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Oldies Musics

Del Shannon – Runaway

Introduction: Del Shannon’s “Runaway,” a hauntingly beautiful ballad released in 1961, remains an indelible mark on the landscape of early 1960s pop…

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Oldies Musics

When Barry Gibb released In the Now in October 2016, every song carried a collaboration with his sons Stephen and Ashley. After decades of writing with Robin and Maurice, he was developing new material within another configuration of the family. The distinction is important: Stephen and Ashley received songwriting credits throughout the album, giving them a creative role beyond accompanying their father onstage. Barry described the record through his experiences of life with and without his brothers and parents, alongside the experience of watching his own children become parents. Those overlapping generations gave the project its personal setting. The album reached number two in Britain, adding a substantial solo success to his career. Its credits preserve another development: three Gibbs working through songs together, with Barry now sharing the process as a father alongside two adult sons bringing their own contributions.

Oldies Musics

JOHNNY MATHIS MAY HAVE LEFT THE STAGE — BUT WE MAY NOT HAVE HEARD HIS FINAL SONG. When Johnny retired from live performance in 2025, many fans understandably felt they were witnessing the closing chapter of his musical life. But an intriguing detail remains. His official website reported that during 2022 recording sessions at Capitol Studios, Johnny recorded not only Christmas material but additional songs intended for another album. As of a September 2025 official update, that project remained in production without a confirmed release date. That possibility gives Johnny’s extraordinary story a beautiful sense of unfinished business. The concerts may have ended. The touring cases may have been packed away. Yet somewhere, recordings of that unmistakable voice may still be waiting for listeners. After nearly 70 years, Johnny Mathis might still have one more musical surprise left.

Oldies Musics

Merle Haggard rarely needed to invent heartbreak. He had known it since childhood. In 1946, when Merle was only nine years old, his father, James Haggard, died following a stroke. For a boy who deeply needed his father’s presence, the loss became a turning point. His mother, Flossie, worked to support the family. Merle, meanwhile, became increasingly restless. He skipped school, ran away, got into trouble, and began a long journey through juvenile institutions that eventually led somewhere far darker. Looking back at his life, it is difficult not to see that nine-year-old boy behind many of the adult Merle Haggard’s songs. People later called him a rebel, an outlaw and a survivor. But before any of those labels existed, there was simply a grieving boy who had lost his dad—and never seemed to completely outrun that loss.

Oldies Musics

In early 1988, the Bee Gees were preparing to follow E.S.P., the album that had helped restore their international momentum. Andy’s death on March 10 changed the course of that work. Barry, Robin, and Maurice initially continued recording, completing their Olympic commission, “Shape of Things to Come,” and writing “Wish You Were Here” for their youngest brother. Then they stopped. Recording for the next album resumed in November after a break of roughly six months. That interruption matters as much as the tribute itself: music offered a way to express the loss, but working could not simply carry them through it. When One appeared in 1989, “Wish You Were Here” placed Andy’s absence inside the brothers’ shared catalogue. Its significance begins with that specific relationship—three songwriters addressing the brother who had grown up behind them and built a career alongside theirs.