‘The Industry Was Held Hostage by the Beatles’ — If you were anywhere near a radio in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the music of Connie Francis became the soundtrack of your life. Francis’ string of Top 10 hits began in 1957 include “Who’s Sorry Now,” soon followed by “My Happiness,” “Lipstick on Your Collar,” “Among My Souvenirs”…

New York Groove: An Inside Look at the Stars, Shows, and Songs That Make NYC Rock Book Excerpt — “THE thing that bothers me the most about music history is calling the pop music of the early ’60s the ‘Brill Building Sound,’” writes singer-songwriter Al Kooper in his memoir Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards. “This drives me nuts because ninety percent of that music was not created in the…

Heavy Metal Thunder — Please do not highlight the answers. 1. Steppenwolf guitarist Mars Bonfire was inspired to write “Born to Be Wild” while driving a A. Volkswagen dune buggy B. Ford Falcon C. Harley-Davidson Sportster D. Pontiac GTO 2. On what track is Ringo Starr the only one of the Beatles to perform? …

New York Groove: An Inside Look at the Stars, Shows, and Songs That Make NYC Rock Book Excerpt — The Pythian Temple was built in 1927 as a meeting place for the city’s 120 lodges of the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal order popular in the early 20th century. Its facade is decorated in brightly colored, glazed terra cotta and historical figures. As its popularity waned in the 1940s…

“Fame attracts lunatics.” — Elton John — “Fame” by David Bowie “Fame itself, of course, doesn’t really afford you anything more than a good seat in a restaurant,” David Bowie told Performing Songwriter. “I’m just amazed how fame is being posited as the be-all and end-all, and how many of these young kids who are being foisted…

Her Weapons Were Her Crystal Eyes — Please Do Not Highlight the Answers 1. Shocking Blue, one-hit wonders in 1969 with “Venus,” were from A. Norway B. Denmark C. Sweden D. The Netherlands 2. The Raindrops, who originally recorded “Hanky Panky,” were the songwriting team A. Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich B. Gerry Goffin and Carole King …

New York Groove: An Inside Look at the Stars, Shows, and Songs That Make NYC Rock Book Excerpt “I’ve chosen to live in New York for the past two years because of the musicians I play with, because I find it inspiring, because I meet interesting people much more easily than I do in London,” Sting told Rolling Stone in 1988. Sting has continued to reside in New…

Many American bands were casualties of the British Invasion led by the Beatles in the mid-1960s. Not the Young Rascals, who formed in Garfield, NJ in 1965 and filled the AM airwaves with hit after hit. The blue-eyed soul group — keyboardist and singer Felix Cavaliere, singer Eddie Brigati, guitarist…

“When you got something, flaunt it”: Book Excerpt — Genya Ravan fronted Ten Wheel Drive, the dynamic horn band formed in 1969. On Feb 6–7, 1971, Ten Wheel Drive performed at Fillmore East on a bill that featured bluesman Luther Allison, who opened the show, and headliner Steppenwolf. In this book excerpt from Fillmore East: The Venue That Changed…