Gurley and the rest of Big Brother carried on into the early 1970s, adding and subtracting members, most notably singer and guitarist Nick Gravenites, and releasing two blues-rock oriented albums - Be A Brother in 1970, and How Hard It Is in 1971. The band broke-up in 1972, but reunited fifteen years later around the core of Gurley, Albin, and Andrew to tour and record sporadically. Gurley left the re-formed Big Brother in 1996 over the issue of adding a Joplinesque female singer to the aging blues-rock band.
In interviews, Gurley often expressed that Big Brother & the Holding Company were unfairly dismissed as merely Joplin's backing band when, in reality, the magical chemistry between the singer and Big Brother's members is something that Joplin would never again quite achieve during her brief career. The last straw came in 1982 when Columbia released Joplin's Farewell Song; a collection of odds-and-ends from the Big Brother era of the singer's career, studio musicians were used to record over Gurley and the other's performances without permission. Gurley would later apologize to fans that bought the album expecting to hear Big Brother & the Holding Company.
Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope that this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.
Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles and what follows are not necessarily reviews, but opinions based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists that I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.
Taken: Extended Cut (also Blu-ray). Taken is a thrilling ride from start to finish. Yes, it does feature human trafficking
The album is beautifully lo-fi, radiating a warm glow of late night atmosphere amid some softly seductive vintage performances.
As soon as a promising white, blues-tinged, female soul singer arrives on the scene, it tends to ignite the inevitable comparisons to the likes of the legendary Dusty Springfield, amongst others. That, of course, is a huge legacy for any aspiring young singer to carry around. One of those who, along with Dusty -- and Amy Winehouse, for example --...
Indie-Blues supergroup sees Jack white in unusual role.
Raconteurs and White Stripes frontman, Jack White, has never been one to rest on his laurels. Now, the singer/guitarist has announced his latest project, and his rather surprising role within the new ensemble - The Dead Weather. The band have all the makings of an indie-rock supergroup; featuring singer Allison Mosshart of indie-blues duo The...
Colorado is beautiful country during the summer, and if you're anywhere within a hundred miles of Winter Park, Colorado this coming weekend, you might want to check into the 7th Annual Blues From The Top Fest. The event will be held on Saturday, June 27th and Sunday, June 28th, 2009 at the city's Hideaway Park music venue from 10:30 am until 7:00 pm both days. Saturday's performers include notable blues guitarist Tab Benoit, soul-blues singer Mike Zito , and bluesman Zac Harmon. Sunday you can experience the talents of blues-rocker Tommy Castro , blustery singer Deanna Bogart, and blues harp player John Nemeth , among others. The Jimmy Hall Super Jam performs on both Saturday and Sunday. Overnight lodging is also available for blues fans wanting to stay both days. Winter Park is northwest of Denver, and the festival itself is sponsored by the Grand County Blues Society. For a
The big news this week is of course Green Day's much-anticipated punk-opera 21st Century Breakdown . Green Day's album is one which is sure to be carefully watched by industry bean-counters. Their last album, American Idiot , was an all too rare modern-day multi-platinum selling physical CD in the MP3 era. But decades from now it may well also be remembered as symbolizing the Bush era in the same way that people like Bob Dylan are considered synonymous with the sixties. Our own Jordan "J-Rich" Richardson will be along shortly to provide his own 21st century breakdown of sorts on whether or not Green Day have once again delivered the goods.
As uncompromising in his personal life as he is in his music, Steve Earle is one of the few guys left from the original era of outlaw country who has managed to survive despite his excesses with his artistic integrity
This Texan soul singer is still phenomenal.
It seems strangely appropriate that this album should be coming out this year -- which also heralds the 50th birthday of Motown Records -- because if anyone has taken on the mantle of soul singer extraordinaire for the 21st century, then it's the phenomenal Ruthie Foster - something that was, not coincidentally, the title of her last album. Foster...
Blues singer Marcia Ball has enjoyed a successful year in 2008. Her Alligator Records CD Peace, Love & BBQ has garnered some of the best reviews of the singer's career,...
