Music Diary – 23rd January

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 23rd January!

Bruce Springsteen & Danny Federici (23rd January 1950 – 17th April 2008)

 Happy birthday to Daniel Paul „Danny“ Federici, who was born on the 23rd January 1950 in Flemington, New Jersey (USA)! Danny was the long time organ, glockenspiel and accordion player for Bruce Springsteen.

At the age of seven, Danny started to play accordion. Beside a classical education, he also began to study Jazz and Blues. During his high school time at Hunterdon Central High School, he started a band called „Child“ with his friend Vini Lopez – and the singer became a guy named Bruce Springsteen! Federici and also Lopez later joined Bruce’s group Steel Mill, which became later Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. And Danny worked with „The Boss“ over 40 years.

In the nineties, when the E Street Band was – more or less – inactive, Danny played with a Country/Americana band called Diamondback and they recorded the album „Ragin Wind“. Danny Federici also recorded four solo LPs. Best known is his release „Flemington“ (1997), which features also bassist Garry Tallent and guitarist Nils Lofgren from the E Street Band. Beside this, Federeici also worked with other artists like Joan Armatrading, Graham Parker, Gary U.S. Bonds and Garland Jeffreys.

On 21st November 2007, it was officially announced, that Danny Federici would take a break from the E Street Band to pursue treatment for melanoma. Sadly, Danny returned only one time on stage again – on 20th March 2008 in Indianapolis. One month later, on the 17th April 2008 and after three years suffering with melanoma, Danny Federici died at the age of 58 years.

 

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Music Diary – 11th January

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 11th January!

Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen

Happy birthdy to Mr. Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr., better nown as „The Big Man“ and more better known as the tenor saxophone player of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band from 1972 until his passing in 2011. Clarence was born on the 11th January 1942 in Norfolk County, Virginia (USA).

At the age of nine, his father gave him an alto saxophone as a Christmas present and Clarence received music lessons. Over the years he switched to the baritone and finally to the tenor saxophone. In his youth, Clemons was an excellent football player and due to a serious car accident, his plans becoming a pro were annihilated. His first recording sessions took place in 1960 and one year later he joined his first band called „The Vibratones“ (until 1965). In the meantime Clarence Clemons has moved to Newark, New Jersey, where he also worked as a counselor for emotionally disturbed children at the Jamesburg Training School (from 1962 – 1970).

In September 1971, Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen met the very first time. Listen and watch, what Clarence is talking about this historic meeting:

Bruce Springsteen started in July 1972 to record his debut ebut album „Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.„. During recording breaks he also jammed with Clemons at some occasions and after that, he decided to use a tenor saxophone on the songs  „Blinded by the Light“ and „Spirit in the Night„. This was the start of a long cooperation and a deep friendship which holded on until Clemons‘ passing in 2011.

Clemons‘ final recordings are featured on the Springsteen album „Wrecking Ball„, which was released in 2012. On the 12th June 2011, Carence suffered a stroke and only six days later, on the 18th June, he died of complication from it at the age of 69 years.

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Music Diary – 18th December

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 18th December!

Keith Richards & Bobby Keys (THE ROLLING STONES)

This day is a very special one, because two great musicians have their birthdays on the same day. Well, I mean EXACTLY on the same day! And – both are Rolling Stones: Mr. Keith Richards and Robert Henry „Bobby“ Keys were born on the 18th December 1943! Or as it Keith pointed it out in his book „Life„: „We were born approximately at the same time, certainly in different cities: He in Lubbock (Texas, USA), me in Dartford (Kent, UK). My best friend Bobby Keys.“

More about this fact (from the offical tourbook „Voodoo Lounge – World Tour1994/1995″):

„Born on the same day, month and year as Keith Richards, Texas Saxman Bobby Keys was made to play with the Stones. He made his debut – and introduced horns on the Stones sound – on the song ‚Live with me‚ off 1969’s ‚Let it Bleed‚ album. But it’s his distinctive blend with Keith’s guitar on ‚Brown Sugar‚ riff two years later that really made him indispensable, although Keys calls it a one-take special. He says, he first met the band long before he began recording and touring with them. ‚I met the Stones when I played with Bobby Vee back in 1963′, he says. ‚It was their first trip to the USA. I met them in San Antonio, Texas, at the ‚Dick Clarke Teenage World Fair‘.“

Bobby Keys passed away on the 2nd December 2014. Keith has twittered this note on that very sad day:

(c) Twitter (Keith Richards)

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Music Diary – 10th December

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 10th December!

Otis Redding (9th September 1941 – 10th December 1967)

On the 10th December 1967 the American soul singer Otis Redding was killed in a plane crash. The airplane (carrying the musician and his whole band) crashed at 3.28 pm into the Lake Monomo near Madison, Wisconsin. Beside Redding (born on 9th September 1941) the members of the Band „The Bar-Kays“ – Jimmy King (guitar), Ronnie Caldwell (organ), Phalon Jones (saxophone) and Carl Cunningham (drums) – died also. The only survivor was trumpet player Ben Cauley. Redding and his band were booked that day for a show at the Factory nightclub, which was located next to the University of Wisconsin. This tragedy happened just three days after Otis Redding recorded „(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay”. This song should become Redding’s biggest hit.

 

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Music Diary – 23rd September

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 23rd September!

Bruce „The Boss“ Springsteen (born 23rd September 1949)

Today in the year 1949 Mr. Bruce  Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. Later nicknamed as „The Boss“, Springsteen started his musical career in the late sixties with the band Earth. After that, Bruce Springsteen was from 1969 until 1971 member of Steel Mill. In this group were also Danny Federici, Vini Lopez, Vinnie Roslin and  Steve Van Zandt – all these people became later musicians of Springsteen’s The E Street Band.

In 1972 Bruce Springsteen signed with Columbia Records and his debut album „Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.“ was released in January 1973. A few months later, the follow up „The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle“ hit the stores in September.

His first breakthrough marked his third LP, called „Born to Run“ (1975), which reached No. 3 on the US charts. Especially the title track became a classic in the Springsteen discography. With the following albums „Darkness on the Edge of Town“ (1978), „The River“ (1980) and „Nebraska“ (1982) the fanbase get bigger and with the legendary record „Born in the U.S.A.“ (1984) Bruce Springsteen topped almost worldwide the album charts. From the twelve songs seven were released as singles and almost all of them went Top Ten all over the world.

Over the last decades Bruce Springsteen released more outstanding albums like „The Ghost of Tom Joad“ (1995), „The Rising“ (2002) and „Devils & Dust“ (2005). Remarkable for „The Boss“ is his open minded musical attitutude: So his last release „High Hopes“ (2014) features Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave) on eight tracks.

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Music Diary – 9th September

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 9th September!

Otis Redding (9th September 1941 – 10th December 1967)

On the 9th September 1941 Mr. Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was born in Dawson, Georgia. He was one of the most outstanding Soul singers in music history. At the age of 15 he left school and started supporting Little Richard‘s backing band „The Upsetters“. Then he joined Johnny Jenkins‚ group „The Pinetoppers“. In 1962 he recorded his first single „These Arms of mine“ for Stax records. Otis Redding’s debut album „Pain in my Heart“ was released two years later. In 1967 he performed at the legendary Monterey Pop Fesival and shortly after that he recorded with Steve Cropper from Booker T. & The M.G.’s „(Sittin‘ on) The Dock of the Bay“ . The final recordings of this song were done on the 8th December 1967.

Two days later, on the 10th December 1967, Otis Redding was killed in a plane crash. His very last recording „(Sittin‘ on) The Dock of the Bay“ became the first posthumous number-one record on the Billboard charts. The afterwards released album of the same name reached the first place in the UK charts.

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Music Diary – 15th March

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 15th March!

Bruce Springstten with Clarence Clemons (left) and Steven Van Zandt (right)

On the 15th March 1999, Bruce Springsteen was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bono!

Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band performed at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame a short set featuring the following songs:

Promised Land
Backstreets
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
In the Midnight Hour (feat. Wilson Pickett)

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