"Something just ain't right about that Boy"

Jethro Tull

The early Tull albums are some of my favorites music.
Who can deny "Stand-Up" "Aqualung" and "Thick as a Brick" are classics?



Maria Muldaur
The Grand Lady of Southern Rhythm & Blues. She sings it the way it should be. One Classy Lady, and like Bonnie Raitt and Tracy Nelson , she has approached the music business on her own terms .
Musicians far and wide line up to take the stage with her.


Traffic
Over their years of evolution, from psychedelic pop to mesmerizing Caribbean jazz beats , Traffic was one of the ground breaking groups of rock music. Definitely one of my top 3 of all time.



Jean-luc Ponty
Frank Zappa to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Ponty's Electric Synthesized Violin weaves interesting melodies through drum beats and wailing guitars. His own recordings are some of the most interesting music I have ever come across.



Cream
Three uniquely different musicians came together for a short time and created music that proved with enough amplification , all you need is three pieces. This is music musicians should seriously study. And that Eric Clapton fellow......I do think he's got a future.



Leo Kottke
A guitarist who never ceases to amaze me by what can be done with a acoustic twelve string Gibson. It sometime sounds like he has sixteen fingers. His live shows are incredible.



Paul Rogers

The many versions of Rogers, from the bands "Free" & "Bad Company" to the "The Firm" he has always delivered a solid combo of songwriting, guitar and an unmistakable voice .



Jimi Hendrix

There is nothing more I can say about him that hasn't already been said.
Ever wonder what music would be today had he lived?



John Mayall

Mayall's "Bluesbreakers " alumni included the likes of Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Coco Montoya, Mavis Staples, just to name a few, and he continues to make music with the greats and future greats of Blues. I have loved this mans music since I was old enough to appreciate it and continue to collect his records.



Crosby, Stills & Nash
I have always like these guys music, solo, together and the groups they originated from. Stephen Stills being the most prolific of the three, but not the best writer (I give that to Nash) also gave us the "Manassas" album which is one of my all time favorites. Nash's "Songs for Beginners" is also an extraordinary album. And of course, the fore-mentioned Crosby solo effort.




King Crimson
Trying to describe this bands work to someone who has never heard it is......well, impossible. Their early works, as with the early works of the bands "Yes" and "Emerson Lake & Palmer" are distinctly different and unlike anything before it. Interesting, ever evolving and never the same.



Sade

I simply love this woman's work and is my favorite music to play late at night when I'm alone. Sade is a extraordinary talent that, I believe is yet to reach her full potential. Her vocal range is unbelievable in a live performance and is held back only by her material. Oh, and did I mention this is some of the best "gettin it on" music you would ever believe.



Hot Tuna

Started as a side project by two members of the "Jefferson Airplane", Tuna continued to make records over the years from acoustic ballads to balls to the walls electric blues. Few bassist put their signature on music as Jack Cassidy does in the Tuna records, as well as The Airplane recordings. The Tuna's music catalog is high on my list of the best.




Robin Trower

Can't help but love this man's music, I was his tour drummer for 8 months. An amazing guitarist who's choice of playing smaller, more intimate venues, endeared him to his audiences. An original member of " Procol Harum", his early influences are given a ragged edge, a bit of controlled feedback and thrown at the listener. It's a combination that worked very well for him.



Steely Dan

What can I say.....
These guys have done some of the coolest music ever put down.



Yes
If this group had done no more than four records, I would think no less of their music. The original lineup of Yes was one of the most unique combination of talent to enter a studio. They will always rank in my top 3 of all time.



Dan Fogelberg

The late Dan Fogelberg was a master song writer and performer who's musicianship and product I have always admired . I carry most of his catalog with me when I travel. Not as well know as James Taylor, but every bit as important to music, he remained a private person. He died much to young.



Ashley Cleveland

I'll end the list with one of my favorite people in all the world!
Ashley Cleveland and I first met in a dimly lit studio in the early 1990's when she was hired to overdub a vocal track for a record I was involved in making. Not only was I taken by her sultry, bluesy voice, I quickly discovered we both had similar beliefs and life experiences and became instant friends, and we remain so to this day. She and her husband were the first of my close friends to come to my side when my life took a bad turn.
In the years since we first met, she made a career of her own as a singer/songwriter and, with support of her kick-ass band, has gone on to win 3 Grammy Awards as a crossover artist, and for her work on the cutting edge of Christian Rock Music.

Give her a listen.




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