Perhaps the last time you heard of Leon Russell was when you heard "Tightrope" on the oldies radio station; or maybe it was when you heard the umpteenth cover of "A Song For You" or "This Masquerade" and the DJ just happened to mention that it was this mysterious piano player from Oklahoma that wrote them. If you thought Leon was a relic of the past, or someone best left remembered in the early days of FM radio, it's time to open up your ears and think again.
First Single From "The Union" With "If It Wasn't For Bad", the first single from the upcoming Decca album, "The Union", Leon returns to both form and the spotlight with one of the biggest names in the history of rock, Elton John. This funky, swampy rocker is squarely in Russell's sweet-spot - right out of an Oklahoma honky tonk with full-frontal piano leading the way. Russell's voice sounds as solid as it did when he first hit the scene in the late 1960's as an in-demand session player for the likes of Joe Cocker and George Harrison. The single's quality hints that the album of duets to follow is going to be a highlight release for 2010.
Tone Burnett's production of the tune is retro without sounding dated — Jim Keltner's kick drum booms, while Booker T. Jones (yes, that Booker T) on B3 Hammond organ swells to attention when needed and then goes away to rest. John's contribution is heard in a tastefully subdued harmony vocal part, adding a little sweetness to Russell's grit. The overall sound is a refreshing departure from the current sterile standards of modern pop and rock. Clearly, Burnett was going for an atmosphere as open as the Great Plains, continuing to embrace the Americana he began to master with his work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack.
John and Russell To Perform Together Again
Elton John and Leon Russell go way back. Russell was there when John made his U.S. debut at Los Angeles' Troubadour club back in 1970, and they jammed together at the Filmore East in the same year. John has always noted Russell as one of his musical idols, and the album project was born out his desire to finally pay homage to one of his heroes.
"The Union" will be released in the U.S. on October 19th, 2010. Elton John and Leon Russell will appear in concert together to showcase their new album on the same day at The Beacon Theatre in New York.
Elton John band to honor Guy Babylon
http://www.theacorn.com/news/2010-09-09/Dining_%28and%29_Entertainment/Elton_John_band_to_honor_Guy_Babylon.html?ref=nf
Ben Babylon will perform song he wrote for his dad
Davey Johnstone An upcoming Elton John tribute show produced by the Rock Nation School in Agoura Hills will be as much a tribute to late band member Guy Babylon as to the Rocket Man himself.
Three members of John’s band—lead guitarist and music director Davey Johnstone, drummer Nigel Olsson and percussionist John Mahon—will perform “Goodbye Superman,” a song written in Babylon ’s memory by his 12-year-old son, Ben Babylon.
Johnstone, a longtime Agoura resident, and Mahon will also play Elton John songs with Ben and other student musicians.
The concert will take place Sun., Sept. 26 at The Canyon club.
The younger Babylon will play keyboard and sing lead vocals on “Goodbye Superman,” which he composed after his father died suddenly on Sept. 2, 2009.
Elton John and his musicians have remained close friends of the Babylon family, so when Ben’s mother, Kathy Babylon, learned that the music school was planning an Elton John tribute show, she came up with the idea to invite members of his band to appear.
Ben Babylon “All the guys in the band have helped with fundraisers over the years, and the last one was actually at The Canyon club. So this is truly a full-circle moment for me,” Babylon said.
Ben Babylon, who plays keyboards, piano, guitar, ukulele and drums, has written several original songs. He has been heavily influenced by his father and Elton John, having grown up watching them work together.
“I’m really excited that Davey, Nigel and John will be playing my song,” Ben said. “I wrote it as a tribute to my dad. They were his friends and fellow band members, so for me to get to play it with them onstage means a lot.”
The sentiment was echoed by John Mahon, who has been a member of the Elton John Band since 1997.
“I’m looking forward to playing some music with Ben Babylon again, and performing something by Elton John will be right up his alley,” Mahon said.
“He is an amazing young talent with many exciting musical endeavors in his future. I better start practicing!”
Ben Babylon isn’t the only child of an Elton John associate who will appear in the upcoming show. Fifteen-year-old drummer and Rock Nation student Juliet Johnstone will perform, as will her older brother, Jesse, a professional recording engineer, who will lend his talents on bass. Their father, Davey Johnstone, has worked with Elton John since the 1971 album “Madman Across the Water” and was responsible for bringing Guy Babylon into the band.
Elton always called Guy our ‘keyboard genius and wizard,’” Johnstone said. “I met Guy at a recording session in 1987 and immediately knew I was in the presence of someone really special. We had an almost psychic connection, and we loved stretching our talent to create music that was always challenging and refreshing.”
Elton John will not participate in the upcoming show because he will be on tour in Europe with drummer Ray Cooper. However, he remains close to the Babylons and has shown support for Ben’s music in other ways. Recently, he invited Ben to hang out in the recording studio while he worked on his forthcoming album, “The Union,” with rock legend Leon Russell. That album is scheduled to be released in October.
The Rock Nation Tribute to Elton John will take place at 7 p.m. Sun., Sept 26 at The Canyon club, 28912 Roadside Drive in Agoura Hills.
Tickets are $12 at Rock Nation or $15 at the door.
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‘the ballad of the boy with the red shoes’
http://www.houseofdandridge.com/creative/entertainment/music/doug-baron-puts-on-elton-johns-red-shoes/enjoy this beautiful, stripped down, acoustic rendtion of a relatively unknown gem of a song by elton john called ‘the ballad of the boy with red shoes’. doug yanks and pulls the emotion from the song effortlessly, as he proudly strums his guitar. in a world of such overprocessed reality, it is undeniably refreshing and absolutely necessary to still get a chance to witness magic like this. doug is a member of the status quotient here on the house of dandridge. check his new blog and find many a link to listen, purchase and enjoy his music.
here are the lyrics. the song was written when the AIDS crisis first slammed down on uncle sam hardcore. the ‘old man’ he references is none other than ronald reagan who was notorious for turning his back on his countrymen during the early throes of the crisis including his very best friend and fellow actor rock hudson.
I’m stoned in the twilight, screamin’ on the inside
Give me your water, help me survive
Gonna miss the sunlight when I lose my eyesight
Give me my red shoes, I wanna dance
They searched for an answer, but that old man wouldn’t listen
Back then I was handsome, back then he was ignorant
And shave off the years now, it’s all inside my head
The boy in the red shoes is dancin’ by my bed
Put them in a box somewhere, put them in a drawer
Take my red shoes, I can’t wear them anymore
Had garlands in the wings back then, all the pretty little things back then
Callin’ out my name, oh what fame brings
After curtain calls and bows I can’t see the front row now
Hand me my red shoes just one more time
They pushed aside our presence, they refused to go the distance
Back then I was Sigmund, back then he wouldn’t listen
And shave off the years now, it’s all inside my head
The boy in the red shoes is dancin’ by my bed
Put them in a box somewhere, put them in a drawer
Take my red shoes, I can’t wear them anymore
They pushed aside our presence, they refused to go the distance
Back then I was Sigmund, back then he wouldn’t listen
Back then I was handsome, back then he was ignorant
And shave off the years now, it’s all inside my head
The boy in the red shoes is dancin’ by my bed
Put them in a box somewhere, put them in a drawer
Take my red shoes, I can’t wear them anymore
Put them in a box somewhere, put them in a drawer
Take my red shoes, I can’t wear them anymore
Take my red shoes, I can’t wear them anymore
Take my red shoes, I can’t wear them anymore
Take my red shoes, I can’t wear them anymore
You can't spell 'Elton' (John) without 'L-E-O-N' (Russell)
The two piano men record a duets record 40 years after Russell first inspired a young John; Russell in Austin on Saturday
http://www.austin360.com/music/you-cant-spell-elton-john-without-l-e-906415.html
By Michael Corcoran AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Updated: 3:35 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010
Published: 3:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, 2010 Last year, Elton John was on safari in Africa when he heard a Leon Russell song and wept. He remembered how Russell was so kind, so encouraging, back in 1970 when newcomer Elton opened a short tour for his idol.
With John grossing around a million dollars a show these days and Russell playing Threadgill's tonight to make up a March freeze-out at the 600-capacity outdoor venue, it's hard to remember 40 years ago when the roles were reversed.
When Elton heard Russell's "Back to the Island" on last year's safari, he cried not just for all the great memories, but because he realized that he had not done enough to repay the musician he has credited with "completely changing the way I thought about playing the piano and singing" in the late '60s.
Within a few weeks, Sir Elton was on the phone introducing himself to T-Bone Burnett, asking the Fort Worth-raised producer if he'd be interested in making a duets record with the old piano pals. That project, "The Union," comes out Oct. 19. The first single, "If It Wasn't For Bad," is available now on iTunes.
"It's not often you get to make a record with your idol," John says in a short film by Cameron Crowe being used to promote "The Union."
Willie Nelson is another giant who credits Russell's tutelage for helping get him where he is today. In 1972, when Leon had two Top 10 albums and was playing stadiums, he embraced the red-headed country singer, smoothing Willie's transition from Nashville's Music Row to the Armadillo World Headquarters.
There was a time when Leon Russell compositions such as "A Song For You," "Superstar" and "This Masquerade" became standards overnight because they sounded like they'd been around forever.
He'd come up the right way, playing sessions with Freddie King, the Beach Boys, the Byrds and Phil Spector while still using his birth name Russell Bridges. When his time as a recording artist came around, he wasn't just some longhaired dude in a purple top hat getting in on the (wavy) gravy train. He was the Titan of Tulsa, the Mad Dog who made all those Englishmen sound better by showing them where gospel fit in with rock and vice versa.
Unlike Elton John, who craves the spotlight, Russell seemed spooked by mass appeal, moving back to Oklahoma when superstardom hit. He doesn't give interviews and even went to court to block a documentary on him that Les Blank shot in the early '70s. As his life has become more private, his music has become less accessible. Russell, 68, has not had a Top 10 album since he was 30 years old.
But his flamboyant protégé in the rhinestone glasses is doing the talking for Russell now. He gushes over the upcoming album, telling Crowe's camera, "It really has made me fall in love with a guy I fell in love with years ago, all over again." We'll have to see if the public follows, but one lesson, in music and life, has been learned here: Treat eager upstarts with respect and they won't forget.
mcorcoran@statesman.com 445-3652
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Leon Russell
When: 10 p.m. Saturday
Where: Threadgill's World Headquarters, 301 W. Riverside Drive
Cost: $25 at the door
Information: 472-9304; www.threadgills.com.
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Elton John's mum sells off memorabilia as she downsizes to Sussex
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/8374258.Elton_John_s_mum_sells_off_memorabilia_as_she_downsizes_to_Sussex/
Elton John’s mother is selling off the trappings of her son’s fame. Rock fans from across the globe are expected to descend on Lewes as thousands of pounds of memorabilia – including 50 platinum and gold discs – go under the hammer.
The 63-year-old’s mother, Sheila Farebrother, is parting with the mementos, collected over the course of her son’s 40 year career, because she can’t fit them into her new West Sussex home.
Stand out items include a platinum award for the first million sales of her Sir Elton’s 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and a multi-platinum disc commemorating 11 million sales of Candle In The Wind, which was re-released following the death of the Princess of Wales in 1997.
| Elton John’s ‘Candle In The Wind’ greatest selling single ever http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=111665 | ||||||||
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25,000 music fans turn up for Bocelli and Elton John concert in Mallorca
http://www.euroweeklynews.com/2010090982676/news/mallorca/25000-music-fans-turn-up-for-bocelli-and-elton-john-concert-in-mallorca.html Mallorca
Thursday, 09 September 2010 14:03
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The arena was like a ‘who’s who’ of Mallorca, with many of the expatriate residents of Mallorca in attendance.
Additional seating was arranged on the football pitch with VIP ticket holders on the front rows directly in front of the stage, whilst the existing terrace seating offered great views of the stage.
Throughout the evening many concert goers commented on the set up of the stage, the impressive sound, lighting and video shows, and the professionalism of the musicians. The only downsides to the evening were some complaints from the ticket holders that they could not find their seats, and that the queues for drinks were too long.
He was joined on stage by a bevy of beauties: the Div4s (a classical girl group), Tony and Emmy winner, Heather Headley and Spanish soprano, Saioa Hernández who ll brought additional glamour to the evening.
They were supported by the Balearic University Choir and the Balearic Philharmonic Orchestra who filled the stage.
Mr Bocelli performed various duets with his leading ladies, culminating in an ensemble performance of ‘Time to Say Goodbye’, whilst arguably his most moving solo performance was of ‘Nessum Dorma’ which he performed as a tribute to his mentor, Lucciano Pavarotti.
Following a short break to set the stage for the second half of the evening, Sir Elton John and his band were met with ecstatic applause.
The front rows of the stadium were mobbed by excited fans who had to be asked to sit on the pitch so as not to obstruct the views of the VIP ticket holders.
Sir Elton played many of his most popular hits including ‘Candle in the wind’, ‘Rocket man’ and ‘I guess that’s why they call it the blues’.
Every person that the Euro Weekly News spoke to about the evening praised the ambition of the project, and hoped that the organisers Liss and Onni Nordström from www.leadershipintime.com would bring more exciting and ground breaking events to the island in 2011.
