May 27, 2013

Today's blog is a pleasure to do because it is about Tony Kanaan winning the Indy 500 race!

Tony, is one of those guys who should have won the Indy 500 more than once already but hasn't. He has had bad luck at each previous attempt to win the great race.

Each time Tony has raced at Indy he has had the lead for a while but just not at the right time. This time, everything went his way and I think every person at the speedway was happy. It was his time finally, to pour the milk on his head!

His face will now be put on the huge Borg Warner trophy that has every previous winner's face on it. Tony joked about his big nose being put on the trophy!

It was a good race, a fast race, nobody got hurt and the good guy finally won! I even had a tear in my eye when Tony won!

Congrats Tony, you deserve all that comes with winning the Indy 500! He will have a very busy week this week because he is the Indy 500 winner!!

Attached are a few photos from the Milwaukee Mile race in 2012.

If you would like a picture of the Indy 500 winner please contact us.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

May 20, 2013

My favorite time of year is here! In the background here on the television right now is Indy 500 qualifying!

It is a weekend full of good and bad drama and stories.

A good story is that Conor Daly is qualifying for his first Indy 500 with A J Foyt's team. So far he is in the show and I hope he has a good race. His father Derrick Daly has some Indy 500 stories of his own.

Helio, Dario, and Marco Andretti are in the race and personally, I am pulling for Marco. It is his time for a win and he always has a good run at the speedway.

The story of the weekend of course is the race for pole position and Ed Carpenter has won it!

Ed Carpenter is a family man who lives in Indianapolis. He likes to work around the house himself and take the kids to school. Ed is so plain and normal, you could say he is vanilla! He is part of the Hulman/George family that runs the speedway and the first family member to be in the race. I wish him luck and a safe race but watch out Ed, Marco is coming!

So far, no crashes have occurred that I know of and let's hope it stays that way. At 226 mph we do not need any crashes.

Attached are some of my favorite racers that have won Indy or should have. I can't put all of them up, but here are a few and if you would like a print on your wall at home just let us know.

Enjoy and have a safe Memorial Day and Indy 500 weekend! I think I hear Jim Nabors practicing his song that he sings every year before the race, Back Home In Indiana.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

 

May 13, 2013

Where would rock'n'roll be without the Everly Brothers? As a duo, Phil and Don Everly, probably influenced every musician by what they did in the 1950's and 1960's.

Phil and Don's music career started in Iowa in the 1940's with their father Ike's radio show. Their mother Margaret, was also a part of the radio show and the family performed as the Everly Family in and around Iowa in the early years.

Family friend, Chet Atkins, helped the boys out in 1956 in getting their first record contract.  The Everly Brothers were born.

When I heard that they were playing at a grade school in my neighborhood in Milwaukee in 1972, I could not believe it! The roller skating rink at the school was going to be having a rock'n'roll show with the Everly Brothers?? It was an amazing show and I was star struck to say the least!

Looking at my photographs from that night, I see that my good friends the Hound Dog Band must have opened up the show because the drum set says HDB on it. That was long ago and I don't remember the HDB that night but I do remember the Everly Brothers.

I also was amazed by the band the Everly Brothers had with them. The guitar player was Waddy Wachtel. Waddy has played with just about everyone from Stevie Nicks to the Eagles and many more. He is an excellent and well known session player. One of the photographs here is of Waddy.

It's fun looking back and seeing the outfits musicians wear and I love the dressed up Levi's they are wearing.

Hope you enjoy a little look at the Everly Brothers in 1972. If you would like a photograph on your wall at home or the office, 8 X 10 limited edition prints are on sale for $50.00 this week.

Have a great week.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

 

Steve Miller and Leslie West

May 6, 2013

At Summerfest in Milwaukee on July 25, 1977, Steve Miller and his band played the main stage. Also, on that night the band Mountain played with great guitar player Leslie West.

Love Steve Miller's rare vintage Ibanez Artist 2623 guitar! It's just beautiful!

During Steve Miller's show we were given a treat when Steve brought out Leslie West to play a few songs with him! Wish I could remember what songs they played but I do remember it being very good and very windy as you can see in the attached photos.

The great Norton Buffalo is on stage left.  He was awesome and miss him.

This gives us a nice look at Summerfest in 1977 and some of the greatest guitar players around.

Need a new photograph on your office or home wall? Limited edition prints 8x10, are $50.00 the week of the blog. Contact us soon for a print.

Enjoy and have a great week.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

April 29, 2013

This week's blog is hard to do because it's finally nice in Wisconsin and I want to be outside! That means bike riding, fishing and of course, Spring house chores.We have been cleaning the outside of the house and cleaning all of the windows! Hard work, but it's done now and it looks great.

Other than talking about Spring cleaning chores, our blog is about one of the best country rock bands to ever come about. That would be Loggins and Messina, shown here in 1974 at the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh. In 1974, they played a lot of college shows and were very popular on FM radio.

Jim Messina, after being in the bands Poco and Buffalo Springfield, was an independent record producer for Columbia Records in 1970 when he met Kenny Loggins. The two recorded some songs in Jimmy's living room in Colorado and Loggins and Messina was born. The teacher/apprentice duo had a great following and Kenny Loggins had to put his solo career on hold because they were so successful. This was a very good thing.

Their debut album, Sittin' In, was released in November of 1971 and five more albums would be released before Kenny Loggins went on his own to become a solo act.

They have done a few tours since the old days. One in 2005 and another in 2009 and I missed them both unfortunately!

Enjoy the photos and if you would like a copy for your walls at home or office, an 8 X 10 limited edition print is on sale this week for $50.00.

Have a great week and don't do too many Spring chores!

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

The J. Geils Band in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at Summerfest in 1972.

April 20, 2013

My blog this week, that I have been working on for a while, is about a little blues band from Boston called the J. Geils Band.  After a bad week in Boston, I felt it was rather fitting that we talk about some good people of Boston.  John Geils and most of the band are actually from Worcester, Massachucetts.

John Geils, the guitar player and founder, started the band in the 1960's. He went through a few versions before getting it right in 1967 to form the band we are all familiar with.

Peter Blankenfeld, who we all know as vocalist Peter Wolf, was an ex disc jockey before joining the band. 

Richard Salwitz, became the harmonica player and is one of the best in the world.  He became "Magic Dick", and known for his "licking stick", on stage.

Danny Klein, known as "Dr. Funk", was the bass player of the band and Stephen Jo Bladd, was the drummer.

More people came and went with the band but this was the core and this band that I photographed at Summerfest in 1972, which is what you see here. 

They got the crowd moving and everybody had a good time!

Enjoy a few photos from 1972 and if you would like some copies for your walls at home please contact us today.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

April 15, 2013

Lowell Geoge's birthday was April 13.  In his memory here is my weekly blog.

Lowell George and his band, Little Feat, played in Milwaukee at the Oriental Theater in 1977.  It was a great show.

The amazing fact I discovered in doing this blog is that Lowell George was a former member of the Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa's band!!  There are several ideas of why Frank dismissed Lowell from the Mothers and I like the one that Frank said Lowell was to good for the band.  Frank then helped Lowell out in forming his own band.  The Mothers of Invention drummer, Jimmy Black, gave Lowell the name of his new band Little Feat because he supposedly has little feet!  The changing of feet to feat is in homage to the Beatles I read in an article.

I have seen people play slide guitar before but at this show, I was watching the master at work!  Lowell George was amazing on his slide guitar.  I recently heard that he taught Bonnie Rait how to play slide guitar.  She learned from a very good teacher.

These images, give us a look at the master at work with his friend, Paul Barrere.

Put some history on your walls at home with our blog pictures of the week.  All 8 1/2 X 11's are  $50.00 for a limited edition archival print.

Enjoy, and have a great week.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

Lowell George, a master slide guitar player with his band Little Feat at the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1977.