Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley arguably represent the high point of Kansas City rock ‘n’ roll. True, they were and are folkies at heart. But Brewer & Shipley made major-label records with backing from the top rock musicians of the era. They played every venue in town, from the Vanguard coffee house to Cowtown Ballroom to Arrowhead Stadium (opening for Elton John). They helped foster the scene in other ways. Above all, their Top 10 hit from 1971, “One Toke Over the Line,” puts them at the top of the … [Read more...] about Golden greats: 50 years of Brewer & Shipley
Bands
Between two worlds
It is 1979 Troost Street, downtown KC, Upstairs is the Tavern.... A down on the luck dive. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s blaring from the jukebox, accompanied by the crunch of peanut shells cracking under the pointy, scuffed boots of Coors Light-drinking, red-necked cowboys in plaid collared shirts alongside disheveled, skid-row drunks, their shoulders hanging over their cocktails, all lining the bar like hopeless vultures, Pool balls clacking under a blinking and buzzing fluorescent light … [Read more...] about Between two worlds
50th anniversary of KC Beatles concert coming up
Sir Paul McCartney returns to Kansas City for a concert this Wednesday, July 16, at the Sprint Center as part of his “Out There” tour. It will be the first time I have seen him perform, but it’s the rock icon’s fifth visit to our town. The first, of course, was when the Beatles played a concert on Sept. 17, 1964, at old Municipal Stadium as part of their first American tour. Paul’s next KC appearance came on May 29, 1976, at Kemper Arena on the “Wings Over America” tour. Four tracks – “Maybe … [Read more...] about 50th anniversary of KC Beatles concert coming up
The man who sang “Kansas City” first
While the song “Kansas City” is officially credited to rock ’n’ roll demigods Lieber and Stoller, the first man to record it, then-20-year-old Little Willie Littlefield, often claimed in the ensuing years to have written it himself. It’s not hard to believe Littlefield had at least a hand in writing the song. After all, it was he who was hanging out on the corner of 12th Street and Vine in 1952, not Lieber and Stoller. They apparently never visited until 1986, to receive a key to the … [Read more...] about The man who sang “Kansas City” first
The heavy sounds of Stone Wall
If the Classmen (clean-cut brothers, managed by their father) were Kansas City’s equivalent to the Beach Boys and the Chesmann its Beatles, Stone Wall could be likened to Kansas City’s Cream or Led Zeppelin. A power trio with roots in the blues, Stone Wall was led by singer-guitarist Allen Blasco in combination with three different rhythm sections (1968-76). As a young teen (1965-68), Blasco led The Clergymen, whose ever-changing array of musicians included Ray Goldsich, later to … [Read more...] about The heavy sounds of Stone Wall
Starlight memories
The nostalgic triple bill coming up at Starlight Theatre on Friday, May 10 -- Styx, REO Speedwagon and Ted Nugent -- made me wonder just how many times those three acts have collectively played Kansas City. The poster at left shows that promoter Chris Fritz presented two of the three groups – along with Joe Walsh’s Barnstorm – at Memorial Hall in the early ’70s. Nugent was still billed as leader of the Amboy Dukes then, just a few years after their Top 40 hit from 1968, "Journey to the … [Read more...] about Starlight memories