I won’t pretend to offer the definitive word on J.J. Cale, who passed away on July 26. After the first reports of his death were verified the following day (one popular website initially called [...]
RCR has added tens and tens of readers since we first posted this in 2009. Here’s a re-post for those of you who missed it. Brother James is a fine-art photographer based in St. Augustine, [...]
It’s hard to come up with a better sponsorship deal than the one The Black Keys struck with a little league baseball team in Akron – The Orioles. For you marketing geniuses out there, it went [...]
It’s Slim Harpo Month over at WFMU’s Rock & Soul Ichiban… Seems like a good excuse to pick up where we left off with this post, which sang the praises of Harpo, Lonesome Sundown, Lightnin’ [...]
Bill Withers celebrates his 75th birthday today… Here’s a re-post in his honor. I was trolling through the vast wasteland that is cable TV (one of those many “500+ stations and [...]
Has mainstream country music ever been any worse than it is right now? Probably, but I just can’t take another Eagles tribute band playing some lame-ass ode to the Bubba lifestyle. Sorry, I [...]
There’s nothing even remotely hip about Delbert McClinton. No edgy beats cooked up by some tragic-looking DJ. No soul-baring confessionals or angry throwdowns to ex-lovers. No political screeds. [...]
My dad John was a quiet and often very private man. In a different time, you’d describe him as genteel. Harvard Law grad, former Navy officer… He had the perfect temperament for a career in [...]
Let’s talk about the Seventies. What exactly happened? I’m not sure I can answer that question, because I lived them – in the same smoky haze that partially obscured my view of The Rolling Stones [...]
In 2011, I interviewed writer/filmmaker Mathew Ramirez Warren, the man responsible for the documentary We Like It Like That: The Story of Latin Boogaloo. I’m glad to report the film recently [...]
I thought this theme worked pretty well in our blues post. But I couldn’t resist expanding the definition so I could cover some of my favorite jazz summits. Think of these collaborations as [...]
Johnny “Guitar” Watson died on this date in 1996 – on stage no less. Here’s a re-post in his honor. It’s time to bring back the funk of Johnny “Guitar” Watson. Why not? You can [...]
Summer is right around the corner. Time to whip out the Fender Jaguar with whammy bar, Dual Showman amp, tube reverb unit, Precision bass and Rogers drum kit with a sweet floor tom. You surf [...]
When well-established musicians join forces, it’s not always for purely artistic reasons. Sometimes their managers arrange it as a promotional gimmick. Or the performers could be stuck in the [...]
I don’t know about you, but I’m getting overwhelmed by all the dire news and violent images I’ve been digesting lately. Maybe it’s time to shut everything off, disconnect the cable, buy someone’s [...]
When it comes to exploring new music, I like to think my ears are wide open. But occasionally I lapse into that familiar attitude best expressed by the late Robert Quine: “If they’re not dead, [...]
I’ve been listening to a lot of rockabilly since our post on The Johnny Burnette Trio. And my little time away from the usual stuff (you know, mostly whaling songs and sea chanteys) gained some [...]
Fleetwood Mac just kicked off their 2013 tour in Columbus. Also, I just spent a few days in London. Two good excuses to re-post this one (I’ll come up with something new soon… I [...]
Dr. John called him “the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced.” Our Keyboard Correspondent, Brother Jack, offered his own appraisal of the great [...]
A couple of weeks ago, I had every intention of heading out on a Friday night to see my favorite new band, Wesley Bright & the Hi-Lites. But my wife got sick and I decided to do the [...]
I really didn’t have any intention of coming back with a second act. But Part 1 seemed to go pretty well… and I’m still struggling with a draft post on the new Eric Clapton album (of course, [...]