Note the convenient mic drop hole/slot in the picture.
]]>You are now the owner of a Pro Guitar Safe-T-Stand! The Safe-T-Stand is a Simple, Elegant, and SECURE method of securing your guitar, especially in an “on stage” environment. Made of natural, renewable bamboo, a grass, not wood, this elegant device works in concert with the weight and heft of your amplifier by fitting through the amplifier carry handle. The neck of your guitar fits in a precisely designed neck slot. Turning the guitar slightly sideways, and giving the guitar a slight upward tilt, the player places the guitar neck in the slot. After repositioning the guitar parallel to the amplifier, it would take a truly unusual sequence of events to dislodge it. Guitar security is greatly increased. Because this added security takes place immediately adjacent to the amplifier, less space is taken up on stage AND because the Pro Guitar Safe-T-Stand fits conveniently in a player’s guitar case or gig bag, additional trips to outside transportation are minimized.
Please inspect your package to ensure all parts are present. If not, please call us at (844) 723-3833.
If you purchased a Basic Model, GP1310, you will have the bamboo non “nesting” Safe-T-Stand, and a shim/wedge.
The Enhanced Model, GP1410 includes the same, with the exception of the “nesting” biscuit and flexible magnets installed.
The Basic Model KIT adds the blue velvet luxury carry bag and the logo floor mat.
The Enhanced Model KIT includes the same.
The Pro Kit includes one of each model, with matching pieces for each, including shim/wedges, adhesive backed felt, flexible magnets.
There is minor user assembly required. If you ordered the Enhanced Model with nesting biscuit, you will need to peel off the adhesive backing from the magnets and place them in the “nest” and on the back of the “biscuit.” Please stick the magnet close to the top of the biscuit and the nest so as not to cover the lower part of the biscuit that slips into the receiving slot on the Safe-T-Stand itself.
With the Basic Model, with non “nesting biscuit,” designed for Fender Tweeds, some VOX and Marshall, and other top mount control amplifiers, you can either leave your biscuit loose, or fasten it to Safe-T-Stand using the included flexible magnets. The Basic Model lacks the ability to “nest” – but that is necessary to ensure the Safe-T-Stand works with these very popular amplifier models.
For each model, we have provided adhesive backed felt to be used to cushion both the shim/wedge and the guitar neck slot. These are wearable items, readily available at your local craft store. We have included a little extra for your future use. Simply measure the length of felt you will need for each application, cut with scissors or craft knife, and press into place.
The provided shim/wedge is designed to give your Safe-T-Stand extra lift, making it easier to place the guitar neck in the slot. This is especially useful with acoustics and large body electrics. Please leave the shim/wedge loose. That allows one to adapt a single Safe-T-Stand to multiple amplifiers. For example, some amps have top vents for heat dissipation. Covering these vents risks amp overheating. Please use caution. Other amplifiers have tone controls on top.
Some amplifiers have controls that mandate inserting Safe-T-Stand through the handle from the front, and placing the guitar behind the amplifier. This is actually the most secure position for your guitar. Most importantly, you have options!
Pro Guitar Safe-T-Stand is fashioned from bamboo. While it shares many characteristics with wood, it’s not. Bamboo is actually a grass. But don’t try to smoke it! We think it is quite the elegant piece and since it’s as natural a material as your guitar, we think the two go quite well together! Certainly they go better together than a guitar stand made of plastic or metal that doesn’t provide the same level of security and takes up space on stage.
Bamboo is harder than maple, but weighs less and is more resistant to moisture. Having said this, constant exposure to dry air can impact your bamboo Pro Guitar Safe-T-Stand like it would your guitar. Be mindful of ambient humidity. Safe-T-Stand is happiest in the same humidity that makes your guitars happy. Check your Safe-T-Stand for dryness and possible splintering regularly. A regular LIGHT application of tuning oil provides protection from the elements. In some cases, after exposure to ultra dry air, a light going over with fine grit sand paper will keep your Safe-T-Stand in peak condition.
Lastly, please know that we are a small business but are striving to give you the ABSOLUTE BEST Product and BEST Customer Service possible. If you find anything wrong with your Safe-T-Stand, or if you have questions, suggestions, etc…, please let us know before posting anything negative online. Things can always happen and we’d love to have the opportunity to make things right with you.
Nevertheless, once you’ve used your Safe-T-Stand, we would be MOST appreciative if you’d return to our website and leave an HONEST REVIEW. Online Customer Reviews are the most trusted form of advertising and will really help us grow our business AND ensure that we continue to improve our products and service.
Best Regards,
The Co-Founders of Pro Guitar Safe-T-Stand
(844) 723-3833
Follow Us! InstaGram: @SafeTStand | FaceBook: /SafeTStand
Why would Jim have better knowledge of these things? First, he’s a little bit older than I am and closer to the actual event. Second, his college roommate was Leon (Russell Bridges) Russell’s best friend in high school. Third, Jim’s family has owned a business in our mutual hometown of Bartlesville Oklahoma for years. At one time, the head of security for the Hess family business was the Bartlesville cop who arrested the inebriated Jerry Lee Lewis, and threw him in jail, preventing Mr. Lewis from playing the gig at the local Civic Center. Mr. Lewis was driving a baby blue 1958 Mercury Convertible. He was stopped crossing the railroad tracks on West Frank Phillips Blvd in that small town in Oklahoma.
Jim Hess is a real student of Oklahoma Music history and is currently working on a project to get Steve Harden, inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. More on that later.
Some back ground:
Born on April 2, 1942, in Lawton Oklahoma, Leon Russell was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While still in school at Tulsa’s Rogers High School, he became an integral player around Tulsa. Some of the musical luminaries from that era include Rocky Frisco, Elvin Bishop, and J.J. Cale. Also active during that time was Gus Hardin (Married to the son of a local Bartlesville, Oklahoma dentist, Steve Hardin. Steve had an amazing career and ended up as Glen Campbell's Music Director. The music played by these artists, beginning in the late 1950s, became known as “The Tulsa Sound.” Other influential Tulsa area musicians of the era include Jamie Oldaker, Jim Keltner, Roger Tillison, Eric Clapton, Clyde Stacy, Flash Terry, Roy Clark, David Teegarden. Soft Rock artist David Gates is also from Tulsa.
Country music is a story for another day. Suffice to say, Tulsa’s Cain’s Ballroom was home to Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, numerous local and national country artists, as well as the above mentioned local artists.
Numerous blues artists have roots in Oklahoma. Robert Johnson used to play in all black Taft OK. Blind Lemon Jefferson brought his “Hot Box” guitar style to the state from Texas. Jefferson may be the earliest recorded player to use the guitar for single-string solos in blues, and he ultimately inspired other guitarists, including jazz innovator Charlie Christian, whose primary musical experiences came in Oklahoma City. Joe "The Honeydripper" Liggins, born in Guthrie, Okla., charted a number of singles during the late 1940s and early 1950s with his streamlined rhythm and blues. Liggins had huge hits with "The Honeydripper" in 1945 and "Pink Champagne" in 1950. Joe's brother, Jimmy Liggins, born in Newby, Okla., led an R&B group in the late 1940s and early 1950s that also presaged rock and roll with hits like "Cadillac Boogie." Liggins also wrote the now-classic blues song "I Ain't Drunk."
The most widely recognized Oklahoma blues guitar star, Lowell Fulson, was also influenced by Blind Lemon Jefferson's style via 78-rpm records, which Fulson heard while growing up in Ada OK. After playing in string bands in Oklahoma and touring with artists such as Texas Alexander and Howlin' Wolf, Fulson migrated to northern California. There he became immersed in the West Coast scene and played with a number of jazz and jump players in the 1940s. By adding a horn section in the mode of swing bands to his electric blues lineup, Fulson created what is typically called the "uptown blues" sound, which B. B. King made famous. Fulson's huge 1950 R&B hit, "Everyday I Have the Blues," became King's theme song. It is also said that Fulson gave a young and blind keyboard player, Ray Charles, his start.
Guitarist Wayne Bennett, from Sulphur OK, drove Bobby Blue Bland’s sound with his epic guitar stylings. Bennett also played with Elmore James, Jimmy Reed, Otis Spann, and Otis Rush.
Jimmy Nolen, from OKC, developed into another one of Oklahoma's important blues guitarists. Thought of as inventor of the "chicken scratch" guitar style, Nolen became credited with being the father of funk guitar. Nolen's recordings as primary guitarist on James Brown's major hits "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "Sex Machine," and "Get on the Good Foot" testify to this significant player's work and influence.
DC Minner was raised in an Oklahoma juke joint called Cozy Corner operated by his grandmother in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. There he was first exposed to the blues by Al Freeman, who played slide guitar with a pocketknife. Minner traveled as a sideman with Lowell Fulson, Chuck Berry, Freddy King, Bo Diddley and Eddie Floyd.
One blues artist who tends to get lost in the mix of Oklahoma blues histories is guitarist Jesse Ed Davis. Davis exhibited extremely diverse skills by playing slide, rhythm, lead, country, and even jazz guitar on Taj Majal's first three albums. This reputation led to sessions for Leon Russell, Jackson Browne, Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and Captain Beefheart as well as four of Davis's own solo albums.
This story is some background to the story of how Claude Russell Bridges, later known as Leon Russell, got his first big break in music, at the behest of Chuck Berry, with unconscious participation from Jerry Lee Lewis. He went on to become a keyboardists for the famed Wrecking Crew group of backing musicians, appearing on a number of hit records in the 1960s, including recordings by Sinatra, Streisand, Beach Boys, Jerry Lewis and the Playboys, and many more. He played along side Glen Campbell, Carol Kaye, Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, and many other luminaries.
Russell, along with George Harrison and Bob Dylan, were the driving force behind the epic concert for Bangladesh. Russell launched the career of Joe Cocker with his “Mad Dogs and Englishmen”tour. In his final years, his duo with Elton John called “The Union, is considered some of his finest work.
As one can see from the picture, Russell also played guitar. In fact, his guitar teacher was none other than James Burton, the guitar player Elvis stole from Ricky Nelson.
It happened in the unlikely town of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, a town of about 35,000 people 45 minutes north of Tulsa. Known as Claude Russell Bridges in 1958, he made quite a name for himself as a teen age musician around Tulsa. He would entertain classmates during lunch hour on a grand piano at Tulsa Rogers High School. That piano was recently restored and a commemoration concert was recently held in the Rogers High School auditorium to celebrate the completion of the restoration and pay tribute to Leon Russell.
In fact, when the Alan Freed Cavalcade of Stars came around in 1958, the teenager Bridges was selected for the pickup band who would back stars like Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and others. The following is from the Bullock Museum:
"In 1958, Holly joined the Big Beat Tour, hosted by Alan Freed, the disc jockey who coined the phrase "rock and roll" and one of the earliest promoters of the music. Along with artists like Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, Holly and the Crickets performed an incredible 68 shows in just 44 days, touring the Midwest and eastern U.S. and Canada. In Boston, the crowd turned so rowdy during Holly's set that the authorities turned on the house lights to end the show and reinstated a citywide ban on rock and roll.”
Two of the biggest stars in this tour were Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. Lewis's drinking and general debauchery was deeply resented by Chuck Berry, in particular. Not showing up for gigs or showing up so drunk one couldn't perform, was unforgivable to Berry, and justifiably so. Of course, Chuck had his own peccadilloes. He was notoriously tight, and was a general cut up. But he was damn serious about his music. All these big stars showed up in Bartlesville to play two shows in one day. This was a stop off between larger cities like Tulsa, Kansas City, St. Louis, etc.
This event is well chronicled by the high school kids of that era, and with the help of Jim Hess. Lewis missed the first show. "The Kid" had impressed everyone with his chops, so Chuck decided they should "put him out there." So they did in the second show, according to the local lore. There wasn’t a lot of complaining about the fact that it wasn’t Jerry Lee entertaining them. This event seemed to have gotten Leon’s foot in the door when he moved to Los Angeles.
At the link is a very young Leon playing Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Bethoven" on the TV show "Shindig."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlYx59c8Jzk
According to local lore, Chuck Berry was throwing cherry bombs around even at the music venue. Earlier in the day, Chuck got some local teenagers to wash his Cadillac. He was throwing the cherry bombs around the gas station until someone threatened to call the police. Danny and the Juniors try to pick up some local girls, and everyone had a great time. A lot of this is from writings in student year books from the era.
Some quotes from kids of the day:
"Yes, I do remember it. It was in the old civic center. I was not there, and the only thing I remember was that after the concert Chuck Berry and other performers were upstairs in the building and things were getting rowdy. Some of the teenagers started up the stairs to see them (of course making lots of noise, etc.) To keep them back, Chuck Berry threw a cherry bomb down the steps. It slightly injured someone from our class named Berry. All was soothed over quickly however, and nothing else was made of it......as I remember. But do you know how long ago that was!"
"Heck , Yes I remember! I went! A bunch of us were killing time before the concert at a filling station downtown when Chuck Berry brought his Cadillac into get it washed. He had all kinds of firecrackers and we all set them off until the owner threatened to call the law. Then we washed Chuck's car and got ALL wet - had to go home and change clothes to go to the concert."
"I do remember the Jerry Lee Lewis no show concert. It was in the old civic center and the crowd did get pretty restless waiting for Jerry Lee. I have the impression that Jerry Lee no showed lots of concerts."
So a few years later, Claude Russell Bridges is fed up trying to make it in the music business in Tulsa, so he moves to Los Angeles to sell insurance. One day, he stumbles across a recording studio and knocks on the door. As the story goes, someone remembered him from that small town concert in Oklahoma, and the next thing you know, he's a member of the "Wrecking Crew." He played on tracks by Sinatra, Streisand, The Beach Boys, Jerry Lewis and Playboys, Jan and Dean, and many more.
More lore: One day, Bridges, who had changed his name to Leon Russell, to match a friend's who lent him a fake ID to get into clubs he was legally too young to perform in, stumbled in to a recording session both late and drunk. The producer that day was none other than Phil (Wall of Sound) Spector. As the story goes, Leon stumbles over to the piano, lifts the lid, and gets ready to play. Spector comes over to him and asks him, "Do you know the meaning of the word "Respect?" Leon turns to him and asks, "Do you know the meaning of the words "Fuck You?" So he put the lid down, got up and walked out. It didn't seem to damage his career.
]]>This is the story of how Claude Russell Bridges got his big break in music in the unlikely town of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, a town of about 35,000 people 45 minutes north of Tulsa.
Known as Claude Russell Bridges in 1958, he made quite a name for himself as a teen age musician around Tulsa. He would entertain classmates during lunch hour on a grand piano at Tulsa Rogers High School. That piano was recently restored and a commemoration concert was recently held in the Rogers High School auditorium to celebrate the completion of the restoration and pay tribute to Leon Russell. In fact, when the Alan Freed Cavalcade of Stars came around, the teenager Bridges was selected for the pickup band who would back stars like Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and others. The following is from the Bullock Museum:
"In 1958, Holly joined the Big Beat Tour, hosted by Alan Freed, the disc jockey who coined the phrase "rock and roll" and one of the earliest promoters of the music. Along with artists like Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis, Holly and the Crickets performed an incredible 68 shows in just 44 days, touring the Midwest and eastern U.S. and Canada. In Boston, the crowd turned so rowdy during Holly's set that the authorities turned on the house lights to end the show and reinstated a citywide ban on rock and roll. Holly died in a plane crash in Iowa on February 3, 1959, at the age of 22."
Two of the biggest stars in this tour were Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. Lewis's drinking and general debauchery was deeply resented by Chuck Berry, in particular. Not showing up for gigs, or showing up so drunk one couldn't perform, was unforgivable to Berry, and justifiably so. Of course, Chuck had his own peccadilloes. He was notoriously tight, and was a general cut up. But he was damn serious about his music. So all these big stars showed up in this little town to play two shows in one day. This was a stop off between larger cities like Tulsa, Kansas City, St. Louis, etc.
This event is well chronicled by the high school kids of that era. As the lore would have it, Jerry Lee was either too drunk to perform, or in jail on an alcohol related matter. That part isn't clear. What is clear, is he wasn't available. Lewis missed the first show. "The Kid" had impressed everyone with his chops, so Chuck decided they should get "make up" to change "The Kid's" looks to emulate Lewis, and "put him out there." "No one will know the difference", said he. "The kid plays and sings great!" So they did, according to the local lore. Most noticed the difference, but no one cared, he was so good.
At the link is a very young Leon playing Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Bethoven" on the TV show "Shindig."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlYx59c8Jzk
During this time around the concert, Chuck Berry is throwing cherry bombs out into the audience, Chuck got some local teenagers to wash his Cadillac, Danny and the Juniors try to pick up some local girls, and everyone had a great time.
Some quotes from kids of the day:
"Yes, I do remember it. It was in the old civic center. I was not there, and the only thing I remember was that after the concert Chuck Berry and other performers were upstairs in the building and things were getting rowdy. Some of the teenagers started up the stairs to see them (of course making lots of noise, etc.) To keep them back, Chuck Berry threw a cherry bomb down the steps. It slightly injured someone from our class named Berry. All was soothed over quickly however, and nothing else was made of it......as I remember. But do you know how long ago that was!"
"Heck , Yes I remember! I went! A bunch of us were killing time before the concert at a filling station downtown when Chuck Berry brought his Cadillac into get it washed. He had all kinds of firecrackers and we all set them off until the owner threatened to call the law. Then we washed Chuck's car and got ALL wet - had to go home and change clothes to go to the concert."
"I do remember the Jerry Lee Lewis no show concert. It was in the old civic center and the crowd did get pretty restless waiting for Jerry Lee. I have the impression that Jerry Lee no showed lots of concerts but it was a disappointment not to see him."
So a few years later, Claude Russell Bridges is fed up trying to make it in the music business in Tulsa, so he moves to Los Angeles to sell insurance. One day, he stumbles across a recording studio and knocks on the door. As the story goes, someone remembered him from that small town concert in Oklahoma, and the next thing you know, he's a member of the "Wrecking Crew." He played on tracks by Sinatra, Streisand, The Beach Boys, Jerry Lewis and Playboys, Jan and Dean, and many more. He played along side Glen Campbell, Carol Kaye, Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, and many other luminaries.
More lore: One day, Bridges, who had changed his name to Leon to match a friend's who lent him a fake ID to get into clubs he was legally too young to perform in, stumbled in to a session both late and drunk. The producer that day was none other than Phil (Wall of Sound) Spector. As the story goes, Leon stumbles over to the piano, lifts the lid, and gets ready to play. Spector comes over to him and asks him, "Do you know the meaning of the word "Respect?" Leon turns to him and asks, "Do you know the meaning of the words "Fuck You?" So he put the lid down, got up and walked out. It didn't seem to damage his career.
]]>
Larry Taylor, the founding bassist of 1960s L.A. boogie rock band Canned Heat passed away on August 19. Best known for his time with Canned Heat, as also was a well known and respected session player. He backed such diverse groups as The Monkees, John Mayall, Tom Waits, Albert King, Leo Kottke, The Blasters, and Sunnyland Slim.
According to Billboard Magazine, "He was best known for his work with Canned Heat, whose 1967 self-titled debut, featuring covers of blues classics by Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Robert Johnson, was released just after the band's appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, where they performed alongside The Who, Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Otis Redding and Jefferson Airplane. He was part of the classic Heat line-up that also included guitarists Alan Wilson and Henry Vestine, singer Bob Hite and drummer "Fito" De la Parra, the latter the only remaining living member of that original group."
Barry Levenson, a Safe-T-Stand Co-Founder remembers "The Mole":
"Larry, as those that knew him can attest to, could be a very intimidating figure. He could be the nicest person in the world. He could also rip you a new ass-hole. The first time I met him at a Canned Heat rehearsal, he came up to me, put his face a few inches from mine and said, "Play some Jimmy Reed." I played some low-end Boogie stuff, inwardly shaking LOL and he stopped me and said, "We're going to be okay." He told me that he could not stand guitar players that would mute the strings when they were playing Jimmy Reed on the last two strings. Since Jimmy Reed was one of my favorite musicians and I studied him pretty hard I knew his style luckily LOL. Larry also asked me some questions about Chuck Berry songs and what key they were in. I answered the questions correctly and everything was great from then on. He listened to one of my CDs and came in my room and said in this big voice of his," You have your shit together, ". This was like getting a confirmation from God LOL. Larry was the best blues bass player I ever heard and of course he could play almost anything. They called him "The Mole" because he dug so deep into the groove.. he was absolutely one of the icons of roots music! The world will never see another like him."
]]>]]>
"Song i wrote as a nod to the founding father of blues guitar and one of my heroes.. happy birthday T-Bone Walker may your music live on forever.."
]]>]]>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WUFCwb6gjE
]]>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h54Trwhpe54
We old folks can rest assured there are some young players that are picking up the mantle. This, despite the advent of so much absolutely putrid stuff popular in many circles these days. The pendulum swings and quality is quality. Rant over. Now on to the amazing Mr. Steckel. From his website:
"In an era where pedal boards, laptops and samples have become commonplace, Eric Steckel goes against the grain and harkens his listeners back to the days when great guitars were played loudly through great amps. Hailed by many as the top rising star of Blues/Rock, Eric delivers a powerhouse performance that has left audiences in 25 countries (and counting) mesmerized. He brings an energy and passion to the stage that never disappoints and is a must see for fans of vintage guitar rock.
Few young guitarists can improve on Eric Steckel's impressive resume. Eric's debut CD, "A Few Degrees Warmer", was recorded live in April 2002 when he was just 11 years old. It wasn’t long until he appeared at the 2003 Sarasota Blues Festival where Eric's powerful set became the talk of the day. Before the night was over Eric was introduced by British Blues/Rock legend, John Mayall as the youngest guitarist ever on stage with the Bluesbreakers. Eric left a lasting impression on Mayall and, in 2004 Mayall invited Eric to appear in Sweden, Norway and Denmark during The Bluesbreakers’ Scandinavian Tour. In early 2005, Eric traveled to Los Angeles where he joined Mayall for session work on the "Road Dogs" record.
Eric then spent the following years filled with marquee festival dates and sold out concert tours in Holland, Germany, Belgium and Italy. He opened for Johnny Winter at The Paradiso in Amsterdam, thrilled audiences at the Tegelen Bluesrock Festival and shared the prime-time bill with Gregg Allman at the legendary Pistoia Blues Festival.
Throughout his teens and young adulthood, Eric released several critically acclaimed live and studio albums. 2006's "Havana" was a hit among Blues guitar lovers and tracks from this album are still featured often on SiriusXM's Bluesville station. 2008's "Feels Like Home" featured the talented Duane Trucks on drums and recalled the 70's southern rock era. Hits from this album such as "The Ghetto" and "Just Walk Away" receive regular airplay to this day. In 2012, after years on the road, Eric entered the studio once again to record a powerful modern Blues record. "Dismantle The Sun" emerged. In 2015, Eric embarked on a quest to record a fully transatlantic studio album with some of the finest producers, engineers and musicians he knew. This led to "Black Gold" being recorded in both Nashville, Tennessee and Amsterdam, Netherlands. Eric's current album "Polyphonic Prayer" is his most successful album to date and features Eric on every instrument besides the drums."
]]>
First, they were GREAT!
Second, they were really easy on the eyes.
Third, they were the LOUDEST band I have EVER seen.
Fourth, they were QUITE personable. Lead Guitarist, Gretchen Menn, took time to talk to a beginner like me about what tuning she uses for "Levee." These are really serious musicians.
More on Zepparella:
]]>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_iVMnLHFJU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMQU8oqm8eg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KnRM7TEIJw
Well, they have a website. They have some great YouTubes. Keep an eye out for their upcoming CD.
Barry is an award winning guitarist, arranger, and producer with an immense body of work. Barry and Johnny Dyer collaborated on the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_brtvCgf1I
Barry and Jake Sampson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgLCQzlS3Fo
They pay homage to the greats, in addition to their originals. Drop by Champagne's on Maryland Parkway in Las Vegas Wednesday nights. You might even hear them pay homage to Billy F. Gibbons' "Blue Jean Blues," one of my favorites.
]]>
I used to do some recording sessions for Jack Nietzsche back in the day, of course I was in awe of him and Tim Drummond and some of these other guys that he had been using on those sessions. They all would say the same thing, there is no drummer finer for making records than Hal Blaine. Spookily enough, I just sent him a Facebook friend request a couple of days ago and he accepted it. I wrote to him and said I could not be more honored! The work that you have accomplished in your lifetime will never be forgotten. Long live the world's greatest Studio drummer.
Barry Levenson
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/hal-blaine-songs-beach-boys-ronettes-807019/
“Hal Blaine was such a great musician and friend that I can’t put it into words,” Brian Wilson wrote on Twitter Monday after news of the legendary session drummer’s death began to circulate. “Hal taught me a lot, and he had so much to do with our success — he was the greatest drummer ever.”
]]>
We have a supporter of live music here in Sin City, by the name of Randy Smith. Randy's service dog was named Maddy. A delightful border collie, she went everywhere with him, including the musical venues, where she would calmly go on stage with the band playing at full volume, and curl up at the feet of her favorite guitar player, or even in front of the kick bass. She was the much loved de facto mascot of the music community here. And she was suddenly taken from us. Sometimes I think Randy, who was stricken by the loss, takes it better than the rest of us. He is a strong dude.
Randy, a fledgling guitar player, set out to put together a band and original music dedicated to Maddy. Randy is a fledgling guitar but can put together lyrics.
Randy and Paul J. Mills, a local standout guitar player, combined on an outstanding CD, with their band "Maddy's Army." A series of events was held, including a CD introduction party, at venues across town, with donations given to help provide service dogs to disabled veterans. Proceeds of CD sales also go to help disabled veterans get service dogs.
"Maddy's Army" is truly an all star group, and includes Paul J. Mills, Bob Ashman, Tom Parham, Rick Watson, Tim Gonzales, and Jon Hui.
To see and hear the amazing Mr. Mills at work, click on the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nDbwQaFvZU
I'll post more links to the CD as I get them.
]]>
Mark Chatfield, Bob Seger's lead guitar player, is famous in his own right. He established Las Vegas' iconic CowTown Guitars many years ago. Bernie keeps Mark's guitars up to snuff.
Bernie has great stories. One of the best is when he was called up on to fix Pete Townshend's pickup on his favorite guitar and ended up playing all of Pete's parts WITH the entire band, while Pete sat in the back of the venue critiquing the band's sound. So we can honestly say, our co founder "played with The Who."
What a sound check that must have been. According to Bernie, Pete drowned one of his pickups with his own perspiration, and shorted it out. Yea, Pete's known for his energetic performances!
And Bernie's performances? Not only does Bernie make great guitars for some of the best known guitarists in the world, he is quite the performer himself. Who else would dress "in drag" as a nun? That's Bernie on the left in the pic.
https://www.hamburguitar.com/history.html
]]>
"The Church Studio is a recording studio housed in an old church in Tulsa OK. During the 1970s it became closely associated with its owner, recording artist Leon Russell and "The Tulsa Sound."
Originally built in 1915 as Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, the stone structure located at 304 South Trenton Avenue in Tulsa's Pearl District was converted to a recording studio in 1972 by Leon Russell, who bought the building and adjoining properties for his diverse recording activities and as a home for Shelter Records, the company he had earlier started with partner Denny Cordell.
Numerous musicians recorded at The Church, including Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Dwight Twilley, Dr. John, J.J. Cale, The Gap Band, Freddie King, Phoebe Snow, Peter Tosh. Tom Petty, with his early band Mudcrutch, signed their first record deal there."
]]>There are plenty of cool things to do and see in Clarksdale, and it will be a subject for an upcoming blog post. There is an establishment there simply known as Red's. Let's call it a Mississippi Juke Joint. It is an old music store. Back in the day it was called "Levine's Music Center," and it's where Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm bought the instruments that played the first rock 'n roll song, "Rocket *88."
So I pull in one Sunday night in July. Inside, Watermelon Slim is layin' it down on a guitar laid out on a table, playing it with a slide while singing. He looked to be about my age. So during the break, I go out to my car. Next thing I know, he's getting into the old white Chrysler minivan next to me. He's rolling a joint. So we strike up a conversation. Turns out, he's also from Oklahoma. He's also a Viet Nam veteran. "By 1979, he felt adrift in the Boston area and naively decided to move to Oklahoma, buy some land and earn a living as a farmer. He grew many different crops, from cantaloupes to artichokes, but the farm was never a financial success, merely a sideline. Homans later admitted that watermelons were the one crop on which never lost money. " Homans has been performing since the 1970s and has been linked to several notable blues musicians, including John Lee Hooker, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, Country Joe McDonald, Henry Vestine of Canned Heat, and many others. He plays his Dobro guitar lap-style, lefthanded and backwards, with a lap dog slide.
Born in Boston, he spent most of his life driving a truck in NE Oklahoma despite having earned a Masters degree from Oklahoma State University, where I also attended school. "Slim has been a truck driver, forklift operator, saw miller (where he lost a partial finger), firewood salesman, collection agent, funeral officiator and at times a small time criminal. Due to aforementioned criminality, Slim was forced to flee Boston. " He landed in Oklahoma.
In 1972-73, Homans met Bonnie Raitt at one of her performances. Both Raitt and Homans shared the same musical hero, Mississippi Fred McDowell,an established star who had actually been Raitt's teacher.
Paste Magazine writes “He’s one hell of a bottleneck guitarist, and he’s got that cry in his voice that only the greatest singers in the genre have had before him.”
In 2005 he was nominated for a W. C. Handy Award.
He just released "Church of the Blues."
Check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8_WDNZ-znw
]]>
Having just visited Tulsa for the February 9th Leon Russell commemoration concert, held at Leon's Tulsa Will Rogers High School, this piece is about the fact that Tulsa Oklahoma, and the surrounding area, has been a hotbed of creativity for decades, especially as it regards music. Following is a partial list of names you might recognize. Each one lived a substantial part of their life in Oklahoma. Many were of them were born and raised:
Leon Russell, Woody Guthrie, Becky Hobbs, Vince Gill, Elvin Bishop, David Gates, J. J. Cale, Bob Wills, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Wayne Bennett, Carl Radle, Jim Keltner, Lowell Fulsom, The GAP Band, Toby Keith, Lee Hazlewood, Steve Hardin, Gus Hardin, Roy Clark, Wanda Jackson, Hoyt Axton, Mae Boren Axton, Garth Brooks, Joe Diffie, Ronnie Dunne, Steve Hardin, Patti Page, Jamie Oldaker, David Teegarden, David Gates, Roger Miller, Merle Travis, Shep Wooley, Ann Bell, Blake Shelton, Anita Bryant, Kay Starr, Watermelon Slim, Flash Terry, Wayman Tisdale, to name a few.
The following is from the program from the Leon Russell Commemoration Concert:
"Claude Russell Bridges was born in Lawton OK, April 2, 1942, and began playing piano at the age of 4. He graduated from Tulsa Will Rogers High School in 1959. His collaborations rank as some of the most successful in music history. As a touring musician, he performed with hundreds of notable artists, recorded 33 albums, and at least 430 song.
Over the course of his 60 year career, Bridges was awarded a Grammy and 6 gold records.
He began his musical career at the age of 14 in the nightclubs of Tulsa. He was an original member of The Starlighters, formed by classmate Johnny Williams, Chuck Blackwell, Lucky Clark, and Leo Feathers. Others, including J.J. Cale, joined along the way. The group toured with Jerry Lee Lewis and was instrumental in creating the style of music known as "The Tulsa Sound." He also played with David Gates in high school, in a band called The Accents. He took the name Leon Russell from a friend who lent him an ID to get into the clubs where he was legally too young to perform.
He moved from Tulsa to Los Angeles in 1959 where, as a first call studio musician, he played on many of the most popular songs of the 1960s. He played piano with the Wrecking Crew, in informal name for the most sought after L.A. studio musicians of the 1960s.
He wrote "Delta Lady," recorded by Joe Cocker, and organized and performed with Cocker's "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" tour. "A Song for You" has been recorded by more than 200 artists. "This Masquerade" has been recorded by over 75 artists.
Leon Russell produced or played on recorded sessions for Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Ike and Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, and many others. Russell performed as a member of Delaney and Bonnie and Friends in 1969 and 1970, playing guitar and keyboards on their albums and as part of the touring band. Through this group, he met George Harrison and others with whom he would work over the next couple of years. He took guitar lessons from James Burton during his early days in L.A.
Russell produced some tracks for Bob Dylan in March 1971 when Dylan was experimenting with his new sound. The sessions produced the single "Watching the River Flow."
At the invitation of former Delaney & Bonnie and George Harrison, Russell played piano on Badfinger's third album, "Straight Up" in the summer of 1971. The piano part complemented Pete Ham's and George Harrison's dual slide guitars on Badfinger's "day After Day." The Straight Up sessions were interrupted when many of the musicians left for New York City to participate in The Concert For Bangladesh, at which Russell performed a medley of the songs "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Young Blood." Bob Dylan surprised Russell by asking him to play bass for some of Dylan's portion of the show; Russell and Harrison sang harmonies on the chorus of "Just Like a Woman." Leon helped Bluesman Freddie King revive his career by collaborating on three of King's albums for Shelter Records during the early 1970s.
Leon's collaboration with Elton John,"The Union," was nominated for a Grammy.
He moved back to Tulsa where he opened The Church Studio, now being restored. He had a recording studio in his house in the historic Maple Ridge District as well as his place on Grand Lake of the Cherokees.
Leon Russell died in his sleep at his suburban Nashville home in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, on November 13, 2016, at the age of 74."
We will be posting additional information about the Tulsa Music scene going forward.
]]>
From a young age I was fascinated with watching him play guitar. Soon enough he bought me my first guitar and taught me my first lick. A few years later he started acquiring music recording equipment and, at 14, taught me to record and mix my very first record.
Tommy Emmanuel, Keith Richards, Magic Sam, Prince, Eric Clapton, SRV, Billy Gibbons, Roy Buchanan, Roy Clark, Glen Campbell, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, James Burton, B.B. King, Carlos Santana, Ry Cooder, Angus Young, Robert Johnson, Elmore James, Jimmy Page, EVH, Mike Bloomfield, George Benson, Chuck Berry, George Harrison, T-Bone Walker, not necessarily in that order.
Honorable Mention:
Leo Kottke, Jeff Beck, Mark Knopfler, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Freddie King, Albert King, and our own Barry Levenson.
]]>
So why would someone of McCartney's stature give that kind of recognition to Muddy Water's Band? Let's review who was in it. They are certainly a group of All Time All Stars: in the 50's, Little Walter on Harp, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Willie Dixon on bass, Otis Spann on piano. Later on, a young Buddy Guy was added on acoustic guitar.
At one point, Muddy used a backing band that included Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield for his 1969 album "Fathers and Sons."
Muddy also used guitarist Sammy Lawhorn, as well as Rory Gallagher, Steve Winwood, Rick Grech, and Mitch Mitchell. Then came collaborations with Bob Margolin, Pinetop Perkins, Paul Butterfield, as well as Levon Helm and Garth Hudson of The Band.
I'm sure McCartney was speaking of the original band, including Buddy Guy.
Some of my favorite Muddy Waters compositions:
Champagne and Reefer, Clouds in my Heart, Country Boy, Cross Eyed Cat, (Perhaps the Influence for Keith Richard's Cross Eyed Heart?), Evil, Find Yourself Another Fool, Goin' Down to Main Street, Going Home, Gypsy Woman, Iodine in my Coffee, My Love Strikes Like Lightning, She's 19 Years Old, Lonesome Day, One More Mile, Where's My Woman Been, Sad Letter Blues, Long Distance Call, Loving Man, You're Gonna Miss Me, She Moves Me, Mule Kickin' in my Stall, She's All Right, Still a Fool, to name a few.
The hell, you say. Many of the best songs are missing from that list!
I Just Want to Make Love to You, Hoochie Cootchie Man, Don't Go No Further, I Got My Brand on You, I Love the Life I Live, I Live the Life I Love, I'm a Natural Born Lover, I'm Ready, I Want to be Loved? Muddy's bass player, Willie Dixon, wrote those songs and a host of others for many prominent Blues musicians.
I hope some of you blues aficionados will weigh in on this. Next, we can talk about Eric Clapton or Jimmie Hendrix's comment when asked how it feels to be the world's greatest guitarist. Phil Keaggy? No Clapton didn't say "Prince." After seeing Tommie Emmanuel, he's my guy. More on that later.
]]>Every guitar player who will ever go on stage, or play in a studio environment needs this. Conventional tripod style guitar stands are a real pain. They aren't stable, they take up room, they require separate trips in and out because they don't fit in a gig bag.
Now there is Pro Guitar Safe-T-Stand to solve those issues. The blue velvet embroidered carry bag comes with it. They'll love you for it!
https://safe-t-stand.com/products/safe-t-stand-on-stage-guitar-stand-for-performing-guitarists
]]>
And remember, your Social Media Likes, Shares and Comments help support our small business. Thanks much!
]]>And while Ruggles and Cook have done the rubber chicken circuit many times in the Auto Industry, this will be the first foray for each in the music business.
“All we are looking to do,” says Ruggles, “is meet and greet and take it all in. We’ll be talking mostly to those in the Amplification and Custom Guitar niches but we certainly won’t rule anyone out. The Safe-T-Stand has many partnering opportunities and the NAMM Show is the perfect place to forge new relationships.”
Cook adds, “Ruggles and I have always been productive at these types of events. We don’t take ourselves too seriously but we know that we are here to do a job. These conferences always bring great opportunity and we are eager to expand our network with new friends and new colleagues.”
Safe-T-Stand Co-Founder Caden Powell will be joining as well and it’s a good thing. He brings some authentic musical talent to the Safe-T-Stand team, whereas Cook and Ruggles are still admitted ‘newbies.’
The NAMM Show runs January 24-27 in Anaheim, California.
]]>https://bngguitars.com/
They also make boutique amplifiers using NOS parts. Joe Walsh now plays a B&G Step.
]]>This is SoCal Blues at its finest. I can personally vouch for Orphan Jon, Barry Levenson, The Blasters, and Kid Ramos. Johnny Main, of the 44's, accompanied Orphan John on a recent Midwest tour. So I know "The 44s" are smokin'!
KayKay (The Girl with Faraway Eyes) Jagger steers the ship. I had to be reminded of what a music hub Bakersfield CA is during a recent visit to see Orphan Jon for the first time. Buck Owens and Merle Haggard both hail from Bakersfield. The Chrystal Palace is there.
I can't wait to get back!
The pic is of Shawna McCarty and Lipz Wilson at O'Hennings in Bakersfield at a RipCat event. Shawna got up on stage and performed with Orphan Jon. Later on in the evening, a guitar duel erupted between "The 44s" "evil Johnny Main," and "The Kid." It was reminiscent of Steve Vai and Ry Cooder trading licks in the movie "Crossroads." "The Kid" was playing through Barry Levenson's prized Super Reverb, modified by Howard Dumble himself. Let's just say the Super Reverb might not have experienced volume levels like that ever. It was quite a night.
RipCat Records - Their Cats Rip! Their roster of musicians include the following:
Whiteboy James and the Blues Express
]]>
So one day, I was scrolling through the Michael Kelly guitars site. I came across their CC50 Burl Burst, a beautiful guitar with gold/brass hardware, a burl maple top, birds eye maple fret board, and a KORINA body. I was mind blown that a guitar this beautiful, made from wood so rare, could be offered for such a reasonable price. So I pulled the trigger. It exceeded my expectations, but I was driven to tinker. We had to go with the pearl pick guard with matching knob tops. To complete the package, we went with Joe Barden "Danny Gatton" model dual rail humbucker pickups.
I think its kinda attractive. Complete it cost less than a factory Fender Telecaster Pro.
]]>Excerpts from MMM 106.6 FM radio:
"Another rock legend has passed on, making 2016 one of the worst ever for rock and roll. According to a post on his website, Leon Russell died over the weekend at age 74.
Here are a few things you may not have know about this multi-talented white haired musician.
1. When Leon was 17, he was recruited to join Jerry Lee Lewis's touring band. He thought it would be more fun than college, because he would get to travel the country and eat in a lot of different restaurants.
2. He was a session musician in Los Angeles during the sixties and very much in demand. He played on songs by the Byrds, Bob Dylan, Gary Lewis and the Playboys and more. And that's his piano you hear on "Monster Mash" by Bobby Boris Pickett, and "Strangers in the Night" by Frank Sinatra.
3. Leon recruited some pretty heavy hitters to appear on his first album--including John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Oh, and if that weren't enough Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood were on the album too.
4. His biggest hit was "Tight Rope," which made it to #11 on the charts in 1972. He had success as a songwriter for others as well. Russell co-wrote the song "Superstar" that was a hit for the Carpenters and wrote "This Masquerade" that charted for George Benson. His "A Song For You" has been covered by everyone from Ray Charles to Andy Williams to Whitney Houston and Donna Summer.
5. When Leon Russell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, Elton John gave the induction speech. The two made an album together, called The Union, in 2010, which Rolling Stone called one of the best of that year."
Don't Be Surprised to find postings on another noted Tulsa musician, JJ Cale. That's coming.
]]>You'll hear Barry playing as background to our Safe-T-Stand video at the tab on our home page.
Barry recently produced a blues CD for Orphan Jon and the Abandoned.
Listen to Barry's playing on "Leave My Blues Alone." Bruce Krupnik, lead guitarist for the band, plays a major role. The production is just amazing.
Barry has teamed up with local Blues Artist Shawna McCarty. They are known as "On the Corner," that's of Jazz and Blues. Three songs are in the can, with more to come.
Included on Barry's resume are years on the road with Canned Heat. He's written the liner notes for over 50 albums and Cds. His Chicago Blues inspired CD with Johnny Dyer is epic. You might be able to find it on Storyville Records. I found mine on eBay.
Listen to Hard Times Won on YouTube
The song was nominated for a W.C. Handy award. When you hear it, you'll understand why.
More on RipCat and Shawna McCarty in subsequent posts.
]]>
Barry Levenson is a Los Angeles-based producer, arranger, studio musician, and live performer. After you hear him you get the impression he could play anything and he does. You could say his day job is making music as a hired hand for a multitude of projects from up and coming Popsters to movie soundtracks and TV bumpers. His hands may be required to do it all but his heart makes its home in the realm of Blues and Jazz. Originally from Pittsburgh, he’s been all over the geographical map as well. He studied music in Boston, toured the world with Canned Heat and currently works in Los Angeles. Barry is into old school tones and tunes and he concocts masterful musical excursions which perfectly suit his tasteful, sometimes delicate, and always melodic playing. On his new album, The Visit, from Rip Cat Records, Barry brings his vast library of licks, riffs, and tones over to your house for a late night listening party.
The album opens with the genre defining riff of “I Wonder Why.” Several of Barry’s influences have done this song from Earl Hooker to Freddie King but Levenson offers a masterful instrumental version much like Otis Rush did on Right Place, Wrong Time. In one complete, cogent track Barry sets forth his mission statement for The Visit. He’s bringing all his musical inspirations together for your listening pleasure. Barry’s music exists in the sweet spots of Blues and Jazz. The notes are blue but the feeling is positive and uplifting. It’s the musical equivalent of one door opening as another closes. “I Wonder Why” has all these elements, with Barry exquisitely combining styles of Otis, Freddie, T-Bone and others into a Barry Levenson brew that hits all the right notes.
On “Ice Cold Kiss” Barry takes a vocal turn adding smooth, jazzy vocals over a smoky layer of late night blues accented by cascading piano and horn lines courtesy of Mike Thompson and Phil Krawzak respectively. It’s a mid tempo tune that evokes images of a smoky, dimly lit late night jazz club, the air thick with cigarette smoke, stale beer, and pheromones. Many of songs we hear during The Visit exude late night melancholy with some exception like opener “I Wonder Why,” and “It’s Mighty Crazy” which is just plain fun. Being a creature of the studio and Los Angeles, Barry’s personal musical pursuits probably find their reality in late night jams. The late night jams are an improviser’s playground and Barry’s knowledge and encyclopedia of guitar licks make him the top choice in any pick-up game, but that circumstance surely informs the music he creates. This is big city late night music.
The title track, “The Visit,” expertly weaves together jazz and blues. The breakdown in the middle starts with a jazzy rhythmic chorded solo that builds into a West Side Chicago Blues head cutting contest big finish before slipping into a swinging coda. You have to go back and listen to this one a few times to hear everything you missed. “This Time I’m Gone For Good” and album closer “You’re Gonna Need Me” features Billy Price on vocals. Billy is a well-known and respected soul singer whose latest album, This Time for Real, was recorded with Chicago soul singer Otis Clay. Guitar aficionados may remember Billy from his stint with Roy Buchanan. Barry Levenson is a player on par with Roy Buchanan and it’s great to hear Billy working with a less histrionic, but equally evocative player. The two men form a sympathetic duo that makes each song a special moment during The Visit.
Even before you hear the music, you get a hint of what is to come. The cover of The Visit looks like you’ve opened the front door around 10 pm to find Barry and his trusty guitar. He’s brought his friends Magic Sam, Otis Rush, and T-Bone Walker with him. He even brought along his old pal from Pittsburgh Billy Price to sing a few. “Have you heard of Grant Green?” Barry asks, and then plays some licks to remind you. It’s like the old days when people would bring records to a party and would actually listen to them and discuss what they heard. One song would inspire the next in a Round Robin of pre-internet music sharing. To me that’s what The Visit is all about. Don’t wait for Barry to knock on your door, schedule a visit for yourself and some friends with this terrific musical love letter to a time before playlists, Pandora, and ear buds.
The Visit is available at iTunes, Amazon, Rip Cat Records, and other outlets.
He just acquired an Ampeg Gemini II amplifier he is quite proud of. Barry Levenson says they might have the best reverb EVER. And Barry knows his stuff.
Maybe Jack will tell us the story of the acquisition of the Ampeg, the amp in early pictures of the Rolling Stones. I think he's caught the bug the rest of us have. "GAS." That stands for Guitar Acquisition Syndrome OR GEAR Acquisition Syndrome. It actually has the original tubes in it.
Jack is also an audiophile, with a vintage Scott tube amplifier powering vintage Klipsch Heresy speakers. He recently acquired one of the hi level TEAC turntables to play his vintage vinyl on. Yea, he's our kind of guy! You know there's always stories around the acquisition of cool vintage gear!
We also like vintage audio around here too. Anyone who wants to talk about their vintage audio gear AND their precious vintage vinyl is welcome. We also want to know about CURRENT vinyl releases, as well.
I'm always looking for quadradial discrete 4 channel vinyl to round out my collection.
]]>
Had it been cable locked to the amp, an available option available by purchasing a typical cable lock for a gun or bicycle, it wouldn't have happened. But these items are only now becoming available. Sam has a replacement Safe-T-Stand that is a full production model. And our thief has a prototype. :)
]]>