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 …
Category Archives: songwriting
Happy 80th Birthday To The Great Bob Seger
by Kevin Burton Bob Seger’s highest charting song is not the song closest to his heart, nor, I’m guessing, is it foremost in the esteem of his true-blue fans. The beloved singer-songwriter from Ann Arbor, Michigan turns 80 today. So I looked up his chart history to see if he had ever had …
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“Killing Me Softly” Singer Roberta Flack Dies
by Kevin Burton Roberta Flack had an ear for music as good as her legendary voice, and she knew she was on to something. The vocalist-composer-arranger was on a cross-country flight when she first heard “Killing Me Softly With His Song” over headphones on the plane’s sound system. Flack would re-shape the song …
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One Last Try, For the Love Of The Music
by Kevin Burton It is very much like me that I saved a fortune cookie message which reads: “share your musical talents generously, for they are a gift to others.” Saved it even though I know sayings in cookies from my favorite Chinese restaurant can be amusing, but they are not messages. …
The Origins Of Six Classic Christmas Songs
by Tim Ott interestingfacts.com The ubiquity of holiday songs on television, radio, and social media from Thanksgiving through Christmas ensures that we’ll be able to sing these anthems in our sleep. But lesser known are the backstories behind these famous tunes, which share common themes but draw from vastly different sources. From centuries-old …
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Dave Barry Saves Sanity of Kansas Man
by Kevin Burton When there is a Dave Barry book on your front porch, you’re having a good day. Every writerly thing in me, now wants to write, “nothing else matters.” But we both know that isn’t entirely true. Nothing else? Tell you what though Sugarbear, nothing else matters for the next …
Happy Birthday To The Great Art Garfunkel
by Kevin Burton OK, so this is what I get for digging into my favorite songs. First, Happy birthday to singer-songwriter Art Garfunkel, born on this day in 1941. I do not have a present for him today, but I have been pondering within his great gift to us. It was the …
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Billy Preston Almost Joined The Beatles
by Kevin Burton In the late 60s and 70s when DJs would spin “Get Back” by The Beatles, they didn’t say anything about Billy Preston, not that I ever heard anyway. But Preston was working closely with the Beatles on the album “Let It Be.” He was a big part of what they …
“My Sharona” Exploded, The Knack Fizzled
by Kevin Burton This song was headed for the top. No two ways about it. It was d-d-destiny, to borrow a stuttered word from the lyrics. The first time The Knack played “My Sharona” at MCA Whitney Recording Studios, producer Mike Chapman told the band it was going to be a number …
Imperfect Tens: Hits Dionne Warwick Hated
by Kevin Burton The artist hated them, I loved them and so did millions of others. From the 60s genius of legendary songwriting team Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and the 80s (post-70s really) brilliance of the Bee Gees, came two smash hits for Dionne Warwick. Both songs went to number 10 …
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