Welcome! I hope I bring a spot of calm and happiness into these uncertain times. I blog about my photography adventures, flowers, gardening, the importance of chocolate in a well lived life, or anything else on my mind.
Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Our theme this week is: Unbeknown to me, September is National Happy Cat month. You don’t have a cat or any animal to share some songs about these adorable four-legged creatures!
These are songs that have "cat" in their title; they may or may not include lyrics about cats.
Sit back and enjoy the imagery this first song paints for you.
Year of the Cat - Al Stewart, from 1976, refers to the Vietnamese year of the Cat (one of their zodiac signs.) It brings back a lot of memories for me in a year that brought a lot of changes to my life. This was recorded at Abby Road studios by engineer Alan Parsons during the Vietnamese year of the cat (but released afterwards). I am bringing you an extended version, although there are longer ones on You Tube, which includes some instrumental passages.
Here's a live performance of Honky Cat - Elton John, released in 1972.
From the Broadway play Cats, "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats” The Jellicles are a tribe of cats which meet up once a year in a junkyard for their Jellicle Ball, dancing to show their stories and personalities to be picked for a rebirth. The play is based on a 1939 poetry collection written by T.S. Elliot.
The Broadway show ran for a little over 18 years. Not bad!
One last song: Love Cats - The Cure
Meow!
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me. And join me again tomorrow afternoon for the last September Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Our theme this week is: You Pick. But I am choosing as my theme today, last week's theme, which was: It’s the end of the month, summer is drawing to an end unofficially. Share songs that make you think of the end of summer.
Songs for the end of summer, many times, deal with the end of summer romances, or a nostalgic look back at summertime. So here's my selection.
The Boys of Summer, Don Henley, from 1984.
Summer Nights - John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, from the wonderful Grease soundtrack.
Summer's Almost Gone - The Doors, from 1968.
Famous Last Words - Billy Joel, from 1993.
Last but not least, out of ideas, I decided to look up the number one song for the week of September 21, 1976 (50 years ago) and came up with this:
Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry.
This song has nothing to do with the end of summer, but it carries a lot of nostalgia for me. My spouse was undergoing technical training for his military job. We would go to the enlisted persons' club and listen to live music and perhaps eat supper there, and this is one of the songs the cover bands played a lot. Call it an end of summer song.
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
It's Monday and it's time for music, and (sadly) another induction into Rock and Roll Heaven.
Seems like we are having inductions almost every week now, and this one is especially sad.
Who
are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving
bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in
the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to
join! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Our theme this week is: It’s the end of the month, summer is drawing to an end unofficially. Share songs that make you think of the end of summer.
But I am going to go in another direction today (I'll save this theme until next week, hopefully).
Dolly Parton passed away on August 25 at the age of 80. I had blogged a short tribute to her on Wednesday, and it's time to feature some more of her music. Dolly Parton, in her lifetime, was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This amazing woman first sang at the Grand Ole Opry (the longest running radio show there is) at age 13, in July of 1959. She was introduced by Johnny Cash as "a little girl from East Tennessee".
She was so loved that our national flag was lowered to half staff for the week following her death.
I'm devoting this entire post to her music. First off are a couple of songs familiar to many of us.
9 to 5, sung and written by Dolly Parton, who also starred in the movie of the same name. This song was used as the closing of the Grand Ole Opry's tribute Saturday to Dolly Parton.
From 1971, a deeply personal song, Coat of Many Colors, about her childhood. A duplicate coat made by Dolly's mother is on display at Dollywood, the theme park Dolly developed as a tribute to her East Tennessee roots.
Next, a lesson rooted in Dolly's philosophy of life..
Better Get to Livin', from 2007, is a fan favorite although not considered one of her greatest songs.
My Tennessee Mountain Home, from 1972.
One of the Music Moves Me bloggers, DrillerAA from Driller's Place, introduced us to this song last week. I am including it as another side to Dolly Parton, who was a deeply religious Christian and recorded a number of gospel songs. This is her cover of He's Alive, a song originally by Don Francisco. Dolly heard this song on the radio while traveling in 1989 and decided to record it.
Finally, I had to include a live performance of what was probably Dolly Parton's signature song, Jolene, perhaps because of the introduction.
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
I was going to blog about monarch butterflies today, but I find myself blogging about a different monarch. So this will be a fairly wordy Wordless Wednesday.
Dolly Parton used to joke that she was the Queen of Tabloids. She certainly was a queen: a talented singer who rose from poverty to enrich the world, the fourth of 14 children of an east Tennessee family. She was also an actor, a songwriter, a philanthropist,a humanitarian, a re-creator of a Tennessee theme park to enrich and pay tribute to her local community, an entrepreneur, and the bringer of a free reading program called Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to the parents of thousands and thousands of babies and toddlers. (That program is available in the United States, Ireland, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia.)
Dolly Parton died yesterday at the age of 80, just four days after she reassured fans about her health. The cause of death was cancer.
I am not a country music fan, but I love every song I ever heard her sing. I will feature her induction into Rock and Roll Heaven on my blog this coming Monday.
In the meantime, there is the matter of this cake mix. Yes, Dolly had a line of baking mixes. I had two in the house yesterday, a cornbread mix and this coconut cake mix. I had never tried the coconut mix and now it was time.
Why not bake a cake as a tribute to her? So I baked the coconut cake. It was delicious.
It's Monday and it's time for music! It's also time for another induction into Rock and Roll Heaven.
Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? This is our "you pick" week when we can pick any music we want.
Frank Beard, drummer and only beardless man in the group ZZ Top, died on August 17, 2026. He was in hospice care, suffering from pneumonia and heart disease at the time of his death.
Beard was not ZZ Top's original drummer, but joined the band after their original drummer (Dan Mitchell) left in 1969. Unlike the remainder of the band, who were famous for their long beards. Beard only grew a (short) beard for a time in 2013. Beard, with some brief exceptions due to illness and other reasons, was their drummer until 2025.
La Grange, released in late 1973, became a hit in 1974.
Cheap Sunglasses, from 1979.
Not an induction but a sad moment. The Hollies officially retired from touring and broke up this past week, with their 80 year old lead guitarist Tony Hicks announcing his retirement due to health reasons. Their drummer, Bobby Elliot (84) followed shortly after. The band had been together for some 63 years.
This is one of my favorite Hollies songs: Stop Stop Stop with Hicks on banjo and Elliot on drums. I never realized, until researching this post, that Hicks was playing the banjo and not sitar.
I wanted to include some music I listened to this week on the radio.
The Babys - Every Time I Think of You, from 1978. This is such a beautifully sung song that I wonder why I don't hear it more.
The Four Tops - Bernadette
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Here's our optional theme for this week:
August is the Abundant Harvest of Vegetables month. CoolKidFacts says these veggies are in abundance this time of year tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and peas. Use these for inspiration or go with vegetables in general found in artist/band name or song title/lyrics.
The only vegetable song I can think of is Green Onions from Booker T and the MG's and I suspect others may post that song.
I may have better luck with fruit. After all, some items we call vegetables are actually fruits. So here's a selection of fruit-fresh songs.
Let's start with a song from 1968 that covers both vegetables and fruit. Here is Marvin Gaye: I Heard it Through the Grapevine. Grapes=fruit. Plus, some cultures eat young grape leaves - think Greek dolmades, so I would consider this song covering both a fruit and a vegetable.) This was a cover of a 1967 song from Gladys Knight and the Pips.
From 1962, Peter, Paul and Mary: Lemon Tree.
Prince: Raspberry Beret, from 1985.
The Beatles: Strawberry Fields Forever, from 1967.
Harry Nilsson: Coconut (yes, coconuts are fruits) plus the lyrics mention limes.
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Here's our optional theme for this week: You Pick.
I saw a meme on Facebook the other day that had a list of recording artists who were 70 or over and still recording and/or touring. I decided to feature several of these artists and a past or recent song of theirs.
Willie Nelson, age 93 (April 29, 1933) who is currently touring. Dream Chaser, the song above, was released in May of this year.
Smokey Robinson, age 86 (February 19, 1940), touring in his "Legacy of Love" tour, is both a singer and a song writer. I chose his hit with the Miracles, Tears of a Clown, which he co-wrote. This song was released on an album in 1967 and as a single in 1970.
Bob Dylan, age 85 (May 24, 1941) currently touring in his "Rough and Rowdy" tour. I chose the song that introduced me to him in 1965, Like a Rolling Stone, which was also written by Dylan.
Ringo Starr, age 85, performed in New York City last October and two of my in-laws went to see him.(They loved the concert). It Don't Come Easy, from 1971, was co written by Ringo, with George Harrison.
Steve Miller age 82 (October 5, 1943)will have a short residency in New York City in October (Steve Miller Rocks Rose Theater). I chose his 1976 hit Fly Like an Eagle, which Steve Miller wrote.
Finally, despite a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease made public last month, and also a diagnosis of breast cancer, 83 year old Carly Simon (born June 25, 1943) released new music in June. That album included a song called Howl, co-written by Simon.
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Who
are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving
bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in
the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to
join! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Here's our optional theme for this week:
"The first
sandwich was allegedly made on August 6, 1762, and was given the Lord of
Sandwich’s name. The dish consisted of meat placed between two slices
of bread, which he requested because he was in the middle of a gambling
game and did not want to interrupt it.
This week’s
prompt is sandwich. Build a sandwich (acrostic) with your favorite song
picks, find song titles, lyrics, or band names with sandwich or items
found on a sandwich. This is a lite assignment, the object is to have
fun!"
There is a type of sandwich that has many names here in the United States, depending on where you live. It's a sandwich made with a long Italian or Italian style bread, and can contain deli meat, tuna, meatballs, or other sandwich fillings. In New York City, these sandwiches are called hero sandwiches (at least, that's what we called them in my New York City childhood.) Just north of New York City, where my spouse grew up, they are called wedges. In New England, grinders. Others call them hoagies. Much of the country now calls them subs.
I'm going to go in a different direction for my first four songs. These are songs mentioning the names of these sandwiches, although they aren't written about them.
Hoagies (a commercial) for a maker of deli meat and cheeses. You'll see what the sandwich looks like, and the song is...well, listen to it.
A live performance of Heroes - David Bowie.
We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome) - Tina Turner, released in 1985 as the theme song for the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
Turning to subs:
Yellow Submarine - The Beatles, originally released in 1966.
For grinders, Judas Priest and Grinder, from 1980.
Finally, a song mentioning bread: 1964's Bread and Butter - the Newbeats
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
It's Monday and it's time for music! I also apologize for the assortment of font sizes. I don't know why this is happening but, not knowing html, I can't seem to fix it. Anyway...
Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Our theme this week is "You Pick". So, sadly, it is time for another induction into Rock and Roll Heaven. Today we celebrate jazz musician Plas Johnson, who passed away July 15 at the age of 94, six days before his 95th birthday. This talented musician played flute, clarinet , tuba, and saxophone. He started out, as a youngster, singing with his father's family music group and, when given a soprano saxophone as a gift from his father (a professional saxophone player) taught himself to play it.
He was perhaps known for his sax sol in 1963's Pink Panther Theme. He performed on several other movie soundtracks and a number of rock songs (some of which I feature below).
Johnson was a session musician for over 20 years. Here are some of the songs you can hear him on.
Help Me Rhonda - Beach Boys, from 1963, with Johnson on tenor saxophone. 1966's Wouldn't It Be Nice - Beach Boys, from the iconic album Pet Sounds. Johnson also played tenor sax here.
The Platters - The Great Pretender, 1955, with Johnson on tenor sax. Lowdown - Boz Scaggs from 1976. Johnson on tenor sax and contributed to the horn section. Aja - Steely Dan from 1977, with Johnson on flute and tenor sax.
And that's a wrap! But first a bonus track: The Pink Panther Theme. Note, you will have to go to You Tube (following link within the video) to play this.
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Who
are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving
bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in
the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to
join! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Our theme this week is "In ancient
times, “Dog Days of Summer” was connected with bad luck, mad dog
attacks, unexpected thunderstorms, heat, and drought. These days gained
the “Dog Days” name because they are connected with a star in the Canis
Major (Greater Dog) star system known as Sirius. Nowadays, “Dog Days of
Summer” is associated for summer’s long hot days. Based on these
interesting tidbits use your imagination to find music that’ll make us
howl on the dance floor!"
Summer always makes me think of several songs dating back from my New York City Childhood. I've had them on my blog before but I hope you enjoy them as reruns. But before I do, it's time for another induction into Rock and Roll Heaven.
Freddie "Boom Boom? Cannon died July 17 at the age of 89.
I best knew him for his 1962 hit Palisades Park. Palisades Amusement Park was a now-closed amusement park in New Jersey, which I went to several times growing up in New York City. They were famous for a huge salt water pool and their musical entertainment, which included famous Big Bands, and, in the rock era, the Four Seasons, Bill Haley & the Comets, the Jackson Five, Diana Ross & the Supremes and yes, Freddie Cannon . The property is now occupied by high-rise condominiums but New Yorkers of my age fondly remember it.
Nothing says "summer" like amusement parks for many people.
N
His first hit was Tallahassee Lassie".
And now, to our theme.
Summer in the City - a 1966 hit for The Lovin' Spoonful.
Dancing in the Street - a 1964 hit for Martha and the Vandellas.
Two more, from the 1970s:
Hot Summer Nights - Walter Egan, best known here for his 1978 hit Magnet and Steel.
I almost didn't include this, as I'll bet others include it, but here's a song from the movie Grease, Summer Nights, sung by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. This was a big hit in the summer of 1978.
Tell me more? No, I'm fresh out of words.
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Our theme this week is "You Pick" .
It's my sad duty to conduct another set of inductions into Rock and Roll Heaven.
Bonnie Tyler, Welsh musician, passed away July 8 after having been in a medically induced coma after emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal back on May 6. She was expected to recover but it was not to be. Tyler had a long musical career, including three Grammy Award nominations.
These are the three songs I know from her.
1983's power anthem Total Eclipse of the Heart was Tyler's biggest hit in the United States and I have to admit, as a total eclipse of the sun watcher (three successfully, one unsuccessfully) that this song has been played to death in connection with eclipse coverage. As for me, I never tire of it.
1984's Holding Out for a Hero, from the Footloose movie soundtrack, subsequently was covered in at least two other movies, Shrek 2 and The Super Mario Bros. movie.
Finally from 1978, It's a Heartache, was subsequently covered by Rod Stewart. For this tribute, though, I am using Tyler's original.
My next induction is for someone who died way too young. Lauren Bennett, singer most famous for being included in Party Rock Anthem, died May 29 at the age of 36, but her passing was just recently announced. Sadly, she had suffered from mental health issues and her father claims she never got the proper help. She leaves a six year old daughter.
I loved Party Rock Anthem. Years ago I took water Zumba classes and nearly every session, we danced to this song. Here is LMFAO, feat. Lauren Bennett.
Finally, Paul Wheatbread, the original drummer for Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, died July 6 at the age of 80. Causes of death were Alzheimer's and complications of kidney failure. Here is their hit "Over You" from 1968.
So many heartaches recently, as the rock musicians of my youth and young adulthood pass away.
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Who
are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving
bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in
the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to
join! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Our theme this week is "Around the
globe early July, World UFO Day is observed. Prompts this week you might
consider is anything space related – stars, aliens, spaceships, galaxy,
…. Get out of this world wild while having loads of fun discovering
music to share!
Let's start with the original Star Trek series, that first aired in 1966 and was on for three seasons. My childhood was filled with the United States space program, even watching manned launches on television. I was reading science fiction by the time I was 10. I was more than ready for Star Trek .
Theme song to the original Star Trek series, 1968 version.
Theme to the Star Wars movies. I saw the first movie with my spouse and a friend in a theater in 1977.
Next, here is a song actually sung in space: David Bowie's Space Oddity, covered by Canadian astronaut and International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield in 2013. OK, he's not David Bowie, but this video is a must-see.
Major Tom (Coming Home), a 1983 sort-of sequel, from Peter Schilling (English version). I never realized until reaching another music post that this was originally released in West Germany in 1982 as "Major Tom (völlig losgelöst), which means "fully detached".
Europe - The Final Countdown, from 1986.
Under the Milky Way - The Church, from 1988. Not about space, but I don't care.
Finally, from 1977, Come Sail Away-Styx, a song that takes a sudden science-fiction-y turn towards the end when we realize it's a first contact song.
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! We are brought to you by Cathy ofCurious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Our theme this week is "You Pick".
It's time for another induction into Rock and Roll Heaven. Actually, two.
Clive Davis died at home on June 22 at the age of 94. He was not a performer but, instead, he had the ability to pick out future music superstars, sign them to recording contracts, and suggest songs or changes in music. He was a music executive for several record companies. I may never have heard of him except for a couple of episodes of American Idol years ago, where he worked with Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Fantasia as they were being discovered by the American public, He was also a record producer who won four Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer.
One of his four children is also a Grammy Award-winning record producer.
Here are some of the artists Clive Davis signed or recommended be signed with the labels he worked for: Billy Joel. Aretha Franklin. Santana. Janis Joplin/Big Brother and the Holding Company, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Bruce Springsteen. Chicago. Aerosmith. Earth, Wind and Fire. Alicia Keyes. Whitney Houston.
One of those bands, Blood, Sweat and Tears (BS&T), was discovered by Davis when they were fronted by Al Kooper. But, due to infighting, the band broke up. Kooper left. As the band's drummer tried to reunite the band, the drummer heard a singer performing at a New York City club. That singer was David Clayton-Thomas, who joined the reformed BS&T as their new lead singer.
Davis then encouraged well, pushed) BS&T towards a more commercial sound, and they were on their way to a few years of success. But by 1972, Thomas left the group and went on to other projects. In 1996, he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
David Clayton-Thomas, aged 84, died June 24 from complications of cancer.
My tribute pick is obvious: Blood, Sweat and Tears' cover of Laura Nyro's And When I Die.
Now, back to Clive Davis.
How about some Billy Joel? A live performance of the song Captain Jack which became a local Philadelphia radio hit in 1972 caught the attention of Davis and the rest is history. This is the recording and I hope you can access it (you will have to do it directly from You Tube so here's a direct link: https://youtu.be/-aMs0AlE3S8?si=tSf9H3oSIoD7K5Pp). Captain Jack, incidentally, was based on a real heroin dealer and this may not be one to play around youngsters.
Davis recommended that country singer Lynn Anderson release a song called Rose Garden as a single in 1970. It became a huge crossover hit for her.
One of the executives Davis hired was a young musician by the name of Tony Orlando, who was signed by Davis when Orlando was 16. This was his first hit, from 1961, a song called Halfway to Paradise, a song co-written by Carole King.
In turn, Orlando signed a musician you may have heard of - Barry Manilow. His first hit was a song called Mandy.
Finally, there was Whitney Houston. Rather than her first 1985 hit, I am picking I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) from 1987.
And that's another sad tribute wrap.
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Who
are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving
bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in
the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to
join! We are brought to you by Cathy of Curious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Our theme this week is "Wimbledon kicks off soon. Let a tennis star, the game, England, or traditions guide you in your music discovery picks!"
As for my tennis memories, I have never played it. I did play some badminton back in college but not for long-I was never athletic. Instead, I picked some songs about memories of the "old days".
First, though, it is my sad duty to blog another induction into Rock and Roll Heaven. I would like to start slightly off-theme with a tribute to Walter Parazaider, a founding member of the group Chicago, dead from complications of Alzheimers at the age of 81.
Parazaider specialized in a number of instruments, including sax (alto, tenor and soprano), clarinet, and flute, and also sang backup vocals. He had retired from the group in 2017. In this first song from 1975, Old Days, Parazaider played clarinet.
When I think of Parazaider, I think of this flute solo in the song Color My World. This is a live performance at Tanglewood from 1970. Parazaider plays sax in the other song on this live video, Make Me Smile.
I couldn't help but post this tennis cover of Chicago's Hard To Say I'm Sorry by a group of tennis players called the Federer Backhand Boys.The singers are pro tennis players Grigor Dimitrov, Tommy Haas and Roger Federer just having a little fun. They will never win a Grammy for this but who cares?
How about this tennis related song sung at the end of a 30 Rock episode? (30 Rock was an American sitcom satirical show on from 2006 to 2013). It's Tennis Night in America!
The theme song from the 1970's show All in the Family, sung by Carol O'Conner and Jean Stapleton. This is the complete version, with some lyrics not politically correct today.
A song about England? My pick is The Kinks with The Village Green Preservation Society, from 1968. I just love the lyrics, so I chose a lyrics version.
And that's a wrap!
Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! We are brought to you by Cathy of Curious as a Cathy, Stacy of Stacy's Random Thoughts, Marie (Xmas Dolly), and myself, plus other music loving bloggers.
Why not join us? Our theme this week is "You Pick" and I'm going to pick several songs that I heard recently, and a couple I didn't. No, you don't have to guess which is which.
Elton John and his 1975 hit Philadelphia Freedom, written in honor of tennis great Billie Jean King.
Unforgettable, from Nat King and Natalie Cole, was a duet made possible by the technology of 1991. Here, Natalie Cole sings her late father's 1961 hit as a duet with her late father, who died from cancer in 1965. Natalie was just 15 years old. Who can listen to this without a tissue or a tear?
Let's lighten it up with Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi, from 1986, their breakout hit. And what a hit it was. This is one of my favorite songs.
Shake it Off - Taylor Swift
I'll end this with 1970's So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright, a song written by Paul Simon and sung by Simon and Garfunkel. The song was written as a tribute to Art Garfunkel, who studied architecture in his youth. I love every song on this album (which I owned on vinyl) but this one has a special spot in my heart.
And that's a wrap! Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.
And, if you like flowers, join me again later today for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.
