Andy Williams

Friends In High Places: 5 Weird Actor/Musician Friendships

You or I may not be a fan of Justin Bieber, but you know who is? Mike Tyson, that's who. As Iron Mike explained a little while ago, he thinks Bieber is "pretty awesome." Apparently the ex-heavyweight champ got turned into a Belieber through his wife, who hooks Tyson up with most of his music. This ... More >>

Throw Back

Catch Me If You Can has loads of action, but the story's a little thin.

Those Are People Who Died, Died: Musical Passings of 2012

Rocks Off put it off as long as we could, because December has been a pretty rough month. It always is for music. (Hollywood, too.) But it's time to call the roll of people who played or sang their last note in 2012, plus a few who were just as instrumental offstage. Precious few corners of the mus ... More >>

Christmas Past: Top 10 Christmas Movie Soundtracks

While we celebrate the holidays, Rocks Off is resurrecting a few of our best Christmas-themed blogs from the past few years. (Wait... resurrecting is Easter. Never mind.) This blog originally appeared December 14, 2010. No doubt you have all been chin-deep in Christmas movies since you undid your b ... More >>

The American Bandstand (Extended) Hot 100

Somehow it's hard to believe that Dick Clark was only 82 years old when he died after suffering a "massive heart attack" Wednesday morning in Santa Monica, Calif. (Since I managed to survive one myself, I've noticed that anytime someone dies of a heart attack, it's always "massive."). Despite his yo ... More >>

Houston Scores Big-Time In Latest Edition Of Encyclopedia Of Country Music: Part 5

While Houston played a huge part in the early history of country music, by the end of the 1950s a new breed of artist was coming on the scene. Western Swing, for all purposes, was a relic, and although honky-tonk was still a force in the charts and on radio, its share of the pie was waning. The arr ... More >>

Classic Christmas: Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas

Over the holidays, we're looking back at some classic Christmas albums taking some track by track and just digging on others. ​Let me just get this out of the way right off the bat: I don't care for Mannheim Steamroller. I think their music is odd and a little creepy. But, that doesn't mean 1 ... More >>

Classic Christmas: Ella Fitzgerald's Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas

Over the holidays, we're looking back at some classic Christmas albums taking some track by track and just digging on others. ​There is an admission that I have to make having written all these Classic Christmas posts this year. When I think of Christmas, I don't think of carols or choirs or ... More >>

Classic Christmas: Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song

Over the holidays, we're looking back at some classic Christmas albums taking some track by track and just digging on others. ​Originally titled The Magic of Christmas, when it was released in 1963, this collection of Christmas songs was basically cobbled together in support of what many -- m ... More >>

Classic Christmas: Elvis' Christmas Album

Over the holidays, we're looking back at some classic Christmas albums taking some track by track and just digging on others. ​In 1957 at the near peak of his early success, Elvis Presley did what many artists did: He made a Christmas record. The result was what would become one of the best s ... More >>

Classic Christmas: The Perry Como Christmas Album

Over the holidays, we're looking back at some classic Christmas albums taking some track by track and just digging on others. ​When we think back now about the 1950's, we tend to idealize them as the birth of rock and roll, when kids were wearing leather jackets and rebelling against their pa ... More >>

Classic Christmas: Bing Crosby's White Christmas

Over the holidays, we're looking back at some classic Christmas albums taking some track by track and just digging on others. ​Bing Crobsy was the first crossover pop star. He made movies, music, appeared in both radio and television programs and did all of it successfully and, more important ... More >>

Classic Christmas: Charles Brown & Friends' Merry Christmas Baby

Over the holidays, we're looking back at some classic Christmas albums taking some track by track and just digging on others. ​Blues musician Charles Brown released and re-released Christmas songs numerous times throughout his career. The Texas City native got a lot of mileage out of Christma ... More >>

Classic Christmas: Johnny Mathis' Merry Christmas

Over the holidays, we're looking back at some classic Christmas albums taking some track by track and just digging on others. ​On the popular '70s and '80s sitcom The Jeffersons whenever George wanted to get Weezie in the mood, all he had to do was mimic the voice of Johnny Mathis while singi ... More >>

Classic Christmas: The Andy Williams Christmas Album

​There are two reasons we think of Andy Williams fondly. First, there is the classic episode of The Simpsons when Bart, Milhouse, Nelson and Martin travel to Branson where they see Williams perform. A teary-eyed Nelson said, "I didn't think he'd do "Moon River," but then -- bam! -- second enco ... More >>

Classic Christmas: The Carpenters' Christmas Portrait

Over the holidays, we're looking back at some classic Christmas albums taking some track by track and just digging on others. ​In the '70s, there was a smoothness to the music. It was cool and mellow and as sensitive as a bear skin rug and a glass of Burgundy. And nothing epitomized that time ... More >>

Last Night: GWAR At House Of Blues

Check out our slideshow of GWAR's messy concert. GWAR has to be the most quintessentially American band that has ever existed. They play disgustingly loud hardcore-inflected thrash while covered in blood and gore, hating celebrities as much as your average citizen -- even to the point of wanting to ... More >>

Record Store Day: If You Take A Dump, Don't Tell The Staff

Marco TorresCarlos Hernandez and Los Skarnales' Felipe Galvan at Cactus Music's "Day of the Dead" opening last year.​Today is Tax Day (boo), but it's also payday for a lot of people, which comes in handy because tomorrow is Record Store Day. In a few short years, RSD has become one of the bigg ... More >>

Top 10 Christmas Movie Soundtracks

​No doubt you have all been chin-deep in Christmas movies since you undid your belt on Thanksgiving evening. Rocks Off made sure to steal a copy of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation from our folks' house before the calendar even hit December. Unlike other blogs, we don't hate all Christm ... More >>

Mickey Newbury: Houston's Forgotten Genius

"Hank Williams' pain songs, Newbury's train songs/ And 'Blue Eyes Cryin' In the Rain' - Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings, "Luckenbach, Texas" ​Lonesome, Onry and Mean was sitting around having a few cold pops the other night when we put on The Best of Mickey Newbury. It wasn't long before the ... More >>

Sarahmania Hits Houston

What did we learn?

Five Things We Learned From Sarah Palin's Big Houston Visit

Photo by Pete Vonder Haar​Houston was the epicenter of Palinmania this weekend, as her fans breathlessly awaited her appearances at a Rick Perry rally and some sort of motivational convention.There were many things to take away from the whirlwind visit of the woman who is ostentatiously keep ... More >>

Tender Mercies

Bombing survivor Sam Baker comes to grips with forgiveness on Cotton.

Mickey Raphael on Willie Nelson, Naked and Clothed

www.mickeyraphael.comFor a disarmingly large number of his worldwide fans, Willie Nelson burst onto the country music scene in the mid-'70s, fully hirsute, sporting an earring and proclaiming the joys of being on the road again. Real aficionados know that his "overnight success" came only afte ... More >>

Digitalia: iTunes' Top Holiday Songs

The holiday season is a time to enjoy favorite pastimes like expanding your credit-card debt, eating way too much food, and arguing with your relatives. And of course, there's the best staple of them all: butchering holiday jingles. Never finding a song they didn't want to shill, iTunes offers an e ... More >>

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

The Toyota Center

From Britney to U2: The 2007 NFL Preview

Bears in Bed

SNL writer T. Sean Shannon stands up for himself at the Laff Stop

Songbird Silenced

Pioneering singer/songwriter and native Houstonian Mickey Newbury passes away

Don't Fence Us In

Aztex refuses to be ghettoized in the Tejano market

Best Open-Mike Night

Thursdays at Dan Electro's Guitar Bar

Baby, It's Him

Burt Bacharach isn't making a comeback -- he never left

Rotation

Marie or Maria?

That Osmond girl fits right in with The Sound of Music

The Burial and Resurrection (maybe) of Doug Sanders

For 14 years, Doug Sanders ran Houston's most celebrity-filled golf tournament. Then he was accused of sticking his hand in the till. Now he wants to come back.