The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on the musical community. Some of the victims are well known and some obscure. Following is what certainly is a...
Category - News and Commentary
There is something inherently dishonest and just plain rotten in a politician’s use of a song without the permission of the artist or band. The Trump...
There are a lot of angles to the unfolding story of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and Lil Nas X. The situation is summarized at NYU Local, the...
Featured music this week is “Alayehushim” from Ethiopian musician Dawit Alemayehu (above) and “Getting to Me” from Caroline Rose...
This week’s new music, courtesty of NPR, has a Spanish feel. Above is Héctor Guerra’s – “Vida,” featuring Mariel Mariel and below...
An interesting question is how rock musicians grow old. These folks made their claims to fame when they are young men and women. Unlike athletes – who are told...
People even marginally familiar with rock know that 1970 was an important year — and one that ended tragically. It seems almost operatic: On one hand is a year...
New music this week is “Cheer Up” from the Will Smith movie “Bright,” which is getting very bad reviews. The song is good, however...
New music this week is “Burden Down” by Jennifer Hudson (above) and “Running” by Bully (below). The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame...
New(ish) music that’s been mentioned in the media this week is “Never Been Wrong” from Waxahatchee and “The Scaramanga Six” from...
Reading Music
The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.
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Here are some books to check out.
Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.
What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.
The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").
David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.