Randy's Rodeo

Welcome To Randy's Rodeo! 50 years of rock 'n' roll and all the music from whence it sprang. Whew! If you enjoy my website, please support me by clicking through and shopping at Amazon, eBay, iTunes, and Sheet Music Plus- your purchases there benefit my work here. [read more]

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Better Than iTunes? Amazon's music download store just opened up with millions of songs - high quality MP3 files (256 kbps versus 128 at iTunes) with none of the copy protection (often called digital rights management, or DRM) that makes iTunes so restrictive. Now, I'm an Apple man to the bone, but Amazon is offering a better product right now.... (iTunes Plus notwithstanding). Of course, content is king, and Amazon has yet to convince Universal Music record labels to play by their rules - though they've struck deals with Warners, EMI, and Sony/BMG. Still, there's a few (huge) gaps in their catalog. All the same, you'll find plenty of great music, and some fabulous bargains - like 30 Beach Boys classics for just $7.99! [browse the store]

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	Still Raving On. Power pop gods Artful Dodger are back - at least on CD. The little American Beat label has reissued their second LP, Honor Among Thieves (1976). We can only hope there's more to come, especially the band's masterful swan song, Rave On (1980) - never issued on CD. [learn more]
	Visit Hitsville USA! Recently, I posted an extensive special feature on Motown Records - the history, the artists, and how to collect all that wonderful music - and, I'm just getting started! They called it "The Sound of Young America," and for once the hype was right on the money. Find out why... [read more]
	Hey, Bread Fans! At long last, Bread's final studio album is available on CD. Lost Without Your Love, a 1976 reunion album that includes two David Gates hits and several strong contributions by James Griffin, has been reissued by Wounded Bird Records. [read more or purchase]
	Actor? Songwriter? Singer? Most people recognize Hoyt Axton as the hapless dad in Gremlins, or as the man who wrote that song about Jeremiah (a bullfrog). But, this amiable Oklahoman conducted a recording career that spanned nearly thirty years. [learn more & listen]
	I'm In Love With Emma Peel. The song, that is, not the sultry heroine of the 60's TV show, The Avengers. This little-known power pop gem by a long-forgotten band, The Allies, was a minor sensation on Seattle radio and MTV. But, I'd never heard it till recently... [read more & listen]
	I Used To Be A Zombie. Keyboardist Rod Argent is remembered mainly for his stint with the Zombies, but he sold more records with the 70's prog rock outfit that bore his name. Argent is often considered a one-hit-wonder, but there's more to them than "Hold Your Head Up." [read more & listen]
	The Beat Of Bread. When Mike Botts, drummer for 70's superstars Bread died in December 2005, he improbably became the group's second alumnus to join the great gig in the sky that year - bandmate James Griffin passed in January. For more about Botts, Griffin, and Bread, click here.
	Goodbye Again. Revisit the gentle, spirited music of dearly departed John Denver, including his prodigious Christmas catalog. People forget how positively huge Denver was during the 70's, selling millions of records before disco and punk swept him out to pasture. But, I haven't. [read more & listen]
	A graceful farewell. At the age of 87, on the 60th anniversary of his first released recording, Eddy Arnold has issued his 100th - and last - album, After All These Years. Read the amazing story of one of country music's most successful - and least appreciated - stars. [read more & listen]
	We Were Neighbors. When the Chi-Lites' lead singer, Eugene Record, passed away, we lost one of soul's purest voices. On songs like "Oh Girl," "Have You Seen Her," and "A Letter To Myself," Record's pure, strong, unadorned tenor defined loneliness for a generation. [read more & listen]
	The Courtney Love Of Country Music. Lynn Anderson's antics have made her something of spectacle recently - for all the wrong reasons. But this powerhouse has quite a legacy and a new Greatest Hits CD that makes it plain. Learn more on my newly expanded page. [read more & listen]
	A Rather Dismal Day. I was saddened to learn of the death of James Griffin, the other singer and songwriter in Bread. Unlike his bandmate, David Gates, Griffin never graced the Top 40. Still, he had a unique talent, and a warm voice, and he added a certain roughness to Bread's sweet sound. [read more]
	Baby, She Lied. Deborah Allen was one of the more distinctive voices to emerge from Nashville in the 80's - and she wasn't hard on the eyes, either. Like many singers of that era, she succumbed to her baser instincts, striving for pop glory rather than artistic achievement. [read more]
	Pledging His Love. Our Johnny Ace page has been updated in honor of Hip-O Select's long-overdue, sterling upgrade of his Memorial Album. This primordial R'n'B crooner is a key link between the blues and soul music. Get to know him! read more
	The Perry Como Of Country Music. Eddy Arnold charted 140 country records spanning five decades, but he is best remembered for the maudlin pop sides he waxed in the 60's. There is much more to "The Tennessee Plowboy" than that - take a gander on my updated page. read more