Tributes

That girl could sing

Posted on by brucehhackett

There are certain elements of popular music that really grab me.  A sexy saxophone solo.  A biting electric guitar riff.  A relentlessly driving beat.  A potent lyric that succinctly captures an emotion.

destinys-child-650-430But when it comes right down to it, I get most weak in the knees when I hear an excellent singer.  From full-throated rock vocalists to gentle balladeers, from country crooners to feisty R&B wailers, I find myself more often mesmerized by voices than any other instrument in the mix.

And I’ll take this a step further:  For the most part, I tend to favor female singers.  Sure, I melt when I hear Roger Daltrey, or Marvin Gaye, or Art Garfunkel, or Peter Gabriel, or Willie Nelson.  But to my ears, women’s voices have a hard-to-define superior quality. Read More

We could have lived this dance forever

Posted on by brucehhackett

Since its inception two years ago, this blog has centered on the artists, albums and music of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, and the issues and topics that affected them.  In 2016, as we watched many in tmte1oda0otcxndy5nda3nzu3hat generation of rockers approach and surpass age 70, we suddenly saw an inordinate number of them passing away, and I found myself writing nearly a dozen obituaries/tributes.

Perhaps it’s fitting that the final rock star death of last year was the youngest.  George Michael, who passed away Christmas Day at 53, became a star in 1984 at only 21, and made a significant impact on rock music, particularly on fans born in the 1965-1980 period.  So he wasn’t really from my era, and I was only a marginal fan…  But there’s no question he is deserving of one more obituary tribute here on “Hack’s Back Pages.” Read More