The Music Man got his start in Rock Island, Illinois. The horns he sold likely came from Elkhart, Indiana, the drums from Gretsch, the pianos from Wurlitzer and the violins from a Sears catalog.
Category Archives: Music
Windmills of my Mind
Rod McKuen was one of the best selling poets of the late twentieth century and recorded hundreds of albums both singing and reading poetry. His also introduced Belgian singer Jacques Brel to a wider audience by translating many of his lyrics into English.
Hey Man
The word “Man”, was used as a form of greeting back in the 16th century,
but in the contemporary U.S. it most likely comes from African American
jazz musicians. Willie Mays inspired a song by The Treniers and a generation
to say “Hey” instead of “Hi”.
This is Ben
The term Fanzine was coined in 1940 to distinguish fan created publications from professionally produced Hollywood fan mags. Later, the shortened term zine became associated with a punk rock DIY aesthetic and often featured interviews with iconoclastic musicians like Weasel Walter.
Your Machine’s On
As part of an effort to integrate Milwaukee schools, in 1976 Rufus King High
School became a magnet school focused on college prep and welcomed students
from far away suburbs, including Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes.