Happy Birthday to Les Paul!
The inventor of the solid body electric guitar is still alive and well, and probably has more working brain cells at the age of 94 than you and I ever did.
I was lucky enough to meet Les Paul in 2004 when he was in Madison to get a lifetime achievement award from the Wisconsin School Music Association. It was quite a big shindig. Mike and I sat at a table right near the front, with other dignitaries including the Superintendent of Public Instruction right next to us. Both Ben Sidran and Steve Miller spoke at the dinner.
Miller's speech was great..he's known Les Paul his whole life because he spent his early years in Milwaukee, and Les Paul and Mary Ford stood up for his parents when they got married! Wouldn't it be cool to be able to say that Les Paul taught you your first chords on the guitar? Well Steve Miller says that and means it! Others who were in the crowd included Ben Sidran and members of Garbage. (Side note: I was too nervous to introduce myself to Butch Vig, but went right up to Steve Miller and shook his hand!)
My boyfriend Mike (who's a guitar player) had Les autograph an old Les Paul Mary Ford album, as well as a copy of Guitar Player Magazine from the 1970's with Les's picture on the front. He wrote "Keep on pickin'!"
One of the highlights of that evening had to be when Les Paul got up on stage and played a song with Steve Miller, and members of Madison's very own Gomers. Les Paul's son was his handler for the night..he was probably in his 70s and walked with a cane. Les Paul walked unassisted and got right up on stage, probably the same way he'd been doing it since he was called "Rhubarb Red" back in the old days.
He still plays live once a week at a jazz club in New York City. Check him out in this clip from a fantastic documentary called "Chasing Sound."
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
Last weeks challenge we thought went excellent! Of course we are a little biased.
The drinking song couldn't have been any better, or any less fun. We had a blast through out the whole process, and our performance rocked.
This week is an easy...
So the story goes Michael Jackson completed this song while watching cartoons with Paul McCartney. We'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Not sure what cartoons they were watching, but it must have worked because this song made it to number 2...
The Dalai Lama is back in town, sharing his message of peace and kindness with likeminded individuals, and the Wisconsin legislature. He also held a private meeting with Gov. Walker, who said he mostly listened to what His Holiness had to say (wise...
This duet by Ol' Blue Eyes and his daughter went all the way to number 1 back in 1967. It seems a little creepy that Frank and Nancy Sinatra are singing a love song. However, a lot of Triple M listeners were in the mood for it.
Here's...
Have you heard the song "Rumble and Sway" yet on Triple M?
The singer sounds like a raspy blues dude who's definitely been around the block a few times....but surprisingly, Jamie N. Commons is only 23 years old!
He was born in England, but...
Last week, I decided I would try one new, healthy food a week, and asked my facebook friends to make some suggestions.
The first thing I tried was mango. I'm sure I've had other mango flavored things, and mango as part of something else, but...
There's only one thing that might be worse than the Neil Diamond/Barbra Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." And that's Jonathan Suttin doing his best crooning...doing both parts. Most unpleasant.
A lot of people liked this song...
Artist: Alchemilla
Hail From: Boston
Song: 'The Wheel'
Album: Diamonds From The Penny Arcade
Sounds Like: Hole, Pearl Jam
In Their Words: "Alchemilla had been trying to write a ballad for a little while but it wasn't happening. There...
Last weeks challenge we thought went excellent! Of course we are a little biased.
The drinking song couldn't have been any better, or any less fun. We had a blast through out the whole process, and our performance rocked.
This week is an easy...
So the story goes Michael Jackson completed this song while watching cartoons with Paul McCartney. We'll just let that sink in for a moment.
Not sure what cartoons they were watching, but it must have worked because this song made it to number 2...
The Dalai Lama is back in town, sharing his message of peace and kindness with likeminded individuals, and the Wisconsin legislature. He also held a private meeting with Gov. Walker, who said he mostly listened to what His Holiness had to say (wise...
This duet by Ol' Blue Eyes and his daughter went all the way to number 1 back in 1967. It seems a little creepy that Frank and Nancy Sinatra are singing a love song. However, a lot of Triple M listeners were in the mood for it.
Here's...
Happy Birthday to Les Paul!
The inventor of the solid body electric guitar is still alive and well, and probably has more working brain cells at the age of 94 than you and I ever did.
I was lucky enough to meet Les Paul in 2004 when he was in Madison to get a lifetime achievement award from the Wisconsin School Music Association. It was quite a big shindig. Mike and I sat at a table right near the front, with other dignitaries including the Superintendent of Public Instruction right next to us. Both Ben Sidran and Steve Miller spoke at the dinner.
Miller's speech was great..he's known Les Paul his whole life because he spent his early years in Milwaukee, and Les Paul and Mary Ford stood up for his parents when they got married! Wouldn't it be cool to be able to say that Les Paul taught you your first chords on the guitar? Well Steve Miller says that and means it! Others who were in the crowd included Ben Sidran and members of Garbage. (Side note: I was too nervous to introduce myself to Butch Vig, but went right up to Steve Miller and shook his hand!)
My boyfriend Mike (who's a guitar player) had Les autograph an old Les Paul Mary Ford album, as well as a copy of Guitar Player Magazine from the 1970's with Les's picture on the front. He wrote "Keep on pickin'!"
One of the highlights of that evening had to be when Les Paul got up on stage and played a song with Steve Miller, and members of Madison's very own Gomers. Les Paul's son was his handler for the night..he was probably in his 70s and walked with a cane. Les Paul walked unassisted and got right up on stage, probably the same way he'd been doing it since he was called "Rhubarb Red" back in the old days.
He still plays live once a week at a jazz club in New York City. Check him out in this clip from a fantastic documentary called "Chasing Sound."
