Old-school news, just in time
by Kevin Burton On the Billy Joel portion of our rock and roll road trip you could have reasonably expected “New York State of Mind” or even “Allentown.” Instead we swing west to look at “Stop In Nevada.” This song fits very well into our road-trip theme. Today’s tale includes one of …
Continue reading “Coast To Coast: Billy Joel’s “Stop In Nevada””
by Kevin Burton Trying to wrestle down he lighter-than-air 70s anthem “Philadelphia Freedom” by Elton John is like trying to tell a stranger ‘bout rock and roll. You kind of can’t. You can parse the words if you like, look into its origins, the elements that went into it. But in the end …
Continue reading “Tell A Stranger About Philadelphia Freedom”
by Kevin Burton Before he was a cultural icon, Elvis Presley was a truck driver. Good reason to let Elvis drive part of our Coast To Coast rock and roll road trip. “Blue Hawaii” is out, as that would require a plane or a boat. Our next travel destination: Kentucky. Kentucky Rain …
by Kevin Burton Texas has its outsized pretentions, but California for most of a century was considered the American promised land. This was reflected throughout popular culture, including in music. So there is no shortage of songs we could use to represent the Golden State in our summer rock and roll road trip …
by Kevin Burton You knew any rock and roll road trip would have to stop by Memphis, right? Well, we are using a Chuck Berry vehicle to get there. We’re going Coast to Coast this summer, talking rock and roll history by means of songs with a state or city in the title. …
by Kevin Burton There is more than a little irony in the 1971 Jackson 5 song “Going Back To Indiana.” That makes for an easy choice to make Indiana a destination for our summer rock and roll road trip, Coast to Coast. For Coast to Coast we are talking rock and roll history, …
by Kevin Burton Whether in jazz, blues, pop or country, the late great Ray Charles was not just comfortable but masterful. Somebody asks you, “quick who was Ray Charles?” You’re probably going to say he was a soul singer. You wouldn’t be entirely wrong but he didn’t see himself that way. He …
by Kevin Burton The musical catalog of lyricist Jerry Lieber and pianist Mike Stoller has been described as “some of the most authentic rhythm and blues that white Jewish guys ever wrote.” Eight years before Norman Mailer published “The White Negro,” these two transplanted easterners submerged themselves in the LA black culture and began …
Continue reading “Lieber & Stoller’s “Kansas City” A Classic”
by Kevin Burton We are well into summer now; what do you say we go on a road trip? How about a rock and roll road trip? My wife and I had two mini vacations in late May and into June. The time on the road got my blood pumping. Could be another …
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