Dorothy Jacqueline Keely (March 9, 1928 – December 16, 2017) One of the most popular acts of the 1950s was the husband and wife team of bandleader Louis Prima and singer Keely Smith. Their show included music mixed with comedy and was especially suited for Vegas clubs, but the twosome often appeared on TV and … Continue reading Keely Smith Sings
Tag: Video
Tommy Roe – Beyond Buddy Holly
More than once I've written about performers who were either contemporaries of Buddy Holly or seemed to echo his style in the years following his tragic death in 1959, but there's always room for one more story. Like the tale of singer/songwriter Tommy Roe, who even now continues to entertain fans after a long career … Continue reading Tommy Roe – Beyond Buddy Holly
Stay Away, Spider-Man!
I was reading recently about all the problems that have arisen in the attempt to turn Spider-Man into a Broadway musical, and it got me to thinking. Not about Broadway musicals or even superhero movies, but about spiders -- I hate 'em. I think it started when I was a kid. Whenever we visited my … Continue reading Stay Away, Spider-Man!
Zager & Evans Struck Gold With Strange Song
I've always resisted describing a musical act as a 'one-hit wonder'. After all, if someone has the talent and good fortune to have a hit record, it should be applauded, not dismissed because it's a one time deal. And besides that, the label is often mis-applied to artists whose one big song just nudged into … Continue reading Zager & Evans Struck Gold With Strange Song
June Christy — From Songbird To Cool Jazz Soloist
One of the very best of the singers who successfully managed the transition from big band songbird to solo jazz vocalist was June Christy, whose first high profile job was as the replacement for a future legend. But she would go on to a long and notable career of her own, winning a lot of … Continue reading June Christy — From Songbird To Cool Jazz Soloist
Steve Winwood And The Spencer Davis Group
By the late 1960s I was already a young married man with a family and wasn't really into the popular music of the era, but I was most definitely aware of it, and as time passed I grew to appreciate a lot of it. One of the bands I enjoyed most was a British 'blue-eyed … Continue reading Steve Winwood And The Spencer Davis Group
Toots Thielemans Still Dazzling Fans
Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016) Although I've written about a lot of musical stars on the ol' GMC, I've always had a special fondness for those who have had long, successful careers and are still doing their thing and doing it well, even at an advanced age. One … Continue reading Toots Thielemans Still Dazzling Fans
Red Sovine – Speaking To Truckers
It's always fun to take a look at those performers who made a specialty of story songs, especially the kind that are sentimental to the point of cheesiness -- which includes most of them, I guess. It's territory I've visited before -- for example, T. Texas Tyler's "Deck of Cards" -- but today's subject is … Continue reading Red Sovine – Speaking To Truckers
Six Degrees Of Who?
Sometimes my ideas for stories on the ol' GMC just naturally flow from earlier posts because so many artists have connections to others. In a way, I guess it's sort of a musical version of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon -- or in this case, Blossom Dearie, because when writing about her recently I turned … Continue reading Six Degrees Of Who?
Blossom Dearie Was Something Different
One of the most unusual singing voices around was stilled a couple of years ago by the death of jazz singer Blossom Dearie. Although she was never really a big star nationally she was a beloved fixture on the Manhattan jazz scene, and when she died at age 84 in 2009 she was just a … Continue reading Blossom Dearie Was Something Different
Geezer Music Club 