On January 11th, 1971, singer, songwriter, actress, and the woman dubbed the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul-Mary (Jane) Blige was born in the Bronx, NY. Mary was raised in both Savannah, GA and Richmond Hill, GA, with her mother, who worked as a nurse. Her father was a jazz musician, and Vietnam War vet, who left the family in the mid 1970s. Mary got her start singing in the choir in a Richmond Hill Pentecostal church. Mary's mother moved them to the Schlobohm Housing Projects in Yonkers, NY, in the early 80s, and once there she joined a local band called Pride. In 1988 she recorded a cover of Anita Baker’s Caught Up In The Rapture, and the tape got back to Jeff Redd, who was a singer and working as A&R for Uptown Records. Redd liked it, and passed it on to the President of Uptown-Andre Harrell.
He brought Mary in and signed her to the label in 1989. At first, she sang the hooks and back up for Father MC with Jodeci. But in the early 90s she met a Roadie/Intern for Uptown (Sean Combs AKA Puff Daddy); and they would start working on her debut LP What’s The 411?, with Puffy acting as executive producer. The album was released in 1992, was received extremely well by the public, and has sold over three million copies (triple platinum). Her sound was unique in that it sampled Hip Hop tracks, which up to that point, was only done by Hip Hop artists-largely for hooks. This LP set her career into motion, and everything from awards to acting roles that she’s acquired to-date can be attributed to the success of her debut LP. Honestly, aside from her sophomore effort, none of her other LPs really made as much noise with her original fan base-Hip Hoppers. Mary turns 48 years old today.
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On January 11th, 1964 one of the hottest venues for Rock ‘n’ Roll, Soul, and Punk-The Whiskey A-Go-Go opened in West Hollywood, CA on the ‘strip’ (Sunset Blvd). The Whiskey, as it was first called, was founded by Shelly Davis, Phil Tanzini, Elmer Valentine, and Theodore Flier. It was supposed to be a discotech, but on opening night they had a house band-led by Johnny Rivers; and DJ Patty Brockhurst (former cigarette girl) spun wax between sets. The DJ Booth was made of clear glass, mounted above the stage in a corner. The name of the venue (Go-Go)-along with the clear booth, and female DJ w/ two dancers helped innovate and accelerate the popularity of Go-Go dancing.
Joanna Labean was one of the first dancers, and invented the official outfit for Go-Go dancers (a fringe dress and knee-high white boots). Johnny Rivers, The Miracles, and The Rolling Stones were a few of the acts that sang about The Go-Go Movement and The Whiskey (during the mid to late 1960s). The Doors were the houseband for a while, after Rivers left. Bands like Love, The Byrds, and Mothers Of Invention also performed there regularly. From the time it opened, up to the current date, The Whiskey has helped catapult many notable artists' careers, including: Otis Redding, Frank Zappa, Status Quo, The Turtles, The Monkees, Metallica, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, and The Animals. It helped preserve the authenticity of good music and provided a stage for artists to showcase their skills. The whiskey is 55 today.
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On January 11th, in 1956, former pizza maker and original member of the rap trio The Sugarhill Gang, "Big Bank Hank" (Henry Lee Jackson) was born in The Bronx, NY. Let me start by clarifying some things, so as not to confuse the reader. First, Hank is NOT a rapper, emcee, or any type of musical artist. ALL of his rhymes were written by someone else. Therefore he’s no different really, than any other person that's riding in the car, walking down the street, or listening to music at work, and singing along to it. Hank was very good at it; and coupled with his once in a lifetime chance opportunity, he put those skills to use. As the story goes, Sylvia Robinson’s son introduced her to The South Bronx Hip Hop movement in the late 1970s. As a result, she decided that she wanted to make a record, and looked for a group. She recruited Wonder Mike and Master Gee, but they needed one more artist; so Robinson had Hank audition for her in her car while he was at work making pizzas.
Instead of saying I know Grandmaster Caz, this guy from The Cold Crush Brothers, he’s dope…or something to that effect…or: Hey, I'm gonna recite Caz’s rhymes, but I want to be in the group…he just recited his rhyme, even spelled Caz's name out…He used the same bitten verse for Rapper’s Delight-which is credited as one of the first official Rap recordings (Sugarhill Records, 1979). Hank blew up from this bite, and instead of correcting his wrong and giving Caz the recognition he deserved, he just kept the lie going all the way to his grave. I’ve yet to see any publication or video where Hank admits fully that he bit Caz. He’s said he did, but I mean with fervor and remorse. A real apology of sorts… All that aside, S.O. to Hank for putting rap on the map and helping further the mass distribution of rap music. He was 58 when he passed away on November 11th, 2014. For more info, see The TOV post for that date.
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On January 11th, in 1924, Bluesman, singer, songwriter and harmonica player, Slim Harpo (James Isaac Moore) was born in Lobdell, Louisiana. He had a brother-in-law, who also became a Bluesman-Lightin’ Slim.
Origin Of The Name: Moore was a slim man in stature, and had the nickname Slim before he became a prolific harmonica player. He changed his name to Harmonica Slim, but the name was also being used by another artist. Since the Blues lingo for harmonica is harp, he combined the two to make Slim Harpo. He started playing guitar and singing in Baton Rouge during his teens, and the early 1920s, on through the 1930s and 1940s. His major influence was Jimmy Reed, and he played as a solo act and alongside Lightin’ Slim. He continued to perform and hone his skills on the harp and guitar during during his 20s and early 30s.
Origin Of The Name: Moore was a slim man in stature, and had the nickname Slim before he became a prolific harmonica player. He changed his name to Harmonica Slim, but the name was also being used by another artist. Since the Blues lingo for harmonica is harp, he combined the two to make Slim Harpo. He started playing guitar and singing in Baton Rouge during his teens, and the early 1920s, on through the 1930s and 1940s. His major influence was Jimmy Reed, and he played as a solo act and alongside Lightin’ Slim. He continued to perform and hone his skills on the harp and guitar during during his 20s and early 30s.
In 1957, he was picked up by A&R J.D. Miller who took Harpo to Nashville, TN, to record his debut single I’m A King Bee b/w I Got Love If You Want It on Excello Records in 1957. He released several singles for Excello from 1957 to 1961, before he had his first Top 20 Billboard R&B charting hit Rainin’ In My Heart. In the mid 1960s a lot of his music was released in The UK, and multiple budding British artists covered his songs (The Yardbirds/Led Zeppelin, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, etc). Harpo was a very unique musician in a couple of ways. First, he & his wife Lovelle Moore co-wrote most of his songs. Second, he had several side hustles, and didn’t pursue music full-time throughout his life, but was very good at it (he worked as a longshoresman, contractor, and trucker). He was 46 when he died.
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On January 11th, 1895, mechanical engineer and inventor of The Hammond Organ-Laurens Hammond was born in Evanston, Illinois. Hammond was technically astute at a very young age, taking things apart and putting them back together again, sometimes with modifications. His father founded First National Bank, but committed suicide due to job-related stress. His mother moved Hammond to France so that she could pursue her art career. They stayed in France & Germany from 1898 to 1909. While he was there he became very fluent in French & German. He also continued to work on mechanical devices, and drafted a design for automatic transmissions in automobiles. He came back to Evanston in 1909 and got a patent for an affordable barometer in 1912.
He got a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell in 1916, and invented the first Three Dimensional film with glasses in 1922. In 1928, he invented The Hammond Clock (synchronous motor). In 1933, he bought a piano and stripped all the tuning devices out of it, leaving the keyboard. He experimented with a sound generator that reacted to the key action of the piano. He then consulted W.L. Lahey (church organist). They created a tone-wheel for the organ; and Hammond got a patent for the design in 1934 (at the height of The Great Depression). His inventions created American jobs at a time when they were much needed. As a result, he received The Franklin Institute’s John Price Wetherill Medal in 1940. He was 78 when he passed away.
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HONORABLE MENTION: On January 11th, 1942, session musician, athlete, actor, saxophonist, and member of The E Street Band-Clarence Clemons was born in Norfolk (Chesapeake), Virginia. He attended Maryland State on a music and football scholarship, played with Bruce Springsteen, and had his own solo band. Interesting fact: In 1960, when he was 18, he was recorded for Tyrone Ashley’s Funky Music Machine. The session included Billy Bass Nelson, Eddie Hazel, and Ray Davis (before P-Funk). He was 69 years old, when he passed away (June 18, 2011).
On January 11th, 1958, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and founding member of The Bangels-Vicki Peterson (Victoria Anne Theresa Peterson Cowsill) was born in Northridge, CA. She always had her guitar with her as a child-writing songs, making music, etc. In 1981, she founded The Bangs, which later became The Bangels. They did music for soundtracks like Less Than Zero, worked with Prince (Manic Monday), and released several hits during the 1980s (Walk Like An Egyptian). They broke up in 1989, and Peterson joined The Continental Drifters and The Psycho Sisters. She’s 60 today.
On January 11th, 1986, seminal New Wave 80s English band-The Pet Shop Boys had a #1 UK Hit with West End Girls. The song was originally released in 1984, and quickly became a club classic in the states-especially around NYC (The Paradise Garage). The single was re-recorded in 1986, with Stephen Hague, as producer after they signed to EMI Records. West End Girls put the Pet Shop Boys on the map in the states. It also acted as a prototype House song, and influenced other producers to expand their sound by incorporating tempos changes, breaks, and bridges.
On January 11th, 2000, the media released information that singer, songwriter, producer, actress, model, daughter of Cissy, cousin of Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, Whitney Houston was under official investigation for a failed controlled substance smuggling attempt. She was flying out of Hawaii and got caught with 15 grams of weed in her carry-on bag. When the security tried to take her into custody, she walked away, proceeding to her departing flight…
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 myriad of information, covering several topics exists on this site going back to 2013 when it was created. PEACE!