Feature: Retro Redux
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Retro Redux: Granddad and the Victrola— Music affects each of us in a different way.
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Retro Redux: The Beau Brummels' Answer To The British Invasion— Even though one member of the group was British, they weren't quite what they seemed.
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Retro Redux: Ringing In The New Year With Auld Music— With this information, you can be the envy of other party-goers...or maybe not.
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Retro Redux: Sometimes You Can Have Too Much Tequila— You might want to take some advice from the guys who made Tequila famous.
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Retro Redux: From Summer Camp To Pop Music Stardom— Most kids come home from summer camp with a bag of dirty clothes and a case of poison ivy.
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Retro Redux: How Grandma Found Her Christmas Groove— Memorable holiday experiences can appear in unusual ways.
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Retro Redux: The Grinch Takes On Holiday Music— Scrooge isn't the only curmudgeon making an appearance during the holidays.
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Retro Redux: Remembering Ritchie Valens— It's always been a little interesting to me how a long-gone musician's legacy can develop with the passage of time. Ritchie Valens is mostly remembered now as one of the...
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Retro Redux: Andre Kostelanetz And The Evolution Of A Genre— Although the Russian revolution was taking place all around him, he was only interested in music.
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Retro Redux: Jim Lowe Found Success Behind That Famous Door— His career soared when he recorded his SECOND song about a door.
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Retro Redux: The Nature Of Musical Nostalgia— We'll never know if it happened that way — but it could have.
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Retro Redux: Musical Classics Come In All Flavors— Never mind what others might say — Dad knew a classic when he heard one.
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Retro Redux: Easy Does It - The Music Of Percy Faith— A piano prodigy who lost his playing ability in a tragic accident, but still became a world-famous musical star.
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Retro Redux: Keanu's Movie Needs To Get The Music Right— Sometimes special effects aren't enough.
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Retro Redux: Musical Familiarity Breeds Contentment, Not Contempt— This British maestro became an expert in knowing what appealed to listeners.
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Retro Redux: The Story Behind A 'Super-One-Hit Wonder'— Sometimes we need to invent a new term.
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Retro Redux: Zoot And The Evolution Of Cool — COOL can be defined in a lot of different ways — but Zoot had them all covered.
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Retro Redux: Singin' In The Streets In Philly— Philadelphia baseball has had its ups and downs through the years, but the city's music has always been first-rate.
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Retro Redux: Music And Memories From The Campaign Trail— Running for president has always been a tricky proposition.
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Retro Redux: Connie Haines - The Savannah Nightingale— Remembering a lost songbird.
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Retro Redux: The ART Of Improvisation— Sometimes 'making do' can be raised to a higher level, especially in music.
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Retro Redux: Don Cherry - The Other One— The same name — but two very different musical stars.
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Retro Redux: A Love Song That Became A Four-Time Hit— It hit the charts in three different decades.
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Retro Redux: Trombone Travails— A tale of how a fool and his trombone didn't live happily ever after.
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Retro Redux: Origins Of Doo-Wop - The Mills Brothers— They had the smooth, close-harmony sound perfected decades before anyone had even coined the term doo-wop.
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Retro Redux: A Salute To Leroy Anderson— The Boston Pops wouldn't have been quite the same without his contributions.
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Retro Redux: Six Degrees Of Ray Noble— He's not as well-remembered as many of the musicians he inspired, but he left a rich legacy.
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Retro Redux: Mysterious Musical Occurrences— At what point do you wonder if you've entered...The Twilight Zone?
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Retro Redux: Hoyt Axton - Modern Renaissance Man— His music was difficult to label but impossible to resist.
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Retro Redux: The Music Of The Olympics— Although it's technically correct, the title is a cheesy trick to attract your attention. Did it work?
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Retro Redux: Ray Peterson - Rising Above Adversity— Fighting his illness led him into a musical career.
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Retro Redux: Music Appreciation 2.0— The musical evolution of an old hound dog.
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Retro Redux: Singing About Sickness In New Orleans— Following in the footsteps of Fats Domino, he took a detour into some silly songs.
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Retro Redux: Gene Pitney - Troubadour To Troubled Teens— A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he performed successfully for over four decades.
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Retro Redux: Musical Memories Of — Snakes?— A song can sometimes trigger unusual remembrances of times past.
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Retro Redux: Whippoorwills And Whippersnappers— Hank Williams and Johnny Cash — masters of a special kind of country music song.
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Retro Redux: A Twist Of Fate - Teresa And Joan — Sometimes a career - and a life - can turn on simple timing.
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Retro Redux: Stormy Weather - Part Deux— Mother Nature and the power company — a potent combination.
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Retro Redux: Amping It Up With Johnny and The Hurricanes— They had a specialty — and it led to a lot of record sales.
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Retro Redux: Bulldog Songs - They Grab On And Won't Let Go — Ever have a song sink its teeth into you?
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Retro Redux: Johnny Ace - Promising Start Leads To Senseless End— Another of the tragic stories that have always been part of the history of music.
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Retro Redux: Banned From Radio Play - Nervous Norvus — Being prohibited by many radio stations probably helped make his song a best-seller.
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Retro Redux: The Grinch Makes A Rare Summer Appearance— It turns out that the Hulk isn't the only green guy lurking around.
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Retro Redux: Perry Como And The Singing Sisters— Musical memories can be very deceiving.
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Retro Redux: Taxi Drivers Have Feelings Too— Driving a cab in the days before Travis Bickle made it scary.
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Retro Redux: Joni James - What's In A Name?— For one unforgettable decade, she was the biggest thing around.
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Retro Redux: Summertime — And The Junebugs Are Buzzin'— Memories - and a chuckle or two - from a simpler time.
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Retro Redux: Kentucky's Other Music — The Hilltoppers— You gotta love a singing group that wore beanies.
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Retro Redux: Goin' To Kansas City With Wilbert Harrison— An early rock and roll pioneer, he was from North Carolina but will always be associated with the city in his song.
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Retro Redux: Ridin' Out The Storm With The Duke— Music has always had a connection with certain types of weather.
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Retro Redux: Ivory Joe Joins The Revolution— Early rock and roll was a perfect fit for the performer, who'd already conquered other musical genres.
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Retro Redux: The Perfect Song For The Holiday Weekend — Accompanying a favorite weekend activity with a song that was made to order.
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Retro Redux: Lee Konitz - Playing Fast, Sweet And High— There might be bigger names among jazz saxophonists, but few can match his long career of excellence in music.
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Retro Redux: Billy Vaughn - Thriving In The Rock And Roll Era— In the 1950's and 1960's he dominated pop music charts.
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Retro Redux: Kay Starr's Answer To Rock And Roll— How did she handle the rock and roll revolution? Her solution might surprise you.
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Retro Redux: The Grass Is Not Always Greener— A confession about a problem that first turned up years ago.
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Retro Redux: Discovering Jimmy Giuffre — Remembering one of the jazz world's true innovators.
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Retro Redux: Uncle John And The Deep-Freeze— I was listening to some World War II era music recently, and a tune by Harry James and his orchestra triggered some thoughts from childhood. The song was "Waiting...
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Retro Redux: Swayze's Ghost Revived An Old Song— Over 500 different versions have been recorded but some of them are seldom heard.
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Retro Redux: Xavier Cugat - The Godfather Of Latin Pop Music— Surrounded by beautiful women and his music, he had the last laugh on critics.
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Retro Redux: Arranging As An Art - Fletcher Henderson— Smart bandleaders knew that a great arranger could mean the difference between success and failure for their band.
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Retro Redux: The Rivieras - California Beach Music Hoosier Style— Only that new British group with the odd name could have kept the Rivieras from topping the charts.
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Retro Redux: Confessions Of A Multiple-Music Addict— We all know about how technology has changed the way we collect music, but are you a multiple-music addict?
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Retro Redux: Remembering Karen Carpenter — As A Singer— When she sang, the warmth of her voice surprised - and charmed - listeners.
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Retro Redux: Bing Crosby Gets A Mulligan— Their family fireworks were no secret, but Gary's book furnished the details.
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Retro Redux: Crankin' Out The Classics - Country Style— Generating musical classics is not restricted to the likes of Wolfgang or Ludwig.
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Retro Redux: Remember The Music — Not The Tragedy— Although Uncle Louie met an early and tragic end, the spirit of his music is worth remembering.
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Retro Redux: Music Works Its Magic On Stress— Sometimes you REALLY need a break.
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Retro Redux: A Musical Chick Flick Is Still A Chick Flick— She had a life that was custom-made for a special kind of movie.
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Retro Redux: Jazzin' The Classics With Larry Clinton— Although a lot of purists didn't like the practice, it's been pretty common among jazz musicians for years.
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Retro Redux: March Madness — Rock & Roll Style— In March, thoughts turn to basketball and — rock and roll?
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Retro Redux: Revisiting Elvis In Hawaii— If only I'd saved that Hawaiian shirt...
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Retro Redux: Swimming To Catalina With The Four Preps— Their music helped influence Brian Wilson in his creation of the Beach Boys sound.
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Retro Redux: Johnny Long Tried To Straddle The Line— Proving once again that you can't be both 'sweet' and 'hot'.
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Retro Redux: Lionel Hampton Got The Job - And Became A Legend— The fictionalized job interview was movie silliness — but the bottom line is that a future legend got his key break.
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Retro Redux: Blue-Eyed Soul And Beyond - The Box Tops— The group wasn't around for long, but it topped 1967 rock charts — and its young lead vocalist became a star.
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Retro Redux: Cuttin' Wax In Post-War Motown— An adventure in Detroit with the original one-hit wonder.
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Retro Redux: WWII Servicemen Loved 'GI Jo' - Jo Stafford— One of the most gifted singers around, she moved easily from pop to jazz and beyond.
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Retro Redux: Jimmie Rodgers - Detour On The Road To Stardom— 14 gold records and 4 gold albums, but how much did that fateful night on the highway affect his career?
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Retro Redux: Adventures In Radio — 1960's Style— Our listeners had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.
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Retro Redux: Burl Ives - Not Just Sam The Snowman— A multi-talented performer who should be remembered for more than a cartoon snowman.
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Retro Redux: Origins of Rock & Roll - Jivin' With Jordan— He was an inspiration to Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and many others.
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Retro Redux: In Search Of Singing Cowboys— Whatever ever happened to cowpokes singing around the campfire?
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Retro Redux: Vaughn Monroe - aka Old Leather Tonsils— He was sometimes called "The Voice With Hairs On Its Chest."
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Retro Redux: Sleepin' In The Country— A monkey in a lab will never sleep as well as a small boy in a feather-bed.
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Retro Redux: Artie Shaw's Funk Paves Way For Tony Pastor— I've been actively listening to big band music for most of my life, beginning with my teen years (when it competed with early rock and roll for my attention) and...
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Retro Redux: Johnny Carson And The Music Of The Tonight Show— The house band was a great gig for sidemen, while the show itself provided a showcase for guest stars.
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Retro Redux: In Search Of Christmas Carolers— Holiday traditions aren't always what they seem.
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Retro Redux: Canned Heat - Definitely Deluxe Bell-Ringers— What's a bell-ringer and why is deluxe better than ordinary?
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Retro Redux: Commander Cody - Silly Songs and Beyond — Their biggest hit was a tune that captured the imagination of the listening public (especially teenage boys).
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Retro Redux: Transistors, Rock & Roll, And — Polkas?— He was like a thirsty deacon in a tavern — even though he knew he should resist, temptation was tough to overcome.
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Retro Redux: Mule Skinners - From Jimmie Rodgers To Van Morrison— A song that's been recorded by just about everybody, including Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, and Van Morrison.
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Retro Redux: Dodging The Doofus Preceded Dancing With The Stars— Misadventures on the dance floor.
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Retro Redux: Lee Dorsey And The Monday Morning Song— His signature song's irresistible sound - complete with clanking chains - is still fun to hear.
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Retro Redux: Turkey, Trimmings — And Straw?— Once the men were sated and groaning, the women would sit in their places and eat with less urgency...
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Retro Redux: Claude King - Still Climbing That Mountain— Small-town radio in the 1960's could be quite an adventure.
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Retro Redux: John Gary - His Voice Dazzled— His voice and his unique singing abilities were the envy of his contemporaries.
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Retro Redux: Eddie Fisher's Other Wife - Connie Stevens— After a broken marriage (and a romance with Elvis) Connie found herself courted by Eddie.
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Retro Redux: Cher And Betty - The Shoop Shoop Girls— Different eras, different singers, same classic song — almost.
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Retro Redux: Faron Young - The Hillbilly Heartthrob— Young was a tremendously influential and popular country music star whose life was tragically ended by his own hand.
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Retro Redux: From Alvino To Zoot - The Name's The Thing— Six (or fewer) steps of separation from one oddly named musician to another.
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Retro Redux: Al Hirt - More Than Just A Cup Of Coffee— A lot of music fans will always wonder if he should have spent more time with traditional jazz...
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Retro Redux: Songs With A Message - Henson Cargill— You could make a pretty good argument that country music has a long tradition of social commentary.
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Retro Redux: Kristofferson Gets Assist From Sammi Smith — I have to confess that I've never been able to really warm to the singing of Kris Kristofferson.
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Retro Redux: Brainwashed(?) By Radio Moscow— The Cold War era was a confusing time for a teenager.
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Retro Redux: Tinkering With Auto Radios - Simpler Isn't Always Better— If you see me rolling along the highway shining a flashlight on my dashboard, try not to stare.
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Retro Redux: The Little Rascals And A Shot At Movie Stardom— These guys traveled the country, selling parents on the idea that Hollywood talent scouts would see their kids and make them stars.
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Retro Redux: Jimmie Driftwood - A Teacher Who Became A Musical Treasure— In the late 1950's and early 1960's, his songs were all over the charts — but usually by other singers.
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Retro Redux: Gogi Grant And Her Wayward Wind— Considered by many experts to be one of the most talented but under-appreciated singers of the era...
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Retro Redux: Hank Williams And The Hunt For The Elusive Sassafras— The best trips to the woods were those made on hot Summer days.
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Retro Redux: Jazz At The Junction With Erskine Hawkins— He was a talented trumpeter who loved walking the tightrope of high notes and also loved being known as the "20th Century Gabriel".
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Retro Redux: Remembering Janis Martin - The Female Elvis— The nickname helped make her a budding star - until she ran into problems with the moral codes of the 1950's.
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Retro Redux: Bobby Helms Was Something Special— His clean-cut good looks - complete with dimples - soon had girls buying his records and lining up for his shows.
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Retro Redux: The Musical Side Of Desi Arnaz— Before he was the partner of a certain ditzy redhead, he was a talented and well-regarded Latin musician.
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Retro Redux: Command Performances - A Specialty Of Roger Williams— I guess you could say that early Christians facing the lions were giving a command performance too.
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Retro Redux: Naughty Moments With The Ames Brothers— One of the first words a kid learns while growing up is "naughty."
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Retro Redux: The Incomparable Erroll Garner— His distinctive grunts and groans, combined with his equally special playing style, helped make his music instantly identifiable to fans.
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Retro Redux: The Gentle Giant - Don Williams— He's one of the best-selling country balladeers of all time, with over forty top-ten hits - seventeen of them reaching number one.
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Retro Redux: Remembering Elvis - Via Terry Stafford— Maybe the way to mark the thirtieth anniversary of Elvis' finale is to view it from an entirely different perspective.
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Retro Redux: Changing Musical Tastes Lead To Commitments— Their versions of many R&B classics might not be as smooth or polished as the originals, but their spirit and sense of fun is infectious.
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Retro Redux: Perry Como's Answer To Rock & Roll— Beloved by his fans, Perry was known in the business as a true gentleman — but wasn't exactly teen idol material.
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Retro Redux: Pete Fountain Was Always Welcome At Our House— Dad enjoyed any good clarinetist, but there was one guy he would always watch on TV whenever possible.
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Retro Redux: Did Boxcar Willie Really Ride The Rails?— He became a country music star by taking a much different route than most, and part was - at least figuratively - taken by train.
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Retro Redux: Swimmin' In the Moonlight With Elvis And Tony— Elvis performed the song while cruising along in daylight - in a convertible filled with babes - rather than on a beach in the moonlight.
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Retro Redux: From King Of Calypso To Renaissance Man - Harry Belafonte— ...as young Harry studied acting he found himself meeting future stars such as Marlon Brando and Tony Curtis.
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Retro Redux: Mantovani Brought The Classics To Everybody— I'd be willing to guarantee that almost everyone has heard his music at one time or another — and not just in an elevator.
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Retro Redux: From Boogie-Woogie To Early Rock And Roll - Ella Mae Morse— When Jimmy Dorsey's band appeared in her home town of Dallas she was only 14, but she auditioned anyway...
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Retro Redux: Marty Robbins - A Star In Many Different Genres— It could be said that Gary Cooper introduced me to Marty Robbins.
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Retro Redux: Eddie Fisher And The Ladies— Some scandals were just whispered about when the kids (like me) were around, but others were very public.
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Retro Redux: Afternoon Delight - A Dual-Purpose Guilty Pleasure— ...in rare cases, both the song and its subject matter can be a guilty pleasure.
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Retro Redux: Waaay Off Broadway With Cabaret— Tony awards lead to thoughts of off-Broadway show...waaay off Broadway.
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Retro Redux: Musical Moods From The Godfather— It's pretty much a given that most men are fascinated by the Godfather movies.
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Retro Redux: Clyde McCoy - Leaving The Legendary Feud Behind — An early jazz pioneer who also happened to be a member of a family involved in a legendary hillbilly blood-feud.
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Retro Redux: Johnnie Ray - The Prince Of Wails— At least one music historian has described Johnnie Ray as a cross between Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.
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Retro Redux: Origins Of Rock - Michael Jackson Echoes Bobby Day— "Rockin' Robin" became a chart-topper and helped establish him as one of rock and roll's early stars.
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Retro Redux: Origins Of Rock And Roll - Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith— He had no idea that his signature song would become an important - some say seminal - moment in the origins of rock and roll.
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Retro Redux: Before Weird Al, Newhart And Sherman Tickled America's Funny-Bone— In the 1950s and early 1960s, comedy albums went through a period of booming popularity.
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Retro Redux: Woody Guthrie - The Okie Troubadour Who Became Dylan's Muse— He grew up in Oklahoma, and for years traveled America on the hobo trail, listening to the people and their music.
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Retro Redux: Benny Carter - Eight Decades Of Excellence— His talents as a performer, arranger, and composer, on display through several generations of jazz, made him one of the greats.
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Retro Redux: Beyond Doo-Wop - The Original Platters — Their precision harmonizing was almost hypnotic, and they became one of the biggest successes of the 1950's.
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Retro Redux: Buffalo Springfield - Two Short But Amazing Years— Circumstances can create a situation where talented musicians get together for a relatively short time and create some great music...
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Retro Redux: Dinah Washington - Queen Of The Blues— She was fiercely independent, intelligent and proud, and called herself the queen of the blues, or just — the queen.
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Retro Redux: Songs That Tickle (Part II) - Rock & Roll Oldies— An outstanding song title and artist name combination, "Nee Nee Na Na Na Na Nu Nu" by Dicky Doo And The Don'ts.
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Retro Redux: Song Titles That Might Tickle Your Fancy— Song titles like those are a mystery inviting further investigation.
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Retro Redux: Ridin' The Rails (Part II) - New Orleans— Pre-Katrina New Orleans, a sprawling city with a deceptively shabby but exotic look, and an electrifying history in American music.
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Retro Redux: Bad Boys Of Early Rock - Gene Vincent— Sullen personas, well-oiled hair combed into a DA, clothes that seemed to gravitate to strange styles and black leather.
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Retro Redux: Outdoor Concerts - From Early Americana To Streisand— Folks rural America liked being entertained too, but haven't always had the same opportunities to enjoy it.
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Retro Redux: Adventures In Highway Travel - From Yellowstone To Route 66— It was good to see America and it was just plain fun to find every quirky roadside attraction for miles around.
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Retro Redux: From Bob Wills To Big Ray - Swingin' Western Style— One of the best things about music is how it constantly changes and evolves, with different types often fusing into something new and different.
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Retro Redux: Ridin' The Rails To Detroit City— It was a simpler time and people didn't worry quite as much about the bad things that could happen to kids alone.
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Retro Redux: Teresa Brewer And Her B-Side Million-Seller— Selling a million records was quite a feat in those days, but Teresa followed that up with a number of hits.
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Retro Redux: Bix, Bing, And The King Of Jazz— Speakeasies, flappers, and a booming post-war economy were all signs of the time, and the music soon began to reflect that.
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Retro Redux: The Monkees - More Than Just Beatles Wannabes— But to be fair, you can make a case for the Monkees as pop icons of a different sort.
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Retro Redux: Charlie Barnet - The Millionaire Bandleader— They became known as the the "blackest of the white bands", a high compliment from jazz lovers.
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Retro Redux: Rethinking The Musicality Of Liberace— He wore his tailored tuxedo on every show, and his megawatt smile lit up the tiny black and white screen like a searchlight.
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Retro Redux: Mouth-Harps — From Lincoln To Dylan And Beyond— Harmonicas were rural America's favorite instrument for a lot of years.
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Retro Redux: A Music Contrarian Warms To The Beatles— Believe me, I complete understand that the Beatles don't need me to validate them...
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Retro Redux: Saturday Nights At My Cousin's Honky-Tonk Joint— Between the fightin' and the feudin', they had some lively Saturday nights.
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Retro Redux: Dick Haymes - The Forgotten Crooner— He did go through a lot of turmoil in his life and career, including alcoholism, debt, and six marriages.
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Retro Redux: Getz, Gilberto, And The Birth Of Brazilian Jazz— There are some different opinions about the history of Brazilian jazz, but...
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Retro Redux: Elvis Presley And The Genesis Of Rockabilly— ...seemed to be the answer to Phillips' often quoted desire to find a white singer who sounded black.
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Retro Redux: Ethel Smith, More Than Just A One-Hit Wonder— There was probably even some wise guy in 18th century Vienna who dismissed Mozart as "that guy who wrote..."
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Retro Redux: Beatniks, Bongos, And Me— There was a period during my teen years when I toyed with the idea of becoming a "beatnik"...
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Retro Redux: The Music Of Peter Gunn - Beyond Mancini— A look at contributions made by Shelly Manne.
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Retro Redux: Alabama's Randy Owen Is Only Human— Holy Cow. Randy Owen, the lead singer of country group Alabama, has turned into a geezer!
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Retro Redux: Beatles Weren't First British Musical Invasion— Paul, John, Ringo and George were probably still scuffling around the schoolyards of Liverpool...
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Retro Redux: The Romantic Side Of Jackie Gleason— He was hard-drinking and loved to party, irascible at times but charming when he wanted to be.
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Retro Redux: Gentleman Jim Reeves - The Country Music Crooner— It would be a real shame to get so caught up in disparaging his move to the pop side that we forget...
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Retro Redux: The Quintessential Italian Crooner— I'm not basing this conclusion on any type of scientific evidence, but it's just one of those things that sounds right...
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Retro Redux: When Lawrence Welk Became Cool— If you're brave or open-minded enough to pursue reading in spite of your conventional mental image of Lawrence Welk, I congratulate you.
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Retro Redux: Jerry Reed And His Friend Mr. Smirky— It seems to me that there have always been actors I like to call "Mr. Smirky".
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Retro Redux: Saturday Matinees With The King Of The Cowboys— Every kid had a favorite star and mine was always Leonard Slye — better known as Roy Rogers, the "King Of The Cowboys".
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Retro Redux: Benny Goodman Conquers Carnegie Hall— When the idea of a jazz concert in Carnegie Hall first came up in late 1937, it actually wasn't...
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Retro Redux: Musical Memories - Early TV Themes— It is a truism that our memories are often triggered in a variety of ways related to our senses.
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Retro Redux: Harry James - More Than Just Betty Grable's Hubby— He was probably the most talented former circus musician to ever hit the big time.
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Retro Redux: In Appreciation Of Popcorn - Regular And Moog— She put so much on the popcorn that even after it was all eaten, you could see pools of butter left in the pan.
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Retro Redux: One More Toast To Anita O'Day - And To Her Mentor— "Reefer" use among musicians of the time was not uncommon, but the laws were not forgiving...
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Retro Redux: Los Indios Tabajaras - Mystery From The Amazon— Of course, it goes without saying that what's familiar to me might not be quite so familiar to you.
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Retro Redux: Celebrating The New Year With Ray Stevens— In the early '60s I was working in radio, mostly as a DJ but sometimes with added duties that included...
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Retro Redux: Willie Nelson - The Early Years— I can't imagine anyone not instantly recognizing his grizzled face when they see it or his unique voice...
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Retro Redux: Holiday Season Triggers Memories Of Dad— I used to tell kids that my dad worked for the government, had a badge, and carried a gun.
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Retro Redux: Granting Absolution To Pat Boone— I have a modest proposal, but before you say no I would ask you to remember...
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Retro Redux: Tony Bennett - Before He Was A Legend— Anthony Dominick Benedetto was a New Yorker, born and raised in Queens, the son of a grocer...
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Retro Redux: Same Place, Different Music - From Buddy Holly To Mozart
— Life is full of coincidences but it still strikes as a little funny the way things happen sometimes.
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Retro Redux: Close Encounters Of The Celebrity Kind— We might as well admit it. It's obvious that we're all fascinated by celebrities.
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Retro Redux: Remembering The Music Of The Cotton Club— It was a popular Harlem night club that featured black performers but was restricted to an all-white clientele...
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Retro Redux: Differing Definitions Deflate Dynamic Date Movie— Sometimes I have to chuckle when I see a new film described as a "date movie", because it seems...
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Retro Redux: Tinkering With Tubes Leads To Adventures In Paradise— I lost count of the times that I got zapped when I wasn't expecting it...
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Retro Redux: Summer Camp - Exciting, Enriching, And Embarrassing— My recollections include not only musical memories - as always - but also a remembrance of one of the most embarrassing incidents...
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Retro Redux: My Fair Lady Masquerades As Muzak— When I was in my late teens I had a part-time job as an assistant to a broadcasting consultant...
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Retro Redux: My Guilty Secret - Ferrante and Teicher— At that time, the kids considered to be cool were the ones listening to the new stuff on the jukebox.
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Retro Redux: Ozzie And Harriet - Ricky And Me— An objective listener would probably not have been too impressed when Ricky Nelson began to sing...
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Retro Redux: Silly Songs - From Edison To Weird Al— It's entirely possible that Thomas Edison, after inventing the phonograph, recorded a wax cylinder of himself...
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Dinner With Clint Eastwood - Music By Frankie Laine— Clint Eastwood's new movie, Flags Of Our Fathers, is getting a lot of attention lately...
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Did Rock & Roll Kill Your Hit Parade?— The rising popularity of rock and roll is generally blamed for heralding the beginning of the end...
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Warming Up To Hank Snow On The Philco— Listening to music now is a lot simpler and easier than it was then, but maybe not quite as... interesting.
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From Billie Holiday To Doris Day - The Songbirds— What do Norma Deloris Egstrom, Frances Rose Shore, Eleanora Fagan Gough, and Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff have in common?
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Dads And Daughters - Nat And Natalie Cole— She had many, many problems, and, through it all, she resisted the temptation to record her Father's songs because...
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Who Was The Real All-American Boy? Elvis, Bobby Bare, Or...— And there was also the inevitable attraction that teenagers have always felt for anything new and a little... dangerous.
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Walkin' Wild In New Orleans With Jimmy Smith— Jimmy Smith not only helped make organ music part of the jazz mainstream, he was also influential in helping create "funk" or "soul" jazz.
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Recalling Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen Tons"— Graveyards, outhouses, and musical memories.
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Brothers Who Swing - Musically
— And speaking of smooth, crooner Bing Crosby and his brother Bob got along pretty well, and even though...
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From Sinatra To Rod Stewart - The Crooner Conundrum— An opinion from football analyst John Madden, talking (in his unique way) about Snoop Dogg...
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From Beach Music to Pulp Fiction - Dick Dale— I have to confess that I really don't remember much about Dick Dale and the Del-Tones.
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Driving, Deja Vu And The Lovin' Spoonful— ...I kept nervously eyeing the rising temperature gauge because the Olds was prone to overheating.
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Was Benny Goodman A Doppelganger?— Once considered to be my musical doppelganger, in ways that go beyond what most people would consider sane and normal.
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Reckless Driving And The Sound Of Roger Miller— Suddenly, I heard something unbelievable coming through the speaker and it distracted me so much that I...
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Significant Beginnings Lead To CCR— My son began developing eclectic tastes in music and playing it so loudly that I could hear it through his bedroom door.
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Acting Naturally: Classic Country Music Ages Well
— For the benefit of those who tend to dismiss geezer music as just "oldies" or maybe something by Glenn Miller...
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Big Band Music In the Movies — The MTV of Its Day— I happened to spot an old black and white musical on one of the cable movie channels the other day...
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Count Basie And The Aristocracy Of Swing Music— I began to notice that there seemed to be a lot of musicians with nicknames that bestowed nobility — even royalty.
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Vinyl Isn't Always Final - Les Brown— I began seriously collecting records when I was a teenager and eventually accumulated quite a few.
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Pokeweed Inspired A Classic Blues Song— If our timing was right, my granddad - who looked nothing like Cary Grant - would be waiting...
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Swing Music: It's About More Than Just Glenn Miller— As a teenager, sitting in my pal Louie’s basement while spinning records and reinforcing my newly-discovered fondness for Swing...
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