諾箋護憲薫葦嵩叢 Br皿ant Years of Singing Pure Gospel with the Soul Stirrers, The
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OCk and ro11 has always been a hybrid music, and before 1950, the most important hybrids pop were interracial. Black music was in- 恥m `しfluenced by white sounds (the Ink Spots, Ravens and Orioles with their sentimental ballads) and white music was intertwined with black (Bob Wills, Hank Williams and two generations of the honky-tOnk blues). ,Rky血皿and gQ?pel, the first great hy垣i立垂a血QnPf †he囲fti鎧T臆ha陣erled within black Though this hybrid produced a dutch of hits in the R&B market in the early Fifties, Only the most adventurous white fans felt its impact at the time; the rest had to wait for the comlng Of soul music in the Sixties to feel the rush of rock and ro11 sung gospel-Style. くくRhythm and gospel’’was never so called in its day: the word "gospel,, was not something one talked about in the context of such salacious songs as ’くHoney Love’’or ”Work with Me Annie.’’Yet these records, and others by groups like theeBQ聖二_ inoes-and the Drif曲 閣閣閣議竪醒語間監護圏監 Brown, Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. Clyde McPhatter, One Of the sweetest voices of the Fifties. Originally a member of Billy Ward’s The combination of gospel singing with the risqu6 1yrics Dominoes, he became the lead singer of the original Drifters, and then went on to pop success as a soIoist (‘くA I.over’s Question,’’ (、I.over Please”). 諾箋護憲薫葦嵩叢 br皿ant years of singing pure gospel with the Soul Stirrers, the resulting schism among Cooke’s fans was deeper and longer lasting than the divisions among Bob Dylan’s partisans after he went electric in 1965. On the other hand,唾e introduc丘QILof 葦童童茎艶皿止‾車 At the time gospel music was dominated by vocal groups, which were always ca11edくくquartets’’regardless of the number of singers. Such quartets as the Pilgrim Travelers, the Dixie Hummingbirds and the Soul Stirrers were quick to adapt the intense and melismatic style of singing popularized in the late Forties by Mahalia Jackson and other gospel soIoists including Alex Bradford and Brother Joe May. (くくMelismas’’are rapid successions of notes improvised by the singer to fit a single syllable of lyrics.) Quartets were also very big in R&B during the late Forties, thanks to the Ink Spots and their avian follow- ers: the Robins, the Orioles and Ravens. All of these groups 鎗ng love SOngS SWeetly and lightly, and would never have been confused with such free-Shouting messengers of God as the Soul Stirrers. Enter Bi11y Ward. Billy Ward wasn’t much of a singer, but he was a good musician and a better talent manager. In 1950, Ward organized a vocal group called the Dominoes and had the perspicacity to engage as its lead singer 17-year-Old Clyde McPhatter, Who had been brought up in the church and knew only one way to sing, the gospel way. Clyde sang lead on one side of the group’s first record,二聖___ for Me.’’ Musically言t’s a gospel song, the sIow tempo allowing for numerous melismas; lyrically, On the other 15 hand, it’s a proposition. McPhatter was opening a courtship With magical incantations previously reserved for the good Lord. (The Dominoes weren’t entirely given over to the rhythm-gOSpel idea; the group’s biggest hit, later in 1951, fea- tured Ravens-Style bass singer Bill Brown on the ribaldく’Sixty Minute Man,’’which was straight R&B.) / 垣監禁董萱義塾董篭葦詰寄 best-Selling R&B discs of that year. The title summarizes the Wholeく●Lord.’’In rhythm and gospel idea:くくBaby’’is fact, t曲はl辿哩-interchangeable with With very er singers trade two-bar phrases through- Out the record・ eChoing脚f g曲Melodica11y and harmonica11y, though, it’s a Straight 12-bar blues-a form that gospel singers had always avoided like the plague. In the first chorus, McPhatter sticks close to the simple mel- Ody. From there on he improvises freely, muCh as a gospel Singer might. Often he strings out a phrase so that it overlaps the background singers’response. The melismas are short (due to the fast tempo), but very abundant and often spectacular. While Clyde shouts his gospel-funk, the backup band takes SpeCial care of the rhythm. The tenor sax soIo that was de rigueur in those days is here stretched out for two choruses, While screams and some most sensual yeahs from the vocalists help establishくくHave Mercy’’as a disco classic of its time. For the coup de grace, Clydさbreaks down in tears during the fadeout. Indeed, McPhatter wept all the way through his next great 蒜霊霊薬器灘嵩窯業霊 With wrenching wails, While an R&B tenor sax honks rather unsteadily alongside a gospel organ; the accompanying har- monies steer an extremely curious middle course between gos- Pel and blues changes. By this time, the group was being bi11ed on disc labels as くくBi11y Ward and his Dominoes.’’Considering Ward’s lack of VOCal contribution, McPhatter could hardly be blamed for feel- ing the wrong man’s name was being billed above that of the group, SO in 1953, he took a little gamble. He left the security of the now prestigious Dominoes (where his place was taken by Jackie Wilson) to join a group just being organized. The new group was to be called the Drifters because (according to an early press release)く’the members had done a lot of drifting from one group to another.’’This might not have seemed like the most promlSmg Premise for a new group, but there was a recording contract waiting for the Drifters at Atlantic Records, Which had already established itself as one of the steadiest ports in the R&B storm thanks to Joe Turner, Ruth Brown and a group ca11ed t 醒回聖蛮習 matched 16 0ppos海均p.. Theくく5” Royales; middle.・ Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, 1955; Oo#om.・ The 萱蕗鴇垂皿吐嬰聖地聖畦蛙亜-gOS- belou・’盤諸蕩羅慧恕器羅諾謹書柴認諾葦諾鵠芳 Not only that, but Atlantic offered Clyde the instant glory of his own name on the label along with the group,s. Clyde was Midnighters’again. Ballard, Who had hits with destined to make only six records with the Drifters before くくWork with Me Annie′, and `Tinger Poppin, Uncle Sam got him in 1954, but every one of the first four was a Time’" also wrote and first recordedく‘The Twist,,′ the song that made Chubby Checker a star. SmaSh. First came皿4釦鱒HQ唯y,,, later a hit for EIvis.一Then, after the torrid ’連坐_旦_聖ght’’came the outragebus {くHQny こ±聖,’’whose gasps, gruntS and sighs made radio executives even more uptight than would the drug lyrics of 1967. For hit number four, the Drifters mended fences with a strutting ver- Sion of "White Christmas.,, the barriers between R&B and pop music Were breaking down; he went soIo (one of the By the firsttime McPhattergroup members left to thedo so)amy and in enjoyed1956, Substantial if intemittent success for the next decade, Withく'A Lover’s Question,, (1958) andくくLover Please,, (1962) as high- 1ights・ His style was prettier and less passionate than it had been, however, and next to an Otis Redding (who might have had a much rougher road to the top without McPhatter), McPhatter sounded dated and tame. He died, WaShed up at 38, On June 13th・ 1972・ (The Drifters・ Of course, Went On tO great SuCCeSS in the early Sixties; but the group,s composition-and Style-had radica11y changed by then.) 董監護萱監護董警 固臆臆?p吐Several other gro平S from the early Fifties・ however, did achieve popularity slnglng in a gospel Vein・ The ’’5’, Royales are best remembered today for such later hits as "Think,, and {くDedicated to the One I Love,・, but their 器蒜紫t諾蒜豊謹書霊霊笥〆 andくくHelp Me Somebod r哩_○ And then there are the`重出s. After a s垣朝 里Pkeh an。 FfY血aLthis group struck it rich in 1954 wi高 :一Vo平With Mf」An正三’’Right in the middle of the song・s lengthy chart run’the Royals were forced to change their nane「tO aVOid confusion with the aforementioned ‘'5・, Royales・ Who presumably hadn,t noticed the Royals before their hit. The switch might have confused the fans, but there WaS nO COnfusion about the intent of the lyrics sung by the 詰荒業諾蒜禁書黒岩:霊 all my meat.’’ Hot on the heels of "Work・・ came the first of its many se- quels-くくAnnie Had a Baby’’(く{Can,t work no more... that,s What happens when the ge誼n, gets good”). Sequels soon flowed in from everywhere, mOSt nOtably Etta James・s '.The 17 wallflower,,・ the record tha=aunched her long career∴エ垂 斬scog輪p巾 Wa11flower’’was better known as.(Roll with Me Hen Donrince8, '.Do Something for Me当Federa白2001' r☆6. 1951) 。on玉細さ the range of R B stations may Minute Man‘当Fedeud 12(彪: r*1. 1951)・ Dominoe8・ "l Am w-th You’‘住=二 Henry Ballard); r☆8, 1951). Dominoe8’..That.s What You're Do-ng tO Me‘‘ (Federa=2館± ‾ Dominces,..Have Mercy Eabyii (Federa1 12068' r☆ 1・ Dominoe8;.I・d Be Sa‘isfied'. Oiedera1 12105‘ r☆8‘ 1952) Billy Ward a=立見 inoe8,..The関Is'. (Federal 12114; r☆6' 1953)..5,, Royales・ ’’Baby・ニェ (Apollo 443. r*1. 1953). “5・・ myales・.'Help Me Somebedy.’b/W t= 電離 crazy・・ (Apello 446: r*l. 1953) Billy Ward and His 。ominoe8・ T王室 trate the pop consciousness of 1955. ThlngS Remind Me of You'. ouera1 12129: r☆5i 1953). '《5,, Royales- = Lovin‥' (Apo11o 4‘峨r*4. 1953). Drifter8,..Money‘ Honey’’(AtlantlC 10挺‾臆 R&B initiates, meanWhile, Smirked atくくAmie’s Answer’’(くくI BlliヽWardllilくIHiふDo重n!i10eさ. lii` li ’ li、i-i i i lg: ‾ ain・t had no baby,,) by AI Smith’s Combo with Hazel McCo11um and the EI Dorados. Berkeley・s Music City label chimed in with ∴∴ ・∴.〇・∴ くくAnnie Pulled a Humbug,, (く‘That’s not my kid … Can’t be min。 ’cause he,s got a bald head’’) by the Midnights・ A label note in very small type said: 'くNot to be confused with the Midnighters recordings・,, The Midnighters themselves・ mean- while, PurSued the idea far past the point of diminishing re- tums with sequels-tO-Sequels like 'くAnnie,s Aunt Fannie’’and "Henry・s Got Flat F`eet (Can,t Dance No More).’’One of these followups deserves a morsel of immortality for its title alone: くくSwitchie Witchie Titchie:’ Hank Ballard went on to new fame in the Sixties with such early soul dance hits asくくFinger Poppin, Time,, and tくLet’s Go, Let’s Go, Let,s Go.,・ Dancers remember him best・ though, for a simple little tune he composed in 1959 to飢the back side of くくTeardrops on Your Letter,・・ something calledく一The Twist.’’ Chubby Checker・s cover of this song・ nOt aS nicely sung but more danceably produced and tirelessly promoted, aChieved the unique feat of being Number One on the pop charts two sepa- The CIovers.