Treasured Music

Ladies and gentlemen…The Beatles!

The indelible mark on music the Beatles left will last many, many years. There is no superlative that encapsulates the depth and breadth of their talents. As singers, song writers, actors, musicians, and activists they changed pop culture, which ultimately changes history in some form.

- They had more than 40 different singles, albums, and EPs that reached number one
- The Beatles were the best-selling musical act of all time in the United States
- Rolling Stone magazine ranked The Beatles #1 on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time(ref)

The group consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Who was considered the “fifth Beatle”? Billy Preston? I thought so until I found there were many considered to be a candidate for the “fifth Beatle” during (more…)

Tags: rock and roll, the beatles, the beatles albums, the beatles songs

Bobby Darin

I first became a fan of Booby Darin in the 1990’s when I heard “Mack the Knife.” “Man, now THAT guy has talent,” I thought. There’s a tonal quality to Bobby Darin’s voice that makes anything he sings sound terrific.

Walden Robert Cassotto, later known as Bobby Darin, was born in May, 1936 in the Bronx, New York. Here’s interesting part of his youth, “It was not until he was an adult that he learned that the woman he thought to be his sister Nina, 17 years his senior, was in fact his mother, and the woman he thought to be his mother was his grandmother.[3] He never knew the identity of his birth father.”

Bobby grew up having serious heart trouble. With the doctor telling him he would likely die early, he always had that in the back of his mind.

Bobby Darin started making hits in 1950s and didn’t stop until the 1970s when he died. An acting (more…)

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Frank Sinatra - Chairman of the Board

“The Chairman of the Board”, as Frank Sinatra was sometimes known, was born in 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey to first generation Italian immigrant parents.

He sang in different groups but was picked up by Harry James in 1939 for $75 a week. He soon joined Tommy Dorsey’s band. The 1940’s saw him acting in several movies and continuing to sing. In 1953 Frank Sinatra won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the movie, “From Here To Eternity” which helped turn his career around.

The 1960’s saw Frank Sinatra with the “Rat Pack” (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop), playing the Sands Casino in Las Vegas, and recording some of his most memorable work. He retired in the early 1970s then came out of (more…)

Tags: Frank Sinatra, frank sinatra biography, frank sinatra music, frank sinatra singer, frank sinatra songs

Elvis - The King of RocK & Roll

The man who needs only one name, Elvis. I saw Elvis in concert twice. His vocal power is truly not captured on film or recordings. He’s just cool, that’s all there is to say, and he drove women crazy at concerts.

Elvis Presley was born in January of 1935 in a two room house his father built. With roots in gospel, country and hillbilly, Elvis made his first recording at Sun records in 1953, some say as a gift to his mother. (ref)

With Colonel Tom Parker as his manager, Elvis scored a huge recording deal in 1955 but 1956 would be be his breakthrough year. His appearances helped record sales and the snowball started tumbling. He was drafted into the Army in 1958 and honorably discharged in 1960.

“In the 1960s, Presley made the majority of his thirty-three movies—mainly poorly reviewed musicals. In 1968, he returned to live music in a television special and thereafter performed across the U.S., notably in Las Vegas. Throughout his career, he set records for concert attendance (more…)

Tags: Elvis, Elvis Presley, elvis presley music, elvis presley songs, elvis presley video, king, rock and roll, tom parker

Edith Piaf - more than “La Vie En Rose”

Perhaps best known for her song in French cinema, La Vie En Rose, Edith Piaf was much more. In fact, a movie about her life recently won an Academy Award, “La Vie En Rose”.

There are others but the video below is my favorite. (more…)

Tags: actress, Edith Piaf, edith piaf cd, french song, La Vie En Rose, singer

Louis Armstrong - the best jazz musician

This video is a real treasure. Get the sense and feel for Louis Armstrong, the unique quality of his voice and presence.

He was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901 and went by nicknames like “Satchmo” and “Pops.” Louis Armstrong performed with the best of his time including “Jimmie Rodgers, Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Bessie Smith, and Ella Fitzgerald.” (ref)

“Shortly before his death he stated, ‘I think I had a beautiful life. I didn’t wish for anything that I couldn’t get and I got pretty near everything I wanted because I worked for it.’”(ref)

He was probably the best jazz musician. Lest we forget (more…)

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