Insights and information
about music, brain health, aging, and much more.
What Did Each of the Beatles Bring to the Party?
Elizabeth posed a question to me recently that I haven’t been able to let go of: what did each of the four Beatles bring to the phenomenon we call The Beatles? Not “who was the best,” but a deeper question: what particular ingredient did each of them supply, such that...
Curious and Curiouser: The Beatles Unimaginably Different Styles in Six Songs
By Rick Sladek with Elizabeth Taggart The criteria for my playlist is simple: the songs have to all be original and all four Beatles had to have contributed to them. The six songs come from different albums and, with the exception of my No. 2 song on the list, "She...
The Fifth Beatle:Why the question lingers and who are the candidates
The identity of the "Fifth Beatle" is part of the mythos surrounding the Beatles. Of course, the Fab Four was just that: the ubiquitous Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison—four men whose faces, hair, clothing and accessories, even their...
Golden Slumbers – A Sad, Uplifting Tune for the Ages
On August 22, 1969, two days after mixing and editing of the last track on "Abbey Road" — what be be their last time in the studio together — the Beatles showed up at Tittenhurst Park, John’s new house in Ascot, for what turned out to be the last set of photos taken...
Music as Medicine: Why Singing Is Good for Your Body as You Age
We often think of singing as a joyful pastime or creative outlet, but a growing body of research indicates that there are also significant physical health benefits of singing as we age. It engages multiple systems in the body at once, from the heart and lungs to pain...
When I’m Almost 64 – I’m Really An Older Adult Now
It was bound to happen. I just didn’t think it would be today. Or this year. Or this decade. This morning, at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, as Sandy and I were going through security on the way home from vacation, the friendly and patient young woman from...