Author Archives

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Song of the Day #4,311: ‘Pickup Man’ – Joe Diffie

Coronavirus seems to have hit the country music world particularly hard. Perhaps that’s because it’s a genre with a disproportionate amount of older men. Whatever the reason, I came across a number of country artists — both obscure and well-known — when researching these posts.

A new name to me was Joe Diffie, a Tulsa native who released 13 albums and scored 20 Top Ten hits in his career, with most of his success coming in the 90s. He churned out novelty tunes and sincere ballads and collaborated with some of country music’s biggest names.

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Song of the Day #4,310: ‘My Heart’ – Eddy Davis

Eddy Davis, banjo virtuoso and bandleader, died earlier this month due to complications from coronavirus. He was 79 years old.

Davis is best known as a member of The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band, with which Woody Allen has played clarinet for nearly 35 years. Allen famously missed several Oscar ceremonies because they were held on Monday nights, conflicting with his weekly gigs at Michael’s Pub and later Café Carlyle. Davis appeared in several of Allen’s films, either on the soundtrack or in a cameo role.

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Song of the Day #4,309: ‘Cold Hearted (Remix)’ – Lexii Alijai

It wasn’t coronavirus that killed rapper Lexii Alijai on Jan. 1. It was drugs and alcohol, or “mixed fentanyl and ethanol toxicity” as the coroner’s report put it. Add another name to the list of artists struck down by fentanyl.

The Minnesota rapper was just 21 years old when she died, but she had already released four mixtapes and a full-length album. She found success rapping over beats by established artists such as Drake, Childish Gambino and Beyoncé, writing about her life and delivering a flow often compared to J Cole, whom she cited as an influence.

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Song of the Day #4,308: ‘Daddy’s Home (Nola Bounce Remix)’ – Go DJ Black N Mild

It’s been a rough year for the music community. Many artists have died, either from coronavirus or unrelated causes, over the last few months. This week and next I will feature songs by some of the dearly departed.

Oliver Stokes, Jr., known as Go DJ Black N Mild, was a New Orleans DJ and radio host who died on March 19 at the age of 44 after testing positive for COVID-19. He is survived by a wife and four children.

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Song of the Day #4,307: ‘From a Buick 6’ – Bob Dylan

‘From a Buick 6’ is the fourth track on Bob Dylan’s classic 1965 album Highway 61 Revisited. A rollicking blues romp fueled by Al Kooper’s distinctive work on the organ, this is a bawdy and hilarious jolt of adrenaline on one of the greatest albums of all time.

Apparently ‘From a Buick 6′ was Steve Jobs’ favorite song, or at least he said as much during one of his celebrated Apple product presentations.

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