-
I’ve always regarded Music as one of the bedrocks of Artistic Creativity along with Painting, Writing, Sculpting and Dance. These I believe are the things which take us above other primates and the mere mundane of day to day existence; allowing us to feel closer to God (if you are a believer) or fulfil our…
-
The fans of football, our national game, are fairly traditional. Team colours are very important. Many of the chants at football grounds relate to this, “come on you reds” for example, or, songs that fans adapt to their club such as “Blue Moon.” Look at the fuss that erupted last week when the new England…
-
Back in the 1950s and early 1960s, before pub landlords had realised that by ignoring the age of their customers and allowing under-age drinking it gave them a new lucrative income stream, teenagers would meet up in ‘coffee bars.’ These had indestructible wipe-clean interiors with the then new and ‘trendy’ formica tables and linoleum covered…
-
This is the sad headline from a story posted by People Magazine in the U.S. on Friday concerning Brian Wilson’s health. The story continues: The family of Brian Wilson, the co-founder of The Beach Boys, filed for a conservatorship this week, and have issued the following statement:. “Following the passing of Brian’s beloved wife Melinda, after careful consideration…
-
I remember Mine. In the autumn of 1968, I was 15 and due to take my GCE ‘O’ level exams the following summer. My best friend at school was an American guy called Tom who introduced me to a lot of the music I came to love. Tom played the guitar and had become interested…
-
I’ve recently been reading a quartet of books by Ray Celestin. They are murder/mysteries and I came across these as they were winners of the Crime Writers Association – ‘Novel of the Year’. Each one is set in a specific American city and the narrative is intertwined with the history of jazz. The first book…
-
Grammy Awards are presented each year in the United States by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, to recognize spectacular work in the music industry. Joni has previously won nine Grammys herself and received a lifetime achievement award in 2002, however what makes this announcement so remarkable is that Joni, in her 80th…
-
Over the years, standing behind the counter of a record shop you do get asked some very odd questions. A Steeleye Span album cover would be proffered with the question, “ Is this the new Steely Dan album?” To you of course it’s nonsense, but to the person asking it seems quite reasonable, so you…
-
Every weekday morning I do the school run, which involves driving Matthew (14) for about ten to fifteen minutes to school and then I spend about the same amount of time returning home. I do this so I can be certain he has arrived on time. Whilst I’m doing this, my phone will be playing…
-
Every year at this time the world decides to test my ability to know what’s going on by changing the last number in the year. For twelve months now I’ve done really well at remembering it’s 2023 and then -wham! – overnight, it’s 2024. Fortunately, I no longer write cheques so I can’t get the…
-
I love Christmas.Not just the day itself but the whole Christmas season. Mulled wine, mince pies, Christmas lunch, watching children open their presents – too much food, too much drink, silly cracker jokes, corny TV, and… I like singing carols. As a child, learning Christmas carols to sing in front of teachers and parents are…
-
The man who wrote and released the song ‘Forever Young’ in 1974 seems to be living up to those sentiments in his 82nd year. Still on the road he has been live on stage 75 times so far in 2023, and has clocked up a significant number of air miles. My father-in-law is a similar…
-
One of the best things about working in a record shop was when a box arrived with a new release album, especially if that album was by an artist you really like. Today, I am enjoying that experience again as there is a brand new album out today from Peter Gabriel. For those of you…
-
Having released an album of all new material ‘Hackney Diamonds’ in October, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood are going back on the road. So far, they have announced the following dates: April 28 – HOUSTON, May 02 – NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FESTIVAL, May 07 – GLENDALE, May 11 – LAS VEGAS, May 15 –…
-
Down the left hand side of this page there are a series of 19 stories I’ve written about songs. If you want to know the background to why I have written these, please read ‘An Introduction To Stories About Songs’, which is at the top of the list. The songs are by: Ray Davies, Paul…
-
Sixty years after their first No.1 single ‘From Me To You’ topped the official U.K. singles chart, The Beatles are back at No.1 with ‘Now And Then’. For the story of how AI technology helped to take a John Lennon song which he recorded on a cassette player in his living room before his death…
DAD MUSIC 