When in the course of human events...

Welcome to thatwasrockandroll.

It's July 4th weekend, when we celebrate those brave souls who stood up to the King of England (arguably the most powerful man on Earth at the time) and demanded their independence.  It was a noble effort that began the "great experiment" that became the United States.

For those of us who came later, being American has evolved somewhat.  And one of the ways it's evolved is in the musical artists we worship and believe have their fingers on the pulse of what it means to be American.

It's a regional thing, however.  We don't have a single band or singer that we place above all others.  If you're a Northeasterner, you gravitate to Bruce Springsteen, or Bon Jovi. Southerners look at the Allman Brothers, or Lynyrd Skynyrd (or perhaps Toby Keith).  Texans have ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan.  West Coasters have Nirvana, or Fleetwood Mac, or the Beach Boys.

I grew up in Indiana (after being born and living 10 years in southwest West Virginia, what I learned later was called "oppressed Appalachia".  When I moved to a small town north of Fort Wayne I latched on to the Midwest icons--John Mellencamp, Chicago, etc.).  But the guy who really spoke for the industrial heartland--the place where small towns had factories that built parts for Detroit--was Bob Seger.

One of my true regrets was that I never got to see Bob Seger during one of those 7-night, sold-out runs he'd do at Pine Knob (the outdoor amphitheater north of Detroit), or, in the winter, a week's worth of concerts at Joe Louis Arena downtown.  I've heard the live recordings, but it must have been amazing to be there.

Which brings me to today's Time Machine entry.  A song about Detroit and what it did for the United States.  A lifestyle that we all aspired to have one day, but now see it only as a memory.  Americans are nothing if not resilient, and while Detroit lies in ruins it may return someday.  Until then, we have Bob Seger telling us what was and what might be again by saluting an American original...

Happy 4th, everyone.  Recall the wise words of Benjamin Franklin, who said of the Declaration "We must all hang together, or surely we will all hang separately"...


Pete