Once upon a time, there was a corporation called K-Tel. Among their many “as seen on television” products, they also advertised a series of compilation record albums. The commercials for these LP’s have themselves become classic kitschy memory markers of the sparkly 70’s. What K-Tel did was produce albums with anywhere from 18 to 25…
Read MoreAll articles filed in Music
The Return of Ricky and Tonto, and Ricky the K’s “Solid Gold Time Machine!”
Several years ago, when I was a writer for Goldmine magazine, I had the opportunity to interview a disc jockey by the name of Richard Kaufman. He worked at a radio station in Oklahoma, and he had an idea for a very special Internet radio show. He would produce an oldies radio show, complete with…
Read MoreAmy Winehouse Joins the 27 Club
I’m not sure what to think. It’s ghoulish and it’s morbid and it’s bitter. The woman who sang “Rehab,” a defiant paean against recovery, has died of a possible drug overdose. Singer Amy Winehouse was 27. She burst onto the scene with a mixture of Motown and Stax / Volt charm, her hair and makeup…
Read More“I have Larry Flynt on the phone for you, Mr. Miller…”
True story. Believe me, this is as true as true can get. In early 2005, I was a featured writer for Goldmine Magazine, the music collector’s biweekly. I wanted to pitch an idea to them – an article on cheesecake album covers. Cheesecake album covers featured beautiful women – many of them almost wearing clothing…
Read MoreK-Chuck Radio: Rocking Central New York
On a previous episode of K-Chuck Radio, someone commented on whether I was a fan of radio station WOUR – because I went to school at Hamilton College in the mid-1980’s and that I referenced two artists that got tons of play on WOUR. Actually, I treated WOUR and WRCK (Rock 107) with equal amounts…
Read MoreRest in peace, Clarence Clemons. Heaven needs a new horn.
The passing of Clarence Clemons last Saturday at the tender age of 69 has silenced one of rock music’s most iconic saxophonists. It was his horn that was the glue to Bruce Springsteen’s classics. You can’t imagine hearing “Rosalita” or “Jungleland” or “Hungry Heart” or “Born to Run” without that sax permeating through the entire…
Read MoreRebecca Black versus ARK Music Factory – it’s not “Friday” any more
So let’s see. Three months ago, a California high school girl records a song called “Friday,” which becomes the most viral video of 2011. It inspires jokes and derision and a hundred other emotions, and it racks up about 160 million views on YouTube. The song actually became a hit on its own – a…
Read MoreA rare video clip of double-entendre singer Ruth Wallis
Back in 2009, one of my early blog posts was about 1950’s-1960’s cabaret singer Ruth Wallis, one of the legends of the “blue party” records. Her songs couldn’t be purchased in legitimate record stores, but if you knew someone who knew someone, you could get a copy of her albums – usually they were stored…
Read MoreAfter 30 years… we get a new Blotto music video! Yay!!
Once upon a time, the Albany-based rock band Blotto actually broke through and got mainstream radio airplay in the Capital District. Yes. Their song, “I Wanna Be a Lifeguard,” received spins on FLY 92 and 3WD and Rock 99, just as if it was a national radio hit. And in our area, it was. And…
Read MoreAre you sure that’s Bryan Adams? It sounds more like Justin Bieber!
You’ve certainly heard of Bryan Adams. Rock singer, popular in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Not to be confused with Ryan Adams. No way should he be confused with Ryan Adams. Or Amy Adams. Or John Quincy Adams… Bryan Adams has amassed a stunning catalog of amazing rock hits, and some day he may actually end…
Read More
Chuck The Writer 
You must be logged in to post a comment.