The first "power chord " record. Rumble from 1956 by Linc Wray and his Ray Men.

J

jimintoronto

Well-known Member
This native American Indian was the first guitar player to explore what you could do with reverb, echo and strong chords. He influenced 2 generations of rock guitar musicians. Both Jimmi Hendrix, and Keith Richards, as well as Robert Plant have paid tribute to Linc Wray as a genus player.

here is a link to RUMBLE. Link Wray - Rumble [HQ - Best Version] - YouTube Turn up your speakers.

Another early guitar innovator was Dick Dake The King Of the Surf Guitar. This was his first number one hit instrumental. Some of you will recognize it as the first music in the movie Pulp Fiction. link. Dick Dale & The Del Tones "Misirlou" 1963 - Bing video

Buddy Holly was a kid from Lubbock Texas who was an innovator , who managed to make a guitar, an electric bass and a drum set sound a lot bigger. 3 kids making memorable songs. That’ll Be the Day - Bing video

Here is one of the best ( in my estimation ) from Otis Reading. Try a little tenderness. It starts out slow and low and soulful, but as it grows and speeds up, Otis really tears it apart. The horns are the Famous Tower of Power from Memphis. link. Otis Redding - Try a Little Tenderness (Official Audio) - YouTube

Otis Reading ..Wait for the midnight hour . link. Wilson Pickett - In the Midnight Hour - Bing video

Who else do you remember from the 50's 60's ? Lets hear your requests . I will find them and put them here. Keep on rockin. Jimb.
 

Now for a real "blast from the past " In 1964, the TAMI show was a live TV show that featured 24 of the top music acts in both the USA and Britain. Remember this was shot live and back to back, so some of the audio is muddy, but damn what a line up. This runs over 2 hours, so make time to sit down and dig it in your favorite easy chair. Link. The T.A.M.I. Show 1964 - Full HD Original Electronovision Version - Bing video

No lip synching, every one was actually playing their instruments, and the amps were plugged in. Get it right or go home. The stage was a turntable, so acts could get set up before they rotated to the front of the stage.,

I spent a year working in a really small Ontario town, on a 5000 watt AM station that barely reached the next town over, but that experience solidified my love for rock and blues music. Enjoy the stars from the past. JimB.
 
Last edited:
The only living member of The Beach Boys in 2022 is Brian Wilson. He still tours as the Brian Wilson Band, doing about 150 shows a year. He is recognized as a incredible musical innovator, but also a troubled man. Some of that can be traced back to his relations with his Father who was the Beach Boys manager for the first few years of their career. I am amazed by the onstage energy of the Boys at that time. JimB.
 

Mick Jagger stole many of his stage moves from..James Brown The Hardest Working Man In Show Business . The Flames were one of the tightest stage bands I have ever seen. I first saw James Brown here in Toronto in 1965 at a suburban roller skating rink, and he tore the place apart, with 5 encores. A crowd of teen age white kids were in awe of this mad man from Georgia jumping up and down and screaming his ass off. The beat was the thing, for sure. Link. Pappa has a brand new bag. James Brown ~ Papa's Got A Brand New Bag (1965) - Bing video
 
How many Americans know that Paul Anka was a 16 year old kid from Ottawa when he has his first number one hit "Diana " ? link. Paul Anka - Diana - Live - Bing video

Another early Canadian hit group were the Diamonds with Little Darlin. link. Little Darlin'-The Diamonds-1957 - YouTube They all attended St Mike's choir school in Toronto then broke out with this hot 45.

In 1956 a young guy from Little Rock Arkansas and a friend who was a drummer went to Toronto, because they heard that the city was a good place to be a rock and roll musician. Those 2 were Ronnie Hawkins and Levon Helm. A few weeks later Hawkins had rounded up a few Canadians and formed " Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks ". The Hawks eventually split with Ronnie and became the back up band for that kid from Minnesota little Bobby Zimerman, later known as Bob Dylan. After touring with Dylan the four Canadians and one American became The Band.

Here is a link to a version of Boe Diddly, with Hawkins singing and Robbie Robertson ( all of 16 years old at the time ) on lead guitar . A screaming hot version that was a top hit in Canada. link. Ronnie Hawkins The Hawks - Bo Diddley - YouTube Ronnie Hawkins never went back to the States, and he received an honorary Order of Canada award for his contributions to music in Canada. He died this year at age 88.

JimB.
 
While there is a lot of power in those chords by Link Wray, technically, a power chord is just two notes: the 1st and the 3rd on the lower strings.

Here's Scotty Moore using power chords to open Elvis's Jailhouse Rock...
 
jimintoronto said:
The only living member of The Beach Boys in 2022 is Brian Wilson. He still tours as the Brian Wilson Band, doing about 150 shows a year. He is recognized as a incredible musical innovator, but also a troubled man. Some of that can be traced back to his relations with his Father who was the Beach Boys manager for the first few years of their career. I am amazed by the onstage energy of the Boys at that time. JimB.
Click to expand...
Appreciate you posting these great links. BTW Al Jardine and Mike Love are still alive.
 
I mentioned Bob Dylan previously and his connection to The Band. This one was recorded just before they came on board. Dylan later said that the song was inspired by the characters he met while living in New York City, in the Village. link.Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone (Official Audio) - YouTube

Like a Rolling Stone lyrics. bob dylan like a rolling stone lyrics - Search (bing.com)

The line about "the man on a chrome horse " refers to the President of the NYC chapter of the Hell's Angels, who Dylan bought dope from. JimB.
 
Recorded live in 1967 in Norway. The Volt/Stax Review, with Booker T and the M.G's, Marvin Gaye, Otis Reading, and many more. Volt and Stax record companies were based in Memphis, and they were in direct competition with Chess out of Chicago, and MoTown out of Detroit. I always liked the gritty sound that Volt and Stax laid down. link. Otis Redding & Friends - Stax / Volt Revue '67 - video Dailymotion

JimB.
 
Last edited:
Janis Joplin was a tremendously talented, but self destructive woman. Born in Port Arthur Texas on January the 19th in 1943, she became a rock and blues sensation with record sales in the millions. But inside she was in turmoil, and her battles with alcohol and speed and heroin eventually ended her life. Dead at 27. Here is a link to bio about her life and death. Link. Janis Joplin - Wikipedia

Of all of her hits, this one is my favorite. Like a ball and chain. janis joplin ball and chain video - Search (bing.com)

JimB.
 
Imagine this...Jimmi Hendrix and the actor Joe Pesci playing in a rock band together ??? Yes that really happened. Before he burst on the scene Jimmi played as back up guitar for a number of stars, like Otis Readding. Ever hear of Joey Dee and the Starlighters ? Their one big hit was The Peppermint Twist . That band was based out of New Jersey, and of course Jersey is the place that Joe came from, way before Good Fellas.

link to The Peppermint Twist with Joe Pesci on bass guitar, and Jimi Hendrix in his upside down left handed Fender Telecaster. link. Joey Dee & The Starliters - Peppermint Twist. - Bing video The video was shot before Jimmi and Joe joined the band.
 
Last edited:
Jerry Lee Lewis was born in a small town in Ferriday Louisiana on September the 29th of 1935. He became the "original wild man of rock and roll " for his high energy stage performances. My favorite Jerry Lee story.....He had a fist fight with Chuck Berry backstage about who was going to "close the show " Jerry Lee went on stage told the band to play " Great Balls Of Fire " and he then set fire to the grand piano with a can of lighter fluid. That piano burned while Jerry Lee thumped it to death. He then walked backstage and shouted at Chuck Berry Top that !!

link to Jerry Lee Lewis Great Balls Of Fire. link. Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls of Fire - HD HQ Extended Music Video - YouTube

He was called The Killer.
 
Last edited:
This a VERY rare Doors video. Shot on May the 18th, 1967 in Toronto, at the CBC Jarvis street studio. The first national Canadian TV exposure for Morrison and The Doors, in quadrophonic stereo on 2 inch tape. The End runs almost 12 minutes long. The amazing sound is coming from a three man band. Jim Morrison unlike most rock singers had a baritone voice, but through the use of a falsetto technique he could really hit the highest notes. This is probably the very best live Doors recording ever, because the CBC technical crew spent a whole day setting up the sound and the mike positions for the band. Link. The Doors - The End - Toronto, CBC television studios The rock scene; Like it is - YouTube

The CBC sent 2 buses down to Yorkville Village to get the studio audience. Lots of "funny smoke " in that studio......The keyboard player was passing out giant spliffs before the show went on the air, to the audience. Yes even in 1967 Toronto was really progressive. Jimb.
 
jimintoronto said:
This a VERY rare Doors video. Shot on May the 18th, 1967 in Toronto, at the CBC Jarvis street studio. The first national Canadian TV exposure for Morrison and The Doors, in quadrophonic stereo on 2 inch tape. The End runs almost 12 minutes long. The amazing sound is coming from a three man band. Jim Morrison unlike most rock singers had a baritone voice, but through the use of a falsetto technique he could really hit the highest notes. This is probably the very best live Doors recording ever, because the CBC technical crew spent a whole day setting up the sound and the mike positions for the band. Link. The Doors - The End - Toronto, CBC television studios The rock scene; Like it is - YouTube

The CBC sent 2 buses down to Yorkville Village to get the studio audience. Lots of "funny smoke " in that studio......The keyboard player was passing out giant spliffs before the show went on the air, to the audience. Yes even in 1967 Toronto was really progressive. Jimb.
Click to expand...
Very avant-garde. :cool:
 
The one that I remember most, and think that he had the greatest guitar style was Duane Eddy and his Twangy Guitar. He had quite a few big hits and Rebel Rouser was maybe one of the biggest.
He also had an album called Twangy Guitar and Silky Strings, which was accompanied with violins, and in this album, he had some slow love song instrumentals, like Angel on my Shoulder.

 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top