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"Free as a Bird" by The Beatles.

OK, boys and girls, back to the 90s: The late great John Lennon wrote this soft-rock classic in 1977 and recorded the vocals and piano in his home studio at the Dakota in NYC. The home demo remained unfinished. A sense of personal liberation allowing him to concentrate on raising his son Sean. Yoko eventually gave Paul the original cassette tape. The remaining Beatles, Paul, George and Ringo, added vocals and instrumentation assisted by Jeff Lynne. The single was released in 1995, 25 years after The Beatles' breakup and 15 years after John's senseless assasination. #2 UK, #6 U.S. It won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals. Song? Answer: "Free as a Bird" by The Beatles. George's slide guitar is beyond sublime. Every time we go to NYC, we make it a point to visit the Dakota, as well as the Imagine park across the street. One of the best days of my life was the day we spent in Liverpool some years ago. No words can describe...
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"Secret Love" by Doris Day.

OK, girls and boys, back to the 50s: Loosely based on Schubert's A-major Piano Sonata, D.664, this 1953 Sammy Fain/Paul Francis Webster traditional romantic pop ballad was written for the musical film "Calamity Jane". Doris Day, who played the title role, recorded it in one take (!). It topped the U.S and UK charts and won the Oscar for Best Original Song. She refused to sing it during the ceremony and Ann Blyth sang it instead. The sheer relief and empowerment of letting a once-hidden romance out in the open. Slim Whitman took it to #2 on the Country charts in '54. Kathy Kirby's 1963 rendition features Jimmy Page on guitar. Masterfully covered by Tommy Emmanuel on solo guitar in 2013. Grammy Hall of Fame 1999. Song? Answer: "Secret Love" by Doris Day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8P_p7dB2dw&list=RDH8P_p7dB2dw&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzjJWoc2a24&list=RDJzjJWoc2a24&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.c...
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Supertramp.

OK, girls and boys, back to the 70s: This seminal prog-rock and pop band started out in 1970 London as Daddy. They quickly became Daddy Longlegs before settling on their eventual name, inspired by a 1908 book by Welsh author William Henry Davies. Princess Diana was a huge fan and was quoted as saying that they were her favorite group. Singers/songwriters Roger Hodgson (guitar and vocals) and Rick Davies (keyboards, harmonica and vocals) were founding members, along with master saxophonist John Anthony Helliwell. Their sixth studio album, "Breakfast in America" (1979), by far their biggest-selling one, won two Grammys, went 4X Platinum, reached #1 for six weeks and won the Ivor Novello Award. It contained the lion's share of their charting hits, even though they never had a #1 single. Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of internal turmoil within the group because of royalties and they have been "dormant" since 2012. ...AND they're still NOT in the R...
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"Overs" by Simon and Garfunkel.

Today's music trivia was suggested by someone who is very dear to me but prefers to remain anonymous. OK, girls and boys, back to the 60s: Paul Simon wrote this poignant 1967/68 jazz-folk piece to be part of "The Graduate" soundtrack but is was not included in the film. Part of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bookends" album, it was produced by the great John Simon (not related to Paul). It contains very little rhyme but, as always, Paul's guitar work is masterful. At the beginning of the song, someone strikes a match, lights up a cigarette and inhales. A breakup song about a relationship that has run its course; intimacy is in the past. Loss of belief in true love. Song? Answer: "Overs" by Simon and Garfunkel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGvFXrVfaS8&list=RDCGvFXrVfaS8&start_radio=1
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"Africa" by Toto.

OK, boys and girls, back to the 80s: By far, the biggest hit for this L.A.-based ensemble came in 1982 with a classic yacht-rock tune composed by bandmates David Paich and Jeff Porcaro. The "band" formed in 1977 when session musicians for Sonny & Cher, Seals & Crofts, Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs decided to start performing as a group. A man is torn between staying in the continent that he loves or leaving it to be with his woman. Paich was experimenting with his recently-acquired Yamaha CS-80 polyphonic analog sythesizer when the opening melody and lyrics "came to him" in 10 minutes. The trademark kalimba sound comes from a Yamaha GS-1 digital piano. #1 Billboard Hot 100, RIAA Certified Platinum and one of the best-selling songs of all time. Seminal 1983 MTV video. #452 among Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Group? Song? Answer: "Africa" by Toto. Released the year Lauren was born, we purchased our home and got Waffles, ou...
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Ohio Express.

OK, girls and boys, more 60s TWO-hit wonders: This seminal bubblegum-pop ensemble started out in 1967 as Sir Timothy and The Royals, a high-school garage band from Mansfield, OH (hint, hint!). Renamed by their record producer, they morphed into a group of studio musicians accompanying lead singer Joey Levine. By far, their biggest hit came in 1968 with "Yummy Yummy Yummy" (#4 Billboard Hot 100, #5 UK) followed that same year by "Chewy Chewy" (#15 U.S.). Their original drummer, Tim Corwin, secured the rights to their name and, to this day, they continue to perform. Group? Answer: Ohio Express. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VECljlG--gE&list=RDVECljlG--gE&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IHn70S8T5Y&list=RD6IHn70S8T5Y&start_radio=1
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Jorge Casas.

OK, boys and girls, an e-a-s-y one today ("monguita") for my friends from Puerto Rico: This founding member of the original Los Challengers went on to become a Grammy-winning bassist and co-producer for the Miami Sound Machine. Name? High school nickname? (Graduated from Colegio San Ignacio in 1969, a year before we did.) Answer: Jorge Casas. Nickname: El Ratón. Born in Havana, Cuba, he left us in 2019 at age 69.
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