David Cantwell writes:
Michael Jackson’s death at age 50 was startling but hardly surprising. The strange saga of Michael Jackson had been outdoing itself for at least a quarter of a century—lately by the repulsion it provoked, mostly by the sheer pleasure it inspired, and always in just plain weirdness. It was only the timing of […]

Charles Hughes writes:
The death of Barry Beckett – who passed away last week at the age of 66 – marks a truly unhappy milestone in American musical history.  With his passing, the second Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, which is among the most significant studio ensembles of the twentieth century, loses one of its core members.  […]