Pancho And Lefty
A Townes Van Zandt tune, made famous by Willie Nelson.
Keith
These are Keith Richards daughters. When they pass away he will inherit everything. (Allen Marshall)
Mama Cass
Cass Elliot’s death at 32 really hurt. She was such a joyous, monumental talent. This collaboration with John Denver is one of the many gifts she left us. And the message she delivers before the song is more relevant now than ever before.
Ella, 1958
The greatest.
For A Dancer
Keep a fire for the human race
And let your prayers go drifting into space
You never know what will be coming down
Perhaps a better world is drawing near
And just as easily, it could all disappear
Along with whatever meaning you might have found
Don't let the uncertainty turn you around
(The world keeps turning around and around)
Go on and make a joyful sound
(Jackson Browne)
James And Joni, June 2018
I’ve written before here about James Taylor’s early career, but this photo (taken a few days ago, after one of his concerts) reminded me of the time we saw Joni Mitchell introduce a young, strung-out (kicking a heroin habit) James Taylor at a basement “club” inside a parking garage that accommodated a couple hundred people, standing on a cold parking lot floor in December, off Commonwealth Avenue, near Boston University in 1970.
it was James’ first US appearance after returning from London, where he’d recorded his first album on The Beatles’ Apple label. The memory of how protective she was of his fragility that night, is why this photo moves me beyond description.
Fred And Ginger Redux
I know, I know. It’s not really like them. But these are different times, I love the song, and these two are pretty good too.
Sun Studio
if you love rock and roll and rhythm and blues, and you’re ever in Memphis, you don’t want to miss this.
The Platters
Remembering how good some of the music was in the mid to late 1950s,
I Love New York
Haven’t got time for the pain
Well, when you're sitting back in your rose pink Cadillac, making bets on Kentucky Derby Day...
Dead Flowers, by Townes Van Zant
My Back Pages
Top ten lists of albums, songs, concerts and performers are not something I do, because there is so much music that I love, and love at different times for different reasons.
But this in-concert collaboration by a bunch of artists, including Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, and George Harrison would be atop any of those lists.
The older I get, the more meaning this song takes on for me.