50 Years Later: His Dream is Our Dream
Sean MurphyIn 1963, 200,000 people participated in a peaceful civil rights rally in Washington, D.C., where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech in front of…
Props for Pops (71st Birthday Edition)
I have written more than once about my mother (here and here) but I haven't said a great deal (here) about my old man. That is, in part, because he…
Improving Upon Perfection, Part One: Curtis Mayfield and Junior Murvin
First, the sweet, angelic genius of Curtis Mayfield. (Sidenote: if you've lived this long without getting a proper exposure to Curtis, remedy that as soon as possible. Virtually everything the…
Rodney King, R.I.P.
Some people, like Rosa Parks, seem determined (if not destined) to make history. Some, like Parks, are successful. Others are not (many of them are appearing right now on reality…
Props on Pops: 70th Birthday Edition
I have written more than once about my mother (here and here) but I haven't said a great deal (here) about my old man. That is, in part, because he…
Props on Pops (Revisited)
I have written more than once about my mother (here and here) but I haven't said a great deal (here) about my old man. That is, in part, because he…
William Parker: The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield
A Match Made in Heaven Turns Into a Near Miss This review should be prefaced by a simple acknowledgment: William Parker has few peers in contemporary music. For the better…
Summertime is Reggae Time (Revisited)– Part Four: ‘The Same Song’ by Israel Vibration
The cardinal rule for any serious appraisal of art involves a necessity to separate all discussion of the artist from the artifact. Mostly this is essential because so many unsavory…
May 3: Props on Pops
I have written more than once about my mother (here and here) but I haven't said a great deal (here) about my old man. That is, in part, because he…