A huge hit record from 1970 that has sometimes approached earworm status for me is a skiffle song called "In The Summertime" by Mungo Jerry. But even though I've heard it countless times in the last forty-plus years (and it's probably going through your head right now) it has never occurred to me to find … Continue reading So Exactly What Is A Mungo Jerry?
Category: Retirement
A Tip Of The Hat To The Chieftains
Here's a question for you, but I have to warn you that it's a really long one, so feel free to skim through to the end. What do Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash, Ry Cooder, Elvis Costello, Roger Daltrey, Marianne Faithfull, Bela Fleck, James Galway, Art Garfunkel, Emmylou Harris, Mick Jagger, Tom Jones, Madonna, Ziggy Marley, … Continue reading A Tip Of The Hat To The Chieftains
Say Hello To The Squeaky Wheel
Welcome to the birth of a new Special Feature! Since I've already said that the reconstituted GMC isn't going to depend too heavily on the old Special Features I thought I'd fudge a little by adding a new one, and what better time to do it than the start of a new year? Also, since … Continue reading Say Hello To The Squeaky Wheel
Anatomy Of A Song – A Russian Classic Goes Pop
As we all look forward to the approach of the new year (it has to be better than 2017, right?) I thought it might be a good time for another edition of one of my favorite Special Features, Anatomy Of A Song. The featured piece of music is one that has a history that includes … Continue reading Anatomy Of A Song – A Russian Classic Goes Pop
The Harlem Hamfats Would Be Riding High
The FCC has been in the news lately because of the repeal of net neutrality, but in California it might turn out that a lot more attention is being paid to the BCC, the Bureau of Cannabis Control. Nope, you're not dreaming, folks; bureaucracy has caught up to marijuana, which becomes legal for personal use … Continue reading The Harlem Hamfats Would Be Riding High
A Norman Rockwell Christmas + Music!
A few years back I posted A Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving, which was a slideshow of holiday paintings from one of my favorite artists. I've always thought he was a national treasure, and I have never been too concerned with art experts who look down their noses at him; after all, they're the same people who … Continue reading A Norman Rockwell Christmas + Music!
The Redemption Of Johnny Carroll
One of the most unappreciated rockabilly artists of the 1950s was Johnny Carroll, a talented and magnetic performer who was in many ways reminiscent of his friend, the much more successful Gene Vincent. In fact, Carroll's surge of popularity later in his career was partly due to his appreciation for Vincent's music, along with his … Continue reading The Redemption Of Johnny Carroll
Fantastic Foursome – Astaire Redux
Today's featured song on the GMC Special Feature known as Fantastic Foursome is another with a strong connection to Fred Astaire. For a guy who always comes to mind first and foremost as a dancer, he had quite an impact in many other ways during his long career. In this case, he not only introduced … Continue reading Fantastic Foursome – Astaire Redux
The Sound Of Royal Sax
A while back I posted a piece about a pair of 1960's combos with very similar names -- Tornados and Tornadoes -- but today it's a different kind of name thing. If you're at all interested in jazz, you might have run across a great saxophonist who worked with everybody from Ellington to Basie to … Continue reading The Sound Of Royal Sax
Frankie Randall Had A Helping Hand From Sinatra
Way back in 2007 I put together a post titled The Quintessential Italian Crooner, in which I wrote about some of the better-known Italian/American smoothies. But even though I didn't intend that post to be all-inclusive and have written about quite a few more since then, it's still surprising how many others remain. One who … Continue reading Frankie Randall Had A Helping Hand From Sinatra
Geezer Music Club 