The Innovation Of ROCK

Ummmm … notice anything, like, different?
Well, there’s a reason: First, I’m a rock’n’roll writer (paperback and web) and dig the look (kinda makes me feel a little more sigh! at home). Secondly, I can get more stuff on here, so you Rockaholics don’t haveta scroll a million wheel-turns to get to where ya [...]

ROCK TALK!!

Nope … ain’t about the news this time (’sides, the ol’ RockWire’s kinda silent tonite!).
Actually, it’s about a group of great and groovy guys and gals who know classic rock like Earl Grey knows tea … and most/many/okay-a-few of ‘em have actually “walked the walk” back-in-the-day.
They’re the gang at Rock-Talk — and if ya like [...]

ROCK NEWS UPDATE

NOTE:  Yeah, I know the last post wuz almost a copy of the one before it.  My apologies, yardbirds … I wuz in a rush! 
Now … on with the show:
LOOK! … he DID it!
Against the recommendation of agents and friends, Paul McCartney performed his tremendous set in front of fifty thousand anxious fans in Tel Aviv, [...]

Where Are The RADICALS?

Hey … remember 1968?? If you were into the peace/love/understanding movement back then, then let’s see if these bring back a few flicks of disgust:
thoughts of men dying in that endless war called Vietnam, blacks being beaten in the streets, women being sexually harassed, young men being allowed to go off to war, possibly to [...]

Where Are The Boomers?

Trouble down on Wall Street, Daddy’s tryin’ to make ends meet,
Workin’ just to get the sack, make a friend but watch your back …
And so went the lyrics of a song I wrote and performed — once — back in 1968, at a show in Charlotte, NC. I said “once” because the club owner [...]

Chuck Berry and Natty Brown

Can you believe this??
Some cat in Doncaster, England is askin’ locals to sign a petition to ban Chuck Berry’s appearance there on November 23!  And get this: He’s comparin’ Berry to that jerk Gary Glitter! On top of that, he’s plannin’ to ask the City Council why it’s lettin’ Chuck perform, since he was convicted [...]

Rhythm Guitarist Needed (and an OK Rock Anthem?)

RELIC’S NOTE:IF YOU’RE READIN’ THIS IN THE UK and LIVE IN THE LONDON AREA, THIS COULD BE FOR YOU!
You yardbirds have heard me rave about the fab new rockers, THE FORE, and have read their interviews, etc. on-site here. These lads are so popular with their Mersey-Hamburg-Sixties sound that, without a doubt, they’re on [...]

September’s British Invasion

Whenever ya think about the British Invasion, chances are ya think of February 7, 1964 when The Beatles landed in NYC for their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, right?
But didja know that, twice in 1962, they sneaked into our charts? First, ya had The Springfields who gave us a great folkish recording [...]

RIP: The Unsung Session Drummer

Okay, yardbirds — gotta quiz for ya: What do the following have in common?
“La Bamba” by Ritchie Valens, Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues”, Jan & Dean’s “Surf City”, “Cupid” from Sam Cooke, “The Lonely Bull” with Herb Alpert, “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers, “77 Sunset Strip”, “I Dream Of Jeannie”, “The Brady Bunch”, “M*A*S*H” and [...]

Rock’s Anti-War Songs (Vietnam)

Vietnam.  Never before in the history of mankind (at least, until the present war), has the mention of one word invoked memories of the carnage, heartbreak, stench and fighting of a war.
The Relic served in the US Army during the ‘Nam years and, while I was only stationed stateside (as an MP), I’d seen all too many of my brothers coming back [...]