In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed Charley Pride for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). A country-music legend, Charley was RCA's best-selling artist since Elvis Presley and recorded 29 No. 1 Billboard country hits. He is a three-time Grammy winner and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. His latest album is Music in My Heart (Music City). It's terrific. Here's a track, New Patches...
Also in the WSJ, I interviewed British new-wave artist Joe Jackson and co-producer David Kershenbaum on the writing and recording of Joe's Steppin' Out for my "Anatomy of a Song" column (go here). Joe played all of the instruments on the 1982 hit. His infectious bass line was was inspired by Kraftwerk and programmed on a Minimoog. Here's the official video from 1982...
JJA Jazz Awards. Thanks again to everyone who sent along congrats and photos from the Jazz Journalists Association's Jazz Awards ceremony last week. A special thanks to JJA president Howard Mandel for throwing a fabulous party.
Sirius XM. My next appearance on SiriusXM's Feedback, with co-hosts Nik Carter and Lori Majewski (Channel 106), will be at 9 a.m. (EDT) on June 28, when we'll be breaking down Joe Jackson's Steppin' Out.
Stablemates. Here's Benny Golson and Freddie Hubbard in 1989 playing Benny's Stablemates...
Record sale for a jazz album. What album do you think fetched $7,600 at New York's Jazz Record Center? Rocío de la Rosa of Cádiz, Spain, sent along a link to the answer. Go here.
Harold Arlen radio. On Sunday (June 17), Sid Gribetz will present a five-hour special radio broadcast featuring the music of composer Harold Arlen on WKCR-FM fro 2 to 7 p.m. (EDT). Sid will be looking at Arlen's impact on the jazz repertory. You can access his show from anywhere in the world on your computer or phone by going here.
Note from Nate Chinen. Nate, the editorial director of content at NPR's flagship jazz station WBGO-FM, sent along the following note: "Marc, good seeing you at the JJA Awards—congrats yourself! It's so well deserved. Writer Lara Pellegrinelli and photographer Enid Farber covered the ceremony for us at WBGO, with a focus on the female-forward winners' circle (go here).
"JazzWax readers also may be interested in Mark Stryker on Erroll Garner (go here) and my appreciation of Lorraine Gordon (go here). Keep up the excellent work, at JazzWax and the WSJ. Hope to run into you again soon."
You can listen to WBGO-FM in Newark, N.J., from anywhere in the world on your computer or phone by going here.
What the heck. Here's Dionne Warwick in Paris in 1964 singing Hal David and Burt Bacharach's Walk on By...
Oddball album cover of the week.
This cover looks more like Way Down Yonder in San Francisco, circa 1967.
