Tag: RIP

Tony Sheridan and the Beatles

51BIVQ1ow1L._SY300_ Tony Sheridan, a British singer-songwriter forever linked to The Beatles, passed away on February 16, 2013 at the age of 72 in Germany. While Sheridan recorded through his later years, he is best-known for his brief work as lead singer on what was essentially the first album by the Beatles.

Sheridan knew the Beatles when they consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best. And he worked with them through Sutcliffe’s and Best’s departure and Ringo Starr’s arrival in 1962.

In 1961, a German producer signed Sheridan and the Beatles as the back up band. Under the name Sheridan and the Beat Brothers, the group recorded nine songs in 1961-1962 with Sheridan singing on seven of them. According to Sheridan’s website, the reason they used “Beat Brothers” instead of “Beatles” is because the latter name did not translate into German “except as a slang term for the male sex organ.” Sheridan also claimed that he brought Ringo to the Beatles too.

When the first single “My Bonnie” was released in Liverpool, fans mobbed record shops. The reaction to the single with Sheridan led one record store owner to seek out the Beatles. That record store owner, Brian Epstein, would then go on to manage the Beatles as they rose to super-stardom. Here is “My Bonnie”:

In this 30-minute video, Sheridan looked back on his experience with the Beatles and on music in the early 1960s:

After the Beatles went on to massive fame, Sheridan continued to perform, and in the 1960s spent a lot of time entertaining troops in Viet Nam. For his devotion to the soldiers, the U.S. Army made him an honorary captain. Sheridan also met Elvis Presley when Elvis was stationed in Germany.

The Beatles themselves maintained a friendship and fondness for their one-time front-man, whose last album was 2002’s Vagabond. Paul McCartney had nicknamed Sheridan “The Teacher” because of how he influenced the band by introducing them to R&B artists like Little Richard. Similarly, Ringo Starr once said he learned from Sheridan “all I know about rock and roll.” So, while Sheridan may not be a household name, he is certainly an important part of the history of rock music.

What is your favorite Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    RIP Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner from the Ohio Players

    Ohio Players Firefighter Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, guitar player and front man for the classic lineup of the Ohio Players, passed away on Friday at the age of 69. If you were around in the 1970s you could not have missed their huge funk hits like “Fire.”

    As a kid in Ohio at the time, I heard them a lot too. I remember looking through my older sister’s record collection and seeing this strange Ohio Players album with a woman firefighter. I am not sure what I expected to hear when I put the album on the record player, but from the band’s name and their roots in nearby Dayton, I did not expect what I heard. It sounded nothing like anything else in my sister’s collection of heartfelt singer-songwriters, and it was my first exposure to this strange new sound that I would later hear in their other songs like “Love Rollercoaster” (later covered by the Red Hot Chili Peppers).

    I had not kept up with the members of the Ohio Players for a long time. In later years after their heyday in the 1970s, Bonner had put together his own spin-off band, Sugarfoot’s Ohio Players. And I never really knew much about their background beyond their music. But this interesting documentary about the Ohio Players tells more of their story. (Thanks to @WWedlock for pointing me to the documentary.) [2016 Update: Unfortunately, the documentary Unsung is no longer available on YouTube.]

    What is your favorite Ohio Players song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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  • David Allan Coe: “Don’t You Cry”
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    Life Lessons From Patti Page

    Patti Page Arfie

    Patti Page, who was born in Oklahoma as Clara Ann Fowler, passed away at the age of 85 on 2013’s New Year’s Day. While her most famous song and my favorite is probably “Tennessee Waltz,” that is not the first song of hers that comes to my mind.

    When I think of Patti Page, I think of one of the first songs I remember hearing as a child: her endearing recording of the song, “(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window?“

    “(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window?”

    “(How Much Is That) Doggie in the Window?” was recorded in December 1952, awhile before I was born.  But my parents had the 1957 Patti Page Sings 1, 2, 3 album with the song on it. On this album, Page also told a story with the song about a dog named Arfie. Years later when we got a dog, I strongly advocated for naming our dog “Arfie,” but I lost.

    I also remember that the dog story and the song used to creep me out. For some reason, the tale about the dog, who was threatened with being sent back to the pound, and about the attempted home invasion by burglars made me feel less secure.

    UPDATE: The recording with the story doesn’t seem to be available on YouTube currently. But it still creeps me out.

    “Tennessee Waltz”

    On the other hand, “Tennessee Waltz” is a beautiful song for adults about losing a love. Although Cowboy Copas first released the song in 1947, it is Patti Page’s version from 1950 that we remember because of the way her voice captures the sadness in the song.

    Few singers and few songs capture lost love the way Page does here. It is not surprising that Page’s version of “Tennessee Waltz” was No. 1 on the pop, country and R&B charts.

    On Film

    It was not until I read the obituaries, though, that I was reminded that Page also starred in Elmer Gantry (1960) with Burt Lancaster. In the film, you get to hear her singing a hymn, “Let Jesus Come Into Your Heart.”

    Well, Ms. Page, I never got a dog named “Arfie.” But your recordings gave me warnings about some of the scary parts of life, like lost pets, threats to a sense of security, and the tragedy of lost love. So I am thankful for the warnings. Rest in peace.

    What is your favorite Patti Page song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • RIP: A Brief Encounter with Glen Hansard
  • David Allan Coe: “Don’t You Cry”
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  • Ned Miller: The Shy Man Behind “From a Jack to a King”
  • Merle Haggard: “Kern River”
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    Rescue Me: Fontella Bass and the Joy and Pain of a Hit Song

    Fontella Bass Rescue MeFontella Bass, who is best known for her 1965 hit “Rescue Me,” passed away at the age of 72 on December 26, 2012 in St. Louis. Bass, who had other hits, is best known for the song she co-wrote during a jam session with Carl Smith, Raynard Miner, and Phil Wright. Her recording of the song for Chess Records went to Number 4 on the Billboard pop chart and to Number 1 on the R&B charts.

    Although one might think that having a great hit song would only be a source of joy, Bass had to fight over royalty rights to “Rescue Me” for decades. Initially, she did not have a manager and did not get much royalties from her hit song, instead making a living from her voice in commercials. Later, she had to fight to get some money for her record and among the settlements, she reached an agreement with American Express in 1993 after they used her song in a commercial.

    There was an upside to the litigation around “Rescue Me,” as Bass explained in a November 1995 interview with The Tuscaloosa News. The American Express battle inspired her and earned her some money to come out of a low point in her life.

    Aside from the litigation, Bass did not always get the recognition she deserved for her most famous song. Many mistakenly think Aretha Franklin is the original singer of “Rescue Me,” which I suppose is a complement for most singers. Franklin eventually recorded a version of “Rescue Me” for a 1992 Pizza Hut commercial where the chorus was instead “Deliver Me.”

    Bass lived in Europe for awhile, leaving the American recording industry in 1969, but she recorded periodically. She had other more modest hits like “Don’t Mess Up a Good Thing” with Bobby McClure and other recordings like the very different funk and jazz-inspired “Theme de Yoyo.” She earned a Grammy nomination for a 1995 gospel album.

    But it is “Rescue Me” that is mentioned in the first line of her obituaries. It is a great gift she gave to the world even it it was not always a gift to her. In the video below, she sings the song on Shindig! in 1965, before the years of litigation, not yet realizing she would never have such a song again.

    For more information, Randall Roberts at the Los Angeles Times writes a nice appreciation of Bass’s work. NPR has a short audio story about Bass. The Guardian has a nice obituary too.

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    Take Five Dave Brubeck

    Dave Brubeck Take Five
    Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck passed away today of heart failure while he was on his way to the cardiologist. He would have turned 92 tomorrow. Other articles elsewhere will discuss his legacy, both for his music and for leading on some Civil Rights issues, for example, when he played black clubs in the South in the 1950s.

    But for now, let us listen to one of the great classics of jazz music and instead of saying “R.I.P.,” we will just say, “Take Five.”

    The above performance of “Take Five” with the Dave Brubeck Quartet is from 1964 in Belgium, with Brubeck on piano. The other musicians are Paul Desmond (alto saxophone), Eugene Wright (bass), and Joe Morello (drums).

    What is your favorite recording or performance by Dave Brubeck? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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