Forget hits—he has a whole beat named after him. That is the epitome of awesome.
top 10
Bjork/Sugarcubes
You know what’s fun? Sitting on the green at college with your friends singing along to “Birthday” (“singing” = humming during the verses and then screaming out the chorus, which is basically screaming). Also: swan dress. Go Bjork.
Billie Holiday
This list was starting to feel a little pop/rock heavy, but with Bessie, Betty, and now Billie in a row, I guess things are balancing out. There are times when I literally can’t listen to Billie Holiday—there’s so much pain there, it’s kind of overwhelming.
Betty Carter
I’ve only written two fan letters in my life. One was to Betty Carter. I’ve also only seen one artist live more than once in my life. You guessed it: Betty Carter (4 times, I think). Her voice ain’t pretty, but … damn. RIP Betty Carter.
Bessie Smith
I’d rather listen to Bessie Smith’s “I Ain’t Go Nobody” than David Lee Roth’s any day. I realize that’s not saying much. Also, the rumor is that she liked girls. For a black woman in the 1920s, that’s saying kind of a lot.
Beatles
Sure. YOU try picking a top 10 list for the Beatles. It’s bad enough they had 800 #1 hits. They also had 800 styles, genres, etc. The only no-brainer is “Here Comes the Sun”—that might be my favorite song of all time.
Beastie Boys
My son used to think the line was “Mom you’re just jealous it’s the B Street Boys!” The B Street Boys were some kind of Disney boy band, kind of like the Jonas Brothers. I don’t think they ever sang—let alone rapped—about porno mags.
Beach Boys
The Beach Boys’ America and my America have just about nothing in common. I like the ones that aren’t about surfing or fast cars best. That pretty much leaves the ones about girls, but hey, I can pretend that “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” was an early call for gay marriage, right?
B. B. King
B. B. King gets kind of a bad reputation for being a “supper club” blues musician. I don’t know if that’s warranted or not. I do know that I wish old school musicians would stop recording duet albums with younger musicians to try to seem hip to a new generation. Dude, you’re already more hip than Clapton.
Band
I know exactly zero about the Band. I know they backed Dylan for a while. I know the Staple Singers covered “The Weight.” I know Joni Mitchell appeared in their concert movie “The Last Waltz.” OK, I guess I know three things about them.
Playlist of the Day 