independent and unofficial
Prince fan community
Welcome! Sign up or enter username and password to remember me
Forum jump
Forums > Music: Non-Prince > Jellybean Johnson Shout Out to Cold Blood
« Previous topic  Next topic »
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
Author

Tweet     Share

Message
Thread started 03/04/09 6:40am

RipHer2Shreds

Jellybean Johnson Shout Out to Cold Blood



In the clip above (an old interview on BET with Donnie Simpson), The Time drummer Jellybean talks among other things about his influences as a drummer and mentions Sandy McKee from the classic R&B/rock outfit Cold Blood. Donnie - like most - hadn't heard of them.

Well here's your chance! lol Really, this is just an excuse to talk about Cold Blood. They've come up once or twice on here, but not nearly enough to suit my tastes. mr.green Below is Lydia Pense and company giving it their all on the cover tune Your Good Thing:


Sisyphus (1970)

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #1 posted 03/04/09 7:57am

paligap

avatar

...

biggrin Man, it's amazing how many drummers were checking out Sandy McKee! During a Narada Michael Walden interview, he named Sandy as an influence, saying, "Man, if you want to hear some inside funk, listen to this guy!"







...
" I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #2 posted 03/04/09 8:50am

theAudience

avatar

Ripster thanks for mentioning this group.
If you were in a cover band in the 70s that had a horn section, you had to have some Cold Blood on your playlist.
They're from the Bay Area and contemporaries of Tower of Power.
At times the band included members of TOP and Santana's bands.
Not as well known but they have their moments. Musicians and music-heads know who they are.




...Shop Talk




...Down To The Bone




...Down To The Bone - Live

Especially Shop Talk & Down To The Bone which have some great examples of the drumming skills of Sandy McKee.
(The live clip of Down To The Bone is a later edition of the band that uses a different drummer)





...Valdez in the Country


Then there's vocalist Lydia Pense...



...who they titled their 5th album after.



Great band.
Drummer Sandy McKee joined on their second album Sisyphus and passed away a few years ago.


tA

peace Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431
"Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all."
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #3 posted 03/04/09 9:32am

RipHer2Shreds

I knew he came aboard after the first album but wasn't aware he died. eek Thanks!
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #4 posted 03/04/09 12:40pm

theAudience

avatar

RipHer2Shreds said:

I knew he came aboard after the first album but wasn't aware he died. eek Thanks!

You're welcome. Looks like it was 1995 from cancer.


A couple of other Sandy McKee shout-outs.

Drummer Jon "Sugarfoot" Moffett
(Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, George Michael, Elton John, Madonna, Lionel Richie, Cameo and others)

MD: Who were some of your influences?

Jonathan: John Bonham, Clyde Stubblefield, Jabo Starks. Melvin Parker, also from James Brown's band, was bad. One of my favorites was Bernard Purdie. He's one of the most musical drummers that you could ever want to hear. Another is Danny Seraphine from Chicago, and then Bobby Colomby from Blood Sweat & Tears. Buddy Miles was a big influence too, as was Billy Cobham. Then there was a guy named Sandy McKee, who had a different technique, very interesting. He had an album in the '70s called Sissyfuss that was just extraordinary.
...From a July 2005 interview in Modern Drummer (http://www.moderndrummer....%20Moffett)


An "interesting" Sandy McKee testimonial...



...from drummer John "BAM BAM" Morgan


Maybe your thread will get some traction now that its gotten this Michael Jackson/Janet Jackson/Madonna reference. wink


tA

peace Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431
"Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all."
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #5 posted 03/04/09 12:55pm

Cinnie

I know the band from a Canadian rap song from 18+ years ago "Jamaican Funk" (the original mix) by Michee Mee. It had a very generic credit like "Music by Cold Blood" lol
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #6 posted 03/04/09 1:11pm

RipHer2Shreds

lol @ the traction comment.

Cinnie - that generic credit is...cold-blooded. confused

In the interview clip below, Lydia says that she's the only original member left. It's a bit depressing, because nearly everybody they talk about is now dead. Around the 7:00 mark she talks about how they came to work with Donny Hathaway. I love hearing these old stories.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...Pvu1cOUSMs (embedding disabled)
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #7 posted 03/04/09 1:12pm

RipHer2Shreds

theAudience said:

An "interesting" Sandy McKee testimonial...



...from drummer John "BAM BAM" Morgan

I'ma hafta watch this when I get home...the first 30 seconds scurred me. lol
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #8 posted 03/04/09 2:47pm

Cinnie

RipHer2Shreds said:

Cinnie - that generic credit is...cold-blooded. confused

falloff


I'm just saying that's where I first heard of them. It's a bad-ass bassline too.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #9 posted 03/04/09 3:52pm

ViintageJunkii
e

avatar

isnt he dancing in this janet video?

  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #10 posted 03/04/09 4:34pm

RipHer2Shreds

ViintageJunkiie said:

isnt he dancing in this janet video?


Sandy McKee? No. biggrin
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #11 posted 03/08/09 6:07pm

Cinnie

theAudience said:

Musicians and music-heads know who they are.



...Down To The Bone



...Valdez in the Country


  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #12 posted 03/08/09 8:55pm

theAudience

avatar

Cinnie said:



Like I said, music-heads know. wink


tA

peace Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431
"Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all."
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #13 posted 03/10/09 6:45am

Shango

avatar

RipHer2Shreds said:

ViintageJunkiie said:

isnt he dancing in this janet video?


Sandy McKee? No. biggrin

falloff ... i guess ViintageJunkiie meant "Jilliebean"
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
Reply #14 posted 03/10/09 6:52am

Shango

avatar

Wonder if there ever has been filmed early footage of Lydia & Cold Blood hmmm
Really interested to see vintage clips of Sandy McKee in action.
  - E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator
  New topic   Printable     (Log in to 'subscribe' to this topic)
« Previous topic  Next topic »
Forums > Music: Non-Prince > Jellybean Johnson Shout Out to Cold Blood