“It takes two, baby......" That's what Marvin Gaye said in 1967 when his duet with Kim Weston peaked in the Top 20 on the Billboard Pop Charts.
This lecture is in two parts: Both will be `"stand alone" to accommodate students who can attend only one lecture or the other.
In the first lecture, we will discuss the various types of duos; exploring how and why they came together. We will begin by looking at duets from the films of the 30s, 40s and 50s. We will cover the hits of Les Paul and Mary Ford as well as Bing Crosby's famous duet with Grace Kelly. We will transition to the advent of Rock & Roll and the full explosion of the duo into the 60s, from Mickey & Sylvia, The Teen Queens, to Sonny & Cher and beyond. Some of these artists/duos covered in both lectures were incredibly successful and racked up hit after hit, while other pairings were destined to be one-hit-wonders. Either way, their songs have stood the test of time.
In our second lecture, we will move chronologically from the 70s through the 90s with stops along the way for Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, and Simon & Garfunkel. We won't forget the great English duos such as Chad & Jeremy, Peter & Gordon and the artists of the second British invasion: The Eurythmics, Tears For Fears and Soft Cell. Nashville will be well represented in both lectures from superstars like the Everly Bros, Brooks & Dunn to the romantic sounds of England Dan & John Ford Coley.
In these lectures, we will examine the reason two people band together and make music. You will be amazed at how many familiar songs were recorded by these great popular duos as we stroll down memory lane and learn that sometimes two is better than one!
Tony Moon has spent 60 successful years in the Music Business. Beginning in 1960 he joined the L.A. group, Dante and The Evergreens, managed and produced by Lou Adler and Herb Alpert. He later moved to Nashville becoming Guitarist and conductor for Brenda Lee. He also began playing on recording sessions and was Nashville's first rock independent music producer, working with five major labels. He scored several big hits for The Vogues, including "5 O' Clock World" Tony has won several awards as songwriter and music publisher. His songs have been released by artists as diverse as Porter Wagoner, Willie Nelson, Vickie Carr, Pearl Jam, and The Beatles.
He currently administers several Music Publishing Companies and a New York Entertainment Company.
Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.
