Four more losses to reflect on here in 2026 …
These individuals were a Welsh singer known for songs such as “Total Eclipse of the Heart”; an actor who was the firefighter John Gage in Emergency!; was an actress who played Mata Bond in the James Bond spoof Casino Royale; and a character actor who was known for his roles in Police Academy 2 and The Naked Gun 2½.
The album Rumours became a phenomenon almost without precedent, eventually spending 31 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Fleetwood Mac began in London in 1967 during the peak of the British blues explosion, growing directly out of the enormously influential circle surrounding John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
This “Stand Out Single” spent sixteen weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one in February 1969, remaining there for two weeks.
Released in late 1968, “Crimson and Clover” marked a dramatic artistic shift for Tommy James and the Shondells. Up to that point the group had built its reputation on energetic pop-rock hits such as “Hanky Panky,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” and “Mony Mony,” but Tommy James wanted to move into a more psychedelic and atmospheric direction.
This is a series of posts that will talk about my favorite Patriotic Songs!
Johnny Cash’s 1974 spoken-word classic “Ragged Old Flag” stands as one of the most distinctive patriotic recordings in American music, blending storytelling, history, and national reflection into a three-minute recitation that remains closely associated with both the singer and the American flag itself.
This is a series of posts that will talk about some of my favorite songs that contain whistling. See if you agree with any of these!
“Walk Like an Egyptian” is a 1986 pop hit by the Bangles, written by songwriter Liam Sternberg, whose quirky inspiration came from observing people awkwardly balancing themselves on a ferry during rough seas, which he likened to the stylized poses seen in ancient Egyptian art; recorded for the album Different Light,
Four more losses to reflect on here in 2026.
These individuals were a NASCAR driver and champion as well as a broadcaster; an English composer, arranger and keyboardist known for work with Jethro Tull; a singer, songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist, member of the Sylvers; and a contractor and entrepreneur in the oil and gas industry, treasure hunter, and owner of Blind Frog Ranch.
This is a series of posts that will talk about some of my favorite (parenthetical) songs. See if you agree with any of these!
“(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” is the signature song by the American rock band Blue Öyster Cult, released in July 1976 as the lead single from their album Agents of Fortune, and it remains one of the defining rock recordings of the 1970s. Written and sung by lead guitarist Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser, the song emerged from his reflections on mortality after concerns about his own health
The Ventures were unusual because they achieved mass popularity without a vocalist.
The Ventures were among the most influential and commercially successful instrumental groups in popular music history, a band whose crisp guitar lines, relentless rhythm playing, and adventurous studio techniques helped define the sound of early rock guitar long before hard rock, psychedelic music,
Sonny & Cher was a huge part of my childhood, both musically and visually on their wonderful television show.
Before they became a defining pop duo of the mid-1960s, Sonny & Cher emerged from the restless, transitional landscape of early rock and roll, when the industry was shifting from the dominance of teen idols toward more experimental studio-driven sounds. Their eventual chemistry was rooted not only in their contrasting personalities and voices, but also in the musical apprenticeship each underwent separately in Los Angeles, a city rapidly becoming the epicenter of American pop production.
This “Stand Out Single” was one of my Mother’s 45s that I kept in my play stack growing up.
Johnny Horton’s 1959 Columbia Records single “The Battle of New Orleans” backed with “All for the Love of a Girl” became one of the defining country-pop releases of its era and helped establish Horton as one of the premier story-song performers in American music. Released on April 6, 1959,
