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Contributor Archives: Dan Alvarez
Origin of Song: What is a Surrealistic Pillow?
On Halloween of 1966, San Francisco’s Jefferson Airplane headed into the studio to craft a follow-up to their debut LP Jefferson Airplane Takes Off. The LP that they crafted — their first with legendary vocalist Grace Slick and drummer Spencer Dryden — would go on to be regarded as a landmark LP for both the [...]
My Life Is The Road: 1971 Byrds: Dinky Pens “BB Class Road”
Adding to his already impressive library of rock n’ roll stories, Dinky Dawson returns with another tale of life on the road. Dawson worked as a sound man for many different groups from the 60’s and beyond. In the pages of Crawdaddy!, he has written always candid, often hilarious stories about his experiences with some [...]
How does the health care debate affect the musician and the music fan?
As the health care debate rages on, Crawdaddy's Howard Wyman chimes in from a new angle; that of one of the most under-insured professions in the country — the musician's.
Hey Lead Belly, Bam Ba Lam
While everybody has their own idea about who sowed the seeds of rock ‘n’ roll, you would be crazy to overlook the importance of Louisiana-born singer/songwriter/guitarist Lead Belly. Born Huddie William Ledbetter in Mooringsport, LA in 1888, the 12-string picker laid the ground work for what became rock ‘n’ roll. Inspiring the likes of the [...]
My Life Is The Road: Byrds For Gearheads
In yet another of his fascinating, hilarious stories, sound man extraordinaire Dinky Dawson — who has worked and toured with the likes of Fleetwood Mac, The Kinks, The Byrds, Mahavishnu Orchestra and others — tells us about equipping the Bill Graham-run Fillmore West with stereo sound before a Byrds concert. This, for quite a [...]
Jackson Browne takes on the GOP…And Wins!!!
After Jackson Browne's classic "Running on Empty" was used by Republican presidential hopeful John McCain's campaign, Browne -- an outspoken lefty -- fought back and sued McCain, the Ohio Republican Party, and the Republican National Committee. McCain was simply following a GOP tradition (Hello, Ronald Reagan!) of using music that was not theirs (and by artists who didn't support them), but Browne fought back and successfully sued the offenders.
Crawdaddy's Howard Wyman got to sit down with Browne's lawyer Lawrence Iser, who gave us an inside look into what really happened and the important precedent the case will set.
My Life Is The Road: Clarence White and Jim Morrison Stretch on a 747