A compendium of musical delights by Alan and Margaret Ashworth
This is the third in our series of Christmas songs by Jewish writers. THIS quintessential winter song was written by two greats, Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, in Hollywood on … Continue readingLet It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
This is the second in our series of Christmas songs by Jewish writers. THE writers of Silver Bells, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, were responsible for a number of songs now considered to … Continue readingSilver Bells
A WHILE ago I wrote a series called The Melody Makers about the extraordinary and wonderful flowering of musical creativity among the Jewish population of New York, mainly immigrants from Europe, in … Continue readingI’ll Be Home For Christmas
As a tribute to the late Mike Nesmith, who Alan tells me was a lot better as a solo performer, here is the track which I consider the least bad … Continue readingThe Monkees: Daydream Believer
IN one of my earliest Notes from the Sticks, nearly two years ago, I wrote about the Ribble flood of February 9, 2020. It turned out to be a record for the … Continue readingAfter the deluge
This was written in 1960 by Sonny Curtis, a teenage friend of Buddy Holly who joined The Crickets not long before Holly’s death in 1959. It was released in 1961 … Continue readingEverly Brothers: Walk Right Back
A COUPLE of winters ago I was driving through a nearby small town when I saw two or three men with binoculars looking up at a tree. Being nosy, I … Continue readingWaxwing lyrical
This was written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s, and is largely the first eight verses of the third chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the King James … Continue readingThe Byrds: Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)
Written and produced by Motown’s main team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, this topped the charts in the US in 1965 and reached No 23 in Britain (No 10 when it was re-released in … Continue readingFour Tops: I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)
This was written by Crickets drummer Jerry Allison and producer Norman Petty, though Holly’s name was added to the credits after his death in 1959. It was recorded on June … Continue readingBuddy Holly: Peggy Sue