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Posts tagged as ““One Night In Miami””

MUSIC MONDAY: “A Change is Gonna Come” – A Sam Cooke Birthday Tribute Playlist (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “A Change is Gonna Come” – A Sam Cooke Birthday Tribute Playlist (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on January 25, 2021

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Last week marked the 90th anniversary of the birth of Sam Cooke, one of the most famous gospel and pop singers in American music history.

Along with Ray Charles, he was one of the earliest artists to span both musical genres. By the end of his short life, he heralded the advent of Soul.

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Cooke’s magical voice animated a long string of hits that came to a sudden end, when he was shot and killed in a motel manager’s office in 1964. The brotha was 33.

As the lead singer of the gospel group, The Soul Stirrers, and a solo artist he was a writer and singer of great impact. Today folks still speculate about his violent and senseless death.

Certainly director Regina King and writer Kemp Power’s One Night in Miami will introduce a new generation to Cooke though the beautiful performance of Leslie Odom Jr. Please enjoy this collection of Sam Cooke’s finest offerings.

As always, stay sane, safe, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
MUSIC MONDAY: An MLK Day 2021 Celebration Playlist (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: An MLK Day 2021 Celebration Playlist (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on January 18, 2021

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

More than 50 years after his death, I can only wonder what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would think of the upheaval of 2020; of the push back on the sentiment that “Black Lives Matter,” and a white supremacist insurgency in our nation’s capital.

Would-be nazis and neo-confederates beating and murdering police on their way into storming the people’s house. We have come far as a nation, and yet what Brotha Ta-Nehisi Coates calls the “beautiful struggle” continues unabated.

As well all celebrate, serve, and/or reflect on this special of American holidays, here’s a collection of music for your mind, heart, and soul. (And in some cases, dat booty too.)

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Many are classics that inspired the Freedom Riders during the civil rights movement, and others were written in the wake of George Floyd‘s murder and the protests that followed.

For my money 2020 was a good year for films by and Black people, as well as the sounds from them. One Night In Miami, Sylvie’s Love, Soul, and the Small Axe series to name but a few. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Da 5 Bloods both featured posthumous performances by the great Chadwick Boseman.

Here’s more than 17 hours of music to help steel you for the days, weeks, and months 2021 is certain to bring.

I plan to be back with more next week, y’all. Stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)