Eulogy for a King: "My B.B. King” by Ron Levy
When I learned of the death of Riley Ben "B.B." King my first thoughts went to my old friend and former client Ron Levy. Ron was blessed to be the keyboard player in the B.B. King Band from 1969 to 1976. Due to the number of
L.A. Rockabilly’s Jimmy and the Mustangs are Back!
In the early 1980s, during the peak of the punk movement, Los Angeles became known as the place to go if a musician wanted to expand beyond the three-chord garage passion of the Sex Pistols and the Ska strains of The Clash. Ironically enough, Nashville-rejected country-western singer-songwriters like Dwight Yoakam
Drumming for the Dead: Bill Kreutzmann's Memoir of His 30 Years with the Grateful Dead
Over three nights in early July, thousands of Deadheads will flock to Soldier Field in Chicago to let the sweet sounds of “Ripple” wash over them, dance to the pungent rhythms of “Sugar Magnolia” and “Uncle John’s Band,” and celebrate the entrancing music that entered their souls 50 years
30 Life Riffs, Hacks, and Jams That Have Delivered Howe Gelb's Music to “Now”
It’s possible that Howe Gelb invented what we’ve come to call alt-country. At least he’s among the few who never denied it. In 1980 he gathered a pack of desert punks to record a sweet, original country song, “Curtis, John and Sue,” now lost to time.
Gelb’
State Champion - Fantasy Error
Louisville, Kentucky’s State Champion has nailed its third full length Fantasy Error, due out this month on the local Sophomore Lounge stamp. Ryan Davis wears many hats. Balancing the label, booking shows, not to mention heading up the main talent on said label. The band has outdone itself by
THE READING ROOM: Talking with Rick Hall: "The Man from Muscle Shoals"
In late September 2013, Magnolia Pictures released the documentary Muscle Shoals, which was both a celebration of that recording studio’s funky, gritty soul sound and a glimpse into the life and times of its founder, Rick Hall. While the film was long on conversations with the musicians who recorded