Category Archives: Rock

Today’s Music: George M. Cohan, Mississippi John Hurt, Pete Fountain, Fontella Bass

Posted on July 3, 2012 by admin

‘Yankee Doodle Boy’ George M. Cohan was born this day in 1878 (d. 1942). Here’s Jimmy Cagney performing some of his most famous compositions from the 1942 Cohan biopic, Yankee Doodle Dandy. Delta blues legend Mississippi John Hurt was born … Continue reading →

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Today’s Music: Cannonball Adderley Quintet, Rodrigo y Gabriela

Posted on July 2, 2012 by admin

The Cannonball Adderley Quintet, “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” In the mid-1960s, the prevailing opinion among rock DJ’s and radio station programmers across the nation was that jazz instrumentals were not of interest to their listeners. Then Cannonball Adderley released the funky-soulbeat … Continue reading →

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Today’s Music: Willie Dixon, James Cotton, Deborah Harry

Posted on July 1, 2012 by admin

Blues legend Willie Dixon was born today in 1915 (d. 1992). Without composer/bassist/arranger/producer Dixon, there likely would have been no ‘Chicago Blues’ sound, no Muddy Waters, no Howlin’ Wolf, and certainly no Chess Records. Here’s a sampling of some of … Continue reading →

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Today’s Music: Lena Horne, Dave Van Ronk, Yngwie Malmsteen

Posted on June 30, 2012 by admin

Irreplaceable jazz vocalist and the definition of class Lena Horne was born today in 1917 (d. 2010). Here’s her signature tune from 1943: And a live performance many years later: Folk-bluesman and ‘Mayor of MacDougal Street’ Dave Van Ronk started … Continue reading →

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Today’s Music: Bernard Herrmann, Colin Hay

Posted on June 29, 2012 by admin

Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite film composer, Bernard Herrmann, was born this day in 1911 (d. 1975). In his long career, he scored not only the Hitchcock classics Psycho, Vertigo and North By Northwest, but a slew of other films, among them … Continue reading →

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Today’s Music: Hank Garland and Gary Burton, “All the Things You Are”

Posted on June 28, 2012 by admin

And now for something completely different (sort of), here’s country swing guitar king (and one-time Elvis guitarist) Hank Garland with Gary Burton: And here’s Hank wailing on his big hit, “Sugarfoot Rag”:

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Today’s Music: Big Bill Broonzy, Larry Taylor

Posted on June 26, 2012 by admin

Blues legend

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Today’s Music: Clifton Chenier, Harold Melvin, Carly Simon, Allen Lanier

Posted on June 25, 2012 by admin

Zydeco king Clifton Chenier entered the world today in 1925. (He sadly departed it in 1987.) Here are some samples of his Louisiana Cajun-Creole’swamp blues’ played on the accordion that have greatly influenced modern music. Harold Melvin, of Harold Melvin … Continue reading →

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Today’s Music: Mick Fleetwood, Jeff Beck

Posted on June 24, 2012 by admin

Mick Fleetwood, former drummer/co-founder of Fleetwood Mac and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, was born this day in 1942. With The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band: With John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers in 1967: Guitar virtuoso Jeff Beck greeted the world this day in 1944. … Continue reading →

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Today’s Music: ‘Laurel and Hardy,’ “Dueling Banjos”

Posted on June 23, 2012 by admin

Actually, it’s Bob Anthonioz dressed up like Oliver Hardy on the guitar and Philippe Bourgeois as Stan Laurel on the banjo. And here’s Don Reno and Arthur Smith doing the original “Feudin’ Banjos” upon which “Dueling Banjos” was based, way … Continue reading →

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