Mostly Music Covers

Isn't it Ironic? Sorry, I'm not talking about Alanis Morissette! But there are artists who have been eclipsed by their own songs. Many of them are amazing songwriters but, ironically, their chart-topping hits were written by someone else. As I pointed out in my series, I Write the Songs, many great songwriters are not well-known, yet their songs are easily recognized by most people. Today I will point out the contrasts in popularity for some singer/songwriters. When I say ironic, I mean that things turned out the opposite or in an unexpected way from what one might have expected. Willie NelsonNow everyone knows of Willie Nelson, and I've mentioned him quite a bit. He is one of the best songwriters in Country music but his first #1 song was "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" (1975), written by Fred Rose. Not only did Nelson not write it himself, it was a cover version that was first done by Roy Acuff. In fact, Nelson’s next five #1 songs: "If You've Got the Mon…

Music Icons, is it all just DNA?
Some well-known recording artists come from families who have a strong musical background. It makes perfect sense, having the exposure and a bit of musical DNA most certainly helps. And how do the offspring of musical legends fair? In the inset photo I love the expression on Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour's daughter’s face: it looks to me like a classic "oh dad, just let me play!" But then he is not just any old Dad. Here is a song by father and daughter, David Gilmour with Romany Gilmour - Yes, I Have Ghosts.  Another example is Jakob Dylan. I don't need to explain who his father is and it is a stretch well beyond my imagination as to what it might be like for him to be in the family business. Growing up with one or both of your parents as musical icons must be very difficult. I can imagine it’s hard to find a way to have your own life and career whether you stay in the world of music or not. At the same time, you have inherited s…

Record Breaking Records: R&B Charts

I have touched on the R&B charts many times throughout my posts, however today I would like to lay out the history as well as point out some of the many milestones achieved by both songs and artists. Charts in the music business are very much about sales and making money. As interesting as we find them, they do not always represent the truly great artists and songs. Sometimes it takes time and reflection to arrive at not only the lasting opinions but the evidence to establish what was overlooked. An example of an overlooked artist during his time is Chuck Berry. You may find this assertion surprising as almost everyone that listens to American music has at least heard his name and is able to recognize a song or two, though his only #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 was “My Ding-a-Ling” in 1972. Berry was among the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is widely cited as one of if not the most influential Rock and Roll artist …

Record-setting Records

There are so many different achievements that artists and their recorded music have attained and here I have highlighted some that I found interesting. I will stick to chart achievements today and perhaps I will do an awards post in the future. So you won’t find many big surprises and some references may be a bit obscure (but worth a mention). Many of these stats are current up to 2018/2019. Some may be a bit older as calculating them has become increasingly more difficult with streaming services challenging the traditional charts on many fronts. The lists also come from different organizations and most are skewed towards music from the US, adding in the UK and Western Europe to some degree. In large part it is because the major organizations like the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and Billboard are American, not to mention the largest consumer base resides in the US. As I was editing I found there was too much for one post so I will spin off my…