Category Archives: Music

“Everything we ever did was just spur of the moment.” — Scotty Moore

“Scotty Moore was my hero. There’s a little jazz in his playing, some great country licks and a grounding in the blues as well. It’s never been duplicated. I can’t copy it.” — Keith Richards It’s the birthday of Scotty … Continue reading →

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Elvis: “It’s a duty I’ve got to fill and I’m going to do it.”

On December 20, 1957, Elvis received his draft notice. He was given a deferment so he could finish the movie King Creole This picture went out onto the wires. It was international news. He would be “gone” for … TWO … Continue reading →

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Happy birthday KEEF

It’s Keith Richards’ birthday. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: If you are feeling introverted, if you are feeling lonely for conversation and human contact, read Keith Richards’ spectacular autobiography in public. People will come up to … Continue reading →

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“Here I was, stuck in the middle of a dying nation with all these funny looking children who didn’t even realize the world was coming to an end, and now on top of everything else they expected me to turn my room into a hippie crash pad!” — Lester Bangs

It’s his birthday today. A lot of ink has been spilled on Lester Bangs, including on this site. My feelings for him are as chaotic as his writing style. There are times I read him and I think, almost wildly, … Continue reading →

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“I dont want to just do just country type stuff the rest of my life. I want to do some different things.” — Charlie Rich

Charlie Rich was only 62 years old when he died, but he managed to cram in so much music in that time. Massive fame came to him fairly late, with the “countrypolitan” phase of country music, where a more sophisticated … Continue reading →

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“When religion defines morality, the wall between church and state comes to be seen as immoral.” — Ellen Willis

Ellen Willis’ years as a rock critic were a blip, comparatively, to the rest of her work, deep and engaging pieces on feminism, economics, anti-Semitism, revolution, mass consumption, Marxism, and … believe it or not … pleasure. Pleasure was a … Continue reading →

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“Cock your hat – angles are attitudes.” — Frank Sinatra

“Frank [Sinatra] is a singer who comes along once in a lifetime, but why did he have to come along in my lifetime?” — Bing Crosby (This quote may be apocryphal. But I like it.) It’s his birthday today. 1. … Continue reading →

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“The music business can be very cold. And it doesn’t honor its elders.” — Brenda Lee

It’s her birthday today. Let’s start off by saying that Brenda Lee set chart records which weren’t broken for 20 years. Who broke Brenda Lee’s records? Madonna. She is mostly known “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, played on repeat every … Continue reading →

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“I can’t read music, but I know what I’m singing! I don’t sing like nobody but myself.” — Big Mama Thornton

Willie May Thornton, a.k.a. Big Mama Thornton, was “an Alabama kid”, as she said once in an interview, who ended up really getting her start in Houston, with the semi-disreputable Don Robey who ran a nightclub called the Bronze Peacock … Continue reading →

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“In real life you aren’t allowed to say you’re angry but in music you can say anything.” — Sinéad O’Connor

It’s her birthday today. I’ll never be over it. If you were there, then you remember the singular moment when Sinéad O’Connor arrived on the world stage. It wasn’t like the appearance of any other “big star”. It was different. … Continue reading →

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