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Guitar Virtuoso Jeff Beck Dies at 78

Jeff Beck playing guitar In my humble opinion, one of the best post-60s onward rock guitar players of all time passed away.

Jeff Beck had a technique that stood out, to say the least. He had the ability to play any music style with expertise, yet his signature playing was hard to duplicate by other great players. It made him a stand-alone giant!

In his later concert days, it was beautiful how he introduced many bass players on tour, especially outstanding women bass players… Tal Wilkenson as one example comes to mind.

Beck died Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at the age of 78.

Jeff will be missed by a ton of fans. Yet, we’ve been privileged enough to have many of his recordings and videos to enjoy for the rest of the time we each remain on this planet.

Enjoy Your Music!
Best!
-Ron Greene

Credit is given: Rolling Stone .com article: Hall of Fame musician and former Yardbird guitarist [Jeff Beck] dies following a short bout with bacterial meningitis… By: Daniel Kreps, Kory Grow

As noted in this RS press release…

“Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, Beck’s Yardbirds bandmate who inducted the guitarist into the Rock Hall in 2009, wrote on social media Wednesday, “The six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions. Jeff could channel music from the ethereal. His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless. Jeff I will miss you along with your millions of fans. Jeff Beck Rest in Peace.”

It further mentioned…

In 2009, 17 years after Beck was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds, he delivered one of the greatest induction speeches of all time when he reentered the Rock Hall for his solo work. “Someone told me I should be proud tonight. But I’m not, because they kicked me out. They did. Fuck them,” he quipped at the 1992 ceremony. “I couldn’t believe I was even nominated,” Beck told Rolling Stone at the time. “I thought the Yardbirds was as close as I’d get to getting in. I’ve gone on long after that and gone through different musical changes. It’s very nice to hear that people have been listening.”

Learn more insights about Jeff Beck in the Rolling Stone article, here…
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jeff-beck-dead-at-78-obit-1234659559/

Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones Died

Wow, usually the drummer is the individual that out-lasts the rest of the band (generally) till death. Not that it matters and especially in this instance… Yet, every instance counts!

Here we go… Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones has passed this day Tuesday, August 24th 2021, ‘He was just fu*kn 80 fsg!.’

Damn!

Figuring that Charlie joined the Rolling Stones in 1963 we might as well consider him as the/our most original ‘rock drummer’ icon! (eh?)

Anyway, wow, a wacky day in the life of seeing an original rock ‘n Roll r’ absorbed into the ether.

Hopefully we hold on to rock for many, many, generations to come!

Jam On!

-Ron
Music Dials .com

Credit is given: rollingsonte.com and journalist, Joe Gross @ https://www.npr.org/people/2100615/jon-hamilton

As noted in this article…

“He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier [Tuesday] surrounded by his family.” The statement referred to Watts as “one of the greatest drummers of his generation!”

It continues…

Watts’ death comes several weeks after it was announced that the drummer would not be able to perform on the Rolling Stones’ No Filter Tour of U.S. stadiums. “Charlie has had a procedure which was completely successful, but his doctors this week concluded that he now needs proper rest and recuperation,” a rep for the band said in a statement at the time. “With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks, it’s very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming.”

Your brain uses left side to make sense of lyrics and the right side for a song’s melody…

As a musician, you might be interested in knowing how you can separate melody from lyrics within your own brain.

We found this article of interest, as it also helps the song-writer as well as the musician playing tunes, to discover some insights on how it all comes together in the brain.

Since there’s evidence that a song is separated into two paths through the brain, it’s interesting to note (pun intended – hehe) how the musician combines the essence of both into one pleasurable listening experience.

Take a look-see yourself to understand how this might assist with your music experiences.

Jam On!

-Ron
Music Dials .com

Credit is given: npr.org and journalist, Jon Hamilton @ https://www.npr.org/people/2100615/jon-hamilton

As noted in this article…

“A song fuses words and music. Yet the human brain can instantly separate a song’s lyrics from its melody.

And now scientists think they know how this happens.

A team led by researchers at McGill University reported in Science Thursday that song sounds are processed simultaneously by two separate brain areas – one in the left hemisphere and one in the right.

“On the left side you can decode the speech content but not the melodic content, and on the right side you can decode the melodic content but not the speech content,” says Robert Zatorre, a professor at McGill University’s Montreal Neurological Institute.”

More Chick Rockers

As time marches on in the rock genre’ every decade introduces new young female rockers that bring a special light to the music industry.

Wolf Alice, Camp Cope, Mitski, Sophie Allison, Lindsey Jordan… have you heard them? Well you should let their musical candy bestow upon your ears.

It’s great to see rock n’ roll is alive and well and will probably survive at least another generation (going on 70 years now)!

Some of these powerful chick singers are accompanied by band members consisting of both, all girls, boys, or a combination thereof.

Check out the article below, which will provide you with more insights about some of the ‘many’ lady rockers to hit the recent rock scene…

Jam On!
Ron

(credit given via, Lindsay Zoladz for, The Ringer .com)

As this article points out…

“When I say feminine album, immediately the perception is that it must be soft and lovely, but I mean feminine in the violent sense. Desiring, but not being able to define your desire, wanting power but being powerless and blaming it on yourself, or just hurting yourself as a way to let out the aggression in you. It’s a lot of pent-up anger or desire without a socially acceptable outlet.”

The Real Truth Behind The Lyrics In “Hotel California”—It’s Not What You Think!

OK, you no doubt find ‘Hotel California’ by the Eagles a very over played song on the airwaves. We’ll anyway, I do! – But, even though this song gets a ton of air play it certainly goes down as one of the top most misunderstood rock lyrical tunes ever…

Anyway, this article mentions a quote from Don Henley that sheds some truth behind the song… check it out.

Jam On!
– Ron

(via: Society of Rock .com)

“On a dark desert highway…” It’s one of the most interpreted songs in the history of rock n’ roll. Classic “Hotel California.” Many people have argued, debated and researched what the true meaning behind this song actually is. A common belief is that the song is about purgatory…

Ed Sheeran’s Song Sued Over ‘Let’s Get It On’…

When you consider most rock and country chords are the same basic 1,3,5 or 1,4,5 structures, it’s a wonder everyone hasn’t sued ‘everyone’!

Now, maybe you hear the ‘very’ similarities to Ed Sheeran’s song, Thinking Out Loud… to that of Marvin Gay’s decades old song, Let’s get it on… but I don’t!

I mean, there are a ton of songs on the marketplace that resemble each other to a certain degree, yet in this case I can’t find a very close resemblance thereof.

Anyway, I feel the poor guy [Ed] is being bothered [again] for no reason what-so-ever. Oh well, when you’re at the top you’re fair game. We’ll see, as it was tossed out the first round…

Jam On!
– Ron

Sergi Alexander/WireImage – via Colin Stutz for billboard.com

… The family of Gaye’s co-writer on the track, Ed Townsend, is pursuing legal action against Sheeran for lifting the the melody, harmony and rhythm from “Let’s Get It On” for his own song.

This is the second such accusation against Sheehan…

Johnny Cash and June Carter Walking the Line…

For the first time the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is dedicating an entire day to the legacies of “The First Family” of Country Music with a curatorial talk, an instrument spotlight, a themed menu at Café Allegro, a MIMQuiz with prizes, and more on June 25.

Johnny Cash and June Carter has provided a great ride for us musicians to enjoy their contribution to music. So many of us have covered a Johnny Cash tune with many musical variances… from rock to punk.

This press release (below) discusses the event that will take place a the MIM in Phoenix and what to expect if you drop by…

(btw… MIM displays more than 6,500 instruments collected from around 200 of the world’s countries and territories).

Jam On!
-Ron

(via: Musical Instrument Museum Organization)

Johnny Cash’s marriage to June Carter Cash represents a union of musical influences that have truly shaped American music for nearly a century. The Carter Family has served as a standard foundation for American folk and country music since their historic recording sessions in Bristol, Tennessee, in 1927. Johnny Cash is one of the most iconic musical personalities…

Prince as a guitar player…

The musician Prince (died April 21, 2016 @ age 57) and was considered one of our greatest modern era rock/pop singer songwriter. He wasn’t necessarily considered a great guitar player. Yet after further research and review of his expansive musical history (even though he left this planet way to early) it proves that Prince was indeed one of the most acclaimed guitarist in this genre.

Prince also had the early insight of recognizing the record industries manipulative ways of cornering the artistic marketplace. He took it upon himself to be one of the leaders in ‘self-published’ works. As such many musicians to follow expanded on this foundation to distribute their music without the record industry strangle hold on the market.

This article spends a good deal of time getting to the point as to why Prince was considered one of the top greatest guitarist of our times…

Jam On!
-Ron

(By Jack Hamilton – via: slate.com)

“Prince may have been the greatest guitarist of the post-Hendrix era and often seemed to carry Hendrix’s aura more intrepidly than anyone, most notably in his incredible versatility.” further noting in this article… “The story goes that sometime during the 1980s, Eric Clapton was asked how it felt to be the best guitar player in the world, and responded, “I don’t know; ask Prince.”…

Read the whole story about why Prince may have been the greatest guitarist since Hendrix, here…

https://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/04/28/why_prince_was_the_greatest_guitarist_since_jimi_hendrix.html

Singer Songwriter, Merle Haggard died…

Merle Haggard sang his last song the day of April 6’th, 2016… he was just 79 years old. Born right outside the small town of Bakersfield in the high desert, north over the mountains from Los Angeles.

Many of Merle’s band members, the Strangers, were playing live with him on tour right up to the day of his departure. Some of these members had been with him for over 40 years! Merle himself was a gifted guitar player, mostly played a Fender Telecaster. He had the stories and voice to carry his message to the ones that appreciated his ventures. A real true freedom supporter!

Merle mentioned that… “the road thing is like a run-away train, once you’re on it you keep riding her to the end…”

Haggard wrote over 700 songs! Merle once mentioned that he had written so many songs from so many experiences, that he kept coming around stumbling all over himself. But, once in a while something very powerful would emerge as a new discovery about himself.

Jam On!
– Ron

(via FoxNews.com)
The Byrds, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Grateful Dead, Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakam, Lucinda Williams and Reba McEntire all covered his songs, while many others paid tribute to him in theirs. In the Dixie Chicks’ “Long Time Gone, which criticizes Nashville trends, the trio crooned: “We listen to the radio to hear what’s cookin’ / But the music ain’t got no soul / Now they sound tired but they don’t sound Haggard.”…

Read complete press release here:
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/04/06/merle-haggard-dead-on-his-7th-birthday/

David Bowie’s Influence on Music…

David Bowie died in early 2016… his mark on the music industry is both, influential and controversial. Reviewing his past, one can indeed provide many twists and turns that contributed to our music industry.

via GIPHY

The press release below provides more insights regarding the unfortunate (early aged) departure of David Bowie…

Jam On!
-Ron

Credit Given via:https://www.bbc.com/news/

“The artist’s hits include Let’s Dance, Changes, Space Oddity, Starman, Modern Love, Heroes, Under Pressure, Rebel Rebel and Life on Mars.

He was also well known for creating his flamboyant alter ego Ziggy Stardust.

The singer (ed. Bowie), who had been living in New York in recent years, released his latest album Blackstar only last (ed. early 2016) Friday, his birthday.

The album has been well received by critics and was intended as a “parting gift” to the world, according to long-time friend and producer Tony Visconti.”

Read the rest of this story about David Bowie’s death here…

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35278872