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Ode to Bobbie Gentry…and that Tallahatchie Bridge

Post author:Dana Spiardi
Post category:Cool Country Cats & Fab Folkies Eclectic Ladyland Singer-Songwriters & Indie Artists
Post comments:11 Comments
Post published:July 27, 2014

"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.

Brian May – The Asteroidal Axeman

Post author:Dana Spiardi
Post category:Brits Beyond The Beatles & Stones Guitarists: The Axemen Cometh
Post comments:5 Comments
Post published:July 19, 2014

Lots of rockers and actors have had asteroids named in their honor, but Brian May is no doubt the only true scientist of the bunch. The brainy guitarist/astrophysicist best known for his work with Queen turns 67 today. I could always recognize his distinctive style. He used his custom-built "Red Special" guitar to produce sounds that mimicked all kinds of instruments, such as trombones and piccolos. In 2012, readers of Guitar World magazine voted him the 2nd greatest guitarist of all time, and Rolling Stone pegged him at #26 in their list of Top 100 guitarists.

Ognir Rrats: They’re Gonna Put Me in the Movies

Post author:Dana Spiardi
Post category:Beatles Film, TV, Stage, Media
Post comments:3 Comments
Post published:July 7, 2014

When Ringo sang the words of Buck Owens' hit "Act Naturally" on the B side of the 1965 Beatles' single "Yesterday," little did he know that acting would become a second career of sorts. "Well, I'll bet you I'm gonna be a big star. Might win an Oscar, you can never tell," he wailed in his no-frills voice. Well, the plucky drummer may not have lasted a day in the acting workshops of Lee Strasberg or Stella Adler, but he managed to put his kooky stamp on a number of independently-made films through the years, sharing credits with acting giants like Peter Sellers and Richard Burton. And then there was that TV movie of his. Hmmm, does anybody out there remember Ognir Rrats (Ringo Starr spelled backwards)? Allow me to refresh your memory.

She Loves You — The Beatles’ One and Only Swan Song

Post author:Dana Spiardi
Post category:Beatles
Post comments:2 Comments
Post published:July 1, 2014

"Swan song" is a term that refers to a final effort or performance. But, when I think of swan song as it relates to The Beatles, their early hit "She Loves You" comes to mind. By September 1963, the band was fast becoming a phenomenon in England, but couldn't manage to grab the attention of a major record label in the U.S. Beatles' manager Brian Epstein finally turned to the small Philadelphia-based Swan Records to release the single that was flying off the shelves in the U.K.

Keeping My Foreign Tongue in Cheek

Post author:Dana Spiardi
Post category:Rants, Reflections, Ruminations
Post comments:0 Comments
Post published:June 23, 2014

"What's with all this telephone nonsense of "'Press 1 for English, press 2 for Spanish'? You live in America. Speak American, you damn illegals, or go home." Ah, the words of the xenophobes. Well, yer blogger has figuratively "pressed 2 for English" in every country she's ever visited. In the 1970s, my little school offered only three foreign languages, Latin,…