February 27, 2021 - JS - Black History Month

 

Rockin' Remnants




Rockin' Remnants is broadcast from WVBR-FM Ithaca. Check out our webpage, like us on Facebook, and tune in to 93.5 or stream the show every Saturday night from 6-9pm! (Or download the WVBR+ app now available for iOS and Android!)

 

Thanks to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!

 

Date:  2/27/21

Host:  John Simon

Feature:  Black History Month

 

 

 Tonight we celebrate Black History Month with a spotlight on Motown Records, the most successful Black-owned record label of the Rockin' Remnants era - through the lens of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending March 1, 1969. The Motown family of labels (Motown, Gordy, Tamla, Soul) held down 9 slots out of 100 (plus 3 in the "Bubbling Under" chart), and had a net worth of $61 million. Not bad for an operation that opened with an $800 investment nine years earlier!

 

 

Playlist

 

 

·     look for YouTube links below certain songs

·      songs with * were requests

·      all chart information comes from the Billboard Top 100 (for chart dates before/during July 1958) or Billboard Hot 100 (for chart dates during/after Aug 1958) unless otherwise noted

·      a glossary of terms is below the playlist

 

 

6-7pm 

 

 

OPENING THEME:  Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969, #29, produced by Jimi Hendrix)

 

My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) - David Ruffin (at #23, headed to #9 Pop and #3 R&B - David Ruffin had recently been fired as the lead singer of the label's biggest male group, due to increasingly erratic and divisive behavior - including a demand to be given top billing, as Diana Ross had been granted with The Supremes. This song was originally slated to be the Tempts' next single. Instead, it was assigned to Ruffin, who - accompanied by fellow label-mates The Originals - took it to the upper reaches of both charts. True to its ironic title, it would prove to be his last major hit.)

 

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - Diana Ross & The Supremes & Temptations (#2, Pop and R&B - taken from their wildly successful joint TV Special entitled "TCB," this would prove that the Temptations would be fine minus David Ruffin - and it would help prepare the world for Diana Ross' next maneuver as a solo star.)

 

Didn't You Know You'd Have to Cry Some Time - Gladys Knight & Pips (bubbling under, headed to #63 Pop and #11 R&B - the departure of writers/producers Holland-Dozier-Holland opened doors for other eager practitioners. In this case, it was Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, who wrote and produced this record. It would be their only one with Gladys Knight & The Pips, but it's a great one.)

 

I'm Livin' In Shame - Diana Ross & Supremes (#10 Pop, #8 R&B - hot on the heels of their topical smash Love Child came this dramatic confessional from Motown's biggest group. It wasn't a love song, it wasn't a dance tune...but it may have prompted several people to call their moms.)

 

* Good Lovin' Ain't Easy To Come By - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#30 Pop, #11 R&B - Tammi Terrell had collapsed on stage in concert with Marvin Gaye one year earlier, and the cause was an undetected brain tumor. The prognosis was dire, and she went in for brain surgery in early 1968. By the time of this recording session, she was too sick to sing. Allegedly, co-writer/producer Valerie Simpson sang her parts. On March 16, 1970 Tammi Terrell died - not yet 25 years old, leaving Marvin Gaye bereft and broken.)

 

Run Away Child Running Wild - Temptations (#6 Pop, #1 R&B for two weeks - again, they proved that they'd be fine without David Ruffin - and that they weren't limited to love songs in order to sell records. Check out JR's Feb. 6th Blog for a cool video from the Ed Sullivan show!)

 

Give Her a Transplant - Intruders (peaking at #104 Pop, headed to #23 R&B - much as Motown was finding great success in Detroit, Philadelphia International Records was tearing it up in Philly. Label owners Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff borrowed heavily from the Motown model: they owned the recording studio, the labels, the masters, the publishing company...plus, they wrote many of the songs - AND they had a killer in-house band to create a consistent "hit" sound.)

 

* Only The Strong Survive - Jerry Butler (debuting on this date at #70, headed to to #4 Pop and #1 R&B - production credit goes to Gamble & Huff, instruments played by MFSB - and suddenly Jerry Butler was relevant again!)

 

Cloud Nine - Mongo Santamaria (#45, headed to #33 Pop, #32 R&B - this sizzling percussion-drenched rendition of the Temptations' hit from three months prior was one of five soulful instrumentals on this week's chart. Move those hips!)

 

* The Weight - Aretha Franklin (at #34 this week, headed to #19 Pop and #3 R&B - Aretha found a whole new audience when Atlantic Records rescued her from relative anonymity over at Columbia, and this sizzling cover of The Band tune marked a new "sound" for her. That's session guitarist Duane Allman kicking it off with a bottleneck slide. Within a year he'd become one of the hottest session players around. Within two years he'd start his own band. Within four years he'd be dead at age 27.)

 

* Hey Jude - Wilson Pickett (#23 Pop, #13 R&B - in a bold move, Atlantic released this one as The Beatles' original version was still at #1. The two versions crossed paths a few weeks earlier, and this one was firmly planted on this week's chart. Again, that's Duane Allman wailing away on the guitar. Wilson Pickett dubbed him "Skyman" because he was "always so up!")

 

Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone (the #1 record on this date in 1969 in its third of four weeks - the nation was reeling from racial violence over the past eighteen months: the violent Democratic Convention in Chicago, the assassinations of MLK and RFK, the bloody murder of Black Panther Fred Hampton six weeks earlier.... and along comes this multi-racial band with its "children's song" anthem promoting harmony and unity. By the time they'd hit the stage at Woodstock in August, they'd be the hottest band in the world. The song still resonates fifty years later. Check out this stunning version from several years ago.)

 

 

 

7-8pm

 

 Birthday Calendar

 

February 21 – Nina Simone – born in 1933

            

February 22 – Ernie K-Doe – born in 1936

 

February 23 – Johnny Winter – born in 1944

            – Rusty Young (Poco) – age 75

 

February 24 – Nicky Hopkins – born in 1944

 

February 25 – George Harrison – born in 1943

 

February 26 – Fats Domino – born in 1928                

              – Paul Cotton (Poco) – age 78

              – Mitch Ryder – age 76

              – Evie Sands – age 74

 

 

 

 

Walkin' To New Orleans - Fats Domino (6/60; #6 Pop, #2 R&B - one of the biggest trailblazing pioneers of Rock 'n' Roll music was New Orleans' most famous son. John Lennon was once quoted as saying "There wouldn't have been a 'Beatles' without Fats Domino.")

 

Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta - Ernie K-Doe (6/61; #53 Pop, #21 R&B - best known for his novelty record "Mother-In-Law," Ernest Kador was a major talent from the Crescent City.)

 

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Nina Simone (12/64; #131 - part of tonight's show will be a glimpse into the "source" material for many of the British Invasion acts. Many of those acts were Black American women. Here's the original version of The Animals' #15 hit from two months later. We'll hear more from Nina Simone in Hour #3.)

 

I Can't Let Go - Evie Sands (1964; dnc - Brooklyn native Evie Sands is most famous for her tragic legacy of having great songs "stolen" by other acts, leaving her uncredited and unknown. Think Angel of The Morning. Take Me For a Little While. And this smash breakthrough single for The Hollies. She's worth seeking out.)

 

Roll Over Beethoven - Beatles (6/64; #68 - the quartet from Liverpool got their start as a "cover band," working up versions of obscure R&B records brought over by longshoremen and sailors. This Chuck Berry cover features young George Harrison on guitar licks and vocals, and was one of dozens of Beatles LP tracks that would be released as singles.)

 

Devil With a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Mollie - Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels (10/66; #4 Pop - this sizzling medley of a Shorty Long song + a Little Richard song was recorded by one of Detroit's hottest young bands. Despite its energy and pedigree, it never appeared anywhere on R&B/Soul radio. Tonight we hear the blistering mono 45 version.)

 

Johnny B. Goode - Johnny Winter (1/70; #92 - Chuck Berry remains one of the most heavily covered guitarists/songwriters of them all. This version of his most famous composition was a concert staple for Johnny Winter, an albino Blues master from Beaumont, Texas.)

 

* Give Me Love - (Give Me Peace On Earth) - George Harrison (6/73; #1 - two birthday guys appear on this #1 single: the writer/singer/guitarist himself and piano man Nicky Hopkins. Of all the Beatles, George seems to have been the most successful solo artist of the lot.)

 

* A Good Feelin' To Know - Poco (6/72; dnc - again, two birthday guys appear on this non-charting single: pedal steel/singer Rusty Young and guitarist/singer Paul Cotton. This one goes out at the behest of John-in-Freeville.)

 

Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except For Me and My Monkey - Fats Domino (4/69; dnc - this was released as a single on the Reprise label and is considered one of the best Beatles covers of them all. Shoulda been a hit - but it's another good reason to buy this CD!)

 

* Go Now - Bessie Banks (1/64; dnc - this was released on the small Tiger Records label, which had limited distribution and an even smaller promotions budget. Somehow, a copy made its way across the Atlantic and The Moody Blues recorded a slightly sped-up rendition that became their first big hit. Listen carefully for background vocals from both Cissy Houston and Dee Dee Warwick.)

 

Time Is On My Side - Irma Thomas (6/64; #129 Cash Box - and this one reached the Rolling Stones, who recorded a true-to-the-original version that reached #6 in the States four months later.)

 

Just One Look - Doris Troy (6/63; #10 Pop, #3 R&B - according to Gregory James: "Horace Ott on piano. Troy says the record was made as a demo, but Atlantic Records liked it so much, they released the demo as the finished product." The Hollies liked it so much that they released it twice - and it charted both times!)

 

 

 

8-9pm

 
 

Yesterday - Ray Charles (11/67; #25 Pop, #9 R&B - there have been many covers of this Paul McCartney classic over the years - 1,600 by 1986, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. This may well be the best of them.)

 

I Saw Her Standing There - Little Richard (9/70; dnc - this was the B-side of his low-charting Greenwood Mississippi, which hit #85. He was a major influence on the Beatles, who covered his Long Tall Sally among others. He also taught Paul how to go "Woooo!" This is a blistering cover of one of the group's earliest songs, and can also be found on the "Come Together" compilation mentioned earlier.)

 

* Sophisticated Cissy - Meters (#50, headed to #34 Pop, #7 R&B - back to our chart date with a few more killer Soul tunes. Anchored by keyboardist Art Neville, these guys were one of tightest instrumental groups of the era. This goes out at the behest of Mark & Abby in Virginia.)

 

* Can I Change My Mind - Tyrone Davis (#5 Pop, #1 R&B for three weeks - this was originally slated to be the "B-side" of the record, but the folks at Dakar Records clearly didn't realize that they had solid gold in their hands. George from East Genoa did, though  -  this is his request.)

 

Am I The Same Girl - Barbara Acklin (#79 Pop, #33 R&B - this was just climbing the charts as the instrumental version by Young-Holt Unlimited was falling off. The folks at Brunswick Records simply replaced the piano track with Barbara Acklin's voice, added some background vocals, and...voila! The instrumental version had made it all the way to #3.)

 

Somebody Loves You - Delfonics (#72 Pop, #41 R&B - some more sweet Philly Soul for you here. Sales were split because the flip side was the sublime "Ready Or Not Here I Come," which actually out-performed this one. You can read about it in the January 30th Blog entry.)

 

Riot - Hugh Masekela (#55 Pop, #21 R&B - there's no mistaking that this was the same guy who brought you Grazing In The Grass the previous summer. Hugh Masekela was a trail-blazing South African horn player who was married to Miriam Makeba for a while.)

 

I Forgot To Be Your Lover - William Bell (#34 Pop, #7 R&B - here's a Soul label we haven't even mentioned yet: Stax Records! Otis Redding, Staple Singers, Booker T & The MGs and plenty more. William Bell just released his first album in forty years and it includes a sublime re-working of this beauty.)

 

* Don't Forget About Me - Dusty Springfield (debuting at #88, headed to #64 - this follow-up to Son of a Preacher Man from her LP "Dusty In Memphis" was one SIX songs from that album - including B-sides - to chart on the Hot 100. If Aretha was "The Queen of Soul," Dusty was the "Blue-Eyed Soul Queen.")

 

Twenty-Five Miles - Edwin Starr (at #66, headed to #6 both Pop and R&B - Berry Gordy was getting really agitated because this guy was cutting so many great records across town - many of them featuring his very own "moonlighting" Funk Brothers - that he just bought the label and signed the artist. It was a good move!)

 

45 Corner: I've Gotta Be Me - Sammy Davis, Jr. (at #15, headed to #11 Pop - here's an interesting entry in our "Black History Month" show: a record by one of the greatest African American entertainers of his time, yet it garnered absolutely no recognition on the R&B charts, despite its stirring message of independence and bucking the system. Maybe it was because he was also Jewish, and married to a white woman, and palled around with Sinatra and Dino, et al. Still, it's a great record, and deserves to be heard again.)

 

* It's All Right - Impressions (10/63; #4 Pop, #1 R&B for two weeks- Curtis Mayfield was another remarkable African American entrepreneur who did it all: wrote and arranged the songs, played guitar on the sessions, signed and mentored upcoming artists, formed his own record labels....and then he launched his own very successful solo career, which included soundtrack work. Here's an early example of how he borrowed from his Gospel upbringing. This request is from Doug in Southern California.)

 

To Be Young, Gifted and Black - Nina Simone (12/69; #76 Pop, #8 R&B - songs promoting African American pride were beginning to sprout up everywhere, by artists ranging from Curtis Mayfield and James Brown to Aretha Franklin and even her label mates The Rascals. This one was written to honor Nina Simone's friend Lorraine Hansberry, author of Raisin In The Sun.)

 

Black Pearl - Sonny Charles & Checkmates, Ltd. (5/69; #13 Pop, #8 R&B - this one can also be found in the January 30th Blog post. Many consider it to be Phil Spector's final great production. I still get goosebumps when I play it, and I hope that every Black girl child gets to hear it really loud  -  and regularly.)

 

 

 

CLOSING THEME:  Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)

 

Glossary of Terms:

dnc = did not chart

nr = not released as a single at the time

AC = Billboard’s chart for “Adult Contemporary” records

BB = Billboard Magazine, which publishes the Hot 100 chart (previously known as the Top 100), along with several other charts

Bubbling Under = songs that were ranked but fell below the top 100

C&W = Billboard’s chart for “Country & Western” records

R&B = Billboard’s chart for “Rhythm & Blues” records

RRHOF = Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

RS500 = Rolling Stone Magazine’s ranked list of the top 500 singles of all-time

 

 

 

 

Host Next Week (3/6/21):  Gregory James with a spotlight on records charting at #9, #3 or #5 in Remnants years ending in 9, 3 or 5. In other words? "Brought to you by the numbers 9, 3 and 5!"

 

 

 

Thanks for tuning in! You can listen to Rockin' Remnants every Saturday night from 6-9pm on WVBR (93.5 FM in Ithaca, NY) or at wvbr.com/listen.

 

Thanks again to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!