WFMU's Beware of the Blog (Free subscription) | 12/24/2008
The shows I caught in 2008 were riddled with strangeness and brilliance, but most importantly they rocked & rolled and on occasion told mother-in-law jokes. In no particular order, here's a random rundown of 2008 Fun Times rock & roll...
All About Jazz (Free subscription) | 10/28/2008
Bobby Troup hosted this excellent television show that featured the best in contemporary jazz; this episode collects a stunning array of jazz heavyweights together on one stage. The performance was given in 1959, three years after Miles' legendary album The Birth of Cool, around the same time that he released the seminal Kind of Blue. John Coltrane, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb, and the...
Rifftides (Free subscription) | 10/17/2008
The last thing I want is for Rifftides to become a death watch. Nonetheless, as James Moody says his grandmother once told him, "Folks is dyin' what ain't never died before." Or, to use Bill Crow's words in the subject...
Brilliant Ideas for Business (Free subscription) | 10/08/2008
Find the Ideal Route: Determine What Benefits to Make 21 Times More Available “If you ever plan to motor west, travel my way, take the highway that’s the best . . . Get your kicks on Route 66.” ? Bobby Troup From space many places on Earth look pretty flat. From the ground more obstacles become [...]
TVShowsOnDVD.com News (Free subscription) | 09/09/2008
By David Lambert - This morning CBS DVD and Paramount Home Entertainment have announced that Mannix - The 2nd Season is coming to home video just after the turn of the year. The second season saw Joe... (more)
Articles Database (Free subscription) | 08/10/2008
The first Rolling Stones Album titled “The Rolling Stones” was released in the UK in 1964. The US version of this album was released a few months later with a different title; it was called “England’s Newest Hit Makers”. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have been the main songwriters for the Stones over the past forty [...]
AM, Then FM (Free subscription) | 08/06/2008
When a story asks “Hey, was that Paul McCartney at the Route 66 Welcome Center at the museum in Joliet, Illinois'” you must read it. Mary Schmich has that story in today’s Chicago Tribune. Need further proof? People magazine confirms it. Macca and his new girlfriend, Nancy Shevell, are on vacation, driving the Mother Road from Chicago [...]
Cryptomundo.com (Free subscription) | 07/23/2008
Following up on the earlier story of a "black panther" being caught on video near Joplin, Missouri, it is always good to hear results of an investigative inquiry to test height and more. Video.
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 06/29/2008
Travel: Timothy O'Grady's epic road trip takes him deep into the American south west
Variety.com (Free subscription) | 06/22/2008
Music Reviews: Season windup for the "Broadway by the Year" concert series recalled the Broadway musicals of 1979, a season that marked less-than-successful contributions by Jerry Herman, Alan Jay Lerner and Richard Rodgers.
San Diego Union (Free subscription) | 05/25/2008
In September, my husband and I will be driving from Chicago to California, via what's left of Route 66. What kind of weather should we expect?
Crooks and Liars (Free subscription) | 03/09/2008
Bobby Troup wrote “Route 66″ in 1946 and the first version was Nat King Cole’s (same year), although Perry Como followed a dozen years later. Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones had hit versions and dozens of other artists have done it as well, from Tom Petty, John Mayer, Manhattan Transfer, Them, Natalie Cole, Brian [...]
The Independent (Free subscription) | 02/19/2008
The songwriter and record producer Clyde Otis was noted for his long association with Brook Benton. He wrote both ballads and beat songs, but was at his best in reflective work which drew on his own life, such as "Looking Back" (for Nat "King" Cole), "It's Just a Matter of Time" (Brook Benton) and "This Bitter Earth" (Dinah Washington).
TVShowsOnDVD.com News (Free subscription) | 02/05/2008
By David Lambert - CBS DVD and Paramount Home Entertainment have announced this morning that Rawhide - The 3rd Season, Volume 1 is coming to a store near you on May 27th. The third year of the show's... (more)
Slobokan's Site O' Schtuff (Free subscription) | 01/18/2008
Clyde Otis, a songwriter and record producer who was one of the first black executives at a major record company, died on Jan. 8 in Englewood, N.J. He was 83. His death was announced by his son Isidro. Born in rural Mississippi in 1924, Mr. Otis did not become seriously involved in music until he met the [...]
