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Bobby Taylor, Motown recording artist and producer
Soul music legend Bobby Taylor has died at age 83. The singer / producer was living in Hong Kong at the time of his death. He was born in North Carolina, but his musical journey took him through...
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Sammy Davis, Jr. is responsible for one of Jay & the Americans’ biggest hits
…and 5 more things you didn’t know about Jay & the Americans Jay & the Americans on the set of Hullabaloo with Sammy Davis, Jr. In April 1964, Jay and the Americans were riding high, having had...
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Don’t go to the bathroom! (At least not when Gary Lewis & the Playboys play...
If you’ve ever been to a concert by a classic band that’s got a new album out, you know that “here’s one from our new album” really means “this is a great time for a bathroom break.” As the producer...
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BOOK REVIEW: “HUSHABYE: THE MYSTICS, THE MUSIC AND THE MOB” by Al Contrera
BOOK REVIEW: “HUSHABYE: THE MYSTICS, THE MUSIC AND THE MOB”, Al Contrera, Balboa Press, 2018 www.balboapress.com. Todd Baptista Through the years, I’ve spoken to dozens of rhythm’n’blues, doo wop,...
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Rock & Roll Icons Who Have Served in the Military
Reflecting today on Rock & Roll icons who have donned the uniform of our nation’s armed forces… Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix enlisted in the Army in 1961, long before he became a household name....
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Children Of 10 Rock And Roll Icons That Followed In Their Father’s Footsteps
Robby Vee The son of the 60s hit-maker Bobby Vee, Robby was greatly influenced by his father’s music and began playing the guitar as a child. By the age of 16, Robby was performing on stage with his...
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George Smith, 86, of the Castaleers
Vocal group harmony pioneer George T. Smith, Jr., baritone in the Castaleers who recorded for Felsted, Donna, and Planet from 1957-1961 died June 3, 2018 at age 86. A lifelong resident of...
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REMEMBERING THE SPANIELS AND THE LLOYD PRICE YEARS © 2018 Todd Baptista e-mail: info@toddbaptista.com The second week of June always brings personal memories of the...
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Interview with Eugene Pitt
In 2010, I was asked to edit and help publish an interview with Eugene Pitt, original lead singer of the Jive Five, as conducted by Bob Miner, for Keep Rockin’ magazine. With Gene’s passing, I thought...
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One Bronx Tale Hits the Road, Another Seeks a Broadway Home
Where one Broadway Bronx story ends, hopefully another will begin – with a bit of luck and a lot of fund-raising. A Bronx Tale will close, as Dion DiMucci seeks investors to launch The Wanderer, the...
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Publication of “When Gold Turns to Gray” makes for an oldies trilogy
Donald Riggio‘s life was set to a rock and roll soundtrack, so its no wonder his novels would follow suit. The Bronx-born author has just published the third in a series of novels using the first...
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Doo Wopp out-bursts always a possibility with actor John Goodman
John Goodman recently broke out into song while being interviewed. He was asked about his musical preferences on ABC’s “Popcorn” and while he said he listens to forties music, he was soon singing doo...
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Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin dead at 76 The Queen of Soul and the woman who Rolling Stone Magazine called “the greatest singer of all time”, has died. Aretha Franklin was 76 years old. Aretha Franklin dead at 76....
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Gary Puckett
Gary Puckett & the Union Gap Gary Puckett & the Union Gap tore up charts in the late sixties and continue to tour internationally to this day. The band recently returned from England and will...
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TEDDY SCOTT, G-CLEFS SINGER, DIES AT 82
©2018 Todd Baptista (photo above- Ilanga, Teddy Scott, Ray Gipson, Christian Scott, Timothy Scott) Teddy Scott, baritone and founding member of the G-Clefs who scored national hits during the...
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Doo Wopp Love from Non-Doo Wopp Artists
10 (Non-Doo Wopp) Artists Who’ve Publicly Proclaimed Their Love for Doo Wopp 1. Robert Plant is forever enshrined in hard rock history as Led Zepplin’s wailing frontman. However, not many know that...
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Pop Rock Music of the Sixties is Center-Stage in Tarantino’s “Once Upon a...
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” Soundtrack In a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, its tough imagine anything other than the stars of the movie being the stars of the movie. Once Upon a...
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Best Books for the Pop, Rock & Doo Wopp fans on your Christmas list
The book The Flamingos: A Complete History of the Doo-Wop Legends by historian Todd Baptista is the definitive chronology of one of the most revered groups in the history of rock and roll. The book...
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Jerry Lee Lewis Emerges After Stroke, Receives Mississippi Country Music...
NESBIT, Miss. (Dec. 19, 2019) – Music icon Jerry Lee Lewis received a marker on the Mississippi Country Music Trail Thursday afternoon at The Lewis Ranch, his longtime home in Nesbit, Miss. The event...
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Do You Know How These Classic Groups Got Their Names?
The Elegants Before creating the number one hit “Little Star” in 1958, Vito Picone, Arthur Venosa, Frank Tardogno, Carmen Romano, and James Moschello were just local kids harmonizing in South Beach,...
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