Jive Radio

one of the GREAT british guitarists, singers, and songwriters, the remarkable Peter Green went to sleep on July 25th and forgot to wake up.  he was 73 years old.

everybody knows Fleetwood Mac.  but not many know that the band was created by Green back in ’67, along with drummer mick FLEETWOOD and bassist john MACvie.  and many of us don’t know that that first version of the Mac was EXTREMELY popular, at least in the UK.  they were STARS, mainly because of Green, who was really good. the author of Black Magic Woman (yep, that’s a fleetwood mac song covered by santana) and a revered guitarist (none other than B.B. King once said Peter was the only guitarist who could give him chills), it’s obvious we need to pay tribute to his memory and legacy. ~BVD

So Robert Hunter just died, peacefully at his home in San Rafael. He made it to 78. No reason for death was given. Ok, fine.  As anybody who loves the Dead knows, without Hunter, The Dead wouldn’t be The Dead. Indeed, when the band was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, Hunter was included. To this day, he is still the only non-performing member of a band to be inducted. Because the HOF people knew that without Hunter, The Dead wouldn’t be The Dead.

So yes….a tribute show will show up in the near future.  you betcha…….

(if you don’t want to wait for an official Jive Trib, here’s a very nice way to do your own.  Many of you undoubtedly have. 1970 was the year that Hunter REALLY stepped up. 1970 was the year Hunter truly became a member of the band, because his songs, written mostly with Jerry, were the foundation for not one but two of the Dead’s greatest studio albums….Workingman’s and American Beauty (Reality).  the Dead made a startling shift from psychedelic fire breathers to sweet semi-country songwriters (heavily influenced by their buddy David Crosby) in that pivotal year, and Hunter wrote the words to no less than 17 of the 18 new songs on these two essential albums. So just kick back and fire up those two discs for your own homegrown Insta-Trib to ole Bob. And then move on to Europe ’72 for the encore!) ~BVD

one of the prime time big daddy cool cats of ’em all just slipped on out the do’……..Dr. John recently expired, as of June 6th, when his big ole heart just sorta conked out.  he was 77.  a real rascal of New Orleans, Mac Rebennack was pretty well known to the NOLA PD, and did some time in the early 60s in some Looziana hellhole. when he got out, he took himself and his musical talents (a guitar player first, who then got damn good on piano) to L.A., where he became a part of the mighty Wrecking Crew of ace studio musicians.  it was while in L.A. that he cooked up the persona of Dr. John the Night Tripper, and in ’68, his first album Gris Gris came out, and it was some psycho delic zombie woof woof that one would still to this day call A Piece Of Work.  for real.

over the years, came more great albums, like Gumbo, In The Right Place, Television, Anutha Zone, and In A Sentimental Mood, among others.  in fact, if you feel like having a little Dr. John party of your own, any of those albums will get you goin, for sure. ~BVD