Musical Appreciation

Ian Whitcomb ► Monday Musical Appreciation

Born on this day in 1941: Ian Whitcomb, still performing to this very day. Ian Timothy Whitcomb was born in Woking, Surrey, England, to a family that already had show biz in its blood. His grandfather Jack founded British Screen Classics, an early entry in the motion picture business, which eventually bankrupt him. Before that, Ian’s father Pat worked there, and even co-starred in the 1929 flick, Mr. Nobody (not to be confused with the 2009 SciFi film), a movie ...

You’re The Top ► Monday Musical Appreciation

Eighty-one years ago today one of the greatest songwriters in the English language recorded one of his greatest songs. Cole Porter was already famous when hired to write the tunes ...

Peter Tosh ► Monday Musical Appreciation

Born on this day: Winston Hubert McIntosh, better known to Reggae fans as Peter Tosh, one of the original Wailers. At the age of 15 Tosh moved to Trench Town in ...

Paul Is Dead ► Monday Musical Appreciation

Forty-six years ago today occurred one of the craziest events in the annals of Rock and Roll Music History, in which I played a minor role. Here’s how it all ...

A Follow-Up to Treacherous Double-Dealing from June

I woke up to the sad news this morning that Harry Nilsson was not among the those nominated to be inducted into the 2016 class at the Rock and Roll ...

Mrs. Miller ► Monday Musical Appreciation

The ’60s are known for great discoveries in music, from Motown to The British Invasion to Psychedelia. However, there was no greater discovery than Mrs. Miller, born on this day ...

Tuli Kupferberg ► Monday Musical Appreciation

Today we celebrate the life, poetry, and music of counter-culture icon Tuli Kupferberg, born on this day in 1923. He was a ground-breaking New York City Bohemian in the right ...

U-Roy ► Monday Musical Appreciation

Let’s get right to it. Had it not been for Reggae “toasting,” or “dancehall,” there would have been no Rap or Hip Hop. U-Roy, was not only one of the ...

A Peruvian Princess Sings ► Monday Musical Appreciation

She’s now considered the Queen of Exotica, the musical genre that encompasses a previous era’s Kitch, but at one time Yma Súmac was considered to be a Peruvian princess. I discovered ...

Arthur Godfrey ► A Monday Musical Appreciation

Celebrating a birthday today is Arthur Godfrey, born in 1903. Godfrey rose from a lowly radio announcer to being one of ‘Merka’s biggest celebrities. Godfrey served in the Navy as a ...

Linton Kwesi Johnson ► A Monday Musical Appreciation

Celebrating a birthday today is Linton Kwesi Johnson, the first Dub Poet. I first became aware of him through Island Records Canada, which I worked for in the ’70s, and ...

Me and Jim Kale ► Nostalgia Ain’t What It Used To Be

More than once I’ve been called the Zelig of the innertubes, popping up to witness pivotal moments in history. A night I spent with Jim Kale, of The Guess Who ...

The Turtles and the Airwaves ► A Modern Day Fable

Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan aka Flo & Eddie Remember Aesop’s fable of The Tortoise and the Hare? The moral of that story: slow and steady wins the race, especially against ...