Rock Hard Times: kip to my lou

Today In Rock History

April 25th . . . 1918 - Legendary jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald is born in Newport News, VA . . . 1923 - Blues guitarist Albert King is born . . . 1933 - Jerry Leiber is born in Baltimore. With Mike Stoller, he’s written witty rock hits like “Yakety Yak” and “Jailhouse Rock” . . . 1945 - Bjorn Ulvaeus of Abba is born in Gothenburg, Sweden . . . 1945 - Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is born this day . . . 1950 - Steve Ferrone, drummer with the Average White Band and Eric Clapton, is born in Brighton, England . . . 1956 - Elvis Presley reaches top of US chart with Heartbreak Hotel, his first No. 1 . . . 1961 - Elvis Presley makes his last stage appearance for nearly eight years at Bloch Arena in Hawaii . . . 1964 - The Beatles have an amazing 14 singles on the American chart . . . 1967 - The Beatles perform “All You Need Is Love” during a global satellite broadcast . . . 1974 - Jim Morrison’s widow, Pam, dies in Hollywood at the age of 27. Police suspect heroin use may have played a part in her death . . . 1977 - Elvis Presley makes his last-known recordings during a live concert at the Saginaw (Mich.) Civic Center . . . 1981 - Wings break up after Denny Laine leaves the band. Paul McCartney says he will carry on as a solo artist . . . 1987 - Crowded House had their biggest U.S. hit when “Don’t Dream It’s Over” peaked at #2; U2 replace Beastie Boys at top of US LP chart with The Joshua Tree . . . 1990 - The Fender Stratocaster on which Jimi Hendrix played “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock sells at a London auction for $295,000 . . . 1994 - The Eagles played the first of two shows where they recorded their ‘Hell Freezes Over’ album . . . 1994 - A judge sentences Beastie Boy Adam Horowitz to 200 hours’ community service after he beats up a TV cameraman during River Phoenix’s funeral . . . 1994 - A judge determines that Michael Bolton’s “Love Is a Wonderful Thing” sounds a little too similar to the Isley Brothers’ “Love Is a Wonderful Thing.” Ya think? . . . 1997 - Warren Haynes and Allen Woody quit the Allman Brothers Band to tend to their careers as Gov’t Mule . . . 1999 - Funk star Roger Troutman, 47, dies in a hospital in Dayton, Ohio, after being shot several times . . . 2000 - Eric Clapton is reunited on a TV stage in London with his former Derek & the Dominos keyboard player Bobby Whitlock, for their first performance together in 29 years . . . 2002 - Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, the effervescent, sometimes volatile rapping member of the Grammy-winning R&B trio TLC, is killed in a car crash in Honduras . . . 2003 - The late jazz great Nina Simone is laid to rest in Carry-Le-Rouet, France . . . 2004 - Piano man Billy Joel drives his car into a house in Long Island. Nobody is seriously injured. It’s his third car crash in two years . . . 2007 - American singer Bobby “Boris” Pickett died of leukemia at the age of 69. He scored the Halloween anthem ‘The Monster Mash’ in 1962 . . .

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Friday, August 1, 2008

Country is Rock n' Roll

As most of you do not know, I am currently interning this summer at The Ohio State Fair for Ohio Farm Bureau with many of my friends. The fair is a summer classic for all to enjoy. When most people think of the fair they think rednecks, smelly cows, pigs, sheep and such and junk food...but when I think of the fair I think about rock n' roll. You see, last evening around 4:00 I decided to buy a ticket to see country music artists Miranda Lambert (gorgeous by the way) and Dierks Bentley. For any country haters these two are tearing up the country music charts with new singles every week. I am a big fan of country and especially Dierks so I wasn't particularly interested in Lambert until I saw her show. She is a total knockout in tight blue jeans and tank top. Anyways, for a girl she can rock and everyone from kids to teenaged girls to adults love her.

Dierks is considered to be a mellow, sappy country singer but he can also put on a heck of a show that can remind you of a Mick Jagger performance (from what I've seen or heard of) at times. Dierks played everything from slow country, bluegrass to pure rock and roll. The encore featured himself and Lambert performing Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues. The title link provides a clip and a different version of the encore. I just thought I would share my experience and encourage the readers to experience a country concert sometime because if you hate country you're just not listening closely enough.

P.S. - The "Hick State Fair" is also showcasing rock legends such as Peter Frampton, Ted Nugent as well as Charlie Daniels Band, Blake Shelton and Melissa Etheridge.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

The Beatles will never play again and Van Halen will never reunite

Well, Van Halen was half right...they have reunited the band, almost. Diamond Dave has returned to lead the big haired, tight pants, face melting guitar riffs, and 3 minute drum solos of Van Halen. The band has replaced bass guitarist and back up vocal man Michael Anthony for Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen. The band no longer has the long, big hair or the tight pants, nor parties like the old days but they still can play. I think its cool David Lee Roth has returned to sing the lead vocals for the band but I am a favorite of Sammy Hagar. With Hagar as the front man, Van Halen produced 4 multi-platinum albums. I'm sorry for all you Diamond Dave fans but I'm a sucker for Dreams, Right Now and Top of the World. Granted, I wasn't around in the late 70's and 80's to fully experience or appreciate what is Van Halen but as a music fan I feel "Van Hagar" was better. Although I love Hagar, I would have loved to go see Van Halen at the Schott. My only question is how do they cover their songs that had Hagar as lead man? Hope this was o.k. for my first blog on RHT...

-Kip