The most popular song submitted by one of my listeners, “Exposed as Humans”.

Space Cadet Tom Corbett, 1952

The joke about robots is over they will kill this country along with others.

One of the favorite from the listeners, “The streak of mean"

“This place” a song submitted by a listener.

Headphones and relax my friends.

Take a listen and you decide what is important in the news.

contact: vpartimus@gmail.com

The article on Substack is, Superpower Suicide and the Recovery of Justice

Looking for your opinion on this article and song, email me: vpartimus@gmail.com

Recognizing the unique talents of Ted Turner and the great deal of gratitude Atlanta, GA owes him. Two more songs created by A I, sent in by listeners and finally an episode of Beyond 2000 radio series, “The Brooklyn Brain”, released 6-21-1950.

Don’t forget SSI checks will be 25% less in 5-6 years, prepare now!

Listen to SOFT MACHINE and the imperfect humans.

Next take a listen to John Boorman’s "Domestic Robots”.

A I has and is ruining our economy and it will get worse very quickly with massive layoffs set to continue for humans,

Take care in this crazy world!

Take a listen to the SSI blues written and presented to remind those seniors that SSI checks will be cut by 25% in 80 more checks, get ready and be prepared now.

Cyrus Whitfield "Johnny" Bond (June 1, 1915 – June 12, 1978) was an American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist and composer and publisher, who co-founded a music publishing firm. He was active in the music industry from 1940 until the late 1970s.

Early years

Bond was born in Enville, Oklahoma, and grew up on several small farms in Oklahoma. As a youngster, he was influenced musically by records that his parents played. He learned basics of music as a member of his high school's brass band. While in high school he bought a ukulele, but soon he switched to playing the guitar.^[2]

Performing

Bond first performed on radio in Oklahoma City when he was 19 years old. In 1937, he began performing with Jimmy Wakely and Scotty Harrell in the Bell Boys trio, named after the Bell Clothing Company, which sponsored the group^[3] on radio station WKY in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He went on to join Gene Autry's Melody Ranch in 1940.^[4]

He also performed with his own group, the Red River Valley Boys.

The Encyclopedia of Country Music says that the Bond-Wakely-Harrell trio "pulled a clever musical scam" by recording for two companies under different names: the Jimmy Wakely Trio (for Decca Records) and Johnny Bond & the Cimarron Boys (for Columbia Records).^[3]

Bond also acted in more than 40 films,^[4] beginning with Saga of Death Valley (1939)^[5] and including Wilson and Duel in the Sun.^[6]

Beginning in 1953, Bond and Tex Ritter were hosts of the syndicated country music television series Town Hall Party, which lasted seven years.^[2]

Recording

Bond's first solo recordings came with Columbia Records in 1937.^[2] He is best known for his 1947 hit"Divorce Me C.O.D.", one of his seven top ten hits on the Billboard country charts. In 1965 at age 50 he scored the biggest hit of his career with the comic "Ten Little Bottles", which spent four weeks at No. 2. Bond's other hits include "So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed" (1947), "Oklahoma Waltz" (1948), "Love Song in 32 Bars" (1950), "Sick Sober and Sorry" (1951), and a cover of Charlie Ryan's "Hot Rod Lincoln" (1960).

Lonnie Melvin Tillis (August 8, 1932^[1] – November 19, 2017)^[2] was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s as part of the outlaw country movement, with a long list of Top 10 hits. Tillis' biggest hits include "I Ain't Never", "Good Woman Blues", and "Coca-Cola Cowboy". His composition "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" became a world-wide hit in 1969 when recorded by Kenny Rogers.

On February 13, 2012, President Barack Obama awarded Tillis the National Medal of Arts for his contributions to country music.^[3] He also won the Country Music Association Awards' most coveted award, Entertainer of the Year. Tillis was a member of the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Country Music Hall of Fame. Additionally, he was known for his stutter, which did not affect his singing voice. His daughter is 1990s country hitmaker Pam Tillis.

Early life

Mel Tillis was born in Tampa, Florida, US. His parents were Burma (née Rogers; 1907–1990) and Lonnie Lee Tillis (1907–1981).^[4] After a few months living in Tampa’s Lowry Park area, they moved to Plant City, Florida where he attended Wilson Elementary School.^[5] The family eventually moved to Pahokee, Florida (near West Palm Beach). After a bout of malaria during his childhood, he developed a stutter.^[6] As a child, Tillis learned the drums as well as guitar. At age 16, he won a local talent show. 

He attended the University of Florida, but he dropped out and joined the United States Air Force.^[7] While stationed as a baker on Okinawa, he formed a band called The Westerners, which played at local nightclubs.^[6]

Do I like A I? Of course not but I hope we can avoid violence!

Joe Rogan come on down and explain yourself and your feelings about the disgraceful acts of Dana White and the President to create basically a love-fest for the MMA crowd. I will take a recorded message or email IF too busy these days. vpartimus@gmail.com

Approximately 80 more SSI checks until 25% will be deducted, please prepare!!!!

Will Joe contact us? I highly doubt it.

Can we find good people to run for political offices these days? Maybe it is because of your name? Listen to the tale of Johnny T. and his advice to carry on with your head held high.

Also Alan Ladd in Box 13 radio series from the 1950’s.

Also enjoy an episode from Scotland Yard.

Enjoy this Vincent Price episode, “Out of the mouths"

Today I recommend a set of headphones and a trip backward into the 1970’s when Ian Anderson could sing and bring pleasure to a concert experience. I have seen Jethro Tull 5 times and every time remarkable but these were in the early days of the band.

Now I may I say what everyone is saying? PLEASE Ian Anderson STOP trying to sing. It does damage to the current presentations, songs, sales, customer acquisitions and memories of the better times. This is perhaps the best case of older singers needing to stop and collapse the ego. I cannot sing and therefore I don’t try, Ian are you listening? Aaron a huge fan it is a travesty to destroy the great performances and past experiences with these horrendous attempts to squeak out any vocals. The audience sits in concern and down right stomach twisting anxiety whilst the forced air escapes his mouth.

The passing of a friend and the poem understanding we are all just “normal” folks during this life and leaving it unceremoniously.

The 1950’s western radio series, Luke Slaughter, a favorite of my late friend.

Sam Buffington starred as Luke Slaughter, a Civil War cavalryman who turned to cattle ranching in post war Arizona territory near Fort Huachuca. 

Sam Buffington enacted the title role on Luke Slaughter of Tombstone, another of CBS's prestigious adult Westerns. The series was produced and directed by William N. Robson, one of radio's greatest dramatic directors was aired from February 23 through June 15, 1958. Buffington portrayed the hard-boiled cattleman with scripts overseen by Gunsmoke sound effects artist (and sometimes scriptwriter) Tom Hanley.

Each program had an authoritative opening statement: "Slaughter's my name, Luke Slaughter. Cattle's my business. It's a tough business, it's a big business. I got a big stake in it. And there's no man west of the Rio Grande big enough to take it away from me." Junius Matthews was heard as Slaughter's sidekick, Wichita.

In his first adventure, tough-as-nails westerner Luke Slaughter guarantees he will bring a cattle herd to Tombstone despite the threats of rustlers and a spy among the ranks of his cowboys. Like the other CBS radio westerns, HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL or FRONTIER GENTLEMAN, this one had plenty of action, the productions were well done and well-acted. LUKE SLAUGHTER was cut short, like a lot of other radio shows, by the steady pressure from TV.

This CBS western series was only a short 16 broadcasts before ending.

Key Takeaways:

• The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that Social Security payments will be reduced by 24% in 2032 unless the current system is reformed.
• A 24% reduction in benefits could result in an annual loss of $18,100 for a dual-earning couple.
• Workers should focus on saving more in anticipation of changes to Social Security.
• If retirees should see their Social Security benefits reduced, they may need to go back to work, cut spending or look for assistance programs to make ends meet.

PLEASE watch Dr. Ed Weir YouTube channel, retired SSA administrator helping seniors

Let me know; vpartimus@gmail.com

Enjoy some great music be adventurous!

1950 style radio series on Space Travel for you today.

Contact: vpartimus@gmail.com

Join us as we listen to an episode of “The Hillbilly Soothsayer’, a local celebrity and leader in the community. Mr. Yank Purdy is the speaker and host of this small AM radio broadcast. With musical guest, Fred Kirby with “Hang your head in Shame”.

Looking for your comments and or suggestions: vpartimus@gmail.com

At the end take a listen to another generation and the great Woody Herman with three of his many hits back in the day, as they say.

This is your chance to avoid anymore news about the global mess we seem to be in.

Traffic were an English rock band formed in Birmingham^[4]in April 1967 by Steve Winwood (formerly of the Spencer Davis Group), Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason.^[5]They began as a psychedelic rock group and diversified their sound through the use of instruments such as keyboards (such as the Mellotron and harpsichord), sitar, and various reed instruments, and by incorporating jazz and improvisational techniques in their music.^[5]

The band had early success in the UK with their debut album Mr. Fantasy and non-album singles "Paper Sun", "Hole in My Shoe", and "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush".^[4] Their follow-up  self-titled 1968 album was their most successful in Britain and featured one of their most popular songs, the widely covered "Feelin' Alright?". Dave Mason left the band shortly after the album's release, moving on to a solo career that produced a few minor hit songs in the 1970s. Traffic disbanded at the beginning of 1969, when Steve Winwood co-formed the supergroup Blind Faith. An album compiled from studio and live recordings, Last Exit, was released in 1969.

By 1970, Blind Faith had also broken up and Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood reformed Traffic, with John Barleycorn Must Die being the band's comeback album. It became the band's biggest success in the United States to that point, reaching number 5. Their next LP, The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971), went platinum in the US and became popular on FM radio, establishing Traffic as a leading progressive rock band. 1973's Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory and 1974's When the Eagle Flies were further top 10 successes for the band in the US, and were both certified gold, though neither sold well in the UK. In 1974, the band broke up again. Steve Winwood went on to a successful solo career, with several hit singles and albums during the 1980s. Jim Capaldi also had some minor solo hits in the 1970s in his native UK but was less successful abroad. Chris Wood did sporadic session work until his death in 1983.

Winwood and Capaldi reformed as Traffic for a final album and tour in 1994.^[5] Traffic were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. Jim Capaldi died the following year.

History1960s: 1967–69

Founding members from left to right: Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, Steve Winwood, Dave Mason

Traffic's singer/keyboardist/guitarist Steve Winwood was the lead singer for the Spencer Davis Group at age 14. The Spencer Davis Group released four Top 10 singles, including two number ones, and three Top 10 albums in the United Kingdom, as well as two Top 10 singles in the United States.^[5] Drummer/singer/lyricist Jim Capaldi and guitarist/singer Dave Mason had both been in the Hellions and Deep Feeling, while woodwinds player Chris Wood came out of Locomotive.

The first time all four original members of Traffic met each other was in 1965, when they jammed together at The Elbow Room, a club in Aston, Birmingham.^[6] After Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group in April 1967, the quartet formed Traffic.^[5] Capaldi came up with the name of the group while the four of them were waiting to cross the street in Dorchester, and was not referring to drug trafficking, as was later rumoured.^[7] Soon thereafter, they rented a cottage near the rural village of Aston Tirrold, Berkshire to write and rehearse new music.^[6]

Traffic signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records label (where Winwood's elder brother Muff, also a member of the Spencer Davis Group, later became a record producer and executive), and scored a hit with their debut single "Paper Sun", which reached No. 5 in the UK (No. 4 in Canada).^[5] Their second single, Mason's psych-pop "Hole in My Shoe", was an even bigger hit, reaching No. 2 in the UK (No. 4 Canada). The band's third single, "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush", was made for the soundtrack of the 1967 British feature film of the same name.^[5] It was Traffic's third consecutive UK Top 10 single, reaching No. 8. Their debut album, Mr. Fantasy, was produced by Jimmy Miller, and like the singles it was a success in the UK, reaching No. 16, but was less successful in the US, where it charted at No. 88.^[8]

Mason left the group at the end of 1967, due to artistic differences.^[9] He rejoined in the spring of 1968,^[10]writing five of the ten songs on Traffic's self-titled second album, released in late 1968, including "Feelin' Alright", which was later covered with great success by both Joe Cocker and Three Dog Night.^[4]Winwood, Wood, and Capaldi were still facing musical and lifestyle differences with Mason,^[10] leading him to leave the band a second time soon after the album's completion. The remaining trio enjoyed a successful tour of the US in late 1968. In 1968, Winwood and Wood often played with Jimi Hendrix, and they both appear on The Jimi Hendrix Experience's 1968 double album Electric Ladyland, as did an uncredited Mason.

The band was dissolved by Winwood's leaving in early 1969. His departure went unexplained at the time, even to Capaldi and Wood, but he later said "Because of the way I ended the Spencer Davis Group, I saw no reason why I shouldn't leave Traffic and move on. It seemed to me a normal thing to do."^[10] Winwood's comments clash with the fact that the Davis group continued after he left. A third Traffic album, Last Exit, was issued in the spring of 1969, mixing studio and live recordings.

Winwood then formed the supergroup Blind Faith, which lasted less than a year, recording one album and undertaking one US tour. The remaining members of Traffic began a project with Mick Weaver (a.k.a. Wynder K. Frog), the short-lived Mason, Capaldi, Wood and Frog, later shortened to Wooden Frog. They played a few live dates and recorded some BBC sessions, but broke up before releasing any formal recordings.

1970s: 1970–74

A trade ad for John Barleycorn Must Die, 1970

After the break-up of Blind Faith in 1969, Winwood began working on a solo recording, bringing in Wood and Capaldi to contribute, and the project eventually turned into a new Traffic album, 1970's John Barleycorn Must Die, their most successful album yet. Soon after the album was released, Traffic expanded its lineup with the addition of Winwood's former Blind Faith bandmate Ric Grech on bass. In 1971, Capaldi stopped drumming and nearly left the band after his infant son died from cot death. Drummer Jim Gordon of Derek and the Dominos and percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baahwere added, while Capaldi switched to a role as percussionist, co-vocalist, and master of ceremonies.^[11][4]

Dave Mason also returned at this time for a third and final stint with the band, though this lasted only six performances, some of which was captured on the live album Welcome to the Canteen, released in September 1971. Marking the band's break with United Artists Records, the album did not bear the "Traffic" name on the cover or the record label, although the band's logo appeared on the back cover. Instead, the album was credited to the band's seven individual members (Winwood, Capaldi, Mason, Wood, Grech, Kwaku Baah, and Gordon). The album ended with a version of The Spencer Davis Group song "Gimme Some Loving", which became a minor hit.

Following the departure of Mason, Traffic released The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971), which was a Top 10 American album but did not chart in the UK. It sold over half a million copies in 1972 when it received a gold disc, and was awarded a R.I.A.A. platinum disc in March 1976 for over a million total sales.^[12] Once again, personnel problems wracked the band, as Grech and Gordon were fired in December 1971 due to excessive drug use,^[11] and the month after, Winwood's struggles with peritonitisbrought Traffic to a standstill.

Jim Capaldi used this hiatus to record a solo album, Oh How We Danced,^[13] which proved to be the beginning of a long and successful solo career. The album included a surplus recording from The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys, "Open Your Heart", and the new tracks featured drummer Roger Hawkins and bassist David Hood, from the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio house band. Capaldi soon recruited Hawkins and Hood into Traffic to replace Grech and Gordon.^[4]

The new lineup (Winwood, Capaldi, Wood, Kwaku Baah, Hawkins, Hood) toured America in early 1972 to promote the LP, and their concert at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on 21 February was recorded in multitrack audio and captured on colour videotape with multiple cameras. The 64-minute performance is thought to be the only extended live footage of the group. It was evidently not broadcast on television at the time, but was later released on home video and DVD.

Traffic performing in Hamburg in 1973

Following Winwood's recovery from peritonitis, Traffic's sixth studio album, Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory, released in 1973, met with a cold critical reception, but in sales it was another major hit. It was shortly followed by a major world tour, for which Muscle Shoals keyboardist Barry Beckett was added to the lineup. The double live album On the Road was drawn from this tour.^[11] It broke the band's string of British flops by reaching No. 40 in the UK Albums Chart.^[14] After the tour, Winwood informed the Muscle Shoals trio that he was returning to a smaller lineup more like their original one, and their services were no longer needed. Meanwhile, Chris Wood's problems with drug use and depression were increasing.^[11]

Rosko Gee was recruited on bass, while Capaldi switched back to drums. The resulting quintet began to record a new album in late 1973, but Kwaku Baah was fired partway through the sessions, leaving most of the album to be recorded by the quartet of Winwood, Capaldi, Wood, and Gee.^[15] When the Eagle Flies, released in 1974, was yet another Top 10 album in the US, and moderately successful in the UK. However, a subsequent tour of the US, while successful in terms of ticket sales,^[16] was emotionally exhausting for the band.

Capaldi later recalled "Rosko Gee and I were the only ones in anything like normal shape. Steve was having recurrent problems with the peritonitis, and Chris's body was suffering from chemical warfare."^[13]Winwood ultimately passed his boiling point, walking off the stage in the middle of what turned out to be the band's final show, in Chicago. The following day he left the tour without a word to anyone, leaving the rest of the band waiting for him at the venue for that night's scheduled performance.^[13] Feeling Winwood had been integral to Traffic's music, the remaining members opted not to continue the band without him.

Steve Winwood embarked on a solo career, while Rosko Gee and Rebop Kwaku Baah joined German band Can. Kwaku Baah died on stage from a cerebral hemorrhage in Stockholm, Sweden in 1983, and Capaldi dedicated his solo album Fierce Heart to his memory. Chris Wood also died that year from pneumonia.

Reunion

Winwood and Capaldi, 1994

All of the living members of Traffic's most recent lineup - Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Rosko Gee - reunited in 1994 for a one-off tour, after a fan left a voice mail message at Bob Weir's (of the Grateful Dead) hotel in Chicago during the 1992 "Scaring the Children" tour, and suggested it would be cool if Traffic toured with the (then Grateful) Dead. Traffic opened for the Grateful Dead during their summer tour. The flute/sax role on the tour was played by Randall Bramblett, who had worked extensively with Winwood. Bramblett had never played flute before and had to learn to play it for his role in Traffic.^[17]

Mike McEvoy joined the lineup playing keyboards, guitar and viola, and Walfredo Reyes, Jr. played drums and percussion. As a duo, Winwood and Capaldi recorded and released a new Traffic studio album, Far from Home, which broke the Top 40 in both the UK and USA. The Last Great Traffic Jam, a double live album and DVD released in 2005, documents the band's 1994 reunion tour.

The four original members of Traffic were inducted for their contributions in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 15 March 2004. Winwood, Capaldi, Mason, and Stephanie Wood standing in for her late brother Chris, all attended the ceremony. Winwood and Capaldi performed "Dear Mr. Fantasy" at the induction performance, and were joined by Mason for "Feelin' Alright" during the grand finale, which also featured Keith Richards, Tom Petty, and the Temptations. Bramblett also performed at the ceremony, though he was not one of the members inducted.^[18]

Tentative plans for another Traffic project were cut short by Jim Capaldi's death from stomach cancer at age 60 in January 2005, ending the songwriting partnership with Winwood that had fueled Traffic from its beginning. Winwood subsequently dedicated The Last Great Traffic Jam "to the man without whom Traffic could never be: my lifelong friend and partner, Jim Capaldi."

Dear Mr. Fantasy was a celebration for Capaldi that took place at the Roundhouse in Camden Town, London on 21 January 2007. Guests included Steve Winwood, Paul Weller, Pete Townshend, and many more. Dear Mr. Fantasy featured the music of Jim Capaldi and Traffic, and all profits went to the Jubilee Action Street Children Appeal.

Members

• Jim Capaldi – drums, percussion, vocals, keyboards (1967–1969, 1970–1974, 1994, 2004;^[19] died 2005)
• Steve Winwood – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass (1967–1969, 1970–1974, 1994, 2004)^[19]
• Chris Wood – flute, saxophone, keyboards (1967–1969, 1970–1974; died 1983)
• Dave Mason – vocals, guitar, sitar, bass, harmonica (1967, 1968, 1971)
• Ric Grech – bass, violin (1970–1972; died 1990) guitar (live only; 1970)
• Rebop Kwaku Baah – percussion (1971–1974; died 1983)
• Jim Gordon – drums (1971–1972; died 2023)
• Roger Hawkins – drums (1972–1973; died 2021)
• David Hood – bass (1972–1973)
• Barry Beckett – keyboards (1973; died 2009)
• Rosko Gee – bass (1974, 1994)
• Randall Bramblett – flute, saxophone, keyboards, bass pedals (1994, 2004)^[19]
• Michael McEvoy – keyboards, guitar, viola (1994)
• Walfredo Reyes, Jr. – percussion, drums (1994)

Rare Bird were an English progressive rock band, formed in 1969.^[1] They released five studio albums between 1969 and 1974. In the UK, the single "Sympathy" reached number 27 in February 1970, selling an estimated one million globally.^[2] The band was notable for its organ-driven sound, utilising two keyboardists and no guitar in its original line-up.

History1968–1969: Formation, Rare Bird, and "Sympathy"

In August 1968, organist Graham Field formed a group called Lunch and banded together with keyboardist David Kaffinetti.^[3] The group was short-lived and the two members began looking for a rhythm section for a new project.

By late 1969, they had found singer and bassist Steve Gould and drummer Mark Ashton.^[2] Former members of the pop-psych band Fruit Machine Gould and Chris Randall had originally joined as guitarist and bassist respectively, but Field and Kaffinetti envisioned a band without guitar so they asked Randall to leave and convinced Gould to take up bass and vocals. Before joining the band, Randall and Gould had written a song called "To the Memory of Two Brave Dogs" which would be included as the opening track to their debut album under the name "Iceberg", for which Randall would receive no credit.^{[citation needed]}

Now that the band had established a stable line-up, they recorded a demo which attracted the attention of Tony Stratton Smith. As the band still had no name, Ashton and Smith came up with Rare Bird.^[4] Shortly after, Rare Bird became one of the first bands signed to Charisma Records, along with Van der Graaf Generator and the Nice.^[5]

Within a matter of weeks, the band had begun recording their eponymous debut album, Rare Bird, released in November 1969.^[3] According to Ashton, the album was recorded over the course of just a few days at Trident Studios,^[3][4] using a Hammond B3 organ, an electric piano, a Gibson bass and a Ludwig drum kit.^[4] From Rare Bird, the single "Sympathy" was released, which reached No. 1 in Italy and France, and is estimated to have sold 500,000 copies in France and between one^[1][2] and three million globally.^[6]It became their only UK hit single, reaching No.27 and staying on the chart for 8 weeks.^[7]

1970–1974: Later releases and line-up changes

In 1970, Rare Bird released their second studio album, As Your Mind Flies By, which was the last to feature their original line-up. Despite favourable reception, the album failed to chart in both the UK and the US. Due to the lack of commercial success, the band was dropped from Charisma.^[3]

The band made live TV appearances on programmes such as Top of the Tops and Disco 2 in the UK and Beat Club in Germany in 1970,^[8] as well as the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1971. Rare Bird also performed at Jazz Bilzen in August 1970.

In early 1971, Field left Rare Bird to form a short-lived solo project called the Fields, releasing one album with CBS in 1971. Shortly after, Mark Ashton left to form Headstone, releasing two albums with Trident Productions in 1974 and 1975.^[3]

A major personnel change in 1972 had Gould move to rhythm guitar, Kaffinetti remain on keyboards, Paul Karas join on bass, Andy Curtis take up lead guitar, and Fred Kelly join on drums.^[3] With this line-up the band recorded Epic Forest, marking a change in direction for the band, veering away from some of the classical-inspired themes of the previous two albums and moving towards a more mainstream progressive rock sound. This was their first album to be released on Polydor Records.

The band's fourth album, Somebody's Watching, came about after Nic Potter replaced Karas on bass in 1973. The final track "Dollars" includes extracts from "A Few Dollars More" and features a guest appearance from King Crimson bassist John Wetton.

Rare Bird recorded their final album, Born Again, in 1974. At this point, roadie Andy Rae had replaced Potter on bass and Curtis had quit, leaving the band as it had started; a four piece. The band also performed at the Dagenham Roundhouse on 8 June 1974, supporting Barclay James Harvest.^[9]

1975 onwards: Break-up and legacy

Following the continuous commercial failures that had been their last three albums, Rare Bird disbanded in 1975. They had run out of money and had "fizzled out" according to Gould.^[3]

In 1977, Gould went on to form the rock band Runner, releasing one album before they broke up. In 1980, he played bass in Alvin Lee's band for two decades.

Kaffinetti eventually went on to play Viv Savage in the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap (1984).^[10]

MembersOriginal line-up

• Graham Field – organ, keyboards (1969–1971)
• David Kaffinetti – keyboards (1969–1975)
• Steve Gould – bass, vocals (1969–1975)
• Mark Ashton – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1969–1971)

1972 onwards

Source:^[3]

In addition to Steve Gould (guitar, vocals) and David Kaffinetti (keyboards, organ):

• Paul Karas – bass, vocals (1972)
• Andy Curtis – lead guitar (1972–1973)
• Fred Kelly – drums, percussion (1972–1975)
• Nic Potter – bass (1973)
• Andy Rae – bass (1974–1975)
• John Wetton – guest appearance; bass on "Dollars" (1973)
• Paul Holland – producer (1972–1973)

DiscographyStudio albums

Rare Bird released five studio albums.^[11]

• Rare Bird (UK: Charisma, U.S.: Command/Probe, 1969) U.S. # 115 (13 w)
• As Your Mind Flies By (UK: Charisma, U.S.: ABC, 1970)
• Epic Forest (Polydor, 1972) U.S. # 194 (2 w)
• Somebody's Watching (Polydor, 1973)
• Born Again (Polydor, June 1974)

Enjoy a day away from the discouraging reality as a senior citizen and take a listen to Vincent Price and “The Family Album”.

Rather than you watch anymore news and listen to propaganda from the extreme left and right just turn it off and fall into your favorite old chair with my selection for you today.

Please take care of yourself and TRUST NO ONE.

THE DAMON RUNYON THEATRE

The Damon Runyon Theatre was another of Alan Ladd's Mayfair Transcription Company productions. Ladd, long an admirer of 'The Brighter Side', Damon Runyon's long-running newspaper column, initially signed Pat O'Brien to star as 'Broadway' in the program. Indeed we have an alleged audition from the program, titled "Princess O'Hara" in which O'Brien and Wendy Barrie are heard announcing the next production of the series, 'A Piece of Pie'. Newspaper listings of the era describe Pat O'Brien slated to cut all 52 programs upon completing principal filming of the Howard Hughes/RKO feature, The Boy with Green Hair. But the quixotic Hughes decided the 'message' element of The Boy with Green Hair was a bit too risky for late-1940s audiences. He directed that the film be re-shot, as needed, to remove the social intolerance message from the completed celluloid.

Newspaper accounts cite O'Brien as anticipating a New York recording session for all 52 episodes of The Damon Runyon Theatre sometime during the Summer of 1948. But owing to the re-shoot and re-cutting of The Boy with Green Hair, the movie wasn't completed until September of 1948. This may--or may not--explain Pat O'Brien's absence from the remaining episodes of The Damon Runyon Theatre--or whether any were recorded beyond Princess O'Hara. Given the common practice of cutting two to five transcribed recordings in one session, one might well imagine that O'Brien recorded as many as five Damon Runyon Theatre programs before his performances were cut short. But it's intriguing to wonder how many of the episodes they actually did record before O'Brien had to rush back to RKO's West Coast studios to complete The Boy with Green Hair.

As it turns out, Ladd tapped short-lived veteran Radio actor John Brown to voice the recurring 'Broadway' character so central to the exposition of every episode of The Damon Runyon Theatre. As most fans of the program would attest, John Brown's 'Broadway' was as good as it gets in Radio. Brown had already begun performing a similar character on My Friend Irma (1947) as Irma's (Marie Wilson) shiftless boyfriend, so the leap to yet another Lower East Side accent wasn't that great for Brown. Indeed, one wonders if Brown ever got out of character for the seven years that My Friend Irma aired over CBS.

Yet another stumbling block for many new programs produced in 1948 was the infamous 'Petrillo Ban' on producing any new professional Radio recordings. The following is from the Time Magazine article of December 29, 1947:

"Cocky little James Caesar Petrillo just sat back and waited. Recording companies rushed symphony orchestras, hillbilly bands and blues singers in & out of studios, trying to record as much as possible by January 1, when Petrillo's ban on record-making becomes effective. Record officials gloated that they had piled up a big enough backlog of new records to last a year or more. They were hopeful that Petrillo's Musicians' Union might not be able to stand so long a layoff.

Last week, James Petrillo pointed his stubby finger at a point they had apparently overlooked. The Taft-Hartley law prevented record companies from signing a new contract which would pay royalties to a union-administered fund—but the record companies had obligingly recorded a year's supply under the old contract. All those phonograph records to be doled out over the bleak months ahead, he thought, would net his union around $10,000,000.

The record companies looked as if they had been hit over the head with a kettledrum. Together with men from radio, television, and phonograph manufacturers, they formed a united industry committee to fight Petrillo. But Petrillo wasn't budging an inch: "We are never going to make records again -- ever. That's one New Year's resolution we've made and one we are going to keep."

James Caesar Petrillo was president of the American Federation of Musicians, who had successfully imposed a ban on professional recordings between 1942 and 1944 until an appropriate royalty system could be established to the benefit of his union members. Petrillo successfully reimposed the ban for most of 1948 -- it was finally lifted on November 22, 1948. Indeed, then Freshman Congressman Richard M. Nixon made headlines taking up the cudgel for the Recording Industry in an attempt to thwart Petrillo's union.

This is the reason the same music theme is employed in both the alleged Pat O'Brien audition recordings and the final production pressings of The Damon Runyon Theatre. Having dodged two potential stumbling blocks, Ladd's The Damon Runyon Theatre was first aired over independent radio station KSEL, Lubbock, Texas.

The program was soon heard over most major outlets between November 1948 and December 1951. As with Mayfair's other syndicated programs, the production quality and engineering is superb. Veteran Mayfair producer Vern Carstensen again supervises the production and Richard Sanville directs. Mayfair writer Russell Hughes adapts Damon Runyon's wonderful short stories, maintaining the very Runyonesque flavor of both the dialogue and settings.

But what is it that makes a character or storyline Runyonesque? For three generations of Americans, a Damon Runyon character evoked a social archetype from the Brooklyn or Midtown demi-monde elements of New York society. Think of it as the Bizarro World version of New York's 'The 400'. Runyon spun fascinating, tongue-incheek tales of gamblers, hustlers, actors, and gangsters--and their dolls. Most self-respecting denizens of Runyon's fanciful world preferred colorful monikers such as 'Nathan Detroit,' 'Big Jule,' 'Harry the Horse Thief,' 'Good Time Charlie,' 'Dave the Dude,' or 'The Seldom Seen Kid.'

Runyon spun his tales in a uniquely vernacular style that mixed overly formal speech with richly colored slang. This idiomatic language was invariably spoken in the present tense, quite deliberately devoid of any contractions. Runyon is credited as the first major American writer to "stylize both the language and the behavior of gangsters and depict them as another part of the socio-economic system, showing how the underworld provided clients with gambling, sex and hard-to-get sports tickets and, during Prohibition, with liquor," according to Cornell University English Professor, Daniel Schwarz.

Runyon's flamboyant street characters, with their aggressive one-line retorts, have shaped the world's image of 20th Century New York City for over eighty years. That's the charm and flavor that makes each of these recordings so timeless. Those familiar with Runyon's work will remember that the famous Frank Sinatra/Marlon Brando vehicle Guys and Dolls (1955) was based on Damon Runyon's unique vision of New York City and its inhabitants--and the long-running play of the same name. Indeed, had Guys and Dolls been filmed six years earlier, one might well imagine that The Damon Runyon Theatre may have been named Guys and Dolls.

The Mayfair rendition of Damon Runyon's fascinating world remains as true to form and substance as both the 1200-performance Guys and Dolls stage play and the Oscar-nominated Guys and Dolls film. Runyon's most celebrated short stories were spun into a 52-week long, seamless atmosphere of a New York City that shaped popular perceptions of The Big Apple throughout the remainder of the Golden Age of Radio and the Golden Age of Television as well. Veteran dialecticians Gerald Mohr, Herb Vigran, Sheldon Leonard, Luis Van Rooten, Alan Reed and Lionel Stander gave every program of the run an authenticity and indelible flavor that were imitated in both Radio and Television for decades to come.

The Damon Runyon Theatre stands as one of Mayfair's finest contributions to The Golden Age of Radio and remains a valuable addition to any Golden Age Radio collector's library. As an artifact of American Society it represents an invaluable time capsule of period vernacular. But most of all it stands as an enduring reminder of the genius of Damon Runyon's insight into the class warfare that evolved during and after the Roaring 20s and The Great Depression.

Questions included The Epstein Files?

We are not dealing with rational people with the countries involved and more to come it seems.

Beware of the BIG RED BUTTON when you polish your desk, dear world leaders.

My own personal feeling is a “mistake” will be made and yet that will be too late, to go back and correct things.

I think this is a good time to ask for prayers not just today but going forward. We are losing innocent people here and abroad.

I pray for peace and kindness to those deserving.

This little story is about the other side of the ripples caused by the seizures of all people and not just the bad guys.

Multiple Global Wars, Homelessness, Financial Collapse, Crime, Racism, Diseases, Poverty, Senior Citizens dying on the road, Countries becoming isolated, Nuclear War, The loss of the “middle-class” in our society, lost moralities, lost religion and the search for another answer after being mislead and lied to. We became a slave to money and all that it promised turned into our nightmares in the quest for money, power and egotistical fame.

The time is up I am afraid to say for us the humans on this earth. When we owned the biggest bombs and held power and threats over the rest of the world, we became the strongest and most feared. However now everyone has the same arsenal and capabilities. No one trust anyone now and we are all the biggest in our eyes, but now flexing our military muscles and just waiting for a fight. The difference now is there will be no winners and all sides will fall. The innocent few will fall at a later date after the remaining skirmishes will disappear out of existence.

Even by some chance we survive this current situation the truth is out and next time mere threats will yield to action and then the final war will be played out with ourselves being evaporated.

In the meantime enjoy Skeeter Davis and “The end of the World”, what else can we do?

The band self-produced two EPs that drew attention on the underground circuit before signing to Vanguard Records in 1966. Their debut album, Electric Music for the Mind and Body, followed in 1967. It contained their only nationally charting single, "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine", and their most experimental arrangements. Their second album, I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die, was released in late 1967; its title track, with its dark humor and satire, became their signature tune and is among the era's most recognizable protest songs.^[1] Further success followed, including McDonald's solo appearance as well as the band's appearance at Woodstock.^[2]

The group's lineup underwent changes, until its disbandment in 1970. Members of the band continue in the music industry as solo recording artists and sporadically reconvene. Members of Big Brother and The Holding Company often joined the band.

HistoryFormation (1965)

The first lineup of Country Joe and the Fish formed in mid-1965, when Country Joe McDonald (vocals, acoustic guitar) and Barry "The Fish" Melton (lead guitar, vocals) came together as a duo.^[3] The two musicians had a background rooted in folk music, were enamored with the recordings of Woody Guthrie, and worked on the local acoustic coffeehouse circuit in the early 1960s.^[3] Melton honed his political protest prowess as a guitarist in Los Angeles, at venues such as the Ash Grove, before relocating to Berkeley, California, where he was a regular at the Jabberwock cafe.^[4] Prior to the group, McDonald set up two folk and jug bands, the Berkeley String Quartet and the Instant Jug Band, both of which served as outlets for his original material, and with the latter group including Melton.^[5] In addition, McDonald was a publisher of the left-wing underground magazine Et Tu Brute, which later became Rag Baby, containing poetry, drawings, and political messages.^[6] By early 1965, McDonald had become involved in the burgeoning folk scene in Berkeley, and the Free Speech Movement that was organizing demonstrations in University of California, Berkeley, which opposed the war in Vietnam. Not long afterwards, McDonald was inspired to record a "talking issue" of his magazine, and organized Country Joe and the Fish with Melton and fellow musicians Carl Schrager (washboard, kazoo), Bill Steele (bass guitar), and Mike Beardslee (vocals), out of both necessity of a recording alias and political device, to self-produce an extended play.^[7][8]

ED Denson, the co-publisher of Rag Baby, introduced McDonald to Chris Strachwitz, who owned Arhoolie Recording Studios, to self-produce the EP.^[9] Sensing the band's potential, Denson assumed management control, and was responsible for coining the group's name—a reference to Josef Stalin and to Mao Zedong's description of revolutionaries as "the fish who swim in the sea of the people".^[4] McDonald, who had recording experience, began utilizing Arhoolie Recording Studios to record four songs split equally between the band and a local folk musician, Peter Krug. It was during this time at Arhoolie Records that Country Joe and the Fish's folk sound and political protest prowess—an amalgam of their own Guthrie-influenced material and their folk music roots—began to emerge. The band's side of the EP featured two originals by McDonald, an acoustic version of "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag", and "Superbird".^[7][10]According to McDonald, "The Fish Cheer" was written in 30 minutes, with a purpose of expressing satiric and dark commentary on the US's involvement in the Vietnam War.^[11] In October 1965, 100 copies of the EP, titled Rag Baby Talking Issue No. 1, were distributed on McDonald's independent label at a Teach-in in UC Berkeley and underground shops selling Rag Baby magazine.^[12]

For a brief period, McDonald and Melton performed together as a duo at college campuses in the Northwest on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society before returning as regulars at the Jabberwock cafe.^[13] The two were joined by local jug band musicians, including Melton's roommates, bass playerBruce Barthol and guitarist Paul Armstrong, and blues guitarist David Bennett Cohen, with whom Melton played in another jug band. The addition of drummer John Francis-Gunning rounded out the six-piece ensemble.^[14] It was during their residency at the Jabberwock that Country Joe and the Fish learned to play as a group and expand their repertoire. Within months, based on McDonald and Melton's interest in the live performances of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the recordings on Bob Dylan's album, Highway 61 Revisited, and their use of the mind-altering drug LSD, the group began equipping themselves with electric instruments and delving more into psychedelia.^[15] As a result, Cohen was moved over to the organ. Cohen's experience with keyboards was limited to having played piano at a semiprofessional capacity at the Jabberwock, but, nonetheless, he quickly adapted to the qualities of the instrument.^[16]Melton describes the change of the group: "Once we hit into the electric medium and into the rock medium, we were pandering to the public taste. We became extraordinarily popular. The little folk club where we used to play once every two weeks, we played every single night for a month, or something like that, and filled it. And after a while we filled two shows every single night".^[15]

Incidentally, the song "Who Am I" was written by McDonald for a play called Change Over, written by Fred Hayden. Each of the three verses was to be considered as sung by a different character.

Electric music (1966–1968)

As Country Joe and the Fish's popularity grew, the band relocated to San Francisco in early 1966 and became popular fixtures at the Avalon and the Filmore Auditorium. On June 6, 1966, the band recorded a second self-produced EP, which was packaged separately from the Rag Baby magazine and, upon its release, debuted the new psychedelic rock incarnation of the group.^[17] The EP fulfilled the band's ambitions to incorporate electric instruments into their music, effectively melding the instrumentals and pioneering an early template for the musical subgenre of acid rock. It included McDonald's compositions "(Thing Called) Love" and "Bass Strings" on the A-side and the six-minute "Section 43" on the B-side.^[18]Music historian Richie Unterberger praised "Section 43", saying its "Asiatic guitar, tribal maracas, devious organ, floating harmonica, and ethereal mid-sections of delicate koto-like guitar picking rivaled the Paul Butterfield Blues Band's East West as the finest psychedelic instrumental ever".^[15] Within three months, airplay of the EP spread across the new so-called progressive radio stations, reaching as far as New York City, and establishing Country Joe and the Fish as a nationally relevant musical act.^[19]

Through connections that Cohen had with record producer Samuel Charters, the group signed a recording contract with Vanguard Records in December 1966, just as the label, which had primarily released folk music, was attempting to branch out into the growing psychedelic rock scene.^[16] While the band waited to record their debut album, they were present at the Human Be-In, along with other influential San Francisco musical acts, including Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Quicksilver Messenger Service. The event was a prelude to the Summer of Love and helped publicize counterculture ideals such as ecology, free-love and the use of illicit drugs.^[20]

In February 1967, Country Joe and the Fish entered Sierra Sound Laboratories to record their debut album, Electric Music for the Mind and Body, with Charters and Denson overseeing the process. Prior to their studio work, Armstrong left the group and began a two-year alternative assignment as a conscientious objector, driving a truck for Goodwill Industries.^[14] Francis-Gunning was involved in the beginnings of the album's development but left when the rest of the band complained about his drumming technique. He was replaced by Gary "Chicken" Hirsh. The next recording session was postponed for three days as the most recognizable lineup of Country Joe and the Fish rehearsed with their new drummer at the Barn, in Santa Cruz.^[21] Hirsh's abilities were immediately distinguishable on the album, as he demonstrated an acute and articulate drum beat that music critic Bruce Eder praised as "some of the best drumming on a psychedelic record this side of the late Spencer Dryden".^[22]

An April 1967 ad for Electric Music for the Mind and Body in the Seattle underground paper Helix.

Electric Music for the Mind and Body was released on May 11, 1967. Much of the album's material continued to expand upon the band's new psychedelic medium, with it embracing all facets of the members' influences, which ranged from their folk roots, blues, raga rock and hard rock.^[23] The album also saw Cohen coming forward in a larger role with inventive distorted-organ melodies.^[24] In addition, McDonald's lyrical content, which brazenly pronounced topics of political protest, recreational drug use, and love, augmented by satirical humor, clearly introduced the band's orientation and message. The compositional structures followed discrete movement patterns emulating the style of John Fahey, whom McDonald admired.^[23]Though Electric Music for the Mind and Body was among the most complex works to date, it possessed the quality that several other San Francisco acts shared of being recorded mostly live, with only the vocals being overdubbed after the instrumentals were completed.^[25]

Electric Music for the Mind and Body was a success upon release, charting at number 39 on the Billboard200, and remains one of the most enduring psychedelic works of the counterculture era. A single, "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine", was distributed a month prior to the release of the album and became the only Country Joe and the Fish single to chart, peaking at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100, in large part a culmination of its airplay on FM broadcasting and college stations.^[26] A reworked version of "The Fish Cheer" was intended to be released as a track on the album. However, Charters vetoed the decision to see whether the controversial song "Superbird" would face a radio ban.^[27] Nonetheless, the band was considered a forerunner in the emerging music scene in San Francisco, exhibiting one of the more polished debuts, just as its contemporaries were still refining their own sound.^[23][28] Melton attributes the album's success, particularly in San Francisco, to the band's appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967. Subsequently, the group toured the East Coast with an elaborate psychedelic light show.^[29]

The band returned to the studio, this time at Vanguard Studios in New York City, between July and September 1967. When "Superbird", a tune mocking President Lyndon Johnson, was not banned from radio promotion, the band was given the go-ahead to record "The Fish Cheer", which saw the group moving away from the original folk composition toward electric instrumentals more synthesized toward psychedelia. The song became the title track of the band's second album, I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die, released in November 1967. The album was not as successful as its predecessor, but still charted at number 67.^[30] The composition represented growing anti-war sentiment expressed by those opposing the Vietnam War, and is often considered one of the most recognized and celebrated protest songs of the era.^[31][32] "The Fish Cheer" was also pivotal in communicating the attitude against the war, but was set apart from other anti-war songs for its use of sarcastic humor and satire on the controversial conflict.^[33] Writer Lee Andresen reflects on the song's meaning, saying, "the happy beat and insouciance of the vocalist are in odd juxtaposition to the lyrics that reinforce the sad fact that the American public was being forced into realizing that Vietnam was no longer a remote place on the other side of the world, and the damage it was doing to the country could no longer be considered collateral, involving someone else."^[34]

The song met unprecedented exposure among the band's young audience after a performance at the Schaefer Music Festival in New York City, in the summer of 1968.^[22] Hirsh suggested that instead of the opening chorus spelling "fish", it would spell "fuck", giving birth to the infamous "Fuck Cheer".^[22] The crowd of young teenagers and college students applauded the act; however executives from The Ed Sullivan Show barred Country Joe and the Fish from their scheduled appearance on the program, and any other possible events.^[27] Hirsh never explained why he recommended the change in lyrics, but the act is seen as a social and political statement advocating free speech.^[31] The recorded version of "The Fish Cheer" received airplay, even on mainstream radio stations, which contributed to the success of the band's third album, Together, its most commercially successful. The album, released in August 1968, featured songwriting by all of the band members and charted at number 23 nationally.^[35]

Lineup changes and Woodstock (1969–1970)

In September 1968, Barthol left the band, just prior to their fourth album. His departure was due to the rest of the band's unwillingness to partake in the Festival for Life, an event established by the Youth International Party in Chicago that was intended to have the participation of several well-known musicians attract thousands of spectators for the 1968 Democratic National Convention.^[14] However, the city refused to issue any permits, and the band members, by majority vote, decided to withdraw out of fear that their equipment would be damaged.^[36] After the festival resulted in riots and violent clashes between demonstrators and the police, Barthol's conviction that Country Joe and the Fish should have held a larger role precipitated his departure from the group and move to England.^[14]

Between January 9 and 11, 1969, the band performed at the Fillmore West as a farewell to the group's most famous lineup, with Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane standing in as the bass player. The band was joined by Jerry Garcia, Jorma Kaukonen, Steve Miller, and Mickey Hart for the 38-minute finale, "Donovan's Reef Jam". Recordings from the concerts were later assembled on the live album Live! Fillmore West 1969, released on March 12, 1996.^[37] Hirsh and Cohen left soon after recording the group's next album, Here We Are Again, and a new lineup was configured with Casady and David Getz, who formerly played drums with Big Brother and the Holding Company. The group released Here We Are Again in July 1969. It charted at number 48, and saw Country Joe and the Fish moving to a pop-oriented approach. Country Joe and the Fish's personnel remained relatively stable for the next six months, though Peter S. Albin, also an alumnus of Big Brother and the Holding Company, replaced Casady at bass.^[4]

However, when McDonald reassembled the band for a last-minute scheduling at the Woodstock Festival, another personnel change resulted in the group's final lineup, which included recruits Mark Kapner on keyboards, Doug Metzner on bass, and Greg Dewey on drums. Among the festival's most memorable moments was McDonald's unexpected solo performance on August 16, 1969, which included "The Fuck Cheer" as a finale.^[38] The audience receptively responded by chanting along with McDonald. McDonald's rendition of "The Fuck Cheer" propelled the song into the mainstream culture in the U.S., and was featured on the Woodstock film, which was released on March 26, 1970. Radio stations regularly played both versions of the cheer, though the opposition to "The Fuck Cheer" limited its exposure to underground stations.^[39] In December 1969, McDonald began his own career outside the band, releasing cover versions of Guthrie-penned songs on Thinking of Woody Guthrie, and country standards on Tonight I'm Singing Just For You.^[40] All the while, the group looked to capitalize on the momentum from Woodstock and their appearance in the film, Zachariah, by releasing their fifth album, CJ Fish, in May 1970. The album was a moderate success, reaching number 111 nationally. However the band members lacked the motivation for touring and recording, which led to their disbandment in mid-1970.^[19]

Aftermath and reunions

McDonald pursued his solo recording career, which spans over 30 albums and remained an active anti-war campaigner. He also appeared in every Woodstock reunion festival since 1979.^[41] Melton performed solo as well, under the moniker "The Fish" and later became a member of the Bay Area supergroup, Dinosaurs, in the 1980s. Since 1982, Melton was able to practice law in California and became a Public Defender of Yolo County, California until his retirement in June 2009.^[42] Country Joe and the Fish members sporadically reconvene, most notably when the classic 1967 lineup recorded Reunion in 1977.^[43] The lineup, except Melton, came together again as the Country Joe Band in 2004. In the same year, the group resumed touring, released the Barthol-penned single, "Cakewalk to Baghdad", and the live album Live in Berkeley. Though the Country Joe Band disbanded in 2006, some of the members still occasionally tour together.^[44]

Hirsh died on August 17, 2021, at age 81.^[45] Barthol died on February 20, 2023, at age 75. ^[46] McDonald died on March 7, 2026, at age 84. ^[47]

Discography

Oh yeah does anyone know where the music intro/outro comes from? Hint; 1969

Today the presentation is from November 3, 1942, “Devil in the Summer House”.

On September 30, 1962 a major milestone in radio drama came to an end with the final episode of the long running series, SUSPENSE. Ironically, the episode was titled "Devil Stone" and was the last dramatic radio play from a series that had its roots in the golden age of radio.

What began as a "new series frankly dedicated to your horrification and entertainment" took on a life of its own mostly due to the talents of some outstanding producers and adaptations and original stories from the cream of mystery writers of the time. The golden age of radio was truly the golden age of SUSPENSE as show after show broadcast outstanding plays which were "calculated to intrigue...stir [the] nerves."

It was the series' first producer, William Spier, who set the framework of rules that was to stay with the show for most of its run. Mr. Spier determined that the series should deal with life-and-death situations established near the beginning of each play and then through the use of Bernard_Herrmann's musical coloring and the writer's characterizations slowly tighten the knot of SUSPENSE. Many of the early stories were written by the mystery writer John Dickson Carr. Others were by such fine writers as Lucille Fletcher, whose SUSPENSE play, "Sorry, Wrong Number" (listen/download) was turned into a major motion picture; Robert Arthur, Robert L. Richards, Morton Fine, and David Friedkin. The series also drew from the mystery writers of the day as well as the horror writers of literature; writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, Cornell Woolrich, Dorothy L. Sayers, and H. G. Wells.

Many of the stories produced by Mr. Spier are now classics of the genre. Listen to the likes of "The House in Cypress Canyon" (listen/downoad) as a young couple encounters something in the closet of their new home, something horrible and dangerous; or "The Hitch-Hiker" (listen/download) in which a man driving cross-country seems to be haunted by an ominous figure, who keeps reappearing trying to get a ride. But what foreboding does the hitchhiker hold for the driver?

Another rule William Spier established was to make the series a place to hear the talents of Hollywood's famous actors. There rarely was a famous actor who did not appear on the series at some time. Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Lucille Ball, Olivia de Havilland and many others all made at least one appearance. The series had a generous budget from its network, CBS.

In 1948 the series had become popular enough that it was decided to broadcast for a complete hour, instead of the former thirty minutes. The actor Robert Montgomery was brought in to introduce the plays, replacing the "Man in Black" character and occasionally star in them. This format lasted only six months most probably due to the realization that the show worked best within a thirty minute framework.

It was at this time that William Spier left and over the years others came to produce the shows, each setting his own unique mark. Anton M. Leader, who came from producing another horror radio program, Murder at Midnight (OTRR Murder at Midnight), added some lighter SUSPENSE stories which focused more on the central characters. Jimmy Stewart appeared in an excellent story about a paralysed war veteran who thinks he has found the man who imprisoned and tortured him. Fibber McGee and Molly appeared in a tale about a killer on the loose in "Backseat Driver" (listen/download).

Probably the biggest change in SUSPENSE came under the producing eye of Elliott Lewis. Lewis brought in comic actors to play serious roles. Actors such as Jack Benny, Red Skelton and Ozzie Nelson. He also was not afraid to experiment using the series slot for classic "murder" stories such as "Othello".

The series continued to produce high-quality drama, though there were many repeats as well as borrowing of scripts from other radio shows. While a number of film actors continued to star occasionally, many of the stars were from radio and television since radio as a dramatic art form was beginning to lose its popularity and budgets were tightened.

The show was on the air for a little over twenty years beginning in January, 1942 and was rarely pre-empted. There were 947 performances. Nearly all (approximately 895) are available to collectors. When SUSPENSE left the air, radio was never to see the likes of such a series again. Now the great medium of radio where imagination can run free has been reduced to the occasional brilliant drama airing sporadically in some corner of the world. SUSPENSE was a golden moment in a golden age. A moment when the thrill of the nightime led the listener along the path of intrigue, horror and dangerous adventure.

Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), Nigel Tufnel(Christopher Guest) and David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean)

Background informationAlso known asThe Originals, the New Originals, the ThamesmenOriginFictional: England

• Actual: United StatesGenresComedy rockheavy metalhard rockglam metal

Years activeFictional: 

• 1964–19841991–19922001200720092025

Actual: 

• 1979–19841991–199220012007200920192025–present

LabelsFictional: 

• PolymerMegaphone

Actual: 

• PolydorMCAInterscope
• MembersDavid St. Hubbins (Michael McKean)
• Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest)
• Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer)

Spinal Tap (stylized as Spın̈al Tap)^[1] are a parody English heavy metal band created by the American comedians and musicians Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer. McKean plays the singer and guitarist David St. Hubbins, Guest plays the guitarist Nigel Tufnel, and Shearer plays the bassist Derek Smalls. They are characterized as "one of England's loudest bands".^[1]

Spinal Tap first appeared on the 1979 ABC television sketch comedy pilot The T.V. Show, starring Rob Reiner.^[2]The sketch, actually a mock promotional video for the song "Rock and Roll Nightmare", was written by Reiner and the band, and included the songwriter-performer Loudon Wainwright III on keyboards. The band starred in the 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap and its 2025 sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. They have released four albums: This Is Spinal Tap (1984), the soundtrack of the original film; Break Like the Wind (1992); Back from the Dead (2009); and The End Continues (2025), the soundtrack of the sequel film.

The actors have performed in character at concerts and released music under the Spinal Tap name. They toured in the United States in April and May 2009^[3] and performed as Spinal Tap in a "One Night Only World Tour" on June 30, 2009, at Wembley Arena in London, three days after playing the Glastonbury Festival.^[4][5]

The trio also portray the fictional American folk music revival band the Folksmen; some Spinal Tap concert appearances have featured Guest, McKean and Shearer opening for Spinal Tap as the Folksmen.^[6]

HistoryFictional history

Main article: This Is Spinal Tap

Fans of Spinal Tap have assembled details about the band based on fictional film, albums, concerts and related promotional material, including a discography and a list of the band's former members.^[7] Within the context of the band's fictional history, Spinal Tap began as a beat group called the Thamesmen in 1964 and released one single, "Gimmie Some Money" with "Cups and Cakes" on the B-side, in 1965. They changed their name to Spinal Tap in 1966 and became a psychedelic pop band,^[8] before reinventing themselves as a heavy metal band in the early 1970s, the style for which they are best known.^[9][10] Over the years the band has also performed progressive rock,^[11] jazz fusion,^[10] funk^[12] and reggae.^[12] They have also been classified as hard rock,^[9] glam metal^[13][14] and rock and roll.^[9]

Spinal Tap's fictional history documents a succession of drummers, all of whom are said to have died in strange circumstances: one in a "bizarre gardening accident"; another who "choked on vomit", but possibly not his own vomit; and two from "spontaneous human combustion" onstage. Additionally, it is claimed that police described the "bizarre gardening accident" as a mystery "best left unsolved".

Real history

The band Spinal Tap first appeared in a video aired as part of a 1979 sketch comedy special called The T.V. Show, a project spearheaded by Rob Reiner and Michael McKean. The video was for the song "Rock 'N' Roll Nightmare", in a sequence that was intended as a spoof of The Midnight Special.^[15] Participating in the video (and playing the music) were Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Loudon Wainwright III, and Russ Kunkel; the segment was introduced by Reiner in character as Wolfman Jack. The Spinal Tap band members were at this point unnamed. McKean and Shearer had previously been members of the Credibility Gap, a comedy troupe that did both spoken word and musical comedy, and had released a mini rock opera and at least one musical 7-inch single.

Also in 1979, Guest and McKean were members of Lenny and the Squigtones, a band that was fronted by characters from the hit television series Laverne & Shirley. Guest, on guitar and clarinet, was credited as "Nigel Tufnel", the name he would eventually use as a member of Spinal Tap.

The appearance on The T.V. Show eventually led to the creation of a film, tracing a disastrous tour undertaken by the aging British metal band Spinal Tap. Reiner hosted the film in the character of filmmaker "Marty DiBergi", while Guest, McKean and Shearer took on character names for the project, and further developed their Spinal Tap personas. (Guest was guitarist "Nigel Tufnel"; McKean was vocalist "David St. Hubbins"; and Shearer was bassist "Derek Smalls".) Also added to the group were David Kaff (as keyboard player "Viv Savage") and R.J. Parnell (as drummer "Mick Shrimpton"). Parnell had previously been in the band Atomic Rooster, while Kaff had been a member of Rare Bird. The quintet played their own instruments throughout the film.

The band played three live performances in October 1982 in preparation for making This Is Spinal Tap, at Gazzarri's (as the support act for Iron Butterfly) and The Central in West Hollywood, and the Golden Bearin Huntington Beach.^[16][17]

The band Spinal Tap became a going concern, with the group (in character) playing gigs and appearing on a 1984 episode of Saturday Night Live to promote the film. The character of Mick Shrimpton having died in the film, Parnell played his "twin brother" drummer Ric Shrimpton for these and later appearances. Kaff dropped out shortly after the Saturday Night Live appearance.

In 1984, the band (Guest, McKean, Shearer and Parnell) issued the single "Christmas with the Devil".

In 1985, McKean and Shearer (in character and credited as David St. Hubbins and Derek Smalls) participated in the all-star charity recording "Stars" by Hear 'n Aid. They both sing on the record, and are seen in character in the behind-the-scenes "Making of" video.

Reunion and recent history

The group reformed on January 18, 1991, for a performance at the Disneyland Hotel that included new material.^[18] This featured on the 1992 release, Break Like the Wind, an album produced in part by T Bone Burnett.

Several publicity stunts were staged surrounding the new album. An advertisement was placed in Music Connection,^[19] HITS^[20] and The Hollywood Reporter^[21] saying "DRUMMER DIED, need new one. Must have no immediate family. Auditions October 31 at LA Coliseum with David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel, Derek Smalls."

The "auditions" for a new drummer were held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 31, 1991. They were attended by a few hundred real aspirants, and by Stephen Perkins of Jane's Addiction, Gina Schock of the Go-Go's, Debbi Peterson of the Bangles, Micky Dolenz of the Monkees, and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac, who auditioned in a fireproof suit. Parnell was retained as "Ric Shrimpton" and remained the band's drummer. Kaff did not return, and consequently the "reunited" band consisted of Guest, McKean, Shearer and Parnell (all in character) and new keyboardist C. J. Vanston (under his own name). A promotional concert tour followed, which included an appearance at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, where they performed "The Majesty of Rock", a song they dedicated to Mercury.

The band also released the single "Bitch School," which became a genuine chart single in the UK, as did follow-up single "The Majesty of Rock".

The band also appeared on The Simpsons in the episode "The Otto Show", which aired in the United States on April 23, 1992. The episode was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Wes Archer. Harry Shearer, who is a regular Simpsons cast member, reprised his role as Derek Smalls.

On July 1, 1992, Spinal Tap crossed five time zones for three performances in St. John's, Newfoundland; Barrie, Ontario; and Vancouver, British Columbia, for MuchMusic and Molson's Great Canadian Party. For each performance of "Stonehenge", the miniature monument prop was delivered on stage in a courier envelope.

Parnell dropped out of the group in the 1990s, leaving Spinal Tap to use session-drummers.^{[citation needed]}

In 2000, the band launched a web site named "Tapster", where their song "Back from the Dead" was made available for download. Tapster was a parody of Napster, a peer-to-peer file sharing network.^[22][23]

In 2001, the band "reunited" for the nine-city "Back from the Dead Tour" that began on June 1, 2001, at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. The tour included a show at Carnegie Hall in New York City and ended in Montreal in mid-July at the Just for Laughs festival. The opening act for some of these shows were the Folksmen, the folk trio seen in the film A Mighty Wind, and also performed by Guest, McKean, and Shearer.

In 2007, Tap reunited again, this time to help combat global warming. "They're not that environmentally conscious, but they've heard of global warming," said Marty DeBergi (portrayed by Reiner). "Nigel thought it was just because he was wearing too much clothing – that if he just took his jacket off it would be cooler." This reunion also included the release of a new song called "Warmer Than Hell". The band played on the London leg of the SOS/Live Earth concert series, and Rob Reiner has directed a short film (entitled Spinal Tap) which was released on the Live Earth website on April 27.^[24] The film reveals that Nigel Tufnel is now working as a farmhand looking after miniature horses. He plans to race them. David St. Hubbins is currently working as a hip-hop producer, and Derek Smalls is in rehab for being addicted to the Internet. 

A new album, Back from the Dead, was released on June 16, 2009. The album consists mostly of re-recordings of songs from the original film's soundtrack, along with some new, previously unrecorded numbers.^[25] The album was nominated for Best Comedy Album and Best Recording Package at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.^[26]

On April 6, 2009, the band announced a one-date "world tour," performing at London's Wembley Arena on June 30, 2009.^[27][28] Support on this night came from the Folksmen. The band unexpectedly also self-confirmed for Glastonbury Festival 2009 during an online interview on May 8, 2009, in the Philadelphia Daily News following a "Unwigged and Unplugged" show in the city.^[29]

In 2018, Shearer released an album in the persona of Spinal Tap bassist Derek Smalls. The single "It Don't Get Old" was, as per the credits, co-written by David St. Hubbins.^{[citation needed]} On 27 April 2019, the band reunited at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival for the 35th anniversary of the film.^[30] In May 2022, it was announced that the principal cast and director of the original movie were reuniting for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, a sequel planned for release by Castle Rock Entertainment on September 11, 2025. Filming began in New Orleans in March 2024.^[31] Kaff died in July 2025.^[32]

A third and final Spinal Tap film, titled Spinal Tap at Stonehenge: The Final Finale, was planned to be released in 2026. The film was set to use concert footage which was shot at Stonehenge in August 2025, with Bleecker Street acquiring the rights to release the planned concert film in the United States in October 2025.^[33][34] However, as a result of the murder of director Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle in December 2025, plans to release the film have been put on pause.^[35][33]

Other appearances

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The band appeared as the musical guests on an episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the spring of 1984. Barry Bostwick was the host. At this time, producer Dick Ebersol approached Shearer, Guest and McKean to join the cast. Shearer and Guest accepted (McKean would not join until ten years later, by which time original producer Lorne Michaels was back at the show's helm). Shearer's stint on SNL the following season—his second, the first having been the 1979–80 season—was to be short-lived, following creative disputes with the show's management.^[36]

In 1985, at the invitation of Ronnie James Dio, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer took part in the heavy metal benefit project Hear 'n Aid, to raise money for famine victims in Ethiopia. McKean and Shearer attended the event in character as David St. Hubbins and Derek Smalls, appearing in the behind-the-scenes videos and interacting in character with many real-life metal stars, many of whom were huge fans of Spinal Tap.^[37] "David St. Hubbins" and "Derek Smalls" are part of the vocal chorus heard on the record (and seen in the video), and are credited under those names on the Hear 'n Aid single's front cover (alongside many real-life heavy metal stars). The ad hoc supergroup's single "Stars" rose to No. 26 on the UK charts in May 1986.

As part of the promotion surrounding Break Like the Wind, Spinal Tap was portrayed in "The Otto Show" episode of the animated series The Simpsons, for which Shearer is a principal voice actor. The Simpsonsfollows the approach of the original film by presenting the group as if they were a real group. During the disastrous performance, a massive devil balloon on the stage does not inflate properly, and Nigel is temporarily blinded by lasers. Later in the episode, their tour bus is accidentally pushed off a cliff due to Otto's reckless driving. In a 2016 interview Shearer said this was the only time Spinal Tap had worked to a script, all other movie, television and live appearances being improvised.^[38]

On July 1, 1992, as part of MuchMusic's Canada Day "Great Canadian Party" festival, Spinal Tap completed an unprecedented tour of Canada in less than 24 hours. Jetting across five time-zones, the band played St. John's, Newfoundland, Barrie, Ontario, and Vancouver, British Columbia. That evening, during a performance of "Stonehenge", Tap received their signature, triptych set-piece via Canada Post in a small, bubble-wrap envelope that Derek Smalls signed for onstage. Bemused, Smalls tore open the packaging, and revealed to the cheering crowd the prop which looked to be half the size of the original 18 inch Stonehenge rock from the film.

In 1993, Nigel Tufnel appeared in the rockumentary Joe Satriani: The Satch Tapes.

In 1994, The Return of Spinal Tap was released on video; most of this is live material from a 1992 performance at the Royal Albert Hall where the Stonehenge set was shown to the audience on video as being too big to fit through the stage doors, but it also includes some interviews and follow-up on the band members.

In 2000, while promoting Tapster.com, Spinal Tap appeared and performed on the short-lived series VH1 The List (with Mick Fleetwood on drums) and appeared on the Late Show.

On January 19, 2001, Spinal Tap played a "one night only" tour at the Hilton ballroom in Anaheim, CA. This was during the annual NAMM Show, and sponsored by Shure. Free earplugs were provided, "Stonehenge" was performed (with small dancers), and tour T-shirts were available the next day at Shure's tradeshow booth. The shirt showed several concert dates, but they were all marked cancelled - except the Jan 19 date.

In 2006, Nigel Tufnel appeared in a Volkswagen TV commercial highlighting their offer of a free, exclusive First Act guitar with the purchase of qualifying automobiles. The guitar features knobs and inlays with the Volkswagen logo and pre-amps that allow it to be played through the car's stereo system. Also in 2006, the song "Gimme Some Money" was used in a TV commercial ^{[citation needed]} for Open from American Express, "Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" appeared in Harmonix's video game Guitar Hero II and "Christmas with the Devil" appeared in BBC One promo spots for the network's Christmas program.

In 2007, while accepting an award from the BBC Two program The Culture Show, Christopher Guest broke into Nigel Tufnel, and considered what his wife and kids would make of the Mark Kermode-shaped award.^{[citation needed]}

On July 7, 2007, Spinal Tap played at Wembley Stadium in London^[39] along with many major bands and groups as part of Live Earth, a climate change awareness concert. Their set included a new song written for the occasion, "Warmer Than Hell". During their final number, the song "Big Bottom", St. Hubbins and Tufnel both picked up basses. Spinal Tap was also joined by "every bass player in the known universe", including Nate Mendel (of the Foo Fighters); Robert Trujillo, Kirk Hammett, and James Hetfield (Metallica); Gordon Moakes (Bloc Party); and Adam Yauch (MCA of the Beastie Boys). They were also joined on back-up vocals by Annette O'Toole, Michael McKean's wife.

In May 2008, Nigel Tufnel appeared in the National Geographic show Stonehenge Decoded, expounding his nonsensical theories about Stonehenge and who was responsible for building it. His claims to have invented "decoder" experiments capable of unveiling the true purpose of the monument are, as yet, unproven.

McKean, Guest and Shearer have made several appearances as their alter egos the Folksmen, including the television shows Saturday Night Live and Mad TV and the film The Return of Spinal Tap.

On March 2, 2009, Guest, McKean and Shearer held a press conference at the House of Blues in Los Angeles to announce their forthcoming album of new and old Spinal Tap songs, plus a 2009 "Unwigged & Unplugged" tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film, This Is Spinal Tap. According to an L.A. Weekly report, when MTV News' Kurt Loder asked the trio if they had plans beyond an album and tour, Shearer answered, "We're gonna bomb Iran."^[40] The tour also features songs from the Folksmen and others from throughout the trio's career.

On April 1, 2009, Guest, McKean, and Shearer played on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as the musical guest.

On June 15, 2009, Spinal Tap performed on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien as the musical guest.

On June 27, 2009, Spinal Tap performed on the main stage at the Glastonbury Festival with Jarvis Cocker guesting on bass during "Big Bottom", and also inviting Jamie Cullum on stage to play keyboards. One of the unexpected highlights for Tap fans was a rendition of the newly written overture from the mythical Jack the Ripper musical Saucy Jack. Also on the bill were Kasabian, Crosby, Stills & Nash, and Bruce Springsteen.^[41][42]

On June 30, 2009, Spinal Tap performed at Wembley Arena with the Folksmen as support. A variety of special guests featured including Keith Emerson (joined them on organ/keyboards – which he later destroyed during the show) and Justin Hawkins from the Darkness.^[43]

On July 27, 2009, the band performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon as the musical guest, announcing their retirement and shortly thereafter their comeback. The next day, July 28, they were the musical guest on The Daily Show.

On August 25, 2009, Spinal Tap released a seven-minute short film titled Stonehenge: 'Tis a Magical Place celebrating their 25th anniversary. The video is distributed through INgrooves and is available only on iTunes. The short film depicts the founding members of Spinal Tap making a pilgrimage to Stonehenge for the first time.^[44][45]

On October 18, 2022, Spinal Tap star Michael McKean shared a deleted scene from the movie on his Twitter account and added: "Wow, thanks. Unseen by me, anyway, Lo these many years."^[46]

Also Van Heflin as Philip Marlowe in “Trouble is my business”, 1947 radio series.

These recordings were made by one of the owners of club and shared with rock promoter Bill Graham. In 1972, "Bill (Graham) spent almost all of 72 hours at KSAN" playing tapes of live shows from his concert venues, going back to 1966.

The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts of the 1960s, primarily due to Morrison's lyrics and voice, along with his erratic stage persona and legal issues. The group is widely regarded as representative of the era's counterculture.^[4]

The band took its name from the title of the English writer Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception, itself a reference to a quote by the English poet William Blake. After signing with Elektra Records in 1966, the Doors with Morrison recorded and released six studio albums in five years, some of which are generally considered among the greatest of all time,^[5][6] including their debut The Doors(1967), Strange Days (1967), and L.A. Woman (1971). Dubbed the "Kings of Acid Rock" by Life,^[7] they were one of the most successful bands of their time and by 1972, the Doors had sold over 4 million albums domestically and nearly 8 million singles.^[8]

Morrison died in uncertain circumstances in 1971. The band continued as a trio, releasing two more albums until disbanding in 1973.^[9][10] In 1978, they reformed for the album An American Prayer, which combined new music with Morrison's recitings of his poetry recorded in 1969 and 1970. They reunited again briefly in 1993 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and for several one-off projects in the 21st century. In 2002, Manzarek, Krieger, and Ian Astbury of the Cult on vocals started performing as "The Doors of the 21st Century". Densmore and the Morrison estate successfully sued them over the use of the band's name. After a short time as Riders on the Storm, they settled on the name Manzarek–Krieger and toured until Manzarek's death in 2013.

The Doors were the first American band to accumulate eight consecutive Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)-certified Gold and Platinum LPs.^{[nb 1]} According to the RIAA, they have sold 36 million albums in the United States^[12] and over 100 million records worldwide,^[13] making them one of the best-selling bands of all time.^[14] The Doors have been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by magazines including Rolling Stone, which ranked them 41st on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".^[15]

HistoryOrigins (July 1965 – August 1966)

Whisky a Go Go

The Doors began with a chance meeting between acquaintances Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek on Venice Beach in July 1965. They recognized each other as they had both attended the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Morrison confided in Manzarek that he had been writing songs.^[16] As Morrison would later relate to Jerry Hopkins in Rolling Stone, "Those first five or six songs I wrote, I was just taking notes at a fantastic rock concert that was going on inside my head. And once I'd written the songs, I had to sing them."^[17] With Manzarek's encouragement, Morrison sang the opening words of "Moonlight Drive": "Let's swim to the moon, let's climb through the tide, penetrate the evening that the city sleeps to hide." Manzarek was inspired, thinking of all the music he could play to accompany these "cool and spooky" lyrics.^[18]

Manzarek was then in an unsuccessful band called Rick & the Ravens with his brothers Rick and Jim, while drummer John Densmore was playing with the Psychedelic Rangers and knew Manzarek from meditation classes.^[19] Densmore joined the group later in August 1965. Together, they combined varied musical backgrounds, from jazz, rock, blues, and folk music idioms.^[20] The five, along with bass player Patty Sullivan,^{[nb 2]} and now christened the Doors, recorded a six-song demo on September 2, 1965, at World Pacific Studios in Los Angeles.^{[nb 3]} The band took their name from the title of Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception, itself derived from a line in William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is: infinite".^[23][24] In late 1965, after Manzarek's two brothers left, guitarist Robby Krieger joined.^[25]

The Doors in 1966

From February to May 1966, the group had a residency at the "rundown" and "sleazy" Los Angeles club London Fog, appearing on the bill with "Rhonda Lane Exotic Dancer".^[26] The experience gave Morrison confidence to perform in front of a live audience, and the band as a whole to develop and, in some cases, lengthen their songs and work "The End" and "Light My Fire" into the pieces that would appear on their debut album.^[26] Manzarek later said that at the London Fog the band "became this collective entity, this unit of oneness ... that is where the magic began to happen."^[26] The group soon graduated to the more esteemed Whisky a Go Go after being booked by Ronnie Haran,^[27] where they were the house band (starting from May 1966), supporting acts, including Van Morrison's group Them.^[28] On their last night together the two bands joined up for "In the Midnight Hour" and a twenty-minute jam session of "Gloria".^[29][30]

On August 10, 1966, they were spotted by Elektra Records president Jac Holzman, who was present at the recommendation of Love singer Arthur Lee, whose group was with Elektra Records. After Holzman and producer Paul A. Rothchild saw two sets of the band playing at the Whisky a Go Go, they signed them to the Elektra Records label on August 18 — the start of a long and successful partnership with Rothchild and sound engineer Bruce Botnick. The Doors were fired from the Whisky on August 21, 1966, when Morrison added an explicit retelling and profanity-laden version of the Greek myth of Oedipus during "The End".^[31]

The Doors and Strange Days (August 1966 – December 1967)

The Doors performing at Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival in 1967

The Doors recorded their self-titled debut album around August 1966, at Sunset Sound Studios.^[32] The record was officially released in the first week of January 1967. It included the nearly 12-minute musical drama "The End".^[33] In November 1966, Mark Abramson directed a promotional film for the lead single "Break On Through (To the Other Side)". The group also made several television appearances, such as on Shebang, a Los Angeles television show, miming to a playback of "Break On Through".^{[nb 4]}In early 1967, the group appeared on The Clay Cole Show (which aired on Saturday evenings at 6 p.m. on WPIX Channel 11 out of New York City) where they performed their single "Break On Through". Since the single achieved only minor recognition, the band turned to "Light My Fire"; it became the first single from Elektra Records to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, selling over one million copies.^[36]

From March 7 to 11, 1967, the Doors performed at the Matrix Club in San Francisco. The March 7 and 10 shows were recorded by Peter Abram, co-owner of the Matrix. These recordings are notable as they are among the earliest live recordings of the band to circulate. On November 18, 2008, the Doors published a compilation of these recordings, Live at the Matrix 1967, on the band's boutique Bright Midnight Archives label.^[37][38]

On August 25, 1967, they appeared on American television, guest-starring on the variety TV series Malibu U, performing "Light My Fire", though they did not appear live. The band is seen on a beach and Morrison is lip-synching the song in playback.^[39] The music video did not gain any commercial success and the performance fell into relative obscurity.^[40] It was not until they appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show that they gained attention on television.^[41]

Billboard advertisement, September 16, 1967

The Doors made their international television debut on October 16, 1967, performing a live version of "The End" for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) at their Parliament Street Colour Studio in Toronto.^[42] It was recorded in September when they were in Toronto and transmitted on the show O'Keefe Centre Presents. The misconception that it was at the O'Keefe Centre stems mostly from the title, as the venue shown in the video has a dance floor, which the Centre did not have.^[42] But after its initial broadcasts, the performance remained unreleased except in bootleg form until the release of The Doors Soundstage Performances DVD in 2002.^[43]

On September 17, 1967, the Doors gave a memorable performance of "Light My Fire" on The Ed Sullivan Show.^[41] According to Manzarek, network executives asked that the word "higher" be removed, due to a possible reference to drug use.^[44] The group appeared to acquiesce, but performed the song in its original form, because either they had never intended to comply with the request or Jim Morrison was nervous and forgot to make the change (the group has given conflicting accounts).^[45][46] Either way, "higher" was sung out on national television, and the show's host, Ed Sullivan, canceled another six shows that had been planned. After the program's producer told the band they would never perform on the show again,^[44] Morrison reportedly replied: "Hey man. We just did the Sullivan Show."^[41][47][48]

On December 24, the Doors performed "Light My Fire" and "Moonlight Drive" live for The Jonathan Winters Show. Their performance was taped for later broadcast. From December 26 to 28, the group played at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco; during one set, in the middle of "Back Door Man", the band stopped performing to watch themselves on The Jonathan Winters Show on a television set wheeled onto the stage.^[49][50]

The Doors spent several weeks in Sunset Studios in Los Angeles recording their second album, Strange Days, experimenting with the new technology, notably the Moog synthesizer they now had available.^[51]The commercial success of Strange Days was middling, peaking at number three on the Billboard album chart but quickly dropping, along with a series of underperforming singles.^[36] The chorus from the album's single "People Are Strange" inspired the name of the 2009 documentary of the Doors, When You're Strange.^[23]

Although session musician Larry Knechtel had occasionally contributed bass on the band's debut album,^[52] Strange Days was the first Doors album recorded with a studio musician, playing bass on the majority of the record, and this continued on all subsequent studio albums.^[53] Manzarek explained that his keyboard bass was well-suited for live situations but that it lacked the "articulation" needed for studio recording.^[53] Douglas Lubahn played on Strange Days and the next two albums; but the band used several other musicians for this role, often using more than one bassist on the same album. Kerry Magness, Leroy Vinnegar, Harvey Brooks, Ray Neopolitan, Lonnie Mack, Jerry Scheff,^[54] Jack Conrad (who played a major role in the post Morrison years touring with the group in 1971 and 1972), Chris Ethridge, Charles Larkey and Leland Sklar are credited as bassists who worked with the band.^[55][56]

New Haven incident (December 1967)

Morrison's mugshot taken in New Haven

On December 9, 1967, the Doors performed a now-infamous concert at New Haven Arena in New Haven, Connecticut, which ended abruptly when Morrison was arrested by local police.^[57]Morrison became the first rock artist to be arrested onstage during a live performance.^[58][59] Prior to the start of the concert, Morrison was either having a private conversation with^[60] or kissing a female fan backstage in a bathroom shower stall when a police officer happened upon them.^[61] Unaware that he was the lead singer of the band, the officer told Morrison and the fan to leave, to which Morrison said, "Eat it." The policeman took out a can of mace and warned Morrison, "Last chance", to which Morrison replied, "Last chance to eat it."^[62][63] There is some discrepancy as to what happened next: according to No One Here Gets Out Alive, the fan ran away and Morrison was maced; but Manzarek recounts in his book that both Morrison and the fan were sprayed.^[62][64][65]

The Doors' main act was delayed for an hour while Morrison recovered, after which the band took the stage very late. According to music journalist Gillian G. Gaar, the police still did not consider the issue resolved and wanted to charge him. Halfway through the first set, Morrison proceeded to create an improvised song about his experience with the "little man in blue".^[60] It was an obscenity-laced account to the audience, describing what had happened backstage and taunting the police, who were surrounding the stage.^[66][67] Later, the police lieutenant approached Morrison, during which Morrison thrust the microphone against his mouth and remarked, "Say your thing, man."^[61][66] The concert came to an abrupt end when Morrison was dragged from the stage by the police. The audience, already restless from waiting so long for the band to perform, became unruly. Morrison was taken to a local police station, photographed and booked on charges of inciting a riot, indecency and public obscenity. Charges against Morrison, as well as those against three journalists also arrested in the incident (Mike Zwerin, Yvonne Chabrier and Tim Page), were dropped several weeks later for lack of evidence.^[59][64]

Waiting for the Sun (April–December 1968)

Poster for a 1968 concert at the Cobo Arena, Detroit

Recording of the group's third album in April 1968 was marred by tension as a result of Morrison's increasing dependence on alcohol and the rejection of the 17-minute "Celebration of the Lizard" by band producer Paul Rothchild, who considered the work not commercial enough.^[68]Approaching the height of their popularity, the Doors played a series of outdoor shows that led to frenzied scenes between fans and police, particularly at Chicago Coliseum on May 10.^[69]

The band began to branch out from their initial form for this third LP, and began writing new material. Waiting for the Sun became their first and only album to reach number 1 on the US charts, and the single "Hello, I Love You" (one of the six songs performed by the band on their 1965 Aura Records demo) was their second US No. 1 single. Following the 1968 release of "Hello, I Love You", the publisher of the Kinks' 1964 hit "All Day and All of the Night" announced they were planning legal action against the Doors for copyright infringement; however, songwriter Ray Daviesultimately chose not to sue.^{[70][nb 5]} Kinks guitarist Dave Davies was particularly irritated by the similarity.^[72] In concert, Morrison was occasionally dismissive of the song, leaving the vocals to Manzarek, as can be seen in the documentary The Doors Are Open.^[73]

The Doors performing for Danish television in 1968

A month after a riotous concert at the Singer Bowl in New York City, the group flew to Great Britain for their first performance outside North America. They held a press conference at the ICA Gallery in London and played shows at the Roundhouse. The results of the trip were broadcast on Granada TV's The Doors Are Open, later released on video. They played dates in Europe, along with Jefferson Airplane, including a show in Amsterdam where Morrison collapsed on stage after a drug binge (including marijuana, hashish and unspecified pills).^[74]

Robby Krieger at Roundhouse in London (September 1968).

The group flew back to the United States and played nine more dates before returning to work in November on their fourth LP. They ended the year with a successful new single, "Touch Me" (released in December 1968), which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 in the Cashbox Top 100 in early 1969; this was the group's third and last American number-one single.^[75]

Miami incident (March 1969)

On March 1, 1969, at the Dinner Key Auditorium in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida, the Doors gave the most controversial and consequential performance of their career, one that nearly "derailed the band".^[9] The auditorium was a converted seaplane hangar that had no air conditioning on that hot night, and the seats had been removed by the promoter to boost ticket sales.^[76][77]

Morrison had been drinking all day and had missed connecting flights to Miami. By the time he arrived, drunk, the concert was over an hour late.^[76][78] The restless crowd of 12,000, packed into a facility designed to hold 7,000, was subjected to undue silences in Morrison's singing, which strained the music from the beginning of the performance. Morrison had recently attended a play by an experimental acting company the Living Theatre and was inspired by their "antagonistic" style of performance art.^[79][80]Morrison taunted the crowd with messages of both love and hate, saying, "Love me. I can't take it no more without no good love. I want some lovin'. Ain't nobody gonna love my ass?" and alternately, "You're all a bunch of fuckin' idiots!" and "You’re all a bunch of slaves!"^[81] while screaming "What are you gonna do about it?" over and over again.^[80][82][78]

As the band began their second song, "Touch Me", Morrison started shouting in protest, forcing the band to a halt. At one point, Morrison removed the hat of an onstage police officer and threw it into the crowd; the officer reacted by taking Morrison's hat and throwing it in the same direction.^[83][84] Manager Bill Siddons recalled, "The gig was a bizarre, circus-like thing, there was this guy carrying a sheep and the wildest people that I'd ever seen."^[85] Equipment chief Vince Treanor said, "Somebody jumped up and poured champagne on Jim so he took his shirt off, he was soaking wet. 'Let's see a little skin, let's get naked,' he said, and the audience started taking their clothes off."^[85] Having removed his shirt, Morrison held it in front of his groin area and started to make hand movements behind it.^[86] Manzarek described the incident as a mass "religious hallucination".^[86]

Jim Morrison on the day of his conviction in Miami for profanity and indecent exposure

On March 5, the Dade County Sheriff's office issued a warrant for Morrison's arrest, claiming Morrison had exposed his penis while on stage, shouted obscenities to the crowd, simulated oral sex on Krieger, and was drunk at the time of his performance. Morrison turned down a plea bargain that required the Doors to perform a free Miami concert. He was convicted and sentenced to six months in jail with hard labor, and ordered to pay a $500 fine.^[87][88] Morrison remained free, pending an appeal of his conviction, and died before the matter was legally resolved. In 2007, Florida Governor Charlie Crist suggested the possibility of a posthumous pardon for Morrison, which was announced as successful on December 9, 2010.^[89] Densmore, Krieger and Manzarek have denied the allegation that Morrison exposed himself on stage that night.^{[90][91][92][93]}

The Soft Parade (May–July 1969)

Morrison, who was increasingly distancing himself from the music, announced to the other Doors members his intention to quit the group; Manzarek convinced him to stay for six more months, ahead of completing The Soft Parade, the Doors' forthcoming album.^[94][95]

Released in July 1969, The Soft Parade was their first-and-only to feature brass and string arrangements. The concept was suggested by Rothchild to the band, after listening to many examples by various groups who also explored the same radical departure.^[96] Both jazz-influenced Densmore and Manzarek agreed with the recommendation,^[97] but Morrison declined to incorporate orchestral accompaniment on his compositions.^[98] The lead single, "Touch Me", featured saxophonist Curtis Amy.^[99]

The Doors c. 1968

While the band was trying faintly to maintain their previous momentum, efforts to expand their sound with instrumental changes, including string, brass, and wind parts, caused critics to attack their musical integrity.^[100] According to Densmore in his biography Riders on the Storm, individual writing credits were noted for the first time because of Morrison's reluctance to sing the lyrics of Krieger's song "Tell All the People". Morrison's drinking made him difficult and unreliable, and the recording sessions dragged on for months. Studio costs piled up, and the Doors came close to disintegrating. Despite all this, the album was immensely successful, becoming the band's fourth hit album.^[101]

Morrison Hotel and Absolutely Live (November 1969 – December 1970)

Photo by Henry Diltz used on the cover of Morrison Hotel

During the recording of their next album, Morrison Hotel, in November 1969, Morrison again found himself in trouble with the law after harassing airline staff during a flight to Phoenix, Arizona to see the Rolling Stones in concert. Both Morrison and his friend and traveling companion Tom Baker were charged with "interfering with the flight of an intercontinental aircraft and public drunkenness".^[102] If convicted of the most serious charge, Morrison could have faced a ten-year federal prison sentence for the incident.^[103] The charges were dropped in April 1970 after an airline stewardess reversed her testimony to say she mistakenly identified Morrison as Baker.^[104]

The Doors staged a return to a more conventional direction after the experimental The Soft Parade, with their fifth LP Morrison Hotel in 1970.^[105] Featuring a consistent blues rock sound, the album's opener was "Roadhouse Blues". The record reached No. 4 in the United States and revived their status among their core fanbase and the rock press. Dave Marsh, the editor of Creem magazine, said of the album: "the most horrifying rock and roll I have ever heard. When they're good, they're simply unbeatable. I know this is the best record I've listened to ... so far".^[103] Rock Magazine called it "without any doubt their ballsiest (and best) album to date".^[103] Circus magazine praised it as "possibly the best album yet from the Doors" and "good hard, evil rock, and one of the best albums released this decade".^[103] The album also saw Morrison returning as main songwriter, writing or co-writing all of the album's tracks. The 40th anniversary CD reissue of Morrison Hotel contains outtakes and alternative takes, including different versions of "The Spy" and "Roadhouse Blues" (with Lonnie Mack on bass guitar and the Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian on harmonica).^[106]

July 1970 saw the release of the group's first live album, Absolutely Live, which peaked at the No. 8 position on the charts.^[107] The record was completed by producer Rothchild, who confirmed that the album's final mixing consisted of many bits and pieces from various and different band concerts. "There must be 2000 edits on that album", he told an interviewer years later.^[96] Absolutely Live also marked the first release of the lengthy piece "Celebration of the Lizard".

Although the Doors continued to face de facto bans in more conservative American markets and earned new bans at Salt Lake City's Salt Palace and Detroit's Cobo Hall following tumultuous concerts,^[108][109]the band managed to play 18 concerts in the United States, Mexico and Canada following the Miami incident in 1969,^[110] and 23 dates in the United States and Canada throughout the first half of 1970. The group later made it to the Isle of Wight Festival on August 29; performing on the same day as John Sebastian, Shawn Phillips, Lighthouse, Joni Mitchell, Tiny Tim, Miles Davis, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, the Who, Sly and the Family Stone and Melanie;^[111] the performance was the last captured on the band's Roadhouse Blues Tour.^[112]

On December 8, 1970, his 27th birthday, Morrison recorded another poetry session.^[113] Part of this would end up on An American Prayer in 1978 with music, and is currently in the possession of the Courson family.^[114] Shortly thereafter, a new tour to promote their upcoming album would comprise only three dates. Two concerts were held in Dallas on December 11. During the Doors' last public performance with Morrison, at The Warehouse in New Orleans, on December 12, 1970, Morrison apparently had a breakdown on stage. Midway through the set he slammed the microphone numerous times into the stage floor until the platform beneath was destroyed, then sat down and refused to perform for the remainder of the show.^[115] After the concert, Densmore, Manzarek and Krieger came to a mutual agreement that they should end their live act, claiming Morrison was ready to retire from performing.^[116][117]

L.A. Woman and Morrison's leave of absence and death (December 1970 – July 1971)

Jim Morrison's grave at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris

Despite Morrison's conviction and the fallout from their appearance in New Orleans, the Doors set out to reclaim their status as a premier act with the album L.A. Woman, recorded in Los Angeles in 1971.^[118] The album included rhythm guitarist Marc Benno on several tracks and prominently featured bassist Jerry Scheff, best known for his work in Elvis Presley's TCB Band. Despite a comparatively low Billboard chart peak at No. 9, L.A. Woman contained two Top 20 hits and went on to be their second bestselling studio album, surpassed in sales only by their debut.^[32] The album explored their R&B roots,^[119] although during rehearsals they had a falling-out with Paul Rothchild, who was dissatisfied with the band's effort. Denouncing "Love Her Madly" as "cocktail lounge music", he quit and handed the production to Bruce Botnick and the Doors.^[96]

The title track and two singles ("Love Her Madly" and "Riders on the Storm") remain mainstays of rock radio programming,^[120] with the latter being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for its special significance to recorded music. In the song "L.A. Woman", Morrison makes an anagram of his name to chant "Mr. Mojo Risin".^[121] During the sessions, a short clip of the band performing "Crawling King Snake" was filmed. As far as is known, this is the last clip of the Doors performing with Morrison.^[122]

On March 11, 1971,^[123] near the end of the mixing of L.A. Woman, Morrison took a leave of absence from the Doors and moved to Paris with Pamela Courson;^[124] he had visited the city the previous summer. On July 3, 1971, following months of residency, Morrison was found dead in the bath by Courson.^[125] Despite the absence of an official autopsy, the cause of death was listed as heart failure.^[126] He was buried in the "Poets' Corner" of Père Lachaise Cemetery on July 7.^[127][128]

Morrison died at age 27, the same age as several other famous rock stars in the 27 Club. In 1974, Morrison's girlfriend Pamela Courson also died at the age of 27.^[129]

After MorrisonOther Voices and Full Circle (July 1971 – January 1973)

Densmore, Krieger and Manzarek in November 1971

Morrison's passing stamped the Doors with a seal of legend and immortality. There was no opportunity for the band to go into the seventies intact. Perhaps that's a good thing. I can't imagine the Doors in the era of disco.

— Henry Rollins^[130]

The recording of L.A. Woman's follow up album Other Voicesbegan while Morrison was in Paris. The band assumed he would return to help them finish the album.^[131] After Morrison died, the surviving members considered replacing him with several new people, such as Iggy Pop on vocals.^[132]But since this didn't work out, Krieger and Manzarek took over lead vocal duties themselves.^[131] Other Voices was finally completed in August 1971, and released in October 1971. The record featured the single "Tightrope Ride", which received some radio airplay. The trio began performing again with additional supporting members on November 12, 1971, at Pershing Municipal Auditorium in Lincoln, Nebraska, followed by shows at Carnegie Hall on November 23, and the Hollywood Palladium on November 26.^[131]

The recordings for Full Circle took place a year after Other Voices during the spring of 1972, and the album was released in August 1972. For the tours during this period, the Doors enlisted Jack Conrad on bass (who had played on several tracks on both Other Voices and Full Circle) as well as Bobby Ray Henson on rhythm guitar. They began a European tour covering France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, including an appearance on the German show Beat-Club. Like Other Voices, Full Circle did not perform as well commercially as their previous albums. While Full Circle was notable for adding elements of funk and jazz to the usual Doors sound,^[133] the band struggled with Manzarek and Krieger leading (neither of the post-Morrison albums had reached the Top 10 while all six of their albums with Morrison had).^[134] Once their contract with Elektra had lapsed, the Doors disbanded in 1973.^[9]

Reunions

The third post-Morrison album, An American Prayer, was released in 1978. It consisted of the band adding musical backing tracks to previously recorded spoken word performances of Morrison reciting his poetry. The record was a commercial success, acquiring a platinum certificate.^[135] Two years later, it was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Spoken Word Album" category, but it ultimately lost to John Gielgud's The Ages of Man.^[136] An American Prayer was re-mastered and re-released with bonus tracks in 1995.^[137]

In 1993, the Doors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[138] In the ceremony, Manzarek, Krieger and Densmore reunited to perform "Roadhouse Blues", "Break On Through" and "Light My Fire". Eddie Vedder filled in on lead vocals, while Don Was played bass.^[139] For the 1997 boxed set, the surviving members of the Doors reconvened to complete "Orange County Suite". The track was based on one that Morrison had written and recorded in early 1969, providing both vocals and piano.^[118]

The Doors reunited at the turn of the century to record music for the Stoned Immaculate: The Music of The Doors tribute album.^[140] Following the sessions, band members reunited in 2000 to perform on VH1 Storytellers. For the live performance, the band was joined by Angelo Barbera and numerous guest vocalists, including Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction, Pat Monahan, Ian Astbury of the Cult, Travis Meeks, Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, and Scott Stapp of Creed. On May 29, 2007, Perry Farrell's group the Satellite Party released its first album Ultra Payloaded on Columbia Records. It featured "Woman in the Window", a new song with a pre-recorded vocal performance by Morrison.^[141]

Manzarek along with Krieger, Densmore and DJ/producer Skrillex (Sonny Moore) recorded a new song in 2012, of which Manzarek said, "I like to say this is the first new Doors track of the 21st century". The recording session and song are part of a documentary film, Re:Generation, which recruited five popular DJs/producers to work with artists from five separate genres and had them record new music.^[142]Manzarek and Skrillex had an immediate musical connection: "Sonny plays his beat, all he had to do was play the one thing. I listened to it and I said, 'Holy shit, that's strong'." Manzarek formulates, "Basically, it's a variation on 'Milestones', by Miles Davis, and if I do say so myself, sounds fucking great, hot as hell."^[143] The track, called "Breakn' a Sweat", was recorded for Skrillex's EP Bangarang.^[144]

In 2013, the remaining members of the Doors recorded with rapper Tech N9ne for the song "Strange 2013", appearing on his album Something Else, which features new instrumentation by the band and samples of Morrison's vocals from the song "Strange Days".^[145] In their final collaboration before Manzarek's death, the three surviving Doors provided backing for poet Michael C. Ford's album Look Each Other in the Ears.

On February 12, 2016, at The Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, Densmore and Krieger reunited for the first time in 15 years to perform in tribute to Manzarek and benefit Stand Up to Cancer. That day would have been Manzarek's 77th birthday.^[146] The night featured Exene Cervenka and John Doe of the band X, Rami Jaffee of the Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots' Robert Deleo, Jane's Addiction's Stephen Perkins, Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara, Andrew Watt, among others.^[147]

In 2025, as part of their 60th anniversary celebrations, John Densmore and Robby Krieger, joined by archival recordings of Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek, reunited as The Doors for a performance of "Riders On The Storm" produced for the Playing For Change foundation. Released on 9 January, 2026, the video was a part of their "Song Around The World" series, and the finished recording included a long list of international collaborators, in the style of other productions for the series.^[148]

According to Vincent Terrace, Peter Gunn was the first detective series whose character was created especially for television, instead of adapted from other media.^[3]

The series is probably best remembered today for its music by film and television composer Henry Mancini, including the iconic "Peter Gunn Theme", which was nominated for an Emmy Award^[7] and two Grammys for Mancini. Subsequently the theme has been performed and recorded by many jazz, rock and blues musicians. The progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer recorded the song, adding synthesizers. The series was number 17 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1958–59 TV season and number 29 for the 1960–61 TV season.^[8][9]

Plot

Peter Gunn is a suave, well-dressed private investigatorwhose hair is always in place and who loves cool jazz. Whereas other gumshoes are often coarse and vulgar, Gunn is a sophisticate with expensive tastes. A contemporary article in Life noted that Edwards "deliberately tailored the part after the famous movie smoothie Cary Grant".^[10]

Gunn operates in a gloomy waterfront city, the name and location of which is not revealed in the series. He often visits Mother's, a smokey, wharfside jazz club that Gunn uses as his "office", usually meeting new clients there. Gunn has a reputation for integrity and being among the best investigators; he has many reliable informants and is well-connected. His reputation is so good, the police occasionally ask him for help or advice. He sometimes works cases out of state and occasionally out of the country. Gunn was observed in "Murder on the Midway" as "wearing $30 shoes ($321 in 2023 dollars), a $200 suit ($2,144 in 2023 dollars) and carrying a solid gold cigarette lighter".^{[citation needed]} Gunn drives a 1958 two-tone DeSoto two-door hardtop in the first few episodes of the first season, then a 1959 Plymouth Fury convertible with a white top and a car phone. In the third season Gunn drives a 1960 white Plymouth Fury convertible with a car phone, later changing to a 1961 Plymouth Fury convertible.

Gunn's girlfriend, Edie Hart (Lola Albright), is a sultry singer employed at Mother's; she opens her own restaurant and nightclub in Season 3, named Edie's. Gunn's pet name for Edie is "Silly". Herschel Bernardi costarred as Lieutenant Jacoby, a jaded, veteran police detective and friend of Gunn who works at the 13th Precinct. Occasionally, he refers people to Gunn as clients. He is especially notable for his cynical, sardonic wit. In 1959, Bernardi received his only Emmy nomination for the role.^[7] Hope Emersonappeared as Mother, who had been a singer and piano player in speakeasies during Prohibition. She received an Emmy nomination for the role.^[7] For the second season, Mother was played by Minerva Urecal, following the departure of Emerson for a starring role in The Dennis O'Keefe Show. Associate producer Byron Kane portrayed Barney, the bartender at Mother's; Kane was not credited for playing this role. Bill Chadney appeared as Emmett, Mother's piano player. (Chadney and Albright were married in 1961.)^[1]

Both Billy Barty as diminutive pool hustler Babby and Herbert Ellis as Beat bistro owner, painter, and sculptor Wilbur, appeared in several episodes as occasional "information resources", as "Mother" also often is. Capri Candela appeared as Wilbur's girlfriend, Capri. Morris Erby had the recurring role of Sgt. Lee Davis during all three seasons of the show. Frequent director Robert Gist appeared as an actor in different roles in three episodes. James Lanphier portrayed Leslie the maitre d'hôtel at Edie's restaurant and nightclub during Season 3.

Cast

Lola Albright and Craig Stevens

• Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn
• Lola Albright as Edie Hart, a lounge singer and Pete's girlfriend
• Herschel Bernardi as Lieutenant Jacoby, a police detective and friend of Gunn
• Hope Emerson as "Mother", a singer and piano player in speakeasies during Prohibition (Season 1)
• Minerva Urecal as "Mother" (Season 2)
• Byron Kane (uncredited) as Barney, the bartender
• Bill Chadney as Emmett, the piano player at Mother's
• Billy Barty as Babby, a pool hustler
• Herbert Ellis as Wilbur, beat bistro owner, painter, and sculptor
• Capri Candela as Capri, Wilbur's girlfriend
• Morris Erby as police Sgt. Lee Davis (Seasons 1–3)
• James Lanphier as Leslie, maître d' (Season 3)

Frequent director Robert Gist appeared as an actor in different roles in three episodes.

Executive producer Gordon Oliver appeared as an actor in different roles in two episodes.

Cort also voiced Toyman over the course of various series in the DC Animated Universe, including Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, and Justice League Unlimited.

Early life

Walter Edward "Bud" Cox was born in Rye, New York on March 29, 1948, to Joseph, an orchestra leader, and Alma, a publicist for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He had a brother and three sisters.^[1] One of his nephews is Peter Berkman of the band Anamanaguchi.^[2]

Cort began taking acting lessons from William Hickey when he was 14.^[3] To avoid confusion with actor Wally Cox, he used his mother's maiden name as his stage surname, although he changed the original spelling of Court after Broadway's Cort Theatre.^[1][4] He attended Iona Preparatory School, where he frequently skipped classes to watch Broadway shows. After graduation, he attempted to attend acting classes at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, but was rejected, as the classes were already full; he applied again with a portfolio of paintings and was instead accepted as a scenic art major.^[3]

Career

Cort was discovered in a revue by director Robert Altman, who subsequently cast him in two of his movies in 1970, M*A*S*H and Brewster McCloud. In the latter, he played the title role. Cort went on to his best-known role as the suicide-obsessed Harold in Harold and Maude. Though it was not particularly successful on release, it gained international cult status and is now considered an American classic, ranking Number 69 on the American Film Institute's 100 Best Romantic Comedies.^[5]

In 1979, Cort nearly died in a car crash on the Hollywood Freeway where he collided with an abandoned car blocking a lane into which he was turning. He broke an arm and a leg and sustained a concussion and a fractured skull. His face was severely lacerated and his lower lip nearly severed. The crash resulted in plastic surgeries, substantial hospital bills, a lost court case, and the disruption of his career.^[6][7]

He subsequently appeared in a number of film, stage and TV roles: Endgame, Sledge Hammer!, The Chocolate War, The Big Empty, Theodore Rex, Dogma, But I'm a Cheerleader, Pollock, The Twilight Zone, The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.^{[citation needed]}

Cort's voiceover roles include Edgar the computer in the film Electric Dreams; Toyman over the course of various DC Animated Universe series including Superman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, and Justice League Unlimited; and Josiah Wormwood in an episode of the earlier DCAU production Batman: The Animated Series. He can also be heard as The King in the English-language version of the feature film The Little Prince (2015), which premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and won the César Award for Best Animated Film in February 2016.^[8][9] It was made available to American audiences through Netflix in 2016.^[10]

Cort made a guest appearance on the November 8, 2007, episode of Ugly Betty as the priest officiating at Wilhelmina Slater's wedding. In 2010, he guest-starred on Criminal Minds in the episode "Mosley Lane" as the elderly paedophile Roger Roycewood. In 2012, Cort appeared as the artist Gleeko in the Eagleheartepisode "Exit Wound the Gift Shop".^{[citation needed]}

Death

Cort died of pneumonia at an assisted living facility in Norwalk, Connecticut, on February 11, 2026, at the age of 77.^[1]

The music of Cat Stevens was featured during the movie, timeless.

The real people are seeing and hearing the same thing everyday and yet the false, repeated storylines with twists of vague storylines continually circulate to gain “likes”, clicks and subscriptions to enhance these cold-hearted idiots bank accounts.

Hear what most people feel and think about this situation.

Taking care of yourself, please do.

Contact me: vpartimus@gmail.com for any questions, comments or suggestions about another episode or interview you would like to hear.

Butterfield Blues Band: Paul Butterfield - harmonica, vocals; Mike Bloomfield - guitar, vocals; Elvin Bishop - guitar, vocals; Mark Naftalin - organ, vocals; Jerome Arnold - bass; Billy Davenport - drums; *Muddy Waters - guest vocals; *Luther Johnson - guest guitar (*tracks 11-14). 

Consider Your Verdict. Michael Silver series "Consider Your Verdict", which started on Springbok Radio in 1954 & ended in December 1985. The series presented a different court case every week & was loosely based on the imported radio series "Famous Jury Trials", which was also broadcast on Springbok Radio prior to "Consider Your Verdict.

What do you think?

How did you do?

Early life and career

Snider was born on October 11, 1966,^[1] in Portland, Oregon, and grew up in nearby Beaverton, where he lived until he graduated from Beaverton High School in 1985. After high school, he moved to Santa Rosa, California, to attend Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC). He attended for a semester and while there, learned to play the harmonica.^[2]

With help from his brother Mike who bought him a plane ticket, Snider moved northeast of San Antonio to San Marcos, Texas, after leaving SRJC in the late fall of 1985.^[3]Not long after arriving in San Marcos, Snider saw Jerry Jeff Walker perform solo at Gruene Hall, a legendary dance hall in New Braunfels, Texas which is northeast of San Antonio.^[4] When he saw Walker that night, he decided he wanted to become a songwriter and began writing songs the next day.^[5] He told Lone Star Music Magazine in 2004, "I didn't even know how to really play guitar yet, but I saw his show and went and got one."^[6]

Snider met Kent Finlay at his very first writer's night, which was at Finlay's San Marcos club, Cheatham Street Warehouse. Finlay, who was a songwriter in his own right, became an important mentor and introduced Snider to the songs of Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark, John Prine, and Shel Silverstein among others.^[7] Snider was soon packing small rooms in San Marcos and during the next few years, he began to draw enthusiastic crowds in Austin, as well.^[8]

Snider also discovered Memphis songwriter Keith Sykes while living in San Marcos when a friend at the local record store turned him on to a pair of albums Sykes made in the early ’70s.^[9] In 1989, Snider's father moved to Memphis and happened to meet Sykes’ sister-in-law. Through that connection, Snider sent Sykes a demo tape of some of his songs. Sykes thought one of the songs had potential, so Snider moved to Memphis to try to work with Sykes.^[10] Not long after he arrived in Memphis, Snider landed a weekly residency at a local club The Daily Planet. He not only was soon packing the room, the audience knew the words to the songs and would sing along.^[11] Through Sykes, Snider met Prine in 1991 while assisting on pre-production work Prine was doing with Sykes in Memphis for his album The Missing Years. It was the beginning of a friendship Snider and Prine had until Prine's death in 2020.^[12] In 1992, Sykes helped Snider land a development deal with Capitol Records. He recorded a number of sides in Nashvillefor the label,^[13] but they declined to pick up his option for a full album.^[14] Around the time of the Capitol deal, Snider began performing with a small band backing him which he dubbed the Bootleggers.^[15] The band's lineup fluctuated some over the first year or so, but by the end of 1994, the lineup was set with Will Kimbrough on guitar, Joe Mariencheck on bass, and Joe McLeary on drums. Snider also had changed the band's name to the Nervous Wrecks.

Sykes was a one-time member of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band and Buffett had recorded a few of his songs, so when the Capitol deal fell through, he reached out on Snider's behalf to Buffett's label, Margaritaville Records, which was distributed by MCA. Not long after label exec Bob Mercer saw Snider perform at an industry showcase in Memphis in April 1993, Snider flew to California to open a show for Buffett. After seeing his set, Buffett offered Snider a deal with Margaritaville.^[16][17]

Recordings1990sMargaritaville/MCA years

Snider's debut album for Margaritaville, Songs for the Daily Planet, was released in 1994 and reached number 23 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.^[18] Produced by Tony Brown and Mike Utley, the album was literally composed of songs he was playing at the Daily Planet nightclub in Memphis. Although there were a few guest musicians and singers on the record, the core lineup was Snider on acoustic guitar, Joe Mariencheck on bass, Joe McLeary on drums, Utley on keyboards, Eddie Shaver on electric guitar, and Peter Hyrka on mandolin, acoustic guitar, and violin.^[19] The record included a hidden track, "Talking Seattle Grunge Rock Blues," which became a minor radio hit, reaching No. 31 on the BillboardAlbum Rock Tracks chart.^[20] A talking blues for Gen-X, the song mocked the early ’90s grunge scene and featured a band that refused to play. The video for another single from the album, "Alright Guy," was in rotation on VH1.^[21]

Snider's second album for Margaritaville/MCA, Step Right Up, was released on April 23, 1996, and Billboard proclaimed it to be "more stunning than his debut."^[22] Brown and Utley were coproducers with Snider, and Utley backed Snider and the Wrecks on keyboards.^[23]

Snider's third album, Viva Satellite, represented a turning point in his career. Prior to making the record, Margaritaville left MCA and signed with Island Records for distribution. But MCA retained rights to Snider's recordings, so they would release the album. No longer recording for Margaritaville or working with Brown and Utley, Snider produced some sides at engineer Justin Niebank's studio in Franklin, Tennessee, with mixed success. Only one of the tracks he cut there would make the album, the finale "Doublewide Blues." Snider recorded the rest of the album at Ardent Studios in Memphis with producer-engineer John Hampton. He was backed by Kimbrough on guitar, Mariencheck on bass, Paul Buchignani on drums, and Rick Steff playing keyboards, and the result was a more straight-ahead rock record than his first two.^[24]Shortly before the album was released in May 1998, there was trouble at a private performance in L.A. for MCA execs and their staffs. Snider, who was struggling with drugs at the time, insulted those in attendance early in the set and then left the stage. Not long thereafter, MCA released him from his contract.^[25]

2000sOh Boy years

After leaving MCA, Snider disbanded the Nervous Wrecks and signed with John Prine’s independent label, Oh Boy Records. Oh Boy released his fourth album, Happy To Be Here, on April 18, 2000.^[26]Working with producer Ray Kennedy, Snider recorded all the songs solo acoustic, then additional instrumentation was added to his guitar and vocal tracks.^[27] Besides Kennedy who played a variety of instruments on the record, guitarists Pat Buchanan and Will Kimbrough, bassists Joey Spampinato and Keith Christopher, keyboardist Johnny Neel, drummer Paul Buchignani, multi-instrumentalist Peter Holsapple, violinist Tammy Rogers, and horn players Jim Hoke and Wayne Jackson all contributed to the album.^[28]

Oh Boy released Snider's second album for the label, New Connection, on May 14, 2002.^[29] Produced by R.S. Field, Billboard said of the album, "Snider has settled into a groove of consistent quality and potent observation."^[30] Snider's third Oh Boy release was a live album, Near Truths and Hotel Rooms, which was released on May 13, 2003.^[31] The record, which was recorded at half a dozen venues, captured Snider's live show post-Nervous Wrecks—just him solo with his acoustic guitar and harmonica.^[32] Robert Christgau gave the album an A− grade in his Consumer Guide.^[33]

Snider's final studio album for Oh Boy, East Nashville Skyline, was released on July 20, 2004.^[34] For the first time, Snider took full creative control of his record-making process,^[35] and the result was an album that was both a musical and cultural breakthrough. It introduced East Nashville to the larger world, and its influence reverberates to this day.^[36] Snider co-produced the record with his old Nervous Wrecks bandmate Will Kimbrough at engineer Eric McCullough's east Nashville studio. In addition to guitarist Kimbrough and multi-instrumentalist McCullough, he was backed on the sessions by a who's who of east Nashville musicians including guitarist Tim Carroll, bassists Dave Jacques and Dave Roe, drummers Paul Griffith and Craig Wright, and pianist John Deadrick. East Nashville Skyline included two iconic songs that added to the songwriting canon: "Play a Train Song" pushed the boundaries of "train" songs with the story of a man who was known for always requesting that kind of song, and "The Ballad of the Kingsmen" took the talking blues to a more contemporary place musically while connecting the censorship of "Louie Louie" culturally to the Columbine shootings.^[37] Pitchfork called the album "the wittiest and feistiest album of his career."^[38] Christgau gave it an A in his Consumer Guide and called it "a slacker wakeup call."^[39]PopMatters ranked it the seventh-best album of 2004.^[40] East Nashville Skyline reached No. 28 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart.^[41]

After East Nashville Skyline, Snider moved to Bob Mercer's New Door Records label which was distributed by Universal Music Group, but Oh Boy would issue one more album of his music. On April 3, 2007, the label released Peace, Love And Anarchy (Rarities, B-Sides And Demos, Vol. I), a compilation of previously unreleased recordings.^[42] Notable among the collection's fourteen tracks is the song "East Nashville Skyline" which was intended to be the title track of the album of the same name but Snider did not finish it in time to make the album.

New Door years

While Snider was working on his first record for New Door, UMG released a selection of his Margaritaville and MCA back catalog. The collection, That Was Me: 1994-1998, was released on August 30, 2005,^[43]through their reissue arm, Hip-O Records.^[44] The compilation included seventeen tracks from all three of the albums distributed by MCA, including "Alright Guy" and "Talking Seattle Grunge Rock Blues," plus a previously unreleased cover of "Margaritaville, a breakneck rendition on which he was backed by the Nervous Wrecks.

Snider's first release for New Door was The Devil You Know, the acclaimed follow-up to East Nashville Skyline released on August 8, 2006.^[45] Working again with co-producers Will Kimbrough and Eric McConnell, who both played multiple instruments on the album, Snider also was backed on the record by guitarist Tommy Womack, bassists Billy Mercer, Robert Kearns, and Dave Jacques, drummers Paul Griffith and Craig Wright, pianist Dave Zollo, violinist Molly Thomas, and legendary steel guitarist Lloyd Green.^[46] The record went to number four on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.^[47] Christgau gave it an A in his Consumer Guide and called it "better" than its predecessor.^[48] The record was named to several critics' year-end "best" lists, including a number 33 ranking in Rolling Stone's top 50 albums of the year,^{[citation needed]} a number 25 ranking by No Depression magazine, and number 14 by Blendermagazine.

On October 20, 2006, Snider made a solo acoustic in-store appearance at Grimey's New and Preloved Records in Nashville, performing material from The Devil You Know.^[49] The performance was recorded and released by New Door on April 3, 2007, as Live With The Devil You Know At Grimey's Nashville 10.20.06. It was his final release on the New Door label.

Launch of Aimless Records

In 2008, Snider launched his own independent record label, Aimless Records. The label's first release was his eight-song EP Peace Queer, the most political record of his career. The title was inspired by the ’60s avant garde rock band The Fugs who had a line about killing "peace queers."^[50] As Snider tells it in the press bio for the album, he was kidnapped by an international league of peace queers who forced him to write the protest songs that appeared on the record. Three of the tracks on the EP were recorded at co-producer Eric McConnell's studio with backing from some of the musicians who worked on Snider's two previous albums, including guitarist Will Kimbrough, bassist Dave Jacques, keyboardist Dave Zollo, and drummers Paul Griffith and Craig Wright. The remainder of the EP was recorded with co-producer Doug Lancio at his studio with Lancio providing musical accompaniment and Patty Griffin contributing backing vocals to two of the tracks—"Cape Henry" and the cover of John Fogerty's "Fortunate Son." Released on October 14, 2008,^[51] the record went to number one on the Americana Airplay Chart and number eight on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.^[52]

Yep Roc album

Aimless did not release Snider's next album, The Excitement Plan, because he had already committed it to Yep Roc Records, but it would be the last record he would make for another record label. Produced by Don Was and released on June 9, 2009, the album featured Snider with minimal backing: Was on upright bass, Jim Keltner on drums, and Greg Leisz on dobro and pedal steel.^[53] PopMatters called the record "a masterwork of intimacy" and said it "solidified his place among the masters of the form."^[54] The Associated Press called it "the finest album of his career."^[55] Rolling Stone gave it four stars.^[56] Robert Christgau gave it a B+ in his Consumer Guide.^[57] The album went to No. 6 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart,^[58] and number 31 on the magazine's Independent Albums chart.^[59]

2010sAimless label years

On February 1, 2011, Aimless released a double-disc live album by Snider, Live: The Storyteller. The album featured performances of songs spanning much of Snider's career along with some of the stories that have become a staple of his live shows.^[60] The performances were selected from recordings of concerts in 2010, primarily from shows in Nashville; Asheville, North Carolina; and Ann Arbor, Michigan, but also from his appearance at the 2010 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. On some of the selections, Snider is backed by the jam band Great American Taxi.^[61] Christgau gave the album an A− in his Consumer Guide.^[62] The Austin Chronicle said the album "does a magnificent job of capturing the onetime San Marcos scenester's genius, a heady combo of post-folk punk and stoned comedian."^[63] The album went to number seven on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart^[64] and reached No. 36 on the magazine's Independent Albums chart.^[65] After working with them on the road in 2010, Snider produced an album on Great American Taxi in 2011, Paradise Lost. The record was released by the band's own label on February 22, 2012.^[66]

Also in 2012, Aimless released a pair of albums by Snider. The first, Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables, was released on March 6 and included nine original songs plus a cover of Jimmy Buffett's "West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown."^[67] The album's themes of economic inequality were widely noted. The East Nashvillian said Snider was a "one-man Occupy Wall Street" on the record.^[68] Rolling Stone called it "Occupy Nashville."^[69] Snider recorded the album at Eric McConnell's studio with McConnell co-producing and engineering as well as playing bass. Snider, who played acoustic and electric guitar and harmonica, was also accompanied on the record by violinist/backing vocalist Amanda Shires, Great American Taxi keyboardist Chad Staehly, and drummer Paul Griffith. In addition, Jason Isbell contributed slide guitar and backing vocals to "Digger Dave's Crazy Woman Blues."^[70] The record earned an A grade in Robert Christgau’s Consumer Guide.^[71] American Songwriter gave it four-and-a-half stars.^[72] The album landed on three different Billboard charts. It was number six on the Americana/Folk Albums chart,^[73] number 15 on the Independent Albums chart,^[74] and number 23 on the Top Rock Albums chart.^[75] It also made a number of year-end lists, most notably number five on Christgau's "Top 102 Albums of 2012."^[76] It also was ranked number 11 on American Songwriter’s "Top 50 Albums of 2012,"^[77] number 40 on both The Village Voice’s Pazz and Jop: Top 100 Albums of 2012,^[78] Paste’s "50 Best Albums of 2012,"^[79] and number 47 on Rolling Stone’s "Top 50 Albums of 2012."^[80]

On April 24, 2012, Aimless released Snider's tribute album honoring one of his early mentors, Time As We Know It: The Songs of Jerry Jeff Walker. Produced by Don Was, Snider was backed on the album by the members of Great American Taxi (Vince Herman, acoustic guitar, mandolin, backing vocals; Chad Staehly, keyboards; Brian Adams, bass, backing vocals; Jim Lewin, electric guitar, backing vocals; and Chris Sheldon, drums, backing vocals.) In addition, Kix Brooks, Elizabeth Cook, and Amy LaVere were guest vocalists on the album.^[81] PopMatters called the album "Snider's love letter to Jerry Jeff Walker."^[82] The album went to number 13 on the Billboard Americana/Folk Albums chart.^[83]

Hard Working Americans

Todd Snider performs with Hard Working Americans at NedFest, Nederland, Colorado 2015, Photo Credit: by C. Alan Crandall

In 2013, Snider cofounded the jam band supergroup Hard Working Americans with Widespread Panic bassist Dave Schools. The band's lineup was Snider on vocals, Schools on bass, Neal Casal on guitar, Chad Staehly on keyboards, and Duane Truckson drums. After they recorded their first album at Bob Weir’s TRI Studios,^[84] they added a sixth member, guitarist and lap steel player Jesse Aycock.^[85] The band's debut, Hard Working Americans, was released by Melvin Records on January 21, 2014, and included 11 songs written by songwriters Snider admires, including Randy Newman, Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch, Kevn Kinney, Hayes Carll, and Will Kimbrough.^[86] Later that same year on October 28, Melvin released The First Waltz, a two-disc set that included a CD featuring 11 live recordings by HWA plus a new studio recording with Rosanne Cash, "Come From The Heart," and a full-length documentary film about the band directed by Justin Kreutzmann.^[87]

Melvin released Hard Working Americans’ second studio album, Rest in Chaos, on May 13, 2016. The record featured a dozen songs with lyrics by Snider and music by the entire band, plus a cover of Guy Clark’s "The High Price of Inspiration."^[88] American Songwriter gave the record four stars out of five.^[89]

On August 4, 2017, Melvin Records released a live double album by Hard Working Americans, We’re All In This Together.^[90] Robert Christgau rated the album an A− in his Consumer Guide and called it "the rock dream the hippies invented before they burned out."^[91] In the spring of 2017, the band went into Cash Cabin Studios and recorded more than an album's worth of material written by Snider, but those recordings have yet to be released.^[92]

Elmo Buzz and the Eastside Bulldogs

In between his work with Hard Working Americans, Snider finished the album Eastside Bulldog which Aimless released on October 6, 2016.^[93] While it was released under Snider's name, the material grew out of his side project/alter ego Elmo Buzz and the Eastside Bulldogs who specialize in ’50s and early ’60s rock and roll. Six of the ten songs originally appeared on an EP Shit Sandwich that Aimless released in 2011 as a free download under Elmo Buzz's name. Snider was backed on those sides by Eric McConnell on bass, Jen Gunderman on piano, Mark Horn on drums, and Dennis Taylor on saxophone. In 2016, Snider cut four more sides to complete the album with backing from Aaron Lee Tasjan on guitar, Keith Christopher on bass, Paul Griffith on drums, Robbie Crowell on sax, and Rorey Carroll on percussion, among others.^[94] The Irish Times called Eastside Bulldog "26 minutes of perfection that will rip your ears off."^[95] The record went to No. 13 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums chart,^[96] No. 29 on the Independent Albums chart,^[97] and No. 41 on the Top Rock Albums chart.^[98]

Return to folk roots

On March 15, 2019, Aimless Records released Snider's 13th studio album, Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3.^[99] Coproduced with Chad Staehly, Snider returned to his folk roots on the solo acoustic album, playing all the instruments on the 10 songs recorded at Cash Cabin Studio in the fall of 2018. Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires added backing vocals to two of the tracks, "The Blues on Banjo" and "A Timeless Response to Current Events." Isbell also added a backing vocal to the single "Like a Force of Nature." Half the songs on the record were among those he recorded with Hard Working Americans at the studio in 2017.^[100] Christgau graded the album an A in his Consumer Guide.^[101] Rolling Stone gave it four stars.^[102] The record was No. 3 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart,^[103] No. 11 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart,^[104] No. 21 on the Vinyl Albums chart,^[105] and No. 23 on the Album Sales chart.^[106]

2020s

With the release of First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder by Aimless on April 23, 2021,^[107] Snider fulfilled his longtime vision of combining funk with folk. He produced the record and played most of the instruments on it, including electric bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo and piano. He also sang all the backing vocals. Robbie Crowell handled drums and percussion. Tchad Blake mixed the record, as well as contributed a few sonic and musical touches.^[108] No Depression said the record showed Snider "in all his glory."^[109] Rolling Stone said it was "a raw portrait of a world-class songwriter processing calamity and chaos in real time."^[110] Robert Christgau gave the album a B+ in his Consumer Guide.^[111] The album reached number 21 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums chart^[112] and number 36 on the Album Sales chart.^[113]

Tribute recordings

In addition to his own recordings, Snider contributed covers to a number of tribute albums during his career beginning in 1996 when he teamed with Joe Ely on a cover of "Oh Boy" for the Buddy Holly tribute album, Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly).^[114]

On August 16, 2004, Snider appeared at a tribute concert at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas to honor Billy Joe Shaver on his 65th birthday.^[115] Snider's performance of Shaver's "Waco Moon" was included on A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver - Live, an album documenting the concert which was released on May 17, 2005.^[116] In 2006, three tribute albums were released that included sides by Snider. He recorded "Maybe You Heard" for The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson released on June 27 of that year.^[117] He contributed "They Ain’t Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore" to Why the Hell Not: The Songs of Kinky Friedman released on September 26.^[118] And he covered "Traveling Light" for A Case for Case: A Tribute to the Songs of Peter Case released on October 2.^[119]

Snider contributed a cover of "A Boy Named Sue" to the 2010 album, Twistable Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein. The record also included covers by Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, Bobby Bare, Lucinda Williams, Nanci Griffith, and Black Francis.^[120] In 2017, Snider covered "It Sure Was Better Back Then" for the tribute album An American Troubadour: The Songs of Steve Forbert which was released on October 6 of that year.^[121]

Film, television and books

In addition to the music videos and promotional videos he's appeared in for his own recordings, Snider made numerous appearances on television and in films.

Television

Over the years, Snider appeared a number of times on the late night network talk shows. On March 6, 1995, Snider performed "Alright Guy" with the Nervous Wrecks on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. On January 29, 1996, Snider and Joe Ely performed Buddy Holly's "Oh, Boy" on Late Show with David Letterman. He returned to O’Brien's show for a performance of "I Am Too" that aired on May 13, 1998.^[122]In 2006 he performed "Looking for a Job" on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on August 9.^[123] A few weeks later, he appeared on the Letterman show again, performing "Unbreakable" on September 1.^[124]

Snider also performed on several music programs during his career. In 1995, he appeared on ABC’s In Concert and performed "This Land Is Our Land" and John Fogerty's "Fortunate Son" with backing from the Nervous Wrecks. In 1996, he performed on Austin City Limits with the Wrecks in an episode headlined by John Prine that aired on January 20.^[125] Also in 1996, Snider performed "Alright Guy" solo acoustic on VH1’s Crossroads.^[126] In 1998, he performed "Rocket Fuel," "My Generation, Part 2," and "I Am Too"on HBO’s Reverb, backed by the Wrecks.

Snider made three appearances in 2010 on Squidbillies during the fifth season of the Adult Swim TV series. He sang the show's theme song in episode seven, "Fatal Distraction," which aired on June 27, 2010.^[127] He voiced the character Lobster Freak in episode eight, "Clowny Freaks," which aired on July 4, 2010.^[128] He appeared as himself in the season finale, the half-hour, all-star musical special, "America: Why I Love Her," which aired on July 18, 2010, and also included Lucinda Williams, Drive-By Truckers, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, among others.^[129]

Film

Snider met the filmmaking brothers Brad and Todd Barnes in 2003 when they made a promotional film for his live album Todd Snider Live: Near Truths And Hotel Rooms. During a break in the making of Tension: On the Road With Todd Snider, Snider composed and performed a short instrumental piece for the Barnes brothers’ comedic short, Long Road Home, released that same year.^[130] He also composed the music for their 2010 film, The Locksmith.^[131] Snider also starred in two "mockumentaries" directed by brothers. The first was 2009's Peace Queer: The Movie. The 42-minute film allegedly offering proof that peace queers had kidnapped Snider and made him write the anti-war protest songs that appeared on his Peace QueerEP.^[132] He also starred in the Barnes brothers’ 2013 feature-length, stoner musical mockumentary, East Nashville Tonight, alongside Elizabeth Cook.^[133]

In 1997, Snider performed a cover of Steve Goodman’s "This Hotel Room" at a tribute concert in Goodman's honor at the Medinah Temple in Chicago.^[134] The concert was filmed, and a decade later, a DVD documenting the concert, Larger Than Life: A Celebration of Steve Goodman and His Music, was released on November 6, 2007. In addition to Snider's performance, the DVD includes performances by John Prine, Arlo Guthrie, Emmylou Harris, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett, Iris DeMent, and Goodman himself.^[135]

Snider starred along with his Hard Working Americans bandmates in The First Waltz, director Justin Kreutzmann's documentary that captures the formation of Hard Working Americans and their first performances together in late 2013.^[136] The film was released by Melvin Records on October 28, 2014, as part of a two-disc set (CD/DVD).^[137] In 2020, the film Hard Luck Love Song, which is based on Snider's song, "Just Like Old Times" and includes the song in the film, made a limited release.^[138] Then in 2021, the film was picked up by Roadside Attractions for wider distribution with a release date of October 15, 2021.^[139]

Books

On April 22, 2014, Da Capo Press released Snider's quasi-memoir, I Never Met a Story I Didn't Like: Mostly True Tall Tales.^[140] Lone Star Music Magazine called it "one of the most charmingly witty memoirs to come down the literary pike in quite some time."^[141] Also in 2014, Snider contributed a chapter to a book about his first mentor, Kent Finlay. The book, Kent Finlay, Dreamer: The Musical Legacy behind Cheatham Street Warehouse, was published on February 3, 2016, by Texas A&M University Press. ^[142]

Songs covered by other artists

Over the course of his career, Snider had written and cowritten a large number of songs which were covered by other artists.

1990s

His first cut was by Rick Trevino who recorded Snider's "She Just Left Me Lounge" for his 1994 eponymous release.^[143] In 1995, Mark Chesnutt covered "Trouble" for his album Wings.^[144] Terry McMillan covered "Somebody's Comin’," a spiritual number which Snider cowrote with Mark Marchetti and Shannon Hills, on his 1997 release Somebody's Comin’ .^[145] Then, the song was covered by numerous artists including Russ Taff on his 1999 album, Right Here Right Now.^[146]

In 1997, Jack Ingram recorded "Airways Motel," for the album Livin' or Dyin', the first of several songs he would cowrite with Snider.^[147] Two years later, Ingram recorded a pair of songs they cowrote, "Feel Like I'm Falling In Love" and "Barbie Doll," for 1999's Hey You.^[148] Snider and Jason Ringenberg cowrote "This Town Isn't Keeping You Down," which appeared on Jason & The Scorchers' 1998 release, Midnight Roads & Stages Seen.^[149]

2000s

Snider and BR-549's Gary Bennett cowrote "Better Than This," which appeared on BR-549's 2000 live album, Coast to Coast Live.^[150] Charlie Robison recorded the Snider-Ingram cowrite “Barbie Doll" for the 2000 album Unleashed Live.^[151] Both Gary Allan and Jerry Jeff Walker covered Snider's "Alright Guy" in 2001. Allan's recording of the song appeared on his album of the same name,^[152] while Walker's version appeared on his album Gonzo Stew.^[153]

Snider collaborated with Jason Ringenberg again on "James Dean's Car," which appeared on Ringenberg's 2002 solo album, All Over Creation.^[154] Billy Joe Shaver recorded two songs he and Snider cowrote: "Deja Blues," which was included on his 2002 album, Freedom's Child,^[155] and "The Real Deal," which appeared on his 2005 record of the same name.^[156] Cross Canadian Ragweed has covered two of Snider's songs: "Late Last Night" on their 2005 album Garage^[157] and "I Believe You" on 2007's Mission California.^[158]

Keith Sykes, one of Snider's early mentors, recorded a song they cowrote "Tearing the House Down," and released it on his 2006 album, Let It Roll.^[159] Snider's former Nervous Wrecks bandmate Will Kimbroughhas recorded several songs he and Snider cowrote. Two of their collaborations, "I Want Out" and "Cape Henry," were included on Kimbrough's 2006 compilation, Godsend (Unreleased Songs, 1994-2002).^[160]He recorded two others, "Horseshoe Lake" and "Half a Man," for his 2007 EP Will Kimbrough.^[161]

Jack Ingram recorded ”Easy as 1, 2, 3 (Part II)," another of his collaborations with Snider, for his 2007 album. This Is It,^[162] T. Graham Brown covered Somebody's Comin’ for his 2008 release, From A Stronger Place.^[163]

2010s

Snider cowrote half an album of songs with Jason D. Williams, a vocalist and pianist from Memphis for Williams’ 2010 album Killer Instincts, which Snider produced. Some of those songs had additional cowriters including Dan Baird and Bobby Bare Jr.^[164] Will Kimbrough included another of his cowrites with Snider, "It Ain’t Cool," on his 2010 release Wings.^[165] Willie Braun's band Reckless Kelly recorded a song he cowrote with Snider, "I Never Liked St. Valentine," which appeared on his 2011 album Good Luck & True Love.^[166]

Texas music legends, Robert Earl Keen and Pat Green have recorded Snider's songs. Keen covered "Play a Train Song" on his 2011 album Ready For Confetti.^[167] Green covered "I Am Too," which was written by Snider and Kimbrough, on his 2012 release Songs We Wish We'd Written II.^[168] Somebody's Comin’ has been a favorite among Christian artists, and gospel legends Bill and Gloria Gaither covered the song on their 2011 record, Alaskan Homecoming.^[169] Dash Rip Rock covered the Snider-Shaver cowrite "The Real Deal (as "Real Deal") on 2013's Dash Does Shaver.^[170] Country legend Loretta Lynnrecorded a song she cowrote with Snider, "Everything It Takes," for her 2016 album Full Circle.^[171]

In the same year, a song Snider cowrote with singer-songwriter Elizabeth Cook and Dexter Green, "Cutting Diamonds," was released on Cook's Exodus of Venus album.^[172] Jack Ingram released a pair of songs he wrote with Snider, "Alright Alright Alright" and "Everybody Wants To Be Somebody" (also cowritten with Jon Randall Stewart), on 2019's Ridin’ High...Again.^[173]

2020s

In 2021, Tom Jones released an eclectic cover of Snider's "Talking Reality Television Blues" on his 2021 album Surrounded By Time.^[174] In 2022, Corb Lund, a Canadian singer from southern Alberta, released a cover of Snider's "Age Like Wine" on his 2022 album "Songs My Friends Wrote".^[175]

Personal life and death

Snider and painter Melita Osheowitz, whom he met in rehab in 1997, were married.^[176] In early 2015, he said in an interview that he had "just got divorced".^[177] His touring was limited by health conditions including spinal stenosis.^[178]

On November 3, 2025, a post on Snider's Instagram announced the cancellation of remaining tour dates after he had sustained "severe injuries as the victim of a violent assault outside of his hotel."^[179] He was in Salt Lake City preparing to play the second stop on his "High Lonesome and Then Some" tour.^[180]Snider told police he was beaten up and robbed at the Commonwealth Room, the venue where he had been scheduled to play later that night.^[181] A news report said his injuries required him to have staples in his head. Salt Lake City police later charged Snider with disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, and threats of violence for reportedly causing a disturbance while seeking treatment from Holy Cross Hospital.^[182][178]

Snider died from pneumonia in Nashville, on November 14, 2025, at the age of 59.^{[183][184][185][186]}

Honors and awards

After the success of The Devil You Know in 2006, Snider was nominated for Artist of the Year at the sixth annual Americana Honors & Awards in 2007. The nominees in the category included Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin, and Joe Ely.^[187] Hard Working Americans was nominated for an award in the Best Duo/Group category at the Americana Honors & Awards in 2014.^[188] On October 9, 2021, Snider was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Aladdin Theater in Portland, Oregon.^[189]

Early life and amateur career

Mancini, an American of Italian descent, was born Raymond Michael Mancino in Youngstown, Ohio on March 4, 1961. Boxing played a prominent role in the Mancini family history. Mancini's father, Lenny Mancini(the original "Boom Boom"), was a top-ranked contender during the 1940s. Lenny Mancini's dream, however, was dashed when he was wounded during World War II. Although Lenny Mancini returned to boxing, limitations resulting from his injuries prevented him from fulfilling his potential.^[4] He was a childhood friend and neighbor to future Oklahoma Soonersfootball head coach Bob Stoops.^[5]

Lenny inspired Ray to develop his boxing skills and encouraged him to train at a gym when he was quite young. Thus, Ray then began his quest to win the world title for his father.

Professional career

On October 18, 1979, Mancini made his professional debut and defeated Phil Bowen with a first-round knockout. His whirlwind punching style caught the attention of network executives at several American television networks, and he became a regular on their sports programming. During this time Mancini defeated some notable boxers including former US champion Norman Goins in March 1981.^[6]

Lightweight title challenges

Main article: Alexis Argüello vs. Ray Mancini

On April 30, 1980, Mancini defeated Bobby Sparks with a knockout at 1:28 in the first round for the regional Ohio State Lightweight title. Over a year later on May 16, 1981, Mancini won his first major title by defeating Jorge Morales for the WBC-affiliated NABF Lightweight championship when the referee determined that Morales could not continue after the 9th round. In the post-match interview, Ray said that he was "keeping this title for myself because the world title is going to my dad". Two months later, he successfully defended the title against José Luis Ramírez after a unanimous decision. Mancini's first attempt at a world title came on October 3 when he was pitted against Alexis Argüello for his World Boxing Council lightweight title. The event was selected by many (including The Ring and ESPN) as one of the most spectacular fights of the 1980s. Mancini gave Argüello trouble early and built a lead on the scorecards, but Argüello used his experience to his advantage in the later rounds and stopped Mancini in the 14th round.

Mancini would rebound from the loss to Argüello by winning his next two bouts, including a second successful defense of his NABF Lightweight title against Julio Valdez (10th-round TKO) which would earn him another chance at a world title.

WBA Lightweight champion

Main articles: Arturo Frias vs. Ray Mancini and Ray Mancini vs. Ernesto España

On May 8, 1982, in a match held at The Aladdin in Las Vegas, he challenged the new World Boxing Association lightweight champion, Arturo Frias.^[7] Fifteen seconds into the fight, Frias caught Mancini with a left hook to the chin and another combination made Mancini bleed from his eyebrow. Mancini recovered and dropped Frias right in the center of the ring with a combination. Dazed, Frias got backed up, and Mancini immediately went on the offensive and trapped Frias against the ropes. After many unanswered blows, referee Richard Greene stopped the fight at 2:54 in the first round, and the Mancini family finally had a world champion.^[1]

Mancini's first title defense, against former world champion Ernesto España, went smoothly with a Mancini knockout win in the 6th round.

Match against Duk Koo Kim

Main article: Ray Mancini vs. Kim Duk-koo

Ticket stub for Mancini's fight against Duk Koo Kim

On November 13, 1982, a 21-year-old Mancini met 27-year-old South Korean challenger Duk Koo Kim. Kim had struggled to make the 135-pound (61 kg) weight limit, and had to lose several pounds shortly before the fight. The title bout, at Caesars Palacein Las Vegas, was televised live on CBS Sports. Mancini won by TKO in the 14th round. Moments after the fight ended, Kim collapsed and fell into a coma, having suffered a subdural hematoma, and died five days later.^[8] The week after his death, the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine showed Mancini and Kim battling, under the title "Tragedy in the Ring".^[9]

Mancini went to the funeral in South Korea and fell into a deep depression afterwards.^[4] He has said that the hardest moments came when people approached him and asked if he was the boxer who "killed" Duk Koo Kim. Mancini went through a period of reflection and blamed himself for Kim's death. In addition, Kim's mother died by suicide three months after the fight, and the bout's referee, Richard Green, killed himself in July 1983.^[10]

As a result of Kim's death, the WBC took steps to shorten its title bouts to a maximum of 12 rounds. The WBA and WBO followed in 1988, and the IBF in 1989.^[10]

Later matches

Main article: Ray Mancini vs. Orlando Romero

Mancini began the process of getting his life back together by once again putting on boxing gloves. He went to Italy to face British champion George Feeney, where he won a 10-round decision.

He defended his title two more times. First, on September 15, 1983, he beat Peruvian challenger Orlando Romero by a knockout in nine rounds at Madison Square Garden to achieve a lifelong dream of fighting in that building, and then after a November 25 tune-up bout in which he defeated Johnny Torres by first-round knockout in his return to the Caesar's Palace hotel in Las Vegas, in January 1984, in a bout with former world champion Bobby Chacon, which was broadcast on HBO, Mancini defeated Chacon when referee Richard Steele stopped the fight in the third round with blood dripping from Chacon's left eye at Reno, Nevada.^[11]

In June 1984, Mancini, still recovering from the emotional trauma of Kim's death, fought Livingstone Bramble to defend his title in Buffalo, New York. This time however, Mancini came out on the losing end, defeated after 14 rounds.^[12] Mancini lost the title, but not before a fierce effort that resulted in an overnight stay at Millard Fillmore Hospital and 71 stitches around one eye.^[13]

Mancini returned to the ring twice to attempt to regain his world title. In a rematch with Bramble, Mancini lost the fight by one point on all three judges' scorecards in a 15-round decision.^[14] His next attempt came in March 1989, when he lost to Héctor 'Macho' Camacho in a split decision,^[15] Mancini had one final fight in April 1992, against former lightweight champion Greg Haugen. Mancini lost when referee Mills Lanestopped the fight in the seventh round.^[16]

Retirement and later work

A made-for-television movie based on Mancini's life aired in the 1980s.^[17] The former champion was able to keep 75 percent of his $12 million in purse money, which enabled him to pursue a broad range of interests in retirement.^[18]

Mancini in 2008

Mancini, who as of 2007 resided in Los Angeles, owns the El Campeon Cigar Company and operates two movie production companies.^[18] Mancini appeared in and produced a handful of films. He appeared in the quirky 1994 comedy The Search for One-eye Jimmy, in David Mamet's MMA film Redbelt, and in the 2000 remake Body and Soul. Mancini played Charlie, Frank's retired father, in Bad Frank (2017).

Mancini produced Youngstown: Still Standing in 2010, which premiered at the 34th Cleveland International Film Festival on March 24. The documentary film featured his hometown friend, actor Ed O'Neill, and also included Jim Cummings, Kelly Pavlik, Jay Williams, Andrea Wood, and Mancini himself, among many other Youngstown natives and locals. John Chechitelli – another Youngstown native – directed and edited the 89-minute-long film. It recounts the history of Youngstown, Ohio, from its founding in 1797 to the present.^[19]

Mancini has a son also named Ray who appeared in the YouTube reality series SummerBreak, in which Manicini also had a guest role.

Mancini practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and holds a purple belt in the martial art.^[20] He became a fight analyst for the Fox reality series 

BiographyEarly life

Kenneth Thomas Jones was born on 16 September 1948 in Whitechapel, London, England.^[2][3]

Small Faces to Faces

Having previously been in a band with Ronnie Lane, Jones was one of the founding members of the English rock group Small Faces. Active from 1965 to 1969, Small Faces were part of the Mod trend of the 1960s. Their hits included "All or Nothing", "Sha-La-La-La-Lee", "Itchycoo Park" and "Tin Soldier".

In 2007, Small Faces were honoured by Westminster Council with a commemorative plaque placed at what was Don Arden's offices in Carnaby Street, the band's "spiritual home". Jones himself unveiled the plaque. In a BBCinterview, Jones said: "To honour the Small Faces after all these years is a terrific achievement. I only wish that Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane and Don Arden were here to enjoy this moment with me".^[4] Since the death of Jimmy Winston in September 2020, Jones and Rick Wills are the sole surviving members of the Small Faces.

In 2004 The Observer listed the Small Faces' 1968 release Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake one of the "top British albums of all time".^[5]

After the departure of lead singer/guitarist Steve Marriott in 1969, the group recruited singer Rod Stewartand guitarist Ronnie Wood to replace Marriott. Both were formerly with the Jeff Beck Group. The band changed its name to Faces, as the original name was associated with the small stature of its members, and Stewart and Wood did not fit the description. Jones remained with the band until its dissolution in late 1975, recording four studio albums and a live album with them.^[6]

The Who

Jones drumming with The Who in 1980

In November 1978, Jones was invited by guitarist Pete Townshend and manager Bill Curbishley to join The Who, replacing their original drummer Keith Moon, who had died of a drug overdose in September.^[7] He was invited, in part, because the band had been friendly with him from his days with the Small Faces (he and Moon were friends and were together on the last night of Moon's life in 1978, as part of the viewing party put together by Paul McCartney for The Buddy Holly Story), and because he had played with Townshend, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle on the Tommy soundtrack. He played on the albums Face Dances and It's Hard and also played on the soundtrack for Daltrey's film McVicar, as well as on the band's tours from 1979 to 1982. Jones played with the band at Live Aid in 1985.

Jones' final appearance as a regular member of the Who was when the group received a lifetime achievement award at the 1988 British Phonographic Industry awards ceremony. He was frequently at odds with Daltrey, who felt that Jones' drumming style was not a good match with the band, (Jones's playing was usually straighter and less frenetic than Moon's), but Daltrey has denied having anything personal against Jones or his drumming, stating: "I'm not saying he's a bad drummer. I'm not saying he's a bad guy. I didn't dislike the guy, but I just felt he wasn't the right drummer for the Who. It's like having a wheel off a Cadillac stuck onto a Rolls Royce. It's a great wheel but it's the wrong one."^[8]

Jones was replaced by Simon Phillips for the Who's 1989 reunion tour. In an April 2011 special edition of Uncut magazine,^[9] Townshend said that Jones was a good choice for the band.

Jones reunited with The Who on 14 June 2014 at the Rock n Horsepower benefit concert held at his Hurtwood Polo Club. The band performed for an event set up by Jones to benefit Prostate Cancer UK, an organization that promotes awareness of the disease that Jones has. It was the first time that he had appeared onstage with Townshend and Daltrey since 1988. Sharing the bill were contemporaries such as Jeff Beck, Procol Harum and Mike Rutherford.^[10]

The Law

In 1991 Jones and singer Paul Rodgers co-founded a band called The Law, which was active for about a year and released one album.

The Jones Gang

In 2001, Jones formed a new band; over several months, the line-up solidified to include Rick Wills and Robert Hart. In 2005, The Jones Gang released their debut album, Any Day Now.

Guest appearances

Jones has been featured on recordings as a guest drummer on many recording sessions, including appearances on albums by Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, Ronnie Wood, Roger Daltrey, Andy Fairweather-Low,^[11] Joan Armatrading, Keith Moon, Marsha Hunt, Mike Batt, Pete Townshend, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, David Essex, John Lodge and Wings. He was also on a Top of the Popsperformance with Status Quo, performing their 1986 hit single, "Red Sky".

Outside music

Outside of music, Jones is a fan of polo. He has become an accomplished polo player and is the owner of Hurtwood Park Polo Club, in Ewhurst, Surrey.^[12]

On behalf of Small Faces and in memory of his late colleagues Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane, Jones established a children's charity, the Small Faces Charitable Trust, in 1999.^[13]

Jones is a supporter of the Conservative Party,^[14] and recorded a song called "Mr Brown" written by Robert Hart, criticising the tax policies of the then Chancellor of Exchequer Gordon Brown.^[15] He has also performed in support of the Countryside Alliance.^[16]

Jones' memoir, Let the Good Times Roll: My Life in Small Faces, Faces, and The Who, was published in September 2018 

Vitale pursued a solo career and released his debut studio album Roller Coaster Weekend in 1974. Since then, he has released two studio albums. His only single to chart is "Lady on the Rock".

Early life

Of Italian heritage, Joseph Anthony Vitale was born on April 2, 1949, in Canton, Ohio. He started playing the drums at an early age, as his father was a barber, and would trade haircuts for drum lessons for Joe. The Vitales moved to Florida for a short time, where Joe played in a youth orchestra, but they soon moved back to Ohio.

In high school Vitale played for a while with a band called the Knights. He formed a polka band with his brother and father called the Tony Vitale Trio, with his father on accordion and his brother on bass guitar, but the band was short-lived and didn't make any studio or live recordings.^[2]In 1965 the polka band and a rock band called the Echoes were both playing at the Magnolia Homecoming.^{[clarification needed]} The Echoes' drummer didn't attend the gig, so Vitale played drums for them. As a result, he joined the Echoes as their regular drummer.^[3]

CareerBeginnings

Vitale started his professional music career with the Echoes, who signed a recording contract with Warnerand became the Chylds (1964–68). He gained valuable experience with the band and sang lead vocals on their single "I Want More (Lovin')."^[2] He eventually enrolled at Kent State University and was attending during the May 4, 1970, shootings. Vitale also played with Marble Cake, a band out of Kent, Ohio, from 1968 to 1970. His first national break came when Ted Nugent hired him to play drums in the Amboy Dukesin 1972.^[4]

Joe Walsh

That fall Vitale was invited by his former Kent State classmate Joe Walsh to join Barnstorm, a new band being formed by Walsh in Colorado. The band recorded two studio albums together and Vitale and Walsh began a longtime partnership (including co-writing "Rocky Mountain Way"), although Barnstorm broke up in 1974.

After the breakup, Vitale was (temporarily) the original drummer for the Michael Stanley Band (before Tommy Dobeck), and he recorded his debut solo studio album, 1974's Roller Coaster Weekend,^[5]produced by Ron and Howard Albert, with guitar solos contributed by Walsh, Rick Derringer and Phil Keaggy. He then joined the Stills-Young Band for the Long May You Run sessions. Later, Vitale became part of the Crosby, Stills & Nash touring and recording band, beginning with the CSN album and continuing until 2009. He has also co-produced and contributed songs to Crosby, Stills & Nash as well as to solo efforts by David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash.

Association with Eagles

In 1975 Vitale's partner Walsh joined Eagles and Vitale became part of the 90s Eagles' touring band playing drums, keyboards, and singing backing vocals. The Walsh/Vitale song "Pretty Maids All in a Row" appears on the Eagles' fifth studio album Hotel California (1976).^[6] He is also credited on The Long Run(1979) and the band's concert recording Eagles Live (1980). For Vitale's second solo studio album, Plantation Harbor, produced by Bill Szymczyk and also recorded in 1981, Don Felder appeared along with Walsh on guitars, and Stephen Stills co-wrote one of the songs. He continued to appear on Walsh solo albums in the early 1990s.

Among the artists with whom Vitale has appeared are Outlaws (Hurry Sundown, 1977), Dan Fogelberg(Windows and Walls, 1984), Peter Frampton, John Entwistle (Too Late the Hero, 1981) and Zakk Wylde(Book of Shadows, 1996).^[7]

In December 2008, Vitale released his third and to date final solo Speaking in Drums. The album is a collection of eleven songs written and performed by Joe, his wife Susie and his son Joe Jr., among other guests. In 2008 he also released Backstage Pass, a biography written by his wife.^[2]

In 2012, Joe Vitale appeared on the studio album The Healing Song by author and spiritual teacher Joseph Vitale (same name, different artist). Included on the recording are fellow musicians Glenn Fukunaga on bass (Robert Plant), Daniel Barrett on guitar (Porterdavis) and Grammy-winning artist David Darling performing on cello.^[8]

Vitale also wrote or co-wrote many songs with Joe Walsh.

Personal life

Vitale married his wife Susie in 1974. She is a graduate of Kent State University and conducted post graduate studies at Malone University and the University of Akron. She has served as president of the Community Television Consortium in Canton and as host of the TV program What's Happening in Stark County.^[9] They have a son, Joe Vitale, Jr.

As an actor, Le has appeared in films such as Tekken, Pandorum, Fighting, Bodyguards and Assassins (all in 2009), The Man with the Iron Fists (2012), Puncture Wounds (2014), and Savage Dog (2017). He had a lead role in the martial arts film Dragon Eyes (2012), co-starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and produced by Joel Silver.

Background

Cung Lê was born in Saigon, South Vietnam (now Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). In 1975, three days before the Fall of Saigon, Cung Le and his mother Anne left Vietnam by helicopter.^[4] Le's father stayed in Vietnam and was caught as a prisoner.^[5] After a few months in a refugee camp in the Philippines, Le ended up in San Jose, California, where early discrimination and bullying inspired him to learn martial arts.^[6] His mother enrolled him in Tae Kwon Do classes at the age of 10.^[7]

Le began Wrestling competitively at age 14. After being inspired to box by Sylvester Stallone´s Rocky, Le graduated and earned All-American honors in Wrestling his junior year at San Jose High School.^[8] He went on to wrestle for West Valley College in Saratoga, California, and won the California Junior College State Championship in the 158 lb weight class in 1990 also earning junior college All-American honors. Le also is practiced in a variety of martial arts such as Vovinam, Judo, Karate, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kuntao, Sambo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Sanda - which became his main focus. ^{[citation needed]}. Le held a professional Kickboxing record of 17–0 and is a three-time world champion in Kickboxing.

Sanshou and kickboxing career

Le has won three US Open International Martial Arts Championships (1994, 1995, 1996). In 1998 he won the Shidokan tournament championship.^[9] He has also won four US National Championships (Orlando, FL, 1994, Dallas, TX, 1995, Baltimore, MD, 1997). He earned three bronze medals in his amateur Sanshou world competition compiling an overall amateur record of 18–3. He has been a three-time bronze medalist at the World Wushu Championships in 1995 (Baltimore), 1997 (Italy), and 1999 (Hong Kong), and was the team captain during the later two editions. On December 15, 2001, he defeated Shonie Carter by unanimous decision in San Jose, California, to win the IKF International Kickboxing Federation Pro Light Heavyweight Sanda World Title.^[10] In May 2003, Le entered into K-1competitions where he garnered a 3–0 career record, including one knockout.^[10]

Mixed martial arts careerStrikeforce

Le made his mixed martial arts debut at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Gracie on March 10, 2006, at the HP Pavilion at San Jose, knocking out kickboxing rival Mike Altman at 3:51 of the first round. Le first met Altman in San Jose, in 1999, in a kickboxing bout where he defeated Altman via a body shot in the third round. Three months later he faced KOTC veteran Brian Warren, knocking him out at 4:19 of the first round. Le had also faced Warren in a K-1 Sanshou bout where he won by decision. At Strikeforce: Triple Threat on December 8, 2006, Le defeated UFC veteran Jason Von Flue in 0:43 of round one, when the fight had to be stopped due to a cut from a kick. Le went on to fight Tony Fryklund. Le beat Fryklund via TKO due to strikes late in the third round. Soon after, Le fought Sammy Morgan at Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives where he won the bout via TKO.

On March 29, 2008, at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Le, Le defeated long time MMA veteran Frank Shamrockin a fight co-promoted by Strikeforce and EliteXC at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Le won via TKO when Shamrock's right arm (ulna) was broken after a series of kicks, making him the new Strikeforce Middleweight Champion. On September 17, 2009, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker announced that Le had relinquished his belt after securing a major motion picture deal.^[11]

Twenty-one months after his last fight, Le returned to Strikeforce to face Scott Smith at Strikeforce: Evolution on December 19, 2009. Le suffered his first MMA defeat there, losing via TKO at 3:25 of the third round. After the match, Le expressed interest in an immediate rematch with Smith. His wish was granted on June 26, Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum, in which Le defeated Smith via TKO in the second round to avenge his only MMA loss at the time.^[12]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Le has said that it is basically the UFC or bust for him at this point in his fighting career. "I know for a fact that if I do fight again, it's going to be in the UFC. I've never fought in the UFC, but I would love to fight in the UFC. But right now because of my contract with Showtime and Strikeforce, hopefully things can work out because there is a show in San Jose that Cain Velasquez is the main event. I would love to fight in San Jose for the UFC ...."^[13] In an interview with BloodyElbow on October 27, 2011, Le revealed he originally signed a six-fight contract with the UFC.^[14]

Le was briefly linked to a matchup with Vitor Belfort on November 19, 2011, at UFC 139.^[15] However, Belfort was removed from the bout and replaced by former Pride FC Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva.^[16] Le managed to confuse Silva with his unorthodox kicks, and landed a spinning backfist that dropped Silva. During the second round, Silva managed to shake Le with huge punches and knees that completely broke Le's nose. Le was stunned, bloodied and fell to the ground, and the fight was stopped by the referee.^[17] Afterwards, in the press conference, Dana White commented that it was a good stoppage and that Cung was taken to the hospital.

Le was scheduled to face former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin on July 7, 2012, at UFC 148.^[18] However, due to an injury to headliner Vitor Belfort, Franklin instead faced Wanderlei Silva in a 190 lb catchweight rematch on June 23, 2012, at UFC 147.^[19] Le instead faced former title contender Patrick Côté.^[20] He earned his first UFC win via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Le faced Rich Franklin in the main event on November 10, 2012, at UFC: Macao.^[21] Cung Le won the fight via KO with a powerful hook punch to Franklin's head at 2:17 of the first round.

The Ultimate Fighter: China

In November 2013, it was announced that Le would serve as the chief coach and mentor on The Ultimate Fighter: China, the China-based version of The Ultimate Fighter which began airing in December 2013.^[22]

After over a year-and-a-half of being away from competition, Le faced Michael Bisping on August 23, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 48.^[23] After an even start, Le was cut around both eyes in the second round, as Bisping began to land the more powerful strikes. Bisping eventually won the one sided fight via TKO in the fourth round.^[24] Following the fight, Le tested positive for elevated levels of HGH and was subsequently suspended from competition for nine months.^[25] However, after reevaluating the evidence against Le, the UFC increased his suspension to 12 months.^[26] There has been some dispute of the test, as the testing laboratory in question was not WADA-approved, did not do the appropriate HGH test,^[27] and destroyed the blood sample before confirmatory tests could be done.^[28] Ultimately, on October 21, the UFC reversed their decision and rescinded Le's suspension in light of the aforementioned flaws.^[29] On December 3, 2014, Le told the media that he instructed his manager to request Le's release from UFC due to the drug-test dispute.^[30]

On December 16, 2014, Le was listed as one of three MMA fighters who filed a class-action lawsuitagainst Zuffa, LLC., the parent company of the UFC. The suit alleges that the UFC participated in anti-competitive practices that hindered fighters and their mixed martial arts careers. At the time Le was the only active fighter on the organization's roster to be involved in the lawsuit.^[31]

Retirement from MMA

On January 20, 2015, his manager, Gary Ibarra, announced to the media that Le had retired from MMA. Le's decision came after reconsidering his career with his family. He had previously expressed his lack of desire to fight in the UFC and contemplated retirement following the performance-enhancing drug disputes he had with the promotion in 2014. Le believed that the UFC owed him an apology for accusing him of using drugs when the test results later turned out to be faulty. Le, however, said that his retirement was only in MMA. He talked about the possibility of returning to professional kickboxing competitions, where he was active prior to his MMA debut.^[32]

Acting career

Le co-starred in the live-action Tekken film, based upon the popular martial arts fighting game, as Marshall Law, released November 5, 2009, for the American film market. Le had supporting roles in the science fiction film Pandorum with Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster, and Fighting, released in 2009 alongside Channing Tatum. He also starred in a Hong Kong martial arts film Bodyguards and Assassins, which was released on December 18, 2009; his film was the first time he worked with and had a fight scene with Hong Kong martial arts superstar Donnie Yen.^{[citation needed]}

He also appeared in a Vietnamese music show Paris By Night 99 – Tôi Là Người Việt Nam where he was interviewed by Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen; this show also marked one of the few times Le has spoken Vietnamese on camera.^{[citation needed]}

Le had a lead role in the 2012 action film Dragon Eyes, costarring Jean-Claude Van Damme and produced by Joel Silver. The movie is based on the Akira Kurosawa classic Yojimbo and is "MMA-themed".^[33] Also in 2012, Le played Bronze Lion in The Man with the Iron Fists, a film directed by RZA.

In 2014, he starred in Puncture Wounds, an action film directed by Giorgio Serafini, co-directed and written by James Coyne.^[34]

In 2015, he appeared as an abbot in the AMC TV series Into the Badlands.

In 2017, he appeared in the action movie Savage Dog alongside martial artists and action stars Scott Adkins and Marko Zaror.

My latest client’s project is attached. Take a listen and feel free to reach out with your requirements and points to convey.

Contact : vpartimus@gmail.com

Fairport Convention was originally a British band inspired by the Beatles and Dylan and the Byrds. In early UK concerts because of their material people thought they were an American band. Some great artists, like Richard Thompson and Iain Matthews, made their names first with Fairport. Most importantly for those early days, the wonderful Sandy Denny became their lead singer, bringing with her a repertory of classic folk songs, and along with the pressures of the times and band tragedy, they grew as artists and made vital, epoch changing albums. This is a deep listen to the first four Fairport albums and continuing with the story of Ms Denny. Be still, my heart.

Set list: All tracks by Fairport Convention except as noted: (from first Fairport album 1968) Chelsea Morning / (from What We Did On Our Holidays 1969) Fotheringay, I'll Keep It with Mine, Meet on the Ledge / (from Heyday, John Peel Top Gear radio sessions 1968-1969, released 1987) Suzanne, I Don't Know Where I Stand, I Still Miss Someone, Reno Nevada, Percy's Song / (from Unhalfbricking 1969) Genesis Hall, Si Tu Dois Parfir, Who Knows Where the Time Goes?, Autopsy, A Sailor's Life / (from Liege & Lief 1969) Come All Ye, Tam Lin, Crazy Man Michael / Led Zeppelin-The Battle of Evermore / Sandy Denny (from her solo albums)-The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood (Sandy), Solo (Like an Old-Fashioned Waltz), No More Sad Refrains (final encore song from Sandy's last major concert 27 November 1977 aka Gold Dust)

With thanks to Richie Unterberger (everyone interested should read Richie's Jingle Jangle Morning), Wikipedia, wfmu.org, my live listeners, killradio.org and podomatic.com. It is an honor to share this music with you. Comments requested. No rights reserved.  Tell your friends about this show. 

When my time is up, I'm gonna see all my friends.

Notes

13 January 2019 at 00:00 ET on Radio Free Brooklyn

Fairport Convention was originally a British band inspired by the Beatles and Dylan and the Byrds. In early UK concerts because of their material people thought they were an American band. Some great artists, like Richard Thompson and Iain Matthews, made their names first with Fairport. Most importantly for those early days, the wonderful Sandy Denny became their lead singer, bringing with her a repertory of classic folk songs, and along with the pressures of the times and band tragedy, they grew as artists and made vital, epoch changing albums. This is a deep listen to the first four Fairport albums and continuing with the story of Ms Denny. Be still, my heart.

Set list: All tracks by Fairport Convention except as noted: (from first Fairport album 1968) Chelsea Morning / (from What We Did On Our Holidays 1969) Fotheringay, I'll Keep It with Mine, Meet on the Ledge / (from Heyday, John Peel Top Gear radio sessions 1968-1969, released 1987) Suzanne, I Don't Know Where I Stand, I Still Miss Someone, Reno Nevada, Percy's Song / (from Unhalfbricking 1969) Genesis Hall, Si Tu Dois Parfir, Who Knows Where the Time Goes?, Autopsy, A Sailor's Life / (from Liege & Lief 1969) Come All Ye, Tam Lin, Crazy Man Michael / Led Zeppelin-The Battle of Evermore / Sandy Denny (from her solo albums)-The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood (Sandy), Solo (Like an Old-Fashioned Waltz), No More Sad Refrains (final encore song from Sandy's last major concert 27 November 1977 aka Gold Dust)

With thanks to Richie Unterberger (everyone interested should read Richie's Jingle Jangle Morning), Wikipedia, wfmu.org, my live listeners, killradio.org and podomatic.com. It is an honor to share this music with you. Comments requested. No rights reserved.  Tell your friends about this show. 

When my time is up, I'm gonna see all my friends.

Notes

13 January 2019 at 00:00 ET on Radio Free Brooklyn

An edited portion of this concert was broadcast on PBS "In The Spotlight" during this tour, and on the SFX Radio Network, at a later date. To my knowledge, this is the one of the first Steely Dan broadcast recordings in the 2000's decade.

Steely Dan 2000:

Donald Fagen: Vocals, Fender Rhodes, Lync Keytar

Walter Becker: Guitars, Vocals

Jon Herington: Guitars

Cornelius Bumpus: Tenor Saxophone

Chris Potter: Tenor and Alto Saxophone

Michael Leonhart: Trumpet

Jim Pugh: Tenor Trombone

Ted Baker: Grand Piano, Synth

Tom Barney: 5-String Bass

Ricky Lawson: Drums

Vicky Cave, Carolyn Leonhart, Cynthia Calhoun: Backing Vocals

Today’s serial episode is Luke Slaughter 1958

LUKE SLAUGHTER OF TOMBSTONE

CBS started the year 1958 off with the introduction on January 1, 1958 of Frontier Gentleman. That series lasted 41 broadcasts. Near the end of the year, the network launched Have Gun, Will Travel on November 11, 1958, which continued for 106 programs. In between, a very short series was offered and discontinued after only 16 broadcasts, Luke Slaughter Of Tombstone. Sam Buffington starred as Luke Slaughter, a Civil War cavalryman who turned to cattle ranching in post war Arizona territory near Fort Huachuca. William N. Robson, known from his work with such series as Escape, Suspense and CBS Radio Workshop, directed.

Sam Buffington enacted the title role on Luke Slaughter of Tombstone, another of CBS's prestigious adult Westerns. The series was produced and directed by William N. Robson, one of radio's greatest dramatic directors and Robert Stanley producer was aired from February 23 through June 15, 1958. Buffington portrayed the hard-boiled cattleman with scripts overseen by Gunsmoke sound effects artist (and sometimes scriptwriter) Tom Hanley.

Each program had an authoritative opening statement: "Slaughter's my name, Luke Slaughter. Cattle's my business. It's a tough business, it's a big business. I got a big stake in it. And there's no man west of the Rio Grande big enough to take it away from me." Junius Matthews was heard as Slaughter's sidekick, Wichita.

In his first adventure, tough-as-nails westerner Luke Slaughter guarantees he will bring a cattle herd to Tombstone despite the threats of rustlers and a spy among the ranks of his cowboys. Like the other CBS radio westerns, Have Gun, Will Travel or Frontier Gentleman, this one had plenty of action, the productions were well done and well acted. Luke Slaughter was cut short, like a lot of other radio shows, by the steady pressure from TV.

This CBS western series was only a short 16 broadcasts before ending.

I seek to learn even at this age.

Contact: vpartimus@gmail.com

Monday Playbill

CBC RADIO ONE

Six Episodes

Linda Grearson: Producer

Winner: Bronze Medal, New York International Radio

Festival (Best Play)

FROM December 1 2001

Re-visiting the Sixties re-visiting the Sixties with the

life and loves of car dealer Earl Hughes, largely set

inside a Nash-Metropolitan!

The life and times of a car man are chronicled in Test

Drive, which premiered in 2004 at Ontario’s famous

Blyth Festival. Earl Hughes loves his wife, children and

cars – and not always in that order. He also considers

his life to be resoundingly ordinary, except that every

ten years or so he sets out on a test drive that rocks

his world. Earl’s first trip begins in 1954 – Hurricane

Hazel is brewing but he thinks he’s still got time to sell

a Nash Metropolitan to a would-be starlet. After that

fiasco, Earl drives through the Cold War, discovers

peace, love and brownies at Woodstock, and

eventually comes to a screeching stop in 2004 – when

he must fight his final battle, to keep his driver’s

licence.

Dedicated to the memory the legendary Canadian

automotive pioneer Hector Dupuis.

Earl Hughes loves his wife and kids, but cars have

always been his passion. His journey begins in 1954 -

a hurricane is brewing, but he still thinks he can sell a

Nash Metropolitan to a would-be starlet. From there,

he drives through the Cold War, detours around

Woodstock, and eventually comes to a screeching stop

in 2014, where an inevitable turn of events threatens

to put an end to his joyrides for good.

06 Test Drive January 5, 2002

2001. Earl is over 80 now and his driving has

deteriorated. He smashes his old AMC Matador into the

rear of a businesswoman's Lexus SUV; she berates him

as his car is towed away. Earl loses his licence and is

forced to take a road test to get it back, and he take

his young instructor an one of the more exciting

driving tests in recent memory.

Test Drive

By Dave Carley

Linda Grearson: Producer

Winner: Bronze Medal, New York International Radio Festival

(Best Play)

Monday Playbill

CBC Radio One

3:30 pm, December 1, 2003 to January 5, 2004

Episode Synopsis of Test Drive

Test Drive is the story of Earl Hughes, an American Motors car

dealer on the Golden Mile in East York, Ontario. The six

episodes of the series span the years 1954-2001 and follow

Earl's career in the car business, as well as chronicling the

story of his marriage to Dorothy (Dodo) and the exploits of his

two children, Eleanor (Speedy) and Franklin.

The much-loved Canadian actor Gordon

Pinsent plays Earl. Over twenty other

actors round out the exceptional cast.

Each week's episode tells the continuing

story of Earl's life over the years, and

the revolution that has occurred in the

auto retailing business since the 1950s.

Each episode also revolves around a

"test drive" - often involving a new car

and happening against the backdrop of a

larger event.

American Motors was the last North

American independent car

manufacturer. It built a lot of weird and

wonderful cars - the Javelin, Pacer, and Metropolitan, among

them - as well as many famous, sturdy compacts, like the

Rambler American. It also owned Jeep. American Motors was

finally absorbed by Chrysler in 1987.

Gordon Pinsent, Linda

Grearson (director) and

Dave Carley in the radio

drama studio in the

Toronto Broadcast

Centre. Photo: John

McCarthy.

Test Drive is a series of six radio dramas that were first

broadcast on CBC Radio One and Two in November and

December, 2001.

The script for the stage version of Test Drive is available in the

Plays (full-length) section of this site.

Sound Engineer Wayne

Richards adjusts the "car",

with Richard Lee and Gordon

Pinsent.

Test Drive

Drama-comedy

2m/1f – 2 acts

The life and times of a car man are chronicled in this new play,

which premiered in 2004 at Ontario’s famous Blyth Festival. A

revised version is being produced at the Lighthouse Festival

Theatre in Port Dover, Showboat Festival Theatre in Port

Colborne, and Prince Edward County Festival in summer 2014.

To read the full play, click here.

Earl Hughes loves his wife, children and cars – and not

always in that order. He also considers his life to be

resoundingly ordinary, except that every ten years or so he

sets out on a test drive that rocks his world. Earl’s trip begins

in 1954 – a hurricane is brewing but he still thinks he can sell

a Nash Metropolitan to a would-be starlet. From there he

drives through the Cold War, detours around Woodstock and

eventually comes to a screeching stop in 2004 – when he must

really go to war to keep his driver’s licence.

When unable to sleep, my dad used to melt saccharin in warm

skimmed milk. If the CBC's Test Drive were a liquid, that's

what it would taste like. It's a mildly amusing sitcom in which

a namby-pamby Toronto car dealer looks back upon the last 50

years of his life and times. His wife's overbearing, his kids

typical, his son-in-law an ex-Mennonite who drives as if he's

blind. The acting is uniformly fine, the production lean and

bright, the characters stock, and the writing unthreatening,

considering the volatility of the last half-century. Yet

compared to TV comedy of the same nostalgic ilk, Test Drive is

a work of art.

IF we could only see the future with no “real” emotions, creations from our own minds, words uttered by our human lips and love given to one another we might hesitate. As for now the race to the bottom is too fast to grab onto and the world lets it continue.

As people we are weak to new things that are initially fascinating, shiny and different. Here lies the danger to absorb the latest and greatest that seems to be developed every week or day. If we state things as they are we must admit the future and the downfall of the human race are being devalued and the worth of artificial is exploding upward.

To have no conscience about the future and its people makes no sense to me. The closest thing I can imagine is to prepare a long drive into a tunnel and the falling into a deep ravine with certain death. The ride and the scenery is now, the end of the tunnel and the edge of the cliff is just around the next corner as we plummet into nothingness.

IF you have children as a parent you must be aware of this and try to fight back in whatever way you can. Understanding we are just the small guys and the money machine keeps pushing us all out of the way to give the world’s money grabbers more powerful and continue the expansion of the very rich and leaving the rest of society to fend for themselves.

Please listen to today’s audio:

John Boorman on "Domestic Robots" 

"Just as generals are always fighting the last war, so politicians are fighting the last election, or more often, elections of 20 years ago. The almost religious belief in the wisdom of the Market excuses its advocates from thinking about its catastrophic effects in a rapidly changing world. In writing this play I have made the optimistic assumption that a visionary statesman will arise. He, or more likely she, will see that robots are creating huge wealth and mass unemployment. She will appropriate that wealth to the state and provide every adult with a comfortable stipend, an arrangement already in place in some countries. Wind and wave energy will provide all the electricity the nation requires leaving a huge surplus which will be exported. Our leaky old water pipes will be cleverly replaced by inserting new pipes inside the old ones. This will create a water surplus which tankers will ferry to the Middle East. Ireland’s rain will become its greatest asset and clean water will cost more than oil per gallon. All-electric vehicles, clean energy and vegetarianism will solve climate change. Nations will agree to reduce their populations to the level that the planet can support. All nations measure their success by growth of GNP. They will have to learn that growth is the one thing we can no longer afford. As all our needs are satisfied by ordering through our domestic robots, money and currencies will simply wither away, as Karl Marx predicted it they would. The pressing problem will then be how to prepare people for a post working Society"

All members adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname Ramone, although none were biologically related; they were inspired by Paul McCartney, who used the stage name Paul Ramon when the Beatles were still calling themselves The Silver Beetles. The Ramones performed 2,263 concerts, touring virtually nonstop for 22 years,^[1] and released fourteen studio albums. In 1996, after a tour as part of the Lollapalooza music festival, they played a farewell concert in Los Angeles and disbanded.^[2]

By 2014, all four original members had died: lead singer Joey Ramone (1951–2001), bassist Dee Dee Ramone(1951–2002), guitarist Johnny Ramone (1948–2004) and drummer Tommy Ramone (1949–2014).^[3][4][5][6] The Ramones had experienced a few lineup changes, with Joey and Johnny as the only constant members. Tommy left the band in 1978 to pursue a career in record production, and was replaced by Marky Ramone, who himself was replaced by Richie Ramone in 1983. Following Richie's departure in 1987, and a brief stint with Elvis Ramone, Marky rejoined the band and Dee Dee departed two years later, being replaced by C. J. Ramone. From 1989 to their breakup in 1996, the Ramones consisted of Joey, Johnny, Marky and C. J. Ramone.

Recognition of the band's importance has built over the years.^[7] The Ramones were ranked number 26 in Rolling Stone magazine's 2004 list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time"^[8] and number 17 in VH1's 2012 television series 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.^[9] In 2002, the Ramones were ranked the second-greatest band of all time by Spin, trailing only the Beatles.^[10] On March 18, 2002, the original four members and Tommy's replacement on drums, Marky Ramone, were all inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.^[1][11] In 2011, the band was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.^[12][13]

HistoryFormation (1974–1975)

Forest Hills High School, attended by the four original members of the Ramones

The original members of the band met in and around the middle-class neighborhood of Forest Hills in the New York City borough of Queens. John Cummings and Thomas Erdelyi had both been in a high-school garage band from 1965 to 1967 known as the Tangerine Puppets.^[14] They became friends with Douglas Colvin, who had recently moved to the area from Germany,^[15] and Jeff Hyman, who was the singer for the glam rockband Sniper, founded in 1972.^[16][17][18]

The Ramones began taking shape in early 1974 when Cummings and Colvin invited Hyman to join them in a band. Colvin wanted to play guitar and sing, Cummings would also play guitar and Hyman would play drums. The lineup was to be completed with their friend Richie Stern on bass. However, after only a few rehearsals it became clear that Stern could not play bass, so the group parted ways with him and became a trio, with Colvin switching from guitar to bass in addition to singing while Cummings became the only guitarist.^[19] Colvin was the first to adopt the name "Ramone", calling himself Dee Dee Ramone. He was inspired by Paul McCartney's use of the pseudonym Paul Ramon during his Silver Beetles days.^[20][21] Dee Dee convinced the other members to take on the name and came up with the idea of calling the band the Ramones.^[22] Hyman and Cummings became Joey and Johnny Ramone, respectively.^[22]

A friend of the band, Monte A. Melnick (later their tour manager), helped to arrange rehearsal time for them at Manhattan's Performance Studios, where he worked. Johnny's former bandmate Erdelyi was set to become their manager. Soon after the band was formed, Dee Dee realized that he could not sing and play his bass guitar simultaneously; with Erdelyi's encouragement, Joey became the band's new lead singer.^[20] Dee Dee would continue, however, to count off each song's tempo with his signature rapid-fire shout of "1-2-3-4!" Joey soon similarly realized that he could not sing and play drums simultaneously and left the position of drummer. While auditioning prospective replacements, Erdelyi would often take to the drums and demonstrate how to play the songs. It became apparent that he was able to perform the group's music better than anyone else, and he joined the band as Tommy Ramone.^[23]

The Ramones played before an audience for the first time on March 30, 1974, at Performance Studios.^[1]The songs they played were very fast and very short; most clocked in at under two minutes. Around this time, a new music scene was emerging in New York centered on two clubs in downtown Manhattan—Max's Kansas City and, more famously, CBGB (usually referred to as CBGB's). The Ramones made their CBGB debut on August 16, 1974.^[24] Legs McNeil, who cofounded Punk magazine the following year, later described the impact of that performance: "They were all wearing these black leather jackets. And they counted off this song ... and it was just this wall of noise ... They looked so striking. These guys were not hippies. This was something completely new."^[25]

The band swiftly became regulars at the club, playing there seventy-four times by the end of the year. After garnering considerable attention for their performances—which averaged about seventeen minutes from beginning to end—the group was signed to a recording contract in late 1975 by Seymour Stein of Sire Records. Sire A&R man Craig Leon^[26] saw the band and brought them to the attention of the label. Stein's wife, Linda Stein, saw the band play at Mothers; she would later co-manage them along with Danny Fields.^[27] By this time, the Ramones were recognized as leaders of the new scene that was increasingly being referred to as "punk".^[28][29] The group's unusual frontman had a lot to do with their impact. As Dee Dee explained, "All the other singers [in New York] were copying David Johansen [of the New York Dolls], who was copying Mick Jagger ... But Joey was unique, totally unique."^[30]

Spearheading punk (1976–1977)

Ramones performing in Toronto in 1976

April 1976 issue of Punk. The cover image of Joey, by Punk cofounder John Holmstrom, was inspired by the work of comic artist Will Eisner.^[32] Holmstrom would go on to do album art for Rocket to Russia and Road to Ruin.^[33]

The Ramones recorded their debut album, Ramones, in February 1976. Of the fourteen songs on the album, the longest, "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement", barely surpassed two and a half minutes. While the songwriting credits were shared by the entire band, and each member did contribute some writing, much of the writing was done by Dee Dee.^[34][35] The Ramones album was produced by Sire's Craig Leon, with Tommy as associate producer, on an extremely low budget of about $6,400 and released in April.^[36] The now iconic front cover photograph of the band was taken by Roberta Bayley, a photographer for Punkmagazine.^[37] Punk, which was largely responsible for codifying the term for the scene emerging around CBGB, ran a cover story on the Ramones in its third issue, the same month as the album's release.^[32][38]

The Ramones' debut album was greeted by rock critics with glowing reviews. The Village Voice's Robert Christgau wrote, "I love this record—love it—even though I know these boys flirt with images of brutality (Nazi especially) ... For me, it blows everything else off the radio."^[39] In Rolling Stone, Paul Nelson described it as "constructed almost entirely of rhythm tracks of an exhilarating intensity rock & roll has not experienced since its earliest days." Characterizing the band as "authentic American primitives whose work has to be heard to be understood", he declared, "It is time popular music followed the other arts in honoring its primitives."^[40]Newsday's Wayne Robbins simply anointed the Ramones as "the best young rock 'n' roll band in the known universe."^[41]

Despite Sire's high hopes for it,^[42] Ramones was not a commercial success, reaching only number 111 on the Billboard album chart.^[43] The two singles issued from the album, "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", failed to chart. At the band's first major performance outside of New York, a June date in Youngstown, Ohio, members of Cleveland punk legends Frankenstein aka the Dead Boys were present and struck up a friendship with the band.^[44] It was not until they made a brief tour of England that they began to see the fruits of their labor; a performance at the Roundhouse in London on July 4, 1976, with The Stranglers supporting the Flamin' Groovies, organized by Linda Stein, was a resounding success.^[45] T. Rex leader Marc Bolan was in attendance at the Roundhouse show and was invited on stage.^[46][47] Their Roundhouse appearance and a club date the following night—where the band met members of the Sex Pistols and the Clash—helped galvanize the burgeoning UK punk rock scene.^[3] The Flamin' Groovies/Ramones double bill was successfully reprised at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles the following month, fueling the punk scene there as well. The Ramones were becoming an increasingly popular live act—a Toronto performance in September energized yet another growing punk scene.^[48]

Their next two albums, Leave Home and Rocket to Russia, were both released in 1977. Both were produced by Tommy and Tony Bongiovi, the second cousin of Jon Bon Jovi.^[49] Leave Home met with even less chart success than Ramones, though it did include "Pinhead", which became one of the band's signature songs with its chanted refrain of "Gabba gabba hey!" Leave Home also included a fast-paced cover of the oldie "California Sun", written by Henry Glover & Morris Levy, and originally recorded by Joe Jones,^[50] though the Ramones based their version on the remake by the Rivieras. Rocket to Russia was the band's highest-charting album to date, reaching number 49 on the Billboard 200.^[51] In Rolling Stone, critic Dave Marsh called it "the best American rock & roll of the year".^[52] The album also featured the first Ramones single to enter the Billboard charts (albeit only as high as number 81): "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker". The follow-up single, "Rockaway Beach", reached number 66—the highest any Ramones single would ever reach in America. On December 31, 1977, the Ramones recorded It's Alive, a live concert double album, at the Rainbow Theatre, London, which was released in April 1979 (the title is a reference to the 1974 horror film of the same name).^[53]

Transitional period (1978–1983)

Joey Ramone, c. 1980

Tommy, tired of touring, left the band in early 1978. He continued as the Ramones' record producer under his birth name of Erdelyi. His position as drummer was filled by Marc Bell, who had been a member of the early 1970s hard rock band Dust, Wayne County,^[54] and the pioneering punk group Richard Hell and the Voidoids.^[55] Bell adopted the name Marky Ramone. Later that year, the band released their fourth studio album, and first with Marky, Road to Ruin. The album, co-produced by Tommy with Ed Stasium, included some new sounds such as acoustic guitar, several ballads, and the band's first two recorded songs longer than three minutes. It failed to reach the Billboard Top 100. However, "I Wanna Be Sedated", which appeared both on the album and as a single, would become one of the band's best-known songs.^[56] The artwork on the album's cover was done by Punk magazine cofounder John Holmstrom.^[57]

After the band's movie debut in Roger Corman's Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979), producer Phil Spectorbecame interested in the Ramones and produced their fifth album End of the Century (1980). There is a long-disputed rumor that during the recording sessions in Los Angeles, Spector held Dee Dee at gunpoint, forcing him to repeatedly play a riff.^[58] Although it was to be the highest-charting album in the band's history—reaching number 44 in the United States and number 14 in Great Britain—Johnny made clear that he favored the band's more aggressive punk material: "End of the Century was just watered-down Ramones. It's not the real Ramones."^[59] This stance was also conveyed by the title and track selection of the compilation album Johnny later oversaw, Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits. Despite these reservations, Johnny did concede that some of Spector's work with the band had merit, saying "It really worked when he got to a slower song like 'Danny Says'—the production really worked tremendously. 'Rock 'N' Roll Radio' is really good. For the harder stuff, it didn't work as well."^[60] The string-laden Ronettes cover "Baby, I Love You" released as a single, became the band's biggest hit in Great Britain, reaching number 8 on the charts.^[61]

Pleasant Dreams, the band's sixth album, was released in 1981. It continued the trend established by End of the Century, taking the band further from the raw punk sound of its early records. As described by Trouser Press, the album, produced by Graham Gouldman of UK pop act 10cc, moved the Ramones "away from their pioneering minimalism into heavy metal territory."^[62] Johnny would contend in retrospect that this direction was a record company decision, a continued futile attempt to get airplay on American radio.^[63] While Pleasant Dreams reached number 58 on the U.S. chart, its two singles failed to register at all.^[64]

Subterranean Jungle, produced by Ritchie Cordell and Glen Kolotkin, was released in 1983.^[65] According to Trouser Press, it brought the band "back to where they once belonged: junky '60s pop adjusted for current tastes", which among other things meant "easing off the breakneck rhythm that was once Ramones dogma."^[62] Billy Rogers, who had performed with Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, played drums on the album's second single, a cover of the Chambers Brothers' "Time Has Come Today", becoming the only song showing three different drummers: Rogers on recording, Marky on album credits and Richie on video clip.^[66] Johnny stated that he was "kinda disappointed" with Subterranean Junglebecause he felt it was "too melodic, too "pop", and too commercial" like End of the Century and Pleasant Dreams.^[67] Subterranean Jungle peaked at number 83 in the United States—it would be the last album by the band to crack the Billboard Top 100.^[68][69] In 2002, Rhino Records released a new version of it with seven bonus tracks.^[70]

Shuffling members (1983–1989)

Joey and Dee Dee Ramone performing in Seattle in 1983

Ramones performing in São Paulo in 1987

After the release of Subterranean Jungle, Marky was fired from the band due to his alcoholism.^[71][67] He was replaced by Richard Reinhardt, who adopted the name Richie Ramone. Joey Ramoneremarked that "[Richie] saved the band as far as I'm concerned. He's the greatest thing to happen to the Ramones. He put the spirit back in the band."^[72] Richie is the only Ramones drummer to sing lead vocals on Ramones songs, including "(You) Can't Say Anything Nice" as well as the unreleased "Elevator Operator". Joey Ramone commented, "Richie's very talented and he's very diverse ... He really strengthened the band a hundred percent because he sings backing tracks, he sings lead, and he sings with Dee Dee's stuff. In the past, it was always just me singing for the most part."^[73] Richie was also the only drummer to be the sole composer of Ramones songs including their hit "Somebody Put Something in My Drink" as well as "Smash You", "Humankind", "I'm Not Jesus", "I Know Better Now" and "(You) Can't Say Anything Nice". Joey Ramone supported Richie's songwriting contributions: "I encouraged Richie to write songs. I figured it would make him feel more a part of the group, because we never let anybody else write our songs."^[74][75] Richie's composition, "Somebody Put Something in My Drink", remained a staple in the Ramones set list until their last show in 1996 and was included in the album Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits.^[76] The eight-song bonus disc, The Ramones Smash You: Live '85, is also named after Richie's composition "Smash You".

The first album the Ramones recorded with Richie was Too Tough to Die in 1984, with Tommy Erdelyi and Ed Stasium returning as producers. The album marked a shift to something like the band's original sound. In the description of Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the "rhythms are back up to jackhammer speed and the songs are down to short, terse statements."^[77]

The band's main release of 1985 was the British single "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg"; though it was available in the United States only as an import, it was played widely on American college radio.^[78] The song was written, primarily by Joey, in protest of Ronald Reagan's visit to a German military cemetery, which included graves of Waffen-SS soldiers.^[79] Retitled "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)", the song appeared on the band's ninth studio album, Animal Boy (1986). Produced by Jean Beauvoir, formerly a member of the Plasmatics, the album was characterized by a Rolling Stone reviewer as "nonstop primal fuzz pop".^[80] Making it his pick for "album of the week", New York Times critic Jon Pareles wrote that the Ramones "speak up for outcasts and disturbed individuals".^[81]

The following year the band recorded their last album with Richie, Halfway to Sanity. Richie left in August 1987 after financial conflicts with Johnny that centered around him being refused a small percentage of the merchandising money, which had been requested based on his tenure with the band and their use of his name and image.^[82][83] Richie was replaced by Clem Burke from Blondie, which was disbanded at the time. According to Johnny, the performances with Burke—who adopted the name Elvis Ramone—were a disaster. He was fired after two performances (August 28 and 29, 1987) because his drumming could not keep up with the rest of the band.^[82] In September, Marky, now clean and sober, returned to the band.^[22]

In December 1988, the Ramones recorded material for their eleventh studio album, and what was originally intended to be a "comeback" for the band,^[84][85] Brain Drain was co-produced by Beauvoir, Rey, and Bill Laswell. However, the bass parts were done by Daniel Rey and the Dictators' Andy Shernoff. Dee Dee Ramone would only record the additional vocals on the album citing that members of the band (including himself) were going through personal troubles and changes to the point where he did not want to be in the band anymore. Although it received mixed reviews upon its release in May 1989, the album included the band's highest-charting hit in the US, "Pet Sematary".^[86]

Despite not wanting to be in the band anymore, Dee Dee (who was sober by this point) was present for the world tour for Brain Drain and played his last show with the Ramones on July 5, 1989, at One Step Beyond in Santa Clara.^[87] He was replaced by Christopher Joseph Ward (C. J. Ramone), who performed with the band until it disbanded. Dee Dee initially pursued a brief career as a rapper under the name Dee Dee King. He quickly returned to punk rock and formed several bands, in much the same vein as the Ramones. He also continued to write songs for the Ramones, but never rejoined the band.^[88]

Final years (1990–1996)

The band fulfilled their contract with Sire Records in 1991 after being on the label for over a decade and a half, ending with the release of Loco Live. After leaving Sire Records, Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religionoffered to sign the band to his label Epitaph Records, even traveling to a concert in Amsterdam and begging Joey and Johnny. Meanwhile, Stormy Shepard from Leave Home Bookings (who was booking then-up-and-coming bands like Rancid and the Offspring) negotiated with the Ramones: "I'll put you on tour with these bands that are huge now. They're your fans; you can do whatever you want. You'll be playing in front of kids who like this style of music." At the same time, the band's manager, Gary Kurfurst had just worked out a deal where he was going to get his own record label, Radioactive Records. When C. J. Ramone heard Johnny talking about signing to Kurfirst's label, he questioned: "Johnny, you've run this band for years. You carried it all yourself. I don't understand how you don't see the conflict of interest in signing to your manager's label. Just in terms of business, I don't understand how you don't see that. You're really throwing away the last few years of your career. Those Epitaph guys grew up listening to you. They will do anything to give you the business success you never had. Your manager will do the same thing he always has. He's going to throw his stuff out there. You're going to break through without anyone's support and you're going to face the rest of your career the way it's been up until now." Johnny replied: "When you have as many years in the business as I do, then you can make the decisions."

By Johnny's decision, the group ended up signing a new contract with Radioactive Records at the end of that year, the Ramones were soon able to start on sessions for what would become Mondo Bizarro(1992),^[89][90][91] which saw them reunited with producer Ed Stasium.^[92] Anticipated as a "comeback" for the band after years of decline in popularity,^[93][94] the album was certified Gold in Brazil after selling 100,000 copies, being the first Gold certification the Ramones were ever awarded,^[95][96][97] while its lead single "Poison Heart" was another top ten hit in the US for the band.^[86] Acid Eaters, consisting entirely of cover songs, came out in 1993.^[98] That same year, the Ramones were featured in the animated television series The Simpsons, providing music and voices for animated versions of themselves in the episode "Rosebud",^[99] marking the series' first guest appearance by a punk band.^[100] Executive producer David Mirkin described the Ramones as "gigantic, obsessive Simpsons fans".^[101] Marky later called their appearance "a career highlight".^[102]

In 1995, the Ramones released their fourteenth and final studio album ¡Adios Amigos! and announced that they would be disbanding the following year.^[103][104] Its sales were unremarkable, garnering it just two weeks on the lower end of the Billboard chart.^[105] The band spent late 1995 on what was promoted as a farewell tour. However, they accepted an offer to appear in the sixth Lollapalooza festival, which toured around the United States during the following summer.^[106] After the Lollapalooza tour's conclusion, the Ramones played their final show on August 6, 1996, at the Palace in Hollywood. A recording of the concert was later released on video and CD as We're Outta Here!. In addition to a reappearance by Dee Dee, the show featured several guests including Motörhead's Lemmy, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd, and Rancid's Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen.^[2]

Aftermath and deaths of original and former members

On July 20, 1999, Dee Dee, Johnny, Joey, Tommy, Marky, and C. J. appeared together at the Virgin Megastore in New York City for an autograph signing. This was the last occasion on which the original four members of the group appeared together. Joey and Marky, who had been involved in a feud, buried the hatchet and made up on live radio on The Howard Stern Show that same year.^[107] Joey, who had been diagnosed with lymphoma in 1995, died of the illness in New York on April 15, 2001.^[3][108] Tommy, Richie and C. J. were the only former bandmates to attend his funeral.^{[109][110][111]} Joey and Richie had a close friendship during their time together in the band and the latter expressed sadness over not being able to reconnect with Joey before his death.^[112]

On March 18, 2002, the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which specifically named Dee Dee, Johnny, Joey, Tommy, and Marky. At the ceremony, the surviving inductees spoke on behalf of the band. Johnny spoke first, thanking the band's fans and blessing George W. Bush and his presidency, and America. Tommy spoke next, saying how honored the band felt, but how much it would have meant for Joey. Dee Dee humorously congratulated and thanked himself, while Marky thanked Tommy for influencing his drum style. Green Day played "Teenage Lobotomy", "Rockaway Beach", and "Blitzkrieg Bop" as a tribute, demonstrating the Ramones' continuing influence on later rock musicians. The ceremony was one of Dee Dee's last public appearances, as he was found dead on June 5, 2002, from a heroin overdose.^[4]

On November 30, 2003, New York City unveiled a sign designating East 2nd Street at the corner of Bowery as Joey Ramone Place. The singer lived on East 2nd for a time, and the sign is near the former Bowery site of CBGB.^[113] The documentary film End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones came out in 2004. Johnny, who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1999, died on September 15, 2004, in Los Angeles, shortly after the film's release.^[5] On the same day as Johnny's death, the world's first Ramones Museum opened its doors to the public. Located in Berlin, Germany, the museum features more than 300 items of memorabilia, including a pair of stage-worn jeans from Johnny, a stage-worn glove from Joey, Marky's sneakers, and C. J.'s stage-worn bass strap.^[114] On October 8, 2004, Tommy Ramone, C. J. Ramone, Clem Burke, and Daniel Rey performed in the "Ramones Beat on Cancer" concert.^[115]

The Ramones were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.^[116] That October saw the release of a DVD set containing concert footage of the band: It's Alive 1974–1996 includes 118 songs from 33 performances over the span of the group's career.^[117] In February 2011 the group was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Drummers Tommy, Marky, and Richie attended the ceremony.^[12][13] Marky declared, "This is amazing. I never expected this. I'm sure Johnny, Joey, and Dee Dee would never have expected this."^[12] Richie noted that it was the first time ever that all three drummers were under the same roof, and mused that he couldn't "help thinking that [Joey] is watching us right now with a little smile on his face behind his rose-colored glasses."^[13] On April 30, 2014, their debut album, Ramones, became certified Gold by the Recording Industry of America after selling 500,000 copies, 38 years after its release.

Arturo Vega, creative director from their formation in 1974 until their disbanding in 1996 and often considered the fifth Ramone, died of cancer on June 8, 2013, at the age of 65.^[118] The final original member, Tommy Ramone, died on July 11, 2014, of bile duct cancer.^[119] On October 30, 2016, the band had a street in Queens, New York named for them. As of that date, the intersection of 67th Avenue and 110th Street in front of the main entrance of Forest Hills High School was officially named The Ramones Way.^[120] On April 15, 2021, the 20th anniversary of Joey Ramone's death, it was announced that Pete Davidson would portray Ramone in the upcoming Netflix biopic I Slept with Joey Ramone which is based on the 2009 memoir of the same name written by Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh. Leigh will serve as an executive producer with a script written by Davidson and director Jason Orley.^[121]

Elvis Ramone (who briefly replaced Richie in the Ramones in 1987) died on April 6, 2025, after a battle with cancer, making him the first non-original member of the band to die.^{[122][123][124]}

Conflicts between members

Tension between Joey and Johnny colored much of the Ramones' career. The pair were politicallyantagonistic, with Joey being a liberal and Johnny a conservative.^[125] Their personalities also clashed: Johnny spent two years in military school and lived by a strict code of self-discipline,^[126] while Joey struggled with obsessive–compulsive disorder and alcoholism.^[127][128] In the early 1980s, Linda Danielle began a relationship with Johnny after having already been romantically involved with Joey, who had reportedly accused Johnny of "stealing" his girlfriend. This incident is believed to have been the inspiration behind "The KKK Took My Baby Away".^[129] Consequently, despite their continued professional relationship, Joey and Johnny had become aloof from each other.^[5] Johnny did not contact Joey before his death, although he said that he was depressed for "the whole week" after his death.^[82]

Dee Dee's bipolar disorder and repeated relapses into drug addiction also caused significant strains.^[130]Tommy would also leave the band after being "physically threatened by Johnny, treated with contempt by Dee Dee, and all but ignored by Joey."^[131] As new members joined over the years, disbursement and the band's image frequently became matters of serious dispute.^[132] The tensions among the group members were not kept secret from the public as was heard on The Howard Stern Show in 1997, where during the interview Marky and Joey got into a fight about their respective drinking habits.^[133]

A year after the Ramones' breakup, Marky Ramone made disparaging remarks against C. J. in the press, calling him a "bigot",^[134] a statement he would reiterate a decade later.^[135] C. J. would later respond that he was unsure as to why Marky would make negative comments against him in the press, though he denied that it had anything to do with him marrying Marky's niece. He also denied being a bigot.^[136] Many years later, C. J. lamented that despite being the two surviving members of arguably the Ramones' most commercially successful era, and despite reaching out a few times to join him on stage, he and Marky were no longer in contact.^[137]

ArtistryMusical style

The Ramones' loud, fast, straightforward musical style was influenced by pop music that the band members grew up listening to in the 1950s and 1960s, including classic rock groups such as Buddy Holly and the Crickets, the Beach Boys, the Who, the Beatles, the Kinks, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, the Doors and Creedence Clearwater Revival; bubblegum acts like the 1910 Fruitgum Company and Ohio Express; and girl groups such as the Ronettes and the Shangri-Las. They also drew on the harder rock sound of the MC5, Black Sabbath,^[138] the Stooges and the New York Dolls, now known as seminal proto-punk bands.^[139] The Ramones' style was in part a reaction against the heavily produced, often bombastic music that dominated the pop charts in the 1970s. "We decided to start our own group because we were bored with everything we heard," Joey once explained. "In 1974 everything was tenth-generation Elton John, or overproduced, or just junk. Everything was long jams, long guitar solos ... . We missed music like it used to be."^[140] Ira Robbins and Scott Isler of Trouser Press describe the result:

With just four chords and one manic tempo, New York's Ramones blasted open the clogged arteries of mid-'70s rock, reanimating the music. Their genius was to recapture the short/simple aesthetic from which pop had strayed, adding a caustic sense of trash-culture humor and minimalist rhythm guitar sound.^[141]

As leaders in the punk rock scene, the Ramones' music is strongly identified with that label.^[63] It has been noted that their recordings also helped the subgenre pop-punk to develop.^{[142][143][144]} Some have described certain Ramones songs as power pop.^{[145][146][147]} Starting in the 1980s, the band sometimes veered into hardcore punk territory, as can be heard on albums such as Too Tough to Die.^[141]

On stage, the band adopted a focused approach directly intended to increase the audience's concert experience. Johnny's instructions to C. J. when preparing for his first live performances with the group were to play facing the audience, to stand with the bass slung low between spread legs, and to walk forward to the front of stage at the same time as he did. Johnny was not a fan of guitarists who performed facing their drummer, amplifier, or other band members.^[148]

Visual imagery

The Ramones' art and visual imagery complemented the themes of their music and performance. The members adopted a uniform look of long hair, leather jackets, T-shirts, torn jeans, and sneakers. This fashion emphasized minimalism—a powerful influence on the New York punk scene of the 1970s—and reflected the band's short, simple songs.^[149] Tommy Ramone recalled that, musically and visually, "We were influenced by comic books, movies, the Andy Warhol scene, and avant-garde films. I was a big Madmagazine fan myself."^[149]

The band's logo, based on the seal of the president of the United States

The band's logo was created by New York City artist Arturo Vega, with guidance from the Ramones. Vega, a longtime friend, had allowed Joey and Dee Dee to move into his loft.^[150] He produced the band's T-shirts—their main source of income—basing most of the images on a black-and-white self-portrait photograph he had taken of his American bald eagle belt buckle, which appeared on the back sleeve of the Ramones' first album.^[151] He was inspired to create the band's logo after a trip to Washington, D.C.:

I saw them as the ultimate all-American band. To me, they reflected the American character in general—an almost childish innocent aggression .... I thought, "The Great Seal of the President of the United States" would be perfect for the Ramones, with the eagle holding arrows—to symbolize strength and the aggression that would be used against whomever dares to attack us—and an olive branch, offered to those who want to be friendly. But we decided to change it a little bit. Instead of the olive branch, we had an apple tree branch, since the Ramones were American as apple pie. And since Johnny was such a baseball fanatic, we had the eagle hold a baseball bat instead of the Great Seal's arrows.^[151]

The scroll in the eagle's beak originally read "Look out below", but this was soon changed to "Hey ho let's go" after the opening lyrics of the band's first single, "Blitzkrieg Bop". The arrowheads on the shield came from a design on a polyester shirt Vega had bought. "Ramones" was spelled out in block capitals above the logo using plastic stick-on letters.^[27] Where the presidential emblem read "Seal of the President of the United States" clockwise in the border around the eagle, Vega placed the pseudonyms of the band members: Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee, and Tommy. Over the years the names in the border would change as the band's line-up fluctuated.^[152]

"It's the American presidential seal—anyone can use it," said Marky Ramone of the logo's ubiquity. "We share the royalties on the t-shirt and on the merchandise. A lot of the kids wearing that shirt might not even have heard of the Ramones' music. I guess if you have the shirt, your curiosity might bring you to buy the music. Whatever, it is a strange phenomenon."^[153]

Legacy and influence

The Ramones had a broad and lasting influence on the development of popular music. Music historian Jon Savage writes of their debut album that "it remains one of the few records that changed pop forever."^[154] As described by AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "The band's first four albums set the blueprint for punk, especially American punk and hardcore, for the next two decades."^[155] Trouser Press'sRobbins and Isler similarly wrote that the Ramones "not only spearheaded the original new wave/punk movement, but also drew the blueprint for subsequent hardcore punk bands".^[141] Punk journalist Phil Strongman writes, "In purely musical terms, the Ramones, in attempting to re-create the excitement of pre-Dolby rock, were to cast a huge shadow—they had fused a blueprint for much of the indie future."^[28]Writing for Slate in 2001, Douglas Wolk described the Ramones as "easily the most influential group of the last 30 years".^[156]

Locally, several musicians who would play in New York hardcore bands cite the Ramones as an influence. These include members of the Beastie Boys, Gorilla Biscuits, the Misfits, and the Mob.^{[157][158][159][160]}Roger Miret of Agnostic Front has stated that Leave Home was the first album he bought with his own money.^[161]

The Ramones' eponymous debut album had an outsized effect relative to its modest sales, particularly in the UK. According to Generation X bassist Tony James, "Everybody went up three gears the day they got that first Ramones album. Punk rock—that rama-lama super fast stuff—is totally down to the Ramones. Bands were just playing in an MC5 groove until then."^[162] The Ramones' two July 1976 shows, like their debut album, are seen as having a significant impact on the style of many of the newly formed British punk acts—as one observer put it, "instantly nearly every band speeded up".^[163] The Ramones' first British concert, at London's Roundhouse music venue, was held on July 4, 1976, the United States Bicentennial.^[164] The Sex Pistols were playing in Sheffield that evening, supported by the Clash, making their public debut. The next night, members of both bands attended the Ramones' gig at the Dingwall's club. Ramones manager Danny Fields recalls a conversation between Johnny Ramone and Clash bassist Paul Simonon (which he mislocates at the Roundhouse): "Johnny asked him, 'What do you do? Are you in a band?' Paul said, 'Well, we just rehearse. We call ourselves the Clash but we're not good enough.' Johnny said, 'Wait till you see us—we stink, we're lousy, we can't play. Just get out there and do it.'"^[165]Another band whose members saw the Ramones perform, the Damned, played their first show two days later. Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69 has said that he considers the Ramones his band's "only blueprint".^[166]The central fanzine of the early UK punk scene, Sniffin' Glue, was named after the song "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", which appeared on the debut LP.^[167]

Ramones concerts and recordings influenced many musicians central to the development of California punk, including Greg Ginn of Black Flag,^[168] Jello Biafra and East Bay Ray of the Dead Kennedys,^[169][170] Mike Ness of Social Distortion,^[171] Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion,^[172] Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies,^[173] and members of the Descendents.^[174]

The Ramones' pop-influenced style of punk rock has been credited for paving the way for the birth of pop-punk,^[175] being cited as an influence by those of Green Day, the Offspring, Blink-182,^[176] Fall Out Boy,^[177] New Found Glory,^[178] and Alkaline Trio.^[179]

Canada's first major punk scenes—in Toronto and in British Columbia's Victoria and Vancouver—were also heavily influenced by the Ramones.^[48][180] In the late 1970s, many bands emerged with musical styles deeply indebted to the band's. There were the Lurkers from England,^[181] the Undertones from Ireland,^[182] Teenage Head from Canada,^[183] and the Zeros^[184] and the Dickies^[185] from Southern California. The seminal hardcore band Bad Brains took its name from a Ramones song.^[186] Mission of Burma drummer Peter Prescott has highlighted the Ramones, and particularly their self-titled debut, as the foremost influence on Burma.^[187]

The Riverdales emulated the sound of the Ramones throughout their career.^[188] Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong named his son Joey in homage to Joey Ramone, and drummer Tré Cool named his daughter Ramona.^[189]

The Ramones also influenced musicians associated with other genres, such as heavy metal. Their influence on metal gave birth to the punk-metal "fusion" genre of thrash. Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, one of the originators of thrash guitar, has described the importance of Johnny's rapid-fire guitar playing style to his own musical development.^[190] Motörhead lead singer Lemmy, a friend of the Ramones since the late 1970s, mixed the band's "Go Home Ann" in 1985. The members of Motörhead later composed the song "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." as a tribute, and Lemmy performed at the final Ramones concert in 1996.^[191] Paul Di'Anno, who sang on Iron Maiden's first two albums called the Ramones his "favorite band", and often performed Ramones material in his live shows.^[192][193] In the realm of alternative rock, the song "53rd & 3rd" lent its name to a British indie pop label cofounded by Stephen Pastel of the Scottish band the Pastels.

Other bands and artists that have cited the Ramones as an influence include Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses,^[194] Evan Dando of the Lemonheads,^[195] Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters,^[167] Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam (who introduced the band members at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction),^[196] Rachel Bolan of Skid Row,^[197] the Strokes,^[198] Parquet Courts,^[199]and the Primitives.^[200]

In 2000, VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock ranked the group at 17 on their list.

The band members were also individually influential. Johnny Ramone was named one of Time's "10 Greatest Electric-Guitar Players" in 2003.^[201] That same year, he was number 16 on the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list in Rolling Stone.^[202]

"We think of the Ramones as a classic, iconic band," observed Gene Simmons of Kiss. "They have one gold record to their name. They never played arenas; couldn't sell them out. It was a failed band. It doesn't mean they weren't great. It means the masses didn't care."^[203]

The French animated series Oggy and the Cockroaches features a trio of anthropomorphic cockroaches named after three members of the band — Joey, Marky and Dee Dee.

Tribute albums

In April 2009, Spin writer Mark Prindle observed that the Ramones had to date "inspired a jaw-dropping 48 (at least!) full-length tribute records".^[204] The first Ramones tribute album featuring multiple performers was released in 1991: Gabba Gabba Hey: A Tribute to the Ramones includes tracks by such acts as the Flesh Eaters, L7, Mojo Nixon, and Bad Religion.^[205] In 2001, Dee Dee made a guest appearance on one track of Ramones Maniacs, a multi-artist cover of the entire Ramones Mania compilation album. The Song Ramones the Same, which came out the following year, includes performances by the Dictators, who were part of the early New York punk scene, and Wayne Kramer, guitarist for the influential protopunk band MC5. We're a Happy Family: A Tribute to Ramones, released in 2003, features performers such as Rancid, Green Day, Metallica, Kiss, the Offspring, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, and Rob Zombie (who also did the album cover artwork).^[206] Also some other famous bands recorded tribute songs. Motörhead's Phil Campbell tells in Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone's book Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives: "We did a cover of Rockaway Beach with me on backing vocals, which was quite enjoyable. When Johnny Ramone heard it, he refused to put it on the tribute album. Lemmy and I thought we did a good version."^[207]

Punk bands such as Screeching Weasel, the Vindictives, the Queers, Parasites, the Mr. T Experience, Boris the Sprinkler, Beatnik Termites, Tip Toppers, Jon Cougar Concentration Camp, and McRackins have recorded cover versions of entire Ramones albums—Ramones, Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, It's Alive, Road to Ruin, End of the Century, Pleasant Dreams, Subterranean Jungle, two versions of Too Tough to Die, and Halfway to Sanity, respectively.^[204][208] The Huntingtons' File Under Ramones consists of Ramones covers from across the band's history.^[209]

Shonen Knife, an all-female trio from Osaka, Japan, was formed in 1981 as a direct result of founder-lead singer-guitarist Naoko Yamano's instant infatuation with the music of the Ramones. In 2012, to observe the band's 30th anniversary, Shonen Knife released Osaka Ramones, which featured thirteen Ramones songs covered by the band.^[210] There are also many other tribute albums listed on Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone's site.^[211]

MembersFormer members

• Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Hyman) – lead vocals (1974–1996; died 2001), drums (1974)
• Johnny Ramone (John Cummings) – guitars, (1974–1996; died 2004), backing vocals (1981)
• Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Colvin) – bass, backing and occasional lead vocals (1974–1989; died 2002)
• Tommy Ramone (Thomas Erdelyi) – drums (1974–1978; died 2014), backing vocals (1976), production (1976–1978, 1984), additional guitar (1976–1978)
• Marky Ramone (Marc Bell) – drums (1978–1983, 1987–1996), backing vocals (1981)
• Richie Ramone (Richard Reinhardt) – drums, backing vocals (1983–1987)
• Elvis Ramone (Clem Burke) – drums (1987; died 2025)
• C. J. Ramone (Christopher Joseph Ward) – bass, backing and occasional lead vocals (1989–1996)

It was 1978 and I thought this was different but not too bad. What a genius I was at the age of 25. The Ramones had class and a following very quickly

RAMONES

I Just Want To Have Something To Do

I Wanted Everything

Don't Come Close

I Don't Want You

Needles And Pins

I'm Against It

I Wanna Be Sedated

Go Mental

Questioningly

She's The One

Bad Brain

It's A Long Way Back

If ever a band was snake-bitten, it was Moby Grape, and thanks to backfiring publicity stunts, poor management, and record company snafus, the band never found a steady mass audience. It didn't help, either, that at least two of the members -- Spence and Mosley -- begin to show sings of mental disorder. Moby Grape managed to record two more albums with its original configuration participating before Spence and then Mosley left the band.

In 1969 Mosley joined the U.S. Marines, making it through basic training, only to be diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic (a mental condition that also afflicted Skip Spence) and was discharged from the Marines nine months later. He rejoined Grape for 1971's 20 Granite Creek album, but the group splintered after the album was completed. Mosley next signed with Reprise Records and his solo album, Bob Mosley, was released in 1972. By 1973 Mosley was listed as a ward of the State of California. He resurfaced in the late '70s as a member of the Ducks, who backed Neil Young on a series of impromptu bar gigs around Santa Cruz in 1977. In 1989 the odd Live at Indigo Ranch by Mosley Grape was released, and Mosley joined former Grape members Miller, Stevenson, and Lewis as the Melvilles (they weren't legally allowed to use the name Moby Grape at this point) to record Legendary Grape, which was released on cassette that same year, and has floated around as a bootleg ever since. Eventually the album was reissued on CD with eight bonus tracks in 2003 by DIG Music.

Moby Grape has reunited in different configurations (and under a variety of names) several times for shows and other projects over the years, sometimes with Mosley and sometimes without him. A soulful singer whose songs deftly bridged the gap between country and blues, Mosley contributed "Mr. Blues," "Bitter Wind," "Rose Colored Eyes," "Trucking Man," "Hoochie," "Lazy Me," "Come in the Morning," and other solid songs to the Grape canon in the early years.

By the mid-'90s he was homeless, sleeping under a freeway overpass in San Diego. Other members of Moby Grape have attempted at various times to help Mosley, and he still occasionally surfaces to play a show, but he appears to prefer life on the street, either by design or as a result of his illness. An album he recorded in the 1970s with members of Buddy Holly's band, the Crickets, was released as Never Dreamed in 1999 by the German label Taxim Records.

(allmusic.com; Artist Biography by Steve Leggett)

Bob Mosley

I started on acoustic guitar at fourteen years of age and was playing electric guitar by the time I was sixteen. My first band, called the Misfits, I formed myself in 1964 . We opened for the Rolling Stones that same year in San Diego, California where I was living. In 1965 I joined with Joel Scott HIll and Johnny Barbata to play the San Francisco bay area clubs where I also played some dates with the Vejtables.

In 1966 Moby Grape was formed and we have been working on and off together thru the years. In 1996 Peter Lewis picked me up along the side of a San Diego freeway where I was living, to tell me a ruling by San Francisco Judge Garcia gave Moby Grape their name back. I was ready to go to work again. I started this project recording acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass and vocals up in Marin County close to where I had recently moved. Taxim was interested in my project and since the first tracks were laid, I got in touch with J.P. Whitecloud, producer of "Never Dreamed", a recording which was done with James Burton and the Crickets released in 1999 on Taxim. Prairie Sun Studio is where this was finished by adding Dale Ockermon from the Doobie Brothers on keyboards and slide guitar. I called old friend James Preston of the Sons of Champlin to add the drums.

Thank you Hans and JP and especially to my family for your support and love.

(Bob Mosley 2005)

Read below the career and IF you have forgotten his music and influence go back in time and listen again.

John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944)^[1] is an American singer, songwriter and musician who founded the rock band the Lovin' Spoonful in 1964 with Zal Yanovsky. During his time in the Lovin' Spoonful, Sebastian wrote and sang some of the band's biggest hits such as "Do You Believe in Magic", “Summer in the City”, "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind", and "Daydream". Sebastian left the Spoonful after the 1968 album Everything Playing to focus on a solo career, releasing  John B. Sebastian in 1970.

He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969^[2] and scored a U.S. No. 1 hit in 1976 with "Welcome Back", which was used as the theme song on the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter.

Sebastian was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Famein 2000 as a member of the Lovin' Spoonful.^[3]

Early life

Sebastian grew up at 29 Washington Square West (pictured 2025), an apartment building in Greenwich Village, New York, which overlooks Washington Square Park.^[4]

Sebastian was born in New York City and grew up in Little Italy and Greenwich Village.^[5][6] His father, John Sebastian(né John Sebastian Pugliese), was a noted classical harmonica player, and his mother, Jane (born Mary Jane Bishir), was a radio script writer.^[7] His godmother was Vivian Vance ("Ethel Mertz" of I Love Lucy), who was a close friend of his mother.^[8] His godfather and first babysitter was children's book illustrator Garth Williams, a friend of his father.^[9] Eleanor Roosevelt was a neighbor who lived across the hall.^[10]

Sebastian grew up surrounded by music and musicians, including Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie, and hearing such players as Lead Belly and Mississippi John Hurt in his own neighborhood.^[11][12] He graduated from Blair Academy, a private boarding school in Blairstown, New Jersey, in 1962.^[13] He next attended New York University for just over a year, but dropped out as he became more interested in musical pursuits.^[7][14]

Early career

In the early 1960s, Sebastian developed an interest in blues music and in playing harmonica in a blues style, rather than the classical style of his father. Through his father's connections, he met and was influenced by blues musicians Sonny Terry and Lightnin' Hopkins (for whom Sebastian served as "unofficial tour guide and valet" when Hopkins was in New York City).^[15][16] Sebastian became part of the folk and blues scene that was developing in Greenwich Village, which in part later gave rise to folk rock.^[17]

In addition to harmonica, Sebastian played guitar and occasionally autoharp. One of Sebastian's first recording gigs was playing guitar and harmonica for Billy Faier's 1964 album The Beast of Billy Faier.^[18]He also played on Fred Neil's album Bleecker & MacDougal and Tom Rush's self-titled album in 1965. He played in the Even Dozen Jug Band and in the Mugwumps, which split to form the Lovin' Spoonful and the Mamas & the Papas. Bob Dylan invited him to play bass on his Bringing It All Back Home sessions (though Sebastian's parts probably did not appear on the album)^[19] and to join Dylan's new electric touring band, but Sebastian declined in order to concentrate on his own project, the Lovin' Spoonful.^[20]

The Lovin' Spoonful

Main article: The Lovin' Spoonful

Sebastian in August 1965, flanked by the disc jockeys Reb Foster (left) and B. Mitchel Reed

Sebastian was joined by Zal Yanovsky, Steve Boone, and Joe Butler in the Spoonful, which was named after "The Coffee Blues," a Mississippi John Hurt song. The Lovin' Spoonful, which blended folk-rock and pop with elements of blues, country, and jug band music, became part of the American response to the British Invasion, and was noted for such hits as "Do You Believe in Magic", "Jug Band Music", "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice", "Daydream", "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?", "Summer in the City", "Rain on the Roof", "Nashville Cats", "Darling Be Home Soon", and "Six O'Clock".^[2][21]

The band, however, began to implode after a 1966 marijuana bustin San Francisco involving Yanovsky, a Canadian citizen. Facing deportation, he revealed the name of his dealer to police, which caused a fan backlash and added to the internal tension already created by the diverging interests of the band members. Neither Sebastian nor Butler were involved in the matter, both being away from San Francisco at the time. Yanovsky subsequently left the band and was replaced by Jerry Yester, after which the band's musical style veered away from its previous eclectic blend and became more pop-oriented.^[22][23][24]

Sebastian would reunite with the band in 1980 and appear in the film One-Trick Pony. He would later be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, this was the last time Sebastian would play with the original line up.

In 2020 Sebastian reunited with Lovin Spoonful members Joe Butler and Steve Boone.^[25]

Solo career 1960s–1970sBroadway musical composer

One of Sebastian's first projects after leaving the Spoonful was composing the music and lyrics for a play with music, Jimmy Shine, written by Murray Schisgal. It opened on Broadway in December 1968, with Dustin Hoffman in the title role, and ran until April 1969, for a total of over 150 performances.^{[26][27][28][29][30]} In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Sebastian wrote a stage musical adaptation of E.B. White's Charlotte's Web in consultation with his godfather Garth Williams, who illustrated White's original book. The proposed musical included 20 songs, some of which Sebastian performed in concert, but the musical was never produced.^[31][32][33]

Woodstock appearance

In August 1969, Sebastian made an unscheduled appearance at Woodstock. He traveled to the festival as a spectator, but was asked to appear when the organizers suddenly needed an acoustic performer after a rain break because they couldn't set up amps on stage for Santana until the water was swept off.^[34]Sources that have tried to reconstruct the Woodstock running order differ on the exact time and position of Sebastian's unplanned set, with some stating that he played on Saturday, August 16, immediately after Country Joe McDonald;^[35][36] others saying that on that Saturday, Santana followed McDonald and Sebastian appeared after Santana;^[37][38][39] and still others, including McDonald, recalling that Sebastian actually played on Friday, August 15, at some point after Richie Havens opened the festival.^{[40][41][42][43]}

Sebastian's Woodstock set consisted of three songs from his recorded but not yet released John B. Sebastian album ("How Have You Been", "I Had a Dream", and "Rainbows All Over Your Blues") and two Lovin' Spoonful songs ("Darling Be Home Soon" and "Younger Generation", which he dedicated to a newborn baby at the festival). Documentary remarks by festival organizers indicated that Sebastian was under the influence of marijuana or other psychedelic drugs^[44][45] at the time, hence his spontaneity and casual, unplanned set.^[46] Sebastian has confirmed in later interviews that he was a regular marijuana user at the time and had taken acid at Woodstock because he was not scheduled to perform.^{[24][47][48][49]}However, he has also noted that "there was a natural high there [at Woodstock]," and that "[i]n an interview it is the easy thing to say 'yeah, I was really high,' but it was actually a very small part of the event. In fact, I had a small part of some pill that someone gave me before I went on stage, but it wasn't a real acid feeling."^[47] Sebastian appeared on the original Woodstock album and in the documentary film. Twenty-five years later, he returned for Woodstock '94, playing harmonica for Crosby, Stills and Nash and appearing with his own band, the J-Band.

In September 1969, a month after Woodstock, Sebastian performed a similar set of solo and Spoonful material at the 1969 Big Sur Folk Festival and was featured in the subsequent documentary Celebration at Big Sur (1971).^[50][51]

Major-label solo recordings

In January 1970, Sebastian released the first in a series of solo LPs on Reprise Records (a label owned by Warner Bros. Records), his eponymous solo debut, John B. Sebastian, on which he was accompanied by various Los Angeles musicians including Crosby, Stills & Nash. It was Sebastian's highest-charting solo album, reaching No. 20 in the Billboard album charts. In a contract dispute with MGM Records, MGM, without authorization from Sebastian or his management, also released the John B. Sebastian album, under a different cover, and a live album, John Sebastian Live; both were later withdrawn from the market.^[24] Sebastian's second Reprise album, Cheapo Cheapo Productions Presents Real Live John Sebastian, was hastily recorded in an effort to provide an authorized live album.^[52][53]

Sebastian in 1974 with Erik Jacobsen (center) and Zal Yanovsky(right)

For his third Reprise album, The Four of Us (1971), Sebastian used a core backing band consisting of keyboardist Paul Harris, drummer Dallas Taylor and bassist Kenny Altman. He considered forming a permanent band with them, but Harris and Taylor chose to join Stephen Stills's band Manassas.^[54] In 1972, Sebastian also released a non-LP single, "Give Us a Break" b/w "Music for People Who Don't Speak English", which did not chart. On his next album, Tarzana Kid (1974), Sebastian returned to using a rotating group of well-known recording artists and session musicians, including Lowell George (who also co-wrote, with Sebastian, the album track "Face of Appalachia"), Phil Everly, Emmylou Harris, the Pointer Sisters, David Grisman, Russell DaShiell, Ry Cooder and Buddy Emmons. Sebastian, George and Everly also briefly considered forming a supergroup but abandoned the idea.^[55][56]

Sebastian has stated that his musical career suffered in the early 1970s from being out of step with the trends set by emerging artists such as Alice Cooper, and that he made more money by buying and selling real estate than he did from his music. After Tarzana Kid failed to chart, Sebastian sought a release from his Reprise contract, which required him to make one more album. However, in 1976, Sebastian had an unexpected No. 1 single with "Welcome Back", the theme song to the sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter,^[11]causing the label to rush the production of an album, also titled Welcome Back.^[7] Despite the "monster hit" status of the song "Welcome Back", Sebastian expressed frustration that Reprise did not do more to promote the associated album, his last for Reprise.^[24][57] His later albums have been released primarily on independent record labels. The song, Sebastian's only top-40 solo hit, found new life 28 years later when a sample from it became the hook for rapper Mase's 2004 hit "Welcome Back".

In 2001, Rhino Entertainment re-released all five of Sebastian's Reprise albums, plus the non-LP "Give Us a Break" single, on CD in a limited-edition box set entitled Faithful Virtue: The Reprise Recordings. The box set also included live recordings of Sebastian's entire Woodstock performance and six previously unreleased songs recorded in mono from a performance at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on October 4, 1969.^[58] In 2006, Sebastian's five Reprise albums were reissued as individual CDs by Collectors' Choice Music, with new liner notes by Richie Unterberger.^{[52][53][54][55][57]}

Session work

During the 1960s and 1970s, Sebastian guested on a number of recordings by other artists. He played harmonica with the Doors on the song "Roadhouse Blues" (from the album Morrison Hotel), under the pseudonym G. Pugliese to avoid problems with his contract^[59] and to avoid association with Jim Morrison, who was then facing trial on charges of lewd behavior after the Miami concert incident. He also appeared on two Doors live albums, playing on "Little Red Rooster" on  Alive, She Cried and on seven songs on Live in Detroit.^[60][61] Both albums were later re-released, remastered, and repackaged into one single album, In Concert, and included Morrison's introduction of Sebastian to the stage on the "Little Red Rooster" track.

Sebastian is credited with playing three instruments on the 1970 Gordon Lightfoot album,  Sit Down Young Stranger (Reprise RS 6392). He played autoharp on "Saturday Clothes", electric guitar on "Baby It's Allright", and harmonica on "The Pony Man". The album was later retitled If You Could Read My Mindwhen the song of that name unexpectedly became a major hit.^[62]

Sebastian is credited with playing harmonica on Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's song "Déjà Vu" from the album of the same name.^[63] He had previously been asked by Crosby, Stills & Nash to join their group as a fourth member, but turned them down, leading to their association with Neil Young.^[64] In 1977 he recorded as part of Artie and Happy Traum's Woodstock Mountain Revue (a.k.a. Woodstock Mountains) folk collaboration for the album More Music from Mud Acres.^[65][66] Other records on which Sebastian appeared include the album Stephen Stills (1970),^[67] Timothy Leary's album You Can Be Anyone This Time Around (1970) (on which Sebastian jammed with Jimi Hendrix),^[68][69] and Keith Moon's only solo album, Two Sides of the Moon (1975).^[70] He also played the autoharp instrumental break between the second and third verses of Randy VanWarmer's 1979 hit "Just When I Needed You Most".

Later career

Since the 1980s, Sebastian has been active in several music-related areas, not only writing and performing his own material but also performing roots music, developing soundtrack and instructional material, hosting and appearing on television programs, and writing a children's book about a harmonica-playing bear.

Live performances

Performing at the Woodstock Reunion 1979 at Parr Meadows in Ridge, New York

Sebastian left the Lovin' Spoonful in 1968 and did not play with any later versions of the band, except for a brief reunion with the other three original members to appear in Paul Simon's 1980 film One-Trick Pony, and again for a single performance at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2000.^[2]

[The Lovin'] Spoonful couldn't compete in 1974 because only two of its members [are] still in music. ... I'm enjoying playing with other musicians and wouldn't trade it for what at best would be propping up [an] old idol for the bucks its memory might evoke.^[71]

– John Sebastian, 1974

Sebastian has continued to tour and play live, both solo and with a variety of backing bands. He had a long association with the eclectic rock band NRBQ, dating back to the early 1980s, when he played on NRBQ's album Grooves in Orbit (1983). He has said that NRBQ "to a large extent, picked up where The Lovin' Spoonful left off" because of NRBQ's "wide range of musical styles that they're not only able but accurate at playing," and he expressed appreciation for NRBQ's support during a low point in his career.^[72] In turn, Sebastian helped NRBQ by using them on his own Nelvana and Disney Channel soundtrack projects during a period when litigation prevented them from recording.^[73] Sebastian has used NRBQ as his own backing band,^[23] appeared regularly at their concerts,^[74][75] and recorded frequently with the band members,^[76] and NRBQ founding member Terry Adams refers to Sebastian as an "honorary member" of the band.^[77] Although he performed Lovin' Spoonful songs solo and with NRBQ (who were themselves promoted in the 1980s as "the new Lovin' Spoonful"^[23]), he declined to reunite with several former Spoonful members in 1991.^[78]

Throughout the 1990s, Sebastian frequently appeared with the J-Band, a jug band including Fritz Richmond from the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, jug band pioneer Yank Rachell, Jimmy Vivino, and Geoff Muldaur.^[11] Sebastian and the J-Band were featured in Chasin' Gus' Ghost (2007), a documentary about the roots and influence of jug band music.^[79][80] The film screened in August 2007 at the San Francisco Jug Band Festival (where Sebastian performed with other musicians featured in the film, including Geoff Muldaur, Maria Muldaur, Jim Kweskin and David Grisman) and made its film festival debut in October 2007 at the Woodstock Film Festival. In the film Sebastian humorously explains (with musical accompaniment) how his song, "Younger Girl", was inspired by Gus Cannon's "Prison Wall Blues."

Sebastian's live performances in the 2000s have included performing as a trio with country blues duo Paul Rishell and Annie Raines in 2002; touring with Maria Muldaur and her Garden of Joy jug band in 2009; and occasional appearances with mandolinist David Grisman, with whom Sebastian played in the Even Dozen Jug Band in the 1960s and more recently collaborated on a CD album release, Satisfied. In 2008 he performed solo, but with Roger McGuinn of the Byrds in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Each would play songs solo, but alternate their sets with each other.

Record releases

After leaving Reprise, Sebastian continued to occasionally release CD albums through a variety of small labels. Although a number of these releases consisted of compilations or live performances of his older material from the 1960s and 1970s, some, such as Tar Beach (Shanachie, 1993) and Satisfied (with David Grisman) (Acoustic Disc, 2007) have contained significant new recordings. Tar Beach in particular contained eleven previously unreleased songs written or co-written by Sebastian; four songs were composed by the team of Sebastian and songwriter Phil Galdston,^[81] with whom Sebastian also collaborated on the score for the Sig Shore-directed feature film The Act (1984). According to Colin Larkin, Sebastian had written many of the songs that appeared on Tar Beach more than a decade prior to the album's release.^[78] Two later releases, I Want My Roots (Music Masters, 1996) and Chasin' Gus' Ghost(Hollywood, 2000), focused on Sebastian's work with the J-Band.

Soundtrack work

Sebastian is a frequent contributor to film and TV soundtracks. In particular, he has written and performed music for a number of children's films and TV productions. He wrote the music and provided the singing voice of "Daniel Mouse" for the Canada-based Nelvana animated television special The Devil and Daniel Mouse (1978) about two mice attempting to succeed in the music business. He supplied music for several more Nelvana productions, including Strawberry Shortcake: Housewarming Surprise (1983), Strawberry Shortcake Meets the Berrykins (1985), The Care Bears Movie (1985), The Care Bears Adventure in Wonderland (1987), and "Care Bear Countdown", the theme song for Nelvana's The Care Bears FamilyTV series. He also wrote and sang the theme song/narration for Nelvana's TV pilot The Get Along Gang; however, none of it was kept when DIC Entertainment took over the project. He wrote and performed the theme song of the KNBC syndicated children's program That's Cat (1976–1979), and hosted a 1986 Disney Channel family special entitled What a Day for a Daydream.^[82]

Television presenter

Since the 1980s, Sebastian has hosted several television programs about 1960s and 1970s music, including paid programs for compilation sets, a syndicated live music and interview program called Deja View,^[9] and a half-hour program called The Golden Age of Rock and Roll, which featured video footage of 1960s bands performing on variety shows. He also hosted a Lovin' Spoonful retrospective broadcast on PBS in March 2007, talking about various Spoonful numbers in between vintage video clips of the band up to the time he left.

Children's book author

In 1993, Sebastian authored a children's book, JB's Harmonica, illustrated by his godfather Garth Williams, about a young bear whose musical aspirations are overshadowed by the talents of his famous musician father.^[9]

Instructor at Homespun Tapes

Sebastian has released a series of instructional DVDs, CDs, downloads, booklets, and (prior to the use of digital media) analog tapes for learning to play guitar, harmonica, and autoharp, or for learning specific styles or songs. These instructional materials are distributed by Homespun Tapes, a company founded and operated by folk musician Happy Traum.^[47] Materials offered with Sebastian as an instructor have included An Easy Guide to Tuning Your Guitar, John Sebastian Teaches Eight Lovin' Spoonful Hits (and "Welcome Back"), John Sebastian Teaches Blues Harmonica, Learn to Play Autoharp, and The Fingerpicking Blues of Mississippi John Hurt: A Spoonful of Classic Songs.^[83]

Other appearances and activities

In November 1992, Sebastian made a cameo appearance on the sitcom Married... with Children (Season 7, Episode 9, "Rock of Ages") as himself, along with other 1960s rock stars Spencer Davis, Richie Havens, Robby Krieger, Mark Lindsay, and Peter Noone.

Sebastian appeared on the Eels' 2005 release, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations.^[84]

On January 12, 2014, Sebastian appeared on CBS News Sunday Morning to talk about his career with and without the Lovin' Spoonful, Eric Clapton, and the Martin guitar.^[85]

In 2016, Sebastian appeared on Richard Barone's Sorrows & Promises: Greenwich Village in the 1960salbum, playing harmonica, autoharp and making a vocal cameo on Barone's cover of the Lovin' Spoonful song "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?"

Influence and legacy

Sebastian is a notable songwriter whose work has been covered by many artists, including Elvis Costello("The Room Nobody Lives In"), Johnny Cash ("Darlin' Companion"), and Del McCoury ("Nashville Cats"). Several songs have also spawned multiple covers, including:

• "Lovin' You" – covered by Dolly Parton, Helen Reddy, and Bobby Darin;
• "Stories We Could Tell" – covered by the Everly Brothers, Tom Petty, and Jimmy Buffett;
• "Darling Be Home Soon" – covered by Joe Cocker, the Association, Slade, Cass Elliot, Bruce Hornsby, Allison Crowe, and others.

Sebastian is also credited with helping to popularize the art of tie-dyeing clothing among music fans and festival goers in the late 1960s, by publicly appearing in outfits that he tie-dyed himself after learning the process from Ann Thomas of Water Baby Dye Works.^[43][86] His tie-dyed yellow patterned denim jacket, which he dyed himself and wore at Woodstock, has been prominently displayed in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[87]

Stories We Could Tell, the title of a novel by British writer Tony Parsons, comes from the Sebastian song of the same name.

Awards and honors

As an original member of the Lovin' Spoonful, Sebastian was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Famein 2000.

He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008.^[11]

Personal life

Sebastian has been married three times. His first wife was Jean "Butchie" Webber (later known as Butchie Denver after she married actor Bob Denver).^[88] According to Steve Boone, Butchie was an early supporter and friend of the Lovin' Spoonful and secretly married Sebastian in the early 1960s to reduce his chances of being drafted for service in the Vietnam War. The couple divorced in 1966. In May 1966,^[89]Sebastian married Loretta "Laurie" Kaye, a waitress at Steve Paul's The Scene who later worked for Hit Parader magazine; they divorced in 1968.^{[7][23][24][90]}

In 1972, Sebastian married Catherine Barnett, a photographer and artist who has designed numerous album covers. The couple have two children,^{[7][24][91][92]} and they have lived together in Woodstock, New York, since 1976.^[93]

Since the early 1990s, Sebastian has struggled with throat problems that eventually affected and changed his singing voice, but he has continued to perform and tour.^[78][94]

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Radio Eclectica is an eclectic mix of lost rock, blues and folk broadcast live every Tuesday, 1 to 3 pm Eastern on 91.3 WVKR-FM and live streaming at www.WVKR.org. Radio Eclectica is created in the tradition of progressive FM radio of the 60s and 70s, a remnant freeform, open-format program where just about anything goes. The program often features tributes to musical figures who have just passed away ("Radio Obituary”) or have simply been under acknowledged or forgotten.

Marc Breslav has hosted Radio Eclectica, at Vassar College’s WVKR in Poughkeepsie, NY, since 1994. He has worked at five other college or community stations across the country, notably the legendary freeform station, WFMU-FM, in the New York City market. He got his start in radio in 1978 in California. 

Here is an audio archive of the live shows as recorded from the online live stream--glitches and all. Playlists since November 2023 are archived at https://spinitron.com/WVKR/show/265208/Radio-Eclectica. Playlists from earlier shows are here. Those interested in downloading are encouraged to use compressed formats. To subscribe to the Radio Eclectica podcast, manually add this RSS feed https://archive.org/services/collection-rss.php?collection=radio-eclectica

As a loving and caring human being we seek closeness and love as we travel through this journey we call life and when that partner leaves a body-folding collapse occurs and a mental fog surrounded by flashing images of that person. Every sound is a memory and every smell is a shared experience.

Please enjoy this beautiful voice we have forgotten over the years, Mr. Don McLean, Empty Chairs

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Sorry for the serious subject matter but life buts in eventually to face reality.

Band members

Noel Redding – bass, vocals

Rod Richards – guitar, vocals 

Leslie Sampson – drums, vocals

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Debt collection would be the final straw, for me I think.

When Flora Keiry is murdered, Professor Lark and John Cornelius reveal to her father, the MP Ian Sanderson, that he himself is a mutant being manipulated by some unidentified Controller. Shocked and horrified, Sanderson helps them trace the organisation back to a merchant bank in the City. As they await their interview with the Chairman, Sir Graham McLudden, who should they see leaving the bank but the Reverend Donal Scoular, minister on the Isle of Lewigh.

Sir Graham McLudden: Richard Hurndall

Lady McLudden: Joan Benham

Ian Sanderson, MP: Fraser Kerr

Donal Scoular: Henry Stamper

Major Manson: Andrew Seear

"Aliens of the Mind" started life as an outline for TV’s Doctor Who by the show’s script editor Robert Holmes. Although not commissioned for the show, Holmes was asked to develop the idea for Radio 4. However work commitments meant that the scripts were ultimately written by Rene Bascilico based on Holmes’ original idea. Just a question does this 6-part series remind you of anything or make you think of anyone?

Another masterpiece and a reminder of the great works forgotten or never heard of from the past. I

search for treasures that we just skimmed over.

Listen to the poems today encouraging our use of laughter and to be happy within to keep a safe spot for us in the cold nights and lonely days.

Also for fun do you remember the band Cream? They were not always that famous or rich, check out their Falstaff beer commercial.

Life insurance

Drinking even a small amount of alcohol can lead to dangerous or even deadly situations because it can impair a person’s judgment, coordination, and reaction time. This increases the risk of falls, car crashes, and other accidents.

Alcohol is a factor in about 30% of suicides and fatal motor vehicle crashes, 40% of fatal burn injuries, 50% of fatal drownings and homicides, and 65% of fatal falls. People should not drink alcohol if they plan to drive, use machinery, or perform other activities that require attention, skill, or coordination.

In older adults, especially, too much alcohol can lead to balance problems and falls, which can result in hip or arm fractures and other injuries. Older people have thinner bones than younger people, so their bones break more easily. Studies show that the rate of various types of fractures in older adults increases with heavy alcohol use.

Adults of all ages who drink alcohol and drive are at higher risk of traffic accidents than those who do not drink. Drinking slows reaction times and coordination, and interferes with eye movement and information processing. People who drink even a moderate amount are at higher risk for traffic accidents, possibly resulting in injury or death to themselves and others. (Note that even without alcohol, the risk of a car accident goes up starting at age 55.) Also, older drivers tend to be more seriously hurt in crashes than younger drivers. Alcohol adds to these age-related risks.

In addition, alcohol misuse or alcohol use disorder can strain relationships with family members, friends, and others. At the extreme, heavy drinking can contribute to domestic violence and child abuse or neglect. Alcohol use is often involved when people become violent, as well as when they are violently attacked. If you feel that alcohol is endangering you or someone else, call 911 or obtain similar help right away.

Think before you drink!

Professor Curtis Lark and John Cornelius have established the existence of another colony of mutants in the heart of London. Flora Keiry unwittingly identifies two of them-the Brigadier in charge of Security at the Home Office, and Ian Sanderson, MP, who also admits to being Flora's real father. Lark and Cornelius hope that her strange telepathic powers will also uncover the new Controller, but instead Flora is murdered.

Ian Sanderson, MP: Fraser Kerr

Colonel Gulliver: William Eedle

Home Office Official: James Thomason

Major Manson: Andrew Seear

We need a way to get our minds off of the current world and the total chaos of every country and every topic it seems. From which milk we are forcing our kids to drink, invading Greenland, holding foreign oil hostage, taking second-hand Nobel Peace Prize and threatening the rest of the world with takeovers, hostile involvement and conflicts, etc…...

Well anyway enjoy Merle and a little of Clint, have a good day and even more importantly a better tomorrow!

Anyway stay away from the news and have some fun with these.

"Eve of Destruction" is a protest song written by P. F. Sloan in mid-1965.^[4] Several artists have recorded it, but the most popular recording was by Barry McGuire, on which Sloan played guitar.

The song references social issues of its period, including the Vietnam War, the draft, the threat of nuclear war, the Civil Rights Movement, turmoil in the Middle East and the American space program.

The American media helped to make the song popular by using it as an example of everything that was wrong with the youth culture of the time.^[5] Its controversial lyrics caused it to be banned by some American radio stations, "claiming it was an aid to the enemy in Vietnam".^[6][7]

Background

The song was offered to the Byrds as a potential single in the style of their Bob Dylan covers, but they rejected it. The Turtles, another L.A. group, recorded a version instead. The Turtles' version appeared as a track on their October 1965 debut album It Ain't Me Babe in July 1965, shortly after McGuire's version was released. The Turtles version was later released as a single in 1970 and hit #100 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Barry McGuire version

McGuire's recording was made between July 12 and 15, 1965, and released by Dunhill Records.^{[citation needed]} The accompanying musicians were P. F. Sloan on acoustic guitar and "Wrecking Crew" session musicians Hal Blaine on drums and Larry Knechtel on bass guitar. McGuire's vocal track was not intended to be the final version, but a copy of the rough mix "leaked" out to a disc jockey, who began playing it.^[8] The song was an instant hit, and as a result the more polished vocal track was never recorded.

McGuire recalled in later years that "Eve of Destruction" had been recorded in one take on a Tuesday morning, with him reading lyrics scrawled on a crumpled piece of paper. He said the following Monday morning he received a phone call from the record company at 7am telling him to turn on the radio, his song was playing.^[9] McGuire's single hit #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the UK Singles Chartin September 1965.

Sloan recalled: "Barry McGuire was the lead singer for a popular folk group at the time called The New Christy Minstrels. [He had written and sung] his own Number 1 hit, "Green, Green". He had just left the group and was on his own and looking for material to record. He wound up at my publishing company and was told there was a quirky songwriter he might want to listen to. Barry didn't like the song "Eve of Destruction" that much. He liked a few other songs of mine better. When he was ready to record he picked four songs, and "Eve" was the fourth to be recorded if there was time. If you listen to the recording, he's rushing because of the time constraints and he was reading it for the first time off a piece of paper." When the record was released "Eve of Destruction" was the B-side.^[5]

Reception

In the first week of its release the single was at No. 103 on the Billboard charts. In August 12 Dunhill released the LP, Eve of Destruction. It reached its peak of #37 on the Billboard album chart during the week ending September 25. That same day the single went to #1 on the chart, and repeated the feat on the Cashbox chart, where it had debuted at No. 30.^[10] McGuire would never again break into the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. It went to #1 in Norway for two weeks.^[11]

The sky is falling!,

Music is your sedative,

Homeless senior citizens,

Missing the big Sunday newspaper

Having brought the apparently simple-minded Flora Keiry to London, Professor Lark and John Cornelius establish that she is a second generation mutant able to control other mutants by her extraordinary telepathic powers. When this control is seen to include a Member of Parliament and cause him to abduct her from Cornelius's London flat, the two men decide it's high time the matter was turned over to the authorities.

Flora Keiry: Sandra Clarx

Ian Sanderson, MP: Fraser Kerr

Colonel Gulliver: William Eedle

Brigadier Sherman: Clifford Norgate

Gwynt: Michael Harbour

Their 1968 album Odessey and Oracle was ranked number 100 on Rolling Stone's 2012 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,^[15] and number 243 on Rolling Stone's 2020 list.^[16] The Zombies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.^[17]

History1961–1964

The Blacksmiths Arms public housein St Albans, Hertfordshire, where the Zombies first met

Three members of the band, Rod Argent, Paul Atkinsonand Hugh Grundy, first came together to jam in 1961 in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Argent wanted to form a band and initially asked his elder cousin Jim Rodford to join as a bassist. At the time, Rodford was in a successful local band, the Bluetones, and so declined, but he offered to help Argent. Rodford would later join Argent in 1969, as well as The Zombies in 2004 when the band reformed. Colin Blunstone and Paul Arnold joined the other three to form the band in early 1962^[13] while all five members were at school.^[18]

Some sources state that Argent, Atkinson and Grundy were at St Albans School, while Blunstone and Arnold were students at St Albans Boys' Grammar School. Both Blunstone and Grundy came from Hatfield and both sang in the choir there at St Etheldreda's Church.^[19][20] Argent was a boy chorister in St Albans Cathedral Choir. They held their original rehearsals at the Pioneer Club, then situated on Hatfield Road, using equipment lent to them by the Bluetones. They met outside the Blacksmiths Arms pub in St Albans before their first rehearsal and gained their initial reputation playing the Old Verulamians Rugby Club there.

Argent said, "We met outside a pub. We were too young to walk in the pub.” Blunstone added "I was literally in a corner singing to myself, doing a Ricky Nelson song, and Rod came over and said, 'That's really good. I'll tell you what. If you'll be the lead singer, I'll play keyboards.'"^[21]

Origin of band name

Originally named the "Mustangs", the band soon realised that other groups had that name. According to Blunstone, "Every young band wants an original name. We were just in our teens. We tried the Mustangs. To be honest, I didn’t really know what a zombie was".^[21] "It was Arnold who came up with "the Zombies".^[22] Argent said "Well, we chose that name in 1962 and, I mean, I knew vaguely that they were: sort of, you know, the Walking Dead from Haiti and Colin didn't even really know what they were".^[9] "It was Paul [Arnold] that came up with the name. I don't know where he got it from. He very soon left the band after that". Arnold explained the name, saying, "I thought this was a name that no one else is going to have. And I just liked the whole idea of it. Colin was wary, I'm sure, at the beginning, I know, but I always, always really, really liked it".^[9]

Arnold lost interest in the band, choosing to leave to become a physician; he was replaced by Chris White, a friend of Arnold's older brother Terry.^[23][24] As Atkinson later described: "[Arnold] wasn't terribly dedicated. He liked the idea of being in a group, and he liked playing bass, but to be honest [he] was a little lazy. He didn't like to rehearse very much."^[25]

Recording contract

In May 1964 the band won a £250 cash prize in a beat-group competition organised by the Watford Borough Council and sponsored by the London Evening News.^[26][27][28] They signed a recording contract with Decca and recorded their first hit, "She's Not There". It was released in mid-1964 and peaked at No. 12 in the UK, becoming their only UK Top 40 hit. The tune began to catch on in the United States and eventually climbed to No. 2 in early December. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[29]

1964–1967

The Zombies in mid-1965

Like many other British groups, the Zombies travelled to the United States to tour on the momentum of their hit single. Among their early US gigs were Murray the K's Christmas shows at the Brooklyn Fox Theatre, where the band played seven performances a day. On 12 January 1965, the band made their first in-person appearance on US television on the first episode of NBC's Hullabaloo and played "She's Not There" and their new single "Tell Her No" to a screaming, hysterical audience full of teenage girls.^[14]

In the UK, the Zombies' follow-up single to "She's Not There" was written by Chris White. "Leave Me Be" was unsuccessful in the UK and, as a result, was not issued as an A-side in the US. It did appear as the B side of their second US single, "Tell Her No". Penned by Rod Argent, "Tell Her No" became another big seller in 1965, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March. As the band's third UK single, "Tell Her No" failed to make the Top 40, peaking at No. 42. Subsequent singles - "She's Coming Home", "I Want You Back Again", "Whenever You're Ready", "Is This the Dream", "Just Out of Reach" (recorded for the soundtrack of the film Bunny Lake is Missing), "Indication" and "Gotta Get a Hold of Myself" - failed to achieve the success of the previous two singles (although the Zombies had continued success in Scandinavia and the Philippines, which led to a series of concerts in 1967).^[14] A song by the Zombies released only as a B-side (to "Whenever You're Ready") in both the US and UK in 1965, "I Love You", subsequently became a sizeable hit for the group People! in the United States in 1968.

The Zombies' first UK album, Begin Here (1965), was a mixture of original songs and rhythm and bluescover versions.^[30] Of the eight original tracks, Rod Argent supplied the album's biggest hit, "She's Not There", and the songs "Woman", "I Remember When I Loved Her", plus "The Way I Feel Inside" which was the shortest track on the album at 1:28. It might have been shorter, had not their recording manager and producer Ken Jones added the sounds of footsteps and a coin dropping, which contributed to the feeling of alienation that the song projected. Bassist Chris White provided "I Can't Make Up My Mind", the quirky "I Don't Want to Know", plus the beaty "What More Can I Do", which, at 1:38, is the second-shortest cut on the album and contains a simple but distinctive drum riff. The final original was an instrumental written by Ken Jones, "Work 'n' Play".

The Zombies in 1966. L-R: Chris White, Colin Blunstone, Hugh Grundy, Paul Atkinson and Rod Argent.

The Zombies continued recording original songs through 1965 and 1966, trying to achieve chart success. There were enough tracks to have filled a follow-up album, but due to the band's lack of chart success, most of these tracks remained unissued at the time.^[31]

Odessey and Oracle

In 1967, frustrated by their continuing lack of success, the Zombies left Decca and signed a recording contract with CBS Records for whom they recorded the album Odessey and Oracle at EMI's world-famous Abbey Road studios.

The band's budget did not stretch to session musicians, so they used a Mellotron to fill out their arrangements. According to Argent,^[32][33][34] they used John Lennon's Mellotron, which had been left in the studio after the Beatles' sessions for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album was mixed into the standard mono; however, as another concession toward their limited budget, Argent and White (who, due to their songwriting royalties, had earned more than the rest of the members) personally paid for stereo mixes.^[35]

The change in direction was evident on their first single released by CBS, "Care of Cell 44", a song about the anticipation felt while waiting for the singer's partner to be released from prison. It is also notable that the title of the song does not appear anywhere in the lyrics. Unfortunately, like their previous Decca releases, it failed to reach the charts. A second CBS single, "Friends of Mine", was also unsuccessful.

Band break-up

With the band experiencing a declining demand for live appearances, they split up after a final gig in mid-December 1967.^[36]

In April 1968 Argent explained the reason for the band breaking up, saying "We don't want to end up playing for £20 a night in third-class ballrooms. We are still in big demand on the university circuit and are getting a lot of work. We want to quit while the going's good".^[37]

Release of last Zombies album

Odessey and Oracle, the band's swansong album, was released in the UK in April 1968, months after the band's breakup. The album suffered poor sales. It was only released in the US because musician Al Kooper, then signed to Columbia Records, convinced the label of the album's merits. One of its tracks, "Time of the Season", written by Argent, was released as a single in 1968 and spent a long period as a 'sleeper'. Eventually, in 1969, it grew to become a nationwide hit in the US, peaking in the Hot 100 (Billboard) at No. 3.

Unreleased final album

In 1968 Argent and White began working on material for a possible new band when they were approached by CBS to do another Zombies album. Several new Argent/White songs were cut, initially with a line-up of Argent, White, Hugh Grundy, Rick Birkett (guitar) and Mac MacLeod (bass on one track) with the latter four being replaced during the sessions by Jim Rodford (bass), Bob Henrit (drums) and Russ Ballard (guitar). The new tracks were combined with some old Decca out-takes and demos that were overdubbed and enhanced in sessions at Morgan Studios in London. The album, scheduled for release in 1969, was cancelled, and only a couple of the songs, "Imagine the Swan" (one of the newly recorded songs) and "If It Don't Work Out" (a demo of a song that Dusty Springfield recorded and released in 1965), were put out as singles instead. Some of this material was released on various compilation albums during the 1970s and 1980s, including 1973's Time of the Zombies, and the whole album, titled R.I.P., was released in Japan in 2000.^[31]

Post–Zombies (1969–1988)

The original line-up declined to regroup for concerts following the belated American success of "Time of the Season". In turn, various concocted bands tried to capitalise on the success and falsely toured under the band's name. In a scheme organised by Delta Promotions, an agency that also created fake touring versions of the Animals and the Archies, two fake Zombie line-ups were touring simultaneously in 1969, one hailing from Texas, the other from Michigan.^[38] The Texas group featured bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard, soon to be members of ZZ Top.^[38]

In 1969 the last line-up of the Zombies - Argent, Ballard, Rodford and Henrit - began working under a new name, Argent, with White as a non-performing songwriter. Atkinson worked in A&R at Columbiaand Grundy joined him there after a brief spell in auto sales. Blunstone started a solo career after a brief period outside the music business, including working in the burglary claims section of the Sun Allianceinsurance company. Both Argent and White provided him with new songs. He also did studio vocals for the Alan Parsons Project.^[14] Atkinson retired as a performer and worked as an A&R executive for many years.^[39]