b - Musician Files
- Burt Bacharach - Joan Baez - Baha Men - John Baldry - John Barry - Beach Boys - Tony Bennett - Big Brother & the Holding Company - Black Crowes - Black Oak Arkansas - Blind Faith - Blondie - Blood, Sweat & Tears - Boston - Edie Brickell - Jackson Browne - Byrds -
burt bacharach
Burt Freeman Bacharach (May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Starting in the 1950s, he composed hundreds of pop songs, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. Bacharach's music is characterized by unusual chord progressions and time signature changes, influenced by his background in jazz, and uncommon selections of instruments for small orchestras. He arranged, conducted, and produced much of his recorded output.
July 27, 2023: Pitchfork: Presenting Dionne Warwick
Burt Bacharach’s name was also misspelled on that first single. It said Bert, which was his father’s name. (His mother gave him the u because she felt, for reasons lost to time, that it would protect him from the teasing his dad had apparently endured as a child.) By that point, the songwriter and his lyricist partner, Hal David, had a track record as hitmakers, which gave Bacharach a certain sway among executive types. Also, he was white. The e never showed up on a label again...... Bacharach’s contemporary Phil Spector liked to compare his productions to little symphonies, but this was a lot closer to the real deal. Spector draped simple pop compositions in lushly symphonic instrumentation; Bacharach’s songs are ingenious in their bones, whether performed by an orchestra or a soloist..Warwick and Bacharach were odd fits for the rock’n’roll assembly line. Both were conservatory-trained: she a young gospel devotee who could sing opera, jazz, or any other style if she wanted; he a 30-something aesthete and tinkerer who spent his adolescence sneaking into Manhattan bebop clubs and once wrote that he might enjoy Bill Haley and His Comets more if they used a few major-seventh chords. The music they made together with David sounds only occasionally like R&B, and almost never like rock. Suffused with jazz and classical harmony, set to rhythms influenced by the Brazilian music that Bacharach encountered in his years as a touring conductor, and with Warwick’s vocals emphasizing clarity and precision as much as fervor and abandon, it’s not the first thing a DJ might reach for to set the sock hop on fire.
Burt Bacharach’s name was also misspelled on that first single. It said Bert, which was his father’s name. (His mother gave him the u because she felt, for reasons lost to time, that it would protect him from the teasing his dad had apparently endured as a child.) By that point, the songwriter and his lyricist partner, Hal David, had a track record as hitmakers, which gave Bacharach a certain sway among executive types. Also, he was white. The e never showed up on a label again...... Bacharach’s contemporary Phil Spector liked to compare his productions to little symphonies, but this was a lot closer to the real deal. Spector draped simple pop compositions in lushly symphonic instrumentation; Bacharach’s songs are ingenious in their bones, whether performed by an orchestra or a soloist..Warwick and Bacharach were odd fits for the rock’n’roll assembly line. Both were conservatory-trained: she a young gospel devotee who could sing opera, jazz, or any other style if she wanted; he a 30-something aesthete and tinkerer who spent his adolescence sneaking into Manhattan bebop clubs and once wrote that he might enjoy Bill Haley and His Comets more if they used a few major-seventh chords. The music they made together with David sounds only occasionally like R&B, and almost never like rock. Suffused with jazz and classical harmony, set to rhythms influenced by the Brazilian music that Bacharach encountered in his years as a touring conductor, and with Warwick’s vocals emphasizing clarity and precision as much as fervor and abandon, it’s not the first thing a DJ might reach for to set the sock hop on fire.
May 17, 2023: Uncut: Susanna Hoffs – My Life in Music
DIONNE WARWICK
Dionne Warwick’s Golden Hits Part 2
SCEPTER, 1969
When I was growing up, my mother played Dionne Warwick singing Burt Bacharach and Hal David songs on repeat. So for the little girl who loved to sing, the roadmaps of these songs are so important. The melodies are truly extraordinary, the lyrics are so clever and specific, and the delivery is so imbued with heartache, joy, sadness, every possible emotion. It’s a rare synergy between Bert and Hal and Dionne Warwick. Obviously their songs were covered by other people as well, but her voice specifically – the yearning, the vocal tone… and this was likely a one-take performance, with none of the digital, magical things that people do now. Just thinking about that when I sing along to this record, it is extraordinary.
DIONNE WARWICK
Dionne Warwick’s Golden Hits Part 2
SCEPTER, 1969
When I was growing up, my mother played Dionne Warwick singing Burt Bacharach and Hal David songs on repeat. So for the little girl who loved to sing, the roadmaps of these songs are so important. The melodies are truly extraordinary, the lyrics are so clever and specific, and the delivery is so imbued with heartache, joy, sadness, every possible emotion. It’s a rare synergy between Bert and Hal and Dionne Warwick. Obviously their songs were covered by other people as well, but her voice specifically – the yearning, the vocal tone… and this was likely a one-take performance, with none of the digital, magical things that people do now. Just thinking about that when I sing along to this record, it is extraordinary.
joan baez
Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more than 30 albums. Fluent in Spanish and English, she has also recorded songs in at least six other languages.
Baez is generally regarded as a folk singer, but her music has diversified since the counterculture era of the 1960s and encompasses genres such as folk rock, pop, country, and gospel music. She began her recording career in 1960 and achieved immediate success. Her first three albums, Joan Baez, Joan Baez, Vol. 2 and Joan Baez in Concert, all achieved gold record status.
Baez is generally regarded as a folk singer, but her music has diversified since the counterculture era of the 1960s and encompasses genres such as folk rock, pop, country, and gospel music. She began her recording career in 1960 and achieved immediate success. Her first three albums, Joan Baez, Joan Baez, Vol. 2 and Joan Baez in Concert, all achieved gold record status.
July 31, 2023: Smerconish: Joan Baez in Ukraine: A New Voice of Hope
It was our 5th trip to Ukraine.
But this time, we were traveling with legendary singer/ social activist Joan Baez. This was no coincidence. Karen Redlener and I met Joan in 1972 when she helped financially rescue a clinic I ran in Lee County, Arkansas. The place was an impoverished bastion of Southern racism and the 6th poorest county in America at the time. But we were just one of many federally funded programs for high-poverty communities struggling to stay afloat as President Richard Nixon, bent on eliminating programs like ours, was pulling federal funding as quickly as he could get away with. I had reached out randomly to the iconic superstar singer Baez for help. She responded by organizing a benefit concert in Memphis – the closest big city to Lee County. We’ve been pals ever since – so we were hardly surprised when, just after Russia invaded Ukraine, Joan called saying, “Let’s do something!”
It was our 5th trip to Ukraine.
But this time, we were traveling with legendary singer/ social activist Joan Baez. This was no coincidence. Karen Redlener and I met Joan in 1972 when she helped financially rescue a clinic I ran in Lee County, Arkansas. The place was an impoverished bastion of Southern racism and the 6th poorest county in America at the time. But we were just one of many federally funded programs for high-poverty communities struggling to stay afloat as President Richard Nixon, bent on eliminating programs like ours, was pulling federal funding as quickly as he could get away with. I had reached out randomly to the iconic superstar singer Baez for help. She responded by organizing a benefit concert in Memphis – the closest big city to Lee County. We’ve been pals ever since – so we were hardly surprised when, just after Russia invaded Ukraine, Joan called saying, “Let’s do something!”
March 12, 2023: Mercury News: Saratoga concerts highlight music of ’60s, Leonard Cohen
Immanuel Lutheran Church is hosting a night of ’60s music with Paul Wesling and friends on March 25. The family-friendly concert will feature songs from artists like John Denver, the Kingston Trio, the Everly Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Simon and Garfunkel and the Carpenters.
Immanuel Lutheran Church is hosting a night of ’60s music with Paul Wesling and friends on March 25. The family-friendly concert will feature songs from artists like John Denver, the Kingston Trio, the Everly Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Simon and Garfunkel and the Carpenters.
March 10, 2023: Austin Chronicles: SXSW Documentary Exhumes a Personal History Folk Icon and Activist Joan Baez
So much of Joan Baez's life has been in the spotlight since she was heralded as the crystalline voice of the 1960s folk scene that there would seem to be little new ground for a documentary to cover. Her rise to international stardom as a teenager, her civil rights and anti-war activism, and her high-profile personal relationships and struggles with anxiety have all been well documented through two autobiographies, numerous books, and previous films. Yet Joan Baez I Am a Noise takes audiences somewhere completely unexpected. The new documentary from directors Karen O'Connor, Miri Navasky, and Maeve O'Boyle (making its North American premiere at South by Southwest) quite literally opens a storage vault of the artist's life and 60-year career.
So much of Joan Baez's life has been in the spotlight since she was heralded as the crystalline voice of the 1960s folk scene that there would seem to be little new ground for a documentary to cover. Her rise to international stardom as a teenager, her civil rights and anti-war activism, and her high-profile personal relationships and struggles with anxiety have all been well documented through two autobiographies, numerous books, and previous films. Yet Joan Baez I Am a Noise takes audiences somewhere completely unexpected. The new documentary from directors Karen O'Connor, Miri Navasky, and Maeve O'Boyle (making its North American premiere at South by Southwest) quite literally opens a storage vault of the artist's life and 60-year career.
Feb 20, 2023: Variety: ‘Joan Baez I Am a Noise’ Review: She Shall Overcome — but Only After a Lifetime of Panic Attacks
In co-directors Miri Navasky, Karen O’Connor and Maeve O’Boyle's full-to-bursting doc portrait, the peaceful folk-singing great reveals the darkness that dogged her over a career.
In co-directors Miri Navasky, Karen O’Connor and Maeve O’Boyle's full-to-bursting doc portrait, the peaceful folk-singing great reveals the darkness that dogged her over a career.
baha men
Baha Men are a Bahamian band from Nassau, New Providence, the Bahamas playing a modernized style of Bahamian music called junkanoo. They are best known for their 2000 hit single "Who Let the Dogs Out?". Baha Men formed in 1977 as High Voltage, initially playing disco and funk. They performed regularly in nightclubs and hotels in the Bahamas and self-released several albums.In 1991, one of their tapes found its way to Atlantic Records A&R man Steve Greenberg, who signed the band to the Big Beat subsidiary, at the same time getting the band to change their name to the Baha Men.
May 28, 2023: ABC: Why do some songs get stuck in your head? The psychology behind catchy musical hooks
Correct! This is Who Let The Dogs Out by the Baha Men.
Why it’s a hook: There’s something to be said for simplicity in hook writing — find a good one, and then just keep doing it. In fact, the line “Who let the dogs out?” is repeated 30 times in just over three minutes, while the barking “Who?” is repeated 120 times. While this seems like some brute-force hook writing, it certainly does work because we can only hold so much information at once in our memories.
Who Let The Dogs Out
Written by: Anslem Douglas and Osbert Leopold Gurley
As performed by: Baha Men
Published by: BMG Rights Management Australia P/L and St Music
Correct! This is Who Let The Dogs Out by the Baha Men.
Why it’s a hook: There’s something to be said for simplicity in hook writing — find a good one, and then just keep doing it. In fact, the line “Who let the dogs out?” is repeated 30 times in just over three minutes, while the barking “Who?” is repeated 120 times. While this seems like some brute-force hook writing, it certainly does work because we can only hold so much information at once in our memories.
Who Let The Dogs Out
Written by: Anslem Douglas and Osbert Leopold Gurley
As performed by: Baha Men
Published by: BMG Rights Management Australia P/L and St Music
JOHN BALDRY
john barry
beach boys
August 8, 2023
As devout prog-rockers, Genesis led by The Beatles’ example, creating abstract, progressive sounds with pop sensibilities. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Beatles’ psychedelic masterpiece of 1967, is often regarded as the signpost to prog-rock, and rightly so.
However, chasing this lineage back one step, we arrive at The Beach Boys’ 1966 album, Pet Sounds. “I played it to John [Lennon] so much that it would be difficult for him to escape the influence,” Paul McCartney told interviewer David Leaf of the impact of Pet Sounds in 1990.
“If records had a director within a band, I sort of directed Pepper. And my influence was basically the Pet Sounds album,” he added. “John was influenced by it, perhaps not as much as me. It was certainly a record we all played – it was the record of the time, you know?”
Collins and his Genesis bandmates were influenced greatly by both The Beatles and The Beach Boys. However, when listing some of his favourite songs of all time for BBC Radio 2’s Tracks of My Years in 2016, The Beach Boys seemed to come out on top. --Far Out Magazine; Phil Collins on his favourite song by The Beach Boys
However, chasing this lineage back one step, we arrive at The Beach Boys’ 1966 album, Pet Sounds. “I played it to John [Lennon] so much that it would be difficult for him to escape the influence,” Paul McCartney told interviewer David Leaf of the impact of Pet Sounds in 1990.
“If records had a director within a band, I sort of directed Pepper. And my influence was basically the Pet Sounds album,” he added. “John was influenced by it, perhaps not as much as me. It was certainly a record we all played – it was the record of the time, you know?”
Collins and his Genesis bandmates were influenced greatly by both The Beatles and The Beach Boys. However, when listing some of his favourite songs of all time for BBC Radio 2’s Tracks of My Years in 2016, The Beach Boys seemed to come out on top. --Far Out Magazine; Phil Collins on his favourite song by The Beach Boys
March 12, 2023: Mercury News: Saratoga concerts highlight music of ’60s, Leonard Cohen
Immanuel Lutheran Church is hosting a night of ’60s music with Paul Wesling and friends on March 25. The family-friendly concert will feature songs from artists like John Denver, the Kingston Trio, the Everly Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Simon and Garfunkel and the Carpenters.
Immanuel Lutheran Church is hosting a night of ’60s music with Paul Wesling and friends on March 25. The family-friendly concert will feature songs from artists like John Denver, the Kingston Trio, the Everly Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Simon and Garfunkel and the Carpenters.
tony bennett
July 21, 2023: Pitchfork: Tony Bennett Dies at 96
Tony Bennett, the monumental singer whose renditions of jazz and pop standards shaped American music, died in his New York hometown today (July 21), his publicist said. No cause of death was given, but Bennett had been living with Alzheimer’s disease since 2016. He was 96 years old.
Tony Bennett, the monumental singer whose renditions of jazz and pop standards shaped American music, died in his New York hometown today (July 21), his publicist said. No cause of death was given, but Bennett had been living with Alzheimer’s disease since 2016. He was 96 years old.
Big brother & the Holding Company
black crowes
May 1, 2021: Virginia-Pilot: Aerosmith announces farewell tour starting in September
The Black Crowes will open the Live Nation-produced trek. All dates go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
The Black Crowes will open the Live Nation-produced trek. All dates go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. local time.
black oak arkansas
blindfaith
blondie
blood, Sweat & Tears
boston
Mar 22, 2023: Yahoo: John Sebastian’s Catalog, Including ‘Daydream’ and ‘Welcome Back,’ Acquired by AMR Songs
AMR has also acquired interests in the publishing, producer and artist royalties of hundreds of songs, including hits recorded by artists such as Brantley Gilbert, Boston, Carly Simon, Celine Dion, Charlie Daniels, Eminem, Enrique Iglesias, James Arthur, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Juanes, Kane Brown, Leona Lewis, Lil Wayne, Linda Ronstadt, Little River Band, Luke Combs, Pitbull, Pure Prairie League, Samantha Mumba, Westlife, and Yandel, and more.
AMR has also acquired interests in the publishing, producer and artist royalties of hundreds of songs, including hits recorded by artists such as Brantley Gilbert, Boston, Carly Simon, Celine Dion, Charlie Daniels, Eminem, Enrique Iglesias, James Arthur, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Juanes, Kane Brown, Leona Lewis, Lil Wayne, Linda Ronstadt, Little River Band, Luke Combs, Pitbull, Pure Prairie League, Samantha Mumba, Westlife, and Yandel, and more.
edie bricckell & the New Bohemians
May 19, 2023:
👉Paul Simon has revealed a new musical project called Seven Psalms, a seven-movement composition meant to be heard as a continuous piece of music rather than an album. Stream it in full below.
Produced by Simon and Kyle Crusham, Seven Psalms sees the legendary singer-songwriter play various acoustic instruments. He’s joined by singer Edie Brickell, as well as the British vocal ensemble VOCES8.
Because the composition is meant to be heard as a single piece of music, Simon didn’t preview Seven Psalms with any singles. However, the artist did share a trailer for the project, in which he revealed the idea for the music came to him in a dream. “On January 15th, 2019, I had a dream that said, ‘You’re working on a piece called Seven Psalms,'” he recalled. “The dream was so strong that I got up and I wrote it down. But I had no idea what that meant.”
👉Paul Simon has revealed a new musical project called Seven Psalms, a seven-movement composition meant to be heard as a continuous piece of music rather than an album. Stream it in full below.
Produced by Simon and Kyle Crusham, Seven Psalms sees the legendary singer-songwriter play various acoustic instruments. He’s joined by singer Edie Brickell, as well as the British vocal ensemble VOCES8.
Because the composition is meant to be heard as a single piece of music, Simon didn’t preview Seven Psalms with any singles. However, the artist did share a trailer for the project, in which he revealed the idea for the music came to him in a dream. “On January 15th, 2019, I had a dream that said, ‘You’re working on a piece called Seven Psalms,'” he recalled. “The dream was so strong that I got up and I wrote it down. But I had no idea what that meant.”
jackson browne
May 19, 2023:
👉Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne will perform four shows at the Beacon Theatre in New York City and one at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, MA this August. Beacon Theatre dates will be the 22nd, 23rd, 25th, and 26th and the Tanglewood date is scheduled for the 31st.
👉Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne will perform four shows at the Beacon Theatre in New York City and one at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, MA this August. Beacon Theatre dates will be the 22nd, 23rd, 25th, and 26th and the Tanglewood date is scheduled for the 31st.
byrds
January 19, 2023: NPR: Crosby, Stills & Nash co-founder David Crosby has died at 81
David Crosby, a prominent figure of the free-spirited 1970s Laurel Canyon scene who helped bring folk-rock mainstream with both The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, has died at 81. His publicist confirmed the artist's death to NPR; no cause of death was given at the time of this report.
David Crosby, a prominent figure of the free-spirited 1970s Laurel Canyon scene who helped bring folk-rock mainstream with both The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, has died at 81. His publicist confirmed the artist's death to NPR; no cause of death was given at the time of this report.
