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Muffin Men
The Muffin Men are a British musical group founded in 1990 and based in Liverpool, England, which primarily plays the music of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. Rather than play pieces note-for-note as originally written by Zappa, the band play their own interpretations of Zappa's material. They intend to cater to strengths of the current line-up, often giving the music a different slant from the original versions. The group formed in 1990, originally to play a one-off concert to celebrate Zappa's fiftieth birthday. They are named after Zappa's 1975 song " Muffin Man". Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic the band toured for thirty unbroken years around the UK, Europe and Scandinavia, performing Zappa's music as a tribute band, along with some of their own compositions. Until his death in 2008, the band often featured guest vocals and percussion Jimmy Carl Black, who performed with Zappa in the Mothers of Invention. With Black, they also performed material by Captain Beef ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Carl Black
James Inkanish, Jr. (February 1, 1938 – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Jimmy Carl Black, was an original member of the Mothers of Invention, providing drums and vocals. He is known for introducing the songs “ Are you Hung Up?” and “ Concentration Moon” from the Mothers album '' We're Only in It for the Money'' saying “hi boys and girls, my name is Jimmy Carl Black and I’m the Indian of the Group.” Background and early career: 1960s–1990s Born in El Paso, Texas, Black was Cheyenne; both his father James Inkanish Sr. and his mother Jennie Inkanish (née Dorris) were citizens of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. 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 ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray White
Ray Shirley White Sr. is an African Americans, African American soul music, soul vocalist and rock and blues guitarist, best known as a member of Frank Zappa's touring ensembles. He was drafted into Zappa's band in late 1976, being featured on rhythm guitar and vocals, forming a vocal harmony partnership with Ike Willis on later tours in 1980 and 1984. White's vocals can be heard on ''Zappa in New York'' (March 1978) and ''You Are What You Is'' (September 1981) as well as others. White can also be found on a ''The Torture Never Stops (video), The Torture Never Stops'' and ''Does Humor Belong in Music? (video), Does Humor Belong in Music?''; the former is a DVD from Zappa's 1981 tour (without Ike Willis) and the latter filmed at the pier in New York in 1984; the video features White and Ike Willis' vocal harmonies. According to Zappa, White, who was deeply religious, was uncomfortable with the atheistic views of some of the other band members, which led to his departure. Whi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I'm The Slime
"I'm the Slime" is a 1973 single by Frank Zappa and The Mothers from the studio album '' Over-Nite Sensation''. The single version is a different mix and edit from the version on the album. Live recordings of the song can be found on '' Zappa in New York'' and '' You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 1'', the latter version having been performed and recorded on the same night as the majority of tracks appearing on 1974's '' Roxy and Elsewhere''. "I'm the Slime" and its b-side version of "Montana" were put on Zappa's best of ''Strictly Commercial''. It was performed in concert from 1973 to 1977 and 1984. Lyrics and meaning The song contains two parts; the first part is a riddle of insults in the form of "what am I?" "I am gross and perverted. I'm obsessed 'n deranged. I have existed for years, but very little has changed. I'm the tool of the government and industry too, for I am destined to rule and regulate you. I may be vile and pernicious, but you can't look away. I make ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ben Watson (music Writer)
Ben Watson (born 1956) is a British writer on music and culture of Marxist views, known especially for his writings on Frank Zappa. Watson is well known as a regular contributor to ''The Wire'', as well as the author of numerous books, often entailing studies of popular culture from the perspective of Marxist aesthetics. Watson was a member of the British Trotskyist Socialist Workers' Party; his writing combines this background together with influences from Theodor Adorno and the Frankfurt School, the Situationists and wider cultural interests including the writings of James Joyce and J.H. Prynne. His first full-length book, ''Frank Zappa: The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play'' argued that Zappa's work was part of the protest against capitalist society. Watson calls his own field of study in this area Zappology. He is also an experimental poet and novelist; his first novel ''Shit-Kicks and Dough-Balls'' was published in 2003. Watson's partner is the Marxist philosopher (and sc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eugene Chadbourne
Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic. Life and career Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar when he was 11 or 12 years old, inspired by the Beatles and hoping to get the attention of girls. Although he was drawn to Jimi Hendrix and played in a garage band, he found rock and pop music too conventional. He gravitated to the avant-garde jazz of Anthony Braxton and Derek Bailey (guitarist), Derek Bailey. Braxton persuaded Chadbourne to abandon his intention to enter journalism and instead pursue music. During the early 1970s, he lived in Canada to avoid military service in the Vietnam War. Returning to the United States, he moved to New York City in the mid-1970s and played free improvisation with Henry Kaiser (musician), Henry Kaiser and John Zorn. Around this time, he released his first album, ''Solo Acoustic Guitar''. In the early 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur Brown (musician)
Arthur Wilton Brown (born 24 June 1942)Marshall 2005, p. 25. is an English singer and songwriter best known for his flamboyant and theatrical performances, eclectic (and sometimes experimental) work and his powerful, wide-ranging operatic voice, in particular his high pitched banshee Screaming (music), screams. He is also notable for his unique stage persona, featuring extreme facepaint and a burning helmet. Brown has been the lead singer of various groups, most notably the Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Kingdom Come (British band), Kingdom Come, followed by a varied solo career as well as associations with Hawkwind, the Who and Klaus Schulze. In the late 1960s, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown's popularity was such that the group shared bills with the Who, Jimi Hendrix, the Mothers of Invention, the Doors, Small Faces and Joe Cocker, among others.Richie Unterberger (2014). "Urban Spacemen & Wayfaring Strangers [Revised & Expanded Ebook Edition]: Overlooked Innovators & Eccentr ... [...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 best known for being a member of the original version of Frank Zappa's band The Mothers of Invention during the late 1960s. He continued to work with Zappa during the early 1970s following the band's split. 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. He served 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 intro ... [...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 Gardne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ed Mann
Edward L. Mann (January 14, 1955 – May 31, 2024) was an American musician best known for his mallet percussion performances onstage with Frank Zappa's ensemble from 1977 to 1988, and his appearances on over 30 of Zappa's albums, both studio recordings and with Zappa's band live. Mann also released a number of CDs as a bandleader and composer. Life and career Mann described himself as "a drummer and piano dabbler since childhood." He formed a band with Tommy Mars in mid 1973; by the end of that year he was studying with John Bergamo at CalArts. In 1977, Frank Zappa asked Bergamo to do some overdubbing on the '' Zappa In New York'' album and Bergamo in turn recommended Mann. A few months later Ruth Underwood told Mann that Zappa was looking for a second keyboard player. When Mann called to recommend Tommy Mars ("At midnight, the only time when you could reach Frank by phone"), Zappa invited him to come to his house. Mann went to the house, where Terry Bozzio, Patrick O'Hearn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Cavern Club
The Cavern Club is a music venue on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England. The Cavern Club opened on 16 January 1957 as a jazz club, later becoming a centre of the rock and roll scene in Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The club became closely associated with Merseybeat and regularly played host to the Beatles in their early years.. The Cavern Club closed in 1973 and was filled in during construction work on the Merseyrail underground rail loop. It reopened in 1984. It was temporarily closed again from 1989 to 1991, and has been open ever since. History of the Cavern Club Early history Alan Sytner, having been inspired by the jazz district in Paris where there were a number of clubs in cellars, returned to Liverpool and strove to open a club similar to the Le Caveau de la Huchette jazz club. He eventually found a fruit warehouse where people were leasing the cellar, which had been used as an air raid shelter in World War II. Tropical fruit used to be stored there ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Denny Walley
Denny Walley (born February 4, 1943) is an American guitarist. He was born in Pennsylvania. He is known for working with Frank Zappa in the 1970s and '80s. Career Denny Walley spent much of his childhood in New York City before his family moved to Lancaster, California, in 1955 where he met Frank Zappa. Denny Walley has played with many bands over the years and is best known for his work with Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention and Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. He also played briefly with in 1972. Captain Beefheart gave him the nickname Feelers Rebo. From 2003 to 2014, he toured regularly with the reformed [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Martin (singer)
Robert "Bobby" Martin (born June 29, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Martin sings and plays keyboards, horn, saxophones and other instruments. He is mainly known for collaborating in the 1980s with the musician Frank Zappa, although he is also a prominent session musician, composer of music for cinema, theater, television and advertising, musical director and music teacher. He also directs music production company Think Method Production with Stephen Boyd. He recognizes as musical influences Ray Charles, Stravinsky, Coltrane, Rachmaninoff, Mose Allison, Cannonball Adderley, David "Fathead" Newman, Steely Dan, Frank Zappa and Etta James. Biography Childhood Martin was born in Philadelphia in June 1948, the son of opera singers. His grandmother worked at RCA in Trenton, New Jersey, giving Robert access to a variety of 78 RPM records. Growing up in the 1950s in this city, and with a deeply musical atmosphere at h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
