The Characters Behind 12 Famous Songs

by Dictionary Scoop    There’s a mixture of fiction and real life behind the people made famous by the hit songs on our list today.  From classic rock ballads to catchy pop tunes, here are 12 famous songs that feature people’s names—and the stories behind them. 1-Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry    We’ll start …

Quibbles And Bits: Cats, Beatles, Fantasy

by Kevin Burton    Our younger cat Lakin is a great leaper, has a good set of lungs and is eager to communicate.    And she’s wild about exercise. I should be so wild about exercise.    You share your living space with two cats, you find out a few things.    Like on a …

“Love Will Keep Us Together” Is Pop Perfection

by Kevin Burton     Did you know the 1975 smash “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain and Tennile is actually a breakup song?    Hey, I was there. Yes it is, a breakup song!    Well, sort of.    Fifty years ago today it was in the beginning of a four-week run at the …

The Grooviest Band You’ve Never Heard Of

by Kevin Burton    When you bite the hand that feeds you, chances are you won’t get fed anymore.     Or you could say it this way: “no more fun and games.”    That’s the story of the Houston-based, late 60s sunshine pop band The Fun And Games, according to published accounts.     Not very …

What Is Your Spiritual Plus-Minus Today?

by Kevin Burton    Today my reading of an Alistair Begg message has me thinking about basketball?    Basketball, really?    Begg is the speaker on the Truth for Life radio ministry. I get an e-mail from that website every day with some kind of message – a challenge, encouragement, call to joyfulness – all …

Where Ya From? What’s Your Demonym?

by Kevin Burton    People from Wichita, the nearest large city to me, are called Wichitans.  That’s straightforward enough.    People from Puebla, Mexico, a city very near to my heart, are called Poblanos. Why not Pueblanos?  Not sure, good question.    Wichitan and Poblano are demonyms. The word demonym is “Rooted in the Greek …

Billy Preston Almost Joined The Beatles

by Kevin Burton    In the late 60s and 70s when DJs would spin “Get Back” by The Beatles, they didn’t say anything about Billy Preston, not that I ever heard anyway.    But Preston was working closely with the Beatles on the album “Let It Be.” He was a big part of what they …

“My Sharona” Exploded, The Knack Fizzled

by Kevin Burton    This song was headed for the top. No two ways about it.    It was d-d-destiny, to borrow a stuttered word from the lyrics.    The first time The Knack played “My Sharona” at MCA Whitney Recording Studios, producer Mike Chapman told the band it was going to be a number …

Stealing Grooves? Plagiarism or Coincidence?

by Dictionary Scoop    They say that bad artists imitate, but it takes a great artist to make something new out of the work of others.    In the world of music, the thin line between inspiration and plagiarism is often full of controversy, even when the similarities were not intended.    Whether it’s a …

Lennon’s 1972 Peace Overture To McCartney

by Kevin Burton    How would music history be different, had an invitation sent in 1972 been received favorably?    The acrimony surrounding the Beatles’ breakup was not as fevered as Beatlemania itself – nothing else in music has ever been – but it was white hot.    But some two years after the split, John …