Just to put the spotlight on one of the musicians in the background again, the American drummer Jerry Marotta is turning 70 today! This guy got quite the resume. He was a member of Peter Gabriel’s band from 1977 until 1986, both on tour and on Gabriel’s albums during these years.
Jerry Marotta’s also played with (don’t hold your breath) Stevie Nicks, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Hall & Oates, Indigo Girls, Todd Rundgren, Iggy Pop, Suzanne Vega, Cher…and so on and on.
I’d like to celebrate this in demand drummer’s birthday with a couple of excellent songs he’s drumming on. So here’s to a Happy Birthday for Jerry Marotta
Peter Gabriel - I Don’t Remember (1980)
T-Bone Burnett, with Pete Townshend - Fatally Beautiful (1983)
I don’t know how…but it brought me to a song, that is covered by almost every blues singer/band
starts with the original and early cover
Sir Mack Rice - Mustang Sally
I’d like to pay tribute to the American bass player Fred Smith, who passed away from natural causes two days ago at the age of 77. He played bass in Television, one of the pioneering bands on the American new wave scene at CBGB’s in the 1970’s. After Television broke up, he continued to play with his former bandmates, guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd, both on their solo records and in their touring bands. There’s also been a few Television reunions through the years.
I love Television and the solo records by Verlaine and Lloyd. I’ve listened a lot to them through the years. Fred Smith was part of it, so this is one of the rock deaths that makes me a little more sad than usual. I did get to see Fred live, in Tom Verlaine’s band in 1989ish and then on Television’s first reunion tour in 1992. And I am pretty sure he played bass at one of the Richard Lloyd gigs I went to in the latter part of the 80’s.
Anyways, here’s a small handful of old favourites with Fred Smith on bass. Thank you for the music Fred, may you be remembered
I think there is more than these two songs posted here. Remember, not all the songs posted, have the artists name or the song title included in the post.
Then again, this topic has been going for four years now, so whatever if we post a song that that was posted three or four years ago. Or two for that matter. Personally I’ve posted one song here three times…deliberately, because it did fit the context.
Let’s not worry too much about yesterday…or tomorrow
Here’s to the memory of Alan Lancaster (1949-2021), bass player and occasional singer in the most classic line-up of Status Quo. He was born 77 years ago today. Here he is, singing and playng bass…Cheers
Happy Birthday to the American singer Tom Rush, who is turning 85 today! He started on the folk and blues scene in the early 1960’s, and hepled launch the careers of young songwriters by including their songs on his earliest albums. These songwriters include Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor.
Tom Rush himself never became a household name, like the three mentioned above. Still, he is a well respected artist by his peers, with a career still going after over 60 years as an artist, He’s got several concerts scheduled for the upcoming months.
The majority of the songs on all his albums are covers, but Tom Rush occasionally did write songs himself. His best known song No Regrets has become a standard. The song has been covered by among others The Walker Brothers, Midge Ure (Ultravox), Emmylou Harris and Rush.
So here is No Regrets, the final track on the excellent album The Circle Game.
And here is a toast to Tom Rush. Happy Birthday
The Third Bardo - I’m Five Years Ahead of My Time (1967)
I ran out of drinks today! Bloody amateurish of me, must be getting old. So I had to take a pub break from VHTV. My usual waterhole down the street usually plays classic rock, but tonight there were some garage rock/psychedelia mixed in. So I got to hear an old favourite I haven’t heard in a while.
I guess we can forget about the “ahead of time”. Right now seems to be more than enough for me
