Everyday Creation

In 1961, Bob Newhart won a Grammy for Album of the Year for his first album, "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart," which topped the Billboard album chart for 14 weeks. His second album, "The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back," was rushed out and reached number two on the Billboard chart. The 1987 photo in this episode's thumbnail was taken by Alan Light, CC BY 2.0 , and is av...

Bernice Johnson Reagon was multifaceted: a singer, songwriter, civil rights activist, historian, college professor, and documentarian. Born in Georgia during the dawning of the modern Civil Rights Movement, she recognized the power of music in activism and co-founded the Freedom Singers. The ensemble performed across the South and at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival. In 1973, she formed another a ca...

Singer-songwriter Dave Loggins, a second cousin to Kenny Loggins, gained initial success when Three Dog Night recorded his song "Pieces of April." It reached 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973. Dave Loggins went on to write 14 No. 1 country hits for artists such as the Oak Ridge Boys, Wynonna Judd, Reba McEntire and Kenny Rogers. His duet with Anne Murray, "Nobody Loves Me Like You...

Kinky Friedman, who formed the band Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys, was known for outrageous song titles such as "Get Your Biscuits In The Oven and Your Buns In Bed" and "Ride 'em Jew Boy."  He was a good writer not only of songs but also detective novels, stories for Texas Monthly and more. One of his pieces in the magazine was a beautifully written tribute to Lotti...

After serving in the Vietnam War, Mark James moved to Memphis and soon his songwriting career took off. In just two years — 1968 and '69 — he wrote "Eyes of a New York Woman," "Hooked on a Feeling" and "It's Only Love" for B.J. Thomas.  Next, he wrote "Suspicious Minds." He recorded his own version to little acclaim, but the song became a major hit...

Richard Sherman and his brother Robert wrote two hit songs — "Tall Paul" and "You're Sixteen, You're Beautiful (And You're Mine)" — before Walt Disney hired them to write exclusively for him.  In 1965, they won an Oscar for Best Original Score for the film "Mary Poppins." The score included "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "Chim C...

Vocalist and keyboardist Doug Ingle is known for writing Iron Butterfly's iconic rock song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," originally over 17 minutes long. The song, which had only 30 words, turned out to be a happy accident for the band. It reached 30 on Billboard's Hot 100 and the album reached number four on the 200 chart. You can go to this video to hear the full 1968 version of the...

David Sanborn learned to play the alto sax at age 11; by his early teens, he was  playing in blues clubs. As a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, he performed at Woodstock; in the '70s and '80s, he collaborated with such major artists as Stevie Wonder, David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen.  Sanborn also released his own albums, 17 of which made Billboard's 200 chart, and four r...

Guitarist Duane Eddy, whose signature sound was known as twang, began playing guitar at age five and later became an early rock music influencer.  John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival referred to him as "the first rock and roll guitar god."  Eddy recorded "Rebel Rouser" in 1958. The song, which really shows off that signature twang, reached number six on Billboard'...

Singer, songwriter and musician Mike Pinder co-founded the Moody Blues in 1964. The British band initially played R&B and covers before shifting direction toward original songs.  Pinder wrote 27 songs for the band, including "Melancholy Man," which appeared on the 1970 album "A Question of Balance." The song reached number one in France but was never released as a single in...

Dickey Betts, who played lead guitar for the Allman Brothers Band along with Duane Allman, was crucial in the development of Southern rock. After Duane's death in 1971, Betts became the band's leader. Betts also wrote the lyrics to their biggest hit, "Ramblin' Man," which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. To hear "Ramblin' Man" and see some nice i...

Clarence "Frogman" Henry opened for the Beatles 18 times during their 1964 U.S. tour. He was known for his hit song "Ain't Got No Home," which he created extemporaneously while playing at a New Orleans club in 1956. The song reached number three on Billboard's R&B chart and number 20 on the Hot 100. To find out how Henry got the nickname "Frogman," you c...

C.J. Snare, frontman and main songwriter for Firehouse, wrote the hit "Love of a Lifetime" before joining the band. The song was Firehouse's most successful single, reaching number five on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1991. To watch Snare performing the song with Firehouse, go to YouTube . The comments below the video are a really nice tribute to Snare as well. Here's one of the...

Eric Carmen, whose aunt was a member of the Cleveland Orchestra, had a natural talent for music even as a kid. In 1970, he founded the Raspberries, known for their hit single "Go All The Way," which reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.  He launched a successful solo career in 1975 with such hits as "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" and "All by Myself."...

Steve Lawrence had a successful solo career with four top 10 hits in the early 1960s: "Pretty Blue Eyes," "Portrait of My Love," "Party Doll" and "Go Away Little Girl." The latter reached number one in 1962.  Lawrence, who died in March 2024, was best known as half of the singing duo Steve & Eydie with his wife, Eydie Gormé. They were married for 56 year...

Randy Sparks, who died in February 2024, began his career during the folk music craze of the late 1950s and early '60s. In 1961, the singer-songwriter merged his group with two others to form the New Christy Minstrels. Sparks wrote "Today" long before the Minstrels made it a hit in 1964. The song reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. You can watch the group singing "Today...

Mojo Nixon died while hosting the Outlaw Country Cruise in February 2024. His family said he left this earth "after a blazing show, a raging night, closing the bar, taking no prisoners ..." He was 66, enjoying himself until the end. Nixon (birth name Neill Kirby McMillan Jr.) believed that you could make fun of anything as long as the joke was funny and you accepted the consequences. Kno...

Toby Keith was a superstar in country music and outside of that genre. A singer-songwriter whose music often reflected personal experiences, he had 65 singles on the country charts, including 20 #1 hits. "Should've Been a Cowboy" was his first #1 hit. He wrote it in a matter of minutes during a hunting trip. "Red Solo Cup" was his most popular mainstream song. To watch the...

The MC5 (Motor City 5) probably was known best for the controversies it created and for the influence it had on other musicians. The band put out three albums, "Kick Out the Jams" (live 1969), "Back in the USA" (1970) and "High Time" (1971), and had one well-known single, "Kick Out the Jams." You can hear various versions of "Kick Out the Jams" on...

Chita Rivera, Broadway's "first triple threat," became a star in 1957 with her role as Anita in "West Side Story." She won a Tony Award for her role in "The Ring" in 1986 and a second Tony in 1993 for "Kiss of the Spider Woman." Sheldon Zoldan wrote this tribute, which references the song  "All That Jazz" from the Broadway musical "Chicag...

Melanie was 22 and relatively unknown in the U.S. when she was invited to perform at Woodstock. Her set, which began at 1:30 a.m. in front of a throng of people holding lit candles in the rain, inspired her to write "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)," which became her first U.S. hit. Another of her songs, "Brand New Key," was her biggest hit, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Ho...

David Soul was known for his role as Hutch in the TV series "Starsky & Hutch," although his first love was singing. He had his first hit song, "Don't Give Up on Us," at the peak of his acting fame. It was a Billboard number 1 hit in the U.S. He was even more popular in England, where he later lived. He had four top 10 hits there, including "Silver Lady," whic...

Mary Weiss, the lead singer of the Shangri-Las, achieved fame at 15 with the hit song "Leader of the Pack." Her personal life wasn't easy, though, and she put a lot of her own emotions into the song. The Shangri-Las had their very first hit in 1964 with "Remember (Walking in the Sand)." Weiss was 14 at the time. By 1968, the group had disbanded amid legal disputes. The pho...

For 2025, I'm offering a version of The Lord's Prayer that I learned a long time ago and also wishing you a wonderful new year. Send us Fan Mail This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.

This holiday season, I'm offering a simple recitation of the 23rd Psalm. As I mention in the introduction, this psalm is a good reminder that we're not out here alone in the "jungles of time and space," as New York Times bestselling author Mike Dooley describes life on Earth. Dooley, who is also a widely known speaker and teacher, has published many books including "An Adv...