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"This is simply one of the greatest clubs in the country. With its rich tradition and great reputation for always having good music, the Continental Club seems to be a hot spot for anyone who really likes music. And if you go, you just may find yourself sitting next to Julia Roberts or Johnny Depp. You never know at the CC. And that's why bigger acts such as Rev. Horton Heat or Spoon always make a stop here on tour. As far as musicians are concerned, there's no better place to play...or go." ~CitySearch.com

Hello everyone! I've got lots of news for you this week, as well as some awesome shows to tell you about, so I'm going to dive right in with some upcoming special events...

Dale Watson has cancelled theAnnual Elvis Memorial that was scheduled for this month. There's just not enough time to pull it together the way he would like, and he doesn't want eo interfere with the fundraising efforts of the following night's Buck Owens Birthday Bash (see below). Dale Watson & his Lone Stars will be bringing Elvis back in January, though. So get your birthday party hats, horns & streamers ready!

The 17th Annual Buck Owens Birthday Bash is right around the corner! This year, like every year, it will be held at the Continental Club on Buck's actual birthday, August 12th. It starts at 7:30 and goes until they've played every Buck song they know. All proceeds go to the Center for Child Protection. Dallas Wayne will be singing as well as hosting, and will introduce fellow Buck Lovers such as the Derailers, Kevin Russell, Ricky Broussard, Randy Weeks, Tony Booth, Miss Leslie, Amber Digby, Redd Volkaert, Randy Lindley, Bobby Earl Smith, Brent Wilson & Janet Lynn, Matt & Kristen Brooks, Lucas Hudgins, Teri Joyce, Monte Warden, Jesse Dayton, Jason Allen, Billy Dee, Jim Stringer, Roger Wallace, Mary Cutrufello, Dave Insley, Gary Claxton, Tracie Lynn, Lucky Tomblin, Libby Bosworth, Jeff Salle, Russ Varnell, plus special guests! The Austin Buckaroos this year will be Casper Rawls, Earl Poole Ball, David Carroll, Ricki Davis and Tom Lewis.

Of course that means that the 22st Annual Tribute To The King is about to happen as well! On Saturday August 16 Shaun Young's New Blue Moon Boys and Ted Roddy's King Conjure Orchestra bring you the fresh-faced enthusiasm, the glitzy glam, the greatest hits, the obscure covers, and the excitement associated with Elvis's impressive career. There will be 2 shows at The Continental Club, but the times have changed slightly. The early show doors will open at 6:30pm, and the show will be at 7pm. The doors for the late show will open at 10pm, and the show will begin at 10:30. $25 tickets are on sale NOW at FrontgateTickets - get yours before they are sold out!

As most of you already know, Jon Dee Graham was on his way home from a gig in Grand Prairie late last Friday night/early Saturday morning when he fell asleep near Jerrell and hit a lane divider. Despite cracked vertebrae, broken ribs, and a ruptured spleen (which required emergency surgery this week), he should be leaving the hospital in the next few days. Proving just how tough & stubborn he is, yet again. He's still in quite a bit of pain, but he's already walking a little, and has been joking with the nurses. Graham's wife Gretchen has said, "Evidently, driving a Volvo really did save his life. The Volvo died, thank God Jon Dee didn't." Perhaps JDG could get a new car by doing an endorsement campaign for Volvo?

While the Grahams have medical insurance, there will be 10's of thousands of dollars of medical bills not covered. To help out, The Continental Club hosted a spur of the moment benefit for Jon Dee, which was a huge success. Benefit organizers Michael Lahrman and Dustin Welch (who was already booked for the closing set last night), along with South Austin Jug Band (who were Jon Dee's short-notice replacements), turned over the door money to help JDG & his family. Along with a donation jar at the front door and an additional donation from Continental Club head honcho, Steve Wertheimer, there was a total of $2000.00 raised.

Heinz Geissler, Jon Dee's manager sent this information:
Donations toward medical & living expenses may be sent through PayPal to this account: jdg@chickrockentertainment.com and cards, as well as checks & money orders (payable to Jon Dee Graham) may be mailed to:
Jon Dee Graham
c/o Heinz Geissler
Texas Music Group
805 West Avenue
Suite 1
Austin, TX 78701

Due to "acute exhaustion," another hometown hero, Alejandro Escovedo is cancelling all of his gigs for at least the next week, and possibly longer. Remember it was only 5 years ago that he almost died from complications of hepatitis C. After a near-miraculous recovery he has remained in good health, but his current tour has taken its toll. According to a statement released by his publicist, Escovedo's doctors advised him to take "proper rest as to not further complicate the symptoms." The 57-year-old musician's nonstop touring schedule has pushed the limits of his endurance. Canada's music authority, Exclaim!, recently ran this interview with Alejandro in which he talks about how tiring touring can be.

It seems like some of our Austin rock legends are having a tough week. Although, times have certainly changed - Gibby didn't go to jail. Just sayin'....

And on the newcomer alt country front, The Mother Truckers' Teal Collins is featured this week in the Statesman's gardening section. She's just full of surprises! "Teal Collins can sing and play the guitar like there's no tomorrow. But when she returns home after touring and performing, she rests her vocal chords — slightly — by unwinding in her East Austin courtyard garden." ~Statesman.com

I have also posted a bazillion photos to our MySpace page from our shows. If you're not already our MySpace friend, please send us a friend request.

Please Note: While I try to be very accurate with lineups, times & cover charges for our shows, last-minute changes and errors can, and sometimes do, occur. Call the Club at 512-441-2444 for the most current information.

Are you a customer with questions about upcoming show times, tickets, cover charge etc.? In Austin call: (512) 441-0202 or (512) 441-2444 or e-mail Dianne at info@continentalclub.com. In Houston call: (713)529-9899 or (713) 529-9666. Are you a musician inquiring about booking a gig? Booking in Austin: steve@continentalclub.com. PR in Austin: Dianne, info@continentalclub.com. Booking & PR in Houston: pete@continentalclub.com.

If you would like to get on the list to receive a weekly e-mail of our happenings, please request the Austin info from Dianne at info@continentalclub.com. There is currently no e-mail version of the newsletter for Houston, however there is a monthly pdf calendar available via e-mail. Sign up for the free subscription to the Houston calendar by sending an e-mail with "subscribe" in the subject line to calendar@continentalclub.com. If you have questions about Houston shows, contact Pete at pete@continentalclub.com. To unsubscribe from the e-mail version, or if you feel that you have received the e-mail in error, please respond to info@continentalclub.com with "unsubscribe" as the subject. Don't forget to get your birthday to me if you want to be on the monthly birthday list. I'd be happy to add Houston birthdays also if y'all let me know about them!

The Continental Service Club: Center for Child Protection
1110 East 32nd Street, Austin, Texas 78722; Phone: (512) 472-1164

In 1989, as a result of the deaths of three small children in Austin, the community realized it had to do a better job of helping children who were victims of abuse or neglect. The Center for Child Protection, an accredited Children's Advocacy Center, was established to bring together the agencies that serve children who are victims of sexual assault or serious physical injury or who witnessed violent crime.In a pioneering and highly successful approach, the Child Protection Team was established with the Center serving as its coordinating agency. Since 1992, this team has worked to provide a safe setting in which children are able to tell what happened to them and receive the support they need to begin healing. The Center is a child-friendly, specially-equipped facility in Travis County where children and their protective family or caregiver go for evidence gathering, forensic medical exams, counseling, and intervention during the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases. Referrals are made exclusively through law enforcement and Child Protective Services, and all services are provided at no charge and with no waiting list. The Center's mission is to reduce the trauma for children during the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases.

Proceeds from the 17th Annual Buck Owens Birthday Bash will be donated to The Center for Child Protection.

***

Monday HH @ 6:30. No cover - The Uptown Swingers take on Monday Happy Hours. The band includes members of Paris 49 along with Erik Hokkanen, Dave Biller & Warren Hood. They'll bring you gypsy jazz, swing & standards just meant for dancing.

Wednesday HH @ 6:30. No cover - Shotgun Party swings early jazz right on into dance hall country for Wednesday Happy Hours in August! *Except on 8/27 we'll host the Hot Club of Cowtown release party for The Best of The Hot Club of Cowtown, their new 20-song collection from Shout! Factory.
Video Links:
Shotgun Party
Hot Club of Cowtown

Thursday HH, @ 6:30pm. No cover - Sarah Fox & Joel Guzman will hold down a couple of Thursdays in August - 8/7 & 8/21. Prepare yourself for a musical viaje that goes beyond barrios and borders with influences that range from blues and rock, to vallenato, reggae, gospel, and other Latin American-tinged rhythms. Joel is without a doubt one of the premier Chicano accordionists and musicians working today and Fox displays her songwriting as well as her dynamic vocal talents. *Except on 8/27 when Shotgun Party swings early jazz right on into dance hall country!
Video Links:
Sarah Fox & Joel Guzman

Friday HH, @ 6:30pm. No cover - The Blues Specialists have played continuously on Fridays at The Continental Club for 20 years! Although founding members ErbieBowser & T.D. Bell have passed on, the authentic blues tradition continues with band leader Mel Davis on vocals, sax & harmonica and T.D.'s son, Lawrence Bell on keyboards.
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Blues Specialists

Saturday Matinee, @ 3pm. No cover - Redd Volkaert (Merle Haggard) picks & grins for his classic country Saturday matinees with a great cast of players. Redd's playing is so revered that many other musicians come to Redd's shows just to study his technique & sound. He is a Telecaster master with a Sex Drive™, a Zia Drive™ and a Mucho Boosto™ too! *Except 8/16: No Matinee - Tribute to The King Early show 6:30/7pm & Late show 10/10:30pm; 8/23: James Hand
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Redd Volkaert

Sunday night @ 10. $7 - Heybale! featuring Redd Volkaert (Merle Haggard) & Earl Poole Ball (Johnny Cash) is Austin's best & most popular country supergroup! The lineup includes singer/guitarist Gary Claxton, steel guitarist Buzz Evans (Tex Ritter, Ernest Tubb), upright bass player Kevin Smith (Dwight Yoakam, High Noon) and drummer Tom Lewis (Raul Malo, Jim Lauderdale). On the last Sunday of each month we will present the Heybale Orchestra w/special guests Cindy Cashdollar, and/or Elana James, and/or Erik Hokkanen, according to who's available! It's all Heybale, all night, and still a bargain at $8; $10 on Holidays! *Please note that as of 8/3 the cover charge is now $8 and on Holiday weekends it will be $10!
Video Links:
Heybale!

Monday nights @ 10. $5 - Dale Watson & his Lone Stars are in the business of making music on stage for their fans on the dance floor. You never know who's going to show up & end up on stage with Dale... James Intveld, Chris Wall, Ian Moore, Gordie "Grady" Johnson, Alan Haynes, Tommy Mack, a fiddle player from Scotland, a harmonica player from Spain... who knows. This just might be the best $5 you'll ever spend on a Monday night.
Video Links:
Dale Watson & his Lone Stars

Tuesday nights @ 10:00; 11:30. $7 - The Ephraim Owens Experience holds down the 10pm spot! Ephraim has played all over the world and is adaptable to all styles of music, but mostly he plays his favorite music, jazz. The phenomenally talented blue-eyed soul man Dan Dyer joins the Tuesday night lineup! This is a perfect opportunity to catch Dan's power-soul review following a tasty treat of funk and jazz by the Ephraim Owens Experience. Dan & Ephraim will continue their double-bill until David Garza returns. David Garza is still busy with a movie so he won't be playing Tuesday nights until August 19.
Video Links:
Dan Dyer
Ephraim Owens

Wednesday nights @ 10:30, 12:00. $7 - Songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Jon Dee Graham & The Fighting Cocks bring Americana/rock/alt country to the 10pm spot on Wednesdays. James McMurtry & The Heartless Bastards are also here every Wednesday that they're not on the road or in the studio. Both of these songwriters produce literate, intelligent, intuitive material. And they can run the gamut from touching balladry to raucous rockers. *Except 8/6: TBA @ 10; 8/13: The Dedringers @ 10; 8/20: El Vez 4 Prez! Lysa Flores @10, El Vez @ 11:30, $15: 8/27: TBA @10, Back Porch Mary @12
Video Links:
James McMurtry
Jon Dee Graham

Thursday July 31 @ 10:00, 11:15, 12:30. $7 - Formerly known as The Moonhangers & Chili Cold Blood, Blood Chili Records presents Blood Country! The two bands with the same members have released seven records to date. Chili Cold Blood, the darker more raucous side of the two has merged with The Moonhangers' outlaw country. Rest assured friends, the music from both sides will remain a part of the sound. The new merge will actually give resurgence to the old school bluesy sounds of Chili Cold Blood, keeping in tow the more rockin' outlaw country ala Rolling Stones side of The Moonhangers, while introducing a new dark southern hybrid, the new southern rock, the new Texas roadhouse. Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights have got "it," in a mightly big way. At 23, Jonathan Tyler is too young to have seen Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin or Janis Joplin, but he's got their sound down pat. The Dallas singer-guitarist plays blues-rock with spit and swagger but he also sings tender ballads that will appeal to the John Mayer crowd. Mr. Tyler and his band, the Northern Lights, recorded their debut CD, Hot Trottin, with help from local producer-engineer Chris Bell (Erykah Badu, Polyphonic Spree). Major labels have reportedly begun sniffing around. Grab this CD as soon as you can so you can sing along at the show - especially "Gypsy Woman" (see video below)! Blistering southern blues-rock band Grady's three-piece lineup is Gordie "Grady" Johnson and Big Ben Richardson, rounded out by drummer Nina Singh. Johnson laughed when he said they thought she was a native Texan, when she too was born in Canada (Johnson is from Windsor), while she thought they were native Texans who might be reticent to hire a non-Texan. "So we're the best Canadian band in the State of Texas right now," Johnson said. "...some of the fiercest cowboy metal known to man. Gordie Johnson is the greatest Canadian export since Neil Young, Leonard Cohen and instant mashed potatoes." ~Slackhopper, SooToday.com
Video Links:
Grady
Jonathan Tyler

Friday August 1 @ 10:00, 12:00. $10 - Indie/Pop/Alternative Pink Nasty a.k.a. Sara Beck introduces her own brand of neurotic pop rock on her sophomore release, Mold The Gold which was recorded on Paul Oldham’s farm in Kentucky with additional recording at home in Texas and Kansas. The new album takes the bold spiciness of her debut Mule School, which Rolling Stone says is “plenty spicy but with hooks to match." Li'l Cap'n Travis is back in business now that all of its members are living in Austin again (Glad to have you back, Christian!). As the Houston Press says, we can travel down LCT's familiar back roads of slacker country, space country, space rock, and straight-up psychedelia . With its mix of good times, old times and high times, it's the perfect hair of the dog for a night of drinking away lost loves and lazily chasing new ones.
Video Links:
Li'l Cap'n Travis

Saturday August 2 @ 8:00, $25 - An Evening with The Bill Frisell Quartet, featuring Eyvind Kang on viola, Steve Moore on trombone and keyboards & Kenny Wolleson on drums. "Frisell brought a new voice to the fraying realm of the electric guitar. Other guitarists, for the most part, resort to chest thumping and smug, loud assertions. Frisell has made an art form out of head scratching, with stuttering, slithering sentence fragments for licks. He freely mixes the cerebral approach of jazz and the raw good humor of rock & roll and various shades of pop without trespassing into the dread world of fusion. To be sure, Frisell is a slippery devil, a crazy quilter who goes every which way in pursuit of dry humor and a new musical attitude. Who else could make such a natural connection between the screaming tones of Jimi Hendrix and the circus-tinged exoticism of Nino Rota's Fellini film scores?" ~Josef Woodard, RollingStone.com
Video Links:
Bill Frisell

Saturday August 2 @ 10:00, 12:00. $10 - The BlueBonnets are Dominique Davalos (Vocals and Bass), Kathy Valentine (Guitars & Vocals), Eve Monsees (Guitars & Vocals), and Kristy McInnis (Drums and Vocals). They play very cool blues, garage & rock. And what else would you expect with a pedigree that includes the GoGos, The Delphines, Terry Reid, and Tito & Tarantula? Americana darlings, Blue Mountain are releasing TWO albums during this leg of their reunion tour! Midnight In Mississippi, is new material that was recorded at Elmwood Recording in Dallas, with Grammy-winning producer/engineer Stuart Sikes (Cat Power, White Stripes, Loretta Lynn), and Omnibus featuring hand picked re-recorded Blue Mountain originals! "With Ted Gainey on drums, Laurie Stirratt on bass, and Cary Hudson on guitar, Blue Mountain treated their faithful fan base to a rollicking show of hard-driving classics. Fatigued by the relentless touring, Coutch had left the band to work on local music projects, and Stirratt and Hudson's marriage had ended. Although they struggled to stay together musically, the break-up was just too raw, and Blue Mountain disbanded. But relationships are like rivers; they rise and fall. During the past six years Stirratt played and recorded with Danny Black and Chicago-based Healthy White Baby, co-wrote and recorded a CD with her brother John and started an independent record label, Broadmoor Records. Hudson toured extensively and recorded 3 solo records and has been involved in many musical projects. After reuniting and playing a few experimental shows in Oxford, Chicago and St. Louis, it looks like Blue Mountain is back, tougher and better than ever, with a whole 'nuther era of that great Blue Mountain sound. The past is water under the bridge." ~Lisa Howorth
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Blue Mountain

Sunday August 3 @ 8:00, $25 - An Evening with The Bill Frisell Quartet, featuring Eyvind Kang on viola, Steve Moore on trombone and keyboards & Kenny Wolleson on drums. On recent CD, History, Mystery: "Some artists, as they grow older, have a tendency to retreat into a safety zone that displays their skill but doesn't expand their repertoire or provide impetus for keeping up. Not so guitarist Bill Frisell ... [H]e's been refining and expanding his palette with every release.... The whole album stands as yet another testament to the man's place at the very epicenter of modern American music. Yes, he's done it again." ~Chris Jones, BBC.
Video Links:
Bill Frisell

Thursday August 7 @ 9:30, 11:00. $? - Teisco del Rey is recognized as a surf-master and a has produced some of the most famous sounds of a "Guitorgan" ever recorded , but did you know he also plays zouk? Zouk is a rhythmic music that has its roots in compas music from Haiti. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local creole of French with English and African influences. And it's always a party with Teisco, plus Karen Biller on drums, Dave Wesselowski on bass, and Boomer Norman on guitar! Louisiana-based slide guitar wizard Sonny Landreth bridges swamp rock, blues, and zydeco. Eric Clapton believes him to be "probably the most underestimated musician on the planet and also probably one of the most advanced." The venerable publication, Guitar Player's 2008 Readers’ Choice Awards saw Landreth winning Best Slide Guitarist. He's also a perennial Grammy nominee. From the Reach, Sonny’s acclaimed new album features special guests Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Vince Gill, Eric Johnson, Robben Ford, Dr. John and Jimmy Buffett.
Video Links:
Sonny Landreth
Teisco del Rey

Friday August 8 @ 10:00, 12:00. $10 - Morry Sochat & The Special 20's are bringing a fresh sound to the Chicago Blues scene. Sochat is a former Texas who felt the pull of the Chicago blues scene, mixing classic Chicago Blues with Swing from the 1950’s. The band is influenced by the best in blues history, like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Louis Jordan, Junior Wells, and all of the Chicago greats. Their CD, Swingin’ Shufflin’ Smokin’, is sure to take the band to the next level. The Diamond Smugglers are the best Neil Diamond tribute band ever with a rock hard sound and throbbing stage presence! We are all God's children bubbola, but he loves the Smugglers best. And so do we!
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N/A

Saturday August 9 @ 9:00, 10:30, 12:15. $10 - Montreal, Canada's Shane Murphy "The Deputy of Soul", plays a unique and widely appealing variety of funk and blues. "The bassist and backup singers may look too young to vote, but newcomers T-Bird & The Breaks are old souls bringing serious R&B heat. The local 10-piece indulges the requisite Wilson Pickett and Sly & the Family Stone covers but is at its best pounding out originals by dynamic frontman Tim Crane, a slick-haired, gravel-voiced shouter in the mold of blue-eyed Texas soul sensation Roy Head." ~Thomas Fawcett, Austin Chronicle. Sean L Maloney of Nashville Scene says "The Greyhounds are purveyors of serious Texas thunder funk that falls somewhere between the Meters and classic pre-MTV ZZ Top. Dirty, fuzzed-out funk tones that could have been salvaged from some obscure private-press soul single, combined with meaty organ and bouyant, volatile drumming contribute to some hardcore boogie..." This will be the release party for their hot, hot, hot new CD, Liberty.
Video Links:
Greyhounds
T-Bird & The Breaks
Shane Murphy

Coming.... Sunday 8/10: Heybale! w/Redd & Earl @ 10:30, $7... Monday 8/11: Dale Watson & his Lone Stars ' Elvis Memorial @ 10, $10 benefiting Community Partnership for the Homeless; Happy Hour: Uptown Swingers @ 6:30, no cover.... Tuesday 8/12: Annual Buck Owens Memorial Birthday Bash! Doors open @ 7pm, Show @ 10pm, $10 benefiting Center for Child Protection; No Happy Hour today!.... Wednesday 8/13: James McMurtry, The Dedringers @ 10:00, $7; Happy Hour: Shotgun Party @ 6:30, no cover... Thursday 8/14: The Heartless Bastards, Dustin Welch & The House Band @ 10, $7; Happy Hour: TBA @ 6:30, no cover.... Friday 8/15: Doug Moreland, Eleven Hundred Springs @ 10, $10; Happy Hour: The Blues Specialists @ 6:30, no cover.... Saturday 8/16: Tribute to The King w/Ted Roddy & The King Conjure Orchestra, plus Shaun Young's New Blue Moon Boys! Doors @ 6:30pm & 10pm, Shows @ 7pm & 10:30pm, Tickets $25 ; No Matinee today!.... Sunday 8/17: Heybale! w/Redd & Earl @ 10:30, $7... Monday 8/18: Dale Watson & his Lone Stars; Happy Hour: Uptown Swingers @ 6:30, no cover... Tuesday 8/19: David Garza @ 10, $7; Happy Hour: Toni Price & Rich Brotherton @ 6:30, $15.... Wednesday 8/20: James McMurtry, The Dedringers @ 10:00, $7; Happy Hour: Shotgun Party @ 6:30, no cover... Thursday 8/21: The Heartless Bastards, Dead Black Hearts @ 10, $7; Happy Hour: Sarah Fox & Joel Guzman @ 6:30, no cover.... Friday 8/22: The Derailers, Two Hoots & A Holler @ 10, $10; Happy Hour: The Blues Specialists @ 6:30, no cover.... Saturday 8/23: Big Sam's Funky Nation, LZ Love @ 10; Matinee: James Hand @3pm, no cover.... Sunday 8/24: Heybale! w/Redd & Earl @ 10:30, $7

James Cotton (1), Miss Lavelle White, Carla Olson, Floramay Holliday, David Beebe, Kacy Crowley (3); John Prestia, Dave Marsh (4); Dan Forte [Teisco Del Rey], Shilah Morrow (5); Nanci Griffith, Darlene Plyler, Jason Morales, Matt "The Electrician" Sever (6); Blondie Chaplin, Lynney Rossi, Barb Donovan, Angela Ryan (7); Justine Gilcrease (8); Ralph White, Shaan Shirazi, Gert Stefan (9); Tom Clifford (11), Van Cliburn, Butch Hancock, Jimmy Lafave, Evan Johns, Steve Young, Bill Oliver, Julie Miller (12); "Long" John Hunter (13); *Woody Guthrie, Beth Galiger, Jeremiah Ball (14); Roky Erickson, Jeff Hughes, Steve James, George Reif, Kevin LeMoine (15); Gurf Morlix, Caroline Hammond (16); Alice Spencer (17); *"Blind" Lemon Jefferson, Kelon Bryant (18); Katie Costanza (19); *Cindy Walker, Sleepy LaBeef, Radney Foster, Jo Carol Pierce, Chris Gonflé (20); Tracy Hightower (21); Don Henley, Mark Patterson, Kellie Salome, Kelly Quinney (22); *Keith Ferguson, Chris Findlay, Judy Jones (23); Donna Biram (24); Nathan Hamilton, Aimee Monger, Miles Earney (26); Damon Bramblett, Ted Hurst (27); Floyd Domino (28); R.C. Banks, Mike Middleton, Tom Middleton (30); Roy Heinrich, Jack Ortman (31)

"Big" Walter Price (2), Laura Durham (3), Savannah Welch (4), Marshall Hood, Alyssa Archambault (5), Cory Moore, Pat MacDonald, The Original Ruby Rockit [Kellie Jo] (6), B.J. Thomas, Denny Freeman, Raoul Hernandez, Tracy Brown (7), Tony Villanueva, Ian Moore (8), *Robert Shaw (9), Jimmy Dean, *Alfred "Snuff" Johnson, Will Sexton (10), *Ronnie Dawson, Charlie Sexton (11), *Buck Owens, Johnny Reno, Doak Short (12), *Bobby Doyle, Larry England (14), Billy Joe Shaver, *Champ Hood (16), Eric Johnson, Kathleen Smith (17), Mark Rubin (18), Irene Triola Shaver (19), Don Leady (20), Kenny Rogers, Matt McCormack (21), Dale Hawkins, Corey Keller, Mark Patterson, Ben Sherman (22), Rob [Rob's Chop Shop] (23), Mason Williams, Eliza Gilkyson, Bob Futey (24), Rich Brotherton (25), Brannen Temple (26), Charlene Hancock, Yolanda Adams, Sharon Lindsay (27), Conrad Choucroun, Django Walker, Gary Belvedere (28), Shelley King (30), Scott Rylander (31)

Erbie Bowser, Ural DeWitty (15), Elvis Presley (16), Stevie Ray Vaughan (26)

Birthday Legend: * = deceased; italic = Continental Club staff (past & present)

James Henry, owner of Henry's Bar and Grille, dies
Bar was a starting point for Don Walser, Junior Brown and others.

If any club in Austin could be heralded as an incubator for a new scene, it was the short-lived Henry's Bar & Grill on Burnet Road, where the careers of Don Walser, Junior Brown and Wayne "the Train" Hancock were jump-started in the early '90s.
The club's beloved owner, James Henry, a lifelong country music fan, died Wednesday in Liberty Hill after a long illness. He was 71.
"Because of the stuff they played on the radio, I didn't know much about real country music until I started going to Henry's," said former High Noon bassist Kevin Smith, who now plays in Dwight Yoakam's band. "Being 10 feet away from Don Walser when he'd sing was just incredible exposure to the bare, primitive soul of that music and the people who love it."
"James was really a model club owner," said musician Ted Roddy, a Henry's regular. "He treated everyone like they were special and fostered an environment that was just so much fun for the musicians and the crowd."
There wasn't much to Henry's, not even a stage, but with James and Gail Henry holding court at "the king's table," the spirit of real country music engulfed the place. During its 1990-1993 heyday, Henry's attracted a mix of hard-core honky-tonkers and punk rockers.
"I've seen James put $100 in the tip jar when Junior Brown was playing," said Cornell Hurd, who played the closing night of Henry's, on Halloween 1993. The club was demolished to make way for an Auto Zone. "All James and Gail cared about was whether you could play real country music."
Henry is survived by his wife and three children.
mcorcoran@statesman.com

Artie Traum, 65, Stalwart of ’60s Folk Music Scene, Is Dead
By JON PARELES
NYTimes.com July 22, 2008

Artie Traum, a guitarist, songwriter and producer who helped carry the spirit of the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene to Woodstock, N.Y., died on Sunday. He was 65 and lived in Bearsville, N.Y., near Woodstock.
His brother, the musician Happy Traum, who sometimes performed with him, said the cause was liver cancer.
In a long and varied career, Mr. Traum played folk music and smooth jazz; recorded 10 albums of his own and four with his brother; produced albums; composed film scores; created guitar-instruction books and videos; teamed with his brother for a radio program; and made a documentary film about the Catskill water system.
Mr. Traum, who was born and reared in the Bronx, became a regular visitor to Greenwich Village clubs in the 1960s, hearing blues, folk music and jazz. Soon he was performing there, too. He made his first recording in 1963 as a member of the True Endeavor Jug Band, founded by the blues scholar Sam Charters. He worked with Eric Kaz and the group Bear on the score for Brian de Palma’s 1968 film “Greetings.”
In the late 1960s, Artie followed Happy to Woodstock, and they began working as a duo. In 1969 the Traums performed at the Newport Folk Festival and released their first studio album. Managed by Albert Grossman, whose other clients included Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, the Traums toured worldwide. They released additional duo albums in 1971 and 1975, reunited as a duo for a 1994 album, “The Test of Time” (Roaring Stream), and continued to play concerts together.
Mr. Traum’s first solo album, “Life on Earth,” was released by Rounder Records in 1977.
In Woodstock during the 1970s and ’80s, Mr. Traum was a member and producer for the Woodstock Mountains Revue, a gathering of upstate folk musicians and singer-songwriters that also included John Sebastian; it made five albums for Rounder Records, with guests including Paul Butterfield, Eric Andersen and Maria Muldaur. “He was a real instigator, of bringing people together from various styles,” said Happy Traum, “and melding them into a conglomerate that became something totally different.”
One member of the Revue was the songwriter Pat Alger, with whom Mr. Traum made a 1980 duo album, “From the Heart.” (Mr. Alger later moved to Nashville and wrote hits for Garth Brooks and others.) Mr. Traum was married in 1981; his wife, Beverly, survives him, along with Happy Traum.
The Traum brothers were the hosts of a 1988 public-radio show for WAMC in Albany, “Bring It On Home,” which presented live folk-rooted performers like Richard Thompson, Molly Mason and, from the Band, Rick Danko and Garth Hudson. The programs became the basis of a pair of compilations by the same title released by the Sony Legacy label in 1994.
Mr. Traum was a producer on albums by Happy Traum, Livingston Taylor and the bassist Tony Levin, among others. He also wrote guitar-instruction books and demonstrated his techniques on instructional videos released by Happy Traum’s company Homespun Tapes.
In the 1990s, Mr. Traum decisively reworked his guitar style, delving into jazz and making instrumental albums. His 1999 album “Meetings With Remarkable Friends” (Narada) included collaborations with Béla Fleck, members of the Band, Mr. Sebastian and others.
“I like it all and enjoy wearing different hats on different days,” he told the online magazine Guitar Sam.
Artie Traum - Died 7-20-2008 in Woodstock, NY, U.S. - Cancer ( Folk ) Born 4-13-1943 in The Bronx, NY, U.S. - Singer, songwriter and guitarist - Worked with his brother Happy Traum and with Bela Fleck, Warren Bernhardt, Rory Block, Pat Alger, Tony Levin, Richie Havens, John Sebastian, Maria Muldaur, Eric Anderson, Paul Butterfield, Paul Siebel, Pete Seeger, David Grisman, James Taylor, Livingston Taylor, Michael Franks and The Band.

Singer and radio star Jo Stafford dies at 90
By BOB THOMAS
Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES — Jo Stafford, the honey-voiced band singer who starred in radio and television and sold more than 25 million records with her ballads and folks songs, has died. She was 90.
Stafford died of congestive heart failure Wednesday at her Century City home, her son, Tim Weston of Topanga, said Friday. She had been in declining health since October, he said.
Stafford had 26 charted singles and nearly a dozen top 10 hits, her son said. She won a Grammy for her humor.
Stafford's records of "I'll Walk Alone," "I'll Be Seeing You," "I Don't Want to Walk Without You" and other sentimental songs struck the hearts of servicemen far from home in both World War II and the Korean War. They awarded her the title of "GI Jo."
In 1939, she was working with a group of male singers called the Pied Pipers. The group was invited to join the Tommy Dorsey band, a big attraction in the swing era. Soon the Pied Pipers were singing in major hotels and ballrooms and on radio.
A year later, 24-year-old Frank Sinatra joined Dorsey after a brief stint with Harry James, and he and the Pied Pipers melded ideally. Their languorous "I'll Never Smile Again" became the No. 1 hit for 12 weeks and sold 2 million copies. A half-century later, Sinatra remarked about Stafford, "It was a joy to sit on the bandstand and listen to her."
Dorsey gave Stafford her first solo, "Little Man With a Candy Cigar," and it became a hit record. One night in 1944 in Portland, Ore., the temperamental Dorsey got into an argument with one of the Pied Pipers and fired the group.
The Pied Pipers signed with the fledgling Capitol Records, but Stafford left the group to join Johnny Mercer, one of the Capitol founders. Mercer guided her new career with hits such as "Candy," "Serenade of the Bells" and "That's for Me." In demand for personal appearances, she accepted a date at New York's Club Martinique. A shy person, she never played a nightclub again.
"I'm basically a singer, period," she said in a 1996 interview, "and I think I'm really lousy up in front of an audience_ it's just not me."
She was a "reluctant star," her son said. "She loved making records and really didn't crave the attention of personal appearances."
At Capitol, Stafford, who had been married to Pied Piper John Huddleston from 1941 to 1943, became reacquainted with Paul Weston, who had been an arranger for Dorsey. They married in 1952, and he acted as her arranger and conductor for the rest of her career. They had two children, Tim and Amy, and four grandchildren.
Despite her shyness, Stafford appeared before studio audiences in radio and television during the 1940s and 1950s. She alternated with Perry Como on a nightly 15-minute radio show in 1944, guest starred on many TV variety shows and had her own series, "The Jo Stafford Show," in 1955-56.
She recorded more than 800 songs during a versatile career that included ballads, folk, Scottish, country and novelty. She even tried comedy. She and Weston recorded an album of numbers on which she sang painfully off-key and he played miserable piano. They were billed as Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, but their identity was soon discovered. A second album won them a Grammy in 1960 for best comedy album.
Jo Elizabeth Stafford was born Nov. 12, 1917, in Coalinga, Calif., where her Tennessee father had come to work in the oil fields. When a new field was discovered in Long Beach, he moved his wife and four daughters south. Young Jo studied classical music for more than three years and was cast in a high school production of "Roberta." But the 1933 Long Beach earthquake destroyed the school, and she joined her two older sisters singing pop songs on radio as the Stafford Sisters.
The Staffords sang background music at film studios — where Jo met the Pied Pipers.
Stafford made her last recording in 1970 although her songs continue to be used in movie soundtracks, her son said.
She retired voluntarily, he said.
"It really was to raise my sister and I. She walked away from it," he said. "People would sort of ask her, `How come you stopped singing?' She said: `For the same reason that Lana Turner doesn't pose in bathing suits anymore.'"
In addition to her son, Stafford is survived by a daughter, Amy Wells of Calabasas, and four grandchildren.
Paul Weston died in 1996.

David Christopher Holzhaus, 58, of Mico, passed away July 11, 2008 in Mico, TX. He was born Jan. 18, 1950 in San Antonio, TX to the late Walter and Gladys Overstreet Holzhaus. He was a musician and played around Texas with his band The Chris Holzhaus Band. He also played with Doug Sahm, Augie Meyers and Delbert McClinton. David is survived by his wife of 20 years, Suzanne Benson Holzhaus of Mico, TX; daughter, Kamela West and her husband Troy of Austin; grandchildren, Ryan West and Allison West. A Memorial Service will be scheduled at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science at San Antonio.

Holzhaus renowned for his old-school blues talents
Web Posted: 07/12/2008 11:06 PM CDT
By Amber Whittaker

Hailed as one of the last old-school blues guitarists in San Antonio, Chris Holzhaus was a self-assured band leader who could forgo his natural independence to play sideman for better-known musicians.
While friends such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Delbert McClinton gained national recognition, Holzhaus was often overlooked. But fellow musicians recall his versatility, professionalism and encyclopedic knowledge of old-school rarities that made him stand out among Texas musicians.
“A lot of the blues guys out there now are copying Chris' licks and they don't even know it,” Dale Rankin, a friend of more than 20 years, said.
Diagnosed with colon cancer in July 2007, Holzhaus died Friday in Mico. He was 58.
Born in San Antonio, he was the son of two musicians. His father was a trumpet player for Tommy Dorsey, and his mother was a quirky jazz singer. Holzhaus taught himself Jimmy Reed licks at age 13.
“He picked up the guitar and didn't put it down. That was his calling and he knew it,” said Suzanne Holzhaus, his wife of 20 years.
Among other projects, he played throughout South and Central Texas with the Texas Tornados and opened for Vaughan at the Majestic Theatre. He felt at home playing Austin landmarks such as the Continental Club and Antone's, and loved to play bars on St. Mary's Street in San Antonio.
Suzanne Holzhaus remembers the moment she first saw him one summer afternoon at the old Cactus Beer Garden on St. Mary's. “He walked in, and I looked at him and I knew. He was the love my life,” she said.
Friends said Holzhaus was a perfectionist.
“I've seen him fire a bass player in the middle of a song. He'd say, ‘Here's $100, go get a job,'” Rankin said.
But Holzhaus' loyalty encouraged others to return the favor.
“He told me, ‘If I have a choice, you're the one I want,'” Tommy Taylor, a drummer for guitarist Eric Johnson, said. Taylor said that while many gigs paid higher, he would drive halfway across the state to play with Holzhaus, even for free.
“He was probably one of the greatest musicians I have heard play,” Taylor said.
Among countless bootlegs, Holzhaus has two official albums: “Live at Doctor Rockets” and “Welcome to Bluzhill, Texas.”
As Holzhaus' health began to deteriorate and medical bills mounted last fall, his former bandleader, McClinton, organized a benefit for the ailing musician at Sam's Burger Joint. The event raised $10,000.

1845 - The French Army introduced the saxophone to its military band. The musical instrument was the invention of Adolphe Sax of Belgium.

1911 - George Liberace was born in Menasha, Wisconsin. Musician: violinist, conductor; administrator of Liberace Museum; brother of pianist/entertainer Liberace; died Oct 16, 1983

1918 - Hank Jones was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Pianist: accompanied Billy Eckstine, Ella Fitzgerald; led Hank Jones Trio

1931 - Kenny Burrell was born in Detroit, Michigan. Guitarist: played with Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman; own combos; jazz professor: UCLA

1942 - Harry James and his band recorded the classic 'I’ve Heard that Song Before,' for Columbia Records. Helen Forrest sang on the million-seller.

1945 - Gary Lewis (Levitch) was born in Los Angeles, California. Singer: group: Gary Lewis and the Playboys: This Diamond Ring; entertainer Jerry Lewis’ son

1946 - Bob Welch was born in Los Angeles, California. Guitarist, singer: group: Fleetwood Mac; solo: Sentimental Lady

1958 - Bill Berry was born in Duluth, Minnesota. Musician: drums: group: R.E.M.: Radio Free Europe, Talk about the Passion, So Central Rain, [Don’t Go Back To] Rockville, Seven Chinese Brothers

1964 - Country Music Hall of Famer Jim Reeves died when his single-engine Beechcraft crashed near Nashville, TN. Gentleman Jim started as a DJ, first at KGRI in Henderson, Texas; then at KWKH in Shreveport, LA (the home of the Louisiana Hayride in the early 1950s). His first hit was 'Mexican Joe' in 1953. Reeves became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1955. He had his own TV series on ABC in 1957. He was in the 1963 film, Kimberley Jim. Reeves bought a radio station in Henderson, Texas, which became very successful. Hits by Jim Reeves include 'Four Walls,' 'He’ll Have to Go,' 'I’m Getting Better,' 'Am I Losing You,' 'Welcome to My World' and 'I Guess I’m Crazy.'

1978 - Orchestra leader and producer Enoch Light died in New York City at age 70. He had led an orchestra called the Light Brigade beginning in 1935. His biggest hit was 'Summer Night' in 1937. Enoch Light was always interested in the technical techniques, and he struck it rich with the advent of stereo recording. He created Command Records, which released albums like Persuasive Percussion and Provocative Percussion in the early 1960s. These were popular with stereo owners because of their ping-pong (left channel to right to left) effects.

1985 - Prince was big at the box office with the autobiographical story of the Minneapolis rock star, Purple Rain. The flick grossed $7.7 million in its first three days of release on 917 movie screens. The album of the same name was the top LP in the U.S., as well.

1996 - Alanis Morissette, born in Ottawa, kicked off her first big-time Canadian tour with a show before 15,000 at General Motors Place, Vancouver. The concert had sold out in less than an hour two months earlier.

1779 - Francis Scott Key was born in Frederick County, Maryland. Attorney, poet: The Star-Spangled Banner: U.S. national anthem; died Jan 11, 1843

1927 - One of country music’s most influential groups, The Carter Family, made their first recordings for Victor Records at a makeshift studio in Bristol (to be known as the Bristol Barn Sessions). Among the six titles recorded was 'Single Girl, Married Girl.'

1942 - Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra recorded 'Charleston Alley,' on Decca Records.

1942 - The American Federation of Musicians went on strike. Union president James C. Petrillo told musicians that phonograph records were “a threat to members’ jobs.” As a result, musicians refused to perform in recording sessions over the next several months. Live, musical radio broadcasts continued, however.

1942 - Jerry Garcia was born in San Francisco, California. Guitarist, banjo, lyricist: group: The Grateful Dead: Dark Star, Truckin’, Alabama Getaway; died Aug 9, 1995

1953 - Robert Cray was born in Columbus, Georgia. Singer: group: Robert Cray Band: albums: Showdown, Strong Persuader; in film: Animal House

1960 - Chubby Checker’s 'The Twist' was released. The song inspired the dance craze of the 1960s. Round and around and around...

1963 - Coolio (Artis Ivey Jr.) was born in Compton, California. Rapper: LPs: It Takes a Thief, Gangsta’s Paradise, My Soul

1964 - Adam Duritz was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Musician: piano, record producer, lead singer and founding member of Counting Crows: Mr. Jones, Round Here, Einstein on the Beach [For an Eggman], Rain King, A Murder of One, Angels of the Silences

1971 - The Concert for Bangladesh was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Ravi Shankar and Billy Preston performed. A multirecord set commemorating the event was a super sales success. Together, the concert and the album raised over $11 million to help the starving minions of Bangladesh.

1981 - MTV (Music Television) made its debut at 12:01 a.m. The first music video shown on the rock-video cable channel was, appropriately, 'Video Killed the Radio Star,' by the Buggles. MTV’s original five veejays were Martha Quinn, Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, J.J. Jackson and Alan Hunter.

1984 - Singer Jermaine Jackson made a guest appearance on the TV soap opera, As the World Turns.

1994 - The Rolling Stones started their 43-city Voodoo Lounge world tour before 55,000 fans at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC.

1996 - MTV launched a sister channel, MTV2. The channel debuted with 'Where It’s At,' by Beck (Hansen).

1996 - Bill Buchanan of the novelty duo, Buchanan and Goodman, died in Los Angeles of cancer. He was 66 years old. Buchanan originated the ‘break-in’ recording technique with Dickie Goodman, where they used bits of original top-40 hits for a humorous ‘interview’. Questions would be asked of celebrities, etc., and their ‘answers’ would be pieces lifted from popular tunes. Buchanan and Goodman first used the concept on 'The Flying Saucer' (Parts 1 and 2) in 1956. The following year brought the hits 'Flying Saucer the 2nd' and 'Santa and the Satellite' (Parts 1 and 2).

1900 - Helen Morgan (Riggins) was born in Danville, Illinois. Singer, actress: Frankie and Johnny, Show Boat, Applause; died Oct 9, 1941

1935 - Hank Cochran was born in Isola, Mississippi. Songwriter: A Little Bitty Tear, Funny Way of Laughing, Make the World Go Away, I Fall to Pieces

1937 - Garth Hudson was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Musician: keyboard: group: The Band: Up on Cripple Creek, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

1939 - Edward Patten was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Singer: group: Gladys Knight & The Pips: Every Beat of My Heart, Letter Full of Tears, Everybody Needs Love, I Heard It Through the Grapevine, If I Were Your Woman, Neither One of Us [Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye]

1941 - Doris Kenner-Jackson was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Singer: group: The Shirelles: Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Soldier Boy, I Met Him on a Sunday, Tonight’s the Night, Dedicated to the One I Love, Mama Said; died Feb 4, 2000

1943 - Kathy Lennon was born in Santa Monica, California. Singer: group: The Lennon Sisters: The Lawrence Welk Show

1951 - Andrew Gold was born in Burbank, California. Singer: Lonely Boy, Thank You for Being a Friend; son of composer Ernest Gold

2001 - Ron Townson, the centerpiece singer for the pop group The 5th Dimension, died of renal failure in Las Vegas, NV. He was 68.

1902 - Ray Bloch was born in Alsace-Lorraine. Orchestra leader: TV shows: Blind Date, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Gay Nineties Revue, The Jackie Gleason Show, The Larry Storch Show, Songs for Sale; died Mar 29, 1982

1918 - Les Elgart was born in New Haven, Connecticut. Musician: lead trumpet, bandleader: w/brother Larry; died July 29, 1995

1921 - Richard Adler was born in New York City, New York. Composer, lyricist [w/Jerry Ross]: scores: Pajama Game, Damn Yankees; solo: scores: Kwamina, A Mother’s Kisses

1924 - Gordon Stoker was born in Gleason, Tennessee. Singer: group: The Jordanaires: Amazing Grace, Crying in the Chapel, How Great Thou Art, Just a Closer Walk With Thee, Peace in the Valley, God Bless the USA

1926 - Tony Bennett (Benedetto) was born in Queens, New York City, New York. Grammy Award-winning singer: I Left My Heart in San Francisco [1962], MTV Unplugged [1994]; I Wanna Be Around, Who Can I Turn To, The Shadow of Your Smile, Because of You, Rags to Riches, Stranger in Paradise, In the Middle of an Island, The Good Life; appeared in film: The Oscar

1941 - Beverly Lee was born in Passaic, New Jersey. Singer: group: The Shirelles: I Met Him on a Sunday, Dedicated to the One I Love, Tonight’s the Night, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Mama Said, Soldier Boy

1961 - Lee Rocker was born in Massapequa, Long Island. Musician: bass: group: Stray Cats: Stray Cat Strut, Rock This Town, Rumble in Brighton, Built for Speed, [She’s] Sexy and 17, I Won’t Stand in Your Way

1963 - James Hetfield was born in Downey, California. Musician: guitar, singer: group: Metallica

1963 - The Beatles made their final appearance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. The group was about to leave its hometown behind for unprecedented world-wide fame and fortune.

1963 - The Beach Boys’ 'Surfer Girl,' was released on Capitol Records. It became one of their biggest hits. 'Surfer Girl' made it to number seven on the hit music charts (9/14/63).

1963 - Comedian Allan Sherman’s summer camp parody, 'Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh! (A Letter from Camp)' was released on Warner Brothers Records. It went to number two on the pop charts (8/24/63).

1971 - Paul McCartney formed a new band called Wings. Joining McCartney in the group were Denny Laine, formerly of The Moody Blues, Denny Seilwell and McCartney’s wife, Linda (hereafter known as "the good wife").

1993 - Boston Ventures sold Motown Records to the Dutch recording and entertainment company, Polygram, for $325 million. Boston Ventures and MCA Records had picked up Motown from founder Berry Gordy for a mere $61 million in 1988.

1996 - “Give your body happiness, Macarena...” 'Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),' by Los Del Rio, hit #1 on Billboard. It stayed and stayed at the top - for 14 smash weeks - as dancers swayed and swayed. “Ehhhhhh, Macarena!”

1901 - (Daniel) Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Satchmo: jazz musician: trumpet; Grammy Award-winning singer: Hello, Dolly! [1964], Lifetime Achievement Award [1971]; It’s a Wonderful World, Mack the Knife, Blueberry Hill; appeared in films: The Five Pennies, The Glenn Miller Story, Hello Dolly!, High Society; American ambassador of good will; inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [1990]; died July 6, 1971

1927 - Singer Jimmie Rodgers recorded his first sides for Victor Records in Bristol, TN. He sang 'Sleep Baby Sleep' and 'Soldier’s Sweetheart.'

1939 - Frankie Ford (Guzzo) was born in Gretna, Louisiana. Singer: Sea Cruise; in film: American Hot Wax

1940 - Timi (Rosemarie) Yuro was born in Chicago, Illinois. Singer: Hurt, What’s A Matter Baby [Is It Hurting You], Gotta Travel On, Down in the Valley

1940 - Bobby Braddock was born in Lakeland, Florida. Music producer, songwriter: D-I-V-O-R-C-E, He Stopped Loving Her Today

1940 - Damita Jo (DuBlanc) was born in Austin, Texas. Singer: I’ll Save the Last Dance for You, If You Go Away; died Dec 25, 1998

1943 - Sammi Smith was born in Orange, California. Singer: Help Me Make It Through the Night, So Long Charlie Brown, What a Lie, You Just Hurt My Last Feeling; died Feb 12, 2005

1947 - Rick Derringer (Zehringer) was born in Fort Recovery, Ohio. Musician: guitar, singer, songwriter: group: The McCoys: Hang on, Sloopy, Fever, Come on, Let’s Go; solo: Rock and Roll Hootchie Coo; record producer

1954 - Eddie ‘Fingers’ Ojeda was born in Cuba and raised in New York City, New York. Musician: guitar: group: Twisted Sister: We’re Not Gonna Take It, I Wanna Rock, Be Chrool to Your Scuel, Hot Love, Leader of the Pack, The Kids Are Back, Shoot ’Em Down

1957 - Dick Clark’s American Bandstand caught the attention of network executives at ABC-TV in New York, who decided to put the show on its afternoon schedule. However, the one thing they couldn't do was disrupt an airing of the hugely popular Mickey Mouse Club at 5 p.m. What to do? Halfway through the American Bandstand show, Clark would tell listeners to come back for more of the show ... but “right now ... here comes the Mouse!” At that time, the network would cut away from Philadelphia and show Walt Disney's Mouseketeers. Following the show ... American Bandstand would return for another 30 minutes.

1964 - Adam Yauch aka MCA was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Musician: keyboards, guitar; singer: founding member of Beastie Boys: So What’cha Want, Brass Monkey, Ch-Check It Out, No Sleep ’Till Brooklyn, Hey Ladies, Pass the Mic

1968 - Luther Perkins, the guitar player who backed Johnny Cash on his original Sun recordings, died. Perkins and bassist Marshall Grant were known as the Tennessee Two. (Luther was not related to singer Carl Perkins)

1975 - Singer Stevie Wonder signed the recording industry’s largest contract: $13 million over a seven-year period. Wonder stayed with his original label, Tamla/Motown, while other major Motown artists, including Diana Ross, Gladys Knight and The Four Tops had left the label over creative differences and financial accounting disputes.

1994 - Michael Jackson and bride, Lisa Marie Presley, visited Budapest, Hungary. While there, they filmed an advertisement for his upcoming album, HIStory - Past, Present and Future - Book 1. The couple also visited children’s hospitals where they comforted young patients and distributed toys.

1995 - Selena’s Dreaming of You hit #1 on album charts in the U.S. The tracks: I Could Fall in Love, Captive Heart, I’m Getting Used To You, God’s Child (Baila Conmigo) (w/David Byrne), Dreaming of You, Missing My Baby, Amor Prohibido, Wherever You Are (Donde Quiera Que Estes), Techno Cumbia, El Toro Relajo, Como La Flor, Tu Solo Tu and Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.

2007 - Romanian actor and folk musician Florian Pittis died of cancer at 63 years of age. Pittis was instrumental in popularizing Western rock bands in communist Romania.

1940 - Columbia Records cut prices of its 12-inch classical records. The records were priced to sell at $1. Within two weeks, RCA Victor did the same and ended a record-buying slump brought on by disinterested consumers.

1952 - Pat MacDonald was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Musician: groups: Essentials, Barbara K, Cat’s Away, Timbuk 3: The Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades, All I Want for Christmas

1958 - Randy DeBarge was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Musician: bass, vocals: group: DeBarge: Rhythm of the Night, I Like It, All this Love, Time Will Reveal

1972 - Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) was born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England. Singer: group: Spice Girls: LPs: Forever, Spice, Goodbye, Spiceworld; solo: LP: Schizophonic

1973 - Stevie Wonder came close to losing his life, following a freak auto accident. Wonder, one of Motown’s most popular recording artists, was in a coma for 10 days. Miraculously, he recovered and was back in the recording studio in less than eight weeks.

1981 - Stevie Nicks’ first solo album, Bella Donna, was released. The lead singer for Fleetwood Mac scored a top-three hit with 'Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around' (9/05/81) from the album. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers were featured on the track. Nicks went on to record a total of 11 hits for the pop-rock charts through 1988.

1994 - Italian singer Domenico Modugno, whose 'Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)' topped the charts in 1958, died of a heart attack near his home on the island of Lampedusa off Sicily in Italy. He was 66 year old.

2004 - Funk legend Rick James died at 56 years of age. James was best known for his 1981 hit 'Super Freak' - before his career disintegrated amid drug use and violence that sent him to prison.

1925 - Felice Bryant was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Songwriter [w/husband Boudleaux]: Bye Bye Love, Wake Up Little Susie, All I Have to Do is Dream, Bird Dog, Devoted to You, Problems, Only the Lonely; died Apr 22, 2003

1937 - Bunny Berigan and his orchestra recorded 'I Can’t Get Started' for Victor Records. The song became Berigan’s longtime theme song.

1942 - B.J. (Billy Joe) Thomas was born in Hugo, Oklahoma. Singer: Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head, Hooked on a Feeling, [Hey Won’t You Play] Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song, I Just Can’t Help Believing, I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry

1950 - Rodney Crowell was born in Houston, Texas. Singer: I Ain’t Living Long Like This, Stars on the Water, Shame on the Moon, Oh King Richard, I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried

1970 - Christine McVie joined Fleetwood Mac as the group’s first female member. McVie was married to bass player John McVie. She quit touring with the group in 1991.

1971 - Henry Haynes, Homer of the country comedy duo Homer and Jethro, died. He was 54 years old. His death ended a 39-year partnership with Kenneth Burns (Jethro). The duo specialized in parodies of popular songs, such as' That Hound Dog in the Window' (1953), and 'The Battle of Kookamonga' (1959). Homer and Jethro also did a takeoff on the Beatles’ 'I Want to Hold Your Hand.' (Kenneth Burns died Feb 4, 1989.)

1993 - The rap trio Cypress Hill saw their Black Sunday hit #1 on U.S. LP charts. The group, which brought a Latin flavor to hip-hop, was made up of Sen Dog (real name Senen Reyes), B-Real (real name Louis Freese) and D.J. Muggs (real name Larry Muggerud). A sampling of the cuts: I Wanna Get High, Legalize It, Hits from the Bong, Cock the Hammer, Hand on the Glock and the single smash Insane in the Brain. Said B-Real, “I never dreamed it would be number one.” Surprised us too.

1996 - A federal appeals court in New York ruled that two former members of Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers waited too long to claim that they were cowriters of the group’s legendary 1955 hit 'Why Do Fools Fall in Love.' A previous court ruling had cleared the way for royalties to go to Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago for writing the song with lead singer Frankie Lymon (he died of a overdose of heroin on Feb 28, 1968).

1997 - Garth Brooks played to a crowd estimated at between 250,000 and 900,000 - with an HBO audience of more than 15 million. The crowd at the free concert, was the laregest ever for a concert in New York’s Central Park. Said Garth of the preparations required, “We rehearse indoors at a place here in New York. Then we rehearse with no sound for the camera guys, so they will hopefully be in the vicinity of what’s going on. And then the rest of it’s really, man, just fly by the seat of your pants. You know, once the show starts, all the rules are out the window.”

2001 - Harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler died in London at 87 years of age. Adler was known for his original collaborations with musicians such as George Gershwin, Kate Bush, Sting and composer Vaughan Williams, but also his own virtuoso performances.

"The Continental Gallery’s ambience is strikingly different from most other clubs around town, highlighted by the revolving art displays on the walls and relatively quiet live music. Upstairs from The Continental Club, patrons find more secluded seating areas and a ping-pong table. Unique touches like this one are what make the gallery so exciting." ~DTWeekend.com

The Continental Gallery will be open sometime in August. The last thing we're waiting for is an occupancy load card from the Fire Marshall. We'll be so happy to have you all back!

"A spin-off of an Austin landmark, this club located in a booming section of Midtown plays host to popular retro roots, rockabilly, country and swing acts like Big Sandy and Flaco Jimenez, who perform on a red velvet-curtained stage; vintage neon light fixtures shine from high metal ceilings in the space that was once a general store, where pool tables, a back-room bar and an outdoor patio offer a respite from the music." ~Priceline.com

When you come visit us on Main St, don't forget the good eats at Tacos A Go-Go, 3704 Main, a funky taco joint right between the Continental Club, Sigs Lagoon, and Shoeshine Charley's Big Top Lounge (The Big Top). You can place your order, return to your drink at The Big Top, and they will bring your order to you. Now that's service!

Hey, y'all, the Continental Confidential can now be found on our MySpace Blog, as well as on the website!

Check out our schedules below for both The Continental Club and for THE BIG TOP. Tickets for select shows, which will be noted in the schedule, will be available at Sig's Lagoon, 3710 Main St., (713) 533-9525.

Email me if you need more details on the shows, or give us a call (713) 529-9899.

Every Tuesday @ 9:00 - The Umbrella Man is here every Tuesday! Doors open @ 8pm. No cover!

Thursday Nights 7:00 -10:00 - FREE! BEETLE is an unbelievable band; “close your eyes” and you are there. Beetle weaves their way through all the fun of The Beatles songs, playing “Hard Days Night”, “Lucy in the Sky”, “Hello Goodbye”, and “She Loves You, YEAH, YEAH,YEAH” they cover all the favorites. Paul on bass, Jim on guitar, Jamie on guitar, and BK Ringo Jamison on the Drums, This Fab four will have you dancing the evening away week after week. TACO A GO GO will be on hand to feed you some of their fantastic food! The Big Top opens at 5pm for Happy Hour.

Friday Nights 7:00-9:30. No Cover - Molly and the Ringwalds are giving you the best in 80’s Pop Rock. From “My Sharona” to “Jesse’s Girl” the '80s come screaming back to you! Songs you thought you forgot, but you seem to know every word. We’re going to party like it’s 1989. There will be a FREE '80s NACHO BUFFET, plus many other special surprises like Ringwald Karaoke. Bring your friends! Here comes the weekend! The Big Top opens at 5pm for Happy Hour.
Video Links:
Molly & The Ringwalds

"Basically the chill out room to Houston's venerable hard-partying Continental Club, Shoeshine Charley's Big Top Lounge, while not being as raucous as its adjacent bar brother, is really no slouch when it comes to the hip and boisterous drinking scene. When you step inside to this local Houston bar the decor will definitely make you do a double take, but don't worry, despite the circus atmosphere the only freaks here are the ones you came in with and the only high wire acts are downing canned PBR's while slamming shots. On some nights, Shoeshine Charley's Big Top Lounge has some local live music treat their patrons to a riff or two." ~Houston.com

Thursday 7/31 @ 10pm - The debut of the psychedelic pop/rock band Psilli Psybin! This is the lineup from Von Hindenburg (Steve Candelari's Led Zeppelin tribute band), augmented by Paul Beebe on guitar & vocals, playing your favorite happy-trippy music from the late 60's and early 70's.

Every Sunday - SQUID'S PEARL BEER JAM @ 8pm, Doors open @ 6pm, no cover!

Every Monday - The beautiful Tango music of pianist Glover Gill begins at 8:00 p.m.every Monday. The El Orbits hit the stage at 9:00 p.m. on the first Monday of the month for swing, country, soul and a little of everything else.
Video Links:
El Orbits

Every Thursday @ 10 - Perkins Bad Film Night @ 8-10, followed by Psilli Psybin @ 10

Email me if you need more details on the shows, or give us a call. (713) 529-9899. If you are interested in holding a party at the Continental Club or The Big Top, drop us a line for details, we hold all kinds of cool events here. Keep Rockin’ Houston.

There is currently no e-mail version of the newsletter for Houston, however there is a monthly pdf calendar available via e-mail. Sign up for the free subscription to the Houston calendar by sending an e-mail with "subscribe" in the subject line to calendar@continentalclub.com. If you have questions about Houston shows, contact Pete at pete@continentalclub.com. You may subscribe to a weekly e-mail of the Austin info from Dianne at info@continentalclub.com.To unsubscribe from the e-mail version, or if you feel that you have received the e-mail in error, please respond to info@continentalclub.com with "unsubscribe" as the subject. Don't forget to get your birthday to me if you want to be on the monthly birthday list. I'd be happy to add Houston birthdays also if y'all let me know about them!