centerfield maz

The Concert for Bangladesh was the first major benefit concert of its kind. The idea came from George Harrison who was asked by his friend Bengali musician Ravi Shankar how to raise money for the refugee problem in Banladesh (then called East Pakistan). The problem occurred during the brutal Bangladesh Liberation War as East Pakistan was struggling to become a separate state from West Pakistan. The war resulted in brutal treatment of the East Pakistani people & led to a mass refugee exodus into the border of India. A major tropical cyclone storm followed, taking the lives of thousands or more people. The storm (Nora) is one of the worst natural disasters on record, bringing torrential rains & flooding, only making the devastation & starvation worse by 1971. Harrison recorded the song Bangla Desh (a top twenty five US hit) as his first attempt to donate profits & bring awareness to the cause. When Shankar brought up the idea of a concert, Harrison ran with it. In jus...

Centerfieldmaz would like to pay its farewell respects to Amy Winehouse. The troubled, controversial English girl had her share of drama and sadly it all came to an end this weekend. Winehouse was found dead at her home in Camden, London England on Friday, she was just 27. The cause of death is being investigated, no matter what the cause; another talented singer is gone way too soon. She joins a long line of rock & rollers who have left us early & left a legacy. Through the years the term “the 27 Club” has been coined, in reference to some great artists who have passed at away at the age of 27. Some of my favorites like; Jim Morrison (the Doors), Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones (Rolling Stones), Janis Joplin, Pete Ham (Badfinger) & now Amy Winehouse, all have this strange age coincidence in common. Winehouse was a great singer with some fantastic songs. I was first turned on to her by one of my favorite female singers; Ronnie Spector, while attending one of her shows at B.B...

Ruth Roberts is an important figure in Mets history, even if she never played the game. Back in 1961 she co wrote the song "Meet the Mets" with Bill Katz & entered it in a contest the new expansion Metropolitan Baseball Club had sponsored. The team was looking for a traditional go get 'em fight song with a good feel to it. "Meet the Mets" beat out nearly twenty other songs in the end & has become the most popular team song of all time. The song debuted to the public on March 9, 1962 as Spring Training had just begun. The 45 record of the song could be ordered by mail or purchased at the Polo Grounds souvenir shops. Who could forget the classic song being heard as the introduction to the old WOR television broadcasts sponsored by Rheingold or Schafer beer. As the song ended we heard either Bob Murphy, Lindsay Nelson or Ralph Kiner start the broadcast. Ruth Roberts was born Ruth Mulnitz on August 31st, 1926 in Portchester, New York. She attended Po...

On the 40th anniversary of the passing of Jim Morrison a large crowd came out to Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, France. Among those coming out to pay their respects to Jim were his former band mates & friends; keyboardist Ray Manzarek & guitarist Robbie Kreiger. The two Doors visited the grave site on Sunday morning & were scheduled to play a show in Paris that night. Doors Drummer John Densmore said he celebrates Jim's birthday & wasn't even aware of the date of the 40th anniversary. "If Jim shows up I'll be there" he said. In 1981 on the tenth anniversary of Jim's death the surviving Doors visited the grave site as well. That night hundreds of fans also gathered to pay tribute & from that point on the poularaity of the location grew. The original name plaque was stolen as was anything vandals could get their hands on. In 1985 the National Guard had to be called out to stop a riot on site. The following year, police mistakenly bea...

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the passing of Jim Morrison. Looking back at Jim’s career with the Doors, it only lasted five years. In that period they released six studio albums & one live album. There is superior quality in the Doors library, throughout their music it’s hard to find any bad songs. There was alot of music put out in just five short years, but in retrospect it's not that many songs considering the impact they have had in the world. Those songs have remained popular for over forty years, meaning so much to five different generations. To me first there are the Beatles, then there are the Doors. Jim Morrison inspired me to write poetry & songs in my teen years, which somehow probably led to me blogging as an adult. I never get tired of the Doors, their music, their words, their live performances, video, books or stories about them. There is no better music driving on a long trip & there is no better music that fits on the bea...