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 in a serious situation, but I need a break from the gloom, doom and bullying by way of hoarding. Music has always been my refuge and watching those beautiful Italians singing to each other from their balconies reaffirmed my belief that music is the answer. So until the old normal 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.

When the first Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class was inducted in 1986, several notable people speculated that eventually everyone would get in.  Not true.  While many of those inducted in the last few years have me shaking my head (Abba, really???) so does the absence of Bad Company.  They are an unbelievably great band and have one of the greatest lead singers to ever take center stage:  Paul Rodgers.

I fell head over heels in love with his magnificently powerful soulful voice the first time I heard him sing “All Right Now”, a monumental tune he co-wrote for his first band, Free.  But his years with the band he co-founded, Bad Co., solidified his reputation as a great singer-songwriter.  From “Can’t Get Enough”, “Simple Man”, “Running With The Pack”, “Feel Like Makin’ Love”, “Shooting Star” and so many others, Rodgers has penned many of the group’s biggest hits.  He also plays guitar, piano & keyboards.  Rodgers’ talent and the band’s musicianship are undeniable which helped them become a powerhouse group in the 1970’s.  Yet despite being eligible for induction into the HOF since 1999 (25 years after their debut album came out in 1974), Bad Co. has yet to be voted in.  And for the life of me I cannot understand why.  (The HOF has also snubbed Tina Turner, Warren Zevon, John Coltrane and Todd Rundgren.  But I digress).

Bad Company circa 1974 (L-R):  Boz Burrell, Mick Ralphs, Paul Rodgers & Simon Kirke. 

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Let’s not forget that Rodgers also had a five year stint touring with Queen beginning in 2004.  He was also in a band with Jimmy Page in the 1980’s (The Firm) and made tribute records to two of his musical heroes, Jimi Hendrix and Muddy Waters, the latter of which earned him a Grammy nomination.  Not to be overlooked, the other members of Bad Co. have great resumes as well:  guitarist and group co-founder Mick Ralphs, who has written or co-written many of the group’s songs (including “Can’t Get Enough” & “Feel Like Makin’ Love”), was once a member of Mott The Hoople (best known for “All The Young Dudes”) & has toured with David Gilmour; bassist & songwriter Boz Burrell, who was also a member of King Crimson and drummer & songwriter Simon Kirke, who was also in Free and toured with Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band.

I consider all of their albums my favorites for different reasons, but when you name one after a Jack Kerouac novel (1979’s “Desolation Angels”) I think it takes center stage (no pun intended).  And who doesn’t need a fantasy to escape to right now more than ever?

 (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Bad Company:  “Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy” (1979, written by Paul Rodgers).

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

Stay well.