Johnny Marr: Guitarist and Bag Designer

The hugely influential guitar Johnny Marr has used his artistic skills to create three backpack designs for charity.

According to a report in the Daily Express, Morrissey’s sparring partner in The Smiths has designed three pop art bags for a fundraising drive by the Designers Against AIDS Education Center in Antwerp, Belgium.

The bags will be sold as part of an online auction this March.

Still in demand as a guitarist, Marr has enjoyed lending his creativity to different pursuits, including designing a limited edition line of Ray-Ban sunglasses.

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Johnny Otis, ‘Godfather of Rhythm and Blues,’ Dies

Songwriter and bandleader Johnny Otis, whose 1958 hit, “Willie and the Hand Jive,” was covered by Eric Clapton on the latter’s 461 Ocean Boulevard album, has died at age 90.

Dubbed “The Godfather of Rhythm and Blues,” Otis formed his first band in the mid-’40s and scored his first big hit with the song, “Harlem Nocturne.” In addition to having his own chart successes, he composed Etta James’ first hit, a song titled “The Wallflower,” which charted in 1955. (Sadly, Etta has also just passed away.)

He also penned the 1961 Gladys Knight and the Pips hit, “Every Bit of My Heart,” and produced the original version of “Hound Dog” in 1952, four years before Elvis Presley made the song famous. Otis also served as a talent scout for vintage rhythm and blues labels, an occupation that saw him discover or advance the careers of such figures as Little Esther, Big Mama Thornton and Jackie Wilson. Otis continued to tour well into his 70s, even as he become an ordained minister and opened a church in Los Angeles. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

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Johnny Ramone Biography on its Way

Johnny Ramone, guitarist with punk pioneers The Ramones, is the subject of a new biography, written by his widow Linda.

The Telegraph reports that Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone will be published by Abrams Image on April 2, some eight years after Ramone’s death. Linda finished the book that had Johnny started when he was sick.

“It was like he knew he was dying, and he wanted to do something,” she said.

Tommy Ramone contributes the foreword while the epilogue has been written by Lisa Marie Presley, a good friend of Johnny Ramone.

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No Marr Driving for Johnny

Former Smiths man and guitar guru Johnny Marr has been banned from driving. According to the Daily Mirror in England, the king of the jangly guitar was caught speeding at 72 miles per hour in a 40 miles per hour zone.

Marr had been speeding through Manchester in his Audi A5 back in April when he was pulled over by police.

His lawyer, Gwyn Lewis, appeared in court on Marr’s behalf, saying, “It was something he deeply regrets and it is the first time he has been banned from the roads.”

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Susan Tedeschi Recalls Childhood Conversation with Johnny Cash

Susan Tedeschi has revealed that, as a child, she had a brief conversation with Johnny Cash that remains one of her most cherished memories. “I was 10 years old,” said the singer-guitarist, “and I was auditioning for Annie, on Broadway. My grandmother and I were staying at the New York Hilton, and The Bee Gees happened to be staying there, as well. I ran through the turnstile and right into this gentleman who was dressed all in black.”

Tedeschi continued: “He says, ‘Slow down, little lady! Where are you going in such a hurry?’ I said, ‘The Bee Gees are pulling up!’ He’s like, ‘Oh, you like The Bee Gees?’ I said, ‘Well, they’re singers and I like singers. I sing, too.’ He says, ‘You do? Me, too.’ I said, ‘Really? What do you sing?’ He said, ‘Well, I sing and play guitar, and write my own songs. Maybe we’ll get to sing together some day.’ I said, ‘Yeah, that would be great!’”

“It was a wonderful little moment,” Tedeschi recalled. “He was wearing an ‘I Love New York’ pin, and he took it off and gave it to me. He said, ‘Here’s something you can remember me by.’ I said, ‘Okay, thank you so much.’ Then he left. Afterwards, all these people came running over, asking me what Johnny Cash had said to me. I had no idea it was him. Later I got to tell Willie Nelson that story, but by then Johnny was really sick, so I never got to meet him again. But I still have the pin he gave me.”

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Liam Gallagher Wants Johnny Depp to Star in Beatles Movie

Former Oasis frontman and current Beady Eye singer Liam Gallagher is working on a film about The Beatles and he wants Johnny Depp to be part of it, according to AFP. Gallagher is producing the movie, which deals with the band’s Apple Corps and is based on Richard DiLello’s book, The Longest Cocktail Party.

“The film script is done,” the singer told Q magazine. “It’s gonna blow people’s minds, man. I’m just waiting to find out when we choose the actors. “I want Johnny Depp to play Derek Taylor. It’s got Johnny Depp written all over it, man.”

So what makes him think the Pirates of the Caribbean star would be a good fit for Taylor, The Beatles’ publicist?

“Derek Taylor was a dude. He’s up there with Lennon,” Gallagher said.

Of course, Depp and Gallagher go way back. The actor and rock star became friends in the mid-’90s and Johnny even played slide guitar on an Oasis track (“Fade In-Out”).

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Johnny Marr, Matt Bellamy, Brandon Flowers Pick the Song that Changed Their Lives

To mark this week’s prestigious Ivor Novello Awards for songwriters, held in London on Thursday, the Independent newspaper asked several top songwriters to name the song that changed their lives.

Matt Bellamy of Muse picked Tom Waits’ “Blue Valentines,” saying that the song has “some of the greatest lyrics ever written. “ He explained that the “song says it all about how I feel about the past. Dom [Howard, Muse’s drummer] and I went to see Tom Waits in New York and it was immense. He’s a huge influence on Muse in the way that he uses sounds and textures to create atmospheres – even if you can’t directly hear it in our music.”

Johnny Marr nominated “Metal Guru” by T. Rex as the song that changed his life. “I would have been about 11 when I first heard this,” he said. “T. Rex were the first band I was a fan of and Marc Bolan was my hero at the time. As a song it’s quite nonsensical, but that doesn’t matter; a great record doesn’t necessarily have to be a great song. Once you’ve been affected by any art in such a powerful way, it stays with you.”

Brandon Flowers of The Killers not surprisingly chose a David Bowie track, “Changes.” He said: “I still remember when I heard ‘Changes’ for the first time. I thought it was Bob Dylan because of the way he sings the verses. I found out it was Bowie and it was from this album called Hunky Dory. It’s the most important record to me, ever. I appreciate that he’s still able to write songs, because even when there’s a rough album, there will always be that one song on there that grabs you. But Hunky Dory is the pinnacle – there’s not one song I skip past.”

It’s hard to ignore Lennon and McCartney in any songwriter discussion and Phil Collins recalled the powerful impact that The Beatles’ “She Loves You” had on him as a kid. He said: “The harmonies sounded like nothing that you’d ever heard before, the way it was produced, the way it was performed; it was genuinely a joyous sound. The very last chord they sing in harmony is quite a complicated chord. I think this is probably George Martin, the producer. Those kinds of moments still sound like they were recorded yesterday.”

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This Day in Music Spotlight: The Beatles’ First Tour, with Johnny Gentle

Special thanks to ThisDayinMusic.com.

Having got the music bug after he built his own guitar as a kid, John Askew left Liverpool for London in 1958 and used his carpentry skills on a construction site, while he aimed at breaking into the music business. Pop impresario Larry Parnes replied to one of Askew’s audition requests and liked what he saw. Parnes thought Askew talented, but a little quiet, and renamed him Johnny Gentle.

After Gentle’s first two singles did very little, Parnes decided to send him on tour to find his audience. Parnes has been working with Liverpool promoter Alan Williams and figured that, with new bands popping up every week in Liverpool, the city might be a good source of backing bands for his artists.

On May 10, 1960, Parnes held auditions. He liked a band called the Silver Beetles and picked them to play with Johnny on his Scottish tour.

The Silver Beetles weren’t billed on the tour; instead they were listed simply as Johnny Gentle and his Group. That group consisted of Paul Ramon, Carl Harrison, Stuart de Steel, Johnny Silver and Tommy Moore. These were stage names, of course, for Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon (and Tommy Moore).

Gentle told Bill Harry of Mersey Beat that, despite lack of rehearsal (about 20 minutes), they sounded pretty good for the first show in Alloa on May 20, 1960.

“We met at the venue just half an hour before our first public performance together and all things considered we sounded pretty good from the off,” he said. “Every night, the sound we made got better, by the end of the tour I knew these boys were as good as any I’d worked with...”

Of course, the set list was mostly covers of pop and rock and roll hits like, “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore,” “Raining in My Heart,” “I Need Your Love Tonight,” “Poor Little Fool,” “Come On Everybody” and “He’ll Have to Go.”

Gentle recalled that Lennon helped him with a song during the tour, “I’ve Just Fallen for Someone,” that was later recorded by Adam Faith. He also tried to persuade Parnes to sign the Silver Beetles, but the impresario was only interested in solo acts. When Johnny Gentle tried to hire the Silver Beetles again, he was out of luck. They were in Hamburg and about to change rock and roll history.

Johnny Gentle was not so lucky. In an attempt to pick up a faltering career, he changed his stage name Darren Young and then joined a band called The Viscounts. But music never worked out as a career, and in the ’70s Johnny went back to working as a carpenter.

When the world’s attention fell on The Beatles again in the Anthology-era ’90s, Johnny wrote his story with Merseyside historian Ian Forsyth in the book Johnny Gentle & the Beatles: First Ever Tour.

He told Bill Harry that every now and then he still performs. “My most recent show was at the 2004 Eddie Cochran Convention in Chippenham, sharing the stage with acts brought over from America: Little Richard, Billy Haley’s Comets, Buddy Holly’s Crickets, Charlie Gracie and British rockers Marty Wilde, Terry Dene, Vince Eager and Tommy Bruce.”

He added: “I think it would be good if somebody could do a cover version of the song I collaborated with John Lennon on, ‘I’ve Just Fallen for Someone.’”

The song is on Adam Faith’s Adam Faith album. Anybody?

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Johnny Marr Back in Business

Fresh from celebrating Manchester City’s FA Cup win (Marr is a huge fan of the premier league soccer team), Johnny Marr, the former Smiths guitarist and songwriter, has announced plans to kick off a world tour in New York in October. According to Billboard, Marr also is set to put out new material with his band The Healers in 2012.

 “I just want to write more than enough material to avoid ducking back into the studio to record a follow-up album,” Marr said.

As for the tour, it could be a long one. “I want to take advantage of this point and when I set sail I want to set sail for awhile,” he said.

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Johnny Depp Writing Songs with Steven Tyler?

Johnny Depp might have based his Captain Jack Sparrow character on Keith Richards, but he’s been hanging out with a different Rock and Roll Hall of Famer lately. According to Spinner.com, the actor has been working on songs with Aerosmith frontman and American Idol judge Steven Tyler.

“We’ve been hanging out here and there,” Depp told Extra. “He’s someone I’ve admired greatly for such a long time. The idea of writing songs with him is a dream come true.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time Depp and rock and roll have crossed paths. The Pirates of the Caribbean star played bass in a ’90s band called P, which also featured Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In addition, Depp contributed guitar to a couple of Oasis records and played on Shane MacGowan’s Snake album.

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Johnny Cash’s Boyhood Home to be Restored, Festival Announced

Johnny Cash’s boyhood home will be saved for posterity. Arkansas State University has purchased the Dyess, Arkansas, home and announced plans to restore the house’s structure and create a museum. At a press conference Thursday, a spokesman for the university said that the plans would be paid for by proceeds generated by an annual Johnny Cash Music Festival.

The inaugural festival has been slated for August 4 at ASU’s convention center. All of the artists announced for the festival were either friends or relatives of the late country legend. The list of performers, which is still growing, includes Cash’s daughter Rosanne Cash, brother Tommy Cash, son John Carter Cash, and friends Rodney Crowell, George Jones, Gary Morris and Kris Kristofferson.

Cash, who died in 2003, moved with his family into the house in 1935, when he was three years old. He lived there until he graduated high school in 1950 and left to join the Air Force.

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Johnny Marr Leaving The Cribs

Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has announced that he is ending his three-year relationship with The Cribs. In an interview with Billboard, excerpted on Marr’s own website, Marr said that he is leaving the group on good terms in order to concentrate on new solo material and soundtrack work.

“I'm working on new solo songs,” Marr said. “I'll be putting out two records over the next year or so and doing more film soundtrack work.”

He added, “Touring and recording with Ryan, Gary and Ross has been fantastic and Ignore the Ignorant is something I'm really proud of. We ended up doing much more than we originally set out to, and I've made three good friends.”

On The Cribs’ own website, the group released a statement wishing Marr lucking and reiterating that there is no ill-will in his decision to leave.

“We don't want it to be seen as a split, that just has so many negative connotations and really doesn't represent the way everyone is feeling right now… No one is down about this in our camp. It’s actually the start of a really exciting phase for everyone.”

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