I've written before about the 1959 plane crash at Clear Lake, which claimed the lives of three rock and roll stars -- Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. I've also written about an eerily-similar accident that occurred a few years later, one involving country music headliners Cowboy Copas and Patsy Cline. But there … Continue reading The Sixth Passenger – Hawkshaw Hawkins
Category: Retirement
Album Of The Year
Here's the thing. I'm pretty sure that the way I go about picking an Album of the Year is different from that of most music bloggers -- or publications of any kind, for that matter. For one thing, I just pick from among those I've actually reviewed over the course of the year. I don't … Continue reading Album Of The Year
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
"Deck The Halls" -- Los Straitjackets "Joy To The World" -- Stroudavarious Orchestra
Maxine Sullivan – Swingin’ To Loch Lomond
A while back I wrote about bandleader Claude Thornhill, who is unfortunately less remembered than many of his contemporaries from that era, but was nevertheless a very important part of jazz history. He was an outstanding instrumentalist, composer, and arranger, but in addition to all that he was a shrewd judge of musical talent -- … Continue reading Maxine Sullivan – Swingin’ To Loch Lomond
REVIEW: Pablo Menendez & Mezcla – I’ll See You In Cuba
As someone who has reviewed his share of Cuban music, I have to confess that I jumped to a premature conclusion when I received my review copy of the latest album from Pablo (Paul) Menéndez. I pretty much expected I'll See You In Cuba, coming out in early January on the Zoho label, to be … Continue reading REVIEW: Pablo Menendez & Mezcla – I’ll See You In Cuba
Tony Martin — Crooner Or Cowboy?
I love to watch old Western movies on TV, but I have admit that I caught one the other day that affected me in a way the director probably didn't intend -- it made me laugh. It was a hokey film from 1956 called Quincannon, Frontier Scout, and the star was crooner Tony Martin. Martin … Continue reading Tony Martin — Crooner Or Cowboy?
Chattanooga Has Inspired Classic Songs
I've always been a train buff, and since I'm also a fan of big-band music it stands to reason that one of my favorite songs of all time would be Glenn Miller's "Chattanooga Choo-Choo." I especially like the long version, which includes a 'jive' reprise. That performance, which features an 18 year-old Dorothy Dandridge and … Continue reading Chattanooga Has Inspired Classic Songs
Putting All Your Cards On The Table
Thinking about the holidays while going through some old pictures caused me to recall a common and typical event from those days. Big family holiday dinners always included card games -- both before and after the dinner. These were typically male-only affairs -- not because the ladies didn't know how to play, but simply because … Continue reading Putting All Your Cards On The Table
Letting It All Hang Out — The Hombres
One of the most unusual stories of the Sixties had to be that of the Hombres, a group that started life as something else but then went on to record a strange, genre-crossing hit before eventually fading from view. The song was a novelty country-rock hybrid called "Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)," … Continue reading Letting It All Hang Out — The Hombres
REVIEW: High Performance – Live From Breaux Bridge: Part 2
If you liked High Performance – Live From Breaux Bridge: Part 1, which I reviewed earlier this year, then the odds are better than even that you'll like a new release from the folks at Swallow Records, the Cajun/Zydeco music specialists, because it's pretty much more of the same. High Performance – Live From Breaux … Continue reading REVIEW: High Performance – Live From Breaux Bridge: Part 2
Geezer Music Club 