Tagged: oldie

Odd Future and crew are moving with a full head of steam this fall, as they prep the release of new projects from Domo Genesis, MellowHype, Tyler The Creator, and Mike G. Domo's collaborative project with The Alchemist, No Idols is due August 1st, while MellowHype's Numbers  and Tyler The Creator's Wolf are due in October and November respectively. Stay tuned for more info on OFWGKTA sleeper Mike G's release coming very soon The team will embark on Camp Flow Gnaw tour this September in preperation for these releases. Hit the jump for dates, and a [...]

American music fans probably paid little notice when British guitarist Bert Weedon died in April at age 91. He was really never a household name in the U.S. during a long career that began all the way back to the late 1930s. But Weedon did reach a measure of stardom in his native land, and even if he wasn't quite as cutting-edge as some, his guitar virtuosity made him an inspiration for later British stars like Clapton, Lennon, McCartney, and Sting. London-born Herbert Maurice William Weedon studied classical guitar, but began appearing professionally as a jazz [...]

I was saddened to read of the recent death of Don Grady, who is probably most remembered as one of Fred MacMurray's boys on the popular, long-running (12 seasons) TV show, My Three Sons . But in addition to his acting career he also had a musical side, and he showed it before, during, and after his time on the show. Born in San Diego as Don Louis Agrati, he took his stage name from his talent-agent mother, who used the professional name Mary Grady. (His sister, actress Lani [...]

Nailing down the details of the early origins of rock and roll has always been a little difficult, but that hasn't stopped anyone from trying (including yours truly, here on the GMC).  The truth is that it all came about from a combination of various musical influences, but it is possible to identify key moments, like the evolution of a song named "Good Rockin' Tonight." The song was written in the late 1940s by New Orleans native Roy Brown, when the R&B legend-to-be was still in his early years. He offered it to the older and more-established [...]

Proving once again that just having talent and good looks isn't necessarily enough to make it big in show business, we offer the case of Nan Wynn. A gorgeous gal with a soft and sweet singing style, she had a nice career that included time spent as a big band songbird and radio entertainer, along with appearances in several films during the 1940s. She also dubbed the singing voice for several movie stars (including Rita Hayworth) and occasionally showed up on Broadway, but was never able to really find lasting stardom for herself. Born as Marsha [...]

The group was formed in 1976 at Kentucky State University by the Calloway brothers - trumpeter Reginald and trombone player Vincent, vocalist Belinda Lipscomb, guitarist Melvin Gentry, bassist Kenneth Gant, multi-instrumentalist Bill Simmons, keyboard player Bo Watson and guitarist/keyboardist Jeff Cooper, as a self-contained group. Signing to RCA Records, they released their debut album The Beginning [1980] with a host of studio musicians. In 1981 their second album, released on Solar Records, Standing Together, reached position #54 on the Top R&B chart. In 1982 they released a third album, Victory. Owing to Reggie [...]

One of my favorite records of all time is Tommy Edwards' 1958 chart-topper, "It's All In The Game." It was by far his biggest hit and is still a very familiar song to most music fans even though Edwards died in 1969. But did you know that he recorded a very different version way back in 1951 and it sort of flopped? While growing up in Depression-era Richmond, Virgina, Tommy Edwards was an early bloomer from a musical standpoint, singing in local spots while still a pre-teen. But he didn't really make much of a name [...]

For a girl group with a relatively short lifespan and a constantly changing lineup, the Marvelettes generated a surprising number of hits in the 1960s. Originally a quintet but at times a quartet or even a trio, the group had at least seven different members at one time or another, and is now mostly remembered for its biggest hit, "Please Mr. Postman," which topped the charts in 1961. It all started a year or two earlier, when suburban Detroit high-schooler Gladys Horton - who was just 15 at the time - recruited several friends, including Katherine [...]

One of many early rockabilly performers who later transitioned to the country side, Billy 'Crash' Craddock earned the title of 'Mr. Country Rock' during a long career that continues even now. His biggest hits - songs like "Rub It In" and "Broken Down in Tiny Pieces" - had a definite country flavor, but he started way back in the late 1950s as something closer to a teen idol. Growing up in Greensboro, North Carolina, Billy Wayne Craddock - who picked up his 'Crash' nickname while playing high school football - was surrounded by country music. His [...]

Where it all started... Filed under: Beats , Clip , Oldie , Yankee Panky Tagged: album , everybody , madonna , new , old , single

As I write this, weathermen are predicting daytime temperatures in our part of the Midwestern US to hit the high nineties and maybe even triple digits. Unseasonably warm, but the weather seems to be much more unpredictable than it once was. In any case, I wanted to show some pictures of 'cool' snow sculptures to help lower our internal temperatures a little. Be cool, baby! Lee Cole - "Cool Baby" (Music in left column) Click to view slideshow.

I've always been fascinated by some of the names chosen by musical groups. Many of them are very clever and inventive, although some require further explanation. A good example is a pop group with the unlikely name of the Hues Corporation, which enjoyed a few years of popularity in the mid-1970s and is now mostly remembered for "Rock The Boat." An amorphous combo in the early days, one that varied in personnel and size while doing backup duty for everyone from Frank Sinatra to Glen Campbell, it eventually coalesced into what would become the Hues Corporation. Included [...]

Okay, I confess that posting this slideshow with pictures of funny signs is just a sort of continuation of what I featured a few weeks ago , but I'm a little under the weather today so cut me some slack. Besides, they're funny! (As I've said before, if the slideshow is going too fast you can stop it and advance pictures at your own pace. Just mouse over it to show the stop and go buttons.) Petula Clark - "Sign Of The Times" [...]

Another legendary off-the-beaten-path track from Donna Summer. Thanks, Ziad. Filed under: Beats , Clip , Oldie , Yankee Panky Tagged: donna summer , new , track , ziad

As you might know, we are not really listeners of Arabic muisc, but there are a few sounds that we grew up with and liked. This is one of them. The legendary Warda went on the same day as Donna Summer. Both iconic divas of their time, what is the world coming to? Filed under: Arabia , Beats , Clip , Oldie Tagged: Arabic language , donna summer , Languages , Social Sciences , United States , وردة الجزائرية

This is one of our all-time favorite Donna Summer tracks! It comes from the album Four Seasons Of Love , which has 6 tracks - one for each season and two for your bonus ones. This is back when concept albums made sense. Filed under: Beats , Clip , Oldie , Yankee Panky Tagged: album , donna summer , new , single , track

Filed under: Beats , Clip , Oldie Tagged: album , all , dead , deathd , donna summer , ead , new , singer , songs , tracks

For those not in the loop, they will immediately recognize the Beyonce sample. Well, it was Donna Summer's thing originally. Donna Summer broke onto the scene with her overtly sexual persona and lovely voice. This is an example of it. A time when sexual liberation was a profound movement. Much love to her! Related articles Donna Summer " She is simply hot Stuff" (sacratomatovillepost.com) love to love you baby (justfortherecords.wordpress.c om) [...]

The grunge movement wasn't merely a sub-genre of rock music. It has its own aura, sound, dynamic and even fashions. No band optimizes this movement that came out of the Northwestern states like Nirvana (well, maybe Pearl Jam, too). This track is one that rings back our teenage years of angst and rebellion. "In Bloom" is one of their best tracks and also one of the videos that identify the 90s' as a turning point in rock music, and the genre hasn't been as good since. Related articles [...]

One of the oddest stories to come out of the 1960s pop music era had to be that of the Strangeloves, a group formed by three guys who'd been record producers and songwriters, but decided they wanted to get in on the action as performers. Of course, they weren't the first to do that, but what made their effort extra unusual was that they invented a completely phoney background for their group - one that included an Australian origin. The oddest thing is that it worked - at least for a while - because 19652s "I Want Candy" was a [...]