Appreciating all that makes America special

Currently browsing: Music
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.


Music: Holland-Dozier-Holland

Posted by on Nov 15, 2009 in Music | Comments Off on Music: Holland-Dozier-Holland

If you love what’s commonly called “Soul” music, the Motown Sound in particular, then you probably know who Brian...

Read More

Song: "Tangled Up in Blue"

Posted by on Nov 11, 2009 in Songs | 1 comment

When we look back on a relationship, we don’t remember it in a linear, chronological manner. Our minds flash forward and back,...

Read More

Singer: Nat King Cole

Posted by on Nov 2, 2009 in Singer | 1 comment

Is this the smoothest voice in American music history? I think you could make the case that it is. Nat King Cole is almost as popular today...

Read More

Song: "Monster Mash"

Posted by on Oct 31, 2009 in Holiday, Songs | Comments Off on Song: "Monster Mash"

It was the biggest hit ever for Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Cryptkickers. Okay, it was their only hit. “Monster...

Read More

Song: "Bridge Over Troubled Water"

Posted by on Oct 27, 2009 in Music, Songs | 2 comments

Paul Simon wrote it. Art Garfunkel sang it. And America loved it. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” won the Grammy Awards for both...

Read More

Singer: Alison Krauss

Posted by on Oct 21, 2009 in Singer | 1 comment

If you had to choose a face for modern bluegrassmusic, you couldn’t choose one much more appealing than that of Allison Krauss. She...

Read More

Song: "What a Wonderful World"

Posted by on Oct 16, 2009 in Songs | Comments Off on Song: "What a Wonderful World"

This Louis Armstrong song, which has become iconic in its usage in movies and TV shows, sold fewer than 1,000 copies in the U.S. when it...

Read More

Singer: Ella Fitzgerald

Posted by on Oct 10, 2009 in Singer | Comments Off on Singer: Ella Fitzgerald

What would you call the most popular female jazz singer over a period of 50 years? Who won 13 Grammys and sold more than 40 million albums?...

Read More

Singer: Tony Bennett

Posted by on Sep 29, 2009 in Singer | 1 comment

Anthony Benedetto turned 83 in August, and here’s a news flash: The man can still belt a tune. My wife and I went to see him in...

Read More

Singer: James Brown

Posted by on Sep 17, 2009 in Singer | Comments Off on Singer: James Brown

James Brown closed his act as no one before or since. He’d give so much of himself, work himself so hard, that he appeared to finally...

Read More