Spread The Good Word !

Yep, Ronald "Ronnie" Hawkins is a cousin to fellow rockabilly artist Dale Hawkins ! Known as "Rompin' Ronnie" Hawkins or "The Hawk", he was a key player in the 1960s rock scene in Toronto, Canada and his career has spanned 50 years ! Hawkins was born in 1935 in Huntsville, Arkansas and came to Canada in 1958. His first gig was at the Brass Rail Tavern in London, Ontario where he became an overnight success. Hawkins decided to move to Canada permanently, and in 1964 became a permanent resident. After a move to Ontario, as band members dropped out- with the exception of drummer Levon Helm, they were replaced with four Canadian musicians who eventually moved on with Helm as their fifth member, backing Bob Dylan in the late 1960s, after developing a world-famous sound and band of their own, taking the name, The Band. Other musicians Hawkins recruited provided the makings of Robbie Lane & The Disciples, and Janis Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band. Anyw...

The voice-over man from a thousand commercials in the US, Ken Nordine registers in your subconscious instantly: Wait, I know that guy! Smooth as an ice sculpture and ringing with "the voice of a sponsor," Nordine has personified authority since the 1960s. During the 1940s, he was heard on The World's Great Novels and other radio programs broadcast from Chicago. He attracted much wider attention when he recorded the aural vignettes on albums feature Nordine's narration over cool cool cool jazz by the Chico Hamilton jazz group, recording under the alias of Fred Katz, who was then the cellist with Hamilton's quintet. Nordine began performing and recording such albums at the peak of the beat era and was associated with the poetry-and-jazz movement. However, some of Nordine's "writings are more akin to Franz Kafka or Edgar Allan Poe" (or even Dr. Seuss-like exploration of the meanings of different colors here), than to the beats. Many of his word jazz tra...

Tadaaaaaaaa ! Summer's gone godammit ! Well, back to work. And I want my scalps. Ann Cole was a genuinely great soul singer who had the misfortune to be too far ahead of her time. She was daring enough to record "Got My Mojo Working," which she'd performed on-stage (which was how Muddy Waters found the song) in 1956. Cole also cut records on the Timely, Baton, and Sir labels, and in 1956 she was voted the Most Promising Female R&B Vocals. Cole cut many records, but only ever had one pop-chart hit, in 1962 with "Don't Stop the Wedding" on Roulette. The A-side was a sort of answer record to the Etta James song "Stop the Wedding"; ironically, "Don't Stop the Wedding"'s B-side, "Have Fun," was also her last R&B charting song. Enjoy ! Ann Cole : * Each Day * * Brand New Hearts * * Got My Mojo Working * * Don't Stop The Wedding *