Excerpts From an Article in Goldmine Magazine

I’m not sure what a spoodoo is, but I am imagining it as one pimped-up wild ride with an engine that is too big for the bonnet, revving with such horsepower that any pedestrians not blinded by the flashy chrome will be dashing for cover. This Cadillac my be based on the classic Chuck Berry model, but it’s been super sized and remodeled along the way.

From delta blues to kick-ass R&B the Spoodoos travel across the heartland with singer/guitarist Greg O’Brien effortlessly slinging out the kinds of riffs and solos that make fellow axemen gnash their teeth in envious frustration, while John Douglas struts his walking bass lines around town like a supermodel. Keyboardist Larry Neely can barrel with the best of them, then wheel out evocative passages that will haunt your dreams.

Add a twinge of Cream, a hint of roadhouse and some of the swampiest sounds since John Lee Hooker with the lyrics that perfectly echo the mood, up and down, and this Cadillac is one fine ride. Jo-Ann Greene

History of the LA Music Awards

In March of 1991, our founder, Al Bowman, sat across the table from his good friend Bill Gazzarri, the legitimate Godfather of Rock n' Roll, at the legendary Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood. Gazzarri, owner of the famous club on Sunset Strip (now known as the Key Club), was only three days from his death on that memorable evening. Gazzarri made a heartfelt personal appeal to Bowman to continue Gazzarri's legacy and give life to his desire for a more unified local music scene. On that same fateful night, Gazzarri affectionately called Bowman the Godson of Rock n' Roll, gifted him with his famed white Fedora hat and offered his personal appeal to carry on the voice of independent music in L.A.From humble beginnings, in 1982, Al Bowman founded and operated a small fleet of limousines whose clients regularly included music legends such as Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, Ratt, Dokken, Bon Jovi, Prince, Madonna, and a host of other celebrities from film and television. In the course of his business Bowman made numerous valuable contacts and repeatedly attended the Grammys, Oscars, American Music Awards and other special events. By studying these events up close, Bowman learned how to structure a large scale awards production, and the seeds for what would become the Los Angeles Music Awards had been planted in Bowman's mind.

The Los Angeles Music Awards was founded in 1991 by Alfred C. Bowman after nearly ten years in the limo business in Hollywood. When the first Los Angeles Music Awards took place on December 17th, 1991. It was dedicated to the memory of Bill Gazzarri. Every subsequent year, the Godfather of Rock n' Roll receives accolades from the organization for his inspiration in making this yearly event a reality. Click Here to for LA Music Awards Web Site

The Les Paul Story (From Gibson.Com)

By 1952 Les Paul was not only the most popular guitar player in America, he was also a leading innovator in guitar and electronics design. He had been experimenting with electric guitars for as long as there had been electric guitars. He had once mounted a guitar string on a railroad tie to confirm his belief that a solidbody guitar would maximize sustain, and he had incorporated a mini-railroad rail-a 4"x4" piece of pine-into the body of a homemade solidbody electric guitar he nicknamed "TheLog."
Les had approached Gibson in the '40s with his ideas for a solidbody electric guitar, but Gibson was already leading the industry with archtop electric guitars. Furthermore, Gibson had always been very conservative when it came to aligning with artists. In 50 years, only two players had their names on Gibson models: Nick Lucas, an early guitar star and crooner whose "Tip Toe Through the Tulips" was the biggest record of 1929, and Roy Smeck, a multi-instrumentalist so talented he was nicknamed "The Wizard of the Strings."

In the early '50s, when the solidbody guitar first became commercially viable, Gibson designed an instrument that would change the image of the solidbody electric from a simple plank of wood to an elegant, stylish piece of art. Such a guitar would be a radical move for a traditional company like Gibson, but Gibson had been founded on the radical mandolin and guitar designs of Orville Gibson back in the 1890s. This new model would have the same carved-top contours that had set Orville's instruments apart from all others.

With the new model almost ready for market, Gibson approached Les Paul, the obvious choice to help launch it. Les was already intimately familiar with the unique characteristics of a solidbody electric guitar. And he was at the top of his career. His 1948 hit, "Brazil," featured six guitar parts, all played by Les in a virtuoso demonstration that would eventually earn him recognition as the father of multi-track recording. When he combined his guitar and electronic talents with the vocals of his wife Mary Ford, the result was gold-two million-selling records in 1951, "Mockin' Bird Hill" and "How High the Moon."

The Les Paul Model, as it was originally called, has changed little since its debut in 1952. Except for an updated bridge and humbucking pickups, the Les Paul Standard of today is still the same guitar. The Les Paul has been the driving force behind many changes in popular music. It powered the blues rock sound of the late '60s and the southern rock of the late '70s. By the '90s the Les Paul was providing signature sounds for every genre of rock, from alternative to metal.