Orville H Gibson

Jeff Cook and the All-Star Goodtime Band at Riverside

Country music supergroup Alabama had no sooner parked the tour bus in the Fort Payne garage in 2004, turned off the engine and called it quits, when one of the founding members, Jeff Cook, discovered he wasn’t exactly ready to let the engine cool down. He was already tuning up the musical instruments for a whole new gig heading in a new direction. Just because one chapter in his life was at an end didn’t mean Cook was ready to close the book on music entirely—there were still songs to sing, dances to do. While the future was a bit of an unknown, Cook had a most lucrative past to pull from for inspiration. As the lead guitarist and fiddle player (and harmonizing vocalist) of one of country music’s all-time top groups, Alabama, Cook was there when they received  21 gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums, 42 number one singles, two Grammys, 23 American Music Awards, three Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year Awards, Academy of Country Music’s Artist of the Decade, RIAA’s Group of the Century and record sales of more than 78 million records. With all the Alabama success still ringing about his ears, Cook decided to hit the road with his new project and new music. And wouldn’t you know it, success is starting to shine his way once again. The group has released several CDs, and their single, “Waitin’ on Willie to Sing” is the Number One record on the IndieWorld country chart. The Allstar Goodtime guys are a band unto itself. Everyone in the group brings a lot of talent to the table and they really concentrate all their energies into every show—bringing variety to the material we play. All the guys mostly sing double harmonies like the Eagles. I don’t hog the spotlight. I pass it around and let the other guys shine. COOK: My drummer is JD Cooper; Ronnie Farmer is on vocals and keyboards; Dennis Gulley is the bass player and sings vocals; Link Delten is on vocals and lead guitar; Jim Nelson, vocals and tenor sax; Randall Key is on vocals, mandolin, guitar—people say he plays anything that gets in his way; Ken Harper on percussion; and Larry Hanson on alto sax, guitar and keyboards. COOK: It was cool to have both a Number One record with “Waitin’ on Willie to Sing,” with the Allstar Goodtime band, and join Brad Paisley in the creation of his “Old Alabama” song.

Singer Richard Thompson receives OBE from Queen of England

Richard Thompson was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) today for his “singular and substantial contribution to music.” The award was presented by Queen Elizabeth during the special investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace

Crowning an extraordinary week, Thompson will also be bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Aberdeen on July 5th, for his exceptional and distinctive contribution to contemporary music, (which) places him among a very distinguished group of honorary graduates from the arts.

Richard Thompson first emerged in 1967 as a founding member of British folk rock innovators Fairport Convention.

The newest OBE recipient has produced a body of work that challenges, delights and amazes in equal measure. He has written and recorded over 400 songs, all marked by consistent intelligence, taste and emotional resonance and is widely hailed as one of the most distinctive and iconoclastic guitar virtuosos– whether playing acoustic or electric guitar, performing solo or in a group. Richard Thompson has been awarded an Ivor Novello award for his songwriting, the Orville H Gibson Best Acoustic Guitarist Award, the 2010 Mojo Les Paul Award, plus a spot on Rolling Stone Magazines Top 20 Guitarists of All Time list. Last summer he was selected to be the artistic director of Londons prestigious Meltdown Festival at the South Bank Centre.

Richard Thompson will be on a solo tour of the US and Canada starting August 26, throughout the fall.

Gibson Electrics

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