Janis Joplin’s album ‘Pearl’ was at the top of the Billboard 200 chart 55 years ago, on February 27, 1971
By Steven Brodsky
… The album, released on January 11, 1971, would go on to be in the number one position on that chart for a total of nine weeks.
From Pearl, Janis Joplin’s recording of the Kris Kristofferson-penned “Me and Bobby McGee”:
Janis Joplin passed away on October 4, 1970 at age 27.
Posted 2-27-26
One doesn’t need to be a grammarian
By Steven Brodsky
… to recognize the verity indicated by the double negative in this song’s title, and by the inclusion of the title’s words in the dialogue of the song’s speaker/character:
Though “I Don’t Think Much About Her No More” has no connection to Valentine’s Day, I’ll make a tie-in here to the upcoming unofficial holiday.
It’s easy to surmise that the song’s speaker/character could find Valentine’s Day to be especially difficult.
Same for many others.
It’s not always kind to wish people: “Happy Valentine’s Day.” These words can be hurtful to some people who won’t be having a happy Valentine’s Day.
Let’s be kind.
Posted 2-7-26
Happy 71st birthday wishes go out to Steve Earle
By Steven Brodsky
… Steve Earle was born on January 17, 1955.
Steve Earle’s birthday is especially opportune to revisit (or visit, if you haven’t been there before) “Copperhead Road” via this video:
Posted 1-17-26
It’s magic
By Steven Brodsky
… when a song exceptionally and effectively conveys an emotionally charged inflection point.
That kind of magic kind is evident in “This Magic Moment,” a song penned by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.
The Drifters recorded “This Magic Moment” on December 23, 1959, 66 years ago, with Ben E. King singing lead.
In commemoration of that recording session, enjoy the magic:
Posted 12-23-25
Cold turkey
By Steven Brodsky
… left over from Thanksgiving will have many of us “on the run” to refrigerators over the next couple of days.
Some (in the spirit of Thanksgiving) will be appreciative of having cooked and refrigerated turkey that’s left over from Thanksgiving. (I’d probably be more appreciative of left over pumpkin pie.)
“Cold turkey” has an entirely different meaning in this song:
Posted 11-27-25
18 minutes and 36 seconds
By Steven Brodsky
… is sufficient time for readers of the Entertainment, Culture and More column to enjoy this recording of “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” in its entirety:
Some radio stations have a tradition of airing the recording on Thanksgiving Day.
We don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving Day to enjoy “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree”!
Arlo Guthrie recorded “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” in 1967.
Posted 11-20-25
There’s a correlation between dusty Bibles
By Steven Brodsky
… and how people feel.
This post originally appeared at: Conversations About Faith – delcoculturevultures.com.
Posted 10-22-25, Revised and Reposted 11-8-25
On Art Garfunkel’s 84th birthday
By Steven Brodsky
… happy birthday wishes go out to Art Garfunkel!
Art Garfunkel was born on November 5, 1941 in New York City.
Posted 11-5-25
Two trippy songs
By Steven Brodsky
… are being shared here today on the 58th anniversary of the release of a beloved rock album.
The album: Disraeli Gears.
The band: Cream.
Disraeli Gears was Cream’s second studio album.
Disraeli Gears was released on November 2, 1967.
From Disraeli Gears:
Posted 11-2-25
Time may be on your mind upon waking up on Sunday, November 2, 2025
By Steven Brodsky
… Daylight saving time ends on November 2, 2025 at 2:00 a.m.; clocks will fall back an hour in most of the U.S.
And time may be on your mind today.
Posted 11-1-25
With up to 20 inches of snow in weather forecasts for a number of states in the U.S.
By Steven Brodsky
… memories related to literal and metaphorical cold fingers come to mind.
I’m acquainted with the discomfort of literal (very) cold fingers, having experienced fingers-numbing conditions while ice fishing, snow shoveling, etc.
And I’m not lacking experience with metaphorical cold fingers.
Most of us can recall personal experiences with cold fingers.
Whatever our experiences have been or are with cold fingers, we can be grateful that Bill Morrissey addressed the cold fingers theme with great artistry and vulnerability:
Posted 10-27-25
This’ll be a day to enjoy
By Steven Brodsky
… this recording of “That’ll Be the Day”:
The single for Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day” was in the number one position on the Best Sellers in Stores chart on September 23, 1957, 68 years ago.
Posted 9-23-25
‘I’m just a long-haired son of a sinner’
By Steven Brodsky
… sings Jelly Roll in “Son of a Sinner” (one of my favorite Jelly Roll songs):
We’re all children of sinners.
And all of us have sinned.
Nonetheless, God loves us.
Romans 5:8 KJV: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
This post appeared at: Conversations About Faith – delcoculturevultures.com.
Posted 8-20-24, Revised and Reposted 12-6-24
Paul Simon heard Jessy Dixon perform ‘The Wicked Shall Cease Their Troubling’
By Steven Brodsky
… in Radio City Music Hall in 1972, which prompted Paul Simon to invite Jessy Dixon to sing with him on Saturday Night Live. The two would go on to tour together in the U.S. and overseas for eight years.
Enjoy this video of Jessy Dixon singing “The Wicked Shall Cease Their Troubling” at The Dome:
Job 3:17: “There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.”
Jessy Dixon passed away on September 26, 2011 at age 73. This post appeared in the Conversations About Faith section of the Entertainment, Culture and More column.
Posted 1-10-21, Reposted and Revised 8-19-24
How meeting Livingston Taylor at a concert affected the career of John Flynn
By Steven Brodsky
John Flynn has been interviewed several times for this column. In a 2011 radio interview, John and I spoke about Livingston. We did so again last year in this interview for this column.
John, where and when did you first meet Livingston Taylor and how old were you at the time?
Gene Shay introduced me to Livingston back in the ’80s. It was prior to one of his appearances at the old Bijou Café in Philadelphia. I was in my early twenties and just starting out. I was a big fan of Livingston’s and I had just appeared on Gene’s radio show on WMMR. I heard Gene mention that he was going to host Livingston’s show, so I asked for an intro. Gene was just too nice to say no.
What was going on in your life?
I was playing some bar gigs, writing songs and mailing demos to Nashville. This was a few years before I got signed to my first publishing deal down there.
Describe what took place. What did Livingston tell you?
To begin with, Livingston was incredibly gracious. As a performer, I really see that now in hindsight, because usually the last thing I want to do before a show is to meet new people and have them sing their songs to me. Actually, I don’t think I’ve met anyone before or since who would have extended themselves in this way to a stranger. But that’s exactly what happened. Gene apparently bragged about me enough to get Livingston to hand me his guitar and sit down directly in front of me. He asked me to play him a song and listened with an almost unnerving, totally focused attention. When I was done he asked if I had any more. I did a second song and he asked for another. I was only too happy to oblige, figuring that if he’d listen to three songs he must be hearing something he liked. When I finished singing, Livingston kind of scrunched up his face and got real thoughtful. There was a long pause. Then he said, “John, there are so many wonderful ways to spend your time in this life. Take a walk, read a good book, spend some time with someone you love. Please do ANY of these things rather than write any more mediocre songs.” The rest was a little bit of a blur. He talked about Cole Porter and Yip Harburg, writers I didn’t really know much about at that point. He really challenged me to study the greats. He spent like ten minutes talking about song structure, and he played me these long-forgotten but really beautiful introductions to popular old standards. – Unknown (at least to me) musical salutations from bygone eras, that had been intended by their composers to set the mood and put the listener in the proper frame of mind to receive the coming song. He even explained that he would be doing relatively few of his own songs in his show that evening because great songs are rare, and a song should be great if you’re gonna sing it. That was the bottom line. If you weren’t going to try to write a great song, then why write one at all?
How did you respond to this at the time?
I guess I was disappointed. But disappointment wasn’t all I took away from the encounter, because Livingston could have easily tossed me a few compliments. He was probably never gonna have to see me again so that would have been the easy thing to do. But I sensed that he respected songs and songwriters too much for that. He chose the harder path and told the truth. He threw down the gauntlet. And, in my way, I accepted the challenge that night. I determined to work much harder at my craft. To really try to write great songs. I’m not saying that’s what I’ve always accomplished. But he got me to aim there. I’ve always been grateful for that.
How did the encounter impact your life?
I’m here forty years later answering questions about music.
Author’s note to readers: Livingston Taylor is a professor at Berklee College of Music.
John Flynn’s website address is: http://johnflynn.net/.
Posted 3-29-19, Reposted 8-6-24
Thinking about Solomon Burke
By Steven Brodsky
… after recalling this morning that the City of Philadelphia had honored Solomon Burke by having declared that July 19, 2002 would be “Solomon Burke Day.”
Solomon Burke (March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010) was born in Philadelphia.
Posted 7-19-24
There weren’t many attendees at Bob Dylan’s Carnegie Hall debut performance
By Steven Brodsky
… nearly 62 years ago, on Saturday, November 4, 1961. Reportedly, 53 people purchased tickets to see the then 20-year old Dylan perform in a small auditorium that was located in Carnegie Hall. Tickets were priced at $2.00.
Bob Dylan did not perform “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
The song hadn’t been released nor had it been recorded.
Bob Dylan recorded “Blowin’ in the Wind” on July 9, 1962 at Columbia Recording Studios.
The recording was released on the A-side of a single on August 13, 1963 (the B-side is “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right”); it appears as a track on the album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, released on May 27, 1963.
Bob Dylan’s Philadelphia debut didn’t draw much of crowd either, as this concert too was performed prior to the release of “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Gene Shay invited Dylan to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to perform the concert. The concert took place on Saturday, May 3, 1963 at the Philadelphia Ethical Society building on Rittenhouse Square. Approximately 45 people were in attendance. Tickets were priced at $1.50.
A few months before Bob Dylan’s Philadelphia debut, Dylan performed “Blowin’ in the Wind” on a television show:
Gene Shay told me that Dylan’s Philadelphia debut concert almost didn’t take place: the sound system components for the concert were inaccessible.
Gene Shay passed away from COVID-19 on April 17, 2020. He is greatly missed.
Posted 10-4-23
He was the ‘Jackie Robinson of television’; on his ‘show rode the hopes and fears and dreams of millions of people’; his show debuted nationally on November 5, 1956
By Steven Brodsky
… He was Nat King Cole, the first African American to host a television show on nationwide television. That show was The Nat King Cole Show. Today is the 66th anniversary of the national debut of the Nat King Show on NBC TV.
Nat King Cole ranks among the most acclaimed jazz and pop musicians of all time. Born as Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery Alabama in 1919, he would go on to achieve recording and concert performance success that was nearly unmatched by others of his generation. “Mona Lisa,” “Unforgettable,” “The Christmas Song,” are among the nearly 700 songs that he recorded. Well over 100 of Nat King Cole’s records charted. He was a prominent presence on national television shows (he appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on six occasions).
The Nat King Cole Show was popular and attracted some of the most sought-after entertainers, but it could not secure a national sponsor (other than a few sponsors for brief periods of time before the show expanded from 15 minutes to a half hour). There were 30 sponsors with cooperative arrangements supporting the show across the country on local stations, but nationwide—not one.
In an essay in the February 1, 1958 issue of Ebony titled “WHY I QUIT MY TV SHOW” by Nat King Cole (as told to Lerone Bennett Jr.), Nat King Cole said, “For 13 months, I was the Jackie Robinson of television… On my show rode the hopes and fears and dreams of millions of people.”
Posted 11-5-22