Yes, I know the song is about a dance, but I've learned that I have a tendency to interpret titles literally when selecting the Song of the Day. The past two days have been perfect dog-walking weather, even despite all the unmelted ice sheets passing for sidewalks in my neighborhood. Sophie has been a very happy puppy.
Maria and I adore our friends Steve and Anna, but with the emotional roller-coaster we had been on over the previous 36 hours or so, we admittedly had a hard time generating excitement and energy for their wedding on Saturday afternoon.
We made it, though (not that it was ever in question), and it was awesome. Some weddings are just plain FUN, and this was one of those. As with our wedding, "Let's Go Crazy" was the second song of the dance, and the first one where all the guests were invited on to the floor. The dancing did not stop until we were nudged out of the place, well past closing time.
Congratulations, Steve and Anna! Thanks for having us!
The other day I called Bobbie Gentry's "Mississippi Delta" the funkiest song I had ever heard a white woman record. So, who is the funkiest woman to make a record, period? That would be the incredible Betty Davis.
Betty Davis, ex-wife of Miles, is credited with introducing her legendary husband to funk and rock, and personally introducing him to the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. She laid the foundation for his jazz-fusion masterpiece Bitches Brew, and is widely speculated as being the subject in the album title.
"If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up" leads off Betty's self-titled 1973 debut LP, which utilized Larry Graham and the rest of the Sly & The Family Stone rhythm section. As with all three of her albums, it was completely written and produced by Betty. Despite her star-studded supporting cast and background, the world was apparently not ready for Betty's controversial, sexually charged music and image in the early '70s, as none of her releases achieved anything more than cult-classic status at the time.
Last year, Light In the Attic Records reissued Betty's first two albums (Betty Davis and They Say I'm Different). The third, Nasty Gal, remains out of print. According to the Light In the Attic website at the time of reissues' release, Betty was broke on the streets of Pittsburgh. So, if you like what you're hearing, do her a favor and buy a record or two.
Yes, I know the song is about a dance, but I've learned that I have a tendency to interpret titles literally when selecting the Song of the Day. The past two days have been perfect dog-walking weather, even despite all the unmelted ice sheets passing for sidewalks in my neighborhood. Sophie has been a very happy puppy.
Maria and I adore our friends Steve and Anna, but with the emotional roller-coaster we had been on over the previous 36 hours or so, we admittedly had a hard time generating excitement and energy for their wedding on Saturday afternoon.
The other day I called Bobbie Gentry's "Mississippi Delta" the funkiest song I had ever heard a white woman record. So, who is the funkiest woman to make a record, period? That would be the incredible Betty Davis.
