(Phil Lynott with Grand Slam - short lived - shorter life)

For all the popularity and success Phil Lynott had fronting Thin Lizzy, his next band Grand Slam couldn't get arrested for a label deal. A very short lived exercise in frustration from 1984 to 1985, Grand Slam nonetheless had a great reputation among the Hard Rock community for their live gigs which they performed quite a bit. This concert, recorded by the BBC in 1984 offers a rare sample of what they were like live and makes you wonder why they couldn't get signed to a label. It probably might have happened had Lynott not died in January 1986 from heart, liver and kidney failure owing to a life of drugs and alcohol.

Sometimes fate has other plans.

(Stone The Crows in 1971 - A band's band of musicians musicians and then tragedy)

Back to 1971 tonight. Stone The Crows were a Scottish rock/blues outfit that had a loyal following among other musicians and the press but were not considered a commercial success. Sadly, they weren't together long enough to gain a wider popularity, but their lead singer, Maggie Bell went on to a successful solo career after the band broke up. Unfortunately, the demise of Stone The Crows had nothing to do with popularity or sales or personalities. It had to do with a tragic event witnessed by a horrified audience in the accidental onstage electrocution of Les Harvey, the brilliant guitarist during a performance. During the short time they were together they recorded four albums (actually 3) and toured quite extensively. This concert, recorded at The Paris Theatre in London in 1971 offers ample proof of just how good they were live and what might have been had tragedy not stepped into the picture.

(The inimitable Bryan Ferry)

To the Hammersmith Odeon in London tonight for a performance by Roxy Music from May 1979. Several months ago I posted a Roxy Music concert from 1974, during their earlier period. By 1979 the band had undergone some personnel changes (i.e. Brian Eno left to launch his solo career), but still maintained their huge popularity. If anything, the band smoothed out some of the rough edges of their earlier period and were more polished and self-assured by this stage in their careers. They were still a few years off from their milestone Avalon period. But Roxy Music were always (and still are at last report) a great band to see live, as is evidenced by this gig.

Play loud - play often. Support BBC6 Music.

(Roy Young Band - Roy 2nd from left - Virtual unknown in the States)

Unless you are a devotee of all things First British Invasion, you may never have heard anything of Roy Young. He wasn't a household name here, but in the U.K. and in Germany he was something of a legend and a pioneer in the early days of the British Invasion.

Young was actually involved in the early days of British Rock n' Roll. And like so many bands of the day, migrated for a while to Hamburg where the nightclub scene was a great place to hone skills. Young had a distinctive voice and fit right in with the early blues outfits gaining popularity in the UK at the time. He has a website and offers some fascinating glimpses into the early scene which he was so much a part of. Roy Young is still around and playing, but this particular concert, recorded by the BBC at their Paris Theatre in 1972 gives you an idea of what the fuss with Roy was all about and how influential he was in shaping the direction of a lot of bands during the 1961-1963 period. The rest, of course is history.

If you haven't heard of him before, now's your chance.

(Big Maybelle - plucked from obscurity by, of all things, a sitcom)

My introduction to Big Maybelle actually came by way of listening to Moms Mabley records. Every so often she would use Big Maybelle as a punchline and for a twelve year old, that got me curious. I was also lucky to be living in a pretty racially mixed neighborhood at the time and Big Maybelle (as well as Billy Eckstine) were huge with the family across the street. Needless to say, Big Maybelle was part of my youth and it was a tragic day when I heard the news in 1972 that she had died.

I don't think she ever got the credit or the wide acclaim many of her contemporaries got. I'm sure some of it had to do with her various addiction problems. But why she's very rarely ever mentioned in the same breath as Dinah Washington or Sarah Vaughan is something of a mystery to me. She had an amazing voice, with great power and a huge range and wonderful phrasing. At the time of her death she was already largely forgotten and it wasn't until something as seemingly innocuous as the Cosby Show in the 1980's, with an episode featuring the song I'm posting today, Candy, that cultivated a whole new generation of fans and admirers.

Big Maybelle was truly one of a kind. Thankfully, with her renewed popularity, her recorded legacy is living on. But if you're one of those people who haven't heard her, here's your chance to pick up on something real and unique and completely wonderful.

Big Maybelle was just like that.