Tom Jones

Paul Anka, Ladies' Man and Sinatra Worshipper, Tells It His Way

My Way: An Autobiography By Paul Anka with David Dalton St. Martin's Press, 384 pp., $29.99 Currently celebrating his 55th year in show business with this autobiography and the new CD Duets -- which finds him singing with artists like Celine Dion, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and (through the magic ... More >>

Is Adele's "Skyfall" the Worst Bond Theme of All Time?

Fifty years after the release of the very first Hollywood adaptation of Ian Fleming's superspy, James Bond returns to make his 23rd appearance on the silver screen this month in Skyfall, Daniel Craig's third crack at the character. The media blitz for the film's premiere is already in full effect, l ... More >>

10 Great Hal David Lyrics: "Enough Germs to Catch Pneumonia"

The music world truly lost one of the greats when songwriter Hal David passed away at age 91 following a stroke this past Saturday in Los Angeles. To borrow an old joke, the lyricist wasn't from the old school, he was from the school they tore down to build the old school: The artists who covered hi ... More >>

Mud Sharks, Satanism and Stairways: The Truth About Zep!

Get Lit: Led Zeppelin FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Greatest Hard Rock Band of All Time By George Case 370 pp., $19.99, www.backbeatbooks.com This entry into Backbeat's exhaustive and incredibly detailed FAQ series tackles the mighty Zep - so there's plenty of coverage about purported Sata ... More >>

Rest Of The Best: Houston's Top 8 Jukeboxes

Along with pickled pig's feet and a steady supply of Slim Jims, a good jukebox is a prime element for any great bar. But, like dinosaurs, jukeboxes are a vanishing breed. Unlike digital jukes, iPods or DJs, jukeboxes require love, care and maintenance, as well as -- among the truly great ones -- som ... More >>

Idol Beat: American Idiots

Spoiler alert: the smug one wins.​Thanks to Shea Serrano for taking the bullet yesterday. After what felt like eons, the 10th season of American Idol lurched to its inevitable anticlimax last night. It was as especially torturous affair, stretching well over two hours and mixing performances ... More >>

Capsule Stage Reviews: A Fertle Farewell, I Do! I Do!, The Miracle Worker, The Pearl Fishers

Capsule Stage Reviews: Gone Missing, I Do! I Do!, An Inspector Calls, OVO, Shards of Love

I Do! I Do!

What To Do When The Crowd Yells "Free Bird!"

​Sooooooo.... Thursday, the U.S. Constitution was read aloud on the floor of the House of Representatives, an act that Rocks Off views as the government equivalent of doing your homework on the morning bus, but whatever. Just as Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J. was reading the bit about the eligibi ... More >>

Plus-Size Songs For Those Post-Holiday Pounds

​One of the reasons Lonesome Onry and Mean's local waterhole is our local waterhole is its excellent, eclectic, even exotic jukebox. There's truly something for everyone. For the novices and/or narrow-minded, there are easy defaults like Willie Nelson & Family's Live, the Stones' Exile on Mai ... More >>

Music's Top Five Hottest Trends For 2011

Photo illustrations by John Seaborn Gray​Every year-end Rocks Off prognosticates the likeliest trends in music for the upcoming year. So far, we've got a 100 percent success rate, although since the FBI made us take down all of our previous predictions, we have no way to prove it. So you'll j ... More >>

Paul Anka

From '50s teen idol to master composer, the writer behind "Diana" takes the stage

Capsule Stage Reviews: The Complete History of America (Abridged), The Girl, The Grouch, and The Goat, Panic

Lonesome Onry and Mean: The Rockabilly Country Soul of Big Al Downing

Maybe the most successful African-American country artist of the post-Charley Pride period was Big Al Downing. Talk about a guy who could blur the line between country and soul. An affable Oklahoman, Downing had a huge baritone voice that could melt hearts. Downing's career began in rockabilly. Aft ... More >>

Aftermath: More Drums and Drummers Than We Ever Thought We'd See at an Intercontinental Airport Hangar

Videos by Craig Hlavaty Any drummer jokes, say the one about Ginger Baker and coffee both sucking without Cream, pretty much have to go out the window when you enter an expansive warehouse that includes over 100 boys and girls, and men and women, pounding on their respective kits. Sometimes in tand ... More >>

My Ding-a-Ling: Iggy Pop, Tommy Lee and Rock's Other Dirk Digglers

This album isn't called Fore! because Huey Lewis likes to play golf...​So the other day, Rocks Off wrote briefly about Huey Lewis in regards to the Back To The Future soundtrack, not even thinking to chime in just a little bit about his reportedly huge male member. You know that certain part of th ... More >>

“Louisiana’s Most Wanted: Charles Barbier and Hunter Roth”

Web exclusive!

Aftermath: Morrissey at Jones Hall

Craig HlavatyTropical Storm Morrissey blew through Jones Hall Saturday night, leaving a full house of hyperventilated fans - never more so than when, during "Let Me Kiss You," he removed his shirt to reveal an enviable set of abs - and more than a few moist eyes in its wake; after the sh ... More >>

Five Biggest Houston Deaths This Year

One thing about being famous and dying -- you don't want to do it too late in the year.Early December, great; you'll be fresh when every media outlet puts together its "They Will Be Missed" list (We're looking at you, Van Johnson). Late December and you find yourself left off the lists that are put ... More >>

Tony Joe White

The Wayback Machine: 15, 10, and five years ago in Houston music

Over the Weekend: Radiohead, Gyro Eating, Tom Jones Memorial and Astros

Over the Weekend: Art Cars, Rice Village and Astros, Astros, Astros

Tom Jones

The author of Sky Walking: An Astronaut’s Memoir definitely believes they put a man on the moon…it was him

Bobby "Blue" Bland

Whistle Down the Wind

Andrew Lloyd Webber tackles Jesus

Time Warner Giveth, Time Warner Taketh Away

The H-Town Blues Festival

The H-Town Blues Festival will be held Saturday, February 3, at the Reliant Arena, 8400 Kirby Drive, 713-667-1400.

Capsule Reviews

ENCORE

"Power" Players

Husband Wanted

TUTS's 110 in the Shade may be old-fashioned, but it's a charmer

One Hot Show

Neil Diamond; Bobby Bare

12 Songs; The Moon Was Blue

Setting the Stage

August is over, and a new theater season is upon us

Party On, Dan

Who knew HPD gave away free heroin shots?

Capsule Reviews

Our critics weigh in on local theater

Capsule Reviews

Our critics weigh in on local theater

Death Rap

Heart attack survivor Everlast stares down the Grim Reaper on his latest

Playbill

Experimental Folk: Shawn Phillips, Tom Jones

Best of Burt

Outdated Dinner

The Fantasticks falls flat with stale themes

Wicked Rush

Dutch Treat

Press Picks

Rotation

Rotation

Live Shots

Bill-bored

At least Tom Jones left the mesh shirt at home

Celting Point

Plus: Less Donna McK., archiving Texas folk music, and Iggy's eats Jelly