I don't really recall Your Hit Parade as a radio program, but after it made the jump to TV in 1950 it eventually became a regular part of my family's viewing schedule. The show, which was also sometimes called the Lucky Strike Hit Parade (since the American Tobacco Company paid the bills) had a pretty … Continue reading Did Rock & Roll Kill Your Hit Parade?
Category: Seniors
REVIEW: Rez Abbasi – Bazaar
Sometimes it's a little difficult to pin down the work of a particular musician and assign a genre or type to it, and maybe that's not a bad thing. I think that a lot of listeners - and I include myself - have a tendency to make assumptions about an artist before we ever hear … Continue reading REVIEW: Rez Abbasi – Bazaar
Warming Up To Hank Snow On The Philco
Today I was scrolling through the thousands of songs on my little MP3 player and then playing some of them while admiring the album art. After that I listened to the built-in FM radio for a while, and during all this the thought once again occurred to me that it would be easy to take … Continue reading Warming Up To Hank Snow On The Philco
REVIEW: Sarah Brightman – Diva
Soprano Sarah Brightman's new CD/DVD set Diva is a compilation of past performances, and although the two pieces can be purchased separately, there is enough variety in the songs included on each component to make buying both a move to consider. The CD contains 14 songs, 10 of which are also on the DVD, and … Continue reading REVIEW: Sarah Brightman – Diva
From Billie Holiday To Doris Day – The Songbirds
What do Norma Deloris Egstrom, Frances Rose Shore, Eleanora Fagan Gough, and Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff have in common? You'd probably have an easier time guessing if I gave you their stage names: Peggy Lee, Dinah Shore, Billie Holiday, and Doris Day. By now you've figured out that they were all famous singers (and … Continue reading From Billie Holiday To Doris Day – The Songbirds
REVIEW: Josh Groban – Awake
One thing is certain about Josh Groban -- his fans are more than ready for this new offering. They are numerous and fiercely dedicated, especially for an artist who is relatively new to stardom. And although in his younger years he did a few things that didn't get a lot of notice (including filling in … Continue reading REVIEW: Josh Groban – Awake
REVIEW: Manhattan Transfer – The Symphony Sessions
Fans of The Manhattan Transfer might find themselves in a bit of a quandary with this new release, The Symphony Sessions. There's nothing wrong with the music - it's outstanding - but the album is a reinterpretation of many of their past hits, so it stands to reason that fans would probably already have most … Continue reading REVIEW: Manhattan Transfer – The Symphony Sessions
Dads And Daughters – Nat And Natalie Cole
A couple of months ago I wrote a piece about how movie music was the MTV of my day, but it wasn't until I recently read something about MTV itself turning 25 that my nostalgia bone was tickled. (It resides right next to my funny bone, but is sometimes a little tougher to activate.) 25 … Continue reading Dads And Daughters – Nat And Natalie Cole
Who Was The REAL All-American Boy? Elvis, Bobby Bare, Or…
I've written before that I wasn't a devotee of early rock music in the fifties, but I wasn't immune to its allure. Even though I was more fond of big band music and modern jazz, I have to admit that I was definitely aware of the new stuff pouring out of jukeboxes. After all, it … Continue reading Who Was The REAL All-American Boy? Elvis, Bobby Bare, Or…
REVIEW: George Benson & Al Jarreau – Givin’ It Up
Alwin Lopez "Al" Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) There are so many "partnership" albums around - always have been, I guess - that sometimes it seems as if the choice of artists is more about showing something different than about being musically valid. No such problem exists with this new offering on … Continue reading REVIEW: George Benson & Al Jarreau – Givin’ It Up
Geezer Music Club 