Sonic Highways
I'm happy to hear that Dave Grohl will -- when he recovers from breaking his leg during a Foo Fighters concert last week -- do another season of his HBO documentary series, "Sonic Highways." I enjoyed last year's trips through the musical histories of major American...
Remembering Ronnie Gilbert
Ronnie Gilbert died yesterday at age 88, of natural causes. When I was young, her voice was a regular presence in my home because my parents were such fans of The Weavers, the folk quartet made up of Gilbert, Lee Hays, Fred Zimmerman, and Pete Seeger, who gained fame...
Showbiz Show 6/5/15
This week on the showbiz segment of my show, Colin Jeffrey and I reviewed the movie version of "Entourage" (with the entire cast of the TV show and a slew of celebrity cameos) and the Brian Wilson biopic "Love and Mercy" (with Paul Dano, John Cusack, Elizabeth Banks,...
The King Of The Blues
The first time I saw BB King I was 18 years old and had no idea who he was. I'd had no exposure to the blues and since this was decades before Google and iTunes and YouTube, and he'd never appeared on any TV show I watched, I had no way to see what kind of performer...
BB King
I have a couple of stories about the late, great blues legend BB King that I'll share with you later, but for now, while lots of people are tweeting and posting "The Thrill Is Gone," I prefer to remember him this way:
Louie Louie Explained
Jack Ely, who sang the rock classic "Louie Louie" for the Kingsmen, died this week at 71. I never talked to him, but I did interview his bandmate, Dick Peterson, in 2006. He explained why their version was so unintelligible, why J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI went after...
Moonlight Feels Right
I hadn't happened upon this song for a very long time until I heard it in a restaurant yesterday. To my knowledge, it's the only Top 40 hit ever to include a vibraphone solo in the middle. This is a live performance from a couple of years ago by most of the members of...
Roger McGuinn Returns
Roger McGuinn, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and founder of The Byrds, returned to my show today to talk about his upcoming show at the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, where he'll tell stories about his career and sing some of his classics. Among the topics we...