SEATTLE — From Bing Crosby to Brandi Carlile, the Seattle area is home to a musical legacy that spans decades over several different genres. Now a husband-and-wife team has taken on the task of narrowing down Seattle’s vast music history to just over a hundred songs.
"Did we have to sacrifice some bands? Absolutely," said Eva Walker, a DJ at KEXP and frontwoman for the band, The Black Tones.
She and her journalist husband Jake Uitti put their local music knowledge together in a new book called, "The Sound of Seattle: 101 Songs that Shaped a City."
"It's laid out in decades. We have a forward that the wonderful Mike McCready from Pearl Jam wrote. We start as early as 1942 with Bing Crosby, and we go all the way to 2023 with Kassa Overall is the last song."
One of the first songs they picked was "Confession Blues" from 1949 - sung by an unknown teenager named Ray Charles.
"He came to Seattle at a very young age. He created a trio here, and that song, 'Confession Blues' was written here, but it was recorded in Los Angeles. So he cut his teeth here in Seattle."
Of course, you can't have a book about Seattle music without the city's favorite sister act.
"When I think of Seattle music in the '70s, I think of Heart. Oh my gosh, as a guitar player myself, Nancy Wilson is a goddess," Walker said.
"The song we chose was 'Crazy On You,' off of the album 'Dreamboat Annie,' which came out in 1975," said Walker. "I love everything about 'Crazy On You.' The song is just really well written. Seeing a female figure like Nancy Wilson shred is unbelievable."
In the '90s, grunge put Seattle at the center of the music world - and put groups like Pearl Jam into orbit.
"I love the album '10.' My favorite song on there is the song 'Alive.' Absolutely love it. Pearl Jam - I mean, Eddie Vedder's voice is just, it's Eddie's, it's wonderful." said Walker. "They were a big figure as far as Northwest music and getting Seattle on the map, along with Nirvana, and Soundgarden. They're champions of Seattle and Seattle music."
And finally one of the songs they chose for the 2020's is "Mercy" by local guitar hero, Ayron Jones.
"Ayron Jones has topped the Billboard Rock Charts several times. I don't know if people in Seattle are aware of that. He's a pretty big deal. He's opened for the Rolling freaking Stones,” said Walker. "I'm so proud of him, and he's overcome so much to now topping Billboard charts, it's incredible."
So whether you're a lifelong Seattleite or new to the city, The Sound of Seattle wants to take you on a journey through some of the songs that made the city a music powerhouse.
"The Sound of Seattle: 101 Songs that Shaped a City" is available at local bookstores and on Amazon.
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