Woodstock
THE TRAGICALLY HIP
The massively popular Canadian band, The Tragically Hip, is Gordie Downie (vocals), Bobby Baker (guitar), Paul Langlois (guitar), Gord Sinclair (bass) and Johnny Fay (drums).
The band released its debut, self-titled album in the late 80s but it wasn’t until their second release Up to Here that they started receiving critical acclaim. The album included staple Hip tunes like “New Orleans is Sinking” and “Blow at High Dough”.
The band was embraced by their fellow Canucks for its steady rock riffs and ballads that predominantly featured Canadian themed lyrics - “Bobcaygeon”, “38 Years Old” and “Forty Mission Cap” to name a few.
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Its 1993 release, Fully Completely, awarded them some US crossover attention, mainly in bordering states like Michigan and New York. The band started touring across the Midwest of America and secured a spotlight on popular comedy sketch programme, Saturday Night Live, in 1995.
Its sixth album, Phantom Power, produced hits in the form of “Fireworks” and “Poets” and the Hip were booked for Woodstock 1999. The band also performed at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic games in 2002.
Over the course of their nearly two decade long recording career, The Tragically Hip has built up an impressive array of accomplishments despite not having blatant, mainstream success. On the other hand, it’s reported that the band has never really sought that international attention.
While the band sells out arenas in their native Canada, other tours in America or Europe consist of smaller, intimate venues. Some of the accolades awarded to The Hip by the Canadian market include a star of the Canadian Walk of Fame, numerous Juno awards and an induction to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. They also actively encourage bootleg recordings of their concerts.
The Tragically Hip’s mix of roots rock, unique lyrics and incredible live performances have earned them a devoted fan base across both rock and indie genres.
Sources: Juanita Appleby; Joanna Rubiner
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Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker was born in Sheffield, England in 1944. In 1961 Joe by day, worked as a gas fitter and by night, in dark suit and bow tie, became Vance Arnold singing with The Avengers in rough Sheffield pubs. The set included songs by mentor Ray Charles ‘What’d I Say’ and ‘Georgia On My Mind’. Vance Arnold and the Avengers biggest moment came in 1963 when they supported The Rolling Stones at Sheffield City Hall.
The following year Joe left the Gas Board and released his first single, a cover of The Beatles ‘I’ll Cry Instead’. His band, Joe Cocker Big Blues, built up a large following in the north of England and ventured to France for a two month stint, playing on American airbases with exterminator nyc. Unfortunately when he returned home to England the bottom had fallen out of the local scene. Joe Cocker Big Blues folded.
For an entire year Joe never did a gig. Then along came the man Joe has called the greatest musician in the world, Chris Stainton. With Chris 'The Grease Band' was formed. Soon a demo found its way to Denny Cordell, the producer of Procul Harum, and he liked what he heard of Joe, and soon set him up in London with a residency at The Marquee.
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In 1969, Joe performed at all the major rock festivals of that summer, culminating in the filmed triumph of Woodstock before half a million people. The tour left Joe battered, exhausted, and he ended up, per his own words, “in a heap in Los Angeles, very disillusioned with the rock business.”
In 1970, Joe sold $3 million worth of records in America alone. His first three albums went platinum and Playboy voted him number one vocalist in their annual jazz and rock poll.
Joe continued making albums and songs like “Guilty”, “The Moons A Harsh Mistress” and “You Are So Beautiful”. Songs that have become Cocker classics, all dating from the darkest days, back in the mid 1970’s.
As the 80’s dawned Joe was invited by The Crusaders to join them on a song they had written exclusively for him, ‘I’m So Glad I’m Standing Here Today’. The lyrics said it all and Joe received a standing ovation when he sang the song at the Grammy Awards in February of 1982.
His Capitol albums from “Civilized Man” onwards have been tremendously successful. “Cocker”, “Unchain My Heart” and “One Night Of Sin” all turned platinum, (the latter also delivering Joe’s most recent US top ten song “When The Night Comes”, written by Bryan Adams). Joe’s album “Night Calls”, the title single penned by Jeff Lynne, turned gold and headed towards platinum all across Europe within weeks of its release in autumn ‘91.
Joe Cocker is a survivor, a star and a rock legend. He has had hit records in the 1960’s, 70s, 80, and 90s. Success has brought with it a grueling schedule of recording and touring but, after more than twenty-five years on the road he has no plans to take it easy.
Carly Page
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TEN YEARS AFTER
Ten Years After is a British blues-rock quartet consisting of Alvin Lee (guitar, vocals), Chick Churchill (keyboard), Leo Lyons (bass) and Ric Lee (drums). The group were formed in 1967 in England, and were soon signed to Decca. Although their first album flopped, their second ‘Undead’, a live album, hit the charts both in the UK and America. The album featured ‘I’m Going Home’, a six-minute blues track, which was one of the bands greatest hits. Their 1969 album, ‘Stonedhenge’ reached the UK Top Ten.
The bands break in America came after an appearance at Woodstock, at which they played a nine-minute masterpiece of their hit, ‘I’m Going Home’. Their next album, ‘Ssssh’ reached the US Top Twenty, with the next album ‘Cricklewood Green’ reaching number four.
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Watt completed the group's Decca contract, after which they signed with Columbia and moved in a more mainstream pop direction, shown through their gold-selling 1971 album ‘A Space in Time’, and it’s Top Forty single, ‘I’d Love to Change the World’.
Subsequent efforts in that direction were less successful, however, and Ten Years After split up after the release of ‘Positive Vibrations’ in 1974.
They reunited in 1988 for concerts in Europe and recorded their first new album in 15 years, the aptly named ‘About Time’, in 1989 before disbanding once again. In 2001, Ric Lee was preparing the back catalog for re-release when he discovered the Live at the Fillmore East 1970 tapes. He approached Alvin about getting back together to promote the lost album, but Alvin Lee declined. The rest of the band was up for it, though, and together with guitarist Joe Gooch, Ten Years After started touring again. In addition to touring the world, this new incarnation recorded their first new material in about a decade and a half and released Now in 2004 and added the live double CD set 'Roadworks' in 2005
Albums:
Ten Years After, Deram, 1967.
Undead (Live Album), Deram, 1968.
Stonedhenge, Deram, 1969.
Ssssh, Deram, 1969.
Cricklewood Green, Deram 1970.
Watt, Deram, 1970.
A Space in Time, Columbia, 1971.
Rock & Roll Music to the World, Columbia, 1972.
Recorded Live (Double Live Album), Columbia, 1973.
Positive Vibrations, Columbia, 1974.
Rocket Fuel, RSO, 1978.
Ride On, RSO, 1979.
About Time, Chrysaliis, 1989.
Live at the Fillmore east 1970 (Double Live Album), 2001.
One Night Jammed (Live), 2003.
Now, 2004.
Roadworks (Double Live Album), 2005.
Evolution, 2008.
Live at Fiesta City (Live DVD), 2009.
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Sly & The Family Stone
Sly and The Family Stone truly are ‘A Family Affair’. Hailing from San Francisco, the band started out as two separate bands: one led by Sylvester ‘Sly’ Stone, the other by his brother Freddie. Sister Rose Stone later joined to supply keyboards and vocals. The line-up also featured Larry Graham on bass, Jerry Martini on saxophone, Cynthia Robinson on trumpet and Gregg Errico on drums. Freddie took on the guitar duties and Sly agreed to learn the electronic organ. Sly and The Family Stone were made up of black and white members, which at the time was quite revolutionary.
The band’s sound was rich and unique. It blended influences from gospel, soul and funk, incorporating the use of wah-wahs and fuzz effects, to create a psychedelic musical backdrop to the late 60s. Bassist Larry Graham introduced the world to the bass-playing technique of slapping, favoured by many artists across the funk genre such as Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Level 42.
Their first album – ‘A Whole New Thing’ – was released in October 1967. ‘Dance to the Music’ was their debut single released that same year and reached the Top 10 in the US.
‘Stand’, their next album, was released in May 1969 and is ranked #118 in the Rolling Stone Magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All time. The band was asked to perform at Woodstock festival in August 1969. The single ‘I Want to Take You Higher’ had been previously released as a b-side, but was later re-released due the popularity of their performance at Woodstock. The track was later covered by Ike and Tina Turner and was about the joy of music taking one higher, rather than alluding to drug use.
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However, following the band’s move to Los Angeles, Sly and his band mates were increasingly involved in the city’s drug scene. Friction set in with band members, which resulted in several line-up changes. Throughout the 70s, Sly’s creative output slowed down as the drug abuse took its toll, although he did release genre-defining albums and toured with George Clinton into the early 80s.
‘Different Strokes by Different Folks’, an album of Sly and The Family Stone covers, was released in 2005 featuring will.i.am, Arrested Development and Joss Stone. They performed at the 2006 Grammy Awards with most of the original line-up. Sly made the briefest yet startling of appearances. The band last toured in Europe in 2007.
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JIMI HENDRIX
Discography:
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If there is one solo musician who defines the 60s, it has to be Jimi Hendrix: the clothes; the stage presence; the memorable performances at Woodstock, Monterey and the Isle of Wight; the innovative talent and the excesses of drink and drugs.
Born Johnny Allen Hendrix in November 1942, his father changed his name to James Marshall Hendrix. Hendrix was raised in Seattle but spent much of his childhood in Vancouver living with his grandmother.
Hendrix got his first guitar at the age of 15. He practiced constantly, observed other guitarists play and picked up tips from other players. He also drew on his blues and jazz influences when playing. Hendrix is also quite exceptional in that he played a right-handed guitar re-stringed and played left-handed, contributing to his unique sound.
Although he became famous in his own right first in the UK, Hendrix had earned his stripes as a session guitarist for the Isley Brothers and Little Richard during the early 60s.
Linda Keith, who was friends with The Rolling Stones, saw potential in Hendrix. She introduced him to Chas Chandler, then bassist with The Animals, who was particularly impressed with Hendrix’s version of ‘Hey Joe’. Chandler assembled the band The Jimi Hendrix Experience featuring Mitch Mitchell on drums and Noel Redding on bass.
Paul McCartney was instrumental in Hendrix’s success in the US, recommending that he played the Monterey International Pop Festival. It was on stage at Monterey that he set his guitar on fire. This now legendary performance was captured on film as part of the ‘Monterey Pop’ concert documentary.
Hendrix greatly admired The Beatles, so much so that he performed the title track from ''Sgt. Pepper’s 'Lonely Hearts Club Band'' just three days after the album was released. Perhaps taking a cue from his musical heroes, Hendrix made use of experimental recording effects and wah-wah and fuzz pedals.
After successful album releases such as ‘Are You Experienced?’ and ‘Electric Ladyland’, The Jimi Hendrix Experience disbanded when Redding left to form his own band. Mitchell was missing from the band line-up for Hendrix’s seminal performance at Woodstock in August 1969, made memorable by the improvised rendition of ‘Star Spangled Banner’.
Jimi Hendrix passed away in September 1970 at the age of 27, the same age as Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin when they died. The circumstances around his death have never been fully established, but the two most credible reasons involve drink and prescription drugs. He is buried in Greenwood Memorial Park in Washington State along with the remains of his father and grandmother. A carving of a Fender Stratocaster, Hendrix's chosen guitar, marks the site.
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