Dolly Parton: One Thing Americans Agreed On

by Robin Levinson-Kingand and Sheila Flynn BBC    Dolly Parton was a lot of things – a country musician, a philanthropist, an actress, a storyteller and a businesswoman. One thing she never was, however, was a politician.    But don’t think it’s because no one asked her. In 1999, during an appearance on the talk …

Country Music Icon Dolly Parton Dies At 80

by Kevin Burton    Sometimes at the movies, the writers ask you to suspend disbelief. For one 70s song, I couldn’t do it.    The song is “Jolene” by Dolly Parton.    In a quivering delivery, Dolly begs this Jolene character, “please don’t take my man.” I just never could buy that.    I thought, …

“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” Turns 50

by Kevin Burton    The song that topped the pop chart 50 years ago today was for me, a guilty pleasure.    “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee was an international smash.  In addition to the US, it was number 1 in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Rhodesia, South Africa, …

Note To Self: Make It Happen Already

by Kevin Burton    Sometime in the 90s when I worked at a photo lab, a co-worker asked me a question;.    “If you could do anything you wanted to do, what would it be?”    My answerer was something about spreading the gospel.    “What’s stopping you?” He asked.    His point was nothing …

Love To Carly Simon, The Person And Artist

by Kevin Burton    We now know her body to be ailing, but the art of Carly Simon is vibrant, alive and well.    So, this post represents a bit of a puzzle for me, an exercise in basic journalism and in basic humanity. It’s a reality check.    Carly Simon just had a birthday …

1970s Songs That Were Banned From Radio

by Kevin Burton    If one of your favorite new songs got banned from commercial radio today, you might not even know it. That, of course, would tamp down the outrage a bit.    But back in the day radio was king, and airplay, or lack thereof, had big sales implications.    What follows is …

Lessons In Perseverance From Famous Athletes

by Dictionary Scoop    Throughout history, sports legends have given us more than just great games to watch. These were people at the top of their game who pushed themselves to the limit. And still, along the way, they picked up knowledge that is relevant to all of us.  Here are ten quotes that stand …

Dave Mason And A Place That’s Far Away

by Kevin Burton    There was just one song that brought Dave Mason into my top-40-based musical awareness in the 70s, but that was enough to keep him there.    Mason died April 19, and tributes began to pour in from people who knew him as I didn’t,  as a co-founder of the British rock …

Seals and Crofts Music Sticks To Your Ribs

by Kevin Burton    I like barbecue sauce. I love cayenne pepper and other hot spices. But I don’t have to have it on everything, all the time.    And so it is with screaming guitars and scene-stealing guitar solos. They are cool sometimes, but I can live without them.    So it was that …

December 1963, Oh What A Song, For The Guy

by Kevin Burton    Here’s what we know about the female character from “December 1963 (Oh What a Night,” the Four Seasons’ fifth and last number one hit:    She had the ability to walk. She walked into a room. That’s all we get.    No eyes of blue, no golden hair, no perfume in …