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MUSIC MONDAY: “Cover Me Softly” – Soul-Filled Remakes and Covers Playlist (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Cover Me Softly” – Soul-Filled Remakes and Covers Playlist (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on February 28, 2022

by Lesa Lakin (@lesalakin) and Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

With all that’s going on in the world, we thought we’d offer some comfort this Music Monday in the form of a playlist of remakes and covers called “Cover Me Softly: Soul-Filled Remakes and Covers.”

Sometimes the songs are reimagined, elevated and fully remade, and other times they are faithful covers by the right artist, offering just the right notes and voicing.

We’ve got “Killing Me Softly,” originally by Robert Flack and reimagined by Fugees, Maxwell’s soul stirring take on Kate Bush‘s “This Woman’s Work,” Rihanna’s hauntingly similar yet very much her own gorgeous version of Tame Impala’s “Same Ole Mistakes,” Luther Vandross’ famous redo of Dionne Warwick’s “A House Is Not a Home,” Mariah Carey’s version of Prince’s “Beautiful Ones” with Dru Hill and more.

One song on our list poses the question: Can you successfully remake/cover your own song?   In the case of Lionel Richie, that’s exactly what happened with “Lady.” “Lady” was written and produced by Richie and first recorded by American country music artist Kenny Rogers in 1980.

“Lady” is the first record of the 1980s to chart on all four of Billboard magazine’s singles charts – country, Hot 100, adult contemporary and Top Soul Singles. Almost two decades later, Richie revisited the hit by recording the song himself in 1998.

Rogers and Richie would eventually preform the song as a duet on Richie’s 2012 release Tuskegee. If you’re interested in reading even more about it, here’s a fun story about the history of “Lady”: https://people.com/country/kenny-rogers-lionel-richie-friendship-history/

So, sit back and relax to some old familiar hits and maybe a few reimagined new finds. Have a listen… and always,  always celebrate music!

GBN’s Daily Drop: Morgan Freeman Quote on Black History Month (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on February 28, 2022

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

Today’s GBN Daily Drop podcast is based on the Monday, February 28 entry in the “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day®️ Calendar for 2022, featuring an apt quote about Black History Month from Academy Award-winning actor and sought-after narrator Morgan Freeman:

You can follow or subscribe to the Good Black News Daily Drop Podcast through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, rss.com or create your own RSS Feed. Or just check it out every day here on the main website (transcript below):

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Hey, this Lori Lakin Hutcherson, founder and editor in chief of goodblacknews.org, here to share with you a daily drop of Good Black News for Monday, February 28th, 2022, based on the “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day®️ Calendar for 2022 published by Workman Publishing.

As Black History Month officially comes to a close, we offer a quote from Academy Award-winning actor, director and sought-after narrator and host Morgan Freeman:

“You’re going to relegate my history to a month? I don’t want a Black History Month. Black history is American history.”

Now, I agree with Morgan Freeman on this point, obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t bother with these daily drops or with goodblacknews.org at all.

If you are listening to this, I suspect you’re inclined to agree, and I thank you for being here to listen, to learn more about and hopefully amplify the people, events, quotes, stories, bios, trivia that’s shared here.

Now I am following a format, basing these drops on the physical A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2022, but I do also do bonus episodes once a week. So if you, the listener, would like to offer suggestions for my bonus episodes, please email me at lori@goodblacknews.org.

And if it’s not something that’s already coming up in the future from this year’s calendar or from the 2023 Page-A-Day calendar which will be out this fall, I will do my very best to work it in.

Because honestly, I love researching, learning about and sharing these stories, in a way that is very easy and quick for people to hear and understand. And I don’t want to see interest in them for only one month out of the year and fade away for the rest.

So, again, thank you for listening, and you know, this has been a daily drop of Good Black News, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2022,” published by Workman Publishing, and available at workman.com, Amazon, Bookshop and other online retailers.

Beats provided by freebeats.io and produced by White Hot.

And if you want to hear more Good Black News, go to goodblacknews.org or search and follow @goodbinlacknews anywhere on social.

And thank you, thank you for your support.

GBN’s Daily Drop: On 2/27, Celebrating “227” Star and Executive Producer Marla Gibbs (LISTEN)

GBN’s Daily Drop: On 2/27, Celebrating “227” Star and Executive Producer Marla Gibbs (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on February 27, 2022

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

Today’s GBN Daily Drop podcast is based on the Sunday, February 27 entry in the “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day®️ Calendar for 2022 celebrates Marla Gibbs, 90, Executive Producer and star of NBC’s 227 as well as the long-running CBS series The Jeffersons:

You can follow or subscribe to the Good Black News Daily Drop Podcast through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, rss.com or create your own RSS Feed. Or just check it out every day here on the main website (transcript below):

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Hey, this Lori Lakin Hutcherson, founder and editor in chief of goodblacknews.org, here to share with you a daily drop of Good Black News for Sunday, February 27th, 2022, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar” published by Workman Publishing.

Even though she cleaned up during her unexpected star turn as no-nonsense housekeeper Florence Johnston on the hit CBS sitcom The Jeffersons, acting newcomer Marla Gibbs, then 41, was reluctant to give up her day job at United Airlines until the show became a bona fide hit.

Ten years later, Gibbs moved on up into the power seat when she bought the rights to star in and executive produce the TV version of a play entitled 227. The family comedy ran for five years on NBC and introduced the world to a young Regina King.

To learn more about Marla Gibbs, check out the links to sources provided in today’s show notes and in the episode’s full transcript posted on goodblacknews.org.

This has been a daily drop of Good Black News, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2022,” published by Workman Publishing, and available at workman.com, Amazon,Bookshop and other online retailers.

Beats provided by freebeats.io and produced by White Hot.

If you like our Daily Drops, please consider following us on Apple, Google Podcasts, RSS.com, Amazon,Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You could give us a positive rating or review, share your favorite episodes on social media, or go old school and tell a friend.

For more Good Black News, you can check out goodblacknews.org or search and follow @goodbinlacknews anywhere on social.

Sources: 

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is Nominated by President Biden to Serve on the U.S. Supreme Court

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is Nominated by President Biden to Serve on the U.S. Supreme Court

By goodblacknews on February 25, 2022

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been selected by President Joe Biden to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy created by Justice Stephen G. Breyer‘s impending retirement. When confirmed, Jackson will become the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court of law.

Jackson, 51, a U.S. appeals court judge in Washington, has been the front runner for the Supreme Court seat ever since Justice Breyer, 83, announced last month he was retiring. Jackson was, fittingly, a Supreme Court law clerk for Breyer.

In addition to being the first Black female justice, Jackson would be the first justice on the Supreme Court to have previously worked as a public defender, something progressive groups, according to the Los Angeles Times, hope will help the court offer a different perspective.

Judge Jackson, who graduated with honors from Harvard Law School,  was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Miami, Florida. Her parents attended segregated primary schools, then attended historically black colleges and universities. Both started their careers as public school teachers and became leaders and administrators in the Miami-Dade Public School System.

When Judge Jackson was in preschool, her father attended law school. In a 2017 lecture, Judge Jackson traced her love of the law back to sitting next to her father in their apartment as he tackled his law school homework—reading cases and preparing for Socratic questioning—while she undertook her preschool homework—coloring books.

By Lloyd DeGrane via Wikimedia Commons

Judge Jackson stood out as a high achiever throughout her childhood. She was a speech and debate star who was elected “mayor” of Palmetto Junior High and student body president of Miami Palmetto Senior High School.

But like many Black women, Judge Jackson still faced naysayers. When Judge Jackson told her high school guidance counselor she wanted to attend Harvard, the guidance counselor warned that Judge Jackson should not set her “sights so high.”

That did not stop Judge Jackson. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University as an undergraduate, then attended Harvard Law School, where she graduated cum laude and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review.

Judge Jackson lives with her husband, Dr. Patrick Jackson, who is a surgeon, and their two daughters, in Washington, DC.

Read more: https://www.whitehouse.gov/kbj/

[Photo: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson via thecrimson.com]

GBN’s Daily Drop: “We Got Game” – For Which Movie Did Denzel Washington Win His Best Actor Oscar? (LISTEN)

GBN’s Daily Drop: “We Got Game” – For Which Movie Did Denzel Washington Win His Best Actor Oscar? (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on February 25, 2022

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

Today’s GBN Daily Drop podcast is based on the Friday, February 25 entry in the “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day®️ Calendar for 2022 and is the year’s first foray into our Black Trivia category called “We Got Game”:

You can follow or subscribe to the Good Black News Daily Drop Podcast through Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Spotify, Google Podcasts, rss.com or create your own RSS Feed. Or just check it out every day here on the main website (transcript below):

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Hey, this Lori Lakin Hutcherson, founder and editor in chief of goodblacknews.org, here to share with you a daily drop of Good Black News for Friday, February 25th, 2022, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar” published by Workman Publishing. It’s in the category for Black Trivia we call “We Got Game”:

Okay, so today’s daily drop episode is going to be a little unique, as it’s the first time presenting the Trivia category, which is a multiple choice question that we want to give you time to answer. So, what I’m going to do is read the question, I’ll read the choices, and then I’ll prompt you to pause the episode if you want to take longer than the 10 seconds that I’m going to let pass before I share the answer. Sound good? Ready to see if you got game? All right, here we go:

For which movie did Denzel Washington win the Academy Award for Best Actor? Was it…

A. Malcolm X?  B.Training Day  C. Glory… or D. Fences?

Now go ahead and pause the episode now if you want to take more than 10 seconds before you hear the answer. Otherwise, I’ll be back in 10… Okay, time’s up. The answer is… B. Training Day.

Including his recent nod for The Tragedy of MacBeth, Washington has been nominated by the Academy for his acting ten times, and so far, he’s won twice, once in 1989 as Best Supporting Actor for Glory and then for Best Actor in 2001’s Training Day.

Washington was nominated for his role in Fences in 2017 but lost the Best Actor gold guy to Gary Oldman, star of The Darkest Hour. Still, a win might have felt like déjà vu to Washington that year – he won the Best Actor Tony Award for the same part in 2010.

To learn more about Denzel Washington and his award-winning career, check out the links to sources provided in today’s show notes and in the episode’s full transcript posted on goodblacknews.org.

Sources:

This has been a daily drop of Good Black News, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2022,” published by Workman Publishing, and available at workman.com, Amazon, Bookshop and other online retailers.

Beats provided by freebeats.io and produced by White Hot.

If you like our Daily Drops, please consider following us on Apple, Google Podcasts, RSS.com, Amazon, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You could give us a positive rating or review, share your favorite episodes on social media, or go old school and tell a friend.

For more Good Black News, you can check out goodblacknews.org or search and follow @goodblacknews anywhere on social.

GBN’s Daily Drop: Learn About Lt. Henry O. Flipper, the 1st African American Graduate of West Point (LISTEN)

GBN’s Daily Drop: Learn About Lt. Henry O. Flipper, the 1st African American Graduate of West Point (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on February 24, 2022

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

Today’s GBN Daily Drop podcast is based on the Thursday, February 24 entry in the “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day®️ Calendar for 2022 about Lt. Henry O. Flipper, the first African American graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point:

You can follow or subscribe to the Good Black News Daily Drop Podcast through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, rss.com or create your own RSS Feed. Or just check it out every day here on the main website (transcript below):

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Hey, this Lori Lakin Hutcherson, founder and editor in chief of goodblacknews.org, here to share with you a daily drop of Good Black News for Thursday, February 24th, 2022, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar” published by Workman Publishing.

Justice came slowly to Henry O. Flipper, the first African American West Point Academy graduate, but come it did. After graduating in 1877, Flipper became the first non-white US Army officer to lead the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry.

During the Apache Wars and the Victorio Campaign though, Flipper was court-martialed for alleged improprieties, but in 1994 his descendants pushed to get Flipper’s case reviewed, and President Bill Clinton pardoned Flipper after it was concluded that his conviction was unjust.

West Point now bestows an annual Henry O. Flipper Award to graduates who exhibit, quote, “leadership, self-discipline, and perseverance in the face of unusual difficulties.”

To learn more about Henry O. Flipper, read his autobiography, The Colored Cadet at West Point: Autobiography of Lieut. Henry Ossian Flipper, U. S. A., First Graduate of Color from the U. S. Military Academy, the 2015 biography Henry Ossian Flipper: West Point’s First Black Graduate by Jane Eppinga, or Black Frontiersman: The Memoirs of Henry O. Flipper, First Black Graduate of West Point complied and edited by Theodore D. Harris.You can also check out the West Point Military Academy and US Army videos on his legacy that are on YouTube, and links to other sources provided in today’s show notes and in the episode’s full transcript posted on goodblacknews.org.

Sources:

This has been a daily drop of Good Black News, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2022,” published by Workman Publishing, and available at workman.com, Amazon,Bookshop and other online retailers.

Beats provided by freebeats.io and produced by White Hot.

If you like GBN’s Daily Drops, please consider following us wherever you get your podcasts, give us a positive rating or review, share your favorites on social media or go old school and tell a friend.

For more Good Black News, you can check out goodblacknews.org or search and follow @goodblacknews anywhere on social.

(paid links)

GBN’s Daily Drop: Learn About Harlem Renaissance Visionary Aaron Douglas – “The Father of African American Art” (LISTEN)

GBN’s Daily Drop: Learn About Harlem Renaissance Visionary Aaron Douglas – “The Father of African American Art” (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on February 23, 2022

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

Today’s GBN Daily Drop podcast is based on the Wednesday, February 23 entry in the “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day®️ Calendar for 2022 and offers a quote from renowned Harlem Renaissance artist and arts educator Aaron Douglas:

You can follow or subscribe to the Good Black News Daily Drop Podcast through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, rss.com or create your own RSS Feed. Or just check it out every day here on the main website (transcript below):

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Hey, this Lori Lakin Hutcherson, founder and editor in chief of goodblacknews.org, here to share with you a daily drop of Good Black News for Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar” published by Workman Publishing. Today we offer a quote from Kansas-born artist and arts educator Aaron Douglas:

“Labor has been one of the most important aspects of our development . . .  It is a thing that we should be proud of, because we have that part of our life that has gone into the building of America. Not only of ourselves, but in the building of American life.”

As a young artist in the 1920s, Douglas illustrated Alain Locke’s The New Negro: An Interpretation as well as James Weldon Johnson’s collection of poems, God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse. Douglas established an expressive, geometric style that drew upon his study of African art and his understanding of the intersection of cubism and art deco.

Douglas created a style that soon became the visual signature of the Harlem Renaissance and earned him the moniker “The Father of African American Art.”

Aspects of Negro Life: Song of the Towers by Aaron Douglas, 1934 (courtesy nypl.org)

Douglas went on to paint several public murals including the Aspects of Negro Life mural series at the Countee Cullen branch of the New York Public Library, which is still there today.

Douglas influenced artists such as Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden, and he schooled countless others while serving as chair of the art department and HBCU Fisk University for over 25 years.

To learn more about Douglas’ life and work, you could read the 1995 biography Art, Race and the Harlem Renaissance by Amy Helene Kirschke, take a look at several of his works on wikiart.org, watch the New York Met’s video about his work on YouTube and check out the links to other sources provided in today’s show notes and in the episode’s full transcript posted on goodblacknews.org.

Sources:

This has been a daily drop of Good Black News, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2022,” published by Workman Publishing, and available at workman.com, Amazon,Bookshop and other online retailers.

Beats provided by freebeats.io and produced by White Hot.

For more Good Black News, check out goodblacknews.org or search and follow @goodblacknews anywhere on social.

(paid links)

On 2.22.22, Remembering Basketball Legend Frederick “Curly” Neal, Harlem Globetrotters #22 for 22 Years

On 2.22.22, Remembering Basketball Legend Frederick “Curly” Neal, Harlem Globetrotters #22 for 22 Years

By goodblacknews on February 22, 2022

Some readers may be too young to remember the 1970s and 1980s heydays of the still entertaining  and awe-inspiring traveling basketball team, the Harlem Globetrotters, but for those who do, today, on 2-22-22, we are taking a moment to honor Harlem Globetrotter #22, Frederick “Curly” Neal.

Neal, called “Curly” ironically because of his famously bald head, was a crowd favorite and featured ball handler on the team who did tricks, slips and amazing shots, all with flair and a smile. Neal played with the Globetrotters for 22 years before retiring from the game.

Neal sadly passed away on March 26, 2020 but his legacy lives on, particularly through those he entertained and inspired. Check out some of his highlights from the “Happy Birthday” video the Globetrotters put together for Neal in 2016:

Current Globetrotter Jahmani “Hot Shot” Swanson, known as the “4’9″ Michael Jordan” was inspired to become a player by Neal. Below is his open letter honoring Neal:

Dear Curly,

At nine years old, I attended one of my first professional sporting events in New York City’s famous Madison Square Garden arena with my mother. This moment was special because basketball became my first love as a child. I spent hours honing and perfecting my skills, often emulating moves of the greats like Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson.

At the time, I wasn’t yet immersed in the lure of the Harlem Globetrotters; however, as a sports fanatic, I followed the players across sports teams. I vividly remember the fanfare, the lights, the crowd and an eerily familiar song, which I would eventually come to know as “Sweet Georgia Brown.” I didn’t know on that night; another icon would enter my world and forever inspire me.

Curly, the moment you stepped onto the court, I was in awe. Unfathomable trick shots, clutch behind the back passes, supreme control of the rock, high engagement from the crowd, personality, charm, humility and yes, your signature bald head. Curly, you were the man. From that moment, I became a fan for life. I didn’t believe it was possible, but my love for the game elevated.

You were magnifying.

As I matured, I came to know you for the inspiration you left off the court. In the prime of your career, you and the Harlem Globetrotters team were breaking racial barriers, bringing people and their love for basketball together. You did more than entertain; you were a part of history. You were a catalyst to bringing joy to fans across the globe, suiting up with other Globetrotter greats like MeadowLark Lemon and Wilt Chamberlain. The makeup of one of the first all-black basketball teams in our nation’s history.

You appeared in more than 6,000 games in nearly 100 countries for 22 years throughout your career. Your commitment to excellence earned you an induction into the CIAA Hall of Fame in 1986 and the 2008 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. With everything you accomplished, you were able to do it with the odds stacked against you.

You spoke of times when you were denied access to hotels on the road and where you and the team encountered moments of racism and hate. Through it all, you persevered and did it with a smile. Sometimes, I sit and watch videos of your games, interviews and appearances and wonder, “what did he go through that day?” “How did he push forward in those times?”

I believe through it all, you continued to show up and stand tall.

You were the ultimate athlete.

I will never forget when I attended a New York Knicks versus the Boston Celtics game in Madison Square Garden, this time as an adult, and the arena was packed. It was probably one of the most intense games I’ve experienced as a fan until you walked through the crowd. I remember seeing people turn their attention from the game to dap you up and ask for autographs and pictures. The crowd’s love for you at that moment was something I rarely saw, and the energy was unmatched. You were the epitome of star power.

You were the culture.

Now, as a Globetrotter, I stand on your shoulders aiming to leave a legacy – that if only embodies half of what you accomplished – would be the ultimate achievement for me. A few years ago, I was awarded the Star Power award from the franchise. Many staff and even coaches tell me that I remind them a bit of you, and I feel honored and blessed to be mentioned in that way. I’ve learned what it means to #SpreadGame, entertain and inspire the world. Through your legacy, you’ve shown the world that anything is possible when your heart, mind, and intentions are in the right place.

Thank you for your showmanship, professionalism, legacy, and, most importantly, your humanity.

With Love,
Jahmani “Hot Shot” Swanson

You can learn more about Neal and the Harlem Globetrotters in the 2005 documentary Harlem Globetrotters: The Team That Changed The World, by watching it here or available on Amazon Video.

GBN’s Daily Drop: George Washington, Clap to This: “Eric B. Is President” by Eric B. & Rakim (LISTEN)

GBN’s Daily Drop: George Washington, Clap to This: “Eric B. Is President” by Eric B. & Rakim (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on February 22, 2022

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

Today’s GBN Daily Drop Podcast for Tuesday, February 22, 2022 — aka Washington’s Birthday — based on the  “A Year of Good Black News” Page-A-Day®️ Calendar for 2022.

In it we talk about legendary duo Eric B. & Rakim and the song that became their industry calling card and helped up the game in hip hop – 1986’s “Eric B. Is President.”

You can also follow or subscribe to the Good Black News Daily Drop Podcast through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, rss.com or create your own RSS Feed. Or just check it out every day here on the main website (transcript below):

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Hey, this Lori Lakin Hutcherson, founder and editor in chief of goodblacknews.org, here to share with you a daily drop of Good Black News for Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar” published by Workman Publishing.

With the 1986 release of their first single, “Eric. B is President,” Eric. B & Rakim shook up the proverbial hip-hop tree. Deploying complex rhymes, internal musings, and visual storytelling, Rakim revolutionized the MC game, referencing Greek mythology in one bar and Janet Jackson songs in the next.

Eric B., meanwhile, as the DJ scratched, mixed, and sampled the bassline from Fonda Rae’s 1982 single “Over Like a Fat Rat,” added in drums from James Brown’s “Funky President (People It’s Bad),” threw in bits of “The Champ” by the Mohawks, along with the Honey Drippers’ “Impeach the President,” a few more samples, and one of the all-time classic punch lines ever rapped, “Eric B. Is President” was just the ticket to land them a major record deal at RCA and solidify their place in hip hop history.

To learn more about “Eric B. Is President,” check out the links to sources provided in today’s show notes and in the episode’s full transcript posted on goodblacknews.org.

This has been a daily drop of Good Black News, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar for 2022,” published by Workman Publishing, and available at workman.com, Amazon,Bookshop and other online retailers.

Intro and outro beats provided by freebeats.io and produced by White Hot.

For more Good Black News, check out goodblacknews.org or search and follow @goodblacknews anywhere on social.

Sources:

  1. https://www.okayplayer.com/news/marley-marl-remakes-eric-b-is-president.html
  2. https://www.whosampled.com/sample/35392/Eric-B.-Rakim-Eric-B.-Is-President-(Original-Mix)-James-Brown-Get-Up,-Get-Into-It,-Get-Involved/
  3. https://www.songfacts.com/facts/eric-b-rakim/eric-b-is-president

Songs sampled in episode:

(paid links)

MUSIC MONDAY: “The Song Is You” – a Tribute Playlist to Legendary Song Stylist Nancy Wilson (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “The Song Is You” – a Tribute Playlist to Legendary Song Stylist Nancy Wilson (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on February 21, 2022

by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)

Hey, it’s Lori, GBN’s Editor-in-Chief, stepping in with this week’s Music Monday share. As yesterday was what would have been song stylist Nancy Wilson’s 85th birthday, I have crafted an 85-song tribute playlist that spans her six decades-long recording career.

A prolific singer who recorded and released 52 albums, three-time Grammy Award winner Wilson was one of the greats who often is not given her just due in popular music history. For a time in the 1960s, Wilson was the second biggest recording artist at Capitol Records – the biggest being the Beatles.

Born on February 20, 1937 in Chillicothe, Ohio, Nancy Sue Wilson knew by the time she was four years old she would be a singer. By her teen years she won a talent contest and began performing on a local television program called Skyline Melodies, then became its host.

She soon met jazz saxophonist and bandleader Julius “Cannonball” Adderley, who was impressed with her talent and suggested she move to New York City. The move lead to Wilson landing a recording contract with Capitol and releasing her first single and album in 1960.

The first five songs that kick off this compilation are some of Wilson’s best known recordings, some of which charted on Billboard Magazine’s pop and/or R&B charts: “(You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am” – Pop #11; “Save Your Love For Me” – R&B #11; “Tell Me The Truth” – R&B #22 – others which are considered Nancy Wilson standards.

From Wilson’s rendition of  “Fly Me To The Moon” off her first album, Like in Love, until the playlist’s conclusion, I’ve ordered the songs to play mostly in chronological order, to offer a sense of how Wilson’s music and voice developed from the 1960s on.

Highlights include her recordings with George Shearing and Cannonball Adderley (The Swingin’s Mutual and Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley are two classic Nancy Wilson albums that deserve to be purchased and heard in their entirety), and the live tracks from The Nancy Wilson Show recorded live at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, and the tracks from one of my personal favorite Nancy Wilson albums, 1971’s But Beautiful, where she is backed brilliantly by the Hank Jones Quartet.

I’d also like to point out Wilson’s superlative cover of “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” from her 1970 album Can’t Take My Eyes Off You and the utterly surprising and borderline funky “Tell The Truth” from her 1974 All in Love is Fair LP written by Wilson along with Tennyson Stephens. And YES, the first line is “Bitches taking money and they livin’ well.” Seriously, enjoy.

There are more treasures than I can count in this playlist, especially her later recordings towards the end of her career before she stopped recording such as “When October Goes,” “Peel Me A Grape” and “The Golden Years.”

Wilson passed in 2018 but her music deserves and needs to continued to be appreciated and shared for generations to come. To quote GBN music contributor Jeff Meier from his Facebook tribute to Wilson when she passed:

“While she was probably not a jazz purists favorite jazz performer, a pop fan’s favorite pop singer, nor a soul fan’s top soul artist, she was something in the middle, an accurately self-proclaimed ‘song stylist’ who was a true pioneer in African-American ‘supper club’ entertainment, blending the best from the American songbook – pop, jazz, blues, show tunes into one stylish mix.

In the vein of Johnny Mathis and Lena Horne, she was beautiful, elegant, classy – and therefore also the perfect archetype of ‘guest’ to help integrate television in the early ’60s, when she was regularly featured on variety shows like Andy Williams, Hollywood Palace, Danny Kaye, Smothers Brothers, Carol Burnett and many more.

She is undoubtedly what Columbia Records was trying to turn Aretha Franklin into before Aretha broke free for Atlantic to become her true self. Good thing, because just as there was only one Aretha, there was also only one Nancy Wilson.”

I hope you enjoy this playlist, and please know we are still working behind the scenes on re-creating and offering our playlists via Apple Music for those who would like a non-Spotify option. As soon as they are ready, I’ll be sure to post and let you know.

2/22/22 UPDATE:

Good Black News is now officially on Apple Music! Going forward, we will offer all MUSIC MONDAY playlists on both platforms. Slowly but surely, we will add the playlists from past Music Mondays on Apple Music as well. Enjoy!