Live From Irvine: Guest Blogger LuAnn Jalet from JNR Inc.
Dear Friends,
Many thanks to our friend LuAnn Jalet, Chief Operations Officer for JNR Inc. who kindly takes the time to contribute to our music blog.
"Music is my escape and is essential to my being; I can’t imagine life without music. Sometimes it’s the lyrics that affect me deeply and sometimes it’s simply the sound and rhythm that move me. I think the coolest thing about music is that it bridges cultural divides, and creates a sense of togetherness.
I have been addicted to music as long as I can remember, from my Mom playing the soundtrack from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, to Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis, Elvis, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole and Chubby Checker.
During my pre-teen formative years, I was listening to Elvis, Ricky Nelson, The Monkeys, and most importantly The Beatles. I still remember opening my record player case, placing the 45 on the turntable and setting the needle to play “She Loves You” and then dancing and singing all by myself in my room.
My teen years were spent in Atlanta, GA, an amazing place for music then and now. My Southern Rock all-time favorites were the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker and Little Feat, in fact my friend Chrissy and I are completely convinced that the film “Almost Famous” was based on our life story.
Then, it was on to Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Marvin Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass, Eric Clapton, Janis Joplin, Eagles, Creedence, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Led Zepplin, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and The Rolling Stones.
After high school, everything went Disco, including me. With imitation ID in hand, I danced and partied the nights away. Lots of artists and bands filled my roster, but in particular liked Ashford and Simpson, Donna Summer, Emotions, Barry White, Earth, Wind and Fire, and loved Minnie Riperton. Atlanta merged into St. Petersburg, and then I ended up in Vegas somehow.
Started dating my future husband and business partner who took me to all the Vegas shows, including Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdink – afterhours were spent in Casino lounges enjoying all sorts of artists, and to the Clubs for more Disco dancing. He also had me listen to Bobby Darin and Dean Martin, which are great, and tried to win me over to Frank and Sammy Davis, which still hasn’t worked.
Somewhere in between then and now came Journey, Linda Ronstadt, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Brian McKnight, Tracy Chapman, Prince, Vanessa Williams, Kylie Minogue and even composers such as John William, John Barry, Mark Isham and Danny Elfman, all brilliant.
In the past few years, my nephew keeps me current taking me to concerts such as Pearl Jam, Green Day, Jimmy Eats World and Muse. It’s awesome!
In my next life, I am definitely going to be a singer/lead guitarist, as talented as Joan Jett, Bonnie Raitt, Gladys Knight, Bette Midler, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, Pink, Adele, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, Annie Lennox or Melissa Etheridge. Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?
Believe it or not, through all these years, the one consistent artist I’ve enjoyed is Elvis…go figure. And, now I like Pitbull…really. Yes, my tastes are diverse. All music makes me feel. Music has great power and can transport you to another place. Who doesn’t recall moments of their lives and emotional experiences through music?
So, after all this, I’ve selected Melissa Etheridge to single out for my favorite artist. I’ve seen her in concert several times and each time I like her better than the last, as both a person and an artist. She’s a true Rock Star, her raspy voice, and brilliant guitar playing; along with how she shares her life through highly personal lyrics is truly touching and amazing. She is truthful, caring and funny and loves what she does. I’ve listed some of my favorite Melissa songs/videos below; singling out the one performance I think of first, the one that brought me to tears – and it’s not a Melissa original. It was during the 2005 Grammy Awards, her first appearance since being diagnosed with cancer. She was bald from her chemo treatment and looked beautiful. The Janis Joplin Tribute performance began with Joss Stone singing “Cry Baby” and continued when joined by Melissa delivering a driving rendition of Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart.” INCREDIBLE. Here it is:
"In this DJ's mind, there are some pretty close contenders, but even still to this day, at the end of the day, the greatest female Rock & Roll singer that ever strutted her boa feather frame draped bell bottomed blistering wild diva goddess haired heart and soul of the earth self would be no other than the late Ms. Janis Joplin… and trying to fill those big velvet shoes would seemingly be an unlikely feat… if it weren't of course for the ever so young British power house soul singer Joss Stone and the inimitable talent in her own right, Melissa Etheridge doing double duty, and emitting enough vocal dynamite to bring down any sized stadium performed in by these women... and worthy of the sweet loving raspy laughter of the true one and only Empress of Rock & Roll : ) " ~ DJ Matt Cornwall
Rock on!
Janet
Many thanks to our friend LuAnn Jalet, Chief Operations Officer for JNR Inc. who kindly takes the time to contribute to our music blog.
"Music is my escape and is essential to my being; I can’t imagine life without music. Sometimes it’s the lyrics that affect me deeply and sometimes it’s simply the sound and rhythm that move me. I think the coolest thing about music is that it bridges cultural divides, and creates a sense of togetherness.
I have been addicted to music as long as I can remember, from my Mom playing the soundtrack from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, to Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis, Elvis, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole and Chubby Checker.
During my pre-teen formative years, I was listening to Elvis, Ricky Nelson, The Monkeys, and most importantly The Beatles. I still remember opening my record player case, placing the 45 on the turntable and setting the needle to play “She Loves You” and then dancing and singing all by myself in my room.
My teen years were spent in Atlanta, GA, an amazing place for music then and now. My Southern Rock all-time favorites were the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker and Little Feat, in fact my friend Chrissy and I are completely convinced that the film “Almost Famous” was based on our life story.
Then, it was on to Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Marvin Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass, Eric Clapton, Janis Joplin, Eagles, Creedence, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Led Zepplin, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and The Rolling Stones.
After high school, everything went Disco, including me. With imitation ID in hand, I danced and partied the nights away. Lots of artists and bands filled my roster, but in particular liked Ashford and Simpson, Donna Summer, Emotions, Barry White, Earth, Wind and Fire, and loved Minnie Riperton. Atlanta merged into St. Petersburg, and then I ended up in Vegas somehow.
Started dating my future husband and business partner who took me to all the Vegas shows, including Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdink – afterhours were spent in Casino lounges enjoying all sorts of artists, and to the Clubs for more Disco dancing. He also had me listen to Bobby Darin and Dean Martin, which are great, and tried to win me over to Frank and Sammy Davis, which still hasn’t worked.
Somewhere in between then and now came Journey, Linda Ronstadt, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Brian McKnight, Tracy Chapman, Prince, Vanessa Williams, Kylie Minogue and even composers such as John William, John Barry, Mark Isham and Danny Elfman, all brilliant.
In the past few years, my nephew keeps me current taking me to concerts such as Pearl Jam, Green Day, Jimmy Eats World and Muse. It’s awesome!
In my next life, I am definitely going to be a singer/lead guitarist, as talented as Joan Jett, Bonnie Raitt, Gladys Knight, Bette Midler, Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, Pink, Adele, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Barbra Streisand, Annie Lennox or Melissa Etheridge. Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?
Believe it or not, through all these years, the one consistent artist I’ve enjoyed is Elvis…go figure. And, now I like Pitbull…really. Yes, my tastes are diverse. All music makes me feel. Music has great power and can transport you to another place. Who doesn’t recall moments of their lives and emotional experiences through music?
So, after all this, I’ve selected Melissa Etheridge to single out for my favorite artist. I’ve seen her in concert several times and each time I like her better than the last, as both a person and an artist. She’s a true Rock Star, her raspy voice, and brilliant guitar playing; along with how she shares her life through highly personal lyrics is truly touching and amazing. She is truthful, caring and funny and loves what she does. I’ve listed some of my favorite Melissa songs/videos below; singling out the one performance I think of first, the one that brought me to tears – and it’s not a Melissa original. It was during the 2005 Grammy Awards, her first appearance since being diagnosed with cancer. She was bald from her chemo treatment and looked beautiful. The Janis Joplin Tribute performance began with Joss Stone singing “Cry Baby” and continued when joined by Melissa delivering a driving rendition of Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart.” INCREDIBLE. Here it is:
"In this DJ's mind, there are some pretty close contenders, but even still to this day, at the end of the day, the greatest female Rock & Roll singer that ever strutted her boa feather frame draped bell bottomed blistering wild diva goddess haired heart and soul of the earth self would be no other than the late Ms. Janis Joplin… and trying to fill those big velvet shoes would seemingly be an unlikely feat… if it weren't of course for the ever so young British power house soul singer Joss Stone and the inimitable talent in her own right, Melissa Etheridge doing double duty, and emitting enough vocal dynamite to bring down any sized stadium performed in by these women... and worthy of the sweet loving raspy laughter of the true one and only Empress of Rock & Roll : ) " ~ DJ Matt Cornwall
Rock on!
Janet
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