Island America Music

I have a class A sound system available for NYE

Morgan Miles from the Voice

He was one of the greats

Wild Bush Farm + Vineyard

It's a Beautiful Morning at Shady Key Horse Rescue....yall have a Blessed Day!

Moma Kitty is the Queen of the Barn

Four years ago... :(

23 March 1944, born on this day, American singer, songwriter, musician, producer Ric Ocasek from The Cars. Their early hits included 'Just What I Needed', 'My Best Friend's Girl' and 'Good Times Roll'. Their 1984 US No.3 & 1985 UK No.4 'Drive' was used as part of the soundtrack for the Live Aid concert. Ocasek was found dead in his New York City apartment on 15 September 2019, he was 75.

Every restaurant in Nashville!

“While Coe lived in Key West, Shel Silverstein played his comedy album Freakin' at the Freakers Ball for Coe, spurring him to perform his own comedic songs for Silverstein, who encouraged Coe to record them, leading to the production of the independently released Nothing Sacred. Jimmy Buffett accused Coe of plagiarizing the melody of "Divers Do It Deeper" from Buffett's "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes", stating, "I would have sued him, but I didn't want to give Coe the pleasure of having his name in the paper." In response to the success of Buffett's song, Coe wrote a song insulting Buffett, and it appeared on Nothing Sacred. The album was released by mail order in 1978, through the back pages of the biker magazine Easyriders. Coe's 1979 Columbia album Spectrum VII contained a note stating "Jimmy Buffett doesn't live in Key West anymore," a lyric from a song from Nothing Sacred.”

Wishing Steve Perry a very Happy 74rd Birthday!! 🎈 🎂 🥳

We are saddened to hear of the passing of someone very special to our hearts, for very obvious reasons. Our band’s namesake, Mr. Marshall Tucker, passed away peacefully yesterday morning at the age of 99. Though he was never a member of our band, we wouldn’t be here today without his historic name. In the early days when we were rehearsing in an old warehouse in Spartanburg, we found a keychain inscribed with his name. We needed a name asap… and the rest is history! Marshall was blind since birth but amazingly could play the heck out of the piano. He always said his talent was simply God-given. He tuned pianos in South Carolina for decades. We are thankful for Mr. Marshall Tucker and the life he lived! Sending blessings to his wife and family.

God Bless,
The Marshall Tucker Band

I want to say a happy heavenly birthday to my big brother Artie Poppa Funk Neville. The leader of the New Orleans based band in the fifties and sixties, The Hawkettes, the Art Neville and the Neville Sound band, the Meters and the mighty Neville Brothers band. He was a great singer and keyboardist and a great big brother. Also happy heavenly birthday to our dear friend James Booker, born the same day, same year.

About a month after John and Cynthia separated in May ‘68, Paul drove his ‘66 Aston Martin (shown below) out to the Lennon home in Weybridge to visit five-year-old Julian and Cynthia.

"I was touched by his obvious concern for our welfare,” said Cynthia.

“I will never forget Paul's gesture of care and concern in coming to see us."

Paul said Cynthia had been part of the Beatles social circle and he found it "a bit much for them suddenly to be personae non gratae and out of my life".

On the drive down, Paul composed “Hey Jules” to comfort Julian and encourage him to pursue his opportunities to find love. He took Julian on a drive through the country that day and sang the new song to him.

“I knew it was not going to be easy for him", said Paul. He changed the name to "Jude" "because I thought that sounded a bit better".

“Paul and I used to hang about quite a bit – more than Dad and I did,” said Julian.

“We had a great friendship going and there seems to be far more pictures of me and Paul playing together at that age than there are pictures of me and my dad."

Julian learned that the song had been written about him 20 years later. In 1996, he paid £25,000 for the recording notes to "Hey Jude" at an auction.

Below is Paul with his ‘67 Martin D-28 guitar and his ‘66 Aston Martin sports car (with Martha in the back seat!) that he drove to see Cynthia and Julian that day.

We appreciate Boris’ efforts in locating the perfect image to accompany this post.

10 Carly Simon Essentials Carly Simon has been laying her heart bare for decades, gifting fans little pieces of herself with emotionally weighty songs, riddled with fierce honesty, and unapolog...

10 Songs You Didn't Know Shel Silverstein Wrote for Other Artists, Including Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, and More Did you know Johnny Cash’s famous song, “A Boy Named Sue,” was not written by Cash but by the poet Shel Silverstein? Did you also know Silverstein wrote dozens (hundre...

Happy 82nd birthday to singer-songwriter, guitarist, musician and producer david gates who was born on this date December 11, 1940 in Tulsa, OK.

He became proficient in piano, violin, bass and guitar by the time he enrolled in Tulsa's Will Rogers High School. Gates formed his first band, The Accents, with other high school musicians which included a piano player, Claude Russell Bridges, who later changed his name to Leon Russell. In 1957, David Gates and the Accents released the 45 "Jo-Baby" / "Lovin' at Night" on Robbins record label.

In 1961, he and his family moved to Los Angeles, where Gates continued writing songs, and he worked as a music copyist, as a studio musician, and as a producer for many artists – including Pat Boone.

His composition "Popsicles and Icicles" hit No. 3 on the US Hot 100 for The Murmaids in January 1964. The Monkees recorded another of his songs, "Saturday's Child". By the end of the 1960s, he had worked with many leading artists, including ELVIS PRESLEY, Bobby Darin, Merle Haggard, Duane Eddy and Brian Wilson. In 1965, Gates arranged the Glenn Yarbrough hit, "Baby the Rain Must Fall".

In the meantime, Gates had been releasing singles of his own on several labels in the early 1960s. . He also released a single under the name of "The Manchesters" in 1965 on the Vee-Jay label.

In 1967, Gates produced and arranged the debut album of a band called The Pleasure Fair, of which Robb Royer was a member. A little over a year later, Gates and Royer got together with Jimmy Griffin to form Bread. The group was signed by the Elektra record company, where it would remain for the eight years of its existence. Elektra released Bread's first album, "Bread", in 1969, which peaked at No. 127 on the Billboard 200.

Bread's second album, "On the Waters" with a new drummer, Mike Botts, was released in 1970, and became a breakout success. It contained the No. 1 single "Make It with You" and was the first of seven consecutive Bread albums to go gold in the US. Bread's next three albums, "Manna" (1971), "Baby I'm-a Want You" (1972) (featuring Larry Knechtel as a new member of the band, replacing Royer) and "Guitar Man" (1972) were also successful, with more chart singles and gold records.

From 1970 to 1973, Bread charted 11 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, all of which were written and sung by Gates. Bread disbanded in 1973.

Gates recorded and produced his solo album "First" in 1973. In 1975, Gates released the album "Never Let Her Go". Bread reunited in 1976 for one album, Lost Without Your Love, released late that year. The title track—again written and sung by Gates—reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. At the end of 1977, Gates released what would be his most successful single as a solo artist, "Goodbye Girl", from the 1977 film of the same name.

Botts and Knechtel from Bread, along with Warren Ham, brother Bill Ham and bassist David Miner, continued to record and tour with Gates.

Gates released the albums "Falling in Love Again" (featuring "Where Does the Loving Go"), which peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979, and "Take Me Now", which peaked at No. 62, in 1981.
Gates was less active in music during the remainder of the 1980s. He concentrated on operating a cattle ranch in the Fall River Valley of Northern California, located on land he purchased in the 1970s. He returned to music in 1994, when he released "Love Is Always Seventeen", his first new album in thirteen years.

Gates and Griffin put aside their differences, and reunited for a final Bread tour in 1996–97 with Botts and Knechtel. With the deaths of three of the other principal members of Bread, Gates is the sole surviving band member from their heyday, although Royer still successfully works in Nashville.

Gates, who studied the cattle ranching business while touring with Bread, purchased a 1,400-acre (570 ha) cattle ranch financed by royalties he earned during his time with the band. According to Malcolm C. Searles’ page, he lives happily with his wife in Mount Vernon, Washington, enjoying his retirement.

We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Stax Records founder Jim Stewart. Mr. Stewart passed away peacefully earlier today, surrounded by his family.

While his impact on soul music is immeasurable, the “Memphis Sound” he fostered throughout the 1960s and 70s as a savvy record executive and visionary producer can still be heard and felt in the music of today.

With Stewart’s guidance, Stax launched the careers of legendary artists like Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave, The Staple Singers, and many others. Our hearts are with his family and friends.

📸: Bill Carrier Jr., Courtesy of Concord

How Roger Waters Proved His Much More Profitable Than David Gilmour Years ago, when they were still members of Pink Floyd, the former bandmates’ conflict began in large part owing to creative differences. Although Waters served as the band’s conventional leader, Gilmour pushed them in a diffe

Happy 83d birthday to the great Tina Turner!
“When you have had a lifetime of great music and performance, you can’t just put it away in a drawer like it never happened,” said Tina.

“It is within you all the time and even though I retired a while ago I cannot just sit around and pretend it never happened. I had a love-hate relationship with performance – sometimes I hated it and only did it for other people – and other days I felt so good I never wanted to stop.”

“Life is a journey and it is rare that anyone has a totally smooth journey, I know I haven’t,” she said.

“It’s good that all the bad things were early on and I was strong enough to come through them. In my older years I am happier than I have ever been and I have a smile on my face that is not just there for the cameras.

“Things have been pretty bad at times and it can really wreck your self-confidence and self-esteem. I never turned to alcohol, I have never smoked or done drugs.

“I always had a belief that things would get better one day and they eventually did.

Bernard Bale Interview
Photo by Colm Henry

The Eagles, with Vince Gill and the LPO, brought 'Hotel California' to life in New Orleans Late in the Eagles’ sterling showcase at the Smoothie King Center on Saturday, Don Henley stood front and center for his 1984 solo hit “The Boys of Summer.” His voice

In 1981, just after John passed, Paul and Linda invited legendary rockabilly musician Carl Perkins to stay with them on the Island of Montserrat, where producer George Martin had a studio. Paul wanted Carl’s help in recording a song called “Get It” for his new “Tug of War” album.

It was literally just weeks after John’s murder, and both George and Ringo came to spend time with their former bandmate.

The night before Carl was scheduled to leave, a song came to him that summed up his warm feelings about the visit. The song was so clear in his mind that he didn’t even write it down, which was unusual for Carl.

The next morning he played the song, “My Old Friend”, for Paul and Linda, explaining that it was a gift for having him as a guest.

Halfway through the song when Carl sang the words “if we never meet again this side of life, in a little while, over yonder, where there’s peace and quiet, my old friend, won’t you think about me every now and then?”

Paul stood up and abruptly left the room with tears streaming down his face.

Not sure what had just happened, Carl stopped playing, and Linda hugged him. She thanked him for helping Paul grieve, explaining that he hadn’t been able to fully break down since John passed.

Paul later explained that the last words John spoke to him in the hallway of the Dakota building were “think about me now and then old friend”.

Thank you to Boris for this story and photo.