Photo via Facebook / Al Jarreau
For Thanksgiving Day, I offer thanks to 16 ground-breaking blues, jazz and R&B vocalists we’ve lost—many of whom I interviewed in Milwaukee. Each made lasting contributions to American black culture.
Alwin “Al” Jarreau: Milwaukee’s own vocal star—and my dear boyhood friend—honored me Nov. 11, 1994, by appearing live for our memorable “Music, Music, Music” show on WNOV radio’s popular “Carter-McGee Report.” Three TV stations filmed it.
LaVern Baker: One of R&B’s stirring female voices (“Tomorrow Night,” “Soul on Fire,” “Play it Fair,” “See See Rider,” “Jim Dandy,” “After You’ve Gone“) tore it up. Her “Tweedlee Dee,” covered for whites by Georgia Gibbs, blurred LaVern’s true credit.
Chuck Berry: Known for popularizing rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s, Chuck’s rollicking style burst forth with the likes of “School Day,” Maybellene,” “Roll Over Beethoven” “Johnny B. Goode” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music.” And whites learned to love him.
James Brown: “Please, Please, Please” with his Famous Flames is still my fave, and “Living in America” opened my top-rated “Carter-McGee Report” here in 1994-95. “The Godfather of Soul” graciously provided a testimonial for my authorized biography “Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight: The Story of The Spaniels” (August Press-1995).
Ruth Brown: The best female vocalist of R&B’s golden era (1953-1963) on “Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean,” “Daddy, Daddy,” “So Long,” “5-10-15 Hours,” “Oh, What a Dream” and “Have a Good Time.” Ms. Ruth transformed Atlantic Records into a hit-making factory, and the label became known as “The House that Ruth Built.”
Ray Charles: Hits abounded: “Mess Around,” “I’ve Got a Woman,” “Come Back, Baby,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “Born to Lose,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “Ruby,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “You Don’t Know Me,” “Yesterday” and many, many more.
Antoine “Fats” Domino: Fats gave me an interview in 1965 when was a young reporter with the Milwaukee Sentinel. As we talked, he broke into a cappella riffs from “Yes It’s Me and I’m in Love Again,” “I’m Walkin’,” “Blueberry Hill,” “Blue Monday,” “Whole Lotta Lovin,” “Walkin’ to New Orleans” and “Ain’t That a Shame.” He was tops.
Ella Fitzgerald: Long known as the “First Lady of Song,” Ella recorded more than 200 albums and some 2,000 songs in a five-decade career on the Decca, Verve, Capitol Columbia and Pablo labels. Stunning on everything from ballads to “scat,” her countless hits included “Lullaby of Birdland,” “For Sentimental Reasons” and “Air Mail Special.”
Aretha Franklin: The “Queen of Soul” first hit big in 1967 with sensational versions of “Respect” and “A Natural Woman” and never looked back. My fave was her delicious Soul Food Cafe jam on “Think” in 1980’s The Blues Brothers, with adoring stars John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, in sun-shades, black hats and black suits.
Gerald “Bounce” Gregory: The greatest bass of doo-wop and original Black R&B, Gerald’s riffs on “Baby, It’s You” and “Doncha’ Go” and Spaniels’ leads on “Heart and Soul,” “Zing,” “You Don’t Move Me” and “Bounce” were classics. His booming lead-in to “Goodnight Sweetheart” has been copied but never equaled. A true nonpareil.
Billie Holiday: The incomparable “Lady Day”—who held forth from the 1930s-‘50s—was miles ahead of her time. Her emotional voice was simply astounding on the likes of “Strange Fruit,” “Lover Man,” “Them There Eyes,” “The Man I Love,” “All of Me” and many others. Billie was portrayed by Diana Ross in 1972’s Lady Sings the Blues.
James “Pookie” Hudson: Songwriter extraordinaire and founder of the Spaniels of “Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight” fame, is renowned as best group lead singer of doo-wop and black R&B, beginning with the haunting “Baby, It’s You” (1953). A true gentleman, Pookie was role model for Aaron Neville, Jerry Butler and other fine soloists.
Eddie Kendricks: His sweet tenor keyed Temptations’ hits “The Way You Do The Things You Do,” “Get Ready,” “You’re My Everything” “The Girl’s Alright With Me,” “I‘m Gonna Make You Love Me” and “Just My Imagination,” as they surged to the top.
Clyde McPhatter: Top tenor of the Dominoes and original Drifters, Clyde’s leads on “Honey Love,” “Money Honey” and “White Christmas” preceded his solo hits on “Seven Days” and “A Lover’s Question.” One of my cherished memories was a call from Clyde’s daughter thanking me for a column I wrote about him in the New York Daily News.
David Ruffin: The most distinctive lead group voice of Motown’s soul music era, his gutteral, albeit smooth take with the sensational Temptations stands alone. His “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “I Wish It Would Rain,” “Since I Lost My Baby,” “I’m Losing You” and “Beauty is Only Skin Deep” retain their majesty to this day.
Sarah Vaughan: Debuting at the Apollo with Billy Eckstine’s band, she went on to display amazing range on “Perdido,” “Misty,” “I Ran All the Way Home,” “Whatever Lola Wants,” “Corner to Corner, “You’re Mine, You,” “Linger Awhile,” “Time” and countless others. On his memorable 1960s TV show, Frank Sinatra opined: “Sassy sings so good she makes me want to slash my wrists.” High praise from the best to the best.
None of us on earth should forget any of them in heaven.
