SUPER BOWL SPECIAL

First, on Super Bowl eve, Beyoncé dropped a surprise new single, "Formation" with an accompanying music video. The song (available as a free download via the Tidal music streaming service) is about her pride in being from the South, African-American, rich and fabulous. Directed by Beyoncé's long-time video collaborator, Melina Matsoukas, the clip for "Formation" is an amazing work of art. It was shot in New Orleans and utilizes the city's beautiful culture and makes references to Hurricane Katrina and the struggles to rebound from that disaster. Even Blue Ivy, Jay Z and Beyoncé's daughter, makes a brief appearance:



Although Coldplay was the actual Super Bowl half-time act, it was Beyoncé and Bruno Mars that everyone is talking about. Mars (with DJ/producer, Mark Ronson) first came out to do "Uptown Funk", then Bey worked the crowd in to a frenzy to do her latest song before their merged their tunes together to close out the show. It was really an electrifying performance. If you happened to miss it (which I think I'm the only one since I'm no football fan), here's a look at their part:

Missy Elliott also made an appearance during the Super Bowl but not on the actual show. She was in the humorous commercial for the Amazon Echo which also gave a brief plug for her new song, "Pep Rally" which was released this weekend. While it's not nearly as catchy as "WTF (Where They From)", it's still worth a listen:

"Pep Rally" - Missy Elliott (2016) mp3

Take a look at the funny commercial for Amazon Echo with Alec Baldwin, Jason Schwartzman, Dan Marino and Ms Elliott:

MAURICE WHITE (1941 - 2016)

2016 is proving to be a really tough year in music as we have lost yet another great performer. Maurice White, founding member and creative force behind the soul & funk super band, Earth Wind & Fire, has passed away on February 4th. He had been struggling with Parkinson's disease since the late 1980's.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, White first began his musical career as a session drummer for Chicago's Chess Records in the 1960's playing on recordings for Etta James, the Impressions, Buddy Guy, Fontella Bass and Ramsey Lewis. In 1966, he joined the Ramsey Lewis Trio and played drums with the jazz band for several years and appeared on nine albums. By 1969, White decided to form his own soul group with friends Wade Flemons, Don Whitehead and brother, Verdine. They originally called themselves "the Salty Peppers"  but after getting a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records, White decided to rename their act "Earth, Wind & Fire", which refers to the elements in his astrological chart.

EWF's first two albums brought them attention but not much radio play. Clive Davis, then head of Columbia Records, saw the band perform and was quite impressed. He was impressed enough to buy out their recording contract and sign them to his label in 1972. Earth Wind & Fire didn't find instant success at their new home but their 1975 release, "That's the Way of the World" was a major breakthrough. The album had three hit songs; the title track, "Reasons" and "Shining Star" which reached number one on the pop and soul charts. More hits followed including "Serpentine Fire", "Fantasy", "Sing a Song" and "Boogie Wonderland".

White also managed to find time to work with other artists. He produced the debut albums for Deniece Williams and Broadway star, Jennifer Holiday, worked on records for Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow and co-wrote and produced the Emotions' 1977 number one smash, "Best of My Love". In 1985, White released his only solo album which became a modest hit that included a cover of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me".  Listen to a few of my favorite songs by Earth Wind & Fire featuring the voice of the great Maurice White:

TAKE TWO: TUPAC SHAKUR

Although we lost him far too soon at the age of twenty-five, Tupac Shakur managed to accomplish much in his short life and remains one of the most influential artists in hip-hop. During the early '90's he used his music as an outlet to address the themes of racism, social injustice, police brutality and inner-city violence, which was revolutionary during a time when much of rap was focused on expensive cars, sexy women and petty squabbles. The undeniable power of Shakur's words made the world take notice and changed hip-hop forever.

Shakur was born Lesane Parish Crooks in East Harlem, New York but a year after his birth, he was renamed after the 18th-century Peruvian revolutionary, Túpac Amaru. His parents were actively involved with the Black Panthers and the Black Liberation Army which would influence him as a child. As a teen, Shakur enrolled in the 127th Street Repertory Ensemble where he performed in various plays. By the time he was seventeen, the family moved to Marin County, California where he would continue with theater and poetry.

He was soon captivated by rap music and got involved with the alt-hip-hop group, Digital Underground as a back-up dancer. This lead to Shakur performing with the band on their albums before breaking out on his own as "2Pac" with his debut release, "2Pacalypse Now" in 1991. While it wasn't a commercial hit, it did bring attention to the aspiring rapper. The follow-up released two years later, "Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z..." did even better with two top-twenty hit singles, "Keep Ya Head Up" and "I Get Around".

Around this time, Shakur began to flex his acting muscles and appeared in the films, "Juice", "Above The Rim" and "Poetic Justice" with Janet Jackson. It was also during this time that he had major troubles with the law including accusations of shooting two off-duty police officers, assaulting director Allen Hughes while filming "Menace II Society" and the most serious offense; sexually assaulting a female fan which he was found guilty. Shakur served nine months of his four year sentence before Suge Knight, CEO of Death Row Records, posted his bail under the condition of him recording three albums for his label.

2Pac's third album, "Me Against the World" was released while he was in prison in 1995 and it entered the Billboard album chart at number one. Reflective and very personal, the album was critically acclaimed with the single, "Dear Mama", an emotional tribute to his mother, Afeni Shakur, becoming one of his biggest hits reaching the top of the rap singles chart and the top-ten on the pop charts.

A few months after the release of Shakur's fourth CD, "All Eyez on Me", he was leaving a boxing match in Las Vegas with Suge Knight when their car was fired upon by an unknown number of assailants. Knight was injured by fragmentation but Shakur was fatally hit multiple times and passed away four days later on September 13, 1996. To preserve Shakur's legacy, his mother founded the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation in 1997 to help students enhance their talents. The prolific artist left behind a large body of unreleased material and six albums were released posthumously between 1996 through 2006.

To celebrate the life and artistry of Tupac Shakur, here are just two of my favorite tracks:

"Keep Ya Head Up" - 2Pac (1993) mp3

"Dear Mama" - 2Pac (1995) mp3

GLENN FREY (1948 - 2016)

The world has sadly lost another incredible artist as Glenn Frey, the singer and guitarist of the legendary country-rock band, the Eagles who also enjoyed success as a solo artist passed away yesterday at the age of sixty-seven. He died from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia. The Eagles were selected for last year's Kennedy Center Honors but Frey was too ill to attend, so the band decided to postpone the award until this year.

Born and raised in the Motor City, Frey first learned the piano before switching to the electric guitar as a teen. He played with many rock bands in the area before meeting local performer, Bob Seger who became a great influence and encouraged him to write his own material. Frey was invited to perform on Seger's hit recording, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" in 1968.

Frey eventually headed west to try his luck and would meet musician J. D. Souther. They teamed-up and formed a duo, Longbranch Pennywhistle and played throughout L.A. After recording an album in 1969, the two ended their partnership amicably two years later. Souther was dating singer, Linda Rondstat at the time and she needed a back-up band for her upcoming album. He recommended Frey, guitarist, Bernie Leadon, bass guitarist, Randy Meisner and drummer, Don Henley. By the end of the recording sessions, Frey and Henley knew they had become a band and formed the Eagles. They released their self-titled debut in 1972 and it became an immediate hit with three top-forty singles, "Take It Easy", "Witchy Woman" and "Peaceful Easy Feeling". The Eagles soon became one of the most successful rock bands of all time selling well over one hundred and fifty million records with their greatest hits album selling forty-two million copies alone. After years of recording and touring, tension and resentments flared and the Eagles would break-up by 1980.

Frey went on as a solo artist with his most notable songs are "The Heat Is On" from the "Beverly Hills Cop" soundtrack in 1984 and "You Belong To The City" for the television show, "Miami Vice" the following year. He also did some acting appearing on the television shows,"Miami Vice", "Wiseguy", "Nash Bridges" and in the 1996 film, "Jerry Maguire".

After thirteen long years, the Eagles reunited (with "The Long Run"-era band which featured Frey, Henley, Joe Walsh, Don Felder and Timothy B. Schmit) in 1994 and released "Hell Freezes Over" which the title comes from the likelihood of the band ever coming back together again. They would continue to perform together since then with their last major tour in 2013. The Eagles were inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and won six Grammy Awards including the 1977 Record of The Year for "Hotel California".

Here's just a small sample of the great music that Glenn Frey has left us with:

"Take It Easy" - The Eagles (1972) mp3

"New Kid In Town" - The Eagles (1976) mp3

"You Belong To The City" - Glenn Frey (1985) mp3

MY FAVORITE MOMENTS IN MUSIC IN 2015

Another year has come and gone and with it, a year's worth of great music. I shared some my favorite songs throughout 2015 but here are a few more that loved I want to recognize:

"Talking Body" - Tove Lo (2015) mp3

"Don't Wanna Fight" - Alabama Shakes (2015) mp3



"Worth It" - Fifth Harmony featuring Kid Ink (2015) mp3

"How Deep Is Your Love" - Calvin Harris & Disciples (2015) mp3



"What Do You Mean" - Justin Bieber (2015) mp3

"Wet Dreamz" - J. Cole (2015) mp3

"I Don't F*** With You" - Big Sean featuring E-40 (2015) mp3

"Not For Long" - B.o.B featuring Trey Songz (2015) mp3

DAVID BOWIE (1947 - 2016)

I am incredibly shocked and deeply saddened to report that we have lost rock legend, David Bowie  on January 10th. The innovative singer/actor just turned sixty-nine three days ago and had released a jazz-rock fusion album, "Blackstar" also on that day. He had recently collaborated on an off-Broadway musical, "Lazarus" that was a surreal sequel to his best-known 1976 film role, “The Man Who Fell to Earth". Bowie had quietly been struggling with cancer for over a year.

He was born David Jones on January 8, 1947 in Brixton, London. After starting his professional career in music, he changed his surname to "Bowie", which was the name of a nineteenth-century fighting knife, because he didn't want to be confused with Davy Jones of The Monkees. Bowie's first album failed to attract much attention but that would completely change with his follow-up recording. "Space Oddity" was released in 1969 and the title track became a top-five hit in England.

It was the creation of his androgynous, space alien character, Ziggy Stardust and the 1972 album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars" that helped propel Bowie in to a worldwide superstar. With theatrical stage shows, outrageous costumes and hard-driving rock & roll, Bowie became a highly influential figure in music. He soon retired the Ziggy persona and evolved in to the far more low-key but equally dramatic the Thin White Duke. During this period, Bowie recorded in Berlin three albums with his long-time producer Tony Visconti that had been considered some of his greatest work: "Low" "Heroes" and "Lodger". Then in the '80's, he shifted gears again and teamed up with producer Nile Rodgers to create "Let's Dance", an album of dance-powered rock which also brought the artist his biggest commercial success.

Over his considerable career, David Bowie had recorded twenty-five studio albums, was inducted in to The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 and sold well over one hundred and forty million records across the globe. He is survived by his wife, Iman, a former model, who had been married since 1992 and their daughter, Alexandria. He is also survived by a son, Duncan Jones, a filmmaker who was born with his first wife, Angela.

David Bowie was a unique and powerful voice in modern music who will never nor can ever be duplicated. Here are a few of my favorite songs from this great performer:

"Young Americans" - David Bowie (1975) mp3

"Sound & Vision" - David Bowie (1977) mp3

"Loving The Alien" - David Bowie (1985) mp3

"Time Will Crawl" - David Bowie (1987) mp3

David Bowie used promotional videos to creatively express his music through the use of stylish and poetic images long before MTV came on the scene. Here is the singer's final music video for the song, "Lazarus", a track from his recent album, "Blackstar":

NATALIE COLE (1950 - 2015)

One of the most dynamic performers in popular music, Natalie Cole has sadly passed away on December 31st due to ongoing health issues. Born and raised in Los Angeles, it seems music was in her blood as she was the daughter of legendary pop/jazz vocalist, Nat "King" Cole and Maria Cole who once sang with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. While attending college to study psychology, she would perform in small clubs singing rock and soul numbers, trying to put some distance from her father's legacy and find her own way in to music.

Cole was discovered by producers Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy (whom she later married and they had a son, Robbie) and released her debut album, "Inseparable" in 1975 on Capitol Records, which was the label her father recorded with. The album was a instant success due to the first single, "This Will Be" and would win Cole the first two of her nine career Grammy Awards including for Best New Artist.

Cole would become a major star and had many more hit songs including "I've Got Love on My Mind", "Our Love" and "Sophisticated Lady (She's a Different Lady)" throughout the rest of the '70's but a serious drug addiction was creating havoc in her personal life. By 1983, she sought treatment and became ready to get her career back on track. It didn't take too long for Cole to find herself back on the charts with songs like "Miss You Like Crazy", "I Live For Your Love" and a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Pink Cadillac".

The singer soon found herself ready to explore the music made famous by her father and recorded "Unforgettable. . . With Love" in 1991. It featured a beautiful duet of the title track with her and (with the help of technology) Nat "King" Cole and the single became a top-twenty hit. The album would go on to sell seven million copies and win six Grammy Awards including Album of The Year.

Let's look back on this incredible talent and celebrate the wonderful music she gave us:

"Mr. Melody" - Natalie Cole (1976) mp3

"Our Love" - Natalie Cole (1978) mp3

"I Live For Your Love" - Natalie Cole (1987) mp3

And here is the video of Natalie Cole performing the magical "Unforgettable" with her father: