Barry Richards, one of Washington DC’s most famous radio and television personalities of the sixties and seventies, has overseen the production of a DVD; The Barry Richards TV Collection Volume I. The DVD features classic live performances by Alice Cooper, Humble Pie, Little Richard, Bob Seger, Muddy Waters, Rory Gallagher, Richie Havens and other from his TV Shows around 1970-1971, many from his own archive. Of importance to Tommy Bolin fans is that Richard will be screening one song by Zephyr from 1970, a live performance of St. James Infirmary, taken from a short lived show called Barry Richards Presents. As far as we know this clip has not circulated before, so is a real treat.

barryrichardsshows.com, at last, is now saying: Shipping May 2011.,

A Zephyr teaser clip of St. James Infirmary runs from approx 1:00 to 1:40 on a YouTube promo for the DVD.

SR/NY#2002781 (with thanks to Damien Phelan)

This ambitious project is the follow up to Whips & Roses and features more material from Bolin master tapes. The plan is to do this as a 2CD set. CD1 will be the recordings newly mixed. CD2 is a set where a-list guests add their own work to the recordings. Glenn Hughes has recorded a new vocal on Lotus, and helped complete and sing an unfinished composition. Billy Gibbons, Joe Bonamassa, Peter Frampton and Steve Morse have also laid down new parts. Morse is playing on Crazed Fandango which sounds ideally suited to the man.

Right now the plan is to wrap this up for late March 2011 and release a few months later. It is still hoped Jeff Beck will be able to participate now he is back off the road.

SR#2002793

(with thanks to Thanks to Damian Phelan and Greg Hampton)

More news on the much anticipated (by us anyway!) Teaser Deluxe CD release, now slated for March 2011 in Europe. This is another treat for Bolin fans, and will contain alternate versions of every album track, some not released before, and remixes, some of which fans will have heard on the Whips & Roses CDs. It will come in a special digipak and the release is produced with the co-operation of the Bolin estate, and forms the first of three anticipated titles. Up next is likely to be the all-star Bolin & Guests CD, with a huge array of talent laying new parts onto Bolin masters. It is hoped that a third CD featuring the best of Bolin & Deep Purple will conclude the trio.

For now Teaser Deluxe can be preordered from the DPAS online store. The track listing is:

Just for fun Simon had a bash at a cover for this, which you can see on the blog. Thanks to Steve Gardner.

DB#200284

A tribute to guitar legend TOMMY BOLIN, Mister Bolin’s Late Night Revival features new versions of 17 previously unreleased tracks written but never finished by Bolin. Four years in the making, the CD features more than 50 singers, musicians and producers and aims to bring attention to his songwriting legacy. It features performances from: Eric Martin, Doogie White, Jeff Pilson, Derek St. Holmes, Shooting Star, Randy Jackson, Robin McAuley, Johnnie Bolin and others.

Advance copies were available at the Bolin festival and the CD is due out in September in America. No details of a European release yet. This CD should not be confused with the upcoming CD which features actual Bolin performances with new guest players working with the tapes.

For more details, visit the album website.

SR#200283 (with thanks to Damian Phelan)

In the new 'Goldmine' magazine, Dave Davies of the Kinks lists the ten albums that changed his life, with Billy Cobham's "Spectrum" being one.

He is quoted as calling it 'the best ever album of it's genre....Tommy Bolin's underrated guitar work is sensational.'  Praise indeed!

MR#200280 (Spotted by Damian Phelan)

The Spanish DPAS are celebrating their 15th anniversary with a special Tommy Bolin edition of Hush Magazine. It features interviews with Bolin's former bandmates, family members and friends, conducted by Trace Keane,. The magazine also apparently includes many never-before-seen photos.

Hush Magazine is printed entirely in Spanish. According to Blabbermouth.net : "English-language translations of the articles included in the issue will appear on the Tommy Bolin web site in December."

NY#200278
(with thanks to Trace Keane)

Energy were due to reform for a one-off in December 2009, appearing on KKFI 90.1 FM radio in the USA, with a a live performance and interviews, to be followed by a full concert the following night at Crosstown Station in Kansas City, MO. with a line-up comprising original Energy members Tommy Stephenson (keys), Stanley Sheldon (bass)(pictured left) and Bobby Berge (drums), joined by guitarists Johnny Ricker and Jeff Scheetz in the Tommy Bolin role.

"Just wanted to let you know that the Tommy Bolin Reunion Concert is still happening in Kansas City on Decmber 12th 2009. Stan Sheldon however, will not be able to make it. Bobby Berge and Tommy Stephenson will be there." Stormin' Norman, KKFI

MA/SR#2002772
(with thanks to Trace Keane)

The Bolin Estate have approved American writer Greg Prato's request to put together the definitive biography. Over fifty of Tommy's friends, musical partners and business associates have been interviewed. Greg's book Touched By Magic - The Tommy Bolin Story is a print on demand title (so we will not be able to supply it - copies are supplied direct from the digital printers in America) and is ready for ordering now following the link here. It is illustrated with some nice shots of Tommy. There is also some sample text at the site.

You can read a bit more about the book at our book review page.

DPAS Book previews: Tommy Bolin biography (updated, June 1st)

MM#2002763

We're told that Johnnie Bolin has been admitted to hospital in America. We will bring you any news we can anon but are sure all Tommy Bolin fans will want to join us in wishing him the best.

Update: Tamy, who works with Johnnie and helps with the web site, has posted this: "His condition isn't good but he is improving. He has had congestive heart failure. However, he is being treated by the best cardiologist team in the area." She will be posting updates at www.tommybolin.biz.

SR#2002792

• Saturday May 16, KUNM 89.1 FM in Santa Fe/Albuquerque New Mexico along with Dr. Rock & The Psychedelic Radio Head Shoppe will be hosting a three hour Tommy Bolin radio special from 10:00 pm to 2:00 am central time. Special call in guests will be Alphonse Mouzon and Johnnie Bolin. You can listen in for free by clicking kunm.org/listen/ and choosing Online Audio: Listen Now.

• Saturday June 13th, KFRC 88.9 FM in Ft. Collins, Colorado (also KBUT and MPR Mountain Public Radio) with Chris K & The Colorado Sound will be hosting a two hour special on Tommy Bolin from 6:00 to 8:00 pm central time. Expected guests are Johnnie Bolin, Bobby Berge, and Stan Sheldon. You can listen in for free on your computer by going to www.krfcfm.org/index.php and clicking on the Listen icon in the upper right hand corner.

SR/DB#200280 (with thanks to Trace Keane)

The DPAS has agreed with the Tommy Bolin Estate to release two exclusive Tommy Bolin shirt designs early in the new year. These are exclusive to the DPAS and will be available through their catalogue and online. We can show the two proposed designs here. Both are limited editions. The Ultimate design is based on promotional material for the period and has Tommy Bolin Band tour dates on the back.

These are available to pre-order through dpas mail order now. Available from late Feb/early March.

SR#200278

Some more on the Tommy Bolin fuzz box from the manufacturers (I'll quote in full as this will mean more to guitar players than if I try to paraphrase!):

"With the assistance and cooperation of the Bolin family and estate, Hartman has recreated Tommy's legendary fuzz tone. Beginning with an original model of Tommy's go-to fuzz and refined against the original, isolated guitar tracks of Bolin master reels, the result is a 3-knob box of dynamite featuring a definitive palette of tones from deep within the Bolin zone."

Controls: Attack - Increase this control (CW) to add distortion and clipping to the signal. Rotating CCW will reduce amount of distortion and overall volume.

Tone - Adjust the amount of bass (CCW) or treble (CW).

SR#200277 (Thanks to Dag Frode Eilertsen for his help)

The new Tommy Bolin signature guitar was officially launched on November 8th 2008 at a special party at Ray's Midbell Music, 4230 S Lancelot in Sioux City. 100 have been built for sale, all coming with a certificate signed by Johnnie Bolin. Also available is the new Tommy Bolin Fuzz pedal that is just being released by Hartman Electronics, though we have no further details on this just yet. Thanks to Damian Phelan for the update.

This guitar is now in production at the Dean Guitar factory  in Tampa, Florida (September 2008). Around half the initial  production run of 100 guitars has already been pre-sold. The producers have done a superb poster for the guitar to display in stores too. (See it in our poster gallery)

MR#2002732 (photo: Johnnie Bolin with the Tommy Bolin signature guitar)

Greg Hampton, the guy behind the two Whips & Roses albums, is working on a new project; a sort of posthumous studio album where guest players will be able to jam with Tommy's studio tracks. The concept is interesting, to find players who have cited Tommy as a big influence, and invite them to add a new layer to one of the existing tracks. So rather than one of these cover version tribute albums it'll be the real thing. Sounds kind of weird but it depends how sensitively it's done I imagine. Remember how Hendrix's Crash Landing album was castigated? Ming you, there's a couple of my fave Hendrix pieces on there so... Anyway Greg's been talking about it on one of the guitar web sites:

"I hope to get guys like Jeff Beck, Warren Haynes, Slash, Joe Perry. That's on our wish list of who we would like to have on this record. I've got the multitracks; they'll be jamming with Tommy. It's never been done in that capacity, where they're actually going to be interacting with a guy that passed away nearly 30 years ago. I'm anticipating it will take six to eight months to record it."

SR#200275

The old Tommy Bolin Archives CD titles have been plundered for a new box set - The Ultimate 2. There don't seem to be any tracks on it you won't have heard before but for those new to Bolin's history you do get three hours of material at a reasonable price. It's on the Friday Music label, which is US based.

dpas mail order are stocking this title. This title is shipping now.

Thanks to Stuart Hamilton for the details. SR#2002721

Friday Music, who recently issued three out of catalogue Deep Purple W. Bros albums in America, have signed up to issue the Tommy Bolin Archive titles there as previously issued. More details as and when we get them.

MK#200272

(with thanks to Hubert Leonhard)

The second volume of the Tommy Bolin Masters series is shipping now. The track list is: The Grind / Crazed Fandango / People People / Homeward Strut / Sooner Or later / Bag It Blues Deluxe / Spacey Noodles / Lotus / Journey 2 / Bolins Boogie / Tommy's Got Da Blues / Some People Call Me. Thus four alternate tracks from Teaser (which with the five from Vol 1 means alternate takes of the whole album), plus material earmarked but not included and some extra material from the vaults, including two lengthy closing tracks which total over twenty minutes in length. Similar packaging to Vol1.It can be ordered from dpas mail order.

SR#2002693

There are three CDs due in what is called The Tommy Bolin Master Series. They will contain a mass of previously unheard studio recordings of amazing quality, with alternate versions (radically alternate in many cases) of songs we know, and some we don't. Exact details of the final formats are still to be decided, but will include stereo versions and some 5.1 mixes, and possibly some DVD footage as well. All this is in addition to any reworkings of the existing studio albums. From the Teaser sessions, here is a complete out-take version of Homeward Strut. (appearing on this site with permission). Enjoy!

Also, check out the Teaser discography in our archives (with two really rare singles shown), and a nice early interview done just after he'd joined Deep Purple. Greg Hampton - the main man on the mixes for the Tommy Bolin Master Series - tells me that the first two titles will come out separately, the second later in the year. He says he's worked on hundreds of records in the past few years, but never as hard as he's done on these.Promotion copies of the first Bolin CD were mailed during early March, and the CD has now been given the official title WHIPS AND ROSES. Thanks to SPV. First Reactions: "Good grief, I've never heard guitar playing like this - ever. There's a ten minute jazz-rock piece on this new CD which is startling. I know Bolin was good, I love his playing, I've studied Mind Transplant and Energy tapes, but even I didn't really know he could get his head around this sort of work. They repeat the riff about eight times during the whole piece, and for the rest of it Tommy just goes absolutely manic. He breaks every rule in the book; and it makes for an amazing listening experience. I'll try and review the rest of the CD in somewhat more measured terms in the next few days. But really, this one piece could just be the best thing he ever did. SR""Just a quick note to say how much I'm enjoying 'Whips & Roses' - quite literally jaw-dropping stuff (it's not often I catch myself sitting with my gob open, but Tommy's playing here did the trick). Cover looks classy - the glossy digipack adds to the high quality feel of the thing, as do the abundance of piccies. Great stuff! " Tim SummersThe full track listing is: • Teaser (alt vsn) • Fandango (unissued vsn) • Wild Dogs (alt vsn) • Cookoo (unissued) • Savannah Woman (alt vsn) • Marching Powder (alt vsn) • Flyin' Fingers (unissued) • Dreamer (alt vsn) • Just Don't Fall Down (unissued) • Blowin' Your Cookies (unissued)The European CD release was delayed a week and is now expected to ship the first week of May.

All copies from dpas mail order will be in the limited edition digipak format. US copies come in a jewel case. Due to the level of interest in this release, Volume Two is being brought forward and could be out in August. www.deep-purple.net will have full track details and an exclusive preview of this very shortly. It now looks as if the releases issued by the TBA label will cease and reappear in amended form through Johnny Bolin's new deal - some as mail-order only. Lastly, though not directly connected, the Joe Walsh version of The James Gang are reforming soon for live gigs and may well visit Europe.

SR#200268