I wanted to mention briefly that today would have been Hiram Bullock’s 53rd Birthday. There may be some people who don’t know that Hiram passed away on July 25th 2008 after a brave struggle with throat cancer. So many of us recall him as the original guitarist from The David Letterman Show. He was certainly one of the coolest parts of the show. He was a well respected guitarist that played with many artists such as Steely Dan, Sting, Jaco Pastorius, Al Green, James Taylor and Chaka Khan, just to name a few.
His passion and tremendous soul will live forever through the music he left behind. Rest in Peace Hiram… For more information regarding Hiram and this sad news, you can go here …
Here are a few clips to remember this great person.
As some of you may be aware, TheBluesBlogger site experienced a technical glitch during an update to the latest version of WordPress 2.6. (My platform of choice that operates this site) This is not a technical blog, so I won’t be getting into any blogging platform jargon… Many of you who own their own blogs fear if things go wrong. And when it does, you all know the feeling.
WordPress 2.6
I must have sounded like Garry Shandling on the WordPress support forum. My whine was so great that I think the first response to my post was in 18 seconds … I must say that throughout the whole experience I learned a lot. The support team was incredible. One of the members on the forum went above and beyond and totally fixed my site. It was my birthday and after several crappy days my mind was finally at ease. I’m so grateful that I wanted to write something on the site for them. But how could I weave this one? Then I discovered that the new platform I upgraded to had a codename called Tyner.
McCoy Tyner
was born in Philadelphia on December 11, 1938. The oldest of three children, he was encouraged to study piano by his mother. Beginning his studies as an early teen, it didn’t take long for music to become his central focus. McCoy studied at the West Philadelphia Music School and later at Granoff School of Music. Thelonious Monk and Art Tatum would become McCoy’s major influences while learning his trade.
Tyner is best remembered from his days with John Coltrane. He first met Coltrane when he was 17 in Philadelphia and their rapport developed immediately. Tyner participated in some landmark Coltrane recording such as Africa Brass, A Love Supreme, and My Favourite Things. He also recorded many of his own albums for Impulse which included the classics such as “Inception”, “Night of Ballads and Blues”, and “Live at Newport.” And then later for Blue Note, which enabled him to feature his rich piano sound to amazing effect.
The list of accomplishments from this great pianist is vast. You can get more information regarding McCoy Tyner from his website by clicking here. Recently he has achieved a rejuvenated appreciation as a major player in the international jazz scene. His distinct and dynamic style has inspired a whole new generation of musicians, fans and even software developers around the globe.
WordPress Developers
have dedicated the 2.6 version of their blogging platform to this great musician. As a blogger who loves using the software for TheBluesBlogger site, I thought it would be cool to make mention of them and their fine support team that helped me get this blog back on track.
One thing I should mention… If you’re using WordPress and need assistance, please read through the FAQ’s first. These are very busy people and most questions can be answered by simply reviewing previously written posts. This is the best way to resolve problems that you may be currently having.
TheBluesBloggersWife, or otherwise known as TBBW, wanted to thank the team at WordPress as well. I think she was getting tired of seeing me drag my rear around the house. Tonight we are going out for my official belated birthday dinner and these guys certainly made a difference in brightening up the weekend. Good show… I look forward to future releases of this great blogging platform.
The winner of the Al Di Meola Birthday Trivia Challenge was Paul F! He had a score of 100% and won an Official Al Di Meola Prize Pack from Return2forever.com Congratulations Paul!
Thank you all for playing, and if you did not win, you can still order your own Return to Forever gear HERE.
The music seen and heard on this site are meant to enhance the enjoyment of the articles and the reader's overall experience. My intention is to honor the artists that have inspired me by weaving my personal experiences together with my love of their music... If you like the music you hear, I urge you to support them by attending their performances and/or purchasing their music. If you hold the copyright and would like me to remove your song or picture then please contact me. I will do so immediately upon request.
