Tell me this pedigree doesn’t work: Patrick Simmons (yes, that Patrick Simmons of Doobie Brothers fame) on guitar, Bill Lloyd (part of Foster & Lloyd and a great, great songwriter) on guitar, John Cowan (of New Grass Revival and with one of the highest most soaring voices you’ll ever hear) on bass, and, the cream on the top, Rusty Young (from the seminal Poco) on steel guitar.

  These fellows came together originally as "Four Wheel Drive" sometime in the early 90s. You may have seen them open for the Doobies during their summer 1992 tour. RCA Records was interested, and some tracks were laid down. Simmons left, deciding to stay with the Brothers, and the album was never released. The group drifted to Warner Brothers, where two singles, "Picture Perfect," and "That Just About Says it All," were released.

  There’s a maxim at country radio: If the single doesn’t get airplay, the album doesn’t see the light of day. And, despite good promotion (video on CMT, guest shots on TNN, interviews, and such), neither one charted. So, the Warner Brothers album they made never came out.

  Thanks to the generosity of band members (or, I guess I should say former band members) most of the group’s recorded output, along with some demos and outtakes have been shared with some close knit fans. A good listen shows just how great these guys were (and are). Somehow, there’s a bit of unfairness here.

  Garth Brooks sold a million albums last week. RIP, Sky Kings. We miss(ed) you.

  The key to this obituary is sustaining chart sales, which is the lifeblood of any rock band. According to these reports, the newer, hotter bands—Hootie & The Blowfish, Marilyn Manson, Hole, Smashing Pumpkins, take your pick-all have had recent, highly touted albums stiff right out of the gate. No rock groups can actually claim a career anymore, just one big album and then, pffft, gone.

  Except for rap artists. Almost to a tee, they sell and sell. And, release a new record, and sell again. Over and over, just like rock artists used to do, 10, 15 years ago.

  Why? Many theories abound, but one of the most prevalent is that the music is accessible, and can be easily emulated by fans (is that a pleasant way of saying that anyone can do it?). Interestingly, nearly three quarters of rap albums sold today are bought by white fans, according to a recent newspaper story on this trend. Hip-hop productions are being made in schools, where simple trumpet and drum lessons once prevailed. Toy stores sell gadgets that allow for voice sampling and sound effects. One of the most popular events in arcades are turntables where consumers can play at being a rap disk jockey.

  Rap music is now stretching its influence into other areas of popular listening. Rap artists are marketing themselves and their product to maximize long term career potential, which many rock acts have not, or cannot, do. Rap artists own their own production companies, and most importantly, keep their own individual control over their music.

  It’s turned into a heck of a legacy. Now, it will be interesting to see if the rockers can match it.

  Muni was the longtime programming director for arguably the first, and best, of the New York City rock radio stations. He, along with Dave Herman and Dennis Elsis, Vin Scelsa, and Pete Fornatale, made it a challenging pleasure to listen to ‘NEW, where rock did truly live, for a long, long time.

  Muni was still on the air as of three weeks ago, but succumbed to the corporate program director, wherefore the deejay makes little decision and has little input on who and what is put on the air these days. The days of freeform radio are long gone, replaced mostly by "shock jocks" who cater to a lower common denominator.

  Scott Muni made people think and was a crusader for putting music on the air. It’s too bad he’s gone, but the era is, once again, gone.

  If you don’t know that riff, this won’t mean much to you, but for those of us who do, it’s music to our ears.

  Finally, after decades of struggling, the Kingsmen, those garage rockers par excellence, have finally been awarded royalties rights to the great "Louie Louie." (okay, now you remember, right?)

  Last month, the United States Supreme Court, ruled in favor of the Portland, Oregon based band in a long battle for both performance royalties and rights to its 1963 version of the song.

  And, some would say, the only version of the song. Sorry, Otis Day.

  More importantly, the band will getting the original master recordings of the classic song, entitling them to all future recording royalty profits. The song was written in 1955 by Richard Berry, who collected a reported $2 million in writer’s royalties. There have been countless versions, but the Kingsmen’s has always been held as the best.

  But, just what do those lyrics say, anyway?

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