The news is yet to reach the major websites and press outfits but according to James Bond composer, Mr David Arnold on twitter, the 11 time James Bond composer, John Barry has passed away.
The composer of Bond scores since “Tomorrow Never Dies” tweeted the following early this morning (UK time): “It was with a heavy heart that I tell you John Barry passed away this morning.”
Arnold went on to say “I am profoundly saddened by the news but profoundly thankful for everything he did for music and for me personally.”
The young Barry trained as a classical pianist before developing an interest in jazz and deciding he wished to learn to play the trumpet. Together with six cohorts Barry found fame as the leader of the John Barry 7. The group was later joined by Vic Flick, the guitarist who would play the famous 007 riff, 49 year ago, in 1962.
“I got a phone call from Harry Saltzman,” recalled Barry in a 2006 article in the Telegraph. “He never used to come down to the recording sessions, and he says: ‘John, that is the worst fucking song I ever heard in my life – (referring to the now classic James Bond theme). We open in three weeks’ time, otherwise I’d take that fucking song out of the picture. I’d take it out! Out!’”
Barry was also responsible for several famed musical scores, including the films: “Born Free”, “Out of Africa”, “The Ipcress File” and “Zulu”.
Harold “Chuck” Willis (January 31, 1928 – April 10, 1958) was an American blues, rhythm and blues, and rock singer and songwriter. He was known as “The King of the Stroll” for his performance of the 1950s dance The Stroll.
Willis was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Willis was spotted at a talent contest by Atlanta radio disc jockey Zenas Sears, who became his manager and helped him to sign with Columbia Records in 1951. After one single, Willis began recording on a Columbia subsidiary, Okeh. During his stay at Okeh, he established himself as a popular R&B singer and songwriter. In 1956, he moved to Atlantic Records where he had immediate success with “It’s Too Late (She’s Gone)”, “Juanita” and “Love Me Cherry”.
His most successful recording was “C.C. Rider”, which topped the US Billboard R&B chart in 1957 and also crossed over and sold well in the pop market. “C.C. Rider” was a remake of a twelve-bar blues, performed by Ma Rainey in Atlanta before Willis was born. Its relaxed beat, combined with a mellow vibraphone backing and chorus, inspired the emergence of the popular dance, The Stroll. Willis’s follow-up was “Betty and Dupree”, another “stroll” song, which also did well. Willis’ single “Going to the River”, a song by Fats Domino, was a prototype for his “stroll” sound, reaching #4 on the R&B chart.
The final resting place of Chuck Willis at South View Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia
Willis, who had suffered from stomach ulcers for many years, died during surgery in Chicago of peritonitis while at the peak of his career, just after the release of his last single, “What Am I Living For?”, backed by “Hang Up My Rock & Roll Shoes”. “What Am I Living For?” sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. It was also the top R&B disc of 1958.
His hit, the blues ballad “It’s Too Late (She’s Gone)” was covered by other artists, including Otis Redding, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Eric Clapton’s Derek and the Dominos and the Jerry Garcia Band. In 2005, it was heavily sampled by Kanye West on Late Registration’s “Gone”. Elvis Presley covered “I Feel So Bad” and “C. C. Rider” and Ruth Brown and Conway Twitty had hits with “Oh What a Dream”.
Washboard Willie (July 24, 1909 – August 24, 1991) was an American Detroit blues musician, who specialized in playing the washboard. He recorded tracks including “A Fool On a Mule in the Middle of The Road” plus “Cherry Red Blues”, and worked variously with Eddie “Guitar” Burns, Baby Boy Warren, and Boogie Woogie Red.
Born William Paden Hensley in Columbus, Georgia, Washboard Willie, as he became known, did not take up music until his thirties. By 1948 he had relocated to Detroit, and in 1952, he watched Eddie “Guitar” Burns performing and played along with Burns’ backing group. He impressed the proprietor and ended up with a three year residency with the band.
Working full-time washing cars for a living, he decided to name his own musical ensemble, Washboard Willie and the Super Suds of Rhythm, working off of the name of a once-popular laundry detergent! He graduated from just playing the washboard to incorporate a bass drum and snare and, in 1955, gave Little Sonny his first booking.
In 1956, Hensley made his own debut recording of “Cherry Red Blues,” with “Washboard Shuffle;” and then “Washboard Blues Pt. 1 & 2.” His recording career continued until 1962 utilizing Boogie Woogie Red on piano accompaniment. The recordings were not issued until 1969 on Barrelhouse Records. However, in 1966, Willie did release a single with the tracks “Natural Born Lover,” and “Wee Baby Blues.” His band remained in demand playing nightly in both Detroit and Ann Arbor.
In 1973, he toured Europe with Lightnin’ Slim, Whispering Smith, Snooky Pryor, Homesick James and Boogie Woogie Red; he also played at the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz festival that year on the Saturday afternoon “Detroit Blues” show. A compilation album, American Blues Legends ’73 was issued on Big Bear Records with Willie contributing the tracks, “I Feel So Fine” and “Kansas City.” Six years later he stopped playing professionally.
He died in Detroit in August 1991, at the age of 82.
On this date in 1911, American Jazz Trumpet Player, Roy Eldridge was born
On this date in 1942, American Singer, Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane was born
On this date in 1947, British Guitarist, Steve Marriott of Humble Pie and Small Faces was born
On this date in 1951, British Drummer and Singer, Phil Collins of Genesis was born
On this date in 1959, American Singer, Jody Watley was born
On this date in 1969, The Beatles made their last public performance in an impromptu concert on the roof of Apple Records in London
On this date in 1971, Carole King’s album, “Tapestry” was released, it became the longest charting album by a female solo artist and sold 24 million copies worldwide
On this date in 1980, American Musician, Professor Longhair died
On this date in 1982, American Musician, Lightnin’ Hopkins died
Gerry & the Pacemakers (L to R): Gerry Marsden, Fred Marsden, Les Chadwick, Les Maguire
Gerry & the Pacemakers are a British beat music group prominent during the 1960s. In common with The Beatles, they came from Liverpool and were managed by Brian Epstein. They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with their first three single releases. It was a record that was not equaled for 20 years, until the mid-80s success of fellow Liverpool band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Gerry & the Pacemakers are the second most successful group from Liverpool to hit the US pop charts, behind only the Beatles.
Gerry Marsden formed the group in 1959 with his brother, Fred, Les Chadwick and Arthur McMahon. They rivaled the Beatles early in their career, playing in the same areas of Hamburg, Germany and Liverpool, England. McMahon (known as Arthur Mack) was replaced on piano by Les Maguire around 1961. They are known to have rehearsed at Cammell Laird shipping yard at Birkenhead. The band’s original name was Gerry Marsden and The Mars Bars, but they were forced to change this when the Mars Company, producers of the chocolate Mars Bar, complained.
The band was the second to sign with Brian Epstein, who later signed them with Columbia Records (a sister label to The Beatles’ label Parlophone under EMI). They began recording in early 1963 with “How Do You Do It?”, a song written by Mitch Murray that Adam Faith had turned down and one that The Beatles chose not to release (they did record the song but insisted on releasing their own song, “Please Please Me”). The song was produced by George Martin and became a number one hit in the UK, the first by an Epstein Liverpool group to achieve this on all charts, until being replaced at the top by “From Me to You”, The Beatles’ third single.
Gerry & the Pacemakers with The Beatles and Roy Orbison (L to R): Paul McCartney, Fred Marsden, George Harrison, Gerry Marsden, Ringo Starr, Les Chadwick, John Lennon, Les Maguire, Roy Orbison
Gerry & The Pacemakers’ next two singles, Murray’s “I Like It” and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, both also reached number one in the UK Singles Chart, the latter recorded instead of the Beatles’ “Hello Little Girl”, which went on to become the first hit for The Fourmost. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” had been a favorite of Gerry Marsden’s since seeing Carousel growing up. It soon became the signature tune of Liverpool Football Club. To this day, the song remains a football anthem, there and elsewhere, a phenomenon due to Gerry Marsden, rather than its Broadway composers.
Gerry Marsden
Despite this early success, Gerry & The Pacemakers never had another number one single in the UK. Gerry Marsden began writing most of their own songs, including “It’s Gonna Be All Right”, “I’m the One”, and “Ferry Cross the Mersey”, as well as their first and biggest US hit, “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying”, which peaked at #4, and which Gerry Marsden initially gave to Decca recording artist Louise Cordet in 1963. She recorded the song, but without commercial success. They also starred in an early 1965 film called Ferry Cross the Mersey (sometimes referred to as “Gerry & The Pacemakers’ version of A Hard Day’s Night”), for which Marsden wrote much of the soundtrack. The title song was revived in 1989 as a charity single for an appeal in response to the Hillsborough football crowd disaster, giving Marsden – in association with other Liverpool stars, including Paul McCartney and Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Holly Johnson – another British number one.
Gerry & the Pacemakers at their debut show at Liverpool's Cavern Club, October 5, 1960
In the US, they were signed by the small New York independent record label Laurie in 1963, with whom they issued four singles during 1963 without success. When The Beatles broke through in January, 1964, Laurie’s next regular single release of “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying” became a big hit and during 1964 Laurie coupled “How Do You Do It?” with “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “I Like It” with “Jambalaya” with some success.
By late 1965, their popularity was rapidly declining on both sides of the Atlantic. They disbanded in October 1966, with much of their latter recorded material never released in the UK.
Drummer Freddie Marsden born Fredrick John Marsden, November 23, 1940, at 8 Menzies Street, Toxteth, Liverpool died on December 9, 2006 in Southport, age 66.
Robert has been performing
in bands and writing songs
since 1969. He is a former
writer and performer for the
Bob & Tom Show. He lives
in Fort Wayne, IN with his
wife, Sheri and their three
children, Dustin, Harrison
and McCartney.
I've had several requests to do a Pink Floyd post. I'll get around to it soon. For now, enjoy this live video of the band from Knebworth in 1990 with SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND
Every Sunday, Peter Tibbles contributes a column called "Elder Music" at the web site,TIME GOES BY. Check it out. For archives of previous "Elder Music" columns click HERE.
