By James Calemine Isaac Hayes proves a pivotal figure in Memphis music. Hayes, a multi-instrumentalist, played sax with The Mar-Keys and began his recording career with STAX. On several instances Hayes played keyboards on Otis Redding sessions that led to Hayes...
By James Calemine Born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, in 1937, Lee Gates moved to Milwaukee as a teenager where he’s been playing juke joints for over fifty years. Blues legend Albert Collins is his first cousin. After several rotations of this CD, it’s evident Gates’...
By James Calemine Charles “Packy” Axton–to some extent–was an unsung hero on the Memphis music scene during the late 50s, 60s and early 70s. Axton’s mother, Estelle, founded Stax Records with her brother Jim Stewart. Packy started a band called the Royal Spades that...
By James Calemine “He was the most vulgar and outrageous rockabilly character I’ve ever met in my life.” –Levon Helm Ronnie Hawkins’ vital Roulette Sessions from 1959-1963 comprises two CDs, Mojo Man and Arkansas Rockpile, which feature various vintage recordings with...
By James Calemine This month the documentary--Show Me The Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall--will be showing in selected locations. Rolling Stone named the documentary one of the top 25 films at SXSW 2019. Born on February 3, 1936, in Chicago, IL., Marshall stands as...
By James Calemine This 21 song anthology contains Albany, Georgia, native Ray Charles’ most influential recordings for Atlantic, ABC-Paramount and the Tangerine labels after 1960. Ten of these tracks made it to #1 on the R&B charts and three #1 songs on the pop...
By James Calemine Born in Gainesville, Florida, Tom Petty became one of America’s most well-known songwriters in the last 30 years. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers represent one of America’s finest bands, and Runnin' Down A Dream provides a very strong argument for...
By James Calemine Tom Petty wrote in the foreword of this book about writer Paul Zollo: “We met many times in 2004 to 2005 for talks that came to necessitate my re-listening to thirty-odd years of music as Paul would show up knowledgeable to the point of having...
By James Calemine The quiet droning sound of Frank Edwards’ Chicken Raid resembles a blues mantra from a man who dedicated his 90-year old life to music. Edwards actively played the blues for nearly 80 years, from 1923 until 2002. Frank Edwards ranks as one of...
By James Calemine Dex Romweber and his sister Sara were in the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, surf-rockabilly-psychedelic band Flat Duo Jets. They moved to Athens, Georgia, for a while. Memphis luminary Jim Dickinson produced their second album, Go Go Harlem Baby, an...