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 location, others use a geographical feature as a metaphor to describe a feeling or emotion. One natural feature that is…
Anne Rice, the author behind The Vampire Chronicles, published in 1988 the third book of her horror novel series, The Queen of the Damned. This book was then transitioned into a motion picture in 2002. It served as a stand-alone sequel to the first book of The Vampire Chronicles series, Interview with the Vampire. With…
Wilson Phillips were formed in LA in 1989 by Carnie and Wendy Wilson and Chynna Phillips. The fact that Carnie and Wendy are the daughters of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson and Chynna Phillips is the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas may have given them a leg up…
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 to get long in the tooth, its soundtrack, which won the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for…
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 banjo, among others. At the age of 7, he first received a mandolin and started his musical career. He began…
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 Eagles and Crosby, Stills & Nash.[1] They were contemporaries of Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, and Spirit. Despite this claim to…
“In the Heights” was one of the most highly anticipated musicals of 2021. Straight from the mind of “Hamilton” creator Lin Manuel-Miranda, the movie tells the story of Washington Heights, New York. More importantly, it tells the story of its people. As is the case with most musicals, the story is told through the eyes…
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, it’s been credited with pioneering the soft-core, mellow country sounds that came to dominate country music in the ’80s. If…
From their first hit, “Do You Want to Hurt Me,” to their last, “I Just Wanna Be Loved,” the English new wave band Culture Club has dabbled in various styles and genres as one of the most recognizable brands in the world, singer/songwriter/producer Boy George and his former bandmates have made their mark on pop…