UPDATED: Walters Downtown Owner Pam Robinson Passes Away
Sad news this morning. Walters Downtown owner Pam Robinson, a fan and champion of Houston musicians for decades, has apparently passed away following a long battle with cancer. Robinson's family...
View ArticleRemembering Jack Bruce, Cream's Gentleman Bassist
Note: Cream bassist and lead vocalist Jack Bruce, universally recognized among his peers as one of the greatest instrumental talents in rock history, passed away last Saturday at age 71. Rocks Off's...
View ArticleHere's to You, Little Joe Washington
Even if it wasn't a surprise, Little Joe Washington's death Wednesday afternoon is a shock. The Houston music community has lost one of its icons, a dynamic performer whose talents far transcended the...
View ArticleHouston Remembers Little Joe Washington
Whenever someone important like Little Joe Washington dies, an easy way to gauge just how much impact they had on their community is to see what people were saying about them right before they passed....
View ArticleRIP Bobby Keys: Texan and Stones Saxophonist Dies at 70
Note: According to Ultimate Classic Rock, Bobby Keys passed away earlier Tuesday. The Lubbock-born saxophonist was a longtime side man for the Rolling Stones, first appearing with the band on 1969's...
View ArticleRemembering Dale Brooks, Early Houston Punk Videographer
When the first wave of punk swept through America and Britain during the rather moribund mid-1970s, it became so fertile because punk was inclusive, participatory and democratic. Into its ranks swept...
View ArticleRemembering Joe Sample, Fifth Ward Jazz-Funk Great
Note: this Christmas, Rocks Off is remembering some prominent members of Houston's music community we lost this year. Joe Sample, the Houston native whose masterful keyboard playing made him a leading...
View ArticleRemembering Little Joe Washington, Houston's Last Real Bluesman
Note: this Christmas, Rocks Off is remembering some prominent members of Houston's music community we lost this year. Houston is a little less of an action town after Little Joe Washington, the...
View ArticleRemembering Pam Robinson, Music-Scene Queen and Mayor of "Pamland"
Note: this Christmas, Rocks Off is remembering some prominent members of Houston's music community we lost this year. Walters Downtown owner Pam Robinson, a fan and champion of Houston musicians for...
View ArticleRemembering Johnny Winter, Beaumont's Blues Lightning
Note: this Christmas, Rocks Off is remembering some prominent members of Houston's music community we lost this year, which we extended to include the legendary Winter, who passed away July 16. This...
View ArticleRemembering Rozz Zamorano, Houston's Bass-Guitar Giant
Note: this Christmas, Rocks Off is remembering some prominent members of Houston's music community we lost this year. Houston's music community is still reeling after popular bassist Rozzano Zamorano...
View ArticleWow..."We Are the World" Is 30 Years Old
If you '80s children need a reason to feel extra-old this week, here's a good one: "We Are the World" is exactly 30 years old. In 1985, the evening of the American Music Awards -- which back then were...
View ArticleBob Marley at 70: Does Houston Have a Reggae Problem?
[Updated Friday at 4:30 p.m. with comments from a former Houston reggae promoter who asked to remain anonymous, because "I still have hopes of continuing in the Houston reggae industry." His comments...
View ArticleB.B. King and the Greatest Note Ever
My favorite guitar player, BB King, died Thursday. Undoubtedly – and correctly – as people write about his remarkable career, they will pay particular tribute to his 1965 Live at the Regal album,...
View ArticleThe Thrill Is Gone: B.B. King Remembered
Today the entire music world is mourning the loss of guitarist B.B. King, the last Mississippi Delta-born bluesman to become a worldwide household name. After entering hospice care at his Las Vegas...
View ArticleHouston Remembers Lemmy With Grief, Profanity and Love
Headbangers around the world are mourning the death of a true metal icon after Motörhead singer/bassist Lemmy Kilmister passed away Monday evening at age 70. According to a message on the band’s...
View ArticleWorld Premiere: Blackie Farrell's "She's One of Those Kind"
Not many people — maybe no one — wait until they are 68 to record a debut album, but Kevin “Blackie” Farrell isn’t just anyone. No, not by a long shot. While he is widely unknown, for the cognoscenti...
View ArticleHouston Awakens to Uncomfortable Reality of Losing David Bowie
To millions of fans, the idea of waking up in a world without David Bowie is inconceivable, but it’s a sad reality this morning. According to The New York Times, the malleable music icon known for his...
View ArticleFive Amazing Things About David Bowie Beyond His Music
The outpouring of emotion that has followed David Bowie's death has been amazing to witness, and seems to have affected many people on a far more profound level than most celebrity deaths tend to. I...
View ArticleGlenn Frey's Final Houston Show Saw the Eagles In Peak Classic-Rock Form
Note: Glenn Frey, co-founder of classic-rock stalwarts the Eagles, passed away Monday at age 67, according to multiple reports. Unlike David Bowie, who died last week at age 69 but ceased regular...
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