MANNY KOOL
Manny was born and raised in Tampa, but currently resides behind black-rimmed glasses as manager of Daddy Kool Records in St. Petersburg. Manny grew up watching music; it wasn't until he was in high school that he really started listening to music. Songs such as "Waiting On A Friend" by the Rolling Stones and "Dancing Machine" by the Jackson 5 were some of Manny's earliest favorites. Long before he wore out the cassette of "Waiting On A Friend," Soul Train, Friday Night Videos, SNL, and MTV were staples in Manny's life, as well as early influences on his musical world.
Manny's Top Three Songs from the Past
Jackson 5, "Dancing Machine"
Sly & The Family Stone, "Dance To The Music"
KISS, "Love Gun"
Although his list is ever changing, at the time of this interview, these were Manny's Top Three Bands/Artists:
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Atmosphere
Living Colour
REBEKAH PULLEY
[image-1]Local musician and award-winning songwriter Rebekah Pulley has garnered "Best of the Bay" awards four times and was voted "Best Singer/Songwriter" in Creative Loafing's Reader's Poll in 2007. She's opened for such acts as Johnny Lang, Michelle Malone, Sophie B. Hawkins, Dave Mason and many others. Most of Rebekah's early life was seen from a Winnebago. Both her father and mother came from strong musical backgrounds. Rebekah says she never made a conscience choice, or heard something that made her want to be a musician. She says "I think I was just born to do it and innocently followed that path; now I focus on trying to do it well." As far as a songs she remembers moving her from early on, that would be "In the Light" by Led Zeppelin. Another one of her earliest musical memories was lining her walls with pictures of Elvis as well as dancing around her room to the Kinks. (Photo by Shana Gillette; click here to read more about Rebekah.)
Rebekah's Top Three Bands from the Past
Led Zeppelin
Elvis Presley
The Kinks
As far as nailing down three songs or artists Rebekah is currently listening to, she found it quite difficult. Instead, she chose three albums she recently listened to in their entirety on her Ipod.
Eric Clapton, 461 Ocean Blvd.
The Black Keys, Attack and Release
Conor Oberst, S/T
DOUG ALLEN
Doug and wife Michelle are owners of one of the largest record shops in the country, Banana's Music in St. Petersburg. Their shop is basically the one place I can spend every penny I have and not care that I can't pay rent or eat for the next week. After speaking with Doug, I learned that after he worked a government job, "the music business" came as an accident. The year was 1974. After he'd purchased some books and records at an estate sale, Doug started out Banana's as a book shop that sold just a few records. Once the records started selling better than the books, the choice was clear. Doug was born and raised in St. Petersburg, and was turned on to The Beatles back in 1963 by his mother. As a kid, he remembers pumping dimes into the jukebox and playing Beatles tunes over and over repertoire over and over. A Blues fan at heart, some of Doug's earliest memories are of Roy Orbison and Sam Cooke.
Doug's Top Three Bands/Songs from the Past
Sam Cooke, "You Send Me"
Roy Orbison, "Pretty Woman"
B.B. King, "Lucille"
Doug found it hard as well to come up a current Top Three, and could only squeeze out Two:
Jack Johnson (no specific song or album but, "just Jack Johnson in general")
Allison Krauss
JOELLEN SCHILKE
Living in London in the late 1970's turned JoEllen onto bands like Madness and The Specials. In high school, she had quite a broad range of musical taste. Band she liked included (but weren't limited to) T. Rex, The Who, Rolling Stones, and Queen. JoEllen's earliest memories are her Saturday trips to buy 45s with her allowance. She now resides in St. Petersburg and owns and operates one of the best coffee shops I've ever had the pleasure of setting foot in, The Globe. JoEllen's first musical awakening took place at one of her father's company picnics in a row boat in the middle of a New York lake, where the boat's radio blared "God Save The Queen" by the Sex Pistols. Aside from music, seeing The Man Who Fell To Earth -- the Nicolas Roeg film starring David Bowie -- was another highlight of JoEllen's early musical memories. [Photo by Marina Williams; click here to read more about JoEllen]
JoEllens' Top Three Songs from the Past
"The Girl with the Faraway Eyes," Rolling Stones
"Ca Plane Por Moi," Plastic Bertrand
"Broken English," Marianne Faithful
Although JoEllen deemed the task of a current top three impossible, she did manage to narrow it down to the following
Have Gun Will Travel, "Salad Days”
Spoon, "Written In Reverse"
Lily Allen & Mick Jones, "Straight to Hell"
A little while back, for no specific reason at all, I decided to revisit my musical past. I set out buying every 7" I could remember that had a profound effect on my life and steered me in the direction of becoming what can only be referred to as a "music snob." Much to my surprise, locating these sought-after gems was an easy feat. Among my purchases were "No More Words" by Berlin, "You Got It" by Roy Orbison, "The Dukes Of Hazzard Theme" by Waylon Jennings, "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" by Napoleon XIV, "We Built This City" by Jefferson Starship, and "Stand" by REM. After my "songs I grew up on" collection was complete, I began to wonder what songs or bands had influenced some of my friends but soon realized that no one knows my friends. So I set about asking some local business owners and a Bay area musician which songs or bands got their goat when they were growing up, and led them down the path to music. Along with each individual's musical memories, I also asked for a top three, then and now. Here you have it.
