candi staton

musicology #492

SoulBoy #11

(Doris Troy – Please Little Angel)

Ladies with Soul … Lots to choose from; Aretha Franklin, Carla Thomas, Candi Staton, Randy Crawford, Millie Jackson, Mary Wells, Gwen McCrae, Vicki Anderson, Marva Whitney, Lyn Collins, Barbara Lewis, Etta James, Dee Dee Warwick, Fontella Bass, Minnie Ripperton, Marie Knight, Dee Dee Sharp, Mitty Collier…as well as contemporary kittens such as Angie Stone, Brandy, India Arie, Beyonce…and those are just the ones off the top of my head !

As difficult as it was to choose..today’s cut, (courtesy of Doris ‘Just One Look’ Troy), has ALL the right ingredients; Vocals, Lyrics and Production..

Bronx born Doris Higginsen begun her career singing Gospel in her fathers choir but it was as a songwriter that she scored her first hit ‘How About That’ recorded by Soul pioneer Dee Clark in 1960. Three years later she was spotted by James Brown working as an usherette at the Apollo and in that same year she wrote and recorded the Mod/ernist classic ‘Just One Look’. Not sure how or why but Doris didn’t go on to receive the critical acclaim that her talents deserved. Employed by the Beatles at Apple as Artist, Writer and producer Doris sung backup and worked with some of the UK’s most established musicologists, (The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton and The Moody Blues), but failed to make a commercial impact as an artist in her own right. After a few years in the wilderness Doris’s story became a successful stage show ‘Mama I Want To Sing’ which is scheduled for a cinema release this month? I didn’t know that before researching for today’s cut but musicology works in mysterious ways so it makes complete sense to me.

musicology #55

coversweek .. day 3

(Candi Staton – Stand By Your Man – Fame -1970)

it has been bought to my attention that a possible flaw on themusicologist is the abscence of the track and artist info. my intention is to promote communication, not withhold precious information, so from now on expect to see it at the beginning of the post …. just to reiterate, themusicologist is a forum for sharing music, knowledge and communication.

slipping back into some soul for todays ‘version’ that epitomizes the essence of coversweek. this vocalist is best known for the disco classic young hearts run free but before that she was a disciple of Rick Hall’s Fame studio where southern soul was polished into a High Art.

It was the early Mod Classic You Better Move On, (Arthur Alexander) that launched the FAME sound followed by Jimmy Hughes’s Steal Away. the FAME studio was responsible for many a well known Soul tune by artists such as Aretha Franklin, Clarence Carter, Joe Tex, Percy Sledge, Wilson Pickett, Bobby Womack, etc and it was into this creative maelstrom that the artist in question evolved from a teenage member of the Jewell Gospel Trio in the 1950’s and early 60’s, (touring with the likes of the Soul Strirrers and Mahalia Jackson), into to a woman capable of scoring ‘hits’ throughout the 1970’s. so without further ado .. hold this country and western standard. ladies .. enough said !!