Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson: A Woman Who Rocks

The Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson, continues her hot streak. She's been all over the press since before the January, 2011 release of her latest CD The Party Ain't Over which was produced by the everywhere man Jack White. She'd been recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received an Early Influence award.
And now Jackson's old acoustic guitar will be featured at a new exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dedicated to female artists. The exhibit, Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power, chronicles the pioneering role of women in rock 'n' roll, from Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith to Bikini Kill and Lady GaGa.
And Jackson fits right in. After all, she broke the mold for female singers in the 50s. No one had heard a "girl" sing like she did. If Lady GaGa thinks she has the corner on raw sexuality, she's dead wrong! Jackson brought the same type of "dangerous" sensuality to her music that Elvis did and she did it about 40 years before GaGa was born. And she did it with a lot more taste and class in my not-so-humble opinion. GaGa's nothing new, she's just more explicit. Jackson...now she was new!
"It's like they just got their heads together and said, 'We will not help this girl do it,'" Jackson says of the men who controlled the record business of the 50s. "They just wouldn't play my records if it was the rock stuff. So it didn't take long before I was putting a country song on one side of a record and a rock song on the other."
That probably worked in Jackson's favor in a way since country music was her home for many years and she had decent success with some great country songs. She also went on to record lots of gospel music. But it's the rock and roll that she's remembered for now. Her early rockabilly releases have become iconic classics of the genre.
She could throw her voice from sweet to gravelly in mid lyric and she still does today at 73 years old. As a teenager she was a powerful performer who turned heads not only because she was beautiful to look at, but because she created a beautiful package of sight and sound. And she pushed boundaries with glamor, style, and attitude.

Top 20 Dionne Warwick Hits

Born in East orange, New Jersey, in 1940, Marie Dionne Warwick cut her singing teeth in her church choir at the age of six. It was inevitable that Dionne would make music her career, since she is the sister of Dee Dee Warwick, her aunt is Cissy Houston (Whitney's mom) and her father was the manager of the famed family gospel group, The Drinkard Singers.
Dionne attended Hartt College of Music in Hartford, Connecticut in 1958, after receiving a scholarship. That same year, she formed the group, The Gospelaires, with Dee Dee. Cissy Houston and Doris Troy, of "Just One Look" fame, joined The Gospelaires later. They did a lot of studio backup work in New York City, during the late fifties, and can be heard on recordings by The Drifters, Jerry Butler, Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley.
Dionne's voice came to the attention of composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David. In 1962, she signed with Bacharach and David's production company, which became Scepter Records.
Dionne's first single was "Don't Make Me Over", a phrase that Bacharach and David heard the young singer use when she was angry at the duo. It turned out to be her first Top 40 single. From then on, she became Bacharach and David's "main voice."
On the charts, Dionne has had 31 Top 40 singles, with three of them going to number one. Here are Dionne Warwick's twenty biggest hits, according to Billboard's Weekly Top 40 Charts.
1. That's What Friends Are For - 1986 - Dionne's biggest hit came 23 years after her first top 40 hit and features her friends, Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder and topped the charts for four weeks.
2. Then Came You - 1974 - Dionne's only Top 10 hit for the Atlantic label, it holds the unfortunate record for dropping the most positions, to #15, the week after it reached number one.
3. (Theme From) Valley of the Dolls - 1968 - From the film of the same title, the song was to be recorded by Judy Garland, but was given to Dionne when Judy was fired from the film. It is also the "B" side to Dionne's hit "I Say A Little Prayer."
4. I Say A Little Prayer - 1967 - Also a Top 10 hit for Aretha Franklin a year later, Dionne's version holds the unique record for being in the year end Top 100 of 1967 and the flip side, "(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls" (see above) making it to the year end Top 100 of 1968.
5. I'll Never Love This Way Again - 1979 - Produced by Barry Manilow, this was Dionne's first hit for the Arista Label.
6. Walk On By - 1964 - This Bacharach-David composition has also been covered by Gloria Gaynor, Isaac Hayes, Cyndi Lauper and Seal. Dionne also recorded a German version.
7. I'll Never Fall In Love Again - 1970 - From the musical, "Promises, Promises", Bobbie Gentry's version went to number one in England a year before Dionne's release.
8. This Girl's In Love With You - 1969 - A number one hit for Herb Alpert in 1968 under the title "This Guy's In Love With You", Dionne went Top 10 a year later with a female spin to the title.
9. Anyone Who Had A Heart - 1964 - Dionne's first Top 10 hit was reportedly done in one take.
10. Message To Michael - 1966 - Recorded by Jerry Butler in 1962 as "Message To Martha", it was also recorded by actress Marlene Dietrich in 1964.
11. Heartbreaker - 1982 - written by The Bee Gees, Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, they can also be heard providing backup vocals.
12. Do You Know The Way To San Jose - 1968 - Although Dionne thinks the song is dumb; the song has meaning for lyricist Hal David, who spent time in San Jose while in the Navy.
13. Love Power - 1987 - Written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, Dionne's last Top 20 single is a duet with vocalist Jeffrey Osborne.
14. Déjà Vu - 1980 - Co-written by Isaac Hayes and produced by Barry Manilow, Dionne won two Grammy Awards in 1980; one in the R&B category for this song and one for "I'll Never Love This Way Again" in the pop category, making her the first artist to win Grammys in the R&B and Pop categories in the same evening.
15. Alfie - 1967 - Although Cher's version was used in the soundtrack of the film of the same title, Dionne's version did better on the charts.
16. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - 1969 - A number one hit for the Righteous Brothers in 1965, Dionne went Top 20 with it and Hall and Oates would also go top 20 in 1980.
17. Promises, Promises - 1968 - From the Broadway musical of the same title.
18. Reach Out For Me - 1964 - Originally recorded by Lou Johnson.
19. Don't Make Me Over - 1963 - Dionne's first hit single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000.
20. Trains And Boats And Planes - 1966 - From her seventh album, "Here Where There Is Love."
Dionne left Scepter Records in 1970 and signed with Atlantic Records, but she only had one major hit with them in 1972 with The Spinners. She was virtually hitless for the entire decade, until she moved to Arista Records in 1979, when her career took off again.
Dionne hosted TV's Solid Gold from 1980-1981 and again from 1985-1986.
During the 1990's, Dionne hosted infomercials for the Psychic Friends Network.
In 2002, Dionne was nominated as a Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization by the United Nations.
Married to actor and drummer William Elliot in 1966, they divorced and remarried in 1967, until they finally divorced in 1975. They have a son, singer, songwriter David Elliot.
Among her many awards and honors, Dionne has received five Grammy Awards and a People's Choice Award. She continues to record and her latest album, "Only Trust your Heart" was scheduled for release in March 2011.

Andrew Gold Lyrics - Some Of The More Notable In His Catalogue

Andrew Gold was born in Burbank, California in 1951, the son of two professional musicians. His mother, Marni, often provided voiceover singing for actresses in major film productions such as Natalie Wood's character in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn playing Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. His father was the movie soundtrack composer Ernest Gold. Safe to say that there was some musical pedigree in Andrew's family - a perfect environment for him to develop his undoubted flair for melody and his often overlooked lyrical prowess.
Gold became known initially within the music industry as a producer and instrumentalist, working for the likes of Linda Ronstadt in the early seventies, most notably on her album 'Heart Like A Wheel', released in 1974. He then began to release his own work, firstly in 1975 with the album 'Andrew Gold', but it wasn't until 1976's 'What's Wrong With This Picture' that he gained widespread recognition, largely through the iconic single 'Lonely Boy'. A tale of sibling rivalry and familial tensions, it sees Gold matching a stunningly uplifting tune to a set of introspective lyrics. Gold has repeatedly denied it is autobiographical:
Well he ran down the hall and he cried - oh, how could his parents have lied?
When they said he was an only son - he thought he was the only one...
From his third album, 'All This And Heaven Too', Gold issued the song 'Thank You For Being A Friend'. It became another hit, reaching number 25 in the US and went on to make appearances in various media productions, most recognisably as the theme to the US TV sitcom 'The Golden Girls', sung in that instance by one Cynthia Fee. Its message, as in many Gold songs, is warm and upbeat
Thank you for being a friend - travelled down the road and back again - your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidante
From the album 'Whirlwind', the track 'Sooner Or Later' has a Steely Dan feel to it. Some of the song's lyrics are somewhat more aggressive than his usual, love-inflected content (still a great melody, though):
Just because there's a chip on your shoulder, it doesn't mean it matters to me
If there's something you think you'll never get over, you're going to have to prove it to me
I'd be interested in hearing any other opinions regarding Andrew Gold lyrics - will look forward to hearing from other AG fans out there with any pertinent views.

Rockabilly Instrumental Music Played Its Part In Rock And Roll History Too

One of the characteristics that people most often think about when they think of rockabilly music is the famous "hiccupy" vocal styles. Elvis, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, and many others used this technique to different extents when recording their seminal rockabilly tracks. But rockabilly music wasn't always about the vocals. Several great rockabilly instrumentals hold their place in rockabilly history as well.

• Bill Justis, "Raunchy": "Raunchy was the first rock and roll instrumental hit and reached #2 on the American charts in 1957. It was recorded by Sam Phillips in his Memphis Recording Service studios and released on his Phillips record label. The record sold over a million copies and set the stage for future rock instrumental hits. The sax sound on this recording is nasty. Nasty but beautiful!
• Link Wray and his Wraymen, "Rumble": Link Wray is one of the icons of 50s instrumental rock and roll and "Rumble" is as evil as it gets. This is actually a very simplistic song and the guitar work is not all that complex, but it has tons of attitude and no one could dare complain! If there is one defining rock and roll instrumental, this might be it.
• Duane Eddy, "Rebel Rouser": Eddy is another of instrumental rock's crowed princes. "Rebel Rouser" is also another signature tune of the genre. Starting with Eddy's tremolo guitar sound seeped in reverb, this one is a precursor to the surf guitar sounds of the 60s. It then launches into another nasty-sounding sax solo and ends off on a key change. You didn't hear too many key changes in rockabilly music and this is one of the most famous!
• Joe Maphis and Larry Collins, "Hurricane": Larry Collins was the impish little-brother half of the Collins kids. Larry and Lorrie were literally just children when they started making hit records. While most of their songs featured Lorrie's vocals, it was often little Larry--a guitar wizard at the ripe old age of 10--who stole the show with his jumping-bean stage antics and blazing guitar work. Country star Joe Maphis--also an amazing guitarist--served as Larry's mentor and they often performed together with their signature double-necked guitars. Sometimes they both played one neck of the same guitar. "Hurricane" is about as wild as it gets and squeezes more notes into less than three minutes than just about any other song I can think of. These guys prove that "shredding" didn't start with Eddie Van Halen!
• Arthur Smith, "Guitar Boogie": For those who insist that rockabilly music started in 1954 with Elvis, I submit this gem from Arthur Smith. Recorded in 1948, this is pretty darned close to rockabilly if you ask me! This is a wonderful guitar-based song with the lead work done on an acoustic guitar instead of the twangy electric guitar featured in most rockabilly songs. If it isn't rockabilly, then it's certainly rockabilly's roots!

Those are just five instrumental tunes that prove that rockabilly wasn't just about the vocals. Rockabilly instrumentation and virtuosity often didn't get its rightful due, maybe because the music evoked such a happy-go-lucky, fun-loving vibe that people forgot to notice just how good those players really were. These rockabilly instrumentals, along with scores of others, give the instrumentalists a chance to show off!

Top Indian Host MOdel Actress Genelia D Souza Cool Pictures and Filmography-Biography

Genelia D Souza is a Indian Bollywood and Telugu film actress and Model. She was born on August 5 1983, in India. She is also a TV show host.


Filmography & Career
Film Career: Genelia started her career with Boys, a Tollywood (South Indian Film- Industry) venture. Her only prominent success in Bollywood was the multi-starrer Masti, but she has been winning great accolades for her work in Tollywood.
Debut Film: Boys-Tollywood, Tujhe Meri Kasam- Bollywood
Famous Movies: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008), Ready (2008), Mere Baap Pehle Aap (2007), Dhee (2007), Mr Medhavi (2007), Satya In Love (2007), Chennai Kadhal (2006), Bommarilu (2006), Subash Chandra Bose (2005), Raam (2005), Sye (2005) , Happy (2005), Masti (2004), Samba (2004), Na Alludu (2004), Sacchein (2004), Tujhe Meri Kasam (2003), Satyam (2003), Boys (2003)
Latest Movies: Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008)
Upcoming Movies: It's My Life, Life Partner
Film Awards: FNCC Best Actress Award For Dhee (2007), Santosham Best Actress Award for Bomarillu (2006), Nandi Special Jury Awards for Bommarillu (2006), Filmfare Best Actess Award (Telegu) for Bomarillu (2006)