Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire. Maurice White was the heart and soul of a band who overflowed with both. They overflowed with funk too, not to mention the touches of jazz and gospel and the grooves of Africa and Latin America that ran through their music. And all told, some of the greatest…
Category: Artists: D-H
Glenn Frey Dies Aged 67 – 6 Of The Best Lesser-Known Eagles Songs
Following on from my New Zealand Herald tribute yesterday to Glenn Frey of The Eagles who’s died at the too young age of 67, I wanted to re-release this article from last year. It was my response to finally seeing The Eagles live in concert and now that we know Frey only had months to…
Elton John’s Tribute To Jonah Lomu
Jonah Lomu I was surprised by how affected I was hearing the news of Jonah Lomu’s death. Sitting on a bus of tourists set to explore the preserved movie set of Hobbiton in New Zealand’s Waikato, I was the only Kiwi on board when it was announced on the PA. In a group of 30…
Did Elton John Really Stay At A 2-Star Guesthouse In Cambodia?
The signed photo that hangs proudly at the Fancy Guesthouse. With news Elton John is about to release his 33rd studio album (entitled Wonderful Crazy Night*), there’s one lingering question that remains tantalizingly unanswered for fans: Did he or did he not stay at a 2-star guesthouse while in Cambodia a few years ago? According…
Fleetwood Mac Return To New Zealand – Their Most Overlooked, Mega-selling Album
Fleetwood Mac during the Mirage era. A couple of years ago I had a short Twitter conversation with Ken Caillat, most famously the producer of the biggest Fleetwood Mac albums and also the father of singer Colbie Caillat. And then coincidentally the news came out a day or two later saying Fleetwood Mac would be returning to…
Jimi Hendrix’s ‘All Along The Watchtower’ + 5 More Of The Greatest Cover Versions Ever
Jimi Hendrix. This weekend marked 45 years since the death of Jimi Hendrix so with him and his colossal take on Bob Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower in mind, here’s a list of five of my all-time favourite cover songs. I played All Along The Watchtower (featured at the bottom of this article) on my radio show…
Nick Jonas & The Gospel Version Of ‘Jealous’ – Why Hall & Oates Would Be Proud
Nick Jonas This is the version of Jealous by Nick Jonas that I mentioned on the radio last night. The original is one of the most purely fun R&B pop songs of the year. There’s also been the explicit version with the former wearer of one of those horrific virginity rings shedding his goody-good Disney…
10 Years On From 2Pac & Elton John’s ‘Ghetto Gospel’ – The Genius Of Eminem
Tupac Shakur It’s 10 years today since 2Pac and Elton John went to #1 on the UK singles charts with the Eminem-produced Ghetto Gospel. Here’s a piece about trying to convince old talkback radio callers why some hip-hop can be just as good as any other genre. Ghetto Gospel was the example I gave: I…
RIP Ben E. King & Hot Chocolate’s Errol Brown – An Aretha Franklin Cover + What ‘Emma’ Is Really About
Errol Brown. A belated RIP to two soul stars who’ve recently passed away. Other than their time of departure from this world, both the American Ben E. King (76) and the Brit (by way of Jamaica) Errol Brown (71) were also linked by being disproportionately known for solitary songs. The serious and the slightly silly,…
My Favourite Interviews, A Montage Including Barry Gibb, Lionel Richie, Lindsey Buckingham, Sheryl Crow, Paul Michael Glaser and More
With Barry Gibb, February 2013. Over the course of my broadcasting career I’ve been incredibly fortunate to interview so many people I admire, from music legends to sporting heroes to movie stars to Prime Ministers. People often want to know who was the funniest, friendliest, the most down-to-earth and of course, the worst. The truth…
6 Of The Best, Most Underrated Eagles Songs – Including A Heartbreaking Gram Parsons Tribute
The Eagles as they look today. Nearly a month late (apologies), here’s a list of my favourite half dozen underrated Eagles songs. I saw their first of two concerts in Auckland last month and while in part it was everything you’d expect from an Eagles show – perfect harmonies, precision of performance etc – there…
Pilot Episode Of ‘Sunglasses Inside’ – Linking Current Affairs To Music – The 3 Amazing Xmas Songs You Didn’t Hear This Year
Merry Christmas and welcome to the very first episode of Sunglasses Inside. Exciting times with this high budget show! This is a pilot episode of what may become a regular feature on the Roxborogh Report. The initial two-minute episode has me discussing three sensational Christmas songs (by Sheryl Crow, Hall & Oates and…