Elvin’s a pretty unassuming guy.  But, get him talking about his 1959 Gibson ES-345, the one he calls “Red Dog,” and he’ll perk right up.  We talked about his new CD, and how he picked some of the cover tunes.

He also filled us in on the annual “Blues Cruise” which he is a part of (along with Irma Thomas, Johnny AND Edgar Winter, and Los Lobos) in October.  I also had him give us a list of 3 essential blues albums to cut your teeth on.  His interview will air Tuesday, May 11th at 9pm EDT and be available for streaming anytime after that.

May 4, 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of the tragedy at Kent State.  No song better captured what the country was feeling at the time than “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.  The song itself still stands as one of the greatest examples of the immediacy of music.

As the story goes, it was David Crosby who saw the article on the event in Life Magazine and challenged buddy Neil Young to write something.  Within twenty minutes he had finished the song.  The band convened that night and recorded the entire thing, guitars, drums, bass, vocals, harmonies–all live, in just a couple of takes.

As they were mixing the song, they realized they needed a b-side and chose to record another new composition, this one by Stephen Stills, called “Find the Cost of Freedom.”  The band sat in a tight circle and sang the song, with only Stills on guitar.  The tape was played back and they sang it again, adding harmonies.  In a span of about six hours, history had been made.

Both tracks were airmailed to New York and within days the record was out on the radio, pointing fingers and naming names.  Many AM stations refused to play the track, because of it’s criticism of the Nixon administration.  However, the burgeoning underground FM format embraced the song.

As a side note, the group already had a song racing up the charts at the time, “Teach Your Children,’ written by Graham Nash.  By releasing “Ohio,” it basically killed the momentum of the other song.  At one point in July 1970, both songs were in the top 20.  Despite it’s limited airplay, “Ohio” still peaked at #14.  It stands as the greatest achievement of C,S,N & Y.

I talked with Darlene last night through the miracle of modern technology.  Over the Internet, we were able to chat – with me in Ohio and Darlene some thousands of miles away in Australia.  She’s preparing for the opening of Fame: The Musical in Melbourne.  The morning we talked, she was a little tired from a late-night practice.  Later that day were more practices, a dress rehearsal, and finally, the opening night of the show.  I felt honored that she took time to talk with us with such a busy schedule.

Although it was certainly nice to chat, trying to conduct an interview over the Internet can be dicey.  There were several instances where her voice was a little jumbled.  Keep that in mind when you listen to the show.  However, it’s a small price to pay to actually talk with such a special lady.

Singer Darlene Love has lent her voice to literally hundreds (and possibly thousands) of recordings over the years.  We’ve assembled a list of some of her “Greatest Hits”:

“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” – Darlene Love – One of Darlene’s greatest moments.  A stone-cold holiday classic from Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift to You.  You can close your eyes and feel the snow falling on you.

“He’s a Rebel” – credited to the Crystals, but it’s actually Darlene on lead vocals.  Her first #1 hit.

“Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah – Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans – Darlene sings on this Disney classic turned inside-out.  Extra points for Billy Strange’s guitar solo that sounds like it’s coming from another planet.

“(Today I Met) The Boy I’m Gonna Marry” – Darlene Love – One of the few Spector tracks to actually sport Miss D’s name.  Darlene reaches back to her days in the gospel choir for a gutty performance.  Imagine her preaching to the congregation about her good news.

“The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss)” – Betty Everett – Darlene and the Blossoms do the question-asking, like “Is it in his eyes”?  sharing the lead vocalis with Betty.  The vocal ascending that they do when Betty sings “Kiss him / and squeeze him tight” will send shivers.

“Poor Side of Town” – Johnny Rivers – Darlene & the Blossoms show off their gentler side as they echo Johnny’s verses with sweet sophistication.

“The Right Time” – Bobby Darin – Darlene duets with Bobby on this under-appreciated cut from a lost Darin LP called Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles

“Brown-Eyed Woman” – Bill Medley – The deep-voiced half of the Righteous Brothers testifies his love for Darlene, while she and her sisters turn up the heat.

“Basketball Jones – Cheech and Chong – Showing that she truly is one of the most versatile of vocalists, Darlene lends her talents to C&C’s parody of the Brighter Side of Darkness “Love Jones.”