Woodstock took the world by surprise. I think that it was shocking on many levels: first, the massive size of the event, and the way they—or we—deported ourselves was surprising. … Read more

Take a look at a map of the US; Memphis, TN is located in the heart of a tristate area where Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas meet. This centralized location made … Read more

My career as a musician has covered many chapters. I’ve had my own band since I got out of college, been the bandleader for a daily national television program, conducted … Read more

They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, but January, boasting a global opening-night party, typically barges in like a dancing bear and—after 31 … Read more

This year is special; I’ll be eligible to collect social security. To some people that might sound ominous, but it’s really not. All it means is that I remember “the … Read more

What is the slide guitar? Some guitars are specially made for slide, with raised strings, but it can actually be any guitar, where some or all of the fretting is … Read more

Saving American Music means a lot to the staff of Elmore, and it certainly means a lot to me. I have always been interested in preservation and in keeping tradition … Read more

Tabloid journalism and the celebrity of fame hold a special place in my heart, and it’s a dark, nasty place. I believe that going commando, male or female, is not … Read more

Graduating from Wesleyan University on my 22nd bir thday, I was plagued with that demoralizing question: “What are you going to be when you grow up?” In the ideal world, … Read more

I spent my childhood shifting between very different worlds, notably a suburb of New York and the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina. Lucky I didn’t grow up with … Read more