Judd Marcello

I’m Judd. I am a husband and dad. I’m a marketer by trade and a music fan at heart. I own a turntable and over 700 long players. I lived around the world. I wear denim shirts a lot. I met my wife at a Tom Petty concert. They call me Mr. Lucky.

Pinned post from April 29, 2021

What is Country Music?

“Country music is country music. It's the music of people who grew up in isolated surroundings, making music in their homes, with their own traditions. It could be California, where Merle Haggard's from. It could be Maine. Dick Curless was born near the Canadian border, the world of Acadians who never made the trip down to Louisiana. T...

November 28, 2021

A triumphant Keith Richards closes the 2021 Stones tour and readies them for their seventh decade

This image is THE statement for the last show on the 2019/2021 Rolling Stones “No Filter” tour. When I saw him do it, I knew he was sending a signal let alone sharing his feelings. Just like in Austin, Keith Richards was the last to leave the stage in Hollywood. In Austin, at the end of the show, he walked to the drum kit, turned and s...

June 13, 2021

Where the Spirit Meets the Bone

Have compassion for everyone Even if they dont have what seems concede Theres always a sign Always a sign Always a sign For those who encounter Have compassion Even if they dont want it What seems that nice? Is always a sign Always a sign Always a sign Always a sign of things with big efforts Always a sign of things no eyes have seen Y...

June 13, 2021

These Days, cover songs don’t hold a candle to Gregg Allman’s take on a Jackson Browne classic

Note: Jackson was on a podcast released today (06/18/21) where he talked about people covering his songs. Worth checking out. Go straight to 1:40 to hear his comments. — What is the purpose of a cover song, anyhow? Is it a tribute to a fellow artist? Is it a way to piggyback on someone else’s prowess to grab attention? Is it a desire t...

June 5, 2021

For Gary, trouble was business and business was pleasure.

I ran into a guy I knew from high school the other day. We hadn’t seen each other in years. Decades. There’s nothing like running into an old, good memory. It slows you down. It makes you think about where you come from and what you’ve done and why you are who you are. It reminds you of what’s real, or at least, what used to feel real ...

June 5, 2021

You can’t kill what won’t die

The blues is a music that gets lost in time. It’s a music that is rooted in the past by its sounds and it’s subjects. It’s old time music that is never new, it just reinvents itself over and over again. “That said, the blues runs deep. So deep that it is the bedrock, and the soil and the roots of most all music today. Cliches abound - ...

May 16, 2021

Authentic Aretha

At 2:44 she takes this song over and shows it who’s its new boss is. At 2:59 she backs up everything Billy Preston says about her. Someone once asked me to define authenticity. My reply was, “tweed.” We have preconceived notions of what authenticity is. It’s an image we have. It’s a type of person. It’s brushstroke. It’s a passage. It’...

May 16, 2021

Good Place

Saw a butterfly and named it after you. Your name has such a pleasant sound. Love is all around and all I see is you. I must be in a good place now.

May 16, 2021

That’s not the way Russ Solomon sees life.

One of my favorite entrepreneurs is Russ Solomon. He created Tower Records. He created a culture and cultivated a passion. Tower Records had the greatest marketing slogan ever. Fit for purpose, know your audience. It will never be matched. “No music. No life.” In the excellent Tower Records documentary, “All Things Must Pass,” someone ...

May 16, 2021

Feeling it. Making it. Giving it.

May 16, 2021

Self-Reliance and Rows to Hoe

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay, "Self-Reliance." This bit reminds me of two lyrics: Neil Young’s, “Got my own row left to hoe," and Bob Dylan’s "he who's not busy being born is busy dying." Great essay. Read it. Great songs. Listen to them. Great advice. Take it.

May 15, 2021

Love Notes

Daily reminders. Small tokens. Heartfelt gestures. Clear signals. Mindful reflections. Love notes. Celebrating 20 years of marriage this year. What was fueled by an intense passion and rush of finding our other, is sustained by respect, compassion, and a deep rooted, blue flame love we have for each other.

May 15, 2021

Ode to Chinaski

A personal ad “Lonely and Loathsome in Dallas I’m open for offers and up for grabs. A two-time loser in love and looking for more. I love to play the ponies, and free time is spent drinking alone. I’m not too picky. I hope you aren't either. Call me... soon.” The phone rings. Chuck fumbles for the receiver and croaks into the wrong end...

May 15, 2021

End of the ride, start of the trip

Danny was just about to pull up to her house. She despised his car. She hated that he tolerated that car. He didn’t care. He didn’t care what she thought about it or about the car itself. The car just got him from A to B. And, frankly, so did she. He always thought that “your car is only as cool as the music you play in it.” It didn’t ...

May 14, 2021

How do you lay claim to inventing rock and roll?

May 14, 2021

3 Plays for a Dollar

May 14, 2021

I'm real proud of my record collection

You are what you listen to. Before music streaming became the norm, I bought all music I listened to. I listen to a lot of music. My music collection is huge and a reflection of who I am. Way back when I was a little kid, I had a record collection. It was a mix of singles and long players. It wasn't a big collection then, but they all ...

May 12, 2021

You’re in the presence of “everything’s alright.”

That’s Lyle Lovett talking about Willie Nelson. That’s Lyle Lovett talking about how you feel whenever you are around Willie Nelson. He also said this about being around Willie, “it’s ok to be yourself; he allows you to be yourself.” I heard Lyle talking about Willie on the phenomenal podcast called “One By Willie.” John Spong of Texas...

May 1, 2021

“Memphis is a Town of Donut Shops and Churches.”

“The establishment proffers donuts and churches, ignoring the holes in their middles. Memphis music had come up from the neighborhoods and the neighbors of diverse musicians, had reached all corners of the Earth, breaking down barriers that seemed impenetrable, and Memphians continues to insult Furry Lewis withe basest comments.” - Rob...

April 29, 2021

My Three Deserted Island LPs

Let it Bleed Rolling Stones (“Keef’s Album) Two Steps from the Blues Bobby “Blue” Bland The Basement Tapes Dylan & The Band

April 24, 2021

Deep Wide Grooves

Music. Rotation. The Earth spins. 365 days. As do records. 33 1/3 rpms. Life goes round. High-Fidelity. Deep wide grooves.

April 24, 2021

Give Yourself Up

“You have to give yourself up to the music of it’s ever going to worth a shit.” - Jerry Lee Lewis

March 10, 2021

The Enemy of Creativity

"I wish I hadn't had as much success as I have. It ruins your incentive." - Merle Haggard

March 9, 2021

Levon Helm’s Midnight Ramble — Once You Get It, You Can’t Forget It (February 14, 2011)

Once you get it, you can’t forget it. I had a standing-room-only ticket. Not having a ticket for a seat made me edgy. I get frenzied about making sure I have the right perspective, the right positioning for any gig I attend. I get shark attack frenzied when the gig in question means as much as this one. At 7pm they opened the door to l...

March 9, 2021

Youth, rebellion and fun. Who doesn’t want that?! Tonight Keith and the Stones aced the second of two 50th anniversary gigs in London. (November 29, 2012)

““I’ve always wanted to find out what would happen if we just kept going.” – Keith Richards” ““To boldly go where no man has gone before.” – Captain James Tiberius Kirk” That Keith quote came from an interview with Rolling Stone mag’s then-reporter, Kurt Loder. The interview took place on November 12, 1981 on the eve of the Rolling Sto...

March 4, 2021

Music is Fuel

“Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud o...