by Kevin Burton The English singer known professionally as Mike McGear has a birthday today. He turns 79. Among the greetings and well wishes, he may get a birthday call, or maybe a musical card that plays the Beatles song “Birthday,” from his brother – Paul McCartney. Peter Michael McCartney created the …
Category Archives: music
A Heartwarming Family Fantasy Football Story
by Kevin Burton I am 6 feet, 1½ inches tall. My wife Jeannette is only 5’4”. But I bet you five dollars we see eye to eye! How do I know this? I let her know recently that my brother has a whopping eleven fantasy football teams. This knowledge floated for a time, …
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Honoring The Musicians We Lost In 2022
by Kevin Burton Toward the end of his life my father said it was strange getting old because many of his friends and relatives had died and he was left behind. I understand where he was coming from. But I extend that to teachers and public figures. Even though I don’t interact …
Musical Genius Thom Bell Dead At 79
by Kevin Burton Just as Philly Soul is unfairly overshadowed by Motown and Stax, Thom Bell didn’t always get the credit he deserved. The producer, arranger and songwriter died Dec. 22 at the age of 79. I never heard his name mentioned in the 70s when I was soaking in his Sound of …
Disaster At Who Concert Still Haunts Band
I’ve written a lot about the Beatles and Beatlemania, but there is another side to the craziness of rock and roll. Yesterday was the 43rd anniversary of the tragedy at Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati when eleven people were killed in a stampede to get into a concert by The Who. There was no …
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Christmas Top 40: Up On The Housetop
by Kevin Burton We don’t have Santa images at my house. For us, Christmas is about Jesus. But there is one Christmas song I have always loved that doesn’t fit that mode. Hundreds of artists have recorded it. Possibly the most famous version was made by Gene Autry in 1953. It was …
Electrified Hand Holding: British Invasion
by Kevin Burton The song that launched the British Invasion was released on this date 59 years ago. “I Want To Hold Your Hand” holds up to this day, but to get the full impact of it you’d have to hear it with ears attuned to the sounds of 1963. God bless …
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Lennon’s Thanksgiving Concert Appearance
by Kevin Burton On Thanksgiving night 1974, two of England’s best musical exports, John Lennon and Elton John appeared together in concert. The appearance was Lennon paying off a bet of sorts. His song “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night,” had just reached the top of the US Hot 100, something Lennon was …
Still Singing, Petula Clark Turns 90
by Kevin Burton Did you know Petula Clark has a new single? Well, it’s her birthday today so let’s help her celebrate. That’s 90 candles on the cake today for Petula, if you’re counting. She was born on this day in 1932 in Ewell, England. That’s 68 million records sold, if you’re doing …
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 …
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