Tuesday, December 28, 2010

TEENA MARIE-(LADY T)

Congo Square (Teena Marie album)Image via Wikipedia

Mary Christine Brockert born (March 5, 1956-December 26, 2010). Teena grew up in Oakwood, California on the Westside of Los Angeles an African-American community. Teena’s godmother exposed Teena to Motown,
she was singing Harry Belafonte music by the age of 2. Marie had an acting role on The Beverly Hillbillies, credited as Tina Marie Brockert. In 1976 Teena Marie signed with Motown, and was spotted by Rick James and guitarist Paul C Saenz who became her mentors. Rick James produced “Wild and Peaceful” for Diana Ross, but he prefer to
work with Teena Marie. On this album “I’m Just a Sucker for Your Love” scored Teena Marie her first top ten on the R&B black singles chart.Teena Marie’s picture was not on this album, because the record executives thought that black audiences would not buy an album by a white artist. Radio programmers assumed Marie was African-American.
When she preformed her debut hit with Rick James on Soul Train in 1979, I know those radio programmers were surprised. Teena Marie’s second
album “Lady T” she was on the cover. Her third album “Irons in The Fire” Teena Marie wrote and produced herself. Teena Marie and Rick 
James duet “Fire and Desire” is one of my favorites. In 2004 Teena Marie and Rick James preformed this duet on BET Awards, which was their last appearance together Rick James died that same year.

Teena Marie got into a big legal battle with Motown over her contract and disagreements about releasing her new material. This resulted in“The Brockert Initiative”, which makes it illegal for a record company to keep an artist under contract without releasing new material for
that artist. With this new law she helped artist like Luther Vandross, Mary Jane Girls and a lot of other artist get out of their contracts.

After Teena Marie left Motown she signed with Epic Records 1983. She was turning out hits like “Shadow Boxing”, “Fix It”, “Lovergirl” and Casanova Brown”. Teena Marie was one of the first and only artists of her time to rap on her single “Square Biz”; she is regarded as something of a pioneer in helping to bring hip-hop to the mainstream.
Her hip-hop portion of that song she mentions some of her
inspirations: Sarah Vaughn, Johann Sebastian Bach, Shakespeare, Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni, “just to name a few”. This is my all time favorite song of Teena Marie’s. Teena Marie took a 14 year sabbatical
from the spotlight, she released a comeback album La Dona in 2004 was gold certified her top selling album of her career and Sapphire in 2006.

Teena Marie passed away at her home in Pasadena California of natural causes. I was introduced to Teena Marie’s music by my Aunt in 1979. I
had the pleasure of seeing Tenna Marie perform at the Circle Star Theater and Oakland Coliumseum in the early 80s. Every time I saw her she was so soulful a could she sing. Teena Marie had a voice that was unique like no other her sound will be missed.


LM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teena_Marie

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Saturday, December 18, 2010

THE QUEEN OF SOUL-ARETHA FRANKLIN

Aretha Franklin / Obama Presidential Inaugurat...Image by [puamelia] via Flickr
Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis in 1942, she was the third of four children and the fifth of six overall between her parents past relationships. When Aretha was six her family settled in Detroit. Soon after the moved her parents split up, due to her fathers work as a Baptist minister. Aretha was raised by her grandmother Rachel, her mother died when she was ten. At a young age she was singing in church and learned to play the piano by ear. When Aretha was in her preteens she was singing solos at New Bethel Baptist Church where her father was the minister.
While growing up Aretha was around celebrities who hung out at their home.
Some of the gospel greats were Albertina Walker and The Caravans, Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward. These three women had a role in her vocal development. Aretha’s father recorded his sermon for Checker Records and was becoming famous and more popular with his work as a civil rights activist. In 1956 Aretha’s father helped her sign a contract with Checker’s JVB gospel record division. At the age of fourteen she released her first album, Songs of Faith. Aretha worked under James Cleveland and toured the gospel circuit. Aretha became a mother of two son, so her gospel career was short. When she turned eighteen, she wanted a secular career. Aretha turned down Motown and Sam Cook’s RCA label, she decided on Columbia Records and moved to New York. Aretha released her first single in the fall of 1960 “Today I Sung the Blues”, it made it to the top ten on the R&B charts but didn’t make to the pop charts.


Aretha recorded a jazz album in 1961 for her first album, because of her love of Dinah Washington. Her record label was hoping it would due as good as Billie Holiday.  Aretha had two R&B top ten hits “Operation Heartbreak”
and “Won’t Be Long” in 1961. “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With a Dixie Melody
was her first top 40 on the pop charts. In 1963 she almost had a top fifty hit with “Runnin’ Out of Fools”. Columbia records went in another direction with Aretha they wanted her to record songs like “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss)”, “Every Little Bits Hurts” and “Mockingbird but this just didn’t bring any success. Aretha  had gained a reputation as multi-talented vocalist and musician. In 1965 Aretha was doing a show and the master of ceremonies gave her a tiara crown declaring her “the queen of soul”. Little did she know that this title would stick. In 1966 she decide to leave Columbia for Atlantic, Columbia would continue to release Aretha recordings until 1969.
I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love YouImage via Wikipedia


Aretha’s first song with Atlantic in 1967 was “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” this song showed her gospel roots. There was tension between Aretha’s then husband and manager Ted White, this led to Aretha and Ted to go into hiding. Aretha return to the studio to record the b-side of the record “Do Right Woman”. Aretha’s “I Never Loved a Man”
soared up R&B and pop charts. Aretha’s second single “Respect” a Otis Redding original, became a bigger hit. The end of 1967 Aretha became one of the symbols of the civil rights movement due to the “Respect” single, which the feminist took as their theme song. Aretha had many more hits in the 60s like “Think” Dionne Warwick’s “I Say a Little Prayer”, “Ain’t  No Way” and “The House That Jack Built” the list goes on. The end of 1960s the media title her “The Queen of Soul”.


 Aretha went through more tragedies later in her life. In 1979 her father was shot during a attempted robbery at his home, this left him in a coma for five years. Aretha moved back home in 1982 to help take care of her father, he passed in 1984. In 2010 her second eldest son was attacked by three people in northwest Detroit. Aretha was married three times. Her husbands were Ted White, Ken Cummings and Glen Truman. In 2010 Aretha was supposed to go on tour with Condoleeza Rice, she fell and broke two ribs and had to cancel. Aretha is going through pancreatic cancer at this time in her life. The doctors told her to not perform until May 2011, I hope she can perform, I sure would like to see her perform in person. Aretha Franklin is the and always be “The Queen of Soul”. My prayers are with you. You can hear some of Aretha’s songs on Streetwise Radio www.streetwisesd.com/radio.


LM


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101217/ap_en_mu/us_people_aretha_franklin




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Monday, December 6, 2010

Streetwise Radio in New Orleans


Story and photos by Shelah Moody

“Blues is played by New Orleans musicians with soul and understanding of the soul that lives inside us. An instrument is only what you make it do …an instrument does not make you…Musicians have learned that…You can take a piece of wood and make it talk, but it’s not going to talk unless you do something to make it talk. An instrument will lie there all day long and if you don’t make some kind of noise to make it sound like an instrument, it’s not going to do anything.”—Walter “Wolfman” Washington


Although New Orleans is known as the birthplace of jazz, the city has a vibrant cultural heritage that produces some of world’s most creative music in the genres of blues, reggae, hip hop and Latin music.
This summer, during the five year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I toured the New Orleans club scene under the guidance of reggae artist Ben Hunter


(http://www.benehunter.com)  An eclectic singer/songwriter who has produced albums such as “Voodo Reggae,” “Soul Avenger” and “Traveler: A Healing Album for the City of New Orleans,” Hunter is a survivor was featured in the independently produced documentary  “Baptized At Katrina: A Refugee Story.” Hunter calls the aftermath of Katrina the worst catastrophe in the history of this country. Hunter is currently working on his next album, “Delta Dub,” a mélange of roots reggae and New Orleans rhythms, produced by renowned Jamaican artists Wayne Jobson and Barry O’Hare.
Our first stop was Vaughan’s Lounge in the Bywater district, at 800 Lesseps St., where acclaimed trumpeter Kermit Ruffins plays on Thursday nights. Ruffins’ Thursday night sets have become so popular that he is featured in New Orleans Official 2010 Visitor’s Guide and in the HBO series “Treme.”  (Other jazz greats with ongoing gigs in New Orleans include the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Mondays, Rebirth Brass band at Maple Leaf, Tuesdays, Irvin Mayfield at Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse, Wednesdays, Ellis Marsalis at Snug Harbor, Fridays, Jeremy Davenport at the Ritz-Carlton, Saturdays and various Cajun musicians  at Tipitina’s on Sundays).
I caught Ruffins and his band as they were playing  the theme from the popular HBO series “Treme” and  a cover Chuck Mangione’s “Feels So Good.”  Ruffins comes from the Louis Armstrong tradition of playing and singing and entertaining. He has an ebullient sense of humor and  serves as the DJ, spinning dance tunes between sets. .
During Ruffins performance at Vaughan’s, Hunter introduced me to New Orleans legend “Uncle” Lionel Batiste, 78, co-founder and bass drummer for the Treme Brass Band. Uncle Lionel’s image is immortalized in Congo Square and in a painting by artist Brandon Delles at the Three Muses nightclub.  Uncle Lionel summoned me to the dance floor while DJ Kermit played James Brown’s “Sex Machine”  and twirled me around a few times.
Uncle Lionel embraces the sweetness of life; he loves to dance, drink beer and he also sing. He co-founded the Treme Brass Band more than 20 years ago; his nephew, Benny Jones (snare drum) is the leader. The Treme Brass band is famous for songs such as “Gimme My Money Back.” Uncle Lionel will proudly tell you that he born and raised in the Treme.  He comes from a large family and his mother delivered all of her children by midwife. Uncle Lionel  has also appeared in “Treme” and in Spike Lee’s post Katrina documentary “If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise.”
          As the eve of Hurricane Katrina approached, Uncle Lionel reflected on its aftermath:  
“It was all so touching to me, because everyone had to move out. What New Orleans went through with Katrina touches the heart because a lot of your neighbors; you don’t know what part they’re in. Three of my friends that I grew up with, went to school with and played ball with lost their lives in the water. It still crosses my mind as I wonder where they are.”
Incidentally, Uncle Lionel keeps in shape by marching with the bass drum for at least four hours at a time. 
       At the Caribbean themed Café Negril, 606 Frenchmen Street, you can see Higher  Heights reggae band, which is made of a group of New Orleans musicians. They played the most soulful and  original cover of George Michael’s  ballad “Careless Whisper” that I’ve ever heard. Lead vocalist Earlette “Ijah” Hodges  eloquently mastered the complex lyrics of dancehall queens Sister Carol and Tanya Stephens. When they spotted Hunter in the crowd, they called him on stage, and he sang a bouyant cover of Burning Spear’s  “Slavery Days.”
          Frenchman Street is a popular gathering place for  New Orleans musicians, dancers and visual artists.
          From a car on  Frenchman Street, painter Joe Parker was selling his signature pieces while a local brass band played in the background. His work was surprisingly affordable; he was selling paintings for $20 to $60.
“Most of these (pieces) are primary colors; really bold lines and shapes,” said Parker. “Jazz is the heartbeat of New Orleans,  so I put both of them together. My style is fresh. It’s not seen a lot. Right now, I’m working with wood and acrylic.”
Parker is self-taught and has been painting for six years. “Mood Swing” is one of his favorite paintings. “It has the ability to see a woman in more than one aspect,” said Parker. “Like music, depending on the rhythm and the sound, it will change that for you.”
At the Three Muses Mediterranean restaurant at 536 Frenchman St., (http://www.thethreemuses.com) you can hear the classical, reggae, Flamenco and jazz guitar stylings of  Javier Tobar. Tobar hails from Ecuador, South America and has lived in New Orleans since 1979. Tobar collaborates regularly with Ben Hunter and appears on Hunter’s CD, “Traveler.” Tobar pointed out that jazz greats such as Louis Armstrong and Dizzie Gillespie were influenced heavily by Latin music.
This summer, Club VASO.  nightclub at 500 Frenchmen St. was the  site of the Cutting Edge Music Festival . The showcase attracted new and unsigned artists, such as rising R an B singer Innocents, (Texas)  from across the country.  At the showcase, I met hard working entrepreneur Henry Turner, Jr.  (www.henryturnerjr.com)who owns a recording studio and label based  in Baton Rouge, LA.
Turner gained popularity through is Louisiana reggae/funk/soul band, Henry Turner  Jr. and Flavor. Turner is also promoter of the Bob Marley Festival, which features predominately independent artists.
New Orleans has produced celebrated rappers such as Cash Money, Lil Wayne and Juvenile, Mystikal and 5th Ward Weebie. At La Maison de la Musique,  508 Frenchmem St. you can catch DJ Jubilee, the master of Bounce music, a pungent style of hip hop unique to New Orleans. Bounce is a sexually charged style of hip hop that encourages rapid shaking of the derriere and other X-rated moves on the dance floor. (Since this is a family blog, we cannot show you most of them).
On the August 29, the actual anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I caught Walter “Wolfman” Washington’s Sunday gig at the Maple Leaf Bar, 8316 Oak St. The Grammy nominated blues singer/guitarist has been playing there for more than 25 years. Wearing a natty red suit and smoking on the terrace between sets, Wolfman was feeling fine.
Born and raised in New Orleans, Washington  began singing  in the church choir with his mother.       
“From there, I created a spiritual vocal group called the True Loving Full Gospel Singers,” said Washington. “We didn’t have a guitar player in the group so I decided to try to play a guitar. I always wanted to play the guitar. I made my first guitar out of a cigar box and clothes hangers and some rubber bands. One of my uncles had an acoustic guitar and he showed me how to finger it and how to tune it. I had a chance to go listen to a spiritual group at WBOK when they had spiritual groups on Sundays. We decided to go and play with them. I saw a guitar player  playing with all of his fingers. I decided I wanted to learn how to do that. At that time, my guitar was tuned differently because I was playing with just one finger. My uncle showed me how to tune it. My mother wanted me to try to play the guitar like a keyboard player; at that time she wanted me to play the piano. I made her a promise that I would try to play like a keyboard player. To make a long story short, that’s my style of playing.”
Washington, who plays a Gibson guitar,  is known for songs such as “Out of the Dark” and  “Fun While it Lasted.”
          During a pensive moment, Washington reflected on the Hurricane Katrina anniversary.  
          “Well, Darlin,’ I’m going to tell you to the truth…I didn’t. I really would like to forget about it. I can’t because there’s too much around me that reminds me of it. I’m just glad it’s over and that it will never happen again-that New Orleans goes down to the point where people think it’s never going to come back. You see, I was one of the last musicians to leave New Orleans after Katrina and one of the first musicians to come back after Katrina. The Maple Leaf was the first club in this area to have live music. We had like five generators going. There are good memories. I just didn’t like coming back to a city that was so dark. No light and stuff, no people. That night, when I played here, it was a night like tonight; everybody came out. They stopped us, because the police didn’t want us to go any later than midnight.”


         
         








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