Back To The Garden

Back To The Garden

  The definitive song about a seminal event in the counterculture of the 1960s was written by someone who wasn’t even there. Joni Mitchell was supposed to be at Woodstock. She was also booked on the Dick Cavett Show the day after the festival was to end. Joni and her...
The Phil Zone

The Phil Zone

  The word of Phil Lesh’s passing at the age of 84 came via a text message last Friday from an old Deadhead friend of mine in New Jersey. It was a bit of a shock as I wasn’t aware that Phil had been sick. Most of the musical heroes of my generation are in their late...
Old Friends

Old Friends

Q: When are 50 year old jokes the funniest? A: When they’re told among the same three friends 50 years later Of all the blessings in my life, and there are many, I count my friendship with Tim and Benji as one of the most blessed. And those 50 year old jokes? They’re...
Song In My Head

Song In My Head

  Research has shown that the most effective way to conjure up an old memory is through the sense of smell. Well, the researchers never got around to my house because for me it’s always been music. Growing up in a house where music was always playing in the...
Dicky Betts and The Allman Brothers Band

Dicky Betts and The Allman Brothers Band

I can’t recall for sure exactly when I first heard the Allman Brothers, or who turned me on to them, all I know is their music has been part of my life for over half a century. The Allman Brothers, it seems like they’ve always been there. It was sometime in high...