What'd I Say
	Artist: Ray Charles

Genius, pure and simple.

Our sister site Newstalgia is featuring Christmas music from Tirez Tirez.

What are you listening to this Saturday night?

Billy Preston is best known as the "Fifth Beatle" for his keyboard work with the Fab Four on the Abbey Road sessions. His resume also included the Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many more heavy hitters across various genres. Tonight's selection is off of his 1971 record, I Wrote A Simple Song. Thanks to my buddy Keith for reminding me of this.

A reminder that our sister site Newstalgia has for its weekend concert, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1987. Enjoy!

I used to work for a guy named Mo, one of the only truly artist-friendly record company chairmen in the Biz. But tonight's music is about EatMo (AKA- Louis Jordan), one of the musical pioneers often credited with inventing rock'n'roll. Before he died, over 30 years ago, he had put an indelible impression on jazz, swing, blues, rock and rap. And at a time when blacks listened to black musicians and whites listened to white musicians, Jordan was one of the first really successful "crossover" artists. His biggest hits were "G.I. Jive," "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't?," "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie," "Let The Good Times Roll" (made famous by Ray Charles and Molly Hatchet), "Caldonia," "Saturday Night Fish Fry," "Ain't That Just Like A Woman?," but this one (from 1943 when he was still new in the recording biz, has always been my fave:

You Don't Know Me, performed on Late Night with David Letterman the night after Cindy Walker's passing.

You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker

Produced by Fred Foster, [..] You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker is truly a return to form for Willie. The band performing on the record is made up of several of Nashville's premier session players, who successfully capture the spirit and sound of classic country music. All songs were written by Country Music Hall of Fame inductee (1997), Cindy Walker. At 87, she has a long list of writing credits to her name, which include: "Dusty Skies" recorded by Spade Cooley, Bob Wills, & The Sons of the Pioneers, "Cherokee Maiden" recorded by Bob Wills, Merle Haggard, & Mel Tillis, "Warm Red Wine" recorded by Ernest Tubb and George Jones, "You Don't Know Me" recorded by Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Jimmy Dean, Henry Mancini, & many more The single, "You Don't Know Me" was made most famous by Willie's close friend Ray Charles on The Modern Sounds of Country and Western Music. "I loved her music," Nelson says of Walker's catalog of playful saloon songs and heartfelt ballads. "Even before we met I felt like I knew her from listening to Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys do her songs. Every night of the week as a teenager I was playing things like "Miss Molly" and "I Was Just Walking Out The Door" somewhere.

I have the new Ray Charles CD release of “Ray Sings, Basie Swings” It’s a joint Concord / Starbucks Hear Music release and is just a great, great CD. I have 10 copies to give away to the equally great C&L readers. Just send your name and address to crooksandliarsmusic@gmail.com I'll randomly pick the winners. I'm working to come up with as many giveaways as I can...You can also pick up the album at iTunes.

Wednesday with Howie.

(guest blogged by Howie Klein)

Sometimes I go walking in the hills behind my house with my iPod plugged into my head and for an hour I'll just listen to one song over and over until I'm hallucinating on it. Last weekend the song was Krafty" from the latest New Order album, WAITING FOR THE SIREN'S CALL. This is Morel's Pink Noise Vocal mix (so not the version on the album).

Download | play -MP4

(Howie has another giveaway below. Please leave your answers in the comment section so he can pick the winners.)

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