Monthly Archives: June 2010
On This Day In Music History: “Arkansaw Traveler”
In the summer of 1922, 34-year-old Texas fiddler A.C. “Eck” Robertson and 74-year-old Oklahoma fiddler Henry C. Gilliland performed together at the Old Confederate Soldiers’ Reunion in Richmond, VA. When the festivities ended, they took the train to New York City to … Continue reading
Old Friends
Getting together with an old friend is a wonderful thing. It is amazing how, in this age of instant communication, the complexities and congestion of life can cause years to go by between visits or even a phone conversation between … Continue reading
Blues, Women & The Guitar
When the first blues record – “Crazy Blues” featuring vocalist Mamie Smith, recorded on Aug. 10, 1920 – sold 75,000 copies in the first month after its release, American record companies knew that they were on to something. This success … Continue reading
One Guitar, Fingerpicked
To sit in a room and listen to a good player fingerpick an acoustic guitar is a most enjoyable experience. When there are another 9,000 or so other people in that room with you and the person fingerpicking the one acoustic guitar is … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: A Double Header
June 18, 1967 was a Sunday. At the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California, the Monterey International Pop Festival was in its third and final day. The first two days of the festival had seen performances by many of the … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: “Like A Rolling Stone”
With a sharp crack of the snare drum on 4, followed by the thump of the bass drum on the “and,” the drummer, Bobby Gregg, kicks off the third take of the day, June 16, 1965 in Columbia Records’ Studio A … Continue reading
Recent Discoveries
Once upon a time, if I’d been asked, I’d have probably said that the master Jazz musician Charlie Christian was the first electric guitarist on record. But since I’ve gotten into researching the history, including the “first recordings” of the musical genres … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: Les Paul
Les Paul, guitarist and inventor, was born Lester William Polsfuss on this day, June 9, in 1915 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. When I hear the name Les Paul, the first thing I think of is the Gibson guitar that bears his name. … Continue reading
Once & Again: Dave Rawlings Machine
Last summer, on Sunday, August 2, 2009, to be precise, Dave Rawlings Machine kicked off the day’s music at George Wein’s Folk Festival 50 in Newport, RI, with “Diamond Joe.” It was 11:30 in the morning under the tent that covered the … Continue reading
Summer’s Here
Summer, the season, may still be sixsteen days away, but my summer vacation started yesterday. And, after seventeen years of school (starting with Mrs. Nixon’s Kindergarten in Newfields, NH) and thirty-five years of teaching, I don’t know what summer without a vacation … Continue reading
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