Culture Blues

Culture Blues Hall Of Fame: Vocalists

Once again the National Baseball Hall Of Fame (the only North American sports hall of fame that actually matters) did its best to help America forget about the winter that holds us all hostage by announcing its 2012 induction class. While I’m generally thankful for this subtle reminder that there are other seasons, like most fans I am left feeling underwhelmed that Barry Larkin is the lone inductee. Barry Larkin?! Look, I have a great amount of respect for what Larkin accomplished over the course of his career, but the Hall Of Fame should be reserved for immortal figures like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and Sandy Koufax, not a light-hitting shortstop with less than a thousand RBIs and a sub .300 batting average. The truth of the matter is Larkin was only chosen to ensure that there would be a reason to hold a fancy ceremony in July and bring some tourism dollars to the sleepy little town that is Cooperstown, New York.

Thankfully, the Culture Blues Hall Of Fame is in its infancy and still has numerous honors to bequeath, so it doesn’t have to resort to lauding sub-par candidates with undue adulation. It should also be noted that the Culture Blues Hall Of Fame is located on the surface of the moon, and not only do we not need your tourism dollars, we don’t want you coming to the induction ceremony (we’re exclusionary that way). Last year I presented the inaugural class of the CBHOF and venerated the guitar and those who have made her sing. This time I will put my instrument-based bias aside and honor the great vocalists of Western modern music. Here, now, is the Vocalist Hall Of Fame, Class of 2012.

Rock N’ Roll Inductees:

Long before he decided to make Celtic music, or a lackluster soul record with Joss Stone, Robert Plant was the lion-esque, leather-vest-wearing, worn-jeans-filling front-man of the one and only Led Zeppelin. From 1969 to 1979 Plant was a wine-loving Rock N’ Roll banshee, who strutted onstage like some sort of warrior peacock, capable of shattering glass with a single note from his golden vocal chords.

Though he was a blues man through and through, Plant went on to become one of the most influential Rock singers of all time. Artists like Axl Rose, Sebastian Bach, and most other grown men who prefer to sing like they have no testicles owe just about everything to Plant and his “panache.” Consider this: Plant managed to gain massive amounts of fame and celebrity while being in a band with a megalomaniacal, magic-obsessed, mystique-sweating, producer/song-writer, who wore bell-bottomed dragon pants, fed a groupie to a shark (allegedly), and also happened to be one of the greatest guitarists of all-time. That ain’t easy.

Notable Examples: Immigrant Song, Whole Lotta Love, What Is And What Should Never Be

When Farrokh Bulsara was born in Zanzibar in 1946 there was no chance his Parsi family could have ever imagined who their eldest son would one day become. After the Bulsaras fled their homeland in the mid-60s, they relocated to Britain where Farrokh (who was already Freddie at this point) got a degree in graphic design and a job at Heathrow airport.

In 1970 he joined guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, who formerly played in a band called Smile, and formed Queen (the name was Freddie’s idea). Everything that came after that is the stuff of legend. Queen went on to become one of the world’s bestselling, most influential, and greatest Rock N’ Roll bands of all time. There are a multitude of reasons for Queen's greatness, but Mercury’s songwriting, showmanship, vocal timbre, and incredible range are paramount. Mercury possessed a voice that soared over any mix, filled every arena, and could touch all hearts. The man himself had a gift but, more importantly, the man himself was a gift.

Notable Examples: Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are The Champions, Somebody To Love

Throughout my numerous musical conversations with hipsters and young people, I am often horrified by some of the opinions, notions, and overall beliefs that are espoused. I have heard it all: “I can’t tell the difference between Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler,” “Wow, I had no idea that the Beatles wrote this,” “I don’t really do the classics, man, there is just nothing there for me,” and most often “What’s the big deal about Elvis anyway?”... (Sigh)... If you guys can spend so much time blogging about the greatness that was Neutral Milk Hotel, or the profundity of Animal Collective, why can’t you take a moment to learn how music got where it is? To put is simply: Western music would not exist as we know it without the incredible voice that belonged to Elvis Presley.

Before I go any further, I don’t need any of you chiming in with the “Elvis stole most of his songs" argument. First of all, duh. Second of all, this Hall Of Fame is about singers, and Elvis was blessed with a voice that sounded like honey being slow-poured over velvet on a warm summer day. Elvis is the link between the crooners of yesteryear and the Rock N’ Rollers of slightly after yesteryear. His barrel-chested baritone is the epitome of iconic. A single note transports listeners to a black and white, post-war world, where modern America was spreading its wings, and blues, country, and R&B were evolving. I am sure that some of you are rolling your eyes as you read this praise, but that’s because you are a cynic who doesn’t know any better. Avey Tare and Jeff Mangum couldn’t sing as well as Elvis with the help of a genie.

Notable Examples: Heartbreak Hotel, Suspicious Minds, Jailhouse Rock

Also on the ballot: Paul McCartney, John Lennon, David Bowie, Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Brian Wilson, Jeff Buckley

R&B Inductees:

Otis Redding’s recording career lasted only four years, yet here he stands as one of the first inductees of the Culture Blues Vocalist Hall Of Fame. Such is the greatness of his voice. A renowned soul and R&B singer, Redding wrote some beloved and truly cherished tunes that have achieved their status as much for his exceptional vocal performance as for their exquisite songcraft.

There is something special about the passion employed by singers like Redding which, speaking honestly, was largely absent from the Caucasian performers that came before him. As we all know, Rhythm & Blues, and Blues, derive from work songs, spirituals, shouts, chants, and field hollers which originated from southern African-American communities at the end of the 19th century. The nucleus of this music is the channeling of raw emotion, and that in a nutshell is the difference between a song like Try A Little Tenderness and Luck Be Lady Tonight. Otis Redding was a conduit of the human spirit and his voice was its breath.

Notable Examples: (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay, Try A Little Tenderness, I've Been Loving You Too Long

It’s hard for me to believe that Marvin Gaye started his musical career in a 50s doo-wop group. In my mind he stands out as such a singular artist that it's basically impossible for me to picture him as part of any ensemble. Over the course of his "post doo-wop" career, Gaye displayed his visionary talents as a Motown hit-maker, R&B legend, soul giant, and (eventually) fiercely political artist. Of course this was all way before Let’s Get It On was used in every commercial ever and became the official song to have cheesy sex to.

Marvin Gaye’s voice was an otherworldly expressive instrument capable of striking versatility. At times it was sensual, and other times delighted. It could yearn, enchant, depress, and even illuminate. Most of all, it inspired. Marvin Gaye was to singing what paint brushes are to painting (wrap your head around that one, kids).

Notable Examples: What's Going On, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Let's Get It On 

As we all learned from the surprisingly good Jamie Foxx bio-pic, Ray Charles was an African-American, blind, piano-playing musical genius, who grew up in an intensely racist American South. He suffered immense hardships in his youth, overcame incredible adversity as a musician, and went on to become a national treasure. Frank Sinatra once called him “the only genius in show business” and Billy Joel made the claim that Charles was “more important than Elvis”.

Ray Charles is the closest thing modern music has ever had to a sonic alchemist. As a musician and composer in the mid-50s, Charles combined elements of jazz, country, rhythm & blues, as well as the piano styles of barrelhouse and stride, to create a sound which was unique, exciting, and very much his. The central component of Charles’ music was his gravelly yet joyful voice, which was full of undeniable character, and was suited for all manner of compositions. Ray Charles was the first African-American artist to truly cross over, an achievement that could never be diminished - and I assure you it wasn't just his phenomenal piano playing that made it happen.

Notable Examples: Mess Around, I Got A Woman, Hit The Road Jack 

Also on the ballot: Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Prince, Al Green, Little Richard, Smokey Robinson

Female Inductees:

As we all learned from the surprisingly good Angela Basset bio- just kidding. The first time I was exposed to Tina Turner it was as the Acid Queen in the film version of the musical Tommy. As a whole I despised the movie (I adore the album of course), but I was incredibly impressed by the talents of Turner. After that day I took a musical journey back into the past and found that Turner was a wildly accomplished artist with a voice as powerful as any I had ever heard.

Turner’s glory days were mostly throughout the 60s and 70s when she and her husband Laurence Fish- I mean, Ike Turner, had an impressive string of hits which brought them great success. After Turner left her physically and mentally abusive husband she had a resurgence in popularity in the 80s, which in the end proved that it was her unquestionable talents which had been the star all along.

Notable Examples: River Deep Mountain High, Nutbush City Limits, Proud Mary

Aretha Franklin has earned more awards, honors, and accolades over the 50 plus years she has been in music than most family lineages ever have. She has been dubbed The Queen Of Soul, voted the greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone, won 20 Grammys, has 45 Top 40 hits, was the first woman inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame, was awarded the National Medal Of Arts by President Bill Clinton, AND has an Honorary Doctorate in music from Yale. Just so we are clear, none of that was earned by her charming disposition.

Franklin has a voice beyond duplication. Though she has influenced an inestimable number of artists none have ever come close to the unmistakable brilliance that is Aretha Franklin. Songs like Respect, Chain Of Fools, and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman exist like self-contained universes of musical perfection, and Aretha Franklin and her voice are the revered creators.

Notable Examples: Respect, Chain Of Fools, (You Make Me Feel Like ) A Natural Woman

Ella Fitzgerald may very well be the most gifted and supremely talented singer being inducted in this class. Because she made most of her music before some of your grandparents were even born there is a good chance that you are less familiar with her work than any other artist  mentioned thus far (hell, she doesn’t even show up in a Kanye sample!). When you sit and ponder the two sentences you just read, does it depress you? It should.

Blessed with a three octave vocal range, pristine tone, remarkable diction, impeccable phrasing, and near flawless intonation, Fitzgerald is the finest singer ever born on American soil. Her interpretation of the Great American Songbook is considered by many to be the finest ever produced. She sang most of it while going through the trials of being both an African-American and a woman during the first-half of the 20th century (which we can all assume must not have been easy, right?). Whether scatting, fronting a big band, singing a capella, or in a small jazz ensemble, Fitzgerald was always exemplary, and quite possibly the best non-classical vocalist to ever live.

Notable Examples: One Note Samba, Mack The Knife, Summertime

Also on the ballot: Etta James, Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, Whitney Houston, Gladys Knight

Tagged as: Aretha Franklin, Culture Blues Vocalist Hall Of Fame, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury, marvin gaye, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Robert Plant, Tina Turner