Helpless - about the town where Neil was born and grew up in the same Province in which I was born and spent most of my life. When I was Pres. of the Mariposa Folk Festival, and Neil showed up unexpectedly, and was invited by one of the performers to come on stage to sing a few songs, Neil asked me what song I would like him to sing - and of course Helpless was the one I asked for.
Suzanne - my favourite folk song, sung by my favourite singer-songwriter. The first time I ever heard it I was standing beside the outdoor stage at the 1966 Mariposa Folk Festival, it was a cool night and when Leonard sang that song the hair on the back of my neck stood up on end. I've known young women like Suzanne.
Both Sides Now - I went to see the 1964 Mariposa Folk Festival in Toronto with the partners who ran The Black Swan coffee house in Hamilton (40 miles from Toronto) the city where I was working and living at the time. The night before the festival Harry, Jim and I stayed in a rooming house on Madison Avenue in Toronto, near U of T. While I bedded down on the couch in the living room of the house, a tall skinny girl with long straight blond hair and big teeth, wearing a backpack and carrying a guitar case walked into the living room. She came from Saskatoon to see the Festival. Her name was Joni Anderson. We talked, and she took out her guitar, put it in a strange tuning, and played some songs she wrote, along with some standard Judy Collins stuff, until we were both exhausted, then I slept on the floor so she could sleep on the couch. Next day I introduced her to Harry and Jim and convinced them to hire her to play the next weekend at The Black Swan, her first paying job in Ontario. A year or two later Joni married Chuck Mitchell, an actor and singer from Detroit. I can see both sides - pity there are members of NT capable of seeing only one.
If You Could Read My Mind - Gord lived 4 houses down the street from me and we've had a few beers together. He wrote that song to his Scandinavian wife when they were breaking up.
Someday Soon - I had spent a few times as a guest at Ian and Sylvia's ranch east of Toronto, and all of us being involved in the Toronto folk music scene we knew each other pretty well. I prefer but have no link to Ian singing his best song - Four Strong Winds. Here is the song performed by Neil Young
Stick Figure is currently one of my favorite bands. Created by Scott Woodruff, not only does he write and sing all the music, but he plays every instrument and records all the studio tracks himself under the moniker “Stick Figure”, which was his nickname in high school. It only became a band when he started playing live shows and needed instrumental backup.
Another musician who wrote, played, and produced all or most his own music was Dwayne Eric Lavold, going by the moniker “Custom”. This guy produced one great album called “Fast” and has since disappeared from the music scene. No idea what happened to him and you can’t even find his album on Amazon Music.
BIG YELLOW TAXI - Joni Mitchell
One of several the lovely and talented Agnetha composed or co-composed
STONED SOUL PICNIC - Laura Nyro
GIRL ON FIRE - Alicia Keys
David Bowie - Oh You Pretty Things
David Bowie - Space Oddity
Under Pressure
David Bowie and Freddie Murcury.
Peter Schilling - Major Tom (Living Room Sessions, 2020)
Sade - Smooth Operator
David Crosby - Almost Cut My Hair
Canadian Singer-Songwriters
Helpless - Neil Young (even Joni harmonizes on this one)
Suzanne - Leonard Cohen
Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell
If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot
Someday Soon - Ian Tyson of Ian and Sylvia. (Ian's hallmark song is Four Strong Winds, but I don't have it)
Helpless - about the town where Neil was born and grew up in the same Province in which I was born and spent most of my life. When I was Pres. of the Mariposa Folk Festival, and Neil showed up unexpectedly, and was invited by one of the performers to come on stage to sing a few songs, Neil asked me what song I would like him to sing - and of course Helpless was the one I asked for.
Suzanne - my favourite folk song, sung by my favourite singer-songwriter. The first time I ever heard it I was standing beside the outdoor stage at the 1966 Mariposa Folk Festival, it was a cool night and when Leonard sang that song the hair on the back of my neck stood up on end. I've known young women like Suzanne.
Both Sides Now - I went to see the 1964 Mariposa Folk Festival in Toronto with the partners who ran The Black Swan coffee house in Hamilton (40 miles from Toronto) the city where I was working and living at the time. The night before the festival Harry, Jim and I stayed in a rooming house on Madison Avenue in Toronto, near U of T. While I bedded down on the couch in the living room of the house, a tall skinny girl with long straight blond hair and big teeth, wearing a backpack and carrying a guitar case walked into the living room. She came from Saskatoon to see the Festival. Her name was Joni Anderson. We talked, and she took out her guitar, put it in a strange tuning, and played some songs she wrote, along with some standard Judy Collins stuff, until we were both exhausted, then I slept on the floor so she could sleep on the couch. Next day I introduced her to Harry and Jim and convinced them to hire her to play the next weekend at The Black Swan, her first paying job in Ontario. A year or two later Joni married Chuck Mitchell, an actor and singer from Detroit. I can see both sides - pity there are members of NT capable of seeing only one.
If You Could Read My Mind - Gord lived 4 houses down the street from me and we've had a few beers together. He wrote that song to his Scandinavian wife when they were breaking up.
Someday Soon - I had spent a few times as a guest at Ian and Sylvia's ranch east of Toronto, and all of us being involved in the Toronto folk music scene we knew each other pretty well. I prefer but have no link to Ian singing his best song - Four Strong Winds. Here is the song performed by Neil Young
this might seem a little out of the box, but it is accurate
BARRY WHITE - Never Never Gonna Give You Up
BARRY WHITE - Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Babe
YOU BELONG TO ME - Taylor Swift
Janis Joplin wrote many songs she sung, a few of my favorites.
Mercedes Benz
Down On Me
Move Over
One Good Man
Stick Figure is currently one of my favorite bands. Created by Scott Woodruff, not only does he write and sing all the music, but he plays every instrument and records all the studio tracks himself under the moniker “Stick Figure”, which was his nickname in high school. It only became a band when he started playing live shows and needed instrumental backup.
Another musician who wrote, played, and produced all or most his own music was Dwayne Eric Lavold, going by the moniker “Custom”. This guy produced one great album called “Fast” and has since disappeared from the music scene. No idea what happened to him and you can’t even find his album on Amazon Music.
The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby (From "Yellow Submarine")
Isaac Hayes LIVE - "Shaft" - 2002 (stereo HQ)