Do you remember what you were doing the evening of May 16, 1983? Well, you may have been one of the 47 million people tuned into NBC’s landmark special “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever.”
It was the star-studded celebration hosted by Emmy nominee Richard Pryor which saw Michael Jackson reuniting with his brothers for a medley of their Jackson 5 hits including “I Want You Back,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There.”
But it was Jackson’s solo performance of his blockbuster No. 1 hit “Billie Jean” from his breakthrough album “Thriller” which galvanized the audience. It was an electrifying turn where he introduced the fedora, black sequin jacket and glove and his momentous moonwalk routine during the bridge of the song, all of which became his trademarks when performing “Billie Jean.” The New York Times described the routine as “astonishing. He is clearly the heir apparent to the dazzling androgyny...
It was the star-studded celebration hosted by Emmy nominee Richard Pryor which saw Michael Jackson reuniting with his brothers for a medley of their Jackson 5 hits including “I Want You Back,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There.”
But it was Jackson’s solo performance of his blockbuster No. 1 hit “Billie Jean” from his breakthrough album “Thriller” which galvanized the audience. It was an electrifying turn where he introduced the fedora, black sequin jacket and glove and his momentous moonwalk routine during the bridge of the song, all of which became his trademarks when performing “Billie Jean.” The New York Times described the routine as “astonishing. He is clearly the heir apparent to the dazzling androgyny...
- 5/15/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Rolling Stone interview series Unknown Legends features long-form conversations between senior writer Andy Greene and veteran musicians who have toured and recorded alongside icons for years, if not decades. All are renowned in the business, but some are less well known to the general public. Here, these artists tell their complete stories, giving an up-close look at life on music’s A list. This edition features bassist Darryl Jones.
Darryl Jones has been playing bass in the Rolling Stones since 1993, logging almost exactly as many years in the band as original bassist Bill Wyman did.
Darryl Jones has been playing bass in the Rolling Stones since 1993, logging almost exactly as many years in the band as original bassist Bill Wyman did.
- 10/12/2022
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
The news of Dusty Hill’s death, announced Wednesday by his bandmates in Zz Top, deeply impacted everyone from fans to fellow musicians. Not surprisingly, that list includes Dan Auerbach. It’s easy to draw a straight line from Zz Top to the Black Keys, especially from the rawness of the group’s first few albums to the Keys’ earliest, equally stripped-down takes on the blues. “They were a blues band with their own sound,” Auerbach says, “and that’s hard to do.”
But the connection between the two bands ran deep.
But the connection between the two bands ran deep.
- 7/29/2021
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Robbie Shakespeare — reggae artist extraordinaire, prolific bassist, and in-demand producer alongside his longtime collaborator Sly Dunbar — admits he was “humbled” upon learning he made Rolling Stone’s recent list of the 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time.
“Number 17, that’s good,” Shakespeare says of his ranking, “compared to all the bass players in the world.” When asked where he’d put himself on the list, the Sly and Robbie hitmaker jokes, “Number two.”
For Shakespeare, great bass playing is all about “the style.” “Most bass players, like drummers, have a style,...
“Number 17, that’s good,” Shakespeare says of his ranking, “compared to all the bass players in the world.” When asked where he’d put himself on the list, the Sly and Robbie hitmaker jokes, “Number two.”
For Shakespeare, great bass playing is all about “the style.” “Most bass players, like drummers, have a style,...
- 7/21/2020
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
“Back in my day, nobody chose to be the bass player,” Geddy Lee says. “You were always a guitarist, and somebody said, ‘Well, we need a bass player,’ so they had a vote and you became the bass player.” With a laugh, the legendary Rush bassist adds, “That’s how I became a bass player: I was voted in. I think that was pretty common for the period, because everybody wanted to be Jimi Hendrix; everybody wanted to be Eric Clapton; everybody wanted to be Jimmy Page.”
Lee, who published...
Lee, who published...
- 7/2/2020
- by Hank Shteamer
- Rollingstone.com
A few weeks ago, New Yorkers were treated to an unusual sight: The cast of Ain’t Too Proud, the Broadway musical about the life of the Temptations, riding the subway with a camera crew. The idea was pure promotion — to maintain buzz for the Tony-winning show, which is now up for a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Ephraim Sykes, who plays the volatile and tragic David Ruffin, admits he had a few trepidations about the idea. “At first, none of us were like, ‘Yeah, let’s go sing on the subway!
- 12/20/2019
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Tune in to Et tonight for the broadcast debut of Michael Jackson's nephew Austin Brown's brand new music video Menage A Trois!
The video features the song Menage A Trois -- which Austin says was highly influenced by classic Motown and Stax records. "We wanted to create a song that channeled the Temptations and The Four Tops with James Jamerson on the bass," he said. The full video will premiere on Vevo on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old singer/songwriter -- the son of platinum-selling-artist Maureen "Rebbie" Jackson and the nephew of Michael and Janet Jackson -- is determined to make his own way despite his high-level music connections and decided to release the music via his own label, The Royal Factory.
Austin has also teamed up with AOL Music for an exclusive premiere of the song, which can be heard here. Beginning February 20, he'll also be streaming one song per week on his own site, along...
The video features the song Menage A Trois -- which Austin says was highly influenced by classic Motown and Stax records. "We wanted to create a song that channeled the Temptations and The Four Tops with James Jamerson on the bass," he said. The full video will premiere on Vevo on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old singer/songwriter -- the son of platinum-selling-artist Maureen "Rebbie" Jackson and the nephew of Michael and Janet Jackson -- is determined to make his own way despite his high-level music connections and decided to release the music via his own label, The Royal Factory.
Austin has also teamed up with AOL Music for an exclusive premiere of the song, which can be heard here. Beginning February 20, he'll also be streaming one song per week on his own site, along...
- 2/14/2012
- Entertainment Tonight
This week’s live performances on American Idol were all about classic Motown tunes for the top 11 contestants. The votes gathered over the two hours after these performances determine the top 10 contestants who will go on a national tour after the Idol season. So measuring up to a Motown classic was quite the difficult task last night.
The Idol hopefuls sang Motown hits ranging from 1963 – 1984. Casey Abrams was first to sing with “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” There were definitely two or three notes that he didn’t quite make, but the way that he controlled the song made this performance much greater than some may have anticipated. Also taking on a greater amount of control was Jacob Lusk while performing “You’re All I Need.” Joining him on the stage was one of the original Funk Brothers, Bob Babbitt in honor of the late great James Jamerson. With...
The Idol hopefuls sang Motown hits ranging from 1963 – 1984. Casey Abrams was first to sing with “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” There were definitely two or three notes that he didn’t quite make, but the way that he controlled the song made this performance much greater than some may have anticipated. Also taking on a greater amount of control was Jacob Lusk while performing “You’re All I Need.” Joining him on the stage was one of the original Funk Brothers, Bob Babbitt in honor of the late great James Jamerson. With...
- 3/24/2011
- by Melody Simpson
- BuzzFocus.com
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