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Randy Vanwarmer dead at 48 - R.I.P.

Randy Vanwarmer, really known for the 1978 hit "Just When I Needed You Most", has died in Seattle at the age of 48.

He passed away of complications from leukemia at the University of Washington Medical Centre on Monday night and had been ill for the past year.

His biggest hit "Just When I Needed You Most" spent more than 20 weeks on the Australian chart in 1979, reaching No. 17. In the United States it went to No. 4.
The great Westcoast album "Warmer" reached No. 67 in Australia in 1979 too.

Randy, born May 30, 1955 in Indian Hills, Colorado, has had other hit songs: "All I Have Tonight" (1981) and "Suzi Found A Weapon" (1981) received some airplay.

He recorded 4 albums for Bearsville-Warner Brothers Records between 1979 and 1984. Randy moved to Los Angeles in 1982 with his wife, Suzi Blosser, a former record executive for ABC and Warner Brothers.

After this era, Randy concentrated on songwriting. He has collaborated on several songs like Oak Ridge Boys "I Guess It Never Hurts To Hurt Sometimes" (1984 - number one Country hit in The U.S.A.) and for Alabama "I'm In A Hurry (And I Don't Know Why)" (1992 - also number one Country hit in The States).

Randy Vanwarmer songs have been featured on albums by Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Laura Branigan, Smokie and Billie Joe Royal among others.

Randy Vanwarmer represents several albums (with a few anthologies included).

On his website, here is the following information in the news section:

"Randy's latest project!
Randy's latest project is an album of songs by the great american composer Stephen Foster. Songs you know and love performed in a way you have never heard before. Check this site often for updates and news about when and where it will be available

Randy is gone
In early 2003 Randy was diagnosed with Leukemia and has recently undergone a bone marrow transplant at The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle Washington. There were many complications following the transplant and Randy died in his sleep Monday round midnight. He is the best brother in the whole world and I miss him very very much.
His music is his gift and he gave it to us all.
Ron Vanwarmer January 12, 2004"

Discography (albums):
1979 - Warmer (Island U.S.A.)
1980 - Terraform (Island U.S.A.)
1981 - Beat of Love (Bearsville U.S.A.)
1983 - Things That You Dream (Bearsville U.S.A.)
1988 - I Am (Capitol U.S.A.)
1990 - Every Now and Then
1994 - The Vital Spark
1995 - Third Child (Demon U.K.)
1996 - Sun Moon and Stars (JVC - Victor Japan)
1998 - Best of (Victor Japan)
2000 - Best of Randy Vanwarmer (Castle Communication U.K.)
? - American Morning, Greatest Hits
? - Terraform

Also on:
Bearsville Anthology
and
Bearsville Sampler

Once upon a time, a young girl stood in front of the parishioners in a Boston church. She opened her mouth to sing, and a huge voice came out - moving the congregation to tears. At that moment the girl heard the voice of God tell her, "You're gonna be famous." From that time on, the girl knew that she was destined for greatness. That girl grew up to become Donna Summer.

Most people know about her hits. Great songs like "Last Dance", Hot Stuff", "On The Radio" and "She Works Hard For The Money." What most people don't know is that Donna started off as Donna Gaines in a rock band called The Crow. And that when the band broke up, she left school to be in the German production of the the musical Hair. Once in Germany, there was no stopping Donna. She was active in musical theater, playing in such shows as Showboat, Porgy And Bess, and The Me Nobody Knows, and in 1971 she cut her first solo record, "Sally Go 'Round The Roses"

By 1974, and now going by the name Donna Summer, she was doing a great deal of session work which brought her into contact with producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. Together they recorded "The Hostage", a song which became Donna's first hit in Europe. An album and a few more European hits followed. Then in 1975, Donna recorded "Love To Love You Baby", the song that finally brought her success in America. The rest is history. Since then she has racked up fourteen top ten hits, four number one singles, three platinum albums, five Grammy awards and twelve other Grammy nominations. She is the first female artist to have three number one solo singles in one year ("MacArthur Park", "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls") and she is the only artist to have three number one double albums in a row (Live And More, Bad Girls, and On The Radio). Over the years Donna has proven herself to be a consummate artist and songwriter - she has written or co-written many of her hits, and is currently writing a musical based on her life story. Most recently she has done a benefit performance for GMHC at Carnegie Hall that raised over $400,000 for that organization. She has also inked a multi-album deal with Epic Records and her first release for her new label was a live CD recorded at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. This concert was videotaped and became the highest rated concert special for a solo artist that VH1 ever broadcast. Over twenty years after her biggest success, Donna is poised for a major comeback. And no one deserves it more.

Wilson Pickett

One of the most popular black singers of the '60s, Wilson Pickett helped introduce the aggressive style of rhythmic style of soul music. Aided immeasurably by the excellent studio bands backing him at the Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, and The Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals Alabama, Pickett scored a series of R&B and pop hits on Atlantic Records between 1963 and 1972 that included "In the Midnight Hour," "Mustang Sally," and "Funky Broadway."

Raised in Prattville, Alabama, Wilson Pickett moved to Detroit, Michigan at the age of sixteen and made his professional debut as the lead singer of The Violinaires in the late '50s. From 1961 to 1963 he was in The Falcons, writing and singing their 1962 hit "I Found Love." Pickett then went solo and signed with Lloyd Price's Double L Records, where he wrote and recorded "If You Love Me" and "It's Too Late."

In 1964, Pickett signed with Atlantic Records and did his early recordings in the Stax studio in Memphis, Tennessee with Booker T. Jones and Steve Cropper of The MGs. Cropper co-authored three of his early hits, "In the Midnight Hour" and "Don't Fight It from his debut album The Exciting Wilson Pickett that established him as a major soul star. The album also included "Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)," "She's So Good to Me," and "Land of a 1,000 Dances," all recorded at Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals.

Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff

Pickett then had hits with "Mustang Sally," "I Found a Love," and "Funky Broadway," all recorded in Muscle Shoals. Pickett then teamed with Bobby Womack in 1968 for Midnight Mover that yielded a Top 10 R7B and pop hit with Womack's title song. In 1969, Pickett had a major hit with The Beatles "Hey Jude,", followed in 1970 by "Sugar, Sugar." Later in 1970, Pickett worked with producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. The result was two crossover hits "Engine Number Nine," and "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You."

After crossover hits "Don't Knock My Love - Part 1" and "Fire and Water" Pickett left Atlantic for RCA, with minimum success. Pickett later recorded for several record companies, including his own Wicked label, but failed to have anymore hits.

Wilson Pickett was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.

When Sly Stone set these words to music in "Everyday People," a landmark 1969 song about acceptance, the visionary bandleader Sly Stone captured the spirit of those heady times, and maybe foresaw his own dissapearance into idiosyncracy. The song evoked the particular idealistic sensibilities of the San Francisco Bay Area, where Sly where The Family Stone's unique combination of musical and spiritual forces germinated. The band exemplified racial harmony, ethnic diversity and a voice for women in its lineup. The Family's communal affirmation of massed voices and adept blending of gospel anthemics, r&b jive, and funk innovations led by Larry Graham's supercharged plucked bass had lasting impact.

Music came early to Sylvester Stewart, who at age four recorded his first side as a gospel singer with his nuclear family group, the Stewart Four. By high school, in Vallejo, California, he'd taken on the nickname Sly and played rock 'n' roll with Joey Piazza and the Continentals. He graduated to music theory at Vallejo Junior College and radio dj basics at the Chris Borden School of Modern Broadcasting, and went on to expand the playlist at KSOL to include tracks by Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Lord Buckley. Sly was to ingest all of these influences making a study of artists near and far to create new collages of sound.

Already a multi-instrumentalist, Sly quickly added experience as a producer to his resume after hooking up with another dj and future alternative rock radio pioneer Tom "Big Daddy" Donahue. Sly's credits at Donahue's Autumn Records included several early San Francisco Sound tracks: the Beau Brummels' "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just A Little" and "Somebody to Love" as performed by the Great Society. Sly's offer to sit in on the latter was turned down, the song did not become a smash until it was reworked a couple of years later by the Jefferson Airplane with Slick on vocals.

After another, popular on-the-air stint at KDIA, Sly recruited siblings Freddie and Rosie, cousin Graham, white high school buddy Jerry Martini and his cousin Greg Errico, and former high school horn player Cynthia Robinson to form the Family Stone. After paying dues in the suburbs and showcasing a knack for making a record sound like its appealing live shows with "Dance to the Music", the group finally struck a chord with the Flower Children on "Everyday People". All the while the group's outlandish live performances featured choreographed onstage movements and fantastic hairdos and costumes which appealed to a rock audience despite the grab bag of musical sources.

Sly's successful melt-down of formerly segregated genres and audiences with the above tunes and such positive power cuts as "Stand", "Everybody Is A Star" and "I Want to Take You Higher" helped pave the way for the funk, glam and disco of future decades. For the time being, the body-bending, sing-along impact of his hits got him booked at the Woodstock and Monterey festivals and at Bill Graham's Fillmores East and West.

As a writer, Sylvester Stewart (he used his given name in that context) exhibited a breadth of approach which latter day soul groups like Earth, Wind, & Fire would later try to equal. Sly's "Hot Fun in the Summertime", for example, lays back on a slow, slick, funky groove sharply contrasting with the anthemic drive of most of the Family's hits.

Sly's image appeal helped to bring black youth over to rock, and may have encouraged black militants to try and make him an agent of their cause. Under their pressure and internal group friction, Sly began to exhibit signs of a bleeding ulcer, and sought relief through drugs. After developing a reputation for missed and delayed concerts, a comeback with another number one hit, "Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin)" in 1970 seemed to indicate a return to form.

But racial rage and inner turmoil resurfaced late in 1971 with the release of the disturbing but compelling album, "There's a Riot Goin' On", which featured guitar work by Bobby Womack. It brought the Family its last number one hit, "Family Affair" and Sly became more overindulgent in drugs making records at less frequent intervals. Sly's/Sylvester's seductive talent was still evident, though, as they were a couple of years later on his last hit, "If You Want Me to Stay".

In 1979, Sly once again put out signals of reform with the release of "Back on the Right Track", featuring several Family members in a disco-friendly mood. But Womack felt it necessary five years later to help Sly into drug treatment, afterwards honoring his mentor by taking him on tour. Rumors of isolation and eccentricity but little else have followed Sly's legend over the past decade.

However rock history may judge Sly's "different strokes" in making his way through his own career, his twin achievements of helping to herald an age of enlightenment and providing a model of synthesis in production and composition are unassailable and difficult to equal. His legacy remains audible and visible in the stylings of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Prince (formerly?), the B-52's, and so on, and so on, and scoobie-doobie-doo.

Selected Discography-- Sly and The Family Stone

SPENCER DAVIS
A Rock Legend....

This rock star from Wales, who created the famed Spencer Davis Group in 1963, has close to a dozen top 10 hit songs, including "Gimme Some Lovin", "Somebody Help Me", "I’m A Man", and "Keep On Runnin", helping to bring British rock ‘n roll to the rest of the world.

The popularity of his songs live on and Spencer recently accepted an award from BMI in London for over 3 million broadcast performances of "Gimme Some Lovin."

Starting out with degrees in modern languages (with fluency in German, French and Spanish), Spencer had left his teaching career to began his music career in Birmingham with drummer, Pete York and brothers, Steve and Muff Winwood.

Touring with the Rolling Stones and The Who when they were still working clubs, having after-hour drinks with Beatles, John and Paul and the lads, jamming with Charlie Watts and Long John Baldry and Jack Bruce were heady days for Spencer. When the hits started to come one after the other, his momentum spurred major US success.      

Moving to America in 1970, Spencer went on to record a now-hard-to-find solo album, then played in an acoustic blues band, which included Richard Landis (former Juice Newton producer and manager) and Peter Jameson. By the mid-’70s Spencer worked at Island Records (his group’s label) and, as a record company executive, worked to further the profiles of people like Robert Palmer and Bob Marley.

In the early 80's Spencer was head of A&R for a small Hollywood-based independent label and the itch to play in a band again was coming back. That’s when he made his next album, “Crossfire”, with guests like Dusty Springfield, Flo and Eddie, and Booker T. Jones.

In 1984 Spencer was back on the road with his own band in America. Then came European and Middle Eastern tours with Pete York, plus other British rock legends, Brian Auger and Chris Farlowe. It was during this time he recorded pioneering CD albums for German and Swiss release.

Days on the road increased, as did the fans, and by 1987 he was performing well over 100 shows a year. For a rock and roll who’s-who, he made guest appearances with the Grateful Dead, Gary US Bonds, Levon Helm, Springsteen's E Street Band, Peter Noone, Downchild, and Alvin Lee.      

In the early 90’s. audiences watched Spencer pick up the pace at club and concert tours. His stature as a rock and roll ‘legend’ opened doors to a wide variety of benefits, telethons and special TV and radio appearances -- criss-crossing through the US and Canada with forays into Europe, including opening acts for Hall & Oates and the Marshall Tucker Band.

His guest appearances on TV and radio talk shows mounted throughout most of 1990 as Spencer became involved promoting the definitive photo collection of Michael Cooper’s book, “Blinds and Shutters,” -- Spencer being one of many contributors to the book.  His tours during that time took him through Australia, the US, Canada and Japan with his own group.

In 1993, Spencer united with three other famed musicians to form one super group, The Classic Rock All-Stars.  The group released a CD together, simply titled, "The Classic Rock All-Stars" and they toured the US, Canada and Japan.

Davis left the Classic Rock All-Stars in the summer of 1995, and continued touring in Europe and the US the rest of the year into 1996 and 1997.  In Europe, he played with drummer Pete York (the original drummer of the Spencer Davis Group), and the Spencer Davis Group's popularity in Europe put Spencer on a World Tour with his European members, hitting Japan, the Far East, Middle East and Scandinavia.

Spencer signed a record deal with CMC who released the recording initially throughout Europe.  The recording consisted of a mix of many new originals, old hits and classic songs written by other artists.

In the Fall of 1997, Spencer teamed up with The World Classic Rockers, similar in concept to The Classic Rock All-Stars, but with a larger line-up. 

Spencer's songs continue to live on in movies, such as Iron Eagle, Big Chill, Mr. Destiny, Days of Thunder, Mr. Holland's Opus and Notting Hill.  The mid 90's also landed him on TV commercials, industrials, and the TV special, "The History of Rock 'n Roll," as well as a co-starring role in the hit series, "Married with Children."

2001 proved to be as busy as any of the mid and late 90's.  From state fairs to casinos throughout the USA and Canada, the Spencer Davis Group continued entertaining millions with their classic repertoire.  Along with the spring and fall tours, Germany and Europe were thrown in for good measure.

Spencer undertook a marathon tour with the Spencer Davis Group during the spring of 2002, with 47 shows over 60 days up and down jolly old England.  Drawing upon his teaching skills from the past, Spencer was invited on the famous cruise ship QE2 in the summer of 2002 as a guest lecturer and performer.  He then headed straight to Alaska and followed by a foray into the Middle East, with a mini tour of Europe right behind that.

The first half of 2003 brought Spencer through tours of Italy, side-stepping into the studio to record three new songs for his new upcoming CD, and then back to Italy and Germany.  There were more state fairs and concerts in the park, where Spencer hooked up with friend Alan White of Yes to guest with him in the Washington State area.

Early in 2004, his U.S. tour led him to Illinois and Florida, with a jump over to tours through Germany, Holland, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, and Austria until Spring.  After a brief rest, the Spencer Davis Group headed out for a month-long tour of the U.K. starting in southern England, and going as far north as Scotland, and west into his native Wales homeland.  He finishes up in the Royal Festival Hall in London and tours with his friends, the Yardbirds before heading back to Hungary and Germany again.

His contributions to music history have created a constant demand for this legendary musician which encompasses all areas of the music industry -- Performing and providing insight into the music business with his first-hand knowledge and experience of rock history.

Spencer is now teamed up with the Rock and Roll Army, consisting of Mitch Ryder, Chuck Negron, and Rick Derringer.  Check his concert itinerary and be on the lookout for the band to come your way!

Exclusive representation:
PARADISE ARTISTS
108 E. Matilija Street
Ojai, CA 93023
(805) 646-8433
(805) 646-3367 FAX

    Beginning his career by entering amateur contests and sneaking into clubs, Paul Anka has gone on to become one of the most prolific, successful songwriters in history. This year marks his 45^th Anniversary in show business, which he celebrates with a new 4 CD Box Set of his hits spanning over four decades for his millions of fans around the world. He has achieved unprecedented success in every venue: stage, screen, television, and recording. His musical compositions are internationally known and have been recorded by the greatest names in the entertainment industry. With over 124 albums to his credit, Mr. Anka has been named the 21st most successful artist in Billboard's history (Billboard statistic), putting him alongside music greats Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

    Since the inception of his career, Paul Anka's songs have been performed well over 150 million times (BMI statistic), while his LP and single sales collectively number more than 60 million (BMI statistic). He holds three number one songs: 'Diana', 'Lonely Boy' and 'You're Having My Baby'; twenty-two Top 20 hits and over 33 Top 40 hits, this being in the U.S alone. In addition to a host of American hits abroad, Mr. Anka has recorded more than ten albums in Japanese, German, Spanish, French, and Italian, composing songs culturally tailored to each country. To date he has sold more than 15 million albums and over 3 million singles of the Italian song "Ogni Volta" alone. In addition, the release of his Spanish duets album, 'Amigos', in 1996, in which he appeared with the likes of Celine Dion, Ricky Martin, and Julio Iglesias amongst others, achieved gold status; This ensured him a place amongst a few select artists in history to have a record on Billboard's Top 50 charts for five consecutive decades (Billboard statistic).

    Raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Paul Anka developed a talent for songwriting through school courses in English and Journalism. His life would forever be altered, however, on a trip to New York with a song he had written for a girl four years his senior. "Diana" launched Paul Anka's career as an international teen idol at the age of sixteen," with sales totaling over 20 million copies worldwide. Before he turned 18, Mr. Anka had five Top-20 hits. With such notable 1950's hits as "Put Your Head On My Shoulder," "You Are My Destiny," "Lonely Boy," and "Puppy Love", Paul Anka was quickly a household name. By the late 50's, Paul Anka had established himself as a prolific and successful singer/songwriter, with appearances on "American Bandstand" creating further fame.

    In the wake of the British Invasion, the music of Paul Anka remained timely, ushering in such classics as "A Steel Guitar And A Glass Of Wine" and "Love Me Warm And Tender." In the 70's, Mr. Anka ushered in another wave of chart-topping hits: "(You're) Having My Baby," "I Don't Want To Sleep Alone," and "One-Man Woman." His success continued into the 80's with "Hold Me 'Til The Morning Comes" with vocalist Peter Cetera, produced by David Foster.

    With well over 900 songs to his credit, his songs have been performed by such greats as Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Tom Jones, Buddy Holly, Linda Ronstadt, The Sex Pistols, Nina Simone, Gypsy Kings, and Robbie Williams - to name a few. In addition, his compositions for others helped catapult their respective careers including, 'It Doesn't Matter Anymore' for Buddy Holly, 'She's a Lady' for Tom Jones, 'Puppy Love' for Donny Osmond', and of course the unparalleled 'My Way' which not only became a signature song for Frank Sinatra, but a song that is one of the most recognized and performed songs in the world. Mr. Anka has successfully collaborated with songwriters David Foster, Carol Bayer Sager, Richard Marx, Michael McDonald, Michael Jackson, and many others.

    Extending his talents into the realm of TV and film, Paul Anka's contribution to television is the most recognized theme song in history. When Johnny Carson made his debut as host of "The Tonight Show" in 1962, the Anka-written theme was there, too. Since the debut, the theme song has been performed over 1,400,000 times. Many memorable film, television programs, and ad campaigns bear the hallmark of Anka's unmistakable musical signature. In addition to writing the theme music for "The Longest Day," for which Mr. Anka was nominated for an Academy Award, Mr. Anka penned the theme music and title song for the motion picture "No Way Out" starring Kevin Costner. His theme song for Louis Malle's "Atlantic City" took top honors at the Venice Film Festival. In 2002 a new Japanese television series, titled "Golden Bowl", was created around his music for the second largest TV market in the world, featuring eight Paul Anka songs in every episode, this being the first time this has ever been done on a TV show in Japan. His songs have also been used in some of the biggest commercial campaigns for companies such as Ebay, AXA, Pet Smart, and Mercedes Benz.

    But his talents haven't been relegated solely to composing and performing; Paul Anka has done his fair share of acting in front of the camera, appearing in "3000 Miles to Graceland" starring Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, and Christian Slater, "Mad Dog Time" with Richard Dreyfuss, and "Captain Ron" with Kurt Russell and Martin Short, to name a few.

    In the last five years, Paul Anka has shown no sign of slowing down. He continues to tour ten months out of the year, proving still to be a veritable force of nature with a boundless commitment to satisfying his dedicated international following. Solidifying his position as a top name in the U.S. gaming entertainment industry, Paul Anka recently signed an unprecedented three-year deal with The MGM in Las Vegas, as well as with the Native American-owned Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, and a multi year deal with The Borgata in Atlantic City. In an industry where one-year contracts are the norm, these contracts acknowledge the drawing power of the Anka name on the marquee.

    Mr. Anka's latest biographical video projects will pick up where the award-winning CBC documentary "Lonely Boy" left off. The U.S. project, "Paul Anka: Music Man" aired on A & E Biography worldwide in May 2002 featuring past and present career highlights, interviews with various personalities that have interacted with Mr. Anka throughout his longstanding career, and an insider's view of Mr. Anka on the road during his 2000 world tour. Additionally, he just wrapped production on a new Canadian Documentary for a CBC TV series called "Life and Times", which aired in January 2003.

    His most recent musical releases include "Body of Work" (Sony), featuring duets with Celine Dion, Patti LaBelle, Tom Jones, Anthea Anka, and Frank Sinatra. Mr. Anka's 124^th album, "Anka Live 2000", was recorded live during his 1999 worldwide tour and features contemporary standards such as "For Once in My Life," "My Way," "Autumn Leaves," and many more Anka classic tunes.

    Mr. Anka's contributions to the entertainment industry have earned him numerous awards and special recognition. In addition to performing at the White House and for numerous heads of state, he has been honored by the French government, who awarded him the title Chevalier In The Order of Arts And Letters. He is among only a handful of Americans to receive this prestigious award. Mr. Anka has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame and most recently, was elected into The Songwriter's Hall Of Fame by the National Academy of Popular Music.

    This year marked a milestone, when Mr. Anka performed in his native Ottawa, Ontario, Canada for the first time in more than 20 years. He was drawn back to his hometown by the opportunity to perform for the Canadian Liver Foundation, a charity, which is very close to his heart. Mr. Anka entertained an audience that included senators, ambassadors and Prime Minister and Mrs. Jean Chrétien, where he helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the charity. While in Ottawa, the Mayor declared April 27^th as "Paul Anka Day", Mr. Anka received Canada's International Trade & Commerce Award, and he was named an honorary Tourism Ambassador for Canada.

    Paul Anka is blessed with five daughters: Amelia, Anthea, Alicia, Amanda, and Alexandra. Alexandra gave birth to her first child, a daughter, in December, 1997 and gave Mr. Anka a grandson in February, 2001.

    Fans are welcome to visit www.paulanka.com to check the tour schedule and purchase Paul Anka merchandise. They are also welcome to e-mail Mr. Anka at fan@...., or send a letter to Mr. Anka at: 9663 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 640, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.