Powerhouse Radio Newsletter
Return to the list of newslettersRay Charles on the Radio June 16, 2004
This issue includes...
1) Ray Charles on the Radio
2) The Powerhouse Radio Toolbar
3) Internet Radio at Work: Bandwidth Backlash?
4) Music News: Soul Divas Tour
5) Concert Dates: Who's on Tour?
6) Lionel Richie: "Just For You," a New CD
7) 5 Ray Charles facts for you
8) Donna Summer: Ordinary Girl
9) Who is Angelique Kidjo?
10)Your Feedback via email to King at Powerhouse Radio
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1) Ray Charles on the Radio
With the passing of Ray Charles on Thursday, June 10, 2004,
the world has lost a true musical genius.
Louis Jordan and Louis Armstrong planted the seed, but Ray
Charles is the guy who invented true soul. R&B pioneers Sam
Cooke on the softer side, and James Brown on the harder side,
all owe some of their legacy to Ray Charles.
In his heyday, Ray Charles was all over the radio, and for
good reason. Whether it was the big band sound, country,
soul, R&B, gospel, or pop, Charles was the man.
He had 11 top ten hits, 3 #1 hits, and a basket full of
Grammy Awards:
1960, Best R&B Performance: Let The Good Times Roll
1960, Best Pop Performance: Georgia On My Mind
1960, Best Pop Album Performance: The Genius of Ray Charles
1960, Best Pop Male Performance: Georgia On My Mind
1961, Best R&B Recording: Hit The Road Jack
1962, Best R&B Recording: I Can't Stop Loving You
1963, Best R&B Recording: Busted
1966, Best R&B Male Performance: Crying Time
1966, Best R&B Recording: Crying Time
1975, Best R&B Male Performance: Living For The City
1990, Best R&B Duo: I'll be Good To You (with Chaka Khan)
1993, Best R&B Male Performance: A Song For You
Fiercely independent, Charles took a lot of heat from the
music critics in 1962 when he recorded two country albums.
He was called a "sell out," but this did not stop Ray
Charles, who was able to build musical bridges between
genres. He created a sound for the whole world to enjoy.
A lover of the great lyric, he's stated that a good song
would motivate him to sing the tunes of other writers.
He's written his share of classics too.
There hasn't been a musical artist since who has been played
on as many different radio formats as Ray Charles.
We'll all miss him. His music will live forever through the
following body of work:
* Ray Charles, Atlantic, 1957
* The Great Ray Charles, Atlantic, 1957
* Soul Meeting (with Milt Jackson), Atlantic, 1958
* Ray Charles at Newport, Atlantic, 1958
* Yes, Indeed, Atlantic, 1958
* The Genius of Ray Charles, Atlantic, 1959
* Ray Charles In Person, Atlantic, 1960
* The Genius Hits The Road, ABC, 1960
* Dedicated To You, ABC, 1961
* Genius + Soul + Jazz, ABC/Impulse, 1961
* What'D I Say?, Atlantic, 1961
* The Genius After Hours, Atlantic, 1961
* Ray Charles and Betty Carter, ABC, 1961
* The Genius Sings the Blues, Atlantic, 1961
* Do The Twist, Atlantic, 1962
* Modern Sounds in Country and Western, ABC, 1962
* The Ray Charles Story, Atlantic, 1962
* Modern Sounds in Country and Western, vol. 2, ABC, 1962
* Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul, ABC, 1963
* Sweet and Sour Tears, ABC, 1964
* Have a Smile with Me, ABC, 1964
* Live In Concert, ABC, 1965
* Country and Western Meets Rhythm and Blues, Tangerine, 1965
* Crying Time, Tangerine, 1966
* Ray's Moods, Tangerine, 1966
* Ray Charles Invites You To Listen, Tangerine, 1967
* A Portrait of Ray, Tangerine, 1968
* I'm All Yours, Baby!, Tangerine, 1969
* Doing His Thing, Tangerine, 1969
* My Kind of Jazz, Tangerine, 1970
* Love Country Style, Tangerine, 1970
* Volcanic Action of My Soul, Tangerine, 1971
* 25th Anniversary in Show Business Tribute, ABC, 1971
* A Message From the People, Tangerine, 1972
* Through The Eyes of Love, Tangerine, 1973
* Come Live with Me, Crossover, 1974
* Renaissance, Crossover, 1975
* Live in Japan, Crossover, 1975
* Porgy and Bess (with Cleo Laine), RCA, 1975
* True To Life, Crossover/Atlantic, 1977
* Wish You Were Here Tonight, Columbia, 1982
* Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?, Columbia, 1984
* Friendship, Columbia, 1985
* The Spirit of Christmas, Columbia, 1985
* From the Pages of My Mind, Columbia, 1986
* The Right Time, Atlantic, 1987
* Just Between Us, Columbia, 1988
* The Complete Atlantic Rhythm and Blues Recordings, Atl., 1992
* My World, Warner Brothers, 1993
* Genius and Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection, Rhino, 1997
-------------
Written by King for the Powerhouse Radio Newsletter
Thanks to Grammy.com, Joel Whitburn's Top 10 Singles Billboard
Charts, Hugh Gregory's Soul Music A-Z, and Contemporary Musicians
Volume 24, for some of the background material included in this
article.
2) The Powerhouse Radio Toolbar
We've had almost 400 downloads of the Powerhouse Radio toolbar (from PowerhouseRadio.com) since it's introduction, May 11th, 2004.
We've now added a popup blocker...a feature everyone wants! If you downloaded the original toolbar, you've got the popup blocker too, as the toolbar automatically updates itself.
Turn the popup blocker on or off as needed. Some non-ad website features won't work on many sites, (including on our website), with the popup blocker turned on.
The brand new Powerhouse Radio Toolbar will increase your ability to find everything you want on the web, easily.
We've also just added support for Yahoo! Mail this week. Take advantage of their new 100 megabyte capacity accounts.
Download.com added our toolbar to their site, and wrote up quite a nice summary of this great tool. Go to
2021 Update: Thank you! Toolbar was sunset in 2016.
and read all about it. If you use Google, Yahoo!, or MSN to search the web, don't miss out on this terrific time saver.
You'll love the built in links to 60 classic soul and R&B artist websites (and to a few of their friends too)!
3) Internet Radio at Work: Bandwidth Backlash?
You probably listen exclusively to Internet radio through
a broadband connection at your job. You don't have to
feel guilty about clogging up your employer's computer
network with the Powerhouse Radio stream since our bandwidth
requirement is rather small.
However, many businesses are starting to monitor the 9 - 5
bandwidth spike on their computer networks as workers flock
to online radio.
If your company puts up a firewall to prevent live streaming,
you can sometimes adjust one of the popular streaming audio
players and implement a firewall "work-around."
Hopefully the Internet radio lockdown many employers are
now instituting on their computer networks will be a
temporary move. The size of these network "pipes," and
broadband connectivity overall, should increase in the coming
years.
4) Music News: Soul Divas Tour
Natalie Cole
------------
Will the announced Natalie Cole, Whitney Houston, Dionne
Warwick Soul Divas Tour, scheduled for this Summer ever
happen?
Cole said her close relationship with Whitney encouraged
her to team up with her colleagues.
The tour is scheduled to begin in Germany in July in three
cities: Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. See the concert tour
date below (for the Berlin performance).
Dionne is promoting the tour on her website, Natalie isn't
on hers, and on Whitney's site, as of June 15, 2004, the
following message was posted:
"Currently, there are no tour dates scheduled for Whitney."
Bobby Brown
-----------
Would you watch a reality TV show that exploits the
domestic troubles between Whitney Houston & Bobby Brown?
Brown wants to turn the couples' tabloid celebrity into a
television reality series.
Hip Hop Telethon
----------------
Various inner-city music education programs will benefit from
what is being called Hip Hop's first telethon, scheduled for
Thursday, August 19, 2004, at The Apollo Theater in New York
City.
This "Hip Hop Homecoming Celebration," to be broadcast live
on television, will turn the Apollo into a Hip Hop museum to
celebrate the last 25 years of hip hop.
Hip hop hall of fame inductions, tributes to fallen hip hop
heroes, old school MC battles, special reunions, and live
performances will all take place. Nas, Ludacris, and many
other hip hop stars will be a part of this telethon.
Editors note: One of the best shows I saw in the 90's was
Public Enemy at the Apollo. My favorite hip hop concert of
all time.
Michael Jackson
---------------
Actor Flex Alexander, from UPN's sitcom, "One on One," plays
Michael Jackson, in VH1's new television biography about the
King of Pop, called "The Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson
Story." The program is scheduled to air Friday, August 6, 2004.
5) Concert Dates: Who's on Tour?
Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago
Saturday, June 26, 2004
Meadows Music Theatre, Hartford, CT
Macy Gray
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Pier 62/63, Seattle, WA
7:00pm
Prince, Mary J. Blige, Maze feat. Frankie Beverly,
O'Jays, Gladys Knight, Missy Elliot, (and more)
Friday - Sunday, July 2 - July 4, 2004
Essence Music Festival (10th Anniversary)
Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Dionne Warwick, Whitney Houston, Natalie Cole
Soul Divas in Concert
Friday, July 2, 2004
Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany
Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago
Friday, July 2, 2004
Tweeter Center, Camden, NJ (Philadelphia)
Prince
Monday - Wednesday, July 12 - July 14, 2004
Madison Square Garden, NY, NY
7:30pm all three nights
Natalie Cole
Friday, July 16, 2004
Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
8:00pm
Earth Wind & Fire (no Chicago on this date)
Friday, July 16, 2004
Pier Six Concert Pavilion, Baltimore, MD
8:00pm
CeCe Winans
Friday, July 23, 2004
Savvis Center, St. Louis, MO
KC & The Sunshine Band, Village People,
Evelyn "Champagne" King
Friday - Saturday, July 30 - 31, 2004
Discomania Dance Party
Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, NJ
Al Green
Saturday, July 31, 2004
Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Madonna
Sunday & Monday, August 1 - 2, 2004
American Airlines Arena, Miami, FL
8:00pm both nights
Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago
Tuesday, August 3, 2004
Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee, WI
Prince
Monday & Tuesday, August 9 - 10, 2004
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
7:30pm both nights
Lionel Richie
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Le Zenith, Paris, France
Dionne Warwick
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago, IL
6) Lionel Richie: "Just For You," a New CD
The songs on Lionel Richie new CD, "Just for You," are
targeted more towards his non-U.S. fan base. This is
Probably why Lionel is testing the concert waters in
Europe first, before deciding on a U.S. tour.
Not quite capturing the style of his older hits, or the
R&B sound of today, "Just for You" does feature good song
writing, framed within tracks driven mostly by guitar
based rhythms.
"Time of our Life" featuring Lenny Kravitz makes Richie
sound more like Paul McCartney - and this is the main
problem with the CD overall. It sounds more like
derivatives of some other people's sounds and styles.
Lots of different producers had a hand in tailoring the
sound of the mostly Richie penned tunes. Maybe that's why
the tracks go in all different directions without continuity.
How about a Lionel Richie release produced by Jimmy Jam
& Terry Lewis? Their magic touch has worked over the
years for Janet Jackson.
If you have this CD, we'd love to hear your feedback, comment,
or opinion...
https://powerhouseradio.com/contact.html
-------------
Review written by King
7) 5 Ray Charles facts for You
1) His most parodied song: "Hit the Road Jack," one of the
first 45 RPM singles I ever bought, (and still have!)
Phil Alexander has a funny parody called "Hit the Prozac,"
based on Ray's song.
2) His only gold single: "I Can't Stop Loving You, (1962)
(over 1 million copies sold).
3) His four gold albums (1 million dollars in sales each).
* Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music (1962).
* Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music vol. 2 (1968).
* Greatest Hits (1968).
* A Man and His Soul (1968).
These sales statistics are from the Recording Industry
Association of America. The dates are RIAA certification
dates, not the release dates.
4) Favorite artist he patterned himself after when he
first started: Nat King Cole.
5) Ray taught Quincy Jones how to score music in Braille.
8) Donna Summer: Ordinary Girl
Ordinary Girl: The Journey, written by Donna Summer with
Marc Eliot
Published by Villard Books, 2003.
-----------
Donna Summer's autobiography is an enjoyable fun Summer
read.
LaDonna Adrian Gaines was born on New Year's Eve, December
31, 1948. She grew up in Boston with her parents and two
sisters.
By the time she was 12, she was singing Diana Ross and
Dionne Warwick songs.
On her approach to singing as an adult, Donna says "to this
day I will approach a song as an actress approaches a script.
I do not sing; I act."
"When I sing, I sing with the voice of the character in
the song."
With this in mind, one can be somewhat forgiving when
reflecting on "Love To Love You Baby," Donna's over the top
exercise in heavy breathing that was a big 1975 disco smash.
"Love To Love You Baby" is not one of her personal favorites.
Beyonce's "Naughty Girl" brought back the hook from "Love
To Love You Baby" in 2003, complete with Donna Summer styled
sensual panting.
By the time she was a teenager, Summer got involved in the
cultural revolution that hit the Boston Common section of
the city. She auditioned for and got a singing gig with a
Blood, Sweat, and Tears styled rock band called The Crow.
(Not the same Crow group that had the 1969 hit "Evil woman
Don't Play no Games with Me.")
She was the witness to a mugging during this period, and
decided to relocate to New York City to avoid some local
Boston hoods.
In the Summer of 1968, Donna was living in New York City's
Greenwich Village and sharing an apartment with a roommate.
One day, her roommate appeared at the apartment with the
Broadway producer Bertrand Castelli, who just happened to
hear Donna singing while he was outside of the apartment.
Donna was invited to audition for the upcoming German
production of the new musical "Hair." She aced the audition.
Next, it was off to Germany.
Her story really takes off from here. We share her
experiences traveling through Germany, and then the rest of
Europe, as success builds for her theatrical company.
Summer's many romances are documented, along with her first
marriage to German Helmuth Sommer.
Taking time off after her marriage to have her first child,
Donna slowly starts getting back into music, picking up
singing work wherever she could.
A friend told her that producer Giorgio Moroder was looking
for new voices for projects in Germany. The two hit it off
professionally. Some of Donna's first recordings for Moroder
were demos for the group Three Dog Night, (who Moroder was
pitching songs to).
By 1973, Summer was recording bubblegum hits in German and
making waves in the German top ten.
Early in 1975, Donna came up with the concept for "Love To
Love You Baby," and gave it to Moroder. He became so excited
about the "Love To Love You Baby," demo, that he took the song
to MIDEM, an international music festival.
Moroder passed the song on to Neil Bogart of Casablanca
Records. One intimate evening, Bogart and his wife played the
3 minute demo during an amorous moment. He liked the song so
much he asked Moroder to expand it to 18 minutes. Now we know
why.
Once "Baby" took off, the Donna Summer story relocates to Los
Angeles. She leaves Europe and heads back to the USA.
As she enters the Hollywood good life, Summer shares with us
tales of her bouts with depression, exhaustion, stalkers,
ex loves, and the usual juicy fare you'd expect from a famous
music diva.
From her humble beginning in Boston, to triumph and
stormy years in Europe, through ups and downs in L.A. and
New York, to her born again Christianity, there's a lot that
everyone can gain from reading this book. It's a good one.
-------------
Review written by King for the Powerhouse Radio Newsletter.
For more information about MIDEM, go to:
What is MIDEM
9) Who is Angelique Kidjo?
The New York Times has called her a bridge between African
tradition and American soul music.
Singer Angelique Kidjo was born in the West African Country
of Benin. After several years of success in Africa with her
high energy on stage performance, she relocated to Paris.
A unique artist, Angelique has juggled law studies,
studying classical music, and singing professionally since
age 20.
She's known for combining traditional lullabies with a jazzy
swing and irresistible funky rhythms.
Artists as diverse as Carlos Santana and Branford Marsalis
have played on her albums.
A high energy vocalist in the tradition of Aretha Franklin
and James Brown, but with the cultural awareness of another
African songstress, Miriam Makeba, Kidjo is a huge star
outside of the USA.
10) Your Feedback via email to King at Powerhouse Radio
Abu writes:
"Play some Heatwave, Lakeside, and Tower of Power. Come on
keep it Real!"
King replies:
Yes Abu, you'll be hearing from your favorites. We'll keep
it as real and as groovy as a blockbuster movie where you get
your popcorn and candy for free.
Chris, a personal friend of the Temptations, sent this email:
"I am a huge Temptations fan. HUGE! They have a new CD out
called "Legacy". This is the best CD they have put out in years
and years. This CD Jams!!"
Editor's not: "Legacy" was released June 8, 2004.
Clar emailed:
"Can you tell me who sings "I want to dance with my father again,"
and is this album available to purchase?"
King replies:
Luther Vandross. You can search our playlist by artist name
or song keyword at:
2021 Update: Online playlist sunset
Click the buy button next to Luther's name to purchase through CD
Universe and to support Powerhouse Radio.
----------
Don't be left out, because we're listening. Leave your
comments or feedback here:
https://powerhouseradio.com/contact.html
----------
Enjoy the Summer.
The next Powerhouse Radio Newsletter will come your way, right
after Labor Day, in September.
We'll post all of the previously published 2004 Powerhouse Radio
Newsletters (in HTML format) to the archive section of
PowerhouseRadio.com in the coming weeks.
http://www.powerhouseradio.com/newsletters/newsletters.html
Copyright 2004 by Powerhouse Radio
All rights reserved
Powerhouse Radio
https://powerhouseradio.com
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More 2004 Powerhouse Radio Newsletters:
| December - | Holiday Gift Suggestions for the Old School Fan |
| November - | Broadband Wars: Cable vs. DSL and Internet Radio |
| May - | Marvin Gaye Remembered |
| March - | Chaka Khan's Triumph |
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