To be described as “the most amazing dancers I have ever seen in my life—ever” by no less an authority as Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the greatest male ballet dancers of all-time, you begin to get the weight of just how phenomenal the Nicholas Brothers were, yet most people haven’t even heard of them – a somewhat tragic state of affairs.
Old timer Rufus Thomas was on the crest of a renaissance as he took to the stage at the Wattstax Music Festival, which was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 20th 1972. The early 70’s had brought him 3 hit singles, ‘(Do The) Push And Pull’, The Breakdown and ‘Do The Funky Chicken’, one of the biggest dance tracks of the era, and he was hotter than he’d ever been.
Back in March I did a gig with a difference at the Queen Of Hoxton in London, promoted by Cosmic Boogie and Big In Japan. Apart from being booked to play an as per normal DJ slot, a few hours beforehand I’d been invited to present a ‘Soundtrack Set’, where I added a visual aspect to the music of my choice. This took place in a huge tepee on the roof, and the idea certainly caught the imagination with tickets selling out in advance.
One of the sassiest sights of the early 70’s has to be the sheer dynamism of the force of nature that is Tina Turner, with backing singers / dancers, The Ikettes, as they raunchily strutted their stuff on stage to what was the signature song back then for the Ike & Tina Turner Revue - their showstopping rendition of ‘Proud Mary’. I came across this wonderful performance footage of the song on YouTube the other day...
Bee Gee Robin Gibb died yesterday, aged 62, after a prolonged struggle with cancer. His twin brother, Maurice, died in 2003, with elder brother, Barry, now the only living member of the group. All 3 were born on the Isle Of Man, before their family moved to Manchester, and eventually emigrated to Brisbane, Australia in 1958.
Alan Moore remains a constant source of inspiration, and since my last post referring to his work, 'The Masked Movement', I've read some more of his books, as well as listening to numerous interviews courtesy of the wonderful world of YouTube.
Saw a wonderful documentary on the flight back to the UK the other week called ‘When Amy Came To Dingle’, which captures her appearance in this enchanting Irish outpost. Filmed in 2006 as part of RTÉ TV’s ‘Other Voices’ series, the programme combined an intimate live performance, before an audience of just 70 people at St. James Church, with a fascinating interview that highlights the singers’ influences, including Mahalia Jackson, Ray Charles, Thelonious Monk, Sarah Vaughan, Carleen Anderson, Soweto Kinch and The Shangri-la’s.
Los Angeles born Blues / Rhythm & Blues / Soul singer, Etta James, regarded as one of the great American vocalists, died yesterday, aged 73. Neither of her 2 most celebrated recordings, ‘At Last’ (1960) and ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ (1968) were British hits, and, although I was a big Soul music fan at an early age, devouring the singles my older brother and sister had bought, there was nothing by Etta James, so this wasn’t a name I became aware of until later down the line.
Muhammad Ali, arguably the greatest sportsman of the 20th Century, and certainly one of its foremost historical figures, is 70 years old today. The much loved former heavyweight boxer was labeled a big mouth when he started out, and nicknamed the ‘Louisville Lip’. When he fought the fearsome champion, Sonny Liston, for the World heavyweight title in February 1964 the majority of people expected him to be well and truly shut up, but he upset all the odds and beat the man regarded as ‘invincible’ by many boxing critics. Ranting from the ring directly after the fight he came out with one of his best-remembered quotes:
12 months ago, in the post ‘A Christmas Gift For You’, I related one of my favourite aspects of Christmas – how it provides the opportunity for me to give an annual listen or two to the seasonal masterpiece, ‘A Christmas Gift For You’ (aka ‘Phil Spector’s Christmas Album’). https://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/2010/12/a-christmas-gift-for-you/ By the same token, the festive season has its own special movies that are always good to watch again, no matter how often you’ve seen them before, because they embody the spirit of Christmas, connecting you right back to your younger self, when the magic shone brightest.
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