Stevie Nicks is getting ready to release a new solo album, 24 Karat Gold — Songs From the Vault, her first since 2011. In anticipation, she has released the official video for one of the songs, “The Dealer.”
Nicks wrote “The Dealer” in the late 1970s when she was with Fleetwood Mac, but the song has never seen an offical release until now. 24 Carat Gold will feature other songs from “the vault.” Check out the “new” song.
Warner Bros. will release the album 24 Karat Gold — Songs From the Vault on October 7, 2014, with pre-orders starting already and an earlier vinyl release. Starting in September, Nicks will begin a reunion tour with Fleetwood Mac, so look for her to come to your neighborhood. What do you think of the new Stevie Nicks song “The Dealer”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
The Civil Wars duo of Joy Williams and John Paul White officially announced that the band is no more. Fans already knew there had been a loss of real-life harmony between the two and that they had gone on hiatus in 2012. They then put out a self-titled album, which gave some hope, despite the dark clouds on the cover. But on their website now they have announced they will not be creating another. The website notes, “The difficult decision ends a tumultuous period for the four-time Grammy Award-winning band, who has been on indefinite hiatus since late 2012.”
In consolation, Williams and White announced they are giving away a free download of “You Are My Sunshine” that was recorded in 2010. The track was originally released in 2011 as a B-side to the limited edition Barton Hollow 7” vinyl release. So, you are getting no more music from The Civil Wars, but you can go to their website for this goodbye gift.
For some more music from The Civil Wars, check out these other songs from Barton Hollow (2011). We wish Williams and White well and look forward to whatever music they make by themselves in the future. RIP Civil Wars.
Are you disappointed The Civil Wars broke up? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Helen Kane had a successful career, but she may be most remembered for being the inspiration for a cartoon character.
On August 4, 1904, Helen Clare Schroeder — who became famous as Helen Kane — was born in the Bronx. Kane, who started out as a performer in vaudeville and Broadway, became famous as a singer and in films.
Despite Kane’s successful career, she’s mostly remembered today for two things. Kane introduced the world to the hit song “I Wanna Be Loved by You” in 1928 in Oscar Hammerstein’s show Good Boy. And she inspired the cartoon Betty Boop.
The Betty Boop connection resulted in a lawsuit. Kane sued Paramount Pictures and Boop-animator Max Fleischer for unfair competition and wrongful appropriation.
Fleischer had initially created the character as a dog, but by 1932 when Kane filed the lawsuit, Betty Boop was an animated human. Kane lost the lawsuit because the judge decided she could not show that she had originated the singing style herself. She may have copied the style from African-American performer Baby Esther.
Below, in movie footage from 1929, Helen Kane sings “He’s So Unusual” and “The Prep Step.” The performances of “He’s So Unusual,” written by Sherman Lewis Silver, and “The Prep Step” with Jack Oakie are from the 1929 movie Sweetie, which is currently available in its entirety on YouTube.
In 1983, Cyndi Lauper reflected Kane’s style in her own cover of “He’s So Unusual” on her album She’s So Unsual. Kane’s hit “I Wanna Be Loved by You” has also been covered, but Kane’s performance remains the definitive version that can only be imitated.
This video’s creator took Kane’s version of “I Wanna Be Loved by You” and added images of both Kane and Betty Boop.
For some pure Betty Boop, here is the 1932 cartoon, “Boop-Oop-A-Doop.”
As for Helen Kane, after the Boop lawsuit, her career went through several ups and downs. Her flapper style lost favor during the Great Depression, but she made several TV appearances in the 1950s and 1960s until she passed away on September 26, 1966 at age 62 in Queens, New York. She’s buried at the Long Island National Cemetery.
Dan Healy, Kane’s third husband who had been married to her for 27 years, was with her when she died. To hear more Helen Kane, head over to the Internet Archive. For more photos of Kane, check out 21st Century Flapper.
As for Betty Boop, her popularity has fluctuated through the years too. But she still appears in various media today and will help keep Helen Kane’s memory alive for a long time to come.
Chimesfreedom has previously noted that country singer-songwriter Marty Brown‘s talent seems to run in his family. Brown’s son Marty Brown Jr. has recorded some songs with his father, and recently the proud father posted some videos of a performance by the Marty Brown Jr. Praise Band.
While the video is of a live performance, with the usual sound problems that live performances can have, Marty Jr. and his band do an excellent job on the classic hymn. Check it out and listen to that voice.
The lyrics to “Jesus Paid It All” were written a long time ago by Elvina Hall (1822-1889), a member of the Monument Street Methodist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Hall was sitting in the choir loft at church bored during services when she came up with the words for “Jesus Paid It All.” With no paper, she began writing down the lyrics on the pages of a hymn book. Subsequently a pastor at the church came up with idea to combine Hall’s lyrics with music written by choir director John T. Grape for a song called “All to Christ I Owe.” It was a great combination.
Speaking of great combinations, Marty Brown Jr. is currently touring as part of his father’s backup band, The Kentucky Wildcats.
Randy Travis has released a video for “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me,” a track from his upcoming album Influence Vol 2: The Man I Am (2014). This album of Travis covering songs that influenced him was recorded prior to Travis’s 2013 stroke that reportedly left him unable to speak. But it is still great to see some new music coming from the country singer.
Travis’s new song is a cover of “Don’t Worry,” which was written by Marty Robbins, who had a number one hit with his own recording of the song in 1961. Here is Randy Travis’s version, which uses the slightly longer title, “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me.”
The original Marty Robbins version, “Don’t Worry,” which was released as a single and first appeared on the album More Greatest Hits (1961), features a little piece of music history. Reportedly, the distortion you hear in the song below starting around the 1:25 mark was an accident. During the recording, a tube blew in the amplifier of session musician Grady Martin, who played guitar on the track. Martin did not like the sound, but producer Don Law kept it in, resulting in one of the first recorded guitar distortion sounds used on a record.
Grady Martin is also known for sounds he did intend. He played the famous guitar riff on Roy Orbison’s “Oh Pretty Woman,” and he played the nylon-string guitar on Marty Robbins’s hit “El Paso.”
Randy Travis’s Influence Vol 2: The Man I Am — a sequel to Influence Vol. 1: The Man I Am (2013) — will be in stores on August 19, 2014. Other songs on the album include “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “For the Good Times,” and “Are the Good Times Really Over.” We look forward to hearing more of these songs. And in light of reports that Travis’s loss of voice may not be permanent, we are also hopeful for his health to continue to get better and for him to make some new recordings.
Which version of “Don’t Worry” do you like best? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(1961), features a little piece of music history. 
(2013) — will be in stores on August 19, 2014. Other songs on the album include “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “For the Good Times,” and “Are the Good Times Really Over.” We look forward to hearing more of these songs. And in light of reports that Travis’s loss of voice may not be permanent, we are also hopeful for his health to continue to get better and for him to make some new recordings.