Spotlight Feature
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1969’s Ill-Fated Altamont Festival: One of Rock’s Darkest Days
December 6, 1969, marked one of rock’s bleakest days. The free concert known as Altamont was an unmitigated disaster as everything that could possibly go wrong did.
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Interview: Glenn Frey Collaborator Jack Tempchin
You may not recognize the name but you certainly know his songs. Not one but two Eagles hits helped him live the good life
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‘Shawshank Redemption’: Hope is a Dangerous Thing
The film finished ninth in its opening weekend in autumn 1994 and was declared a dud. Yet 6 months later, it was vying for 7 Oscars, including Best Picture.
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How ‘Bat Out of Hell’ Became a Success: Inside Story
The album is one of the all-time best-sellers but you would never know that from its initial reception. Then it took off like… a bat out of hell.
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John Stewart: From a Trio to ‘Daydream Believer’ to ‘Gold’
After many years with the Kingston Trio, the baritone singer-songwriter wrote a Monkees’ favorite. But solo success eluded him until he struck Gold in 1979
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Remembering Jimmy Buffett, ‘Margaritaville’ Singer Who Led the Parrot Heads
With his Coral Reefer Band, he established a laid-back style that ultimately led to a business empire
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Roger Dean Interview: Getting Close To the Edge
The album designer, best known for his surrealistic cover illustrations for Yes, shares some surprising stories about working with the band.
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‘Body Heat’: 1981’s Double Dealing Movie Thriller
The steamy box-office hit starred William Hurt and Kathleen Turner, in her film debut. “You’re not too smart are you,” she says. “I like that in a man.”
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When Bill Withers ‘Punk’d’ the USC Trojans Football Team
The singer-songwriter had essentially retired from the spotlight decades ago. In 2009, he was invited to address the college team by then-head coach Pete Carroll
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A Tribute to a Loyal Reader Who We Nicknamed ‘The Grim Reaper’
For years, Best Classic Bands reader Ric Allen Niedzinski would message us with news of a musician’s death.
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