When I heard that John Robert Cocker p/k/a “Joe Cocker” passed away two days before Christmas, my heart broke a little. Continue reading
Tag: In Memoriam
In Memoriam | Lena Horne | 1917-2010
On May 9, 2010, Lena Mary Calhoun Horne, professionally known as Lena Horne, passed away. A talented actress, engaged social activist, and sublime vocalist, Lena Horne was one of the first female jazz vocalists that I fell in love with.
I got introduced to Jazz music in middle school at the same time I delved into musical theater. There was a musical called “Show Boat” (a heavy musical that dealt with integration and interracial romance) that I was researching at the local library, and I remember finding a version of my favorite song from the musical on a jazz sampler. The song was “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and it was performed by Lena Horne. There is a lot of history and trivia out there, and rather than write it all out here, I suggest you click on this IMBD link to read more.
Heaven. Her voice was expressed so much emotion and expression that my heart melted, and she’s been a constant staple of my jazz collection and playlist rotation ever since.
Today, I remember a voice that I fell in love with. With her passing back in 2010, a little bit of my heart broke. A classic beauty, sublime talent and divine individual doesn’t come around that often. I’m just glad a bit of her soul is still with us in recordings and video. Below are some of my favorite Lena Horne performances.
R.I.P., Lena. My “Lady” of jazz.
In Memoriam | Johnny Cash | 1932-2003
Better known as the “Man in Black”, John R. Cash was born February 26, 1932 and passed on September 12, 2003. His music has stood the test of time, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.
As stupid as it sounds, I learned about the Man In Black through the movie “Swingers” when we learn that a character in the movie is named after a the Johnny Cash Song “A Boy Named Sue.” If you haven’t seen the movie (which is a personal favorite of mine) you can catch the scene at around the 35 second mark in the video at the link here.
Such a classic scene. Johnny Cash’s music is classic as well. “I Walk the Line“, “Folsom Prison Blues“, “Ring of Fire“, “Man in Black“… all Johnny Cash classics. If you’re not familiar with those songs, maybe you should google them. I’m not going to embed them here. Rather, I’d like to list 9 interesting facts that I found at this link. Stuff I didn’t know, that you may find interesting or amusing:
1. Johnny Cash started smoking when he was 12 years old.
2. His first gig with the Tennessee Two was playing for a group of elderly ladies in a church basement.
3. During his act in the 1950s, Cash flaunted a killer Elvis impersonation.
4. Roy Orbison was Cash’s next-door neighbor in Tennessee for over 20 years.
5. An ostrich attack left Cash with five broken ribs and internal bleeding.
6. Muhammad Ali wrote a poem for Cash called “Truth” which Cash kept locked in a vault.
7. According to his autobiography Cash, if he were stuck on a desert island, Cash would bring Bob Dylan’s The Freeweelin’ Bob Dylan, Merle Travis’ Down Home, Jimmie Davis’s Greatest Gospel Hits, Emmylou Harris’ Roses in the Snow, Rosanne Cash’s The Wheel, a gospel album by Rosetta Tharpe, “something by Beethoven,” and You Are There by Edward R. Murrow.
8. Cash suffered from aviataphobia (fear of flying) and ophidophobia (fear of snakes).
9. In the Air Force, Cash wrote short stories under the pen name Johnny Dollar.
In Memoriam | Ernie K-Doe | 1936-2001 | How I Was Introduced to “The Emperor of the Universe”
There’s so much music out there these days that unless by some divine intervention, you may never hear some of the best music that’s ever been recorded. If it weren’t for a bachelor party down in New Orleans, I probably would have never heard of Ernest Kador, Jr. (February 22, 1936 – July 5, 2001), professionally known as Ernie K-Doe.
It’s been a few years so I may fail to remember all of the details, but a close friend of mine decided to have his bachelor party in New Orleans. It was after Hurricane Katrina hit, so the groom-to-be decided to mix in some community service with the bar hopping. We woke up early one morning and took a shuttle down to the Lower Ninth Ward and spent the day painting walls, hammering in floors, throwing out debris, etc. in a temporarily abandoned theater of a local high school. Drenched in our sweat (and a little blood) by day’s end, we really felt like we had done some good for the local community.
Afterwards, the person who facilitated the community service for the day suggested we head to a local spot, in the heart of Treme, called Mother-In-Law Lounge for some traditional New Orleans’ eats. We picked up some crawfish and other local cuisine, and drove up to this small, unassuming “lounge”. We walked into the side yard, and was immediately approached by spritely, enthusiastic, elderly woman with maroon dyed hair. Our guide introduced her as Miss Antoinette.
Miss Antoinette ushered us into her establishment and started to gush about her late husband, Ernie K-Doe. She explained to us that the lounge had been completely destroyed by Katrina, but that the community came together to rebuild the lounge and the city. She explained that the bar was opened by her late husband and was named after his only number one hit song, “Mother-in-Law”, which was written and produced by Allen Toussaint and which is possibly THE biggest hit in the history of New Orleans R&B.
I was so taken by Miss Antoinette’s personality, and probably a little taken by the life-size statue of Ernie in standing near the entrance, that music unheard, I went ahead and bought compilation album of Ernie’s greatest hits. After all, Antoinette said that her late husband was the self-proclaimed “Emperor of the Universe”, so how could I not buy the Emperor of the Universe’s greatest hits? LOL. We ate, and drank, then head back to our hotel rooms to get ready for the evening.
I popped in the CD, and the first song was “Here Come the Girls”, a song that was also written by Allen Toussaint. It was the first time I had ever heard the song, and I was immediately blown away. Why had I never heard this song before? I love a good horn section, and this song has it. Ernie’s vocals were soaked with attitude. And the hook does what it’s supposed to do … and it hooked me in for the rest of the album. This was New Orleans R&B, and I’m glad I found it. The rest of the album is solid, and I’ve posted a few of my favorite songs below:
1. “Here Come The Girls”
2. “Back Street Lover”
3. “Whoever is Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)” [which was also covered by Rufus]
4. “Fly Away With Me”
Miss Antoinette died the following year of a heart attack on Mardi Gras Day at the lounge. The lounge is still open, and hopefully it stays open for years to come. I’ll always have fond memories of the evening we spent with her, and learning about some essential New Orleans music. Thankfully, we still have The Emporer of the Universe’s music.
R.I.P. Ernie K-Doe and Miss Antoinette. You’ve helped write a chapter in my life, and it comes with a soundtrack.
#DKLPHOTOS 