Real estate blog entries tagged with stories behind the music by Steven L. Smith, Bellingham, Wa. Home Inspector (King of the House Home Inspection)

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stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- Let's Do It In The Car - 01/08/09 11:37 AM

There are probably any number of songs that were written in a car, a bus or an airplane. However, from a historical standpoint, one song comes to mind.
No doubt about it, the late Roy Orbison will go down as one of the true legends of pop music. He had … (7 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- Life Did Not Imitate Art - 01/07/09 09:46 AM

In the annals of pop music, one vocal group of the 1950's really stood out as providing music that was lots of fun. That group was the Coasters. Their first two hits made it to the top of the charts, #2 in each case. You might remember the songs Yakety Yak … (6 comments)

stories behind the music: Boomin' Back To The 60's Burger Stand - 01/05/09 09:27 AM

It is funny how the mind works. Sometimes, from out of the blue, a memory will come roaring back from another lifetime. Music and songs, of course, are known to provide an expressway for bringing back memories. You might hear a song and immediately think of a time many years before … (21 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- The Day the Music Died - 12/31/08 09:14 AM

February 3, 1959 has been eluded to many times in pop culture. This date, and the tragedy that occurred on that day, was best summed up in a song by Don McLean. In American Pie, McLean referred to that date as the day the music died.
On that February night, 50 years ago, a plane crash … (8 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- The End of the World - 12/30/08 07:36 PM

The story behind the artist and song featured in this music post is quite interesting and surprising. If you think it is a post about some old country tune, then read on.
According to Billboard, this song is the only chart single to ever reach the top 10 on all of the … (8 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- The Story of El Paso - 12/29/08 10:14 AM

The story of the song El Paso, written and recorded by Marty Robbins, is an amazing look at music history. It was not only a country song that topped both the pop and the country charts, but it also set many firsts. It was the first #1 song of the 1960's, … (12 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind The Music -- Ruth Brown and the Roots of Rock n' Roll - 12/28/08 05:13 PM

The rock era was not recognized, or labeled as such at least, until 1955. There is an ongoing debate about which blues songs, pre-1955, contributed to the popularity of the music that would later be labeled as rock. James Miller is a well-known expert and author on pop culture and … (9 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- Tales of Ill-Repute - 12/24/08 09:54 AM

In the early days of rock n' roll music many of the songs that were called rock were really nothing more than white kids performing blues music that had, previously, been hits for African-American artists. It had been called race music but was later changed to rhythm and blues -- … (10 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- The Father of Rockabilly - 12/23/08 07:24 PM

Carl Perkins was a young man from Tennessee. He began playing honky tonks with his brothers, the Perkins Brothers Band. To make a real living, Carl picked cotton and worked in a bakery. In 1955, before Elvis hit it big or had a #1 song, Perkins toured with Elvis. Shortly thereafter, Elvis left … (14 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- First and Only U.S. #1 Song From France - 12/20/08 02:52 PM

If you were around in 1968, you will remember this song well. There are a few things about it that made it an unlikely contender to be #1 on the American charts. For example, an instrumental had not been at #1 for more than five years. The last instrumental to … (6 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- My First Rock N' Roll Memory - 12/20/08 01:14 PM

I am afraid that I am showing my age here. The song in this blog post is guaranteed to make you think of summer even on a cold winter day.
I have lived in the same city all of my life. I have visited many different parts of this country and Europe, … (10 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- California Dreamin', the Real Scoop - 12/19/08 10:58 AM

I have always considered California Dreamin', by the Mamas and the Papas, as one of the premier rock songs of the 1960's. John Phillips had not only written a catchy tune but the group had the ability and the voices to make it work. There is an interesting set of … (12 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music: Portland's Sultan of Sob - 12/16/08 11:27 AM

Back in 1956, one of the biggest songs of the year was performed by a fellow who went by a number of nicknames, any one of which gives you some idea of his style of singing. They called Johnnie Ray the Prince of Wails, the Cry Guy and the Sultan of … (6 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- The No-Hit Supremes - 12/11/08 07:24 PM

In the past I have made reference to Motown's Supremes as the "No-Hit" Supremes. Apparently that was the nickname for the girls in the early years of Motown. That is, in retrospect, amusing since they are now listed by Billboard as the most successful female trio in all of history. During … (8 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- Yesterday Was Not By the Beatles - 12/09/08 09:49 AM

If you read that title, and think I am going to expose the Beatles as a big fraud, well that is not the case nor the intent. However, there is a little-known piece of Beatles's trivia that you might find interesting.
First, let me tell you about the song Yesterday. It … (10 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- How Time Flies Turn, Turn Turn - 12/08/08 09:23 AM

Boy how time flies. I remember this song like it was a hit only yesterday. However, fact is, I am showing my age here. It was at the top of the charts in December 1965, forty-three years ago.
This monster of a song might be the biggest hit ever to be … (3 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- Chipmunks and Immitator Dominate the Charts - 12/07/08 01:10 PM

It finally happened. It is like being on the radio again. All request Active Rain radio! Michael Thornton asked that, in stories behind the music, I write about the phenomenon of the 1950's that was known as Alvin and the Chipmunks. It is funny that he should ask, because I had been mulling … (13 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music -- That Guy Named Mitchell - 12/06/08 09:48 AM

In 1989 I purchased a Billboard book of the biggest singles of all time. At that time, the top song of all time was Elvis and Don't Be Cruel backed with Hounddog. That was no big surprise. The song that was a surprise to me was the one at #2. … (9 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music: Detroit Kept the Flag Waving - 12/04/08 07:07 PM

Once the British Invasion officially began, early 1964, there were so many British acts on the US charts that big hits by American acts were harder to come by, at least compared to the early days of rock n' roll. The big hitmakers were suddenly acts like the Beatles, Herman's Hermits, … (10 comments)

stories behind the music: Stories Behind the Music: Two Old Guys Kicked the Beatles' Butts - 11/28/08 05:24 PM

The Beatles dominated the singles chart in the early 1960's. In April of 1964, the Beatles released a song that is, arguably, their most significant hit. Can't Buy Me Love, and the group, set many milestones: Greatest dominance in the top five; greatest dominance in the top 100; biggest jump to … (13 comments)

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