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Fascinating story – such a different world back then. 

Fred Walecki has been part of music history since the 1960s—“doing his work so that some of America’s greatest artists can do theirs,” writes his daughter, Nancy Walecki. https://theatln.tc/rHgNVs5y

Fred inherited Westwood Music from his father in 1967, when he was just 20 years old. He turned the store into a hub for folk and rock musicians, helping give rise to the genre known as the California Sound.

Fred thought of himself as “the store’s maître-d’hôtel,” Nancy writes. “Let me sit so-and-so here, near the producer from Asylum Records,” he’d think. Or: “These two guitar players might sound good together; let me introduce them.” He connected Linda Ronstadt and Glyn Johns because he thought they might make a good record, and shortly after, they did—“We Ran.”

“Music-store owners don’t do that,” Johns told Nancy. Fred and his store, Spinal Tap’s Christopher Guest said, “accaelerated everything. It made everything better, because it provided a second home and a place where people could feel appreciated.”

Anyone “can feel like the stowaway in the trunk of a great enterprise,” Jackson Browne, the bard of ’70s Los Angeles, told Nancy. But an artist, maybe especially, needs someone who makes them believe that they’re worthy, Mac McAnally, a singer-­songwriter and longtime member of Jimmy Buffett’s band, told Nancy. “Fred can make you believe it’s going to be okay.”

Linda Rondstadt, a longtime friend of Fred’s, told Nancy that her father has always been “genuinely interested in people.” “When they came in, he’d talk to them, and they confided in him,” Rondstadt said. And if necessary, “he’d tell them when they were full of sh*t,” Mark Bookin, the store’s longtime salesman, said.

“None of this could happen now,” Nancy writes. Like professional athletes, many professional musicians have sponsorship deals and can get their equipment for free. But Nancy’s dad “made it his business to know the latest on every single improvement of every keyboard, every amp, and every guitar,” Bonnie Raitt told Nancy. “It’s not something I take for granted. We were all incredibly lucky to have someone on our side that had so much integrity.”

🎨: Peyton Fulord

I love this – what a perfect collaboration between George Martin and the Beatles. Understanding harmony and arranging goes far in music. ☺️👍🎶

🎻 The Secret Weapon Behind the Beatles’ Sound? A Classical Education.

While the Beatles were playing Hamburg clubs and learning rock ‘n’ roll the hard way, George Martin was training in the formal world of classical music.

He studied at the Guildhall School of Music, mastering piano and oboe. But what mattered most? He learned how to arrange for strings, brass, and woodwinds — and that changed everything.

When Paul imagined a “baroque” solo for “In My Life,” George composed a Bach-style piano piece, then recorded it at half-speed to make it sound like a harpsichord.

When they needed something cinematic for “Eleanor Rigby,” George wrote a string quartet arrangement so sharp it could’ve come from a Hitchcock film.

And when “A Day in the Life” called for a 24-bar orchestral climax from nothing to chaos, George conducted 40 musicians into a swirling, avant-garde storm.

The Beatles had vision. George Martin had vocabulary.

Together? They didn’t just make pop records —
🎼 They rewrote the rules.

Just. So. Cute. I love how he leads his parents to the piano and how he puts his head on the piano keys. Music is so powerful! 

He leads them the piano every single morning 🧡 We talked to Zlatko's parents about how he rearranges their sheet music while they play, but ultimately always falls asleep! Keep up with Mariana and Dimcho on Instagram: https://thedo.do/pianists_marianadimcho

Absolutely!!

Unexpected solo from a violinist… Wow!❤️

This encore I did after my performance with the @dallassymphony has been spreading all over social media. I am at a loss for words of the overwhelming reception y’all have given my performance here. Since it’s been shared all over, I thought I’d put it up on my own channel too! Thank you all for listening, for sharing, and thank you Sam Cooke for your profound song that is more powerful and relevant than ever in today’s time. ❤️ Watch the whole performance at @symphony.live #samcooke #achangeisgonnacome #encore #violin #singer

Wisdom from the master… shared by another master.Rest in peace, Quincy 🎶❤️🎶

Took My Time With This One…..Wanted To Reflect On The Hundreds Of Things He Taught Me Throughout The Years

10 Takeaways Quincy Jones would hammer home throughout the years I’d run into him.

1. The importance of connecting to people (scoring/songwriting/business ventures) your song/message/product HAS to give goosebumps.
2. “You can’t polish doo-doo”——the best singer can’t save a bad song. The most limited singer often make hit songs because limited musicians serve the song & virtuosos tend to let their ego show off too much. The song must resonate
3. Always record your music when your musicians are tired from 10pm-5am you’ll get the best results because Theta brainwaves are subconscious ———always use the “non overthinking” hours to let the magic in
4. My contact list is my most important instrument
5. The importance of sequencing albums & shows——know how to balance your strong material to your more experimental material.
6. Never look down on the generation that’s ahead of you. Never neglect the creations of the generations in your rear view mirror.
7. Study & master all arenas of creativity
8. You are never too old to achieve a new plateau or goal
9. Edit edit edit Less Is More
10. Pay it forward to the next person.

Quincy Delight Jones
1933-2024

Not just a brilliant songwriter, but also a killer guitarist for many years!! Wow!! 😮😳😄😅

take a break, share the joy of another trip around the sun - happy birthday Mac. He had Jimmy clapping Here's an epic 'Little Martha' from a special show in Newfoundland.