Songs of Our Lifetimes

 I wrote this song shortly after moving to Florida in 1989. It gets nearly as much airplay as my hit "No Excuses" (sold under 2 million copies). The persistent question is, "What does it mean?" "Whatever you think it means," I usually answer, "is what it means." Truth. I arrived in the buckle of the Baptist Belt with the area immersed in controversy over a PBS TV series. The local churhie KKK inhabitants of Duval County were threatening to pull funding from the station if it broadcast the Bill Moyer series of interviews with Joseph Campbell (having never seen it). The Power of Myth frightened these pitiful creatures. It exposed their religion for what it was: a collection of myths. Myth - a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events. Debate on the news reminded me of 1925 Dayton, Tennessee when John T. Scopes ...

The first story I heard in New Orleans was that Jerry Jeff had met Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in an Orleans Parish drunk tank. I argued that it was not likely since our jails were segregated along color lines at that time. Further research showed that Jerry Jeff was born Ronald Clyde Crosby on March 16th, 1942. Bill Robinson died November 25th, 1949. I posited that it was highly unlikely that the 7-year-old Ronnie Crosy found his way into a drunk tank, particularly since he grew up in Oneida, New York.  "I met man, Bojangles, and he'd dance for you" go the lyrics of Jerry Jeff Walker's most famous and covered song,  Mr. Bojangles.  Fortunately, Jerry Jeff heard the same story and clarified the fact that he wrote the song in tribute to the many that danced in the French Quarter "for drinks and tips" and that the drunk he met - who called himself Bojangles - was a white alcoholic. Ron Crosby changed his name to Jerry Jeff Walker in 1966 because it ...

 This dish is a truly delightful experience that is both gourmet and gourmand; at least way the Cafe' Be At cooks it. This particular dish is a combination of Seafood Creole and Gumbo -- the best of both. Gumbo comes from magumbo, the African word for okra. Get all this stuff as fresh as you can. Hit a roadside farmers' market (known in the bayou as the back of the farmers truck). These folks have usually got the freshest, most home-grown stuff, their making an honest, hard-earned living and you get to screw the IRS. Cain’t axe for a better deal than that. 2 Large Onions 3 Large Green Pepper 1 lb. of Mushrooms 3 Celery stalks 2 lb. of Okra 2 lb. of Shrimp 2 quarts of Fish stock Large bottles of red wine (Burgundy) Tomatoes (2 Tomatoes -- 1 lb. 12 oz. cans of crushed.) Garlic Oregano Basil Thyme First off: open the bottle of wine and pour yourself a glass. You are about to start cutting veggies for a while. This is much easier if you have a glass of red wine at your side. Nex...

Folk merged with Rock as Canada merged with America in the seminal band Buffalo Springfield. The name was derived from a brand of steamroller produced in Springfield, Ohio-based company Buffalo-Springfield Steamroller Company. The name proved prophetic as the group steamrolled their way to the top of the charts. Initial members included Stephan Stills (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Dewey Martin (drums, vocals), Bruce Palmer (bass), Richie Furay (guitar, vocals), and Neil Young (vocals, guitar, piano, harp). In 1966, the group signed with Atlantic Records and soon released the single “Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing" - in Los Angeles. It became a local LA hit. Instant fame came later that year with the release of "For What It's Worth", a strangely abstract name for a scathing, ominous  protest song. "There's something happening here, What it is ain't exactly clear, There's a man with a gun over there, Tellin' me I got to beware. It's time to...

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, on February 28th, 1940, Joseph Allen Souter was destined to be one of the most influential songwriters of the 60's & 70's winning two Grammy Awards, launching the careers of numerous stars, and selling millions of records along the way. Under the stage name of Joe South he scored his first hit with a novelty song titled "The Purple People Eater Meets The Witch Doctor" in 1959. He got serious after that writing two songs recorded by Gene Vincent, a pop song "I Might Have Known" and the bluesy "Gone Gone Gone". Bill Lowery  saw potential in South, hiring him as a staff guitarist and songwriter at the National Recording Company in Atlanta where Joe worked alongside future legends Ray Stevens and Jerry Reed. Joe South became a sought-after sideman. He played guitar on Tommy Roe's "Sheila", Bob Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde" album, and the classic "Chain of Fools" that  launched Aretha F...

 Unlike most American teenagers, I wasn't into the Beatles. Their songs didn't reach me. They couldn't be heard on their infamous Ed Sullivan Show appearances. Girls were screaming and crying and tearing at their hair. I didn't get it. I dug the long hair because I was bugging my father, a retired Army Sergeant Major, to stop with the buzz cut hair and let me go Native. They weren't playing Country so my pleas fell on muted ears. The main reason I didn't fall on my knees to worship The Beatles was that they didn't have a keyboard player. Keyboard-less bands didn't interest me. I was more into bands like Paul Revere and the Raiders, ? and the Mysterians, and The Doors. In fact, I became a Doors fanatic; buying each album the day it was released and studying every note that organist Ray Manzarek played. Morrison's range fit my voice perfectly and his lyrics incited me during my time of rage and revolt against the establishment. I was celebrating my 1...