This is the day to champion the pioneers of music, many of whom changed the norms and directed the history of music. My eclectic career path… from theatre and teaching to business and broadcasting… brought many opportunities in music, which I love!
I pinch myself when I recall some special moments. For example, I sang with the Beach Boys in a concert, did a one-on-one interview with Ringo Starr (sitting in a limo with him and his wife), emceed for Tony Bennett, and shared a dressing room with Ella Fitzgerald.
From my years hosting Easter Seals Telethons & Celebrations
Rock pulled from several earlier genres and still enjoys the widest audience of all music types. I have enjoyed interviewing and meeting many rock ‘n’ rollers… from Pat Boone, Bob Marley, and BB King to Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy, and Tom Jones. Among my earliest interviews were Harry Belafonte and then Lionel Hampton.
Interviewing Mike Love of The Beach Boys
Sitting with Carole King, 1984
Others included Carole King, Arlo Guthrie, Levi Stubbs, Dave Mason, Beach Boys Mike Love & Bruce Johnson, The Righteous Brothers (Bill Medley & Bobby Hatfield), Tommy James, Livingston Taylor, and more.
Interviewing Roy Orbison, 1985
I also got to meet and interview several times a person who may well have been the sweetest rock ‘n’ roller ever… Roy Orbison.
I did the onstage concert introductions of some super groups, including Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. That list is long, but includes Hall & Oates, The Beach Boys, America, John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band, Huey Lewis & the News, and The Moody Blues.
This is one of those days when we can revel in the concerts we have attended over the years, too. An early fantabulous memory was seeing Jimi Hendrix from 4th row center in his last concert at the Boston Garden in 1971. Among the other memorable concerts over the years have been The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Preston, Jackson Brown, James Taylor, Chuck Berry, Jethro Tull, Temptations, Steve Miller Band, Rod Stewart, Aerosmith, Cher, Blood, Sweat, & Tears, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers & the First Edition, Metallica, Bob Seger, John Kay & Steppenwolf, Journey, Jefferson Airplane, Neil Diamond, Tom Petty, Billy Joel, The Doors, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Ravi Shankar, Mountain, The Doobie Brothers, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, Johnny (and Edgar) Winter, and the Allman Brothers. This summer we just saw Chicago… again… still featuring 3 original members!
The favorite artist I most wish I had gotten to see in person is Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble. Who’s the “one that got away” for you? Today’s the day to remember… and always!
