Roger Daltrey...

Happy 68th Birthday

Roger Daltrey

 

Roger Daltrey is noted as a founder of the legendary rock band The Who. After leaving London's Acton County Grammar School in 1963, he formed a skiffle band called The Detours, then displayed an early genius by putting together unusual elements into a world-class performance. The unusual elements included Daltrey on vocals, John Entwistle on bass and Pete Townshend on lead guitar. In 1965 they added drummer Keith Moon, and the fabulous line-up was complete. The band was remarkable for the synthesis of personalities: Townshend's art-school sensibilities; Daltrey's down-to-earth interpretation; and Entwistle's and Moon's skill as performers. They were first noted for deafening shows and for smashing their instruments in ferocious displays of auto-destructive art, but they went on to considerable chart success through original songs written by Townshend and the more humor-oriented Entwistle. Townshend wrote the first rock mini-opera for their second album, and after their first tour of America, the band presented the full-length rock opus Tommy, which shattered barriers and established The Who as a major artistic force in the world of music. Daltrey released his first solo album in 1973, and followed that with a number of solo chart successes. He also established a stage and (somewhat offbeat) film career after starring in the movie of Tommy (1975). He pursued films more steadily after the death of drummer Moon, and turned to production with the drama McVicar (1980). The band continued to perform sporadically with different drummers and John Bundrickon keyboard, but returned to full force in the 1990s with the addition of Zak Starkey on drums. Though Townshend is noted as the songwriter and lead guitarist of The Who, Daltrey remains the genius who drives their performances. His energy and stage presence established The Who at the monumental Monterey Pop, Woodstock and Isle of Wight music festivals, and his instincts for production carved their path through the era of stadium rock. The filmography of musical performances stand as the best evidence of Daltrey's brilliance as both a musician and a stage performer. -.imdb.com

My Thoughts: I was never a huge 'Who' fan, Guessing they were a little bit before my time, I'm more of a Classic Rock girl from the  80's so I never really got the whole deal on them. Although I give them huge credit for making a stepping stone for all that's Classic Rock. Roger is a multi-talented man with major notches in his belt for his acting, singing & songwriting, With the Rock opera 'Tommy'  on the list. My pick for my fav song would be "Behind Blue Eyes"...Although they were the 1st to record the hit back in 1971~

Limp Bizkit's cover....

Doro Pesch...

Warlock

"Fight For Rock"

Warlock was formed in late 1982 in Düsseldorf. The band spent most of the rest of that year and 1983 performing in different German clubs, building a steady fan base. After recording a demo, Mausoleum Demo, and sending it to several record labels, the band obtained a contract with independent Belgian label Mausoleum.
The first line-up, which consisted of Doro Pesch on vocals, Peter Szigeti and Rudy Graf on guitars, Frank Rittel on bass, and Michael Eurich on drums, recorded the band's first two albums: Burning the Witches in 1984 and Hellbound in 1985. They toured in Europe to promote the releases. In early 1985, the band signed a contract with label Phonogram.
Later that year, in the middle of the tour for Hellbound, Rudy Graf left the band and was replaced by Niko Arvanitis, formerly of Stormwind.
Warlock's third album, True As Steel, released in 1986, got a fair amount of North American radio airplay due to the hit single "Fight For Rock". The band's first music video was made for this song and appeared on MTV. In August that year, Warlock opened for the Monsters of Rock festival at the Maimarktgelände in Mannheim, West Germany, where Scorpions were headlining the all day concert. Def Leppard, Ozzy, MSG and Bon Jovi were also in the roster. -Wikipedia.com


My Thoughts: What a great talent, Doro Pesch was & still is a Rock Goddess who stands the test of time with her strong vocals & good looks, She can rock with the best of them from her era, The German hot Rock Chick with a voice that came directly from the Rock Heavens above !!!
They had many hit songs in the 80's so It's hard for me to pick a fav...But I have to say "All We Are" is on the top of my list~

Davy Jones dies at 66...

Davy Jones, whose charming grin and British accent won the hearts of millions of fans on the 1960s television series "The Monkees," died Wednesday, according to the Martin County, Florida, sheriff's office. He was 66.

A witness told authorities he was with Jones in Indiantown, Florida, when Jones "began to complain of not feeling well and having trouble breathing," the sheriff's office said in a statement. Jones was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. A Martin County law enforcement source with knowledge of the case said Jones apparently suffered a heart attack.

The diminutive vocalist and actor sang lead on the musical group's hits such as "Daydream Believer" and "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You."

Besides Jones, The Monkees included band members Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith. The pop group was created to star in an NBC sitcom and capitalize on the Beatles' teenybopper popularity. "The Monkees" TV series premiered in the fall of 1966.

In terms of musical popularity, the project succeeded beyond anyone's expectations, with the group notching a handful of No. 1 songs (including "I'm a Believer," Billboard's top song of 1967) and four No. 1 albums. The group, which was dubbed the "prefab four" by critics, rebelled against its management in an effort to take control of its musical career.

The move worked to an extent -- band members, who had generally been replaced by session men on Monkees recordings, were allowed to play their own instruments and contribute songs -- but coincided with a decline in the Monkees' popularity. NBC canceled the TV series "The Monkees" after just two seasons, and the band lasted for only one more year after that.

Though the TV show was never a huge ratings hit, its knockabout, Marx Brothers-style comedy -- inspired, to an extent, by the loopier sequences in the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" -- gained fans and followers, reigniting the band's popularity when MTV reran the show in the mid-'80s.

"That David has stepped beyond my view causes me the sadness that it does many of you," Nesmith posted on his Facebook page Wednesday. "I will miss him, but I won't abandon him to mortality ... David's spirit and soul live well in my heart, among all the lovely people, who remember with me the good times, and the healing times, that were created for so many, including us."

"His talent will be much missed; his gifts will be with us always," said fellow Monkee Peter Tork. "My deepest sympathy to Jessica and the rest of his family."

Beatle Ringo Starr issued a short statement: "God bless Davy. Peace & love to his family, Ringo."

David Thomas Jones was born December 30, 1945, in Manchester, England. He was already famous in his home country when he joined the Monkees. He had starred in the musical "Oliver!" on the London stage as the Artful Dodger and was nominated for a Tony for his performance on Broadway, according to a biography on a Monkees fan site. Indeed, he got a taste of the Beatles' popularity when the "Oliver!" cast appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on February 9, 1964 -- the date of the Beatles' first appearance.

After the Monkees broke up, Jones enjoyed occasional acting roles, including a guest spot on an episode of "The Brady Bunch" and appearances in "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "The Brady Bunch Movie." When he wasn't singing -- he participated in several Monkees reunions over the years -- he was devoted to owning and racing horses.

Jones was married three times. He is survived by his third wife, Jessica Pacheco, and four daughters from his two previous marriages. -cnn.com

My Thoughts:

I was a little taken back when I heard the news of the passing of Davy Jones...He will be missed by many fans, along with his Family & close friends I will have fond memories of Davy...Like sitting in front of the t.v. on a Saturday afternoon watching the reruns of their show & laughing hysterically at how wacky but talented the guys were... My prayers are sent to His Family at this time of unexpected loss...May he rest in peace~

White Lion...

White Lion

"Radar Love"

In August 1989, White Lion released their third album, Big Game, a musically eclectic follow-up to Pride that featured the singles "Little Fighter" (which peaked at #52), "Cry for Freedom" (did not chart), and a cover of Golden Earring's "Radar Love" (which peaked at #59). The album quickly went gold, with a peak of #19 on the album charts.

The subject of the song is the Point of view of an automobile driver who drives to his lover ("baby") and communes with her without physical means like telephone or letters. In his radio, he hears "Coming on Strong" by Brenda Lee. -Wikipedia.com

My Thoughts: I think the band did an excellent job on the cover of  a classic rock song, Which Isn't easy to do...Mike Tramp definitely had the sex appeal to pull it off. Very talented band that never really got the attention that In my opinion they deserved back then..White Lion will always have a space in my rock collection~

New Slash song/album teaser...

 Impatient to hear Slash's upcoming album, 'Apocalyptic Love'? You're going to have to wait until late May for the whole experience, but the former Guns N' Roses guitar god has been kind enough to share a clip from the record to tide us over in the meantime.

The song preview, taken from the album track 'You're a Lie,' is being offered through the Australian hard rock station Triple M, and it showcases Slash's work with Alter Bridge vocalist Myles Kennedy, who co-wrote the album with him. For the new sessions, Slash reunited with producer Eric Valentine, who also helped man the boards for 2010′s 'Slash' album.

'Slash' was an unqualified success, debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart and featuring Slash working alongside an eclectic crew of special guests that included Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Iggy Pop, Kid Rock, Adam Levine, and Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas. This time out, Slash opted for a more cohesive approach, recording with a basic combo that included Kennedy on vocals, Todd Kerns on bass, and Brent Fitz on drums.

Scheduled for a May 22 release through Slash's own Dik Hayd International imprint, 'Apocalyptic Love' will also be available in a special 'Classic Rock Fan Pack' edition, curated by Classic Rock Magazine, which will bundle bonus tracks, a pin badge, and a poster in with the standard track listing. Get your first taste of the Album below...(hairbandrock.com)

Shinedown...

Shinedown

"The Crow and the Butterfly"

This song is the fifth single by the rock band Shinedown from their 2008 album The Sound of Madness. The song was written by Shinedown lead singer Brent Smith.

The music video for "The Crow & the Butterfly" was shot on June 24, 2010, which happens to be the 2nd anniversary of The Sound of Madness.  The music video debuted on Fuse Top 20 Countdown at #18 on July 23, 2010, and on VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown at #20 on July 31, 2010. Brent Smith explained on a radio interview program, Rockline, that while the band was writing the new album, he had a dream about a mother whose son passes away. He wrote the song about the mother dealing with the death of her child and trying to move on.

On a blog on the Shinedown website, Brent Smith said this about the song: "For me lyrically this was one of the most intense stories I have ever written. But I know the song means something different to everyone." -Wikipedia.com

My Thoughts: Another one of my favorite bands, Love Brent's vocals. I remember watching this video for the first time, It hit my heart hard, For me personally as I was almost taken away from my own son 15 years ago from a car accident I was in, It's a reminder of how short life can be, My problems or Issues might be huge in my own head but they are trivial compared to losing a child...Cherish the time that you have with your loved ones because life can be cruel and take that away from us at any time in our lives~
What meaning does the song have for you ?? Please share your comments...

Neil Schon...

"Happy 58th Birthday"

Neil Schon

The longtime guitarist for arena rockers Journey, Neal Schon was born February 27, 1954 in San Mateo, CA; a child prodigy, he joined Santana at age 17, making his debut on 1971's III LP. In 1973 Schon co-founded Journey with fellow Santana alum Gregg Rolie; although the group's early records favored a largely instrumental, progressive rock-influenced approach, with the 1978 addition of frontman Steve Perry their commercial fortunes ascended as slick hard rock hits like "Wheel in the Sky," "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'," and "Anyway You Want It" became FM radio staples. In 1981, Schon teamed with keyboardist Jan Hammer for the fusion-inspired Untold Passion; that same year, Journey achieved mega-stardom with the release of the chart-topping Escape, which yielded the Top Ten hits "Who's Crying Now," "Open Arms," and "Don't Stop Believin'." A second collaboration with Hammer, Here to Stay, followed in 1983, with Schon soon rejoining Journey for the smash Frontiers; however, despite the success of 1986's Raised on Radio, he left the band in 1989, recording the solo effort Late Nite before forming the supergroup Bad English with singer John Waite. After two LPs, Bad English imploded, and in late 1993, he joined the reformed Journey, issuing the acoustic solo outing Beyond the Thunder two years later. The two-disc Electric World followed in 1997, and in 1999 Schon returned with Piranha Blues. - Billboard.com 

My Thoughts: Being a huge Journey follower since the 70's I'm a big fan of Neil's work...

Journey is on top of my list of Bands that in my opinion made an Impact for many rock Bands that followed in their footsteps~