{"product_id":"the-sound-of-seattle-isbn-9781632175144","title":"The Sound of Seattle","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis rockin' paperback explores the musical evolution of Seattle through the lens of 101 songs spanning 80 years, examining the most prominent and important music and musicians to come out of our corner of the country, with a foreword by Pearl Jam legend Mike McCready.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKEXP DJ and musician Eva Walker and music writer Jake Uitti take readers on a musical journey, exploring the songs and artists instrumental to developing the \"Seattle sound.\" The authors have curated the ultimate playlist for the Emerald City. It all begins in 1942 when Washington-born Bing Crosby records what will become the world's bestselling single of all time, \"White Christmas.\" From there, readers will delight in a sensory trip through jazz, rock, punk, riot grrrl, pop, rap, grunge, indie, emo, and more, deepening their knowledge and love of the songs that shaped Seattle, and in the process, each of us.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBoth a love letter and love song to the city, \u003ci\u003eThe Sound of Seattle\u003c\/i\u003e is a visual guide organized by decade, with seminal songs profiled and paired with inventive design reminiscent of a favorite zine or concert poster. Includes interviews with Seattle legends like Heart's Nancy Wilson, as well as sidebars showcasing musical landmarks throughout the city. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow has the Emerald City’s musical output changed and evolved? What is the connective tissue between Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and Kenny G? Between Melvins, Sleater-Kinney, and Foo Fighters? Between Sir Mix-a-Lot, Macklemore, and Travis Thompson? We're gonna find out!\u003cb\u003eContents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eForeword by Mike McCready\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 1940s–1950s: Jazz and Jackson Street\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBing Crosby, “White Christmas”\u003cbr\u003eRay Charles, “Confession Blues”\u003cbr\u003eErnestine Anderson, “The Song Is Ended”\u003cbr\u003eThe Fabulous Wailers, “Tall Cool One”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 1960s: Talking Fate with Merrilee Rush\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLoretta Lynn, “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl”\u003cbr\u003eDave Lewis, “Little Green Thing”\u003cbr\u003eThe Sonics, “The Witch”\u003cbr\u003eJimi Hendrix, “Purple Haze”\u003cbr\u003eMerrilee Rush, “Angel of the Morning”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 1970s: Nancy Wilson on the Seattle Sound and the Foundational 1970s\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Black and White Affair, “Bold Soul Sister, Bold Soul Brother”\u003cbr\u003eGregg Rolie, “Oye Como Va”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Note on Wheedle’s Groove\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCarol Kaye (Ray Charles), “America the Beautiful”\u003cbr\u003eHeart, “Crazy on You”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 1980s: “The Grungefather” Jack Endino on Seattle’s Growing Indie Scene\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eQuincy Jones, “One Hundred Ways”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Note on Garfield High School \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eThe Fartz, “Idiots Rule”\u003cbr\u003eThe Emerald Street Boys, “Christmas Rap”\u003cbr\u003eTina Bell (Bam Bam), “Villains Also Wear White”\u003cbr\u003eThe U-Men, “Gila”\u003cbr\u003eRobert Cray, “Smoking Gun”\u003cbr\u003eDeems, “Tough Tofu”\u003cbr\u003eSkin Yard, “Reptile”\u003cbr\u003eDiane Shuur, “Trav’lin Light”\u003cbr\u003eBeat Happening, “Indian Summer”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 1990s: Sir Mix-a-Lot on Seattle’s Musical Explosion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOleta Adams, “Get Here”\u003cbr\u003eKid Sensation, “Prisoner of Ignorance”\u003cbr\u003eMother Love Bone, “Crown of Thorns”\u003cbr\u003eQueensrÿche, “Silent Lucidity”\u003cbr\u003eHammerbox, “When 3 Is 2”\u003cbr\u003eTad, “Jack Pepsi”\u003cbr\u003eTemple of the Dog, “Hunger Strike”\u003cbr\u003ePearl Jam, “Alive”\u003cbr\u003eNirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”\u003cbr\u003eLove Battery, “Out of Focus”\u003cbr\u003eSir Mix-a-Lot, “Baby Got Back”\u003cbr\u003eScreaming Trees, “Nearly Lost You”\u003cbr\u003eAlice in Chains, “Rooster”\u003cbr\u003eKenny G, “Forever in Love”\u003cbr\u003eMudhoney, “Suck You Dry”\u003cbr\u003eThe Gits, “Second Skin”\u003cbr\u003eCandlebox, “Far Behind”\u003cbr\u003eThe Fastbacks, “Gone to the Moon”\u003cbr\u003eMelvins, “Honey Bucket”\u003cbr\u003eBikini Kill, “Rebel Girl”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Note on Riot Grrrl\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSoundgarden, “Black Hole Sun”\u003cbr\u003eIMIJ, “Medgar Evers DGC Bill Clinton and Me\/I”\u003cbr\u003eSunny Day Real Estate, “Seven”\u003cbr\u003eCritters Buggin, “Shag”\u003cbr\u003ePresidents of the United States of America, “Peaches”\u003cbr\u003eClinton Fearon, “Nah Forget Mi Roots”\u003cbr\u003e7 Year Bitch, “24,900 Miles Per Hour”\u003cbr\u003eVitamin D (Ghetto Children), “Who’s Listening”\u003cbr\u003eSleater-Kinney, “Dig Me Out”\u003cbr\u003ePigeonhed, “Battle Flag”\u003cbr\u003eFoo Fighters, “Everlong”\u003cbr\u003eHarvey Danger, “Flagpole Sitta”\u003cbr\u003eMaktub, “Love Me Like Before”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 2000s: Ben Gibbard on Getting Past Tragedy in the Aughts\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePedro the Lion, “Options”\u003cbr\u003eThe Postal Service, “Such Great Heights”\u003cbr\u003eThe Blood Brothers, “Live at the Apocalypse Cabaret”\u003cbr\u003eModest Mouse, “Float On”\u003cbr\u003eDeath Cab for Cutie, “I Will Follow You into the Dark”\u003cbr\u003eBand of Horses, “The Funeral”\u003cbr\u003eNeko Case, “Hold On Hold On”\u003cbr\u003eKimya Dawson, “Loose Lips”\u003cbr\u003eBlue Scholars, “50 Thousand Deep”\u003cbr\u003eAbney Park, “Sleep Isabella”\u003cbr\u003eFleet Foxes, “White Winter Hymnal”\u003cbr\u003eNissim Black (a.k.a. D Black), “Keep on Going”\u003cbr\u003eDave Matthews Band, “Funny the Way It Is”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 2010s: Mary Lambert on the Collaborative 2010s\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJake One, “Know What I Mean”\u003cbr\u003eThe Head and the Heart, “Rivers and Roads”\u003cbr\u003eShabazz Palaces, “Free Press and Curl”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Note on Black Constellation\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrieves, “On the Rocks”\u003cbr\u003eSol, “Need Your Love”\u003cbr\u003eTHEESatisfaction, “QueenS”\u003cbr\u003eAllen Stone, “Unaware”\u003cbr\u003eMinus the Bear, “Steal and Blood”\u003cbr\u003eMacklemore \u0026amp; Ryan Lewis, “Thrift Shop”\u003cbr\u003eLa Luz, “Call Me in the Day”\u003cbr\u003eIndustrial Revelation, “Saying Goodbye (to Rainbow Socks and Hair Dye)”\u003cbr\u003eDamien Jurado, “Silver Timothy”\u003cbr\u003eNighTraiN, “Mating Call”\u003cbr\u003eTacocat, “Crimson Wave”\u003cbr\u003ePerfume Genius, “Queen”\u003cbr\u003eMary Lambert, “Secrets”\u003cbr\u003eODESZA, “Line of Sight”\u003cbr\u003eCourtney Marie Andrews, “May Your Kindness Remain”\u003cbr\u003eBrandi Carlile, “The Joke”\u003cbr\u003eParisalexa, “Like Me Better”\u003cbr\u003eCar Seat Headrest, “Beach Life-in-Death”\u003cbr\u003eDelvon Lamarr Organ Trio, “Concussion”\u003cbr\u003eThunderpussy, “Speed Queen”\u003cbr\u003eDuff McKagan, “Parkland”\u003cbr\u003eTravis Thompson, “Glass Ceiling”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 2020s: Navigating the 2020s with Ayron Jones\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eB.A.G., “Shellys(It’sChill)”\u003cbr\u003eLeft at London, “My Friends Are Kinda Strange”\u003cbr\u003eLil Mosey, “Blueberry Faygo”\u003cbr\u003eDeep Sea Diver, “Impossible Weight”\u003cbr\u003eAyron Jones “Mercy”\u003cbr\u003eBlack Belt Eagle Scout, “My Blood Runs Through This Land”\u003cbr\u003eKassa Overall, “Going Up”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHot Spots\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Showbox at the Market\u003cbr\u003eWashington Hall\u003cbr\u003eJimi Hendrix Statue\u003cbr\u003eThe Edgewater Hotel\u003cbr\u003eSeattle Center\u003cbr\u003eKEXP\u003cbr\u003eThe Central Saloon\u003cbr\u003eEasy Street Records\u003cbr\u003eSub Pop Records\u003cbr\u003eKurt Cobain Haunts\u003cbr\u003eDick’s Drive-In\u003cbr\u003eThe Museum of Pop Culture\u003cbr\u003eThe Gorge\u003cbr\u003eLondon Bridge Studio\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eConclusion\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFurther Reading\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIndex\u003c\/i\u003e\"This is bound to be one of the most talked about local books of the year.\"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Seattle Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"The Sound of Seattle exceeds expectations. . . This book informs, entertains, and will have music lovers searching through record bins and\/or their music streaming services to locate more than a few of these choice selections.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Readers' Favorite\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"This book is a sonic adventure through the northwest's iconic music scene. From jazz on Jackson to Black Belt Eagle Scout and all the badasses in between, you will swing, mosh, headbang, shimmy, and sway your way through the music, places, and people that define The Sound of Seattle. Buckle up, bitches!\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eMegan Jasper, Sub Pop Records CEO\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Jake and Eva have crafted a fun and breezy romp through some of the most important spots of Northwest music history. The songs referenced should be required listening for anyone with a love of Northwest music, and in my book—and in this one—these locations are shrines to an important cultural history past and present, which this book lovingly details.\" \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eCharles R. Cross, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebest-selling author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Thank you Eva and Jake for writing this informative and heartfelt book about a subject close to my heart, the music culture of the Pacific Northwest.” \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eMatt Cameron, Rock \u0026amp; Roll Hall of Fame drummer \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Jake and Eva are so ingrained in this city’s musical landscape that I couldn’t wait to read this book! They put together bite-sized journals of our city’s music history in a way that I’ve never seen. There’s a lot of books about Seattle music but none like this!” \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eMarco Collins, legendary Seattle radio DJ (featured in the Rock \u0026amp; Roll Hall of Fame) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eEva Walker\u003c\/b\u003e was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She is the frontwoman and principal songwriter of the acclaimed local rock band, The Black Tones, which has opened for Mavis Staples, Death Cab for Cutie, and Weezer. A popular DJ on KEXP, Eva currently hosts the Early on KEXP show. She also has recorded songs with Mike McCready, released songs with Sub Pop Records, and produced \u003ci\u003eThe Arts Hour\u003c\/i\u003e for the BBC. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJake Uitti’s \u003c\/b\u003ework has appeared in \u003ci\u003eVanity Fair\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eInterview Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSpin\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e Nation\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e, and many more. Jake is a staff writer at \u003ci\u003eAmerican Songwriter Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, where he’s chit-chatted with big names like Lady Gaga, Jennifer Hudson, Garth Brooks, Ryan Lewis, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Ben Gibbard, and hundreds more. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eNorthwest Know-How: Beer\u003c\/i\u003e as well as \u003ci\u003eMuggsy Bogues: The Godfather of Smallball.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eINTRODUCTION\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe first time I saw my wife, she was onstage singing. I didn’t know her band at the time. But I was suddenly glad to be in the Tractor Tavern, invited to write about the Friday night rock bill. I\u003cbr\u003ewalked to the back of the showroom to get a seat but there were only two stools open among the big audience and piles of belongings. I went to sit down when a stranger reached out, “That’s the singer’s mom’s seat!”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eConfused, I looked to the stage and saw the Black Tones: frontwoman Eva Walker, twin brother Cedric on drums, mother and sister backup singers. Quintessential rock music \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e a family band? They captivated the room to such a degree that their seats were being saved while they were performing. That’s the power of music in Seattle. The art form is currency here.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn Seattle, music brings people together around a common love. In song. In authorship. Even in marriage. And after that night at the Tractor, Eva and I began to date. Today, we are married and, gratefully, the authors of this book too. \u003ci\u003eThe Sound of Seattle\u003c\/i\u003e is our bow to music. We wouldn’t be together without it.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn every neighborhood of the city, music pours out. From festivals to local radio stations, from practice rooms to live performances. The region has always been resonant that way. The sounds change but there is always regeneration and experimentation, even in tragedy. From the jazz of Ray Charles and croon of Bing Crosby (who once asked my Hollywood actress aunt, Betty Uitti, to marry him; she declined) to the rock of chart-topper Ayron Jones, Seattle music is eternal.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIndeed, people in Seattle grow up learning the city’s music history as others elsewhere learn about local sports heroes. Kurt, Jimi, Quincy, the Heart sisters—these are our founding figures. The city touches all genres, from Grammy Award–winning classical recordings to Muzak, which used to be based here. And while we couldn’t cover every band in these pages, we hope you will see important lineages, trends, and styles unfold, and cherish the diversity of the sounds.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eWhether it sits at the epicenter of pop culture (as it did in the ’90s) or takes the occasional backseat, the Emerald City always manages to move us.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Jake Uitti\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 1990s: Sir Mix-a-Lot on Seattle’s Musical Explosion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Grammy Award–winning rapper and producer Sir Mix-a-Lot (born Anthony Ray) thinks about 1990s Seattle, he thinks about two music genres happening simultaneously: hip-hop and rock. As the ’90s began, hip-hop was moving from more a “home brew” sound to something “more polished.” Mix and everyone he was working with at the time, including at his label Nastymix, had to step up their game, he says, since the songs were reaching far beyond the Emerald City bounds.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I was coming off what I thought was a giant record,” says Mix of his 1988 debut LP, \u003ci\u003eSwass\u003c\/i\u003e. “And we thought we had arrived!”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMix’s first album featured his first hit, “Posse on Broadway,” as well as the local favorite, “Buttermilk Biscuits (Keep on Square Dancin’).” His 1989 follow-up, \u003ci\u003eSeminar\u003c\/i\u003e, was certified Gold,\u003cbr\u003ewith songs like “Beepers” and “My Hooptie.” Mix, however, is quick to note that around this same time, grunge music was also beginning to take off—in a major way. The lyricist knew it. “I felt like, yeah, this is going to overshadow me. And it did!” he says.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMix, however, wasn’t frustrated that grunge was taking over in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Many of the musicians in the popular bands were his friends and collaborators. (Indeed, there remains an unreleased Mix and Chris Ballew collab.) “You could stand outside on Broadway and hear people rehearsing,” says Mix. “It was quality band after quality band after quality band. Nobody sounded like shit. \u003ci\u003eNobody\u003c\/i\u003e.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBorn August 12, 1963, in Auburn, Mix grew up in Seattle’s Central District. As a teen, via bussing programs many opposed at the time, Mix attended Roosevelt High School (at the same time as future Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan). In middle school, Mix had been introduced to the idea of music as a career. He always loved electronics, from CB radios to keyboards, and in high school that crystallized.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAs the ’80s unspooled into the ’90s, Mix started to notice the city changing. He was around members of groups like Pearl Jam and he remembers walking down the street and going into clubs and seeing musical giants onstage. At the time, it all felt, well, normal. In 1991, Mix signed with Def American Recordings, which boasted artists like Johnny Cash and ZZ Top, working with famed producer Rick Rubin.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Then fast-forward to 1993 and we’re all standing at the Grammys,” says Mix. “Literally. Myself, the Presidents, Pearl Jam, everybody. It was that fast. Seattle took over.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe success of grunge made it a bit harder for hip-hop to be noticed, Mix says. Once 1992 came and went, it was all about sludgy rock. “You’d do a concert for, like, 3,000 people and then Pearl Jam shows up and plays for a stadium! But I wasn’t jealous because all eyes were on Seattle.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn 1993, it was Mix’s turn. While he recognizes he may not be the \u003ci\u003ebest\u003c\/i\u003e rapper who ever lived—in Seattle, he credits the Emerald Street Boys, who came up before him, with that title—his unique combination of talent and style paid off that year. “Let’s be honest,” Mix says, “if the Emerald Street Boys came along around my time, as polished as they were, I’d have been sweeping up after them. That’s how good they were.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eYet as the ’90s progressed, rap grew and grew. Mix earned a Grammy in 1993 for his single “Baby Got Back.” The song also hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts. He’d arrived. But he says that wasn’t the song that the locals liked most. Those in Seattle liked “Posse on Broadway,” “My Hooptie,” and “Beepers” best. But as long as the people liked \u003ci\u003esomething\u003c\/i\u003e, he says, and made sure to treat him like a human being, he was happy.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Everybody was humble, thankfully,” Mix says. “I could walk down the street and maybe somebody would buy me a Dick’s burger. But there was no ass-kissing, which is what I like. Ass-kissing is very uncomfortable.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eToday, what makes the city so unique for the 59-year-old is its location (read: isolation). He says the city and its residents historically had to come up with their own things to do. Their own fun. Their own music. That gave the region a unique sound and perspective. Seattle wasn’t like\u003cbr\u003eanyplace else because it wasn’t influenced by anyplace else. What Mix saw was a lot of people making art in odd, makeshift places. Working on stuff that was taboo. Not the glam stuff of the L.A. ’80s.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Grunge was not that,” says Mix, famous for his signature cowboy hat. “It was like, ‘I got some goddamn jeans on. I have an old guitar that I got when I was broke and I’m still playing it.’ That was the beauty of it to me.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSAMPLE ENTRIES:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eArtist:\u003c\/b\u003e Kenny G\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSingle:\u003c\/b\u003e “Forever in Love”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRecord:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eBreathless\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReleased:\u003c\/b\u003e 1992\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRecorded in:\u003c\/b\u003e Seattle; New York City, Sausalito; Los Angeles\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eProducer:\u003c\/b\u003e Kenny G, Walter Afanasieff, David Foster, Dan Shea\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLabel:\u003c\/b\u003e Arista\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOne of the bestselling artists of all time, Kenneth Bruce Gorelick—a.k.a. Kenny G—was born in Seattle on June 5, 1956. The face of “smooth jazz,” a genre he essentially invented, Kenny G is known for playing his alto saxophone in ways that calm and mesmerize. (For others in the area who write similar meditative music, check out Bellingham’s Soundings of the Planet.) When Kenny G released his 1986 album \u003ci\u003eDuotones\u003c\/i\u003e, the artist was immediately put on the map. To date, he’s sold more than seventy-five million albums.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eKenny G, who first noticed the saxophone as a kid while watching The Ed Sullivan Show, began playing it when he was just ten years old. Later, he attended Franklin High School and then the\u003cbr\u003eUniversity of Washington. His first major gig was playing in Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1973 at age seventeen. Around that time, he also played in the Seattle funk band, Cold, Blue \u0026amp; Together. In 1982, he signed to Arista as a solo artist after recording his self-titled solo album the year prior. His following two records, \u003ci\u003eG Force\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eGravity\u003c\/i\u003e, both went platinum. His 1986 album, \u003ci\u003eDuotones\u003c\/i\u003e, sold more than five million copies in the United States. In 1992, he released \u003ci\u003eBreathless\u003c\/i\u003e, which became the bestselling instrumental album ever, selling some fifteen million copies worldwide and hitting No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It remains one of the top 100 bestselling albums ever in the United States for its universal sense of calm.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBut the oft-criticized musician has remained polarizing, with critics saying his sound is bereft of any real artistic soul, especially for someone who calls himself a jazz musician. But Kenny G has always been able to wave away any negativity; he’s even able to joke about it. In 1997, the musician earned a \u003ci\u003eGuinness Book of World Records\u003c\/i\u003e nod for playing the longest-held note ever on a saxophone, playing an E-flat for 45 minutes and 47 seconds thanks to “circular breathing.” His song “Forever in Love,” from \u003ci\u003eBreathless\u003c\/i\u003e, was released in 1992 and it subsequently hit No. 1 on the US and Canada adult contemporary charts, earning him a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition at the 1994 show. It’s a somber, reflective, digestible tune, as docile as it is intricate. These days, Kenny G is still recording and releasing albums, including his 2021 LP, \u003ci\u003eNew Standards.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eArtist\u003c\/b\u003e: Thunderpussy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSingle:\u003c\/b\u003e “Speed Queen”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRecord:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eThunderpussy\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReleased:\u003c\/b\u003e 2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRecorded in:\u003c\/b\u003e Seattle\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eProducer:\u003c\/b\u003e Sylvia Massy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLabel:\u003c\/b\u003e Stardog Records, Republic Records\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Thunderpussy” kind of says it all. The energetic all-female rock band is the brainchild of singer Molly Sides and guitarist Whitney Petty. Together, they’re joined by bassist Leah Julius and drummer Lindsey Elias. (Former drummers of the group include Lena Simon and Ruby Dunphy.) The group’s big break came at the then-annual Sasquatch! Music Festival when Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready discovered the rockers onstage, becoming an instant fan. McCready soon released their single “Velvet Noose” on his boutique HockeyTalkter Records label, also providing a dazzling guitar solo on the track.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eInspired by the rock and roll style of the 1970s, Thunderpussy pushes the boundaries of the genre in the modern era with flashy outfits matched with powerhouse instrumentation. Vocalist Molly Sides demands your attention, and she can control a crowd from the front row all the way to the folks climbing in through the windows. Since the group got its start in 2014, Thunderpussy has released several albums, including one produced by renowned engineer Sylvia Massy. The first track off their 2018 self-titled full-length album, “Speed Queen,” is a song kicked off by Dunphy’s masterful rock drums, before Petty’s screeching guitar and Julius’s heavy bass join in. It climaxes with the song’s central riff as Sides’s room-filling rock voice hits.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThrough persistence, dedication, and showmanship, Thunderpussy has remained one of Seattle’s favorite live bands. It’s this power, grind, and hard work that also led to the group winning a landmark case in the US Supreme Court, earning the right to trademark their name. The word isn’t dirty, the band argued. It’s essential, powerful, and life giving, kind of like their music.","brand":"Sasquatch Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233745940709,"sku":"NP9781632175144","price":22.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781632175144.jpg?v=1767741603","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-sound-of-seattle-isbn-9781632175144","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}