Jeff Buckley: The Last Goodbye
Incandescent. That word fully describes Jeff Buckley to a T. His meteoric rise to fame was a brilliant flash of light, only to be snuffed out by his apparently accidental drowning at age 30. Born in Southern California, Jeff spent his early years growing up in Orange County. He began playing guitar at the age …
Two Tickets to Paradise: The Legacy of Eddie Money
There are so many words that we could use to describe the remarkable life and accomplishments, and true legacy of singer and songwriter Eddie Money. He was truly gifted, but his path to stardom was a bit rocky in the beginning. Edward Joseph Mahoney was born into a large Irish-Catholic family in Long Island, NY. …
Casablanca Records: The Label Disco Made
Early years It all started with a man named Neil Bogart and his partners, Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris (Bogart’s cousin) and Buck Reingold. The company had a rough start, but it quickly found the sound of the 70’s and became the label of both disco and excess, churning out hit after hit. Until September 1973, …
The Monkees (Not Your) Steppin’ Stone
The Monkees was conceived in 1965 by television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneide as a situation comedy series about a pop/rock band. Their original line-up consisted of actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and British actor/singer Davy Jones. Their music was initially supervised by record producer, Don Kirshner, and backed by the songwriting …
Let It Be: The Beatles 1970 Documentary
Let It Be is a 1970 British documentary film directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. featuring the Beatles as themselves. The film memorializes the rehearsing and recording of songs for the album Let It Be, in January 1969. Released just after the album dropped in May 1970, Let It Be is the final original Beatles release. The …
MTV’s “The Real World” The Original “Reality Show”
In the early 90s, Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray were looking for new ideas and watched a 70s show on PBS called “An American Family.” It was a chronicle of the daily life of the Louds, an upper middle-class family in Santa Barbara, California, but ended up documenting the break-up of the family when the …
Todd Rundgren: Hello, It’s Me
When you read the endless list of accomplishments of Todd Rundgren, it’s nearly overwhelming. He has done nearly everything in the music industry and done it very well. Rundgren grew up in Philadelphia and taught himself to play guitar at a very young age. He developed a love for music that grew first from his …
Do You Remember? VH1’s “Behind the Music”
On January 1, 1985, MTV’s parent corporation launched a new music video network aimed at building upon what the original music channel had created, but it focused on a slightly older demographic. When VH1 first came into existence, it was all about music videos and music shows. Favorites like “Behind the Music”, “VH1 Legends”, “Best …
The Making of “We Are the World”
Almost every hit song has a really great tale behind it, and this one definitely has one worth telling. This is the story of the making of “We Are the World”. The USA for Africa project began with an idea that actor, singer and activist Harry Belafonte had for a benefit concert, after hearing of …
Sid & Marty Krofft: 70s Fantasy Innovators
Canadian siblings Sid & Marty Krofft are truly master puppeteers. Born in Quebec, Canada, they spent many years honing their craft before their television career began in earnest. In the 1940s, Sid created his one-man puppet show, The Unusual Artistry of Sid Krofft, and performed it all over the world, with his father. Marty stayed …
