Lake George, NY, Aug 5 – SHORT CIRCUIT
Three-foot high Ruthie Soucek solves her height problem by utilizing the shelf in a telephone booth at Lake George, NY. She is a member of a performing group appearing in this community. – AP Wirephoto 1977
Another slow news day photograph. So if a newspaper had some extra column space to fill, this photo and caption might appear. Unfortunately the photographer is uncredited. Continue reading
Rocker Pat Benatar has been performing with her husband, guitarist and songwriter Neil Geraldo for over 43 years.
Musicians don’t fret that their skills will deteriorate the way singers do.
A powerful rock singer usually has no more than ten to fifteen years of prime vocal strength and then its a slow steady decline as their range and power diminish. The decline can be devastating to the singer and painfully sad for fans of a band. Ask Steve Perry of Journey or Lou Gramm of Foreigner.
Not so with Pat Benatar.
At age 69 Pat Benatar has been singing her heart out for over 40 years. This performance last month in Albany, NY shows that Pat can still hit her notes.
Husband Neil Geraldo is one of the most underrated guitarists in rock. His fluid style of playing does not get noticed by the casual rock fan. He is an amazing talent.
In this clip Pat tells the audience that the musical couple are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.
No hair dye.
No auto-tune Continue reading
For anyone who has read extensively about Groucho Marx’s life, the name Erin Fleming will elicit a strong reaction.
There are two views of Fleming’s relationship with Groucho. People who spent time with Groucho and Fleming were split as to their opinion of Groucho’s muse. Continue reading
When you capture lightning in a bottle you know it.
The iconic song Ballroom Blitz was recorded in a single day after just two to three takes.
Phil Wainman the producer of Sweet in the early 1970s when the band was turning out hit after hit, describes how the song Ballroom Blitz came to be, in this excerpt below in an interview with Iain McNay.
After the recording session was complete Wainman simply said to the band, “Do you think that’s a number one in America?”
In November 1972 Mott The Hoople embarked on a whirlwind tour of America, sometimes headlining, playing in large theaters and clubs. If you’re wondering, the English band’s name comes from a 1966 book. And after three years together they were developing a loyal following.
Mott’s current big hit, All The Young Dudes, written by their producer David Bowie was climbing up the charts. Continue reading
I love when you can focus on the musicianship of a song you know very well by hearing it in a completely new way.
The following audio isolates The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek’s playing on Love Her Madly from the 1971 album L.A. Woman.
Hidden by the final mix are Manzarek’s deft touches which can be fully appreciated when heard like this.
One surprise that I had never previously picked up was discovered at the 2:03 mark. Continue reading
Sherman Kelly 1970 photo: Sherman Kelly
Sleeping peacefully on the beach at St. Croix in 1969, musician Sherman Kelly awoke to five men beating him with baseball bats.
After he blacked out, one of the men attacking Kelly raped his girlfriend Adrienne. The other four were preparing to take their turn at rape. Continue reading
If you have been watching Ken Burns excellent documentary about Muhammad Ali on PBS, you can only wonder how Muhammad Ali’s views on everything would be taken today. Ali was always unabashedly honest expressing his opinions. Ali said and did things that always created controversy. Continue reading
Before joining Fleetwood Mac in December 1974, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks had their own group Buckingham Nicks. Continue reading
Detroit Tigers catcher Bill Freehan at Yankee Stadium 1969
Before Thurman Munson and Carlton Fisk arrived in the late 1960s and early 1970s there was no question as to who was the best catcher in the American League. It was the Detroit Tigers Bill Freehan.
I won’t recount Freehan’s excellent baseball career or personal story in too much detail here. Freehan told it himself while at the height of his playing days in a little known autobiography.
Freehan’s terrific 1970 book, Behind The Mask: An Inside Baseball Diary (World Publishing) was written with editors Dick Schaap and Steve Gelman and was quickly forgotten.
It is one of the best books ever written about the nuances of baseball. Behind The Mask was overshadowed because it came out the same year as ex-Yankee pitcher Jim Bouton’s explosive tell-all Ball Four. Continue reading
