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Living a happy second life!
Living a happy second life!
The first 45 I ever bought was “Shop Around”, by the Miracles. “Who’s Lovin’ You” was on the reverse side. Since my father’s turntable was designed for 33 1/3’s, I had to buy the yellow plug that snapped into the middle of a forty-five to make it fit the
Finally, Chicago’s winter wind is often called “The Hawk”, a term long popular in the African American community. The first recorded citation of Chicago being dubbed “The Hawk” is from the Chicago defender, October 20, 1936: “And these cold mornings are on us—in other words ‘Hawkins’ has got us.”
Lou Rawls’ recording of “Dead End Street” explains “The Hawk” pretty well. I love the line when Lou says, “I had to get fully dressed before I could go to bed.” By the way, Lou Rawls is an alum of my alma mater, Dunbar Vocational High School.
Last night’s Fifty-third Grammy Awards Tribute to Aretha Franklin featured five amazingly talented women. One black gospel singer, one black R&B singer, and three white women-Yolanda Adams, Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Martina McBride, and Florence Welch. This pretty much set the tone for the night.
Grammy Award winning singer, Dionne Warwick is joining the 2011 cast of The Celebrity Apprentice. Dionne has a number of serious undertakings and one of them is a new album of music composed by the legendary Sammy Cahn. She is also the author of a bestselling children’s book, “Say a Little Prayer.”
The Hutchinson Sunbeams was one such group. These four young girls, accompanied by their father, Joseph Hutchinson, on guitar, were talented gospel singers who delighted our audiences and inspired other youngsters to follow our passions. In 1968 The Hutchinson Sunbeams changed their names to The Emotions and released their first secular album, entitled “So I Can Love You”.
Roy Ayers was overwhelmed by the unexpected shower of love he received from the exuburant crowd. He and his musicians outdid themselves to pay us back, exciting the crowd even more. It was an emotional reunion
The album became one of the most memorable soul albums and, based upon its themes, the concept album became the frontier for soul music. It has been called “the most important and passionate record to come out of soul music, delivered by one of its finest voices”.”