Nowhere to Run

Soul Music: Part 3

Jumping back into our Soul Series, we'll continue with The Righteous Brothers, the 'blue-eyed soul' musical duo featuring Bill Medley (bass vocals) and Bobby Hatfield (tenor). From Los Angeles, California, they adopted their name while performing together as part of a five-member group called The Paramours, when at the end of one performance, an African-American Marine in the audience shouted, "That was righteous, brothers!" Beginning their career as a duo in 1963 and continuing to perform together until Hatfield's death in 2003, they are known for recording the most played song in radio history. Released in December 1964 (note: during Beatlemania), "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" became a #1 hit single in the US and the UK, and has since been ranked #34 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. One of the foremost examples of producer Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" technique, this song was one of the most successful pop singles of its time, even though the song's length exceed the standard for radio airplay then. Unfortunately, I heard this song so many times during my childhood that I've kind of lost that lovin' feelin' for it.

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One of the earliest African-American soul singing groups signed to Motown Records were The Contours, best known for their million-selling song "Do You Love Me?" Written and produced by Motown CEO Berry Gordy Jr., this rhythm and blues classic peaked at #3 on the pop charts and #1 on the R&B charts after its release in June 1962. Gordy had intended for The Temptations to record this song, but when he was unable to track them down at the moment, he turned to The Contours who were in danger of being dropped from the Motown label (their first two singles had failed to chart). After being offered Gordy's sure-fire hit, they immediately hugged and thanked him. In 1987, the song's popularity was revived after being featured in the film Dirty Dancing, resulting in the song's Billboard chart re-entry at #11. The lyrics name off many dance fads of the 1960s including the Mashed Potato and The Twist.

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American musician Ray Charles was a founding father of soul music in 1950s by infusing R&B, gospel, and blues styles into his music, and racially integrated country and pop music in the 1960s. Due to glaucoma, he was completely blind by age seven, however, it was while attending a school for the blind where he developed his musical talent. With his career spanning several decades from 1947 till his death in 2004, this Georgian native is considered one of the greatest singers of all time. He was also one of the first African-American musicians to be given artistic control by a mainstream record company. Released in September 1960, Charles' blues version of "Georgia on My Mind" received national acclaim and a Grammy Award, reaching the #1 spot that November. This recording inspired many cover versions to follow, and in 1979, was declared the official state song of Georgia.

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First featured during Motown Week, Martha and the Vandellas were one of the most popular performing acts from Motown Records during the mid-60s. With their hard-driving instrumentation sound, several of their songs are among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time including "Nowhere to Run." Released as a single in February 1965, this pop/soul tune reached #8 on the pop charts and #5 on the R&B charts. Written by Motown main production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, the Funk Brothers (Motown's studio musicians) used snow chains as percussion along side tambourine and drums to emphasize the heavy beat. Heavily played by the troops in the Vietnam War, its brass-heavy arrangement and chorus of "nowhere to run, nowhere to hide" have also made this a popular song at sporting events. Among many accolades over the years including one of the greatest artists of all time, these girls were awarded the Pioneer Award at the Rhythm & Blues Foundation in 1993.

Rhapsody In The Rain

Banned Songs: Part 2

New to The '60s Beat, Lou Christie was a popular American singer-songwriter known for his impressive, three-octave vocal range. Released in the spring of 1966, his song "Rhapsody In The Rain" caused a storm of controversy with its suggestive lyrics. With the opening melody inspired by Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet" (a music history refresher on that famous love theme here), the song tells of a teenager's regret over "what happened" in the backseat of a car during a rainstorm. Many radio stations banned the song, resulting in Christie re-recording a "toned down" version. Despite the ban, the song managed to hit #16 on the U.S. charts, with the controversy aiding its popularity. Backed by the familiar, female singers known as The Tammys, Christie effortlessly soars into falsetto vocals in this classic.
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A popular, American girl group in the mid-60s, The Shangri-Las were known for their heartbreaking, teen melodramas like their biggest hit, "Leader of the Pack." Although this is one of my least favorite songs of the decade (sorry Leiber & Stoller), it was a #1 hit in 1964 and is now even ranked among the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Despite its popularity, this song was banned by the BBC in the UK because it glorified motorcycle gangs. However, by the end of 1964, The Shangri-Las were quite an established act, getting to perform with The Beatles and touring with The Drifters and James Brown (who were surprised the girls were white) as well as with Dusty Springfield and The Zombies (whose drummer, Hugh Grundy, got to rev up the motorcycle backstage during the girls' live performances of this song). Here's Mary Weiss singing lead, backed by twin sisters Mary Ann and Marge Ganser, performing on I've Got a Secret with singer Robert Goulet on the motorcycle.

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Featured during Psychedelic Rock Week, we all know the story of how The Doors asked to change the lyrics to "Light My Fire" on The Ed Sullivan Show, however, Jim Morrison still sang "higher" in the live performance, resulting in their ban from the show. Since it's such a classic song, I thought I'd post the mellow, Latin-influenced cover version by the blind, Puerto Rican singer and guitarist, Jose' Feliciano. Released in 1968, Feliciano's interpretation brought him international success, reaching #3 in the US, and #1 in several other countries, earning him a gold disc, as well as two Grammy Awards including Best New Artist of the Year and Best Pop Song of 1969. However, Feliciano caused a lot of controversy that same year when he sang a slow, Latin-jazz version of the "Star Spangled Banner" at Game 5 of the 1968 World Series, resulting in the ban of his music by many radio stations.
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One of the biggest songs of 1967 was Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl," his first single after leaving the British Invasion group Them (revisit Them, whose hit song "Gloria" was actually banned as well by a Chicago radio station in 1964). Written by the Northern Irish singer-songwriter, Morrison had to record an alternate, radio-edit version of this song since it was considered too racy and suggestive at the time, however, the original recording is widely familiar today, reaching over 9 million radio and TV air plays in 2009 (yeah, wow). Although this tune has become Morrison's signature song, he signed the record label without legal advice, and unfortunately has never received any of the royalties for writing or recording the song. Here's a very serious Morrison performing on American Bandstand.

 
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We'll finish this post with one of the premiere groups on Motown's roster, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (check them out from Motown Week). Known for their harder, R&B sound, their 1964 release of "Dancing in the Street" is a signature song for the girls (and for Motown), and has become one of the most covered and popular songs in rock and roll history. Although it was recorded as an innocent dance single, the song was banned by many radio stations in concern that the song was a call to riot, as the Civil Rights Movement was just getting underway. Regardless, the song reached #2 on the U.S. charts, even becoming a global success. In 2009, it became one of 50 sound recordings to be preserved by the Library of Congress, and is #40 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

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!