You’ve heard this before. Time waits for no one. The Rolling Stones even had a song with that title. So, that proves it’s got to be true. Right? Time waits for no one and it doesn’t teach many either. Days … Read the rest
Tag Archives: music history
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 … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
What if you drove a truck for a living? And what if you went from driving a truck to singing in a band. And what if your band did so badly that you were told to go back to driving … Read the rest
Income tax brackets. Now, those three words should never go together. Because when they do, they inevitably invite confusion, envy, and thievery. And even knucklehead, one-track-mind musicians can figure that out. In fact, income tax brackets influenced the name of … Read the rest
I read about a guy, named Andreas Cornelius van Kujik, who promoted the occasional medicine show, or carnival, or other cheap entertainment. One of those interesting shows was called “The Great Parker Pony Circus.” And another was called “Tom Parker … Read the rest
I wasn’t even a teenager, and rock music, for the most part, wasn’t played in my Dad’s house. How’s that for an icebreaker? Well, that scenario sets up something that happened back in 1966. A band, named Cream made their … Read the rest
At the end of the summer, in 1972, I drove my ’65 Plymouth Fury back to Texas from Kansas. And a lot of the drive was on highways 69 and 75 through Kansas, into Oklahoma, and then from Tulsa, Oklahoma … Read the rest
54 years ago, today, something stupid happened. And a few people made a bunch of money because of it. Yeah, apparently there were lots of people in America and England who played a part in this event. In fact, I’m … Read the rest
John Lennon, that slightly famous Beatles guy, once said the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. And I actually think he might’ve been taken a little out of context by reporters and fans at the time. Because I’ve checked into … Read the rest
Ode to Joy is a musical and spiritual alloy. Even if Ludwig didn’t mean it that way. And of course, I’m talking about Beethoven’s Symphony #9. Or at least a section of it. If you wanna give your brain a … Read the rest
He said he had a dream where he heard Mexican trumpets. And I guess that’s how they became such a recognizable part of his hit song, “Ring of Fire.” In fact, it went to number 1 on March 25, 1963. … Read the rest
I remember a young lady telling me about The Joshua Tree when I was in Albuquerque, New Mexico back in 1987. I was booked there for two weeks, and she and couple of other friends asked me if I’d heard … Read the rest
Back in my school days, there was a spunky and long song with a chorus that said, “Bye bye Miss American Pie.” It was written, performed, and recorded by Don Maclean. And lots of people thought the song was about … Read the rest
In 1981 I joined a popular trio, in Atlanta, Georgia. They added me as their drummer, and all four of us sang. So, we had some nice 4 part harmonies. And I remember how their fans enjoyed our rendition of … Read the rest