Eclectic Ladyland

Bob Dylan and Scarlet Rivera: Strings of Rolling Thunder

by

Man, I can’t tell you how many times my shrink has had to listen to me recount this dream: I’m strutting down the street decked out like Joan Jett — carrying a guitar/amp/tambourine/harmonica – when a car pulls over and a famous, seasoned musician asks me to stop by a recording studio and rehearse with him. Instant stardom, based on nothing more than IMAGE. Hey, it’s no more far fetched than grabbing 15 minutes of fame by being anointed “star du jour” by the glam-bam-thank-you-ma’am “American Idol” judges. Being swept off the street by a rock star may be nothing more than a wet dream for yer blogger, but this really did happen to a young violinist named Donna Shea, better known as Scarlet Rivera.

The Leader of the ‘Doomed Love’ Singles

by

Picture this: Good-girl Betty meets motorcycle bad-boy Jimmy at a candy store, where he’s obviously buying candy cigarettes. He turns around and smiles at her. You get the picture?  (Who knew that candy stores were such popular pick-up joints in 1964?) But is she really going out with him? Yep, the next thing you know, she takes Jimmy’s ring, wraps her legs ’round those velvet rims, and straps her hands ‘cross his engines (no, wait; that’s another song about an outcast luring a chick to his Harley).  Anyway, Daddy tells her to ditch the biker. Alas, the sad, misunderstood Jimmy drives off into the sunset to crash and burn. Oh, the drama, the poignancy, the sound effects! How we all longed for a Jimmy who would self-destruct for us! Yes, folks, I’m talking about the Shangri-Las’ doomed-love classic “Leader of the Pack,” which hit the #1 spot on the Billboard charts 50 years ago today.

The Heroine of Hang on Sloopy

by

“Hang on, Snoopy, Snoopy hang on.” At least that’s what I thought the band was singing until I bought that seminal 1965 single by The McCoys, and realized that Snoopy was actually Sloopy. But who the heck was THAT? Obviously not a beagle who sat on a doghouse wearing a WWI flying helmet.

Ode to Bobbie Gentry…and that Tallahatchie Bridge

by

“It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day…” I sing in the car. This is about as far as I get before my sweet hubby groans, “Okay, THAT’S enough.” He knows what’s coming next: the entire five verses of Bobbie Gentry’s Southern gothic hit, “Ode to Billie Joe.” Yep, I’ve known the lyrics to that moody little song frontwards and backwards since Daddy first brought home the single in July 1967. The beautiful Bobbie is 70 years old today, and I want to thank her for inspiring me at a young age to write about my life and my observations.

‘Lady Sings the Blues’ Biopic: The True Spirit of Billie Holiday?

by

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 by San Francisco Chronicle writer Jesse Hamlin, people well-acquainted with Billie disliked the movie, feeling it didn’t reflect her true spirit.