Internet Radio Fairness Act

As you may know, a bill is circulating in Congress called the "Internet Radio Fairness Act" (H.R. 6480/S. 3609). We strongly believe that this bill would be anything but fair - particularly for tens of thousands of recording artists and record labels that we represent. 

It is our mission to protect, propel and support the digital music industry moving forward. For this reason, SoundExchange President Michael Huppe will testify tomorrow, Wednesday, November 28, before Congress in opposition to the "Internet Radio Fairness Act." This bill could dramatically cut the royalties that Internet radio services pay to music creators. It also does nothing to address the fact that AM/FM broadcasters still pay nothing in performance royalties to recording artists and record labels. 

As representatives of both recording artists and record labels alike, we believe creators deserve more for their contributions to the digital music space, not less. Creators should receive fair compensation for their work, and we will deliver that message directly to Congress.  
 
You may watch the webcast of the hearing tomorrow at 11:30 am ET at:http://judiciary.house.gov. 

You are also encouraged to visit www.fairpayforartists.com to learn more and write your member of Congress.  Let them know that musicians should not be deprived of the income they deserve.

MARTHA DAVIS - We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye

MEMPHIS TN (IFS) -- Martha Davis (December 14, 1917 – April 6, 1960) was an African-American singer and pianist whose musical comedy act, "Martha Davis & Spouse", was popular in the late 1940s and 1950s. http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/27275813

Martha died from cancer on 6th April 1960 in Mount Vernon, New York.
Born in Wichita, Kansas on December 14, 1917, and raised in Chicago, Illinois Martha Davis attended the famous Du Sable High School. She counted Dorothy Donegan and Nat Cole among her classmates. By the mid 1930s, she had met and been influenced by Fats Waller, who allegedly taught her some of his piano skills. At that time she performed regularly as a singer and pianist in Chicago clubs.
At one such in 1939 Martha Davis met and subsequently married bass player named Calvin Ponder. He enjoyed a lucrative career with Earl Hines' big band. Therefore the couple didn't work together regularly until 1948. In this year Martha and Calvin had moved to California where Martha made her impressive recording debut on the Westcoast for the small Urban label with the surprise hit Little White Lies. 

She signed with the much larger Decca label, which reissued Little White Lieswith Calvin Ponder (b), Ralph Williams (g) and Lee Young (dr) on its Jewel subsidiary. Around this time, too, Martha worked with her jazz pal Louis Jordan with several cuts recorded again for Decca. It was Martha's most successful year (3 Top Ten hits: Little White Lies, Don't Burn the Candle At Both Ends, Daddy-O).
But in that year Martha and her husband put together their own two-person nightclub act developing a musical and comedy routine as "Martha Davis & Spouse" in which she was decidedly the star of the two.
The act became hugely popular, touring and having a residency at the Blue Angel in New York. They appeared together in movies including "Smart Politics" withGene Krupa, and in the mid 1950s, variety films "Rhythm & Blues Revue", "Rock 'n' Roll Revue" and "Basin Street Revue". Several of their performances (Martha's Boogie, We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye, Vipity Vop), were filmed for video jukeboxes, and they also appeared on early television variety shows.

Even though they were at the height of their popularity, they strangely did not record during this era (1951-57) and would not again until the brand new ABC Paramount label had them cut two LPs, one being a tribute to Martha's mentor, Fats Waller. These would be the final recording of the pair.
Among boogie-woogie enthusiasts, Martha Davis has remained well enough known, but to the general music loving public she has been long forgotten. Her fame was with her contemporary black audience, who well knew her from jazz clubs days. She played stride piano unique, which took a bit from Fats Waller, with whom she was chums in the 1930s.

Career

Davis was born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Chicago, Illinois. By the mid 1930s, she had met and been influenced by Fats Waller, and performed regularly as a singer and pianist in Chicago clubs. In 1939, she met, and later married, bass player Calvin Ponder (October 17, 1917 - December 26, 1970), who went on to play in Earl Hines' band.

In 1948, Davis and Ponder moved to California, and Davis developed her recording career on Jewel Records in Hollywood with a trio including Ponder, Ralph Williams (guitar) and Lee Young (drums). Their cover of Dick Haymes' pop hit "Little White Lies" reached # 11 on the Billboard R&B chart, followed by a duet with Louis Jordan, "Daddy-O", from the movie A Song Is Born, which reached the R&B top ten later that year.

Davis and Ponder also began performing together on stage, developing a musical and comedy routine as "Martha Davis & Spouse" which played on their physical characteristics (she was large, he was smaller). The act became hugely popular, touring and having a residency at the Blue Angel in New York. They appeared together in movies including Smart Politics (with Gene Krupa), and in the mid 1950s, variety films Rhythm & Blues Revue, Rock 'n' Roll Revue and Basin Street Revue. Several of their performances were filmed by Snader Telescriptions for video jukeboxes, and they also broadcast on network TV, particularly Garry Moore's CBS show.

In 1957, after a break of several years, they resumed recording for the ABC Paramount label, with whom they cut two LPs. Davis died from cancer in New York in 1960, aged only 42, and Ponder died ten years later, aged only 53.

This set contains essentially all of pianist and singer Martha Davis' recorded output, although it doesn't include a mostly inconsequential late-'50s LP and curiously also lacks her best and biggest hit, a definitive cover of Dick Haymes' "Little White Lies" that topped the charts in 1948. What's here is fun jump blues-oriented material that shows Davis to be a fine singer and a quite striking pianist (she is said to have learned more than a few tricks from the great Fats Waller) on sides like "Martha Boogie" and the unique "Player Piano Boogie." The omission of "Little White Lies" is a problem, though.

Sample		Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
	1	Martha Boogie	Martha Davis	2:56
	2	Why Am I	Martha Davis	2:55
	3	The Be-Bop Bounce	Martha Davis	2:50
	4	I'm Fer It	Martha Davis	2:58
	5	Can't Be Bothered	Martha Davis	2:49
	6	Lovin' Blues	Martha Davis	2:48
	7	It's Time for the Postman's Ring	Martha Davis	2:38
	8	The Same Old Boogie Betty Hall Jones	Martha Davis	2:38
	9	Bread and Gravy	Martha Davis	3:07
	10	When I Say Goodbye	Martha Davis	2:39
	11	Sarah, Sarah	Martha Davis	2:23
	12	Cincinnati Jay Livingston	Martha Davis	2:47
	13	Ooh-Wee	Martha Davis	3:08
	14	Honey, Honey, Honey Shawn E. Donahoo / Guy Lamarre	Martha Davis	3:15
	15	Kitchen Blues	Martha Davis	3:04
	16	Trouble Is a Man Alec Wilder	Martha Davis	3:15
	17	I Ain't Gettin' Any Younger Benny Carter	Martha Davis	2:54
	18	Would I Love You Bob Russell / Harold Spina	Martha Davis	2:39
	19	Get Out Those Old Records John Jacob Loeb / Carmen Lombardo	Martha Davis	2:12
	20	Experience	Martha Davis	2:20
	21	How Could Anything So Good, Be Bad	Martha Davis	3:04
	22	You're the Doctor James Lapell	Martha Davis	2:34
	23	Player Piano Boogie	Martha Davis	2:42
	24	Marshmallow Moon	Martha Davis	2:42
	25	What Good Am I Without You Sammy Gallop / Don Rodney	Martha Davis	2:38
	26	No Deposit -- No Return	Martha Davis	2:44
	27	What's Become of You? Mattie O'Neal	Martha Davis	2:05

Adrianna Freeman - Either You Do Or You Don't - Old Wounds - Release

Biography: Adrianna Freeman - Either You Do Or You Don't

By Brian Clough

In 1966 the Lovin’ Spoonfull brought us a great chart entry with a song called ‘Nashville Cats’. One of the lines in the song related ‘There are Thirteen Hundred and Fifty Two Pickers in Nashville’…. years on of course there are many more all wanting a step on the fame ladder. Many never make it and just add to that Nashville pickers list. Others are told “No you’re not right for country music”, “There’s no way we can put money behind an artist with unproven ‘marketing strategy’”, and “Country audiences won’t buy a black female country album”.

These were some of the thoughts and words of record company moguls when Adrianna Freeman was pitching her musical career.

She is now about to prove them wrong as under the direction and production talents of Teddy Gentry from the award winning Alabama group she has just produced her first album.

It is sheer class from the opening track ‘I Will Not Be Your Tennessee’ (released as the first single from the album) through to the fading refrain of ‘There’s Gonna Be A Rainbow’.

The last track could be a fitting omen for Adrianna as the album contains an eclectic mix of light and shade of mid tempo and gentle songs which shows off her vocal range and quality, sometimes , smokey and gentle, but always meaningfull and believable.

Production is brilliant, complimented by great musicianship throughout with a across the board song selection.

Diversity of music is perhaps to the fore with ‘The Price’ featuring Duck 13 who offers a rap injection. If you fancy being one of the first in years to come, to be able to say you bought her very first album, then treat yourself to a future country star in the making.

Her debut album is released on the Musik and Film record label (musikandfilm.com) and is available from this week on her own site www.adriannafreeman.com.

Apparently her grandfather had dreamed of being a country artist as had her father Ed, the dream has now been passed on to Adrianna and I think it’s about to come true.

She’s one less picker to be counted in Nashville if ever the Lovin’ Spoonfull re-record their song. Join me from Saturday on the American Connection Show on www.euvue.co.uk for a taster as I’ll be playing three tracks as she features in our Album Of The Week spot.

Adrianna Freeman Either You Do Or You Don’t Musik and Film Records http://showbiz.euvue.co.uk/adrianna-freeman-either-you-do-or-you-dont/