The Scene:
The Scene features a variety of articles that explore a wide range of subjects, all of then delving into the many aspects of rock ‘n’ roll music, its artists and players, the music business and classic rock culture
10 (More) Big Rock Acts Without a Top 10 U.S. Single
In an era when Top 40 embraced rock music, these artists surprisingly never achieved a pop hit in America, including many Rock Hall members
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When the J. Geils Band Finally Broke Through
The only #1 hit for this dynamic Boston band was about a schoolboy crush later being crushed for real. We look back at an early MTV favorite.
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Tulsa’s Bob Dylan Center Reveals a Trove of Treasures in ‘Mixing Up the Medicine’ Exhibit
It turns out Dylan was a packrat; he saved everything. Much of his collection is now on display at this fascinating museum.
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When The Smithereens Turned It Up to ’11’
When recording their third album, the band “all felt that this would be a special record right from the start,” says guitarist Jim Babjak.
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When Paul McCartney Brought Johnny Carson a Birthday Cake
In 1968, Lennon and McCartney famously appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson but its host wasn’t there. Sixteen years later, Paul finally met Johnny
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The Mighty Manfred Mann: From ‘Do Wah Diddy Diddy’ to ‘Blinded By the Light’
They underwent frequent personnel changes, including several lead singers–and they were named after the keyboardist–but they kept producing hits.
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Tom Petty, in 1996 Interview, Runs Down a Dream: ‘I Want To Play the Fillmore’
“I never sought to be a personality or a celebrity. I just want to be a musician.”–Tom Petty clarifies his life goals in a long-ago chat
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Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash and Aftermath
Only four years after their debut album, the Florida band suffered a devastating loss when their chartered plane ran out of fuel, killing six people.
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A-Ha’s ‘Take On Me’ MTV Unplugged Transforms the Song
A song you’ve heard countless times; its 1985 video has an astonishing number of views on YouTube. A touching acoustic version transforms the song
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The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’s Incendiary ‘Fire’
He took the title of his one hit seriously, even putting flaming items on his head while he performed. But he never made the charts again after his 1968 smash.
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