Zombies singer Colin Blunstone is 75 today (June 24th, 1945). Their biggest hit was "Time of the Season", number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. His vocal didn't come easy. In fact, it almost didn't happen at all. Colin Blunstone's main memory of recording "Time of the Season" involves some friction between him and the song's composer, Zombies keyboardist Rod Argent, who was producing him from the control room as he sang in the vocal booth. Blunstone recalls that he was having some trouble getting his vocal the way Argent wanted it, and feeling pressure because time was tight and their budget was low. He tells what happened next.
“I said to Rod, ‘Listen, if you know it so bloody well you get in here and you bloody sing it.’ And Rod said, ‘You’re the bloody lead singer, you stand there until you get it bloody right.‘ And it always makes me laugh, ‘cause, ‘It’s the time of the season for loving,’ and at the same time we’re going at one another. And I’m so glad that I did stay there and finish the song. That would have been really embarrassing if I was the lead singer in the band and Rod sang the big hit.”
The late Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter was born today (June 23rd, 1941.) The music to the song "Box of Rain" was written by bassist Phil Lesh to sing to his dying father. It was on American Beauty with lyrics by Robert Hunter. Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh reportedly wrote pretty much all of "Box of Rain," except its lyrics, going so far as to craft the vocal line so all Robert Hunter had to do was to drop the words right in. Guitarist Bob Weir explains why Lesh was so hands-on with the song, and sheds some light on how it got its title.
"Originally it was Hunter who wrote the lyrics and he wanted it to be 'Ball of Rain' but Phil changed it to 'Box of Rain.’ I can't remember why, though. I guess it was something of an offering of Phil to his dad who was in the act of shedding this mortal coil at the time that he was working on the tune. So that was certainly what was going through his head and his heart."
Happy Birthday to Ann Wilson of Heart. She celebrates 70 (June 19th) The songs her and her sister nanvy write tend to be about guys they like but mostly guys the do not. By the time Heart released their second album, Little Queen -- which was really the third album they'd recorded -- they'd seen enough of the music business to know what, and who, they didn't like. Ann Wilson explains how that led them to write "Barracuda."
“‘Barracuda’ was written about a guy we knew early on who was a real schmooze artist, one of the stereotype record guys with the big cigar. I guess we have a history of writing about those guys, ’cause they really rub us the wrong way. And we were new into the industry and we hadn’t been worn down yet, so we were still really uptight about these guys. And this guy was just going along in his life — minding his own business, being a real schmuck. But we had to write about him, ’cause he really made us mad. He kind of stands for a type of person.”
Sir Paul McCartney turns 78 today. When he and John Lennon wrote Beatles songs, he felt that the title was very important. The song title: "Eight Days a Week" came from something a chauffeur said to him while making small talk.
”I remember writing that with John out at his place. Chauffeur drove me out this day and I said, 'How have you been?' You know, just normal conversation. 'How’s things been?' 'Oh, working hard,' he said, 'working eight days a week.' And I'd never heard anyone say that expression. So I got to John's house -- he dropped me off -- I said 'Hey, this fella just said "Eight Days a Week" to me, right?' Sings: ‘Oooh, I need your love, babe.’ We were always looking for titles. Once you've got a good title, someone says, 'What's your new song?' If you can say a title that interests them, you're kinda halfway there.
Last week, Brian May said he wasn't yet ready to comment on the racial unrest that has swept the world following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department.
At the time, May said, "Like many of you, I feel scared to say anything, because if you disagree with the kind of 'mob' mentality of the moment, you've got hell to pay. So I agree with some of it, and then some of it I don't agree with. But you think I dare speak up and say anything, well not easily 'cos you risk being pilloried, don't you."
May has now commented saying we can't change the past, but we "can change the future."
"However much we may hate the past or dislike it or be ashamed of it, it's not changeable. And it's essential, it's vital that we don't try to change it or sweep anything under the carpet because with all its atrocities and evil deeds and mistakes, it has to be preserved intact and in truth. Otherwise, our children and our children's children will have no idea what we were trying to do in 2020."
And, May goes onto explain why we can't or should not try and change the past.
"It's vital that we know these things or humanity will never learn these lessons. Imagine trying to pretend that the Holocaust never existed or that all the appalling acts of torture and betrayal that the human race has committed -- imagine if all that was covered up or changed in some way and we were no longer telling the truth. There would be no way of learning, no way of us improving ourselves."
So, in order to effect change, May says we have to communicate.
"We should sit down and talk and let's talk with compassion and understanding and even with a sense of humor. It all has to be there, otherwise we will make terrible mistakes and make this into the next bloody mess. I think we have to go slowly and carefully and try to understand each other's point of view. And, above all, do not let us suppress free speech. Once free speech is suppressed that's how totalitarian states are born and I don't think that's the route we want to walk down."
Picozzi talked to Lauren Danner, who, with Teach Connecticut Dot Org is recruiting more teachers to work! Check out her resume!
2017 Connecticut Teacher of the Year
“As a former scientist, I now get to share my passion for science through teaching… The greatest rewards in teaching come from the day-to-day conversations and meaningful connections with my students; a surprise letter or thank you note; the laughs and smiles; or the stories of former students being inspired to pursue a career in science because of something we learned in class together. To me, nothing is more rewarding.”
Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has made a big donation to MusiCares to aid music professionals who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. He says:
“When MusiCares reached out to me about providing something for their COVID-19 Relief Fund, I decided to help by offering my original bass rig that I used on the Steel Wheels U.S. tour of 1989, which I consider to be an important part of the Stones and music’s history. Nothing would please me more than to know that the proceeds from the sale of this will go to support my fellow musicians during this time of need, and to also know that my bass rig will find a new home where it will be appreciated for years to come.”
Appraised at $2 million, it is being sold with no reserve and it has a pre-auction estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It will be sold by Julien's Auctions on September 16th, four days after the auction house holds its auction of items from Wyman's archives. Others donating memorabilia to this auction include Robert Plant and Ozzy Osbourne.
The rig was the last one Wyman used as a member of the Stones -- he retired from the band after that tour.
Former Kansas singer-organist Steve Walsh celebrates his 69th birthday today (June 15th). The Kansas "Point of Know Return" was written after being inspired by an album title suggestion and a National Geographic show about the voyages of Columbus. It peaked at number-28 on the Billboard Hot 100. Steve Walsh wrote most of "Point of Know Return," with violinist Robby Steinhardt and drummer Phil Ehart contributing as well. Walsh tells how the song came about.
”Phil Ehart, the drummer, really initiated my writing of that song. He said I think I’ve got a good album name, this was early in the project, Point of Know Return. And I said, ‘Wow, that is pretty cool, y’know,’ and I started thinking about that more and more. So I went home one night and National Geographic was on. It was a story about Columbus discovering America, and how they used to think that there were dragons and stuff out on the water and you were going to fall over the edge and stuff. So that’s exactly what I wrote the song about.”
Cindy Kozak is a health program associate for the State Department of Public Health, and she joined Suzi Klonk on air to talk about all things diabetes and how to look for the signs, avoiding it, and health tips!
Billy Joel and his longtime-now-ex-drummer, Liberty DeVitto, have buried the hatchet.
15 years after leaving Billy's band, Liberty got him to write the foreword for his memoir, LIBERTY: Life, Billy and the Pursuit of Happiness. It tells the story of his 30-year run with Long Island, New York's most famous musician.
Liberty says "I needed to get over the bitterness and hurt that I still had for Billy -- not keep harboring it. I was concentrating on the loss all the time, but I needed to think about the great times we had, the legendary music we made together, and all the lives we touched together." -- and so the rest was history.
The memoir will drop on July 14th. From 2012, Liberty DeVitto recalls when his friendship with Billy Joel began to fade, despite his three decades in the band.
"I came in on Turnstiles, when he made it big. I was still the only original guy from the records, let's put it that way. And the new people that came in, some of them were very jealous that I was the guy -- one in particular, a certain guitar player, won't mention his name, but he was very jealous of it. He used to socialize with Billy a lot. When we were told to leave Billy alone because he's got to sing that night, the guitar player would go over there and hang out and, you know, Billy would lose his voice. Let's put it that way. I'm not going to say what he did, but..."
Also from 2012, Liberty DeVitto when he realized his friendship and time in Billy's band were over.
"Had it out with the guitar play one day, and I just didn't like him anymore. I didn't like what was happening with Billy, I saw him just going downhill. Just was going 'lounge' kinda music. He liked that better, I still wanted to rock and roll. So, one day, when I wasn't invited to his wedding, his third wedding, I kinda got the hint that, 'OK, he's not my friend anymore.' And that's how I actually found out that it was over."
