Contains “old” categories from before website rebuild.
When The Rolling Stones released the album "Their Satanic Majesties Request" in December 1967, they probably never imagined their oft-busted lead singer would one day hobnob with majesties of a very different sort. Ah, but rock-n-roll is an ever-evolving beast of beauty. And so it went that 35 years later - on December 12, 2003 - Mick Jagger was knighted by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales for "services to music," despite the fact that Queen Elizabeth II never cared for the singing, swinging sexpot and his liaisons with her libertine sister Princess Margaret.
’Tis the season to see “Jews for Jesus” popping up around Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, the vibrant center of Jewish culture here in the city. Why, just the other day I was strolling to the iconic Little’s Shoe Store, my beloved Bethlehem of Boots, when I saw two spunky dudes dressed in blue “Jews for Jesus” t-shirts (the o in…
The Rolling Stones' 1966 release, "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" isn't a song normally thought of as a Mother's Day tribute tune. Nor was it intended as such. Its ambiguous lyrics hint that mom's doing something of a shadowy nature. Mick Jagger sings the narcissistic lyric, "tell me a story about how you adore me." Shouldn't that line be the other way around? Okay, so although this is definitely NOT a song you'd want to include on your mix-tape for Mother's Day, it does serve as a reminder: have YOU seen your mother lately, baby? Today let's take a look at the women who gave life to some famous entertainers.
They didn't ride motorcycles through the halls of L.A.'s legendary Hyatt House, pay hotel doormen to smuggle hot groupies into their rooms, or smash pricey guitars to smithereens during performances. In fact, they didn't pull any of the typical stunts made famous by the male rock pioneers of the 1960s and '70s. Yet, they were trailblazers nonetheless. I'm talking about the mostly forgotten women of the early electric bands, who proved you didn't need testosterone to have talent. They wielded Strats, hammered Ludwigs, went on tour, signed record deals…and then just faded into footnotes. Now maybe, had they become obscenely rich, spoiled rotten by record executives, and bored shitless from endless touring, they might have developed the rock star habit of tossing TVs out of hotel windows. Maybe. But we'll never know. Here's the first in a series of articles showcasing the electric girl groups you've probably never heard of.
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.
