Podcasts about Jimi Hendrix

Episode 168 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “I Say a Little Prayer”, and the interaction of the sacred, political, and secular in Aretha Franklin's life and work. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a forty-five-minute bonus episode available, on "Abraham, Martin, and John" by Dion. Tilt Araiza has assisted invaluably by doing a first-pass edit, and will hopefully be doing so from now on. Check out Tilt's irregular podcasts at http://www.podnose.com/jaffa-cakes-for-proust and http://sitcomclub.com/ Resources No Mixcloud this week, as there are too many songs by Aretha Franklin. Even splitting it into multiple parts would have required six or seven mixes. My main biographical source for Aretha Franklin is Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin by David Ritz, and this is where most of the quotes from musicians come from. Information on C.L. Franklin came from Singing in a Strange Land: C. L. Franklin, the Black Church, and the Transformation of America by Nick Salvatore. Country Soul by Charles L Hughes is a great overview of the soul music made in Muscle Shoals, Memphis, and Nashville in the sixties. Peter Guralnick's Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm And Blues And The Southern Dream Of Freedom is possibly less essential, but still definitely worth reading. Information about Martin Luther King came from Martin Luther King: A Religious Life by Paul Harvey. I also referred to Burt Bacharach's autobiography Anyone Who Had a Heart, Carole King's autobiography A Natural Woman, and Soul Serenade: King Curtis and his Immortal Saxophone by Timothy R. Hoover. For information about Amazing Grace I also used Aaron Cohen's 33 1/3 book on the album. The film of the concerts is also definitely worth watching. And the Aretha Now album is available in this five-album box set for a ludicrously cheap price. But it's actually worth getting this nineteen-CD set with her first sixteen Atlantic albums and a couple of bonus discs of demos and outtakes. There's barely a duff track in the whole nineteen discs. Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript A quick warning before I begin. This episode contains some moderate references to domestic abuse, death by cancer, racial violence, police violence, and political assassination. Anyone who might be upset by those subjects might want to check the transcript rather than listening to the episode. Also, as with the previous episode on Aretha Franklin, this episode presents something of a problem. Like many people in this narrative, Franklin's career was affected by personal troubles, which shaped many of her decisions. But where most of the subjects of the podcast have chosen to live their lives in public and share intimate details of every aspect of their personal lives, Franklin was an extremely private person, who chose to share only carefully sanitised versions of her life, and tried as far as possible to keep things to herself. This of course presents a dilemma for anyone who wants to tell her story -- because even though the information is out there in biographies, and even though she's dead, it's not right to disrespect someone's wish for a private life. I have therefore tried, wherever possible, to stay away from talk of her personal life except where it *absolutely* affects the work, or where other people involved have publicly shared their own stories, and even there I've tried to keep it to a minimum. This will occasionally lead to me saying less about some topics than other people might, even though the information is easily findable, because I don't think we have an absolute right to invade someone else's privacy for entertainment. When we left Aretha Franklin, she had just finally broken through into the mainstream after a decade of performing, with a version of Otis Redding's song "Respect" on which she had been backed by her sisters, Erma and Carolyn. "Respect", in Franklin's interpretation, had been turned from a rather chauvinist song about a man demanding respect from his woman into an anthem of feminism, of Black power, and of a new political awakening. For white people of a certain generation, the summer of 1967 was "the summer of love". For many Black people, it was rather different. There's a quote that goes around (I've seen it credited in reliable sources to both Ebony and Jet magazine, but not ever seen an issue cited, so I can't say for sure where it came from) saying that the summer of 67 was the summer of "'retha, Rap, and revolt", referring to the trifecta of Aretha Franklin, the Black power leader Jamil Abdullah al-Amin (who was at the time known as H. Rap Brown, a name he later disclaimed) and the rioting that broke out in several major cities, particularly in Detroit: [Excerpt: John Lee Hooker, "The Motor City is Burning"] The mid sixties were, in many ways, the high point not of Black rights in the US -- for the most part there has been a lot of progress in civil rights in the intervening decades, though not without inevitable setbacks and attacks from the far right, and as movements like the Black Lives Matter movement have shown there is still a long way to go -- but of *hope* for Black rights. The moral force of the arguments made by the civil rights movement were starting to cause real change to happen for Black people in the US for the first time since the Reconstruction nearly a century before. But those changes weren't happening fast enough, and as we heard in the episode on "I Was Made to Love Her", there was not only a growing unrest among Black people, but a recognition that it was actually possible for things to change. A combination of hope and frustration can be a powerful catalyst, and whether Franklin wanted it or not, she was at the centre of things, both because of her newfound prominence as a star with a hit single that couldn't be interpreted as anything other than a political statement and because of her intimate family connections to the struggle. Even the most racist of white people these days pays lip service to the memory of Dr Martin Luther King, and when they do they quote just a handful of sentences from one speech King made in 1963, as if that sums up the full theological and political philosophy of that most complex of men. And as we discussed the last time we looked at Aretha Franklin, King gave versions of that speech, the "I Have a Dream" speech, twice. The most famous version was at the March on Washington, but the first time was a few weeks earlier, at what was at the time the largest civil rights demonstration in American history, in Detroit. Aretha's family connection to that event is made clear by the very opening of King's speech: [Excerpt: Martin Luther King, "Original 'I Have a Dream' Speech"] So as summer 1967 got into swing, and white rock music was going to San Francisco to wear flowers in its hair, Aretha Franklin was at the centre of a very different kind of youth revolution. Franklin's second Atlantic album, Aretha Arrives, brought in some new personnel to the team that had recorded Aretha's first album for Atlantic. Along with the core Muscle Shoals players Jimmy Johnson, Spooner Oldham, Tommy Cogbill and Roger Hawkins, and a horn section led by King Curtis, Wexler and Dowd also brought in guitarist Joe South. South was a white session player from Georgia, who had had a few minor hits himself in the fifties -- he'd got his start recording a cover version of "The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor", the Big Bopper's B-side to "Chantilly Lace": [Excerpt: Joe South, "The Purple People Eater Meets the Witch Doctor"] He'd also written a few songs that had been recorded by people like Gene Vincent, but he'd mostly become a session player. He'd become a favourite musician of Bob Johnston's, and so he'd played guitar on Simon and Garfunkel's Sounds of Silence and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme albums: [Excerpt: Simon and Garfunkel, "I am a Rock"] and bass on Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde, with Al Kooper particularly praising his playing on "Visions of Johanna": [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Visions of Johanna"] South would be the principal guitarist on this and Franklin's next album, before his own career took off in 1968 with "Games People Play": [Excerpt: Joe South, "Games People Play"] At this point, he had already written the other song he's best known for, "Hush", which later became a hit for Deep Purple: [Excerpt: Deep Purple, "Hush"] But he wasn't very well known, and was surprised to get the call for the Aretha Franklin session, especially because, as he put it "I was white and I was about to play behind the blackest genius since Ray Charles" But Jerry Wexler had told him that Franklin didn't care about the race of the musicians she played with, and South settled in as soon as Franklin smiled at him when he played a good guitar lick on her version of the blues standard "Going Down Slow": [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Going Down Slow"] That was one of the few times Franklin smiled in those sessions though. Becoming an overnight success after years of trying and failing to make a name for herself had been a disorienting experience, and on top of that things weren't going well in her personal life. Her marriage to her manager Ted White was falling apart, and she was performing erratically thanks to the stress. In particular, at a gig in Georgia she had fallen off the stage and broken her arm. She soon returned to performing, but it meant she had problems with her right arm during the recording of the album, and didn't play as much piano as she would have previously -- on some of the faster songs she played only with her left hand. But the recording sessions had to go on, whether or not Aretha was physically capable of playing piano. As we discussed in the episode on Otis Redding, the owners of Atlantic Records were busily negotiating its sale to Warner Brothers in mid-1967. As Wexler said later “Everything in me said, Keep rolling, keep recording, keep the hits coming. She was red hot and I had no reason to believe that the streak wouldn't continue. I knew that it would be foolish—and even irresponsible—not to strike when the iron was hot. I also had personal motivation. A Wall Street financier had agreed to see what we could get for Atlantic Records. While Ahmet and Neshui had not agreed on a selling price, they had gone along with my plan to let the financier test our worth on the open market. I was always eager to pump out hits, but at this moment I was on overdrive. In this instance, I had a good partner in Ted White, who felt the same. He wanted as much product out there as possible." In truth, you can tell from Aretha Arrives that it's a record that was being thought of as "product" rather than one being made out of any kind of artistic impulse. It's a fine album -- in her ten-album run from I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You through Amazing Grace there's not a bad album and barely a bad track -- but there's a lack of focus. There are only two originals on the album, neither of them written by Franklin herself, and the rest is an incoherent set of songs that show the tension between Franklin and her producers at Atlantic. Several songs are the kind of standards that Franklin had recorded for her old label Columbia, things like "You Are My Sunshine", or her version of "That's Life", which had been a hit for Frank Sinatra the previous year: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "That's Life"] But mixed in with that are songs that are clearly the choice of Wexler. As we've discussed previously in episodes on Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, at this point Atlantic had the idea that it was possible for soul artists to cross over into the white market by doing cover versions of white rock hits -- and indeed they'd had some success with that tactic. So while Franklin was suggesting Sinatra covers, Atlantic's hand is visible in the choices of songs like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "96 Tears": [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "96 Tears'] Of the two originals on the album, one, the hit single "Baby I Love You" was written by Ronnie Shannon, the Detroit songwriter who had previously written "I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You)": [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Baby I Love You"] As with the previous album, and several other songs on this one, that had backing vocals by Aretha's sisters, Erma and Carolyn. But the other original on the album, "Ain't Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)", didn't, even though it was written by Carolyn: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Ain't Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)"] To explain why, let's take a little detour and look at the co-writer of the song this episode is about, though we're not going to get to that for a little while yet. We've not talked much about Burt Bacharach in this series so far, but he's one of those figures who has come up a few times in the periphery and will come up again, so here is as good a time as any to discuss him, and bring everyone up to speed about his career up to 1967. Bacharach was one of the more privileged figures in the sixties pop music field. His father, Bert Bacharach (pronounced the same as his son, but spelled with an e rather than a u) had been a famous newspaper columnist, and his parents had bought him a Steinway grand piano to practice on -- they pushed him to learn the piano even though as a kid he wasn't interested in finger exercises and Debussy. What he was interested in, though, was jazz, and as a teenager he would often go into Manhattan and use a fake ID to see people like Dizzy Gillespie, who he idolised, and in his autobiography he talks rapturously of seeing Gillespie playing his bent trumpet -- he once saw Gillespie standing on a street corner with a pet monkey on his shoulder, and went home and tried to persuade his parents to buy him a monkey too. In particular, he talks about seeing the Count Basie band with Sonny Payne on drums as a teenager: [Excerpt: Count Basie, "Kid From Red Bank"] He saw them at Birdland, the club owned by Morris Levy where they would regularly play, and said of the performance "they were just so incredibly exciting that all of a sudden, I got into music in a way I never had before. What I heard in those clubs really turned my head around— it was like a big breath of fresh air when somebody throws open a window. That was when I knew for the first time how much I loved music and wanted to be connected to it in some way." Of course, there's a rather major problem with this story, as there is so often with narratives that musicians tell about their early career. In this case, Birdland didn't open until 1949, when Bacharach was twenty-one and stationed in Germany for his military service, while Sonny Payne didn't join Basie's band until 1954, when Bacharach had been a professional musician for many years. Also Dizzy Gillespie's trumpet bell only got bent on January 6, 1953. But presumably while Bacharach was conflating several memories, he did have some experience in some New York jazz club that led him to want to become a musician. Certainly there were enough great jazz musicians playing the clubs in those days. He went to McGill University to study music for two years, then went to study with Darius Milhaud, a hugely respected modernist composer. Milhaud was also one of the most important music teachers of the time -- among others he'd taught Stockhausen and Xenakkis, and would go on to teach Philip Glass and Steve Reich. This suited Bacharach, who by this point was a big fan of Schoenberg and Webern, and was trying to write atonal, difficult music. But Milhaud had also taught Dave Brubeck, and when Bacharach rather shamefacedly presented him with a composition which had an actual tune, he told Bacharach "Never be ashamed of writing a tune you can whistle". He dropped out of university and, like most men of his generation, had to serve in the armed forces. When he got out of the army, he continued his musical studies, still trying to learn to be an avant-garde composer, this time with Bohuslav Martinů and later with Henry Cowell, the experimental composer we've heard about quite a bit in previous episodes: [Excerpt: Henry Cowell, "Aeolian Harp and Sinister Resonance"] He was still listening to a lot of avant garde music, and would continue doing so throughout the fifties, going to see people like John Cage. But he spent much of that time working in music that was very different from the avant-garde. He got a job as the band leader for the crooner Vic Damone: [Excerpt: Vic Damone. "Ebb Tide"] He also played for the vocal group the Ames Brothers. He decided while he was working with the Ames Brothers that he could write better material than they were getting from their publishers, and that it would be better to have a job where he didn't have to travel, so he got himself a job as a staff songwriter in the Brill Building. He wrote a string of flops and nearly hits, starting with "Keep Me In Mind" for Patti Page: [Excerpt: Patti Page, "Keep Me In Mind"] From early in his career he worked with the lyricist Hal David, and the two of them together wrote two big hits, "Magic Moments" for Perry Como: [Excerpt: Perry Como, "Magic Moments"] and "The Story of My Life" for Marty Robbins: [Excerpt: "The Story of My Life"] But at that point Bacharach was still also writing with other writers, notably Hal David's brother Mack, with whom he wrote the theme tune to the film The Blob, as performed by The Five Blobs: [Excerpt: The Five Blobs, "The Blob"] But Bacharach's songwriting career wasn't taking off, and he got himself a job as musical director for Marlene Dietrich -- a job he kept even after it did start to take off.  Part of the problem was that he intuitively wrote music that didn't quite fit into standard structures -- there would be odd bars of unusual time signatures thrown in, unusual harmonies, and structural irregularities -- but then he'd take feedback from publishers and producers who would tell him the song could only be recorded if he straightened it out. He said later "The truth is that I ruined a lot of songs by not believing in myself enough to tell these guys they were wrong." He started writing songs for Scepter Records, usually with Hal David, but also with Bob Hilliard and Mack David, and started having R&B hits. One song he wrote with Mack David, "I'll Cherish You", had the lyrics rewritten by Luther Dixon to make them more harsh-sounding for a Shirelles single -- but the single was otherwise just Bacharach's demo with the vocals replaced, and you can even hear his voice briefly at the beginning: [Excerpt: The Shirelles, "Baby, It's You"] But he'd also started becoming interested in the production side of records more generally. He'd iced that some producers, when recording his songs, would change the sound for the worse -- he thought Gene McDaniels' version of "Tower of Strength", for example, was too fast. But on the other hand, other producers got a better sound than he'd heard in his head. He and Hilliard had written a song called "Please Stay", which they'd given to Leiber and Stoller to record with the Drifters, and he thought that their arrangement of the song was much better than the one he'd originally thought up: [Excerpt: The Drifters, "Please Stay"] He asked Leiber and Stoller if he could attend all their New York sessions and learn about record production from them. He started doing so, and eventually they started asking him to assist them on records. He and Hilliard wrote a song called "Mexican Divorce" for the Drifters, which Leiber and Stoller were going to produce, and as he put it "they were so busy running Redbird Records that they asked me to rehearse the background singers for them in my office." [Excerpt: The Drifters, "Mexican Divorce"] The backing singers who had been brought in to augment the Drifters on that record were a group of vocalists who had started out as members of a gospel group called the Drinkard singers: [Excerpt: The Drinkard Singers, "Singing in My Soul"] The Drinkard Singers had originally been a family group, whose members included Cissy Drinkard, who joined the group aged five (and who on her marriage would become known as Cissy Houston -- her daughter Whitney would later join the family business), her aunt Lee Warrick, and Warrick's adopted daughter Judy Clay. That group were discovered by the great gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, and spent much of the fifties performing with gospel greats including Jackson herself, Clara Ward, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. But Houston was also the musical director of a group at her church, the Gospelaires, which featured Lee Warrick's two daughters Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick (for those who don't know, the Warwick sisters' birth name was Warrick, spelled with two rs. A printing error led to it being misspelled the same way as the British city on a record label, and from that point on Dionne at least pronounced the w in her misspelled name). And slowly, the Gospelaires rather than the Drinkard Singers became the focus, with a lineup of Houston, the Warwick sisters, the Warwick sisters' cousin Doris Troy, and Clay's sister Sylvia Shemwell. The real change in the group's fortunes came when, as we talked about a while back in the episode on "The Loco-Motion", the original lineup of the Cookies largely stopped working as session singers to become Ray Charles' Raelettes. As we discussed in that episode, a new lineup of Cookies formed in 1961, but it took a while for them to get started, and in the meantime the producers who had been relying on them for backing vocals were looking elsewhere, and they looked to the Gospelaires. "Mexican Divorce" was the first record to feature the group as backing vocalists -- though reports vary as to how many of them are on the record, with some saying it's only Troy and the Warwicks, others saying Houston was there, and yet others saying it was all five of them. Some of these discrepancies were because these singers were so good that many of them left to become solo singers in fairly short order. Troy was the first to do so, with her hit "Just One Look", on which the other Gospelaires sang backing vocals: [Excerpt: Doris Troy, "Just One Look"] But the next one to go solo was Dionne Warwick, and that was because she'd started working with Bacharach and Hal David as their principal demo singer. She started singing lead on their demos, and hoping that she'd get to release them on her own. One early one was "Make it Easy On Yourself", which was recorded by Jerry Butler, formerly of the Impressions. That record was produced by Bacharach, one of the first records he produced without outside supervision: [Excerpt: Jerry Butler, "Make it Easy On Yourself"] Warwick was very jealous that a song she'd sung the demo of had become a massive hit for someone else, and blamed Bacharach and David. The way she tells the story -- Bacharach always claimed this never happened, but as we've already seen he was himself not always the most reliable of narrators of his own life -- she got so angry she complained to them, and said "Don't make me over, man!" And so Bacharach and David wrote her this: [Excerpt: Dionne Warwick, "Don't Make Me Over"] Incidentally, in the UK, the hit version of that was a cover by the Swinging Blue Jeans: [Excerpt: The Swinging Blue Jeans, "Don't Make Me Over"] who also had a huge hit with "You're No Good": [Excerpt: The Swinging Blue Jeans, "You're No Good"] And *that* was originally recorded by *Dee Dee* Warwick: [Excerpt: Dee Dee Warwick, "You're No Good"] Dee Dee also had a successful solo career, but Dionne's was the real success, making the names of herself, and of Bacharach and David. The team had more than twenty top forty hits together, before Bacharach and David had a falling out in 1971 and stopped working together, and Warwick sued both of them for breach of contract as a result. But prior to that they had hit after hit, with classic records like "Anyone Who Had a Heart": [Excerpt: Dionne Warwick, "Anyone Who Had a Heart"] And "Walk On By": [Excerpt: Dionne Warwick, "Walk On By"] With Doris, Dionne, and Dee Dee all going solo, the group's membership was naturally in flux -- though the departed members would occasionally join their former bandmates for sessions, and the remaining members would sing backing vocals on their ex-members' records. By 1965 the group consisted of Cissy Houston, Sylvia Shemwell, the Warwick sisters' cousin Myrna Smith, and Estelle Brown. The group became *the* go-to singers for soul and R&B records made in New York. They were regularly hired by Leiber and Stoller to sing on their records, and they were also the particular favourites of Bert Berns. They sang backing vocals on almost every record he produced. It's them doing the gospel wails on "Cry Baby" by Garnet Mimms: [Excerpt: Garnet Mimms, "Cry Baby"] And they sang backing vocals on both versions of "If You Need Me" -- Wilson Pickett's original and Solomon Burke's more successful cover version, produced by Berns: [Excerpt: Solomon Burke, "If You Need Me"] They're on such Berns records as "Show Me Your Monkey", by Kenny Hamber: [Excerpt: Kenny Hamber, "Show Me Your Monkey"] And it was a Berns production that ended up getting them to be Aretha Franklin's backing group. The group were becoming such an important part of the records that Atlantic and BANG Records, in particular, were putting out, that Jerry Wexler said "it was only a matter of common decency to put them under contract as a featured group". He signed them to Atlantic and renamed them from the Gospelaires to The Sweet Inspirations.  Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham wrote a song for the group which became their only hit under their own name: [Excerpt: The Sweet Inspirations, "Sweet Inspiration"] But to start with, they released a cover of Pops Staples' civil rights song "Why (Am I treated So Bad)": [Excerpt: The Sweet Inspirations, "Why (Am I Treated So Bad?)"] That hadn't charted, and meanwhile, they'd all kept doing session work. Cissy had joined Erma and Carolyn Franklin on the backing vocals for Aretha's "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You": [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You"] Shortly after that, the whole group recorded backing vocals for Erma's single "Piece of My Heart", co-written and produced by Berns: [Excerpt: Erma Franklin, "Piece of My Heart"] That became a top ten record on the R&B charts, but that caused problems. Aretha Franklin had a few character flaws, and one of these was an extreme level of jealousy for any other female singer who had any level of success and came up in the business after her. She could be incredibly graceful towards anyone who had been successful before her -- she once gave one of her Grammies away to Esther Phillips, who had been up for the same award and had lost to her -- but she was terribly insecure, and saw any contemporary as a threat. She'd spent her time at Columbia Records fuming (with some justification) that Barbra Streisand was being given a much bigger marketing budget than her, and she saw Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, and Dionne Warwick as rivals rather than friends. And that went doubly for her sisters, who she was convinced should be supporting her because of family loyalty. She had been infuriated at John Hammond when Columbia had signed Erma, thinking he'd gone behind her back to create competition for her. And now Erma was recording with Bert Berns. Bert Berns who had for years been a colleague of Jerry Wexler and the Ertegun brothers at Atlantic. Aretha was convinced that Wexler had put Berns up to signing Erma as some kind of power play. There was only one problem with this -- it simply wasn't true. As Wexler later explained “Bert and I had suffered a bad falling-out, even though I had enormous respect for him. After all, he was the guy who brought over guitarist Jimmy Page from England to play on our sessions. Bert, Ahmet, Nesuhi, and I had started a label together—Bang!—where Bert produced Van Morrison's first album. But Bert also had a penchant for trouble. He courted the wise guys. He wanted total control over every last aspect of our business dealings. Finally it was too much, and the Erteguns and I let him go. He sued us for breach of contract and suddenly we were enemies. I felt that he signed Erma, an excellent singer, not merely for her talent but as a way to get back at me. If I could make a hit with Aretha, he'd show me up by making an even bigger hit on Erma. Because there was always an undercurrent of rivalry between the sisters, this only added to the tension.” There were two things that resulted from this paranoia on Aretha's part. The first was that she and Wexler, who had been on first-name terms up to that point, temporarily went back to being "Mr. Wexler" and "Miss Franklin" to each other. And the second was that Aretha no longer wanted Carolyn and Erma to be her main backing vocalists, though they would continue to appear on her future records on occasion. From this point on, the Sweet Inspirations would be the main backing vocalists for Aretha in the studio throughout her golden era [xxcut line (and when the Sweet Inspirations themselves weren't on the record, often it would be former members of the group taking their place)]: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Ain't Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)"] The last day of sessions for Aretha Arrives was July the twenty-third, 1967. And as we heard in the episode on "I Was Made to Love Her", that was the day that the Detroit riots started. To recap briefly, that was four days of rioting started because of a history of racist policing, made worse by those same racist police overreacting to the initial protests. By the end of those four days, the National Guard, 82nd Airborne Division, and the 101st Airborne from Clarksville were all called in to deal with the violence, which left forty-three dead (of whom thirty-three were Black and only one was a police officer), 1,189 people were injured, and over 7,200 arrested, almost all of them Black. Those days in July would be a turning point for almost every musician based in Detroit. In particular, the police had murdered three members of the soul group the Dramatics, in a massacre of which the author John Hersey, who had been asked by President Johnson to be part of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders but had decided that would compromise his impartiality and did an independent journalistic investigation, said "The episode contained all the mythic themes of racial strife in the United States: the arm of the law taking the law into its own hands; interracial sex; the subtle poison of racist thinking by “decent” men who deny they are racists; the societal limbo into which, ever since slavery, so many young black men have been driven by our country; ambiguous justice in the courts; and the devastation in both black and white human lives that follows in the wake of violence as surely as ruinous and indiscriminate flood after torrents" But these were also the events that radicalised the MC5 -- the group had been playing a gig as Tim Buckley's support act when the rioting started, and guitarist Wayne Kramer decided afterwards to get stoned and watch the fires burning down the city through a telescope -- which police mistook for a rifle, leading to the National Guard knocking down Kramer's door. The MC5 would later cover "The Motor City is Burning", John Lee Hooker's song about the events: [Excerpt: The MC5, "The Motor City is Burning"] It would also be a turning point for Motown, too, in ways we'll talk about in a few future episodes.  And it was a political turning point too -- Michigan Governor George Romney, a liberal Republican (at a time when such people existed) had been the favourite for the Republican Presidential candidacy when he'd entered the race in December 1966, but as racial tensions ramped up in Detroit during the early months of 1967 he'd started trailing Richard Nixon, a man who was consciously stoking racists' fears. President Johnson, the incumbent Democrat, who was at that point still considering standing for re-election, made sure to make it clear to everyone during the riots that the decision to call in the National Guard had been made at the State level, by Romney, rather than at the Federal level.  That wasn't the only thing that removed the possibility of a Romney presidency, but it was a big part of the collapse of his campaign, and the, as it turned out, irrevocable turn towards right-authoritarianism that the party took with Nixon's Southern Strategy. Of course, Aretha Franklin had little way of knowing what was to come and how the riots would change the city and the country over the following decades. What she was primarily concerned about was the safety of her father, and to a lesser extent that of her sister-in-law Earline who was staying with him. Aretha, Carolyn, and Erma all tried to keep in constant touch with their father while they were out of town, and Aretha even talked about hiring private detectives to travel to Detroit, find her father, and get him out of the city to safety. But as her brother Cecil pointed out, he was probably the single most loved man among Black people in Detroit, and was unlikely to be harmed by the rioters, while he was too famous for the police to kill with impunity. Reverend Franklin had been having a stressful time anyway -- he had recently been fined for tax evasion, an action he was convinced the IRS had taken because of his friendship with Dr King and his role in the civil rights movement -- and according to Cecil "Aretha begged Daddy to move out of the city entirely. She wanted him to find another congregation in California, where he was especially popular—or at least move out to the suburbs. But he wouldn't budge. He said that, more than ever, he was needed to point out the root causes of the riots—the economic inequality, the pervasive racism in civic institutions, the woefully inadequate schools in inner-city Detroit, and the wholesale destruction of our neighborhoods by urban renewal. Some ministers fled the city, but not our father. The horror of what happened only recommitted him. He would not abandon his political agenda." To make things worse, Aretha was worried about her father in other ways -- as her marriage to Ted White was starting to disintegrate, she was looking to her father for guidance, and actually wanted him to take over her management. Eventually, Ruth Bowen, her booking agent, persuaded her brother Cecil that this was a job he could do, and that she would teach him everything he needed to know about the music business. She started training him up while Aretha was still married to White, in the expectation that that marriage couldn't last. Jerry Wexler, who only a few months earlier had been seeing Ted White as an ally in getting "product" from Franklin, had now changed his tune -- partly because the sale of Atlantic had gone through in the meantime. He later said “Sometimes she'd call me at night, and, in that barely audible little-girl voice of hers, she'd tell me that she wasn't sure she could go on. She always spoke in generalities. She never mentioned her husband, never gave me specifics of who was doing what to whom. And of course I knew better than to ask. She just said that she was tired of dealing with so much. My heart went out to her. She was a woman who suffered silently. She held so much in. I'd tell her to take as much time off as she needed. We had a lot of songs in the can that we could release without new material. ‘Oh, no, Jerry,' she'd say. ‘I can't stop recording. I've written some new songs, Carolyn's written some new songs. We gotta get in there and cut 'em.' ‘Are you sure?' I'd ask. ‘Positive,' she'd say. I'd set up the dates and typically she wouldn't show up for the first or second sessions. Carolyn or Erma would call me to say, ‘Ree's under the weather.' That was tough because we'd have asked people like Joe South and Bobby Womack to play on the sessions. Then I'd reschedule in the hopes she'd show." That third album she recorded in 1967, Lady Soul, was possibly her greatest achievement. The opening track, and second single, "Chain of Fools", released in November, was written by Don Covay -- or at least it's credited as having been written by Covay. There's a gospel record that came out around the same time on a very small label based in Houston -- "Pains of Life" by Rev. E. Fair And The Sensational Gladys Davis Trio: [Excerpt: Rev. E. Fair And The Sensational Gladys Davis Trio, "Pains of Life"] I've seen various claims online that that record came out shortly *before* "Chain of Fools", but I can't find any definitive evidence one way or the other -- it was on such a small label that release dates aren't available anywhere. Given that the B-side, which I haven't been able to track down online, is called "Wait Until the Midnight Hour", my guess is that rather than this being a case of Don Covay stealing the melody from an obscure gospel record he'd have had little chance to hear, it's the gospel record rewriting a then-current hit to be about religion, but I thought it worth mentioning. The song was actually written by Covay after Jerry Wexler asked him to come up with some songs for Otis Redding, but Wexler, after hearing it, decided it was better suited to Franklin, who gave an astonishing performance: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Chain of Fools"] Arif Mardin, the arranger of the album, said of that track “I was listed as the arranger of ‘Chain of Fools,' but I can't take credit. Aretha walked into the studio with the chart fully formed inside her head. The arrangement is based around the harmony vocals provided by Carolyn and Erma. To add heft, the Sweet Inspirations joined in. The vision of the song is entirely Aretha's.” According to Wexler, that's not *quite* true -- according to him, Joe South came up with the guitar part that makes up the intro, and he also said that when he played what he thought was the finished track to Ellie Greenwich, she came up with another vocal line for the backing vocals, which she overdubbed. But the core of the record's sound is definitely pure Aretha -- and Carolyn Franklin said that there was a reason for that. As she said later “Aretha didn't write ‘Chain,' but she might as well have. It was her story. When we were in the studio putting on the backgrounds with Ree doing lead, I knew she was singing about Ted. Listen to the lyrics talking about how for five long years she thought he was her man. Then she found out she was nothing but a link in the chain. Then she sings that her father told her to come on home. Well, he did. She sings about how her doctor said to take it easy. Well, he did too. She was drinking so much we thought she was on the verge of a breakdown. The line that slew me, though, was the one that said how one of these mornings the chain is gonna break but until then she'll take all she can take. That summed it up. Ree knew damn well that this man had been doggin' her since Jump Street. But somehow she held on and pushed it to the breaking point." [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Chain of Fools"] That made number one on the R&B charts, and number two on the hot one hundred, kept from the top by "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)" by John Fred and his Playboy Band -- a record that very few people would say has stood the test of time as well. The other most memorable track on the album was the one chosen as the first single, released in September. As Carole King told the story, she and Gerry Goffin were feeling like their career was in a slump. While they had had a huge run of hits in the early sixties through 1965, they had only had two new hits in 1966 -- "Goin' Back" for Dusty Springfield and "Don't Bring Me Down" for the Animals, and neither of those were anything like as massive as their previous hits. And up to that point in 1967, they'd only had one -- "Pleasant Valley Sunday" for the Monkees. They had managed to place several songs on Monkees albums and the TV show as well, so they weren't going to starve, but the rise of self-contained bands that were starting to dominate the charts, and Phil Spector's temporary retirement, meant there simply wasn't the opportunity for them to place material that there had been. They were also getting sick of travelling to the West Coast all the time, because as their children were growing slightly older they didn't want to disrupt their lives in New York, and were thinking of approaching some of the New York based labels and seeing if they needed songs. They were particularly considering Atlantic, because soul was more open to outside songwriters than other genres. As it happened, though, they didn't have to approach Atlantic, because Atlantic approached them. They were walking down Broadway when a limousine pulled up, and Jerry Wexler stuck his head out of the window. He'd come up with a good title that he wanted to use for a song for Aretha, would they be interested in writing a song called "Natural Woman"? They said of course they would, and Wexler drove off. They wrote the song that night, and King recorded a demo the next morning: [Excerpt: Carole King, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (demo)"] They gave Wexler a co-writing credit because he had suggested the title.  King later wrote in her autobiography "Hearing Aretha's performance of “Natural Woman” for the first time, I experienced a rare speechless moment. To this day I can't convey how I felt in mere words. Anyone who had written a song in 1967 hoping it would be performed by a singer who could take it to the highest level of excellence, emotional connection, and public exposure would surely have wanted that singer to be Aretha Franklin." She went on to say "But a recording that moves people is never just about the artist and the songwriters. It's about people like Jerry and Ahmet, who matched the songwriters with a great title and a gifted artist; Arif Mardin, whose magnificent orchestral arrangement deserves the place it will forever occupy in popular music history; Tom Dowd, whose engineering skills captured the magic of this memorable musical moment for posterity; and the musicians in the rhythm section, the orchestral players, and the vocal contributions of the background singers—among them the unforgettable “Ah-oo!” after the first line of the verse. And the promotion and marketing people helped this song reach more people than it might have without them." And that's correct -- unlike "Chain of Fools", this time Franklin did let Arif Mardin do most of the arrangement work -- though she came up with the piano part that Spooner Oldham plays on the record. Mardin said that because of the song's hymn-like feel they wanted to go for a more traditional written arrangement. He said "She loved the song to the point where she said she wanted to concentrate on the vocal and vocal alone. I had written a string chart and horn chart to augment the chorus and hired Ralph Burns to conduct. After just a couple of takes, we had it. That's when Ralph turned to me with wonder in his eyes. Ralph was one of the most celebrated arrangers of the modern era. He had done ‘Early Autumn' for Woody Herman and Stan Getz, and ‘Georgia on My Mind' for Ray Charles. He'd worked with everyone. ‘This woman comes from another planet' was all Ralph said. ‘She's just here visiting.'” [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"] By this point there was a well-functioning team making Franklin's records -- while the production credits would vary over the years, they were all essentially co-productions by the team of Franklin, Wexler, Mardin and Dowd, all collaborating and working together with a more-or-less unified purpose, and the backing was always by the same handful of session musicians and some combination of the Sweet Inspirations and Aretha's sisters. That didn't mean that occasional guests couldn't get involved -- as we discussed in the Cream episode, Eric Clapton played guitar on "Good to Me as I am to You": [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Good to Me as I am to You"] Though that was one of the rare occasions on one of these records where something was overdubbed. Clapton apparently messed up the guitar part when playing behind Franklin, because he was too intimidated by playing with her, and came back the next day to redo his part without her in the studio. At this point, Aretha was at the height of her fame. Just before the final batch of album sessions began she appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, and she was making regular TV appearances, like one on the Mike Douglas Show where she duetted with Frankie Valli on "That's Life": [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin and Frankie Valli, "That's Life"] But also, as Wexler said “Her career was kicking into high gear. Contending and resolving both the professional and personal challenges were too much. She didn't think she could do both, and I didn't blame her. Few people could. So she let the personal slide and concentrated on the professional. " Her concert promoter Ruth Bowen said of this time "Her father and Dr. King were putting pressure on her to sing everywhere, and she felt obligated. The record company was also screaming for more product. And I had a mountain of offers on my desk that kept getting higher with every passing hour. They wanted her in Europe. They wanted her in Latin America. They wanted her in every major venue in the U.S. TV was calling. She was being asked to do guest appearances on every show from Carol Burnett to Andy Williams to the Hollywood Palace. She wanted to do them all and she wanted to do none of them. She wanted to do them all because she's an entertainer who burns with ambition. She wanted to do none of them because she was emotionally drained. She needed to go away and renew her strength. I told her that at least a dozen times. She said she would, but she didn't listen to me." The pressures from her father and Dr King are a recurring motif in interviews with people about this period. Franklin was always a very political person, and would throughout her life volunteer time and money to liberal political causes and to the Democratic Party, but this was the height of her activism -- the Civil Rights movement was trying to capitalise on the gains it had made in the previous couple of years, and celebrity fundraisers and performances at rallies were an important way to do that. And at this point there were few bigger celebrities in America than Aretha Franklin. At a concert in her home town of Detroit on February the sixteenth, 1968, the Mayor declared the day Aretha Franklin Day. At the same show, Billboard, Record World *and* Cash Box magazines all presented her with plaques for being Female Vocalist of the Year. And Dr. King travelled up to be at the show and congratulate her publicly for all her work with his organisation, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Backstage at that show, Dr. King talked to Aretha's father, Reverend Franklin, about what he believed would be the next big battle -- a strike in Memphis: [Excerpt, Martin Luther King, "Mountaintop Speech" -- "And so, as a result of this, we are asking you tonight, to go out and tell your neighbors not to buy Coca-Cola in Memphis. Go by and tell them not to buy Sealtest milk. Tell them not to buy—what is the other bread?—Wonder Bread. And what is the other bread company, Jesse? Tell them not to buy Hart's bread. As Jesse Jackson has said, up to now, only the garbage men have been feeling pain; now we must kind of redistribute the pain. We are choosing these companies because they haven't been fair in their hiring policies; and we are choosing them because they can begin the process of saying, they are going to support the needs and the rights of these men who are on strike. And then they can move on downtown and tell Mayor Loeb to do what is right."] The strike in question was the Memphis Sanitation Workers' strike which had started a few days before.  The struggle for Black labour rights was an integral part of the civil rights movement, and while it's not told that way in the sanitised version of the story that's made it into popular culture, the movement led by King was as much about economic justice as social justice -- King was a democratic socialist, and believed that economic oppression was both an effect of and cause of other forms of racial oppression, and that the rights of Black workers needed to be fought for. In 1967 he had set up a new organisation, the Poor People's Campaign, which was set to march on Washington to demand a program that included full employment, a guaranteed income -- King was strongly influenced in his later years by the ideas of Henry George, the proponent of a universal basic income based on land value tax -- the annual building of half a million affordable homes, and an end to the war in Vietnam. This was King's main focus in early 1968, and he saw the sanitation workers' strike as a major part of this campaign. Memphis was one of the most oppressive cities in the country, and its largely Black workforce of sanitation workers had been trying for most of the 1960s to unionise, and strike-breakers had been called in to stop them, and many of them had been fired by their white supervisors with no notice. They were working in unsafe conditions, for utterly inadequate wages, and the city government were ardent segregationists. After two workers had died on the first of February from using unsafe equipment, the union demanded changes -- safer working conditions, better wages, and recognition of the union. The city council refused, and almost all the sanitation workers stayed home and stopped work. After a few days, the council relented and agreed to their terms, but the Mayor, Henry Loeb, an ardent white supremacist who had stood on a platform of opposing desegregation, and who had previously been the Public Works Commissioner who had put these unsafe conditions in place, refused to listen. As far as he was concerned, he was the only one who could recognise the union, and he wouldn't. The workers continued their strike, marching holding signs that simply read "I am a Man": [Excerpt: Stevie Wonder, "Blowing in the Wind"] The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the NAACP had been involved in organising support for the strikes from an early stage, and King visited Memphis many times. Much of the time he spent visiting there was spent negotiating with a group of more militant activists, who called themselves The Invaders and weren't completely convinced by King's nonviolent approach -- they believed that violence and rioting got more attention than non-violent protests. King explained to them that while he had been persuaded by Gandhi's writings of the moral case for nonviolent protest, he was also persuaded that it was pragmatically necessary -- asking the young men "how many guns do we have and how many guns do they have?", and pointing out as he often did that when it comes to violence a minority can't win against an armed majority. Rev Franklin went down to Memphis on the twenty-eighth of March to speak at a rally Dr. King was holding, but as it turned out the rally was cancelled -- the pre-rally march had got out of hand, with some people smashing windows, and Memphis police had, like the police in Detroit the previous year, violently overreacted, clubbing and gassing protestors and shooting and killing one unarmed teenage boy, Larry Payne. The day after Payne's funeral, Dr King was back in Memphis, though this time Rev Franklin was not with him. On April the third, he gave a speech which became known as the "Mountaintop Speech", in which he talked about the threats that had been made to his life: [Excerpt: Martin Luther King, "Mountaintop Speech": “And then I got to Memphis. And some began to say the threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers? Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord."] The next day, Martin Luther King was shot dead. James Earl Ray, a white supremacist, pled guilty to the murder, and the evidence against him seems overwhelming from what I've read, but the King family have always claimed that the murder was part of a larger conspiracy and that Ray was not the gunman. Aretha was obviously distraught, and she attended the funeral, as did almost every other prominent Black public figure. James Baldwin wrote of the funeral: "In the pew directly before me sat Marlon Brando, Sammy Davis, Eartha Kitt—covered in black, looking like a lost, ten-year-old girl—and Sidney Poitier, in the same pew, or nearby. Marlon saw me, and nodded. The atmosphere was black, with a tension indescribable—as though something, perhaps the heavens, perhaps the earth, might crack. Everyone sat very still. The actual service sort of washed over me, in waves. It wasn't that it seemed unreal; it was the most real church service I've ever sat through in my life, or ever hope to sit through; but I have a childhood hangover thing about not weeping in public, and I was concentrating on holding myself together. I did not want to weep for Martin, tears seemed futile. But I may also have been afraid, and I could not have been the only one, that if I began to weep I would not be able to stop. There was more than enough to weep for, if one was to weep—so many of us, cut down, so soon. Medgar, Malcolm, Martin: and their widows, and their children. Reverend Ralph David Abernathy asked a certain sister to sing a song which Martin had loved—“Once more,” said Ralph David, “for Martin and for me,” and he sat down." Many articles and books on Aretha Franklin say that she sang at King's funeral. In fact she didn't, but there's a simple reason for the confusion. King's favourite song was the Thomas Dorsey gospel song "Take My Hand, Precious Lord", and indeed almost his last words were to ask a trumpet player, Ben Branch, if he would play the song at the rally he was going to be speaking at on the day of his death. At his request, Mahalia Jackson, his old friend, sang the song at his private funeral, which was not filmed, unlike the public part of the funeral that Baldwin described. Four months later, though, there was another public memorial for King, and Franklin did sing "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" at that service, in front of King's weeping widow and children, and that performance *was* filmed, and gets conflated in people's memories with Jackson's unfilmed earlier performance: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Take My Hand, Precious Lord (at Martin Luther King Memorial)"] Four years later, she would sing that at Mahalia Jackson's funeral. Through all this, Franklin had been working on her next album, Aretha Now, the sessions for which started more or less as soon as the sessions for Lady Soul had finished. The album was, in fact, bookended by deaths that affected Aretha. Just as King died at the end of the sessions, the beginning came around the time of the death of Otis Redding -- the sessions were cancelled for a day while Wexler travelled to Georgia for Redding's funeral, which Franklin was too devastated to attend, and Wexler would later say that the extra emotion in her performances on the album came from her emotional pain at Redding's death. The lead single on the album, "Think", was written by Franklin and -- according to the credits anyway -- her husband Ted White, and is very much in the same style as "Respect", and became another of her most-loved hits: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "Think"] But probably the song on Aretha Now that now resonates the most is one that Jerry Wexler tried to persuade her not to record, and was only released as a B-side. Indeed, "I Say a Little Prayer" was a song that had already once been a hit after being a reject.  Hal David, unlike Burt Bacharach, was a fairly political person and inspired by the protest song movement, and had been starting to incorporate his concerns about the political situation and the Vietnam War into his lyrics -- though as with many such writers, he did it in much less specific ways than a Phil Ochs or a Bob Dylan. This had started with "What the World Needs Now is Love", a song Bacharach and David had written for Jackie DeShannon in 1965: [Excerpt: Jackie DeShannon, "What the "World Needs Now is Love"] But he'd become much more overtly political for "The Windows of the World", a song they wrote for Dionne Warwick. Warwick has often said it's her favourite of her singles, but it wasn't a big hit -- Bacharach blamed himself for that, saying "Dionne recorded it as a single and I really blew it. I wrote a bad arrangement and the tempo was too fast, and I really regret making it the way I did because it's a good song." [Excerpt: Dionne Warwick, "The Windows of the World"] For that album, Bacharach and David had written another track, "I Say a Little Prayer", which was not as explicitly political, but was intended by David to have an implicit anti-war message, much like other songs of the period like "Last Train to Clarksville". David had sons who were the right age to be drafted, and while it's never stated, "I Say a Little Prayer" was written from the perspective of a woman whose partner is away fighting in the war, but is still in her thoughts: [Excerpt: Dionne Warwick, "I Say a Little Prayer"] The recording of Dionne Warwick's version was marked by stress. Bacharach had a particular way of writing music to tell the musicians the kind of feel he wanted for the part -- he'd write nonsense words above the stave, and tell the musicians to play the parts as if they were singing those words. The trumpet player hired for the session, Ernie Royal, got into a row with Bacharach about this unorthodox way of communicating musical feeling, and the track ended up taking ten takes (as opposed to the normal three for a Bacharach session), with Royal being replaced half-way through the session. Bacharach was never happy with the track even after all the work it had taken, and he fought to keep it from being released at all, saying the track was taken at too fast a tempo. It eventually came out as an album track nearly eighteen months after it was recorded -- an eternity in 1960s musical timescales -- and DJs started playing it almost as soon as it came out. Scepter records rushed out a single, over Bacharach's objections, but as he later said "One thing I love about the record business is how wrong I was. Disc jockeys all across the country started playing the track, and the song went to number four on the charts and then became the biggest hit Hal and I had ever written for Dionne." [Excerpt: Dionne Warwick, "I Say a Little Prayer"] Oddly, the B-side for Warwick's single, "Theme From the Valley of the Dolls" did even better, reaching number two. Almost as soon as the song was released as a single, Franklin started playing around with the song backstage, and in April 1968, right around the time of Dr. King's death, she recorded a version. Much as Burt Bacharach had been against releasing Dionne Warwick's version, Jerry Wexler was against Aretha even recording the song, saying later “I advised Aretha not to record it. I opposed it for two reasons. First, to cover a song only twelve weeks after the original reached the top of the charts was not smart business. You revisit such a hit eight months to a year later. That's standard practice. But more than that, Bacharach's melody, though lovely, was peculiarly suited to a lithe instrument like Dionne Warwick's—a light voice without the dark corners or emotional depths that define Aretha. Also, Hal David's lyric was also somewhat girlish and lacked the gravitas that Aretha required. “Aretha usually listened to me in the studio, but not this time. She had written a vocal arrangement for the Sweet Inspirations that was undoubtedly strong. Cissy Houston, Dionne's cousin, told me that Aretha was on the right track—she was seeing this song in a new way and had come up with a new groove. Cissy was on Aretha's side. Tommy Dowd and Arif were on Aretha's side. So I had no choice but to cave." It's quite possible that Wexler's objections made Franklin more, rather than less, determined to record the song. She regarded Warwick as a hated rival, as she did almost every prominent female singer of her generation and younger ones, and would undoubtedly have taken the implication that there was something that Warwick was simply better at than her to heart. [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "I Say a Little Prayer"] Wexler realised as soon as he heard it in the studio that Franklin's version was great, and Bacharach agreed, telling Franklin's biographer David Ritz “As much as I like the original recording by Dionne, there's no doubt that Aretha's is a better record. She imbued the song with heavy soul and took it to a far deeper place. Hers is the definitive version.” -- which is surprising because Franklin's version simplifies some of Bacharach's more unusual chord voicings, something he often found extremely upsetting. Wexler still though thought there was no way the song would be a hit, and it's understandable that he thought that way. Not only had it only just been on the charts a few months earlier, but it was the kind of song that wouldn't normally be a hit at all, and certainly not in the kind of rhythmic soul music for which Franklin was known. Almost everything she ever recorded is in simple time signatures -- 4/4, waltz time, or 6/8 -- but this is a Bacharach song so it's staggeringly metrically irregular. Normally even with semi-complex things I'm usually good at figuring out how to break it down into bars, but here I actually had to purchase a copy of the sheet music in order to be sure I was right about what's going on. I'm going to count beats along with the record here so you can see what I mean. The verse has three bars of 4/4, one bar of 2/4, and three more bars of 4/4, all repeated: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "I Say a Little Prayer" with me counting bars over verse] While the chorus has a bar of 4/4, a bar of 3/4 but with a chord change half way through so it sounds like it's in two if you're paying attention to the harmonic changes, two bars of 4/4, another waltz-time bar sounding like it's in two, two bars of four, another bar of three sounding in two, a bar of four, then three more bars of four but the first of those is *written* as four but played as if it's in six-eight time (but you can keep the four/four pulse going if you're counting): [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "I Say a Little Prayer" with me counting bars over verse] I don't expect you to have necessarily followed that in great detail, but the point should be clear -- this was not some straightforward dance song. Incidentally, that bar played as if it's six/eight was something Aretha introduced to make the song even more irregular than how Bacharach wrote it. And on top of *that* of course the lyrics mixed the secular and the sacred, something that was still taboo in popular music at that time -- this is only a couple of years after Capitol records had been genuinely unsure about putting out the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows", and Franklin's gospel-inflected vocals made the religious connection even more obvious. But Franklin was insistent that the record go out as a single, and eventually it was released as the B-side to the far less impressive "The House That Jack Built". It became a double-sided hit, with the A-side making number two on the R&B chart and number seven on the Hot One Hundred, while "I Say a Little Prayer" made number three on the R&B chart and number ten overall. In the UK, "I Say a Little Prayer" made number four and became her biggest ever solo UK hit. It's now one of her most-remembered songs, while the A-side is largely forgotten: [Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, "I Say a Little Prayer"] For much of the

Evan Jones, chief marketing officer of Fender Music, discusses how he works to make the biggest and arguably most legendary brand in guitars even bigger. It's a tough job for a 77-year-old company whose Stratocaster has been a mainstay at least since Buddy Holly in the 1950s, used later by Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles and Bob Dylan among countless others.

Episode 74: Best Pedalboard Accessories //SPONSORS// Gear Exchange (Sweetwater) - https://sweetwater.com/used The Guitar Sanctuary - https://theguitarsanctuary.com Mono - https://monocreators.com/chairmen (use code "chairmen" for 10% off) Best-Tronics - https://btpa.com (use code "dachairs" for 10% off) Stringjoy - https://stringjoy.com (use code "boards" for 10% off) //HOSTS// Grant Klassen (Goodwood Audio) - grant@goodwoodaudio.com Brian Omilion (Omilion Audio) - omilion@theguitarsanctuary.com Mason Marangella (Vertex Effects) - mason@vertexeffects.com //YOUTUBE// Watch COTB Podcast live: https://bit.ly/3VhbNea

Get ready to elevate your guitar lessons to a whole new level in today's episode featuring Ulrich Ellison. As a three-time Downbeat Award winner, Ulrich has earned international acclaim for his electrifying guitar prowess and songwriting that transcends blues traditions and contemporary rock. In today's show, Ulrich shares insights into his journey, from a guitar player to an online guitar teacher, and his unique strategy for balancing a thriving online school with his music career. He also gave us an insight on the power of having clear visions and setting goals and the essential role of support systems in his success. Discover his secrets to crafting transformative guitar content and building a vibrant online Facebook community. Plus, get an exclusive sneak peek into his upcoming book that's sure to inspire. Stay tuned for a wealth of wisdom from Ulrich that's bound to strike a chord with you! Ulrich shared a brief summary of his journey, from a guitar player to an online guitar teacher. His strategy for creating an online school that enables him to continue touring, making music, balancing and managing various commitments. The importance of crafting a clear vision, establishing goals and diligently constructing the path to achieve them. The crucial support systems that aided his journey, seeking coaching and mentoring, and navigating the challenges through self-discovery. Ulrich shared about Total Guitar Transformation, shedding light on his process for finding students, understanding their needs, and crafting transformative content that bridges their gaps in guitar mastery. His strategy on building a massive Facebook group and how he nurtured a thriving online guitar community. Exciting sneak peek into his upcoming book. One final piece of wisdom and advice from Ulrich to the listeners. Guest's Links Total Guitar Transformation Website Total Guitar Transformation Facebook Page Ulrich Ellison Facebook Page Rock/Blues Guitar Improvisation Mastery Facebook Group Guitar Teaching Resources Mentioned Free Guitar E-book Resources Today's Guest Winner of three Downbeat Awards, Ulrich Ellison has been gaining international recognition as an electric guitar player and songwriter whose sounds and tones are on the verge of the blues tradition and contemporary rock. Ellison's guitar style is both economic and focuses on the essential statement. What underlies his sound is an ethereal quality that takes the listener on a musical journey. Ellison's song catalog spans from blues-based jams to pop-infused songs to progressive rock, held together by a charismatic presence and a “take-no-prisoners” rhythm section. Among the various achievements rank a nomination for a European Blues Award 2016, 2 Austin Music Awards in the category “Best Blues/Soul/Funk” as well as the 2016 Award for “Best Guitar” – the first European to ever receive this Award. His 8th official Album Release “Power Of Soul” (Grooveyard Records) is a Tribute to the late Jimi Hendrix featuring luminaries Tommy Shannon (SRV), David Grissom (John Mellencamp), Matt Schofield, Greg Koch, and legendary Blues voice Chris Farlowe (Colosseum, Hamburg Blues Band). Since 2020, he is also the founder and CEO of the “Total Guitar Transformation” Academy, empowering guitarists worldwide to become the best...

Jimi Hendrix, Creeper, Queensrÿche, Helmet, Midgard

Wake Of The Flood 50: Row JimmyThe Deadcast explores the strange not-quite-reggae of “Row Jimmy,” featuring a long never-heard interview with lyricist Robert Hunter from 1977. GUESTS: Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, Robert Hunter, David Lemieux, Brian Kehew, Scott Metzger, Shaugn O'DonnellSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when the co-founder of a legendary magazine drops a bombshell with his recent book, stirring up quite the controversy? This episode has us dissecting Jan Wanner's  "The Masters," a book that has sparked heated debates with its perceived exclusion of women and people of color. Together, we sift through Wiener's selection of 'masters' which include Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. We push the boundaries of this discussion, scrutinizing these musicians and their legitimate claim to the title of 'masters.'We're not stopping there. Get ready for a deep-dive into the world of Rolling Stone magazine and its influence on rock and roll. We examine the imprint of acclaimed artists like Pete Townsend and Jimi Hendrix on various music genres, and how Rolling Stone has capitalized on the talents of these musicians. We even call out the hypocrisy of the magazine's claim to revolutionize music while they seemingly failed to recognize the true masters of the craft. As we wrap up, we switch gears to share our excitement about the upcoming Pearl Jam tour and the thrill of seeing them perform live. We've got a big announcement coming up too, so stay tuned! And don't miss our next episode where we'll be joined by Randy from the Alive and Four Legs podcast. We'll continue our exploration into the world of music with a breakdown of the Pearl Jam tour, plus a special focus on the Hitchhiker series. Trust us, you won't want to miss out!(0:00:00) - Controversy Over Jan Wiener's Book(0:12:29) - Masters of Music(0:22:03) - Discussion on Musical Masters(0:26:43) - Comparing Pete Townsend and Jimi Hendrix(0:33:15) - Rock and Roll Legends Controversial Remarks(0:47:49) - Artistic Evolution in the Music Industry(0:52:49) - Race and Representation in Music HOF(1:00:34) - Pearl Jam and Future Plans(1:06:40) - Upcoming Show and Exciting Guestswww.TheTouringFanLive.commedia@TheTouringFanLive.Comwww.facebook.com/TheTouringFanLiveInstagram-@TheTouringFanLiveCopyright The Touring Fan Live 2022

Zangeres en songwriter Beatrice van der Poel schreef eerder vertalingen van Jimi Hendrix en Leonard Cohen, en maakte eigen albums en theaterprogramma's. Nu brengt ze op 9 oktober, precies 45 jaar geleden dat Jacques Brel overleed, Na De Stilte uit. Een nieuw album met vertalingen van liedjes van Jacques Brel. Femke van der Laan gaat met Beatrice van der Poel in gesprek.

"A Night of Rock and Roll Remembrance: Grateful Dead at MSG, 1990"Larry Mishkin pays tribute to Jimi Hendrix, reflecting on his iconic rock career and tragic passing 53 years ago. He shares anecdotes about Hendrix's influence on rock music and highlights the infamous 27 Club, a group of rock legends who died at the age of 27. The episode also previews upcoming music events, including Fish Fest and Tedeschi Trucks Band's shows with special guests like Warren Haynes and Norah Jones, promising an exciting lineup for music enthusiasts..Produced by PodConx  Deadhead Cannabis Show - https://podconx.com/podcasts/deadhead-cannabis-showLarry Mishkin - https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkinRob Hunt - https://podconx.com/guests/rob-huntJay Blakesberg - https://podconx.com/guests/jay-blakesbergMeetLoaf Website - https://meetloaftribute.com/performance-schedule/Recorded on Squadcast Grateful Dead, September 18, 1990, MSG, NYCGrateful Dead Live at Madison Square Garden on 1990-09-18 : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive This show was on the 20th anniversay of Jimi Hendrix's death.  Interesting because I see it in headlines re this show, but they really didn't play anything Jimi related as far as I can tell and none of the comments even mention that.  Neverthless, it is a noteworthy anniversary (53 years he has been gone, almost double his life span of 27, he's in that club). Dead also did a show on this date in 1970, the day Jimi died but when I  checked that show there was no acknowledgement (that I could hear) of Jimi dying but of course, back then with no interenet, they may not even have known on that date anyway. Nevertheless, Jimi is Jimi so I'm openkng the episode with him on the intro and then switching over to the Dead show.  INTRO:               Foxey Lady                           Jimi Hendrix                           Miami Pop Festival, 1968 (great You Tube video , check it out)                           The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Foxey Lady (Miami Pop 1968) - YouTube                           Start – 1:30                            One of my favorite openings of any rock song out there.  Just loud Jimi from the outset,  Even if you are not a big Jimi fan, you may also recognize this because of how distinctive it is.               Jimi born on Nov. 27, 1942 in Seattle              Died in 1970 in London              Member of the “27” club along with; Brian Jones (Stones), Alan Wilson (Canned Heat), Jim Morrison (Doors),Janis Joplin,Kurt Cobain (Nirvana),Pig PenAmy WinehouseDave Alexander (Stooges – with Iggy Pop)Peter Ham (Badfinger) Created three of the most famous albums in rock:               Are you Experienced              Axis: Bold as Love              Electric Ladyland Jimi died 53 years ago today. Hendrix aspirated his own vomit and died of asphyxia while intoxicated with barbiturates.Still considered the greatest rock guitarist ever although there are a few who could give him a serious run for the money.  Dead Great show, Vince's third show (started on 9.7.90) and Bruce Hornsby's 3d as well.  Show known for all of its epic jams which I will primarily be focusing on. SHOW #1:          Minglelwood Blues                           Track #2                           3:15 – 4:23                            Perenial tune that the Dead played from Day one (and even before) through the end.  Check out Bruce's jam on this clip and then band comes crashing back in.  Very cool. SHOW #2:          To Lay Me Down                           Track #7                           Start – 1:33                            I know I have mostly been featuring jams, but Jerry's vocals are so beautiful here, with great crowd reaction, that on this one I had to go with the vocals.  A nine minute version of one of Jerry and Hunter's  prettiest ballads.  When Jerry's voice is on, like here, you can make a strong argument is is their best. SHOW #3:          Promised Land                           Track #8                           3:33 – 5:00                           Love this song whether it opens the show or closes the set as here.  Just a rocker written by Chuck Berry while he was in jail – used the prison library atlas to help him pick out the geographic route taken by the “Poor Boy” on his trip from Norfolk VA to LA via bus, plain and the houstontown people who care a thing about him and won't let him down. But check out this jam at the end of the song.  Normally breaks right off after the final lyrics but today they just jam it out – the spirit of Jimi? SHOW #4:          Foolish Heart (jam out of – from So Many Roads Boxed Set)                           Track # 11                           6:20 – 7:45                            Classic Dead jam that got a lot of attention when it was included in the Dead's original box set, So Many Roads, released a long time ago (Nov. 7, 1999) as a separate track actually titled, “Jam Out Of Foolish Heart”.  At their improvisational best here. Strong Other One foreshadowing which plays out as advertised after a strong drums and funky Space.  The whole second set just rolls along.  A good night to be in MSG seeing the boys.  OUTRO:              Knockin On Heaven's Door                           Track # 18                           Start – 1:30                            Again, the music intro jam is so great that's what I am featuring.  Be sure to check out Bruce Hornsby's jumping in on the accordion!  Really nice Bob Dylan cover, Jerry played it for years.  Was released on his Run For The Roses album.

This episode is in memory of the death of Jimi Hendrix, 53 years after his death. When Jimi Hendrix lived at 23 Brook Street in Mayfair, London, he experienced the ghostly vision of the composer George Handel who lived next door at 25 Brook Street. Years later in 2001, a museum tpo Handel was about to open when members of the Handel House Trust saw the apparition of a woman. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ghosttalespodcast/support

This episode is in memory of the death of Jimi Hendrix, 53 years after his death. When Jimi Hendrix lived at 23 Brook Street in Mayfair, London, he experienced the ghostly vision of the composer George Handel who lived next door at 25 Brook Street. Years later in 2001, a museum tpo Handel was about to open when members of the Handel House Trust saw the apparition of a woman. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ghosttalespodcast/support

Brad Schrieber on the murder of Jimi Hendrix, Buy the book https://amzn.to/48jiwKZThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/1198501/advertisement

Award winning film maker, John Montoya discusses the 10 part docuseries entitled When the Sound hits the Walls which he is producing . It will feature the Hyde Street Studios, where Rock and Roll Greats like Herbie Hancock, the Headhunters, Creedence Clearwater, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills and Nash and Jefferson Airplane produced iconic hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/james-herlihy/message

Andrew Sandoval talks Micky's new book "I'm Told I Had A Good Time: The Micky Dolenz Archives, Volume One", & "Dolenz sings R.E.M"...a 4 track EP. The EP is comprised of songs R. E. M. wrote throughout their career, all beautifully reimagined by Dolenz and producer Christian Nesmith. The EP features fresh and completely new arrangements of some of R. E. M. 's most memorable and catchy songs. As Dolenz says: "Once again, this EP reaffirms my long-held conviction that a solid recording always begins with solid material. You don't get much solid than R. E. M. What a joy to, once again, bring these songs to life". Also a reprinting of "The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story" in limited quantities and More Monkees talk!. Get Andrew's book here. Go to http://beatlandbooks.com/ "7a" can be found at https://www.7arecords.com/  Originally aired 9/14/23Originally Aired 9/14/23Join our Facebook page If you cannot see the audio controls, listen/download the audio file here Download (right click, save as)We are proud to announce "Dolenz Sings R.E.M.", a four-track EP by Micky Dolenz released on November 3rd. The EP is comprised of songs R.E.M. wrote throughout their career, all beautifully reimagined by Micky Dolenz and producer Christian Nesmith. You can order your copy on CD and 180g Yellow Vinyl now from the shops below, or get a signed copy straight from Micky at https://www.mickydolenz.com : U.S.A. CD & Vinyl: https://www.importcds.com/search?q=Dolenz+sings+rem&mod=AP United Kingdom: CD & Vinyl: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=dolenz+sings+REM&crid=1PXI7IMU3O4X4&sprefix=dolenz+sings+rem%2Caps%2C75&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 Canada: CD: https://www.amazon.ca/Dolenz-Sings-R-M-Micky/dp/B0CHBBKR3D/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11BAQB6FXPSJB&keywords=Dolenz+sings+rem&qid=1694692833&sprefix=dolenz+sings+rem%2Caps%2C228&sr=8-1 Vinyl: https://www.amazon.ca/Dolenz-Sings-R-M-Yellow/dp/B0CHBD11JF/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1694692833&sr=8-1 Japan: CD: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Micky-Dolenz/dp/B0CHBBKR3D/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?crid=2M1JUJ2TYVL01&keywords=dolens+sings+rem&qid=1694692920&sprefix=dolenz+sings+rem%2Caps%2C222&sr=8-1-fkmr1 Vinyl: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Micky-Dolenz/dp/B0CHBD11JF/ref=tmm_vnl_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1694692920&sr=8-1-fkmr1 Germany: CD: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/poprock/detail/-/art/micky-dolenz-dolenz-sings-r-e-m/hnum/11593539 Vinyl: https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/poprock/detail/-/art/micky-dolenz-dolenz-sings-r-e-m/hnum/11593542 Scandinavia: CD: https://imusic.dk/music/5060209950600/micky-dolenz-2023-dolenz-sings-r-e-m-cd Vinyl: https://imusic.dk/music/5060209950617/micky-dolenz-2023-dolenz-sings-r-e-m-lp For all other territories, please see Amazon and all good record shops. Dolenz Sings R.E.M. The EP features fresh and completely new arrangements of some of R.E.M.'s most memorable and catchy songs. As Dolenz says: “Once again, this EP reaffirms my long-held conviction that a solid recording always begins with solid material. You don't get much more solid than R.E.M. What a joy to sing these classics and honor a team of outstanding writers.” 7A Records' CEO Glenn Gretlund adds: “R.E.M. and Micky Dolenz are a match made in heaven and I'm delighted with how the recordings have turned out. Micky's voice sounds better than ever and Christian Nesmith has done a wonderful job in reimagining the arrangements.” The EP is released on 180g Yellow Vinyl, CD and on all Digital platforms on November 3rd. New Book - "I'm Told I Had A Good Time" The EP release directly coincides with the publication of Micky Dolenz's latest book: I'm Told I Had Good Time – The Micky Dolenz Archives, Volume One. Comprised of more than 1200 rare and unpublished images from Micky's private collection, this 500-page book includes photos and memorabilia spanning 1945-1978, including hundreds of images Micky shot himself of the other Monkees (Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith) as well as Jimi Hendrix, Harry Nilsson, Otis Redding, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Alice Cooper and many more. The book (available in three distinct editions) can be preordered now from https://Beatlandbooks.com "Shiny Happy People" Digital Single  The digital single from the E.P, “Shiny Happy People”,  is available to download and stream from all major digital platforms now. You can watch the music video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKSRntMvqMQ  R.E.M. Reactions to the EP: “These songs are ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. Micky Dolenz covering R.E.M. Monkees style; I have died and gone to heaven. This is really something. Shiny Happy People sounds INCREDIBLE (never thought you or I would hear me say that!!!). Give it a spin. It's wild. And produced by Christian Nesmith (son of Michael Nesmith), I am finally complete”.                                                 Michael Stipe "That voice---one of the main voices of my musical awakening---singing our songs... it is beyond awesome. Let's help make this as huge as we possibly can. I am beyond thrilled."                                                 Mike Mills "I've been listening to Micky's singing since I was nine years old.  It's unreal to hear that very voice, adding new depth to songs we've written ourselves, and inhabiting them so completely."                                                 Peter Buck "I am blown away!  Micky and Christian just take these tracks to unexpected places”.                                                 Scott McCaughey Availability Dolenz Sings R.E.M.  is released November 3rd worldwide. It's available to pre-order now on 12” 180g Yellow Vinyl, CD and Digital Platforms, through all good online retailers and local record stores. Fans can also order signed copies through Micky Dolenz's own shop: mickydolenz.com   We were born to love one another. Support Zilch, get a cool shirt! www.redbubble.com/people/designsbyken/works/12348740-zilch-podcast?c=314383-monkees-inspired-art

This month, your hosts, Ash and Ali, are covering The 27 Club, a list of approximately 75 popular musicians, artists, actors, and other celebrities who all died at the mysterious age of 27. Ali details the stories of the deaths of four young, prolific musicians who all tragically joined the infamous 27 Club.Ali tells the story of Janis Joplin, aka "The Wild Woman of Blues", who joined the 27 Club in October of 1970, at the height of her career and the psychedelic rock era. Janis, like so many other young rockstars, loved to party, with Southern Comfort and the ever popular drug of the time, heroin, as her party favors of choice. She hung out with other members of the 27 Club including Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. She was mercillesly teased in high school, and her sexual freeness and appetite, and bluesy music, made her quite the controversial character in her time, but one that is beloved by many today.We think y'all are gonna love this season, big thanks to our incredible research assistants Toni Wormold and Kesha Epperson for making this an awesome season!-Join us for as little as $5 a month on Patreon!-We'd love to see you in our Discord, come hang out!-We have really fun merch, go take a look!-Follow us on Instagram and Twitter!-Research assistance by Toni Wormold.-Audio editing by Dallas Hernandez.-Sources:https://shows.acast.com/deadrockstars/episodes/deadrockstars21-janisjoplinhttps://www.amazon.com/Janis-Joplin-Her-Final-Hours/dp/B07H3BKBNPhttps://janisjoplin.comhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janis_Joplinhttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Janis-Joplinhttps://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/o-janis/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/goodbye-janis-joplin-68526/amp/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/janis-joplin-book-holly-george-warren-908222/amp/https://www.jambase.com/article/janis-joplin-dick-cavett-show#:~:text=The%20pair%20would%20go%20on,to%20The%20Dick%20Cavett%20Show.https://hightimes.com/culture/high-times-greats-janis-joplin/https://www.amazon.com/Janis-Little-Girl-Special-Directors/dp/B01C37VQBYhttps://www.ranker.com/list/janis-joplin-personal-life-and-relationships/jordan-breedinghttps://happymag.tv/5-amazing-things-you-didnt-know-about-janis-joplin/https://www.countrythangdaily.com/janis-joplin-me-and-bobby-mcgee-2/#https://www.simplemost.com/janis-joplin-facts-every-fan-know/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/25/books/review-janis-joplin-biography-holly-george-warren.htmlThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4523794/advertisement

⚾ Play Ball with Song Swap Showdown! ⚾ Step up to the plate as we dive into the world of baseball-inspired tunes in this week's episode! From the iconic sounds echoing in stadiums to the anthems that have become synonymous with the sport, we're covering all bases. Whether it's about the game itself, team anthems, victory celebrations, or those unforgettable 7th-inning stretch moments, we've got the tracks that capture the spirit of baseball. Amanda's pitching her top picks to Chris: "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars "Shake it Off" by Taylor Swift Chris is throwing some curveballs Amanda's way with: "I Love LA" by Randy Newman - "Fire" by Jimi Hendrix "Tessie" by Dropkick Murphy's Join us as we hit a home run with these selections, rate them, and discuss their significance in the baseball world. Whether you're a die-hard fan of the sport or just here for the tunes, this episode is a grand slam! And remember, every song has its day in the field. Play ball and tune in now! Check out our MERCH at https://www.songswapshowdownmerch.com/ Join our Facebook Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1161768424439762 Listen to our Song Swap Showdown 2023 Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4282nflhL3RxbeiHdOma29?fbclid=IwAR22fpBoku6u7JldhScVqHG9Lo28t3SGa0OK2bFdwENNtQeIY4b9U9yw6BI Connect with us at - http://campsite.bio/songswapshowdown   Feel free to support this show for as little as $2 a month through Buy Me a Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/songswapshow/membership Email us at info@songswapshowdown.com Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5194578248859648 #musicpodcast #musicreviewshow #songreaction #sportsmusic --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/songswapshowdown/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/songswapshowdown/support

Chapter 1 What's Just Kids"Just Kids" is a memoir written by Patti Smith, the iconic singer-songwriter, poet, and artist. The book explores her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and their journey together as young artists navigating the vibrant art scene in New York City during the 1960s and 1970s. It details their friendship, creative influences, and the challenges they faced while pursuing their artistic ambitions. "Just Kids" won the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2010 and has been highly praised for its beautifully written prose and intimate portrayal of a unique artistic partnership.Chapter 2 Why is Just Kids Worth ReadJust Kids by Patti Smith is worth reading for several reasons:1. Engaging storytelling: Patti Smith has a unique and captivating way of telling her story, which keeps the readers hooked from start to finish. Her writing style is honest, poetic, and infused with emotions, making the book a compelling read.2. Insight into the art scene of the 1960s and 1970s: Just Kids provides a firsthand account of the vibrant art and music scene in New York City during the 1960s and 1970s. Smith shares her experiences as she navigates her way through the bohemian culture of the time, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the era.3. Captures the essence of creativity and friendship: The book focuses not only on Smith's personal journey but also on her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Their artistic collaborations, struggle for recognition, and unwavering support for each other make for a touching and inspiring portrayal of friendship and artistic ambition.4. Reflections on art, love, and loss: Just Kids is not just a memoir; it is a reflection on the themes of art, love, and loss. Smith explores her own artistic process, the sacrifices artists make, and the impact of personal relationships on creative endeavors. Her introspective musings give readers a deeper understanding of the human experience.5. Impact on popular culture: Just Kids has received critical acclaim and won numerous awards, including the 2010 National Book Award for Nonfiction. It has also inspired artists, musicians, and readers around the world. The book's influence on popular culture, combined with its powerful narrative, makes it a must-read for anyone interested in art, music, or the counterculture movement of the time.Chapter 3 Just Kids Summary"Just Kids" is a memoir written by Patti Smith, a singer-songwriter and artist, and it focuses on her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. The book primarily takes place in New York City during the late 1960s and 1970s, and it provides a vivid and intimate account of their friendship and artistic pursuits.The narrative begins with Smith's early life in New Jersey and her decision to move to New York City to pursue her dreams of becoming an artist. She encounters Mapplethorpe, who is struggling with his own artistic ambitions, and they form a deep and lasting bond as they navigate the often harsh and impoverished bohemian lifestyle of the city.Smith and Mapplethorpe support each other emotionally and artistically, pushing one another toward success and creating a profound impact on each other's lives. They live together in various apartments, collaborate on artistic projects, and immerse themselves in the vibrant and influential art scene of the time.The memoir also delves into their relationships with other artists and musicians, such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Sam Shepard, as well as their encounters with famous figures like Andy Warhol and Allen Ginsberg. Smith describes the challenges and obstacles they face, such as poverty, addiction, and the early days of

Blend Judy Garland, Freddie Mercury, Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin with a dash of Sandra Bernhard and you'd come close to the glory of singer/songwriter Veronica Swift.   Having made her mark on the international jazz scene as one of the star vocalists of her era, Veronica Swift has now expanded her style, establishing herself as a skilled rock and soul singer as well as a dynamic performer.    Her third album, self titled Veronica Swift will venture into mixing jazz and classical with rock, soul, and funk paying homage to greats like Janis Joplin, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix and Duke Ellington.    Veronica's ability to transcend different styles, and fully embody them with originality to tell a story, makes her one of the most skillful singers in any genre, and displays her theatrical approach as a performer and artist.  . #newmusic #newalbum #newsingle #jazzsinger #bluessinger #singersongwriter #rocksinger #popsinger #vocalist #jazzmusic #bluesmusic #rockmusic #popmusic #soulmusic

"Music, Cannabis, and Birthdays: Celebrating Mickey Hart and Remembering Jimmy Buffett"Larry Mishkin celebrates Mickey Hart's birthday, highlighting his contributions to the Grateful Dead. He say farewell to Jimmy Buffet and reflects on the connection between Grateful Dead fans (Deadheads) and Jimmy Buffett fans (Parrotheads), noting Jimmy Buffett's performance at a Jerry Garcia tribute event. Additionally, he pays tribute to Steve Harwell of Smash Mouth and concludes the episode with a nod to Jimmy Buffett's iconic song "Margaritaville.".Produced by PodConx  Deadhead Cannabis Show - https://podconx.com/podcasts/deadhead-cannabis-showLarry Mishkin - https://podconx.com/guests/larry-mishkinRob Hunt - https://podconx.com/guests/rob-huntJay Blakesberg - https://podconx.com/guests/jay-blakesbergRecorded on Squadcast      INTRO:                Happy Birthday Mickey / sugar magnolia                                         Grateful Dead                                         Sept. 11, 1987                                         Cap Center, Landover Maryland                                         Grateful Dead Live at Capital Centre on 1987-09-11 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive                                         Track #9 (titled Sugar Magnolia)                                         Start – 1:00 This is Mickey's birthday, number of fun shows over the years on this date. Always fun, but have to be careful with the Dead                           1982 announced it was Bob's “anniversary” before Bob was married.               SHOW #1:          Fire On The Mountain (Mickey rap version)                                         With Jerry                                         Undated/unpublished                                         Mickey rapped from time to time, usually not with the Grateful Dead                                                       Did it with the Other OnesMickey Hart Jerry Garcia ~ Fire on the Mountain(rap) Unpublished.mp4 - YouTube                                         1:00 – 2:05                            Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart celebrates his 77th birthday today. With fellow drummer Bill Kreutzmann, Hart formed one-half of The Rhythm Devils, keeping time for the Dead between 1967 and 1971, rejoining in 1974 and remaining through 1995. While Hart largely left songwriting duties to his band mates, he did contribute to one of the Grateful Dead's signature songs, “Fire On The Mountain.”Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter wrote the words to “Fire On The Mountain.” In Hunter's book of lyrics, Box Of Rain, he described the circumstances surrounding the writing of the song, which sound strikingly similar to the current situation in parts of California and surrounding states. Hunter wrote:                           Written at Mickey Hart's ranch [in Novato, California] in heated inspiration as the surrounding hills blazed and the fire approached the recording studio we were working … The official Grateful Dead website, Dead.net, further describes the early stages of “Fire On The Mountain,” explaining:Hart, credited with the music for the song, recorded a proto-rap version of the song for an unreleased album entitled Area Code 415, recorded in 1972 and 1973. It was also included on a Mickey Hart album entitled Fire On The Mountain, recorded in 1973-74. It appeared as an instrumental entitled “Happiness is Drumming” on Hart's 1976 studio album, Diga. And it finally began showing up in the Grateful Dead repertoire, sung by Jerry Garcia, in 1977, undergoing a number of variants of the lyrics until it settled into the form that was eventually recorded and released on Shakedown Street, in November 1978.                 Dead played it 254 times in concert                           First:  March 18, 1977  Winterland                           Last:   July 2, 1995  Deer Creek SHOW #2:          Stronger Than Dirt                           Grateful Dead                           June 17, 1975                           Winterland Grateful Dead Live at Winterland Arena on 1975-06-17 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveTrack No. 121:00 – 2:10  By Mickey Bill and PhilFrom Blues For Allah album (1975) – First part of the Blues For Allah suitePlayed a total of 5 times by the DeadFirst – 9.11.1974 – which is Mickey's birthday but there is a controversy as to the song labeled as Stronger than Dirt is in fact that song or rather, the long outro from Eyes of the World, the song played right before it.  So I did not use that version of this songLast: 7.26.1976 Orpheum Theater, S. F.3x in 1975 SHOW #3:          Drums                           Grateful Dead                                          Sept. 11, 1987                                         Cap Center, Landover Maryland                                         Grateful Dead Live at Capital Centre on 1987-09-11 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive                           Track No. 13                           1:45 – 2:55 Mickey in his natural element –In 1978, the second set of Grateful Dead shows began to feature drummers Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart for a nightly rhythmic excursion labeled “Drums,” followed by guitarists Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, bassist Phil Lesh and keyboardist Keith Godchaux delving into free-form improvisation known as “Space.”    Loved the different drum arrangements over the years:          Circle of drums          Wall of drums          Etc.           First “official” one (i.e. not in the middle of a song, but as its own separate arrangement in or around the middle of the second set):                   April 6, 1978  Curtis Hixon Convention Center, Tampa           Last one:   July 9, 1995 at Soldier Field  Jimmy Buffet Singer-songwriter and King of the Parrotheads Jimmy Buffett died "peacefully … surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs" on Friday, Sept. 1, according to statements posted on his website and social media. He was 76. Died at home in Sag Harbor, NY of skin cancer Buffett's hits like Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise which mingled country rock with bits of calypso melodies and had wry lyrics about the care free life of boating and loafing at beachside bars, made him a cult hero on a huge scale. He sold 23 million albums in the US, on part with Jimi Hendrix and the Beastie Boys Buffett was one of pop music's most successful and ambitious businessmen, building an empire on the brand of good times and island escapism that he celebrated in his songs.  That included Margaritaville restaurants and resorts, footwear, drink mixes and a 2018 Broadway jukebox musical, Escape to Margaritaville. This year Forbes estimated Jimmy's net worth at $1 billion.               SHOW #4:          Scarlet Begonias                                         Jimmy Buffet                                         August 2, 2023 (Jerry's 80th birthday)                                         Maine Savings Amphitheatre                                         Bangor, Maine                                         Scarlet Begonias (Garcia tribute) - Jimmy Buffet 08/02/22 Maine Savings Amphitheater Bangor,Maine - YouTube                                                       Start – 1:30               n celebration of legendary Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia's 80th birthday, which occurred (August 1, 2022),  Jimmy Buffett performed a cover of the seminal Robert Hunter/Garcia penned number, “Scarlet Begonias” while on stage at the Maine Savings Amphitheater in Bangor, Maine, last night. Following a hefty rain delay, his 28-song set ensued as Buffett reminisced on the times he and his band spent performing with the Grateful Dead years ago. He also offered a shout-out to the Deadheads in the crowd before a groovy light display and hypnotic imagery engulfed the stage.Prior to the start of the song, Buffett addressed the crowd; he stated: “Jerry, wherever you are, here you go.” Of course there is a crossover between Deadheads and Parrotheads – both high devoted fans who travel to see their band, dress for the occasion, attend shows in “slightly altered states” from different substaces, know all the words to all the songs and have seen their band too many times to count.          Jimmy also appeared on the World Wide Ripple video in 2020.          I cannot find any instance of the Dead covering a Jimmy tune.         Also, RIP Steve Harwell, Smash Mouth vocalist, who sang the band's big 1999 hit, “All Star”.  Still a hit today, unique voice.  Died on Sept. 4th age 56   OUTRO:                    Margaritaville                                  Jimmy Buffet                                  Key West, FL                                  February 9, 2023                                  Jimmy Buffett “Margaritaville” LIVE in Key West, Florida 2/9/23 - YouTube                                  3:00 – 4:25                      While Buffett made his home and name in Key West, Fla., after struggling to make it big in Nashville, the Lone Star State had a special place in Buffett's history. Legend has it he came up with the concept for the 1977 song “Margaritaville” at a bar in Austin.       The slightly mournful tune about a day at the beach went on to define Buffett's career as a laidback beach bum with a guitar and has been covered plenty of times, as well as inspired a line of margarita mix, frozen snacks, apparel, and a significant chain of restaurants and resorts.                     According to multiple stories in the Austin American-Statesman archives, the original Margaritaville was "a Mexican restaurant on Anderson Lane." Others specifically claim it was Lung's Cocina del Sur, at 2700 W. Anderson Lane, which is now a bowling alley. But here's what Buffett himself had to say in a memorial for close friend Jerry Jeff Walker in Texas Monthly, reminiscing on visits to Texas in the 1970s:  “I came to Austin a lot in those days. I made it there by getting these college bookings and getting on Willie's second Fourth of July picnic. I played Castle Creek many times. I think it was after one of those shows, the next morning I had a hangover and I had to fly home that afternoon,” Buffett told Texas Monthly. “I went to El Rey, a Mexican restaurant on Anderson Lane for lunch. I had a margarita, which helped with the hangover, and in the car on the way to the airport the chorus of a new song started to come to me. I wrote a little more on the plane and finished the rest of ‘Margaritaville' back in Key West.” Farewell Jimmy – off to Margaritaville for good.       

Baxie talks to legendary guitarist Richard Lloyd of Television! Richard not only talk about the Television and the early days of the New York Punk and New Wave scene, he also talks about the band's legendary 1977 debut album Marquee Moon. Richard talks about the very early days of CBGB's, the late Tom Verlaine, and about spending time with some of the biggest names in music such as Keith Richards, Jimi Hendrix and Keith Moon. Amazing stuff! Be sure to check out Richard and his band at the Parlor Room in Northampton, Mass on September 16th! Listen on Apple Podcast, SoundCloud, Google, Spotify, and on the Rock102 website! Brought to you by Z&M Home Buyers!

Can philosophical insights genuinely contribute to understanding today's pressing challenges, or are they simply an unproductive distraction from the immediate hardships people face? In his book Black Existentialism and Decolonizing Knowledge: Writings of Lewis R. Gordon (July 13, 2023), leading public intellectual Dr. Lewis Gordon encourages readers to consider these questions through the scope of his own work. He joins Tavis for a conversation that explores themes such as phenomenology, anti-Blackness, activist thought, and the influence of visionaries like Frantz Fanon and Jimi Hendrix – and why philosophical introspection of these topics and people matter and resonate in our present time.