December's headline death probably is that of the great Cesária Évora , who emerged from the tiny West African island of Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony. But as a soul fan, percussion maestro Ralph MacDonald is my headline departure of the month. He wrote some stone-cold classics and appeared on an impressive catalogue of soul and fusion albums, including those released in their heyday by Bill Withers, George Benson, Donny Hathaway, Ashford & Simpson, Brothers Johnson, Margie Joseph, Patti Austin, Grover Washington, Maynard Ferguson, The Crusaders, Michael Franks, Eric Gale, Bob James, Herbie Mann, [...]
When Howard Tate died on December 2, 2011, most obituaries for the great soul singer mentioned the name of another man who'd passed on in July of this year. Jerry Ragovoy (September 4, 1930 – July 13, 2011) was a songwriter, producer, pianist, and the studio Svengali behind Tate's career masterpiece, the 1967 Verve album originally issued as Howard Tate and later retitled Get It While You Can . Arguably, Ragovoy never made a better album in his career. In fact, Rags didn't make that many albums: Much of his most influential music appeared on singles released [...]
Howard Tate, who disproved the dictum about no second acts in American lives, has died . Tate was a major soul star in the 60s - he toured with Aretha Franklin and scored hits on the R&B chart, most successfully with this: But he felt he was being sold short by the record labels; in the early 1970s, he quit music altogether. He destroyed his own records, and joined the insurance industry, a place where he felt he would be able to keep better track of what was owed to him. So complete [...]
R&B singer and songwriter Howard Tate passed away last Friday, December 2nd, of complications from multiple myeloma and leukemia at the age of 72. Born in Macon, Georgia in 1939, Tate and his family moved to Philadelphia in the early 1940s. One of Tate's most popular songs, written by Jerry Ragavoy and Mort Shuman, was "Get It While You Can," popularized by Janis Joplin. It was with Ragavoy that Tate recorded his best work including his 1966 debut album, Get It While You Can , and 19722s self-titled release, his one and only album he [...]
While he may not have been one of the most celebrated soul singers, Howard Tate was one of my favorites. I learned this morning that Tate died Friday from complications related to Leukemia and Myeloma. He was 72. Be sure and read Funky 16 Corners piece on the man and his music. Below is Tate's [...]
Late Friday night, it was all Dawson's Creek up in my bedroom. Although, it wasn't someone climbing up to my second story window - instead stepping through the sliding glass door on the ground level from a Venice Beach alley. Hot? Hot. I tuned in and out of a "Get Him [...]
James Carr: A Message to Young Lovers Howard Tate: Hold Me Tight
(Photo via Ken Foto's Flickr ( Full Set )) "Brooklyn, your city amuses us. We've decided to spare your town." Ron House is a dangerous man. Sure, yeah, the head of brushed-back silver hair and the softened torso might under worse circumstances suggest "middle management" or "owner of a hardware store" - "We're just an oldies act," he said at some point during a set that seemed as present and necessary as the CDs he chucked into audience members' faces - but there's a fire in his eye that shows a love of [...]
Here's old pic of Howard and his two little brothers. Howard Tate - Ain't Nobody Home Look. I wish there were an easier, cheaper way to get your hands on the incredible Get It While You Can , but for now, you can listen to this song or look for the pretty good Rediscovered from 2003, which features songwriting from Elvis Costello and original cohort Jerry Ragavoy and was done in the style of Solomon Burke's Don't Give Up On Me .
Ray Charles: Come Rain or Come Shine Doris Troy: Just One Look The Sweet Inspirations: A Brand New Lover, Part 1 Howard Tate: She's a Burgler Daryl Hall and John Oates: She's Gone All from Atlantic Soul (Rhino Handmade, 2007) When I first saw this boxset, my initial thought was, "isn't 'Atlantic Soul' redundant"? It's just that I've always associated Atlantic with soul and certainly, [...]
I'm hoping that maybe one of the amusing (or warped) amongst you will come up with a clever caption for this pic. One of my homies has already dubbed it "Obama Wit A Gangsta Lean". Lord...you gotta love the intellectually impaired... Anyway, I could have just blown some smoke up your collective ass as to why my next post isn't finished yet, but that would have been a total drag...don't ya think?
Howard Tate: Stop produced by Jerry Ragovoy This is the mono mix, taken from the box set Beg, Scream & Shout .
For crate diggers, hunting down Howard Tate vinyl can be seen as an adventure, a lovable undertaking. For the those looking for the rare, mostly import, Tate compact discs, the process is more akin to an exercise in frustration. While many of Tate's recordings from the late sixties and seventies have yet to see wide distribution [...]
Noah Saterstrom - "Buttermilk Hill" Here's Noah Saterstrom atop Buttermilk Hill, crying at its summit like so many have before him. But Saterstrom brings a special understanding to his otherwise standard predicament, i.e. that his buttermilk tears falling down his buttermilk face turn a buttermilk mill that adds to the base of Buttermilk Hill. Naturally, this process (fueled by sadness) propels him ever further skyward, isolates him more profoundly on the world's y axis. What else does Saterstrom bring? It. Also, he brings the nontraditional to the traditional (a gift), and the labyrinth to its centre (a favour); he brings [...]
And the pods march on: next: Kaufman, Ferrara, closing thoughts. You're liking the music at least, I hope. Howard Tate -- Hold Me Tight Atypical reggae-inflected soul from Howard Tate. [ Howard Tate's Reaction ] Otis Rush -- My Love Will Never Die (solo take with piano) This is a slow, somber take, with Rush apparently still trying to figure [...]
100 Years (in Ten Jumps) 1966: Joel Grey, Wilkommen. Albert Ayler, Our Prayer/Spirits Rejoice. John Lennon, He Said He Said (She Said She Said). The Other Half, Mr. Pharmacist. France Gall, Les Sucettes. The Walker Brothers, The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore. Willie Bobo, Fried Neck Bones and Some Homefries. Howard Tate, Ain't Nobody Home. Bobby Lee Trammell, If You Ever Get It Once. Loretta
DOWN ON ME Eddie Head and His Family Columbia : 1930 Available on: American Primitive v.1 Revenant : 1997 [Buy It] Janis Joplin: the greatest white blues singer of her generation or minstrel show train wreck? Here are some of the "obscure soul classics that Joplin made her own" (thank you, Rolling Stone). CRY BABY Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters United Artists : 1963 Available on: Cry Baby Collectables : 1991 [Buy It] [...]
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The Key
An Aquarium Drunkard
Kick Kick Snare
Art Decade
heartonastick.blog-city.com
The Cadillac Of Winter
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Souled On (Music, Art, Politics, and Life)
Said the Gramophone
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Knickers - My Baby's Just A Baby EP review
