Like his good friend R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough hailed from northern Mississippi and didn’t find fame until relatively late in the game. Kimbrough recorded sessions in the 1960s and 1970s that went mostly unreleased. It wasn’t until music critic Robert Palmer produced his first record for the Fat Possum label in 1992 that Kimbrough attained […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Oleo” by Eric Dolphy
Today, I had the chance to play all three albums of Eric Dolphy’s Copenhagen concert from September, 1961. I haven’t played these recordings in many years and it was great to get reacquainted to the mastery of flute, saxophone and bass clarinet that was Eric Dolphy. The music has been released in all different ways […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “East Of Ginger Trees” by Seals & Crofts
The duo of Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were one of the most successful soft rock groups of the 1970s. The duo hailed from Texas and after gigging around they both joined The Champs of “Tequila” fame as touring members of the group. Glen Campbell was also a member of the group and the three […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “It’s Raining Men” by The Weather Girls
The duo of Martha Wash and Izora Armstead were originally called Two Tons O’ Fun for obvious reasons before they took on the moniker of The Weather Girls. The song was written by producer Paul Jabara and “Late Night with David Letterman” band leader Paul Shaffer. The group also provided backing vocals for the likes […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Hey Hey My My (Into The Black)” by Devo w/Neil Young
Q: Where do the worlds of The Kingston Trio, Devo and Neil Young all collide? A: Why, on “Human Highway,” of course! “Human Highway” was a mostly dreadful film released by Bernard Shakey (aka Neil Young) in 1982. The film starred Neil Young, Dean Stockwell, Dennis Hopper, Russ Tamblyn and Devo and was filmed between […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Disseminated” by Soul Coughing
Mike Doughty was once the doorman for The Knitting Factory, a New York City club that specialized in avant garde jazz and off-the-wall rock music. It was through his association with the musicians that frequented the club that Soul Coughing was born. Doughty had been a poet in college and it is his off-beat poetry […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Johnny Carson” by Das Damen
Das Damen was an alternative band from New Jersey who was originally signed in 1986 by Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) to his record label. The band consisted of Jim Walters and Alex Totino on vocals and guitar, Phil Leopold von Trapp on bass and vocals and Lyle Hysen on drums. They recorded throughout the […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Carpet Of The Sun” by Renaissance
I had almost forgotten about Renaissance, a group I loved back in the 1970s and even went to see once at Radio City Music Hall. It wasn’t until a friend of mine posted a song from their 1975 album “Scheherazade,” that they even crossed my consciousness after all of these years, and the first thing […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Cry Me A River” by Joe Cocker
Like most people my age, my first exposure to this Arthur Hamilton-penned track was this rocking Joe Cocker version from “Mad Dogs And Englishmen.” So you can imagine my surprise when I later discovered that the song was originally a sultry ballad that had been a top-ten hit in 1955 for Julie London. The song […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Scotch And Soda” by The Kingston Trio
Before The Beatles…there was The Kingston Trio! The Trio of Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds and Bob Shane were the most recognized act of the initial folk boom of the late 1950s causing a sensation throughout college campuses. Their brand of exuberantly sung folk songs mingled with a healthy dose of good natured “aw-shucks” humor offered […]
