Bob Ruggiero

It was a warm summer evening on July 14, 1985 as I sat in the audience at AstroWorld’s Southern Star Ampitheater awaiting a show by Crosby, Stills and Nash. But before the trio took the stage, there was an opening set by The Band. The Band? I was ...

Quick, think of a jazz instrument. What is it? Chances are you might have a mental picture of a saxophone, trumpet, or drums. Or even a piano. But that black and white keyboard’s kissin’ cousin, the organ (if thought of at all) is probably way dow...

As the former lead singer/guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad, Mark Farner’s voice and playing have been classic rock staples on stereo systems and radio for more than 50 years. Tracks he wrote or covered include “Some Kind of Wonderful,” “Bad Time,...

With the recent death of Larry McMurtry at the age of 84, Texas lost one of its biggest literary stars and influences. Someone whose works managed to be both popular and of higher ambition at the same time. And of course, found even wider fame in ...

When singer/guitarist Ricky Byrd looks back upon the Big Moments of his life, it would be pretty hard to beat the evening of April 18, 2015. There’s when on the stage of Cleveland’s Public Hall, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...

November 15, 2019. That was the last time I saw a live music concert when I caught the Drive-By Truckers at the Heights Theater. It was so long ago that the band previewed songs from a not-yet-released record, and since that time they’ve put out a...