Joe Cocker去世

Joe Cocker（ John Robert "Joe" Cocker）12月22日在美國科羅拉多州的家裡去世（70歲），就在今年九月17日他還在紐約麥迪遜花園廣場演出，在場的Billy Joe當時就覺得Joe Cocker狀況不好。

Joe Cocker出生於英格蘭Sheffield，16歲時即組了一個爵士風的搖滾樂團，並在酒館表演，後來滾石合唱團the Rolling Stones也在那酒館發跡。

1964年Joe Cocker 加入Decca唱片公司後漸漸有了知名度，1968年他灌了一首批頭合唱團the Beatles的 "With A Little Help From My Friends" 在英國獲得了排行榜冠軍，但這首歌在美國只得到第68名。

1969年夏Joe Cocker應邀到伍斯塔克Woodstock音樂節表演，1970年他的第二張專輯裡的"She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"就獲得美國排行榜30名。同年，Joe Cocker的"Mad Dogs And Englishmen"巡迴演唱錄音出了一張專輯，他翻唱the Box Tops' "The Letter"則獲得第七名。

Joe Cocker的暢銷曲另有"Cry Me A River" (#11-1970)、"Feeling Alright" (#33-1972) 及1975年Billy Preston 所寫的"You Are So Beautiful" (#5)。

Joe Cocker最有名的歌是與Jennifer Warnes合唱的電影（軍官與紳士）"An Officer And A Gentleman" 的插曲"Up Where We Belong"，這首歌是1982年的冠軍曲，也獲得Grammy最佳流行歌曲二重唱及奧斯卡最佳電影歌曲獎。

Joe Cocker因肺癌去世後包括前批頭合唱團the Beatles的團員Paul McCartney與Ringo Starr等流行音樂圈人士都表示哀悼，經紀人Barrie Marshall表示：毫無疑問Joe Cocker是來自英國最傑出的搖滾與靈魂歌手。

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8sFtJV6-C8

 

Up Where We Belong

Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes

- written by Buffy Sainte-Marie, Will Jennings and Jack Nitzsche  

 

Who knows what tomorrow brings

In a world where few hearts survive

All I know is the way I feel

When it's real

I keep it alive

 

The road is long

There are mountains in the way

But we climb a step every day

 

Love lift us up where we belong

Where the eagles cry

On a mountain high

Love lift us up where we belong

Far from the world we know

Up where the clear winds blow

 

Some hang on to used to be

Live their lives looking behind

When all we have is here and now

All our lives

Out there to find

 

The road is long

There are mountains in the way

But we climb a step every day

 

Love lift us up where we belong

Where the eagles cry

On a mountain high

Love lift us up where we belong

Far from the world we know

Up where the clear winds blow

 

Time goes by

No time to cry

Life's you and I

Alive... today

 

Love lift us up where we belong

Where the eagles cry

On a mountain high

Love lift us up where we belong

Far from the world we know

Up where the clear winds blow

 

 

貓王的憂鬱聖誕

貓王Elvis Presley早年的錄音室與演唱會高音和聲歌手 Mildred "Millie" Kirkham 12月14日中風後在故鄉納許維爾家中去世 （91歲），1970年時Kathy Westmoreland就取代了"Millie"的舞台演出的位子，但是在貓王的記錄片"Elvis: That's The Way It Is."當中還可以看到她的身影。

"Millie"的聲音在貓王的暢銷曲"Blue Christmas" 、"Don't" 、"The Wonder Of You" 及 "Surrender"當中可以聽到，另外在Roy Orbison的"Oh, Pretty Woman"及Brenda Lee的"I'm Sorry"當中也有她的伴唱。

"Blue Christmas"是貓王1957年錄製的聖誕歌曲，詞曲作者是Billy Hayes 與 Jay W. Johnson，是Bing Crosby的White Christmas之外近代最知名的聖誕歌曲。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KK6sMo8NBY

 

Blue Christmas

I'll have a Blue Christmas without you

I'll be so blue just thinking about you

Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree

Won't be the same dear, if you're not here with me

 

And when those blue snowflakes start falling

That's when those blue memories start calling

You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white

But I'll have a blue, blue blue blue Christmas

 

You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white,

But I'll have a blue, blue, blue blue Christmas

The Manhattans二團員去世

The Manhattans合唱團的創始團員、次中音歌手Edward "Sonny" Bivins 12月三日去世（78歲），該團的另一位團員、低音歌手Winfred "Blue" Lovett接著於12月9日也去世（74歲）。

Edward "Sonny" Bivins出生於喬治亞州 Macon後來全家搬到新澤西州Jersey City，他與Winfred "Blue" Lovett在那裡組了合唱團，在國民兵與空軍基地表演，而其它團員George "Smitty" Smith, Kenneth "Wally" Kelly與Richard "Ricky" Taylor 都是當地中學畢業生。

起初他們以Te Dorsets團名幫 Asnes唱片公司錄了唱片，雖然成績平平，但因而獲邀參加阿波羅劇場競賽並得到冠軍，接著與Carnival唱片公司簽約，一年後，他們推出一首Winfred "Blue" Lovett所寫"I Wanna Be (Your Everything)" (#68 Pop, #12 R&B)，是第一次進排行榜的歌。

雖然The Manhattans合唱團1960年代在Carnival與 King的子司DeLuxe Records 漸次成名，但是直到1972年他們與Columbia唱片公司簽約並以  Gerald Alston 取代 Smitty ，The Manhattans 才真正開始走紅，他們的暢銷曲如"Shining Star" (#5 Pop, #4 R&B - 1980), Winfred "Blue" Lovett寫的 "Kiss And Say Goodbye" (#1 Pop and R&B - 1976) 及"There's No Me Without You" (#43 Pop, #3 R&B - 1973)都是歌迷們耳熟能詳的歌。

Edward "Sonny" Bivins 曾於 1999年獲頒亞特藍大市鑰。

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-vicuO1b0s

 

 

Kiss And Say Goodbye

 

{This has got to be the saddest day of my life

 I called you here today for a bit of bad news

 I won't be able to see you anymore

 Because of my obligations and the ties that you have

 We've been meeting here everyday

 And since this is our last day together

 I wanna hold you just one more time

 When you turn and walk away, don't look back

 I wanna remember you just like this

 Let's just kiss and say goodbye}

 

I had to meet you here today

 There's just so many things to say

 Please don't stop me 'till I'm through

 This is somethin' I hate to do

 

We've been meeting here so long

 I guess what we done, oh was wrong

 Please darlin', don't you cry

 Let's just kiss and say goodbye

 

Many months have passed us by

 I'm gonna miss you, I can't lie

 I've got ties and so do you

 I just think this is the thing to do

 

It's gonna hurt me, I can't lie

 Maybe you'll meet, you'll meet another guy

 Understand me, oh won't you try, try, try, try, try, try, try?

 Let's just kiss an' say goodbye

 

I'm gonna miss you, I can't lie

 Understand me, oh won't you try?

 It's gonna hurt me, I can't lie

 Take my handkerchief an' wipe your eyes

 Maybe you'll find, you'll find another guy

 Well let's kiss and say goodbye, pretty baby

 Please, don't you cry

 Understand me, oh won't you try?

 Let's just kiss and say goodbye

三資深樂人辭世

2014年底有幾位美國流行音樂資深工作者辭世：

曾在 Rolling Stones合唱團的("Brown Sugar"), Dion 的"The Wanderer"), John Lennon的 ("Whatever Gets You Through The Night"), Joe Cocker的 ("Cry Me A River"), George Harrison的 ("What Is Life")與其他許多歌曲擔任薩克斯風伴奏的Bobby Keys十二月二日在田納西州Franklin家中去世（70歲），出生於德州Slaton的他曾與Buddy Holly, Buddy Knox 及Bobby Vee 這些1960年代早期的偶像歌手一同巡迴演唱，Bobby的自傳"Every Night's a Saturday Night"「每晚都是週末夜」於2012年出版。

十二月三日(Small) Faces合唱團的主鍵琴手Ian McLagan則因心肌梗塞於德州Austin的醫院中去世（69歲），他也曾與the Rolling Stones一起工作過，近年他組了自己的樂團走向檯前，2000年他也出過自傳"All the Rage: A Riotous Romp Through Rock & Roll History"。

而十一月29日曾與Paul[j1]  Evans一同寫過Bobby Vinton 於1962演唱得到冠軍的"Roses Are Red (My Love)"的Al Byron亦不幸去世，他也曾替Paul Evans自己演唱得過第10名的"Happy-Go-Lucky-Me"及貓王的"Something Blue"寫過歌詞。

Bobby Vinton的四週冠軍曲"Roses Are Red (My Love)"是他的成名曲，Al Byron為這首情歌寫的歌詞非常通俗，是一首當年美國青年人人朗朗上口的歌。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rjPC7-JMUM

 

Roses Are Red (My Love)

Bobby Vinton

 

Roses are red, my love ... doo doo da doooo ...

 

A long, long time ago

On graduation day

You handed me your book

I signed this way:

 

   "Roses are red, my love.

    Violets are blue.

    Sugar is sweet, my love.

    But not as sweet as you."

 

We dated through high school.

And when the big day came,

I wrote into your book,

next to my name:

 

   "Roses are red, my love.

    Violets are blue.

    Sugar is sweet, my love.

    But not as sweet as you."

 

Then I went far away

And you found someone new

I read your letter dear

And I wrote back to you:

 

   "Roses are red, my love.

    Violets are blue.

    Sugar is sweet, my love.

    But luck may god bless you."

 

Is that your little girl?

She looks a lot like you.

Someday some boy will write

in her book, too.

 

   "Roses are red, my love.

    Violets are blue.

    Sugar is sweet, my love.

    But not as sweet as you."

 

---

 [j1]

Knock Three Times製作人去世

1950年代後期的錄音室樂手Dave Appell，十一月18日去世（92歲），他的The Applejacks樂隊曾有"Mexican Hat Rock" (#16-1958) 與 "Rocka-Conga" (#38-1959)二首演奏曲進排行榜。

Dave Appell曾替費城的Cameo 及 Parkway唱片公司旗下Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, Charlie Gracie, John Zacherle 與 the Dovells這些知名歌手及團体伴奏。

Dave Appell也與人合作寫了一些有名的歌如"Let's Twist Again," "Mashed Potato Time" 及 "South Street."等，他的樂隊亦於Ernie Kovacs的廣播與電視節目擔任伴奏。

Dave Appell於1970年代擔任Tony Orlando and Dawn的唱片製作人，著名的"Knock Three Times" 與"Tie A Yellow Ribbon."就是由他監製的暢銷曲。

"Knock Three Times"是1970年Tony Orlando and Dawn的第一首三週排行榜冠軍曲。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Jvsbcxunc

 

KNOCK THREE TIMES

TONY ORLANDO & DAWN

 

 Hey girl what ya doin' down there

 Dancin' alone every night while I live right above you

 I can hear your music playin'

 I can feel your body swayin'

 One floor below me you don't even know me

 I love you

 Oh my darling

 Knock three times on the ceiling if you want me

 Twice on the pipe if the answer is no

 Oh my sweetness

 Means you'll meet me in the hallway

 Twice on the pipe means you ain't gonna show

 If you look out your window tonight

 Pull in the string with the note that's attached to my heart

 Read how many times I saw you

 How in my silence I adored you

 Only in my dreams did that wall between us come apart

 Oh my darling

 Knock three times on the ceiling if you want me

 Twice on the pipe if the answer is no

 Oh my sweetness

 Means you'll meet me in the hallway

 Twice on the pipe means you ain't gonna show

 I can hear your music playin'

 I can feel your body swayin'

 One floor below me you don't even know me

 I love you

 Oh my darling

 Knock three times on the ceiling if you want me

 Twice on the pipe if the answer is no

 Oh my sweetness

 Means you'll meet me in the hallway

 Twice on the pipe means you ain't gonna show

 

 

黑人靈魂歌手Jimmy Ruffin去世

黑人靈魂歌曲大本營Motown摩城唱片公司傑出成員之一的歌手Jimmy Ruffin，17日於拉斯維加斯去世（78歲），他上月身体健康即出狀況。

以1966年的一首獲得第七名的"What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted"成名的Jimmy Ruffin是The Temptations合唱團成員David Ruffin的兄弟，也是該團另一團員Melvin Franklin的表兄弟，1939年出生於密西西比州Collinsville。

Jimmy Ruffin與兄弟們原先在福音歌曲合唱團Dixie Nightingales唱宗教歌曲，後來前往底特律與Motown簽約擔任錄音室伴唱，自己也偶而出唱片，他曾與The Four Hollidays合唱團在公司旗下Miracle Records合作，退伍後他到公司旗下的另一家 Soul唱片公司發展，在首先以"Brokenhearted"成名後，後來還出了幾首還算成績不錯的"I've Passed This Way Before" (#17-1967), "Gonna Give Her all The Love I've Got" (#29-1967) 及與David Ruffin合唱的"Stand By Me" (#61-1970)。

離開Motown後，Jimmy Ruffin陸續加入了Polydor, Epic, Atco and Chess 這幾家大唱片公司，但是直到1980年他在RSO唱片才以"Hold On To My Love"重回排行榜前十名。

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQU4sIn96M4

 

WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN-HEARTED

JIMMY RUFFIN

 

As I walk this land with broken dreams

I have visions of many things

Love's happiness is just an illusion

Filled with sadness and confusion,

What becomes of the broken hearted

Who had love that's now departed?

I know I've got to find

Some kind of peace of mind

Maybe.

The fruits of love grow all around

But for me they come a tumblin' down.

Every day heartaches grow a little stronger

I can't stand this pain much longer

I walk in shadows

Searching for light

Cold and alone

No comfort in sight,

Hoping and praying for someone to care

Always moving and goin to where

What becomes of the broken hearted

Who had love that's now departed?

I know I've got to find

Some kind of peace of mind

Maybe.

I'm searching though I don't succeed,

But someone look, there's a growing need.

Oh, he is lost, there's no place for beginning,

All that's left is an unhappy ending.

Now what's become of the broken-hearted

Who had love that's now departed?

I know I've got to find

Some kind of peace of mind

I'll be searching everywhere

Just to find someone to care.

I'll be looking everyday

I know I'm gonna find a way

Nothings gonna stop me now

I'll find a way somehow

I'll be searching everywhere

(fade)

 

 

Les Paul留芳母校

美國威斯康辛州Waukesha的Central Middle School中學十一月八日在慶祝會中改名為Les Paul Middle School，The Les Paul基金會負責支付改信封與學校標誌和學生換制服的費用。

1915年於Waukesha出生的Les Paul已於2009年八月13日因肺炎去世，這位著名的吉他手原名Lester Polfuss，當年他讀這所學校的時候，學校名稱是Waukesha Junior High School。

Les Paul在電吉他的研究和多軌錄音方面給後人留下深刻印象，Les Paul曾經娶女歌星Mary Ford，他們倆於1945-1954年以Les Paul and Mary Ford之名發行過33首暢銷曲，其中最有名的是How High The Moon及Vaya Con Dios二首冠軍曲。

Les Paul於1983年獲得Grammy理事會獎，2001年再獲Grammy技能獎，1988年則以對搖滾樂有特殊影響前輩藝人身份進入搖滾樂名人堂。

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqZ0Sdz_V40&list=PLYxzhDoovgwK7F4jTAaFQz4qE5_XeVBKH

 

Vaya Con Dios (May God Be with You)

Les Paul & Mary Ford

 

Now the hacienda's dark, the town is sleeping;

Now the time has come to part, the time for weeping.

 

Vaya con Dios my darling,

May God be with you my love.

 

Wherever you may be, I'll be beside you,

Although you're many million dreams away.

Each night I'll say a pray'r, a pray'r to guide you

To hasten ev'ry lonely hour of ev'ry lonely day.

Now the dawn is breaking through a gray tomorrow,

But the memories we share are there to borrow.

 

Vaya con Dios, my darling:

May God be with you, my love, my love,

May God be with you my love.

 

Now the village mission bells are softly ringing,

If you listen with your heart you'll hear them singing,

Vaya con Dios my darling,

May God be with you my love.

 

Wherever you may be I'll be beside you,

Although you're many million dreams away,

Each night I'll say a pray'r, a pray'r to guide you

To hasten ev'ry lonely hour of ev'ry lonely day.

 

Now the dawn is breaking through a gray tomorrow,

But the memories we share are there to borrow,

Vaya con Dios, my darling!

May God be with you, my love, my love,

May God be with you my love.

Acker Bilk 去世

以一首冠軍曲"Stranger On The Shore"於1962年成名的豎笛手Acker Bilk (唱片上總是寫"Mr. Acker Bilk")，十一月二日不幸於英格蘭Bath的醫院中去世（85歲）。

Acker Bilk出生於英格蘭Pensford, Somerset本名Bernard Stanley Bilk，別名"Acker"原意伙伴，他在埃及服役時學了豎笛，二次大戰後組了第一個樂隊，演奏傳統美國爵士樂，第一張單曲"Summer Set"在英國獲得前五名的佳績，"bubbling under" 則於美國獲得 104名，接著的"That's My Home" 及"Stars And Stripes Forever"在英國都進入排行榜。

Acker Bilk應英國廣播公司BBC邀請替兒童科幻劇"Stranger On The Shore" 寫主題曲，他原先將這首演奏曲以他女兒的名字命名為"Jenny"，這首"Stranger On The Shore"後來成了他在美國排行榜唯一的一首Top 40的歌，接著他有四首歌進英國排行榜，多年來他一直在流行音樂圈演出，直到去年（2013）八月才退出。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFaH1KFmLyI

搖滾樂團Cream團員去世

在搖滾樂界極有地位的前Cream合唱團的貝斯手 Jack Bruce，十月25日在他的故鄉英格蘭Suffolk因肝病去世（71歲），出生於蘇格蘭 Glasgow的他受過大提琴的訓練，在定居英格蘭之前，他家曾加拿大、美國和歐洲住過。

Jack因為參加過Alexis Korner's Blues Inc藍調樂團，與後來Rolling Stone 合唱團的Charlie Watts因一起共事過而熟識，他陸續加入The Graham Bond Organisatio 、John Mayall's Bluesbreakers 與Manfred Mann這幾個有名的團体 ，如1969年Manfred Mann 獲得第29名的暢銷曲 "Pretty Flamingo " 就有他的演出，其實之前他在Alexis Korner's Blues Inc與The Graham Bond Organisatio 的伙伴Ginger Baker 就找他和Eric Clapton一同組 Cream合唱團。

Jack Bruce寫了不少歌，他也在Cream的暢銷曲"Sunshine Of Your Love" (#5-1968) 和"White Room (#6-1968)擔任主唱。

雖然後來Cream只維持不到三年就解散了，但他們的專輯唱片賣了3500萬張，

在出了好幾張個人的專輯唱片後，Jack 組了 West, Bruce and Laing 合唱團，他與Leslie West 及 Corky Laing出了二張錄音室製作與一張現場錄製的專輯唱片。

Jack Bruce後來除個人的專案外，亦以貝斯吉它手身份參與不少名家的唱片製作，他也是前披頭合唱團鼓手Ringo Starr的 All-Starr band的常客，去年三月（2013）他出過最後一張專輯。

Cream 於 1993年獲選入搖滾樂名人堂，2006年則獲Grammy終身成就獎，他們的"Sunshine Of Your Love"在滾石雜誌500大歌曲榜獲得第65名。

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyftaay-pFA

 

SUNSHINE OF YOUR LOVE

Cream

(Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Pete Brown)

 

It's getting near dawn,

When lights close their tired eyes.

I'll soon be with you my love,

To give you my dawn surprise.

I'll be with you darling soon,

I'll be with you when the stars start falling.

 

  I've been waiting so long

  To be where I'm going

  In the sunshine of your love.

 

I'm with you my love,

The light's shining through on you.

Yes, I'm with you my love,

It's the morning and just we two.

I'll stay with you darling now,

I'll stay with you till my seas are dried up.

 

  Chorus

 

  Second Verse

 

I've been waiting so long

I've been waiting so long

I've been waiting so long

To be where I'm going

In the sunshine of your love.