#( r. hendrix // biography. )

[reynahendrix]

skin so pale that it faded a w a y....

⸻ rebecca ferguson, 41, cis female, she/her ; ] … the photo on the missing poster is of REYNA HENDRIX. they are FORTY ONE YEARS OLD, and have been missing for FOUR YEARS. when the sun rises, they work as GUARD. rumors in town say they can be UNCOMMUNICATIVE and RESOURCEFUL. they chose to live in TOWN, THE CINEMA, and have an uncanny resemblance to Ursula Flynn (Bad Sisters,) Meredith Grey (Grey’s Anatomy,) and Bella Swan (Twilight.) can they survive another night ?…⸻ the smell of burnt matchsticks, a silent tongue with restless thoughts, filled notebooks with smeared lead on her fingers, . [ ⸻ Ki, 32, MST, she/her,

&GENERAL.

FULL NAME. reyna james hendrix DATE OF BIRTH. 12/11/1983 AGE. 41 ZODIAC. sagittarius GENDER. cis female PRONOUNS. she / her SEXUAL ORIENTATION. bisexual OCCUPATION BEFORE. coroner / medical examiner CURRENT OCCUPATION. guard &BACKGROUND.

PLACE OF BIRTH. tacoma, washinton NATIONALITY. american PARENTS. lucinda, and alton hendrix SIBLINGS. none &PERSONALITY.

POSITIVE TRAITS. resourceful, self-sufficient, innovative, rational NEGATIVE TRAITS. isolated, stubborn, sarcastic, insomniac LIKES. matchsticks, warmth of bourbon, button up shirts, cup of coffee first thing in the morning, puzzles, comfort in silence, amber, pattering fresh rain. DISLIKES. arrogance, peanut butter, heated arguments, selfishness, piles of laundry, dry textures, crowded rooms, emotional confrontation

tw; death, pills, alcohol, car accident

How did your muse spend their first night in Arcadia, and where?

Overwhelmed by emotion, Reyna set out on a drive with no destination in mind. It wasn’t supposed to take long—just enough to let her scream into the open air, windows down, as the rushing wind carried some of the weight from her chest. She found release in those moments, but the freedom she sought eluded her.

She kept driving, her hands tight on the wheel, until the daylight faded into twilight. Visibility slipped away, and when a tree was left covering the road, her reflexes betrayed her. She swerved too late, the car careening into the tree with a sickening crunch that left it beyond repair. Time blurred. Her phone was useless, offering no salvation, and she didn’t even know where she had ended up. Was she concussed? Lost?

There were no streetlights to guide her, but the crash hadn’t broken her resolve. Reyna crawled from the wreckage and started walking, her body aching, her thoughts a haze. She walked until her legs buckled, collapsing under her, and darkness consumed her.

When she awoke, she was lying on a tattered makeshift hospital bed…handcuffed. Her last clear memory was of glowing orbs in the distance…it couldn’t had been her father …? .. and the unmistakable sensation of being pulled—gripped by something, or someone—dragging her in another direction entirely….to safety?

Why did your muse choose to live where they do?

Reyna chose to make her home in the town's old cinema, a decision born of her fiercely independent nature. Naturally quiet and introspective, she had always been drawn to solitude. Even before her life in Arcadia, Reyna kept to herself, finding comfort in isolation. Her work in the hospital morgue had suited her perfectly—its chilled stillness mirroring her own detached existence.

The communal housing in Arcadia, while necessary for survival, gnawed at her sanity. The constant presence of others, the shared spaces, the unspoken need for connection—it was suffocating. After spending her first year in Arcadia shrouded in a deep blue fog of listlessness, curiosity and frustration drove her to explore, pushing the boundaries of what safety allowed.

The cinema offered the quiet she craved. Its black screen stood still and silent, a reflection of the stillness Reyna often wished she could find within herself. It also held a faint echo of warmth—a distant memory of the rare moments she felt connected to her mother during adolescence. Those memories, fragile but comforting, felt like a faint ember of belonging.

One night, Reyna discovered a forgotten living space above the worn-down theater. It was imperfect, a misfit shelter for a misfit soul, but it felt like hers. She settled in and never returned to the communal quarters, finding solace in the shadows of the cinema and the stillness it offered.

What was your muse doing when they came across the tree?

A few days before Reyna’s emotional, aimless drive, her father had tragically passed away. Time had slowed to a crawl, each day colder and heavier than the last. Reyna had never been adept at articulating her emotions, and now, in the face of profound grief, the words seemed even more elusive.

Sleep evaded her, and though her mother had always been distant—her warmth dulled by an unsober haze—Reyna couldn’t help but yearn for her care. She held onto a fragile hope that, in a time as devastating as this, her mother might finally show some tenderness. But the coldness remained, sharp and unyielding. Her mother’s cruelty and neglect had shaped Reyna’s fear of showing emotion, leaving her unable to fully express the depths of her pain.

When her mother began to hurl irrational blame at her for her father’s death, something inside Reyna finally snapped. It was the breaking point. Without thinking, she fled to her car, her emotions an uncontrollable storm, and drove off into the night.

What followed was a blur—her family crumbling, her thoughts fractured by grief and anger, the crash, and then... the glow. She could barely recall the details: the jarring impact, the surreal orbs of light, and the strange, unyielding grip of an unseen hand. That night marked the end of everything she had known—and the beginning of something far more terrifying in the shadows of Arcadia.

Has your muse left anything behind that they are desperately trying to return to or escape? There was nothing to return to. With her father gone and her mother cold as ice, Reyna had little semblance of family left. The only connections she had were the faint bonds with a handful of coworkers, and even those were tenuous at best. Working in the hospital morgue, buried in the basement’s quiet stillness, didn’t leave much room for building lively relationships.

Intimate relationships had always been fleeting. The problem was always the same—when someone reached for tenderness and security, Reyna failed to meet them halfway. She struggled to communicate, to open up, leaving a shadow over her connections. Yet deep in her chest, she felt a warmth she could never bring herself to show—a warmth buried under fears of rejection, neglect, and loss. It was safer to keep her distance, but safety came at a price: isolation. And while she found solace in solitude, the loneliness crept in overtime.

Adapting to Arcadia was no easier. Her first year was consumed by grief, confusion, and an oppressive gloom. The second year came with fits of rage and frustration, emotions that eventually blossomed into a daring curiosity. By the third year, Reyna had stepped into the role of a guard, finding a new kind of strength within herself. Her resilience grew, though it didn’t erase the fear. She was courageous and sharp-witted, but still deeply unsettled by the mysteries of Arcadia and the lurking dangers it concealed.

Despite it all, Reyna had come to accept the strange, mind-bending life she had fallen into. It was far from the life she’d imagined, but she had learned to endure it. As sad as it might seem, acceptance had become her armor against the chaos.

&BIO.

&YOUTH.

Reyna grew up in Tacoma, Washington, wooded and lush. She was the only child of a complicated household. Her mother was an alcoholic, often distant or volatile, crushing up pills in private moments that Reyna quickly learned to pretend not to notice. As a child, Reyna was quiet and reserved, often mistaken for timidness, but inside, she harbored a deep yearning for adventure and freedom. The only tender moments shared with her mother was at a local theater. The space only rolled older films, but Reyna relished in them, and every so often she’d glance at her mother's face to see that always scowled unhappiness crack into something…almost warm for once. 

Reyna's father was her anchor—a gentle and steady presence. Together, they spent hours in the garage, their hands slick with oil as they tinkered with engines and old machines. Those moments were sacred, filled with shared laughter and heartfelt conversations that stretched late into the night by the light of a crackling campfire. Reyna's bond with her father was unshakable, but it often seemed to drive a wedge between her and her mother, who Reyna believed resented their closeness.

Reyna found solace in horseback riding, spending countless afternoons at the local stables. The rhythmic gallop of her horse and the wind against her face were her escapes, moments of pure freedom in an otherwise tumultuous childhood.

&CAREER. 

Reyna excelled academically, her precision and focus setting her apart as a top student. Though, friendships were few. She poured herself into her studies, immersing herself in science and anatomy, eventually finding her calling as a coroner / medical examiner. The work suited her meticulous nature, offering a sense of control.

Her career became her refuge, a space where she could thrive without needing to untangle the complexities of human relationships. Reyna’s closest connections were with her co-workers, forged over late nights and shared cases. Yet, even these relationships were tinged with a distance—Reyna struggled with expressing her emotions, her quiet thoughtfulness often mistaken for aloofness.

&INTIMACY.

Reyna’s bisexuality was something she accepted quietly, never feeling the need to make declarations. Her love life, however, was fraught with challenges. Each relationship followed a familiar pattern: a deep initial connection that faltered as her partners grew frustrated with her inability to communicate her feelings. Reyna wanted to be vulnerable, but the words often escaped her, leaving her partners to interpret her silences as indifference.

In truth, Reyna was warm and empathetic, but awkward when it came to navigating emotional waters. Her reserved nature masked a deep well of care and understanding, but she struggled to bridge the gap between her intentions and how others perceived her.

&NOW.

Reyna stands as a paradox: a woman who has achieved professional success and holds immense compassion for others, yet remains guarded in her personal life. Her quiet resilience has carried her through life's hardships, but her yearning for deeper connection still lingers. Life up until four years living in the warp of Arcadia had been a gentle wave. One glistening blue, smooth while she coasted on her way of life. Arcadia was disruptive. Bottled Reyna’s existence into a snow globe, tipped her over, and shook…and shook…and shook. 

[thislovintime]

July 1967; photo by Micky Dolenz.

“A Greenwich Village hippie in younger days, Tork was the first to leave the group. And as legend has it, he was the most freaked out by the Monkees experience. ‘That’s accurate in my case,’ he said from Toronto this week. ‘Pop entertainers in the ‘60s had no experience with fame. It takes a balanced personality, beyond that usually attracted to entertainment, to be able to handle it. I knew Jimi [Hendrix] and Janis [Joplin], and I know they both came to music out of loneliness. I once heard Jimi sing backstage, singing full out, like he never did onstage. When I told him it sounded great he gave me this embarrassed laugh, like a kid rejecting a compliment.’” - The Boston Globe, August 10, 1989 “[We would] watch him from backstage. What he did was simply exquisite. I loved to watch the way his hands worked — it came so easily to him it looked as if he wasn’t playing at all. Most guitar players have so much tension in their arms, they hunch over. But the easier you are — and Jimi was extraordinarily easy with it — the wider your range of expression.” - Peter Tork, A Biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Cross (2006) “Michael and I would sit backstage and listen [to Jimi Hendrix] and just marvel.” - Peter Tork, Newsday, April 14, 2007 “Genuine, reliable and huggable, Peter is a natural person — really gets off on talent — loves other musicians and can jam along with the best of ‘em. I saw him holding his own with Hendrix, Stills, Young.” - Davy Jones, They Made A Monkee Out Of Me

[jacques-le-fataliste-23]

«John Hendrix … has created a new form of graphic—comic—book, ‘The Mythmakers’, in which he uses ‘a dual biography as an avatar for telling a deeper story about the origins of fairy tales’.»

By Steven Heller → https://www.printmag.com/daily-heller/the-daily-heller-c-s-lewis-and-j-r-r-tolkien-together-again/

[greensparty]

Remembering Charles R. Cross 1957-2024

Sad news today that music journalist Charles R. Cross has died at 67. This one hurts. He was Seattle-based and was one of the best writers of Seattle music past and present.

Two of Cross's books about Kurt Cobain

A former editor for The Rocket, he wrote the 1998 Classic Albums book about Nirvana's Nevermind. This lead to his 2001 Kurt Cobain biography Heavier Than Heaven, which is possibly one of the best books about Cobain and best music bios ever written. No joke! Courtney Love granted Cross exclusive access for this bio and it showed. Cross re-visited Cobain again with the photo-heavy 2008 book Cobain Unseen. In 2014 he published his third Cobain book Here We Are Now: The Lasting Impact of Kurt Cobain.

Cross's author photo

It needs to be noted that he was the publisher of Backstreets, one of foremost Bruce Springsteen fanzines of its time (it pre-dated the internet). He wrote books about Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Heart. Seattle music was clearly a passion of his! His writing also appeared in Seattle Times, Rolling Stone, Spin and more.

Cross with former Nirvana drummer Chad Channing (who posted this photo on his social media)

I was connected to Cross on Facebook and he always had great posts about musicians he had seen live or talked to. In 2017, I emailed him and introduced myself (we had a lot of mutual friends in common) and asked for his advice about a project with a Seattle musician. Charles wrote me back and while he wasn't able to give contact info, he gave me advice and wished me good luck. I appreciated that email and that he was so approachable.

The link above is the obit from Variety.

[bookandcantina]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge // Feb 3 // Black Pride

From top-left down, Stars In My Pockets Like Grains of Sand by Samuel R. Delaney / Walking With The Wind by Senator John Lewis / Born A Crime by Trevor Noah / Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Cross / Black History In Its Own Words (quotes by various black leaders and luminaries, illustrations by Ronald Wimberly)

[markwatkinsreviews]

BOOK REVIEW: FOREVER CHANGES, The Authorised Biography Of ARTHUR LEE and LOVE ~ John Einarson (2024)

Jawbone press have just re-released FOREVER CHANGES, which is the authorized biography of Arthur Lee and Love. 

Previously out of print, this paperback edition has an updated orange / purple psychedelic cover and comes with a new Foreword, from Johnny Echols (songwriter, guitarist, co-founder of Love) The Preface is by music historian/writer John Einarson.

John Einarson

Of course, Love’s 1967 album, Forever Changes, featured the single Alone Again Or, which was a chart hit in 1968 and has been a Gold radio play ever since. 

At the time, “Dean of American Rock Critics” Robert Christagau reviewed the LP as follows:

Art-rock," sneers my wife, who's never heard it before. "Movie music," Greil Marcus recalls fondly. "I just played it this week," R. Meltzer tells me--and then places its release in early 1968 because it came out the day before a well-remembered abortion. All wrong. It came out November 1967, and neither art-rock nor movie music, no matter how fondly recalled, will permit a song that begins with an elegantly enunciated "Oh, the snot has caked against my pants/It has turned into crystal." 

Arthur Lee was always too oblique for his own good. Here he counterposes a background-music feel and a delightful panoply of studio effects against his own winning skepticism and the incipient Jaggerishness of his pseudo-Johnny Mathis vocals. Perhaps because it retains so much humor, his battle cry--"We're all normal and we want our freedom"--hasn't dated, the melodies really hang in there, and only Steely Dan has ever attempted a record so simultaneously MOR and anti-MOR. A- 

An A- grade in Christgau's Consumer Guide (for Village Voice/Creem) equates to being a very good record. Indeed it is.

And this is a very good book by Einarson with all the biog that fits 336 pages; FOREVER CHANGES is tightly packed with original details, large and small focusing on only child Arthur Lee, from birth through the age of "Flower Power" to a flickering-flame that finally burned out in 2006 due to leukemia complications.

One of the best quotes on the book is to be found on the back cover from David Fricke, of Rolling Stone: “Arthur Lee was the sixties’ first Black rock star, ruling the Sunset Strip when Jimi Hendrix was still an R&B sideman. Einarson draws on Lee’s unfinished memoirs in this frank, propulsive account of Love’s majesty and dysfunction.”

Overall, a critically important tome in the rock music cannon.

Rating: 9/10

JAWBONE PRESS | Forever Changes

Mark Watkins // 12 August, 2024.

[newsssc]

Charles R. Cross, music journalist who wrote Kurt Cobain biography and edited Seattle alternative weekly The Rocket, dies at 67

Charles R. Cross, a Seattle music journalist who edited the city’s leading alternative weekly, the Rocket, and wrote bestselling biographies of Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and other major rock figures, died Friday at age 67. “We are sad to inform you that Charles Cross has passed away,” the writer’s family said in a statement. “He died peacefully of natural causes in his sleep on August 9, 2024. We…

[blackchildrensbooksandauthors]

📚Picture Book Review: Song for Jimi 

🎸Song for Jimi: The Story of Guitar Legend Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix, was born as Johnny Allen on November 27, 1942. He endured a chaotic childhood full of pain and uncertainty. Art became an outlet to express “what his words couldn't say,” but it was music, specifically that “git-tar sound,” that made his imagination soar and “dream he was a git-tar superstar.” Smith’s lively verses take the reader on a poetic journey through Hendrix’s life and his search for personal and artistic freedom and belonging.

Smith’s love and appreciation for revered guitarist, Jimi Hendrix, is rhythmically evident in this November picture book release. The award-winning author and poet begins with "Let me tell you a story…” And what a story it is–told in five verses, an outro, and an interlude.🎸

The poetry of Smith is stirring, but the bold and stunning art of Edel Rodriguez takes the book to another level. Almost every page is poster-like, vibrant, captivating and dramatic. Rodriguez describes the book’s art  as "oil-based woodblock ink on paper, combined with digital media." 

There aren't many children's books about Jimi Hendrix, so Song for Jimi makes Hendrix, a complex yet captivating and cool creative, accessible to new young fans. Those who are already Hendrix fans as well as lovers of picture book biographies, poetry, and history, will appreciate Smith's research and storytelling style along with Rodriguez’s fantastic illustrations. 

It’s truly a magnificent visual and lyrical experience. 

Go here to find bonus materials for educators!

📖Song for Jimi: The Story of Guitar Legend Jimi Hendrix

Charles R. Smith Jr.

Edel Rodriguez

Neal Porter Books

November 23, 2021

Ages 7 and up

56 Pages

Available Now👉🏿 | Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

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If you believe BCBA provides a valuable service, please take a few minutes to donate HERE or via: 

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🙌🏿Thanks for your support!

[go-redgirl]

31 Hollywood Icons Who Served in the U.S. Military

On this Memorial Day, millions of Americans across the country are honoring our military heroes, observing, and reflected on those who made the ultimate sacrifice. This list highlights some of the actors, directors, singers, producers, and entertainers who’ve served in the U.S. military.

From Hollywood’s earliest days, artists have served in the U.S. armed forces. Some had broader experiences than others in service to the country And many Hollywood greats served in World War II.

Jimmy Stewart

James Stewart not only joined the US Air Force in 1941, he ended his service in 1968 as a Brigadier General in the USAF Reserves. Stewart’s service was not for show, either. He flew many bombing missions over Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe.

Kirk Douglas

The famed movie tough guy joined the US Navy in 1941 and served as a communications officer in anti-submarine warfare. He received a medical discharge thanks to war injuries in 1944.

Clark Gable

Though he was already a veritable old man in soldier years, Gable joined the U.S. Army Air Corp at 43 and few five combat missions as an observer-gunner. Gable joined after his wife, Carol Lombard, died in a plane crash while flying home after a tour to promote war bonds.

Audie Murphy

Maj. Audie Murphy went into the Army as a private and won many battle field promotions. He is one of the most widely decorated actors in Hollywood history. He is the only actor/celebrity to be awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor. In addition, he was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, a Legion of Merit with Combat V, and two Bronze Stars with Combat V. He also received several foreign awards were especially impressive. He received the French Forrager, Legion of Honor, and Croix de Guerre with Palm and Silver Star, and the Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm.

Other stars of the era who served include Jason Robards (Navy 1941), Paul Newman (Navy, 1943), and Mel Brooks (Army, 1944). Then there was singer and dancer Josephine Baker who was a secret collaborator with the French Resistance to the Nazi invaders and was even awarded the Croix de Guerre as a spy for her work to defeat the Nazis. Several others served in the forces of their native nations including David Niven (Royal Army), Sir Alec Guinness (Royal Navy), and Audrey Hepburn (Dutch Resistance), and Star TrekActor James Doohan (Royal Canadian Army). Doohan was part of the D-Day invasion forces, was wounded six times losing a finger in the process, and later joined the Canadian Air Force as a pilot.

Ronald Reagan

Our 40th president, Ronald Reagan, was already a star when he joined the war effort. He served in the Army Air Force during World War II, enlisting in the Army Enlisted Reserve on 29 April 1937 and ordered to active duty on April 19, 1942. Because of his eyesight, he was not assigned to an air crew and instead helped make over 400 training films for the Army Air Force.

Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier, the first black American to win an Academy Award, enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II in November of 1943. He served as a physiotherapist for almost a year, even though he lied about his age, as he was only 16 when he joined.

B.B. King

B.B. King, one of the greatest blues guitarists, was inducted into the U.S. Army in 1944, but was quickly released back into civilian life following boot camp because the government deemed his original profession — a tractor-trailer driver — to be vital to the war economy.

Hugh Hefner

Later to be known as the swinger editor of Playboy Magazine, Hugh Hefner joined the U.S. Army in 1944 after graduating high school. Hef didn’t see any acton, though, and was discharged in 1946 after serving as an Amy newspaperman and infantry clerk.

Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett, the legendary “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” crooner, was drafted during World War II in 1944 and assigned to the 63rd Infantry Division, or “Blood and Fire” division, fighting in France and Germany. Being a “replacement” was not an easy job as the war was winding down in Europe. About half these soldiers died in the months after basic training in 1944 and the end of the war in Europe in Sept. of 1945.

After the big war, many others continued the tradition, of course.

Gene Hackman

The actor, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor in The French Connection, enlisted in the Marine Corps the year after World War Two ended in1946. He lied about his age to get accepted, as he was only 16 when he enlisted.

Willie Nelson

The Always On My Mind singer volunteered for the U.S. Army in 1950. However, he only served nine months and was given a medical discharge due to severe back problems.

Johnny Cash

Johnny “The Man In Black” Cash enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950. After basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and technical training at Brooks Air Force Base, both in San Antonio, Texas, he was assigned to the 12th Radio Squadron Mobile of the U.S. Air Force Security Service at Landsberg, West Germany. He mustered out in 1954.

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood was drafted in 1951 for service during the Korean War. Eastwood saw no action, though, and spent his service at Ft. Ord in California, where he was appointed as a lifeguard and projectionist of training films.

David Janssen

Perhaps best known as the man on the lam in the 60s TV series, The Fugitive, Janssen didn’t escape the U.S. Army having served from 1952 to 1954 at Fort Ord, California. He saw no action during the Korean War as he served in the entertainment division during his two-year stint.

Martin Milner

Like his army pals Clint Eastwood and David Janssen, Adam 12 star Martin Milner served a two-year stint in the Army and was based at Fort Ord, California. Also like his buddies Eastwood and Janssen, there he worked in the entertainment sector. He mustered out in 1954 and went right into TV and film work in Hollywood.

Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from Principia College in 1953. Duvall has disputed early biographies that claimed he fought during the Korean War, though. He has joked that he “barely qualified” with his M-1 rifle in basic training. He served two years, and never got past the rank of private first class.

Leonard Nimoy

Later to become famous as Star Trek’s half human, half alien Mr Spock, Leonard Nimoy enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve at Fort McPherson, Georgia. He served for 18 months between 1953 and 1955. Nimoy also worked in the Army’s Special Services narrating plays and performing in training films.

James Earl Jones

The voice of Star Wars villain Darth Vader, a man who has been referred to as “one of the greatest actors in American history,” served in the Army during the Korean War, rising to the rank of first lieutenant. Jones missed the war, though, as he started his service in 1953 just as the war was coming to a close.

Alan Alda

Best known for playing an Army surgeon in the TV series M.A.S.H., Alda did serve in the actual military when he volunteered after finishing his studies at Fordham University. He served as a gunnery officer during a six-month tour of duty in the Korean War.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman turned down a scholarship for acting and instead joined the Air Force in which he served from 1955 to 1959. He served as a radar technician and mustered out as an Airman 1st Class. Freeman has said that he enjoyed his service experience until, that is, he was being scouted to be trained as a jet pilot. He said the reality that war means killing dawned on him at that time and he began to look for the exit door to get back to life as an actor.

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley’s drafting in 1957 was huge news and the media followed him throughout his years of service. Elvis honorably served his term and mustered out as a sergeant in 1960.

Chuck Norris

Famed martial artist Chuck Norris joined the U.S. Air Force in 1958 and served his full term, being discharged in 1962. He was ultimately assigned to Osan Air Base in South Korea where he began to develop his signature martial arts style, Chun Kuk Do.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix had a bit less gratifying service having been forced into the Army or face jail time for car theft in 1961. He served only one year before being discharged for an ankle injury. Some researchers suggest that the injury was just the Army’s excuse to be rid of the troublesome rocker.

John Fogerty

Singer-songwriter John Fogerty joined up in 1966 when his draft number neared. He signed up for the United States Army Reserve as a supply clerk. However, he was switched to active duty for six months, anyway, but saw no service under fire. He was discharged honorably in 1968.

Tom Selleck

Tom Selleck was already an actor when he was drafted during the Vietnam War in 1967. He served six years in the the 160th infantry regiment of the California National Guard.

Oliver Stone

The famed director of Platoon served during the Vietnam War from 1967 to 1968 and was wounded twice. He earned the The Bronze Star with V’device and a Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster.

Pat Sajak

Pat Sajak volunteered for the U.S. Army in 1968. While he saw no battlefield action in Vietnam, Sajak did serve as an Army Radio disc jockey and ended up in country, anyway, when he was assigned to host a radio program on Armed Force Radio broadcasting in Saigon.

R. Lee Ernmey

Everyone knows R. Lee Ermey as the intense drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket, but some may not know that he served in the Marines for a decade, was a real Drill Instructor, and saw service in Vietnam in 1968. He started out as a Repair Shop Mechanic and went on to earn the Good Conduct Medal (x2); the National Defense Service Medal; the Vietnam Service Medal with Bronze Star; the Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device; the Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit; Meritorious Unit; the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; and a Meritorious Unit Citation.

Ice-T

Musician, songwriter, and rapper Tracy Lauren Marrow — better known in the music scene as Ice-T and also for his long-running starring role on TV’s Law & Order SVU — joined the U.S. Army in 1979 after graduating high school. He served the 25th Infantry Division for four years.

Drew Carey

TV funny man and game show host Drew Carey served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves starting in 1980. He was honorably discharged in 1986 and he says that he adopted the Marines crew cut and horn-rimmed glasses as his trademark look due to his service.

Adam Driver

Adam Driver, who found fame as Kylo Ren in the Star Wars series, joined the U.S. Marines shortly after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. He was briefly assigned to the Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, before being medically discharged due to an injury.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston.

EntertainmentNational SecurityMemorial Day

[thislovintime]

Jimi Hendrix and Peter Tork, July 1967.

Peter Tork: “[Hendrix] was a sweetie. He was an absolute champ. Humanly, he was a total champ. You could say anything to him about his guitar work or about yours, ask him any question, and he would stop and he’d answer you seriously. He never threw me off, he never shortchanged me with his time. Anything I had to say to him, anything I wanted to talk to him about, he was there. He was an absolute champ. They don’t come any better.” Q: “Were you surprised when Jimi eventually quit the tour?” PT: “No, I knew that he — I knew it couldn’t happen, it wasn’t working for him. I was sad to see him go because he was such an inspiration musically, one of the best musicians I’ve ever heard in my life, and I truly believe that they have not caught up to Jimi as a guitar player yet today.” - Headquarters radio, September 1989

“[We would] watch him from backstage. What he did was simply exquisite. I loved to watch the way his hands worked — it came so easily to him it looked as if he wasn’t playing at all. Most guitar players have so much tension in their arms, they hunch over. But the easier you are — and Jimi was extraordinarily easy with it — the wider your range of expression.” - Peter Tork, A Biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Cross (2006)

“We got high together. We had this DC6 [on the 1967 summer tour], with this lounge in back. There were some reporters on the plane, so we would leave the reporters in the front and go into the back smoke it up.” - Peter Tork, Eyewitness: Jimi Hendrix by Johnny Black (2004)

“The couple of times that I played with him [Jimi Hendrix]… he was very supportive and an amazing musical mind, just totally capable of asking exactly what a person could deliver. You never felt nervous about playing with him. He was a wonder, an astounding guy in so many ways.” - Peter Tork, The Roanoke Times, April 6, 2006

“Michael and I would sit backstage and listen [to Jimi Hendrix] and just marvel.” - Peter Tork, Newsday, April 14, 2007

[jaybe11]

Richard Dale "Richie" Kotzen, Jr. (born February 3, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. Kotzen has a prolific solo career, with a back catalogue of more than twenty album releases, was a member of the glam-hard rock band Poison from 1991-1993, Mr. Big from 1999-2002, and since 2012 has been the frontman of the band The Winery Dogs. Kotzen was signed to California-based Shrapnel Records from 1988 until 1991. Biography Richie Kotzen began playing piano at the age of five. At the age of seven, he was inspired to learn the electric guitar by the band Kiss. He started his career in a band named Arthur's Museum. Kotzen was eventually discovered by Shrapnel Records' Mike Varney, and he recorded his first solo album by the age of 19, the first of two instrumental records, simply entitled Richie Kotzen. He created the video Rock Chops for REH video in 1989, highlighting many of his formative techniques, including using wide-intervals and fluid sweeping. One year later, a second solo album called Fever Dream was released, which was the first one to also feature his lead vocals. Since then, Kotzen has released a long series of more than twenty albums with musical influences ranging from Rock, Hard Rock, Pop, Blues, Blue-eyed-soul, R&B and Funk to Jazz Fusion. In 1991, at age 21, Kotzen joined glam-hard rock band Poison, co-writing and performing on the album Native Tongue. This album produced two top-twenty singles which Kotzen co-wrote, "Stand" and "Until You Suffer Some (Fire and Ice)". Kotzen then focused on his solo career, regularly releasing song oriented, r&b/soul & funk influenced melodic rock albums such as Mother Head's Family Reunion, Wave Of Emotion, Something To Say, Break It All Down and What Is. He also made guest appearances on several albums by artists like Glenn Hughes, Stevie Salas, T.M. Stevens and others. In 1995 and 1997 he collaborated with Greg Howe on two Jazz Rock Fusion albums. In 1999, Kotzen replaced Paul Gilbert as guitarist in the mainstream hard rock band Mr. Big, performing on their album Get Over It. He also contributed guitars to their subsequent release Actual Size. The record included the Kotzen song Shine, which debuted at number one on Japanese radio charts. In 2001, while still in Mr. Big, Kotzen recorded and release another solo album called Slow, which contains a mix of some crunchy funky and bluesy rock tunes and softer R&B/Pop songs like "I Don't Wanna Lie", for which a music video was filmed. On some of the songs on Slow Kotzen experimented with the use of a drum computer, while on others he played drums. After Mr. Big disbanded, Kotzen continued his solo career. He released his next solo album Change, in 2003. The title track, a soft ballad, and the song Get a Life, a rock song in the style of Mr.Big, were featured in TV commercials throughout Japan. In 2002, Kotzen bought a commercial building in Los Angeles and established a recording studio and production company. He has since produced his own acclaimed solo albums and collaborated with various figures in rock (e.g. Gene Simmons), jazz and fusion, including jazz legend Stanley Clarke, with whom he realized the project Vertú. The 2004 follow-up-album to Change, Get Up featured a more edgy, aggressive rock sound. It was more hard rock oriented than any of his previous solo outputs since Fever Dream and contains the ballad "Remember", which became a minor hit. In 2005, Kotzen teamed up with three Japanese punk rockers to form the short-lived Forty Deuce-Project, which only lasted long enough to record and release one album. Later in the same year, Kotzen collaborated with Funk Rock Fusion guitarist Steve Saluto on his album Rough Beat, where he contributed 50% of the vocals and co-wrote some of the songs. The album was first released on December 31, 2005, and got re-issued in 2009 under the name Resurrection, coming with five additional tracks. In 2006, Kotzen was the opening act for The Rolling Stones in Japan on their Bigger Bang tour. During the year 2006, Kotzen produced and released two solo studio albums, first Ai Senshi Z×R, an album on which he played several English sung rock covers of theme songs from the Japanese Gundam anime franchise, and only nine months later Into The Black, containing ten self-penned rock songs. The latter starts with the angry song "You Can't Save Me", in which he uses the F-word extensively, what eventually turned it into a fan favorite. In 2007 Go Faster was released, which alternatively was named Return Of The Mother Head's Family Reunion in Europe and Japan. On the album, Kotzen showcases a firework of edgy, driving, yet melodic funk influenced blues rock songs with strong hooks and passionate guitar playing. It includes the eight-minute-song "Fooled Again", which became a live favorite on the following tours, and the soft pop ballad "Chase It" with its significant mandolin riff, for which a music video clip was filmed in Venice. In 2008, Kotzen's first live album, simply entitled Live in São Paulo was released, followed by the acclaimed Peace Sign album in 2009, for which Kotzen played and recorded all instruments himself. In 2009, Kotzen also teamed up with songwriter/producer Richie Zito for a short-lived project they called Wilson Hawk. Wilson Hawk produced one album called The Road, on which they celebrate some R&B & soul influenced pop music in the style of the late 60s and 70s and many soulful pop ballads. After the "Peace Sign" world tour, Kotzen released one single in 2010 (the Rod Stewart reminiscent Angry Boy). In 2011, Kotzen released a full-length Solo album titled 24 Hours, which features ten catchy, fresh 70s funk & r&b influenced melodic rock songs with strong hooks and vibes, garnished with a lot of fiddling around. The release was followed by another tour. In 2012, he joined forces with Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan to form the rock supergroup The Winery Dogs who released their self-titled debut album on May 15, 2013 in Japan, with a worldwide release on July 23 of the same year. A world tour followed. After that, Kotzen went on an acoustic solo tour and started working on his 20th solo effort, which became the Cannibals album, that was released on January, 5th, 2015. Cannibals features a more relaxed, and often r&b influenced rock/pop sound. Kotzen's girlfriend, bassist/vocalist Julia Lage, added some background vocals and also appears in the music video for the song "In An Instant". On the song "I'm All In" Kotzen shares the vocals with Doug Pinnick of King's X and Kotzen's daughter August Eve is featured on the ballad "You", playing the piano. For "You" also a music video was recorded. Only nine months later, on October 2, 2015, The Winery Dogs released their second album Hot Streak, followed by another world tour. By the end of 2016, The Winery Dogs went on hiatus and Kotzen focused on his next solo record Salting Earth, which came out on April 14, 2017. From August until late September Kotzen completed a European tour. On January 25, 2018, Kotzen released a video for his new single called The Damned via youtube, which was filmed at Paramount Ranch in Agoura, California by director Vicente Cordero. On June, 5, 2018, a second video single called Riot was released via YouTube, which was again directed by Vicente Cordero. On December, 11, 2018, Kotzen announces a Winery Dogs Tour through the US for May, 2019, via his official Facebook page. Guitar playing style Kotzen has described his style as a mix of rock, blues, heavy metal, jazz, fusion, and soul music. Kotzen utilizes a heavy amount of legato and sweeping in his playing. As his main influences, he lists Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eddie Van Halen, Jason Becker (who produced his first album), Allan Holdsworth, and many other jazz and fusion players. Kotzen, since around 2007, has opted to stop using guitar picks and been playing exclusively with his fingers ever since.

[blackkudos]

Earl King

Earl Silas Johnson IV (February 7, 1934 – April 17, 2003), known as Earl King, was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter, most active in blues music. A composer of blues standards such as "Come On" (covered by Jimi Hendrix, Freddy King, Stevie Ray Vaughan) and "Big Chief" (recorded by Professor Longhair), he was an important figure in New Orleans R&B.

Biography

King was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. His father was a piano player. He died when Earl was still a baby, and Earl was brought up by his mother. With his mother, he started going to church at an early age. In his youth he sang gospel music, but he took the advice of a friend to switch to blues to make a better living.

King started to play the guitar at the age of 15. Soon he started entering talent contests at local clubs, including the Dew Drop Inn. At one such club he met his idol, Guitar Slim. King started imitating Slim, and his presence had a big impact on his musical direction. In 1954, Slim was injured in an automobile accident (right around the time he had the number 1 R&B hit "The Things That I Used To Do"), and King was deputized to continue a tour with Slim's band, representing himself as Slim. After succeeding in this role, King became a regular at the Dew Drop Inn.

His first recording was made in 1953. As Earl Johnson, he released a 78-rpm record, "Have You Gone Crazy"/"Begging at Your Mercy", for Savoy Records. The following year, the talent scout Johnny Vincent introduced King to Specialty Records, for which he recorded some sides, including "Mother's Love", which was locally popular. In 1955, King signed with Vincent's label, Ace. His first single for that label, "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights", was a hit, reaching number 7 on the Billboard R&B chart. He continued to record for Ace for the next five years. During that time, he also he started writing songs for other artists, such as Roland Stone and Jimmy Clanton.

In 1960, Dave Bartholomew invited King to record for Imperial Records. In sessions for that label, he was backed by a host of musicians, including Bob French, George French, James Booker, and Wardell Quezergue. It was at this label he recorded his signature songs "Come On" and "Trick Bag". The former has been a much-covered standard for decades, notably recorded by Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Anson Funderburgh. The latter has also been widely covered, with versions by the Meters and Robert Palmer. King co-wrote a number of songs with Bartholomew, either under his own name or under the pseudonym "E.C. King".

King recorded for Imperial until 1963. He went without a recording contract for the rest of the 1960s. During this time, he mostly concentrated on producing and songwriting for the local labels NOLA and Watch. His compositions from this era include "Big Chief", recorded by Professor Longhair; "Teasin' You", recorded by Willie Tee; and "Do-Re-Mi", recorded by Lee Dorsey. He went to Detroit for an audition with Motown Records and recorded a few tracks in the mid-1960s. Three tracks from that session are included on the album Motown's Blue Evolution, released in 1996.

In 1972, he was joined by Allen Toussaint and the Meters to record the album Street Parade. Atlantic Records initially showed interest in releasing it but eventually declined. The title track was released as a single on the Kansu label at the time, but the rest was unreleased until 1982, when the album was issued by Charly Records in the UK.

In the 1970s, he recorded another album, That Good Old New Orleans Rock 'n Roll, which was released by Sonet in 1977. He also appeared on the album New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 1976.

In the early 1980s, King met Hammond Scott, the co-owner of Black Top Records, and started to record for the label. The first album Glazed, on which he was backed by Roomful of Blues, was released in 1986. This particular album was nominated for a Grammy Award. A second album, Sexual Telepathy, released in 1990, featured Snooks Eaglin on two tracks and backing by Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters on some tracks. He recorded his third album for Black Top, Hard River to Cross (1993), with backing by George Porter, Jr., David Torkanowsky, and Herman V. Ernest III.

In 2001, King was hospitalized for an illness during a tour of New Zealand in 1981, but that did not stop him from performing. In December of the same year, he toured Japan. and he continued to perform off and on locally in New Orleans until his death.

King died on April 17, 2003, from diabetes-related complications, just a week before the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. His funeral was held on April 30, during the festival, and many musicians attended it, including Dr. John, Leo Nocentelli and Aaron Neville. His Imperial recordings, which had long been out of print, were reissued on CD soon after he died. The June 2003 issue of OffBeat, a local music magazine, paid tribute to King with a series of articles on him.

Discography

Albums

1977: That Good Old New Orleans Rock 'n Roll (Sonet)

1982: Street Parade (Charly, recorded in 1972)

1986: Glazed (Black Top)

1990: Sexual Telepathy (Black Top)

1993: Hard River to Cross (Black Top)

Compilation albums

1982: Trick Bag (Imperial/Pathe Marconi) Imperial

1997: Earl's Pearls: The Very Best of Earl King 1955–1960 (Westside) Ace

2003: Come On: The Complete Imperial Recordings (Okra-Tone) Imperial

2005: New Orleans Blues (Tomato) recorded for Atlantic in 1972, unreleased

2006: The Chronological Earl King 1953–1955 (Classics) Savoy, Specialty, Ace

2016: Come On: 40 Original Rhythm & Blues Classics (Not Now Music)

[idasessions]

Famous Muses & Groupies in Rock Music Pt. 39

GROUPIE: Pamela des Barres (born Pamela Ann Miller)

So you might be wondering why, nearly 40 posts into this series on muses and groupies, I haven’t focused on the queen bee herself yet. Well to be completely honest, it’s because I don’t like her I figured everyone already knows her story, lol. But I might as well give it a go just for the sake of continuity. Pamela was born on September 9th, 1948 in Reseda, CA to a housewife and a gold miner. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley right in the middle of where the first wave of rock music history was taking place. She passionately fangirled Elvis Presley, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Paul McCartney was her blueprint for the perfect boyfriend as a teen, and in her first memoir I’m with the Band (1987), Pamela claims she got an ‘A’ on an art project by drawing Mick Jagger’s crotch (….). She quickly met her first musician through high school classmate Victor Hayden—who just happened to be Cpt. Beefheart’s cousin. Through Victor, Pam got to go backstage and to local parties where she met Frank Zappa, the Byrds, the Stones, the Doors and Steppenwolf when she was 16-19 in 1965-68.

Even though she had been meeting and befriending rockstars since 10th grade, Pamela says she was mostly a virginal groupie in the late 1960s, and didn’t sleep with any of them as a minor. With a couple of intimate exceptions—like making out with Jim Morrison when Pamela Courson wasn’t around—Pamela didn’t lose her virginity until she was 19. The guy ended up being bassist Nick St. Nicholas of hard rock band Steppenwolf, and she claims the experience was ~just okay (i.e. she barely remembers it). Since then, Pamela went on to casually date and randomly hookup with stars in the 1970s like previous art class subject Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Keith Moon of the Who, Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Chris Hillman of the Byrds, Gram Parsons, and Waylon Jennings. Her first and only husband would be Michael des Barres of the B-list rock bands Silverhead and Detective from 1977-1991. Her only child, son Nicholas, was born on September 30th, 1978. She also went through a movie star phase and went on dates with former child actor Brandon de Wilde, TV star Don Johnson, comedian Michael Richards (??) and comic-turned-filmmaker Woody Allen (?!?!).

For work, Pamela had random jobs around the Sunset Strip from waitressing and retail to TV hosting and B-movie acting. After she finished school, she briefly babysat Frank & Gail Zappa’s kids and became part of Frank’s side project Girls Together Outrageously (AKA, the GTOs). The group was comprised of local LA County groupies as an experiment to see if they could make their own music too (spoiler: they can’t). During this period, Pamela went by the moniker ‘Miss Pamela’ or just ‘Ms P.’ The girls broke up after only two years together (1968-70) and one album released, ‘Permanent Damage’ (1969). Pam and fellow GTO Lucy Offerall both later had cameos in Zappa’s cult film 200 Motels (1971) alongside Ringo Starr, Keith Moon and Mark Volman. In her late 30s, Pam was inspired to take up writing after gossip journalist Stephen Davis told her she was a good storyteller while interviewing her for the (awful) Led Zeppelin biography Hammer of the Gods (1985). Soon she went on to coin the first ever groupie memoir in 1987 called I’m with the Band, which quickly gained notoriety in the music community. Since then, she’s written three more memoirs: Take Another Little Piece of My Heart (1993), Rock Bottom (1996), and Let’s Spend the Night Together (2007). In modern times, she occasionally writes featured columns for publications, her own blog posts and has her own ‘groupie’ fashion line. She’s also still friends with GTO pal Miss Mercy and fellow Led Zep groupie Michele Overman.

But how does she feel about carrying the title of ‘the most famous groupie in the world?’ Well, it’s complicated. Pamela claims the first time she ever heard of the word ‘groupie’ was by a Zeppelin roadie at a Hollywood party in 1969. For a decade she battled with people labeling her the ‘G’ word, as she tried to be taken seriously and not viewed as a slut. But by the time she was writing her books, she changed her tune since it’s the only reason anyone knows who she is. She even goes as far as to argue that groupies are the ‘real’ muses of rock music and feminist. 😒 Another little issue that occurred after living it up in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s. There was a new, wilder, less legal breed of groupies in town: baby groupies (or the Star Girls). Teen girls between ages 13-17 who were ~stealing all the rockstars from the 20-something, seasoned groupies like Pamela and Bebe Buell. In 1971, while Pamela was dating Don Johnson, she noticed that 14-year-old Melanie Griffith was hanging around his film sets and neighborhood a lot. Soon ‘a lot’ became all the time, and Don infamously dropped Pam for Mel. Then only two years later the same shit happens again, when Zep guitarist Jimmy Page ditched Pam at the English Disco for 14-year-old Lori Maddox in 1973. (BTW, Jimmy wasn’t even legitimately with either of them. He was living with French model Charlotte Martin. Oh, and Jimmy and Pam’s husband Michael were friends at one point and Jimmy would hang out at their house sometimes…awk.) Now seen as ‘old,’ or ‘over the hill’ as queen baby groupie Sable Starr apparently called her, Pamela went through an existential crisis at age 25 about her exes leaving her for literal school girls.

But rather than, I don’t know, raising her standards on men, she spends the next 30 years shaming these teen girls for being man-stealers or something. In I’m with the Band, she’s a lot more forgiving of Melanie and even claimed they’re friends now, but she still held a grudge at Lori. Then sometime in the mid-2000s, Pamela and Lori are suddenly ~good friends and Lori is subject of a chapter of Let’s Spend the Night Together. When David Bowie died in 2016, Pam finally started publicly stating that teen groupies are unethical. But then #metoo blew up in 2017, and it quickly occurred to people that in an environment where sexism and sexual misconduct are being re-evaluated; music stars getting one-night stands and random blow jobs while partying with young women anywhere from 13 to 30 years old started sounding really, hella sketchy. Instead of owning up to the culture being outdated, Pamela doubled down hard on groupie-ism, defended the statutory rape with the baby groupies, and thinks ‘sex, drugs and rock & roll’ isn’t an issue. In most of her interviews from 2018, like on “Ken Boxer Live,” and in Women Wear Daily, NME and The Big Issue Magazine; she says she’s ‘bored’ with being asked about #metoo and that it’s a whole different vibe in the music industry. (I’m sure the women accusing R. Kelly, Ryan Adams and Russell Simmons of abuse agree.)

I’m sorry, but you can’t claim being a groupie is feminist, and at the same time say all that shit and brag about giving hickeys to Jim Morrison or blowing Mick Jagger. Just admit it was all about partying and being with famous people.

P.S. Penny Lane in Almost Famous (2000) is not based on Pamela, no matter how much she (or any other famous groupie) claim the character is. Penny’s based on Pennie Ann Trumbull. Check out my earlier post on her.

[chrisgoesrock]

Al Kooper - You Never Know Who Your Friends Are (US 1969)

You Never Know Who Your Friends Are was the second album by New York City-based multi-instrumentalist Al Kooper, issued in 1969 on Columbia Records.

A continuation of sorts of his début, the album displays another eclectic mix of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, pop, and blues, though without the psychedelics that had somewhat permeated through I Stand Alone. Utilizing a large group of musicians under the direction of Charlie Calello, known collectively as "The Al Kooper Big Band", Kooper also strayed away from the heavy string orchestrations of his début. Relying on more original compositions, with nine of twelve tracks by Kooper (with the remaining three by Harry Nilsson), and Motown staff songwriters, the album further helped to cement Kooper's reputation.

Al Kooper's second solo album is a bit more uneven than its predecessor, I Stand Alone, for understandable reasons -- it would have been nothing less than a miracle for Kooper to have matched the consistency and daring of that album, and he doesn't have quite the same array of memorable tunes here. He's still ranging freely, however, through pop, jazz, R&B, and soul, with some songs that are among the most glorious of his output. "Magic in My Sock" is a good enough opener, making up in its virtuoso horn parts and guitar for what it lacks in melodic invention; "Lucille" is hardly the best ballad that Kooper has ever written, but it forms a good bridge to "Too Busy Thinkin' About My Baby," a Motown cover that's one of the highlights of Kooper's entire output -- from a black singer this track would be a priceless gem, but coming from Kooper it's extraordinary in its every nuance.

You get some blues instrumental (principally piano-based) and an abortive but entertaining effort at pop/rock with the title tune, and then Kooper plunges into arty balladry with the hauntingly beautiful "The Great American Marriage/Nothing." He goes back into Motown territory, just as successful as before, on "I Don't Know Why I Love You," and back to moody art-song with Harry Nilsson's "Mourning Glory Story." Kooper returns to the soulful side of rock on "Anna Lee (What Can I Do for You)" and finishes with "I'm Never Gonna Let You Down" -- the latter would be worth the price of the album by itself, a soaring, more lyrical and moody original classic that manages to be unpretentious yet epic in its treatment. [AMG + Wikipedia]

»»» Al Kooper Biography ««« Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, known for organizing Blood, Sweat & Tears (although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity), providing studio support for Bob Dylan when he went electric in 1965, and also bringing together guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills to record the Super Session album. He has had a successful solo career since then, written music for film soundtracks, and has also lectured in musical composition. He continues to perform live.

Kooper, born in Brooklyn, grew up in Hollis Hills, Queens, New York. His first musical success was as a fourteen-year-old guitarist in The Royal Teens, best known for their 1958 ABC Records novelty twelve-bar blues riff, "Short Shorts". In 1960, he joined the songwriting team of Bob Brass and Irwin Levine, and wrote "This Diamond Ring", which became a hit for Gary Lewis and the Playboys. When he was twenty-one, Kooper moved to Greenwich Village.

He performed with Bob Dylan in concert in 1965, and in the recording studio in 1965 and 1966, including playing Hammond organ with Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Kooper also played the Hammond organ riffs on Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone". It was in those recording sessions that Kooper met and befriended Mike Bloomfield, whose guitar-playing he admired. He worked extensively with Bloomfield for a number of years. Kooper played organ once again with Dylan during his 1981 world tour.

Kooper joined The Blues Project as their keyboardist in 1965, leaving the band shortly before their gig at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. He formed Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1967, leaving after the group's first album, Child Is Father to the Man, due to creative differences in 1968. He recorded Super Session with Bloomfield and Stills in 1968 as well, and in 1969 he collaborated with 15-year-old guitarist Shuggie Otis on the album Kooper Session. In 1975 he produced the debut album by The Tubes.

Kooper has played on hundreds of records, including ones by The Rolling Stones, B. B. King, The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Alice Cooper, and Cream. On occasion, he has even overdubbed on his own efforts, as on The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper and on other albums, as "Roosevelt Gook".[4] After moving to Atlanta in 1972, he discovered the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and produced and performed on their first three albums, including the single "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird". Kooper also wrote the score for the TV series Crime Story and the film The Landlord and has also written music for several made-for-television movies. He was also the musical force behind many of the children series, Banana Splits pop tunes, including "You're the Lovin' End."

Kooper has published a memoir, Backstage Passes: Rock 'n' Roll Life In The Sixties (1977), now available in revised form as Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor (1998). The latter includes indictments against "manipulators" within the music industry, including his one-time business manager, Stan Polley. His status as a published author enabled him to join (and act as musical director of) the Rock Bottom Remainders, a band made up of writers including Dave Barry, Stephen King, Amy Tan, & Matt Groening.

Kooper is currently retired from teaching songwriting and recording production at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and plays weekend concerts with his bands The ReKooperators and The Funky Faculty. In 2008, he participated in the production of the album Psalngs, the debut release of Canadian musician John Lefebvre and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, TN.

In 2005 Martin Scorsese produced a documentary, No Direction Home: Bob Dylan for the PBS American Masters Series, Kooper's most notable playing with Dylan is the organ parts on "Like a Rolling Stone". Kooper had been invited to the session as an observer, and hoped to be allowed to sit in on guitar, his primary musical instrument. Kooper uncased his guitar and began tuning it. After hearing Mike Bloomfield, who was the hired session guitarist for the sessions, warming up in the room, Kooper concluded that Bloomfield at that point, was a much better guitarist, so Kooper put his guitar aside and retreated into the control room.

As the recording sessions progressed, keyboardist Paul Griffin was moved from the Hammond organ to piano. Kooper quickly suggested to producer Tom Wilson that he had a "great organ part" for the song (which he later confessed was just a ruse to play in the session), and Wilson responded, "Al, you're not an organ player, you're a guitar player", but Kooper stood his ground. Before Wilson could explicitly reject Kooper's suggestion, he was interrupted by a phone call in the control room. Kooper immediately went into the studio and sat down at the organ, though he had rarely played organ before the session. Wilson quickly returned, and was shocked to find Kooper in the studio. By this time, Kooper had been playing along with Dylan and The Band, his organ can be heard coming in an eighth-note just behind the other members of the band, as Kooper followed to make sure he was playing the proper chords. During a playback of tracks in the control room, when asked about the organ track, Dylan was emphatic: "Turn the organ up!"

Performers: ♦ Al Kooper: piano, organ, guitar, ondioline, vocals and arrangements ♦ With The Al Kooper Big Band under the direction of Charlie Calello ♦ Guitars: Ralph Casale, Stu Scharf and Eric Gale ♦ Piano and Organ: Ernie Hayes, Paul Griffin and Frank Owens ♦ Moog Synthesizer: Walter Sears ♦ Electric Bass: Chuck Rainey, Jerry Jemmott and John Miller ♦ Drums: "Pretty" Purdie and Al Rodgers ♦ Trumpets: Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal and Marvin Stamm ♦ Trombones: Ray Desio, Jimmy Knepper, Bill Watrous and Tony Studd ♦ Saxophones: George Young, Sol Schlinger, Seldon Powell and Joe Farrell ♦ Voices: Hilda Harris, Connie Zimet, Albertine Harris, Lois Winter, Mike Gately, Lou Christie, Robert John   and Charlie Calello ♦ Record Cover Art Direction and Design: Ron Coro

Discography (Solo): ○ I Stand Alone (February 1969) ○ You Never Know Who Your Friends Are (October 1969) ○ Easy Does It (September 1970) ○ New York City (You're A Woman) (June 1971) ○ A Possible Projection of the Future / Childhood's End (April 1972) ○ Naked Songs (1973) ○ Act Like Nothing's Wrong (January 1977) ○ Championship Wrestling (featuring Jeff "Skunk" Baxter) (1982) ○ Rekooperation (June 1994) ○ Black Coffee (August 2005) ○ White Chocolate (2008)

Album Tracks: 01. "Magic in My Socks" (3:55) 02. "Lucille" (3:24) 03. "Too Busy Thinkin' 'bout My Baby" (Norman Whitfield, Janie Bradford, 3:20) 04. "First Time Around" (2:48) 05. "Loretta (Union Turnpike Eulogy)" (3:48) 06. "Blues, Part IV" (5:04) 07. "You Never Know Who Your Friends Are" (2:53) 08. "The Great American Marriage / Nothing" (3:19) 09. "I Don't Know Why I Love You" (Lula Mae Hardaway, Don Hunter, Paul Riser, Stevie Wonder, 3:22) 10. "Mourning Glory Story" (Harry Nilsson, 2:16) 11. "Anna Lee (What Can I Do For You)" (3:18) 12. "I'm Never Gonna Let You Down" (4:37)

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The 2019 Locus Award nominees: your guide to the best sf/f of 2018

Locus Magazine has published its annual Locus Award finalists, a shortlist of the best science fiction and fantasy of the past calendar year. I rely on this list to find the books I've overlooked (so. many. books.). This year's looks like a bumper crop.

Now that the finalists have been announced, Locus subscribers and others can cast their votes; the awards will be presented in Seattle during a weekend-long event that runs June 28-30, MC'ed by Connie Willis.

SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

Record of a Spaceborn Few, Becky Chambers (Harper Voyager US; Hodder & Stoughton)

The Calculating Stars, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)

If Tomorrow Comes, Nancy Kress (Tor)

Revenant Gun, Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris US; Solaris UK)

Blackfish City, Sam J. Miller (Ecco; Orbit UK)

Embers of War, Gareth L. Powell (Titan US; Titan UK)

Elysium Fire, Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz; Orbit US)

Red Moon, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

Unholy Land, Lavie Tidhar (Tachyon)

Space Opera, Catherynne M. Valente (Saga)

FANTASY NOVEL

Lies Sleeping, Ben Aaronovitch (DAW; Gollancz)

Foundryside, Robert Jackson Bennett (Crown; Jo Fletcher)

The Monster Baru Cormorant, Seth Dickinson (Tor)

Deep Roots, Ruthanna Emrys (Tor.com Publishing)

Ahab’s Return, Jeffrey Ford (Morrow)

European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman, Theodora Goss (Saga)

The Mere Wife, Maria Dahvana Headley (MCD)

The Wonder Engine, T. Kingfisher (Argyll Productions)

Spinning Silver, Naomi Novik (Del Rey; Macmillan)

Creatures of Want and Ruin, Molly Tanzer (John Joseph Adams)

HORROR NOVEL

In the Night Wood, Dale Bailey (John Joseph Adams)

Unlanguage, Michael Cisco (Eraserhead)

We Sold Our Souls, Grady Hendrix (Quirk)

Coyote Songs, Gabino Iglesias (Broken River)

The Hunger, Alma Katsu (Putnam; Bantam Press UK)

The Outsider, Stephen King (Scribner; Hodder & Stoughton)

The Listener, Robert McCammon (Cemetery Dance)

Cross Her Heart, Sarah Pinborough (HarperCollins UK/Morrow)

The Cabin at the End of the World, Paul Tremblay (Morrow; Titan UK)

Tide of Stone, Kaaron Warren (Omnium Gatherum)

YOUNG ADULT BOOK

The Gone Away Place, Christopher Barzak (Knopf)

The Cruel Prince, Holly Black (Little, Brown; Hot Key)

The Belles, Dhonielle Clayton (Freeform; Gollancz)

Tess of the Road, Rachel Hartman (Random House)

Dread Nation, Justina Ireland (Balzer + Bray)

Cross Fire, Fonda Lee (Scholastic)

The Agony House, Cherie Priest & Tara O’Connor (Levine)

Half-Witch, John Schoffstall (Big Mouth House)

Impostors, Scott Westerfeld (Scholastic US; Scholastic UK)

Mapping the Bones, Jane Yolen (Philomel)

FIRST NOVEL

Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi (Henry Holt; Macmillan)

Semiosis, Sue Burke (Tor)

Armed in Her Fashion, Kate Heartfield (ChiZine)

The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager US; Harper Voyager UK)

The Quantum Magician, Derek Künsken (Solaris US; Solaris UK)

Annex, Rich Larson (Orbit US)

Severance, Ling Ma (Farrar, Straus, Giroux)

Witchmark, C.L. Polk (Tor.com Publishing)

Trail of Lightning, Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)

Empire of Sand, Tasha Suri (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

NOVELLA

The Black God’s Drums, P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com Publishing)

The Tea Master and the Detective, Aliette de Bodard (Subterranean)

“Umbernight“, Carolyn Ives Gilman (Clarkesworld 2/18)

Black Helicopters, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Tor.com Publishing)

Time Was, Ian McDonald (Tor.com Publishing)

Gods, Monsters, and the Lucky Peach, Kelly Robson (Tor.com Publishing)

The Freeze-Frame Revolution, Peter Watts (Tachyon)

Artificial Condition, Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)

Rogue Protocol, Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)

The Descent of Monsters, JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing)

NOVELETTE

“The Donner Party”, Dale Bailey (F&SF 1–2/18)

“Okay, Glory”, Elizabeth Bear (Twelve Tomorrows)

“No Flight Without the Shatter“, Brooke Bolander (Tor.com 8/15/18)

The Only Harmless Great Thing, Brooke Bolander (Tor.com Publishing)

“The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections“, Tina Connolly (Tor.com 7/11/18)

“An Agent of Utopia”, Andy Duncan (An Agent of Utopia)

“Queen Lily“, Theodora Goss (Lightspeed 11/18)

“Nine Last Days on Planet Earth“, Daryl Gregory (Tor.com 9/19/18)

“Quality Time”, Ken Liu (Robots vs Fairies)

“How to Swallow the Moon“, Isabel Yap (Uncanny 11–12/18)

SHORT STORY

“The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington“, Phenderson Djèlí Clark (Fireside 2/18)

“The Bookcase Expedition”, Jeffrey Ford (Robots vs Fairies)

“STET“, Sarah Gailey (Fireside 10/18)

“A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies“, Alix E. Harrow (Apex 2/6/18)

“Cuisine des Mémoires”, N.K. Jemisin (How Long ’til Black Future Month?)

“The Storyteller’s Replacement”, N.K. Jemisin (How Long ’til Black Future Month?)

“Firelight“, Ursula K. Le Guin (Paris Review Summer ’18)

“The Starship and the Temple Cat“, Yoon Ha Lee (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 2/1/18)

“Mother of Invention“, Nnedi Okorafor (Future Tense)

“The Court Magician“, Sarah Pinsker (Lightspeed 1/18)

ANTHOLOGY

The Best Horror of the Year Volume Ten, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Night Shade)

The Book of Magic, Gardner Dozois, ed. (Bantam; Harper Voyager UK)

The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-fifth Annual Collection, Gardner Dozois, ed. (St. Martin’s Griffin)

Worlds Seen in Passing, Irene Gallo, ed. (Tor.com Publishing)

The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018, N.K. Jemisin & John Joseph Adams, eds. (Mariner)

Robots vs Fairies, Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe, eds. (Saga)

The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy of the Year, Volume Twelve, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Solaris US; Solaris UK)

Infinity’s End, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Solaris US; Solaris UK)

The Underwater Ballroom Society, Tiffany Trent & Stephanie Burgis, eds. (Five Fathoms)

The Future Is Female!, Lisa Yaszek, ed. (Library of America)

COLLECTION

The Tangled Lands, Paolo Bacigalupi & Tobias S. Buckell (Saga)

Brief Cases, Jim Butcher (Ace; Orbit UK)

An Agent of Utopia, Andy Duncan (Small Beer)

How Long ’til Black Future Month?, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

The Dinosaur Tourist, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean)

Fire & Blood, George R.R. Martin (Bantam; Harper Voyager UK)

All the Fabulous Beasts, Priya Sharma (Undertow)

The Future Is Blue, Catherynne M. Valente (Subterranean)

Starlings, Jo Walton (Tachyon)

How to Fracture a Fairy Tale, Jane Yolen (Tachyon)

MAGAZINE

Analog

Asimov’s

Beneath Ceaseless Skies

Clarkesworld

F&SF

Fireside

Lightspeed

Strange Horizons

Tor.com

Uncanny

PUBLISHER

Angry Robot

Baen

DAW

Gollancz

Orbit

Saga

Small Beer

Subterranean

Tachyon

Tor

EDITOR

John Joseph Adams

Neil Clarke

Ellen Datlow

Gardner Dozois

C.C. Finlay

Jonathan Strahan

Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas

Ann & Jeff VanderMeer

Sheila Williams

Navah Wolfe

ARTIST

Kinuko Y. Craft

Galen Dara

Julie Dillon

Leo & Diane Dillon

Bob Eggleton

Victo Ngai

John Picacio

Shaun Tan

Charles Vess

Michael Whelan

NON-FICTION

Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece, Michael Benson (Simon & Schuster)

Sense of Wonder: Short Fiction Reviews (2009-2017), Gardner Dozois (ReAnimus)

Strange Stars, Jason Heller (Melville House)

Dreams Must Explain Themselves: The Selected Non-Fiction of Ursula K. Le Guin, Ursula K. Le Guin (Gollancz)

Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing, Ursula K. Le Guin & David Naimon (Tin House)

Old Futures: Speculative Fiction and Queer Possibility, Alexis Lothian (NYU Press)

Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, Catherine McIlwaine, ed. (Bodleian Library)

Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction, Alec Nevala-Lee (Dey Street)

None of This Is Normal: The Fiction of Jeff VanderMeer, Benjamin J. Robertson (University of Minnesota Press)

An Informal History of the Hugos: A Personal Look Back at the Hugo Awards, 1953-2000, Jo Walton (Tor)

ART BOOK

Yoshitaka Amano, Yoshitaka Amano: The Illustrated Biography – Beyond the Fantasy, Florent Gorges (Les Éditions Pix’n Love 2015; Dark Horse)

Spectrum 25: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, John Fleskes, ed. (Flesk)

John Howe, A Middle-earth Traveler: Sketches from Bag End to Mordor (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; HarperCollins UK)

Jeffrey Alan Love, The Thousand Demon Tree (Flesk)

Simon Stålenhag, The Electric State (Fria Ligan ’17; Skybound)

Shaun Tan, Cicada (Lothian; Levine ’19)

Charles Vess, The Books of Earthsea: The Complete Illustrated Edition, Ursula K. Le Guin (Saga)

Michael Whelan, Beyond Science Fiction: The Alternative Realism of Michael Whelan (Baby Tattoo)

Dungeons & Dragons Art and Arcana: A Visual History, Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Jon Peterson, & Sam Witwer (Ten Speed)

Lisbeth Zwerger, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, J.K. Rowling (Levine)

https://boingboing.net/2019/05/07/futures-of-the-past-year.html

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Song for Jimi: The Story of Guitar Legend Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Smith Jr., illustrated by Edel Rodriguez

Song for Jimi: The Story of Guitar Legend Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Smith Jr., illustrated by Edel Rodriguez

Song for Jimi: The Story of Guitar Legend Jimi Hendrix by Charles R. Smith Jr., illustrated by Edel Rodriguez. Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, 2021. 9780823443338 Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5 Format: Hardcover Genre:  Biography What did you like about the book? This biography of Jimi Hendrix is constructed like a song, with an intro, five verses, and an outro. …