Ron Mael was born 1949 and his brother Russell in 1951. They grew up in LA and their parents put them to stage school. Later the teenagers went to UCLA to study film, graphics and English. By 1968 the Mael brothers along with John Mendelson (drummer) and Earle Mankey (guitar) formed the band Halfnelson.

© Words Siane Daley

Dave Barbarossa’s Mediterranean good-looks are still very evident; the once curly dark hair has been replaced by a shaved head, but the dark penetrating, intelligent eyes remain the same. He looks impossibly young for a man in his early fifties, but his eagerness and passion for music remains undaunted.  Dressed in a smart black shirt with red collars, trousers and smartly polished shoes, Dave has an interesting tale to tell about his many music incarnations from “Adam and the Ants”, “Bow Wow Wow”, “Beats International, “Chicane”, “Republica”, “Driza Bone”, “The Horse Brothers” and his current-band “Cauldronated”.

©Words - Cameron K's

Blues is based on the use of the minor pentatonic scale with and added blue note. The blue note is a semi tone sharper than the third note of the pentatonic scale that is used depending on key. Major scale is 3 semi tones lower than minor and phrasing of country would be played normally on a major pentatonic scale and blues vocals and accompaniment (melody) are generally

Samuel Cook was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1931. One of five boys and three girls, his father was Rev. Charles and mother, Annie Mae Cook. In 1933 the Cook family joined the great migration and moved to Chicago. Young Samuel featured as vocalist in his church choir before teaming up with three of his siblings in a quartet dubbed the Soul Children. Sam became a member of the gospel group the Highway QCs. In 1950,

Wilson Pickett was born in 1941, in Prattville, Alabama and the fourth of 11 children. The family moved to Detroit in his mid teens and he sang in several Baptist church choirs. His forceful, passionate style of singing was developed between the sacred and the secular whist singing on the streets with the other kids. Wilson was a wild child with a fascination for guns but his love of singing kept him grounded. In 1955 he joined the Violinaires and sang gospel-harmony for four years. In 1959 he became lead singer of the Falcons, singing soul. The line-up of the group included Eddie Floyd (Knock on wood), Joe Stubbs (brother of Levi Stubbs) and songwriter, Mack Rice (Mustang Sally and Respect yourself).