Happy Birthday, Madonna!

On August 16, 2013, Madonna turns 55. She was born Madonna Louise Cicone in Bay City, Michigan. In 1977, Madonna moved to New York City, with dreams of a career as a dancer. She wanted to find work as a dancer, and maybe as an actress. She knew she was born to be a star, but had to figure out just how to get that done. Although dance was not in the cards for the pretty young girl, who soon found herself in a studio, recording her eponymous first album released 30 years ago, in 1983. The album had eight tracks in total, and five of those were released as singles. All five made it on to the US Billboard, either on the Hot 100 or on the Dance chart.

Madonna's birthday is the chance for us to take a look back 30 years, when the little girl from Michigan would start to become an international star. It was in 1983 when the self-titled 'Madonna' album was released, after the first single, "Everybody", had been released in October of 1982. That song was written by Madonna herself, and went to #3 on the Billboard Dance chart. It was the song that introduced the world to this beautiful young lady. Please enjoy ther first single, "Everybody".

The second single released off the album, and the second song written by the songbird herself. "Burning Up" also written by Madonna, and it once again clained the #3 spot on the Billboard Dance chart. The song once again celebrated the joy and energy of the young, and the you responded beautifully. So enjoy the official music video for her 1983 hit, "Burning Up".

With the release of the third album off the album is the gorgeous "Holiday", the first song I remember hearing from the young singer. I will admit I was impressed, making the wonderful electronica that the 1980s were known for. The song was written by Curtis Hudson & Lisa Stevens, making it the first of her singles written by others. Remember, it is two years before 'Desperately Seeking Susan' would hit the movie theaters, the same year she would make an appearance on the Live Aid stage in Philadelphia, PA. There was something so sexy and playful about "Holiday", like nothing I had seen before. The song went to #1 on the Billboard Dance charts, as well as #16 on the Billboard Hot 100, her first foray into the Pop Top 20. Please enjoy as we watch "Holiday" in it's original form.

I think out of all the singles off this first album, my favorite might just have to be "Lucky Star", another written by the Madonna. The video showed the young girl commanding the screen as she danced across it. "Lucky Star" hit a new high on the Billboard Hot 100, finally coming to rest at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Yet again, the song was both sexy and sweet, a trademark of the young singer/songwriter. So please enjoy"Lucky Star" by Madonna.

And finally, we come to the last song in the celebration, "Borderline", another of her hits. This song was written by Reggie Lucas, and sung to perfection by Madonna. That allows us to take a look at the rest of the things needed for the boy. . "Borderline" also lit up the charts, as it scored a #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also had the double video yourself.

So there we have it = some of the great songs from Madonna's songbook. Happy birthday, Madonna!

David Bowie - The Story of Ziggy Stardust

To celebrate the birthday of David Bowie, I found the hour-long documentary produced for BBC4 on YouTube, and will offer it up in honor of one of the truly influential and lauded Rock 'n Roll musicians of the 20th Century. I love Bowie and his music, and was enthralled by the documentary. I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

Happy Birthday, Chely Wright

Today we celebrate the birthday of Country singer Chely Wright. Chely was a thriving star in the Country world, both as a performer and a songwriter. In fact, her songs have been recorded by Brad Paisley, Richard Marx, Indigo Girls, Mindy Smith and Clay Walker, among others. But it was her announcement in 2010 that she is a lesbian that garnered her the attention of many, from the people who embraced the talented singer/songwriter, to those small-minded bigots who felt the need to spew anger and fear to cover their own insecurities. It was during this time Chely met Lauren Blitzer, and last summer, the couple married.

About the same time she was coming out, Chely released a new album, 'Lifted Off The Ground'. It is a beautiful 12-song collection that is still in rotation on my iTunes. So, in celebration of her birthday, I thought we could listen to a couple of the songs from the album. I will start with the sixth cut on the album, "Like Me".

I also love the song steeped in memories, "Snow Globe". It has a haunting beauty, a sweetness and innocence that can touch my soul in a delicate way.

I also love the complex and delicious "Heavenly Days". The song was co-written by Nashville legend Rodney Crowell, who also played on the song. Not long after coming out, Chely was joined by Rodney on the stage at the 21st GLAAD Media Awards.

Chely also participated in a documentary about the process of coming out in Country music. 'Wish Me Away' has been a strong presence on the Festival circuit. Check out the trailer for the film.

You can purchase 'Lifted Off The Ground' from iTunes and Amazon. You can also purchase the documentary 'Wish Me Away' from Amazon,  and also from the artist's website. For more about Chely, visit her official website. You can also "follow" her on Twitter.

Happy Birthday, Cowboy!

Randy Jones was born on this day in Raleigh, North Carolina. After completing high school, he went to North Carolina School of the Arts, and then, like many gay men are wont to do, set his sites on New York City in the early 1970s. While striving to find work as an actor and singer, Jones went to auditions held by Jacques Morali and his business partner, Henri Belolo. They had been writing and producing music featuring vocals by Victor Willis, using the group name Village People. Although some might have thought it unusual, the group was formed after the success of their first hit single, "San Fransisco (You Got Me)". In fact, Victor Willis and Filipe Rose, were the first on board, with three other men who were quickly replaced by, David Hodo, Glenn Hughes and, of course, Randy Jones.



The group shot to fame in the late 1970s, with iconic hits like "Y.M.C.A.", "In The Navy", "Can't Stop The Music", and "Macho Man" playing everywhere from the radio to the clubs. While their popularity waned in the early 1980s, they continued to perform on tours, and often playing fundraisers for AIDs charities and Pride functions. In 1991, founder Morali lost his battle with AIDs, but the group continued to do their good work. In 2007, Jones released a solo project, an album of dance music called Ticket To The World. The album featured covers of some of the great Pop hits of the last few decades, as well as some new music. I have to admit, I was unable to resist the urge, and it is a proud part of my music collection. Check out a sample of what you could find on the album.



In 2004, Jones married his partner of 20 years, Will Grega, in a ceremony in New York City. While it might not have carried any legal rights, it certainly carried great emotional and spiritual weight for the couple. To learn more about Randy Jones, visit his official website. You can also check out and purchase Ticket To The World on iTunes and Amazon.

Happy Birthday, Aiden James!

I wanted to take the opportunity to wish handsome Aiden James a very happy birthday today, and what better way than to have him sing for me? Well, that works for me, anyway. I remember the first time I heard Aiden sing. I was at the World Cafe Live to see Eric Himan play, and this very cute man was opening up for him. It was Aiden, a Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter, and I immediately had to buy his first CD after the show. That led to the purchase of a second album, and now a third. Earlier this year, Aiden released Trouble With This, which featured the beautiful song, "Best Shot". Check out this amazing live performance of the show, captured for us all.



You can find Trouble With This on iTunes and Amazon, and on Bandcamp for the autographed physical CD. But that isn't the only new music Aiden has. He recorded a very special version of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" that was released today, on the birthday shared by Aiden and Whitney Houston. Check out Aiden's cover version.



You can purchase "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" on iTunes, Bandcamp, and Amazon. For more about Aiden, visit his official website, or offer your birthday wishes to him on Twitter.

Friday Birthday Party for Jimmy Somerville!

As I wish a very happy birthday to one of my early idols, I notice he is just a year younger than me, and I begin to think our journeys have been somewhat similar. Still, in many ways, I feel I owe a lot to Jimmy Somerville. In fact, I am not sure if this blog would exist without him. You see, a very long time ago when I was a mere youngster, living in Brooklyn with the then love-of-my-life Bill, I saw a performance on television that immediately bewitched me. It was the Bronski Beat singing "It Ain't Necessarily So", the great Gershwin song from Porgy And Bess. Only, they made it current (for the early 1980s), so full of new meaning. I checked them out, and soon purchased Age Of Consent, my very first purchase of music made by out and proud gay musicians. I think that was 1984 or maybe 1985, and I have been addicted to Jimmy's music since, following him to The Communards, and on to his solo career.



One of the greatest memories of live music I have was the time in New York City I saw The Communards live at The Ritz, if I remember correctly. It was a while ago, like in 1986 or 1987. Jimmy's vocals are every bit as astonishing live as they are recorded, and it was a great night, with Jimmy, Sarah Jane Morris, and Richard Coles. Heaven! Since his birthday birthday fell on a Friday this year, I thought it was a perfect time to post some of his music I haven't posted before on the blog. Now, I will admit I have posted a lot of it, for I am a huge fan. I will start with a track off The Singles Collection 1984-1990. "Run From Love" was originally recorded as a Bronski Beat song, part of the "Age of Consent" era, but Jimmy revisited it for the collection.



Next up is a great track off the 1995 album, Dare To Love. "Heartbeat" was written by Richard Stannard, Matt Rowe, and Jimmy Somerville for his second solo effort, which was kinda amazing. It sure kept me going back to him, finding so much love, so much joy, and so much of me in his music. This is the video for "Heartbeat", which made it to #1 on the US Billboard Dance/Club Play chart.



In 1999, Jimmy released a cool collection of Pop/Electronica/Dance music on Manage The Damage. While I featured the first single, "Dark Sky", in a previous post, I love the entire album so I had no problem picking "Here I Am" for this post.



In 2004, Jimmy released the album Home Again, an amazing collection of music that is an amazing part of my collection. The album included an amazing cover of the great song, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". Sadly, no video was made for it, but there was a great video for the third single off the album, "Come On".



Jimmy has brought such great music to my ears, both his, and started me on the quest for more LGBT artists. And going to live shows, or supporting those artists in any way I could. That includes buying their albums, not poaching them off the internet. But it saddens me to say that The Singles Collection 1984-1990, Dare To Love and Home Again are not available on iTunes or Amazon at this time. I guess I bought import copies for me. But you can purchase Manage The Damage on iTunes and Amazon Also, Jimmy has just released a new EP, Solent. It is available on both iTunes and Amazon. It would make an amazing gift to yourself, a way to celebrate Jimmy's birthday! I do hope I get to see him performing live again, or fulfill a dream of being able to interview him at some point. Until then, I have some great music to keep me happy!

Happy Birthday, Brady Earnhart

I was celebrating the birthday of Brady Earnhart the way I do with many of the artists I love, and was just listening to his album, So Few Things, again today and still think it is just beautiful. I love the way he combines some of the great aspects of Folk, Pop and Jazz to make a rich tapestry of music. His music reminds me more of Joni Mitchell than James Taylor, with the Classical and Jazz influences adding more subtlety. It's Not Love is the first single off the album.



You can purchase this album on iTunes, and on Amazon . You can also purchase it from CD Baby, where you can get a download or have the disk mailed to you. To find out more about Brady Earnhart, you can visit his official website here. There is also a wonderful interview with OUTRadio here. Check it out, as well as the other programing by JD Doyle at the Queer Music Heritage site, an amazing resource for LGBT artists and music.

Cover Songs With A Twist

Clockwise: Coyote Grace; Avi Wisnia; Eric Himan; Tom Goss; and Garrin Benfield.

Well, I was going to be coy about this, but to hell with that. It's my birthday today, so I wanted to be surrounded some of my favorites cover songs I've been lucky enough to not only hear live, but to tape, too. And, while I am at it, there are some of my favorite pictures I've taken of these talented and very good looking artists. And, did I happen to mention they are LGBT artists, too? Coyote Grace ended a fantastic set at World Cafe Live last July with a cover of a song by the West Coast band Ma Muse. To add to the fun, they invited singer/songwriter Eric Himan and Ty Greenstein, of the band Girlyman, to make "Hallelujah" a joyful experience.



When I found out Avi Wisnia would be performing at the World Cafe at the Queen in Wilmington, Delaware, I was thrilled to jump at the chance to see him play. Neither me nor my friends were disappointed, and we had a great time. Check out when Avi sings a jazzy cover of TLC's "No Scrubs," written by Kandi Burruss, of the Real Housewives of Atlanta fame.



I had been a big fan of Garrin Benfield and his music for several years before I finally had the chance to see him perform live. Afterwards, I could listen to him play forever, and even had a bit of a crush on him. I love the way he utilizes technology to layer his performance, while other times, just let the voice and guitar handle it. One of the times it is just a boy and his guitar is when Garrin sings a cover of the Alex Chilton song, "Thirteen."



I have been a fan of Eric Himan for a long time, hainv found him online and scooping up all the music I could find. Needless to say, whenever he is in the area, I am eager to hear him, and I have never been disappointed. I just saw him again in March, and Eric sang a great acoustic cover of the Police song, "Message In A Bottle."



I first saw Tom Goss when he opened for Eric Himan on tour a couple of years ago. I've been hooked since, attending shows in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and even in Delaware. Tom is worth a little travel. While he normally doesn't do many cover songs, at a recent show with Jeffrey Johnson, Tom managed a couple of them. None were more charming than this cover of Jack Johnson's "Better Together".



Hope you enjoyed my birthday gift to me!

The Weekend Cure

I love spending weekends with Robert Smith and company, something I have done, well, for a very long time. Well, you know, in that way where you put on the headphones and ignore the world is going on around you, save the amazing music by The Cure. I will start with one of my favorites cuts off the 1989 album, Disintegration. This is "Fascination Street".



You can purchase Disintegration off iTunes or Amazon. Next, I have long felt their 2000 album, Bloodflowers, had been ignored, while I think it is quite good. There is plenty of moody songs, and lots of the dense music I love so well. Check it out the beautiful song, "Where The Birds Always Sing".



You can purchase Bloodflowers on iTunes or Amazon. I will also admit to having an odd yet persistent fascination with the music on the 1981 album, Faith. I can remember many of the songs being played at many of the times I have been lucky enough to see The Cure play live over the last, well, twenty-some-odd years. Listen to the brooding sound of "Primary".



You can purchase Faith on iTunes or Amazon. While 1992's Wish might be more well known for the single "Friday, I'm In Love," it is the beauty and longing of "To Wish Impossible Things" that speaks to me.



You can purchase Wish on iTunes or Amazon.

Happy Birthday, Eric Himan!

Today is Eric Himan's birthday, and I will celebrate it with a few videos I took at his last show in Philadelphia at the World Cafe on March 13th. I am a big fan of Eric's music, and of the amazing man that he is. I first found his music, and loved it. Then I went to see him live, and found a deeper appreciation of his music. And it is through Eric that I found other amazing musicians, like Aiden James, Tom Goss, Andy Moore, and Coyote Grace, among others. I've also had the pleasure of getting to know Eric, and find he is just the sweetest guy. And he deserves a very happy birthday!

First up, I thought I'd share with you Outskirts Of You, the gorgeous song off the 2003 album, All For Show. This is a great album, one I owned before seeing Eric for the first time.



In 2005, Eric released the album Dark Horse. I am still insanely fond of the album, and listen to it. It was filled with great songs, as well as an amazing cover of the Simply Red song, Holding Back The Years. Seems that was his first song to be heard on Sirus XM radio, only they were announcing it as Simply Red. That has since been corrected! It also had other favorites, like Aimlessness, Habit/Curse, White Horse, and another of my favorites, Clyde. On first listen, I fell in love with this song, and hope you enjoy it too.



Eric's 2011 album, Supposed Unknown, was another that and more than it's fair share of great songs, like the rocking Dust, the beautiful Save The Afternoon, the timely You First, and the achingly introspective Left Out. By the way, Save The Afternoon is a song you can here on Sirius XM radio.



And because I could not resist it, I am going to end with a song off the recently released DVD, Under The Ink. The DVD has videos of some great performances, including of the amazing cover of Because The Night, written by Patti Smith and Bruce Springsteen. I loved it on video, and just as much live. I hope you enjoy.



You can learn more about Eric on his official website. You can also wish him a "Happy Birthday" on Twitter or Facebook. Another way to offer your birthday wishes is to purchase some music today. You can find All For Show on iTunes and Amazon. Dark Horse is also available on iTunes and Amazon. Supposed Unknown is available on iTunes and Amazon. You can also download the audio version of the DVD, Under The Ink, on iTunes and Amazon.To get the DVD, you can visit here.

Happy Birthday, Declan Bennett!

Today we can all celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Declan Bennett in Coventry, England. Mainly I enjoy it for I am reminded to listen to his music, and just how much I love it. Just the other day, I was mentioning to JD Doyle that I am dying to see Bennett performing live in concert, and I was, in fact, jealous he had just see him at the SXSW Festival. I can't get enough of his music, and think it would be heavenly to hear his performing live.



When I first discovered his music, I did a little research, for I had no idea who suladfromcov was. I was totally without a clue. Turns out, he was a member of a British boyband I had never heard of, back in 1999-2000. Point Break had some initial success, with 5 songs off the first album, Apocadelic, making it on the UK charts. Here is a clip I found online of Declan singing an acoustic version of one of those hits, What About Us.



His first solo release came in 2005, with the rather exceptional album The Painter's Ball. It had a sweet acoustic feel, with some incredible songs. 3 Words was among those on the album, released on iTunes by an artist called sumladfromcov. That artist was/is Declan Bennett. Here is a clip of Declan singing 3 Words at New York City's Joe's Pub in 2008.



In 2007, Declan released the EP 10 Nelson Road. I really like it, for their is an amazing soulful vibe,like this British spent some time in Memphis absorbing the blues and soul. I love the song Heaven On Earth, one of my favorites of the EP.



In 2008, he released An Innocent Evening Of Drinking, an album that still blows me away today. There is such depth to his music, from his voice, which is charged with emotion and meaning, to the smoothness of the melody lines he writes, I love it. This is a clip of him singing Storm live at Rockwood Music Hall, also in New York City.



I was near giddy to hear he had another album coming. When Record:Breakup was released last year, I couldn't stop listening to it. I find him to be a great storyteller, and his songs are certainly tales to be told. There is such an amazing vulnerability to it, he really seems to be baring his soul. Here is a performance of the song Love Wins. This is an acoustic performance.



And it certainly doesn't hurt that he is a hot gay man, to be sure! Declan also appeared in the London casts of Taboo, the musical by Boy George. He was also on Broadway in productions of Rent and American Idiot. You can find more about Declan Bennett on his official website. You can find his latest album, Record:Breakup, on iTunes and Amazon. You can get his first album, The Painter's Ball, on iTunes.

Happy Birthday, Robert Urban!

Today is the birthday of the amazing musician Robert Urban. To define him, you need to take a look in several directions, as a musician, songwriter, producer, and promoter, to name a few. The handsome gay rocker has been making music for some time, but I discovered him about a decade ago. I have been a fan of Robert's music for since, and think his Rock Widow album is a must have. But that is not to shortchange Godless, Elegies nor Who I Was, all excellent albums by a wonderful musician. Here he does a cover of Christina Aguilera's Beautiful.



I first discussed Robert in this blog in 2009. You can find that post here. The following is a video of Robert singing It's Only Love, a beautiful song off the Godless album. It showcases his rocker side, which I love. And I get excited about the moodiness of Robert's music.



You know I loves me a sexy rocker, right? Robert certainly fits that bill, too! For more about Robert and his music, visit his official website here. You can purchase Rock Widow from iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby.

Happy Birthday, John Barrowman

A very happy birthday to the delicious John Barrowman. I swear John defies the odds, and keeps getting better looking each year. I mean, how great is it to have a sex symbol who is in his forties? Now, I've been a fan of Barrowman's for a while, and show no signs of letting up soon. I first knew of him when he was doing musical theater, which included a great run in Anything Goes. I became a diehard fan with the release of John Barrowman Swings Cole Porter, and sweet and delectable treat, indeed. And while he sings the music of the 30s and 40s beautifully, he also proved he could tackle all Popular music, he recorded What About Us?, and shot a beautiful video.



And John has done all this while being out and proud, and talking about his relationship with his gorgeous partner, Scott. He's a brave and amazing man, one I truly respect, as well as lust after a bit. And speaking of lust, he has certainly given us plenty to look at and enjoy, and that is in his Torchwood series alone. I haven't even touched on the tingle I get knowing he managed to kiss The Doctor, as well! To I figured I remind us of his time as Captain Jack, and his relationship with Ianto Jones, Captain John, and Angelo, in pictures and videos.






No matter what anyone tells me, I will always believe that Ianto Jones was the love of Jack's life. There is no sense in discussing it with me, I won't hear of anything else. So with that in mind, here is a clip capturing their first kiss.



And when Season 2 of Torchwood opened with the volatile relationship with Captain John, I think I actually squealed out loud! And I thought I was too old to do that anymore!



In Torchwood: Miracle Day, the fourth season of the program, he had an absolutely beautiful relationship with Angelo. The following clip captures some of it if, and maintains the beauty of it.



You can find out more about John on his official website here. You can also find him on Twitter and Facebook. He has a new release, Tonight's The Night: The Very Best of John Barrowman. You can get one of my favorites, John Barrowman Swings Cole Porter, on iTunes and Amazon. You can order it from Amazon. So a very happy birthday, John Barrowman. And thanks for all the memories so far. Can't wait for what is to come!

Happy Birthday, Tommy Tune

Today, the actor/dancer/director Tommy Tune turns 73. My own earliest memories of Tune are that he is exceedingly tall, and most of that height was in his legs! I would guess the first time I was him was when he played Ambrose Kemper in the movie musical Hello Dolly!, starring Barbra Streisand and directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly.



But my first real memory is when I was still in college in Reading, Pennsylvania. We took yearly trips to New York City to see shows, both Broadway and off-Broadway. It was organized by the late Dr. Lynn Morrow, head of the Albright College Theater Department. We'd go by bus on Thursday, catch five shows, stay at the Empire Hotel, and return to Reading on Sunday after catching a matinee. I saw so many amazing shows on those trips, and among them was A Day In Hollywood/A Night In The Ukraine. The musical featured Priscilla Lopez, who I had seen in A Chorus Line, and David Garrison, who I just fell in love with. He was funny and danced so well. This was long before I saw him in as Steve, the neighbor in Married...With Children. The show was directed by Tommy Tune, who also choreographed it with Thommie Walsh. Here is a number from the show, The Production Code.



I started working in Greenwich Village at the Circle Repertory Theatre in 1983, and he had a show running down the street at the Lucille Lortel Theater. The show, Cloud Nine, was winning all the awards that year, the Drama Desk and the Obies, and when they had some extra tickets, they offered them to the theater, so I saw it a couple of times. Begrudgingly, I have to say it was great. And since The Lortel was just down Christopher Street, I would sometimes see Tune walking down the block - well, he was hard to miss! He also had another show running at the time, a Broadway musical. Nine took the world by storm, and also the Tony Awards.



The next year, Tune was back out there, this time taking center stage in the musical My One And Only. He costarred in the show with Twiggy and Charles "Honi" Coles.The show was brilliant, using the music of George & Ira Gershwin. The show was the talk of the theater community, for it featured model turned star Twiggy, singing and dancing. During the out-of-town tryouts, it was rumored to be fraught with problems, and in turmoil. By the time it hit New York, it was in tune and amazing, complete with a dance taking place in an on stage pool. Tune and Coles won Tony Awards for their performances, and Twiggy was nominated. Here is a performance from the Tony Awards of 1983.



Tune also appeared on Broadway's Best With The Pops, a special with the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1998. He sings and dances to Tap Your Troubles Away, the song by Jerry Herman from Mack And Mabel.



So, Happy Birthday, Tommy Tune! You have given much over your career, and your work has inspired many.