T.O. Music Pix: Music audio and video clips, Part 2

Photo: Phil Weedon, townesvanzandt.com	Townes Van Zandt The late Townes Van Zandt never had anything resembling a hit in his nearly 30-year recording career. He had a hard enough time simply keeping his records in print. Labeled a problem child, he was given shock therapy in his early 20s after he fell backward from a four-story window "just to see what it felt like". The above was taken from Films We Like for the Toronto screening of Be Here to Love Me, a moving documentary about Van Zandt. "Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table and say that" -- Steve Earle His life was turmoil; his death not unexpected by his friends. Among them was Guy Clark, who just before playing at Van Zandt's funeral said, "I guess I booked this gig thirty-some years ago". Here are a couple of tribute performances from Austin City Limits: "Goodbye": Who wouldn't die to have Emmylou Harris sing at your wake? A moving goodbye from Harris and Steve Earle (who wrote it for his mentor). Medley: His two biggest "hits": "If I Needed You" and "Poncho and Lefty", performed by Emmylou, Steve Earle and Willie Nelson, intercut with Van Zandt's own performances. Also: the trailer to Be Here to Love Me.	Updated Dec/07 Townes Van Zandt (with Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Willie Nelson) Campbell Brothers (Sacred Steel) Indonesian Rock & Roll (1960) Nov/07 Toumani Diabate & Roswell Rudd Updated July/07 Billy Joe Shaver Updated May/07 Mahmoud Ahmed Added April/07 Mavis Staples Andy Palacio & Garifuna music Rev. Louis Overstreet Sister Rosetta Thorpe Mohammed Rafi Ray Wylie Hubbard The Zimmers Hullaballoo (with Sammy Davis Jr, Sonny & Cher, Lovin' Spoonful & Supremes Marvin Gaye Bo Diddley Added March/07: Vieux Farka Touré Professor Longhair Lucille Ball Randy Newman Added Jan/07: Seasick Steve James Brown Sly & The Family Stone Etta James Johnny Winter Chuck Berry Collins Kids Howlin' Wolf J.B. Lenoir Mississippi Fred McDowell Debashish Battacharya Hannes Coetzee Erik Mongrain King Sunny Ade Orchestra Baobab K'Naan/Ba Cissoko Refugee All Stars Steve Earle Austin City Limits (various) The worst/best video? Super Timor TV ad See Page 1 for: Buddy Miller, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin Mandékalou Franco Djelimady Tounkara Wanda Jackson Fela Kuti Beatles Ronnie Hawkins Ned Sublette Big Joe Williams Salif Keita Tinariwen Madagascar guitar Miriam Makeba Odetta Muddy Waters William Shatner African Rock 'n' Roll Years Sam Cooke Kaushiki Chakrabarty Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock World music "subtitles" "Whammer Jammer" - the original? Altamont Otis Rush, Magic Sam Mahalia Jackson Swan Silvertones Stormy Weather/Cab Calloway Fats Domino Soul (James Carr, Ry Cooder, Frankie Miller) Doug Sahm Hound Dog (Big Mama Thornton, Elvis) Updated Feb/08 Gospel video collection Little Richard Lullaby of Broadway Iris Dement Elvis Presley
Photo: from The Story of Indo-Rock	The Tielman Brothers These brothers were among many Indonesians to move to the Netherlands when Indonesia was a Dutch colony. I don't imagine many of them could rock like these guys though. Great showmen too. "Rollin' Rock"
Photo: John Leeson. Toumani at Harbourfront Centre, 2007	Toumani Diabaté & Roswell Rudd The great Malian kora player (who put on of the best Toronto concerts of 2007 - pictured) joined up with the American jazz trombonist for an album titled MaliCool, recorded in Bamako in 2003. Cross-cultural mixes sometimes work well, sometimes not, but are often not smooth. I've heard in the past that Diabaté can be a bit difficult to work with, not always following processes expected by Westerners. (Which is one reason he has not been able to tour extensively here). These 6 YouTube clips, each about 9 minutes are a fascinating glimpse look at cross-continental communication, and mis-communication. Clip 1 Clip 2 Clip 3 Clip 4 Clip 5 Clip 6
Photo: John Leeson. Toronto Jazz Festival, 2007	Mavis Staples & Staple Singers Her performance (July 1) will probably be my personal highlight of the 2007 Toronto Jazz Festival. She has just (Apr. 24/07) released a new CD, We'll Never Turn Back that is already getting great reviews. The recording revisits much of the spirit, and many of the songs of the civil rights era that the Staple Singers were so involved with. Here are two YouTube videos that capture some of that spirit -- and the voice! "Eye on the Prize": a video that seems to have been made for the album Going way back, "When Will We Be Paid" with the Staple Singers performing in Ghana, 1971 For some great audio of Mavis, listen to her as Charlie Gillett's guest on his former BBC radio show, Christmas Day, 2004. Go to the Mondomix radio page. Under "The sound of the world", scroll down under "Last programmes" for Mavis Staples, Part 1 and Part 2.
Photo: John Leeson. Harbourfront Centre, 2007	Andy Palacio & the Garifuna Collective The Garifuna people are of African descent and inhabit the Atlantic coastal regions of Central America. Their gorgeous music has recently been getting more international attention. This group in particular has attracted a lot of recent attention. "Watina": a look behind the music of Andy Palacio A recent show of theirs in NYC See an interview with Palacio on Afropop Worldwide, and click the photo credit link to the left for more information about Palacio and Garifuna music and culture. Also watch: "Umalali": a preview of a new Garifuna women's album A great loss to the world of music: Andy died in January, 2008.
Photo: John Leeson Click for larger image	Ray Wylie Hubbard In 1976, I went to Willie Nelson's annual Fourth of July Picnic in Gonzales, Texas. By that time, the festival had become the symbol of the new music scene in Austin. Many people credit Willie for single handedly uniting the two country music factions that had been warring for some time: the rednecks and the hippies. Or, as the conflict was sometimes called at the time, "the ropers vs the dopers". The latter tended to listen to KOKE-FM. Waylon Jennings' 1973 album Honky Tonk Heroes (almost all songs written by Billy Joe Shaver) really launched the "outlaw" music scene, and Willie's 1975 Red Headed Stranger remains its masterpiece. Also in 1973, Jerry Jeff Walker had a regional hit with a song that captured some of the flavour of that time, "Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother" ("He's thirty-four and drinking in a honky tonk / Just kicking hippies asses and raising hell"). The song was written by Ray Wylie Hubbard, who performed with his group, The Cowboy Twinkies (A photo of my autographed album is on the left). Here, Ray Wylie explains to Jerry Jeff how the song came about. This clip features the two of them performing the song at Willie's 1974 Picnic (Warning: poor audio/video quality) Lyrics to the song are here, and some background on RWH here.
	Mohammed Rafi This video clip contains one of the most amazing dance performances you'll ever see. The late singer was a huge singing star in India, especially for his Bollywood work. The clip below, from the 1966 Indian film Gumnaam was also featured in the 2000 American film, Ghost World. "Jaan Pehechan Ho"
Photo: Zimmers' myspace page	The Zimmers The oldest rock & roll band in the world and their version of The Who's "My Generation". It's sure a different take on "Hope I die before I get old". The lead singer is 90... and he's not the oldest in the group. YouTube video here. For more info, and an alternative edit, check their myspace page below.
Photo: John Leeson, 2003	Mahmoud Ahmed The great Ethiopian singing star was the surprising (but very deserving!) winner of the 2007 BBC World Music Award for African Artist of the Year. His prime years may have been the 70's, but he's still a huge stage force. Here are two YouTube videos of French concerts that capture a bit of the sense of one of his performances. The first clip has decent sound, and some of the feel of bring up front at one of his shows, bouncing video and all The second clip features bad sound; but some more shots of him performing. Audio only: listen to his full (73 minute) 2005 WOMAD concert here. What a magnificent singer! Want more of him? Get the CD Ethiopiques vol 7 (1975), part of the great Ethiopiques series. I loved his recent Toronto shows. See my photos from 2003 and 2007.
Photo: http://marvin-gaye.guidechart.com/	Marvin Gaye Performing the Star Spangled Banner at the 1983 NBA All Star Game. According to an account I read, Stevie Wonder claimed Gaye never got on TV again until he was killed, because network executives "couldn't handle a black man singing a sexy soul version of the National Anthem". The crowd sure could, based on the cries, screams and clapping.
Photo: pauljamesband.com	Bo Diddley The original, the one and only will play the Phoenix in Toronto May 22 (2007). At 78, the show probably won't resemble this classic of his: The Big TNT show (1966)
Photo: John Leeson. London, Ont. 2007	Vieux Farka Touré The son of Ali Farka Touré is bursting on the worldwide African music scene. Four clips of his great guitar work, filmed in Bamako, Mali are below. This shows just part of the reason his February shows in Toronto and London were so great. He also has a wonderful stage presence. I predict great things for him. Part 1, 2, 3, 4
Photo: Norbizness	Professor Longhair Playing "Tipitina". He was and always will be THE New Orleans R&B musician. Don't need to say any more. YouTube
Photo: www.randynewman.com;	Randy Newman "A Few Words in Defense of our Country": Words as only Randy Newman can spin. Watch on http://randynewman.com or You Tube
Photo credit: seasicksteve.com	Seasick Steve An American blues musician, and former street person now living in Norway, he is better known in Europe than North America. His music is pretty unique and powerful. Listen and watch his driving three-string guitar. His website is http://www.seasicksteve.com/ YouTube: his New Year's Eve BBC-TV performance on his three-string guitar should make you take notice. This is with his group, the Level Devils, about his life living on the street behind a grocery store. "It weren't fancy, but it sure was cheap"
Photo credit: 8notes.com	James Brown, RIP See my appreciation of Brown for some comments on and context of these clips. His groundbreaking performance in The TAMI show (1964) (Video removed from YouTube) A great 1966 show -- good film work too. And... here's an audio link where you can download his entire 1974 concert in Kinshasha, Zaire -- part of Muhammed Ali's "Rumble in the Jungle". (Scroll down to the Jan. 4 entry, "James Browin in Africa")
Photo credit: BermanGraphics.com	Sly and the Family Stone An act that could have rivaled James Brown for funk and originality, but Sly let it slip away. This YouTube video shows the group winning an award (and $10,000) as the "best new talent of 1968". A GREAT performance, but did somebody kill the audience? How could they be so dead?
Photo: Artist Direct	Etta James The one and only! Man, can she sing! *(NOTE: The first two video links below (1958,1966) have been removed from YouTube. Meanwhile, I've added one of her with Chuck Berry).* 1958, in Boston. If Sly's audience (see above) was dead, her audience here sure is alive! The audio and video quality are pretty poor, but as one viewer wrote, "don't you wish you were there that night?" 1966: "Something Got a Hold On Me". Better quality film. Same quality voice and soul. Rock & Roll Music with Chuck Berry, from Chuck's movie Hail, Hail Rock & Roll
Photo credit: Bull Run Restaurant	Johnny Winter A one-of-a-kind. (Well, how many tall, deathly skinny albino blues guitarists do you know?) At Woodstock (1969) "Mean Town Blues". Should have been in the film! "Highway 61 Revisited" (1992 - Dylan birthday concert) Johnny played Toronto recently (March, 2007). Of course, he's not quite the same as the blistering guitarist in those clips. Read the Live Music Report review of his recent concert here. Like the reviewer, I too saw and remember Johnny Winter perform live in 1971.
	Chuck Berry See my page for Chuck's 80th birthday for some info on Chuck and these clips. Two lip-sync'd, but grooving clips from the 50's. "You Can't Catch Me" "Oh Baby Doll". But here, "really live": at Newport Jazz Festival (1958) 1986: from Hail Rock & Roll (the movie made for Chuck's 60th birthday). It starts with Chuck & Keith Richards having a few arguments (the best of which are not now available on YouTube). After a bit of shouting... Some stops and starts (and lectures) They finally get it going Chuck with Linda Ronstadt tear through "Back in the USA" And Etta James helps Chuck celebrate "Rock & Roll Music"
Photo credit: Classic Movie Kids	The Collins Kids This has to be seen to be believed! Lorrie (originally Lawrencine) and Larry Collins were regional (California) rockabilly stars in the 50's. By the time they were 16 and 14, they were regulars on Tex Ritter's Town Hall Party TV show. Lorrie became Ricky Nelson's on and off-TV girlfriend (until she married Johnny Cash's manager, twice her age). Like most acts their age, their fame was brief, but they sure were unique. Larry plays guitar and leaps and duckwalks around the stage like a possessed fiend! Two TV clips from their prime: "High School Confidential" A And here, Larry "does" The Big Bopper. Pretty weird watching him google-eye his big sister and tell her, "Ohh baby! You KNOW what I like!" Looks like the Kids have very recently started performing again. Here they are in Spain in 2006. Larry's still playing his double-neck
Photo credit: U.S. Post Office (Artist: Julian Allen)	Howlin' Wolf A true original, never to be copied. "How Many More Years" (1966) The Rolling Stones introduce Wolf on the 60's teen rock show, Shindig
	J. B. Lenoir "The Whale Has Swallowed Me". From Wim Wenders documentary, The Soul of a Man, part of Martin Scorsese's The Blues series
Jim Marshall cover photo of Arhoolie album, Fred McDowell Vol 2 Photo: John Leeson. Debashish Battacharya, The Mod Club 2006	Slide guitar: various takes: Mississippi Fred McDowell (top photo) One of the greatest slide players, electric or acoustic Debashish Battacharya: (bottom photo) Amazing slide guitarist from India, playing various guitars of his own invention. Mondomix has video, interview and reviews Hannes Coetzee "Inventive" slide work (According to YouTube, as of Apr. 20, this has had over 634,000 views). Erik Mongrain "Air Tap!" Not a slide, but some pretty fascinating guitar playing.
Photo credit: redhotazz.com	Bessie Smith "The Empress of the Blues" in her only film appearance (what a shame!). The 1929 film was 15 minutes. The YouTube link below has 8 and a half glorious musical minutes. Try maximizing the window. This page has some background on the film, and a link to the full 15 minute version. It's poor quality, but the opening gives you more evidence of how rotten her man is. St. Louis Blues (1929)
Photo: John Leeson. The Opera House, 2005	King Sunny Ade 8 (count 'em!) video clips of the King of Juju in Holland. What a great performer!! Date unknown. 1983 in Europe: Part 2 (Part 1 is currently unavailable on YouTube) Photo: John Leeson, 2005
Photo: John Leeson. Harbourfront, 2003	Orchestra Baobab On BBC TV
Photo: John Leeson, Harbourfront, 2006	K'Naan with Ba Cissoko Filmed in Mali (K'Naan is on Ba Cissoko's newest CD, Electric Griot Land)
Photo: John Leeson. Harbourfront, 2006	Refugee All-Stars of Sierra Leone (bottom photo) The trailer for the documentary of the same name
Photo: John Leeson. Harbourfront, 2005	Billy Joe Shaver One of my favourite musicians, and one of America's greatest songwriters. Elsewhere on this site, I have a lengthy appreciation/biography of Shaver. His music has always come from his life experiences, and he has had to deal with more adversity and tragedy than many of us would want to contemplate; his strength and faith keep him going and provide the heart and soul of his music. From 1984, Billy Joe, and a painfully young Eddy Shaver (his son who died of a drug overdose in 2000), performing his classic "Black Rose" ("The devil made me do it the first time / The second time I done it on my own"). From July 2006 in North Carolina, Billy Joe performs two songs in memory of Eddy. After talking about his son's death, he advises young people, "If you tempt God long enough, he'll take you... Be very careful". He then performs, virtually solo, "Star of my Heart". . He follows that with a song he co-wrote with Eddy, "Live Forever". A couple of Billy Joe stories: "No Fool Like an Old Fool". A story about a marriage that almost happened. Billy Joe's marriages are part of his legend. He married his first wife three times (divorced twice; she died of cancer in 1999). A few years ago, news came out he was going to re-marry. Then he didn't. This tells that story. Subsequently, he did marry, divorce, marry and divorce -- once again all to/from the same woman. The dynamite story. Billy Joe & Waylon Jennings.
	Steve Earle "Just An American Boy". Contains three excerpts from the TV documentary, made while he was touring after the release of his controversial CD, Jerusalem. Photo: www.steveearle.net
Photo: Live from Austin	Austin City Limits The long-running TV show has produced an extensive series of DVD's featuring many artists who have been on the show. The link below lists many of the DVD's, and you can view one song from each DVD. Artists include: Johnny Cash, Neko Case, Asleep at the Wheel, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Billy Joe Shaver, Dwight Yoakum, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Merle Haggard, Son Volt, Sir Douglas Quintet, Texas Tornados, The Flatlanders (Jimmy Dale Gilmour, Butch Hancock and Joe Ely), Delbert McClinton and Fats Domino Sample page
	Some ODDS and ends: Lucy in London (photo at left) Lucille Ball, of course! With the Dave Clark Five and music and singing by Phil Spector. The first rock video? Seeing is believing (maybe). Sammy Davis Jr, Sonny & Cher, Lovin' Spoonful & The Supremes On Hullabaloo, mid-60's. Nobody makes TV like this anymore! (Never should have for that matter). They all join together at the end on "I'm Henry the Eighth, I am".. Armi & Danny "I Wanna Love You Tender". This just might be The worst music video ever. Others call it the best ever. You should be sure you're sitting down when you watch it. TV ad Ad from Ivory Coast for Super Timor mosquito spray.
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