September 26, 2015

Saturday morning dose of 1967

Thank God for those who travel to the beat of a different drum. Linda Ronstadt performs Different Drum live. Hear a wonderful tribute to Ronstadt by some of the greatest female singers from today.

September 21, 2015

Darlene Love Induction



Check out Bette Midler inducting Love into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The two then perform a rendition of He's a Rebel.

September 15, 2015

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

A friend and I recently journeyed to Cleveland, Ohio to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As a rock and roll history junkie, I was in heaven. It felt like my life was flashing before my eyes, especially while viewing 1980s music videos at the MTV exhibit. Yahooooooooo!

Why is it in Cleveland you ask? Because Alan Freed, who coined the term "rock and roll" was a deejay there in the early 1950s.

Above, a mid-60s British Invasion exhibit featuring clothing, concert posters, instruments, video and drum covers. Groooooooooovy!

 Above, Ringo's drum set used during their 1964 world tour.

An hour from Cleveland in Sandusky, Ohio is Cedar Point. Being a roller coaster freak, we had to visit. Amusement parks sure have changed since I was a kid. Yikes. My voice is still hoarse from screaming with joy.

September 11, 2015

riding the school bus in 1977

I love hearing people's stories about their musical memories whatever the circumstances. Here's one from me about beginning the 7th grade in the fall of 1977. The high school I attended was comprised of grades 7-12. I went from riding on a noisy, boisterous, grade-school bus to a silent bus with high school kids. The bus driver always had a radio playing and it was tuned to WRKO, an AM station in Boston. We heard the same songs every morning and these tunes are forever burned in my brain. The songs ran the gamut of musical styles from disco to rock to easy listening to movie theme songs. The song that gave me the biggest chuckle was Donna Summer's hit I Feel Love. It would be 7:30 in the morning on a crowded, silent school bus and a sexy disco song would be blaring. I'll never forget that strange scene. Below, are some of the tunes that I remember from that 70s bus ride. Hey, I didn't say they were all good.

I Feel Love, Donna Summer
On and On, Stephen Bishop
Cold As Ice, Foreigner
Short People, Randy Newman
Nobody Does It Better, Carly Simon
You Light Up My Life, Debbie Boone
Slip Slidin' Away, Paul Simon

September 6, 2015

Thelma Houston on my clock radio

In February of 1977, I was home on vacation from the 6th grade when my mom returned from grocery shopping. While helping her put away the groceries, I took out a clock radio from one of the bags. "Who is this for?" I asked. "You," she responded. From that day on, turning on the radio was the first thing I did when I entered my room. If I hear a song that was once played on the radio, I still remember what was going on in my life when that particular song was popular. This song reminds me of that day in 1977. Right on.

The song was originally recorded by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes (featuring Teddy Pendergrass) in 1975. Have a listen...




September 4, 2015

weirdness

Andy and Edie on Merv from 1965. Got 3 hours? Check out this documentary on Warhol. Learn more about Edie Sedgwick.


September 2, 2015

Australian Beatlemania

The continent wreaked havoc over The Beatles' arrival in 1964.