Favorite Collaborations

In the mid-80’s I saw & heard The Blasters back Big Joe Turner live at Club Lingerie on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Dave Alvin was of course at that time still in the band, as was the legendary Lee Allen, tenor sax player on all Little Richard’s 1950’s Specialty Records sides. What a singer, what a band! You can keep your Led Zeppelin, THIS is Rock ’n’ Roll!

The worst collaboration I have witnessed was Keith Richards’ disgusting behavior towards Norah Jones during their duet at The Gram Parson’s Tribute Show at Universal Studios Amphitheater (late-90’s, I think.). They performed a terrible rendition (Norah was okay, Keith simply awful. He was doing his whole "Aren’t I charming?", sloppy-drunk routine. Pathetic.) of the Everly Brothers’ classic "Love Hurts", and Keith was all over Norah like a cheap suit. What a pig. Norah’s facial expressions ranged from stunned bewilderment to outright embarrassment. I was myself embarrassed to be witnessing it.