Oldies Connection - Rock 'n Roll Artists of the 50's, 60's and 70's
Welcome to Oldies
Connection
Welcome to Oldies Connection,
your one-stop-shopping place to catch up with all your favorite actively touring artists from the 50's, 60's and 70's.
Oldies Connection covers the
light
pop music of the 50's, 60's and 70's -- not the culture,
not the politics, not TV
or movies -- just rock and roll! Oldies
Connection will devote itself mainly to rock,
pop, and doo-wop ... and
will especially focus on artists from the 50's through 70's who are still
touring and making personal appearances, like Lou Christie and
Neil Sedaka. However, for those of you who (like me!) are hopelessly
stuck in the Fifties or Sixties or Seventies, you'll enjoy our A Look Back section!
Congratulations
to the 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees! Among them are Jeff Barry (whose official fan site is a "sister site" to Oldies Connection), the late Ellie Greenwich, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil - legendary and prolific songwriters all - in the nonperformers category. Inductees in the artist category include
ABBA, The Hollies, and Genesis. For a complete listing of the 2010 Rock Hall inductees, visit the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame official website.
The
year 2009 marked the 40th anniversary of what was probably the single-most defining event of the '60s generation - the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel, New York. This concert, which drew an estimated 500,000
people, was the brainchild of songwriter/producer Artie Kornfeld, who, along with Mike Lang, brought the vision to profound reality. In his new book, The Pied
Piper of Woodstock, Artie shares his story and memories of this historic happening. Click on the graphic
below to order your copy!
On
August 26, 2009, the music world suffered a shocking and unexpected loss with the passing of singer-songwriter-producer Ellie Greenwich. Click on Ellie's name to get to my tribute page for this wonderfully talented lady.
Musician & innovator Les Paul died on August 13, 2009 at the age of 94. Much of the great rock and roll
music over the years would not have been possible without the contributions and influence of this hugely talented man.
R.I.P., Les, and thank you.
MICHAEL
JOSEPH JACKSON
(29 August
1958 - 25 June 2009)
A tragic and shocking
loss for the music world ... Michael Jackson, who began his professional career at the age of 11 with The Jackson Five - along
with his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon - has passed away at the age of 50. His talent and brilliance will
be missed; his legacy will live on forever.
On February 11,
2009, Estelle Bennett of The Ronettes was found dead at her New Jersey home. Estelle was the sister of lead singer Ronnie Spector and cousin of Nedra Talley (above, left to right: Nedra, Ronnie, Estelle).
Please see my Jeff Barry Fan Page for a wonderful performance video from 1965 and a few words from Jeff, who co-wrote
"Be My Baby" and "Baby, I Love You." Rest in peace, Estelle.
And special thanks to Wayne Adderley from
the UK, who was kind enough to interview me for the (October 2008) Spotlight page on his website, The Zone Magazine. Check out Wayne's wonderful site, which also features interviews with musicians and singers such as Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits and Ron Dante of The Archies.
Check out the artist profile page
for acclaimed songwriter/producer Mark Wirtz . Particularly if you are from the UK, you might remember Mark's hit recordings
as composer, producer and arranger, such as "Excerpt From a Teenage Opera (Grocer Jack" and "A Touch of Velvet, a Sting of Brass." In recent years, Mark has shifted his focus from music to comedy and now performs regularly at comedy clubs in Florida,
Georgia, and beyond.
His Name is Rambeau!
Singer-songwriter Ed
Rambeau had a Top Thirty (U.S.) hit in 1965 with "Concrete and Clay," and he wrote "Navy Blue" and "Kiss Me Sailor" for Diane Renay among other wonderful tunes.
Click on the pic above for an exclusive interview with Ed.
The Ron Dante Artist Profile page has been updated ... please check it out!
SPOTLIGHT SITES:
Mark Wirtz - Official site for the composer/producer who was the genius behind the "Teenage
Opera" concept in the mid-60s
A couple of excellent
sites by my UK counterpart, Rosemarie:
Kris Ife - Singer, composer and producer, one of Mark Wirtz's frequent songwriting partners -
and what a voice!
Ed Rambeau - Singer/songwriter, best known for penning "Navy Blue" for Diane Renay
Also check out:
Jersey Girls Sing - Denise Ferri (The Delicates) and Bernadette Carroll ("Party Girl")
Laura's Oldies Sites - Links to all the oldies-related sites and communities I own
Oldies deejay Ronnie Allen has conducted interviews
with a bevy of noted 50s and 60s recording artists. All of Ronnie's shows are permanently archived on the Jersey Girls Sing! website. To check 'em out, please click on the link for Ronnie's
Radio Page. (By the way, if you listen to the debut show from 07 Aug 2007, as well as the Ron Dante interview
from 03 Oct 2007, you'll hear a couple of cameo appearances by yours truly!)
OLDIES
RADIO ON THE INTERNET - Have you been listening to Saturday Night with Mark Simone on 77 WABC? If not, then you owe
it to yourself to head on over to the WABC website and have a listen! (Of course, if you're in the New York-Metro area, you
can just tune your transistor to 770 AM and listen the old-fashioned way.) Saturday Night features cool hits from the
60's and 70's as well as old airchecks, artist interviews, and the occasional surprise guest or two.
Book recommendation
- Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building
Era. Read all about this fantastic new book by Ken Emerson! Click on the book title to check out the dedicated page on this site, which
includes commentary by the author plus links to editorial reviews and to a December 2005 on-air interview with Ken.
Use the
drop-down menu below to jump to any article:
