If You Like Bob Marley...

Author Dave Thompson continues to prove his vast knowledge of all things music in his recent book, If You Like Bob Marley...(Here Are over 200 Bands, CD's, Films & Other oddities You Will Love) 
Thompson hooks you into his very complete book by writing about one of the most important musicians in our lifetime: reggae artist Bob Marley, and then provides a textbook which will appeal to fair weather & serious reggae fans alike. Dripping with references to artists who endured the political environment of Jamaica and created the country's own sound, this book is all you need if you are ready to study reggae. It was particularly interesting to read about the Rolling Stones' stay in Jamaica in the early 70's, resulting in the influence not only in the band's work, but also Keith Richards' solo work on many other recordings, such as Wingless Angels.  Thompson also delves into the effect reggae had on the punk scene, namely The Clash and also Eric Clapton's thoughts on releasing a cover of Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff" into the world of mainstream music.   

Reggae music hasn't really appeared on my radar until recently when my daughter shared some great tunes by Bob Marley & the Wailers with me. She & my niece, Annie, even ditched me at the Beatles festival so they could take in a couple hours at the Reggae Festival in Louisville......So, if the music is appealing to these hip youngsters, then it's gotta be good.

Don't miss Dave's interview on my radio show tomorrow. The author is full of incredibly interesting facts and he shares it with great pizzazz.

You can find tomorrow's show at this link:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/recipe-records-cookbook/2013/06/13/if-you-like-dave-thompson

I highly suggest that you listen to Dave's last interview on my show, where we talked about his book If You Like Led Zeppelin. It was a hoot.....

 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/recipe-records-cookbook/2013/03/07/if-you-like-led-zeppelin



Peace, Love & Reggae.....

Lanea Stagg
Recipe Records Cookbooks
www.reciperecordscookbook.com
lanea@reciperecordscookbook.com

*  *   *   *   *   *   *  *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
John's Blurb with Jude Southerland Kessler
                            Author of the John Lennon Series

Don't get me wrong. I live in a modest (though quirky and  very peaceful) condo. But across the street from my house, there is a breaktaking mansion…you know, the kind with a sweeping staircase a la Gone With the Wind.

This morning, the history of that gorgeous home was printed in our local paper, The Shreveport Times, and a couple of lines in the story made me stop in my tracks. Goosebumpy.

The home, it seems, was built by A. C. Steere, “a revolutionary who changed the face of Shreveport, Louisiana, by being a developer of high repute. He began to grow the city in different directions than it had ever been.” And the article goes on to say that in the 1920’s Steere created 5 of our city’s major subdivisions…subdivisions that are still here today and grace our town with amazing beauty: neighborhoods full of one-of-a-kind brick cottages and Tudor two-stories and swings-from-a-tree kind of homes that make you curb-crawl in utter delight. 

He also built parks. Each afternoon I run in the Central Park look-alike Betty Virginia Park behind my house created by Mr. Steere (and named for his two daughters). Arched bridges, winding paths, crepe myrtle and magnolia trees, spacious fields, and paths of daffodils: it is a place of deep beauty. And each day thousands of men, women, and children in Shreveport flock to it to run, picnic, stroll, play guitar, gambol, workout, ride bikes, and just be.

But A.C. Steere never knew all of this. Because on 1 July 1930, he went to the pool behind his mansion and shot himself in the chest.

Why? Because he thought that the oncoming Great Depression (whose severe effects he could read so clearly…or so he thought) was going to destroy him and his employees. And he couldn’t face firing people, cutting salaries, and watching the world he had built so lovingly destroyed.

But get this…here is the line in The Shreveport Times article that rocked my world. It reads:

Steere committed suicide “thinking the spreading of financial panic called the Great Depression had financially ruined him. As it turned out, his company only had a temporary setback not requiring filing for bankruptcy.”

Things would have been fine, had he waited. Had he waited, things would have been okay.

Whatever is haunting you today, whatever is making you sad, whatever is breaking your heart…wait. Whatever is dragging at your hem and pulling you down…wait. Whatever is pushing and pulling you in a thousand different directions…wait. You don’t know the end of the story. And it is never what you think it will be. WAIT.  DON’T GIVE UP.

John Lennon said, “I’m going into an unknown future, but I’m still here. And still, while there’s life, there’s hope.”

I wish A.C. Steere had known that.

But at least you and I do. Wait. And I will wait with you.

Jude Southerland Kessler   www.johnlennonseries.com