Born on this day ...

[Ruby]

Sonja Christina Shaw, better known as Sonja Kristina was born on this day in 1949 in Brentwood, Essex, England.  She is a vocalist, composer, musician and coach, and she is and always has been, the voice of Curved Air in all its many and varied incarnations. Prior to Curved Air she’d been a familiar figure in The Troubadour folk club in London which was the hangout of choice in the late 60’s – she played there, had a hand in organising events, and met several notable muso’s of the time. She then landed a role in the London stage production of Hair which helped to get her noticed, ultimately though, she didn’t have any desire for a theatrical career and music took centre stage and Curved Air was the next step. She’s also released a handful of solo albums and has credits on a few more. 

She was married to Stewart Copeland (who did a stint in Curved Air) who said of her …

"Sonja Kristina has arrived on stage. Suddenly there is no band, no stage, no college kids. Just Sonja glinting in the green light. She moves like smoke across the stage, hardly seeming to move at all, but underdulating in slow motion. Who cares what the band is doing? As a muso I've never bothered with singers, considering them to be musical passengers/ How wrong I've been! She's not even singing yet, and she owns everything."

I’ve never really got to grips with Curved Air – on the one hand, I really like some of their stuff and on the other, am left cold, however, I try to listen to at least one album of a birthday person, if possible, so today I chose Lovechild which is actually an authorised bootleg – a collection of demos from 1973 that have been remastered. It appealed to me because the marvellous Eddie Jobson plays violin and keys and I think it’s probably somewhat less OTT than some of their other stuff. I loved it – very satisfying layers of sound …

[Music Head]

Bobby Vinton (84)

when singing was an art

[CRAZY-HORSE]

^^
my dad is a huge fan of Bobby Vinton even though he only had a couple of minor hits in the UK

his favourite is "halfway to paradise"...

mine is "sealed with a kiss"...

[Ruby]

Florian Pilkington-Miksa was born on this day in 1950, in London, England. He was the drummer for Curved Air, both past and fairly recent incarnations, except for a couple of albums released in 1973, 1975 and 1976. He doesn’t appear in the 2017/18 performance line-ups and is possibly sculpting instead - another talent he realised during the band’s longest hiatus and his own personal period of spiritual awakening. https://www.curvedair.com/z_ca/floriansculpture.html
 
Outside of Curved Air, he played with Kiki Dee and Al Stewart, presumably live as I can’t find credits that say otherwise – he also recorded an album with Francis Monkman titled Jam and invested in and ran a recording studio in the early 80’s that didn’t work out the way he envisioned and which he eventually sold. There is not a whole lot of info out there on Mr Pilkington-Miksa so I imagine he values his privacy.
 
As far as I’m aware, the most recent Curved Air album is North Star which was released in 2014 – he co-wrote half the tracks, was involved in the production and all drumming is his. I listened to it in honour of the occasion … this is a fab track IMHO - glorious violin, great keys, guitar and melody ... 

[Ruby]

Michael John Kells ‘Mick’ Fleetwood was born on this day in 1947, at Redruth, Cornwall, England. No idea how he’s managed to remain unfêted in this thread up to now! Drummer, percussionist and founder of Fleetwood Mac, he is a larger than life character, literally as well as figuratively, towering at an imposing 6 ft, 6” tall. The flamboyant Mr Fleetwood is still touring with the latest line-up of Fleetwood Mac (which includes Neil Finn) and if I’m not mistaken, he also has his own blues band. He has published a couple of books, including one showcasing his photography, appeared in quite a few films, owned or owns a wine farm and dabbled in the restaurant business; you name it – I'd hazard a guess he might have done it. 

Fleetwood Mac made 17 studio albums, the 11th of which shot them up the charts. That was Rumours which was released in 1977. After that they managed to put together a mere 6, the last, without Christine McVie, in 2003. Huh!

Quite surprisingly, Fleetwood still seems to be in reasonably good shape; he and John McVie were not known for their sobriety back in the day, nor did they turn up their noses at what he refers to as Andean rocket fuel. Or wait – that was a bad analogy! Lol! Anyway – must be something in the genes - naughtiness obviously worked for him and despite not being the most magnificent natural drummer on the planet, he has undoubtedly earned (and learned) his place. He has credits all over the show and a couple of solo albums under his belt, and he doesn’t appear to be planning on hanging up his sticks anytime soon.

In honour of the occasion I listened to his first ‘solo’ album, The Visitor. There are one or two decent tracks but I wouldn’t rave about it. George Harrison’s there, as are Ian Bairnson and Peter Green. I like this one, sung by the late George Hawkins Jr. Great voice … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n46rPCUXo0A     

From Bare Trees, the last album with Danny Kirwan … “Danny’s Chant” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxS99xICqHk

And then there’s this – for fun … “Tusk” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATMR5ettHz8

From Tango in the Night – “Everywhere” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLSUDSNqLgQ

And from Rumours, of course ….

[CRAZY-HORSE]

CHRIS ISAAK (63)

Rocker, crooner, balladeer, rockabilly artist...
often compared to Roy Orbison with his vocal style and tones...
Sam Phillips once said of him "had he have been born 20 years earlier i'd have signed him"...
he's an artist that shows singing is still an art to a real artist...

my favourite: 

[Ruby]

^Getting ahead of things over there CH! We’re straggling along a day behind you, lol! 
"Wicked Game" has seriously long legs - seems as though it's perpetually being covered. Nice little retirement fund. 

David Paich was born on 25 June 1954, LA, California, USA. By an extremely happy coincidence, he and Jeff Porcaro had gelled while playing for others on the session circuit, decided to form a band, and voila! Toto was born.

Vocalist, keys man and creator extraordinaire, Paich is responsible for writing and co-writing some of their biggest hits and indeed, most of the songs on their first few albums. He also has co-writing, production and performance credits on a large number of albums by Aretha Franklin, Boz Scaggs, Quincy Jones, Melanie Safka, Don Henley, Diana Ross, the Doobie Brothers, Neil Diamond, Seals and Crofts, Steely Dan, Elton John, Joe Cocker, Rod Stewart, Cher, Randy Newman, the Brothers Johnson and Pink.

Paich was touring with Toto up to fairly recently but is now on a permanent hiatus, I'm pretty sure due to ill health.

“Hold the Line” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htgr3pvBr-I

“Rosanna” – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmOLtTGvsbM

“99” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhw-XlTMB5I

And, how could it be anything but … “Africa” -  

[Ruby]

Rindy Ross was born on this day in 1951 in Portland, Oregon. She and Marv Ross met while studying at university, started playing gigs together, got married and formed a mysteriously little known band named Quarterflash. They sold over a million copies of their self-titled debut album in 1981 and then just disappeared off the radar, despite the fact that they seem to have been continuously touring and releasing albums when possible – 6 altogether, in 22 years. I guess that IS somewhat staggered! Lol!
 
Mrs Ross was the lead vocalist as well as (most unusually), the saxophonist, while Mr was the guitarist and songwriter/composer/arranger. I have that debut album, and listening to their stuff again now, wonder why they weren’t more popular?! Hmmm. Maybe the second album sunk them, or perhaps it didn't follow hot enough on the heels of the first – sure there are plenty others like this, who just never got their heads above water. Yep – that’s what it was – in 1985, their third album (not second) sat stagnant at 150 in Billboard and the record company dropped them like a hot potato, after which they disbanded until reuniting in 1990. Their time had passed, however, and they never regained their original traction (as Quarterflash, at any rate). Kinda sad - Rindy Ross has a more than decent voice and she can certainly wield a sax, and hubby isn’t too shabby on guitars.
 
They did, however, found The Trail Band at the behest of  the Oregon Trail Advisory Council to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Oregon Trail; something of a departure from the pop/rock arena, and it obviously worked for them. This is from the Ross’s Quarterflash website - http://quarterflash.net/about.html - In 1991 they formed Ross Productions to create music for NW audiences. Their first project was a commission from the state of Oregon to produce a musical based on diaries of immigrants on the Oregon Trail. From that project came The Trail Band and nine CDs of traditional Americana music. Also, the Rosses gained a deep interest in Native American music and Marv began to write his second play, "The Ghosts of Celilo" - a Broadway-styled musical featuring Native American music and culture. "Ghosts" was presented in October 2007 by Artists Repertory Theatre at The Portland Center for the Performing Arts to rave reviews and 13 sold-out performances.

Seems as though they’ve fairly recently played their final live concerts as both Quarterflash and The Trail Band … they have had long careers performing music that they obviously love – how could a working lifetime be any more fulfilling?

The big one – “Harden My Heart” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqeKV2UYq1Q

An example of The Trail Band’s output – haven’t heard enough of them to make an educated choice so this is random … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I_MqinYs2c   
                                                             
“Williams Avenue” which is my preferred choice, from the Quarterflash debut …

[James Otto Sweet Heart]

I pray that country singer Toby Keith had a safe and wonderful birthday yesterday!

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

[Ruby]

Eric Garth Hudson was born on this day in 1937, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He and Robbie Robertson are the only two members of the The Band still living. (Note to self: gotta watch The Last Waltz again sometime soon!)

Hudson is a multi-instrumentalist (clavinet, piano, accordion, melodica, soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones, slide trumpet, bass pedals and synths) but is known primarily for his expertise on the Lowrey Organ. He’s been around music his whole life (his father was also a multi-instrumentalist) and the classically trained Garth began playing professionally for dance bands at the age of twelve. Forsaking what he felt was a restrictive classical route, after a year of university studies, he joined The Hawks along with the other The Band members (before they had graduated as such) but only on condition that he was paid a weekly salary of $10 and given the title ‘Music Consultant’. This was in order to placate his father who didn’t want to see his talented son’s gifts squandered after so much time, effort and expense had gone into the acquisition and polishing of his skills.

Mr Hudson seems to have led a life of varying fortunes, declaring bankruptcy no less than three times, but nonetheless remaining an in-demand session player, and aside from his few solo efforts contributing to works by many fellow artists. This year he was named a Member of the Order of Canada.  

He’s not always very visible in the video clips of The Band – or just not focused upon, but if it were not for his sound, they’d have been a much poorer show.

 “Up on Cripple Creek” … (sans Robbie) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7LBlByFC2E – they’re a bit older here. Sound isn’t great but it’s an interesting clip – so cool trawling around listening to them – and another version of “Up on Cripple Creek” from The Last Waltz … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsdUzN20Sow - Levon was a genius … but I digress …

Mr Hudson is very evident on “Ophelia” … Lowrey, Bass, Synth and Woodwind … just listen - (a live Last Waltz version here because it's such a joy to watch -    - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RjqcTsxx-8)