What’s Happening – Via JJ Duling

The Doobie’s 5oth Anniversary Tour is underway, with Michael MacDonald on board: The band played Jiffy Lube Live in Virginia over the weekend. It’s their first performance since a mini-residency in Las Vegas in May. The Doobies still draw huge crowds and Michael MacDonald’s presence is juicing ticket sales. He last toured with the band in the 90s. (USA Today)

What’s that smell? Researchers are making headway in understanding why some people with Covid lose their sense of smell and some treatments that may help bring it back. A multitude of potential treatments to tackle the condition are undergoing clinical trials, including steroids and blood plasma. (Nature)

Can we make ends meet with a 4-day workweek? More than 70 companies and organizations across the U.K. are trialing a four-day workweek. Participants will receive full pay for working 80% of their usual hours, while committing to maintain 100% productivity. Researchers are testing whether an extra day to recharge will increase employee morale, focus and engagement during the days they are at work. (Today)

How a bowl of soup made “The Last Train to Clarksville” a hit: At the dawn of the Monkee’s career, Mickey Dolenz didn’t think he had the chops to sing the lead on “Last Train to Clarksville.”  Tommy Boyce of the dynamic duo, Boyce & Hart, took Mickey across the street for a bowl of soup and some supportive words. An hour later, the he laid down the track that began the Monkees’ rocket ride to stardom. (The Cheat Sheet)

How Art Garfunkel’s dedication to a friend changed a life: When Sandy Greenberg was told that severe Glaucoma would steal his sight, his college friend, Art Garfunkel stepped into help. Greenberg writes in a new autobio that Garfunkel inspired him to take on the nickname “Darkness” after Simon and Gar’s first single attempt. Greenberg went onto a life of achievement and was able to return the favor. When Art was down to his last dime before Darkness became a hit, he asked Sandy for a $400 dollar loan. With $404 in his bank account, his friend gladly wrote the check. (Alitiea)

An Elvis Premiere with Tom Hanks – at Graceland: Tom Hanks joined director Baz Luhrmann, fellow cast members and representatives of the Presley family for the Memphis premiere at Graceland of the biographical motion picture, “Elvis.” The Saturday night screening in The Guest House at Graceland — the 450-room hotel just north of the Presley mansion on Elvis Presley Boulevard — was the highlight of a weekend of Memphis activities organized by Warner Bros. that brought dozens of international reporters, bloggers and “influencers” to town.  (Commercial Appeal)

Today’s Rock and Roll Birthdays (Via DrRock.com)

1913 Ben Raleigh, Prolific pop lyricist, wrote “Tell Laura I Love Her” for Ray Peterson (#7, 1960) and the theme song “Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” to the Hanna-Barbera cartoon show, died in a home fire on 2/26/1997, age 83
1934 Uriel Jones, Drummer in Motown house band The Funk Brothers, which provided nearly all instrumentation behind every Motown hit, died from a heart attack on 3/24/2009, age 74.
1940 Bobby Freeman / (Robert Thomas Freeman) ? Dance craze R&B/soul-pop singer and songwriter who wrote and recorded the enduring hit, “Do You Want To Dance” (#5, 1958) while still a teenager, the song has been covered in multiple variations by The Beach Boys, John Lennon, The Ramones, Bette Midler and others, died following a heart attack on 1/23/2017, age 76
1941 Marv Tarplin / (Marvin Tarplin) ? Session guitarist and songwriter for Motown Records, collaborated with Smokey Robinson, co-wrote and played on many R&B hits, including “Tracks Of My Tears” (#16, R&B #2, 1965) for The Miracles, left Motown in 1973 to work with Robinson in his solo career for the next 35 years, died from unspecified causes on 9/30/2011 , age 70.
1943 Dyke Christian / (Arlester Christian) ? Bassist, singer and frontman for 60s R&B/funk Dyke And The Blazers, the early backing band for The O’Jays, wrote “Funky Broadway” for Wilson Pickett (#8, Soul #1, 1967), had several minor hits with his band until he was shot to death on a Phoenix, AZ street on 3/13/1971, age 27
1946 Paul Buckmaster / (Paul John Buckmaster) ? Composer, conductor and arranger best known for a nearly 50 year career creating the orchestral arrangements to well-known pop, rock, jazz and country hits by multiple artists, including David Bowie‘s “Space Oddity” (#124, UK #5, 1969), Elton John‘s “Your Song” (#8, UK #7, 1970), Carly Simon‘s “You’re So Vain” (#1, UK #1, 1972) ), plus albums by Grateful Dead (Terrapin Station, 1977), Counting Crows (Recovering The Satellites, 1996), Guns ‘N Roses (Chinese Democracy, 2008), Heart (Beautiful Broken, 2016) and many others, died from undisclosed causes on 11/7/2017, age 71
1947 John Kahn, Bass guitarist and session musician in the 60s and 70s for Mike Bloomfield, Brewer & Shipley, Maria Muldaur and others, best known for his 25 year collaboration with the Grateful Dead‘s Jerry Garcia in multiple projects, including The Jerry Garcia Band, bluegrass Old & In The Way, acoustic duo Garcia & Kahn plus other efforts with Merle Saunders and Howard Wales, died in his sleep on 5/30/1996, age 48
1949 Dennis Locorriere, Guitarist for AM pop-rock Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, “Sylvia’s Mother” (#5, 1972) plus nine other Top 40 hits
1951 Howard Leese, Guitar and keyboards for hard rock Heart, “These Dreams” (#1, 1986)
1951 Jorge Santana / (Guillermo Jorge Santana) ? Guitarist, bandleader and younger brother of Latin rock superstar Carlos Santana, joined R&B/horn-rock Malibus in the late 60s and helped transform the band into influential, smooth Chicano rock Malo (“Suavecito,” #18, AC #8, 1972), went solo in 1976 and issued five albums in his name over 35 years, plus one with Latin rock supergroup Fania All-Stars, one as a sideman to his brother, and one in full collaboration (Santana Brothers, 1994), continued to tour with Malo on the oldies circuit until dying from natural causes on 5/14/2020, age 68.
1954 Bo Donaldson / (Robert Donaldson) ? Pop-rock singer, keyboardist, trumpeter and frontman for The Heywoods, “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” (#1, 1974)
1957 Rolf Brendel, Drummer for German pop-rock band Nena, “99 Luftballons” (#2, 1984)
1963 Paul DeLisle, Bassist for neo-garage/quirky Smash Mouth, “Walkin’ On The Sun” (Adult Top 40 #1, 1997)

Keener Number Ones for this week in:

(1964) Memphis, Johnny Rivers
(1965) Mr Tambourine Man, Byrds
(1966) Little Girl, Syndicate of Sound
(1967) Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Frankie Valli
(1968) This Guy’s In Love With You, Herb Alpert
(1969) Spinning Wheel, Blood Sweat & Tears
(1970) Ooh Child, Five Stairsteps
(1971) It’s Too Late, Carole King