Burl Ives, who had one of the great voices of the twentieth century, was identified with old ballads and other forms of Americana. He was a folk singer, but...
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Eartha Kitt would have been 86 years old today. Above, she sings I Want to Be Evil, in a video that has one odd camera angle after another. Here is more on the...
A very comprehensive collection of information about Emmylou Harris is available here. Basic biographical information is available at many places...
Digital Dream Door is quite a site for music lovers. Here is its take on the top ten songs of 1950. Number 9, of course, is of special note because it became...
CNET has a story about a machine that elicits sounds from objects. Designer Dennis Paul calls the device the Instrument for the Sonification of Everyday Things...
During an NPR interview, Eleni Mandell discussed the influence Tom Waits has had on her song writing. She apparently went somewhere else for voice lessons.
The challenge of featuring super bands or A-list performers is that folks who are familiar with them know far more than I do and those that don’t —...
Professor Jam’s take on the top ten songs of 1973, from a list of 100. I’m not sure of the criteria he used. Roberta Flack: Killing Me Softly Carly...
The Knack’s great My Sharona — which features one of the most infectious hooks ever — was awarded a gold record on this day in 1979. The lead...
Statesboro Blues, a song that of course is familiar to contemporary music fans, is credited to Blind Willie McTell. McTell is an interesting figure in the...
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.