I see that Glen Hansard has passed away, and for someone who quotes musicians constantly, I’m embarrassed to admit I barely knew who he was. His name floated around the edges of my musical world, but I never stopped long enough to listen.
As usual, I started doing my research in preparation for a remembrance post — expecting to learn the basics about a musician I had somehow overlooked. Instead, I found myself shocked at just how good this guy was. Within minutes, I was wondering how I had missed him entirely.
The voice, the honesty, the emotional weight — it all hit at once. Then came the discoveries: his busking roots, his years with The Frames, the storytelling woven through every performance, and the quiet intensity that seemed to define him. I wasn’t a longtime fan, but suddenly I understood why so many people were.
There’s a strange ache in discovering an artist only after they’re gone. You feel the weight of everything you missed, paired with the gratitude of finally hearing them clearly. Glen Hansard left behind a body of work that deserves every bit of attention it gets, and I’m only now beginning to understand the depth of what he created.
I wish I had found him sooner. But I’m glad I found him now.
Every era produces a few wonderfully odd songs—tracks that seem to appear out of nowhere and instantly define a moment in time.
“In the Summertime,” released in 1971, is one of those unforgettable curiosities. Its charm came from its stripped‑down, jug‑band feel: no drums, just toe‑taps, a banjo, a jug, upright bass, and guitars. Somehow, that homespun mix turned into one of the year’s biggest hits.
Although many remember Mungo Jerry as a one‑hit wonder, the band actually enjoyed solid success in the UK, charting nine singles—two of which reached number one.
After 50 years, the band is still active. Ray Dorset continues to write and release music. Their latest album was released in 2020. This reminds us that one-hit wonders don’t end with that one memorable entry.
Very interesting article showing sites of WW1 battles as they look today. The war to end all wars started just over 100 years ago. One of my grandfathers fought for Canada in this and was gassed at some point. I’m going to have to look into that a bit further.
Good evening all. Lots happened in the last month, and I’ll expand on that all over the next few days. In the meantime, I just needed to drop in and let you know I am still kicking. That trip to Alaska in a short while is going to be very therapeutic. My song of the day is a random shuffle off my phone and boy, did I hit it big time. Love this song Little Wing, the classic Hendrix tune as interpreted by one the great Texas blues-men of all time, Stevie ray Vaughn. As an added bonus, I have added a Jimi Hendrix and John Mayer renditions of the tune. Enjoy, and we shall talk soon.
Clarence Burke Jr passed away on May 25th, he was 62. He was a singer, songwriter and guitarist with 1970’s family band “The Five Stairsteps“. The band was best known for it’s hit “O-o-h Child“, a song rated at 392 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 of All time. The video below is the band on “Soul Train“.
I am adding a new feature to my Song Of The Day category. I hit random on my iPhone and whatever song pops up is my Song Of The Day. This feature joins my current group consisting of “Remembering”, “Canada’s Best Music”, “Let’s Explore The Blues” (which I’m resurrecting) and the “Song Of The Day” (which makes up everything else).
I couldn’t have chosen a better song to start this series. The Commitments, filmed in 1991, follows the forming of a soul group in Dublin, Ireland. It is unique in that the actors were chosen for their musical talent and not their acting ability. Kind of like the Blues Brothers in that respect. The result, a terrific movie and an absolutely great soundtrack. The song that popped up was the Mack Rice classic, “Mustang Sally“. The song has had a great life, being recorded by Wilson Pickett, Buddy Guy, The Rascals, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and many others.
Tony Sheridan, an early Beatle (Ok the Beat Brothers), he is one of only 2 men (the other being Billy Preston) to be credited on a Beatle song, and the only person to sing lead on a Beatle single, passed away on February 16, 2013. All the stories have been told, so no point in rehashing them. Suffice to say that the Beatles first album was released as “My Bonnie” by Tony Sheridan and the Beatles. The band’s name was changed to Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers as the word Beatles sounded too much like the German word for penis. I wonder how they dealt with that as the Beatles became more and more famous.
He was an original rock & roll artist, but migrated to more of a jazz player as his career continued. He continued recording right up to 2008. Here is a sampling of his work.
It has been a tough week. Been to busy to sit at the keyboard, with more hecticness to come. Blogging will be slow until next week. Having said that, we did find time to finish off Breaking Bad to current. Heard this song on the credits(great show for music) and had to smile. I mean, The Monkees!!. Still, a great song, good enough to make song of the day.
