It was an ordinary day. Just got an email from my longtime friend, Bill, who lives in Arizona. He had read my story of May 16 of this year about Buddy Holly and thought I might enjoy seeing a video he had found on You Tube. Wow! Pretty neat. The video is based on Don McLean's song "American Pie". Don was born in 1949 in New York. Both his father and his grandfather bore the same name as him. As a teenager he became interested in folk music and by the age of 16 had his first guitar. In 1963 he entered Villanova University and became friends with singer/songwriter Jim Croce. In 1971 he recorded his second album titled "American Pie." The title song in the album made him an international star. "American Pie" is a sprawling, impressionistic ballad inspired by the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) who died in a plane crash in 1959. The song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Magazine charts for four weeks in 1972 and was his most successful release. In 2001 the song was voted #5 in a poll of the 365 Songs of the Century. Songs ahead of his in the poll were "Over the Rainbow", "White Christmas", This Land is Your Land", and "Respect". In 2002 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The You Tube video took place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Roger Ebert calls the international sensation "The greatest music video ever made." Check it out and see for yourself. And ... you must watch the entire thing! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.Saturday, June 25, 2011
The "You Just Gotta See This" Story
It was an ordinary day. Just got an email from my longtime friend, Bill, who lives in Arizona. He had read my story of May 16 of this year about Buddy Holly and thought I might enjoy seeing a video he had found on You Tube. Wow! Pretty neat. The video is based on Don McLean's song "American Pie". Don was born in 1949 in New York. Both his father and his grandfather bore the same name as him. As a teenager he became interested in folk music and by the age of 16 had his first guitar. In 1963 he entered Villanova University and became friends with singer/songwriter Jim Croce. In 1971 he recorded his second album titled "American Pie." The title song in the album made him an international star. "American Pie" is a sprawling, impressionistic ballad inspired by the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) who died in a plane crash in 1959. The song reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Magazine charts for four weeks in 1972 and was his most successful release. In 2001 the song was voted #5 in a poll of the 365 Songs of the Century. Songs ahead of his in the poll were "Over the Rainbow", "White Christmas", This Land is Your Land", and "Respect". In 2002 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The You Tube video took place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Roger Ebert calls the international sensation "The greatest music video ever made." Check it out and see for yourself. And ... you must watch the entire thing! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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Awesome!!! JS
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