Naming my “Mount Rushmore” of music artists is pretty easy. I have four choices that are easy to pick. Now if I had to name my Top 5ive that might be difficult deciding on the 5th but a Mount Rushmore is 4 on the side of the mountain not 5ive.

1. The Beatles are by far my favourite music artists. They always have been. I was kind of late to music. I was a sophomore in high school when my new friend Andy started talking about The Beatles. Of course I had heard of them and could name a few  Beatles song but I hadn’t listened to much music {I had mostly been into sports } Andy brought in a Beatle compilation album that was out at the time {1976} “Rock N Roll Music” and let me borrowed it. I was hooked. I ended up buying that album. Then I bought the 2 double albums of greatest hits “1962-1966” and “1967-1970” I thought I was set. What else could I need? I had their best stuff. I listened and listened to those albums and I started to read books out about The Beatles. They would speak of other songs not included on those compilations. I had to start buying the individual albums. Over a period of months whenever I had any money I went to the record store and bought every album The Beatles had put out. I listened and listened and listened. I couldn’t get enough of The Beatles.  Thirty-Six years later, I still can’t get enough of The Beatles.

2. Bob Dylan. After I got every Beatle album and the solo albums by the individual Beatles I started to explore more. I had read about how The Beatles loved Bob Dylan. So I started buying Bob Dylan albums. Just like with The Beatles I had to get every damn album Dylan put out. I soaked in all the Dylan stuff. I thought Dylan was great, I still do. Every album isn’t great, there are a lot of uneven ones but he’s been putting out albums for 50 years, there will be some bad ones. A lot of people don’t care for Dylan’s voice but I like it. I think he’s a great singer and his songwriting can’t be topped. My favourite Bob albums- “Blonde On Blonde” “Highway 61 Revisited” “Blood On The Tracks” and “Slow Train Coming” Bob is #2 on my Mount Rushmore.

3. Elvis Costello. 1978 Science class in high school. This guy I knew named Grant came into class and was talking about this new album he had gotten by some guy named “Elvis Costello” He raved about Elvis Costello.  Grant liked the same kind of music I liked so I trusted his judgement. The next time I had some money I went to the record store and saw this geeky looking guy named Elvis Costello had two albums out.  Back then albums were $5. $10 secured me both the Elvis Costello albums that had been released up to that time. I came home and put it on the turn table. “My Aim Is True” and “This Years Model’ remain two of my all time favourite albums. I played and played those albums to death. In 1979 “Armed Forces” his third album was released. I believe that the best ‘First Three Albums’ released by any artist- were the first three Elvis Costello albums.

In the summer of 1982 Elvis was coming to Pittsburgh. I got tickets. I had one of those ticket vouchers they would give you in those days when you would buy the tickets at a record store. You would go to the box office and they would give you your tickets. The concert was at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh {I got to see The Clash the next night at the same place. Nothing will ever top Costello and The Clash on back to back nights} Anyway. I go to the box office, hand the guy the voucher and he says “I can give you better tickets than that” We walk in and the tickets are front row, center. When Elvis came out he was standing right in front of me, three feet away. That was the greatest concert I’ve been to. I have remained an Elvis fan since. He puts out a CD I get it the day it comes out. Some of the albums over the years I have loved, some I didn’t care for but even on the ‘average’ Costello albums there are great songs. Elvis #3 on Mt. Rushmore.

4. Steve Earle- I can remember the first time I heard Steve Earle. It was in the mid-1980’s. I was driving in my car home from school [I was in my first year of teaching} I can remember the exact spot where the car was when a song came on the radio. It blew me away. They didn’t say who did the song but I got the impression that it was called “Guitar Town” I did some investigating and found out it was by this guy Steve Earle. I went out and bought his first album that had just came out. Again, I was a fan for life. I have seen Steve Earle over the years in concert more than anyone else. No one else is even in the ballpark. I’ve seen Steve 25 times over the years [he had some years there in the early 90’s when he was batting drug addiction and he wasn’t doing anything, recording, concerts..all the was doing was drugs} If Steve is anywhere near I am going. Funny thing is I totally disagree with Steve Earle on politics. He is a socialist. I doubt we agree on anything but he is a great songwriter. I love his music. Steve Earle at #4 completes my Mt. Rushmore of recording artists.