Although the official start of summer is not until next month, Memorial Day weekend will always be the summertime to me. The neighborhood pools open and school is winding down.  In Charlotte, NC. the Memorial Day weekend delivers Speed Street, the 3-day festival preceding the Coca- Cola 600 Nascar Race. Speed Street delivers food, giveaways and evening concerts. The musical roster usually includes bands that had their heyday in the 80's and/or 90's. In recent years, Joan Jett and Eddie Money performed at Speed Street. The 2012 lineup includes Loverboy and Night Ranger.

I saw Loverboy in 1982 at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia with my friend Steve, who worked with me at Wee Three Records. Along with Loverboy, we endured Huey Lewis and the News, Joan Jett, The Kinks and Foreigner. That concert was 30 years ago..Damn, I am old!...

I think that I might as well go ahead and feature a tune from the quintessential summertime band that knows a thing or two about car songs...

I am looking forward to seeing  Bob Weir, Chris Robinson and Jackie Greene in Asheville, NC. My friend Jim introduced me to the world of The Black Crowes. I saw my first Black Crowes concert in 1996 at The Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA. Together, we have experienced awesome musical adventures and road trips associated with  Black Crowes concerts.  In retrospect, I did not waste any time in latching on to a new live band after the Grateful Dead shut down in 1995. The world of the Grateful Dead and Black Crowes have intersected in many ways in my musical journeys.

The opening act for my first Black Crowes show was Government Mule, featuring Warren Haynes, who would join The Dead for 2 tours in the 2000's. The Black Crowes were on the roster for the Furthur-fest tour in 1997, which featured various splinter groups from the surviving members of The Grateful Dead. Chris Robinson was the guest vocalist on several classic Grateful Dead tunes at the Furthur concert that celebrated Phil Lesh's 70th birthday. Grateful Dead covers have been a staple of Black Crowes and CRB (Chris Robinson Band) gigs.

Both the Grateful Dead and The Black Crowes have introduced me to influential new music and artists by the inspired cover tunes performed during shows. The upcoming Asheville concert is an acoustic show that will once again add to my arsenal of magical musical memories

And then there was one....

 Another sad loss in the music world. Robin Gibb's unique voice dominated several of the Bee Gee's classic tunes. From the vintage 60's ballads to Saturday Night Fever, his voice was one of a kind and will be dearly missed,,,

Hmmm..what should we do?..How about we explore three former 60's TV stars and check out their excursions into the music world?..What could possibly go wrong?