Can You Imagine Elton John As A Banker?

by Kevin Burton    Elton John turns 76 today.  So when I was nine years old listening to Crocodile Rock, he was all of 26.    He wasn’t called Sir Elton back then, not hardly.  He was a sight to behold.    His wild costumes and antics on stage. His huge international hit songs, these …

Love Is Growing New And She’s Still The One

by Kevin Burton    Found a lyric last week that is so cool, I want to use it to tell my happy Valentine’s Day story.    This is what happens when my usual Tuneful Tuesday post coincides with Valentine’s Day.    The song “Still The One” went to number five for Orleans in 1976.  It’s …

Legendary Composer Bacharach Dead At 94

by Kevin Burton    You know Burt Bacharach, even when it’s not Burt Bacharach.    Bacharach died Wednesday at home in Los Angeles of natural causes, according to his publicist, Tina Brausam.    The Kansas City-born composer had an unmistakable sound, especially in his work with longtime writing partner, lyricist Hal David.    The New …

(Mostly) Sweet Duets For Valentine’s Day

by Kevin Burton    Love is in the air, not to mention on all the store shelves. I’m sure you’ve noticed.    Gentlemen, you’re on this, right? One week from today, Valentine’s Day.    OK, to get you in the mood, we’ll have not one, but two posts this week dealing with duets. For Valentine’s …

Younger McCartney Travels His Own Path

by Kevin Burton    The English singer known professionally as Mike McGear has a birthday today. He turns 79.    Among the greetings and well wishes, he may get a birthday call, or maybe a musical card that plays the Beatles song “Birthday,” from his brother – Paul McCartney.    Peter Michael McCartney created the …

Lennon’s Thanksgiving Concert Appearance

by Kevin Burton    On Thanksgiving night 1974, two of England’s best musical exports, John Lennon and Elton John appeared together in concert.    The appearance was Lennon paying off a bet of sorts.     His song “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night,” had just reached the top of the US Hot 100, something Lennon was …

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 …

Rapping To The Ladies, Wishful Thinking

by Kevin Burton    I love the Doobie Brothers, but I have a complaint.   Let’s engage in a little wishful thinking, shall we? I wish Michael McDonald would enunciate.    Wishful thinking is “the attribution of reality to what one wishes to be true or the tenuous justification of what one wants to believe,” according …

Sedaka’s “Bad Blood” Still A Favorite

by Kevin Burton    The night my beloved Cincinnati Reds became world champions for the first time in my lifetime, “Bad Blood” by Neil Sedaka was the number one song in the nation.    It was number one for three weeks, then slid off the charts as all songs do.  But it never did fall …

In Praise Of Electricity And Elton John

by Kevin Burton    All right look, let’s get this out of the way up front. Deal with it however you want.    Elton John, “Benny And The Jets?” It has to be “electric boobs,” period.     This is the ninth time I have written about a record that has influenced me.  It’s the album …