On August 16, 2018 Aretha Franklin passed away at 76 years of age, due to pancreatic cancer. Very few artists have had the indelible impact on music that the “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin had. Many of her tunes also expressed a keen understanding of the human condition, and her soaring vocals transformed many songs into anthems of empowerment. Here […]
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Many of my fondest memories in life are connected to attending concerts. A couple of the shows that have had the most significant impact are those I just accidentally stumbled upon. One such defining moment was when I saw Johnny Cash perform live on August 30th, 1994 at the CNE Bandstand. I was at the Canadian National Exhibition with a couple of […]
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Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” is one of the most important songs of all time, so it should be no surprise that there have been many cover versions. Here is a sampling of seven of them. The Undisputed Truth (1972) This close-to-9-and-a-half-minute version was off the Motown act’s sophomore album Face to Face With the Truth. Producer Norman Whitfield assembled the […]
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Check out the complete 100 Best Protest Songs list.
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I recorded a reaction video when Rolling Stone posted its list of the 100 best protest songs of all time. I decided to go one step further and create my list. Often, I present lists on this site as either alphabetical or chronological, but I’m going full music nerd with a ranked list. Also, trying to do the impossible by […]
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The iconic Canadian singer-songwriter is still going strong six decades into his career. He has also lived in the States for several years and officially became a US citizen in 2020. Neil Young has long been vocal about American policies and politicians. He has also been an outspoken environmentalist and has often explored those themes in his music. Here is […]
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The Clash’s music is as vital as ever. Right now, we’ll consider a small sample of their important contribution to the canon of protest songs. White Riot (1977) “White Riot” was the band’s first single, and it appeared on their self-titled debut. The song tackles issues of race and class. The song was also influenced by the 1976 riots at […]
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Rolling Stone recently published their list of 100 Best Protest Songs of All Time. This video is my real-time response.
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As previously mentioned, I recently did a 1974 deep dive, I listened to 186 albums and a whole lot of songs. These are my 25 favorites tunes. I previously posted a top 25 album video. I’m also planning on recording two videos devoted to the 10 best protest songs and albums. Also check out the following 74 Songs Of 74 playlist, […]
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Starting recording in the late 50s long-time singer-songwriter and activist Barbara Dane died on October 20, 2024, at 97. She had earned praise from Louis Armstong who described her as “a gasser!” and Bob Dylan who wrote an open letter to Broadside magazine in 1964 saying of Dane “we need more kind a people like that people that can’t go against […]
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