Hi all, Here is a video by Sadie Roach and Michael Roach, featuring Sadie on vocals and piano with her composition, "A Vote For Me". The song is featured on the new Michael Roach CD "Tryin' Times", which also features Sadie on several tracks. Sadie has been a student at the Guild Hall School of Music in London, in the Jazz program, and Michael is justifiably proud of her. The video features a couple of Weenies from other parts of the U.K. and Europe, too. Here is the song:
As some of you may already be aware of, our friend Mike Brosnan pulled up his Portland stakes and moved to the East Coast to play Italian guitar duets with our other friend, Frankie Basile.
I'll post one of their wonderful recent creations, there are others at the Frankie12string YouTube user/subscriber page.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone else had posted some of Albanie Falletta's music on here previously. But she is a fairly new name to me and this little solo set of jazzy blues she performed for Acoustic Guitar magazine, just her and her resonator, is wonderful:
The Arhoolie Foundation has this video documentary of the New Lost City Ramblers up on their YouTube channel at the moment, as well as some other interesting stuff:
That is amazing, you can see how they could get away with being sisters. They kind of destroy the myth/magic of "sibling harmony"... that is really tight!
I'm glad you enjoyed that, Slack. I remember the first time my friend Laurel Bliss played that track for me, it blew my mind. They sing together and sound like like a vocal pedal steel guitar. Their story is kind of tragic. Not long after the recording was made, they were in a serious auto accident and Betty, the one playing guitar in the picture was killed. The other singer went on to become known as Skeeter Davis, who had a hit with another song that I really love--"The End of the World".
Wow, it's been a long long time since I've heard "The End of the World". A big hit. What a tragedy about Betty - pre seat belt days...
And kind of a career tragedy to have a recording name (surely that is not her real name! Just looked it up: born Mary Frances Penick) Skeeter Davis?? Sounds "country" but what were they thinking?
Yes, I am a big fan of the Davis Sisters and Skeeter. The duo featuring Skeeter and Betty Jack sang on only a few Davis Sisters recordings. The rest of them feature Skeeter with Betty Jack's sister Georgia and aren't as good. Chet Atkins was their producer and musical arranger. When the Davis sisters act broke up Skeeter went solo and would double track her own voice on her recordings to create harmony. Chet Atkins remained her producer and led her in a more cross-over countrypolitan musical direction. The End Of The World was supposedly written by a young girl about the death of her Father. The lyrics obviously touched Skeeter as she could relate them to the death of her singing partner Betty Jack and thus was born her biggest hit song which was popular on both the country and pop charts.
Thanks for the posts, John. I'm old enough to remember when "The End Of The World" was a hit on the radio. As for the nickname "Skeeter," I grew up and went to school with a girl who had "Skeeter" as her nickname (in NJ). I don't know where she got it, but I remember her being called that when we would be out on the playground when we were in grammar school in the mid-late 50s. So I guess it was in popular circulation at the time.
Thanks for posting the additional info, Lightnin'.
Several years ago I picked up her biography Bus Fare to Kentucky. It might have been an autobiography. I remember it being great. Definitely worth a read...My recollection is that I was blown away by the first 3/4 or so and not so much by the end of it. Tom