It was serendipity that set Thomas Dolby on the road to synth-pop stardom. Finding the circuit board of a Transcendent 2000 synthesizer in a dumpster was a stroke of luck. … Read more
Now we know, with startling clarity and almost painful candor, that all those glorious songs that made this tenement kid dream of sand, sun, bikinis, and all the pacific horizon … Read more
Birdland. Basie. Blakey. A body floating in Jamaica Bay… Alan Freed. The Families Gambino. Columbo. Lucchese. Ciaffone. Vinny “The Chin.” Payola. Sarah Vaughn. Tommy James. Frankie Lymon. John Lennon… Yes, … Read more
In the newest edition of Sounds Like Teen Spirit…, author Tim English, a major authority on plagiarism in pop music, examines and dissects songs that appear to have ripped off … Read more
Guy Clark, the handsome, charismatic and poetic Texan who penned such memorable tunes as “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” “L.A. Freeway” and “Baby I’m Yours” spent much of his life … Read more
I can’t vouch for Andy Partridge as a person because he seems certainly cool enough and doesn’t hog the headlines with either genius or scandal, but he is one of … Read more
Most baby boomers remember Philadelphia native Bobby Rydell. Though they may not recall many details, the mention of his name at this point in time triggers fond memories of their … Read more
This may be the only music biography I’ve read where the subject profiled seemingly never courted controversy of any kind. Sure, there’s a segment relaying late Game Theory/Loud Family frontman … Read more
If you’re old enough to have been listening to the radio in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, you probably heard songs like Dodie Stevens’ “(Tan Shoes and) Pink Shoelaces” … Read more
Drinking, drugging, stabbings and frying up some Iams dog food. Trading sneakers with Joe Strummer and mock gun fights with Clash bassist Paul Simonon. His dental plan is an easy … Read more
