Name	Above Ground
Background	group_or_band
Origin	New Zealand
Genre	Freeflow psychedelic Christchurch garage
Years active	1983
Label	Siltbreeze
Associated acts	The BildersThe AxemenThe Renderers (band)Soluble Fish
Members	Bill DireenMaryrose CrookStuart PageCarol Woodward }}

Above Ground was a band from Christchurch, New Zealand formed in 1983.

History

Above Ground developed out the friendship of the four members. It played locally and at the Punakaiki Music Festival (West Coast, New Zealand); and would have been forgotten like a lot of bands had Stuart Page (drummer) not recorded nearly every practice and concert and organised the cassette, rereleased in 2011 on vinyl by Siltbreeze. Historian of NZ music, John Dix, mentions the group in his encyclopaedia of NZ Rock and Roll Stranded in Paradise.

Cassette

Gone AIWA (1983)

References

External links

[URL = http://south.indies.online.fr/aboveground/]

Category:New Zealand musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1983

name	Jake Holmes
landscape
background	solo_singer
birth date	December 28, 1939
birth place	San Francisco, California
years active	1960s – present
label	Tower, Polydor, Columbia
website
notable instruments	}}

Jake Holmes (born December 28, 1939 in San Francisco, California) is an American singer-songwriter and jingle writer who began a recording career in the 1960s. Holmes, who has a particular talent for writing clever, perceptive lyrics, is perhaps best known as the original author of the song Dazed and Confused (song), later popularized by Led Zeppelin, and for composing the US Army recruitment jingle "Be All That You Can Be" in the late 1970s. The jingle and subsequent advertising campaign was used extensively by the US government throughout the 1980s. Holmes also co-wrote the famous "Be a Pepper" for soft drink multinational corporation Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

Career

Holmes' first musical foray was with his wife Katherine in the folk pop parody duo, Allen & Grier. Following military service, he resumed his music career. Among the highlights: Holmes put lyrics to Bob Gaudio's music on The Four Seasons' 1969 ''Genuine Imitation Life Gazette'' album, after which the pair went on to compose Frank Sinatra's 1970 ''Watertown'' album. Coming during a relative low point in Sinatra's career, ''Watertown'' was his least successful album, but the song "I Would Be in Love (Anyway)" reached No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart. The song "What's Now is Now" reached No. 31 on that chart and was later included in ''Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits Volume 2''. Sinatra's recording of the Gaudio-Holmes composition "Lady Day" was left off the ''Watertown'' album, but was released as a single, and Don Costa later rearranged "Lady Day" for inclusion in Sinatra's ''Sinatra & Company'' album. In 1985 Nina Simone recorded a cover version of "For a While," from the ''Watertown'' album, for her ''Nina's Back'' album. That same year Simone recorded a live version of "For a While" for her ''Live And Kickin''' album.

On his own, Holmes recorded during the 1960s two well-regarded albums for EMI's Tower Records label: ''A Letter to Katherine December'' and ''The Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes,'' which contained the aforementioned "Dazed and Confused" and "Genuine Imitation Life." The Four Seasons' Bob Gaudio heard Holmes sing "Genuine Imitation Life" at The Bitter End in New York's City's Greenwich Village, which led to their collaborations on the The Four Seasons and Sinatra albums.

Between those projects, Holmes, who had landed a recording contract with Polydor, went to Nashville to record an album called ''Jake Holmes.'' That was followed by the most successful solo album of his career, ''So Close, So Very Far to Go.'' Released by Polydor, it reached No. 135 on the ''Billboard'' album chart, and the single "So Close" rose to No. 49 on ''Billboard'''s Hot 100. In 1977, "So Close" became the title song of an album by Helen Schneider, a popular New York night club singer. Holmes's modest success with Polydor led to a contract with Columbia Records and the album ''How Much Time''. It was as accomplished as all his work, but yielded no hits in a pop era that was about to be swamped by disco music.

Later in the 1970s, with his music career stalling, Holmes moved into writing advertising jingles for HEA Productions, which provided music for advertising agencies. His first jingle for HEA was for an anti-drug campaign, "What Do You Do When the Music Stops". Besides the US Army slogan and Dr. Pepper jingle, he is also the composer of the "Aren't You Hungry for Burger King Now?" campaign (1981), "Come see the softer side of Sears", and many other commercials, earning him the nickname "Jingle Jake". His voice can also be heard on commercials for Philip Morris, General Motors, Union Carbide, Gillette, DeBeers, Winn-Dixie, and British Petroleum. In the 1990s, Holmes set up in partnership a jingle and [music] production company called 3 Tree Productions.

Even as his jingle career flourished, Holmes never gave up songwriting. He co-wrote every song on Harry Belafonte's 1988 album ''Paradise in Gazankulu''. And as the new century dawned, Holmes released a new solo album called ''Dangerous Times'' and jumped into the political fray with such downloadable anti-Bush songs as "Mission Accomplished" and "I Hear Texas."

Discography

''"The Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes'' (Tower, 1967)

''A Letter to Katherine December'' (Tower, 1968)

''Jake Holmes'' (Polydor, 1969)

''So Close, So Very Far to Go'' (Polydor, 1970)

''How Much Time'' (Columbia, 1971)

''Mission Accomplished - The Return of the Protest Song'' (three song ep; about George W. Bush)

''Dangerous Times'' (2000)

Jingles composed

"Building a better way .... to see the U.S.A." for Chevrolet (General Motors) (1972)

"Be a Pepper" for Dr Pepper (with Randy Newman, 1977)

"Be all that you can be" for the U.S. Army (1979)

"We fly the world" for Pan American World Airways (DATE)

"Raise your hand if you're Sure" for Sure deodorant (197X)

"Aren't You Hungry for Burger King Now?" for Burger King (1981)

"America's Getting Into Training" for Amtrak corporation (1981) "Come to Metropolitan and simplify your life" for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (1981)

"Great Moments for You on CBS" for CBS (1982)

"Ah ha, we're sitting pretty, altogether in Schaeffer City" for Schaeffer Beer (198X)

"NBC, Let's All Be There!" for NBC (1985)

"Best a Man Can Get" for The Gillette Company (1988)

"Come see the softer side of Sears, Roebuck and Company" for Sears (19XX)

"With Charmin Ultra, Less Is More" (Cha-cha-cha!!!) for Charmin (200X)

Dazed and Confused

Holmes is also known for writing "Dazed and Confused," which was later adapted and popularized by Jimmy Page of The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin. The song appeared on Holmes' debut, ''"The Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes''. Led Zeppelin does not credit Holmes with authorship of their song. A Yardbirds live recording from French TV series "Bouton Rouge" (recorded on 9 March 1968) was released on ''Cumular Limit'' in 2000, credited as "Dazed and Confused" by Jake Holmes arr. Yardbirds.. Another live performance (recorded 30 March 1968, New York City) is included on the album ''Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page'' under the alternate title "I'm Confused". Notably, it is the only track that has no songwriter credits on the release.

It is still not widely recognized that Holmes was the author of the classic song. Page, while on tour with the Yardbirds in 1967, saw Holmes perform the song in Greenwich Village. Within months, he had adapted the song for that group, and later, for Led Zeppelin. For reasons that are not entirely clear, Page claimed sole songwriting credit for the song when it appeared on Led Zeppelin's debut album. Holmes later sent Page a letter about the songwriting credits but received no reply.

In June 2010, Holmes filed a lawsuit against Jimmy Page for copyright infringement in United States District Court, claiming Page knowingly copied his work.

References

External links

Jake Holmes interview ''Jingle Land: Be All that You Can Be''

Professional page at 3Tree

Jake Holmes info and place to order his albums

Category:1939 births Category:Living people Category:People from San Francisco, California Category:Musicians from San Francisco, California Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American male singers Category:Singers from California Category:Songwriters from California Category:Jingle writers

de:Jake Holmes fr:Jake Holmes

name	Burton Cummings
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth date	December 31, 1947
birth place	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
genre	Rock
occupation	Musician, songwriter
years active	1965–present
instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, saxophone, drums, percussion, harp, flute
associated acts	The Guess Who, Bachman & Cummings, The Deverons, Tim Thorney
website	}}

Burton L. Cummings, OC, OM (born December 31, 1947, in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian musician and songwriter.

He was the lead singer and frequent keyboardist for the Canadian rock band The Guess Who. During his 10 years in The Guess Who, from 1965 to 1975, he sang and wrote or co-wrote many songs including "American Woman," "No Time," "Share the Land," "Hand Me Down World," "Undun," "Laughing," "Star Baby", "New Mother Nature," and "These Eyes." His solo career includes many Canadian singles including "Stand Tall", "My Own Way to Rock" and "You Saved My Soul."

Biography

Cummings was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as were all of the other original members of The Guess Who, and attended St. John's High School. His first band was a local Winnipeg R&B group, The Deverons, with an 'E' (not to be confused with the band The Devrons who had Country/R&B hits in the early 1960s). The Deverons with Cummings released two singles on the tiny REO Records label. The first single, "Blue Is The Night / She's Your Lover", was cut in a Winnipeg radio station. The second single, "Lost Love / Feel Alright", was recorded at Kay Bank Studios in Minneapolis, where The Guess Who frequently recorded. He joined The Guess Who in 1965 to replace keyboardist Bob Ashley and shortly thereafter its previous lead singer, Chad Allan, left the band.

Cummings also tried his hand at acting. He appeared alongside Paul Sorvino, Glynnis O'Connor and Don Johnson in the 1982 film ''Melanie''.

Success with The Guess Who

Between 1966 and 1969, The Guess Who were one of the hardest working-bands in Canada. Despite having released several strong singles, a hugely successful split LP ("A Wild Pair", which also featured Ottawa's The Stacattos), and a weekly stint as house band on CBC-TV's "Let's Go!", mainstream success eluded them.

In 1969 The Guess Who scored an international hit with "These Eyes", co-written by Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman. It was followed up by hit "Laughing", again written by Cummings and Bachman. Another Guess Who song, "Undun", featured Cummings on a jazzy flute solo. In 1970, the band hit no. 1 in Canada with "American Woman."

Ultimately, conflict between Cummings and bandmate Randy Bachman—partially ignited by Bachman's then-deepening Mormon religious beliefs—caused a rift in the band. Bachman left and went on to form the band Brave Belt with former Guess Who mate Chad Allan, and later Bachman–Turner Overdrive.

Cummings became the band's leader and recorded songs that included "Share the Land," "Hand Me Down World," "Albert Flasher," "Rain Dance," "Sour Suite," "Glamour Boy," "Star Baby," "Clap for the Wolfman," and "Dancin' Fool."

Going solo

In 1975 Cummings left The Guess Who after 10 years to become a solo artist, and the group disbanded. One of his first projects included providing back-up vocals on Eric Carmen's second solo LP, ''Boats Against the Current'', including "She Did It."

Cummings' subsequent solo hits in Canada included "Stand Tall," his greatest American solo hit, peaking at #10, "I'm Scared," "Break it to Them Gently," and "Fine State of Affairs." Cummings charted outside Canada with "Stand Tall" and "You Saved My Soul." His ''Dream of a Child'' album released in 1978 was the biggest Canadian album in history at that time. Cummings released a total of eight solo albums and collections from 1976 to 1990. In 1997 he released a live compilation album of his solo performances entitled ''Up Close and Alone''.

Cummings became a resident of Sherman Oaks, California, and began writing and singing for films in the late 1970s. He currently winters in California and returns to Winnipeg in the summer, living in Canada throughout autumn. Besides his music, Cummings purchased Winnipeg's "Salisbury House" restaurant chain with manager Lorne Saifer, and is an avid comic book collector.

For several years Cummings has been active on My Space, blogging and posting music and photos. As of June 25, 2010, he unveiled a new website where you can stream all his music and where he will continue his blog – http://www.burtoncummings.net

The Guess Who returns

In 2000 Cummings, Bachman, and original drummer Garry Peterson toured as The Guess Who. Bassist Jim Kale played one show and former Guess Who sidemen Donnie McDougall and Bill Wallace re-joined the line-up through the remainder of the tour in Canada and later in the U.S. The reformed The Guess Who toured with Cummings from 2000 through to the summer of 2003. In 2001 Cummings and the rest of The Guess Who received honorary doctorates at Brandon University in Brandon, Manitoba. Cummings was also made a member of the Order of Manitoba. In 2003, the band played at the so-called "SARSstock" concert in Toronto.

Bachman-Cummings

Cummings plays occasional shows with Randy Bachman as The Bachman-Cummings Band, featuring The Carpet Frogs, a band from Toronto and makes occasional appearances at various Canadian casinos as a solo performer. The Bachman-Cummings Band have released a compilation album titled the ''Bachman-Cummings Song Book'' featuring songs from The Guess Who, Bachman–Turner Overdrive and Cummings' solo career. They have also released an album titled ''The Thunderbird Trax'', which is an album that Cummings and Bachman recorded in Bachman's toolshed in British Columbia in 1987. Previously unreleased until 2006, it was made available exclusively at Bachman-Cummings concerts, and is now available on the Bachman-Cummings website.

The Bachman-Cummings ''First Time Around'' CBC TV Special was released on DVD in November 2006 on the Sony BMG label. In June 2007, Bachman and Cummings released an album titled ''Jukebox'' that covered various songs from the 1960s that influenced them. A follow-up album to ''Jukebox'' as well as a television special have also been discussed.

They last played together in 2009 at Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario. Bachman has since rejoined with CF Turner and Cummings has toured on his own with the Carpet Frogs.

''Above the Ground''

Outside of his work with Bachman, in November 2004 Cummings released a single "With God on Our Side", a cover of the famous Bob Dylan song. The single debuted at the 21st spot on the Canadian music internet music chart.

On November 4, 2008, Cummings released his first solo album of new studio material in 18 years titled ''Above the Ground''. The album has 19 tracks of original songs written by Cummings, some of which were written by him many years ago. The album was recorded with his touring band The Carpet Frogs. The release also includes a DVD with a behind the scenes look at the recording process. The first single from the album was "We Just Came from the U.S.A." Originally a Canadian-only release, ''Above the Ground'' is now available at Burton Cummings' website and on iTunes.

The Burton Cummings Theatre, located in downtown Winnipeg, is named after Cummings.

Order of Canada

On December 30, 2009, Cummings was named an officer of the Order of Canada by Governor General Michaëlle Jean. The Order of Canada is one of the country's highest civilian honours, and was established in 1967 to mark a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to community, and service to the nation.

Book of poetry

On the November 23, 2010, morning show episode of Canada AM, Cummings announced that he will be releasing a book of poetry. He mentioned that he had been working on it for the past 3 years; and that it would be available in 2011. The collection of poems will be titled "The Writings of B. L. Cummings." He stated that works by Kipling, Keats and Edgar Allan Poe were great inspirations to him during his writing process, saying, "I like to be influenced by the best."

On June 28, 2011, it was announced that Cummings will receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame and will be inducted on October 1 at Elgin Theatre in Toronto. He previously received a star as part of The Guess Who in 2001.

Discography

Albums

Year	Album	Chart positions		CRIA
		CAN	! width="50"
1976
1977	''My Own Way to Rock''
1978	''Dream of a Child''
	''Woman Love''
''The Best of Burton Cummings''
1981	''Sweet Sweet''
1984	''Heart''
1990	''Plus Signs''
1994	''The Burton Cummings Collection''
1996	''Up Close and Alone''
2008	''Above the Ground''

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions					Album
		CAN AC	CAN	CAN Country	! width="45"	! width="45"
1976	"Stand Tall"
	"I'm Scared"
"Timeless Love"
"My Own Way to Rock"
"Your Backyard"
1978	"Break It to Them Gently"
	"I Will Play a Rhapsody"
"Takes a Fool to Love a Fool"
"Meanin' So Much"
"Draggin' 'Em Down the Line"						single only
	"Fine State of Affairs"
"One and Only"
1981	"You Saved My Soul"
	"Mother Keep Your Daughters In"
"Something Old, Something New"
1984	"Love Dream"
1985	"Whatever Happened to Your Eyes"
	"Take One Away"
"One Day Soon"
"The Rock's Steady"
"Free"
2004	"With God on Our Side"						single only
	"We Just Came from the U.S.A."
"Dream"

Collaborations with Randy Bachman

2006 ''Bachman-Cummings Songbook'' – Compilation that features tracks from The Guess Who, Burton Cummings and Bachman–Turner Overdrive

2006 ''The Thunderbird Trax'' – A compilation of previously unreleased material recorded by Bachman and Cummings circa 1987

2007 ''Jukebox'' – Bachman & Cummings album that features covers of songs by artists such as Bob Dylan, The Shadows and The Beatles

See also

The Guess Who

Canadian rock

Music of Canada

Bruce Robb (producer)

References

External links

Burton Cummings' Official website

Official website for the Bachman-Cummings Band

Bio at CanadianBands.com CanConRox entry

Bruce Robb (producer)

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:Officers of the Order of Canada Category:Members of the Order of Manitoba Category:Musicians from Winnipeg Category:Canadian male singers Category:Canadian rock keyboardists Category:Canadian rock pianists Category:Canadian rock guitarists Category:Canadian rock singers Category:Juno Award winners Category:Genie Award winners for Best Achievement in Music - Original Song Category:The Guess Who members

bs:Burton Cummings nl:Burton Cummings pl:Burton Cummings sv:Burton Cummings