Photo-of-the-Week #109 - Gullah Grub, St. Helena Island, South Carolina, February 2013

This was exactly why we went on this adventure, to find some Gullah cuisine. The Gullah culture, similar to the to Creoles from Louisiana, are the descendants of West African slaves. They lived in the region from Cape Fear, North Carolina to Jacksonville, Florida. According to many, the Gullah are disappearing or more realistically they are assimilating. St. Helena Island, the location of the Gullah Grub Restaurant in this photo is, according to what we learned, one of the last communities where the Gullah culture can be found. It's a small area where time has been suspended.

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal at the Gullah Grub Restaurant. The food was simple, yet distinctively different. And as you can tell from the outside, the decor was also very simple.

Interestingly, this year's new American Idol, the winner of the reality TV talent show for vocalists, is a young woman, Candace Glover, an amazing singer from St. Helena Island. It was fun watching Candace progress through the American Idol competition knowing about her culture and heritage. Having just been to her home town, I was voting her. Of course, it didn't hurt that, as I said, she is an amazingly talented singer.  

Photo-of-the-Week #82 - An Iconic Sign, Hollywood, California, May 2009

Nothing new here! This is probably one of the most iconic signs in the world. This, of course, is my shot from my "Final Hollywood Tour" trip in May of 2009. I hadn't been to Hollywood in quite a number of years. I've certainly been to Los Angeles, of which Hollywood is a part, but not to Hollywood proper.

I called it my "Final Hollywood Tour" because my main purpose for going to Hollywood was to see what was still left of the recording studio scene that I knew from my days in the early 70's thru early 80's when I spent time there during my early recording industry career. I wanted to visit the old "Temples of Sound" where most of the Hollywood chart topping rock and roll and other pop music were recorded during the 60's and 70's. I shot this photo while I was driving my rental car, so it's not as good as it could have been, but it was difficult to find a place to park along this street and capture the shot.

Sadly, while I did locate a very few of the studios I remember, many, perhaps, most of them were gone. Some were, what appeared to be abandoned buildings. Others the buildings had been repurposed and I couldn't even recognize them. Still others were bulldozed and either new buildings replaced them or they "paved paradise and put up a  parking lot." You may remember that line from Joni Mitchell's famous , "Big Yellow Taxicab" song written and originally released in 1970. I even found the hole in the ground that had been a building where Harry O'Connor, a broadcast pioneer, had his studios based at Hollywood and Vine. I had made an informal arrangement with O'Connor to use his services as my west coast facility for my Washington, DC based production company. My brochures sported our DC address and the Hollywood and Vine address.  

While Hollywood, or Tinsel Town, as it's been called, didn't impress me the first time I went there in 1970 or '71, it hasn't really changed much since then. It was seedy looking to me back then and it was still seedy looking in 2009. But, the real change was that many of the well-known studios of the 60's and 70's were gone forever. I guess what is most unnerving is that this change is a reminder of my own age. Back then in my mid 20's. Today in my mid 60's. Time marches on - too fast.  

Photo-of-the-Week #65 – Standing on the Corner, Winslow Arizona, June 2010

This is for my readers who are Eagles fans. That’s a statue of Glenn Frey, founder of the 70’s band. He’s literally “Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona”  - and in the window behind him you can see the reflection of the girl in the flatbed Ford slowing down to take a look at him. If you look in the window above him you’ll see a small part of an eagle – and to the right are a guy and a gal, but I won’t describe what I believe is about to happen.

Actually, this is a trompe-l'oeil style mural painted on a wall that is constructed like a Hollywood back lot set. It’s actually a remaining wall from a building that was torn down. There is no actual building behind the wall, just the wall. The mural was painted by John Pugh. And the foreground where the Ron Adamson statue of Glenn stands is the “Standing on the Corner” Park in the center of Winslow. The street you can see a small part of to the left of the mural is the iconic Rt. 66 of “Get Your Kicks on Rt. 66” fame. The famous highway between Chicago and Los Angeles ran through Winslow until Interstate 40 was completed and bypassed Winslow.

Unfortunately, once the traffic was diverted from Rt. 66 to I-40, Winslow suffered a serious downturn in commerce. As I traveled through Winslow (and spent one night there), I spoke with a young server at the local Denny’s restaurant located at the I-40 intersection. It was the only restaurant I could find open that evening. The young man was part Native American, part Italian and part Spanish. He was pleasant, but not very talkative. He had been born and raised in the Winslow area and said that, in reality, Winslow never fully recovered from the Great Depression.

The railroad yard that had been a major reason for Winslow to exist was still a major part of the small town. However, downtown Winslow was very depressed and only extended one block east and west from this point. There is a huge U.S. highway sign painted on the road covering most of the intersection by the “Standing on the Corner” park indicating Rt. 66. This spot is pretty much the high point of Winslow, at least from my personal experience.   

Rock and Roll Music

“Just let me hear some of that rock and roll music, any old way you choose it.” 

Thank you Chuck Berry.

I know there are a lot of people out there looking at my blog who weren’t even born when Chuck Berry penned those lyrics, but those were the great days or rock & roll, rockabilly, rhythm & blues, doowop and some of the best music ever written and performed.

Sure! Sure! Every generation says that about the music of their time and the earlier generations think the newer music is just so much noise. But, the test of time is when a piece of music continues to be recorded over and over by new artists. And, when you walk into a diner or other restaurant and you hear that music playing in the background. Or when you get into an elevator and you hear that music played in a variety of instrumental versions. And when commercials on TV and radio are using those old songs as the themes for modern products and services. That is when you know the music, just like that of the great masters of classical music including Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, etc. has made a mark on society.

So, if you’re a bit older, like I am, and grew up in the 50’s and 60’s or you’re of a younger generation, but you like the great sounds of the 50’s and 60’s, I want to direct your attention to my dear friend, Mickey Bo and his Rock n Roll Revue. Mickey is heard about the world on Internet Radio and each week he prepares an hour of music from the 50’s and 60’s era. It’s mostly music. There are no commercial breaks except at network breaks at the hour and half hour. Mickey’s knowledge of the music and its roots as well as the artists and what they may currently be doing is both informative and educational. Simply put, it’s a fun hour that will, both, relax you, get your fingers popping and toes tapping and take you back to a much simpler time.

Mickey Bo’s Rock n Roll Revue is a supporter of living free and the “Living Free . . . blog. You’ll see an icon/link under Supporters on the left sidebar. It will take you to his Web site where you’ll find a current and some previous play lists, a little about Mickey himself and the days and times you can tune in anywhere in the world and there are numerous days and times each week. Give it a try when you are looking for a little pick-me-up and coffee or Red Bull just aren’t doing it anymore.