Give me your music, your art, your huddled masses of words and rhythms yearning to breathe free.
Dana Spiardi 
Legendary jazz singer/songwriter Billie Holiday was born Eleanora Fagan on April 7, 1915. You might remember the 1972 biopic, “Lady Sings the Blues,” which was based on Billie’s 1956 autobiography. The book was ghostwritten by William Dufty from a series of conversations with the singer in her New York apartment. According to a 2006 article … Read more
On this date in 1975, one of John Lennon’s most beautiful songs, “No. 9 Dream,” peaked at number 9 on the U.S. charts. It was a cut from his 1974 album, “Walls And Bridges,” his ninth non-Beatles album, which just happened to be released in the ninth month of 1975. Maybe there’s something to this … Read more
Three diminutive stars of the rock world began their musical careers as Artful Dodgers on the London stage. They include Phil Collins and Steve Marriott, both 5’5″, and Davy Jones, 5’3″. Marriott, born January 30, 1947, was a singer, songwriter and musician who fronted two influential groups: the definitive 1960s “mod rock” band Small Faces … Read more
Forty-five years ago today, The Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye” was the number one song in America. For me, the best part of the tune is the sing-along ending coda, “hela, heba helloa.” I just love the way it chug-chugs along. (Those words, written by Paul McCartney, mean absolutely nothing in any any foreign language, by the … Read more
Today would have been the 70th birthday of Rick Danko, the Canadian musician and singer best known as the bassist and fiddle-player for The Band. Did you know that he was the one who found and rented the famous pink house, where so much musical history was made in the late 1960s? The house, known … Read more