In the late ’50s vinyl came into my world, and I remember it like it was yesterday, looking at the step-up racks of records featuring the great artists of the … Read more

Growing up in the southwestern corner of Virginia in the ’40s and ’50s, I assumed that listening to Flatt & Scruggs and the Carter Family on WCYB in Bristol, VA … Read more

I would define garage music as hand-crafted music; talented (we hope) amateurs creating original music at home, with the dream of making it a profession. In the late ’70s, my … Read more

I’ve been collecting records for 40 years, so writing my reissue column for Elmore just seemed like a natural extension. You know, dust off my favorite LP, listen to a … Read more

When you say “Memphis,” most people think Elvis Presley; however, it is much more than that. Elvis’ greatness had a lot to do with the area, the richest place in … Read more

James Brown loomed larger than life, but not by accident. James Brown created James Brown. Born into poverty, by the late 1940s Brown was imprisoned for armed robbery. On parole, … Read more

By Downtown Fred I was born at the right time for music, with rhythm and blues changing over to rock ‘n’ roll—from Murray the K shows to Bill Graham’s Fillmore … Read more

There are dream gigs…. and I’ve got one. Sixteen years ago I signed on to do a private gig with G.E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band, and that … Read more

In my experience as Elmore’s festival coordinator I have seen, heard and met some of the greats in the music industry. Over the past two years or so, I have … Read more

The Documentary Film Before The Music Dies (B4MD) (review in the March/April issue) weighs in on the state of American music and the music business. An impressive number of insiders complain … Read more