DJ Quik’s Colorado Connection
In the fall of 1991, Los Angeles rapper DJ Quik was arrested for allegedly throwing a bottle into the crowd during a concert at Denver’s Mammoth Events Center. A fan was struck in the cheek, [...]
R.I.P. Robert Hunter
To students of rock music, Robert Hunter was known as an essential member of the Grateful Dead—an offstage presence who, primarily collaborating with guitarist Jerry Garcia, wrote the words for [...]
R.I.P. Ric Ocasek
When the impossibly tall man with obsidian hair walked into the Gavin A3 Summit in Boulder in 1997, people attending the convention couldn’t help but stare. Yes, it was Ric Ocasek, the former [...]
R.I.P. Eddie Money
1978 was my first full year of contracting with The Denver Post as the popular music beat writer. And Eddie Money called me to make sure that I knew he was coming to Boulder (opening for Santana [...]
James Brown’s Colorado Connection
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 [...]
The Moody Blues’ Colorado Connection
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 [...]
Jimi Hendrix’s Colorado Connection – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
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 [...]
Rick Roberts’ “Colorado”
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 [...]
Gerald Albright’s Colorado Connection
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, [...]
The Beatles’ Colorado Connection
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 [...]
