Category Archives: Uncategorized

The new episode of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs is now up, on “Pledging My Love” by Johnny Ace, the first rock and roller to die young. This one contains a description of death by gunshot. It … Continue reading →

There’s a new episode of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs now up. This one’s on “The Wallflower” by Etta James, and talks about answer records, white cover versions of black musicians, and the Goon Show.

https://www.500songs.com/e/episode-21-rock-island-line-by-lonnie-donegan/ The new episode of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs is now up! We visit the UK for the first time, as we talk about Lonnie Donegan’s “Rock Island Line”, the trad jazz scene, and white British … Continue reading →

We knew it was coming, of course — the cancer he was diagnosed with around a decade ago is one which most people survive for a long time, but which pretty much always gets you within a decade or so, … Continue reading →

The new episode of “A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs” is up. This one’s on Bill Haley and the Comets, and Rock Around the Clock. But that’s not all… There’s a second new episode, on “Cry” by Johnnie … Continue reading →

https://www.500songs.com/e/episode-19-thats-all-right-mama-by-elvis-presley/ A new episode of “A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs” is now up. This one looks at “That’s All Right, Mama” by Elvis Presley, and features acne, bear cats, a phone call to Castro, and a badly-flawed … Continue reading →

https://www.500songs.com/e/episode-18-sh-boom-by-the-chords/ The new episode of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs is now up! It’s on “Sh-Boom”, a song you may know from many 80s films. It’s also about racism, copyright law, the medieval origins of doo-wop, and … Continue reading →