SDC Radio Networks Top 50 Artists for 2014 - Show #5 - (18 to 11)

SDC TOP 50 - SHOW 5 - 18 TO 11

JAD

JAD is a young, driven, creative writer that carries a message for the world. Through clever lyrics and cheeky melodies, he ignites a smile to which all people can relate.

He aims to further the awareness of individuality and the power of gratitude through music and visual art. He was born in South Carolina and currently lives in Memphis Tn, where he began a career in the fashion community as a runway show coordinator and model.

After further diving into the local artistic community, he found a deep love for music. Passionate about his development in art, combined with an unyielding appetite for the visual beauty of Memphis, he has developed a unique sound and a memorable performance personality.

To best describe, he resonates the theme of Comic Book meets Alternative Rock. Pulling inspiration from all forms of music and the aesthetic beauty of his hometown, he finds his place amongst the ever-changing current. " The Trend agenda makes it fun for me as a writer and performer.

The constant change keeps it fresh and progressive. It allows me become more enlightened of that before me, and that which is soon to follow." With his roots in Rock 'n Roll and Show tunes, he offers an animated sound that leaves a contagious, upbeat feeling with the listener.

Through visual creativity, direct writing, memorable music, and artistic modeling, he pioneers the local creative community forward with individuality, persistence, enthusiasm, dedication, and the power of gratitude. "I am a ninja on a mission for fulfillment. And I am grateful to be here." -JAD

Otis Gayle: Nothing Lasts Forever

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Otis Gayle began his musical career as a vocalist with Byron Lee And The Dragonaires. 

The singer performed with the group on the international circuit and in 1967 settled in Canada. While he continued to perform as part of the Dragonaires, Gayle also recorded a series of solo hits, notably a cover version of the Detroit Spinners “I’ll Be Around” for Coxsone Dodd at Studio One in Jamaica.

As a soloist, Gayle released a series of local hits and in 1983 he was awarded a Juno. The award has since been acknowledged as a particularly notable achievement as Gayle was one of the first black artists to be recognized by the prestigious panel of adjudicators. 

His hit, “Heaven Must Have Sent You”, was accredited as the Best Reggae Song at the awards, which resulted in the singer maintaining a high profile on the Canadian reggae circuit. Gayle continued to tour with the Dragonaires, where he performed a unique blend of soca and reggae primarily in North America. 

The singer has also supported artists such as, Barry White, Joe Tex and Jackie Mittoo. By the start of the millennium Gayle had built a solid reputation as a ‘big people’s singer’ with favoured tracks such as, “Follow Your Dreams”, “Give A Little More Love” and “He Is My Friend”. 

His legendary status as a music pioneer was finally acknowledged when in 2001 the revival label Soul Jazz released Studio One Soul, featuring Gayle’s interpretation of “I’ll Be Around”. He continues to write and perform internationally.  

Management Contact Reginald Beason - Link Up Re-cordz (647) 705-8490 reginaldbeason15@gmail.com http://www.otisgayle.comAdministration Contact Michael Cavano - Inity Arts & Music Inc. (647) 992-6480 makethingshappen@inity-arts-music.com http://www.inity-arts-music.com

Freddie Jackson CD title : Love & Satisfaction

Freddie Jackson
CD title :  Love & Satisfaction
Genre: R&B / Soul
Country:  USA

What does it take to be great? Have you ever thought of what goes into being recognized around the world for excelling in your work and accomplishing what most would consider impossible? What does it feel like to become immortalized by text, sound and picture? How much discipline does it take to stay relevant at your field of work for over 40 years? What does it say about a person’s character when their memory will live on long after they physically leave the earth?

 How do you become a LEGENDARY FIGURE? Many people will live their entire lives without even trying to fathom the answers. However, one man could write a book about seeing the world from a bird’s eye view, and that man is Freddie Jackson.

 After almost 4 decades in the music industry, Freddie Jackson is still upholding his buzz with fans and promoters around the world. Early on in his career, Freddie became the voice of the “Grown and Sexy” by singing some of the world’s most memorable music. Whether it was time to dance or time for romance, Freddie has earned the title as a one of R&B soul’s most valuable contributors, by performing his long resume of pure timeless music. 

In 1985, Freddie landed a record deal with Capitol Records. His debut album, Rock Me Tonight stormed the R&B charts, spending six weeks at number one, which instantly sky rocketed Freddie’s career as he became the new sensation on urban contemporary radio! His single, “You Are My Lady” gave Freddie a second straight R&B chart-topper, and also proved to be his highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100. 

With “He’ll Never Love You (Like I Do)” and “Love Is Just a Touch Away” also hitting the R&B Top Ten, Rock Me Tonight topped the R&B album chart and went platinum. Freddie went platinum again on his sophomore album, Just Like the First Time. His singles “Tasty Love,” “Have You Ever Loved Somebody,” and “Jam Tonight” all hit #1… and that’s just scratching the surface of his career. 

With millions of units being sold, packed arenas, and adoring fans everywhere he turned the corner, Freddie continued to make music and perform world-wide, maintaining his dominance on the R&B singles charts. Over the years, Freddie released albums with Capital Records, RCA Records, Entertainment One Music Label, Town Sound and Orpheus. 

In addition to his twelve studio albums he released six compilation, holiday and live albums. His career accumulated millions of diehard fans around the world, 11 #1 hits, 4 Grammy nominations, and he became the winner of the American Music Award, which all easily speaks for itself. However, when Freddie Jackson releases his next single “Love and Satisfaction” in August, 2014– he will once again be the talk of the town near you!

Jamie Sparks

Where it all began...

 

My brothers had a band and When I was around 9 years old, and I would listen to them practice. Sometimes they would let me in to the rehearsal space to see & hear, sometimes not. Probably because the conversation went from G rated to R. I don’t know, they were in their late teens or early 20's, I was a kid, I’m just guessing…

 

Anyway hearing that music and seeing them make those instruments come alive as they did was really quite remarkable. I felt like I had just uncovered the secret to the universe! One day after one of their rehearsals, the bass player left his axe at our house. I found it, picked it up & started plucking on the strings. Hearing the sound they made (even with no amp) was just so intriguing to me. I thought it was super cool to make music. He left it there for a couple of weeks I think, and I played with it the whole time; trying to play songs I knew, or making up new riffs in my head. I convinced my mother to buy me a bass and we found a used one for $50 and bought a little practice amp to go with it. That bass & amp were my new best friends. Nothing mattered more to me. I started playing in the church choir when I was about 12, with my brothers who played guitar & organ there as well. 

 

When I got to Jr. High in Grade 7, I wanted to play in the Jazz band. This was like “the big time”. They traveled the country playing concerts & festivals, but the instructor told me I had to know how to read music to join. I had a basic introduction to music in elementary playing the saxophone, but it was quite different for bass. Before this point, I didn’t even know you could write music for bass guitar. I figured everyone just played by ear…as I did, and written music was only for Clarinets, Saxophones, Violins, & things like that. Anyway, I went to the local music store, bought a book on how to learn to read music for bass guitar. I spent my summer break learning, and in the fall of grade 8, I went back to audition for the Jazz band, & got in! This opened up a whole new world to me…as if I just learned a new language. From there and all through my teens while my friends were going to clubs, parties, & meeting girls – I was never very good with girls - I started playing in other bands, Rock, African, Calypso, R&B and of course jazz. I also began writing songs. The early ones were terrible, but eventually they got better. 

 

I quickly fell in love with music, and I decided early that I only ever wanted to write, compose & produce. I didn’t really want to be a singer, I'm more of a "behind the scenes" kind of guy. However I realized that music with vocals got more attention, so I taught myself to sing, hoping it would lead to other people wanting me to write music for them. Apparently my singing was pretty good, and they just wanted to keep hearing me sing, so I wrote music for myself.

 

I just kept writing, singing & playing music, didn’t do much else…and that’s how it all started! 

 

So that's my word. read below for the official stuff  

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When you turn on a Jamie Sparks track, the music will immediately begin to release tension in the neck & shoulders. As if someone were giving you a luxurious massage, the mellow tones can smooth out any uptight or anxious feelings. The tempo, chords and melodies were specially crafted and purposely designed to make you relax, and feel good. 

 

Singer/Songwriter/Producer Jamie Sparks has been blazing trails within the industry for years.  Jamie is from Cherry Brook, Nova Scotia. Part of the historic "Preston Area Township" comprised of the black communities of North Preston, East Preston and Cherry Brook/Lake Loon.  The Preston Area is home to the largest Indigenous Black population in all of Canada.  The preston Area was settled well over 200 years ago by freed slaves (Black Loyalists) from parts of Africa such as Sierra Leone, Southern United States, and Jamaica.

 

Jamie has traveled throughout North America touring and recording.  Jamie has received the Montreal's Jazz Festival's Award of Excellence, the Professional Publishers and Songwriter Award, Winner of 8 East Coast Music Awards’s, 2 African Nova Scotian Music Awards and a Juno Nomination, as well as WBLK 93.7FM Unsigned Hype International Artist of the Year Nomination.

 

Jamie has shared the stage with music industry icons such as AKON, RIHANNA, SHAGGY, & 112

 

The album "Fun Tonight" with tracks recorded at P.Diddy's "Daddy's House" (Bad Boy) Recording Studios in NYC, has sold thousands of copies and yielded four music videos.   A number of albums & singles have been released since, all recieving great reviews from critics and fans alike.  His music has been heard on the Fox Network shows 24, CUTS on UPN, WILDCARD, DA KINK IN MY HAIR on Global and THE LIFE on ESPN.  

 

Jamie has been doing a lot of writing lately, and wrote music for the soundtrack to the new Spike Lee movie "You're Nobody Til Somebody Kills You".   On the business side of things, he is also President of Operations for Kicksta Music Group/Kicksta Muzik Publishing which he operates along side the sharp business skills of CEO Randy Powell.  Kicksta is home to a small roster of talented artists, songwriters and producers from around the world.  Kicksta also licenses its music to Film/TV productions, record labels, companies that provide music in stores, malls, and various other musical outlets.

 

If you're having a rough day, or something just ain't right...turn up the track, sit back and enjoy the musical journey! 

 

 

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  Profile:

singer, songwriter, producer, bassist and keyboardist.

           

      Awards: 

          2010 Independent Music Awards - R&B Artist of the Year

          2010 ECMA R&B/Soul Single Track Recording of the Year

          2009 WBLK Unsigned Hype International Artist of the Year nomination

          2008 East Coast Music Award (ECMA) for Urban Single Track and African Canadian ROTY

          2007 ECMA  for 'ALL I NEED" Urban single Recording of the year

          2007 ECMA  SCOTIA MIX VOL.1 African Canadian Recording of the Year

          2006 ECMA  “Gonna Get Down” Urban Single Recording of the Year

          2002 Juno Nomination Best R&B/Soul Recording 

          2000 East Coast Music Award for Urban Recording of the Year

          1999 ANSMA nomin. for R&B Artist of the Year     

          1999 East Coast Music Award nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year. 

          1998 African Nova Scotian Music Assoc. (ANSMA) award for Best New Artist 

          1998 East Coast Music Award for Best Dance/HipHop Artist of the Year. 

          1997 Regional winner in the 1997 SunFM Songwriter Contest.           

          1997 Professional Demo Award from Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Records

           1996 Professional Publishers and Songwriters Award (FACTOR) 

 

CD’s/Releases

         * Rhythm & Soul / Reggae Vibes - 2013

         * We're Gonna Make It (2012)

         * G1RLS (2011)

         * It's The Music - Reloaded (2008) Kicksta Music Group

         * It's The Music (2007) Kicksta Music Group

         * Scotia Mix Vol.1 (2006) Kicksta Music Group

         * Gonna Get Down (2005) single Kicksta

         * Jamie Sparks-Unforgettable (2000) re-released re-mixes as “Fun Tonight”

           recorded at Daddy’s House  Recording Studios

          (A Division of Bad Boy Entertainment Inc. New York, NY)  (2004)

         * single “Unforgettable” featured on EMI Music Urban compilation 44N/63W (2000)

         * Jamie Sparks: The Time (1998) 

         * Beat Factory "Groove Essentials" compilation CD,EMI (1997) 

         * seven song extended (EP) single titled: "Jamie Sparks: Git Wit U"       (1996) 

         * Wrote the theme song for the 1994 Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission     

     annual Conference. 

         * Appeared on the 1994 FACTOR New Artist Compilation CD. 

         * Won the Award of Excellence at the 1991 Jazz Music Festival held at McGill          

           University in Montreal for the song “Making Me Feel”

 

Songs placed in TV

     - You're Nobody Til Somebody Kills You - Exec. Producer: Spike Lee(Black Noise Media/Lionsgate-2012)

     - Green Heroes (2011)

     - “Da Kink In My Hair” Barna-Alper / Global TV Network (2007, '08,'09)

     - “Cuts” on UPN/CBS (2006)

     - “G-Spot: The Series” The Movie Network 2005 

     - Fox Networks programs such as “American Embassy, 24” (2002)

     - “wildcard” on Lifetime Network (2003-2004)

     - The Life on ESPN

     - Halleujah on CBC

     - Breakfast Television on CTV

     - Pause TV on The WB;  Midnight Love on BET

 

 

      Performance Highlights: 

         * JUL 2007 - Opened for Rihanna/Justin Bieber - Summer Rush 103.5FM The Beat

         * SEP 2008 - "Mahalia" Vision TV

          * JUL 2008 - Jubilee Music Festival

          * JUN 2007 - Good Morning Canada

          * APR 2007 - Dominican Republic - Evening Dance

          * APR 2002 - Opened for Shaggy (MCA/Universal)          

          * JAN 2007 - St. Francis Xavier University          

          * APR 2006 - Halifax Civic Centre (Juno’s Weekend)          

          * DEC 2005 - Pipers Pub New Years Eve (Antigonish, NS)       

          * FEB 2003 - 42 St. Theatre Row Studios (New York City)         

          * MAY 1998 - Opened for “112” (Bad Boy/Arista Records),         

          * OCT 2002 - Soul Cafe (42nd St. New York City)          

          * NOV 2002 - Ave C Cafe, Cats Cafe (New York City)          

          * DEC 2002 - The Village Underground (New York City)          

          * JAN 2003 -  The Baggot In (New York City)          

          * JAN 2000 -  Philadelphia Music Conference  (Adams Mark Hotel)          

          * DEC 2000 - Pause TV on The WB (New York City)          

          * JUL 2000 -  Dartmouth’s 250 Birthday (crowd of 25,000)         

          * JUN 2000 - ITT Sheraton Casino          

          * MAR 2002 - Private party at Tatamagouche Golf Course with guests Lennie Gallant, Mike Cowie, 

           Matt Minglewood          

          * AUG 2000 - Sable Gas Project wrap party @ World Trade       

           Centre with Bruce Guthro, 

          * APR 2000 - Matt Minglewood, John Gracie, Liz Rigney,          

          * FEB 1999 - East Coast Music Awards National Telecast          

          * JAN 1999 - DaMix(Much Music, Canada/U.S. music TV Network)        

          * JAN 1999 - Open Mike w/Mike Bullard (Talk Show aired Can/U.S. 

           on CTV & Comedy Network          

          * JUL 1999 - Canada Day Celebrations in Dartmouth          

           * DEC 1998 - World Trade & Convention Centre (New Year’s Eve)          

           * JUL 1998 - Grand Opening of the New MusicWorld Store,          

           * MAR 1998 - Nat’l anthem & half-time show CIAU basketball finals (TSN),   

           * FEB 1998 - Nationally televised 1998 East Coast Music Awards Show    

           * MAR 1998 - Canadian Music Week showcases at the Bamboo and 

           Government Club Toronto, ON,          

           * JAN 1998 - UMOJA Talk Show          

           * MAY 1997 - Guest soloist on CBC/Salter Street Television

           gospel production“Halleluah!”          

           * FEB 1995 - Annual tribute concert in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.   

 

Videos: 

          * Shot 4 videos for the album “Fun Tonight” (Unforgettable, Be Right There     

     Tender Love, Fun Tonight shot in Toronto & Vancouver 2000, 2001, 2002) in    

      rotation on Much Vibe, Much More Music, BET, MTV Canada.

 

 

Memberships/Business: 

   - National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS)

     - President of Operations – Kicksta Music Group & Kicksta Muzik Publishing

     - Owner of Smash Track Recording Studios

     - Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) 

     - Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI - U.S. Affiliate)

     - Music Nova Scotia (MIANS) 

     - East Coast Music Association (ECMA) 

     - Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA)          

 

 

 

 

Bill Belknap

Bill Belknap:

Drummer, performer, recording engineer, producer, composer, song writer, singer, sound design specialist, studio owner (Long Branch Studios, Loudoun Road Studio).

Magic Pocket comprises years of experience in Bill’s first solo record.

In the vibrant music scene of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Bill is well known for his recording skills and perfectionist attitude.  Inspired by working with Stewart Copeland, Jamie Oldaker, Steve Ripley, Leon Russell, Barton & Sweeney, Rick Morton, Roy Clark, Chris Campbell, Steve Pryor, Michael Martin Murphy, Gus Hardin, Ronnie Dunn, The Red Dirt Rangers, Ron Flynt, Steve Allen, Rick Peale and Scott Ellison, Bill steps out from behind the drum set and recording console to create his own personal brand of pop/rock music drenched in musical and lyrical hooks.

Bill engineered and helped produce Stewart Copeland’s first film score Rumblefish.

Drummer, performer, engineer, producer, song writer for Andy Gravity, Dave Barber and Eskimo Joe’s Rhythm and Blues Review (aka Stan Clark).

Starting in the mid ‘90’s, for a decade, Bill toured and drummed for the power pop band 20/20.  Ron Flynt , Steve Allen and Bill co-wrote and produced two critically acclaimed albums; 4 Day Tornado and 20/20 Interstate, released by Oglio Records.

None of this matters.  We are just trying to trick you into listening to Magic Pocket.  Each song has it’s own personality.  Not tied to a “band” sound, different performers create a variety of listening experiences, from song to song.  It is a studio creation.  Like Will Rogers said about Oklahoma, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute.”    

Sammy Hakim

Sammy Hakim

Sammy Hakim is a 17 year-old from Vienna who first showed musical promise at a young age. She writes her own music, in addition to singing and playing the guitar, piano, ukulele and violin. Sammy graduated a year early from high school to follow her musical dream. She released her first EP, "Locked You Out," in October, 2011, and is currently recording her several singles. As with Locked You Out, the new singles will contain all original material. Her song Fearless was released May 2012, This Christmas Love Me, November 2012. Her single “Mark Me” was released September 2012 and was #5 NMW Top 40 and #1 Indie Top 40. Sammy new singe, “Get a Little Closer was released on September 2013 and is currently getting spins everywhere. Sammy has been taking classes at Berklee College of Music. For more information, visit her website, www.sammyhakim.com or prhakim@verizon.net

Kathy Manu

"Close By Me" has been released by Kelly Manu, this album is just what the title states, it's all about being close together, to never leave one another.

As a Gopel singer songwriter Kelly has a couple of crossover tunes on this release, like "Bud A Da" which will make you want to move. 

Kelly is a Country singer with great stories and messages in her songs.

I''m sure you'll appreciate and enjoy what she has to offer. 

kdtn radio one music add-ons for january 2014

kdtn radio jan 2014 music add-ons

Merrell Fankhauser featured in Gonzo Magazine article

COVER STORY: Merrell Fankhauser remembers Captain Beefheart and more

The other week I was interviewing the ever fascinating Merrell Fankhauser about his forthcoming archive project, when our conversation wandered off onto more arcane subjects...

Merrell: Yeah, the thing is, you know, the Captain, Don [van] Vliet, he’s passed away now, and the bass player from MU that was also in the Exiles - Larry Willey - he’s passed away so a lot of these guys aren’t even around anymore and I know they would just get the biggest kick out of hearing this stuff that we all just forgot about. I’d write three or four songs a week back then in the early sixties so we were recording them just one after another, you know, so I totally forgot about them. If I didn’t recognise my voice, you know, I wouldn’t even know that I’d written the song!

Jon: Do you have any of them that actually have got the Captain on?

Merrell: No. He and I jammed a lot together and we jammed in his house and jammed in Woodland Hills. See, the Exiles was formed before he formed Captain Beefheart. Frank Zappa and he went to high school together in Lancaster and then Frank moved down south, down to – ooh gosh, I can’t remember the name – it was southern California. And they still, you know, communicated and he helped him produce that Trout Mask Replica album and that was the last time I saw Frank, when we were all living in Woodland Hills and they recorded some of that in his house. Don Vliet would drive over and sit in his Jaguar outside of my garage and listen to the different musicians I had playing in the band as we were rehearsing and he’d have these guys go over and say “Who’s playing that guitar?” “Is Merrell singing on this?”

[Jon laughs]

Merrell: So he would go try to recruit my musicians and he got John French first and then much later on he got Jeff Cotton. And then I don’t know if you read the story that Nigel Cross wrote – it was in Bucketfull of Brains and some other UK fanzine thing – about how when we formed MU and we were living one canyon over in Woodland Hills and Jeff left the band and they were all very angry about it and they kidnapped him one day and held him in the Beefheart house, and I had to go over there and have like a four-and-a-half-hour battle of the brains with Don to get Jeff back and take him back home with me.

[Jon laughs]

Merrell: And it was really a strange scene, Jon. This has all been written about. I think it’s in the book too, you know. You’d go over there and Don and I were friends and we’d jam and stuff together. And some of it got recorded, to answer your question, on little tape recorders and stuff but who knows where any of that went? But I’d go over there once in a while to visit them – and this was before Jeff joined me – and John French would have a splint on his finger – a broken finger. And then the bass player, Mark Boston, would walk out and he had a bloody lip. [laughs] So the Captain would decide who’s fucking up the band and he’d have the rest of the members go beat that guy up!

[Jon laughs]

Merrell: Yeah.

Jon: Jesus!

Merrell: Yeah, and he painted the whole living room red because he said “That’s the only way I can keep these guys awake and alert, Merrell.” And so you never knew who was gonna be the bad guy. And what happened at one point, Jeff Cotton turned out to be the bad guy – this was when he left the band – and they beat him up so bad they broke a couple of ribs, and he had to go to the hospital so his parents got him and took him back up to Lancaster, and he was up there for a while recuperating. And Jeff wanted to join me and his parents were afraid to let him go back down there because they were afraid the Beefheart guys would get him. And so everything was fine, you know, for about five or six months and then they found him down at a music store. He had walked down the street from my house, and it was Bill Harkleroad and Mark Boston and John French, and they kidnapped him – literally grabbed him off the street and took him up to Beefheart’s house. And I found out where he went from the music store owner so I went up there to retrieve him, and the poor guy was slumped in this bathroom, in the bath tub, whimpering and crying. Don would have a way of psychoanalysing people, you know, and really make them feel worthless and at one point Jeff was saying “Don’s right, Merrell: I gotta re-join his band.” And it took me a while to talk this out. I was in very good shape back then, Jon, and I’d been used to fighting [laughs] Mexicans in high school and those guys knew they couldn’t mess with me, you know, so I just grabbed Jeff and took him out of there. It reminded me of a book, The Devil and Daniel Webster, and several of the guys in the band, if you’ve read any of those books, they still harbour ill feelings against Don Vliet, you know. And a lot of them believed he was the devil. [Laughs] And Jeff Cotton still believes that Don was the devil.

Jon: Good God.

Merrell: And the girlfriend – I know I’m rambling on – the girlfriend –

Jon: Carry on rambling; I’m enjoying this immensely.

Merrell: The girlfriend, Lori – she would dose them with LSD in their hamburgers at night and so they would start coming onto this drug and not known that they’d been dosed, and they thought it was Don’s power; that he had some power, that he was doing this to them. And then he had Zappa put all of this portable recording equipment in the house and he had his cousin Victor, who ran it, and when these guys would get all high he would go “OK, tonight we’re going to play a strawberry,” and so you were supposed to imagine whatever a strawberry would sound like. [Laughs] And they’d all start playing and he’d say “it goes like this,” and he’d play these abstract notes on the piano. I’d been there when he was doing that. And he’d try to get the guitar players to play this melody that he was making up. That’s how some of that stuff was recorded: they were high on acid and they didn’t even know it.

Jon: Good Lord!

Merrell: [Laughs] It was sick. A lot of people said it reminded them of the Charles Manson deal but at least nobody was getting killed! [Laughs] People were getting beat up and severely psychologically damaged. And I think it still damaged Jeff because he won’t play music anymore. After MU moved to Maui he met this beautiful Hawaiian/Chinese girl who was a Christian, he then all of a sudden believed that the music, and the music business in particular, was the devil’s work.

Jon: Good God!

Merrell: Yeah. It’s a shame because he’s a talented guy and you know, he was my guitar student at age fourteen when I met him.

Jon: It’s interesting you said that people – ‘cause I thought that what you were saying about the way that Don did this sort of psychic mind control of his –

Merrell: Yeah.

Jon: I was thinking that sounded very Charles Manson.

Merrell: Yeah. Very much so.

Jon: And of course they were both in the desert at roughly the same sort of time, weren’t they?

Merrell: Well, let’s see. No, Manson went up in the desert later. The odd thing about that, if you read my book, when we formed MU Randy had a house on the outskirts of Los Angeles that went into this like deserty area, where there was this Spahn movie ranch, where the Mason gang was living and you can see this ranch, Jon. It’s in old late-1940s and early-fifties movies. A cowboy’ll ride by this rock with some Indians chasing him and that’s right on the outskirts of L.A. Well, Randy ran into two of the Mason girls once when he was hiking in this stream, and that’s in my book. Manson then fled out to the desert when he did those murders so that was later that Manson lived in the desert but yeah, they did both end up out in the desert. Don Vliet later moved way up to northern California and bought an old boy-scout camp, and that’s where he tried to keep the band going and then he ended up getting M.S. and died. He was a creative guy but he was just, I would say, the ultimate control freak. He could definitely captivate an audience just by talking and he had this scary air about him that reminded me of Lon Chaney Jr that played the wolf man in the werewolf movie.

Jon: Oh, yeah, I know him.

Merrell: In a way. People were – they were afraid of him. I could see how they would be afraid of him. When I had this battle of the brains with him, with Jeff Cotton stuck in the bath tub, he had a screen cage and he would catch these various spiders in the house, and sometimes a black widow and he would put them in this cage and watch them fight. And one time he said to me, Jon, when we were talking and he goes “Isnt’ that heavy? What would you think if I could make one of those spiders smoke a cigarette?” I said, “Well, that’d be a good trick, Don.” But, yeah, he was really something. He could’ve been a great actor, I think. He really had that way of commanding an audience.

Jon: I so wish that the tape recordings of you two jamming hadn’t got lost.

Merrell: Yeah. You know there was just so much bizarre stuff going on and bizarre behaviour. I am playing bottleneck slide on ‘China Pig’,– if it’s the same take ?– I think they gave the credit to Doug Moon on that because they didn’t know who had played that. But I listened to all of those recordings to see if I was on anything and several people thought it was me playing slide on this song called ‘China pig.’

Jon: Oh, that’s fantastic.

Merrell: Yeah. I’m on a few Spirit songs too that Mick Skidmore had something to do with putting out and they didn’t give me credit for playing on that either. I played slide and bass and acoustic twelve-string on a couple of songs that were on that. I think Evangeline label; California Blues; one of the last  Spirit albums that came out.

Jon: Good Lord.

Merrell: Yeah.

Jon: I’ll tell you one thing that surprised me as well, when you were just talking about Manson, I didn’t realise that Spahn ranch was right on the outskirts of Los Angeles; I’d always assumed it was right back, deep in the desert somewhere.
Merrell: No, it wasn’t, Jon. It was out, actually just past Woodland Hills in Chatsworth. Woodland Hills is where I lived and I’d moved there with HMS Bounty, and Beefheart had moved down from the desert and he lived just one canyon over. And we bumped into each other at the music store, and he’d say “Oh, come on up and jam,” and he’d come over to my house and jam once in a while. Chatsworth was going just sort of towards the desert foothills and it was just out of the San Fernando Valley, actually. They used those areas a lot for cowboy movies and stuff because it looked very rugged. There was a lot of interesting rock formations, things like that.

Jon: Oh, that changes my whole sort of mental picture.

Merrell: Yeah.

Jon: Because I’d assumed it was miles away.

Merrell: No, he ran off to the desert after he had murdered all those people and he was afraid that they were gonna find him there. Dennis Wilson, the drummer of the Beach Boys, met him, and went up there and hung out with him, and was even trying to help record some of Charles Manson’s songs. They weren’t very good but somehow he got interested in them.

Jon: I’m glad you’Jon
I corrected a few wrong words and repeats in a few sections, it flows nicely now. If you copy and paste it as Ive corrected it then you can use it.
Let me know when its online? Please let me know you've been getting all the photos Ive been sending for the book ? There are more coming.
Best Always,
Merrell say that because I’ve heard them and I didn’t think they were any good either.

Merrell: Yeah.

Jon: But you know, I don’t know what it was about them that people – ‘cause Neil Young thought he was a very good song writer but I always thought they were terrible.

Merrell: Yeah, yeah. Most of the people I knew too didn’t think they were very good. I mean, I think Dennis Wilson is probably lucky he didn’t get murdered because Charles Manson got mad and upset because he couldn’t get a record deal.

Jon: Golly!

Merrell: Yeah!

Jon: Was he a sort of fixture on the outskirts of the music scene, then?

Merrell: Well, I guess he was trying to break in any way he could and Terry Melcher, I know, had met him and he was trying to get Terry Melcher to get him a deal, and when he couldn’t do that, and Terry Melcher and lived in that house where he had –

Jon: Cielo drive

Merrell: Yeah, and so I think he thought he was getting back at Terry Melcher when he killed all of those people and Sharon Tate.

Jon: Wow.

Merrell: Yeah. Yeah, that was a very strange time and the odd thing was we were watching TV, Randy Weimer the drummer from MU, and I, and they announced this thing: that they’d zeroed in on these people from Spahn Ranch, that they thought had something to do with the murders, and they mentioned Charles Manson because he was on probation or something, and Randy went “Oh, my God! Those two girls I met up the creek when I was hiking were two of Charles Manson’s girls!” And he just realised that and figured it out when we got this news over the television.

PBS to Air Ken Burns’ Country Music Doc, New ‘Earth’ Series, ‘Halifax’ Season 2

TCA 2014: Network also announces programming tied to 70th anniversary of D-Day

PBS plans a country music documentary from Ken Burns, a five-part documentary called “Earth: A New Wild,” and a second season of “Last Tango in Halifax,” the network announced Monday.

The network also announced programs to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day, including its 25th live broadcast of the “National Memorial Day Concert,” co-hosted by Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise.

“County Music” will air in 2018, PBS said at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. The film will be directed and produced by Burns and written and produced by his longtime creative partner, Dayton Duncan.

More to come…