"Rewind"- Sweet Lady by Tyrese

Note: I do not care what you say Vee (my cousin), Tyrese has a great voice. (LOL)

Anyways, here is some information about the song:

After Johnta Austin was dropped from RCA in 1995 (sadly, he hit puberty), he was replaced by a new young male singer, Tyrese. However, he kept writing songs and six months later submitted the lyrics for "Sweet Lady" for Tyrese's debut album. By the time Austin graduated high school in Atlanta, the song was a top 10 hit in 1998.

"Covers, Samples, Reworks and Answer Songs"

Ever wonder what the original version of a song sounded like or who created it? In this new feature, I will give you songs that have led to hit cover songs, been used as samples in R&B and Hip-hop songs, and led to songs that answered them back. Here we go:


Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise" was on his 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life. The song was about how we as a society needed to change our social problems, and stop living in the past hoping that it could have been better, but to make a better future for our children. In 1995, Coolio sampled and rewrote some of the lyrics the song to create "Gangsta's Paradise," which was on the Dangerous Minds soundtrack and featured the R&B singer L.V. With this song, Coolio changed the lyrics to reflect the hard lives of inner-city black youths, which was very different from Wonder's more positive message.

Stevie Wonder - Pastime Paradise



Coolio feat. L.V. - Gangsta's Paradise

"Brand New Flava In Your Ear"

Some new music coming your way!

1) Green Day - Know Your Enemy: This song is so unbelievably catchy with simple but revolutionary lyrics. I can imagine a group of marginalized people blasting this song while storming a government institution. It fits my idea of a politically active song that makes you think and at the same time you can dance to it. Two thumbs up!



2) Ginuwine - Last Chance: Gin-U-Fine (Ha, Ha) is back! No matter what is going on in music, I can rely on singers like Ginuwine to bring that soulful nature and 90s R&B to the music. I love his voice and it is a great love song!



3) Johnta Austin - The One That Got Away: Another great R&B artist. He has written songs for such artists as Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, the late Aaliyah and Tyrese, and now finally he coming out with his own stuff. His motto is just to make good music and this song is showing it. I am glad he took the time to start his career because he is a great songwriter, producer and singer. It is sad though that this song is not played more in mainstream radion and Tv; they are just too busy giving us crap to play any of the good stuff. (Note: Mel B from the Spice Girls is in the video)



4) Morningwood - Best of Me: Unfortunately, this is the theme song for another dumb Vh1 reality show, Daisy in Love. But I would gladly watch the beginning of the show just to hear this song. Morning Wood is just plain awesome!



5) Anjulie - Boom: Ignoring the "Boom Shaka Laka" part of the chorus, this song is really good. With a dark, creepy, 60s Beatnick, jazzy sound, I easily forget how silly the lyrics are. It is a nice contrast of quirky, pop lyrics with creative music and a unique singer.



6) Deborah Bond - See You In My Dreams: Here is another reason why I love Neo-soul music. It is so much more original and natural than some of the commercial stuff out there. Calming and smooth, yet very soulful, "See You In My Dreams" is reminiscent of Sade and also 70s Soul.

"Underground Legends"

Louis Jordan (July 8, 1908-February 4, 1975)

"The King of the Jukebox," "The Father of Rhythm and Blues," and "The Grandfather of Rock & Roll," Louis Jordan, with his band Tympany Five, create most of the building blocks for several popular music genres, including R&B, Soul, Rock & Roll and Hip-hop. His jump blues stylehas influenced many artists from James Brown to Little Richard to Chuck Berry to Ray Charles. The alto saxophonist and comical lyricist combined Jazz and Blues to create swinging shuffle rhythms.

Born in Brinkley, Arkansas, Jordan grew up in a musical family. His father was James Aaron Jordan, a local music teacher and bandleader for the Brinkley Brass Band and Rabbit Foot Minstrels. Jordan studied music with his father and learned the clarinet. He also learned the piano, but the alto saxophone became his main instrument. After attending Baptist College in which he majored in music, he went to Philadephia and then New York. Performing with swing bands, including drummer Chick Webb's band at the Savoy Ballroom, Jordan went solo in 1938 after gaining confidence that he could be a bandleader because of his lively showmanship.

Louis Jordan's first band, which was compromised from members of the Jesse Stone band, was originally made up of nine members but later reduced to a six member band. The original lineup was Jordan (alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, vocals), Courtney Williams (trumpet), Lem Johnson (tenor saxophone), Clarence Johnson (piano), Charlie Drayton (bass) and Walter Martin (drums). Since Martin used timpani drums often, the group was named the Tympany Five. Other performers who came into the lineup included Bill Jennings (guitar), Carl Hogan (guitar), Wild Bill Davis (piano), Bill Doggett (piano), Chris Columbus (drums), and Dallas Bartley (bass). They signed to Decca Records, which began a decade and half successful music career.

"I'm Gonna Leave You on the Outskirts of Town" was Louis Jordan and the Tympany Five's first major hit on #2 on Billboard's Harlem Hit Parade (precursor to R&B charts). It was an "answer record" to his earlier song "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town." "What's The Use of Gettin' Sober (When You're Gonna Get Drunk Again)" became Jordan's first #1 hit in 1942. However, "Five Guys Named Moe," which reached # # on race charts, standardized the fast tempo, swinging style and became his trademark music. In 1942, he moved to Los Angeles, where he began making "soundies" (precursor to music videos).

In the 1940s, Louis Jordan and the Tympany Five had several other hits, such as "Saturday Night Fish Fry," "Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens," "Jack, You Dead," "Buzz Me," and "Choo Choo Ch'boogie" (a multi-million dollar seller). Two of his biggest hits was "Caldonia" with the famous shouting hook, "Caldonia, Caldonia, What makes your big head so hard," and "G.I. Jive"/"Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" (was in the Tom & Jerry cartoon, Solid Serenade) also helped him to crossover into mainstream market. In all, Louis Jordan had 18 number 1 hits and 54 top ten singles. "Saturday Night Fish Fry" is considered to be one of the first Rock & Roll songs because it uses the word "rocking" and has a focus on the distorted electric guitar.

By the 1950s, Jordan's popularity began to decline as other styles of music, like Rock & Roll, began to popularize an big bands were declining, too. He switched to Mercury Records and tried to make his sound full Rock & Roll with singles like "Let the Good Times Roll," which did not chart. His last hit was "Weak Minded Blues" in 1951. Still his popularity further diminished and he barely recorded after the early 1960s. Louis Jordan died in Los Angeles from complications from his heart attack in February 1975.

INTERESTING FACTS

His song "Beans and Corn Bread" was used as the theme song for the TBS show Dinner and a Movie.

Many of his biggest hits were put in the name of his then wife Fleecie Moore as a means of avoiding an existing publishing contract. After their tulmutuous marriage (a domestic dispute resulted in her stabbing him from which he almost died) and divorce, she retained ownership of the songs.

He is the top black recording artist of all time.

Popularized the use of the electric guitar (used in Rock & Roll) and the electric piano and organ (used in R&B and Soul).

Louis Jordan is one of the several artists whose songs are hard to imitate that there has been no hit cover versions.

He popularized many slang words used in Rock& Roll and R&B, such as "chick."

Jordan made a controversial statement that Rock & Roll was R&B played by white musicians, which contradicted artists like Chuck Berry and Little Richard who said they were Rock musicians.

In songs like "Beware," "Look Out Sister," and "You Gotta Have Beat," Jordan uses a rapid-fire, semi-spoken vocal style, which was influenced by his experience as a saxophone soloist. He minimizes the importance of the vocal melody for a highly syncopated phrasing that emphasizes alliteration and assonance. It is one of the earliest examples of vocal styling that eventually evolved into rap. (Check later for my Music Note on "The Origins of Rap.")

Recorded the song "Keep a Knocking" before Little Richard made it a hit.

He performed with a young Ella Fitzgerald while in Chick Webb's band.

Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

A Broadway musical named Five Guys Named Moe, based on his songs and persona, opened in 1992.

Caldonia



Choo Choo Ch'Boogie



Buzz Me Baby



Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby (Loius Jordan and Tom & Jerry versions)





Beans and Cornbread



Jack, You Dead (Funny!)



Let the Good Times Roll



Saturday Night Fish Fry (one of the first Rock & Roll songs)\

Louis Jordan - Saturday Night Fish Fry
Uploaded by soulpatrol

Five Guys Named Moe



Beware



Look Out Sister



You Gotta Have Beat



How Long Must I Wait For You



There Aint Nobody Here But Us Chickens



Deacon Jones (Funny!)

"Earworm 5"

Louis Jordan - Caldonia

This guy was a major influence of many R&B and Soul artists. "Caldonia" is funny and catchy, and you can definitely hear the influence he had on artists like Little Richard.




Check out his "Underground Legends" feature tomorrow!