On July 8th, 1908, jazz musician, jump blues pioneer, saxophonist, sideman, clarinetist, singer, pianist, actor, bandleader, rock ‘n roll innovator, comedy music trailblazer and multi-label recording artist-Louis (Thomas) Jordan aka ‘the King of the Jukebox’ was born in Brinkley, Arkansas. TOV covered the artist’s death on the February 4th post. Please refer to it for more information. Jordan was one of the central figures that helped transition swing jazz, which was largely played by big bands and orchestras, to jump blues R&B which is the root of rock ‘n’ roll. His classic hit-Caldonia (What Makes Your Big Head so Hard?!) was the groundbreaking track that transformed the sound of modern music. Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong were major influences on Jordan, as well as blues artist like Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey and Delta bluesmen like Robert Johnson and Sonnyboy Williamson I.
You can hear these styles in Jordan’s compositions. He helped create jump blues by stripping big bands/orchestras down from 10 plus members to 5 or 6. Most of the early rock bands used this number/format consisting of a-lead singer/guitarist, rhythm guitarist, drummer, bassist and/or pianist. Jordan’s format was a bit different. The rock musicians replaced saxophones and other horn instruments with guitars, Jordan relied on horns, an avid player himself (alto, tenor, baritone). He also had an animated stage presence and singing style that was very expressive, comedic, fun and energetic. You couldn’t be mad listening to a Louis Jordan song. Add in the fact that he worked closely with producer Milt Gabler who went on to work with Bill Haley & the Comets (Rock Around the Clock), all will agree that without Jordan, rock ‘n’ roll would sound drastically different. He was 66 when he passed.
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On July 8th, in 1962, multi-genre musician, singer, guitarist, songwriter, record executive and student of music-Joan (Elisabeth) Osborne was born in Anchorage, Kentucky. I first learned about her when I was watching the Motown music documentary on the Funk Brothers-Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002). She sang a few songs with the band, and her soulful voice didn’t match her appearance which caught my attention immediately. She’s White, as you can see, but didn’t sound ‘White’, at least not in the documentary. Make no mistake, she’s no Teena Marie, I mean Teena and her can’t really be compared to one another as Teena is more soulful than some seasoned soul. Also, Osborne’s tone is a drastically different from Teena’s, they just sing in a different way.
To analogize, Teena is to Joan as Chaka Khan is to Whitney Houston. At any rate, I did some research on her, and found that she started her own record label-Womanly Hips in her mid 20s (late 80s). She released her debut LP in 1991-Soul Show: Live at Delta 88 on her own label. (1991). The LP sold well enough to get the attention of Mercury Records who signed her to their subsidiary-Blue Gorilla Records. She released her second LP in 1995-Relish which contained the hit-One of Us, earning her a few Grammy nominations-Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performer and Song of the Year to name a few. Mercury reissued some of her debut LP tracks on her 3rd LP-Early Recordings (1996). In 2000, she released a 4th LP-Righteous Love. This led to her getting a spot on the PBS show-Austin City Limits (2001). A year later, I saw her on Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002). She’s 57 today.
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On July 8th, in 1970, electronic musician, producer, guitarist, singer, keyboardist, rapper, songwriter, sampler/sequencer user, multi-label recording artist and 90s pop culture icon-Beck (Beck Hansen, Bek David Campbell) was born in Los Angeles, California. He’s most known for his hit singles-Where It’s At & Loser. He also was one of the pioneers of the anti-folk music genre (more direct, less peaceful than folk shock factor and protesting are direct, it mocks the larger society). Not that Beck is lame or wack or any of that, I actually like Beck. However, the media portrayed him as some ‘God of Musical collages’, which basically means he used a bunch of samples to make a track in a lo-fi analog style, like Hip Hop music had been doing for years….ponder that for a moment…In the media’s opinion, when a White guy does anything well that Black guys have been doing, it’s God like, Groundbreaking!!!
Sad, anyways, ethnicity aside, Beck is dope, and original, no question! He used a lot of samples from various genres of music to create his tracks. His major musical influences were hip hop and folk/country blues. He merged these two styles like Arrested Development did, but for the suburban youth. One thing I really like about Beck is that he took an opposite approach to everything from composing to lyrics. Musically, instead of strumming banjos and acoustic guitars like most folk/country blues musician do, he used ill sounds and drum patterns. Lyrically, instead of bragging and boasting about how good he was-like most rappers and MCs, he dissed himself. I give him huge props for that, because everyone has flaws, and Beck made it ok to admit them over the sounds of booming beats. He’s 49 today.
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HONORABLE MENTION: On July 8th, in 1914, seminal jazz/pop musician, vocalist, bandleader, trombonist, guitarist, sideman, songwriter, trumpeter and swing jazz pioneer-Billy Eckstine (William Clarence Eckstein) was born in Pittsburgh, PA. TOV covered the artist’s death on the March 8th post. Please refer to it for more information. Eckstine was one of the first bass-baritones vocalist (lowest register) that paved the way for artists like Barry White and Lou Rawls. Not to mention, he was a prolific multi-instrumentalist that worked closely with his contemporaries like-Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie. He was 78 when he passed.
On July 8th, in 1924, bluesman, pianist, social activist, Congressional Gold Medalist, songwriter, bandleader, producer, composer, rock ‘n’ roll innovator, Civil Rights figure, jazz innovator, WWII veteran and former US Marine Corp soldier-Johnnie Johnson (John Clyde Johnson) was born in Fairmont, WV. He’s most known for working as the session musician and composer at Chess Records with artists like Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry. He helped shape the sound of St. Louis, Chicago & Detroit blues/jazz. He also was the firs Black to integrate the Marine Corp. Johnson was the founder of the Sir John Trio-a jazz/blues. He hired Chuck Berry in 1952, helping him reach stardom. Johnson was 80 when he passed.
On July 8th , in 1960, rock musician, bassist, DJ, sampler/sequencer user, record executive, manager, solo recording artist, keyboardist and co-founding member of Depeche Mode-Andy Fletcher (Andrew John Leonard Fletcher) aka Fletch was born in Nottingham, UK. He helped innovate electronic music with Depeche Mode and was one of the few artists in the rock genre that advocated using samples. He didn’t consider himself a ‘musician’, more of a person who tinkered around with sounds. However, his input on Depeche Mode tracks, as well as his own work-Toast Hawaii (debut LP in 1984 turned record label in 2002) provides evidence to denounce that sentiment. He's a 59 today.
Interesting fact: On July 6th, in 2002, TOV missed an important event concerning Michael Jackson and his feelings about the music industry. I encourage all TOV readers to access the link and read his full speech given at the National Action Network in Harlem, NYC, NY (Reverned Al Sharpton’s organization-attorney Johnnie Cochran was also present). Michael outlines in-depth the historical and systemic racism that’s extremely prevalent in the music industry. He calls out many executives, but most notably-Sony CEO Tommy Mottola, calling him: “very, very, very devilish.” He discusses how they immediately attacked his character and sexuality once he beat the Beatles and Elvis Presley in record sales and popularity with his Thriller LP.
Link: https://thedreamcontinues-emj777.blogspot.com/2011/12/michael-jackson-black-or-white.html
Link: https://thedreamcontinues-emj777.blogspot.com/2011/12/michael-jackson-black-or-white.html
For more information on any musician or event reviewed in posts, or for additional information on The Wandering Eyes Blog overall, use the search bar and search the artist or event using keywords. It’s like a Google search for the site. A wide variety of information, covering several topics exists on this site going back to 2013 when it was created. PEACE