Check out At Midnight by Rufus featuring Chaka Khan. Heard it on my ipod this morning. At Midnight is from the Ask Rufus cd.
Last Saturday America lost a singing icon. Whitney Houston passed away at the age of 48.
Whitney Houston, Pop Superstar, Dies at 48
By JON PARELES and ADAM NAGOURNEY
Whitney Houston, the multimillion-selling singer who emerged in the 1980s as one of her generation’s greatest R & B voices, only to deteriorate through years of cocaine use and an abusive marriage, died on Saturday in Beverly Hills, Calif. She was 48.
Her death came as the music industry descended on Los Angeles for the annual celebration of the Grammy Awards, and Ms. Houston was — for all her difficulties over the years — one of its queens. She was staying at the Beverly Hilton hotel on Saturday to attend a pre-Grammy party being hosted by Clive Davis, the founder of Arista Records, who had been her pop mentor.
Ms. Houston was found in her room at 3:55 p.m., and paramedics spent close to 20 minutes trying to revive her, the authorities said. There was no immediate word on the cause of her death, but the authorities said there were no signs of foul play.
From the start of her career more than two decades ago, Ms. Houston had the talent, looks and pedigree of a pop superstar. She was the daughter of Cissy Houston, a gospel and pop singer who had backed up Aretha Franklin, and the cousin of Dionne Warwick. (Ms. Franklin is Ms. Houston’s godmother.)
Ms. Houston’s range spanned three octaves, and her voice was plush, vibrant and often spectacular. She could pour on the exuberant flourishes of gospel or peal a simple pop chorus; she could sing sweetly or unleash a sultry rasp.
Dressed in everything from formal gowns to T-shirts, she cultivated the image of a fun-loving but ardent good girl, the voice behind songs as perky as “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” and as torchy as what became her signature song, a version of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.”
I was stunned when I read about Whitney’s death. It reminded me of when Michael Jackson passed away in 2009. Both were still young. Just like Michael, I have been a long time fan of Whitney’s. I still own her first album Whitney Houston.
I’ve been playing the cd along with her 2 disc greatest hits cd since she passed away. All the songs on her debut cd are excellent but my favorite songs are How Will I Know, Take Good Care of My Heart, Saving All My Love For You and You Give Good Love.
Check out another favorite of mine. Queen of the Night is from Whitney’s blockbuster movie The Bodyguard.
RIP Whitney Houston.
Earlier today I read that Soul Train creator Don Cornelius committed suicide. He was found in his home in Southern California early this morning. He was 75 years old.
I remember back in the day watching this show. It was fun to watch the dancers and the different music artist every Saturday. Soul Train brought some great music into the homes of millions of Americans. I remember a while ago watching a documentary titled Soul Train: The Hippest Trip in America. VH1 is showing the documentary on February 6 at 9:30pm. I know Centric, the cable channel use to show episodes of Soul Train. I wonder if they will start up again. Or maybe have a Soul Train marathon this weekend.
‘Soul Train’ creator Don Cornelius found dead
By Greg Kot
Tribune critic
Don Cornelius became the baritone-voiced bellwether of Chicago cool when he took “Soul Train” from the South Side to a national audience in the 1970s.
Cornelius, 75, was found dead Wednesday at his Mulholland Drive home in Encino, Calif. He apparently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police say. There was no sign of foul play, but the Los Angeles Police Department was investigating.
Born in Chicago in 1936, Cornelius grew up in the Bronzeville neighborhood and worked numerous jobs: he sold insurance, worked as a TV newsman and deejayed at WVON, which serenaded the South and West Sides with soul music. While employed at WCIU-TV in the ’60s, he started hosting soul dance parties around the city and eventually approached station management about a show based on the same idea. They accepted.
“I wasn’t surprised because I was invited to come over there by one of my mentors, Roy Wood, who was the news director at WVON-AM radio,” Cornelius told the Tribune last year. “He was a good man. He had persuaded them to do a black-oriented news show called ‘A Black’s View of the News.’ I knew the format at Channel 26 had a lot to do with ethnic-targeted programming, so I said to the owner one day, ‘Why don’t you let me try this?’”
“Soul Train” debuted in 1970 with low expectations and overhead. Color cameras weren’t in the budget and the dancefloor was the size of a typical living room. But the show struck a chord with an audience that had been largely ignored by other teen-oriented dance shows, most famously Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand.” For young, African-American kids, “Soul Train” was must-see after-school viewing because it presented mostly R&B artists that other shows neglected. And, perhaps most importantly, it showcased the hippest dance moves.
You can read the entire article here at the Chicago Tribune.
Mr. Cornelius use to end his show with the following saying:
“And you can bet your last money, it’s all gonna be a stone gas, honey! I’m Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!”
Check out the video to the Soul Train theme song The Sound of Philadelphia. The song was written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff.
RIP Mr. Cornelius.
