Illinois State University ISU ReD: Research and eData WGLT Program Guides Arts and Sciences Spring 6-1-1999 WGLT Program Guide, June-July, 1999 Illinois State University Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/wgltpg Recommended Citation Illinois State University, "WGLT Program Guide, June-July, 1999" (1999). WGLT Program Guides. 166. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/wgltpg/166 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Arts and Sciences at ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in WGLT Program Guides by an authorized administrator of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact [email protected]. GLT-lllinois Power Summer Concert '99 Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 26th. GL T and Illinois Power are planning the ultimate free outdoor jazz and blues concert. It will be held from 4:00 to 9:00 PM on the grounds of the McLean County Law & Justice Center in downtown Bloomington on Saturday, June 26th. GLT/IP Summer Concert '99 will kick off at 4:00 with Deanna Bogart's sassy blues, followed at around 6:00 by the Duke Robillard Band's unique mix of jazz & blues. Finally, beginning around 7:45, the night's headliner, the Freddy Cole Quartet, will present their sophisticated brand of jazz. Freddy Cole is the younger brother of Nat King Cole and the uncle of Natalie Cole, and a star in his own right. GL T General Manager Bruce Bergethon is "thrilled to have GL T involved with bringing this caliber of jazz and blues to central Illinois. These are artists that GL T plays on a regular basis. All jazz and blues fans will recognize these artists and all central Illinois residents will certainly enjoy their music." "Illinois Power is excited to join with GL T in sponsoring this event," declared IP Regional Manager, George Levi. "We're happy to have an opportunity to give something back to the communities we serve in central Illinois. We're planning a great free musical event the entire family can enjoy." In addition to GL T and Illinois Power, the City of Bloomington is also sponsoring this event. And besides the great entertainment, we'll have a wide variety of food and soft drinks available. Plan to make an evening of it. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and all your jazz and blues loving friends for what's sure to be a fabulous concert! ■ WGLT Program Guide is published bi-monthly by WGLT-FM Campus Box 8910, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-8910 that when you were a young man, it wasn 't first a career in music you were after, but one FC: Well, when ever you can explain to me what a jazz singer is, then I may be able to in the NFL. .. answer that question! (laughs) I leave labels and titles and all that stuff to critics. I have enough problems trying to do what I do well and that's what I'm concerned with. FC: I had the possibility. When I played, I was an all state football player. I was a running back and I was pretty good. As a young man , I had those pro football aspirations. I was a LK: You're recent CD "Love Makes the Changes"is a bit bluesier than your previous efforts. Chicago Bears fan and a Cleveland Browns fan , and Marion Motley, who used to be with Why did you go for that blues sound? the Browns, used to live in my neighborhood. As kids, we used to play football in front of his FC: When you grow up here in Chicago, you 've got to know the blues. I've always been house where he could see us. associated with the blues. A lot of people think that I'm just a balladeer, but I can sing and play the blues. LK: So you were trying out .. FC: Yeah, but as I look back on it now, the best thing I've ever done was stay away from LK: How do you go about choosing the songs you perform? football. As big as those guys are - they'll kill 'ya! (laughs) FC: Mostly, I go on gut instinct. Selecting material is sort of like when you go out to buy some shoes. You don't buy the same kinds LK: Why did you give up playing? of shoes all the time. You look for something different for FC: During the last game I played , my hand was stepped on . It caused a bone infection. I different reasons. had to have several operations, so there went that career. LK: The GL T/lllinois Power Summer Concert is on LK: You 'd been interested in music all along , too. Did you decide right then to make music June 26th. We're looking forward to seeing you on stage. your career? Can you tell us what you're like when you perform? FC: Yeah , I guess I did. Do you talk a lot to the audience? FC: They didn't come to hear me talk, LK: You studied at Roosevelt Institute in Chicago, you attended Julliard and you have a I play music. (laughs) Masters Degree from the New England Conservatory. That's a wonderful formal education . A I'm not a big talker. lot of musicians only attend the University of Life. I tell'em right FC: That's the best university you can go to! I really learned how to be a musician out here in away - there's the streets of New York and Chicago. I can still rely on those lessons right now. very little chatter and all music! LK: Over the years, you 've performed all over the world and in several languages ... FC: I can sing in French , Spanish , Portuguese, Tagalog, Japanese and German. LK: You 've been dubbed an "overnight" success with the greater notoriety you 've been receiving of late. FC: (laughs) Yeah , well every dog has his day. Some of them have two, but I'm glad to get my one. I'm satisfied with it. It's like a song I do by Alan Bergman, "On My Way to You." There's a line in there that says 'I wouldn 't change a thing that happened on my way to you .' On the way to this point in my life , you know I don't have the power to have changed it and I wouldn 't have, either. I've had some wonderful times and made friends all over the world . LK: Do you consider yourself to be a jazz singer, or is that label limiting to you? Some performers don't want any sort of label at all. GLT Summer Concert Star: get to learn from the masters first hand. What an incredible experience! Their appreciation Duke Robillard for my playing and my bands kind of verified for me that I was on the right course. GL T blues host and Music Director Marc Boon cheerfully proclaims Duke Robillard as one of MB: You have a new CD out called "New Blues for Modern Man. "Tell us a bit about that. the best guitar players he's ever heard. "His heart is in his music. This man loves what he DR: Well, I think it really is my best record , because I think I captured the best of my blues does. And a lot of other people love what he does, too. He first came to our attention back in playing and songwriting capabilities to date. I feel like this is some of my best playing, and I '67 when he formed Roomful of Blues, and it was rock n' roll that got him there ..." even had the chance to take an old delta blues tune and re-arrange it a bit so that has a totally new sound to it. I even play a bit of rock n' roll , and there's a jazz instrumental that features the Duke Robillard: It was a natural development. My brother, who is about ten years older than whole band on it. I think it just captures what and who I am. me, had all the great rock n' roll roots music from Little Richard , Buddy Holly, Elvis, and Chuck Berry. So I listened to and started to appreciate the blues then , even though I didn't know it MB: So I trust we'll hear a lot of the new one at your show here this summer? was the blues at the time. Most of the b-sides to Chuck Berry's records were slow blues and I DR: Oh yeah . And a bunch of other stuff. I have a very talented band and we look forward to just loved what I heard. I think the other 50's music like the R&B stuff developed my love of being in central Illinois for the first time and I just hope you like the new CD. horns, which lead me to Kansas City style jazz, then to Chicago blues, delta blues, and even country swing . All that music - rock, jazz, even early country music has its roots in the blues. I just took a musical trip and followed my imagination and learned that the music I loved was blues or at least was closely related. Marc Boon: You are very much in demand these days not only as a performer but as a producer,working with Eddy the Chief Clearwater, John Hammond, Sax Gordon Beadle, and Jay McShann. You performed on Dylan's Grammy winner from '97, Ruth Browns' last two WC Handy Award winners, and those great sessions with Johnny Adams, Jimmy Witherspoon, and others.