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Posts tagged as “Robert Johnson”

MUSIC MONDAY: “AfroStones” – A Blues and R&B-Filled Rolling Stones Collection (LISTEN)

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

Back in the fall of 1981 when I was in my first semester at Columbia College, I became friends with a fellow from a Chicagoland suburb.

He was a dyed-in-the-wool Rolling Stones fan. One afternoon their version of “Just My Imagination” played on the radio near us. I recall mentioning it was a Temptations cover, and with some level of indignation, he told me that Jagger and Richards wrote EVERY song The Stones performed.

I was shocked. We were decades away from being able to Google such matters at the moment. I was forced to leave him to the dubious opinion. I can only hope in the decades since that he’s come to know better.

Not only was that song a cover but the Rolling Stones, for better or worse, have been the heralds of Blues and R&B for generations of Americans who would rather enjoy Black music through the filter of whiteness.

Here is AfroStones, a collection of essential songs performed by Black artists that the Rolling Stones covered.

You will find Chuck Berry, Robert Johnson, The Drifters, and Solomon Burke to name a few. Throughout this collection, the original songs are presented back to back with the Stone’s covers.

Needless to say, along with touring as the opening act for Little Richard, the Stones learned a lot from these songs and built a 50-year career on them.

Mick Jagger has long acknowledged his debt to Black America, but is not a one-way street. This collection also features Black artists covering the Stones.

Sharon Jones, Musiq Soulchild, Etta James, and others. Merry Clayton, who’s featured prominently on “Gimme Shelter”, is present with her own version of the Stones classic.

I’ve also included tracks by De La Soul, Little Simz, Snoop Dogg, and others that feature samples of their music.

As Muddy Waters said in an interview, “They stole my music, but they gave me my name.” Yet he also provided them with their name when they adopted the title of his song, “Rollin’ Stone.”

And as always, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

MUSIC MONDAY: “AfroZeppelin” – A Rhythm & Blues-Filled Led Zeppelin Collection (LISTEN)

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

Happy Labor Day, y’all! It is no toil for me to offer up another playlist on this holiday Monday.

After June’s AfroBowie collection, our editor-in-chief, Lori Lakin Hutcherson, suggested a few more in a series of collections of rock musicians inspired by and in collaboration with Black artists.

So here is the second offering: AfroZeppelin. While David Bowie championed and collaborated with Black music-makers throughout his long career, Led Zeppelin’s connections were not as overt.

[spotifyplaybutton play=”https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0QkE8My0fAKL099UNg0n0m?si=d44ac4291a2449bb”]

Outselling the Beatles and toppling them as icons of a new era of rock and roll, Zeppelin was the perfect combo of the Delta blues, London’s swinging scene and the myriad of cultural influences.

The influence of the street-tough Chicago blues of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf taught them much about swinging boogie. Over the decades many of their famous riffs and lyrics would come under fire. The allegations have brought several lawsuits as well, most of them settled out of court discreetly.

In the case of “Whole Lotta Love”, the song credits were later amended to include Willie Dixon, who claimed Robert Plant used his lyrics from “You Need Love”.

“The Lemon Song” is an expansion of a musical phrase featured in Robert Johnson’s “Traveling Riverside Blues”.

I’ve gathered many of the songs covered and referenced by Led Zeppelin, and their own versions of said tracks. Of course, they have been covered many times themselves.

I’ve included Zeppelin covers by Mary J. Blige, Lizz Wright, and Stanley Jordan. You’ll also find many classic cuts that feature Led Zeppelin samples too.

Here’s Beyoncé, Ice T, Jurassic 5, D12, Dr. Dre, Beastie Boys and many others.

This collection of great tracks stands as another example that no artist creates in a vacuum. Whether the influences are readily acknowledged, each creator makes offerings informed by what came before.

Do enjoy! Until next month! Stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)

Michael Jordan to Invest $500,000 in Literacy Programs in Charlotte, N.C.

michael jordan
Michael Jordan (Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

article via ebony.com

Since hanging up his signature sneakers, basketball legend Michael Jordan has been focusing his attention on conquering the business world. And it’s worked.
Back in 2015, the NBA Hall of Famer joined the billionaires club, thanks to his investment in the Charlotte Hornets. Today, Jordan owns approximately 90 percent of the franchise, and his lucrative deals with Nike, Hanes, and Gatorade continue to pay hefty dividends years after he retired from the league.
Monday, Jordan announced he—along with corporate donors like Bank of America and Lowe’s—are investing $500,000 into the community that supports his team.
“When I took over majority control of the team, one of the biggest impacts I wanted…was to reconnect back to the community,” Jordan said on Monday during the team’s annual day of community service. “I felt (that connection) was lost a little bit with the previous ownership, and I felt it was very important.”
Jordan continued: “Six years later, here we are…I am very proud of the commitment of the organization to the community. My dedication, my drive, is to continue to connect with this community.”
Since taking over as majority owner of the Hornets from BET founder Robert Johnson, Jordan and the team have invested more than $3 million into the community. In 2010, he donated $250,000 to save Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ middle school sports programs, and now he’s turning his attention to literacy.
According to the Charlotte Observer, the $500,000 investment will include funding for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library Foundation, Freedom School Partners, Child Care Resources Inc., and CrossRoads Corp. Jordan and the team also plan to help build 18 libraries around the city and donate thousands of books.
Read more at EBONY http://www.ebony.com/entertainment-culture/michael-jordan-giving-back#ixzz4CGroSh9a 

BET Founder Robert Johnson And Tracy Edmonds To Develop Inspirational YouTube Channel ‘ALRIGHT TV’

BET founder and chairman of the RLJ companies, Robert Johnson, is developing a faith-friendly channel on YouTube. ALRIGHT TV will produce entertainment, comedy, reality, self-help, music, talk programs and hopes to provide inspirational content to viewers of all ages.