Download: Graveyard "Thin Line"

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(from Graveyard out now on Tee Pee)

Download: Imaad Wasif "Unveiling"

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(from Strange Hexes on Phantom Sound and Vision)

Me and L.A. RECORD take a little time out for Swedish heavyrock combo Graveyard. I caught them on the way to Nashville, where drummer Axel was sad they would not have time to visit Graceland:

Are you shopping for souvenirs?
We haven’t had time. We tried picking up stuff in Mexico—a bunch of Navajo stuff—but the store was closed.
Should people bring you something at the show?
Mix CDs—we’re lacking music in our van. And whatever they feel like.
Fireworks and rugs?
Maybe not fireworks. We could get one in the eye.
What do you hope to smuggle back to Sweden?
Uh…
Pearl-handled revolver?
Rikard the bass player really likes Civil War stuff, so if he could get a hold of an old revolver, he’d wanna take that back. He’s really into history and shit. I’d like a pair of moccasins. Like Navajo shoes.
So guns and shoes.
And I heard there’s a really good flea market by the Rose Bowl. But I was hoping. But our plane leaves the next day.
This is kind of the ‘look but don’t touch’ tour, huh?
Drive play get drunk—drive play get drunk—drive play get drunk!

Get the rest here. They play tonight at Spaceland with Sam Velde's Night Horse and Imaad Wasif, who was the poster boy in April's L.A. RECORD. Some talk with him inside.

I had a long talk a while back with Imaad, soon after his album Strange Hexes with Two Part Beast came out. He made a great Marc Bolan in the issue and had a lot to say, too.

What it’s like having Frances McDormand up front and screaming at your shows?
She’s an amazing person—sort of a constant supporter of my music since I met her. We just have a connection. I don’t know—it’s strange. I really try not to demystify the beauty of certain relationships and what you share with certain people and why. You just have to exist with them. I feel she adopted a very motherly role with me. Being able to have discussions with her about insanity—connections to insanity and Edward Gorey.
What do you think is the relationship between art and insanity?
I don’t think you have to suffer to create great art. But certain people do. I’ve known really sensitive people that have totally destroyed their lives because of that, and I’m very aware of those things. I’ve felt myself being pulled down by the weight of those things, but I dedicate myself to the struggle of being alive and being here, and I try to really understand those things for myself. I’m interested in this kind of as a universal principle—everyone feels insane at some point!

A lot more at the April interview here. As for the poster, well, one day we'll get those online.

We live about 100 miles from Memphis, which is known for many things, including Elvis Presley...and Graceland. Charles and I have visited Graceland in the past. Imagine my surprise when there was a free ticket to tour Graceland (the platinum package) in my mail box today. It seems as though I was randomly selected to receive this gift - how lucky!! There is a little questionnaire to fill out and drop at the Graceland Guest Services Desk at the end of your visit (super easy and simple, I promise). I thought it was a really sweet little deal. This package includes:

• Graceland Mansion and Grounds
• Elvis Car Museum
• Elvis' Custom Jets
• Sincerely Elvis:Elvis Jumpsuits All Access
• Private Presley (a new feature in honor of Elvis' time in the Army)

Since Charles and I have no plans to visit that area between now and when the ticket expires (December 24th, 2008), I thought it might be fun to give the ticket away to a lucky reader. This ticket is valued at $32.00 and I will give it away to someone who comments on this blog entry. As I have no idea how many responses this might receive, I will use a random number generator to determine the winner, as to be fair to everyone. After a winner is chosen, I'll email you for your address so that I can mail you your ticket.

Good luck!

1. Welcome To the Jungle - Guns N' Roses: This song is far more lyrically interesting if you think of it in terms of a real jungle rather than the streets of L.A.
2. Jungle Boogie - Kool & the Gang: Elvis always liked big horn sections. I tend to think he liked the funk as well. Enjoy this Elvis!
3. Run Through the Jungle - Creedence Clearwater Revival: In case Lisa Marie brings her boys over and decides to let them run wild through the room.
4. Wild Thing - X: Still my favorite version of this song. Did you know Angelina Jolie's uncle wrote this song under a nom de plume (Chip Taylor)?
5. Jungleland - Bruce Springsteen: I wish I had something more intelligent to say than "I really like this song."
6. George Of the Jungle - The Presidents Of the United States Of America: Watch out for that tree, or sofa sectional.
7. Bungle In the Jungle - Jethro Tull: Who doesn't love a little flute mixed in with their rock 'n roll?
8. I Wan'na Be Like You - Louis Prima: Best song in the original Jungle Book movie.
9. The Lion Sleeps Tonight - The Tokens: I've always wondered if The Tokens and Clarence "Frogman" Henry got together for a tour, who would be the opening act?
10. Eye Of the Tiger - Survivor: Why do I think when Elvis lived at Graceland he probably had a real tiger eye in a jar of formaldehyde somewhere in this room?

My mother once went to Graceland when Elvis lived there. She told me he had a jukebox. She also told me there were no Elvis records on the jukebox. He was that humble and I don't think he would have listened to his own music in the jungle room. However, he would have probably asked me why I didn't include Gitarzan by Ray Stevens. The truth is I don't know...

Há quem jure que ele morreu e está sepultado no jardim de sua mansão! É claro que antes o corpo dele tinha ido "supostamente" para o Cemitério Municipal de Memphis, mas no dia 29 daquele mesmo mês e ano, um grupo de três homens elaborou um plano para roubar o corpo de Elvis e depois pedir resgate: QUE ABSURDO! Mas felizmente ums amigos de Elvis do FBI descobriram o plano e prenderam todos os envolvidos.  Daí então a família de Elvis decide transferí-lo para sua mansão em outubro`77, juntamente com o corpo de sua mãe, que se encontram no Jardim da Meditação, nos fundos de Graceland. 

Elvis viveu várias fases em sua vida, é claro que ele foi formidável em todas as fases, ums dizem que a sua melhor fase, foi entre 1970 à 1977: Jumpsuits (macacões), quilos acima, música gospel, Hawaii... 

Mas há outros que preferem a fase galã, entre os anos 50 e 60  a do topete, mobiletes, rebolados, hollywood, filmes...

Pra quem não sabia...

• Irmão Gêmeo:

O Casal Vernon Presley e Gladys Love Smith tem dois filhos gêmeos. O mais Velho, Jesse Garon, que infelizmente nasceu morto às 4 da manhã e o segundo, Elvis Presley, que chega vivo e muito bem disposto, 35 minutos depois. O cenário é a pequena cidade East Tupelo no estado do Mississippi. 

• No Exército:

[caption id="attachment_12" align="aligncenter" width="186" caption="Elvis in the Army (1958)"][/caption]

Elvis foi para as Forças Armadas no alge de sua carreira, quando foi convocado oficialmente à servir ao Exército Americano, que logo em seguida foi transferido para à Alemanha, no período de outubro de 1958 à março de 1960, o que poderia ser facilmente descartável, porém aproveitada comercialmente por seu empresário para expandir sua faixa de público. Em agosto de 1958, Elvis recebe uma drástica e terrível notícia - o falecimento de sua mãe - o que transformou-se no marco mais dramático de sua vida, desde ai, Elvis já não seria o mesmo no quesito pessoal... Ironicamente, nesse momento, Elvis é o maior idolo mundial de todos os tempos.

• O casamento:

Elvis, aos 24 anos casa-se com Priscilla  Ann Beaulieu, filha de seu chefe, capitão americano, que também foi transferido para a Alemanha. Elvis começou a namorar com Priscila, quando a mesma tinha apenas 14 aninhos! Ele super apaixonado, esperou a nina ficar maior...  no ano seguinte, nasce Lisa Marie Presley,  em 1º de fevereiro de 1968.

Detalhe: Elvis casa-se com Priscilla em 1º de maio, em Las Vegas e no final do mês, fazem outra cerimônia, em Graceland, para os que não puderam ir até Las Vegas. Coisa básica de um rei! ^^

• Karate King:

A primeira vez que Elvis se interessou pelo karatê, foi quando estava servindo o Exército na Alemanha. Era uma forma de defesa pessoal que Elvis queria aprender. Conheceu um instrutor alemão: Jurgen Seydel que vinha dar aulas para Elvis em Bad Nauheim. Eles moviam as mobílias da sua sala de estar para poder praticar a preferida arte marcial do King. Em seus shows, principalmente quando cantava a música "Suspicious Minds", Elvis praticava seu Kata no palco com excelentes movimentos.

Detalhe: Elvis recebe o 8º dan da faixa-preta no karatê.

Foto: Elvis e Ed Parker

• Oque foi notícia...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="194" caption="Lisa Marie e Danielle Keough"][/caption]

Lisa-Marie Presley já "casou" com Michael Jackson e foi noiva de Nickolas Cage.

Detalhe: Nickolas Cage era tão pirado pelo Elvis, que só sossegou quando "ficou" com a filha dele, sendo que ela descobriu que ele era louco pelo sogro e não por ela, jogou o anel de noivado no mar.

Foto: Lisa Marie com sua filha Danielle Riley Keough, neta de Elvis, Modelo.

• Graceland:

Gracelandf foi a residência de Elvis, é a casa mais famosa e visitada do mundo. Graceland, foi visitada recentemente por George W. Bush, presidente dos EUA, e Junichiro Koizumi, ex-primeiro-ministro japonês, que se diz ser fã de carteirinha de Elvis, tanto que em 2001foi lançado o disco "Junichiro Koizumi Presents: My Favorite Elvis Songs", alcançando as primeiras posições nos charts japoneses. Em Graceland, você pode até ver a ETERNAL FLAME, que é uma chama que nunca se apaga posta sob seu túmulo. Vale lembrar que Elvis é o artista que mais fatura, mesmo estando "morto", pondo no bolso aqueles que ainda estão "vivinho da silva"... Elvis passou de lanterninha de cinema, motorista de caminhão a cantor, quando decidiu entrar num mini estúdio onde qualquer um gravava um som, gravou uma canção de presente para a sua mãe: That's All Right Mamma. Sua mãe era o seu maior ídolo, razão de sua vida!

We headed across town to Graceland, the house where Elvis Lives. It was super touristy, with lots and lots of lines and one kazillion shops - Buy Elvis's photos here. Buy Elvis Teddy Bears Here. Buy Elvis in the Movies Here. Buy an Elvis T Shirt Here. And a Milk Shake. The tour was a self-guided audio tour, and I will admit fully that I enjoyed it more than I thought I possibly could. The Jungle Room? Holy macaroni, it was amazing! The stuff from Lisa Marie's nursery was really cool, too. I feel like Graceland does a good job of making Elvis seem like a real, whole person beyond the American icon.

We ate a late lunch at R.P. Trax and savored the BBQ tofu before we head into the most boring stretch of the drive - out of Memphis, through Arkansas (boring and flat) and through half of Oklahoma. Fortunately it was dark for much of the drive so we didn't have to stare at the boring, boring boringness of Arkansas. We did have a delightful experience in a Phillips 66 Kountry Xpress, where the whole town was gathered to watch a band cover songs like "Earth Angel," and got soda from the machine with flavor shots - cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper? Yes please! We also stopped for some Sonic: America's Drive-In. I, personally, loved Sonic growing up in the southern parts of our nation, but Krista had never had it. The Java Chiller with a Sonic Boom (translation: blended coffee milkshake with an extra espresso shot) was surprisingly not too sweet, and pretty tasty.

Krista drove the home stretch into Oklahoma, Native America, and then I finished up the dark dark drive on the two-lane "highways" until we arrived at my parent's house (Krista's IN LAWS cause, hey, we're married) around 1:30am, and fell asleep for many hours. Now, we are planning out our day. We're resting here for a day, and then we're going West!

Josh loved Elvis's airplanes the best. Tamra loved Elvis's parents pink Caddy. Sarah Bear was most impressed with the stain-glass peacock windows in Elvis's upstairs living room. Grandpa loved Elvis's pool room

We rushed to the Staxx Museum, which was amazing. They confiscated our camera but got these photos from the outside. The town was run down and felt like it was stuck in the 1950's. A few local hair salons surround the Museum

On the way home from Staxx we ran into the Germantown County fair, which had lots of yummy food and over 100 vendors. Josh spotted these hermit crabs for sale. We thought that the prepainted crabs were especially interesting. It was a really nice suburb in Memphis.

We took a nap at our awesome room at the Hilton Hotel then went to have this delicious Memphis BBQ at Neels. I was scarred to leave our car in the parking lot after we read this sign. The food was sooooooo good!!!!! We ate the whole thing...

Then we went to Beal Street. More like boring, young drunk, wanna be Mardi Gras street. It was off peak and people were sparse. I had a feeling that we were going to see a fight go down. The place had a crazy energy.

He also took a big chance musically, because while much of our popular music is heavily influenced by WEST Africa, music from southern Africa was another story.  The musical phrasing is different, as well as the structure of their songs, along, probably, with many other things that I'm not savvy enough to recognize.  So Mr. Simon had to really adapt this project to the needs of the music, which he did splendidly.

What emerged was a near-perfect record, in my opinion.  There is energy, joy, understanding, and compassion in every track.  I particularly like this one, with Linda Ronstadt lending her buttercreme voice on the harmony.

Man.  That's good music!

it also occured to me that elvis got his start singing gospel. while this is not surprising, he was from the deep south, he actually won awards for bringing this style into the mainstream pop music scene. this is ironic for several reasons.

1) a white person singing black music was socially acceptable. at the civil rights museum was a display of songs activists used to sing during demonstrations, marches and sit-ins. minorities, especially african-americans fought for respect for so long and in swoops mr. presley, who actually won award after award for their long-established style.

2) elvis grew up singing in the choir at his parents' church back in mississippi. once he rose to face, the church at large condemned his music style. many churches across the country staged album burnings in protest of what they deemed, "the devil's music." what would have happened if the church had embraced this new style that was actually centered around the very values it was trying to promote?

what is one of the most amazing things, despite whether or not you are an elvis fan, is the legacy he left behind. thought he died some time ago, fans mourn as if it just happened. he left his mark on the world like few others have. just the right factors came into play: first, elvis was an incredibly talented singer and musician. second, he was incredibly good looking. (i heard a recent radio interview that a local dj did with paul mccartney. paul said he and his fellow beatles were awed by how handsome elvis was.) third, he was as charasmatic in person as he was onstage. (in fact, his daughter recalls how she loved to watch him perform. even though she had just spent time with him, as soon as he got onstage she would scream and call out requests.) fourth, he was rose to fame at a time when the country was changing and the youth were looking for something new. truly a recipe for fame and fortune!

perhaps visiting graceland may seem frivilous to some but i felt surprising moved by the experience, especially having toured the civil rights museum the day before. there are several ironies i realized upon reflection. at first i thought about the infamous lorraine motel, site of the the assassination of martin luther king jr. as we passed several small motels along the way home it struck me how insignificant anyting can seem until something out of the ordinary happens to it. those motels will go unnoticed and eventually disappear into oblivion unless an event of historical significance is found out. then, every piece of furnature, every cup, every spoon will be preserved for posterity.

then i got to thinking about about how many houses and apartments fall into disarray and eventually get bulldozed to make way for modern condo complexes. any place is subject to the value we give it- by itself it's ordinary, just another home. part of the attraction to graceland is its expance and custom renovation, although elvis' legacy alone makes the estate valuable. 

imagine your home as a tourist destination- millions of visitors wandering it's rooms with headphones , narrating all the specifics of your life. or picture your office, the motel you last stayed in, any place your fans have deemed significant, bombarded by visitors with all their flashbulbs going off. flowers, wreaths, posters and stuffed animals abound. this will never be the fate of social workers, modern miltary heroes, or even mother theresa.

i am increasingly frustrated by the number of people who, after hearing we visited my brother's office, ask us if it's in a safe part of town. typically, once an area has been branded "hopeless" it gets forgotten. shouldn't it stand to reason that an organization for people of a particular neighborhood should be in that neighborhood? we've thrown enough money at these places. how about actually transforming them from the inside out? What would it look like to make these areas significant? Let's give them value instead of condemning them!

Memphis is known for many things, predominantly music -- Elvis lived here, Sun Studios is here and that's where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and B.B. King started their careers, the first ever blues song "Memphis Blues" was recorded here by W.C. Handy. What it is not known for is its intrinsic beauty and being a great place to live. There is a reason for this....

Memphis would be fairly unremarkable were it not for its musical history. It's dirty, it's poor; outside our motel room the sirens wail day and night and the neighborhood is nowhere you'd like to walk around after dark, and this is the same whether you're downtown (as we are) or in the suburbs. These impressions have been emphasized by the weather too. While Memphis is too far north to be hit by the hurricanes they have seen in Louisiana, the side-effects are on show. Towns just a few miles south of us are currently on "Tornado Watch" where warnings have been given to the townspeople to prepare for twisters, and the winds and rain haven't let up for a second since we've been here.

I don't want to completely slate the city: the people are very friendly (as most folk in Tennessee are), and this place sidled along the banks of the Mississippi, letting you see across the river to picturesque Arkansas offers some lovely sights and things to do, but I'd say they are day trips which punctuate the fairly bleak reality of this run-down place.

However, what more could one expect? The blues grew up here, and as everybody knows, the blues isn't made of prosperity: it grows in the soil of destitution and deprivation -- it paints rugged hymns to and of the people: it aims to tell a story of hope, empathy and emancipation from the ruins. It's hard and gritty, and so it's right that the city should remain so.

I shouldn't have been surprised then that before we had even parked our car on Beale Street (where W.C. Handy played his songs, making it the second most popular attraction in town) we had been approached by homeless guys asking for cash. As we got out of the car three more men came along in turn. All friendly, but all asking for money. We took a few walks down the street and got a beer ("Blue Moon" -- brewed in Memphis) and despite the touristy facade, you could feel the blues from the streets. If you couldn't feel it, then the singers in all of the beautifully old-school honky-tonks made you feel it. It was a great experience in a site of the utmost importance in the history of western music.

The Italian Connection

I live in Italy, so it wouldn't be right for me to let this blog pass without a little Italian special that I've noticed walking around these streets. Memphis and Italians have a special love relationship. Here are a couple of "prove d'amore":

Heartbreak Hotel

I'm not ashamed, but last night, for one night only, we stayed in Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel. It was fantastic. It has a movie channel showing nothing but Elvis's films 24/7; it features Elvis 24/7 radio; it shows constant documentaries on the life of Elvis and even has theme suites based on rooms in the Graceland mansion. It's also convenient, being sited just opposite the selfsame mansion. If you decide to head out to see Elvis's house, the best thing you could do is stop here: it puts you completely in the Elvis mood, and pumps you full of those little bits of background information that help you appreciate the mansion tour so much more. Awesome.

Here are the bedrooms (we didn't go in the themed suites as they were three times the price, but what we had were still great):

We stayed just one night here as it was pretty full due to people having come up all the way from New Orleans to get away from Hurricane Gustav. We met one man, Elmer, in the lift. He asked where we were from. We replied and asked him the same. "New Orleans," he said, and looked at us with eyes that said everything -- he didn't need to explain anymore. As I stammered to find a reply (I had been expecting him to say "I'm from Idaho" or something, so I could have just answered, "ah, nice. We might go there on our trip") he just said, "man, I can't wait to get home." We wish him the best.

The only caveat I will add is this. Before one stays at the Heartbreak Hotel, one must find it. We only had useless maps. We knew that the hotel was near Graceland. Easy, thought I. Why do people go to Memphis? Answer: to see Graceland. Therefore there will be stacks of signs leading us to it. Oh no. Nothing. No map, no signs, and Memphis is big.

After about an hour of driving around I had a flash. You remember that song by Marc Cohn, "Walking in Memphis" -- just by chance we had rolled onto Union Avenue, and I remembered it being mentioned in the song, but I couldn't remember how the line went.

We found the song on the iPod and played it; listening for clues: "I saw the ghost of Elvis; on Union Avenue; Followed him up to the gates of Graceland; and I watched him walk right through."

Haha! A break. All we had to do was follow Union Avenue and it would lead us to Graceland and our hotel!

Don't try it. It doesn't work. If Marc Cohn did follow Elvis from Union Avenue to Graceland it would've taken a very long time indeed. Graceland is 12 miles south of the downtown area where Union Avenue is... I don't think I've been so disappointed in all my life. There is a lesson to be learned in there somewhere I'm sure.

But we eventually got there. And, if you're still not convinced about the hotel, just check out the pool....

The next day we went to the mansion.

Je nach Interpretation - passt hier - aber auch hier...

Birth

1944. Sterling Morrison (Velvet Underground) born in Long Island, New York.

On Stage

1958. George Harrison joins John Lennon and Paul McCartney in The Quarrymen as they play at the opening night of The Casbah Club in Liverpool.

In Service

1991. UB40 front-man, Ali Campbell, is served with a paternity suit at his home in Birmingham. The action has been raised by 22 year old Tiffany Crow who claims that she got pregnant after two nights of sex with the star during UB40's last US tour. Campbell has previously denied he is the father. A court will probably demand blood tests to settle the matter.

In Custody

1977. Three men are arrested and charged with trying to steal Elvis Presley's body from Forest Hill cemetery in Memphis. It's thought they were planning to hold the corpse for ransom. As a result Elvis soon moves to Graceland.

On Television

rockminer

1981. Rockpalast (WDR, West Germany) Thin Lizzy; Nine Below Zero; Outlaws; .38 Special (Loreley St. Goarshausen). Here are Thin Lizzy with "Are You Ready". 3m 44s.

Death

1998. Country singer Johnny Rodriguez is charged with murder after shooting a friend at his home in Texas this morning. He has been troubled with burglars over the past months and when he heard a noise at the door and saw a figure he fired. Unfortunately it was Israel Borrego, an unemployed labourer he met several months ago. The singer is being held until a bail bond of $ 250,000 can be raised.

Go to Rockmine's main site here.

© Copyright 1995 - 2008 Rockmine Archives. Use of this content is prohibited unless licensed by Rockmine Archives.

Crypt Door, Graceland Cemetery, originally uploaded by rogue3w.

I could spend a whole day walking round Graceland. Lots of spooky crypts and gravestone. Lots of nice details too...

Grave of Augustus Newnham Dickens, originally uploaded by rogue3w.

Here lies someone that had a famous brother.

Apparently, he worked for Charles, then moved to Chicago, amounted to nothing and died penniless...

I was born in 1946, in the Republic of Panama (Central America), one year after the Second World War ended. I was raised in a banana plantation owned by United Brands in a place called Changuinola on the Atlantic Coast. Back then, United Brands exported Chiquita bananas to the United States, mainly to the port of New Orleans. My father worked as a Commissary Inspector in the Merchandise Department, which gave us the opportunity to study in the same schools where American children got their education.

At age six, I was reading the same books American students read in the U.S. For example, I remember studying English using the green and red books of Dick, Jane and Sally. I recall reading about a black-and-white dog named Spot and a brown teddy bear named Tim. All our teacher were contracted in the United States to work in Changuinola using the same educational system used by the State of Massachusetts.

Being raised in an American community, very similar to the Panama Canal Zone, I was directly exposed to the American culture. We watched the same movies and listened to the same pop songs popular in Continental United States at that time. I had a crush on Doris Day and admired the way British actor Dick Bogarde performed. He was so distinguished!

I was raised listening to the music of Elvis Presley, Peter, Paul & Mary, The Beatles, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, and Simon & Garfunkel. I really enjoyed Simon & Garfunkel, and was fixated to songs like "I Am A Rock" and "The Sounds of Silence". I could listen forever to the lyrics of Graceland. While this isn't really by definition a "concept album", I love how some of the songs on this album evoke a deep southern feeling, gradually moving to African beats, and then again to the nostalgic deep south moods.

Paul Simon surrounded himself with some amazing and contrasting musicians from South Africa and America like Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Yousou N'dour, the Everly Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, and many others. He felt equally at ease with traditional American instruments as well as exotic African musical instruments. In my opinion, Paul Simon greatly contributed to expose the racial problems of South Africa's "apartheid" by bringing their music to the world's scenarios.

I think Paul Simon's concerts in South Africa, and Americans hearing the music from Africa did a lot to get people to start thinking that something had to be done. Apartheid started to unravel in the early 90s with Nelson Mandela's release from prison in February 1990. By 1994, South Africa held it's first democratic elections, when all races were able to vote. Artists like Ladysmith Black Mambazo were instrumental in the struggle against apartheid.

Of his many concert appearances, Paul Simon is most fond of two concerts held in Central Park in New York (with his partner and childhood friend Art Garfunkel in 1981 and as a solo artist in 1991) and the series of shows he did at the invitation of Nelson Mandela in South Africa: the first American artist to perform in post-apartheid South Africa.

During his distinguished career, Paul Simon has been the recipient of many honors and awards, including 12 Grammy Awards, three of which ("Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Still Crazy After All These Years" and "Graceland") were albums of the year. In 2003 he was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his work as half of the duo Simon and Garfunkel.

He is an inductee of The Songwriters Hall of Fame and is in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame both as a member of Simon and Garfunkel and as a solo artist. His song "Mrs. Robinson" from the motion picture "The Graduate" was named in the top ten of The American Film Institute's 100 Years 100 Songs. He was a recipient of The Kennedy Center Honors in 2003 and was named as one of Time Magazine's "100 People Who Shape Our World" in 2006.

I would like to single out four songs which are a breath of fresh air due to the beauty of the music "per se" , as well as the lyrics of the songs. I encourage you to listen to all four of them, you won't be disappointed. These are:

1. Me And Julio Down by the School Yard
2. Graceland
3. You Can Call Me Al
4. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes

You can easily notice the influence of the Southern Americana feel as well as the African rhythms in these awesome songs. I could listen to "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" over and over again in an endless loop. For your ready reference, by clicking here, you can read the lyrics of this authentic African song.

IMHO, Paul Simon is an American icon. His legacy in deeply embedded in the American culture, just like Apple, Coca Cola, hamburgers, 4th of July fireworks, or a sizzling summer barbecue.

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