Let’s start with July 9th 1955. Rock ‘n’ roll’s Ground Zero.  “The first time I really ever felt a tingle up my spine was when I saw Bill Haley and the Comets on the telly. ” Paul McCartney. Things are rarely as they first seem in the history of rock and roll. Dismissed as a passing fad…

How would you like to hire Pink Floyd for just £250 (US$334.47) a night? Back in 1969, in the UK, such a thing was possible. As you can see from this vintage price-list, Joe Cocker, the Moody Blues and Jethro Tull cost you £350 ($468) nightly; and Ten Years After, even less. Rory Gallagher’s band…

I’ve always had a soft spot for hard rock band AC/DC since seeing one of their early gigs in Melbourne, Australia, in 1974. An unknown AC/DC were supporting a well-known Lou Reed, who we’d paid handsomely to see, but found uninspired and disappointing. AC/DC weren’t as tight as they’d later become but, needless to say,…

The blues guitarists’ guitarist. If you read my last post about the Thames Delta guitar heroes, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton, you’ll know which one of the three isn’t a mainstream mega-star. Of course, it’s Jeff Beck. While Jeff hasn’t sold quite as many records as Page and Clapton, for many musicians, he’s the blues…

Blues and rock on the high seas (written before coronavirus ruined cruising for everyone) You know you’re getting on a bit when you start writing about ocean cruises. Not that I’m expecting to hit the high seas any time soon. Unfortunately, my wife has the twin fears of the cruise ship sinking, and being trapped…