Jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, perhaps best known for his take on Dobie Gray's "The In Crowd," passed away at his home in Chicago today. He was 87. Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis was born in Chicago and started his musical career at approximately four years old by taking piano lessons in his neighborhood near Cabrini Green. The … Continue reading Rest in peace, Ramsey Lewis: “Wade In the Water” (1966)
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The blog is back: Why haven’t there been any updates?
If you're a follower of this blog, your mailbox has been eerily silent for most of the past year. It's time for me to fix that. COVID-19 hit the world like the proverbial ton of bricks. It disrupted just about every activity we know, and for over 600,000 people in the United States, it ended … Continue reading The blog is back: Why haven’t there been any updates?
So long, 2020: Sending off a troublesome year in song
2020 has been one for the books, hasn't it? It seems like a lifetime ago that we were all gathering, making our plans for New Year's Eve, organizing parties and such. This year looks very different. Or does it? The last several years we've spent NYE at home in relative quiet. It's different when it … Continue reading So long, 2020: Sending off a troublesome year in song
New this week in ’70: July 18
(Above: a beautiful night for baseball.) July 18, 1970 It's a slow period in the headlines, with only a couple of stories to share. On July 16, the Elks Club voted near-unanimously to remain an all-white organization. The official rules for membership in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, as it is formally called … Continue reading New this week in ’70: July 18
New this week in ’70: July 11
(Above: Guys, this game doesn't count.) July 11, 1970 It's the day after "whites only" schools lose their tax-exempt status. This is not a foreign dispatch; this is a story from the United States, where ten thousand such schools, ranging from kindergarten all the way up through college, remain in existence years after Brown v … Continue reading New this week in ’70: July 11
New this week in ’70: July 4
(Above: Just don't write to him about a dead dog.) July 4, 1970 It's the 194th anniversary of the United States declaring independence. It's also the date of the first broadcast of a radio program that turned out to be pretty darned important to a lot of us who went into the field. "American Top … Continue reading New this week in ’70: July 4
New this week in ’70: June 27
(Above: If you take a walk on the University of Pittsburgh campus, you might find yourself in a former outfield.) June 27, 1970 It's the day after actors Sean Hayes, Nick Offerman and Chris O'Donnell are born, all in the Chicagoland area. Clearly there was something in the water. Two days later, on June 28, … Continue reading New this week in ’70: June 27
Rest in peace, Johnny Mandel: “Suicide is Painless” (1970)
Award-winning composer Johnny Mandel passed away on Monday at the age of 94. A classically-trained musician, Mandel was responsible for a wide variety of movie soundtrack music. His first notable work was 1958's I Want to Live!, which earned him three Grammy nominations. Mandel was no stranger to the Grammys; he was nominated for a … Continue reading Rest in peace, Johnny Mandel: “Suicide is Painless” (1970)
New this week in ’70: June 20
(Above: The first video disc player. You could binge five minutes at a time.) June 20, 1970 It's the day before the World cup championship. Brazil defeats Italy 4-1 to take the title in front of a crowd of 112,000 people in Mexico City. That same day the Penn Central Railroad files for bankruptcy in … Continue reading New this week in ’70: June 20
Rest in peace, Benny Mardones: “Into the Night” (1980)
(Above: Benny Mardones. Credit: Billboard/Getty Images) Billboard magazine is reporting the death of pop singer/songwriter Benny Mardones today at the age of 73 following a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Mardones was born in Cleveland in 1946. His musical career began after serving in the Vietnam War when he moved to New York City and … Continue reading Rest in peace, Benny Mardones: “Into the Night” (1980)
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 