by Kevin Burton Elton John turns 76 today. So when I was nine years old listening to Crocodile Rock, he was all of 26. He wasn’t called Sir Elton back then, not hardly. He was a sight to behold. His wild costumes and antics on stage. His huge international hit songs, these …
Category Archives: birthday
Spoonful’s John Sebastian Turns 79
by Kevin Burton Happy 79th birthday to the personable multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter John Sebastian. Both his music and his personality seem accessible, based on how he comes off in interviews on You Tube. I mean, here’s a rock and roller who plays the auto harp of all things. He said he learned the instrument …
The Case For George Harrison, Best Beatle
by Kevin Burton I asked a co-worker, a big Beatles fan who has played guitar since high school, for his opinion on The Big Question: Who was the most essential Beatle? I suppose I was spoiling for a McCartney/Lennon fight. That discussion goes to Paul McCartney and John Lennon and stops there, right? …
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Sweet Dreams And Super Bowl Victory For KC
by Kevin Burton My wife Jeannette got the news late: the Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions! She got the news late because she left the game in the second quarter and headed to bed. Her work starts very early and so bedtime comes early too, Super Bowl or not. She …
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Here’s One Rockin’ And Rollin’ Birthday Party
by Kevin Burton The idea of a birthday party – you know, with the cake and the funny hats – has always seemed lame to me. Today I’m changing my tune. There is one such party I would put together and attend if I could. Wait till you hear the musicians who share …
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Visiting Johnny Carson’s Boyhood Home Town
by Kevin Burton There was a time when one man captured this nation’s attention, made us laugh and in a way, held us together. And that national smile began with the first five notes of that song, The Tonight Show theme. “Daaaaa dum dum daaaa daaaa….” You heard those notes and …
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Songwriter Cynthia Weil Turns 82
by Kevin Burton Happy 82nd birthday to a great American songwriter you may not know much about, Cynthia Weil. If her name doesn’t ring a bell, her music sure will. She and her husband Barry Mann formed one of the most important songwriting teams of the 60s. They were contemporaries of writers you …
“Free Man In Paris” Peaked At Number 22
by Kevin Burton Oh my goodness how did I ever miss this one? Earlier this year to mark the year 2022 I did a series of posts about songs that peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. It turns out one of my all-time favorite songs, “Free Man in Paris,” …
Pastore: This One Belongs To The Lord
by Kevin Burton On opening day 1979 the great Tom Seaver of the Cincinnati Reds didn’t have it. His early exit led to the major league debut of Frank Pastore. Pastore was born on this day in 1957. He had an early exit from life, at age 55, and he sort of predicted it on …
“Lido Shuffle” Singer Boz Scaggs Turns 78
by Kevin Burton My friend Todd once called “Sultans of Swing” by Dire Straits a “perfect” song. I don’t know what calculations you use to measure a perfect song, but leaving that all undefined, I will play along and nominate “Lido Shuffle” by Boz Scaggs as perfect. The song is way up …
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