Even though it's generally considered to be a Jimmie Rodgers Depression-era song, you would probably have to visit a vaudeville house even earlier than that to find the true roots of "In The Jailhouse Now." The first written trace is a 1915 copyright for the team of Davis and Stafford, but it was often performed … Continue reading Anatomy Of A Song – The Story Of A Rascal
Author: BG
BG (aka The Big Geez) is a retiree who who has spent over a decade generating the Geezer Music Club, where he tries to prove that geezers can stay in touch with today's world. . .and still find time for the trimming of ear hair.
The DeJohn Sisters Gave It Their All
You gotta hand it to the singing DeJohn Sisters. They had very little professional experience when they first hit the recording studio in 1955, but their record of a song they'd written with their brother -- "(My Baby Don't Love Me) No More" -- rocketed into the Top Ten, and the duo figured they'd found … Continue reading The DeJohn Sisters Gave It Their All
Buddy And Ella Johnson – The Rest Of The Story
A while back, one of our Anatomy of a Song posts featured the Lenny Welch classic, "Since I Fell For You." It also mentioned that the song had been written by Buddy Johnson, and was first performed by his band with a vocal by his sister Ella. I thought we should dig a little deeper … Continue reading Buddy And Ella Johnson – The Rest Of The Story
Cornelius Harp Led The Marcels
I was sorry to read that Cornelius 'Nini' Harp, the lead singer of the original Marcels, died recently in suburban Pittsburgh. Harp's age wasn't given in obituaries, but he would have been in his seventies when he died, apparently of natural causes. Although his name might not be a familiar one to some music fans, … Continue reading Cornelius Harp Led The Marcels
A Note To Regular Visitors
Just a note to regular visitors. I'm in the process of updating some of the older posts on the GMC because they've been invaded by some pesky unwanted artwork. (It's a long story, but let's just say they shouldn't be there.) Anyhow, most users won't notice but anyone who uses RSS or newsreaders might suddenly … Continue reading A Note To Regular Visitors
Fantastic Foursome – But With A Twist
It's been about a month since our last Fantastic Foursome -- you know, the special feature that gives you the chance to vote for your favorite from among four versions of a song? That particular post featured the song "Moonglow" and also mentioned how I'd always been fascinated by the way it's often partnered with … Continue reading Fantastic Foursome – But With A Twist
Did Gene Pitney Sing For Los Bravos?
In 1966, a lot of music fans thought that "Black Is Black" -- a huge hit attributed to a group named Los Bravos -- was actually recorded by pop star Gene Pitney in an attempt to get around record company restrictions. The story is still bouncing around almost a half-century later, but even though lead … Continue reading Did Gene Pitney Sing For Los Bravos?
The Bookended Career Of Joe Venuti
One of the legends of jazz, a violinist who pioneered improvisational play, Giuseppe 'Joe' Venuti had a career that lasted more than a half-century. In the 1920s and early 1930s he teamed up with his buddy, the equally talented guitarist Eddie Lang, to dazzle jazz fans of that era, and in the decade before his … Continue reading The Bookended Career Of Joe Venuti
Country Catalyst – Singing To The Walls
I always enjoy our 'special feature' posts -- you know, like Anatomy Of A Song and Fantastic Foursome -- because they're a change of pace from our usual stuff. Not that there's anything wrong with our regular posts, but I think it's good to have a breath of fresh air once in a while. With … Continue reading Country Catalyst – Singing To The Walls
Digging Deeper Into Victor Young
I thought maybe it was time we dug a little deeper into legendary composer Victor Young, whose timeless music has already been featured in a couple of our Fantastic Foursome posts. In October of last year we spotlighted "When I Fall In Love" and in January of this year it was "Stella By Starlight." Both … Continue reading Digging Deeper Into Victor Young
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