Make Me Smile

A couple of years ago I came across a YouTube video of a band from Russia (yes that Russia) performing a song by the band Chicago. I thought with great sarcasm, "Oh, this is going to be interesting," thinking that it would be some poorly done knock-off. Oh boy... was I wrong.

It was sometime in the summer of 1970 when I first heard the song, "25 or 6 to 4" playing on the radio. I remember exactly where I was standing (in my uncle's house in Keene, NH) when I heard that song for the first time. There were not very many rock and roll bands back in the late 60's and early 70's that featured horn sections like Chicago and vocals as good as Peter Cetera's. Chicago's arrangements were some of the most dynamic and elaborate of any being done in popular music at the time. 25 or 6 to 4 remains one of my favorite songs and, in my younger years, I could belt out the song with ease although, these days, hitting the highest notes in the song is no longer in my wheelhouse.

So, I listened to the video two years ago with great anticipation but much skepticism. Leonid & Friends just blew me away! Every note, every drum fill, Sergey Kashirin's lead guitar rides, Serge Tiagniryadno's lead vocals (he's the lone Ukranian in the band,) the backup vocals (the Russian accents partially coming through, adding to the flavor,) and the horns.... the horns! I sat there listening to this "cover" with my mouth agape.

Leonid Vorobyev (who handles the arrangements, plays bass/piano and, and, and) has put together an incredible group of talented musicians that collectively may be the best cover/tribute band I have ever heard. They have now released 2 albums (Chicagovich and Chicagovich II available on iTunes.) I downloaded them both. The albums include the songs 25 or 6 to 4, Wishing You Were Here, You Are On My Mind, Make Me Smile, Saturday in the Park, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is, If You Leave Me Now, Feelin' Stronger Every Day, Questions 67 & 68, and 13 other great Chicago tunes. (The highlighted song links go to their YouTube videos)

For those of us that have discovered and have quickly grown to love this band, you can imagine the excitement when we learned that they were finally coming to the USA to tour! In addition to concerts this month in NYC, LA, Chicago, and Dallas, their last concert is 40 minutes away from my house when they play at the Capitol Theater in Clearwater, Florida. Our tickets on row 6 have been secured and I cannot wait until January 22 to see and hear them in person.

That will definitely make me smile.

(And here they are singing in their native tongue- "This is Rus." I have no idea what they are saying but it sure is beautiful!)

She loves you (yeah, yeah, yeah!)

50 years ago last night, the Beatles debuted on the Ed Sullivan Show and 73 million people tuned in to hear the Fab Four sing their sensational music that had exploded onto the American music scene. I was 8 years old and glued to our black and white Philco television set, mesmerized by this new sound and look.

Last night, several of my friends on Facebook were commenting on the Grammys' 50th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles that was televised on CBS. I was torn between watching Olympic figure skating or watching some of today's most talented musicians pay tribute to Paul and Ringo, the surviving members of The Beatles, as well as paying tribute and acknowledging the incredible contributions of John and George. It was a great night to reminisce. But not everyone that grew up during that time were Beatles' fans. Some preferred other bands or musicians of that day while others may not have been really into music much during that time in their lives. Fan or not, I am sure that the contribution that The Beatles made to modern pop music is acknowledged nonetheless.

I wrote a blog a couple of years ago soon after Don Cornelius of "Soul Train" fame had, sadly, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. I wrote then:

Music is an incredibly powerful thing. Every culture has music traditions and, just in my lifetime, I have witnessed the way that music can influence the world around us.

The segregated American society that made up a large part of the 20th century is an historical fact, painful though it is to be reminded of. But there has been one thing that seems to have transcended the racial divide that existed and, in some ways, still exists today...and that is music. From the white, Celtic-influenced Appalachian music that birthed bluegrass, rockabilly, and country music....to the gospel music sung in rural churches, to the black, rhythm and blues music from the Delta, Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit...the combination of all which birthed what we call Rock and Roll music. The soul music sound of African-American Detroit artists, on Barry Gordy's Motown Records kept the dance halls rocking and swaying to some incredible music and vocal harmonies.

The older, white generation didn't embrace much of this music...sometimes because it was just so different from the music they enjoyed but also because of racial prejudice. Sadly, many included the "N-word" in describing this new music. But for the younger Baby Boomer generation, I believe the blending of these musical genres and the appreciation for and enjoyment of these new musical sounds went a long way in bridging the racial divide.

As a white kid that loved the likes of Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and the Everly Brothers; I also loved the sounds of the Coasters, the Drifters, Sam and Dave, Ray Charles, James Brown, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Wilson Pickett, and Marvin Gaye. And just when rock and roll seemed to be losing its way, along came the mid-60's British invasion of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dave Clark Five, The Animals, The Kinks and dozens of others that had listened to all that America had blended together musically, and reintroduced it to us.

Whether or not The Beatles were your favorite band in the 60's matters not. Like other forms of art and food and fragrance, we all have our personal preferences. Thank goodness we have so much to choose from. I enjoyed last night because it brought back a flood of great memories. Thank you John, Paul, George and Ringo. 

Oh, and my favorite Beatles song? That's a very tough one. There are too many to list but two songs have likely had more plays on my iPod than the others- "No reply" and "I don't want to spoil the party" (and they are both from the Beatles- For Sale album.) What is your favorite?

Soul Train

Don Cornelius- Soul Train

Music is an incredibly powerful thing. Every culture has music traditions and, just in my lifetime, I have witnessed the way that music can influence the world around us. Yesterday, we heard that Don Cornelius had died, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. For those of us that grew up during the 60's and 70's, we will forever remember Don Cornelius as the creator of the TV show "Soul Train."

Soul Train was certainly not the first nationwide TV show focused on music. Other shows existed in the earlier days of television. We had shows like "Name that tune", "Sing along with Mitch", and the "Lawrence Welk Show" but they catered mainly to the over-40 crowd. Shows like "American Bandstand", "Shindig!", and "Hullabaloo" were geared more towards the younger folks and, in addition to musical acts, featured dancers showing off the latest dance steps. Later we had MTV and VH1. Now we have Glee, American Idol and several others. Music in America is a big deal.

But Soul Train was the first prime-time TV show that featured, almost exclusively, African-American musical artists. Modeled after the very popular "American Bandstand", which featured predominantly white artists and dancers, Soul Train became a favorite of many young Americans, black and white.

The segregated American society that made up a large part of the 20th century is an historical fact, painful though it is to be reminded of. But there has been one thing that seems to have transcended the racial divide that existed and, in some ways, still exists today...and that is music. From the white, Celtic-influenced Appalachian music that birthed bluegrass, rockabilly, and country music....to the gospel music sung in rural churches, to the black, rhythm and blues music from the Delta, Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago and Detroit...the combination of all which birthed what we call Rock and Roll music. The soul music sound of African-American Detroit artists, on Barry Gordy's Motown Records kept the dance halls rocking and swaying to some incredible music and vocal harmonies.

The older, white generation didn't embrace much of this music...sometimes because it was just so different from the music they enjoyed but also because of racial prejudice. Sadly, many included the "N-word" in describing this new music. But for the younger Baby Boomer generation, I believe the blending of these musical genres and the appreciation for and enjoyment of these new musical sounds went a long way in bridging the racial divide.

As a white kid that loved the likes of Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and the Everly Brothers; I also loved the sounds of the Coasters, the Drifters, Sam and Dave, Ray Charles, James Brown, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Wilson Pickett, and Marvin Gaye. And just when rock and roll seemed to be losing its way, along came the mid-60's British invasion of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dave Clark Five, The Animals, The Kinks and dozens of others that had listened to all that America had blended together musically, and reintroduced it to us.

Then in 1971, Don Cornelius' Soul Train was syndicated and white (and black) teenagers not only heard some great music but also were able to see some of the dance moves that were sometimes only popular in the cities where it was filmed. Soon enough, those dance moves went viral across the country (at least in the areas where it was broadcast.)

In many ways, Don Cornelius did as much to bring folks of all colors together as anyone in those decades. And it was done through the power of music.

In the words of the New Seeker's song popularized by Coca-Cola's famous 1971 commercial:

"I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony...." I think Don Cornelius helped us do that.