The 500 - #403 - "Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd" - Lynyrd Skynyrd

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 403

Album Title: Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd
Artist: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Genre: Southern Rock, Hard Rock, Blues Rock
Recorded: Studio One, Doraville, Georgia
Released: August, 1973
My age at release: 8
How familiar was I with it before this week: Very
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Tuesday's Gone

Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd by Lynyrd Skynyrd

This decision to buy this record, in the spring of 1985, was one I distinctly remember. I had eyed it for some time at my favourite record shop, Dr. Disc, in downtown London, but was reluctant to make the purchase. I was deep in my Progressive Rock phase and Lynyrd Skynyrd, a southern rock group, was a great departure from my tastes. I was also under the misguided impression that the band might be racist.

Movie Poster from The Blues Brothers

I suspect this thinking could be traced back to the movie The Blues Brothers which has been a favourite since my youth. In it, the protagonists Jake and Elwood Blues are travelling across the state in an effort to save their childhood orphanage by reuniting their band to play a fundraiser. En route, and broke, they secure a gig at a rural honky-tonk saloon under false pretenses. When they ask the bartender what kind of music is played in the bar, she replies: "Oh, we got both kinds. We got country and western."

In the film, the Blues Brothers Band would go on to perform their gig on a small stage behind chicken wire -- set up to shield the performers from the beer bottles that were hurled from the drunk and raucous crowd. 

This served to reinforce an opinion I had cultivated from television and film in the 1970s -- most people from the south, especially those who liked country and western music, were simple, violent and racist. They were, after all, the people who had gone to war in order to maintain slavery and who harranged Kwai Chang Caine weekly on Kung Fu. I suppose I should have been more troubled that the Chinese character was played by an Irish-American actor.

The 70s Television & Film that influenced
my opinion on The South

Sure, there were exceptions, the "good ol' boys" from Dukes of Hazzard and Burt Reynold's Bo Darville from the Smokey and the Bandit films. In both cases, charismatic protagonists were forced to battle the inherently corrupt lawmakers or establishment. They were, clearly, the exception.

Consequently, I was taken by surprise when I gave side one my first listen. I was familiar with Freebird, the album's epic final track, which featured the blistering guitar solo that had first drawn me to the band. However, the rest of the record was new territory.

I Ain't the One, the album's opening track was an absolute rocker and it was followed by the beautiful ballad, Tuesday's Gone. However, it was the the third track, Gimme Three Steps, that won me over. The lyrics, based on a true event lead singer Ronnie Van Zant experienced, weave a comedic tale about a young man who was... 

"cutting a rug in a place called The Jug with a girl named Linda Lou. When in walked a man with a gun in his hand and he was looking at you know who." 

Upon realizing it is Linda's boyfriend, the startled narrator pleads for a three-step head start toward the door, hoping to escape the situation. In some ways, the songwriter was embracing the stereotypes I had about people in the south -- where you could get shot for accidently dancing with the wrong girl. However, cleverly, he had turned the story into a comedic romp where no one actually gets hurt.

I was wowed and the record worked its way into my playing rotation frequently after. As I've matured, my inherent bias toward folk from the southern U.S. has softened. At the very least, I recognize it is there and I've become more accepting of everyone -- even if they only listen to Country and Western music.  

 

The 500 - #404 - Dr. John's Gumbo - Dr. John

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 404

Album Title: Dr. John's Gumbo 
Artist: Dr. John
Genre: Rhythm & Blues, New Orleans Blues
Recorded: Sound City Studios, Los Angeles
Released: April, 1972
My age at release: 6
How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Junko Partner

Album Cover for Dr. John's Gumbo

This week, I started the 2020 school year, teaching Grade seven at a new school. It is my first time in a classroom since mid-March when the Coronavirus pandemic shuttered all Ontario classrooms. On September first, my newly placed portable was empty. Over the past two weeks, items have been arriving and everything is new -- desks, shelves, cupboard and chairs delivered, wrapped in plastic.

It was a lot of work to get ready for my students but it is nice to start with a blank slate. Consequently, my headphones have had a work-out and the soundtrack for my grunt-work was Dr. John's Gumbo, a collection of New Orleans rhythm and blues standards from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and multi-Grammy-award winning pianist and singer Dr. John. There is a lot to learn about the fascinating life of this iconic performer and his career made me think about the students I would soon be meeting. 

Malcom (Mac) Rebennack - aka Dr. John (2014)

Malcom (Mac) John Rebennack, better known by his stage name "Dr. John", was born and raised in a working class neighbourhood of New Orleans, Louisiana. He was, as one might expect from someone growing up in The Big Easy, influenced by the music that surrounded him. His extended family were hobby musicians who played minstrel tunes on the family piano. This story-telling tradition would inform his development as a musician and, perhaps more importantly, an entertainer.

Mac didn't begin music lessons until he was a teen when he began learning guitar. At age 13, he met eccentric piano virtuoso Professor Longhair (Roy Bird) whose distinctively infused rumbo, calypso and mambo into New Orleans style jazz. Not only was Mac inspired by his quirky playing style, he was also fascinated by his flamboyant stage persona.

Professor Longhair

At 16, although struggling at a Jesuit high school, his passion for music took over and he started his first band The Dominoes. The Jesuit fathers disapproved, eventually telling him to quit music or leave school. He chose the latter and became a full-time session player in 1957, backing up popular recording artists.

At 19, before a gig in Jacksonville, Florida, Mac interceded when a motel manager was pistol-whipping his friend, lead vocalist, Ronnie Barron. During the altercation, the gun discharged and nearly took Mac's ring finger off. It healed at an odd angle and his guitar-playing career was ended. After six years invested into becoming a solid guitar player, Mac remarkably switched to piano -- the instrument that would make him famous. This is the part that amazes me about natural musicians. He quickly mastered the piano with nine fingers.

Mac had a fascination with voodoo and was enamoured by a Senegalese prince, conjurer, herbalist and spiritual healer named Jean Montaine. "Dr. Jean" had travelled, by way of Haiti, to The Big Easy where he set-up his mysterious, religious practice in a rural bayou just outside the city. Jean made much of his income by selling gris-gris, a West African voodoo amulet, believed to protect the wearer from evil and bring good luck.

Thus, was born the persona of "Dr. John: The Night Tripper". Suddenly all of Mac's passions were fused together to create a larger-than-life entertainer who was part-musician and part-voodoo shaman. His performances included elaborate costumes and props, including a headdress and live snakes, against the backdrop of a wild, psychedelic stage show. His debut album was called Gris-Gris and we'll get to it at #143 on The 500 list.

Dr. John - The Night Tripper performing in a headdress

So, as I greet my students this week, the fascinating life of Dr. John is still in my head and I will approach my role as mentor and educator with the following things in mind:

• Everything is an influence for good or bad. I'll remind my young charges to be mindful of the world around them and tap into its inspiration.
• The teen-years are a fertile time for passionate pursuits...pursue your passions.
• I will continue to foster the academic and artistic pursuits of my students. Unlike Mac's Jesuit teachers, I'll never give them an ultimatum.
• Persevere and Adapt. Challenges are opportunities for greatness in disguise.
• Quirky, flamboyant, wild and weird are positive descriptions. Be what you are meant to be ... Let your freak flags fly!

The 500 - #405 - Radio City - Big Star

 I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 405

Album Title: Radio City
Artist: Big Star
Genre: Power Pop
Recorded: Ardent Studios, Memphis
Released: February, 1974
My age at release: 8
How familiar was I with it before this week: Fairly
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: Back of a Car

This week, we finish off the Big Star trilogy with their sophomore offering, Radio City, from 1974.

Radio City - Big Star (1974)

Last December, in a time we might soon call PC (Pre-Covid), I wrote about their final record, Third/Sister Lovers, which was #449 on The 500 list. I highlighted Big Star's impact on popular music. They are often called The Musicians' Musicians - "the band that your favourite band is probably listening to."

Third/Sister Lovers - Big Star (1978)

Then, in April of this year, we arrived at their debut, and my favourite album from the band, Number 1 Record. I wrote about my relationship with the band and the magnificence of this "red letter moment" in music, "when everything falls in place."

Number 1 Record - Big Star (1972)

For many, I am sure, the question must be: Why would a band with all three of their studio records on The 500 list not be more popular? In fact, I'll go so far as to say that many of the people who read my blog, except perhaps the musicians, are unfamiliar with Big Star. 

I conducted a quick Twitter Poll with the question: "How familiar are you with the band Big Star?" I only got 23 responses but, as you can see below, the majority had little to no familiarity with the music. 

Twitter Poll conducted September 3-5, 2020

A 2013 article from The Atlantic magazine calls them "The Greatest Band You've Never Heard Of" and a music review from NPR in 2010 dubbed them "The Unluckiest Band in the World". Was it bad luck? There are some who think the audacious decision to call themselves Big Star and then double-down and name their debut release Number 1 Record was tempting fate.

I don't buy into the notion of fate. I bristle when people say, "Everything happens for a reason."  

It doesn't. Things happen and we retroactively ascribe meaning to them.

This week on The 500 Podcast, host Josh Adam Meyers welcomed Jody Stephens, drummer and only surviving member of Big Star. He dismissed the idea that it was "bad luck" and looks back on his career with positive affection, saying:

"It all worked out. The records are finding an audience and I had an amazing career. (We) got to create the way we wanted to create and, financially, he (Guitarist & Singer Alex Chilton) could support himself from songs he had written for Big Star. I'm in Love with a Girl was used in a Heineken commercial and he co-wrote In the Street with Chris (Bell) which was used in the credits of That 70s Show. Once that television program went into syndication...the income got appreciable. (Bassist) Andy Hummel went on to get a degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Finance and raised a beautiful family. Maybe things wouldn't have turned out so well if we got recognition with the first album. Who knows, the whole thing could have been finished."  

Drummer Jody Stephens at Ardent Studios

The track for my The 500 Spotify Playlist is, Back of a Car, selected by friend (and drummer) Steve Crew. In a text to me, he credited Jody Stephens as an important influence. As he put it..."I stole every lick."