When I think of harmonica top 40 hits from the 60s and 70s, two names immediately come to mind: Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan. These artists and their songs transcend typical pop rock music that played on Top 40 radio during the golden age of that format. While Wonder and Dylan provided multiple radio hits ..read more

During the year of 1979, I was a student at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Arts.  While at JMU, I worked part-time at Public Radio station WMRA 90.7 FM, that served the Shenandoah Valley. When I wasn’t attending classes or working at WMRA, I would spend my spare time listening to other radio stations that I could pick up in Harrisonburg. Most of my radio surfing was concentrated either on Top 40 outlets or album-oriented rock (AOR) stations. With this music blog message, I will be counting down what I consider to be my fa ..read more

When I think about core instruments in pop rock music, there is one that doesn’t fit into that category: a flute.  While this woodwind may be more at home with orchestras, the breezy sound of flutes was an integral part on many top 40 hits during the 20th century. With this music blog message, I will be counting down what I consider to be my favorite songs featuring a flute. My selections are mostly tunes that I treasured when I was a teenager or as a young adult and I still love these songs in 2024. My listing of fantastic flute songs all became hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dur ..read more

Without a doubt, my favorite instrument is a saxophone.  There just seems to be something magical for me whenever I hear a sax played in a song or tune, no matter what type of musical genre that is being presented. Up until a few years ago, I had never analyzed why I loved certain songs during my youth. Then around the turn of the 21st century, I realized the common denominator with many of my beloved songs was the saxophone. With this music blog message, I will be counting down what I consider to be my favorite songs featuring the saxophone. My selections are mostly tunes that I treasu ..read more

“We are the world/We are the children/We are the ones who make a brighter day/So let’s start giving/There’s a choice we’re making/We’re saving our own lives/It’s true we’ll make a better day/Just you and me” Lyrics by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie: “We Are the World” January 1985. DJ Dave note: The day that I published this music blog article, March 7, 2024, was the 39th anniversary of when the USA for Africa single and video for “We Are the World” was released: 3/7/85. One of the best musical documentaries that I have viewed this decade is “The Greatest Night in Pop.”  The 2024 fil ..read more

What are the greatest rock bands in the history of popular music that featured trios? With my latest music blog message, I will be counting down what I consider to be the ten best rock band trios from the 20th century from 1965 through 1985. Before I share the countdown of the ten bands that I have selected for this topic, I need to state what constitutes a rock trio band. Basically, a rock trio band features all three members playing instruments: normally an electric guitar, an electric bass guitar and drums. In some other trios, keyboards are substituted for either a guitar or a drum set ..read more

Some music historians have called 1983 the last great year for pop music. Billboard magazine lists that 60 percent of the Hot 100 singles that charted 40 years ago were in the pop rock category. With my latest music blog message, I will be counting down what I consider to be my favorite singles and videos that MTV aired during 1983. The genesis of pop music’s explosion in the 80s goes back to the demise of disco music being aired on Top 40 stations. In lieu of playing disco hits, radio playlists consisted of mainly pop, rock, easy listening ballads and country crossover singles. In my homet ..read more

What were the best singles aired on Top 40 radio during 1972? Obviously, there are no definitive answers to my question.  If I asked the above inquiry to 100 folks, I would surely receive one hundred different responses. With my latest music blog message, I will be counting down what I consider to be my favorite Top 40 singles of 1972. I have fond memories of listening to Top 40 radio in ’72 as I turned 17 years old that year in Roanoke, Virginia. During daylight hours, I exclusively listened to Roanoke’s legendary WROV 1240 AM. This station featured a Top 40 format and was the number o ..read more

Terrific Top 40 Instrumental Hits of the 70s One year ago, I published a music blog message on 60’s pop instrumental hit songs and that article has been a popular read for many folks. With this new message, I will be featuring a countdown of what I consider to be the most significant pop instrumental Top 40 singles from the 70s. Since 1980, it has been extremely rare for instrumental songs to become hits on the Billboard Hot 100. However, during the 60s and 70s, instrumental songs regularly became major hits on Top 40 radio. Criteria that I am using for the instrumental songs that I will be ..read more

“Do you like good music, that sweet soul music, just as long as it’s swinging, oh yeah, oh yeah.” Above are the opening lyrics to Arthur Conley’s 1967 smash hit “Sweet Soul Music” which was co-written by Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and Conley.  This song remains a shining example of excellent soul singles released by Stax Records, which had recording studios in Memphis, Tennessee. With this month’s music blog message, I am featuring some of the most beloved Southern soul music singles from Stax Records. I will countdown my baker’s dozen: what I consider to be the 13 best and most influentia ..read more