THE NEW ALBUM
cass corridor sunset
ON SALE
NOVEMBER 1, 2024!
DOWNLOAD OR STREAM ON:
The solo album
A step away from heaven
THE 2018 RELEASE
DOWNLOAD OR STREAM ON:
THE NEW ALBUM
The solo album
DON TAPERT AND THE 2ND AVENUE BAND – 1982
Don Tapert, Vocals/Rhythm Guitar; Greg Calder, Drums; Robert Gillespie, Lead Guitar; Mike Marshal/Jim Banner, Bass Guitar
In 1980 after the breakup of the Tapert Sparling Band, Don Tapert reimagined his musical direction and headed towards the world
of rock ‘n roll, in the paths of fellow Detroiter, Bob Seger, Tom Petty and John Mellencamp. He formed the 2nd Avenue Band, named after the Cass Corridor artery that ran from Detroit’s iconic Masonic Temple thru ‘Detroit City’, to Motown’s Hitsville, USA. These two tracks, recorded at Detroit’s Eastside Cloudborn Studios, feature the bands final and most explosive lineup: Don Tapert on vocals and rhythm guitar; Greg Calder, from Tapert Sparling and Detroit Blues Bands on drums; Mike Marshall from Tapert Sparling, Mutants and Torpedoes on bass guitar; alternating with former Buzztone bassist, Jim ‘Bad Boy’ Banner; and Detroit’s most iconic rock guitarist, Robert Gillespie on lead guitar, and former Bob Dylan sideman, Bob Wilson on piano.
Tapert’s rock songwriting style meshed with Gillespie’s inventive guitar riffs, and their interplay on rhythm and lead guitars created the soul of this four-man classic rock combo, while Calder, Marshall and Banner were the heartbeat. Gillespie’s solo on ‘Memories of an Old Guitar’ rivals anything Dave Davies recorded with the Kinks and his driving rhythm riffs on ‘City of Lights’ is Keith Richards/Ron Wood tutorial. Although short lived, this group rocked Detroit’s Piper’s Alley, The Red Carpet and Alvin’s and Ann Arbor’s, Lansing’s and Grand Rapids’ Second Chance Saloons until Tapert left for New York in the Fall of 1982. They opened for Muddy Waters and jammed with Fleetwood Mac at the Joe, after opening night of their Stroh’s sponsored tour with Mic Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham joining them at the after-show party, but luckily they also recorded these two chestnuts that still rock today.
These two tracks embody Tapert’s segue to rock writing. ‘City of Lights’ recounts an inner-city teenage girl’s dreams of a better life, as she endures one of Detroit’s memorable hot and humid August nights and dreams of strolling across the Belle Isle Bridge to Grand Boulevard. ‘Memories of an Old Guitar’ is a driving rocker with its narrator speeding along Jefferson Avenue with his girl riding shotgun on a rock ‘n roll romance with ‘the engine winding out in low, Jack Flash on the radio…” and then some.
New Album - CASS CORRIDOR SUNSET
by Tapert Sparling Band + Don Tapert and The 2nd Avenue Band
“CASS CORRIDOR SUNSET” ARCHIVAL RECORDINGS BY TAPERT SPARLING BAND • DON TAPAERT & the 2nd AVENUE BAND
Recordings made in Detroit four decades ago by the Tapert Sparling Band and Don Tapert & the 2nd Avenue Band, two incarnations of one of Detroit’s Cass Corridor hardworking bands of the 1980s, are newly remastered by Third Man Pressing for a first-ever limited-edition LP release on INJ Records, the first wax release on Tapert’s private label. All selections are Tapert originals and have never previously been available on any physical media format. Side A consists of four live tracks recorded clandestinely during a midnight session in Orchestra Hall in 1979 featuring the Americana-flavored material by the soulful acoustic guitar/piano Tapert Sparling duo. Side B includes two studio tracks of songs by the Tapert Sparling Band, that added Mike Marshall on bass, and Greg Calder on drums and two by Tapert’s 2nd Avenue Band, a hard driving roots rock n roll unit, with Tapert fronting on vocals and electric guitar and Detroit guitar ace Robert Gillespie showcasing his distinctive playing style. “Cass Corridor Sunset”collects for the first time in digitally remastered stereo high fidelity, recordings of a band that lit up clubs in Southeastern Michigan forty years ago.
The release is part of a three record archival series of music by Cass Corridor musicians produced by painter/sculptor Robert Sestok. Mastered by Fred Kervorkian, of White Stripes breakthrough album “White Blood Cells” fame, and pressed at Third Man Pressing in Detroit’s Cass Corridor, the record captures the bands distinctively original sounds, energy and spirit.
Release for the Purchase the “Cass Corridor Sunset,” signed, limited edition available through Bandcamp on November 1st. Digital release for streaming and download available on iMusic, Spotify, Amazon Music, and all digital platforms.
Interview inquiries should be submitted to Don Tapert at Donaldc.tapert@gmail.com
Roe/Dave and All:
For Immediate Release
November 08, 2024
“CASS CORRIDOR SUNSET” ARCHIVAL RECORDINGS BY DON TAPERT BANDS PREMIERE ON VINYL LP
Recordings made in Detroit four decades ago by the Tapert Sparling Band and Don Tapert & the 2nd Avenue Band, two incarnations of one of Cass Corridor's most vital and hardworking
bands of the 1980s, are newly remastered by Third Man Pressing for a first-ever limited edition
LP release on INJ Records, the first Wax release on Tapert’s private label. All selections are Tapert originals and have never previously been available on any physical media format. Side A consists of four live tracks recorded clandestinely during a midnight session in Orchestra Hall in 1979 featuring the Americana-flavored material by the soulful acoustic guitar/piano Tapert Sparling duo. Side B consists of two studio tracks of songs by the Tapert Sparling Band, that added Mike Marshall on bass, and Greg Calder on drums and two by Tapert’s Second Avenue Band, a hard driving roots rock n roll unit, with Tapert fronting on vocals and electric guitar and Detroit guitar ace Robert Gillespie showcasing his distinctive playing style. “Cass Corridor Sunset” collects for the first time in digitally remastered stereo high fidelity recordings of a band that lit up clubs all over Southeastern Michigan forty years ago. The release is part of a three record archival series of music by Cass Corridor musicians produced by painter/sculptor Robert Sestok.
Pre-Release for the Purchase the “Cass Corridor Sunset,” limited edition LP and read a detailed description of the bands’ histories and recordings at Bandcamp, or through DonTapert’s website www.dontapert.com
A record release event and signing with Don Tapert and Tim Sparling will be hosted at Third Man
Records at 441 West Canfield in Detroit on November 23rd from 2:00 – 4:00 pm. with a live
performance by The Tapert Sparling Band. Records will be available to purchase.
Interview inquiries should be submitted to Don Tapert at dontapert.thecorridor@gmail.com
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Tapert Sparling Band
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Don Tapert and the 2nd Avenue Band
MEMORIES OF AN OLD GUITAR
by Don Tapert and the 2nd Avenue Band
Memories of an Old Guitar – 3:37
© Words and Music by
Donald C. Tapert – INJ Songs
Players:
Don Tapert
Vocals/Rhythm Guitar
Robert Gillespie
Lead Guitar
Mike Marshall
Bass
Greg Calder
Drums
Recorded at Cloudborn Studios, Detroit, Michigan - January/February 1982
Produced: Don Tapert and Ed Johnson
Engineer: Mike DiMartino
Band Photos: Eric Smith, @ESPictures
Graphics: Eric van den Brulle, @evbcreative.com
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Don Tapert and the 2nd Avenue Band
CITY OF LIGHTS
by Don Tapert and the 2nd Avenue Band
City of Lights – 4:11
© Words and Music by
Donald C. Tapert – INJ Songs
Players:
Don Tapert
Vocals/Rhythm Guitar
Robert Gillespie
Lead Guitar
Mike Marshall
Bass
Greg Calder
Drums
Bob Wilson
Piano (City of Lights)
Recorded at Cloudborn Studios, Detroit, Michigan - January/February 1982
Produced: Don Tapert and Ed Johnson
Engineer: Mike DiMartino
Band Photos: Eric Smith, @ESPictures
Graphics: Eric van den Brulle, @evbcreative.com
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Don Tapert and the 2nd Avenue Band
A STEP AWAY FROM HEAVEN
by INJ Songs – ASCAP
Guitars and Vocals by Don Tapert
Produced & Engineered by Jim Janik
Recorded at Avatar Studios, NYC
Mixed at Manhattan Beach Recording,
NYC, Mastered at Engine Room Audio,
NYC, Photography & Graphics –
Eric van den Brulle
Special Thanks
Irene, Justine and Neil ‘Little Man’ Tapert,
Tony Arata, Jim Janik, Eric van den Brulle,
Crispin Cioe, Chris Howard, Tino at Avatar,
Ben at Manhattan Beach, Andy Van Dette
at Engine Room Audio, and all those folks
who just kept listening, you know who
you are.
© 2018 Donald C. Tapert,
INJ Songs – ASCAP
1 A Step away from heaven 4:25
2 Alberta Moon 2:43
3 Way Out West 4:47
4 Little Man 4:27
5 That’s Right 4:20
6 So Many Stones 3:18
7 Let Me Walk You Down the Aisle 5:20
8 The Thunder 4:05
9 Ballpark is Burning 5:01
10 A Step Away From Heaven Redo 4:35
TOTAL TIME 43:0
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Don Tapert
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Don Tapert
DON TAPERT - A STEP AWAY FROM HEAVEN
There’s a long winding road in Don Tapert’s rearview. A Sixties jug band, The Milk River Sheiks; a garage band, The Beaubiens, with a Midwest regional hit; followed by A decade of late nights as the leader of the Tapert Sparling Band in Detroit’s Cass Corridor. Then - a shot as as singer/songwriter in New York City and Nashville, before sliding his guitars under the bed for a couple of decades to segue into a life as an architect/designer and family man with three kids and a wife in Manhattan. When the woodshed door finally cracked open a few years back, Don emerged with some new songs and a unique voice, steeped in years, richer and more arresting than ever. Some of the nine ballads on ‘A Step Away from Heaven’ have more than a few miles on them, others just rolled off the line. Old friends will hear echoes off the walls of Alvin’s, the Soup Kitchen and Jumbo’s Bar in Detroit; the Bluebird and Douglas Corner in Nashville; and Kenny’s Castaways, The Other End and Jimmy’s No. 43 in New York. Don Tapert, is back - his unmistakable voice, his old Gibson J-50 and Martin 0-17 — singing old and new stories worth hearing, savoring and remembering.
Vocals, Acoustic Guitars / Don Tapert
A STEP AWAY FROM HEAVEN
News & Updates
Novemeber 23, 2024
Thirdman Records
441 W. CANFIELD STREET | DETROIT | CASSCORRIDOR COLLECTION RECORD RELEASE PARTY
News & Updates
Novemeber 1, 2018
From the haunting title track of love and loss, “A Step Away From Heaven” to an ode to two generations of a family following their dreams ‘Way Out West’, to a sister’s wistful longings about her very special brother in ‘Little Man’,
Don Tapert channels the whisky soaked country vocals of Johnny Cash, the road weary traveling bones of Waylon Jennings and the story telling prowess of Kris Kristofferson, into a uniquely Americana musical soul from a Midwestern dreamer on his long road to find his way home.
From the haunting title track of love and loss, “A Step Away From Heaven” to an ode to two generations of a family following their dreams ‘Way Out West’, to a sister’s wistful longings about her very special brother in ‘Little Man’,
Don Tapert channels the whisky soaked country vocals of Johnny Cash, the road weary traveling bones of Waylon Jennings and the story telling prowess of Kris Kristofferson, into a uniquely Americana musical soul from a Midwestern dreamer on his long road to find his way home.
