The stuff that now passes as "music", particularly rock 'n roll, leaves me cold. So, to start off the week, here's a video of a classic rock artist.
As I mentioned last week, this is the second week (of three) of a classic rock music artist from 1971. This week spotlights Joy of Cooking. I remember the following songs (yes, two of them) as I was starting my senior year of high school. I mainly heard their music on Los Angeles progressive/underground rock station KPPC-FM (later KROQ-FM).
The songs are "Brownsville" and "A Thousand Miles" from their 1971 album, Closer To The Ground.
Joy of Cooking was an American music ensemble formed in 1967, in Berkeley, California. Identified with the hippie culture, the band's music melded rock & roll with folk, blues, and jazz. The band released three studio albums on Capitol Records in the early 1970s as well as a minor hit single in 1971, "Brownsville". Led by guitarist Terry Garthwaite and pianist Toni Brown, who shared lead vocals, Joy of Cooking was an unusual example of a rock band fronted by women.
Next week's 1971 Classic Rock Music Monday will spotlight a band from Canada. No, it's not Rush.
The stuff that now passes as "music", particularly rock 'n roll, leaves me cold. So, to start off the week, here's a video of a classic rock artist.
To start off the week, we have John Kongos with his 1971 hit, "He's Gonna Step On You Again". I first heard this in the summer of 1971 on Los Angeles progressive/underground rock station KPPC-FM (which later became KROQ-FM). At that time, it was just called "Step On", so I have to disagree with Wikipedia.
Speaking of 1971, most likely the next two weeks of Classic Rock Music Mondays will also have 1971 rock songs. One sort of led to the others in the ol' memory banks.
John Theodore Kongos (born 6 August 1945) is a South African-born singer and songwriter of Greek ancestry, best known for his 1971 Top 10 hit single "He's Gonna Step on You Again", on which Happy Mondays based their hit "Step On". His other big hit was "Tokoloshe Man", which was featured on the TV show Life on Mars and the CD soundtrack. His second album, Kongos, made the top 30 of the UK Albums Chart; but his subsequent singles, "Great White Lady" (1972), "Ride the Lightning" (1975) and "Higher than God's Hat" (1975) did not chart.
The stuff that now passes as "music", particularly rock 'n roll, leaves me cold. So, to start off the week, here's a video of a classic rock artist.
This week's spotlight is on the Doobie Brothers, who are still active. My preference of the Doobie Brothers are the pre-Michael McDonald years with Tom Johnston on lead vocals. I first heard them on the old FM progressive rock station KPPC (which later became KROQ) in Los Angeles in 1971. The song was "Feelin' Down Farther" from their first album, which I have on cassette. The song greatly influenced their 1972 hit, "Listen To The Music".
Above, the Doobies appeared at the Route 66 Hotel Casino a few years ago. Photo by Armand Vaquer.
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, the group's current lineup consists of founding members Tom Johnston (guitars, vocals) and Patrick Simmons (guitars, vocals), alongside Michael McDonald (keyboards, vocals) and John McFee (guitars, pedal steel, violin, backing vocals), and touring musicians including John Cowan (bass, vocals), Marc Russo (saxophones), Ed Toth (drums), and Marc Quiñones (percussion). Other long-serving members of the band include guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (1974–1979), bassist Tiran Porter (1972–1980, 1987–1992) and drummers John Hartman (1970–1979, 1987–1992), Michael Hossack (1971–1973, 1987–2012), and Keith Knudsen (1973–1982, 1993–2005). They performed gospel influenced songs such as "Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)" and "Jesus is Just Alright".[4]
Johnston provided the lead vocals for the band from 1970 to 1975, when they featured a mainstream rock sound with elements of folk, country and R&B. Michael McDonald joined the band in 1975 as a keyboard player and second lead vocalist, to give some relief to Johnston, who was suffering health problems at the time. McDonald's interest in soul music introduced a new sound to the band. Johnston and McDonald performed together as co-lead vocalists for one album, Takin' It to the Streets, before Johnston retired fully in 1977. Frequent lineup changes followed through the rest of the 1970s, and the band broke up in 1982 with Simmons being the only constant member having appeared on all of their albums. In 1987 the Doobie Brothers reformed with Johnston back in the fold; McDonald, who had previously made several guest appearances since their reformation, returned to the band full-time in 2019 for their 50th anniversary tour.
The following music video if of their 1975 hit, "Take Me In Your Arms", which reminds me of my final year at El Camino College.
