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Have you ever wondered why some music just seems to have staying power? Like the energizer bunny, it keeps on going and going. Take the recent Grammy Awards for example. The Rolling Stones and ex-Beatle Paul McCartney were both nominated. Paul even gave his first live performance at a Grammy awards ceremony this year.

I remember the days when there was a constant debate raging over which group was the greatest- The Rolling Stones or The Beatles. These two super-groups reigned supreme. Many loyal fans took sides in this debate and were fully convinced that it was their favorite band which made the best music.

For me, it was simple. I loved the Stones, but the Beatles were by far my favorite group. Afterall, when the Beatles were beginning to see the effect their music was having on the kids of their generation (known as Beatlemania) the Stones were also charting with a song called, “I Wanna Be Your Man.” But it just so happens that Lennon-McCartney wrote this song and gave it to The Stones as a favor. Later, when The Beatles masterful Sgt. Pepper album was released in 1967, The Stones released an album shortly after which many considered to be a copycat version of Sgt. Pepper.

Here is another interesting fact to consider. The Beatles stopped giving live perfomances after their concert at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco on August 29, 1966. They decided they wanted to spend more time in the recording studio and just make music. Many people thought they were crazy and would quickly lose their fan base and popularity if they stopped giving live performances. They didn’t listen. What happened as a result? They kept cranking out hit songs and their popularity grew even more. The question that was constantly on everyone’s lips back then was, “when are the Beatles going to give another concert?”

Now, this is not to take anything away from The Rolling Stones. After The Beatles officially broke up, The Stones became my favorite group for awhile. I spent a lot of time listening to their music and saw them in concert three times. I even got back stage once. But they never inspired me to think deeper about life, or to question why. The Beatles did. I began a spiritual journey in search of “Truth” (which I eventually found in Jesus) largely due to the impressions and impact which The Beatles had made on me.

Musically speaking, these two super-groups definitely had, and continue to have, staying power. I still get students young and old who want to learn their songs on the guitar. The recent Grammy nominations also reveal that the creative juices of Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones are still flowing and will probably continue to do so for some time yet. The lesson we can learn from this is that good music never dies. And I, for one, am really glad that Paul did finally “pass the audition.”

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Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar. She has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit: http://www.abclearnguitar.com

Designed In 1954

The Fender Stratocaster (Strat) electric guitar was first designed and manufactured in 1954. It’s been manufactured continuously ever since it was originally designed. It has become one of the (if not the) most famous guitars in the world. It’s been played by countless guitar legends man of whom will be listed below.

Great Guitarists Who Play (Or Played) The Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar

• Jeff Beck - Played guitar for The Yardbirds among many other projects. Beck played a Les Paul up until 1975 when he switched tot he Fender Strat.
• Ritchie Blackmore - A founding member of Deep Purple.
• Eric Clapton - Clapton switched from Gibson guitars to Stratocasters in 1970 and has been playing them ever since.
• The Edge - The lead guitarist of U2.
• John Frusciante - The lead guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
• David Gilmour - The lead guitarist of Pink Floyd. Gilmour is considered by many (including myself) to be one of the greatest guitar soloists of all time.
• George Harrison - The lead guitarist of The Beatles. He started using a strat for The Beatles 1965 album Rubber Soul.
• Jimi Hendrix - Perhaps the most legendary guitarist of all time. Hendrix’s explanation of why he sometimes burned his Fender Stratocaster guitar during his performances was “The time I burned my guitar it was like a sacrifice. You sacrifice the things you love. I love my guitar.”
• John Lennon - The rhyhthm guitarist for The Beatles. Like George Harrison, Lennon began using a Strat during the recording of Rubber Soul.
• Bonnie Raitt - One of the few females known for her guitar playing abilities, Raitt plays a 1969 Stratocaster.
• Robbie Robertson - Lead guitarist for The Band.
• Pete Townshend - Guitarist for The Who (they had just one, so he played all guitar parts on their albums and live.)
• Stevie Ray Vaughan - The Texas blues legend played a Strat.
• Frank Zappa - Zappa was a truly incredible guitarist.

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Beatles Songs Written & Sung By George Harrison

What follows are all of the originally released Beatles songs written and sung by the “quiet Beatle” George Harrison. They are listed alphabetically. Note that I am not counting as Beatles songs - those which were originally released on his solo albums and then were included in the Anthology series (such as “All Things Must Pass” - evenough I love the Anthology 3 version.)

“Blue Jay Way” - Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

This was one of the Beatles most overtly psychedelic songs. This was when they were really throwing the “kitchen sink” into their recordings in the studio. While this is, admittedly, not one of The Beatles greatest tunes - I do enjoy it. Mostly because of the studio experimentation I am referring to.

“Don’t Bother Me” - With The Beatles (1963)

Harrison’s very first song on a Beatles album. Not particularly memorable, but not bad.

“For You Blue” - Let It Be (1970)

A nice little song, although not one of my favorites.

“Here Comes The Sun” - Abbey Road (1969)

One of The Beatles all time classics. During the late ’60s Harrison was at his peak as a songwriter. The evidence is there in songs like this one and in his great solo debut, 1970’s All Things Must Pass.

“I Me Mine” - Let It Be (1970)

Not one of my favorites, although it has some interesting aspects to it.

“I Need You” - Help! (1965)

I’ve always liked this song. In fact I’m a big fan of all of Harrison’s songs in this era (Help!, Rubber Soul, & Revolver)

“I Want to Tell You” - Revolver (1966)

Another Harrison song I’ve always liked. It’s got this cool off kilter sound that makes it quite unique.

“If I Needed Someone” - Rubber Soul (1965)

The Beatles doing The Byrds.

“It’s All Too Much” - Yellow Submarine (1968)

The best reason to buy the Yellow Submarine soundtrack (or even better the much improved “songtrack” released in 1999.) This is one of the great lesser known Beatles songs. Truly psychedelic. The production is awesome. There’s no song that sounds quite like this one.

“Long, Long, Long” - The White Album (1968)

The perfect followup to “Helter Skelter.” The Beatles go from impossibly loud to impossibly quiet, just like that. A beautiful song.

“Love You To” - Revolver (1966)

A lot of people are down on Harrison’s Indian music experimentation. Not me. I dig it.

“Old Brown Shoe” - B-Side to “Ballad of John & Yoko” (1969)

You can hear this on the Past Masters Vol. 2 album or the “Blue” Greatest Hits. I recommend the Past Masters collections so you aren’t getting a lot of the songs twice. The Past Masters (volumes 1 and 2) collect all of The Beatles songs that were singles/EPs only and are not available on the official UK Beatles albums.

“Only a Northern Song” - Yellow Submarine (1968)

Of the 4 new songs on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack, 2 of them were George’s. This one (which is OK) and “It’s All Too Much” (which is awesome.)

“Piggies” - The White Album (1968)

Wonderfully weird, just like most of the rest of The White Album which is, in my opinion, The Beatles greatest album.

“Savoy Truffle” - The White Album (1968)

It actually took me a long time to get into this song, but now I think it’s pretty great. It’s a grower.

“Something” - Abbey Road (1969)

Frank Sinatra’s favorite “Lennon/McCartney” song. Yes he really said that. To this day I don’t know if that was a dig at Lennon/McCartney or if he really didn’t know they didn’t write it.

“The Inner Light” - B-Side to “Lady Madonna” (1968)

Can be heard on the Past Masters, Volume Two. All instrumentation was by Indian musicians on Indian instruements. The instrumental track was actually recorded in Bombay, India.

“Taxman” - Revolver (1966)

Paul McCartney actually plays the lead guitar part on this. McCartney’s fast noisy guitar solos were inspired by Jimi Hendrix who was still mostly unknown at the time.

“Think for Yourself” - Rubber Soul (1965)

Always seemed to me to be a bit of a brother to Lennon’s “The Word” from the same album.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” - The White Album (1968)

Features Eric Clapton on lead guitar. One of Harrison’s

“Within You Without You” - Sgt Pepper (1967)

The Beatles most fully realized song in this genre. To me it’s an essential part of the Sgt. Pepper album. This was Harrison’s only songwriting/lead singing contribution to that legendary album.

“You Like Me Too Much” - Help! (1965)

Reasonably catchy song - I like some of the vocal parts, but the lyrics are pretty bad. Not a Harrison highlight.

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Are you a music fan? Well, if you had live on those times where LPs and Vinyl Records are the in thing then you can relate to this article.

Recently, there came a lot of response from teens about how was life back then when we don’t have iPods or Thumbs. To elaborate more on the past, things had been so good because there is no such thing as digital piracy that hijacks our music industry nowadays.

Those times had been so damned crazy about Beatles and Elvis Presley on his stunning loss of balance towards his career was destroying the Beatles fame, maybe because of envy or pointing the blame on the fab four on his misfortunes. He even allegedly told then President Richard Nixon that the Fab four are airing anti-Americanism in UK. Hence, John Lennon was spied by Secret Agents. Imagine the hysteria where music and politics collide. Those are the years of cold war.

East Germany was on communist’s rule and they had been listening to old Russian records which meant they lag behind on what’s on top of the billboard charts. By now those East European countries who had experienced the Iron Curtain Rule of former Soviet Empire had been recently splurging on records that they had missed out.

The greatest deal of all on what makes vinyl records unforgettable is that they have the novelty that triggers the senses to return back all past memories alive again. It pays to play Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable”.

Jay Dy is a collector of rare vinyls or collectible records who owns a wide array of old vinyls and stuffs. As far as hard to find music records or simply rare records are your concern. It is best to recommend you to my rare vinyl records website.

I’ve been a Beatles fan for a long time and since I first got into the band about 13 years ago I have been hearing other Beatles fans argue over whether or not The White Album would have been better as a single album rather than as a double album.

My personal feeling is that it’s perfect how it is. Perfect in it’s imperfection. People always want to cut off “Revolution #9″ & “Wild Honey Pie” but to me it’s these experimental tracks that really give the album a great deal of it’s charm. These songs are a big part of what makes the album continually interesting to listen to.

But that being said, for the sake of argument, what would be the 15 tracks I’d want on my single album version of The White Album? That’s an extremely hard question for me because it means cutting off half the tracks on my favorite album of all time (not only by The Beatles but by anyone.)

My single disc version of The White Album:

1. “Back in the USSR”
2. “Dear Prudence”
3. “Glass Onion”
4. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
5. “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”
6. “I’m So Tired”
7. “Blackbird”
8. “Rocky Raccoon”
9. “I Will”
10. “Yer Blues”
11. “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey”
12. “Sexy Sadie”
13. “Helter Skelter”
14. “Cry Baby Cry”
15. “Revolution #9″

I’m not sure these 15 songs would actually fit on a single album anyway. I’ve left off a lot of great songs. Let me give some reasoning of why. “Revolution #1″ isn’t as good as the single version of “Revolution” in my view so it never seemed as necessary. Don’t get me wrong. I dig this version and over the years I’ve come to enjoy it more and more but still, if I have to cut a song it’d have to among the first to go since the single version is out there too.

“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Julia,” “Birthday,” & “Mother Nature’s Son” were all hard ones to leave off as well. I also find “Martha My Dear” very charming. Like I said, I really don’t like the idea of having just a single album, but if I were forced to by some sort of evil spirit. This is the single album I’d come up with.

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The fashionable layered haircut called the shag hair style has been embraced by many stars and people have followed by the masses. The shag takes many forms and is basically a messy layered cut. Layers are more prominent towards and around the face with hair length ranging from short, medium and long. Shags can be curly, wavy or straight. The look is crisp, carefree yet still professional.

This hairstyle is so versatile that and potentially looks fantastic on anyone regardless of their age, hair length, texture or color. The short style gives elder women more flamboyancy and youthfulness in their appearance. Doesn’t Lisa Rinna always look exceptional? Her short multi layered cut gives her a sophisticated yet I’m ready to play persona. The chocolate brown with blond highlights admiringly complements her facial features and is suitable for any occasion.

Paula Deen’s Layered Shag

What about the beloved restauranteur Paula Deen? Paula’s layered shag haircut speaks for itself - she doesn’t even need to color her hair! Paula Deen has adopted a medium shag varying her layers from softly angled, straight and to beautiful waves always giving her that graceful radiant quality.

And of course who could forget the classic blond Meg Ryan shag, giving her that irresistible innocent charm. Other celebs with shags include Jodie Foster, Kate Micucci, Sharon Stone, Reese Witherspoon, HalleBerry, Jessica Biel and Sharon Osbourne.

Male celebrities

Famous men have also jumped on board the shag craze. Brad Pitt’s just got out of bed look makes any woman go wild. Other shagsters include chef Gordon Ramsay, David Duchovny and Owen Wilson.

Stars with a shag radiate youth and trendiness. But what more do these styles say about the celebrities or more importantly what are they trying to convey?

No matter whether she’s in the kitchen or the garden, Paula Deen always looks presentable. Being in an advisory position, if you will, Paula has gained our trust and our love for her. How did she do it? Not only through her priceless knowledge and charisma, but also with a hairstyle that says “with age comes wisdom and I still know how to be hip”.

We know sadly David Duchovny has been trounced by his sex addiction but to his credit has sought rehabilitation assistance. His ever sexy shag haircut gives him a boyish innocent charm. Who would have guessed that such a stylish and poised Fox Moulder would encounter any such dilemma?

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz’s long burgundy cut with shaggy side bang has given her a boost of freshness, perhaps a Bittersweet edge.

Owen Wilson’s medium wavy layered cut is rather unique. It’s still suitable for professional outings and for his age yet no woman can resist the young blond surfy guy look he presents. He says he’s a trouble maker and his rugged sexy cut confirms that.

A celebrity that just exudes fun and enthusiasm, Lisa Rina’s multi layered cut says I’m wild and ready for action, quite appropriate for her Chicago musical.

As you can see, the shag hairstyle is so versatile in terms of both the look and the persona that it can portray. Stylists of the above celebrities are miracle makers, capturing each of their personalities and presenting them in sophisticated fun loving shag styles.

Hopefully we’ll see more and more celebrities take our breath away with their gorgeous shags.

Click below for some examples of shag hairstyles

Various Shag Layered Haircuts

Everybody loves to rock! There are rock stars and then there are legendary rock stars. A legendary rock star is one that makes an impact when they release their recordings and that impact continues into today’s music. This can be by influencing the sound of today’s artists, or simply being an inspiration from their personal stories. A lot of bands struggle to “make it”, but the ones who’s music stands the test of time are the true legends. Some good examples are The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, and The Beatles.

The Rolling Stones began their recording career in the 1960’s and are still touring today. They have influenced most of our present rockers with bluesy music and memorable lyrics. They have proved time and time again that their recordings can span the generations and still influence. Fronted by Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones have kept to their own unique style and have proved that the formula works. With the introduction of MTV the music of The Rolling Stones has made even more of an impact with great music and awesome visuals.

One band influenced by the Stones is Aerosmith. Beginning their recording career in the 1970’s and still very much alive, Aerosmith has proved that rock and roll can cross the decades. One of their earlier recordings, dream on, still remains an anthem and one of the most popular songs ever recorded. Like a lot of musicians, Aerosmith was sucked into the life of drugs early in their career, but after getting sober, Aerosmith has come back as one of the most in demand acts today. Their music has reached millions over 2 decades, proving that they can evolve with the times. This makes them legendary rock stars.

The Beatles began their career in England, but quickly crossed over to an American audience. I’m sure everyone remembers Beatlemania! Everyone wanted to be like the legendary performers, copying their style of music, and even their haircuts. Beatles member John Lennon touched millions with his want to world peace and liberal ideals. He eventually was killed by a fan who was so into him that he wanted to be him. Even though we have lost some members of the original band, their music lives on. Their songs have been used for a lot of different advertising campaigns, and their music still continues to influence musicians today.

There are a lot of rock bands out there that play music that inspires, and some would say influence everyone. Their music is heart felt and comes from a place that most people can relate to. Whether these songs are dark, haunting, happy, upbeat, or sad the music of legendary rock stars spans generations and speaks to the heart. Everyone can find a song that relates to them and their situation.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about legendary rock stars, please visit Legends of Rock Today for current articles and discussions.

Elvis is the #2 biggest selling music artist of all time (U.S.). He is second only to the Beatles, having sold over 118 million units (albums, singles, tapes, cds) and is now the biggest selling solo artist in U.S. history.

There is so much, TOO MUCH, that could be and has already been written about this American music icon, Elvis Presley. So I’m going to write about the cultural impact Elvis had on music and on society at large.

I was discussing the history of rock n’ roll with a guitartist friend of mine and the subject of Elvis came up. I mentioned that John Lennon had once purportedly remarked, “Before Elvis, there was nothing.”

My friend immediately bristled at the notion. “No way,” he replied, “he didn’t invent anything…Chuck Berry and Little Richard were playing rock n’ roll before Elvis…he got it from them. Chuck Berry kicks Elvis’ ass!”

I told my friend I thought he had missed the point. John Lennon and everybody else, including Elvis, knew where the roots of rock n’ roll lay — in African-American music.

Elvis said it himself. “‘The colored folks been singing it and playing it just like I’m doing now, man, for more years than I know,’ Elvis told reporters in 1956. ‘I got it from them. Down in Tupelo, Mississippi, I used to hear old Arthur Crudup bang his box the way I do now, and I said if I ever got to the place where I could feel all old Arthur felt, I’d be a music man like nobody ever saw.’” –Time Magazine

(Some have claimed that Elvis’ 1954 cover of bluesman Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s “That’s All Right” is the definitive first rock and roll recording. While this assertion may be widely accepted by Elvis fans - and Elvis WAS among the very first to make rock and roll records - most historians trace the “first” R&R record back to 1951 and a song entitled “Rocket 88,” recorded at Sam Phillips’ studio in Memphis, where Elvis also later recorded.

“March 1, 1951 - Sam Phillips records ‘Rocket 88′ with singer Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner’s band for Chess records. This recording is widely considered the first rock and roll record.” –Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

Elvis did not invent rock and roll. But he was an innovator, nonetheless, transfusing the popular music of the fifties (then dominated by white “crooners” such as Frank Sinatra, Pat Boone, Eddie Fisher and others of that ilk) with black music, gospel music…SOUL music.

And that transfusion was an important component of the anti-segregation sentiment that was brewing at the time and that led ultimately to the Civil Rights Movement…and desegregation.

While Elvis’ contribution to rock and roll was enormous, his contribution to his GENERATION was even greater.

DA Jack Hayford is the editor of the popular music reference website, Events-in-Music.com. Mr. Hayford is also the Program Director and co-founder of the online home of the ten-plus-year old Durango Songwriters Expo, a premier annual educational and inspirational event for aspiring songwriters.

A lot of beginning guitar players get bored with traditional lessons early on, and would like to learn some easy songs to play on the guitar in order to break up the monotony of learning basic notes and chords. We will take a look at some easy to learn songs that you can learn to play on the guitar.

Nirvana: About A Girl

About A Girl by Nirvana is a very fun and easy song to play. The basic verse is simply a progression of “A” and “G” chords played in the open position. The chorus is a little bit more complicated, but can be picked up easily by most guitar players.

America: Horse With No Name

Horse With No Name is a popular song written by Dewey Bunnel from the band America. The song consists of two chords, “E minor” and “D”. The same chords are repeated throughout the verse as well as the chorus.

Jimmy Buffet: Margaritaville

Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet is easy to play and is always a crowd favorite. The chord progressions goes D-A-G throughout the song. The song is also a great one to learn because beginners can play the basic chords and learn the more advanced stuff such as the walking bass line as they progress.

Some other fun and easy songs to learn on the guitar are:

Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

For What It’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield

If Not For You by Bob Dylan

Help! by The Beatles 

Three Marlenas by The Wallflowers

Hurt by Johnny Cash

Before You Accuse Me by The Blues

Fire by Bruce Springsteen

House of the Rising Sun by The Animals

I Shot the Sheriff by Bob Marley

Happy by The Rolling Stones

Another great easy to learn guitar song for the Christmas holiday is Silent Night.

It’s good for beginning guitar players to learn some easy to play songs on the guitar. It can be a nice break between learning the technical stuff and makes learning to play the guitar a much more enjoyable experience.

If you would like to find out more on learning easy guitar songs or want to know what the best websites are for online guitar lessons, check out http://easilyplayguitar.com

I’ve been a Beatles fan for a long time and since I first got into the band about 13 years ago I have been hearing other Beatles fans argue over whether or not The White Album would have been better as a single album rather than as a double album.

My personal feeling is that it’s perfect how it is. Perfect in it’s imperfection. People always want to cut off “Revolution #9″ & “Wild Honey Pie” but to me it’s these experimental tracks that really give the album a great deal of it’s charm. These songs are a big part of what makes the album continually interesting to listen to.

But that being said, for the sake of argument, what would be the 15 tracks I’d want on my single album version of The White Album? That’s an extremely hard question for me because it means cutting off half the tracks on my favorite album of all time (not only by The Beatles but by anyone.)

My single disc version of The White Album:

1. “Back in the USSR”
2. “Dear Prudence”
3. “Glass Onion”
4. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
5. “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”
6. “I’m So Tired”
7. “Blackbird”
8. “Rocky Raccoon”
9. “I Will”
10. “Yer Blues”
11. “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey”
12. “Sexy Sadie”
13. “Helter Skelter”
14. “Cry Baby Cry”
15. “Revolution #9″

I’m not sure these 15 songs would actually fit on a single album anyway. I’ve left off a lot of great songs. Let me give some reasoning of why. “Revolution #1″ isn’t as good as the single version of “Revolution” in my view so it never seemed as necessary. Don’t get me wrong. I dig this version and over the years I’ve come to enjoy it more and more but still, if I have to cut a song it’d have to among the first to go since the single version is out there too.

“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Julia,” “Birthday,” & “Mother Nature’s Son” were all hard ones to leave off as well. I also find “Martha My Dear” very charming. Like I said, I really don’t like the idea of having just a single album, but if I were forced to by some sort of evil spirit. This is the single album I’d come up with.

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