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willedoo

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Yesterday Old Man Emu posted a Chuck Berry video on another thread. So I looked at it on YouTube and got then sucked into the YouTube rabbit hole of suggested videos. Next thing I'm watching B.B. King perform with Bonnie Raitt and her hubby. Maybe some people who have heard her on the radio might not know that she also does the lead guitar work. She's a very accomplished guitarist and while there are better, what sets Bonnie apart is her ability to do intricate lead riffs and sing intense vocals at the same time. Most that do lead singing and lead guitar don't mix the two. Sing a couple of bars then pick a couple of bars etc.. Billy Thorpe shared that talent with Bonnie Raitt but I can't think of too many others offhand.

 

I saw Bonnie Raitt live in the early 90's at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, as support act to Bob Dylan. Unfortunately, Bob was in his alcoholic period and the way he performed that night, I wouldn't have paid $10 to see him at the local pub. But Bonnie Raitt rocked the house. At the end of her gig the crowd were calling for encores but she wasn't allowed encores because the drunken main act thought they'd be upstaged. At the end of Bob Dylan's disaster slash performance, he asked Bonnie to join him on stage for a number, but she wouldn't. Don't blame her for not wanting to play with the drunken clown.

 

On the subject of B.B. King, I saw him in his heyday of the early 70's at Festival Hall in Brisbane. It was easy to see why he had the moniker of King of the Blues. It was a big band, B.B. on lead/rhythm guitar with separate lead, rhythm and bass guitarists. Also a drummer, piano player and six piece brass line up. There were baritone, tenor and alto saxophones as well as trumpet, trombone and a sixth brass instrument I can't remember. French horn perhaps. They were all dressed like the Blues Brothers with black suits, skinny ties and sunglasses.

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The most impressive music concert I have been to, was one by Leonard Cohen, backed by Claire Bowditch and Evelyn Morris, at Perth Oval in November 2010.

 

Cohen was 76 then, and his voice was strong, and he performed flawlessly - unlike many of the disappointing "retirement tours" of famous rock stars, that I've gone to, that were a total waste of time and money.

 

Unfortunately, Leonard Cohen passed on in 2016, at age 82. A great loss to the music and entertainment industry.

 

https://www.leonardcohenforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=23820&start=30

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Don't know so much about great guitarists, but the first concert I ever attended was Roy Orbison, at the Palais, St Kilda. The main support act were the Rolling Stones on their first Australian tour. Other acts on the bill were Ray Brown and the Whispers (Swallow My Pride) and The Newbeats -- remember them? He likes bread and butter, she likes toast and jam. Typical teen hysteria during the support acts, but when Roy came on, the place went silent. Someone made a noise and a voice called out "Shut up and let him sing!"

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The actual lyrics to the Newbeats song are:

 

"He likes bread and butter,
He likes toast and jam,
That's what his baby feeds him,
He's her loving man."

 

https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk037uGOHFAUghgLMPcGP3qq_bXDPCQ%3A1600865922592&ei=gkZrX-HfI4vfz7sP8oyUoA4&q=lyrics+He+likes+bread+and+butter%2C+he+likes+toast+and+jam&oq=lyrics+He+likes+bread+and+butter%2C+he+likes+toast+and+jam

 

To be honest, I'd never heard of the Newbeats and never knew their song was the original. Now, I seem to recall an Aussie band did this song much better - but I can't for the life of me, remember who that band was.

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Just being a little bit pedantic here - but where I come from, that's a spade, not a shovel. I have plenty of experience using both, for their original purpose!

 

I have to admit, he's very very good. Did he actually build the instrument, too? More kudos to him if he did, that's some amazing range of talents.

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50 minutes ago, onetrack said:

I have to admit, he's very very good. Did he actually build the instrument, too? More kudos to him if he did, that's some amazing range of talents.

I can't remember whether he built his original one. From memory he's partnered up with a mob who makes them and he sells them. I haven't seen the prices for a long time but I seem to remember they were around $400 USD. They don't have frets but have some fret position markings on the wooden handle. He's good on a normal guitar as well. Reminds me of Stevie Ray Vaughan a bit.

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1 hour ago, onetrack said:

but where I come from, that's a spade, not a shovel.

It is a spade. Although where I come from everything is called a shovel; it's very rare for anyone to ever use the word spade. Here it would be called a garden shovel.

Edited by willedoo
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