Tag Archives: America

Let’s Take A Moment Day 309

Posted in Music by

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?

Shakespeare music

(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.

Today we celebrate the 69th birthday of Lee Martin “Dewey” Bunnell, one third of the band America that defined the simple elegant beautifully constructed soft rock sound of the 1970’s. He was born on January 19, 1952 in England, his mother’s native country & his father’s place of deployment as a member of the U.S. Air Force. He met his two bandmates & fellow air force brats, Gerry Buckley and Dan Peek, when all three were in high school together overseas & formed the group in 1970. Their first record came out in 1971 & brought the band instant success. In 1973 they won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist & by 1974 they were working with esteemed record producer George Martin. Before the pandemic Bunnell was still making records & playing live shows with Buckley. Peek died in 2011 but left the band in 1977.

Bunnell is the writer & singer of several of the band’s hit songs including “Ventura Highway” (Day 61), “Tin Man”, “Sandman” and today’s song, their first hit, from the group’s self-titled debut album. The track went to #1 for three weeks in the spring of 1972. It was also nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1973. I must admit while all three members of America were attractive, Bunnell was my favorite. Why? He had the longest hair & that was important currency in the 1970’s. And thankfully in that decade it was free of the ill advised man-bun.

“The ocean is a desert with it’s life underground
And a perfect disguise above
Under the cities lies a heart made of ground
But the humans will give no love“.

America

America circa 1972 (L-R): Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley and Dan Peek. (Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

America: “A Horse With No Name” (1972, written by Dewey Bunnell).

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

Stay well.

Fourth of July Music Celebration

Posted in Uncategorized by

Hello, fellow Vixens!!!  Happy July!!!

With the long holiday weekend to celebrate our nation’s independence upon us, I thought I would share the songs I listen to whenever I take a road trip.  There is something about the open highway that is invigorating and inspiring to me. Seeing this beautiful country from different vantage points reminds me how lucky I am to call it home.

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One of my favorite buildings in Waxhaw, NC.

Copyright 2011.  

I celebrate that freedom with the musicians who have contributed to the soundtrack I live my life to.  The songs I chose may not specifically mention or relate to the holiday at all, but they or the artists singing them remind me of home.  This is my comfort music.

And given the current climate with the Supreme Court’s ruling and one state’s steps to see us all as equals under the same flag, this year’s observance of the 4th of July seems more important than ever.

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The view from one of my favorite antiques barns in Jeffersonville, VT.

Copyright 2013.  

So here is what I will be listening to this weekend:

10)  “Feeling Stronger Every Day” by Chicago.  A great American band named for their home city.  And what a message for anyone who needs some encouragement.

9)  “Proud Mary” by Creedence Clearwater Revival.  America’s all American band born on the bayou by way of California.

8)  “The Weight” by the Band.  The late Levon Helm at his best.

7)  “American Pie” by Don McClean.  An unlikely anthem if ever there was one.

6)  “Dancing in the Streets” by Martha and the Vandellas.  Does it get more American than Motown-a/k/a Detroit-where Chevys were made?  Remember the car maker’s old tag line?  “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet”.  What a visual.

5)  “Roadhouse Blues” by the Doors.  The harmonica adds the perfect amount of Americana to this rocker.

4)  “Me & Bobby McGee” by Kris Kristofferson.   A song about falling in love while on the road with the “windshield wipers slappin’ time”.  Jack Kerouac would have been so proud.

3)  “This Land is Your Land” by Pete Seeger & Friends.  Forget why they were there.  Just focus on the moment when Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen and others stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to sing one of the greatest songs celebrating our country.

2)  “Thunder Road” by Bruce Springsteen.  New Jersey’s elite music master celebrates the best of this country (see #3) and the worst (“Born in the USA”).  But no one does it with more passion, grace or heart than Freehold’s fortunate son.

1)  “America the Beautiful” by Ray Charles.  It’s Ray Charles singing.  Enough written.

Bonus:  ANYTHING by Otis Redding.  My top choices are “Tramp” and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay“.

What will you be listening to over the holiday weekend?

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July, Vixens!!!

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The display in front of one favorite antiques stores in Babylon, NY.

Copyright 2011.