Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Steve Cropper was one of the best guitarists many people never heard of. He wasn’t a flashy guitar god like Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix; he was a solid player who could seamlessly switch from rhythm to lead and back again. His rhythm playing was highly precise and often syncopated, with the space between notes often more important than the…
From the collective pens of the legendary Motown songwriting team of Holland-Dozier-Holland comes today’s classic song of the day, “Something About You.” This 1965 single by the Four Tops went to #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on Billboard’s R&B chart. Holland-Dozier-Holland, also known as H-D-H, was Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Brian’s brother Eddie Holland. They were…
Today’s classic song of the day is an obscure soul banger that never gained a foothold on the pop charts but later got rediscovered by England’s Northern Soul scene. The song is “The Right Track” and it was recorded by soul singer Billy Butler. “The Right Track” was written by blues guitarist Johnny Jones and released, in 1966, on Chicago’s…
Today’s classic song of the day is “I’m In Love.” It was written by Bobby Womack and recorded by Womack himself, Wilson Pickett, and Aretha Franklin. Bobby Womack wrote “I’m In Love” in 1967. He had recently married the widow of fellow soul singer Sam Cooke and was receiving no small amount of flack for that. He wrote this song…
Fontella Bass’ “Rescue Me” is today’s classic song of the day. Released as a single in September of 1965, “Rescue Me” soared to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Hot Rhythm & Blues chart. “Rescue Me” took shape during a songwriting and rehearsal session at Chess Studios in Chicago.…
The year 1970 was a great one for music. I was 12 years old then, moving from sixth grade into seventh, and I was listening to the radio a lot—WIBC-AM in Indianapolis for news, WIFE-AM for top forty music, and WNAP-FM for more album-oriented rock, but with a lot of overlap between the last two. I also spent a lot…
Today’s classic song of the day is a wonderful little tune by Stevie Wonder. “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” was included on Stevie’s Grammy-winning 1972 album, Talking Book, and released as a single in March of 1973. The single went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cash Box Top 100, and Billboard Adult Contemporary…
Long-time followers of this blog know that I love featuring long-lost soul tracks from the 1960s that have been revived by England’s Northern Soul scene. Today’s classic song of the day is one such tune, “I Love You Baby” by Cindy Scott. “I Love You Baby” was written by the team of Leon Huff (of future Philly Soul fame), David…
Lou Rawls’ “Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing” is today’s classic song of the day. Released as a single in October of 1966, this smooth soul track went all the way to #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Singles chart. “Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing” was written by Ben Raleigh and David J. Luff, writing…