As everyone knows, country music has never been highly populated with black performers. Charley Pride has built a long and solid career and is probably the best known, and there have been a few others, including Al Downing and the legendary DeFord Bailey, who was around in the early days of the Grand Ole Opry. … Continue reading The Inspiration Of Stoney Edwards
Category: Video
Jimmy Soul – The Wonder Boy
Pop music has always been filled with stories of prematurely shortened careers -- and lives -- and we've featured our share of them on the GMC. Another good example would be Jimmy Soul, who was known as the 'Wonder Boy' during his childhood. (More later about that.) As an adult performer he hit the top … Continue reading Jimmy Soul – The Wonder Boy
Taking Pogo Sticks To The Extreme
Pogo sticks have been around for a long time and I was always intrigued by them while I was growing up, but I don't think I ever had one of my own. I seem to remember that a friend of mine -- a kid whose divorced dad always got him a lot of neat stuff … Continue reading Taking Pogo Sticks To The Extreme
The Perseverence Of Irene Daye
One of the things I’ve learned during six years of doing this is that even performers who don’t reach big stardom can still have fascinating life stories. A good example is big-band songbird Irene Daye, who was never a huge name but still managed to be the solo vocalist on one of the biggest hits of … Continue reading The Perseverence Of Irene Daye
Carmen Cavallaro – Poet Of The Piano
One of the most popular pieces on the GMC is The REAL Eddy Duchin Story, which has been visited thousands of times since its appearance a couple of years ago. In fact, it received a burst of 2,000 visits in one day when the movie of the same name was shown recently on Turner Classics. … Continue reading Carmen Cavallaro – Poet Of The Piano
Jeanne Pruett Did It The Old-Fashioned Way
Country music fans who have been around a while might recall that things began to change in Nashville along about the late 1960s. In an effort to appeal to a wider audience, a lot of the music that was being produced began to move away from the traditional style and toward something resembling pop music. … Continue reading Jeanne Pruett Did It The Old-Fashioned Way
Frankie Lymon Inspired Michael Jackson
Although he died more than four decades ago, Frankie Lymon's name is still familiar to many music fans. But they might not realize how much Lymon inspired later R&B musicians, including many who became part of the Motown revolution -- among them Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five, whose style was very similar. Lymon's life … Continue reading Frankie Lymon Inspired Michael Jackson
Snooky Lanson Had Lots Of Fans
Since we recently profiled Dorothy Collins, the sweetheart of TV's musical program Your Hit Parade, it seems only fitting that we follow up with the guy who often teamed up with her on the show. And even if Snooky Lanson wasn't quite as memorable as Collins (except for his improbably-cute name), he had plenty of … Continue reading Snooky Lanson Had Lots Of Fans
In Appreciation Of The Musical Fruit
I was reading the local newspaper today and noticed that a small nearby town is again holding its annual Bean Dinner, a special festival that has taken place for well over a century. Although my family never lived in that particular town while I was growing up, I can remember that we often made the … Continue reading In Appreciation Of The Musical Fruit
Hank Penny Wore A Lot Of Different Hats
For much of his career, Hank Penny was a Western Swing performer in the style of Bob Wills and Spade Cooley -- in fact, he worked with Cooley for a while -- but Herbert Clayton Penny was a lot of other things too. During a long career that began in the Depression era and lasted … Continue reading Hank Penny Wore A Lot Of Different Hats
Geezer Music Club 