It may be difficult for younger people to fully understand how Little Richard changed everything; from music to society in general. Context is everything. He shook up the world in a profound way. Not only did he write the songs, but performed them without inhibition; he did for singing what Jimi Hendrix did for guitar…he freed it from its former constraints.
Nick Blagona, sound engineer extraordinaire, has died.
It’s difficult to assess the impact Nick had on my life…something like this has no form of measurement…but to say that it was truly profound would be an understatement.
He was the house engineer at Le Studio in Morin Heights when, in the winter of 1981, Rainbow started recording Straight Between The Eyes. As the producer, I spent a lot of time with him, sitting at the SSL desk, drinking endless cups of coffee and playing Battleships late into the night.
It’s been a year since I last posted. Somehow, life slips by without warning. I do read all the posts you send, grateful that you take the trouble to share your thoughts and questions. I shall answer some in due course. The lovely words for my birthday leave a warm feeling my heart, thank you.
I eschew social media––not one to share the trivia of my everyday life with the world-–so this site is one of the few ways I communicate stuff.
Suddenly, here we are, looking back on the year – a busy one indeed.
On the road, again, again; a Mexican festival, two European tours, an American/Canadian tour, a Japanese tour, and Mexico again.
Thank you to all who came to see live music, I am truly grateful. To those who didn’t get to see us in Mexico, I am sorry.
Now settled into the US/Canadian tour and strangely enough, time to think. Good to see old friends Rob Halford, Ian Hill, and Glen Tipton of Judas Priest, along with new friends The Temperance Movement.
Also, good to hook up with dozens of fans I’ve known for many years. Talking of fans, they don’t come any more dedicated than Axel Dauer, who sadly passed away last month after a long illness.