As I've said before, most geezers seem to have at least a touch of the train buff hiding somewhere inside them. In my case, it makes an appearance in a lot of the pieces I write. In fact, the title of this one is something of a misnomer because I've certainly mentioned trains more than … Continue reading Ridin’ The Rails (Part III) – Canada
Category: Nostalgia
Si Zentner – Thriving In The Twilight
As a teenager in the late Fifties I was exposed to a lot of different kinds of music, including everything from early rock & roll to the softer sounds of my parents' favorite records. But even though I enjoyed a lot of what I heard, I often found myself attracted to big band jazz. The … Continue reading Si Zentner – Thriving In The Twilight
The Cooler Side Of Peggy Lee
Most successful singers are closely identified with a particular song, one that becomes known as their trademark or signature song. Of course, the best of them will have a number of good songs and best-selling records, but there will usually be one that stands out. For Peggy Lee, that song would have to be "Fever." … Continue reading The Cooler Side Of Peggy Lee
Jimmy Dean – The Early Days
A while back, I wrote a piece about T. Texas Tyler, who specialized in 'spoken' or 'recitation' songs. I was reminded of that today when I saw the news of the death of sausage king Jimmy Dean, who was once the master of the spoken song. In fact, his biggest hit -- "Big Bad John" … Continue reading Jimmy Dean – The Early Days
Just A Nice Weekend Walk
Not too much going on today, so I thought it was about time we did another of those slide show thingys. It's just a series of pictures that show what happened one day when a guy was walking his dogs along a quiet country road. And -- of course -- we need the proper mood … Continue reading Just A Nice Weekend Walk
Lookin’ Good
Regular readers have certainly noticed that we have a new look. I hope it meets with your approval. I do have some practical reasons for making the change, but I kind of like how it looks anyway. I actually didn't have a big problem with the previous theme, but the new one has a couple … Continue reading Lookin’ Good
Just Twangin’ Along With Mike Seeger
One of the drawbacks of using personal experiences to put together nostalgia-themed pieces is that the process is sometimes held hostage to my own patchy memory. For example, I've written before about how my maternal grandfather would occasionally pick up his harmonica -- what he called his 'mouth-harp' -- and play a lively song or … Continue reading Just Twangin’ Along With Mike Seeger
Flying High – Domenico Modugno
For a while in the late Fifties, it was played on the radio almost continuously -- or maybe it just seemed that way. After all, a guy singing a melodic and strangely addictive song in Italian was something that certainly caught your attention. But whatever the reason, Domenico Modugno's rendition of "Nel Blu Dipinto Di … Continue reading Flying High – Domenico Modugno
Jane Morgan Is Still Entertaining
I've written several times about 'songbirds', the female vocalists who worked their way up to pop music stardom after starting as band singers, but not everyone took that route. In at least one case, a gorgeous and talented American singer found success in her own country only after first becoming a hit in France. Florence … Continue reading Jane Morgan Is Still Entertaining
A Soldier’s Song With A Message
A 'recitation' song that first rose to popularity in the period following World War II, the deceptively titled "Deck Of Cards" actually carried a religious theme. It told the story of a young soldier trying to explain why he's playing cards during a church service. The song has reappeared from time to time in the … Continue reading A Soldier’s Song With A Message
Geezer Music Club 