Burning Spear Studio One Showcase

Winston Rodney, aka Burning Spear, came from a rural Jamaica parish called Saint Anns Bay.  The same Saint Anns Bay that gave us Marcus Garvey by the way.  A connection that would play heavily into Burning Spear's music.  Burning Spear began his recording career at Studio One Studios.  According to Burning Spear himself he was introduced to Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, the owner of Studio One, by Bob Marley.  Burning Spear had already acquired a local following and his recording sessions were eagerly awaited by the whole Studio One posse.  Burning Spear's first single, "Door Peeper", begins with him speaking, "I and I, the son of the most high, Jah Rasta Fari, whose heart shall correspond and beat in one harmony, sounds from the Burning Spear" and then the drums kick in and the band starts playing and I listened, transfixed to the stereo speakers, some 45 years ago and man-o-man what a moment.

Burning Spear released two albums on the Studio One label.  The self-titled "Burning Spear" and then the album "Rocking Time."  Those first two albums...  I can't tell you how many times I played them.  I always dreamed that there would be a third Burning Spear Studio One album, but that third album never came.  Coxsone did release a few singles not included on the albums, "Zion Higher", "New Civilization" and "This Population" all of which I found after much searching.  Also, Coxsone released a bunch of singles form the albums and I bought as many as I could find just to hear the version sides.  But that third album, that third Burning Spear Studio One album, never happened.

When it came time for me to move to the Philippines, I recorded all my Burning Spear singles and at some point, as the ganja smoke gently rose up over my computer screen a wonderful idea came to me....  

album: Burning Spear Studio One Showcase
label: Little Red

tracks:

01 This Population ( The Burning Spear) 
02 This Population version (The New Establishment) 
03 Get Ready (Burning Spear) 
04 Get Ready Dub (Winston & The Brentford Rockers) 
05 Wala Wala (single version credited to Owen Right) 
06 Creation Rebel (Burning Spear) 
07 Creation (Version) (Winston & The Brentford Rockers) 
08 Door Peeper (Single Version) 
09 Ethiopians live it out (Burning Spear) 
10 Live it out (Burning Spear with Sound Dimension) 
11 Rocking Time (Burning Spear (Coxsone single version)) 
12 Zion Higher (Burning Spear) 
13 Zion (Ver.) (Sound Dimension) 
14 The Avenue Pt2 (Hubert Lee with Sound Dimension)

Burning Spear at Studio One

Afterword:  You may have noticed that the single "New Civilization" was not included on this Showcase album.  I did in fact find that record after much searching but folks, the copy I got in the mail was totally trashed.  Filled with pops and skips and I decided to leave it off the album just out of respect.  I suppose I could have lifted the file from a YouTube video but, I didn't.  Maybe that tune will have to wait for the fourth Burning Spear Studio One album.  Or maybe I'll redo it... we'll see.  In the meantime here it is.

Cheers:

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Otis Redding Volt Singles

Otis Redding

Volt Singles

01 - Come to me............................... (Volt V-7603)
02 - Don't leave me this way................. (Volt V-7602)
03 - Glory of love.............................. (Volt VLT-12625 SP)
04 - I'm coming home.......................... (Volt VLT-12626 SP)
05 - Sweet Lorene.............................. (Volt VLT-13685-MO)
06 - Ole man trouble........................... (Volt VLT-9178)
07 - Respect..................................... (Volt VLT-9108)
08 - That's what my heart needs............. (Volt V-1100)
09 - That's how strong my love is............. (Volt V-124 VLT-8443)
10 - Mary's little lamb.......................... (Volt V-1089)
11 - Sittin' on the dock of the bay............ (Volt 45-157)
12 - I've got dreams to remember............ (Atco 68-C-14485-PL)

One time in the mid 1970s a friend of mine and I were walking down Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood late one Saturday night.  Suddenly, as we passed by one of the night clubs, a drunk stumbled out of the club's front door and slammed right into my friend.   After a few moments of confusion my friend and the drunk recovered their footing and stood there looking at each other.  The drunk was Jack Nicolson.

"Do you know what time it is?"  Jack asked my friend.

My friend looked at his watch and told Jack Nicolson the time.

"Thanks."  Jack said and turned and walked away.

My friend and I stood there looking at each other like did that really just happen.

Sunset Boulavard.

Another time a different friend and I were in a liquor store on Sunset buying some beer and causually talking about Bob Dylan.

Suddenly we heard a voice from behind us say, "Ah, he's just a phony."

We turned around to look at the speaker.

It was Jimmy Durante.

"Bob Dylan is a big phony!" Jimmy Durante said and waved his hand down like he was fully fed up with the guy.  Then he turned and walked out the door.

My friend and I looked at each other like did that really just happen?

Later that night the two of us were polishing off a few beers and laughing about how much having Jimmy Durante pop out of nowhere and give his opinion in our conversation was just like a Bob Dylan song.  And it was.

  

Jimmy Durante

Anyway, I've always loved Sunset Boulevard.

Sometime in the mid-1990's I was hanging out on Sunset Boulevard when I ran across a little used record store.  In the 1990's CD's were coming into fashion and everyone was selling their vinyl.  There were little used record shops popping up all over Los Angeles.  I remember it was late in the evening when I stepped into that new record store.  Always a joy.  It was a small shop filled with used LP's and a ton of singles.  Much to my pleasure I found out that they were having a clearance sale.  Everything was being discounted.

A couple hours later I walked out of the place with a big box full of 45 singles.  Those were the days my friends.

Among those singles was a pile of old Otis Redding Volt singles.  Let me tell you, those Otis Redding singles were to become records that I truly loved.  Some of them were pretty scratched up but some of them played beautifully.  That's how it is with used singles.  I can't tell you how many times I sat up at night playing them.  Really lovely music.  I like the old red and black Volt labels too.  

Let's see how long I can leave these files up.

For the time being these files are HERE.

A few days later.

OK OK we had a copyright claim so the files have come down.  I hope you were one of the lucky 15 who downloaded the files while they were up.  If not you have my sympathies.  

However there's always a ton of Otis Redding for sale HERE.

Otis Redding

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Orlando Owoh - Aiyele b/w Alantere

artist: Orlando Owoh and his Omimah Band

songs: Aiyele b/w Alantere

label: DECCA

year; 1967

Orlando Owoh tells the story of how he married his first wife.  Taken from the video "Life History of Dr. Orlando Owoh part 2"

Interviewer:  When ORLANDO married the first wife.  Who is the woman and what is her experience like?

Orlando Owoh:  “When I was about marrying my first wife ever, it was when I first travelled to play in my home town from LAGOS.  I saw a light in complexion girl.  I called her and told her I am ORLANDO OWOH and son of this same town.  This was the period of NTNC and ACTION GROUP.  Say 1950 or so.  We spoke and we got going.  Everybody in the area became our friends.  So I told my boys I was going home with that lady.  Unknown to me that where I took her was close to her home.  In actual fact, I disvirgined her.  That was how blood started gushing.  I got confused and I didn’t know what to do.  The guy who took me to the house where I had fun with the girl was a chief’s son.  They call the father OJOMO.  We packed all the blood stained clothes.  Her people must not hear about this.  Her father was third to the king of our town.  Eventually the lady’s junior sister came and saw her.  She was surprised and confused seeing her sister in that state.  She ran straight home to report the incident to her parents.  And as they were coming, I had to escape through the backyard.  I couldn’t wait again.  At the same time it’s also my home time.  But the lady told me to go.  And that was how we left the town. 

Interviewer:  IFON town?

Owoh:  Yes.  We got back to OWO.  Meanwhile some people had come before me to report the incident at OWO.  Unknown to me that that girl’s father was the chief priest of IFON.  As I heard the message given in OWOH and they made it known to me that I can’t escape it.  I took to my heel, back to LAGOS.  I stopped at IBADAN.  They also came to meet me in IBADAN.  I didn’t know that the actual house I use as a meeting point for myself and the same girl in IBADAN. 

Int:  So they brought the same girl to Ibadan?

OO:  Yes.  She didn’t even know that our meeting place belongs to one of her uncles.  The uncle was mad that it was in his abode they impregnated the girl.  So her uncle told the other family not to worry that he will get me.  What pained them most was that as powerful as this girl’s father is somebody can just come from no where and do such to his daughter and go scotfree.  So it was really baffling him.  That was when I knew I was in for it. Unknown to me that a spiritual mark has been put on me. 

Int:  Were you still going for plays during this period?

OO: (smiles)  I was playing in parites.  I’ve got no other job…  So, they sent for me that they should go and bring me.  You know what I did?  I ran to the Area command for recruitment.  When I got there in the army recruitment ground it was as if they were expecting me.  They just pointed and picked me.  They sat me down and shaved my hair.  And I was thrown into a land rover and they took me away.  That is how I joined the army. 

Int:  So you didn’t actually know anybody at Area Command?

OO:  The officer in charge of recruitment is my sister’s husband.  He didn’t know me and I didn’t know him then.  But he just pointed at me and picked me. 

Int:  So your joining the army was involuntary.

OO:  I intentionally wanted to run away.  So if they can come and meet me at the warfront, let them come. 

Int:  Has civil war started then?

OO:  Yes.

Int:  When you were thrown into the Land Rover, where did they take you?

OO:  That was ABEOKUTA.

Int:  From IBADAN to ABEOKUTA.

OO:  I was taken to training school straight.  In ABOKUTA.

Int:  What’s the name of the place they took you in ABEOKUTA?

OO:  LAFENWA.  I was in training for 6 months.

Int:  What sort of training were you given within the 6 months?

OO:  Drilling, word of command, weapons training, e.t.c.

Int:  And you didn’t show any traces that you were good in music at all?

OO:  That was what God used to bless me.  (pats his chest)  We used to sing during the drilling.  And some of them already know me that I sing.  They will say “ORLANDO sing for us.”  Then I sang two of my songs.  Then they ask me where I get the songs from.  That is how I was picked, and I joined the military band. 

Int:  Military band…

OO:  Military band.  I was in 2^nd Division.  My Army number,  my Force number  is 14864.  (repeats)  14864.  These five numbers.  (waves his hand and laughs)  Let us thank GOD.

Int:  Glory be to God.

OO:  2^nd Division.  Under colonel ADENIRAN.   He’s from OGBOMOSO. 

Int:  What was your rank in the army?

OO:  I didn’t even have any rank.  I had “private MORIDELE” 

Int:  Private MORIDELE?  (laughs)  What year did you join them?  And what year did you retire? 

OO:  (looks up and remembers)  1963. 

Int:  So you met your manager while in the Army.

OO:  (laughs)  I took him away from the Army.

Int:  You joined the Army in 1963, what year did you retire?

OO:  I spent just about 4 years with them.

Int:  That is 63.. 64, 65, 66, 67.  1967?  But the war just started in 1967

OO:  Yes.

Int:  That means you didn’t really experience the war in the Army. 

OO:  (Says something untranslated

Int:  Could you remember one of the songs you sing in the war front then?  You may remember one of the songs.  You composed them.

OO:  I even used some in some of my albums. 

Int:  How did you sing it?

OO:  (laughs then sings)

Int:  What language was that?

OO:  It’s HAUSA language.

Int:  Do you speak HAUSA language or was it just at the warfront?

OO:  If you are in the Army, you must understand HAUSA by force.  (chuckles)  You will definitely speak HAUSA if you join the Army. 

Int:  So what about the girl who made you ran into the Army?   Did you marry her eventually or what?

OO:  They brought the girl to me carrying my pregnancy.

Int:  So what you did then became pregnancy?

OO:  I swear.  That child is in AMERICA till now.  He’s my first born. 

Int:  How did you settle everything eventually?

OO:  When I joined the Army I went to see her father. 

Int:  You were already a soldier?

OO:  Yah. 

Int:  So you were no more afraid.

OO:  He was scared when he saw me.  Then I begged him for what I did.  That I am sorry. 

Int:  And that is how you became his son-in-law?

OO:  Yes.

Int:  That means the lady gave birth to your first born?

OO:  The child is in AMERICA now.

Int:  What is the child’s name?

OO:  ORIMPIPE  OSOMOYELA

Int:  A male?

OO:  Yes.  

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Orlando Owoh - Hunger

 

artist: Orlando Owoh

album: Hunger

label: Owoh Records

I'm so dumb.

And I can say that from personal experience.

No sooner had I posted that last album, Orlando Owoh - E get as E be, than some gentle soul commented that Moos over at Global Groove had already posted the same album.  I went over to check out Moos's post and low and behold not only had I downloaded it already but I had even commented on the post.

Egg on MY face hahaha.

OK, so you're wondering why I didn't realize I already had that album.  

Well, I could point out that since this is a new computer I don't have the necessisary app to extract the files which is true.  I still haven't opened Moos's copy of that album.

That excuse would be true.  But there is an even deeper reason.

I forgot.

But all that is in the past.

Here's another album from that lovely "downloaded albums" folder.  Again, thank you to whoever created these files.  Images are from discogs.

And always thank you to Dr. Chief Orlando Owoh for giving us all your gift of music may you RIP. 

Orlando Owoh - Hunger

Until further notice these files are HERE

Or you could buy the album HERE

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Orlando Owoh - E Get as E Be

 

artist: Dr Chief Orlando Owoh & his African Kenneries

album: E Get as E Be

label: Owoh Records

year: 1989

As I have previously explained I have moved to the Philippines.  And before I go on let me say, this place is a trip.  The Philippines are a trip.  The Philippines and the Filipino people are beautiful.  If you have a chance to visit the Philippines, do come.  You will not be disappointed.

But, back to music.

Before I moved to the Philippines I bought a new computer.  I had all my music files backed up on Carbonite so when I arrived in the Philippines I was able to download all my stored music files.

However, the download was slow.  I mean VERY slow.  Dear readers, it took two (2) months to download all my files.  No joke.  Finally though Carbonite told me that 100% of my files had been downloaded and I have spent the last few weeks going through my music folders.  Some fun.

So, check this out.  As I was looking through my files I found a folder labeled "downloaded albums."  This sounds interesting I thought.  I opened the folder and I found about 40 full length albums that I had downloaded from YouTube over the years.  And folks, amongst those albums I found this Orlando Owoh album that I had never posted.  

"E Get as E Be"....  

Well, it looks like I get a new Orlando Owoh album.

Sweet.

Orlando Owoh - E Get as E Be

Credits.  I have no idea who made these files but I'm posting them because... Hear me out.

In an interview taken from the movie "Life History of Orlando Owoh (part 2)  Orlando Owoh said this;

Interviewer (speaking to Orlando Owoh) :  Some other musicians do sing your songs.  Do they come for any copyright from you?

Orlando Owoh:  That’s what NIGERIANS eat from.

Interviewer:  And you are not angry at that?

Orlando Owoh:  (thinks a long time then says)  We met songs in the world.  That’s why we can sing.  And when we die some other people will continue singing.  I am just happy that I am fortunate.  I’ve got good destiny.  That I can find this cloth and buy it.  And I still find it on this man.  Then it’s a good and fine cloth.  And may the Lord make any other persons using my songs proper with it.

 

Thank you Dr Chief Orlando Owoh for your gift of music.  We are all blessed.

HrH Shakeera Ghoniem said:  Dr Orlando Owoh your memory will remain you are great just too great KENNERY BABA

Ajayi Abayomi said: Baba Kennerie I miss you, rest in peace baba

Tunji Akande said:  This is the man with velveting voice and deep philosophy.  He ruled his time with his unique songs and rhythm.  A leading singer, songwriter and musician of my generation.

KING DAVID said: You will forever be remember with all your evergreen records.  Many of us never listen to your music until we grew up and see how this resonates in our 21st century.  You have gone but your work lives on.  RIP

PS  I got the images for the cover and for the label from discogs.

PPS Until further notice this music can be found HERE

PPPS Or you could get an even better Rip from Global Grove HERE

PPPPS Or you could even buy this album HERE

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Larry Marshall Showcase

artist: Larry Marshall

album: Showcase

label: Little Bird

tracks:

  1) Bredda Nancy bw Anancy Skank

  2) Can't you understand bw Locks of Dub

  3) Brand new baby bw Clash of Steel

  4) Captivity bw Version

  5) Come on baby bw Version

  6) Heavy heavy load bw Version

  7) How can I forget you girl bw Version

  8) I admire you bw Watergate Rock

  9) Jah jah hear my cry

10) Run Babylon bw Version

11) Serious Love bw Joyce

12) Thelma bw Still calling

Larry Marshall was a transformative figure in reggae music.  He began recording music in the early '60s for various producers but he had his greatest success with Clement Dodd at Studio One singing as a solo artist and as part of the duo Larry and Alvin. His music was huge in the Jamaican dancehalls of the late '60s and early '70s.  "Mean Girl", "Throw Me Corn", "Keep On Pushing" and "Nanny Goat" were dancehall mainstays.  Perhaps more importantly though, Larry Marshall worked as a Studio One engineer and he was one of the guys coaching the musicians, throwing out melodies and bass lines for the artist to jam on.  He didn't play an instrument.  He would hear the riddims in his head and sing them to the musicians like "Bassy mon play this!"   Many foundation reggae bass lines arose in Larry Marshalls mind.  Lord only knows how many songs have been sung to the "Throw Me Corn" riddim.  His song Nanny Goat is regarded as the record that initiated the transition from rocksteady to reggae.  It is claimed in fact that Larry Marshall is the person who came up with the term "reggae." "Reggae" he said, is how his mother used to say the word "regular."  Reggae music.. Regular music..  Could be... But as with all things reggae who knows.

Wikipedia says that in 1974 Clement Dodd offered Larry Marshall the head engineer job at Studio One but that Marshall declined the offer and left Studio One to begin releasing music as a solo artist.   He released the singles "I Admire You" and "Can't You Understand" on Carl Pitterson's Black and White label both of which had dub versions by King Tubby (included here).  Later Marshall split with Pitterson and set up his own "Amanda" label.  In 1975 Larry Marshall completed his self-produced album "I Admire You" and released a limited number of copies in Jamaica and the United Kingdom on the Java label.  During the period of 1974 to 1985 Discogs lists 36 singles released by Larry Marshall.  

I myself became aware of Larry Marshall when I bought the CD of "I Admire You." 

If you don't own this CD you pretty much have to get it.  

 You can buy it here.

I picked up my copy of the I Admire You CD as a blind buy in a little music shop in Pasadena sometime in the mid 1990's.  I had no idea at the time who Larry Marshall was.  I wasn't too impressed by the cover, but it was on the Heartbeat label and it was an inexpensive used CD, so I decided to give it a try.  One of those blind music buys that turned into an obsession.  I started buying everything by Larry Marshall that I could get my hands on.  I bought a ton of his singles from eBay and from record lists.  Some of the records were from Jamaican used record dealers and they came to my door in pretty shitty condition quite frankly, but I didn't care.  It was always a nice day when I got a Larry Marshall single in the mail.

Larry Marshall died in 2017 at the age of 75 of complications of Alzheimers.   He had received very little financial compensation for his music and it's a damn shame.  In later years he had left Jamaica and had moved to Miami where he worked as a day laborer on construction sites to support himself.  He had given the world beautiful music and the world had moved on.  He continued to record occasionally but certainly his music never brought him fortune.  Maybe one could argue that it was his own fault that he had never capitalized on his music.  History is filled with great artist who were inept when it came to the business end.  And the music industry is filled with crooks and users, so Larry Marshall is not a unique story.  Life is not fair, for sure.  But still, it's a damn shame. 

When I knew I was coming to the Philippines I got rid of all of my singles.  Some I sold and others I gave to friends.  Everything in the Philippines rots with fungus and as much as I loved my singles I didn't want to see them ruined by tropical mold.  So, they're all gone.  

"We'll sing in the sunshine,

We'll laugh every day,

We'll sing in the sunshine,

Then I'll be on my way."

- Gale Garnett

Before I left however, I did manage to record a lot of my records.   I put together this showcase album from some my Larry Marshall 45's. There's a few snaps and crackles on some of the songs but it's all beautiful music. I'm posting the files for this album because I want people to hear the music.  If anyone has a problem with me posting these files and they have a legitimate claim, I will take them down but to be honest if you are so concerned about the royalties this music can bring, you probably should have thought about that when Larry was alive.

Until otherwise noted the files for this album can be found HERE.

OK, the evil money men have spoken.  The file has been taken down.  I hope you were one of the lucky people who downloaded this great alum while it was up.  

Larry Marshall

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Jacob Miller Greatest Hits

Don't give up, don't give up

The Roman soldiers of Babylon

are right behind us...

Jacob "Killer" Miller was taken from us way too soon.  

From what I've read one day Jacob Miller was hanging out with the Wailers band.  Accounts say he went on a pizza run and died in a car crash.  On Hope Road.  March 23, 1980.  At age 27.  A tragic loss.  The local newspaper wrote: "He took the world by storm and would be missed for his playfulness, gaiety and laughter."

RIP Jacob Miller

artist:  Jacob Miller

album: Greatest Hits!

label: Top Ranking International

side one

1 Standing firm

2 Tenement yard

3 Tired fe lick weed in a bush

4 Forward Jah Jah children

5 All night till day light

side two

1 Forward Ever

2 Roman soldiers of babylon

3 80,000 careless Ethiopians

4 I see the light

5 Peace on the earth again

Many people first become aware of Jacob Miller through his appearance in the movie "Rockers."  His performance of Tenement Yard is one of the great moments in Reggae cinema.  So let's watch it.

Jacob Miller was a likeable guy and charismatic performer.  He gained his nick name Jacob "Killer" Miller because he "Killed" all his competitors at concerts.

Jacob Miller got started early.  He hung out at Studio One studios as a youth and recorded three singles at the age of 13.  The song "Love is a Message" became a minor Jamaican hit. 

Nine years later in 1974 the then 22 year old Miller met Augustus Pablo.  Pablo was recording music on his own "Rockers" label at that time, and he suggested to Miller that they remake the song Love is a Message in a Rockers style.  The resulting "Keep on Knocking" is a reggae classic and IMHO great music.  

Here is the Greensleeves 12 inch.  A nice piece of vinyl to have if you can get your hands on it.

This Greatest Hits album I'm posting is a good selection of Jacob Miller's late 70's reggae singles.  It was put out on the Top Ranking International label in 1979 a year before Millers passing.  I've always had good luck with the Top Rankin International label by the way.  Always good solid roots music.  Top Rankin was the label that introduced Israel Vibration for example.  

I go through intense internal debates as to whether or not to post music files.  Blogspot massive what do you think?  Should I or shouldn't I? 

I take that as a yes answer.  Get it HERE

Update: I see that Mediafire has place a red check mark on this file that gives me the cryptic message "This file has been restricted due to copyright claims."  I always live in fear that the entire grooVemonzter set up is going to be taken down so I have to take this file down.  I hope you got here quick enough to be one of the 27 people who got the files.  If not let that be a lesson.  

"Dread out" - Jacob "Killer" Miller

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David Crosby live with Venice

 

artist: David Crosby with Venice

album: Jammin in the Canyon

year: 2004

David Crosby has moved on.

I know my blog is known for African and Reggae music but before all that, back in the 60s, I was a West Coast Hippie.  The albums "Crosby, Stills and Nash" and Neil Young's "After the Goldrush" pretty much summed up everything as far as I was concerned.

David Crosby had been beset with health issues in recent years but let's face it, it was a miracle that he made it past the 1960s.  Starting with the legendary Byrds and then CSNY, David Crosby was definitely a product of the sex, drugs and rock and roll 60s, and by all accounts he led the life fully.

David Crosby was a difficult man to live with.  It is not by chance that the bands he was associated with were as famous for their battles as for their music.  David Crosby was a larger-than-life character with a huge ego, but we cannot deny the fact that he was part of some of the best music to come out of a decade that was famous for its music.  Damn, we'll miss you David.

I found this CD at a thrift shop in the San Fernando Valley in 2016.  You never know what you'll find when you go hunting.  It was a homemade CD in a plain CD case with a handwritten cover: "David Crosby live with Venice."  I bought the CD for about two bucks and it's great.  It sounds like a soundboard recording.  It features David Crosby singing with the Los Angeles based band "Venice."  In the intro they mention that the show is part of "Jammin in the Canyon." Checking the internet, Jammin in the Canyon is a benefit show put on by Pacific Palisades High School and this performance was in 2004.  

I only put the David Crosby section on the video but if you want to hear the whole show get it HERE.

My favorite David Crosby story revolves around his relationship with the then unknown Joni Mitchell.

In 1967, after Crosby had been kicked out of the Byrds, he bought a sailboat and spent some time sailing around the Florida Keys.  One day after Crosby had anchored his boat he went into town and in his own words, "I walked into a coffee house in Coconut Grove, and she [Joni Mitchell] was standing there singing those songs and I just was Godsmacked."

David and Joni rapidly became involved, and she moved in with him on his sailboat.  The stories I've read tell of David and Joni sailing around the Caribbean on his sailboat singing songs together.  I wish we had those songs recorded.  

After a while Crosby decided that it was time for him to rejoin the real world, so he sold the boat and traveled back to California, with Joni.  He rented a place in Laurel Canyon and one night he threw a party for all of his record industry friends.  Into the party he said to everyone, "I have someone who I want you all to meet" and out came Joni Mitchell with her guitar. 

"This is Joni," Crosby said and Joni Mitchell played her songs for everyone, all the record executives, all the artist, and all the hipsters who were there, and by all accounts everyone was Godsmacked.

Crosby went on to arrange and produce Joni Mitchell's first album.  And the rest is musical history.

David Crosby and Joni Mitchell

Take care David.  Don't give God a hard time.

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