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Willie G. Moseley
In Memoriam: Michael Rhodes
Michael Rhodes, a bassist who for decades appeared on recordings by elite Nashville talent, died March 4 after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 69. Rhodes’ prolific career in Music City began in the late ’70s, and he worked with dozens of singers and musicians. Highly sought as a recording and touring bassist, he usually played…
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Willie G. Moseley
Wayne Kramer 1948-2024
Guitarist and activist Wayne Kramer, best known as a founder of the iconic Detroit hard-rock band MC5, died in a Los Angeles hospital on February 2. He was 75 and battled pancreatic cancer. A Detroit native, Kramer nurtured his musical aspirations by absorbing influences from Motown and the early days of rock and roll, then…
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Willie G. Moseley
Pop ’N Hiss: The J. Geils Band’s “Live” Full House
Detroit Get-Down
You heard of the Boogaloo?” singer Peter Wolf bellows as the J. Geils Band roars through “Hard Drivin’ Man.” “You heard of the Boston Monkey? You heard of the Philly Freeze? We got the Detroit Demolition here tonight!” Recorded April 21 and 22, 1972, at Detroit’s Cinderella Ballroom, the J. Geils Band’s “Live” Full House…
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Willie G. Moseley
The Collins Kids
Mostly-Moseley Memories
Siblings Lorrie and Larry Collins sprang into the public eye in the mid 1950s – dawn of the television era – on a program called “Town Hall Party.” The big-sister/little-brother act starred Lorrie on acoustic guitar, backing the prodigous Larry, who showed off his fleet-fingered style. Add the mentorship of co-stars Joe Maphis and Merle…
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Willie G. Moseley
Guy Pratt
Rickenbackers and a Resistance
Guy Pratt has been the bass player for Pink Floyd since signing on for the tour to support 1987’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason. With the gig came a rapid accumulation of basses. “I arrived for rehearsals in Toronto with the paltry stable of a Steinberger, a Status II fretless, and ‘Betsy’ – my ’64…
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Willie G. Moseley
Kansas’ Leftoverture
Iconic American Prog
Progressive rock emerged from the British psychedelic scene in the late ’60s with bands like the Nice, Procol Harum, Moody Blues, King Crimson, Yes, and Gentle Giant. The genre blossomed in the first half of the ’70s, still dominated by Brit bands, with one exception – Kansas. After forming in Topeka in 1970, Steve Walsh…
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Willie G. Moseley
Denny Laine 1944-2023
Denny Laine, best known for his affiliations with the Moody Blues and Paul McCartney and Wings, died December 5 after an extended battle with interstitial lung disease. He was 79. Raised in Birmingham, England, Laine was the founding guitarist of the Moody Blues and sang lead on the band’s first hit single, “Go Now,” which…
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Willie G. Moseley
Pop ’N Hiss: King Crimson’s Red
Commendable Coda
In the late ’60s, a new style of rock emerged in Britain, influenced by classical music and fronted by bands like Yes, Genesis, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Dubbed “progressive rock,” King Crimson epitomized the form. Fusing against-the-grain arrangements and meters with grandiose lyrics, King Crimson’s approach was piloted by guitarist Robert Fripp frenetically chordingπ…
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Willie G. Moseley
Kim Simmonds
1947-2022
The British blues movement of the late ’60s lost one of its original proponents and practitioners when Savoy Brown lead guitarist Kim Simmonds died December 13, following a year-and-a-half bout with colon cancer. He was 75. A native of Wales, Simmonds became aware of the blues thanks to the record collection of an older brother.…
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Willie G. Moseley
Ron Bosse
Unison Groove
While Boston-based guitarist Ron Bosse was inspired to begin his six-string journey while listening to classic rock, he became a jazz player and has been active for decades. “The first instrument I learned was saxophone, in fourth grade,” he recently recalled to VG. “When I got to high school, I joined the jazz band as…
