Ira Kantor’s Vinyl Confessions: Rock’s Sultans Swing For The Fences ~ Dire Straits ‘Love...

Dire Straits photo courtesy John IIlsley Dire Straits Love Over Gold Dire Straits has been eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2003. Fifteen years later, the...

Ira Kantor’s Vinyl Confessions: The Kings Are (Still!) Here

Photo Courtesy of Deborah Samuel The Kings The Kings Are Here They had the attitudes of punks and the chops to be a Canadian Beatles. The story of how I discovered The Kings...

Ira Kantor’s Vinyl Confessions: It’s Monks’ Time

Photos courtesy of Eddie Shaw It goes without saying that 1966 proved to be one of the most pivotal years in the history of popular music. Sure, we would get Pet...

Ira Kantor’s Vinyl Confessions: “He Was Our Coach” (You Did Good)

Photos courtesy of Brad Long “It’s opening only in Indiana and it’s gonna open elsewhere in January, but I think they ought to open this one in New York and...

Ira Kantor’s Vinyl Confessions: ‘I’m Mississippi, Got The New York Blues’ (Forbert Comes Alive)

Photos courtesy of Steve Forbert Between 1977 and 1978, at the height of the Bowery punk movement, a fresh-faced 22/23-year-old singing-songwriting Mississippian named Steve Forbert strove to make New York...

Ira Kantor’s Vinyl Confessions: Big Bad Jim

Photo of A.J. and Jim Croce together courtesy of Joshua Black Wilkins and Paul Wilson   September 20, 1973 marked the day the music died a second time. Jim Croce, the tender singer,...

Ira Kantor’s Vinyl Confessions: Discovering Japan

Late in 2021, revered Japanese label Nippon Columbia released a compilation album entitled TOKYO GLOW, which explores city pop, funk, and soul from Japanese artists recorded in the late...

Ira Kantor’s Vinyl Confessions: Sad-Eyed Sinatra ~ Rickie Lee Jones’ ‘Pirates’ Looks At 40

Select photos courtesy of Michael Halsband When Rickie Lee Jones set about making the follow-up to her smashing success of a debut album, she could have easily coasted with an...

Ira Kantor’s Vinyl Confessions: Royal Orleans

Photos Courtesy of Lance Hoppen In 1976, the group Orleans came within reach of superstardom. With two tender Top Five singles under its belt — “Dance with Me” and “Still the...

Ira Kantor’s Vinyl Confessions: Belew’s Bear Necessities

Photo above courtesy of Rob Fetters  Take a second and think about some of the music legends you admire. Chances are, you could easily play a game called “Six Degrees...