Elvis Costello and the ImpostersHard Rock LiveApril 25, 2012Better than: Elvis befriending Burt Bacharach. Call it the redemption of Elvis Costello. After all his various side excursions over the past couple of decades — from country to classical, as well as tentative attempts at jazz and equally awkward passes at…
This week: Rockers who are seemingly determined to do themselves in. It seems to me that self-destruction is a fairly common phenomenon in modern music. Forget the fact that drink and drugs have led to many a musician’s downhill spiral. Listing all those who have succumbed to those vices would be an…
Born April 24, 1942, Barbra Streisand may be the ultimate diva. Like Cher, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and Celine Dion, she’s become a modern cultural icon, although arguably she can claim more accomplishments than all of her competitors combined. Who else can claim two Academy Awards, eight Grammys, five Emmys,…
James Newell Osterberg Junior, better-known to the world simply as Iggy Pop, is and will always be one of rock’s most indelible icons, a man who literally put himself on the edge and defied his fans to get the better of him. Iggy, who was born April 21, 1947, could…
The hits were immediately accessible and radio-ready at that. The voice that sang them was a mournful croon, operatic in timbre and flush full of desperation and desire. Even the trademark shades couldn’t mask the sadness spurred from inside. Even so, Roy Orbison (born April 23, 1936) was one of rock…
Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman offers his insights, opinions and observations about the local scene. This week: In memory of icons and institutions. It’s been a hell of a week in terms of losing legends. Two of them in fact. Gone suddenly, though we knew it was inevitable,…
As the son of reggae superstar Bob Marley, Stephen Marley had a lot to live up to. Of course, that’s no different from the challenge faced by any offspring of a musical legend, but given the impact Bob Marley made not only on reggae but on the whole of popular…
One of rock’s more tragic tales has to do with the story of Alexander Lee “Skip” Spence, a talented, innovative songwriter and guitarist whose first flush of brilliance was waylaid by emotional upheaval. Born in Canada on April 18, 1946, Spence played a critical role in the evolution of San…
Of all the ill-advised remarks Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has uttered throughout his career, few raised as much ire and indignation as a comment he made to a group of Republican faithful a couple of weeks ago at a gathering in St. Petersburg. That’s when he made the following dimwitted…
OK — quick question. What do Barack Obama and Tina Turner have in common? Maybe a lot of things, but most important, both have quoted that soulful crooner Al Green — Turner in her incredible comeback hit, a redo of his standard “Let’s Stay Together,” and the prez in a…
Simply stated, Herbie Hancock is unique. An artist whose stellar reputation extends to both popular and serious realms, he’s one of the most proficient jazz musicians of all time and yet also widely heralded in contemporary circles. That’s no small achievement, given the fact that few other names come to mind when considering…
Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman shares observations, insights and updates relating to South Florida’s musical environs. This week, a Facebook chain recaptures my past. I recently got sucked into one of those Facebook chains where it seems everybody and their sister gets tagged on a subject that…
Several radio stations in West Palm Beach are about to get a new owner. CBS Corporation announced today that it has signed an agreement to sell its five radio stations in West Palm Beach for a total of $50 million to local broadcaster Palm Beach Broadcasting. The deal comes in the…
Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman offers his insights, opinions, and observations about the local scene. This week: the story behind DJ migrations. In the world of radio, anything can happen, even at a moment’s notice. The news that DJ Laz, a radio institution in South Florida for…
Merle Haggard, also known simply as “Hag” was born April 6, 1937. In the seven decades since, he’s become an American institution. While the songs he wrote and helped popularize have become etched into the firmament of modern country music, it’s his brash attitude and uncompromising stance that’s set him…
Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman offers his insights, opinions, and observations about the local scene. This week: Four local theater pros weigh in on Glee, Smash, and the burgeoning popularity of theater.Anyone who’s been here for even a little while knows that there’s more to the South…
There may be no more celebrated or influential artist working in the Americana musical realms today than Emmylou Harris. That’s a bold statement perhaps, but given her track record over the span of a 40-year career, the artists she’s worked with, and those that she’s influenced, it’s a claim that…
Born March 30, 1945, Eric Clapton is considered by many critics and pundits to be the greatest living rock guitarist of all time. Living may be the key word here, given that Clapton held Jimi Hendrix in awe. Clapton recorded Hendrix’s song “Little Wing” a mere week before his friend…
Music vet and New Times scribe Lee Zimmerman shares observations, insights, and updates relating to South Florida’s musical environs. This week, Johnny Depp and Marilyn Manson find vanity a common bond. I get lots of missives from publicists and record companies on a weekly — wait, make that a daily…
Few artists have managed to achieve so much and still overcome as many personal setbacks as Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler. Born March 26, 1948, he’s gained the distinction of being one of the most successful singers of all time, a colorful character whose band has become exceedingly popular not only with…
At age 70, Aretha Franklin remains one of America’s most iconic singers, a distinction that earned her the nickname “The Queen of Soul.” Dubbed one of the greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone, she’s garnered a total of 20 Grammy Awards and 45 hits on the Billboard Hot 100,…
Like Lerner and Lowe, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim, England’s foremost theater composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber (born March 22, 1948), has left an indelible impact on the modern musical stage. In fact, no individual currently working in those realms has created as emphatic an impact on today’s theater,…
