Three
words make me proud to be livin' in the USA:
Rock and Roll.
America is the birthplace of rock & roll which has been celebrated & recreated all over the world. Today I must pay homage to some great American musicians that have contributed the gift of music to the people of the USA & beyond. And the greatest thing about our country..... FREEDOM.....
Authors are always a target when they print their "best of" lists. Lists are subjective, arguable...and negotiable. That being said, I'm just going to throw out a random list of musicians (in no particular order) that I thought of today who are great American musicians. There may be others that I just forgot to include on the list. Enjoy......
Roy Orbison Elvis Presley Chuck Berry The Doors Jimi Hendrix Bill Haley & The Comets Carl Perkins Carole King Neil Diamond Chris Isaak Hank Williams Charlie Daniels Billie Holiday The Supremes Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel KISS Aerosmith The Beach Boys Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Creedence Clearwater Revival Chicago Jackson Browne Charlie Daniels Band The Eagles Grand Funk Railroad Heart Stevie Ray Vaughn Lynyrd Skynyrd Nirvana/Dave Grohl/Foo Fighters Pearl Jam Van Halen Louis Armstrong James Brown Johnny Cash Ray Charles Buddy Holly Billy Joel Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Etta James The Fabulous Thunderbirds John Coltrane Bing Crosby Prince Miles Davis Jack White Fats Domino Bob Dylan Janis Joplin Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Duke Ellington Dizzy Gillespie The Byrds Woody Guthrie Robert Johnson Muddy Waters Frank Sinatra Bessie Smith Carly Simon Grand Funk Railroad Willie Nelson John Philip Sousa Sammy Hagar Hall & Oates Motley Crue Dave Matthews Band Journey Red Hot Chili Peppers The Smithereens Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Steve Miller Band Michael Jackson Soundgarden Aretha Franklin Stevie Wonder Bon Jovi Guns N Roses Doobie Brothers John Mellencamp Talking Heads All Motown artists Van Halen ZZ Top Black Crowes Black Keys Sly & The Family Stone Rage Against the Machine Cheap Trick Grateful Dead Robert Cray Blondie Three Dog Night REO Speedwagon Alice Cooper
The brilliant Jimi Hendrix was setting a trend when he performed a wicked guitar rendition of the Star Spangled Banner in the late '60s. I've read that Jimi felt like he was cheering our country with a message of "Go America," and was transferring the slight static in the air of the 60's to his screaming guitar. Here's his performance at Woodstock, 1969:
Go America ... Indeed ...
Lanea Stagg
Recipe Records Cookbooks
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John's Blurb with Author Jude Southerland Kessler
If you had to answer the question, “What was the happiest time in your life?” what would you say?
Childhood? Your teen years? The years when you were first married? Those crazy
days in college?
My mother-in-law always tells us, “Our lives were so happy when
the children were at home. Vacations and Christmas meant something then. But
now…”
My father sighs that each night he dreams of “being back in
academia,” back in the days in which he served so productively as a college
vice president. And I’m sure you know people who begin most of their sentences
with “In my day,” or “When I lived in…” or “Well, we used to do it this way…”
The majority of Americans are suckers for nostalgia. Shows
such as “Happy Days,” “That 70’s Show,” and “Mad Men” bank on it. And some TV
networks survive solely on broadcasting reruns of “feel good” series from the
past such as the 60’s classic, “The Andy Griffith Show” or the 90’s hit, “Friends.”
But I’ve found (and maybe you have, too) that those who
cling obsessively to yesterday are…well… a bit unhappy. And the “yesterday”
they crave is only a rose-coloured version of what actually occurred.
John Lennon said, “I don't have any romanticism about any part
of my past. I think of it only inasmuch as it gave me pleasure or helped
me grow psychologically. That’s the only thing that interests me about
yesterday. I don't believe in yesterday,
by the way. I am only interested in what I am doing now.”
Going, growing, doing, changing, learning, adapting,
exploring, experiencing, enjoying, sensing, feeling, expanding…these are all present participles. They’re happening
NOW! They’re rooted in TODAY!
John was constantly changing and pushing barriers in search
of “the next big thing.” He was never content to sit back and reflect on what “was
once” and could never be again. He just kept growing. Even on the day he was
killed, John had been working away in the recording studio, finishing up a new
record.
The great 19th Century American orator Robert
Ingersoll once wrote: “The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is
here.” And that –poetically phrased
– is exactly what John was trying to tell us.
The only question is, “Shall we?”
John would say, “Why the hell not?” I’m in! Are you?
I'm proud to have been interviewed by Across The Beatleverse - check out their blog, like them on Facebook & check out my interview:
Hey--it doesn't get more Americana than this:
The National Jug Band Jubilee - Sept. 21st in Louisville
Upcoming Gigs for Recipe Records:
Thursday, July 25 - Women in Rock Program at Studio 4905, Henderson, KY ~ Call 270-869-4469 for details.
August 9, 10, 11 - The Fest for Beatles Fans - Chicago
