Jerry Butler may not be a household name, but he had a long and fruitful career as a singer and songwriter, first with the Impressions and then as a solo artist.

Butler was part of the creation of the Philadelphia Sound, had hit songs that included "Only the Strong Survive," and later earned bachelor and master's degrees. In the mid-'80s, he was elected to the Cook County Commission in Illinois and held that seat until his retirement more than two decades later.

You can hear him sing "Only the Strong Survive" here. If for some reason the link is broken, search Jerry Butler and the song's title on YouTube. Worth a listen, it's both soulful and rockin'.

The photo in the thumbnail was taken by John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA. It shows Butler in 1998 at the Best Buddies Ball in Washington, D.C. The photo is available on Wikipedia under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license. In the chapters, there also are a couple of shots of audio CDs that I found on Amazon.

The artwork framing two sides of the thumbnail photo was created by Bob Jones.

Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day also deserves a tribute. The good thing is that the music tributes live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

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This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.

You may not recognize his name, but Snowy Fleet was one of the most popular drummers that Australia ever produced. He was an early member of the Easybeats, whose song "Friday On My Mind" was No. 1 for eight weeks on Australia's singles chart. Also popular in the United States, the single reached No. 16.

To see Fleet on the drums, watch this previously lost 1966 footage of the Easybeats performing "Friday On My Mind" for the BBC.

In the thumbnail and chapters, you'll see a shot of Fleet excerpted from a photo of the band taken in 1966. Also in the chapters, there's the full shot of the band. It's attributed to United Artists Records and was used in a trade ad for "Friday On My Mind" in the May 6, 1967 issue of Billboard.

The artwork framing two sides of the thumbnail photo was created by Bob Jones.

Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day also deserves a tribute. The good thing is that the music tributes live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

Send us Fan Mail

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.

Marianne Faithfull was part of the swinging London scene in the 1960s. She recorded Keith Richards' and Mick Jagger's song "As Tears Go By" before the Rolling Stones did. She and Jagger had a three-year relationship before it ended after a drug raid at Richards' house in 1967. Addicted to heroin, she lost custody of her child and lived on the street for two years.

You can learn more about Faithfull and "As Tears Go By" in this episode. The photo of her in the thumbnail is from the album cover for "Come and Stay With Me: The UK 45s 1964-1969." You can see the cover in its entirety in the chapters.

Also in the chapters, there's a Cashbox advertisement from Sept. 19, 1964 touting her version of "As Tears Go By." The song reached No. 9 in England and 22 in the U.S. in 1964. To listen to it, you can go here. And 12 years ago, Taylor Swift performed the song with the Stones. You can watch it here.

The artwork framing two sides of the thumbnail photo was created by Bob Jones.

Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day also deserves a tribute. The good thing is that the tributes live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

Send us Fan Mail

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.

Tenor Sam Moore and baritone David Prater Jr. made beautiful music together, but they fought like cats and dogs. Still, they had more success as a duo than they did when they went their separate ways as solo artists. As Sam & Dave, they had 10 consecutive Top 20 R&B hits and two Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits.

In this tribute to Moore, you can learn the story behind the Sam & Dave partnership including how they decided to form a duo, their turbulent professional relationship and their personal demons. Known as the "sultans of sweat," they were known for their over-the-top performances and recorded successfully at Stax Records in Memphis with Isaac Hayes and Booker T. & the M.G.'s. In fact, Hayes co-wrote Sam & Dave's hit "Soul Man." How did Hayes and his co-writer, David Porter, get inspired to write "Soul Man"? You'll learn that in this episode too.

You can go here to listen to the official audio recording of "Soul Man." Or better yet, watch them do the song and check out their pink suits in a 1974 performance.

The black and white photo in the thumbnail is a publicity shot of Sam & Dave taken for a Stax trade ad in Billboard in 1967 to publicize their single "When Something Is Wrong With My Babe." Moore is on the left. The artwork framing two sides of the photo was created by Bob Jones.

Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day deserves a tribute of its own. The good thing is that the tributes to music makers live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

Send us Fan Mail

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.

Lenny Lipton was studying electrical engineering at Cornell University when he wrote a poem that turned into a song. That song eventually became a hit, thanks to Lipton's roommate who later became Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. Find out how all that came about in this short story by Sheldon Zoldan.

Here, you can watch a 1965 recording of Peter, Paul and Mary performing "Puff the Magic Dragon."

The thumbnail photo of Lipton is a self-portrait that he shot with a Pixel 3 phone in 2021. It's available on Wikimedia under the license CC BY-SA 4.0. The artwork framing two sides of the photo was created by Bob Jones.

Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this piece about Lipton, who died in 2022. Yarrow passed away in 2025. You can listen to Yarrow's story by going to the episode titled "Day Is Done" Songwriter Peter Yarrow's Moment of Infamy Dealt a Blow to His Musical Legacy.

Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day also deserves a tribute. The good thing is that the tributes live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

Send us Fan Mail

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.

Human beings are complicated and, as a result, life stories can include some not-so-shining moments. This is certainly true of this obituary for Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame.

Sheldon Zoldan's story about Yarrow covers the highs and lows of the singer's career. Yarrow was a member of 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, who were the voices of the civil rights and anti-war movements. They had 11 top 40 singles, multiple Top 10 hits, one No. 1 single and two No. 1 albums.

At the end of decade, the trio split to pursue solo careers and also because Yarrow was accused of assaulting a 14-year-old girl. They eventually reunited, and CBS News Sunday Morning aired a segment on the trio in 1984. You can watch it here.

Yarrow's notable songs include "Puff the Magic Dragon," based on a poem by former roommate Lenny Lipton. Sheldon wrote a tribute to Lipton, who died in 2022. The recording, recently re-released as Episode 138, is titled An Engineering Major's Unfinished Poem Became "Puff the Magic Dragon."

Yarrow also wrote "Day Is Done," which was Peter, Paul and Mary's last single, peaking at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Here, you can watch the trio perform it late in their careers.

In the chapters, you'll see a promotional photo of the trio in 1968. Pictured from left to right: Paul Stookey, Yarrow and Mary Travers. There's also a shot of the "Day Is Done" album cover.

The thumbnail photo, which appears in the chapters as well, was taken of Yarrow in 2008 in San Diego by Phil Konstantin and is available for use on Creative Commons under the license CC BY-SA 3.0.

The art that frames two sides of the photo was created by Bob Jones.

Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day also deserves a tribute. The good thing is that the tributes live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

Send us Fan Mail

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.

Courtesy of a friend, a few words of encouragement serve as a mantra for coping with this year of change and chaos. In this video, I share them with you along with a bit of info on the Year of the Horse designation in Chinese astrology.

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This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.

Brenton Wood offered these final words to his fans: "Catch you on the rebound," referencing one of his songs.

Brenton Wood wasn't his given name. In this episode, learn the inspiration behind the stage name, and also the moment that piqued his interest in pursuing a musical career.

In 1967, after a career peak with three hits: "Gimme Little Sign," "The Oogum Boogum Song" and "Baby You Got It," he continued writing, recording and performing nearly until his death.

You can watch Wood sing "The Oogum Boogum Song" a long, long time ago on this restored version of his performance on "American Bandstand."

The thumbnail image of Wood was a promo shot for "The Oogum Boogum Song." Credited to Double Shot Records, it appeared in Billboard on April 29, 1967. The art that frames the photo on two sides was created by Bob Jones.

Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan researched, wrote and narrated this short story, one of 35 tributes to music stars who passed away in 2025. Song of the Day used to be a daily feature delivered to an email list of subscribers. Sheldon ended it in early 2026 which, I suppose, means that Song of the Day also deserves a tribute. The good thing is that the tributes live on. Each is a snapshot of the life of one music maker whose work made an impact on the lives of many.

Send us Fan Mail

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify, iHeart and Audible.