by Kevin Burton Let me be clear: the beat, the rock and roll beat, does not free one’s soul. But in the secular sense it sure frees something. And that’s the heart of the great 1973 song “Drift Away.” Lawrence Darrow Brown was born in Simonton, Texas on this day in 1940. …
Category Archives: music
Mining For Radio Gold In Canada
by Kevin Burton The things we don’t say, can’t say, the things we won’t see and refuse to feel, these are the ghosts that inhabit a great 1971 song. I speak of “If You Could Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot. The orchestration is good but it never gets in the way of …
Songs And Seasons In The Canadian Sun
by Kevin Burton Friday was Canada Day, which got me thinking about my favorite songs by Canadian musicians. The discussion started Saturday on Page 7 (“A Salute To Canada’s Greatest Hits,” July 2.) I have learned a few things just looking into it. For instance, Rush, a group I never listened to …
A Salute To Canada’s Greatest Hits
by Kevin Burton What in the world was “The Safety Dance” all about anyway? That’s just one avenue I walked down during my look into the best Canadian music in honor of Canada Day, which was yesterday, July 1. I set out to create a top ten list of favorite songs by …
Hearing My Story In The Rock And Roll
by Kevin Burton The stories, the images, the sound and fury of rock and roll, truly resonate when they hit close to home. By now we have enough rocking sounds to fill the seven seas. The messages are all over the map. The sheer variety is breathtaking. Not every song will get in …
Sunny Songs To Usher In Summer
by Kevin Burton Ready or not, here’s summer! Today’s official beginning of summer coincides with our usual Tuesday music discussion on Page 7 to bring you songs about summer. Summer started at 4:14 am Central Time today, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. But most people have a different definition of summer a …
The Trippy Lyrics Of Strawberry Letter 23
by Kevin Burton From its carousel introduction to its abstract imagery lyrics, “Strawberry Letter 23” was, different. The song was released 45 years ago this month on Epic Records. You remember the tune? It was one of the quieter songs performed by the Brothers Johnson. Wikipedia says the 7-inch single was …
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“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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What Ever Happened To The Tambourine?
by Kevin Burton Hey man, do you dig the tambourine? They sure did back in the 60s. It was everywhere! Is there any surer stamp marking the time a record was produced, than the prominent use of tambourine? Just for fun I grabbed one of my 60s compilation CDs, “Feelin’ Groovy” put …
The Infectious Rhythm Of A Disco Classic
by Kevin Burton For those rock and rollers who hate disco, one song makes me wonder. I have always wondered what that group thinks of “Turn The Beat Around” by Vicki Sue Robinson. Robinson was born on this date in 1954. She was only 45 when she died of cancer in 2000. …
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