“Dry your eyes and stand up straight Bugler’s got a place at the Pearly Gates Say goodbye sugar Oh, say goodbye” And so we come to the final year of Clarence White’s life and the eleventh and final (for now) chapter of my Adios Loungeography. I’ve put off this part of his bio for as […]
Read MoreThe Notorious Good Brothers
One of my favorite moments of 2010 was seeing John Doe and The Sadies play Cal State Northridge on November 20, and totally by chance. I stumbled upon the LA Weekly listing the day of the show, called a friend, and was at the venue before realizing the enormity of what I was about […]
Read MoreClarence White: Roadmaster: 1972
1972 was a bit of a transition year for Clarence White. Even though The Byrds were nominally a going concern, most of their touring commitments were completed by May, though they did several weekend runs later in the year. The main reason activity came to a halt was because Roger McGuinn was negotiating a […]
Read MoreDon Reno: Country Boy Rock & Roll
“In a musical style where versatility seemed to be the norm, Don Reno, from Spartanburg, South Carolina, possessed a range of talents that almost staggers the imagination. He was a good songwriter, an excellent tenor harmony singer, a comedian, and a master of several instruments, including the mandolin, guitar, and banjo. His guitar work […]
Read MoreClarence White + Chris Hillman = 1966 Gold
As 1966 came to a close, The Byrds were in the studio recording songs for Younger Than Yesterday. Chris Hillman, inspired by his recent session work with Letta Mbulu and Hugh Masekela, brought his first songwriting efforts to the studio. I don’t think there’s enough critical appreciation of Hillman’s artistic leap from Fifth Dimension to […]
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