In July 2025, John Michael “Poli” Palmer died aged 82. He was musician (piano, keyboards, synthesizer, vibraphone, flute, drums), member of the bands The Hellions, Deep Feeling, The Blossom Toes, Bakerloo, Ian Matthews Southern Comfort and Eclection, but was best known as member of Family. Palmer recorded worked with Linda Lewis, Peter Frampton, Elkie Brooks, Streetwalkers, Roger Chapman and Pete Townshend. As leader he released one album.
Tag Archives: Elkie Brooks
John Giblin
On May 14, 2023, John Giblin died aged 71. He was musician (acoustic and electric bass), best known as excellent studio musician. He recorded and performed with John Martyn, Peter Gabriel, Annie Lenox, John Lennon, Duncan Brown, Elkie Brooks, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Phil Collins, Fish, Simple Minds, Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading, Al Green, Kate Bush, Judie Tzuke, The Everly Brothers, Roberta Flack, Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua, Jon Anderson, George Martin, Gerry Rafferty, Hugh Masakela, Fish, Alan Parsons, Manolo Garcia, Claudio Baglioni, Richard Ashcroft, Franco Battiato, Saro Cosentino, Eros Ramazzotti, Brand X and Scott Walker.
Hal Blaine
On March 11, 2019, Harold Simon Belsky aka Hal Blaine died aged 90. He was musician (drums) regarded to be one of the most recorded studio drummers in the history of the modern music. He had more than 35,000 recording sessions in various music genres including big number of film and TV soundtracks. He worked with Shelley Fabares, The Crystals, Jan & Dean, The Beach Boys, Dean Martin, Lorne Greene, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, The Byrds, Sonny & Cher, Barry McGuire, Petula Clark, Nancy Sinatra, The Mamas & the Papas, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Rivers, The Supremes, The Association, Simon & Garfunkel, Tommy Roe, The 5th Dimension, Henry Mancini, The Carpenters, Neil Diamond, The Partridge Family, The Raiders, Barbra Streisand, John Denver, Captain & Tennille, Diana Ross, Sam Cooke, Van Dyke Parks, John Lennon, Lulu, Dennis Wilson, Paul Simon, Richard Harris, Glen Campbell, Emitt Rhodes, Art Garfunkel, Juice Newton, Michael Nesmith, Cher, Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin, J.J. Cale, José Feliciano, Bobby Darin, Rosanne Cash, Cass Elliot, Rodney Crowell, Dion DiMucci, Paul Anka, Barry Mann, Emmylou Harris, Jackie Lomax, Elkie Brooks, Helen Reddy, John Philips, Thelma Houston and Leonard Cohen. As leader Blaine released five albums.
Cat Stevens: Izitso
In April 1977, “Island” label released “Izitso”, the tenth Cat Stevens studio album. It was recorded September 1976 – March 1977, at “Muscle Shoals Sound Studio” in Sheffield, Alabama;“Sound 80 Studios” in Minneapolis; “Ardent Studios” in Memphis, Tennessee; “Le Studio”, “Morin Heights” in Quebec, Canada; “Sweet Silence Studios” in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was produced by Cat Stevens
and David Kershenbaum.
Personnel:
- Cat Stevens – vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, steel guitar, guitar synthesizer, bouzouki, keyboards, piano, celesta, harpsichord, Wurlitzer electric piano, Fender Rhodes, Polymoog, Moog synthesizer, Minimoog, ARP String Synthesizer, ARP 2600, Yamaha CS-80, Yamaha GX-1, Yamaha EA5R electronic organ, music sequencer, drums, percussion, harmonica, brass, arrangements, programming, illustrations, design
- Pete Carr– acoustic and electric guitar, steel guitar, Ovation guitar, Epiphone Casino, guitar synthesizer, bouzouki
- Jim Johnson– rhythm guitar
- Weldon Myrick– steel guitar
- Reggie Young– electric guitar
- Ray Gomez– guitar
- Chick Corea– electric piano, keyboards
- Barry Beckett– piano, electric piano, organ, keyboards
- Tim Henson– acoustic piano, piano, organ, keyboards
- Little Brother Montgomery– ARP 2600
- Jean Roussel– Hammond organ, piano, organ, synthesizer, ARP String Synthesizer, Yamaha CS-80, keyboards, flute, glockenspiel, vibraphone, string instruments, brass instruments, arrangements
- Broderick Smith– harmonica
- Bruce Lynch– double bass, electbass, bass synthesizer
- David Hood– double bass, bass, bass synthesizer
- Andy Newmark– drums, percussion
- Bill Berg– drums, percussion
- Barry Morgan– drums, percussion
- Roger Hawkins– drums, percussion
- Gene Page– string instruments, brass instruments, arrangements
- David Campbell– string and brass arrangements
- Marjorie Lagerwall– harp
- Elkie Brooks– vocals
- Suzanne Lynch– backing vocals
- Carla Benson– backing vocals
- Evette Benton– backing vocals
- Barbara Ingram– backing vocals
- Harvey Goldberg, Mike Stavros, Ian Boughey, Nigel Walker, Flemming Rasmussen, Tom Jung, Paul Martinson, Nick Blagona, Mike Ross, Freddy Hansson, Steve Brandon, Jerry Masters, Gene Eichelberger, Dee Robb, John Kelly, Ken Frieson – engineer
- Claude Dupras – programming, mixing
- Ted Jensen, Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Mathieu Bitton – design
- Eckford Stimpson – design
- Moshe Brakha – photography
- Bill Levenson – supervisor
- Beth Stempel – coordinator
Track listing:
All tracks by Cat Stevens, except where noted.
- (Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard
- Life
- Killin’ Time
- Kypros
- Bonfire
- (I Never Wanted) To Be a Star
- Crazy
- Sweet Jamaica
- Was Dog a Doughnut?- Cat Stevens, Bruce Lynch, Jean Roussel
- Child for a Day – Paul Travis, David Gordon
Nina Simone
On April 21, 2003, Eunice Kathleen Waymon aka Nina Simone, died aged 70. She was singer, songwriter, musician (piano), arranger, and civil rights activist. In her career, Simone has recorded more than forty albums. Many famous musicians have cited Simone as their influence, among the others: Aretha Franklin, Adele, David Bowie, Antony and the Johnsons, Dianne Reeves , Sade , Beyoncé, Janis Joplin , Nick Cave, Jeff Buckley, Van Morrison, Elkie Brooks, Lena Horne, Bono, Cat Stevens, Peter Gabriel, Mary J. Blige, Lauryn Hill, Elton John, Alicia Keys and Lana Del Rey. John Lennon cited Simone’s version of “I Put a Spell on You” as a inspiration for the Beatles’ song “Michelle”.
For her work, Simone received various awards including:
- In 2000, “Grammy Hall of Fame Award”for her interpretation of “I Love You, Porgy”
- Honorary degrees in music and humanities, from the “University of Massachusetts Amherst” and “Malcolm X College”
- Honorary degree by the “Curtis Institute of Music”
- In 2002, city of Nijmegen, in Netherlands, named a street the “Nina Simone straat”
- In 2009, Simone was inducted into the “North Carolina Music Hall of Fame”
- In 2010, her home town Tryon, in North Carolina, placed her statue in the “Trade Street”
Gus Dudgeon
On July 21, 2002, Angus Boyd Dudgeon aka Gus Dudgeon, died aged 59. As a record producer he has worked with The Artwoods, Bruce Channel, Davy Graham, Shirley Collins, The Zombies, John Mayall’s Blues Breakers (with Eric Clapton), Ten Years After, Bonzo Dog Band, Michael Chapman, Elkie Brooks and David Bowie.
musicalphabet 