...to the Sublime

He's Still Lyle

I had the good fortune last Friday to see Lyle Lovett and his Large Band perform at Disney Hall and I'm happy to report that the Texas troubadour and his mates are in fine form. But it does boggle the mind, with the music industry in the shape it's in, that Lovett can still manage to tour with a 10-piece band plus three backup singers! And on this night there was a fourth--Arnold McCuller. He joined Willie Greene Jr. and longtime Lovett stalwarts Harry Bowens and Sweet Pea Atkinson to provide a soulful foundation to just about every song. (Bowens and Atkinson are also the mighty lead singers of the group Was [Not Was].) And there was the usual assortment of styles, everything from ballads and bluegrass to Western swing, jump blues and gospel.

Lovett performed a lot of material from his most recent album, "Natural Forces," which was released earlier this year. He's once again spotlighting the work of songwriters who have influenced him, most of them from Texas, including Townes Van Zandt ("Loretta") and Vince Bell ("Sun and Moon and Stars"). And there's a song he co-wrote with Robert Earl Keen ("It's Rock and Roll"). But the show stopper may have been an older tune, "What Do You Do/The Glory of Love," with McCuller hilariously performing the woman's part that used to be done by Francine Reed. Lovett also performed a more conventional duet, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," with his opening act, Kat Edmonson, a winsome singer/songwriter from Austin.  

But in the end it was the always entertaining Lovett and his crack band--some of whom have been with him almost from the start--who made it a memorable evening. However he's managing to keep this ensemble together, the music world is better for it.

(Lovett and Edmonson's albums are available on iTunes, and you can watch some fine videos and catch up with his discography at lylelovett.com.

 

Remembering a Country Legend

Growing up in San Antonio, I heard a fair amount of country music, especially middle-of-the-road stuff like "Make the World Go Away" by Eddy Arnold. But I didn't seek out much C&W until Linda Ronstadt came on the scene and revived classics such as "I Fall to Pieces," which was co-written by the great Hank Cochran and the legendary Harlan Howard. Cochran, who died July 15 at the age of 75, also wrote "Make the World Go Away" which he performed (along with Jeannie Seely) on the soundtrack to the film "Honeysuckle Rose." That's Willie Nelson's band backing him up, along with ace fiddler Johnny Gimble. This is a cryin'-in-your-beer classic. Hope you've got a cold one nearby.

Download 23 Make the World Go Away

 

Que Vive España!

Spaniards typically take off the month of August (how civilized), but vacación is probably starting early after today's thrilling World Cup victory by La Furia Roja. And that's on the heels of Rafael Nadal winning Wimbledon and Pau Gasol winning the NBA championship with the Lakers. So let's raise a glass of cava and toast the campeones with a soundtrack of legendary flamenco guitarist Tomatito (with Dominican pianist Michel Camilo) performing Chick Corea's "Spain." Vale!

Download 02 Spain

 

RIP Harvey Fuqua

Harvey Fuqua wasn't a household name, but he is a significant figure in the annals of R&B. He's perhaps best known as the driving force behind the seminal doo-wop group The Moonglows. Originally from Kentucky, Fuqua started the group in Louisville, then moved to Cleveland where they recorded for Alan Freed's label. Fuqua then landed in Chicago where he worked with the Chess brothers. By then The Moonglows had taken on a young singer named Marvin Gaye. It was at Chess Records that Fuqua hooked up with the even younger Etta James (she says he was her first boyfriend), and he was instrumental in her early artistic development. They cut a few sides together, including Willie Dixon's "Spoonful," but then Fuqua encouraged James to learn some standards and she hit it big with "At Last." As James recounted in her autobiography:

While I was making...a different kind of musical reputation for myself, Harvey was making his getaway. He busted a move, from Chicago to Detroit, and took Marvin Gaye with him. The irony got thick: It was Leonard [Chess] who originally sent Harvey to Detroit. You see, Leonard loaned Gwen Gordy, Berry's sister, $15,000 to start her own label, Anna Records. Wanting to protect his investment, Leonard asked Harvey to check out the operation. Harvey did more than that--he joined the operation, jumping ship and signing on with Gwen. They became partners in business--and in bed...In turn, Gwen helped Harvey start Harvey Records. It was a cozy arrangement that got even cozier when Harvey married Gwen, and his new brother-in-law, Berry, merged both Anna and Harvey Records into his new Motown label. Meanwhile, Marvin signed a solo deal with Motown and, keeping it all in the family, married Anna Gordy. (Pictured, from L-R, Gaye, Anna, Gwen, and Fuqua.)

Fuqua didn't come to Motown empty-handed. Along with Gaye, he also had The Spinners and Jr. Walker and the All-Stars in his camp. And he was responsible for teaming Gaye with Tammi Terrell, producing (along with Johnny Bristol) two of their greatest duets, "Aint' No Mountain High Enough" and "If This World Were Mine." Fuqua obviously was shrewd and had an ear for talent. Gaye was singing with a group called The Marquees when he met Fuqua. According to Michael Eric Dyson's biography of Gaye:

Marvin pleaded with Fuqua to listen to The Marquees. As soon as he heard them, Fuqua was convinced of their talent, and Marvin's timing couldn't have been better--the Moonglows were torn by internal discord and were on the verge of breaking up. When the group disbanded, Fuqua hired the Marquees to form the new group Harvey and the Moonglows.

Here's one of their recordings, with Marvin Gaye singing lead.

Download 01 Mama Loocie

    

 

Could That Be...?

"These Days" is one of my favorite Jackson Browne compositions and I love some of the cover versions that have been done, starting with Nico's take, which I discovered on the soundtrack from Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums." (Trivia: Browne was once a guitarist in Nico's band.) And then there's Gregg Allman's soulful, country version. Then, a couple of years ago, I came across a cover I hadn't heard before. The voice sounded familiar but I couldn't quite place it. I was later astounded to learn it was Glen Campbell! This album from 2008 was a comeback of sorts, released 50 years after the gifted guitarist move to L.A. to become a session musician. (He became a member of The Wrecking Crew, the legendary studio band that played on an amazing number of hits.)  It's astounding that Campbell, who turned 74 earlier this year, still sounds pretty much the same as he did in his '60s and '70s heyday.

Download 05 These Days