After leaving Ukiah, CA, and moving south to San Francisco to form the Charles Ford Band (named for their father) in the late '60s with harmonica player Gary Smith, brothers Pat (drums) and Robben (guitar) were enlisted by Charlie Musselwhite and were pivotal members of one of the best aggregations the harpist ever led. Leaving Musselwhite after recording Arhoolie's Takin' My Time, they recruited bassist Stan Poplin and younger brother Mark, then age 17, on harmonica and played under the name the Real Charles Ford Band. Heavily influenced by the original Butterfield Blues Band and the Chess catalog, the quartet was famous for their live jazz explorations…
This 2 disc set brings together 63 tracks from this early George Goldner run label. Covering a nice selection of the label's output from 1954 to its demise in 1962, Gee made inroads as a doo-wop specialist, primarily with the recordings of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, the Cleftones, and later with the Regents and the Drapers. Plemty of classics aboard from these artists as well as goodies from the Emanons, the Coins, the Five Crowns, the Valtones, Annie Kaye, and Lorraine Ellis, making this a superlative overview of a label that for almost a decade dealing in nothing but new York rhythm and blues.
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, pianist and keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, lead guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. The band's lineup has remained mostly static during its history, with the only exceptions being the 1994 dismissal of bass player Alec John Such, who was unofficially replaced by Hugh McDonald, and the departure of longtime guitarist and co-songwriter Richie Sambora in 2013. Phil X and McDonald both became official members in 2016…
Album Review
Evolution: The Hits is a good summary of Dead or Alive's most popular material, concentrating on their chart hits. And there were more of those than you might remember — eight are included that made the U.K. listings, along with four that made the U.S. charts (all of which charted in the U.K., too), including "You Spin Me Around (Like a Record)," "My Heart Goes Bang (Get Me to the Doctor)," "That's the Way (I Like It)," "In Too Deep," and "Something in My House." Popular as some of this stuff might have been, it really epitomizes some of the silliest and most histrionic aspects of those strange days when new wave and the new romantics were being diluted yet further into synth-heavy dance-pop. Three tracks here make their U.S. debut, although these are all from post-'80s releases: "Sex Drive" was released on 1995's Nukleopatra and "Hit & Run Lover" and "Isn't It a Pity" on 1991's Fragile (the latter was only issued in Japan). Also on board are a 2003 remix of "Turn Around Count 2 Ten" and a "metro 7" edit" "You Spin Me Around (Like a Record)," neither of which was strictly necessary unless Epic/Legacy was desperate to pad the running length. Pete Burns contributes the sleeve note.
Ray Charles was the musician most responsible for developing soul music. Singers like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also did a great deal to pioneer the form, but Charles did even more to devise a new form of black pop by merging '50s R&B with gospel-powered vocals, adding plenty of flavor from contemporary jazz, blues, and (in the '60s) country. Then there was his singing; his style was among the most emotional and easily identifiable of any 20th century performer, up there with the likes of Elvis and Billie Holiday. He was also a superb keyboard player, arranger, and bandleader…