Category: Music

“Streetlight Harmonies” Tells the History of Doo-Wop

Doo-Wop Documentary A new documentary, Streetlight Harmonies (2017), explores the early years of Doo-Wop music. The film features early performers like the Drifters’ Charlie Thomas, explaining that the early street singers of the 1950s began singing for the friendship with other singers and to attract girls.

Also, the film traces how the music that started out on the street corners developed into the girl groups of the 1960s and later influenced other singers including modern boy bands. Brent Wilson directed Streetlight Harmonies. Check out this trailer for Streetlight Harmonies.

Streetlight Harmonies premieres November 14, 2017 at the Doc NYC festival.

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    Ali Farka Touré: “Soukora”

    Soukora

    Ali Farka Touré, an African musician and one of the best guitarists the world has ever seen, was born on October 31, 1939.  Touré was born in the village of Kanau, on the banks of the Niger River in the northwestern Malian region of Tombouctou.

    Touré became known as “the African John Lee Hooker.” His musical styles had many similarities to the American blues man.  But the similarities likely came from the underlying connections between African music and the blues.

    I first discovered Touré’s music in the 1990s from the album Talking Timbuktu (1994), where he was joined by Ry Cooder. Earlier, Touré had retired from music to concentrate on his rice farm.  But his producer convinced him to make the album.

    Talking Timbuktu went on to win the Grammy for Best World Music Album. Allmusic notes that on the album Ali Farka Touré is “singing in 11 languages and playing acoustic and electric guitar, six-string banjo, njarka, and percussion, while teaming smartly with an all-star cast.”

    My favorite track off of Talking Timbuktu is “Soukora,” which Touré wrote. I was never even sure what the song was about.  But the guitar strings hypnotize me into thinking I have a sense of the music I might hear in heaven.

    In this short version of “Soukora,” Sékou Bembeya Diabaté joins Ali Farka Touré on the song.  And if you are wondering what they are singing, sources indicate it is a romantic song in the Bambara language of a man singing to his wife.  The word “soukora” means night, and the singer is telling his love (“diarabi”), that it is night and asking her to wait for him:   “My love (diarabi ) it is night (soukoura).”

    Touré won another Grammy in 2006 for his album  In the Heart of the Moon, recorded with kora player Toumani Diabate.  But Touré never got to accept the award.  He died in his sleep from bone cancer on March 7, 2006.

    He left a beautiful music legacy to the world that many are still discovering. Happy birthday wherever you are.

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    Fats Domino on “The Perry Como Show”

    Fats Domino Perry Como

    Fats Domino, who passed away on October 24, 2017 at the age of 89, was one of the great early rock and rollers. His piano playing, his rhythm, his voice, and talent for performing helped set the foundation of rock music, influencing others as he remained a beloved legend through his lifetime.

    Domino was born as Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr. in New Orleans on February 26, 1928. He got his first break when bandleader Billy Diamond heard Domino at a backyard barbecue in the summer of 1947. Diamond gave Domino his nickname “Fats” because the young man reminded him of famous pianists Fats Pichon and Fats Waller.

    Domino gained national attention with his recording of “Fat Man” in 1949, but the release of “Ain’t That A Shame” in 1955 broke through on the pop charts. Pat Boone’s recording of the song written by Domino and Dave Bartholomew went to number one on the charts because it received more airplay during that racially segregated time, but Domino’s version still hit the top ten.

    “Blueberry Hill,” released in 1956, became Domino’s biggest hit. The song from 1940 — which was written by Vincent Rose, Al Lewis and Larry Stock — had been recorded by others but Domino’s take on it became a rock and roll classic. He recorded several other classics between 1956 and 1959, including “I’m Walkin’.”

    Although most known for his early work, Domino continued to be active even in recent years. In August 2005, some reported that he had died in Hurricane Katrina, but he survived despite losing all of his possessions and having to be rescued. In 2007, he performed in New York for the first time in twenty years.

    Domino’s work influenced many artists through the years. Elvis Presley spoke of how Domino influenced him, and artists like Paul McCartney and John Lennon recorded Domino’s songs. His rhythm also influenced ska musicians. And many credit his work as helping break down racial barriers in the early rock and roll years.

    On May 25, 1957, Domino appeared on “The Perry Como Show.” He performed two new songs, “Valley of Tears” and “It’s You I Love.” Then, later in the show, he reappears with Como as some teens “take over” the show with Domino singing “I’m Walkin’.” Check it out.

    RIP Fats.

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    James Brown Records Live at the Apollo: Oct. 24, 1962

    James Brown Try Me On October 24, 1961, James Brown gave an amazing performance for his final night of a run at the Apollo.  The show was recorded and would be released as an album in 1963 called, Live at the Apollo.

    Although James had attained a level of stardom in the R&B genre due to his live shows, he had not yet had mainstream recording success.  That all changed with Live at the Apollo, which became his first major breakthrough album.

    Brown had a lot riding on the recording.  Syd Nathan, the head of Brown’s label, King Records, refused to record the show, so Brown financed the recording himself.  Even his band members in The Famous Flames felt the extra pressure that night.

    Live at the Apollo has long been one of my favorite live albums. Listening to the recording, you can feel the energy in the room. My favorite track is “Try Me,” which James had originally released as a single in October 1958. Below is his performance at the Apollo.

    After the release of Live at the Apollo in May 1963, the album sold more than a million copies and spent 66 weeks on Billboard’s album chart.  Brown made the right bet on what became a hit album.  It boosted his crossover appeal for the rest of his career.

    Pitchfork notes the importance of the crossover, with a symbolic transformation of R&B into Soul, marking “the dawn of a decade when sharing experiences and points of view across an entire culture meant more than just crossover success.”  In other words, the album “was the true beginning of the 60s.”

    Rolling Stone ranks Live at the Apollo as the 25th greatest album of all time.  Not bad for a record that the record company did not want to record.

    What is your favorite song on Live at the Apollo? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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