To coincide with the long-awaited release of the Beach Boys SMiLE Sessions, the band has posted a new series of videos related to the legendary album.
Ken Shane
844 Articles
Ken Shane lives in Narragansett, R.I. He is a freelance writer and far and away the oldest Popdose writer. In fact, he may be the oldest writer, period. He wants you to know that he generally does not share his colleagues' love for the music of the '80s, and he does not forgive them for loving it. (Ken passed away in November 2022. R.I.P. —Ed.)
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Ken Shane
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When the conversation turns to great soul singers, Joe Simon’s name is not mentioned nearly enough. Ken Shane makes the case for the legendary hit maker.
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Ken Shane
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Last week Ken Shane had the opportunity to speak with Shelby Lynne about her new record Revelation Road, the most personal album of her career.
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Ken Shane
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In 1965 Little Anthony and the Imperials released the third in a string of dramatic pop soul smashes and cemented their place in rock and roll history.
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Ken Shane
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Brenda Holloway isn’t often included in the discussion of great female Motown vocalists. Ken Shane tells us why she deserves to be.
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Ken Shane
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The 1973 US release of “The Harder They Come” film and soundtrack album was a pivotal moment for reggae music and it made Jimmy Cliff an international star.
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Ken Shane
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Doris Troy may have had only big hit, the 1963 classic “Just One Look,” but she had a long and successful career working with the biggest names in rock and roll.
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Ken Shane
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The acclaimed British Invasion DVD series returns with a definitive look at the Hollies, a band that did nothing less than produce hits for more than a decade.
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Ken Shane
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Chuck Jackson followed a stint with the Del-Vikings with a superb solo career that reached its peak with his 1962 hit “Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)”
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Ken Shane
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Ken Shane recently attended the Rhythm & Roots festival in RI for the first time. He reports on a day of great live music.
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When it comes to archival reissues of classic soul music, The Numero Group is setting the bar high with a combination of great taste and brilliant scholarship.
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Ken Shane
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You’ve heard all the big hits from Detroit, Memphis, and New Orleans. How about Allentown, PA? That’s the home of Jay & the Techniques who hit it big in 1967.
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Ken Shane
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Otis Redding would have turned 70 tomorrow. The great New Orleans musician Wardell Quezergue died this week. Ken Shane pays tribute to both artists.
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Ken Shane
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The Holland-Dozier-Holland song “Baby Don’t You Do It” had some great cover versions, but it’s hard to to to the Marvin Gaye original.
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Jerry Leiber, a founding father of rock and roll, and one of the greatest songwriters in the history of popular music, died this week. Ken Shane pays tribute.
Ken Shane
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Lowman Pauling and the 5 Royales were a seminal influence on the young Steve Cropper. The legendary guitarist pays tribute to the group on a fine new album.
Ken Shane
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The Marvelettes were Motown’s first successful female group, and they scored the company’s first number one pop hit. In all they scored 21 hits in eight years.
Ken Shane
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Ken Shane was back at the Newport Folk Festival this year — but this time, he wasn’t just there as a journalist.
Ken Shane
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Despite having a number of hits, Brook Benton had been largely forgotten by the mid-’60s. Then in 1970 he returned with the biggest hit of his career.
Ken Shane
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Ken Shane will be covering the Newport Folk Festival for Popdose again this weekend. Among the artists he looks forward to seeing is soul legend Mavis Staples.
Ken Shane
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Ken Shane celebrates the life and music of songwriter/producer Jerry Ragovoy who died this week at age 80.
Ken Shane
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In which our own Ken Shane and Jim Fusilli of the Wall Street Journal debate the merits of Phil Spector’s work in light of his murder conviction.
Ken Shane
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On Monday, America celebrated its 235th birthday. On Tuesday, a jury in Florida affirmed one of the principles that this country was founded on.
Ken Shane
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In 1959 Ace Records erased Huey “Piano” Smith’s vocal from a song that he wrote, substituting one by white singer Frankie Ford. So much for the good old days.
Ken Shane
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As part of a week of tributes to the late Clarence Clemons, Ken Shane features a musician who had a major impact on Clarence’s musical style.
Ken Shane
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Ken Shane remembers his first Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band show and pays tribute to the band’s heart and soul, Clarence Clemons.
Ken Shane
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Carl Gardner, the original lead singer of the Coasters died last week. He was the voice on a string of great singles for the group. Ken Shane pays tribute.
Ken Shane
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A great new album from the LA band Dawes stirs some distant southern California memories for Ken Shane.
Ken Shane
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Caught up in the HBO series Treme, Ken Shane is in a New Orleans mood this week. He delivers up a Crescent City classic from the Wild Tchoupitoulas.