After Clear Lake — Bobby Vee

Bobby Vee (Robert Thomas Velline) April 30, 1943 - October 24, 2016 Having written recently about the infamous 1959 Clear Lake plane crash that claimed Buddy Holly and the others, I thought it might be worth mentioning one more of the era's singers who also had a connection with the event. You might even say … Continue reading After Clear Lake — Bobby Vee

Tennessee Ernie And The Caravelles

As a young teenager with eclectic music tastes, one of my favorite records was Tennessee Ernie Ford's tribute to coal miners, "Sixteen Tons." Of course, I wasn't the only one who found a lot to like about that song -- after all, it rocketed to the top of both country and pop charts -- but … Continue reading Tennessee Ernie And The Caravelles

The Amazing Dinnings

There have been a lot of musical siblings through the years and some of them immediately come to mind, but it's difficult to imagine a group of brothers and sisters quite like the Dinnings. Over a period of several decades, they covered just about every aspect of music; including songwriting, bandleading, recording, and performing on … Continue reading The Amazing Dinnings

A Group Called Smith

The members of newly formed musical groups often choose quirky and unusual names for their aggregations -- usually something that's sort of cool-sounding, but at the same will be remembered by ever-fickle fans. Maybe that's why I find it so fascinating that in at least one case, a group chose a name that was unusual … Continue reading A Group Called Smith