Artist: Nostalgia

As I write this, we're facing a weather forecast that calls for about a zillion inches of snow, and I find myself dreading it. Thinking about that makes me realize that I've turned into a grumpy snow hermit - someone who just wants to stay inside and hope it goes away. But I wasn't always that way. We can all look back on a childhood of having fun with snow, hoping for a blizzard to close school and then playing with sleds and building snowmen (or having snowball fights). But I can also remember enjoying snow [...]

Rosemary Clooney - "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" Mel Torme - "The Christmas Song" Click to view slideshow.

Children of the early 80’s that were –or so we believed– at our prime during the 90’s remember quite vividly the Spin Doctor ’s album Pocket Full of Kryptonite and it’s famous hit single Two Princess . I will not go into details about the things I was trying to do to that song — many times. Well, G Templeton & Branded James collaborate once more to take the original pop rock anthem into a tropical sun-drenched disco groove. Percussions, happy piano chords reminiscent of [...]

• Spin Doctors - Two Princess (G Templeton & Branded James Remix)

For some reason, Christmas seems to have really taken the ol' GMC by surprise this year. Usually I post one or two holiday-themed pieces in the days leading up to the big day, but I guess I've just fallen asleep this time around. Maybe I can remedy that by featuring something really different - scat-singing pioneer Leo Watson, who once performed a very different kind of "Jingle Bells." A Kansas City native, Watson began his career in the 1920s by working his way up through a number of bands as a drummer and sometimes-trombonist. But the [...]

If you were a dedicated fan of The Waltons , the iconic 1970s TV show that was a huge hit for many years, you might remember that one of the teens - Jason - was musically inclined, and that he sometimes risked his mother's wrath by entertaining in an area roadhouse, the venerable Dew Drop Inn. If you have a really good memory you might even recall that his boss was a lady named Thelma - but what you might not have known was that the role was filled by a gal with quite a [...]

It's always fun to listen to a doo-wop group sing the rhythmic gibberish that was often part of the music. You know the kind I mean - 'papa ooma mau mau' and the like. One of the best was a Brooklyn-based quartet known as the Quotations, who not only had all the odd sounds down pat but also pulled off another move often used by singing combos in the era. They revamped an old song - in this case, "Imagination" - to make it more teenager friendly, and it became their biggest hit. The late 1950s [...]

There's always room for story time during the holidays, and here's something that puts your Cousin Vinny's ham-carving tale to shame. With Christmas around the corner, Big Boi took a break from promoting his latest album, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors , to kick it with some Dr. Seuss. Now, tradition has it that someone must tell the tale of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! , so why shouldn't it be General Patton, or Daddy Fat Sax, or Sir Lucious L. Leftfoot, or The Son of Chico Dusty, or Sgt. Slaughter, [...]

I would guess that most folks of my generation think that a big percentage of modern music stars seem to be a big deal today but are forgotten tomorrow, often because of a lack of talent. But there are exceptions, even if it takes a while for a geezer like me to catch on - like when I first heard Amy Winehouse. Because of her troubled life and senseless death we'll never know how her career would have played out, but when I first saw her video duet with Tony Bennett on "Body And Soul" I [...]

Revisiting a point I've made before, there were a lot of traditional country music artists who spent at least part of their careers performing what would become known as rockabilly. Guys like Onie Wheeler, who was never a big star but did enjoy a long, solid career before dying in 1984, in a way that many country performers might choose for themselves - on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. The Missouri-born Wheeler (and yes, Onie was his real name) began his musical career immediately after he'd served in World War II. Already proficient on guitar [...]

Fleetwood Mac will celebrate the 35th anniversary of their 1977 masterpiece Rumours with an expanded and deluxe reissue due out January 29th via Rhino Records. The newly-minted deluxe package includes the original album on CD and 140-gram vinyl, the B-side "Silver Springs", unreleased takes from the original recording sessions, unreleased live recordings from the group's 1977 world tour, and a 1977 documentary about the album titled, "The Rosebud Film". The whole bundle will be priced at $99.98. A slimmer expanded edition, however, will trim off the DVD and vinyl, and will cost fans $24.98. Digital [...]

According to the Guardian , the surviving members of Nirvana - Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic - will perform together on stage tonight at Madison Square Garden as part of the 12-12-12 Hurricane Sandy benefit concert . And they've found a worthy replacement to fill the shoes of Kurt Cobain: Sir Paul McCartney . The Guardian adds that Grohl recently invited McCartney to come "jam with some mates," specifically Novoselic and Pat Smear. McCartney explained: "I didn’t really know who they were. They are saying how good it [...]

One of the many funny scenes in the 1983 film Vacation is when Chevy Chase recklessly drives alongside the blonde in the convertible, almost losing control (in more ways than one), before things calm down and his oblivious wife finally realizes something just happened. He then sings "Love For Sale" to himself, while she glares at him. (Video below.) Although the song seems tame by today's standards, when Cole Porter wrote it for Broadway's The New Yorkers in 1930, it was considered scandalous - and just to drive home the point, it was performed [...]

Although he was the main subject of a GMC piece five years ago , jazz legend Bernard 'Buddy' Rich is making another appearance today. But the famously fiery drummer, who died at age 69 in 1987, is not showing up here because of his drumsticks. He's here because I thought I'd expose a secret about him - he was actually a pretty good singer. Rich was rightfully celebrated for his skill with drums. (You can read more about his career in that earlier piece, and you can [...]

By now, most of us have read that legendary jazzman Dave Brubeck has died, just one day before what would have been his 92nd birthday. Amazingly, he was musically active - and relevant - almost to the end. You can read about him in any one of a number of extended obituary pieces that are available online, but since he had already made many appearances on the GMC - and because he was special to me - I decided to approach my posting a little differently. Below are links to four of the GMC [...]

King Tuff may claim to be a "bad, bad, bad thing" on one of the best songs of the year , but even the reigning patriarch of deliciously sleazy rock'n'roll has a soft spot for a cute dachshund. The man otherwise known as Kyle Thomas participated in Burger Records' recent (sold-out!) The Wiener Dog Comp , and his contribution has just surfaced online (via Stereogum ) An American Tail is a classic 1986 animated film by Don Bluth (and executive produced by Steven Spielberg) [...]

• King Tuff - Somewhere Out There

Don't send that wishlist to Santa Claus just yet: Nas' 1994 landmark debut, Illmatic , has received the deluxe reissue treatment from Get On Down . The album, widely considered to be the greatest of its genre, comes remastered and housed in a cherry-wood box that includes a 48-page hardcover book featuring photos, reproduced artwork, lyrics, and liner notes courtesy of The Source founder Jon Schecter. The reissue is available in multiple configurations, specifically as a "gold" CD, LP, or deluxe CD/LP bundle. Get On Down is offering a variety [...]

You might not immediately recognize his name, but I'd be willing to bet that most will find organist Ken Griffin's biggest hit to be a very familiar sound. After all, "You Can't Be True, Dear" topped the 1948 charts after being released in two versions - with a vocal (by Jerry Payne) added to Griffin's organ play and as a pure instrumental. In the years since, it's been covered by dozens of other performers. The Missouri-born Griffin didn't really get much recognition until he was in his thirties and his nightclub act began to be broadcast [...]

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• Giorgio - If You Weren't Afraid (E=MC²)

A-ha-Scoundrel Days: I remember being in class; I must have been thirteen. Every school yard battle I have ever been in, I have lost. This is important, because today I will lose again. Such a catalog of spoils: The black eyes, the stolen toys, the cowering beneath friends in close proximity. It's made me glisten, made me desperately magnetic to those who need somewhere to plant their fist. To these men, I was Caeser, the one true caliph capable of withstanding the extended beating. So I am sitting there, and out of nowhere, I [...]

Remember when we all had six-shooters like those carried by the heroes of movie and TV Westerns? Of course, theirs were real - or seemed real even though we knew they were shooting blanks - and ours were smaller and made their 'bang' from paper rolls of caps, but we still a lot of fun with them. Thinking about cap guns is not something I often do, but if you're interested in learning how my convoluted mind works, here's how it happened. I was watching an old Fred Astaire movie and saw the scene (you might remember [...]