Cover Story: Roxy Perry
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SPECIAL “WOMEN IN BLUES” the world the world INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC MAGAZINE N° 2 • NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2007 Boss Tweed ROXY PERRY ROXY Melissa Forbes Suzanne Foschino Ariel Hyatt Kelly’s Lot Sheena Metal Toni Price Kelly Richey Madalyn Sklar Hope Waits COVER STORY: EDITORIAL n the beginning was a woman, and that woman was Mamie Smith (1883-1946). In August, 1920 she recorded “Crazy Blues” – the first blues I record ever. Released on Okeh Records, it sold nearly a million copies in one year and, according to blues researcher Paul Oliver, “paved the way for every other blues artist to come, regardless of style.” It’s a man’s, man’s, man’s world! A macho-driven one. Even its Creator is Father. Not for everybody, though. Twenty-five years ago, in December 1972, Helen Reddy said in her Grammy Award acceptance speech: “I want to thank everyone at Capitol Records, my husband and manager, Jeff Wald, because he makes my success possible, and God because She makes every- thing possible.”Whew, I love it! The idea of this special “Women in Blues” issue originates from a wonder- ful project, The National Women in Blues Festival, founded and headed by Michele Seidman (of Michele & The Midnight Blues band). As I write this, the second Women in Blues festival is being held in Wilmington, North Carolina. There were many more candidates than the organizers could accept, so I decided, instead of presenting the lucky participants, to virtually enlarge the festival stage by presenting other outstanding ladies whose life is made up of music and who themselves are making up the music world. As you will see, not all of them are singers or musicians, but – all are indispensable actors of the music scene. This issue also marks an important stage in the magazine development. Here, the focus is less on the music as such and more on the personality of those making great music and those making great music possible. Paul Bondarovski blues rocks the world • november-december 2007 | 3 2ND NATIONAL WOMEN IN BLUES FESTIVAL the world 6 Ladies Gig the Blues INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC MAGAZINE N° 2 • NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2007 NEW FACETS OF THE BLUES www.bluesrocks.net 8 Hope Waits “We wanted to honor a rich heritage of blues and soul FOUNDER / PUBLISHER / without becoming a slave to it” – by Mark Pucci EDITOR IN CHIEF: Paul Bondarovski COVER STORY DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Paul Bondarovski 10 Roxy Perry Real Deal Blues Queen – Interview by Suzie O’Kane CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Suzanne Glass, Ben Lazar, 20 Boss Tweed Sheena Metal, “The word ‘blues’ makes me think of women…” Suzie O’Kane, Rob Patterson, – Interview with Carolyn Sills Mark Pucci 24 Ariel Hyatt PROOFREADING It Takes a Village to Launch an Artist Margaret O’Brien (www.sonicbids.com/MargaretOBrien) 32 Kelly’s Lot ADVERTISING: “Every tune has a mind of its own…” e-mail: [email protected] – Interview with Kelly Zirbes CONTACT: e-mail: [email protected] 37 Sheena Metal Queen of Observation Postal address: Paul Bondarovski Managers: Can’t Live With Them… But Can You Live 14, rue Olier Without Them? – By Sheena Metal 75015 Paris France 40 Kelly Richey Leaving You Speechless – By Mark Pucci Blues Rocks the World welcomes articles, photos, and any material suitable for publication. Persons wishing to write letters to the editor are invited 46 Suzanne Foschino and encouraged to do so. Blues Rocks the World Catch the Moment of Truth assumes no responsibility for unsolicited mate- rials, manuscripts, CDs, or photographs. Mater- ial may be edited at the discretion of the editors. 54 Madalyn Sklar The opinions expressed in this publication by Cuz Chicks Rock! individual authors are not necessarily the edito- – Interview by Suzanne Glass rial opinion of Blues Rocks the World. 58 Melissa Forbes Blues Rocks the World is © 2007 Paul Bondarovski. All rights reserved. Breaking Up with the Joneses Blues Rocks the World is published bimonthly by Paul Bondarovski, 14, rue Olier, 75015 Paris, 62 Toni Price France. No part of this publication may be re- The Toni Price Bio She Doesn’t Want – By Rob Patterson produced, stored in a retrieval system, or trans- mitted in any form or by any means, without the express written permission of the publisher. 66 BOOKSHELF blues rocks the world • november-december 2007 | 5 10 | blues rocks the world • november-december 2007 Roxy Perry By Suzie O’Kane first had the pleasure of experiencing a live Roxy Perry performance in 2001 at the I“Red White and Blues” concert, which was given after the September 11th World Trade Center disaster to raise funds for the widows and children of New York City fallen firefighters. Since then, through var- ious music project collaborations, I’ve had the good fortune of working closely with Roxy. She graciously agreed to share the beginnings and some of the lesser known circumstances of her career leading to her continuing success and recognition as one of the hottest female blues singers today. Suzie O’Kane: When and how did you get S. O.: You’ve been involved with music from your start in music? the start… Roxy Perry: I sang in my church and school Roxy Perry: All my life… When I was about choirs, and school plays during grammar 15, I wanted to be with people my own age, school through junior high school. My first so from there it was one Top 40 band to paying gig was offered when I was just 10 another, leading up to 1968. At that point I years old! A swing orchestra allowed me to was in a 7-piece soul band called Ivory & sit in with them at a dinner dance at Glen Is- Ebony. We played six nights a week, six sets land Casino that my parents had brought me a night, at the famed Peppermint Lounge on to.Some of the musicians had their own 45th Street and Times Square in New York jazz trios outside of that orchestra, and hired City.Joey Dee, noted for the hit “Peppermint me to sing at other functions, as well as jazz Twist,” was the band’s manager and took Roxy Perry in 1998. cabarets and beatnik bars. My father, bless his me under his wing, so to speak. He gave me heart, had to chaperon me! my first experience in a recording studio. S. O.: Who do you consider your major mu- I was hooked. sical influences? S. O.: When did you do your first recording? Roxy Perry: When I was a girl, rather than Roxy Perry: In late 1968, Frankie Paris was playing with dolls, I played records. My in- playing at The Wagon Wheel, which was fluences came from the stack of 78s that my down the street from Peppermint Lounge. parents had collected over the years; all the We would trade band members occasionally swing bands, Ray Charles, Dinah Washing- just for laughs. Little did I know that this re- ton, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Louie lationship would have a great impact on the Jordan, Louie Prima and of course, Louis next three years of my life. Frankie Paris Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson and many other gave me a call to go out on the road as a part blues, jazz and gospel singers of the 40s and of the band Dawn which had the current hits 50s. They were all my teachers and influence “Candida” and “Knock Three Times.” my music to this day. I also listened to the ra- S. O.: I remember those as being songs by dio and watched the Ed Sullivan show reli- Tony Orlando. PHOTOGRAPHY © ROXY PERRY. giously. Roxy Perry: Tony Orlando had recorded the INTERVIEW © SUSAN O’KANE, 2007. blues rocks the world • november-december 2007 | 11 songs “Candida” and where we went… And we walked out of the “Knock Three Times,”but studio unemployed. Bell Records gave us had no intention of going no compensation other than enough studio out on the road to repre- time to make a two-song demo. We took sent them. So, Bell Records that two-song demo, to a division of Poly- designated us to go out on dor Records which was run by James Brown. tour representing the band His manager heard the record and just went Dawn, which was truly a crazy! When I got home that night, my studio group. We head- mother said that someone had called me lined huge concerts in from Africa, but she couldn’t understand every major arena in the what he was saying. I knew immediately U.S. and Canada for three that the caller was James Brown himself! years. We shared the billing We were contacted the next day by James’ with the Carpenters, lawyer saying he wanted to sign Frankie and Kenny Rogers and the First I as a duo. Edition, Rare Earth, Iron S.O.: And…? Butterfly, Badfinger, Three Roxy Perry: Honestly, I can’t remember, but Dog Night, the Nitty for some reason, the deal with Polydor never Gritty Dirt Band, Mike went down. Nesmith (The Monkees), S. O.: So, what happened next? Mark Lindsay (Paul Re- Roxy Perry: At this point, we were already Roxy Perry in 1985. vere & the Raiders), David working locally again. Frankie and I were do- Cassidy and many other Top 10 artists of the ing a duo act, sort of like Marvin Gaye & time. We were on all the American Band- Tammi Terell, but not quite as laid back as stand-type T.V. shows across the U.S. and that. We were playing at Trudy Heller’s on Canada.