Billy Franks's Blog: A Far Cry from Sunset, page 79
November 14, 2012
Could This Be It?
You may remember, I told you I had an American agent who was going to work on the book.
It is paying off beyond my wildest dreams.
Here’s the email I got from her yesterday. You can tune in online for most of them.
Billy
Billy, the following are the responses from our press outreach thus far.
*All stations are calling you via Skype or Landline
*There is one station where you will have to call them, that is noted below
*13 review copies requested [as November 13 update]
*Don’t forget to send back signed contract to LG
*Reply back to this email so I know you are aware of the radio stations who will be calling you
*Outreach to music, book & celebrity bloggers next
*Let me know how media will receive their review copies and when they have been sent so I know when to follow up with each
Opportunities are as follows:
–
THURSDAY, NOV 15 TBD
@at 6pm London Time [1 PM ET USA time]
Show: In The Afternoon
Station: NewsTalk 1290 CJBK
Market: London, Ontario – Canada
Host/Producer Mike Stubbs
Email:MikeInTheAfternoon@astral.com
website: http://tunein.com/radio/Iron-Mike-in-the-Afternoon-p470681/
–
*Billy confirmed
FRIDAY Nov 16
@8:40AM ET
Show: Bulldog and The Rude Awakening Show
Station: WOCM-FM, FM Radio Station Show
Market: Ocean City Maryland *Near Baltimore, Almost DC]
Host: BullDog
Producer: Tanya Anderson, (410) 723-9626
http://irieradio.com/ocean-city-morning-show-rude-awakening
*review copy to:
Sam Shakura
Producer/CEO
Rock House Media
4358 Hobson Road
Kelowna, BC, V1W1Y3
NOVEMBER 21 *Landline Call
@ 6:30pm London Time [10:30 am PT West Coast time]
15-20 minutes LIVE to tape
Show: AT HOME with Cheryll Gillespie and Sam Shakura
Market: Canada, Online globally
Says: We’d love to book Billy
778.477.1178 office
250.859.7517 cell
More About: ‘AT HOME with Cheryll Gillespie and Sam Shakura’ is a one hour radio talk show airing weekly on the Corus Network across Canada and online for a global audience. On ‘At Home’ this mother-daughter team chat about everything from design to art, fashion to health, economics to travel and beyond. The show is all about fabulous living. Past guests include Hugh Hefner, Cindy Crawford, Janice Dickinson, Bob Mackie, Erin Brockovich, Jane Seymour, Kelly Wearstler, Wolfgang Puck, Kathy Ireland, Elvira, Mike Holmes, Dr. Roizen and Ed McMahon…to name a few.
Visit: www.rockhousestyle.com
Read: www.samshakura.com
Follow: www.facebook.com/rockhousestyle
Tweet: www.twitter.com/rockhousestyle
–
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5 Skype Call
@ 2:30pm London time [9:30am ET their time]
Show:
Producer: Christina Benjamin, 909-255-6285
Station: KCAA 1050AM
Market: San Bernardino, CA [near Los Angeles]
CALL IN NUMBER 888-909-1050
Website: www.kcaaradio.com
Twitter @KCAA1050AM
FACEBOOK – http://www.fb.com/kcaaradio
**USTREAM – http://www.ustream.tv/channel/kcaatv
About: KCAA delivers sports reports, business reports, traffic information, a daily entertainment and public affairs program and a line-up of award winning talk shows hosted by the very best in the business. KCAA’s line up of programs is a selection of the best programs offered by eight national networks.
–
*review copy to:
Chad Zumock
Producer/Co-Host
“The Alan Cox Show”
3-7pm on 100.7 WMMS
6200 Oak Tree Blvd 4th Floor
Cleveland, Ohio 44131
Tel: (330) 620-5023
Fax: (216) 901-8152
Email: chad@alancoxshow.com
twitter- @chadzumock
ChadZumock@clearchannel.com
Says: I would love a copy of the book to be considered a guest on our show
–
*review copy to:
Amazon.com
Omnivoracious Editors
PO Box 81226
Seattle, WA 98108-1226
–
*review copy to:
Sanford Cohen
Host-Producer
“Talk of the Town”
KQNA 1130 AM/99.9 FM
3755 Karicio Lane, Suite 2-C
Prescott, AZ 86303
–
*review copy to:
James A. Cox
Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575
Says: Please send two copies of the published book for review, accompanied by a cover letter and some form of publicity or press release – print out press letter that should work
–
*2 review copies to:
Marc Woods
Director, Evaluation Services
Abernat Broadcast Networks
15929 Prescott Hill Av
Charlotte, NC 28277
Says: Once we have the copies in hand, will advise on an interview
–
*2 review copies to:
Marilynn Mee
Producer
WKLH
Milwaukee Radio Group
5407 W McKinley Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53208
(414) 978-9000
Interview Opt, Week After Receipt of Book
@ Taped 10am and 11:30am CST on a weekday
Says: I’ll pre-record it and probably split it up into a few parts to use over a few days.As a Classic Rock station that plays U2, The Who, Tom Petty, Springsteen, Paul McCartney, etc, I’m sure Billy could provide LOADS of interesting info for my listeners! I don’t have a Kindle or an eReader. Now I can’t WAIT to read it! I begin my show with 96 minutes of commercial-free music so that would be a great time to talk to Billy with minimal interruptions…and be able to record the interview here in the on-air studio…really looking forward to this!! If you want to send along an extra copy, I’m SURE there are other people on our ‘KLH airstaff who would LOVE to read it and would certainly mention it on the air! Our morning show is doing a live broadcast from Tulum, Mexico this week (yeah…sucks to be them!), but when they return they might be interested in doing something live with Billy, too. I’ll certainly ask them about it and forward all the info to them once they’ve gone thru the other messages that pile up during the week.
–
*2 review copies to:
Anthony Hurley
c/o WZZA Radio
1570 Woodmont Dr.
Tuscumbia, AL 35674
PH:256-381-1862
Says: Could we get a 2 complementary copies of the book so that ourshow hosts can read for an interview Anthony Hurley
–
*send review copy
JEFF DIAMOND
Producer
WNCT RADIO
2929 RADIO STATION RD
GREENVILLE NC 26834
jeffd@1079wnct.com
Says: looks like a great read. would love to do a Sunday show about this book my show last 15 minutes and I take it during the week around 4 o’clock Eastern Time please send a copy of the
Interview Opt SUNDAY, Date/Time TBD
@ 9pm London Time [4pm ET Their time]
–
*review copy to:
Marc Fellhauer, Producer
The Drew & Mike Show
WRIF Radio Detroit
1 Radio Plaza
Detroit, MI 48220
248-547-0101
mfellhauer@greatermediadetroit.com
Says: This book sounds right up our alley. Would it be possible to get a review copy?
Additionally, when would Billy be available?
November 6, 2012
Billy Franks – The Complete Collection 72 Hour Sale £9.99
As a way of raising some funds to promote my book, A Far Cry from Sunset, I am selling, for a limited time only, all 6 solo album downloads for £9.99! (Usual Price – £29.94)
Thanks,
Billy
“Imagine the craftsmanship of McCartney combined with the power of a young Springsteen. TRIBUNE
“Penning classics and garnering praise from Bono, Peter Gabriel and Oasis” THE GUARDIAN
“Song writing from the top drawer” TIME OUT
The Complete Collection – Sale! ) Only £9.99
October 19, 2012
The GoodReads Q&A Group
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I have been selected by the brilliant and popular site that is GoodReads, to become an guest author.
With A Far Cry from Sunset being my first book, you can imagine how surreal and exciting it is. Every time I see the word “author” next to my name I get a little kick.
Anyway, one of the first things to do is start a Q&A group. Now because the book is, apart from being a memoir, a tale of the adventure me and my friends had while making the movie, Tribute This! I reckon its a decent topic for conversation.
How did the approached artists each react?
The places we traveled to over the course of 8 months on the road.
There are even some funny and interesting anecdotes that didn’t make the book. One in particular involves me and the film’s director, Mick, having a beer party, with a bunch of homeless drunks at a bus stop in Las Vegas at 10.30 in the morning!
So come over and join us. I would love the pleasure of your company.
Best,
Billy
June 29, 2012
Hello world!
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!
June 22, 2012
Get The New Song – A Far Cry From Sunset – Free!
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Please help yourself to the free download of this song.
In exchange, please recommend my book to a friend.
Tell A Friend About This!Tell a friendClose Your Name Friend Email Enter Message To Friend
The song has become a firm favourite of the 15 new songs recorded for the forthcoming album.
Get this exclusive early mix, now!
Cheers,
Billy
My book is currently available at all Amazon Stores worldwide.
UK & Europe: http://tinyurl.com/99d2oln
U.S: http://tinyurl.com/9nayvgb
Many thanks,
Billy
April 16, 2012
Huey Lewis – Would He Appear On A Tribute Album To An Unknown Artist?
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Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis
In 1971 Huey Lewis joined the Bay Area band Clover. Around this time he took the stage name “Hughie Louis”, the spelling of which he would tinker with for some years after.
Other members of the band (at various points) were John McFee, Alex Call, John Ciambotti, Mitch Howie, Sean Hopper, Mickey Shine and Marcus David. Lewis played harmonica and sang lead vocals on a few tunes. Clover’s main rival band (which developed into a friendly rivalry) was Soundhole (Johnny Colla, Bryan Davis, Ben Miller, Mario Cipollina, and Bill Gibson were band members).
In 1976, after playing in the Bay Area with limited success, Clover went to Los Angeles. They had their “big break” in a club there when their act was caught by Nick Lowe who convinced Clover to travel to Britain with him. However, Clover arrived in Britain just as their folk-rock sound, known as pub rock in Britain, was being replaced by punk rock.
The two Clover albums produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange under the British Phonogram label were not successful. By this point the spelling of Cregg’s stage name had changed to “Huey Louis”; it is under this spelling that he is billed on both of Clover’s albums for Phonogram.
Clover—without Lewis—also backed Elvis Costello on his 1977 debut album My Aim is True.
In 1978 the band returned to California, McFee joined the Doobie Brothers, and Clover disbanded.
Huey Lewis played harmonica on Thin Lizzy’s 1978 landmark album Live and Dangerous.
That same year Lewis was playing at Uncle Charlie’s, a club in Corte Madera, California, doing the ‘Monday Night Live’ spot along with future members of the News. After recording the song “Exo-Disco” (a disco version of the theme from the film Exodus) as Huey Lewis and the American Express, Huey landed a ‘singles contract’ from Phonogram Records and Bob Brown became his manager.
The band played a few gigs (including an opening for Van Morrison), before adding new guitarist Chris Hayes to the line-up. On Brown’s advice they changed their name again to Huey Lewis and The News.
Lewis performing in 2006
After a failed self-titled debut in 1980 the band finally broke through to Top 40 success with the gold album Picture This (1982). It rose to No. 13 on the Albums chart thanks to the Mutt Lange-penned “Do You Believe in Love” (No. 7), the band’s first hit.
The band’s third LP, the No. 1 Sports (1983), is one of the best-selling pop releases of all time. It has sold ten million copies in the US alone.[7] That well received album was followed by Fore! (1986), another No. 1 multi-platinum smash.
Huey Lewis produced Nick Lowe’s 1985 version of “I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)”, and later produced several songs (including one where he sang backup and played harmonica) on Bruce Hornsby & The Range’s debut album, The Way It Is. Hornsby thanked him by writing the song “Jacob’s Ladder”, a No. 1 single from The News’ next album.
Lewis and his bandmates performed on USA for Africa’s 1985 fund-raising single We Are the World, and spent the remainder of the 1980s and early 1990s recording 14 Top-20 Billboard Hot 100 hits and releasing two more hit albums: Small World (1988) No. 11 and Hard at Play (1991) No. 27. Lewis also performed in the song “Once Upon a Time in New York City” for the 1988 Disney film, Oliver & Company.
By the time the band released the album of cover songs Four Chords & Several Years Ago (1994) No. 55, their chosen lower profile and lack of promotion from new label Elektra saw their Top 40 appeal dip.
Huey Lewis has sung with Umphrey’s McGee at several shows beginning with the 2005 Jammys and is featured on two tracks of their album Safety In Numbers.
The band, now in self-proclaimed semi-retirement, still plays over 80 dates a year in the U.S., and an occasional European tour. The average fee for Huey Lewis and the News to play a private college-sized show is around $200,000.
Huey Lewis performing in Nashville, TN. November 2008.
Huey Lewis In Nashville
On February 13, 2007, Lewis was interviewed on the podcast series “Stuck in the 80s”. During the interview he revealed that the band has written several new songs that they planned to record in 2008. He also stated that, given how much the industry has changed since their last album, he was unsure how they would sell the new material.[8]
During a show at the California State Fair on August 21, 2007 Lewis was named Sacramento’s “Musician of the Year” by the fair’s General Manager and presented with a gold statue of the California state bear.
Lewis recorded a duet version of “Workin’ for a Livin’” with Garth Brooks, which was included on Brooks’ 3-disc set The Ultimate Hits, in late 2007.
On July 4, 2008, the eve of his 58th birthday, Huey Lewis and the News were the opening act for the annual A Capitol Fourth celebration on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. More than a half million people attended, and was broadcast live on PBS. Huey Lewis & The band performed “The Heart of Rock & Roll”, “The Power of Love” and “Workin’ for a Livin’”.
April 12, 2012
Aaron Neville – Would He Appear On A Tribute Album To An Unknown Songwriter?
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Aaron Neville
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Find out more...
Aaron Neville’s first major hit single was
“Tell It Like It Is“, which topped Billboard‘s R&B chart for five weeks in 1967 and also reached #2 on the Hot 100. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[1] A remake of the song was a Top 10 Pop hit for the Rock group Heart featuring Ann and Nancy Wilson in 1981.
In 1989 Neville teamed up with Linda Ronstadt on the album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind. Among the duets recorded for the disc were the #1 Grammy-winning hits “Don’t Know Much” and “All My Life“. “Don’t Know Much” earned a million-selling Gold single, while the album was certified Triple Platinum for US sales of more than 3 million.
His other hits have included “Everybody Plays the Fool“, his 1991 cover of the 1972 Main Ingredient song, that reached #8 on the Hot 100; “Don’t Take Away My Heaven”, “Hercules” and “Can’t Stop My Heart From Loving You (The Rain Song).” Neville’s biggest solo successes have been on the Adult Contemporary chart, where “Don’t Know Much,” “All My Life,” and “Everybody Plays the Fool” all reached Number One in 8 European countries.
In August 2005, his home in Eastern New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina; he evacuated to Memphis, Tennessee before the hurricane hit. He moved to Nashville after the storm.[2] and had yet to return to the city as of early 2008, causing the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to temporarily change its tradition of having the Neville Brothers close the festival. However, the Neville Brothers, including Aaron, returned for the 2008 Jazzfest, which returned to its traditional seven-day format for the first time since Katrina.[2]
Aaron Neville is in the process of moving back to the New Orleans
area, namely the North Shore city of Covington.[2] Neville performed Randy Newman‘s “Louisiana 1927” during NBC‘s A Concert for Hurricane Relief on September 2, 2005.
Neville signed to SonyBMG‘s new Burgundy Records label in late 2005 and recorded an album of songs by Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Sam Cooke and others for Bring It on Home…The Soul Classics, released on September 19, 2006. The album, produced by Stewart Levine, features collaborations between Neville and Chaka Khan, Mavis Staples, Chris Botti, David Sanborn, Art Neville, and others. The album’s first single was a remake of The Impressions‘ 1963 classic “It’s All Right.”
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Aaron Neville with his distinctive mole visible above his right eye (1990)
Aaron Neville’s career has included
work for television, movies and sporting events. Neville sang the National Anthem in the movie The Fan starring Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes. He also sang the anthem at the WWF‘s SummerSlam 1993 and at WCW Spring Stampede in 1994. Neville sang the theme music to the children’s TV series Fisher-Price Little People. He also sang a new version of “Cotton,” for Cotton, Inc. which was introduced during the 1992 Summer Olympics. In 1988 he recorded “Mickey Mouse March” for Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films, one of Various Artists. In 2006, Neville performed “The Star-Spangled Banner“, alongside Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin and Dr. John on keyboard at Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Michigan. The performance was widely panned, however. In addition, Neville (along with brothers Art and Cyril) did background vocals for the songs “Great Heart”, “Bring Back the Magic”, “Homemade Music”, “My Barracuda”, and “Smart Woman (in a Real Short Skirt)” on Jimmy Buffett‘s Hot Water, released in 1988.
On October 27, 2006, Neville made a guest appearance on an episode of the soap opera The Young and the Restless.[3] He sang “Stand By Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine“, from his album, Bring It on Home … The Soul Classics. In 2008 he released Gold, which includes a double album of his hits.
In 2009, Aaron Neville, along with the Mt. Zion Mass Choir, released a version of the song “A Change Is Gonna Come” on the compilation album, Oh Happy Day.[4]
On December 12, 2010, while performing at Baton Rouge’s Manship Theater in the Shaw Center, Neville was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.
But would Aaron Neville Appear On A Tribute Album To An Unknown Songwriter? – http://billyfranks.com/AFARCRYFROMSUN...
Aaron Neville is an inductee of the Delta Music Museum Hall of Fame in Ferriday, Louisiana.
March 23, 2012
Bryan Adams – Would He Appear On A Tribute Album To An Unknown Songwriter?
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Bryan
Click The Pic To Find Out More
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams “is arguably Canada’s brightest male star,” declared Nicholas Jennings in Maclean’s. His 1985 albumReckless sold more than ten million copies— impressive by any standard—but, as Jennings pointed out, Adams has enjoyed a wider distribution “than any Canadian in history.” Adams has owed this distinction primarily to straightforward rock anthems like “Kids Wanna Rock” and ballads like “Heaven.” Though some critics have dismissed Adams as a lesser version of rocker Bruce Springsteen, lacking the substance that the latter has infused into his songs, others have praised Adams’s simplicity. “His music is about guys and girls. They’re melodies that stick in your head,” explained Pat Steward, Adams’s drummer, to Jane O’Hara in anotherMaclean’s article.
Bryan Adams was born on November 5, 1959, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. His parents were former British citizens, and his father, Conrad Adams, came from a military family. This background, coupled with the fact that Conrad Adams served in the Canadian diplomatic corps, meant a childhood of moving from place to place for Bryan. He attended military schools in several countries, including England, Austria, Portugal, and Israel. Adams recalled to Steve Pond in Rolling Stone that “the discipline that they taught me in school was good, because I was able to focus on things—but I didn’t realize that at the time. So I got sent to the headmaster a lot.” When he turned 16, however, his parents separated, and he went to live with his mother, Jane, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Bryan Adams’s early musical development is echoed, if not narrated, in the lyrics of his 1985 hit “Summer of ’69″: “I got my first real six-string / Bought it at the five-and-dime / Played it till my fingers bled / It was the summer of ’69,” as Pond quoted it. As an early teen, Adams bought his first guitar and started learning to play. As an adolescent, he pursued his rock goals with single-minded fervor. He explained to Pond: “In high school, I was too far into my music to even pay attention to girls.”
At the age of 16 Adams quit school and used the money his parents had saved for his higher education to buy a grand piano. He joined bands and played in nightclubs, supplementing his income by washing dishes, selling pet food, and working in record stores. “One summer night in 1976,” Jennings related, “after hearing a local rock band perform in Surrey, B[ritish] C[olumbia], … Adams … strode boldly up to the group’s producer and announced that he could sing better than its vocalist. He got an audition—and the job.” Not long after that, Adams met up with Jim Vallance, who had formerly written songs for the Canadian rock group Prism. As O’Hara phrased it, “Vallance was looking for a singer, Adams was looking for a route to musical respectability, and the two hit it off immediately.” The pair began writing songs together and recording dem- onstration tapes. Adams had a mild hit in 1979 with one of their collaborations, the disco-styled “Let Me Take You Dancing,” and they managed to sell some of their other creations to recording artists such as Joe Cocker, Juice Newton, and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Adams and Vallance also won first a publishing contract and then a recording contract with A & M Records.
Bryan Adams’s first solo album
Bryan Adams, was unsuccessful. O’Hara explained: “On it his voice is high-pitched and the songs predictable.” According to O’Hara, Adams wanted to call his next effort “Bryan Adams Hasn’t Heard of You Either,” but settled for You Want It, You Got It. The album was a moderate success, selling 500,000 copies and earning Adams the privilege of opening concerts for rock bands like the Kinks, Loverboy, and Foreigner. However, it was Adams’s third, Cuts Like a Knife, that pushed him to the level of rock stardom. The title song was a huge hit; the accompanying music video, involving a scantily clad woman and a gleaming knife, was considered controversial and attracted even more attention to Adams and his record. His 1985 album Reckless was even more popular, including the hits “Heaven” and “The Summer of ’69.”
Though he was selling records at a phenomenal rate and was a huge concert draw, Adams’s songwriting had not gained the favor of many rock music critics. O’Hara quoted a Rolling Stone reviewer: “Adams has typically produced the closest thing yet to generic rock ‘n’ roll, long on formal excellence but short on originality.” Perhaps conceding a lack of depth in his many songs about painful love relationships, Adams told Pond that during one concert performance he thought, “‘Man, I gotta sink my teeth into something else.’” One of the results of this thought was the song Adams recorded to earn money for famine relief in Ethiopia, “Tears Are Not Enough.” Another was his 1987 album Into the Fire. The disc included a protest song about Native American land rights, called “Native Son,” and a contemplative number about a veteran of World War I, titled “Remembrance Day.” Still, Adams handled his political principles gingerly. “I don’t like politics being rammed down people’s throats,” he confessed to Jennings. “But there’s a sensitive way of bringing up issues and making people think.”
After releasing Into the Fire, Adams embarked on a year-long tour. While the album sold fewer copies thanReckless, it nonetheless sold a million copies in the United States and another million to an international audience. Against expectations, he waited four years to release his next studio album. During the interim he contributed a steady steam of songs to motion pictures. In 1989 Adams played a small role in Clint Eastwood’s Pink Cadillac, and co-wrote “Drive All Night” (sung by Celine Dion on the soundtrack) with Vallance. Adams, Vallance, and Diane Warren then penned “When the Night Comes,” which became a Top 20 hit for Joe Cocker in 1989. “When the Night Comes” would be the last collaboration between Adams and Vallance; in the summer, the pair went their separate ways, and Adams formed a new partnership with Robert John “Mutt” Lange.
Bryan Adams – Robin Hood
In 1991 Kevin Costner invited Adams to compose the lyrics for the theme song to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. ”(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” reached number one on both the Adult Contemporary andBillboard Hot 100 charts, and the collaboration won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. Adams also released Waking Up the Neighbors in 1991, an album that would reach number six on the Billboard 200 and spawn five hits (including “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”). “Waking up the Neighbours is a fun album and perfect for those who expect nothing more than an old-fashioned good time from their rock & roll,” wrote Jose F. Promis in All Music Guide.
But could we get Bryan Adams to appear on a tribute album to an unknown songwriter?
http://billyfranks.com/AFARCRYFROMSUNSET/?p=1
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Bryan Adams.
Elvis Costello – Would He Appear On A Tribute Album To An Unknown Songwriter?
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Elvis
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Elvis Costello
Combining piercing, literate lyrics and an uncompromising attitude with the melodicism and stylistic breadth of classic pop groups like the Beatles, Elvis Costello forged a much-imitated style that led the way for a great deal of the “alternative” music that followed. “Since his arrival on the postpunk scene 17 years ago,” wrote Timemagazine critic Guy Garcia in 1994, “Elvis Costello has shown himself to be one of the most prolific and protean songwriters of his generation.”
With his band the Attractions, Costello led the “New Wave” pack into the early 1980s, producing a catalogue of songs to rival almost any other in popular music. His own artistic restlessness, however, would never permit him to settle in one mode for long; reasoning that the Attractions limited his vision, he left the group abruptly in the middle of the 1980s, but reunited with them for 1994’s Brutal Youth. He has experimented with country music, soul and avant-garde textures; wrote film scores; produced and wrote for other acts; recorded an album with a string quartet; collaborated with pop crooner Burt Bacharach; and recorded an album with mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter.
Elvis Costello Name Poked Fun at Stardom
Costello wasn’t born an Elvis. Declan Patrick McManus was born on August 25, 1955, in London, England; his father, Ross McManus, worked as a jazz bandleader. Young Declan first heard pop music on the radio and on demonstration records his father received, falling in love with rock and soul at an early age. Ross left his wife and children, however, and Declan moved to Liverpool with his mother before finishing school. Immediately upon graduating, he went in search of a job and ended up working with computers by day and playing his own songs in local clubs at night.
After suffering repeated rejections, McManus brought his tape to Stiff Records, one of England’s stalwart supporters of the burgeoning underground scene. It was there that he met songwriter-producer Nick Lowe, who would become a steadfast friend and collaborator; he also met Jake Riviera, who became his manager and gave him his professional name: the “Elvis” poked fun at rock star pretensions, while Costello was the maiden name of the young performer’s mother. Though McManus felt skeptical at first, he followed Riviera’s suggestion; over time the name would strike many listeners as a perfect fit for his musical synthesis.
Elvis Costello – Early Efforts Showed Deadly “Aim”
The newly christened Elvis Costello went into the studio with American bar-band survivors Clover and—with 2,000 English pounds and in 24 hours of recording time—completed an album called My Aim Is True. The title came from a line in the anguished ballad “Alison,” which would become one of Costello’s most popular songs. Costello then proceeded to assemble
But can we get Elvis Costello to appear on a tribute album to an unknown songwriter?
http://billyfranks.com/AFARCRYFROMSUNSET/?p=1
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Elvis Costello.
March 22, 2012
Rod Stewart – Would He Appear On A Tribute Album To An Unknown Songwriter?
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Rod
Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart was born on January 10, 1945, in Highgate, North London, England; son of Robert and Elsie Stewart; married Alana Hamilton (actress), April 6, 1979 (divorced); married Rachel Hunter (model), 1990 (divorced); children: Kimberly and Sean (with Hamilton), Ruby (with ex-girlfriend Kelly Emberg), Renee and Liam (with Hunter).
Recorded first single, “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl,” 1964; joined Jeff Beck Group (JBG), 1967; made debut performance in U.S., 1968; performed with The Faces, 1970-75; first number one single, “Maggie May,” 1971; performed for TV special on Cinemax, 1984; released A Spanner In The Works, 1995; inducted into Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; platinum albums include Gasoline Alley (1970), Blondes Have More Fun (1978), Camouflage (1985), Storyteller: The Complete Anthology (1990), Vagabond Heart (1991), It Had to Be You…The Great American Songbook (2002), As Time Goes By…The Great American Song book, Volume 2 (2002), and Stardust…The Great American Songbook, Volume 3 (2004).
Rod Stewart – Awards
Awards: Best Solo Male Singer Award, Daily Mirror, 1977; Berolina Award, 1988; Goldene Europa, 1991; Goldene Kamera, 1993; Longtime Achievement Award in England, 1993.
Addresses: Record company—Warner Bros., 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91510, website: http://www.wbr.com.
Rod Stewart & The Faces quickly became successful. Another young British band with a working-class attitude, its members had a close friendship and excellent chemistry when they performed. To Stewart, it felt like the early days of the Jeff Beck Group all over again. During this time that he developed a unique and flashy show act. He began recording more solo songs, and the more he performed solo, the less it seemed The Faces recorded music. When he performed with the band, Rod Stewart was just one of the band members playing rock and roll. However, he was different when performing solo, and the two gold albums now under his arm led to tensions among the band members. The Faces’ recordings were never as popular as Stewart’s solo hits, and legal battles broke out between Mercury and Warner Bros. Records over contract disputes that surfaced when Stewart played both solo and with the band. He remained with The Faces from 1970 to 1975. The band’s first album with Stewart as lead singer was released in 1970, and their last show together was on October 12, 1975, at Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, New York.
Rod Stewart – Celebrity
In ten short years Rod Stewart became an international rock celebrity. He sang his first number one single, “Maggie May,” on October 2, 1971, and his number one album, Every Picture Tells a Story, made it to the top on both the British and the American charts. “Maggie May” stayed on top of both singles charts for four weeks, and the album stayed at number one on the charts in both the United States and the United Kingdom for several weeks.
Stewart became one of the world’s most successful musical artists during the 1970s, assisted by Ron Wood as his occasional co-writer, Ian McLagan from the Faces, Martin Quittenton on mandolin and acoustic guitar, and Mickey Waller on drums. He had hits with “Never a Dull Moment” (1972) and “Sing It Again Rod” (1973), and with the Tom-Dowd produced Atlantic Crossing (1975). He also moved that year to the United States, and soon became part of the Beverly Hills scene.
An affair with Swedish film star Britt Ekland ended in 1977 with a $15 million palimony suit that was settled out of court. The advent of punk and new wave made it difficult for Stewart to remain fashionable, and his attempts at relevancy with “Hot Legs” in 1978 and “Do You Think I’m Sexy” in 1979 were ultimately unsuccessful. But after an awkward period, Stewart was back on top of the charts by 1983, and did a lot of touring, also performing in television specials, like the Cinemax concert in November of 1984.
In the mid-1980s his five-year marriage to Alana Hamilton broke up, and some critics felt that Stewart’s best performances were behind him. But Rod Stewart told a Los Angeles Times reporter in 1984, “I don’t feel old. I’m 39. I don’t think I’m getting too old for this. The body is in good shape, the bones don’t creak. I’m not ready for the rocking chair just yet.”
In 1990 Rod Stewart married supermodel Rachel Hunter, and his career enjoyed a boost with three platinum albums: Foolish Behaviour, Tonight I’m Yours, and Out of Order. He also hit the top of the British charts with “Baby Jane.” He toured England more often, and enjoyed success with such singles as “Every Beat Of My Heart,” “Passion,” and “Downtown Train.”
The 1995 release A Spanner In the Works was coproduced by Stewart, along with Trevor Horn, Andy Taylor, and Bernard Edwards. He teamed up with guitarists Jeff Golub, Andy Taylor, Michael Landau, and Robin LeMesurier, bassists Carmine Rojas and Bernard Edwards, drummer David Palmer, and keyboardist Kevin Savigar. The new album came after a successful ten-month tour, when he performed with his own 12-piece band and a full 22-piece orchestra.
Rod Stewart continued to tour, but his wave of success seemed to be subsiding, and his marriage to Hunter fell apart. In 1998 everything changed. During a routine medical procedure, Stewart was diagnosed with cancer and required throat surgery. He had to completely rebuild his voice and take singing lessons again. His voice returned, but the register had changed.
It appeared as though Rod Stewart’s career was near its end. But he decided to try something completely different. He signed a new contract with J Records and released a selection of old standards called It Had to Be You…The Great American Songbook. It debuted at number four on the Billboard Top 200. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Stewart told the Kansas City Star. The success of the album was encouraging, and in 2003 he released As Time Goes By…The Great American Songbook, Volume 2. Both albums went double platinum. In 2004 he released Stardust…The Great American Songbook, Volume 3, and his career was once again skyrocketing. Stewart now performs one-half of a concert with the songs that brought him his initial success, and the other half with the old standards. In 2004 Stewart was selected by the Hollywood’s Walk of Fame Committee to receive a star on Hollywood’s famous Walk of Fame sidewalk.
But could we get Rod Stewart to appear on a tribute album to an unknown songwriter?
http://billyfranks.com/AFARCRYFROMSUNSET/?p=1
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Rod Stewart.
A Far Cry from Sunset
It tells of the adventures of four friends traveling the world to ask ten famous artists to appear ...more
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