Midnight Train To Georgia – Gladys Knight & The Pips
I first heard “Midnight Train to Georgia” the way it should be heard—long after dark, radio turned low, a city…
My World Is Empty Without You – The Supremes
I can still hear the count-in that isn’t on the record. In my head there’s a click, a breath, and…
The Cyrkle – Red Rubber Ball
The night air always makes old AM-radio hits sound bigger than they are. Maybe it’s the way darkness strips away…
Buddy Holly – True Love Ways
I like to begin with tape hiss. Before the music has a face, there’s that faint air in the room—the…
Promises – Baby it’s you
I first heard Promises’ “Baby It’s You” on a night drive, that in-between hour when the city empties and radio…
Johnny Mathis – When I Am With You
Johnny Mathis records are best met the way you greet a whisper in a quiet room—without hurry, without a need…
Johnny Mathis – The Windmills Of Your Mind
I first hear Johnny Mathis breathe in before the first line and I’m back in a dim 2 a.m. kitchen,…
Johnny Mathis – The Twelfth of Never
Johnny Mathis’s 1957 recording of “The Twelfth of Never” is one of those rare popular standards that distills romance to…
Johnny Mathis – Small World
Johnny Mathis’s 1959 recording of “Small World” is one of those rare crossovers where a Broadway tune slips gracefully into…
Johnny Mathis – Wild Is the Wind
When Johnny Mathis recorded “Wild Is the Wind” in 1957, he wasn’t merely adding another elegant slow dance to his…