Sturgis native David Hersrud brings his years in the music industry and lifelong interest in discovering new music to this episode of Fresh Tracks.
The 65th Grammy Award ceremony will be held this coming weekend. It’s still the most important night of the year for the industry. David talks with Larry Rohrer to preview the ceremony and In Memoriam tributes.
Fresh Tracks will skip their usual critiques and suggest that you tune in, relax and enjoy. You’ll hear productions by Bad Bunny, who is the #1 artist in the world; Brandi Carlile, who is up for album of the year, record of the year and best rock performance; and Luke Combs, who is up for two Grammy awards.
David knew it was going to be depressing when we closed out 2022 with the passing of Christine McVie. And here we are starting a new year with the loss of two musical giants. They are:
David Crosby
He was a founding member of The Byrds in 1964 and Crosby, Stills & Nash, which became Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
What you need to know about Crosby:
- He was outspoken politically and had a nasty habit of alienating friends and bandmates
- The Byrds were at the beginning of folk-rock, and Crosby helped steer the band through their first five albums
- He was dismissed because of internal tension
- He recorded six solo albums; the last entitled For Free, which came out in 2021, and he was working on a new album and a tour when he died
- He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice for his work with The Byrds and again as part of CSN
- Along the way, he survived injury, illness and stupidity; spending nine months in a Texas jail because of drugs and weapons offenses
- He was the model for the Dennis Hopper character in Easy Rider
- His voice remained strong throughout his career
Jeff Beck
Beck was not as well-known as the other guitar heroes of the era by was revered as being the guitarist's guitarist and being one of the most influential guitarists of his generation.
What you need to know about Beck:
- He started playing professionally in 1962 and was recruited to play with The Yardbirds after Eric Clapton left the band in 1965; Beck stayed with the band for 20 months during which they had their biggest hits
- He started The Jeff Beck Group with Ronnie Wood on bass and a singer named Rod Stewart
- Their innovative approach to heavy sounding blues and rock is credited with starting heavy metal music
- He began a tradition of working with a band for a few years and moving on to new challenge
- In 1975, he began a solo career with the album Blow By Blow, which ushered in the fusion movement melding rock, jazz and funk
- He was inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Yardbirds and as a solo artist
- He received 16 Grammy nominations and won eight times
- He is credited with introducing fuzz, feedback and distortion to the guitar lexicon and never lost his stature as one of the most skilled, admired and influential guitarists in rock history
