Archive for category: Beard’s Blog

Sir George Martin 1926-2016

Sir George Martin is a cherished gentle giant of 20th century Western culture. I cannot think of any person who was more influential, or more revered, in music. Universally loved and irreplaceable, I'm afraid. His next gig is out of this world…

Eagles Co-Founder Glenn Frey Dies at 67

Glenn Frey, a founding member, singer, songwriter and guitarist of the Eagles, has died. The band confirmed the news on Monday (Jan. 18) with a statement on its website."Glenn fought a courageous battle for the past several weeks but, sadly,…
,

Beatles #1+ Songs, pt 2- Paul McCartney

The Beatles #1+ sellers including "Lady Madonna","Hey Jude","Get Back","Something","Come Together","Let It Be", and "The Long and Winding Road". Paul McCartney hosts part two, and additional comments from my interviews with the late George Harrison are here, too
,

Band-The Band Best pt 2-Robbie Robertson

There is ample evidence in this conclusion of our two-part In the Studio rockumentary on The Band as to why Robbie Robertson was always  one of my favorite musicians with whom to converse. A great storyteller gifted with rich language skills,…
,

Lynyrd Skynyrd- Essential(best)- Gary Rossington, Ed King

"Essential ". One thing that has never been questioned about Southern Rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd is their unassailable authenticity. My guests guitarists are the dearly missed Gary Rossington and the late Ed King, part one.

John Lennon (10-9-40 to 12-8-80) Remembered by Paul McCartney

Like Mahatma Gandhi and the Reverend Dr.Martin Luther King jr. , deeply committed social reformers dedicated to peaceful change , John Lennon was assassinated December 8 , 1980 . I am reminded of a wall poster in the very early 1970s which chillingly showed the barrel of a gun pointed right between the viewer's eyes from a distance of about one inch . Underneath it stated simply , " Just because you have silenced a man does not mean you have converted him ." Do not be misled . The forces of evil manifested in intolerance , fear , power , and greed killed John Lennon . Mark Chapman was simply the unwitting trigger man . But like Gandhi , Dr. King , John & Bobby Kennedy , Anwar Sadat in the Mid East, and Benigno Aquino in the Philippines , John Lennon was unbowed to his worldly end in the belief that " all you need is love " . -Redbeard

J.J.Cale No Longer Livin’ on Tulsa Time

"He was our guy," Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington told me about songwriter J.J.Cale in my December 2000 interview," kinda our 'go to' guy for songs back then." For over four decades Cale, the Tulsa-based songwriter who passed away overnight…
,

Mick Jagger Doing 80 in a 50 Zone

The fact is that Mick Jagger still leads the same rock band with most of the same personnel for over 50 years, something no band has ever done before. Here is your chance to eavesdrop on Mick and me on a telephone call before a 1997 Dallas / Ft Worth show

Rock’s Picasso, Storm Thorgerson, Goes to the Great Gig in the Sky

Storm Thorgerson, the most prolific, most influential rock graphic artist ever, has passed away at age 69. Most widely known for his work with  Aubrey Powell and the Hipgnosis team in England for the long series of Pink Floyd covers, it's a…

Andy Johns, British Producer & Engineer,Passes Away at 61

It has been a week of great loss in the music world, with first the inestimable death of Phil Ramone last week & now the uber-engineer/producer Andy Johns. Our heartfelt condolences to his family, big brother producer Glyn Johns, and Andy's…