rockandrollplanet.com

There are many great musicians that cannot be easily categorized.  Rock and roll music has roots in blues, soul, country & western, r & b, and  jazz.  These different genres have flowed together and drifted apart repeatedly over the years, at times coming together seamlessly.  This page will be used to discuss those crossover artists who have managed to successfully blend varied musical styles.  

                                          June 2nd, 2006

                                  BONNIE RAITT

     What better compliment could any songwriter ask for than to have Bonnie Raitt want to perform their song?  As Ms. Raitt says, "Like prisms reflecting back on each other, we're souls alike." (bonnieraitt.com).  Thus her 18th released album (9/05), and the first to be produced by her, is titled SOULS ALIKE.  And the title does not speak just of other songwriters whose work she connects to, but also of her close-knit band, together now for ten years.  Two of them, Jon Cleary (keyboardist), and George Marinelli (guitartist), contribute their own songs on this album.

     It is a testament to her strength and character that such an outstanding grouping of music came to be at this time, as the last few years have brought many tears.  Her father, the Broadway legend John Raitt, died early in 2005, and her mother, Marge Goddard, a few months before that after a struggle with Alzheimers.  Her brother has been fighting brain cancer and thankfully is now doing well.  The first song for SOULS ALIKE was an easy choice for her, "I Will Not Be Broken."

     Ms. Raitt was raised in Los Angeles with parents who taught her awareness--not only of music and art, but also social awareness.  She received her first guitar at age eight and really began playing at age twelve. In the 1960s she moved to Massachusetts.  At Radcliff she studied social Relations and African Studies.  Cambridge was ripe with social activism at the time.  Her musical interests were folk and blues, and slide guitar.  She began playing small gigs and was soon playing with and getting to know some of the early greats.  Her debut album,  BONNIE RAITT, was released in 1971 and featured blues written by some of her favorites, as well as other types of tunes written by herself and others.
 
     The next few years brought the albums GIVE IT UP, TAKIN' MY TIME, STREETLIGHTS, HOME PLATE, and in 1977 SWEET FOREGIVENESS, which finally gave her a hit single.  The early 1980s brought THE GLOW and GREEN LIGHT, which did not do well, and Warner Bros. cancelled her contract.  These years were filled with drug and alcohol addiction, but Bonnie salvaged her health when she got clean at age 37, and for the last twenty years has spoken to prisoners and youth groups about the problem.  She went on to release the album NINE LIVES, and in 1990 a compilation album--THE BONNIE RAITT COLLECTION. 

     A contract with Capitol Records resulted in four grammys--three for her album NICK OF TIME, which is, so far, quintuple platinum, and one for a duet with John Lee Hooker on his album.  In 1991, LUCK OF THE DRAW resulted in two hit singles, three grammys, and is currently seven times platinum.  Next was LONGING IN THEIR HEARTS, which added grammy #8 to Bonnie's mantle for 'Best Pop Album,' and which went double platinum.  ROAD TESTED in 1995 was a live double CD and was followed in 1998 by FUNDAMENTAL.  Bonnie performed on many other musician's albums, and her participation in the 1996 'Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn' resulted in another grammy for 'Best Rock Instrumental Performance.'

     Ms. Raitt's experiences, bad and good, seemed to fuel her desire to make the world a better place for and through music.  In 1988 she co-founded the Rhythm and Blues Foundation to improve conditions for the early R&B greats--many of whom were never really compensated for their work.  Through this organization they can receive financial and medical assistance.  In 1995 she started the Bonnie Raitt Guitar Project. It works through Boys and Girls Clubs of America to give under-privileged children a chance to play music. Other projects have included working to save the environment, co-founding MUSE (musicians United for Safe Energy), and speaking out on rights for women and Native Americans.

     Fortunately for the planet, the new century still finds her very busy.  Since she began 2000 with an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, her drive and inspiration seems to be on the increase.  The Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame welcomed her and her father, John, into their ranks in 2001.  SILVER LINING was released in 2002 and with it came a long tour that included the Green Highway Festival.  2003 saw the release of THE BEST OF BONNIE RAITT ON CAPITOL.  She also participated in the PBS series, 'The Blues,' and still found time to contribute songs to two Disney movies.  The following year two duets were released--one from the album TRUE LOVE, by Toots & the Maytals, and the other from Ray Charles' GENIUS LOVES COMPANY (album of the year in 2004).  NICK OF TIME was remixed for surround sound and released, producing another grammy nomination.  Currently she is touring for SOULS ALIKE and still working for alternative energy sources and continuing her Green Highway work.  Though R&B seems to be her home base, Bonnie Raitt has crossed many lines and still has a long career ahead.  Expect even greater things.

                  www.bonnieraitt.com

                                            April 16th, 2006
                                         Lyle Lovett
     In the classification of "Unique Musicians," Lyle Lovett is at the top of the list.  The closest we can come to describing his brand of music is Country Swing, although it has also been described as folk, country, country rock, blues, jazz, and definitely some gospel.  He usually manages to incorporate a little of all in each album, making his own genre. Whatever you call it, you can't stay still when you listen to his songs about everyday "stuff"--your foot is moving before you realize it and you are engrossed in wondering if the song has a message.  Sometimes it seems to, but often it's just for sheer entertainment.

     Lyle's birthplace is Klein, Texas--named after his great-grandfather, Adam Klein. He began life on November 1, 1957, and spent his childhood there growing up on a horse ranch.  Lyle Pearce Lovett was the only child of Bernell and Bill Lovett, who encouraged him to play music and made sure he had guitar lessons. Today he still lives on his parent's property in a house built by his grandparents in 1911 in which his mother and her siblings were born. He began going to local Houston and Austin-area clubs when he was 17 to hear songwriters do their own songs.  He was fortunate enough to hear some of the early greats in person, including Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Willis Alan Ramsey. and Jesse Winc Newman.

     In 1975 Lyle enrolled at Texas A&M, where he began writing songs.  In the seven years he spent obtaining degrees in journalism and then German, he played local clubs and spent time in Germany, where he also wrote songs and played music.  When he returned to Texas in the early 80s, he played clubs and became more a part of the music scene. One of the singer-songwriters he had interviewed while a student, Nanci Griffith, asked him to do background vocals on an album she was cutting in Nashville in 1984.  She ended up recording one of his songs and while in Nashville he took the opportunity to learn more about the music business.

     He had a four-song demo tape he had made with a band called J. David Sloan and the Rogues, which eventually helped him to get his first contract with MCA/Curb Records in 1986. His debut album of that same year contained these songs and others he had recorded with the group in Phoenix and  was titled Lyle Lovett. It has a country flavor due in large part to a pedal steel guitar.  He made his first tour with Bonnie Raitt that year.  Two years later came Pontiac, which was a little more bluesy/jazzy, and featured Emmy Lou Harris singing a backup vocal on one song.  This album produced a couple of his standards, "She's No Lady" and "If I had a Boat."  1989 brought about the third Nashville-recorded album, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band. Tucked in among his own array of songs, he performed Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man."  This album also got him a grammy--"Best Male Country Vocal Performance."

     1992 brought about some changes.  Lyle played a detective in the movie "The Player," and recorded an album in California (rather than Nashville). Joshua Judges Ruth featured quartets and gospel music  and the set of the movie was the beginning of his romance with Julia Roberts. The couple married in 1993.  Unfortunately, the marriage did not last two years.  1993 also produced a duet with Al Green, "Funny How Time Slips Away," which brought Lyle his second Grammy for "Best Pop Vocal Collaboration".  Another movie, "Short Cuts," rounded out a very busy year.

     The next album he released in 1994, I Love Everybody, consisted of songs he had written between 1976 and 1985 which were full of life's observations, such as "Skinny Legs," "Fat Girl," and others that critique everyday life.  His wife at the time, Julia, participated on this album.  The year also brought more film work with "Pret-a-Porter" (also called "Ready to Wear"), and a third grammy for "Blues for Dixie" done with Asleep at the Wheel--a tribute to Bob Wills. By this time it was obvious that Lyle could slip in and out of country music with ease and with his own eclectic style.  The Road to Ensanada in 1996 brought a fourth grammy for "Best Country Album" and a wider audience; the disc also made the pop charts.  Another film, "Bastard Out of Carolina," was added to his acting resume.

     The second decade of Lyle's career brought six more albums and many more film appearances.  Step Inside This House is a two-disc CD released in 1998 featuring songs written by Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt (deceased 1/1/97), Robert Earl Keen, Walter Hyatt (deceased 1996), and other greats.  The liner notes and pictures are history makers, and Lyle says of this CD, "They're all songs that I wish I had written."  (Austin Chronicle 9/14/98)  The title of the CD comes from the first song that Guy Clark ever wrote.  The year also brought a film with Lisa Kudrow, "The Opposite of Sex", and a cameo in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."  The next disc, Live in Texas, in 1999 was his first live recording and was actually done in Texas in 1995.  Rickie Lee Jones did some back-up vocals on this one.  Besides another movie, "Cookie's Fortune," The Boston Ballet performed "Nine Lives: Songs of Lyle Lovett" which was probably the most creative compliment Lyle will ever receive.  The bad news of 1999 was the death of his father in Texas.

     The turn of the century in 2000 brought the release of a soundtrack to the movie Dr. T & the Women and a part in another film, "3 Days of Rain."  In 2001 Lyle appeared in the films "New Guy" and "Last Stand of the Tall Grass Prairie."  He also released Anthology, Vol 1: Cowboy Man, the first volume of his retrospective.  It contains mostly material from his first three albums and two new songs, and is as close to country as Lyle gets, though he still remains untraditional.  Volume II is titled Smile and was released in 2003 and is a compilation of songs from American movies.  The Large Band (17 musicians including Lyle) and other guest musicians accompanied him, including Randy Newman.  My Baby Don't Tolerate was released later in the year and contained new material, starting with "Cute As A Bug."  A song written about his father, "You Were Always There," shows Lyle's grief over his sudden death.  This disc has every flavor you could want--blues-rock, jazz, ballads, and country,  and it ends with two gospel songs with a full choir.  Last month (April 2006) Soundstage was released; it is a DVD from the Public Broadcasting System in which The Large Band and a 26-piece orchestra back Lyle on many of the tunes from Smile.  And, of course, Randy Newman helps out, as well as trumpet player Mark Isham.

     One of the things that Lyle does when playing with the Big Band is to make sure that everyone in the group has a time that is "theirs," a real feat with so many musicians.  Two of these band members have been with him since before the beginning of his career.  He tends to be a perfectionist, and an eye for detail definitely shows in his music.  Some describe his demeanor as "droll", but watching him for a time makes this writer think it is more of a detached intelligence. 

     The last few years have found Lyle at home in Klein when he is not touring. An encounter with a bull on his ranch in 2002 put him out of action for a time with a compound lower right leg fracture (20 places!), and some broken ribs.  He bought back some of his great grandfather's original property in 1995, restored some of his grandfather's old barns,  and still keeps race horses and cattle there.  He also has a Ducates motorcycle and has ridden since he was ten years old.  His parents took him to dirt bike races on weekends, and in his teens he worked for Conroe Cycle Center in Conroe, TX.  The manager at that time, Larry Watson, remembers him as being a young man with a lot of integrity, and hard-working.  He even owned a dealership in Houston for a time.  But music is in his heart; and, it is his job.  He prefers acoustic guitar and says, "I like my guitar to sound like it does in my living room." (Denver Post 2002).  We like it that way, too, but then, we like it anyway he wants to make it happen.

              BILLY VERA

     If you don't know who Billy Vera is, it's time to find out!  Any fans of the tv sitcom "King of Queens" probably find themselves singing along with the theme song that is performed by the versatile Mr.Vera. Billy is a guitarist/writer/vocalist/record producer born William McCord in 1944 in Riverside, California, but raised in the New York City metro area. He has produced over 200 reissue albums.  He eventually added acting to his resume with several movie and tv appearances.

     His musical career began at age 18 singing with a group called "The Resolutions."  The 1960s also began his song-writing career with hits done by Ricky Nelson, Fats Domino, The Shirelles, Nancy Sinatra,and Barbara Lewis. His first personal hit was "Storybook Children", a duet with Judy Clay in 1967, a #20 on the R&B charts.  Ms. Clay was black, making the two of them the first male/female, interracial singing duo ever recorded.  In 1968 they recorded an album and had another R&B charter (#41) with "Country Girl-City Boy." This combination helped him to be one of the few white acts to perform and be well received at the Apollo Theater. Later in 1968 he had his first small solo hit "With Pen in Hand," which was written by Bobby Goldsboro.

     In 1978 Dolly Parton had a #1 hit on the country charts with the Vera-penned song "I Really Got the Feeling." It was around this time that Billy moved back to Los Angeles, and while writing songs for Warner Bros., The Beaters were formed. They were a large (10-piece) band with four saxaphones that played the local clubs and eventually signed a contract with Alfa Records.  A live recording at The Roxy on Sunset Strip produced a minor hit in 1981 with "I Can Take Care of Myself," as well as "At This Moment," which didn't hit until four years later.  The demise of Alfa Records resulted in a lack of real promotion of the album at the most critical time, probably preventing it from fulfilling its real potential.  The group continued playing clubs in the southern California area, and at some point got lucky when a tv producer was in the audience and heard their performance of "At This Moment."  He aired it on an episode of Family Ties in the fall of 1985 and viewers went wild.  It charted at #1 for over 15 weeks. But before "Moment" hit Billy was fortunate enough (and talented enough) to be able to get some acting parts. He appeared in THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI, the soap DAYS OF OUR LIVES, WISE GUY, BAYWATCH, BOY MEETS WORLD, BEVERLY HILLS 90210, BAJA OKLAHOMA, TONIGHT's THE NIGHT (a movie of the week), DESPERATE FOR LOVE, and RIDE THE WIND.  The group had several movie and tv appearances, including THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW, AMERICAN BANDSTAND, BLIND DATE, and RAINBOW DRIVE. Billy's music has been used in several other shows. They even had a stent as the house band on a late-night talk show "Into The Night" in 1990 and into 1991.  Bonnie Raitt performed "Papa Come Quick" on her LUCK OF THE DRAW album, and this made the song his biggest selling song to date.

     Billy & The Beaters continued playing through the 90s with Billy making extra money hosting a weekly radio show playing his collection of Rhythm & Blues music,and even doing cartoon voice-overs.  He received Grammy nominations in 1996 and 1997 in the Best Historical Package Category for producing and writing liner notes on RHYTHM AND BLUES box set and RAY CHARLES 50th ANNIVERSERY box set.  He was even a recipient of the George Peabody Award for Excellence in Radio Broadcasting, and now has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of the Capitol Records tower.  More recently he produced RAWLS SINGS SINATRA which hit the jazz charts, and once again hit the country charts via Dolly Parton.  Her ULTIMATE DOLLY PARTON includes his "I Really Got The Feeling."  The group still performs in the L.A. area with most of the original band members after 23 years--plenty of time to get "smooth."

     The Beaters most recent CD (2002) contains a previously unissued version of "At This Moment" and songs from Vera's movie appearances.  Most of the tunes are written by Billy and several are co-written by Chip Taylor.  Many of the cuts are from a 1995 live performance. Vera does the liner notes himself.  The CD is titled AT THIS MOMENT: A RETROSPECTIVE.  It starts with a remake of the Vera/Clay duet from 1968 "Country Girl-City Man"--a country-rock flavored tune, followed by what is sure to end up a blues classic--"Room With a View," which he co-wrote with the great Lowell Fulson.  "Oh, What A Nite" was performed in the movie "Blind Date," and in our opinion is full of soul.  For some great sax and unique voice, listen to "La La For What's Her Name."  A great country-accented love song from BAJA OKLAHOMA is "You've Got Me."  And, of course, the finale "At This Moment" showcases that Very Vera Voice and some incredible sax.  This is one of those unique CDs that starts out good and gets better with each listen.  Read the liner notes for great info from Billy.  We gotta recommend this one!

Visit their web site: www.billyvera.com  to get a look at the other members of the group.