Here are some of our favorite questions:

Q: I’ve always been interested in the rumor that Paul McCartney was supposed to have died in the mid-1960s and that there were “clues” about his death in some of the Beatles’ songs. How did this rumor get started? What are the clues?

A: In October 1969, Russ Gibb, a disk jockey in Detroit, reported that an anonymous telephone caller tipped him off that if one were to listen to certain songs by the Beatles and look carefully in the artwork on their albums, clues would become apparent proving that Paul McCartney was dead. Fans began to comb through the entire Beatles catalogue and many theories were offered, although it was generally agreed that McCartney had died in an automobile accident -- "He blew his mind out in a car" (from "A Day In The Life") -- probably on Tuesday, November 9, 1966 -- a "stupid bloody Tuesday" (from "I Am The Walrus") -- after he angrily stormed out of a recording session. Sounds of the alleged car accident were supposedly featured in "Revolution 9", which also begins with a man's voice repeating the words "Number nine" over and over again. When played backwards, the voice clearly says "Turn me on dead man" over and over. Mindful of their status as pop idols, the rumor continued, the surviving members conspired to keep the accident a secret and held a Paul McCartney look-alike contest. The winner, allegedly someone named William Campbell, supposedly posed as Paul for photographs and interviews. It has never been completely determined whether the rumor was manufactured or a clever publicity stunt. The rumor even resulted in a story in the November 7, 1969 issue of Life magazine, which featured a picture of McCartney on the cover and the headline “Paul Is Still With Us: The Case of the Missing Beatle.” All four members of the band consistently denied having anything to do with the rumor.

Many of the clues are ambiguous and open to interpretation either way. Regardless, here is a partial list of some of the major clues: When played backwards, the apparent gibberish which John Lennon utters between "I'm So Tired" and "Blackbird" on the White Album becomes, "Paul is dead, man, miss him, miss him." The cover of Abbey Road offers many clues. Lennon, dressed in white, represents the minister; Ringo Starr, dressed in black, represents the undertaker; Paul McCartney, normally left-handed but carrying a cigarette in his right hand, is barefooted and out of step with the others, represents the deceased; while George, dressed as a workman, represents the gravedigger. The number on the license plate of the Volkswagen Beetle behind George is "LMW 28IF", which allegedly means "Linda McCartney Weeps" and that Paul would have been "28 IF" he had lived when the album was released. The fans that discovered this clue probably disregarded the fact that on the day the album was released, September 26, 1969, McCartney was only 27 years old. The back of the album cover offers other clues as well. There is a crack in the letter "S" of "Beatles", suggesting that something had happened to one Beatle. There is also a shadowy skull just to the right of the cracked "S". There is also a chip in the "O" of "Road". McCartney was the only Beatle not to have an "O" in his name.

Other albums with both visual and aural clues include Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine. On the front covers of Sgt. Pepper and Yellow Submarine, an open hand is raised over Paul's head, signifying death. On Sgt. Pepper, the band is grouped around a grave, with yellow flowers shaped like McCartney's four-stringed bass guitar. On the inner cover, McCartney is wearing an arm patch that reads, "OPD", which was supposed to stand for "Officially Pronounced Dead." Finally, on the back cover, Paul is the only band member with his back turned. In the booklet, which accompanied the Magical Mystery Tour album, underneath the title for "I Am the Walrus" is written, "'No you're not!' said Little Nicola". This suggested that someone else was the Walrus, which allegedly is a symbol of death in some cultures. (Lennon later confirmed this is his song, "Glass Onion" from the White Album -- "Here's another clue for you all. The Walrus was Paul.") On another page of the Magical Mystery Tour booklet, McCartney is seated under two crossed flags (a symbol of death) and in front of a sign that says "I Was". Finally, during the fadeout of “Strawberry Fields Forever,” some fans claim Lennon says, “I buried Paul.” However, upon closer listening, he actually says (as he always claimed), “Cranberry sauce.” These are just some of the many clues that have been discussed through the years. If you treat it like a game, it’s fun to search for these clues and many more. Happy hunting!

Q: I’ve always heard that B.B. King’s guitar is named Lucille. Why does he call it Lucille?

A: Born Riley B. King in Indianola, Mississippi, on September 16, 1925, King became known as "B.B." while spinning discs in the late-1940s at WDIA, a Memphis, Tennessee, radio station. His on-air nickname, "the Beale Street Blues Boy," was shortened to "Blues Boy," and he eventually became known simply as "B.B." It was also around this time that he came to name his guitar Lucille. As he tells the story, he was playing a gig in the little town of Twist, Arkansas, not far from Memphis. A fight broke out between two of the patrons and a kerosene-filled garbage can that was heating the place was overturned, catching the building on fire. Like everyone else, B.B. rushed to get out. However, in his haste, he left his Gibson acoustic guitar inside. He foolishly rushed back into the burning building, narrowly escaping death, and retrieved his guitar. Unfortunately, two people were killed in the fire. It was afterwards that he learned that the two men had been fighting over a woman named Lucille. Ever since then, Lucille, in all her various incarnations, has been with him as his constant companion.

Q: Has it ever been determined who tried to kill Bob Marley in the ‘70s?

A: In late 1976, reggae superstar Bob Marley agreed to perform at a government-sponsored free concert in Kingstown, Jamaica. The concert, called Smile Jamaica, was scheduled for December 5. He accepted the invitation to perform on the condition that the government would not publicly associate him with any political party. In an attempt to win the favor of Marley’s fans, Prime Minister Michael Manley, a member of the ruling People’s National Party, called for an election immediately after the concert was announced. Although Marley felt betrayed and uncomfortable with what appeared to be his affiliation with the PNP, he still planned to perform. On December 3, while rehearsing for the concert, a gunman entered Marley’s home and started shooting. Marley was hit in the arm. Marley’s wife, Rita, was shot while trying to get away in her car and two others were critically injured. Fortunately, no one was killed and Bob and Rita’s injuries were not serious. After some hesitation on Marley’s part, the concert went on as planned. Despite the fact that some of the other acts on the bill failed to show up, the crowd grew to 80,000 by the time Marley arrived to perform a 90-minute set. It has been suggested that the opposition Jamaica Labour Party felt that Marley’s performance at the concert would sway public opinion toward the PNP and therefore planned the attack to stop the concert. Others have suggested that the United States planned the attack to thwart the re-election of the anti-American Prime Minister Manley. To this day, no one knows the truth. After surviving the attack of December 1976, Marley’s popularity continued to grow until he died of cancer in May 1981 at the age of 36.

Q: Is there any truth to the legend that the Rolling Stones had to change a line in “Sympathy for the Devil” after Robert Kennedy was assassinated?

A: Since “Sympathy For The Devil” is one of the Stones’ most popular songs, many aspects of the song have been debated and discussed, particularly the line “I shouted out, ‘Who killed the Kennedys?’, When after all, It was you and me.” Most sources state that the song was recorded between June 4 and June 11, 1968. Since Robert Kennedy died on June 6, 1968, the timeframe suggests that the legend may be true. Also, since most song lyrics are completed prior to the recording session, it makes sense that the lyrics were changed. The most definitive clue can be found in Jean-Luc Godard’s film Sympathy For The Devil, which contains footage of the Stones while they rehearsed the song. In one scene, Mick Jagger sings “I shouted out, ‘Who killed Kennedy?’” while in a later scene he sings “I shouted out, ‘Who killed the Kennedys?’” Considering this evidence, it appears the legend is true.

Q: I thought Johnny Cash wrote "Ring of Fire" after a dream in which he hears a song with Mexican horns on it. However, in the movie Walk the Line, he said June Carter Cash wrote the song. Which is true?

A: Never argue with "The Man in Black"! Actually, you're generally right on both details. June Carter did, indeed, write the song in collaboration with singer/songwriter Merle Kilgore in 1962. According to noted photographer Otto Kitsinger, who wrote the liner notes for Anita Carter -- Ring of Fire (Bear Family Records BCD 15434, 1989), June, on tour with Johnny, and Merle, also on tour, would meet nearly every day to write songs. She had remembered a line of Elizabethan poetry that her uncle had underlined -- Love is like a burning ring of fire - and thought it would make the basis for a good song. As they were trying to complete the song, Anita Carter, June's younger sister, called to say that she needed a song to complete a session. With that as motivation, June and Merle completed the song in about 15 minutes. Anita recorded the song in November 1962. Johnny reportedly heard the song and awoke one morning having dreamed about the song. In his dream, he "heard" the song with Mexican horns on it. He told Anita that he would give her version of the song six months before he recorded his version. Although Anita's version was warmly received, it became a No. 1 hit for Johnny.