[4] After Jerry Lee was drummed out of the UK, the Treniers finished out the rest of the tour as headliners.
Their best charting hit was Go Go Go, but there's so much more from the Treniers. Why didn't I know about these gents?
They remind me of Louis Jordan here:
#BlackHistoryMonday
I wondered, for #BlackHistoryMonday: What were people listening to in the early 1950s as Swing and R&B were transitioning into Rock & Roll?
[1] The answer surprised me because I had never heard of the Treniers! They were everywhere!
youtu.be/KqQ-usOAxCA?...
[3] As a solo singer, Luther won 8 Grammys, 5 Soul Train awards, 9 American Music Awards, and was inducted into the R&B Music Hall of Fame. This year, his song Never Too Much was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Thank you Luther for your life of music and soul.
#BlackHistoryMonday
[4] He's regularly touring and playing today.
Thank you Keb' Mo', for your passion, your heart, and your bluesy soul.
#BlackHistoryMonday
I can't let Stevie go! It's still Stevie Wonder celebration on #BlackHistoryMonday
I love this live version of Superstition, and get a hold of the backup singer subbing in for the horn section. Yes!
youtu.be/97hwNY3ni10?...
[3] Stevie's song Free is one of my favorites, but really, there are so many iconic songs that we could have an entire Stevie Wonder *month* and not cover even half of his career.
Thank you Stevie for your heart, your soul, and your genius!
#BlackHistoryMonday
We've gotten to 1950 on this #BlackHistoryMonday, when the magnificent Stevland Hardaway Judkins was born in Saginaw, Michigan.
[1] Stevie Wonder became a musician, singer, songwriter, producer, multiple award-winning artist, and civil rights activist.
youtu.be/X-l2L8wp2pY?...
[5] Today's song, All Night Long, was a massive hit for Lionel internationally, and he sang it at the opening of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Enjoy the 1980s music video vibes!
#BlackHistoryMonday
[5] Gill Scott-Heron died young, in 2011, and I miss his prophetic voice -- of the alienated soul, of the deep visionary, and of the lover of justice.
Thank you for the blessing of your presence, Gil Scott-Heron.
#BlackHistoryMonday
[5] ... In 1948, Amos Milburn tore up the charts with Chicken Shack Boogie. Note that this was BEFORE Rock & Roll, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, etc. Amos was known as an R&B and Jump Blues artist, but we're not fooled. He was a trailblazer.
#BlackHistoryMonday
We've already met a LOT of Black musicians in our #BlackHistoryMonday, and we still haven't reached the babies born in the 1950s!
[1] We started back in February's Black History Month with famous and groundbreaking Black artists from the 1890s...
youtu.be/7GvfIx_-Xm4?...
[5] Donna won Grammys, awards from the AMA, ASCAP, and NAACP, and she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. "She Works Hard for the Money" was one of the Songs of the Century.
Thank you for your life and your music, Queen Donna!
#BlackHistoryMonday
[4] ... the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors.
I've chosen her rendition of the Schubert Ave Maria, because it's one of the most beautiful pieces for voice and piano.
Thank you Jessye Norman for your life of music, dignity, power, and beauty.
#BlackHistoryMonday
[6] ... the blessing of your life and your music, Minnie Riperton. ❤️
#BlackHistoryMonday
[5] He's a miracle, but then, so are his partners Willie Richardson, James S. Hill, Wilson Waters, and Robert Hamlett.
All five men are ancestors now, but the Fairfield Four continues with new members, and is sharing the joy, the rhythm, and the gospel to this day!
#BlackHistoryMonday
[4] ... and Ann's voice and the arrangement just floored me. They still do.
Thank you for your soul and your music, Ann Peebles.
#BlackHistoryMonday
[5] ... a successful solo career, yet he continued to write music and play for other musicians throughout his life.
Billy also performed the first musical number on the then brand-new Saturday Night Live. He played the rollicking Nothing from Nothing, and the rest is history.
#BlackHistoryMonday
We've already met a LOT of Black musicians in our #BlackHistoryMonday, but we still haven't met the babies born in the 1950s!
[1] We started back in February's Black History Month with famous and groundbreaking Black artists from the 1890s. We watched as more genius babies were born to create ...
[5] Al is also an ordained reverend who still performs today and pastors his own Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Memphis as the Reverend Al Green.
I wish you love and happiness, Reverend Green!
#BlackHistoryMonday
[7] ... as Female Entertainer of the Century by Billboard Magazine in 1976. She was also awarded with the Presidentila Medal of Freedom in 2016.
Miss Diana Ross is still touring today. A Queen indeed.
#BlackHistoryMonday
[6] One of my favorite Patti songs is a collaboration with Edwin Hawkins: "Are You Ready for a Miracle?"
Here's to a beautiful and soulful life of music, joy, and community, Miss Patti LaBelle.
youtu.be/J0Uje9sejKM?...
#BlackHistoryMonday
She's had a lifetime of hits, work as an actor in TV and films, multiple Grammys, Hall of Fame awards, honorary doctorates, and her own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
Gladys Knight is a living legend who brings deep artistry, soul, and joy to her work. All hail the Empress!
#BlackHistoryMonday
[5] Thank you George, for a life dedicated to making gorgeous music, and for bringing jazz into the mainstream.
#BlackHistoryMonday
@stchris.bsky.social
[4] ... into the Pop charts across the world. Oh Happy Day sold 2 million records in the US in just 2 months, and eventually charted in the top 5 in the US, UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Ireland, and Canada.
Thank you Edwin Hawkins for your voice and your soul and your art.
#BlackHistoryMonday
[4] ... Edwin lived in the UK from the 1980s, where he was a beloved figure on the northern Soul music circuit until the end of his life.
#BlackHistoryMonday
[6] ... and a cool note is that Bob Marley and the Wailers opened for Sly and the Family Stone as Bob was building his stateside career.
Sly, thank you for being yourself, my friend!
#BlackHistoryMonday
[4] ...for Best Original Song, and he won two Grammys later that year.
Isaac was a major figure in the Memphis Sound of southern soul music, and this rollicking performance of Shaft is from his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
#BlackHistoryMonday
[5] ... and Curtis Mayfield has been listed on pretty much every hall of fame, best of, and lifetime achievement award there was.
Thank you for your voice and your advocacy, Gentle Genius. Our world is better because Curtis Mayfield was here.
#BlackHistoryMonday
[5] 99 Miles from L.A. is about love and longing, and he brings so much musicality and emotion to it that it's lovely.
I wish a long and healthy retirement to the Velvet Voice of Romance, Mr. Johnny Mathis.
#BlackHistoryMonday
![Korean Soul - Oh Happy Day [Edwin Hawkins Cover]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:pcglyy5gcgz3vgamsspyjl4f/bafkreihj7eqae57jstkuscbkf4nubixag7ce7blaam5xnmxb6y5skpsr4q)