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.


Disco Music

Posted by on May 22, 2013 in Featured, Music | Comments Off on Disco Music

Oh, come on, loosen up. I know it’s been fashionable for the last 30 years to put disco down, and I was there with you for much of...

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Mariah Carey

Posted by on Mar 7, 2013 in Featured, Singer | Comments Off on Mariah Carey

Somewhere in America, there’s a little kid who’ll see Mariah Carey on some talk show, won’t know that she’s sold...

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Dance with My Father, by Luther Vandross

Posted by on Mar 6, 2013 in Featured, Songs | Comments Off on Dance with My Father, by Luther Vandross

I have to admit, I didn’t appreciate Luther Vandross enough while he was alive. What a smooth, pure, R&B voice he had....

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Come Away with Me, by Norah Jones

Posted by on Mar 5, 2013 in Featured, Music | Comments Off on Come Away with Me, by Norah Jones

When I first heard Norah Jones, I assumed she was maybe in her 40’s, judging solely by that dusky voice. Then, of course, I saw a...

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MTV Unplugged by Tony Bennett

Posted by on Mar 4, 2013 in Featured, Music | Comments Off on MTV Unplugged by Tony Bennett

“I’ve always been unplugged,” Tony Bennett said. Even so, of all the artists who’ve appeared in this MTV showcase,...

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The Way We Were, by Barbra Streisand

Posted by on Feb 28, 2013 in Featured, Songs | Comments Off on The Way We Were, by Barbra Streisand

  Barbra Streisand was at the height of her popularity when she paired with Robert Redford in The Way We Were. Movie: yawn. Song:...

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Teen Idols

Posted by on Nov 15, 2012 in Featured, Music | Comments Off on Teen Idols

In his song “The Boy in the Bubble,” Paul Simon reminded us: “Every generation throws a hero up the pop charts.”...

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“Unchained Melody”

Posted by on Nov 8, 2012 in Featured, Songs | Comments Off on “Unchained Melody”

Remember the great 1955 prison film Unchained? Well of course you don’t. But Alex North and Hy Zaret wrote a memorable theme song for...

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Jackson 5

Posted by on Oct 22, 2012 in Featured, Singer | Comments Off on Jackson 5

The Jackson 5 (later just The Jacksons) recorded or performed together, with various family members in the group, for more than 25 years....

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Woodstock

Posted by on Sep 25, 2012 in Featured, Music | Comments Off on Woodstock

While probably 500,000 people actually attended Woodstock, probably ten times that number of hippie/yuppie/boomers now tell folks they were...

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