Dennis Coffey (born November 11, 1940) is an American guitarist. He was a studio musician for many soul and R&B recordings.
Biography
Coffey learned to play guitar at the age of thirteen, in the Michigan Upper Peninsula town of Copper City. In 1955, as a fifteen-year-old sophomore at Detroit's Mackenzie High School, Dennis played his first record session - backing Vic Gallon in "I'm Gone", on the Gondola record label. In the early 1960s he joined The Royaltones who had had hits with "Poor Boy" in 1958 and "Flamingo Express" in 1961. The Royaltones played sessions with other artists including Del Shannon.
By the late 1960s as a member of the Funk Brothers studio band, Coffey played on dozens of recordings for Motown Records, and introduced a hard rock guitar sound to Motown record producer Norman Whitfield's recordings, including distortion, Echoplex tape-loop delay, and wah-wah; most notably heard on "Cloud Nine", "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" and "Psychedelic Shack" by The Temptations. He played on numerous other hit records of the era including number one singles like Edwin Starr's "War" and Diana Ross & The Supremes "Someday We'll Be Together" and Freda Payne's number three hit "Band of Gold".
Big City may refer to:
- "Big City" (Merle Haggard song), the title track and a No. 1 country hit from the above album
See also
Big City is a 1948 film.
Reception
According to MGM records the movie was not a hit, earning $910,000 in the US and Canada and $489,000 elsewhere, making a loss to the studio of $850,000.
References
External links
Big City is the 33rd studio album by Merle Haggard, released in 1981. It was his debut on the Epic label after ending his association with MCA. Big City peaked at number three on the Billboard Country Album charts and number 161 on the Pop Album charts. It was an RIAA-certified Gold album.
Background
After five years at MCA Records, Haggard jumped to Epic in 1982, and the move appeared to spark his creativity; he wrote or co-wrote eight of the LP's twelve tracks, including its two #1 singles, "Big City" and "My Favorite Memory." Haggard entered the studio with his band the Strangers and his mentor Lewis Talley and, in a two-day marathon recording session, produced enough songs for this release, plus Haggard’s 1982 LP, Going Where the Lonely Go. Many of the songs on Big City explore the struggle of the working man amid the complexities and challenges of urban life and aging.
The other single release, “Are the Good Times Really Over (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver),” peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and also won the Academy of Country Music 1982 Song of the Year.
Podcasts:
Dennis Coffey
ALBUMS
- Dennis Coffey released: 2011
- Big City Funk released: 2006
- Back Home released: 1977
- Black Belt Jones released: 1974
- Goin' For Myself released: 1972
- Hair & Thangs released: 1969
Black Belt Jones
Released 1974- Main Theme
- Sydney's Theme
- Opening Theme
- Main Theme (version 2)
- At the Beach
- Symphony for Jones: Warehouse Battle / Pinky / Collectors Theme / Drug Money / Wrong Answer
- Drama
- Mafia Theme (Drama, Part 2)
- Love Theme
- Battle Theme
- Dragon Style
- Sexy (Love Theme, Part 2)
- Mr. Jones
- Excerpts: Don't Stop / One Two / Come on In / Papa Bird / Turn Her Out / The Money Pinky / Stay / Double Cross
- Super Slick
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by Operation Ivy
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by Wall Of Voodoo
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by Merle Haggard
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by Margie Bowes
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by Iris Dement
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by Masta Ace
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by Pogues
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by Subhumans
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by Luther Allison
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by Electric Prunes
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by Robyn
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by Jefferson Starship
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by Sandra Nasic
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by Dead Boys
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by Inspectah Deck
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by Alive Way
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by Wynn Stewart
Big City
by: Operation IvyConcrete and chaos rise up
Spiderweb across the land
Like a giant rash
Forests lie down below
Foundations of buildings in a bed of ash
Some people here got it real good
Cuz the glass towers bring prosperity
Other people starve in the street
Because concrete knows no sympathy
Big city its a wishing well
Big city its a living hell
This town its fucking insane
How one will starve and another will gain
Like a giant mechanical brain
And the people are cells and the streets are veins
It thinks only of itself
A thousand limbs crawling as it expands and grows
And still the concrete sits there
Sits there stark grey and cold
And I think I wanna be a brick layer
So I can put another brick in the wall
Its sanitary rational happy and sane