JULY MUSIC NEWS
Legendary Motown songwriter and record producer Sylvia Moy’s Masterpiece Sound Studios (Masterpiece) is launching a Cover Song Contest in partnership with Sony Music Publishing (SMP). It’s a competition open to any amateur individual or independent singer, musician, singing group, or band, from any of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico...read more
Jimi Jamison's previously unreleased 1990 album Rock Hard will finally be issued through the Iconoclassic Records label in a deluxe, expanded CD edition on 8/12/22.
Jamison entered the studio for Rock Hard with producer Jim Gaines (Santana, Journey, Stevie Ray Vaughan) and songwriter Kenny Mims (Kenny Rogers, Paul Davis, Mac Davis) joined by a host of musicians such as guitarists John Roth and Hal McCormack, bassist David Cochran, drummer Scott Trammell with Randy Cantor and Tony Thomas on keyboards recording the 10-song album in 1989. It was ready for release when the decision was made to take Jamison's solo career in a different direction. The Hard Rock Café in Memphis will place the bronze bust of Jamison on permanent display in their main lobby during the August 21, 2022 celebration of the new release that will feature musical performances from Grammy Award winner Jim Peterik (Ides of March, Survivor, etc.) and John Cafferty (of the Beaver Brown Band).
Ritchie Blackmore spoke with Jungleroom.com about recruiting Jimi Jamison to sing for Deep Purple in 1989--"I had seen Jimi in Survivor and was very impressed. I remember going down to Tennessee to meet him and I really liked him as a person. He then came up to try out with Deep Purple. We did 1 song, I think it was "Going Down" and he was so good I immediately stopped playing and just said "Youre in!" He said "Dont you want to do more songs?" I said "No, You are so damn good, I know that you are perfect for the job." We went out and celebrated at a restaurant. I was full of ideas due to his melodic soulful voice and he could improvise much better than a lot of singers I knew so he had every aspect I was looking for in a singer. Very, very nice guy. Very humble. Unfortunately, 2 weeks later, we were told he couldn't join the band. We never found out why. I think it had something to do with the management. I was surprised and saddened by what happened and it was a mystery to me what had gone down. It was a bad moment for me. I rated him as one of the top singers in the country. "
Memphis musician Robert Johnson (Isaac Hayes, John Entwistle's band Ox, the Staple Singers, etc.) received a huge thank-you from Greg Gutfeld on his show "The Five"...
Memphis native Beau Davidson joined the cast of "Messiah the Musical" in the role of Yeshua (Jesus) for three performances at Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University in DC...
Young guitarist Chandler Smithers (known as the "Flamingo Kid") is all the talk of Memphis musical circles. Check out his band Memphis Mojo that includes Nate Matlock, Graham Whitworth and George Smithers...
17-time GRAMMY Award winning musician Sting has extended his critically-acclaimed Las Vegas residency, "My Songs," at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace with six new dates in April 2023...read more
Masterclass announces Mariah Carey to teach the voice as an instrument--opens the door to the butterfly lounge, letting cameras into her creative and music making process ... read more
Wendy Moten and her hand picked group of stellar Memphis musicians (Carlos Sargent, Gary Goin, Kurt Clayton, Candace A. Gray, Katrina Anderson, Shunta Mosby and Doc Samba) charged through both of her amazing sold out shows at the Hallorean Center...
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) today announces the launch of the Nile Rodgers "Hitmaker" Stratocaster® guitar, a collaboration with the three-time Grammy® winner, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a living legend of modern music... read more
Luther Dickinson (from the North Mississippi All-Stars) gives a shout-out to young guitarist Will Bart (of Johnny in the Basement) in this month's Guitar Player magazine. Johnny in the Basement recorded "I'll Have What He's Having" with Dickinson at Zebra Ranch Studios...
Rest in peace Howard Grimes. Grimes played on all the great Wille Mitchell produced for Ann Peebles, Al Green and others. Quite a unique sound he had...
Roger Daltrey visited The Royal Mint (the original maker of UK coins) to strike one of the very first collectable coins celebrating his iconic British band... read more
Rest in peace Memphis singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Parker Card. Card was also well-known and respected for his work as Cyber Security Advisor with Federal Express...
Johnny Lydon (the Sex Pistols, PIL, etc.) shopped for "Elvis attire" at Lansky's in the Peabody Hotel during his recent Memphis visit. Lydon told jungleroom.com that he was "bitterly disapointed about not working with Michelle Williams" after the cancelation of Andrew Llyod Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" arena tour...
Valerie June is conquering the world and Bob Dylan notices...
Remember the Atlanta-based band Starbuck and their 1976 hits "Moonlight Feels Right" and "Lucky Man"? Bruce Blackmon's new book is titled "The Road to Moonlight Feels Right." Blackmon explains "it's a backstage look at our first concert with ELO and the events that led to it." It's a fantastic read--order it from bruceblackmon.com.
Barnes Crossing Mall customers and staff were shocked when Alice Cooper made a suprise afternoon shopping visit to JC Penny before his concert at the Bankcorp South Arena in Tupelo. Opening act Ace Frehley left town with a new pair of "Elvis" socks thrown onstage from a fan...
The Otis Redding Foundation is excited to announce the planned 9,000 square foot Otis Redding Center for the Arts and Amphitheater located in Macon, Georgia, a place that is famous for its musical talent and heritage. It is envisioned as a central destination for youth educational programs in music and the arts. "Educating children through music was a dream of my husband's," said Zelma Redding. "He would have been proud of the Foundation's programs that emphasize creativity and inspiration."
Peter Frampton was amazing in concert and gracious offstage at the Orpheum theater in Memphis...
Andy Black and David Beaver have released Can You Feel It?, their new album utilizing the finest musicians in Memphis. The unmatched skills of Joel Williams, Josh Haynes, Greg Reading, Evan Leake, Jimmy Tarbutton, Gene Ninez and Jaime Roberts are featured...read more
Claudia Lennear ("20 Feet from Stardom", Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, Stephen Stills and David Bowie, etc.) was interviewed about George Harrison's "Concerts for Bangladesh" for Donna Walker's "Pacifica Performance Showcase" on KPFK-90.1 FM. Also, good friend, musician, and record producer Don Nix shared the hour!...
What an amazing party courtesy of Deborah Cox at the Hallorean center after her performance in "The Bodyguard" musical. She has the most alluring, smooth and very Canadian voice and it was heartwarming to share a few stories about David Gest (her one-time fiancee) and Danny Capes (former agent for Peabo Bryson).
Don McLean ('American Pie', etc.) made a rare Memphis appearance at the Graceland Soundstage. Before the concert, McLean told Jungleroom.com that "I will be at Graceland for a Fathers Day concert and I will sing 'And I Love You So,' a song I wrote which Elvis sang during the last year of his life. It also appears on his album, Today, released in 1975." McLean recently joined Van Morrison, Roger Daltrey, Paul Stanley, Ed Sheeran and others for a private concert and live auction to raise funds for Teen Cancer America (TCA) and UCLA Health's Autism program...read more>
World-class guitarist Pat Thrall (Beyonce, Meat Loaf, Chaka Khan, Asia, Pat Travers, etc.) reminisces with Jungleroom.com about working on Tina Turner's song "The Best" for producer Dan Hartman in 1989...read more
Dennis Quaid set in with Dale Watson and Robert Johnson (from John Entwistle's band Ox, the Staple Singers, etc.) to play a couple of Jerry Lee Lewis songs at Hernando's Hideaway...
Aerosmith guitarist and songwriter Joe Perry has contributed five songs to the Brad Furman-directed 'City of Lies' film...read more
Blues music aficionados Linda Arcello Earl and her husband Roger Earl (the drummer/founding member of Foghat) enjoyed some great Memphis music at Earenstine and Hazel's...
The Rock Trenches- Journal of a Music Industry Executive is the memoir of a Memphis-born music promoter Phillip Rauls, who worked with some of the top rock 'n' roll recording artists of the 1960's thru 1990's. Artists that Phillip worked with and photographed during this period includes Robert Palmer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, YES, the Eagles, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Led Zeppelin...read more
Freda Payne (remember her song "Band of Gold"?) was a part of the concert celebrating the launching of the David Gest foundation in London. Ms.Payne told Jungleroom.com: "I remember the times I spent at David's home overlooking the Mississippi in Memphis ...David and I had many good times as I was his best friend." Recently, producer Rodrigo Rios had the idea for Freda to cover "They Can't Take That Away From Me" and to sing it as a duet with Johnny Mathis. 0nce Mathis accepted, Rios turned to Grammy-winner Gordon Goodwin to pen the arrangement and bring in his Big Phat Band to accompany them.
Not only has Italy given the world neapolitan pizza and the realist painting of Caravaggio, but the advent of the discotheque allowed Italian hipster Giorgio Moroder to share the voice of Donna Summer with the musical universe. The subtle tape drag effect that opens "Dim All The Lights" is the best introduction of a pop song in the history of recorded music and Summer's sixteen second vocal segue is wonderful. Moroder perfectly mixed Paul Jackson Jr.'s flanged guitar tone underneath creating the biggest opening hook captured on tape in 1979. Paul Jackson Jr explains to jungleroom.com that "it was a Les Paul, a Rivera modified Fender Deluxe amp, and an ADA flanger" that he used to created the timbre for the guitar part that he composed himself, adding that "Donna was there, which made it more fun. There was a really good chord chart, and I made up the guitar part based on the song."
Friends from the recording industry and music business gathered at newly re-christened Power Station at Berklee NYC, where Berklee presented its American Master Award to Tony Bongiovi, founder of the original Power Station Studios. He was recognized for his lifetime of work in the industry as a record producer and studio engineer, and for his groundbreaking studio design. Grammy-winning musician Nile Rodgers, comedian Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling, and bassist with the house band on the Late Show with David Letterman Will Lee spoke in Bongiovi's honor...read more
Brian May spoke to Jungleroom.com about his contribution to Going Down: the songs of Don Nix: "Oh yes, I'd completely forgotten. I played on this track many months ago. It was a "quickie"-i've always liked the song and of course, Jeff Beck made it his own, and still enjoys playing it. The whole Don Nix track (in fact, the whole album) is recorded very real and live and informal, so I was pleased to be invited to have a blast on it and help."
Steve Fossen, the original bassist in Heart shares some insight into the early days of the band with Jungleroom.com. "Heart started out as The Army in 1967 (October 1968 we became Whiteheart ... October 1969 we shortened the name to Heart). Roger (Fisher) and I met Ann in August of of 1971 ... we all played in a band called Hocus Pocus until December 1971. On April 21, 1972, we changed our band name back to Heart. Nancy joined us in 1974. "Dreamboat Annie" was recorded in 1975 released in America February 1976.
I asked Bob Tait if he remembered playing at Peaches Records with a group named Wyzard. "You are the you the first person I've heard mention that band in years," he said. "Wyzard was Debra Preston (who later became Debra Dejean) on vocals, Delmar Preston on guitar, myself on bass and Chuck Bratton on drums. We opened for Meatloaf at the Ritz on Madison avenue the first time he appeared in Memphis on the "Bat out of Hell" tour. We opened for alot of bands coming thru memphis and bigger bands from here. Today, Bob plays bass in 5 O'Clock Shadow with Gary Hagar and Bill Parsley.
Ever wonder how hit songs get written? Billy Seidman did and he's sharing it all in his new book, "The Elements of Song Craft."...read more
Musician/songwriter Bruce Sudano (he has crafted songs for Brooklyn Dreams, Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire and his late wife Donna Summer) visited with Sirius XM Elvis Radio jock Doc Walker after conducting a songwriting masterclass for students at the Stax Academy...
Roxanne Fontana tells jungleroom.com about her book American Girl and recording "Time Won't Wait" (her tribute to John Lennon) with Jack Douglas...read more
Congatulations to actress/writer Densie Nicholas ("Room 222", "In the Heat of the Night", "Let's Do It Again", etc.): her play "Freedom Summer" will premier with the Crossroads Theatre Company of New Brunswick, NJ in 2020! Ms.Nicholas shared a "Memphis memory" with jungleroom.com: "My Memphis memory: en route to attend writers conference at Morgan Freeman and Myrna Colley's estate in Mississippi a few years ago and stopped in Memphis.. visited STAX Museum, sat down to view Otis Redding concert film. It was so powerful, so raw & so deep & soulful, I slid off my chair onto the floor! Music sees me through many of life's more challenging episodes!!
Sartoris Literary Group announces the release of Chips Moman: The Record Producer Whose Genius Changed American Music, available wherever fine books are sold. It will also be available online in various eBook editions. "I think the Chips Moman story has provided me with the best book I have written since Colonel Tom Parker, which was purchased by Warner Bros. for its Elvis film starring Tom Hanks," says author James L. Dickerson. "I anticipate great interest in a movie based on Moman's story. Small wonder. He has been called the "Steve McQueen of the music business."
Jim Peterik, the keyboardist/songwriter for Survivor (he wrote "Eye of the Tiger", "Burning Heart", "I Can't Hold Back" and "High On You" for Survivor, "Vehicle" for the Ides of March and other hits for Sammy Hagar, 38 Special, etc.) was a smash with the "Jam for Jimi Jamison Tribute" at the Hard Rock Cafe in Memphis...
Halle Berry drops her second collaboration with global activewear and lifestyle Sweaty Betty brand and her wellness brand, rē•spin...read more
The Royal Mint has announced a special charity auction in conjunction with Elton John to raise money for the Elton John UK Charitable Foundation...read more
Lost treasures of rock 'n roll legend Eddie Cochran found ...read more
Duncan Hines is launching a new line of Southern-inspired desserts with beloved GRAMMY® Award-winning artist, noted philanthropist and international icon, Dolly Parton. This new line includes cake mixes and frostings inspired by some of Dolly's favorite family recipes like Coconut Cake and Banana Puddin' Cake. "I have always loved to cook and, growing up in the South, I especially love that authentic Mom and Pop kind of cooking," said Dolly Parton. "I am excited to launch my own line of cake mixes and frostings with Duncan Hines, bringing that sweet, Southern-style baking experience I enjoy to others." ...read more
Five-time Grammy award winner B.J. Thomas died at home in Arlington, Texas at the age of 78 from complications due to stage four lung cancer...read more
