Music musing

O POSITIVE
I have to give props to the O Positive Festival, which took place in the city of Kingston, New York, from October 6-8. I have been around this innovative event since its...
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October 20, 2017

SPOKEN WORD IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND
On my trip back to Britain in December, I called up my new Hull friend Russ Litten. I know him as an author, and poet, and raconteur, and for his...
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April 5, 2017

On the promise of Wham! and the death of George Michael
Pleased to say that 2017 started with a front page story for Salon on the promise of Wham! and the death of George Michael. You can read it here. ...
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January 4, 2017

Why I Sing The Blues: B. B. King and America’s Racist Revisionism
We all have to go some time. And hopefully, B. B. King was able to reflect in his twilight years that he had lived a longer, greater and more illustrious...
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May 15, 2015

Ben E. King: The Sweet Soul Man
It’s hard to imagine a sweeter person in all of soul music than Ben E. King, who passed away on April 30 at the age of 76. Our family...
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May 1, 2015

The Mediums of Music
When interviewing older musicians, the tables are frequently turned, and I find myself asked for my opinion on contemporary music – its merits, musical and otherwise, and to what extent...
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March 6, 2015

Don Covay 1938-2015
Researching this Wilson Pickett book can at times feel like I’m shadowing the Reaper. Pickett would have turned 74 this year, so it’s understandable that many of his peers have...
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February 1, 2015

Ian McLagan: An Appreciation
I can’t profess to have known Ian ‘Mac’ McLagan in any great sense. But when I was researching my Keith Moon biography, I was (finally) able to secure an interview...
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December 4, 2014