All articles filed in Music

Ah, record collecting.  It was my passion, it was my drive … and it was my addiction. For many years, I wrote articles and books on collectible records and collectible musicians, and I still treasure those years working for Goldmine magazine and for several other publications. Recently, I was contacted by one of those publications,…

Actress Whitney Avalon has done whatever it takes to break through in the entertainment industry.  She’s appeared in several TV shows and commercials (she’s the mother in the blended family Cheerios commercials), she’s produced a series of wildly popular “Princess Rap Battle” videos (the one between Snow White and Elsa from Frozen has maybe 70…

It is said that you do not amass a record collection, you actually accept recommendations for one.  Whatever you listen to on the radio, whatever you hear in onccert, whatever your friends suggest you give an ear to … that becomes your record collection. In 1983, I got hooked on a rock band from New…

It was approximately twenty years ago when I, as a freelance writer for the music magazine Goldmine, interviewed 1950’s chanteuse Ruth Wallis.  Wallis had several major recordings, and was a mainstay at supper clubs, Vegas ballrooms and Australian concert halls for decades.  Her catalog was a mixture of double-entendre songs and bawdy big band tracks.…

One of my favorite music groups – regardless of genre – is the vocal harmony quartet Manhattan Transfer.  I’ve dug their sound all the way back to high school, when our music teacher brought in a copy of their LP Extensions and played it for us.  I was hooked. All these years (and several enjoyable…

The following interview with Alan Parsons originally appeared in a 2005 edition of Goldmine magazine.  I interviewed Mr. Parsons, along with Eric Woolfson, for this cover story.  “Will you be paying for this with cash or credit, sir?” asked the record store clerk. “Credit card,” said the tall, bearded Englishman, putting down the several Alan…

Trust me, I was NOT expecting this.  Not in the slightest. I received a Facebook message from my friend Tim – he’s the captain of the Stir Crazy trivia team upon which we won the 2017 World Tavern Trivia championship.  Tim and his friends have dominated Hudson Valley trivia competitions, so I figured he was…

Point of importance.  I am a big fan of “Weird Al” Yankovic.  I enjoyed his music in college; I enjoyed his music as an adult; and during the time when I wrote for the music magazine Goldmine, I even lobbied for (and achieved) writing a cover story on him for the magazine. You can now…