Musical ramblings from the manager
“Look them in the eye and give them a good, firm handshake. None of that ‘wet dishrag’ stuff.” If you had this conversation with your father at some point in your younger years, welcome to the fraternity. I am not exactly sure how far back in time this goes, but when this piece of […]
James Brown lived by “The One”. He learned his rhythmic chops from drummers who learned them from the African traditions of their ancestors. The emphasis on what Brown referred to as “hitting the one” gave him his unique brand of music. Whether it was called “soul” or “funk”, it was a pulsing, drum propelled […]
“The hardest working man in show business.” James Brown couldn’t even escape this title when he died in December of 2006. His family memorial service was squeezed between bookend engagements at The Apollo Theater in New York City and the James Brown Arena in Augusta, Georgia. In holding true with his life on the road, […]
Among the many hats my father wore during his 40 plus year tenure as an employee of the State of Michigan, one was that of a detective. If one ponders the skills that make a good detective, it doesn’t take too much imagination to understand why I never found it in my best interests […]
Contrary to an urban musical myth I am about to burst, not all rock drummers hailing from across the pond are named Mick. Listening to Jeff Beck’s Truth recently (with that relatively unknown vocalist named Rod Stewart out front), I noted the exceptional drumming done by Mick Waller. This got me to […]
There is no reason at all for readers to recognize the name Tom Dowdy. Resplendent in his rhinestone encrusted shirt, he hosted an eponymously titled TV show in Jacksonville, Florida that featured a lot of the popular bluegrass and country artists of the day. Roy Rogers even brought along his horse, Trigger. Though his […]
In 1967, The Cowsills made a big enough splash with their million selling record The Rain, The Park and Other Things that they were booked for ten appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. In their first appearance (October 29, 1967), there were audio problems and the band appeared to be miming for 20 to […]
In a moment of channel surfing, I recently landed upon the movie version of the 1960s counterculture musical Hair staring Treat Williams. I never saw the movie when it came out and I vaguely remember Treat Williams involvement, but I am more familiar with him from his role in the SciFi / horror classic […]
In 1911, Reginald Aubrey Fessenden was fired from his own company. The Canadian born, largely self-educated scientist had finally exhausted the patience of his Pittsburgh based investors who had bankrolled his experiments in radiotelephony. The National Electrical Signalling Company (NESCO) had succeeded in demonstrating the concept of wireless radio broadcasting in December of 1906, […]
My mother has always loved to sing and even at age 93, she is unhappy when her Troubadour singing group fails to meet. The Troubadours are a group at her residence (Brookridge Heights in Marquette) that gather on Sundays to sing and on the occasions when they don’t meet, she is always disappointed. It […]