Who's Gonna' Fill Their Shoes?

It seems like we are losing a generation of musicians too soon.

J J Cale, who passed away on Friday, is the latest. If you don’t know the musician, you probably know the music. He wrote “Cocaine” and “After Midnight” recorded by Eric Clapton. The Oklahoma native gave us the ‘Tulsa sound.’

Taylor Hicks tweeted on Saturday:

“RIP JJ Cale He was the quintessential #americana #roots-musician”

Cale’s “They Call Me The Breeze” made a hit by Lynyrd Skynyrd, has long been covered by Taylor.

We also lost country music pioneer and legend, George Jones, earlier this year. The musical competition, The Voice, was in its live competition shows. A duo from Oklahoma,  the Swan Brothers, paid tribute to Jones singing one of his songs posing the stirring question, “Who’s Gonna’ Fill Their Shoes?”

It was also a challenge for those new artists competing. It started a personal dialogue for me. I wondered beyond country music and asked myself who’s going to fill the shoes of artists like The Beatles, Elvis, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and now, musician/songwriters…

like J J Cale.

Will our plentiful singing competitions and hit producers of today give us singers and music that will take the place of those who molded our musical roots and genres—the unforgettable music that still plays today and will for a long time after we say goodbye to these great musicians?

What makes music and artists unforgettable? It is music and artists that we never tire of hearing, music that is never eclipsed by something on the Top 40—here today, forgotten tomorrow.

It’s music and performances that connect with people. That is the elusive link that the best musicians create—a strong connection and music so good that no other artist is associated with it.

I attended a small graduation this spring. At the socializing afterwards, a small band—just five guys who got together to play music—entertained with “House of the Rising Sun,” “Margarettaville” and then “Let It Be”—all songs that have stood the test of time. I was singing along and lost in the moment. Seldom are covers better than the original. I can’t even recall a cover of “Let It Be.”

That is the unforgettable—the purist example of the best.

And those shoes will be difficult to fill.

What new song today will be here after we are gone? What new artist will be remembered as a “quintessential” of music when they die?

And,  just as importantly, what artists today will carry on the legacy of this great generation of musicians? 

Truly, only time will tell.  Singer/songwriters who live for their music and connect with their audiences will have the lasting impact on the next generation of music.

There will be some who fill those shoes. That is the bright side of this.

~~~
Taylor Hicks covers “They Call Me the Breeze:”


Eric Clapton, J. J. Cale “After Midnight” and “They Call Me the Breeze:”


For more about J J Cale, visit: http://jjcale.com/top.html
~~~
Note: “Quintessential” is from the Latin meaning “fifth essence,” the purist example; in Medieval philosophy it suggested that after Earth, air, fire, and water, this was the Fifth Element.

I wondered, “After Earth, air, fire, and water, might MUSIC be the Fifth Element?”

Just a thought…

Taylor Hicks ~~ The Rear View Mirror

Not my first Jam Cruise.
Taylor Hicks had been on Jam Cruise before as a fan. This past January, he joined Jam Cruise 9 as a performer and sat in with jam bands and bands that jam like Galactic, Robert Randolph, and Mardi Gras. He hosted a floating Gong Show. This was a side of Taylor’s music that some had not seen.

An iconic capture from Jam Cruise by Brad Hodge Photos.

I think I made that dance up.
Making up dances, selling out the house, “soireeing” through the South—Taylor played the Vinyl Theatre in Florida, packed in the beautiful Beau Rivage on the Gulf Coast in Biloxi, Mississippi, and spun the gold at Tunica Gold Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. You can check out this link for "Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks" on YouTube for the "dance" he made up.

Intense Taylor and Guitar by NolaMar Images at Vinyl Music Hall.

Unique capture by NolaMar of Taylor Hicks and Donna Hall at Beau Rivage.

"The Fall" from Beau Rivage by NolaMar.

New found “Friday.”
Playing harmonica on his knees prepared Taylor well for his debut on Jimmy Fallon’s Late Night show power sliding into the smash hit parody of Roberta Black’s “Friday” by Steven Cobert, Jimmy Fallen, and the Roots Crew on April 1. This “Friday” instantly went viral, and Friday will never be the same.

Jimmy Fallon, Steven Cobert and Taylor Hicks gettin' down on "Friday."

Professional image from Kirk Stauffer at Snoqualmie, OR.

Rough God Goes Riding.
It didn’t seem like just a new song on the set list. It was bittersweet. While Taylor played three SOLD OUT shows on the West Coast, his home state of Alabama was hammered with killer tornadoes in April—sometimes called the cruelest month.

It was that in 2011.

Taylor rushed home to lend support and a voice to his community. As he had done during the Gulf Coast oil spill, he spoke to media and appealed for help for the victims of the storms.

“Rough God Goes Riding,” which speaks of unfortunate times, quickly became a set list favorite.

Frame by San from video by Gypsee at Musica.

If it’s May, I’m in the twair.
May was a whirlwind of stages and cities from New England to the West Coast—eleven concerts or appearances in four weeks. Four were SOLD OUT. He also got his own wine label--Taylor Hicks’ Cabernet Sauvignon was corked exclusively for his concert at The Winery in New York City with proceeds benefitting the American Red Cross Tornado Recovery efforts.

The Winery's Taylor and Guitar by Mandy~RagsQueen.

“Maybe You Should” video by Gypsee at Musica yielded this Frame.

Stunning "portrait" from Jonathan's by Mandy~RagsQueen.

Music making a difference.
Spring turned into summer with musicians making a difference. Taylor and fellow American Idol, Ruben Studdard spent Sunday in the park with a free concert for the food banks in their hometown. The music community, including Taylor and an A List of music superstars like the legendary group, Alabama, came together for storm recovery in the huge benefit concert, BamaRising in Birmingham June 14. The same week, Taylor welcomed The Today Show to Birmingham with Al Roker, Paula Deen and Today’s Lend A Hand for The Community Kitchens, a longtime charity helping to feed the hungry.

This week said that there’s more to music than notes and more to celebrities than a spotlight.

BamaRising, from taylorhicks.com, courtesy Getty Images.

Who's charming who?

Paula Deen and Taylor at Today Show's Lend A Hand in Birmingham.

The backup’s good too.
The boys in the band were with Taylor all the way. Van Morrison was asked in 1981 if he would ever write and record and not tour. He said touring depended a lot on the band you have. As in 2007 and 2010, in Spring, 2011, Taylor had a “kick ass” band—Brian Less, Jeff Lopez, Sam Gunderson, Brandon Peeples, Leif Bonderinko, and David Keith.

They made it all rock and roll!


Colorful capture of Taylor and the Band at Greenburg by Anothertayfan.

Touring and summer—inseparable like Taylor Hicks and his harmonica.

BamaRising, courtesy of Getty Images via MJSBigBlog

Plan your summer getaway, staycation, or “Hell yes, I’m going to another Taylor Hicks concert” trip!

Check the schedule at the right for NEW California concert!

Happy summer!

~~~
Van Morrison interview source: http://www.vanmorrisonnews.com/

Thanks to all for the photos we share here.

Some photos were edited. Frames were cut and edited by San.

Taylor Hicks ~ "Rough God Goes Riding"

Why does a song play over and over in your head?

During a recent tour through New England, Taylor Hicks covered Van Morrison’s “Rough God Goes Riding,” by some accounts a metaphor for the wrong side of luck and fortune or the avenging angel of death.

It connects.

It is this year’s “Border Song,” a Taylor cover of Elton John in 2009, and “Bulletproof,” the very popular cover of LaRoux in 2010.

Perhaps it was the timing—just hours after devastating tornadoes had hit his home state of Alabama. Taylor had spoken earlier that day about his efforts to help tornado victims in Alabama. “Rough God Goes Riding” comes from Morrison’s album, The Healing Game.

Taylor’s debut of the Van Morrison song at The Broadway Theatre in Pitman, New Jersey on May 12, was a new and intense setlist keeper. With Brandon Peeples playing the classic upright bass and joining the vocals, the strong, pounding chorus drove home a connection that continues to play.

When the rough god goes riding
When the rough god goes gliding

Riding on in
Riding on in
Riding on in

Although it’s driven by somber lyrics, the song never loses its musicality. You can listen to it over and over. It plays in your head. The harshness and barbs of the words don’t matter. It is the release that unhappy times find through music—solace and healing.

This was not the first time Taylor had covered the Irish musical legend. Morrison was by far the most frequently covered artist on previous tours in 2007 and 2010. During the 2007 National Tour alone, 25 different Morrison songs made the set list as covers or tags including “Rough God Goes Riding” that was tagged 13 times. “Naked in the Jungle” was a frequent encore.

It isn’t surprising that the music of Van Morrison and Taylor Hicks connects. Morrison grew up in Northern Ireland listening to his father’s extensive record collection that included many of the same artists that Taylor Hicks credits for his musical core.

“…the young Morrison grew up listening to artists such as Jelly Roll Morton, Ray Charles, Lead Belly, and Solomon Burke; of whom Morrison later said, "If it weren't for guys like Ray and Solomon, I wouldn't be where I am today. Those guys were the inspiration that got me going. If it wasn't for that kind of music, I couldn't do what I'm doing now."

Ray Charles—often mentioned by Taylor as his inspiration.

“Rough God Goes Riding” (1997) is the opening song on the album, The Healing Game by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. According to biographer Clinton Heylin this song: “signaled a return to the religious and spiritual preoccupations that had driven Morrison's work throughout the eighties, the image of the Rough God being derived from Robin Williamson's 'Mr. Thomas' — recorded by Morrison for Inarticulate — in which 'the rough God goes riding with his shears', a reference to the avenging Messiah who shall return to wreak final judgement on Man."

Greil Marcus, rock critic and columnist for Rolling Stone, and author of “When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison” (2010) wrote that "The deep burr of Morrison's voice buries the words, which cease to matter; you might not hear them until the tenth time you play the album, or long after that. 'It's when that rough god goes riding,' he sings, drawing the words both from Yeats and down in his chest, and you might never know it's the Angel of Death that has you in its embrace."

When Taylor Hicks sings “Rough God Goes Riding,” you can understand the words and hear and see the emotion they evoke. The slow, deliberate tempo is powerful and intense. Jeff Lopez wields the sax like a weapon lashing out. You almost expect a call and response with the sax and harp, but it is pure sax solo.

The rough gods are riding. A friend told me about stumbling over debris in the dark calling out the name of her loved one in Tuscaloosa. More devastation has ripped through other cities, as that rough god goes gliding from more dark skies. I drove home tonight watching the rising plumes of ominous smoke from Western wildfires.

Rough God Goes Riding
By Van Morrison, 1997

Oh the mud splattered victims
Have to pay out all along the ancient highway
Torn between half truth and victimisation
Fighting back with counter attacks

It's when that rough god goes riding
When the rough god goes gliding
And then rough god goes riding
Riding on in

I was flabbergasted by the headlines
People in glasshouses throwing stones
Gaping wounds that will never heal
Now they're moaning like a dog in a manger

It's when that rough god goes riding
And then the rough god goes gliding
There'll be nobody hiding
When that rough god comes riding on in

And it's a matter of survival
When you're born with your back against the wall
Won't somebody hand me a bible
Won't you give me that number to call

When that rough god goes riding
And then that rough god goes gliding
They'll be nobody hiding
When that rough god goes riding on in
Riding on in

When that rough god goes riding
When that rough god goes gliding
There'll be nobody hiding
When that rough god goes riding on in
Riding on in

There'll be no more heroes
They'll be reduced to zero
When that rough god goes riding
Riding on in
Riding on in
Riding on in
Riding on in


From Ray Charles to Van Morrison to Taylor Hicks—connections decades and generations in the making are played out on new stages. Music is the great super highway across borders and generations.

And it gets us through some tough times.

~~~

After the performance of “Rough God Goes Riding” in Glenn Falls, NY, Taylor told the audience of an unforeseen meeting with Van Morrison. Taylor was scheduled to appear on Live with Regis and Kelly in New York City. He was on the set when he was told he wouldn’t be appearing because he had been “bumped” by none other than Van Morrison. Taylor said that if he had to be bumped he couldn’t think of anyone he’d rather be bumped by than Van Morrison.

When Morrison recorded “Rough God Goes Riding” in 1997, Taylor Hicks at age 21 released his first album, In Your Time, with seven tracks and the humblest of beginnings. Now it is collectible and Taylor is on tour and covering one of the artists who inspired him most.

Good music lasts.

And, unexplainably, it plays over and over in your head.

Taylor Hicks ~ Rough God Goes Riding
SweetTFan Pitnam, NJ



The legend Van Morrison in Germany in 2010 Rough God Goes Riding: by vossmeister


Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Morrison
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greil_Marcus
Cath at TTHC Connections Anthology statistics

Photo and edit by San.

Taylor Hicks ~~ Keeping it simple

I’ve made all the usual resolutions:

Lose weight. Eat healthy. Save money.

I have even gone through the ritual of writing them down.

And the usual happened. I made a little progress and went on doing what I had been doing.

I’ve thought about this new year. What do I want to accomplish? Is "accomplishment" what my life is about now?

I read a music blogger. When I saw the subject line: “Leukemia,” I didn’t open it for a day, perplexed by that rather unusual subject line. When I did, it was stunning.

In his usual staccato style, he started with:

“I’ve got it.”

Life is never predictable. We may think so—for a while.

My music blogger is still writing about the music that he loves.

And I am reminded not to waste my time.

It’s an old story. Something happens, and we realize that we need to make every moment count. There are no guarantees.

How do we do that—make the minutes, the days count? We have responsibilities that rob us of precious time for the things we love. We are drawn into frays, unpleasantness, and stress. Life happens.

I’m not so sure how we do it, but we first have to want to. We must want to stay out of that gray funk that keeps us from seeing the beauty.

This music blogger started writing more blogs than ever, and in one made reference to the California sun setting in the West and the moon rising in the East. He sees the beauty. He listens to good music and shares his love of it.

So, I’m not going to write down any resolutions.

I do have one though. It is simple and probably one that many of you already do. I don’t. There are a lot of poor reasons why I don’t.

My resolution for 2009 is simply this:

Listen to music every day.

It doesn’t have to be the music of Taylor Hicks, although that is abundant in my home, car, and computer. What’s important is that I find time every day to enjoy music.

In a blending of generations on Christmas Eve, my son and I wrapped presents and listened to Van Morrison. It was a simple time, a happy time.

That’s what I want to change this year. I want to make time to be happy every day.

Give yourself a New Year’s present. Don’t resolve to do something that will bring stress or responsibility no matter how beneficial the results may be.

Rather, resolve to do something you love, something that will bring you joy. Resolve to be happy every day, if only for a little while! The rest of the day will be better too!

“There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy.” Robert Louis Stevenson

I wish us all a truly “happy” new year. Let’s make it a good one!

My first musical indulgence for 2010 is "Whomp at the Warfield," by, yes, Taylor Hicks!

See more about Taylor's first live performance DVD in my blog below.


Reference and quote is from “Leukemia,” a recent blog by Bob Lefsetz, The Lefsetz Letter, http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/


Photo by RagsQueen, Taylor Hicks at High Noon Saloon, 12.11.09