The 1970s arrived and the Beatles departed. Each Beatle recording albums, releasing singles.
Separately.
After the commercial flop of his “Some Time in New York City” album, John Lennon’s post-Beatle life became reckless. Many continued to blame Yoko and him for the Beatle break-up. In reality, the seeds of disunion were from within. The band too often ignored gentle George Harrison’s musical contributions. They had put aside the affable Ringo Starr. “He was just lucky, not talented” was a common misconception. John and Paul, who had rarely truly collaborated on songs, had gone in different directions long before 1969.
John Lennon Meets Brandy Alexander
May Pang
John and Yoko’s marriage was floundering and they mutually agreed to separate. In fact a separation that included John’s living with May Pang, their common assistant.
Lennon and Pang spent time in both New York City and Los Angeles. John referred to his and Yoko’s time of separation as “The Lost Weekend.” [Wikipedia entry on movie]
John Lennon Meets Brandy Alexander
Harry Nilsson
The Beatles admired Harry Nilsson and John looked up Harry when he and May arrived in LA. Nilsson loved to party and was very good at getting others to party with him and equally good at getting others in trouble.
According to May Pang, John…”loved his energy; he loved his writing. What he loved in Harry was the beauty of his friendship and relaxed personality. That’s what he saw. Harry drank, a lot. But Harry was the type of guy that if you go out drinking with him, he’d be sure at the end of the night that there would be a big brawl and that you are the one who’s in trouble, even though he started it. Harry would keep feeding John drinks until it was too late.”
CBS TV had cancelled the Smothers brothers show and they were returning to live club performances. They were at the Troubadour on March 13, 1974. John Lennon was drunk on Brandy Alexanders (thank you Harry) and disrupted the brothers’ act with relentless heckling (thank you Harry who told John that the brothers worked best if heckled). Smothers’ manager Ken Fritz said, “I went over and asked Harry to try to shut up Lennon. Harry said, ‘I’m trying – don’t blame me!’ When Lennon continued, I told him to keep quiet. He swung and hit me in the jaw.”
Lennon and Nilsson were hustled out of the Troubadour, knocking over a few tables in the process. “It was horrendous,” Tom Smothers recalled.
John Lennon Meets Brandy Alexander
The Last of Lennon-McCartney
The Troubadour incident was a wake-up call for Lennon and Nilsson. Lennon soon announced he would produce Nilsson’s next album, ‘Pussy Cats.’ They decided that the LP’s musicians should live together during the sessions. Lennon and Nilsson, along with Ringo Starr and Keith Moon, moved into a Santa Monica beach house.
Two weeks later on March 28, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney unexpectedly joined Lennon, Nilsson and others for a midnight jam. Ringo had been there, but left earlier, so McCartney sat in on drums and sang harmony to Lennon’s lead vocals. Lennon also played guitar with Wonder on electric piano. Despite the star-studded lineup, standards like ‘Lucille’ and ‘Stand By Me,’ marred by technical problems, were disappointing.
By evening’s end, Lennon and McCartney agreed to see each other again but it would be the last time the two ex-Beatles would play together in a studio.
Harvey Mandel’s participation at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was accidental. Playing at the Fillmore West, Canned Heat’s guitarist Henry Vestine suddenly left the group. Canned Heat asked Mandel to sit in for one half and Mike Bloomfield the other half (not bad replacements!).
Afterwards, the Heat offered Mandel the guitar spot. He accepted and before he knew it he was on his was on his way to Bethel, NY.
Can’t see him a whole lot, but here’s a piece of the Snake from Woodstock.
Harvey Snake Mandel
Detroit
Harvey Mandel was born in Detroit, raised in Chicago, and in 1966 played on his first album, Charlie Musselwhite‘s Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite’s Southside Band.
He moved to San Francisco and began sitting in at the Matrix. His abilities were immediately noticed and in 1968 he released his first album, Christo Redentor, which contained his classic “Wade In the Water” (written by James W. Alexander & Sam Cooke).
He continued to release solo albums and in 2009 he reunited with Canned Heat’s Larry Taylor and Fito de la Parra to perform certain shows on the Canned Heat tour.
As thebio at his site concludes, “Harvey Mandel, “The King Of Sustain”, has been cited as a major influence by many of today’s music superstars. The critics call him “an unsung hero,” “a hugely influential but almost forgotten giant of instrumental rock” and “the best known unknown in pop guitar.” As roots music has gained prominence through the 90’s, purists such as Mandel have had the opportunity to forge a path of musical integrity and expose new audiences to the original Harvey Mandel sound!”
Here’s another, the full, version of “Wade in the Water” that you heard at the top of this entry. It is from Lucille’s Restaurant’ on April 17, 2013.
In December 2015, Rolling Stone magazine released its list of the top 100 guitarists. Mandel’s name was notably absent.
“It’s such B.S.,” he said, adding that “it’s kind of irritating” to see names on the list of players “that really suck.”
“I don’t claim to be No. 1 in the world, but I’m definitely in the top 30 of all time,” Mandel said. “I was doing this stuff before these guys knew what was going on.”
In March 2017, Mandel was a guest on the NPR show World Cafe with David Dye. Give the show a listen.
In 2019 he played in a show of with with the Unauthorized Rolling Stones. The reason for that band? When Mick Taylor quit the Stones, Mandel figured he’d be a good enough replacement. After all, he’d participated on their 1976 Black and Blue LP. Listen to him on “Hot Stuff.”
However, Ronnie Wood, an old friend of the Stones’ Keith Richards, snagged the job and has it still.
Looking back Mandel say, “I got aced by a C-minus guitar player.”
Health
In 2011 he was diagnosed with nose cancer. He needed around 35 surgeries to pull him out of it.
At the time he said: “I could go a year and not play and get up and play good,” he said. “It’s just like being an athlete. But I wouldn’t be in shape. My fingers wouldn’t be as limber. I have to play a little bit every day.”
He added about drug use: “I’m still here. I don’t drink or sniff coke. I have been a weed smoker for 55 years. That’s why I’m still here and in good shape.”
In a 2019 interview, Mandel said “My health is pretty good at the moment,” Mandel said. “I’ve had an eye problem, but nothing major. The cancer is totally in remission” but it did return by 2021.
A July 2022 Facebook post read: Harvey’s MRI …showed improvements, that the cancer is under control, and the infection that nearly killed him, is gone. So today his PICC will be removed from his chest and he can now start nasal reconstruction. Nasal reconstruction is a very complex surgery performed by an otolaryngologist in conjunction with a plastic surgeon. Recovery from nasal reconstruction, involving complex procedures and multiple surgeries, may take several months.
Unfortunately, there is more that Harvey must endure. The chemo and radiation he needed to kick the cancer ruined his teeth, so he also needs dental implants and a number of dental surgeries. And Harvey also needs new glasses and has an appointment with his optometrist Friday.
With all this medical mess, Harvey has an upbeat attitude. And he has a new album coming out in about a month, something Harvey is looking forward to! He is totally blown away from all the support he’s received and hopes it will continue until he reaches his goal.
Mandel had to go nearly three years without performing because of his health, but he said it wouldn’t take long to dust off the rust.
2023 Update
From his FB page: In our last Harvey update 8/2102023 I mentioned that Harvey is working on a new song chronicling his nearly fatal health issues and fighting back from the jaws of death on multiple occasions. Harvey’s long-time producer and former bass player Timm Martin, is tracking bass and drums this weekend in a studio in Chicago. The Snake, well known for his virtuoso instrumental tracks is going to have vocals on this song where the lyrics will be reflective of his struggles fighting a disease that has touched almost everyone’s lives in one way or another. Harvey will be finishing the tracks in his home studio and will be the first recording he has done in two years.
Given all the medical expenses Harvey is still incurring, and still paying back, he’s hardly in position to finance the production. We figured we’d need a budget of about $3,300 and hope that you can help us raise the cash using our “Help Harvey Mandel Kick Cancer GoFundMe page.
Here’s a list of what we need:
All in Producer (Production/Sound Engineering/Mixing); Songwriter; Vocalist; Session Musicians; Studio Time and Engineer for overdubs, Mastering; a limited run CD pressing (250 CDs pressed with two pocket eco packaging); Album art design; and Digital distribution.
Harvey is hoping this song will be the start of a new record – his comeback recording. He’s told me he has most of it in his head. He’s had a few years to dream it up, and now he can actually start work and get back to doing what he loves most: playing guitar.
Is it okay to increase our GoFundMe goal, adding the $3,300 to make the new goal $38,300. Reply here and let me know, it’ll be good to hear from you!
And still more…
And he’s still playing. From a February 2025 Facebook post:
Harvey “The Snake” Mandel – Live at Biscuit & Blues 5/23/2025
Come hear the Snake’s innovative approach to electric guitar playing and legendary licks, at the historic Biscuits and Blues in San Francisco for 2 shows in 1 night! He’ll play songs from his most popular albums, plus a few from his new upcoming album “Snake Walk,” due out this Spring.
• First Show: 6:30pm | Doors @ 5:15pm
• Second Show: 9:00pm
• $35 Presale | $40 Day of Show
• Biscuits & Blues, 401 Mason St., San Francisco, CA 94102
On March 10, 1967, Aretha Franklin released her 11th album, but her first on Atlantic. She had had limited success while under contract with Columbia Records.
In January 1967 she had signed to Atlantic Records and under the aegis of Jerry Wexler she traveled to Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record at Rick Hall‘s FAME Studios to record the song, “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You).” Tom Dowd was the engineer and the musicians of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section [The Swampers] played.
Quite a backing!
King Curtis – tenor saxophone
Carolyn Franklin – background vocals
Erma Franklin – background vocals
Cissy Houston – background vocals
Willie Bridges – baritone saxophone
Charles Chalmers – tenor saxophone
Gene Chrisman, Roger Hawkins – drums
Tommy Cogbill – bass
Jimmy Johnson – guitar
Melvin Lastie – trumpet, cornet
Chips Moman – guitar
Dewey Oldham – keyboards
Aretha Franklin Never Loved
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Atlantic had released the single of I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You on February 10 and it wouldreach #1 on the R & B chart on March 25 and stayed there until May 12.
Atlantic released her next single, Respect, on April 29. It reached #1 on the R & B chart a week after I Never Loved a May the Way I Love You left. Respect stayed there until July 14.
The album itself eventually was certified a gold album.
Side one
“Respect” (Otis Redding) – 2:29
“Drown in My Own Tears” (Henry Glover) – 4:07
“I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” (Ronnie Shannon) – 2:51
A year later In February 1968, Franklin earned a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
In June 1968, she appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
Aretha Franklin Never Loved
And in 2014 she sang at the White House. And 47 years later Aretha Franklin could still sing the socks off the song.
Aretha Franklin Never Loved
Reference: Paste magazine article: “50 Years the Queen: Aretha Franklin’s Seminal Album I Never Loved a Man The Way I Love You Hits the Half-Century Mark”
Aretha died on August 6, 2018. In her obituary the Guardian wrote “…it was that quality of exaltation that raised her above a remarkable generation of church-trained soul divas. Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Candi Staton, Etta James, Mavis Staples, Tina Turner and many others… but Aretha Franklin was the greatest of them all
What's so funny about peace, love, art, and activism?
John and Yoko’s marriage was floundering and they mutually agreed to separate. In fact a separation that included John’s living with May Pang, their common assistant.
