Dec. 24 ... Merry Christmas to you all !

August 28, 1963

Every place has its words and every time has its men.

(Arabic proverb)

Gladys's Tune

mid-week gospel

You thought you know all versions of this song? You reckoned there is no artist on earth who could perform this tune as if you had never heard it before? Listen to this fabulous version by Gladys McFadden and the Loving Sisters, from 1969 ...

Summer Singles No. 2

Checker #1183 (August 1967)
Fontella Bass: »Sweet Lovin' Daddy« [B side] / »Lucky In Love« [A side]

In the September 2, 1967, issue of Billboard, »Lucky In Love« was predicted to reach the Hot 100. Alas, the reviewer was wrong and the song didn't chart eventually. Anyway, my favorite tune of this 45 is the B side. Enjoy!

Summer Singles No. 1

Checker #1137 (March 1966)
Fontella Bass: »I Surrender« / »I Can't Rest«

 

Song facts:

The only 45 by Fontella Bass to get both sides into the charts. On the other hand, »I Surrender« was the last of Fontella's songs ever to enter the Hot 100.
     The A side entered the Hot 100 on March 26, 1966, at #84 and peaked in May at #78. Strong airplay was reported from Detroit, St. Louis and Los Angeles in April. The tune reached #33 in the R&B Top 40 in May 1966.
     The B side entered the R&B Top 40 on April 23, 1966, peaking at #31.

Aretha, August 1968

45 years ago, Aretha Franklin was at the height of her success that had begun with her first Atlantic releases in 1967. And she wasn't alone in this because her sisters also shared the public attention.

From Billboard, August 10, 1968, p. 45

The August 8th, 1968, issue of DownBeat featured a lengthy piece on Lady Soul as well as an interview which to this day have remained two of the more interesting media items of the epoch regarding the career of Aretha Franklin. You can download the scan below.

DownBeat Magazine, August 8th, 1968

Download the PDF here.