The Vagabonds

'Sugar Drops' is the first album on Red House Records from Davina and the Vagabonds and marks the first time singer/songwriter/pianist Davina Sowers entered a proper studio to record an album. The Minneapolis-based artist holed up in Nashville's Compass Sound Studio with producer (and Compass Records co-founder) Garry West, along with her trumpeter, string arranger and husband, Zack Lozier, and a rotating cast of powerhouse players including Todd Phillips (David Grisman, Robbie Fulks) on bass, Doug Lancio (Patty Griffin, John Hiatt, Tom Jones) on guitar and Reese Wynans (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Bonamassa) on Hammond B3.

The Breakaways were the premier providers of female backing vocals for mid-'60s British pop, working closely with Tony Hatch backing his stable of singers as well as with most of the big names like Burt Bacharach, Dusty Springfield, Lulu, Jackie DeShannon, Joe Meek, Shel Talmy, and Andrew Loog Oldham. It might be easier to list who they didn't work with! They were the U.K. equivalent of the Blossoms or the Sweet Inspirations in the U.S. Like those bands, the Breakaways attempted to make it as artists in their own right but never made much of an impact. On this collection there are a handful of excellent singles released under the Breakaways name, but the majority of the disc features them as backup singers to artists like Jackie Trent, Petula Clark, Jimmy Justice, and Tony Jackson. The closest thing the group had to a hit was the stomping "That's How It Goes," which marries their brash unison vocals to a Wall of Sound production and a glorious hook.

The Breakaways were the premier providers of female backing vocals for mid-'60s British pop, working closely with Tony Hatch backing his stable of singers as well as with most of the big names like Burt Bacharach, Dusty Springfield, Lulu, Jackie DeShannon, Joe Meek, Shel Talmy, and Andrew Loog Oldham. It might be easier to list who they didn't work with! They were the U.K. equivalent of the Blossoms or the Sweet Inspirations in the U.S. Like those bands, the Breakaways attempted to make it as artists in their own right but never made much of an impact. On this collection there are a handful of excellent singles released under the Breakaways name, but the majority of the disc features them as backup singers to artists like Jackie Trent, Petula Clark, Jimmy Justice, and Tony Jackson. The closest thing the group had to a hit was the stomping "That's How It Goes," which marries their brash unison vocals to a Wall of Sound production and a glorious hook.

The Language Of Thieves And Vagabonds is the 1991 album by New York City hard rock band The Throbs. This, their only effort, was released by DGC/Geffen.

Since the unexpected 2017 death of Tom Petty, longtime Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell has carried on with his band The Dirty Knobs. Joined by Lance Morrison (bass), Matt Laug (drums)and key new addition Chris Holt (guitars, keys, vocals), and recorded by Petty's former brain trust of producers George Drakoulias and Martin Pradler, the Knobs are guitar rock in the classic sense. Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits begins and ends with audience applause, starting with "The Greatest," Campbell's salute to his audience. Closer "Amanda Lynn" is a mandolin frolic originally meant as walk-out music for his live shows. While his voice can be eerily reminiscent of his old bandmate, Campbell is clearly his own man on this third Knobs album—anchored by a pair of well-written, wonderfully recorded numbers. Paced by strummed guitars and ex-Heartbreakers drummer Steve Ferrone, "Angel of Mercy" is the tale of a dangerous femme fatale ("There's too much complication/ I can't figure out/ What she's leading up to/ What she's all about") whose charms are nevertheless irresistible: "Angel of mercy/ Wake me, shake me/ Take me all the way." That's followed by "Dare to Dream," where steady, chiming guitars give way to joyous choruses on which Graham Nash adds sublime vocal support.

Since the unexpected 2017 death of Tom Petty, longtime Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell has carried on with his band The Dirty Knobs. Joined by Lance Morrison (bass), Matt Laug (drums)and key new addition Chris Holt (guitars, keys, vocals), and recorded by Petty's former brain trust of producers George Drakoulias and Martin Pradler, the Knobs are guitar rock in the classic sense. Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits begins and ends with audience applause, starting with "The Greatest," Campbell's salute to his audience. Closer "Amanda Lynn" is a mandolin frolic originally meant as walk-out music for his live shows. While his voice can be eerily reminiscent of his old bandmate, Campbell is clearly his own man on this third Knobs album—anchored by a pair of well-written, wonderfully recorded numbers. Paced by strummed guitars and ex-Heartbreakers drummer Steve Ferrone, "Angel of Mercy" is the tale of a dangerous femme fatale ("There's too much complication/ I can't figure out/ What she's leading up to/ What she's all about") whose charms are nevertheless irresistible: "Angel of mercy/ Wake me, shake me/ Take me all the way." That's followed by "Dare to Dream," where steady, chiming guitars give way to joyous choruses on which Graham Nash adds sublime vocal support.

Since the unexpected 2017 death of Tom Petty, longtime Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell has carried on with his band The Dirty Knobs. Joined by Lance Morrison (bass), Matt Laug (drums)and key new addition Chris Holt (guitars, keys, vocals), and recorded by Petty's former brain trust of producers George Drakoulias and Martin Pradler, the Knobs are guitar rock in the classic sense. Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits begins and ends with audience applause, starting with "The Greatest," Campbell's salute to his audience. Closer "Amanda Lynn" is a mandolin frolic originally meant as walk-out music for his live shows. While his voice can be eerily reminiscent of his old bandmate, Campbell is clearly his own man on this third Knobs album—anchored by a pair of well-written, wonderfully recorded numbers. Paced by strummed guitars and ex-Heartbreakers drummer Steve Ferrone, "Angel of Mercy" is the tale of a dangerous femme fatale ("There's too much complication/ I can't figure out/ What she's leading up to/ What she's all about") whose charms are nevertheless irresistible: "Angel of mercy/ Wake me, shake me/ Take me all the way." That's followed by "Dare to Dream," where steady, chiming guitars give way to joyous choruses on which Graham Nash adds sublime vocal support.

With Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and even some R&B acts like Little Richard and Fats Domino gaining popularity it was obvious that Britain could no longer rely on ageing pop singers to service the rock and roll audience and the search for home grown talent began. This excellent 2CD set from Jasmine turns the spotlight onto some of the lesser known rock and roll acts that surfaced on our shores. Although Tommy Steele can't quite be labelled as unsung, he was the first teenage star to perform rock and roll and scored the first home grown hit with the original song 'Rock With The Caveman'.

100 All Time Classic Dance Hits Of The 1970s, a Various Artists Compilation. Released 1988 on Connoisseur Collection.