In a 20-minute session for a 1969 B-side, drummer Gregory C. Coleman played seven seconds that became the most sampled recording in music history. He never saw a royalty, and died homeless in 2006.
In 1963, five musicians in Portland recorded “Louie Louie” in one 45-minute session. A rumor about the mumbled lyrics reached the FBI, which spent the next 31 months analyzing the record at every speed a phonograph could play — and never once called the singer.
From a Mississippi plantation in 1938 to a house in Camden Square in 2011: the documented circumstances — coroner’s notes, inquest testimony, and courtroom transcripts — behind 20 musicians who died young.
Almost nobody who quits a great band ever admits they were wrong — but Geri Halliwell, Roger Waters, Rob Halford, Ace Frehley, and Zayn Malik all did, on the record, years after they walked.
In 1947, Bedouin shepherds found seven scrolls in a cave above the Dead Sea — and for the next four decades, scholars, dealers, and governments fought over what the texts revealed about the origins of Christianity.
Why is it so moving to witness a child with rare natural talent? Whether it’s singing, problem-solving, memory recall, or visual art, a young person with innate ability seems almost celestial. Think of Michael Jackson performing at five, commanding audiences with ease. Some kids are just born with “it.” That’s how I feel watching this
“Dream On” may have been one of the first power ballads and set the standard for many, if not all, that would follow it, but it would be one of many that Aerosmith released in their over 50-year career. Nearly 25 years later, they’d release a song on the soundtrack for the movie Armageddon that
Isn’t it wild when there’s an event where an aging rocker or group of rockers come out and play with the most unexpected hodgepodge group of other famous musicians? You can look to practically any performance at any of the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductions of the last 20 years for numerous examples.
By 1992, power ballads weren’t cutting edge by any means, but hard rock bands were still pumping them out, and fans were eating them up. Think “Mama I’m Coming Home,” by Ozzy, or “Wind of Change,” by the Scorpions. Metalheads at proms had plenty of songs to nustle up to their lil’ boo thangs and
With Florence and the Machine set to release a new album, for the first time in a few years, at the end of this month, I decided to explore some of their older videos and performances online. I came across a video of them performing at Glastonbury Festival in 2010, arguably at the height of
“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac was written by Stevie Nicks and her partner, Lindsey Buckingham, before the fame and fortune that came with the release of the self-titled album in 1975. It holds an authenticity that comes from a place of hopelessness and coming to a crossroads in life, and I think that’s why it stands
It’s always a treat to see one legend pay tribute to another, whether it’s Jimi Hendrix covering Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band just two days after its release, or Whitney covering Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” Experiencing another artist’s take is special, whether they reinterpret the song or pay homage closely to