Who Was the Fabbest of them All? To the Yanks of ’64, Ringo Reigned Supreme.

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The 1964 Presidential race is remembered for the landslide victory of Lyndon Johnson over Barry Goldwater. But do you remember the "candidate" whose grassroots campaign was thrust forward by a horde of enthusiastic teenagers? Hint: it was a Beatle. Surprise! It's probably not the one you might have guessed. When the Beatles conquered America 50 years ago, Ringo Starr quickly became the favorite of the band's American fans, including me. From his beat-happy debut on the Ed Sullivan show, to his hilarious hip-swiveling Elvis imitation during the band's first press conference, to his scene-stealing role in "A Hard Days Night," Ringo charmed the Yanks like no other. Yes, in the parlance of the times, the diminutive drummer was gear that year.

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My Sweet Lord: He’s So Fine…I’m So Screwed!

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Geez, you write a song to honor The Lord, and you end up getting sued! That's some crazy karma. In what is without doubt the most high-profile copyright infringement suit in music, a U.S. District Court once ordered George Harrison to pay more than $1,599,987 to music publisher Bright tunes for "subconsciously" plagiarizing The Chiffon's "He's Fo Fine" when writing his 1971 mega-hit "My Sweet Lord."

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Heartstrings: B.B. and Lucille, Albert and Lucy, and Stevie Ray and his First Wife

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Guitarists love the ladies, especially those with long necks, shapely bodies, and melodic voices. Here are three love stories about legendary bluesmen and the instruments they adored.

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How Come Together Came Together

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John Lennon was one spinal cracker, alright. Who else would LSD guru Timothy Leary ask to write a campaign song for his ill-fated gubernatorial run against Ronald Reagan in 1969? Lennon set out to write a song based on Leary's campaign slogan, Come Together, Join the Party. His original lyric began, "Come together right now, don't come tomorrow, don't come alone." Leary felt the words were awkward and the song unusable. Little matter; the aspirations of the PhD psychologist-turned drug advocate would soon come to an end when he was imprisoned for marijuana possession. But by now John had a good title. And he ended up writing one of his edgiest, self-described gobbledygook songs, ever.

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Remembering Phil Lynott, an Overlooked Artist

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Here's what you probably don't know about Thin Lizzy, a band most Americans consider a 2-hit wonder: they were the first Irish or English group to feature a bi-racial artist as frontman; and they employed both Catholic and Protestant musicians from both sides of the Irish border during the height of the ethnic/nationalist conflicts of the 1970s. Phil Lynott, the band's singer, songwriter, and bassist died 28 years ago today at age 37 from alcohol abuse. He formed the group in Dublin in 1969 and wrote their two mid-'70s hits, "Jailbreak" and "The Boys are Back in Town." With their powerful double lead guitar harmony sound, Thin Lizzy is revered by some as the best hard rock band to emerge from Ireland. So, what's the story about those boys who came back to town?

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