June 26, 2009
Michael Jackson (1958-2009)
I remember when Elvis died. I was driving down the Harbor Freeway in California on my way home from somewhere, and heard the news on my radio.
I remember when John Lennon was assassinated. I simply could not figure out why someone would want to kill him.
I went online late this afternoon, June 25, 2009, to check the news, and there it was: Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, dead at 50.
It almost seems surreal when someone that famous passes away. You keep checking back to make sure that it really happened. Then the flood of news stories begins, and people talk about it for days.
Others will say this, but I will say it as well; set aside all the weirdness that surrounded him since the early nineties. When he was at his peak in the 80's, it seemed that he could do anything. Sing, dance, write songs, sell 50 million copies of one album, break through the “race barrier” on MTV.
There are countless folks who turn up the volume when one of his songs comes on the radio (as they undoubtedly will now), especially a song from the unprecedented run of hits he had from his “Thriller” album.
They do it to this day, although they may not broadcast the fact.
Jackson was preparing to do a run of 50 shows in London and had been rehearsing for the last two months. Now we will never know if we missed the comeback of the century, or...well, there's no need now to think about the alternative.
Posted by leonolguin at 12:05 AM | Comments (1)
April 09, 2009
Information Gathering on a Budget
Gathering information can become expensive. Many periodicals relating to the music business sell from $4 to $5 a copy on a newsstand. A subscription to Billboard (which is something every musician should read) can run over $300 a year. A new book can run as much at $29.95 at a Barnes and Noble.
So how can a musician or studio owner do his or her info gathering on a budget?
1. Check for online editions of any periodicals you want to read.
2. Don’t forget your old friend, the public library. Many libraries now carry an amazingly extensive collection of periodicals and trade magazines that focus on music and the music business. They also hold book sales, and you may be able to find that $29.95 book for $5.
3. Used bookstores are also a good resource, although it may require some hunting on your part. I’ve picked up more than a few good books this way.
4. Go into partnership with some of your musician friends. Each one of you can subscribe to a different publication, and then you can pass your copies around, and create a group archive. This requires some cooperation and teamwork, but that’s a big part of what being a musician is all about.
Posted by leonolguin at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)
April 08, 2009
Information Sponge
If you’ve decided that you want to “do something in music,” whether as a producer, performer, songwriter, recording engineer, or any combination of these, one of the most helpful things you can do for yourself is to become an “information sponge.”
Everyone who succeeds has developed a hunger for every piece of information to be found on his or her chosen field.
Successful people read the trade magazines, they keep up with the periodicals, and they look for and read informative and inspiring books.
Everyone I know who does well is constantly absorbing useful information.
Posted by leonolguin at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)
March 31, 2009
Goin' Back to Nashville
This week Sheryl and our dear friend Asli (along with Asli’s seeing eye dog Jane) will be in Nashville to attend Tin Pan South.
What is Tin Pan South all about?
From the website:
Seventeen years ago, a group of songwriters got together to promote the occupation of songwriting through a music festival that would focus on the people who write the songs. Recognizing Nashville as the “new” Tin Pan Alley, like the New York scene at the early part of the 20th century, these modern-day troubadours were seeking to bring attention to the new center of song: Music City.
The festival was named Tin Pan South to recognize the past and to celebrate the future.
Sheryl and Asli will get to hear a great many famous songwriters perform their own songs and talk about how they wrote them. They’ll also be catching up with some of our friends in Nashville, and taking care of some business with NSAI.
Curious about these famous songwriters who are performing at Tin Pan South? Take a look!
Am I jealous because I have to stay here? A little. Am I glad that they get to go? Absolutely!
Posted by leonolguin at 05:30 PM | Comments (1)
March 24, 2009
Brother, Can You Spare 100 Trillion Dimes?
Here’s an interesting article in the Washington Post that deals with how the current economic downturn is reflected in popular music.
Have you written any songs about “hard times?”
Posted by leonolguin at 10:31 PM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2009
Must Read Article
This article should be of great interest to all of you music makers and music lovers:
Music vs. the Music Industry
This is from Seth Godin’s Blog.
A bit about Seth from Rollo & Grady.
Business Week has called Seth Godin “The Ultimate Entrepreneur for the Information Age.” He’s the author of 10 international bestsellers and is considered the top marketer in the Digital Age. His e-book Unleashing the Ideavirus was downloaded more than 2 million times before it was published. And his blog is consistently ranked one of the top 20 in the world by Technorati. Through his writing and speaking, Seth has changed the way people think about marketing, change and work.
Seth graduated from Tufts with majors in Philosophy and Computer Science and received his MBA from Stanford. In 1992 he founded Yoyodyne, one of the first online marketing companies. He sold Yoyodyne to Yahoo! in 1998 and became its VP of Direct Marketing.
In 2005 Godin founded Squidoo, a free, interactive, easy-to-use site allowing anyone to create pages (called lenses) about topics in their expertise.
Posted by leonolguin at 04:10 PM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2007
American Pie Desecrated
I suppose it had to happen eventually.
I was taking a little break today and watching an episode of "The Simpsons" when I saw it. It was a commercial for Chevy trucks. Nothing unusual about that, except for the song they were using as a jingle. It was the chorus of "American Pie" by Don McLean.
"Bye-bye Miss American pie
Drove my Chevy to the levy, but the levy was dry."
Of course, those were the only two lines of the song that were used in the commercial. They couldn't very well use the next two lines:
"Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Saying this will be the day that I die."
Naturally, nobody wants to associate drinking and death with a Chevy truck. But I suppose in the bloody history of American highway driving, these three things have been linked together from time to time.
Well, on that morbid thought, I think I'd better get back to work...
Posted by leon at 07:16 PM | Comments (1)
August 30, 2006
The Problem with Paris
I woke up early this morning, as I do most every weekday morning, to the sound of the “Scott and Erica Show” on MIX 105.1.
I, like many listeners, find the sound of Erica’s contralto voice uniquely soothing, and oddly energizing. She always sounds full of life and joviality. If she’s like that all the time and not just while she’s on the air, she must be a truly fun person to be around. She’s near the top of my list of people I’d like to meet someday.
As for Scott, he sounds like a genuinely nice man, and a very witty one to boot.
At the top of every hour Erica delivers the “Mix Morning Update”, a quick overview of the news, often with an “amusing or offbeat news story” at the end.
Sometimes I only half hear these reports as I emerge from the haze of sleep, but this morning I heard something that caught my ear. Apparently, Paris Hilton’s new album is a flop. Only about 75,000 total copies have been sold in the US. They were, of course, expecting to sell millions.
The general agreement among reviewers is that this album proves that with today’s technology (especially pitch-correction software), anyone can make an album.
Paris’ problem? She can’t go out and perform live to help promote the album. Why? Well, she can’t perform live!
Of course, I’m not too worried about her. She probably will not starve, and she now has a fun little thing to give away at her parties (that is, if anyone will take them).
In other music news, Jessica Simpson’s latest CD is not meeting with the warmest reception, at least by the critics. I listened to her latest single (the title of which I will not bother to look up) and it sounds amazingly like the 80’s hit “Holiday” by Madonna.
Today I will be working on some tracks for three artists, and any one of them has more talent in their little finger than….well, you know.
And they can all perform live, too.
Paris Hilton
Posted by leon at 10:33 AM | Comments (2)
August 22, 2006
The Famous Mr. Fed
Well, I couldn’t resist, I had to watch K-Fed’s debut performance at the recent Teen Choice Awards.
While I am not driven or led by popular culture concerning movies, music, clothing, etc., sometimes I just get plain curious as to what is going on out there. So K-Fed is in the news, and his “debut” was creating a lot of buzz, so I decided to take a look.
Being unable (OK, unwilling) to watch the entire “Teen Choice” awards, I watched the video on line.
His wife Britney Spears brought him out to perform his new single “Lose Control” or “Out of Control” or “Lost Control” or something like that. I suppose I could go look it up, but somehow it just doesn’t seem that important.
The crowd seemed to like what he was doing, but I wonder if that was because they were instructed to like it by the producers of the show. After all, it wouldn’t do to bring on a highly touted and anticipated act like K-Fed and then have the audience yawning, checking their watches, or yakking on their cell-phones.
Apparently the “Hip Hop Community” (do they all live in a gated community somewhere?) did not respond well to K-Fed’s debut. His performance has been roundly mocked and panned.
What did I think? Frankly, he sounded just like any other rapper to me. This could be attributed to my complete ignorance of the entire genre. Oh, I am aware of Rap’s existence, but I have not devoted much time to studying its intricacies.
Lest you think I harbor some sort of hostility towards Rap, be aware that I also don’t know much about Russian Folk Songs, Slavic Dance, nor am I a devotee of Opera. All opera sounds to me like controlled, tuneful hollering with orchestral accompaniment.
I wish Mr. Fed great success, although I suspect some may wish otherwise, since it is possible that the decision to have him perform for the first time on national television was not entirely based on his talent and experience.
Kevin Federline (a.k.a. "K-Fed", or as I like to refer to him, "Mr. Fed.")
The Teatro alla Scala in Milan is one of the world's most famous opera houses.
Posted by leon at 12:04 PM | Comments (1)
August 21, 2006
The Wave is Coming!
Here’s some information that should be of interest to anyone involved in BurnLounge.
Check it out!
Posted by leon at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)
August 02, 2006
We’re Going Places, and We’re Taking All Our Friends With Us
Last Saturday (July 29) we held a “BurnLounge Mixer” at Spike and Sandy’s house.
I had the privilege of standing up in front of the 15 (or so) people in attendance and giving an overview of the BurnLounge concept, and the opportunities that exist for both musicians and businesspeople.
Musicians now have a way to distribute their music without relying on a record label. They can also earn commissions from the sale of anyone’s music on their site.
5 of the attendees were being introduced to the BurnLounge concept, the rest of us were already BurnLounge retailers.
The more I talk about BurnLounge, the more I am convinced that digital downloading of music is the “wave of the future” (to use a well-worn cliché).
Our BurnLounge team will be earning passive income from the sale of music, and eventually, movies, ring tones, TV shows, and audio books.
In addition, this whole thing will shortly be going global, eventually branching out into at least 50 countries.
To use another well-worn cliché, it’s going to be huge!
We’re excited to be a part of it all at this very early stage. We plan to go places with this, and we want to take all of our friends with us.
If you’ve never heard of BurnLounge, go to our site and click “watch the commercial.”
Posted by leon at 03:55 PM | Comments (0)
July 27, 2006
But Is It Really News?
So Lance Bass has decided to “come out of the closet.”
Why is this news?
I feel like I’ve wasted valuable space in my brain by adding this bit of information.
It’s not that I don’t care about Mr. Bass, or that I am shocked and appalled by his revelation, I just can’t understand how this could be considered so important that it winds up in the news.
Of course, being a middle aged and heterosexual man may possibly render me impervious to an emotional crisis upon reading such news.
I have to admit; I now wonder what Lance’s many fans, those young girls who fantasized about being with him, are thinking now.
Actually, now that I ponder it further, most of his erstwhile fans, (and they are now in their 20’s and possibly early 30’s) upon hearing this revelation, probably responded by shrugging their shoulders and saying “So? I get it, he’s gay, and Oprah’s not gay. So what? Why is this news?”
Now if ‘N Sync were to put out a new album that was truly great, that would be news.
Hmmm. Maybe that previous comment was a bit snarky. But hey, it could happen.
Lance Bass
Posted by leon at 02:11 PM | Comments (1)
July 21, 2006
Snarky, Snarky!
One thing I have resisted in writing the PSG blog is making fun of other people.
I guess I don’t do it much because I was raised with the stern injunction “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
Now in the music business, and in show business in general, there are a lot of “not nice” things said and written all the time.
Of course, there are those whose job it is to criticize. They write the reviews of the movies and music we consume.
I greatly enjoy reading a well-written review. My favorite movie reviewer is Roger Ebert. I’ve been reading his movie reviews since the 70’s, and he’s someone I would love to sit down with some day and converse with about movies.
But there are many folks today who offer their opinions of what is current in pop culture without reaching the erudite level of an Ebert. If they don’t like a particular movie, book or song, instead of trying to analyze the perceived faults of the work, they simply make fun of the actor, author or musician. The prime example of this kind of criticism is the VH1 series “I Love the ‘60’s….’70’s….’80’s…’90’s”…etc.
Instead of offering well-thought out scrutiny of the trends, products and entertainments covered, the various celebrities and “funny people” brought in to comment merely make fun of it all in a rather condescending way.
The term used today for this type of criticism is “Snark.”
Here’s the definition of “Snark” from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
"Snark refers to a belittling style of speech or writing. It could loosely be described as irritable or 'snidely derisive'; hence, 'snarkish', 'snarky', 'to snark at somebody'. (The Urban Dictionary refers to it as a contraction of "snide remark".)
"This word has Germanic origins and is etymologically unrelated to the imaginary creature in Lewis Carroll's The Hunting of the Snark.
"Snark is also often used in fandom to describe a character's/writer's comment, action, way of acting/ writing style.
Example:
Jane: That comment made by Sydney Bristow was snarky!
Jimmy: Thank god for J.J. Abram's writing genius.
"The adjective 'snarky' derived from snark was used often on the short-lived 2004 Fox series, Wonderfalls".
I’ve never seen “Wonderfalls” and have no intention to. (Since it was short-lived, its not on any more!)
Granted, in the music business there is a lot to “snark” at. I mean, Paris Hilton is now a “recording artist!”
And lo and behold, according to Jody Rosen of Slate Magazine, her debut single, "Stars Are Blind," is not all that bad.
Quoting Ms. Rosen:
"Stars Are Blind" is a sweet, sun-kissed love song with a snappy ska beat, and Hilton (with the aid, undoubtedly, of the Antares Auto-Tune 4 Pitch Correcting Plug-In)puts it over well, cooing lyrics about her "heart and soul" in a reasonable impersonation of a human being with feelings. All in all, it's a surprisingly good start to Hilton's campaign to break into the pop diva game.
OK, I’ve listened to the song. You can hear it too by going to Paris’ site. It will start playing the moment you get there.
So in keeping with my upbringing, here is what I have to say about the new Paris Hilton single:
############################################################
Hope that wasn’t too snarky.
Posted by leon at 02:04 PM | Comments (2)
May 18, 2006
“The Emerging Artist” Email Newsletter
Not much time to write today, but I don’t feel too bad since yesterday was probably my longest posting ever.
Got to get into the studio and work on one more song for Jim McDonald, several tracks for Kevin Watson, some MIDI sequences for an entertainer from Vero Beach, and a CD of poetry readings.
Sometimes I can’t believe how many different kinds of projects I get to work on. Sure keeps things from getting boring.
I’m also getting ready to bring back my email newsletter, “The Emerging Artist.” This will be a weekly publication for all our friends and musical family members. We want to get this out to as many folks as possible.
We’ll be including weekly words of encouragement for musicians (singers, songwriters, gigging bands, anyone who does music part or full-time), along with interviews of artists, and helpful tips on recording, performing, songwriting, and anything else we think would be helpful.
I’ll still be doing this blog, where I will write about the day-to-day activities of our project studio, and ruminate on whatever strikes my fancy.
The newsletter is an effort to provide valuable information to our clients and friends, and to keep in touch with everyone.
Any suggestions as to what we might include in the newsletter are welcome and appreciated! Email us at info@solocreativemedia.com.
Posted by leon at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
February 06, 2006
Do You Need the Music Industry?
Here's an article that Sheryl wrote for the Muse's Muse web site http://www.musesmuse.com a few years back. Her advice is still timely!
Do You Need the Music Industry? (By Sheryl Paige)
(http://www.sherylpaige.com)
Let me say right from the start that this is not a music industry-bashing article. On the contrary, this article is intended to help you think through for yourself whether or not you really need a record deal to have a great music career.
First of all, how do you "make it" in the industry? Here are some comments I've heard directly from record company executives.
One exec said that if you were out performing enough that you could sell 10,000 of your self-produced CD's, that would grab his attention enough to sign you. [That begs the question…if you're selling 10K CD's each year plus revenues from your shows and t-shirt/product sales, and you own the entire profit margin, do you need to get signed?]
Another record exec described the process like this…"I'm a weasel," he said, "If I hear you're drawing a big crowd I might go and see your show…then if I like your show and it looks like the crowd does too, I might tell another weasel…and he'll come to your show, and bring another weasel… and those weasels will tell their weasel friends.
"Eventually you'll have a bunch of weasels at your show, and if enough of us weasels agree we should sign you, we will."
While the thought of record company executives as weasels personified might be humorous, it took a lot of guts for the guy to stand up in front of a bunch of aspiring artists and poke fun of himself in that way. He was hardly a "weasel."
The most remarkable comment I recall came from a panel of record company execs talking about what they look for in an artist they'd be interested in signing.
There were the comments I expected, like "great voice," "incredible songs," "willingness to work hard" and "great live performance."
Then came a comment from an exec that completely caught me off guard and changed my thinking forever:
"I'm looking for people who are so passionate about their message and their music, that if the music industry were to fold tomorrow, they'd still be out there doing their music."
So what if the music industry was to fold tomorrow?
That one thought got me to explore a whole realm of possibilities.
Here are my "top 5 do-it-without-the-music-industry" career building strategies:
1. Develop your own identifiable style. No music industry? No problem! That means no artificial categories to shove your music into.
2. Get out and play everywhere you can for anyone who'll listen. Set up your own tours. You no longer have to worry about being in the "right place" (L.A., Nashville, Austin, New York, Seattle…wherever the "right place" du jour is…)
3. Tell the world. Utilize every available means to tell people about your music, including word of mouth, e-mail lists, web sites, MP3.com, Internet radio, cross promotions with nonprofit organizations you care about, etc.
4. Develop a loyal fan base that will want every CD you ever produce. Sign them up at each performance. Stay in touch with them regularly through those e-mail lists, your web site, and mailings.
5. Record and sell your own music. Set your own budget; hire the best producer, arranger, studio, and musicians you can afford to be a part of your team (so you get the best quality product.) You won't have to worry about a record company loaning you your money (advances on future royalties) and telling you how to spend it to get the job done. Best of all, you'll own everything (rights as well as profits.)
So do you need the music industry? Whether or not you believe you do, just remember what the one exec said: be so passionate about what you do that if the music industry folded tomorrow, it wouldn't make one bit of difference to you…you'd still be out there doing it!
How would you go about pursuing your music career if there were no music industry? Tell us your ideas by commenting on this posting.
Posted by leon at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
January 30, 2006
New Things, Old Things
I used to be one of those guys who didn’t mind change: as long as everything stayed the same. (I think it was Bob Hartley from the “Bob Newhart Show” who said that.)
I also used to be the guy who didn’t like to try something new. What if I didn’t like it? Even worse, what if I did? Then I would have to add that item to my life and that would constitute a change.
Well, the past week was filled with a mixture of things I had done before, and several new things.
I must not be “one of those guys” any more, since I survived the new things, and even hoped to do them again.
New Thing: Last Wednesday Sheryl and I met a friend for a business lunch at a restaurant that was new to me. It’s called “Fish Lips”, and is located on the waterfront at Port Canaveral.
Great food. Picturesque location. Sheryl and I will be going there again.
Old Thing: Back in the studio, working on tracks for Jim McDonald.
Arranging and producing tracks for him to sing to is still done in largely the same way as it was in 1991.
One major change: back then I would convert the individual parts of each track (piano, bass, each drum in the set, strings, guitar, etc.) into individual tracks on a 24-track analogue master tape. I had to go to another studio to do this. Now I will convert the parts to .wav files, and complete the project in-house.
New Thing: On Friday I recorded a poet! Jennifer Lisa Vest is an accomplished (and published) poet who is recording some audio versions of her poems in response to numerous requests for a CD. More about her another day.
Old Thing: On Friday evening I went to a rehearsal for the Brevard County Debutante Society’s Annual Ball. I have played at this event for the past 15 years. I provide background music while the young debs are presented to the public, and then I play for the party afterward as part of the Len Turner Band, the group I was with for 12 years.
Not too many changes here.
New Thing: Saturday morning I produced a rehearsal CD for a female barbershop quartet. How many guys can make that statement?
Old Thing: Saturday evening- back to the Radisson Resort in Cape Canaveral to play at the Deb ball.
New Thing: On Sunday afternoon, Sheryl and I went to a popular local Yoga studio to see a demonstration, which featured one of Sheryl’s vocal students.
If only I could move as gracefully. Maybe we’ll take up ballroom dancing. (Another new thing!)
New Thing: After the Yoga demonstration, Sheryl and I went to a Sunday afternoon concert at “Nature’s Haven” in Historic Cocoa Village. (http://www.naturespirit.com)
We heard Chris Kahl (http://www.chriskahl.com), a young, native Floridian Singer – Songwriter who specializes in writing songs about his home state.
The venue itself is quite intimate, with seating for around 30 people. Sheryl and I will be playing there in April.
Old Thing: It’s Sunday evening, and I’m updating this Blog. Well, it’s not really such an old thing…
New Thing: On Monday morning I will be working with two folks who run a local counseling center. They want to create a spoken-word relaxation CD that also contains ocean sounds.
It’s a good thing I’ve overcome my distaste for occasions where I’m called upon to do new things and go new places, since it looks as though they are going to keep coming my way.
Posted by leon at 10:33 AM | Comments (0)
January 19, 2006
Fun With the Encyclopedia
Just for fun here's an article I wrote several years ago for http://musesmuse.com
Here's a bit of fun I found in the encyclopedia:
The Musician
"In most of the world's societies, musicianship requires talent, special knowledge or training, and effort, and the view is widespread that a successful musical work or performance is difficult to achieve.
There is no evidence that superior musical abilities arise in one society or race as opposed to another; rather, variations in achievement are the result of differences in technology, in the degree of specialization of musicians, and in the value placed on music.
Individual talent, however, is recognized among most peoples, and the musical specialist exists everywhere: as a true professional in the West, India, the Far East, and Africa; as an informal leader and singer in folk cultures; and as someone who also has supernatural power in tribal societies.
But if music is regarded as indispensable everywhere, the musician has rarely enjoyed great prestige.
In certain early societies in Europe and America, for example, musicians were regarded as undesirable social deviants; this remains the case in the present-day Middle East.
In many societies music is relegated to outsiders-foreigners or members of religious and ethnic minorities.
Many modern social systems, including those in the West, inordinately reward the outstanding 'star' performer but pay little attention to the average musician.
Nevertheless, musicianship in most parts of the world requires long periods of concentrated study, extending in the case of European and Indian virtuosos to some 20 years." (Taken from Microsoft Encarta '97)
Did you notice the part in there about how musicians "rarely enjoy great prestige?" Or how about being regarded as "undesirable social deviants?" Nice, eh?
Actually, the part that really caught my attention was how in our social system, the "star" performer is inordinately rewarded, and the "average" musician virtually ignored.
I'll take it one step further. Sometimes the "star" performer is not as skilled as the "average" musician. They may have become "stars" through connections in the industry, the behind the scenes work of many songwriters, producers, and image-makers, and sometimes through pure luck.
Are you one of those "average musicians?" Take heart. You may have more ability than many "stars."
You may have fans that are more devoted to you. You may have more freedom to express yourself musically and lyrically.
Perhaps you started out wanting to become a star, and then you realized after a while that it was enough to be able to write and play music, and share it with an audience.
There is absolutely no shame in not being famous.
Just as our society tends to inordinately reward the outstanding "star" performer, it also tends to inordinately punish that same performer.
Our culture tends to place stars up on an impossibly high pedestal, and then summarily knock them off (some stars help knock themselves off the pedestal…just watch any episode of VH1's "Behind the Music" and you'll know what I mean).
The star may remain famous, but they are "fallen." Sometimes they are even placed up on the pedestal again, only to be knocked off once more.
There are a few who manage to stay on the pedestal, and become "legends" of a sort, but the percentage of musicians who reach this status is pretty low.
So to all "average" musicians, remember this: you are as important as any star.
You may never be on the cover of "Spin," or "Rolling Stone," but if there are people who love your music and support what you do, and you're true to your art, that's what really matters.
Now, if circumstances are such that you do become a "star," stay grounded, and surround yourself with genuine friends so that whatever pedestals your fans and the media put you on, or knock you off, you don't lose yourself in the process.
Star or "unsung" star, don't forget to tell all your friends about the project studio guy!
Posted by leon at 12:54 PM | Comments (1)
January 10, 2006
Goodbye, Lou
Unfortunately, there are some musicians that I don’t really think about much until they are gone. Lou Rawls was one of those.
He existed on the periphery of my mind. I had certainly heard of him: I knew who he was.
Like most people I knew him best for his big 1976 single “You’ll Never Find a Love Like Mine.” It is significant that this became one of my teenage daughter’s favorite songs, and she made sure to include it in her personal mix CDs that she put together for herself.
I remember hearing that song when it was all over the radio in 1976. It was of course an early disco song, but Rawls sang it with grace and grandeur.
The disco arrangement may be a bit dated (which actually makes it all the more charming), but the vocal is timeless.
It’s no wonder that Frank Sinatra, an ardent Rawls fan, reportedly said that Rawls had “the silkiest chops in the singing game.” That’s a “hep cat” way of saying, “He was really good.”
I remember upon first hearing “You’ll Never Find…” being greatly impressed by the warmth and richness of his voice.
And that range! He started on a low A and ended up hitting a high A at the climax of the song. No small feat!
Next time you hear the song, (especially if you’re a male) try singing along and see how well you keep up.
I personally wanted to do this song for years when I was in the Len Turner Band, but to be able to hit the high notes I would have had to lower the key, and then I couldn’t hit the opening low notes.
As I thought more about Lou Rawls, I began to recall other things- I remember hearing some of his later work on a radio station out here that used to play standards and big band music. The man could swing with the best.
I also remembered the work he did on behalf of the United Negro College Fund with his annual Parade of Stars Telethon (the last of which was broadcast posthumously).
He also was known for traveling to U.S. military bases around the world to entertain American Troops.
I also remember his voice from beer commercials for Anheuser-Busch, and his stint as the singing voice for Garfield the Cat.
His career stretched from the late 50’s to his last album in 2003, and was characterized by elegance and dignity.
One article I read about him stated, “He was the type of pop singer who’s increasingly rare these days. His entire reputation was built on the quality of his voice and how he used it.”
There’s a lesson for us all. Let’s seek to build our reputations on the quality of our work, no matter what it is we do.
Good-bye, Lou.
Posted by leon at 03:18 PM | Comments (0)