There were some great bands that I grew up with and believe me there is nothing like some of these all time greats today.  The one that caught my eye today and took me down memory lane was Eric Burdon and the Animals. This great band was called the animals because of their crazy stage act. However, when I watch them on YouTube they do seem to be tame animals.

Many people called this band, which was part of the British invasion, a psychedelic rock band, but for me as a kid growing up, I just called it good! It was a little different for me. I was a musician at a very young age, and I knew it was not traditional rock; it had a little rhythm and blues sound, it was just different and I liked it. What was more powerful than the music was the voice of Eric Burdon. It was deep, bluesy, and when he sang I would stop dead in my tracks and say, Wow. He was so young and his voice so deep.

This band had their first hit in 1964 with House of the Rising Sun. They had a total of ten Top Twenty hits in both the UK and the USA and some of the songs included San Franciscan Nights, We Gotta Get Out of This Place, It’s My Life, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, When I was Young and one of my favorites, Sky Pilot. So great was this band that they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Some of you may remember Eric Burdon playing with War in the Song Spill the Wine, Love is All Around, Tobacco Road, and Spirit, yet another incarnation of Burdon and his musical talents. Today Eric Burdon still performs with a band he now calls the Animals. I listened to a concert from a few years back and he may be grey, and not the skinny young man he once used to be, but he is belting out the songs with soul and his energy on stage is still that of the Eric Burdon I grew up with. Do you recall Eric Burdon and the Animals?

How many people have fond memories of the song by Etta James, At Last? I know I have several memories that make my heart flutter and the death of Etta James I have no doubt, has many people looking at old memories. James voice was her instrument of choice, and so diverse was she as a singer she was categorized as jazz, R&B, gospel, Doo-Wop pop, blues, and rockabilly.

Etta James was born in 1938 and originally was a gospel singer. In fact, some said she was a “gospel prodigy” and sang in her church choir at the young age of five. Too young to be a singer? Well by the time James was 12 she was singing in a trio with Johnny Otis the bandleader. She sang with a variety of people and in 1955 she went solo.

Etta James hit the charts as a solo artist with such hits as All I Could Do Was Cry, Trust in Me, Tell Mamma, Something’s Got a Hold On Me, Losers Weepers, and her big hit At Last. So great were her hits that she won six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. I never realized until I started researching Etta James that in 1978, she was the opening act for The Rolling Stones. Sadly, she disappeared after that for over ten years and she began to fight a heroin and alcohol addiction.

Like all strong women, Etta came back and she came back bigger, better and stronger. In fact so strong was her return James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Blues Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Now that is saying a great deal for this singer. She started over 60 years ago and made history with her accomplishments as a singer.

So this past week, the world mourned this wonderful singer, but what she has left us with a mind full of music and a soul  filled with memories that only Etta could have given us. So here’s to you Ms. James and may you rest in peace.

When we think of soap operas many of us think of the long running TV shows like One Live to Live, General Hospital, As the World Turns. Truth is, for those who might not have known, soap operas did not originate on television rather they had their start in radio. That’s right, back then it was called “domestic radio dramas” which I must say I love the way that sounds. So popular where these radio dramas that by the early 40s, these radio shows dominated the air waves and were responsible for over 90% of commercially-sponsored daytime broadcast.

So where did the term soap opera come from? The term came from soap manufacturers who were prominent sponsors to these dramatic shows like Tide, Duz, and Ivory. In fact, Procter and Gamble, maker of several soap products, produced the first network soap opera for TV in 1950. It was called The First hundred years and lasted only two years and would be replaced by The Guiding Light. Search for Tomorrow soon followed.

In 1956 As the World Turns hit TV stations and yep, it was Procter and Gamble once again along with CBS that were involved. They were smart and knew who to target. That’s right the homemakers because they knew that in the 50′s the husband did not buy soap!  Don’t think that radio soaps went off the air completely though as that did not happen until 1960.
In 1963, the medical soaps launched and General Hospital and the Doctors came on the air.

Soaps were taking the country by storm. Women from the age of 18-49 were glued to the TV. I recall my mother watching the soap operas, though I suspect to this day the only soap she will claim she watched was Dark Shadows, and I must admit, I too would run home from school to watch this vampire soap. I loved that show! I recently watched old Episodes on Netflix and giggled a bit because as a child it scared me, as an adult I wonder what spooked me so much? Still I loved the show.

The bottom line is soaps come and go. There have been a variety of soaps like Search for Tomorrow, Love of Life, The Guiding Light, As the World Turns, Secret Storm, and The Edge of Night, One Life to Live, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, The Bold and the Beautiful, All My Children, The Young and the Restless and Ryan’s Hope to name a few.

One needs to give credit to the soap opera as they have really made TV history. Alas, like all good things, there is an end. I think more and more people are growing tired of the soap opera genera and networks are losing money. What will replace this 60 some odd year television genera? Will it be more cooking shows? Will it be more reality shows? Will it be more magazine or talk shows? Stay tuned to find out…

A friend sent me the link to the show and told me to watch Carlos play with Beiber. Listening to Carlos reminds me that when he is up front on stage, nothing else matters. You do not hear anything else but the guitar that this magical musician plays and I really understood the performance was all about Carlos.

Still, many young people might have woken up the next day saying, “who the heck is Carlos Santana?”  For people who need to ask that, I am here to tell you that Carlos is a great guitar player, not some musician who backs the
Beiber.  Maybe it was on his bucket list to play with a teen Idol. Maybe it was part of his goal to back up anyone and everyone since Carlos has played with anyone and everyone.  What is important is this Hall of Famer has earned the right to do what he wants and play with whom he wants after over 40 years in the music business and selling over 90 million records.

Carlos started a band in the late 60s called Santana and it was a different kind of sound that people weren’t familiar with. He played rock music and infused salsa and jazz and created a series of hits that landed him 10 Grammy Awards.

Santana got their big break in 1969 when they played at Woodstock. They performed a style of music that tilted the rock and roll scale. Their eclectic style of music has produced such hits as Evil Ways, Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va.

Carlos was more than just a musician. He began to help through music by performing benefits such as San Francisco Earthquake Relief, Doctors Without Borders, Indigenous People Fund, Hispanic Media & Education
Group, Amnesty International, LA Museum of Tolerance, the Aids project and more than I have room to write. Still, this humble humanitarian didn’t stop there. He and his wife started the Milagro Foundation, which contributed almost 2 million dollars to help underprivileged youths.

If you have not heard of Santana or at least Carlos Santana, I invite you to go to Yotube  and take a look at what a real musician is. Santana is the type of music that moves you to the core of your soul and wanting more.

By the way what was your favorie Santana album? Mine is Abraxas.

What ever happened the old retro Christmases? You know when this time of year was happening and groovy and it was about making love and peace and not showing your love through your pocket book.  I call it a retro Christmas it appears that is all in the past anymore. But once upon a time Santa was groovy and Christmas used to be about peace and love, and it got me thinking….

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a gadget was stirring, not even a keyboard or mouse
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that peace on earth would soon be there

The children were tired and quiet and tame
Because they actually did something besides play a video game
And mom and dad were sitting at last
Thinking of a retro Christmas past

When out in the yard arose some noise
It was an old friend come to show off her new toys
She walked up to my door with bags in hand
And a plastic guitar and a copy of rock band

Stop I said do not bring that inside
Unless it is a lava lamp or something tie dyed
Leave that crap in your car
Come in and listen to Christmas carols on zitar

We sat and looked at our out-of-site tree
Recalling old holidays at Berkeley
The house was decorated it was certainly a site
With love beads and things that glowed with a black light.

When all of a sudden we hear this dude
Saying some names that sounded skewed
Dig it Dasher! Right on Dancer! Groovy Prancer and Vixen!
Far-out Comet! I’m hip Cupid, Donner and Blitzen!

As he landed upon our roof top he gave us a grin
And asked permission to come on in
He sat on the couch and surprisingly said
Hey man do you have any Grateful dead

He was dressed all in flannel from his head to his toe
His eyes were bright and all aglow
He pulled a box from his big red sack
And said “let’s bring peace back.”

He opened the box with a big old grin
And said we have to let peace back in
Inside there was a big golden peace sign
With a chain that looked so divine

He placed the symbol round my neck
Saying this world is such a wreck
Pass the peace and pass it fast
Or Christmas will be a thing of the past

He sprang to his sleigh and said goodbye
And left us all some cool tie dye
I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight
“Peace on earth, and to all a far-out-night!”
Merry peace on earth to you all…

What happened to so many of our Christmas treasures of the past? I have such wonderful memories of Christmas specials. Some of these wonderful Christmas specials just do not exist any longer or are rarely played anymore.
Variety shows were some of the best entertainment I could watch as a kid.

You could watch funny skits, listen to your favorite singer or band and watch all sorts of great entertainment. Sadly, reality shows, which are not really reality took over, and any form of real entertainment has since gone out the window. It makes me long for the past where in December, for one month, you could watch your favorite celebrity do a Christmas special.

TV was filled with celebrities during the holidays. It would not be holidays without the Bob Hope Christmas specials, or Andy Williams doing a show packed with holiday classics. How could we forget Bing Crosby and David Bowie doing the Little Drummer Boy?

Acts like the brother and sister team, the Carpenters, had their own special called Carpenters’ Christmas Specials, John Denver’s got into the act and did A Rocky Mountain Christmas, who could forget in 1967 Christmas With the Martin’s and Sinatra’s?

It continues as Johnny Cash, Donny and Marie, Julie Andrews, The Captain & Tennille, Glen Campbell, Liberace, Perry Como, Sonny & Cher, Red Skelton and even the old music show called Solid Gold had a Christmas show. There are way too many to give mention to and all of these people shared their special songs and guests bringing cheer into our homes.

These are Christmas treasures that are long gone but not all tucked away. You can catch some glimpses of them on YouTube here and there, but sadly, you do not get to catch them in your living room each year. I miss these specials but I am happy with what the network offers me, which is very little. However, sometimes, late at night in December, when I cannot sleep, you can catch me in my office looking for old clips of Christmas shows on YouTube and it certainly puts a smile in my heart.

So what was your favorite Christmas special?

Sheryl Ann & Clifton Ford

I was at my favorite restaurant recently, Viro’s Italian Bakery and Cafe. I went there because the owner Vito had asked me to listen to the live entertainment he was going to supply. I call it dinnertainment and I enjoy eating dinner with entertainment. As I walked in, there was a tall man dressed in a Tuxedo looking sharp and singing a song. Not only did he look like Nat king Cole, he sounded like him, and it got me thinking…

There are a few great torch musicians and singers in Tucson but nearly not enough. Of course Susan Artemis always comes to mind for me when I think of some of the jazz standards. However, I was taken aback when I saw Clifton Ford not only looking a tad like Nat King Cole but sounding in many ways just like him.

Nat King Cole had a velvet voice that wowed audiences world wide with such hits as Unforgettable and Mona Lisa. It was interesting to watch Cliff surprise a room full of people with his renditions of such classics. I talked to Cliff and asked him how he got started. He stated he was a product of being a foster child and found refuge in foster care singing to Nat King Cole.

Later when he moved to Tucson, he met up with the Drifters member Mel Rivers and they played music for many years. They did a variety of Motown music and Cliff was enjoying singing and entertaining. Still, he felt something was missing, and several years ago, deiced that his heart belonged to the music of Nat King Cole, so you can find Cliff around town doing many private engagements singing Cole tunes.

Along with Cliff that night, was another singer, Sheryl Ann who performed classic from Billy Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Sheryl is a singer who said growing up she called herself the “Diva in the living room.” She let her singing career go for many years then after a life-changing event; she knew she needed to get back into her music because she stated she feels music heals. She makes that very clear in her shows as well taking audiences on a musical healing adventure with classic jazz standards to modern jazz songs. She began to sing at Tony’s Italian Deli where she met Cliff. The two of them perform shows together as well as on their own and show a mutual respect for the classics.

What I enjoyed was that there are still people that appreciate some of these jazz standards so much that they are willing to make their living sharing their talent and having passion for these songs we all grew up with.

You can get a hold of these two talented singer by email Cliff  is at oneford2@msn.com and Sheryl can be reached at smckinley.sassy@yahoo.com. If you enjoy walking down memory lane, these two singers either on their own, or together is a wonderful way to say hello to some of the great jazz standards.

By the way, what is your favorite jazz standard?

magickalgraphics.com

Recently stricken down for a few with a cold, I caught myself zoning out of cold medications and old TV. What a combination. I have to wonder what Timothy Leary would have thought. I love old TV shows and have quite the collection sitting in my video library. I am amazed that certain shows still entertain me and there is still magic in them. Speaking of magic, one that deals with magic was a real favorite of mine and it got me thinking…

What would old TV be without Elizabeth Montgomery who played a friendly witch in the comedy series Bewitched? How many of us wanted to twitch our noses and make magic happen or just make ourselves disappear? For me, it was a recurring daydream in my childhood. The antics of Samantha and Darrin Stephens, or Durwood as Endora would say.

This all time favorite sitcom started in 1964 and ended in 1972. It was considered the highest rated show in its very first year and it continued to hit the top of the charts throughout its eight year run. Why wouldn’t it? It was pure magic and fun. In fact, for its time, the technology was quite good. People disappearing and appearing, things floating, cars driving through walls and old ladies coming down chimneys. It was the mid 60′s and the technology was somewhat impressive, considering. In fact rarely did you see how they did the “special effects”.

This wonderful comedy was about the antics of a mortal marrying a witch and her vowing not to use her powers. Well of course, that rarely happened and with the help of her meddling mother, her crazy uncle Arthur, and her look alike cousin Sabrina, and her Doctor, Dr Bombay,  there was always trouble and spells.

Of course, the idea was for Samantha not to get caught but her nosey neighbor Gladys Kravitz was always trying to convince her husband Abner that something strange was happening in the house located Westport, Connecticut. To make matters worse, Darrin had to keep his magical household a secret to his nosey and somewhat passive aggressive boss Larry Tate who always showed up when he was not supposed to.

In doing my research for this article, I discovered some rather interesting trivia about Bewitched. The pilot show came out the Day JFK was assassinated. Elizabeth Montgomery’s husband was William Asher who not only directed Bewitched, he also directed I Love Lucy, The Danny Thomas Show, and The Patty Duke Show. Montgomery was not slated to play Samantha originally but ended up with the role when actress Tammy Grimes could not play the role.

This wonderful TV show will always have lasting power for those of us who grew up with Bewitched and if you have not watched the show, be sure to Hulu it or watch old TV Land reruns and be part of the magic the used to happen with television shows once upon a time ago.

My favorite episode of Bewitched was when Samantha talked in rhymes and could not stop herself. My other favorite episode is when they discover that Tabatha has powers and is a witch. So what do you recall about Bewitched? Do you have a favorite episode?

allthingschristmas.com

Nothing says holiday like Christmas music. I think it is what makes the holidays. How could it be a holiday without the sounds of jingle bells or chestnuts roasting on an open fire? My greatest Christmas spirit memories are of the music. When I was a kid, I got a real kick out of music stars that sang Christmas songs. It was these songs that gave the holiday spirit and made them unforgettable.

Now speaking of unforgettable, I love a good Nat King Cole Christmas. How could it be Christmas without the Christmas Song? Some of the great classics I enjoyed growing up was Frank Sinatra Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Dean Martin Baby It’s Cold Outside, and one of my favorites to this day is Bing Crosby singing little Drummer Boy with David Bowie. Classic!

I don’t think the holiday would be the holiday if we did not hear Elvis singing Blue Christmas. My mother was an Elvis fan and I grew up listening to his renditions of Christmas music. Both of my parents were country fans and we would listen to Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn Christmas albums. That country tone seemed to really put an interesting tone on classic holiday songs. It was Christmas music but to me it had too much of a country flair. I would go into my room, turn on the radio, and listen to rock singers singing my favorite songs.

Then in 1970 I picked up the Jackson Five Christmas album I loved their version of Santa Clause is Coming to Town. It was a far cry from a country Christmas. Soon to follow was the Partridge Family Christmas, which to this day had no idea how I got the album, must of been a gift.

I was in heaven when I got the Beatles Christmas as well as the Beach Boys Christmas album. Motown Christmas made the season even more special for me because there was so much feeling and emotions to these classics. Certainly, Christmas would not be Christmas without the soft pop sounds of the Carpenters and remains close to my heart.

Today as an adult, I still have my favorites. John Lennon War is Over still gives me goose bumps. The Chipmunks singing Christmas Don’t Be Late makes me laugh and reminds me of the child in everyone. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra Carol of the Bells is powerful rendition of this song, it vibrates my soul, and I love to listen to this song especially when accompanied by blinking holiday house lights.

Christmas by far is not my favorite holiday but I do love the lights and the music. So tell me, what is your favorite rendition of a holiday song?

photo labelscar.com

The other day I was driving through town and noticed the majority of the El Con Mall had been torn down. I live way out almost in Vail and so I do not go through town as much as I used to so it was a shock for me to see my old hang out torn down. I know it is just a silly mall, and I am not a big mall walker at all, but for me, El Con represented a big part of my childhood and it got me thinking…

El Con Mall in its hay day sported everything for everyone. Levy’s,
Montgomery Ward, Woolworth Steinfeld’s, Goldwater’s, J. C. Penney, Farrell’s Ice Cream, Skaggs, old time barber shop, toys stores, shoes stores, book stores, you name it, El Con had it. When I was a kid, El Con was the only place to go. Hard to believe it is gone, except for I still saw the Penny’s standing, and that is what is left really.

I loved going to the Penny’s as a kid. It has a restaurant inside of it. They actually served great food. I recall the club sandwich was the best as it had lots of meat on white bread. It just did not get any better than that. If we wanted something different, we would go to Woolworth because they had a sit down diner as well. They had great chocolate shakes and chili on top of spaghetti noodles. Of course as far as food, nothing could beat Farrell’s Ice Cream. They had a great hamburger, fries and a malt and it just could make your day.  El Con Mall once had a food court. It had all kinds of goodies and there was nothing like mall food when you are a kid growing up.

I recall my dentist office was downstairs in Wards. We could get our teeth cleaned, get our hair done, go shopping for clothing, and then go next door and grab a bite to eat. That was the advantage of some of the malls in the younger years. Everything was well priced and convenient.

One of my best memories of El Con Mall was the outdoor fountain. There was often live entertainment out there. As a teen, I played in a trio folk band and we would perform by the fountain. We would go to Bakers
shoes, buy matching earth shoes, go to Penny’s get matching Levi cords, and then go to the fountain and entertain. We did that a few times and thought we were all that and more. I was fifteen years old, that was over thirty-five years ago, but the memory remains fresh in my mind.

Christmas time at the mall was wonderful. They decorated it and the stores were filled with goodies to buy. In the front of the mall there were choirs singing and of course Santa and his helpers. It set the Christmas spirit. It never felt overcrowded and always felt fun and safe. I go to malls now and often feel like I need to duck and take cover. There are people that are plowing you down and the energy make me grateful that I go to a mall maybe once a year if that. Yes I have outgrown my mall days, thank goodness!

El Con has been a “dead mall” for many years now so I am unsure why I will miss it so much.  I suppose it would not be so bad but to see it replaced with cheap clothing stores that I would not be caught dead in is just another reminder that to good old days are gone and being replaced with junk.

Well here’s to you El Con rest in peace, you gave so many of us great times and lots of wonderful memories.