Pophistory: music, movies, history, and life.
Sam Cooke, who was born on January 22, 1931, was one of the century’s greatest singer-songwriters. He also was an electric performer, and while there are not many videos of him singing live available on YouTube, the one below captures him singing Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind.”
Not surprisingly, Cooke puts his own stamp on Dylan’s song. Check it out.
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(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Singer-songwriter and former America’s Got Talent star Marty Brown is preparing some new music for release. One of his newest tracks is “American Highway,” just in time for Independence Day.
The song by the Kentucky country singer captures images of small-town America. Below, Brown performs “American Highway” on WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour. Check it out.
Brown has been working on a new album, which will feature “American Highway.” The new songs feature lyrics written by Brown and music written by Jon Tiven, who also plays guitar on the album.
For tour and other information, see Marty Brown’s website.
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(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Dwight Yoakam recently posted a video of a rehearsal of “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music).” Yoakam is currently touring with Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams. So, the two join in for a rousing rendition of the song.
Yoakam, Earle, Williams and the band jam on the song with the band in the dressing room before their show, which is part of their “LSD Tour.” Check it out.
“Dim Lights, Loud Smoke (and Loud, Loud Music)” goes back many decades. Joe Maphis, Rose Lee Maphis and Max Fidler wrote the song, which was first recorded in 1952 by Flatt & Scruggs.
The video is by Emily Joyce Photography. Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Singer-songwriter-musician Alonzo “Lonnie” Johnson was born on February 8, 1899 in New Orleans. Johnson was a musical pioneer for, among other reasons, his work with the electric guitar and the electric violin.
Besides the fact he created some great music, he has been credited with creating the note-by-note guitar solo style that became common in many kinds of music. His career spanned decades, starting with his jazz and blues work in the 1920s and 1930s. And after World War II, he had some success as an R&B performer, although he eventually ended up taking other labor jobs to support himself.
Below, Lonnie Johnson performs “Another Night to Cry.”
Johnson died on June 16, 1970 in Toronto. He had been in poor health following getting hit by a car in March 1969. Because he had no money when he died, in 2014 the Killer Blues Headstone Project paid for the headstone on his grave.
What is your favorite recording by Lonnie Johnson? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
About a decade ago, I caught the eight-part documentary about the North Carolina murder trial of Michael Peterson. In the show, which originally aired on British and U.S. T.V. in 2005, French director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade pulls back the curtain on the American criminal justice system.
I purchased the DVDs and made as many people watch them as I could. Not only did I want them to enjoy the series, but I needed to know if they saw it the same way I did with respect to Peterson’s guilt or innocence. There were a lot of disagreements. Now you may judge it for yourself because the series, with extra episodes, is available on Netflix.
After the original series ran, two more episodes were released in 2011, called The Staircase 2: The Last Chance. The new Netflix release includes those and three more episodes that cover judicial proceedings in 2016. So, now you may binge watch all thirteen episodes.
I do not want to give too much away beyond telling you to drop everything to go watch it. But the accusations against Peterson centered on the events of the night of December 9, 2001. On that night, his wife Kathleen went into the house while Peterson was outside. He later claimed that he found her at the bottom of their staircase, bloody and dead.
Eventually, Peterson was accused and tried for killing his wife. The case not only divides viewers, but the family becomes divided too. The filmmakers created the series with extensive access to Peterson and his lawyers, making you feel you get to know many of the people involved.
The case goes through several twists, turns, and surprises. Did he kill his wife? Did she fall? Or did something else happen? I enjoyed The Staircase even more than the similarly very good crime documentary Making a Murderer (2015). Go check out The Staircase for yourself.
Do you think Michael Peterson was railroaded by the system? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)