther, he had his long-time collaborator Johnson in mind for that instantly recognisable tenor sax lead. It has become one of the best-known saxophone recordings ever made.

Born Eugene Johnson in 1931 in Louisiana, he was nicknamed Plas as a child. Raised in a musical family, he moved with them to Los Angeles, where his older brother, Ray Johnson, also became a respected saxophonist.

Starting out as a jazz musician, Johnson released several records under his own name in the late 1950s and early 1960s, while also backing the likes of Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald (on several of her “Songbook” albums), Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin, as well as acts like The Coasters, Sam Cooke and The Drifters.

By the early 1960s he was in the circle of session musicians who would become known as The Wrecking Crew, though he stood out among them as his name was already fairly well-known. Johnson played on many of the Phil Spector productions and some other Wrecking Crew sessions — record-keeping of who played on what were poor — and also played on countless film and TV scores.

The list of artists he backed over a 40-year career is endless. He played on The Beach Boys’ Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made For Walking, and, it seems, on Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On. He also played the gorgeous flute on Nicolette Larson’s Lotta Time.

Johnson appeared on Steely Dan’s Pretzel Logic, The Royal Scam and Aja albums, but rather as part of horn sections than as a soloist.

Johnson died a couple of days after I finalised the Any Major Albums Of 1976. He played on four of the featured albums: by Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs (on the featured track, What Can I Say), Rod Stewart, and Deniece Williams.

The Girl Power Pioneer
The Chantels were a pioneering group of the golden age of girl groups, paving the way for acts like The Shirelles, The Cookies, The Ronettes, The Crystals and many others, and by extension of Motown girl groups such as the Marvelettes, Velvelettes, Vandellas and ultimately Supremes. The leader of The Chantels was Arlene Smith, their lead singer and principal songwriter.

Born in 1941 in New York City, Smith grew up in the Bronx, where she and classmates — Sonia Goring, Jackie Landry, Rene Minus and Lois Harris — sang in the choir of St Anthony of Padua School, where they were also taught he intricate harmonies of Gregorian Chant. Formed in the mid-1950s, The Chantels — the moniker was inspired by a rival school named after the Catholic saint Frances de Chantal — soon became one of the first successful black female vocal groups of the rock & roll era.

Their breakthrough came in 1957 with Maybe, a ballad written (probably with the help of mentor and producer Richard Barrett) and sung by the teenage Smith. It became one of the defining recordings of 1950s doo-wop. The group followed up with hits such as Every Night (I Pray), I Love You So and Look In My Eyes. In 2002, Rolling Stone ranked Maybe at #199 in their Top 500 pop sings of all time.

Unusually for their time, Smith wrote much of the group’s early material, although she did not always receive the songwriting credit or royalties she deserved — sadly, a common story in the 1950s. On some records, label boss George Goldner (an associate of the notorious Morris Levy) claimed the credit. More recently, Smith’s role as the creative force behind The Chantels’ classics has become increasingly recognised.

After leaving The Chantels in 1959, the same time Goldner’s label went bust, Smith pursued a solo career, recording for several labels, with the young Phil Spector among her producers, but she never repeated the commercial success of The Chantels. She later reunited with various line-ups of The Chantels for concerts and released one further single in 1970.

The Hit Busker
One of the remarkable things about the wonderful 1991 film The Commitments is that the actors were chosen largely because they could sing or play their instruments, rather than as established actors. One of them was guitarist Glen Hansard, who has died at 56 in a motorbike accident.

Hansard played Outspan Foster, the quiet guitarist in Alan Parker’s acclaimed adaptation of Roddy Doyle’s novel. Already fronting his band The Frames, Hansard would become one of Ireland’s most respected singer-songwriters.

Born in Dublin in 1970, Hansard left school at 13 and began busking on the city’s streets. After meeting fellow buskers who were Hare Krishnas, he joined their religion. It is as a busker that we meet his character Outspan as he is recruited into The Commitments.

In 1990 Hansard formed the rock band The Frames, which went on to become one of Ireland’s most influential rock bands. They had their biggest commercial success in the 2000s.

Hansard achieved worldwide recognition in 2007 with the independent film Once, in which he starred opposite Czech-Icelandic musician Markéta Irglová. Made on a modest budget, the film became an international hit, and they won an Oscar for Best Original Song for Falling Slowly. The film later inspired the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Once.

His partnership with Irglová — including a slightly controversial two-year romantic relationship that begun when he was 35 and she 17 — continued as the folk duo The Swell Season, while Hansard also established a successful solo career. He also collaborated with people like Bono and Bruce Springsteen, both of whom paid tribute to Hansard after his death.

Hansard was socially engaged. For many years he organised Dublin’s annual Christmas Eve busk on Grafton Street, raising substantial funds for charities serving homeless people. He also supported other social and humanitarian causes.

At Shane MacGowan’s funeral service in December 2023, Hansard sang Fairytale Of New York with Lisa O’Neill, backed by The Pogues.

The Beaky
There is now only one survivor of 1960s hitmakers Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich — drummer Mick. Dave Dee left us in 2009, Dozy in 2015, and Tich in 2024. Now Beaky has died.

Born in 1944 in Salisbury, England, as John Dymond, he was nicknamed Beaky because of his prominent nose, which was probably funnier in the 1960s than it is now.

Formed in Salisbury in the early 1960s, Dave Dee, Dozy et al broke through internationally in 1966 with their theatrical performances, colourful costumes and adventurous productions, including cracking whips in the glorious The Legend of Xanadu. Beaky was the band’s rhythm guitarist (it featured on Any Major Teen Dreams).

The band enjoyed a remarkable run of hit singles, including Hold Tight, Bend It, Hideaway, Save Me, Zabadak, Last Night in Soho, The Legend of Xanadu, and Don Juan, becoming one of the UK’s biggest-selling singles acts of the 1960s.

Following the group’s original break-up in 1969, Beaky remained active in music, performing in later reunions and touring versions of the band. At the time of his death, he was the last original member still performing with an iteration of the band whose line-up includes successors to Dave Dee, Dozy, Mick & Tich, going by those stage names.

The Hit Backing Singer
One of the oddest things in pop music history must be that Stevie Wonder let two session singers sing the first lines of You Are The Sunshine Of My Life, an instant classic. The male voice we hear first is that of Jim Gilstrap, who has died at the age of 79.

Gilstrap is no stranger to this little corner of the Internet. Mostly recently, he featured on Any Major Hits From 1975 Vol. 2 with his hit Swing Your Daddy. He was on Any Major Soul 1975 Vol. 1 (with the superb House Of Strangers), and on Covered With Soul Vol. 9 and Vol. 19 (the Motown edition), while his Put Out The Fire appeared in Any Major Flute Vol. 5.

The Texan began his music career after returning from action in the Vietnam War. He first sang with an easy-listening group called the Doodletown Pipers before joining the soul vocal group The Cultures, whose work backing established artists led him into the world of session work.

Gilstrap’s big break came when he became a member of Stevie Wonder’s backing vocal group, Wonderlove, contributing to the albums Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale. He also backed acts like at the time.

In 1974 he recorded the theme to the sitcom Good Times, a duet with Blinky Williams. His solo career kicked off with Swing Your Daddy, a UK top 10 hit written by Kenny Nolan. Follow-up singles such as House of Strangers and Put Out the Fire had modest success, and Gilstrap’s solo career fizzled out after just two albums.

But he made a good career as a backing singer. Gilstrap sang on many hits. Among them were Quincy Jones’ Ai No Corrida (among many other Quincy tracks), Boz Scaggs’ Lowdown, Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, George Benson’s Give Me The Night  and Love X Love, The Jacksons’ Can You Feel It), Anita Baker’s Sweet Love, Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody and Where Do Broken Hearts Go, Peabo Bryson & Kenny G’s By The Time This Night Is Over (which featured last month in In Memoriam – June 2026), Luther Vandross’ Love The One You’re With, Aretha Franklin’s Freeway Of Love and I Knew You Were Waiting (with George Michael), Jermaine Stewart’s We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off, Stacy Lattisaw’s Jump To The Beat, Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway’s The Closer I Get To You… and those are the hits I could find a credit for!

Gilstrap also backed the likes of Syreeta, Martha Reeves, Peggy Lee, Elkie Brook, Ringo Starr, Neil Diamond, Bill Withers, Jose Feliciano, Brothers Johnson, Boz Scaggs, Roberta Flack, Barbra Streisand, Minnie Riperton, Candi Staton, Olivia Newton-John, Patrice Rushen, Leonard Cohen, Dolly Parton, Elton John, Kenny Loggins, Narada Michael Walden, James Ingram, DeBarge, Crowded House, Patti LaBelle, Santana, Teddy Pendergrass, Gladys Knight, Aaron Neville, Celine Dion, George Duke, Joe Cocker, Natalie Cole, and many others.

He also backed Rodney Franklin, who died this month (see below), and the Boz Scaggs tracks he appeared on include What Can I Say, on which the above-mentioned Plas Johnson played sax.

The Writing Producer
One of those behind-the-scenes names that only the keen students of production credits notice was that of British-born songwriter and producer Brian Potter, who co-produced such hits as Glen Campbell’s Rhinestone Cowboy, Players’ Baby Come Back, and Don’t Pull Your Love by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds

Born in England, Potter wrote the Small Faces’ debut single, Whatcha Gonna Do About It. He then found global success after teaming up with US-born Dennis Lambert. Among their best-known compositions are Don’t Pull Your Love, the Four Tops’ Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got), Keeper Of The Castle and Are You Man Enough, Tavares’ It Only Takes A Minute (later a big hit for Take That), One Tin Soldier by Coven, Ashes To Ashes by The 5th Dimension, Rock And Roll Heaven by the Righteous Brothers, and Campbell’s Country Boy

Potter and Lambert co-produced these, as well as the likes of The Grass Roots, Dusty Springfield, Santana, Cuba Gooding, Evie Sands and Player.

The Mini-drama Writer
Although he never achieved the fame of the artists who recorded his songs, singer and songwriter Joe Melson helped create some of the defining hits of the early 1960s, most notably through his long partnership with Roy Orbison.

Born in 1935 into a family of sharecroppers in Texas, Melson grew up with country, gospel and R&B. After serving in the US Navy, he moved to Nashville and into songwriting at a time when rock & roll was transforming into popular music.

One day he spotted Roy Orbison sitting in a car, trying to write a song. Melson tapped on the window — and a fertile songwriting team was born. With Orbison he wrote mini-dramas that showcased Roy’s soaring voice and emotional intensity such as Only The Lonely, Crying, Blue Bayou, Running Scared, Blue Angel, I’m Hurtin’, and Blue Bird.

Only The Lonely was rejected by both Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers, and so became Orbison’s breakthrough hit. Crying later became a hit for both Don McLean, and Blue Bayou for Linda Ronstadt.

Melson also enjoyed modest success as a recording artist in his own right. His biggest hit was Hey Mr Cupid (written by Boudleaux Bryant), and he continued writing and producing for other performers throughout the 1960s and beyond.

The Groover
One of those instantly uplifting jazz fusion numbers is the appropriately-titled The Groove from 1980, whose creator, the jazz pianist Rodney Franklin, has died at age 68.

As a teenager, Franklin attended the prestigious Berkeley High School, whose music programme has produced many distinguished jazz musicians. At the age of 14, he led his own band, In One Piece, and he was only 20 when he released his debut album in 1978.

Franklin was only 21 or 22 when he wrote and recorded that The Groove, a true fusion classic and a Top 10 hit in the UK which started a dance craze there called “The Freeze”.

Franklin had a solid fan base, but further crossover success eluded him. He also backed several acts, including the Isley Brothers on their 1993 live album.

The Guitar Virtuoso
One of the most respected guitarists in the jazz-rock fusion movement of the 1970s, Ray Gómez had a dazzling technique and an ability to move effortlessly between jazz, rock, blues and Latin music. Yet, his best-known contribution is as member of the Spanish group Pop-Tops, who recorded the first version of the global hit Mamy Blue.

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1953, Gómez’s family moved to Spain in 1965. A guitar prodigy, he soon became one of the country’s leading young musicians, performing with pop and rock groups including Los Pekenikes and the Pop-Tops before relocating first to the UK, where he met George Harrison, and then to the United States in the mid-1970s, where he became friends with John Lennon.

There Gómez’s big breakthrough came when he joined bassist Stanley Clarke’s band, playing on the seminal School Days (including superb guitar work on the title track) and other Clarke albums. He also worked with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Cat Stevens, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Jack DeJohnette, Narada Michael Walden, Alphonso Johnson, Billy Cobham, Hall & Oates, Melba Moore, Deodato, and many others. And, a recurring theme this month, he also played with the aforementioned Rodney Franklin.

As a bandleader, Gómez also released several solo albums.

As always, this post is reproduced in illustrated PDF format in the package, which also includes my personal playlist of the featured tracks. PW in comments.

 

Barry Dransfield, c.78, English folk singer and multi-instrumentalist, on June 14
Barry Dransfield – Be My Friend (1972, also on guitar and violin)

Brian Potter, c.86, UK-born songwriter and producer, on June 30
Four Tops – Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got) (1973, as co-writer and co-producer)
Tavares – It Only Takes A Minute ) (1973, as co-writer and co-producer)
Player – Baby Come Back (1977, as co-producer)

Joe Melson, 91, singer and songwriter, on July 1
Roy Orbison – Only The Lonely (1960, as co-writer)
Joe Melson – Hey, Mister Cupid (1961)
Linda Ronstadt – Blue Bayou (1978, as co-writer)
Roy Orbison & kd lang – Crying (1992, as co-writer)

Shaun Glass, 57, heavy metal guitarist and bassist, on July 1

Tommy Hunter, 89, Canadian country singer, on July 2

Bill Vanhoy, 89, bluegrass singer and guitarist, on July 3

Sparky D, 61, rapper, on July 4
Sparky D – Sparky’s Turn (Roxanne You’re Through) (1985)

Roger ‘B. War’ Svensson, 60, bassist of Swedish metal group Marduk, on July 4

Beaky (John Dymond), 81, English member of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, on July 5
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich – You Make It Move (1965)
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich – Save Me (1966)

Christian Moran, 42, English-Korean drummer, on July 5

Rahel Yohannes, 79, Ethiopian singer and musician, on July 5

Paul Wheatbread, 80, drummer of Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, on July 6
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap – Woman, Woman (1967)

Earle Dumler, woodwind player (mostly oboe), on July 6
Carpenters – For All We Know (1971, on oboe)

Lauren Bennett, 36, singer with UK girl group G.R.L., announced July 6
LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock – Party Rock Anthem (2011)

Kevin Chown, 56, bass guitarist, on July 6

Joe Murphy, 46, bassist of UK rock band Koopa, announced July 7
Koopa – Blag, Steal & Borrow (2006, also as co-writer and co-producer)

Megas, 81, Icelandic rock singer and songwriter, announced July 7
Megas – Við sem heima sitjum (1977, also as writer)

Football World Cup, 96, sporting event, of terminal corruption, on July 7

Bonnie Tyler, 75, Welsh pop and rock singer, on July 8
Bonnie Tyler – It’s A Heartache (1977)
Bonnie Tyler – If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man) (1986)
Bonnie Tyler – Believe In Me (2013)

Ella Laboriel, 81, Mexican singer and actress, on July 8

Rodney Franklin, 67, jazz fusion pianist and composer, on July 8
Rodney Franklin – I Like The Music Make It Hot (1978)
Rodney Franklin – The Groove (1980, also as writer)

Sylvie Grare, French heavy metal singer, on July 8

Anette McLennan, 63, drummer of South African rock band No Friends of Harry, on July 9
No Friends Of Harry – On The Beach (1987)

Calvin Hayes, 63, member of UK band Johnny Hates Jazz, producer, on July 9
Johnny Hates Jazz – Shattered Dreams (1986, also as co-producer)

John Defferary, 86, British jazz musician, on July 10

Andrew Bickers, Australian saxophonist (Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil), on July 10
Midnight Oil – Say Your Prayers (2000)

Jimmy Nichols, 64, country pianist and musical director (Nichols Brothers), on July 11
Faith Hill – Fireflies (2005, on accordion)

Rodney Holmes, 59, jazz and rock drummer, on July 11
Santana feat. Rob Thomas – Smooth (1999, on drums)

Bob Farrell, 77, Christian musician and songwriter, on July 11

Dave Redmonds, 66, trombonist with punk band UK Snuff, on July 11
Snuff – Caught In Session (1996)

Lenzman, 47, Dutch drum and bass producer, on July 11

Peppino di Capri, 86, Italian singer, on July 11
Peppino di Capri – Champagne (1973)

Vernon Taylor, 88, rockabilly singer, on July 12
Vernon Taylor – Sweet And Easy To Love (1959)

Mike Browning, 62, heavy metal drummer (Morbid Angel, Nocturnus), on July 13

Melaine Favennec, 75, French singer, on July 13

Little Gerhard, 92, Swedish rock & roll singer and songwriter, on July 14
Little Gerhard – What You’ve Done To Me (1958)

Fantan Mojah, 49, Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter, on July 14
Fantan Mojah – Rasta Got Soul (2016)

Plas Johnson, 94, soul and jazz saxophonist, flautist, on July 15
Plas Johnson – Too Close For Comfort (1959)
Henry Mancini – The Pink Panther Theme (1963, on tenor sax)
Rita Coolidge – Seven Bridges Road (1971, on alto sax)
Nicolette Larson – Lotta Love (1978, on flute)

Takeshi Shibuya, 86, Japanese jazz pianist, on July 16

René Urtreger, 92, French jazz pianist, on July 16

Cleveland Still, 91, first tenor of doo wop group The Dubs, on July 17
The Dubs – Chapel Of Dreams (1957)

Freddy Cannon, 89, rock & roll singer, on July 17
Freddy Cannon – Palisades Park (1962)

Tony Thorpe, 80, guitarist of English pop band The Rubettes, announced July 18
The Rubettes – Ooh La La (1977)

Jim Gilstrap, 79, soul singer, on July 18
Stevie Wonder – Too High (1973, on backing vocals)
Jim Gilstrap & Blinky Williams – Theme from ‘Good Times’ (1974)
James Gilstrap – One More Heartache (1974)
James Gilstrap – Move Me (1976)

Gianni Cazzola, 88, Italian jazz drummer, on July 18

Jennifer Finch, 59, bassist of punk band L7, songwriter, photographer, on July 18
L7 – Pretend We’re Dead (1992)

Patrick Gleeson, 91, jazz musician, producer, film composer, on July 19
Bennie Maupin – Water Torture (1977, on synthesizer)

Alley Boy, 42, rapper, announced July 20

Vibert Cornwall, 87, Vincentian jazz singer, on July 20

Kevin Keegan, 75, English football player and singer, on July 20
Kevin Keegan – Head Over Heels In Love (1979)

Claudio Strunz, 59, Argentine thrash metal drummer, on July 20

Brian Doerksen, 61, Canadian Christian music singer-songwriter, on July 21

Oliver Jones, 91, Canadian jazz pianist, on July 22
Oliver Jones Trio – Hymn To Freedom (1991)

Luís Represas, 69, Portuguese singer and composer, on July 22

Curtis Blackwell, 83, bluegrass guitarist and singer, on July 23

Bill Oddie, 85, English comedian, TV presenter, musician, on July 23
Bill Oddie – Ilkley Moor Baht At (1970)

Lou Koller, 59, singer of punk band Sick of It All, on July 24

Louie Romero, salsa percussionist, on July 24
Willie Colón & Héctor Lavoe – El Día De Mi Suerte (1975, on timbales)

Marie-Paule Belle, 80, French singer, pianist and songwriter, on July 25

Frank Tusa, 79, jazz double-bassist and composer, on July 26

Ray Gómez, 73, jazz-rock and pop guitarist and singer, announced July 28
Pop-Tops – Mamy Blue (1971, as member; original version of the global hit)
Stanley Clarke – School Days (1976, on guitar)
Ray Gomez – Make Your Move (1980, also on vocals)

Kavinsky, 50, French DJ, musician, film composer and actor, discovered on July 28
Kavinsky – Nightcall (2010, also as co-writer and co-producer)

Geraldine Bey, 91, American jazz singer, on July 28
Andy Bey & The Bey Sisters – Willow Weep For Me (1964)

Javier Martín del Campo, 75, Mexican musician (Revolución de Emiliano Zapata), ann. July 29
La Revolución de Emiliano Zapata – Nasty Sex (1971, also as co-writer and co-producer)

Arlene Smith, 84, singer and songwriter with girl group The Chantels, on July 29
The Chantels – He’s Gone (1957, also as co-writer and on lead vocals)
The Chantels – Maybe (1957, also as co-writer and on lead vocals)
Arlene Smith – Love Love Love (1961)

Glen Hansard, 56, Irish musician and actor, motorcycle accident on July 29
The Frames – Finally (2004, also as lead co-writer)
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova – Falling Slowly (2006, also as co-writer, producer)
The Frames – Revelate (2008, also as lead co-writer)

Gunnar Þórðarson, 81, Icelandic guitarist, producer and songwriter, announced July 30

Jeff Connolly, 69, frontman of garage rock group Lyres, on July 31

Vicki Wickham, 87, English manager (Dusty Springfield, LaBelle), on July 31
Dusty Springfield – You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me (1966, as co-lyricist)

Pepe Villalobos, 96, Peruvian musician and composer, on July 31

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It would overstate things to say that 1976 was a great year for music, the release of a few absolute classics notwithstanding, but it was a satisfying year. So here are my 20 favourite albums of the year.

Some undeniable classics feature here: Boz Scaggs’ majestic Silk Degrees, Frampton Comes Alive! (though its inclusion here may be due mostly to happy memories) and Hotel California (which just scraped in).

The obvious standout is Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life, an explosion of creativity that even four sides couldn’t contain, so he added an EP to the package.

On Turnstiles, Billy Joel started to find his voice. It features my (nominal) favourite song by him — Summer, Highland Falls — as well as the superb New York State Of Mind. Joel wasn’t entirely satisfied with the album, though. When he put together his live album Songs In The Attic in 1981 — Joel described it as an exercise in improving recordings he wasn’t happy with — he included half of Turnstiles’ eight tracks. All four were vastly improved, but Turnstiles remains a very good album.

Some of the albums here are only half good. Take Rod Stewart’s A Night On The Town: Side 1 is Rod at his balladeering, lascivious finest; on Side 2 he rocks out. I don’t even know whether Side 2 is good or not. The sensational slow Rod is all I need to hear.

I have the same feeling about Bob Seger — I prefer the night moves ballads to the old-time rock and roll. The latter can be entertaining; Night Moves closes on a good rockin’ note with Mary Lou, but if I listen to the album, I might edit the playlist down to the slow jams.

With my love for South African jazz-funk, there are two exponents of the genre represented here. Remember District Six — a reference to an area of Cape Town that was being ethnically cleansed and razed at the time — was a project by local jazz legends Monty Weber, Sammy Hartman and Lionel Beukes. The album also included contributions by fellow jazz greats Basil “Manenberg” Coetzee, Winston “Nkunku” Ngozi and Errol Dyers. The album is now a rarity. Coetzee also appears on Pacific Express’ Black Fire, alongside more jazz legends, including Robbie Jansen, Chris Schilder and singer Zayn Adams. The great guitar solo on the featured track is by Issy Ariefdien.

A more recent discovery is Brazilian soul singer Cassiano, a pioneer of Brazil’s rich soul scene. Sadly, he suffered serious respiratory problems in the late 1970s, resulting in the loss of part of his lungs. Besides making it difficult to continue performing, his already troubled relationship with the record industry deteriorated further. He released his last album in 1990 and died in 2021.

Finally, one may argue whether Blondie’s debut album belongs here. It was first released in December 1976, when it made little impression, before being re-released in September 1977 to much better effect. I’ve decided to hold it over for 1977.

Another dating conundrum is AC/DC. The international release of High Voltage came in 1976, but it comprised tracks from the band’s two 1975 Australian albums, High Voltage and T.N.T.. I could have chosen AC/DC’s proper 1976 release, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, but that is a rather patchy effort (though the bluesy Ride On is a favourite of mine), whereas the international High Voltage release is packed with gems.

So which 1976 LPs didn’t make my cut? Those under consideration included This Is Niecy by Deniece Williams, the Ramones’ eponymous debut, Jackson Browne’s The Pretender and Marvin Gaye’s I Want You. After compiling this, I regretted dumping Deniece, so a track from her album is included as a bonus track.

I also considered Al Stewart’s Year Of The Cat, Queen’s A Day At The Races, Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak and Wings’ Wings At The Speed Of Sound. All of them contain some great tracks, but I never really connected with any of them.

Other acclaimed releases from 1976 that miss out because I don’t know them well enough include David Bowie’s Station To Station, Joni Mitchell’s Hejira (though I love Coyote), Jean-Michel Jarre’s Oxygène, and the eponymous debuts by Boston and Joan Armatrading.

As for the track selection, I’ve varied things a bit between the obvious, well-known tracks and deep cuts. I might like Dancing Queen better than the featured This Is Me (which was also the b-side of Dancing Queen; and in Japan the A-side to Money Money Money on the B-side), but it’s not really necessary to feature that mega hit. Likewise, say, Hotel California or Breezing. Above all, all of these are songs I enjoy hearing when I play this collection.

The sequencing does not imply any ranking of albums. If it did, Stevie Wonder’s Another Star would open the playlist. If I was forced to keep only three albums from this lot, it would be those by Stevie, Boz Scaggs and Warren Zevon.

This mix covers 50 years ago; the 20 albums of 1986 (or 40 years ago) featured earlier this year.

So, what are your albums of 1976?

1. AC/DC – It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll) (High Voltage)
2. Steely Dan – The Fez (The Royal Scam)
3. Warren Zevon – Mohammed’s Radio (Warren Zevon)
4. Rod Stewart – Fool For You (A Night On The Town)
5. Al Jarreau – Rainbow In Your Eyes (Glow)
6. Aretha Franklin – Something He Can Feel (Sparkle)
7. George Benson – This Masquerade (Breezin’)
8. Billy Joel – Summer, Highland Falls (Turnstiles)
9. Bob Dylan – Sara (Desire)
10. Eagles – Try And Love Again (Hotel California)
11. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Main Street (Night Moves)
12. Cassiano – Coleção (Cuban Soul)
13. Monty Weber & Friends – Love Song (Remember District Six)
14. Pacific Express – Love Your Baby Right (Black Fire)
15. Stevie Wonder – Another Star (Songs In The Key Of Life)
16. Earth, Wind & Fire – On Your Face (Spirit)
17. Diana Ross – I Thought It Took A Little Time (Diana Ross)
18. Boz Scaggs – What Can I Say (Silk Degrees)
19. Peter Frampton – Show Me The Way (Frampton Comes Alive!)
20. Abba – That’s Me (Arrival)

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Previous Albums of the Year mixes:
1971 Vol. 1
1971 Vol. 2
1972
1973
1974
1975
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986

More Albums of the Year
More CD-R Mixes

In 1970, the folk singer-songwriter Steve Goodman took a long overnight train journey on the Illinois Central line that ran from Chicago to New Orleans. Goodman had recently been diagnosed with leukaemia, and friends later said the trip took on deeper meaning for him. The passing landscapes, his fellow travellers, the labourers at successive stations, and the fading romance of American rail travel all found their way into the lyrics.

Goodman reportedly wrote much of City Of New Orleans in one session after the journey, with the upbeat chorus: “Good morning America, how are you?” The train itself — the City of New Orleans — is a narrator, an actual setting and a metaphor for a country in transition.

Chicago-born Steve Goodman was a folk singer, guitarist and gifted songwriter known for his warm wit and storytelling. Though he never attained major commercial success, he was highly regarded among fellow musicians and by a loyal fan base. Besides City of New Orleans, he also wrote You Never Even Called Me by My Name (a country hit for David Allan Coe) and many songs set around Chicago life and baseball culture.

City Of New Orleans appeared on his debut album in 1971, produced by Kris Kristofferson, who also provided backing vocals. As did John Prine, who 27 years later featured on Randy Scruggs’ version of the song.

Goodman battled leukaemia for much of his adult life, performing and recording between treatments. His career was cut short when he died in 1984 at the age of 36.

 

Soon after Goodman’s recording of City of New Orleans it was covered by John Denver on his Aerie album, but it was Arlo Guthrie who scored a huge hit with the song.

According to Goodman, he had relentlessly played the song for his friend Guthrie — at one point even performing it in Arlo’s kitchen. Eventually Guthrie agreed to record it for his 1972 album Hobo’s Lullaby. As a single, his version was a hit, first in the United States and then around the world. It is Guthrie’s recording that most people associate with the song.

City Of New Orleans has been covered many tines — the 50 versions here don’t represent an exhaustive list. It quickly became especially popular among country acts such as Hank Snow, Sammi Smith, Lynn Anderson, The Seldom Scene, Chet Atkins (in an instrumental), Jerry Reed and Johnny Cash, who recorded the song several times, first with June Carter.

In 1984, Willie Nelson recorded City Of New Orleans, and his version became a # 1 country hit in the US and won a Grammy for Best Country Song, awarded to Goodman posthumously as songwriter.

In Europe, the song also found success in translation. Joe Dassin was an early adopter in 1972, rendering it as Salut les amoureux (Hello Lovers), reworking the lyrics as a bittersweet farewell between lovers. In the Netherlands the following year, Gerard Cox topped the charts with ’t Is Weer Voorbij, Die Mooie Zomer (It’s over again, that beautiful summer).

In Germany, the summer theme was popular. A middle-aged chap called Ronny (who had a way of crooning about the Wild West and adventures at sea) took the cue from Cox with his Einmal vergeht der schönste Sommer (Every beautiful summer must end). Dutch entertainer Rudi Carrell, an all-time legend of German television, had a big hit in 1975 by sticking with a summer theme on his record Wann wird’s mal wieder richtig Sommer (When are we going to have a proper summer again), which expressed the timeless cliché of “in my day everything was better” by way of unintended reference to climate change. Much later there was a version in the Kölsch dialect of Cologne titled Wann ward dat Wäder wedder better (When will the weather get better) by De Plattfööt. Even by the loose measures of quality control in Song Swarms, I couldn’t get myself to force that on to you.

Before Rudi was bemoaning the early effects of climate change, the fairly recently late Jack White tried his hand, with less success and no great sparkle, at a more faithful translation, Der Zug genannt die ‘City of New Orleans’ (The train called the ‘City of New Orleans’). White, a former professional footballer, soon dropped his singing career to become a hugely successful producer.

The best of the quartet of German versions here is more recent. Veteran German country singer Tom Astor in 2013 returned the song to its original spirit on Hallo Old Germany, wie geht’s dir (Hello Old Germany, how are you), with the singer taking to the Autobahn instead of the Eisenbahn. Finnish band Karma did something similar in 1976 with Hyvää huomenta Suomi (Good Morning Finland), as did Norwegian singer Lillian Askeland in 1984 with her less than brilliant Hei Mamma Norge (Hello, Mother Norway).

In 1976, Icelandic rock band Brimkló covered the song to good effect as Síðasta sjóferðin, which I invite you to say fast four times in a row. The title means The Last Voyage. Their version is very good.

In 1981, Czech crooner Karel Gott released an album of covers of country songs, performed in Czech. It included a version of City Of New Orleans under the title Vstávej, ty tuláku (quickly, five times in a row), which means “Get up, you vagabond”. Gott — whose name must have seemed ironic in aggressively atheistic Czechoslovakia — was hugely popular in Germany, but he decided to re-record his country set in English.

Polish band Lonstar just sang the song in English in 1999, seven years before Texan country band Lonestar got around to it.

Of the foreign languages on show, other than Dassin’s French, I think Icelandic has the nicest sound for this song, though German suits the chugging rhythm of the song. And let’s say that Czech is not the perfect tongue for folk-rock.

City Of New Orleans has invited no soul covers and little attention from rock acts. The closest to rock we get here is an irreverent hard rock take by Me First And The Gimme Gimmes. And while soul ignored the song, there were a couple of early reggae versions, with Byron Lee transferring the setting to Jamaica. Commendably, he gave himself no writer’s credit for the switcheroo. The other reggae version here is by Hopeton Lewis, who used to be a singer with Byron Lee’s Dragonaires.  Also unusual is the Dixieland jazz treatment by the Fourth Street Five Jazz Band.

More recently, covers of City Of New Orleans have come from the Americana and alt.country genre. But the whole thing ends with a celtic take on the City Of New Orleans.

So, here are 50 different versions of Steve Goodman’s song.  A PDF of the text above is included.

1971:  Steve Goodman, John Denver • 1972: Arlo Guthrie, The Seldom Scene, Byron Lee & The Dragonaires (as Good Morning Jamaica), Joe Dassin as (Salut les amoureux), Kirk Felix • 1973: Lynn Anderson, Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash, Chet Atkins, Sammi Smith, Hank Snow, Hopeton Lewis, Gerard Cox (as ‘t Is Weer Voorbij, Die Mooie Zomer), Jack White (as Der Zug genannt die ‘City of New Orleans’), Lisle, Le Grand Orchestre De Paul Mauriat (as Salut les amoureux), Bluegrass Alliance • 1974: Ronny (as Einmal vergeht der schönste Sommer) • 1975: Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Jerry Reed, Pete Seeger & Arlo Guthrie, Rudi Carrell (as Wann wird’s mal wieder richtig Sommer) • 1976: Brimkló (as Síðasta sjóferðin), Karma (as Hyvää huomenta Suomi) • 1981: Karel Gott (as Vstávej, ty tuláku) • 1982: Karel Gott. 1984: Willie Nelson, Lillian Askeland (as Hei Mamma Norge) • 1987: Suzanne Klee & Harry Shannon, The Country Gentlemen • 1988: Richard Clayderman • 1989: Lloyd Mabrey • 1998: Randy Scruggs with John Prine • 1999: Lonstar • 2002: Willie Nelson & Sheryl Crow • 2003: Fourth Street Five Jazz Band • 2004: David Hasselhoff • 2006: Jimmy Buffett, Lonestar, Luther Wright & The Wrongs, Mary-Lou • 2007: Me First And The Gimme Gimmes • 2008: Roch Voisine • 2012: Moon Dancer, Sarah Maisel • 2013: Tom Astor (as Hallo Old Germany, wie geht’s dir?) • 2014: Chuck Potthast & Lynne Jones • 2018: Derek Warfield & The Young Wolfe Tones

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Previous Song Swarms:
Blue Moon
By The Time I Get To Phoenix
Georgia On My Mind
Gonna Get Along Without You Now
Hound Dog
Light My Fire
Like A Rolling Stone
Over The Rainbow
Papa Was A Rolling Stone
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Sunday Morning Coming Down
Sunny
These Boots Are Made For Walking

The most shocking music deaths in June must be that of all members of the Venezuelan alt.rock band Van Der Dijs in the Venezuelan earthquake on June 24. The band, formed in Caracas in 2024, was rehearsing in a building what collapsed in the quake. Also, two inclusions this month died in the Rio plane collision on June 14.

A quick reminder that all In Memoriams going back to January 2017 are back up. You can find them HERE!

The Hitmaker
Without Clive Davis, how different might pop history have been? Over six decades, the super-executive, label founder and talent-spotter substantially shaped, launched, revived or strategically guided the careers of Janis Joplin, Santana, Donovan, Lynn Anderson, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, Aerosmith, Chicago, Aretha Franklin, Patti Smith, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Grateful Dead, Air Supply, Ray Parker Jr, Jermaine Stewart, Gil Scott-Heron, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Kelly Clarkson, Monica, Usher, Dionne Warwick, Rod Stewart, Leona Lewis, and many others.

New York-born Davis did not begin his career in music but as a lawyer. Joining Columbia Records in the mid-1960s, he rose rapidly through the ranks to become president in 1967. Although he lacked a musical background, Davis had an extraordinary instinct for recognising talent and identifying songs that could become hits. Under his leadership, Columbia/CBS embraced the growing rock movement, signing or nurturing rock legends such as Joplin, Santana, Chicago and Springsteen.

After getting fired by Columbia in 1973 — let’s call it an accountancy disagreement — Davis founded Arista Records, where he enjoyed an even more remarkable run of success (until he got fired there too). He revitalised the careers of Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick, turned Barry Manilow into one of the decade’s biggest-selling entertainers and developed Patti Smith and others into major recording artists.

Davis embraced pop, soul, rock and R&B with equal enthusiasm. In 1983 he signed the then-unknown Whitney Houston. Working patiently rather than rushing her debut, Davis was pivotal in the career of a legend. A decade later he repeated the trick with Mariah Carey. He also guided one of the great comeback stories, Carlos Santana’s 1999 album Supernatural. And for Rod Stewart’s “American Songbook” series, you can blame Davis too.

With L.A. Reid and Babyface, Davis founded LaFace Records, whose roster included TLC, Toni Braxton, Outkast and Pink. Less admirably, he also helped Sean “Puffy” Combs set up the self-awarely-named of Bad Boy Records.

With the establishment of J Records in 2000, Davis — by now at post-retirement age — again showed his eye for talent, launching or developing the careers of Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and Usher.

The Voice
Trivia question: Which album beat The Beatles’ Abbey Road to the Album of the Year Grammy? Answer: Blood, Sweat & Tears’ self-titled album, with David Clayton-Thomas on soulful and gritty lead vocals.

It was his first BW&S album after replacing Al Kooper, and it yielded stone-cold classics like You’ve Made Me So Very Happy, And When I Die, and Spinning Wheel, the latter written by Clayton-Thomas.

Born as David Henry Thomsett in England in 1941, the singer grew up in Toronto, Canada. Leaving home in his teens due to his abusive father, David spent time living on the streets and had several run-ins with the law before discovering music as a way to turn his life around.

In the mid-1960s Clayton-Thomas established himself on the Toronto club circuit, before he was recruited to join Blood, Sweat & Tears (who had actually already split). The band’s fusion of rock, soul, jazz, blues and brass arrangements was revolutionary in its day, and made BS&W one of the most successful acts of the late 1960s and early 1970s, with hits like Hi-De-Ho and the Clayton-Thomas compositions Lucretia MacEvil, Go Down Gamblin’, and Lisa Listen To Me.

Exhausted by the constant touring, Clayton-Thomas left the band in 1972, but returned in 1974, sticking around till 1981, and again from 1984–2004. All the while he pursued a productive solo career, recording 17 albums between 1972 and 2019.

The Soul Crooner
It seems an injustice that Peabo Bryson should be remembered mostly as the “Disney singer”, on account of his mega hits with the theme tunes of The Beauty And The Beast and Alladin. The man was a superb soul singer.

Both Disney hits were duets — with Céline Dion  and Regina Belle — and it was in duets that Peabo really shone. Before the Disney hits, his biggest success was 1983’s Tonight I Celebrate My Love For You, a lovely duet with Roberta Flack. But the real highpoint of their Born To Love album was the Side 2 opener Maybe (featured on Any Major Soul 1983).

It was Bryson’s second album with Flack. Before that, he recorded an album with Natalie Cole. The standout track is their cover of Bobby Caldwell’s What You Won’t Do For Love, a version that stands up to the original (find it on Covered With Soul Vol. 24). That track, and several others on the album, was produced and arranged by Bryson, who also played keyboards and percussions on them.

Bryson also dueted with the likes of Minnie Riperton, Melissa Manchester, Deniece Williams and Angela Bofill.

Of course, he was a fine singer in his own right. His biggest solo successes included If Ever You’re In My Arms Again (on Any Major Soul 1984), 1991’s Can You Stop The Rain (on Any Major Rain Vol. 1) and 1992’s By the Time This Night Is Over (with Kenny G).

The singer was born as Robert Peapo Bryson; the professional name Peabo was a corruption of his French West-Indian middle-name.

The Village Person
When Victor Willis wrote The Village People’s mega-hit YMCA, he claimed not to have realised the gay subtext of the song. He said that “hanging out with all the boys” was black urban slang for male friendship, rather than homosexual activity. He had no objection to the LGBTQ+ community embracing the song, but objected to the media claiming that he had intentionally written it as a gay anthem.

Who knows what his intended message was with songs like So Macho…

Born in 1951 in Dallas, Willis grew up in a religious household and initially considered becoming a minister before turning to music and acting. After studying at New York’s High School of Performing Arts, he appeared in several stage productions, including the original Broadway cast of The Wiz.

In 1977, French disco producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo recruited Willis to front the newly-formed Village People, in which he adopted the group’s cop character (later he became an admiral). Willis also co-wrote many of the group’s biggest hits.

Willis left the group in 1979 after struggling with drug addiction and personal difficulties. Following years of recovery, he rebuilt his life and eventually resumed performing with the Village People.

The Jazz Icon
Along with Hugh Masekela, few musicians have done more to place South African jazz on the world stage than Abdullah Ibrahim, the pianist and composer who first became known as Dollar Brand. Over a career spanning more than seven decades, Ibrahim blended jazz, African musical traditions and spiritual reflection to create a distinctive sound that was very much is own.

He was born as Adolph Johannes Brand in Cape Town on October 9, 1934, in the multicultural District Six neighbourhood, which in the 1970s was completely razed by the apartheid regime, and its residents forcibly removed into ghettos.

Exposed from an early age to church music, Cape Malay traditions, African rhythms and American jazz records, his style reflected the rich cultural diversity of his hometown.

The story is told that the young Brand received his currency-related moniker from the time he used to hang out at the city’s port to buy jazz albums from visiting US sailors. Another version suggests that he was called Dollar by fellow jazz musicians on account of his sharp dress sense, which cost money to sustain.

In the 1950s, Brand was a leading figure in the country’s vibrant jazz scene. In 1959-60 he performed with The Jazz Epistles, a pioneering group that included such future stars as Hugh Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa and Kippie Moeketsi. The ensemble made history by recording one of the first modern jazz albums by black South African musicians.

Following the Sharpeville massacre in 1960 and the tightening grip of apartheid, Brand left South Africa. A turning point came when Duke Ellington heard him perform in Zürich and helped launch his international career.

Brand converted to Islam in 1968, and took the name Abdullah Ibrahim. For some years he continued to be billed as Dollar Brand, but by the 1980s he phased that moniker out and became known by his adopted name.

Throughout the years of exile, Ibrahim remained deeply connected to South Africa, often expressing through music a longing for home and a vision of freedom. His best-known composition, 1974’s Mannenberg (titled after one of the ghettos built by the apartheid regime for forcibly removed mixed-race people), became an unofficial anthem of resistance during the struggle against apartheid. Mannenberg was played at Cape Town-educated Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration as mayor of New York City.

Ibrahim also wrote the scores for several films, including Chocolat (1988), and No Fear, No Die (1990).

The Woodwinder
When 21-year-old Walter Parazaider first heard the brass fanfare of The Beatles’ Got To Get You Into My Life in 1966, he was inspired by the possibilities of blending rock and brass arrangements. Parazaider got together with guitarist Terry Kath and drummer Danny Seraphine — and the band that would become Chicago was born.

Born in Maywood, Illinois, in 1945, Parazaider began playing the clarinet at age the age of nine, inspired by watching Benny Goodman on The Ed Sullivan Show. He went on to receive formal classical training, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in classical clarinet performance from DePaul University. He later switched to saxophone, joking it was “a cool way to meet girls”. It wasn’t really — Walter had married his wife JacLynn in 1966.

With the addition of fellow woodwind players Lee Loughnane and James Pankow, keyboardist Robert Lamm, and bassist Peter Cetera, the Chicago Transit Authority, later just Chicago, became a a jazz-influenced rock outfit, operating alongside Blood, Sweat & Tears..

The group went on to become one of the most commercially successful groups in rock history, with more than 100 million records sold, 21 Top 10 singles, five consecutive Number One albums, and 47 gold and platinum awards.

Parazaider’s contributions were central to the band’s sound — capable of a gorgeous melody, as on the famous flute solo of Color My World and the sax on Just You ‘N’ Me, as well as dissonant, Coltrane-like improvisations.

Parazaider retired from touring in 2017 due to a heart condition, and died on June 17 at the age of 81, after having lived with Alzheimer’s disease in his later years.

The Motown Producer
After Motown relocated from Detroit to LA, a new generation of producers emerged. Among them was James Anthony Carmichael, a Grammy-winning producer, arranger and musician, whose death on May 23 was announced only on June 4.

Having cut his teeth as a session musician and producer on LA’s soul scene, Carmichael joined Motown as an arranger in the late 1960s, and worked on records by acts like The Miracles, The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Rare Earth, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Eddie Kendricks, GC Cameron, and others.

His big break came when he was given charge of a funk group by the name of the Commodores in 1974. He produced their first hit, the instrumental Machine Gun, and every record after until 1981, including that stunning trio of ballads: Easy, Three Times A Lady, and Still. When Lionel Richie left, Carmichael co-produced, with the singer, his albums Lionel Richie in 1982, Can’t Slow Down in 1983 (which earned him his two Grammys), and Dancing On The Ceiling in 1986. I needn’t go into the number of mega-hits he was party to in that 12-year period with the Commodores and Richie. He co-produced two further Richie albums in the 1990s.

Carmichael also inspired Richie’s Hello. The story goes that Carmichael was watching for Lionel in the hall of the singer’s mansion. Richie greeted him with the words, “Hello. Is it me you’re looking for?” Carmichael told him to write a song around these words. Richie gave him a co-writing credit for the idea.

In 1986 Carmichael returned to produce the Commodores one more time in 1986, which was also the final outing of bassist Ronald LaPread, who died a week after Carmichael (see In Memoriam – May 2026).

Carmichael also produced three Atlantic Starr albums between 1981-83, including their classics Circles (on Any Major Soul 1982-83), Touch A Four Leaf Clover (like Richie’s Love Will Find A Way on on Any Major Soul 1983), Send For Me, and Am I Dreaming. He produced Diana Ross’ 1985 eulogy to Marvin Gaye, Missing You. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he also produced ex-Manhattans singer Gerald Alston, Regina Belle, Pointer Sisters and others.

Carmichael took a break from music in the early 1990s, which turned into a rarely interrupted retirement.

The Calypso Sir
Best known as the co-founder, lead singer, whistler and principal songwriter of the legendary Barbadian folk and calypso group The Merrymen, Emile Straker helped introduce Caribbean music to audiences around the world and became a defining figures of Barbadian popular culture.

The Merrymen recorded around 40 albums and performed across the globe, playing prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall. In 1979, they performed during the halftime show of the Super Bowl.

Straker’s contributions were recognised with numerous honours, and he was knighted in 2019, becoming Sir Emile Straker.As always, this post is reproduced in illustrated PDF format in the package, which also includes my personal playlist of the featured tracks. PW in comments.

James Anthony Carmichael, 84, soul arranger and producer, on May 23
Michael Jackson – I Wanna Be Where You Are (1972, as arranger)
Commodores – Too Hot Ta Trot (1978, as producer)
Lionel Richie – Love Will Conquer All (1986, as co-producer and co-writer)
Gerald Alston & Brenda Russell – Tell Me This Night Won’t End (1990, as producer)

Areski Belkacem, 86, French singer, musician, and composer, on June 1
Areski – Les émigrants (1968)

Master Parrot, c.47, Ugandan Afro-pop musician, traffic accident on June 1

Anthony Head, 72, English actor and musician, Murray’s brother, on June 1
Anthony Stewart Head & George Sarah – Owning My Mistakes (2002, also as co-writer)

Kenny Rice, 81, soul drummer and composer, on June 2
Labelle – Sunday’s News (1972, on drums)

Peabo Bryson, 75, soul singer, songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, on June 2
Peabo Bryson – Reaching For The Sky (1978, also as writer and co-producer)
Natalie Cole & Peabo Bryson – Love Will Find You (1989, as writer, producer, on keyboards)
Kenny G & Peabo Bryson – By The Time This Night Is Over (1992)

Giorgia Moll, 88, Italian singer and actress on, June 2

James Blood Ulmer, 86, jazz guitarist, singer, songwriter, on June 3
James Blood Ulmer – Are You Glad To Be In America? (1983 version, also as writer)

Margriet Hermans, 72, Belgian singer, TV personality and politician, on June 3

Sterling Betancourt, 96, Trinidadian steel pan player and builder, on June 3
Sterling Bettancourt – Blue Basin Samba (1953)

Carroll Swam, 85, bluegrass singer and guitarist, on June 4

Ian Hampton, 79, Scottish bassist of the Sparks (1974-75), on June 4
Sparks – Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth (1974, as member on bass)

Sadanori Nakamure, 94, Japanese jazz guitarist, on June 4

John B. Williams, 86, jazz bassist, on June 4

Steve Almaas, 69, punk and rock singer, guitarist (Suicide Commandos, Beat Rodeo), on June 5
Beat Rodeo – Just Friends (1984, on lead vocals)

Indio Solari, 77, Argentine rock musician and singer, on June 5
Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota – Ji Ji Ji (1986, as lead singer and co-writer)

Marion Fossett, 71, singer with Irish girl band Sheeba, on June 5
Sheeba – Horoscopes (1981)

Talay Riley, 35, British R&B singer-songwriter, killed on June 5
Chipmunk feat. Talay Riley – Look For Me (2009)

Tony Wilson, 66, Canadian jazz guitarist, on June 6

Jimbo Borkowitz, bassist of surf rock band The Gillbillies, announced June 7

Sylwia Rajchert, 82, singer with Polish pop band Alibabki, on June 8

Robert Greenidge, 76, Trinidadian steel drummer, composer and arranger, on June 8
John Lennon – Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) (1980, on steel drums)
Robert Greenidge & Michael Utley – Love Is Made Of This (1996)

Nikke Ström, 75, bassist Swedish rock band Nationalteatern, on June 8

Floyd Brown, 79, swamp-pop/country singer-songwriter, guitarist, on June 9
Floyd Brown – I Can’t Sleep If I Can’t Sleep With You (1979)

Brian McFie, 65, Scottish guitarist and painter, announced June 10
Big Dish – Miss America (1990, as member)

Manu Lann Huel, 77, French singer-songwriter and poet, on June 10

Stranger Cole, 83, Jamaican reggae singer, on June 11
Lester Sterling & Stranger Cole – Bangarang (1968)

Philip Adrian Booth, 66, British-Canadian guitarist and keyboardist, on June 11

Zack Roach, guitarist of post-hardcore band Senses Fail, on June 11

Frank Michael, 79, Italian-born Belgian singer, announced June 12

Dee Palmer, 88, English keyboardist with Jethro Tull, arranger, composer, announced June 13
Jethro Tull – Moths (1978)

Dave Greenslade, 83, keyboardist, songwriter with UK jazz-rock band Colosseum, ann. June 14
Colosseum – Walking In The Park (1969)

Ronell Johnson, 49, trombonist pf New Orleans’ Preservation Hall Jazz Band, on June 14

Oliver Tree, 32, singer-songwriter, rapper, comedian, in plane crash on June 14
Oliver Tree – Life Goes On (2018, also as co-writer and co-producer)

Lucas Frota, 21, Brazilian producer, in plane crash on June 14

Abdullah Ibrahim/Dollar Brand, 91, South African jazz pianist and composer, on June 15
The Jazz Epistles – Dollar’s Moods (1960, as member)
Dollar Brand – Mannenberg (1974, also as composer)
Dollar Brand – Whoza Mtwana (1980, also as composer)
Abdullah Ibrahim Trio – Water From An Ancient Well (live) (2000, also as composer)

Fred Alexander, drummer of funk band Lakeside, on June 15
Lakeside – Fantastic Voyage (1980)

Lennie Petze, 84, member of rock & roll band The Rondels, music exec (Epic), on June 16
The Rondels – Back Beat No.1 (1961, also as co-writer)

Rayse Biggs, 72, jazz and soul trumpeter, engineer, producer, on June 16
Bob Dylan – Cat’s In The Well (1990, on trumpet)

Walter Parazaider, 81, woodwind musician, co-founder of Chicago, on June 17
Chicago – Colour My World (1970, flute solo)
Chicago – Just You ‘N’ Me (1973, soprano saxophone solo)
Chicago – Thunder And Lightning (1980)

Beau Williams, 76, soul and gospel singer, on June 17
Beau Williams – Elvina (1983)
Beau Williams – Been Too Long (1986)

Toney Lee, 72, house singer, songwriter and producer, on June 17
Toney Lee – Reach Up (1982)

Teddie Beverley, 99, singer of UK vocal trio The Beverley Sisters, on June 17
The Beverley Sisters – Sisters (1955)

Alex Bueno, 62, Dominican singer and guitarist, on June 18

Justin Cary, 50, bassist of Sixpence None The Richer, on June 18
Sixpence None The Richer – Kiss Me (1997)

Tay Keith, 29, hip hop producer, on June 18
Travis Scott feat. Drake – Sicko Mode (2018, as co-producer, co-writer)

Kirsti Sparboe, 79, Norwegian singer and actress, on June 19

Emile Straker, 90, singer, songwriter of Barbadian calypso band The Merrymen, on June 19
The Merrymen – The Guns (1966, also as co-writer)
The Merrymen – Gary Sobers (1973, also as writer)

Akihiro Miwa, 91, Japanese chanson singer, composer, actor, author, on June 20

Noël Deschamps, 83, French singer, on June 21
Noël Deschamps – Oh la hey (1966, also as co-writer)

Guesch Patti, 80, French pop singer, announced June 22
Guesch Patti – Etienne (1987, also a co-writer)

Clive Davis, 94, music executive (CBS), label founder (Arista), producer, on June 22
Aerosmith – No Surprize (1979, name-check)
Air Supply – All Out Of Love (1980, as co-lyricist)
Whitney Houston – My Love Is Your Love (1998, as co-producer)
Luther Vandross – Take You Out (2001, as co-producer)

Bruce Tull, 71, member of alt-country band Scud Mountain Boys, on June 22

Jani Wickholm, 48, Finnish pop singer, on June 23

Manuel van Der Dijs, singer of Venezuelan nu-metal band Van Der Dijs, in earthquake on June 24
Abraham Foucault, drummer of Venezuelan nu-metal band Van Der Dijs, in earthquake on June 24
Gabriel Gómez, guitarist of Venezuelan nu-metal band Van Der Dijs, in earthquake on June 24
Xander Hernández, bassist of Venezuelan nu-metal band Van Der Dijs, in earthquake on June 24

David Clayton-Thomas, 84, Canadian singer, songwriter (Blood, Sweat & Tears), on June 24
David Clayton-Thomas – Walk That Walk (1965, also a co-writer)
Blood, Sweat & Tears – Spinning Wheel (1969, also as writer)
David Clayton-Thomas – Sing A Song (1972)
Blood, Sweat & Tears feat. Chaka Khan – Dreaming As One (1977)

Roger Rettig, British guitarist of Eden Kane’s backing band The Downbeats, on June 24

Tullio Možina, 91, Italian-born Slovenian guitarist and singer, on June 24

Harold Wheeler, 82, musicals orchestrator, composer, pianist, on June 24
Bruce Springsteen – Blinded By The Light (1973, on piano)

James Monroe, 85, bluegrass singer and bassist, son of Bill Monroe, on June 24
Bill Monroe & James Monroe – I Haven’t Seen Mary In Years (1973)

Hillard Blankenship Jr, 66, bluegrass guitarist (Ralph Stanley), on June 24

Ann Blyth, 98, actress and singer, on June 24
Ann Blyth – Baubles, Bangles And Beads (1955)

Oshim Ottawa, member of Canadian band Red Rockerz and actor, on June 25

Günter Lenz, 87, German jazz bassist and composer, on June 26

Teruki Gotō, 43, Japanese musician and political activist, on June 28

Donna Stoneman, 92, bluegrass mandolin player the Stoneman Family Band, announced June 29
The Stonemans – Bottle Of Wine (1967)

Victor Willis, 74, singer of the Village People and songwriter, on June 30
Village People – In The Navy (1979, also as co-writer)
Village People – Go West (1979, also as co-writer)

Daniel Melingo, 68, Argentine musician with Los Twist; Los Abuelos de la Nada, on June 30

This is the second part of songs about the USA, following Any Major USA Vol. 1 last week, to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the federation’s independence on July 4.

As in the first mix, some songs here celebrate the USA, while others are critical. French disco legend Patrick Juvet is pretty uncritical of the US, largely because he just likes funky music. Linda Ronstadt, covering Chuck Berry, clearly prefers the USA to the rest of the world, while Norah Jones’ American Anthem sees the best in the country.

Kim Wilde’s 1981 hit Kids In America is a romanticised projection of the USA as a land of drive-in movies, diners, and a more vibrant lifestyle than what the British record-buying public knew. At the time, Wilde had never actually been to the US.

Matthew Wilder’s catchy The Kid’s American from 1983 mirrors Wilde’s projection. The titular Kid is an edgy go-getter who is determined to succeed at all costs. In the 1980s, he was probably seen as admirable; in 2026, the Kid is likely an insufferable character.

On the critical side, Nina Simone’s Mississippi Goddam and Eugene McDaniels’ Love Letter To America are the most potent critiques across both mixes. Following those, I let James Brown break my one-artist-per-theme rule with his call for reconciliation and common purpose.

Opening track Back In The USA features a few name-checks of places, while a couple of other songs tell of journeying through the States. Simon & Garfunkel’s America represents a road trip on Greyhound buses and hitched rides, while The City Of New Orleans is about a train journey. The latter is included here in a live version by the song’s writer, Steve Goodman. Why not the studio original or Arlo Guthrie’s famous cover? Because soon we’ll have a Song Swarm dedicated to the track.

Talking of road trips, the American Road Trip series of mixes might make for a good companion during this time of commemoration — a coast-to-coast-and-back journey in songs through many US cities in an imaginary itinerary over seven volumes. Every song was about the city or town visited.

Oddly enough, The Pogues could have featured a few times. Their Thousands Are Sailing, a song about Irish migration, was on the shortlist, but I opted for the more obscure (except, maybe, to fans of The Wire) The Body Of An American. Migration is also the topic of Neil Diamond’s America, from the 1980 version of The Jazz Singer. The migrants are coming to America, where freedom’s light apparently burns warm. Different times.

The commemoration of the USA’s 250 years closes with Jimi Hendrix’s rendition at Woodstock of the Star Spangled Banner, which was at once a patriotic gesture and an anti-war protest, with the ferocious guitar distortions representing bombs in Vietnam.

One obvious track missing here is American Pie. For one thing, it’s too long for CD-R capacity; for another, it has been overplayed. You probably already have it in your collection and can easily add it to your own playlist.

There will be many more obvious omissions. The Ritchie Family’s American Generation narrowly missed the cut (it featured on A Life In Vinyl: 1979), as did Madness’ Uncle Sam. I also had The Proclaimers’ Letter From America shortlisted, but I don’t really like that song much. You will doubtless have your own suggestions, which you are most welcome to share in the Comments.

As always, this mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R, and includes home-of-the-braved covers and the above text in a PDF. PW in comments.

1. Linda Ronstadt – Back In The U.S.A. (1978)
2. David Bowie – Young Americans (1974)
3. Simon & Garfunkel – America (1968)
4. Grateful Dead – U.S. Blues (1974)
5. Eugene McDaniels – Love Letter To America (1970)
6. Nina Simone – Mississippi Goddam (1964)
7. James Brown – Hey America (1970)
8. Patrick Juvet – I Love America (1978)
9. Kim Wilde – Kids In America (1981)
10. Matthew Wilder – The Kid’s American (1983)
11. Neil Diamond – America (1980)
12. Norah Jones – American Anthem (2007)
13. The Highwaymen – American Remains (1999)
14. Steve Goodman – City Of New Orleans (live) (1983)
15. Steve Miller Band – Living In The U.S.A. (1968)
16. The Guess Who – American Woman (1969)
17. The Pogues – The Body Of An American (1986)
18. Green Day – American Idiot (live) (2005)
19. Jimi Hendrix – Star Spangled Banner (Live at Woodstock) (1969)

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I remember the celebrations of the bicentenary of the United States in 1976 as a time of easy-going cheer. Maybe it was the feeling that with the chapters of Watergate and Vietnam closed, the USA could breathe out and let the sun in. Certainly, in Europe the USA was respected and, by some, even loved. As the US marks 250 years since independence, that respect and love has disintegrated.

Still, the 250 years anniversary is significant, an opportunity to stop and review all the good and all the bad that the US has brought to the world and to itself. And there are extremes on both ends of the scale.

The tracks on these two volumes of Any Major USA reflect a bit of that. There are songs here that celebrate the USA, but not in the jingoistic ways of a Toby Keith. There are also songs that are critical. Ironically (or maybe not), one of them was released in 1976, coinciding with the bicentenary. Gil Scott-Heron’s Winter In America should be the national anthem of the disaffected.

Volume 1 deliberately kicks off with the often misunderstood Born In The USA, presented here in a live version from 1985. Readers of this little corner of the Internet needn’t be told that the song isn’t a flag-waving nationalism-rouser but an angry lament for the betrayal of Americans by America. But could you blame the Reagans of the world for thinking it was a patriotic number when the cover of the album by the same name featured Bruce being cool in front of the Stars and Stripes?

And since we are nothing if not a balanced blog, we’ll follow Springsteen’s cri de coeur with James Brown’s 1980s bombast patriotism which namechecked a bunch of US cities. Let’s say that Brown’s politics were complicated. Other songs roll-call cities as well, most gloriously perhaps in Martha & The Vandella’s Dancing In The Streets.

 

The playlist sequence throws up nice contrasts: at one point we have Jay & The Americans cheerfully push the narrative of the USA as the land of opportunities, the next MC5 call bullshit on that idea. For all those who believe that the USA is a paradise, there are many who think the US is run by parasites.

A couple of songs are from the outside looking in. The Clash obviously are not filled with admiration, and Supertramp, in their often misunderstood song, satirise an idealised American culture, issuing clichés of the American Dream as it mocks the British fascination with America.

So here’s the USA, the bitter and the sweet. Volume 2 will follow next week.

The American Road Trip series of mixes might make for a good companion during this time of commemoration. Posted ten years ago, it was a coast-to-coast-and-back journey in songs through many US cities in an imaginary itinerary over seven volumes. Every song was about the city or town visited.

As always, this mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R, and includes home-starspangledbannred covers and the above text in a PDF. PW in comments.

1. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Born In The U.S.A. (live) (1985)
2. James Brown – Living In America (1985)
3. Sister Sledge – All American Girls (1981)
4. Supertramp – Breakfast In America (1979)
5. Talking Heads – The Big Country (1978)
6. Los Lobos – One Time, One Night (1987)
7. The Impressions – This Is My Country (1968)
8. Swamp Dogg – God Bless America For What (1971)
9. Gil Scott-Heron – Winter In America (1976)
10. Z.Z. Hill – Clean Up America (1974)
11. Zulema – Hail, Hail America (1972)
12. Martha & The Vandellas – Dancing In The Street (1964)
13. The Beach Boys – Surfin’ U.S.A. (1963)
14. Chuck Berry – Promised Land (1964)
15. Trini Lopez – A-me-ri-ca (1962)
16. Jay & The Americans – Only In America (1963)
17. MC5 – The American Ruse (1970)
18. The Clash – I’m So Bored With The U.S.A. (1977)
19. John Mellencamp – R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. (1985)
20. Willie Nelson – Living In The Promiseland (1986)
21. Woody Guthrie – This Land Is Your Land (1940)
22. Elvis Presley – An American Trilogy (1972)

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On Thusday, the football World Cup will kick off in Mexico City. But this mix is not really about football, and none of the songs are about sport. You don’t have to like football to enjoy this mix. I’ve used the World Cup as a pretext for compiling 48 songs from the 48 competing nations, as a way of hearing music from some countries which we might otherwise never encounter. Have you ever explored the popular music of Uzbekistan or Curaçao?

I can’t say that I’m amped for the World Cup. The commercialisation, corporatisation and gentrification of football, and the lack of ethics and aggressive expediency exhibited by the voldemordian governing body over the past decades, have stripped the World Cup of almost all of the few virtues it still had. Add to that the bizarre prevailing political circumstances, and I’m one of the many who are verging on giving up on the whole thing. But then there’s the football. If it’s exciting, I might still get into the spirit of the whole thing.

The research for this mix took ages (so long that Colombia’s recently late Toto La Momposina and Ghana’s Ebo Taylor were still alive when I compiled it). I had to sit through some indifferent music, but I also discovered a whole lot of great music I never even knew existed. There were many surprises. For some countries, the choices of suitable and great tracks were vast — how to decide which song should represent the USA, England or France? For other countries, the pickings were rather slimmer.

Some choices seemed obvious to me (Pelé for Brazil; the song that is played when Germany score a goal; the French song that scored the Paris Olympics two years ago; Waterloo in Swedish and French); others I had to chew over (no A-ha for Norway?). I’m quite prepared for it that my choices might not be those of others, of course.

The whole thing provides us with a journey around the world. I have ordered the playlist according to the tournament schedule, in the sequence in which the respective countries first play. So the mix begins with Mexico and South Africa, who will play the opening match on June 11, and ends with Uzbekistan and Colombia, who will play the last of the opening group games. That way, one can play the selected songs before the match, like alternative national anthems.

I have also made a playlist of the same songs in a less random sequence. Let me know if some songs here provided you with a happy discovery or complete surprise.

Enjoy this journey around the world!

1. El Chicano – Que Sera (Mexico) (1976)
2. Hugh Masekela – Thuma Mina (Send Me) (South Africa) (2006)
3. Dean – Instagram (South Korea) (2018)
4. Karel Gott – Rot und schwarz (Czechia) (1969)
5. Barenaked Ladies – Call And Answer (Canada) (1998)
6. Letu Štuke – Mjesto Za Dvoje (Bosnia-Herzegovina) (2005)
7. Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson – Winter In America (Live) (USA) 1976)
8. La Pimentada – Negra Tomasa (Paraguay) (2016)
9. Dana Al Fardan with the Doha String Quartet – Layla (Qatar) (2016)
10. Double – The Captain Of Her Heart (Switzerland) (1985)
11. Pelé & Elis Regina – Perdão, Não Tem (Brazil) (1969)
12. Manal – Call Me (Morocco) (2021)
13. Tabou Combo – Tu as volé (Haiti) (2000)
14. Big Country – In A Big Country (Scotland) (1983)
15. Bettie Serveert – Palomine (Netherlands) (1992)
16. Bob Evans – Sadness & Whiskey (Australia) 2006)
17. Ajda – Yakar Geçerim (Turkey) (2011)
18. Peter Schilling – Major Tom (Germany) (1983)
19. Izaline Calister – Mi Pais (Curacao) (2009)
20. Towa Tei – Luv Connection (Japan) (1994)
21. Ernesto Djédjé – Ziboté (Cote d’Ivoire) (1977)
22. Julio Jaramillo – Nuestro Juramento (Ecuador) (1972)
23. Abba – Waterloo (French/Swedish) (Sweden) (1974)
24. Emel Mathlouthi – Ma Lkit (Tunisia) (2011)
25. Mocedades – Eres Tu (Spain) (1972)
26. Cesária Évora – Nho Antone Escaderode (Cape Verde) (1999)
27. K’s Choice – Almost Happy (Belgium) (2000)
28. Cairokee – James Dean (Egypt) (2022)
29. Mishaal Tamer – Itty Bitty (Saudi Arabia) (2024)
30. Jaime Roos – Amándote (Uruguay) (1987)
31. Googoosh – Hamsafar (Iran) (1990)
32. Max Merritt & The Meteors – Slipping Away (New Zealand) (1975)
33. Edith Piaf – L’hymne à l’amour (France) (1950)
34. Ismaël Lô – Dibi Dibi Rek (Senegal) (1994)
35. Ilham Al-Madfai – Khuttar (Iraq) (1999)
36. Marit Larsen – Solid Ground (Norway) (2026)
37. Carlos Gardel – La Cumparsita (Argentina) (1958)
38. Khaled – Aïcha (Algeria) (1996)
39. Falco – Der Kommissar (Austria) (1982)
40. Zeyne – liya (Jordan) (2025)
41. Ana Moura – Desfado (Portugal) (2012)
42. Papa Wemba – Le Voyageur (DR Congo) 1992)
43. Black Box Recorder – England Made Me (England) (1998)
44. Oliver Dragojevic – Cesarica (Croatia) (1996)
45. Ebo Taylor – Atwer Abroba (Ghana) (1978)
46. Camilo Azuquita – Borombon (Panama) (1969)
47. Shahzoda – Xasta (Uzbekistan) (2016)
48. Toto La Momposina – Prende La Vela (Colombia) (2002)

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In March I made a special note of not including J.J. Barrie’s chart-topping song No Charge on the Any Major Hits from 1976 Vol. 1 mix. This month the Canadian singer forced me to feature his song…

May was a particularly nasty month for soul musicians, including two singers who released the originals of songs that would become huge hits for UK-based acts (well, one died on April 29, but you get the drift).

A quick reminder that all In Memoriams going back to January 2017 are back up. You can find them HERE!

The Legend
With the death at 95 of the great tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, the last surviving musician from one of the most famous photographs in jazz history has taken his final bow.

Taken by Esquire photographer Art Kane in Harlem on 12 August 1958, the image known as “A Great Day in Harlem” brought together 57 jazz musicians for what became (to resort to an overused but here appropriate term), iconic group portrait. Among them were giants such as Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. Rollins, then just 27, stood among the masters. Read more about that great photo.

Born Walter Theodore Rollins in New York City in 1930 to parents of Caribbean extraction, Sonny grew up in Harlem at a time when jazz was renewing its pivotal place in American music. Inspired by saxophonists such as Louis Jordan, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, and mentored by Theolonious Monk, Rollins began playing as a teenager and soon found himself performing alongside some of the leading figures of jazz.

He made his first recordings in 1949 as a sideman for bebop singer Babs Gonzales. But Rollins sabotaged his budding career by engaging in criminal activity. In early 1950 he was jailed on Rikers Island for armed robbery before being released on parole after ten months. In 1952, Rollins was re-arrested for violating the terms of his parole by using heroin.

The breakthrough came in 1954 as part of Miles Davis’ quintet, which also included Horace Silver, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke. In one session, they recorded three Rollins compositions which would become jazz classics: Doxy, Oleo, and Airegin. Rollins was such a standout talent that he received billing alongside Davis.

All the while he was addicted to heroin, a drug he believed aided his creative output — until he discovered that his art didn’t depend on being high. Off heroin, Rollins established himself as one of jazz’s most inventive improvisers, releasing landmark albums such as Saxophone Colossus and Way Out West.

Rollins was known for his relentless self-criticism. At the height of his success, in 1959 he famously retired from public performance, spending months practising alone on New York’s Williamsburg Bridge. The sabbatical became the stuff of jazz legend. When he returned in 1962, with an album titled The Bridge, his playing had become even more adventurous and confident.

Throughout a career spanning more than six decades, Rollins continued to record, perform and challenge himself artistically, often drawing from his own Caribbean heritage (most famously with his composition St Thomas), and even veering into funk in the late 1970s. He received many honours, including several Grammy awards and a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors, and at least ten honorary doctorates, including from the Juilliard School in New York City and the Berklee College of Music.

The Soul Man
With the passing of Clarence Carter, how many giants of 1960/70s Southern soul are still around? I count Al Green, Candi Staton, William Bell, Ann Peebles and Bobby Rush… Of course, there are many other soul singers of the era still around.

Born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1936, Carter was blind from infancy. Academically-minded, he earned a science degree in music from Alabama State College in 1960. A self-taught guitarist — it all began when he received a guitar as a Christmas gift — he teamed up with another blind student, Calvin Scott, to form the duo Clarence & Calvin. In 1965, they cut several songs at Rick Hall’s FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals. As a solo act, Carter also recorded at the legendary studios.

Carter was a constant presence on the R&B charts during the late 1960s and early 1970s, but crossed over into the pop Top 10 only twice, both with covers: 1968’s Slip Away and 1970’s Patches (on Any Major Fathers Vol. 1). The latter, originally recorded by The Chairmen of the Board, won the Grammy for Best R&B Song.

Patches has a country influence, and Carter occasionally flirted with the genre, such as when he covered Harper Valley P.T.A. (still, in his soulified version, the heroine “boogalooed to the blackboard”). Get it on In Memoriam – August 2021.

In the 1970s Carter’s career gradually diminished, and his output became increasingly libidinous. His 1986 track Strokin’ has become something of a cult classic, but Carter’s highpoint in that subgenre came earlier, in 1968, with Backdoor Santa (and, no, it’s not about backdoor sex). Find it on Any Major Soul Christmas Vol. 3.

Carter released his final album, Mr. Old School, in January 2020, and put out a new single in 2024 at the age of 88!

The Doctor
As the co-lead singer and a co-founder of Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, Dennis Locorriere helped turn what began as a scruffy, humorous country-rock outfit into one of the 1970’s most commercially successful and beloved bands.

When Dr. Hook emerged in the early 1970s, initially under the guidance of the humorous songwriter Shel Silverstein, they stood apart from the polished pop acts of the era. Their image was shaggy and irreverent, but beneath the comedy songs and Ray Sawyer’s eye patch there was a very good band.

The group first became famous through novelty-tinged hits such as The Cover Of Rolling Stone and the intentionally overwrought Sylvia’s Mother, the latter with Locorriere on tear-jerking vocals. In 1975, the band shortened their name to Dr. Hook and found much success with a smooth sound that drew from soft-rock, country, soul and pop.

Locorriere sang lead on ballads and mid-tempo hits such as Sharing The Night Together, Better Love Next Time, Sexy Eyes, and When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman (the observation that “it’s hard” surely was a callback to the humour of the early days).

After Dr. Hook split in the mid-1980s, Locorriere continued performing and recording as a solo artist, particularly in the UK and Europe. He provided backing vocals for acts like Randy Travis, Travis Tritt, John Hiatt, Misato Watanabe, and others.

Locorriere wrote songs that were recorded by the likes of Bob Dylan, Crystal Gayle, BJ Thomas, Helen Reddy, Willie Nelson, Southside Johnny, Olivia Newton-John, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Lou Rawls and others. He also continued to collaborate with Silverstein on various projects.

The Shooting Star
French-born singer, actress and model Claudine Longet glamorous image and marriage to Andy Williams made her one of the most recognisable celebrities of the late 1960s and early 1970s — until her public image collapsed dramatically in 1976 following a shooting death.

Born in Paris in 1942, she first came to public attention after marrying Williams in 1961. Their marriage was widely covered in magazines and television appearances. Longet began recording in the mid-1960s and achieved modest chart success with adult contemporary interpretations of pop songs. Her whispery style seemed to suit 1960s easy-listening.

She also acted in TV programmes such as McHale’s Navy, Combat!, The Name of the Game, Hogan’s Heroes and Alias Smith and Jones, and frequently appeared on The Andy Williams Show.

All that came to an end following the death of Olympic skier Spider Sabich, with whom she had been in a relationship after separating from Williams. Sabich was killed on March 21, 1976 when a gun held by Longet discharged, in the bathroom of his house. Longet claimed that Sabich had been showing her how a gun works when it went off.

Longet claimed the shooting was accidental, saying she did not understand how the firearm worked. In 1977 she was convicted of misdemeanour criminal negligence and fined a small amount and 30 days in prison, served at her convenience. The verdict was controversial, with many believing she had received lenient treatment because of her celebrity, and because of police procedural errors.

After that Longet withdrew almost entirely from public life.

 

The Philly Soul Man
As a composer, arranger, producer and keyboard player, Dexter Wansel helped define the lush sound of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s while also working in jazz-funk and cosmic experimentation.

Born in Philadelphia in 1950, Wansel studied music from an early age and became proficient on several instruments, though keyboards would become his principal tool. His talents soon brought him to the attention of the Philadelphia International Records team of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff.

Wansel went in to become one of the label’s most important behind-the-scenes figures, contributing arrangements, compositions and production work for artists such as Teddy Pendergrass, Lou Rawls, Billy Paul, The Jones Girls, The O’Jays, Jean Carn, The Jacksons, Bunny Sigler, Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King, Melba King, Phyllis Hyman, Grover Washington Jr, Patti LaBelle, and many others.

He also co-wrote tracks like Nights Over Egypt for The Jones Girls, Patti Labelle’s If Only You Knew, and The Best Is Yet To Come for Grover Washington Jr

At the same time, he pursued an extensive solo career. Albums such as Life On Mars (1976), What The World Is Coming To (1977) and Voyager (1978) blended soul, jazz, funk and cosmic vibes. These records were respected in their own time, but later hip-hop producers discovered them, and Wansel’s music became widely sampled.

Derxter’s son Pop followed in his dad’s footsteps and has had a distinguished career himself as a producer.

The Commodore
The bass on the Commodores’ great funk records such as Machine Gun and Brick House was born in New Zealand, and also died there. Ronald LaPread, who was born in 1946, moved to the US where he ended up studying at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. There he met a group of fellow students who shared his passion for music. Together they formed a band that would eventually become the Commodores.

The group achieved widespread success during the 1970s and 1980s, blending funk, soul, pop and even a touch of country into a commercially successful formula. Aside from laying down basslines, LaPread also contributed his songwriting skills and backing vocals.

Lionel Richie slowly became the frontman, and when he left the group in 1982 to go solo, many expected the Commodores to fade. Instead, the remaining members continued recording and touring successfully, scoring a mega hit in 1985 with Nightshift.

LaPread remained with the Commodores until 1986, and largely stepped away from the spotlight.

The Exciter
The biggest hit that Brenda Reid had was a cover, and a year later, she would sing lead on a song that would become a massive hit for another act.

Reid’s biggest hit was Tell Him, as lead singer of the soul group The Exciters. Released in 1962, it has become a 1960s classic. It was a gender-switched cover of Gil Hamilton’s Tell Her. The following year, The Exciters released Do-Wah-Diddy, which stalled at #78 in the US but later became a massive hit for Manfred Mann. Hear the original on The Orginals: 1960s Vol. 1.

The Exciters never repeated the success of Tell Him. Much later, in 1975, they had a Top 40 hit in the UK with Reaching For The Best, which had been aimed at the Northern Soul scene but managed to cross over. Peaking at #31, it did 15 places better in the UK charts than Tell Him had 12 years earlier.

In 1978, Reid and fellow Exciter (and husband) Herb Rooney formed a duo called, quite logically, Brenda & Herb. They released a solitary album in 1979.

Brenda and Herb divorced in the mind-1980s; Herb died in 1991. Their son, Cory Rooney, has had a successful career as an R&B producer and songwriter.

The Final Cookie
In January, I marked the death the death of Margaret Ross with the claim that all members of the soul-pop group The Cookies were gone. In doing so, I killed off lead singer Earl-Jean McCrea prematurely. Now she has died at 83, and the Cookies are now all gone.

The Cookies first appeared on the scene in 1954 as a trio that included Ethel Darlene McCrea, Earl-Jean’s sister. Ethel left in 1958, and Earl-Jean didn’t join until 1961. And when Earl-Jean left in 1964, she was replaced by Ethel.

As a Cookie, Earl-Jean sang lead on the Gerry Goffin/Carole King song Chains in 1962, the first Cookie hit since 1956. It was soon covered by The Beatles on their debut album. As a solo act, Earl-Jean also released a single titled I’m Into Something Good. It became a hit in the cover by Herman’s Hermits. On The Orginals: 1960s Vol. 1, it’s the track before Do-Wah-Diddy.

The Cookie’s biggest success was Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad (About My Baby), a #7 pop hit in 1963. But The Cookies also played a part in other people’s hits as backing singers, featured on hits like Little Eva’s The Loco-motion, Neil Sedaka’s Breaking Up Is Hard To Do and Next Door To An Angel, and Blame It On The Bossa Nova by Eydie Gorme.

After her career as a pop singer, McCrae — known later as Mother Reavis, after her married surname — sang gospel, worked in the community, founded a foundation to support students pursuing higher education, became an early childhood specialist and opened a day care centre near Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Rapper
With their 1988 hit It Takes Two, Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock helped bring rap music into the mainstream in the late 1980s. Now both are gone: Rob Base died in May of cancer at the age of 59; E-Z went in 2014 (diabetes claimed him).

Born as Robert Ginyard in in 1967, Harlem-based Rob Base and his childhood friend Rodney Bryce (or, as we know him, DJ E-Z Rock) developed a style that appealed to club audiences, radio listeners and hip-hop fans.

Their big hit came in 1988 with It Takes Two, produced by Teddy Riley and built around the heavily sampled “Woo! Yeah!” vocal from Lyn Collins’ 1972 song Think (About It), with James Brown on “yeah” duties. It became an international hit, and Spin magazine in 1989 had it top its “100 Greatest Singles of All Time” in 1989. A little more soberly, Rolling Stone listed it at number 116 “Top 500 Best Songs of All Time”.

The pair followed It Takes Two with other hits, including Joy And Pain, and Base issued a few singles in his own right, but all to diminishing returns as more politically oriented rap and the New Jack Swing scene emerged around the same time.

The Guitarist
His name might not be widely known, but you probably have heard Swedish guitarist Georg Wadenius — as lead guitarist of Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1972-75, on countless Luther Vandross records including Never Too Much, or as a member of the Saturday Night Live houseband from 1979-85.

Among others, he backed as a session musician the likes of Steely Dan (on their 1995 Alive In America album), Donald Fagen (on Kamakiriad), Aretha Franklin, Peaches & Herb, Diana Ross, Dr John, David Sanborn, James Brown, Marianne Faithfull, George Benson, Paul Simon, Dionne Warwick, Anni-Frid from ABBA, Roberta Flack, Michael Franks, Anita Baker, Freddie Jackson, Jeffrey Osborne, Will Downing, Kenny Lattimore, Backstreet Boys (on Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely), and a whole lot of Swedish artists, some of whom he also produced.

Launching his career in 1968, “Jojie” Wadenius first had success in his homeland as a member of the jazz-rock band Made In Sweden, and for his children’s songs. His fluid guitar style and versatility attracted attention, and in the early 1970s he moved to the United States. His first big session gig was to back BJ Thomas, before in 1972 joining Blood, Sweat & Tears in one of the group’s line-up reshuffles.

In the mid-1990s, Wadenius moved back to Europe, living in Oslo. As a solo artist, Wadenius released many albums in his own right and in collaboration with others.

The Producer
On December 8, 1980, Jack Douglas was producing the song Walking On Thin Ice with Yoko Ono and John Lennon at the Record Plant studio in New York. Often Douglas went home with John and Yoko but that night he didn’t as he had another session on, a circumstance that caused him long-lasting guilt.

Douglas, who has died at 80, had struck up a friendship with John and Yoko when he engineered the Record Plant-based recordings and finishes on 1971’s Imagine album, including the title track. He also engineered on  their Sometime In New York album the following year. In 1980, he produced their Double Fantasy sessions.

The friendship with Yoko soured soon after John’s death. In 1984, Douglas sued Ono over unpaid royalties connected to Double Fantasy. A jury found that Ono had improperly withheld royalty payments and ruled that Douglas was entitled to $2,5 million from the album’s revenues.

Douglas’ greater achievement as a producer at the Record Plant — where he had started out as a janitor, albeit one who graduated from the Institute of Audio Research — was to mould the sound of Aerosmith between 1974-77, including the band’s most acclaimed albums, 1975’s Toys In The Attic and 1975’s Rocks. Among the classic songs he produced was Walk This Way.

His graduation from engineering to producing owed to his recording work for the New York Dolls’ 1973 debut album, encouraged by producer Bob Ezrin. Among others, he went on to produce acts such as Alice Cooper, Sha Na Na, Patti Smith, Crowbar, Artful Dodger, Starz, Cheap Trick (on their Live At The Budokan album), Frankie Miller, Graham Parker, Supertramp and more.
As always, this post is reproduced in illustrated PDF format in the package, which also includes my personal playlist of the featured tracks. PW in comments.

Brenda Reid, 80, lead singer of soul group The Exciters, on April 29
The Exciters – Tell Him (1962)
The Exciters – Reaching For The Best (1975)
Brenda & Herb – Tonight I’m Gonna Make You A Star (1978)

Georg Wadenius, 80, Swedish guitarist (Blood, Sweat & Tears), on May 1
Made In Sweden – Lay Lady Lay (1969, as member on guitar)
Blood, Sweat & Tears – So Long Dixie (1972, as member on guitar)
Luther Vandross – Never Too Much (1981, on guitar)
Steely Dan – Kid Charlemagne (live) (1995, on guitar, incl. solo)

Michael Sollis, 40, Australian musician, on May 1

Danny Mixon, 76, jazz pianist and organist, on May 1

Kamal Abdul-Alim, 84, jazz musician, on May 2

Lee Allen Zeno, 71, bassist (Buckwheat Zydeco), on May 3
Buckwheat Zydeco – Lay Your Burden Down (2009, as member)

Hany Shaker, 73, Egyptian singer and actor, on May 3

Yūji Ōno, 84, Japanese jazz and funk pianist and film composer, on May 4
Yuji Ohno – Get Up All The People (1977, also as writer)

Evelyn Cox Hobbs, 66, member of bluegrass group The Cox Family, on May 5
Cox Family – I Am Weary (Let Me Rest)

Carlos Malcolm, 91, Jamaican ska trombonist and percussionist, on May 6
Carlos Malcolm & His Afro Jamaican Rythms – Jamaica Fiesta (1964)

Aimable Karasira, 48, Rwandan singer and political dissident, in jail on May 6

Jesse Hector, 78, frontman of English rock band The Gorillas, on May 6
The Gorillas – She’s My Gal (1976)

Earl-Jean McCrea, 83, singer of The Cookies, on May 7
The Cookies – Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad (About My Baby) (1963)
Little Eva – The Loco-Motion (1963, on backing vocals)
Earl-Jean – I’m Into Something Good (1964)

Ingo Koster, 76, (East) German schlager singer, writer and composer, on May 7

Luiz Sérgio Carlini, 73, songwriter, guitarist of Brazilian rock band Tutti Frutti, on May 7
Rita Lee & Tutti Frutti – Agora é Moda (1978)

Jo Ann Castle, 86, honky-tonk pianist on The Lawrence Welk Show, on May 8

Abdelwahab Doukkali, 85, Moroccan singer, musician and composer, on May 8
Abdelouahab Doukkali – Ma ana ila bachar

Warren Tipton, soul singer with The Chi-Lites (2018–23), on May 9

J.J. Barrie, 90, Canadian singer and songwriter, on May 10
J.J. Barrie – No Charge (1976)

Jack Douglas, 80, producer and engineer, on May 11
New York Dolls – Personality Crisis (1973, as engineer)
Aerosmith – Kings And Queens (1978, as co-producer and co-writer)
John Lennon – (Just Like) Starting Over (1980, as co-producer)

Peter Volkmann, 74, singer of German rock band Relax, announced May 11

Romuald Figuier, 88, French singer, on May 12
Romuald – Laisse-moi le temps (1973)

Clarence Carter, 90, soul singer-songwriter, on May 13
Clarence Carter – Funky Fever (1968, also as co-writer)
Clarence Carter – Say Man (1970, also as co-writer)
Clarence Carter – Strokin’ (1986, also as writer)

El Cabrero, 81, Spanish flamenco singer, on May 13

Claudine Longet, 84, French-American singer and actress, announced May 14
Claudine Longet – Small Talk (1967)
Claudine Longet – Who Broke Your Heart (And Made You Write That Song) (1974)

Peter Archer, 64, guitarist, singer and songwriter with Australian rock band Crow, on May 14
Crow – How And Why Wonder (1993)

Bengt Berger, 83, Swedish jazz drummer, composer and producer, on May 15

Dennis Locorriere, 76, co-lead singer and lead guitarist of Dr. Hook, songwriter, producer, on May 16
Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show – Sylvia’s Mother (1972, on lead vocals)
Dr. Hook – Better Love Next Time (1979, on lead vocals)
Dennis Locorriere – Underneath The Moon (2005, also as co-writer)

Ryan Porter, 46, jazz trombonist, on May 16

Ike Willis, 70, guitarist and singer (Frank Zappa), on May 17
Frank Zappa – Joe’s Garage (1979, on lead vocals; as the titular Joe)

Totó la Momposina, 85, Colombian singer, on May 17
Totó la Momposina – La Sombra Negra (1993)

Abomé l’Éléphant, 33, Ivorian singer and rapper, on May 18

Stig Møller, 80, Danish folk-rick singer-songwriter, on May 18
Stig Møller – People They Don’t Know (1966)

Al Hurricane Jr., 66, New Mexico music singer-songwriter, on May 19

Jacqui Chan, 91, Trinidadian actress, dancer and singer, on May 19
Simon Dupree & The Big Sound – Kites (1967, spoken interlude)

Gunter Hampel, 88, German free jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer, on May 19

Jimmy Hughes, 88, soul singer and songwriter, on May 20
Jimmy Hughes – Steal Away (1964, also as writer)
Jimmy Hughes – I’m So Glad (1969)

Ron Eschete, 77, jazz guitarist, on May 20

Denyse LePage, singer and musician with Canadian disco band Lime, on May 20
Lime – Babe, We’re Gonna Love Tonight (1982)

DJ Congélateur, Ivorian singer and artist, on May 21

Stephen Whiting, 80, bassist of UK-based psychedelic band The Misunderstood, on May 21
The Misunderstood – I Can Take You To The Sun (1966)

Jerry Andrews, 70, singer, musician and songwriter of bluegrass band Crandall Creek, on May 21

Rob Base, 59, rapper and songwriter, on May 22
Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock – It Takes Two (1988, also as co-writer)
Rob Base – Get Up And Have A Good Time (1990, also as writer)

Dick Parry, 83, English saxophonist, on May 22
Pink Floyd – Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 4-5) (1975, on saxophone)

Jools Topp, 68, half of New Zealand folk, comedy and activism duo Topp Twins, on May 23
The Topp Twins – Untouchable Girls (2001)

Philip Aaberg, 77, jazz and classical pianist, on May 23

John Eaton, 91, jazz pianist, musicologist, humourist, on May 24
John Eaton And His Syn-Ket – Blues Machine (1967)

Betty Roe, 95, English composer and singer, on May 24

Sonny Rollins, 95, jazz saxophonist, on May 25
Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins – Doxy (1954, on tenor sax and as composer)
Sonny Rollins – Without A Song (1962)
Sonny Rollins – Don’t Stop The Carnival (Live) (1978)
Rolling Stones – Waiting On A Friend (1981, on tenor sax)

Bjørn Tidmand, 86, Danish schlager singer, on May 26

Lotte Rømer, 75, Danish rock singer, composer and author, on May 28

Geoff Keating, 88, member of UK comedy a cappella group Master Singers, announced May 29
The Master Singers – The Highway Code (1966, also as co-writer)

Doug Shaw, 42, UK-born guitarist of psychedelic band White Magic, announced May 29

Derek Ritchie, 66, drummer of punk band The Liars, announced May 29

Pedro Ortaça, 83, Brazilian musician, on July 29

Ronald LaPread, 75, bass player of the Commodores, songwriter, on May 30
Commodores – Machine Gun (1974)
Commodores – Brick House (1977, also as co-writer)

Foster Sylvers, 64, soul singer, songwriter, producer, on July 30
The Sylvers – Boogie Fever (1975, as member)

Joe Negri, 99, jazz guitarist, academic and actor on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, on May 30
Joe Negri And His Guitar – So Blue (Tanto Blu) (1961)

Dexter Wansel, 75, soul keyboardist, songwriter, producer, arranger, bandleader, on May 31
Dexter Wansel – Life On Mars (1976, also on keyboards and as writer and producer)
Teddy Pendergrass – Love TKO (1980, as co-producer and arranger)
The Jones Girls – Nights Over Egypt (1981, as producer, arranger and co-writer)

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One thing this Not Feeling Guilty series has an abundance of is singers with names like school teachers whose solo careers were brief. That wasn’t necessarily a consequence of the quality of their music; I suspect many got lost because their record companies didn’t promote them in an oversaturated field of AOR and soft rock. Some recorded as a side project while doing session work. Others simply had poor luck, as the random roll of the dice left their LPs stuck on the shelves.

One of the many one-or-two-album acts in this series was Hal Bradbury, whose solitary solo album, You Win, I Lose, is a favourite among the “yacht rock” (that awful term) cognoscenti. The title track, featured here, was a cover of a recently released song by British singer Lulu. Issued in 1981, Hal’s album didn’t set the charts alight. But he had a happy outcome: he went on to become the lead singer of the popular Hawaiian band The Krush.

For 46 years, Dane Donohue had one album on his resumé, until he returned in 2024 with a new set. His eponymous 1978 debut had the backing of some big hitters: Bill Champlin produced it, and Stevie Nicks, JD Souther, Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmitt contributed backing vocals. The first two sang on the featured track, on which Larry Carlton plays guitar, Jai Winding piano, and Steve Gadd drums. Despite such stellar friends, the album wasn’t a hit, and Donohue was dropped by his label. Instead of shopping for a new label, he moved into behind-the-scenes work as a session and backing vocalist, and doing commercial and jingle work.

Briefly popular in their native South Africa, Stingray released two albums in 1979 and 1981. They featured on Any Major Band Vol. 1 with the great The Man In My Shoes. Their biggest hit, however, was the hard-rocker Better The Devil You Know. The featured track here is a deep cut from their debut album. For their sophomore album, the band had to replace drummer Shaun Wright after he lost a leg in a shark attack. Lead singer Dennis East went on to have a long solo career in South Africa. He died in 2022.

The group Airplay also released only one album, but they had bigger fish to fry than soft-rocking the West Coast. Their line-up included Bill Champlin and session backing singer Tommy Funderburk on vocals; the great producer, songwriter and guitarist Jay Graydon; and the legendary David Foster on keyboards. Backing musicians included almost all of Toto, and Ray Parker Jr. on rhythm guitars. Airplay were also the first to record the Earth, Wind & Fire hit After The Love Has Gone (written by Champlin and Foster), but their version was released after EWF’s, on that solitary 1980 Airplay album.

Graydon delivers a lovely little solo on the featured track, and also played on Dusty Springfield’s album, from which a track appears here too. Graydon also did that great guitar solo on Steely Dan’s Peg, which featured on Any Major Guitar Vol. 3.

One act that had a very long career was The Imperials, one of the biggest names in gospel music. The featured track, a breezy number called Living Without Your Love, came from their 26th album. Founded in 1963, an iteration of the group is still going. Russ Taff, lead singer on Living Without Your Love, was part of the group from 1977–81 — the first Black member of The Imperials at a time when multiracial bands were still uncommon. His stint was the group’s most commercially successful, and Taff went on to have a strong solo career in contemporary Christian music.

Frankie Bleu featured already on Vol. 14. That time, he dedicated his song to Vanessa; this time around the recipient of his devotion is Suzanne. The singer-songwriter, erstwhile guitarist of Seattle band Gabriel, released one album in 1982, having contributed to the soundtrack of the 1979 film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, including the excellent Moses’ Theme — yacht rock’s answer to Theme From Shaft. And that’s about all I know of Frankie.

Also featuring on Vol. 14 were Jolis & Simone, another one-album act. They were songwriter James Jolis and singer-songwriter-keyboardist Kevin DiSimone, who did a lot of session work for Barry Manilow and the likes of Bob James. On their one outing together, the pair created an album of jazz-funk grooves. They wrote Manilow’s 1982 hit Stay, which had first been released by soul trio Goodman Ray Brown.

Two of the more obscure acts here were introduced in previous volumes: Dick St. Nicklaus in Vol. 11 (which also introduced Michael Johnson), and the Little River Band’s Birtles & Goble in Vol. 14.

All previous NFG mixes are live. As always, this mix is timed to fit on a standard CD-R, and includes home-fifteen-albumed covers and the above text in a PDF. PW in comments.

1. Rick Springfield – Don’t Talk To Strangers (1982)
2. Alan Parsons Project – Eye In The Sky (1982)
3. George Duke – You (1982)
4. Robbie Dupree – Nobody Else (1980)
5. Michael Johnson – This Night Won’t Last Forever (1979)
6. David Gates – Goodbye Girl (1978)
7. Dusty Springfield – You Can Do It (1978)
8. Hal Bradbury – You Win, I Lose (1981)
9. Frankie Bleu – Just For You (Suzanne’s Song) (1981)
10. Carly Simon – Tranquillo (Melt My Heart) (1978)
11. Dane Donohue – Woman (1978)
12. Air Supply – Even The Nights Are Better (1982)
13. Stingray – How Much (1979)
14. Melissa Manchester – Party Music (1975)
15. Eric Carmen – Change Of Heart (1978))
16. Airplay – It Will Be Alright (1980)
17. The Imperials – Living Without Your Love (1979)
18. Dick St. Nicklaus – Born To Love You (1979)
19. Bruce Hibbard – You’re So Good To Me (1980)
20. Birtles & Goble – Last Romance (1980)
21. Jolis & Simone – I Love Makin’ Love To You (1979)

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Not Feeling Guilty Vol. 6
Not Feeling Guilty Vol. 7
Not Feeling Guilty Vol. 8
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