Billy Price. I had heard him on a Roy Buchanan album, then happened to see him with his Keystone Rhythm Band in Frederick, MD, c. 1980, opening for BB King, then many times around DC.
A great singer you may have never heard, or even heard of.
One of the hotbeds of musical activity in the U.S.A. in the mid-to-late 70’s was New York City, especially the bands who were appearing at a club called CBGB. Everyone knows four of the bands who appeared at CBGB and as a consequence got themselves record deals---The Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, and Television most famously. Each had it’s own sound and style.
There was another band who didn’t do as well: Mink DeVille. Though the above bands all sounded different from one another, Mink DeVille sound more unlike them than any other. The singers name was Willy DeVille, and his style developed not out of the influences of the other NYC bands, but rather from R & B, 50’s R & R, and Latin music. Mink DeVille’s 1976 debut album Cabretta (on Capitol Records) was produced by Jack Nitzsche (Phil Spector’s arranger and orchestrator, and a member of Neil Young’s band Crazy Horse for a while), and is fantastic! Willy and the band included a great version of John "Moon" Martin’s killer song "Cadillac Walk" on the album.
Mink DeVille fared far better in Europe, as did Willy after he disbanded Mink DeVille and embarked on a solo career. He collaborated with Dr. John, Doc Pomus, Allen Toussaint, and Mark Knopfler (who produced and plays guitar on the Miracle album). Willy unfortunately was a heroin addict for many, many years, and passed away in 2009 at the age of 58. For those interested in learning more about Mink and Willy DeVille, here’s a video for ya:
https://youtu.be/YvaVSba-Y98?si=V3cUdkD5wuDV8xcH
For some reason the video runs a little over nine minutes on my computer, but over twenty minutes on my TV.
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I just clicked on YouTube, and this short (2:21) clip was first in the que. I especially like Hal Willner’s statement about Willie: "This is as good as music gets." And Peter Wolf’s: "There’s the mystery about Willie. When you get it, it’s atomic, it’s huge."
https://youtu.be/KXp_nWvE2dI?si=0lbDBAi7fX_fOli7
I was in Europe for three months in the fall of 1982, and while in Amsterdam I saw that Willie was appearing in one of the hash bars in town. I looked and looked for it, never finding it. Damn it!
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Willy and Jack Nitzsche in a hotel room. This is what it’s like when two very talented musicians are together in a room. Both Willie and Jack have left us.
https://youtu.be/pfDKbQnqcA0?si=LoxlTovgf0GBopev
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- 31 posts total