I have had little inspiration to write lately, but did listen to some great music. In this blog post I will present some of today's best musicians (according to me). All of them use old music styles in a very modern way. Most of them have started performing only recently. I hope you like them as much as I do.
This weekend I finally saw "The Artist" and I loved it! "The Artist" depicts the disappearance of silent movies and the emergence of the first talking pictures during the 1920's and 1930's. "The Jazz Singer" which was released in 1927, was the first popular talking picture. Very soon all silent movies were considered to be too old fashioned, leaving musicians which accompanied these movies without a job. Movie Companies, however, were forced to rehire these musicians to make soundtracks, and thankfully music continued to be an important part of movies.
The roaring twenties was the decade of Prohibition (in which manufacturing, importing, exporting, selling and transporting alcohol was banned by law in the U.S.), the emergence of the phonograph and the first record studios, and of course the great crash of 1929. By the 1930's Big Bands headed by great musicians such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Tommy Dorsey were the talk of the town. It was also the decade in which The Grand Ole Opry was first broadcasted throughout the entire US, and Billboard published its first list to aid jukebox owners in their music choice.
The 1920's and 1930's also brought forward some of the greatest artists of the 20th century. We all still know and love Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Jimmie Rodgers, Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Billie Holiday and of course the amazing Cole Porter. Here are some of my favorite songs from these two decades. All of these songs were used in movie soundtracks.
A few years ago the British newspaper The Indepedent published a list of the ten most covered songs in history:
1. Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
2.Yesterday - The Beatles
3. Cry me a River - Julie Londen
4. And I Love Her - The Beatles
5. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
6. Imagine - John Lennon
7. Summertime - Abbie Mitchell
8. Blackbird - The Beatles
9. Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland
10. The Look of Love - Dusty Springfield
This blog post is about number 7 on this list: "Summertime". I have to admit I've never heard of Abbie Mitchell's version of "Summertime", nor had I ever heard of Abbie Mitchell before. But her rendition of the song is how Gershwin originally intented it to be, and it is indeed beautiful. In 1933 Gerswin wrote the opera Porgy and Bess and included the lullaby "Summertime". The character Clara sings this song at the start, and its melody can be heard several times throughout the opera. In 1935, when Porgy and Bess was first performed on stage, Abbie Mitchell played Clara's part. Mitchell recorded the first version of "Summertime", and 38,324 recordings of the song were made after Mitchell's version.
In 1936, Billie Holiday's cover of "Summertime" was the first that entered the American music charts. About two decades later, Ella Fitzgerald and Lois Armstrong also recorded an excellent rendition of the song. Their version became that popular, that most people actually think that Fitzgerald and Armstrong were the first who recorded this song.
Ella Fitzgerald and Lois Armstrong - "Summertime"
Since "Summertime" was recorded many times and by so many different people, it was done in an enormous variety of styles. Janis Joplin's version of the song is one of my favorites. She is one of few people who were able to add an extra dimension to an already beautiful song.
Janis Joplin - "Summertime"
I won't bother you here with all the 38,325 recorded covers of this song, but if you're interested check this website which lists them all. Miles Davis, Sam Cooke, Billy Stewart and Scarlett Johansson were among the many to record "Summertime"
They say that if it wasn't for this woman, there wouldn't be a Bing Crosby, a Frank Sinatra or a Billie Holiday. She was the one who discovered these giants in music and gave them a platform to show what they have in store. Bing Crosby was actually one of her brother's friends. They both visited Mildred Bailey while she was working as a singer in LA, and after hearing him sing, she decided to introduce him to some of the important names in music at that time.
Mildred Bailey was the Amy Winehouse of the 1930's and 1940's. She was married three times before the age of 35. She was known for her bad mouthing, and instead of drinking and drug-abuse she was a huge food addict. Her health got so bad at one point, that she was hospitalized. Because she had spend all the money she made throughout the years, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra offered to pay for her hospital bills.
Nevertheless, her music was considered to be among the greatest of her time, and has influenced many great singers after her. She was known as Mrs. Swing, and as "The Rockin Chair Lady (after her 1932 hit "Rockin Chair" written by Hoagie Carmichael) and recorded several big hits. I especially like two of the many songs she recorded. "I'm Nobody's Baby" (made famous by Judy Garland in 1940), and "I let a Song Out of My Heart" (one of Duke Ellington's hits). Enjoy!
"Mildred Bailey - I'm Nobody's Baby"
Mildred Bailey - "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart"
I hardly ever tell anyone that I listen to music from the Andrews Sisters. First of all because they are not that widely known in Europe, and second because people look at me as if I'm a little crazy if I let them hear this music. I think it's a shame. It does sound very 1940's, but that doesn't mean that it isn't any good. It always makes me happy when I hear their songs. That may be one of the reasons why their music was so big during one of the most difficult period of world history.
During the second world war, when most American men were at war oversees, The Andrews Sisters were enormously popular in the US. Their popularity already started in 1937 with their hit single "Bei Mir Bist du Schoen". This song, originally part of a Yiddish musical, was translated into English (without the writers' consent) and brought The Andrews Sisters immediate fame. They were the first famale vocale group ever to win a gold record. Strangely enough, this song was also quite popular in Germany, that was untill the Germans discovered it was written by Jewish people.
Their popularity lasted from 1937 - 1951 and the group had an average of eight hit songs a year.They really were the face of the World War II period, and they could be seen everywhere at that time. Next to the all the songs that were recorded, they made movies, went to several military bases, and had their own radio show. They were often dressed in navy clothing to support the war effort.
Did you ever hear a song for the very first time, and remember the feeling that song gave you for many years after? This blog is about those songs.
I grew up listening to Tina Turner. My father was a huge fan. This was back in the 1980's when her songs "Private Dancer", "Tonight" and "Simply the Best" were high up in the charts. Several years later I saw the biopic "What's Love Got To do With It" for the first time. In it there is a scene in which Tina Turner is standing in a studio singing "River Deep Mountain High". It was the first time Ike wasn't by her side. I remember watching this movie by myself. It was one of those moments when the world seemed to stand still. Just me and this amazing singer, singing one of the best songs ever.
Tina Tuner - "River Deep Mountain High"
Somewhere in the year 2002 I was sitting in my living room, watching some mindless tv. While I'm surfing through the channels I come across a music video from this new artist, singing in a style and with a voice I hadn't heard before. Unfortunately, I had to wait untill the end to discover who this woman was. The very same day I went to the nearest music store and bought her cd. It was Norah Jones singing "Don't Know Why". I still listen to her debut album every now and then.
Norah Jones - "Don't Know Why"
I have been a fan of Adele since her debut album 19. I think she is great and rightly deserves to stand among the greatest artists of this time. "Rolling in the Deep" one of her latest songs is, according to me, the best song that was made in the last two years. I believe I heard it the very same day the video was first shown on MTV. The video in combination with the song is just great. I have nothing else to add to this. Enjoy.
Hank Williams may not be known by people who are not that into country music (especially the younger ones). But he has written and sung some amazing songs back in the first part of the last century. Check out "Lovesick Blues", "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You)" or "Lost Highway".
"Cold Cold Heart" was written and recorded by Hank Williams in 1951. It is said the song is about his ex-wife who according to Mr. Williams was a cold hearted woman. The song reached the number 1 spot on the American Country Music Charts, and would I have lived then, I would have probably been one of the many people to buy this record.
Hank Williams - Cold Cold Heart
Hank Williams was not only a force to be reconned with in the last century. Even today he has inspired some great artists and avid music listeners. Since 1951 this song was covered by various singers (Johnny Cash, Toni Bennet, and Aretha Franklin among others). My favorite rendition however, is by Norah Jones. Her debut album "Come Away With Me" includes "Cold Cold Heart" in a very Norah Jones style. I actually heard her version before I even heard of Hank Williams, but I immediately fell in love with this song.
This is a blog about music. All kinds of Music. Pop. Rock. Folk. Blues. Country. Jazz. etc. etc. .... You name it, and it will be here. I will show some of the coolest You Tube videos. Give a few history lessons in music. Discuss some great songs. But most of all, will just let you enjoy the essentials of music (Music-Essentials).
Perhaps I ought to start with something about me. I’m a 29 year old girl/woman, and have been in love with music ever since I can remember. As I was born in 1981, my first real music memories were from about 1989. I was 8 years old back then, and vividly remember Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best”, Cher’s “If I Could Turn Back Time”, Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”. Remember?? Of course, you do!
Up untill I was about 24 I only listened to top 40 (pop) music, but then discovered that people also made music before I was born! I started listening to country music (especially bluegrass), but also took more interest in Gospel music, (hard) rock, jazz, blues, classical music, hiphop, and actually just about any kind of music there is out there. What I also discovered at that age, is that there are so many music genres I didn´t even know about, (including lots and lots and lots of singers), and am still discovering as of today. So, feel free to send me any great music you think others might appreciate too. As this is my first blog post, I won´t give you my entire (musical) history yet, but will share more about me in future blogposts.
Now, to kick of with something really groovy, which also truly expresses how I feel about music, I give you Ella Fitzgerald (a quite aged version of the First Lady of Song) with ... . Aaaaah,
Some facts you might want to know before you watch this great video:
♪ Ella Fitzgerald was born in 1917 and died in 1996 at the age of 79.
♪ Here first big hit was “A-Tisket A-Tasket” all the way back from 1938
♪ This was about too years after she was discovered at the famous Apollo Theatre in Harlem (New York) ♪ She recorded quite a few popular albums with Louis Armstrong ♪ In her lifetime she won a total of 13 grammys ♪ Check this website to retrieve more information on Mrs. Fitzgerald
♪ Or, even better, watch this great documentary from BBC Four on her extraordinary life ♪ The following song is a Duke Ellington original
♪ (Don't be impatient, the real singing will start at 1.59, but I just love her introduction)
