Best of Bites: Year One 🍪
A music quiz, which musicians you loved most, and celebrating the first year of Monday Bites
34 of my favorite artists
I researched and wrote about the lives of each one this past year, and it was so fun. You know that feeling when you get really into a musician and want other people to get into them too? That’s basically how the Monday Bites series started. I wanted to share with you little bite-sized fact snacks about these people whose music I love. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about them.
To celebrate the one year anniversary of the series, I made you a playlist with all of my favorite songs by all of the artists covered (so far) — listen here 💗
There’s more coming in 2025! I can’t wait to share with you soon.
If you’ve enjoyed this series, I’d be honored if you’d consider becoming a paid subscriber so I can continue doing this work.
With love and thanks,
x Grace
Keep reading for:
Top 10 Bites of the Year
10 Fun Facts of the Year
10 Quotes of the Year
Test your music knowledge 🧠
Take the quiz and see how well you know the Monday Bites artists.
Top 10 Bites: Year One 🏆
Check out the most popular Monday Bites of the first year:
1. Roy Orbison
The rocker who helped men find strength in sensitivity | Read→
2. Bruce Springsteen
The beloved super icon and unstoppable poetic lyricist | Read→
3. Otis Redding
The man who lit up the stage | Read→
4. Curtis Mayfield
The civil rights hero who made music that changed history | Read→
5. Janis Joplin
The undeniable greatness of rock's first female superstar | Read→
6. Donna Summer
Fall in love with the Queen of Disco | Read→
7. Robert Palmer
The introverted, wide-ranging, and underappreciated singer songwriter | Read→
8. Leon Russell
The man who shaped the sound of classic rock | Read→
9. Arthur Russell
The touching music of one of the most singular artists and innovators of all time | Read→
10. Grace Jones
My teenage obsession with Andy Warhol led me to seeing Grace Jones in person, and she did not disappoint | Read→
10 Facts of the Year
My favorite fun facts about the top Monday Bites artists this year:
1. Roy Orbison fun fact: At 9 years old, he won a radio contest that led to his own radio show where he’d sing the same songs every week
2. Bruce Springsteen fun fact: He’s avoided hard drugs his entire life, eats a mostly vegetarian diet, and runs six miles three times a week
3. Otis Redding fun fact: He bought a 300-acre ranch in Georgia, which he called the “Big O Ranch”
4. Curtis Mayfield fun fact: He taught himself guitar when he was 10 and loved his guitar so much he used to sleep with it
5. Janis Joplin fun fact: She started singing in high school after befriending a group of outcasts who introduced her to blues
6. Donna Summer fun fact: She’s the only artist in history to have 3 consecutive No. 1 platinum double albums
7. Robert Palmer fun fact: Princess Diana was rumored to have had an affair with him, inspiring his 1988 hit “Simply Irresistible” and his 1994 album Honey
8. Leon Russell fun fact: He loved to create large musical families he kept close; bought a large house and had a bunch of friends living there, called it “the home for unwed musicians”
9. Arthur Russell fun fact: He almost joined Talking Heads in 1976 — collaborated on arrangements for their early songs and recorded an acoustic version of “Psycho Killer”
10. Grace Jones fun fact: The daughter of a Pentecostal minister, she rebelled against her parents & their religion by wearing makeup and visiting gay clubs with her brother
10 Quotes of the Year
My favorite quotes from the top Monday Bites artists this year:
1. Roy Orbison
⭐ “It's a gift, and a blessing, just to have a voice. And I'm proud that people do appreciate it, you know?”
2. Bruce Springsteen
⭐ “The best music is essentially there to provide you something to face the world with.”
3. Otis Redding
⭐ “Music has always been the bridge between souls, connecting people across cultures, races, and backgrounds.”
4. Curtis Mayfield
⭐ “Our purpose is to educate as well as to entertain.”
5. Janis Joplin
⭐ “I'm one of those regular weird people.”
6. Donna Summer
⭐ “If you've never been to one of my concerts, I want you to know that it is OK to scream and yell.”
7. Robert Palmer
⭐ “I joined a band because I didn’t like school, and there’s nothing else I’d rather have done. If I really wanted to make money, I’d be in real estate.”
8. Leon Russell
⭐ “I tend to freeze up around any situation that involves people watching me.”
9. Arthur Russell
⭐ “I like music with no drums… When you hear something with no drums it seems very exciting. I always thought that music with no drums is successive to music with drums. New music with no drums is like this future where they don't have drums anymore. In outer space you can't take your drums — you take your mind.”
10. Grace Jones
⭐ “I go feminine, I go masculine. I am both, actually.”
Best of Bites: Vol. 1 Playlist
I gathered my favorite songs from the first year of the Monday Bites series and made a playlist for you. Like & save on Spotify and listen all week ➡️
The gal behind the series 🩷
If you don’t know me, I’m Grace Lilly and I love music. I started the Monday Bites series one year ago because I wanted to share music that’s changed my life with you.
Your feedback about the series has been incredibly heartwarming, it makes me so happy to know you’ve been enjoying it. I hope you’ve discovered a new favorite artist, song, or album you’d never heard before.
If you’ve enjoyed my work and believe in the power of this publication, I can’t tell you how much it would mean if you would consider becoming a paid subscriber today — each new person who chips in a little makes a huge difference in my ability to keep publishing (plus you’ll instantly unlock 30+ secret posts and playlists 👀).
What you’re paying for ✨
Continued production of the free Monday Bites series
Continued production of the free Friday Essays series
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Paid Perks ❤️
Secret paid-only posts (monthly)
Secret paid-only playlists (monthly)
