40 Year Itch : Songs from a Georgia Gator Hole

Larry Jon Wilson : Ohoopee River Bottomland

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  In 1975 Larry Jon Wilson was a new recording artist in his 30s, craggy-faced, acne-scarred, with thinning hair and a rumbling, smoky voice. Even in the 'funky' mid '70s this was not the most marketable image. ~ New Beginnings Liner Notes

  With a deep voice that earned him a decent living doing television voice over work, Larry Jon Wilson could also spin a tale. And that's what he did on his 1975 album New Beginnings. Wilson was a "singer's singer" and a "guitar picker's guitar picker" and he numbered Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson among his admirers. In that sweet spot where country meets funk, Wilson recorded his best songs including "Ohoopee River Bottomland", a tribute to the Georgia gator hole near which he grew . The clip below is taken from a documentary on the outlaw country movement called Heartworn Highways.

40 Year Itch: Checking in with the Pinner Pop Star

"I could fart and reach Number 1"
-Elton John

   At some point in 1974, probably when Elton's Greatest Hits, Caribou and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road were all riding high on the US charts, Elton John's records accounted for 2 percent of the world's record sales.
   He spent much of March touring Australia and New Zealand
   His concerts opened with "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and closed with "Crocodile Rock" and "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting". Elton also introduced fans to a new song called "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me".
 


  Elton and his spectacular costumes ( like the black Lurex jumpsuit decked out in fluroscent balls) drew record crowds: 14,500 in Perth. 19,000 in Melbourne. 25,000 at Sydney's Randwich Racecourse . That's twice what David Cassidy drew.
  In April , after cancelling his British and European tours, Elton recorded "Pinball Wizard" for the Tommy soundtrack. In 1975 the single would peak at #7 in the UK .