Elton John's Original ROCK-IT Man, Caleb Quaye, honored as "Best Guitarist for All Time" at ROCK JUSTICE AWARDS™

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Sep 29, 2023, 09:04 ET

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fourth Way World Productions' ROCK JUSTICE AWARDS™ is thrilled to announce the release of nine newly produced live performances by Flight of Voices and Caleb Quaye recorded and filmed at the 11-17-22, The Elton John Fan Zone Concert at the legendary Village Studios in Los Angeles.

While Elton John fans swarmed the City of Angels for his Farewell Tour performances last November, a slew of his in-the-know top followers—120 deeply loyal fans to be exact, or "Elton John scholars"—came together to honor John (in absentia) and enjoy a deep catalogue concert and awards show timed to coincide with the 52nd anniversary John's live 11-17-70 album.

On that day in 1970, Elton John performed live to an audience of 100 highly enthusiastic people at A&R Recording Studios in New York City. The radio simulcast by WABC-FM of the concert stunned East Coast listeners with John's vibrant, breakout performance. An estimated 100,000 copies were recorded by fans before the album was officially released six months later and went on to win accolades as possibly the best live album ever.

On 11-17-22, 52 years on, Elton John's loyal fans in Los Angeles sat eye-to-eye with the musicians, singing every word and fueling a high-energy 21-track concert journey through John's massive musical catalog. John's rich compositions were performed by Flight of Voices, a musical collective founded by artist Sophie Ilys. Flight of Voices Musical Director Printz Board selected nine of their top L.A. musicians and eight top vocalists to perform beautiful symphonic and impassioned rock-'n-roll variations of the classic Elton John tracks that impressed his most discerning fans. The performances reached a superstar level with a rare appearance by Caleb Quaye, who, from 1969–1976, played lead guitar on seven Elton John albums—EMPTY SKY, ELTON JOHN, TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION, FRIENDS, MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER, ROCK OF THE WESTIES, and BLUE MOVES.

The concert footage featuring Flight of Voices with Caleb Quaye from 11-17-22, The Elton John Fan Zone can be viewed at the following links:

All 7 Tracks, or 9 Songs, by Flight of Voices with Caleb Quaye (39:47)
YouTube Timeline lists Each Song Title for easy access.

Singles:

SAILS (5:47)—60s searing guitar solos by Caleb Quaye
BORDER SONG (5:41)—Last verse is rare lyric written in 1969 by Elton for his friend Caleb
WHERE TO NOW ST. PETER? (8:35) —Lead guitar solos Caleb Quaye. Lead vocal Sophie Ilys. Includes Caleb Quaye discussion on impact of 1971's TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION
COME DOWN IN TIME (5:56)
HONKY CAT (7:40)—Features Quaye's first appearance ever on the song, now captured for posterity.
BLUE MOVES suite: (10:19)
a. YOUR STARTER FOR—written and performed by Caleb Quaye
b. ONE HORSE TOWN—overture performed by Caleb Quaye
c. IF THERE'S A GOD IN HEAVEN—lead vocals Greg Gilman
YOUR SONG (8:03)

Video and audio produced by Scott Lehman and Bennett Zimmerman

THE ROCK JUSTICE AWARDS™ ('The RJs')

The concert was followed by an awards presentation in which Bennett Zimmerman, 'Chief Justice' and producer of the 11-17-22 event declared,

"We hold these truths to be self-evident that
Caleb Quaye is 'Top Guitarist for All Time'
and will always be known as
Elton John's original 'ROCK-IT' Man!"

On CALEB QUAYE:

In 1965, Caleb Quaye quickly became an in-demand player, producer, and engineer in the rock-'n-roll scene in London.

In 1966, his guitar could be heard on The Troggs' "Wild Thing," and in 1967, Beatles publisher Dick James made sure to give Quaye the first pressing of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band—with his perfect relative pitch, Quaye was the only one trusted to transcribe the unique music that became part of the copyright filing for the album. Quaye also worked on the Help! soundtrack.

Quaye's friendship with Reg Dwight (Elton John) began while working on Denmark Street, the heart of the music publishing district in London. From 1967–1968, upon invitation by Dwight, Quaye joined Long John Baldrey's Bluesology, a popular backing band most often hired by American R & B stars travelling to the UK and Europe. Quaye credits Dwight's ability to play mirror-like images of any American rock or R&B record instantly as the group's irresistible appeal.

Quaye's first solo soon followed with the ultra-hip, "BABY YOUR PHRASING IS BAD."

In 1968 and 1969, Quaye ran the night shift at Dick James' studio and spent unbilled time making demos for Dwight, then a staff songwriter—developing songs that became the basis for his career as Elton John.

Quaye played the heavy guitar riffs and acid guitar solos on John's 1969 "EMPTY SKY." Quaye made quite an impact in America as lead guitarist on 1971's Tumbleweed Connection, deemed "one of the best country rock albums ever written by London cowboys" by Rolling Stone reviewer David Fricke. Its impact on American music was immediate, the irony being that the album was composed with music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin and musically performed by key players, including lead-guitarist Quaye—none of whom had ever set foot in America.

Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King attributes the solos on Sweet Home Alabama to licks heard from Quaye's guitar on Tumbleweed Connection's "BALLAD OF A WELL-KNOWN GUN."

In 1975, Elton John asked Quaye to return to the studio for Rock of the Westies, which entered the charts at #1. Quaye also wrote/co-wrote four songs for John's 1976 double album and symphonic masterpiece Blue Moves.

In 1975, when John's concerts hit stadium level, Quaye joined the touring band, bringing his rock edge to the West of the Rockies tour, including two famous shows at Dodger Stadium that October. Quaye stayed with the band in 1976 for the Louder than Concorde (but not quite as pretty) stadium tour.

Quaye has worked with Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, and countless other British and American artists, including Harry Nilsson ("COCONUT") and in the studio and on tour with Hall & Oates ("IT'S A LAUGH").

Quaye's award coincides with a renaissance marked by the release of the documentary "Louder Than Rock," directed by nine-time-Emmy-award-winner Val Tucker. The film is based on Quaye's autobiography, rich in reminiscence—a story of "sex, drugs, rock and roll, and redemption." The film already won an award last week at the Silicon Beach Festival in L.A. as it continues its festival-level breakout.

Caleb Quaye's latest release is "SPEECHLESS," the powerful closing theme of the documentary, featuring Judith Hill on vocals.

Quaye plays guitar weekly at his congregation, NewLife Pomona.

The ROCK JUSTICE AWARDS™ presented its highest honors to:

Elton John was given an RJ (in absentia) as "Top Artist for All Time," the highest honor ever presented, noting his unparalleled musical catalogue, consisting of 36 studio albums, six soundtracks and musicals, and four live albums, including the best ever, 11-17-70. The award was accepted by Lucy Davis and is held on top of her Captain Fantastic pinball machine at her Elton John Museum in Woodland, Michigan—waiting for Elton to pick it up.

LUCY "Sails" MESERIAN DAVIS received the award for "Top Elton John Fan for All Time" for uniting Elton John fans around the world since 1977. In that year, at age 14, Lucy began organizing fans in pen pal networks which she built through ads in the popular rock-'n-roll fanzine Circus Magazine. Today, Lucy runs a fiercely independent and active, 28,000-person-strong Facebook group, "Elton John and his Fans," where fans are free to express their unique opinions on the music as long as they're respectful of each other.

Lucy found teenagers who took a strong stand for Elton John during the two-year period when he retired from albums and the stage and received harsh criticism from the press. After a frank interview on his personal life in Rolling Stone in 1976, John suffered a continued backlash from the press, including the audacity to challenge his musical ability, and a number of his albums failed to hit high on the pop and rock charts.

But the fans stuck by him. "It's about loyalty," Lucy sums it up simply. "Every kid alive knew that Elton John was Number 1. But there we were in junior high and high school liking him—loving him—as much as ever. It's a little bit funny that it's now hip again to be an Elton John fan. We always were!"

In 1980, Lucy's room filled with Elton John memorabilia distinguished her as Elton John's No. 1 fan, featured on the TV news in her hometown of Detroit. Today, her collection has become a finely curated museum, and in early 2023, AARP magazine, in a highly competitive field, named Lucy as Elton John's top fan for all of the USA. Brianna Hojnacki is a talented young artist who put together an a beautifully photographed and scripted 'Digital Museum Gift Level Book' on her best friend Lucy Davis' ELTON JOHN MUSEUM.

Chief Justice Zimmerman revealed perhaps a most personal reason for the night's gathering. At 14, he had been the first to answer Lucy's call for an Elton John pen pal in 1977. "We would write 10 pages, both sides," says Zimmerman. "I was into chart statistics, and we both knew Elton John was No. 1." But beyond the music, they've become lifelong friends. "This one's for you!" Zimmerman said as he joined the chorus in dedicating 11-17-22 to Lucy.

Oklahoma-based visual artist MARIE KASH WELTZHEIMER ('MKW') received a ROCK JUSTIC AWARD™ for her exhibit "The Debut of the Marie Kash Connection: Elton John 52 Years On." The Award recognizes her striking collection as making her the #1 BREAKOUT VISUAL ARTIST of 2022.

Each of the 52 pieces was directly inspired by each year of Elton John's meteoric music career—a body of work she completed in just 18 months. MKW's original set of works present tremendous realism. Brushes, oil charcoal, graphite, color and light are her tools, and she is a leading expert in the use of pastels. She relies on the dramatic use of color and light to bring energy and beauty to her work. MKW always has her eyes open to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.

"I am Marie's greatest fan," says Zimmerman. "Producer Sophie Ilys and I were overwhelmed by the comprehensive nature of Marie's collection and knew right away that we had a major breakout artist who would enthrall both the artists and fans attending 11-17-22. Each piece strikes you as if you were hearing a trumpet blast; they are so bold." And it's no wonder—MKW's talent as a trumpet player earned her a scholarship at the University of Central Oklahoma. She took many musical theory courses, applied piano, and studied musical harmony and her educational background sounds more like that of Elton John, who studied in a music conservatory. "Elton is some kind of muse for me...no one sings and plays like him, no one," says MKW. "I paint with my voice."

MKW's life-sized stand-ups of Elton John were a huge hit at the event. Her tall three-dimensional figures stare right back at you, and there is a moving quality to many of them that causes a constant double-take to see if the figures are alive. Fans on 11-17-22 rushed to take pictures as they hugged, kissed, and danced with the oh-so-real Elton John figures she created. "They were real. They were extraordinary. They had soul. A bit of Elton John, a lot of MKW, and they inspired every fan in that room going forward," says Zimmerman. "Like a great Elton John song, they grab and hold onto you with both instant appeal and lasting endurance to inspire us all to embrace our most cherished dreams and to make them happen in reality, just like Marie Kash Weltzheimer has done." Click here to see the 52-piece collection.

The second fan award went to LINDA DUPUIS as "Top Caleb Quaye Fan for All Time." It takes a fan to understand an artist and their full legacy.

"We had reached out to Quaye," says Zimmerman, "yet we read that he had made a firm decision to leave his rock-'n-roll life behind.

"That's when co-producer Shakeh Herbekian and I found Linda Dupuis of Montreal, Canada. Quite simply, she secured Caleb Quaye's appearance for the ROCK JUSTICE AWARDS™ concert. Linda seemed to be at the center of leading Quaye's reintroduction to fans and organizing his archives through multiple interviews and commentary on all stages, all songs and performances of his long rock-'n-roll career. "Linda Dupuis asked us for a letter and proposal, and within a week, Quaye was on the phone." To convince Quaye to play, Dupuis reports, "I told him that I never had an opportunity to see him play. And this would be my chance." Her honesty worked like a charm.

The ROCK JUSTICE AWARDS™ —A World Where the Fans Are in Charge

"Not a rock star left behind. Not a fan left behind."

11-17-22, The Elton John Fan Zone was a night filled with magic. A British butler named Reg welcomed fans by name into a magical Elton John zone. The fans held their glasses high as this special fraternity toasted each other with "ELDERBERRY WINE." Next up, the fans recorded the 1971 track "FRIENDS"—in the same studio where Elton John works today. The fairy-tale continued as fans were honored as kings at a British banquet, hosted by Henry VIII. An instant rapport developed between those who knew each other for decades over the internet and arrived with a determination to honor each other's journey in person.

The concert of a lifetime with Flight of Voices and Caleb Quaye was up next and followed by the ROCK JUSTICE AWARDS™ presentation.

Meeting "Professor" Caleb Quaye and Graduation of the Elton John Scholars

The musicians of Flight of Voices and the fans were delighted to meet the one and only "Professor" Caleb Quaye and receive a signed copy of his autobiography. He was equally impressed with them,

"11-17-22 was a special time for me to be honored with a Rock Justice Award for best guitarist. The room was packed with devoted Elton fans, and they knew every word to the deep cuts. They sang so loud that they almost drowned out myself and Flight of Voices…It was more than a concert, it seemed to be a once-in-a-lifetime event that spanned generations and continents…They all sang together as if they had known each other for years!"

In actuality, most of the fans had just met in person, but they had long ago formed a great kinship and a most wonderful Tumbleweed Connection via the music of Elton John and Bernie Taupin and their lead-guitarist extraordinaire Caleb Quaye.

And in a final gesture, all fans were given a graduation Cap and a Diploma in recognition of their graduation as Elton John Scholars. Like any graduating class, the camaraderie will remain with these alumni for life.

Links:

The music leads the way with the nine-video links included in this release.

A journey through the 11-17-22 Elton John Fan Zone will be provided at 11-17-22 EJ FAN ZONE | rockjustice (rockjusticecourt.com) through photos, documentary-like short films, and stories of each fan who attended, including Elton John fans who travelled from across the USA, England, Northern Ireland, and Spain for the event.

In addition, regular updates will be posted, so check back.

Bennett Zimmerman founded the ROCK JUSTICE AWARDS™ Concert Series in order to validate important and vital artists of our times with an accurate report on their career achievements so often missed or forgotten by the mass media. The artists are invited to perform an ambitious show celebrating the musical high points of their career. The greatest fans of these artists are invited to become the audience. The magnetic pull of these two forces each time creates a powerfully profound evening between artist and fan.

The ROCK JUSTICE AWARDS™ previously honored The Association, John Ford Coley, Grayson Hugh, Adam Marsland, and Leonid & Friends in seven red-carpet events in 2018 and 2019 at the Village Studios in L.A.

Contact:

Bennett Zimmerman, Producer
The Rock Justice Awards™
The Fourth Way World Productions
[email protected]
1-310-617-4180

ARTISTS:

Caleb Quaye

www.louderthanrock.com

Direct: [email protected]
Business/press inquiries: Valjtuc Management, [email protected]

Marie Kash Weltzheimer
www.mariekash.com
[email protected]
405-308-1449

TOP FANS:

Lucy "Sails" Meserian Davis

Elton John and His Fans! | Facebook
Elton John Museum, Woodland, MI
[email protected]
248-229-3094

Linda Dupuis
Caleb Quaye Internet Marketing, Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
[email protected]

11-17-22 EJ FAN ZONE | rockjustice (rockjusticecourt.com)