Whole Lotta Shakin'
One of the original rock and roll classics came into the hands of Jerry Lee Lewis through a Memphis club owner and he sang the song every night for the rest of his life.
Good Vibrations
What could be the greatest pop record ever evolved over a tangled path of many months and dozens of recording sessions.
Stairway to Heaven
Controversy surrounds the songs of Led Zeppelin, none more so than their signature classic hit from the ‘70s.
Country Roads
Tom’s pals Bill and Taffy Danoff hooked up with John Denver for this gem, which may not have reached its full potential until it was taken over by a Jamaican music great.
Not Fade Away
A Buddy Holly B-side that lived to become crucial repertoire for both the Rolling Stones and Grateful Dead.
Everybody's Talking
Fred Neil knocked off this song in fifteen minutes, anxious to leave the recording session, but it took Harry Nilsson to knock it out of the park.
About the authors
Joel Selvin and Tom Zito first met at The Band’s seminal Last Waltz on Thanksgiving Day 1976, when they were respectively writing about music for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Washington Post. They still have a lot to say.