Lute would most famously be the label that enjoyed the monster 1960 hit “Alley Ooop” by the “Hollywood Argyles” namely Gary Paxton and Kim Fowley, two very interesting characters to say the least – both now deceased (Fowley below left – Paxton right – Visit my Kim Fowley Page Here & my Gary Paxton Page Here) His days in the music recording industry originate back to his brief partnership with Al Kavelin who was the founder of Lute Records in California (see my “Kavelins” page here).Īl was the founder of the Lute Records and also Trans-World. Morey also became the owner of the “Keyboard Lounge” out on West Colfax – probably a follow up project to the downtown venues.ĭuring Morey’s lifetime he is cited as having composed more than 600 songs. Leon Ragsdale performed with an incarnation of the Ink Spots while residing in Denver. Burrell was one of two pioneer black musicians in the Denver Symphony Orchestra. Regular performers at the “Piano Lounge” included Charlie Burrell and Leon”Rags” Ragsdale. THERE IS A RED 'CLOSEOUT/REMAINDER' MARK ON THE BOTTOM PAGE EDGES.Bernstein was the owner of a downtown Denver nightclub “Morey’s Baby Grand” which I believe became the “Piano Lounge”.

His indelible portrayal of Redding and the mass acceptance of soul music in the 1960s is both a revealing look at a brilliant artist and a provocative exploration of the tangled history of race in music in America that resonates strongly with the present day.Ĭrown Publishers, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 1st Printing, 2017, 533 pages His book never lets us forget that the boundaries between black and white in popular music were becoming porous during the years when racial tensions were reaching new heights throughout the United States. In chronicling the story of Redding's life and music, Gould also offers a social history of the time and place from which they emerged. In Otis Redding: An Unfinished Life, Jonathan Gould finally does justice to Redding's incomparable musical artistry, drawing on exhaustive research, the cooperation of the Redding family, and previously unavailable sources of information to present the first comprehensive portrait of the singer's background, his upbringing, and his professional career. Yet an aura of myth and mystery has always surrounded his life, which was tragically cut short at the height of his career by a plane crash in December 1967. As the architect of the distinctly southern, gospel-inflected style of rhythm and blues associated with Stax Records in Memphis, Redding made music that has long served as the gold standard of the 1960s soul. Otis Redding remains an immortal presence in the canon of American music on the strength of such classic hits as '(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay,' 'I've Been Loving You Too Long,' Try a Little Tenderness,' and 'Respect,' a song he wrote and recorded before Aretha Franklin made it her own. Otis Redding: An Unfinished Life by Jonathan Gould

Otis Redding by Jonathan Gould