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I loved Peggy Lee singing her signature cover song “Fever” in the Fifties (another of my Barbie doll’s favorites to sing in a night club -- LOL) and her her songs from Disney’s 1955 American film “Lady & The Tramp” Soundtrack!
But her only Grammy win was The Grammy for the 1969 Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female that went to “Is That All There Is.” The arrangement makes me think of the musical “Cabaret”!
This Lieber and Stoller penned classic charted #1 Adult Contemporary and #11 on the Billboard T op 100. This was Peggy’s (born Norma Deloris Egstrom) last number one hit.
Is That All There Is (partial)
And here are two of my faves from “Lady & The Tramp.” Actually I have never seen the movie all of the way through or if I did as a child I don’t recall the plot. I only remember these awesome songs! What about you? Do you recall the plot?
He’s A Tramp -- This should have been a number one pop hit IMHO. Yo go girl
Song writer, singer and session musician Joe Souter, known professionally as Joe South, had written and played on many hits for other artists — but his composition “Games People Play” was his first chart topping hit at #12 on the Billboard Top 100: plus it won him not one but two Grammys as songwriter!
The 1969 Grammy for Song of the Year went to “Games People Play” written by Joe South.
The 1969 Grammy for Best Contemporary Song went to “Games People Play written by Joe South
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Last but not least the 1969 Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental Performance went to “Games People Play” performed by King Curtis. Curtis, Born Curtis Ousley, was both a renowned soloist and session musician on his tenor sax.
So there you have it — one awesome song and three Grammy wins!
Trivia: South was inspired to write this award winning song by Dr. Eric Berne’s 19 book “Games People Play:
The psychology of human relationships”
More Trivia: King Curtis and Duane Allman were both session players and great friends. They played together often and both Curtis and Allman are playing in the GPP track above.
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Last August 2008 OSML spotlighted the Best R&B Grammy Winners from 1958 to 1968. This month, February 2010, OSML is moving on to present all of the wonderful 1969 Grammy winners, in a variety of categories, that I grew up with and loved.
This music was oh so special and should never be forgotten. I, for one, will never ever take it for granted and still continue to enjoy it daily.
I shall start off the month with the winner of both the Grammy for 1969 Record of the Year and 1969 Best Contemporary Vocal Performance By a Group -- “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures),” sung by The 5th Dimension.
This one really brings back special memories of blossoming into a full fledged teenager in the Sixties era of “Flower Power” and “Grooviness!” This award winning song, composed by James Rado, Gerome Ragni and Galt MacDermot, was from the smash “Hair: The American Tribal Love Rock Musical”. ” Producer Bones Howe constructed the mini-suite presentation for The 5th Dimension.
The song appeared on the 5th Dimension’s fourth LP released in the prime of their music career. This LP topped the charts at #2. The song topped the Adult Contemporary and Billboard Hot 100 charts at #1 and R&*B at #6.
Check out this performance and sing along with the lyrics provided below.
Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In
When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
Age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!
Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golden living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind’s true liberation
Aquarius!
Aquarius!
When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
Age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!
Aquarius!
Aquarius!
[instrumental and tempo shift]
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in
Let the sunshine, let the sunshine in, the sunshine in
[continue to end with concurrent scat]
Oh, let it shine, c’mon
Now everybody just sing along
Let the sun shine in
Open up your heart and let it shine on in
When you are lonely, let it shine on
Got to open up your heart and let it shine on in
And when you feel like you’ve been mistreated
And your friends turn away
Just open your heart, and shine it on in
And here is the cast of the recent “Hair” revival” performing on the David Letterman Show in 2009. Enjoy.
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Probably one of the most under-rated pop singers of my generation is Dionne Warwick.
Brought up in the gospel world in a musical extended family, Dionne formed the “Gospelaires” singing group with her sister Dee Dee and her aunt Cissy Houston ( later the mother of Whitney Houston). Dionne and her group did vocal session work in New York on weekends while she studied music on scholarship in college during the week.
The story goes that Dionne was asked to provide vocals for some demos written by the songwriting-producing team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, while in the studio working on the backing vocal for the Drifter’s song “Mexican Divorce.”
When the composing duo pitched the demo(s) to Scepter Records, the head of the label (Florence Greenberg) liked what she heard and signed Dionne to a recording contract.
Bacharach and David wrote her first song for recording and the rest is legend!
Dionne sang her first and all subsequent Bacharach and David unusually complicated songs with ease, grace and smoothness. Her voice is just so mellow yet expressive and her singing sounds effortless. I recall playing with my Barbie doll in her black evening gown, microphone and pink scarf singing nothing but Dionne Warwick songs because even as a youngster she epitomized class to me!
Warwick charted high continuously from 1963 up until 1980 before her recording career began to slow down a bit.
This 1967 the single, “I Say A Little Prayer,” charted #8 R&B and #4 on the Billboard Top 100. The song appeared on Dionne’s LP of the same year “The Windows of the World” pictured above.
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Aretha obviously loved the song too because only a year later she put her spin on the tune and released her cover of Dionne’s hit. Naturally The Queen of Soul’s version was a hit too! Charting #3 R&B and #10 Pop in 1968. The song appeared on her 1968 certified Gold classic LP “Aretha Now” pictured above.
Over the years, Aretha’s hit cover of Marie Dionne Warwick’s original hit has become the definitive version of the song. Don’t think so? Then check this out -- my most favorite part of the movie “My Best Friend’s Wedding” is this clip: this is why I love YouTube
Of course I want to know which of these two renditions of the Bachrach/David classic YOU like best so please vote.
And here are a few more related videos to enjoy while they last on YouTube.
Dionne and Boy George “Say A Little Prayer” together live in the 80s
Aretha Says a Little Prayer live in 1970
Trivia: The Gospelaire’s are thought to have provided backing vocals for Ben E. King’s “Spanish Harlem” and “Stand By Me.”
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Sam Harris -- Sugar Don’t Bite (1984) Peaked at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Oklahoman Sam Harris is a Motown male vocalist in from Eighties era. This is a bit out of my area of knowledge since I sort of shut down on Pop music in the Eighties. Basically it was pretty much crapolla IMHO (as were the clothes and hairstyles). Other than spending hours and hours listening to the Prince and Bob Marley catalog I decided soon in the Eighties that the early Rock and Roll, Pop and Soul music was the best and my Oldies love affair began full throttle.
But a history of Motown would be incomplete if I didn’t touch upon a few of the artists that came along after the “Golden Age,” so let’s start the ball rolling with the super talented performer Sam Harris.
Long before there was “American Idol” hosted by Ryan Seacrest there was “Star Search” hosted by Ed McMahon (not the mediocre “Star Search” reprise hosted by Arsenio Hall ;-(). I watched religiously as did most of America and so I certainly knew Sam Harris.
Sam was the first winner of “Star Search” who won everyone over with his version of “Over The Rainbow” as seen here in this 1984 clip from the show.
Motown then swooped Sam up and signed him to a record deal. Only two LPs were done on him with one hit record from each set and then before you know it he was off to live life after Motown — just like that.
Here is the promotional video for the biggest hit of Sam’s Motown career. Leave it to Motown to take a great ballad singer and try to turn him into a typical Eighties pop travesty so that he would fit into the MOR category of the times.
Now in case you thought that you were getting your melodies confused — yes the 1985 Madonna song “Papa Don’t reach” sounds just like this song! But have no fear because according to Sam, the writers of the song Donna Weiss and Bruce Roberts, sued Madonna and won! So it came out ok in the end.
Sam is doing just fine making his living singing. Trust he still has pipes that just won’t quit.
You may keep up with his doings by following his blog Sam Harris.Com and his SamTube.com YouTube Page.
The Blog The A.v. Club also has a nice interview with Sam from 1998. Good reading.
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There Must Be More To Life Than This (demo) (~1985)
This beautiful song, composed by Freddie Mercury of Queen fame, appeared on Freddie’s first solo LP “Mr. Bad Guy.” Listen to MJJ feel it and sing it.
While you write your feelings on the loss of MJJ please listen to, this awesome proof of the marvelous instrument that was, Mike’s tenor voice in song. R.I.P. dear man.
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Kyu Sakamoto – Sukiyaki aka Japanese Love Song (1963) #1 Adult Contemporary, #18 R&B, #1 Pop
This wonderful, much covered song, composed by Hachidal Nakamura, was the first Japanese song to ever reach the top of the American music charts. I recall singing it as a child having no clue as to what the song was about … I just made up my own words to the marvelously jaunty and catchy melody!
Kyu Sakamoto was born Hisashi Oshima in 12/10/41. This well respected Japanese actor and singer died in the 8/12/85 crash of Japan Airlines Flight 123 leaving behind his wife and two children.
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Taste of Honey - Sukiyaki aka Japanese Love Song (1981) #1 Adult Contemporary, #1 R&B Singles, #3 Pop Singles
It wasn’t until the 1981 cover version, by the disco era R&B “Two-Hit Wonder” group “Taste of Honey,” topped the charts again that I recalled the original Japanese version of my youth. This version was slowed down in tempo and given English lyrics and then I knew it was meant to be a love song: but the lyrics that were used were not a translation of the original Japanese song.
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Selena – Sukiyaki aka Japanese Love Song (1989)
This beautiful Spanish language cover of “Sukiyaki” performed by Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (b.4/16/71 d.3/31/95) appeared on her 1989 release “Selena.”
Selena is by no means a “One Hit Wonder” but I just included her version here because it is truly beautiful and I like it and it’s my blog
I hope you enjoy all three versions as much as I do.
TRIVIA: After “Sukiyaki” was a hit for “Taste of Honey, the duo went to Japan and toured with Kyu Sakamoto!
The lyrics were written by Rokusuke Ei and the melody was composed by Hachidai Nakamura. The lyrics tell the story of a man who looks up and whistles while he is walking so that his tears won’t fall. The verses of the song describe him doing this through each season of the year. The original Japanese title was considered too difficult for American audiences to remember and pronounce, therefore a well-known word that people would associate with Japan was used – Sukiyaki, even though the word has nothing to do with the song. A Newsweek columnist noted that the re-titling was like issuing “Moon River” in Japan under the title “Beef Stew.”
But her only Grammy win was The Grammy for the 1969 Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Female that went to “Is That All There Is.” The arrangement makes me think of the musical “Cabaret”!
