NewsBreak Original

I worry that my kids don’t have as much freedom as I did as a child. We live in a small town. I go with them when they go sledding. I go with them to walk the dog. When I was growing up things were different. I’d leave in the morning and return at dusk. I would be alone all day long.

For Jim Peterik, trying to win back his girlfriend led him to write one of the biggest hits of the jazz rock era. Peterik was the guitarist and lead singer of the Ides of March. Peterik wrote "Vehicle," the 1970 monster hit famous for its powerful horns and soulful sound. Peterik says that the song's inspiration came from his attempt to impress his girlfriend, Karen.

Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty abhorred the recording industry. His first success as a member of Stealers Wheel, 1972’s “Stuck in the Middle With You,” was a parody of Bob Dylan’s style that poked fun at an industry cocktail party.

Singer-songwriter Gerry Beckley of America has hardly slowed down during the pandemic. He and Dewey Bunnell celebrated America's 50th anniversary in 2020 with an eight-disc box set that includes a book, replica posters, unreleased demos, album outtakes and hits from their copious catalog.

By 1977, British progressive rockers Supertramp had reached a crossroads. Their previous LP, Crime of the Century, hadn’t yielded a successful single and its follow-up, Even in the Quietest Moments…, could only deliver one hit, “Give a Little Bit.”

Randy Bachman wasthe singer-songwriter and lead guitarist of the Guess Who in May 1970, weeks before promoter Bill Graham closed Fillmore East. Bachman recalls his final performance with the band at Fillmore East.