An Unhappy Return

It was so hot that I could barely breathe. We didn’t have air-conditioning in the car back in those days, so the windows were wide open, and I could hear the wind rushing past as we drove through the total darkness of a moonless desert night. I leaned towards the nearest window, thinking that poking my head out would give me the relief of cooler air, but the wind outside was like a blast furnace. I recoiled in shock – I couldn’t believe that air rushing past the car could be so hot - at night. That just defied logic.

Celebrating My Dad's Life

Dr. Walter A. Manch, 81, died March 22, 2013, at Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah. He was surrounded by loving family, including Gertrude, his wife of 59 years, son Larry, and close friends, Rose and Ken Ronjon of St. George.

Dr. Manch, Ph.D., was born September 14, 1931 in Utica, New York, the only child of Larry and Eleanor (Bowman) Manch. He attended elementary, middle, and high schools in Utica before enrolling at Utica College and Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. He earned his doctorate from SU in 1961, and taught chemistry and physics in several colleges and universities over a lengthy and successful career.

 

It’s Still Rock and Roll

Do you understand the differences between ‘folk rock’, ‘country rock’, ‘Southern rock’, ‘classic rock’, and ‘pop rock’? The terms ‘rock’ and ‘rock and roll’ cover many sub-genres. Most of them are self-explanatory, but some music fans are confused by the terms. While the label doesn’t really matter – it you like it, who cares what you call it – it can be helpful to understand the differences.

Travelin' Man

What began as a way to impress girls – singing and playing guitar – became a way of life for a 1950’s teenage idol. He became one of the top selling artists in pop music history. His father Ozzie was a well-known big band leader, and later a radio and television star. His mother Harriet was a singer with Ozzie’s band, and starred as Ozzie’s wife on the popular radio and then television show ‘The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet’. While Rick Nelson had advantages that most people don’t enjoy, he quickly emerged from the shadows of his parents to become a star in his own right.

Significant Roles

Their abilities as guitar players, singers, and/or songwriters made these men highly visible. As with most of the greats of rock music, their contributions were such that without them, their bands may never have achieved the level of fame they enjoyed. Without a doubt, these men played significant roles in the development of the bands in which they played and in the history of rock music.

Allen Collins is a tragic figure. Once a talented guitarist in one of the biggest bands of the rock era, his life spiraled out of control after a series of devastating events – every one of them a disaster of epic proportions. 

Sweet Baby James

We drove all night, arriving around dawn. We staggered wearily into the hotel restaurant, and as I sat there mesmerized by the aroma of coffee, eggs, and bacon, it slowly dawned on me through the fog of fatigue that music was playing in the room.

The first song I was aware of was a slow, quiet song – a mellow-voiced man singing about “Sweet dreams and Flying Machines in pieces on the ground”. The album continued to play, and as I listened more closely to the songs, I realized that I was hearing something special but I had no idea who the singer was.

Different Enough

When you stop to think of all of the guitarists that you have heard in popular music, you begin to realize that not only are there hundreds or more, but even those that play the same genre are all clearly different. Then the next thought for me was, “Well duh – that’s why we have heard of them.”

No Stairway

If you love guitars, you have probably spent a fair amount of time in guitar stores browsing, drooling, talking, and playing. Store personnel do their best to provide customer service to those ready to buy, and for those that are just browsing. While this is part of retail life, especially with big-ticket items like guitars, basses, and amps, it is helpful to remember that there is a code of best practices for customers as well as retailers. 

The ‘27’ Club

What do Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain have in common? What about Brian Jones, Amy Winehouse, Ron McKernan, and Pete Ham? If you said they were all musicians/performers, you would be correct. If you noticed that all of them are deceased, you would also be correct. They also had something else in common - they are all members of an exclusive club.

Every one of these performers (and a dozen or more other, lesser known musicians) are members of the infamous ‘27 Club’.

The Rhythm Aces

Popular music has its stars, and also those ‘other’ musicians that made major contributions yet are not very well known. Rhythm guitarists are rarely the stars of a band, unless they happen to be the lead singer, but no one can deny their importance to the music. Although the guitarists featured in this piece are not as well known as most lead guitar players, they deserve mention for their skill in driving the music of rock and roll.