We lost one of the real architects of rock this month. Songwriter Cynthia Weil passed away on June 1^st, 2023 at the age of 82.

Weil teamed up with husband Barry Mann to write so many of the songs that made growing up in the 60s great, including “On Broadway,” “Kicks,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” “Uptown,” “Walking in the Rain,” “Only in America” and, of course, “(You’ve Lost) That Lovin’ Feelin’.”

Often grouped with other husband-wife combos Gerry Goffin & Carole King and Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich, Weil became known as part of the “Brill Building” school that dominated rock between its original early rocker phase (Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, etc.) through the beginnings of the British Invasion.

While many of the rockers who followed in the wake of the Beatles wrote their own material Mann & Weill continued to crank out hits for those singers who relied on others for their material. In fact, the duo composed “Somewhere Out There” for the movie An American Tail, which became a huge hit for Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram and earned the couple two Grammy awards.

Along with her husband, Weil has been inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

She is survived by her husband, Barry Mann, and daughter, Jenn Mann.

Rock & R&B legend and force of nature, Tina Turner has passed away at the age of 83 following a long illness.

Born Annie Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee, Tina first achieved fame with her husband Ike as the lead vocalist in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. While they scored numerous hits on the R&B charts, crossing over to Top 40 in the early 60s proved sporadic. Phil Spector took Tina into the studio (famously locking Ike out) and created the classic “River Deep, Mountain High.” While the song raced up the charts in the UK (peaking at #3), it failed to score in the U.S. (reaching only #88).

It wasn’t until the Rolling Stones used the Ike & Tina Revue as the opening act on their 1969 tour of the United States that she finally received her first real success on American pop charts, scoring a huge hit with a reimagining of Creedence Clearwater’s “Proud Mary” in 1971 and a minor success in 1973 with the original “Nutbush City Limits,” written by Tina herself.

Finally splitting from her overcontrolling and abusive husband Ike, Tina achieved the total pop success she deserved with the 1984 release of her debut Capitol album Private Dancer. The multi-platinum release spawned three Top 10 successes with “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “Better Be Good to Me” and the title track.

Her life and turbulent marriage then became the subject of the 1993 hit movie What’s Love Got to Do with It, based on Tina’s autobiography, with Angela Bassett earning an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Tina.

From then on, her position as a rock icon was firmly established. Tina eventually settled in Switzerland and became a citizen of that country. She has been hailed for overcoming all the stereotypes about race, gender and age with a career that lasted into her old age.

We will miss her.

Okay, you know enough not to click on links in suspicious emails, but did you know that when you look up the phone number of your bank online, you may get a bum steer?

Fraudsters have now found ways to have phony phone numbers show up when you use a search end to try and locate the number of your bank or other financial institution. Experts recommend that you go directly to your bank’s website and find the correct phone number there.

Yes, we all know about exercise and eating less, but there are 3 easy steps we can take to help keep our weight down as w get older:

1.) Start your day with protein – Yes, America’s tradition is to load up on fruits and grains to start our day, but the experts say that eating about 30 grams of protein helps promotes muscle mass, which in turn reduces fat gain.

2.) Eat fewer processed foods – Keeping with farm-grown fruits and vegetables as well as avoiding processed foods can help keep your weight down as well as promoting a healthier heart.

3.) Move at least 30 minutes a day – Whether it’s taking a daily walk, doing yard work or other tasks that keep you mobile, a minimum of 30 minutes of activity will help maintaining a lower weight.

Party on, dudes!

Some 58 years after Pete Townsend swore “I Hope I die before I get old,” the Who is still rocking with the release of yet another live album, The Who with Orchestra Live at Wembley - a stunning 2-CD set recorded at that world famous stadium venue back in 2019, released in March, 2023.

The orchestra in question is the 57-piece Isobel Griffiths Ltd. Orchestra and they add a majestic depth to what had always been a solid wall of sound from the Who’s core members. But what is equally amazing is that surviving founders Roger Daltrey & Townsend also perform some of the group’s most bombastic standards in acoustic versions, no orchestra & no electric instruments. The result is a total delight for fans of the band or just rock & rollers in general.

Yes, the set includes plenty of Who classics, “Pinball Wizard,” “Baba O’Reilly,” “Substitute,” “Won’t’ Get Fooled Again,” etc. But they also fold in some lesser-known tracks from their more recent outings, like “Hero Ground Zero,” “Ball and Chain” and “Tea & Theatre.”

The highlight of this offering is a condensed version of what many consider Townsend’s masterpiece, Quadrophenia, performed with the full force of all 57 members of the orchestra.

And what’s truly amazing is simply that Townsend and Daltrey are still performing (especially considering the always tumultuous history of the band), but that they continue to perform with such force and vitality. Time has taken only a little from Daltrey’s voice, but he still sings with a great range and power much younger singers can’t muster. Ditto for Townsend. He may not be capable of the astounding athletic leaps of his youth, but his guitar playing is faultless.

In the absence of departed founding members Keith Moon and John Entwistle, the core of the Who has been strengthened by long-time drummer Zak Starkey (Yes, Ringo’s kid) as well as Pete’s brother Simon Townsend on guitar and Jon Button on bass.

Devotees of the group have always maintained their real strength was their live performances, so it’s great to see that pushing 80, the Who is still among the top live acts in the rock world. We urge you to check out The Who with Orchestra Live at Wembley.

Just see Manny down at Sounds Unlimited...

There is a common myth that you need to drink 8 glasses of water. We’re sure you’ve heard it, but is it true?

It may surprise you to know that there is absolutely no science to back up that assertion. If you’re a bit squeamish, you may want to stop reading now. Experts actually say, you should judge your level of hydration by checking the color of your urine. Not kidding. You need to aim for a light yellow color.

One of the older scams is something called check washing. It involves thieves taking letters, often outgoing mail left unattended in mailboxes, but some can even snatch letters from Post Office collection boxes.

Then, use something as common as the acetone in nail polish remover they are able to remove the name on the “Pay To” line as well as the amount of the check, leaving the original signature untouched. Then, they’re free to write in whatever amount to whatever payee they want.

How can you protect yourself from this scam?

1.) Use online payments – The best and simplest solution is to pay for what you need online. Most banks offer this service for those who have check accounts with them. Also, many utilities, insurance companies and other vendors offer amount online paying services. This way, there are no paper check to steal.

2.) Deposit your mail directly at your local post office – Go inside the building and make your deposit there. Use the drop boxes outside the post office may not give you the security you imagine. We have seen those boxes so stuffed right before collection time, that anyone could grab a handful of mail without any special effort or equipment.

3.) Use non-erasable ink.

4.) Monitor your bank account and report any irregularities quickly.