July 6: Jackie Wilson recorded (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher in 1967
“(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” was recorded on July 6, 1967 at Columbia’s studios inChicago. Produced by Carl Davis, the session – arranged by Sonny Sanders – featured bassist James Jamerson, drummer Richard “Pistol” Allen, guitarist Robert White, and keyboardist Johnny Griffith; these four musicians were all members of the Motown Recordshouse band The Funk Brothers who often moonlighted on sessions for Davis to augment the meager wages paid by Motown. According to Carl Davis, the Funk Brothers “used to come over on the weekends from Detroit. They’d load up in the van and come over to Chicago, and I would pay ‘em double scale, and I’d pay ‘em in cash.” Similarly two of Motown’s house session singers The Andantes, Jackie Hicks and Marlene Barrow, along with Pat Lewis (who was filling in for Andante Louvain Demps), performed on the session for “Higher and Higher”.
I first became aware of this gem of a song when it was re-released in 1987, accompanied with a new video.
Jackie Wilson – Higher and Higher (official 1987 video):
Nanci Griffith, (born Nanci Caroline Griffith, July 6, 1953, Seguin, Texas) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter based in Austin, Texas.
Allmusic: Straddling the fine line between folk and country music, Nanci Griffith has become as well-known for her brilliant, confessional songwriting as her beautiful voice. A self-styled “folkabilly” singer, Griffith began as a kindergarten teacher and occasional folksinger. The country scene took her to heart in the mid-’80s, giving her a reputation as a quality songwriter through hit covers of Griffith’s songs by Kathy Mattea and Suzy Bogguss. Finding no luck with commercial country radio however, Griffith recorded several pop-oriented albums and then returned to her folk roots by the mid-’90s.
Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an “inventive” cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the music’s focus from collective improvisation to solo performance. With his instantly recognizable deep and distinctive gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also greatly skilled at scat singing (vocalizing using sounds and syllables instead of actual lyrics).
Produced by Carl Davis, the session – arranged by Sonny Sanders – featured bassist James Jamerson, drummer Richard “Pistol” Allen, guitarist Robert White, and keyboardist Johnny Griffith; these four musicians were all members of the Motown Records house band The Funk Brothers who often moonlighted on sessions for Davis to augment the meager wages paid by Motown.
William John Clifton “Bill” Haley (July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981)
One of the first American rock and roll musicians. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets (inspired by Halley’s Comet) and million selling hits such as, “Rock Around the Clock“, “See You Later Alligator”, and “Shake Rattle and Roll”. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide.
In May Dylan went to London for a concert at the Royal Festival Hall. Afterwards he and Victor Maimudes visited Paris and a small town in Greece, where Dylan worked on songs for his next album. Back in New York, June· 9, 1964, Dylan went into the recording studio with Tom Wilson, a couple of bottles of wine, and a small crowd of friends, and recorded his entire fourth album, Another Side of Bob Dylan, in a single evening. ~Paul Williams (Bob Dylan Performing Artist I: The Early Years 1960-1973)
The Stones’ best album since Exile on Main Street is also their easiest since Let It Bleed or before. They haven’t gone for a knockdown uptempo classic, a “Brown Sugar” or “Jumping Jack Flash”–just straight rock and roll unencumbered by horn sections or Billy Preston. Even Jagger takes a relatively direct approach, and if he retains any credibility for you after six years of dicking around, there should be no agonizing over whether you like this record, no waiting for tunes to kick in. Lyrically, there are some bad moments–especially on the title cut, which is too fucking indirect to suit me–but in general the abrasiveness seems personal, earned, unposed, and the vulnerability more genuine than ever. Also, the band is a real good one–especially the drummer. A
~Robert Christgau
Nehemiah Curtis “Skip” James (June 9, 1902 – October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. Born in Bentonia, Mississippi, United States, he died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Check out:
Jack Leroy “Jackie” Wilson, Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer. Known as “Mr. Excitement“, Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was considered a master showman, one of the most dynamic and influential singers and performers in R&B and rock history.
Johnny Ace (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), born John Marshall Alexander, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee,wasanAmericanrhythm and blues singer. He scored a string of hit singlesinthemid-1950s before dying of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993) was an Americancountrysoul singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for Allmusic, said Alexander was a “country-soul pioneer” and though largely unknown, “his music is the stuff of genius, a poignant and deeply intimate body of work on par with the best of his contemporaries.”
Ain’t I rough enough Ain’t I tough enough Ain’t I rich enough In love enough Oooo, ooh please.
Some Girls was released in 8 June 1978 and it was their first full album with Ronnie Wood. It’s a great album, up there with the best albums in their catalogue. They mixed in some new wave sounds, added a bit of disco and kept their soul, blues and country tinged rock’n roll. Released on the height of the punk and disco era, The Stones made this masterpiece of an album. Some Girls is very much a product of it’s time, but when Rolling Stones made a record that gave a nod to these “fads,” they did so with such anger and speed that the young people in 1978 must have been struck with envy. They certainly made an album that has stood the test of time and it’s a definitive Stones album.
The Rolling Stones prove time and again that they still have what it takes.
Here are all the songs live:
1. Miss You (1978), the eight and a half minute version, a masterpiece! The guitar work on this song (this version) is simply spectacular. I read somewhere sometimes that this was one of the songs that Prince wished he had written, and we can hear on his music that he has been influenced by this tune in a big way.
2. When the whip comes down (1978) Sleezy and cool and it kind of reminds me of Star Star.
Yeah, mama and papa told me I was crazy to stay I was gay in New York, a fag in L.A. So I saved my money , and I took a plane Wherever I go they treat me the same When the whip comes down
3. Just My Imagination (running away with me) a soul number that fits The Stones perfectly. Very different from The Temptation version but equally good.
4. Some Girls (2008) Only The Rolling Stone s could have gotten away with these lyrics, they’re as politically incorrect as they possibly could be:
White girls they’re pretty funny, sometimes they drive me mad Black girls just wanna get fucked all night I just don’t have that much jam Chinese girls are so gentle, they’re really such a tease You never know quite what they’re cookin’ Inside those silky sleeves
