Saturday sounds: B.B. King

Realistically, he probably won’t be us with much longer, but when he passes from this realm, he will be remembered forever as the “King of the Blues.”

B.B. King was born Sept. 16, 1925, and I hope he makes it to his 90th birthday. During his decades of performing, he and his guitar Lucille have become known around the world for a readily identifiable sound and soulful singing that defines a whole genre of music.

According to his website, he is resting at his home these days after canceling the last eight shows of his tour last year. Up to that point, he had done 70 performances. Seventy. Amazing.

Rolling Stone magazine in its 2003 list ranked him at No.3 on its list of the “100 greatest guitarists of all time.” Deservedly so, considering the man began pumping out a string of hits in the early ’50s — classics like “Everyday I Have The Blues” “You Upset Me Baby” and “Sweet Little Angel” — and has come to be appreciated by multiple generations of fans.

He is, of course, best known for “The Thrill is Gone,” which won a Grammy Award and in my teenage years became one of my favorite songs.

As a college student in the Bay Area, I saw him perform at Winterland in San Francisco, just a few feet from the stage, and shook his hand after his set.

In the twilight of his career, B.B. has collaborated with so many bands and musicians — everyone from U2 (“When Love Comes To Town”) to Eric Clapton, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks — there are too many to list.

When I pause to consider that this man was born in a cabin on a cotton plantation in Mississippi, I’m in awe of the distance he’s traveled to become the American music icon he is.

Saturday Sounds: John Lennon

If ever there were an anthem for peace, this is it. And this is the guy.

John Lennon would have turned 74 last year. Instead, he died way too early on Dec. 8, 1980 — just 40 years old when he was gunned down in New York City.

In his short life, though, he produced a titanic body of work — with The Beatles and on his own — that sounds as good and relevant today as decades ago.

“Imagine” feels like the perfect opener to a new year, with its simple melody and elegant lyrics.

“Imagine”

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

***

I would have preferred to embed this video, but the poster disabled it. Here, instead, is the link: http://youtu.be/T2hvkPyiAFE

And for a bonus…enjoy.

Saturday Sounds: Sade

Must have been a sign. Two of ’em, actually.

Last time I played Pandora, who popped up? Sade.

This morning, when I turned on my iPod, who popped up? Sade.

Saw her in concert a couple of years ago — with John Legend as the opener — and it still resonates as one of the best ever.

So without further Adu (sorry, corny pun), here’s a sonic treat featuring the fabulous Helen Folasade Adu, better known to the world as Sade.

Saturday Sounds: Justin Timberlake

After last week’s shoutout to Fleetwood Mac, it seems only right to do the same for JT.

Justin Timberlake also performed in Portland, two nights before Fleetwood Mac, and put on a show worthy of his superstar status. The first 70 minutes were “a messy whirl,” according to David Greenwald, The Oregonian’s music critic, but he came on strong in the second set and “delivered his adoring crowd a royal treatment.” (Read the review here.)

I’m hardly in the sweet spot when it comes to Timberlake’s target demographic, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate his many talents. Far more than a musician, he’s a performer. He sings, dances, composes, and on top of it all, he acts. He’s funny as hell on SNL and he’s played serious roles, too, in movies such as “The Social Network” and “Inside Llewyn Davis.”.

Because he’s so talented and so recognizable, the poor guy can barely go out in public. I remember reading about that in Esquire a few years ago, when the writer Chris Jones accompanied JT to a Comic-Con convention in San Diego, dressed up as Ernie (JT) and Bert (Jones).

Such a memorable lead to the article, published in the October 2011 issue:

Justin Timberlake and I are standing in our underwear in his hotel suite. He’s wearing white boxers and a wifebeater. I’m wearing plaid boxers and back hair. We met maybe two minutes ago.

“I can’t believe how quickly you got my pants off,” I say.

“It’s a gift,” he says.

Here’s to one of the most magnetic performers of our time.

Saturday Sounds: Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac is playing a concert in Portland tonight. I can’t be there, but I can do the next best thing, which is to experience it vicariously.

Lori and I saw them in July 2013 and they were so good I called them “fantabulous.”

Seriously, one of the the best live shows I’ve ever seen.

This year’s tour has Christine McVie back with the band on keyboards and vocals, which I’m sure only makes the whole experience even better.

Our budget won’t allow for a repeat, so I’ll gladly turn to YouTube.

Enjoy.

***

Sunday morning, day after the concert: Adding a review by The Oregonian’s Jeff Baker:

“Sweet wonderful you,” Christine McVie sang, all smiles. “You make me happy with the things you do.”

That was pretty much the vibe at Fleetwood Mac’s concert at the Moda Center on Saturday night; five senior citizens touring again for the first time in 16 years, playing their hits like time stopped and it was 1979 again, with more hugs and without all the cocaine.

Saturday Sounds: LeAnn Rimes

The first time I heard LeAnn Rimes, I was blown away. Here was a 14-year-old kid with a powerhouse voice that made me reconsider everything I knew — and didn’t like — about country music.

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, and raised in Dallas, Texas, she began dancing at age 5. Her debut album, “Blue,” featured the title track originally written for the legendary Patsy Cline. The way she performed it catapulted her to a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and another for Best New Artist, the first time a country musician had taken those twin honors.

She did a killer version of the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” and in 1997 released “You Light Up My life,” which became the first album in music history to simultaneously debut at No. 1 on the pop, country and contemporary Christian Billboard charts.

Rimes has a lot of detractors, I know. Her disputes with her dad over money, artistic management and music are well chronicled. More recently, the tabloids had a field day when she and the TV actor Eddie Cibrian had an affair while they were filming a movie. They left their spouses, got married and went on to do a reality show that got skewered by the critics.

No matter.

Now 32, LeAnn’s got one of the richest voices in music, no matter the genre. No one does Patsy Cline songs like she does. And whether she’s doing covers or her own songs, such as “Can’t Fight The Moonlight,” I’ll always be a fan.

Saturday sounds: Steve Winwood

One of the enduring and most versatile musicians in the business is Steve Winwood.

At 66, he’s still touring, with a set of credentials that includes two Grammys, membership in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and even a couple of honorary doctorates.

He burst onto the scene in 1963, as a teenager with the Spencer Davis Group, (“Gimme Some Lovin’ ” and “I’m A Man”). Later, he was a founding member of the supergroups Traffic and Blind Faith, then finally went  solo.

There’s plenty to like about Winwood. Aside from owning one of the most distinctive voices in rock, he plays both keyboards and guitar, and he’s a superb songwriter.

I’ve seen him twice before, with Traffic at San Francisco’s Cow Palace and with Blind Faith at the Oakland Coliseum. Tonight, Lori and I will see him at Edgefield in Troutdale. Hoping it won’t rain since it’s an outdoor concert. If it does, I guess we’ll just, ahem, “Roll With It.”

* * *

Sunday postscript: Winwood and his band put on a marvelous show. Played a set that included: “I’m A Man,” “Can’t Find My Way Home,” “Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys,” “Empty Pages,” and a 20-minute version of “Light Up Or Leave Me Alone” that gave every band member room for a solo. Came back on with a two-song encore: “Dear Mr. Fantasy” and “Gimme Some Lovin’ ”

He had gray pony-tailed men and their wives and girlfriends up and out of their low-back seats, dancing as if the years hadn’t flown by.

Really nice to see an accomplished musician playing so effortlessly. Amazing that songs he wrote three and four decades ago sound just as good now as then.

Steve Winwood and his band at Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday Sounds: Red Beans & Rice

From one relative to another, here’s a shout-out to my cousin, Gil Rubio, and his band Red Beans & Rice.

They’re based in Monterey County, California, about 100 miles south of San Francisco. They’ve been playing together for over 20 years and have put out a handful of albums and CDs.

Red Beans & Rice, with Gil Rubio (third from left) on lead guitar.

They play a ton of festivals and other gigs around Northern California but they also were invited to play at Portland’s Waterfront Blues Festival a few years ago. It was great to see Gil and his bandmates rocking the crowd with a tight set of blues.

Gil’s mother, Lupe, is my godmother and the eldest of six sisters in the Flores family. After my mom’s death last year, only two sisters are still alive.

Cousin Gil: musician, singer, songwriter and bandleader.

Here are three links to the band’s music. Of particular interest, some woman in Russia apparently is a fan. She’s the one who posted “The Dark Side.” (We can all forgive her for the Red Beans & “Rise” reference, right?).

“Can’t Get Enough,” the title track from their 1998 release.

“We Need To Help Each Other”

 

 

 

Saturday Sounds: James Taylor

There are certain recording artists you associate with particular times in your life and James Taylor is one of those for me.

His debut album, “Sweet Baby James,” came out in 1970, the same year I started college, and the songs on that album — “Fire and Rain,” “You’ve Got A Friend” and more — became part of the soundtrack to my years at San Jose State.

He went on to record a slew of other albums as my generation’s perhaps best-known singer-songwriter,  someone known for earnest lyrics,  pleasing melodies and a signature sound with his warm voice and acoustic guitar.

Taylor has won multiple Grammy awards and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame. He’s also collaborated with other artists, including my favorite, Alison Krauss.

He played a concert in Portland last night, but we had other commitments and couldn’t go. That’s fine, though, because I still carry fond memories of seeing him during my college days. He played at the Berkeley Community Theater and the opening act was Linda Ronstadt.

Does that make me old?

Saturday Sounds: It’s A Beautiful Day

If you’re of a certain age, you will always recognize the opening notes and lyrics to “White Bird.”

White bird
In a golden cage
On a winter’s day
In the rain

The 1969 song composed by vocalist/violinist David LaFlamme was six minutes of perfection, in my book. And it endures as a signature sound of the San Francisco scene of that era.

Here’s the studio version from the LP “It’s A Beautiful Day,” followed by two live performances — one at Golden Gate Park, another from a more recent gig.

Forgive the fashion disasters. They weren’t alone.