Sunday, November 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
SoleMann's...♪♫♪ "Save The Children" OOTP Archive Blog
Save the Children [aka Brothers and Sisters in Concert] (1973) - Made originally as a documentary film based on the 1972 PUSH Expo theme. The 123-minute version goes into depth on the theme of black self-determination; contains footage of Reverend Jesse Jackson and Black Expo; shorter version places emphasis on the various artists' performances.
STAN LATHAN...THE DIRECTOR OF SAVE THE CHILDREN
Stan Lathan, who was already a veteran of directing multiple camera variety shows on network television in the early '70s, approached his landmark concert film, Save the Children, with the precision of a military campaign.
"Operation Push, which was a Jesse Jackson organization, was giving a huge exposition in Chicago in 1972 to encourage black-owned businesses," Lathan recalled. "It was always planned to have this gathering of black talent, and myself and a few other people including Quincy Jones and Matt Robbins, got together about six months before and came up with the idea of doing this film to help support the Black Expo. We raised $750,000 from the Ford Foundation as a grant and put it together."
At the time of Save the Children, Lathan was a director on Sesame Street and had done both dance and music specials for PBS, as well as multi-camera musical variety shows. "The big challenge for me was that we were shooting on film," Lathan noted, "and we were in this massive convention center with terrible acoustics. We used eight cameras, all shooting 16mm film, and I devised an elaborate communications setup with each camera. I took a bird's-eye position and directed as if it were a live TV show. The difference, of course, is that I had no video feed, so I tried to keep the coverage varied from camera-to-camera, and keep track of who was shooting what."
Lathan said that despite the technical challenges involved, shooting in the days before video assist, his team had the advantage of shooting for three days straight.
"We shot 28 groups," Lathan explained. "Everybody from Marvin Gaye to Gladys Knight and the Pips, to the Jackson 5, to the Rev. James Cleveland and a 100-boy choir. We spent a lot of time before the event with a chalkboard discussing camera coverage the way you'd talk about defenses for a football game. We knew which groups were going to be moving around a lot — Gladys Knight and the Pips were known for their dancing for example — so the key was to make sure each camera had assignments beforehand. What happens if you don't give assignments in a multiple camera concert shoot is that five cameras will shoot the same guy because he's the most interesting one on the stage at the time."
"Most of the cameramen I used for Save the Children were documentary filmmakers who were comfortable with just roving around and getting the stories beyond the music," he recalled. "I remember going to see Gimme Shelter and recognizing the advantage those filmmakers had because they essentially lived with the Rolling Stones and could come back with very personal stories. If there's anything that would distinguish a musical documentary it's the relationship between the audience and the artist and what's really going on inside the artist's head. With things like MTV, MP3, DVD, etc., we can already deliver musical recordings at a very high level. So, today's documentary filmmaker should bridge the gap between the artist's life and the music. I think you have to do that to stand apart."
MARVIN GAYE...1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT
BILL WITHERS...1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT
ISAAC HAYES...1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT
CURTIS MAYFIELD...1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT
REV. JAMES CLEVELAND FEATURING ALBERTINA WALKER...
1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT
THE TEMPTATIONS...1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT
JACKSON 5...1973 SAVE THE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT
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This is one of our most popular blogs Sole!!! Bravo!
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Comment by Edie2k2 on September 17, 2009 at 7:37pm
- Loving the pic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by SoleMannKing on September 16, 2009 at 2:14pm
- Ohhhhhhh, this is niceeeeeeee...Mama Edie, i think i remember reading that the DVD is out of print...I will be back to hear this...Love it!
Comment by Edie2k2 on September 16, 2009 at 1:03pm
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Enjoy! An~Edie2k2~Production
Track Listing: 1.DialogueNarration.mp3 2.SaveTheChildren.mp3 3.PapaWasARollingStone.mp3 4.EverybodyPlaysTheFool.mp3 5.Sunshine.mp3 6.ThisChildOfMine.mp3 7.CountryPreacher.mp3 8.SermonPraiseHimWithAStringInstrument.mp3 9.LeanOnMe.mp3 10.WhatsHappeningBrother.mp3 11.GiveMeYourLove.mp3 12.IveGottaBeMe.mp3 13.OnAClearDayYouCanSeeForever_KillerJoe.mp3 14.IHeardItThroughTheGrapevine.mp3 15.TheyLongToBeCloseToYou.mp3 16.PeopleMakeTheWorldGoRound.mp3 17.TheGreatestPerformanceOfMyLife.mp3 18.IWannaBeWhereYouAre.mp3 19.WhatsGoingOn.mp3 20.ImTooCloseToHeavenToTurnAround.mp3- play Rev. Jesse Jackson & Matt Robinson — D…
- play Marvin Gaye — Save The Children
- play The Temptations — Papa Was A Rolling S…
- play The Main Ingredient — Everybody Plays …
- play The O'Jays — Sunshine
- play Zulema — This Child Of Mine
- play Cannonball Adderley — Country Preacher
- play Rev. James Cleveland & The Push Expo Choir — …
- play Bill Withers — Lean On Me
- play Marvin Gaye — What's Happening Brother
- play Curtis Mayfield — Give Me Your Love
- play Sammy Davis Jr. — I've Gotta Be Me
- play Roberta Flack & Quincy Jones — On A Cl…
- play Gladys Knight & The Pips — I Heard It …
- play Jerry Butler & Brenda Lee Eager — (The…
- play Ramsey Lewis Trio — People Make The Wo…
- play Nancy Wilson — The Greatest Performanc…
- play The Jackson 5 — I Wanna Be Where You A…
- play Marvin Gaye — What's Going On
- play Jackie Verdell & The Push Expo Choir — …
- play Rev. Jesse Jackson & Matt Robinson — D…
Comment by KnightD12 on February 8, 2009 at 11:54am
Stan Lathan did a good job capturing and editing this concert. Great sound too.
Comment by SoleMannKing on January 26, 2009 at 7:49pm
- I fell in love with the scenes in the marvin gaye, bill withers, and isaac hayes videos...Those neighborhood and ghetto scenes were awesome.
Comment by Edie2k2 on January 26, 2009 at 7:44pm
This is a masterpiece blog!!!!!!!!!! So nostalgic!!!! *Bravo*
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Sunday, October 16, 2011
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
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Sunday, September 18, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
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AUTHOR: Edie
DATE: 09/17/08 01:09 am
STATUS: publish
PRIMARY CATEGORY:
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BODY:
Brothers Phil and Leonard Chess owned the upscale Macamba.night club on Chicago's Southside. Chess Records "Home of the Electric Blues" was started by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess in the late forties. Leonard and Phil Chess - two enterprising immigrant brothers from Poland - bought into fledgling Aristocrat Records, a label that had been formed a short time before by Evelyn Aron and her husband.
At the beginning, Leonard and Phil focused their recording and publishing ventures primarily in the area of popular jazz, but soon expanded into blues, receiving their first Billboard recognition in 1947. By 1949 Aristocratic Records which became Chess Records in 1950, was a fixture in the world of music and its recordings and the songs published by Arc Music remain the most impressive collection of blues music in the world. From their experiences in the nightclub business on the South side of Chicago, the Chess brothers understood the popular preferences of their predominantly African-American audiences, but also saw the marketability of blues music to a broader audience. In the beginning Chess Records was ran as a two man business, with Phil overseeing the nightclub and the offices of Aristocrat/Chess and Arc, while Leonard alternately scouted talent, produced the sessions, and hand delivered fresh recordings to radio stations in the Chicago area.
Slide guitarist Robert Nighthawk's pre-war popularity made him a nice acquisition, and the 1948 session that produced his "My Sweet Lovin' Woman" was doubly important because it introduced bassist Willie Dixon , an artist whose talent as a producer/songwriter/ session player during the 1950s and 1960s vastly contributed to the label's long-term success.
A host of other blues legends recorded for Chess during the early and mid-1950s. Memphis Slim, Eddie Boyd and Willie Mabon, assuredly did. Boyd's 1953 "24 Hours" and "Third Degree" both sold very well, as did Mabon's "I Don't Know" (1952) and "I'm Mad" (1953), both number one R&B smashes.
John Lee Hooker first recorded for Chess in 1950. Joe Williams made the charts that same year with "Every Day I Have The Blues." Big Bill Broonzy and Washboard Sam recorded material in '53 that straddled the fence between pre-war Chicago blues and the brasher new style.Memphis Minnie likewise attempted to resuscitate her career with a 1952 Checker single, "Me And My Chauffeur." On the jazzier side of the tracks, saxmen Leo Parker, Tab Smith, Lynn Hope, and Eddie Johnson kept things swinging. By the early-1950s, Water's group added pianist Otis Spann. Though he was now a star in his own right, Little Walter still recorded behind his ex-boss on Waters' immortal "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I'm Ready."
But no one at Chess had the impact on the future of popular music that Chuck Berry did. Berry accepted Water's advice regarding the advantages of working with Leonard Chess, signing with the label in May of 1955 and his first unforgettable hit, "Maybellene." There were also vocal at Chess. Harvey Fuqua's the Moonglows from Louisville had a 1954 hit with "Sincerely," and The Flamingos, a Chicago quintet fronted by Nate Nelson, scored big for Checker in 1956 with their dreamy "I'll Be Home" and "A Kiss From Your Lips."
As Berry, Bo, and the vocal groups sold platters by the crates, some of the blues greats that had epitomized Chess during its early years of operation began to recede into the background. But mainstays Muddy, Sonny Boy, and Wolf hung tough, Wolf doing some of his best work during the early '60s when Dixon wrote "Back Door Man," "The Red Rooster," and "Hidden Charms" for him (the latter manically energized by Hubert Sumlin's elastic guitar work).
Etta James also made her Chess debut in 1960, scoring no less than four hits for the imprint that year alone. Etta's magnificent work for Argo (and later Cadet and Chess) over the next 16 years uncovered depths of passion and pain barely hinted at on her previous waxings. She waxed the torch ballads "At Last" and "Trust In Me" (both major hits in 1961) surrounded by sumptuous strings, rocked the house with a gospel-rooted "Something's Got A Hold On Me" the next year, and set Muscle Shoals ablaze in '67 with her strutting "Tell Mama," sounding equally confident in all three diverse settings.
In addition to James had many female artists during the mid-1960s that Jan Bradley ("Mama Didn't Lie"), Sugar Pie De Santo ("Slip-In Mules"), ("I Had A Talk With My Man"), Fontella Bass ("Rescue Me"), Jackie Ross ("Selfish One"), Jo Ann Garrett ("Stay By My Side"), Laura Lee ("Dirty Man"), and the Gems, whose precocious membership included Minnie Riperton. Even Irma Thomas joined the Chess in 1967, recording in Muscle Shoals. protégé Koko Taylor scored the last Chicago blues hit for Checker in 1966 with her growling "Wang Dang Doodle." As rhythm and blues merged with gospel influences to form the basis of soul, Chess was right on top of the trend. Little Milton Campbell who had hits with "We're Gonna Make It," "Who's Cheating Who?" and "Grits Ain't Groceries."
Along with Little Milton, were the Dells, ("There Is" and "Stay In My Corner") the Radiants ("Voice Your Choice"), Billy Stewart ("Summertime," "Sitting In The Park"), Bobby Moore & the Rhythm Aces ("Searching For My Love"), Tony Clarke, James Phelps, and Bobby McClure. Tommy Tucker's "Hi-Heel Sneakers," a huge '64 hit on Checker, traveled bluesier terrain, while the Ramsey Lewis Trio, with Eldee Young on bass and Red Holt on drums, turned out to be a crossover sensation when their grooving instrumental remakes of "The In Crowd" and "Hang On Sloopy" vaulted up the R&B and pop charts in 1965. Nor was the Chess combine deficient in humor - albums by veteran comics Moms Mabley and Pigmeat "Here Comes The Judge" Markham made sure of that. Chuck Berry remained at Chess into 1966, seemingly rejuvenated after serving a prison term (his 1964 hits included "No Particular Place To Go" and "You Never Can Tell"). After unwisely switching to Mercury Records for a few lean years, he returned home to Chess and scored his biggest pop hit of all in 1972 with "My Ding-A-Ling." Bo Diddley recorded a slew of Checker LPs throughout the decade, his trademark beat never faltering.
So inspired by the magnificent output of Chess were the Rolling Stones that they immortalized the label's famous address, 2120 S. Michigan Avenue, in song on one of their early LPs. During this time, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf tried their best to cope with '60s trends. "Muddy Waters Twist" was admittedly nothing to write home about, but his '63 Folk Singer LP was a heartening return to his Delta roots, and 1969's Fathers and Sons set united Muddy with adoring disciples Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. Though at the tail end of the decade producer Marshall Chess submerged Waters and Wolf in a quagmire of psychedelia, each legend emerged with his vaunted reputation intact. In 1969, Leonard Chess died, stilling the heart and soul of Chess Records. Earlier that year, he and Phil had sold the company to GRT where producers Ralph Bass and Gene Barge tried their best to hold things together. Sadly, though, the momentum that Chess had long enjoyed quickly began to erode. In 1975, GRT closed down the logo, selling it to All Platinum Records of Englewood, New Jersey. Finally, in 1985, MCA acquired the rights to the massive Chess catalog. At the start of 1987, MCA Vice President of Catalog Development & Special Markets A&R, Andy McKaie began to mount an ambitious long-term reissue campaign of the invaluable Chess masters - an ongoing program that rages full steam ahead all year long in 1997 with the 50th anniversary celebration. "The impact of Chess was far wider and greater than any of the others, ranging from the impact of the Chicago blues sound, the Chuck Berry/Bo Diddley school of rock & roll, and the vocal group sounds," he continues. "The range of that impact was so great that it's still being felt today.
Leonard Chess was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987
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Monday, September 05, 2011
Memory Lane I
"The Voot Is Here To Stay"
by Ivie Anderson And Her All Stars
on Black & White 772
released in 1946
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LARRY DARNELL
by
Sonny Wilson
[Jackie Wilson]
on dee gee 4000 A
released in 1952
Photo of Jackie Wilson
known as
on his first records
(when he was 17 years old)
JACKIE WILSON
Billy Ward came upon the then 18 yr. old Jackie Wilson In 1953, at Detroit's Fox Theater. Ward, was looking to replace his recently departed lead singer; Clyde McPhatter of Billy Ward and The Dominoes. At this time Ward realized Jackie's range, vocal gymnastics, and showmanship -- not to mention the ability to simply belt out a song -- were such that no one could match Jackie Wilson.
At 23 (1957) Jackie left Ward's tutelage, went solo and signed with the Brunswick label. His career witnessed momentum when he began performing songs co-written by fellow Detroiter Berry Gordy, later the founder of Motown. These included "Reet Petite", "To Be Loved" and "Lonely Teardrops."
Brunswick was never able to settle on a particular musical style for Wilson. He often crossed between R&B and pop. Jackie favored the latter where he could use his truly astonishing range to good effect. Under the orchestral arrangements of Brunswick's Dick Jacobs, Jackie's recordings were frequently backed by an abundance of brass and string instrumentation.
Fans (including me) believe Jackie Wilson was incapable of making a bad record. Some contend his output represents, at best, a mixed bag (my late father was numbered among this group). Everyone must admit however, Jackie's best is undoubtedly some of the most thrilling music to emerge from the late '50s and early '60s. Students of the art say his presence on stage is not at all unlike that exhibited by the "Godfather of Soul" in his heyday, James Brown. Musical scholars have noted Jackie's singing style compared with the likes of Sam Cooke.
There are other Cooke parallels too, unfortunately. In 1961, while staying in a N.Y.C. hotel, Jackie Wilson was shot and seriously wounded by one of the many women with whom he was involved. As a result of this incident he lost a kidney and had to carry the bullet in his body for the remainder of his days.
The British invasion sent Wilson's career into the doldrums. It took a new producer, Carl Davis, to revitalize him. Davis produced the timeless soul classics "Whispers" (1966) and "Higher and Higher" (1967).
Jackie Wilson was still appearing on the charts -- albeit low on the lists -- when at 41 he suffered a stroke and collapsed onstage in Cherry Hill, NJ, on September 29, 1975. On this night he was performing in a Dick Clark's Traveling Oldies Revue. Ironically, at the time he was singing his signature song, "Lonely Teardrops." He lingered on for another eight-and-a-half years, supposedly totally comatose. Like many things in Jackie's life, this fact too is disputed. Some claim he was not in a coma, but rather alert, totally paralyzed and unable to react to any stimuli.
Jackie Wilson died on January 21, 1984, in Mount Holly, NJ, at Burlington County Memorial Hospital. The official cause of death was listed as pneumonia. He further suffered the indignity of being buried in an unmarked grave in Detroit. This sad state of affairs was later corrected in 1987. Jackie was survived by his wife Harlean, sons Anthony, John and Thor and daughters Jacqueline, Denise, and LaShawn. Daughter Denise was subsequently killed in a drive-by shooting in 1987.
In 1987 Jackie Wilson was post-humously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame -
Edna McGriff
on Josie 764
released in 1954
Above: Photo of Edna McGriff. She is most well known for her hit "Heavenly Father" in 1952 and a few duet recordings with Sonny Til (the lead singer of The Orioles).
JIMMY GRISSOM
by Jimmy Grissom
on M-G-M 10337
released in 1949
Above: Photo of Jimmy Grissom.