James Brown

When anyone mentions "The Godfather of Soul" or "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business", there is no doubt who they are referring to. One of the most influential artists of 20th century, James Brown has definitely worked to earn these titles of high esteem. By going from shining shoes to becoming a major entertainer and groundbreaking musician, James Brown achieved the American dream.
Growing up in poverty in Georgia, Brown scraped for money from various odd jobs. He was inspired to become a performer, and formed his band, the Flames, in 1956 with his reform school friend Bobby Bird. This group was the start of a highly successful career packed with R&B and funk hits. Their very first single, "Please Please Me," sold over a million copies.READ MORE


Listen to more James Brown at Wolfgang's Vault.

April 5, 1968, Boston Gardens Listen

Listen to more James Brown at Wolfgang's Vault.

James Brown and the Famous Flames
L'Olympia, Paris, France
November 25, 1967
Click HERE to listen.

James Taylor

Biography

by William Ruhlmann

When people use the term "singer/songwriter" (often modified by the word "sensitive") in praise or in criticism, they're thinking of James Taylor. In the early '70s, when he appeared with his introspective songs, acoustic guitar, and calm, understated singing style, he mirrored a generation's emotional exhaustion after tumultuous times. Just as Bing Crosby's reassuring voice brought the country out of the Depression and through World War II, Taylor's eased the transition from '60s activism and its attendant frustrations into the less political, more inward-looking '70s. He was rewarded with a series of hit albums and singles (surprisingly, many of the latter were covers of old songs rather than his own compositions), and he managed to survive his initial fame to achieve lasting popularity. He continued to tour successfully for decades, and, starting with his 1970 breakthrough Sweet Baby James, all but one of his regular album releases for the rest of the century went gold or platinum, while his 1976 Greatest Hits album achieved a diamond certification reflecting sales of more than ten million copies. read more 

James Taylor
The Jabberwocky
Syracuse New York
6 February 1970 Listen

James Taylor
Live At The Jabberwocky
Syracuse, NY 2/7/70 Listen



James Taylor 04/25/70
Sanders Theatre at Harvard University Listen

Listen to more James Taylor at Wolfgang's Vault.

Rockpile

British pop songwriter, bassist, and producer Nick Lowe had an interesting arrangement with his fellow Brit musician and longtime collaborator, Dave Edmunds. The two decided to produce tracks for and play on each other's solo albums, as well as be members in a band that would support each one when they toured as solo artists. Hence the birth of Rockpile, probably the best known and best loved of all U.K. pub bands.
For about five years in the late '70s and early '80s, the UK-based supergroup, Rockpile, captivated audiences around the world. Driven by their infectious energy and the imagination of the group's principle songwriter, Nick Lowe, the quartet churned out many rollicking performances, including this one, captured at the world-famous Palladium in New York City.
After leading and playing bass for the classic Brit pub band, Brinsley Schwartz, Lowe moved into producing by the mid-1970s. In 1976, he signed on with Stiff Records, the punk label started by Elvis Costello's manager, Jake Riviera. Lowe saw his initial success with Stiff, producing many of its artists at the same time he was an act on the label as well. Between 1979 and 1981, Lowe and Edmunds worked under the name Rockpile with Bremner and Williams. Vocally, Lowe and Edmunds borrowed heavily from the Everly Brothers. The band's one LP on Columbia did moderately well, but by 1981 the group was kaput



Listen to more Dave Edmunds & Rockpile at Wolfgang's Vault.




Listen to more Dave Edmunds & Rockpile at Wolfgang's Vault.




Carlene Carter was married to Nick Lowe

Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe

Click here to hear full concert from 10/24/78

Or click  HERE to hear one from  August 20,1979

Band Members
Dave Edmunds - guitars, vocals
Nick Lowe - bass, vocals
Billy Bremner - guitars, vocals
Terry Williams - drums

The Stray Cats

Listen toThe Stray Cats LIVE from 4/28/1981

Listen to The Stray Cats in Tokyo also in 81

The Stray Cats caused a rockabilly revival in the early 1980s. Adrift in a market for Duran Duran and Eddie Money types, the Stray Cats made their mark on MTV with a rowdy 1950s resurgence. Stray Cat singles "Rock this Town," "Stray Cat Strut" and "Runaway Boys" were huge hits both in Europe and in the U.S., and the American-released album Built for Speed occupied the number-two spot on the Billboard Album Chart for 26 weeks. Throughout the 1980s, the Stray Cats not only made their mark with fans but also with fellow cool-cat musicians. Taken from Wolfgangs Vault.


Listen to more Stray Cats at Wolfgang's Vault.

FREE

Biography

by Jason Ankeny

 Free formed in London in 1968 when guitarist Paul Kossoff, then a member of the blues unit Black Cat Bones, was taken to see vocalist Paul Rodgers' group Brown Sugar by a friend, drummer Tom Mautner. After deciding to form their own band, Kossoff and Rodgers recruited drummer Simon Kirke (since Mautner was at university) and 16-year-old bass phenom Andy Fraser from the ranks of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers; with the aid of Alexis Korner, who also suggested the name Free, the fledgling band signed to the Island label, issuing their bluesy debut Tons of Sobs in 1968.

Free's eponymous 1969 follow-up expanded on their roots-based sound, incorporating rockers like Albert King's "The Hunter" as well as muscular ballads like "Lying in the Sunshine" into the mix. Although both of the first two albums fared poorly on the charts, 1970's Fire and Water became a tremendous hit on the strength of the primal "All Right Now," a Top Five smash powered by Rodgers' gritty, visceral vocals. After headlining 1970's Isle of Wight festival, the group appeared destined for superstardom, but the LP Highway did not fare nearly as well as anticipated, and after a grueling tour which yielded 1971's Free Live, the band dissolved amidst ego clashes and recriminations. Read more.

Listen to some of the earliest known FREE recordings live on The BBC. These songs were recorded before they recorded their first album "Tons of Sobs" Click HERE to Listen.

Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke were 18, Paul Kossoff 17 and Andy Fraiser was only 15.

Free .... December 12, 1970 (Broadcast January 2, 1971)
"Midnight Hour", Radiohuset, Stockholm, Sweden
(EX FM - from Liberated Bootleg "Radio Free" (Remastered Edition))
Listen

Paul Kossoff

Free

The Metallized Blues
Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida
April 30, 1972

Listen to a great soundboard

One of the last of original band

Edinburgh, Empire Theatre
September 14, 1972
- Paul Kossoff’s 22nd Birthday -
Lineup: Paul Rodgers, Paul Kossoff, Simon Kirke, Rabbit Bundrick, Tetsu
LIVE