Feature: Retro Redux

In his continuing quest to prove that the music of the past has a lot to offer today's music lovers, Big Geez takes time off from his busy duties as a hammock tester to write RETRO REDUX. For those who remember the songs, it's a journey into musical nostalgia that will take you to places you haven't been for a while -- not only revisiting many of your favorite songs (even those you might have forgotten), but also telling the often surprising stories of the people who made the music. For those music lovers who might have come along a little too late to have actually experienced the music of the past, it's an opportunity to see what all the fuss was about.

Columnists

Big Geez

Articles in this feature

Subscribe to feature RSS

• Retro Redux: Zoot And The Evolution Of Cool

  COOL can be defined in a lot of different ways — but Zoot had them all covered.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Oct 22, 2008

• Retro Redux: Singin' In The Streets In Philly

  Philadelphia baseball has had its ups and downs through the years, but the city's music has always been first-rate.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Oct 17, 2008

• Retro Redux: Music And Memories From The Campaign Trail

  Running for president has always been a tricky proposition.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Oct 14, 2008

• Retro Redux: Connie Haines - The Savannah Nightingale

  Remembering a lost songbird.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Oct 10, 2008

• Retro Redux: The ART Of Improvisation

  Sometimes 'making do' can be raised to a higher level, especially in music.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Oct 06, 2008

• Retro Redux: Don Cherry - The Other One

  The same name — but two very different musical stars.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Oct 02, 2008

• Retro Redux: A Love Song That Became A Four-Time Hit

  It hit the charts in three different decades.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Sep 28, 2008

• Retro Redux: Trombone Travails

  A tale of how a fool and his trombone didn't live happily ever after.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Sep 24, 2008

• Retro Redux: Origins Of Doo-Wop - The Mills Brothers

  They had the smooth, close-harmony sound perfected decades before anyone had even coined the term doo-wop.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Sep 19, 2008

• Retro Redux: A Salute To Leroy Anderson

  The Boston Pops wouldn't have been quite the same without his contributions.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Sep 16, 2008

• Retro Redux: Six Degrees Of Ray Noble

  He's not as well-remembered as many of the musicians he inspired, but he left a rich legacy.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Sep 12, 2008

• Retro Redux: Mysterious Musical Occurrences

  At what point do you wonder if you've entered...The Twilight Zone?

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Sep 08, 2008

• Retro Redux: Hoyt Axton - Modern Renaissance Man

  His music was difficult to label but impossible to resist.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Sep 01, 2008

• Retro Redux: The Music Of The Olympics

  Although it's technically correct, the title is a cheesy trick to attract your attention. Did it work?

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Aug 28, 2008

• Retro Redux: Ray Peterson - Rising Above Adversity

  Fighting his illness led him into a musical career.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Aug 24, 2008

• Retro Redux: Music Appreciation 2.0

  The musical evolution of an old hound dog.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Aug 20, 2008

• Retro Redux: Singing About Sickness In New Orleans

  Following in the footsteps of Fats Domino, he took a detour into some silly songs.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Aug 16, 2008

• Retro Redux: Gene Pitney - Troubadour To Troubled Teens

  A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he performed successfully for over four decades.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Aug 12, 2008

• Retro Redux: Musical Memories Of — Snakes?

  A song can sometimes trigger unusual remembrances of times past.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Aug 08, 2008

• Retro Redux: Whippoorwills And Whippersnappers

  Hank Williams and Johnny Cash — masters of a special kind of country music song.

  Opinion by Big Geez — on Aug 04, 2008