Ma' Rainey - "Moonshine Blues"

In appreciation of Black History Month, all of February will feature Black and Mixed Race artists.

Ma' Rainey was one of the earliest African-American professional blues singers and one of the first generation of blues singers to record. She was billed as the "Mother of the Blues". She was a pioneer for black civil rights and she spoke out for the LGBT community before we even knew we could stand up for ourselves.

She began performing as a young teenager and became known as Ma Rainey after her marriage to Will Rainey, in 1904. They toured with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels and later formed their own group, Rainey and Rainey, Assassinators of the Blues. Her first recording was made in 1923. In the next five years, she made over 100 recordings, including "Bo-Weevil Blues" (1923), "Moonshine Blues" (1923), "See See Rider Blues" (1924), "Black Bottom" (1927), and "Soon This Morning" (1927).

Rainey was known for her powerful vocal abilities, energetic disposition, majestic phrasing, and a "moaning" style of singing. Her powerful voice was never adequately captured on her records, because she recorded exclusively for Paramount, which was known for its below-average recording techniques and poor shellac quality. However, her other qualities are present and most evident in her early recordings "Bo-Weevil Blues" and "Moonshine Blues".

Rainey recorded with Louis Armstrong, and she toured and recorded with the Georgia Jazz Band. She continued to tour until 1935, when she retired and went to live in her hometown.

Although most of Rainey's songs that mention sexuality refer to love affairs with men, some of her lyrics contain references to lesbianism or bisexuality, such as the 1928 song "Prove It on Me":

They said I do it, ain't nobody caught me.
Sure got to prove it on me.
Went out last night with a crowd of my friends.
They must've been women, 'cause I don't like no men.

According to the website queerculturalcenter.org, the lyrics refer to an incident in 1925 in which Rainey was "arrested for taking part in an orgy at [her] home involving women in her chorus." "Prove It on Me" further alludes to presumed lesbian behavior: "It's true I wear a collar and a tie ... Talk to the gals just like any old man." The political activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis noted that "'Prove It on Me' is a cultural precursor to the lesbian cultural movement of the 1970s, which began to crystallize around the performance and recording of lesbian-affirming songs."

So today, determination and gumption, I choose Ma' Rainey's "Moonshine Blues" as my, let no one tell you who to be, no one can limit your ability, yours is the only heart that matters, song for a, stand and deliver, blues like gold, honor those who paved the path Thursday.

Fats Domino - "Ain't That A Shame"

In observance of Black History Month All of February (other than one notable exception for my Mom/Elvis) will be Black Musicians.

Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino Jr. was an American pianist and singer-songwriter of Louisiana Creole descent. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Between 1955 and 1960, he had eleven Top 10 hits. His humility and shyness may be one reason his contribution to the genre has been overlooked.

During his career, Domino had 35 records in the U.S. Billboard Top 40, and five of his pre-1955 records sold more than a million copies, being certified gold. His musical style was based on traditional rhythm and blues, accompanied by saxophones, bass, piano, electric guitar, and drums.

His 1949 release "The Fat Man" is widely regarded as the first million-selling Rock 'n Roll record.

Domino was one of the biggest stars of rock and roll in the 1950s and one of the first R&B artists to gain popularity with white audiences. His biographer Rick Coleman argues that Domino's records and tours with rock-and-roll shows in that decade, bringing together black and white youths in a shared appreciation of his music, was a factor in the breakdown of racial segregation in the United States. The artist himself did not define his work as rock and roll, saying, "It wasn't anything but the same rhythm and blues I'd been playin' down in New Orleans." 

Domino was also an important influence on the music of the 1960s and 1970s and was acknowledged as such by some of the top artists of that era. Elvis Presley introduced Fats at one of his Las Vegas concerts, saying, "This gentleman was a huge influence on me when I started out." Presley also made this comment in a 1957 interview: "A lot of people seem to think I started this business. But rock ’n’ roll was here a long time before I came along. Nobody can sing that music like colored people. Let’s face it: I can’t sing it like Fats Domino can. I know that."

Both John Lennon and Paul McCartney recorded Domino songs. According to some reports, McCartney wrote the Beatles song "Lady Madonna" in emulation of Domino's style, combining it with a nod to Humphrey Lyttelton's 1956 hit "Bad Penny Blues". Domino also recorded the song in 1968. Domino returned to the "Hot 100" chart for the last time in 1968, with his recording of "Lady Madonna". That recording, as well as covers of two other songs by the Beatles, appeared on his Reprise album Fats Is Back, produced by Richard Perry and with several hits recorded by a band that included the New Orleans pianist James Booker.

Domino was present in the audience of 2,200 people at Elvis Presley's first concert at the Las Vegas Hilton on July 31, 1969. At a press conference after the show, when a journalist referred to Presley as "The King", Presley gestured toward Domino, who was taking in the scene. "No," Presley said, "that's the real king of rock and roll."

This song is all about finding the laughter in the sadness. They come hand in hand, in waves and in echos, they are the sun and moon of your life. Embrace them both. 

So today, with laughter lighting my eyes, I choose Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame" as my, oh well, c'est la vie, que sera sera, song for a, choose your own adventure, break open the sky, they can tell you nothing you don't already know Wednesday.

Elvis - "That's Alright Mama"

He's her favorite person (well, singer) and she's mine, so today I post for her, about her. She flew out to California to help me with a dear friend's Memorial. She spent the evenings with my friends and we spent the mornings crying together over "This Is Us" & "Grey's Anatomy" (but truthfully over loss and heartbreak), and she helped me to see how a heart can heal through non-linear grief. 

Thank you Mama, we're gonna be alright.

So today, with tears and laughter hand in hand, I choose Elvis' "That's Alright Mama" as my, it'll be alright, look for the silver lining, little ways to improve your life, song for a, smile though your heart is aching, one breath after another, lean on me, Tuesday.

Jackie Wilson - "(You're Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher"

I can't help but hear today's song and smile. It's the kind of music that lifts you up, and makes you want to move, to tap your feet, to chair dance right along with it. It's the kind of song you put on in the morning to start the day off right with an excellent cup of coffee and and the sun coming in through your windows. My friend Matthew was this way. In human form, he inexplicably raised everyone he met higher & higher. Now this might sound like post mortem rose colored glasses, so let me be clear, he wasn't perfect. He was flighty, went through bad spells, and never took out the garbage, but all that aside, he was an incredible human being. His loss has caused a ripple effect across my life, as I watch all those people whose lives he touched begin to rise up, to aspire to be better, because he was, and he believed them to be also. So as I watch a nation of "slayer potential" awaken and rise, I cannot help but think, thank you for raising us higher and higher Matt.  We'll continue the good work. 

If you don't know Jackie Wilson ... shame on you, but let's get educated and rise up with this knowledge together eh?

A tenor with a four octave vocal range, he was nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", and was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was considered a master showman, and one of the most dynamic and influential singers and performers in R&B and rock 'n' roll history. Gaining fame in his early years as a member of the R&B vocal group Billy Ward and his Dominoes, he went solo in 1957 and recorded over 50 hit singles that spanned R&B, pop, soul, doo-wop and easy listening. This included 16 R&B Top 10 hits, including six R&B number ones. On the Billboard Hot 100, he scored 14 Top 20 Pop hits, six of which made it into the Pop Top 10.

On September 29, 1975, while headlining a Dick Clark Oldies Concert, he collapsed on stage from what was later determined to be a massive heart attack, and subsequently slipped into a coma, slowly awakening over a period of 8 months. He remained semi-comatose for the nine years until his death in 1984, at the age of 49. Wilson was one of the most influential artists of his generation and an inspiration to other singers including Elvis Presley, James Brown and Michael Jackson.

A two-time Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee, Wilson was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.  In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Jackie Wilson #69 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

So today, with legends all around, I choose Jackie Wilson's "(You're Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher" as my, break your own mold, believe yourself to be better, rise like steam from a frozen lake, song for a, jump - clap - dance, laugh your way to victory, smile - it makes everyone's day better, Monday.

David Bowie - "Cat People (Putting Out Fires)"

And then there is the great adventure, the one that no one can go on but you, and you must go alone. It's big, it's bright, it's beautiful, and it's scary, but it's yours. There are times to laugh and times to cry and there are times to run out and chase life down and tackle it. Never let your fear stop you from making the attempt. Fear is the secret hideout of hate, and hate must never conquer. 

No one did this better than you Matt. No one. So in attempt to face down Fear for the Bully that it is, I'm chasing life in your image. A pale reflection, but my own version none the less. I refuse to let the world go one without your light continuing to shine. So the small piece you gave to me, the tiny flame I keep in my heart like a lantern, I will turn into a lighthouse, and I will blaze in your stead. I know you've simply gone on to light the next steps for us, but while I'm here I'll help those I can, just the way you did. 

Ok kitty, enjoy the stars, and the galaxies, and the infinite nothingness, and everything we can't fathom to think of yet. I hope you find your other kitty cat Borgs and that you start new constellations in the sky for us. Until I can meet you up there, I'll carry your torch down here. I'll put out your fire by pouring gasoline on it and brightening the blaze. 

Meow 

So today, with adventure on the bow, I choose David Bowie's "Cat People (Putting Out Fires)" as my, like a lighthouse, like a constellation, like the sun, song for a, the stardust that still connects us, the magic in our memories, the gold we've mined from our hearts, Friday.

Nouvelle Vague - "Pride (In the Name of Love)"

Nouvelle Vague is a French band led by musicians Olivier Libaux and Marc Collin. Their name means "new wave" in French, and refers simultaneously to the French New Wave cinema movement of the 1960s, to the new wave musicmovement of the 1970s and 1980s, which provides many of the songs that the band cover, and to bossa nova(Portuguese for "new wave"), a musical style that the band frequently uses in its arrangements.

The group's recordings and live performances have featured a large rotating cast of mostly female vocalists. Several of the artists who have performed with the band have also had successful solo careers, including Camille, Phoebe Killdeer, Mélanie Pain, and Nadéah Miranda.

This is such a simple, sweet version of this song, and subsequently listening to this version was also the first time I actually understood the lyrics and the song. It's incredible. Pride for loving unconditionally. 

So, in the altruistic spirit of the song, and by the example of a friend gone, but not too far away, I choose Nouvelle Vague's cover of "Pride (In the Name of Love)" as my, continue to open your battered heart, turn the other cheek again and again, cracks are how the love gets in, song for a, broken and beautiful, generous of soul, love without end, Thursday.

Sara Bareilles - "Bluebird"

So today I had a heartwarming, long chat with a friend, as we grieved together this loss. It was in a moment of quiet understanding that we decided that the good really do always go young. Then it struck me that maybe souls like Matt’s do that so that they can leave such a great impact when they go, Like a ripple effect, causing all of us, everyone they’ve touched to be be better people because of it. Almost martyring themselves so that we wake up and start living life more like they did, with bravery and compassion and a wild zest for life. 

We imagined him simply running ahead of us, always the front runner, and lifting off into the next adventure, preparing the way for us. This came about as we listened to yesterday's SOTD and and imagined him like the Bluebirds flying high above the chimney tops to a place we haven't gone yet. 

This song of course popped into my head, and while the context of the separation is different, in the chorus you find the honest magic of holding on to the ones you can, letting go of the ones you must, and remembering that you can soar if you just try. 

So with tears and laughter, I choose Sara Bareilles' "Bluebird" as my, gather your strength and rise up, lift off, shake off your rusted wings, song for a, blue blue blue, like oceans - like skies - like the distance between, every small miracle yet to be seen Wednesday. 

Here we go Bluebird, Gather your strength, and rise up.

Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole - "Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What a Wonderful World"

This song came on the radio today, as I was driving home, and although I started blubbering like a baby while I was at a red light on Fountain and Fairfax, I also knew Matt was there beside me, laughing and crying along.

When Matt was little his Mom, Hilda, would sing to him, “What a Wonderful World,“ by Louis Armstrong. Two years ago he asked his Dad for as much of his Mom’s handwriting samples as his father could find for him. He took her handwriting and then, with Photoshop, re-created some of the lyrics of the song with her own handwriting. To remind him daily how beautiful life is. 

So, as I walked through my city last night the air was cool and chilly as if other people were solemn too and you could almost feel the pulse of other broken hearts all around. It was a somber evening walk. However as I continued to down the street, I realized that there were gentle breezes coming down off the mountains, that children and athletes were still playing games and laughing, and that if I just looked a little deeper than the surface things were still beautiful; lights strung up in courtyards glittered like stars, the moon was heavy and silver in the sky, a woman was singing in her shower and giving that music to her neighbors and bystanders like myself. 

Life is still beautiful, and we should still be grateful. There is a lot of emotional upheaval in my world right now but there is also the constant knowledge that the earth was here long before myself and it will continue to be here long after. Mother Nature’s world is all around us, in the plants, in the ocean tides, in the breeze off the mountain, and there is beauty to be found if we only step outside our own little pain body and see these minor miracles for what they are. 

So rather than sit in the echo chamber of social media, in a revolving door of pain or sadness, I say to my grieving friends: go for a walk, shut off the computer for a few hours, put down all your screens and find the magic of this land ... the REAL magic of this land in every aspect of it, just the way Matt did. Find the night sky, or the sunlight on a lake, and remember that we are lucky to be where we are, who we are, and when we are, and to have known bright souls like Matthew Palazzolo before he went ahead. 

So today, even through the grief, I choose Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" as my, look to the stars, look to the flowers, look to the hearts of those you love, song for a, walk with kindness, open every door, authentic in every step, Tuesday, because it is STILL a wonderful world.

I will see them bloom for me and for you Mashugenah, I promise to keep watching.