#Johnny J Blair Singer at Large

[singeratlarge]

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Man Ray (1890-1976), the pioneer of visual art and “found objects.” He was born in American but spent most of his career in Paris, becoming an informal contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements surrounding him. His career intersected with Salvador Dali, Marcel Duchamp, Pablo Picasso, and a hit list of actors, artists, dancers, filmmakers, and musicians. Despite Ray tagging himself as “just a painter,” he produced major works in a variety of media and is best known for his pioneering photography—specially fashion and portrait photography. He is also noted for his work with photograms (photographic images made not with a camera but with light exposure) which he called “Rayographs.” In the 1920s he directed and appeared in a number of avant-garde films, including the 1924 urban fantasy ENTR’ACTE (directed by René Clair). Ray appears with Frances Picabia, playing chess on a chessboard that transforms into a city center with busses and cars. I used this scene in a video for my song “It’s In Your Hands,” with music that quotes heavily from Erik Satie (who also appeared in ENTR’ACTE). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxReq4Xr-U8 Meanwhile, thank you Man for getting us to see the art in everything.

#manray #birthday #visualart #foundobjects #foundthings #Paris #dadaism #surrealism #salvadordali #marcelduchamp #pablopicasso #painter #photography #photogram #rayograph #avantgarde #reneclair #francespicabia #eriksatie #entracte #art #johnnyjblair #gnosseinnes

[marvinsmarvelousmm]

A cool Simpson’s autograph. Chris Yambar is a Youngstown OH-based comic book artist, painter, author, music composer, and spoken word artist. He has written and created for The Simpsons and has created comic-related material for Alice Cooper, KISS, and other notables. Yambar is also the creator of Mr. Beat, a comic beatnik who periodically releases music. As an album cover artist, Yambar has done work for Johnny J Blair "Singer at Large," The Residents, and many others. As a recording artist he has released a few spoken word/music collage works on independent labels. My father was fortunate to meet him and get this! It’s just a copy the original is safe and locked up in the archives. (at Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBd1DgyDFvd/?igshid=14a15myhy2wok

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the phenomenal Linda Rondstadt. She built an unsurpassable career on a singular voice and a classic stage sensibility, interpreting hundreds of songs on virtually every musical platform I could name: Classical, country, New Wave rock, opera, pop, showtunes & standards, theatre, and world music. 

Linda retired from performing and recording in 2011 when she came down with a form of aggressive palsy, but she still gets around. I met her in 2013 when she came into Guitar Center to get her guitar worked on. She and I have mutual acquaintances in the music biz and, once the dazzle wore off, the vibe became easeful and low-key, like a multiple award winning artist was really just another musician hanging out in a music shop with the crew. To me it’s heartening that someone with an affliction such as hers can still go home and enjoy music-making.

Here’s a cover of her breakthrough song “Different Drum.” Mike Nesmith wrote this in 1966 and, a year later, it became a hit for Linda Ronstadt & the Stone Poneys. The original track had a unique blend of Californianized baroque pop and country. Our cover is from a 1998 recording session I did with The Third National Band, a Mike Nesmith tribute project. The original had a strings. Since we didn’t have a string orchestra handy, I played those parts on harpsichord:

Meanwhile, HB Linda—thank you for your years of innovation and for giving us an incredible body of song!

#lindaronstadt #birthday #michaelnesmith #mikenesmith #differentdrum #johnnyjblair #sanfrancisco

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to STAR TREK the original series, launched today in 1966 on NBC-TV. Gene Roddenberry pitched the concept of 23rd-century interstellar exploration as an “outer space Western.” The series was cancelled just 3 seasons in, but reruns in syndication prove that the show will live long and prosper, morphing into countless spin-offs, films, books and other media. The stories and characters prophesied gadgets, tech ideas, cultural shifts, and catch-phrases that are now commonplace. To celebrate, I offer my “psychedelic surfing in space” song “We’re Getting Closer to the Sun.” The lyrics were prompted by Lt. Uhura’s (Nichelle Nichols) comments to Captain Kirk (William Shatner) in the 1968 episode “Bread & Circuses.” The song is the title track from a full-length album in the works—a  collection based on a childlike faith in themes of the cosmos and God, angels and astronauts. Please enjoy, and HB Star Trek and thank you for warp driving us to the final frontier...

#birthday #startrek #generoddenberry #interstellar #outerspace #uhura #nichellenichols #captainkirk #williamshatner #bread #circuses #johnnyjblair #singersongwriter

[singeratlarge]

SATURDAY MUSIC VIDEO MATINEE: “We’re Getting Closer to the Sun”—https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uYsfZKue5s  It was 55 years ago today that man set foot on the moon, via the Apollo 11 Moon Mission. On that note, lyrics in this song were prompted by Lt. Uhura’s (Nichelle Nichols) comments to Captain Kirk (William Shatner) in the 1968 Star Trek TV episode, “Bread & Circuses.” The song is the title track from a full-length album in the works—a  collection of songs based on a childlike faith in themes of the cosmos and God, angels and astronauts, spirit and science. Musically it pulls from late 60s experimental pop and psychedelia, surf rock, spy movie music, and future-primitive sounds. I drew inspiration from the moral tales in “The Twilight Zone” TV series, the C.S. Lewis space trilogy, and science fiction books I read in grade school from Scholastic Book Services, particularly books by Alexander Key. Some modern sci-fi (especially in film) is dystopian, depicting the human race as grubby poltroons who deserve to be enslaved by machines or brutal corporate dictators. I defer to a gentler, cleaner, and constructive brand of sci-fi, speaking towards empathy, hope, possibilities, and divine dynamics.

#Sun #StarTrek #LtUhura #NichelleNichols #CaptainKirk #WilliamShatner #God #angels #astronauts #spirit #science #scifi #psychedelic #TwilightZone #CSLewis #AlexanderKey #chrisvonsneidern #sciencefiction #johnnyjblair #singersongwriter #singeratlarge #spacetrilogy #Bread #Circuses #surfrock #spymovie #experimental #pop #faith #cosmos #closer #dystopian #hope #divine #danieltidwell

[singeratlarge]

MONDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO “Daydream Believer” + “It’s Going to Be Different” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4biM3K_QCX8 Two songs I did as host of an Open Mic at San Francisco Lighthouse. I shared a memory about the many times I've played "Daydream Believer" with Davy Jones and The Monkees. The second song (my original composition) is getting a lot of interest and will be released on my next album, WE’RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE SUN. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4biM3K_QCX8

#johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #monkees #davyjones #singersongwriter #sanfrancisco #powerpop #artrock #gospel #americana #lighthouse #sanfranciscolighthouse #neilfinn #paulmccartney #beatles

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Desi Arnaz, Benedict of Nursia, Moe Berg, Ed Bournemann, Dale Bozzio, Larry Carlton, Karen Carpenter, John Cowsill, Daniel Craig, John Cullum, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, Maxwell Street, Jimmy Davis, Becky G, Rory Gallagher, John Gardner, Mikhail Gorbachev, Laird Hamilton, Sam Houston, Bryce Dallas Howard, John Irving, Jennifer Jones, Léon Jongen, Jon Bon Jovi, Orrin Keepnews, the 1933 film KING KONG, Papa Lightfoot, BarBara Luna, Madonna’s 1989 single “Like a Prayer,” Chris Martin, Gates McFadden, drummer-producer Tony Meehan (The Shadows), Method Man, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Lauraine Newman, Jay Osmond, Ethan Peck, Elvis Presley’s 1956 single “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” Luke Pritchard (The Kooks), Dottie Rambo, Red Saunders, Dennis Seaton (Musical Youth), Shostakovich’s 14th Symphony (1969), Bedřich Smetana, the 1995 musical SMOKY JOE’S CAFÉ, Ludovico Spontoni, the 1965 film SOUND OF MUSIC, composer-trumpeter Derek Watkins (James Bond films), Kurt Weill, Tom Wolfe, "Théo" Ysaÿe, and the creative provocateur, poet, and singer-songwriter Lou Reed. He was the principal songwriter for The Velvet Underground and his solo career spanned 5 decades. 

Velvet Underground were not commercially successful but are now regarded as one of the most influential bands in the history of rock. Brian Eno said that everyone who heard the first VU album wanted to start a band. Reed had a deadpan voice that, for me, required forgiveness as singers go (though he did step up on occasion, particularly when he sung with The Blind Boys on THE RAVEN album). Eventually I connected with his noir fiction, transgressive “eyewitness reporting” lyrics and songcraft. He neither approved or disapproved of the subjects he sang about and, in the end, he just wanted to write catchy rock’n’roll. Over the years I’ve performed at least 6 Reed/VU songs—recording 2: “What Goes On” and “Sunday Morning,” on which I was joined by members of The Badlees (who did a splendid job in one afternoon). Reed himself commended our cover and promoted it on his website in the mid-90s. HB and RIP Lou.

#loureed #velvetunderground #sundaymorning #singersongwriter #bretalexander #thebadlees #blindboysofalabama #raven #edgarallenpoe #noirfiction #poet #guitarist #eyewitnessreport #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #birthday

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY to Elvis Presley. When he turned 11, his mother Gladys took him to the Tupelo Hardware Company Store and bought him his first guitar: A 1947 Kay flat-top K19. He’d play this guitar throughout his school years and at his first Sun recording session. Also on this day: In 1956 his double-A single “Don’t Be Cruel/Hound Dog” went to #1 and stayed there for weeks. Fast forward to 1993 and the United States Post Office issued an Elvis Presley stamp. 

Sidebar: 1n 1976 David Bowie demo’d the song “Golden Years” with Elvis in mind to cover it (for unclear reasons Elvis nixed it even after making a demo). Rewind to 1960 when Elvis recorded the song “Black Star” (later re-titled “Flaming Star”). That song directly inspired the Black Star theme of Bowie’s final work, and it’s remarkable that Bowie was also born on the same day as Elvis.

In 2022 Baz Luhrmann released the ELVIS film, a biopic that most people think “got it right,” portraying Elvis as channeling Pentacostal church rapture with juke joint energy into one voice, one vibration. He looms over me, be it through mindful study or cultural resonance—in 1989 I named my back-up The Rover Boys after the surname for The Million Dollar Quartet a.k.a Elvis’s legendary 1956 jam session with Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. Like many professional musicians, I started with cover bands playing in bars, and I’m certain I’ve learned many Elvis hits + in my solo set I do gospel songs that he favored.

Elvis’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is based on “Plaisir d’Amour,” a 1784 French chanson by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini, re-written by hit-making team Hugo & Luigi w/George David Weiss. The lyrics are informed by poet Alexander Pope and Bible verses. I always enjoyed the tune, but when I heard Bob Dylan cover it, I became inspired to play it. Dylan gave it a gospel flair, and that triangulation with God’s love is what I aim for when I do it. Here’s my cover of it with stories https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEeb6uPiQWI&t=217s Meanwhile, HB EP 

#Elvis #Presley #birthday #black #star #DavidBowie #GoldenYears #Martini #chanson #HugoandLuigi #DavyJones #Monkees #Epiphone #johnnyjblair #Kayguitar #HoundDog #Dontbecruel #king #milliondollarquartet #Johnny #Cash #JerryLeeLewis #CarlPerkins #BobDylan #Dylan #singeratlarge #postage #stamp

[singeratlarge]

SATURDAY MUSIC VIDEO MATINEE: “Act Naturally”—Singer-songwriter and comedian Johnny Russell came up with the early 60s Bakersfield country music scene—famously with Buck Owens, who hit the big-time after recording Johnny’s song “Act Naturally.” In this video I tell the humorous and surprising “back story” of how that song wound its way through obstacles and objections before becoming a hit for Buck as well as Ringo Starr and The Beatles. It’s a lesson in sticking to your songwriting instincts even if it means breaking a hot date with your girlfriend! 

#JohnnyRussell #BuckOwens #TheBeatles #RingoStarr #ActNaturally #Bakersfield #countrymusic #rockabilly #twang #popmusic #singersongwriter #hotdate #DonRich #Buckaroos #VoniMorrison #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to singer-songwriter Robin Zander, exemplary front man for the legendary Cheap Trick. I can’t imagine life without the first 3 Cheap Trick albums, and I said as much to Robin when I met him in 2011. At the time I was the touring bassist-vocalist with The Monkees. We were wrapping up a show in St. Petersburg, Florida. As I was unloading at our hotel, Robin Zander and his wife pulled up. I introduced myself and he asked if he and his wife could visit with everyone. We chatted and walked to the bar, where Micky Dolenz was waiting—he and Robin knew one another from prior gigs, and I was happy to be listen in on two of the great all-time rock’n’roll tenors talk shop.

Vocally, I always thought of Robin as a noir punk/New Wave update on great rock’n’roll frontmen, with the swagger of Mark Lindsay and the power and range of Roger Daltrey. Years ago I made a list of my Top 12 role models as vocalists, and Robin is on that list. For me, if anyone needs to study “how to front a band,” study Robin! There are obvious Cheap Trick clips I could post (check out their 2016 single “When I Wake Up Tomorrow”), but I’m zeroing in on Robin’s 1993 solo album. HB RZ and thank you for your light.

#RobinZander #CheapTrick #rocknroll #hardrock #newwave #noirpop #frontman #singersongwriter #MickyDolenz #Monkees #Florida #MarkLindsay #RogerDaltrey #vocalist #singer #showman 

[singeratlarge]

SONG OF THE WEEK “For What It’s Worth” https://johnnyjblairsingeratlarge.bandcamp.com/track/for-what-its-worth-live-9-02...I’ve been a fan of Buffalo Springfield since I was a kid. “Bluebird” was one of the first 45s in my record collection. I also saw the landmark TV broadcast of them doing “For What It’s Worth” on the Smother Brothers Show. So many Buffalo Springfield records remain as my favorites: For the song craft, band chemistry, visionary production values, and so on. However, I was never motivated to cover any of their music till after I heard The Staple Singers do a funky-gospel remake of “For What It’s Worth,” and from there I put my own slide on it (my live recording reached #1 on iTunes). “FWIW” is classified as a quintessential protest song, addressing social turbulence in the 1960s (particularly the Vietnam War), echoing Biblical prophecy with Orwellian insight. However, that may be an overstatement. Stephen Stills recounts writing it in November 1966 as a specific reaction to unrest between law enforcement and young club-goers on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. In keeping with the times, it became Buffalo Springfield’s first hit single, but the message and the vibe still apply.

#stephenstills #buffalospringfield #johnnyjblair #StapleSingers #sunsetstrip #protestsong #slideguitar #12stringguitar #gospel #funk #soul #EriePA #singeratlarge #november #1966

[singeratlarge]

Hitting the “like” button is good, but showing your love and support is even better. Here are 3 reasons why you should become my Patreon patron:

1.   Underwrite live music for people with dementia and disability. I perform in assisted living homes, entertaining people in various stages of dementia and disability. Music brings life, connection, and mental enhancement to these folks. Recently I expanded the palette to provide music for people recovering from homelessness, addiction, human trafficking, mental health issues, and more. I experience a raw and honest appreciation flowing out of the eyes and faces in the audience, and I see real healing.

2.   Support my music. I’d love to continue to invest my time to create new music, collaborate, and get my recordings out (paying for studio time and musicians).

3.   Engage with my community. My patrons are seriously impressive and inspiring people. I think you’ll love meeting awesome people through my events and ongoing sharing of ideas and encouragements.

Patronage starts as low as $1 a month! Get started and click here: https://www.patreon.com/johnnyjblair?view_as=patron Thank you!

#johnnyjblair #musician #popmusic #powerpop #singersongwriter #assistedlivinghome #disability #dementia #inspiration #community #davyjones #monkees #davidbowie #mikegarson #loureed #velvetunderground #homelessministry #recovery #humantrafficking #mentalhealth

[singeratlarge]

SONG OF THE WEEK: “(Don’t Let The) Changes”—This is one of Donovan’s catchiest tunes. Here’s my wired-up cover of it with drumming by Jason Souza (of the metal band Soldier). The lyrics cite challenges and changes that can bring a man down, but by faith and discernment we rise above, brave through, and learn and grow from it. When Donovan wrote the song for his 1970 OPEN ROAD album, he was transitioning from 60s pop stardom, big production, and the trappings of fame in exchange for lower-key living. OPEN ROAD is a touchstone collection of songs about the downside of materialism and a yearning for simpler times, fortelling a sober yet edifying spirit for the future. Some think the chorus hook in this Donovan song informed David Bowie’s song “Changes” (which came just months later), but we all know change is inevitable.

https://johnnyjblairsingeratlarge.bandcamp.com/track/dont-let-the-changes

#Donovan #changes #singersongwriter #DavidBowie #classicrock #socialcommentary #poprock #folkrock #popstar #fame #openroad #materialism #simplicity #jasonsouzadrummer #soldier #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #tommallon #aarongregory

[singeratlarge]

SUNDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO: “I Like the Street (Acoustic)*”—This song hearkens back to when I had a “day job” as a bicycle messenger, wheeling and pedaling around the urban hills of San Francisco. That presented opportunities to study sweat, strangers, and speed. 

“I like the street / I like the street

The hustle and the bustle and the people that I meet

The grifters and the star-struck, The poets and the drunks

The PhDs and jailbirds, The models and the punks,

The barkers and the preachers and the friends that I hold dear

Some will bring you aggravation, some will bring you cheer (beep beep)…”

Sweat points to a rhythm under your skin and makes it glisten in the light. Sweat does not discriminate between burlap or satin, barkeep or ballerina. Lying makes people sweat. So does love. Jesus sweated drops of blood. Sweat carries the dust of disappointment and the heat of anticipation. This is Sweat Logic, a way of coping and seeing behind the masks that people wear in life.�� One day I was reflecting on that and, suddenly, a song sprang forth, with lyrics that are “AUTO-biographical.” This song is "my mind on bike." 

*This was a featured cut on my TREADMARKS album, an acoustic project produced by Mark Doyon on the Wampus Multimedia label.

#street #johnnyjblair #bicycle #bike #messenger #sanfrancisco #Jesus #christianrock #christian #ballerina #sweat #logic #treadmarks #markdoyon #aooustic #twelvestring

[singeratlarge]

SATURDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO: “Ring of Fire” (live w/Felipe Torres)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqQrdT4-_7E  …In 1927 The Carter Family was “born” as A.P. Carter persuaded his wife and sister-in-law to join him in traveling to Bristol VA to audition for record producer Ralph Peer. Here is one of many songs written by a Carter…A song about the transformative power of love. June Carter wrote it with Merle Kilgore, and it became a signature song for Johnny Cash. The lyrics were inspired by a book of Elizabethan poems kept by June’s uncle, the legendary A.P. June's sister Anita Carter recorded it first but didn’t ignite the charts. Johnny Cash was somewhat interested in the song. Then he had a compelling dream about going to Heaven and hearing “Mexican horns” at St. Peter’s Gate while the “Ring of Fire” song was playing. So, he daringly recorded it with mariachi horns and it was a big hit in 1963. Felipe Torres and I performed this as an unrehearsed encore at a New Jersey coffee house in 2010. Felipe's wife, Jane, contributed right foot metronome in the lower right screen while Felipe improvised appropriate theatrics towards her during verse 2. 

#JohnnyCash #JuneCarter #MerleKilgore #ringoffire #love #FelipeTorres #NewJersey #JohnnyJBlair #Singeratlarge #singersongwriter #Americana #coffeehouse #mariachi #music #video #law #power #coffee

[singeratlarge]

SUNDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO “The Sleeping Giant (of Love)”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEjDtzaJrCI —A twist on Jonathan Swift’s oft-tributed and parodied GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, a political allegory that some say was the first science fiction novel. While sailing on a ship, Lemuel Gulliver is storm-tossed and knocked unconscious, only to awaken as a prisoner on an island populated by eccentric little people. I turned it around so the island is populated by marooned humans who, after a dark and stormy night, find this Giant on the beach. They can’t wake him from his peaceful slumber. Yet they’re compelled to rouse him because they think he is friendly, has answers, a way out... They learn that the Giant is a metaphor for something they’ve forgotten about: Love and connection to God.

Musically I was inspired by David Bowie, early Genesis, and Split Enz/Neil Finn (+ imagining Dennis Wilson on drums). My fiance Uma Robin Mackey says it’s one of her favorites! 

#sleeping #giant #love #jonathanswift #gulliverstravels #gulliver #novel #storm #island #prisoner #beach #slideguitar #god #davidbowie #splitenz #neilfinn #genesis #denniswilson #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #allegory #artrock #progrock #progressiverock #casiokeyboard