San Francisco Chronicle
The San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper, founded in1865, serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. Its online edition is published under the SFGate identity.
141 articles
List of articles in the library
Ramsey Lewis Trio: Basin Street West, San Francisco CA
Live Review by Philip Elwood, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 October 1965
'In-Crowd' Leader Arrives ...
Ten Years After, Dancing, Food and Entertainment: Fillmore West, San Francisco CA
Live Review by Philip Elwood, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 November 1968
New Group at Fillmore West: Jazz Is Wildly Abandoned ...
Allman Brothers Band: The Allman Brothers Band: What Southern Boys Can Do With Rock
Profile and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 February 1971
THE SOUTH is the fatherland of rock. Though not specifically indigenous to that area, rock's basic roots are steeped in the musical lore and tradition ...
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 December 1972
NOTE: Nobody was ever more fun to hang out with than Don Van Vliet. We took a number of dinners over the years, including one ...
Bonnie Raitt: "I Don't Want to Be a Star," Says Blues Singer Bonnie Raitt
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 December 1972
DON'T LET her looks fool you. Behind that golden-haired, dimpled face lurks a lusty, rowdy blues mama. So what if she went to Radcliffe, her ...
Tower of Power: It's More Starvation Than Success for Rock Musicians
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 January 1973
THOUGH THERE is plenty of big money floating around the recording industry, few rock bands ever see any. ...
Johnny Mathis: Superstar Johnny Mathis Still Thinks About Jazz
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 February 1973
WHEN JOHNNY Mathis takes the Circle Star Theater stage next Friday, it will be the George Washington High star athlete's first appearance here in over ...
Sopwith Camel: New Orleans House, Berkeley
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 May 1973
KEEPING ALIVE the best San Francisco acid-rock tradition, Sopwith Camel can't be pinned down into an easy category. A Camel performance is likely to begin ...
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 September 1973
"I DECIDED I didn't believe all that tortured genius crap," Mike Bloomfield, the 30-year-old musician explained, "that some how there was a corollary between pain ...
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 January 1974
SOME PEOPLE might call Larry Graham cocky. The 27-year-old soul musician seethes with talent and finally has the means to unleash it. No doubt he ...
Crosby and Nash: The Crosby-Nash Whale and Fieldworkers Benefit
Report and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 December 1974
AT THE END of the Bob Dylan tour earlier this year, Asylum Records president David Geffen threw a party at the swank Beverly Wilshire Hotel ...
Harry Nilsson: Nilsson Ratings: Injured, Brilliant
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 April 1975
NOTE: The interview had to wait until we watched the latest episode of the PBS series, The Ascent of Man. I asked Harry about the ...
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 June 1975
Two Instant Hit Packages Full of Extra Goodies ...
Toots & The Maytals: Toots' Soulful Reggae — Direct from Jamaica
Profile by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 October 1975
THE FIRST American album by Toots and the Maytals, Funky Kingston (Island 9330) introduces Jamaica's most soulful reggae to this country virtually as well as ...
Captain and Tennille: Sahara Tahoe, Stateline NV
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 October 1975
Gushy Tennille, Deadpan Captain ...
Kris Kristofferson, Barbra Streisand: Bill Graham Staged a Concert And Barbra Streisand Sang
Report by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 April 1976
TEMPE, ARIZ. – Phil Ramone, one of the country's top recording engineers, is rather unused to working in the mid-day sun, since recording studios, like ...
The Band: And The Band Played On... The Band's Last Waltz
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 November 1976
IT WAS UNDOUBTEDLY the single biggest collection of rock stars ever to perform on one stage: 17 musicians played Bob Dylan's ‘I Shall Be Released’, ...
The Meters, The Neville Brothers: It's Hard to Read the Meters
Report and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 May 1977
"IF WE'RE SO good, how come we ain't rich?" reads the caption in The Figaro, New Orleans' underground newspaper, accompanying the story detailing the demise ...
Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe: England's Elvis — The New Sensation on the Rock Scene
Report by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 October 1977
OUT OF nowhere comes a musician with no apparent past who looks like a good bet to become the biggest new sensation on the rock ...
Nick Lowe: Provocative "Pure Pop" Emerges from British Rock
Profile by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 April 1978
WITH THE release of his first solo album, Nick Lowe steps forward as one of the most provocative new talents to emerge from the British ...
ABBA: The Phenomenal Swedes Have Yet to Conquer America
Profile by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 May 1978
FREQUENTLY dismissed as vapid and sterile, Abba may well be the world's most popular rock band currently, but the Swedish quartet clearly has a ways ...
The Honeycombs, John Leyton, Joe Meek, The Tornados: A Tribute to Joe Meek— Far Out Before His Time
Retrospective by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 October 1978
THROUGHOUT his career, British record producer Joe Meek showed a strong and consistent fascination with outer space and supernatural themes. A kind of backroom electronic ...
Rick Nelson: High Sierra Theater at the Sahara, Lake Tahoe
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 October 1978
THE CLUSTERS of signs reading "Rick Nelson Now" hanging in the Sahara Tahoe casino reveal the hand of Colonel Parker, the famed manager of Elvis ...
The Flamin' Groovies Come Home
Report and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 October 1978
AFTER EIGHT YEARS of silence in the band's hometown, the Flamin' Groovies suddenly made two San Francisco performances in less than a month. "I'm stopping ...
Book Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 October 1978
Beach Boys' Brian — A Classic American Tragedy ...
Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious: Sid Vicious: A Rocky Lifestyle Played Out to Its Extreme End
Obituary by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 February 1979
EPITAPH FOR a punk: Even before his somehow not too surprising drug overdose death at age 21, Sid Vicious already scrawled his name indelibly in ...
Ry Cooder: Bop Til You Drop (Warner Brothers Records 3358)
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 July 1979
An Astonishing Digital Bop ...
Blondie, The Knack, Suzi Quatro, Sweet: Long Overdue Recognition For Producer Mike Chapman
Profile by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 August 1979
WITH HIS productions of the multi-platinum Blondie LP, Parallel Lines, and Get the Knack, which earned a gold album faster than any other debut album ...
Fleetwood Mac: Tusk (Warner Brothers Records 3350)
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 October 1979
The Big Mac Tusk ...
Asleep at the Wheel: The Wheel Gallops Through Western Swing
Interview by Michael Goldberg, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 January 1980
THERE IS a thin line that divides musicians who attempt to give new life to a dying musical form and those who traffic in nostalgia. ...
The Clash: London Calling (Epic Records)
Review by Michael Goldberg, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 January 1980
SINCE THIS English foursome first emerged in London in 1976, they have been at the very forefront of rock and roll. Their debut album, The ...
Muddy Waters: The Tide's Turning for Muddy Waters
Profile and Interview by Michael Goldberg, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 January 1980
ON THEIR first visit to America, back in 1964, the Beatles were asked by reporters what they wanted to see most. "Muddy Waters," they replied ...
Madness: One Step Beyond (Sire Records 0085)
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 February 1980
The Nutty Sound ...
Elvis Costello & the Attractions: Get Happy!! (Columbia Records 36347)
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 March 1980
Among Costello's Best ...
Journey: Departure (Columbia Records 36339)
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 March 1980
THIS IS the third in a series of albums that began with the platinum Infinity and continued with Evolution. ...
Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Mike Bloomfield 1943-1981
Obituary by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 February 1981
SLUMPED DEAD in his car seat from an apparent drug overdose was Mike Bloomfield, 37, arguably the greatest white blues guitarist of his generation. He ...
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 March 1981
WHO COULD resist a handsome young black gentleman, dressed like a stripper, who sings songs celebrating such unlikely topics as incest and oral copulation? ...
Suicide: Punk Rockers Who Don't Self-Destruct
Interview by Michael Goldberg, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 November 1981
A group "dripping blood and spit" ...
The Rolling Stones: The Stones
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 January 1982
On its latest tour, the band pulled in a cool $30 million. How? Ask its leader Mick Jagger who, at thirty-eight, still leaps with satisfaction. ...
Buddy Miles: Changes: Buddy Miles Back in Town
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 May 1982
THEM CHANGES (Part Two): In an alley behind the Chronicle building, loud, bright rock music drifted out of a rehearsal hall. Inside, behemoth Buddy Miles, ...
Darlene Love, Phil Spector: Darlene Hits Local Scene, Reviving an Old Spector
Profile and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 July 1982
THE FAMOUS sound of Phil Spector will hit Bay Area stages for the next three nights when Darlene Love makes a round of local appearances. ...
Bruce Springsteen: Nebraska (Columbia 38358)
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 October 1982
IN AN ARTISTICALLY daring move virtually unprecedented in the record business, Bruce Springsteen refused to succumb to pressures to follow up the No. 1 success ...
Rick James: Why MTV Is Shaking the Music Industry
Report and Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 May 1983
HUEY LEWIS, leader of the Marin County-based Huey Lewis and the News, loves MTV: "Everywhere I go," he says in a promo spot on the ...
Frank Zappa: The '60s Mother Still Breaks Social, Musical Convention
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 1984
STOP THE presses! Frank Zappa, that mother of a curmudgeon, has been spotted actually smiling! Get out the red ink – he even chuckled once ...
The Beach Boys, Charles Manson, Dennis Wilson: Manson and Drugs — A Beach Boy's Troubled Life
Retrospective by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 January 1984
DENNIS WILSON, the Beach Boy who drowned a week ago last Wednesday, never got that many headlines in life. He may have been the most ...
Jefferson Airplane, The Tubes: Groupies: They're Still Grabbin' for the Stars
Report and Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 September 1984
Sweet Spencer,So many feelings I have experienced with you that you have become a part of me. The other day, from out of a heavy, ...
David Lee Roth - Hyperactive, Irrepressible, Self-Satisfied
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 February 1985
DAVID LEE ROTH bounds up the wide, concrete steps from the forest that is his back yard toward his mansion. This, his visitor says, reminds ...
Natalie Cole Is Back From the Fast Lane
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 February 1985
SINGER'S DRUG REHABILITATION ...
Michael Nesmith: Mike Nesmith: Ex-Monkee Puts Parts Together
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 March 1985
On TV, Michael Nesmith says he'll be 'the big cheese, the honcho, the stud duck' ...
Report by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 April 1985
IF THE reports from her first concert in Seattle are any indication, you can expect Madonna to ask San Francisco, early in her show at ...
Marvin Gaye: David Ritz: Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye (McGraw-Hill; 367 pages; $16.95)
Book Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 May 1985
The Sordid Story of An R&B 'Angel' ...
Angela Bofill: Bofill: A Cool Mama on a Sophisticated Circuit
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 May 1985
IN THESE days of instant first-name informality, I shouldn't have been surprised when the caller identified herself simply as "Angela." "Which Angela is this?" I ...
Not a Perfect Portrayal Of Rolling Stone Editor
Film/DVD/TV Review by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 June 1985
I JUST saw Perfect, the new movie with John Travolta as a Rolling Stone reporter and Jann Wenner (the actual editor of Rolling Stone) as ...
John Lennon: A Strangely defanged portrait of John Lennon
Book Review by John Mendelsohn, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 June 1985
ACCORDING TO LABOR Department projections, John Lennon biographers will outnumber Elvis Presley impersonators by mid-October. ...
The Pointer Sisters — Their Day of Honor: Better Late Than Never
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 September 1985
13 years tardy, Oakland pays tribute to homegrown singers ...
Jan Hammer: Miami Vice's Hammer: A Composer Blends Hot Cops, Cool Rock
Profile and Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 September 1985
Kent, New York A SOUNDTRACK album for a TV show doesn't seem to make much sense. The thought conjures up a short stack of failures, albums ...
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters: Hank Ballard: The 'Twist' and Turns of a Rock Pioneer
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 December 1985
HANK BALLARD wrote and recorded ‘The Twist’, but it was Chubby Checker who had the big hit record. With the early R&B group, the Royals, ...
James Brown: He's So Good, He Says
Report and Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 February 1986
JAMES BROWN is a litany of hit songs and personal titles. He's the Godfather of Soul, the King of Soul, the Living Legend of Soul, ...
Eddie Kendricks, The Temptations: Motown No Longer Lures Temptations Vet
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 September 1986
Chill reheated career but Kendrick has bad memories ...
David Byrne, Talking Heads: Talking Heads' Byrne Chats Up His Movie
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 October 1986
THE LAST TIME we saw David Byrne on the big screen, he was herky-jerking his way through a Talking Heads concert, doing his chaotic, turkey-necked, ...
Huey Lewis and the News: Huey Lewis: It's Hip To Be Nice
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 February 1987
BOB BROWN was a young, successful stock trader from New York who got transferred to San Francisco, settled in peaceful Mill Valley, happened onto a ...
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 June 1987
Ronnie Lane: Wolfgang's, San Francisco ...
Donovan: The Graying of Mellow Yellow
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 July 1987
Donovan admits he feels a little creepy at his ritzy hotel gig ...
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 September 1987
YOKO ONO looks impenetrable behind her trademark wraparound sunglasses, a sober demeanor and a never-ending haze of cigarette smoke. ...
Grateful Dead: Without a Net (Arista Records)
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 October 1990
Grateful Dead Work Is No Sweat ...
The Byrds, Gram Parsons: Gram Parsons: The Father of Country Rock
Retrospective by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 1991
GRAM PARSONS wasn't exactly bursting with credentials when he came up for consideration as a member of the Byrds in the early spring of 1968. ...
The Doors: Jim Morrison: Last Meeting With a Fallen Star
Memoir by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 1991
NEAR THE END of his 27-year life, was Jim Morrison – as depicted in Oliver Stone's new movie, The Doors – a fat, abusive, alcoholic, ...
A Last Farewell To Bill Graham
Obituary by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 November 1991
BILL GRAHAM was a movie of a man. His 60-year-long life, which came to an end in a helicopter crash in Sonoma County the night ...
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 July 1993
U2 Flies Off on a Tangent: Group's new album Zooropa is slow and plodding ...
Whitney Houston Hit: The Bodyguard Soundtrack Has Shot at Sales Record
Report by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 July 1993
Astonishingly, six months after release, the rather unremarkable collection of songs is already halfway toward eclipsing the 40 million sales mark set 10 years ago ...
Frank Sinatra: Duets (Capitol Records)
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 October 1993
Frank Sinatra Does It His Way On Duet Album; Ol' Blue Eyes outshines 13 stars ...
Country Joe & The Fish: Country Joe McDonald
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, March 1994
ONE FIGURE straddles the two polar events of the '60s – Woodstock and the Vietnam War – and that's Country Joe McDonald. In fact, such ...
Counting Crows: Anatomy of a Hit
Report and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 April 1994
They weren't supposed to be a huge success, but Counting Crows had an amazing demo tape, an influential record company, good luck and great timing. ...
Smashing Pumpkins: Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 April 1994
GIVEN Smashing Pumpkins' penchant for cheesy psychedelic touches to decorate their end-of-the-world sonics, the red-hot rockers seemed the perfect act to star at the gala ...
Johnny Cash: Cool Cash — The Man in Black's Latest Risk Pays Off
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 September 1994
New generation of fans embraces touring legend ...
Luther Vandross: Songs (Epic, $15.98)
Review by Amy Linden, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 October 1994
Some Schmaltz From Vandross ...
Bootsy Collins: Q&A With Bootsy Collins
Interview by Amy Linden, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 October 1994
THE PREMIER funk bassist of this or any other time, place or galaxy, William (Bootsy) Collins, is back on the road and representing the P-Funk ...
Esquivel: Space-Age Bachelor Pad (Bar/None Records, $14.9)***
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 December 1994
ESQUIVEL A BIT LIKE MANCINI ON SPEED ...
Linda Ronstadt: Ronstadt Proves She Can Go Home Again
Profile and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 March 1995
LINDA RONSTADT settled comfortably into a couch in her record company offices. The cream-colored ensemble she was wearing emphasized her preternaturally translucent skin. She has ...
Merle Haggard: Pop Quiz: Q & A with Merle Haggard
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 April 1995
WITH TWO tribute albums appearing coincidentally at the same time, country music great Merle Haggard may seem to be experiencing a sudden resurgence — not ...
Profile and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 June 1995
Warner Bros. re-releases Lenny Waronker's early masterpieces ...
Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia: Private Funeral For Garcia
Report by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 August 1995
MEMBERS OF THE Grateful Dead and the widow of Jerry Garcia spent yesterday making plans for a funeral, while tributes continued to roll in and ...
R. Kelly: R. Kelly (Jive Records, $14.98) ★★★
Review by Amy Linden, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 December 1995
R. Kelly's Latest Subtle, But Still Sexy ...
Tha Dogg Pound: Doggy Food (Death Row/Interscope/Priority)
Review by Dave Marsh, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 December 1995
DOGG POUND DOWN AND DIRTY ...
Jonathan Richman: Jonathan Vaporizes
Report and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 December 1995
BAY AREA cult favorite Jonathan Richman is close to signing a recording deal with Vapor Records, the new label run by Neil Young and his ...
Tom Waits Benefits Friend, Audience
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 February 1996
IT TOOK A friend in trouble to get Tom Waits back on stage. ...
Jefferson Airplane: Still a Bumpy Ride
Report by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 February 1996
Jefferson Airplane members not overjoyed about induction into Rock Hall of Fame ...
Review by Steffan Chirazi, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 April 1996
Mad Professor Mixes Some Magic ...
Dean Martin: That's Amore — The Best of Dean Martin (Capitol) ****; Sleep Warm (Capitol) ****
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 May 1996
Dean Martin's Easy Charm ...
Interview by Susan Whitall, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 May 1996
AS FORMER LEAD singer and songwriter of the Replacements, Paul Westerberg labors under particularly burdensome expectations. His second solo album, Eventually, released last month on ...
Porno For Pyros: Good God's Urge (Warner Bros., $14.98) *
Review by Steffan Chirazi, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 May 1996
Porno for Pyros' Urge Doesn't Spark Interest ...
The Sex Pistols: Taking Another Shot
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 June 1996
Prototypical punks the Sex Pistols are back together — so take cover ...
Sheryl Crow, Kevin Gilbert: Kevin Gilbert: More Than "The Piano Player"
Report by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 September 1996
Dumped by Sheryl Crow after propelling her to success, brilliant musician Kevin Gilbert died before finding his own ...
Marilyn Manson's Murderous Appeal
Interview by Steffan Chirazi, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 October 1996
Twisted persona allows this musician to act out his nightmares on the stage ...
Pete Townshend, The Who: Pete Townshend
Interview by Ira Robbins, San Francisco Chronicle, 1997
"Roger [Daltrey] speaks a lot about the magic that happens when the three of us get together to play," says Pete Townshend, who spent two ...
Dar Williams: End of the Summer (Razor & Tie, $15.98) ****
Review by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 July 1997
Dar Williams Plays With Pop Impulses ...
Jackie Brenston, Ike Turner, Ike & Tina Turner, Joe Louis Walker: Pop Quiz: Q & A With Ike Turner
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 September 1997
ONLY A HANDFUL of ex-husbands have been as publicly vilified as Ike Turner, but what Tina Turner's undoubtedly justified public excoriations have obscured is the ...
Harry Belafonte Follows New Rhythm
Profile and Interview by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 September 1997
Singer makes his first CD in nine years ...
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 October 1997
THE ARTIST TALKS via e-mail, which gives him a chance to use his funny language ...
Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwood Mac: Q&A With Lindsey Buckingham
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 October 1997
LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM may be the least enthusiastic member of Fleetwood Mac, but his guitar playing and passionate vocals have been the anchors of the group's ...
Goldie: Saturnz Return (FFRR, $16.98) ****
Review by Steffan Chirazi, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 February 1998
Goldie Takes A Dark Journey ...
Armand Van Helden's Sampleslaya: Enter the Meat Market (Columbia/RuffHouse Records, $15.98) ***
Review by Steffan Chirazi, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 March 1998
Traditional Hip-Hop, East Coast Style ...
S.F. Club Scene Emerges From Underground
Report by Steffan Chirazi, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 April 1999
FOR THE electronic music lover or the curious night owl, San Francisco has something to offer seven nights a week, 365 days a year. Working ...
Backbeat — Earl Palmer's Story By Tony Scherman (Smithsonian Institution; 196 pages; $24.95)
Book Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 July 1999
Earl Palmer Laid Down the Rhythm of Rock 'n' Roll ...
Buena Vista Social Club, Ry Cooder: Buena Vista Brings Back Old Cuban Sound
Report and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 September 1999
WHEN CUBAN music finally returned to the United States, it picked up where it left off. ...
Report and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 October 1999
"CSNY2K'' IS coming. The title for the 41-city Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young tour that starts in January may seem obvious, but it did give ...
Joni Mitchell's Dull Twist On Standards
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 May 2000
NOBODY SINGS Joni Mitchell like Joni Mitchell. ...
Jesse Winchester: Taking Another Shot
Profile and Interview by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 January 2001
Eclectic singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester cuts his first new album in 11 years ...
Profile and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 June 2001
COUNTRY MUSIC is over. There are lots of rock singers wearing cowboy hats these days, but genuine country music is all but dead and gone. ...
Shuggie Otis: The Resurrection of Shuggie Otis
Retrospective and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 June 2001
INSPIRATION INFORMATION disappeared shortly after its 1974 release, and the world soon forgot about Shuggie Otis, the promising young rock musician who made the record. ...
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 September 2001
Boz Scaggs took his time – more than seven years between new albums. ...
The Beatles, George Harrison: George Harrison: Harrison in the Haight
Retrospective by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 December 2001
IT WOULD BE a stretch to say that George Harrison ever left his heart in San Francisco. ...
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 July 2003
WITH HIS new album hitting No. 1 on the jazz charts, Boz Scaggs is a changed man. "I'll use what I've learned in this process ...
David Bowie: Ever-changing Bowie
Report and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 January 2004
AFTER YEARS of hiding behind characters he created, David Bowie, 57, knows who he is. Although he is no longer making records on the leading ...
David Bowie: HP Pavilion, San Jose
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 January 2004
HE ASKED IF the audience was having a good time. He grinned incessantly, made snappy patter between songs, showed off his remarkable wardrobe and hair. ...
Tom Waits: Barroom Bard's Next Round
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 October 2004
TOM WAITS SIPS coffee at the Formica counter of the Chinese takeout and doughnut shop, looking out on the intersection of Mission and 24th streets. ...
The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols: The Dandy Warhols/Brian Jonestown Massacre: Dig!
Film/DVD/TV Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 October 2004
ANTON NEWCOMBE of the Brian Jonestown Massacre doesn't receive the most ringing endorsements from his friends. "He's more than just a jerk," says his record ...
Retrospective by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 December 2004
NOTE: I’ve never done a more personal piece of journalism. Ralph was a distant figure on my horizon, but his presence surrounded me; from reading ...
Profile and Interview by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 July 2005
LEGEND HAS it that when Marty Balin went looking for a singer to fill out the lineup of the Jefferson Airplane, he told people he ...
Martha Wainwright: Martha's Extending The Musical Family
Profile and Interview by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 October 2005
MARTHA WAINWRIGHT has a pedigree that could be daunting. She's the daughter of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle (of the McGarrigle Sisters), sister of ...
Mose Allison: Mose And His Muse
Profile and Interview by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 October 2005
MOSE ALLISON can be summed up in two words – Mose Allison. ...
The Moody Blues: Never Reaching The End
Interview by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 November 2005
THE MOODY Blues are a rock'n'roll band. That statement may come as a shock to fans who grew up with the lushly orchestrated psychedelic pop ...
Obituary by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 January 2006
Beloved Bay Area jazz and blues critic ...
Profile and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 February 2006
SAL VALENTINO WAS washed up. "No one called in a long time," he says. "No one knew where I was."There were even reports of his ...
The Persuasions: Perpetual Harmony
Profile and Interview by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 May 2006
"THE PERSUASIONS! Aren't you that old do-wop group?" ...
Fairport Convention: Fairport Still On Course At 40
Interview by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 June 2006
FAIRPORT CONVENTION kicked the British folk revival into high gear in 1969 when they released Liege and Lief, their first album with Sandy Denny as ...
Salif Keita: Rockin' With Soul Of Africa
Profile and Interview by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 August 2006
SALIF KEITA grins when he says: "I love rock'n'roll." It may seem like an unlikely sentiment since Keita's last two albums, this year's M'Bemba (Ancestor) ...
Gary Numan: Numan Finds His Way
Profile and Interview by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 August 2006
"IN AMERICA I'm still the classic one hit wonder," Gary Numan says philosophically, via phone from his home outside of London. ...
P. F. Sloan: PF Sloan: Rising from 'Destruction'
Profile and Interview by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 September 2006
"PF SLOAN was born sometime between midnight and dawn on an inspired evening in 1964," PF Sloan says, from his small Los Angeles apartment. That ...
Pet Shop Boys: The Pet Shop Boys: Pet Peeves
Interview by j. poet, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 November 2006
THE PET SHOP Boys – singer/lyricist Neil Tennant and keyboard player/composer Chris Lowe – are renowned for their intelligent songwriting. ...
Evan Dando, The Lemonheads: Evan Dando: Consistently Inconsistent
Interview by Jaan Uhelszki, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 November 2006
LEMONHEADS CO-FOUNDER Evan Dando puts his pioneering alternative rock band back together like clockwork every decade. ...
Allen Toussaint: Toussaint Explores Life Outside Big Easy
Profile and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 May 2007
ALLEN TOUSSAINT never left New Orleans. He spent virtually his entire distinguished career playing piano, singing, writing songs and making records with other people in ...
Summer of Love: 40 Years Later
Retrospective by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 May 2007
1967: The stuff that myths are made of ...
Grateful Dead: For The Unrepentant Patriarch Of LSD, Long, Strange Trip Winds Back To Bay Area
Profile and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 July 2007
THE SMALL, barefoot man in black T-shirt and blue jeans barely rates a second glance from the other Starbucks patrons in downtown San Rafael, although ...
Chris Clark - US: Chris Clark: An unsung soul singer resurfaces
Retrospective and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 August 2007
CHRIS CLARK was a tall, blond 20-year-old Air Force brat out of Marin County when she signed with Motown Records as the label's first white ...
Celine Dion: HP Pavilion, San Jose
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 February 2009
CELINE DION makes faces when she sings. She crinkles up her nose. She arches her eyebrows. She winks and darts quick little smiles after she ...
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 March 2009
AS LONG AS people speak of country music, the music of Merle Haggard will live. As his career nears the half-century mark, Haggard's imprint is ...
Profile and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 February 2010
Eccentric Van Dyke Parks finally reaches S.F. ...
Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young: Buffalo Springfield together again on Bridge bill
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 25 October 2010
FOR A GROUP from rock's Pleistocene era that managed only one real hit in the band's short life and haven't appeared together onstage in 43 ...
Rock of Ages Musical Exhumes '80s Power Ballads
Report by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 February 2011
THERE HAVE BEEN few musical sins committed in the name of rock 'n' roll as egregious as the power ballad. Not really rock and not ...
Phil Everly never got to soar as a solo act
Obituary by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 January 2014
Phil Everly never got to be his own man. He was always – and always will be - Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers. ...
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