#billboard blues chart

[sinceileftyoublog]

Selwyn Birchwood Interview: Blues Sorcery

BY JORDAN MAINZER

“Blues musicians are exorcists,” Selwyn Birchwood told me over the phone last month. In some ways, Birchwood is a traditional blues artist like the magicians he refers to. The Tampa guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, who cut his teeth playing with Sonny Rhodes and has opened for Buddy Guy and Robert Cray, wields a dusty voice and expressive guitar style, traversing the worlds of Chicago blues and Southern soul, subjects from heartbreak to swamp folklore. In other ways, though, he’s uniquely modern. For one, unlike blues stars then and now, Birchwood doesn’t play covers, standards, or traditional tunes. He also doesn’t write original songs that border on self-parody because they try so hard to sound like standards; instead, his pieces are biographical, centered in the places they were created and aim to illustrate, skirting notions of rockist purity to use contemporary recording techniques. And thankfully, his songs still do rock, whether emphasizing Birchwood’s lap steel, longtime baritone saxophonist Regi Oliver’s horns, or the rhythm section’s deftly controlled tempos.

Exorcist, Birchwood’s latest album out tomorrow via Alligator Records, is Birchwood’s most assured release yet. “I’ve always felt like I’ve been trying to find my own sound, and with this album, I’m confident [I have],” Birchwood said. “The music is imaginative, with real emotion and relatability.” From the soulful and sharp opener “Done Cryin’” to the album’s upbeat closing instrumental “Show Tune”, Birchwood takes us on a journey through not only the weird creeks and absurd depths of his home state, but the peaks and valleys of his mind. Of course, “FLorida Man”, given today’s political climate, is a hilarious standout. Beginning with studio recordings of real news headlines to come out of the Sunshine State, Birchwood leads the band through a horrified, yet strangely affectionate tour of the place “where rebel flags meet Mickey Mouse”. (“People outside of Florida think we are crazy. People inside of FLorida KNOW we’re crazy!” Birchwood has said about the track.) And the mighty “Swim At Your Own Risk” features field recordings from “a woodsy area by my house,” Birchwood said. “I put it all together on my laptop. COVID put me headfirst into [editing].”

Sure, Birchwood’s enraptured-but-doomed relationship songs, from the “love gone terrifying” title track to the blistering, 6-minute “love gone wrong” jam “Horns Below Her Halo”, are phenomenal. But the true centerpieces come when Birchwood has time to reflect. “Plenty More To Be Grateful For” is a refreshing slice of perspective, 7 minutes of pure blues, while “Underdog” is a bit of psychedelic autobiography. And piano jaunt “ILa-View” perfectly combines Birchwood’s contemplations with knowing smirks, his similes for his affection akin to vices rather than romantic expressions. “I’ve heard so many songs that say, 'I love you,’ so if I say, 'I love you like the church loves money,' you believe me now,” Birchwood said, displaying the same sense of humor that’s obvious on record.

Birchwood’s last record, Living in a Burning House, made #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart, and he admitted he’d like to see Exorcist “hit some of the same numbers.” More importantly, though, he’s always looking to experiment. For instance, he played bass on a few songs on Exorcist, his first time doing so on a recorded album. In general, he recognizes that any record is momentary. “The finished albums are a snapshot,” he said. “I’m always moving, always growing.” One thing, though, will never change: Birchwood will continue to wield his voice and his axe, whether expelling the evil spirits of lost love and rabid demons, or even just sitting back and appreciating how far he’s come.

[btsx50states]

Check out BTS' stats on Billboard this week! Notable entries include "Slow Dancing" debuting on the Billboard Hot 100, all the songs from Layover debuting on the Digital Song Sales chart, and "Seven," "Like Crazy," and the songs from Layover on the Billboard Global excluding U.S. chart!

[djrobblog]

The one week the late Gary Wright was a “blue-eyed soul” wonder…in a year there were plenty

The one week the late Gary Wright was a “blue-eyed soul” wonder…in a year there were plenty #LoveIsAlive #GaryWright #RIPGaryWright #DreamWeaver #1976 #Billboard #BlueEyedSoul

(September 15, 2023).  When it comes to blue-eyed soul, a term describing white artists who faithfully record and perform in the style of black musicians, the names that immediately come to mind—particularly from the 1970s—are Daryl Hall & John Oates, KC & The Sunshine Band, Teena Marie, the Average White Band, Boz Scaggs, Robert Palmer and occasionally Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers. Those…

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Scott Joplin - The Entertainer 1902

Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the "Maple Leaf Rag", became the genre's first and most influential hit, later being recognized as the quintessential rag. Joplin considered ragtime to be a form of classical music meant to be played in concert halls and largely disdained the performance of ragtime as honky tonk music most common in saloons. Treemonisha, his second opera, was produced in 1972 and in 1976 Joplin was awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

"The Entertainer" is a 1902 classic piano rag, first sold as sheet music by John Stark & Son of St. Louis, Missouri, and in the 1910s as piano rolls that would play on player pianos. The first recording was by blues and ragtime musicians the Blue Boys in 1928, played on mandolin and guitar. As one of the classics of ragtime, it returned to international prominence as part of the ragtime revival in the 1970s, when it was used as the theme music for the 1973 Oscar-winning film The Sting. Composer and pianist Marvin Hamlisch's adaptation reached number 3 on the Billboard pop chart and spent a week at number 1 on the easy listening chart in 1974. Thanks to the film and its score, Joplin's work became appreciated in both the popular and classical music worlds, becoming (in the words of music magazine Record World), the "classical phenomenon of the decade". The Recording Industry Association of America ranked it at number 10 on its "Songs of the Century" list.

"The Entertainer" received a total of 91,2% yes votes!

[pinkpigtailsprincess]

* ੈ✩ Scripting Help !! ‧₊˚ 🎀

Category . . . Singer/Kpop/Band

⋆🫧˚⊹ Awards You Can Win ˙𓈒 𓏸

Western

₊˚🏩✩; GRAMMY,American Music Award,Video Vanguard,MTV Music Awards,Billboard Music Awards,Juno Award,BRIT Award,academy awards,BET award,Peoples Choice Award,ACM Award,Hollywood Music in Media Award,iHeartradio award,Latin Grammy Awards,World Music Awards,

Kpop

₊˚👖✩; Korean Music Awards,Seoul Music Awards,MAMA Awards,MMA Awards,Hanteo Music Awards,Golden Disc Awards,Asia Artist Music Awards,Circle Chart Music Awards,Inkigayo,M Countdown,Mnet Music Awards,Apan Music Awards,MTV Asia Award,Mnet 20 Choice Awards,

⋆🫧˚⊹ Music Genres ˙𓈒 𓏸

₊˚🪸✩; House,Electro House,R&B,Soul,Country,Neo soul latin,Hip-Hop Rap,Jazz,Blues,Rock,Metal,Alternative,Pop Punk,Punk,Funk,Future Funk,Drill,Reggae,Reggaeton,Pop,Glam Rock,EDM,Broadway,Garage Band,Rhythm Rock,Synth Pop,Disco,Classical,Indie,Folk,New Wave,Jazz Fusion,Kpop,Jpop,K R&B,Go-Go,Rap

⋆🪼˚⊹ Staff Team ˙𓈒 𓏸

₊˚👙✩; Stylist,Choreographer,Bodygaurd,Glam Team,Manager,Publicist,Assistant,MV Director,Chauffeur,Tutor,Chef,Sound Mixer,Agent,Lawyer,Attorney,party planners,financial advisors,producers,

[pha55ed]

Cindy Lou Who? || F1/F2

type :: angst

tw/cw :: cheating (all), death (pepe)

contains :: carlos, charles, lando, oscar, ollie, paul, pepe, luke

CONTEXT :: Singer!reader releases "cindy lou who" which exposes how the drivers cheated on her, making the drivers the most hated person on the internet - PART TWO SOON :D

xmas celly here! || f1 masterlist || f2 masterlist

Carlos Sainz | 55

carlossainz55: blue suit and eyes all on me.

→ user 01: OH THIS IS FUCKING EVIL...

⎯→ user 02: the fact (y/n) faced so much fucking racism in the f1 community only for him to get with a white girl... it's giving robert pattinson...

→ user 03: carlos sainz leaving THE FUCKING (Y/N) for the same ex he claimed was toxic???? ummmm

→ user 04: reminder to stream (y/n)'s song 😜😜😜 it's #3 on billboard 100 rn

→ rebecca.donaldson: guess i make you happy like someone couldn't do!!! 😉

⎯→ user 05: quoting her fucking song is so rude and insane. may the worse come to you...

⎯→ user 06: i can't even imagine the rage and sadness is going through and you're fucking laughing at her? THEY COULD NEVER MAKE ME LIKE YOU

Charles Leclerc | 16

f1.gossip : After (Y/N) released "cindy lou who", Alexandra Saint Mleux was seen in the paddock again with Charles and the wags. Fans were blasting (Y/N)'s song whenever they spotted Alex, resulting in her leaving early.

→ user 01: so he cheated on charlotte AND (y/n) for alex??? how strong is her hold on this man

⎯→ user 02: she gotta have some blackmail or smth

→ user 03: the fact that all the wags are hugging... except alex... yikesss smth def happened

⎯→ user 04: even jade isn't looking at her...

→ user 05: leaving a fucking MULTI-GRAMMY WINNING SINGER for your ex is fucking insane

→ user 06: MAY HE CRASH IN MONACO, MONZA, SILVERSTONE, AND MORE!!!

⎯→ user 07: MAY HIS ENGINE FART!!! FUCK CHARLES OMFG

→ user 08: SHOUT OUT TO THE FANS THAT BLASTED (Y/N)'S SONG IN HER EAR!!!!!

Lando Norris | 04

landonorris : the happiest i've ever been. happy 1 year love

→ user 01: wait wait wait ONE FUCKING YEAR????

⎯→ user 02: didn't he just break up with (y/n) like two months ago...

⎯→ user 03: so he cheated on THE (Y/N) (L/N) FOR OVER 8 MONTHS?????

→ user 04: i thought you were one of the good ones lando :/

→ user 05: even crazier is that oscar, max, AND carlos haven't comment when they used to comment on his posts with (y/n) 24/7

→ user 06: on the bright side... the album will go crazy???

⎯→ yourusername: i guess el oh el

⎯→ user 07: oh bby i'm so sorry :(

Oscar Piastri | 81

f1.gossip : After soft-launching for months on her instagram stories, Versace model Ashlee Collins was seen in the paddock with Oscar Piastri - Confirming that (Y/N) and Oscar are broken up. Goodbye to one of the best WAGs :( We'll miss you.

→ user 01: you know it's bad when even the f1 gossip account is sad

⎯→ user 02: she literally had no drama, was super sweet to fans, AND famous too

→ user 03: oh so THIS is who "cindy lou who" is about???

⎯→ user 04: she's stunning but being a homewrecker instantly makes her ugly in my eyes :/

→ user 05: leaving (y/n), a girl SPONSERED BY VERSACE, for a fucking model under the same brand is fucking insane. oscar lost my respect

⎯→ user 06: that probs means that oscar met this girl while (y/n) was working which is even worse

→ lily.zienmer: sending my prayers for her

⎯→ user 07: OO LILY?!!!??!??

⎯→ user 08: for ashlee or (y/n)?

⎯→ lily.zienmer: both

Oliver Bearman | 87

olliebearman: got rid of some dead weight, faster than every before.

→ user 01: oh so HE'S calling THE (Y/N), PRINCESS OF POP, a fucking DEAD WEIGHT???

⎯→ user 02: The balls on this man is fucking INSANE.

⎯→ user 03: NEUTER HIS ASS!!!!

→ user 04: she's pretty, but is she an award winning, billboard chart topper, AND model??? didn't think so

→ user 05: so half of his fanbase comes from (y/n)... he cheats on her... and then calls her a dead weight?? oh he's fucking dead

⎯→ user 06: might buy tickets just to throw shit at his car

Paul Aron | 17

addison.lillies : i guess i do look like cindy lou LOL anyways, hard launch?

→ user 01: oh... this isn't....

⎯→ user 02: she really thought she ate...

→ user 03: ur hard launch isn't even a whole photo of you two together, sad

⎯→ user 04: getting flashbacks to paul literally posting highlights and posts DEDICATED to just showing off (y/n) but he won't even like this girl's post...

→ user 05: erm... someone didn't understand the meaning of the song

→ paularon: pick better photos next time 😂😅

⎯→ user 06: OH... EMBARRASSING....

⎯→ user 07: was gonna get ur merch but now :/ mannn idk

⎯→ user 08: we expected more from you paul :( we really did

Pepe Marti | 21

f1.gossip : pepe marti was spotted at a bar with his childhood friend, alana. the two were described to be touchy, cuddling, and leaving the bar together in pepe's car while drunk. guess this is who "cindy lou who" is about... sending love to (y/n)

→ user 01: oh FUUUCCKKKKK no.

⎯→ user 02: didn't she just post a story about her aunt dying...

⎯→ user 03: i'm praying for her :( poor (y/n)

→ yourusername: 😀 i mean i always knew but damn.

⎯→ user 04: oh (y/n) :( im so sorry girlie

⎯→ user 05: the most beautiful, funniest, talented, and literal GRAMMY winner getting cheated on by a fucking f2 driver is insane. keep ur chin up girl

→ user 06: i always knew it was weird that he had a girl best friend... feel so bad for (y/n)

[swiftviolets]

INTRODUCING… by The Saints (1968)

INTRODUCING… is the The Saints’ debut and only album which was released in the summer of 1968 to local acclaim. The album is mostly garage rock with elements of blues, containing original songs penned mostly by Andy and Warren, as well as a few covers. It was a major hit in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, even entering the Billboard 200 album chart, where it peaked at 97.

[cartermagazine]

Today In History

André Lauren Benjamin better known as André 3000 was born May 27, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia.

He is one of the most revered, celebrated artists of the last three decades, an auteur whose work in music, film, fine arts, and fashion, continues to influence the cultural landscape on a global scale.

André 3000 is one half of the iconic hip-hop duo Outkast, with Anton “Big Boi” Patton, established a brand new voice/style within rap that had never been experienced before.

The 7x Grammy winning artist released his first solo album in 20 years this past November – New Blue Sun, a wind focused, instrumental album that represents the next step in André’s creative evolution. Released to widespread critical acclaim, New Blue Sun became the first instrumental album to land on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and the opening track “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time,” broke the record for longest song to debut on the Billboard Hot 100.

CARTER™️ Magazine

[regencygossipgirl]

Nic's 2024 photo dump (Part One)❤️

Omg, you guys, I finally have time to properly post, and I’m literally levitating—what an absolutely beautiful, chaotic day! The delulu levels were completely off the charts, and there was just no containing it. I’m still reeling, like… I can’t believe it actually happened.

It felt just like the early days all over again—living the world tour in real time, getting hyped over every single piece of content, hearts fluttering nonstop, all the endless theories, and just that good energy floating around everywhere.

I’m just so, so happy.

Looking like an actual goddess: waist snatched, long hair, body bodying, and the polaroid!!!

Is the croissant picture from Italy? Paris? So many questions, and even more questions after that.

And here’s the star of the night: Nic and Luke proudly (well, sort of) showing off the drawings they made of each other. You know, the one where Lukey spent a totally normal amount of time finding just the right shade of blue to draw Nicola’s eyes? Yeah, that one.

And can we talk about the little box at Nicola’s feet and her sandals? 🥹 Absolutely adorable.

One of my absolute favorite looks from the world tour—and I just have to mention the polaroid again.

Now, what is this?!! I try to keep my feet on the ground (you know, to avoid breaking every bone when the inevitable fall happens), but why is Luke tagged in this picture? Rue, when was this? Where??

I looked it up, and these kinds of plates are typically for domestic use, and honestly, they scream Nicola, don’t they? Was it her house? An interview? A restaurant?

I know this part one is prob from Jan to Jun, but, omg, in Colin’s voice: I NEED TO KNOW!!

And then there’s this one. I thought it could’ve been from May, around the NY Bridgerton premiere, June when she shot the Kate Spade campaign (also when Luke was on Jimmy Fallon), or October for the Time 100 Next event.

Since Luke is actually tagged in the post and we know Jake went with her to NY in October, that left me with two options.

It was confirmed recently, thanks to some BTS from the Kate Spade shoot, that Nicola was in NY in June after the London premiere (and, of course, those pictures), around the same time Luke was on Jimmy Fallon. When I tell you my delulu was off the charts… I have no clue if they saw each other or if they had a conversation… Around that time, the Deuxmoi pic of Nicola at the airport came out, so… who knows? Either way, just keep in mind, we’re talking June, and now it’s December. Also, we didn’t see them together at all during the summer.

So, I’m thinking it was for the NY Bridgerton premiere, and either Luke took the picture or she tagged him because of the Bridgerton billboard.

We don’t really know what’s going on between them, but even though I usually stick to reality, today I let my imagination run wild. I haven’t felt like that in such a long time. Nicola posted 20 new pictures, and they were so real—just her being herself, not the perfectly curated celebrity stuff. It made me so happy.

This year has been huge for Nicola, and I really hope she’s proud of herself because I sure am. I love and admire her so much, and I’m always here to cheer her on every step of the way.

[praetoravila]

turquoise is elisa campos' junior album. released june 12 2013, the album was a surprise for campos' fans, who she affectionately calls her baby blues after the song from her previous album. her shortest album yet at 10 songs, it was a certified billboard charts hit from the start. come to brazil ft big time rush, heart to break, and bang bang bang are the only official singles from the album. fans however demanded a music video for who's that boy, a song mostly unnoticed by music reviewers, which was eventually released on october 18, 2013, featuring the big time rush members, as well as many of campos' friends at a club in downtown la. the album, which was named after campos' favourite colour, has become a fan favourite, with many calling it her best album yet.

taglist: @myloveforhergoeson @ceruleanmusings @raging-violets @bibaybe @daughter-of-melpomene @selangkir @happinessismagicc

[aperture-hag]

A completely useless list of what pop songs were #1 on the Billboard Charts at the time of Cave Johnson's Aperture Science Recordings:

1952: Blue Tango by Leroy Anderson

1976: Silly Love Songs by The Wings

1982: Physical by Olivia Newton-John

[eptodaytommorowforever]

Events In The History And Of The Life Of Elvis Presley Today On The 5th, Of September In 1956.

September 5Th, In 1956 Elvis Presley surprised his mother Glady's with a gift of a pink Cadillac.

SEPTEMBER 5, 1956 – Elvis Presley surprised his mother with a gift of a pink Cadillac. In early 1955, Elvis bought his first Cadillac, a 1954 Fleetwood Series 60, which was the color pink. The car provided transport for Elvis and the Blue Moon Boys, but after the failure of a brake lining, was destroyed in a roadside fire between Hope and Texarkana, Arkansas, on June 5, 1955.

On July 5, 1955, Elvis Presley purchased a new Cadillac Fleetwood Series 60 in blue with a black roof. Having mentioned a Pink Cadillac in the song “Baby, Let’s Play House,” the first song recorded by Elvis Presley to appear on a national chart which made #5 on the Billboard Country Singles chart in July 1955; Elvis Presley had the car repainted by Art, a neighbor on Lamar Street. Art designed a customized pink color for Elvis Presley which he named “Elvis Rose,” but the car kept its black roof. Once the car was finished Elvis gave it to his mother Gladys as a gift. But Mrs. Gladys Presley never had a driver’s license, and Elvis Presley drove the car with the members of his band for most of 1955–1956.Rare candid photo's in color of Elvis Presley and the original pink cadillac restored to its former glory outside of Graceland and b/w candid photo's of Elvis Presley posing with the pink cadillac and is father vernon and mother glady's.

[ttexed]

Larry Williams - She Said Yeah

‘Larry Williams (May 10, 1935  January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams is best known for writing and recording some rock and roll classics from 1957 to 1959 for Specialty Records, including "Bony Moronie", "Short Fat Fannie", "Bad Boy", "Dizzy Miss Lizzie" and "She Said Yeah," which were later covered by British Invasion groups and other artists. John Lennon, in particular, was a fan of Williams, recording several of his songs over the course of his career. "Bony Maronie" is listed as one of the Top 500 songs that shaped Rock and Roll. 

Williams lived a life mixed with tremendous success and violence-fueled drug addiction. He was a long-time friend of Little Richard. As a child in New Orleans, Williams learned how to play piano. When he was a teenager, he and his family moved to Oakland, California, where he joined a local R&B group called the Lemon Drops. In 1954, when he was 19 years old, Williams went back to New Orleans for a visit. He began work as Lloyd Price's valet and developed a friendship with Little Richard Penniman, who was recording at the time in New Orleans. Price and Penniman were both recording for Specialty Records at the time. Williams was introduced to Specialty's house producer, Robert Blackwell, and was signed to record. 

 In 1957, Little Richard was Specialty's biggest star, but bolted from Rock and Roll to pursue the ministry. Williams was quickly groomed by Blackwell to try to replicate his success. Using the same raw, shouting vocals and piano-driven intensity, Williams scored with a number of hit singles. Williams' three biggest successes were "Short Fat Fannie", which was his first hit, reaching #5 in Billboard's pop chart, "High School Dance", which also made #5, and "Bony Moronie", which peaked at #14. Both "Short Fat Fanny" and "Bony Moronie" sold over one million copies, gaining gold discs. Several of his songs achieved later success as revivals by The Beatles ("Bad Boy", "Slow Down", and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy"); The Rolling Stones ("She Said Yeah"); and John Lennon's versions of "Bony Moronie" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy". 

 Williams had been involved with underworld activity since his early teens, and had reputedly been a pimp before he ever recorded music. After 1957 Williams did not have much success selling records. He recorded a number of songs in 1958 and 1959, including "Heebie Jeebies", with band members such as Plas Johnson on tenor sax and Alvin "Red" Tyler on baritone, Barney Kessel on guitar, Gerald Wilson on trumpet, Ernie Freeman or Williams himself on piano, and Earl Palmer on drums. He was convicted of dealing narcotics in 1960 and served a jail term, setting back his career considerably. 

 Williams made a comeback in the mid-1960s with a funky soul band that included Johnny "Guitar" Watson, which paired him musically with Little Richard who had been lured back into secular music. He produced two Little Richard albums for Okeh Records in 1966 and 1967, which returned Little Richard to the Billboard album chart for the first time in ten years and spawned the hit single Poor Dog. He also acted as the music director for the Little Richard's live performances at the Okeh Club. Bookings for Little Richard during this period skyrocketed. Williams also recorded and released material of his own and with Watson, with some moderate chart success. This period may have garnered few hits but produced some of his best and most original work.  

Williams also began acting in the 1960s, appearing on film in Just for the Hell of It (1968), The Klansman (1974), and Drum (1976). 

 In the 1970s, there was also a brief dalliance with disco, but Williams' wild lifestyle continued. By the middle of the decade, the drug abuse and violence was taking its toll. In 1977, Williams pulled a gun on and threatened to kill his long-time friend, Little Richard, over a drug debt. They were both living in Los Angeles and addicted to cocaine. Little Richard bought drugs from him, arranged to pay him later, but did not show up because he was high. Williams was furious. He hunted him down but ended up showing compassion on his long-time friend after Little Richard repaid the debt. This, along with other factors, led to Little Richard's return to born again Christianity and the ministry, but Williams would not escape LA's seedy underworld.'

 SOURCE: Wikipedia 

[rhapsodynew]

#On this day

Billy Gibbons – 75th anniversary of the leader of ZZ Top🎸

Happy birthday to Billy!🍻🤗

William Frederick Gibbons was born on December 16, 1949 in a suburb of Houston, Texas in a creative family: His father was a pianist, conductor and worked for MGM. At the age of five, Billy's mother took Billy and his sister to an Elvis concert; and at seven, he was present with his father in the studio at the recording of BB King. Billy started his musical career as a percussionist, but at the age of thirteen he found his first electric guitar. Billy went to California, where he combined his studies at the Warner Brothers School of Art with work in local teams. He would return to Texas and organize The Moving Sidewalks; the band played psychedelic rock that was fashionable at the time and recorded several singles and one LP. The team was lucky to be "opening for" Jimi Hendrix, and he will teach a young colleague some guitar lessons. In 1969, Gibbons organized ZZ Top (he also came up with the name). After several line-up changes, the band will find its unmistakable style: hard rock, boogie, blues and southern rock. (No less recognizable beards will appear later). In 1971, the trio debuted with the longplay "ZZ Top's First Album"; according to Gibbons: "... we named it so as to make it clear that others will follow. At the same time, we were not sure that we would get another chance in the studio, but we really hoped for it." The band's second studio album, "Rio Grande Mud" in 1972, will be in the middle of the US Billboard 200 rating, and "Tres Hombres" in 1973 will reach the 8th position, becoming gold in the USA and Canada.

Over the following decades, ZZ Top would sell over 50 million copies of their recordings; in 2004, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All these years, Billy remained the guitarist, main songwriter and lead vocalist of the trio; in 2015, Rolling Stone ranked him 32nd on the list of the greatest guitarists of all time. The 15th studio album, "La Futura", was released in 2012 and successfully performed on the charts. In 2021, Dusty Hill died; according to his wishes, guitar technician Elwood Francis took the place of the bassist. According to Gibbons, Hill managed to record his parts for the new album. In addition to ZZ Top, Gibbons has appeared in films, on TV, released three solo albums, a book and participated in projects of many musicians, including Nickelback, Queens of the Stone Age, BB King, Kid Rock, Sammy Hagar, Jeff Beck and John Fogerty. In 2005, Gibbons married his long-term girlfriend Gillian Stillwater. Billy is a fanatical collector of retro cars; his 1933 Ford Coupe, known as the "Eliminator", is featured in several ZZ Top videos and on the cover of one of the albums.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Eiffel 65 - Blue (Da Ba Dee) 1998

"Blue (Da Ba Dee)" is a song by Italian music group Eiffel 65. It was first released in October 1998 in Italy and became internationally successful the following year. It is the lead single of the group's 1999 debut album, Europop.

The song initially found success in France, where it debuted in August 1999 and reached number one for three weeks. It then found success in other European countries, reaching the top spot on many charts in September the same year. It became one of the biggest-selling songs of 1999, reaching number one in at least 18 countries, charting at number three in Italy, and peaking at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 2000. It reached number one in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. In the UK, the song initially entered the top 40 purely on import sales; it was only the third single to do this. The song re-charted on 6 May 2013 at number 40 in the UK, following its inclusion in Iron Man 3.

The song received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 2001 Grammy Awards. "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" has also been heavily sampled and remixed in later years.

The accompanying music video for the song was released in 1999 by BlissCoMedia, a computer graphics division of Bliss Corporation, and featured computer-generated graphics that were done in 3ds Max. With very few resources, tutorials and books, and only one editing machine, the video was made between 1998 and 1999 in a garage in about two to three months.

"Blue (Da Ba Dee)" received a total of 75,2% yes votes!

[randomvarious]

Louisiana Soul Playlist

Added a few sweet southern gems to this Louisiana soul playlist that I haven't done anything with in years. A couple of them come from the deeply underappreciated Shreveport native, Eddie Giles, who never once charted on either of Billboard's Hot 100 or R&B charts, but made it to Cashbox in '66/'67 with his solo secular debut, "Losin' Boy," which unexpectedly proved fortuitous for him when it moved 2,000 units in Shreveport, 10,000 in Dallas, and 70,000 in Chicago. Giles would end up touring with Ike & Tina Turner, had a young Jimi Hendrix open for him and his band for his Chicago dates, and in '68, he'd turn in the great and much lesser-known "Ain't Gonna Worry No More" too. And while Giles was Louisiana born-and-bred, he didn't fit into that famously swampy mold; he opted for a sound that had potential to be broadly mass-appealing rather than confined to a specific sonic niche and character. Plus, despite the fact that "Losin' Boy" would prove as the most commercially successful song of his career, it's only currently sitting at ~5.6K plays on Spotify, which is way too low. And "Ain't Gonna Worry No More" has significantly less than that, at under 1K, so give 'em both spins so we can do right by this guy and celebrate his career as a terrific soul artist!

Bobby Powell - "C.C. Rider" Eddie Giles - "Losin' Boy" Eddie Giles - "Ain't Gonna Worry No More"

And then for the YouTube version of the playlist, I was able to add "Ain't Gonna Worry No More" too ("Losin' Boy" was already on there), plus a deeply obscure late 80s/early 90s street soul/hip hop cover kinda thing of Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now," which has this goofily light and bright sound to it that's definitely of its time and has gone extinct, but I find to be very lovable. I don't know if anyone's ever defined this vibe before, but it sounds like the type of music that might've played over some very shitty ceiling speakers in a department store in or around 1990. And if no one's ever coined a term for it, I say we just call it 'department store' 🤷.

Anyway, this "I Can See Clearly Now" cover is by a guy named Ric Harris, who I've never been able to find a single fucking thing about, but this only song of his seems to've only exclusively appeared on a compilation that was put out in the early 90s by the Shreveport-based Paula Records called Super Soul Blues Vol. III. So if Paula was willing to record some guy who'd evidently never put out another song in his entire life, my best guess is that he was local and that's why I've included this song of his on this Louisiana Soul playlist here, which currently stands at just 88 plays. I also have no idea if he's the rapper or the singer, or perhaps both, on this song either 😅.

Ric Harris - "I Can See Clearly Now"

And this playlist is also on YouTube Music.

So this update now brings us up to 14 songs on Spotify that clock in at 41 minutes, but over on YouTube, we're now up to 16 songs that clock in at 50 minutes; so if you want that Ric Harris song or something like the great high-pitched Ted Taylor's "Cummin Prison Farm," give the YouTube one a listen.

And for a more specific type of Louisiana soul, I've also got enough songs to comprise a Shreveport playlist too:

Shreveport Soul: YouTube / YouTube Music

Back to electronic music next week!

Enjoy!

More to come, eventually. Stay tuned!

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