A Taste:

Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, The Boneshakers, Gregg Lee Henry

Bruce Greenwood’s got passion to spare. Not only does he give poignant and powerful performances in every role he takes on—from The Sweet Hereafter to Star Trek—but he also possesses a real ardor for music. He’s been playing guitar for years, and he recently produced a record by Gregg Lee Henry called Heavy Lifting. Bruce also has an encyclopedic musical knowledge that could rival that of any tastemaker critic or indie record store clerk.

He may be going to space as Captain Pike in Star Trek, but he also took us on a tour through his record collection. Bruce opened up his iTunes for us in this exclusive feature and shared some incredible music. He’s a blues guy at heart, but he also knows how to rock.

Check out Bruce Greenwood’s playlist below and be sure to catch him in star Trek on May 8th. He gives us an education below…

Bruce Greenwood’s Playlist:

1. Eric Lewis

“At the moment, I’m listening to this really cool jazz guy named Eric Lewis. His improvisational jazz really turns me on. It’s hard to tell how structured he is. He’s probably very structured, but the music has the appearance of being a gift from God [Laughs].”

2. The Boneshakers — “Let’s Straighten It Out”

“They’re extremely funky and blues-based. It’s incredibly soulful music. Check out an album called Book of Spells. The singer is so great, and the whole record is fantastic. They play in L.A. a lot, and they do an amazing version of ‘Cold Sweat’ that’s much more swing-y. I love these guys!”

3. Buddahead

“They’re also very blues-based. A guy named B.B. Chung King is the singer and guitar player. He’s a great guitarist, and he’s got a fantastic voice.”

4. The Subdudes

“I listen to The Subdudes a lot. Some of the guys are from New Orleans, and some are from L.A. You’re in for a treat if you haven’t heard them! The singer’s voice is so great. When they play, their drummer sits down front. He’s got a snare that looks like a big tambourine. He hits the snare with his hand, and he’s got a kick with one thom. It’s a whole different setup. The drummer is sitting up front, and the singer is unbelievable. The harmonies and grooves are incredible—there’s even a five-stack harmony in one song. With virtually every tune they have, you go, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to put my guitar down and stop singing.’ [Laughs] This cat has one of my favorite voices ever!”

5. Paul Rodgers

“I grew up listening to Paul Rodgers. He’s my favorite singer. As a teenager, when I first heard his voice, I said, ‘That’s me! That’s how I feel!’”

6. Lenny Williams

“I’m really into Lenny Williams from The Tower of Power.”

7. Tabu Ley Rochereau

“It’s really raw, and it’s very cool.”

8. Susan Tedeschi

“I always go back to Susan Tedeschi, Bonnie Raitt and The Neville Brothers.”

9. Bonnie Raitt

10. The Neville Brothers

11. Little Milton

“I really got into Little Milton last year. I don’t know how I stumbled across him, but then I started getting into everything that he did. He’s such a great singer. One song, ‘Too Hurt to Cry,’ has a basic B.B. King-style behind the beat minor pentatonic lick, and then Little Milton sings and you’re blown away. He’s got so much soul!”

12. Stevie Ray Vaughan

“I’m a huge Stevie Ray Vaughan fan! He’s the man! I have just about every song that he’s ever recorded, every live album and every DVD. I’ve even got DVDs of other guys teaching me how to play like him!”

13. Kelly Joe Phelps

“I’ve always got him on my playlist somewhere. He recorded his first album in a bedroom in Seattle. It’s him and one guitar. You know how incredibly inventive Kaki King is with a guitar? Well, Kelly doesn’t do the tapping thing that she does, but he’s incredibly inventive. He’s a wonderful singer and a great guitar player. On the album you can hear him tapping his foot, you can hear him breathing and you can even hear a door closing in the background. It’s fantastic.”

14. John Mayer

“I’ve always got John Mayer and Stevie Ray Vaughan on. Mayer’s a monster! A buddy of mine and I went to one of John’s shows, and I got to meet John very briefly. We sat with the monitor mixer on stage and watched the show. John was on fire! I’d be thrilled to hear a record that’s just him and a guitar. He is a God.”

15. Joe Bonamassa

“I also listen to him. He’s a little heavier. For Bonamassa, I’ve got to be in a pretty nasty mood.”

16. Gregg Lee Henry

“I listen to Gregg Lee Henry a lot. I produced his new album, and it will be available on iTunes soon. He wrote a tune called ‘The Back of Your Hand’ a few years ago while I was doing this movie with Dwight Yoakam. I produced the tune one night and gave it to Dwight the next day. He ended up using it as a single, and it went to number one on CMT. Gregg and I are good buddies, and we’ve been working together for a long time. I just finished doing the new album with him. He’s a piano player and singer/songwriter. He’s like Lyle Lovett meets Randy Newman. Gregg is also fantastic lyricist! I played some guitar on the record. This is our first attempt at fully producing a record with bass, guitar and drums. Usually, it’s on him on piano and me doing noodle-y guitar in the background and singing some harmony parts. We decided to get a little more involved this time. I back Gregg up all the time when we play together around town. Occasionally, I’ll sing a couple of songs on my own. I’m going to have to release a record of my own at some point!”

17. The Boom Booms

“They have a song called ‘When the Night’ that you should definitely check out. The beat is so cool!”

18. The Rolling Stones

“One of the first albums I had was the Stones‘ album High Tide and Green Grass.”

19. Albert King

20. Muddy Waters

21. B.B. King

“One of the first songs that turned me onto the blues was ‘The Thrill Is Gone.’”

22. Howlin’ Wolf

23. Mike Harrison

“He was the singer for a band called Spooky Tooth. They had an album called You Broke My Heart, So I Broke Your Jaw. Mike Harrison came out with a solo album called Smokestack Lightning. That album was super honest, and he’s also got a fantastic voice.”

24. The Allman Brothers Band

25. Jimi Hendrix

“A friend of mine actually just sent me ten versions of Hendrix doing ‘Red House.’ Now I’ve got every version he’s ever done!”

—Rick Florino
05.03.09

A Taste:

B.B. King, Seal

“It probably sounds strange to you, but I don’t actually listen to music,” says David Carradine with a heavy dose of sincerity. “When I started writing music, I sort of stopped listening to it. I used to collect LPs. Back in those days, I had tons of them. Then I discovered that I didn’t listen to music for entertainment anymore; I only listened to it for information. I’d buy an album, I’d listen to it once and that would be it.”

However, when he does choose to crank some tunes, Carradine’s taste is interesting to say the least. The legendary Kung Fu and Kill Bill star does have a favorite spot on the dial when he’s cruising around Los Angeles.

He continues, “When I’m in the car, I listen to 100.3 ‘The Sound’ in L.A. It’s very eclectic. It could be country. It could be rock n’ roll. It could be pop—almost anything. It’s always something you haven’t heard before, haven’t heard in a long time or rarely hear. So I just put that on. That’s about the only thing I’m listening to consistently. My house is full of music all the time though. My wife puts on either some satellite thing or a CD she’s got.”

Carradine decided to share a few select favorites with us in this exclusive feature. Check out his playlist below!

David Carradine’s Playlist:

1. B.B. King

“My wife and I do listen to a lot of blues. we’re both pretty crazy about the blues. Sometimes the blues is some of the happiest stuff you can find. You’ll never walk away from a B.B. King concert unhappy.”

2. Seal

“His album is just dynamite; it’s uplifting.”

—Rick Florino
04.08.09