"Reach Out" for a Red Stripe Beer (From Galena, Illinois)

I learned two things last week when we were in Galena, Illinois.

The first was that Red Stripe Beer was first produced (and for 100 years from the 1830s to 1937) at one of the nine breweries that one time or another were located in that town. The formula was sold in a downturn after Prohibition to a pair of English investors who took it to Jamaica...and, the rest is history.

The second thing was that one of my favorite songs from the 1960s, "Reach Out in the Darkness" by Friend and Lover, was written by Galena native Jim Post, best known for his portrayal of Mark Twain and Galena Rose in one man shows.

Today, I went to Wikipedia and found out that Friend and Lover were actually he and his wife. He also performed a lot in the 70s and 80s in Chicago and was a contemporary of Steve Goodman, John Prine and Bonnie Koloc.

Some Stuff I Didn't Know. --RoadDog