Let us enjoy some outsider and alternative music. The singer, musician and artist Daniel Dale Johnston (1961–2019) started his career by recording cassettes alone in his home. In the early 1990s, he became famous when Kurt Cobain (of the band Nirvana) was frequently seen wearing a T-shirt with the cover art for Johnston’s 1983 cassette album Hi, How Are You, with the now iconic “Jeremiah the Innocent” frog. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
The 1965 American musical comedy film Harum Scarum, released in the United Kingdom as Harem Holiday, starred Elvis Presley. Full of orientalist clichés, it looks like a spoof of the Arabic adventure genre. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
Aristide Bruant est né le 6 mai 1851 dans une famille bourgeoise à Courtenay dans le Loiret. Suite à la ruine de ses parents, il doit à 16 ans abandonner de brillantes études, il les rejoint à Paris et travaille comme ouvrier bijoutier. Il fréquente les restaurants pour pauvres et les cafés d’ouvriers, se mêlant aux classes populaire et apprenant leur langage. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
The American rock band ZZ Top was formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas, by Billy Gibbons (guitar and vocals). By the end of that year, he was joined by Frank Beard (drums), and in 1970 by Dusty Hill (bass and vocals); the band’s membership remained then the same until Hill’s death in July 2021. Per Hill’s wishes, ZZ Top continued with Elwood Francis, the band’s long-time guitar tech, and they are still active now. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
En 1962 la France gagna le concours Eurovision avec une chanteuse inconnue de 24 ans, Isabelle Aubret, qui interpréta la chanson « Un premier amour » écrite par Roland Valade et composée par Claude-Henri Vic (nom de plume de Claude-Henri-Benjamin Teissedre). Ce succès lança sa carrière. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
In February 2001, the ska band The Slackers released their album Wasted Days in two different forms: a CD with 16 tracks and a vinyl LP with 9 tracks. The album cover is a photograph showing Miki Stroman reading a comic titled Wasted Days. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
Paul McCartney wrote the song “I Lost My Little Girl” at the age of 14 in 1956 or 1957, shortly after the death of his mother (on 31 October 1956); the song may have been unconsciously inspired by that event, but he became aware of that much later. It is one of his first songs, and the first he wrote for guitar. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
John Lennon wrote his song “Hello Little Girl” in 1957, and it was the first one composed by the duo Lennon-McCartney. The Beatles recorded a version of it, and submitted it with Paul McCartney’s “Like Dreamers Do” during their unsuccessful audition for Decca Records on 1 January 1962. It was finally included (as Track 19) in their compilation album Anthology 1, released on 20 November 1995 by Apple Records, which is part of The Beatles Anthology series. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
The jazz song “Little Girl” was written and composed in 1931 by Madeline Hyde and Francis Henry, and first recorded by Sam Lanin and His Orchestra on June 2, 1931, with vocals by Paul Small. Since then, both the song and its instrumental version have been interpreted by various artists (see here for a partial list). CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
Between 1997 and 2011, Meg White (Megan Martha White) and her husband Jack White (born John Anthony Gillis) formed the rock duo the White Stripes. Meg White performed drums, percussion, and vocals, while Jack White wrote songs and performed vocals, guitar, piano, and bass. CONTINUE READING / CONTINUER LA LECTURE…
