The Beach Boys‘ Shut Down, in honor of what is happening in D.C. Also check out the Flogging Molly’s Don’t Shut ‘Em Down.
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One of the biggest differences between music now and when I was a kid — and certainly prior to that — is the ability to add a variety of other...
The influential band from Athens, Georgia was active from the 1980s until 2011. Here is the beginning of its profile at AllMusic: R.E.M. marked the point when...
Here is the beginning of Encyclopedia.com’s profile of the multi-talented Paul Robeson, one of the most important figures — musical and otherwise — of the...
Taking a rock song from the 1960s and, 30 or so years later, throwing the Danish National Concert Orchestra behind it may seem a bit much. The song would...
I had the opportunity to see David Lindley perform last weekend through a very nice invitation by a couple of friends. Lindley was eccentric, brought a wide...
Canadian folks singer Stompin’ Tom Connors — who died March 6 at age 77 — recorded an amazing 61 albums. Ten of them have not even been...
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who have been around since 2000, are getting a lot of coverage. Spin’s March cover story is about the band — the piece is promoted...
Like a lot of Tom Petty & the Heartbreaker’s songs, Mary Jane’s Last Dance (above) seems to have a touch of Dylan and a touch of British...
This Day in Music notes that Dan Hartman died of a brain tumor on March 22, 1994. Hartman was a mainstay in both Winters’ careers and, among other...
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.