LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Rockwalk) - Hollywood's RockWalk is the only sidewalk gallery dedicated to honoring those artists who have made a significant impact and lasting contribution to the growth and evolution Rock 'n' Roll, Blues and R&B. Their handprints and signatures will reside alongside other equally accomplished musicians and innovators such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Lou Reed, Johnny Cash, Aerosmith, B. B. King, Van Halen,
James Brown,
George Martin, Sonic Youth, Brian Wilson,
Carlos Santana, Carl Perkins, John Lee Hooker, The Ramones,
Bonnie Raitt and Holland-Dozier-Holland among others.
Solomon Burke: Born on March 21, 1940 Burke was a phenomenon by the age of seven, holding forth as the regal-robed Wonder Boy Preacher before his own congregation in Philadelphia and on live remote broadcasts on local station WDAS. Recording for the independent Apollo label at age 14 resulted in the 1954 million selling gospel album Christmas Presents From Heaven. He then went on to record secular R&B records for Atlantic Records in 1960. An unchallenged ruler with a remarkable pedigree, Burke's record sales have topped 17 million and he has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He also won a GRAMMY in 2003 for his album Please Don't Give Up on Me. With the release of Make Do With What You Got, this veteran soul music revelator once again provides a powerful set that both reflects his unparalleled past achievements and attains a higher artistic plateau.
The Robert Cray Band: Robert Cray has made his mark as an internationally renowned singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer. A five time Grammy Award winner (11 time nominee), Cray's signature sound grew from blues, rock, jazz, gospel and, most notably, soul influences. Cray's 1986 major label debut, the double platinum, Strong Persuader, broke through to a mainstream audience and ignited resurgence in roots music and international credibility for Cray. He has since been honored with two more gold albums and has collaborated on stage, film, and record with The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Tina Turner, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and many more. As a guitarist he has staked out his own unique turf as evidenced by Fender's creation of the Robert Cray model Stratocaster. As a songwriter he has been covered by B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Albert King and even Tony Bennett's Grammy winning CD, Playing With My Friends, is named for the title track co-written by Cray. This past year alone, Cray notched standout appearances in Eric Clapton's Crossroads film and DVD as well as
Martin Scorsese's Lightning In A Bottle All Star concert film. The
Robert Cray Band just notched their 1000th performance as a unit and their new CD, Twenty, is set for a May 24 release followed by an extensive worldwide tour.
Etta James: An artist of genuinely legendary stature, this three-time Grammy award winner, NARAS Lifetime Achievement and W.C. Handy Blues Foundation honoree's career began in the early Fifties when the Los Angeles born singer was first discovered by Johnny Otis while still a teenager. He went on to produce her first hit, Dance With Me Henry, which immediately topped the R&B charts nationwide. Her tenure with Chess Records began in 1960 and would continue for 16 years with a string of landmark hits including her signature version of At Last. Etta has continued to make definitive blues, soul and R&B music over the last four decades. Her last album Blues to the Bone was released in 2004 and earned her a GRAMMY award this year for Best Traditional Blues Album.
Ike Turner: Considered by many to be one of the founding fathers of Rock 'n' Roll, Turner fused some blues, country and lots of R&B starting with his Sun Records recordings. A 19-year-old Ike Turner and his band "The
Kings of Rhythm" sold 500K of their first single Rocket 88 in 1951. After 50 years of legendary recordings and touring, Turner recently released what many feel is the best album of his career, Here and Now, which was nominated for a Grammy. Turner will bring "Memphis To London" for a three week tour in April.
Muddy Waters: McKinley Morganfield was born on April 4th, 1915; this would be his 90th birthday (he passed on April 30, 1983.) From the start it was he who dominated the music and led the way in style sound, repertoire and instrumentations. Beginning as a greatly popular club performer from the mid-1940s on, he later as the most influential recording artist in the new amplified blues idiom. In the years 1948-55, he put forth for definition the fundamental approaches and usages of modern blues in a remarkable series of ground-breaking and classic records. In the years since, the style Waters delineated has been extended, fragmented, elaborated and otherwise commercialized, but the fundamental earthy, vital, powerful sound of the postwar blues as defined by Muddy and his bandsmen has yet to be excelled or equaled. It is no accident The
Rolling Stones chose their name from one of Waters' finest early recordings. Billy Gibbons from
ZZ Top will be inducting Muddy Waters into RockWalk.
WHERE: Hollywood's RockWalk
7425 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, CA
WHEN: Monday, April 4th, 2005 at Noon
