Category: On this date

Nashville Skyline is 50

Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline was released on April 9, 1969. It continued the country leanings of the last two songs on his prior album John Wesley Harding. It was a lot different than the albums he had produced just a few years earlier of image-laden organ-drenched pounding rock.

This was a straight country album and didn’t seem very ambitious. It was peaceful during a really turbulent time. The best songs have held up well – I prefer “I Threw It All Away” and “To Be Alone With You” to the hit “Lay Lady Lay”.

Happy Pi Day!

Creature from the Black Lagoon

The film was released 65 years ago today. Try to see it in 3D on Blu-ray or at events like Blobfest. I got to meet Ricou Browning at Blobfest several years ago – he played the creature when he was underwater.

National Pizza Day

This is a very important holiday. The best pizza I have ever had was from Two Boots which has multiple locations although the one here in Baltimore is gone.

Frank Robinson

The great Frank Robinson passed away yesterday. He did so much that these are just some of the highlights:

Two time MVP – only player to win in both leagues

First African-American manager

Triple Crown in 1966

Statues outside stadiums in three cities – Baltimore, Cleveland, Cincinnati

Manager of the year

He was the only player to hit a home run out of Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium. There was a flag that said “HERE” marking where it went out.

The only time I am sure I saw him play was in 1962 when I saw the Reds play the Mets at the Polo Grounds.

Professor Longhair’s 100th Birthday

Professor Longhair is my favorite New Orleans musician.  His piano playing is amazing and the rhythms are always pushed by the percussion.  There are lots of good albums but my favorite is Rock’N’Roll Gumbo which was recorded in 1974 but not released in the US until the mid-1980s.  His albums have huge overlaps on songs but that’s fine because the versions are always unique and worth listening to.