One of the very things I ordered from the Columbia House Record and tape Club when I signed up back in 1975 was the Earth, Wind & Fire album That’s The Way Of The World, which includes their breakthrough hit “Shining Star.” Loved it then, love it now.
The late Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire was born on this date in 1941. Lots of EWF on today’s playlist.
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Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong collaborated to write several hits for The Temptations, among them “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone,” “I Can’t Get Next To You,” “Psychedelic Shack,” “Ball Of Confusion,” and “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me).” The latter was inspired by Strong’s crush on a woman who didn’t know he existed. It became The Temptations’ third number one single on the Hot 100.
Lead vocalist on “Just My Imagination,” the late Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations was born on this date in 1939.
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More holiday music!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4X4csTTsmoLxasvsccKsXT?si=397d056680644a65
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WHAT TIME IS IT? Time to celebrate the 67th birthday of The Time’s Morris Day! A few of his selections are on today’s playlist.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5HGp6sA2mAESD5SwZa9Yrh?si=d3f23ce6e4204584
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Is technology ruining music? I’ll answer that with another question: If we had GPS in the 1960s, would we have gotten “Do You Know The Way To San José?” If you request Alexa to play “Do You Know The Way To San José” by merely stating its title, would Alexa play it or ramble on about making a left here and bearing right there, which would make for a real crap song? When presented with “Do You Know The Way To San José” by its writers, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Dionne Warwick was not taken by it. “What is this whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa crap?” she asked. I’m paraphrasing. She eventually came around, for decades later she said that winning the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her recording of that song was the highlight of her career.
Dionne Warwick was born on this date in 1940. Lots of songs performed by her are included on today’s playlist.
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The first time Brenda Lee topped the Billboard Hot 100 was with “I’m Sorry” in 1960. The most recent time Brenda Lee topped the Billboard Hot 100 was a few days ago, when her 1958 single “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” finally ascended to the top of the chart. That makes Lee the oldest person to ever have a US number one single and marks the longest-ever climb to number one and the longest gap between number one singles for an artist.
Brenda Lee was born on this in 1944. A couple of her hits are included on today’s playlist.
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“Nightshift” was Commodores’ biggest hit following the departure of usual lead singer Lionel Richie. The group’s Walter Orange, a co-writer of the song, sings lead on verse one. Orange also sang lead on Commodores’ hits “Brick House” and “Too Hot Ta Trot.” So there.
Commodores’ Walter Orange was born on this date (or maybe yesterday’s date) in 1946. Two of the group’s songs on which he sang lead are included on today’s playlist.
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