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It's great to be able to start a new series of
columns with the news that Doris Troy is currently over here in
Britain with her show "Mama I Want To Sing". Written by her sister
Vy, and with the brilliant Soul songstress Chaka Khan in the cast,
it is based loosely on Doris' own life and her ambition to become a
singer and a star (both of which she achieved in full flush!), and
it has been successfully performed both in the USA and in many
countries around the world. Although some critics were less than
generous in their reviews, (as indeed mainstream critics over here
always have been with almost anything to do with Blackamerica until
it has become so big they can't ignore it any more), the show has
been a huge hit with audiences, and was responsible for the "House
Full" notice going outside the Cambridge Theatre in London's West
End for the first time in over three years! Doris says she hopes
lots of Soul people will be able to get to see it, and, if you can't
make it to London, she hopes that eventually it might tour the rest
of the country. Because Doris knows and loves her UK fans, she
insisted that "I'll Do Anything (He Wants Me To)" be added to the
score over here, and from reports I've had from friends who've
already seen it, audiences are jumping in and over the aisles as the
cast belt out that magic combination of Soul, Gospel and the sheer
celebration of life itself. By my next column, I should have been to
see it, so I'll report back as soon as I can. Also, Doris told me
she wants to meet Soul people whilst she's over here since she is
well aware that it is the hard-core Soul people who have kept her
name alive and vibrant through the years, so if anyone is organising
an event on a Sunday, contact me with details. She doesn't want to
perform, just mingle with people and talk, and try to understand
just where that ardent loyalty of British Soul fans comes from!!
Although I've not had a chance to read his book, I did catch Berry
Gordy Jnr., being questioned by a somewhat seemingly nervous
interviewer on BBC's "The Late Show", but, as charming as his
personality invariably is, I couldn't help noticing that he'd fallen
into that trap that so bedevils any accurate record of cultural
history, which is the "wisdom of hindsight", and the re-writing of
facts to accord to subsequent developments. He said that it was The
Supremes that took Motown into the Big Time, but when I was invited
to Motown over 30 years ago, The Supremes were regarded as so
"second-level" that they'd not even been invited to the reception
that was held for me! In fact, as I greatly admired their non-hit
outings "Let Me Go The Right Way", and "When The Lovelight Starts
Shining Thru His Eyes", I asked if they were around, and an
embarrassed secretary had to make a hasty phone call and tell them
to come on in and meet me! It was, without doubt, Mary Wells who was
then the Queen of Motown, (although as soon as I'd exchanged a dozen
words with Diane (as she was then), I knew I was in the presence of
an ambitious usurper!). And when anyone refers to "The Motown
Sound", surely it is reasonable to say that that distinctive, unique
and special "something" that we all identify as such was 90% created
by the team we lovingly refer to as "Holland, Dozier & Holland".
Berry mentioned none of them, which was a shame, since no matter how
much you subsequently fall out with someone, it shouldn't be allowed
to distort the subsequent historic record. In the same programme
however, Berry did release me from a promise that I've religiously
kept for a quarter of a century, and admitted that Diana Ross was
his lover. I had found out about this years before in the worst of
all possible ways, by going into a room which I thought was empty,
but which contained two people... They said they were thankful that
it was me who had entered since they both knew I could be trusted to
keep their secret... and I did! Hopefully, perhaps I might be able
to review his book for a subsequent column.
Those
of you who were able to get to see the Bobby Bland/Irma Thomas
concert at Colne last year certainly saw something one could hardly
ever forget. Irma was in top form (as always), and I am happy to go
on record and declare that I think she gave the best live Soul
performance I have ever seen in my life! She defies description even
from me, and if I have just one criticism, it's regret that she
didn't bring a backing group with her. Without a group in there,
artists try and sing both parts, and, as these often have to
overlap, it just can't be done effectively; but that apart, she was
magnificent. Bobby Bland alas, although lovely to see for old times'
sake, was not on top form. Maybe he's simply getting too old for it
now, and why on earth does nobody ever advise artists like him what
songs UK audiences will be wanting to hear? He's never had any kind
of a chart entry in Britain, but has had underground Soul hits, and
regardless of how they fared in the USA, those are the songs people
here will want to hear. No "Yum Yum Tree", and even, no "Turn On
Your Lovelight", let alone Deep Soul gems like "I'm Too Far Gone To
Turn Around" or "Rockin' In The Same Old Boat". Soul artists must
realise that the UK is not just an extension of the US Soul market,
and must tailor their acts accordingly if people are to leave with a
warm, soulful glow.
An idea
I had recently might be of interest to a lot of Soul fans out there.
Everyone of us must have a "wants list", and in addition, must have
a whole slew of titles that you'd like to hear, but have never had
the opportunity, so it occurred to me that maybe we could devise
some means by which people who want to hear sides could advertise
their craving, and those who have them could put them on tape for
them. It wouldn't be illegal provided there was no financial gain
involved (spiritual gain counts for nothing in hard cash circles!),
and might just put a few people out of the misery of longing. I'm
dying to hear (both sides since I'm the known King of the B Sides)
Kenny Carter's RCA-Victor outing "Don't Go" which, whenever it
appears on a list is always "sold" before I can get to it. Write in
and let me know what you think of the idea (and send me the Kenny
Carter side if you have it). We'd have to establish a means by which
people were reimbursed for the cost of the tape and postage, but I
reckon if the goodwill is there, it could work.
Finally, I must share with you a minor miracle that occurred in my
life. As some of you may know, my first introduction to the music of
Blackamerica was in 1953 as a schoolkid visiting the Silver Lounge
Ice Cream Parlour for a Knickerbocker Glory I'd illicitly saved for
out of my school dinner money. Until then, I had no interest in any
music other than "classical", but on this occasion they'd installed
a gleaming new juke-box, full of 45rpm singles (which had only just
been introduced into Britain), and some young workmen were playing
it. It was then that I heard "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean" by
Ruth Brown, and was transfixed by something I'd never ever before
heard the likes of! I went to the juke-box to see what this
magnificent record was, and one of the young men who had put it on,
told me what it was, and explained it was "R&B music". He also said
that if I liked that one, I'd probably also like some others in the
box, and he generously put in enough money to play about four other
R&B records for me which I feverishly wrote down in the back of my
school notebook. (Remember, this was way before the term "Rock &
Roll" has been coined). (It always seems to me a great regret in
life that you seldom get the chance to go back and thank anyone for
the way in which they may have unknowingly subsequently enriched my
life, so if that "young man" is reading this, deepest thanks are
here in record from the bottom of my heart!). Also, through all the
decades in which I was involved with Blackamerican music, I never
met Ruth Brown, and never met anyone else who knew her or could
convey my thanks to her by proxy. So, imagine my surprise when, just
before Christmas, I had a phone call from her as she was over here
appearing at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London, and at long, long
last, I was able to thank her in person for that magical
introduction to everything else that is now part of my own history!
(Who knows if I hadn't gone into that place that day, how long I
might have had to wait before I saw the light? It doesn't bear
thinking about..). It was like being able to repay a forgotten debt
of over 40 years standing, and, I don't mind admitting that by the
end of our conversation, we were both on the verge of tears. As
James Phelps put it so eloquently on his ace Cadet side "Action";
"those magic moments that I dream exist..."
Until
next time, keep the faith. |