Little Richard is the greatest vocalist in rock and roll history. He is the man that was James Brown’s #1 influence, the man Paul McCartney copied, the man who first employed Jimi Hendrix, and the man that arguably started rock and roll with the second he let out his primal rock and roll roar for the first time. Little Richard had the voice of a super-being out of a comic book. His vocal chords were just blessed with the most perfect construction necessary to start a world wide revolution, and they did. Oh yea, he also played a mean piano as you can see in the glorious video below. Yea, this was an odd early 90s promo video for the John Goodman movie King Ralph, but God bless that movie for giving Little Richard another spotlight to elevate his classic hit “Good Golly Miss Molly,” to an absurd level of perfection. He just tears the roof off, proving that even at an advanced age, he hadn’t lost a lick of talent. Richard’s voice really was one of the most remarkable miracles in the history of music, and there is no one that can take away from him. Watch the hell out of this video below and just try to find someone with a better voice. It’s impossible.
Archive for James Brown
Greatest Rock Vocalists #1, Little Richard, Good Golly Miss Molly
Posted in Greatest Rock Vocalists, Little Richard, Youtube Favs with tags 50s rock, 60s rock, 90s movies, Good Golly Miss Molly, Greatest Rock Vocalists, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, John Goodman, King Ralph, Little Richard, Paul McCartney, piano rock, Rock and Roll, soul, Tutti Frutti, willie simpson on October 7, 2011 by WillieThe Blues Brothers, Ray Charles, Twist it (Shake Your Tail Feather)
Posted in Ray Charles, The Blues Brothers, Youtube Favs with tags Alan Rubin, Aretha Franklin, Birch Johnson, blues, Blues Brothers, blues rock, Bluesmobile, Chicago, comedy, Dan Aykroyd, Donald Dunn, Elwood Blues, films, hard blues, Illinois, Jake Blues, James Brown, John Belushi, John Landis, Lou Marini, Matt Murphy, movies, Murphy Dunne, NBC, Paul Shaffer, Pop, Ray Charles, Rock and Roll, Saturday Night Live, SNL, soul, Steve Cropper, Steve Jordan, Tom Malone, Tom Scott, Twist it (Shake Your Tail Feather), Willie Hall, willie simpson on July 27, 2011 by WillieHow about that keyboard reflecting in Ray Charles’s sunglasses? That’s rock and roll, or more specifically, the blues. This legendary scene, from the “Blues Brothers” movie, is and irreplaceable document of blues rock awesomeness. The Blues Brothers were a group formed by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, two SNL geniuses who loved the blues and came up with this brilliant concept for a Chicago based blues group. The dark suits, hats, and shades are icons of TV and movie magic. It’s just another example of the insane role that the likes of Aykroyd and Belushi were on in the late 70s/early 80s when it came to dominating the coolest ideas of global comedy. The original Blues Brothers band consists mostly of the first SNL band, and they really cook. It’s a reminder of how huge SNL was in the late 70s that even the band members got starring roles in a blockbuster feature film. The movie, directed by hot 80s director John Landis, is a crazy car crashing romp of great music and fantastic dance sequences, evidenced below. Check it out.
My Top 100 Youtube Favorites, a Retrospective, Part 4
Posted in Youtube Favs with tags Australia, Bill Haley, Bill Haley and the Comets, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, British Invasion, Christopher Walken, Chuck Berry, Drunken Angel, Eternity, Eternity the Game Show, Happy Days, James Brown, John Lennon, Liverpool, Lucinda Williams, Michael Jackson, Motorhead, NBC, Paul McCartney, Rock and Roll, Sex, Sexy Angel, Sgt. Pepper's inner groove, Smokey Robinson, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, SNL, Tal Wilkenfeld, TAMI rock show, The Atlantics, the Beatles, The Jackson 5, The La's, The Rolling Stones, The Unicorns, The Who, Tom Petty, We are the World, willie simpson, Youtube Countdown on June 30, 2011 by WillieSex sells! I want to thank this “Drunken Angel” above and Tal Wilkenfeld from yesterday for drawing a few extra clicks to my humble little site. Before anyone accuses me of perversion or lechery or something, I’d like to defend myself a bit by saying this is one of the better lists of rock and roll you are gonna find on the internet. So, in that spirit, lets close it out right now with clips 24-1 and put this beautiful list to bed once and for all.
#24. Bob Marley, One Love/People Get Ready – It’s Bob’s version of “All You Need is Love,” and its basically just as good. Whatever melody making power the Beatles had, Bob had too.
#23. Bob Dylan, The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll - I wish I had more Dylan on my list, but I couldn’t find too many choice clips of him playing my favorite Dylan songs. This is an exception, one of the greatest Dylan videos you are gonna find on ole youtube. Read more »
My Top 100 Youtube Favorites, a Retrospective, Part 2
Posted in Youtube Favs with tags Back To School, Biggie Smalls, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Chris Thomas King, Elvis Costello, George Harrison, I Shall Be Released, Jake Shimabukuro, James Brown, John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, Mama Cass, Mary Travers, Oingo Boingo, Ozzy Osbourne, R.E.M., Ravi Shankar, Rodney Dangerfield, Skip James, the Beatles, The Flaming Lips, The Kinks, The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols, ukelele, Ween, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, willie simpson, Youtube Countdown on June 28, 2011 by WillieWelcome back again to my youtube favorite retrospective part 2! You know the deal, the list is done, and we’re looking back at all the hits that made us laugh, cry, and die. Let’s start rolling right where we left off!
#74. The Ramones, Blitzkrieg Bop – It’s more Ramones, the greatest and most original punk ever playing the shit out of Blitzkrieg Bop, in Germany of all places. Not bad for a bunch of Jewish guys from Queens.
#73. The Sex Pistols, Anarchy in the UK – When I was in college, I actually had a history professor show us this video as an example of historical outliers. That’s all well and good, but I was just fascinated with how the drummer sat at the front of the band.
#72. Elvis Costello, Pump it Up – Declan MacManus’s punky little pop jam. You gotta love Costello for essentially being the reincarnation of Buddy Holly in modern times, both physically, and musically. Read more »
My Top 100 Youtube Favorites, a Retrospective, Part 1
Posted in Youtube Favs with tags Al Green, Bob Marley, Carl Perkins, Carl Sagan, George Harrison, Howard Stern, Islands, James Brown, Jeff Bridges, Joy Division, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Pepsi, punk, Rock and Roll, Simon and Garfunkel, soul, Steven Hawking, Stevie Wonder, The Beach Boys, the Beatles, The Doors, The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, Tribalistas, willie simpson, X Ray Spex, Youtube Countdown on June 27, 2011 by WillieNow that my countdown is complete, I thought it’d be fun to look back at the whole list, organize it, link it up, and add a fresh comment or two for posterity’s sake. So, without further ado, here it is, part 1 of my youtube countdown featuring the last 25 songs to appear on the list.
#100. The Beatles, All You Need is Love – Is it my favorite Beatles song? Not technically, but I think it’s their greatest triumph. FYI, this video was originally in black and white until the art gurus at Apple colorized it based on photographs from the event.
#99. The Beatles, Nowhere Man – The song that inspired me to become a Beatle slave, and a musician myself. Fun fact, not many songs have a guitar solo after the first verse.
#98. Tribalistas, Ja Se Namorar – 21st century island cool Brazilian pop at its finest.
#97. Carl Perkins and Friends, Rockabilly School – One of the greatest TV concerts in rock and roll history. Does anyone have a magic pair of blue suede shoes so I can travel back in time and be at this show?
#96. Simon and Garfunkel, The Sounds of Silence - You get to see S & G in all their young nerdy early 60s glory in this vid…Amazing. Read more »
James Brown, Get Up Offa That Thing, Dancing Lessons
Posted in James Brown, Youtube Favs with tags 70s funk, 70s pop, 70s soul, Dancing Lessons, funk, Get Up Offa That Thing, James Brown, James Brown Dancing Lessons, Mozart, Rock and Roll, soul, The Godfather, The Godfather of Soul, willie simpson on June 10, 2011 by WilliePart 86 kicks your ass. It’s soul week at williesimpson.com, and I got the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, in two incredible clips. The first is a dancing lesson not meant for beginners. It’s James in full 70s flair, just announcing steps and performing them with utter mastery. I don’t know who this tape is supposed to help, outside his own potential backup dancers who were never in his league anyway. It’s both really funny and truly spellbinding to see the master of dance just strut his magic. Clip two is another rare clip of James performing his classic “Get Up Offa That Thing.” This is a hard stomping dance funk explosion of a song. I really believe James was the Mozart of funk and soul. An artist without peer, a true genius plugged directly into God’s inspiration. There is just no other explanation for his dazzling gifts. So get up offa that thing folks, and dance till you feel better, and happy Friday.
James Brown, Get on the Good Foot
Posted in James Brown, Youtube Favs with tags 70s funk, 70s rock, Black Power, classic soul, dance, funk, funk rock, Get on the Good Foot, Good Foot, James Brown, R&B, Rock and Roll, soul, The Godfather, The Godfather of Soul, willie simpson on May 5, 2011 by WillieI want you to “Get on the Good Foot” for part 54 of my youtube countdown with me and James Brown. This is a rare clip of James in the 1970s absolutely ripping up the stage with his smoother than smooth smash, “Get on the Good Foot.” His band is tight, his moves are unmatchable, and the energy is downright serious, almost as serious as his mustache. Gotta love the moment at 1:50 when he gives a Black Power salute and everyone just shuts up until he starts jamming again. Also, I’m mesmerized by the opening 3 seconds when you see James in the studio looking completely unsatisfied with whatever is going on. You can tell what an insane perfectionist the man was, possessed with an all consuming desire to be the greatest ever. My God, this is not to be missed. Watch!
Michael Jackson, James Brown, and Prince
Posted in James Brown, Michael Jackson, Prince, Youtube Favs with tags 80s funk, 80s pop, 80s rock, dance, funk, James Brown, Michael Jackson, moonwalk, Pop, Prince, R&B, Rock and Roll, soul, willie simpson on April 19, 2011 by WilliePart 39 of my youtube countdown is loaded with star power. In it, you’ll see a Prince, a King, and a Godfather, the Holy Trinity of R&B, dance, funk, and soul. In 1983, at a James Brown concert, we have the Godfather calling to stage the King of Pop in all his pre-insane person glory. Michael Jackson gets up, sings a bit, then busts out some dance moves that just flatten the world with their perfection. The first video presents James and Michael in crystal clear beauty. Michael does some spins, some incredible James Brown-esque footwork, and throws in his moonwalk. Just amazing. Clip 2, sadly of lesser quality, covers the Michael performance again, but also includes the introduction of Prince to the stage. Now, this was bizarre. Prince, who seems high as hell, is carried to the stage by a bodyguard in full out foppish dandy boy mode, straps on a guitar, and plays a pretty terrible solo. But, no matter, this moment is too amazing to ignore, or to criticize really. It’s doubtful that this much talent, funk, and soul will ever grace a stage ever again. Enjoy this eternal moment.















