Word circulated this afternoon that Grammy-award winning singer James Ingram passed away today at the age of 66. In total Ingram put 21 records on the Billboard R&B chart and crossed over to the Pop chart 11 times. All but three of those songs made the Top 40, and two of them - "Baby Come … Continue reading Rest in peace, James Ingram: “Just Once” (1981)
Month: January 2019
Grade school earworms: Songs Of the Letter People (1972)
(Dude had an appetite, apparently.) I'm susceptible to earworms - those bits of music that get inside of your head and stay there. Usually, they happen when you hear a song, and then the whole tune (or a piece of it) stay on repeat in your mind. In many cases the worse the song is, … Continue reading Grade school earworms: Songs Of the Letter People (1972)
Rest in peace, Michel Legrand: Noel Harrison, “The Windmills Of Your Mind” (1968)
Michel Legrand passed away in Paris yesterday at the age of 86. Here's where it's tempting to say "Where do I know that name from?" It could be from the three Oscars that he one: one for Yentl, one for Summer of '42, and one for The Thomas Crown Affair (the subject of this post). … Continue reading Rest in peace, Michel Legrand: Noel Harrison, “The Windmills Of Your Mind” (1968)
New this week in ’69: January 25
(It went to #2, because CCR never got to #1.) On this day in 1969, heavy rains in Southern California trigger mudslides that killed nine people. The winter storm system will take 95 lives in total and cause almost a billion dollars in damage in today's money. Albert Hammond was wrong. The following day Elvis … Continue reading New this week in ’69: January 25
New this week in ’69: January 18
(Above: It was a busy week in Washington.) January 18, 1969 The number 1 song in the country remains "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye. Born on that day: Wrestler/MMA fighter Dave Bautista. The next day, football star Junior Seau would be born. The following Monday, the 20th, Richard M. Nixon will … Continue reading New this week in ’69: January 18
1984 turns 35: Van Halen, “Jump” (1984)
(Above: An album cover that doesn't need explanation.) For the past few days on Facebook, many have taken the "How has aging treated you?" challenge. The premise, basically, is that you post your first profile picture, and then your current, and see how time has treated you. In most cases, the span is about ten … Continue reading 1984 turns 35: Van Halen, “Jump” (1984)
New this week in ’69: January 11
(Above: Joe South tended to travel in triplicate.) There was positive response to the first installment in the "New this week in '69" series that started last week, so we'll continue. This is a weekly look at the new songs added to the Billboard Hot 100 exactly fifty years ago. A point of reference: a … Continue reading New this week in ’69: January 11
Fifty years ago in GR: WGRD’s Hot 30 in the Furniture City, January 8, 1969
(Above: The good folks at Woolworth's shouldn't have stamped across Mr. Merchant's picture like that....) January 8, 1969 was a Wednesday. In Chicago, Robert Sylvester Kelly was born; he would go on to have a starried if not controversial career as an R&B singer without his middle name and only an initial. In Miami, New … Continue reading Fifty years ago in GR: WGRD’s Hot 30 in the Furniture City, January 8, 1969
New this week in ’69: January 4
A lot of things will be turning 50 in 2019: the moon landing, the start of the Nixon presidency, the Chicago Cubs almost winning the pennant, the author of this blog... you get the idea. 1969 often gets overlooked in the retrospectives largely because of 1968 and the impact that that year had on American … Continue reading New this week in ’69: January 4
Rest in peace, Dean Ford: The Marmalade, “Reflections of My Life” (1970)
(Above: The Marmalade. Ford is in the blue jacket.) Dean Ford, the lead singer of the Scottish band The Marmalade, passed away on New Year's Eve at the age of 72. If I were to ask you "Who was the first Scottish band to have a #1 hit in the UK," here's your answer. The … Continue reading Rest in peace, Dean Ford: The Marmalade, “Reflections of My Life” (1970)
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