Lester Young – AKA Prez

The ol' GMC is five years old, and anyone who has spent some time here has probably noticed that I enjoy shining a spotlight on some of the less-remembered musical stars of the past. Of course, I've devoted plenty of space to the big names too, but I especially like to dig into artists who … Continue reading Lester Young – AKA Prez

Impossible To Ignore

I know I've brought up baseball a time or two here, and I've also mentioned that I've been a St. Louis Cardinal fan for many years, going back to my early childhood memories of sitting on the porch with my Dad, listening to them on the radio. But since I'm always sensitive to the fact … Continue reading Impossible To Ignore

Keely Smith Sings

Dorothy Jacqueline Keely (March 9, 1928 – December 16, 2017) One of the most popular acts of the 1950s was the husband and wife team of bandleader Louis Prima and singer Keely Smith. Their show included music mixed with comedy and was especially suited for Vegas clubs, but the twosome often appeared on TV and … Continue reading Keely Smith Sings

Australia Has More Than Its Share Of Nasty Critters

Something a little different today. I received a long and descriptive email from one of our regulars -- Peter Tibbles in Australia -- relating to the 'spider' post that I wrote a while back. His cautionary tale of dangerous Aussie creatures is so full of good info -- and fun -- that I had to … Continue reading Australia Has More Than Its Share Of Nasty Critters

Tommy Roe – Beyond Buddy Holly

More than once I've written about performers who were either contemporaries of Buddy Holly or seemed to echo his style in the years following his tragic death in 1959, but there's always room for one more story. Like the tale of singer/songwriter Tommy Roe, who even now continues to entertain fans after a long career … Continue reading Tommy Roe – Beyond Buddy Holly

Taking Another Look At The Holiday

I'm still a little behind from the power outage, so thought I'd repost a Memorial Day piece from a few years back. (I've reactivated the music file, too.) -------------------- The Perfect Song For The Holiday Weekend When I think about Memorial Day weekend, all the usual things related to the holiday come to mind -- … Continue reading Taking Another Look At The Holiday

Flash – Weather Again Keeps Geezer From Blogging

I'm not sure if all readers have noticed, but since starting the GMC five years ago I've stuck to a schedule of posting every other day. That has seemed to work pretty well since it gives me an off day to plan, do research, and write the next post. (What, you thought they just magically … Continue reading Flash – Weather Again Keeps Geezer From Blogging

Stay Away, Spider-Man!

I was reading recently about all the problems that have arisen in the attempt to turn Spider-Man into a Broadway musical, and it got me to thinking. Not about Broadway musicals or even superhero movies, but about spiders -- I hate 'em. I think it started when I was a kid. Whenever we visited my … Continue reading Stay Away, Spider-Man!

Zager & Evans Struck Gold With Strange Song

I've always resisted describing a musical act as a 'one-hit wonder'. After all, if someone has the talent and good fortune to have a hit record, it should be applauded, not dismissed because it's a one time deal. And besides that, the label is often mis-applied to artists whose one big song just nudged into … Continue reading Zager & Evans Struck Gold With Strange Song

The Hairy Ape

We haven't had one of those slideshow things for a while, so I thought I'd do one today. As a subject I've picked something near and dear to me -- whiskers. Although I've been relatively clean-shaven for the last few years, for most of my adult life I've had a full beard.  (I say 'relatively' … Continue reading The Hairy Ape