Bill Sharkey: Live Cover Songs

Abraham Martin, & John (Dion, 1968). Live cover performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-05-15. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" Written by Dick Holler (Wikipedia, 2021), "Abraham Martin, & John," was a tribute to the memories of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and John and Robert Kennedy who were all assassinated (last.fm, 2010). The song was originally recorded by Dion DiMuci and was his comeback hit, after being off the charts for 4 years. The song rose to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968 (Whitburn, 2013). Dion was quoted as saying that ""Abraham, Martin and John' was a way of reminding people that they could aspire to great things, even in the midst of tragedy and confusion” (D. Freeland, americansongwriter.com, 2010). In 1969, the song was awarded gold record status by selling five-hundred-thousand copies (RIAA.com, 2021). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Can't Get It Out Of My Head (Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), 1974-1975). Live cover performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-05-15. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" was the Electric Light Orchestra's (ELO) first top 10 hit settling in at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974-1975 (Whitburn, 2013). Of the song, Jeff Lynne stated that he wrote the song to prove to his father that he could write a good song (M. Kielty, ultimateclassicrock.com, 2019). So he wrote "Can't Get It Out Of My Head," "the bittersweet story of a man who has big dreams about a life with a women he knows he can never have, and about ambitions he knows will never come to fruition" (M. Kielty, ultimateclassicrock.com, 2019). Lyrics: Midnight on the water I saw the ocean's daughter Walking on a wave's chicane Staring as she called my name And I can't get it out of my head No, I can't get it out of my head Now my whole world is gone for dead 'Cause I can't get it out of my head Breakdown on the shoreline Can't move, it's an ebb tide Morning don't get here till night Searching for her silver light And I can't get it out of my head No, I can't get it out of my head Now my whole world is gone for dead 'Cause I can't get it out of my head, no, no Bank job in the city Robin Hood and William Tell and Ivanhoe and Lancelot, they don't envy me, yeah Sitting till the sun goes down In dreams the world keeps going 'round and 'round And I can't get it out of my head No, I can't get it out of my head Now my whole world is gone for dead 'Cause I can't get it out of my head, no, no Oh, I can't get it out of my head No, I can't get it out of my head Now my whole world is gone for dead 'Cause I can't get it out of my head, no, no, no, no Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Sunny (Bobby Hebb, 1966). Live cover performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-05-14. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" "Sunny" was Bobby Hebb's one and only top ten hit ascending to the #2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1966 (Whitburn, 2013). Although, Hebb wrote hundreds of songs, it was his "Sunny" that initially gained him recognition (J. Viglione, allmusic.com, 2020); in fact, "Sunny" is ranked number 25 by BMI on their list of the "Top 100 Songs of the Century" (bmi.com, 1999). BMI's list was based on "the most played songs on American radio and television" (bmi.com, 1999). Lyrics: Sunny, yesterday my life was filled with rain. Sunny, you smiled at me and really eased the pain. Oh, the dark days are done and the bright days are here, my sunny one shines so sincere. Oh, Sunny one so true, I love you. Sunny, thank you for the sunshine bouquet. Sunny, thank you for the love you brought my way. You gave to me your all and all, now I feel ten feet tall. Oh, Sunny one so true, I love you. Sunny, thank you for the truth you've let me see. Sunny, thank you for the facts from A to Z. My life was torn like a windblown sand, then a rock was formed when we held hands. Sunny one so true, I love you. Sunny, thank you for that smile upon your face. Sunny, thank you for that gleam that flows with grace. You're my spark of nature's fire, you're my sweet complete desire. Sunny one so true, I love you. Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Puff (The Magic Dragon) (Peter, Paul & Mary, 1962-1963). Live cover performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-05-02. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" was Peter, Paul & Mary's second top 10 hit rising to the second position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1963. In 1964, Newsweek published a piece on drug references in pop songs and suggested that "Puff" was a reference to smoking weed. This publication's interpretation was then assumed by the listeners of the song; however, both co-writers of the song, Peter Yarrow and Leonard Lipton, both claim that the song was about the loss of childhood innocence and nothing more (R. Knott, groovyhistory.com, 2017). Mary Travers has stated, “Believe me, if [Yarrow] wanted to write a song about marijuana, he would have written a song about marijuana” (R. Knott, groovyhistory.com, 2017). as a side note, now when Yarrow sings the song in concert, to be gender-inclusive, he changes the line “A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys” to “A dragon lives forever, but not so girls and boys” (seobrien.com, 21 May, 2000). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Moonshadow (Cat Stevens, 1971). Live cover performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-04-23. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" Cat Stevens was born Steven Demetre Georgiou in 1948, changed to his stage name in 1966 to Cat Stevens, and again changed his name in 1979 to Yusuf Islam when he converted to the Muslim faith (songfacts.com, 2021; Whitburn, 2013). "Moonshadow" was Cat Stevens' second top 40 hit. The song reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1971 (Whitburn, 2013). In an interview on the Today Show with Richard Wilkins, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) told the story about how he came to write Moonshadow (31 May 2012). "When I took a holiday once to Spain, um, I was out there alone on the rocks, kind of midnight and the moon was shinning full. All of a sudden I looked down and went, 'What!' I thought, my shadow. Moon shadow. It was the first time I realized that the moon casted a shadow. . . . that was news. So, then I wrote the song." As a side note, "Moonshadow" is listed with this spelling on his album release "Teaser And The Firecat;" however, the song is printed as "Mood Shadow" on the US and UK 45 single releases (Wikipedia, 2021). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Good Girls Don't (Knack, The, 1979). Live cover performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-04-29. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" The Knack's sophomore release, "Good Girls Don't," was their second and last top 20 hit landing at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979 (Whitburn, 2013). The group released two version of the song, the album cut and the single cut. The single cut removed and changed some of the more sexually explicit and "potentially offensive language" so that the song would be played on AM radio (R. Hilborn, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep 1979, p. 51). The song "is the anthem pining teenage boys everywhere can relate to" (J. Costello, The Honolulu Advertiser, 29 Jul 2005, p. 104). The version I perform here is the single version. Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Hallelujah (Lenard Cohen, 1984; Jeff Buckley, 1994; Justin Timberlake & Matt Morris, 2010; Pentatonix, 2016). Live cover performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-04-12. "Keeping the Oldies Alive." "Hallelujah" was written and recorded by Lenard Cohen on his LP Various Positions, which was released in 1984 (S. Marshall, godtube.com, Jul 7, 2017). The song did not excite the audiences until it was performed at concerts and recorded by Jeff Buckley in 1994, and even more so after Rufus Wainwright's version found its way into the Shrek film and soundtrack (2001). Although Cohen's, Buckley's, and Wainwright's versions never made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart when they originally released them (G. Trust, billboard.com, 2016) and many other versions were recorded, only a handful of versions eventually made it onto the chart with Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris' version having the most success hitting the #13 position in 2010 (Whitburn, 2013), while Pentatonix's 2016 version moved to #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (Wikipedia, 2021). However, after Lenard Cohen's death in 2016, his original version debuted at #59 on the Billboard chart (G. Trust, billboard.com, 2016). Here's an interesting side note, according to songfests.com (2021), over a period of 5 years, Cohen wrote over 80 verses to the song before selecting the recorded verses. Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Don't You Care (Buckinghams, The, 1967). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-04-13. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" The year 1967 was a fantastic year for the Buckinghams. They had 5 top 20 hits within a span of 12 months (Whitburn, 2013). "Don't You Care" was their second hit rising to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (Whitman, 2013). That was basically it. According to Tommy James (of the Shondells), this was the year that saw the switch from single making groups (e.g., the Association, Rascals, Shondells, Gary Puckett, Buckinghams) to album making groups (e.g., Led Zeppelin, CSN, Blood Sweet & Tears, Neil Young). Many of the single making groups just disappeared from the charts (S. Ortega, songfacts.com, 2009). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Remember(Christmas) (Harry Nilsson, 1972). Live cover performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-04-13. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" "Remember (Christmas)" is found on Nilsson's 1972 release, Son of Schmilsson. Although not a major hit, it did rise to #53 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the same year (Whitburn, 2013). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Come Monday (Jimmy Buffett, 1974). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-04-07. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" Released in 1974, "Come Monday" was Jimmy Buffett's first top 40 hit rising to #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (Whitburn, 2013). The song is one of Buffett's "The Big 8" standard songs that he plays at almost all his concerts (Wikipedia, 2021). According to songlist.fm (2020), as of 2020, Buffett has played "Come Monday" at his concerts 1145 times. The only song he has played more often is "Margaritaville" at 1198 times. As described on the countrythangdaily.com web site, Buffet was missing his to-be wife while he was on tour, which led to his writing of “Come Monday” (2021). "During a live performance in 1974, Buffett mentioned that he had written the song while on his way to California the previous year. This means that it would have been written as he was 'heading up to San Francisco for the Labor Day Weekend show' in 1973" (countrythangdaily.com, 2021). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Teen Angel (Mark Dinning, 1959-1960). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-04-02. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" One hit wonder, Mark Dinning, scored a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1960 with "Teen Angel" (Whitburn, 2013). Dinning said that the song was released in 1959 but had trouble climbing the charts because so many radio stations banned the song; they said it was too sad; in fact, England banned the song completely (G. Wilson, newbloomfieldhistorical.org, 2021) for a year (upi.com, 1986). This song was the first of the teenage tragedy songs that made it onto the charts. Before Dinning's death of a heart attack in 1986 (allmusic.com, 2021; Whitburn, 2013)), "Teen Angel" had sold over 5 million copies world wide (chicagotribune.com, Mar 23, 1986; upi.com, 1986) and received the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) "gold record" designation (wikipedia, 2021). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Rich Girl (Hall & Oates, 1976). Live cover performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-03-18. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" "Rich Girl" was Hall & Oates' fourth consecutive top 40 hit and their first #1 song, reaching the top position Spring of 1977 (Whitburn, 2013). When asked where the lyrics for the song came from, Daryl Hall stated that the song "was written about an old boyfriend of Sara’s . . . from college that she was still friends with at the time [Sara was Allen's ex-girlfriend and song writing collaborator] . . . . He came to our apartment, and he was acting sort of strange. His father was quite rich. I think he was involved with some kind of a fast-food chain. I said, 'This guy is out of his mind, but he doesn’t have to worry about it because his father’s gonna bail him out of any problems he gets in.' So I sat down and wrote that chorus. [Sings] 'He can rely on the old man’s money/he can rely on the old man’s money/he’s a rich guy.' I thought that didn’t sound right, so I changed it to 'Rich Girl' " (K. Sharp, americansongwriter.com, 2009). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

After the Goldrush (Prelude, 1974; Neil Young, 1970). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-03-31. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" Neil Young wrote "After the Gold Rush" for his album of the same name and released the album in 1970; however, it was the English folk trio, Prelude, that scored a top 40 hit with the song landing at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974 (Whitburn, 2013). The song's lyrics have been a meaning mystery for years. It wasn't until Neil wrote his autobiography that we were given a glimpse of what the lyrics meant. According to Neil (Young, 2012), actor/screenplay writer Dean Stockwell had written a screenplay titled "After the Gold Rush," which was about how the gold rush created California and how California eventually fell into the sea (N. Hasted, loudersound.com, 2016). Neil received a copy of the screenplay and was inspired by it. Neil claimed that the song "is an environmental song . . . I recognize in it now this thread that goes through a lotta my songs that’s this time-travel thing . . . When I look out the window, the first thing that comes to my mind is the way this place looked a hundred years ago” (N. Hasted, loudersound.com, 2016). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Goodnight My Love (Pleasant Dreams) (Jessie Belvin, 1956-1957; Paul Anka, 1969). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-03-28. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" "Goodnight My Love" was written and co-written by Jessie Belvin in 1956 and rose to the #7 position on the Billboard R&B chart in 1957 (last.fm/music, 2008). According to Bruce Eder (allmusic.com, 2021), the piano player on the song was an 11 year old Barry White, who was making his session work debut. Also, "Goodnight My Love" was Alan Freed's radio show outro (B. Eder, allmusic.com, 2021). Sadly, while leaving a concert he performed at in Little Rock, Arkansas February 5-6, 1960, Jessie Belvin, his wife, Jo Ann, a friend (who was driving), and two others in the second car died in a head-on car crash in Fairhope, Arkansas (discogs.com, 2021; Hope Star, Monday, Feb 8, 1960, p.1); Jessie was 27 years old (R. Williams, thebluemoment.com, 2020). As a side note, Belvin was also the cowriter of the Penguin's hit "Earth Angel" and other lesser known Doo Wop songs (R. Williams, thebluemoment.com, 2020). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Alone Again (Naturally) (Gilbert O'Sullivan, 1972). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-03-21. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" The first of three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "Alone Again (Naturally)" was Gilbert O'Sullivans only #1 hit, toping the chart in 1972 and staying at the top position for 6 weeks (non-consecutively) (Whitburn, 2013; Wikipedia, 2021). As an interesting and recording industry shift, Gilbert O'Sullivan sued rapper Biz Markie for sampling this song in the rapper's song "Alone Again" (Grand Upright Music, Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records Inc., 780 F. Supp. 182, S.D.N.Y. 1991). The judge "found Biz Markie guilty of infringing on O'Sullivan's copyright, ordered the rapper to pay $250,000 in damages, barred Markie's label (Warner Brothers) from continuing to sell either the single or album and, most astoundingly, referred the matter to criminal court, on the grounds that Markie was liable for theft. (The rapper was never charged.) Duffy's decision permanently altered the landscape for sampling" (npr.org, 2013), though many still violate the law by illegally sampling obscure songs to help avoid detection (C Richards, washingtonpost.com, July 6, 2012). Artists are to request permission to use the sample, pay the artist for the rights to use the sample, and receive said permission (J. Echevarria, xximag.com, Dec 17, 2018). Mark Volman, of the Turtles, praised the ruling stating that “Sampling is just a longer term for theft. . . . Anybody who can honestly say sampling is some sort of creativity has never done anything creative” (C. Philips, losangelestimes.com, Jan 1, 1992). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

City Of New Orleans (Arlo Guthrie, 1972; Willie Nelson, 1984). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-03-18. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" "The City of New Orleans" is a song written by Steve Goodman but was made popular by Arlo Guthrie in 1972, landing at #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart (Whitburn, 2013). This was Guthrie's only top 40 hit (Whitburn, 2013). Then, in 1984, Willie Nelson's version hit the #1 position on the Billboard Country chart (Whitburn, 1994). This version led to a Grammy for Goodman (posthumously) for Best Country Song (Vanderleun, americandigest.org, Mar 19, 2021). On September 20, 1984, at 36 years old, Goodman died of complications during a bone marrow transplant, which was due to his 15 year long struggle with Leukemia (New York Times, Sept. 22, 1984), before he was able to receive the Grammy award. The song depicts "a train ride from Chicago to New Orleans on the Illinois Central Railroad's City of New Orleans in bittersweet and nostalgic terms" (Wikipedia, 2021). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Groovin' (Young Rascals, The, 1967). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-03-15. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" "Groovin'" was the Young Rascals' second #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart reaching the top position in 1967 (Whitburn, 2013). Felix Cavaliere stated that the song was inspired by his fiancée at the time, Adrienne Buccheri, whom he said "was divinely sent for the purpose of inspiring [his] creativity (J. Pallino, Boston Globe, July 10, 2003). Overtime, "Groovin'" has become one of the Rascals' signature songs (Wikipedia, 2021). The song is also found on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll" (J. Henke, chief curator, nd). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Penny Lane (The Beatles, 1967). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-03-08. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" Released in 1967, "Penny Lane" was the Beatles' 13th #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (Whitburn, 2013). Penny Lane is a road in the south Liverpool suburb of Mossley Hill (Wikipedia, 2021). According to Paul McCartney, "Penny Lane was the depot I had to change buses at to get from my house to John's and to a lot of my friends (Beatles Music History, beatlesebooks.com, 2021). And according to the "fifth Beatle" George Martin, "'Penny Lane' / 'Strawberry Fields Forever' was the best record we ever made! ((Beatles Music History, beatlesebooks.com, 2021). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Speak to The Sky (Rick Springfield, 1971). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-03-01. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" "Speak To the Sky" was Rick Springfield's first charting release in the USA; in 1972 the song reached the #14 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (Whitburn, 2013). It was not until 1981, almost 10 years later, that Rick returned to the Billboard top 20 with his #1 hit "Jessie's Girl" (Whitburn, 2013). Rick stated that he was 17 when he wrote "Speak to the Sky" (rickspringfield.us, 2021), and it was his mother who inspired him to write a "happy" song because as he stated "I'd been writing all this stuff about suicide and love triads and so I wrote a happy song" (Hot Ones Radio Show, 1984). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

I'm Easy (Keith Carradine, 1976). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-03-07. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" In the category of one-hit-wonders, here's Keith Carradine's only charting single, "I'm Easy," from the movie Nashville (1975) (Whitburn, 2013). The song climbed to #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1976 and received an Academy Awards' Best Music: Original Song Oscar the same year (imdb.com, 2021). It also received the 1976 Golden Globe for Best Original Song (Motion Picture) (goldenglobes.com, 2021). Carradine released two full albums: I'm Easy (1976) and Lost & Found (1978) (allmusic.com, 2021). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Sugar Mountain (Neil Young, 1977). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-03-14. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" Although "Sugar Mountain" never made it on any of the Billboard charts, it is one of his fans favorites. The song was released as the "B" side of two singles, "The Loner" (1969) and "Cinnamon Girl" (1970) (Wikipedia, 2021). Neil Young wrote the song after turning 21 and not being able to continue performing at a local under 20 club in Canada (Joni Mitchell, Royal Albert Hall, Oct 29, 1970). In 1971, Neil Young performed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles where a fan recorded the concert and released it as a bootleg album, "Live On Sugar Mountain" (allmusic.com, 2021). While playing "Sugar Mountain," Neil stopped in the middle of the song and provided this interesting piece of information about his writing of the song, specifically the 3rd verse. He said "when I wrote this song, I wrote 126 verses to it. Now, you can imagine that I had a lot of trouble trying to figure out which four verses to use. I was I was underneath the stairs at the time . . . Anyway, this verse that I wrote, it was the worst verse of the 126 that I wrote. So, I decided to put it in the song, to just to give everybody a frame of reference as to, you know, what can happen. What I'm trying to say is, by stopping here in the middle of the song, and explaining this to you, is that... I think it's one of the lamest verses I ever wrote. And it takes a lotta nerve for me to get up here and sing it in front of you people. But, if when I'm finished singing, you sing the chorus 'Sugar Mountain' super loud, I'll just forget about it right away, and we can continue" (Neil Young, Live On Sugar Mountain, Feb 1, 1971). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Within a 7 month span, a 17 year old new comer to the music field, Ricky Nelson, had seven top 40 hits on the Billboard Magazine chart in 1957; four of which were in the top 5 (P. Sexton, udiscovermusic.com, 2020; Whitburn, 2013). "Stood Up" hit the #2 position (Whitburn, 2013). The song also found its way onto the R&B and country charts, rising to #4 and #8 respectively. Nelson was the son of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson and began his musical career on their family show, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," where he would debut his new singles (Wikipedia, 2021). Between 1957 and 1973, Ricky posted 35 top 40 hits and a total of 63 songs overall on the Hot 100 chart as Ricky Nelson, then Rick Nelson, and finally Rick Nelson & the Stone Canyon Band (Whitburn, 2013). He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1987 (rockhall.com, 2021), two years after his death in a plane crash on December 31, 1985 (history.com, 2009). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

What's Forever For (Michael Martin Murphy, 1982). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-02-26. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" 1982 saw Michael Martin Murphy's fourth and final top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart rising to #19, "What's Forever For" (Whitburn, 2013), although Murphy continued to have multiple hit singles on the Billboard Country chart where this song rose to the #1 position (Whitburn, 1994). The song was originally recorded by England Dan & John Ford Coley and is found on their 1979 album Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive (Wikipedia, 2021). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-02-24. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" was written and recorded originally by Bob Dylan in 1967 and is found on his 'John Wesley Hardin' LP (Wikipedia, 2021). According to secondhandsongs.com (2021), the song has been recorded by more than 120 artists. The most popular recorded version is UB40 & Robert Palmers' version, which in 1990, reached the #24 position on the US Billboard's Hot Modern Rock chart (Wikipedia, 2021). Here, I play the Ka'au Crater Boys' version of the song. Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey

Donna (Richie Valens, 1958). Live performance by Bill Sharkey, Home Studio, Hawaii Kai, HI. 2021-02-21. "Keeping the Oldies Alive" "Donna" was Richie Valens second release and it rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in February of 1969; it was his only top 10 hit and the second of only three recordings released before his death in a plane crash at the age 17 (Biography.com, 2017; Whitburn, 2013; Wikipedia, 2021). The song was written for Valens' high school girlfriend, Donna Ludwig (richievalens.com, 2020). Valens', J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, Buddy Holly, and the plane's pilot Roger Peterson, all died in the plane crash on February 2, 1959 after playing a concert in Iowa. Their deaths have been immortalized in Don McLean's song "American Pie" (Biography.com, 2017). Bandcamp Web Site: https://billsharkey.bandcamp.com Rumble Channel: https://rumble.com/c/BillSharkey Youtube Channel: https://youtube.com/c/billsharkey