Peter's music has been heard on hundreds of radio stations and has been on SiriusXM rotation for over a decade. As a multi-award winning artist, Peter's music has also topped Billboard's Classical and Crossover charts.
For Captain Beefheart, a maverick-artist-musician, who was not just a complicated man but highly demanding and by most accounts very difficult to deal with. It was appropriate that Beefheart's Magic Band was to prominently feature a bassist as accomplished, bold and adventurous as Mark Boston, a.k.a Rockette Morton.
Born on July 14, 1949, Mark began life in the small town of Salem, Illinois before his family moved out to Lancaster, California when he was 13. With a bassist and steel player for a father, Mark gained a great appreciation for country and bluegrass along with the R&B and rock’n’roll that was on the rise. Within a year of the Boston clan moving out to Lancaster, Mark befriended a young guitarist by the name of Bill Harkleroad.
At a time when the bass guitar was seen as the dummy’s instrument, Mark left quite an impression on Bill with his talent and equipment, leading to the two joining forces to form BC And The Cavemen. With Mark’s mother sewing some outfits for them, the band developed a decent reputation, and the two would also play in a band with Jeff Cotton and John French known as Blues In A Bottle. And then a local hero came calling. Or perhaps screaming and howling!
In that same Lancaster scene, Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band were making a big splash as a top flight blues rock outfit, with 'Safe As Milk' having made a strong impression and 'Strictly Personal' being a strong record as well. But even with a sound that was speaking to people, one that perhaps would have been a more pragmatic one as far as a career goes, Don Van Vliet just wasn’t meant for conventional norms.
The Captain had all these ideas, ideas far too out for many, including early members. He needed new musicians, younger and more impressionable ones that wouldn’t object to his ideas. Already having John and Jeff in the band, now 'Drumbo' and Antennae Jimmy Semens, he then recruited Bill, dubbed Zoot Horn Rollo. And on bass, he found Mark Boston, who took the name Rockette Morton due to his love of outer space. And the classic Magic Band was born.
Trout Mask Replica (TMR) wasn’t an easy album to make. Yet even with all the bizarre ideas and the difficulty in preparing those ideas into music, Mark was a total champ through it all. The Beefheart sound is one of great dichotomy, and Mark can capture all of it. He’s so tight and precise, and yet there’s this raw grit and dirt. He’s highly intelligent and sophisticated in his playing, and yet there remains this childlike sense of wonder and curiosity.
He takes after all the great traditional American music, yet out into a whole other realm of time and space. The bass traditionally serves the role of grounding the harmony while locking in with the drums to provide a foundation, yet Mark’s playing often serves as another melody line in the music. In a lot of ways, he’s like a third guitarist that just happens to be playing bass.
The TMR on its own is a legacy few can compete with, and yet Mark contributed to more classic records like "Lick My Decals Off, Baby", "The Spotlight Kid", and "Clear Spot". There on Decals, you get the equivalent of Godfather II. With Mother Art Tripp on marimba and drums rather Jeff on guitar, you get an album that captures a great deal of TMR's brilliance while being brilliant in its own unique way.
Then you get to 'The Spotlight Kid', with bass godliness on cuts like “When It Blows Its Stack”, resulting in a bass solo that often opened shows, yet Mark proves himself just as talented on traditional in-the-pocket styles as demonstrated on cuts like “I’m Gonna Booglarize You Baby”. And that thing about bassists being failed guitarists? In the 'Clear Spot', with Mark taking guitar and the rhythm section now being a mini Mothers reunion of Art and Roy Estrada, yet nobody missed a beat. Throughout the record, Bill and Mark’s kinship really shines, their weaving right there with what Bill and Jeff had done, or what was done with Alex St Clair early on.
Of course, dealing with Don was quite a task of its own, so it’s inevitable that Mark and the others would all end up departing by 1974. He and Bill soon formed a group of their own called Mallard. For two albums, the first with Art and having some writing help from John French 'Drumbo', Mallard showed itself a pretty decent blues rock outfit. And giving that it was Mark who finally had a chance to create something that was truly his own rather than helping some achieve their vision, it’s understandably the work that he takes pride in. And over time, he’d end up making a solo record and create some cool artwork of his own, as well as performing with 'Drumbo' in the reformed Magic Band, allowing the music to live and breathe on stage again.
If you’re a Beefheart fan, how can you not love Rockette Morton? Not only a uniquely talented bass player but such a great stage presence full of joy, along with a lovably quirky personality and such a sweet guy. Easily one of my favorites from Magic Band members, you can’t help but smile when thinking about Mark. He’s been through some rough weather, including his health scares, and yet he’s still the same Mark we’ve known and loved all the years.
Happy birthday Mark! Thank you for all you have given us and look forward to more.
___________________
Patrick Moore is a freehand drawing artist and freelance music writer.
TORONTO: When I was a university student, I read Dominique Lapierre's novel, City of Joy. Set in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), the story is about the challenging lives of a Polish priest, a young American physician and a local rickshaw puller. Although the story is fiction, it was inspired by real stories the French author encountered during his travels in India, especially Kolkata, and it gave the city its nickname.
This book would change the course of my life because not only would it spark my interest in India – in the culture, history and food -- it planted a seed to travel and see the world. Although it would be some 30 years later when I finally got to visit the City of Joy, once I did, I was enthralled.
As India’s cultural capital and the country’s second largest city, Kolkata is filled with lovely gardens, grand architecture and historical colleges. For generations, it has inspired writers, artists and intellects, and is known for its gastronomy, especially fish dishes.
Here are my top favourite attractions that Kolkata offers and are not to miss:
Heritage Zone Walking Tour: spend a morning on a guided walking tour of the European area with its magnificent colonial architecture, including: the site of the “Black Hole,” the Calcutta High Court, Town Hall, Governor’s House, General Post Office, the famous Writers’ Building, the former headquarters of the East India Company. You will be transported back to the 18th and 19th centuries during British rule when, after London, Kolkata was considered the world’s most fashionable city.
Mullik Ghat Flower Market: along the Hooghly river and near the famous Howrah Bridge is the colourful 130-year-old flower market, which is the largest in east India. Approximately 3,000 flower growers sell their goods. Garlands of marigolds, and bright yellow and orange hibiscus flowers are sold in stalls, with sellers carrying loads in their arms, on their bodies, piled on their heads, and some look like they are wearing dresses of flowers. Mounds of flowers are piled on the ground, as men and women sit and string flowers. Locals wash in the river, and during the mornings professional wrestlers can be seen practicing nearby. There is no refrigeration, so whatever flowers are not sold during the day end up discarded.
Kumortuli Potters’ Colony: an enclave of artists who produce clay statues or idols of Hindu gods and goddesses that are used in religious ceremonies and festivals. In the past, families invited artisans into their homes before a festival or religious ceremony, while the family watched the creation. Today, they are created and sold here, and even exported all over the world.
Victoria Memorial Hall: a monument to colonialism in memory of Queen Victoria, Empress of India. Built in the early 20th century by Sir William Emerson, it is stunning Indo-gothic architecture with Mughal elements, filled with Victorian memorabilia, British Raj paintings and more, and surrounded by lovely green space.
Calcutta Coffee House: a popular landmark located in the University of Calcutta area, the heart of the literary world with bookstalls lining both sides of College Street. Here publishers sell modern and rare books. The Coffee House of Calcutta has been the meeting place for intellectuals for years, and was once considered the gateway to the freedom of creative expression. Sit over a cup of coffee and people-watch.
Mother Teresa’s Ashram: visit Mother Teresa’s home and “Sishu Bhawan”- orphanage for homeless children. Inside the centre is a museum dedicated to the life of this extraordinary humanitarian, which includes photographs, journals and personal items, and you can view her tomb and peek into the tiny room she lived in.
Marble Palace: a palatial mansion built in 1835 of Italian marble by one of the wealthiest landlords of Bengal, Raja Rajendra Mullick Bahadur. It has a room decorated with beautiful, massive mirrors, and artworks from Ruben, Reynolds and others. A lush green lawn has statues of Hindu Gods and other figures.
And what is the place to stay in the City of Joy?
Peerless Inn is one of the finest hotels located at Chowringhee in the heart of the city, close to both shopping and business areas. It is walking distance to the metro station, Eden Gardens and New Market. Its Oceanic restaurant serves a huge variety of dishes, and the staff are friendly and helpful.
For this trip, I have to thank Delhi-based Vasco Travel for making arrangements for accommodation, transport and guides, and India Tourism for air travel. (This article first appeared here on January 1, 2020)
(Shannon Skinner is an award-winning author, radio host, travel writer and international speaker. More information at ShannonSkinner.com. Tweet @Shannon_Skinner)
ALSO BY SHANNON SKINNER: Indian maharajas, wisdom, wandering and yoga
