by Kevin Burton My sister and I had one last shared musical moment, in the days before her death Aug. 25 of last year. We had thousands of them over half a century together. What I wouldn’t give to have a few more of them now. The final one came last August, …
Category Archives: rock and Roll
Hard Lessons In Death And Unforgiveness
by Kevin Burton This bit of Burton family lore started small, sprung up unexpected. We had a maid named Mrs. Long. This was before the basement at my father’s house in Yellow Springs, Ohio was finished, when you could still practice hockey on roller skates and shoot a plastic puck into a 4-by-6 …
Catsongs: Cat’s In The Cradle, Harry Chapin
by Kevin Burton (Catsongs is a series on Page 7 to honor the memory of my late sister Pat by looking at our two shared passions, cats and music.) For this series, I am featuring songs with cats in the title, or perhaps the lyrics. Unfortunately “Cat’s in the Cradle” is the obvious choice …
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“Jive Talkin’” Saved The Bee Gees In 1975
by Kevin Burton Looking back, The Bee Gees’ “Jive Talkin’” seems like an obvious, inevitable number one smash. In its day, it was anything but. Fifty years ago today the song was in a two-week run at the top of the Hot 100. It pretty much saved the Bee Gees. There was …
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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 …
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“You’re No Good” Singer Linda Ronstadt Is 79
by Kevin Burton Gilbert Ronstadt was the owner of Ronstadt’s Hardware Store in Tucson, Arizona. He loved to play his guitar for this three children, two girls and a boy. The kids formed a group called “The Three Ronstadts” and played at functions in the area. One of the girls, you will …
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In Praise Of Mexico, Lettuce And Billy Joel
by Kevin Burton On a tip from a new friend, I knocked on the door of Interlingua language school one day, and asked the good people there to employ me. Shockingly, they took me up on it. This was in the Reagan 80s. I was in somebody else’s country, Mexico, and somebody …
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Getaway Day, Glorious Beyond (These) Words
by Kevin Burton It takes a little work to make a vacation happen doesn’t it? You don’t just up and go. You have to make sure everything is taken care of. Animals, if you have them. The homestead. Plus you have to arrange for accommodations on the road. But there comes a …
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Can’t Forget The Breakfast Club, Simple Minds
by Kevin Burton It’s been 40 years and I haven’t forgotten. But it would appear that my limited affection for Simple Minds begins and ends with Ally Sheedy and The Breakfast Club. Both the band and the Brat Pack were white hot in 1985, 40 years ago this week, when “Don’t You …
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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 …