(Above: Burt with Dusty Springfield on his television show, 1969) In terms of loss to the Great American Songbook, this is a big one. Burt Bacharach passed away yesterday at the age of 94. Just the numbers on Bacharach's career are staggering. He won a Grammy award six times, which was a much lower number … Continue reading Rest in peace, Burt Bacharach: A celebration of his greatest songs
1970s
2022 in review: acts that we lost this year
(Above: The Killer, ironically, passed on in October.) 2022 was, by all accounts, a difficult year once again in terms of popular culture. For the last several years we've been seeing more and more of the acts that we grew up with aging and passing on. During more "normal" workload years for me - when … Continue reading 2022 in review: acts that we lost this year
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
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)
Rest in peace, Betty Wright: “Clean Up Woman” (1971)
Soul singer Betty Wright passed away today at the age of 66. Wright technically started her singing career before she turned three. She was a member of Echoes of Joy, a group that featured her whole family, in Miami in 1956. It wasn't until ten years later, at the age of 13, that she recorded … Continue reading Rest in peace, Betty Wright: “Clean Up Woman” (1971)
Rest in peace, Bill Withers: “Lovely Day” (1977)
Bill Withers passed away on Friday (April 3) at the age of 81. Heart complications were indicated as the cause of death. In total Withers put six records in the pop Top 40 with many more on the R&B charts. He's perhaps best known for two of them: "Lean On Me," which spent three weeks … Continue reading Rest in peace, Bill Withers: “Lovely Day” (1977)
Rest in peace, Eric Weissberg: “Dueling Banjos” (1973)
Eric Weissberg, who had a huge hit in 1973 with the instrumental hit "Dueling Banjos," passed away Sunday at a senior care facility near Detroit after a long battle with dementia. He was 80. Weissberg was fascinated by the banjo after seeing Pete Seeger play it as a part of his folk act in the … Continue reading Rest in peace, Eric Weissberg: “Dueling Banjos” (1973)
Rest in peace, Manu Dibango: “Soul Makossa” (1973)
Word circulated today that Manu Dibango, best described as a jazz-funk saxophonist, passed away at the age of 86 as a result of COVID-19 infection. Dibango was a legend in his native Cameroon for his music, which went worldwide in 1973 with the release of "Soul Makossa." The tune made it up to #35 in … Continue reading Rest in peace, Manu Dibango: “Soul Makossa” (1973)
Rest in peace, Gershon Kingsley: Hot Butter, “Popcorn” (1972)
Word is making the rounds that Gershon Kingsley passed away last week in New York City at the age of 97. Kingsley made music that you know even though you might not know his name. He was one of the earliest pioneers of the Moog synthesizer. His work with Jean-Jacques Perrey yielded some memorable collaborations; … Continue reading Rest in peace, Gershon Kingsley: Hot Butter, “Popcorn” (1972)
Grand Rapids charts: The WZZM-FM Hot 40, October 22, 1971
(Above: It's a cool layout with a clumsy slogan.) I don't believe we've ever done an FM playlist on the blog, so let's fix that today. I just happen to have, in a pile of surveys I file under "research" in my office, the playlist from WZZM-FM in Grand Rapids, Michigan from October 22, 1971. … Continue reading Grand Rapids charts: The WZZM-FM Hot 40, October 22, 1971
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 