Inside Zeppelin's 'Heaven' Nov 16, 2009
Throughout its career, Zeppelin had borrowed lyrics and reworked other artists songs without credit, including When the Levee Breaks, an old blues track from Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie, and Whole Lotta Love, over which the band was sued by singer Willie Dixon. Some critics have raised eyebrows over the similarities between the acoustic intro of Stairway to Heaven and Taurus, a 1968 song from the group Spirit. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
* Back to the blues Nov 13, 2009
Blues is the roots, everything else is the fruits, the legendary bassist and songwriter Willie Dixon once said. This saying rings true for many of the performers at Taipeis annual Blues Bash, which features a dozen acts tonight and tomorrow. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Corkey Siegel and Randy Sabien coming to the Sandwich Opera House stage Nov 6, 2009
He was introduced to the blues through his very first steady engagement at Peppers, the internationally renowned blues club where his job included performances with the masters themselves, such as Willie Dixon, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, and Howlin; Wolf. Corky Siegel has written and performed works for Arthur Fiedler and the San Francisco Symphony, the Grant Park Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra - for a Kennedy Center performance where the Washington Post proclaimed the ;Siegel is a... (Princeton Bureau County Republican, IL)
Obituaries in the news Sep 1, 2009
Perhaps best known for his 1963 recording "Too Many Cooks," which became a minor hit, he later worked with Otis Rush, Buddy Guy and Willie Dixon. . (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Long-time drummer records solo CD Aug 16, 2009
GREENVILLE The late famous Mississippi bluesman Willie Dixon once said that the blues are the true facts of life, and 60-year-old Greenville native Calep Emphrey could not agree more. Emphrey has just recorded his first solo CD after nearly 40 years in the music business, 30 of which he spent as a drummer for blues legend B.B. King. (Greenville Delta Democrat Times, MS)
Cemetery scandal makes blacks think twice Aug 2, 2009
It became the final resting place for lynching victim Emmett Till, singer Dinah Washington, blues musician Willie Dixon, Negro League pitcher John Donaldson and National Football League player J. Mayo Williams. In 1975, Burr Oak was the setting for one of the final scenes in the movie "Cooley High.". (MSNBC -- Race)
Plans for 2009 Wing Dang Doodle festival announced Jul 30, 2009
The Chamber took the name from a Blues song, Wang Dang Doodle, written by Willie Dixon and sung by Koko Taylor. The Wang was changed to Wing to showcase the prominence of the local poultry industry. (Forest Scott County Times, MS)
* World News Quick Take Jul 11, 2009
Burr Oak is the final resting place of singers Dinah Washington, Willie Dixon and Otis Spann, as well as former world heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles, Harlem Globetrotter Inman Jackson and several Negro League baseball players. UNITED STATES Alleged fawn beater charged. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
AP News in Brief Jul 11, 2009
The Burr Oak Cemetery is the final resting place of lynching victim Emmett Till, as well as blues singers Willie Dixon and Dinah Washington. Investigators found Till's original glass-topped casket rusting in a shack at the cemetery. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Four accused of digging up bodies, reselling graves Jul 10, 2009
There were piles of dirt where the headstones of Morgan's daughter and her mother once stood in the suburban Chicago cemetery a historic resting ground for black icons such as civil rights symbol Emmett Till, blues legend Willie Dixon and jazz songstress Dinah Washington. "I'm confused why people would do this," Morgan, a truck driver, said. (USA Today -- News)
Bug Music and Kings Of Leon Co-Venture to Launch New Record Label Imprint Jun 18, 2009
Boasting over 250,000 copyrights including the classics What a Wonderful World, Fever and Happy Together, as well as hit songs from such musical luminaries as Johnny Cash, Pete Townshend, Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Woody Guthrie, Townes Van Zandt and Stevie Ray Vaughan to contemporary hit makers Three Six Mafia, Ashley Gorley (Carrie Underwood, Trace Atkins), Kara DioGuardi (Pink, Jonas Brothers, Celine Dion), Iggy Pop, Bruno Mars, Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon and Wilco, Bug... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
A wang dang doodle on a Friday night Jun 6, 2009
More Koko Taylor with an assist from Willie Dixon. Jay. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Koko Taylor was always a beacon of strength Jun 6, 2009
Along with signature songs "Wang Dang Doodle" and "Don't Mess With the Messer," it includes "Insane Asylum," a terrific duet with Willie Dixon, the album's producer. "I Got What It Takes" (1975) Taylor's first album for her longtime label, Alligator Records, is funky and throbs with a Saturday night party vibe, featuring choice covers of the Ruth Brown hit "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean" and Jimmy Reed's "Big Boss Man.". (Boston Globe)
Blues queen Koko Taylor dies Jun 5, 2009
The break for Tennessee-born Taylor came in 1962, when arranger/composer Willie Dixon, impressed by her voice, got her a Chess recording contract and produced several singles (and two albums) for her, including the million-selling 1965 hit, "Wang Dang Doodle," which she called silly, but which launched her recording career. From Chicago blues clubs, Taylor took her raucous, gritty, good-time blues on the road to blues and jazz festivals around the nation, and into Europe. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Blues singer Koko Taylor, 80 Jun 4, 2009
It was the heyday of Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Howlin' Wolf, and "Pops" Taylor persuaded them to let Koko sing. "I closed my eyes and I got started," she once said. (Athens Banner-Herald)
The First Album of The Doors May 18, 2009
A Brief Review of the Songs Released in the Debut Album. The debut self-titled album of The Doors is usually considered as the best album of the band, as it contains some legendary rock songs. (Suite101.com)
Adam Lambert's 'Whole Lotta Love': The Story Behind The Cover May 6, 2009
" That's the song Adam Lambert chose to sing on Tuesday (May 5), and, needless to say, it was a challenge that the eyeliner-loving Los Angeles stage veteran was more than up for, hitting a series of high notes and rock screams that would have made Plant proud. It was a risky maneuver that paid off for Lambert, who chose a tune that came in at #75 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.The legendary British rock act recorded the tribute to Chicago blues... (VHI.com -- Music News)
Dylan offers road map for life May 2, 2009
Even when Dylan tries to distract -- with the Willie Dixon blues of "My Wife's Hometown," which he identifies as hell, or the lusty blues come-on "Jolene" -- there's still a feeling that trouble is right around the corner. "Together Through Life" is the perfect soundtrack for down-but-not-out America, a clear-eyed, often elegant-sounding, road map that notes the struggles, but keeps its focus on making it through -- with your sense of humor intact, no less. (Erie Times-News, PA)
BOB DYLAN: TOGETHER THROUGH LIFE Apr 29, 2009
As in his recent CDs "Modern Times" and "Love and Theft," this album expresses itself through the blues: simple, stripped-down arrangements that recall the music of Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and John Lee Hooker. The lyrics on this 33rd studio album (sung through pipes battered by almost 68 years of howling) are less nebulous than his past work. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Music Review: Bob Dylan's new one drags Apr 29, 2009
My Wife's Home Town (that would be hell) with blues maestro Willie Dixon getting a co-writing credit, and It's All Good best flash a nimble wit. Robert Hunter, known for his songwriting with the Grateful Dead, co-wrote lyrics for eight of the 10 tracks with Dylan, and while the love-gone-wrong songs match Dylan's haggard voice, they offer little real insight or emotional tug. (Jefferson City News Tribune, MO)
Unlikely legendSelf-trained Koko Taylor brings back blues to Waterloo Mar 27, 2009
Taylor was mentored by Willie Dixon and has shared the spotlight with blues legends Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Robert Plant. She continues to produce new material, with her latest release, "Old School," receiving critical acclaim. (Waterloo Courier, IO)
Madonna, Tyra Banks, Prince Charles Mar 18, 2009
com, Mr. Dylan likened its sound to the music on the Chess Records label in the 1950s, the home of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Willie Dixon. "I like the mood of those records the intensity," he told his interviewer, adding later: "The whole vibration feels like it could be coming from inside your mind. It's alive. It's right there. Kind of sticks in your head like a toothache." Mr. Dylan's last album of new songs, "Modern Times," won two Grammy Awards. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Cadillac Records: Rhythm and plenty of blues Feb 21, 2009
Chances are you'll feel the same way about this film, which vividly recounts the history of Chicago's influential Chess Records in all but name, although the people portrayed Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Etta James, Little Walter, Willie Dixon and label chief Leonard Chess all go by their real names ... But Muddy's story, at least as presented here, is far less interesting than that of Chuck Berry (Mos Def), Etta James (Beyonc Knowles), Little Walter (Columbus Short),... (Toronto Star)
Period films: Cruise,Mortensengo backto WWII Feb 7, 2009
Knowles plays soul singer Etta James, Wright appears as bluesman Muddy Waters, Short is harmonica player Little Walter, Mos Def appears as Chuck Berry, and Cedric The Entertainer plays Willie Dixon. Worth seeing. (MSNBC -- Movies)
