Rock 'n' Roll: The Classic Generation 1940 - 1950

The Classic Generation 1940 -1950 | The Concert Experience

The Founding Generation of Rock 'n' Roll (1910 - 1925)

Robert Johnson

Technologically the beginning of the 20th century captures a newly recorded generation of Blues men and women through the development of the phonograph record.  I start with Bessie Smith (1894) as "Mother of the Blues, and five key individuals as the founding fathers of rock 'n' roll- Howlin' Wolf (1910), Robert Johnson (1911), Sonny Boy Williamson (1912), Willie Dixon (1915), and Muddy Waters (1915). 

Muddy Waters

Here's a video clip of Muddy Waters where he talks about the Blues and how white kids in the 1960's started to imitate the Blues and instrumentally could play the Blues very well, but to vocalize the Blues, well Muddy tells it like it is. I first saw this clip on the Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars documentary, where Eric obviously agrees as he learned from the authentic masters who lived the Blues.

Woody Guthrie

Recorded folk music during that same birth era begins with the legendary Woody Guthrie (1912). I view Woody Guthrie as the 'Father of Folk' in that he lived the life of a common man who connected his music to democracy and people living at or below the poverty line. Woody labeled his guitars with the slogan, "This Machine Kills Fascists" and carried the torch for the power of the protest song.



The Pioneering Generation of Rock 'n' Roll (1925 - 1940) 

Chuck Berry

Building off the Blues, Folk and Country music, the next generation of artists birthed rock 'n' roll's beginning with- B.B. King (1925), Chuck Berry (1926), Fats Domino (1928), Bo Diddley (1928), and then the 1930's birth years of Little Richard (1932), Carl Perkins (1932), Johnny Cash (1932), Willie Nelson (1933), Elvis Presley (1935), Buddy Guy (1936), Kris Kristofferson (1936), and Buddy Holly (1936).

Phil and Don Everly

Here, I also have to include The Everly Brothers, Don (1937) and Phil (1939) as a major influence merging acoustic county harmony into many popular hits in the late 50's and early 60's leading to groups like Simon and Garfunkel and The Beatles.

I know I've left out other legends I should've included like Jerry Lee Lewis, but sorry, he was never a favorite of mine and remember, he married his 13 year old cousin for God's sake!

On the folk side, I've got to include Lead Belly (1888) that leads to Pete Seeger (1919) that leads to Bob Dylan (1941). 

You can make all kinds of linage links like- Robert Johnson to Muddy Waters to B.B. King to Eric Clapton. There is no one straight line because the above lists are a small but definitive collective of influential artists that stood on the shoulders of the previous generations.

The Classic Generation of Rock 'n' Roll (1940 - 1950) 

The Beatles

Building off the founding and pioneering generations of artists and music, the great majority of the classic generation of rock 'n' roll artists were born in Britain, the United States, and Canada between 1940 - 1950.

In my humble opinion, this is the greatest generation of rock 'n' rollers the world has ever produced, large in part to the effects and after effects of World War II.

In regards to the after effects of World War II, the greatest generation of now parents got busy making babies from 1946 - 1964 and created the largest generation of children that in the USA became to be known as the "baby boomers." I land in the middle with the birth class of 1955 where I'm too young to see The Beatles and Stones in the 60's, and too stupid not to catch Dylan, the Stones and The Who in the 70's.

Bob Dylan

So, all these babies being born during World War II through the mid-sixties, represented a new and very large group of young people who by and large lived a more affluent life than their parents did as children. The greatest generation also created the greatest middle class where their children had global access to mass media through television, radio, movies, magazines and most importantly vinyl 45's and records.

An explosion of musical talent emerged onto USA and UK stages and on television as these now twenty somethings were landing record deals, not to mention that they were by and large writing their own material that went on their records.

The Rolling Stones

The following is an absolutely stunning list of artists and bands starting in the 1960's and 1970's and for the most part, carry on today in some form or another as top grossing live acts across the globe!

This Part I blog is also a precursor to a Part II guide (from my baby boomer's perspective) of current music concerts. This includes the boomers themselves, to their children, and to their grandchildren, all attending these live shows with artists still performing in their 70's. Look for The Concert Experience blog next week as a follow up to this time line in history.

Now for the essential 1940-1950 rock 'n' roll birth list with my little commentary and personal opinion... and that's why it's called a blog.

1940 - John Lennon and Ringo Starr. John Lennon only lived to 40 years old and is still is one of the top 10 songwriters of rock 'n' roll. Paul McCartney and John Lennon are the best songwriting duo of all time.

Ringo Starr simply gets overlooked by many, but is the best rock 'n' roll drummer of all time. Ringo tours with his All-Star band, a rotating group of top hit making musicians. You have to see Ringo, he tours constantly. I saw him in concert several years ago and sat in the second row with my wife, Mary Kit. We were 10 feet from Ringo and that's the closest we're ever going to be get to a Beatle.

Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band

The Beatles are the greatest band of all time and the most influential band ever, in any genre .

1939/1940 - Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson. The princes of Motown. Nobody sang like Marvin. Smokey is what I call a "5 tool musician" - songwriter, leader of the band, singer, producer and influencer.

1940 - Levon Helm. The original band leader of 'Levon and the Hawks' before the band renamed itself to The Band in 1968, one of the most influential bands in rock 'n' roll history. In my opinion, Levon Helm is the 'heart beat' of The Band who never wanted The Band to split in 1975.

1941 - Bob Dylan. The most important song writer in rock 'n' roll history. Bob wrote the anthems for a generation. A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall (1962), Blowin' in the Wind (1963), The Times They Are a-Changin (1964), Like a Rolling Stone" (1965), I could go on and on, but listen to his lesser known songs like, Only a Pawn in their Game (1964) and With God on our Side (1964) and you realize nobody writes like Bobby Dylan.

Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon

1941 - Paul Simon. One of the Top 10 songwriters of rock 'n' roll. Simon and Garfunkel is the best folk-rock duo of all time. Paul is a musician's musician and a fantastic singer. His blending of different genres into pop hits is an infectious marvel. Like Smokey, he's a 5 tool musician including a master at guitar. His farewell tour last year was a must for me, and woke me to the fact that if you want to see one of the greats, DO IT NOW!

1941 - Harry Nilsson. The Beatles favorite singer, and one of mine too. Harry's voice was kissed by the gods.

1942 - Paul McCartney. The greatest singer-songwriter in rock 'n' roll history. His career speaks for itself. Paul releases a new album of new material every several years and tours constantly. I saw Paul last week in Phoenix. At 77, he plays for 3 straight hours without a break other than to tell great short stories and does a total of 38 songs. Paul will keep you young my friends.

The Beach Boys

1942 - Brian Wilson. One of the Top 10 singer-songwriters of rock 'n' roll and one of the most influential. The Beach Boys are one of the greatest bands in rock 'n' roll history. Brian Wilson invented the "California sound" and elevated the record industry in Los Angeles. He is a total 5 tool musician.

1942 - Aretha Franklin. Queen of Soul. Grew up with Smokey Robinson in Detroit just a couple of blocks away and they always looked out for each other throughout their lives. She sang so many great songs, including You Make Me Feel Like a Nature Woman, written for her by the next person on this list.

1942 - Carole King. One of the Top 10 singer-songwriters of rock 'n' roll who writes more than two dozen top hits for other artists in the 1960's with first husband Gerry Goffin, and then writes and sings her own huge hits in the 1970's. Tapestry held the record for most weeks at No. 1 by a female artist for more than 20 years.

1942 - Jimi Hendrix. Often called the Greatest electric guitar player of rock 'n' roll. However, Jimi was only on the world stage for three years from 1967 - 1970 and his tragic death at 27 due to an overdose puts him into my category of "Sure Could Have Been." It would have been great to see Jimi Hendrix at the Forum in 2019, we all could only wish...

The Byrds

1942 - Roger McGuinn. Leader of The Byrds, one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands of the 1960's and literally instrumental in developing the "jingle-jangle" sound compressed in recording of his Rickenbacker guitar. That sound is the lineal link to Tom Petty and Mike Campbell, need I say more.


1943 - George Harrison. The youngest Beatle who also died way to young at 58. He wrote great songs with The Beatles and in his solo career, and with The Traveling Wilburys. One of the greatest things George ever did was create the concept of Love the theater production with Cirque du Soleil's Guy Laliberté. You have to go see Love at the Mirage in Las Vegas. Here is the ticket information, just do it. The Beatles live on here like nothing you've ever seen or heard. Thank you George!

1943 - Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The two founding members of the Best Rock 'n' Band of all time, The Rolling Stones. What's the distinction between greatest (The Beatles) and best you say? Well you figure it out. I will say longevity has something to do with it. I remember in the 80's, some in the media were calling U2 the best rock and roll band, please that just made me laugh out loud.

Mick Jagger is the best front man/lead singer in a band of all time. Keith Richards trading off between lead and rhythm guitar is the creator of the greatest riffs of all time. Keith Richards is also the greatest band leader of all time. One of my favorite documentaries is the 1987 Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll. What I love about this movie is Keith Richards trying his level best to lead Chuck towards the best performance he and the band can give in front of the cameras. Richards tells the story (I can't remember if it's in the movie) that Chuck, his boyhood idol gets mad at him and slugs him in the mouth. Jealousy runs deep in rock 'n' roll, but don't you think in Chuck's heart of hearts he knew Keith Richards was a very special cat and very much at Chuck's level.

Joni Mitchell

1943 - Joni Mitchell. One of the 10 top singer-songwriters in rock 'n' roll and one of the most influential artists to inspire generations of musicians. Joni's been in poor health the last several years and stopped touring long ago. What I would give to have been at one of her shows in the mid-1970's.

1943 - Randy Newman. One of the greatest songwriters of all time. Randy's songs are good stories and there's nothing better than a good story.

1943 - Roger Waters. Founding member of Pink Floyd and still touring!

1943 - Jim Morrison. Founding member of The Doors and still dead. Jim is one of rock's great coincidences of rock stars dying in their 27th year. Light My Fire is one of my top 10 favorite rock 'n' roll songs and one hell of a coming of age song for a 12 year old.

1943 - Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, and

The Band

Richard Manuel. Along with Garth Hudson (1937) and Levon Helm (1940) were all members of The Band, one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands of all-time and fathers of the 'Americana' genre of music.

1944 - Jeff Beck. He is often called a "guitarist's guitarist" as he is not a singer but pure instrumentalist. Jeff Beck has played with everyone, and has been overlooked by the public, but every electric guitar player knows Jeff Beck.

The Who

1944/1945 - Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend. The Who for

many is synonymous with "rock band" and one of the first bands to show the world how to be a counter-culture rock band by destroying their instruments on stage. But The Who were much more than that- with Daltrey as the front man lead singer twirling his mic, Townshend's windmill guitar flying in his white jumpsuit, John Entwistle's (1944) driving bass line, and Keith Moon's (1946) unique drumming style that is my personal favorite with his tum-tum beat effortlessly rolling through the songs. Pete and Roger are still doing it, and I'm going to see them October 16th at San Diego State. Bucket list time, once again.

1944/1946 - Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons. I call both, "The Godfathers of Country Rock" for their influence in the seminal album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo with The Byrds, and The Flying Burrito Brothers.  Gram then left The Flying Burrito Brothers and did two solo albums with Emmylou Harris before dying at the tender age of 26 due to a drug overdose.

1944/1948 - Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Interesting that the leaders of Led Zeppelin follow Townshend and Daltrey here as both bands have great showman lead singers and guitar phenoms. Led Zeppelin powered 1970's rock like no other and all the heavy metal bands that followed them never even come close to writing and performing songs like Led Zeppelin.

The current Fleetwood Mac

1945/1947 - John McVie and Mick Fleetwood.  These two are the constant nucleus of the 1960's and early 70's Blues band Fleetwood Mac, and then, the more pop Fleetwood Mac band from 1974 to today. With McVie on bass and Fleetwood on drums, these two are my favorite rhythm section along with Entwistle and Moon from The Who. Fleetwood Mac has had more line up changes with the possible exception of the Cleveland Browns at quarterback. By the way, if you know who Peter Green (1946) and Danny Kirwan (1950) are, you know your rock 'n' roll! And, if you are lucky to see the current Fleetwood Mac with Mike Campbell, he even plays a Peter Green song.

1945 - Eric Clapton. One of the Greatest Guitarists of all time in so many fantastic bands including - The Yardbirds, John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, and Derek and the Dominos.
But what separates Eric from all the great electric guitar players of his generation is he could sing better than any of them. Clapton is also one of the greatest songwriters of all time spanning the Blues, rock 'n' roll, pop, rock and country rock. A 5 tool musician who is currently doing select concerts here and there. I saw Clapton two years ago with Gary Clark Jr. and Jimmie Vaughan at the The Forum, the best place to see an arena concert on the west coast.

1945 - Neil Young. Right behind Bob Dylan as the most important songwriter in rock 'n' roll. Along with Stephen Stills and

Buffalo Springfield

Richie Furay (1944), Young created one of the greatest short-lived bands (1966-68) in rock 'n' roll history, and also one of my favorites Buffalo Springfield. His albums of the 1970's stand with the best in rock 'n roll and he's simply a complete original. Don't go through life without seeing him at least once, for many it's something they never will forget, as he spans all generations of fans, like being the "Godfather of Grunge" in the 90's.

1945 - Stephen Stills. One of my all time favorites with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Manassas with Chris Hillman (1944), and his solo albums.

1945 - John Fogerty. Creedance Clearwater Revival, one of my favorite bands in 7th grade (1967-68). Saw him several years ago in Las Vegas and he blew the room away, fantastic show!

1945 - Van Morrison. Starts his career with the band Them and writes the mid-sixties monster hit Gloria. Morrison then goes solo and the hits keep coming with, Brown Eyed Girl, Moondance, Domino, and Wild Night. "Van the Man" has put out 40 studio albums and just never stops with new material and its all very very good. Celtic Soul baby.

1945 - Leo Kottke. My favorite acoustic guitar instrumentalist. His unique style of finger picking bends the strings and the genres. Nobody plays quite like Leo.

1946 - Linda Ronstadt.

Linda Ronstadt

My favorite female singer in rock 'n' roll history. She could do the slow songs with conviction and blast that voice into the stratosphere and over the Stratocasters on the rockers. Linda gave her last concert in 2009 and was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2012, which left her unable to sing. I cried upon this news and although I'll never see her live in concert, I enjoy her conversations on video and watching her sing on video. YouTube has a place in rock 'n' roll.

1946 - John Prine. Another Godfather of Americana and creative songwriter of his generation. Nobody writes songs like John has he has been described as the 'Mark Twain' of singer-songwriters. Both Prine and Randy Newman are in a songwriting category of their own, right next to Bobby Dylan.

1946/1947 - Freddy Mercury and Brian May. Queen is the best live show in rock 'n' roll history, not that I have ever seen them live but I've seen the video. This month, I get to see Queen + Adam Lambert at The Forum. Now won't that be a blast!

1947 - Elton John. From 1970 - 1975, nobody was bigger. In 1975, my girlfriend won a lottery for two tickets to see him perform a benefit for the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the 300 seat capacity Troubadour in Los Angeles. This is the best concert I have been to in my life, not to mention that my girlfriend got kissed by Bernie Taupin that night, I didn't mind. That same girlfriend is going to see Elton John at the Tacoma Dome in September and his quote, "farewell tour," but I wouldn't believe that.

1947 - David Bowie. In 1973 that same girlfriend turned me on to Ziggy Stardust and my little world was starting to get a little bigger...

Gram Parson/Emmy Lou Harris

1947 - Emmylou Harris. I saw Emmylou perform with her Hot Band back in the late 70's in Pacific Beach in a theater long torn down. It was magic, not to mention I was totally memorized and thought she was the most beautiful creature on the planet! If you look at her body of work as a solo artist as well as her collaborations with Gram Parsons, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton, Rodney Crowell, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Mark Knopfler - I call her, "The Godmother of Americana genre of music."

1947 - Jeff Lynne. In 1970 Jeff Lynne created the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and along with Badfinger keep the spirit of The Beatles alive at least through their hit songs. Jeff would become fast friends with George Harrison and formed the Traveling Wilburys together in the late 1980's. I just saw ELO a couple of weeks ago in Anaheim and it was a fabulous show, you must see ELO! Here is my recent blog on that concert.

1947/1948 - Don Henley (1947), Glen Frey (1948),

Eagles

and Joe Walsh (1947).  The Eagles are one of the few bands, I actually saw in the 1970's and have been fortunate enough to see several times after their reunion in the 90's. Desperado is one of the best albums in rock 'n' roll history. The History of the Eagles - Live in Concert tour in 2015 with Glen Frey (his last tour before his death) and with Bernie Leadon at SDSU is one of my favorite concerts of all time. The Eagles are my wife's favorite band, and she see's them and Don Henley as much as humanely possible. In September, she will be off to Vegas again, this time with daughter in tow to see them at the MGM Grand. Great place to see a concert by the way, yes both Vegas and the MGM Grand.

1948 - Steve Winwood. Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith and a great solo career. He's still on my bucket list. How could Eric Clapton leave Steve and Blind Faith?  That Eric is a fickle one...

1948 - James Taylor. Influenced by my friend Paul Hobbs, I started listening to James and believe he is one of the best singer-songwriters in rock 'n' roll history. Sweet Baby James is one of the top 10 songs in rock 'n' roll. James has a singing voice for the ages and is one of the best pickers around. I finally got to see James in the late 80's and then a second time in 2015 at the San Diego Sports Arena.

1948 - Jackson Browne. Jackson grew up in Los Angeles and traveled up US 101 as the beginning tapestry for his songwriting that just pulled me to him musically. He is one of the five top songwriters in rock 'n' roll history, but as Woody Guthrie said about Bob Dylan, "it's his singing voice." Jackson in fact has the perfect voice to communicate his writing, it is so real and he makes it look and sound so easy. A gift for the ages! Late for the Sky is my favorite Jackson Browne album, I burned the grooves out of that vinyl record. And hey, if I couldn't be James Taylor, I'd be Jackson Browne in 1970.

1949 - Bruce Springsteen. He represents the last group of superstars born before the 1950's that sustained classic rock 'n' roll with fresh talent in the mid 1970's, that continues to this day. Bruce is one of the rare artists who keeps putting out fresh material decade in and decade out. Check out the east coast boss of rock 'n' roll do a little west coast sound on his latest album just released in June, Western Stars. I still have not seen Bruce live, another bucket not yet fulfilled.

1949 - Mark Knopfler. One of my BFF Bill DeVoe's favorite rock 'n' rollers of all time, mine too. So WTF dude why haven't we gone to a concert together to see him? Like Bruce Springsteen, Mark Knopfler keeps putting out fresh material all the time and it just gets better. Mark's my favorite guitar player, both acoustic and electric, but he's also one of the greatest songwriters in rock 'n' roll history too. Like Jackson Browne, his singing voice matches his writing and I'm so excited to see him at the Santa Barbara Bowl in September!

1950 - Stevie Wonder. You forget how young Little Stevie Wonder was when he was signed by Motown at age 11 and had a No. I hit, Fingertips at age 13. Here he is in the last group of rock stars born in the "classic period" in 1950 and already had a big hit in 1963! But that was only the start as he and Elton John lead the 1970's. His songs are so infectious and probably he did more for racial harmony through his music than any other artist in rock 'n' roll history. He is one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time. Have you ever met anybody that did not love Stevie Wonder?

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

1950 - Tom Petty and Mike Campbell. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers just next to the Stones, are the best rock 'n' roll band of all time. I remember being at my neighbor's house in the early 90's and listening to his tricked out video/stereo system with a laserdisc concert film of the band. I literally had never heard and seen anything to match Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Tom took everything from the masters born in the 1940's and made it into his own hybrid of pure classic rock 'n' roll. Mike Campbell is one of my favorite electric guitar players and I just love how he just walks the stage playing so effortlessly.

Mary Kit and I had the chance to see Tom and the band at Safeco Field in Seattle in one of his last concerts in August, 2017 just before he died that October. Tom, Mike and the band toured constantly over the decades and I thought after the Safeco concert, "Next time I want to see him at The Forum."

Hail! Hail! rock 'n' roll!

Okay, who did I leave out? You may be are saying, Stevie Nicks (1948), my wife is gasping at this omission, or Billy Joel (1949), or Peter Gabriel (1950), or Sting (1951) Relax, I love all these people, (well Stevie Nicks is okay I guess), just didn't include them here as that's Rolling Stone's job, and I'm determined to publish this blog by midnight on this Monday.

Lastly, so our great classic rock stars born between 1940 - 1950 are mostly in their 70's today and not getting any younger. The time for seeing these "classic live wires" is a window that is sadly starting to close. So, go see them in concert whether it is the first time or tenth time. You won't regret it!

Check out my Part II next week for tips and tricks on seeing your favorite artists in concert!

And, no new playlist this week by the Monday publishing deadline. But not to fret, I have My 100 Songs, Second 100 Songs, and (now updated) Third 100 Songs to classically fall back on. Enjoy my friends! An update- I've added my Fourth 100 Songs here, and I'm currently working on my Fifth and last coming sometime in the future!

My 100 Songs

My Second 100 Songs

My Third 100 Songs

My Fourth 100 Songs

Jeff Lynne's ELO, Anaheim Honda Center, 6/20/19

Last Thursday, I got to see Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) which since 1972 has been the sole embodiment of the brilliant Jeff Lynne. Jeff's career as leader of ELO also includes being a solo artist, a member of the supergroup Traveling Wilburys, record producer of many artists, and long overdue induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. 

Much like Paul Simon assembled for his touring band over recent years, Jeff Lynne's ELO is a tour de force of talented musicians that propel ELO's rock-symphony sound into the twenty-first century. That sound is in fact so well produced live to the band's recorded discography (and this is not a slight) that anyone can appreciate the musicianship, not to mention bringing several generations of fans to their feet, clapping and singing along to an extensive list of hits. So many big hits, that I had forgotten the stamp the 71 year-old Jeff Lynne has as a tunesmith in rock 'n' roll history. 

The band kicked off their 2019 tour at the Honda Center in Anaheim and here's a quick review by Steve Baltin.  In a rare move on my part, I've duplicated the setlist through mostly higher quality concert videos in my playlist this week. I've also added a couple of classics at the end not in the current tour rotation.

So, jump back into the ELO spacecraft where two young 20 year-old's sitting next to me at the show where transported back to the early 70's through mid 80's, and were completely rocking out, not to mention the throng of sixty-seventy year-old gray hairs.

Enjoy my friends!

June 1969, 50 Years of Music

Here's a playlist of songs from albums released in June, 1969. 

Enjoy my friends!

#NewReleases June, 2019 #Playlist

Here's a playlist I put together of new songs or new covers mostly put out just before June or in June of this year.

I can't wait to see the new documentary, Echo in the Canyon by Jakob Dylan about the 1960's "California sound" and the collection of musicians that flocked to Los Angles and hung together in Laurel Canyon. This playlist is sprinkled with a variety of new releases where the musical influences of the 60's and 70's are still with us today.

Included in this mix, is a song from the new Bruce Springsteen album, Western Stars, which happens to embrace the aforementioned west coast spirit and comes out this week, June 14.  Also, a song from the much anticipated new Black Keys album, Let's Rock, that comes out June 28th. Look for more playlists that will include songs from these two albums.

Enjoy the playlist my friends!

#ComedyMonday

Here's a little shout out to my dear friends Paul and Jane Hobbs who made the trip down from the Central Coast to see the very funny Jim Gaffigan at the Del Mar Fair last Saturday night.

On Sunday, Paul sent me a text me to say it was a fabulous show and with that in mind, thought I'd take a little music break and bring in some stand up and sketch comedy favorites this week.

This gives me a chance to share a clip of the great Tim Conway who recently passed away and like Gaffigan made everybody laugh every single time he did a bit. In my humble opinion, I think comedy is one of the hardest professions on earth. I know it's not brain surgery, but what a skill to examine life and then have the ability to make people laugh, over and over again.

I have tremendous respect for musicians and comedians as comedy like music soothes the soul. I hope you can have a few good laughs here to start your week. Enjoy my friends!

May 1969, Wow! 50 Years of Music

Earlier this month, I began to work on my now monthly feature of albums released 50 years ago in the month I post the blog. When I first looked at the Wikipedia 1969 in Music #May list I just said, "Wow!"

Here is a representative group of 50 songs from this monster month of albums released in May, 1969. Enjoy my friends!

New Releases @ the river of streams, April-May 2019

I kick off this mix of newly released albums with a terrific band that my daughter, Shawna and I loved in the 90's, The Cranberries. In 2017, the band began working on what was going to be their eighth album, In the End. On January 15, 2018, Dolores O' Riordan the band's iconic lead singer died of an accidental drowning in a London Hotel bathtub due to alcohol intoxication.

In the months following her tragic death, the band (guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan, and drummer Fergal Lawler) embarked on finishing the album as Dolores had already laid down some impressive vocal demo tracks. This album is a testament to the band's love of Dolores and their tireless effort to make this last Cranberries album a classic. This album is simply fantastic and as a fan, I can't figure out why it's not getting more press here in the U.S. even if the band is unable to perform on TV and tour. My last video of this mix is a recent interview with Noel and Fergal.

This mix of 60 songs is mostly made up of the albums featured above in my collage with a little bit of everything across the genres. Enjoy my friends!

Crosby, Stills & Nash - Celebrating 50 Years of Their Debut Album

Back and Front Album Cover - Photo by Henry Diltz | Source - PopSpots by Bob Egan

On May 29, 1969 Crosby, Stills & Nash was released by Atlantic Records. I love all ten songs today as much as I did when I was a teenager because their place in time helped define my place in time.

The album cover photo taken by Henry Diltz was scouted by Graham Nash and Art Director, Gary Burden in LA. As the two were driving around, they found an abandoned house in West Hollywood with the infamous couch in the front. On the day of the photo shoot, the band had not decided on a name yet. A day or so after the shoot, the boys decided on Crosby, Stills & Nash. They then went back to do a reshoot so that their names would correspond with their left right order on the couch. When they got there, the house had been torn down and lay in a pile of rubble. Oh well, the dye was cast, and Diltz's photo is a rock 'n' legend in its own right.

I love this story because I've always felt the band's last names order was always out of order. As any person that follows music in the 1960's knows (or at least in my opinion)- Stills' name should have gone first, Nash second, and Crosby third. Don't get me wrong, they are all truly gifted as they came together from famous bands to make the supergroup of harmony, but Stephen is the music genius of the three. Like a five-tool baseball player, Stephen Stills is a superstar songwriter, singer, and both an acoustic guitar and electric guitar master. And I suppose the fifth tool being, he publicly appeared to keep his ego a little more checked at the doorstep than his other star bandmates (starting with his name being second).

When I saw Graham Nash perform in San Diego last year, he warmly talked about the making of the debut album and how Stephen arranged and played every instrument on the album with the exception of Dallas Taylor on drums (shown behind the door on the back cover of the album photo).

I've always been a Stephen Stills and Neil Young fan, but I would say I was a Stephen Stills fan first starting with the two in Buffalo Springfield. As the two alpha's of Buffalo Springfield, Neil has always had a propensity to just leave and he did just that to Buffalo Springfield in 1968. 

In July of 1968, Cass Elliot took Nash (still in The Hollies) to meet the now band-less Stills (from Springfield) and Crosby (fired from The Byrds) to a party at Joni Mitchell's house in Laurel Canyon, and the birth of the band was born that day. 

In the formation of Crosby, Stills & Nash, I believe this was Stephen's chance to get out from Neil and do his own thing. The debut album is such a fresh start for all three that embodies the pure joy of collaboration. It was also Stephen's moment to lead and I became a HUGE Stephen Stills fan after this album with his fingerprints all over it. 

And yes, the album was a big hit, but more importantly, it was all the buzz within the music industry in Los Angeles. A few years later in the mid-seventies, another famous LA band would say in a famous song..."we haven't had that spirit here since 1969, and still those voices are calling from far away"...

In the months following the debut, Ahmet Ertegun, the President of Atlantic Records had the idea to suggest adding Neil Young to the group. Now that was both brilliant and ballistic at the same time. Brilliant because we get the album Déjà Vu and the song, Ohio in 1970, and ballistic because Neil is Neil and he tends to just do his own thing, which is also brilliant by the way.  

The storied history of CS&N and CSN&Y through their breakups, makeups and breakups has been well chronicled and I won't go into depth here. I will indulge in the idea of  "what if" because like Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash were broken up as a band shortly after take off. It would have been special for the trio to have ridden that moment of 1969 and carry on as a trio. The inclusion of Neil Young cut short the magical run that many monster bands or single artists have, 5+ successive years of lighting the fire and being at the top of the music game. Not surprisingly, Neil Young did just that in his 1970's solo run while using a splash of Stills, Nash, Crosby, The Stray Gators, and of course Crazy Horse mixed in.

Side note- I was in Maui last October and wanted to see Mick Fleetwood's restaurant. Fleetwood's On Front St. It's in an old general store building upstairs (pictured above), but the gem is walking downstairs to Henry Diltz's photo studio, Morrison Hotel Gallery in Fleetwood's General Store in Lahaina, HI. In the Gallery, was an original print of the Crosby, Stills & Nash album cover. The Gallery's Art Consultant, Sharon Cholet filled me in on all the history of the photo shoot and I appreciated her time. The print cost $500 and I wanted it so bad.

Enjoy my friends, this one is special.

My SECOND 100 Songs

My 100 Songs | My SECOND 100 Songs | My THIRD 100 Songs

My FOURTH 100 Songs | My FIFTH 100 Songs

In November, 2016 I posted My 100 Songs as a YouTube Playlist. In the description header of that playlist I wrote, "My 100 favorite songs not necessarily rated 1-100. This playlist is part of me, like remembering listening to the Rolling Stones' Satisfaction on my transistor radio in 1965 on my front yard grass."

If you spend anytime thinking about the music you love, 100 songs is really just a good start. So it's taken a while but I've put together My SECOND 100 Songs. Like the first 100, I did not rate them 1-100 as this continues to be more of a shuffle of mostly longtime favorites.

These lists are my favorites not only because I like the songs, but they continue to represent a place in time for me. For example in this grouping, I selected Ohio by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, a song written and recorded just three weeks after the May, 4 1970 Kent State shootings. The song was released in June of that year and I remember hearing it for the first time while in the back seat of my friend Gary Hill's family station wagon. I was in the car with my pals Gary (driving), Paul and Ron and the song came on over the radio. We were driving on Main street, all talking stopped and we just quietly listened to it, blown away.

There's some gems in here that you will easily recognize and maybe a few you've never heard before. I have included both lists here with 200 songs that continue to change over time. Some songs get deleted from YouTube and I can't remember what was deleted. Maybe that's a blessing as I just add a song here or there that I love. For example, The Zombies were recently inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and that got me listening to them again and suddenly, two songs make the latest list.

Well, I guess I had better start working on 201-300, there's never enough good music. Enjoy my friends!

My SECOND 100 Songs

1. Help!, The Beatles
2. California Dreamin', The Mamas & The Papas
3. Jumpin' Jack Flash, The Rolling Stones
4. Mr. Tambourine Man, Bob Dylan
5. Won't Get Fooled Again, The Who
6. America, Simon and Garfunkel
7. You Really Got Me, The Kinks
8. Higher Ground, Stevie Wonder
9. The Story In Your Eyes, The Moody Blues
10. Alfie, Dionne Warwick
11. Sunshine Of Your Love, Cream
12. I'm Looking Through You, The Beatles
13. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Crosby, Stills & Nash
14. Beginnings, Chicago
15. Don't Think Twice, Bob Dylan
16. Time Of The Season, The Zombies
17. Paperback Writer, The Beatles
18. Free Man In Paris, Joni Mitchell
19. Souvenirs, John Prine
20. You're Going To Make Me Lonesome When You Go, Shawn Colvin
21. Fountain Of Sorrow, Jackson Browne
22. Carolina On My Mind, James Taylor
23. All My Loving, The Beatles
24. Dusty Springfield, No Easy Way Down
25. Be Free, Loggins and Messina
26. On A Carousel, The Hollies
27. Irish Linen, Seals and Crofts
28. Changes, David Bowie
29. No Reply, The Beatles
30. Loves Me Like A Rock, Paul Simon
31. A Million Miles Away, The Plimsouls
32. If We Were Vampires, Jason Isbell
33. For What It's Worth, Buffalo Springfield
34. The Ragpicker's Dream, Mark Knopfler
35. Downtown, Petula Clark
36. The Rain, The Park and Other Things, The Cowsills
37. Even The Losers, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
38. Polaroids, Shawn Colvin
39. Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard, Paul Simon
40. Getting Better, The Beatles,
41. Orange Crush, REM
42. You Wreck Me, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
43. I Saw The Light, Todd Rundgren
44. Shower The People, James Taylor
45. Ooh La La, The Faces
46. Back In the U.S.S.R., The Beatles
47. You're Only Lonely, J.D. Souther
48. Don't Dream It's Over, Crowded House
49. Bare Trees, Fleetwood Mac
50. I've Just Seen A Face, The Beatles
51. Expecting To Fly, Buffalo Springfield
52. Graceland, Paul Simon
53. Rebel Rebel, David Bowie
54. Tell Me Why, The Beatles
55. The Waiting, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
56. Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing, Stevie Wonder
57. You Were On My Mind, The We Five
58. How Do I Make You, Linda Ronstadt
59. You're Time Is Gonna Come, Led Zeppelin
60. Dark End Of The Street, The Flying Burrito Brothers
61. Manic Monday, The Bangles
62. Gabriel Go On Home, Seals and Crofts
63. So Far Away, Carole King
64. Arms Of Mary, Leo Kottke
65. Ohio, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
66. Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves
67. Kodachrome, Paul Simon
68. Angelyne, The Jayhawks
69. Got To Get You Into My Life, The Beatles
70. Already Gone, Eagles
71. I Used To Be A King, Graham Nash
72. Happy Together, The Turtles
73. Fire Lake, Bob Seger
74. Don't Give Up, Peter Gabriel with Paula Cole
75. Dreams, The Cranberries
76. Fall On Me, REM
77. How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away, Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks
78. Eight Days A Week, The Beatles
79. She's Not There, The Zombies
80. Her Town Too, James Taylor
81. The Long Way Around, The Chicks
82. Kathy's Song, Simon and Garfunkel
83. Pipeline, The Ventures
84. On The Road Again, Canned Heat
85. Hypnotized, Fleetwood Mac
86. Listen To Her Heart, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
87. Sowing The Seeds Of Love, Tears For Fears
88. City Of New Orleans, Arlo Guthrie
89. Take It From Me, The Weepies
90. Sweet Seasons, Carole King
91. Superstition, Stevie Wonder
92. Bridge Over Troubled Water, Simon and Garfunkel
93. See The Sky About To Rain, Neil Young
94. Rock Me On The Water, Jackson Browne
95. Wouldn't It Be Nice, The Beach Boys
96. A Change Is Going to Come, Sam Cooke
97. Baba O'Riley, The Who
98. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better, The Byrds
99. Reelin' In The Years, Steely Dan
100. A Day In The Life, The Beatles

My SECOND 100 Songs Playlist

April, 1969 - 50 Years of Music

April, 1969 (Source: Wikipedia 1969 in Music)

Day	Album	Artist	Notes
1	Taste	Taste	-
7	Nazz Nazz	Nazz	-
	Songs from a Room	Leonard Cohen	-
8	Three Week Hero	P.J. Proby	-
9	Nashville Skyline	Bob Dylan	-
15	Green Is Blues	Al Green	-
21	Uncle Meat	The Mothers of Invention	Soundtrack
23	With a Little Help from My Friends	Joe Cocker	-
25	On the Threshold of a Dream	The Moody Blues	-
26	It's Our Thing	The Isley Brothers	-
28	The Chicago Transit Authority	Chicago	-
30	M.P.G.	Marvin Gaye	-
-	Blue Matter	Savoy Brown	-
	Hair	Various Artists	London cast
	Our Mother the Mountain	Townes Van Zandt	-
	Ramblin' Gamblin' Man	The Bob Seger System	-

My deep dive back to 1969 in music this year has been fun in the appreciation for all the songs I dismissed the first time around as a young and stupid 14 year old. Nashville Skyline is a perfect example. I liked Bob Dylan, but what was he doing changing his voice and making a Country album? Several years later, I did take notice when Lay Lady Lay came on the radio one day and my mom said, "I hate that song" and I said to myself, "Hey maybe Bobby's got something here."

In the 50 years since, I've expanded my thinking a bit as well as my taste for different genres of music. If this Monday finds you wanting a little retrospection, this music will take you there.

Taxman Then and Now

One of George Harrison's homes - Friar Park

Taxman is one of The Beatles most famous songs and is the title track from their 1966 album, Revolver. George Harrison wrote the song when he realized that over 90% of his income was being taxed by the British government. Now even us wee folk would agree that rate excessive and that different tax rates should be set to what a society would deem fair from the super rich to the very poor.

In all the Monday Monday posts, I've tried very hard to stay away from politics and focus mostly on the positive aspects of music. But with this post falling on America's tax due date of April 15th, it was just too tempting to not let this day in our time in history and great song pass us by.

As you probably know, our tax laws have recently changed during Trump's presidency to favor the super rich. I like many middle income Americans had my worst tax year in memory.

At this very moment, the topic of Mr. Trump's own taxes are one of the top national news stories. In fact this story will only get hotter in the days, months or even years ahead, and likely won't be solved until the Supreme Court makes a decision on the matter.

Ultimately and in my personal opinion, Americans are going to have to push to pass a Federal law that any Presidential candidate would have to reveal 10 years of their latest tax returns in order to receive the nomination of their political party to run for President of the United States.

Now back to the wee folk. So, George wrote Taxman about himself as a rich person, but the song was a big hit because of its monster beat, not to mention, it spoke to the common man being taxed by 'the man.' So in that spirit of today and being the common men and women of America, give a heart felt listen to Taxman. 

Also, watch the second video below, The Beatles - Taxman (Explained) The HollyHobs, it's very entertaining and explains my choice for the lead in photo of Friar Park.

Wishing you, a happy Return.

School Days and 'This Land Is Your Land'

Growing up in America in the 1960's every school child learned the Woody Guthrie song, This Land Is Your Land.

For me, it is my most enduring folk song because I have such fond memories of singing it in school with a room full of kids, countless times. 

I'm not going to get into Woody's politics, but the song was written in 1940 after Guthrie's was literally blown away in the great dustbowl of the 1930's and saw thousands of working people forced to migrate to California in the search of a better life. Woody spent a lot of his life as a 'rolling stone' and he saw our great country, and wrote about the land and it's people from his perspective.

This Land Is Your Land has three controversial verses that were edited out of the school songbook versions, as Woody's publisher adeptly kept the more global verses for the American school children to learn and become an American anthem.

Recently, I saw Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger's rendition from Barack Obama's 2009 inaugural where Pete would only do it if they sang all the verses. I also came across the NPR article, How 'This Land Is Your Land' Roamed And Rambled Into American Life. Last week I was reviewing My 100 Songs Playlist where I placed This Land Is Your Land as my first song.

I also love Gary Clark's Jr. new song, This Land . The track was inspired by "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie, with Clark commenting in an interview with American Songwriter: "It’s one of the first songs we learn, and we sing it together ... It's like the Pledge of Allegiance ... And when you're kids, everybody's together. You don't see differences until you get older, and older people influence you to think about other people a certain way. I just want to get back to singing that song like we were kids again, you know?" (Wikipedia)

This information kind of all collided at the same time for me to want to continue to celebrate this wonderful song this week. No matter your political stance we as Americans can all call this song, "our song."

My granddaughter Elliot is visiting, and she came up to me last night while I was writing this and asked me what I was doing. She smiled when I told her and said, "We sing that song in school." We then sang it together.

This Land Is Your Land

Words and Music by Woody Guthrie

This land is your land This land is my land

From California to the New York island; 

From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters 

This land was made for you and Me.

As I was walking that ribbon of highway, 

I saw above me that endless skyway: 

I saw below me that golden valley: 

This land was made for you and me.

I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps 

To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts; 

And all around me a voice was sounding: 

This land was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining, and I was strolling, 

And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling, 

As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting: 

This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking I saw a sign there 

And on the sign it said "No Trespassing." 

But on the other side it didn't say nothing, 

That side was made for you and me.

In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people, 

By the relief office I seen my people; 

As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking 

Is this land made for you and me?

Nobody living can ever stop me, 

As I go walking that freedom highway; 

Nobody living can ever make me turn back 

This land was made for you and me.

#InstrumentalMonday - As Far as I can See, Phil Cook

I found this gem this past week just released on 3/26/19 as it landed with me just wanting to hear some instrumental guitar. Hope this #InstrumentalMonday starts your week off with the positive vibe of Phil Cook.

Now I have never heard of Phil Cook so I looked him up on Wikepedia and discovered this wonderful sentence about him - Beyond his musical career, Cook works at the Center for Inquiry Based Learning at Duke University where he "assembles hands-on science kits for elementary schools."

As an educator, I spent a great deal of my career focused on Inquiry-based Learning and I just thought that was fantastic! Here's a great little review of  this album by Andy Kahn from JamBase as Phil comments on the tracks from  As Far as I can See.

"This is a collection of snapshots. Recording “D.L.’s Holler” in the upstairs hallway of an elementary school, outside my wife’s classroom while she graded papers in a thunderstorm. Listen for the thunder roll in one of the breaks. Recording “Waiting Round The Oven Buns” in my house in January while my wife Heather, pregnant with our first child, napped in the front room. Driving hours in the wrong direction during a blizzard into Tennessee on Highway 40, making us four hours late for the recording session I had booked for his Side Up. Loading in wet and snowy and then loading out four hours later with my friends Nick and Yan, finished, victorious and laughing. Recording “Saratoga” with one son next to me flipping through Calvin and Hobbes and my other son napping just a room away. Sitting on an old front porch in Birmingham, Alabama one hot spring morning with James’ beat-up classical guitar and recording a quick voice memo as we were packing up to leave. Sharing a joint with my brother Brad on the way to The Cave in Chapel Hill and feeling grateful for the spontaneous virtuosity of the Canine Boys and Libby Rodenbough. These moments, stacked up in a pile, feel like the kind of riches nobody can ever take away from me. The truest currency. I hope you, dear listener, also share this currency and feel this gratitude when you think of the journey of moments that has formed you."

50 Years of Music, March 1969

In March, 1969 I turned a restless and inexperienced 14 years old. I lived in a small town looking at the peace and love counter-culture from the outside, wanting in.

The March entry for Wikipedia's 1969 in Music is a great panoramic snapshot of what would make popular AM radio to the new hip bands from America and England finding their way to the FM side.

From that counter-culture side, you have bands recording nine minute jams and I'm just dreaming myself into the live Fillmore West scene in San Francisco.

On the pop side, I was a big fan of Dusty Springfield, and her Dusty in Memphis is such a knock out classic that I've featured it here in the playlist as my personal favorite of this grouping of albums.

As always, I've tried to put together a little eclectic mix and hope you enjoy the ride of March '69.

New Releases @ the River of Streams, January - March, 2019

For the past several weeks I have been listening to a lot of new music, some put out by people with name recognition, but more so by folks who play Folk that I have never heard of before.

I use Amazon Music to do my digital fishing as I search the 'New Releases,' listen and determine- 'catch and release' or 'catch and keep' by the river of streams.

This week's playlist has 50 songs caught and kept from probably a steaming base of over 100 albums or so. Amazon does a nice job of breaking the New Releases into genres to get you to some smaller fishing spots.

I suggest you shift through my 50 songs here and if you are a fan of Americana music, you're going to find some new keepers to put in your own digital fish basket.

Note 1- The March, 1966 Field and Stream cover kind of looks like my dad. He loved his fishing!

Note 2- I was going to go back to Sunday School and somehow metaphorically weave Jesus and the fish and the loaves of bread, but thought I'd spare you that. Enjoy and share with others my friends!

Yola, Walk Through Fire

Yola Carter is a 35 year old British singer-songwriter who's just around the corner from being the next Americana sensation. Thanks to her performance at AmericanaFest 2016 that eventually led to her getting her hooked up with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and solo act sensation himself (check out his 2017 Waiting on a Song album). Auerbach has produced Yola's new album, Walk Through Fire, just released in February.

For this week's blog, I was working on featuring new music releases from January - March of this year, and had to put that on the digital shelf once I started listening to Walk Through Fire. Like so many people who hear her sing for the first time, I was simply knocked out. Auerbach was no exception, who instantly wanted to collaborate with her at his Easy Eye Sound studio and label in Nashville.

The result is a stunning album. Auerbach's influence as Producer who brought in a wealth of Nashville talent to support this project brings a very Waiting on a Song vibe without diminishing Yola's towering voice range across the album.

It is so rare for me to like every song on an album these days that it takes me back to my first listen to Carol King's Tapestry album in 1971. I'm not comparing the two, but Walk Through Fire is so well crafted as it goes to the deep well of American music and pre-digital recording.

Some would call this album 'Country Soul' but let's just embrace the entire palette of American music that has influenced this young woman as an example of why the Americana genre is thriving today, despite no mainstream radio time.

Check out these two articles to get Yola Carter's backstory (no Wikipedia page, yet) - St. George's Bristol and npr music 2016 and then, these two articles that review the album - npr music and the Tennessean.

For the playlist this week, I have included all 12 songs from Walk Through Fire, and several songs from her 2016 EP, Orphan Offering, and then some tracks recorded at live shows or radio streaming events. Maybe this is your first listen of Yola Carter, it won't be you last! Enjoy my friends.

50 Years of Music - February, 1969

It's February, 1969 and Cream is saying Goodbye in their last contractual record obligation with Polydor. As stated several times in my blogs over the years, the gem from that album is Badge written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison and included in the playlist this week.

Doing these blogs is always a blast to go back in time and listen to people like Mary Hopkin and hear her album Postcard, produced by Paul McCartney that includes several Donovan songs. It was also great to discover, Chicken Shack a British Blues band and Christine Perfect McVie's first band.

However, the pick of this grouping is an album that was not commercially successful at the time but later became a classic, The Gilded Palace of Sin by the Flying Burrito Brothers. I'm in the camp of people who see Gram Parsons as the "Godfather of Americana music" as a genre. Along with his other ex-Byrds bandmate Chris Hillman, they formed the perfect blending of country and rock that makes this album influential and legendary today.

From the driving Rock and Blues sounds of Cream, Ten Years After, Jefferson Airplane, MC5 and Vanilla Fudge, the soul of The Temptations and The Delfonics, to Michael Nesmith's country sound in The Monkees and the groundbreaking Flying Burrito Brothers debut album, there's still the sweet harmonies of The Beach Boys in early 1969. As Mary Hopkin sang,

Those were the days my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we choose

We'd fight and never lose

For we were young and sure to have our way

Kacey Musgraves, 2/19/19 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle

So what if Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson had a baby girl? Maybe she would be somebody like Kacey Musgraves, a singer-songwriter with model looks and clothes to match. This goes along with a strong sense of tolerance and minding one's own business, not to mention that she loves to smoke pot.

So ho​e your own row, yeah, and raise your own babies

Smoke your own smoke and grow your own daisies

Mend your own fences and own your own crazy

Mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy

Yeah mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy

From the song, Biscuits

Kacey speaks to people with an inner voice that they can identify with; someone willing to break with tradition while holding many values of tradition at the same time. Some may see her music as "schmaltzy" but I think she's got a Dolly and Willie-like intelligence to deal with the Nashville establishment on her terms. She may call herself, "Spacey Kacey" but there's a lot going on inside her head with the dichotomy of what you perceive is not what you are going to get. 

There's certain things you're s'posed to know

When you're a girl who grows up in the south

I try to use my common sense

But my foot always ends up in my mouth

And if I had to walk a runway in high heels in front of the whole town

I'd fall down

And my mama cried

When she realized

I ain't pageant material

I'm always higher than my hair

And it ain't that I don't care about world peace

But I don't see how I can fix it in a swimsuit on a stage

I ain't exactly Ms. Congenial

Sometimes I talk before I think, I try to fake it but I can't

I'd rather lose for what I am than win for what I ain't

From the song, Pageant Material

Then there's Kacey creating a synth "Space Country" sound in her 2018 album, Golden Hour. A departure from her previous two albums, Same Trailer Different Park, and Pageant Material. Here you have a woman whose head over heels in love with her new husband, Ruston Kelly and she's writing about it with a world view of wonderfulness. When I first heard it last year, I said to myself, "Oh, this is going mainstream and could be big, yes very big!"

Two weeks ago, on February 10th, Golden Hour won Kacey four Grammy's including Best Country Album, and the granddaddy music industry prize, Album of the Year.

Oh, what a world, 

I don't wanna leave

There's all kinds of magic, 

it's hard to believe

Northern lights in our skies

Plants that grow and open your mind

Things that swim with a neon glow

How we all got here, nobody knows

from the song, Oh What a World

Last week I got to see Kacey Musgraves in Seattle in what turned out to be the hottest ticket in town as she came into the Paramount with that fresh Grammy win to a wildly excited sold out crowd. The audience was quickly on its feet for the whole show with all the ladies enthusiastically singing along, knowing every word of every song.

A man in the center front row, got down on his knee and proposed to his girlfriend during Oh What a Wonderful World, Kacie looked down paused at that moment and said, "He's proposing!"

At another point in the concert, Kacey put the microphone down to her side and let the audience sing two verses of one her songs as that must be such a rush to be in Freddy Mercury territory! I see arena bookings in some cities just around the corner.

All that I know

Is you caught me at the right time

Keep me in your glow

'Cause I'm having such a good time

With you

from the song, Golden Hour

I hope you enjoy the wit and charm of Kacey Musgraves from my Playlist this week from her four studio albums. I believe she is one of the key people currently saving Country Music from itself.

For Real, Tom Petty

For Real - The previously unreleased track, taken from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers career retrospective ‘The Best of Everything’. Pre-Order Now for the March 1st release.