Many of America's presidents have found friendship and solace in their pets. It's a tradition that goes all the way back to founding father, President George Washington, the founding father who also bred foxhounds. As of today, 46 U.S. Presidents have had pets while they resided in the White House. And, like many of us today, the pets became part of their families, offering courage, patience, forgiveness, unconditional love and comfort, particularly during stressful periods for president in office.

In this T-Boy article, please consider it to be an invitation to join me on a personal journey in search of the source of many of the cinema's most popular musical soundtracks. I've tried to make the categories specific, where the composer worked with the director before the film was shot, or used a pre-existing composition after the movie was in the can. Categories also include the innovation of using songs in films that have not been done before. I hope this makes sense once you see the line-up of film soundtracks on the list, where you'll also notice that there are many others not included which would make the list too long - so here's a few below:

Nursery rhymes are thought to be instrumental in helping children develop an ear for language, that is according to Mem Fox, author of Reading Magic. The short, rhythmic style of nursery rhymes help children to sound out unfamiliar words, aiding them in vocabulary expansion as they begin learning how to read and process other crucial language skills.

The Two Micks: Taylor on the left, Jagger on the right. “What It Looked Like”The Rolling Stones’ vocalist Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards, drummer Charlie Watts, bassist Bill Wyman and lead guitarist Mick Taylor conquered Europe in their widely acclaimed 1970 tour. The personnel included sidemen Bobby Keys on Saxophone, Jim Price on Trumpet and Trombone,  Nicky Hopkins on Piano, along …

The Rolling Stones' vocalist Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards, drummer Charlie Watts, bassist Bill Wyman and guitarist Mick Taylor conquered the States in their widely acclaimed 1972 US Tour. The personnel  also include sidemen Bobby Keys on Saxophone, Jim Price on Trumpet & Trombone,  Nicky Hopkins on Piano, and occasionally former co-founding member, pianist Ian Stewart, who had transitioned from the group as the Stones' road manager for a period over two decades until his death. The first leg of the Rolling Stones American Tour 1971 began in Vancouver, BC on June 3, 1972 and then moved on to Seattle for a matinee and evening concert, concluding at Madison Square Garden In New York City with three consecutive nights, ending on Jagger's 29th birthday on July 26, 1972.

The best films of 2023 proved to be an eclectic and exciting mix of thought provoking cinema. Narratives ranged from genocide, lost loves and rebirth, immigrant experiences, stories pulled from headlines and a small boarding school in New England. The year was rich with directorial vision and personal styles: the unblemished truth by documentarian Frederick Wiseman, lonely science fiction from Andrew Haigh, the exploding imagery of Martin Scorsese, Justine Triet’s moments of tensity, the Bressonian minimalism of Aki Kaurismäki and Jonathan Glazer’s dialectical montage of image and sound.

"Killers of the Flower Moon" was Robbie Robertson's final soundtrack for director Martin Scorsese. The former leader, main composer and lead guitarist of the rock group, The Band, scored the film shortly before his death, and Scorsese dedicated the film to him. "Killers of the Flower Moon" closed with the Osage song, Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People), composed by Osage Nation Tribal Members, Scott George, Kenny Bighorse, and Vann Bighorse. Roberston felt that 'the music of the Osage is the best display of their extraordinary survival. Robertson who is a member of the Cayuga and Mohawk Tribal Nations and part Canadian of Jewish ancestry, was the music producer on over ten earlier Martin Scorsese films. Rest in peace, Robbie. We had wished for more of your music to come.

German actor Franz Rogowski delivered the best performance of 2023 as an egotistical film director who loses control of his own life in Ira Sachs’ Passages. There were many other great performances, which I noted in Traveling Boy Selects Top Films From 2023 and Beyond the Films of 2023.

If you ever get the chance to hang out with D.K. Harrell and his band, make sure it's over the breakfast table. The conversation flows fast and thick like our biscuits and gravy and the subject matter ranges from everything family and friends, good times, hard times and all things music. The entire band is well-versed in the latter and all speak fluent blues, jazz, soul, R&B and roots dialects. Not only young and talented, they openly display a shared enthusiasm and serious commitment to the music they love. You see it clearly when they acknowledge influences or when praising those who paved the way, but it grabs you by the throat when they step on stage and you witness it up close and personal with every note they play.

Castro Coleman has had and continues to have a masterful career in the Gospel music realm. His gospel catalogue includes over 125 recording credits on more than 50 national releases and the man continues to perform and produce music in that genre with his quartet, The True Believers. But his versatility and showmanship has blossomed in so many directions over the years even fans are surprised by his accomplishments; and there are many.