Robert Neil Speaks with...

Dan Fogelberg passed away 10 years ago this month.  His memory has been kept alive this year by a number of events, including the release of two new albums, ‘Live At Carnegie Hall’ (a previously unheard performance from 1979) and a tribute album that features a long list of musicians that loved Fogelberg’s music.

This episode of Documenting Popular Music takes a look at the tribute album and artist such as Garth Brooks, who performs “Phoenix” with Trisha Yearwood providing background vocals; the late Donna Summer, who sings an inspiring version of “Nether Lands” using the same backing track that Fogelberg used for the 1977 classic; Amy Grant and Vince Gill, who provide a duet on “Longer” that gives new life to Fogelberg’s biggest hit; Randy Owen, the legendary voice of the group Alabama – the best-selling country group of all time – sings “Sutter’s Mill,” originally from Fogelberg’s progressive bluegrass album ‘High Country Snows;’ Zac Brown and his band deliver a live version of “Leader of the Band;” and Fogelberg’s good friend Joe Walsh of the Eagles sings “Part of the Plan,” a song he originally produced for Fogelberg for the 1974 album Souvenirs. Fellow Eagles Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit sing backing harmonies for the new version of the song.

Other artists on the album include Michael McDonald, Jimmy Buffett, Boz Scaggs, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Richie Furay, the late Dobie Gray, Train, Fool’s Gold (originally Fogelberg’s backing band) and Casey James.

Included in this presentation is inside, background information from Fogelberg’s former record producer, Norbert Putnam, one of the tribute album’s co-producers.  Putnam explains how Brooks and Summer got involved in the project, which is a true labor of love from Fogelberg’s widow, Jean Fogelberg, also a producer on the album.  She has worked hard to create a celebrated year for her late husband, and the tribute album is the final, very satisfying piece to an eventful year.

You can hear more from Putnam about his relationship with Dan Fogelberg in the Documenting Popular Music episode ‘Leader of the Band -- Remembering Dan Fogelberg with Stories and Insights from His Record Producer’ released earlier this year.

Read the Show Notes at

http://oandfstudios.com/documenting-popular-music/

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Coming soon from Documenting Popular Music, a look at Gordon Lightfoot’s career with author Nicholas Jennings; a conversation with Merrilee Rush (“Angle of the Morning”), a look at TV theme songs from the 1970s that became Top 40 hits; and a biographical sketch of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018.

It was 1971, and a 25-year-old Barry Manilow was still a struggling musician and commercial jingles writer when he came up with a melody he felt was very special. That melody would become the song "Could It Be Magic," which featured a chorus based on the chord changes in Chopin's Prelude in C Minor.

"Could It Be Magic" had several early incarnations, including a version produced by a well-intending Tony Orlando that Manilow says thankfully didn't become a hit. The behind the scenes story of how the song eventually became a Top 10 single – as well as Manilow's unwavering belief that the song was something special – are detailed in this episode of Documenting Popular Music.

About two years ago, Sarah Partridge began working on a project to bring new life to Janis Ian's songs by presenting them with fresh jazz interpretations. Ian, who debuted during the folk scene of the 1960s, rose to fame with her hits "Society's Child" (1967) and "At Seventeen" (1975), and she's written numerous songs – some of which were previously unrecorded – that deal with social, political and relationship issues.

Partridge and her arrangers – Allen Farnham and Tim Horner – have mined Ian's rich catalog of music for the tribute album Bright Lights and Promises: Redefining Janis Ian (Origin Records). The selection of songs and new arrangements work so well, it's a wonder no one has attempted this before.

Making the project even more special is Ian's involvement. She co-wrote two new songs with Partridge, and Ian and Partridge perform a duet on one of those new songs, "A Quarter Past Heartache."

On this episode of Documenting Popular Music, Partridge tells us how the album came together and how she was able to get Ian involved in the project.

You can find more about Sarah Partridge, who, before becoming a jazz singer, had an acting career that featured a role in the 1983 movie Risky Business, at the website, www.SarahPartridge.com, and you can find more about Janis Ian at the website www.JanisIan.com.

Upcoming episodes of Documenting Popular Music will feature a look at Gordon Lightfoot's career with author Nicholas Jennings, a conversation with Merrilee Rush ("Angel of the Morning") and a look at the story behind one of Barry Manilow's most beloved hits.

About two years ago, Sarah Partridge began working on a project to bring new life to Janis Ian’s songs by presenting them with fresh jazz interpretations.  Ian, who debuted during the folk scene of the 1960s, rose to fame with her hits “Society’s Child” (1967) and “At Seventeen” (1975), and she’s written numerous songs – some of which were previously unrecorded – that deal with social, political and relationship issues.

Partridge and her arrangers – Allen Farnham and Tim Horner – have mined Ian’s rich catalog of music for the tribute album Bright Lights and Promises: Redefining Janis Ian (Origin Records).  The selection of songs and new arrangements work so well, it’s a wonder no one has attempted this before.

Making the project even more special is Ian’s involvement. She co-wrote two new songs with Partridge, and Ian and Partridge perform a duet on one of those new songs, “A Quarter Past Heartache.”

On this episode of Documenting Popular Music, Partridge tells us how the album came together and how she was able to get Ian involved in the project.

You can find more about Sarah Partridge, who, before becoming a jazz singer, had an acting career that featured a role in the 1983 movie Risky Business, at the website, www.SarahPartridge.com, and you can find more about Janis Ian at the website www.JanisIan.com.

Upcoming episodes of Documenting Popular Music will feature a look at Gordon Lightfoot’s career with author Nicholas Jennings, a conversation with Merrilee Rush (“Angel of the Morning”) and a look at the story behind one of Barry Manilow’s most beloved hits.

Documenting Popular Music puts a spotlight on the thriving musical scene in Alabama and the city of Birmingham, where musician Scott McDavid was born and raised. McDavid's journey is representative of numerous other musicians who work under some anonymity, but who have been vital to the creation, maintenance and spread of popular music in America.

McDavid's career began in his hometown, where he played with a number of local bands, including KD Ryzer, a very popular regional group. He later joined former members of the group Hotel ("You'll Love Again" 1978) as part of 1980s band Split the Dark ("Always a Chance" 1986).

In Part I of this feature, McDavid talks about some of the highlights of his Birmingham career, including winning the MTV Basement Tapes Contest with Split the Dark. He also discusses his work with jazz guitarist Eric Essix and his band.

In Part II of this feature, McDavid reveals why his respect and admiration for the legendary Chuck Berry didn't match the difficult task of actually working for the rock and roll great. McDavid also discusses his award winning work in scoring documentaries and independent films. Additionally, he talks about the process of making his newest single, "The Lady in Black (Just Let Me Dance)," which features singer Stephanie Love. The show concludes with his recollections of Birmingham's music scene.

You can learn more about McDavid at his website, www.ScottMcDavid.com and you can watch the music video for his new song at his YouTube page.

Documenting Popular Music puts a spotlight on the thriving musical scene in Alabama and the city of Birmingham, where musician Scott McDavid was born and raised. McDavid's journey is representative of numerous other musicians who work under some anonymity, but who have been vital to the creation, maintenance and spread of popular music in America.

McDavid's career began in his hometown, where he played with a number of local bands, including KD Ryzer, a very popular regional group. He later joined former members of the group Hotel ("You'll Love Again" 1978) as part of 1980s band Split the Dark ("Always a Chance" 1986).

In Part I of this feature, McDavid talks about some of the highlights of his Birmingham career, including winning the MTV Basement Tapes Contest with Split the Dark. He also discusses his work with jazz guitarist Eric Essix and his band.

In Part II of this feature, McDavid reveals why his respect and admiration for the legendary Chuck Berry didn't match the difficult task of actually working for the rock and roll great. McDavid also discusses his award winning work in scoring documentaries and independent films. Additionally, he talks about the process of making his newest single, "The Lady in Black (Just Let Me Dance)," which features singer Stephanie Love. The show concludes with McDavid's recollections of Birmingham's music scene.

You can learn more about McDavid at his website, www.ScottMcDavid.com and you can watch the music video for his new song at his YouTube page.

For this 'Throwback Thursday' (TBT) episode of Documenting Popular Music, we are replaying our 2014 review of Neil Diamond's Melody Road album. To date, it is the last studio album of all new songs Diamond has delivered, and he is currently out of the country with his concert tour, celebrating 50 years in music. The TBT replay of the album review is a small way to satisfy Diamond's legion of fans during his absence.

The episode also offers some Neil Diamond history and takes a close-up look at the 'A-list' of musicians who performed on the album under the guidance of rock producers Don Was and Jacknife Lee.

The album was ultimately another Top 5 success for Diamond and featured several standout songs such as "Nothing But a Heartache," "In Better Days" and "Something Blue." Melody Road also continued the success Diamond is having late in a career that first saw him hit the charts in 1966.

Future episodes of Documenting Popular Music will feature a look at the making of one of Barry Manilow's most beloved hits, an interview with the author of a new biography about Gordon Lightfoot, an in-depth interview with Merilee Rush ("Angel of the Morning") and a conversation with a well-traveled musician from the 1980s who will be debuting a new jazz song.

After more than 50 years in music, Rusty Young, the leader of the group Poco, has recorded his first solo album. The new set is entitled 'Waitin' for the Sun,' (Blue Élan Records) and it features 10 songs that not only give you a peek into Young's life, but also into his emotions, as the "Crazy Love" singer/songwriter is unabashedly sentimental.

In an interview with veteran journalist Robert Neil, Young tells the stories behind the songs, and when he gets to the track "My Friend," already rising in popularity, it becomes an historic, musical trip down memory lane about the musicians he's known and the friendships that have endured.

While some artists promoting a new album might not want to talk about the past, Young embraces it and happily talks about former Poco bandmates Randy Meisner, Richie Furay, Jim Messina and Timothy B. Schmit, as well as others such as Gregg Allman (who once auditioned to be a member of Poco), Gram Parsons, JD Souther, Don Henley and Glenn Frey.

A few of the members of Poco – past and present – are featured on the new album.

'Waitin' for the Sun' also features songs about Young's family, and in the interview he provides the backstories to songs about his daughter ("Sara's Song") and his grandparents ("Honey Bee").

Young says life has been good to him, and the album is a reflection of his appreciation. Poco fans will easily be drawn to the album as will fans of the southern rock genre that emerged in the early 1970s. The most satisfying news about the album may be that Young had such a good time making it, he's interested in a follow up, and more stories from this natural storyteller would be welcome.

Dan Fogelberg's talent was apparent from an early age, and by the time he was 19, he had a recording contract with a major record label. The man who would produce this young talent was Norbert Putnam, who was only about nine years Fogelberg's senior. Together, these two worked on three of Fogelberg's albums, which would turn out to be some of the most important records in his career.

In an exclusive interview for this radio documentary, veteran journalist Robert Neil speaks with Putnam about creating the albums Home Free, Nether Lands and Phoenix. Included are stories about recording some of Fogelberg's most famous songs, including "Longer," "Dancing Shoes," Netherlands," "Wishing on the Moon" and others.

In this presentation you'll also learn how the man who wrote musical scores for The Outer Limits, a sci-fi television show, was instrumental in one of Fogelberg's albums. Just as important – if not more – was a 14-year-old girl, who let her important father know Fogelberg was a rising star.

The late Fogelberg, who died in 2007, was one of the most talented musicians Putnam says he'd ever recorded, and he is currently working to produce a new tribute album that will feature numerous stars singing Fogelberg's songs.

The tribute album is just one of several projects focusing on Fogelberg this year, and his widow Jean Fogelberg is hoping those efforts, along with a petition of nearly 50,000 signatures, will help get Dan into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (More info on that project can be found on the Facebook page @Induct Dan Fogelberg into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.)

Our thanks to Norbert Putnam for the hours and stories he shared, and to the very busy Jean Fogelberg, who put us in touch with Putnam.

A living legend is back with his sixth album in the past seven years. Herb Alpert, the famed trumpeter and former record company executive, works with producer Jochem van der Saag on the new album Music Vol. 1. The combination of these two talents is masterful and satisfying, and it produces a collection that will please several generations of fans.

The album features primarily cover songs with new treatments that emphasize rhythms and backbeats, and this review not only takes a look at the new album, but also offers a peek at Alpert's phenomenal success in the music industry. It was 55 years ago this year, for example, that Alpert and his Tijuana Brass began conquering the charts with his first hit album and single, The Lonely Bull.

Music Vol. 1 features unique renditions on some familiar classics such as the Beatles "Michelle," John Lennon's "Imagine," and Nate King Cole's "Unforgettable" as well as new version of Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours." Alpert also brings back one the TJB's early hits, "Flamingo," the album's first single.

Alpert received a Grammy nomination for the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for his 2016 work, Human Nature. In many ways, Music Vol. 1 is a superior collection, and should not only receive a 2017 nomination, which would be his 25th, but he can be considered a strong early favorite.