ROCK-on Worldwide

May is a month of all the talents. Who’s your favourite singer out of the following May babies – Bono, Eric Burden, Steve Winwood, Joe Cocker, Paul Weller or Gary Brooker?
May 1 1966 Johnny Colt – The Black Crowes
May 2 1950 Lou Gramm – Foreigner
May 4 1945 George Wadenius – Blood, Sweat & Tears
May 5 1948 Bill Ward – Black Sabbath
May 7 1961 Phil Campbell – Motorhead
May 7 1946 Bill Kreutzmann – Grateful Dead
May 8 1955 Alex Van Halen – Van Halen

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April is definitely not the cruellest month for Rock birthdays, but for those who like things tied together, two guitarists are connected by one man and one of those two is connected to one of the obituaries.  Answers at the end… **

Leon Russell – 68 on 2^nd April 2010

How many people can claim to have played with Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, George Harrison and Joe Cocker as well as arranging River Deep and Mountain High for Ike and Tina Turner?  Only one – the great Leon Russell.
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Two thirds of one of the great Prog Rock bands were born in November and two fifths of one of the world’s greatest Folk Rock bands, but we start with the man without whom there might not have been the great 1960s UK R&B revival – the legendary John Mayall.

JOHN MAYALL – 76 years old on 29th November
The line of bands from the great Delta Bluesmen to the likes of Peter Green, Mick Taylor and Eric Clapton is remarkably short – Alexis Korner… John Mayall… Originally based in Manchester it was Alexis Korner, the godfather of UK Blues who told Mayall he had to get to London and in 1963 he did just this and The Bluesbreakers concept was born offering a proving ground for the extraordinary outburst of talent that was London in the 60s.

Some people say that Mayall, Green, McVie, Fleetwood was the best Bluesbreakers lineup, but the never bettered, Mike Vernon produced, Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton is the one for me every time.

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Roger Waters – 65 years old on 6th September 2009.

It doesn’t really matter who caused the rift between the band members, although it was clear that after the triumph of Dark Side of the Moon and the overblown success of The Wall, that The Final Cut really did show a creative energy running out of steam. Wonderful to see them all together again on Live 8, but the death of Richard Wright in 2008 probably marks the end of fans’ dreams of a reunion of the most melodic and haunting of Rock bands.

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Chrissie Hynde – 57 years old on 7th September 2009.
Arriving in London with a one way ticket at the dawn of the Punk revolution, Hynde started as a Rock critic before forming the band which, despite two deaths, she still leads today. She’s a great Rock singer and offers great advice: “Don’t think that sticking your boobs out and trying to look f**kable will help. Remember you’re in a Rock n’ Roll band, it’s not “f**k me”, it’s f**k you.”

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David Coverdale – 57 years old on 22nd September 2009.
Great voice – two great bands – although Ian Gillan sang the original version of Smoke On The Water. Astrologically inclined, he is quoted as having said that “our home at Lake Tahoe is absolutely on my sun line, so when I’m there, I just fart creativity and joy.”

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Bruce Springsteen – 59 years old on 23rd September 2009.
New Jersey’s finest. With influences which apparently include Van Morrison, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Woody Guthrie, Phil Spector, Hank Williams, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels and Bob Dylan, it is easier to see how he could create such epic songs as The River. Based firmly on the liberal left, he still appears to believe in the redemptive power of Rock ‘n Roll. Don’t forget too that many of his songs have provided hits for other performers including: “Sandy” for the Hollies, “Blinded by the Light” for Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, “Fire,” for the Pointer Sisters and “Because the Night” for Patti Smith.

THE EDGE (DAVID HOWELL EVANS) – AUGUST 8TH, 1961

Born in London, but brought up in Dublin, The Edge seems to have got his nickname from his outsider’s attitude – remaining on the edge. Although his early influences included Rory Gallagher, he is not a showy, Rock Guitar hero and prefers to contribute to U2’s rhythmic centre where his driving approach has been much imitated. His signature style has included the use of digital delay effects, reverb and an Irish-influenced drone.

MARK KNOPFLER – AUGUST 12TH, 1949
Strange to think that the man who people of “our” generation remember for the awe inspiring finger picking style of his guitar work Dire Straits 1979 debut album, Sultans of Swing, is actually probably most important for the fact that Brothers in Arms was the first compact disc to sell a million copies and is largely credited for launching the CD format.

DAVID CROSBY – AUGUST 14TH, 1941
A leading member of the Folk Rock movement of the 1960s, Crosby was a founding member of, and principal songwriter for, The Byrds. Falling out with them over his song, Triad, he joined up with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash who left the Hollies, to create the Crosby, Stills & Nash. Their first, 1969, eponymous album was an immediate hit, spawning two Top 40 hit singles and receiving key airplay on the new FM radio format, in its early days populated by unfettered disc jockeys who then had the option of playing entire albums at once.

MADONNA – AUGUST 16TH, 1958
Madonna Louise Ciccone may be too much of a continual re-inventor of herself and her music style to appeal to hard core Rock fans, but what can’t be denied is that she was the best-selling female rock artist of the twentieth century.

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century.

GINGER BAKER – AUGUST 19TH, 1939
Peter Edward Baker – the man who hates to be labeled as Rock Drummer! It’s interesting to contemplate that if he hadn’t been training to be a professional cyclist he may never have had the leg muscles to develop his highly original double bass drum approach. Running away from home at the age of 16, he played in the jazz scene until 1962 when he replaced Charlie Watts in Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated when Watts went to join the Rolling Stones. Worshipped by all discerning Rock fans as one of the true greats, his heroin addiction and fiery nature caused endless break-ups including fights with Jack Bruce (twice). Bruce famously smashed Baker’s homemade Perspex drum kit in an on-stage fight when with the Graham Bond Organisation before teaming up again to form Cream with Eric Clapton.

ROBERT PLANT – AUGUST 20TH, 1948
Although Plant claims that one third of Led Zeppelin’s output was acoustic, the rest of the world sees Led Zep as the originators of Heavy Metal or Hard Rock. Plant’s own contribution goes well beyond the screaming vocals and tight trousers and, although it is easy to mock his obsessions with Tolkien and Norse Gods, his lyrics for Stairway to Heaven are both moving and beautiful.

VAN MORRISON – AUGUST 31ST, 1945
I don’t care if he’s supposed to be difficult and angry and awkward and misanthropic and whatever else he has been accused of, Astral Weeks is the greatest and most perfect Rock/Folk album ever produced. Oh and thank you too, Van, for Gloria and Here Comes the Night.

Bryan Adams
49 on 05.11.08

Glenn Frey
59 on 06.11.08

Roy Wood
62 on 08.11.08

Greg Lake
61 on 10.11.08

Neil Young
65 on 12.11.08

Booker T. Jones
64 on 12.11.08

Joe Walsh
61 on 20.11.08

Dr John
68 on 21.11.08

Donald “Duck” Dunn
67 on 24.11.08

Steve van Zandt
58 on 22.11.08

John Mayall
75 on 29.11.08