Sharon Cullars Coffee Talk at 9/10/2009 08:32:00 PMPermanent Link |
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Monday, February 09, 2009
Appreciating Ruth Brown
Not only a great voice in her day, but an avid spokesperson for musicians. In the late 80s, Ms. Brown pushed for the rights of musicians to receive their fair share regarding royalties and contracts. Remember back in the day, singers were basically screwed over, their songs and rights stolen, so this was a huge deal. That this little woman was able to take on a whole system and win tells you a lot about her influence. Her many hits in the 50s led industry folk to term Atlantic Records, "the house that Ruth built."
In her later years, she won accolades for her acting as well. I never heard of her before she played Motormouth Maybelle in the first cinematic incarnation of Hairspray. Then I learned a little bit more about her via a documentary on Ray Charles about how competitive they were on their tours together. Seeing her performances in these vids, I can well imagine that Ray was more than a bit intimidated. I know I would have been. Enjoy "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean" and her soulful duet with B.B. King, "Ain't Nobody's Business." Just listen to that voice, a rarity in today's musical landscape.
Sharon Cullars Coffee Talk at 2/09/2009 09:35:00 AMPermanent Link |
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Sunday, December 14, 2008
New Category - The Underappreciated
Every so often, I will post vids of those entertainers whom I think are un- or underappreciated, not so much by their audiences but by the major studios whose myopia presents a tunnel vision of what good music is. Not taking from Ms. Beyonce, but being overhyped also detracts from a gem. She's got it going on, but so do a lot of other artists who are not receiving their due.
So for the first of my series, here is a singer/songwriter who has a phenomenal voice as well as repetoire. Versatile in verse and fluid in vocalization, Rahsaahn Patterson has written songs for a number of artists, including Brandy and Tevin Campbell, and has done some fine collaborations with the likes of Jimmy Sommers and Ledisi. Here is his "Feels Good" which is silky, silky soulful, something that is rare in music nowadays.
