Have a Rocking Thanksgiving at Alice’s Restaurant
Arlo Guthrie celebrates the life of good friend Alice Brock, who passed one week before Thanksgiving. During my adult life,...
Rock 'n' Roll Nostalgia & Poilitical and Media Commentary
Arlo Guthrie celebrates the life of good friend Alice Brock, who passed one week before Thanksgiving. During my adult life,...
The ‘father of the common school’ journeys to Yellow Springs, Ohio, to lead the ‘Harvard of the West’ How would...
Aside from inflicting historic human suffering, Trump’s mass deportation scheme would cost the US economy almost a trillion dollars. Impunity...
As the ’60s progressed, musical tastes changed and FM radio was there to welcome a new crop of rock fans....
The claims that undocumented immigrants are showing up in droves to vote are simply not true. Common Nonsense When you...
The 1980 convention will be forever remembered for Ted Kennedy’s captivating speech affirming party principles. At the 2024 Democratic National...
One shining moment in American history commemorates the notion that government can be a force for good. We have taught...
John Mayall, ‘Godfather of British Blues,’ is dead at 90. John Mayall, the multi-instrumentalist who pioneered a unique style of...
DeShannon’s songs were covered by dozens of artists, notably ’60s singers Brenda Lee and Marianne Faithfull. Singer/Songwriter Jackie DeShannon is...
Sun Records was ground zero for rockabilly, which literally means rock ‘n’ roll performed by hillbillies. 15 Minutes of Fame...
Florida’s 2018 midterms and the notorious 2000 presidential election are cautionary tales about close elections. Abortion on Ballot in Florida...
Philadelphia proud, Hall & Oates is the most successful duo in rock ‘n’ roll history. Prologue Alert readers will identify...
Demographic changes to Perry’s congressional district make his 2024 reelection bid against a newcomer Democrat a close race. Prologue...
The Beatles lead the way with most covered rock songs. ‘All Along the Watchtower’ tops the playlist of cover songs...
Is Russia using the Nazi playbook to conquer Ukraine? Will Putin share Hitler’s fate? Prologue: Voting at Gunpoint Vladimir Putin...
The Doobie Brothers had two successive lead singers, Tom Johnston and Michael McDonald, who each molded the band’s sound to...
The beloved song, covered by Crosby, Stills & Nash, and the Jefferson Airplane, is actually about survivors of a nuclear...
Stevie Wonder’s ‘classic period’ might be the greatest artistic streak in pop history. Some perspective: At age 23, most folks...
CBGB, Max’s Kansas City, and other iconic music emporiums launch New York’s ’70s punk rock/new wave revolution. This ain’t no...
The Philadelphia DA and a Florida State Attorney are the latest victims of Republicans who favor power over principle. One...
In New York in the ’60s, Brill Building songwriters were mid-town’s answer to Tin Pan Alley. Prologue: Tin Pan Alley...
Influenced by the Beach Boys, sunshine pop performers gave popular music a light touch in the ’60s. What Is Sunshine...
Overcoming the Red Scare of the ’50s, folk music enjoyed a resurgence of goodwill in the ’60s. High school, mid-’60s....
The author, a blues harp player, shares a six-pack of his all-time favorites. I was once a player. I learned...
Ohio radio host Dennis Stewart pays tribute to Blues legend Willie Dixon. In the seventies and eighties of the last...
We take press freedom for granted. What if one day every TV station was like Fox News? “If You Can...
Rockers such as Tom Petty and Prince succumbed to Fentanyl, a drug accountable for 74,000 American deaths last year. Maybe...
The Police, Prince, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, ZZ Top, U2, and Lionel Richie peppered 1983 with career-defining hit records. MTV...
Innovative producer Hammond was also a talent scout, civil rights activist…and father to blues musician John P. Hammond. Jazzman When...
A tragic plane crash shortened the career of a Philadelphia native who had full-blown potential. Three Plane Crashes Three prominent...
Rock ‘n’ roll began as an outcome of musical interactions between Black and White. How did it establish a stronghold...
The Philly Sound: Gamble & Huff, American Bandstand, Sigma Sound, the Geator, crooners and teen idols…Fugetaboudit! Prologue Like the overlapping...
Most media are fighting for scraps left behind by Google, Facebook, and Amazon. Hold on! I want to watch these...
After an initial outpouring of support, Americans soured on Bush’s Iraq War. Here are four songs that capture those misgivings....
George Clinton’s Parliament/Funkadelic, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Kool & the Gang took the reins from the great James Brown....
The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You” got rockers moving on the disco dance floor. A Musical Feast In the late seventies,...
‘Strawberry Fields Forever,’ Penny Lane,’ and ‘A Day in the Life.’ Imagine if all three were on Sgt. Pepper. Prologue...
The New Orleans sound reflects the diversity and eccentricity of the local culture. Fats Domino ignited its first rock ‘n’...
Sly’s brand of ‘psychedelic funk’ was a perfect fit for the late sixties. Prologue It must have been Sylvester Stewart’s...
The studio-based duo was on a timeless quest for sonic perfection. Prologue: The Birth of Steely Dan In the sixties,...
DJ Alan Freed hosted the gathering at the Cleveland Arena, capacity 8,600. Up to twenty thousand teens showed up. What...
Recreational drugs and rock ‘n’ roll: It was fun until it wasn’t. The songs endure. In the rock ‘n’ roll...
An Article 5 convention could put cherished American constitutional rights up for grabs. A group of deep-pocketed, dark-moneyed conservatives is...
Stax-Volt was built on the unshakeable foundation of genuine Soul music uniquely African-American. Prologue In the fifties, there was...
All of these acts thrived amid the screaming roar of the Fab Four. Prologue In March 1963, after being brushed...
Gov. DeSantis wants to remake the New College of Florida along the lines of Hillsdale College, a private, conservative bastion...
Assorted moments fused rock’s footprint: rockabilly, teen idols, Skiffle, the Twist, Buddy Holly’s tragedy, and the first power chord. Then...
The chaos over acceptable books is a dress rehearsal for what conservatives really want: public school privatization. Culture War in...
A mostly British phenomenon in the ’70s, progressive rock, or interchangeably “art rock,” was a refuge for rockers wanting to...
Recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Pat Benatar gave us a soundtrack for the ’80s. Prologue Last week,...
Carly Simon was a fixture on the charts in the ’70s. Then, Pat Benatar ruled rock radio throughout much of...
Here’s a list of beloved songs about places we might have visited. The songs, as they say, are all over...
DeSantis uses minorities and immigrants as props to enflame his white grievance base. It just might blow up in his...
During his darkest moments (feigning that persecuted look that plays well with his base), Trump has Georgia on his mind....
The rise and fall of ‘Telstar’ creator Joe Meek, who never saw a dime in royalties from his sixties megahit....
Ray Davies was an unlikely songwriter to lead a sexual revolution. He just wanted a hit record. Lola…a light-hearted song...
Butterfield’s swagger and his command of the blues harp created a link to white rock audiences. Prologue During my freshman...
MAGA Warrior Doug Mastriano recently named Jenna Ellis, a face of Donald Trump’s court battles over nonexistent voter fraud, as...
Alpert’s unique trumpet sound is the upshot of experimental studio overdubbing and trips to Tijuana bullfights. About two years before...
‘Better to be judged by 12 than carried by six.’ Tragedy in Uvalde, Texas We’ve all shed tears for the...
Starting as strictly backup players to two legendary performers, The Band developed a likable and totally unique sound. Prologue The...
There’s a powerful new tranquilizer in the street drug supplies of Philadelphia and other cities that’s causing mysterious body wounds...
Putin regards liberal democracy as on its last legs. Will the US prove him right or wrong? Donald Trump, presumed...
The death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins recalls a genre whose distinctive sound influenced bands in other musical hotspots,...
Ask the good people of Tulsa, Oklahoma: American history cannot be unlived. Critical Race Theory You know that conservatives have...
My reminiscence of being part of a crew who got up before dawn to hawk a tabloid newspaper on Philadelphia...
Both voting rights bills died in the Senate and elections remain vulnerable to partisan bad actors. Let’s embrace what’s possible....
The Justice Department, state prosecutors, and the House Select Committee are on the case. In the 2020 post-election craziness in...
Here’s a Top 10 playlist of songs about friendship (plus a bonus round). Naturally, the Beatles, Stones and Dylan top...
That year in rock was kind to the great Chuck Berry, who scored his first and only #1 hit with...
Their charges and sentences have been lenient compared to the BLM George Floyd protesters, many of whom are doing hard...
The Fab Four recorded jolly ad-libs for their fan club members to celebrate the Christmas holiday. You better believe frenzied...
‘Sloop John B’ and ‘Sail On, Sailor’ were off the charted course from the Beach Boys’ idealized California culture. ‘If...
“Having election deniers run elections is like having arsonists take over the fire department.” Sound the Alarm If you are...
As a massive public figure, Clapton must realize that spouting his pro-COVID nonsense could have grave consequences. Paraphrasing the Independent:...
The faux journalist’s election year misadventure targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who conservatives love to hate. You might have heard...
The cheating Houston Astros get off with a wrist-slap, while Pete Rose, a man with a gambling addiction, gets the...
Even with the bitter taste of the Maharishi and Yoko Ono’s unwanted presence, the Beatles created a masterpiece. Most rock...
Printed-word storytelling is not a lost art in this new crop of rock books hitting bookstores and libraries this fall....
Texas Republicans’ strict ‘pro-life’ stance conceals a culture of death. Election Audit for Texas? Being from the east coast, my...
His drug addiction hidden from view, Apple Records could sense the immense talent in a young James Taylor, the first...
There was always a chance for a racial confrontation in the German town where I was stationed. So we opened...
The story behind Traffic’s deep dive into British folk music. Prologue: Steve Winwood At the center of it all was...
But just in case COVID exists, say Republicans without evidence, its spread is being caused by recent immigrants. I can’t...
The flight of the Jefferson Starship Enterprise was not a charted course. Did the Jefferson Airplane betray its “Haight-Ashbury” roots...
Republicans still have the edge in redrawing state maps. That means gerrymandering is alive and well. Prologue At first blush,...
Though on the surface a Euro-democracy, Hungary under autocrat Viktor Orban has dismantled democratic norms much like Donald Trump tried....
Six essentials about the reclusive Nyro, who wrote songs that others made into hits. Prologue Right around reaching my teenage...
Republicans are busy changing the rules to make it easier for their party to overturn the will of the voters...
Q: Who shot Ashli Babbitt? A: The people who keep asking that question. All of a sudden, six months after...