Prince left behind a vast legacy that transcended genre, race, and convention.
Prince Rogers Nelson, known mononymously as Prince, was born on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His parents, John L. Nelson and Mattie Della Shaw, were both musically inclined—his father a jazz pianist and songwriter, his mother a jazz singer. This musical environment deeply influenced Prince from an early age.
This “Stand Out Single” was number 1 on the U.S. Billboards Adult Contemporary and Hot 100 Charts, also in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Released in late 1971, “American Pie” is one of the most iconic songs in American music history, written and performed by Don McLean. The single was issued as two parts: “American Pie (Part 1)” as the A-side and “American Pie (Part 2)” as the B-side, both extracted from his second studio album American Pie (United Artists, 1971).
This “Stand Out Single” contained the first two songs I ever heard by Elvis!
The single “Don’t Be Cruel” / “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor on July 13, 1956, is widely considered one of the most important double A-side records in rock and roll history. Both tracks became massive hits and showcased Presley’s unique ability to blend rhythm and blues, country, and pop,
Early summer of 2025 has taken 4 more rememberable people that I’ll take a look at here.
These guys were televangelist, gospel singer, and author; played Deputy Cletus Hogg on The Dukes of Hazzard; composed the music for movies like Cool Hand Luke and The Amityville Horror, and TV like Hawaii 5-0; and wrote songs and played guitar for Mott the Hoople and Bad Company.
Great Balls of Fire (1989) – Dennis Quaid (Jerry Lee Lewis) and Alec Baldwin (Jimmy Swaggart) in Great Balls of Fire (1989)
Continue reading “Jimmy Swaggart, Rick Hurst, Lalo Schifrin, and Mick Ralphs Dies”These are songs that contain the word “tumbleweeds” in their lyrics.
“Tumbling Tumbleweeds” is a classic American Western song written by Bob Nolan in the early 1930s, originally titled “Tumbling Leaves” before its reworking. Nolan, a founding member of the Sons of the Pioneers, first recorded the song with the group in 1934, and it quickly became their signature hit.
These songs all have cool, strange, and or notable last lines of the lyrics.
“Taxi,” written and performed by Harry Chapin, was released in 1972 as the lead single from his debut album Heads & Tales. The song, a poignant storytelling ballad, recounts a chance encounter between a taxi driver and his former lover, Sue, highlighting how both abandoned their youthful dreams—he aspired to be a pilot, she an actress—and settled into unfulfilled lives.
This “Stand Out Single” was by a favorite of my mother.
The single “Oh Lonesome Me” / “I Can’t Stop Loving You” by Don Gibson, released in 1958, is one of the most iconic and influential records in country music history. Both tracks were written by Don Gibson himself and recorded in a single session on December 3, 1957, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, produced by Chet Atkins.
Songs all involve a telephone.
“Telephone Line” is a classic ballad by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), written by the band’s frontman Jeff Lynne. Released in 1976 as the third single from their album A New World Record, the song combines a melancholic tone with lush orchestration and a distinctive use of the telephone ring sound.
December 2024 took several musicians that have brought us music through the years.
These musicians brought us the disco song La Freak, the bass lines for the band Simply Red, the late 60s band, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, and the progressive rock sounds of the band Renaissance.
When I was a little girl, I had a rag doll; The only doll I’ve ever owned
“River Deep, Mountain High” is a seminal track in pop and soul music, often hailed as one of the greatest productions of the 1960s. The song was written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich,
