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Everybody knows that Kanye West built his breakout hit, “Gold Digger” on a Ray Charles sample. But did you know that the Ray Charles “original” can actually trace its roots as far as back as the early 1920s? Find out how.
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July 4th, 1970–The Week at a Glance In May of 1970, President Richard Nixon ordered U.S. forces to widen their Southeast Asian presence into neutral Cambodia. Protests rippled across the nation. On May 4th, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on a student protesters at Kent State, killing four and wounding nine. On May 9th, more…
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Bananarama was a British power trio of 80s ladies who had already achieved international stardom by the time of their 1986 smash hit, “(I’m Your) Venus.” You may know that the New Wave hit was a cover of the Shocking Blue’s 1969 international chart-topper. What you may not know is that the song can actually…
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Jimi Hendrix recorded the definitive version of “Hey Joe.” But in fact, the authorship of “Hey Joe” is among the most disputed copyrights in rock history. At least four people have claimed ownership, and none of them was Jimi. From the time it was first registered for copyright with the American Library of Congress in…
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When it comes to addiction, the first step is admitting you have a problem. So here it goes…my name is Dave…and…I’m addicted to vinyl. My wife understands. She’s very supportive. But still, even my wife’s support has limits. Every relationship should be built on a strong foundation of honesty. But I also recognize that the…
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In 1973, Gladys Knight and the Pips released “Midnight Train to Georgia.” It quickly became a soul standard, the band’s signature song, and a recording that still hits with the full-throttle force of a southbound locomotive. But what does any of that have to do with Farrah Fawcett? For the answer to that question, we…
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If you blur your eyes, these albums are pretty much identical. If you put down the drink and sober up, you’ll see that they are actually quite different. To the left is the groundbreaking but compellingly dated moog record by French electropop pioneers Perrey and Kingsley. The record is an instrumental collection of bleeps and blops…
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Billy Joel first reached the lower rungs of the charts with a blue-eyed soul group called the Hassles. Find out how their 1967 debut set Billy on the path to stardom.
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Hasil Adkins was the father of psychobilly and he sounded every bit the part. Learn about one of rock and roll’s true (and truly strange) originals.
