For me, it was Bruised Orange. The album had come out about the time I’d started a stint as a radio DJ, and everyone at the station had their favorite cut (mine was Fish And Whistle). As music fans did back then, we dug into the liner notes, and soon discovered an entire new world […]
John Prine: 1946-2020
Monday Morning Video – A Tough Week in Music
The title says it all. Covid-19 continues its deadly march, leaving death and heartbreak in its wake. The music world is not exempted as a growing list of artists are being abruptly taken from us. In the past week, we’ve lost Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne), jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis, and country singer-songwriter Joe Diffie, […]
Monday Morning Video – Kenny Rogers (1938 – 2020)
Many of us got to know Kenny Rogers through his solo hits of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, not to mention his duets with everyone from Dolly Parton to Lionel Richie. Before that, however, Rogers made some magic with the First Edition, including this classic, which came around again in 1998 when it was […]
Monday Morning Video – David Olney
I wish that I could tell you that I was well-versed in David Olney’s music. I’m certainly familiar with him, both via his songwriting reputation and his relentless touring and festival appearances. Olney passed away this weekend while performing at the 30A Music Festival. The outpouring of memories from the Americana community has been heart-wrenching. […]
Remembering Sleepy LaBeef
One of my fondest musical memories was the time that Sleepy LaBeef got under-aged me and my younger brother into a club to see his show. I had been recently introduced to Sleepy’s music by a cousin, who himself was introduced to Sleepy’s music by music historian Peter Guralnick. I thought it would be fun […]
Bonus Monday Video – Remembering Neal Casal and Donnie Fritts
Last week was another tough one in the music world with the passing of both Donnie Fritts and Neal Casal. Fritts Fritz was the longtime keyboardist for Kris Kristofferson and a renowned Alabama songwriter while Casal was the guitarist in groups ranging from the Chris Robinson Brotherhood to Ryan Adams & the Cardinals to the […]
Monday Morning Video – Johnny Clegg
Anyone who says that music can’t be an instrument of social change has clearly never heard of Johnny Clegg. The South African artist put together a multi-racial band in response to – and defiance of – Apartheid, creating music that blended traditional Zulu street music (and dancing) with Western pop and rock. The result was […]
Monday Morning Video – Dr. John
It’s been a rough spring in the music world. This past week brought the news that Mac Rebennack – Dr. John – had passed. The New Orleans native captured all of the energy, flamboyance and mystery of his hometown and instilling it in his music. Here’s a trifecta from the good Doctor. The righteous funk […]
Monday Morning Video – Roky Erickson
It’s been a tough week in the music world with the passing of three notable artists. Shawn wrote about the loss of idiosyncratic old-timey artist Leon Redbone. We also lost harmonica player and rock historian Tony Glover, an influence for Bob Dylan and countless others. Friday brought news of Roky Erickson’s death at the age […]