Everyday Creation

In 1951 when she was only 22, singer April Stevens had her first hit, and the hits kept coming. This tribute to Stevens, whose birth name was Caroline Vincinette LoTempio, is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023. In the chapters, you can go right to the tribute by skipping my intro; feel free to skip my closing remarks to...

In the late 1950s, Clarence “Fuzzy” Haskins started a doo-wop group with George Clinton. Originally called the Parliaments, the group eventually became Parliament-Funkadelic, one of the most influential bands of the 1970s. Haskins had a solo career too. In the chapters, you'll see an image of the cover of his 1976 album, "A Whole Nother Thang."  Also in the chapters, you can go righ...

Jim Gordon was a brilliant and successful drummer who played with some of the biggest names in music. He also had a tragic life. Longtime writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan wrote this tribute to Gordon, who received a writing credit for "Layla," one of Eric Clapton's most popular songs. This is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who p...

Lynyrd Skynyrd's Gary Rossington had a love for baseball, which launched him into a music career that lasted to the end of his life. This tribute to Rossington, written and recorded by writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan, is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023. Amazon carries four books about Rossington available on Kindle...

In this tribute, you'll learn about the anomalies in the life of singer-songwriter Bobby Caldwell, who had a hit with "What You Won't Do for Love." Longtime writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan wrote this tribute, which is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023. Here, you can link to “What You Won't Do for...

Wayne Shorter, who died on March 2 last year, influenced jazz for seven decades. His tribute, written and recorded by Sheldon Zoldan, is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023. Here you can go to YouTube to hear Wayne Shorter's jazz classic, “Footprints.” If you want to learn more about Shorter, you can read his biogra...

Boogie woogie pianist Huey “Piano” Smith was part of the colorful New Orleans music scene for decades. He passed away on Feb. 13 last year. This is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who died in 2023. To hear Smith's “Rockin’ Pneumonia and The Boogie Woogie Flu,” visit YouTube . My guest Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and newspaper edi...

Writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan pays tribute to David Jolicoeur, co-creator of the colorful rap trio De La Soul. This is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023. In addition to these tributes, Sheldon writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. To get on his Song of the Day list, em...

Songwriter Burt Bacharach had an impressive career with more than a thousand artists singing his songs and 70 Billboard Top 40 hits.  This 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 editor, wrote these tributes and recorded them.  To hear the featured song &qu...

Barrett Strong wrote hit songs for such Motown artists as the Temptations, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. As a performing artist, he had only one hit: "Money (That's What I Want)," which is the featured song in this tribute. The Beatles covered it early in their career.   This is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed a...

In today's tribute, writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan shares insights about the life of the legendary David Crosby, co-founder of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. This is one of 44 tributes to artists, songwriters and producers who passed away in 2023.  Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. All of those stories and the...

Writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan is the creator of Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to a list of subscribers. In the past couple of years, he's also written and recorded tributes to music industry greats who are no longer with us. In this episode, you'll hear about brothers Robbie Bachman and Tim Bachman, two of the founders of Bachman-Turner Overdrive. You also can learn mo...

Writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan is the creator of Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to a list of subscribers. In the past couple of years, he's also written and recorded tributes to music industry greats who are no longer with us. This episode is about Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis and an accomplished singer — and songwriter — in her own right. It's one of 44 tribute...

Writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan created Song of the Day, a music-related story that was sent daily to a list of subscribers before he ended the project in early 2026. In the past couple of years, he's also written and recorded tributes to music industry greats who are no longer with us.  In this episode, the focus is on rock guitarist Jeff Beck, the first of 44 tributes to artists, songwriters a...

In 1982, collage artist Gretchen Bierbaum founded The National Collage Society, Inc., which is still going strong. Gretchen is the president of the NCS, which promotes the advancement of collage as a major art medium and educates the public through exhibits, workshops, lectures and publications.  In this episode, Gretchen talks about her "light-bulb moment" that led to her becoming a col...

This is the last of four excerpts from a longer interview with self-love excerpt Darcy Lord, PhD. What happens when we practice self-love? The answer is literally, our lives work better in all the areas we care about — our weight, health, money, relationships, etc. In this short episode, Darcy Lord, PhD, explains it way better than I do.  Please take a few minutes to listen. To receive Darcy'...

This episode is the third of four short excerpts  from a longer interview with self-love expert Darcy Lord, PhD. In it, you'll learn how important it is to put yourself into a circle of kindness and to care about how you feel. To receive Darcy's free pdf of the 5 principles of self-love, visit her website . You also can find her on YouTube , Facebook and LinkedIn . All of my episodes wit...

This short episode is the second of four excerpts from a longer interview with Darcy Lord, PhD. Here, she talks about the four pillars, or foundations, of self-love, which can help us understand the practice of self-love. That's one of the pillars, that self-love is a practice and not something we check off a list. We want to keep at it every day even when we're feeling unworthy. And tha...

Self-love may sound selfish, but it's not. It's really about living our purpose so that we can lead happier lives and help others do the same. This is the first of four short episodes with self-love expert Darcy Lord, PhD. All four are excerpts from a longer interview that covered many aspects of self-love including the practice of self-love, which has the power to change our lives for t...

Darcy Lord, PhD, the author of “52 Weeks of Relief” and the upcoming “Self-Love is Your Path,” is a self-love expert who’s on a mission to help raise the consciousness of the planet and to help people lead happier lives. Her enthusiasm and talent for reminding people of their innate worthiness have made her a sought-after speaker, trainer and coach. In this full interview, you'll hear all abo...

In this episode, writer Scarlett Lam provides a glimpse into "THE LIGHT," a book that she and graphic designer Mindy Lee created for children and, really, for anyone who's a kid at heart. With its empowering message and distinctive design, the 18-page board book delights the little ones and even moves grown-ups to tears. You can buy your own copy on readthelight.com . Scarlett is of...

Scarlett Lam and Mindy Lee are committed to telling stories to guide every kid — and every kid at heart — to trust their inner voice, accept and appreciate their own uniqueness, and to feel secure in accepting others. Scarlett and Mindy believe that, together, we can make the world a little bit brighter, one light at a time. Their project, "THE LIGHT," evolved from this wonderful commitm...

Everyday Creation's content includes interviews and essays that have to do with life purpose, creative endeavors, and the power we have to make a positive difference in our lives and the world. The title refers to three types of creation: The various ways we express ourselves whether it's through performance, design or so much else that we pursue with purpose and passion; the parts of li...