Tag Archives: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Valentine’s Day Music Countdown: Song #10

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The next song on my list is dedicated to my mother who was a big fan of the singer in the #10 spot on my countdown.  His dance moves on stage earned him the nickname “Mr. Excitement” by some and “the black Elvis” by others. But make no mistake:  This man had a voice like no one else before or after him.  The singer?  Jackie Wilson.  The song?  “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher”.

Reaching #6 on the charts in 1967 & written by Gary Jackson and Carl Smith, rumor has it that Wilson recorded the vocal track for this song in one take.  If that is true, it is an incredible testament to his magnificent voice and talent.  He had an astonishing 47 R&B hit songs from 1958 to 1973.  They ran the gamut from ballads to dance tunes to true soul numbers. He was so popular overseas in 1963 that the Beatles opened for one of Wilson’s shows.

“Higher & Higher” is as close to perfect as a song gets, from its perfectly delivered lyrics, to its great impossible-to-sit-still-to-so-get-up-and-move beat, to the incredibly pristine horn arrangements, to the fantastic bass line, to the polish of the entire production. There are not too many love songs like this one, probably because there are not too many performers like Wilson.

His exuberant stage performances were copied by the likes of James Brown, Michael Jackson and Bruno Mars, to name a few.  But no matter how great his dance moves were, nothing compared with the range, power, intensity and considerable passion of Wilson’s voice.

Sadly, that voice was silenced in 1984 when Wilson was just 49 years old.  He became incapacitated after suffering a heart attack on stage in 1975 and spent his remaining years in a nursing home.  As was unfortunately common practice in the early days of Rock & Roll, Wilson died virtually penniless due to the machinations of his record company and manager.  The end of Wilson’s story is one of the saddest in music history.

He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 by Peter Wolf of the J. Geils Band.

Notable covers of “Higher & Higher” have been done by Dolly Parton, Rita Coolidge, and Rod Stewart.  But my favorite cover is by one of my heroes (and future husband, if God is listening), Bruce Springsteen.  He started playing this song live with more and more frequency in the last decade, usually as one of his encores.  He and the E Street Band gave it everything they had in this clip from one of their shows in 2009.

Enjoy!!!

Valentine’s Day Music Countdown: Song #11

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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame describes the singer at #11 as having a forlorn, crying vocal style.  I describe him as unbelievably great.   My pick at #11 is “When A Man Loves A Woman” by Percy Sledge.

The passion in Sledge’s voice coupled with the power of it and the delivery of the lyrics exudes pure unadulterated soul on every level.  Sledge’s roots are in gospel and that is evident in every note he sings.

This phenomenal song hit #1 in May 1966 for two weeks on the Hot 100 chart and four weeks on the R&B chart.  It also hit #1 on the pop charts again in 1991 when Michael Bolton recorded his own version of the song.

Sadly, the song’s lyrics and music were actually written by Sledge but in what can only be called terribly misguided judgment, he gave the writing credits to two members of his band-Cameron Lewis and Andrew Wright-because they put together the song’s arrangement.  Sledge had several other hits throughout his career, but none of those songs came close to the beauty or the power of this one.

Sledge was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 by one of his biggest fans, Rod Stewart.

The clip of the song I have included is a live performance by Sledge.  I found it on YouTube but I do not know what show it is from.  But what I do know is that the man who introduced Sledge is none other than soul legend Otis Redding.  If any of you know what show it is from, please share it in the comments below.

Enjoy!!!     

“You say you want to start something new…..”

Yusuf Islam, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, was another 2014 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Seeing him perform three of his classics-“Father and Son”, “Wild World” & “Peace Train”, was worth the price of admission.

After his abrupt departure from the music world, followed by some ridiculous misquotes by the press, it did not seem like I would ever have the opportunity to see this incredibly talented singer/songwriter perform live. The fact that I saw him at this show, with the Hall of Fame finally giving him his due, was too perfect for words.

Yusef is not the religious zealot the press made him out to be. In fact, the man who graciously accepted his induction from friend Art Garfunkel, was incredibly kind, humble, smart, eloquent and funny. And Yusef’s voice was and is as powerful and passionate as it ever was. The joy his music brought millions is a gift that I cannot get enough of.

The rumor is he is back in the studio working on a new album. And so this gifted musician begins another chapter in his incredible career. Welcome back, Yusef!!!

“We learned more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school…..”

When I am not antiquing or junking, I pursue my other passion-music. On April 10, 2014 I was lucky enough to attend the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Brooklyn, NY.

I watched one of my heroes, Bruce Springsteen, induct his longtime backup group, the E Street Band, into the famed hall. This was a dream come true for me. I was not able to attend the ceremony in 1999 when the Boss himself was inducted (I had just gone into contract on my house and extra money was a thing of the past). I promised myself that one day I would attend one of these all star concerts, and when I heard that Bruce’s band was being honored in the class of 2014, I knew this was my year to make my dream happen!!!

After Mr. Springsteen’s touching and eloquent speech, he and the band performed three songs-“The E Street Shuffle”, “Kitty’s Back” and “The River”, which the Boss said was one of Clarence Clemmons’ favorite songs. All three performances were absolutely sublime.

It was one of the greatest nights of my life!!!