Tag: St. Louis

#MusicMonday Remembering Bob Kuban: A St. Louis Music Icon

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I found out that St. Louis bandleader Bob Kuban died on Monday, January 20, 2025 at the age of 84. Bob Kuban and The In-Men’s single “The Cheater” peaked at no. 12 on the national charts in 1966.

Bob Kuban was a fixture in St. Louis. As a St. Louisan, I remember him best for his columns on local musical events in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. I was bemused by this clean-cut guy calling Iggy Pop (or was it Iggy Stooge then?), who was due to perform in St. Louis, a “genius.”

When I think about Bob Kuban, I can’t help but think about his singer Walter Scott, whose lurid death has been the subject of true crime TV shows.

Rock & Roll House of Fame Class of 2020 – Doobie Brothers

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Damn. With all the attention paid to the recent Presidential elections and coronavirus, I overlooked the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominations and inductions. While I think that the whole damn thing is a farce, it is always fun to grouse about who was nominated or not nominated and who was ultimately inducted or not.

The Doobie Brothers were inducted this year. I was never a fan of the Doobie Brothers’ music and I was grossed out by the album cover’s centerfold showing naked band members and women.

The Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald (center)

Still, I have to give a shoutout to local boy Michael McDonald. Here’s a picture of Michael McDonald with his first band Mike and the Majestics:

Mike and the Majestics

Damn. I remember those collarless plaid shirts. My brother had one and I think that he wore it in a school photo.

PS The source for this picture is the Metro St. Louis Live Music Historical Society, http://www.stlmusicyesterdays.com. This website also provides a lot of coverage on Gayle McCormack, whom I featured in a past article.

#MusicMonday Smith featuring Gayle McCormick “Baby It’s You”

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Gayle McCormick was a singer from St. Louis whose biggest hit was a cover of Burt Bacharach’s Baby It’s You with a group called Smith (not to be confused with The Smiths featuring Morrissey!). Smith broke up after two albums and after that, Gayle released three solo albums

  1. Gayle McCormick, released 1971 on ABC/Dunhill Records
  2. Flesh & Blood, released 1972 on Decca Records
  3. One More Hour, released 1974 on Fantasy Records
Remembering Gayle McCormick

In the mid-1970s, Gayle left the music industry and went home to St. Louis, where she lived a quiet life.

Gayle died of cancer on March 1, 2016 in suburban St. Louis. She was 67 years old.

Gayle’s grave marker in Mt. Lebanon Cemetery, Saint Ann, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA

Many think that Gayle McCormick should have had a longer, more successful music career. What do you think?

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Good news for my hometown St. Louis

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God knows that my hometown of St. Louis could benefit from good news, particularly after Ferguson and STL’s unsavory reputation for murder (read this horrific story).

Now the good news:

The Saint Louis Fashion Incubator (SLFI) is accepting applications for its inaugural class through July 14, 2016. It is backed by the Saint Louis Fashion Fund and Washington University in St. Louis’s Olin Business School. The two-year program will provide financial support, educational opportunities, and free workspace to its 6 chosen designers.

Industry leaders will select a group of six designers to participate in the two-year Midwestern accelerator program.

Source: Saint Louis Fashion Incubator Now Accepting Applications for Inaugural Class – Fashionista