Month: April 2020

I really hope this doesn’t become a pattern, but we lost another music great yesterday. Bill Withers wrote and performed some of the most funky, most soulful music of the 1970’s. We all know his music even if we don’t realize it. I mean, how many of us sang “Lean on Me” at some point in school?

In memory of Bill Withers, today’s Song of the Day is “Use Me” from 1973’s “Live at Carnegie Hall.” May his memorial be so joyous that they have to tie the casket down!

Sometimes you just need to feel like you are lounging at the beach with a cool drink in your hand with waves steadily crashing on the shore. Today is definitely one of those days with nothing but clouds and rain forecasted until Sunday here in St. Louis and COVID-19 emergency stay-at-home orders in place for most of the country.

Having been fortunate enough to have spent time over the years lounging around at many different beaches, I have had plenty of time to discover music just right for the occasion.

One of my favorite artists for beach listening pleasure is Michael Franti & Spearhead. Their music has great energy, vibe, and message, and is a perfect compliment to the beach experience. The band’s station on Pandora is also excellent if you want to just turn on music and let it roll all day!

For me, hearing any song from the band immediately takes me back to a crazy trip my wife, Donnell, and I took to St. John right after a hurricane hit the island. Amazingly, there was still so much beauty even after so much destruction, but I digress.

So, to take me back to one of my favorite trips with Donnell and to celebrate Friday and imagine sitting at the beach for three minutes and forty-five seconds, here’s today’s Song of the Day: “The Sound of Sunshine” by Michael Franti & Spearhead!

One of my absolute favorite albums of all time is Wynton Marsalis’ “Standard Time, Vol. 3: The Resolution of Romance”. Wynton released the album in 1990 right in the middle of my high school years when I was trying to figure out how to really play trumpet.

The album is immediately approachable and listenable, and Wynton played liked his first music teacher was in the recording studio with him. That teacher was Ellis Marsalis, Wynton’s dad, and he was indeed right there in the studio playing some of the best piano I had ever heard. While Wynton was and still is one of my favorite trumpet players, I believe the album was a showcase for Ellis, and his playing was why I enjoyed the album so much.

Ellis Marsalis passed away yesterday, and in his honor, today’s Song of the Day is “My Romance”. RIP

One of my son’s school assignments yesterday was to find a song from the year they were born. Well, Beyoncé had a massive hit in 2008 called “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” so he went with that one.

Things were a bit different back in 1973 as compared to 2008. The US was in the middle of a war and a presidential impeachment inquiry. Perhaps not so different than 2020.

So, here is today’s song of the day: “You Can Have Watergate Just Gimme Some Bucks and I’ll Be Straight” by The 8th Wonder of the World, The J.B.’s!