Tom Petty RIP (1950-2017)

Tom Petty

    The world of rock n'roll lost another legend when musician Tom Petty passed away at

  the ripe age of 66. He was found unconscious at his home where he was immediately 

  rushed to the hospital. Tom had suffered cardiac arrest before put on life support.

      His laid back demeanor and hippie like image made him one of the most likeable

  rockers this generation. He formed The Heartbreakers in the late 70's but rose to

  prominence during the 80's when his videos were in heavy rotation on the fledgling

  MTV network.

      He had a string of hits that included Free Falling, Runnin' Down a Dream &

  Mary Jane's Last Dance. While making hit songs, he helped form the supergroup

  The Travelling Wilburys with George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne (ELO).

      Tom Petty may be gone but his songs should inspire future musicians to come.

    Top Tom Petty songs :

  1). Running Down a Dream                 6). Into the Great Wide Open

  2). Free Fallin'                                      7). Don't Do Me Like That

  3). Learning to Fly                                8). You Got Lucky 

  4). I Won't Back Down                         9). You Don't Know How it Feels

  5). Mary Jane's Last Dance                 10). You Wreck Me Baby
      

Chester Bennington RIP (1976-2017)

RIP Chester Bennington

   

    It is with sad news that Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington has passed away at 

  age of 41. He had struggled with depression ever since his good friend rocker Chris
  Cornell passed away earlier this year. 

    Bennington's ear shattering screams along with co-singer Mike Shinoda's smooth flow

  gave Linkin Park their unique and distinct sound. Their debut album Hybrid Theory,

  released in 2001, is their best selling album to date selling over 10 million copies 

  worldwide. Their chart topping singles "One Step Closer" & "Crawling" made

  the band a staple on MTV's TRL. 

    When their next album Meteora was released in 2003, the band became even
  more popular spawning such singles as "Somewhere I Belong" , "Faint" & 
  "Numb".

     While Linkin Park took a brief hiatus, Chester filled in as Stone Temple Pilots 

  frontman when their singer, Scott Weiland, died from an overdose a few years ago. 

  Like Weiland, Chester battled with his personal demons throughout his life stemming

  from his drug use at an early age. 

   
   "Don't resent me, when you're feeling empty, keep me in your memory. Leave out 
  all the rest." Chester Bennington. 

   Don't worry Chester, we'll keep you in our memories and just play your songs. 

July 4th/ Patriotic Playlist

    I'd just like to wish everyone out there a happy and safe 4th of July !!!

    Here is my Patriotic Playlist for the 4th of July

    1). Living in America, James Brown

    2). Born in USA, Bruce Springsteen

    3). Firework, Katy Perry

    4). Fortunate Son, John Fogerty

    5). Surfin USA, Beach Boys

    6). America F**k Yeah

    7). Real American, Rick Derringer

    8). Sweet Home Alabama, Lynyrd Skynyrd

    9). America the Beautiful, Ray Charles

   10). R.O.C.K in USA, John Mellencamp

   11). American Idiot, Green Day

Chris Cornell RIP (1964-2017)

    Chris Cornell (1964-2017)

       It is with a heavy heart that Soundgarden & Audioslave singer Chris Cornell 

   has passed away. The 52 year old was found unresponsive in his hotel room shortly

   after a sold out show in Detroit. The handsome rocker whose distinctly gravelly

   voice was unmatched and turned the rock world on its ear. He was the voice
   of a generation when there wasn't one.

       Cornell's struggle with alcohol and drug usage were evident in most of his 

  songs. Shortly after Mother Love Bone's singer Andrew Wood's passing in 1990,

  he formed Temple of the Dog with the then unknown Eddie Vedder. The band was

  a tribute to his close friend who died of an overdose.

       He also formed Soundgarden with musicians Hiro Yamamoto and Kim Thayil

  in the mid 80's. The band rose to prominence during the early 90's as part of the 

  Seattle grunge scene along with Nirvana & Pearl Jam. After the release of 

  Badmotorfinger, they released their best selling album to date, Superunknown

  in 1994. Their most popular song, "Black Hole Sun" rose to top of the rock 

  charts and was in constant airplay on rock stations during that time. His band
  was the quintessential soundtrack to the 90s youth/teenage rebellion.

       Shortly after Soundgarden's breakup in 1997, Cornell decided to pursue 

  a solo career. He released Euphoria Morning. The critically acclaimed album

  didn't sell well and was a commercial dud. But it didn't stop Cornell. In fact,

  the track "You Know My Name" was the theme song to the 2006 James Bond

  reboot "Casino Royale".

      During that time, he collaborated with ex-Rage Against the Machine 

  musicians to form Audioslave. Their eponymous album titled Audioslave

  sold over 3 million copies. Their hits included Cochise, Show me how to 

  Live & Like a Stone. 

     While his talent maybe gone, his music will live on forever in the hearts
 and souls of many fans and aspiring rockers to follow. 

  Goodbye Chris, you will be missed.

Chuck Berry RIP (1926-2017)

        Rock music lost an icon this past Sunday when guitar pioneer Chuck Berry

  passed away at the ripe age of 90. He had been a trailblazer in the rock world

  paving the way for such rock acts in the 1960's and inspiring many bands to

  follow. Without Berry, there'd be no The Beatles, no Rolling Stones or even no

  Elvis Presley. 

      Many of his songs including "Johnny B. Good" & "No Particular Place to Go"

  have become synonymous with him. While "My Ding a Ling" was his only #1 hit,

  many stations banned it from airplay due to the nature and sexual innuendos. 

       He may be gone but definitely not forgotten. May his music live on for future

  generations. 

Rock of Awesome

    Yesterday, I went and saw Rock of Ages at the Walnut Creek Dean Lesher Center. This 
enjoyable musical, set in the 1980's, tells the story of two young people (Wolfgang & 
Sherrie) who fall in love while pursuing their dreams, complete with bad 80's perms. 
There were a few 4th wall breaking moments that I found funny. 
    While Rock of Ages has lots of dancing, it has a good blend of comedy & 80's rock hits. 
It makes you want to sing along and have a rocking good time. I thought the play was alot
better than the movie version. Despite the amount of senior citizens attending this play,
 it may not have been the kind of music they're accustomed to.