Monday, February 26, 2018

Songs Of Proof: The Class Of 1993

1993 is the year that the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inducted its eighth class.  That might not seem like it's of any consequence; however, for a long time, the Hall had a mythology of the "automatic eight," meaning that once an inductee has been nominated seven times, they automatically go in after their eighth.  The theory is that this was never a formal thing... until Solomon Burke needed ten to get in, where it was decided that eight was automatic after that.  The theory was fully disproved though after Chic failed to get in on their eighth nomination, and their ninth, and their tenth, and their eleventh, when they just decided to induct Nile Rodgers.  It matters because this year we have our first eight-time nominee finally being inducted.  This is also the year that we get our second Clyde McPhatter Club member, who would eventually be inducted a third time.  Arguably the biggest name in Non-Performers is inducted this year, as well as an interracial funk act.  This is a pretty diverse class, and they are saluted with the following, and hopefully fitting songs:


Ruth Brown:  We start off with an inductee who could have been inducted as a Performer or as an Early Influence.  As a singer, she goes back to 1949, and throughout the '50's, she was known as "Miss Rhythm."  Since she was inducted in the Performer category, I chose a song from the late '50's with a great bouncing feel to it.  It's a song that was written by Bobby Darin, and is a great testament to how you could rock and roll and still be a responsible person at the same time.  "This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'" is a fantastic number to represent this leading lady.

Dick Clark:  A professional hero of mine, a man who was always the epitome of class, even when hosting a show about bloopers and practical jokes.  There's a terrific story for the song I first used, but later switched out.  In addition to "American Bandstand" and "Where The Action Is," Dick Clark promoted rock and roll with his Caravan Of Stars tours.  One year, that tour included Paul And Paula, who had a huge smash with "Hey Paula."  However, the singers, whose real names were Ray and Jill, absolutely loathed each other.  They could not stand being around each other, and in the middle of the tour they were on, Ray up and quit and went home.  The consummate professional who knew the show must go on, Dick stepped up to the mic and sang the duet with Jill for the duration of the tour.  So, I was using "Hey Paula" to salute his professionalism.  The problem is, I hate that song.  Like, REALLY hate that song.  And besides which, the Caravan Of Stars tours, his New Year's Eve specials, and much of everything that came his way was built upon the amazing job he did as the host of "American Bandstand," and years later when he hosted the syndicated radio show, "Rock, Roll, And Remember," he frequently used his old TV theme coming out of the commercial break, at the start of a new segment.  He'll forever be identified by "Bandstand Boogie," which was performed by Les Elgart And His Orchestra, and I bring it back here to salute this gentleman.

Cream:  On the level, not an act I would have chosen.  Often regarded as but another stepping stone toward's Clapton's lustrous solo career.  Sure, they recorded much more than just the two songs; that said, the legacy is usually reduced to the two songs.  But after Hendrix, when it comes to psychedelic blues rock from the '60's, this is probably the act you think of most, which is not inconsequential.  And without turning it into a tribute to Hendrix, I chose "Sunshine Of Your Love" to represent this trio.

Creedence Clearwater Revival:  The great thing about CCR is that if you ask a hundred different people to name their three favorite songs from this band, you'll get a hundred different three-song combinations, and nobody will have anything bad to say about anyone else's choices.  Only once have I ever heard someone say they didn't like Creedence Clearwater Revival, and that was only because he was sick of hearing the same songs on the radio eight times a day, which is another issue entirely, really.  That's how universal their music is.  I once described their music as causing the well water that courses through my veins to reverberate.  Ceasing the poetic waxing, I'll just say that my favorite three are in no order "Wrote A Song For Everyone," "It Came Out Of The Sky," and the song I'm using here.  It's a song that technically is a Billboard hit... as a tagalong B-side, what with how Billboard changed their methodology in '69 and stopped letting popular B-sides chart independently for awhile.  How high it would have charted on its own is anyone's guess, except to say it would not have hit #1.  I once played this song on repeat at work to see how long it would be before anyone would notice.  It took twemty minutes before anyone noticed that we were listening to "Hey Tonight" on a continuous loop.

The Doors:  The Lizard King and company.  Though they are not my favorite group by any stretch, the only song of theirs I don't care for, that I can think of offhand, is "L.A. Woman," and that's just because I'm sick of hearing it.  A lot of really good songs, and while Morrison was no Walt Whitman, he certainly had the soul of a poet.  The song I chose has the added bonus of being overtly sexual, much like Jim Morrison, while also having some psychedelia to it, but was chosen mainly because the keyboard riff that opens the song and runs throughout it is based on the opening guitar riff from the Four Seasons' "C'mon Marianne."  Sometimes I'm just a little less than objective.  But "Touch Me" is still a solid choice to use.

Milt Gabler:  The lesser known of the Non-Performer inductees from this class, but no less deserving, Milt Gabler was a producer.  He was more than a producer though, also a songwriter and even record label executive.  He's the reason we know Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," and why Louis Jordan became such a humongous figure.  He produced a lot of Early Influence inductees at some point, including this year's inductee, Sister Rosetta Tharpe.  He wrote Brenda Lee's touching "I'm Sorry" and helped shape the sound of early rock and roll.  Fun point of trivia, he's an uncle to Billy Crystal.  But if you still don't get why this man was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, I'll spell it out for you: "R-O-C-K" by Bill Haley And His Comets.

Etta James:  Though she's most famous for the ballad "At Last," that song alone simply could not have propelled her into the Hall.  Her legacy as an R&B singer goes way back to the raunchy "Roll With Me Henry" back at the dawn of rock and roll, and she released a lot of R&B records, both ballads and otherwise.  The song I chose is "Tell Mama," a song I fell in love with the first time I heard it on the syndicated "Super Gold" program back in the '90's.  It's still a great jam, and I highly urge you to listen to it, even if you know it forwards and backwards.  Listen to it again.  Do it now.  This blog will still be waiting for you when you get back from YouTube.

Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers:  This was the very first act that needed eight nominations to get inducted.  They were nominated every year until they finally broke through.  They were so much more than just the one hit.  Listen to some of the other songs they had success with.  They combated the notion of rock 'n' roll corrupting the youth with "I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent," as well as gave us the rock and roll version of "'A' You're Adorable" with the incredibly catchy "The ABC's Of Love."  So, their legacy is so much more than "Why Do Fools Fall In Love;" however, that song in particular is one of the absolute pillars of '50's rock and roll, and so I relented and did in fact use the obvious choice.  (Vocal Group Hall Of Fame Song Of Proof: "Goody Goody")

Van Morrison:  The quirky inductee from this class.  It might be a stretch to call him an individualist, but he is certainly a singular figure that there is really none other like.  He just does what he does as he does it, and it covers a large area of the map.  From "Wild Night" to "Tupelo Honey," from "Brown Eyed Girl" to "Domino," from "Moondance" to "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)," his style is completely unique, as further evidenced by my choice for Song Of Proof, which is none of the ones already mentioned.  A lesser known hit for the man, but very unique, much like him, the song is "Blue Money."

Sly And The Family Stone:  Pioneers of funk, and an interracial band to boot.  I think one of the things I like about this group so much is that with songs like "Dance To The Music" and "I Want To Take You Higher," they showed that funk music doesn't always have to be gritty, though it certainly can be.  It can also be bright and cheery.  Or socially conscious, or just plain expressive.  As a group that sort of embodied a "family of man" ethos, I felt it best fitting to honor them with "Family Affair," a song that as well as being a solid jam, also marked a turn of style for them, as they led on through the '70's.  (Vocal Group Hall Of Fame Song Of Proof: "Hot Fun In The Summertime")

Dinah Washington: Alphabetically, this class began with a Black woman singer who was active from the late '40's through the early '60's, and we end with another one here.  A beacon for femininity in her own right, she sadly met with a tragic end trying to maintain an industry-conforming image behind the scenes.  Still, the songs from this year's sole Early Influence inductee last on and shine forth.  A personal favorite of mine is "Joy Juice," which probably wouldn't go over so well in today's social and political climate.  A song of hers, however, that absolutely would, and the song I've chosen here, is "Baby, Get Lost," which speaks about a woman not letting a man run her life, realizing her own worth, and shows that even if what she wants is to be a domestic goddess, she'll do it on her own terms and not his.  Fantastic record that is sadly but beautifully still relevant today.


And with that, we have completed our profile look at the Class Of 1993.  I hope you've enjoyed reading it and have been given some food for thought.  If you have any thoughts that you'd care to share, including songs you'd use, the Comments section waits below.  Have fun, and to give you the recap:

Ruth Brown: "This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'"
Dick Clark: "Bandstand Boogie" by Les Elgart And His Orchestra
Cream: "Sunshine Of Your Love"
Creedence Clearwater Revival: "Hey Tonight"
The Doors: "Touch Me"
Milt Gabler: "R-O-C-K" by Bill Haley And His Comets
Etta James: "Tell Mama"
Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers: "Why Do Fools Fall In Love"
Van Morrison: "Blue Money"
Sly And The Family Stone: "Family Affair"
Dinah Washington: "Baby, Get Lost"

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