Jeff Tamarkin, Author at Best Classic Bands

Posts From Jeff Tamarkin

Jeff Tamarkin

Best Classic Bands Editor Jeff Tamarkin has been a prolific music journalist for nearly five decades. He is formerly the editor of Goldmine, CMJ and Relix magazines, has written for dozens of other publications and has authored liner notes for more than 80 CDs. Jeff has also served on the Nominating Committee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and as a consultant to the Grammys. His first book was 'Got a Revolution! The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane.' He is also the co-author of 'Shell Shocked: My Life with the Turtles, Flo and Eddie, and Frank Zappa, etc.,' with Howard Kaylan, and 'Carlos Santana: Love, Devotion, Surrender: The Illustrated Story of Santana's Musical Journey.'

The Ides of March and the Story of ‘Vehicle’

The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

The Ides of March and the Story of ‘Vehicle’

They took their band name from a Shakespeare classic, their biggest hit from a real-life incident, and they drove their way up the charts in the year 1970.

‘One Toke Over the Line’ on ‘Lawrence Welk’—Huh?

The Scene: Rocking The Tube

‘One Toke Over the Line’ on ‘Lawrence Welk’—Huh?

In what has to be one of the most surreal moments on TV, the song was interpreted for viewers of a show that had no idea what a toke was.

John Hammond, Blues Singer-Guitarist, Dies at 83

NEWS PLUS: RIP – Rock In Perpetuity

John Hammond, Blues Singer-Guitarist, Dies at 83

His 1965 album ‘So Many Roads’ featured accompaniment by guitarist Mike Bloomfield as well as three members of Ronnie Hawkins’ group who would soon emerge as members of The Band.

A Chat with ‘Leave It to Beaver’s Stephen Talbot: ‘I May Be a Dirty Rat, But I’m Not a Dumb Rat’

FEATURES: Interviews

A Chat with ‘Leave It to Beaver’s Stephen Talbot: ‘I May Be a Dirty Rat, But I’m Not a Dumb Rat’

The filmmaker recalls the other ‘Beaver’ kids, offers his views on being a child actor, and muses on the impact of the show.

‘Dancing in the Moonlight’—The Circuitous Path of the One and Only King Harvest Hit

The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

‘Dancing in the Moonlight’—The Circuitous Path of the One and Only King Harvest Hit

Everybody was “Dancing in the Moonlight” in the early ’70s, but who was the band that recorded this catchy one-hit wonder? We decided to find out.

‘The Band’s With Me’: A Former Rock Wife & BFF Lays It All Down

‘The Band’s With Me’: A Former Rock Wife & BFF Lays It All Down

The memoir is a vivid, raucous, hilarious snapshot of a side of the rock world once ubiquitous. Sally Mann Romano makes no excuses for any of it, nor should she.

Ray Charles: ‘What’d I Say’—An Accidental Classic

The Scene: How the Song Came to Be

Ray Charles: ‘What’d I Say’—An Accidental Classic

A consummate, road-tested professional, he sat down at his Wurlitzer electric piano and improvised a blues-based boogie-woogie riff.

Yoko Ono: A ‘Lost’ Interview, From the Dakota

FEATURES: Interviews

Yoko Ono: A ‘Lost’ Interview, From the Dakota

In honor of this true individualist, we present a “lost” interview from 2003, when Yoko was emerging as a dance music star.

13 More ‘Lost’ British Invasion Hits of the ’60s

The Scene: The Classic Rock Legacy

13 More ‘Lost’ British Invasion Hits of the ’60s

Not all of the big British Invasion hits were by legends like the Beatles and the Stones. We look back at other great tunes you may (or may not) remember.

16 Classic Double-Sided Hit Singles of the ’60s

FEATURES: Listicles

16 Classic Double-Sided Hit Singles of the ’60s

Singles, for the most part, housed just one memorable song. That, like so much else, began to change with the arrival of the Beatles.

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