From The One: “All these black people were standing around the door waiting to get a seat on the ‘white only’ side. Most of ’em looked like they might be college kids, and there were a few whites with them,” Brown wrote in his autobiography, … Continue reading James Brown – Mr. Dynamite – Final of 3
James Brown defining ‘soul’ – “It’s the word ‘can’t’ makes you a soul singer. ‘Can’t. That one thing that’s made the Black man more heavier for soul coming from the States is because of the fact that he’s had extra-hard knocks and he lived with … Continue reading James Brown – Part Two – The Hardest Working Man in Show Biz
At the end of every year, I do a multi-part series on a notable figure in music. This year it’s time for the ME James Brown treatment. It’s quite the ride. Hope you enjoy. “The ‘One’ is derived from the Earth itself, the soil, the … Continue reading James Brown – Part 1 – The One
Wikipedia: “The Rascals (initially known as The Young Rascals) was an American rock band, formed in Garfield, New Jersey (about 18 miles (30km) west of New York City) in 1965. Between 1966 and 1968 they reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 with nine singles, … Continue reading The (Young) Rascals
“We never ever do nothin’ nice and easy.”- Tina Turner Wikipedia: “Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is a singer and actress, originally from the United States and now a Swiss citizen. Turner rose to prominence as part of the Ike & … Continue reading A Six-pack of Tina Turner
Never know how much I love you Never know how much I care When you put your arms around me I get a fever that’s so hard to bear You give me fever (you give me fever) when you kiss me Fever when you hold … Continue reading One Song, Three Versions – Fever
Pictured: Aretha singing at Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration. Her hat got about as much press as her performance. Aretha, like her father, was a die-hard Democrat and like a lot of us who were hopelessly naive, saw Obama’s inauguration as the possible beginning of a … Continue reading Aretha Franklin (final of 4) – Amazing Grace
We all require and want respect, man or woman, black or white. It’s our basic human right.” – Aretha Franklin. Otis Redding wrote and released “Respect” in the summer of 1965. It had some level of success (Top Five on Billboard’s Black Singles Chart, and crossed over … Continue reading Aretha Franklin (Part 3) – Respect
Wikipedia: The now-defunct Regal Theater in Chicago was part of the so-called “chitlin circuit,” that “provided commercial and cultural acceptance for African-American musicians, comedians, and other entertainers during the era of racial segregation in the United States (from at least the early 19th century through the 1960s.) Sometime in … Continue reading Aretha Franklin (Part 2) – The Queen of Soul
Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul,” died on August 16, 2018 at the age of 76. This is her story. If you think know Aretha, you probably don’t. Read on. I think that, to make sense of Aretha – “Ree” to her friends and family … Continue reading Aretha Franklin – (Part 1) The Sacred and the Profane
Music Enthusiast - At the junction of rock, blues, R&B, jazz, pop,and soul 