A Farewell To The Lady Who Could Do It All — Dolly Parton Featured
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I genuinely hoped I would never have to write this story. Meeting Dolly Parton and spending extended time talking with her will always remain one of my fondest memories.
While having dinner together and talking afterwards, she kept me laughing with her many stories. Dolly made people comfortable with her “down home” personality. She didn’t mind telling you about her flaws.
Early Rock Star Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon Dies at Age 89 After a Brief Bout with Cancer Featured
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The very first rock star I ever met was Freddy Cannon. It was by accident. He was doing an in-store promotion in a record shop. I was not aware that he was going to be there when I waked into the store looking to buy something else. That was the last time I spoke with him until just a few months ago when we were both guests on the Father Jim Drucker show.
Freddy had a Philadelphia connection. He was the biggest selling artist on the Philly based record company Swan Records until “She Loves You” by The Beatles was released.
Born Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr, “Boom Boom” broke out of Philadelphia. His appearance on American Bandstand led to several big hit including “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” in 1959. In total, Freddy appeared on American Bandstand 110 times.
Clive Davis — Music Industry Giant — Dead at 94 Featured
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Not many people become famous become famous in the music business without being a performer. Clive Davis was one of those rare few.
Clive Davis didn’t start out to be in the record business. He went to NYU and then got a law degree from Harvard. Oddly, it was the law degree that ended up being his ticket to the music industry. That career lasted from 1960 until his death in 2026.
Dave Mason, Songwriter and Co-Founder of Traffic, Dies at 79 Featured
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Dave Mason had a certain style. His music fits nicely on any radio station because it had a certain flow to it. It wasn’t too hard. It wasn’t too slow or pop sounding. His song “Let it go, Let it Flow” is not only one of his songs, but perfectly describes his music.
If you listen to the podcast that Dave and I did, you will note that his conversations were also fit his music style. Despite all his accomplishments, he never made much of what he did. And he did many things.
The new nominees for the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2026 have been announced, and it is the most diverse ever Featured
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It resembles what could be called an all-music Hall of Fame.
Here’s the list.
The Black Crows
Jeff Buckley*
Mariah Carey
Phil Collins*
Melissa Etheridge*
Lauryn Hill*
Billy Idol
INXS*
Iron Maiden
Joy Division/New Order
New Edition*
Oasis
Pink*
Sade
Shakira*
Luther Vandross*
Wu-Tang Clan*
* Artists being nominated for the first time.
It appears that the Hall of Fame is looking to broaden their base even more every year, but they are steering further away from what constitutes rock. Maybe they should just change the name and be done with any pretense. After looking at the list above listen to my interview with the president and CEO of the R & R Hall of Fame, Greg Harris.
In this interview Harris gives what the major considerations are for being selected for even a nomination. They must have a large body of work (Jeff Buckley?) They must have hadn impact on music and influenced or led the way for artists that followed and. Oddly, popularity and record sales are not important considerations. Not only are many of this year's chosen artists not truly rock musicians but consider this list of performers who haven’t been inducted yet—ask yourself if any of those selected this year should really be inducted before the names on this list. Let’s start with the major omissions.
The Guess Who was the first group that were successful out of Canada and made it possible for not only Bachman, Turner Overdrive (who also should be considered) and Rush to follow, other lesser-known stars like Triumph.
Styx has not been selected, but artists like Foreigner with a very similar track record are already in. They had an impact on music and have sold a lot of records, but that doesn’t matter.
Ten Years After has never even been nominated once. Hard to believe. They check all the boxes of everything that is said to be important. They were not only one of the highlights of the most legendary concerts, Woodstock, but were one of the most exciting live groups ever. The entire band was among the very best on their instruments in the entire history of rock. Other bands did not want to be on the same bill as them because they always stole the show.
Blood, Sweat & Tears is not in, but Chicago is. They both were major contributors to making horn-based rock popular. BST&T even went behind the Iron Curtin during the Cold War to help spread the music around the world. Check out the interview with Steve Katz for details.
Supertramp created a very unique sound and their influence can be heard in many of the groups that became popular after their success. Their large body of work is huge compared to some who were nominated this year.
Beck should be considered if you ae looking for more recent artists. This singer songwriter has influenced an entire generation, starting with his first hit in 1993. There are others who followed him that should also be considered soon.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer were spectacular in person. Their explosive live show combined rock, jazz and classical as well as anyone. For that matter, Procol Harum should be in as well for leading the way in combining rock and classical.
Toto were a group that contributed much to music as studio players long before recording as a group. They were good enough to not only sell lots of records but won a Grammy for the best of the year.
Jethro Tull / Ian Anderson took rock in an entirely new direction. Ian Anderson showed how an instrument like the flute could be weaved into rock music. Jethro Tull, Ten Years After and Led Zeppelin were the first rock bands to be considered musical enough to play at the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival
J Geis Band mixed R & B in a most unique fashion. They were one of the most exciting live acts ever. Peter Wolf kept the audiences engaged with his frantic patter. And they sold a lot of records. Oh, that doesn’t count.
That is the top ten who should have been in long before any of those selected this year. There are a lot more.
America, Bon Jovi, Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat (had a number one rock & blues album last year), Canned Heat, King Crimson (first real “progressive rock” group), Kansas, REO Speedwagon, Meat Loaf (one of the biggest selling alums of all time), Steppenwolf, War (first “progressive soul” band), Bad Finger, Boston (set a sales record with their debut album), Ian Hunter/Mott the Hoople, Bryan Adams, and other solo artists that were part of famous groups like . Steve Winwood, Joe Walsh, Don Henley, Robert Plant are just some that are better suited than the list of nominees for this year. Let’s get some rockers who really do rock in the hall of fame. There are others I’m sure.
One more thing. Bill Graham, who did so much to promote rock music, is in the hall of fame. He deserves to be, but so does legendary promoter Larry Magid. Larry is second only to Graham for his contribution as head of the Electric Factory. He also produced “Live Aid” and the Atlantic City Pop Festival. Just two of the best and well-organized concerts of all time.
UPDATE:
The list of those who made the cut this for the class of 2026 has been announced. Those who made it as a performer include:
Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/ New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross, and Wu-Tang Clan.
The early influence list includes Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Gram Parsons.
Musical Excellence Award goes to Philadelphia’s Linda Creed Jimmy Miller, Rick Rubin and Arif Mardin
The Ahmet Ertegun Award goes to Ed Sullivan.
The Music News for the Year 2025
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In looking back on the year in music for 2025, two things stand out. One was there were more reissued or from the vault unreleased albums than new album releases.
It did seem like everyone at once decided to seek out material that they recorded some time ago but did not release them at the time. The biggest load came from Bruce Springsteen who must have been very busy recording back in the day because he released a huge amount of previously unreleased songs.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2025
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The annual announcement of the new inductees for 2025 was announced on Monday April 28th. The voting is done by a select group that includes those already in the hall of fame. While there is a fan vote, it is pretty much for show and has little or no influence on the final tally.
This year’s class has several performers who certainly fall into the category of “it’s about time”. Bad Company, Joe Cocker, Chubby Checker and Cyndi Lauper should not create any objections. One might question the selection of Soundgarden and maybe even The White Stripes.
Cyndi Lauper, being nominated for the class of 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, allows this story to become two-fold. This will also serve as another edition of the 45 stories.
Pictured above is the picture sleeve of the 45 of “Change of Heart” by Cyndi. It was taken from the album TRUE COLORS. Below the back of the sleeve is pictured.
It has been some time since I added to my series of stories about 45 records. While looking through my collection of 45’s for something else, I discovered this 45 that is the UK release of a song called “Face Dances Pt 2”.
Pete says that the song was personal. At times, he feels like he is in a prison. Hence the use of his guitars to look like he is behind bars. He wrote the lyrics while looking at himself in the mirror.
2024 — A Year of Surprise New Albums
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Despite the claims by some artists that they will never record another album, there were some real surprises in the past. Among those who said that they would never record again was Sheryl Crow.
EVOLUTION, released in early 2024, was a more personal album than her previous one entitled THREADS that she claimed would be her last. The THREADS album was filled with covers and duets. The latest album was more original and reflective about her life and current priorities.
Return of the Philadelphia Folk Festival
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After some financial difficulties, it looked like one Philadelphia’s oldest and proudest music traditions was gone for good. Then some help in the form of donations and benefactors made it possible to revive the legendary event.
So, on the weekend of August 16-18, the 61st Philadelphia Folk Festival was back! The Old Poole Farm once again was filled with music and fans who were delighted to be enjoying it all.
What is the Difference?
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Maybe because of the escalating concert ticket prices, there is a real demand on the part of concert goers to see “tribute” or “cover” bands. Some of these bands are so good the average listener doesn’t notice the difference.
Some would say there is no difference. When was the last time you saw a band with all the original members? If you go to see Kansas, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Yes, Heart, Thin Lizzy, The Hollies, or Canned Heat, you will not see ANY original members.
So again, what is the difference? Where is the dividing line between these groups that are virtually an entirely different band than the ones that had the original hits and a “cover” or Tribute” band?
Dick Summer — Radio Pioneer
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One of the very best radio air personalities of all time has died. Dick Summer was a true pioneer. He was the master of mixing music, humor and storytelling. If you listened to Dick Summer, you felt like you were listening to a friend. He was that same person off the air. He loved helping people.
No matter what your vocation is, there’s always someone in that business that you learn from and look up to as you launch your career. For me there was more than one, but the DJ who had THE MOST influence on me was Dick Summer. In my book “Confessions of a Teenage Disc Jockey” I relate how much his all night radio show on WBZ in Boston was such a major reason for me to decide to get into radio. I was convinced that radio was not only something that I wanted to do, but could do by learning from his delivery.
