Remembering Elvis Presley on his birthday

We're remembering Elvis Presley today with Dave & Deke's tribute "In The Meadow" performed on Art Fein's Poker Party. 

Happy Birthday Wanda Jackson!

Cheers to rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson on her birthday... let's have a party! Check the clips. 

Elvis Costello plays his early stuff with The Imposters @ Massey Hall, Friday

Elvis Costello will be playing his best loved tunes at Massey Hall on Friday as part of his "Radio Soul!" tour. 

Here's the scoop...

Elvis Costello has extended his “Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello” tour with 22 new East Coast and Midwest dates starting September 18th in Bethlehem, PA and running through October 22nd in Omaha, NE and he'll make a Toronto stop at Massey Hall this Friday (September 26) with special guest Charlie Sexton at 8 pm. Click for a live clip right here and another one here.

As the playful billing suggests, the show will feature numbers drawn from record releases from “My Aim Is True” in 1977 to “Blood & Chocolate” in 1986, along with other surprises.Those nine years saw the first appearance of some of Elvis Costello’s most renowned compositions from “Watching The Detectives” to “I Want You”, along with songs that have remained in The Imposters’ live repertoire over the last 20 or more years, including “Alison,” “Man Out Of Time” and “Brilliant Mistake.”

Asked about the surprising theme of this tour, Costello responded:

“For any songwriter, it has to be a compliment if people want to hear songs written up to fifty years ago. Among them, “Radio Soul,” the first draft of what eventually became “Radio Radio.”

Here's an entertaining early theatrical version of "Radio Radio" along with the young Elvis Costello's first television interview along with his recent sit-down chat with author Peter Guralnick about the other Elvis discussed in Peter's new book "The Colonel and The King" 

R.I.P. Keyboardist/producer David Briggs, 1943-2025

Sadly, keyboardist/producer David Briggs,  a member of Rick Hall's FAME gang, Elvis Presley's TCB band and Area Code 615, has passed away at 82.

Happy Birthday Rose Marie McCoy!

Remembering R&B singer/songwriter Rose Marie McCoy with a short doc and "Stop Dippin' In My Business" from 1954. 

That time Richard Hawley stopped by Snooper's Paradise in Brighton

When trying to assess the suitability of a promising junk shop acoustic,  Richard likes to try it out with Velvet Underground tune.  

Richard Hawley's 2LP collection Now Then is out now on coloured vinyl. Get it right here. Check the tracks.  

Now Then: The Very Best of Richard Hawley

Side A

1. ‘Open Up Your Door’

2. ‘Midnight Train’

3. ‘Tonight The Streets Are Ours’

4. ‘Coles Corner’

5. ‘Ballad Of A Thin Man’

6. ‘Baby, You’re My Light’

Side B

1. ‘Not The Only Road’

2. ‘My Little Treasures’

3. ‘Standing At The Sky’s Edge’

4. ‘Heart of Oak’

5. ‘The Ocean’

Side C

1. ‘Seek It’

2. ‘Off My Mind’

3. ‘Coming Home’

4. ‘I Still Want You’

5. ‘Just Like The Rain’

6. ‘Run For Me’

Side D

1. ‘Alone’

2. ‘For Your Lover Give Some Time’

3. ‘Serious’

4. ‘Don’t Stare At The Sun’

5. ‘There’s A Storm A’Comin’

Happy Birthday Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup!

Remembering blues great Arthur Crudup with his 1946 version of "That's All Right Mama" and some rare live footage. 

Elvis Presley vs. Carl Mann

Tom Hanks' new favourite Elvis tune "I'm Comin' Home" (penned by Charlie Rich) was first cut by Carl Mann.  

R.I.P. Reggie Young, 1936-2019

Having played on over 150 top 10 hits among thousands of recordings, Reggie was one of the all-time great session guitarists.

Ace's well-selected compilation Session Guitar Star – available here – will give you an idea of the scope of his work. 

M. Ward, Nellie McKay @ The Mod Club, Wednesday

Watch M. Ward tour Hollywood in Elvis Presley's Rolls Royce and a trailer for Eugene Jarecki's new film "The King."

RIP Mike Leech of the Memphis Boys

Sadly, bassist/arranger Mike Leech of the American Sound Studios house band passed away today after a long illness.

Elvis Presley vs. Lonnie Johnson

 Elvis cut a version of Lonnie Johnson's "Tomorrow Night" with Scotty Moore at Sun circa 1954 which wasn't issued at the time.