"BLUE" JIMMY: MUSICIAN
BLIND DOG OZZY: NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA
"BLUE" JIMMY: The same thing happens to me every year! I see a list of people in popular music who died in the past year and I can't believe how many we lost. Did you know last year we lost Pete Seeger, Tommy Ramone, Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers, Paul Revere from Paul Revere and the Raiders, Bobby Keys of the Rolling Stones and Ian Mc Lagan of the Faces?
BLIND DOG OZZY: Not to mention Oderus Urungus from GWAR!
"BLUE" JIMMY: Dude! But there are three musicians we lost last year that were a big influence on me and my music and I want to say goodbye to them in a fitting, rockin' manner. First up is Jack Bruce, the virtuoso rock, blues and jazz bassist who played and jammed with, well, everyone but first made his ( big and heavy) mark with Eric Clapton in the band Cream. Bruce was one of the first to turn the electric bass into a lead instrument and his onstage battles with Clapton and other killer guitarists are legendary. Check out the YouTube video of his spur of the moment jam with Irish guitar great Rory Gallagher on the Cream blues jam "Politician" or the entire DVD concert he played with ex-Scorpions guitarist Uli Roth. But it's his performance on the Cream version of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads" that will make me play spontaneous air bass anytime, anywhere.
BLIND DOG OZZY: Even in public!
"BLUE" JIMMY: So now every time I hear thunder across the sky Mr. Bruce, I know it's really you tuning up!
BLIND DOG OZZY: BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"BLUE" JIMMY: We also lost brother Joe Cocker. Cocker was one of the greatest R&B singers of all time. Influenced by Ray Charles and other American Blues, Soul and R&B greats, he was known for taking mellow pop songs like "You Are So Beautiful," adding his gritty, whiskey-drenched voice and turning them into raunchy, bluesy workouts that overpowered and outsold the originals. Other hits included "The Letter," "Feelin' Alright" and a rampaging, live, Pentecostal Church-like version of "Cry Me A River" that was an exercise in wild, soulful audience participation. However, the song he will always be known best for is his show-stealing Woodstock performance of The Beatles "With a Little Help from My Friends" which almost made people forget that Hendrix was on the bill. Just for fun, check out the YouTube video of Cocker on an early episode of Saturday Night Live where John Belushi stands right next to him and impersonates him while he sings.
BLIND DOG OZZY: Funny as Hell!
"BLUE" JIMMY: Thanks Joe, for the inspiration. If a filthy, grimy, beer-guzzling polecat like you could sing so beautifully, I know I can do it too.
BLIND DOG OZZY: In your dreams!
"BLUE" JIMMY: Last, I wanna talk about the cat who put the ooooo! in Bloooooze -- Mr. Johnny Winter. Winter was an albino guitarist out of Beaumont, Texas who was truly one-of-a-kind. Going onstage with a big cowboy hat to shield his sensitive albino eyes from the stage lights and swinging his exceedingly long, white hair around his shoulders, he proceeded to play, since the late '50s, blues like no white or black or any other color man has ever played.
BLIND DOG OZZY: And in bell bottoms and platform shoes!
"BLUE" JIMMY: At one time, Winter was reportedly the highest paid musician in the world when in 1968 he signed to Columbia Records for more than half-a-million dollars before he ever played a note! Like Joe Cocker, he was one of the highlights at Woodstock with the song "Mean Town Blues" and completely blew the minds of stoned hippies who wondered how the hell he was getting that sound ( he was playing with a slide on a twelve-string guitar strung with six strings).
BLIND DOG OZZY: WEEEEE! WAAAAA! WANGGGGG!
"BLUE" JIMMY: By the 70's, Winter started recruiting some heavyweight rockers into his band (like Rick Derringer) and started blowing speakers with some of the hardest rock around, going head to head on tour with the best hard rock and heavy metal acts of the day.
BLIND DOG OZZY: In the late 70's early 80's, he returned to pure Blues and realized his dream of playing with and producing the great Mississippi Bluesman, Muddy Waters which won him Grammy Awards but more importantly, produced some of the most expertly recorded blues of all time.
"BLUE" JIMMY: Dude! But what made Johnny so unique was that he was the bee's knees and the cat's pajamas when it came to playing flat-out guitar guitar guitar. He would often play rhythm, lead and walking bass lines all at the same time and would give the impression of more than one man playing all at once. It made you think he could do the whole show by himself with no band.
BLIND DOG OZZY: And don't get me started on his slide guitar!
"BLUE" JIMMY: I'll get you started, man! He was the first man I ever seen playing with a piece of steel on his finger and I stole every lick I could off his records.
BLIND DOG OZZY: You do that with everybody's records.
"BLUE" JIMMY: The cool thing is that he did it right and respected the technique of the original Delta Bluesmen. He didn't just f**k around with it like most of the British players did.
BLIND DOG OZZY: And then there's that voice.
"BLUE" JIMMY: His voice was a cross between a Texas hurricane, a plantation holler and a grumpy juke joint bartender yelling last call!
BLIND DOG OZZY: (singing) "Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo!"
"BLUE" JIMMY: Yes sir! How can I even recommend any highlights? If nothing else, try these: "Johnny Winter" his debut on Columbia records (1969) ; "Still Alive and Well" album (1973); "Captured Live" album (1976); "Third Degree"album (1986) "Let Me In" album (1991); the YouTube video of his entire performance on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert (1974) and anything he did with his idol Muddy Waters either on audio or video.
BLIND DOG OZZY: We seen him rock the House of Blues in Hollywood before he died and I touched his ancient Gibson Firebird!
"BLUE" JIMMY: God done broke the mold when he made Johnny, Joe and Jack. When one of the greats in music passes on, I always hear people talk about the angelic band that must be forming up in Heaven. I can't imagine that three boys who smoked, drank, fornicated and made such a racket went anywhere near Heaven.
BLIND DOG OZZY: You mean they went ...
"BLUE" JIMMY: Down South! You got one of the best guitar men, bassists and singers to ever play die close together. Now all they need is a drummer.
BLIND DOG OZZY: Please, someone with a cow bell!
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"BLUE" JIMMY: Sake's Alive!
BLIND DOG OZZY: Wow! Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com
BLIND DOG OZZY: Even in public!
"BLUE" JIMMY: So now every time I hear thunder across the sky Mr. Bruce, I know it's really you tuning up!
BLIND DOG OZZY: BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"BLUE" JIMMY: We also lost brother Joe Cocker. Cocker was one of the greatest R&B singers of all time. Influenced by Ray Charles and other American Blues, Soul and R&B greats, he was known for taking mellow pop songs like "You Are So Beautiful," adding his gritty, whiskey-drenched voice and turning them into raunchy, bluesy workouts that overpowered and outsold the originals. Other hits included "The Letter," "Feelin' Alright" and a rampaging, live, Pentecostal Church-like version of "Cry Me A River" that was an exercise in wild, soulful audience participation. However, the song he will always be known best for is his show-stealing Woodstock performance of The Beatles "With a Little Help from My Friends" which almost made people forget that Hendrix was on the bill. Just for fun, check out the YouTube video of Cocker on an early episode of Saturday Night Live where John Belushi stands right next to him and impersonates him while he sings.
BLIND DOG OZZY: Funny as Hell!
"BLUE" JIMMY: Thanks Joe, for the inspiration. If a filthy, grimy, beer-guzzling polecat like you could sing so beautifully, I know I can do it too.
BLIND DOG OZZY: In your dreams!
"BLUE" JIMMY: Last, I wanna talk about the cat who put the ooooo! in Bloooooze -- Mr. Johnny Winter. Winter was an albino guitarist out of Beaumont, Texas who was truly one-of-a-kind. Going onstage with a big cowboy hat to shield his sensitive albino eyes from the stage lights and swinging his exceedingly long, white hair around his shoulders, he proceeded to play, since the late '50s, blues like no white or black or any other color man has ever played.
BLIND DOG OZZY: And in bell bottoms and platform shoes!
"BLUE" JIMMY: At one time, Winter was reportedly the highest paid musician in the world when in 1968 he signed to Columbia Records for more than half-a-million dollars before he ever played a note! Like Joe Cocker, he was one of the highlights at Woodstock with the song "Mean Town Blues" and completely blew the minds of stoned hippies who wondered how the hell he was getting that sound ( he was playing with a slide on a twelve-string guitar strung with six strings).
BLIND DOG OZZY: WEEEEE! WAAAAA! WANGGGGG!
"BLUE" JIMMY: By the 70's, Winter started recruiting some heavyweight rockers into his band (like Rick Derringer) and started blowing speakers with some of the hardest rock around, going head to head on tour with the best hard rock and heavy metal acts of the day.
BLIND DOG OZZY: In the late 70's early 80's, he returned to pure Blues and realized his dream of playing with and producing the great Mississippi Bluesman, Muddy Waters which won him Grammy Awards but more importantly, produced some of the most expertly recorded blues of all time.
"BLUE" JIMMY: Dude! But what made Johnny so unique was that he was the bee's knees and the cat's pajamas when it came to playing flat-out guitar guitar guitar. He would often play rhythm, lead and walking bass lines all at the same time and would give the impression of more than one man playing all at once. It made you think he could do the whole show by himself with no band.
BLIND DOG OZZY: And don't get me started on his slide guitar!
"BLUE" JIMMY: I'll get you started, man! He was the first man I ever seen playing with a piece of steel on his finger and I stole every lick I could off his records.
BLIND DOG OZZY: You do that with everybody's records.
"BLUE" JIMMY: The cool thing is that he did it right and respected the technique of the original Delta Bluesmen. He didn't just f**k around with it like most of the British players did.
BLIND DOG OZZY: And then there's that voice.
"BLUE" JIMMY: His voice was a cross between a Texas hurricane, a plantation holler and a grumpy juke joint bartender yelling last call!
BLIND DOG OZZY: (singing) "Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo!"
"BLUE" JIMMY: Yes sir! How can I even recommend any highlights? If nothing else, try these: "Johnny Winter" his debut on Columbia records (1969) ; "Still Alive and Well" album (1973); "Captured Live" album (1976); "Third Degree"album (1986) "Let Me In" album (1991); the YouTube video of his entire performance on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert (1974) and anything he did with his idol Muddy Waters either on audio or video.
BLIND DOG OZZY: We seen him rock the House of Blues in Hollywood before he died and I touched his ancient Gibson Firebird!
"BLUE" JIMMY: God done broke the mold when he made Johnny, Joe and Jack. When one of the greats in music passes on, I always hear people talk about the angelic band that must be forming up in Heaven. I can't imagine that three boys who smoked, drank, fornicated and made such a racket went anywhere near Heaven.
BLIND DOG OZZY: You mean they went ...
"BLUE" JIMMY: Down South! You got one of the best guitar men, bassists and singers to ever play die close together. Now all they need is a drummer.
BLIND DOG OZZY: Please, someone with a cow bell!
"BLUE" JIMMY: Sake's Alive!
BLIND DOG OZZY: Wow! Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com
