Don McClean is credited with writing a song that holds a few distinctive records or characteristics; “American Pie.” This song details ‘the day the music died,’ a cold February night when Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens perished in a place crash. This song became the longest song in length (8:42) to be […]
Stevie Wonder was honored last week in Los Angeles at the 2017 ‘ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO.’ The award he received that night is actually named after him; it’s called the “Key of Life” award. It’s fitting he received the first in this new category; the future chosen honorees will be recognized for their commitment […]
In music, it’s nice to be recognized by your peers, thus the Billboard Song of the Year, Brit Award, and Grammy is the cherry on the top for any musician’s ego. It’s hard to believe, but the list of singers and acts that have never won a Grammy is staggering. Take a look and you’ll […]
Van Morrison is a sweet story teller who gave us wonderful songs like “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Domino,” “Jackie Wilson Said” and “Tupelo Honey.” Van has been singing and performing since the mid-60s, but oddly this star from Northern Ireland has done very few tours in the US. He’s out on tour now in Northern Ireland […]
Fleetwood Mac is considered one of the greatest bands of all time. The band struggled through a few lineup changes in the 60s with Peter Green and Bob Welch lending their hands to the sound and direction of this progressive unknown band, leaving to begin solo careers. The turning point for the band is the […]
It’s hard to find a more successful international group than ABBA. ABBA began in the late 60s as Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and they have been an enduring sound for over 50 years. The band has sold an incredible (estimate) 500 million records worldwide. The movie ‘Mama Mia’ introduced a […]
Have you ever wondered what other singers appear on your favorite songs? These vocal contributions are known as ‘background vocals,’ and often times are surprising. Did you know that the song “The Wall” by Pink Floyd has the background vocals of (70s “Love Will Keep Us Together”) The Captain and Tennille, and Brian Wilson of […]
If you live in the San Francisco area, you know the fourth annual ‘Acoustic-4-A-Cure’ show, held May 15th at the famous Fillmore, is all the rage. Recently, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo are joined the lineup. Sammy Hagar and Metallica’s James Hetfield started the charitable convert/event a few years ago for the benefit of the […]
At first blush the name Jimmy Webb does is not a familiar one, but it should be. Jimmy Webb is one of the most prolific songwriters in music, having written million dollar sellers like “Up, Up and Away,” for the Fifth Dimension, “Wichita Lineman,” “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Galveston,” for Glen Campbell, […]
Van Halen fanatics who love the band with David Lee Roth as its front man think this version of the group is the bomb, while those that love “I Can’t Drive 55” think that Sammy Hagar took Van Halen to new heights. Let’s learn a little more about Sammy… Sammy was born in Salinas, California […]