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On this Thanksgiving Eve, I'm grateful for family, friends, food and funky music--and not necessarily in that order. (Just kidding.)
You know what William DeVaughn is grateful for? He's grateful that someone else recorded his tune, which hopefully provided some residuals for the one-hit wonder whose drawing skills had him designing sewers before he wrote and recorded this song in 1974.
Here's the version by Massive Attack. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.
01 Be Thankful For What You've Got
OK, so now I'm on a Delaney & Bonnie kick (see previous post). This 1969 album included the second-greatest version of "Do Right Woman/Do Right Man"--after Aretha's, of course. And it features Leon Russell on piano and fine organ work by Bobby Whitlock, who would go on to join Eric Clapton in Derek & the Dominos.
Download 08 Do Right Woman - Do Right Man
And it's a bonus Saturday!: Memphis songwriting legend Dan Penn ("I'm Your Puppet," "Dark End of the Street") co-wrote "Do Right Woman" with Chips Moman. Here's Penn's version from his 1994 album, "Do Right Man."
05 Do Right Woman Do Right Man
It's really wonderful to see Leon Russell get some much-deserved attention because of his collaboration with Elton John. Hearing Russell's still-vital voice on "The Union" caused me to dig out his early solo albums.
And here's a little trivia: Which of Russell's greatest songs did he never record on one of his own albums? That would be "Superstar," the most popular version of which was recorded by The Carpenters. Russell actually co-wrote the song with Bonnie Bramlett, who with her then-husband, Delaney, fronted a much-admired blue-eyed R&B band in the late '60s and early '70s.
Russell played on their albums, the second of which--"D&B Together"--featured "Superstar." (Actually titled on the album as "Groupie [Superstar].") The song was performed by Rita Coolidge on the "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" tour and album, and I had the fortune of hearing Russell perform it live on his own tours in the early '70s. Here's the first recorded version, from 1972.
The best part of having this blog is being able to write about neglected artists and songs, forgotten treasures, or just cool, current music I want to share. This album falls into the latter category--with the added bonus that it was created by a friend.
If you follow rock en español, then Ceci Bastida's background is familiar---teenaged lead singer for Tijuana No!, longtime keyboard player for her childhood friend Julieta Venegas. (The L.A. Times ran a good profile today.)
But now Ceci has finally released her full-length solo debut and it's a gem. "Veo la Marea" (I See the Sea) has been a long time in the works, but it was worth the wait. One song from the album, "Cuando Vuelvas a Caer," is nominated for a Latin Grammy in the Best Alternative Song category. And here's another track--a collaboration with Mexican rapper Niña Dioz. (The album is available on iTunes.)
This photo was taken about a month before the Giants won their last World Series, and Willie Mays is accepting a copy of the record made in his honor by The Treniers. After the Giants moved, he would play 15 years in San Francisco but never again win a championship. Glad he could see this day.
Download 24 Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)