Today’s artist is a man that needs no introduction. Willie Nelson has been around what seems like forever. Actually, he hasn't been around forever. He was born in 1933 and at 88 years old is still performing to sellout crowds.Always known as a Country singer, Willie and friends perfected the outlaw sound. Nelson has worn many hats as an entertainer including author, disc jockey, song writer and movie star. Willie had parts in 30 movies including his starring role in Honeysuckle Rose.In the 1980s Nelson joined with John Mellencamp and Neil Young to establish the Farm Aid benefit concerts to help call attention to the plight of the family farms in America.When you decide to talk about Willie Nelson songs you literally have hundreds to choose from going back to the 1950s. I chose one of h... 06/20/2021

After reading blog after blog about video and how important it is in today's environment, I'm putting my best "face" forward and will be doing videos.   I'm not a fan of being in front of a camera, but focusing on someone else gives me the boost I need to "get 'er done!"  My new foray into videos is in part due to the ActiveRain Challenge for June 2021 - Post - Pandemic  "Let Freedom Ring."   I'm excited to venture into video for the first time and will share posts here via the Park Bench site where they will be housed.  As an instructor since 2012, going virtual was a huge adjustment and I'm excited to be in front of people again, so I"m expanding that into video.   Here we go.....!  Videos are much better than the written word at conveying so much more than a story.  Videos can convey... 06/19/2021

 What ever happened to the Age of Aquarius? If you ask the astrological experts, they will tell you it is still forthcoming. But in 1967 a Broadway musical named Hair, declared we were at the dawn of the Age of Aquarius.The song was the opening song for the play and later recorded and released as a single by singing group The 5th Dimension. The 5th Dimensions version topped the charts for six weeks in 1969 and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It is listed as number 66 on Billboards Greatest Songs of All Time.The expression Age of Aquarius in popular culture became known as a time of hippies and New Age thinking and humanitarianism.The 5th Dimension was a vocal group, so they needed session musicians to provide the music. Well in 1969 if you wanted... 06/18/2021

I haven’t featured The Eagles on the Soundtrack since 2018 an oversight that I am correcting right now. After all, The Eagles are the largest selling rock band of all time.A lot of great music has come from this group since their early days when Glenn Frye and Don Henley split off from the Stone Ponies to form their own band. Over the years there have been a few changes to the personnel , but the band has only gotten better with each year.Today’s song Hotel California has, more than any other song, become their signature sound. For my money, no other band has done as good a job of replicating their music live on stage to sound so crisp and clear.Guitarist Don Felder composed the melody for "Hotel California." And brought it to Frye and Henley who added the lyrics along with Henley’s ras... 06/19/2021