Sadly, Dinah Christie – co-star of CHCH-TV's Party Game, who recorded a song for Justin Trudeau in '72 – has passed away at 83. She'll be greatly missed.
Dinah Christie on CBC-TV's This Hour Has Seven Days
Raising a glass to Arkansas-born blues great Frank Frost on his birthday with some rare performance footage and a few of his classic recordings.
From Sun Records HQ...
Born Frank Otis Frost in Auvergne, Arkansas on April 15, 1936, Frost’s first exposure to music came as a young boy when he learned to play the piano for the choir in his family’s church. Frost moved to St. Louis, Missouri when he was 15 and began his musical career as a guitarist. He toured in 1954 with drummer Sam Carr and Carr’s father, Robert Nighthawk. Soon after, he spent several years touring with Sonny Boy Williamson, who helped teach him to play harmonica. After a hand injury, Frost turned his attention to the harmonica and piano.
Jelly Roll Kings
Around 1960, Frost moved with Carr to the Mississippi Delta. After he played a show with the guitarist Big Jack Johnson, they added him to their group. Together they attracted the interest of the record producer Sam Phillips, who years earlier had overseen Elvis Presley‘s first recording sessions. He produced Hey Boss Man for Phillips International in 1962, with blues hybrids like “Frank’s Jump” showing off Frost’s diverse, intensely melodic harmonica solos. Presley’s guitarist, Scotty Moore, produced Frost’s next album in Nashville, Tennessee in 1966 for Jewel Records. Augmented by session bassist Chip Young, the trio’s tight downhome ensemble work was once again seamless. “My Back Scratcher,” Frost’s takeoff on Slim Harpo‘s “Baby Scratch My Back,” even dented the R&B chart for three weeks.
In the late 1970s, Frost was re-discovered by a blues enthusiast, Michael Frank, who began releasing albums on his Earwig Music Company label by the trio of Frost, Sam Carr and Big Jack Johnson, now called the Jelly Roll Kings after a song from the Hey Boss Man album.
Over the years, cigarettes and alcohol wore Frost down but he continued to record, tour and diversify his repertory, appearing in the films Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads and Crossroads.
Frost died at the age of 63 from a cardiac arrest in Helena, Arkansas on October 12, 1999.
Reissues of Frank Frost's recordings for Sam Phillips are available here. Watch an interview along with a few performances below.
Pretty Ugly: The Story Of The Lunachicks uses rare footage and interviews to tell the tale of NYC's 90s punk rock provocateurs.
Here's the scoop...
Riotous punk music icons Lunachicks reunite after 20 years in an unfiltered, hilarious, and electric documentary. Packed with rare archival footage, the film traces their rise from gritty NYC teens to feminist trailblazers of the 90s grunge era. Fans and newcomers alike will thrill as the band recounts old antics, rekindles bonds, and embarks on their long-awaited journey back to the stage.
Watch the trailer followed by a Q&A with the group, some performance footage shot at CBGB's in 1992, Theo Kogan's interview with Jon Stewart from 1996 (which leads into an unrelated show closer played by Mike Watt and pals Eddie Vedder & Dave Grohl), and a rippin' blast at Lee's Palace in Toronto from 1997. Of course, there are no Toronto-area screenings for Pretty Ugly – if only there was a Toronto-based film festival during the month of April which focused on hot documentaries... well, some day maybe – but you can check the listings below for a current list of dates and locations near you.
Swing into spring with the sensational Tia Brazda at Toronto's historic Old Mill on Friday night at 8 pm.
Here's the scoop...
Join Tia Brazda for an unforgettable night of Jazz-pop & vintage swing at Toronto's historic Old Mill (21 Old Mill Rd, Etobicoke). Recognized as one of Canada’s most dazzling voices, Tia blends retro-soul elegance with modern jazz sensibilities to create a style that is wholly her own. From infectious swing rhythms to sultry, "bewitching" ballads, experience a curated musical journey that has captivated audiences from the Montreux Jazz Festival to the world’s most intimate supper clubs. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to witness one of the country’s most stylish jazz ensembles in the city’s most iconic venue.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Music begins at 8:00 p.m. Price: $40 prepaid entertainment charge (non-refundable and non-transferable). $60 minimum spend on food and/or beverage per person. Make your booking right here. Watch some footage of Tia tearin' it up below.
