Talkin’ Music with Jack; Singing Other Artists Praises, I just dig it!

Singing Other Artists Praises

I Just Dig it!

By Jack Coll

8-16-14

      I spend a lot of time in the frame shop listening to music, different days bring different radio stations, and then we have different radio stations in different areas of the shop.  If you’re standing in our gallery area/main part of the store your likely to hear WMMR at 93.3 for the better part of the day, depending on the static, sometimes late in the day we will switch to a Reading station at 102.5, or WMGK at 102.9.  If you go down into the “Press Room” where we dry-mount customers work your likely to be listening to WOGL 98.1, and if you go back into our working shop country music at 92.5 can be heard following the Preston & Steve WMMR morning show.  We run the full length of the dial, sometimes 95.7, sometimes B-101 and sometimes we play one of our more than 500 CD’s.

However on Saturday’s we seem to always listen to Angela Mason on WOGL 98.1, her show follows Casey Kasem rerun’s which I seem to enjoy very much.  Angela by all accounts is very good at what she does, she brings energy to the day and works off a different play list than they have during the week.

Among other songs I can always count on hearing The Trammps “Disco Inferno,” and one of the greatest songs ever performed “Midnight Train to Georgia” sung by Gladys Knight and the Pips.

So a few weeks ago Angela was winding down her show late in the day and she pops on Arthur Connelly with his smash hit called “Sweet Soul Music.”  I gotta tell ya I’ve always dug songs that mention or praise other artist like the song “Sweet Soul Music.”

The song was co-written by Conley and Otis Redding and resulted in a lawsuit by Sam Cooke’s business partner J. W. Alexander for plagiarizing the melody.  A settlement was reached in which Cook’s name was added to the writer credits, (resulting in life-time payments for the use of the song, although Cooke was killed years earlier, the publishing company receives royalties to this day.)

In the song Conley mentions several other artists while paying homage to soul music, he sings the following lyrics and mentions these songs and artists during the course of the song;

“Hold On, I’m Comin’” by Sam and Dave

“Love is a Hurtin’ Thing” by Lou Rawls

“Mustang Sally” by Wilson Pickett, (the wicket, wicket Pickett)

“Going to a Go-Go” by The Miracles, (although the band is not mentioned)

“Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa” by Otis Redding

While no James Brown songs are mentioned Conley sings,

“Spot light on James Brown, he’s the King of them all.”

And finally Conley sings the praises of Otis at the end of the song when he says,

“Otis Redding got the feeling.”

Arthur Conley died of cancer a little more than ten years ago on November 17, 2003, he died in the Netherlands.  Ironically in 2006, three of the artists he mentioned in the song died, Lou Rawls, Wilson Pickett and James Brown.  Otis Redding died in 1967 in a plane crash and Dave Prater of Sam and Dave was killed in a car crash in 1988.  The only living artist who was mentioned in the 1967 hit Sweet Soul Music is Sam Moore, half of the duo Sam and Dave.

(Just a verse or two of Sweet Soul Music)

Verse 4-7

Spotlight on Sam and Dave now

Ah don’t they look boss y’all

Singin’ hold on I’m comin’

Oh yeah, oh yeah

Spotlight on Wilson Pickett

That wicket picket Pickett

Singin’ Mustang Sally

Oh yeah, oh yeah

Spotlight on Otis Redding now

Singing fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa

Fa fa fa f fa fa fa fa

Oh yeah, oh yeah

Spotlight on James Brown now

He’s the king of them all, yeah

He’s the king of them all, yeah

Oh yeah, yeah

Then comes the song “Nightshift,” a 1985 hit by the Commodores, the song was written by Walter Orange, lead singer of the group at that time along with Dennis Lambert and Franne Golde.  The song was recorded in 1984, just months following the deaths of two Soul and Rhythm & Blues legends. The song “Nightshift” was the group’s first hit following the departure of Lionel Richie.  The song “ Nightshift” pays tribute to Jackie Wilson and Marvin Gaye, Wilson died on January 21, 1984 following years of complications caused by a 1975 stroke he suffered at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill New Jersey. Gaye was killed just three months after Wilson died, Gaye died from a gunshot wound following a quarrel with his father on April 1, 1984.

Somehow I’m sure everyone has sung along with this song or at least heard it, perhaps not recognizing what the song is all about, so sing along, or just read the lyrics, kinda sad, but what a great tribute to a couple of legends.

The Commodores

“Nightshift”

Marvin, he was a friend of mine

And he could sing a song

His heart in every line

Marvin sang of the joy and pain

He opened up our minds

And I can hear him say

Aw talk to me son you can see

What’s going on

Say you will sing your songs

Forevermore (evermore)

Gonna be some sweet sounds

Coming down on the nightshift

I bet you’re singing proud

Oh I bet you’ll pull a crowd

Gonna be a long night

It’s gonna be all right

On the nightshift

Oh you found another home

I know you’re not alone

On the nightshift

Jackie (Jackie), hey what’you doing now

It seems like yesterday

When we were working out

Jackie (Jackie, oh) you set

The world on fire

You came and gifted us

Your love it lifted us

Higher and higher

Keep it up and

We’ll be there

At your side

Oh say you will sing

Our songs forevermore (evermore)

Gonna be some sweet sounds

Coming down on the nightshift

I bet you’re singing proud

Oh I bet you’ll pull a crowd

Gonna be a long night

It’s gonna be all right

On the nightshift

Oh you found another home

I know you’re not alone

On the nightshift

     The song “Nightshift” won a Grammy Award in 1985 for Best Vocal R&B Performance by a Duo/Group.  Wilson died when he was 49 years old, Gaye was killed when he was 44 years old.  When I think about the fact that Wilson was in a hospital for nine years before his death having had the stroke at 40 years old, and Gaye leaving us at 44, I think of all the music we missed out on that they still had to give us, when I look up to the heavens, I like to take a moment and softly listen for the “sweet sounds,” that must be flowin’ down from the two of them singing a duet every night, while singing on the nightshift.

Another song that is so cool mentioning other artist is a song performed by the Righteous Brothers called “Rock and Roll Heaven.”  The song was originally recorded by a band called Climax in 1973, the Righteous Brothers covered the song a year later in 1974 and had a hit that went to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  References in the song include:

“Jimi gave us rainbows” refers to Rainbow Bridge by Jimi Hendrix.

“Janis took a piece of our hearts” refers to the recording of

 “Piece of My Heart” by Big Brother and the Holding Company

 Featuring Janis Joplin.

“Otis brought us all to the dock of the bay” refers to

(Sittin’ On) “The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Readding.

“Sing a song to light my fire, remember Jim that way” refers to

“Light My Fire” by The Doors which featured Jim Morrison.

“Remember bad bad Leroy Brown, Hey Jimmy touched us with that song”

Refers to “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce.

“Bobby gave us Mack the Knife” refers to

Bobby Darin’s recording of Mack the Knife.

You’ll know the song when you hear it, it has the unmistakable Righteous Brothers sound, and the first verse goes like this:

If you believe in forever

Then life is just a one-night stand

If there’s a rock n’ roll heaven

Well you know they’ve got a hell of a band, band, band

Jimmy gave us rainbows and Janis

Took a piece of our hearts

And Otis brought us all to the dock of a bay

Sing a song to light my fire,

Remember Jim that way,

They’ve all found another place

Another place to play.

There are a few more songs that mention other songs and artists but I want to get to one of my favorites and a song I consider one of the greatest.  Spyder Turner, most of you guys are looking at that name and wondering who.  Spyder was raised in Detroit singing in doo wop groups and that led him to his first recording session after winning a contest at the Apollo Theatre in New York.  In 1966 Spyder recorded a cover of a soul number “Stand by Me,” a hit by Ben E. King five years earlier in 1961.

Spyder not only imitated Ben E. King in the song but imitated Smokey Robinson, Chuck Jackson and Billy Stewart among others.  The song climbed the charts in 1967 giving Spyder his biggest hit in his career.  Midway through the song Spyder goes off into, well something like this:

(Mid-way through the song all to the tune of Stand by Me)

Oh my darlin’ won’t you stand by me

Jackie Wilson might say (In a Jackie Wilson voice)

“Please don’t go, Jackie Wilson might say

Please Don’t Go

Oh my darlin’ won’t you stand by me.”

David Ruffin of the Temptations might say

(In a David Ruffin voice)

“I’ve got sunshine

On a cloudy day

Yea when it’s cold outside

I’ve got the month of May.”

Billy Stewart might say (in Billy Stewart’s voice)

“A Baby A baby A baby A won’t you com-on, a com’on

Home to me my darlin’ I said a right now

Oh yea, Oh my darlin’ won’t you stand by me

 Smokey Robinson of the Miracles might say

(In a great Smoky voice)

I will build you a castle with the tower so high

Chuck Jackson might say

(In a loud booming Chuck Jackson voice)

Any day now, don’t go away beautiful girl

Any day now

Baby, Baby, Baby

My name is Spyder Turner and I’ll get down on my knee and say

Stand by me, stand by me, oh my darlin’ won’t you stand by me.

On live versions Spyder also imitates Sam Cooke, Al Green, Jerry Butler,  (the Ice Man); Melvin Franklin of the Temptations, Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops, Diane Ross, Joe Tex, Otis Redding, James Brown and many more.

The song really is that great, if you u-tube-it you should listen to the original first, and then check out a live version or two.  Spyder Turner is about 65 years old and still performs in the Detroit area regularly.  Although Spyder had a number of hits on the Soul charts he will always be remembered for this one, “Stand by Me’ with a whole bunch of his friends.

How about it, do you have a favorite song that mentions other songs and artist, I still think it’s pretty cool.

This week’s Talkin’ Music is brought to you by:

Knucklehead Productions &

Jennifer Lynn Photography