A number of years ago Angela Hagenbach became a fan of the sound of jazz legend Sarah Vaughan, and it inspired her to make an abrupt turn in her own musical career. Although the former model had already had some success as both an instrumentalist and a pop singer, she decided that she would dedicate … Continue reading REVIEW: Angela Hagenbach – The Way They Make Me Feel
Category: Seniors
Thoughts Of Cold Fingers
Thinking about the approach of Winter weather always reminds me of the title of one of my favorite songs. Even though the subject matter of Tony Joe White's "Cold Fingers" has nothing to do with frigid weather and the numb digits it creates, the song still seems to pop into my mind whenever I start … Continue reading Thoughts Of Cold Fingers
The Smooth Sound Of The Fleetwoods
In a recent piece about Sixties pop star Vic Dana, I mentioned that he'd performed for a while as a fill-in for Gary Troxel of the Fleetwoods, but the group itself deserves a little more attention. Long before Vic Dana came along, the Fleetwoods had some hugely popular hits that not only topped pop charts, … Continue reading The Smooth Sound Of The Fleetwoods
The Song Of The Snowbird
A good friend of mine is a semi-snowbird. As I understand the term "snowbird", it applies to a Northerner who maintains a home in Florida and spends the entire Winter there soaking up the sun. My friend has the house but just uses it periodically, hence the "semi". In any case, I have to admit … Continue reading The Song Of The Snowbird
Joanie Sommers – Finding Her Musical Path
A lot of performers have had multi-layered careers with success in a wide variety of musical areas. One singer who successfully navigated her way through several would be Joanie Sommers, who has been everything from a teen idol to a familiar voice in TV commercials, but eventually became a respected jazz vocalist. Joanie Sommers (real … Continue reading Joanie Sommers – Finding Her Musical Path
REVIEW: Wayne Toups & Zydecajun – Live 2009
For a lot of years, one of the hottest tickets in Cajun/Zydeco music has been the live show of Wayne Toups and Zydecajun. Toups himself is almost worth the price of admission, not only for his flamboyant shirts, flowing hair, and lively squeeze-box play, but also for his searing vocals. He's backed by an outstanding … Continue reading REVIEW: Wayne Toups & Zydecajun – Live 2009
Steve Allen – Modern Renaissance Man
'Multi-talented' is a term I've casually used when writing about various performers, but I can't imagine anyone better suited to the description than Steve Allen. He authored dozens of books, composed thousands of songs, was an accomplished musical performer -- and along the way became a TV pioneer, the forerunner to Carson, Leno, and Letterman. … Continue reading Steve Allen – Modern Renaissance Man
Cracking The Memory Vault
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
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
Geezer Music Club 