Troy Brownfield

1 week ago | saturdayeveningpost.com | Troy Brownfield

In the early 2000s, my wife and I took a digital photography class. Within the first few minutes, the instructor dropped a liberating bit of philosophy: Since we were no longer bound by 24-shot rolls of film, we could take as many pictures as we want at all times. Gone were the frustrations of jockeying for the perfect snap and worrying about “wasting” a picture. With a digital camera, we could fire that shutter like a machine gun and then find the perfect shot among the crowd.

3 weeks ago | saturdayeveningpost.com | Troy Brownfield

Forty years ago this month, Bruce Springsteen (with The E Street Band) dropped an album that would not only be Springsteen’s best-seller, but also one of the best-selling albums of all time. That LP is, of course, Born in the U.S.A., The Boss’s seventh album and home to seven Top Ten singles. Here’s a look at a few things you probably didn’t know about the record. The tune that would be the album’s first single was the last one written.

1 month ago | saturdayeveningpost.com | Troy Brownfield

One of the hottest topics in today’s entertainment revolves around theatrical versus streaming releases for films. It’s merely the latest in an ongoing series of platform slugfests that have been around since the ancestors wound up the Victrola. With the anniversary of the Betamax 50 years ago this month, it’s time to look at a few so-called “dead formats,” some of which surprisingly still exist and have a fanbase so fervent that there are conventions for them.

1 month ago | saturdayeveningpost.com | Troy Brownfield

Before the future spouses teamed up as a duo, they carved out careers backing other artists. Both Daryl “The Captain” Dragon and Toni Tennille played with The Beach Boys on tour, and Toni sang backup for Elton John and, later, Pink Floyd. While on tour with The Beach Boys, Toni began writing the album’s third track, “The Way I Want to Touch You,” an eventual No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

1 month ago | saturdayeveningpost.com | Troy Brownfield

Sixty years ago this month, The Beatles took home the Best New Artist Award from The Recording Academy of the United States at the 7th Annual Grammy Awards. They, of course, had one of the most monumental careers in music history, but the Best New Artist Award hasn’t always been the most accurate predictor of longevity. Here’s a look at five they got really right, five they got wrong, and a couple of pushes (where it could have gone either way).