CFRG would like to take this time to spotlight two of our oldest friends in the Music world. Bobby Bridger and Vince Bell. Both are renowned and well known musicians from Texas with very powerful tales to tell. CFRG highly recommends you visit these two incredible artists at their websites by clicking on the pictures. You will find two compelling stories and songs that will not disappoint you. We hope you get to know them as well as we have over the years.
Bobby Bridger
Bridger
An Autobiography
By Bobby Bridger
Renowned for A Ballad of the West, his epic trilogy about the American West from the era of mountain man Jim Bridger to the closing of the frontier, Bobby Bridger has had a career in show business that spans the rockabilly-to-”Music City, USA” era in Nashville, the cosmic cowboy scene in Austin, the flowering of folk music, and even Broadway theater. His multifaceted talents have found expression in singing, acting, writing, painting, and sculpting. In this engrossing account of the personal and artistic journey that led him to create a new American art form, the epic ballad, Bridger touches on almost every major musical, entertainment, and cultural movement of the second half of the twentieth century, with a cast of characters that reads like a “Who’s Who” of American popular culture.
Bridger’s story begins in a small town in northeast Louisiana, where he first experienced the twin attractions of painting and music. He recounts his early efforts to become a successful Nashville singer-songwriter and his growing awareness that the commercial music business would never support his evolving desire to become a historical balladeer. Bridger recalls how his interest in folk music and folk ballads fired his ambition to tell the story of the American West. He movingly describes how this dream eventually became A Ballad of the West, an epic trilogy about Jim Bridger, the Lakota Sioux, and Buffalo Bill that has taken form in an acclaimed cycle of songs, a one-man show, books, full-cast stage performances, and other media.
Included in the book is a DVD that offers songs from A Ballad of the West and a sample from the forthcoming documentary Quest of an Epic Balladeer, based on Bobby Bridger’s life and work.
In addition to his masterwork A Ballad of the West, which he performs in repertory across America, Bobby Bridger is the composer of “Heal in the Wisdom,” the anthem of the internationally famous Kerrville Folk Festival, and author of Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull: Inventing the Wild West.
Vince Bell
The Life and Times of
Texas Songwriter Vince Bell
The University of North Texas Press has announced the publication of “One Man’s Music: The Life and Times of Texas Songwriter Vince Bell.” The book, a revised and greatly expanded edition of Bell’s acclaimed 1998 autobiography, is the latest in UNTP’s North Texas Lives of Musicians Series (previous volumes have been biographies of Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley).
In 1982, the promising singer/songwriter Vince Bell was broadsided by a drunk driver after he left the studio where he and Stevie Ray Vaughan had just recorded three of Bell’s songs. Bell spent a month in a coma and the next six years re-learning how to walk, talk, and play the guitar. Not only was his debut album waylaid for a dozen years, but his life would never be the same.
From the early Houston music scene and his first guitar, through 35 years and several recordings and tours later, the new book not only details his recovery from the accident and his roundabout climb back onstage, but shines a light in those dark corners of the music business that, for the lone musician whose success is measured not by the Top 40 but by nightly victories, usually fall outside of the spotlight. Bell’s prose is not unlike his lyrics: spare, beautiful, evocative, and often sneak-up-on-you funny. His chronicle of his own life and near death on the road reveals what it means to live for one’s art.
This is the story of a man and his instrument; of good times and bad, and the damage sustained and survived by both through decades of hard use.
—Richard Dobson
Vince Bell’s songs have been performed and recorded by such diverse talents as Little Feat, Lyle Lovett, and Nanci Griffith. In addition to releasing four critically acclaimed albums of his own, a ballet has been set to his work and his story turned into a musical. “Vince is a poet,” declared the late Townes Van Zandt.
Bell, who plays extensively in the U.S. and Europe, has appeared on such nationally broadcast television and radio programs as Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage, World Café, In the Prime, Morning Edition, and several other NPR programs.
This is s special two hour episode featuring the comedy and raucous wisdom of the late great George Carlin. Your host Free D People features some of George Carlin’s finest, funniest and foulest moments. If you are easily offended WARNING EXPLICIT LANGUAGE!!! You can play the pod directly from this blog.
We feel that the loss of George Carlin was the loss of one of America’s greatest free thinkers and outspoken individuals in the history of our country. May we learn from his bravery.
{from Wikipedia}
“George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937–June 22, 2008)[19][20] was an American stand-up comedian, actor and author who won four Grammy Awards for his comedy albums.
Carlin was noted for his political insights, his black humor and his observations on language, psychology, religion and on many taboo subjects. Carlin and his “Seven Dirty Words” comedy routine were central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a narrow 5–4 decision by the justices affirmed the government’s right to regulate “indecent” material on the public airwaves.
In the 2000s, Carlin’s stand-up routines focused on the flaws in modern-day America. He often took on contemporary political issues in the United States and satirized the excesses of American culture.
He placed second on the Comedy Central cable television network list of the 10 greatest stand-up comedians, ahead of Lenny Bruce and behind Richard Pryor.[21] He was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era, and was also the first person to host Saturday Night Live.”
Well the fences are up and the goats, sheep and yak are now contained in the pasture. It was a long hard winter with lots of snow and power outages but we made it through another one. Time has come for more blogging and station managing and one of the things we’ve been doing alot is adding new music to the playlist. Here is a list of Musicians and Bands we’ve added:
The Porchlights: out of Dolores Colorado the Porchlights are a great duo and friends of the CFR management. The Porchlights on the Web
Mark Hobbs: is a singer-songwriter with a passion for real music about real life, finding inspiration in the everyday and inviting listeners to see the beauty and interconnectedness in the otherwise seemingly ordinary. Mark Hobbs on the Web
Moses Guest: is a Texas-based, Southern Rock band that has just enough Pop, Jazz, Funk, and Country in its veins to appeal to audiences of all ages Moses Guest on Myspace
Iain Matthews: Member of Fairport Convention, Matthews Southern Comfort, and Plainsong, among others. Musical pioneer, songwriter, guitarist. In his unforgettable solo work, a restless innovator and a tireless perfectionist. And most of all, a voice: clear, high, emotional, and strong. Iain Matthews official home page
Snapdragon: now defunct Augusta Georgia band, an excellent group of musicians. Snapdragon info on Myspace
Saint Low featuring Mary Lorson: In Madder Rose, Lorson sang lead vocals, but guitar player Billy Coté wrote the majority of songs on each album, leaving Lorson with a backlog of her own songs. After Madder Rose released its last album, Hello June Fool, in 1999, Lorson formed Saint Low to release that material. The band’s second and third albums have been released under the moniker “Mary Lorson & Saint Low” Mary Lorson on Myspace
The Tannahill Weavers: their diverse repertoire reflects the duality of Scotland’s musical heritage. It embraces both the mystical quality of the Highlander’s Celtic music, and the rollicking, sometimes even brawling qualities of the Lowlander’s Anglo-Scots tunes. Tannahill Weavers Official Site
Project Kate: was a short-lived, New York-based project that centered around Kate Reddy, one-time guitarist for Hare Krishna-inspired hardcore band 108, that included many East Coast hardcore scene notables.
Chris Lizotte: Christian blues artist was born and raised in Orange County, California. Influenced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Cocker and Ray Charles, Lizotte recorded Free in 1991 and Chris Lizotte & Soul Motion in 1992 for New Breed. He was then signed by the Metro One label; his first release was Long Time Comin’ in 1994. Chris Lizotteon Myspace
Michelle Peixinho:(pronounced: pay-shee-no), petite woman wearing a black shirt with a white outline of a butterfly, is holding her baby Malaya (Freedom) in her arms. It is the evening of March 2 — her CD release party at the Pusod Center for Culture, Ecology and Bayan in Berkeley. A small crowd has gathered anticipating Michelle’s performance. Without much ado, Michelle takes center stage, cradles her guitar and everyone is invited to hush and listen. Sitting on the banig (mats) on the floor, it is easy to be captured by Michelle’s presence. She has a real intimacy with her audience. Speaking in a friendly conversational tone, she regales with stories about cultural awakenings.
B.W. Stevenson: (5 October 1949 - 28 April 1988), born Lewis Charles Stevenson, was an American country folk pop artist. “B.W.” stood for “Buckwheat.”
Stevenson was born in Dallas, Texas. He is most famous for co-writing, along with Daniel Moore, the 1973 pop hit “My Maria”, which was covered by country duo Brooks & Dunn, for whom it was a three-week 1 country hit in mid 1996. Stevenson had several other successful chart singles, including “A Little Bit of Understanding” and the original version of “Shambala”, which reached 3 in a cover version by Three Dog Night. In his book The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock, author Jan Reid devotes a chapter to Stevenson, where he dubs him The Voice. We present his little known but best songs. BW Stevenson on Myspace
Well there you have it, our list of the newest additions to our playlist and as always we work at bringing the best and most diverse music we can find. More to come, as well as our new Youtube channel, not only can you hear your favorite artist on CFRD but soon we’ll gather them up on Youtube in one place. If there’s a video of them we’ll find it. Until next time keep on keepin on!
We’ve recently added several new artists to the playlist one group in particular caught our attention and we wanted to present them to you here, they are a band from Nagaland India called Abiogenesis. With a very eclectic sound, mixing ancient sounds with a modern feel, they are quite memerizing. You can find them at AbioGenesis Rather than go on about them here’s a video of one of their songs called “Saramati Tears”
You can check out their CD by clicking on the image below.
NAMY Award Winner Bill Miller is one of the most talented musicians you will ever hear. He takes the spirit of his Native Roots and combines it with fantastic story telling , singing, guitar playing and songwriting. An accomplished artist as well as musician, we are proud to feature Bill Miller on our radio station. Watch this performance of Ghost Dance brought to you by A.I.M. Internet Television.
Once in a while you hear someone that captures your heart and grabs you by the gut. It’s not often that some one like that does it with such a light touch and almost a whisper. Canadian Singer Songwriter Christa Couture is that person. Here’s a music video by Christa called “Scared Too”
This is s special two hour episode featuring the comedy and raucous wisdom of the late great George Carlin. Your host Free D People features some of George Carlin’s finest, funniest and foulest moments. If you are easily offended WARNING EXPLICIT LANGUAGE!!! You can play the pod directly from this blog.
