Hi Everyone!
This post is devoted to the talented artists of the past who remain widely undiscovered today despite having shared the stage with the most popular artists of all time; artists who tragically passed away in their prime and the industry would have lost interest in their music; artists who had been quite successful until the cultural paradigm shifted and then they got unjustly forgotten.
I begin with sharing the music of two amazing backing vocalists who performed along with Ray Charles.
One Room Paradis by Margie Hendrix: https://open.spotify.com/track/1VjN7dpcfdJak8YjvNCSWQ
Put On My Shoes by Mary Ann Fisher: https://open.spotify.com/track/65WTZuoAgxjFup59AV5cXz
How often is a backing vocalist better than the lead singer? Probably most of the time. Here is one recent example. This singer used to tour with the Offspring and then he has been trying to have his own success. I think that he is great.
Big Black Hole by Electric Temple: https://open.spotify.com/track/5z6Xki0kDI2MmeTZebODNo
News:
I have joined forces with Martin Hovden from The Tidal Water https://linktr.ee/thetidalwater. He is building a very significant online platform to offer promotion opportunities to others. As part of this effort, we started Rock Pioneer podcast on Spotify. Consult the first episodes here:
https://open.spotify.com/show/4JDYU33MEcC2yK87Jlav6y
For the pilot episode that featured my song Night Rock, I prepared the audio and Martin wrote the description. For all further episodes I will be doing both, mixing the episodes and writing the texts. If you want to know more about the podcast or other promotion opportunities, you can send me an e-mail or contact me on Instagram.
Music Picks:
Now I will share the music of two artists who had a fair amount of success in the recent past. Today their popularity may have diminished. But despite that, I guarantee you that they deserve your attention just as much.
Hanna from Havana by Jim Zeller: https://open.spotify.com/track/7innGtE7xWinFNdrt9Z7pm
This Montrealer is absolutely awesome with his harmonica performances both live and on his records.
Legalize by Detsl aka Le TruK: https://open.spotify.com/track/0Sv6KRPGC3fL79T3yE1Fep
This artist was once very popular in Russia. And I think that this well-produced reggae song of his would please you.
I’d like to finish my music picks by a largely overlooked reggae song of Eric Burdon (Love is for All Time):
https://open.spotify.com/track/7BvPJNPDVzBTT3LZDjvbcS
Talents that will not be discovered:
Continuing with my examples of great reggae music, I want to pay tribute to the talent of Bob Marley’s grandson
Jo Mersa Marley (song: Hurting Inside): https://open.spotify.com/track/2zcDMiKDkYGmEan1WibTzo
Although he did not have the same path as the undiscovered artists who I mentioned above, his tragic death in December 2022, at the age of just 31, had put a stop to what could have been a remarkable music career.
Another very talented artist who left too early was the leader of Svet Boogie Band from Belarus. I once had a chance to attend their show back in Moscow during the summer jazz festival. They were a lot of fun.
You cannot find their music on Spotify. So, here is the YouTube link to the final part of a live show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y32Kis1LGu0
The leader of the band passed away in a car accident at the age of just 28.
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svet_Boogie_Band
Final Thoughts:
The examples provided in this article are not intended to discourage anyone from trying to become famous. Instead, these days it may be simpler than ever to record, produce and distribute music. The same technological advancements, however, allowed for a tighter control by big corporations and mass music production which is not helping great music to receive the attention it deserves. Curating my playlists I see a lot of talent. It is like a big invisible international community of very talented musicians. I think that this community, if it can come together, would be able to overcome any systemic obstacles and help its many members to get discovered. Let me know what you think about it.