Category: Music
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Memorial Day
Thanks, Grandpa… You weren’t American, but you fought valiantly for the cause overseas. I never met my grandfather. He had died in Peshawar, India, fighting for the Black Watch during World War l. Peshawar was on the northern frontier of British India, near the Khyber Pass. In 1947, Peshawar became part of the newly independent…
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National Buy a Musical Instrument Day
Catch the rhythm this May 22nd with National Buy a Musical Instrument Day! Whether you’re a seasoned musician itching to add another instrument to your collection or a first-timer ready to dive into the world of music, this day is your perfect pitch. Why not explore a new instrument, or perhaps your very first one,…
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Barbershop Quartet Day
National Barbershop Quartet Day is observed annually on April 11. Barbershop quartets have a way making the heart flutter. Very often they transport us back to a simpler time or at the least make it stand still. Barbershop quartets are a style of a cappella or unaccompanied vocal music. Their music features songs with understandable lyrics…
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National Tartan Day
We were in NYC April 6, 2019 for our daughter-in-law’s birthday and the Tartan Day Parade. Look who the Grand Marshall was! (If you don’t recognize him, it’s Billy Connolly!) I am so sorry we missed 2015 when Sean Connery was Grand Marshall Get ready to don your kilts and play the…
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Easter Video
“The My Name is Jon Daker” video is an iconic Easter recital clip from First United Methodist Church in Peoria, Illinois, recorded in 1990 and later becoming a viral sensation on YouTube, garnering over 5 million views. This quirky performance features Jon Daker, an amateur singer, delivering unique renditions of “Christ the Lord Is Risen…
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Piano Day
Piano Day is a global celebration observed annually on the 88th day of the year, symbolically chosen to match the number of keys on a piano. This event was initiated in 2015 by German pianist and composer Nils Frahm. The choice of March 29th, being the 88th day of the year, aligns whimsically with the…
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Balalaika Orchestra – Anniversary
Sharing this past post on the second anniversary of joining the Washington Balalaika Orchestra. March 9 of 2024 I wrote… Since starting this blog, I’ve been getting notifications for local events. One was for a Washington Balalaika Orchestra Concert coming up in June, which will post here in May. I was intrigued and looked up…
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The Day the Music Died
On February 3, 1959, the music world suffered an irreplaceable loss when a tragic plane crash near Mason City, Iowa, claimed the lives of three young musicians: 22-year-old Buddy Holly, 28-year-old J.P. Richardson, known as The Big Bopper, and 17-year-old Ritchie Valens. This fateful day on February 3rd became etched in history as ‘The…
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Cab Calloway
Since I’ve done the Nicholas Brothers and Busby Berkeley, it’s time for Cab Calloway, another old movie favorite of mine. I think the first time I ever came across anything related to Calloway was in the late 1960s when I was watching That Girl on TV – Ann’s father (Lew Parker) sang Minnie the Moocher…
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Post-Christmas: Auld Lang Syne
“Auld Lang Syne,” a poignant Scots poem penned by the legendary Robert Burns in 1788, is set to the melody of a timeless folk song. Renowned globally, particularly in English-speaking regions, it is traditionally sung to usher in the New Year at midnight. Additionally, the song finds a place in various other settings, including…