British guitarist analyses Elvin Bishop's 'Fooled Around and Fell in Love'!

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  • Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
  • Tonight we're going back to 1976 to take a look at Elvin Bishop and Mickey Thomas fooling around!
    Original video - • Elvin Bishop _ Fooled ...
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Комментарии • 1,4 тыс.

  • @FrankLee-qd3hy
    @FrankLee-qd3hy 4 года назад +473

    I'm a former lead singer/rhythm guitar player whose band opened for Elvin Bishop in the late 70's and I can tell you that Mickey Thomas has a bulletproof voice and sounded like this every time he took the stage. Love your videos. Rock on my brother... 👍

    • @wingsofpegasus
      @wingsofpegasus  4 года назад +16

      Thanks!

    • @shakubob
      @shakubob 4 года назад +33

      Absolutely right. I was a frontman in the 70’s as well. We used to see Elvin at a small club on one of the Avenues in SF. What a treat, but my ego really couldn’t hack it. Always drunk before the end of the night. 🥳

    • @delavegaj64
      @delavegaj64 3 года назад +2

      @@shakubob
      😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

    • @KBellaTruth
      @KBellaTruth 3 года назад +22

      Very nice of you to comment so positively about a former band mate. ❤❤ This song hit so strong in '76!

    • @williamslais2548
      @williamslais2548 3 года назад +30

      Guess you saw me.....Mickey and I came out from Georgia to join Elvin's band along with Mickey

  • @NuclearGrizzly
    @NuclearGrizzly 4 года назад +557

    Who else remember being a kid and staying up late to see The Midnight Special or Don Kirshner's Rock Concert?

    • @bekind6763
      @bekind6763 4 года назад +10

      I do! 😀

    • @suzannerobbins6293
      @suzannerobbins6293 4 года назад +13

      Me! My daughter, now age 53 we use to watch It together! She became a Music Therapist...I like to think I helped by introducing her to all music when she was little!

    • @gwag8410
      @gwag8410 4 года назад +9

      NuclearGrizzly yes me and my best friend used to watch every Friday night! We are still great friends, even though we live 200 miles apart. He’s coming to see me in a couple of weeks, and we still play guitar together...

    • @martymcgill1312
      @martymcgill1312 4 года назад +9

      I never missed it

    • @PK1971PK
      @PK1971PK 4 года назад +6

      I remember as just In Concert. If I remember correctly it was only Don Kirshner's for a the first year or so. But yeah we were so lucky to have these two shows growing up. First time seeing Genesis on Midnight Special and Mahavishnu Orchestra on In Concert.

  • @johntegan51
    @johntegan51 Год назад +77

    Mickey Thomas gives one of the best live performances I've ever seen!

    • @HiroForever
      @HiroForever Год назад +2

      And he’s so doggone relaxed!

  • @ToddGilmore
    @ToddGilmore 4 года назад +103

    Not only was Mickey one of the best blues/rock vocalists ever, he could rock a bell-bottom jumpsuit like few can.

    • @mikedag1176
      @mikedag1176 Год назад +2

      Ha ha yes he could!!!😊

    • @sandlot40
      @sandlot40 Год назад +2

      😂 RIGHT?!!

    • @TooSkinnyKenny
      @TooSkinnyKenny Год назад +2

      his voice has a lot of personality, you wouldn't confuse him with a lot of other male singers. I seem to remember him doing a solo album too but it must not have been a big hit.

    • @in2livinit
      @in2livinit 5 месяцев назад +1

      Cringey, but he took Starship to a resurgent life 🎶

    • @stuartmoore6310
      @stuartmoore6310 5 месяцев назад +2

      ​@@in2livinitJane and Find Your Way Back were the Mickey Thomas gems from that Starship iteration.

  • @Jamesharris-lo9nn
    @Jamesharris-lo9nn 4 года назад +155

    Holy smokes can this guy sing! I remember hearing Jane on the radio when it was first released and being blown away by Mickey's voice. Effortless flawless vibrato, incredible range....one of the best ever in my opinion.

    • @raeyearnd3260
      @raeyearnd3260 3 года назад +8

      Sara was a great Performance

    • @aaronmccutcheon
      @aaronmccutcheon 3 года назад +5

      He and Ann Wilson can do a lot of the same things with their voices. Ann at her best can do things nobody else can.

    • @leslieaubrey5608
      @leslieaubrey5608 7 месяцев назад +1

      …and not to mention, gorgeous tone!

  • @whirlyn
    @whirlyn 4 года назад +87

    The Backup singer is Reni Slais. Love your channel.

    • @spexx48
      @spexx48 4 года назад +22

      Thank you!! She was wonderful and nobody has recognized her on this thread.

    • @williamslais2548
      @williamslais2548 3 года назад +16

      My ex-wife.....she is a great singer in her own right... Hey Phil......can you friend me on Facebook....I'll send you some of my unpublished tunes that I am getting ready to re-record..... would like your opinion.... I'll send them MP3's on your private messenger...not yet for public consumption...actually never copyrighted them..... you might like them...even though they were recorded quite some time ago.....

    • @davidhills389
      @davidhills389 3 года назад +7

      @@williamslais2548 is a lucky man!

    • @dreamingrightnow1174
      @dreamingrightnow1174 3 года назад +5

      @@williamslais2548 Is there a beef between Reni and Thomas? They don't seem to have a lot of warmth between them.

  • @asphaltcowboy7567
    @asphaltcowboy7567 2 года назад +64

    One of the best live vocal performances EVER...... .

  • @johnhawkins9826
    @johnhawkins9826 Год назад +20

    Can't take my eyes off Reni Slais, wow how cool is she!

  • @whoathatsanicememe3093
    @whoathatsanicememe3093 4 года назад +101

    Can we just all go back to this time...
    Music was so much better..hell everything was better..

  • @jimifiano4403
    @jimifiano4403 4 года назад +86

    I recently did a gig opening for Micky T and he still sings his butt off !!

    • @FrankLee-qd3hy
      @FrankLee-qd3hy 3 года назад +5

      That's frigging awesome and nobody should be surprised. Mickey Thomas is one of the very best singers of any genre in any category. His voice is golden and it elevated the Elvin Bishop Band from merely a "rock" band to rock n roll superstar status IMHO...

    • @paulcarr5918
      @paulcarr5918 3 года назад +4

      Have always loved his voice. Good to hear he's still got it

    • @patm5086
      @patm5086 5 месяцев назад

      Now if you could only play like Elvin

  • @rickbarton9130
    @rickbarton9130 4 года назад +163

    This was one of those songs back then that got a ton of airplay but you never got tired of it. Another one was "Taking it to the Streets" by the Doobie Brothers. Damn the 70's were great! Heck of a time to be a teenager.

    • @cosmyccowboy
      @cosmyccowboy 4 года назад +5

      Rick Barton we were still free

    • @jerryp7721
      @jerryp7721 4 года назад +5

      Best radio car music, Arena concerts every week, great rock clubs......

    • @debishaw9355
      @debishaw9355 4 года назад +2

      Rick Barton , the best time to be young for sure.

    • @sjwillis1137
      @sjwillis1137 4 года назад +5

      Can I just say something . I live in England . West Sussex . I have been seeing Dr Hook around a lot . For like , the past 20 years!!! He was wandering around Sainsburys the other day . Not the eye patch guy .No . Dennis Locorrier. I was standing like literally behind him in the queue. I don't get why he would be living in Worthing ??? But he has been ....for years !! This guy is surely a bit of a legend .
      .

    • @jerryp7721
      @jerryp7721 4 года назад

      Wanda Watiff Either it’s his home and he likes it and/or lost all his music money like a lot of artists did. I’m sure it’s a reasonably nice place to live, though.

  • @dmt66
    @dmt66 Год назад +27

    The smile on your face while you listen to Mickey sing says it all. No breakdown necessary!

  • @logan_e
    @logan_e 2 года назад +29

    Mickey is such a genuine and humble man, I'm a nobody right but got to meet him and he's one of the nicest people I've ever known, he made _me_ feel included and like what I said was really important! I'll never forget the time!

  • @katr8756
    @katr8756 Год назад +36

    Mickey Thomas is an underrated, fantastic singer!!

    • @jimwright71
      @jimwright71 5 месяцев назад

      Mickey has never been underrated

  • @Gexxon
    @Gexxon 4 года назад +150

    I'm African/american. During this period of my life i was heavily into 70's Soul, R&B, and Blues and even some Disco (shoot me but i liked disco) hahahah.. Anyways I was not so much into rock. But i first heard this song on the radio, I think i was 15 years old. I took my allowance money and went straight to Tower Records to buy it , simply because of the vocals. It grabbed me and sucked me in so much, because i was a teen falling in Love with a girl named Barbara at the time. This song suited me perfectly and had a lot of meaning to me. Not to mention, it was truly my first taste of what some say is "Blue Eyed Soul". Elvin for me was even before I discovered, acts like, Hall and Oates, The Everly Bros, The Righteous Brothers and a few other blue eyed soul singers.
    Two things i learned today, thanks to you bro. I thought it was Elvin singing all these years and at the time I thought he was a black guy singing lead vocals. lol Damn was i wrong.. I never saw what Elvin looked like until recently. I didn't buy the Album, i had bought a 45 Wax Single disc with a "B' side song that i don't remember and it just came in a plain sleeve. So no picture. I had missed seeing him on "The Midnight Special". I knew he was going to be on the show but i fell asleep and missed it. I remember being so pissed. No DVR in those days and VCR's wouldn't come out until a decade y later for the public consumer. Here it is around 40 years later and i find out what he looks like, hahahahaha I know, i know, please spare me the Crucifixion. Thanks for the bit of trivia. Actually I hadn't heard of or thought of this song in 2 decades. For those wondering. I got my girl Barbara, and we were together for 5 years and then ONE of us, "Fooled around and Fell Out of Love" in 1983. :)

    • @evonne1957
      @evonne1957 4 года назад +4

      Tee Bee a nice back down memory lane.😎

    • @Whateva67
      @Whateva67 4 года назад +7

      Cool story bro,I wish it was ‘76 again,I was 9 years old and now I find myself playing a lot of older music that I didn’t listen to then but now I’m loving it because it brings me back in time. Greetings from British Columbia man😎

    • @hodiau016
      @hodiau016 4 года назад +7

      disco rules, no apology necessary

    • @daffidavit
      @daffidavit 4 года назад +2

      'Saturday Night Fever" didn't hurt disco either.

    • @ericsmidt6923
      @ericsmidt6923 4 года назад +1

      She left bro? I wanna know!!

  • @Xplantdad
    @Xplantdad 4 года назад +238

    Mickey Thomas' effortless vocals....wow!

    • @rm9308
      @rm9308 4 года назад +3

      Crazy that you google Elvin Bishop and you see Mickey Thomas at the top of the results. Should've worn name tags.

    • @TheColdrush22
      @TheColdrush22 4 года назад +10

      I had no idea how good he is. I hated Starship so much beginning with We Built This City. I need to re-evaluate.

    • @kevdean9967
      @kevdean9967 4 года назад +12

      I've found, when I do muster the courage, I sing quite effortlessly in a denim jumpsuit too!!!

    • @hasslefree1848
      @hasslefree1848 4 года назад +3

      Unabashed vocals

    • @bigted1953
      @bigted1953 4 года назад +1

      @@TheColdrush22 saw them(starship) at a county fair here in Ohio years ago-great show- the drummer was a beast too

  • @dougpoulton5544
    @dougpoulton5544 3 года назад +33

    Students of music have been studying this clip for decades and most note it as being almost perfect for delivery, timing, pitch, technical accuracy, tone and creative artistry. Brilliant in every way.

  • @classic-kool
    @classic-kool 4 года назад +132

    I miss the "human element" in today's music … When I listen to this, I don't care that it's not "perfect" …. It's loaded with talent! Much better than much of today's robotic synthesized music made with autotune LoL!!!!

    • @tjvanpopta
      @tjvanpopta 4 года назад +4

      Agree, the reality is todays music doesn,t have anything memorable.

    • @roycefaggotter6860
      @roycefaggotter6860 4 года назад +5

      Yes correct, this is great music. get rid of the autotuned lets hear the real stuff and stop compressing cd's so much.

    • @ToddtheExploder
      @ToddtheExploder 4 года назад +8

      classic kool Amen! It used to be that an artist needed talent to be successful: be a great singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, etc., but nowadays, the only ones with so-called talent are the producers. They snatch good-looking people off the street, hurl 'em into the studio, and in the immortal words of Jimi Hendrix, " They just wanna wrap me in cellophane and sell me." And fooking Auto-Tune: puh-LEASE! I refuse to listen to anything at all that features that stupidly annoying computer vocalization. It's a blight on music and a harbinger of death to the industry. Good riddance, you freakin' creeps, foisting this crap on an uneducated public, droop-shouldered, slack-jawed mouthbreathers breathlessly awaiting the next offering from whatever lucky initiate you've plucked from the stable. What does it matter what some unhappy eighteen-year-old thinks about the world? Is there anything new there to be learned? Of course not. Teenage angst has been the foundation of rock from the outset, but this cookie-cutter hip-hop foolishness is stupid and undignified. Rhyming is NOT an art form. God, I HATE what people are listening to today. SUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • @classic-kool
      @classic-kool 4 года назад +4

      @@ToddtheExploder -Exactly! .... You nailed it!

    • @tjvanpopta
      @tjvanpopta 4 года назад +8

      @@ToddtheExploder after the 80,s music lost its grounding and became a mass media production and electronic noise. Kids now have no idea what real music even was or is.

  • @snodgrassgerald2352
    @snodgrassgerald2352 4 года назад +157

    Auto tune should be banned. If you can’t sing in key you shouldn’t be able to make money singing. It’s sad.

    • @carmineredd1198
      @carmineredd1198 4 года назад +3

      Tiny Tim never used autotune

    • @snodgrassgerald2352
      @snodgrassgerald2352 4 года назад +2

      carmine redd and....? You know the reason why? Wasn’t invented yet. Kinda blows your argument out of the water, don’t it?

    • @snodgrassgerald2352
      @snodgrassgerald2352 4 года назад +1

      But you are 19 and got screwed out of a public education. After mom and dad dies you will live it up and then be homeless. Carmine.

    • @carmineredd1198
      @carmineredd1198 4 года назад +1

      @ Snod _ soooooo, you are saying definitively that had there been autotune that Tiny Tim would have used it ?

    • @louiesalinas4720
      @louiesalinas4720 4 года назад +6

      YES YES ITS REALLY CHEATING
      I RATHER HEAR A MISTAKE//

  • @chuckbartels1237
    @chuckbartels1237 Год назад +7

    add a compliment to Reni Slais for her back up singing

  • @DiamondDave10
    @DiamondDave10 4 года назад +42

    Elvin is a journeyman blues legend.
    He was never known for his singing
    It’s also a career-moment where the stars aligned
    Having Jefferson Starship vocalist, Mickey Thomas, makes the song
    A rare song where everything works, giving Bishop his only major chart highlight

    • @robhaunui3343
      @robhaunui3343 4 года назад +11

      Mickey didn't join Jefferson Starship until 3 years after this was released in case a few folks aren't sure

    • @markgupton1313
      @markgupton1313 3 года назад +2

      Elvins singing was superb on My Dog.

    • @aaronmccutcheon
      @aaronmccutcheon 3 года назад +5

      He was in the "Paul Butterfield blues band"...his work in that band is just as impressive as this song is.

    • @nancywhipple480
      @nancywhipple480 7 месяцев назад

      His one and only wonder hit! Still gives me the chills! Pure sexy!!😎🎸🎶

  • @dynodish
    @dynodish 3 года назад +6

    Dear load, that man can sing. He has something really sexy, like, not normal sexy, REALLY sexy. It can't be just me. He was created for the blues. I have no idea how I lived this long and never heard of him. I also have no idea why he's dressed as a gas station attendant.

  • @shiftypauls
    @shiftypauls 4 года назад +28

    Great video Fil. "Mr. Music Encyclopedia", keep up all the hard work and smiling, you are the best at what you do. Thank you

  • @juliahuff6035
    @juliahuff6035 4 года назад +31

    A lot of great 70’s bands on the Midnight Special. I used to watch that show.

  • @hildareynolds231
    @hildareynolds231 4 года назад +53

    Mickey Thomas had an awesome voice. One of my favorite songs!

  • @donna4047
    @donna4047 Год назад +21

    I love his backup singer. She is incredible

  • @MIKELIN8
    @MIKELIN8 4 года назад +13

    This song, and "Jane" by Starship are probably the two best vocals of Mickey Thomas' career.

  • @suzannerobbins6293
    @suzannerobbins6293 4 года назад +34

    Hi Fil! I just heard this song the other day on 70’s radio! One of the cool songs from that era! It didn’t hurt that Mickey was so good looking too! lol! Loved his voice! Thanks Fil for taking me back to the 70’s, and some cool music! ✌️

  • @littlejohnny4759
    @littlejohnny4759 Год назад +5

    Off the chart! Oh, by the way.... You are a hoot to watch while that soul expression spills over

  • @erikafreebird6449
    @erikafreebird6449 4 года назад +55

    Excellent commentary! Mickey Thomas is freakin' incredible. Your guitar playing is amazing too.

    • @jeraldgonzalez9676
      @jeraldgonzalez9676 2 года назад +1

      I would sing this song to my Bel and she actuLly hated the lyrics thinking that i was throwing it in her face, but it was all about her even of today she was my everything thank you Elvin

  • @pletcherjohnstowersjjjr1975
    @pletcherjohnstowersjjjr1975 4 года назад +26

    That's a lot like Burton Cummings singing who sings in the band Guess Who. Always clear and precise.

  • @marcodebarkingville1827
    @marcodebarkingville1827 2 года назад +21

    Has there ever been a better live capture of a vocalist in a moment in time singing the best he will ever sing.

  • @ORagnar
    @ORagnar 4 года назад +98

    "Guardians of the Galaxy" had that song. I love Mickey's singing. Brilliant voice.

    • @NuclearGrizzly
      @NuclearGrizzly 4 года назад +7

      Greatest soundtrack in a very long time.

    • @ORagnar
      @ORagnar 4 года назад +3

      @@NuclearGrizzly -- I agree. It made the movie so much better.

    • @irlnd32
      @irlnd32 4 года назад +2

      NuclearGrizzly was on Boogie Nights soundtrack before that. Which is one of the best ST’s ever!

    • @appalachiangunman9589
      @appalachiangunman9589 4 года назад +1

      I’ve never actually even watched that movie but it would be worth it for the soundtrack alone!

  • @gmb858
    @gmb858 4 года назад +20

    Mickey Thomas has a unique gift of singing. It is so effortless and pure. Saw him with Starship at the Orange County CA Summer Hot Air Balloon & Wine Festival 17 years ago. "Fooled Around" has been a regular number in the master bathroom's shower stall since 1978. I'll be straining trying to sing like Mickey until they put me in a pine box.

  • @Deborahtunes
    @Deborahtunes 4 года назад +91

    Mickey Thomas singing. One of my favorite male vocalists. He's always had a great set of pipes on him. No doubt it's probably why he got the gig with Jefferson Starship later on in his career.
    I remember in highschool choir, our teacher showing us breathing techniques to hold connecting notes longer.
    Have a wonderful evening Fil...🎶🎙️🎸🌃

    • @giftedplanksify
      @giftedplanksify 4 года назад +2

      Ride the Tiger live at Musconi center is awesome!

    • @Deborahtunes
      @Deborahtunes 4 года назад +1

      @@giftedplanksify ~ Thank you, I'll have to take a listen to it...👍🎶🙂

    • @giftedplanksify
      @giftedplanksify 4 года назад +2

      @@Deborahtunes it's a whole Starship concert and ride the Tiger is the second song I think! See you at the show Deborah!😉

    • @Deborahtunes
      @Deborahtunes 4 года назад +1

      @@giftedplanksify ~ Ok, thank you...😊🎶🎸

    • @Soulreaver6
      @Soulreaver6 4 года назад

      IMO he should have stayed away from singing that starship crap.

  • @BOOMNERD51
    @BOOMNERD51 4 года назад +44

    I have always loved this song vocals, Elvin's guitar solo. I was depressed that disco was going to overshadow these "soulful 'belters.'". This song has made me smile for 44 years now. Thanks Fil, for analyzing so well what a song that works on all levels has to distinguish it!

    • @BOOMNERD51
      @BOOMNERD51 3 года назад +1

      A year later, still making me happy! ❤️

    • @aaronmccutcheon
      @aaronmccutcheon 3 года назад +1

      This solo is perfection!

    • @jeffkendrick6726
      @jeffkendrick6726 2 года назад

      We always ignored disco(it really wasn't good music).

  • @andyhinds542
    @andyhinds542 4 года назад +32

    From a period when they wrote great ballads that weren't cheesy.

  • @andyinoregon
    @andyinoregon 4 года назад +13

    No singer has ever done more to sell another man's album than Mickey Thomas did for Elvin Bishop's "Struttin' My Stuff."

  • @squidkid2
    @squidkid2 4 года назад +13

    This is not straight blues as we often think about it. This is "rhythm and blues" a genre that was the sole domain of black artists in the 60 and 70's. Think of any artist on the Atlantic label or what became known as the "Motown Sound" and later morphed into TSOP. This song is a classic example of what was known as "blue eyed soul" a reference to white people singing in this black style of music. Besides the great solo by Bishop you can also hear him throughout the song playing all the classic rhythm chops associated with R&B (think Steve Cropper for example). Also this is a great example of the "Single". The 45 was a large part of record sales in the sixties and even into the 70's. This form had one limit - time. You had to say what you were gonna say in three or four minutes or less. Solos could only last a handful of bars. I grew up listening to the Beatles from the very beginning and only now do I realize that the first four or five Beatles albums are just a bunch of 3 minute singles strung together like jewels on a necklace. I go back and listen to those singles and wonder at the magic involved in cramming so much brilliant writing and playing into such small packages. Also check out what Bishop is doing towards the end of the solo where he appears to be flat picking and strumming upwards on the high strings with his index finger. This up strumming is also a technique of R&B guitar players used to capture the brighter sound of the upper strings to cut through through the mix. Sometimes referred as "stabs" when done by the horn section. And the chordal progression at the end of the solo to transition back to the vocal with Thomas starting his vocal like one note before the end is like a great hand off between a quarterback to the running back - seamless - touchdown! Also there are some little fills traded back and forth after the solo between Thomas and Bishop. And folks this is all done in one take live (no net)! Classic performance by a great group and it's wonderful that we have this stuff on video. Thanks for your great analysis!

  • @stacybrownlee7921
    @stacybrownlee7921 4 года назад +23

    Elvin Bishop requested Micky to sing this when he wrote it...
    Thanks! This was fun! 😎

  • @TheLeylander
    @TheLeylander 2 года назад +46

    Mickey Thomas one of the most underrated lead vocalists I have ever seen/heard , and he still sounds as good today in his 70,s , absolutely amazing .

    • @PorcelainLeigh
      @PorcelainLeigh Год назад +2

      "Underated"
      The number 1 comment on any artist. Yawn.
      Mickey, Is NOT.

    • @johnoneal1234
      @johnoneal1234 Год назад +1

      @@PorcelainLeigh Sure he is, most people don't even know who he was.
      I myself spent decades believing Elvin sang it himself.
      People who know exactly who Paul Rodgers is, and can trace him all the way back to Free draw a blank if you mention Mickey. Then when you mention Fooled Around, they say " Oh yeah, I didn't know who it was.

    • @crooze38
      @crooze38 Год назад +2

      Mick did it right 🤘

    • @crooze38
      @crooze38 Год назад +2

      And Grace ... 🙏

    • @crooze38
      @crooze38 Год назад

      @@PorcelainLeigh I'm curious to your thoughts... Hopefully., Your a vocalist 😇

  • @USAMontanan
    @USAMontanan 4 года назад +7

    I had a big crush on the female backup singer when I first saw this show back then! And I still do!

    • @dmbdmb3828
      @dmbdmb3828 2 месяца назад

      🎼 reni slais simon singer

  • @alicea153
    @alicea153 4 года назад +9

    Wow, you are an amazing teacher! The Midnight Special shows were such a big part of my teens in the 70's...nothing today compares to it! Thank you for all your reviews...

  • @EclecticHillbilly
    @EclecticHillbilly 4 года назад +56

    Mickey Thomas, the pride of Cairo, GA. And Fil is right, the solo is a highlight of the song.

    • @snodgrassgerald2352
      @snodgrassgerald2352 4 года назад +1

      EclecticHillbilly and syrup!

    • @emiromiranda1214
      @emiromiranda1214 4 года назад +2

      Pronounced be CAY-ro, right?

    • @EclecticHillbilly
      @EclecticHillbilly 4 года назад +1

      @@emiromiranda1214 Yes

    • @emiromiranda1214
      @emiromiranda1214 4 года назад +3

      @@EclecticHillbilly okay. Just making sure. Natural inclination is to say KY-ro, like the Egyptian capital. But I remember hearing someone saying it.. I have a brother who lives in Thomasville, which I believe is not too far from Cairo.

    • @robertwitcher3506
      @robertwitcher3506 4 года назад +2

      Cairo, Ga... (Kayrow)... Cairo, Egypt (K-eye-row).... Mickey, still had the upper register when I heard him with Starship, about 7 years ago!

  • @danr5105
    @danr5105 4 года назад +28

    This song was played constantly on Southern Cal FM radio in 1976, big hit, everyone loved it. I saw Elvin Bishop in 1980. They were playing in a small club in Northern CA, right around Mt Shasta. There was a problem though, no Mickey Thomas and for some reason they could not, would not play this song. There was only a few hundred people in the club but everyone was asking for this song. Elvin stopped the show and said "can't play it,different band,sorry" and the show went on. Thanks Fil.

    • @samanthab1923
      @samanthab1923 4 года назад +5

      Dan R That's interesting. Years back I watched a list show on CMT of the biggest crossover hits. When this was mentioned, I never thought of it as Country. Anyway, talking heads in the industry all said they tried to get a cover or remake but no artist would touch it. All said it was perfect, leave it be.

    • @dlsmpsn
      @dlsmpsn 4 года назад +4

      Dan R I saw him a couple of years later in SF, at a cocktail club, and he did play this song, although no Mickey Thomas. I got lucky and got a table in the front row, and he would come up and play directly to me and my date. How cool is that? His playing was impeccable and a real thrill.

    • @danr5105
      @danr5105 4 года назад +4

      @@dlsmpsn I ask. Did you notice in the video Elvin is wearing what appears to be a Deputy's badge on his jacket? Perhaps this is Elvin dealing with the "who is singing, who is Mickey Thomas" problem? When people heard this tune and then went to see a show they mostly expected to see a frontman named Elvin Bishop singing. I bet that when a band's top hit happens this way it causes some problems among members. Usually videos produced by Midnight Special display better editing. Not enough emphasis on Elvin (especially during that second small solo) and concentrating on Mickey singing at a low point in the song, a point they could have easily showed us more of Elvin playing guitar.
      This is a cut and paste from a 1988 Chicago Tribune article about Elvin Bishop.
      Looking a bit like a cross between Richard Nixon and Arlo Guthrie, Bishop himself isn`t shy about ''strutting his stuff'' on stage either. During a 2-hour-plus performance, he plucked and squeezed and shook out almost every possible note his guitar could hold, once wading into the thickest part of the crowd for one of his finer solos.
      At the end of the interview Elvin was asked "what lies ahead for you Elvin" In his best "good ole country boy drawl Elvin replied", "well there is Thanksgiving and then there is Christmas"

    • @dwaynewladyka577
      @dwaynewladyka577 4 года назад +2

      @@samanthab1923 In 2005, at the Grammy Awards, this song was covered. Elvin Bishop, Dickey Betts, Keith Urban, and others, if I recall were doing it. One of Elvin Bishop's musical tastes includes old time country music, so this would be fitting to have some country influence in it. It's a great song that I remember from the mid 1970s. I saw Elvin Bishop 3 times live and met him.

  • @just_me_jayk_r5131
    @just_me_jayk_r5131 3 года назад +20

    I just wanna say that good old Music didn't needed autotune just talent

  • @ronforeman2556
    @ronforeman2556 4 года назад +27

    Mickey Thomas, Period.

  • @cardoma
    @cardoma 4 года назад +14

    Mickey Thomas is a phenomenon and monster gospel/blues singer. It’s a shame he didn’t get to share the stage with other legendary vocalists, like Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, etc...

  • @Seachase100
    @Seachase100 4 года назад +44

    Mickey Thomas is one of the most vastly underrated vocalists ever.
    That may have something to do with his very wobbly choice of material over the years.
    This great song here may be his signature vocal, and it proves without a doubt that this man had a tremendously soulful voice, but if you really want to hear this man cut loose, if you really want to hear this man slay and kill, check out his vocals on "Silent Night." (with the Elvin Bishop Band) Yes, it's the classic Christmas song, but Mickey turned it into a soulful, foot-stomping, gospel-ized, earth shaking, get-cho-ass-outta-yo-chair-and-start-moving type of song. It's not only his greatest soul-shaking moment, it's one of the greatest soul-shaking moments in the history of music.
    Look it up here on RUclips .... and thank me later. lol

    • @chuckschillingvideos
      @chuckschillingvideos 4 года назад +4

      Yeah, he lost vast amounts of credibility with his turn in Starship. A great shame because clearly his vocal talents are well beyond top notch.

    • @ernestryles
      @ernestryles 3 года назад +4

      @@chuckschillingvideos Starship still had some good stuff though, like Jane.

  • @ElectricStrider1
    @ElectricStrider1 4 года назад +11

    I just want to hug Fil every time I see him.
    One cool lad.

  • @ec7125
    @ec7125 2 года назад +13

    Mickey still has his voice still singing live in his 70s. What a timeless and phenomenal tenor and human being.

  • @michaelholycross2633
    @michaelholycross2633 4 года назад +15

    Elvin is a virtuoso. "Travelin' Shoes", "Juke Joint Jump"...great stuff.😊

  • @julieford8788
    @julieford8788 4 года назад +5

    1976! What a great time to be 13. I remember this song so well. ❤️

  • @DGWpg
    @DGWpg 4 года назад +12

    Saw Mickey at a fair grounds free concert about 12 years ago- he is the epitome of a vocal master to this day

  • @jimpeck6437
    @jimpeck6437 Год назад +5

    Great song great voice great guitar…but I’m a sucker for a great drum fill 👍🏼

  • @benpowersguitar
    @benpowersguitar 4 года назад +17

    You're appreciation and insight makes the music that much more enjoyable.

  • @itchyandred4131
    @itchyandred4131 Год назад +7

    My favorite thing about "the midnight special" is that you got to see and hear live music ✌️

  • @Dee530Luvz2BeLoved5555
    @Dee530Luvz2BeLoved5555 3 года назад +6

    Mickey Thomas’ ..forever soulfully outstanding!! 🌹🎶🌹 🙏

  • @richeaton7436
    @richeaton7436 4 года назад +56

    "he ain't good lookin'
    but he sure can play"

  • @ianshortall3356
    @ianshortall3356 4 года назад +16

    Wow... Mickey Thomas could really sing... loved that live vocal...

  • @arseniosolis744
    @arseniosolis744 2 года назад +4

    When I broke up with my first serious girlfriend , this was one of the songs I would go to to feel even worse than I did. Others are Bee Gees "Love so right" Rod Stewart "First cut is the deepest" and Hall and Oats "She's Gone".

  • @kurtisle
    @kurtisle 4 года назад +31

    You're hitting close to home. Elvin lived near home during the San Francisco Sound times. I'd seen Elvin with Paul Butterfield and B.B. King and sitting in with countless other greats and of course his own gig. He was a local guy. My gang sat and talked with him at Crabshaws Corner, a club named after him, in downtown Sacramento. We bought this older guy beers and talked all hot summer day with him. He never let on who he was and we never caught on. Just a guy in coveralls to jaw with. Years later I flew down from Oregon where I'd been designing lighting to see Elvin at Armadillo Willie's. Elvin had gone through some rough times. The three of us were his only audience. Didn't matter, he and the band played a full gig, 2 sets. A great musician and a gentleman. I wouldn't be exaggerating by saying I've seen him 25+ times, and loved it every time. After the tragedy of his daughter's death, I heard he went permanently on the road. He's a great guy and a great musician. Thanks Fil for reminding me. Great times, fan-damn-tastic.

    • @Stinger2222
      @Stinger2222 4 года назад +1

      I was working a big festival here and it was during the late morning and sound checks going on sitting in my cart and this guy who looked like Harp Marx comes walking around the corner and into catering and if was Elvin. Went in an grab a bite and sat down next to him and talked for a good 45 minutes. Great guy, laid back just passing some time.

    • @tcanfield
      @tcanfield 4 года назад +2

      kurtisle - thanks for the story! When I saw him in 78', he was backup for the Grateful Dead and had Jerry play with him for a song or two- guess that must have been at the top of his game... played this song and the crowd was loving it!

  • @MVos-md3rp
    @MVos-md3rp 4 года назад +11

    A perfect tune. Written, produced, and performed at the highest level of the musical art!

  • @bendyparanormal
    @bendyparanormal 2 года назад +10

    Mickey Thomas still sings this song in every Starship concert and still sounds this good. After all these years, Mickey still sings this song almost exactly the same way. His voice has held up very well over the decades. I had this song on 45 when I was a kid and still love it when Mickey does it live now. His vocals on Jefferson Starship’s “Jane” is fantastic, too.

    • @1991windsor
      @1991windsor Год назад

      I'm going to see Starship on 8.12.23 in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Can't wait!

  • @tigerback62
    @tigerback62 4 года назад +14

    Yes! Mickey Thomas!!!!!! One of my all-time favorite songs!!!

  • @jeanettemclelland4371
    @jeanettemclelland4371 2 года назад +8

    What a voice😮 Mickey Thomas is blessed with. Great song and guitar solo sound. Wow❤Wings of Pegasus

  • @timcarder2170
    @timcarder2170 4 года назад +36

    Haven't heard this in years...there were a lot of tunes like this in the disco era,
    Not everything was repetitive pop dance songs.

    • @BOOMNERD51
      @BOOMNERD51 4 года назад +7

      Thank God one of my favorite "refuge from disco" soulful songs

    • @timcarder2170
      @timcarder2170 4 года назад +4

      @@BOOMNERD51 Exactly,
      and there were so many great songs, but they got no respect, just because they were placed under the "disco" umbrella.
      "Baker Street" and "Right Down The Line"by Gerry Rafferty.
      "Sad Eyes" by Robert John
      "Couldn't Get It Right" by The Climax Blues Band
      Anything by Dr Hook during that era, or Eric Carmen, Terry Jacks and so many more

    • @timcarder2170
      @timcarder2170 4 года назад +4

      @@BOOMNERD51
      And let's not forget the amazing "Rock & Roll" from back then.

    • @tullfan7872
      @tullfan7872 4 года назад +1

      @@timcarder2170 Baker Street got plenty of respect insofar as it was a staple on the radio back in the late 1970s, at least in Australia. Gerry Rafferty made urban folk-rock music; I can't remember it, or imagine it, being thought of as disco. It was surrounded by a lot of disco, though. I get your main point though. My favourite refuge-from-disco bands at the time were Jethro Tull, Dire Straits, Roxy Music and Queen.

    • @timcarder2170
      @timcarder2170 4 года назад +3

      @@tullfan7872 Ya
      It got a lot of airplay here in Canada too, especial around 1979 and 80.. Though the first time I heard it was off of a compilation album i was given for my birthday (from K-Tel Records, surprise surprise,) full of disco tunes As well as Baker street, it had "Laughter In The Rain" by Neil Sedaka, and a Barry Manilow tune I can't remember. :-)
      As for refuge bands, I was getting big into Rush, Sweet, Nazareth, Sabbath, Deep Purple, Montrose, Judas Priest (actually, a lot of the biggerrd rock and metal bands back then) , and much to the dismay of a lot of my friends, I was into some bluegrass, as well as John Denver and Haygood Hardy lol.

  • @therealDac10012
    @therealDac10012 Год назад +10

    Mickey grabs the song by the neck and throttles it for dear life. Magnificently skilled vocal instrument and Mickey still has it to this day.

    • @fishingthekosmos3638
      @fishingthekosmos3638 Месяц назад

      It was indeed a wonderful and magical time to be in my early 20's! I remember everything like it was yesterday.

  • @AR-pm9nv
    @AR-pm9nv Год назад +7

    Mickey is just gifted. We throw that word around today, but he really is.

  • @lorijohnson3567
    @lorijohnson3567 4 года назад +4

    I just came across your channel and subscribed. Thank you for playing this song and video. Mickey Thomas is flawless and is the most underrated vocalist. Watched him on Howard Stern and he sang this and it was acoustic and it gave me chills hearing how great he still sounds. Check it out please!!!
    Have a Gr00vy day✌❤🎶

  • @handsome-brute2666
    @handsome-brute2666 Год назад +8

    Standing ovation!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🎤

  • @myownchannel247
    @myownchannel247 4 года назад +19

    this was a pivotal song in my life back then and it still impresses me, great choice Fil

  • @leandabee
    @leandabee 4 года назад +12

    All us commenters on here are showing our age, oh dear, 🤦‍♀️😂

  • @grunthostheflatulent9649
    @grunthostheflatulent9649 2 года назад +8

    There's no weakness in this track.
    Instruments, song writing, vocals and pacing are all fantastic.
    Quality never ages.

  • @harryhoudini3656
    @harryhoudini3656 4 года назад +5

    So I just saw Tommy Shaw with an orchestra (high school or maybe college) doing the song Fooling Yourself. AWESOME !!!! If you haven’t seen it put it on your list to watch. Tommy still sounds the same as he did in the 70’s. He’s also playing an acoustic guitar. It is basically like the old “unplugged shows” from way back.

  • @davemoondoggie5942
    @davemoondoggie5942 Год назад +7

    I heard this song for the first time on the radio probably in 1991, thinking wow, this is an awesome song, and this totally sounds like Mickey Thomas, but it was credited to Elvin Bishop, so I just said wow...Elvin's got a great voice, almost exactly like Mickey's... and I swear.... I just found out today that it was Mickey Thomas all along!!!! OMG...

    • @Jayme969
      @Jayme969 7 месяцев назад +1

      Same here! I always thought it was a guy named Elvin Bishop singing, and I knew nothing else by him, so didn't think anything of it. Until now!

    • @ayoung1
      @ayoung1 6 месяцев назад

      Elvin does sing a lot on the album but his voice has more of a comic quality.

  • @charlesdrake3125
    @charlesdrake3125 4 года назад +8

    He didn't mention Elvin's tenure in the Butterfield Blues Band. He and Mike Bloomfield did some excellent dual guitar work on the album East West.

    • @woody816
      @woody816 4 года назад +1

      Been listening to paul and lads this last few weeks in a daily basis. Love them

  • @johna1160
    @johna1160 4 года назад +33

    Mickey Thomas, Steve Perry, and Kenny Loggins. Three of the best rock tenors.

    • @DropAnchor1978
      @DropAnchor1978 4 года назад +5

      Steve Walsh and Lou Gramm, Jimi Jamison, Brad Delp should be added to that list

    • @spambrando
      @spambrando 4 года назад

      Burton Cummings

    • @anthonysonnheim4182
      @anthonysonnheim4182 4 года назад

      What do you know? Just joking!

  • @CutterJ
    @CutterJ 4 года назад +8

    ...shout out to fellow Georgian, Mickey Thomas...thumbs up, Fil...
    Cutter & Ms C

  • @timothyhilton3408
    @timothyhilton3408 2 года назад +7

    Ive been listening to this track for the past year and keep going back to it because of the masterful vocal performance by Mickey Thomas. Effortless perfection and ease with an added helping of soul to match. I have added this to my list of classic performances of this era.

  • @act.13.41
    @act.13.41 4 года назад +7

    I got to see Evin play a live show (way back when) at the Brown Door. It was a college bar in Hammond LA. He had a wireless setup and he was from one end of the bar to the other the whole show. The whole time he was playing, he was talking to the patrons. Everyone there just loved it. One of the most memorable shows I have ever seen.

  • @duane8829
    @duane8829 4 года назад +7

    I had to give this another watch. What an incredible vocal performance. One of my favorite 70s soft rock songs!

  • @stephanomuzzatti4993
    @stephanomuzzatti4993 4 года назад +5

    MICKEY THOMAS one of the greatest singers who ever lived, Elvin Bishop guitar virtuoso.

  • @wendyeyles3560
    @wendyeyles3560 4 года назад +13

    Fantastic choice Fil. Mickey Thomas's vocal is outstanding.

  • @alanna8983
    @alanna8983 4 года назад +33

    Why does this say Elvin Lee?
    Elvin Bishop is one of the greats of all time.

    • @wingsofpegasus
      @wingsofpegasus  4 года назад +31

      Top tip of the day... while waiting for an Elvin Bishop video to upload, DON'T watch Alvin Lee! 😂

    • @doggedout
      @doggedout 4 года назад +6

      @@wingsofpegasus Great! Can't wait to see Alvin Lee!

    • @alanna8983
      @alanna8983 4 года назад +5

      @@wingsofpegasus 😆😆😆😆😆😆

    • @falcon5467
      @falcon5467 4 года назад +6

      @@wingsofpegasus Albert Lee has had his own problems with Alvin Lee confusion.

    • @cynergy4
      @cynergy4 4 года назад +4

      @@wingsofpegasus Haha, it's forgivable

  • @Mark-iv7np
    @Mark-iv7np 7 месяцев назад +4

    Great presentation again. Im listening to music over 60 yrs this awesome performance is one of the best ever. Mickey is one of the greatest singers ever and still performing in 2024. Elvin did a fantastic job plus writing this fantastic song. Keep up the good work

  • @tjtampa214
    @tjtampa214 Год назад +6

    Just love this pure perfection! 💜

  • @willswalkingwest7267
    @willswalkingwest7267 4 года назад +6

    No internet or RUclips then. Had to sneak out and turn on the TV and watch Midnight Special to see our fave groups. I remember my mom coming out to "Shhhh" me too many times to count. This and Don Kirschner's Rock Concert. And if we were lucky we'd get an episode of the Old Grey Whistle Test. Gosh darn,,,those were really good times.

  • @Lockemeister
    @Lockemeister 4 года назад +7

    Hi Fil, Mickey is a clear as a bell. Perfect! He knows it too. A split second after @16:50 he has the look, "I really nailed THAT,"
    That chick singing backup is doing a superb job staying with him.
    I really learned a lot today about pentatonic shapes and the technique of major and minor.
    Great Analysis. You have the gift of teaching for sure.
    Just one more thing. I was afraid Elvin was going to dislocate his neck with his head bobbing!!

  • @ursafan40
    @ursafan40 4 года назад +14

    Ahhh yes. Elvin did more than hold his own with Mike Bloomfield in Paul Butterfield's band. Their Modal/Eastern melody battle on the 13 min long East-West in 1966, was one of rock's first Jazz influenced pieces, and inspired more than a few of the "Jam bands" of the day. Bloomfield's departure led to Elvin taking all the parts on "The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw" and tell the truth, I didn't miss Bloomfield. Elvin was still touring a few years ago. Still soulful, still playing that old red Gibson

    • @bangcolt
      @bangcolt 4 года назад +2

      ursafan40 great addition to the thread.

    • @ursafan40
      @ursafan40 4 года назад +1

      @@bangcolt thank you

    • @TheDivayenta
      @TheDivayenta 4 года назад +1

      ursafan40 I loved that album and saw both Paul’s band and Electric Flag at the Monterey Pop Festival

    • @ursafan40
      @ursafan40 4 года назад +1

      @@TheDivayenta Wow! I am soooooo jealous :-)

  • @sbalak
    @sbalak 4 года назад +4

    THank you Fil! One of the greats!

  • @briangregory6303
    @briangregory6303 4 года назад +13

    I thought that was Mickey from Jefferson. Since you're getting into 70s music, and it's had new life, how about Redbone and Come and Get Your Love.

    • @ramboweed5169
      @ramboweed5169 4 года назад

      Starship?

    • @briangregory6303
      @briangregory6303 4 года назад

      @@ramboweed5169 Airplane

    • @danielfronc4304
      @danielfronc4304 4 года назад

      @@ramboweed5169 Jefferson Starship (which Mickey Thomas joined after these EB days), which changed it's name from the 1960's Jefferson Airplane when they entered the '70s and moved into Pop Rock, like Save Your Love, Jane, etc. Airplane had been more into the psychedelia of the '60s. One of the very few groups able to make such a transition successfully.

  • @SanJoseBob
    @SanJoseBob 4 года назад +11

    Mickey Thomas at Lead Vocals. He went on to Jefferson Starship. That’s his voice on “We Built this City” and “Sarah”. Why does it say “Elvin Lee? ......Sorry, start this response before you started to explain about Mickey. Excellent on your Analysis. SanJoseBob

    • @midshoreweb
      @midshoreweb 4 года назад

      Ahhh, Sarah! What a song!

  • @michaelnotigan7796
    @michaelnotigan7796 3 года назад +11

    Mickey Thomas, who could be Canada's Burton Cumming's doppleganger in looks AND voice. And what a voice he has. This was a monster single in 76 and rightly so. My only regret is they did not allow Elvin's solo go on for an extended run. It's way, way to short in that am radio single. By all accounts, Elvin Bishop was always a first class gentleman and it's so nice for someone like him to have such a big, smash hit on commercial am radio.

  • @billmercer9917
    @billmercer9917 11 месяцев назад +3

    Nobody has mentioned the great Johnny V Vernazza on slide guitar . He was with Elvin for 5 albums.

  • @michaeldeane9029
    @michaeldeane9029 4 года назад +9

    Fil, the young lady singing backup is brilliant, her ability to match Micky perfectly was worthy of mention....(so why not). I see someone has mentioned her name in the comments so she should not go unnamed. Great vocals

    • @kristinburton4953
      @kristinburton4953 2 года назад

      I'm sure she's the singer Leslie Knauer, from Promises. They're famous for the song Baby It's You. ruclips.net/video/eqM3P7LziIc/видео.html
      Leslie Knauer's channel: ruclips.net/video/5bxY-KTc-f4/видео.html

    • @cherlones
      @cherlones 2 года назад +2

      Her name is Reno Slais

  • @kahlesjf
    @kahlesjf 4 года назад +5

    One of my favorite songs. One which it is difficult to imagine either the lead guitar or the vocals being any better. And the rest of the band is so tight. Great analysis. And thanks for the guitar tips. I have worked on the recorded version, but your video makes me want to get back to it again.

  • @ms.rlsteele351
    @ms.rlsteele351 10 месяцев назад +3

    Heard this back in about 1976. Loved it then. Love it still. 😊

  • @emmelle53
    @emmelle53 4 года назад +13

    The (unmentioned) girl singing harmony (that's MY part!) is Lilly Martin who now has her own band, website, and RUclips channel, where she uploaded her version of this song. And thanks, Fil, I've always loved singing along to this!

  • @JSBIRD69
    @JSBIRD69 4 года назад +27

    Damn, Mickey looks skinny as hell back then. Looks like he'd have to run around in the shower just to get wet.
    He's from Cairo Georgia, where I have good friends.
    Mickey was blessed with a gift from God.

    • @JSBIRD69
      @JSBIRD69 4 года назад +1

      @USAFO6 Yeah, I didn't weigh but about 145lbs. then, and was pretty skinny myself. I think Mickey is a year or two older than me, but way better looking!

    • @cosmyccowboy
      @cosmyccowboy 4 года назад

      USAFO6 I am 6’2” and regular weighed in around 155 back then, hell I couldn’t gain weight, now I’m a easy 200

    • @danielfronc4304
      @danielfronc4304 4 года назад +3

      Yeah, It's called being H-E-A-L-T-H-Y!. I was at 18 years old 5 ft. 10 inches tall and 120 lbs. I was still self conscious of being a little skinny but regardless of pounding down about 4 power shakes full of all kinds of nutrients and carbohydrates a day my weight wouldn't budge an ounce. Then in my mid twenties with the fast food help I did get my weight up to 130 lbs.