Black Sabbath: Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2006

Official Site: http://www.blacksabbath.com/

Rock Hall Bio: http://rockhall.com/inductees/black-sabbath/bio/

Black Sabbath emerged from the working class factory town of Birmingham, England. Originally, they were another blues-rock act, but decided to distinguish themselves by dipping into the occult. Ozzy Osbourne figured people paid money for horror movies, so why not provide horror rock.

The Wizard (1970): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKY--qaHWSw

Paranoid (1970): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZyVZFJGX5g

Iron Man (1970): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LjbMVXj0F8

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqS0NME_PZM

Am I Going Insane? (1975): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f40La6He3SU

Drug use led to Ozzy's removal. They replaced him with Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio in 1979.

Neon Knights (1980): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YF3jeAPGhrY

Die Young (1980): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frtJQFe9apw

Turn Up The Night (1982): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poDK4AkEtKM

They experienced rotating lineups throughout the late 80s and into the 90s.

Headless Cross (1989): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOXvhET0Y98

TV Crimes (1993): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOLrh-dWTzQ

The originals reunited in 1997 for a live album. As of 2013, they are touring and recording with Ozzy.

End of the Beginning (2013): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0W91FrTlYk

Blondie: Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2006

Rock Hall Bio: https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/blondie/bio/

Official Site: http://www.blondie.net/

Chris Stein and Deborah Harry formed Blondie in the mid-70s. The band was at the forefront of the punk and new wave music revolutions of the period. They were eclectic in the extreme.

Rip Her to Shreds (1977): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsMefrj_ICE

They scored overseas, but did not break in the US until 1978 when they released the classic Parallel Lines.

Heart of Glass (1979): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGU_4-5RaxU

One Way of Another (1979): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXewIR7Y7cc

Dreaming (1979): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU3-lS_Gryk

They provided an all-time classic and one of the great songs of the 80s for American Gigolo.

Call Me (1980): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH3Q_CZy968

Atomic (1980): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_WLw_0DFQQ

The Tide is High (1980): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppYgrdJ0pWk

The first song with a rap to hit #1:

Rapture (1980): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHCdS7O248g

The totally changed their sound for their next album.

Island of Lost Souls (1982): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8ZviR3BzqA

Tensions in the band, a drop in album sales, drugs, and Chris Stein mortality in the face of pemphigus broke the band up in 1982.

Blondie reunited in the late 90s. They became the only band with #1 hits in three decades. The band continues to tour...

Maria (1999): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoOG7LEyUJ0

Good Boys (2003): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_niLaDS6ec

A Rose By Any Name (2013): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XQO7Bmj1UA

Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss: Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2006

Rock Hall Bio:  http://rockhall.com/inductees/herb-alpert-and-jerry-moss/bio/

Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss formed A&M Records. Alpert has sold over 70 million records as an artist.  His work encompassed jazz, latin, funk, and pop. Alpert is the only person to hit #1 with an instrumental and as a vocalist.

The Lonely Bull (1962): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16B5Xm8_IKw

A Taste of Honey (1965): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsKo_LtShsw

Spanish Flea (1966): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcAzR2QyPCI

Casino Royale (1967): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPHogQ02DFw

This Guy's in Love With You (1968): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4x-CSul3Jw

Rise (1979): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ95FaapL58

Diamonds w/Lisa Keith and Janet Jackson (1987): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-d8MSlpZpI

Miles Davis: Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2006

Rock Hall Bio: http://rockhall.com/inductees/miles-davis/bio/

Official Site: http://www.milesdavis.com/us

Miles Davis is the greatest jazz man of the 20th century and one of the most influential artists of all time. He led the development of several jazz schools including be bop, cool jazz, and jazz fusion. His work has been widely sampled by hip hop artists. He died in 1991.

Seven Steps to Heaven: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J53kGW8vhWs

Someday My Prince Will Come: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBq87dbKyHQ

Walkin':   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teCy3ogCGiE

Round Midnight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kufiFzdrX-0

My Funny Valentine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgu28Hqg8Vc

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2006

Rock Hall Bio: http://rockhall.com/inductees/lynyrd-skynyrd/bio/

Official Site: http://www.lynyrdskynyrd.com/

Ronnie Van Zandt formed The Noble Five in 1964. They changed their name the next year to My Backyard and won a battle of the bands in 1968. In 1970, they changed their name to Lynyrd Skynyrd to mock one of their high school teachers. They were finally discovered in 1972.

Gimme Three Steps (1973): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM3jgkChV6M

They had a little back and forth with Neil Young (see Southern Man).  It was all in good fun.

Sweet Home Alabama (1974): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2iu05rg5Bo

Free Bird (1974): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPWdCvwqQI0

Saturday Night Special (1975): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWBoeY0AAec

What’s Your Name? (1977): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qXsO-axQWM

That Smell (1977): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g02WR0OZ0MA

In 1977, a plane crash killed six, including three band members. The band broke up after the disaster, but returned a decade later and have been recording and touring ever since.

Truck Drivin’ Man (1987): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J4UvkeaW2o

Smokestack Lightning (1991): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGmQGB4R6d8

Last of a Dyin’ Breed (2012): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHtju4vvCpI

The Sex Pistols: Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2006

Rock Hall Bio: http://rockhall.com/inductees/sex-pistols/bio/

Official Site: http://www.sexpistolsofficial.com/

The Sex Pistols formed in 1975 and ignited Britain’s punk movement. The band tended to create controversies with their anarchic tendencies and bad manners. They liked to attack social norms, conformity, and authority.

Anarchy in the UK (1976): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94DNV6oM8HU

God Save the Queen (1977): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z2M_hpoPwk

Pretty Vacant (1977): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY6h6ghRFLA

Holidays in the Sun (1977): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ah1JM9mf60

My Way (1978): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GjUroH9HfE

The band broke up in 1978 when Johnny Rotten realized they had become part of the establishment.

Sid Vicious died in a bizarre murder-suicide in 1979. The surviving Pistols have reunited on occasion through the years.

The Doors: Waiting for the Sun (1970)

The Doors released the album Waiting for the Sun in 1968, but the single did not appear for two years. “Waiting for the Sun” finally makes an appearance on Morrison Hotel. The song was just not ready in 1968. Soundgarden later covered the track in 1996. On a side note, it has one of my favorite lines of all time “This is the strangest life I have ever known.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0kypyGSKsE

Eric Clapton: Promises (1978)

Eric Clapton released Backless in 1978. The album flopped in Britain, but did well in the U.S. It included his version of Tulsa Time and Promises. The latter is just a good song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5SyDNiufo0

Van Halen: Dance the Night Away (1979)

Here’s Van Halen’s first top 20 hit in America.  Interestingly, it was influenced by Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way.”  David Lee Roth claimed he wrote the song about a girl that was running away from police with her pants on backwards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ9pYwCKopE

Heart: Magic Man (1976)

Ann Wilson sings about an older man seducing a young woman. It turns out the song is autobiographical and the conversation with her mother actually took place in some form.  "Magic Man" became Heart’s first Top 10 hit in America and features a sweet synth riff.

Live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXOO7QVHgXs

Studio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vlAdMeZSfw

Worst Song of the Year: Katy Perry: Roar (2013)

Katy Perry’s success is not based on talent. Let’s face it, she can’t sing a lick. “Roar” is cheesy, formulaic, and cliché. It is somewhat similar to “Firework” which features some of the worst singing in pop music history. In the end, “Roar” wins the award for worst song of 2013. In a world of “Blurred Lines” and Miley Cyrus, this says a lot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevxZvSJLk8

1954 in music

Frank Sinatra wins an Academy Award for From Here to Eternity. The award ignites an amazing comeback for Sinatra. However, a music revolution is underway that few recognize. Alan Freed used the term “rock n roll” for the first time to promote his “Rock n Roll Jubilee.” Bill Haley records “Rock Around the Clock” which would ignite rock n roll. Elvis Presley records “That’s All Right (Mama)” at Sun Studios. Big Joe Turner recorded “Shake Rattle and Roll”, which became a huge hit for Haley. Muddy Waters released the highly influential blues work “Hoochie Coochie Man”, which influenced the next generation of rock stars. Meanwhile, Les Paul creates the first 8 track recorder. In the end, what we think of as the 1950s music scene began in 1954.

#1 song of 1954:

Mr. Sandman by the Chordettes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNuX7bs2qAM

And other hits:

Sh-Boom by the Crew Cuts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9G0-4TWwew

Secret Love by Doris Day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL87sHjXlVU

Hey There by Rosemary Clooney: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSASnjrWxmY

Oh! My Pa-Pa by Eddie Fisher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y04seHfYLAA

Other songs of note:

Earth Angel by The Penguins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJcGi4-n_Yw

In The Still of the Night by The Satins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRb1-SAAIzs

Someone to Watch Over Me by Frank Sinatra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E07b0SbWWFc

Tenderly by Nat King Cole: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaK5tSm-H58

I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man by Muddy Waters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV_ZhBcNiQQ

Shake Rattle and Roll by Big Joe Turner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Feq_Nt3nM