Midweek Mixdown: Grey DeLisle

Singer/songwriter and voice actress extraordinaire Grey DeLisle just put together a mix for Radio L'envie... have a listen here.  

You can catch the fabulous Grey DeLisle on tour in the Netherlands this October! 

B-Side Wins Again: Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash's classic "Big River" was originally issued on the flipside of "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" in December, 1957. 

Happy 90th Birthday Ramblin' Jack Elliott!

Raising a glass to Ramblin' Jack Elliott with his 1985 chat with Bobby Bare and a performance with Johnny Cash. 

LINKS

Cowboy Crossroads – Episode 58: Ramblin' Jack Elliott

Bob Egan plays final show with Blue Rodeo @ Molson Amphitheatre, Saturday

Steel guitar ace Bob Egan bids farewell to Blue Rodeo's Toronto fans Saturday. Offers a life lesson below.

“Blue Rodeo’s show this Saturday, August 20 at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto will be our final show with our beloved pedal steel player Bob Egan, who is graduating from a highly successful career in music to a job in the public sector he feels is more suited to his new role as a 60 year old father of a 1 year old boy.

Bob has been with us for 17 wonderful years, a cherished band mate and friend, a big hearted man who gives tirelessly of himself, whether it’s through his charity work, his family, his work or his friendship. You always know you can count on Bob.

In over 20 years as a professional musician, Bob was a member of Freakwater,Wilco, and Blue Rodeo, released his own solo material and guested on countless recordings, including The Tragically Hip’s classic, Bobcaygeon. We will miss him terribly and wish him all the best in his new vocation. Love you, Bob.” – Glenn Milchem

An Open letter from Bob Egan

Bob Egan here, writing an open letter to Canada on the cusp of my final show with Blue Rodeo.

These last 17 years have literally been a dream come true for me. From an awkward teen playing the Legion Halls of Central Illinois to a grown man playing on the stages of the world, this journey has exceeded my wildest dreams.

Seventeen years ago on my first day in Canada, as I walked down Queen Street in Toronto, I experienced a feeling I had never felt in my life. I felt like I belonged. I felt surrounded by people I could relate to. I felt at peace. And after 40 years of searching, I finally felt at home.

That day changed my life but it was only the beginning. Over the years, from coast to coast, you Canadians welcomed me into your towns and cities, your homes and your arms. You shared your stories, your celebrations and sorrows, but most of all you shared your love. This, my fellow Canadians, is the greatest reward of my life.

To serve in Blue Rodeo is to experience a level and intensity of camaraderie that is unimaginable. For almost two decades I’ve had the honour of sharing the stages, the dressing rooms, the studios and buses all over this world. In this strange bubble of an existence I experienced the truest and deepest friendships. The support and the love of my bandmates has led to the greatest joys of my life – music, my sobriety, my wife and my new son Leo. For this, I am eternally grateful.

Family has always been the the most valued cornerstone of my life and the embrace of the extended Blue Rodeo family has been a wellspring of unconditional true love.

The bonds we share amongst our children, our siblings, our parents, our spouses and our loved ones run deep in the Rodeo family and I’ll treasure them all my days.

From Blue Rodeo I learned some of life’s most precious lessons – work to bring joy into people’s lives, take a stand for greater good, try to make this world a better place and above all, share the love.

It is with these lessons I embark on the next journey of my life. My membership in Blue Rodeo has opened the doors for me to be of service to my adopted hometown of Kitchener, ON., and I am proud, honoured and humbled by this opportunity.

To you, the supporters and fans, I will be forever indebted for it is you who have truly made me feel at home.

To my bandmates, though our paths may part, the ties that bind us never will.
You will always be my family.          – Bob Egan

Happy Birthday Johnny Cash!

Remembering the late great Johnny Cash on his day with some stellar TV appearances you may have missed. 

Remembering Country Hall of Famer "Cowboy" Jack Clement

LINK
Jack Clement dies at 82 obit

Slim Harpo also knew country

Rare early Johnny Cash images & audio released

If you thought that everything worthwhile connected with Johnny Cash has already been uncovered, Germany's Bear Family label has just come up with something new for the discerning collector who has seen and heard it all. Timed to coincide with Cash's 80th birthday celebrations, Unseen Cash From William Speer's Studio packages a collection of previously unpublished early photos of the then promising Sun Records signee with a one-sided 180 gram LP (or digipak CD) containing just over 25 minutes of rare live recordings of our man on-stage in 1957 and 1959.

Here's the scoop on the photos: In 1955, Sun Records boss Sam Phillips sent Johnny Cash to a local Memphis photographer, William Speer for a promo shoot. Speer who also took some classic early shots of Sun star Elvis Presley, was an innovative craftsman, influenced by Hollywood portrait photographers who were playing with light and shade in a dramatic new way. A few of the photos Speer took of Cash between 1955 and 1958 were circulated back in the day but the rest remained unpublished until someone connected with Bear Family turned them up.

Realizing that the photos hadn't already been commercially exploited by another label – and that the 80th anniversary of Cash's birth was coming up on February 26, 2012 – Bear Family came up with a novel plan to restore and package the images in a 16-page LP-sized hardcover book, accompanied by a one-sided LP of rare live audio recordings (from Country Style USA and Country Music Time) with a portrait of Cash etched onto the flipside. For those who don't have a turntable and/or aren't bothered by the notion of viewing seriously scaled-down versions of Speer's striking images, there's also a digipak CD available with a 28-page booklet.



Unseen Cash From William Speer's Studio (Bear Family)

Country Style U.S.A. #18
Stay All Night, Stay A Little Longer 
There You Go 
Give My Love To Rose 
CAROLEE COOPER: White Silver Sands
Home Of The Blues
Stay All Night, Stay A Little Longer (&
CAROLEE COOPER & CHARLIE APPLEWHITE)

Country Music Time #141
Intro 
I Got Stripes 
Pickin' Time 
JOHNNY WESTERN: Ten Years 
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot 
Outro

In memory of Johnny Cash on his day...

Crescent City Blues by Beverly Maher (1953)

Johnny Cash's stuff up for grabs

If you've always dreamed of owning the denim jumpsuit that Johnny Cash wore during rehearsals for his concert at San Quentin – immortalized in Jim Marshall's famous bird-flipping photograph – now's your chance! On Sunday, December 5, Julien's Auctions of Beverly Hills is auctioning off many of Johnny Cash's custom tailored suits, boots, shirts, song lyrics written on the back of his personalized stationery, acoustic guitars along with various personal effects and related show biz memorabilia including concert and film posters, programs and promotional items.

There are over 1,000 items in all which are conservatively expected to sell for a total of between $400,000 to $600,000 with a portion of the proceeds going to the charitable organization MusiCares. Although the last time there was a public auction of Johnny Cash's possessions back in 2004, the estimated value was around $600,000 and the final take was somewhere in the neighborhood of $4 million. Anticipate heavy bidding from serious collectors, fellow musicans, friends and wealthy celebrities with money to burn.
So if you go to Julien's Auction site and check through the Johnny Cash: Property From His Life and Career catalog and come across that snazzy San Quentin rehearsal jumpsuit estimated to go for around $3,000 to $5,000, a cool abstract crayon doodle Johnny drew (left) listed at between $1,500 and $2,000 or the intriguing handwritten list "Things To Do Today!" priced at $300 to $500, keep in mind they'll likely end up selling for much more – especially if someone like Joaquin Phoenix, Bruce Springsteen or Bob Dylan is after the same Johnny Cash item to spruce up their den.

LINKS
Julien's Auctions http://www.juliensauctions.com/auctions/2010/johnny-cash/index.html