Grand Hotel
IN the days before television, many hotels and restaurants offered live performances of light music by trios, quartets or slightly larger ensembles. Usually the room would be adorned with palms … Continue readingGrand Hotel
Recent Posts
Johnny Jenkins: I Walk on Gilded Splinters
Brilliant, swampy, let-there-be-drums classic by Jenkins, the band leader who first hired Otis Redding to sing in his group, the Pinetoppers. Taken from the 1970 album Ton Ton Macoute.
The Marbles: Only One Woman
The Marbles were cousins Graham Bonnet and Trevor Gordon, born in Skegness but Gordon grew up in Australia. Only One Woman,notable for Bonnet’s powerful vocals, was written for them by Barry, … Continue readingThe Marbles: Only One Woman
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No 10 in G major, Op 96
I studied the first movement of this for music O-level in 1965. Beethoven wrote it in 1812, when he was 42. He dedicated it to his patron Archduke Rudolph Johannes Joseph … Continue readingBeethoven: Violin Sonata No 10 in G major, Op 96
Ivan: Real Wild Child
Hard to imagine anyone sounding less like a real wild child than this 1958 release. Iggy Pop was still singing it 60 years later.
Brenda Lee: Losing You
Losing You, written by Jean Renard and Carl Sigman, was Brenda Lee’s last Top Ten pop hit in America, reaching No 6 in 1963. It got to No 10 in Britain. … Continue readingBrenda Lee: Losing You
Elvis: Are you Lonesome Tonight?
I didn’t realise till now that this song was written in 1926, by Roy Turk and Lou Handman. Here is a lovely old version by Charles Hart, released in 1927. … Continue readingElvis: Are you Lonesome Tonight?
Ian Matthews: Thoughts for a Friend
Lovely sitar-led track from Ian’s 1969 album Matthews’ Southern Comfort https://am-records.com/?s=matthews+country
Eternal Father Strong to Save
THIS week’s choice links Britain and the United States because for both countries it is known as the Navy Hymn. The words vary slightly but the melody is the same, … Continue readingEternal Father Strong to Save
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: Please Read The Letter
From the 2007 album Raising Sand. I love the fact that, after singing like a grown-up all the way through, Planty can’t resist a few Led Zep-style whoops as it … Continue readingRobert Plant and Alison Krauss: Please Read The Letter