Winter Wind

Snowzilla

This time, it appears, the dire winter storm forecasts for the northeast turned out to be pretty accurate...

 

We get this sort of thing here in the midwest from time to time, of course, so I know what those folks are up against. I have friends in that neck of the woods, and I pray they get through the disruptions safely.

I'm also saying prayers for everyone who traveled to Washington, D.C. for the annual March for Life rally, that they will all make it back home safely.

March for Life, yesterday, before the storm began

"I thought snowstorms made you feel like a kid again..."

Up to a point...when they threaten peoples' lives, they're less charming...

Duty and Honor, Exemplified

A lot of the visitors to Arlington National Cemetery yesterday took pictures of the Honor Guard sentry standing post at the Tomb of the Unknowns (unofficially known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) as the snow began falling.


Keep this image in mind the next time some nitwit progressive compares our men and women in uniform to medieval barbarians like ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile, Among the Liberals Progressives Democrats

From the pen of Chip Bok, whose editorial cartoons you should read often, as I do.

Until Next Time...

I became a widower in June 1977, at age 24. For quite awhile after that event, news of untimely deaths involving people I admired in the entertainment business (the deaths of such people usually make the news) were especially upsetting to me.

On January 23, 1978 guitarist Terry Kath died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It was entirely accidental, but it was also proof that not everyone who owns a handgun has the good sense not to treat it as a toy. He was just 31 years old.

The news hit me pretty hard. I was a fan of Kath's in part because we shared the same first name, but mostly because of his work with the rock group Chicago.

Original 1969 Chicago Transit Authority album cover

I had discovered the band quite by accident in 1969. They were calling themselves Chicago Transit Authority in those days, and I bought their debut album mostly on a whim (the store didn't have the album I was shopping for, this one was a double album, and it was on sale, so I took a flyer).





To say that I quickly became a fan would be an understatement. I played that album almost non-stop for weeks, and proselytized the band's virtues to all of my friends. Because the band incorporated brass instruments along with the more typical rock configuration, it was a tough sell at first.

That changed with the release of the band's second album, titled Chicago (and referred
to now as Chicago II), on January 26, 1970. The album was a huge hit, producing three Top 10 singles and reaching No. 4 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.

That album launched the band on a career that has seen them sell more than 100 million records and wind up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (their formal induction will take place on April 8, 2016).

January 31, 1946 - January 23, 1978

Kath was a significant contributor to the band's success both as a guitarist (Jimi Hendrix once told one of Kath's bandmates that he thought Terry was a better player) and as a vocalist.

His flashy playing and soulful vocals fueled several of the band's biggest hits. He was an important enough contributor to the band's signature sound that they considered breaking up after his death.





Today's send-off features Kath's distinctive playing and singing on "Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon," the extended suite that dominated Side 2 of the Chicago album and contained two of the band's signature hits, "Make Me Smile" and "Colour My World." Requiescat in pace, Terry...

Shot Across the Bow

Thank Abraxas It's Friday

"Surf's up, Earthlings! Get it? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

So, This Happened...

Cover of February 15 issue

Yesterday evening National Review magazine, which more than any other publication is responsible for shaping my political worldview, announced its editorial opposition to the candidacy of Donald Trump for the Republican Party nomination for president.

Among other things, the symposium 
of conservative writers and thinkers who contributed editorially put forth the strongest, most principled conservative opposition yet to the Trump phenomenon.

For its efforts, the magazine got dis-invited from its role as co-sponsor of the February 25 Republican presidential debate. That is certainly understandable, but NR is to be commended for placing principle over its own bottom line.

I first began reading National Review after seeing its founder, William F. Buckley, Jr., on an episode of his Firing Line debate program in 1967. I quickly became a fan, and when I was old enough a subscriber. I know that Bill would be proud of the principled stand his magazine is taking, and I am proud to support it in every way that I can.

"Trumpo delenda est, eh?"

Something like that, yeah...

Mixed Emotions

Final bow last night

So, my guitar hero
Joe Bonamassa played the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall in New York City last night, and is scheduled to play there again tonight. I'm happy for Joe getting to play such a prestigious venue, and thrilled for my fellow Joe fans who get to see him there.

But...


I can't help worrying about the massive storm that is supposed to hit the east coast beginning today. I want all my Bona-buddies to get back home safely, and I want Joe and the band to travel safely as well (they're headed to Germany after tonight's show).

"Time for a prayer to St. Christopher."

Lots of them, yes...

Turns Out Trump Does Stand for Things

From the pen of Henry Payne, whose editorial cartoons you should read often, as I do.

Until Next Time...

In mid-July of 1965 The Beach Boys began recording Pet Sounds, the album which would eventually come to be seen as the group's masterpiece.

Due mostly to Brian Wilson's perfectionist streak, it took nearly a year to complete the album's 13 songs. Released in May 1966, the album was a mild disappointment commercially, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 200, in part because the music was a drastic departure from the band's familiar sound.

In the fullness of time, the album was embraced by critics and the public alike. It has received multiple platinum certifications, and was selected for the Grammy Hall of Fame. It turns up on almost every "Best Albums" list, and tops several of them. It is a landmark in American popular music.

Original 45 rpm single

Fifty years ago today (January 22, 1966) the instrumental tracks were recorded for "Wouldn't It Be Nice."
The song would eventually become the third single released from Pet Sounds, and would reach No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. It is easily the most popular song from the album, and my personal favorite.






Today's send-off is the 1997 remastered stereo version, created for The Pet Sounds Sessions boxed set. Enjoy...

Slippin' and Slidin'

Give 'Em an Inch

One of the more amusing things about life in the midwest is watching the reaction of people on the east coast to weather that wouldn't cause us to bat an eye here in flyover country. The near-hysterical news coverage of a 1-inch snowfall in Washington, D.C. yesterday is a case in point.

Take a gander at the "blizzard conditions" that actually had people abandoning their cars on the roadways.

Seriously, folks?




In my part of the country, this kind of thing wouldn't even make people late for work, much less cause hours-long traffic jams.

You crack us up, east coast...

"They do tend to over-react to such things, don't they?"

Just a little bit, yeah...

Desperation

"Trust me, we'd be better off with the lifelong progressive Democrat."

Some folks are so concerned about the increasing support for Texas Senator Ted Cruz that they've resorted to desperate tactics to undermine him.





It certainly doesn't get much more desperate than this New York Times piece quoting Bob Dole as saying Cruz would be a disaster for the Republican party should it choose him as its presidential nominee.

Of course, since Dole himself delivered one of the most cataclysmic defeats in GOP history, he's an expert on electoral disasters.

On the other hand, how much credibility can we assign to someone who also predicted that Ronald Reagan would doom the Republican Party? I guess those two Reagan landslides were flukes, eh Bob?

[Disclaimer: I have donated to Senator Cruz's campaign, as I have to the campaigns of Carly Fiorina and Marco Rubio.]

Trump the Biblical Expert

From the pen of Chip Bok, whose editorial cartoons you should read often, as I do.

Until Next Time...

Like most people, I have some favorite pieces of music that come with a story.

Original 1997 album cover

In the case of Kol Simcha's haunting "Lullaby for Clarinet, Piano, and Strings," it is a simple story: I was directing a production of Cynthia Mercati's play To See The Stars in 2003, and the script called for klezmer music.

I wasn't familiar with that style, but my research led me to the band's Klezmer Soul album, and I wound up using several of its songs as incidental music during the show.



"Lullaby..." was the music I played as the lights teased that the show was about to begin.

I have actually directed productions of To See The Stars at two different schools
(Bishop LeBlond and Atlantic). Listening to this song brings back fond memories of both productions, and of the students who performed so well for me. It reminds me of that sense of anticipation as the lights fade to black just before the opening curtain...

Today's send-off is a beautiful piece of music that manages to be both melancholy and uplifting at the same time. Enjoy...

Gutpunches

Sarah, Plain and Dumb

At a rally yesterday in Ames, former GOP vice-presidential candidate and Tea Party stalwart Sarah Palin endorsed asshat Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination.

There is no spinning this. It is a sellout, pure and simple.



Palin has fallen victim to the same siren song that seduced the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and other prominent media figures over the past few months. Aligning with Trump apparently means a bump in ratings, book sales, website visits, or whatever else the person doing the endorsing desires.

I have been an admirer of Mrs. Palin in the past, and a defender of her from relentless and baseless attacks from the usual progressive suspects. I have read and enjoyed her books, particularly Going Rogue. But this endorsement is a serious mistake in judgment, and a betrayal of the small-government, Constitutional Conservative values she was once proud to champion.

Her endorsement speech yesterday was, frankly, an embarrassment. Rambling, contradictory, and at times bordering on the incoherent, it sounded a lot like Trump himself.

I do not share the belief of some conservative voices that Mrs. Palin was a shallow opportunist all along. But there is no defending this choice, and I don't think it bodes well for the Tea Party movement as a whole, nor for the cause of principled conservatism.

"'Plain and dumb' seems a bit harsh. She is an attractive woman."

It was a literary reference...

Requiescat in Pace

Braden Joplin posing with Dr. Ben Carson

The weather in southwest Iowa was treacherous yesterday, with frigid temperatures and snowfall combining to make driving conditions unpleasant.

An accident on I-80 just north of Atlantic was caused by the icy road conditions, and resulted in fatal injuries to Braden Joplin, 25, a student at Texas Tech University who was working on the presidential campaign of Dr. Ben Carson. Most of the passengers in the van Braden was riding in were Carson campaign volunteers.

Please remember Braden and his family, as well as all who knew him, in your thoughts and prayers today.

Speaking of Payoffs

From the pen of Michael Ramirez, whose editorial cartoons you should read often,
as I do.

Until Next Time...

It has been a relatively dreadful last few days, and at such times I have a tendency to wallow in melancholy music. Few songwriters have a knack for melancholy quite like the protean Canadian Leonard Cohen, who has produced a large number of my mopey favorites over his long career.

One of my particular favorites is "Bird on the Wire," a song about love and regret that first appeared on Leonard's 1969 album Songs From a Room (believe it or not, I was prone to melancholy as far back as high school). It has been covered dozens of times, with some of the artists rendering the title as "Bird On a Wire."

On his 2011 tour, my hero Joe Bonamassa included a cover of Leonard's song in his set list.

At his concert at New York's famous Beacon Theatre on November 4, 2011, Joe played the song on a beautiful and unusual Gigliotti guitar (unusual in that the guitar's top is metal rather than wood).




He gets an absolutely gorgeous tone from the instrument, and the beauty of his playing plus the sad lyrics produces a fairly predictable response in me every time I listen to it. Some days, that's just what I want...

Today's send-off is his performance of Cohen's song from the DVD of the Beacon Theatre show. Enjoy...

Winter Blunderland

Bad Call

So yesterday I chose not to venture out into the bitter cold, even though the roads were bone dry, because I didn't really need anything from the grocery store, and I thought perhaps today would be a bit better. Well...

View from my patio at 8:45 AM this morning.

And it hadn't stopped snowing. Here's the view as of 11:30 AM...

So now I'll have to venture out into THAT mess, and it is still bitterly cold. Never put off until tomorrow...

"And it snapped your 'good decision' streak at two..."

Very funny...

One upside is the precipitation has kept me busy enough to not worry about !@#$% politics for one morning, at least. I'm sure something will happen today to end that streak at one...

When No. 1 Visits Iowa

Three times this season the top-ranked team in NCAA Division I men's basketball has visited the state of Iowa. Three times they have been defeated.

On November 21, No. 1 North Carolina was beaten 71-67 by the University of Northern Iowa Panthers in Cedar Falls.

On December 29, No. 1 Michigan State was beaten 83-70 by the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City. It was the first loss of the season for the Spartans.

The Sooners couldn't stop Georges Niang and the Cyclones.

And last night No. 1 Oklahoma was beaten 82-77 by the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames.

It was the first time the Cyclones had beaten a No. 1 team at home since 1957. I think
I spotted a couple of my former students when everyone rushed the floor after the final buzzer.

"You know none of those Iowa teams could handle the mighty UC-Irvine Anteaters!"

Actually, old friend, I know no such thing...

Requiescat in Pace

November 6, 1948 - January 18, 2016

So far I'm not loving the trend, 2016.

We're barely two weeks into the new year and it seems like we're losing a significant performer from my generation almost daily.




Yesterday afternoon brought the news that Glenn Frey, a founding member of Los Angeles rock band The Eagles, had died at age 67.

I was never the biggest Eagles fan, but I did enjoy a lot of their music, and I had the opportunity to see them live when they were just starting their career. They opened for Jethro Tull at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City on June 15, 1972. I enjoyed their set, but most of the Tull fans were restless, as the country-rock sound was about as different from Tull's progressive rock sound as you could get. Pretty sure there was no encore.

Among his many talents Glenn had a marvelous singing voice, and he sang lead vocals on many of the band's hits. He also had a successful solo career, and even did a bit of acting.

I know this sort of thing is part and parcel of growing old myself, but that doesn't make it any easier to bear. And it doesn't help when so many of the folks we're losing are so near to my own age...

Cancer Must Be Quaking In Its Boots

From the pen of Chip Bok, whose editorial cartoons you should read often, as I do.

Until Next Time...

As is usually the case in the music business, when Glenn Frey teamed up with Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner in 1971 to form The Eagles, no one really had any inkling of the success that lay in store. The group (which added Don Felder in 1974 and Joe Walsh in 1975) would eventually sell well over 100 million records, including five No. 1 singles and six No. 1 albums. The were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998

Original 1976 album cover

By far the group's most popular record was 1976's Hotel California, which topped the Billboard 200 Albums chart and has received sixteen platinum certifications. It has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

The album produced two No. 1 singles, the title track and "New Kid in Town." Glenn Frey co-wrote both songs, and sang lead on the latter, one of my favorites. That song earned the band one of its six Grammy Awards as well.



Today's send-off features Frey's wonderful lead vocals on a performance of "New Kid in Town" at a concert in Washington, D.C., filmed in 1977. Enjoy...

Dreams

Celebrating Dr. King

I was fifteen years old, and at the public library doing research, when the news broke on April 4, 1968 that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.

It was disturbing, depressing news. Just two months later, Robert Kennedy would also be killed by an assassin's bullet in Los Angeles.

As someone who wound up devoting his life to the rhetorical arts, and to the settling of political disputes by reasoned argument and reliance on evidence, of course these horrific events had much to do with shaping my worldview.

It was during my college studies in rhetoric that I came to appreciate what a powerful public speaker Dr. King had been. He use of rhetorical devices was masterly, and even now it is impossible for me to read his speeches without feeling a deep admiration for their artistry. Since I competed in intercollegiate debate and speech contests, I was a member of the Pi Kappa Delta honor society. The society's name came from the Greek saying Peitho Kale Dikaia, which translates loosely as "The Art of Persuasion, Beautiful and Just." Dr. King's rhetoric certainly lived up to that high standard.

King's most-remembered speech was delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. On the off-chance that you've never heard it, you can listen (and read a transcript as well) at the American Rhetoric website's page devoted to what they rank at the top of their Top 100 Speeches list.

I like to think that if Dr. King were alive today he would condemn the excessively race-obsessed political left, embodied in such nonsense as BlackLivesMatter protests and whining about "racism" in the Academy Award nominating process.

I have spent my life not caring whether an actor, or a writer, or a musician, etc., was black or white, male or female. I celebrate excellence in all fields of human endeavor, regardless of race or sex. I oppose unfair discrimination based on race or sex with my words and my actions. That is the world Dr. King spoke of so eloquently, but despite all the high-flown rhetoric you'll hear about him today, we are farther away from that world than ever before. Historical illiteracy has allowed opportunists to co-opt Dr. King's vision for their own bitter, divisive ends. It is shameful.

It was no accident, of course, that Dr. King delivered his most famous speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Both men embraced the idea that what binds us together as citizens is more important than whatever may seem
to divide us.



Today is a day to remember and celebrate the life of a man who, despite his human imperfections, urged us to listen to what Lincoln, in his first Inaugural Address more than 100 years before, called "the better angels of our nature."

Dreams Deferred

Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers fought hard, but fell short.

My dream of seeing my beloved Kansas City Chiefs play in their third Super Bowl were dashed on Saturday.

My best friend Skip's similar dream for his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers ended yesterday after a hard-fought 23-16 loss to the Denver Broncos.



We're not entirely sure what to do until pitchers and catchers report next month, but
it's a safe bet you won't catch us watching and talking about Barclay's Premier League Soccer...

"What about Cal-Irvine basketball?"

That's a possibility...they're 15-5 and tied for first in the Big West Conference standings...

Compassion vs. Common Sense

From the Johnny Hart-created comic strip B.C., now being produced by Hart's daughter Perri and his grandsons Mason and Mick Mastroianni.

Until Next Time...

Part of Dr. King's legacy was his belief in the power of love to defuse hate and ultimately end political violence. One of the aspects of popular culture which most embodies that ethos is music.

Among other things, the 1960s was a time when music helped to fuel the civil rights movement by breaking down barriers between the races. Records that would never have been played on mainstream radio in the 1950s suddenly became chart-topping successes in the 1960s.

One of the artists most responsible for causing those walls to come tumbling down was Otis Redding, the King of Soul.

Otis Redding at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival

In one of his last major concert performances before his untimely death in a plane crash, Redding electrified the mostly white audience at the legendary Monterrey Pop Festival on June 17, 1967.

In addition to being a powerful live performer with a distinctive singing voice and style, Redding was also very influential as a songwriter. His signature composition "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" became the first song to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart posthumously.

On January 18, 1989 Otis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Today's send-off is my personal favorite song of his, the joyful "Love Man," a song from the posthumous album of the same name, released in 1969. The song has been featured in numerous movies and TV shows, most famously in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing.

I like to think Dr. King would find it a fitting choice. Enjoy...

Thrills and Chills

Deep Freeze

When I got up this morning, the Wind Chill Advisory that was issued last night was still in effect 

(it expires at noon today). It was -5°, which made the Wind Chill roughly -20°. This is the first blast of truly brutal winter weather so far this season in my neck of the woods.

Time to give share out of your abundance with those who are in need. Check with 

your local social services agency, or your local church. They'll be able to help you donate coats, blankets, gloves, etc. to folks who could use them.

And if you have to go out, please protect yourself.

Things That Make Me Sad: Season-Ending Edition

My beloved Kansas City Chiefs ended their season yesterday with a listless 27-20 defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The game wasn't nearly so close as the final score would suggest.

The Chiefs won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving the Patriots the ball to start the game. New England promptly drove 80 yards in 11 plays to take a 7-0 lead, and when the subsequent Chiefs drive stalled in the Red Zone, resulting in a 34-yard Cairo Santos field goal, that effectively ended the contest.

You don't win on the road in the playoffs, especially against the defending Super Bowl champions, by settling for field goals, but that's what the Chiefs did on both of their trips to the red zone in the first half.

The second Chiefs field goal followed a 98-yard Patriot touchdown drive, and made the score 14-6 at halftime.

The Chiefs got the ball to start the second half, but a fumble by RB Knile Davis (who had played sparingly all season) ended that drive, and the Patriots took full advantage, driving 69 yards in just five plays for the back-breaking TD that made it 21-6.

The Chiefs played lackluster football on both offense and defense, and squandered the few opportunities they got. Despite out-gaining the Patriots and dominating time-of-possession, they never got closer than 8 points until scoring a meaningless touchdown with 1:13 to play (the Chiefs needed 16 plays and more than five minutes on the clock to score, and the Patriots were happy to let them burn up the remaining time that way).

It was an exciting, record-setting season for the Chiefs. Chiefs Nation is grateful for
all of the thrills, and especially for seeing the end of the 8-game, 22-year playoff victory drought. The Chiefs just picked the wrong time to lose their focus and energy. That doesn't mean we're not proud of the team, of course, and proud to call it our own...

Forever.

"I'm a little worried about you..."

It hurts, but I'll get over it...and baseball season will be starting again soon...

Netflix and Chili

From the hilarious comic strip FoxTrot, by Bill Amend, which you should read every Sunday, as I do.

Until Next Time...

On January 17, 1955 Stephen Fain Earle was born in Fort Monroe, Virginia. Before he was two years old his family would move to the San Antonio, Texas area. That's where he spent his adolescence, and where he learned to play guitar. He would eventually drop out of school at 16 to pursue his interest in music.

Original 1986 album cover

It has never been easy to make it in the music business, and Earle's career took quite awhile to take off. He bounced back and forth between Nashville and Texas, successful mostly as a songwriter rather than a performer. His career breakthrough didn't come until he was 31.

Earle's first full-length album, Guitar Town, produced two Top 10 country hits, and the title track also reached No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart.


The album as a whole reached No. 1 on the country chart, and got Earle his first Grammy Award nominations. It would be fair to say that Guitar Town (both the single and the album) made Earle's subsequent career possible. That career includes three Grammy Awards and a legacy of memorable songs spanning the country, bluegrass, folk, and rock music genres.

Today's send-off is the official music video for Steve's breakthrough hit, filmed in 1986.
I find the song just as infectious today as I did when I first heard it 30 years ago. Enjoy...

Running On Faith

Public Service Announcement

I'm not going to spoil my weekend writing about political topics, but I did run across something that will be helpful to anyone trying to make sense of all the competing claims with regard to who is doing well in the polls at any given time:

If you haven't figured this out for yourself already, the only reason these polls get reported at all is because media outlets have to talk about something for all of these tedious months leading up to any actual, you know, voting and stuff.

It's all bullshit. In 2012, for instance, Newt Gingrich had a healthy lead in "national"
GOP polls with 17 days to go before the Iowa Caucuses (just like Trump does now).
He finished 4th in Iowa, and 4th in the New Hampshire primary. Gingrich's campaign didn't even last until the convention. In 2008, the leader in "national" GOP polls 17 days before the Iowa Caucuses was former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani (although his lead wasn't so large as Gingrich's or Trump's). Rudy finished 6th in Iowa and 4th in New Hampshire. His campaign was deader than Kelsey's nuts before the end of January 2008, when he officially withdrew from the race.

"Whatever you do, don't get him started on open online polls."

Sound advice...

Perspective

Later this afternoon, my beloved Kansas City Chiefs will play the New England Patriots in an AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.

The Chiefs are one of only eight teams still playing for a chance to become champions, but of course that only heightens my pregame anxiety. The Patriots are favored.

I feel somewhat better than I otherwise might thanks to a new acquaintance I made on Twitter yesterday, who reminded me that it was a great time to be a KC sports fan. He's absolutely right about that!

My beloved Kansas City Royals won their second straight American League Championship this past season, followed by their second World Series title (30 years after the first one), and so far in the off-season they have retained All-Star and Gold Glove LF Alex Gordon (who in years past would have been lost to free agency) and re-signed All-Star CF Lorenzo Cain.




And now, for the first time ever, the Chiefs are in the NFL playoffs in the same calendar season as the Royals made the MLB playoffs. The Chiefs last Saturday snapped an onerous 8-game, 22-year playoff victory drought. They have won 11 straight games.

All things considered, I am very grateful for the thrills both of my teams have given me this season.

That said...

"...if the Chiefs lose, you're going to mope for days, right?"

Weeks, probably...

Happy Belated Birthday, Wikipedia!

I didn't realize it was the anniversary until after I had already posted yesterday, but
I wanted to take a moment to celebrate the indispensable online encyclopedia (and much more) which launched on January 15, 2001. I'm a verified contributor myself, and I strongly encourage you to give it a try sometime. In the meantime...

You can read some amusing facts about the website's history here.

I Know Just What You Mean

From the pen of Henry Payne, whose editorial cartoons you should read often, as I do.

Until Next Time...

In the fall of 1989, the music channel MTV launched a program intended to capitalize on the growing interest among pop and rock music fans for acoustic performances. It is safe to say that MTV Unplugged succeeded far beyond the network's wildest dreams. Many of my favorite bands and artists have appeared on the show, and several of the albums based on those appearances have sold very well.

Original 1992 album cover

Easily the most successful of these albums was the one recorded live
on January 16, 1992 featuring legendary blues guitarist Eric Clapton. As it turned out, the acoustic format and intimate setting were perfectly suited for Clapton's eclectic set list of blues classics and his own original compositions.

The first album ever produced and released by MTV, Unplugged was an immediate hit. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, received three Grammy Awards (including Album of the Year),
and to date has sold more than 26 million copies.

Unplugged is one of those rare albums that really doesn't have any weak tracks. Today's send-off is the song whose lyrics never fail to move me to tears. "Running On Faith" was originally written for Clapton's Journeyman album by Jerry Lynn Williams. This Unplugged version is from the remastered 2013 Deluxe Edition of the album. Enjoy...