MEMOIR OF A RASCAL: FELIX CAVALIERE'S NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY!

MEMOIR OF A RASCAL –

FELIX CAVALIERE ANNOUNCES AUTOBIOGRAPHY

NASHVILLE, TENN., February 22, 2022: Music lovers of yesterday and today recognize that distinctive voice and that iconic intro in an instant: One, two, three! Sharing his stories—from his first classical piano lessons in his childhood home of Pelham, New York, through his years topping the charts, and to his inductions into the Rock & Roll, Songwriter, Vocal Group, Grammy and Musicians Halls of Fame—celebrated songwriter and singer Felix Cavaliere is pleased to announce his autobiography, “Memoir of a Rascal,” releasing March 22 via Ingram Spark. Cavaliere’s career, which spans over a half-century, is a testament to rock ‘n’ roll: he writes about being galvanized by the new sound legendary disc jockey Alan Freed bought to WINS radio in New York, the pain of losing his mother when he was only 13, his wild ride with Joey Dee and The Starlighters, taking the stage at the famed Hamptons, New York club The Barge and becoming the King of Blue-Eyed Soul© with one of America’s early rock bands. Few artists can claim they defined a generation; Cavaliere’s message of peace, love and happiness endures in his music and is likewise threaded through his autobiography, a reminder to never stop listening for the world’s beauty.

“Memoir of a Rascal…From Pelham, NY To The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame” features a forward by famed rock ‘n’ roll deejay Cousin Brucie. The cover is an original photograph by Linda McCartney taken during The Rascals’ New York City’s The Phone Booth concert. Cavaliere’s gregarious writing is enhanced by heartfelt memories of the magic of the Rascals, his spiritual journey and guru Swami Satchidananda’s life-changing influence, and professional accomplishments like being named to the Musicians Hall of Fame. A bold memoir that touches laughter, loss, lawsuits and love, “Memoir of a Rascal” is a firsthand account of rock ‘n’ roll history from a man recognized as one if its most celebrated artists—but who also sees himself as one of the genre’s biggest fans.

Fans can also expect Cavaliere’s new album, “Then & Now,” to arrive at the end of summer 2022.

“I know fans have been asking me for years to finish my autobiography,” Cavaliere said. “This is for the fans. It’s a blessing to revisit memories and hopefully, my story can inspire the next generation of singers and songwriters.”

With No. 1 songs like “Good Lovin’”, “Groovin’”, “A Beautiful Morning”, “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long”, “People Got To Be Free” and “How Can I Be Sure”, The Rascals are considered the best ‘blue-eyed soul’ group to come out of the 1960s. For Cavaliere, making people feel good is fundamental to his illustrious career that includes the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriter Hall of Fame, Vocal Group Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame and Musicians Hall of Fame. 

As a solo artist, Cavaliere connected with a new generation of fans with his hit “Only A Heart Sees” in 1979, and in 2008 Cavaliere worked with Steve Cropper on the Grammy-nominated “Nudge It Up A Notch.” In 2019, Cavaliere was inducted into the Musicians Hall Of Fame. Cavaliere is a 2022 recipient of the Free Speech in Music Award presented by Middle Tennessee University and in April embarks on a Legends Live Tour with Micky Dolenz of The Monkees in select markets.

Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals 2022 Tour

February 26 | The Casino @ Dania Beach | Dania Beach, Fla.

March 28-31 | Flower Power Cruise

April 1 | Southwest Florida Events Center | Bonita Springs, Fla.

April 2 | Center @ Anna Maria Island | Anna Maria Island, Fla.

April 8 | Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino | Niagara Falls, N.Y.

April 9 | Rams Head On Stage | Annapolis, Md.

April 23 | American Music Theatre | Lancaster, Pa.*

April 24 | Keswick Theatre | Glenside, Pa.*

May 12 | Count Basie Center | Red Bank, N.J.*

May 14 | Patchogue Theatre | Patchogue, N.Y.*

June 3 | Palladium Times Square | New York, N.Y.*

June 4 | Lynn Auditorium | Lynn, Mass.*

June 10-12 | Blue Note Hawaii | Honolulu, Hawaii

July 16 | Meadow Brooke Theatre | Rochester, Mich.

More dates are being announced soon.

*Legends Live Featuring Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals and Micky Dolenz of The Monkees

NEW BOOK! BADGE 112 BY PETER STIPE

Peter G Stipe Author of Badge 112

I finished reading this new book by retired Ann Arbor (highly decorated) Policeman/SWAT/Detective Peter Stipe. Pete stood guard at my police LT uncle's funeral and we had many friends in common yet we only met when he pulled me over for an illegal left turn back in the day. Gratefully he opted not to ticket me! YAY. 

Ironically, Amazon sent me this book to review. I saw the author's name and thought hey, I know this guy. Picked up my Kindle and I didn't put it down until I finished reading Pete's story. Pete is quite a guy! This book is like riding in the back seat of his squad car witnessing his entire career. 

Badge 112 is the story of a restless boy orphaned in high school and his unlikely passage from juvenile delinquent to a decorated police officer. 

While on the force, Pete embarked on a series of high-profile arrests, high-speed pursuits, foot chases, bank robberies, hostage situations, homicides, life and death struggles, and harrowing rescues. 

In 1994, a serial killer investigation exposed the strained racial tensions between the police and the public they serve. Stipe and the killer confront one another in court.

Pete's tactical training results in his assignment as the point man on the SWAT Team. He engages in a sequence of armed encounters, some at point-blank range. The peak in his career is toppled by a turbulent marriage to an unfaithful wife, an ill-fated affair with an attractive partner, and the tragic drowning of two teenage girls, trapped in a submerged car. Buy Your Copy of Badge 112 Here

? AND THE MYSTERIANS AN AMERICAN ICON STORY: NEW BOOK!

? Mark and the Mysterians

? and the Mysterians are an American garage rock band. from Bay City and Saginaw in Michigan who were initially active between 1962 and 1969.

Much of the band's music consisted of electric organ-driven garage rock and an enigmatic image inspired by the 1957 Japanese science fiction film The Mysterians.  In addition, the band's sound was also marked by raw-resonating lead vocals of "?" 

Their original line up consisted of Question Mark (Rudy Martinez) (lead vocals), Frank Rodriguez (Organ Keyboards), Frank Lugo (bass guitar), Robert Martinez (drums), and Bobby (Robert Lee) Balderrama (lead guitar),

Great News!! Lead guitarist Robert Lee Balderrama (Bobby) just published an autobiography about the history of ? and the Mysterians and you can order your copy today! It is an exciting story about this group of young guys from the Saginaw Bay area, whose parents were farmworkers that came to Michigan for work and stayed. These guys followed their dream to large success!

Robert Lee (Bobby) Balderrama author/lead guitarist

Their most famous song, 96 Tears was recorded in a basement in Bay City, Michigan for just $50.00. The only Garage Rock tune to go to NUMBER ONE in the nation . . . 

Robert Lee Balderrama owns his own publishing company and he direct mails his books straight to the reader! 

Information about ordering the book

RLB Publishing, PO Box 106, Essexville, MI. 48732, 

Book special! $25 for the book with 2 commemorative pens that feature the  ? and the Mysterians LOGO

Please send a check or money order to the author, Robert Lee Balderrama, and include if you would like an autograph. 

Order Tee Shirts and other Merch HERE

ANNOUNCING THE BEATLES: GET BACK 2ND OFFICIAL BEATLES BOOK

Announcing THE BEATLES: GET BACK The Beatles’ First Official Book Since Bestselling The Beatles Anthology Global August 31, 2021

Publication by Callaway & Apple Corps to Coincide with the Release of Peter Jackson’s "THE BEATLES: GET BACK" Feature Documentary Film This Definitive Volume Presents Exclusive, In-Their-Own-Words Account of The Beatles’ Let It Be Recording Sessions, Illustrated with Hundreds of Previously Unpublished Images, Including Photos by Ethan A. Russell and Linda McCartney Beautifully designed and produced, this 240-page hardcover tells the story of The Beatles’ creation of their 1970 album, Let It Be, in their own words. 

Presenting transcribed conversations drawn from over 120 recorded hours of the band’s studio sessions with hundreds of previously unpublished images, including photos by Ethan A. Russell and Linda McCartney, THE BEATLES: GET BACK also includes a foreword written by Peter Jackson and an introduction by Hanif Kureishi. 

The book’s texts are edited by John Harris from original conversations between John, Paul, George and Ringo spanning three weeks of recording, culminating in The Beatles’ historic final rooftop concert. 

THE BEATLES: GET BACK will be a special and essential companion to director Peter Jackson’s “THE BEATLES: GET BACK” feature documentary film, set for theatrical release on August 27, 2021.

CONTENTS 

Act One: Twickenham Film Studios Act Two: Apple Studios Act Three: The Rooftop Afterword: What Happened Next ISBN: 978-0-935112-96-2 Size: 11 7/8 x 10 inches (302 x 254mm), Portrait 240 pages 200+ Photographs

LEVON HELM: NEW BIOGRAPHY RELEASE AUG 25!

A dazzling, epic biography of Levon Helm––the beloved, legendary drummer and singer of the Band.

He sang the anthems of a generation: "The Weight," "Up on Cripple Creek," and "Life Is a Carnival." Levon Helm's story––told here through sweeping research and interviews with close friends and fellow musicians––is the rollicking story of American popular music itself.

In the Arkansas Delta, a young Levon witnessed "blues, country, and gospel hit in a head-on collision," as he put it. The result was rock 'n' roll. As a teenager, he joined the raucous Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, then helped merge a hard-driving electric sound with Bob Dylan's folk roots, and revolutionized American rock with the Band. Helm not only provided perfect "in the pocket" rhythm and unforgettable vocals, he was the Band's soul.

Levon traces a rebellious life on the road, from being booed with Bob Dylan to the creative cauldron of Big Pink, the Woodstock Festival, world tours, The Last Waltz, and beyond with the man Dylan called "one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation."

Levon: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of The Band and Beyond

Author Sandra B. Tooze digs deep into what Helm saw as a devastating betrayal by his closest friend, Band guitarist Robbie Robertson––and Levon's career collapse, his near bankruptcy, and the loss of his voice due to throat cancer in 1997.

Levon as Ted Webb with Sissy Spacek

Yet Helm found success in an acting career that included roles in Coal Miner's Daughter and The Right Stuff. Regaining his singing voice, he made his last decade a triumph, opening his barn to the Midnight Rambles and earning three Grammys. Cancer finally claimed his life in 2012.

Levon is penetrating, skillfully told the tale of a music legend from Southern cotton fields to global limelight.

1960'S GARAGE BAND THE LIMITS RELEASE NEW SINGLE: I WON'T TELL

Los Angeles –THE LIMITS, who formed in the mid-sixties in Allentown, Pennsylvania, have been called “the quintessential American Garage Band” by the late, legendary Alex Chilton. Recently two collections, GARAGE NUGGETS 65-68 (highlighting their earliest teen efforts) and the more sophisticated SONGS ABOUT GIRLS ('80s compilation) have been reissued on all digital music platforms courtesy of a licensing arrangement with Garage Masters, a division of Cleopatra Records, Inc.

“I WON’T TELL,” penned by RICK LEVY, is the new single from THE LIMITS. Levy is currently the manager and guitarist/vocalist with Memphis Music Hall of Fame legends, THE BOX TOPS, and said, “interviewers, fans, and some radio folk really heard something great in 'I WONT TELL,' so we decided to drop it as a single to test the waters…and THE LIMITS' popularity.

Making a rare guest appearance is Stan Lynch (original member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) on drums.” Levy adds, “I played slide, as well as using the great Keith Richards open G guitar tuning to keep a melancholy vibe going throughout the song.”

High in the Mid-'60s: 

How to Have a Fabulous Life in Music without Being Famous

Levy's memoir, “HIGH IN THE MID 60s - How To Have A Fabulous Life in Music Without Being Famous,” (Crossroad Press) is available at amazon.com and www.ricklevy.com in print, digital, and audio formats.

To stream / purchase THE LIMITS “I WON'T TELL

Listen to Garage Nuggets ’65-’68

Listen to Songs About Girls

Limits cover photo courtesy of zohre-nemati

GANGSTERS UP NORTH: A NEW BOOK BY ROBERT KNAPP

Gangsters Up North—a new book by Robert Knapp

Northern Michigan has for decades drawn millions each year to its beautiful lakes and rivers. Gangsters Up North adds a new and exciting dimension to the colorful lore of those lands. What were gangsters doing in Michigan’s vacationlands during the Prohibition years?

Like many ordinary folks of the time, they often traveled Up North for rest and relaxation—and for more nefarious activities. Al Capone, the Purple Gang, Fred “Killer” Burke, other Public Enemies, and many other hoodlums found their way north in fact or in fiction.

They became heavily involved in the gambling and bootlegging that was pervasive in up-scale resorts in Charlevoix, Little Traverse Bay, and Mackinac Island.

They kidnapped and murdered. But most usually, they just hung out with everyone else. Gangsters were front-page stories in those years, their leaders were household names, their faces easily recognizable. Up North, people far and wide claimed to recognize those faces in their various backyards.

They said they saw Big Al Capone in this hotel or at that lake or in that cabin. Rumors of John Dillinger coming to town threw citizens into a frenzy of fear. Black Cadillacs pulling up to a rural place had to hold Mafiosi.

Gangsters Up North Mobsters, Mafia, and Racketeers in Michigan's Vacationlands

So imaginary sightings interwove with actual criminal activity throughout the tip of the mitt and Upper Peninsula. Gangsters Up North draws on newspaper accounts, numerous interviews, rare images, and much-unpublished material to paint the real picture of mobsters and their associates in Michigan’s northland.

Robert Knapp unweaves the tangle of tales and truth. Gangsters come to life Up North.

Gangsters Up North appeals to the wide audience of vacationers, local historians, and anyone intrigued by gangsters. It will be available at presentations and sold in local stores. 

Author Robert Knapp was born and raised in the central Michigan area. During a thirty-year career at the University of California, Berkeley, he published extensively on topics in ancient history including, most recently, Invisible Romans and Dawn of Christianity.  
In retirement, his interests turned also to the local history of Clare, Michigan, where he is restoring the log home built by his pioneering great-grandfather. 
His previous books include Small-town Citizen Minion of the Mob—Sam Garfield’s Two Lives—The Purple Gang Meyer Lansky and Life in Clare Michigan (2018), Mystery Man—Gangsters, Oil, and Murder in Michigan (2014) and Clare, 1865-1940 (Arcadia Images of America series) (2012).

LOUDMOUTH: NEW NOVEL FROM FORMER CREEM MAGAZINE EDITOR

Announcing a new novel inspired by Detroit Rock of the 1970s. LOUDMOUTH, the debut novel from former rock writer Robert Duncan, who became the managing editor of Creem at age 22 and went on to contribute to numerous top outlets, including Rolling Stone and Life.

In the process, Robert hung around guys like MC5, SRC, Iggy, and the Stooges, Bruce Springsteen, The Clash's Mick Jones and Joe Strummer, and the infamous journalist Lester Bangs. Drawing on his vast collection of raucous, unforgettable stories, LOUDMOUTH is a wild ride, following its protagonist from dysfunctional adolescence to the rock 'n' roll heyday of the 1970s.

The novel is the story of Thomas Ransom, born to a severely dysfunctional southern family transplanted to New York City. Left to his own devices by neglectful parents, he spends much of his childhood shadowing his older, criminally-inclined half-brother and roaming New York with hard-drinking teenage pals.

Tom eventually finds an outlet as the flamboyant singer of a downtown rock band, and later as the young editor of the Detroit-based magazine that invented punk—only to return to New York, at the height of the 1970s bacchanal, and crash.

But it isn’t music that saves him. It’s a soft-spoken painter, who turns out to be the most outrageous character of all.

Purchase Loudmouth below

Loudmouth: A Novel

3RD EDITION OF THE STRAWBERRY BRICKS GUIDE TO PROG ROCK OUT TODAY

The 3rd Edition of “The Strawberry Bricks Guide to Progressive Rock” by Charles Snider To be Released March 27, 2020

The Strawberry Bricks Guide to Progressive Rock, 3rd Edition
• Reviews of 510+ albums from 1967 - 1982
• 572 pages
• Fully edited, proofread and fact-checked

Back in print for 2020! The definitive record guide to the progressive era of rock music, Strawberry Bricks presents a comprehensive discography with reviews of 500+ albums, with band histories, musical synopses, key tracks, and critical commentary, all presented in the historical context of a timeline.

Beginning in 1967 and continuing through 1982, a generation of musicians took rock music in directions unforeseen as they charted what would become known as progressive rock. From art rock to krautrock, from England to Germany to Italy and all across Europe, Strawberry Bricks offers a candid reappraisal of rock’s most cerebral genre. Also for this edition, Matt Howarth has revisited his original artwork from the first edition of the book.

Says Charles, “The newly written Prologue offers a historical perspective of the pretext to the progressive era, beginning post-WWII, while the Epilogue offers a current perspective on progressive rock since the early '80s. I've also spent a good deal of time fact-checking every detail in the book, including song titles and artist names.

Further, this edition has been professionally edited and peer-reviewed, all to make this as exacting and rewarding a book as the music it covers. Strawberry Bricks is another narrative on the classic era of progressive rock, one with hopefully a novel and candid outlook on the genre, its albums and the men that made it one of the most interesting chapters in rock's history.”

With 212 more reviews, 210 more pages, completely fact-checked and professionally edited, and with a full index, the third edition is a substantial upgrade to owners of the first edition of the book. For owners of the second edition, Matt Howarth once again revisits his original artwork for Strawberry Bricks. Enjoy the music!

“Charles Snider has an encyclopedic knowledge of progressive rock and has accrued one of the world’s most formidable record collections. No one is better equipped to write the definitive discography of this rich genre of music.” - Jonathan Schang, District 97

The Strawberry Bricks Guide to Progressive Rock: Third Edition

About the Author:

Charles Snider has been collecting records since the early 1970s, amassing one of the most complete archives of progressive rock. “One of my earliest memories of vinyl was The Beatles' 'Paperback Writer' b/w 'Rain.'

Musically, my love for British music and everything thereafter starts with The Beatles. My daughters are even named after Beatles’ songs!” Snider's self-professed passion for the music “archaeology” continued over the decades, branching out to many other genres of music. “In the early 90s, Kevin Eden and I curated the WMO label, with the cooperation and support of Wire.

The CD was a new format, and we released a lot of hard to find records, as well as unreleased archival material and two very good tribute discs.” Upon moving to Chicago in 2000, he began writing the first edition of The Strawberry Bricks Guide to Progressive Rock. “I've always loved record guides. Certainly, Ira Robbin’s Trouser Press was the prototype, but growing up in the 70s with magazines like Circus, Creem and of course Rolling Stone, I've always enjoyed the passion writers convey about music.” While not listening to prog rock in his man-cave, Snider can be found blogging about personal technology or cheering on the Chicago Blackhawks.

The 3rd Edition of “The Strawberry Bricks Guide to Progressive Rock” will be released on March 27th, 2020. Available directly from http://strawberrybricks.com/the-book, and from Amazon.com

NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY FROM BOBBY ELLIOTT OF THE HOLLIES!

The Autobiography of Bobby Elliott is available for pre-order. As the influential drummer from iconic rock ‘n’ roll band The Hollies, Bobby Elliott has six decades worth of musical anecdotes.

Continually touring since 1963, his adventures have seen him beating Keith Moon in a drumming audition, being serenaded by Joni Mitchell while she was in bed with Graham Nash and being offered a job by Paul McCartney to work with Wings.

Covering all such stories as well as exploring Bobby's personal highs and lows, It Ain't Heavy, It's My Story is a funny, honest and enlightening account of sixty years on the frontline of rock 'n' roll.

It's Ain't Heavy, It's My Story: My Life in The Hollies

SCOTTY BOWERS AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD

I watched  Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood yesterday and loved it. Not because of the tawdry topic of how Scotty set up "dates" for gay celebrities back in the 1950s-80s. I just loved Scotty and his energy, attitude, and sense of humor. What an entrepreneur this man was!

Scotty wrote a book about his life after everyone he was about to "out" had passed away. His book is called Full Service

The documentary is Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood is a 2017 American documentary film about the life of Scotty Bowers, who acted as an unpaid procurer of men in Hollywood from the 1940s to the 80s. It was produced and directed by Matt Tyrnauer, a Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine. The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and was theatrically released on July 27, 2018

Scotty lived to age 96 and what a life he led..