Final del s. XVIII. Origen del Gospel. Nace por parte de la población en las iglesias afroamericanas. La palabra original es GodSpell, que en castellano se traduce como «llamada de Dios». Se le denominó de esta manera ya que era un canto evangélico que invitaba a las personas al rezo. Además, las letras, en el gospel original suelen reflejar los valores de la vida cristiana.

1895. Primera publicación musical afroamericana. Se publica una pieza de lo que más tarde se llamaría Jazz. Tras la guerra de sucesión americana se aboliría la esclavitud y la población afroamericana comenzaría a desarrollar su música.

1910-1917: Surge del jazz de Nueva Orleans. Intérpretes como Louis Armstrong y Jelly Roll Morton saltan a la fama.

1930. Se comienza a popularizar la música gospel. La América negra comienza a cogerle gusto a ritmos más optimistas.

1941. Inicios del Rythm and blues. Louis Jordan & Tympany Five editan I’m Gonna Move To The Outskirts of Town. Venden un millón de copias. El saxofonista servirá de inspiración a los nuevos talentos del sonido popular negro, como Ray Charles.

Ahmet Ertegun delante de algunos de los discos más importantes de Atlantic Records

1947. Nace el término Rythm and blues. Creado por Jerry Wexler de la revista Billboard. Sustituyó al término conocido como “race records” (grabaciones de raza, también conocido como música racial), considerado ofensivo y molesto para una parte de la pobñación que vivía  segregada en la sociedad norteamericana. Herb Abramson y Ahmet Ertegün fundan la compañía Atlantic Records para rellenar el vacío en la industria musical dedicado a la música negra.

1949. Se comienza a definir una nueva identidad negra. La Iglesia tiene un papel fundamental en el incipiente movimiento por la lucha de los derechos civiles. Los predicadores instaban a sus fieles a tomar conciencia de su raza y su historia y enorgullecerse de ellas.  Tras la II Guerra Mundial surge el Be-Bop, como una “separación” del Swing. Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker. Surge el Cool, como contraposición al Be-Bop. Miles Davis y John Coltrane.

1950. Nace Chess Records. Los polacos Leonard y Phill Chess fundaron la mejor compañía de blues y rock and roll de la década de los 50. Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf, Etta James o Chuck Berry formaban parte del sello.

Recopilatorio de Chess Records

1954. Nace el soul. “I Got A Woman”(Atlantic Records) de Ray Charles se considera el primer tema soul de la historia. Es la primera vez que Ray Charles combina los ritmos gospel con las letras populares del blues. No gustó mucho al principio ya que se creía que convertir una melodía gospel en tema de blues era casi un sacrilegio.

1955. Consolidación del soul. “Please, please, please” de James Brown le dio un nuevo giro al término y la influencia del soul saltaba a la vista. El nuevo género caló hondo en la población.

1959. Nace Motown Records. Con base en Detroit, Berry Gordy crea  la casa discográfica de artistas tan importantes como The Jackson Five, The Supremes, Steve Wonder… y consolida el sonido de la joven América.

1960. Crisis del Jazz. El jazz atravesó una crisis de público y ventas a finales de la década de 1.960. Las audiencias juveniles estaban a favor de la música de soul y de rock, mientras que los aficionados adultos se sentían ajenos a las abstracciones y falta de emoción de gran parte del …El jazz atravesó una crisis de público y ventas a finales de la década de los 60. Las audiencias juveniles estaban a favor de la música soul, pop y rock, mientras que los aficionados adultos se sentían ajenos a las abstracciones y falta de emoción de gran parte del jazz moderno, por lo que los músicos de jazz volvieron a extraer ideas de la música popular.

1961. Stax Records. Fundada por Estelle Axton y su hermano Jim Stewart, originalmente con el nombre Satellite Records, Stax es la casa discográfica de genios de la música negra como Otis Redding e Isaac Hayes. Junto a Motown, comparte el honor de estar considerado el sello más importante de la historia del soul.

1965. Primer compromiso directo del soul con la política negra. Sam Cooke, como respuesta al tema de Bob Dylan “Blowin’ in the Wind”, or el hecho de que una canción tan punzante con el tema del racismo en América viniera de un compositor blanco, publica su canción más popular “A change is gonna come”. El tema ejemplificó la lucha por el Movimiento por los derechos civiles en Estados Unidos en los sesenta.

1967. Revolución del soul. Acrecentada por la reivindicación de los derechos raciales y la aparición del single de Aretha Franklin “Respect”, que causó gran impacto el la población afroamericana.

1968. El nuevo sonido: Funk. James Brown empieza a dar un nuevo sentido al soul, contribuyendo en añadirle dureza y mayor agresividad rítmica y sonora acorde a los tiempos que se vivían entonces, dando paso al funk.

1969. Integración racial. El grupo Sly & The Family Stone sin haberlo planeado se convirtió en un ejemplo de igualdad. Integraba miembros blancos y negros por igual, y mujeres del mismo modo que hombres, por lo que se trata de la primera banda multirracial. Con el sencillo “Everyday People”, con más de tres millones de copias vendidas, lanzó al grupo a la fama mundial, propagando mensajes de paz, amor, tolerancia; todo ello aderezado con una irresistible música de raíz soul y funk

1970. Cuando el soul conoció al funk. Stevie Wonder comienza a explorar el sonido funk utilizando un nuevo invento: el sintetizador. En 1973 publica “Superstition” dando un sentido más urbano a la música funk.

Talking Book disco al que pertenece el single "Superstition"

70’s. Encuentro del funk con la psicodelia. El grupo Funkadelic (conocidos también como P-Funk), fundado por George Clinton, estableció una innovadora mezcla de lo viejo y lo nuevo, fusionando los ritmos sincopados de James Brown, el rock ácido del guitarrista estadounidense Jimi Hendrix y la mezcla de sonidos del grupo Sly and the Family Stone.

Finales de los 70. Nace el hermano pequeño del funk, el hip hop.

80’s. El nuevo soul. Representa la “igualdad”, a la América negra de clase media. E

l soul de los 80 era más tranquilo y sosegado que el de los años 60 y 70. Anita Baker es un exponente importante de esta generación.

La intérprete Anita Baker

Finales de los 80. Se consolida el rap en la industria y nace el New jack swing. Up & Town nació como discográfica de hip hop. Andre Harrel decidió no centrarse solo en el rap, entendió el rythm and blues de diferente manera. Unió el soul con el hip hop, nació el new jack swing. Fue un género de transición, que abrió la puerta al público a los sonidos R&B y hip-hop actuales. Bobby Brown sintetizó este nuevo concepto.

1991. Origen del R&B. “You remind me” de Mary J. Blige se convierte en un éxito a nivel nacional. Marcó la llegada de un estilo agridulce, con la calidez del soul y la dureza del rap.

1992. Nacimiento del Hip hop soul. El disco de Mary J. Blige “What’s the 411?” se convierte en un nuevo híbrido musical reciclando el soul clásico y del rap de los 80.

Paul McCartney trabalha novamente com seu ex-parceiro de banda Ringo Starr, nos vocais de “Walk with me” e tocando baixo em “Peace dream”,  no novo álbum deste: “Y Not?”. Ringo chamou Paul de gênio, disse que McCartney foi ao microfone e inventou a parte que canta com ele em “Walk with me”.

A Motown comemorou 50 anos com uma festa que incluiu The Temptations, Aretha Franklin e Stevie Wonder , dia 21, sábado. O ingresso custou US$ 350,00 e o montante servirá para a construção de um museu da Motown. Berry Gordy fundou a Motown há meio século, lançando e apostando na música negra americana nos anos 60 e 70.

Pesquisador diz que Jesus Cristo, seguindo José de Arimateia, teria estado em Glastonbury, cidade que abriga um dos maiores festivais de Rock da atualidade. O filme “And did those feet” (e aqueles pés o fizeram), que defende que Cristo teria acompanhado José de Arimateia em uma visita à região para encontrar os druidas. Gordon Strachan comenta que Jesus teria ido à Grã-Bretanha aprofundar seus estudos e sua visita seria plausível, pois todos desconhecem o que teria feito Jesus dos 12 aos 30 anos. Ele teria ido aprender sobre Astronomia e Geometria nas ‘universidades’ da época. A ilha atraía gente que queria estudar espiritualidade e filosofia,  não só dos judeus, mas também das civilizações grega e clássica.

Happy 50th Motown

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091121/ap_on_en_mu/us_motown_at50

Jackie Jackson

Es el hermano mayor de Michael Jackson e integrante del grupo familiar

Tito Jackson

El segundo hermano del clan Jackson, era el guitarrista de los Jackson Five

Jermaine Jackson, otro de los hermanos Jackson. Fue integrante de la banda familiar hasta que el grupo cambio de casa de discos  y él se quedó como solista en la Motown

Marlon Jackson

Es el hermano que va por delante de Michael, compartian un vinculo especial entre ellos. Era vocalista de la banda

  Randy Jackson

Es el pequeño de los hermanos Jackson. Sustituyó a Jermanine cuando dejó la banda

Berry Gordy

Fundador de la casa de discos Motown. Contrató a los Jackson Five en la década de los sesenta

Quincy Jones

Productor de Michael Jackson. Colabaró con el Rey del Pop en los siguientes discos: Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad .

(Above: Richard “Popcorn” Wylie’s version of “Money (That’s What I Want)” is one of music writer Bill Dahl’s favorite early Motown songs.)

By Joel Francis

Chances are good that Chicago-based music writer Bill Dahl has penned the liner notes to at least one of your favorite reissues or compilations. Since 1985, Dahl has been commissioned to write the notes for hundreds of blues, R&B, rockabilly and rock collections on both major and boutique labels.

In 1998, Dhal was recognized with a Grammy nomination for his essay on Ray Charles’ sax section included in the “Ray Charles – Genius and Soul: The 50^th Anniversary Collection” box set. In 2000, he received the Keepin’ the Blues Alive award from the Blues Foundation in Memphis. His book, “Motown: The Golden Years” was published in 2001. Dahl’s latest project was co-authoring the amazingly comprehensive liner notes for each of the 12 volumes in the Hip-O Select “Complete Motown Singles” series.

Dahl also writes regularly on his Web site. He recently spoke to The Daily Record via e-mail.

The Daily Record: What was your first exposure to Motown and how did you become interested in writing about it?

Bill Dahl: I started buying quite a bit of Motown vinyl—the Miracles, the Temptations, Jr. Walker, Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops—during the early ‘70s as an outgrowth of my record collecting interests, which were expanding rapidly from my original love of ‘50s rock and roll. I was getting into soul, blues, rockabilly, etc., and loving it all (much to the chagrin of my mainstream rock-loving high school classmates, who ragged me unmercifully; I guess I never was much of a conformist).

TDR: What are some of the more interesting stories or facts you learned in researching these liner notes?

BD: One thing that always impresses me is the loyalty the great majority of Motown’s ‘60s artists have to the company and Mr. Gordy to this day. I was fortunate to attend a charity tribute to him a few years ago in LA, and a virtual galaxy of Motown stars performed and paid homage to their beaming boss. Later, all of them trooped up to the stage at the end to sing the old Hitsville fight song!

I’ve found it interesting that several of the better-known songwriting teams had a similar setup to that of Lennon-McCartney—if one wrote it, both names went on automatically. It’s been a pleasure tracking down a lot of the lesser-known acts, including a lot of the Rare Earth label rockers, to get their intriguing stories. They’re too often overlooked and made their own contributions to Hitsville history.

TDR: What are some of the biggest misconceptions about Motown?

BD: The goofy and totally unfounded rumors that the mob was involved with the label, solely because a few very competent Caucasians wielded power in the front office. The only color Mr. Gordy cared about was green, so he hired the best person for the job. There were more than a few R&B labels where “da boys” were in up to their eyeballs (no names here), but Motown wasn’t one of them.

TDR: Motown’s big stars get a lot of attention. Who are some of the unheralded Motown artists worth checking out? Were there any long-forgotten gems you discovered as a result of working on the Complete Motown Singles notes?

BD: I remember being amazed by Richard “Popcorn” Wylie’s version of “Money (That’s What I Want),” which is on the first Complete Singles box. It sounds like B. Bumble and the Stingers meet Hitsville!

Gino Parks’ “Same Thing” (which I knew about already) and several others of his songs are fantastic, as are Singin’ Sammy Ward’s early blues numbers, like “Who’s The Fool.” I love Jr. Walker’s early instrumentals – “Mutiny,” with James Jamerson’s jazz bass solo, is astounding – Shorty Long, Brenda Holloway, Kim Weston, the Velvelettes, and some of Little Stevie Wonder’s overlooked early outings. Los Angeles guitarist Arthur Adams’ “It’s Private Tonight,” which came out on Motown-distributed Chisa (it’s on the 1970 box), is the perfect marriage of blues and soul.

TDR: How detrimental do you think Berry Gordy’s favoritism toward Diana Ross was to the label? How much better would Martha Reeves, Gladys Knight, Kim Weston and Mary Wells have fared otherwise?

BD: It wasn’t detrimental in the slightest; the Supremes made some of the biggest hits of the ‘60s at a time when the British Invasion was otherwise dominating our charts, and Diana Ross had a coquettish mainstream appeal that none of the rest had. Mary Wells ruined her own career by walking away from Motown when she turned 21. Gladys Knight and the Pips were already stars when they arrived at Motown and far bigger ones when they left, though they got even hotter at Buddah. Kim Weston’s Motown career was inextricably intertwined with that of her husband, Motown A&R chief Mickey Stevenson, for both better and worse.  And Martha Reeves and her Vandellas had a series of incredible hits, much like the Marvelettes, that made both groups long-term mainstays.

TDR: There has been some disagreement over Tammi Terrell’s involvement on the duet albums with Marvin Gaye that bear her name. Did she return to the studio after her collapse and is that her voice on those songs? What was (Motown songwriter) Valerie Simpson’s role in these recordings?

BD: It’s impossible to say for sure, since Valerie has never admitted any possible lead vocal involvement (Marvin Gaye’s biography stated such unequivocally, but I’d be less inclined to buy in).  I doubt we’ll ever know one way or the other for sure, though Valerie’s role as co-producer and co-writer on many of them was so crucial that Tammi was no doubt channeling her vocal approach when she sang them (if indeed she was on the last couple hits).

TDR: The Complete Motown Singles Collection series ends in 1972. Why stop there? What is your favorite post-1972 Motown single or moment?

BD:  That was the end of the Detroit era—the Golden Years—so it seems like a reasonable place to end it, though you’d have to ask my boss Harry Weinger (Vice President of A&R for Universal Music – ed.) there. I’m not sure I have too many post-1972 favorites—I’m very partial to the 1959-72 Motown era we’ve covered on the Complete Motown Singles series—but  Gloria Jones, Yvonne Fair, Chicago blues guitarist Luther Allison, and Jr. Walker’s “Peace, Love and Understanding” come to mind.

TDR: In your mind, what was the greatest single factor in the label’s decline? Was it the departure of Holland-Dozier-Holland, the move to Los Angeles, Gordy’s interest in movies or something else?

BD: I don’t think we can accurately say Motown declined, since it’s still a going entity today and enjoyed a ton of hits after 1972. Times change and so do musical tastes, so keeping the same sound in 1972 that sold so well in the mid-‘60s would have been a recipe for disaster. Certainly HDH’s departure was a blow, but that gave other writers and producers more room to create their own soulful magic, like Norman Whitfield. The move to Los Angeles hurt the artists and musicians that chose to remain in the Motor City, and didn’t help the local economy either.

Mr. Gordy’s early ‘70s interest in the film industry made him a lot harder to reach on the phone at the time, much to the frustration of some staffers, but artistically it had a negligible effect since he wasn’t all that active musically by then anyway other than with the Jackson 5.

TDR: Ultimately, what do you feel is Motown’s greatest and most lasting impact on music today? Why?

BD: As the top indie label of the ‘60s, Motown turned the industry on its ear. There had been successful African-American owned record labels prior to Motown—Duke/Peacock, Fire/Fury, and Vee-Jay come to mind—but none were so monumentally successful. Gordy’s mantra of making R&B attuned to pop sensibilities had never been pulled off so convincingly. He also did a masterful job of delegating authority in the A&R department. It sounds like a cliché to say these classic recordings will never die, but they won’t.

TDR: Now that this project is over, what is your next venture? Are there any more Motown projects on the horizon?

BD: There are no Motown projects immediately scheduled, but I wrote the notes on Reel Music’s CD reissue of Jimmy Ruffin’s fine “Ruff ‘n Ready” Motown LP, complete with a fresh in-depth interview with the gracious Mr. Ruffin, which is just coming out.

I’m hoping and praying that Rhino Handmade finally releases the wonderful Wilson Pickett boxed set that it’s been sitting on for more than two years. A recent proclamation on the label’s website says it’s been scheduled. I wrote a huge track-by-track essay for it, much like the ones in the Motown boxes. It’s got everything he did for Atlantic on it and plenty more. Interestingly, the Funk Brothers played on Pickett’s first solo platters for Double L, a fact scantily documented before I started doing research for this box.

Keep reading:

Music essays and reviews by Bill Dahl

More features and interviews on The Daily Record:

Former NBA player at home in KC music scene

Jamie Foxx brings it to Sprint Center on Saturday

George Kalinsky: Painting with Light

Modest Mouse: Johnny Strikes Up the Band

Hail Death Cab

Ever Fallen For The Buzzcocks?

Out of the Tar Pit Back Onto the Stage

Local Doctor Claims He’s Treating Elvis

Down on “Cypress Avenue”

Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” Pop # 1, R&B # 1

By Joel Francis

Producer and songwriter Norman Whitfield had finally triumphed. His fourth attempt at recording “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” had finally made it past Berry Gordy’s Quality Control meetings and triumphed at the top of the charts. Now, just over a year later, he wanted to release an earlier version of the song recorded by Marvin Gaye. Label honcho Berry Gordy had denied Whitfield’s request to release Gaye’s “Grapevine” before Gladys Knight had a hit with the song. His stance would not change. Whitfield was successful, however, in getting the song inserted on Gaye’s “In the Groove” album. Just as he had hoped, listeners started requesting “Grapevine” and DJs clamored for Motown to release the song as a single. Finally released in late October, 1968, “Grapevine” shot to the top of both the pop and R&B charts, outselling Knight’s version and becoming the biggest-selling Motown single to date. The song was so popular, Gaye’s album “In the Groove” was renamed “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”

The path to getting the song recorded wasn’t much smoother. Whitfield spent a month recording the backing track with the Funk Brothers, Detroit Symphony and backing vocal group the Andantes. During these sessions, Gaye and Whitfield started to argue over the vocal arrangement. Whitfield, who worked primarily with the Temptations, wanted Gaye to sing above his natural ranges, as David Ruffin did on the Tempt’s hit “Ain’t To Proud To Beg.” Gaye initially resisted, but finally gave in. The combination of Gaye’s rasp and the Andantes convinced Whitfield he had a hit. Now he had to persuade Gordy.

Gaye’s version of “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” bears little resemblance to the song Knight took to No. 1. The defining organ line in Gaye’s arrangement barely appears in Knight’s version. Her reading was all about funk and atmosphere; Gaye’s speaks directly to the lyrics. His strained voice is haunting and filled with pain. And while the emphasis is placed on the strings, check out the great interaction between the bass and drums and the great drum sound. It almost sounds tribal.

This reading of “Grapevine” has become the definitive version, but that hasn’t stopped dozens of other artists from trying their hand. Hoping to strike lightning thrice, Whitfield gave the song to the Temptations, who included it on their 1969 album “Puzzle People.” In 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival released a blistering 11 minute version that featured lots of fretwork and jamming from the usually concise quartet. Talk-box titan and funkmaster Roger Troutman took the song back to No. 1 on the R&B charts with his 1982 cover. The song was also famously co-opted by the California Raisins (and sung by former Jimi Hendrix drummer Buddy Miles) in 1986.

In These Changing Times is just one of the hundreds of slept on Four Tops songs.  This particular song appeared on the Tops 1970 album Changing Times, the message as with most of their music is still relevant to this day.It’s been just over a year since the passing of Four Tops lead singer the great Levi Stubbs.  http://hulkhatetimetravel.com/2008/10/21/levi-stubbs/  In These Changing Times – Four Tops

Some thoughts the song “Spill The Wine” by Eric Burdon and War, featured on the album Eric Burdon Declares “War,” which came out the same year as their other collaborative album, The Black-Man’s Burdon.

When I was a kid, this song only seemed to come on when I was deep in the throes of night, or sleep, or perhaps madness.

Some “interesting” facts about “Spill The Wine” via songfacts:

• This song features a harmonica, flute, and conga drums.

• This is widely believed to be about, or at least heavily influenced by drugs. According to Brown, this song celebrates women: “All ladies are beautiful. You’ve got to look at them. God, I believe, put all of us here and made us all different so we could be like the flowers, you know. Like women. I look at them as beautiful flowers. Even when they get older, the flowers and so on, and that’s what it really boils down to, they can be skinny, big, fat, I’ve seen some fine voluptuous women. And then I’ve seen some that are skinny, and if you look at them, they could be beautiful, depending on personality and stuff.”

• Jimi Hendrix‘ former girlfriend sang backup. Hendrix was managed by Animal’s bass player Chas Chandler.

• The lady speaking Spanish in the background was Eric Burdon’s girlfriend. Says Brown: “We went back there and we put up a little tent, candlelight, and some wine back there. They were behind there, and Eric was doing things to her and making her talk.”

• This was used in the movie Boogie Nights as part of a pool party scene with the porn stars.

• The Isley Brothers covered this in 1971 on their album Givin’ It All Back. 

And that sounds a little something like this:

As a kid, I had the radio on a lot. This was when the radio was better, mind you, and I kept it around like a secret lover or some kind of invisible friend. I’d cheat on it a lot with CDs and tapes and vinyl, a lot, but many a night I spent seized in a radio daze, or I’d listen to it while getting ready for school or for work or a dance or a date or something.

One of the many species classified under the larger phylum “alternarock.”

For most of high school it was the “alternative rock” station for me, but I did flirt a year there with the “alternative rock” station that was slightly harder, which basically meant that I had to put up with a lot of bullshit like “mandatory Metallica” and following up a band like Kittie or Jane’s Addiction with AC/DC. How sad is it that I can’t remember the good songs I got in return from that station? I just remember they played “Bound For The Floor” a lot.

Rewinding the tape back to somewhere in my much younger years when I was a stupid little shit who’d read, daydream, ponder, fascinate, and shit along with the radio, you should probably know I kept floating back and forth between classic rock and Motown. Those were my bag back then.

Hence all of my old school music knowledge/anecdotes being about things like Keith Moon’s addiction to horse tranquilizers or waxing nostalgic about Berry Gordy’s sex habits.

The Who’s “Who Are You?” was about Keith’s tendency to pass on street corners during drug binges only to be discovered by police the next day who assumed he was dead.

Anyway. I remember the Animals’ “House Of The Rising Sun” and I knew War’s “Cisco Kid” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” The radio loved those songs. And then I heard this song one night, “Spill The Wine,” and it was late at night as my father were driving around, lost in the Hollywood hills, high above the world. It was a mash up by two artists I liked before I knew what a mash up. I was tired, my eyes were heavy, and this song started dictating images to me as I looked down at the world, and I would get lost in the idylls of walking through the set of a Hollywood movie that was packed with mountain kings and a harem of women and wine spilt all about. And I was easily swept away in the mystical and engimatic nature of the song, which everyone assumes the song refers to drugs, which it does in a way, but you have to remember that the prizely grown native drug of California will always be sex, and the song enthusiastically endorses going after that pearl as many times as you can get it. If I had actually known what a clitoris was back when I was a kid, well…

“This is It” is documentary depicting the late pop icon Michael Jackson’s rehearsal for his would-be London concert performances premiered Tuesday night in downtown Los Angeles.

A red-carpet premiere ceremony was held before the screening. Celebrities donning smart costumes filed into Nokia Theater, the premiere live music and concert destination in the heart of Los Angeles, along a red carpet.

People from home and abroad, many of them holding high the late pop singer’s posters, waited impatiently for their turns to go inside.

A number of fans, dressing like Michael Jackson’s  hat, suit,T-shirts and a pair of silver gloves, posed in front of a big screen showing videos of his performances.

The atmosphere was totally different from then the Memorial service. Everybody seemed high-spirited and so eager to watch the 112-minute feature-length film as if they were going to a live pop concert.

Tickets authorities said a total of 6,000 tickets had already been sold out across the United States. The film will be shown from Wednesday in 75 countries and regions for a limited two-week run.

Will Smith caught on camera impersonating Michael Jackson.  He is well dressed in classic cardigan and relaxed boot cut jeans.

Cordin Bleu from High School Musical, all grown up. Cordin wearing a shiny suit that plays off the metallic trend that went strong in womens wear  in the Spring 2009 season.

Brenda Song from TV show ” Suite Life of Zack and Cody” is wearing sequinced style jacket, tiger oversized T shirt, leggins and sexy boots.

Paula Abdul from American Idol wearing an electric empire dress with a slit in the front, peach stiletto. Remember Paula Abdul was the Jacksons dance choreographer.

Jennifer Lopez arrives looking  sexy with an edge.

Jennifer Love Hewitt wearing a Michael Jackson T-shirt and very hot boots! Let’s take a closer look,

Paris Hilton black dress with gold safety pins that exposed much Paris Hilton admirable figure was an iconic frock.

Vivica Fox looks flirty and fabulous wearing this black asymmetrical one shoulder strap with silver coloring on the side.

It seems most celebs were wearing black.  Daisy Fuentes wearing harem skirt with blouse.  The fringe styled boots didn’t match the outfit and the skull scarf, oh no! Maybe the skulls represent Michael Jackson video “Thriller”.

Roselyn Sanchez arrives wearing all black dress, black clutch bag and sexy stiletto boots.  Love this but too much black for the day, add some color.

Berry Gordy arrives, what’s up with that tie, too much going on.

Courtney Mazza and Mario Lopez at “This is It” Premiere.  Courtney’s dress is in a brilliant teal dress, with a thick high black belt and black boots. Mario sexy cool look black shirt, jacket, jeans and sneakers were pulled together fashionably.

Katy Perry wearing a long see through dress ( similar to a flamenco dancer) Adam Lambert looks great with black jacket, leather skinny tie and fitted pants.

Kenny Ortega producer of the movie.

Fashion editor : Anissa Rochester

pictures provided by WireImage

Diva…like that’s a BAD thing.

Perfectionist. Uncompromising. High Standards. Ruthless. Loving. Icon. An Original Fashionista. Envied. Emulated.

The Boss.

Stevie Wonder – “For Once in my Life,” Pop # 2, R&B # 2

By Joel Francis

“For Once in my Life” was less than two years old, but already practically a staple by the time Stevie Wonder’s cover was finally released in October, 1968.

Jean DuShon recorded the original version for the Chess Records subsidiary Cadet in 1966. Although the label failed to promote the single, it still managed to reach the ears of Berry Gordy. He was not pleased to learn that Motown composer Ron Miller had written the number for a performer outside of the Hitsville stable. Gordy demanded Miller let a Motown artist record the number and he promptly gave it to Barbara McNair for her 1966 album “Here I Am.” Best known as an actress who appeared on “Mission: Impossible,” “Hogan’s Heroes” and “Dr. Kildare,” McNair’s version sank without a trace.

Gordy wasn’t done with the song, though. In 1967 he gave it to the Temptations as a showcase for baritone Paul Williams. Their downbeat interpretation was one of the highlights of a 1968 television special with the Supremes.

Tony Bennett released his version of “For Once in My Life” the same time the Temptations were staking claim to the tune. Bennett’s reading was a crossover hit, lodging in the Top 10 of the Easy Listening chart and peaking at 91 on the pop chart. The title song of his 1967 album, it became one of the crooner’s signature numbers.

So the public was more than familiar with “For Once in My Life” by the time Wonder’s version hit the streets. Arriving a year after Bennett’s version peaked, Wonder’s interpretation became the most successful and definitive reading of the song. Like many great songs, however, this one almost didn’t get released.

Wonder recorded his vision of “For Once in My Life” the same summer the Temptations cut the song. Wonder’s upbeat arrangement stood in sharp contrast to the Temptations’ soulful balladry, and Gordy preferred the Tempts’ reading. After a year of pleading and cajoling, the head of Motown’s Quality Control department finally talked Gordy into allowing Wonder’s version to be released as a single. The result, of course, was a No. 2 single (held out of the top spot by Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”) that became the title track of Wonder’s tenth album.

Sonically, it’s hard to believe this song hails from 1968. The production and arrangement sounds like a throwback from the Holland-Dozier-Holland heydays of 1966. The big strings and Wonder’s vocals are front and center in the mix with the drums pushing the entire arrangement. The strings and horn tiptoe just shy of being bombastic, and a great piano line snakes along the bottom of the mix. Wonder’s harmonica makes the most of its verse-long solo, nimbly improvising on the melody like a jazz horn. The backing vocals are a little corny, but they are redeemed by Wonder’s best vocal performance to date. Wonder wasn’t yet 18 when he recorded this song, but there is a confidence in his delivery and phrasing that shows how much he’d grow since “Uptight” was released the summer before.

Wonder had far from the final word on the song. Gordy’s old boss Jackie Wilson released a cover that tried to split the difference between the Bennett and Wonder arrangements as a single to compete with Wonder. His version stalled at No. 70 on the cart. Ella Fitzgerald performed the song in concert throughout the summer of 1968 with an arrangement based on Bennett’s version. The following year, Frank Sinatra included his reading on the “My Way” album. In the twilight of his career, Sinatra revisited the song with Gladys Knight and Wonder for the 1994 “Duets II” album. Wonder returned to the song a dozen years later, sharing vocal duties with Bennett for Bennett’s “Duets: An American Classic” recording.

An enduring classic, “For Once in My Life” was covered by rocksteady singer Slim Smith in1969, recorded by James Brown in 1970 and translated into German by Stefan Gwildis in 2005. The song has also popped up on “Oprah,” “American Idol” and countless other television shows and films.

Barry Gordy Jr. was the seventh of eight children, Born in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day. His father was son of free Georgia slaves who had become sharecroppers of a 168-acre patch of barren farmland that had yielded enough to keep family going. The mulatto Berry Gordy Sr. was the child of a slave and her white plantation owner. His grandfather was also the great-grandfather of James Earl Carter, Jr., the 39th President of the United States, making Berry Gordy III and Jimmy Carter second half-cousins.

While Berry’s siblings were respected members of the Black community in Detroit, Berry, however, dropped out of high school in the eleventh grade to become a professional boxer, a profession he pursued until 1950.

At one time Berry appeared on the same bill as Joe Louis in 1948.

At the start of the decade he was drafted by the United States Army for service in the Korean war.

Returned home from service in 1953, he married a woman called Thelma Coleman.

At this point he began composing music, writing songs and opening the 3-D Record Mart, a jazz music store.

He later left the store and began work at the Lincoln-Mercury plant.He then met the owner of the Flame Show Bar talent club, where he met singer Jackie Wilson. In 1957, Jackie recorded ‘Reet Petite’, a song Gordy had co-written with his sister Gwen and writer-producer Billy Davis. Jackie Wilson followed the songs success recording four more songs co-written by Gordy over the next two years, including ‘Lonely Teardrops’. Through his songwriting connections in 1957, he discovered The Miracles (originally known as The Matadors) and began constructing a roster of potential recording artists. In 1959, using an $800 loan from his family, Berry Gordy formed the first incarnation of his legendary label Tamla Records, which produced Marv Johnson’s first hit, entitled ‘Come To Me’.

Smokey Robinson suggested to Berry that he should create Motown in December 1959.Barrett Strong’s ‘Money (That’s What I Want),’ besides appearing on Tamla, charted on Berry’s Anna label in February 1960.The song is usually credited as Motown’s first hit record. The same year Smokey and the Miracles charted with ‘Shop Around’, which led to Motown’s own label independency.Hits began to follow at a rapid pace, with the Marvelettes ‘Please Mr Postman’ being an early example. Both the Barrett Strong tune and the Marvelettes songs were both featured as cover versions on the Beatles album ‘With The Beatles’.

Motown continued to produce major hits at Motown throughout the 70’s and 80’s, however, the label had lost it’s early spark and Berry sold his interests in Motown Records to MCA and Boston Ventures in 1988 for $61 million.He was later to sell most of his interests in the Jobete publishing concern to EMI Publishing.In 1990 Berry Gordy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.He then published an autobiography entitled, ‘To Be Loved’, in 1994.

Diana Ross & Berry Gordy

Diana Ross and the Supremes – “Love Child,” Pop # 1, R&B # 2

By Joel Francis

The departure of Holland-Dozier-Holland reverberated throughout Hitsville, but no one felt it as acutely as the Supremes. Between 1964’s “Where Did Our Love Go” and 1967’s “Reflections,” the powerhouse songwriting and production triumvirate landed 10 songs at No. 1 and a three more in the Top 10.

Berry Gordy spared little expense in turning the Supremes into the biggest group on his label, and he was loathe to see them slink back to their pre-HDH obscurity. Before the two trios met, the best the Supremes could muster was No. 23. Those numbers were no longer acceptable.

Desperate, Gordy sequestered a half dozen of his best writers in a Detroit hotel and demanded they come up with a new hit for Diana Ross and the Supremes. Credited anonymously to “The Clan,” the result was another No. 1 hit for Gordy’s favorite group. The Clan model worked so well, Gordy revived it the following year, this time as “The Corporation,” to write hits for the Jackson 5. Gordy gave both these teams generic names to prevent writers and producers from superseding the fame of the performer or the label.

It would have been fascinating to be a fly on the wall as the writers pitched this song to Gordy. Love songs were the Supremes bread and butter, but it’s doubtful Gordy envisioned his siren singing about abstinence. In “Love Child,” a woman, scarred by being born out of wedlock, the singer tries to convince her man to “hold on just a little bit longer” and understand that “no child of mine will be bearing/The name of shame I’ve been wearing.” “Love Child” wasn’t the first song to touch on unwanted pregnancy – Gordy himself and Smokey Robinson wrote the song  “Bad Girl” in the early days of the Miracles  – but it became the definitive song on the subject until “Billie Jean.”

Diana Ross is the only Supreme to appear on “Love Child,” and for once her voice does a song justice. This might be because the background of the woman in the song mirrors Ross’s childhood in the Brewster-Douglass housing project in Detroit. Unlike the song’s subject, Ross was born to married parents. The painfully shy Ross could no doubt to the lyrics like “So afraid that others knew I had no name” and “I started school/And a worn, torn dress that somebody threw out. Too poor to afford the stylish clothes she coveted, the aspiring fashion designer made her own clothes cobbled from scraps and hand-me-downs.

“Love Child” opens with a few bars of funk guitar before the sweep of strings relegate the guitar to the back of the mix. The arrangement – particularly the strings and backing vocals – foreshadows the disco trend that would serve Ross so well in the decade to come. For such a hard-driving song, the percussion is surprisingly soft. During Hitsville’s production-line heyday, the song would have been driven by snare and tambourine. Nearly a minute of “Love Child” passes before the snare a full drum kit completely engage. Instead, the propulsion rests with what sounds like ride cymbal, maracas and a glockenspiel.

Although they aren’t on the record, Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong performed the song with Ross on the Ed Sullivan Show in September, 1968. Despite the show’s conservative stance against the Rolling Stones “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” and the Doors “Light My Fire,” they lyrics to “Love Child” were performed as-is with no discussion. It was one of the group’s final performances on the popular Sunday night TV staple.

Despite its success, few performers have covered “Love Child.” It is unlikely the Supremes number will be confused with Deep Purple’s 1975 song of the same name.

Friends and family will gather tonight at the Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale for the burial of the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Authorities will be out in force for the funeral, though they don’t expect huge crowds of spectators. The funeral begins at 7 p.m.

Jackson will be interred in the expansive cemetery’s Great Mausoleum. The pop singer’s remains will be placed in a crypt in the Holly Terrace section of the mausoleum, a massive building that is the final resting place for stars from film’s golden age, such as Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard and Clark Gable.

The burial caps months of rumors about where he would be laid to rest. One report had his body stored in a crypt owned by Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., and there was widespread speculation that an elaborate grave — and ultimately, a Graceland-style museum — would be constructed at the entertainer’s Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County.

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles – “More Love,” Pop # 23, R&B # 5

By Joel Francis

Smokey Robinson has penned dozens of gorgeous love songs throughout his career, but few are affecting as “More Love.” The reassuring lyrics speak to the tragedies the couple suffered as a result of life on the road. Between 1957 and 1964, Claudette Robinson had eight miscarriages. This heartbreaking back story adds to the romance of the chorus:

“More love, more joy,
|Than age or time could ever destroy.
My love will be so sound,
It would take about a hundred lifetimes
To live it down, wear it down, tear it down.”

The song opens with some gospel chords on the piano before the gently insistent bassline enters. Robinson’s voice appears on a pillow of strings, as the arrangement slowly builds underneath. After Robinson delivers the chorus a second time, the performance pulls back to that great bassline before reaching a climax that sustains through the rest of the song.

Foreshadowing Motown’s cross-country relocation, the track was performed by Los Angeles session musicians before the Miracles – including Claudette – overdubbed their voices in Detroit. It’s unclear why Robinson, who also produced the cut,  bypassed the Funk Brothers, but the public didn’t seem to mind. The song was wedged near the top of both the pop and R&B charts in the spring of 1967.

Foreshadowing another Motown move, “More Love” was the second single credited to “Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.” Berry’s decision to give Robinson top billing started the avalanche that benefitted Diana Ross and Martha Reeves but doomed David Ruffin and the Temptations.

Smokey and Claudette eventually had two children, both named in tribute to Motown. Son Berry Robinson was the namesake of label founder Berry Gordy, and daughter Tamla Robinson was named after the Hitsville subsidiary.

Former New Christy Minstrels singer Kim Carnes had a No. 10 hit on the Adult Contemporary charts in 1980 with her reading of “More Love.” The song was her biggest hit until “Bette Davis Eyes” hit No. 1 the following year. “More Love” has also been covered by Paul Young, Barbara McNair and the 5^th Dimension.

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Pop # 19, R&B # 3

By Joel Francis

Marvin Gaye found his greatest early success as a duet partner. The 1964 album “Together” was his first album to chart, and his duets placed in the Top 20 with a consistency that eluded him as a solo artist. Unfortunately, Gaye’s soul partners, Mary Wells and Kim Weston, both left Motown for (allegedly) greener pastures shortly after collaborating with Gaye. As established Motown solo artists, pairing of Gaye with Wells and Weston made sense. The teaming of Gaye with Hitsville newcomer Tammi Terrell, however, was inspired.

Terrell arrived at Motown in 1965 after bouncing from Scepter Records, where she recorded as Tammy Montgomery, James Brown’s Try Records and the Chess Records subsidiary Checker. Her initial Motown singles didn’t much fare better than her previous efforts, but “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” took both her and Gaye’s careers to a new level.

Motown’s new singing pair was paired with the songwriting team Berry Gordy hired to replace the gradually exiting Holland-Dozier-Holland squad. Husband and wife Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson came to Gordy’s attention in 1966 with their No. 1 hit “Let’s Go Get Stoned” for Ray Charles. (Ironically, “Stoned” was Charles’ first single after leaving rehab for his heroin addiction.)

“Mountain was a heck of a debut for both Ashford and Simpson and Gaye and Terrell. It’s obvious from the few seconds of spoken introduction that the signers have great rapport and their voices dance perfectly on the chorus. Although Gaye and Terrell sound like they’re giggling from the same care-free piano bench, their vocal parts were actually recorded separately. Terrell felt like she hadn’t rehearsed the lyrics enough to record with Gaye, so after some coaching with producers Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol she cut her part alone.

Although Fuqua and Bristol had helmed dozens of Motown hits, “Mountain” doesn’t have the expected Hitsville sound. The most obvious explanation is that Ashford and Simpson were an “outside” songwriting team and that Holland-Dozier-Holland were on their way out. It also highlights that when people talk about the “Motown sound” they are often talking about Holland-Dozier-Holland’s signature production style. Holland-Dozier-Holland’s defection not only deprived Motown of its greatest songwriting team, but also Gordy’s vaunted “sound of young America.”

As one team of stars left, another was being born. The success of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” helped transform Gaye into one of Motown’s biggest and most enduring performers, whose brightest days were yet to come.

Four Tops – “Bernadette,” Pop # 4, R&B # 3

By Joel Francis

Levi Stubbs’ performance on “Bernadette” cements his status as Motown’s greatest male vocalist. The magnificent feats Stubbs laid down on the Four Tops previous pair of singles, “Reach Out” and “Standing in the Shadows of Love” reaches an impassioned crescendo on “Bernadette.” Stubbs joy, appreciation and devotion to Bernadette is still making women envy that name and that kind of partner.

The Holland-Dozier-Holland team that wrote and produced the previous two Tops singles once again employ the same lush orchestration, wrapping Stubbs’ urgent vocals in insistent strings, soaring background vocals and their signature propulsive snare drum.

“Bernadette” was the Tops last Top 10 hit until “Keeper of the Castle” took off in 1972. Perhaps coincidentally, “Bernadette” was also the Tops next-to-last collaboration with Holland-Dozier-Holland. The HDH-Four Tops swan song “7-Rooms of Gloom” hit No. 7 on the R&B charts in the summer of 1967.

Although Holland-Dozier-Holland had a handful of hits with Diana Ross and the Supremes before they left Motown in early 1968, “Bernadette” marks the last appearance by the incredible songwriting and production trio on the “Hitsville U.S.A.” set.

After Holland-Dozier-Holland departed, Berry Gordy placed all his best songwriters on Diana Ross and the Supremes and other pet artists like the Jackson 5. Groups that weren’t assigned to a producer – as the Temptations were to Norman Whitfield – floundered as the Hitsville transitioned. Many groups, including increasingly ignored girl groups like Martha and the Vandellas and the Marvelettes never regained their former glory.

As free agents, the Holland-Dozier-Holland team continued to turn out hits like Freda Payne’s “Band of Gold” and “The Day I Found Myself” by Honey Comb, but neither HDH nor Motown were ever as good again after they parted ways.

Michael Jackson: Entertainer for The Ages

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David Ilan is a pointillism artist with a twist. He specializes in celebrity portraits with each dot representing a fan of the celebrity.

Right now David is looking for a quarter of a million fans to support a Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait. Again, each fan will get to represent a dot on the portrait.

Check it out:

Support Jackson Portrait Link