Author Archives: sixstrstories
A “This Historic Day In Music” Quiz
Ok, followers and readers of sixstr stories, it’s quiz time. What very well known song was given its first public performance at the Eagle Ice Cream Saloon in Pittsburgh, PA on this day, September 11, in the year of 1847? … Continue reading
This Historic Day… My Son-In-Law
On this day, August 27, in 1977, Andrew David Robertson was born to David and Mary (Seely) Robertson in Princeton, New Jersey. Here’s wishing a very, very Happy Birthday!!! to my guitar-playing, Rolling-Stones-loving, brilliant (he married my daughter, didn’t he?), awesome and … Continue reading
Knowing What
When my daughter Kristin was a little girl, she frequently posed the question: “Hey, Daddy, do you know what?” Being a fan of the old musician’s joke that starts with someone asking a question like: “Do you know the way to … Continue reading
Verse 1, Verse 2
In September 1980, John Lennon told David Sheff, an interviewer for Playboy magazine, that “In My Life” was “the first song that I wrote that was really, consciously about my life.” John elaborated: “‘In My Life’ started out as a … Continue reading
Tonight
I started going to concerts not long after I became a teenager. The first concert I attended was in the Field House at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. The performer was Judy Collins. I don’t remember what songs she played … Continue reading
This Historic Day In Music: Louis Armstrong
In 1979, Woody Allen directed, co-wrote and starred in the film Manhattan, a romantic comedy-drama set in New York City. In the film, Isaac Davis, the character Allen plays, is asked the question: “Why is life worth living?” In his lengthy and now-famous answer … Continue reading
This Historic Day In Music: A.P., Sara, Maybelle & Ramblin’ Jack
In the evening, on this day, August 1, in 1927, Alvin Pleasant Carter, his wife Sara Dougherty Carter and Sara’s younger cousin, Maybelle Addington Carter sat around a microphone in a make-shift recording studio on the second floor of an … Continue reading
A Trip To The Library
Eighty years ago this month, in July of 1933, musicologist John Lomax and his 18-year-old son Alan met and recorded Huddie Ledbetter, a singer and 12-string guitarist, at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, West Feliciana Paris, Louisiana. Huddie, who … Continue reading
This Historic Day In Music: Tommy Gallant
“Bonjour,” he’d say, adding to his greeting a little chuckle and a smile. Tommy Gallant, my colleague and friend, always brought a smile. “Bonjour,” as I remember it, was the punch line of one of his favorite jokes. More often than not, he would … Continue reading
This Historic Day In Music: Mississippi John Hurt
Today! was the first album of music by Mississippi John Hurt that I owned. Although I don’t recall where or when I bought it, I do know that Today! introduced me to an artist that remains among the most enjoyable and remarkable of … Continue reading
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