With the current state of the world, I thought I would use the internet to spread some joy so here it is. I am hereby publicly declaring my lifelong love affair with the music of my favorite black artists. I have created a playlist to help me drown out the noise of a world gone mad.
Feel free to join in and share your own appreciation for these voices and melodies sent straight from heaven. You know how to do it, just head to YouTube, copy a link, paste it on your profile and express yourself.
This playlist that I created is only the beginning. It kicks off with the classic sixties Motown sounds from musical sensations like the Temptations, Supremes, and of course iconic legends like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and many more.
So after a number of sixties throwbacks and dancey numbers, we get caught up in some of my faves from movie soundtracks (I appreciated Bo Diddley long before Wolf of Wall Street)…
Then we plunge into dark bluesy masterpieces from Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker and company. There are a few 80s tunes mixed in here but I think these will have to go onto a separate playlist. I’m not even into the disco and hip-hop yet and this list is showing no sign of stopping.
Here’s Buddy Guy playfully chastising his audience for singing it wrong before a searing live performance of Hootchie Cootchie Man.
Oh, and I can’t forget the funkiest of the funky, Bill Withers!
(Why do I never hear this on the radio? It may be the best song ever.)
Here’s that song from the show Eastbound and Down… you know you love it! Freddy King, one bad-ass mofo.
This music has been with me, with all of us really, through the best and worst of times. I have listened rapturously in joyous moments… at weddings, Bar Mitsvahs, sweet sixteens and anniversary celebrations. I have communed with lost souls in dark bars at early morning hours with some of these bluesy numbers running as the soundtrack.
The unforgettable Tina Turner takes “Son of a Preacher Man” to the next level. Billy Ray was a preacher’s son. Ahhh…. sing it with me!
Oh, and I can’t leave out Aretha and her voice sent straight from heaven! The Queen of Soul lives on in our hearts forever.
“Baby I Love You” – one of the best Aretha “B-Sides” (Is any Aretha song a B-side, though?)
If you are saddened by what’s happening in the world and don’t know what to do about it, come and listen to some great music performed by amazingly talented black musicians with me. They say that talent is born of suffering. This music has enhanced our lives in every way.