Archive for the ‘music’ Category
RIP Jani Lane Remember His Life
To my friend Jani Lane rest in peace and thank you for the awesome gifts he gave us in his music….
Remember how he lived and not how he died….
The Rose
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, ‘Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?’
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, ‘Of course you may!’ and she gave me a giant squeeze..
‘Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?’ I asked.
She jokingly replied, ‘I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…’
‘No seriously,’ I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
‘I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!’ she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this ‘time machine’ as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, ‘I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.’
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ‘ We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!
There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.
The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets..’
She concluded her speech by courageously singing ‘The Rose.’ (Lyrics posted below)
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those months ago.
One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.
When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give.
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and are copywrited property of others
Bill Cuomo
One of the very important people in Jon Raven’s network is his friend and producer – Bill Cuomo.
Bill Cuomo and Jon Raven are currently working together extensively. They have released the single – Cruel and Unusual, they are working on 2 other singles and a full length album at this time. Jon has always stayed true to the 80s metal scene. Since Bill has worked with Steve Perry, Whitesnake, REO Speedwagon, and many other groups and musicians that you have loved through the years and is a great partner to work with Jon to maintain and stay loyal to that sound. For more details about Bill’s background – keep reading…
Bill Cuomo Biography
Following graduation from UCLA in 1972 Bill began with demo recordings in LA, earning a reputation as a very capable piano player and idea guy. He soon began branching into major records; arranging, writing, and eventually producing and engineering. First notable break came with Mac Davis in 1974, touring and doing Mac’s show on NBC. Bill left Mac in late 1975 to join Bonaroo, a band signed to Warner Brothers and managed by the Doobie Brothers’ manager Bruce Cohn. Bill had his first radio hit with his song, “Sally Ann”. Following Bonaroo, Bill returned to session work along with landing a job with Seals and Crofts, touring and eventually recording in 1976.
The “big breakthrough”came with long time friend and session co-worker, Kim Carnes. Following his original classical intro on “More Love”, he created the memorable arrangement and synth intro riff on “Bette Davis Eyes” which went on to be #1 for 9 weeks, #1 in 26 countries, and selling 14 million singles, winning the Grammy for Record of The Year in 1981. That same year he arranged and played on Smokey Robinson’s #1 record, “Being With You”. He was then asked by Beatles’ producer George Martin to fly to Montserrat and record synthesizer overdubs on Little River Band’s “Time Exposure” LP.
Bill has done a good deal of arranging and playing in foreign markets, particularly in the Spanish and French markets. Working with artists such as Juan Gabriel, Amanda Miguel, Jose Jose, Marisela, Diego Verdaguer, France Gall, and Johnny Hallyday, Bill recorded around the world, arranging and playing on numerous foreign hits.
He also played keyboards in early Clint Eastwood films (Any Which Way You Can, Every Which Way But Loose), and arranged the title track for the Sean Connery James Bond film, “Never Say Never Again”. He also scored two films, including “Katherine” for ABC-TV and “That Was Then, This Is Now” starring Emilio Estevez and Morgan Freeman for Paramount in 1984.
Through Craig Krampf, Kim’s drummer, Bill was introduced to Steve Perry in 1983 and the three of them began writing. Bill went on to record “Street Talk”, Steve’s first solo album. Bill penned and played the famous intro to “Oh Sherrie” for Steve Perry, which he co-wrote. He has also played on, written, or arranged records for Don Henley (“Building The Perfect Beast” CD), Whitesnake (“Whitesnake” CD with “Here I Go Again”), REO Speedwagon (“Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore”), Olivia Newton-John (“Physical” CD), Little River Band (“Time Exposure” CD), Herb Alpert (“Fandango” & “Highway 101”CD’s), Eric Carmen, 38 Special, Barbra Streisand and others.
Moving to Nashville in 1989 he began studio work beginning with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Johnny and Donnie Van Zant. He went on to record with such acts as Mark Knopfler (“Golden Heart”) Alabama (4 albums, including piano on “Forever is as Far as I’ll Go”), Faith Hill (first 2 CD’s), Trace Adkins, Kathy Mattea (“Walking Away a Winner” CD-all keyboards), John Berry, Restless Heart, John Michael Montgomery, and Steve Wariner’s “Burnin’ The Roadhouse Down” CD.
Bill has also written, recorded and produced a number of gospel/pop-Christian hits. He co-wrote #1 hits for Kathy Troccoli, (“Sounds Of Heaven” & “Love One Another”) Larnelle Harris, and Pam Thum. Both Larnelle’s CD’s were Grammy nominees (“Beyond All The Limits” ‘94, and “Unbelievable Love” ‘95). He received a Dove award for the latter, awarded “Inspirational Album of the Year”. He was awarded American Songwriter Magazine “Christian Producer of the Year” in 1995. He has also worked closely with Yochanan Marcellino at Galilee Of The Nations Music/Provident, arranging and recording many Christian hits for artists such as Joel Chernoff. Zamir Levov and Ted Pearce.
In late 1998, he and Beeb Birtles (founding member Little River Band) formed Sonic Sorbet Records, to unite their combined experience of over 100 million records sold worldwide. Beeb’s first solo CD, “Driven By Dreams”, was the label’s debut release. Sonic Sorbet went on to sign and release 4 CD’s on Austin’s popular artist, Pete Benz, culminating with the “Best Of…..” being released in 2007. Without substantial funding they managed to chart the Texas Music Charts 4 times, twice in the top ten, getting Pete airplay on nearly 100 Clear Channel stations.
Today Bill works in Spring Hill Tennessee facility, spending his time producing, writing, playing live and engineering. Working with new talent, such as actor Mike Moroff, Lauren Moses, Paris Delane, Halo Stereo, Jimmy Carslake, along with rocker Jon Raven, to name a few. Never a dull moment in the age of file sharing and worldwide recording!
Cruel and Unusual by Jon Raven
OUR NEW SINGLE CRUEL & UNUSUAL ON iTUNES NOW!!!! (Click to buy Your Copy NOW)
ROCK GOD —- THOU SHALT NOT —- CRUEL AND UNUSUAL —– ARE MY SONGS, PLEASE IGNORE BOLD NAVIGATORS.
ON ITUNES PLEASE IGNORE “BOLD NAVIGATORS” CD BETWEEN ROCK GOD & THOU SHALT NOT! I APOLOGIZE THERE ARE POSERS WHO CAN’T USE THEIR OWN NAMES AND DON’T MIND CAPATALIZING ON THE NAME RECOGNITION OF OTHERS TO CONFUSE YOU OUR FRIENDS AND FANS!!!!
JON RAVEN RECORDING ARTIST/MUSICIAN/PRODUCER/ACTOR/PERFORMER
Jon Raven began performing at the tender age of five, with his brother’s gospel band “The Brothers and Ruth” who produced three successful albums. By the age of nine he had sang alongside such gospel legends as “The Dixie Melody Boys”, “The Oak Ridge Boys, “The Hopper Brothers and Connie” and many more. Many of the Gospel Artists that Jon performed with as a child, later, went on to become secular country stars.
At the age of thirteen, Jon signed his first modeling contract and worked on many successful print campaigns. This lead to commercials and further success. In 1984, Jon took first place in Fighting, and Forms at the U.S. Tae Kwon Do Championships. This opened the door for an opportunity to perform a fight scene, in the made for television movie, “Peyton Place; The Next Generation”. Sparked by that first day on set, Raven realized he had two loves in his life; Film and Music.
Taking film extremely seriously, he decided to study with Adam Roarke, at the now infamous, “Film Actors Lab”, located in Dallas, Texas. A reporter, dubbed, the Film Actors Lab the ” Hell’s Angels School of Acting”. Lou Diamond Phillips, being the most famous alumni, spent many hours with Jon honing improvisational skills. Raven feels that these skills are a key element of a musical or dramatic performance.
Throughout the 80′s and 90′s Jon was Front Man, and Guitarist, for many bands with varying degrees of success; but, chose to start fresh with the new millennium as a Solo Artist. He co-produced his first solo album with Juno Award Winning Canadian Producer, Rick Kilborn; and also Glenna Powrie, at Riverside Studios in Burnaby, Canada. He has also recorded his second solo album, as well as produced the tracks for White Raven Records Recording Artist Heather Ann’s first solo album.
Jon has founded Rock God Entertainment Group, a video game production company, with the goal of developing interactive entertainment based video games and products that allows the user to be immersed in the world of being a Rock Legend. The purpose of the Rock God game series is to introduce the “Real Life” of Rock Stars and to reacquaint Classic Rock fans with their adolescent idols. The first of a series of games is currently in development.
Over the past few years Raven produced several projects with Dale Russel; the talented former Lead Guitarist for The Guess Who. He is currently collaborating with Grammy Winning Producer Bill Cuomo who produced and performed on such hits as Kim Carnes’, ” Betty Davis Eyes “; Steve Perry’s, ” Oh Sherry ” and Whitesnakes’, ” Here I Go Again just to name a couple of his hits. Jon has worked with many of the best producers in the Music Industry and works constantly to pass on what he has learned to the next generation of performers.
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