Candi Staton – Candy for your soul!

April 5, 2012

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Miss Staton has every reason to be happy and content with her recording career, as she has touched millions of fans with her music. From her first recording, made in the late 1960’s, she has proven time and time again that she is one of those singers who seem at home in almost every genre they try. She started out performing what is generally known as “Southern Soul”, then she moved on to being one of the 70’s “disco queens”. Then she spent 25 years performing mostly gospel music, and finally from 2006 onwards she has reclaimed her status as one of the finest soul music interpreters in the business.

Promotion photo, ca. 1990

Candi Staton was born in Alabama in 1940, and from early childhood she sang with a gospel choir called The Jewell Gospel Trio. This group recorded and released a couple of singles from 1953 to 1963. At the age of 19, Candi married Joe Williams, and by the time she took the first steps into secular music in 1968, she was already a mother of four children.

Signing with Rick Hall, she started recording for the Fame label, chalking up 16 R’n B hits along the way, and also being Grammy nominated twice. Her first hits was the saucy “I’d rather be an old mans sweetheart (Than a young mans fool)”, followed by other hits like “I’m just a prisoner (Of your good lovin’)”, “He called me baby” and the two songs that were Grammy nominees, “Stand by your man” and “In the ghetto”. So-called Southern soul might sound a little country influenced, and some of the songs she recorded during this time did indeed originate as country song. Still, Candi has no trouble making every one of her songs simply drip with soul and emotion. A stand-out track from her early years is “Mr. & Mrs. Untrue” – maybe the best “cheating” song ever committed to vinyl!

Great collection of songs, 1968-73

Candi signed with Warner Brothers in 1974, releasing her first album for that label, simply called “Candi”. From this album, the songs “Six night and a day”, “Here I am again” and “As long as he takes care of home” were all hits, and proved that Candi was still soulful but a bit less “southern” than earlier.Then, in 1976, Candi recorded what is regarded as her major break-through song, and one that still stands as an all-time classic: “Young hearts run free”! The song zoomed to the top of the charts around the world, and it is one of those songs that seem to have it all: It’s instantly recognizable, very catchy, it has a memorable lyric and is sung with a tremendous amount of sincerity! Candi herself at this point was twice divorced and a mother of five, so perhaps she was able to put some of her personal experiences into the song…. An album named after the big hit quickly followed, as did a similar sounding follow-up single, “Run to me”.

Her next album, “Music Speaks Louder Than Words” (1977) is notable for some stunning cover versions; Bee Gees’ “Nights on Broadway”, The Doobie Brothers’ “Listen to the music” and Freddy Fender’s “Before the next teardrop fall”. Although having  recently been dubbed “disco queen”, Candi apparently didn’t quite embrace that title – and chose instead to make an album that looked back at her early 70’s style.

She recorded and released 4 more albums in the disco/soul vein during 1978-1982: “House Of Love” (1978) produced the hit “Victim”. The 1979 six tracker “Chance” contains “When you wake up tomorrow”. Next up was 1980’s “Candi Staton”, from this album she saw some chart action with “Halfway to heaven”. It also includes her cover of The Marvelettes “The hunter gets captured by the game”.  Her last album under her WB contract was “Nightlites” (1982). Noted for its sexy cover photo, picturing Candi in a very low-cut lace negligee, looking like she’d rather turn the lights out… She does a very nice version of “Suspicious minds” on this album.

Her last secular album for 25 years. Sexy covershot too!

During early 1983, there were rumours of Candi being “worn out”, either depressed or just ill, some say she was battling alcoholism… Whatever she was dealing with at that time, she certainly chose a different direction; Starting yet another phase of her career, she spent the next 23 years performing gospel and religious music. She made 13 albums of gospel and religious music, and also made a Christmas album in 2000. Her only venture outside gospel during this period was her 1986 collaboration with The Source, “You got the love”, which was a Top 10 Club Hit in the UK and is nowadays regarded as a true classic.

A signed photo from her "religious" period

When Candi made an album called “His Hands” in 2006, it was easy to think it was yet another gospel record, but no! With this album she stepped back into the world of secular music, and proving once again that she is a force to be reckoned with in the soul department! The entire album is just great, and with an added edge in her voice, she makes you believe every syllable of songs like “You never really wanted me”, “When hearts grow cold” and “Running out of love”.

Three years later she made another earthy soul record, “Who’s Hurting Now” (2009), building on the foundation set by “His Hands”. A whole new generation of music lovers had grown up since her 70’s heyday – and these two albums attracted legions of new fans who had never heard her earlier albums. She sinks her teeth into “Dust on my pillow” and “Get your hands dirty”. No coy and cutesy stuff here, this is a mature soul survivor staking her claim and reclaiming her throne!

A recent photo of Candi on stage

So, how does one describe the voice of Candi Staton? A bit deep? Yeah, and with a little coarse edge sometimes… Soulful? Yes, indeed! Candi will put any amount of emotion into a song to make it work, and therefore – much like any opera singer – she is a singing actress! She will convey the meaning of the words in such a way, you’ll never doubt that she’s singing from her own experiences!

Also, she perfectly masters the art of holding back. Unlike full-throttle divas like Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera, Candi has learned to moderate her singing. It’s in the little pauses, the way she stops for breath, how she handles even a single word in a line, to make her point. Just when you expect her to raise her voice an octave to really get her point through, she does the exact opposite and lowers the next word into a hoarse whisper, and is all the more effective for doing it that way. It is a voice of exquisite beauty, and she uses it to convey every human emotion possible. THAT is the main reason for listening to Candi Staton, no matter what kind of material she sings. She is a story-teller of the first order, and will make you get into what she sings in such a way, you’ll feel it inside when she gets to the punchline…

Coming soon…. Candi Staton and the many aspects of her career

March 30, 2012

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Candi Staton has been a singer and recording artist since the 1960s, and she’s gone from being called “The Queen of Southern Soul”, to Disco Queen, to gospel interpreter and since 2006 she’s once again an undisputed, secular soul queen.

Her music has touched millions of people, and all the more so for her being such a versatile singer, in different types of music.

Stay with me for a closer look at Candi’s recorded output – coming on this blog very soon!

Wishing all my readers a very Happy Easter Holiday!

Sharon Redd – 20 Years On….

March 23, 2012

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On May 1st 2012, it will be 20 years to the date since Sharon Redd died – I can hardly believe it… Must be because her music lives on, and she still lives through her music. There can’t be anyone over the age of 40 who hasn’t, at one time or another, danced to some of the great club hits she recorded. As a solo performer, her career encompassed much more than most people are aware of, and due to her much too premature death, I feel a loss of music that could have been – if she’d lived longer….

Sharon Redd (19 Oct. 1945 – 1 May 1992) may be first and foremost remembered for a lot of dancefloor-filling club hits of the 80’s, but before those came out she had done a whole lot more! She started her recording career in the late 1960’s, and released a total of 6 singles during the next 4 years: “Half as much” (1967), “Do you want me?”, “I’ve got a feeling”, “Since I lost you” (all 1968), “Easy to be hard” (1969), and finally “Where the mind can breathe” (1971). All these records helped her to establish a reputation as a very fine R n’ B singer with an expressive voice. They reveal a much more soulful Sharon than what you find on most of her club hits of the 80’s.

After 1971 there were no more records for quite some time, but Sharon branched out into acting. Her first major part was in the Australian production of “Hair” 1969-71, and Sharon stayed with the play during its entire run – becoming quite a star in Australia also! She appeared on the TV programme “GTK”, she made a fabulous commercial for Amoco Oil that was seen all over the country and she got to starr in her own Television Special! Later on, she was featured in the American TV sit-com “Rhoda” playing the role of Sherrie. She had a starring role in the London production of “The Wedding of Iphigenia” in 1974, and you can see her in a smaller part in the 1978 movie “Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band”.

And of course: from the mid-70’s and up to 1978 she was one of Bette Midler fabulous singers/dancers “The Staggering Harlettes” doing a lot of touring and shows with Bette. The 1977 Midler album “Live at Last” feature the Harlettes very prominently! They also made an album of their own in 1977, called “Formerly of The Harlettes”

Sharon (left) in The Staggering Harlettes, 1976

1979 saw the release of the song for which she is maybe best remembered; “Love Insurance”. For some reason this record never carried Sharon’s name – with the label reading “Front Page”. If any band of that name really existed, they were a studio product only, and it is Sharon who should be given all credit for this classic disco hit. It’s widely available under her name now, and can be downloaded from most music sites. Its almost seven minutes is pure musical bliss, and when she shouts “Surrender, baby!” during one of the breaks, that’s the only thing to do!

Right after “Love Insurance” hit, she was offered a contract with Prelude Records, quickly being turned into that labels “First Lady” and making three albums in quick succession for them. Her first album was titled simply “Sharon Redd” and she had big hits with songs like “Can You Handle It” and “You Got My Love”. The album also includes two songs that should have been hits; “Try My Love On For Size” and “It’s A Lie”.

Her next album, “Redd Hott” came out 1982, and she scored more hits with the songs “Never Give You Up”, “Beat The Street” and “In The Name Of Love” – ALL of them bona fide club classics, and ALL of them reached number 1 on the Dance Chart!  Her final solo album, “Love How You Feel” (1983) kept the hits coming with “You’re A Winner” and “Somebody Save The Night” – songs that will guarantee packed dance floors anywhere. The album also included “Activate” and the totally gorgeous “Liar On The Wire”. All three of her 80’s solo albums are available as downloads from iTunes, and they have been re-released on CD as well. There are numerous compilations out there too, most them compiling her biggest hits, so if you want just those – anyone of those will do. For those of you who want it all, go for the three solo discs altogether! They contain a lot of great music, performed by a woman whose smooth, soulful but still strong voice will no doubt leave a lasting impression on music lovers!

One of the better collections of Sharon’s music

Although there were no more solo albums, Sharon kept on working in the music business. She was a prominent back-up singer for the group Soiree, and she made a duet with Les Adams called “All The Way To Love” – the last time her name would appear on any record. She was gradually fading from sight in the later part of the decade, but “Beat The Street! The Very Best of Sharon Redd” came out 1989 and caused some flurry of activity. This hit collection includes a 15-minute “Mega mix” of all of her greatest hits.

Includes all 12″ versions and a Mega Mix

When Sharon suddenly died in May 1992, at just 46 years old – the music industry was shocked; Though never a superstar diva, she had been a consistent hit maker for some time, and as a person she seems to have been very nice, as everyone who’ve met her will tell you that she was just wonderful to be around. The cause of death was given as pneumonia, then a magazine published an article stating that Sharon had died of AIDS, and that the pneumonia was just a sideline to her much more serious diagnosis.

Personally, I don’t care – she was a wonderful singer who died much to young, whatever the cause of it was. If I sometimes feel like dancing, chances are that it’s one of Sharon’s discs I play. And I like to believe that she sits on the edge of a cloud, tapping a high-heeled foot to the beat and smiles that half-shy smile of hers. As a singer, she was one of the very few who could put some soul and sincerity into the electronic beats of 80’s dance music – and that is one of the main reasons I’m such a fan. She cuts straight through the sonic melee, aiming for your heart….. “Surrender, baby!” – Yes. miss Redd – I’m all yours…!

Amii Stewart – The girl who knocked on wood

March 14, 2012

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Amii STEWART (Jan 29 1956 – ) is one of those singers who always get labelled a “one hit wonder”. In terms of chart action, that is partially correct, as she hit the top of the Hot 100 in the US just once; In 1979 with her discofied version of “Knock on wood”. She might also be considered one of the true disco divas, but she took her career in a completely different direction, and I will focus on her musical merits in other fields in this post.

Amii burst on the scene in 1979 when her break-through hit “Knock on wood” was a big success, its sales giving her a platinum record and a Grammy nomination along the way. She followed this one up with several other songs in the same style; Her 8 minute “Light my fire/137 Disco heaven” might be a little over the top, but at least her very fast reworking of The Doors’ classic hit proves that she has a very big and flexible voice that can scale the octaves in a way most singers could never do. She named her first album “Knock On Wood”, and in addition to the two afore-mentioned songs it also included “You really touch my heart” and “Get your love back”. Her next album “Paradise Bird” was released within the same year, and she had further hits with “Jealousy” and “The Letter”. This album also included the fabulous “Step into the loveline”.

Amii in her "Knock On Wood" gear!

Amii has stated that she was never really fond of disco, even though her success in that category started her career. She settled in Europe in the early 80’s (and now seems to have made Italy her permanent home), and her 1981 album “Images” was recorded and released in Europe only. On this album she steers away from disco, spreading her gorgeous voice over a lot of different styles; she’s funky on “Tonight”, soulful and sexy with duet partner Johnny Bristol on “My Guy/My Girl”, tantalizingly sensual on “Love is bad for your health” and she’s a subdued but still soulful pop singer on “Save this night for love” and Randy Edelman’s “Don’t let go of me”. The last song must have been one of the most popular that year, as it was also recorded by (Mrs. Edelman) Jackie DeShannon, Letta Mbulu and Jane Olivor… “Images” was given a new name, “I’m gonna get your love” and under that name saw a limited release in the US in 1982.

The 1981 single with soul man Johnny Bristol

For the rest of the 80’s, Amii put out several great albums; Her 1983 “Amii Stewart” was a pop slanted record, seeing her having some success in Europe with the single “Working late tonight”. “Try Love” from 1984 was a more urban contemporary production, and after her 1985 single “Friends” was a hit, it was included on the new pressings of the album.  She worked with Giorgio Moroder and the Dutch Bolland brothers on 1986 “Amii” which was an electro-up tempo affair, and the only one of her later albums that really show any connection at all to the 70’s disco diva she once was…. “Time For Fantasy” came out 1988 and is a rather soft and quiet album, quite unlike anything you’d expect from someone with Amii’s voice. It’s a record for late night cuddling!

Amii’s albums of the 1990’s present an interesting collection, as she spread her talents to even other different musical genres: Having settled in Italy, what was more natural than making a collection of Ennio Morricone’s music – the album was called “Pearls” (1990). 1992 saw her collaborating with Narada Michael Walden and the British team of Climie & Fisher, resulting in the album “Magic” and it’s two singles “Don’t stop” and “Don’t be so shy”. This album also included the totally stunning “Le Storie Lunghe”. Next up were her two “tribute” albums, “Lady To Ladies” (1994) and “The Men I Love” (1996). The first one sees Amii doing songs made famous by Streisand, Ross, Nina Simone, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Labelle and other female singers. Without ever falling into the trap of copying any of the original singers styles, it proves that Amii can sing anything! The male “counter-part” that came out 2 years later took on a similar approach, with Amii interpreting songs by The Beatles, Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart, Sting and Elton John, and it is another proof of her power as a song interpreter of the first order… She did more urban contemporary stuff on 1996 “Love Affair” which also includes a beautiful duet with Salvatore Campanile, “How could I know”. Her next album “Unstoppable” contained 2 new songs; The title track and “Can I come home”, the other songs are Amii’s re-recordings of her previous hits, and these are very good too, even if I don’t really see the point – as the originals are just great!

Lady Stewart as "Lady Day" 2004

In addition to making records, Amii has also done stage work, and her 2004 musical “Lady Day”, written and performed by herself had an original cast recording put in the shops. Her last album so far, “Caracciolo Street” was released in 2010, and it’s a 2 disc album, where one disc is entirely in Italian, the other in English – but it’s the same songs.

A few words about her stage work and other interests: Even before she started out as a recording artist, Amii starred in the musical “Bubbling Brown Sugar” on Broadway, and staying with the play when it reached London’s West End. Returning to the stage, she played Mary Magdalene in the 2000 revival of “Jesus Christ Superstar”, and then her own cabaret-musical “Lady Day” in 2003/2004. Also, since 2001 she’s been appointed a goodwill ambassador for Italian UNICEF, concentrating her affords towards children with AIDS. She’s recorded a single to raise funds for these causes: “Love Song” (2006), followed by a 2007 single made as a duet with Mike Francis called “Nothing can come between us”. She also performed one of the entries at the 2007 San Remo Festival, a song called “Schiavo d’amore” performed with Piero Mazzocchetti. Having lived in Italy for many years, Amii is fluent in Italian…

With Ivo Monte, early 2000's

My hope is that this little blog post will show all of you that Amii Stewart, for all her “disco diva” status, is so much more, and that she instead deserves to be regarded as one of the finest singers since the 70’s who just happened to make a great disco hit somewhere along the way….

Coming up…. Amii Stewart!

March 6, 2012

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Amii Stewart might be looked upon as a so-called “One Hit Wonder”… She topped the American Hot 100 chart in 1979 with “Knock on wood”, a disco remake of the older Eddie Floyd hit.

If you look beyond the drum programming and the sort of overloaded arrangement, you will hear a singer with a tremendous vocal power, and Amii has proven time and time again in the years following her brief time as a disco diva that she is a one-of-a-kind singer!

She took a completely different musical path after disco music petered out, but she’s kept on singing, performing and making a string of very good records since then. Her last album “Caracciolo Street” came out in 2010.

I will shortly give you a survey of Amii’s recording career from the late 70’s up to the present. Hopefully it will provide some interesting information, and give you a new perspective on this fabulous lady whose voice have graced many different kinds of music through the years!

 

 

 

Kim Weston – Recognition long overdue

February 24, 2012

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Kim showing Motown glamour 1965

 

Kim Weston (1939 – ) is another great lady of soul, who has never received the proper recognition for her work. She was yet another Motown singer who was obscured by their group Supremes and their most magnificent lead singer, Diana Ross.

Kim in the early 60's, with The Andantes

Kim was signed to Motown 1962-67, and she made some truly great music there, but it was not given the right kind of promotion, and so all people remember of her Motown work is her two biggest hits “Take me in your arms (Rock me a little while)” and “Helpless”. And of course her 1966 album with Marvin Gaye, “Take Two” which included their hit single “It takes two”.

Kim & Marvin at an album cover photo session 1966
 
Motown never bothered to release a proper solo album with Kim, but luckily in later years absolutely all of her Motown recordings have been made available on CD, and the two disc/48 track “The Motown Anthology” is definitely worth searching out. Kim has a great voice, and adapts it to widely different material. She can sensually coo her way through a jazzy ballad, or she can belt out a fast stomping soul song like the best of them!
 
Obviously unhappy, she switched labels in 1967 – moving on to MGM. She saw some chart action with the singles “I got what you need” and “Nobody”, and her stunning version of the “black anthem”, “Lift every voice and sing”. MGM also put out a couple of great albums with Kim; “For The First Time” (1967), “This Is America” (1968).
She then got a recording contract with Stax in 1969, the year she made a very good album with Johnny Nash, including the minor hit single “We try harder”. Also on Stax, she made the incredibly soulful “Kim Kim Kim” (1971), containing a fabulous version of “When something is wrong with my baby”.
Next up was her jazz-inspired album “Big Brass Four Poster” (1972), recorded with The Hastings Street Jazz Experience.
After this, Kim did not record again for 15 years, but she did go on tour with both Billy Eckstein and Harry Belafonte. She also worked in radio and she supported and worked for Detroit’s Mayor Young for several years. In addition she went to Israel for some time, working with young singers there.
 

Kim on the cover of Jet Magazine, 1973

 
 
In 1987, Kim was the first ex-Motowner to be signed to Ian Levine’s British label Motor City. Her first single for them was “Signal your intention”, which soared to No. 1 on the UK Hi Energy charts. An album called “Investigate” followed, combining brand new material with a couple of re-recordings of old songs from her time at Motown. She also teamed with Marvin Gaye’s brother Frankie Gaye to make some duets, among them a remake of “It takes two”.
 

Kim & Marvin's brother: cover of 1989 single

 
 
 A follow-up album, “Talking Loud” saw a limited release in Europe 1990, but all of Kim’s Motor City material is available on CD and as digital downloads. Among the most stunning tracks from this period is her version of “It should have been me” and the title track from “Investigate” which is absolutely great!
 

Still glamourous, 1990's

 

Kim in 2004, with Scherrie Payne and Brenda Holloway

 
 
 Kim is still active as a performer, and often visits Europe and the UK. If you ever get the chance to see her perform live, do it!
She is a true soul legend whose work stands up against any competition. Great voice, great songs, great Lady!
 

Abbey Lincoln – Jazz singer and political activist

February 19, 2012

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When Abbey Lincoln (1930-2010) died, a lot of people were surprised to find out she was actually 80 years old.  The reason for this of course is that most of her best loved, best selling albums came out during the 1990’s, and she was maybe looked upon as a jazz singer of the newer generation, and a contemporary of Dianne Reeves and Diana Krall. Her reputation as one of the great jazz ladies largely rests upon these records. She has also been called a protest singer by some, and she does deal with topics in some of her lyrics that might be looked upon as written by a protest singer. But to me it has a lot more to do with how she sings, the protest is lodged in her voice, and vocally she is every bit as much a soul singer as she is a jazz singer. You get the feeling that she has personal knowledge of everything she sings, and that every emotion she vocally transmits comes from her own experiences.

Like most Afro-American girls, little Anna Marie Wooldridge started out singing gospel in her local church. At the age of 22, she took the stage name Gaby Lee and worked in bars and night clubs around Hollywood and in Honolulu. After doing this for 4 years, she was spotted by a talent agent who gave her the new name of Abbey Lincoln, and also a recording contract. Her image at this point was that of a sexy, slinky night club chanteuse with all the trimmings; diamonds, tight dresses showing off a lot of cleavage, high heels, mink stoles etc.

Abbey in the late 50’s
 
 
 Her first album “Affair… A Story of a Girl in Love” came out 1956. The sexy cover might suggest that here was a singer in the mould of Eartha Kitt, purring through romantic ballads. So not, as Abbey even at this point had found her true voice – devoid of kittenish sexiness – and diving into the material in full voice, doing great versions of “The masquerade is over” and “This can’t be love” among others. She also made her first movie, guesting as a singer in the Jayne Mansfield movie “The Girl Can’t Help It”. Abbey performs the song “Spread the word, spread the gospel” wearing a sexy dress that had been used earlier by Marilyn Monroe! Part of the story is that sometime later, Abbey actually burned that dress to finally kill her image as a sexy night club singer!
During the next three years, she made three more albums similar to her debut album; “That’s Him” (1957), “It’s Magic” (1958) and “Abbey Is Blue” (1959). They have all been re-released on CD and can be downloaded from iTunes also.  Put together, these four albums give you the formative years of Abbey, and shows off a soulful singer doing jazzy versions of songs mostly from The Great American Songbook. But it does not in any way prepare you for what came next!
 
Working with drummer Max Roach (whom she married in 1962), she was the featured vocalist on their landmark 1960 album “We Insist – Freedom Now Suite”. The album consists of 5 long songs, and for the first time it shows that new Abbey-image. No longer cute & sexy, this singer is now a vocal warrior and a civil rights advocate. Her vocals on tracks like “Driva man” and “Prayer/Protest/Peace” proves that this girl means every word she sings, and she’s a force to be reckoned with! 1961 saw the release of another great album, “Straight Ahead” which is regarded as a classic, and I strongly suggest you check it out. Among the stand out tracks are “When Malindy Sings”, “African Lady” and “In the red”.
After this, Abbey took a very long break from recording, although she was still performing live. She starred in the 1968 movie “For the love of Ivy” with Sidney Poitier, playing the title role and receiving a Golden Globe nomination for it.
 
During the 70’s and 80’s she made only 4 albums, starting with the 1973 “People In Me”, and then she made her wonderful tribute to Lady Day, “Abbey Sings Billie” in 1987. After another 3 years away from the studios, she signed with Verve and made her first album (“The World Is Falling Down”) on that label in 1990.
From 1990 until 2007, Abbey made ten studio albums for Verve and one live album:
 
  • 1990: The World Is Falling Down
  • 1991: You Gotta Pay the Band
  • 1992: Devil’s Got Your Tongue
  • 1992: When There is Love
  • 1993: The Music is the Magic
  • 1994: A Turtle’s Dream
  • 1996: Who Used to Dance
  • 1998: Wholly Earth
  • 2000: Over the Years
  • 2003: It’s Me
  • 2007: Abbey Sings Abbey

Each and everyone of these albums is highly recommended, they are all good. All of them show off Abbey in good voice, doing great material, surrounded by very talented musicians – so just get them!! 

 Abbey endured open-hearted surgery in 2007, and for the next years her health deteriorated badly, and she was in a Manhattan nursing home at the time of her death in August 2010, twelve days after her 80th birthday.
Abbey once said: “when people leave this Earth, they spread their wings of miracles in a blaze of light and disappear…”
Musically, Abbey spread miracles and light through everything she did with her wonderful voice during her more than 50 years of singing…. and I often put some of those vocal miracles into my CD player.
 
 

Abbey on stage, ca. 1998

 
 
 
 
 

Brenda Holloway – Spotlight on a Soul Goddess

February 15, 2012

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Brenda Holloway (1946 – ) is proof positive that you can be regarded as a Soul goddess even if you make less than 10 albums in 50 years, you don’t appear on a lot of front pages and your life is not tainted by scandals and drugs. How?? By having a glorious voice, putting it to use on excellent material, recording some classic soul cuts and somewhere along the way making a lot of fans that way. Also, you keep working, keep your voice and be a nice person. Brenda Holloway made her first record in 1962 at the age of 16, and her latest so far was recorded in 2011.

Beautiful Brenda in the mid 1960's

If Brenda is remembered at all, it’s probably for her Motown records made in the mid 1960’s. Like most other girl singers signed to Motown, she was left in the shadows of Diana Ross, and/or she didn’t get the right songs to show off her incredible talent. A fate she shares with Martha Reeves, Gladys Knight, Frances Nero, Mabel John and practically every girl signed to that company.

Brenda started her recording career 1962, releasing her debut single “Hey Fool”, backed with “Echo”. A total of 10 singles appeared on various small labels like Donna, Catch and Brevit. In addition to her solo work, she was also making duets and group recordings that teamed her up with Jess Harris, Hal Davis, The Four J’s, as one-fourth of The Watesians and with her sister Patrice Holloway. Her entire output during 1962-64 was released on CD in 2009; a 22 track collection titled “The Early Years – Rare Recordings 1962-1963”. These songs show a young girl trying to find her own style and voice, and this CD contains everything from slow, sexy ballads to girl-group pop. It also shows that she indeed has the chops to go up against Aretha and Patti, as she really wails and shows off an enormous range for someone so young. Later on, her style became more subdued and sexy, while still being 100% soulful – leading up to one writer giving her the nick name “The deeply soulful mistress of emotion”.

1964 saw Brenda signing up with Motown, and she immediately went to work on her first album “Every Little Bit Hurts”, named after her break-through hit song, a soul classic that has since been covered by many other singers. She also had another hit with a song that she co-wrote with her sister Patrice and Frank Wilson, “You’ve made me so very happy”. That song was later a big hit for Blood, Sweat & Tears – but it is HER composition, she was the first to record it and her version is many times better! In recent years, Brenda has talked about her Motown years and said they were not happy ones for her. She gives a lot of reasons for this (other than Berry Gordy giving all his attention to Miss Ross & co.): she was criticized for dressing too much like Tina Turner and at the same time she felt uncomfortable with the sexy image Motown was trying to put on her. She was not allowed to record any of her own songs, and when she did record what they wanted her to sing, she felt it was not given proper promotion.

A 1965 follow-up album was never released (it was titled “Hurtin’ and Cryin'”). In 1968, Motown released a collection titled “The Artistry of Brenda Holloway”, containing songs she’d recorded for the label, but not released. The cover was just awful, picturing a solemn looking Brenda with a violin pasted across her throat! She had taken violin lessons as a young girl, and actually played very well, but you’d never guess from the album! Universal put out a 2-disc compilation in 2005, “Brenda Holloway – The Motown Anthology”. This is a very good collection, containing both her albums (one released, one not released in the 60’s), all tracks from “The Artistry of…” and 13 other gems found in the vaults! Among these is a live recording of Brenda doing Gershwin’s “Summertime”, on which she actually plays the violin!

Brenda's 1980 album

Brenda was released from her Motown contract in 1969, when she felt her conflicts with the company were too much to take. She left Detroit, settled in Los Angeles, married preacher Albert Davis and had 4 children. She made no solo recordings whatsoever during the 70’s, and seems to have worked very little. She did, however, do session work and back-up singing for the Invictus label, and for British rock singer Joe Cocker. She made a gospel album in 1980, titled “Brand New!”, and it seems to have had a very limited release. Personally, I have never seen a copy! She divorced Albert Davis in the mid-80’s, and then did what soul fans all over the globe had hoped for; she went back to being a recording artist!

In 1987, Brenda was on of the first ex-Motowners to sign with Ian Levine’s British label Motorcity, and later on almost one hundred other acts from Motown also recorded for this label – thus, thankfully, giving us new material from Kim Weston, Mary Wells, G.C. Cameron and others! Brenda made her first single there, “Give me a little inspiration”, a high energy dance track that was immediately popular in Britain’s Northern Soul circles. Teaming up with Jimmy Ruffin, she filled the dance floor once again with their wonderful duet “On the rebound”. Brenda recorded 40 songs for Motorcity, and some of them was put out on an album called “All It Takes” in 1990. A record company called Bestway then released her entire work for Motorcity on a 2 disc/39 song collection called “My Love Is Your Love” in 2003. It proves that Brenda still sounded great, she got to wrap her golden pipes around a lot of good songs, and while most of the Motorcity singers mainly re-recorded their old hits, Brenda got new material to work with! She did also re-record some of her old hits, “Every little bit hurts” and “You’ve made me so very happy”. Other stand outs among them are her version of Curtis Mayfield’s “Make me believe in you” and her cover of Esther Philips’ hit “Home is where the hatred is”. She obviously delighted in the renewed interest in her career, and started actively performing again, being very popular in Great Britain, but also touring a lot during the next decade.

The revived Volt label put out her 1999 album “It’s A Woman’s World”, and it proves she was perfectly able to keep up with the current trends, as the record is a very fine piece of urban contemporary soul. Whether Brenda is very private person who doesn’t like talking to the press, or if it the press isn’t interested – I don’t know, but not much information is to be found about her activities during the last decade. YouTube has some clips of her performing in 2009.

Her latest work was made in 2011; she duets with Cliff Richard on the song “Do you ever”, which is included on his album “Soulicious”, a collection of duets with other soul singers i.e. Candi Staton, Roberta Flack and Freda Payne.

To me, Brenda Holloway is one of the unsung heroines of soul, and I surely hope that she one day will get all the recognition she so rightly deserves. Do yourself a favour and listen to some of her stuff, she truly is one great singer!!

Brenda in the 2000's

Abbey Lincoln and Brenda Holloway ….new posts coming soon!

February 9, 2012

stianeriksen General information Leave a comment

I will in the next days give you in-depth surveys of the careers of two great singers, both of whom were quite magnificent, and they both deserved to be much bigger stars – although both of them have a loyal following:

Jazz singer Abbey Lincoln, and soul chanteuse par exellence: Former “Motown Diva” Brenda Holloway!

 

Anita O’Day – Through the years

February 4, 2012

stianeriksen Short facts about artist , , , , Leave a comment

Anita O’Day (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006) was one of the greatest jazz singers of the 21st century. She also had one of the longest careers in music history: She made her first record in 1941, the last one in 2006 – a time stretch of 65 years! Having had a throat operation at a young age, during which the doctor accidentally cut off her uvula, you’d think that singing was off limits. Anita herself stated that it only meant she was unable to hold long notes and that she sings without vibrato. So she developed a singing style based on rhythm and singing short notes only. This made her an ideal bebop singer, but listening to any of her records, the missing uvula is not something you think much about. Anita has a warm, slighty husky voice and during the years she sang pure jazz, ballads, standard material, some latin-tinged songs – and all of it very well!

Anita spent her childhood in Chicago, raised by her single mother. Her mother is described by Anita in her autobiography as not being very nice. For years, she told Anita that she was born on Christmas Eve (to avoid buying presents probably), and when Anita in her early twenties needed a passport to go on a tour of Japan, she was shocked to find that she was actually born in October! At 15 she took off from home, earning money as a marathon dancer. She must have been a sight back then, as even very late in life Anita was a slim, stylish woman who carried herself with grace and always looking younger than she was.

Early Years: Her work as a dancer got her in touch with a lot of musicians, and she married drummer Don Carter in 1937. By 1941 she had secured a job singing with Gene Krupa, and with his band she made her first record in 1941. She immediately has a big hit with “Let me off uptown”, and up to 1943 when she left the band, she was a big juke box star with several other hits like “Thanks for the boogie ride” and “Stop! The red light’s on”. Her complete recordings with Krupa have been released on CD, and they show the hottest drummer in the world perfectly complementing the voice of the hardest swinging jazz girl ever!

She worked with Stan Kenton’s band 1944-45. The obviously had a good relation ship, as she could sing as hard as he could swing. And he also probably had a thing for girls from the mid-west who sang in the cool jazz style, as some of his other singers were Chris Connor and the late, great June Christy. With this band, Anita had a big hit with “And her tears flowed like wine” and some other notable sides she made during this period are “I’m going mad for a pad”, “Tabby the cat” and “The Lady in red”. She briefly re-joined Gene Krupa in 1945/46, before starting her solo career in 1947.

From 1947 until 1950, she recorded various singles for a lot of small labels and some of these are very good. “Hi ho Trailus Boot Whip” is a wordless scat-masterpiece, her versions of “How high the moon” and “Malaguena” are both great, so is “Key Largo”, “I told ya I love ya – now get out!”, “Harriet” and “Chickery Chick”. The 4 CD Box Set “Young Anita” contains all her songs from 1941-50, including her work with Krupa, Kenton, Count Basie and some air checks recorded for radio. It’s a great collection, and it gives you a wonderful insight of her formative years.

Anita was then signed to Norman Granz’ Verve label and for the next 10 years she consistently made one great album after the other, and the years 1952-62 show once and for all that the Verve records alone would be enough to secure Anita a place in jazz history, and also proves that she was one of the best female singers in her field.

The Golden Years: Most of her albums for Verve have all become classics, almost all of them have been re-released on CD and are available as digital downloads. Verve also made a 9 CD Box Set, “The Complete Anita O’Day Verve-Clef Sessions” which includes all her albums for them, plus some previously unreleased stuff. It’s expensive, but well worth every penny if you can get it! For Verve she made two swinging albums with Billy May, one with Cole Porter songs, the other with Rodgers & Hart songs. Other great albums on Verve are “Anita Sing The Most”, “Anita Sings The Winners”, “Cool Heat”, “Trav’lin’ Light”, “Waiter, make mine blues”, “All The Sad Young Men” and “Incomparable”. The early 2000s saw the release of “Anita Live In Tokyo”, which was recorded live in 1962.

Her contract with Verve ended 1962, and for the next 10 years or so, Anita performed very little, recorded nothing and according to her book did a lot of drugs and alcohol and almost died of an overdose in 1968. By 1970 she had cleaned up her act, detoxed and given up most of her bad habits, and her appearance at the 1970 Berlin Jazz Festival showed that she was still a force to be reckoned with. She also did a couple of films in the early 70s; “False Witness” (1970) and “The Outfit” (1974).

The last 30 years: After a 12 year absence from making records, Anita was back in the studio in 1974 making the album “I Get A Kick Out Of You”, and with rapid tempo followed with other, very good albums : “My Ship” (1976), “Mello’day” (1977), “Angel Eyes” (1978), “In A Mellow Tone” (1989), “Rules Of The Road” (1993). This last album includes Anita doing her version of the James Bond theme song “Nobody does it better” originally performed by Carly Simon. Check it out, and you’ll see that the title fits Anita like a glove! The album also shows the legendary voice beginning to lose some of it original luster, but at age 74 she still has what it takes. After a 13 year retirement, Anita came out on the scene again in 2006, making her very last record “Indestructable!”. Personally, I’m not sure what I think of this album, as it clearly shows an over-the-top 86 year old singer whose voice is very much past its prime. On the other hand, it also proves that her feeling for the material and her ability to go deep into the lyrics were undiminished, and as such it’s not all bad and you have admire that she actually went ahead and did this project! One of the songs, “Is you is or is you ain’t my baby” was featured in the opening scene of the cult movie “Shortbus”. In some strange way, the slurred and sultry O’Day voice blends in very well with the strange, sexually graphic scenes displayed in the movie, and Anita (known for her salty humour) probably thought it hilarious.

If you’re a fan, you probably own every Anita O’Day record already. If you’re curious about her – get one of the Verve albums and check her out. Whether you like jazz singing, or you’re just a fan of great vocalists, her singing can be enjoyed by all music lovers as there is not a bad song among all the stuff she recorded during the 65 years she spent with microphone in hand!

Anita in the 1970's

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