There was a period in the late 1970s when it seemed like everyone was fascinated by all things Egyptian -- especially anything related to King Tut. The long-gone 'boy pharaoh' Tutankhamun was by most reports a fairly minor figure in Egyptian history but as one of the few whose artifacts survived the attention of grave-robbers, … Continue reading Sing Like An Egyptian
Category: Oldies
Ray Charles Crumbled The Cookies
As someone who has had more than a passing acquaintance with cookies -- the edible kind -- I have to admit that a trio with that name probably caught my attention back in the day. And even though it was for different reasons, the R&B girl group was apparently also noticed by the legendary Ray … Continue reading Ray Charles Crumbled The Cookies
Joe Jones VS The Dixie Cups
New Orleans has always been known as the home of fascinating musical stories, like the tale of R&B singer Joe Jones and his disagreements with the singing group he managed for a while, the Dixie Cups. A court would eventually have to decide who held the rights to one of the group's big hits, a … Continue reading Joe Jones VS The Dixie Cups
Dorsey’s Hit Got A Doo-Wop Makeover
Sometimes you can pretty clearly identify transitional events in music history, or at least a moment when an old favorite becomes something newer. A good example occurred in 1960, when a doo-wop singing group known as the Chimes had a big hit with an updated version of an old standard, one that had been a … Continue reading Dorsey’s Hit Got A Doo-Wop Makeover
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
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
Steve Winwood And The Spencer Davis Group
By the late 1960s I was already a young married man with a family and wasn't really into the popular music of the era, but I was most definitely aware of it, and as time passed I grew to appreciate a lot of it. One of the bands I enjoyed most was a British 'blue-eyed … Continue reading Steve Winwood And The Spencer Davis Group
Jimmy Clanton Is Still Rockin’
As we all know, a lot of musical stars from earlier eras have managed to find renewed success in later years by performing in nostalgia-based shows, and in some cases have even returned to the recording studio. One who has held up remarkably well is former teen idol Jimmy Clanton -- but he was always … Continue reading Jimmy Clanton Is Still Rockin’
Tonettes Two Ways
So does anyone remember playing the Tonette in elementary school? I'm sure that I remember having one, and unless my memory is playing tricks (which it often does) I think I can even remember the little oilcloth case that came with it. The small plastic end-blown flutes known as Tonettes are a simpler version of … Continue reading Tonettes Two Ways
Geezer Music Club 