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Brown Shoes Don't Make It
"Brown Shoes Don't Make It" is a song by The Mothers of Invention, written by band leader Frank Zappa. It is the 14th (12th on the original vinyl) and penultimate song on their second album ''Absolutely Free''. The song is one of his most widely renowned works, declared by the ''AllMusic'' as "Zappa's first real masterpiece". History The title was inspired by an event covered by ''Time'' magazine reporter Hugh Sidey in 1966. The reporter correctly guessed that something was amiss when the fastidiously dressed President Lyndon B. Johnson made the sartorial faux pas of wearing brown shoes with a gray suit. Johnson flew to Vietnam for a surprise public relations visit later that day. Live versions of this song are featured on the albums ''Tinsel Town Rebellion'' and ''Road Tapes, Venue 2''. Music and lyrics The song was written in April 1966 during a trip to Honolulu where The Mothers played for a week at a club called "Da Swamp". The lyrics are derived from Zappa's belief that peo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Mothers Of Invention
The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band called the Soul Giants, the band's first lineup included Ray Collins, David Coronado, Ray Hunt, Roy Estrada, and Jimmy Carl Black. Frank Zappa was asked to take over as the guitarist following a fight between Collins and Coronado, the band's original saxophonist/leader. Zappa insisted that they perform his original material, and on Mother's Day in 1965, changed their name to the Mothers. Record executives demanded that the name be changed, and so "out of necessity," Zappa later said, "we became the Mothers of Invention." After early struggles, the Mothers earned substantial popular commercial success. The band first became popular playing in California's underground music scene in the late 1960s. With Zappa at the helm, it was signed t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psychedelic Rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording techniques, extended instrumental solos, and improvisation. Many psychedelic groups differ in style, and the label is often applied spuriously. Originating in the mid-1960s among British and American musicians, the sound of psychedelic rock invokes three core effects of LSD: depersonalization, dechronicization, and dynamization, all of which detach the user from everyday reality. Musically, the effects may be represented via novelty studio tricks, electronic or non-Western instrumentation, disjunctive song structures, and extended instrumental segments. Some of the earlier 1960s psychedelic rock musicians were based in folk, jazz, and the blues, while others showcased an explicit Indian classical influence called " raga rock". In the 1960 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Ellis
Donald Johnson Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his life he worked as a film composer, contributing a score to 1971's '' The French Connection'' and 1973's ''The Seven-Ups''. Biography Early life Ellis was born in Los Angeles, California, on July 25, 1934. His father was a Methodist minister and his mother a church organist. He attended West High School in Minneapolis, MN. After attending a Tommy Dorsey Big Band concert, he first became interested in jazz. Other early inspirations were Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. He graduated from Boston University in 1956 with a music composition degree. Early career Ellis' first job was with the late Glenn Miller's band, then directed by Ray McKinley. He stayed with the band until September 1956, when he joined the U.S. Army's Seventh Army ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Fielder
Jim Fielder (born October 4, 1947 in Denton, Texas) is an American bassist, best known for his work as an original member of Blood, Sweat & Tears. Fielder attended Loara High School in Anaheim, California. While at Loara, the young Fielder befriended classmates Tim Buckley and Larry Beckett, a relationship that would launch Fielder into the music industry. Prior to joining BS&T he worked with Buckley, and he played in several other notable bands including Mastin & Brewer with Mike Brewer and Billy Mundi, Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention (for whom he played rhythm guitar), and Buffalo Springfield. Since he departed from BS&T, Fielder has worked extensively in the music industry both studio and live performances, and for 40+ years was a standing member of Neil Sedaka's band. Discography All albums are with Blood, Sweat & Tears unless otherwise noted. * ''Tim Buckley'' (1966) - with Tim Buckley * ''Absolutely Free'' (1966) – with The Mothers of Invention * ''Buffalo Sprin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Preston
Donald Ward Preston (born September 21, 1932) is an American jazz and rock keyboardist. He is known for working with Frank Zappa from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s. Biography Preston was born into a family of musicians in Detroit and began studying music at an early age. His father played saxophone and trumpet, and had been offered the lead trumpet chair in the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Upon moving the family to Detroit, Don's father became the staff arranger for NBC, and was the composer-in-residence for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Don took sporadic lessons on the piano from the age of about five. In 1950 Preston began a stint in the Army, serving in Trieste, Italy and playing in the Army band (initially piano, bass drum and glockenspiel) alongside Herbie Mann. In Trieste he shared a barracks with fellow recruit Buzz Gardner, who introduced him to contemporary classical composers such as Béla Bartók, Anton Webern, Alban Berg and Arnold Schoenberg. Preston took up the b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Mundi
Billy Mundi (born Antonio Salas, September 25, 1942 in San Francisco – March 29, 2014) was an American drummer best known as a member of The Mothers of Invention and Rhinoceros. He also worked as a session musician. He sometimes used the name Tony Schnasse. A former Hells Angel, his career dates back to the late 1950s, when he majored in music at UCLA. After graduation, Mundi worked for three months as a timpanist in the Los Angeles Philharmonic before moving into studio work and a succession of local bands. In the early 1960s he played in Skip Battin's group, Skip and The Flips, and worked as a session musician on Tim Buckley's debut album among others. Mundi was briefly a member of The Lamp of Childhood in mid-1966. In 1966, he joined The Mothers of Invention during the recording of the album ''Freak Out!'', and later provided drums for several subsequent Mothers albums. He also featured in the movie ''Uncle Meat''. He was enticed away from the Mothers by Jac Holzman at Ele ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bunk Gardner
Bunk Gardner (born John Leon Guarnera; May 2, 1933 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American musician who most notably played for the original version of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention until the group disbanded in 1969. He plays woodwinds and tenor sax. Career Gardner started playing music at the age of seven by taking piano lessons. When he was a teenager he started playing the tenor sax. In 1959 he played with Bud Wattles & his Orchestra's album ''Themes from the Hip''. Later he played with Joanna & the Playboys in 1962. By late 1966 Gardner had joined Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention, playing tenor sax and other woodwinds. The Mothers found success, with ''Absolutely Free'' and ''We're Only in It for the Money'' entering the charts. In late 1968 his brother Buzz Gardner joined the Mothers, staying until the group disbanded a year later. Gardner played with Menage A Trois with Buzz and John Balkin. Later he recorded with Geronimo Black and the Grandmothers. In 1980 Gardner ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roy Estrada
Roy Estrada (also known as "Roy Ralph Moleman Guacamole Guadalupe Hidalgo Estrada" and "Orejón"; born April 17, 1943) is an American former musician and convicted sex offender. He is best known for his bass guitar work with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention; for having been a founding member of Little Feat, playing on their first two studio albums; and for being a member of Captain Beefheart's the Magic Band. Estrada is currently incarcerated in the Texas State Prison System. He was convicted for sex offenses, first having been convicted of child sex abuse in 1994 and serving six years' imprisonment, then pleading guilty to abuse of a young relative in 2012. He will not be eligible for release until 2036, at which time he will be 93 years old. Career With drummer Jimmy Carl Black and vocalist Ray Collins, Estrada was an original member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. Previously, Estrada had been a founding member of the Soul Giants, the band from which the Mot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray Collins (rock Musician)
Ray Collins (November 19, 1936 – December 24, 2012) was an American musician. Early life Collins grew up in Pomona, California singing in his school choir, the son of a local police officer. He quit high school to get married. Career Collins started his musical career singing falsetto backup vocals for various doo-wop groups in the Los Angeles area in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including Little Julian Herrera and the Tigers. In 1963 Collins co-wrote Memories of El Monte with Frank Zappa. In 1964, Collins, drummer Jimmy Carl Black, bassist Roy Estrada, saxophonist Dave Coronado, and guitarist Ray Hunt formed The Soul Giants. Hunt was eventually replaced by Zappa, and the group evolved into the Mothers of Invention. Ray was the lead vocalist on most songs for their early albums, including ''Freak Out!'', ''Absolutely Free'', ''Cruising with Ruben & the Jets'' and ''Uncle Meat''. He additionally provided harmonica on ''Freak Out!''. In 1968 Ray quit The Mothers of Inventi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Carl Black
James Carl Inkanish, Jr. (February 1, 1938 – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Jimmy Carl Black, was a drummer and vocalist for The Mothers of Invention. Background and early career: 1960s–1990s Born in El Paso, Texas, Black was of Southern Cheyenne descent through his father. His trademark line was "Hi Boys and Girls, I'm Jimmy Carl Black, and I'm the Indian of the group." The line can be heard several times on The Mothers of Invention's album '' We're Only in It for the Money'' (for example, on the tracks " Are You Hung Up?" and "Concentration Moon"). The line can also be heard in Haskell Wexler's 1969 movie ''Medium Cool'', which uses several songs by Zappa and the Mothers. Black was also addressed as such by Theodore Bikel in the film '' 200 Motels''. He has been credited on some Mothers albums as playing "drums, vocals, and poverty". Black appeared in the movie directed by Frank Zappa, '' 200 Motels'', and sings the song "Lonesome Cowboy Burt". Black also ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the artists, producers, engineers, and other notable figures who have influenced its development. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was established on April 20, 1983, by Ahmet Ertegun, founder and chairman of Atlantic Records. After a long search for the right city, Cleveland was chosen in 1986 as the Hall of Fame's permanent home. Architect I. M. Pei designed the new museum, and it was dedicated on September 1, 1995. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation The RRHOF Foundation was established in 1983 by Ahmet Ertegun, who assembled a team that included ''Rolling Stone'' publisher Jann S. Wenner, record executives Seymour Stein, Bob Krasnow, and Noreen Woods, and attorneys Allen Grubman and Suzan Evans. The Foundation began in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by their vocal harmonies, adolescent-themed lyrics, and musical ingenuity, they are one of the most influential acts of the rock era. They drew on the music of older pop vocal groups, 1950s rock and roll, and black R&B to create their unique sound. Under Brian's direction, they often incorporated classical or jazz elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways. The Beach Boys began as a garage band, managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, with Brian serving as composer, arranger, producer, and ''de facto'' leader. In 1963, they enjoyed their first national hit with "Surfin' U.S.A.", beginning a string of top-ten singles that reflected a southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance, dubbed the " C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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