This week, the week of February 22-26, 2016, we will be looking at white artists you took black artist's songs as their own!

We call it:  "Black & White"

February 26, 2016

February is Black History Month.  A time to reflect on the contributions to society made by those of African Heritage.

In the field of music there are many people we could focus on but I thought I'd shine the light on a time when a black musician may have only heard their music played on the radio after it was covered (or stolen) by a white artist.

And now:  The best of the best.

Pat Boone.

Love him, hate him, not know him...his sanitized and grammatically correct covers of classic R&B tunes highlighted all that was wrong with covering them in the first place.

And it wasn't just that he covered them or had more success than the original artist.  As we have seen many, many did just that at a time when mainstream radio didn't play black artist' music.

It is (to me) the white bread sound that took away all the things that made the originals, well, original!

Mr. Boone feels he was helping the black artists. And I truly do believe there was no malice in what he did.  Just that it was a travesty to the music!  LOL!

Of course he has also recorded an album (or two) of heavy metal remakes....

We'll just end that here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Next week: Five new songs that will have a brand new theme!

~ Glenn

This week, the week of February 22-26, 2016, we will be looking at white artists you took black artist's songs as their own!

We call it:  "Black & White"

February 25, 2016

February is Black History Month.  A time to reflect on the contributions to society made by those of African Heritage.

In the field of music there are many people we could focus on but I thought I'd shine the light on a time when a black musician may have only heard their music played on the radio after it was covered (or stolen) by a white artist.

After the awful loss of R&B legend Otis Redding in 1967 his catalog of music continued to come out.  He famously had is one and only #1 hit after his death with (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay off the album of the same name in 1968.

Three more albums were released posthumously also. One off "The Immortal Otis Redding" reached #38 on the R&B chart in 1968 but didn't crack the top 40 of the Hot 100.

The song has been remade numerous times since then with a version of "Hard to Handle" covered by The Black Crows in 1990 being the most successful chart wise.

This version went to #26 on the Hot 100.

~ Glenn

This week, the week of February 22-26, 2016, we will be looking at white artists you took black artist's songs as their own!

We call it:  "Black & White"

February 24, 2016

February is Black History Month.  A time to reflect on the contributions to society made by those of African Heritage.

In the field of music there are many people we could focus on but I thought I'd shine the light on a time when a black musician may have only heard their music played on the radio after it was covered (or stolen) by a white artist.

As we said yesterday Elvis Presley certainly wasn't the first artist to cover a song by a black artist. The early years of rock and roll saw a number of covers of songs from black artists chart much more successfully.

This one was recorded in 1954 by Big Joe Turner:

And by the time "Shake, Rattle & Roll" was topping the R&B chart five months later, Bill Haley & His Comets were recording their "cleaner" version.

"Cleaner" to avoid  radio censorship.  Which must have worked as the song went to number 7 on the Billboard Charts and spent almost four months in the top 40.

~ Glenn

This week, the week of February 22-26, 2016, we will be looking at white artists you took black artist's songs as their own!

We call it:  "Black & White"

February 23, 2016

February is Black History Month.  A time to reflect on the contributions to society made by those of African Heritage.

In the field of music there are many people we could focus on but I thought I'd shine the light on a time when a black musician may have only heard their music played on the radio after it was covered (or stolen) by a white artist.

Perhaps no other band has made a bigger career and following out of "borrowed" rifts and lyrics than Led Zeppelin.

(Full disclosure:  I'm not a fan.)

They are been sued (and have settled) many times over the music they had to eventually admit came from elsewhere.  And to be fair they have taken from white and black performers from across the musical spectrum.

This particular time that settlement created a lot good for the music industry.

In 1987 Zeppelin settled out of court with Willie Dixon.  His daughter had heard a song at a friend's house that sounded familiar...because it was a ripoff of one of her dad's tunes:

That money went to Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation to help other artists save their royalties and music rights.

~ Glenn

This week, the week of February 22-26, 2016, we will be looking at white artists you took black artist's songs as their own!

We call it:  "Black & White"

February 22, 2016

February is Black History Month.  A time to reflect on the contributions to society made by those of African Heritage.

In the field of music there are many people we could focus on but I thought I'd shine the light on a time when a black musician may have only heard their music played on the radio after it was covered (or stolen) by a white artist.

First up is an obvious choice.

Originally performed and released in 1952 the song spent seven weeks atop of the R&B charts and was the only hit for Willie Mae "Big Mamma" Thorton.

The song was then recorded by a up and comer from Tupelo who also had kind of a hit with it.

Obviously.

A number one hit for eleven weeks, Elvis Presley's version simultaneously held the top spot on the Country, R&B, and Pop charts in 1956.

~ Glenn