The Colorado mountain resort of Steamboat Springs had a contest to name an otherwise unnoticeable highway bridge north of town in 1993. Locals were sharply split. After much public debate and two [...]
During their initial heyday from 1967 to 1972, the Moody Blues had some sensationally successful recordings in their “cosmic” symphonic rock style. In the mid and late 1990s, the Moodies enjoyed [...]
The counterculture’s idea of rock music—as opposed to the latest Top 40 hit—started to dominate in Denver by 1968. Barry Fey, a fledgling promoter whose career would span four decades, had grown [...]
In 1970, Gram Parsons left the Flying Burrito Brothers to begin a solo career. The band continued without replacing him for four months, gigging around the West Coast as a four-piece. In late [...]
Los Angeles native Gerald Albright ranks among the most revered performers in jazz and R&B instrumental music. The saxophone master became a highly requested studio musician during the 1980s, [...]
In July 1964, Peter, Paul & Mary played Red Rocks Amphitheatre and had to deal with a thrown beer can. The “beer can bomber” incident and general rowdiness were on everyone’s mind as the [...]
In the early years of the rock ‘n’ roll era, Denver’s untapped concert promotion business was small, informal, and up for grabs. The ill-fated August 21, 1962 Ray Charles date at Red Rocks [...]
In June 1966, Ginger Baker recruited guitarist Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce to form Cream. The group’s success catapulted them to stardom—in the second half of the decade, Cream set the [...]
As the co-host of television’s Entertainment Tonight for ten years, John Tesh became a household name. But the role sidetracked him from his true love—music.