Let’s Take A Moment Day 533

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

Hi everyone. Hope you are all well and continue to stay that way during this global health crisis we are facing. But in addition to protecting your physical wellness, what are you doing to stay mentally healthy today?

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

I know we are still facing a serious situation but a new year gives us hope for the new days, seasons, opportunities & moments ahead. Still, music is something that will never change for me. It is my refuge, the most comforting part of my life & the one thing I consistently count on. So until a more normal semblance of life returns, I am going to share a song I listen to that helps me escape the current state of things, if only for a few minutes each day. And if this helps anyone else, even better.

We close out this month with another musical birthday. Today Van “The Man” Morrison turns 76 years young. Born August 31, 1945 in Northern Ireland, he gained his love of music from his parents. His mother was a singer and his father’s record collection educated his son in all genres of music. But it was the blues that resonated most with him. His father bought Morrison a guitar when he was 11 leading him to form his first band a year later. By the age of 17 he was touring Europe with another band but his breakthrough came in 1964 when he joined the group Them.

They charted three times including their most well known song, “Gloria”. That brought Morrison to America for the first time in 1966 on a tour that included several shows at Los Angeles’ acclaimed Whiskey A-Go-Go where he met & performed with The Doors. By 1967 Them disbanded leading to Morrison’s relocation to the US and the start of his solo career. After his song, “Brown Eyed Girl” became a Top Ten hit in the country, Van The Man was on his way.

I am such a fan of his beautiful songs & his unique interpretations of the lyrics. His evocative tone tells a story all its own separate and apart from his sublime poetry. As much as I adore his ballads, Morrison’s take-no-prisoners approach to his faster tempo songs envelopes me into each and every note. Today’s track is no exception. Happy birthday, Sir George Ivan Morrison. May you see 100 more.

“And when you walk
Across the room
It makes my heart go
Boom boom boom“.

Van Morrison’s sixth studio album released in 1972. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Van Morrison: “Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile)” (1972, written by Van Morrison).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

30Aug2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 532

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

In August 1970 James Taylor released today’s song as a single from his second album, Sweet Baby James. By Halloween the track reached the #3 spot in the country. He wrote it when he was just 21 years old in response to the death of a friend & other life events. It was one of those songs where the lyrics led to rumors and conjecture.

For instance, many people believed the friend referenced in the song-Suzanne-died in a plane crash because of the line “sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground”. In reality she died by suicide and The Flying Machine was the name of Taylor’s band that broke up. I absolutely adore the eloquence and imagery of the lyrics and the title he chose. And his vocal is just the perfect mix of somber and reflective. It is just a great record.

Over the next fifty years Taylor would establish himself as one of the most popular, prolific & beloved artists of his time. But it was this track that would get him noticed as an emerging singer/songwriter in a decade where they became invaluable contributors to music’s diverse & masterful landscape.

“Been walking my mind to an easy time
My back turned towards the sun
Lord knows, when the cold wind blows
It’ll turn your head around“.

James Taylor’s second album released in February 1970. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

James Taylor: “Fire & Rain” (1970, written by James Taylor).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

29Aug2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 531

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

On August 25, 1970 a young up and coming singer from England made his debut in America when he played his first show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA. It was such a success that within 14 months he had released four studio albums including 1971’s Mad Men Across The Water. It was the first of many incredibly successful years in Elton John’s monumental career.

“Levon sells cartoon balloons in town
His family business thrives
Jesus blows up balloons all day
Sits on the porch swing watching them fly“.

Left: Elton John (L) and Bernie Taupin (R) circa 1971. Right: Taupin (L) and John (R) circa 2016. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Elton John: “Levon” (1971, written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

28Aug2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 530

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The 1950’s saw an emergence of big records by black artists like Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Bo Didley, B.B. King The Platters and The Drifters. However, another big performer of that era, Fats Domino, is credited with having the first R&B song to break through to the Pop chart when today’s track hit #10 on August 27, 1955. It eventually hit the top spot on the R&B chart for several weeks, his first of three top sellers that year.

Despite that accomplishment, the song was given to a white artist to sing for mainstream release the same year. It was a sad and unfortunate practice that was commonplace for that time in history where black music was treated with such irreverence, not to mention insulting to the original artist to lose that control over his own work. What made this atrocity even worse was that many times the white cover became a top seller, as was the case with Domino’s track. Less than a month after his version peaked on the Pop chart, the re-worked rendition recorded by Pat Boone reached #1 for two weeks.

Luckily the story did not end there. Domino went on to have a very successful career with a multitude of hit songs throughout the 50’s & 60’s including “Walking To New Orleans”, “I Want To Walk You Home” and “The Fat Man”. The latter track is often called the first rock & roll single and the genre’s first million seller by many music historians. Even The King himself, Elvis Presley, cited Domino as a major influence early in his career.

I do not think “Happy Days” would have been the same show if Richie Cunningham sang another song other than Domino’s “Blueberry Hill” on his way out on a date. And John Lennon said today’s song was one of his favorites and recorded his own version for his 1975 album, “Rock ‘n’ Roll“. Covering a song in tribute to an artist is one thing but giving it to another singer to make famous is another. Luckily the universe corrected itself from those & other iniquities against talented performers in the past. For most music lovers including myself, Domino’s original rendition of today’s song will always be the premier recording.

“You broke my heart
When you said we’ll part
Ain’t that a shame
My tears fell like rain“.

Antoine Dominique “Fats” Domino Jr. circa 1955. (Image found on Fats Domino Official. Original source unknown.)

Fats Domino: “Ain’t That A Shame” (1955, written by Dave Bartholomew and Antoine Domino Jr.).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

27Aug2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 529

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

On August 21, 1961 country legend Patsy Cline recorded her signature song. Written by fellow country superstar Willie Nelson, her version became a crossover hit, reaching #9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart that year & #2 on its Country chart in 1962.

The accompanying vocals, provided by Elvis Presley’s backing quartet, The Jordanaires, not only complimented Cline’s voice but helped elevate it as well. But even without the four men, she brought a range, depth, beauty & heartache to this song that no one has matched in the 50 years since she made it her own.

“I knew
You’d love me as long as you wanted
And then some day
You’d leave me for somebody new“.

Patsy Cline circa 1961. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Patsy Cline: “Crazy” (1961, written by Willie Nelson).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

26Aug2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 528

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

On Day 442 we celebrated Charlie Watts 80th birthday, which was June 2. Today we say goodbye to the legendary Rolling Stones drummer who died on August 24. Aside from this being a tremendous loss for his family, the band and for music, it is truly the end of an era. The group that spent nearly 60 years together-with the core members playing together for 31 years until Bill Wyman retired in 1993-remained intact as one of the most influential & driving forces in music history.

From the moment he became The Stones permanent drummer in February 1963, Watts kept the beat-strong, steady, constant & true-while his bandmates played more flamboyant roles. And despite being in one of the most successful groups of all time, Watts led a relatively simple life compared to the others. Married since 1964 to Shirley Ann Shepherd, the two became parents in 1968 to their daughter & eventually grandparents to her daughter. A bout with throat cancer in 2004 sidelined the group who did not resume recording until Watts was ready.

Between his quiet demeanor & sophisticated attire, he almost appeared out of step with the rest of the band. But if not for his rhythm, presence and innovative style, The Rolling Stones sound would not have been what it was. They hit the #1 spot on the US charts for one week on March 4, 1967 with today’s song. Fifty four years later, it seems a fitting tribute to the man we lost on Tuesday. Rest in peace, Charles Robert Watts.

“Goodbye Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you
When you change with every new day
Still I’m gonna miss you“.

Top: Charlie Watts circa 1990. Middle: The Rolling Stones circa 2005 (L-R): Keith Richards, Watts, Mick Jagger and Ron Wood. Bottom: Richards’ poignant social media tribute to Watts. (Images found online. Original sources unknown.)

The Rolling Stones: “Ruby Tuesday” (1967, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

25Aug2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 527

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Forty-six years ago today the most important record of my life came out. Born To Run was released on August 25, 1975. As I have written many times before, this album is my heart. Bruce Springsteen’s masterpiece changed the trajectory of my life. I loved music before I heard this record, without question. But I became consumed by it because of BTR.

The musicianship, the poetry, the pageantry of his storytelling, the characters and his cautionary tales about life, loss, betrayal & the inevitable roads life will sometimes take us down all led to a phenomenal place I now know as home. This record brought light to the darkest place I knew, hope to replace despair, joy to remove unimaginable sadness and peace for a shattered heart. There are no words adequate enough to thank someone for all of that. Not to mention how great it was to find another person who loved the magic of the night just as much as I did.

“And you’re in love with all the wonder it brings
And every muscle in your body sings
As the highway ignites you work nine to five
And somehow you survive till the night“.

A rare picture in color from the 1975 BTR sessions by photographer Eric Meola. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Bruce Springsteen: “Night” (1975, written by Bruce Springsteen).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

24Aug2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 526

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Today’s song is part of the 1970’s soft rock landscape. It hit the #1 spot in the country on August 23, 1975 for one week. The group’s first hit, “Don’t Pull Your Love” was a Top Ten hit in 1971. The male trio from Los Angeles originally consisted of Dan Hamilton (guitar & lead vocalist), Joe Frank Carollo (bass & backing vocalist), and Tommy Reynolds (multi-instrumentalist & backing vocalist), known professionally as Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds. In 1972 the third member quit & was replaced but the name remained the same until 1976 when it was updated to reflect the addition of Alan Dennison.

Their top selling song was written & sung by Hamilton and catapults you back to that unforgettable decade of music from the very first notes. That is not to say the track is dated or stale, just indicative of its era. It is one of those breezy tunes that came on and off the charts so fast if you blinked you might have missed it, if not for its sweet melody and easy to sing along with lyrics. I really enjoyed this group’s songs then and now and wish there were more of them to reminisce to.

“I could never see
What fate had planned for me
And then you came and made my dreams
Match reality“.

L – R: Dan Hamilton, Joe Frank Carollo and Tommy Reynolds. (Image found online on the group’s FB page. Original source unknown.)

Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds: “Fallin’ In Love” (1975, written by Ann Hamilton and Dave Hamilton).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

23Aug2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 525

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

This weekend we lost a pioneer in two musical genres. Isaac Donald “Don” Everly died August 21 at the age of 84. Born February 1, 1937 in Kentucky he and his younger brother, Phil (January 19, 1939 – January 3, 2014), were a trailblazing duo in both country music & the birth of the rock & roll era who used harmonizing vocals to create their signature sound. Don sang lead and Phil provided the harmony.

The two men started singing with their parents on their father’s radio show on KMA in Iowa in the 1940’s as The Everly Family. They moved to TN in the early 1950’s where the brothers pursued music full time once Don graduated from high school in 1955. They were soon discovered by guitarist Chet Atkins who helped introduce them to Acuff Rose publishers & the songwriting team of Boudleaux Bryant.

They wrote the brothers’ first hits in 1957, “Bye Bye Love” (a cross over hit on both the country & rock & roll charts) & “Wake Up Little Susie”. The duo was also the first to record the Boudleaux Bryant song “Love Hurts” in 1960 before it became a hit for Roy Orbison a year later. The boys did write some of their own songs including “Cathy’s Clown” (1960, written by Don) & “When Will I be Loved” (1960, written by Phil).

The brothers success led to their 1960 contract with Warner Brothers Records for one million dollars. At that time it was an unprecedented amount of money for a rock & roll act and would keep the boys with the label for ten years. But the unrelenting work schedule took its toll on the duo. So did contract disputes, sibling rivalry, drug use and more which led their official break up in 1973. They did reunite a decade later but their relationship remained strained.

Some of the biggest names in music were fans of The Everly Brothers. In his 1976 Wings song “Let ‘Em In”, Paul McCartney mentioned the duo by their first names (“…Martin Luther, Phil and Don”). George Harrison recorded a demo of today’s song that was included on his 2012 posthumous album, Early Takes: Volume. His friend & Traveling Wilbury bandmate Bob Dylan covered today’s song for his 1970 album, Self-Portrait. Both Everly Brothers sang on the track “Graceland” by another of their admirers, Paul Simon. In 1986 they were a part of the inaugural class inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame by Neil Young.

Today’s song was based on a French recording of “Je t’appartiens” from 1955. It was a Top Ten hit for the brothers in 1959. As much fun as their faster songs are, I think it is the ballads that show off their vocal harmonies best. Rest in peace, Don Everly.

“Each time we meet love
I find complete love
Without your sweet love
What would life be“.

Don (L) and Phil Everly circa 1957. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

The Everly Brothers: “Let It Be Me” (1959, written by Gilbert Bécaud (music), Manny Curtis (English lyrics) and Pierre Delanoë (French lyrics).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

22Aug2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 524

Posted in Music by Michele at Lilacs & Rust

(Image found online. Original source unknown.)

On Day 389 I shared a clip of Derek & The Dominos on “The Johnny Cash Show” which aired in January 1971. It was filmed two months earlier and featured the host & his guests singing a completely sublime version of “Matchbox” together with the song’s writer, Carl Perkins. But before that glorious moment, the group performed today’s pick from their only album released in November 1970. The studio sessions for that record, Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs began 51 years ago on August 22, 1970.

Eric Clapton first met the other Dominos-pianist & singer Bobby Whitlock, bassist Carl Radle and drummer Jim Gordon-in 1969. They were part of the band for the American duo Delaney & Bonnie who toured with Blind Faith that year. After the break-up of his group Clapton continued playing with the duo & their band which was rebilled as Delaney & Bonnie and Friends. Even George Harrison joined then for a few shows. But in the spring of 1970 Delaney started firing members of the group who demanded raises including the future Dominos. .

They reunited with Clapton during the studio sessions for Harrison’s All Things Must Pass album. After that Clapton & Whitlock began serious talks about forming a band and recruited Radle & Gordon as the rhythm section. The group flew to Florida to work with engineer Tom Dowd who Clapton knew from his time in Cream. Dowd took the band to see The Allman Brothers in concert, leading to Clapton’s meeting with Duane Allman. He ended up working with the group in the studio & played on all but three of the tracks on the Layla album. It was released three months later and it is one of my favorite records of all time.

“And I wonder does she know
When she left me it hurt me so
I need your love baby please don’t make me wait
Tell me it’s not too late“.

Top: Bobby Whitlock on piano and Eric Clapton on guitar during Derek & The Dominos appearance on “The Johnny Cash Show” in January 1971. Bottom: The rhythm section of the band: drummer Jim Gordon and bassist Carl Radle. (Images found online. Original sources unknown.)

Derek & The Dominos: “It’s Too Late” (Performed live on “The Johnny Cash Show”, taped November 1970. Airdate January 1971. Originally released in 1970, written by Chuck Willis).

I do not own the rights to anything. I am just sharing what I love and how I am coping with you.

Stay well.

	Michele at Lilacs… on Music Monday: May 6, 2024
	justdrivewillyou on Music Monday: May 6, 2024
	Music Monday: April… on Let’s Take A Moment Day…
	Michele at Lilacs… on Music Monday: February 26,…
	rawgod on Music Monday: February 26,…

Lilacs & Rust

Music & makeovers! I swoon for chippy paint, a gorgeous patina and a fabulous song!!! I love great music (read: Bruce Springsteen & Otis Redding), white lilacs, walking in freshly fallen snow, the Golden Girls, road trips and the fall!!!

Monthly Archives: August 2021

Let’s Take A Moment Day 533

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Let’s Take A Moment Day 532

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Let’s Take A Moment Day 531

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Let’s Take A Moment Day 530

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Antoine Dominique “Fats” Domino Jr. circa 1955. (Image found on Fats Domino Official. Original source unknown.)

Let’s Take A Moment Day 529

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Patsy Cline circa 1961. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Let’s Take A Moment Day 528

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Top: Charlie Watts circa 1990. Middle: The Rolling Stones circa 2005 (L-R): Keith Richards, Watts, Mick Jagger and Ron Wood. Bottom: Richards’ poignant social media tribute to Watts. (Images found online. Original sources unknown.)

Let’s Take A Moment Day 527

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Let’s Take A Moment Day 526

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Let’s Take A Moment Day 525

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Don (L) and Phil Everly circa 1957. (Image found online. Original source unknown.)

Let’s Take A Moment Day 524

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Top: Bobby Whitlock on piano and Eric Clapton on guitar during Derek & The Dominos appearance on “The Johnny Cash Show” in January 1971. Bottom: The rhythm section of the band: drummer Jim Gordon and bassist Carl Radle. (Images found online. Original sources unknown.)