I’ve been a music fan my entire life. When I was younger, my Dad loved both kinds of music: Country and Western. As a result, I grew up on Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Anne Murray, June Carter Cash, and so many other amazing female artists. Later, my taste evolved and I got into less mainstream but equally remarkable performers like Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, Kay Hanley, Cat Power, and Liz Phair. Women make incredible music across all genres around the world today. But there’s only one woman that could make former President Barack Obama say this:
“Nobody embodies more fully the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R. & B., rock and roll — the way that hardship and sorrow were transformed into something full of beauty and vitality and hope. American history wells up when Aretha sings. That's why, when she sits down at a piano and sings 'A Natural Woman,' she can move me to tears — the same way that Ray Charles's version of 'America the Beautiful' will always be in my view the most patriotic piece of music ever performed — because it captures the fullness of the American experience, the view from the bottom as well as the top, the good and the bad, and the possibility of synthesis, reconciliation, transcendence.”Aretha Franklin was born 78 years ago this week in Memphis. She passed away in August 2018 in her home town of Detroit. In between, as her voice become synonymous with soul music, she earned 44 Grammy nominations (winning 18 times), became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The latter honor was bestowed upon her by President George W. Bush in recognition of both her musical achievements and her considerable influence on the civil rights movement. “When it comes to expressing yourself through song, there is no one who can touch her,” Mary J. Blige told Rolling Stone in 2008. “She is the reason why women want to sing.”
I could write a lot more about the Queen of Soul, but as Frank Zappa said, writing about music is like dancing about architecture. So here are a few of the ways Aretha Franklin moved and inspired so many people.
Thanks to all the women on our team and in our business that inspire us every day.
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10 comments:
Can you plagiarize yourself?
I could listen to Aretha 24/7. We recently had a station on the FM radio dial in Roanoke that plays a mix of classic R&B/Soul and Gospel. It's strange, because it seems like it's just someone's playlist on shuffle. I've never heard a DJ or a commercial, but you do hear the same songs repeated regularly. Most of them are good, so I'm not complaining.
I was late to Rob's previous post, but I'd like to submit one more: Danny Gatton. Washington D.C., native. I'll defer to the musicians and strummers in the audience, but his rep was a guitarist who other guitarists revere.
Capable of playing inhumanly fast, yet remarkably clean and technically off the charts. Played any style, though he coined the phrase "redneck jazz" for his niche. There's a fair amount of his stuff on the internet, even a tutorial. There are worse rabbit holes to wander down than listening to and watching him. Sadly, he committed suicide in his late 40s, most likely due to depression.
Here's a sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDfqPQNqgUM
Apparently Jeff Van Gundy had some Negative Nellie comments to make about pro sports coming back later in 2020. I don’t need that right now.
Folks should keep negative long-term prognostications to themselves.
Speaking of plagiarism, or at least proper credit, over here is an article on the quip Rob attributed to Frank Zappa, which apparently was more likely issued by Martin Mull in 1979, but it's certainly cloudy who the author is, and it's a quote that tips its cap to something uttered over a century ago ("writing about music is as illogical as singing about economics"), and which has been borrowed and/or bastardized by everyone from David Coverdale to Thelonius Monk to John Lennon... and we know what John Lennon thinks about purported theft of art...
And to answer Rootsy's question:
The Time John Fogerty Was Sued for Ripping Off John Fogerty
Wikipedia here
Case here
The More You Know...
i knew the backstory about the quote, and i chose zappa as its source because i felt that zappa better captures the zeitgeist that spawned the quote. poetic license. because i'm a writer, a poet, a genius - i know it.
try to figure out who said, "the key to creativity is a bad memory."
I forget
To TR’s comment about the good weather making it hard for folks to continue their social distancing in outdoor settings: Welcome to Florida. The weather has been gorgeous for weeks. The public beaches were absurdly packed. The dip shit governor finally shut them down bit it was likely too late. I’ve been to the beach but it’s a private one with little to no access for most. Lots of people are still going out in multi family groups on their boats on the Intracoastal. Things are going to get a lot worse here.
With little to o access
Meanwhile, said Governor hasn’t issued a shelter in place despite us looking like the newest hotspot. He just keeps blaming people from NY for traveling into the state. Good times.
Was looking for some feelgood show or movie on the tube. Instead, came across a baseball game from Sept 21, 2001. First game back in NYC after 9/11. Braves/Mets. Bottom of the 8th coming on right now. Doesn’t get more feelgood than that, says this fan.
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