mike parr's pages
musicMyself and Chuck Elliot (SHU) wrote and produced the song ‘If I can’t dance (I won’t join your revolution’) - hear it on MP3 now.(3 Meg)Early Musical influencesIn the very early 60’s, much pop music was dire - we are talking Fabian, Pat Boone, Cliff Richard... But at this pre-Beatles time, there were some class acts - Del Shannon, Carole King, Some Elvis, the Everly Brothers. Then along came Merseybeat, and it was clear that anyone with a bit of talent and enthusiasm could form a ‘group’. I used to go to pop concerts, featuring such acts as the Merseybeats, Dusty Springfield, The Animals (alongside Carl Perkins who wrote Blue Suede Shoes), the John Barry Seven (yes, him!). To give you an idea of the quality, the Animals opened, and Carl was 2nd.... other bands followed.So I got a guitar, strummed ‘Blowing in the Wind’, and finger-picked ‘Don’t Thing Twice, its Alright’ like a good’un ‘. Then things changed - Jimi Hendrix appeared, and he was left-handed, like me - there the similarity ends So I got an electric guitar, and joined a band. Then I moved to london, as a student, and got the Blues! I saw such musicians as: Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Aretha, Davey Graham, Bert Jansch, Son House, John Lee Hooker, Albert King, Jimmy Reed, Howling Wolf Favourite Musicians :- Jimi of couse, then Otis Rush, Albert King, Jack Bruce, Dr John, Monk, Chuck Elliot And on Blues Harmonica we bring in: Little Walter, Paul Jones (check out his early Manfred Mann stuff), Mark Feltham of 9 Below Zero etc, Sonny Boy Williamson. New link: my blues harp page. On vocals we have: Aretha, howling Wolf, Captain Beefheart, Son House, Steve Marriot ..... I was chatting to Ian Morrey recently, and he wondered if we stopped listening to 'new' music, and - if so - this was a bad thing. So I have decided to update...
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