In the '80s, the New York Dolls were known for performing in high heels and makeup. Their audience loved the showmanship, especially frontman David Johansen's onstage strutting.

As a solo act, he was most successful as his lounge singer alter ego, Buster Poindexter. You can watch him singing and gyrating his way through "Hot Hot Hot" in this YouTube video. I do believe I caught glimpses of Bill Murray in the street scenes, but maybe I was just too hot, hot, hot to see clearly!

The photo in the thumbnail shows Johansen (center) performing with the New York Dolls on the Dutch television program "TopPop" in 1973. The shot is attributed to By AVRO (FTA001019054 010 con.png Beeld En Geluid Wiki - Gallerie) and is available for use on Wikimedia Commons under this license.

In the chapters, you'll see a photo of Johansen in 2011 when he performed with the Dolls at Club Academy, Manchester. It's attributed to Man Alive! and is available on Wikimedia Commons under this license.

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 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.

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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.

Decades after the fact, Roberta Flack still is recognized as the only solo artist to win Record of the Year for two consecutive years, 1973 and 1974. She won the initial award for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." Here, you can listen to a 2006 remastered version from Rhino Atlantic.

Also on YouTube, there's a compelling live music video posted by AI Videoworks. It's from Flack's 1975 performance recorded with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, upscaled to 4K using Machine Learning.

Flack sang beautifully, but her music didn't take off right away. When it did, her career soared to rarefied heights. Although she didn't repeat the remarkable success she had in the '70s, she kept on working until a particularly cruel disease took away her voice.

The thumbnail photo of Flack, taken in 1976, is credited to Atlantic Records. You can go to Wikipedia to see other photos including one that's in the chapters. Taken in 1995 at the Meyerhoff theater in Baltimore, Md., the later photo is credited to John Mathew Smith and Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com and is available for use under the license CC BY SA 2.0.

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.

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.

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.