Music........ America and the whole world is starving for this music! When we mentioned the word "music" many things come to mine, such as happiness, beauty, good times, pain and loneliness as well as love, people we love, our pets and on and on. Music brings forth emotions good, bad, sad , and I could go on with many more descriptions and thoughts pertaining to music. People of all races, creeds, associate music with memories and emotions that has occurred in their lives. Even animals react to the sounds of music. Some dog owners proclaim their dogs can actually sing. I would say from my perspective, it all depends the listener. Certain kinds of birds can speak and sing short phrases.

Mankind has been singing as for back as history has been written. Sure..... but the music has changed, the lyrical structure and instrumentation has been developed into the finest state of the art. Over the last 30 to 35 years, music and the recording industry has made leaps and bounds in the advancement of recorded music. First there was a recorder that recorded on steel wire with the sounds being transmitted on to a vinyl disc called a record. From that platform, the 78 record was brought about. This was followed up by a smaller record, usually containing only one song on each side , whereas the 78 record was known as an album. The album, usually contained several songs on each side. The 45 record, usually had one song on each side call the "A " and the" B" side. This was followed by the well-known format called the" 33 1/3" album containing 10 to 12 recorded songs. This format remained for many years and is still in production today. Some artists prefer the vinyl records over the CD format that is the standard in today's music world.

Soon this format became obsolete and the eight track tapes came along, of which very soon became outdated and the new format called the cassette became the standard. The cassette stayed on the market for several years. Then came the new format called the CD. The CD is now the most popular format for recorded music throughout the world. With that being said, there have been variations of the CD but the CD is still the standard format for recorded music today.

CHECK OUT THE "JAMES DEAN SPOTLIGHT!" SEE WHO IS IN THE "SPOTLIGHT" THIS MONTH!!!?

Music listeners and America, as well as most civilized countries throughout the world possess and own music that was recorded, and all formats, even the old 78. There are many genres of music and many kinds of music played and listened to throughout the music loving public. Here in America we have several genres, rock-n-roll, country, gospel, jazz, metal, alternative, folk and bluegrass. Throughout history, and since the recording industry started producing recorded music for the public's listening pleasure, there have been many, many changes in the process of recording as well as the definition related to certain genres of music.

As the music and the music industry has progressed, it has become a multi-billion dollar industry. The major artist, that is, the artist that has reached the pinnacle of success have many, many hit records and many of those hit records becoming #1" Hits." Hit records are records that has sold in the millions and are designated as " Gold" and" Platinum" records. These songs usually go on to be referred to as "Standards" and these songs continue to be played and performed throughout the entertainment industry, radio, television and the movie industry. These songs just seemed to never get old because they are constantly in demand by the listening public, the music buying public, as well as radio, television and the movie industry. These songs, the" Great hits" are loved and enjoyed by millions of music lovers throughout the world.

Where is this music? Where and why is this music, these great hits, not being played on the radio stations in the United States? In a survey done by this writer in the Nashville, Tennessee Metropolitan area, I found more people telling me they would like the radio stations here in Nashville and the surrounding areas, as well as other areas throughout the U.S. to play the great songs that has been monster hits in the United States as well as other countries around the world. The fact is....... the music listening public is being starved by the broadcast companies. The music that is played on the radio stations is the music that the buying public buys for their listening pleasure. If the radio stations do not and will not play the great hits songs that has made the broadcast industry, television and movie industries , the pivotal outlets for music of all genres, then........ not only does the great hits stop selling, the music buying public, as well as the music listening public is disenfranchised and deprived of the songs and music they love. The merchants, the businesses that sold all this great music can no longer secure the product! Sales and revenues are lost as well is jobs in the sales and marketing industry. This, my friends, is not only a disservice to the public, it hurts the economy!

The question has been asked by many in the music listening world as well is by artists, and entertainers that work in the entertainment business; who calls the shots on what songs are played on the radio on a daily basis? I have heard some say the radio broadcast programmers tell the record companies what kind of songs they want and that they will play, while on the other hand, I have heard that the record heads and P. R. People tell the radio stations what music they want played!

Is this true, will the truth ever be brought out? I doubt it very seriously, simply because as a former D. J., both parties are guilty to a great extent. The record executives naturally want their records by their artist played, and they want them played as often as they possibly can. On the other side of that tarnished coin, the broadcast industry wants to play the music by the latest artists in order to keep their ratings up, as well as the revenues coming in and from their sponsors. Most sponsors could care less what kind of music is played as long as the listening audience is getting their message and the buying customers are coming through the doors.

It is very sad, that the music listening world, the people are begging for the great hits songs and the great music that has been written and recorded in the music industry throughout the world, and mainly here in the United States, millions of listeners are being deprived of this great music! The recording artist/writer as well as the writers, and artists are basically put out of business because the broadcast industry, radio and television won't what will sale to the younger crowd. The middle-aged and older music listeners/buyers are disenfranchised and arbitrarily cut out, not ask about what they want to hear on the radio stations. In today's radio programming the middle-aged and elderly are not measuring factors but they should be involved in what the radio stations play. Ha ha, guess who has the money? Certainly not in 18 of 20 year old wet behind the ear, young person just getting started in life and with the new job. Middle-aged and older music listeners are not only dedicated, they have been buying music from many, many years. The reason this part of society has slowed down and not buying as many records/CDs as they once did is simply because the great" Hits" are not played on the radio any longer. It is a proven fact in broadcast and many of the older and retired program directors/music directors will tell you, unequivocally, the listening public will certainly buy what is being played on their radio stations! In certain genres of music, it is a known fact that children and the younger listening audience, 13 to 25 buys the most played music. But, including all genres of music, the music lover, that has bought records and CDs all through the years, will continue to buy music they love. As long as it is played on the radio and is made available by the music/record sales businesses, the" Great Hits" has always and will continue to sale.

This is October 2011, with all the freedoms we the people of this great country, the United States of America enjoy, we should be able to listen to all the great music that has been written and recorded by all the great artist including the older artist the artist that are no longer here on this Earth, as well as the new artist. Change is the one thing that is constant, and change we will all witness whether it be the music, the weather, the environment or just people in general, change is eminent.

It is incumbent upon the broadcast industry, radio, television and it is imperative that the program directors, music directors and programmers schedule music, the great hits for airplay! Time has proven that a great hit, a great piece of music, whether it was written by Beethoven, Kristofferson, Stevie Wonder or Robert Johnson or Paul McCartney, it was, it is, and will always be, a great piece of music, hence playing this great music on a regular basis is not only essential, it is a part of what makes this great country great and it is a part of our history and heritage!

THE JAMES DEAN SPOTLIGHT

TAKES GREAT PRIDE IN BRINGING TO OUR READERS THIS GREAT MUSICIAN AND ARTIST!!!

MAKE WELCOME.... DRUMMER AND ARTIST, JAMES DRUE aka Jamie Fisher! This young man has been playing drums for over 25 years. James started playing professionally at the young age of 14. James has played all genres of music, country, rock, southern rock, heavy metal, as well as the blues. James has played with major rock bands, blues bands and country bands. This young man is one of the few professional musicians that can deliver in the studio as well as walking out on the stage and deliver in live shows! In the studio, James can work tracks as well as play to a "click" or straight across-the-board. Out on the stage, performing live, this young man can lay down a backbeat as solid as a metronome. James Drue has worked for the artist JAMES DEAN for over 20 years. James is the drummer, does back up vocals and handles the duties of the sound engineer(He can drive the BUS too!!). At the young age of 37, James Drue has performed in studios in Nashville, Tennessee, Jackson, Mississippi and Pearl, Mississippi.

James grew up in Mississippi, playing all genres of music and going to school there, his father, living in Nashville, Tennessee made certain James would know the music business, and, while commuting between Mississippi and MUSIC CITY, Tennessee, James grew up in the music industry to become the great musician that he is today. (And, YES, girls, he is single!!)

James lives in the Nashville, Tennessee area is plays over 100 dates a year.

James is available for sessions as well as "Fill-in" gigs!

James Drue can be reached at: jamesdeanmus@aol.com

 If the band is in bed with the club owners that band will usually get the gigs in that club, and the club owners that are in bed with the bands is going to hire the bands that he personally likes. The club owner sometimes may not like a band, but if the band performs and takes care of his people and his customers the smart club owner will hire this band. These kinds of owners and managers are usually the ones that enjoy the success of owning and operating a successful entertainment venue BUT THE BAND MUST DO their due diligence, THEY MUST BE GREAT ENTERTAINERS AND BE A GREAT BAND!!

The formulas and the philosophy brought forth in this article have kept my band and several other good bands working on a regular basis. By applying the business formula mentioned above, we work over 120 days a year. With a good business philosophy and a good work ethic, as well as a great band playing a wide variety of music, your band can work and continue to work the same venues, week after week after week. A great band with great entertainers will DRAW a good crowd of paying customers 

An experienced club owner-manager WILL understand marketing his club-restaurant as a product, by that I mean advertising his business and building up his clientèle. Bringing in a great band as entertainment will enhance the business and the customer base. With great entertainment to accompany a great business and entertainment venue, the business as well as the customer base will grow! Great entertainment by great live bands will keep the customers coming back for more!

SAD, SAD, NEWS..... DAVID" Honey boy" EDWARDS, the last of the great MISSISSIPPI DELTA BLUES guitarist/artist has passed away." Honey boy" as he was so well known as, passed away at his home in Chicago, Illinois on August 29, 2011." Honey boy" was born in SHAW Mississippi in the year of 1915. By the time David was six or seven years old he was learning to play his father's eight dollar guitar, and by the time." Honey boy" was 17, he was playing professionally. David" Honey boy" Edwards played from town to town making whatever money the people that gathered around to hear him play and sing donated. If the playing paid good money "Honey boy" stayed around and played, but when the playing did not make money" Honey boy" moved on. Eventually," Honey boy" made the move to the city of Chicago, where blues artists such as HOWLING Wolf, Charlie Parker Johnny Shine along with Little Walter already had successful recording careers. With" HoneyBoys" experience as a blues guitarist, soon artist such as Muddy Waters, Charlie Patton and Little Walter were seeking." Honey boys" services. Known as DAVID" Honey boy" EDWARDS," Honey boy" went on to have a successful recording career, writing, and recording such blues songs as" Tall Woman Blues," " Myrtle Mae,"" How long ,"" Gamblin’ Man," as well as many other songs as a blues artist.

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