Last week, my father’s 80th birthday lined up with a post about Willie Nelson, allowing me to celebrate two legends at once. Today, it’s my mom’s turn.
I’m glad she wasn’t born on the 17th, or she would have had to share the spotlight with the aggressive, off-putting rap metal of Rage Against the Machine. Instead, I get to recognize her birthday to the smooth soul of The Spinners.
Our next inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2023 class is Los Angeles rap metal band Rage Against the Machine.
My knowledge and appreciation for Rage Against the Machine can be summed up by the fact that this is the first of their songs to show up on the blog through nearly 5,500 Songs of the Day. Hard rock/heavy metal just isn’t my genre, no matter how potent the message behind it.
The week of July 14, 1973, found Billy Preston on top of Billboard’s Hot 100 for the second week with his single ‘Will It Go Round in Circles.’ This was Preston’s second appearance at #1, having made it there as a featured artist on The Beatles’ ‘Get Back’ in 1969.
Preston would reach #1 one more time a year later, with ‘Nothing From Nothing,’ a song I know quite well. This one is new to me.
Throwing back to the week of July 13, 1963, we find the doo-wop group The Essex topping the Billboard Hot 100 with their song ‘Easier Said Than Done.’ I’ve never heard this particular song, but I’ve heard plenty like it, and it’s a sound I love.
The Essex is an interesting group, founded by two Marines while stationed in Okinawa, Japan. They recruited three other Marines back in the States, including lead singer Anita Humes, before dropping a member and performing as a quartet.
Before I get to today’s featured artist, allow me to wish a very happy 80th birthday to my father! It’s quite a milestone for a man who has lived an extraordinary life while making the lives of those around him richer as well.
Fate has conspired to serve up an appropriate subject for today’s song in Mr. Willie Nelson, who turned 90 this past April. Willie has a decade on my dad, and I can’t say they are very much alike, but I’m happy to celebrate one legendary figure while writing about another one.
Meet Me In Montauk 