Everyday Creation

The Beatles had a big influence on the music of Dwight Twilley, who was known as one of the fathers of power pop. His tribute is one of 44 episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023. He and Phil Seymour formed the Dwight Twilley Band, and their first single "I'm on Fire," was a surprise hit. However, they were unable to capitalize on the single&...

The Association had plenty of hits in the late 1960s, but "Cherish" is the one apparently most cherished by fans. Terry Kirkman, a founding member of the band, wrote the song, which was the group's first number one hit.  This tribute to Kirkman is one of 44 episodes dedicated to significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.  To listen to "Cherish," you...

Charlie Robison got his musical start in Austin in the '90s and later became one of the leaders of Texas country music. "New Year's Day," from Robison's 2004 album "Good Times," is the featured song in this episode. You can watch him perform it here . Under the video, the venue wishes a fond farewell to the artist: "To Charlie Robison, thank you for all the...

Katherine Anderson Schaffner was one of the original members of the Marvelettes, whose hit song, “Please Mr. Postman," was Motown’s first million-selling single and first Motown song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.  The Marvelettes had other hits during the 1960s, including “Don’t Mess With Bill,” "Beechwood 4-5789," “Playboy” and “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game....

In the late 1950s, Bob Feldman started writing songs with a neighbor, Jerry Goldstein. Richard Gottehrer joined them in 1962. The three are known for writing the 1963 hit song “My Boyfriend’s Back" and for their group the Strangeloves, which had a number 11 hit with "I Want Candy." The trio also produced the McCoys’ number one hit “Hang on Sloopy.” In this video , you can watch the...

Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett released 56 albums and, along the way, built a billion-dollar business. This tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who died in 2023.  Buffett's 1977 single, “Margaritaville,” reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The song became the foundation of his business empire. Here are a couple of vi...

Steve Harwell, frontman and co-founder of Smash Mouth, retired in 2021 from the group because of ongoing health issues. He was only 56 when he died. The group is best known for “All Star,” written by guitarist Greg Camp who said it was for fans who sent in letters telling the band how they were being bullied. In this official video , you can watch Harwell and his fellow Smash Mouth members perform...

"Dream Weaver," by singer-songwriter Gary Wright, was the first single from Wright's third studio album, "The Dream Weaver," in 1975. He said the song was inspired by a copy of  "Autobiography of a Yogi" given to him by George Harrison. Harrison also took Wright to India, and both the book and the trip made Wright a fan of Eastern philosophy and changed his life....

David LaFlamme was a concert violinist for the Utah Symphony Orchestra before moving to San Francisco, where he formed It's a Beautiful Day with his first wife. LaFlamme played electric violin with the group. His tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023. My guest Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and newspaper...

DJ Casper's "Cha Cha Slide" sounds like a song you would hear mainly at the gym, but it became a worldwide hit. This tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.  To hear "Cha Cha Slide," and watch people doing the line dance, you can go to this official video for the UK release of the song. Y...

Singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez was the subject of the 2012 Oscar-winning documentary “Searching for Sugar Man.” His tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.  To hear "Sugar Man," you can go to this video , and you may want to check out the comments too. They're quite heartfelt. The picture in the...

Robbie Robertson was with the influential group The Band when he wrote “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” in 1969. The song still touches a nerve, according to this tribute by Sheldon Zoldan, who also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers.  In this video , you can hear "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" in a scene from Martin Scors...

Ray Hildebrand walked away from pop music success and became one of the early artists playing contemporary Christian music. His tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.  Hildebrand was half of the pop singing duo Paul & Paula, and Jill Jackson was the other half. The two remained friends after Hildebrand moved...

Sinead O’Connor, who had a number 1 hit with "Nothing Compares 2 U," was not shy about speaking her mind, even when it got her in trouble. Her tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.  To hear "Nothing Compares 2 U," you can go to this video , and you may want to check out the comments too. The...

Randy Meisner, bass player for the Eagles, co-founded one of the most successful rock bands ever, yet he hated the spotlight. His tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.  To hear "Take It To the Limit," the song referenced in this episode, you can go to this version that was remastered in 2018. From the...

Banjo player Roger Sprung was known as the godfather of progressive bluegrass and helped usher in New York’s mid-century folk scene. His style became known as “newgrass.” This tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.  To hear Sprung perform "One Morning in May," an old English folk song, you can go to th...

Tony Bennett overcame a lot to become the national treasure he was at the time of his death last July. This tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.  The image in the thumbnail for this episode and in the chapters is the cover of the CD "Tony Bennett All Time Greatest Hits." I like how the picture captur...

The first record that Astrud Gilberto ever made, “The Girl From Ipanema,” became a worldwide hit and won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. This tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.  To hear “The Girl From Ipanema,” go to this video of Gilberto and saxophonist Stan Getz performing the song. In 1964, Gi...

This episode is about an easy yet powerful way to lift our focus from whatever is troubling us, directing it instead toward higher thoughts and best possible outcomes. And it involves only our breath and a few seconds of our time. Hope you get as much out of it as I do. Send us Fan Mail This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast dir...

Cynthia Weil co-wrote dozens of popular songs including the one that was deemed the 20th century's most-played song on radio and TV. Here , you can listen to the Righteous Brothers singing that number one hit, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." Weil also wrote a mystery, "I'm Glad I Did," which is about a young, aspiring songwriter. I read a sample of t...

Ed Ames, a member of the singing Ames Brothers quartet,  later became an actor who was best known for his role on the TV show "Daniel Boone." This tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023. Here, you can listen to the Ames Brothers singing "Rag Mop" in 1950 on an early iteration of "The Ed S...

Tina Turner definitely earned her title as the "Queen of Rock and Roll." Longtime writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan wrote this tribute to Turner, who died on May 24 last year. This is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023. Here , you can listen to "Nutbush City Limits" on YouTube. It's worth scrolling t...

Pete Brown was a British poet who became a songwriter and collaborator with the supergroup Cream. He wrote the lyrics to “Sunshine of Your Love," one of the band's most successful songs. Here, you can listen to "Sunshine of Your Love" on YouTube . This tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023. T...

Writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan shares insights about the life of Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian singer-songwriter who had his first U.S. hit with "If You Could Read My Mind." This is one of 44 tributes to artists, songwriters and producers who passed away in 2023. You can listen to Sheldon's story about Lightfoot on the WGCU website , where he posts once a week, or hear Lightfoot sing...

In 1968, singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte hosted "The Tonight Show" for a week. He discussed the issues of the day with a stellar list of guests including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The documentary about that week is called "The Sit-In," available on Peacock. Here , you can learn more about it and scroll down to watch the trailer. If you want to know more...