Twenty Years Ago…

[This post has nothing to do with music but I really had no other place to put it.]

It is hard to believe that it has been twenty years since the nightmare of September 11.  As we remember and reflect on those events of that day, I want to bring to light a story that is seldom told, but I think is worth telling.  I’m going to tell you about Father Mychal Judge, who has been referred to as the “Saint of 9-11.”  That is him, slumped in the chair, in the photo above.

Father Mychal Judge was a Franciscan Friar, Catholic Priest and the Chaplain of the New York City Fire Department.  In the latter capacity, he would respond to major events in the city and pray for the emergency responders.  He would help them deal with the horrors they saw, pray for them to have the strength and courage to face their duties, and sometimes would be called upon to help the fallen pass.

It was not surprising that he was there on September 11^th, doing those same things.  When he arrived, he knelt and anointed the body of fallen firefighter, Daniel Suhr, of Engine Company 216.  Suhr would later be credited with saving 13 fellow firefighters that morning before becoming fatally injured.

Father Judge then entered the lobby of the North Tower where the Incident Command Center (Field Com) had been set up.  There, he continued to pray and see to his other priestly duties.  He did this for quite some time and then the order came for all non-essential personnel to evacuate the North Tower.  He refused to go and simply replied, "My work here is not finished."

At 9:59 am, the unthinkable happened and the South Tower collapsed, 56 minutes after being struck.  As this happened, it blew tons of debris through the lobby of the adjacent North Tower, where Father Judge was Praying.  Many were killed by the flying debris, including the priest.  He had been chanting a prayer, “Jesus, please end this right now! God, please end this!”

As the air began to clear in the aftermath of the collapse of the adjacent tower, survivors in the lobby of the North Tower began to evacuate the building.  It was then that a couple of survivors came across the dead body of Father Judge, laying on the floor.  They felt that they just couldn’t leave him, so they picked him up and began to carry him.  Soon a couple of others joined them.  As they got outside, they found a chair, sat the priest in it, and continued to carry him.

The first objective was any ambulance where they could deposit him, and he could be transported away.  Soon that destination changed, and they began heading to a nearby church.  This is when the picture at the top was taken.

They entered the church and carried him up the center aisle.  They lovingly placed his body at the base of the altar.  They respectfully covered him with a sheet with his badge and prayer stole placed on his chest.  They then returned to their respective duties.

As the day progressed, the story of the FDNY Chaplain in the church began to circulate.  He was not the first to die that day, nor was he the first recovered or even identified.  Yet, at some point, a decision was made to designate him as “Victim #0001.”  At least that is the way it was made public.  When I heard about it, I was told he was assigned “Toe Tag #0001 at the morgue.”  The reason I was told was so that he could lead the dead to the Pearly Gates and on into Heaven.  I recall weeping profusely at the story.

Four days later at his funeral, Father Michael Duffy had this to say about his friend…

“Mychal Judge’s body was the first one released from Ground Zero. His death certificate has the number one on the top. I meditated on that fact of the thousands of people that we are going to find out who perished in that terrible holocaust. Why was Mychal Judge number one? And I think I know the reason. Mychal’s goal and purpose in life at that time was to bring the firemen to the point of death, so they would be ready to meet their maker. There are between two and three hundred firemen buried there [the pile at Ground Zero], the commissioner told us last night.

“Mychal Judge could not have ministered to them all. It was physically impossible in this life but not in the next. And I think that if he were given his choice, he would prefer to have happened what actually happened. He passed through the other side of life, and now he can continue doing what he wanted to do with all his heart. And the next few weeks, we’re going to have names added, name after name of people, who are being brought out of that rubble. And Mychal Judge is going to be on the other side of death to greet them instead of sending them there. And he’s going to greet them with that big Irish smile. He’s going to take them by the arm and the hand and say, “Welcome, I want to take you to my Father.” And so, he can continue doing in death what he couldn’t do in life.”

A number of people in the Catholic Church have called for his canonization to sainthood.  There have even been several miracles attributed to Father Mychal Judge.  It is worth mentioning that Father Judge’s helmet would eventually be recovered beneath the debris of the North Tower, COMPLETELY INTACT!  Most everything in that lobby was pulverized to dust.  His helmet would later be presented to Pope John Paull II at the Vatican.

So, when you look back on the events of September 11^th on this 20^th anniversary, remember warmly Father Mychal Judge.

Pater Mychal Judge...  Requiescat in pace.
Quinque - Quinque - Quinque - Quinque - Quinque

Woodstock at AWT (2021) This Weekend

It is time for Woodstock at AWT and it will be held this weekend, August 13, 14, and 15.  This has become something of a tradition at AWT and we do it every August now.  I have 27 hours of the 36 hours of music recorded that weekend (the whole concert except three songs was recorded directly from the soundboard), that is 75%, or ¾ of the concert!  I will play it this weekend over the three days in its historical order.

I should mention here the Back to the Garden project.  In 2019, being the 50th Anniversary of the festival, Woodstock Producer/Promoter, Michael Lang (no relation to Ashra), decided to release all 36 hours of concert recordings made at the soundboard that weekend.  This was a very limited-edition release with a price tag in the thousands.  I was willing to pay it (fueled by my own love and obsession for this concert, not just for AWT) but there were just no copies to be had.  They went on sale and sold out before I learned about them (a couple of days later).  I hope to have them sometime in the next few years.  This year I continue as I have in the past, with portions from the board along with other portions from other sources (bootleg) of varying quality.

If you visit AWT this week, you will see it slowly transform into the concert grounds as the stage and other facilities take shape.  In the past couple of years, I have begun to further capture the feel by controlling the time of day (day/night) on the sim to match what it was during that point of the concert we experience at AWT.  I have also included things like sunny vs. overcast, rain, and other things.  Through the weekend, you will see the festival grounds at AWT go from pristine to a disaster area.  This is truly as close as we could get to attend the actual 1969 event.

If you missed the original in 1969, this might just be your best chance to experience the original Woodstock in cyberspace with us at AWT.  A number of people who attended in the past have said that in a way they now felt like they were there.  Below, you will not only find the schedule and times, but I have printed the entire setlists for this weekend.  Furthermore, if you scroll past the massive setlist, you will find interesting moments you will hear this weekend, like when the Dead blow their amplifiers or Pete Townsend of the Who hits Abbie Hoffman over the head with his guitar.  Each event is explained and an approximate time, to the minute, that you will hear it this weekend.

So pack up your car or micro-bus.  Drive as far as you can down the SL Thruway, then abandon your car and hike the rest of the way to a Woman’s Touch.  When you get here, the chain link fence is down on the west side of the concert field.  It’s a free concert.  Roll out your sleeping bag and enjoy the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair, an Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music.

Concert Times (all times in SL time) 

Friday, August 13
3:30 - 9:15 PM 

Saturday, August 15
10:30 AM - 9:00 PM 

Sunday, August 16
10:30 AM - 9:15 PM

Here are the setlists for this weekend.  Bands and artists with an asterisk (*) in front of their name denote that we have their complete set.  No song is missing.

 

Anything marked in RED from here on is new this year.

Friday, August 13, 3:30-9:15 PM 

Richie Havens 
Hello
From the Prison
Get Together 
From the Prison (Reprise)
High Flying Bird 
I Can't Make It Anymore
With a Little Help From My Friends 
Handsome Johnny 
Strawberry Fields/Hey Jude
Freedom (Motherless Child) 

His Holiness Sri Swami Satchidananda 
Festival Blessing 

Sweetwater 
Motherless Child
Look Out
What’s Wrong
Two Worlds
Why Oh Why
Day Song

*Bert Sommer 
Jennifer
The Road to Travel
I Wonder Where You Be
She’s Gone
Things Are Going My Way
And When It's Over
Jeanette
America
A Note That Read
Smile 

*Tim Hardin 
(How Can We) Hang On to a Dream?

Once-Touched by Flame
If I Were a Carpenter
Reason to Believe
You Upset the Grace of Living When You Lie
Speak Like a Child
Snow White Lady

Blues on my Ceiling
Simple Song of Freedom 
Misty Roses

*Ravi Shankar 
Raga Puriya-Dhanashri/Gat In Sawarital
Tabla Solo in Jhaptal
Raga Majh Khamaj 

*Melanie 
Close to it All
Momma Momma
Beautiful People
Animal Crackers
Mr. Tambourine Man
Tuning My Guitar 
Birthday of the Sun 

*Arlo Guthrie 
Coming into Los Angeles
Wheel of Fortune
Walkin' Down the Line

The Story of Moses

Oh Mary Don’t You Weep
Every Hand in the Land

Amazing Grace

*Joan Baez
Oh Happy Day
The Last Thing On My Mind
I Shall Be Released
Story about how the Federal Marshalls came to take David Harris into custody
Joe Hill
Sweet Sir Galahad
Hickory Wind
Drug Store Truck Driving Man
I Live One Day at a Time
Take Me Back to the Sweet Sunny South
Let Me Wrap You in My Warm and Tender Love
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
We Shall Overcome

 
Saturday, August 14, 10:30 AM - 9:00 PM

Quill 
They Live the Life
That's How I Eat
Driftin’ 

Country Joe McDonald 
Janis
Donovan's Reef

Rockin’ Round the World
Flying High

I Seen a Rocket
The "Fish" Cheer/I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag 

*Santana 
Waiting
Evil Ways
You Just Don't Care
Savor
Jingo
Persuasion
Soul Sacrifice
Fried Neckbones and Some Home Fries 

*John B. Sebastian 
How Have You Been
Rainbows All Over Your Blues
I Had a Dream
Darlin' Be Home Soon
Younger Generation 

The Keef Harley Band 
Spanish Fly 
Halfbreed Medley: Sinning For You / Leaving Trunk / Just To Cry / Sinning For You

The Incredible String Band 
Invocation
The Letter
Gather Round
This Moment
When You Find Out Who You Are 

*Canned Heat 
I’m Her Man
Going Up the Country
Leaving This Town 
Too Many Drivers at the Wheel
I Know My Baby 
Woodstock Boogie
On the Road Again

Mountain 
Blood of the Sun
Stormy Monday
Long Red
Who Am I but You and the Sun (For Yasgur's Farm)
Beside the Sea
Theme for an Imaginary Western
Waiting to Take You Away
Dreams of Milk and Honey
Southbound Train 

*The Grateful Dead 
St. Stephen

Mama Tried
Dark Star
High Time
Turn on Your Love Light

*Creedence Clearwater Revival 
Born on the Bayou
Green River
Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)

Bootleg
Commotion
Bad Moon Rising
Proud Mary
I Put a Spell on You
Night Time Is the Right Time
Keep on Chooglin’
Susie Q 

*Janis Joplin 
Raise Your Hand
As Good As You've Been to This World
To Love Somebody
Summertime
Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)
Kozmic Blues
Can't Turn You Loose
Work Me, Lord
Piece of My Heart
Ball 'n' Chain 

*Sly & the Family Stone 
M'Lady
Sing a Simple Song
You Can Make It If You Try
Everyday People
Dance to The Music
Music Lover
I Want to Take You Higher
Love City
Stand! 

*The Who 
Heaven and Hell
I Can't Explain
It's a Boy
1921
Amazing Journey
Sparks
Eyesight to the Blind
Christmas
Acid Queen
Pinball Wizard w/ Abbie Hoffman incident
Do You Think It's Alright?
Fiddle About
There's a Doctor
Go to the Mirror
Smash the Mirror
I'm Free
Tommy's Holiday Camp
We're Not Gonna Take It
See Me, Feel Me
Summertime Blues
Shakin' All Over
My Generation


Sunday, August 15, 10:30 AM – 9:15 PM
 
The Jefferson Airplane was supposed to end things on Saturday as the last act of the night but things fell so horribly far behind that they didn't take the stage until the sun was up Sunday morning.  Many purists would say that they are a Saturday act and after their set, there was a several-hour break in the music.  I figured if they played in daylight on Sunday, I'll classify them as the first Sunday band.
 
*Jefferson Airplane 
The Other Side of This Life
Somebody to Love
3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds
Won't You Try/Saturday Afternoon
Eskimo Blue Day
Plastic Fantastic Lover
Wooden Ships
Uncle Sam Blues
Volunteers
The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil
Come Back Baby
White Rabbit
The House at Pooneil Corners

*Joe Cocker
Dear Landlord
Something Comin' On
Do I Still Figure in Your Life
Feelin' Alright
Just Like a Woman
Let's Go Get Stoned

I Don't Need a Doctor
I Shall Be Released
Hitchcock Railway
Something to Say
With a Little Help from My Friends

Country Joe and the Fish
Rock & Soul Music
(Thing Called) Love
Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine
Summer Dresses
Silver and Gold
Love Machine
Rock & Soul Music (Reprise)

Ten Years After
Help Me
I’m Going Home

*The Band
Chest Fever
Don’t Do It
Tears of Rage
We Can Talk
Long Black Veil
Don’t Ya Tell Henry
Ain’t No More Cane
This Wheel’s on Fire
I Shall Be Released
The Weight
Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever

*Johnny Winter
Mama, Talk to Your Daughter
Leland Mississippi Blues
Mean Town Blues
You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now / Mean Mistreater
Can't Stand It (with Edgar Winter)
Tobacco Road (with Edgar Winter)
Tell the Truth (with Edgar Winter)
Johnny B. Goode

*Blood, Sweat & Tears
More and More
Just One Smile
Something's Coming on
More Than You'll Ever Know
Spinning Wheel
Sometimes in Winter
Smiling Phases
God Bless the Child
And When I Die
You've Made Me So Very Happy

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Blackbird
Guinnevere
Marrakesh Express
4 + 20
Mr. Soul
Sea of Madness
Wooden Ships
Find the Cost of Freedom
49 Bye-Byes

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
No Amount of Loving
Driftin'
Morning Sunrise
Love March
Everything's Gonna Be Alright

*Sha-Na-Na
Get a Job
Come Go with Me
Silhouettes
Teen Angel
(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame
Wipe Out
Little Darlin'
At the Hop
Duke of Earl
Get a Job (reprise)

*Jimi Hendrix
Message to Love
Hear My Train A Comin'
Spanish Castle Magic
Red House
Lover Man
Foxy Lady
Jam Back at the House
Izabella
Fire
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)/Stepping Stone
The Star-Spangled Banner
Purple Haze
Woodstock Improvisation/Villanova Junction
Hey Joe

Notable Incidents You Will Hear This Weekend (All times are in SL time this weekend.) 

Arlo Guthrie’s Microphone (Friday, 7:42 PM)
Arlo Guthrie starts off his set with Coming Into Los Angeles but there is just one problem.  You cannot hear the vocals.  There was trouble with his microphone, and it wasn’t until about a minute into his first song that the engineers fixed the problem.  You can barely hear him singing, probably through the microphone set up to pick up his guitar.  Despite the problem, this song did make the movie and the first soundtrack album released in 1970.  The song was begun in the middle, after the solo, going into the refrain.  Thus, the flawed part was edited out and only the second half of the song is used.  We will hear it in its entirety, failure, and all.

 

The Army Arrives (Saturday, 10:46 AM)

Woodstock wasn’t officially a protest of the war in Vietnam, but that sentiment hung heavily in the air.  Who can forget Country Joe’s (see below) “I don't know how you expect to ever stop the war if you can't sing any better than that?”  When things started to fall apart Saturday morning with food shortages and medical needs, help came from a very strange source, the United States Army!  Realizing the great potential for a negative reaction from the crowd, John Morris took to the stage and tried to take some control over the situation.  In John’s own words upon seeing the green helicopters:

“You could see people start to look up … and all I said was, 'Ladies and gentlemen, the United States Army —' and you could feel it and you could hear it, the tension — 'Medical Corps.' And the crowd broke into a cheer that was just fantastic. And just about then you could see the red crosses on the side.”

He whipped up support for the Army and had the crowd cheering them.  “They are with us!  They are here to give us a hand and help us, and for that they deserve it.”

Country Joe McDonald Stalls for Time (Saturday, 10:49 AM)
Joe McDonald was the frontman for the band, Country Joe and the Fish.  After Quill finished their set, Santana was not ready to take the stage for theirs.  McDonald was reluctantly recruited to go on stage and do a few songs solo to placate the crowd.  He was not prepared to go on alone, so he used the excuse that he had no guitar.  One was located backstage, so he then used the excuse that he had no guitar strap.  A piece of rope was tied to the guitar, and he had run out of excuses.  Joe McDonald improvised a solo set and it included one of the most memorable moments of the weekend.  He got the crowd worked up.  “Give me an F…  Give me a U…  Give me a C… Give me a K…  What’s that spell? [FUCK] What’s that spell? [FUCK]…

Yeah, c’mon on all you big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He’s got himself in a terrible jam
way down yonder in Vietnam,
so put down your books and pick up a gun.
We’re gonna have a whole lot of fun.
And it’s 1, 2, 3, what’re we fighting for?
Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn;
next stop is Vietnam.

Partway through the song, he addresses the crowd. “Listen people, I don't know how you expect to ever stop the war if you can't sing any better than that. There's about 300,000 of you fuckers out there…"

Joe McDonald with a rope guitar strap, improvises and stalls for time

Bob Hite of Canned Heat has to Pee (Saturday, 1:13 PM)
Canned Heat took the stage and lead singer, Bob Hite, after the first song announced to the crowd, “…There is only one thing I wish, I sure gotta pee!”  It was a direct reference to the lack of adequate sanitary facilities at the concert.  It should also be noted that just before introducing them, Chip Monck, the emcee, remarked about how well they were holding up with the help of the US Army. 

The Grateful Dead are Delayed (Saturday, 4:55 PM)

The Grateful Dead were supposed to take the stage after Mountain.  Well, several things kept that from happening. First, the switching between bands was supposed to be facilitated by a turntable-type stage.  While one band was on stage (in front), they could be setting up the next one backstage.  The mechanism failed and they had to manually set up the Grateful Dead’s stage.  Furthermore, the stage had flooded due to rain, and this was causing all sorts of grounding issues and there were safety concerns. 

The Dead at Woodstock

The Grateful Dead End Early (Saturday, 4:56 PM)
The fear about the water and electrical systems may have been well-founded. As they ended a monster rendition (over 37 minutes long) of Turn on Your Love Light, a loud bang can be heard as they blew their stage amplifiers and had to end their set early. 

Abbie Hoffman Crashes the Stage on the Who (Saturday, 8:14 PM)
Abbie Hoffman was a notable 60’s activist and radical who was always controversial and often in trouble with the law.  Between Sly and the Family Stone and the Who, Hoffman had addressed the “politics of the situation” with an angry rant (Saturday, 7:54 PM) about the plight of John Sinclair, manager of Detroit rock band, the MC5.  Sinclair was serving a ten-year prison term in Michigan for possessing two joints of marijuana.  (I wrote about the MC5 and John Sinclair, the whole mess, here.)  After the Who was part of the way through their set and tuning their instruments after Pinball Wizard, Hoffman crashed the stage, taking the microphone from Roger Daltry.  He began another stoned rant about Sinclair saying, “I think this is a pile of shit while John Sinclair rots in prison.”  Pete Townsend then attacked Hoffman, hitting him over the head with his guitar.  Townsend can plainly be heard saying, “Fuck! Off my fucking stage!” The Who then went on to Do You Think It's Alright. 

Breakfast in Bed for 400,000 (Saturday, 12:10 AM)
Sunday morning, after Jefferson Airplane had finished their set, Hog Farm leader, Wavy Gravy (Hugh Romney), took to the stage and addressed the crowd.  “What we have in mind is breakfast in bed for 400,000.”

Max Yasgur Addresses the Crowd (Saturday, 12:14 AM)
When the original location for the festival fell through, weeks before the concert, Max Yasgur, a local dairy farmer, made his 600-acre farm available.  It was only fitting that he got his few minutes of fame and got to address the crowd.  An older-looking man, who looked very out of place, wearing black plastic-rimmed glasses, took the stage.  There was no less hip person in the place, yet he sang the praises of the concert attendees.  It was another wonderful Woodstock moment.  Joe Cocker took the stage after him and dedicated his first song to him. “And we’re going to do this um this little number to start off with, the title suggests that farming guy who just came out, did you see that nice little bloke…"

Max Yasgur

Yasgur would later be immortalized in Joni Mitchell’s classic song, made famous by CSNY, Woodstock.

I came upon a child of God,
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, "Where are you going?"
And this he told me...

I'm going on down to Yasgur's Farm,
I'm gonna join in a rock and roll band.
I'm gonna camp out on the land.
I'm gonna get my soul free.

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young are Scared Shitless (Sunday, 6:06 PM)
Although all four were seasoned concert performers with other bands, this was only the second time that CSNY had played in front of people and the crowd happened to be 400,000.  After finishing their opening number, Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Stephen Stills admits, “Thank you, we needed that.  This is the second time we've ever played in front of people, man. We're scared shitless."

Emcee, Chip Monck, Closes the Festival (Sunday, 9:08 PM)
Chip Monck was the voice of Woodstock.  His voice filled the void between sets with announcements, messages, directions, and warnings about the brown acid.  He worked relentlessly all three days.  The thing is that he was hired to build and operate the stage lighting for the event.  After he designed and built it, the location of the concert changed, and the stage was built to different specifications to accommodate the new space.  The new roof over the stage was not compatible with the lighting design Monck had worked ten weeks building.  There was no stage lighting at Woodstock.  Only follow spots, operated from those towers that ironically Monck kept warning people about all weekend long.

Michael Lang realized at the last minute that he never hired an emcee, but there was Chip Monck, a man he had already paid $7000 and who no longer had a function.  Thus, Woodstock became the only concert in history to have the lighting director supplying some of the most famous quotes.

 

What the Hell is the Hog Farm?

There are numerous references to the Hog Farm, such as when a small child was lost and stage manager, John Morris, instructs the child, wherever he may be, to go up the hill and find a hog farmer.  The “farmer” would reunite him with his mother, interestingly named “Sunshine.” (You can hear this incident Friday night during our set at about 8:25 PM SL time.)  So, who are these hog farmers?

Hog Farmers ride their psychedelic bus at Woodstock back in 1969

The Hog Farm was a west coast hippie commune that was recruited to help with running the festival.  It would obviously take a lot of people to work the event and that was where the Hog Farm came in.  They set up a lot of the grounds that were not part of the stage and ran a “Free Kitchen” to feed festival-goers.  They were also charged with the task of providing security, which hit them completely by surprise.  They decided on a friendly approach and dubbed themselves the “Please Force.”  Their approach to security was to ask people nicely, “Please don’t do that.”

The picture above shows some of the hog farmers arriving in their psychedelic school bus.  Looking at the front grill, it seems to be late a 1930s or early 1940s model.  Today it might be considered a valuable antique, but in 1969 it was just a 25-30-year-old clunker.  In many ways, the Hog Farm bus has become a Woodstock icon.

Their leader was a man named “Hugh Romney,” who is better known as “Wavy Gravy.”  His part in the concert, and his subsequent appearance in the Woodstock film, made him something of a hippie celebrity, so much so that Ben & Jerry even named an Ice Cream flavor after him.  He did not get his famous nickname until shortly after the Woodstock concert.  The moniker was given to him by the one and only B.B. King at a concert later that year.

DJ Sue's Folk Music Extravaganza & Beatnik Revue

Are you stuck in Dullsville looking for a groove?  Well, can the lip and focus your audio on this!  On Wednesday, August 4th, a Woman’s Touch (AWT) will make with like a crazy hootenanny as DJ Sue presents her Folk Music Extravaganza and Beatnik Revue.  So get on the horn and call that cool Daddy-O you know and fall into AWT on Wednesday (8/4) night and make the scene. The party will start promptly when Mickey says 7:00 pm and will go until he points to 9.  Feel free to smoke your clove cigarettes or whatever kick sticks or fags you might have.  After all, it’s Second Life so no one will be bothered and blow their jets.  DJ Sue will wail tunes from the early ’60s like you were back in a Greenwich Village coffee house.  If you’re feelin’ hairy, you might want to bring your bongos and play along!  DJ Sue’s Folk Music Extravaganza and Beatnik Review…  Be there or be square!

For you squares… Wednesday, August 4th, 2021, 7:00-9:00 pm.  Dig?

Has it Really Been Ten Years?

 Ten years ago today, I started a blog to discuss music and let people into my world.  It has now been 108 posts and 35,280 views later and it is still going strong.  My first post was a brief introductory post, explaining why I was starting the blog.  I found it interesting to read all of these years later.  Read it at the link below and see if it has succeeded in its purpose or has changed or evolved.

Welcome to My Blog!

It was followed about an hour and a half later with a post reporting the passing of Clarence Clemmons, saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

Clarence Clemons (1942-2011)

I did mark the passing of some greats like Chuck Berry and David Bowie; I marked various anniversaries; I introduced you to some not well-traveled paths through the music world.  I posted guides to various DJ events, like my guide to AWT's yearly Woodstock event.

There were many other things but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention "Sue's Sunday Sojpourns."  Every week through a good portion of 2017, I'd post about a certain band but include a lot about myself.  Each post would start with the same introductory paragraph and it did a good job at explaining them.  I reproduce it here:

"Each week I will showcase a particular artist or band during my entire two hour set.  Each week, prior to the set, there will be a blog post where I will write about my memories, favorite stories or share other interesting tidbits.  The idea here is not to tell the story of the band or play two hours of their greatest hits.  The idea behind Sue’s Sunday Sojourn will be to spend time with Sue, down in her music vault.  As she puts together the set, she will reminisce and share special memories.  “I remember when this came out,” or, “I recall hearing this for the first time and I thought…”  She might share little known facts, favorite memories, fun stories or maybe even some personal experiences. 

"The sets will have plenty of the big hits but be ready for a few obscure tunes that may be her personal favorites.  She will probably include a few rarities or possibly unreleased material, along with other sundry curios.  So join her every Sunday night from 7-9 as she lets you into her world."

Here are a few of my favorites: 

Led Zeppelin

The 13th Floor Elevators

Eric Burdon and the Animals

The one about the 13th Floor Elevators gave you an especially unprecedented look behind the scenes.

I have no intention of slowing down as I begin my second decade of not only sharing music with you but sharing my experiences and many other things I have picked up along the way.  I thank you all for your support.

Hopefully, we can all look back in June 2031.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

On 17 November 1961, The Tokens, a doo-wop group from Brooklyn, New York, released their song, The Lion Sleeps Tonight.  At that moment, the most remarkable thing about it was that their singer, Mitch Margo, was only 14 years old!  (He was 13 when he recorded the song.)  It soon hit #1 on the Billboard charts and stayed there for three weeks, forever securing their place in music history.

The song was an African song originally written in the Zulu language back in the 1920s.  The song had been popular throughout the ‘50s on the Folk circuits in America and the UK under the title, “Wimoweh.”  It had first hit the mass, English-speaking, audience nine years earlier when it was released by Pete Seeger and the Weavers.  What was new and innovative with the Tokens version in 1961 was the addition of English lyrics in addition to the Zulu ones.

“In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight…

“Near the village, the peaceful village, the lion sleeps tonight…

“Hush, my darling, don't fear, my darling, the lion sleeps tonight…”

As time marched on, the song’s popularity would only grow.  In 1972, Robert John would cover the song, complete with the English lyrics and it would climb to #3 on the charts.  (I will play all songs mentioned in this post on Tuesday night.)  There would be other chart-topping versions and the rights to the song would eventually be acquired by Disney and a version used in the Lion King.

Those English lyrics were written by songwriter, George David Weiss.  He was hired to do so by executives at RCA Victor for the Tokens upcoming release.  Weiss had written many songs that charted and was quite prolific.  He wrote the lyrics to Louie Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World.  His lyrics would forever change the title of Wimoweh to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

The song was originally written in the 1920s in the Zulu language by South African, Solomon Linda.  The song’s title was “Mbube,” which is Zulu for “Lion.”  It was in 1938 that he recorded the song with his then group, the Evening Birds.  The title, “Wimoweh,” was actually an English mangling of the lyrics.  The chorus, “Uyimbube,” sounded like “wim-o-weh” to the average English speaker.  The line translated means “you are the lion.”

Solomon Linda, or “Solly” to his friends, was quite the celebrity in Zulu culture in the 1930s.  He was known for his music and setting cultural trends and fashions.  He wrote songs about things he said and did in his life.  Mbube was inspired by memories of chasing lions away as a teen, protecting his father’s cattle.  The lyrics translate something like, “Lion! Ha! You’re the lion!”  So much legend would rise among the English-speaking public that soon it was believed to recount a lion hunt.  I’ve seen various versions of what the lyrics were reported to say including, “Hush, hush. If everyone’s quiet, we’ll have lion meat to eat tonight.”  Untrue!

Although Apartheid would be another ten years into the future, when Solly and the Evening Birds recorded Mbube, South Africa was a very racist and segregated society.  After recording it, Solomon Linda was paid ten shillings and the record company, Gallo Records, owned the recording, and all rights, including the copyright.  Linda saw nothing wrong with that in their world.  He was paid for an honest afternoon’s work.  Ironically, Linda would work for Gallo Records for the rest of his life doing a menial job in a record-packing plant.

In the 1950s, the song became famous world-wide as the folksong, Wimoweh.  Decca Records had been paying Pete Seeger writer royalties on the song, but when he learned of the true origins of the song, Seeger demanded that Decca stop paying him and instead they were to pay Linda in South Africa.  Seeger’s payments immediately stopped but payments to Solomon Linda never started.  Pete Seeger would not learn this truth for many years.

The song was quite famous in folk music circles and made a fair amount of money.  It would be taken to the next level in 1961 when the Tokens released their famous version.  Now the fame extended world-wide in the pop and rock & roll markets.  The record would go gold and the song began earning millions, none of it seen by Linda.  Solomon Linda would die the following year, penniless and destitute, and be buried in a pauper’s grave.

The song was an amazing hit.  It is said that when Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, first heard the Tokens’ version on the radio, that he had to pull his car off to the side of the road.  Songwriter Carol King, in a flabbergasted voice, simply called it a “Motherfucker!”

Many artists have covered the song, some under the title of “Wimoweh,” but most of them as the “Lion Sleeps Tonight.”  Since the Tokens released their song in 1961, I count at least 61 versions covering it and I’m probably missing some.  Here are some notable ones that you will hear Tuesday night.

In 1964, Glen Campbell released a beautiful instrumental rendition on his 12-string guitar.

In 1969, The New Kingston Trio released a live version.  They never recorded it in the studio, but it had been a staple of their live performances since the late ‘50s.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight would again go gold in 1972, with Robert John’s cover climbing to #3 on the charts.

In 1982, British Pop/Disco band, Tight Fit, would have a #1 hit in the UK with their cover.

In 1993, R.E.M. would cover the song and it would be released as a B-side single.

In 2001, Baha Men would sample the Tokens’ release on their song, You All Dat.

In 2010, Celtica Pipes Rock! Released their instrumental cover, complete with bagpipes.

Let the Lawsuits Begin…

In 1990, the copyright for the Lion Sleeps Tonight was about to expire and during its renewal process, all sorts of claims came out of the woodwork.  The Tokens claimed that they had provided enough to the song that they should share in the writing credits.  This claim was summarily dismissed.  The entire mess would wind up in arbitration in 1991, including the Estate of Solomon Linda, who had been dead for almost 30 years.

The matter was too complex to go into here, but the result was Solomon Linda would finally be credited as the song's writer and George Weiss would be credited for the English lyrics.  Eventually, Linda's surviving daughters would receive royalty payments amounting to around $12,000, for a song that had made millions.  A bit confused as to why they were being given money, they happily accepted the cash, not knowing they had been owed anything.

In 1994, the song was used in Disney’s animated motion picture, the Lion King.  Disney acquired the rights to the song to assure its position legally.  When the song was originally recorded in South Africa, that country had not signed the International Conventions of Copyright.  Therefore, the South African copyright held no legal weight in the United States.  Disney now owned the song.

This was the beginning of a new monetary windfall for the Lion Sleeps Tonight.  The true story about the origins of the song would start to surface along with its new popularity.  Pete Seeger would write a passionate letter to the United Nations, urging them to take up the cause of international copyright.  In 2000, the BBC released a documentary, A Lion’s Trail, which brought the injustices of this song to public light.

In 2004, the Estate of Solomon Linda filed a case in the United States against Disney.  In a court of law, Disney held the upper hand.  However, the court of “public image” was another story. Disney, not wanting their name sullied, settled with his estate.  The earnings for the song are now placed in a trust for the heirs of Solomon Linda.

Join us this Tuesday at a Woman’s Touch, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, as we celebrate what is undoubtedly the most famous song to ever come out of Africa. 

Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds, the late 1930s, about the time they recorded Mbube, Linda on the far left. 

Hey Joe

Patty Hearst in front of SLA flag, 1974

“Honey, the way you play guitar makes me feel so… makes me feel so masochistic.  The way you go down low deep into the neck, and I would do anything…  and I would do anything.  And Patty Hearst, you standing there in front of the Symbionese Liberation Army flag with your legs spread.  I was wondering; were you gettin' it every night from a black revolutionary man and his women or were you really dead?  And now that you're on the run what goes on in your mind?

“Your sisters, they sit by the window and all your mama does is sit and cry.  And your daddy, well you know what your daddy said Patty…  you know what your daddy said Patty?  He said…  he said…  he said, “Well, sixty days ago she was such a lovely child.  Now here she is with a gun in her hand.”

Introduction to Patti Smith’s version of Hey Joe, 1974

 

Last fall, I did a special, two-hour set of just Patti Smith.  I recall sharing with everyone that I started with a play list that was over two hours long and needed to make some tough decisions in weeding out some songs to get it down to the allotted time.  One of the songs I cut was her version of Hey Joe, complete with the introduction I’ve reproduced above.

Today, I find myself in a similar situation.  I typed “Hey Joe” into the search field of my music database, expecting to find a handful of entries.  I was shocked when they filled the page!  So, I created a playlist of Hey Joe, without duplicates or live versions, like Hendrix’s Woodstock performance, and found that even then, I still had an hour and seventeen minutes of Hey Joe.

What this hour and seventeen minutes list soon showed me is that these are not just copies of an original and most are unique and interesting in some way, like the Smith version.  Once again, I’m going to face some hard choices, but the Patti Smith version will not be cut again.  I’ll revisit the Patti Smith version later in this post.

This post is the result of a discussion at AWT about the origins of this song and its interesting history.  What followed was not only the idea for this post but for it to be the first in a series.  Each would feature a song with a rather interesting history.

So, what is the origin of the song, Hey Joe?

The first recording was in 1962 by folk singer, Billy Roberts.  Roberts also copyrighted the song, listing himself as the composer.  With most any song, that is where it would end, and I would not be writing this post.

Billy Roberts

In 1963, Dino Valenti copyrighted Hey Joe in Los Angeles, listing himself as the composer.  Valenti is most famous for composing the much covered Let’s Get Together (often covered as “Get Together”) for the Kingston Trio in 1963 (eventually released in 1964).  Roberts and Valenti were actually friends and there is a story circulating that he gave the rights to Valenti since he was in jail at the time and he thought the income would be useful when he was released.  Valenti was serving a one-to-ten-year sentence at Folsom State Prison for possession of marijuana.  Upon his release, he became a member of the Quicksilver Messenger Service, singing and writing some of the biggest hits, including Fresh Air.

Eventually, despite the copyright dispute, all the writing credits were eventually changed to show Billy Roberts as the composer, but did he write it?  It doesn’t end there and gets even more complicated.  When Folk legend, Pete Seeger heard Roberts’ recording and learned of the copyright, he became infuriated.  He had heard a demo tape by Niela Miller, which he felt was close enough to Hey Joe to infringe on her copyright, filed earlier the same year as Roberts did.  Miller’s song, Baby, Please Don’t Go to Town, existed only as a demo and was likely heard by Roberts, who was dating Miller at the time.  Miller never pushed the issue despite Seeger even offering to testify on her behalf.  The demo was never released until 2009 and I’ll play it Tuesday night so you can decide if Roberts ripped it off.

So, could it get more complex?  Of course, it can.  Scottish folk singer, Len Partridge, claims he and Roberts would perform the song together as early as 1956 while playing the clubs in Edinburgh, Scotland.  He even claims that they both wrote Hey Joe.  If the song existed back in 1956, maybe that is why Miller never pursued the issue.  Who ripped off whom?

Other songs have been suggested as the “inspiration” for Hey Joe.  These include the traditional southern folk song, Little Sadie.  Country music artist, Carl Smith, came out with his own song, Hey Joe!, in 1953.  Both share some elements with Roberts’ song and probably did inspire him to some degree.

Regardless of what happened or which bits are true, there is no doubt that since 1962, Hey Joe has been evolving and taking on a life of its own.  The first band to release a rock version of it was the Leaves in 1966.  I have versions by twenty different artists in my music library and that is probably not even close to an exhaustive list.  The song has invited each artist to make it their own with variations on the music and lyrics.

Also, in 1966, Tim Rose released a version of Hey Joe that has no writing credit and attributes it to a “traditional” folk tune, meaning one that has its beginnings lost somewhere back in time.  He claimed to have heard it as a child in Florida.

In 1967, on his debut album, Jimi Hendrix released what is probably the most famous cover of the tune.  It is interesting that so many people just assume Hendrix wrote it.

In 1968, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, released a parody of Hey Joe called “Flower Punk,” on their album, We’re Only in It for the Money.

Also, in 1968, Deep Purple released a cover of Hey Joe on their debut album, Shades of Deep Purple. This was a very unique one as it started with an over two-minute organ intro that sounded like it was from a spaghetti western.  The entire song is over 7 minutes long and I will use it to end my set on Tuesday.

Back to the Patti Smith version…

On 4 February 1974, 19-year-old Patty Hearst, granddaughter of newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst was kidnapped, and the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) claimed responsibility.  The news followed the story as the Hearst family cooperated with the SLA in hopes they would release Patty unharmed.  After several tapes by Patty were released to her family, it became clear that she had become indoctrinated and now embraced the SLA cause.  It was soon after, that the picture of Hearst at the top of this post, standing in front of the SLA flag, surfaced.  We started to hear about something called the “Stockholm Syndrome,” where captives become sympathetic to their captors.

A couple months later, in June 1974, Patty Smith recorded her very first single, Hey Joe, with the intro quoted above.  It was released the following November.  The quote that Smith attributes to Hearst’s father is fairly accurate to what he said after he saw that picture of his daughter.

Here is a list of the versions I have in my music library, in as best a chronological order as I can get.  The ones in bold will be part of my set on Tuesday. (Listing only one version by each artist though there might be several.)

Billy Roberts, (demo recording), 1962

The Leaves, (single), November 1965

Tim Rose, (single), 1966

The Surfaris, (single), 1966

Love, Love, March 1966

The Standells, Dirty Water, May 1966

The Byrds, Fifth Dimension, July 1966

The Tangents, (single), 1966

The Litter, Distortions, 1 May 1967

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced, 12 May 1967

The Creation, We Are Paintermen, June 1967

Cher, With Love, Cher, November 1967

Deep Purple, Shades of Deep Purple, July 1968

The Music Machine, (single), 1968

Wilson Pickett, Right On, 1970

Fever Tree, (single), 1970

Patti Smith, (single), November 1974

Body Count, Born Dead, September 1994

Popa Chubby, Flashed Back, 2001

Charlotte Gainsbourg, (single), April 2014

I’ll play any of the others by request at Tuesday’s set or any other set (where appropriate).  So, load up your blue steel .44 and head on down to AWT This Tuesday night (April 6), from 7-9 pm as we salute Hey Joe.

Hail and Farewell 2020

 

Clockwise from upper-left: Charlie Daniels, Bill Withers, Charley Pride,
Johnny Nash, Spencer Davis, Leslie West, Trini Lopez, Little Richard,
Center: Helen Reddy

[Note: Added Kenny Rogers on 3 January 2021.  He is in the correct place on the list, March 20.]

Once again, I find myself preparing one of these, like I have in past years, to remember those we lost.  We lost 37 in 2019, which isn’t bad.  In past years, I have done between 35 and 45 memorials on the Hail and Farewell list each year.  This year there is a shocking 79!  Why is this?  I can answer that in one word…

COVID-19.

In past years, I have done this as a single DJ show, playing one song by each artist as we wish them a final “Hail and Farewell.”  Occasionally, when the list has been larger, I have had to borrow an hour from the slot before me.  As I prepared this year’s list, I realized that it was going to well exceed four hours!  I made some decisions and did not include a few of the more obscure entries like I normally would.  I have managed to keep the combined set list to four hours and fifteen minutes.  I will present “Hail and Farewell” this year over two shows, each to go a few minutes over the two-hour norm.  The programming notes are at the bottom of the post.

In deciding who to include, I’ve followed the same formula as the past few years.  Again, these are the ones that I know about and I may very well have missed someone.  The second factor is that I must know about them musically.  I either know the person, their song(s) or their band.  They are not listed here unless I am familiar with at least one of those three things.  At the end of the day, I kind of hate to say this, but I stick to the ones that I have music for in my library.  After I had compiled the list this year, I cut out a few of the more obscure ones to make it manageable.

Here are a few notables on the list (the complete list follows)…

We lost two from the Left Banke this year.  On January 14^th, we lost Steve Martin Caro, who was their lead singer.  He was only 16 when he first joined the band and only 17 when they scored their first hit with Walk Away Renee.  He was originally from Madrid Spain and born “Carmelo Esteban Martin Caro.”  He used “Steve Martin” as a stage name until the comedian of the same name came on scene in the 1970s.  He then went by “Steve Martin Caro.”  We also lost his bandmate, Tom Finn, on June 27^th.  Finn would go on to become a club DJ in the ‘70s, including at the famous Studio 54.  The Left Banke’s sound was so unique, that the industry created a new genre just for them, “Baroque Rock.”  I wrote a blog post on the Left Bank back in 2011 and can be found here.

On February 7^th, we lost Steve Weber of the Fugs.  The Fugs were another band that the industry was forced to create a genre for, “Avant Rock,” because they didn’t fit into any existing classification.  They were definitely an underground band and the Doors were once quoted as describing the Fugs as the "most vulgar thing the human mind could possibly conceive.”  Weber was 76 years old.

On March 20th, we lost Kenny Rogers.  [Added Jan. 3 after missing him in the original post.]  He had his first hit with the psychedelic band, the First Edition, in 1968, "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In).”  It reached No. 5 on the charts.  He went on to an amazing solo career having both country and pop hits.  His list of awards is huge and includes three Grammys.  Rogers was 81.

We lost Julie Felix on March 22^nd.   She was an American born to a Native American mother and a Mexican father.  It was in the UK that she made a name for herself and was the first solo folk performer to land a major UK record deal when she signed with Decca Records.  While she recorded several albums, she was probably best known from European television and, in 1965, was the first folk performer to sell-out the Royal Albert Hall.  The Times hailed her as “Britain's First Lady of Folk.”  All of this and she remained unknown in her native United States.

Alan Merrill passed on March 29^th from COVID-19.  He was a singer and guitarist for a British band, the Arrows.  The Arrows were far more popular in the UK than in the States and even had their own TV show.  He was relatively obscure except for one thing.  He wrote, sang, and recorded a song with the Arrows in 1975, I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll, which became a rock anthem for Joan Jett eight years later.

The next day, March 30^th, we lost Bill Withers.  He had a big, number 1 hit with Lean on Me in 1972.  He passed as the pandemic was picking up speed rapidly and we began to hear his song.  The lyrics tell us that we all need to lean on someone and if we work together, we can get through anything.  The message couldn’t have been timelier, so much so that a group got together, including Bryan Adams, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Geddy Lee, Justin Beiber, Avril Lavigne and many more, to record a new version of the song to raise money to fight the pandemic.  Bill Withers parted this world leaving us a timely and much-needed message of hope.  We could get through this if we worked together. He was 81 years old.

I debated about including Terry Doran, but he was just such a big name on the British music scene in the 1960s, despite never writing a song, playing an instrument, or recording a record.  He was a luxury car dealer in London and owned Brydor Cars with Brian Epstein, manager for the Beatles.  They sold exotic sportscars to all the British rock stars.  In the Beatles song, She’s Leaving Home, there is a line, “Waiting to keep the appointment she made; greeting a man from the motor-trade,” which supposedly refers to Doran.  He became a close confidant of each of the four Beatles and eventually became an executive for Apple Corp. and Apple Records.  It was there he got to manage many musical acts of the day, including Mary Hopkins and Grapefruit.  He was 80 years old when he succumbed to COVID-19 on April 18^th.

What can I say about Little Richard that hasn’t already been said?  Born, “Richard Wayne Penniman” in 1932, he joined his first band in 1950, Buster Brown's Orchestra, at the age of 17, already a seasoned performer.  Little Richard would boast throughout his life that he invented “Rock and Roll,” like he did it singlehandedly.  Though maybe he does deserve some credit as he was undoubtedly one of the earliest pioneers and did more than his share of shaping the genre.  In 2013, he performed his last performance 66 years after his first, complete with his signature pencil mustache, pompadour, and eyeliner.  God bless Little Richard; he was 87 years old.

Peter Green, the founder of Fleetwood Mac, left this earth on July 25^th.  Fleetwood Mac started out, not as a rock band, but as a blues band.  Green formed the band in 1967 with former fellow Bluesbreaker drummer, Mick Fleetwood.  They wanted badly to get John McVie (nicknamed “Mac”), bassist for the Bluesbreakers to join them.  Green named his new band after his drummer and hopefully soon to be bassist, in hopes it would persuade Mac to join.  He did, but not until after Fleetwood Mac had recorded its first album.  Green also wrote a song for Fleetwood Mac that would later become a big hit for Santana, Black Magic Woman.  Peter Green was 73.

We lost Johnny Nash on October 6^th, just a few weeks before the announcement of a COVID vaccine.  He had a number 1 hit with I Can See Clearly Now, in 1972, the same year Bill Wither (mentioned earlier) had his.  While Withers’ song told us we could get through by helping one another, Nash’s song was one of hope being just ahead, and it was.  “Here is that rainbow I've been praying for, it’s gonna be a bright (bright), Bright (bright) sunshiny day…  Look straight ahead, there's nothing but blue skies…”  His song implored us to just hang on a little longer and we did.  Nine weeks later, shots were going in arms and it is gonna be a bright sunshiny day.  Johnny Nash was 80 years old.

On October 19^th we lost the Professor, Spencer Davis, at age 81.  He was the frontman for the Spencer Davis Group and later became an executive for A&R Records, having a long career in the music industry.  He earned his moniker, the “Professor,” because of his love of languages.  Besides his native English, he was fluent in German, Spanish, and French.

Charley Pride passed away on December 12^th from COVID-19.  He began as a professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues but left in the late ‘50s to pursue a music career.  He broke the color barrier in Country Music, a near-impossible feat at the time.  When he was done, he had 52 Top Ten hits on the Billboard Country Charts, became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  Charley was 86.

With less than 48 hours left in 2020, the Reaper struck again, claiming Alto Reed at age 72, on December 30^th.  He was a saxophone player, playing for many great names like Foghat, Grand Funk Railroad, Little Feat, Dave Mason, Spencer Davis (mentioned above), the Ventures, George Thorogood and Bob Seger, to just name a few.  Probably, his most famous saxophone piece is the solo in Old Time Rock and Roll for Bob Seger.  His stage name, “Alto Reed,” is obviously the combination of “Alto,” a kind of saxophone, and “Reed” the part of a sax that produces the sound.  His real name was, “Thomas Neal Cartmell.”

Here is the complete list of those we lost in 2020…

Marty Grebb, (died Jan. 1) keyboardist for the Buckinghams (1945-2020)

Neil Peart, (died Jan. 7) drummer for Rush (1952-2020)

Steve Martin Caro, (died Jan. 14) lead singer for the Left Banke (1948-2020)

Chris Darrow, (died Jan. 15) multi-instrumentalist for Kaleidoscope and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1944-2020)

Robert Parker, (died Jan. 19) singer/songwriter (1930-2020)

Bob Shane, (died Jan. 26) vocals, guitar and banjo for the Kingston Trio (1934-2020)

Steve Weber, (died Feb. 7) guitar and Vocals for the Fugs (1943-2020)

Paul English, (died Feb. 11) drummer for Willie Nelson (1932-2020)

Barbara Martin, (died Mar. 4) singer with the Supremes (1943-2020)

Phil Phillips, (died Mar. 14) singer/songwriter (1926-2020)

Kenny Rogers, (died Mar. 20) singer/songwriter  (1938-2020)

Julie Felix, (died Mar. 22) singer/songwriter (1938-2020)

Eric Weissberg, (died Mar. 22) singer/banjo player (1939-2020)

Neil Landon, (died Mar. 26) singer/songwriter/guitarist for Fat Mattress (1941-2020)

Alan Merrill, (died Mar. 29) singer/songwriter for the Arrows and Runner (1951-2020) COVID-19

Bill Withers, (died Mar. 30) singer/songwriter (1938-2020)

Adam Schlesinger, (died Apr. 1) singer/songwriter for Fountains of Wayne (1967-2020) COVID-19

Steve Farmer, (died Apr. 7) singer and guitarist for the Amboy Dukes (1948-2020)

John Prine, (died Apr. 7) singer/songwriter (1946-2020) COVID-19

Carl Dobkins Jr., (died Apr. 8) singer/songwriter (1941-2020)

Tim Brooke-Taylor OBE, (died Apr. 12) comedian/singer with the Goodies (1940-2020) COVID-19

Kenny Young, (died Apr. 14) songwriter (1941-2020)

Matthew Seligman, (died Apr. 17) bassist for numerous acts including the Thompson Twins and Thomas Dolby (1955-2020) COVID-19

Terry Doran, (died Apr.18) Manager/Publisher Mary Hopkins and Grapefruit (1939-2020) COVID-19

Ian Whitcomb, (died Apr. 19) singer/songwriter (1941-2020)

Derek Jones, (died Apr. 21) guitarist for Falling in Reverse (1984-2020)

Florian Schneider, (died Apr. 21) songwriter, multiple instruments for Kraftwerk (1947-2020)

Young Jessie, (died Apr. 27) singer/songwriter (1936-2020)

Bobby Lewis, (died Apr. 28) singer (1925-2020)

Cady Groves, (died May 2) singer/songwriter (1989-2020)

Dave Greenfield, (died May 3) keyboardist with the Stranglers (1949-2020) COVID-19

Alfred "Uganda" Roberts, (died May 5) percussionist for Professor Longhair (1943-2020)

Millie Small, (died May 5) singer/songwriter (1947-2020)

Little Richard, (died May 9) singer/songwriter (1932-2020)

Betty Wright, (died May 10) singer/songwriter (1953-2020)

Moon Martin, (died May 11) singer, songwriter and guitarist (1945-2020)

Phil May, (died May 15) lead singer for the Pretty Things (1944-2020)

Lucky Peterson, (died May 17) guitarist, keyboardist and singer (1964-2020)

Bucky Baxter, (died May 25) steel guitarist and singer with Steve Earle (1955-2020)

Steve Priest, (died Jun. 4) bassist for Sweet (1948-2020)

Bonnie Pointer, (died Jun. 8) singer for the Pointer Sisters and solo (1950-2020)

Pete Carr, (died Jun.27) studio guitarist (1950-2020)

Tom Finn, (died Jun. 27) singer and guitarist for the Left Banke (1948-2020)

Benny Mardones, (died Jun. 29) singer/songwriter (1946-2020)

Max Crook, (died Jul. 1) keyboardist for Del Shannon (1936-2020)

Charlie Daniels, (died Jul. 6) singer/songwriter (1936-2020)

Judy Dyble, (Died Jul. 12) lead singer for the Fairport Convention (1949-2020)

Jamie Oldaker, (died Jul. 16) drummer for Eric Clapton (1951-2020)

Emitt Rhodes, (died Jul. 19) singer/songwriter for the Merry-Go-Round (1950-2020)

Peter Green, (Jul. 25) singer, songwriter and guitarist for Fleetwood Mac (1946-2020)

Wayne Fontana, (died Aug. 6) frontman for Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders (1945-2020)

Trini Lopez, (died Aug. 11) singer/guitarist (1937-2020) COVID-19

Pete Way, (died Aug. 14) bassist for UFO (1951-2020)

Frankie Banali, (died Aug. 20) drummer for Quiet Riot (1951-2020)

Ronald Bell, (died Sep. 9) saxophonist for Kool & the Gang (1951-2020)

Edna Wright, (died Sep. 12) lead singer for Honey Cone (1945-2020)

Lee Kerslake, (died Sep. 19) drummer for Uriah Heep (1947-2020)

Tommy DeVito, (died Sep. 21) guitarist and vocalist for the Four Seasons (1928-2020) COVID-19

Roy Head, (died Sep. 21) singer/songwriter (1941-2020)

Jimmy Winston (died Sep. 26) keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist for the Small Faces (1945-2020)

Mac Davis, (died Sep. 29) singer/songwriter (1942-2020)

Rocco Prestia, (died Sep. 29) bassist for Tower of Power (1951-2020)

Helen Reddy, (died Sep. 29) singer/songwriter (1941-2020)

Johnny Nash, (died Oct. 6) singer/songwriter (1940-2020)

Brian Locking, (died Oct.8) bassist for the Shadows (1938-2020)

Gordon Haskell, (died Oct. 15) bassist for the Fleur de Lys and King Crimson (1946-2020)

Spencer Davis, (died Oct. 19) Singer and guitarist (1939-2020)

Tony Lewis, (died Oct. 19) lead singer and bassist for the Outfield (1957-2020)

Billy Joe Shaver, (died Oct. 28) singer/songwriter (1939-2020)

Ken Hensley, (died Nov. 4) singer/songwriter with Uriah Heep (1945-2020)

Len Barry, (died Nov. 5) singer/songwriter (1942-2020)

Jim Tucker, (died Nov. 12) guitarist for the Turtles (1946-2020)

Tony Hooper, (died Nov. 18) singer, songwriter and guitarist for the Strawbs (1939-2020)

Charley Pride, (died Dec. 12) singer and guitarist (1934-2020) COVID-19

Pelle Alsing, (died Dec. 19) drummer for Roxette (1960-2020)

Chad Stuart, (died Dec. 20) half of Chad & Jeremy (1941-2020)

Leslie West. (died Dec. 22) singer, songwriter and guitarist for Mountain (1945-2020)

Phyllis McGuire, (died Dec. 29) singer with the McGuire Sisters (1931-2020)

Alto Reed, (died Dec. 30) saxophone player for Bob Seger and many others (1948-2020)

Please join me on Sunday, January 3^rd, from 7:00 to 9:10 PM as we pay tribute to those lost from January through May 2020.

There will be a second show on Wednesday, January 6^th, from 7:00 to 9:10 PM, as we pay tribute to those lost from June through December 2020.

Please note: there is an extra ten minutes each night.

Join us both nights at a Woman’s Touch as we pay a final tribute to those we lost in 2020, and wish them a fond, Hail and Farewell.

"If there's a rock and roll heaven, well you know they've got a hell of a band."

                                                                                       The Righteous Brothers, 1973

Chad Stuart (left) of Chad & Jeremy passed away December 19th