CHORDS, RIFFS, TABS AND TURN-AROUNDS - Gospel, Jazz, Folk, Country, Rock, Soul, B-Bop, Funk, Rhythm & Blues, Punk and Pop, it all came "Out of the Blues". On the Focus Music page we aim to take a look at the journey popular music has made through the decades with links to influential artists of each era. Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and original Blues men including Robert Johnson, Edward Son House, Skip James and Mississippi John Hurt made their way north from the American deep South and brought the "Blues" to a wider American audience. This in turn lead to the birth of "Rock and Roll" in the 50s with artists such as Bill Haley, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and Little Richard. "The Beatles" were inspired by the great guitar riffs of Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and Little Richard's soulful sound and "Rhythm and Blues" burst onto the UK music scene in the 60s spawning the "Mersey Beat Sound" and "Beatlemania" and the rest they say is History! America's British Invasion may have included The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks and the Animals but in return the UK embraced Soul and Motown music with brilliant artistes like Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Wilson Picket, Otis Reading, The Four Tops, The Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, Ike and Tina Turner, Percy Sledge, Jimi Ruthin, Aretha Franklyn, Otis Reading, The Temptations. The Soul Train had arrived and we loved the ride. 2009 marked the 50th Anniversary of Motown. Buy Motown 50 (3CD). Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five continued the Motown tradition as Soul music lead the way to Funk, Reggae, Ska, Soul/RnB, Hip Hop and Rap. Keeping the "Soul Train" on the tracks is fledgling songstress Dionne Bromfield who at 13 years of age brought some of that 60s Motown style to a new generation. London-born soul singer Dionne Bromfield, whose sensational debut TV performance on Strictly Come Dancing 2010 introduced her as an exciting new talent. The single, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was taken from her debut album "Introducing Dionne Bromfield".

- THE BEATLES The "Fab Four" - John, Paul, George & Ringo - (5th Beatle - Producer George Martin). The Beatles Discography
Sheet Music Guitar Chords, Tabs Piano - John Lennon - The Beatles - George Harrison - Paul McCartney- John Lennon - Note for Note - The Beatles Music Box
Individual Albums post Beatles
John Lennon Born Liverpool 9.10.1940-Died New York 8.12.1980. 25 Years Ago Today - Who killed John Lennon? - Mark Chapman, a nobody who wanted to be a somebody - To find out more about the man who shot John Lennon and why see Channel 4 Documentary "I Killed John Lennon" 10pm, 8th December including taped interviews conducted with journalist Jack Jones.
Recommended Difinitive Album - John Lennon/Yoko Ono - "Double Fantasy"
New Release Album -"Working Class Hero" John Lennon - Paul McCartney Wings - Ringo Starr - George Harrison
Beatle Albums: Please Please Me, With the Beatles, Hard Day's Night, Beatles for Sale, Help, Revolver, Rubber Soul, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, Let It Be, The Beatles: the White Album
WHO SANG "BEATLES" SONGS - Highly Recommended Oasis version - "I am the Walrus" Live - (Album Masterplan)
Other major UK artists of the era included The Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Small Faces, The Kinks and The Who. Sheet Music & Tab for the 60s - Classic Rock Of The Early '60s: American Pop And The British Invasion 60s - Where are they now 60s Era - 60s Rock from Beatniks to Hippies ... The Animals Eric Burdon - The Who

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FAB NEWS The Beatles. The band that changed everything, listen now on Apple Music ! We are focusing on the "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Bandr" so check it out here

The recently released "Love" sees The Beatles back catalogue being reworked by the original fifth Beatle Sir George Martin and his son Giles. Given free rein by surviving Beatles Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, the album is a completely new take on original Beatles material and also forms part of the soundtrack to the Cirque du Soleil/Beatles production of the same name. It is also presented in 5.1 surround sound, a first for any Beatles recording. BBC2 recently brought together some of today's bands at the Abbey Road recording studio for a two-part Radio 2 documentary to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Top artists including Kaiser Chiefs, Bryan Adams, Razorlight, The Frey, Travis, Sterophonics covered tracks from the album on vintage recording equipment assisted by original audio engineer, Geoff Emerick . Buy the original album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - Playing for fun a real "Super Group", the late George Harrison is joined by Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and the late Roy Orbison- Buy the Traveling Wilburys Collection Deluxe Collection Edition plus DVD - Traveling Wilburys Collection CD.

Bob Dylan - Greatest Hits

"Back in the U.S.A., a young Bob Dylan had made his made his way on the now famous "Highway 61" to New York's Greenwich Village. His vast back catalogue is testament to the fact that, over five decades, he has been influenced by every style of music. Bob Dylan and his music were featured in Martin Scorsese's eagerly awaited documentary "No Direction Home" which was broadcast simultaneously in the USA on PBS and in the UK on BBC2's "Arena" on Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th September 2005". Buy DVD No Direction Home: Bob Dylan [2005]
Recommended Albums: "Bob Dylan", "Free Wheelin", "Highway 61 Revisited", "Blonde on Blonde", "Desire", "Blood on the Tracks", "Time out of Mind" The "Basement Tapes" Bob Dylan & The Band.
My Favorite Tracks: "Who Killed Davey Moore", "Girl from the North Country", "Hey Woodie Guthrie", Oh Sister, "One More Cup of Coffee", "Just Like a Woman", "Every Grain of Sand", "Buckets of Rain", "Forever Young", "Lay Lady Lay", "Like A Rolling Stone", "In Aint me Babe", "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll", "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands", "What Good am I", "My Back Pages", "One Too Many Mornings", "Simple Twist of Fate", "Meet me in the Morning","It Takes a lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry", "Tangled up in Blue", "Baby Let me Follow you Down", "Oxford Town", "Love Minua Zero/No Limit", "Everything is Broken" and on and on and on……………
Who sang Bob Dylan Songs:
Peter, Paul & Mary - "Blowing in the Wind" , Joan Baez - "It Ain't Me Babe", The Byrds "Mr. Tamberine Man"
Joan Baez with Bob - "Mama you've been on my Mind" Jimi Hendrix - "All along the Watch Tower", Johnny Cash with Bob "Girl from the North Country", Manfred Mann - "The Mighty Quinn", Julie Driscoll/Brian Auger & Trinity- "Wheels on Fire" Julie Felix - "Its all over now Baby Blue" Definative Bob Dylan Songbook

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Bob Dylan breaks a five-year hiatus from the studio this August with his 44th album, 'Modern Times', 10-tracks recorded earlier this year with his touring band, including bassist Tony Garnier, drummer George G Receli, guitarists Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman plus multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron. 'Modern Times', the follow-up to 2001's critically acclaimed 'Love and Theft', includes such tracks as 'When The Deal Goes Down', 'Thunder On The Mountain', and 'Workingman's Blues', as well as the epic 'Spirit On The Water' and the nine-minute closer 'Ain't Talkin'. - Click here to buy Bob Dylan "Modern Times"

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Together Through Life Bob Dylan 'Together Through Life', released in 2009 was Bob Dylan's 33rd studio album in a career spanning five decades. Backed by his usual (and relentlessly touring) band of musicians, this record sees the legendary Dylan tackle more personal material than his last major release (2006's 'Modern Times'). 'Together Through Life' aligns more closely with Dylan's more introverted works, such as 'Blood On The Tracks' from 1975, and features guest appearances from Mike Campbell from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and David Hidalgo of Los Lobos.

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The Band - "In what just might be the finest rock & roll concert film ever, The Last Waltz celebrates the final performance by the Band (Rbbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Levon Helm, and Garth Hudson). The show took place on Thanksgiving Day in 1976, at San Francisco's Winterland Arena--where the group had played their very first show more than 16 years before. In order to make their farewell even more unforgettable, they recruited numerous guests to join them onstage. They include Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Neil Young, Ringo Starr, Paul Butterfield, Ronnie Hawkins, and the Staples. Martin Scorsese, a former roommate of Robbie Robertson's, employs some of the world's greatest cinematographers--including Michael Chapman, Vilmos Zsigmond, and Laszlo Kovacs--to film the set in a way that captures the show's sweat and energy with a powerful intimacy. Interspersed into the songs are a series of interviews with the Band's members, who recall their early days playing for empty bars and their emergence as major players in the rock & roll game. THE LAST WALTZ is a thrilling concert film, mandatory viewing even for those unfamiliar with the Band or rock music in general. the Band" Buy The Last Waltz Box set Now

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Bob Dylan in Music on Amazon

Released 2009 Bob Dylan - Christmas in the Heart

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Chimes of Freedom - 75 Newly Recorded Bob Dylan Songs by Over 80 Artists - Salutes Amnesty International's 50th Anniversary and Life-Saving Human Rights Work Click here to read "Chimes of Freedom" post on focusmusicshop.blogspot.com

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GUITAR LEGENDS. Jimi Hendrix’s distinctive guitar revolutionised the UK music scene when he arrived in London in 1966. His influential mix of blues rock and psychedelia in incendiary performances on everything from the Lulu TV show through to The Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock singled him out as a guitar legend and an exceptional showman whose self-penned songs and unique covers – from Dylan to 'The Star Spangled Banner' - elevated him as a spokesperson for an emerging generation. He lived in the fast lane, using his RnB, jazz and blues roots to create a stunning, unique sound, leaving behind a legacy of groundbreaking studio and live performances that remain truly inspirational.

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GUITAR LEGENDS - The 3rd February 2009, marked the 50th Anniversary of rock 'n' roll legend Buddy Holly's death in a plane crash. Fellow performers Ritchie Valens and "The Big Bopper", J P Richardson also died on the flight which took off from Clear Lake, Iowa to Fargo, North Dakota on that freezing night in 1959. Buddy Holly & the Crickets' first international hit was "That'll Be the Day" in 1957, Buddy was the first musician in his home town of Lubbock, Texas USA to have a red Fender Stratocaster. Back In the UK, Cliff Richard was the first rock 'n' roller to buy this most coveted item for Shadows' guitarist Hank Marvin. Hank Marvin and his red Stratocaster was an inspiration to 60s guitar legends such as Dire Strait's Mark Knopfler, Pink Floyds' Dave Gilmour and Pete Townsend of the Who. Buddy Holly's song-writing and great guitar riffs also influenced The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Use the following links if you want learn some of that 50s rockabilly guitar style.

• "Not Fade Away" Buddy Holly
• "That'll Be the Day" Buddy Holly
• That'll Be the Day Buddy Holly Guitar Tab download
• Buddy Holly - Golden Anniversary Songbook - Piano/Vocal/Guitar
• The Music of Buddy Holly and the Crickets - The Definitive Story DVD

Buy this iconic guitar one way.....

Squier by Fender Standard Stratocaster Electric Guitar Candy Apple Red Maple Fretboard

or another

Fender Custom Shop LTD 1959 Relic Stratocaster and Pro Jr. Amp Set Dakota Red

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LEGENDS - Island Records releaseD the definitive career retrospective of one of the all-time greats of the UK music scene on 7th June 2010. Entitled “Revolutions – The Very Best Of Steve Winwood” it is a portrait of one of the most influential British musicians in rock history, a singer-songwriter, peerless vocalist, guitarist and keyboard player. With tracklistings personally selected by Steve Winwood from his five decade career, “Revolutions: The Very Best Of Steve Winwood” will be available in two high quality formats: a single CD for the casual fan and a four CD deluxe box set including 52 page book for the connoisseur, with sleevenotes by writer Dylan Jones. A child prodigy, Winwood first performed live on stage at the tender age of 8 in his father’s trad jazz band, and joined the Spencer Davis Group at 14. His stunning vocal style was compared to Ray Charles. He left Spencer Davis to form Traffic then later teamed up with Eric Clapton in Blind Faith at the tail-end of the Sixties. Arguably his biggest successes came with his solo work from the Seventies on. In his teens Winwood played in pick-up bands for touring blues legends including Muddy Waters, BB King, Chuck Berry, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker and Bo Diddley. In a career lasting nearly 50 years he has sold over 50 million albums and several of his songs have become standards, notably ‘Gimme Some Lovin’ (memorably covered in The Blues Brothers film), ‘Keep On Running’, ‘Valerie’, ‘The Low Spark Of The High Heeled Boys’ and ‘Higher Love’. He has been awarded multiple Grammy awards – for ‘Gimme Some Lovin’ and ‘Higher Love’ (a US no 1 in ’86) In 2008 Rolling Stone ranked him no 33 in the 100 Best Singers Of All Time. Throughout his career, Steve Winwood has remained an in-demand session player, and has contributed to landmark albums by a huge array of artists including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Joe Cocker, Lou Reed, George Harrison, Toots & The Maytals, Marianne Faithfull, John Martyn, David Gilmour, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, James Brown, Etta James, Talk Talk, Paul Weller, and Christina Aguilera among many others. Check out the Focus Music Blogspot for “Revolutions: The Very Best Of Steve Winwood” CD track listings and more about the artist.

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NEXT BIG THING - Bombay Bicycle Club, Road to V Winners 2006. Following Road to V the band released two EPs and topped the indie charts, took time out to finish school and returned this summer with their debut album "I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose" released on Island records. The album was produced by Jim Abbiss (of Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian fame). Bombay Bicycle Club myspace

• NEXT BIG THING - Little Fish "Debut Albumn "Baffled and Beat"
• Vanessa Amorosi - CD Hazardous featuring top track "This is Who I Am"
• Brit Pop Oasis Time Flies 1994-2009
• Mumford & Sons critically acclaimed, platinum selling Top 5 debut album, ‘Sigh No More.’ Read more about Mumford & Sons on Focus Music Blogspot
• The Dead Weather - Album Horehound featuring Track Treat me like your Mother & I cut like a Buffalow
• Miike Snow - Animal Buy Cd Album featuring tracks Animal and Black and Blue.
• Skint and Demoralised - Red Lipstick
• Hockey - "Too Fake" 21/3/09. Download "Too Fake"
• "Oh What Have You done" Single - Twisted Wheel 21/3/09 also available album Twisted Wheel CD with Bonus DVD "With a gritty, rock 'n' roll sound heavily indebted to The Clash and their hometown-heroes Oasis, Twisted Wheel's sound is heavier and punkier than most of their indie contemporaries. Their eponymous debut album was produced by Oasis' prolific super-producer Dave Sardy, and arrives amongst a furore of industry hype. They are surprisingly also capable of genuinely reflective moments on songs such as 'What's Your Name' which seem to draw from Pete Doherty's more contemplative side."