Millions of words have been written about The Grateful Dead. Indeed, it’s hard to think of a band that is more of a lightning rod in a way that is to a great degree distinct from the music they played. That’s really something for a band that never had a big hit – nor seemed to...
Here is a simple question: Why is Eric Clapton a great guitar player? To me, the right question isn’t “Why is Clapton great?” Instead, the question is “What makes a great guitar player?” It’s a far more difficult question than in directly competitive...
Mountain played Woodstock and was an important band through the early part of the 1970s. The centers of attention were guitarist Leslie West and bassist Felix Pappalardi, who came to the band via Cream. Check out a podcast.
Among John Calu's memories are bringing flowers to Sarah Vaughan after a Monterey Jazz Festival performance, listening to Miles Davis backstage, chauffeuring Freddie Hubbard and playing with Richie Cole and Cal Tjader
Baseball can be used to explain just about anything. Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton presents a problem that somebody who runs a music blog runs into once in a while. It’s the too many outfielders problem (as opposed to the Bobby Murcer problem*, which Hillary Clinton had)...
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.
