In a world ruled by the sweet and somber strums of acoustic guitars, there came a night when one man dared to buck the system. That man was Bob Dylan, and the date was July 25, 1965. The world of folk music, and indeed the wider spectrum of popular music, was about to be forever…
In the annals of music history, July 18, 1953, marks a momentous occasion. It was on this day that Elvis Presley, the undisputed King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, ventured into Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, and made his first-ever recording. It was a modest start, a heartfelt gift for his beloved mother, that would inadvertently…
From a dreamy Indiana barn to a mythical French serpent-woman, this trio of jazz-influenced albumsโby Janiece Jaffe and Monika Herzig, Christine Jensen, and Cรฉcile McLorin Salvantโshowcases the vision and vitality women bring to modern jazz.
George Harrison championed them, Paul McCartney produced their debut hit, and Apple Records signed themโyet the Iveys (soon to be Badfinger) nearly vanished before they began, victims of internal rifts and corporate reshuffling.
Welcome to my series Treasures from the Vinyl Vault. In it, I will feature select gems from my approximately 12,000 ever-growing vinyl collection, accumulated over a 45-year period and counting.
MoFiโs 45rpm reissue of Jeff Beckโs Truth delivers seismic bass and analogue warmth that outshines many rock classics; released just before Zepโs debut, it remains a blues-rock benchmark for sound and influence.
Joe Cocker’s career nearly derailed in 1970 until Leon Russell hastily assembled the raucous โMad Dogs & Englishmenโ tourโtransforming a PR crisis into a legendary, if chaotic, rock caravan that launched Russell to solo stardom.
Mike Vosse helped spark one of rockโs greatest musical intersections: Elton Johnโs rise in America, Leon Russellโs breakout, and the moment they collided at the Troubadourโfueling a creative surge that would echo for decades.