Sanford Cohen at the Homewood, circa 1981. (Photo by Tom Cruze; Suburban Sun-Times.)
I’ve been writing about people for more than 40 years. It has been a cinematic parade of characters, misfits, rogues, and dreamers. Some memories are starting to fade away into a winter horizon. Other figures remain for years, bringing common warmth to a random thought.
Sanford Cohen was one of those subjects.
From 1977 until 1984 Cohen was the effervescent owner of the Homewood Theatre, 18110 S. Dixie Highway in Homewood, south of Chicago. He was larger than life itself, to coin a Roger Ebert documentary. I met him in the [...]
“Doubles on Ice is a previously unheard Lou Whitney composition and I always wanted to use the image of a figure skater in a celebration of Lou.
A couple of years ago recording engineer Eric Schuchmann was doodling around The Studio, the beloved recording space on the outskirts of Springfield, Mo. He stumbled across a DAT tape marked “publishing demos 98-99.” Schuchmann had been long-time right-hand man for the brilliant bandleader-bassist-singer-producer Lou Whitney.
Whitney was also the spiritual force behind the great American rock n’ soul bands The Skeletons, The Morells, and the seminal [...]
Jimmy Buffett was a best-selling author, songwriter, businessman, airplane pilot, sailor, surfer, father, husband, environmentalist, tequila drinker, dog lover, and more. Yes, he lived a huge life.
Buffett died on Sept. 1 from cancer. He was 76 years old.
The thread of all his magical pursuits is how he paid attention to detail.
Jimmy Buffett listened for every heartbeat.
He found a twinkle in the eyes of everyone he met.
I have dozens of Buffett stories. Twice I brought Richard Harding and his daughter Catherine to Buffett shows in the Chicago area. Richard Harding was the grizzled owner of the Quiet Knight music room south of [...]
Design by Janet Hill.
The future is the foundation of finding every right house.
People bring visions and dreams into a new landscape. Midcentury Modern, or Post WW II architecture came along at the right time. Midcentury ranch homes emerged in 1949, four years after the end of World War II. Americans were looking towards a different tomorrow, one with a more approachable ceiling. The affordability of automobiles led to the growth of suburbs. People downsized from colonial homes to ranch houses with ample windows and open space. Midcentury architecture became clean and linear.
Westchester, IL. is [...]
