R.I.P. to another rock and roll great

Alex Chilton just passed away of an apparent heart attack.

Chilton was the lead singer of The Box Tops, and scored a #1 with "The Letter". You would never know he was only 16 years pld at the time, as the vocal has a much more mature quality to it.



OTher hits by The Box Tops included "Cry Like A Baby" and "Soul Deep". After The Box Tops, Chilton went on to become a member of Big Star. They didn't sell a lot of records due to distribution problems, but the influenced many bands, and practically invented power pop.

TV fans may know them best for the original recording of "In The Streets". Listen, and see if it rings any bells.



Here is a piece on Big Star that aired on public radio recently.



You certainly were a big star, in more ways than one. Rest in peace, Alex.

Happy Birthday George - A True Rock And Roll Legend

Even though he was the youngest of The Beatles, today (February 25th) would have been George Harrison's 67th birthday. While he was regarded as "the quiet Beatle", George had a wonderful sense of humor and contributed greatly to the best rock and roll band of all time.

It would be difficult to imagine the Beatles' canon without songs like "Here Comes The Sun", "Taxman", or "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Here is an acoustic rendition that George recorded right around this time in 1968. It has a somewhat haunting quality that is reminiscent of Elvis' version of "Blue Moon". Be sure to listen for the extra verse.



George recorded solo music before the Beatles disbanded. However, he didn't have his first big hit until "My Sweet Lord" was released at the end of 1970.

He had a few more hits, but as the years passed his popularity (with a few exceptions) waned. Then, in 1987 he collaborated with Jeff Lynne of ELO and released the album Cloud Nine. "Got My Mind Set On You" went to #1 in the US. It was played in heavy rotation on MTV along with "When We Was Fab". A nice retrospective that captured the feel of the Fab Four days.



The following year saw Harrison team up with other rock and roll legends Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison as The Traveling Wilburys. The album was well-received by fans and critics alike.

In his later years, George was quite reclusive. This was due in large part to the heinous murder of John Lennon. As it turned out, his fear was not completely unwarranted. In December of 1999 an intruder stabbed Harrison seven times. Luckily, his wife was able to fend off the attack and George survived.

He died of cancer on November 29, 2001 His final album, Brainwashed, was released in November of 2002; just shy of the one year anniversary of his death. "Stuck Inside A Cloud" was from that album.



We still miss you, George. Perhaps you gave us the best perspective with another one of your songs from all those years ago...

The Day The Music Died?

Buddy Holly's influence has been well-documented. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys and Bob Dylan are only a few of the big names in the rock and roll pantheon that owe him a debt of gratitude, and there are scores of others.

For example, note the background singing at about 1:06 into Oh Boy! and how the Beach Boys incorporated it into their sound.

The Beatles covered Holly's Words Of Love on their late 1964 release Beatles For Sale. Here, the influence isn't just the song itself, but the double tracking used on the lead vocal. John Lennon employed this technique numerous times throughout his career.

Plus, pay attention to the depth of the rhythm track. It's buried a bit in the mix, but there's more going on than initially meets the ear. Again, another recording trick that has been utilized on countless rock and roll songs.

Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper (JP Richardson) and Richie Valens died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959. That tragic date in the history of rock and roll is often referred to as "the day the music died". In reality, their music, especially Holly's, lives on in the artists who put on their shoes and followed in their footsteps.