Roundhouse, London

Roundhouse main entrance
Location	Chalk Farm, North London, UK
Coordinates	Coordinates: 51°32′36″N 0°09′07″W / 51.5432°N 0.1519°W / 51.5432; -0.1519
Built	1846
Opened	1964–1983 (as Centre 42) 1996–2004 (as Roundhouse) 2006 (re-opened as Roundhouse)
Renovated	2004/2005
Owner	The Norman Trust
Capacity	3,300 standing. 1,700 seated
Website	www.roundhouse.org.uk

The Roundhouse is a Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England, which has been converted into a performing arts and concert venue. It was originally built in 1847 as a roundhouse, a circular building containing a railway turntable, but was only used for railway purposes for about a decade. After being used as a warehouse for a number of years, the building fell into disuse just before the Second World War. It re-opened twenty-five years later, as a performing arts venue, when the playwright Arnold Wesker established the Centre 42 Theatre Company and adopted the building as a theatre.^[1]

This large circular structure has hosted various notable promotions, such as the launch of the underground paper International Times in 1966,^[2] The Doors only UK appearance in 1968^[3] and Greasy Truckers Party in 1972.^[4]

Greater London Council handed control of the building to Camden London Borough Council in 1983. By this time Centre 42 had run out of funds and the building remained unused until a local businessman purchased the building in 1996 and performing arts shows returned. It was closed again in 2004 for a multi-million pound redevelopment. On 1 June 2006, the Broadway show Fuerzabruta opened at the New Roundhouse.^[1]

Since 2006 Roundhouse has hosted the BBC Electric Proms^[5] and numerous iTunes Festivals,^[6] also award ceremonies such as the BT Digital Music Awards^[7] and the Vodafone Live Music Awards.^[8] In 2009 Bob Dylan performed a concert and iTunes promoted a music festival, at the venue. In line with the continuing legacy of avant-garde productions, No Fit State Circus performed Tabu during which the audience were encouraged to move around the performance space.^[9]

In 2010, Roundhouse Studios set up its own in-house record label, Roundhouse Records.^[10]

History[link]

The Roundhouse was built in 1846 as a turntable engine shed (or roundhouse) for the London and Birmingham Railway, and was known as the Great Circular Engine House, or the Luggage Engine House.^[12] The original building was built by Branson & Gwytherde, using designs by architects Robert B. Dockray and Robert Stephenson. Within ten years locomotives became too large for the building to accommodate and the Roundhouse was used for a multitude of purposes. The longest period of use was as a bonded store for Gin distillers W & A Gilbey Ltd, for which the building was used over a period of fifty years from 1871.^[13][14] In 1964 the premises were transferred to Centre 42, which prepared a scheme to convert the building into "a permanent cultural centre with a theatre, cinema, art gallery and workshops, committee rooms for local organisations, library, youth club and restaurant dance-hall". This was estimated to cost between £300,000 and £600,000 (£4.5 million–9.1 million as of 2012^[15]), and was supported by "well-known actors, playwrights, authors, musicians and others".^[14] In 1966 the Roundhouse became a well known arts venue, after the freehold was taken up by the then new Greater London Council. On 15 October 1966 Soft Machine and Pink Floyd appeared at the launch of the underground news paper International Times. During the next decade the building became an important venue for UK Underground music events Middle Earth and Implosion. Many of these were hosted and promoted by the Jeff Dexter. Others bands who played at the Roundhouse during this period included Gass, The Rolling Stones,^[16] Jeff Beck, Zoot Money's Dantalian's Chariot, David Bowie, The Sinceros, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd,^[16] Led Zeppelin, Incredible String Band, The Doors with Jefferson Airplane, Ramones, The Clash, Elkie Brooks, and Motörhead who appeared at the Roundhouse on July 20, 1975.

In addition, the building was used in 1996 during the filming of the promotional video for the Manic Street Preachers single A Design For Life prior to development commencing.

Patti Smith performing at Roundhouse, 17 May 2007

The Roundhouse has also been used for theatre and has had two periods of theatrical glory, with musicals such as Catch My Soul (1969). Under the leadership of visionary producer Thelma Holt, the first phase also featured experimental theatre productions, such as the Living Theatre production of 1776 and other plays directed by Peter Brook. The lewd play Oh! Calcutta! opened in July 1970^[16] and started a run of nearly four thousand performances in London.

The Greater London Council passed the building to Camden London Borough Council, in 1983 and it was closed as a venue due to lack of funds. The building lay empty until it was purchased for £6m (£8.4 million as of 2012^[15]) in 1996 by the Norman Trust led by the philanthropist Torquil Norman. In 1998 he set up the Roundhouse Trust and led its redevelopment, with a board of trustees which included public figures such as musicians Bob Geldof and Suggs, and Monty Python writer Terry Gilliam.^[17][18]

The venue opened for a two year period to raise awareness and funds for a redevelopment scheme, under the directorship of former BAC director Paul Blackman. shows promoted at this time included, the Royal National Theatre's Oh, What a Lovely War!, dancer Michael Clark's comeback performance, percussion extravaganza Stomp, Ken Campbell's twenty four hour long show The Warp and the Argentine De La Guarda's Villa Villa^[16] which ran for a year, becoming the longest ever running show at The Roundhouse, ending when the venue closed for re-development work.

The website dance.com, commenting on the redevelopment project, said:

The renovated Roundhouse, designed by architects John McAslan & Partners in association with engineering company Buro Happold,^[16] opened once more on 1 June 2006, promoting Fuerzabruta. Since 1996, the renovations had cost £27m (£38 million as of 2012^[15]).^[18]

In 2008, Michael Boyd, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, transferred his RSC Histories Cycle to the Roundhouse, rearranging the performing space to match the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford upon Avon, where the cycle had first been staged.^[20] In her review for The British Theatre Guide, Anita Butler noted:

On 31 March 2009, the charitable circus group No Fit State began a run of performances of Tabu,^[9] utilising the open space at the Roundhouse.^[22] On 26 April 2009, Bob Dylan and his band performed at the Roundhouse, whilst on a tour of UK,^[23] and in July 2009 the iTunes Music Festival (supported by Apple) was held at the venue.^[24]

In 2010 the Roundhouse introduced contemporary classical music to its events repertoire when it hosted the Reverb festival in January of that year,^[25] which included performances by the London Contemporary Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Magnets, Nico Muhly, Sam Amidon and the Britten Sinfonia.^[26] A festival of vocal music entitled Voices Now is planned for March 2011, and will involve choral groups such as the BBC Singers and the London Symphony Chorus as well as events led by musical television presenter Gareth Malone.^[27]

In August the ground floor Roundhouse Cafe closed for two months for major redevelopment, reopening in October as a new bar and dining room called 'Made in Camden'. Made in Camden has its own entrance and is open to everyone throughout the year, unlike the old cafe which was often only accessible to Roundhouse audiences.

In May 2012 the Roundhouse announced that Fuerzabruta would return for a limited four-week run in December.

The Roundhouse Trust[link]

Alongside its role as an arts venue, the Roundhouse is also a registered charity and runs a creative programme for 11-25s through the Roundhouse Trust.

Since 2006 the Trust has provided over 13 000 learning opportunities for 11-25s in live music, circus, theatre and new media. Courses take place in the Roundhouse Studios, which include a music recording suite, film production rooms, TV and radio studios and rehearsal rooms. All of which are located directly underneath the Main Space.^[28]

Founded by Sir Torquil Norman the Roundhouse Trust aims to engage young people, particularly those who have been excluded, marginalised or disadvantaged by society, by providing opportunities to learn new skills and gain new experiences.

Architecture[link]

The Roundhouse during renovation in 2005

The Roundhouse is Grade II* listed. It was declared a National Heritage Site in 2010, when a Transport Trust Heritage Plaque was presented by Prince Michael of Kent.^[18] It is regarded as a notable example of mid-19th century railway architecture. The original building, 48 metres (157 ft) in diameter, is constructed in yellow brick and is distinctive for its unusual circular shape and pointed roof. The conical slate roof has a central smoke louvre (now glazed) and is supported by 24 cast-iron Doric columns (arranged around the original locomotive spaces) and a framework of curved ribs. The interior has original flooring and parts of the turntable and fragments of early railway lines.^[29]

The 2006 renovation was supported with conservation advice and funding from English Heritage and with grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council England.^[30] The project included the addition of seven layers of soundproofing to the roof, re-instating the glazed roof-lights, and added the steel and glass New Wing which curves around the north side of the main building, to house the box office, bar and café, an art gallery foyer and offices.^[1][31]

Other buildings called Roundhouse[link]

Derby College uses a converted roundhouse building next to Derby railway station, formerly of the North Midland Railway, as its Derby College @ Roundhouse campus. Opened in 2009, it is used for vocational training in a range of subjects.^[32]

Bibliography[link]

• Bane, M., (1982) White boy singin' the blues, London: Penguin, 1982, ISBN 0-14-006045-6.
• Bob Brunning, Blues: The British Connection, Helter Skelter Publishing, London 2002, ISBN 1-900924-41-2 – First edition 1986 – Second edition 1995 Blues in Britain
• Bob Brunning, The Fleetwood Mac Story: Rumours and Lies, Omnibus Press London, 1990 and 1998, ISBN 0-7119-6907-8
• Martin Celmins, Peter Green – Founder of Fleetwood Mac, Sanctuary London, 1995, foreword by B.B.King, ISBN 1-86074-233-5
• Fancourt, L., (1989) British blues on record (1957–1970), Retrack Books.
• Dick Heckstall-Smith, The safest place in the world: A personal history of British Rhythm and blues, 1989 Quartet Books Limited, ISBN 0-7043-2696-5 – Second Edition : Blowing The Blues – Fifty Years Playing The British Blues, 2004, Clear Books, ISBN 1-904555-04-7
• Christopher Hjort, Strange brew: Eric Clapton and the British blues boom, 1965–1970, foreword by John Mayall, Jawbone 2007, ISBN 1-906002-00-2
• Paul Myers, Long John Baldry and the Birth of the British Blues, Vancouver 2007, GreyStone Books, ISBN 1-55365-200-2
• Harry Shapiro Alexis Korner: The Biography, Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, London 1997, Discography by Mark Troster, ISBN 0-7475-3163-3
• Schwartz, R. F., (2007) How Britain got the blues : The transmission and reception of American blues style in the United Kingdom Ashgate, ISBN 0-7546-5580-6.
• Mike Vernon, The Blue Horizon story 1965–1970 vol.1, notes of the booklet of the Box Set (60 pages)

Discography[link]

• Cyril Davies – Blues from The Roundhouse (1957) reissued as The Legendary Cyril Davies (1970) and as Alexis Korner & Cyril Davies (1984)
• Hawkwind: "Silver Machine" (recorded 1972)
• Mott the Hoople: "Saturday Gigs" (recorded 1974) contains the line Float up to the Roundhouse on a Sunday afternoon.
• Pink Fairies: "Live at the Roundhouse 1975" – released in 1982
• Motörhead: What's Words Worth? (recorded 1978)
• Opeth: "The Roundhouse Tapes" (recorded 2006)
• Erasure: "Tomorrow's World Tour" (recorded 2011)

See also[link]

• Fat Girl Gets a Haircut, a play created by artist Mark Storor in collaboration with a cast of teenage actors.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roundhouse

• The Roundhouse official web site
• Made in Camden's web site
• John McAslan and Partners

v t e London Borough of Camden Districts Belsize Park Bloomsbury Brondesbury Camden Town Chalk Farm Covent Garden Cricklewood Dartmouth Park Fitzrovia Fortune Green Frognal Gospel Oak Hampstead Haverstock Highgate Holborn Kentish Town Kilburn Kings Cross Primrose Hill Regent's Park Saffron Hill St Giles St Pancras Somers Town South Hampstead Swiss Cottage Tufnell Park West Hampstead Attractions Bloomsbury Theatre British Library British Museum BT Tower Camden Arts Centre Dickens House Museum Dominion Theatre Donmar Warehouse Foundling Museum Fenton House Freud Museum Highgate Cemetery Keats House Kenwood House The Jewish Museum Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology Roundhouse Shaftesbury Theatre Sir John Soane's Museum Wellcome Collection West End theatre Street markets Camden Market Queen's Crescent Market Parks and open spaces Bloomsbury Square Hampstead Heath Kilburn Grange Park Lincoln's Inn Fields Phoenix Garden Primrose Hill Regents Park Russell Square Waterlow Park Constituencies Hampstead and Kilburn Holborn and St. Pancras Tube and rail stations Belsize Park Camden Road railway station Camden Town Chalk Farm Chancery Lane Euston Euston railway station Euston Square Finchley Road Finchley Road & Frognal railway station Goodge Street Gospel Oak railway station Hampstead Hampstead Heath railway station Holborn Kentish Town Kentish Town West railway station Kilburn High Road railway station King's Cross St. Pancras London King's Cross railway station Mornington Crescent Russell Square St Pancras railway station South Hampstead railway station Swiss Cottage Warren Tube West Hampstead West Hampstead railway station West Hampstead Thameslink railway station Other topics People Public art Schools Category Commons

Steam locomotives sit in the Chicago and North Western Railway roundhouse at the Chicago, Illinois freight yards, December 1942

Roundhouse in Atlanta, Georgia, 1866. Interior layout exposed by extensive American Civil War damage.

Operational roundhouse in Wolsztyn, Poland.

Roundhouse in Uster, Switzerland

B&O Martinsburg West Roundhouse

Roundhouse in Berlin-Pankow

The John Street Roundhouse Toronto as seen from the CN Tower.

North Midland Railway roundhouse at Derby, England, built in 1839, as it was in 2006

A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables. The defining feature of the traditional roundhouse was the turntable, which facilitates access when the building is used for repair facilities or for storage of steam locomotives.

Early steam locomotives normally travelled forwards only; although reverse operations capabilities were soon built into locomotive mechanisms, the controls were normally optimized for forward travel, and the locomotives often could not operate as well in reverse. Some passenger cars, such as observation cars, were also designed as late as the 1960s for operations in a particular direction. A turntable allowed a locomotive or other rolling stock to be turned around for the return journey.

Most modern diesel and electric locomotives can run equally well in either direction, and many have control cabs at each end. In addition, railroads often use multiple locomotives to pull trains, and even with locomotives that have distinct front and rear ends, the engines at opposing ends of a locomotive "consist" (a group of locomotives coupled together and controlled as a single unit) can be aligned so they face opposite directions. With such a setup, trains needing to reverse direction can use a technique known as a "run around," in which the engines are uncoupled from the train, pull around it on an adjacent track or siding, and reattach at the other end. The engineer changes operating ends from the original locomotive to the one on the opposite end of the locomotive consist.

Railroad terminals also use features such as balloon loops and wyes (Commonwealth: triangle) to reverse the orientation of railroad equipment. Because of the advent of these practices, modern roundhouses are frequently not round and are simply large buildings used for servicing locomotives. Like much other railroad terminology, however, the structure has retained its traditional name. The alternative term engine-house encompasses both semi-circular and rectangular structures and broadly describes all buildings intended for storage and servicing of locomotives.^[1] Shops or workshops are buildings containing hoists and heavy machinery capable of major repairs beyond routine servicing.^[2] Some roundhouses include shop facilities internally or in adjoining buildings.

History[link]

Probably the first railway roundhouse was built in 1839 at Derby, England by the North Midland Railway. Some private workshops, such as that of Fenton, Murray and Jackson in Leeds (1831–1843), may previously have been laid out in a radial pattern. In a guidebook of the time we are told "The engine-house is a polygon of sixteen sides, and 190 feet (58 m) in diameter, lighted from a dome-shaped roof, of the height of 50 feet (15 m). It contains 16 lines of rails, radiating from a single turn-table in the centre: the engines, on their arrival, are taken in there, placed upon the turn-table, and wheeled into any stall that may be vacant. Each of the 16 stalls will hold two, or perhaps more, engines."^[3] This roundhouse narrowly escaped demolition when the works closed down, and was classified as a listed building. The Derby roundhouse was restored in 2010, being converted into a brand new site for Derby College, with a new addition called the 'Stephenson Building' including the other survival of demolition - the original Midland Counties Railway workshop. The new site was opened in September 2009. Tours can be arranged through Derby Tourist Information Centre.

Since the great dieselisation era of the 1940s and 1950s, many roundhouses have been demolished or put to other uses, but a few still stand and remain in use on the railroads. Early roundhouses were too small for later locomotives: The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London was built in 1847, but was too small for its function within 20 years (it is now an arts centre). The unusual shape of the buildings can make them difficult to adapt to new uses, but can also be aesthetically appealing.

The B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland is located in the restored roundhouse of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It is said to be the world's largest 22-sided building.^[4]

The Steam Whistle Brewing brewery in Toronto, Ontario is located in the building known as the John Street Roundhouse, a former Canadian Pacific Railway steam locomotive repair facility.

The roundhouse located on the BNSF line, with the last stop in Aurora, Illinois, was purchased by NFL football player Walter Payton and has become Walter Payton's Roundhouse Brewery and Restaurant.

The Canadian National Railways roundhouse at the Turcot Yard in Montreal, built in 1906, was the largest ever built in Canada. Its demolition in 1962 to make way for the Turcot Interchange illustrated a profound change in transportation habits across North America.

Valley Heights roundhouse, 75 km west of Sydney NSW, is the oldest surviving roundhouse in Australia, and has been preserved as a railway museum.

The roundhouse in Wolsztyn, in western Poland, continues to supply steam locomotives for regular national rail services (as of 2011).

See also[link]

• Okrąglak roundhouse in Piła, Poland
• Roundhouse Skierniewice, Poland
• Motive power depot
• Bahnbetriebswerk, a German motive power depot
  • Bahnbetriebswerk (steam locomotives)
• List of railway roundhouses

References[link]

External links[link]

• Barrow Hill, Derbyshire, England: includes a list of other worldwide roundhouses
• The page devoted to the roundhouse in Pila

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roundhouses

Flying Lotus
Background information
Also known as	Flying Lotus FlyLo Juno Leed
Born	(1983-10-07) October 7, 1983 (age 28)
Origin	Los Angeles, California United States
Genres	Electronic, experimental
Occupations	Musician Record Producer Filmmaker Record Label Owner
Instruments	Computer, Turntables, Sampler, Drum Machine, Synthesizer, Keyboards, Multi-instrumentalist
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Warp, Brainfeeder, Plug Research
Associated acts	Thundercat FLYamSAM Alice Coltrane Ravi Coltrane Thom Yorke Laura Darlington Gonjasufi
Website	flying-lotus.com, brainfeedersite.com
Notable instruments
Reason Ableton Live

Flying Lotus (born Steven Ellison) is an experimental multi-genre music producer from Winnetka, California. His debut album, 1983, was released on Plug Research Records in 2006.^[1] He produced much of the bumper music on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block,^[2] for which he is uncredited, and he also contributed remixes for fellow Plug Research artists including Mia Doi Todd. He is often referred to as FlyLo by fans and critics. His grandmother was songwriter Marilyn McLeod. He is the great-nephew of the late Alice Coltrane, whose husband was John Coltrane. He is also the cousin of musician Ravi Coltrane.^[3]

Music career[link]

In 2007, he announced that he signed with Warp Records.^[4] Following his Warp debut, the six-track Reset EP, he quickly became one of the label’s cornerstone artists and released his second album, titled Los Angeles, on June 10, 2008. In 2008, Flying Lotus also remixed "Reckoner" from Radiohead's album In Rainbows.^[5] His third album, Cosmogramma, was released on May 3, 2010, in the UK and May 4, 2010, in the US.^[6] In January 2011, Cosmogramma won in the Dance/Electronica Album category in the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards.^[7]

Recently, Flying Lotus collaborated with the Ann Arbor Film Festival in the performance of a live scoring of the 1962 avant-garde film Heaven and Earth Magic.^[8] In a post-viewing interview with the audience, Flying Lotus said that he was unsure whether or not a recording of the performance (or a recreation of it) would be publicly released, but he would be enthusiastic toward similar projects in the future. He was chosen by Battles to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival that it co-curates in December 2011 in Minehead, England.^[9]

In January 2011, Flying Lotus won the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards for his video "MmmHmm" in the Short-Form Video category.^[10] Flying Lotus will be collaborating with R&B singer Erykah Badu on new material for her next album.^[11] In August 2011, Flying Lotus announced a multimedia project with filmmaker Miwa Matreyek, which is to be titled The Mapping of Countries Yet to Come.^[12] It is currently rumored that Flying Lotus plans to remix one of Radiohead's songs from The King of Limbs.^[13]

Discography[link]

Demos[link]

• 2005: July Heat

Note: Various unofficial Flying Lotus demos leaked by fans are sometimes mistaken as official Flying Lotus releases, such as "Raw Cartoons."^[14]

Albums[link]

EPs and Misc[link]

12-inch singles[link]

• 2006: Pink Sun EP (12", EP) My Room Is White (Flying Lotus Remix) - Plug Research
• 2008: Cool Out (12") Lost (Flying Lotus Remix) - Hyperdub
• 2008: Dive EP (12", EP) Blank Blue (Flying Lotus Remix) - Ubiquity Records
• 2008: Get Dirty EP (12", EP) Game Over (Flying Lotus Remix) - Ghostly International
• 2008: Natural Selection (Flying Lotus' Cleanse Mix) / Vancouver (2562's Puur Natuur Dub) (12")
• 2008: Woebegone (CD, Single, Promo) Woebegone (Flying Lotus Remix) - Ninja Tune

Production[link]

• 2008: José James - Park Bench People (on the track "Visions of Violet")
• 2009: Declaime - Whole Wide World
• 2010: José James - Blackmagic
• 2010: Gonjasufi - A Sufi and a Killer (on the track "Ancestors")
• 2010: Mike Bigga - Adult Swim Singles Program (on the track "Swimming")
• 2011: Thundercat - The Golden Age of Apocalypse
• 2011: Blu - 'NoYork! (on the tracks "Doin’ Nothin", "Everything Ok" and "Doin’ Something"
• 2012: "Lately" and "Lamented" on the Hodgy Beats Untitled EP

Collaborations[link]

• 2008: One for Pep Pep (Remix) (Tim and Eric Awesome Record, Great Songs)
• 2008: Testament (w/ Gonjasufi)
• 2009: Bootleg Beats (w/ Samiyam)^[17]
• 2010: ...And The World Laughs With You^[18][19] (w/ Thom Yorke)
• 2011: Kryon (w/ Kode9 & the Spaceape)^[20]
• 2011: Group Tea (w/ Matthewdavid)^[21]
• 2011: Lost (w/ King Midas Sound) ^[22]
• 2011: Live (w/ Hodgy Beats & Mike G of OFWGKTA)

Mixes[link]

• 2011: Lover's Melt (Stones Throw Podcast)
• 2011: Lover's Melt Pt. 2 (Brainfeeder Podcast)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website
• Brainfeeder
• Official Online Game
• Warp Records
• Plug Research
• RBMA Radio On Demand - Sonar Sessions 2007 - Flying Lotus (Warp/Plug Research, Los Angeles)
• Sept 2007 Interview with L.A. Record
• Interview (2007)
• Los Angeles Review (2008)
• New Yorker profile by Sasha Frere-Jones
• Flying Lotus “BRAINFEEDER RADIO” Part 2 at Dublab

Otis Rush
Rush at Notodden bluesfestival, Norway, 1997
Background information
Birth name	Otis Rush
Born	(1935-04-29) April 29, 1935 (age 77) Philadelphia, Mississippi United States
Genres	Chicago blues
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar
Years active	1956–2004
Labels	Cobra, Chess, Duke, Vanguard, Cotillion, Bullfrog, Black & Blue, Delmark, Sonet, Blind Pig, This Way Up, House of Blues
Website	www.otisrush.net

Otis Rush (born April 29, 1935^[1][2][3] in Philadelphia, Mississippi) is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes. With similar qualities to Magic Sam and Buddy Guy, his sound became known as West Side Chicago blues and became an influence on many musicians including Michael Bloomfield and Eric Clapton.

Rush is left-handed and, unlike many other left-handed guitarists, plays a left-handed instrument strung upside-down with the low E string at the bottom. He played often with the little finger of his pick hand curled under the low E for positioning. It is widely believed that this contributes to his distinctive sound. He has a wide-ranging, powerful tenor voice.

Career[link]

After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1948,^[4] Rush made a name for himself playing in clubs on both the South Side and West Side blues scenes. From 1956 to 1958, he recorded for the Cobra Records and released eight singles, some featuring Ike Turner or Jody Williams on guitar. His first single "I Can't Quit You Baby" in 1956 reached No. 6 on Billboard's R&B chart.^[4] During his tenure with Cobra, he recorded some of his well known songs such as "Double Trouble" and "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)."^[5]

After Cobra Records went bankrupt in 1959, Rush landed a recording contract with Chess in 1960. He recorded eight tracks for the label, four of which were released on two singles that year. Six tracks including the two singles later came out on "Door To Door" album in 1969, a compilation also featuring Chess recordings by Albert King.

He also went into the studio for Duke Records in 1962, but only one single "Homework/I Have to Laugh" was issued from the label.^[6] It also received a release in Great Britain on Vocalion VP9260 in 1963. In 1965, he recorded for Vanguard which can be heard on the label's compilation album, Chicago/The Blues/Today! Vol.2.

In the 1960s, Rush began playing in other cities in the U.S. and also to Europe, most notably the American Folk Blues Festival.

In 1969, the album Mourning in the Morning was released on Cotillion Records. Recorded at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the album was produced by Michael Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites (then of Electric Flag). The sound that incorporated soul and rock was a brand new direction for Rush.

In 1971, Rush recorded the album Right Place, Wrong Time in San Francisco, California for Capitol Records, but Capitol decided not to release it. The album was finally released in 1976 when Rush purchased the master from Capitol and had it released by P-Vine Records in Japan. Bullfrog Records released it in the U.S. soon after. The album generally has since gained a reputation as one of the best works by Rush.^[7][8]

In the 1970s, he also released some albums on Delmark Records and also from Sonet Records in Europe, but by the end of the decade he stopped performing and recording.

Otis Rush performing in 2002

Rush made a come back in 1985 making a U.S. tour and releasing the live album, Tops, recorded at the San Francisco Blues Festival.

In 1994, Rush released Ain't Enough Comin' In, the first studio album in 16 years.^[5] Any Place I'm Goin' followed in 1998, and Rush earned his first Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1999.

Though he has not recorded a new studio album since 1998, he continued to tour and perform. In 2002, he was featured on the Bo Diddley tribute album Hey Bo Diddley - A Tribute!, performing the song "I'm A Man" produced by Carla Olson.

However, he suffered a stroke in 2004 which has kept him from performing since. In 2006, Rush released his latest CD, Live and From San Francisco on Blues Express Records, a live recording from 1999. Video footage of the same show was released on the DVD Live Part 1 in 2003.

Rush has two daughters and two sons from a previous marriage and 2 daughters from his second marriage, Lena and Sophia.

Discography[link]

Original albums[link]

• 1969 Mourning In The Morning (Cotillion)
• 1974 Screamin' And Cryin' (Black And Blue)
• 1975 Cold Day In Hell (Delmark)
• 1976 So Many Roads (Delmark)
• 1976 Right Place, Wrong Time (Bullfrog)
• 1978 Troubles Troubles (Sonet)
• 1989 Tops (Blind Pig)
• 1989 Blues Interaction -Live In Japan 1986- (P-Vine)
• 1991 Lost in Blues (Alligator Records ALCD4797)
• 1993 Live In Europe (Evidence Music ECD 26034-2)
• 1994 Ain't Enough Comin' In (This Way Up)
• 1998 Any Place I'm Going (House Of Blues)
• 2006 Live...and in Concert from San Francisco (Blues Express)
• 2009 Chicago Blues Festival 2001 (P-Vine)

Compilations[link]

• 1969 Door To Door (Chess) (coupled with Albert King)
• 1989 I Can't Quit You Baby - The Cobra Sessions 1956-1958 (P-Vine)
• 2000 Good 'Uns - The Classic Cobra Recordings 1956-1958 (Westside)
• 2000 The Essential Otis Rush - The Classic Cobra Recordings 1956-1958 (Fuel 2000)
• 2002 Blue on Blues - Buddy Guy & Otis Rush (Fuel 2000)
• 2005 All Your Love I Miss Loving - Live at the Wise Fools Pub, Chicago (Delmark)
• 2006 Live At Montreux 1986 (Eagle Rock Entertainment) (Joint performance with Eric Clapton and Luther Allison)
• 2006 Blues Giants. The Essential Songbook. -Trilogy-". Various artist, compiled by The Professor

Singles[link]

• 1956 "I Can't Quit You Baby" / "Sit Down Baby" (Cobra 5000)
• 1956 "My Love Will Never Die" / "Violent Love" (Cobra 5005)
• 1957 "Groaning The Blues" / "If You Were Mine" (Cobra 5010)
• 1957 "Jump Sister Bessie" / "Love That Woman" (Cobra 5015)
• 1957 "She's A Good 'Un" / "Three Times A Fool" (Cobra 5023)
• 1958 "Checking On My Baby" / "It Takes Time" (Cobra 5027)
• 1958 "Double Trouble" / "Keep On Loving Me Baby" (Cobra 5030)
• 1958 "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)" / "My Baby's A Good Un" (Cobra 5032)
• 1960 "So Many Roads So Many Trains" / "I'm Satisfied" (Chess 1751)
• 1960 "You Know My Love" / "I Can't Stop Baby" (Chess 1775)
• 1962 "Homework" / "I Have to Laugh" (Duke 356)
• 1969 "Gambler's Blues" / "You're Killing My Love" (Cotillion 44032)

DVD[link]

• 2003 Live Part One (Blues Express)
• 2006 Live At Montreux 1986 (Eagle Rock Entertainment)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Biography at Blind Pig Records website
• Otis Rush Disk Guide (Japanese)
• In-depth article on Essential Collection: The Complete Cobra Recordings 1956-1958
• Otis Rush at Allmusic

Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara performing at the 2010 Polaris Music Prize Ceremony
Background information
Origin	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Genres	Indie rock, new wave[1], indie pop, indie folk
Years active	1995 (1995)–present
Labels	Vapor, Sanctuary, Sire
Website	teganandsara.com
Members
Tegan Quin Sara Quin

Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie band^[1] formed in 1995^[2][3] in Calgary. Composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin^[4] (born September 19, 1980). Both Tegan and Sara play guitar and keyboard and write their songs.^[5]

History[link]

The duo has toured internationally—they're seen here in San Diego in the United States

Tegan and Sara Quin were born September 19, 1980 in Calgary, Alberta. They began playing guitar and writing songs at age 15.^[3] They initially played as Plunk without a drummer or bass player. In 1997, they used their school’s recording studio to record two demo albums: Who's in Your Band? and Play Day. In 1998, they won Calgary's Garage Warz competition, using the studio time they won to record their first professional demo, Yellow tape, which was followed by Orange tape and Red tape.

Two songs from Red tape appeared on their first album, Under Feet Like Ours, which they released independently in 1999 under the name "Sara and Tegan". They later changed their name to "Tegan and Sara" because it was easier to pronounce^[6] and reprinted the album using that name. They also wanted their name to stand out amongst the other 'Sara' musicians at the time such as Sarah McLachlan and Sarah Slean. Tegan was easier to remember.^{[citation needed]} Neil Young's manager signed them to Young's Vapor Records label, and they released This Business of Art through Vapor in 2000. They have toured extensively since then.

In 2002, the band released their third album If It Was You. Their fourth album, So Jealous, was released in 2004 and led to wider success. This album was released through both Vapor and Sanctuary. One track on the album, "Walking with a Ghost", was covered by The White Stripes, who released it on their Walking with a Ghost EP.^[7]

Their 2007 album, The Con, was released by Vapor and Sire because Sanctuary chose to no longer release new music in the United States. The album was co-produced by Chris Walla. Jason McGerr of Death Cab for Cutie, Matt Sharp of The Rentals and previously Weezer, Hunter Burgan of AFI, and Kaki King all appear on the album.^[8]

On October 27, 2009, Tegan and Sara released their sixth album Sainthood, produced by Chris Walla and Howard Redekopp, as well as a three-volume book set titled ON, IN, AT, which is a collection of stories, essays, journals, and photos of the band on tour in America in the fall of 2008, writing together in New Orleans, and touring Australia. The photographs in the book are by Lindsey Byrnes and Ryan Russell.^[9] While recording Sainthood, Tegan and Sara spent a week writing songs together in New Orleans. The song "Paperback Head" appeared on the album, making it the first song on any Tegan and Sara album that they wrote together.^[10] Spin magazine gave Sainthood four out of five stars and wrote, "Tegan and Sara's music may no longer be the stuff of teens, but its strength remains in how much it feels like two people talking."^[11]

In 2011, they launched 2011: A Merch Odyssey, which sees the launch of at least one new item in the official online stores every month, all year long. A live CD/DVD combination package titled Get Along was released on November 15 and contains three films titled 'States', 'India' and 'For The Most Part'.

Tegan and Sara stated on their website that they would start recording their seventh studio album on February 20, 2012.

Tegan and Sara's seventh record is being produced by three different producers. So far the band has announced via twitter and their weekly youtube show that they have been recording six songs with Producer Greg Kurstin, Joey Waronker has contributed drums to these six songs and Sia stopped by the studio to contribute vocals to a song. Four more songs are being produced by Mike Elizondo, with Victor Indrizzo contributing drums, Josh Lopez contributing guitar and Dave Palmer contributing piano/keyboards.

Personal lives[link]

Both twins are openly gay.^[12] Tegan lives in Vancouver, BC and Los Angeles, CA. Sara lives in Montreal, QC and New York, NY.^[5]

Touring[link]

Tegan and Sara being interviewed at the 2005 Coachella.

Tegan and Sara began touring after graduating from high school in 1998, traveling by car or Greyhound bus.^[13] In 2000, they toured with Neil Young and The Pretenders. Other notable touring mates include Ryan Adams, Ben Folds, Gogol Bordello, Cake, City and Colour, Communiqué, Death Cab for Cutie, Hot Hot Heat, Kadawatha, The Killers, New Found Glory, Paramore, Rufus Wainwright, and Weezer.

Their onstage banter, including stories and commentary about their childhood, politics, and life on the road, has become an indispensable part of their live shows.

They have performed at festivals including Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair 1999, Coachella, Lollapalooza, SXSW 2005, Austin City Limits, Bonnaroo, Falls Festival, Sasquatch!, Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour 2008; Southbound 2009, Glastonbury, Lilith Fair, Sasquatch! 2010,Winnipeg Folk Festival 2011,^[14] Newport Folk Festival 2011,Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Fest 2011, and Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest 2011.

In December 2010, Tegan and Sara supported Jack Johnson in New Zealand and Australia.

Other work[link]

In 2009, both Tegan and Sara worked as producers for the first time. Tegan worked with char2d2 on the 2009 Small Vampires EP, while Sara worked on 2010 debut albums for Fences and Hesta Prynn.^[15]

Collaborations[link]

Sara singing and playing guitar

Tegan sang backing vocals on Rachael Cantu's "Saturday" from her Run All Night album, and in 2007 sang in Against Me!'s song "Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart." Sara sang in The Reason's song "We're So Beyond This", as well as appearing in the music video.

In April 2008, Tegan wrote and recorded a song titled "His Love" at the request of Augusten Burroughs as a contribution to the audio version of his book A Wolf at the Table. The two headlined Spin's September 2008 Liner Notes benefit for Housing Works, a New York non-profit.^[16]

In addition to their own set, Tegan and Sara performed with DJ Tiësto during the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on June 13, 2008. Tegan and Sara appeared as guests, providing live vocals for Tiësto's remix of "Back in Your Head".^[17] Tegan and Sara also collaborated with Tiësto on the song "Feel It in My Bones" from his 2009 album Kaleidoscope and appeared in the music video for this song.

Tegan and Sara are featured on Margaret Cho's 2009 album Cho Dependent on the track "Intervention". They are also featured in Margaret's video for the song.

Tegan and Sara released an "Alligator" remix album on iTunes in 2010. Contributors included Doveman, Four Tet, Passion Pit, Ra Ra Riot, and VHS or Beta.

Sara is featured on rapper/songwriter/producer Theophilus London's track "Why Even Try" from his 2011 Lover's Holiday EP.

Both Tegan and Sara appear in Sara Bareilles' star-studded music video for her song "Uncharted". The video premiered in March 2011 and also features, amongst others, Josh Groban, Laura Jansen, Ingrid Michaelson, Pharell Williams, Adam Levine, Ben Folds, Keenan Cahill, Jennifer Nettles, and Vanessa Carlton.

Tegan sings with Jim Ward on his "Broken Songs."

Sara appeared on Jonathan Coulton's 2011 album Artificial Heart, providing vocals for the album's remake of the song Coulton wrote for Valve's game Portal, "Still Alive".

NOFX's song "Creeping Out Sara" is about the two sisters. During a live Q&A when asked what they thought of the song Sara answered, 'The song is called "Creeping Out Sara"; I am Sara, and I was creeped out.'

Sara appears in Kaki King's music video for "Pull Me out Alive."

Tegan sang on "Contrails" by rapper Astronautalis on his 2011 album This Is Our Science. She also appears in the music video.

Both Tegan and Sara perform in "Body Work" and "Video" on Morgan Page's 2012 album In the Air. They also appear in the music video for "Body Work".

Television and film[link]

Tegan and Sara have appeared on American, Canadian, and European television shows, including Jimmy Kimmel Live (2005), Jonovision, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (2004), Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2005, 2007, 2009), The Late Show with David Letterman (2000, 2008), The NewMusic, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2008), and ZeD.^[14]

Tegan and Sara songs have been featured in the films Monster-in-Law, Sweet November, and These Girls, and in the television shows 90210, Being Erica, Ghost Whisperer, Grey's Anatomy, The Hills, Hollyoaks, jPod, The L Word, Life Unexpected, Melrose Place (2009 series), One Tree Hill, Parenthood, Rookie Blue, Vampire Diaries, Veronica Mars, Waterloo Road (2011) and What's New, Scooby-Doo?.

In 2006, Tegan and Sara performed in The L Word episode "Last Dance" (season 3, episode 11). In 2008, they appeared on the kids music television show Pancake Mountain where they acted in a skit and performed their songs "Back in Your Head", "Hop a Plane", and an acoustic version of "Walking with a Ghost".^[20] In 2010, they appeared on CBC's Mamma Yamma, revising their single "Alligator" into a children's song.

In 2011, Sara Quin was a panelist on Canada Reads defending Jeff Lemire's graphic novel Essex County. The book, the first graphic novel to be featured as part of Canada Reads, was voted off after the first round.

Band members[link]

Tegan Quin at a concert in Detroit, Michigan

• Tegan Quin – vocals, guitar, keyboards
• Sara Quin – vocals, guitar, keyboards

Backing musicians

• Ted Gowans – guitar, keyboards

Former backing musicians

• Johnny "Five" Andrews – drums
• Shaun Huberts – bass guitar
• Dan Kelly – bass guitar
• Chris Carlson – bass guitar
• Rob Chursinoff – drums

Discography[link]

	Book: Tegan and Sara
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• Under Feet Like Ours (1999)
• This Business of Art (2000)
• If It Was You (2002)
• So Jealous (2004)
• The Con (2007)
• Sainthood (2009)
• Get Along - (Live Album/DVD) (2011)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

Citations

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Tegan and Sara

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Tegan and Sara

• Tegan and Sara Official website
• Tegan and Sara's channel on YouTube