Sound + Vision | The Blog

  • Blondie : DREAMING

    by Frank Shankly
    Written by guitarist Chris Stein and singer Debbie Harry, released in 1979, Blondie’s DREAMING was clearly inspired by ABBA's DANCING QUEEN. The so...

  • Bangles : ETERNAL FLAME

    by Frank Shankly
    In Bangles’ ETERNAL FLAME, the eternal flame metaphor was suggested by two eternal flames: one at the gravesite of Elvis Presley at Graceland, wher...

  • Eric Clapton : HELLO OLD FRIEND

    by Frank Shankly
    Eric Clapton’s HELLO OLD FRIEND was released in October 1976 as the first of two singles from Clapton's 1976 studio album "No Reason to Cry." Placi...

  • Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ I LOVE ROCK 'N ROLL

    by Frank Shankly
    I LOVE ROCK ’N ROLL was originally recorded and released by The Arrows in 1975 on Rak Records, featuring Alan Merrill on lead vox and guitar, with ...

  • The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs of Johnnie Taylor

    by Frank Shankly
    Three things to know about Johnnie Taylor: 1. When Sam Cooke left the Soul Stirrers, Johnnie was chosen to be his replacement. But after an auto ac...

  • Vonda Van Dyke’s DAY BY DAY

    by Frank Shankly
    Vonda Van Dyke was Miss America 1965. That same year, she starred in the B-movie Teenage Diary. Here is a great review of the film, "...a color Chr...

  • C.B. Victoria’s COME AND SEE MY MAN

    by Frank Shankly
    In 1965, young Canadian emigre Edwin Coppard joined The Deacons, which evolved into the Hollywood Shockers. Eventually, they shortened their name t...

  • Ella Washington’s THE BALLAD OF ARTHUR MCDUFFIE

    by Frank Shankly
    In 1979, Arthur McDuffie, a Black insurance salesman and Marine Lance Corporal, was beaten to death by four Miami police officers after a traffic s...

  • LaVerne Tripp & The Family’s JESUS LOVES COWBOYS

    by Frank Shankly
    LaVerne Tripp started singing in front of crowds when he was just two and a half years old.  When he was a student, he sang at local churches and e...

  • R.I.P. Marianne Faithfull

    by Frank Shankly
    From the AP: One of the first songs written by Jagger and Keith Richards, the melancholy “As Tears Go By,” was her breakthrough hit when released ...

  • TRUTH's WOULD YOU BELIEVE IN ME

    by Frank Shankly
    TRUTH is an acronym for Trust, Receive, Unchangeable True Happiness in Jesus.  Founded by John Roger Breland in 1971, the group performed its first...

  • Anthony Grant On Music And Growing Up In The '80s.

    by Frank Shankly
    Most days I’d play outside until the sun went down. My friends and I would find things to keep ourselves occupied throughout the day. The Bronx in ...