Thursday, December 31, 2015

HISTORY OF SYRACUSE MUSIC "OFFICIAL SITE' - CHAPTER 154 - GREG SPENCER'S BLUE WAVE RECORDS CELEBRATES 30 YEARS OF GREAT MUSIC RELEASES

Blue Wave Records was formed by Greg Spencer in 1983. It's goal of convincing people that local music could be, and often was, terrific. The label's first release was by Syracuse bluesmen the "Kingsnakes" and was produced by Mark Doyle (1985). The label's early recording included great material from such legendary CNY artist as Mark Doyle, Joe Whiting, The Kingsnakes, (Ed) Hamell on Trial and Stroke RnB.

Spencer's label also released a Blue Wave Sampler Cd titled "10th Anniversary Sampler" in 1995. It contained 70+ minutes of Rockin' Blues from the past 10 years from the Blue Wave archives.

Owner-producer Greg Spencer celebrated Blue Wave label's 15th anniversary in February 2000 with the release of a 17-cut highlight album. It featured Kim Lembo, Kim Simmons. Built For Comfort Blues Band, Ronnie D, Backbone Slip, Cub Koda, Tino Gonzales, Kingsnakes, Sean Costello, King Biscuit Boy and Downchild Blues Band.

April 2004, Greg released a compulation album of Jimmy Cavallo' spanning his over 50 years of performing Rock n' Roll called "Rock The Joint". The Jimmy Cavallo Collection 1951-73. 1973 also saw Greg Spencer being inducted into the Syracuse Area Music Hall of Fame (SAMMYS). June 2006 saw the great Jimmy Cavallo team with blueman Ron Spencer in winning a 2006 Sammy Award.

The Blue Wave Record catalog also included the last two volumes of the History of Syracuse Music Album series started some 36 years prior.

December 27, 2015 Greg Spencer celebrated Blue Waves Recxords 30th Anniversary by holding a fantastic live concert at the Palace Theater. This fantastic show mc'd by Dave Frisina featured super-group "The Kingsnakes". On stage that evening were Mark Doyle. Pete McMahon, Terry Mulhauser, Jerry Neeley, Steve Winston, Mark Tiffault, Joe Corello, Frank Grosso to name a few. Congrats goods out to our friend - Greg Spencer

Below is a total Blue Wave Label catalog listing

BW 101    Kingsnakes                   Take A Chance   (1985)
BW102     Doyle-Whiting Band    Good Rockin Tonight  (1985)
BW 103    Stroke RnB                   No Substute  (1985)
BW 104    Kingsnakes                   Hardlife Boogie  (1986)
BW 105    History of Syr Music   Volumes 12 &13  (1986)
BW 106   Doyle-Whiting Band     Flesh & Blood  (1986)
BW 108   Salt City Blues- Volume 1 
BW 109   Arthur Brown & Jimmy Clark Black      Brown, Black & Blue
BW 110   Hamell on Trail              Conviction  (1989)
CD 111    Kingsnakes                     19 Lucky Strikes (1989)
CD 112    Unholy Wives                 When Sanity Sleeps  (1989)
CD 113    Jumpin Joe Whiting        Rhythm n; Groove (1989)
BW 114   Kingsnakes                      Trouble on the Run (1990)
CD 115    Backbone Slip                 Swamp- Water  (1991)
CD 116    Kingsnakes                      Snakes Alive  (1992)
CD 117    Eric Burdon                     The Unreleased Eric Burdon  (1992)
CD 118   Built For Comfort Blues Band     Keep Cool  (1993)
CD 119   Doyle & Whiting              Buried Bones  (1993)
CD 120   Here Comes Another Christmas     Various Artists
CD 121   Cub Koda Collection 1963-93        Welcome To My Job (1993)
CD 122   Backbone Slip                    Avenue Breakdown (1994)
CD 123   (see below *)
CD 124   King Biscuit Boy                Urban Blues RE" Newell (1994)
CD 125   Kim Lembo                         Blue Heat  (1994)
CD 126   Downchild Blues Band       Good Times Guaranteed
CD 127   Kim Lembo                         Mama Lion  (1996)
CD 128   Blue Wave 10th Anniversary Collection - various artists (1995)
CD 129   Built For Comfort Blues Band    High Ballin  (1996)
CD 130   Eric Burdon                                 Unreleased Eric Burdon Vol 2 
CD 131   Kim Simmonds                            Solitaire (1997)
CD 132   Kim Lembo                                 Ready to Ride (1998)
CD 133   Ronnie D                                     Blues Demon (1998)
CD 134   Downchild Blues Band               Lucky 13  (1998)
CD 135   Tino Gonzales                             Double Feature  (1999)
CD 136   Sean Costello & His Jivebombers     Call The Cops
CD 137   Blue Wave 15th Anniversary Collection  (2000)
CD138    Kim Simmonds                             Blues Like Midnight (2001)
CD139    History of Syracuse Music Volume 14  (2000)
CD 140   Kim Lembo & Blue Heat             Paris Burning- Live Chesterfield Café (2000)
CD 141   Downchild Blues Band                A Matter of Time (2000)
CD 142   Kingsnakes                                   Trouble on the Run (2001)
CD 143   Jimmy Cavallo w/ Ron Spencer & Qumpstart - The House Rocker  (2002)
CD 144   Downchild Blues Band                 Body of Work- Collection Vol 2 (2003)
CD 145   Joni James Blues Band                 In The World  (2003)
CD 146   Jimmy Cavallo                              Rock the Joint- Collection 1951-73 (2004)
CD 147   Kingsnakes                                    Hot Snakes. Live Copperfields 1980 (2004)
CD 148   Ron Spencer & Qumpstart            Livin Low (2005)
CD 149   Jimmy Cavallo                              You Better Believe It (2006)
CD 150   Jony James Blue Band                  What About Tommorow  (2006)
CD 151   Kim Simmonds                             Out of the Blue (2008)
CD 152   Savoy Brown                                 Steel
CD 123*  Savoy Brown                                Too Much of A Good Thing (2009)


PRO 001  Kim Lembo & Blue Heat          Steamers
                                                                   (7-song limited edition of 200 pressings)

7243B4484620    Kim Lembo                    Mama Lion
                                                                    (Released in France on Virgin Sky Ranch label)

                             Kim Lembo                     Paris Buring Live at Chesterfield Café
                                                                     (Released in France in 2000)


Tuesday, December 1, 2015

PASSING OF FOUR GREAT CENTRAL NEW YORK MUSICIANS RECENTLY

Sad to report the passing of four great CNY musicians recently- Worldwide jazz great Mark Murphy (10/23) along with vocalist-frontman Spencer Montague (10/1) and keyboardist of the Alligators- Rick Scapicchio (10/18), sound engineer and technician John "Dawk" Stillwell (12/24) along with Buffalo born- Three Dog Night singer- Cory Wells who resided in Dunkirk, NY