Keepin’ It Real About The Story Of Woodstock

by Rob Patterson Best Classic Bands    There are two Woodstock festivals that happened in 1969: First and better known is the Woodstock Myth: the paramount Aquarian Age experience, as the mythic echoes imply, and they are not without a sizable measure of truth in some ways.    The second is what really happened: the reality of …

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, …

Blogging And Trying To Cure A 7-Year Ache

by Kevin Burton    So I missed my window.  Again.  As Stockard Channing’s character Betty Rizzo sang in “Grease,” “there are worse things I could do….”    This here blog, Page 7, turned seven years old July 20 and I didn’t usher it into year eight properly, with a birthday post.    One reason was …

“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, …

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 …

Quibbles And Bits: Hey Taylor Swift, I Tried

by Kevin Burton    I’ve tried twice now, and I won’t be back here again, to “get” the whole Taylor Swift thing.    The first time around came when Swift started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and started getting mega-coverage by watching Chiefs games from luxury suites.    I said, Oh my …

Is Ringo’s New Record Better Than Paul’s

by Kevin Burton    I’ve had a ton of fun writing about pop music on Page 7. But I have juuuuust about talked myself out of the notion that I am any kind of knowledgeable, creditable music critic.    And I’m getting close to swearing off all music critics. I mean, we like what we …

Study Says Music And The Arts Slow Aging

by Good News Network    Culture vultures who regularly take part in arts activities—such as listening to music, visiting a museum, or reading—may be slowing the pace of their biological aging, according to a new study.    Researchers from University College London looked at blood test data and survey responses from more than 3,500 adults …