Author: Thomas Newman

When Juice Newton released her version of the song, “Queen of Hearts” in 1981, even Juice herself did not realize that it would be such a big hit. However, the song peaked at #2 on…

Every location has unique features, regardless of whether it is a city or a rural village. Sometimes, songwriters take inspiration from their surroundings when writing music. While some songwriters or artists sing about a specific…

Hard though it is to believe, Almost Famous, director Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical account of his time as a teenage writer for Rolling Stone, is now over 20 years old. But even if the film’s starting…

Rickie Lee Skaggs is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer born in Cordell, Kentucky, on July 18, 1954. He is a player of multiple instruments: mandolin, fiddle, guitar, mandocaster, and…

Ambrosia is an American rock band best known for their 1980 hit, “Biggest Part of Me.” They formed in southern California in 1970. Ambrosia emerged from the same L.A. scene that produced hitmakers like The…

Urban Cowboy is a great film, but its soundtrack deserves every bit as much attention. Stuffed with songs by the likes of Kenny Rogers, Mickey Gilley, the Eagles, Johnny Lee, Bonnie Raitt, and more besides,…

Martin Scorsese directed Goodfellas. It is based on the book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi. Like many other Scorsese pictures, it stars Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. Ray Liotta plays the main character, Henry Hill….

“Top Gun” was one of the most anticipated films of the mid- to late- 1980s. Released in 1986, it lived up to the hype, becoming one of the biggest box office hits that year. Even…

Supertramp was an English band that came into existence towards the very end of the 1960s. They started out in progressive rock. However, it is interesting to note that Supertramp became more and more pop…