The “Tulsa Sound"~Then & Now ~ Hits the available download circuit on 1-11-2011

The “Tulsa Sound"~Then & Now
Scott Russell, Music & Entertainment Writer
The history of the Tulsa Sound is rich in heritage dating back to Ernie Fields, Barnery Kessle, Bob Wills, Eldon Shamblin, Ralph Blaine and a host of musicians writers and arrangers to numerous to menton (at least not all in Part One of this series). The seed of the Tulsa's musical & entertainment family took root with a base core of talent branching from L.A.to Nashville in the 50's & 60's extending to New York & London in the 70's . The radio was blasting nationwide with songs like David Gates & Bread's “Make It With You”and Gary Lewis & Playboys“This Diamond Ring”, Elvin Bishop's “Fooled Around & Fell In Love”, The Twilley Band's “I'm On Fire” (Dwight Twilley & Phil Seymour), Eric Clapton's version of Jim Byfield's “Little Rachel” topped off with Leon Russell's “Mad Dogs & Englishmen. Each of these and countless others were influenced by one another and still hold up to the legacy worldwide.

This newest songfest definitely shows the cream of the crop when it comes to Oklahoma's long standing endurance of it songwriters and performers.
To review click here

Happy Birthday To "E"

Scott Russell, Music & Entertainment Writer

Unless it's family it's rare that we keep up with birthday celebrations.
I can tell you that January 8th is remembered world-wide for the birth of Elvis Aaron Presley. Instead of counting candles, I'm counting the fans standing in line right now for a tour of Graceland and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. From every corner of the world from Germany to Japan and all geographic points between, they are waiting for their tour of the place where it all started.

If you are in line, it's worth the wait. If not, here's a little something that will remind you of where you were in 1968.
Enjoy.

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Paul Thorn

A New Grammy Category
Scott Russell, Music & Entertainment Writer

If there were a category for the best you never knew about, I hereby nominate The Paul Thorn Band hands down.
Once you've heard Paul Thorn & his band, you'll wanna tell the world !!!!
Pimps & Preachers, Thorn conveys this theme through brief but epic vignettes – parables, almost, in the tradition of his father’s Biblical exegeses.“Love Scar” grew from a conversation Thorn had with a woman backstage at London’s Royal Albert Hall, shortly before he would open for Sting. He noticed that her shoulder bore a tattoo of an eye shedding a tear. When he asked what itmeant, her answer was sadder and deeper than he had expected.

“She told me about how she met a handsome guy and they had some drinks together,” Thorn recalls. “She had a one-night stand with him and got so distracted by his charm that she went out and got this tattoo because of his opening line when he had started to hit on her: ‘If I could be a tear rolling down

your cheek and die on your lips, my life would be complete.’ Unfortunately, that tattoo is with her forever, even though he was gone the next day.”

Each track recounts its own story while clarifying and reinforcing Thorn’s broader vision. The comic yet unsettlingly candid account of romantic opportunity lost too soon on “Nona Lisa,” the immeasurable intensity of love captured in the artfully offhand lyrics of “That’s Life” (taken entirely from words spoken to Thorn by his mother), the assurances extended to all who suffer through uncertain times in “Better Days Ahead” – every moment on Pimps & Preachers speaks universally but with a fluency that stems from the earthy blues, haunted old-school country,and stripped-down urgency of the gospel music that surrounded Thorn throughout his Mississippi upbringing. But Thorn’s knack for using snapshots from everyday routine as the elements of this exquisite writing owes entirely to his distinctive abilities and commitment to linking these elements into a profession of mercy and forgiveness – ultimately, the real message of Pimps & Preachers.

“Look, there’s nothing wrong with songs about holding hands or sitting by the phone and waiting for a girl to call,” he says. “But I wrote songs like that when I

was 15. I’m trying now to sing about things that mean something to me, for people who want something real, who not only want forgiveness but are willing to

give it.”

“Besides,” he concludes, bringing Pimps & Preachers back home, “If I came back to my dad or my uncle with songs like that now, they’d both kick my ass! So I’m still just trying to follow their lead.”

"Jimmy Davis"

"Jimmy Davis"

Music & Entertainment Writer Scott Russell

Quietly perched on a stool in Tulsa Oklahoma. weary from the road dust of I-40, four- hundred and one miles from home, Jimmy’s eyes lit up when he saw the waitress plug the jukebox to hear Restless Heart’s song “Blame it On Love”. It was then and there I knew that Jimmy Davis’ talent as a songwriter-entertainer was in fact something to behold. With guitar in hand, this “quiet giant” from Memphis opened with “It’s Only Rain” from his CD “Campfire Songs”. With each song, it was evident that “Jimmy Daddy’s” songs are a mastery of description and delivery. With infectious style, Davis draws you into a life canvas that is his own. “I Gotta Roll” another gem from the “Campfire” collection is definitive of Jimmy as a “real” common man.

What is uncommon is his ability to deliver songs that stand the test of time. Jimmy’s first taste of exposure to the masses came by way of “Hit The Wall” as Jimmy Davis and The Junction hit the mark in 80’s with VH1 and MTV fans nationwide. Jimmy’s versatility soon led him to lead vocal on Sylvester Stalone’s movie title track:-“Over The Top”. Since then, his songs have been covered by the likes of Martina McBride, Restless Heart, former Eagle Bernie Leadon, Joe Walsh and Jeb & Kelly. All be they too numerous to mention, songs destined to be classics (as evidenced by crowd response) are “Sanctuary”,“Waiting In The Wings”, “Blame It On Love”,“Mornin' Glory " & “Kiss Lonely Good-bye”.
From the first set to the last, including an encore performance of “Sanctuary”, Jimmy smiled in humble surprise to hear his songs being sung back to him. I smiled knowing full well that great song works
such as these and the fans that follow are testament to certain truths.
Successful performers and songwriters learn early to involve the fans as an equal and critical “constant” in the recipe for success in a music career. One last truth is the single most elusive ingredient that even the most diligent and dedicated find hard to come by.

Some call it the gift. Some call it simply "Jimmy Davis."