TGIF Rock-n-Roll Oldies: The Byrds 1965

The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. This pioneering group underwent numerous personnel changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (aka Jim McGuinn) remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973, while also featuring David Crosby for three seperate stints.

Although they only managed to attain the commercial success on the scale of contemporary greats like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Rolling Stones for a fairly brief period (1965–66), time has treated their work well... as The Byrds are today considered to be one of the most influential bands of the 60s. 

Initially, they pioneered the musical genre of folk rock, melding the influence of The Beatles and other British Invasion bands with contemporary and traditional folk music. As the 1960s progressed, the band were also influential in originating psychedelic rock, raga rock, and country rock.

The Byrds' signature blend of clear harmony singing and McGuinn's jangly twelve-string Rickenbacker guitar has continued to be influential on popular music up to the present day. The Byrds were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked The Byrds #45 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time

Among the band's most enduring songs are their electric-cover versions of folk greats Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine Man and Pete Seeger's Turn! Turn! Turn!, along with the self-penned originals, I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better, Eight Miles High, So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star, Ballad of Easy Rider and Chestnut Mare.

They covered quite a number of Dylan tunes in electric actually, bringing a lot to the material with variations of their own signature sound... like my own lifelong favorite, lip-synched here on the
Ed Sullivan Show...

The Byrds: Mr Tambourine Man- 1965

Wikipedia   Google Video

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TGIF Rock-n-Roll Oldies: Vanity Fare 1970

Vanity Fare (often misspelled due to the similarity of the novel and magazine title as Vanity Fair) were a UK pop/rock group formed in 1966, best remembered for the hit Hitchin' a Ride, which found worldwide success in the Summer of 1970. 

The school friends formed the band in Kent, England in 1966, originally calling themselves The Avengers. They played local clubs until they were spotted by entrepreneur Roger Easterby who became their manager and producer, and who then facilitated obtaining their first recording contract. 

 As Vanity Fare, they achieved a UK hit single with their very first release, a cover of I Live For The Sun (originally recorded by The Sunrays in 1965) in the summer of '68. 

Following two more singles, Summer Morning and Highway Of Dreams, both of which failed to make the UK Singles Chart, they then released their biggest UK hit: Early in the Morning. It reached #8 in that country in August 1969 and #12 in the US in early 1970. In the end, the record sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. 

For their next release Hitchin' A Ride (below) they added a keyboardist- and to great effect: the song was an instant success, providing a second million-selling hit. It reached #5 in the US Billboard Hot 100 and #16 in the UK in January 1970, as well as selling briskly in quite a number of other countries. 

And I've liked it since I first heard it -when just 8 years old- as an early 70s AM radio standard on my Panasonic ball-and-chain radio...

Vanity Fare: Hitchin' a Ride 1970

Wikipedia 

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TGIF Rock n Roll Oldies: Desmond Dekker- Israelites 1969

Desmond Dekker was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group -The Aces- he had one of the first international Jamaican hits ever with Israelites (below)- blazing the trail to commercial success while doing much to create a world market for the music of Bob Marley, The Maytals, Jimmy Cliff, and so many others to follow. 

Other major chart hits for Dekker and The Aces include 007 (Shanty Town) in '67 and It Miek in '69. Before the ascent of Bob Marley, Dekker was of course one of the most popular musicians within Jamaica, where he melded his Rastafarian religious beliefs with the "Rude Boy" culture of Kingston's streets.  He then evolved into one of the very best-known Jamaican musicians in the world- and an unlikely Mod hero in England as well. 

Desmond Dekker was the first Jamaican artist to bring a charting single (Israelites) to the United States in 1969... astonishingly making the #9 spot Billboard's Top Ten, leaving many saying "Hey, what is this...?".  

The record even hit #1 in England... the first reggae artist to accomplish that feat as well, this despite the fact that few at the time could understand much of the lyrics through Dekker's heavy Jamaican accent...

Desmond Dekker: Israelites- 1969

 

Wikipedia

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Rock n Roll Oldies: Ike & Tina Turner- 1973

Tina Turner's amazing career has spanned more than 50 years now. She has won numerous awards, and her achievements in the rock music genre have earned her the title The Queen of Rock n Roll.

Turner started out in the business with husband Ike Turner in the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. A favorite of contemporaries and critics alike, many of their singles failed to chart... but commercial success came in spurts, from 1966 hit River Deep, Mountain High on-through 1971's Proud Mary... a song covered from Creedence Clearwater Revival, and one which producer Phil Spector considered to be his "greatest work".  

Later came allegations of spousal abuse against Ike -a man with a voracious cocaine habit and reportedly an all-round control freak.  But Tina rebounded as a solo artist, launching a string of hits beginning in 1983 with Let's Stay Together and the 1984 release of her album Private Dancer. She has also played various parts in films, most notably as the Acid Queen in Tommy.

One of the world's most popular entertainers, Tina Turner has been called the most successful female rock artist... and has sold over 200 million records worldwide. She has also sold more concert tickets than any other solo music performer in history.

Tina Turner is known for her energetic stage presence, powerful vocals, career longevity, and widespread international appeal. In 2008, Turner left semi-retirement to embark on her Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour... one of the highest selling ticketed shows of 2008-09.

Nutbush City Limits is a 1973 hit, and a favorite of mine... the last for the Ike and Tina act as a pair, it was written by Tina Turner herself, re. the place where she had was entered the world as Anne Marie Bullock in 1939... an unincorporated little burg in the western part of the state, Nutbush, Tennessee. 

Tina is amazing today, given that she's in her 70s... but the stage act was just on fire in '73... what a performer this woman is:

Wikipedia

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