It takes some special instruments and a unique perspective to appreciate the frustrating version of "success" that weaves in and through Tonio K.'s long strange trip of a music career. He should have been one of those critical reference points of the heady '70s and '80s, right up there with Warren Zevon and Joe Jackson. He had the wit, the sneer, the shades, and the major label hookups. But even with the odds in his favor, a hall-of-fame roster of supporting band members, and people like T Bone Burnett supporting him, it wasn't until he started putting his pen to work for other artists that his path emerged. On this episode, we visit with the elusive, and in some ways illusory, artist and songwriter for a rare exploration of his entire career. We'll examine his earliest days in the trippy psychedelic art rock scene, his stint with the late Buddy Holly's “Crickets,” his serious run at a solo artist career, and his late renaissance as the crafter of smash hits for an impossibly diverse list of artists that includes both a member of The Sex Pistols and Burt Bacharach. Tonio K. tells us the whole amazing story – and with the help of some friends, we have peppered the show with some extremely rare Tonio K. recordings and a brace of tunes that made him a darling of both the Christian and mainstream underground. And, as if THAT wasn't enough, Tom Willett – who signed K. to WHAT? Records in the '80s and worked alongside T Bone and others – joins us for the conversation as well.
The full music list, our special Spotify Mix, and more for this episode are available on the SHOW NOTES page at TrueTunes.com/Tonio1.
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David Eugene Edwards of Wovenhand: Apocalypse Ain’t for the Faint of Heart
Michael Bloodgood: A Long Obedience in a LOUD Direction
@45RPM The Prayer Chain: Backstage in ’18
Chagall Guevara: Revolutionary Art, Halcyon Days, & Long-Play Redemption (+ a Squint Jukebox Meltdown)
The Cornerstone Festival: 10 Years Gone (and counting...)
Walking St. Paul’s Blvd with Michael McDermott (+ Peter Himmelman on the Jukebox)
Michael Roe Did It For Love (Pt.2) [The Lost Dogs, 77s, Kerosene Halo]
@45RPM - Character Witnesses for Michael Roe (Terry S. Taylor, Jimmy A, Randy Layton, A-Train, & Jan Eric Volz)
Michael Roe Did It For Love (Pt. 1) [77s, Lost Dogs, Kerosene Halo, Etc,]
@45RPM - Listening Carefully w Buddy Miller & Ian Fitchuk
Coffee w Propaganda: World Building, Critical Thinking, & History Healing (+ Midnight Oil on the Jukebox!)
@45RPM - Steve Scott & The Gospel of John as Creative Cultural Critique (pt 2)
Eric Earley (Blitzen Trapper) + Sacred Psychedelia on the Jukebox (w David Bunker)
Keyboard Warriors: Ronnie Martin (+ Steve Fairnie / The Technos on the Jukebox)
Steve Scott on the Missional Purpose of Art (pt 1)
Meet Doe! (+ Aaron ”A-Train” Smith on Stevie Wonder in the 70s on the Jukebox)
@45RPM - ROEMER on Knowing Our Role (Pt. 2)
Royce Lovett’s Unlikely Journey (+ The Roots of Gospel Rap w Soup The Chemist & Chris Williamson on the Jukebox)
@45RPM - ROEMER on Bonhoeffer, Marx, and Missiology (Pt. 1)
Andy Zipf, Achtung Baby, and the Power of Place
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