Tag Archives: Dawoud Kringle

John Mayall

RIP: John Mayall UK’s Godfather of the Blues

Blues rock pioneer John Mayall has passed.

Text by Dawoud Kringle

John Mayall was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire, UK on 29 November 1933, and grew up in Cheadle Hulme. His father, Murray Mayall, was a guitarist. He taught himself to play the piano, guitars, and harmonica after immersing himself in the music of American blues players such as Lead Belly, Albert Ammons, Eddie Lang, and Pinetop Smith.

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R.I.P.: James Chance of the Contortions Remembered

Text by Dawoud Kringle

James Chance Saxophonist, bandleader of The Contortions and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, and No Wave pioneer James Chance passed away.

Born James Alan Siegfried in Milwaukee, Chance began studying piano in elementary school and in his teens began playing the alto saxophone. He attended Michigan State University and Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee where he formed the James Siegfried Quintet and Death, a Stooges-influenced group. He would later study with jazz saxophonist David Murray.

He moved to New York in 1975 and began using the stage name James Chance. A year later he formed Teenage Jesus and the Jerks with singer Lydia Lunch. In 1977 he formed the first version of the Contortions.

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Iranian Rapper Toomaj Salehi – “Musicians with Attitude (MwA)” – Sentenced to Death

Text by Dawoud Kringle

Toomaj SalehiIranian rapper/poet Toomaj Salehi has been sentenced to death!

Salehi was born in Iran on December 3rd, 1990. He is a laborer in a metalworks factory. He began recording hip-hop as a means of protest against the social injustices of the Iranian regime.

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In Memoriam: Bassist T.M. Stevens

Text by Dawoud Kringle

The world of music was saddened to learn of the passing of bassist Thomas Michael Stevens / T.M. Stevens (a.k.a. Shaka Zulu).

Born in New York City on July 28, 1951, Stevens studied biology in school, but at the suggestion of his professor decided to drop out to focus on music. He honed his skills by playing in after-hours clubs around the city. He soon became established on the scene and began working as a session musician who excelled in a wide range of genres.

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