61 years ago today, April 24, 1963, the Beatles played at the Majestic Ballroom, Finsbury Park London. They headlined a Mersey Beat Showcase with Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Big Three, and Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas.

I missed this documentary when it first came out but I’m glad I caught up with it on Amazon. Former employees are interviewed, reminiscing about the wacky, idealistic, anarchistic Apple. Hard to believe, this is just over 4 years after the release of “She Loves You.” Amazing.

Still in line in Chicago for Record Store Day

Peter Bown, author of 'The Love You Make', releases the source interviews for the book. George calling John “nasty” and “negative,” and telling Brown that when he interviews John, “You’ll probably think [John] is a piece of shit,” is rather shocking. Otherwise, underwhelming.

This memoir of a clubber and writer immersed in the dance culture of 1990s Britain is long on describing the many parties the author attended and short on any analysis of the momentous changes in the music and journalist industries he observed. Still, there is enough here to like

It seems to have received mixed reviews but the good acting, great music, respect paid to Marley’s religious beliefs and attempt to maintain authentic Jamaican patois make this an enjoyable biopic.

Sad to hear of the passing of Clarence “Frogman” Henry. In 2015 I interviewed Clarence for my book. He told me he first saw the Beatles in London in 1961. He replaced the Righteous Brothers for the Beatles 1964 North American tour and bonded with Paul off stage. A lovely man.

Muddy Waters residence at 4339 S. Lake Park Ave on Chicago’s South Side. Hopefully, soon a blues museum. It became part of the African American Civil Rights Network in 2023, a project coordinated by the National Park Service.

54 years ago today this happened. Considering all that they achieved, it’s hard to believe that John Lennon and Ringo Starr were only 29 years old and George Harrison and Paul McCartney were 27 when this headline appeared.

Club DeLisa, located at 5521 S. State St. in Chicago, opened in 1933 and became one of the major music venues in the city, hosting greats like Count Basie and LaVern Baker. It closed in Feb 1958 and, as with so many other Chicago music landmarks, no marker commemorates the spot.

My niece sent me a picture of the John Lennon wall in Prague, Czech Republic. The wall is covered in graffiti, stickers, pictures and messages from fans and others who see Lennon as a symbol of a better world.

This is 35 East Wacker Drive, the headquarters of Mercury Records founded in Chicago in 1945. The Platters, Brook Benton, Freddie Bell, the Big Bopper and Johnny Otis all recorded for Mercury, a label often overlooked for its contribution to the development of rock n roll.

Where did rock 'n' roll, the name coined in the 1950s to describe rhythm and blues–derived music, originate? John F. Lyons discusses 1950s Chicago in the latest issue of the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (Vol. 117.1). cc: Illinois State Historical Society
scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/jishs/arti…

John F. Lyons Illinois State Historical Society 🎧🎶 Plus, listen to this Spotify playlist author John F. Lyons made of artists and songs mentioned in the article: a vast expanse of Chicago music—Jazz, Gospel, Blues, Country—that laid the foundations for Rock ’n’ Roll to develop in the city. open.spotify.com/playlist/2B5a2…

My ongoing tour of music Chicago takes me to the West Side: In 1943, WGES radio station hired DJ Al Benson who did more than anyone else to popularize R&B music in Chicago. The station was located here at 2400 W Madison St.

Every home should have a copy!

Lennon and McCartney making music together again. A Toot and a Snore, 50 years ago today March 28, 1974.

Looks interesting. Don’t know any details.

Chicago’s Vee-Jay records do it again. They were the first to release a Beatles single and album in the US, and 60 years ago today they also released the first Beatles Extended Play 45 (EP) in the US.