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BY RANDAL C. HILL
One has to wonder: Somewhere in England in 1971, was there a woman in her mid-40s—and possibly wearing a Mona Lisa smile—who heard “Maggie May” and realized that she might have been the inspiration for Rod Stewart’s breakthrough rock tune?
We’ll probably never know.
Roderick...
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BY RANDAL C. HILL
Thomas “Snuff” Garrett was a Dallas high school dropout who became a Lubbock, Texas, disc jockey at age 17 and befriended local music star Buddy Holly. Two years later, Garrett became a staff producer at Liberty Records in...
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BY RANDAL C. HILL
Have you ever heard of musician Billy Strange? Born William Everett Strange in 1930 in Long Beach, California, he became an in-demand session guitarist/arranger in Hollywood who recorded with such top-drawer artists as Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Cher and Nancy...
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By Kathy A. Megyeri
Recently, Virginia’s 10th District Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton sponsored legislation and President Joe Biden signed it into law that the post office along Old Town Winchester, Virginia’s walking mall, be named...
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BY RANDAL C. HILL
At a London party in 1760, a Belgian violinist made a surprise entrance on a new invention called “roller skates” as he played his music. In doing so, he smashed into a mirror worth a thousand dollars and damaged it beyond repair.
Over the years, roller skates evolved...
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BY RANDAL C. HILL
Remember Cat Stevens? He came to prominence here in the early Seventies as a singer-songwriter responsible for such ethereal musical ballads as “Peace Train,” “Wild World,” “Moon Shadow” and “Morning Has Broken.” He was equally popular in his home country of England at the same time, but to his British...
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BY RANDAL C. HILL
It was more—much more—than just another rock ‘n’ roll hit.
While “Black and White” became the third single by Three Dog Night to reach the top of the Billboard charts, the...
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By Nick Thomas
Producing a book showcasing her favorite band was a dream come true for life-long Beatles fan Laurie Jacobson. A celebrated author of five previous Hollywood books, her latest effort did require...
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By Kathy A. Megyeri
When Johnny Cash performed on New Year’s Day, 1959, at San Quentin, the notorious California state prison, a 22-year-old, Merle Haggard, #A-45200 who was serving a 15 year sentence for...
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BY RANDAL C. HILL
The first time the world heard of Brooklyn-born musician Robert John was in 1958 when he was 12 years old. Back then, the singing youngster was going by his...
