Today’s playlist includes several songs from The Who, whose Roger Daltrey celebrates a birthday today.
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist: 1-30-23
Today is the birthday of the late Marty Balin, co-founder of Jefferson Airplane and lead vocalist/composer of the biggest hit by Jefferson Starship, “Miracles.” A song from each of those bands is in today’s playlist.
An Eric Clapton Playlist
Today is Eric Clapton’s birthday. What should I write about? His perceived racism? As he told a concert audience in 1976, “Stop Britain from becoming a black colony. Get the foreigners out. Get the wogs out. Get the coons out. Keep Britain white.” In Clapton’s 2007 autobiography, cleverly entitled Clapton: The Autobiography, Clapton says of that outburst “Since then I have learned to keep my opinions to myself.” Okay, that’s one lesson. Any other lessons, blues guitarist whose first top ten hit under his name was a reggae cover?
Nah, I’m not going to write about Eric Clapton’s perceived racism. I’ll write about how much I hate the song “Wonderful Tonight.” “You look wonderful tonight.” Last night you looked like shit. And you’ll probably look like shit again tomorrow. I know I said I feel wonderful tonight, but truth is I have a headache, so drive me home, woman! He’s a catch.
You know what? I’m not going to talk about that, either. Instead I’ll tell you about the time I went to one of Eric Clapton’s homes in England. I met with his manager there in the early part of this century. In the room where we chatted were Eric’s Grammy Awards. Some were on a bookshelf, some were on the floor next to the couch. They weren’t arranged in any way. They lay there haphazardly, as if nobody had time to put them back in their proper place since the earthquake hit in 1990. I wish I had a photo taken of me holding his Grammys, but I didn’t. I acted in a professional manner. I hate that about myself. Beats being perceived as racist, though.
Here are thirty career highlights of Eric Clapton:
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Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (3-22-20)
Inspired by the March 22 birthdays of George Benson, William Shatner, Stephanie Mills, the Yardbirds’ Keith Relf, the Human League’s Susan Ann Sulley, Broadway legends Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (2-20-20)
Inspired by the February 20 birthdays of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, Rihanna, Steely Dan’s Walter Becker, J.Geils, Spirit’s Randy California, Stone Roses’ Ian Brown, Seal, Backstreet Boys’ Brian Littrell, and Lindisfarne’s Alan Hull.
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The Story Of Eric Clapton And Layla
In the latter half of the 1960s, Eric Clapton and George Harrison developed a close friendship. Clapton also developed a crush on Harrison’s wife, Pattie Boyd. The two started having an affair, but Pattie didn’t want to leave her husband.
Clapton wrote a song about his feelings for Pattie. He called the song “Layla,” after a title character in the book The Story of Layla and Majnun. The book told of a man, Majnun, who was madly in love with a woman, Layla, but was forbidden to marry her. His longing for her drove him mad.
Clapton’s band Derek and the Dominos released “Layla” in 1971. Pattie and Eric started living together in 1974. They wed in 1979. George Harrison, along with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, played at the wedding. Clapton left Pattie for another woman in 1985.
Today Eric Clapton turns 71. Here are twenty tracks that feature the musician.
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Jimmy Page: Pre-Zeppelin
(I meant to post this yesterday, but I entered the wrong date on the schedule. Oopsie!)
Before founding Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, who turns 72 years old today, was an in-demand musician. Here are twenty pre-Zeppelin tracks on which he played:
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A Shelfie On Keith Richards’ Birthday
The Guardian asked its readers to put aside the selfie and send in a shelfie – a photo of your bookshelves. As Tunes Du Jour is a music blog I figured it makes me sense to take a shelfie of some of my music collection:
One act that takes up a fair amount of shelf space is The Rolling Stones. In fifth grade my music teacher, Mrs. Matzot, played the group’s Hot Rocks for us in class. She knew the secret is to hook ‘em when they’re young. I became a Stones fan that day.
Some of my rarer Rolling Stones CDs, all of which are authorized releases
Today Tunes Du Jour celebrates the 70th birthday of Keith Richards.