WOW!! BRAD PAISLEY, GRAMMY WINNER - CMA WINNER - AMA WINNER - PRETTY GOOD GUITARIST TOO! DOIN' A ROCKING DUET WITH ONE OF THE GREATEST ROCK SINGERS TO EVER HOLD A MIKE - GRAMMY WINNER - MTV AWARDS WINNER - AMA WINNER - LEAD SINGER FOR AEROSMITH - STEVEN TYLER!
I had the pleasure of seeing Steven Tyler with AEROSMITH a few years ago to relish some of the most amazing vocal insanity I have ever heard from one of the most intense Rockers to ever step on a stage. We were completely entertained with his performance. His energy level is just as intense as his singing. Then there is Brad Paisley, his partner on today's duet. Paisley is a world renown guitarist and singer of country and rock. Some of the riffs on this tune are impressive.
Enjoy today's Rock & Roll Tune - RUN RUN RUDOLPH - Turn it way up!
BONUS TRACK - And for another great rocker/guitarist - take a listen - the one and only Eric Clapton playing and singing - WHITE CHRISTMASin a very cool acoustic version of this classic.
So, rock and roll hard & loud or soft & cool reminds us that Christmas is the best time to enjoy life, family and friends - Merry Christmas to all Vagabonds here, there and everywhere!
Tatian Eva-Marie, along with Avalon Jazz Band , gives us a beguiling Christmas tune in French for the fourth tune on the Countdown. This talented songstress, accompanied by the three-piece Avalon Jazz Band, comprised of guitarist Vinny Raniolo, bassist Wallace Stelzer, violinist Gabe Terracciano, and other players when needed, specializes in Parisian inspired jazz and swing of the 1930's and 1940's.
This tune, The Christmas Waltz, performed in French, shows the unrestricted love of beautiful music.
BONUS TRACK - For those Vagabonds that don't speak French, including this Vagabond, here is today's tune, entitled The Christmas Waltz, by the one and only Frank Sinatra, recorded in 1954 - In English no less. There will be more of Frank later in the Countdown.
Today is the first Sunday of December - the perfect day to celebrate the true Reason for The Season - The birth of Jesus. Over two thousand years ago, a savior was born. The changing of the world is still with us. There are over 2.4 billion Christians worldwide! To celebrate this holy birth, please enjoy listening to an amazing high tenor gospel singer presenting his version of one of the greatest Christmas songs ever written. The origin of this astounding song celebrating Jesus's birth is unknown.
Many artists have recorded this song over the years, but no one does it like today's artist - David Phelps gives us a jazz influenced version of JESUS WHAT A WONDERFUL CHILD. I have had the pleasure of seeing Phelps live twice. He brought down the house with power and joy.
As a side note - David Phelps sang with The Gaither Vocal Band from 1997 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2017. He rejoins them on occasion when he is free from his solo career. The Gaither Vocal Band, led by one of the greatest gospel songwriters in history - Bill Gaither, has been singing great Southern Gospel since 1981. The Gaither Vocal Band will be featured later in the Christmas Countdown.
“Christmas is the most thrilling season of the year because its message is that Jesus brings joy and love through His sacrificial gift of forgiveness and redemption.” Rev. Bill Graham
On the second day of December, enjoy a great tune by the one and only Tom Petty along with his band The Heartbreakers -It's Christmas Time All Over Again. Petty was the lead singer for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers 1976 - 1987. He was one of the most creative and influential writers to ever record or step on a stage. Enjoy this great video and tune with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers at the White House for the TV special A Very Special Christmas.
BONUS TRACK - Petty was also a member of the Super Group The Traveling Wilburys which included, in addition to Petty, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne 1988-1991. If there was ever a Super Group, The Traveling Wilburys were it. This Bonus Track is NOT a Christmas song. But it's message of hope and joy in life is appropriate for any Christmas season. The video and the tune are outstanding - Enjoy END OF THE LINE by THE TRAVELING WILBURYS.
OK. Better get busy, sales are everywhere! Or for those of us that don't like "shopping", just sign onto AMAZON and go for it! Merry Christmas!
“What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.” - Winston Churchill
December 1 - And we're off. Year Eleven of an obsessive search for great Christmas Music, including Jazz, Rock, Gospel, and some things that may not technically be Christmas tunes, but fit perfectly to celebrate most Vagabond's favorite Holiday.
I have looked high and low for new tunes that have not been on the Countdown before. It is my fervent hope and desire that all you Christmas Vagabonds will enjoy some great tunes, some funny takes on the holiday season and other thoughts on this favorite time of year. Also, I must apologize for the annoying ads that usually appear before the cool tune plays. Getting rid of them is beyond my technical skill.
First up on The 2023 Top 25 Christmas Countdown is a very cool vocal jazz number by an accomplished award-winning Australian quartet giving its listeners doo wop, jazz, acapella, and other styles of always great music. Here is Human Nature performing a jazzy rendition, written in 1934 - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.
BONUS TRACK - Although, we'll be hearing this tune later in the Countdown, Human Nature's rendition of the Christmas Classic White Christmas is a must on any Vagabond'sChristmas Song List.
So, here's to all Christmas Vagabonds - Hope all of you have a great Christmas and I hope some of these tunes will help you enjoy the season.
NOVEMBER 22, 2023 - THANKSGIVING IS TOMORROW!! ENJOY THE DAY WITH THOSE PEOPLE YOU LOVE AND/OR THOSE PEOPLE THAT Y0U MUST ENDURE.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year to gather with family and friends to enjoy great food, great football and, usually, moderately long naps. LOL!! Of course, in the South, you can take delight in all that great Southern food as prepared by great Southern cooks. I happen to be married to one of the best. Watching classic Southern cooks prepare food is both compelling and mysterious because they do things that you don't really understand. They just do it as though they were born with the talents and knowledge to make great food. You just know that it tastes delicious, and you always eat too much of it. Thus - the naps!
Of course, Christmas is just around the corner, and I am sure that there are many vagabonds out there that have already purchased many things. I have memories of working in my dad's store between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was always busy, busy, busy! In all honesty, I did NOT enjoy it. I was just not into retail - Sorry Dad. But I did enjoy watching people purchase gifts for people that mattered in their lives. Big things, expensive things, and smaller more personal things as well.
So, to kick off the greatest season of the year and celebrate with some great music in THE NOMAD ARCHITECT'S TOP 25 CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN, which is now in its 11th season, I hope you enjoy some nice takes, comedic and other wise celebrating this greatest season of the year. So, here is a funny sketch, a funny tune, and a commercial celebrating Thanksgiving.
First up - a classic Tonight Show Starring Johny Carson conversation with the great leader of the Tonight Show Orchestra, Doc Severinson. Johny's always erudite sidekick, Ed McMahon, happened to be off that night, so Severinson filled in. For all young Vagabonds, Carson had the most successful late night talk show for over thirty years. This clip is from 1979. Funny, funny, funny!!
And, from back in the day when Saturday Night Live was actually funny, here is a sketch from 1992 - A great little ditty with Adam Sandler and Kevin Nealon giving us a simple little tune on the pleasures and the joys of Turkey.
And of course, there is always the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This world renown event for young and old started in 1924 to the delight of all those on the sidewalks of New York and later on television. Here is a commercial for this grand event. Following is a description of the parade's concept.
"We all have beloved traditions — and for millions of families, watching the Macy’s Parade on Thanksgiving morning is one of them. “Old Friends” is a heartwarming story that tells just that. It’s about a young boy and his experience seeing our classic Santa balloon throughout 90 Macy’s Parades. You can tell there’s an instant connection between the two and how this larger-than-life event has created a long-lasting impression on the boy. The Macy’s Parade brings the two together year-after-year much like how it gathers family and friends nationwide, generation after generation."
Old Friends: A Tribute to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
So, my fellow Vagabonds, eat up and get ready for the Top Twenty-Five next week December 1, 2023.
BEATLES, BEACH BOYS, PRINCE, LYLE LOVETTE, ZEPPELIN - LOVE 'EM ALL
I have been pondering how we entertain ourselves when we travel. No matter what our station in life, we all have favorite music. Of course, each decade has the songs, the bands, the singers, and performers that bring us the music we love. And there are many arguments over who & what is actually the best music from all decades. I have a relative, who shall remain nameless, who doesn't care for the Beatles. His ignorance of one of the greatest pop-rock bands in history is quite remarkable. I mean 600,000,000 records simply cannot be dismissed.
This person is part of my clan, so I will forgive his complete lack of understanding of the significance of the Fab Four who created the best catalog of music in modern music history. From 1962 to 1970 they wrote and recorded 229 songs.
For me, music has always been at the center of my daily life at home and abroad. I saw the Beatles in 1964 at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida with my cousin's daughter, who called with a ticket to see the Beatles on their one and only tour of the USA. My cousin was the manager of the George Washington Hotel in Jacksonville. The Beatles and their entourage reserved one entire floor of the hotel. The experience was a true happening of mega proportions. I was fifteen and, along with the other 60,000 teenagers, stood in my seat the entire show.
Along the way, I have seen most of the great artists from The Beach Boys to Led Zeppelin to Buddy Rich to Prince. Regrettably, I have missed some of the greatest such as Elvis, Sinatra, and Jerry Lee. In addition to going to hear great artists since I was a kid, I have sung my entire life, mostly in church. So, today I'm gonna give you some music from my Favorites List. Hope you find something you enjoy.
The Beatles were only together as a band for eight years. However, their innovation and constantly changing ideas created some of the most innovative sounds in Rock and Pop music. From Love Me Do in 1962 to The White Album in 1968 to Abbey Road in 1970, the Beatles showed what progression and creativity could be in the world of popular music. What an amazing trip of incredible constantly growing music. To date, they have sold 600 million records. They are still a top selling band as indicated by over a million units sold in 2020. They are listed in The Guiness Book of Records as the highest selling band of all time.
I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND - Live on The Ed Sullivan Show - February, 9 1964
GET BACK on the roof of their Apple Corps Headquarters - January 30, 1969
Brilliant writing, insane vocals, and probably the greatest drummer in all of Rock. Zeppelin redefined Rock Music. I saw Robert Plant, one of the greatest voices in Rock, along with one of the greatest lead guitarists in Rock, Jimmy Page, the incredible keyboardist, John Paul Jones and the greatest Rock Drummer, John Bonham. They were one of the many featured acts at the first ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL POP FESTIVAL on July 4th Weekend 1969, one month before Woodstock. They performed Stairway to Heaven a little after 1:00 in the morning at the end of about a two-hour show. I was mesmerized.
Steven Tyler is the quintessential American Rock Star. At the age of 75, Tyler is still performing and touring with AEROSMITH. This power rock group has endured many ups and downs on and off stage. But they always bring their best to their fans. I saw them live several years ago and was completely blown away by the band and Tyler's insane vocal skills. He's on a break right now due to some problems with his vocal cords. So take a listen to one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded - DREAM ON.
One of the greatest singers in pop/rock music, Sir Paul McCartney, is a giant fan of the Boys from California. From Little Deuce Coupe to God Only Knows, this band of brothers, cousins and others created a completely unique sound beginning in the early 60's. Their harmonies and rhythms were innovative and new. They influenced so many groups and singers that came later, including The Beatles.
Take a listen, from 1964 - one of their biggest hits - I GET AROUND on Ed Sullivan.
IMHO - Prince reigns as one of the greatest artists ever in modern music. I had always been a fan, but, when I saw him live at The Saint Pete Times Forum in Tampa, he moved to No. 1 on my favorites list. Three hours of some of the most amazing live music I have ever heard. He ended the show with about a forty-five-minute version of Purple Rain. Truly incredible music.
His acoustic version of mega hit Cream.
CURRENT DAY MUSIC
And what about the New Stuff? The Music listened to by younger Vagabonds from our kids to our grandkids is being pulled up everywhere. And, IMHO, most of it is overproduced and not particularly creative. All generations lament the low quality of current music compared to the music during their time. And, if you grew up in the sixties you may even be and Music Snob! The way music is written, recorded and transmitted is utterly new today. We have gone from vinyl (45's/78's/33-1/3's) to eight tracks, to cassettes and finally CD's, which are slowly becoming obsolete, due to a multitude of streaming services from Sirius to Amazon to Spotify. But the point is that all Vagabonds can find and plug into whatever technology they desire to listen to their favorite music.
There are some great bands and artists recording new and innovative sounds in every genre of music - Rock, Pop, Jazz, Country and Christian. I do not include Hip Hop in that list. It's just a generational thing - sorry!
So, have a listen to some new music by current day artists.
This folk/rock band, from Concord, North Carolina has been turning out great tunes since the late 1990's. Their unique sound that combines folk, rock and bluegrass always delivers great songs with great lyrics. They're pure American. Enjoy AIN'T NO MAN.
A British band from London, formed in 2007, combines folk and rock in a powerful combination of great lyrics and music. Enjoy them live at RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE , about thirty minutes from Denver, performing one of their mega hits - I WILL WAIT.
The lead singer from Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, performs with an amazing singer, Allison Krauss, with a voice like pure Spring Water. New innovative music with one of the greats of rock and a current day star from the world of Bluegrass. This cool song/video is from the Raising Sand Album which won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2009. Enjoy GONE GONE GONE.
From Down Under, this Australian Band knows how to bring blues and rock together for great listening pleasure. They released their first album in 2017. It came to my attention via my very musical daughter Lauren. Just more proof that current music is alive and well.
Enjoy one of their cool tunes - Remember the Time.
Christian Music
I grew up singing everywhere, particularly in church. I saw The Statesman Quartet perform many times when my dad would load us up in the car and head out to Gospel Sings near and far. The Gaither Vocal Band took great Southern Music, rearranged it, and made it an enduring genre of music enjoyed by millions the world over. And Christian Music is alive and well today with many innovative artists creating new sounds with the great message of Jesus.
Here are a couple of amazing tunes keeping the spirit alive.
One of the genuinely great gospel singers still performing today has sung, off and on, with the Gaither Vocal Band for years. He is also a multiple Dove and Grammy award winning artist.
Take a listen to a song that was written by Claude Ely in 1934 as Taff brings down the house with this power song - AIN'T NO GRAVE.
This band takes Gospel/Christian Music to an entirely new level. Great lyrics, great music and great videos have established this award-winning band as one of the leaders of new music in the Christian Music world. Enjoy a wild and energetic tune - HAPPY DANCE!
This amazing singer of jazz, particularly Big Band Jazz, is keeping the faith and bringing us his interpretation of American Jazz today. According to an Oprah Winfrey interview, Bublé, who hails from British Columbia, learned about the greats of jazz and other genres of music from a very young age, listening to his grandfather's recordings of Sinatra, Bennett, Elvis, Sam Cooke and others. According to the great music producer/aficionado David Foster, he heard Bublé' sing at the wedding of the daughter of a former Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney. He walked up to Bublé, gave him $5,000 cash and said - be in LA in a week, we're going to make a record. And the rest, as they say, is history. I've seen Bublé several times live - always amazing. Enjoy the title song from his eleventh studio album - HIGHER as Bublé shows what real jazz is today.
OK. I am a rabid Lyle Lovette fan. I have seen him at least four times with his Large Band and just his guitar. His inclusion of country, rock, pop, jazz and even classical in his writing and music makes this Texas Troubadour one of the most unique artists performing today since 1980.
Please enjoy one of the coolest tunes ever written from his latest Recording 12th of June released in 2022 - PANTS IS OVERRATED.
Well, I hope all you Vagabonds can find some music you enjoy on my list. These are my favorites. But, no matter what, find some music you really like as you're traveling to places near and far for Football, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and other places you may visit during this time of year. Traveling always brings new things into our minds and our hearts. My memories of listening to music traveling to places near and far always leaves me with pleasant recollections.
Have a great Fall and listen, listen, listen as you go, go, go!!
