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 [...]
It is tough to be alone.
Music, books, and foodways can form a meaningful bridge to a welcoming place. A point of memory. And inspiration. I thought about these elements while contributing suggestions to the Music Lives Here multi-media project created by the City of Chicago.
The 50 Music Lives Here sites define the raw individualism of the Chicago ethic: Willie Dixon’s Yambo Records, 7771 S. Racine, the pioneering punk club O’Banion’s, 661 N. Clark, the Earl of Old Town, 1615 N. Wells, and many others, obvious and not so obvious.
The Music Lives Here markers are on sidewalks and feature a QR code for time travelers to gather more information. Starting [...]
Steve Goodman in his favorite outerwear. (Courtesy of Rosanna Goodman)
Beloved Chicago singer-songwriter Steve Goodman did not miss much in his 36 years.
That’s how he wrote “City of New Orleans,” his 1971 ballad about a fading America. Goodman was taking the original City of New Orleans train from the Illinois Central station in Chicago with his wife Nancy to visit her family in Southern Illinois. She fell asleep next to him. Goodman looked out at the fast-moving farms from his window. Time was flying. Inside he saw restless riders, train conductors, and old men in the club car. He kept score. He was a [...]
Howlin’ Wolf harmonica, 1950’s (On loan from Bettye Kelly.)
SPRINGFIELD, Il.–”The State of Sound: A World of Music From Illinois” has been called one of the most ambitious exhibits in the 16-year history of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) in downtown Springfield.
“The State of Sound” features Miles Davis’s custom-made red trumpet, Steve Goodman’s handwritten lyrics to “City of New Orleans,” Mahalia Jackson’s first Decca record from 1937 , and Curtis Mayfield’s 1970s paisley pants and vest suit. There are more than 125 artifacts that relate to the [...]
