Interview: Ex Judas Priest Metal Master: Atkins May Project 'Serpents Kiss'

By Ray Shasho


 Al Atkins is best known for originating Birmingham, England’s heavy metal band Judas Priest in 1969. Atkins was lead singer of Priest until 1973. It was Atkins who named the band after the Bob Dylan tune, “The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest.”
Black Sabbath’s guitarist Tony Iommi managed the early Judas Priest, landing the band higher profile gigs, even playing with Black Sabbath. But the group struggled financially and still hadn’t landed a record deal. Al Atkins had a young daughter to support, so in 1973 he relinquished his duties as Priest’s frontman and landed a regular 9 to 5 job. Rob Halford replaced Atkins.
In 1974, Judas Priest released their debut album, Rocka Rolla. The album was produced by Black Sabbath’s Rodger Bain and Halford sang many of the tunes originally penned by Al Atkins.

Judas Priest has sold over 50-million albums and continues to sellout stadiums and arenas worldwide. Priest’s notoriety has since earned them the nickname “Metal Gods.”

Al Atkins has recently joined forces with internationally acclaimed guitar virtuoso, songwriter, and producer Paul May to form the Atkins May Project. Paul May has appeared on over 50 albums.

The Atkins May Project recently released a preeminent prog metal proclamation called, Serpents Kiss. One of the most surprising tracks on the CD is an incredible metal version of “Cold Gin” by Kiss.
The CD is an awesome amalgam of exceptional songwriting, predominate vocalization, and mind-blowing guitar licks, the dynamic metal duo of Atkins and May scores huge on Serpents Kiss.

I had the opportunity last week to chat with Al Atkins and Paul May about their recent collaboration.


Ray Shasho: Thank you both for chatting with me today about the Atkins/May Project. Would you say, ‘Serpents Kiss’ is classified as a prog metal album?
Al Atkins:“I think the opening track, “The Shallowing” and the last one, “Theatre of Fools” are very much like prog metal but the album twists and turns from hard hitting rock like the, “Fight” track to more modern sounding metal with each song.”
Ray Shasho: When would you say prog metal music first originated?
Al Atkins: “It's been around for a while but came to life in the 90's with bands like Dream Theatre and Queensryche, some people may argue with me but even some Metallica songs are very prog metal.”
Ray Shasho: Who were the pioneers of the genre?
Al Atkins: “Probably 'Cream' who fused jazz, blues and rock together and took the road away from short pop songs to 15 minute adlib solo epics. Even Judas Priest were classed as a prog rock or hard rock band in the early 70's with my style of writing with songs like, “Caviar and Meths” which was a very long track and sadly only a very short piece of it made their first album, 'Rocka Rolla'.”
Ray Shasho: Unfortunately, dance, hip-hop, and country music are the nucleus of American music nowadays. Many experts are considering rock and roll a subgenre, much like jazz was in the 60’s. Would you say the Atkins/May Project is sort of a statement suggesting that prog metal is alive and well?
Al Atkins: “I think the trouble with metal music is that it has taken a lot of different avenues over the years with being such a progressive animal that it is, like how fast can I play it, how high can I sing it, Black Metal , Death Metal,Grunge, Goth, Power, Prog, call it what you want and all the kids like their own styles. It's never happened with Melodic Rock, Country, Jazz or Blues music so it all gets split up and eventually it will maybe become a subgenre. The main core of metal to me is still old school like Sabbath, Maiden,Motorhead, AC/DC and Priest style bands which is a path Paul and myself follow down and try to keep the flag flying sort to speak.”
Ray Shasho: ‘Serpents Kiss’ has an awesome album cover, what does the serpent represent?
Al Atkins: “The serpent represents the English pound sign and was created by the artist Rodney Matthews. Paul commissioned him to do it with the word 'Betrayal ' in mind. (This is what Rodney has to say about it) ......“Money has become the God of the city of London and the shining towers, cathedrals of Mammon,'Serpents Kiss' is my own take on the essence of betrayal, selfishness and lies.” Rodney has done artwork for many bands going back years and you can check out more of this talented artist by visiting www.rodneymatthews.com."
Ray Shasho: Al, you’ve got the perfect voice for singing, “Cold Gin.” Awesome cover tune and you guys nailed it! Has Gene Simmons heard your version yet?
Al Atkins: “Not to my Knowledge??”
Ray Shasho: Have you received feedback from the KISS Army yet?
Al Atkins: “Yes we had a great response from them.”
Ray Shasho: Who selected the song for the album? I think your version is great!
Al Atkins: “Well thanks Ray. I suggested to Paul that we should feature a cover song and he came up with, “Cold Gin.” Paul having been a massive fan of theirs over the years I half expected it.....he did a great job on the arrangement and a cool middle eight solo section. It gets more air play than any other song on the album so it was a good move.”
Ray Shasho: Birmingham, England is such an important hub for musicians, especially rock music.  Why do so many important artists hail from Birmingham?
Al Atkins: “Black Sabbath started the metal scene off in Birmingham and bands like Judas Priest followed, Robert Plant teamed up with Jimmy Page to form Led Zep and the floodgates opened......Birmingham and the Black Country were Industrial areas in the UK and a lot of families struggled to make a living and this heavy, loud music was a way of letting out your demons and feelings.(You will never see an old photo of Black Country bands sitting under palm trees playing acoustic guitars with flowery shirts) It was also a way to make money ....it was like....playing music or working the foundries or down the mines.”
Ray Shasho: Do you regret leaving Judas Priest?
Al Atkins: “I was the only one in the band that was married with a kid to feed and without a record deal and the backing we needed I just couldn't survive anymore so I decided to get a haircut and a 9 to 5 job. Yes I did regret it but was happy for them to eventually get that deal and climb the ladder to succeed and they much deserved it.”
Ray Shasho: What would have been different with Judas Priest if you were still in the band?
Al Atkins: “Well when Rob came in he took them to another level with his style of high range vocals and then stepped in Glenn to add that harmony impact on guitars, both were writers too so they made their own mark and a great job too....if I would have stayed with them we may have taken a different road? Maybe more like AC/DC but that's not a bad thing is it? (A lot of your readers will disagree? LOL)”
Ray Shasho: Do you still keep in touch with your fellow band mates?
Al Atkins: “Yes especially with Ian who I met just last month after being invited to his Birthday Bash.”
Ray Shasho: When did your friendship with Robert Plant first begin?
Al Atkins: “Robert and myself are both more or less the same age and was both born in West Bromwich, a town just outside Birmingham. We drank in the same pubs and would always talk about music...we once played on the same bill, he was with 'The Band of Joy' and I was in the 'Bitta Sweet' it was around 67'. A year later teamed up with Jimmy Page and formed 'Led Zep' and I formed 'Judas Priest' in 69' ....returning from a successful first tour of USA he came to watch me and Priest at a local venue and it was great to see him later hit the big time.”
Ray Shasho: I haven’t interviewed Robert yet but I’ve heard from other artists that he’s a great guy?
Al Atkins: “I don't see him anymore and thought he would have forgotten me after all these years but when I wrote to him for a photo of his old band for a book I was writing (Dawn of the Metal Gods) he willingly obliged and wished me all the best with it (top bloke).”
Ray Shasho: Are you friends with Tony Iommi?  Do you know how he’s doing? …We all wish him the best!
Al Atkins: “Tony managed the early 'Judas Priest' around 73' getting us some higher profile gigs, even with us playing with Black Sabbath but alas I don't see him anymore. Sad news on his cancer scare and I wish him all the best with a hopefully speedy recovery too.”
Ray Shasho: Who were your favorite artists growing up?
Al Atkins: “'Cream', Pink Floyd’,'Quatermass' Black Sabbath', 'Deep Purple' Led Zep'...so many.”
Ray Shasho: What inspired you to sing metal?
Al Atkins: “Watching 'Deep Purple' at a 'Marshall Amplification Exhibition' in 68'… Ian Gillan’s vocals totally blew me away.”
Ray Shasho: Do you think rock and metal can regain the popularity it once had in America?
Al Atkins: “Hopefully, they say what goes round comes round?”
Ray Shasho: A metal voice has to be difficult to sustain. How do you keep your voice so strong?
Al Atkins: “Well I stopped smoking 20 years ago and I think that helped, but your voice changes over the years and now mine is like a screaming growl.”
Ray Shasho: What other projects are in the works? Other collaborations,concert dates?
Al Atkins: “I am currently working with USA guitarist Andy Degiselmina on a metal opera called 'Lyraka 2' which will be released at the end of this year. Other vocalists on board this project are Liz Vandal (Uli John Roth), Rob Diaz, Mark Boals (Ywangi Malmsteen), Graham Bonnet and Veronica Freeman (Benedictum). So I’m very privileged indeed to be named in the same breath has these top artists....Also Paul and myself are putting together a live band for some shows this year, so really looking forward to a great 2012.”
Ray Shasho: Paul, how did you know collaborating with Al Atkins was a good idea?
Paul May:  “I’ve had the privilege working with Al over the past twenty years or more. I played guitar, wrote and produced alongside him on all five of his solo albums: namely “Judgment Day,” “Dreams of Avalon,” “Heavy Thoughts,” “Victim of Changes,” and guested on “Demon Deceiver.” So, we both kind of know how each other “tick” so to speak, and are aware of each other’s skills and abilities. I personally think that Al’s voice has actually got stronger and more powerful as the years have gone by which proved perfect for the new, “Serpents Kiss” album.”
Ray Shasho: When did you both first meet and start working together?
Paul May: “I was first introduced to Al at a local gig that I was playing at in West Bromwich, (Black Country). We hit it off pretty much immediately, and he asked me to play on some demo tracks he had written at that time. Those songs eventually evolved into the tracks that would be used for his first solo album. And onwards it went from there really.”
Ray Shasho: Talk about the origin behind writing, “Dream Maker,” and “Signz.” Great tunes!
Paul May: “Cheers, thanks for that! “Dream Maker” was the original contender for the opening track on the “Serpents Kiss”album. One of my personal favorites. I think lyrically it’s fairly blatant in its content, in as much as, it’s a modern day Psalm and Prayer that’s calling on God for a plan and purpose, the guts to see it through and for deliverance from the darkest trials that we may face. As far as the feel of the song goes, I wanted it to have that kind of “Classic” Hard Rock sound like old school metal. I think I got that.”
“Funnily enough, “Signz” was originally meant to be the second track on the album, and was originally a track intended for my band A.N.D co-written with another good pal of mine Dave Rowley who now fronts that band! You picked up on a song with a more serious edge to it! It’s actually a warning to test and weigh what we hear and see nowadays and not get ‘suckered’ in by every wave of false doctrine that we constantly get bombarded with on TV! Classic Hard Rock style in its delivery with some Chunky guitars and class vocals from Al.”
Ray Shasho: Paul, talk about the origin behind writing, “Judge,” and “Betta Than Twisted.”
Paul May: “I wrote, “Judge” in the very interesting time signature of 7/8, which gives it that sense of urgency. Classic NWOBHM style with a twist! It’s an obvious Christian Track! However, “Betta than Twisted” is a much darker and sinister affair. It’s about the betrayal of trust, the malice that is inflicted from that bitterness and the legend that is created when that story is embellished and retold over and over until the lies become ‘truth’ in a twisted mind! Ha, not for the faint hearted! But apart from that it’s a commercial rocker with a good riff! Lol.”
Ray Shasho: “Theatre of Fools” is such a great song! I could easily hear the song being played as a soundtrack for a movie. (Long track) Awesome guitars … What inspired the song? It’s my favorite track of the album!
Paul May:  “Yes, “Theatre of Fools” is my favorite track too for several different reasons. It is a big track no doubt, clocking in just under 9 minutes!! It’s a very passionate song, in many ways, and covers a very emotive and controversial subject! Musically, there’s loads of light and dark elements, building continually as the song progresses. When all of the elements of the song were put together in my studio, even the rough mix made the hairs stand up on my arm! Al’s vocals were fabulous and exactly as they should be and the whole atmosphere of the track left us in no doubt that this had to be the finishing track on the album! It does retain all the qualities of an “epic” soundtrack, which is in keeping with the huge subject matter it tries to communicate. Which, in retrospect, was quite “prophetic” in its nature.”
“It’s a song about dictators, tyrants and the fall of their regimes! It was written with the Iraq situation and conclusion still fresh in the public’s heart and the media’s eye, but I just felt that there was much more to come. And sure enough this proved to be true! Even over the past twelve months or so we’ve seen the further demise of several tyrants and world dictatorships! The song tells about the role of madness that causes devastation, by men who try to act like they are "gods", with their only eventuality being their own destruction! Sadly, it’s still happening as we talk! I pose the question in the middle of the song “Have all the heroes been honored now?” ..... Let’s not forget!!! So, basically this track had to be huge to cover such a subject. It’s my vote for best track on the album. Mine too! Cheers Ray!”
Ray Shasho: Paul, you are a genuine guitar virtuoso. What artists inspired you into playing the guitar?
Paul May: “Wow, I loved so many ... Believe it or not the artists that inspired me to get up and do it weren’t really guitar heroes!! Elvis, Bolan, Slade!! But as I was learning guitar the likes of Clapton and Hendrix were obviously essential listening and inspiration! Boston & Thin Lizzy for their harmony lead work, Black Sabbath for their amazing riffs and Motorhead for their raw edge! Kiss for their commercial rock ’n’ roll, Eagles .... the list is just way too long!!!”
Ray Shasho: What artists do you like to listen to today?
Paul May: “Massively varied, as I love to play all types of music, and produce many different styles! I’m actually enjoying listening to everything from Biffy Clyro to Alison Krauss ... from Adele to AC/DC at the moment. I recently caught live Jools Holland (Fab pianist) and the legendary Deep Purple! Old school but very cool!”
Ray Shasho: I noticed you play Warrior guitars, are they your favorite guitars to play and why?
Paul May: “For many years I used Gibson, Steinberger and Fender ... which are all great tried and tested guitars! Particularly the Steinberger’s, But I was looking for something a little different and special. I was actually at the NAMM show in Anaheim LA and I’d been looking around at literally thousands of guitars and couldn’t find what I was looking for. I stumbled across the Warrior stall. I checked out their guitars on show and instantly fell in love with the prototype they had on display. I spoke with JD the maker to see if we could cut an endorsement deal and he was very kind to me and allowed me to buy his prototype. I found out that he himself was a Christian and he had the desire to make the best guitars the world had to offer! He not only made these superb guitars but he actually put his faith in action too, which at the time was very important to me. The guitars are all unique and custom made and I would recommend them to all! And some of the people at warrior have become good friends Bobby and JD both sound guys!!”
Ray Shasho: I believe Rick Derringer plays Warrior too, he lives down the road from me here in Bradenton, Florida.
Paul May: “Yes, Ricks got his own Warrior Model guitar, another fab guitarist I used to listen to in my early years!! Be great to catch up with him and have a Jam at the NAMM for Warrior! Now that would be cool!!”
Ray Shasho: How was Christian Metal first received?
Paul May: “I’ve actually had the privilege of meeting many of the ground breaking Christian Metal artists the likes of Glen Kaiser, Michael Sweet, Oz Fox, Michael Bloodgood, Ted Kirkpatrick etc via a ministry weekend that I Pastored on behalf of Meltdown Ministry here in the UK for several years, and they are all great musicians and vocalists! Really! However they are the cream of the crop! and other Christian Metal artists, particularly here in the UK were possibly not as accomplished as they were the majority of the time, even though they were sincere! So, for the out and out rockers that appreciated good metal they accepted the Christian genre regardless, but for others that were used to hearing pretty much dark lyrics about dark things it was a bit of a shock and they even found it offensive!! Lol!”
Ray Shasho: Paul, what other projects are in the works? Collaborations, Producing, concert tours?
Paul May: “Well, I’m already currently writing and recording for the next ATKINS MAY PROJECT album which is lot heavier than the last CD, and hopefully going to be collaborating with Al on some of the tracks too! Both of my other bands Temple Dogs and A.N.D are intending to release new albums this year, Temple dogs being a rock n roll affair, no guitar hero stuff on that, and A.N.D is a more metal encounter! I have a couple of things I need to produce and record too and Al and myself are in the process of putting a band together for some live dates ... looking forward to that one.”
Ray Shasho: Al and Paul thank you so much for spending time with me today. ‘Serpents Kiss’ is a great metal album; I look forward to many more Atkins/May collaborations in the near future.
Al Atkins: “Big thanks Ray!”
Paul May: “Cheers Ray, take care man!”

Atkins May Project official website www.atkinsmayproject.com
Order the Atkins May Project’s latest CD ‘Serpents Kiss’ at www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8611575
Al Atkins official website www.alatkins.com
Paul May official website www.paulmay.biz

Many thanks to the great Billy James of Glass Onyon Publicity for arranging this interview.
Official website www.glassonyonpublicity.wordpress.com

Don’t forget to purchase Author/Columnist Ray Shasho’s new book Check the Gs –The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business at amazon.com or iuniverse.com.

 
Pacific Book Review says… I found Check the Gs to be pure entertainment, fantastic fun and a catalyst to igniting so many memories of my own life, as I too am within a few years of Ray. So to all, I say if you have a bit of grey hair (or no hair), buy this book!  It’s a great gift for your “over-the-hill” friends, or for their kids, if they are the history buffs of younger generations trying to figure out why we are the way we are. ~~Pacific Book Review

Contact Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com


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Exclusive Interview: Roger McGuinn says David Crosby can reunite The Byrds without him

 

By Ray Shasho

Orlando, Florida resident Roger McGuinn will be making a rare concert appearance on Saturday, March 17th at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater. Roger (a.k.a. Jim McGuinn) began his music career as a folk artist, touring with the Limeliters, Chad Mitchell Trio, and legendary crooner Bobby Darin as a guitarist and banjo player.
After listening to The Beatles, McGuinn altered his folk styles to include a rock and roll beat while performing at coffee houses in Greenwich Village, New York. His efforts to merge traditional folk music with rock and roll were not well received, so Roger moved to Los Angeles and began work at the infamous Troubadour. It was after Roger’s opening set for country music legend Hoyt Axton that he and Gene Clark first met. Soon after, David Crosby joined them completing one of the most influential bands of the 60’s.

The Byrds would soon become Roger McGuinn (lead guitars and vocals), Gene Clark (tambourine, vocals), David Crosby (rhythm guitars and vocals), Chris Hillman (bass guitar and vocals) and Michael Clarke (drums). Columbia Records signed The Byrds in 1965 and they recorded their first number one hit, a Bob Dylan penned song, “Mr. Tambourine Man.” The Byrds continued to score big commercially with their 1965 classic that was adapted from the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” “I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better,” was another huge hit for the group in 1965 featuring McGuinn’s trademark jangling 12-string Rickenbacker. “Eight Miles High” was The Byrds 1966 Top 20 Psychedelic classic and “Mr. Spaceman” reached #36 on Billboard’s Top 100, both were featured on their Fifth Dimension album.” Dylan’s penned, “My Back Pages” released in 1967 #30 and “So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star,” also released in 1967 was a #29 Billboard Top 100 hit. 

Gene Clark left the band in 1966. David Crosby and Michael Clarke departed in late 1967. In 1968, Gram Parsons was hired and The Byrds recorded their critically acclaimed release, “Sweetheart of the Rodeo.” Later in 1968, Hillman and Parsons left.
In 1969, The Byrds recorded, “Ballad of Easy Rider” for a film starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. McGuinn also co-wrote, “Chestnut Mare” with Jacques Levy in 1969, a song intended to be featured in a musical inspired by Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. McGuinn led several Byrds lineups until 1973 when the original quintet reunited and then disbanded after the release of their 12th and final album Byrds.
Roger McGuinn rejoined Gene Clark and Chris Hillman in 1978 and recorded three successful albums for Capitol Records. 
In 1981, McGuinn returned to his folk roots and began to tour acoustically as a solo artist.
McGuinn, Crosby and Hillman performed as The Byrds in 1989 and 1990 and recorded four new songs for their box set released in 1991. 
The Byrds were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

In 1995, Roger McGuinn began recording and uploading a series of traditional folk songs to his website. It’s an ongoing project to create awareness of folk music. The songs are available for free download at Folk Den- http://folkden.com on Roger McGuinn’s official website.
Roger McGuinn’s CD, Treasures From The Folk Den, featured his favorite songs from The Folk Den and included guest artist duets with Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Odetta, Jean Ritchie, Josh White Jr. and Frank & Mary Hamilton. It was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002 for “Best Traditional Folk Album.”
Roger McGuinn Live from Spain recorded in 2004 is an awesome live recording featuring all of Roger’s classics. The Folk Den Project was released in 2006, a four CD 100 song box set of rock, electrified blues and folk, rich in Rickenbacker “Jingle Jangle.”
Roger McGuinn’s latest release is an incredible 23- song collection devoted to the sea called, CCD.

Last week I had the rare opportunity to chat with /The Byrds founder and leader/singer/songwriter/guitar virtuoso/ folk-rock pioneer/ folk artist extraordinaire/Roger McGuinn.
Ray Shasho: Good morning Roger, thank you for being on the call today.  How long have you lived in the Orlando area?
Roger McGuinn: “We’ve been here for over twenty years and just love it.”
Ray Shasho: Are you a Disney enthusiast?
Roger McGuinn: “When we first moved here I was. We had annual passes and kind of treated it like a country club, and then I got so busy and didn’t use the passes anymore so we quit doing that. I really haven’t been there in a long time now. But we have friends that work there. When we first moved to this location I was a scanner radio buff. I use to want to listen to the backstage chatter at Disney. So I drew a five mile circle around Epcot center and said I wanted to live in this area. Fortunately we found a nice house in the area. I use to listen to them on the radio but they’ve been switched over to Nextel now. They’re all digital and you can’t get them anymore.”
Ray Shasho: The Tampa Bay area is excited that you’ll be performing on March 17th at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater.
Roger McGuinn: “Me too, it’s going to be a lot of fun, I love the old theaters.  I’m so glad they’re still going and people are fixing them up and keeping them alive.”
Ray Shasho: I peeked around the internet looking for some of your most recent setlists. I really admired the setlist from your concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Is the Clearwater concert going to be similar to that show?
Roger McGuinn: “We changed that setlist because of the language barrier; I do everything in English so I had to keep it kind of simple. I’m not sure what we’re going to do, we usually figure out the set the day of the concert at around two o’clock. We have lunch and check out what we’ve done in the area, and probably what they are going to like in the area. So it’s similar in that I tell stories, usually autobiographical stories and tie all the songs together with the stories.”
Ray Shasho: What I saw will certainly captivate the audience, plenty of great Roger McGuinn/Byrds classics and a nice long setlist.
Roger McGuinn: “I do a long show now because I decided it would be more fun to do, “An evening with” rather than to have an opening act. So I’m doing two separate sets. I remember back in the 80’s, Donovan came over to the house and he was telling us that he didn’t do two shows anymore and I said, “How do you get away with that?” And he said, “Well, I just tell them that I won’t and they pay me the same amount.” So I said, “Wow, I’m going to try that.” So I did and it was working for awhile, but people wanted a longer show. My set is pretty intense; I do a lot of work up there.”
Ray Shasho: I’ve watched you and you really do work hard on stage. Just watching you play, “Eight Miles High” acoustically was intense. That’s got to be difficult to do.
Roger McGuinn: “You get use to it after awhile. It was interesting when I came up with that arrangement of it because I didn’t have the band, so I had to put in some more licks to have it sort of fill out. You’re not going to get exactly the same sound as the Rickenbacker electric but I kind of fill it out with Segovia and some classical Spanish licks.”
Ray Shasho: Your son Patrick is a filmmaker, how’s he doing?   
Roger McGuinn: “Patrick has made films, he was about to make one up in the Catskills when hurricane Irene came in and wiped out the whole area. It flooded the place where he was going to shoot, so he didn’t do it. So he’s still into that and he was working for Technicolor as an administrator for awhile.”
Ray Shasho: Being from the Tampa Bay area I really love songs about the sea. Your latest album called, CCD has 23 songs about the sea. Talk a little bit about that album.
Roger McGuinn: “I’ve been doing sea songs on my Folk Den for the last sixteen years, and if I had to pick a segment of traditional music that I liked the best it would be the old songs of the sea. I just love the kind of bravado and camaraderie and they were just amazing guys out there, it was like a frontier, they were like spacemen. I decided to do a compilation from some of my favorites from The Folk Den and put it out. We were going to call it, 23 Songs of the Sea but then kind of abbreviated it down to CCD.”
Ray Shasho: I remember another great sea song from the Cardiff Rose album called, “Jolly Roger” and that was a really cool tune.
Roger McGuinn: “Well thank you, Jacques Levy and I wrote that back in the 70’s, to try and get the feel for The Rolling Thunder Review.”
Ray Shasho: You once commented in an interview about The Byrds, “We were a ship of pirates; it was every man for himself.” You must have a genuine love for the sea. 
Roger McGuinn: “I’ve been sailing a lot, we just did 14 days on the Queen Mary 2 last week and had a ball. I love being on the sea and the rolling of the ship, and for me it’s not really happening until we get a little wave action going, I love that feeling. We’ve traveled so much that we don’t have any motion sickness problems.”
Ray Shasho: The Folk Den was created by you to raise awareness of folk music. Was that the primary reasoning behind it?
Roger McGuinn: “Yea, that’s the idea. Back in 1995, I noticed I wasn’t hearing as many traditional songs as I had in the past because the trend was for singer/songwriters to write their own material. So, I started to put them up on the internet for free download with the chords, the lyrics, and a little story about the song. The University of North Carolina picked it up and they’ve been using it for a public service for all these years, so it’s really kind of a labor of love.”
Ray Shasho: We use to sing the old traditional folk songs in grade school; it was part of growing up.
Roger McGuinn: “Then Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan came along and started writing their own and it stopped being cool to do the traditional songs, it became cooler to do your own. That was the problem, everyone started to do their own.”
Ray Shasho: I remember growing up watching Burl Ives and then later the Smothers Brothers, who I thought sort of reintroduced folk music on television.
Roger McGuinn: “I remember listening to Burl Ives when I was a kid too. The Smothers Brothers always put satire into it; they were a really great act. I remember first seeing them in the early 60’s, probably around 1961 at The Purple Onion in San Francisco and they were just hilarious. They still do the same things that they did back then. I know Tommy pretty well; I use to hang out with him in LA, but didn’t get to know Dicky real well.”
Ray Shasho: We’re missing so much of the traditional music that we grew up with, especially the storytellers.
Roger McGuinn: “I do that!”
Ray Shasho:  Yes you do, you’re the last of the Mohicans.
Roger McGuinn: “Well, I picked it up from Pete Seeger back in the 50’s; I use to love what he did in his concerts. So it was an inspiration for me when I watched Pete work.”
Ray Shasho: Pete Seeger is truly amazing; he’s a walking museum of history.
Roger McGuinn: “Absolutely, he’s 92 years old. I’ve had the privilege of working with him several times. I played at his birthday party at Madison Square Garden two years ago. I played, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and a couple of guys form Band of Horses backed me up.”
Ray Shasho: Who are some of your favorite artists in the folk world?
Roger McGuinn: “I love Pete and loved Josh White, Big Bill Broonzy, Odetta and Lead Belly. The Weavers were great when they were with Pete but he went solo after that. Then there was the college generation and… The Kingston Trio, Peter Paul and Mary, Bob Gibson. One of my favorite albums is Bob Gibson and Bob Camp, At the Gate of Horn. It was a really dynamic album almost like The Beatles, and way before its time … around 1960 or so.”
Ray Shasho: Dance, hip hop, and variations of country music seem to be the nucleus of today’s music scene. Where did rock and roll disappear to?
Roger McGuinn: “Rock and roll peaked a long time ago, maybe 15 years ago. It subjugated to where Jazz was, it’s a subgenre now.”
Ray Shasho: Do you think rock music can make a comeback?”
Roger McGuinn: “No, I think it will always be there like jazz is, but it’s not going to come back into full blown popularity like it was in the 60’s. You can’t reheat a soufflé to quote Paul McCartney. It was just something that happened and it will never be the same. We’ll always have the music but you’re not going to get that popularity again. There were so many elements involved; the majority of the people were under 30 at the time, there was a Viet Nam war going on, and a lot of social pressure to change things, and there was no internet so people only communicated via songs on the radio and that sort of thing. And most of the elements have disappeared.”
Ray Shasho: Would you say record companies basically killed themselves when music started being distributed around the internet?
Roger McGuinn: “They didn’t get it. They laughed at it at first and then tried to sue everybody. Then they went out of business, a really ludicrous scene. I remember this guy from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Cory Doctorow was talking about, if they’d only grasp the idea that they could have sold these MP3’s at reasonable pricing, it could have dragged them kicking and screaming to the money tree. But they missed it; the only guy that got it was Steve Jobs. He got it and iTunes is the biggest music publisher in the world.”
Ray Shasho: Do you think they’re making as much money today on iTunes as record companies did selling records or CD’s?
Roger McGuinn: “It’s not as topped out, it’s sort of sideways distributed where the artists are getting more. Before, like when Sony bought the AT&T building and they had private jets, they got all the money and the artists got a little bit of the money, that’s not the way it is anymore, the artist can get more of the money from their music now, so it’s a good thing for the artists.”
Ray Shasho: I talked with a lot of artists who had multiple hits in the 60’s, and they all confirmed that they were under constant pressures by record companies, demanding artists to record their next hit single or album.
Roger McGuinn: “Absolutely, there was a lot of pressure; we had to do two albums a year for Columbia and there was also threat of being suspended, if you were suspended that meant you couldn’t record for them or couldn’t record for anybody else, you were still under contract. So they could basically shut you down. It was a horrible thing for artists. I’m not sure it was that financially rewarding, some of the old contracts were pretty low for the artists.”
Ray Shasho: The Beatles were huge Byrds fans?
Roger McGuinn: “They proclaimed The Byrds to be their favorite band when they came over to America and that was really a blast. They were our favorite band and inspired us into the music that we were doing.”
Ray Shasho: You and George Harrison were good friends?
Roger McGuinn: “I knew George and John; I hung out with Paul just a little bit. George and I were more friends than anybody.I’d see George over Tom Petty’s house in the later years, 80’s and 90’s.”
Ray Shasho: The Traveling Wilburys were a great band.
Tom Petty is back on tour, any chance of you and Tom singing, “King of the Hill” together at his Orlando show?
Roger McGuinn: “Yea, that would be fun, I have done that in the past, but I’ll be out of town unfortunately. Whenever it’s handy we do it, but we’re always pretty busy. I love sitting in with Bob Dylan too. I’ve done that quite a few times when I’ve been in town at the same time, and they’ve invited me up on stage and it’s always a thrill to play with these guys.”
Ray Shasho: What is the origin of playing a 7-string guitar?
Roger McGuinn: “I came up with it because I wanted to get the best of a 12-string on a 6-string. So, I doubled up on the octave on the G-string, otherwise it’s still a 6-string, and then I can play lead notes up and down the G-string. It’s a trick I learned from George Harrison. You don’t need a 12-string for everything you do so the best part of a 12-string is a G-string pair for doing leads. I really love the 7-string; I play it quite a bit.”
Ray Shasho: It was almost unheard of for a rock and roll musician to talk about their faith at one time. But now, I find more rock stars turning to God as they get older.
Roger McGuinn: “I’ve always been looking for God back in the 60’s, that’s why I changed my name from Jim to Roger. But I was raised a Roman Catholic and had to go to the eight o’clock Mass every morning and have communion and wear a tie, kind of like a restricted life style. Then in the 60’s we got wild and let it go and started looking in other places to see where God really was, and I came back to the Christian thing.”
Ray Shasho: The artists that have embraced God seem to have a wonderful outlook on life, and are in great physical condition because they take really good care of themselves, and look like they’ll live to 100 years old.
Roger McGuinn: “My mother is 101, she smoked until 70, and she drank pretty heavily until she was in her 80’s. So I think just good genes on that side of the family.” (Laughing)
Ray Shasho: What do remember the most about the 60’s?
Roger McGuinn:  “I remember the good times and hanging out at Laurel Canyon with my friends like John Phillips, Michelle and Crosby. We’d go to each other’s houses, play guitars, sing, and make up songs. So I just have positive memories of it, yea there were bad things going on but I wasn’t really focusing on them. I remember one night though trying to get down to the strip and there were flares across all the access roads to Sunset. I didn’t know it but there was a riot going on. I just went back to my house in the Canyon and found out the next day.”
“We campaigned for Bobby Kennedy at a venue in downtown LA, some sports arena, and I think it was right before he got shot; The Byrds did a show for him … a set. I met him and told him that I wished him the best and everything. That was pretty bad because I was a big fan of JFK.”
Ray Shasho: Before The Byrds, you worked with Bobby Darin. I remember the critics saying at the time that he was going to be the next Frank Sinatra.
Roger McGuinn:  “I was with Bobby when he was doing that Frank Sinatra style.Then he got interested in folk music and that’s when he hired me to back him up on the 12-string guitar and sing harmony. And he was a good teacher. He was a mentor and taught me a lot about the business, taught me how to write songs. It was a great time.”
Ray Shasho: Stephen Stills, Neil Young, and Ritchie Furay announced in 2011 that they were going to do a reunion tour. They’ve done some dates already but have yet to tour on a full scale level. David Crosby mentioned that he would have liked to see a double billing including a Byrds reunion but thought that you probably wouldn’t do it.
Roger McGuinn: “That’s true; I’m just too busy and happy doing what I’m doing. I’ll go back to the reheat of the soufflé quote from Paul McCartney; they asked him to get The Beatles back together when John and George were still around and he said it was like trying to reheat a soufflé, it wouldn’t be the same. I’m just having a ball now. To me being in the big time is not that big of a deal. I’ve been there, I know what it is, it’s exciting, but it’s also a lot of work and pressure. I love sort of flying under the radar where we can play theaters and sell CD’s on the internet and it’s really kind of a cool time.”
Ray Shasho: Do you still chat with David Crosby?
Roger McGuinn: “I wish him happy birthday every August 14th and he thanks me. But he does want to get The Byrds back together and he’s even been quoted saying that he’s offered me a million dollars to do it and I turned him down. Melissa asked me, “Did he really offer you a million dollars?”  I said, “No.”” (Laughing)
Ray Shasho: Hopefully he won’t try to reunite The Byrds without you because that happens a lot nowadays.
Roger McGuinn: “There’s this guy Andrew Gold, he had all my Rickenbacker and vocal parts down for The Byrds, but he passed away last year.  I said, why don’t you just get Andrew Gold man, he can do all my parts, he’d be great.”
Ray Shasho: Would you be upset if David Crosby reunited The Byrds without you?
Roger McGuinn: “I suggested it to him. He wants to do The Byrds … I said, “Okay man, take it out and do it, I don’t care.”
Ray Shasho: I always ask everyone that I interview if they have a good/funny story about when they were on the road.
Roger McGuinn: “Around 1965, we were touring in a motor home in Rome, Georgia and for some reason a doctor driving a Cadillac took offense at us. He drove his car into the front of our motor home and we all kind of stopped and the cops came. The guy that showed up was officer Pope and we were in Rome, Georgia. The doctor said, “These guys ran into me!” Officer Pope takes a look at the car and the motor home and said, “Looks like you ran into them doctor.” And he just let us all go. Back then, anybody with long hair in the south was considered suspicious.”
“When we played the Grand Ole Opry we got a real cool reception there. It wasn’t friendly, we got booed. It was like we were invading hippies and they didn’t like it. I bumped into Marty Stuart about ten years ago; he was the master of ceremonies at this IMAX movie that Dolly Parton was in. Marty and I sat down and he pulled out this B-Bender guitar and starts playing all of Clarence White’s licks. I went, “Wow, I haven’t heard those for thirty years …this is great!” So Marty and I started playing together and kept in touch and he invited me back to The Opry about a year ago. So forty three years after they sort of kicked us out of The Grand Ole Opry, I got to play it again with Marty.”
Ray Shasho:  Roger, thank you for spending time with me today, but especially for all the great music that you gave to all of us through the years. We look forward to your show at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater on March 17th.
Roger McGuinn: “Thanks Ray, we’ll see you in Clearwater.”

A very special thank you goes out to Camilla McGuinn for arranging this interview.

Roger McGuinn official website www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/mcguinn
Roger McGuinn Folk Den http://folkden.com
Order… CCD -23 songs of the sea (Roger McGuinn’s latest release) at www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/mcguinn, Cdbaby.com or amazon.com.

Roger McGuinn performs live at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater on Saturday, March 17th at 7:30p.m.

© Copyright rayshasho.com. All Rights Reserved

Contact Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com


Order Ray’s new book called Check the Gs –The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business at amazon.com or iuniverse.com.  

 
I found Check the Gs to be pure entertainment, fantastic fun and a catalyst to igniting so many memories of my own life, as I too am within a few years of Ray. So to all, I say if you have a bit of grey hair (or no hair), buy this book!  It’s a great gift for your “over-the-hill” friends, or for their kids, if they are the history buffs of younger generations trying to figure out why we are the way we are. ~~Pacific Book Review

Exclusive: British Blues trailblazer Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown –CD Review: ‘Voodoo Moon’

By Ray Shasho


British Blues extraordinaire Kim Simmonds recently accomplished a remarkable rock and roll milestone by celebrating forty five years with his legendary blues/rock band Savoy Brown. Since 1966, Simmonds has been founding member, lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter of the band. Savoy Brown was part of the UK blues progression that helped to regenerate and popularize blues music in America throughout the 60’s.

Simmonds originally formed The Savoy Brown Blues Band in 1965. The original lineup of Savoy Brown included Kim Simmonds on lead guitar, Bruce Portius on vocals,  Bob Hall on keyboards, Martin Stone on guitars, Ray Chappell on bass, and Leo Manning on drums. The lineup appeared on their 1967 debut album Shakedown, featuring a collection of blues cover tunes.

In 1968, Simmonds decided that the band needed a new direction and brought in Chris Youlden as their lead vocalist, Lonesome Dave Peverett on guitars, Rivers Jobe on bass, and Roger Earl on drums with perhaps one of the bands strongest lineups to date. Savoy Brown toured and recorded extensively spawning the albums Getting to the Point, Blue Matter, (featuring the hit single, “Train to Nowhere”) A Step Further, (featuring crowd pleaser, “I’m Tired,”) Raw Sienna and Looking In. Savoy Brown quickly developed a huge fan base in the U.S and became a mainstay on progressive rock format radio and concert arenas worldwide.

In 1970, lead vocalist Chris Youlden departed. Shortly thereafter, new bassist Tony Stevens, Lonesome Dave Peverett, and Roger Earl, left to form their new group Foghat along with ex-Black Cat Bones guitarist Rod Price. Foghat went on to score big commercially using Kim Simmonds formulation of blues-rock-boogie from Savoy Brown. Critics claim that Savoy Brown should have been a commercially successful supergroup if it weren’t for all the personnel changes over the years.

In 1971, a new Savoy Brown lineup was formed that included former members of Chicken Shack along with vocalist Dave Walker (later joined Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath). The band released, Street Corner Talking. The album brought the band their best chart success to date featuring Motown classics, “I Can’t Get Next To You” and “Tell Mama” which took the band to platinum status.

Kim Simmonds /Savoy Brown are the epitome of what rock and roll was… and should always be. Deep-rooted, pure, artistic, manifesto, virtuoso, everlasting… these are the components that should land Kim Simmonds in the rock and roll hall of fame. Savoy Brown is genuine rock and roll heritage. 

Savoy Brown’s current lineup is Kim Simmonds on guitars and vocals, Joe Whiting on sax and vocals, Pat DeSalvo on bass and Garnet Grimm on drums. Their latest release, Voodoo Moon credits Andy Rudy on keyboards and Ron Keck on percussions.

When you listen to Savoy Brown’s Voodoo Moon, you’ll understand why the band is genuine rock and roll heritage. Simmonds exhibits some of the greatest rock and roll lyrics to come out in years on Voodoo Moon. The opening track called, “Shockwave” is the quintessential rock and roll tune. Simmonds illustrates many of the greatest rock/blues catchphrases of all-time on the next track called, “Natural Man” a slow- rockin’ blues tune that recreates iconic bluesmen of past and present.

The next track… “Too Much Money” showcases sly melody with innovative guitar licks. “She’s Got The Heat” has got lyrics that could only have been written by rock and roll lore ... She pours on gasoline she makes the flame go higher. It’s a rock and roll boogie number featuring Kim Simmonds notorious slide- guitar wizardry and a tune that will certainly rock hard in front of a live audience.

“Look At The Sun” is another awesome melody with hints of Jim Morrison meets Frank Zappa meets Savoy Brown. Great guitars, great vocals, great sax, great song! Simmonds guitar virtuoso dazzles on the next track, a kick-ass instrumental spotlighting guitars and sax called,“24/7.”
The next track is a cool slow bluesy number called, “Round and Round” followed by the album’s title track, a daunting bluesy anthem called, “Voodoo Moon.” The last track on the album, “Meet The Blues Head On,” is an affirmation by Simmonds … Don’t run and hide you’ve got to meet the blues head on.

Voodoo Moon is authentic rock and blues at its very best!

Savoy Brown will be one of the headliners on the Hippiefest 2012 tour beginning in August. The bill will include Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, Leslie West and Kim Simmonds/Savoy Brown. Check my column regularly for updates and tour schedule.

I had the great opportunity to chat with Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown last week. Here’s my interview with the real deal. Legendary blues innovator/ guitar virtuoso/ songwriter/vocalist/rock and roll icon… Kim Simmonds.
Ray Shasho: Good morning Kim, you must be a morning person to want to do an interview at 9a.m.
Kim Simmonds: “Good Morning… yea, I’ve been a family man for all of my life so that will get you up in a hurry.”
Ray Shasho: First of all, I’d like to say congratulations on your 45th anniversary, that’s quite an accomplishment.
Kim Simmonds: “It is, isn’t it…hey I survived!”
Ray Shasho: I can’t imagine new bands having that kind of staying power. Do you think music has changed much over the years?
Kim Simmonds: “Life changes, music is changing, the music business is much the same when I first started; people are still using exactly the same equipment, still using Marshall and a Gibson you know? When I started I had a Vox amplifier and a Fender Telecaster and that’s what people are using now, so the equipment hasn’t changed at all. When I went to see The Clash play back in 1979, I went to the back of the stage and it had Savoy Brown all over the PA, they were using our old PA, the music was completely different, it was a new world, but they were using Savoy Brown’s old PA.”
“What has changed and probably affected the music business is the technology on the recording side. All I use to record is sixteen-tracks. You can go into any studio and have hundreds of tracks to use… why use any more? I limit myself and I think that helps. I think the new technology is fantastic, but it’s too beguiling, and I honestly think that you’ve got to control it. I think that’s affected music a lot nowadays, I see it with high profile artists from the classic rock generation that record and do things and get really plugged into the technological side and I think to myself, “Why the heck are they doing that? I mean… when they started they were on four-tracks, and they could never be better. So that’s the big change, and again it’s great and it should be used, but you’ve got to control it.”
 “What the younger crowd is going through …they seem to be quite happy. I’ve got a young teenage daughter who’s looking to perhaps go into musicals and become an actress; so that hasn’t changed. The beat goes on. It may not go on the same way when you were a teenager, but it’s going on. It’s not going to be the way we envisioned it but it’s going to still happen. When we’re dead and gone, it’s all still going to carry on exactly the same.”
Ray Shasho: Is your daughter a musician like her famous dad?
Kim Simmonds: “She was in the school orchestra, stuff like that, and could have been a very good musician, but it’s just nothing she’s interested in. It’s kind of illuminating when you have children who are quite talented and you think, ‘Well, they could be a musician” but you’ve got to want to do it, and you’ve got to have that calling. She could have been an “A” musician but it just didn’t interest her, so she’s gone on a different path and she’s quite academic, but I think she has perhaps a dream to be on stage as an actress or be on Broadway.”
Ray Shasho: Just once in today’s age, I’d like to pull up next to a car with a couple of teenagers who are stopped at a red light, and hear rock and roll music blasting through their car speakers instead of hip hop or dance music.
Kim Simmonds: “That’s why people were so upset with disco because it was just dance music. I’m not against dance music but it tends to be the common denominator.You’re not talking about virtuosity you’re talking about getting people to dance. It’s a lot different than playing an instrument with virtuosity.  The great thing about blues, rock, classic rock, jazz music, and especially in the old days, there was some kind of virtuoso musician involved. A young kid 18 or 19, but somehow or another, this kid could play the drums, the guitar, the keyboards, operatic voices some of these guys had. And so there was this talent that had a virtuoso type of appeal. And that I think is the classic hallmark of classic rock. If you listen to Deep Purple you’re not just listening to a dance band, you’re listening to virtuoso musicians playing, You’re listening to some of the best organ playing, guitar playing, and drumming you’re going to hear. That is an element that sometimes get’s missed from current music. There’s not that virtuoso element.”
Ray Shasho: I snooped around your website and saw that you were playing a gig soon with Johnny Winter at the Egg in Albany, New York, and then really got excited when I saw the announcement you made stating that Savoy Brown are going to be one of the headliners on the Hippiefest 2012 tour featuring…Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, Leslie West and Savoy Brown.
Kim Simmonds: “Yea, I signed on with it, and I think this particular lineup makes sense for me. I’ve been offered it before, but this time I think it makes complete sense.”
Ray Shasho: I covered the Hippiefest 2011 tour by interviewing Dave Mason and Mark Farner. Than…I did a review of the show at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. That show was a huge success. I think the 2012 lineup will have the same impact or perhaps an even bigger impact than the last tour.
Kim Simmonds:“Oh really, that’s great to hear and good feedback…Great!”
Ray Shasho: Baby-Boomers are starving for entertainment from their generation; reliving those unfettered times. Anytime you put a show together of this caliber it’s going to be a huge success.
Kim Simmonds:“And I think we’re all the same, I’m a professional musician and probably a little bit different than the average fan, but I was on Sirius Satellite Radio the other day, my wife’s got it in her car, and I had it on classic rock and some track came on and I thought, “Man, this is really good stuff you know,” and I’m really enjoying it... and it was Iron Butterfly from the Metamorphosis album. I wasn’t a big Iron Butterfly fan back then; it wasn’t my kind of thing… I was more into the blues thing, and there was a lot of hype around them, but I’m telling you it was a breath of fresh air. It sounded great, it was well constructed music, it played well, it was engaging, and I suddenly realized…and I know that I’m part of the classic rock generation, but I was surprised how good they were, a band that I hadn’t given much consideration to. So I could see if I were a fan and not playing and making my money from this, I’d probably buy the album and engage myself even more into that time period, realizing it doesn’t get much better than this.”
Ray Shasho: I’ve always thought that bands like Savoy Brown, The Yardbirds, The Animals, John Mayall/The Bluesbreakers etc. were way ahead of their time for recognizing the great American blues artists and reintroducing their music to America, while adding their own twists to the songs.
Kim Simmonds:“Thanks, and a lot of other musicians have also said that to me. It’s always nice to hear, I don’t know what we were doing that was that different. There was a lot of taste-makers in Britain at the time. One of them was my older brother so I was very lucky to have people like that and his friends, the guys that discovered the American music in its blues form that was going on. Through those taste-makers it funneled down to would-be musicians like myself and my contemporaries. I think we were very lucky to have mentors around us that said, “Hey listen to this… listen to that.” And that’s where it comes from really. It’s probably happening to us right now, you can never see it when it’s happening in your own time. But when it becomes part of history, it’s very easy to see that Howlin’ Wolf was great, it’s very easy to see now that he’s on a postage stamp. It’s very easy to see that Howlin’ Wolf is great, but back then it wasn’t. Only a few people realized… this man is fantastic! And it was those few people who realized that, who were able to convey on to other people. So I was the benefactor really of people like my brother who brought me up and said, “Hey, listen to this stuff,” and I was very young.”
“I grew up listening to Bill Haley through my brother. Even now when I play, “Rock Around the Clock,” it’s probably the best rock and roll album that’s ever been recorded. It’s not because I’m sentimental, I don’t live in the past at all, but I do recognize it happens to be a fantastic record and remarkable, I’ve studied a little bit on how they recorded it and its phenomenal. And there’s nothing better than listening to rock and roll or blues on a 78. I started listening to rock and roll on 78’s, my brother’s collection… Elvis, Little Richard. “Good Golly Miss Molly” on a 78 just sounds outrageous!  Elmore James or Otis Rush, you put these blues guys on a 78 and still today it’s a phenomenal sound.”
Ray Shasho: I loved the 45’s, I played them on the air when I was a Top 40 deejay and collected them when I was a kid. I really liked the way 45’s sounded.
Kim Simmonds:“I still have my 45 collection. Guess what the first 45 that I ever bought was?  This would be around 1961 or 62.”
Ray Shasho: “The Twist” or “Let’s Twist Again” by Chubby Checker?
Kim Simmonds:“Very close! It was, “Twist and Shout” by The Isley Brothers. And I loved it because it was a rocker, pre-Beatles, and the ‘B’ side was an instrumental… which I loved.”
Ray Shasho: So were these some of the guys that you emulated while you were growing up?
Kim Simmonds: “Again, I had great mentors, so I quickly realized that from the 1950’s, Bill Doggett was the premiere R&B band, and they had a lot of big hits. His guitar player Billy Butler was a huge influence on me. Billy Butler would play some jazzy blues stuff, and he would play in a style that was easily assimilated for someone like myself. But it was finesse and very sophisticated. So the very first single that I recorded with Savoy Brown was called, “True Blue” and that is a Billy Butler & Bill Doggett instrumental. That was the very first thing that I recorded for Purdah Records with the band. So, that’s how big of an influence he was on me. I had a foot in the 50’s because of my brother, but I’m very much of a 60’s person of course. But all the stuff that we recorded in the 60’s, had a foot in the 50’s.”
Ray Shasho: I remember buying albums when I was a teenager based on what the front cover looked liked. I’d listen to a group no one else knew about, and I’d feel so underground.
Kim Simmonds:“My latest Voodoo Moon, they put out on vinyl. The box came a couple of days before Christmas, and then I had a New Years Eve party, a friend of mine was here who was a big record collector and he deals in records. He said, “I’ve got the LP let me give you a couple of copies,” and that was the first time that I really looked at it. We put it on the table and it looked so magnificent. The artwork, it was just like… wow, look at this thing, it was like a revelation to suddenly realize how good an album looks. Like you said when you went into those record stores years ago and picked up an album you had this fairly large piece of artwork to assimilate and you could tell from the artwork what was inside. It wasn’t a compressed piece of art; it’s like looking at a painting. When you see a photo like a Van Gogh, it’s all compressed and all smoothed out, like what you see in a book. Then when you go to the museum, it’s a revelation. Because it’s all these brush strokes and scratches, you can hardly look at it because you’ve seen this compressed version in books, and then when you see the real thing it’s a shock. It’s the same when you look at a record album… it’s six times bigger.”
Ray Shasho: You can also read the lyrics a lot easier too. (All laughing)
Let’s talk about your latest release, Voodoo Moon; I think it has all the makings of a great rock/blues album. You made a statement on the inside of the CD cover stating that it’s some of the best lyrics that you’ve written since the early 70’s, and I have to agree. I especially loved the lyric; She pours on gasoline she makes the flame go higher, from the tune “She’s Got The Heat.”
Kim Simmonds:“I’m so happy you said that because I thought that was a very good lyric and we struggled with that song. Greg Spencer is my producer, he has been for years, and we tried that song in various tempos and different styles and I really had to hang on to that song because all of a sudden I was getting the feeling that this song might not make it. And I kept saying to myself and people around me; listen to this, “I think that’s a bloody good lyric.” So, I’m glad you said that, because people have said they liked the song, but nobody has said exactly what you said, “Hey that lyrics not bad.””
Ray Shasho: Only a rock and roll legend can write a lyric like that.
Kim Simmonds:“Well thank you, I tell you what, I knew I had something and it doesn’t come very often.” (Laughing)
Ray Shasho: And it’s a tune that must be played live in front of an audience.
Kim Simmonds:“Yea, we max it out. In fact, often when I play it live I don’t play the blues slide on it, I play rock and roll guitar like Link Ray. And that suits the song very well. But I did it on the album with the slide to keep it into the blues genre.”
Ray Shasho: On the song, “Meet The Blues Head On” it sounds like you’re making a personal statement.  
Kim Simmonds: “The whole album is a personal statement.I think any of the best songs are when you make some kind of personal statement and certainly the best blues songs. So when I first wrote that, I didn’t have it personalized and my agent and sometimes manager Steve Ozark said when I played him the demo, “I don’t hear enough of a personal statement from you,” so I worked more on the versus to make them more personal and it made more sense. So I think it is important to make a personal statement and you’ve got to carry it through the whole song.”
Ray Shasho: How long did it take to complete Voodoo Moon?  
Kim Simmonds: “I mean, “Natural Man” I’ve had the title for years, and I’ve had “Voodoo Moon” for years, and it’s there on the shelf and you come back to this stuff and think, “Is that a good title? It isn’t a good title?” You just don’t know. Is that a good line or am I kidding myself …Do you know what I mean?  And that’s why Greg Spencer is the producer, I run the songs by him and he can tell me what’s good and what’s bad, because I don’t know. It’s very difficult to know when you’ve got something and that’s why so many people make so many bad records or so many bad songs, because you don’t know yourself, you have to have someone on the other side to tell you.”
Ray Shasho: Savoy Brown was always a great blues/rock band but never enjoyed huge commercial success, and then three of your bandmates leave Savoy Brown to form Foghat using basically the foundation of Savoy Brown to score big commercially. How does that happen? 
Kim Simmonds: “They took all my ideas when they left, which I didn’t mind because I was moving on to other ideas. And we were great friends, don’t get me wrong. It’s only natural when they left that they would sound like Savoy Brown. I just think that they were able to stay focused on that path where I was more the vagrant artist and went this way and that way in search of myself. I think Dave with Foghat stayed on that path, honed it down, and they were one of my favorite bands, and they’re a great band. Rod Price was a great guitar player and never got a mention. He did some bloody good work on those Foghat records and never gets a mention.”
 “It’s as simple as that, they just stuck to the path, which is a path that I’d given them, and I just chose to go a much more material route. I was very happy for their success and never had any bad feelings at all. Loved Dave and I still love Roger. It was a very fulfilling relationship and I’m so sad that both Dave and Rod are gone.”
Ray Shasho: Wrapping up, Kim I heard that you picked up a new guitar recently and really digging a new sound?  
Kim Simmonds: “Yea, it’s a DBZ made by Dean Zelinsky from the old Deans Guitars. And this new guitar I think is going to take me a little higher. People already are commenting on the sound. So I think I may have found on top of everything else, an instrument that brings out a little bit more from me, and I’m quite excited about it. I’ve already made a couple of demos using it because I’m thinking of doing an instrumental solo album down the line. I played a couple of demos on New Year’s Eve for Greg and he loved the guitar sound. He said that’s the guitar sound you’ve got to use. So I think I’m moving forward.”
Ray Shasho: Kim thank you for being on the call with me today, but more importantly thank you for 45 great years of blues and rock and roll music. I hope to see you in the rock and roll hall of fame one day soon because you truly deserve it.
Kim Simmonds: “Thanks Ray, it’s been a real pleasure talking with you.”

Savoy Brown/Kim Simmonds official website www.savoybrown.com
Order Voodoo Moon by Savoy Brown at amazon.com
I want to thank Mark Pucci Media for arranging this interview www.markpuccimedia.com
Stay tuned for more information on Hippiefest 2012 concert dates.

Coming up next Ray’s interview with legendary Byrds frontman Roger McGuinn

© Copyright rayshasho.com. All Rights Reserved

Order Ray Shasho’s great new book called Check the Gs –The True Story of an Eclectic  American Family and Their Wacky Family Business. Get your copy at amazon.com or iuniverse.com 

Normalcy is a myth and anyone who tells you differently isn't very normal. "Check the Gs" is a memoir from Ray Shasho who tells of his own offbeat upbringing working in the family business art gallery, from a young age. Of Cuban and Syrian descent, he tells a very American story of coming from everything, seeing everything, walking the line of the law and much more. A fun and fast paced memoir, "Check the Gs" is a worthwhile addition to many a memoir collection. ~~ MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW


Contact Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com

 

 Ray’s classic rock blogs… www.classicrockhereandnow.com   www.checkthegs.blogspot.com
Author blog… greatnewmemoir.blogspot.com

BLONDIE to Perform at Fundraiser in Bradenton for Forty Carrots Family Center

By Ray Shasho

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Blondie will be performing a private concert on Saturday March 24th at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton. The Firefly Gala is a fundraiser for Forty Carrots Family Center and sponsored by The Dart Foundation.

Guided by the belief that the family is the foundation of our society, Forty Carrots Family Center is a nonprofit organization in Sarasota, Florida dedicated to strengthening families through educational programs for parents, children, and professionals in the field. 92% of the families served by Forty Carrots receive free early childhood and parenting education thanks to the generosity of the community. Forty Carrots serves a broad cross section of the community-from teen parents and young homeless mothers to stay- at- home parents and young professionals.

The event is by invitation only. Invites are available to donors and sponsors. To donate and/or sponsor the event, contact the benefitting charity, Forty Carrots Family Center at 941-365-7716 or email at info@fortycarrots.com or visit www.fortycarrots.org.

Tickets (including tables and couples) are currently available through sponsorships. Gala tickets (including dinner and the concert) will be on sale for $250 per guest.
The Concessions Golf Club is located at 7700 Lindrick Lane in Bradenton. The event begins at 6p.m. The Gala includes world class dining by renown restaurateur and Chef Sean Murphy and an opportunity to win exciting auction prizes. Last year’s Gala spotlighted KC And The Sunshine Band.

Blondie was formed in 1974 by original guitarist Chris Stein and Miami- born Debbie Harry. The band amassed huge Punk followings at New York’s famed CBGB’S, Max’s Kansas City (Debbie Harry was once a waitress there) and Mothers. Blondie’s overwhelming popularity led them to the studio where they recorded their first album called Blondie in 1976 - under the Private Stock label.

The band toured in 1977 with Iggy Pop and David Bowie in support of their first album.
In the summer of 1977, Blondie released their second album called Plastic Letters, followed by a tour of Europe and Asia.

They were considered to be a ‘New Wave’ -underground band until the release of their third studio album called Parallel Lines. The album considered to be their best effort spawned huge hits like- “Hanging on the Telephone,” “Sunday Girl,” “One Way or Another,” and their Billboard Hot 100 number #1 mega hit “Heart of Glass.”  The song was sneered at by their faithful as a sellout to their rooted Punk and New Wave principals for entering the commercially successful world of Disco music. Nevertheless, the Harry/Stein penned chart topper went Gold and became Blondie’s trademark tune.

During my stint in radio as a deejay, “Heart of Glass” and Peaches and Herb’s “Reunited” became the most requested songs on the airwaves.

Over the next several years, Blondie became known for their eclectic music styles. While maintaining a ‘New Wave’ base, the group ventured into Disco, Pop, Rap and Reggae.

In 1979, Blondie released their fourth studio album called Eat to the Beat. The album generated the hits “Dreaming” #2 in the U.K., Atomic #1 in the UK and “Call Me” (theme song from American Gigolo) spent 6 weeks at #1 in the U.S. and became their biggest hit song.The album  also went certified Platinum.
Blondie’s fifth album, Autoamerican spawned the Reggae-ish tune “The Tide is High,” another #1 hit in the U.S. and U.K. and “Rapture” another #1 hit.  Released in 1981, Rapture was considered crucial in formulating Rap music. It was the first single with rap content to be a chart-topper in the U.S. The album went Platinum.

After the release of their sixth studio album called The Hunter in 1982, the band split-up and Debbie Harry pursued a solo career. The album produced their final U.S. hit called “Island of Lost Souls” before Chris Stein fell ill with a rare and often fatal genetic disease which led to the band’s breakup. Harry cared for Stein who eventually recovered.

Blondie reformed in 1997 and regained their popularity with the release of their seventh album called No Exit. The album produced the #1 hit single in the U.K. and 14 other countries called “Maria.” The album sold more than 2-million units worldwide.

Albums that followed were No Exit, Live in New York, Livid, The Curse of Blondie, Live by Request, Live, Best Live and Live in Toronto.

Blondie celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2006 with their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the release of Greatest Hits: Sound &Vision, a best-of collection that contained all their classic videos.
Blondie has sold more than 40 million records worldwide.

Blondie’s latest release is called Panic of Girls. The album’s front cover artwork was created by Dutch cult artist Chris Berens.

Forty Carrots Family Center website www.fortycarrots.org
Follow the Firefly Gala on Facebook ...
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Firefly-Gala/108778572524348
The Dart Foundation website   www.dartfoundation.org
Blondie official website http://www.blondie.net/


Coming up next…Ray interviews The Byrds legendary frontman Roger McGuinn and Savoy Brown’s guitar virtuoso Kim Simmonds.

Don’t forget to purchase Author/Columnist Ray Shasho’s fabulous new book called, ‘Check the Gs’-The True Story of an Eclectic American Family and Their Wacky Family Business.

 Order your copy at amazon.com, iuniverse.com, barnesandnoble.com or borders.com
 
Contact Ray Shasho at rockraymond.shasho@gmail.com