Imelda May and Darrel Higham hit the spot!

Just in case anyone missed it Imelda May and Darrel Higham were on BBC Radio 2's Johnny Walker show last Sunday - you can access it for another 5 days or so via the BBC website (just google it!). it's afun interview and some exclusive live songs too.
In case anyone don't know Imelda is breaking real big in the UK/Ireland at long last..
She's a real great feisty singer/songwriter who has carved out her own niche which is no easy task in a genre dominated by lacklustre phony nostalgia and crappy cover versions. Imelda hails from sunny Ireland (check out her brother in law Seany Foy's stuff too!) and her hubby Darrel is a truly jaw droppingly great guitar player with a whole slew of releases on his own. For readers of this forum check out the quasi legit Cd doing the rounds of the stuff he recorded with the Kelly 4 waay back...His own self penned stuff is damn good too...I owe him a lot of thanks for the help he gave me years back when I first got a Gretsch after years of wanting one but hated it when I got it...Darrel told me what bits to glue down, screw down and replace and it became awhole new gtr. For gtr fiends he designed the peavey rocking ham gtr which is a great semi you can take and hot rod to your own specifications on a tight budget.
DO check both Imelda and Darrel out NOW!

One kinda weird thing is that Imelda sang with Jools Holland for a while and got some valyable exposure on his BBC show. Sadly the powers that be in the BBC and media in general at large in the UK WON'T touch anything remotely resembling rockabilly as they think it's corny/passe etc...F'rinstance Jools show has run for years and years but he's NEVER had a rockabilly artists on before...(very sad - and for younger folks Jools has always played boogie woogie influenced stuff as far back as when he was in Squeeze and released solo 45s of great piano boogie in 77/78..) Disappointingly but predictably the label that signed Imelda up now are marketing her as 'jazzabilly'... I find that kinda infuriating but do gotta admit that sometimes the rockabilly scene is so purist/blinkered that it doesn't exactly do itself any favours...(and we all rememebr Mr Setzers song on that particular subject i'm sure..)but it IS amazing how things are starting to break out just now and here's hopin it continues...(f'rinstance over the past couple of years I've done a couple of sessions for well known folks who started out in kinda rave/dance music but have got into rockin slop and wanted some sleazy/twangy gtr stuck in on kinda experimental stuff...that certainly wouldn't have happened a few years back!)
Still, I guess if things ever did get too big again (like the early 80s) the record co/money men would just wreck/dilute/ripoff everything as they did that time round - and have done with every single rockin cat from Elvis on down the years..

On another thread about big bands etc GREAT to see Buster Poindexter getting some props for his big band stuff...Davey Jo is a real talented cat and check out his stuff with the Harry Smiths too - Brian Koonin his guitarist back then is well worth checking out too..another hot gtr picker - weirdly last time I saw him play he was he playing kybds on the Dolls reunion gigs that Moz staged a few years back.
Finally, while you're listening to Imelda and Darrel on line spare athought for my ol' chum Buddy Blue who passed away tragically a few years back. folks in the USA might know him from his seminal Beat Farmers stuff - but Buddy really was the VERY first person I remember doing something exciting with a small rockin combo that took in rockabilly and swing/jazz - and that was waaaaaay back.
As ever too many of the good guys are gone!.....

Take it easy greasy!
Brian Young (belfast)

the lady is definately doing well for herself lately... went to see her play in dublin last month thinking great i'll be able to get up close get some good photos have a bit of a wiggle etc.... but couldn't move in the place it was jammed packed...and may i say there was a lot of what i would like to call "normal" folk there.... from what i could gather there was a LOT of people there who wouldn't normally be into the rockabilly scene but she seems to have reeled them in with her unique style... way to go ms may..... and when the gig was over her and the hubby came out to the other bar to talk to people ..... a true class act....

She's the most.

I got Imelda's CD "Love tattoo" - that's a jewel!!!

The single is one of my fav' 2008 track. Great slappin' bass...

Johnny's Got Boom Boom!

That's the One !!
There are some killin' live versions on youtube.

My fav tunes from that album...

Johnny's Got A Boom Boom
Love Tattoo
Wild About My Lovin
& Smokers' Song

There is 2 more songs that are really catchy too, but I like the contrast the album has.

BTW, Darrel is giving himself a couple of years off to support his wife, as he's the guitarist!
Pity, I wanted to see him live again!

BBC Radio

01. Full interview & songs
02. Johnny Got A Boom Boom
03. Tainted Love


?http://rapidshare.com/files/185251524/Imelda_May_-_Dermot_O_Leary_Show__BBC_Radio_2_-_17th_January_2009_.rar

BBC 2.Jools Holland Tv show...Both Imelda and Darrel were on there.

Long time since i heard a bass BOOM out of the speakers!.

Great stuff all round!.

that's al gare on bass, a very talented player!
http://www.myspace.com/alpalooka
he's been on the scene around here for years...

I was watching some clips on youtube by Imelda May...
I love that woman!!!

Imelda has a big tour upcoming.Check out her myspace.
Just spoke to my mate to see if he fancies Nottingham 2nd March."Don't worry about tickets,I know her agent." was his reply...RESULT!!
Will work on backstage next!

Cheers
Steve

have a great time Steve!

Hey folks,
check out Imelda May's website (www.imeldamay.com) and have a look at the live dates section. She's going to tour a bit of Europe next month... with 2 dates in Spain!! Pity I'm totally flat broke...