Nick Ritrovato - Formerly Wybf-Fm

New music dropped today from the hardest workin' man in local show business Cliff Hillis!

Cliff of course plays with David Uosikennen's In The Pocket, Smash Palace, The Orchestra and many others. A new solo EP should be coming later this year

Cool upbeat number (co=written with local legend John Eddie) with some great guitar work, "Square Route."

The Square Route Provided to YouTube by DistroKidThe Square Route · Cliff Hillis ·...

Jazz legend saxophonist Sonny Rollins passed away this past weekend. He was 95.

Rock fans are familiar with his contributions to three songs on the Rolling Stones' "Tattoo You" LP in 1981 (songs in comments).

God bless.🙏🙏🙏

Happy Big 8-5 today (May 24th) to Bob Dylan!

As we know not everybody makes it that far, and Bob is still going strong to boot! A whole mess of tour dates were just announced that will keep him busy for a good part of this year, including an upcoming date at the Mann Center here in Philadelphia in July.

I've seen Dylan five times, the first was 7/8/88 at the Mann, w/GE Smith, Kenny Aaronson and Christopher Parker. The next two were at the Tower Theater October 1994. The only time I ever saw people rushing the stage at the Tower. At the very end a whole mess of kids jumped on the stage causing Bob to leave the stage.

The next two were at the TLA South St. June 1995 in between Grateful Dead dates Dylan had scheduled last minute to keep his band in ready shape. And in true Dead-style, many if not most of the songs had long, drawn out, guitar jams built in, with the exciting, explosive drumming of Winston Watson.

Will I ever see Dylan again in person? Who knows.

Dylan can be annoying, such as last September's Farm Aid where he only allowed footage to originate from cameras situated far from the stage instead of up close. It was like watching a bootleg cellphone video on YouTube from the balcony. C'mon Bob, do better next time!

Happy Big 8-5!

(songs in comments)

God bless saxophonist Dick Parry who played on many Pink Floyd recordings.

🙏🙏🙏

https://www.facebook.com/davidgilmour/posts/pfbid02k28Ub89L3nWaMx4cHoYsFyykVjeFeBfAoGas9QxF8Cuci9sdVwGf15d4v1SamSRDl

A Happy belated Big 9-0 as of Friday (May 15th) to Hugh Romney, better known as "Wavy Gravy" and as one of the announcers of the Woodstock Festival 1969.

Long one of Rock's greatest characters, The Clown Prince of Hippies, Wavy's incredible history is too detailed (and far out!) to talk about here, so I've included his wikipedia page. For starters, as a child, he knew Albert Einstein, much later, Bob Dylan wrote "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna-Fall" on Wavy's typewriter where they once shared a room in the Village NYC 1962.

A great friend over the decades of the Grateful Dead, and many other southern California musicians, Wavy has made a few recordings over the years and a bio/movie "Saint Misbehavin'" was made a few years ago.

"We MUST be in Heaven Man!!"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavy_Gravy

Happy Big 9-0 Wavy Gravy!!

(songs in comments)

Happy Big 8-0 today (May 16th) to the mastermind behind King Crimson, Robert Fripp.

Pete Townsend called their debut LP in 1969 "an uncanny masterpiece." Crimson has gone through many changes, musically and personnel-wise, they were touring up until just a few years ago. Most recently, Fripp has been making videos of he and his wife performing covers of older songs.

Happy Big 8-0 Robert Fripp!

(songs in comments)

A Happy belated Big 8-5 (85!) yesterday (May 11th) to the great Eric Burdon!

The Animals, Eric Burdon and the Animals, War. The Animals were arguably most famous for their take on the traditional "House of the Rising Sun" which put them on the map in 1964 as part of the original British Invasion.

I've only seen Eric three times. The Keswick in 2002 on a double bill with Dave Mason, whom we lost just a couple weeks ago. At the Mann in July 2008 as a headliner of "Hippiefest" where he did a great 35 minute set. And the Colonial Theater in October 2010.

During COVID Eric and his wife moved from Santa Barbara, CA, where their neighbor was Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, to Greece. Since the end of COVID I have not heard of Eric doing any extensive tours, but has apparently done a few gigs here and there, so he may not be retired yet. I do hope to see him again someday but at 85 only time will tell.

Happy belated Big 8-5 Eric Burdon!

(songs in comments)

A Happy belated Big 8-0 this past Sunday (May 10th) to Donovan Leitch!

Known by his professional name Donovan, the phrase "flower power" was coined in 1967 to describe his folky music.

I've only seen Donovan twice, two days in a row, March 1997. A Friday night at Borders Books and Music in Bryn Mawr, the next night a Saturday at the TLA (Theater of Living Arts) South Street Philadelphia. Donovan was promoting his first new album in a lot of years "Sutras" produced by Rick Rubin. I got a CD signed and a couple "flats" signed.

The Borders signing was very memorable. Just as Donovan was about to start to play a short set of classics with attendees sitting on the floor, Rob Hyman and Eric Bazilian from the Ho***rs show up and sit down on the floor right in front of the man himself. They show up with an actual Hurdy-Gurdy, a Renaissance era musical instrument celebrated in song by Donovan. How cool is that?! They did get him to sign it later.

Donovan's last appearance in Philadelphia that I'm aware of was December 2005 at the Keswick, I couldn't make it. But a co-worker did go and reported back the next day. He did play with a band behind him, which he didn't employ at the TLA show I saw in '97.

I read his autobiography from around 15 years ago and it was a great read, providing insight into alot of legendary moments, his early days, hanging with the Beatles in India in 1968, etc.

Happy Big 8-0 to the Hurdy Gurdy Man himself, Donovan!

(songs in comments)

Happy big 8-0 today (May 7th) to Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann!!

Unfortunately opted out of The Dead and Co. the last couple years of that band's existence, Bill, Mickey Hart, Tom Constanten, and I guess you can throw Bruce Hornsby in there too, are all that's left of the Grateful Dead.

Bill's and Mickey's free-form "Drums/Space" segments in the second set of Dead shows were always incredible, experimental and different, like the rest of the Dead, never performed the same way twice.

Happy Big 8-0!!

(songs in comments)