Two famous guitars that belonged to the late Eddie Van Halen will be auctioned off in December. The instruments are valued at between $40,000 and $80,000 but I'm sure some EVH fan, collector of hot item rock memorabilia will jump all over these, outbidding all the rest.
The first axe is a 2004 EVH Charvel Art Series electric model boasting a similar white-and-black abstract design that Eddie's famed 1978 "Van Halen I" guitar had. The second is a customized electric model that Eddie built at his 5150 home recording studio. It has a red body with white and black stripes designed and applied by Eddie. It also features a special autograph from EVH. Click the link to see these pretty guitars as well as some other rock memorabilia that's on the auction block.
John Lennon would have turned 80 last Friday but as we are painfully aware, he was murdered by Mark David Chapman outside the Dakota, the New York apartment he shared with Yoko Ono and young son, Sean. This senseless act came just hours after Lennon stopped to sign a copy of his latest album, "Double Fantasy," for an autograph seeker later identified as Chapman, (see above picture). [photo credit: Paul Goresh].
I don't want to bring up old sad memories, (because this one rates high on that scale), but rather to clue you into an episode of "20/20" on ABC tonight which will take us back to the life of Lennon through interviews leading up to the release of "Double Fantasy," which was somewhat of a comeback album after having spent some years out of the spotlight raising his young son Sean with whom he shared a birthday. Sean Ono Lennon is now 45. Tonight's show will also feature the last interview that Lennon ever gave, on the day he was murdered -- December 8, 1980.
In my opinion, it would have been more timely to have aired this special last week on the actual anniversary of his birth but hey, I'm not programming the ABC Television Network. Just sayin'. Click these links for a preview. Show Promo Lennon's Photographer
97.5 WONE is paying our respects to Eddie Van Halen this weekend in our own small way by playing a bunch of great VH songs. As you can imagine, tributes have not stopped pouring in from fans and rock notables who also were fans.
His brother Alex posted this on the Van Halen News website. "Hey Ed. Love you. See you on the other side. Your brother, Al."
And much respect coming from two former bandmates, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, in this YouTube video.
We're all saddened by the death of Eddie Van Halen but it wasn't totally unexpected. He'd been battling throat cancer for more than a decade. He was an amazing guitar player, a virtuoso to say the least. WONE will be paying tribute to him this weekend by playing all your favorite VH tunes so tune in and crank it up. The last thing I read about EVH came about a year ago when he did something surprising for a Tool fan who had no idea who he was. Click this link to read the article.
Fans of AC/DC will be happy to know the band is back and ready to drop a new album soon. This is good news in spite of the death of founding member Malcom Young in 2017 and Brian Johnson's hearing issues. The band consists of the surviving members of the 1980 "Back In Black" sessions, including Johnson, Angus Young, Phil Rudd, and Cliff Williams. The new guy is Stevie Young, the nephew of Angus and just another in the long line of the talented Young family, (ask me sometime and I'll show you the family tree). Click here if you want to be first on your block to hear "Shot In The Dark" at midnight tonight. Look for the new album, "Power Up" soon thereafter.
Kudos to Kinzbach
Jeff Kinzbach has had an amazing career in Northeast Ohio radio for over 50 years. Jeff was monumental in creating the sound of rock n' roll radio, breaking artists like RUSH, Springsteen, Southsoude Johnny & more to the masses. He helped bring the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland and has been part of the fabric of our lives. As Jeff gets ready to retire on September 30th, so many listeners have reached out with well wishes, memories, pictures & more. If you would like to send a note to Jeff Kinzbach letting him know how he made your day a little brighter, or just to congratulate him on his well earned retirement, you can send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We have been so proud that The Home of Rock & Roll has been the Home Of Jeff Kinzbach for nearly 8 years & we will certainly miss him! Jeff will be riding off on a new adventure in his RV with his wife, Patti as they travel the country - never having to set the alarm clock again! You will be able to follow their adventure at www.Jeffkinzbach.com. Kudos to Kinzbach & thank you for the memories!!
Please send your Kudos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or submit them below!
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Kids Who Rock
It was hard not to know who Dick Goddard was if you grew up in Northeast Ohio. The Green native who studied meteorology in the service came into our living rooms every night to tell us how to dress for the weather the next day. Dick was a solid forecaster although not above a little self-deprecating humor. He used to joke about getting the forecast wrong and "waking up to six inches of partly cloudy." Or the occasional slip of the tongue such as referring to a "cold air mass" as a "cold mare's ass." I’m thankful our professional paths crossed a couple times. Back in my TV23 weatherman days, I called him one night for some insight about a winter storm. It was a stretch to call the Channel 8 newsroom during their 11pm broadcast to speak with Dick Goddard but I took my shot. They just took my message and hung up the phone. But a few moments later he called me back, apologized for not being available for my earlier call, told me he was combing his “35 mph hair,” then asked how he could help me. Rest in a sunny peace, Mr Goddard. Your stature in North East Ohio media was surpassed by only your politeness and good nature.
Have you been missing professional sports? Well, I want to pass along a cool event that will put you back into the swing of it. And by you, I literally mean YOU doing the swinging. It's called "Swing For Your Swag" and it happens tomorrow, (July 24), from 4-10p at Canal Park, the home of the Akron Rubber Ducks. Sadly, we won't have any Ducks' baseball there this year but this event will put you at home plate taking some batting practice cuts. Did I mention there will be prizes? You might even win season tickets for 2021 if you can put one over the fence. There's a small fee to do this so click here to read the full story. Ah, there's nothing like the sound of the crack of the bat in the summertime, (especially when it's followed by Tom Hamilton screaming, "Deep to center. A-Waaaay back. Gone!!"). Just pretend he's talking about you as you take that victory lap around the bases. And don't forget to touch 'em all!
This story caught my eye for obvious reasons. Akron's own DEVO is back with a timely item. You can look "devolved" in your own Engergy Dome and protect yourself from the Covid-19 Coronavirus with an attached face shield. Hey, the price is right, just shy of a tenner, and I'd have to believe they're Booji Boy approved. Who knows, maybe that'll be coming next.
(Photo Credit: Che Rellom & FineArtAmerica.com)
It was this week in 1972, fresh from the rock-world shattering break up from The Beatles, Paul McCartney released a curious single. Maybe he wanted to show the world he was a pop song master who could take pretty much any song and make it a hit. Case in point, the children's song classic "Mary Had a Little Lamb." You'll find it on "Red Rose Speedway," one of his early solo albums.
Rock critics hated it. Many thought he was being a little cheeky and did it in response to having his previous single banned from the UK airwaves. You may remember that one, "Give Ireland Back to the Irish." He denies that and said he simply wanted to release a song his much younger fans would like. Regardless, it made it into the UK Top Ten charts.
I'm not a fan of Paul's turn on this nursery rhyme. For my money, Stevie Ray Vaughan did it better on his first album, "Texas Flood."
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I'd like to wish Bernie Taupin a happy belated birthday. The man who put the words in Elton John's mouth turned 70 last Friday. It's funny to think after my recent birthday how 70 doesn't seem that old. The part that's astounding to me is the two men have collaborated for 50 years! They found each other in the want ads. Bernie was a lyricist who wrote the words and poetry that Elton set to music and in doing so, carved out their place on the Mount Rushmore of songwriting duos.
I also want to thank my junior high school American History teacher Mr. Michael Howard for making me listen to and read the lyrics of an Elton John/Bernie Taupin song that spoke in a historical context. The song was "Indian Sunset" from "Madman Across the Water." It was written in the voice of a native American during the time of the settlers' push to the west. It was a life-changing moment for me because not only did it show this historical event through a different, and maybe not so popular, lens but it taught me how lyrics can truly resonate and even change your perspective. I believe it's what tuned me into how lyrics can tell a much deeper tale more so than your standard "Boy meets Girl, falls in love then loses girl, sings a love song and wins her back" structure.
It was about a decade after this epiphany that I actually got to meet Mr. Taupin. He came to the WONE studios to promote a non Elton John, solo project album called "Tribes." I geeked out talking to him and totally bent his ear on what his lyrics on "Indian Sunset" meant to me and how it opened up a whole new world of extracting the deeper meanings of songs and completing the aesthetic experience.
Looking back, I probably didn't come across as well spoken as what I've just written but I was nothing if not genuine. He politely thanked me and went on his way. So Happy Birthday to the Brown Dirt Cowboy from Captain Spastic in Akron. I was hardly a hero, just someone his Mother might know.
(Photo courtesy: Bill Lowe Gallery)
Craig Michaels
I'm your ex-patriot Canadian host weeknights from 7pm - midnight, and Saturday's from 10am - 2pm. Though I don’t have the ‘metal band' hair I sported in the 80’s, I’m a self-described ‘musicologist' who still lives and breaths the classic rock we play on WONE.
When I'm not 'musicologing' (it's a word now!) I enjoy working on my century-old Craftsman-style home, or watching the guys on 'This Old House' work on someone else's. D-I-Y porn. Thanks for letting me keep you company while you rock out.
In this edition of This Week in Rock; Ozzy and Sharon get creamy, Bono and Bret get operated on, and Bob gets bar mitzvah'd. Let's go!
Ten years ago this week, Akron rockers The Black Keys released "Brothers." It was their sixth album and it won three Grammy Awards. You can add them
to the list of bands that won't be touring this year.
2010 - U2's Bono underwent emergency back surgery after suffering an injury prepping for their U2360 tour. Meanwhile over here in the states, Poison frontman
Bret Michaels suffered a “warning stroke” as a result of a hole that was found in his heart. This came a month after he was treated for a brain hemorrhage.
2004 - Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne were immortalized in ice cream of all things by the Country Cow Creamery. The two flavors were called "Ozzy's Carnivorous Carrot Cake"
and "Death by Sharon."
1992 - Aerosmith donated ten thousand dollars to make sure a controversial art exhibit would go on display at M.I.T. The National Endowment for the Arts had denied
funding claiming some of the graphic images were offensive. Apparently not too offensive for the Bad Boys from Boston.
1979 - Elton John became the first western pop star to tour USSR
1966 - A 16-year-old Bruce Springsteen wrote his first two songs in the back of a 1961 Mercury on the way to a recording studio.
1965 – Pete Townshend celebrated his 20th birthday by writing The Who's seminal rock anthem “My Generation."
1958 - Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13-year-old cousin, Myra. He lied about her age and said she was really 15 at the time.
1954 - Robert Allen Zimmerman had his bar mitzvah. He later changed Robert to Bob and took the first name of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas as his last name and became
Bob Dylan
And that's the streamlined version of "This Week in Rock." Let me know if you like it or offer some thoughts. Shoot me an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thanks for reading.
It's a new month, a new week, but the same old crappy weather. What gives?! No matter, there's lots of stuff to reminisce about from This Week in Rock. For instance, we learn Keith Richards can climb trees but not tie a tie, your private sex tapes can be made public, and Coke should've left well enough alone.
Ready, Set, Go!
2008 - The Police were honored with the key to New York City, (and by The Police I mean the rock trio who were out on a reunion tour). I assume real New York City Police armed with proper warrants can get in to just about wherever they need to without the aid of keys.
2006 - The Rolling Stones had to call off their European tour after guitarist Keith Richards underwent surgery for a mild concussion. He had fallen out of a tree while on vacation in Fiji. Just a guess here but I wonder if someone said, "So Keith, a Stones' tour for you by now must be like falling off a log" and he decided to demonstrate. Oh Keef! Meanwile in 1964...
Those same Rolling Stones were refused lunch at a Bristol, England hotel where they were staying. Their crime? Not wearing jackets and ties. Oh Bristol!
1970 - The Beatles released "Let It Be." It would be their 12th and final album. Meanwhile, two years later...
1972 - John Lennon goes on the Dick Cavett show, claiming he was under FBI surveillance. It was probably for his vocal anti-war and pro-pot stances but again just wondering here, do you suppose the FBI wanted to be the first to know if the Fab Four were reuniting? I guess we'll never know.
1969 - Kris Kristofferson charted with "Me and Bobby McGee." Yes, he wrote it but Janis Joplin had the bigger hit with it. Sadly, she died before it hit big, making it the second posthumously released No. 1 single in U.S chart history. Do you know what song was the first? Read on and I'll tell ya.
1996 - A Los Angeles judge said "sorry" to Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and his then-wife Pamela Anderson who wanted to stop Penthouse magazine from publishing still photos from their legendary X-rated sex tape that was stolen from their home.
And now some other interesting dates and facts: Happy Birthday to Minnesota, our 32nd State, (1858); Montana's Glacier National Park, (1910); and the New York Mets, (1961). The name was short for the Metropolitans.
The end of World War Two in Europe, (1945), announced by then-President Harry S. Truman who gave US the good news on what was also his 61st birthday.
The invention of the syrup that gave Coca-Cola its flavor, (1886). A huge success! New Coke hits the store shelves, (1985). A huge failure! Not even spokesperson Bill Cosby could make that stuff sell, (and he was hugely popular back then).
1984 - "Joanie" loved "Chachi" and they got married on ABC's Happy Days. The made-for-TV marriage lasted until the show was canceled.
And as they'd say in Hollywood, "That's a wrap! Strike the set." If you guessed that Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" was the first posthumously released #1 single, give yourself a gold star for that right answer. And if you find yourself whistling that song the rest of the day, well...you'll have me to thank. Stay warm and well and keep rockin' this and every week with me and 97.5 WONE.
Re-Imagining the Stewart's Caring Place Hope Walk
Written by Tim Daugherty
The annual Stewart's Caring Place Hope Walk is this Saturday, May 9th. In past walks, hundreds gathered together for a walk outside but because of new social distancing guidelines, it's going to be held differently than in the past. I've included a link at the end of this blog to show you how you can still walk in support of them and never really have to leave your neighborhood.
I'm happy to have hosted this walk for many years with my wife Sue Wilson. Like me, she was widowed from a spouse who had cancer. It is for this reason I'd like to share my personal story about how I became involved with Stewart's.
Back in 2004 or 2005, I was asked to host a fundraising event for Stewart's Caring Place. I learned their mission and promise is to provide a caring, relaxed environment offering supportive services and programs for individuals and families on their cancer journey...at no cost. I was happy to do the event and learn more about this local non profit organization. Not long after that, I found myself with a personal need when Donna, my late wife, was diagnosed with breast cancer so we called Stewart's.
She was able to utilize the many free programs offered to patients going through treatment. Many non-medical programs designed to restore their overall sense of well being while dealing with the effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Our kids enjoyed some of the family centered programs as well. The kind of programs that restore an overall sense of normalcy to families who have a member going through a serious medical crisis.
It's been almost ten years since we lost Donna but the need for Stewart's Caring Place Cancer Wellness Center continues for countless numbers of our neighbors and friends going through this struggle. Do you know of someone who could benefit from their services? If so, I recommend clicking this LINK and learning more about the wonderful work they do as you embark on this journey yourself or with a loved one.
Thank you for reading.
OK, you can stop with the Justin Timberlake memes. May is already here and it's the birthday month for this Tim who just says "burr" by the lakes because it doesn't feel like May. Looking back, I see a lot of firsts and number ones happened during the first week of May so let me pull back the curtain and give you a look-see.
2005 - Bruce Springsteen's largely acoustic album "Devils & Dust" was the #1 album in the country. He went on to play at my 45th birthday party, (OK not really. His Cleveland show just happened to fall on the 15th).
1996 - Rage Against The Machine had the #1 album in the U.S. with "Evil Empire." The bulls had a big parade while we rallied 'round the family with a pocket full of shells.
1991 - Phil Collins received an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree from Berklee College of Music. I guess that makes him Dr. Phil.
1986 - Cleveland was chosen to be the site of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
1986 - The Pet Shop Boys had the #1 single with "West End Girls."
1977 - The Eagles had the #1 single with "Hotel California."
1976 - KISS performed their first-ever concert in their hometown of New York City.
1974 - The #1 album in the U.S. was the movie soundtrack to "The Sting" by Marvin Hamlisch. We took Solace in Hooker's Hooker as she was quite The Entertainer.
1974 - Grand Funk Railroad began a two-week run at the top of the charts with their Todd Rundgren-produced cover version of Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion."
1964 - Louis Armstrong notched his only #1 hit with "Hello Dolly."
1962 - The soundtrack to "West Side Story" topped the charts and those crazy boys from the Sharks & Jets snapped their fingers and dance-fought in the streets.
And the award for other firsts and b'day remembrances go to: The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (1927); Grammy Award Ceremonies (1959); Carnegie Hall (1891); "Another World" on NBC (1964); First cloned horse, Idaho Gem (2003).
Thus concludes this week's first look back at this week in rock and other oddities for the first week of May, cloned from worldwide sources. You may begin posting those jars-of-mayonnaise-in-the-sink memes. Stay healthy & well and I'll catch you next time.
It's time again to rock that trip down memory lane. We learn in some cases, Rock trumps Politics, fans do have a say, the strong and not so strong R&R marriages, and finally, "I knew him when." Shall we begin?
2007 - In a classic case of "first come, first served," Vienna's Imperial Hotel turned down then President George W. Bush's request to stay in the hotel's luxury suite because Mick Jagger had already booked the room. Awkward!
2003 - From the "If I'm paying money to see you perform, ya better show up sober!" department comes this story of four fans sued Creed singer Scott Stapp for being too intoxicated to sing or even remember the lyrics to his songs at a Chicago show one year before. They wanted reimbursed for the price of their tickets and parking fees, ($227). There was talk of a class action lawsuit for the 15,000 fans in attendance that would have amounted to about $2 million bucks. The band offered only an apology and told fans that they had witnessed "the most unique of all Creed shows." Wow! How rock & roll is that?
2003 - Sinead O'Connor announced her retirement from the music biz saying she wanted to live as a normal person and asked for her privacy to be respected. Evidently, she got her wish.
1992 - David Bowie's attraction to Somali fashion model Iman, (whose name in Spanish literally means magnet), was solidified with a walk down the aisle. The marriage would be "til death do us part" as they were together until the Starman left this Earthly plane in 2016. The couple had one daughter, Lexi Jones, who turns 20 this summer.
1984 - Jerry Lee Lewis took his sixth walk down the aisle to a bride 26 years his junior. He would make that trip down the aisle again in 2012 with wife #7.
1961 - Harry Belafonte pays a young session musician $50 to play harmonica on the song "Midnight Special." That harp player was a cat named Bob Dylan.
I'll end this episode by pointing out today is "National Pigs In A Blanket Day." That piqued my sense of irony because that kind of describes all of us in these days of lockdown, don't you think? So wrap your weinies in crescent roll dough and have a good weekend. Tim out!
Welcome back! I hope you had a good weekend and are still coping during the lock-down. It's a new week and some of the following bits take us back to the days when our rock heroes were just fresh faced kids bringing their stuff to the masses for the very first time. I've got some that may surprise you so read on my seeker of rock truths.
2015 - AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pleaded guilty to some dirty deeds in New Zealand. He was charged with hiring a hit man to kill someone. There was also a drug possession charge.
1996 - Tickets went on sale for a long-awaited KISS reunion tour. It was the band's first tour in 15 years and included all four original members in full make-up and costumes.
1993 - Aerosmith released "Get A Grip," their first ever album to debut at #1 on the charts. It went on to sell seven million copies and garner two Grammy Awards for the band. There were lots of great big hit songs on it but my favorite is still "Eat The Rich."
1991 - Steve Marriot, singer/guitarist for Small Faces and Humble Pie, died in a house fire. He was 44.
1987 - Ozzy Osbourne released "Tribute." It was a live album recorded with guitarist Randy Rhoads who died in a plane crash five years before.
1976 - The Rolling Stones released "Black & Blue." The billboard campaign to promote it sparked a controversy for which the band later apologized.
1970 - Elton John made his concert debut opening for T.Rex in London.
1963 - The Rolling Stones opened for The Beatles in Richmond, England. It was the first time the two bands had met.
1968 - A group named Deep Purple first hit the stage in Denmark.
With baseball still on lock down, some happy b'days to share are: Fenway Park (1912) and Wrigley Field (1916). Others are: "Talkies" (Vitaphone, a process that added sound to film, 1926). Did you know the first talking picture was "The Jazz Singer" starring Al Jolson performing in black face? Today's standards would scuttle any thoughts of a remake of that one! The last remake was 40 years ago but Neil Diamond was not in black face. Thanks for reading. Join me every day from 2-7pm when I "talkie" at you on The Home of Rock & Roll and check back here often to see what happened...This Week In Rock.
It's Tax Day! The time of year many fear, spending all day arranging papers and receipts, praying you don't owe, and hoping to file before the midnight deadline. Well, the silver lining to that cloud is this nasty virus bought us three extra months to get our affairs in order, but will we? Anyway, there's plenty of other fun distractions going on so what'dya say we take a look back at, (wait for it), a not too taxing This Week In ROCK!
2003 - Fleetwood Mac drop their 17th album "Say You Will." It was the first in 30 years not to include anything written or performed by Christine McVie who had split the band five years earlier.
2001 - Joey Ramone, lead singer of the Ramones, dies of lymphoma. Google the 1979 movie "Rock & Roll High School." It's a guilty pleasure. Joey plays a sex symbol to cutie actress P.J. Soles. You may also remember her from "Stripes."
1999 - Vince Gill, (touring these days with the Eagles), gets in a not-so-serious car accident. While handling the paperwork, the other motorist takes advantage of the situation and hands Gill a demo tape of his stuff. Pretty ballsy! The story would be better if the guy turned out to be some notable singer.
1982 - Billy Joel breaks his wrist when he slams his motorcycle into a car. The Piano Man needed surgery to repair it but he was back tickling the ivories like nothing ever happened.
1966 - For what it's worth, Buffalo Springfield perform for the first time opening for The Byrds in San Bernardino, CA.
Happy B'days this time go to The General Electric Company (1892) and McDonalds (1955). So there's the two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun you'll need for today. Hope you didn't want fries with that because I already ate them. Catch you next time.
The highlights in the latest edition of "This Week In Rock" include five induct one, U2 turns 360 into $736M and yes, there was a fifth Beatle. It's rock & roll by the numbers so let's count 'em down.
2014 - The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame open its doors to KISS, Nirvana, Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Cat Stevens, and Linda Rondstadt. Parkinson's Disease kept Ms. Linda from attending but some heavy hitters named Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, and Carrie Underwood stood in for her.
2011 - U2’s 360 Degrees Tour became the highest grossing tour of all time. It made $736M and played to 7.2 million people over a two-year, worldwide trek.
2004 - Janet Jackson helps "Saturday Night Live" get its highest ratings in over a year when she hosts and performs on the show. Two months before, Jackson suffered the legendary "wardrobe malfunction" during the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Do you suppose SNL viewers thought lightning would strike twice?
1990 - Tom Waits wins a lawsuit against the makers of Doritos for using a "Tom Waits soundalike" on radio ads. Don't worry, they made more.
1965 - A school in Wales with their collective boxers in a bunch and asked parents not to send their children to school wearing corduroy trousers like the ones worn by The Rolling Stones. I wonder what their ruling was on Dave Clark 5 boots or Beatles' glasses?
1962 - Stuart Sutcliffe, bass player for The Beatles, died from a brain hemorrhage. He was known not so much for his bass playing as he was for being the band's eye-candy, kind of a bonny bloke for the birds to ogle.
Anniversaries to acknowledge; The ASPCA (1866). If you don't know what those letters stand for, see answer below. The short but memorable maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic (1912). "The Great Gatsby" (1925). "House of Wax," the first horror movie in color and 3D, (1953).
If you guessed that ASPCA still stands for The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, you'd be right so be kind to those fur babies and catch me next time when we look back on...(duh-duh-duhhhnnn), "This Week in Rock."
HI again! In this episode, we get examples of the sometimes uglier business side of rock & roll, proving again that what seems so personally unthinkable is only, well...business.
2018 - Fleetwood Mac made a startling announcement that long-time member Lyndsey Buckingham was out as the band's guitarist and being replaced by Mike Campbell of the late Tom Petty's Heartbreakers and Neil Finn of Crowded House. I hope he took solace in the fact that it took two guys to replace him.
2004 - It took a thousand bucks and some anger management courses to get Motley Crue's Vince Neil off the hook for assaulting a prostitute from a Carson City,Nevada brothel. That's so unlike him.
2003 - Paul McCartney bought the rights to the entire song catalog of Carl Perkins, the Rock-A-Billy singer known for the song "Blue Suede Shoes." It was a good business move and one Paul had done before. Remember when he coached Michael Jackson on this kind of biz dealing, then MJ surprisingly outbid Paul for the Beatles' catalog? Good times!
1970 - In another business move involving Sir Paul, he officially quit The Beatles.
1969 - It was "love bidness" that brought David Bowie to meet his future wife, Angela Barnett, at a London club. Both were there to see Robert Fripp's new band King Crimson. Mick Jagger would later sing a song about Ms. Barnett. It was called "Angie," (or Eye--EEE-Uhn-Jay if you sing along).
1965 - Mick and his band, The Rolling Stones, make their first appearance on British TV guesting on a show called, "Ready Steady Go!"
And finally because so many are missing baseball these days, some Happy B'days go to: (1965) The Houston Astrodome where the Astros beat them damn Yankees in an exhibition game; (1913) Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers; (1912) The first exhibition game at Fenway Park where the Red Sox outlasted Harvard in front of 3,000 shivering fans on a day not fit for baseball. Sounds like some opening days for the Tribe in the CLE.
Alright, that's it, Fort Pitt. Remeber to keep your distance and be well, friends. Thanks for reading and catch me next time.
I really thought you were going to make it. The news of you being stricken broke last week and this pandemic's casualties rose everyday. But your name hadn't been mentioned so I thought "no news is good news." The bad news came yesterday. Your immune system was compromised after your cancer fight twenty years ago. A fight that changed the very look of your face. I am sure you put up another valliant fight.
Tributes to you are all over my news feed, many including the lyrics to the posters' favorite songs. "Angel From Montgomery," "Hello In There," and countless others. Mine would be, "There's a hole in Daddy's arm where all the money goes." I first heard that one in high school just a few years after it came out. For a while I thought that was the title. You called it "Sam Stone." You told the story of a Viet Nam war vet who comes home and can't quite assimilate back into stateside society. It is apparent he has a drug problem, one that later kills him. I loved your simplistic songwriting style and how you mixed homespun with an at-times playful side but also with biting social commentary. It was done so effortlessly and innocently.
If I said you inspired so many, you'd probably respond with an "Aww shucks, it was nothin'." It wasn't nothing. It was something that will be remembered for a long time.
Farewell to a great American songwriter.
(Photo Credit: Charlie Gillett Collection/Getty Images)