We're all about the history of rock & roll at BoomtownAmerica.com!

Every Wednesday, we present “ROCK REMEMBERED,” where we take a deep dive into the hidden history of rock & roll, the stories behind the artists and songs that changed the world. Join host, “Boomtown Bill” Cross each Wednesday at 7 pm (Eastern) with an encore broadcast on Saturday at 7 am (Eastern).

On this week's show, we pay tribute to one of rock's most underrated artists - Ricky Nelson!

Sure, we all know that exercise is good for you, but recent study shows that an early morning out door walk is beneficial for a few more reasons.

1. Sunlight suppresses production of the hormone melatonin, which helps us sleep. Suppressing its production early in the day allows you to produce more at night, when you need it.
   
   
2. Besides the obvious cardiovascular benefits of walking, regular aerobic exercise also increases the part of the brain associated with learning and memory.

Simon & Garfunkel achieved a phenomenal level of success with a minimal number of albums. The boys released just 5 studio albums during the 1960s and zero live albums.

It wasn’t planned that way. The duo had several of their shows recorded, but those recordings went unreleased for several years.

If you are a fan of Paul & Artie (and what Baby Boomer isn’t?), here is a list of all the official releases of their live albums:

Live from New York City, 1967 – This could’ve been their first live album, recorded at Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City on January 22, 1967. This was right before the release of the movie, The Graduate, that really catapulted them to the upper echelons of rock acts.

As such, it contains live versions of many of their earlier album tracks as well as a handful of tunes they never recorded in the studio.

For whatever reason, this album sat on the shelf for years. Five songs from the concert were included on a Simon & Garfunkel box set that was released in 1997.

When the live album was finally released in 2002, 35 years after its recording, one of the songs used on the box set (“Red Rubber Ball”) was omitted.

Live 1969 – The duo went on tour just after recording, but prior to the release of, Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Columbia recorded many of these shows with the thought that they would finally release a live Simon & Garfunkel album. Why this album was shelved, no one is saying. Perhaps the fact that Simon & Garfunkel quickly went their separate ways after Bridge Over Troubled Waters decreased Columbia Records’ enthusiasm for the project.

Two of the songs from this album were the first live material released when “For Emily, Wherever I May Find Her” and “Kathy’s Song” showed up on 1972’s “Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits.”

The album finally had its first public release as a Starbucks-exclusive CD in 2008 before receiving a wide general release in 2009. It was also included as the second disc in a 2-CD reissue with Bridge Over Troubled Waters.

The Concert for Central Park – The third attempt at a live recording was the first to be released.  It was recorded in 1981 when Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had decided to reunite for a special benefit concert. The show in Central Park attracted more than 500,000 people. and was videotaped for HBO. A double album of the concert was released in 1982.

The success of this event led to Paul and Artie reuniting on a world tour and starting work on a new studio album. But the old tensions re-emerged, and Simon had Garfunkel’s vocal tracks erased, releasing the album, titled Hearts and Bones, as a solo effort.

Old Friends: Live on Stage – The boys patched up their differences and embarked on another reunion tour in 2003. This album is compiled from a series of shows they performed at Madison Square Garden that year. This set is unique because it also features the Everly Brothers as special guests. Obviously, a huge influence on Simon & Garfunkel, Don & Phil performed a couple of their classic tunes and then joined Paul and Artie on “Bye-Bye Love” (which S&G had previously recorded for their Bridge Over Troubled Waters LP). The Everly Brothers' solo songs do not appear on the CD, but are included on a DVD version of this release. This release also features one new Simon & Garfunkel studio song, “Citizen of the Planet,” a tune Simon wrote in the 1980s, but did not complete with Garfunkel until the time of this tour.

So, there you have it. Simon & Garfunkel have now released almost as many live albums as studio albums. Have fun listening!

Now, more than half a century later, there has never been a rock & roll film that has surpassed “A Hard Day’s Night.” Not only is it a great rock movie and a superb time capsule showing how insane Beatlemania was at its height, but it is simply a great movie (having made many “100 Greatest Films” lists) that influenced many subsequent filmmakers and is credited with single-handedly inventing the music video.

The next time you watch this classic, here are some things you can watch for that you might have missed before.

• The film’s shooting title was “Beatlemania.” Who made the actual decision to change it to “A Hard Day’s Night” is in dispute, but all agree the phrase was originally created by Ringo after a grueling work session.
• United Artists was sure that Beatlemania was just a passing fad. They authorized a very small budget ($500,000), and memos at the time show that the studio thought the film would lose money. They were really only interested in the soundtrack album (where they believed they would make up the money they lost on the film). That’s the main reason the film was shot in black and white.
• Those opening scenes, where the boys are being chased by rabid fans to and through Marylebone Rail Station in London? The boys really are running for their lives. The film company used genuine Beatles fans who actually were trying to get their hands on the Fab Four.
• Look closely and you’ll see that George falls during that chase and Ringo goes tumbling after him. There was no way to cut due to those screaming fans. So the lads have to pick themselves up and continue their mad dash.
• While the script seems at times to be ad-libbed, it was all scripted. Screenwriter Allun Owen spent several weeks with the Beatles, and all concerned say he came away with an incredible knack for being able to mimic their cheeky style.
• One of the young schoolgirls on the train was Patti Boyd, who went on to become George Harrison’s first wife and later, Eric Clapton’s wife. She was also to inspire the songs “Something (In the Way She Moves)” and “Layla.”
• In the famous “Can’t Buy Me Love” scene (credited with being the very first rock video), John was not available for the filming, and so a double was used for the aerial shots.
• There is an “in” joke in the constant references to Paul’s grandfather as a “clean old man.” At that time, the actor playing John McCartney (Wilfred Bramell) played a junk man on British TV’s Steptoe and Son (the later American version was named Sanford and Son). As Steptoe, Bramell was constantly called a “dirty old man.” So the “clean old man” gags were funny to British audiences, but went right over the heads of American audiences.
• During the rapid-fire press conference/cocktail party, asked what he calls his hairstyle, George replies, “Arthur.” That name was picked up and used as the name of an early, trendy New York discotheque (pre-Studio 54).
• Don’t know if you’ll recognize him, but a very young Phil Collins is in the audience of kids at the televised concert that comes near the end of the film.
• Studio execs at United Artists in the States thought the Beatles’ accents would be incomprehensible to American audiences and asked that their real voices be replaced by voice actors with more “proper” British accents. Director Richard Lester declined their request.
• Where’s Paul’s solo scene? The other three Beatles all get short solo scenes: George with a TV producer, John with a dancer, and, of course, Ringo going “adventuring.” But why no solo scene for Paul?
• Actually, there was. It was an encounter between Paul and an actress that happens while Paul is out looking for Ringo. The scene was shot but cut from the film because director Richard Lester felt it simply didn’t work. It came off as too stagey. Alas, the footage for this unused scene was destroyed by the studio in the days long before home video and bonus features were ever dreamed of. However, the scene did make it into the paperback novelization of the film, and the actual script for it can be found here.
• The group’s name, “the Beatles,” is never said, even once, during the film. (It does appear on Ringo’s drum kit, the stage lighting during the concert, and a helicopter at the end, but no one ever mentions their name out loud.)

Do yourself a favor and rent, buy, or stream a copy of this classic soon.

If you’ve managed to eliminate debt for your life, good for you! But before you cut up ALL your credit cards, we have something you may need to think about.

Leaving without credit can actually have a negative impact on your credit score. If you don’t have any debt, your credit will simply disappear.

Why is that a bad thing? Without a credit score, you may wind up pay higher rates for things like auto and home insurance. You may have trouble leasing a car or singing up for cable, internet or cell phone service. And you’ll have real trouble should you ever need something like a car loan.

Experts recommend that you keep at least one card and use it regularly for smaller purchases, such as gas or groceries. If you pay off the card promptly, you won’t amass any debt, plus you’ll keep your credit score high.