Guitar Licks and Tips

While searching classicbands.com, I came across some events that stood out on my screen this morning! So here is what I THOUGHT made the grade.

1964
February 23
The Beatles appear on The Ed Sullivan Show.

1965
February 24
The Beatles began filming known as Help!

February 24
The Beach Boys record that great little ditty called “Help Me Rhonda”

1966
February 28
In Liverpool, England, at the original Cavern Club and the home to many of the Beatles’ early performances, it closed its doors for the final time because of mounting debt. Police were called when over a 100 fans barricaded themselves inside the club to protest. Now that would have been a the place to have been on that day!

1969 – ClassicBands.com

February 24
The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their last British concert as a band at the world famous London’s Royal Albert Hall. No that sucks! I was only 4 at the time and I never got to see them because I was WAY under age at the time!

1970
February 23
The Doors’ LP “Morrison Hotel” goes gold.

The first annual Juno Awards, Canada’s version of the Grammys, was held in Toronto. The awards had existed since 1964 under the name The RPM Gold Leaf Awards, which were established by Walt Grealis, editor and publisher of RPM Magazine.

February 27
Jefferson Airplane is fined $1,000 for onstage profanity in Oklahoma City. How dare they!

February 28
After the family of the late Ferdinand von Zeppelin threatens a lawsuit, Led Zeppelin performs in Copenhagen, Denmark as “The Nobs”. Now that, I’ve never heard of before!

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” becomes Simon and Garfunkel’s third US number one hit. Great tune to be able to play on piano, that one I can’t.

1971
February 27
Five months after her death, Janis Joplin began a nine-week stay at the top of the Billboard Hot 200 album chart with “Pearl”. Janis was one of those women that you would love to have gone camping with, just imagine the stories and sing-a-longs!

1976

February 24
The Eagles LP “Their Greatest Hits 1971 – 1975″ becomes the first album in history to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Really great album, I’ve still got my original vinyl one!

February 28
Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” in named Best Pop Vocal Performance and Album Of The Year at the 18th annual Grammy Awards. Now word of a lie, I’m working on this one right now, really! My wife caught the tale end of it on The Colbert report and taped it for me.

February 27
Keith Richards is arrested in Toronto after police raid his hotel room and seize 22 grams of heroin, 5 grams of cocaine and narcotics paraphernalia. I remember as a kid watching this thing unfold on TV. I was just left shaking my head.

1978
February 23
At the 20th annual Grammy awards The Eagles win Record of the Year for “Hotel California”. Great album.

1979
February 23
On the strength of their hit, “Sultans Of Swing”, England’s Dire Straits kick off their first US tour. I fell asleep many a nights listening to this guitar master piece.

1980

February 27
The Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes” wins a Grammy Award for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year, while Billy Joel’s “52nd Street” wins both Album of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. 52nd Street was one of those musical changing albums for me.

February 29
Mason City Police discovered a file containing Buddy Holly’s glasses and a watch owned by The Big Bopper, that were found in the wreckage of their plane crash in 1959. Holly’s cuff links worn during the crash had already been presented to Paul McCartney back in 1976, when the first Buddy Holly Week was held. Holly’s widow would eventually launch a lawsuit to recover his glasses.

1983

February 26
Michael Jackson’s album “Thriller” rose to #1 on the US album chart, where it would stay for 37 weeks. Only “The Eagles’ Greatest Hits 1971 – 1975″ has sold more.

1984 – ClassicBands.com

February 25
Van Halen enjoyed a US number one smash with “Jump”, after David Lee Roth added lyrics to music that Eddie Van Halen had written two years before. I recall doing a parity on this song with some neighbours called plump, boy they were bent back in the day.

1992

February 25
Eric Clapton wins six Grammys, including Best Record and Best Song for “Tears In Heaven” as well as Best Album for “Unplugged”. This CD helped me get back into guitar again and I am forever grateful for it.

1998
February 25
At Radio City Music Hall, Bob Dylan is handed three Grammys, including one for Best Album for “Time Out Of Mind”. Dylan’s son, Jakob, also won an award, winning Best Song for “One Headlight”, a tune he recorded with his band, The Wallflowers. Also winning awards were John Fogerty, who picked up Best Rock Album for “Blue Moon Swamp”, Elton John for Best Male Vocal for “Candle In The Wind 1997″ and Van Morrison and John Lee Hooker who won for Best Pop Collaboration for “Don’t Look Back”. Bo Diddley and Roy Orbison were cited for Lifetime Achievement. that would have been a show to see. As for the rest of them, I’m not so sure.

2003
February 23
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel sang together for the first time in ten years as they receive a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement. The day I saw them at the CNE one summer was pure magic!

February 23
Ravi Shankar’s daughter, Nora Jones was five-for-five at the Grammy Awards, as she took honors for Album of the Year, Record of the Year (for “Don’t Know Why”), Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (also for “Don’t Know Why”). Shankar is the man who taught Beatle George Harrison to play the sitar. I played in a band with Ravi Shankar’s God son for my cousin’s wedding, neat eh?!!

2006

February 24
The Sex Pistols gave a virtual middle finger to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when they issued an open letter on front man Johnny Rotten’s Website, saying they have no intention of attending the induction ceremony at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. “Next to the sex Pistols, rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain. Your museum. Urine in wine. We’re not coming.” GD, those guys are way too funny!

Ok, I fully realize what season we’re in but, holy shit it’s cold out there! Especially past my warmth of our living room door. Even the dog is not interested in staying outside any longer then she has to, and she’s a Labrador Retriever.

During these early days of February one can expect long, cold and cloudy days. You completely understand what the temperature actually feels like, even though your a bit fuzzy on how they actually achieve it, that little confusing thing they call the Wind Chill Factor.

Just a days ago I was taking the dog outside in front of the house for one of her many bathroom breaks and I came across one of our neighbours walking by the house. The conversation was very quick BTW consisting of Wow, it’s not all that bad out now is it and his response was Not all that bad really. When I came back in I looked at the temp on the weather network and it said that it was -14 (C) and -24 with the wind chill!

I wouldn’t even think about taking any of my guitars outside. Not even if I wrapped the guitar up BEFORE I put it in it’s case, wrap a towel around that and have the car all toasty warm inside eagerly waiting our arrival!

So all we have to do is sit back and look at the calender, it’s almost summer now isn’t it? If that fails to warm up your hearts, you can always go out and get yourself some ruby slippers, out them and start clicking your heels together saying “There’s now place like summer … ”

Keep on Jammin’

In case you’ve been wondering where my mindset has been in lately, I have not been feeling quite like myself.

My past posts on this and on my other site has been sub-par for the past couple of months and I hope to soon bring it back up to previous levels!

I’ve had some minor heart episodes at home and at work that has made me focus on that instead of my sites. Things are getting back to normal now and I can only get better from here! As long as I wake up on the right side of the grass, then what is there to complain about!

Keep on Jammin’