He said he learned to sing “in church, because of my mother. God bless my mom.” And I read another quote from him that was in response to being called Mr. Evans. He replied, “Don’t call me Mr. Evans; only my minister can call me that.” And American music chart history shows how he had the only record, ever, to reach number 1 at … The rest of the story…
Category Archives: music history
It might still be possible. But my guess is, it’s rare. And I mean it’s rare for a person to have a lyricist career anymore. Especially since actual lyrics, with solid meter and rhyme. But something I shared yesterday led me to look a little more closely at the life of Johnson Oatman Jr. Ironically, Mr. Oatman didn’t really have a lyricist career. And … The rest of the story…
Did you ever attend a church where “In The Sweet By and By” was part of the praise and worship time? I did. And I think, if I close my eyes and listen real close, I can almost hear my Grandmother singing it in her kitchen. In The Sweet By and By There’s a land that is fairer than day, And by faith we … The rest of the story…
Sol was a songwriter. And way ahead of his time. But he could be SO negative. And that’s even after he basically had NO reason to be negative. At least as far as anybody could tell. But he toned down his negativity (a little) when he wrote some famous song lyrics that started with “To everything there is a season.” Can you sing the … The rest of the story…
Way back in 1976 there was a popular band, from Sweden, who enjoyed something most musicians might only dream about. On December 3, of that year, somewhere around three and a half million people applied to get tickets to one of their concerts. And there were only about 11 thousand tickets available. Yeah, I’d say that’s the epitome of a popular band. And I’m … The rest of the story…
I just read a short blurb about Billy Joel’s song “Uptown Girl.” And it said that song was a Number 1 hit for him on the British charts, for five weeks, back in 1983. That started on this day, November 5th. I knew it was popular. And it was even in my playlist for a while, back when I played live music for a … The rest of the story…
Back in 1974 I paid for (and enjoyed, immensely) an America holiday. Because it was an excursion into the best parts of musical imagination. And…what? You think I misspelled it? Oh, I see. You think it should have been American with the n at the end. Yeah, I get it. But no. I got it right. America Holiday. But maybe I should clear up … The rest of the story…
Bob Dylan said it. So, it must be true right? He talked about how you gotta serve somebody. In fact, in one of his songs, he sang “you’re gonna have to serve somebody” quite a few times. So, he must be pretty darn sure it’s true. And, in a way, it is. Sure, you could say you gotta serve somebody, OR… You could say you … The rest of the story…
In 1975 I worked in a disco. Just writing those words sounds crazy to me now. But it’s true. At that time, disco music was big. And if you don’t know what disco was, then you might be too young to be reading this. So, make sure your parents say it’s OK to proceed. Anyway…disco music was the thang. Just do a search for … The rest of the story…
Back when I was the praise and worship music leader for a church in the Denver metro area, I remember announcing, with a quip, a song we were about to sing. I said something like, “This next song is called My Father’s World. But I don’t think this is our Father’s world. Because it’s filled with evil and rebellious people.” That’s what any praise … The rest of the story…