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Thanks, But I’ll Do It Solo
Don’t get me wrong… I like to hear John Lee Hooker do the boogie over a driving beat or Allen Toussaint comp behind a funky New Orleans horn section or Thelonious Monk make seasoned jazz professionals...
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Meet The Coppertone
Writing about dead blues guys is a fairly thankless pursuit. I’ll do a post on someone like Pee Wee Crayton and hear crickets. And just when I’m ready to fold up my tent and leave this virtual campsite...
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John Lee Hooker: The Modern Recordings
I’ve been intimidated by the idea of writing a post on John Lee Hooker. It’s like trying to write a 500-word essay on modern cinema. Or thinking just one reality show is enough to document the bad...
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King of the Independents
Here’s a re-post from 2009 that looks back at one of America’s greatest independent labels, Cincinnati’s King Records. Its huge catalog includes seminal recordings by some of the most important artists...
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Wartime Blues
I should’ve posted this on Veterans Day, but I didn’t come up with the idea until I heard a piece on NPR about the Doolittle Raid during World War II. Led by James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, the raid was...
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10 Songs for the Next Rolling Stones Album
Alright, that last post was a little depressing… Let’s consider a few things that went right in 2016. I’m from Akron, so I’ll gladly point out that the Cavs staged the greatest comeback in NBA history...
View ArticleClik here to view.
John Lee Hooker: The Modern Recordings
I’ve been intimidated by the idea of writing a post on John Lee Hooker. It’s like trying to write a 500-word essay on modern cinema. Or thinking just one reality show is enough to document the bad...
View ArticleClik here to view.
John Lee Hooker: The Modern Recordings
I’ve been intimidated by the idea of writing a post on John Lee Hooker. It’s like trying to write a 500-word essay on modern cinema. Or thinking just one reality show is enough to document the bad...
View ArticleClik here to view.
King of the Independents
Here’s a re-post from 2009 that looks back at one of America’s greatest independent labels, Cincinnati’s King Records. Its huge catalog includes seminal recordings by some of the most important artists...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wartime Blues
I should’ve posted this on Veterans Day, but I didn’t come up with the idea until I heard a piece on NPR about the Doolittle Raid during World War II. Led by James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle, the raid was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
10 Songs for the Next Rolling Stones Album
Alright, that last post was a little depressing… Let’s consider a few things that went right in 2016. I’m from Akron, so I’ll gladly point out that the Cavs staged the greatest comeback in NBA history...
View ArticleClik here to view.
John Lee Hooker: The Modern Recordings
I’ve been intimidated by the idea of writing a post on John Lee Hooker. It’s like trying to write a 500-word essay on modern cinema. Or thinking just one reality show is enough to document the bad...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reevaluating Woodstock (and Canned Heat)
Not that I’ve ever downplayed the significance of Woodstock. Sure, it was a defining moment at the close of the Sixties — a cosmic, communal experience that gave an entire generation (well, at least a...
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