Drinking That Rock-n-Roll Kool-Aid with Stevie Van Zandt

Drinking That Rock-n-Roll Kool-Aid with Stevie Van Zandt

"Turn the station to Letterman. That guy you like, the one who wears the do-rag, is on the show." That's my mom calling to tell me that Steven Van Zandt is sitting in the guest seat talking to Dave. Good ol' mom...always keeping me abreast of rock star sightings. She may not have remembered the name of that head-wrapped wonder, but she knows I've been infatuated with him for years - as far back as April 12, 1976, when I saw him at my first-ever rock concert. "Who's the sharpie?" I wondered, as I watched this nattily-dressed guy play guitar on stage with his boss Bruce Springsteen at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena in Johnstown, PA. I hadn't seen his picture on any of Bruce's albums. I didn't even know his name. But I knew at that moment that we were going to be soul mates.

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Paul Simon, Homeward Bound

Paul Simon, Homeward Bound

"I'm sittin' in the railway station, got a ticket for my destination." Paul Simon was indeed sitting in a railway station when he wrote - or was inspired to write - those words to "Homeward Bound," an early Simon and Garfunkel single that peaked at #5 on the Billboard charts in December 1965.  Paul had been traveling around England, on…

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Of Tribes and Telecasters: Indigenous Peoples Rock!

Of Tribes and Telecasters: Indigenous Peoples Rock!

The popular music of North America is seasoned with the blood and sweat of every race and nationality: Anglos, Africans, Hispanics, Jews…rockers of all ethnic mixes. But what about the native peoples of North America? Many rock fans know that Cher, Rita Coolidge, and Robbie Robertson have native roots. But when was the last time you heard anything about a rock band comprised predominantly of indigenous peoples from the U.S. or Canada? Well, they're out there! Some have been making music for decades; others are new to the scene. And while many aren't headliners (yet), they're recording, touring, winning awards, and selling lots of music online. Thanks to YouTube and iTunes I've recently become familiar with a number of talented bands that are really catching fire.

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Who is Gram Parsons…And Why Does Yer Blogger Keep Writing About Him?

Who is Gram Parsons…And Why Does Yer Blogger Keep Writing About Him?

I’ve read six books about a singer/songwriter that some of you may barely recognize or recall: Gram Parsons. Six books. And three more that feature him prominently. I begin each book hoping to understand how and why such an enormously gifted musical visionary chose, or was predestined, to recklessly self-destruct at such a young age. The biographies present a wealth of information: about how this well-mannered Southern boy pioneered and popularized the merging of country sounds with rock, rhythm and folk...about his influence on artists as diverse as The Rolling Stones and Elvis Costello...about how he put Emmylou Harris on the map. But all the books end the same way: with Gram dead at age 26 from a heroin overdose in a bleak desert motel room on September 19, 1973. His tragic-romantic personal history rattles my brain. His music rattles my soul.

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Happy Trails, Hippies!

Happy Trails, Hippies!

That's what Woodstock attendees might have heard at the end of the festival if Roy Rogers had agreed to close the show. Woodstock organizer Michael Lang wanted Roy to come on after Jimi Hendrix, the guitar phenomenon everyone had been dying to to see. Speaking to an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences panel on October 26, 2006, Mr.…

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