By 1971, the non-stop run of hit albums and singles by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass was becoming a distant memory. In fact, Alpert was more intent on producing other artists and running his mega-successful A&M record label than going into the studio to record new material, especially if it was under the Tijuana […]
Song Of The Day– “Tiger Rag” by The Mills Brothers
This is a performance clip from the “Big Broadcast Of 1932″ showing the Mills Brothers in action. Yes, it is true…they really were brothers…and the only instrument used on this track was a guitar…all other instruments were played by the human voice. What started out as a novelty act that mixed the Gospel Jubilee style […]
Song Of The Day – “I’d Rather Be Blue Over You (Than Be Happy With Somebody Else)” by Fanny Brice
She was the original “Funny Girl.” Most people know today’s Song Of The Day from Barbra Streisand’s recording as featured in the musical Funny Girl. In it, Streisand plays the part of Fanny Brice who was a famous recording artist, comedienne and star of radio, stage and screen. Her real name was Fania Borach and […]
Song Of The Day – “Sail Away” by Bobby Darin
By 1972, Bobby Darin was long past his “Splish-Splash” rock ‘n’ roll beginnings and the supper club success that followed. He’d moved from his successful home at Atco records to the new confines of Capitol records where the supper club hits began to dry up. The late ‘60s was a turbulent time in our country […]
Today in Rock History – March 1
1967, The Beatles began recording “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” at Abbey Road studios, London. Work on the new John Lennon song began the day before with extensive rehearsals. Despite the acronym of the song spelling out LSD, the origins of the composition came from a drawing that Lennon’s son Julian had made of […]
Song Of The Day – “Central Time” by Pokey Lafarge
Everything old is new again…and while it seems the world has gone apeshit over supposed wood and string groups like The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons, Pokey Lafarge is the genuine real deal. As a youth growing up in Illinois, Pokey Lafarge (real name Andrew Heissler) mixed his interest in history and the literature of […]
Song Of The Day – “Clean Up Woman” by Betty Wright
She doesn’t do windows, and for that matter she doesn’t even clean houses. But the “Clean Up Woman” of Betty Wright’s top-ten hit from 1971 sure ‘nuff cleaned up on the charts! Bessie Regina Norris (aka Betty Wright) got her start as a three year old member of her family Gospel group The Echoes Of […]
Song Of The Day – “Always” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Yeah Yeah Yeah’s last album It’s Blitz was the group’s most mainstream effort, garnering them a much wider audience than they previously had. In contrast, their latest album, Mosquito is much less dancefloor friendly and hearkens back to their earlier electro trash sound. Although, the dense, layered atmospheric production makes the record initially far less […]
Song Of The Day – “Creepin’” by Stevie Wonder
Today’s Song Of The Day is from Stevie Wonder’s 1974 album Fulfillingness’ First Finale which was released shortly after a car accident that almost took his life, making the album an all-the-more-important part of his canon. While on tour in North Carolina in August of 1973, Wonder’s car smashed into the back of a logging […]
Song Of The Day – “The Dipsy Doodle” by Chick Webb & His Orchestra featuring Ella Fitzgerald
Chick Webb was known as “The King of the Savoy” where he and his orchestra would regularly win battles of music against the other leading big bands of the day. He stood tall amongst big band drummers even though his diminutive frame was only a tad over 4 feet tall. His major discovery was Ella […]
