Pirate Radio 13

12/15/2025

https://youtu.be/P37xPiRz1sg?si=f3garLoTB4IWNZuF

"merry christmas from the family"

12/15/2025

Remembering the pioneering record producer John Hammond (December 15, 1910 – July 10, 1987)
"Stevie Ray Vaughan would be John Hammond's last great career achievement. In 1975 at age 65 he had retired from Columbia Records, three years after he first met Bruce Springsteen. But he wasn’t ready to let go of the music business quite yet, so he would continue to work as an independent music consultant. Hammond's attempt to co-own a record label, Hammond Music Enterprises did not go well. With the exception perhaps of the two albums recorded by Allen Ginsberg, the renowned author and poet to the Beat Generation of the 1950s. Not exactly million sellers, though they are of some historical importance. We are now in 1982 and things were looking bleak on the business front for the now 72 year old Hammond, who had lost a lot of money on that record company.

As fate and perhaps karma would have it, his old co-worker Hank O’Neil had listened to a demo that was recorded in Jackson Browne’s studio. It had been sent to Columbia Records and he then sent it to Hammond, “You have to listen to these guys”. Hammond did and quickly met with Stevie Ray Vaughan and had him sign with Epic Records, a subsidiary of Columbia. He and Stevie would form a close bond that Vaughan himself described as the “Best times”. In fact Vaughan would not work with Epic/Columbia unless they let Hammond be involved, so Hammond was hired back as a consultant. Then it was into the studio in November of 1982 and in just two days they put together the album Texas Flood, released June 13, 1983.

To best describe the importance of Hammond to Vaughan and Double Trouble I will paraphrase an anecdote from the book by Dunstan Prial – The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music (2007).

Hammond would serve as Executive Producer on Texas Flood, but for the most part he parked himself on a chair in the studio with a newspaper. Having done a fair bit of work behind the scene. The band set up and laid down a track as a warm up. When they finished the first take, Hammond peaked above the paper and said “You won’t do any better than that”. They told him it was just a warm up and they proceeded to do the song another six or seven times. They played it back and indeed they never got it better than that first warm-up take."

John Hammond would continue his role as Executive Producer for the next album, Couldn’t Stand the Weather released in 1984. In October, Hammond arranged for Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble to perform at Carnegie Hall.

Source: Randy Dafoe
Photo: Sony Music Archives (Maybe)

12/15/2025

No Rest for the Holidays

12/15/2025

BAND MANAGER: “Ummm guys…look at me I’m over HERE…right in front of y’all. LOOK At me! Where is the bus? It was here last night after the gig. Where did it go? We need to get back to Topeka…Where are we? What happened at that party? I remember someone named Sweet Connie with a set of keys in her hand. Dear gawd….oh no. What town are we in? Wait. There is no town. Just a road. Just. A. Road. Steve? Rich? You were the last two up. I’m only asking this one more time—where’s the bus? And our instruments…were they ON THE BUS?

12/15/2025

Debbie Harry on the roof of the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City, 1978.

12/15/2025

Stevie Ray Vaughan believed that his 1930s National Duolian guitar was once owned by Blind Boy Fuller. The guitar was given to him by a roadie, Byron Barr, who bought it in 1981.

SRV claimed the guitar was a 1928 dobro, but the supposed serial number (C704) indicates it’s actually a Duolian—a model that wasn't manufactured until 1930.

Regardless, the guitar was said to be a favorite of SRV and a prized possession. He was known to take the guitar with him on tour, regularly playing it backstage and in his free time.

He can be seen holding this guitar on the cover “In Step” album.

The only "known" recording of SRV using this guitar was on "Oreo Cookie Blues" on Lonnie Mack's "Strike Like Lightning" CD.

Photo by Stephanie Chernikowski

12/15/2025

12/14/2025

Almost everything we were initially led to believe about Robert Johnson was myth - from selling his soul to being shy and facing a corner - or wanting to hide his fingers.... likely he wanted some room reverb if this scene even happened....

12/14/2025

12/14/2025

George Benson playing drums, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1959

12/14/2025

Today in 1962, Bill Wyman played his first show with the Rolling Stones, at the Ricky Tick Club at the Star and Garter Hotel in Windsor, UK. His first rehearsal was a week earlier.

"I had an AC30 Vox amp, and another smaller amp, a Watkins Westminster," Wyman said. "They had horrible amps, so they were happy. I bought a round of drinks for everyone and offered them ci******es, and of course, they were jumped upon immediately because they all smoked but couldn't afford any."

📸 Chris Ware/Getty Images

12/14/2025

Charlie Watts……..even Gretsch recognized his greatness. You are missed by Stones fans the world over. RIP.