The Beatles Share That Christmas Magic
The Fab Four recorded jolly ad-libs for their fan club members to celebrate the Christmas holiday. You better believe frenzied...
Category: Lifestyle
Have a Rocking Thanksgiving in Alice’s Restaurant!
You can get anything you want (excepting Alice). During my adult life, I have made a ritual of listening to...
COVID Wars: Who Needs Science When You’ve Got Eric Clapton?
As a massive public figure, Clapton must realize that spouting his pro-COVID nonsense could have grave consequences. Paraphrasing the Independent:...
Surviving Racial Conflict in the US Army in 1970s Germany
There was always a chance for a racial confrontation in the German town where I was stationed. So we opened...
Oh Lawdy, the Blues World’s Got Trouble
Blues guitar great Kenny Wayne Shepherd has become prey to a racial reckoning. Kenny Wayne Shepherd, longtime blues guitarist, singer...
Back in the Day: Punk Rock versus Disco
The story of a clash of cultures in the late ’70s. In the midst of all those great rock acts...
The Jan. 6 Seditionists: No Profiles in Courage with This Bunch
The rioters included dozens of financial deadbeats and some convicted of violence against women. Requiem for an Ex-President With Donald...
John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” a Christmas Treat
John and Yoko’s Christmas song is a stirring reminder of their unique anti-war activism. This week, we mourn the 40th...
Television Endeared Us to The Wizard of Oz
The movie premiered before our time, but TV created new generations of fans. The Wizard of Oz was the Super...
A Youthful Adventure Along the Mississippi Blues Highway 61
We dropped in on Sam Chatmon, who found some fame with a family string band called the Mississippi Sheiks. We...
Have a Hearty Laugh for the Holiday!
The Season’s Upon Us The holidays are mostly about family and there’s also the solemnity of the spiritual celebration. But...
What Happened to Hitchhiking?
Hitchhiking peaked in the sixties and seventies. Then, it just vanished. If you’re an urban or suburban Philadelphian making a...
An Army Story: Cold War and a Father’s Warmth
I was a campus activist who got drafted in Nixon’s lottery. My father helped me get through it. May 4,...
By the Time We Got to Woodstock…
The audacity of rock ‘n’ roll overcame traffic jams, rainstorms, and mass hunger. It was the best of times and...
The Sixties Blues Revival
The blues had a baby and they named it rock ‘n’ roll. There’s this thing we call the blues. In...
Tales from the Cultural War: Sports Betting and Pot Legalization
Despite widespread pot legalization, many Americans, especially minorities, are getting busted for possession. One striking parallel between sports betting and...
Payola, Radio Song Royalties, and Sinatra’s Dying Wish
While streaming compensation was recently bolstered, traditional broadcasters still don’t pay song royalties to performers. In the Beginning…Payola At the...
Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime”
Paul’s holiday ditty is a gift that keeps on giving. Musicians who are able to write catchy songs are usually...
Main Line Artist Had Brush with Chaplin Greatness
Dolya Goutman’s odyssey included a stop at Charles Chaplin’s mansion and a friendship with the screen legend’s two eldest sons....
Barack Obama, a Nation Turns Its Lonely Eyes to You
A random sampling of what our beloved president has been up to these days As it becomes more and more...
Have a Rockin’ & Rollin’ Thanksgiving!
I wish everyone a very, very happy Thanksgiving! During my adult life, I have made a ritual of listening to...
Chuck Berry’s Gift: The Soundtrack for Our Time
A Philly Blues Musician and Former History Teacher Measures the Late Rock ‘n’ Roller’s Greatness Editor’s Note: John Colgan-Davis is a harmonica player...
The Democratic Convention: Up Close and Very Personal
A Philly Guy Takes Pride In His Host City, Warts and All The Democratic Party holding its big convention in...
VINYL VIBE – Jazz Composer’s Orchestra
Karl Jones Riffs on His Vinyl Treats Editor’s Note: Welcome to VINYL VIBE, an occasional column reviewing hand-picked jazz records from the personal collection of...
The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock ‘n’ Roll
Many Rock Songs Pay Homage to Elegantly Simple 12-Bar Blues ‘Sweet Home Chicago’ Ground Zero for Great Blues Migration For the record:...
