Pictures -- like music -- have a powerful ability to coax memories out of hiding, even for those of us who might have misplaced the combination to our mental vault. That would certainly be the case for a picture I ran into recently, a deceptively simple one of an old house -- but one that … Continue reading Cracking The Memory Vault
Category: Retirement
Vic Dana Topped Them All
It's kind of funny how you can sometimes have a completely misguided memory of a song. If you had asked me about a very familiar Sixties song called "Red Roses for a Blue Lady," I would have answered that it was a big hit for Wayne Newton. Turns out that even though Newton did sell … Continue reading Vic Dana Topped Them All
REVIEW: The Aggregation – Groove’s Mood
I've always been partial to the music of the big-band era, even though its heyday was a little before my time. I sometimes even feel a little envy for anyone who was around in those days to experience the music first hand, but I always have to remind myself that even today there are still … Continue reading REVIEW: The Aggregation – Groove’s Mood
Bent Fabric Is For Real
Although his name might sound like a piece of clothing in dire need of ironing, Bent Fabric -- who had a huge Grammy-winning hit in the early Sixties with the annoyingly addictive "Alley Cat" -- is a real person. The Danish-born composer and pianist, whose actual name is the much trickier to remember Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, … Continue reading Bent Fabric Is For Real
Kitty Wells – The Queen Still Rules
Earlier this year I wrote about country music legend Hank Thompson and how his classic song, "The Wild Side Of Life," inspired a musical response by another star. But even though Kitty Wells might have found fame -- and a little controversy -- with her answering song, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," … Continue reading Kitty Wells – The Queen Still Rules
Don’t Forget To Prime The Pump
I was again digging through old pictures and I found one of myself as a toddler with a daredevil streak. I was posing for the photo while precariously balanced on the spout of a water pump located near my maternal grandparents' house. They lived on the outskirts of a country village, and the pump was … Continue reading Don’t Forget To Prime The Pump
Al Martino Will Be Remembered
When I read that Al Martino had died recently, a number of thoughts went through my mind. Like a lot of people, I thought about his appearances in the Godfather movies -- not a lot of screen time, but memorable nonetheless. He played a mob-connected singer named Johnny Fontane, a character rumored to have been … Continue reading Al Martino Will Be Remembered
REVIEW: Count Basie Orchestra – Swinging, Singing, Playing
One of the best of the many "ghost" bands that have operated through the years would have to be that of Count Basie. Although he died over twenty years ago, the Count Basie Orchestra -- or the CBO, as it calls itself (complete with a nifty logo that pictures all the group's members) -- has … Continue reading REVIEW: Count Basie Orchestra – Swinging, Singing, Playing
Teddy Wilson – Smoother Than Silk
If you were to take all the talented pianists whose careers stretched from the Big Band days to the the Modern Jazz era and lay them end to end, they'd reach to -- whoops. What I meant to say was that if you're looking for one among them who was the very definition of a … Continue reading Teddy Wilson – Smoother Than Silk
Upping The Bid With Leroy Van Dyke
I've attended my share of auctions through the years. When I was a young family man with limited funds I knew it was a good source of everything from furniture to tools, and -- admittedly -- the occasional useless gadget. But even before that, I had been known to place a bid or two and … Continue reading Upping The Bid With Leroy Van Dyke
Geezer Music Club 