One of the most enigmatic and talented Soul men of all time, Bobby Womack has been a sort of Soul Forrest Gump, serving as a link from 50s Gospel to 60s Soul to 70s Rock and to some of the greatest musicians in each genre. Born in an extremely devout religious family, he was singing Gospel with his brothers Cecil, Friendly, Harry and Curtis as the Womack Brothers while he was still a child. The talented group was discovered by Gospel/Soul legend Sam Cooke, who redubbed them the Valentinos and transformed them into a teenage secular vocal group. By the early 60s they were touring with James Brown and scoring on the R&B charts with their first hit, “Lookin’ For A Love.” Cooke’s death in 1964 sent the group on a spiral from which it would never recover. Also, Womack encountered some public fallout when married Cooke’s widow less than a year later (even more ironic was that brother Cecil ultimately married Cooke’s daughter, Linda, who became his partner in the popular writing/singing group Womack & Womack). (more…)
One of my favorite songs period. Written by the great Harold Arlen, this song is the living testament to the power of a beautiful melody. Quite simply a melody like this knows no space or time that’s why it has been with us since it premiered in 1939 and will continue to be with us. Yes there are hundreds of covers of this classic, I thought a nice three-peat would be fun for our series today. If you have a personal fave of this song hit us up in the comment section with a link or on Facebook. Checkout the other clips after the jump! (more…)
A GFM classic written by Dexter Wansel, Cynthia Biggs and Kenneth Gamble originally recorded by the Queen Ms. Patti and covered by some amazing ladies who reside in GFMdom. Enjoy! (more…)
So I have been a little quiet over the last few days because I often like to listen to the chat at the watercooler and let it fully digest before I add my $0.02 USD into the fray. The intersection of several music related events have piqued my interest on how honest we are when it comes the early adoption of artists particularly those closely identified with “Black Music” and of course I use the quotes because that is a discussion for another day and blog entirely. (more…)
Intro: A generation can be defined as: “A group of persons living contemporaneously”. In this state of contemporary living there are many factors that serve as “Signs O’ The Times” (pun intended). Economics, politics, religion, the media etc., all play an integral part in influencing the music of every generation. Often, there is a disconnect between the music and the messengers of different generations which often pits members of different generations on opposing sides of the musical landscape. Interestingly enough, if we delve deeply enough into the subject matter of songs from purportedly opposing generations, often there is more that unites us on a human level than divides us.
In the spirit of the season we would encourage members of different generations to get together to discover and discuss the music of a different generation. This should be a time to put away the bias divides us and create an environment whereby each generation might learn from the other. As different as 1979 is from 2009 there are many similarities in how we relate to one another that should unite us.
Over the next few weeks we will compare and contrast songs from different eras that fall under a similar subject matter heading. We will examine topics ranging from relationships to materialism to simply having a good time. This is not a best of list or a popularity contest list but really it is a tool to spark some meaningful conversations, full of constructive debate that should lead to some “teachable moments”.
This week’s topic: Relationships
Miss Independent-Ne-Yo/Around The Way Girl-LL Cool J
The Message
With declarations like “Cause she walk like a boss talk like a boss manicured nails to set the pedicure off” from Ne-Yo to “Silky, milky her smile is like sunshine that’s why I had to dedicate at least one rhyme” from LL Cool J, these songs reside in the infatuation aisle at “I’d like to get to know you better” Mart. Yet, at the same time these songs serve as an ode to the independent woman. (more…)
“Love, Need and Want You” (Jimmy Davis/Roger “Ram” Ramirez/Jimmy Sherman) and “If Only You Knew” (Kenny Gamble/Bunny Sigler) were two of the bigger hits from the I’m in Love Again, album (Philadelphia International/1983). Also peep, the stirring tribute to Patti (f/Rachelle Ferrell, Peabo Bryson, Ronald Isley and Tamia) after the jump.
We should all take some time out today to reflect on the true meaning of this day. The troops do a great service for all of us even when we’re not thinking about them. One charity to consider supporting is Remind.org.
Created by the Bob Woodruff Foundation, it provides resources and support to service members, veterans and their families to successfully reintegrate into their communities so they may thrive physically, psychologically, socially and economically.
As a tribute, enjoy the clip of Kenny Gamble and Patti Labelle, discussing the making of their patriotic anthem, I Am An American.
One of the most enigmatic and talented Soul men of all time, Bobby Womack has been a sort of Soul Forrest Gump, serving as a link from 50s Gospel to 60s Soul to 70s Rock and to some of the greatest musicians in each genre. Born in an extremely devout religious family, he was singing Gospel with his brothers Cecil, Friendly, Harry and Curtis as the Womack Brothers while he was still a child. The talented group was discovered by Gospel/Soul legend Sam Cooke, who redubbed them the Valentinos and transformed them into a teenage secular vocal group. By the early 60s they were touring with James Brown and scoring on the R&B charts with their first hit, “Lookin’ For A Love.” Cooke’s death in 1964 sent the group on a spiral from which it would never recover. Also, Womack encountered some public fallout when married Cooke’s widow less than a year later (even more ironic was that brother Cecil ultimately married Cooke’s daughter, Linda, who became his partner in the popular writing/singing group Womack & Womack). (more…)
, album (Philadelphia International/1983). Also peep, the stirring tribute to Patti (f/Rachelle Ferrell, Peabo Bryson, Ronald Isley and Tamia) after the jump.
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