Appreciating all that makes America special

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Just think of all the music that’s distinctly American. Jazz. Rock and roll. Motown. The blues. Zydeco. (And if we didn’t invent it here, we found a way to make it better.) We tap our toes, we dance, we thrill to the music of America.


Singer: Bobby Darin

Posted by on Jan 2, 2010 in Singer | Comments Off on Singer: Bobby Darin

When Bobby Darin’s “Splish Splash” hit the charts in 1958, it could have been seen as just another one of the novelty...

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Song: American Pie

Posted by on Jan 1, 2010 in Songs | 2 comments

“American Pie” is an eight-and-a-half minute epic, written in symbolic language that caused everyone to wonder who were these...

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Singer: Bing Crosby

Posted by on Dec 19, 2009 in Singer | Comments Off on Singer: Bing Crosby

How popular was Bing Crosby? Well, he sold more than a half billion records. In addition, he was a megastar in movies and on radio and TV....

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Song: "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

Posted by on Dec 18, 2009 in Holiday, Songs | Comments Off on Song: "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

Okay, I have to admit that, as I write this, the first snow of the season is pouring down outside. And “it doesn’t show signs...

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Song: "Silver Bells"

Posted by on Dec 15, 2009 in Holiday, Songs | 2 comments

This reminds me of my childhood more than almost any other Christmas song. Its imagery calls to mind the way Christmas used to be. Before...

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Singers: The Mills Brothers

Posted by on Dec 13, 2009 in Singer | 3 comments

Sometimes the voices of siblings are similar, yet individual enough that when joined together they produce a distinctive sound. Phil and...

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Song: "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)"

Posted by on Dec 5, 2009 in Holiday, Songs | 1 comment

The most-performed Christmas song isn’t “White Christmas” or “Silent Night”, but “The Christmas...

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Music: The Rat Pack

Posted by on Nov 29, 2009 in Music | Comments Off on Music: The Rat Pack

They called themselves “The Summit” or “The Clan.” Everyone else called them something else – The Rat...

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Song: "Autumn Leaves"

Posted by on Nov 23, 2009 in Songs | 3 comments

We would share this wonderful classic with Great French Things, were there such a thing, because its melody was written by a French...

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Singer: Patsy Cline

Posted by on Nov 16, 2009 in Singer | Comments Off on Singer: Patsy Cline

Patsy Cline had just begun to experience success in the music industry when an airplane crash took her life on March 5, 1963. She was only...

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