Twisted Tales: Country-Gospel Duo Louvin Brothers' Nasty, Drunken Ira Is a Holy Terror
Ira Louvin had a problem. "If he came here tonight," his brother and erstwhile singing partner ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: Soul Singer's Secret Identity as X-Rated Costumed Superhero Blowfly
Soul singer Clarence Reid had a Top 40 in 1969 with 'Nobody But You Babe,' an "answer" record to the ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: International Pop Superstar Dalida Spreads a Suicide Curse
Her first single was called 'Madonna.' She was considered a saint, yet she left a trail of dead ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: David Allan Coe Takes the Outlaw Country Lifestyle to the Extreme
Life for David Allan Coe is one big country cliché. It can't be a perfect country song, he ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: Elvis Impersonators Come in All Sizes, Colors -- and Genders
Other than Santa Claus, there is probably no figure more often portrayed by other human beings than ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: T. Rex's Marc Bolan Literally and Figuratively Crashes From Stardom
The 20th Century Boy would have turned 63 in 2010. Marc Bolan, founder and frontman of the briefly ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: UK Christmas No. 1's, From Rage Against the Machine to Mr. Blobby
Before the Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day, the thing he hated most about Christmas was all ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: Minutemen's D. Boon Makes Short, Sharp Songs in Short, Sharp Life
When they met as teenagers in the working-class port city of San Pedro, Calif., Mike Watt marveled ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: Dean Reed, the 'Red Elvis,' Rocks the Eastern Bloc
When rock 'n' roll gets political, it tends to lean left. Pop stars rally around war protest, ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: Easy Listening Star Claudine Longet's Hard Life of Gun Violence
For Claudine Longet, the shooting was horrible. The French ingenue and her husband, crooner Andy ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: Redbone Bring Native American Pride (and Controversy) to Radio
If you called a Native American "Redbone" at the Thanksgiving table, you might get a drumstick ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: Ol' Dirty Bastard Lives Up to His Name(s) -- Except for the 'Ol'' Part
He answered to Joe Bananas and Dirt McGirt and Big Baby Jesus. Best known as Ol' Dirty Bastard, ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: Liverpool Wildman Rory Storm Gets Left Behind in Beatles' Wake
In working-class Liverpool, Alan Caldwell was the "Golden Boy." Tall, blond and athletic, a soccer ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: Coven Take Witchcraft and Devil Horn Hand Salute to the Top 40
The great occultist Jimmy Page once credited a certain band with starting "the dark image" in rock ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: Norwegian Black Metalers Mayhem Take a Literal Stab at Notoriety
When the singer known as Dead departed the Norwegian black metal band known as Mayhem in April 1991, ... Read More »
Twisted Tales: Johnny Horton Follows Too Closely in Friend Hank Williams' Footsteps
Aspiring country music singer Johnny Horton was in rural Milano, Texas, when he heard a radio report ... Read More »
