Farewell to Amy

Her last recording. And how great she looks.

Warren Zevon

Somehow I managed to forget the anniversary of Warren Zevon's death. He died on the 7th September 2003. If you don't know his music then you are missing out on something very special.

You can sign a petition to have him inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. If ABBA can make it so should this unique, beautiful singer songwriter.

This is Please Stay from The Wind which he released just before he died. The lyrics are self explanatory.

Gary Moore RIP

Gary Moore and Phil Lynott

Can't believe the news about Gary Moore, who died in his sleep last night aged 58. An absolutely brilliant blues guitarist he played with Phil Lynott in Thin Lizzy. He also played with Skid Row. He had a successful solo career and appeared with many of the blues greats, including B.B. King.

Happy Birthday Bob Marley

Today is Bob Marley's birthday

A world renowned artist, Marley was the first Third World superstar.  A champion of the world's under-privileged, he left an indelible mark across the world. His music is as popular today as it ever was.   I was lucky enough to see him once in Dalymount Park in Dublin in 1980 and it was a great concert. Unfortunately he died 10 months later from cancer

A strict Rastafarian and vegetarian he tried numerous alternative treatments to no avail.  He finally decided to return to his beloved Jamaica to die however he never made it.  Too ill to continue the journey, he was taken off the airplane and taken to hospital where he died on 11 May, 1981 aged 36.

He had too many great albums to mention.  He was ranked number 11 by the Rolling Stone magazine in their list of the world's top 100 artists and voted as the world's greatest lyricist by the BBC. He was and is a true Legend.

"Good friends we have had, oh good friends we've lost along the way
In this bright future you can't forget your past
So dry your tears I say"

The Day The Music Died

Today is the anniversary of the deaths of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson who died in an airplane crash on 3 February 1959.  The day later became know as "The Day The Music Died" in Don McClean's American Pie.

All three young musician's were on a winter tour called "The Winter Dance Party" with other musicians in the US. Tired of travelling on an old freezing bus, Buddy Holly decided to charter a light airplane to get to their next venue. Richie Valens (La Bamba), who was only 17, asked to go on the plane as he had never flown before and won his place by the toss of a coin. Waylon Jennings was also due to fly with the group but gave up his place to Richardson who had the flu.   When Holly learned that Jennings wasn't going to fly, he said in jest, "Well, I hope your ol' bus freezes up" and Jennings responded, also in jest, "Well, I hope your ol' plane crashes". This would haunt Jennings for the rest of his life.

The 4 seater plane took off at about 1.00 a.m. from Clear Lake, Iowa and barely cleared the airport before crashing. All three musicians and the pilot, Roger Peterson, were killed immediately on impact. An investigation later blamed pilot error and weather conditions for the crash. All three musicians were at the height of popularity and their deaths made headlines across the world. It was truly the Day The Music Died.

Make sure you look at the Buddy Holly video. The introduction is hilarious.

Songbird

Today is Eva Cassidy's birthday. By now, I guess, most people are familiar with her story. Eva died in 1996, aged 33, of melanoma. She was a relatively obscure singer who enjoyed little commercial success while she was alive. In 2000, Terry Wogan (another obscure radio presenter!) of the BBC, promoted her recording of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". A video recording of her playing in Blues Alley in 1996 became the most requested video ever on Top of the Pops.

Her marvelous compilation album, Songbird, then became a huge bestseller in the UK and Ireland and she went on to enjoy huge international posthumous success. In 2005, she was the 5th highest bestselling artist on Amazon.com.

Her version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow is truly beautiful and better, in my opinion, than Judy Garland's. The last song she ever sang publicly was What A Wonderful World, which she performed at a benefit gig in front of many of her friends and family.  She died 6 weeks later,

She would have been 48 today.  Happy Birthday Eva.



If you want to see the full story of her all too brief life this is a short ABC documentary made in 2010.

Happy Birthday Biggie Mozah!

I missed his birthday yesterday.  255 years old.  Today he'd probably be called Biggie Mozah or something like that.

For America's greatest allies

Isn't it amazing how the action of one, simple street trader, Muhammad Bouazizi in Tunisia,  can challenge and topple an entire system? How fragile they are. Where are Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton now?

Enjoy every sandwich. Happy Birthday Warren Zevon!

Today is Warren Zevon's birthday. Musician, lyricist and poet, there are not enough words to describe this musical genius.  like many others I first came across him in the late 70's with Excitable Boy. Songs like Werewolves of London and Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner are just two of his many unique and beautiful songs.

Warren died, aged 57, in 2003.  He had a phobia about attending doctors and, as a result, his lung cancer was diagnosed too late to be treated.  When he found out that he was dying from the disease he said "I'm OK with it, but it'll be a drag if I don't make it till the next James Bond movie comes out". He did make it to the next Bond movie which ironically enough was called Die Another Day. 

He faced death with great stoicism and humour. If you can find the time you can see his last appearance on the Dave Letterman Show.  Letterman dedicated the full show to him and it is a moving tribute to this most unique musician.  Shortly before his death he recorded The Wind for which he won a Grammy for his duet with Bruce Springsteen, Disorder in the House.

Happy Birthday Warren.

A Change is Gonna Come

Sam Cooke was born today. Most famous for his song "A Change is Gonna Come" he died aged 33 in 1964.  There are many conspiracy theories about his death. He was shot by the female manager of a motel he was staying in.  He attacked the manager dressed in only a jacket and a shoe.  He claimed to be looking for a woman who accompanied him to the motel and flew into a rage when he couldn't find her.  The woman in question, who was subsequently convicted of prostitution, claimed she had been kidnapped and fled when she had the opportunity and took his clothes at the same time.  A tragic end for a gifted voice.

Here's the Playing For Change version of the iconic 60's protest song which is even more relevant today.

Happy Birthdays!

Vivienne Westwood at
Malcom McLaren's funeral

Today is Malcolm McLaren's birthday.  The man who invented punk rock and The Sex Pistols.  He died last year aged 64 from cancer. His motto was "Too Fast to Live Too Young To Die" which I guess was kinda true.  You can hear him on the pre-Sid Vicious "Anarchy in the UK".  The Sex Pistols were only around for three years. But what a three years they were!








I missed Janis Joplin's birthday yesterday.  Here she is singing her signature tune Piece of my Heart. She died aged 27 of a herion overdose.

Man in Black

Forty three years ago today, Johnny Cash played his, now infamous, concerts in Folsom Prison in California. Cash played many concerts in prisons as he had a certain "affinity" with the prisoners. The video below is from San Quentin which he played the following year, 1969.

Cash is one of my favourite musicians and was one of the most influential of the 20th century.  His life was chronicled in Walk the Line starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon (who won an Oscar for her role).  It's a great, must-see movie.

He recorded the Nine Inch Nail's song "Hurt" shortly before he died.  It's a haunting, poignant and deeply moving song and in many ways an epitaph to his troubled life. It was released in 2003 shortly before he died as part of the brilliant "American Recordings" series.  He died in September 2003 just 4 months after the great love of his life, June Carter, died.  He was a true legend.

Gerry Rafferty R.I.P.

Not been a great week so far. He never did give up the booze and settle down.....

For Philo, 25 years today.