Know Good Music

IVOR DAVIS Interview (The Beatles, Elvis, Jane Mansfield and more!)

Jim and Mike interview author and Beatles historian Ivor Davis!

We talk about his time with the Beatles and some of the amazing things he witnessed on the Beatles first tour of America.

ABOUT IVOR:
London-born Ivor Davis first came to America in the early sixties and was appointed West Coast correspondent for the 4-million-a-day circulation London Daily Express in l963.

His first big assignment came the following year: to hang out, travel with and get to know the four members of a new pop group from Liverpool who were tearing up the world with their music: the Beatles.

He was the only British daily newspaper correspondent to cover the Fab Four’s first American tour from start to finish, given unparalleled access to John, Paul, George and Ringo on the road, in their hotel and during long nights of card and Monopoly games as they talked frankly about their bizarre new life. He also ghosted a regular newspaper column for George.
Ivor’s first-hand, insider’s memoir is a fascinating travel back in time where for the first time he chronicles, frankly and humorously, 34 days with the world’s most famous band on the road—at a critical moment in the history of rock.

Over more than four decades as a writer for the Express and the Times of London, Ivor covered major events in North America. He penned a weekly entertainment column for the New York Times Syndicate for over 15 years, interviewing some of the biggest names in show business, from Cary Grant to Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton to Tom Cruise and Muhammad Ali.

In 1962 he was smuggled onto the campus of the riot-torn University of Mississippi when James Meredith was enrolled and three years later was in the front lines as Los Angeles’ Watts riots erupted.

He covered Robert Kennedy’s 1968 presidential bid and was in the Ambassador Hotel the night Kennedy was assassinated.  He was one of the Boys on the Bus chronicling the life of actor-turned-politician Ronald Reagan, first in his campaign for governor of California, then for president.

In l969 he co-wrote Five to Die, the first book ever published about the Sharon Tate murders. (The book was updated in 2011.)  As a foreign correspondent, he traveled throughout the western hemisphere covering riots, floods, earthquakes and politics. As Editor at Large for Los Angeles Magazine. he and his late wife Sally Ogle Davis wrote over 100 major magazine and cover stories. He has reported on four World Soccer Cups for CBS radio.

He currently lives in Southern California and is working on two new books: one about movies the other a true crime story.

 

You can find Ivor's books on his website at : http://www.ivordavisbeatles.com/blog/

and also on Amazon

DAN TEDESCO Interview - IOWA singer /songwriter / musician

Today Jim goes solo with his interview with Iowa singer / songwriter / musician - DAN TEDESCO 

ABOUT DAN TEDESCO :

Growing up his ears were fortunate enough to be treated to a fairly eclectic musical mix: The Beatles, Dylan, Paul Simon, James Taylor, The Band, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, CCR, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty. Even a healthy dose of Mozart, Beethoven and Wagner. A friend in his neighborhood used to make cassette mixes for him: The Who, They Might Be Giants, The Police, The Clash. He missed the grunge period, and it wouldn’t be until nearly a decade later that he'd discover the power of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Once he found the guitar, things focused in a touch. It wasn’t unusual for him to fall asleep at night to the sounds of guitar wizards like Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson. And the random Van Halen record was never far away.

Then there was the jazz period. Wes Montgomery. Joe Pass. George Benson. Charlie Christian. John Coltrane. Elvin Jones. McCoy Tyner. The things he learned from those guys.   It’s everything really.  The spirit of jazz. The freedom of it. That’s been it’s great influence on him.

But I was always a rock ’n roll kid. Pete Townsend more than Pat Metheny. And, ultimately, he craved power chords over the complex harmonies of jazz.

So, like many of his heroes, he was a bit of a social outcast. That, if anything, was and has always been his struggle. Everyone has at least one. And he found his comfort, security and confidence in the world out on the fringe, populated by the misfits. The world of rock ’n roll.

 

COPYRIGHT CLAIM: the songs : The Truth, Bound for Glory, Coming Home to You, Looking for a Girl Like You, Tow Truck Man, Miss America, Backstage & Banks of the Mississippi used with permission from Dan Tedesco.

You can find JIM AND MIKE TALK MUSIC podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Iheart Radio, Podbean and almost anywhere you listen to podcasts.  We also have a YouTube Channel where we feature a couple video segments from our interviews.

 

THE LAST WALTZ review - THE BAND, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond - Top 10 - April 1976 - SHOW #17

Today Jim and Mike talk about the 1976 film THE LAST WALTZ and end the show with the US Top 10 from the week ending April 10th, 1976.

 

ABOUT THE LAST WALTZ
The Last Waltz was a concert by the Canadian-American rock group The Band, held on American Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1976, at Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The Last Waltz was advertised as The Band's "farewell concert appearance", and the concert saw The Band joined by more than a dozen special guests, including their previous employers Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan as well as Paul Butterfield, Bobby Charles, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Muddy Waters, Ronnie Wood, and Neil Young. The musical director for the concert was The Band's original record producer, John Simon.

The event was filmed by director Martin Scorsese and made into a documentary of the same title, released in 1978. Jonathan Taplin, who was The Band's tour manager from 1969 to 1972 and later produced Scorsese's film Mean Streets, suggested that Scorsese would be the ideal director for the project and introduced Robbie Robertson and Scorsese. Taplin served as executive producer. The film features concert performances, intermittent song renditions shot on a studio soundstage, and interviews by Scorsese with members of The Band. A triple-LP soundtrack recording, produced by Simon and Rob Fraboni, was issued in 1978. The film was released on DVD in 2002 as was a four-CD box set of the concert and related studio recordings.

The Last Waltz is hailed as one of the greatest documentary concert films ever made,[3] although it has been criticized for its focus on Robertson.  In 2019, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

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Also Jim and Mike go over in detail the TOP 10 songs from the week ending April 10th, 1976 which were:

1  - DISCO LADY - Johnnie Taylor 
2 -  DREAM WEAVER -  Gary Wright 
3  - LONELY NIGHT (Angel Face)  - The Captain and Tennille 
4 -  LET YOUR LOVE FLOW - The Bellamy Brothers 
5  -  RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM - Maxine Nightingale
6  - DREAM ON - Aerosmith 
7 -  BOOGIE FEVER - The Sylvers 
8 -  ONLY SIXTEEN -  Dr. Hook 
9 -  SWEET LOVE - The Commodores 
10 - GOLDEN YEARS - David Bowie 

LITTLE ANTHONY INTERVIEW (of Little Anthony and the Imperials)

Today we talk with LITTLE ANTHONY about some of the highlights of his 60+ year career in music.  He talks about Buddy Holly, Elvis & Smokey Robinson to name a few of people he's met and known over the years.  We cover topics like segregation in the 50s, Religion, and his gift of an incredible voice!  It's an interview not to be missed!

 

ABOUT LITTLE ANTHONY:
Little Anthony and the Imperials, American rhythm-and-blues vocal group whose career straddled the eras of doo-wop and soul music. The Imperials were formed in New York City in 1958 as a new incarnation of a short-lived group called the Chesters. The vocal combo’s original members were Jerome Anthony Gourdine, Clarence Collins, Ernest Wright, Jr., Tracy Lord, and Nat Rogers 

 

The Imperials found instant success with their second single, “Tears on My Pillow” (1958), a doo-wop ballad distinguished by Gourdine’s youthful falsetto. While introducing the song on the radio, influential disc jockey Alan Freed, an early supporter, called the group Little Anthony and the Imperials (in reference to Gourdine), and the moniker stuck. After a number of less-successful releases, a brief departure by Gourdine, and the replacement of Lord and Rogers, the group hit its stride in the mid-1960s. Producer-songwriter Teddy Randazzo brought the Imperials’ vocal style in line with the popular soul sound of the day, resulting in a string of pop and rhythm-and-blues hits, including “I’m on the Outside (Looking In)” (1964), “Goin’ out of My Head” (1964), and “Hurt So Bad” (1965).

 

By the mid-1970s the group’s commercial fortunes had waned and the lineup had gone through several changes, most notably the 1969 departure of Wright. Gourdine left in 1975. The Imperials carried on for four more years but never achieved another American hit. Gourdine, Collins, and Wright reconvened in 1992 with latter-day member Sammy Strain (who had since joined the O’Jays) for a successful appearance at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Thereafter, the group continued touring with varying lineups into the early 21st century, releasing a new album, You’ll Never Know, in 2008. Little Anthony and the Imperials were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009.

 

You can find JIM AND MIKE TALK MUSIC podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Iheart Radio, and almost anywhere you listen to podcasts.  We also have a YouTube Channel where we feature a couple video segments from our interviews.

FIONA SILVER Interview (New York Singer / Songwriter / Guitarist)

Today we talk to Fiona Silver about her tour with Gary Clark Jr., her songwriting process, outfits and influences.  We also do some Music Trivia between Fiona and Mike (at the end)

 

ABOUT FIONA SILVER:
Fiona Silver is a pixie-sized powerhouse, born and bred in New York City, with a take no prisoners punk ethic. Silver is not only a singer, but also a songwriter, producer, guitarist and, “rockstar, period.” [Beautiful Savage Magazine] Her evocative artistry encompasses the doe-eyed playfulness of 1960s girl groups (a nod to one of her personal mentors, Ronnie Spector), along with strains of vintage soul, edgy pop, and gritty Rock N Roll. Her latest EP, Hostage of Love, is a masterstroke both vulnerable and rebellious. Inspired by events from her tumultuous life, filled with dire beauty and vital sorrow, Fiona has emerged as the dynamic artist she is today, mesmerizing audiences with an essence of seductive charm and a captivating innocence. 

 

After touring with 4x Grammy Winner Gary Clark Jr. Fiona Silver continues to rise upon the music scene. Legendary Rock 'N Roll DJ Rodney Bingenheimer (who broke bands like Joan Jett and the Ramones) premiered Silver’s songs on KROQ and Sirius XM, calling her music “beyond amazing.” Silver has the added distinction of being endorsed by Telefunken Microphones, Reverend Guitars and Luna Guitars. Since the release of her debut album Little Thunder, Silver has also released a slew of singles, toured extensively throughout North America, opened for the Black Pumas, Andrew W. K., performed with Carlos Santana, and most recently accompanied Gwen Stefani for NBC’s New Year’s Eve special, and “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” Special. On Valentine’s Day 2020 Silver released her highly anticipated EP ‘Hostage of Love,’ and celebrated with a packed headlining show at Brooklyn Bowl.

 

COPYRIGHT CLAIM: Night Clubbing, Take Me Down, Violence, 2020, Love Potion No.9 & Smoking Gun were used with permission from Fiona Silver.

ALBUM ROULETTE - Album Reviews of 2020 / New Bands / Music History - SHOW #16

Today we review 3 albums each (that were picked randomly)  from Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 50 albums of 2020.  

We also discuss our favorite album from last year, and new bands and artists we've recently discovered.

Also: This Day in Music History (February 27th).

Here are the artists and albums mentioned in the podcast:
KAREEM ALI "Growth"
SOCCER MOMMY "Colour Theory"
FOUR TET "Sixteen Oceans"
FLO MILLI "Ho, Why is you Here?"
BOB DYLAN "Rough and Rowdy Ways"
LADY GAGA "Chromatica"
ANDREA VON KAMPEN
DREAM WIFE
MARCUS KING
PHOEBE BRIDGERS
ALEX THE ASTRONAUT
TIRED LION
THE BOMBPOPS
ODD MORRIS

MARCY LEVY / MARCELLA DETROIT (Eric Clapton / Shakespears Sister) interview

Marcella Levy, known professionally as Marcella Detroit, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.  She co-wrote the 1977 Eric Clapton hit "Lay Down Sally" and released her debut album Marcella in 1982. She joined Shakespears Sister in 1988 with ex-Bananarama member Siobhan Fahey. Their first two albums, Sacred Heart (1989), and Hormonally Yours (1992), both reached the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart. Detroit sang the lead vocals on their biggest hit, "Stay", which spent eight consecutive weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart in 1992.  Detroit left the band in 1993 and had a UK top 20 hit with "I Believe" in 1994. She formed the Marcy Levy Band in 2002, and finished third in the 2010 ITV series Popstar to Operastar.

We talk about growing up in Detroit, the Beatles, Eric Clapton, performing at Live Aid, Elton John, Shakespears Sister, her next album, and more!

 

COPYRIGHT CLAIM: the songs THE CORE, LAY DOWN SALLY & STAY were used with permission from Marcy Levy.

Welcome to KNOW GOOD MUSIC

Join Rob (Jim), Matt (Mike) & Jeremy on a musical journey.  We cover music from the 1950s up until today! 

We've done many interviews with legendary artists, new artists and music industry people.  Always a fun time talking to those who we've loved for a long time and great artists we've just discovered.  Always something good!

One our regular podcast we cover almost anything to do with music (album reviews, music movie reviews, top ten lists, great new music, music podcasts, music trivia etc.)