Bobby Caldwell was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz and adult contemporary. Known for his soulful and versatile vocals, Caldwell released the hit single and his signature song “What You Won’t Do For Love” in 1978, from his double platinum debut album.
Victor Bailey, Michael and Randy Brecker, Eric Clapton, Billy Cobham, George Duke, Bill Evans, Roberta Flack, Bob James, Marcus Miller, David Sanborn, and Joe Zawinul. Sounds like an encyclopedia of contemporary Jazz geniuses, and perhaps it is. But it’s also a short list of the musicians who considered themselves fortunate to have played with guitar hero Dean Brown.
Ronnie Spector was an American singer who co-founded and fronted the girl group The Ronettes. She is sometimes referred to as the original “bad girl of rock and roll.” Ronnie formed the singing group with her older sister and their cousin in the late 1950s.
You could be forgiven for wondering if there was a major musical moment in the past sixty years when Robbie Robertson wasn’t in the room. As the lead songwriter and guitarist for a band so accomplished it didn’t need a name, he prided himself on creating songs that could have been written a century before
Michael Rhodes was an extraordinary bassist who sadly left us in March 2023. A Nashville staple since the late ’70s, his incredibly long list of credits includes recordings for Willie Nelson, Etta James, Mark Knopfler, Alan Jackson, Stevie Nicks, Brian Wilson, Joss Stone, Dolly Parton, the (Dixie) Chicks, J.J. Cale, Wynonna, Merle Haggard, Amy Grant, Hank Williams Jr, the Highwaymen, John Oates, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Dave Stewart, Keith Whitley, Joan Baez, Lionel Richie, Burt Bacharach, Aaron Neville, Johnny Cash, Buddy Guy, Grace Potter, Michael McDonald, Jennifer Holiday, John Fogerty, Elton John and Joan Osborne.
Some artists wear their influences on their sleeve. But the musician Karl Wallinger, who recorded as World Party, wore his influences proudly and prominently across his chest.
Eric Carmen was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Though classically trained in piano, Carmen decided to teach himself guitar as well. He is perhaps best known as the lead vocalist of the Raspberries, with whom he recorded four albums, including the hit “Go All The Way.”
He was born, so to speak, with a silver flute in his mouth. Paulo Jobim’s father, Antonio Carlos Jobim, was also known as the father of Bossa Nova, introducing the subtle rhythms and melancholy tone of Brazilian music to the world and collaborating with the likes of Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck and Astrid Gilberto.
The first Savoy Brown record was released in 1967. The last in 2020. And in the 53 years in between, English guitarist and bandleader Kim Simmonds never varied his commitment to the Blues.
You’ve just ended the most productive creative partnership in the history of popular music. Now who do you call? If you’re Paul McCartney in 1970, the answer is Denny Laine. Though never as famous as the music he made, the guitarist and songwriter whose birth name was Brian Hines, was a mainstay of the British rock universe from the early sixties when he founded The Moody Blues with a couple of mates from Birmingham.