“There isn’t anything more important to me than writing well. It’s how I judge myself and how I feel best.” – Randy Newman. He cites Ray Charles as his greatest influence growing up, stating, “I loved Charles’ music to excess.” Wikipedia: Randy Newman was born in … Continue reading Randy Newman – Master Songwriter
Program note – Showtime is premiering a documentary tonight (2/10/18) called Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars. You KNOW I’m watching that. Tin Pan Alley gets its name from the tin-panny sounds of pianos that are banged and rattled there by night and day as … Continue reading Tin Pan Alley and the “Brill Building Sound”
When John Lennon and Paul McCartney held a press conference in 1968 to announce the formation of Apple Corps, Lennon was asked to name his favorite American artist. He replied, “Nilsson”. McCartney was then asked to name his favorite American group. He replied, “Nilsson.” Harry … Continue reading Harry Nilsson – Singer/Songwriter Extraordinaire
I’m not there, I’m gone —-Bob Dylan, I’m Not There I should start out by saying that I am second to no one in my admiration for Bob Dylan and his songwriting skills. I’ve written a three-part series on him starting here and listed him as … Continue reading My Thoughts on Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize for Literature
Part 1 of this series is here: I met him on a Monday and my heart stood still Da do ron-ron-ron, da do ron-ron Somebody told me that his name was Bill Da do ron-ron-ron, da do ron-ron —Da Doo Ron Ron, Ellie Greenwich, Jeff … Continue reading My Favorite Songwriters of the Rock, Folk and Blues Era (Final of 3)
I don’t have to fear it and I want to rock your gypsy soul Just like way back in the days of old And magnificently we will flow into the mystic —Into the Mystic, Van Morrison In an earlier post, I mentioned my top three … Continue reading My Favorite Songwriters of the Rock, Folk and Blues Era (pt. 2)
A (hopefully) fun once-in-a-while thing. I like lyrics but I can almost never remember the whole damn song. So these are snippets of songs that I like that stick in my head or I’m likely to throw out randomly in conversation as if they just … Continue reading A Few Favorite Lyrics
Music Enthusiast - At the junction of rock, blues, R&B, jazz, pop,and soul 