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JOE MEDWICK'S MEMPHIS SOUL
BASKERVILLE HOUNDS RE-UNION
11/17/02 - JOE'S BIRTHDAY  -  Photos / Message
6/15/02 - SACKET'S HARBOR CONCERT -  Photos / Message

Born in the northern New York bordertown of Watertown just a half hour from Ontario Canada, Joe Medwick was touched by music at the earliest of ages. "I swear I remember my mom playing piano when she was pregnant with me, especially that left hand... that's probably why I ended up being a drummer."

His middle class home on Michigan Avenue was full of music day and night during his youth. His older brothers and sister filled the place with the likes of Elvis, The Everly Brothers, Miles Davis, Hendrix, Bob Dylan and Gordon Lightfoot. His piano playing mom meanwhile leaned more toward the likes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole mostly on Canadian radio stations. " I loved everything my mom and brothers and sister liked but I really was transformed by the voice of Ray Charles. I remember the first time I heard him, I was maybe 9 or 10, it just killed me...so much soul, so much emotion."

Joe's first band The Baskerville Hounds were a "semi-big deal" in the summer of '69 on the Gatsby-ish Thousand Island rich folks summer home circuit as well as the catholic school dance and festival scene. "As a 14 year old lead singer I saw and learned alot that summer. Being the 60's it was an education in a lot of the ways of the world but it also taught me about the music business and the dynamics and politics of being in a band."  Soon after, Joe started booking local dances and after high school and college booked concerts and colleges around the northeast out of Ithaca, New York... Artist management gigs followed as well as stints in record retail and distribution in Syracuse and New York City. A 1979 move to California to finish college at San Francisco State University landed him a job with Tower records at it's famous Columbus and Bay store, which eventually turned into a top marketing position with the mega-retailer at it's corporate office in West Sacramento. After a brief corporate stint at Jose Menendez's Live Home Video in Southern California, Medwick turned to free-lance writing for labels like Warner Bros.,Virgin, MCA and feature writing for the weekly industry-insider Hits! Magazine.

After 20 plus years of helping his friends sell and market records, Joe got back to performing in the early '90's with the help of guitar great and now best mate, former Clapton, Emmylou Harris guitarist Albert Lee. "Albert's been an extraordinary friend and his guitar playing speaks for itself...brilliant." Other buddies like former Neil Young/ Ry Cooder bassman Tim Drummond introduced him to musical pals like Dylan, Young and J.J. Cale. "Between Hits! Magazine, my work at the labels and all my friends I've been lucky to have interviewed or hung with hundreds of my musical idols. From Ray Charles to Miles Davis, Levon Helm to Ringo Starr, Joni Mitchell to Jackson Browne...and especially musician's musicians like Dan Penn, John Hiatt, Booker T. & Steve Cropper, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Ron Sexsmith, Earl Palmer, Lonnie Mack and so many more. It's been like a dream come true, and every single day I meet someone new that thrills and inspires me".

Joe's still hard at work on his first solo LP "Memphis to Montreal", stay tuned for details. Till then check out the gigs or say hello. He'd love to see and hear from you.