“My only weapon is my pen, I’m a songwriter.” “Poet” –Sly Stone Sly Stone finally decided to tell his story. It’s a wild ride. Sly & The Family Stone operated at the top of the music world in the late 60s and early 70s until drugs destroyed everything. Written...
Hemingway’s By-Line contains 77 articles written as a journalist between 1920 and 1956. William White wrote in the book’s introduction: “Some readers will no doubt view the material as rounding out the Hemingway record; others, it is to be hoped, will regard it simply as among the best newspaper and magazine reporting in our troubled times.”
In 2016, Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart) was awarded five million dollars in back royalties. For years, Sly lived in an RV, and before that he was homeless. The story of Sly & The Family Stone cuts to the bone. This article originally coincided with the release of...
This lone structure is near Jordan, Georgia. Another cultural symbol from a bygone era. A portrait that represents farming and the America forest with a low-to-the-ground aesthetic. This place always reminds me of tree farmer Chuck Leavell, keyboardist for the Rolling...
Peace…Like a River counts as Gov’t Mule’s twelfth studio album, and it’s one of their most complex. The first cut, “Same As It Ever Was” contains an emotive opening riff as the song travels into jazz territory. The past, present and future serves as a recurring theme...
Alan Lomax once declared the Golden Isles of Georgia home of the American song. Get In Union: Bessie Jones with the Sea Island Singers and Others, a 2 CD set, features 26 previously unreleased tracks. This collection truly captures essential roots of American music....
I conducted this interview in the spring of 2006 with Mrs. Frankie Quimby. Her husband, Doug, passed away later that year. Frankie She grew up on the Georgia sea islands. Her ancestors were traced all the way back to the Foulah Tribe in Africa. This interview is American history of the highest order. Frankie Quimby died on July 22, 2024.
“I’d like to point out to people the divine in a musical language that transcends words. I want to speak to their souls.” –John Coltrane John Coltrane’s music emits an unmistakable sound. The album Coltrane Plays the Blues, released in 1962, ranks as one of Coltrane’s...
“And the days keep on worryin' me Of a hellhound on my trail..." --Robert Johnson "Hellhound On My Trail" This year marks the 25th anniversary of Ace Atkins’ debut novel, Crossroad Blues. The book was first published when Atkins was 27 years old and worked as a...
“I think Nashville is one of the best places to make money…” –Ron Ormond The Ormond family survived a plane crash in 1967. After the crash, the independent filmmakers knew they must change their show biz ways. At that point in their career, they were raking in cash...