This category is for artists whom I thought significant enough to write multiple posts about.
“You know what foldin’ chairs are for,” drawled Bob Weir as they hit the stage (at Monterey). “They’re for folding up and dancin’ on.” It revealed a fundamentally different philosophy of performance. The Dead really were a dance band. “We were there to play,” he … Continue reading Grateful Dead (final) – I Know You Rider Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone
I think The Grateful Dead kind of represents the spirit of being able to go out and have an adventure in America at large. You know what I mean? You can go out and follow the Grateful Dead around. And you have your war stories. … Continue reading Grateful Dead (3) – The Hippie Temptation
They weren’t just playing what was on the music sheets. They were playing what was in the air. When the Dead are at their best, the vibrations that are stirred up by the audience is the music that they play. And consequently, when we’d go … Continue reading Grateful Dead (2) – Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks)
(Seated front L-R – Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart. Standing back L-R – Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Ron McKernan.) I wasn’t sure exactly how to approach the topic of the Dead. I say this because while there are any number of songs of theirs … Continue reading The Grateful Dead (1) – Jug Band Music
The choreography that you saw in the Tempts and Supremes videos was, of course, no accident. Hitsville wasn’t there just to record songs. According to The Story of Motown, Berry Gordy set up a rigorous training program for his fledgling stars. “One floor was for choreography, … Continue reading Motown (final) – Can I Get a Witness?
“Into the ’60s, I was still not of a frame of mind that we were not only making music, we were making history. But I did recognize the impact because acts were going all over the world at that time. I recognized the bridges that … Continue reading Motown – Part 2 – Hitsville USA
NOTE: Given that I’ve been hearing from people outside the US that certain YouTube songs won’t play, from this post forward I’m going to both embed a YouTube version of a given song as well as provide a Spotify link. Not sure how well that … Continue reading Motown – Part 1 – The Boxer
