I enjoy listening to Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2. He offers a great blend of old and new music, delivered with sincere enthusiasm. Tonight he praised this track by Black Joe Lewis, from Austin, TX, where the South by Southwest festival was just held.
Find more Black Joe Lewis albums at Myspace Music
Tim Rice’s American Pie series on BBC Radio 2 has finally reached home, here in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts has Boston — the city and the 70’s supergroup — and Aerosmith, The Cars, and the J.Geils Band. On the softer side there’s James Taylor and Arlo Guthrie. Tim Rice covers all of them, but he makes no mention of Jonathan Richman, drivin’ past the Stop & Stop (a supermarket chain that’s still very much a presence here). This clip is from England’s Top of the Pops. That sounds like Steve Wright doing the voice over at the end.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_eLgvTDLIg
I’ve become something of a fan of the old Ames Brothers act, with Ed Ames singing lead. They’re from Mass., and Rice plays this fun 50’s tune by the bros.
Barnes Newberry has been off-the-air for going on a year, after ten years of hosting his “Highway 61 Revisited” show on WUMB (UMassBoston). Barnes had what can be termed a “falling-out with management,” and I’ve really missed listening to him on Saturday mornings. I’ve been told there is the possibility of Barnes returning to the airwaves sometime in the Spring. Here’s hoping he can put it together. Stay tuned!
Prue Bury sent this note to her friends today:
Think this is worth while.
Thank you
There’s a daily radio news program based here in Boston, called The World, that’s co-produced with the BBC World Service. They explain the cuts that are being implemented:
[audio:http://media.theworld.org/audio/012620113.mp3|titles=The World: WGBH Boston]Internet access in Egypt has been cut. Whether or not the protesters intend to overthrow the government in favor of a Muslim-based system, the fact is that the value of radio is obvious in these situations.
This just in — Pop music impresario Don Kirshner has died. In more than one way, “Sugar, Sugar”, with Ron Dante and the non-existent Archies, is Kirshner’s ultimate accomplishment as a music publisher and manager.
The Archies – Sugar Sugar
Uploaded by scootaway. – See more comedy videos.
In the 70’s, “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert” featured an eclectic mix of bands. Here is a fantastic set with the Ramones at their Punk Rock peak.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6o_t2Q_gkg
Longtime Boston sports writer-caster Steve Buckley has a column in the Boston Herald announcing that he’s gay. The news has been picked up by media outlets in Boston and New York, the Huffington Post, and Keith Olbermann tweeted it:
Boston Herald sports writer Steve Buckley: I’m Gay http://bit.ly/fiX6YM Buck’s a friend of 17 yrs & has my full support & friendship
I hope that the unpredictable world of baseball will support Buck too. Knowing his reputation therein, I think it will.
Thirty years ago I worked at a newspaper with Steve — or Buck, as he’s often called — and although he never said or did anything to indicate he wasn’t straight, I’m not surprised by his admission, for reasons I won’t go into. If anything, my love of art, and my utter lack of interest in any sport other than long-distance running, may have given Buck reason to suspect that I was gay. I think Steve Buckley coming out is good and great, and he deserves praise and encouragement.
Buckley’s been a fixture on Boston sports radio station WEEI for years, and today he went on the air to talk about his announcement. You’ll find some of the program on the audio player.
[audio:http://audio.weei.com/hosting/media/weei/1598200/w-stevebuckley-howthischangeshisjob-010611-bs-weei.mp3|titles=WEEI The Big Show: Steve Buckley comes out]