Farewell to a Songwriter

 

Today, we lost American lyricist Gerry Goffin, known for his successful songwriting career with first wife Carole King. Goffin was born in Brooklyn in 1939. Twenty years later, he married King, whom he'd met while both were attending Queens College, when he was 20 and she was 17. During his career, Goffin co-wrote seven #1 Billboard hits and a total of 59 Top-40 hits, including The Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday," The Everly Brothers' "Crying in the Rain," Bobby Vee's "Take Good Care of My Baby" and James Taylor's "You've Got a Friend."
In 1990, Goffin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with King. He passed away of natural causes at the age of 75, but leaves quite the musical legacy.

The husband-wife songwriting team found their breakthrough hit with "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," which was recorded by The Shirelles and went to #1 on the Billboard chart in January 1961.


In 1962, Goffin and King gave a huge hit to Little Eva with 'The Loco-Motion," a song notable for appearing in the American Top-5 three times, each time in a different decade with a different artist: Little Eva (1962, #1), Grand Funk Railroad (1974, #1), and Kylie Minogue (1988, #3). Eva Boyd was initially the babysitter for Goffin children before the couple discovered she had a good voice. There was no dance when the song was originally written and Boyd ended up having to create a dance to go along with it.

Originally recorded by Earl-Jean of The Cookies in 1964, England's Herman's Hermits turned the Goffin/King tune "I'm Into Something Good" into a #1 UK hit and US Top-20 hit that same year.  

Goffin co-wrote rock hits for other British Invasion bands like The Animals, who reached #6 in the  UK with "Don't Bring Me Down" in 1965. Rolling Stone magazine would later write that "Don't Bring Me Down" represented one side of the Goffin-King "boy-girl, loneliness-togetherness" duality

In 1967, powerhouse soul singer Aretha Franklin scored a bit hit and standard for her with Goffin/King's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman." Carole King also recorded this classic on her landmark 1971 album Tapestry, and has been covered by many other artists.

This isn't even the tip of the musical iceberg that came from this celebrated writing-producing team but demonstrates the great variety of tunes that have touched millions of people over the decades. Farewell, Mr. Goffin!

Respect

Soul Music: Part 2
Today, we'll begin with one of the greatest singers of all time, Aretha Franklin, "The Queen of Soul," and the one female with the most million-selling singles ever. Beginning her music career in the late 1950s, it wasn't until the release of her single "Respect" in August 1967 when she reached international stardom. Written and originally released by Otis Redding, Franklin's cover version is considered to be one of the best songs of the R&B era, earning her two Grammy Awards in 1968 for "Best Rhythm & Blues Recording" and "Best Rhythm & Blues Solo Vocal Performance: Female." Also featuring Aretha's sisters, Carolyn and Erma, as backup singers, this song became a crossover hit when it reached #1 on both pop and R&B charts. It was also a landmark song for the feminist movement, and is included among the Songs of the Century. The last line of the song "Take care...TCB" was often misunderstood, however, it was an abbreviation for "taking care of business" which was widely used in the African-American culture are the time. Here's a classic performance of a song that helped shape music history.

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First featured during the "Songs for Each Day of the Week" Week, Sam Cooke was the first "King of Soul" and founding father of soul music, who paved the way for all soul singers that followed. With his distinctive vocal abilities and influence on the modern world of music, he was also an entrepreneur, forming a record label and publishing company in addition to his singing-songwriting career. Among his 29 Top-40s, one of his most popular was "Wonderful World," written by Cooke with his producer Lou Adler and Herb Alpert (yeah, the trumpet guy). Hitting #12 on the pop charts and #2 on the black charts in the spring of 1960, this bouncy love song was also thought to possibly have a political message, asking white listeners to forget about African-American history (slavery) and of course biology. With so many major hits in a short amount of time, one can only imagine what else Cooke could have accomplished if he hadn't been shot to his death in 1964.

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Another extremely influential artist of his generation was American singer Jackie Wilson, also known as "Mr. Excitement." One of the most dynamic performers in R&B and rock history, Wilson was important in the transition from rhythm and blues into soul. Beginning his career in the mid-1950s, he recorded over 50 hit singles, and his electrifying live performances inspired many other artists including James Brown, Elvis Presley (who dubbed him "The Black Elvis"), and Michael Jackson. However, during a 1975 benefit concert, he collapsed onstage from heart attack and fell into a coma for nine years until his death in 1984. Released in August of 1967, one of his final pop hits was the Chicago soul song "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher," which reached #1 on the R&B charts and #6 on the pop charts. Here's one (#68) of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time performing one (#246) of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

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Active from 1966 to 1983, the San Francisco-based band Sly & the Family Stone was crucial in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music. Led by singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and including his family members and friends, this band was the first major American rock band to have an "integrated, multi-gender" lineup. Released in February 1968, the psychedelic soul single "Dance to the Music" was a widespread, groundbreaking hit for the group, reaching #8 on the charts, and in late 1968, "Everyday People" became their first #1 hit single on both R&B and pop charts. The latter was a plea for peace and equality between different races and social groups (a major focus for the band), and popularized the catchphrase "different strokes for different people." Both written and produced by Sly Stone, as well as both included on the list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, this performance by Sly & the Family Stone features "Dance to the Music" and "Everyday People."

Heat Wave

Motown Week: Part 3
Well, since we're having a heat wave this week here in Southern California, this final Motown post for the week will begin with a little "Heat Wave" by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, one of the most successful Motown groups from 1963 to 1972. Charting over twenty-six hits, these girls are ranked #96 on Rolling Stones' list of the 100 greatest artists of all time, as many of their recordings have become a part of American culture. Their 1964 standard, "Dancing in the Street," has been one of the most covered songs in rock and roll history, however, their smash hit from 1963, "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave," is likely the first song to represent the Motown Sound with its doo-wop call-and-response vocals, gospel beat, and jazzy flavor. Another written by the Motown production team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, this "Heat Wave" is timeless!


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Next up, it's the amazing singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Stevie Wonder, who signed with Motown Records at the age of eleven in 1961 and continues to record for the company to this day! Blind since just shortly after birth, Wonder has recorded more than 30 Top-10 hits and has received 22 Grammy Awards, making him the most awarded male solo artist. One of his most popular early singles is the 1966 hit "Uptight (Everything's Alright)," which he co-wrote (along with Sylvia Moy and Henry Cosby) and recorded at just 15 years old. On the day of the recording, the song's lyrics were not available in braille, so Moy sang the lines to Wonder in the studio and he simply repeated the lines, never missing a beat in the recording session. Ranked at #5 on Billboard's Hot-100 All Time Top Artists, Stevie Wonder's music is pure classic.

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One of the hottest Motown duos of the late-60's was Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, who had their first big hit together with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in 1967 (written by Ashford & Simpson). Known as the "Prince of Motown," Marvin Gaye was the label's top-selling solo artist of the decade, and with his four-octave vocal range, he's ranked #6 among the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Tammi Terrell was the perfect musical match for Gaye, and with her easy-going nature with audiences and his laid-back approach, they were successful on stage. Unfortunately, their stardom together was short-lived after Terrell was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, which led to her death at the age of 24 in 1970 (and also tragic, Gaye was later accidentally shot to death by his own father in 1984). However, their voices live on with their signature, care-free, love duets like this.

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So maybe it's slightly inappropriate to finish Motown week with a non-Motown artist, but hey, it looks we're just wild and crazy here at The 60s Beat! Well, because it's relevant to soul music, we'll end this post with one of the greatest singers of all time, Aretha Franklin, "The Queen of Soul." Franklin is one of the most honored artists by the Grammy Awards, and since 1961, she has scored forty-five Top-40 hits on the Billboard charts. She also has the most million-selling singles of any female artist (14 total), and in 1987, was the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After becoming a superstar with her 1965 hit, "Respect," Franklin went on to sing a string of hits throughout the 1960's (and beyond) including a classic cover of Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer" in 1968. Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Warwick, Franklin's version brought this tune back to the R&B Top 10 for a second time, also gaining her international success. This woman sure has some pipes!