Bill Morrissey Tribute

This Thursday there is a concert to honor the memory and accomplishments of the late Bill Morrissey. This is a wonderful thing with his friends flying in at their own expense to perform. Peter Case, for example, is coming in from the west coast.


There are some things about Bill that I want to remember above and beyond his skills as a songwriter and performer. He was generous, especially with younger artists. This was not only because he was a kind and giving person, but because he understood his place in the musical continuum. I remember one afternoon when a young songwriter, and I won't say who, came into the radio station very excited because Bill had talked to them. But not just talked to them - but treated as an artistic equal. And here's a name I will mention. Ask Mark Erelli about the concert he shared with Morrissey when Bill asked him to sing "Birches."


Bill was one of the funniest people I've ever known. His humor came from his humanity and from his incredible observational skills. The same things that made him not just a great songwriter but a great writer.


Though he would probably have denied it, Bill was a sensitive guy. Every mistake he made in his life, and every harm he caused another, lived like a barbed fish hook in his flesh.


Bill was also incredibly courageous. He fought demons all through his life that few of us can imagine. The demons finally took him, but he battled hard, right to the end. And that is the Bill Morrissey I want to remember.


~ Dave Palmater

Susie Burke and David Surette this week on Live at Noon

Most of the artists I get to interview on Live at Noon each week are songwriters, but I'm equally intrigued by singers who aren't. Now this is not to say that Susie Burke is not a great songwriter. After all she has songs like "Lucky Stars" and "All of Us" to her credit. But much of her repertoire, with partner David Surette, consist of songs written by others. She casts her net wide, performing everything from traditional songs to those written by her contemporaries like Bob Franke, Chuck Hall and Si Kahn. In the video above, Susie and David perform "Stepping out" at the Elysium Arts Folk Club in 2009 (skip to 1:19 for the start of the song).

This year she and David have collaborated on an album of seasonal music called "Wonderland Christmas." In addition to them playing some songs, and perhaps a tune or two, I'll be chatting with them about all of that Live at Noon this Friday. What would you like to know about Susie Burke and David Surette?

~ Dave Palmater

The Top 100 Artist Countdown for 2011!

Who ‘just missed’ being in the Top 100? It’s finally here - the Top 100 Artist Countdown for 2011! Join us all this week, Monday thru Friday from 7am-6pm daily, as we count down the top 100 WUMB Artists as voted by our listeners. Each day, nearly every half hour, we’ll do three song sets featuring the artists that you voted for! For the last five years, Bob Dylan was voted #1, and both Joni Mitchell and Cheryl Wheeler ended up in the top five. Will they repeat? You’ll just have to listen all week to find out! You can check out the list of the twenty performers of who barely ‘just missed’ being included in the Top 100 – some by only one or two votes, at: http://wumb.org/music/Top100-2011-master.php

The Story of "A Family Affair"

At 10 years old, Chico Colvard shot his older sister in the leg -- and ended up exposing a tragic family secret. Nearly thirty years later as a UMass Boston graduate and now adjunct professor, Colvard sparks a chain reaction in a documentary that exposes previously unspeakable actions in his family and the ensuing confusing reactions by members of his family. I have never been so captivated with, or drawn into a story and interview on any of our previous Commonwealth Journal interviews as with this story. Tune in this Sunday night at 7pm as host DeWayne Lehman talks with Chico about his family and his raw, award-winning documentary “Family Affair.” View a piece of the documentary here: FamilyAffairYouTube

- Pat Monteith

CD Review: Brigitte DeMeyer - "Rose of Jericho"

Quite frankly, I'd never heard of her, but I try to give every one a fair shake. Especially when she has very talented friends. One of the first things I look at on an album is who produced it and where. Not much to go on here. I didn't know the producer and it was recorded in Nashville, and really, what performing songwriter hasn't, or at least wants to. It got really interesting, however, when I got out the magnifying glass and checked the personnel. The band on almost every track included not just Will Kimbrough but Mike Henderson. And if that were not enough, Mike Ferris sings backup, Sam Bush plays on several tracks, and the great pedal steel player Al Perkins even makes an appearance. All of this adds up to an album that is worth trying and, in this case, it pays off well. Her voice is different but engaging, the songs are strong in a kind of Nashville way and, of course, the backup is superb. I'll be interested to hear what you have to say about the album once you've gotten a chance to hear it starting next week on WUMB.

-Dave Palmater

This week on Highway 61 Revisited

This Saturday (8am-Noon) on Highway 61 Revisited we'll have equal billing for two very important Youngs (forever young if you will), who are both celebrating birthdays: Jesse Colin Young, solo and w/the Youngbloods as well as Neil Young w/his various band incarnations as well as his solo work for the last 40+ years. I'm still putting the show together; do you have suggestions for what songs to play from either?

- Albert O

RIP - Terence Martin

We are saddened to learn of a second loss in our music community with the passing of New York singer-songwriter Terence Martin, to pancreatic cancer. Terence shared the stage with many notable performers including Roseanne Cash, Roger McGuinn and Dar Williams. We’ll most remember his performance at the 2006 Boston Folk Festival where he participated in an incredible song-swap of “Songs from the Heart” along with Jesse Winchester and Red Molly. Our condolences go out to the Martin family. http://www.martinsongs.com/

Billie Hocket Passes at age 89

Billie Hockett quietly passed away on Monday, November 7, 2011, at age 89. As far as anyone knows, it is the only thing that Billie ever did quietly. She was a firecracker, a rebel and a fierce defender and promoter of traditional music, most especially Celtic music through her non-profit Music For Robin concerts. Billie gained international renown by bringing top-notch musicians from overseas to perform in the Boston area. Her house concerts in her hometown of Lexington, Massachusetts, were legendary. She could bring in sell-out crowds to hear musicians the audience had never heard of. Billie was curious, knowledgeable and often irritatingly vocal on matters close to her heart. She did not like to do as she was told and always demanded proof before accepting anything as fact. She was loyal to friends and beloved by them. During the past year, Billie fooled her doctors many times by refusing to give in to failing health. The local and international folk community responded to her son’s requests for messages with enough memories to fill a book, which she treasured. Surrounded by devoted family, Billie Hockett said goodbye to this world the way she lived in it: on her own terms.

- Marilyn Rea Beyer