James Taylor Guitar Lesson
I don't have many regrets in life, but one of them is that I stopped playing guitar when I was 13 years old. I had started taking lessons when I was 8 and, although my hands were too small to form many of the bar chords, I enjoyed being able to make music. When I was...
They Gave What To Who?
Like many people, I was surprised the Nobel Prize For Literature went to Bob Dylan -- not because his lyrics don't qualify as literature (they do, as much as any other poetry that's not set to music), but because I didn't know the Nobel committee gave out lifetime...
No Show Today, But Dolly
Ian, Dan, Colin, and I are still too depressed about the end of Brangelina, so we won't be on the air this afternoon. That means I won't be posting any podcasts this weekend, but in the meantime, you can enjoy Dolly Parton doing a beautiful a cappella version of her...
David Bromberg, “Mr. Bojangles”
Forty years ago today, I was first introduced to the music of David Bromberg when he did an open-air concert at the college I attended. I was mesmerized, became an instant fan, and have since worn out the compilation of his best songs, "Out Of The Blues." One of the...
Rod Stewart In Concert
Rod Stewart has one of the great voices in rock history, with a songbook that includes dozens of tunes I played hundreds of times in my music radio days, but I'd never seen him in concert. While in Vegas with my daughter earlier this month, I got tickets to see him in...
Graham Nash’s Wild Tales
Three years ago, Graham Nash released his autobiography, "Wild Tales," which included some great stories about his early days as a rocker in Manchester, England, his years with the Hollies, and his still-going partnership with David Crosby and Stephen Stills. It was a...
Campaign Songs Controversy
On his HBO "Late Week Tonight" show Sunday, John Oliver did this bit about politicians who use songs without the permission of people who created them. He cited Trump being introduced at the Republican National Convention to Queen's "We Are The Champions," the DNC's...
Phone Free Events
Here's an idea I heartily endorse. Performers including Alicia Keys, Louis CK, and the Lumineers have told fans that their concerts are "phone-free events." You can leave your smartphone in your car or at home or, if you simply can't part with it while at the venue,...