Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Sunday, July 9, 2023
Memphis In Manhattan!
Join us this Wednesday, July 12th at Lincoln Center as we pay tribute to the living legend, Booker T. Jones. First come, first served, so get there early! Jared Boyd from WYXR in Memphis will be interviewing Booker T. in the David Rubenstein Atrium at 5 PM sharp. Lincoln Center is located on 66th street. Get directions.
Schedule of events:
· 5-6:30 Jared Boyd interviews Booker T. Jones
· 6:30-7:15 DJ: Debbie D from Boss Radio 66 and The Big G from WYXR in Memphis
· 7:15-7:45 Dance Lesson, Anna Copacabanna
· 7:45-8:00 Debbie D from Boss Radio 66 and The Big G from WYXR in Memphis
· 8-8:45 Stax Academy Set 1
· 8:45-9:00 Debbie D from Boss Radio 66 and The Big G from WYXR in Memphis
· 9-9:45 Stax Academy Set 2
And, TuneIn to Boss DJ Roulette today at 1 PM EDT and again at 5 PM EDT for a special edition with Jared "Jay B" Boyd and Greg "Big G" Cartwright from WYXR!
Don't miss the event of the summer.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Fannie Mae!
"But", you protest, "it's just a simple 12 bar blues workout!" Then I say it sure is, and it's better than anything the Beatles ever did, and then we either agree to disagree or the whole thing escalates into physical violence.
This version of Buster Brown's "Fannie Mae" was originally on the flipside of "Mo' Onions" and was later pulled in favor of "Tic Tac Toe", a move that to my mind is a little like trading Sandy Koufax in his prime for Pedro Martinez in his. Anyhow, this "Fannie Mae" is slower and a little more loping and dirty than the (also great) different take issued on the Stax CD Soul Men, a collection of covers of hits which you should go get right now if you don't already have it, it's got killer versions of Harlem Shuffle, Day Tripper and Baby, Scratch My Back, among other gems.
Steve Cropper's solo here says pretty much everything that needs to be said, and he only takes one time thru the changes to say it. So, in all its scratchy glory, direct from the 45 RPM record to your home typewriter, here it is:
Booker T. and the MG's - Fannie Mae
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Red Beans and Rice
This is one of Booker T. and the MGs mightiest performances, but (and please feel free to correct me on this if I'm wrong) it's one that seems to be unavailable anywhere other than the original 45. There's a live version that shows up on a couple of greatest hits compilations, and it's good, but not this good. On the Stax/Volt live in Norway DVD, whoever did the titles calls one of the tunes Red Beans and Rice, but it's actually Tic-Tac-Toe. Not that the titles matter too much.
The MGs were somehow more than the sum of their parts, but what parts! Without overanalyzing things too much, take a listen to the greatest drummer who ever lived, Al Jackson, Jr. The rat-a-tat drum fills he plays starting at about 1:13 in (and by the way, what the hell is Steve Cropper doing there? Jesus.) are simple enough, nothing flashy, and technically speaking anyone could learn to do 'em, but you try it and see how it sounds. Further proof that it ain't what you do, it's the way how you do it. "It ain't what you eat, it's the way how you chew it" is a topic best left for a future posting.
Thanks to Bill Judkins for the loan of the 45.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Itchin'
James Moore, better known to the world as Slim Harpo, created the greatest works in the history of modern civilization in any medium. One of these is "Baby, Scratch My Back", presented here along with several worthy other versions, plus an unrelated but nonetheless excellent slab of limey fuzz also entitled "Scratch My Back". The Otis Redding and Booker T. versions contain some of Steve Cropper's finest moments, in my unwanted opinion.
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