I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
Sorry — for the second week in a row, DK-4 is not allowing me to post my Who Lost the Week?!?!? poll — no matter how hard I try to re-draft from scratch, append, etc. Will try to resolve this for next week.
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM, our Wyoming-based friend Irish Patti and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES — works by a pop artist of the 60’s who is little-known today (due to being a woman, as well as a nun) in an exhibition entitled Corita Kent and the Language of Pop are at the San Antonio, Texas Museum of Art through May 8th.
Now in San Antonio, TexasHAIL and FAREWELL to the professional wrestler Robert Windham, better known as Blackjack Mulligan— the father of pro wrestling sons Barry Windham and Kendall Windham, and also the father-in-law of Mike Rotunda — who has died at the age of 73.
YUK for today — of course, he was a Texas GOP senatorial predecessor to Ted Cruz … yet in another way, how very apropos that it’s Phil Gramm (who was also disliked by other Republicans during his time in the Senate) who is now an advisor to Senator Cruz.
For example: twenty years ago (in the GOP primary season of 1996) Gramm was seeking the endorsement here in the New Hampshire primary of then-Republican governor Steve Merrill:
Merrill said that Gramm's low-tax, minimalist government message appealed to him more than those of the other candidates, and he seriously considered backing the Texan.
"The problem with Gramm," Merrill said …….. "is you have to meet the guy."
THURSDAY's CHILDREN are among some feral cats who are being utilized in Chicago— where some demolition projects are threatening to worsen an existing rodent problem — not only as hunters, but also by “spreading their pheromones, they will keep other rats from filling their vacuum."
Feral kittehs to the rescueFOOD SCIENCE NOTES — new research shows that coffee and cacao yeasts are far more genetically diverse than wine strains. This opens up the intriguing possibility of imparting entirely new tastes to the terroir of coffee and chocolate.
THEATER NOTES — a UK revival of the landmark play Show Boat moves to London, with its Welsh director referring to it as the “mother of all musicals" and also that after ninety years, “the piece is still able to blow audiences away. In Sheffield, there were standing ovations at most shows."
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Tilly the Cat— Britain’s oldest rescue cat, who has been at a shelter the past twenty-one years … a bit rambunctious in her youth but now “has a gentle nature and regularly cares for the shelter's other felines”.
Tilly the shelter kittehBRAIN TEASER - try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC, along with the most recent Science Friday quiz.
THE OTHER NIGHT yours truly hosted the Top Comments diary with a look at liberal meet-ups … in particular, Drinking Liberally (of which I am a chapter host) and if you plan to attend Netroots Nation, you can meet many of its leaders (as they will have meet-ups and a comedy show).
D/L founder Justin Krebs has a short, excellent new book release entitled Blue in a Red State— w/vignettes of how liberals living in red areas cope (and even thrive).
At your library (or via interloan)HISTORY NOTES — historians have long tried to determine the route that the army of Carthage — led by Hannibal— took (in 218 B.C.) to cross the Alps and attack Rome. Now, researchers believe they have found the route due to locating samples of ….. umm ……. horse dung and other fecal matter.
GRANDMOTHER-GRANDDAUGHTER? — the late civil rights activist Betty Shabazz and the Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams.
Betty Shabazz (1934 — 1997) Serena Williams (born 1981)...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… he may be the best soul singer you never heard of: yet no less than Elvis Costello has described Howard Tate as "the missing link between Jackie Wilson and Al Green". After years away from the music business, he made a comeback last decade – yet it was the death of his longtime producer Jerry Ragovoy that brought Tate's name back into the spotlight (for the work that the two men did together) for the last few months of Howard Tate’s life, as well. It’s a spotlight that ought to remain focused, as Howard Tate’s life story – as well as his music – is worth hearing.
The Macon, Georgia native came of age in Philadelphia, and began singing in a doo-wop group along with Garnet Mimms the future soul singer. In his early twenties, he became a featured singer for the noted R&B organist Bill Doggett - who had a major instrumental hit with "Honky Tonk" a few years earlier (in 1956). In the mid-1960’s, Garnet Mimms told the Philadelphia-born producer Jerry Ragovoy about Tate – and the two combined over the next four years to record ten singles and an album at Verve Records.
Howard Tate had a soulful voice that recalled Sam Cooke yet which had a blues tradition to go along with it. Jerry Ragovoy was an excellent songwriter for Tate (and also wrote or co-wrote the classic songs Time Is on My Side as well as Piece of My Heart for others) but as a producer: he let his singer’s own style shine through. And the use of top-caliber session men (such as Eric Gale and Chuck Rainey) completed the circle of excellence.
Howard Tate had hits from 1966-1969 that – frequently – were larger hits for others, such as "Ain’t Nobody Home" (for B.B. King and Bonnie Raitt) and "Look at Granny Run Run" (for Ry Cooder and Grand Funk). Yet those songs (along with "Baby I Love You") made the Top Twenty in both the R&B and pop charts. His 1967 album Get It While You Can is considered a major historical work, and its title track was another successful Ragovoy tune that became a minor hit for Tate – but later became a major hit for Janis Joplin, who modeled her version after Tate’s.
Tate then left Verve for Lloyd Price’s Turntable Records, where an album entitled Howard Tate’s Reaction and produced by Johnny Nash did not sell well (and was thought not up to his standards). He left for Atlantic Records where he re-joined Jerry Ragovoy and released a self-titled album that also featured innovative covers of Girl from the North Country by Bob Dylan and "Jemima Surrender" by The Band which gained yet more glowing reviews ... yet little airplay or sales.
By the mid-1970’s, Tate had grown weary of endless tours, mistreatment from record company contracts and promoters and left the music business - swearing that he 'wouldn’t give a glass of water to anyone in the industry, even if they were dying from thirst'. He sold securities in the southern NJ/Philadelphia region but saw his 13 year-old daughter die in a house fire, his 19-year marriage end in divorce and eventually become a substance abuser. For awhile, he became a homeless person in Camden, N.J. and spent time in a homeless shelter.
He eventually spent time counseling drug users and – like his father – became a minister in 1994, founding a church with outreach missions, drug counseling and a homeless shelter. In 2001, a Jersey City disk jockey located and encouraged him, and Howard Tate performed in New Orleans – his first concert in over twenty-five years.
In 2003, this led to a meet-up with Jerry Ragovoy, who took a chance by inviting Tate to a recording session in his native Georgia (see center photo below). The resulting album Rediscovered featured a new recording of "Get It While You Can" as well as covers of songs by Elvis Costello and Prince. The result was a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues album, as well as providing dedicated funding for his ministry’s homeless shelter in Mt. Holly, New Jersey.
With that success, Howard Tate continued to perform: and a 2006 album A Portrait of Howard included some of his own writings as well as covers that ranged from Randy Newman to Lou Reed to the avant-garde jazz pianist Carla Bley. That same year, a live album recorded in Denmark was released.
His last studio album was 2008’s Blue Day– and this Nashville recording is the one he wanted to make for three decades as it goes back to his roots. Eerily .... it has a song entitled Miss Beehive - an empathetic song about the troubles of ..... Amy Winehouse. And in 2004, a thorough compilation album of his works came out.
Howard Tate died in December, 2011 at the age of 72 — less than five months after the death of Jerry Ragovoy. The producer Al Kooper summed up Tate's partnership with his late producer when they reunited earlier this decade: "One of the sweetest voices in soul music, combined with one of the most savvy soul producers—Howard Tate & Jerry Ragovoy—and God has seen fit to reincarnate them! Is this a beautiful country or what?!?"
A young Howard Tate ... … and later on in lifeOf all of his work: it is the song that Jerry Ragovoy wrote along with Mort Shuman entitled Stop that is my favorite of his. It was covered early-on by Hugh Masakela, then by the Joe Walsh-led James Gang - and then appeared on an enhanced re-release of the 1970 Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsys album (a track that did not appear on the original release).
And below you can listen to Howard Tate sing it.
Stop - baby, can't you see that I can't take it no more Stop - if you keep it up I'm gonna go through the floorStop - hold it up a minute 'cause I've gotta catch my breath Stop - everytime you squeeze you scare my heart half to death
Thought I was the captain of my ship But your love has made me lose my grip Everything is hazy One more kiss and you'll drive me crazy
x YouTube Video