When it comes to music, Arkansas native Patrick Glass knows it inside and out: he has a scary knowledge of the catalogs of about any artist one could imagine, he builds guitars at the Gibson Guitar Factory downtown, and he plays a pretty tight guitar in the local band Richard James and the Special Riders. He is also about as friendly (and enthusiastic) as a golden retriever. Supportive as he is active in the Memphis music scene, one can spot him at pretty much any must-see Memphis show. This week Mr. Glass shares what is making him a happy man.
See Patrick Glass perform with Richard James and the Special Riders on August 19th at 5:30pm at the Goner Gazebo in Cooper Young as a free concert in the Rock for Love 5 Series.
1. Frank Sinatra – “The World We Knew (Over and Over)”
So a few months ago on a whim I picked up about 15 Frank Sinatra LPs from a dollar bin, and it’s taken me a while to go through them. I usually throw one on when I’m about to go to sleep, but when I hit this one I kind of flipped out. From that fuzzed out intro to Frank’s amazing vocal range, I think this one’s perfect.
2. The Staple Singers before they came to Stax
Everyone in Memphis should know the big hits like “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself,” and that’s wonderful but if you really want to set your soul free you should check out the gospel sides they recorded before they went “secular.” I just picked up a double LP compilation on Epic called “The Staple Singers Make You Happy” and I could listen to this stuff all day. I even want a tremolo pedal that would approximate Pop’s sound. Almost everything I’ve heard on the Vee Jay, Riverside and Epic labels is gold, and you don’t even have to be a believer to believe.
3. REELRADIO: Reel Top Forty Radio Depository
I always wondered what I would’ve been like to listen to the radio in the 1960’s, when almost all of my favorite music was created. If you feel the same way, for $20 a year, this website is the next best thing to a time machine. With over 2000 recordings, most of them unedited, you’ll hear the talented DJs (from Alan Freed to The Real Don Steel to Dan Ingram and hundreds more), lots of songs you may never have heard, news reports that are a historical goldmine, and if you hang out there as long as I have you’ll have a Wrigley’s Spearmint gum jingle from 1967 permanently etched into your psyche, for better or for worse.
See Also:
- The Sound of Memphis: Check Out the New Video from Richard James and the Special Riders
- 5 Questions with Richard James & The Special Riders
- Locals Only: Jeremy Scott Listens to Richard James and the Special Riders
- Rock for Love 5 Artists Takeover Pick Three: Jeremy Scott of The Burning Sands
- Rock For Love 5 Artists Take Over Pick Three: Grace Askew
