A Singer and Her Songs

Karla Bonoff graced the Narrows stage Thursday night with her crystal clear vocals, side guitarist Nina Gerber, and, of course, stellar songs.

Her compositions include "All My Life," a Grammy-winner for Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville, and "Tell Me Why," a hit for Wynonna Judd. She had her own top 20 hit with "Personally" in the 1980s.

She has been closely associated with Linda Ronstadt, who covered a number of her tunes. And they shared Kenny Edwards, a member of the Stone Poneys (remember "Different Drum"?) with Ms. Ronstadt. Kenny worked for years with both artists, touring with Ms. Bonoff, including a show or two at the Narrows, until his passing last year.

Two, Count 'Em, Two in a Row

Wow, the line-up of shows is amazing. Go to www.ncfta.org to see everything, but just a few new ones that that particularly caught my eye:

• In January--I know that's a long way off--Americana star (and Narrows discovery we like to think) Eilen Jewell will be performing for 2 nights in a row. Who else has done this in Narrows history? Maybe Richard Thompson? She's become a Narrows sell-out, so we're going for two to warm up one of the most depressing times of year.

• One of my faves Karla Bonoff has had a rough couple years--colleagues Kenny Edwards and Andrew Gold passed away. She's put on several fabulous shows at the Narrows, and she'll be on-deck in September, this time without Kenny, who performed with her last time. Great songwriter and performer.

• Her last album was fab, she's got a book out, and she likes to Twitter--Rosanne Cash makes her Narrows' debut in November as part of our 10th anniversary celebration.

Gotta run. Writing this just before the Garland Jeffreys show and it's almost time to hit the stage.

RIP Kenny Edwards

Very sad to note the passing of Narrows alum Kenny Edwards, founder of the Stone Poneys ("Different Drum" was a hit for them in the late 1960s with Linda Ronstadt at the vocals), musical associate of Linda Rondstadt during her prolific 1970s period, and longtime musical associate of Narrows alum Karla Bonoff as well as Andrew Gold ("Thank You For Being a Friend").

The LA Times reports he was suffering from cancer and a blood disorder. He collapsed in Denver while on tour with Karla, the paper reported, and hospitalized, dying Wednesday in California.

I know the crew at the Narrows who worked with him liked him and enjoyed working with him. A great talent and fine gentleman.

Karla Bonoff posted this message on her website, marking his passing: "I want to thank him for being my teacher, my musical partner and my best friend for the last forty-three years." Linda Ronstadt called him a "beacon to me" in an extensive remembrance of Kenny in an LA Times blog. To see that remembrance, click here.

For all of the entries about Kenny I've blogged, please click here.

Backstage with Bonoff

Karla Bonoff returned to the Narrows Friday night, bringing her polished West Coast folk pop sound.  Left to right in the photo above is her fine guitarist, Nina Gerber, and Ms. Bonoff.  This was "backstage" a little while before the concert.  

The pink blouse that Karla is wearing later turned into a liability while playing the guitar.  She kept pushing it back off the strings--but finally she just rolled up her sleeve, noting that it wasn't a good shirt to wear and play guitar.

The show was opened by longtime producer and collaborator, Kenny Edwards (pictured below).

By the way, several members of the audience drove all the way from Buffalo, NY, just to see the show. I'm sure they felt it was worth it! One of the best concerts of the year at the Narrows!

Top Concerts at the Narrows in 2007

It's getting to be that time of year when people start compiling "best of" lists, even though the year isn't quite over yet.

So, perhaps it would be fun to start listing what you think were the top concerts at the Narrows for 2007. Of course, if you only went to a couple shows, that's kind of tough. But we want to hear from you! My thoughts:

--The Karla Bonoff show, for me, was one of the best ever. And meeting producer/sideguy Kenny Edwards was a personal thrill. Karla's songs and performance were solid, and she had an interesting sense of humor, too.

--The Kim Wilson, Charlie Musselwhite show was another thrill , particularly when J.Geils' guy Magic Dick showed up.

--The John Cowan Band show was also one of the best of the year, although folks may not know who he is. Get to know him!

--I love the Holmes Brothers. Their most recent CD was groundbreaking, as they did a "gospel" version of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me." They got some notice on rollingstone.com for this, which was nice.

--Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles continued to surpass expectations. They're just a fun band to watch. They released their first CD on major label Sugar Hill Records, which was cool. They're still "working" the record as we speak. I wouldn't be surprised if they head back into the studio in 2008.

--Did we have the Drunk Stuntmen in 2007? If we did, their show was certainly one of the best. Great energy, songwriting, arrangements, harmonies, musicianship. Always a "lock" for the Backstage Blogger.

--And let's not forget Eilen Jewell either. She continues to grow in popularity across the country. I wouldn't be surprised if she goes back into the studio, or gets signed by Sugar Hill or somebody.

Some of the best news at the Narrows was the soon-to-be-completed installation of an elevator (yaaay), and the guitar auction, which is going on right now. Visit www.ncfta.org for more info on that.

Leave your favorites and your thoughts in the comments section.

Karla Bonoff Debuts at Narrows

Friday night marked the debut of LA singer/songwriter Karla Bonoff at the Narrows, and it was a heck of an introduction. Producer/side guy Kenny Edwards kicked things off with several tunes from his first ever solo CD--he's made a ton of records (he's Bonoff's producer) but never got around to his own.

(As noted in an earlier entry in this blog, your humble blogger is a big fan of Mr. Edwards--to the point when I was introduced to the multi-instrumentalist-producer-former Stone Poney before the show I showed uncharacteristic enthusiasm, like a "fan." This apparently was unnerving to witnesses, according to other Narrows' volunteers. Your humble blogger pledges never to show an emotional crack in his professional music armor ever again.) BTW--for more info on the Stone Poneys, click here.

A youngish 56-year-old Bonoff played the tunes that made her fame as a songwriter, including "Somebody To Lay Down Beside Me," covered by Linda Ronstadt, and "Tell Me Why," a hit for Wynonna Judd. Ms. Bonoff noted that her song "All My Life, " a big hit for Ronstadt and Aaron Neville, is apparently popular at weddings "though I wouldn't know."

Despite being a night of ballads and mid-tempo numbers, the quality of the songwriting, Bonoff's stellar vocals, and the understated-yet-solid musicianship from Bonoff, Edwards and guitarist Nina Gerber engendered the energy to bring the crowd to its feet.

A quirky aside--Ms. Gerber brought her dog on stage for the show. Tootsie Gerber, unlike the appreciative audience, seemed to sleep through the music. It's the first time a dog has "performed" on the Narrows' stage.

Stone Poneys Founder Backing Karla Bonoff

Friday, October 12 the Narrows welcomes singer/songwriter Karla Bonoff for the first time--but since your humble blogger is a man who reads the liner notes, he'd like to announce that Kenny Edwards will be backing Ms. Bonoff.

Kenny who?

Didn't you ever read the credits on a Linda Ronstadt album? He helped found The Stone Ponys, baby (Remember "Different Drum?") with Linda. He'd done much more over the years, of course.

Check him out here.