This is what r&b really sounds like

[AngelFromAbove]

Oh god, I remember seeing this performance not too long ago. I actually cried a little because he sang so well. Even when he went off pitch, he still sounded beautiful.

 

[Fucker29]

He was amazing! What a voice!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bFnHX2Z1H8[/ame]

 

[Blueboy369]

Luther is one of the greatest vocalists that ever lived. He was truly blessed and is truly missed.

 

[RobinGoodfellow]

Nice. Too many people rely on the instrumentation and electronics...it's nice to hear a cappella once in a while...May need to track some down for later...

And what's wrong with The Wiz? Loved it as a kid!

RG

 

[keithbj]

Who is the first singer to record and have a hit with an R&B single?

Any guesses?

The answer will surprise you.

 

[keithbj]

To have a hit on the charts and to sell over a million copies.

 

[keithbj]

Here are 3 clues:
1. It was a woman.
2. She was not America.
3. She was white.

 

[keithbj]

First single to be released as a R&B record was recorded in 1934. It was released on Telefunken in Germany, Pathe in France, Columbia/EMI in the UK, Polydor in the rest of Europe, and DECCA in the US. It was recorded by the same singer first in French then German, English and Dutch.

Any ideas?

 

[keithbj]

In 1934 while in Paris, Marlene Dietrich met a group of black blues players who were performing the works of Leed Belly and since Europe was one of the only places white and black performers could be billed together they asked her onstage to singer her Blue Angle hit Falling In Love Again. A few weeks later the players were on a train for Hamburg to the Telefunken studios to record a song as a thank you. Downhearted Blues was originally recorded in 1925 by Bessie Smith. She recorded it with them in one session singing in English. it was never released and only a dozen or so copies were pressed. Her then agent who was signing a deal with Columbia/EMI in the UK suggested to her she use it as the B side for her first UK single, At the same time her label in Germany also used it as a B side. 1 year later she then recorded it in French singing along to a take of the musicians rehearsal. This was also an early attempt of recording on tape "magnetophon" which had been developed by the Germans in the early 1930 by Agfa and AEG in 1935. During the same session it was also recorded in Dutch.
The A side was - Sing Mit Mir
But sales in Europe at the time discovered that the it was selling because of the B side cover of the song written by Leed Belly.
Bessie Smith's version sold just under 800,000 copies. Marlene Dietrich's B side version sold over 1 million in Europe and South Africa combined.
Since the musicians were not paid and only played on this session for personal reason, in 1937 Dietrich sent to the players 5000 USD$ each.
The original megnetophon master was believed to had been one of many early tape recordings destroyed when Hamburg was being hit by the allies. The Telefunken studios were destroyed. It was not until 1999 as the German government were going through files and archives from the former GDR (East Germany) that they discovered a stack or tapes recorded by Telefunken which were brought to the Eastern part of Germany in the mid 1947.

Source is the liner notes from CD released in 2005 on Decca/Philips Classics called The Telefunken Magnetophon Session Vol 1 1933 to 1936.

 

[sandcastledisco]

there still are REAL R&B artists out there, like Tweet, Brandy, Alicia Keys, Robin Thicke,Tank, Mary J., Keyshia, Solange Knowles... yes Solange, its just people only like something thats catchy and they dont have to think about

 

[G-Lexington]

It's good stuff, but music evolves. Tastes change. It's good R&B music circa 1986, but crappy R&B music circa now.

Lex

 

[sweet_taboo]

Absolutely, yes! I LOVE Luther!!

The Best of Luther Vandross...the Best of Love (and Teena Marie) were the first CDs I ever purchased many, many years ago, and I still listen to them all the time...

 

[G-Lexington]

>>>There's no way I'd ever put "Luther Vandross" and "crappy" in the same sentence, I just couldn't do it.

Really? Not even "Stop to Love"?

Lex

 

[sandcastledisco]

Luther was that dude! I miss hearing his music, I Love Stevie too.
but guys dont shoot down todays R&B because there are a lot of REAL acts still

 

[chatolandia]

This is a great song


beautifully performed


timeless


even if the 'music' is a bit too 80s... it's still fantastic


Proof that quality is timeless...

I wonder who's songs from this era will pass this test in 10-15-20 years.


I don't mean it as a criticism... just out of curiosity

 

[matt1980111]

Perfect example of why I think Luther is the best male vocalist ever.

 

[AngelFromAbove]

It's good stuff, but music evolves. Tastes change. It's good R&B music circa 1986, but crappy R&B music circa now.

Lex

I understand exactly what Lex is saying. While someone like Luther Vandross may have been considered a great singer in his day, great singers are now men like Justin Timberlake and Chris Brown. It's about public perception as opposed to vocal talent in the entertainment business.

 

[AngelFromAbove]

Nowadays "great singer" isn't really based on vocal ability, it's based on how young/cute/marketable/etc... you are. To call these pop stars singers is disingenuous. Their job is to look cute, not to sing. If I go in the kitchen and make toast, I could call myself a chef....if I stretch the meaning of the word beyond recognition. In terms of usage, chef usually implies someone who is marginally talented in the kitchen, if not a professional (read=paid) chef. But I could still call myself a chef while I made that toast.

Exactly. It's mainly about image now-a-days because image=money. I'm not saying that money has not always mattered, because this is a business after all; however, talent will overlooked much more quickly if the proper image is not created and maintained.

 

[G-Lexington]

You toss around "nowadays" like it's a recent phenomenon. People have been picking out attractive people to drop behind microphones and warble out hits for the masses for...well, at least sixty or seventy years. Fabian, Tab Hunter, Leif Garrett, Rex Smith, the DeFranco Family (featuring Tony DeFranco!)...



(I do have a soft spot for these guys. Not their music, which is passable at best, but the entire industry that sprung up around them. The back of their first album didn't even list the track titles - it was a full 12" x 12" ad for the DeFranco Family Fan Club. Would-be members were promised stickers, a love letter from Tony, and - my personal favorite - "pixs!" Which I assume is pronounced "picks is". I've actually incorporated this word into my vocabulary. "I heard you just got back from Tahiti. Did you take pixs?" These guys really were package first, singing second...or third. Costuming and make-up probably were second.)

But time will out. The DeFranco family may have been competing with Aretha Franklin for chart position in 1972, but the DeFrancos are now either a guilty pleasure or a trivia question answer. One might joke about Aretha's weight, but I think it's clear much of her work will still be revered in another thirty-five years.

Lex

 

[Sausy]

I understand exactly what Lex is saying. While someone like Luther Vandross may have been considered a great singer in his day, great singers are now men like Justin Timberlake and Chris Brown. It's about public perception as opposed to vocal talent in the entertainment business.

We are grading on a curve now.Sheesh!Great singers are timeless.Chuck Berry,Fats Domino,Little Richard,James Brown,Sam Cooke,The Temptations,The Four Tops,Smoky and the Miracles,Marvin Gaye,Stevie Wonder,Aretha Franklin,Prince,Michael Jackson before the crackup,The Spinners,The Stylistics.....many more.Not making them today like they used to is an understatement.