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“The Midnight Special and Musical Diversity" 

I’ve been watching old episodes of season 1 of “The Midnight Special" on Youtube lately. Not just for the nostalgia of it, but because the quality of the performances and the diversity of the artists and genres is so impressive. It was a pre-requisite of the show that the artists had to perform live, no lip-synching. In one episode you might see artists as diverse and talented as Ray Charles, Earl Scruggs, The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, Badfinger, The Bee Gees, Paul Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis, Paul Anka, Loretta Lynn, The Hollies, Linda Ronstadt, John Denver, Blood Sweat & Tears, Curtis Mayfield, etc. with a comedy troupe thrown in for good measure. So pop, soul, rock, blues, country, bluegrass, folk, easy listening, comedy and more. This was obviously a time long before record executives and radio station programmers decided that music listeners are idiots that can’t appreciate more than one music genre. What a shame we’ve lost that kind of programming. And what a shame that people are not spontaneously exposed (by others) to more diverse types of music. Sometimes it’s better to order off the secret menu, or tell the chef to surprise you.

In general, everyone sings on pitch (without today's auto pitch correct), the bands groove, there are improvised solos as a matter of course in most tunes, and the arrangements are creative and well rehearsed. I particularly enjoyed Ray Charles' version of Eleanor Rigby. (time location 1:07)

 https://www.google.com/search?q=youtube+ray+charles+eleanor+rigby+midnight+special&oq=youtube+ray+charles+eleanor+rigby+midnight+special&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64.1401455j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:03bd5ed3,vid:D7p7aBMllbU

 

New recordings 

The extra time on my hands during this pandemic has provided an opportunity to pull out recordings that were started but for one reason or another, never finished. I found that I had a great many tracks that had promise but just needed some time and attention to finish to my satisfaction. I can foresee eventually completing 3 collections, or albums, 1 of newly released rock tunes, a 2nd of country-inspired tunes and a 3rd of jazz material. When they will all be complete is anybody's guess, but as current listening trends tend towards single songs (or playlists of songs from several sources), I have begun this week uploading tunes as they are complete. In addition I have been planning a new album of guitar instrumentals mostly in a finger-picking style.

Hope every one is holding up under the constraints of the pandemic. You may identify with the sentiment of my recent song post "Cabin Fever". My sincere thanks to all those who take the time to listen to my music.

First Post... 

This is my first post on my new blog page. I hope everyone is staying safe during this coronavirus pandemic. Sincere condolences to those that have lost loved ones.

I recently had the pleasure of helping a former bandmate, Rob Critchley, re-create his tribute to nurses written around 40 years ago entitled "Dear Miss Percy". Four of the members of our quartet "MetroGnome" worked together remotely to create an audio track and video for the project. It was a fantastic experience and because of it I have re-connected with not just my former bandmates but many friends and classmates, workmates, etc.

Here is a link to the video....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHbzsCZ9JtQ