Category: Music

I Think I Love You David Cassidy

Partridge Family I was a bit surprised at how I was affected by the recent news of David Cassidy’s failing health and then the news of his death.  Like many people, it had been decades since I had really followed his career.  But his voice and music were a big part of the reason I came to love music.

As a kid, one of my favorite television shows was The Partridge Family, which ran from September 1970 to March 1974.  Each episode featured pop music, that even if not actually featuring the whole “family,” did feature David Cassidy and Shirley Jones.

Their hit “I Think I Love You” became one of my favorite songs after I bought the 45 rpm single.  Yeah, it was pop music and even David Cassidy would for a time try to distance himself from the music of The Partridge Family.  But it was a wonderful introduction to popular music for this kid.

I remember him on the teen magazines and the girls who liked him for his looks as well as his voice.  But at that time, I had yet to discover the younger version of Elvis or to delve into Dylan or discover Springsteen.  David Cassidy was my first rock star.

Whenever I hear music from Cassidy it always makes me smile to this day.  And what’s not to love about that?  Rest in peace.

What is your favorite memory of David Cassidy? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    The True Story of Tom Dooley

    Tom Dooley On November 17, 1958, the Kingston Trio scored a number one hit on the Billboard pop chart with their recording of the folk song “Tom Dooley.” The song, asking Mr. Dooley to hang down his head, became one of those songs where everyone knows the chorus.

    But the lyrics come out of a true story.

    The Real Tom Dula

    On May 1, 1868, a Confederate veteran named Tom Dula was hanged for the 1866 stabbing death of Laura Foster. Dula had been Foster’s lover and father of her unborn child.

    Some questioned whether Dula was the actual killer. In addition to his affair with Foster, Dula had romantic engagements with two of Foster’s cousins, Anne Foster Melton and Pauline Foster. On the gallows, Dula professed his innocence while conceding he still deserved to be executed. Thus, some came to believe that Melton had killed Laura Foster.

    The trial, a retrial, and the execution attracted significant attention. National newspapers covered Dula’s trial, and former North Carolina governor Zebulon Vance represented Dula pro bono. Due to all of the attention, a North Carolina poet named Thomas C. Land wrote a poem about the case called “Tom Dooley.”

    The video below provides some of the history behind the song. Check it out.

    The Kingston Trio

    Historians do not know who created the folk song “Tom Dooley.” But over time various artists recorded versions of “Tom Dooley.” And the Kingston Trio produced the most popular version when they recorded the song in 1958, selling more than six million copies.

    In later years, some criticized Kingston Trio performances as a sanitized version of folk music. But many today recognize that the group, despite their clean-cut coordinated outfits, were instrumental in making folk music popular and laid the groundwork for other folk singers to find success.

    The Kingston Trio version of “Tom Dooley” is more vague about the details of the real case than earlier versions of the song. But perhaps their decision made the song more universal, leading to its massive sales. Check out their complete version below.

    The Legend of Tom Dolley

    Finally, there is a 1959 film called The Legend of Tom Dooley, starring Michael Landon. The movie does not attempt to tell the true story about Tom Dula but is based upon the song.

    Below is the first part of the movie.

    We do know today that innocent people still often end up on death row in our modern system of justice.  But nobody could have predicted that we would still be talking about a nineteenth century North Carolina murder so many years later.

    And we can never know the full story of what happened to Laura Foster, even while we reflect on the folk song about the tragic story.  Yet, that is the story behind the song.


    What is your favorite version of “Tom Dooley”? Photo via public domain. Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “Streetlight Harmonies” Tells the History of Doo-Wop

    Doo-Wop Documentary A new documentary, Streetlight Harmonies (2017), explores the early years of Doo-Wop music. The film features early performers like the Drifters’ Charlie Thomas, explaining that the early street singers of the 1950s began singing for the friendship with other singers and to attract girls.

    Also, the film traces how the music that started out on the street corners developed into the girl groups of the 1960s and later influenced other singers including modern boy bands. Brent Wilson directed Streetlight Harmonies. Check out this trailer for Streetlight Harmonies.

    Streetlight Harmonies premieres November 14, 2017 at the Doc NYC festival.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Ali Farka Touré: “Soukora”

    Soukora

    Ali Farka Touré, an African musician and one of the best guitarists the world has ever seen, was born on October 31, 1939.  Touré was born in the village of Kanau, on the banks of the Niger River in the northwestern Malian region of Tombouctou.

    Touré became known as “the African John Lee Hooker.” His musical styles had many similarities to the American blues man.  But the similarities likely came from the underlying connections between African music and the blues.

    I first discovered Touré’s music in the 1990s from the album Talking Timbuktu (1994), where he was joined by Ry Cooder. Earlier, Touré had retired from music to concentrate on his rice farm.  But his producer convinced him to make the album.

    Talking Timbuktu went on to win the Grammy for Best World Music Album. Allmusic notes that on the album Ali Farka Touré is “singing in 11 languages and playing acoustic and electric guitar, six-string banjo, njarka, and percussion, while teaming smartly with an all-star cast.”

    My favorite track off of Talking Timbuktu is “Soukora,” which Touré wrote. I was never even sure what the song was about.  But the guitar strings hypnotize me into thinking I have a sense of the music I might hear in heaven.

    In this short version of “Soukora,” Sékou Bembeya Diabaté joins Ali Farka Touré on the song.  And if you are wondering what they are singing, sources indicate it is a romantic song in the Bambara language of a man singing to his wife.  The word “soukora” means night, and the singer is telling his love (“diarabi”), that it is night and asking her to wait for him:   “My love (diarabi ) it is night (soukoura).”

    Touré won another Grammy in 2006 for his album  In the Heart of the Moon, recorded with kora player Toumani Diabate.  But Touré never got to accept the award.  He died in his sleep from bone cancer on March 7, 2006.

    He left a beautiful music legacy to the world that many are still discovering. Happy birthday wherever you are.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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