News & Notes – January 2013

In NEWS & NOTES: Gospel stalwarts unite on single to benefit MY SANDY HOOD FUND; 'CHINA BEACH' finally set for DVD release; BLAKE SHELTON consigned to Dunce's Corner, as RAY PRICE speaks out against ignorance; two SERENA MATTHE...
by David McGee
 

 
 

He Wrote ‘Two Steps from the Blues’

TEXAS JOHNNY BROWN, who died in Houston on July 1, will always be remembered for writing Bobby Blue Bland's classic "Two Steps from the Blues." But there was more...
by David McGee
 

 

 

Sorrow and Suicide

'Robin Williams's death has really stirred up a lot of stuff for me. Big time.' TONY CAPUTI reflects on his personal travails and gives thanks for the healing gifts a comic genius left us to savor.
by David McGee
 

 
 

The Bells of Saint Thomas Wept

Remembering JOHN SCOTT (1956-2015), Music Director of Saint Thomas Church in New York City, who died suddenly on August 12. 'The only glory John sought was the glory of God.'
by David McGee
 

 

 

Updike at Easter, 2021

Updated for Year II of the pandemic, 'Seven Voices on Seven Stanzas' presents a septet of viewpoints on the meaning and import of JOHN UPDIKE's provocative poem, 'Seven Stanzas at Easter.' Featuring Easter-themed videos by DOLL...
by David McGee
 

 
 

Rewarding and Unpredictable: An Appreciation of Elliott Carter (1908-2012)

ELLIOTT CARTER: AN APPRECIATION--America's greatest living composer died on November 5 at the age of 103. Herewith an appreciation of this visionary's rewarding and unpredictable music.
by David McGee
 

 

 

‘Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow’

George Morton came and went like a shadow, producing great '60s singles for the Shangri-Las and Janis Ian, and shortly thereafter, disappearing. But the Shadow left his mark. Remembering a pop great.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Beyond the So-Called First Thanksgiving: 5 Children’s Books That Set the Record Straight

Five new books offer young readers a more nuanced, and accurate, account of the so-called First Thanksgiving. While Thanksgiving is a good time to grab people’s attention about Wampanoag-European interactions, it does not ne...
by David McGee
 

 

 

The ‘Quiet Ecstasy’ of Harry Simeone’s ‘Little Drummer Boy’

The story behind THE HARRY SIMEONE CHORALE's classic 'THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY' begins in 1941 with KATHERINE KENNICOTT DAVIS'S 'CAROL OF THE DRUM' and includes a classic Christmas album featuring the oft-covered seasonal favorite.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Seven Voices on ‘Seven Stanzas’

Our 2017 edition of 'Seven Voices on Seven Stanzas'--a septet of perspective on JOHN UPDIKE's famous poem 'Seven Stanzas at Easter
by David McGee
 

 

 

Remembering Mr. Earl: They Often Called Him Speedo…

REMEMBERING EARL 'SPEEDO' CARROLL and MICKEY BAKER--Earl Carroll and Mickey Baker had but one big hit each, but both are major early rock 'n' roll hits. As a singer and showman, Carroll's influence extended into the dawn of sou...
by David McGee
 

 
 

George Beverly Shea, 104, Crosses Over

GEORGE BEVERLY SHEA, one of the great and most influential voices in gospel history, who sang live before some 220 million people, died on April 16, in Montreat, NC. He was 104 years old.
by David McGee