The music world has lost two soulful artists in the past few days. The first one was a shocker. Lhasa de Sela (above), who recorded under the name Lhasa, died on New Year's Day from breast cancer at the age of 37. She was an amazing singer with a fascinating background. Born to a Mexican father and a Jewish mother, she spent much of her childhood going back and forth between Mexico and the U.S. with her family in a school bus that was also their home. Her first album, "La Llorona" (1997), was an all-Spanish recording of ballads that showcased her spellbinding voice. Her second album, "The Living Road" (2003), had songs in English, French and Spanish, including the haunting "La Frontera" (listen below). In between those albums she joined her sisters in Pocheros--their traveling circus/theatre company. Her final album, simply titled "Lhasa," was released last year. I had the fortune to once see Lhasa perform live and she was exquisite. This one hurts.
The second musical loss was Willie Mitchell (right), who died Jan. 5. Mitchell was best known as the producer of that amazing string of hits in the '70s by Al Green (left) on Hi Records. From the New York Times obituary:
"In 1968 Mr. Mitchell was booked to perform at a club in Midland, Tex., with a fledgling singer from Michigan named Al Green as his opening act. On hearing him rehearse, Mr. Mitchell invited Mr. Green to Memphis and promised to make him a star."
The rest was history. Mitchell was also a trumpeter who released several albums of his own. One album, "Ooh Baby, You Turn Me On," included the song "Teenie's Dream." Teenie was, of course, Teenie Hodges, the guitarist whose sound was so integral to Reverend Al's songs. Along with the artists and producers at Stax, Mitchell and Hi Records helped make Memphis the capital of Southern soul. Thanks, Willie.
Truly sad news; her voice was truly amazing.
Posted by: reuben | January 06, 2010 at 09:51 PM
Never heard of her. Beautiful voice, my loss. Thank you for sharing.
Posted by: Urban Marauder | January 06, 2010 at 10:15 PM
Thanks for the tribute. Lhasa was a free spirit who was able to contain that within the framework of her music--a wonderful accomplishment. I truly wish that she had been given more time on this earth to sculpt her unique voice and inspire us all. Gone too soon.
Posted by: Theresa Chavez | January 06, 2010 at 10:35 PM
Rest in peace, Willie. Ya done good.
Posted by: Rob Meurer | January 06, 2010 at 10:37 PM