September 23rd

It’s the birthday of John Coltrane (1926), Ray Charles (1930) and Bruce Springsteen (1949).

It ought to be a damn holiday.

Oh, and four-time Oscar nominee Mickey Rooney is 87, Julio Iglesias is 64, Emmy winner Mary Kay Place is 60, and seven-time Emmy nominee Jason Alexander is 48.

Trane.

“My music,” John Coltrane said, “is the spiritual expression of what I am — my faith, my knowledge, my being…” The grandson of ministers, he began his career in the blues clubs of Philadelphia, and throughout his career combined the sacred and the secular in the intense, earnest sound of his saxophone. His musical sermons, by turns somber and ecstatic, radiated his undying faith in music’s power to heal.

Coltrane fell under the spell of Charlie Parker at age 18 and dedicated himself to a practice regime that sometimes found him asleep, fingers still ghosting the keys. He first gained fame as a member of Miles Davis’s classic quintet in 1955, worked with Thelonious Monk, then took the lessons he’d learned from those masters and became a leader in his own right — and the most admired, most influential and most adventurous saxophonist of the 1960s.

“There is never any end,” Coltrane said. “There are always new sounds to imagine; new feelings to get at. And always, there is the need to keep purifying these feelings and sounds so that … we can give … the best of what we are.” (Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame)

The Genius.

Many musicians possess elements of genius, but only one — the great Ray Charles — so completely embodies the term that it’s been bestowed upon him as a nickname. Charles displayed his genius by combining elements of gospel and blues into a fervid, exuberant style that would come to be known as soul music. While recording for Atlantic Records during the Fifties, the innovative singer, pianist and bandleader broke down the barriers between sacred and secular music. The gospel sound he’d heard growing up in the church found its way into the music he made as an adult. In his own words, he fostered “a crossover between gospel music and the rhythm patterns of the blues.” But he didn’t stop there: over the decades, elements of country & western and big-band jazz have infused his music as well. He is as complete and well-rounded a musical talent as this century has produced. (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

The Boss.

Bruce Springsteen ranks alongside such rock and roll figureheads as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Bob Dylan. Just as those artists shaped popular music, Springsteen served as a pivotal figure in its evolution with his rise to prominence in the mid-Seventies. Early on, he was touted as one of several heirs to Bob Dylan’s mantle. All of these would-be “new Dylans”-who also included Loudon Wainwright, John Prine and Elliott Murphy-rose above the hype, but Springsteen soared highest, catapulting himself to fame on the unrestrained energy of his live shows, the evocative power of his songwriting, and the direct connection he forged with his listeners.

Springsteen lifted rock and roll from its early Seventies doldrums, providing continuity and renewal at a point when it was sorely in need of both. During a decade in which disco, glam-rock, heavy-metal and arena-rock provided different forms of escape into fantasy, Springsteen restored a note of urgency and realism to the rock and roll landscape. (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

I had a friend was a big baseball player
Back in high school
He could throw that speedball by you
Make you look like a fool boy
Saw him the other night at this roadside bar
I was walking in, he was walking out
We went back inside sat down had a few drinks
But all he kept talking about was

Glory days well they’ll pass you by
Glory days in the wink of a young girl’s eye
Glory days, glory days

Handy Safari Add-on (and more)

A Safari plug-in that adds the following:
- Open tabs with a double click on the tab bar.
- Open new tabs with the URL in the clipboard.
- Close tabs by middle-clicking.

Apple - Downloads - Internet Utilities - Twicetab

A neat, free piece of software that helps you build fantastic playlists from the music stored on your Mac. It’s like a musical assistant who knows exactly which songs will fit together and which songs won’t.

Apple - Downloads - iPod + iTunes - The Filter

Best line of the day, so far

“It’s amazing how many Republicans call me for support. And then they go, ‘You’re a Republican right?’ And you go, ‘Well I’m actually a lifetime Democrat.’”

Toby Keith, who also says:

“Some sorority chick called my daughter a — said she shouldn’t be in the sorority cause she’s just white trash with money,” Keith said. “And she laughed. And my wife was all upset. But I thought it was a great album title.”

Thanks to Functional Ambivalent for the link.

Hey Good Lookin’

Hiram Williams was born on this date 84 years ago. We know him as Hank.

Hank Williams is an inductee of both the Country Music and Rock and Roll halls of fame.

Hank Williams’s legend has long overtaken the rather frail and painfully introverted man who spawned it. Almost singlehandedly, Williams set the agenda for contemporary country songcraft, but his appeal rests as much in the myth that even now surrounds his short life. His is the standard by which success is measured in country music on every level, even self-destruction.

— Country Music Hall of Fame

The words and music of Hank Williams echo across the decades with a timelessness that transcends genre. He brought country music into the modern era, and his influence spilled over into the folk and rock arenas as well. Artists ranging from Gram Parsons and John Fogerty (who recorded an entire album of Williams’ songs after leaving Creedence Clearwater Revival) to the Georgia Satellites and Uncle Tupelo have adapted elements of Williams’ persona, especially the aura of emotional forthrightness and bruised idealism communicated in his songs. Some of Williams’ more upbeat country and blues-flavored numbers, on the other hand, anticipated the playful abandon of rockabilly.

— Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Hank Williams died in the back seat of his Cadillac. He was found and declared dead on New Year’s Day 1953. He was 29.

Riley B. King

… is 82 today. Should be a freakin’ national holiday if you ask me. Many more B.B. Many more.

Elsewhere, Lauren Bacall is 83. Miss Bacall was nominated for best actress in a supporting role for her performance in The Mirror Has Two Faces.

Elgin Baylor is 73.

Had Elgin Baylor been born 25 years later, his acrobatic moves would have been captured on video, his name emblazoned on sneakers, and his face plastered on cereal boxes. But he played before the days of widespread television exposure, so among the only records of his prowess that remain are the words of those who saw one of the greatest ever to play.

NBA.com

Robin Yount is 52.

Robin Yount was a productive hitter who excelled in the field at two of baseball’s most challenging positions - shortstop and center field. Playing his entire 20-year career with the Milwaukee Brewers, he collected more hits in the 1980s than any other player and finished with an impressive career total of 3,142. An every day major leaguer at age 18, Yount earned MVP awards at two positions and his 1982 MVP campaign carried the Brewers to the World Series.

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Mickey Rourke is 51.

Jennifer Tilly is 49. Tilly received an Oscar nomination as best supporting actress for Bullets Over Broadway. Better yet she was the voice of Celia, Mike’s love interest, in Monsters, Inc.

Marc Anthony is 38.

To Infinity — And Beyond

NewMexiKen has written about the Voyager spacecraft and the Golden Record here, here and here. But I failed in the past few weeks to note the 30th anniversary of their launches in 1977. Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, 1977 and Voyager 1 on September 5, 1977.

Both spacecraft — now in interstellar space, outside the area where our Sun dominates the environment — continue to send back data. Voyager 1 is further from Earth than any other manmade object and leaving us behind at 38,000 miles per hour.

NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have a site devoted to Voyager.

And there is a site with the recordings on the Voyager Golden Record: Sounds and Music of Earth.

Thanks to John for the last link and the reminder.

Two Music Immortals

… were born on September 8th.

Jimmie Rodgers, considered the “Father of Country Music,” was born in Meridian, Mississippi, on September 8, 1897. He died from TB in 1933. Jimmie Rodgers was the first person inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and among the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

James Charles Rodgers, known professionally as the Singing Brakeman and America’s Blue Yodeler, was the first performer inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was honored as the Father of Country Music, “the man who started it all.” From many diverse elements—the traditional melodies and folk music of his southern upbringing, early jazz, stage show yodeling, the work chants of railroad section crews and, most importantly, African-American blues—Rodgers evolved a lasting musical style which made him immensely popular in his own time and a major influence on generations of country artists.

Blue Yodel No. 9

Patsy Cline, the most popular female country singer in recording history, was born in Winchester, Virginia, on September 8, 1932. She died in a plane crash in 1963. Patsy Cline is an inductee of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Cline is invariably invoked as a standard for female vocalists, and she has inspired scores of singers including k. d. lang, Loretta Lynn, Linda Ronstadt, Trisha Yearwood, and Wynonna Judd. Her brief career produced the #1 jukebox hit of all time, “Crazy” (written by Willie Nelson) and her unique, crying style and vocal impeccability have established her reputation as the quintessential torch singer.

Crazy

Apple’s Beat Goes On

Things gleaned from Steve Jobs’s presentation for Apple today. I thought live blogging this would be dreamy for me, and there must be at least a few iPod/iTunes users who read NewMexiKen.

iTunes has sold over 3 billion songs and over 95 million videos.

32% of all music released in the U.S. is only released digitally (no CDs, etc.). Nearly a third!

Tonight there’ll be another new version of iTunes for you to download.

500,000 iTunes songs will be available as iPhone ringtones for just an additional 99¢ each.

They’ve sold 110 million iPods and every item in the line is being refreshed or replaced (in time for the holidays).

A new iPod nano. With video. Metal, not plastic. More storage. With Cover Flow (to scroll through album covers). 2-inch screen (same as iPod). Great resolution, 204 ppi. Still uses wheel for scrolling (no touch screen, like the iPhone). Even smaller than existing nano. Games. 24-hour battery life for audio (5 for video).

Jobs endorses The Daily Show.

4GB Nano $149. 8GB Nano $199. In stores this weekend.

The iPod is now to be called the iPod classic. A new 160GB version. 40,000 songs in your pocket. (Does anyone have 40,000 songs?) 40-hour battery life for audio. Smaller than original iPod with 8X the capacity. $349. 80GB model now $249. Shipping today. In stores this weekend.

And introducing the iPod touch. 3.5-inch widescreen. It’s the iPhone without the phone! It’s a third of an inch thinner than the iPhone. With WiFi and Safari. YouTube. 22-hour battery life for audio, 5 for video. 8GB ($299) and 16GB ($399). Shipping in September!

And there’s a wireless iTunes Store on the iPod touch (and iPhone). Search, preview, buy and download from anywhere (anywhere there’s WiFi).

I want one!

Jobs says the customer satisfaction numbers on the iPhone are the highest for any Apple product ever. So they’re dropping the price from $599 to $399! 33%!

And then Jobs introduced KT Tunstall to perform live.

Best opening lines to songs

Jesus’ General suggests some best opening lines to songs and asks you to name more.

Here’s a few from NMK:

Baby take off your coat, real slow
— Joe Cocker, “You Can Leave Your Hat On”

Some folks are born, made to wave the flag,
Ooh they’re red, white and blue
— Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son”

Life, it’s ever so strange, it’s so full of change
You think that you’ve worked it out then,
Bang, right out of the blue, somethin’ happens to you,
To throw you off course
— Jem, “Just a Ride”

All the Gold in California
Is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills
In somebody else’s name
— The Gatlin Brothers, “All the Gold in California”

My my, hey hey,
Rock and roll is here to stay
— Neil Young, “My My, Hey Hey”

When this war is over, it will be a better day
— Eric Clapton & J.J. Cale, “When This War is Over”

Stuff about Stuff

Speculation is that new iPods will be introduced next Wednesday so don’t go out and buy one this weekend. People are guessing they’ll have full-size screens like the iPhone.

Though we are less certain of the specifications for the new sixth generation iPod, it may closely resemble the iPhone (without calling features). Specifically, we expect the sixth gen iPod to be a widescreen device with multitouch technology. It may also have Wi-Fi capability and the capacity could be as high as 160GB.

AllThingsD

Test Your Internet Speed. The test said my download speed was 6.03 Mbps and my upload speed 2.08 Mbps.

Four Hands Guitar.

All-Time Great College Football Quotes. Example: “Football is not a contact sport-it is a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport.” — Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State.

The HubbleSite has a nice feature about Tonight’s sky. It’s a short film each month on what to look for among the constellations, deep sky objects, planets, and events. And I learned about the Teapot.

City Music

Just foolin’ around with iTunes, I came up with a list of “city” songs.

Here’s a dozen:

Chicago — Frank Sinatra
Detroit City — Bobby Bare
(I Left My Heart In) San Francisco — Tony Bennett
Jackson — Johnny Cash & June Carter
The Lights of Albuquerque — Jim Glaser
Lodi — Creedence Clearwater Revival
Memphis Underground — Herbie Mann
Oh, Atlanta — Alison Krauss & Union Station
Philadelphia Freedom — Elton John
Portland Oregon — Loretta Lynn
Take Me Back to Tulsa — Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Theme from New York, New York — Frank Sinatra

More anyone? (The name of a U.S. city in the title.)

Of course, the best city song ever is Freddy Cannon’s Tallahassee Lassie.

Did you know?

“Happy Birthday to You” is copyright protected through 2030. The rights are owned by Time Warner and it brings in around $2 million a year.

If you sing it in public without permission (which means paying Time Warner for the privilege), it’s a copyright violation.

I wonder if I could get a job as a copyright bounty hunter. You know, hang out at Chucky Cheese and similar places, and when the kids all sing “Happy Birthday” demand payment for Time Warner and then get a percentage.

Oldies, but goodies

According to Fred Bronson:

“Sean Kingston continues his domination of The Billboard Hot 100, as ‘Beautiful Girls’ tops the list for the second week. That chart-topper has put songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in first place for the first time in 48 years.”

Leiber and Stoller wrote such songs as “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Stand By Me,” “Spanish Harlem,” “On Broadway,” “Love Potion #9,” “Kansas City,” “There Goes My Baby,” “Fools Fall In Love,” and “Ruby Baby.” And just about everything by The Coasters.

Meanwhile a song written by Lennon and McCartney is in the Country Top 100, “Revolution,” by Rascal Flatts.

And Ella Fitzgerald has an album in the Top 200, “Love Letters from Ella,” a Starbucks album. Bronson notes that Ella’s career began in 1934, her first “chart” appearance was 51 years ago.

Not an oldie, Carrie Underwood has “the highest new entry ever for a solo female artist” — “So Small.”

Voices we know

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bobbie Hatfield was born on this date in 1940. When Hatfield died in November 2003 NewMexiKen posted this:

The Righteous Brothers — blue-eyed soul. No one believed they were white. The name had something to do with that, but it was the sound that fooled everyone.

Bobby Hatfield had the higher voice; Bill Medley the lower. In the book accompanying the Phil Spector compilation, Back to Mono, songwriter Cynthia Weil recalls that:

After Phil, Barry [co-writer Barry Mann] and I finished the song, we took it over to The Righteous Brothers. Bill Medley, who has the low voice, seemed to like the song. I remember Bobby Hatfield saying, “But what do I do while he’s singing the whole first verse?” and Phil said, “You can go directly to the bank!”

On AM radio in those days deejays didn’t like songs that lasted more than three minutes. Lovin’ Feelin’ is 3:46. On the label Spector printed 3:05. It was number one for two weeks in February 1965.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Veronica Bennett was born on this date in 1943. That’s Ronnie Spector, one-time Mrs. Phil Spector (married 1968-1974), and lead singer of The Ronettes (with her sister and cousin). Hits included Be My Baby and Walkin’ in the Rain.

“I like to look the way Ronnie Spector sounds: sexy, hungry, totally trashy. I admire her tonal quality.” — Madonna, quoted at RonnieSpector.com.

The Ronettes were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.

La bohème

“The Santa Fe Opera and the City of Albuquerque have teamed up to present a live simulcast of Puccini’s opera, La bohème at the beautiful green Tiguex Park.”

Official City News

Saturday, August 11, 8:30 — free!

Now, how about some free Shakespeare?

Live Earth

The concerts are live from around the world.

This Land Is Your Land

Getting in the mood for Independence Day.

Arlo’s got about as much of a claim to this song as anyone — This Land is Your Land. [YouTube video, embedding not permitted.]

Springsteen does it his way, after a long introduction. [YouTube video.]

Best line of the day, so far

Let’s get out of Iraq
and get back on the track
— Merle Haggard

Dear GOP –

When you’ve lost Merle, well, you’re pretty much down to your cousins.

Charles Pierce

Blogging to a beat

I could blog without a lot of things but I doubt I could blog without iTunes.

Now playing 11110 random tracks. The last dozen:

1. The One I Love Is Gone / Linda Ronstadt-Ann Savoy
2. Dimming of the Day / Bonnie Raitt
3. It’s So Easy / Guns N’ Roses
4. Strange Meadow Lark / Dave Brubeck
5. Bye Bye Bird / Sonny Boy Williamson
6. Mother and Child Reunion / Paul Simon
7. I Cried for You / Billie Holiday
8. Moments to Remember / The Four Lads
9. Drop That Sack [Rare Take] / Louis Armstrong
10. Come On Come On / Mary Chapin Carpenter
11. Rock Me Baby / Jimi Hendrix
12. My Baby Thinks He’s A Train / Rosanne Cash

Did you notice?

iTunes 7.3, which was released yesterday to incorporate the iPhone, alphabetizes the library differently than its predecessors.

Punctuation marks are somehow incorporated into the order — for example, Miles Davis’s ‘Round Midnight or Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ on the) Dock of the Bay. These used to be listed before “A” because of the apostrophe and the parenthesis. Now they show up under R and S.

And numbers now come after the letters rather than before — for example, Prince’s 1999.

I don’t care — I think I prefer this — but I thought it odd that the change was made.

——–

Some other stuff:

If you’re a shut-in you can check out the Moon Phase. (Today’s was a blue moon for most of the world. The U.S. had a blue moon last month.)

Here’s a bunch of photos of celebrities when they were kids. They’re captioned, but how many would you recognize?

For whatever reason, a video of Mika Brzezinski trying to do the right thing — and two knuckleheads.

How fast can you handle simple mathematical calculations?

Here in ‘Burque, using a pseudonym, a member of Mayor Marty’s cabinet called his radio show to flatter Marty and rail against the city council. Linda has ‘always been my alter-ego name’ CFO Gail Reese later said. Tbe Albuquerque Tribune has the story.

And Scott Adams has a take on lottery winners, prompted by the couple that won $105 million Wednesday night.

But I notice that the people who win are coincidentally the people who would be best for marketing future Powerball lotteries. You know what story you will never hear about a lottery winner? It’s this one:

“Wealthy bachelor neurosurgeon, age 30, wins $300 million in the lottery. The lucky winner, Winston Arbuckle III, says he plans to “Buy another yacht, smoke more weed, and float around the Mediterranean until I die from the clap.” Asked about his neurosurgery practice, Arbuckle quipped, “I never liked sick people.”

No, you will only hear stories about the modest couple with the hard-working husband, usually in his late fifties or early sixties. They will be “thinking about” getting a nicer house. In this latest lottery story, the husband is a long-haul trucker whose truck has recently crapped out. He plans to buy a new (used) truck and keep working.

500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll

In NewMexiKen’s opinion the best “list” of pop music is “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.” This is the list that was compiled by curators, rock critics and historians in 1995 for the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

I’m up to 428 in my iTunes library.

The complete list, alphabetical by artist:

Read the rest of this entry.

Friday

NewMexiKen returned to Albuquerque Friday. Instead of taking the quickest route, I-25, I took the shortest, pretty much U.S. 285 from Denver to Santa Fe, then I-25 on into the Duke City. It’s a beautiful almost exhilarating tour across South Park, past the Collegiate Range, and down the San Luis Valley.

I kept to the speed limits, which at various times thanks to the wisdom of Colorado and New Mexico were 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 and 75. It took just a little bit more than an hour longer than the interstate (it’s 30 miles shorter).

But I got 25½ miles to the gallon, about 20% better than the trip up at freeway speeds. Not bad for a SUV, eh?

Last evening it was Jake Shimabukuro and The Greencards at the Rio Grande Zoo, part of the summer Zoo Music series. (Saw the baby giraffes, which were just as cute as you might imagine. The youngest one is just a few weeks old.)

We’d seen Jake in Honolulu. He is fun and can play any kind of music on a ukulele — Led Zeppelin’s “Gone to California,” Franz Shubert’s “Ave Maria,” George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” I even have an autographed CD of his. Terrific to see him again.

Except, that while Jake was playing, the folks near us discussed the South Beach diet, whom one of them might room with next, their day at work, bears attacking kids — well you get the idea. It is an outdoor concert, and one expects a certain amount of commotion, BUT IT IS A CONCERT. When the music picks up that is not a cue to talk even louder!

The Greencards, a bluegrass quartet, two of whom are from Australia and one from England — green cards, get it? — were quite good. Blue Grass is almost always infectious (though not to the yakkers around us). The group seemed genuinely fascinated with the venue (the zoo, the ancient cottonwoods I suppose) and put on a good show, with a rousing encore (”Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover” bluegrass style). See them if you get the chance.

Most people in the general audience are such simpletons that if I managed a relatively unknown band I would encourage them to open with covers of songs everybody knows. Get the audience engaged up front, clapping, singing, whatever, then do your thing. Good as they were, The Greencards opened with a lot of their own music, excellent but not familiar. And, when the band said that they were pleased that people were dancing, it seemed strange to me that they then played three consecutive slower songs that no one danced to. But what do I know?

June 6th

Levi Stubbs is 71. Stubbs was and is the lead vocalist of The Four Tops.

“The Four Tops deserve to be recognized both for their achievements and their longevity. On the latter count, the group performed for over four decades together without a single change in personnel - a record of constancy that is mind-boggling in the notoriously changeable world of popular music. As for their accomplishments, the Four Tops cut some of Motown’s most memorable singles during the label’s creative zenith, including “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “I Can’t Help Myself,” “It’s the Same Old Song,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There,” “Standing in the Shadows of Love” and “Bernadette.” The Four Tops’ greatest records were recorded at Motown with the in-house songwriting and production team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland between 1964 and 1967.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

It’s Stubbs who sings:

Now if you feel that you can’t go on
Because all of your hope is gone
And your life is filled with much confusion
Until happiness is just an illusion
And your world around is tumbling down
Darling reach out
C’mon girl
Reach on out for me
Reach out for me

Tennis Hall of Famer Bjorn Borg is 51.

Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti is 40. He was nominated for his supporting role in Cinderella Man.

Hall of Fame Yankee catcher Bill Dickey was born on June 6th, 100 years ago today. Not as well known as some other Yankees perhaps, Dickey nevertheless is one of the team whose number has been retired (with Yogi Berra’s — they both wore 8). FYI Martin 1, Ruth 3, Gehrig 4, DiMaggio 5, Mantle 7 and Maris 9 are among other numbers retired. Jeter wears 2.

Nathan Hale was born on June 6th in 1755. “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country,” he said when hanged by the British in 1776 as an American spy. Hale had volunteered to report on British positions in New York. He was caught when Scooter Libby’s ancestor revealed Hale’s covert identity to Robert Novak.

Paul

The June 4th issue of The New Yorker has a remarkable profile of Paul McCartney by John Colapinto, “When I’m Sixty-Four.”

The article is not online, but you could spend $4.50 in worse ways than to pick up a copy of the magazine.

“That’s exactly it, and I am amazed,” he said. “How could I not be? Unless I just totally blocked it off. There were four people in the Beatles, and I was one of them. There were two people in the Lennon-McCartney songwriting team, and I was one of them. I mean, right there, that’s enough for anyone’s life. And there was one guy who wrote ‘Yesterday,’ and I was him. One guy who wrote ‘Let It Be,’ ‘Fool on the Hill,’ ‘Lady Madonna’—and I was him, too. All of these things would be enough for anyone’s life. So to be involved in all of them is pretty surprising. And you have to pinch yourself. That’s what that song ["That Was Me"] is about.”

It was forty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play

An event that changed Western Civilization forever.

What’s Going On?

The great Marvin Gaye album, What’s Going On, was released on this date 36 years ago. The title song is so sadly pertinent still.

This 1971 song begins with the friendly, bustling sounds of a Vietnam veteran’s homecoming party, but, all the while, an uneasy vibe lurks beneath the good times. The veteran was Marvin Gaye’s much-changed brother Frank and “What’s Going On” reflected a similar change in the singer’s career. His personal life and the nation’s struggle to come to grips with divisive social issues made Gaye realize that singing simplistic love songs for Motown Records was something he could no longer do. Music reviewer Tom Moon reveals how the song marked a resurrection of sorts for Gaye and influenced Motown to allow other artists in their stable to take creative liberties in their work.

Listen to the song and its story from the NPR 100. (You’ll need RealAudio.)

Emiliana Torrini

Thanks V.

Thirty-Nine Questions for Charlie Daniels

From McSweeney’s Internet Tendency

11. And who was judging that contest?

12. Was it an honor-system kind of thing?

13. With the Devil?

14. Honor system with the Devil. How did Johnny get sucked into that one?

15. Does Johnny suffer from some—I’m trying to be delicate here—cognitive disabilities?

Old Dominion

You think you’ll find some mountains
in western colorado
fifty weeks of snowy peaks
is where you’re gonna be
but babe the rocky mountains are gradually eroding
the hills of coors are nothing more
than blue ridge wannabes

you think that autumns in new england
are the greatest of them all
but give me sweet virginia for the fireworks of fall
the prettiest october in all the fifty states
just drive up to the skyline
park the car and wait

when you’re talking home
you mean the old dominion
just southeast of heaven to the surf and the hills
she’s the best of thirteen sisters
and thirty seven more
sweet sweet virginia always keeps an open door

Eddie from Ohio
Old Dominion

Willie

It’s the birthday of singer and songwriter Willie Nelson, born in the small farming community of Abbott, Texas (1933). As a young man, he wrote songs and performed at honky-tonks with names like the County Dump and the Bloody Bucket. Then, in 1959, he wrote “Night Life,” a song that was eventually recorded by more than 70 artists and sold over 30 million copies. He only made $150 from the song, because he sold the copyright. But he used that money to buy a second-hand Buick, and he drove in that Buick to Nashville, hoping to become a country music star.

He spent the next decade writing songs for other country singers, but after getting frustrated by Nashville, he went back to Texas and started recording his own albums. In 1975, he recorded Red Headed Stranger, a concept album about a preacher on the run after murdering his wife and her new lover. At the time, many country singers were backed by orchestras and backup singers, but Nelson recorded the album with just his acoustic guitar and a few other instruments. No one thought it would be a hit, but it sold millions of copies, and inspired a traditional country music revival.

The Writer’s Almanac from American Public Media

Casey Jones, he died at the throttle, Casey Jones, with the whistle in his hand

Ah, the importance of worshipful friends or family in building a legend.

John Luther Jones from Cayce (pronounced Cay-see), Kentucky, famous to us through song as a brave engineer who romantically died trying to make up time. In truth, he crashed his locomotive at high speed into a freight train that was attempting to get out of the way on a siding. According to reports he failed to heed warning signals that were out. The accident took place early in the morning of April 30, 1900. Jones was the only fatality.

Jones was known for his affability and his skill in blowing a train whistle. His engine wiper, Wallace Saunders, reportedly idolized the engineer. Saunders wrote the original song.

All you might want to know can be found in this 1928 article.

Rodrigo y Gabriela

From a review of their album at allmusic:

He was able to help them record a studio album that captured the sheer orgiastic excitement of their live gigs, hence this self-titled puppy that debuted in the Irish charts at number one. Uh-huh. It’s true that Ireland’s not a big place, but when, when, have you ever heard of an instrumental recording by a Mexican duo hitting the number one spot in such a place? What’s more, the disc has a buzz on Yank shores as well and with good reason. These nine cuts have nothing to do with nuevo flamenco or any of that new agey stuff: this is smoke and fire music, it burns across genres and traditions like a demented passion spirit that takes no prisoners–and we can thank the gods for heavy metal in this instance at least. This set slashes like a stiletto; it’s fine and precise; it leaves no scars. The dynamic range of this music is startling. It is both ancient and futuristic, carnally frenetic and romantically seductive, artfully — and even spiritually — played yet drenched in the vulgarity of street life. It is the work of two young masters who are still striving to learn and incorporate more without sacrificing beauty, pathos, and tradition.

iTunes album link. Or get it at Amazon for $9.99, I did. Rodrigo y Gabriela (with Bonus DVD)

Ella

It’s her birthday (1918) but we get the gift. Berlin, 1968.

Norah Jones - My Dear Country

The 2007 Pulitzer Prizes for Letters, Drama and Music

FICTION: The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Alfred A. Knopf)
The subject of Cormac McCarthy’s new novel is as big as it gets: the end of the civilized world, the dying of life on the planet and the spectacle of it all.

DRAMA: Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire
This wrenching play by David Lindsay-Abaire includes some of the most revealingly nuanced acting to be seen on a stage or screen this year.

HISTORY: The Race Beat by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff (Alfred A. Knopf)
After ignoring the story for years, the news media came to play a major role in the struggle for civil rights.

BIOGRAPHY: The Most Famous Man in America by Debby Applegate (Doubleday)
The Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, an eloquent champion of abolition and woman suffrage, became a celebrity of a far less exalted kind as a result of a sex scandal.

POETRY: Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey (Houghton Mifflin)
In her introduction to Trethewey’s book “Domestic Work,” Rita Dove said, “Trethewey eschews the Polaroid instant, choosing to render the unsuspecting yearnings and tremulous hopes that accompany our most private thoughts.” (poets.org)

GENERAL NONFICTION: The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright (Alfred A. Knopf)
Lawrence Wright offers a detailed, heart-stopping account of the events leading up to 9/11, carried along by villains and heroes that only a crime novelist could dream up.

MUSIC: Sound Grammar by Ornette Coleman
This breathtaking concert recording captures the alto saxophonist and his quartet at the height of their humanistic powers.

Summaries from The New York Times.

And here’s the winning breaking news photo:

Oded Balilty of The Associated Press: “For his powerful photograph of a lone Jewish woman defying Israeli security forces as they remove illegal settlers in the West Bank.”

The Essential Bessie Smith

April 15th is the birthday of Bessie Smith. This from a review of The Essential Bessie Smith.

. . . Bessie could sing it all, from the lowdown moan of “St. Louis Blues” and “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out” to her torch treatment of the jazz standard “After You’ve Gone” to the downright salaciousness of “Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl.” Covering a time span from her first recordings in 1923 to her final session in 1933, this is the perfect entry-level set to go with. Utilizing the latest in remastering technology, these recordings have never sounded quite this clear and full, and the selection — collecting her best-known sides and collaborations with jazz giants like Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, and Benny Goodman — is first-rate. If you’ve never experienced the genius of Bessie Smith, pick this one up and prepare yourself to be devastated.

allmusic

There are no lyrics today that surpass “Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl” for sexual imagery.

In listening to the earliest recordings, keep in mind there were no microphones until 1925. The artists sang or played and the sound was recorded acoustically.

Bessie Smith

. . . was born on this date in 1894.

Bessie Smith earned the title of “Empress of the Blues” by virtue of her forceful vocal delivery and command of the genre. Her singing displayed a soulfully phrased, boldly delivered and nearly definitive grasp of the blues. In addition, she was an all-around entertainer who danced, acted and performed comedy routines with her touring company. She was the highest-paid black performer of her day and arguably reached a level of success greater than that of any African-American entertainer before her.
. . .

Some of her better-known sides from the Twenties include “Backwater Blues,” “Taint Nobody’s Bizness If I Do,” “St. Louis Blues” (recorded with Louis Armstrong), and “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out.” The Depression dealt her career a blow, but Smith changed with the times by adapting a more up-to-date look and revised repertoire that incorporated Tin Pan Alley tunes like “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” On the verge of the Swing Era, Smith died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident outside Clarksdale, Mississippi, in September 1937. She left behind a rich, influential legacy of 160 recordings cut between 1923 and 1933. Some of the great vocal divas who owe a debt to Smith include Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin. In Joplin’s own words of tribute, “She showed me the air and taught me how to fill it.”

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Ruination Day!

Stephen W. Terrell reminds us:

Yes, today is the anniversary of the assassination of President Lincoln, the sinking of the Titanic and the Great Dust Storm of 1935 — as lamented in those mysterious songs by Gillian Welch I played in my set on The Santa Fe Opry last night . . .

Ruination Day Set
April the 14th Part 1 by Gillian Welch
The Great Dust Storm (Dust Storm Diaster) by Woody Guthrie
The Titantic by Bessie Jones, Hobart Smith & The Georgia Sea Island Singers
Booth Killed Lincoln by Bascom Lamar Lunsford
Lincoln and Liberty by Oscar Brand
Waltzing on the Titantic by Lonesome Bob
My Heart Will Go On (Theme from Titanic) by Los Straitjackets
Ruination Day Part 2 by Gillian Welch

Mozart doesn’t make you smarter

News item:

Passively listening to Mozart — or indeed any other music you enjoy — does not make you smarter. But more studies should be done to find out whether music lessons could raise your child’s IQ in the long term, concludes a report analysing all the scientific literature on music and intelligence, which was published last week by the German research ministry.

news @ nature.com

Mozart makes you feel better, though. And, NewMexiKen learned in This Is Your Brain on Music that listening to many types of music in early childhood is a key to enjoying and appreciating music more later in life.

Fascinating

Simply fascinating.

The poet Billy Collins once laughingly observed that all babies are born with a knowledge of poetry, because the lub-dub of the mother’s heart is in iambic meter. Then, Collins said, life slowly starts to choke the poetry out of us. It may be true with music, too.

There was no ethnic or demographic pattern to distinguish the people who stayed to watch Bell, or the ones who gave money, from that vast majority who hurried on past, unheeding. Whites, blacks and Asians, young and old, men and women, were represented in all three groups. But the behavior of one demographic remained absolutely consistent. Every single time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch. And every single time, a parent scooted the kid away.