“When a music critic wants to indicate that a song lacks lyrical sophistication, he or she will often refer to its lyrics as being of the “moon in June” sort. It’s a label left over from the Tin Pan Alley era, when even great composers like Irving Berlin churned out a hundred uninspired Moon/June tunes for every highly original classic like “Blues Skies” or “Puttin’ On The Ritz.” If rock and roll has an equivalent in the area of clichéd lyrics, it is probably “Baby” and “Maybe”—a rhyming pair made most famous in the smoldering early-rock classic “Be-Bop-A-Lula,” which was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, by the rockabilly legend Gene Vincent on this day in 1956.” via Gene Vincent records “Be-Bop-A-Lula” — History.com This Day in History — 5/4/1956.
Hail! Hail! Chuck Berry, the Father of Rock & Roll, Is 85
“If you had to give rock and roll another name,” John Lennon once said, “you might call it ‘Chuck Berry.’” The man known as the father of rock and roll turns 85 today and he’s still going strong. To celebrate, we bring you this powerful 1958 performance of “Johnny B. Goode.”
via openculture.com
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