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
“You sing about the woman, but you are really also talking about all the kicking around you’ve had, the humiliations that you’ve had, the throwing out of doors you’ve had, the hunger that you’ve had. You think about all these things, but you’re still singing … Continue reading Ray Charles – Part IV (final)
For several years now, the Music Enthusiast has done a series on a notable artist at the end of the year. Previous years have included Elvis, Eric Clapton, Aretha Franklin, my tour with the Allmans I’ve done almost nothing about Ray Charles. Time to rectify … Continue reading Ray Charles – Part 1
“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
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
“The best gig was working with Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions. He was a really good guitarist!…… I learned quite a lot in that short time. He probably influenced me more than anyone I’d ever played with up to that time, that sweet sound of his, you know.” … Continue reading Curtis Mayfield – Super Fly – (final of 2)
The Impressions are an R&B, soul and gospel group whose roots go all the way back to 1958. They actually started out as a group called the Roosters and then became Jerry Butler and the Impressions. Their first hit was a song called “For Your … Continue reading Curtis Mayfield – People Get Ready – (1 of 2)
Music Enthusiast - At the junction of rock, blues, R&B, jazz, pop,and soul 