Motown – Brian Ferrari's Blog

Dusting Off The Holiday Favorites (2024)

I know I am not alone when I say that I take comfort in the annual repetition of the holidays: revisiting holiday-themed music, films, television shows… and now internet posts. Dave Holmes’ account of Patti LaBelle’s disastrous performance at the 1996 National Christmas Tree lighting is worth an annual revisit. Trust me.

Not to get meta or anything, but the post you are currently reading has been reworked and updated each year since 2020.

While we’re mining the past and dusting off our chestnuts, here’s the intro to the 1999 holiday episode of Bri-Guy’s Media Surf, an NYC Public Access show that featured yours truly lip-synching a little Esquivel:

Whenever the song pops up on my holiday playlist, I still do this.

I find it interesting that we immerse ourselves in certain pop culture favorites for exactly 6 weeks of the year and then pack them up in mothballs with the ornaments until next year. I mean, Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” is currently at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Burl Ives, Bobby Helms and Andy Williams are also in the top 10. Are any of them on your 4th of July playlist? They aren’t on mine.

*Gabe Pressman (left) with Marilyn Monroe (1956)*

I used to look forward to the annual Christmas Eve tradition on NBC New York’s evening news when reporter Gabe Pressman would read “Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus.” I taped it in 2011, knowing that the tradition wouldn’t last forever. The self-described “little Jewish kid from the Bronx” was 87 years old at the time and continued to work at NBC until his death at age 93.

NBC New York reporter Gabe Pressman’s annual segment on Virginia O’Hanlon’s 1897 letter to the New York Sun Newspaper.

In keeping with this revisit, my other blog posts of Christmas past are back to haunt you like A Christmas Carol, Mr. Scrooge:

Last year I posted Your Guide To Gay Disposable Holiday Movies, highlighting the 10 gayest Lifetime/Hallmark/Netflix movies of the past few years:

Copyright issues kept my 60 Degrees Girl Group Christmas playlists out of commission but now they are back! They have been running each week on the resurrected East Village Radio all month. Click here for streaming:
12/1/2024 – from 2008
12/8/2024 – from 2009
12/15/2024 – from 2012

And here’s a new one:

There’s a new Motown Christmas Special this year that has already aired in prime time several times this month, featuring Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Martha Reeves and The Temptations. Here is my take on the 1987 Motown Christmas Special – which featured very few Motown acts.

Here are 10 Things You May Not Know About March of The Wooden Soldiers, the Laurel & Hardy classic holiday film.

My Canine Christmas Tail is a true story about my dog Sunshine, a basset hound with an appetite for tinsel.

Have you watched Christmas In Connecticut yet this year? How about that delivery woman? This year I was able to update my 2019 post, identifying Daisy Bufford as the actress who played the unbilled role.

The original version of “¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?” is featured in “Llamacita,” this year’s Amazon Prime holiday commercial. Here’s a little backstory on the song & Augie Rios, who sang the original version.

Also – would you like to hear my Spotify holiday playlist?

Way back in 2002, when Limewire was a thing and people listened to music on silvery discs, I started creating Christmas CD mixes that I would mail out or give to people. These were received with a heartwarming combination of feigned delight, veiled indifference and deafening silence. None of these CDs had a pressing of more than 20 copies. I’d like to call them “much sought after” – but no, that’s not really the case, although every once in a while, someone really got into them and would ask for copies of other volumes.

And so, I’m offering this simple playlist…. for kids from 1 to 92. Unfortunately some of the tracks on these dozen CDs are not on Spotify, but I keep adding songs that would be on the current CD volume… if there was one. And now the playlist is over 17 hours of holiday tunes. I recommend listening on shuffle – there’s something to irritate everyone. Enjoy!

Here’s one more nugget to stuff in your stocking: This vid went viral in 2011. Choreographed and performed by Alex Karigan & Zac Hammer of the Amy Marshall Dance Company, it was filmed in one continuous take at the New 42nd St. Dance Studios. There’s something infectious about it: the joy, the corniness, the celebratory queerness of it all. It makes me want to dust off my jazz shoes. Once a year.

Back To The Girl Zone: 60 Degrees Returns

I’m bursting with excitement to be able to share the news about something I have been working on for the past couple of months…

After a 10 year hiatus, East Village Radio is now officially back on the air. My show, 60 Degrees with Brian Ferrari ran on the station for 5 years – from 2008-2013. The 2-hour program, featuring female 60’s singers and girl groups, is now back with new episodes bi-weekly, with repeated classic episodes on the opposite week. Besides the Sunday morning, 8-10am broadcast, archives of the show will be available for streaming on demand, any time, for free.

Here’s a little backstory: I had a late night public access television program called Bri-Guy’s Media Surf that aired in New York City from 1997-2007. Based on the music clips I played on that show, I was approached to do a spot on the early low-frequency broadcast version of East Village Radio. The signal was so weak that I couldn’t receive it in my apartment three blocks north of the station. Given the workload of producing the TV show, I didn’t have the bandwidth to take on a two-hour radio program, so I politely declined. After Media Surf wrapped in late 2007, I was offered a radio spot again. By this time, the station had transitioned into internet streaming and now had a worldwide audience. This time I said “Yes.”

From its inception, the concept of 60 Degrees was that it existed in an alternate reality where women ruled the pop charts throughout the 1960’s, a decade that I consider to be the most transitional and eclectic in the history of popular music. The all-female playlist is in direct contrast to radio programmers that only allow a certain number of female artists per hour. In the land of 60 Degrees, it’s all women, all the time. The men remain in the shadows, only stepping forward for the occasional duet.

This is not to say that the male groups that ruled the charts are completely ignored here. Female artists doing Beatles or Rolling Stones covers and tribute or answer songs are often featured. Besides, you can’t have a 60’s girl group playlist without the specter of Phil Spector looming large.

Another rule for 60 Degrees is that it is not a re-hash of the WCBS-FM “We play your favorite oldies” format. If a 60’s hit is in rotation on an oldies station, you won’t hear it here unless it’s live version, an alternate take, or sung in a foreign language.

Other ingredients that add to 60 Degrees’ unique flavor are the vintage commercials and sound clips from various movies and TV shows peppered throughout each 2 hour episode. These add a camp element to the proceedings and act as an acknowledgement of pop culture’s shift over the past 60 years.

60 Degrees usually concludes each episode with a modern cover or a remix of a 60’s tune to transition the listener back to the current day, in preparation for the next show on the East Village Radio schedule.

*Exciters lead singer Brenda Reid was a guest on the show in 2012.*

I did my first (and only) live show in the First Avenue storefront booth on January 17, 2008. Broadcasting live at street level by myself was a slightly terrifying prospect. The first show went without interruption but at some point I was bound to get a random loon trying to get into the booth while I’m spinning some Shirelles. And it wasn’t like I was going to get a sidewalk crowd like the higher profile prime time DJs. Besides, the variety of the content meant that I was dealing with wildly different sound levels and other audio issues over approximately 75 different clips per episode. Pre-taping allowed for a more seamless, fast-paced show, which was then broadcast in the morning hours before the DJ booth was open.

After 5 years on the air, I felt that the show had run it’s course and I hung up my headphones. I continued on my own personal quest of discovering new/old music, focusing on early soul singers and the sister groups of the 1940’s… then the 1930’s… until one day I found myself listening to 78 records on my 1916 RCA crank victrola. Having gone about as far as I could go, I thew it into reverse once again.

And so we’re back. From outer space. And so is 60 Degrees. I hope you will come along for the ride. It’s kinda cool

Bringing 60 Degrees back to East Village Radio, with the help of Jean & The Statesides.

Dusting Off The Holiday Favorites (2023)

Not to get meta or anything, but the post you are currently reading has been reworked and updated each year since 2020.

Whenever the song pops up on my holiday playlist, I still do this.

I find it interesting that we immerse ourselves in certain pop culture favorites for exactly 6 weeks of the year and then pack them up in mothballs with the ornaments until next year. I mean, Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” is currently at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Burl Ives, Bobby Helms and Andy Williams are also in the top 10. Are any of them on your 4th of July playlist? They aren’t on mine.

NBC New York reporter Gabe Pressman’s annual segment on Virginia O’Hanlon’s 1897 letter to the New York Sun Newspaper.

In keeping with this revisit, my other blog posts of Christmas past are back to haunt you like A Christmas Carol, Mr. Scrooge:

Last week I posted Your Guide To Gay Disposable Holiday Movies, highlighting the 10 gayest Lifetime/Hallmark/Netflix movies of the past few years:

Copyright issues kept my 60 Degrees Girl Group Christmas playlist out of commission but now it’s back! I plan to post other episodes of my old radio show in the new year.

Here is my take on the 1987 Motown Christmas Special – which featured very few Motown acts.

Here are 10 Things You May Not Know About March of The Wooden Soldiers, the Laurel & Hardy classic holiday film.

My Canine Christmas Tail is a true story about my dog Sunshine, a basset hound with an appetite for tinsel.

Also – would you like to hear my Spotify holiday playlist?

A 60 Degrees Girl Group Christmas

I have always loved Christmas music. I tend to listen to older music all year round, but when it comes to sharing music with the general public, this is the only time of year when Brenda Lee is considered cool. To combat the 60’s holiday tracks that are over-covered and overplayed, I am always searching for more obscure holiday recordings by girl groups and female vocalists that are not on radio or Spotify playlists.

When I began hosting my internet radio show 60 Degrees with Brian Ferrari back in 2008, I started an annual tradition of putting together a holiday program full of female 60’s singers and girl groups interspersed with vintage commercials and sound clips from classic holiday movies and television shows. You can listen to the Halloween show here.

East Village Radio was a pirate radio station that went legit and switched to the internet, broadcasting from a storefront in New York’s Lower East Side. This first 60 Degrees holiday show debuted on December 22, 2008 and was repeated annually throughout the shows 5 year run. By 2012, the holiday programs had gained such a following that 60 Degrees was given an uninterrupted 16-hour marathon on Christmas Day.

At the beginning of Part 2 of this episode, I read a Christmas poem that I wrote about an incident from my childhood involving our tinsel-eating dog Sunshine, which has previously been posted here and also on The Good Men Project website. You can’t say I don’t recycle!

Other than my speedy vocal delivery (someone tell that guy to slow down) and some minor sound level issues, the show holds up pretty well. There are a few mis-statements that I wish I could fix:

I said that Maya Rudolph’s mother, the late great Minnie Riperton was not singing lead on The Gems tracks. But it turned out that she was.
I mis-pronounce the Meditation Singers as “The Mediation Singers” and would add that soul singer Laura Lee was a member of the group, having replaced Della Reese in the 1950’s.
Janice Orenstein is the singer on “There’s Always Tomorrow” from the Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer soundtrack.

Part 1

Donde Esta Santa Claus – Toni Stante
Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas – Carla Thomas
My Boyfriend’s Coming Home For Christmas – Toni Wine
Christmas Will Be Just Another Lonely Day – Brenda Lee
White Christmas – Baby Washington
Snowfall – Doris Day
I Want A Boy For Christmas – The Del-Vetts
You Better Be Good, World – Shirley Ellis
Peace For Christmas – Gigi Parker
Christmas Calling – Valerie Masters
Christmas Time – Jan Bradley
All I Want For Christmas Is You – Carla Thomas
Christmas Is The Time To Be With Your Baby – The Orchids
Christmas Time Is Here Again – The Flirtations
O Holy Child – Dusty Springfield
Sleigh Ride – Darlene Love wi/ The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Deep in the Heart of Christmas Darlene Love wi/ The Brian Setzer Orchestra
Christmastime For The Jews – Darlene Love
Xmas (Baby Please Come Home) Live 2005 – Darlene Love

Part 2:

Wish You A Merry Christmas – Kim Weston
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – The Miracles (featuring Claudette Robinson)
Oh Holy Night – The Supremes (featuring Florence Ballard)
Won’t Be Long Before Christmas – The Supremes
Blue Christmas – The Meditation Singers
Blue Holiday – Aretha Franklin
Love For Christmas -The Gems
Jing Jing A Ling – Honey & The Bees
Silver Bells – Rachel Sweet
Close Your Mouth (It’s Christmas) – The Free Design
The Christmas Song – Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66
I Don’t Intend to Spend Christmas Without You – Margo Guryan
Happy New Year Baby – JoAnn Campbell
Happy New Year Baby – The Sisters
January First – Peggy March
Happy New Year – Beverley
Jingle Jingle Jingle – Burl Ives
There’s Always Tomorrow – Janice Orenstein
Auld Lang Syne – Honey & the Bees

I’ll be uploading other episodes of 60 Degrees in the future. I hope you enjoy them. Thanks for listening!

You can now listen to this episode on Mixcloud:

’60s Girl Group Survivors

Recently, the Gr8terDays blog featured cast photos from TV shows throughout the golden age of television. Surviving cast members are pictured in color while those who have shuffled off this mortal coil are depicted in black and white. I found this method of categorizing to be a bit jarring and sad, but also informative.

The post begins; “I’ve always been the morbid type. Even as a kid, I would watch old movies and TV shows and zero in on, ‘Which of these people is still alive?'”

Well, I was that kid too, although I didn’t get that way without help. I remember watching The Wizard of Oz on television when I was 5 or 6 years old while my parents made casual conversation of tallying the deceased cast members. “Yeah, she overdosed. And he’s dead. That one’s probably dead too… I’m not sure about Jack Haley.”

This might explain why my last post was Zombie Divas, a piece of Halloween fiction that featured a reanimated Judy Garland and other dearly departed entertainers hanging around the narrator’s apartment.

I have written about my love of ’60s girl groups in the past. From 2008-2013 and again in 2024, I produce and host 60 Degrees with Brian Ferrari, a 2-hour weekly program on East Village Radio devoted to female singers of the 1960’s. I have great respect for these women and am very much enjoying the newly released book Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? An Oral History Of The ’60’s Girl Groups by Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz.

With that said, here’s my list of surviving members of 30+ girl groups (primarily) of the 1960’s. They may be gone, but their music lives on.

Lead singer Peggy Santiglia and Phyllis “Jiggs” Allbut are the last original Angels. Besides Barbara “Bibbs” Allbut, first lead singer Linda Jansen and Bernadette Carroll have also passed on.

Darlene Love’s group The Blossoms started as The Dreamers in 1954. The evolving lineup went through many group names and members, with Fanita James as the one constant throughout. The 1964 lineup with Love, James and Jean King were regulars on the TV show *Shindig!* and continued until Darlene’s departure in 1975. Jean passed away in 1983, while Fanita died on Thanksgiving Day, 2023.

When Reather Dixon Turner died in 2014, co-lead singer Emma Pought Patron became the sole surviving member of The Bobbettes, which formed in East Harlem in 1955.

Seminal girl group The Chantels formed in the Bronx in 1957. Although they lost Jackie Landry to cancer in 1997, members of the group are still performing today.

Baby, That’s Me: The last member of The Cake is Barbara Morillo.

The Chordettes were of an earlier generation than the other girl groups, having formed as a folk group in the late 1940’s. They later shifted over to pop music with hits like “Mr. Sandman” and “Lollipop”. Carol Buschman, the last member from the group’s heydey, passed away on September 30, 2023 at age 96.

Chiffon Sylvia Peterson passed away in July, 2023. Barbara Lee had previously died in 1992. Lead singer Judy Craig still occasionally performs with her daughter and niece.

Original Crystals lead singer Barbara Alston passed away in 2018.

The Butterflys were a quartet with two former Crystals: Myrna Giraud and Mary Thomas along with lead singer Paulette Holland. All three are still in New York City… but where in the world is Carmen Santiago?

The original Cookies formed in 1954 and later morphed into the first incarnation of the Raelettes. They have all passed on, but the second lineup included Earl-Jean McCrea and Margaret Ross Williams, who are still with us. Margaret still heads a Cookies lineup and honors the earlier group in live shows with their song “In Paradise.”

Sole surviving Dixie Cup Barbara Hawkins keeps the group alive with current member Athelgra Neville, sister of The Neville Brothers.

The exciting Brenda Reid, lead singer of The Exciters, is the last surviving member of her group.

No pearly gates for these Flirtations: The group, formed in New York as The Gypsies in 1962, moved to the UK in the late 60’s. All three are still performing together, including Viola Billups, aka Pearly Gates.

Guitarist Carol McDonald (aka Shaw) passed away in 2007. In October 2023, the group was inducted into the New England Music Hall of Fame with the surviving members in attendance.

Honey Cone lead singer Edna Wright (sister of Darlene Love) passed away in September, 2020.

Trying to keep track of the many Ikettes is akin to herding cats, but this classic lineup – which became The Mirettes – featured Robbie Montgomery, Venetta Fields, and Jessie Smith, who died in February, 2021.

Bluebelle Sarah Dash passed away in September, 2021. The New York Times recently reported the ongoing health battles of Cindy Birdsong, who left the Bluebelles to join the Supremes in 1967.

Late 60’s Vandella Sandra Tilley succumbed to an aneurysm in 1982, but Martha Reeves and her other Vandellas are alive and well.

Katherine Anderson Schaffner, group spokesperson and the one constant member of The Marvelettes, passed away on September 20, 2023. The surviving members are now Juanita Cowart Motley, the first to leave the group in 1963, and Ann Bogan, who replaced original lead singer Gladys Horton in 1967.

When Murmaids lead singer Terry Fischer passed away in 2017 from Parkinson’s disease, her sister and fellow Murmaid Carol Fischer Morell called her “the heart and soul of the group.”

Sole surviving Orlon Stephen Caldwell was still active on the oldies circuit with replacement members until 2022. He passed away on October 1, 2025.

Middle Paris sister Sherrell has been the sole surviving sibling since the death of Allbeth in 2014. Youngest sister Priscilla passed away in 2004.

All three Pixies Three (as well as replacement member Bonnie Long-Walker) are still at the party.

Ruth Pointer is the oldest and last surviving member of The Pointer Sisters.

Reparata (Mary Aiese) had two sets of Delrons in the 1960’s. Carol Drobnicki succumbed to cancer at age 33 in 1980. Reparata passed away on 11/30/2024.

Cousin Nedra Talley Ross is the last Ronette.

The elegant Royalettes from Baltimore, Maryland lost their first member when Anita Ross Brooks passed away a few years ago.

The Shangri-Las: The Ganser twins have been gone for decades, but Mary Weiss passed away on January 19, 2024, leaving her sister Betty as the last surviving group member.

The Shirelles formed in 1957 and hailed from Passaic, New Jersey. Shirley Owens Alston Reeves has retired from performing, but Beverly Lee tours with her own Shirelles.

Besides Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard, early 4th Supreme Barbara Martin has also passed on. However, all of the 1970’s post-Diana Ross Supremes are still with us.

Cissy (mother of Whitney) Houston passed away at age 91 on 10/7/2024, leaving Estelle Brown as the sole surviving member of this legendary backing group.

Fayette Pinkney was one of the founding members of The Three Degrees, which was formed by producer Richard Barrett in 1963. She went solo in 1976 and passed away in 2009. Originally from Philadelphia but now based in the UK, members of the group are still touring.

The Toys were assembled in Jamaica, Queens in 1961. Lead singer Barbara Harris is the only one still performing, although the retired members often show up to support her at shows. All three still live in the Tri-state area.

At different times, Motown’s Velvelettes also featured Vandellas Betty Kelly and the late Sandra Tilley. Founding member Bertha Barbee McNeal passed away in December, 2022.

The Ad Libs were not a true girl group, but “The Boy From New York City” and their follow-up Blue Cat singles sure fit in the genre. Sadly, Mary Ann Thomas and the boys from Bayonne, New Jersey have all passed on.

The cast of the Phil Spector Christmas LP, released 60 years ago this holiday season.

Other books I highly recommend: John Clemente’s Girl Groups: Fabulous Females Who Rocked The World, which is cited as a reference source on anything related to the genre. Prior to that, Alan Betrock’s 1982 Girl Groups: Story Of A Sound and the 1983 documentary based on that book were the first attempts to tell their story.

Tina Turner: 12+ Cover Songs You May Have Missed

It’s hard to believe that Tina Turner is gone. I remember feeling the same way after Prince died – I liked thinking that he was always out there, somewhere, working on music. Not that I was expecting new music from Tina – it was enough to see her pop up in occasional interviews as she enjoyed retirement in her Swiss castle.

What more can you say about the queen? So much is being written and discussed, I should just shut up and walk away. But…

With the exception of the song “Nutbush City Limits”, Tina is not remembered as a songwriter. But she did have a knack for choosing excellent material and putting her indelible stamp on it. After hearing Tina’s take on a song, you could be forgiven if you forget that “Proud Mary” was a Creedence Clearwater Revival tune, or that “Let’s Stay Together” is Al Green’s song. “I Can’t Stand The Rain” was a 1974 hit for Ann Peebles, and Bonnie Tyler had a minor hit with “Simply The Best” the year before Tina recorded it.

That said, there are some interesting covers that have flown under the radar or fallen through the cracks. Here are some of them.

UPDDATE: The New York Times published their own article on Tina’s covers the same day this was posted, but other than the Stones/Beatles/Led Zeppelin cuts, none of the tracks listed below were included.

1) Tina Sings Dusty Springfield: “Just A Little Lovin'” / “Every Day I Have To Cry” – Dusty Springfield’s version of the Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil song “Just A Little Lovin'” was the lead track from the classic 1969 Dusty In Memphis LP. Tina’s version is from her 1979 solo LP Love Explosion, which was not released in the U.S.

Tina Turner – “Just A Little Lovin'” (1979)

“Every Day I Have To Cry” was originally a minor hit for Steve Alaimo in 1962, and memorably covered by Dusty on her 1964 I Only Want To Be With You LP. Tina’s version is from the Phil Spector produced River Deep, Mountain High LP (1966).

Ike & Tina Turner – “Every Day I Have To Cry”

2) Tina Sings Led Zeppelin: “Whole Lotta Love” – This Led Zeppelin cover was released as a single from Tina’s second solo LP, 1975’s Acid Queen. The NY Times article on Tina’s cover songs describes this version as “disco-inflected” but also “slowed down.” To paraphrase Led Zep: It makes me wonder (what they were listening to.)

Tina Turner – “Whole Lotta Love” (1975)

3) Tina Sings Prince: “Let’s Pretend We’re Married” / “Baby I’m A Star” – Tina’s cover of “Let’s Pretend We’re Married” was recorded live in 1984 and featured as a B-side on different singles from the Private Dancer LP, depending on the territory.

Tina Turner – “Let’s Pretend We’re Married”

Tina’s version of “Baby I’m a Star” was omnipresent for a season in 2000, as she sang it in Target commercials while they were sponsoring her tour. It was also released on All That Glitters, a greatest hits CD only available at Target. And then… it was gone.

Tina Turner – “Baby I’m A Star”

4) Tina sings Linda Ronstadt: “Long Long Time” – Earlier this year, Linda Ronstadt’s definitive 1970 version of this Gary White song was introduced to a new generation via the HBO series The Last Of Us. Tina recorded her version in 1974 for her first solo LP, Tina Turns The Country On. Rolling Stone recently wrote about this forgotten gem. Although the LP was not a commercial success, it did garner Tina a Grammy nomination.

Tina Turner – “Long Long Time”

5) Tina Sings Marvin Gaye: “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” – There are a few versions of Tina singing Marvin Gaye’s classic Motown hit. The song was often part of her live repertoire. This live version from the Ike & Tina Turner Review is circa 1970:

Ike & Tina Turner Review – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”

Thirty years later, Tina recorded a dance version of the song for her Twenty Four Seven LP. Unfortunately the song was pulled from the final release of the album:

Tina Turner – “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”

Also – just for funzies, here’s Tina singing with Marvin Gaye on Shindig! March 25, 1965 doing a medley of “Money (That’s What I Want)” and “I’ll Be Doggone.”

Tina Turner & Marvin Gaye “Money (That’s What I Want)” / “I’ll Be Doggone”

6) Tina Sings Stevie Wonder: “Living For The City” / “Higher Ground” – These two Stevie Wonder tracks from his classic 1973 Innervisions LP were covered the following year by Ike & Tina on their Sweet Rhode Island Red LP. The tracks later turned up on several compilations as the material from this period was often repackaged and re-released.

Ike & Tina Turner – “Living For The City”

Ike & Tina Turner – “Higher Ground”

7) Tina Sings Etta James: “All I Could Do Was Cry” – Motown founder Berry Gordy was a co-writer on this song, which was written for Etta James in 1960. Ike & Tina included their version on the Live! The Ike & Tina Turner Show LP (1964). Tina’s 4-minute monologue in the middle of the song is epic, recounting the wedding of the man she loves as he marries someone else, building to a crescendo with “their friends throwing rice all over their heads.” This overlooked camp classic was later featured on the 2007 CD A Date With John Waters.

Ike & Tina Turner – “All I Could Do Was Cry”

8) Tina Sings Elton John: “Philadelphia Freedom” – This Ike & Tina Turner track was recorded in the mid-1970’s, just before Tina left. Ike later included it on his 1980 LP The Edge and on a 1984 Tina Turner EP titled Mini, among other repackages of their 70’s output.

Tina Turner – “Philadelphia Freedom”

9) Tina Does Disco: “Shame, Shame, Shame” – Like “Philadelphia Freedom,” this cover of the 1975 dance hit for Shirley & Co. was featured on Ike’s The Edge LP, Tina’s Mini EP, and numerous other budget collections.

Tina Turner – “Shame, Shame, Shame”

She also memorably performed the song with Cher on her variety show in 1975:

Cher & Tina Turner – “Shame, Shame, Shame”

10) Tina Sings The Temptations: “Ball of Confusion”– Tina’s version of “Ball Of Confusion” was the gateway to the second (or third?) act of her career. Recorded with B.E.F., aka British Electric Foundation for their 1982 album Music of Quality and Distinction Volume One, the song became a top 5 hit in Norway. Capital Records took notice and signed her to the label. The resulting LP was Private Dancer, and the rest is history.

B.E.F. featuring Tina Turner – “Ball Of Confusion”

11) Tina Sings The Rolling Stones: “Honky Tonk Woman” / “Under My Thumb” / “Let’s Spend The Night Together” – Well of course Tina covered The Stones. She taught moves to Jagger. Tina & Mick were always joining each other onstage, and although she never recorded proper versions of “Jumping Jack Flash” or “It’s Only Rock And Roll‘, they were frequently on her concert setlists.

Ike & Tina’s studio version of “Honky Tonk Woman” was featured on their 1970 LP Come Together, and was also the b-side to the single of the title track:

Ike & Tina Turner – “Honky Tonk Woman”

“Under My Thumb” – A track from the 1975 Acid Queen LP:

Tina Turner – “Under My Thumb”

“Let’s Spend The Night Together” – Also from her1975 Acid Queen LP:

Tina Turner – “Let’s Spend The Night Together”

12) Tina Sings The Beatles: “Help!” / “Something” / “Get Back” / “Come Together” – Although not as closely associated with The Beatles as with the Rolling Stones, Tina covered several of their songs through the years. Her ballad version of “Help!” was on the international edition of the Private Dancer LP, but not the U.S. version.

Tina Turner – “Help!”

Tina’s version of “Something”:

Tina Turner – “Something”

Ike & Tina perform “Get Back” on Beat Club in the UK. The song was included on their 1970 Workin’ Together LP and released as a single in Europe.

Ike & Tina Turner – “Get Back”

“Come Together” was the title track from Ike & Tina’s 1970 LP. The single also featured their version of the Stones’ “Honky Tonk Woman” as the b-side.

Ike & Tina Turner – “Come Together”

Here’s a Spotify playlist of the available songs above as well as many other covers:

Yes Virginia, There Is A Spotify Playlist (2022)

*NYC Santas photographed in the late 1970’s by Susan Meiselas*

In fact, the post that you are currently reading has been reworked and updated from the past two Christmas seasons, not to get meta or anything.

I find it interesting that we immerse ourselves in certain pop culture favorites for exactly 6 weeks of the year and then pack them up in mothballs with the ornaments until next year. I mean, Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” is currently at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Burl Ives and Andy Williams are also in the top 10! Are any of them on your 4th of July playlist? They aren’t on mine.

NBC New York reporter Gabe Pressman’s annual segment on Virginia O’Hanlon’s 1897 letter to the New York Sun Newspaper.

In keeping with this revisit, my other blog posts of Christmas past are back to haunt you like A Christmas Carol, Mr. Scrooge:

My Canine Christmas Tail is a true story about my dog Sunshine, a basset hound with an appetite for tinsel.

Here is my take on the 1987 Motown Christmas Special – which featured very few Motown acts.

I recently updated my post of 10 Things You May Not Know About March of The Wooden Soldiers, the Laurel & Hardy classic holiday film.

Have you watched Christmas In Connecticut yet this year? How about that delivery woman?

Here’s a little backstory on that classic holiday tune “¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?” & Augie Rios, who sang the original version.

Copyright issues kept my 60 Degrees Girl Group Christmas playlist out of commission but now it’s back! I plan to post other episodes of my old radio show in the new year.

If you prefer Spotify, I have this to share:

And so, I’m offering this simple playlist…. for kids from 1 to 92. Unfortunately some of the tracks on these dozen CDs are not on Spotify, but I keep adding songs that would be on the current CD volume… if there was one. And now the playlist is over 16 hours of holiday tunes. I recommend listening on shuffle – there’s something to irritate everyone. Enjoy!

Girl Group Heaven: Ronnie, Rosa & Wanda

Back in the summer of 2001, I was living up in Spanish Harlem when soul singer Aaliyah died in a plane crash. I was walking down the street and heard this guy on his cell phone saying “Aww man! All my divas are DYING!” Although I was not necessarily an Aaliyah fan, I felt his pain.

I thought about this recently with the passing of three key members of top 60’s girl groups: Wanda Young Rogers of The Marvelettes, Rosa Lee Hawkins of The Dixie Cups, and Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes. The latter two groups now have just one surviving original member.

It was Wanda who gave The Marvelettes their second act. Gladys Horton sang lead on Motown’s first #1 hit, “Please Mr. Postman,” as well as the classics “Beechwood 4-5789” and “Too Many Fish In The Sea.” As their chart success waned, Wanda transitioned into the lead vocalist position on more smooth and sophisticated material – usually written specifically for her by Smokey Robinson. At the time, she was married to Bobby Rogers of Smokey’s group The Miracles.

Robinson recalled, “In the groups I worked with, I always felt these ‘sleeping giants.’ I felt the same way about the Temptations with David Ruffin when I did ‘My Girl’ on him… I knew if I could get a song for her it would be a smash.” She sang lead on such Motown classics as “Don’t Mess With Bill” “The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game” and “Destination: Anywhere.”

Post-Marvelettes, her life was plagued by tragedy, addiction and mental illness. She recorded briefly for Ian Levine’s Motorcity label in the late 80’s. Wanda was 78 when she passed away on December 15, 2021.

The Dixie Cups did not have a distinct lead singer, but they had a sound: all three members usually sang in unison or tight harmony. Rosa Lee Hawkins was 1/3rd of the New Orleans trio, which also featured her petite older sister Barbara and their cousin Joan Johnson.

Phil Spector originally recorded “Chapel of Love” with Darlene Love and the Ronettes but was never satisfied with the results. The Dixie Cups version was chosen as the premiere single for Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller’s Red Bird Records. Produced by the songwriters Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, it was a smash – knocking the Beatles out of the #1 spot in June of 1964.

The combination of The Dixie Cups with the Barry/Greenwich producing/songwriting team resulted in girl group gold for Red Bird Records with classics like “People Say”, “Iko Iko”, “Girls Can Tell” and many others.

It was just last year when Rosa Lee Hawkins released her memoir Chapel Of Love, in which she wrote about her career in The Dixie Cups as well as the abuse she suffered at the hands of Joe Jones, their manager. She felt a great relief in finally telling her story. “I did not write my book to hurt anyone;” she said “I just wanted to get it all down on paper.” Rosa was 76 when she passed away of complications following surgery on January 11, 2022 in Tampa, Florida.

And then there’s Ronnie.

*Meeting Ronnie at The Bottom Line, NYC, March 23, 1991*

I waited to write about Ronnie Spector’s passing because I knew it would get ample press coverage, her career examined and appreciated with the florid language utilized by Professional Rock Critics. Why would I race to compete with that? Please don’t make me use the word “zeitgeist”.

Rolling Stone magazine posted a list of 15 Essential Ronnie Spector Recordings. Of course I disagree with some of the choices, which I envision being compiled on a post-it note-covered bulletin board with equally weighted choices from one old fanboy and four baby rock critics who had to Google her name when they got the assignment.

Here are five choices that I would have preferred to see on the list:

1) The Ronettes – “You Baby” (1964)
This Barry Mann / Cynthia Weil classic first appeared on the Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes LP. It was subsequently recorded by Linda Scott, Len Barry, Jackie Trent, Sonny & Cher and The Lovin’ Spoonful, just to name a few.

The Ronettes sing “You Baby” on Hullabaloo.

2) Ronnie Spector – “It’s A Heartache” (1977)
Ronnie’s recording of this song was released in the U.S. the first week of November, 1977 alongside competing versions by Bonnie Tyler and Juice Newton. Tyler ultimately won the battle with a #3 pop hit.

Ronnie Spector – “It’s A Heartache” (1977)

3) Ronnie Spector – “Any Way That You Want Me” (1980)
The Rolling Stone “15 Essential” list features no tracks from Ronnie’s first two solo LPs: the Genya Ravan-produced Siren and 1987’s Unfinished Business. This Chip Taylor composition from Siren was originally recorded in the 60’s by The Troggs and then Evie Sands, but Ronnie makes it her own.

Ronnie Spector – “Any Way That You Want Me” (1980)

4) Ronnie Spector – “Something’s Gonna Happen” (1989)
In 1989 Ronnie recorded a handful of Marshall Crenshaw songs with Crenshaw and his band backing her up. These Alan Betrock-produced tracks are among the best of her solo recordings – it’s hard to choose just one, as the artist and material worked so well together. Unfortunately, plans for an entire album were halted and the recordings stuck in financial limbo. In 2003, Ronnie was finally able to buy them back and released an EP with “Something’s Gonna Happen” as the title track. As blogger Denis Pilon recently wrote; “In a better world, the release of this EP would have marked Spector’s triumphant return to the spotlight.”

Ronnie Spector – “Something’s Gonna Happen” (1989)

5) Ronnie Spector – “Don’t Worry Baby” (1999)
Brian Wilson wrote the song for The Ronettes as a follow-up to “Be My Baby” but Phil Spector would not let them record it. 35 years later, Ronnie finally gave it her best on the Joey Ramone-produced EP She Talks To Rainbows. Entertainment Weekly wrote; “She sounds more fragile than belligerent now, and her bruised, cracked vocals work wonders on (the song).”

Ronnie Spector – “Don’t Worry Baby” (1999)

Brian Wilson hears Ronnie’s version of “Don’t Worry Baby”:

The Comfort of Repetition & The Ultimate Christmas Playlist

*Department store Santas, 1948 (photo by Nina Leen)*

I am not alone in saying that I always take comfort in the annual repetition of the holidays – revisiting holiday-themed music, film, television… and now internet posts as well. In fact, this post is a reworking of one I posted last year, not to get meta or anything.

I find it interesting that we immerse ourselves in certain pop culture favorites for exactly 6 weeks of the year and then pack them up in mothballs with the ornaments until next year. I mean, Bing Crosby, Brenda Lee and Johnny Mathis are rock stars from Thanksgiving through New Years. Are any of them on your 4th of July playlist? They aren’t on mine.

The film A Christmas Story has an even shorter (Elf on the) shelf life. We binge-watch the repeated broadcast for exactly 24 hours each year. I own it on Blu-ray and I’m not sure why: I have never opened it. To pop it in at any other time feels like a betrayal.

In keeping with this revisiting, blog posts of Christmas past are back to haunt you like A Christmas Carol, Mr. Scrooge:

This was my Canine Christmas Tail – a true story about my dog Sunshine and her appetite for tinsel.

Here is my take on the 1987 Motown Christmas Special – which featured few Motown acts.

When March of The Wooden Soldiers celebrated its 85th anniversary in 2019, I posted 10 things you may not know about this classic holiday film.

Have you watched Christmas In Connecticut yet this year? How about that delivery woman?

Copyright issues kept my 60 Degrees Girl Group Christmas playlist out of commission but now it’s back! I plan to post other episodes of my old radio show in the new year.

If you prefer Spotify, I have this to share:

Way back in 2002, when Limewire was a thing and people listened to music on silvery discs, I started creating Christmas CD mixes that I would mail out or give to people. These were received with a combination of feigned delight, veiled indifference and deafening silence. None of these CDs had a pressing of more than 20 copies. I’d like to call them “much sought after” – but no, that’s not really the case, although every once in a while, someone really got into them and would ask for copies of other volumes.

And so, I’m offering this simple playlist…. for kids from 1 to 92. Unfortunately many of the tracks on these dozen CDs are not on Spotify, but I keep adding songs that would be on the current CD volume… if there was one. And now the playlist is over 14 hours of holiday tunes. I recommend listening on shuffle – there’s something to irritate everyone. Enjoy!

The Comfort of Repetition & The Ultimate Christmas Playlist

I am not alone in saying that I always take comfort in the annual repetition of the holidays – revisiting holiday-themed music, film, television… and now internet posts as well. This feeling is in overdrive this year, as I occupy myself at home and skip other annual holiday traditions that involve leaving my apartment. The Rockefeller Center tree looks very nice on my television – and that view will have to suffice this year, thank you very much.

I feel bad for this year’s Rockefeller Center tree – sacrificed to become the most famous Christmas shrub in the world at a time when nobody is allowed to actually go near it. It’s the Just Sam of Christmas trees, which makes the displaced owl Ryan Seacrest.

I find it interesting that we immerse ourselves in certain pop culture favorites for exactly 6 weeks of the year and then pack them up in mothballs with the ornaments until next year. I mean, Bing Crosby, Brenda Lee and Johnny Mathis are rock stars from Thanksgiving through New Years. Are any of them on your 4th of July playlist? They aren’t on mine.

The film A Christmas Story has an even shorter (Elf on the) shelf life. We binge-watch the repeated broadcast for exactly 24 hours each year. I own it on Blu-ray and I’m not sure why: I have never opened it. To pop it in at any other time feels like a betrayal.

In keeping with this revisiting, blog posts of Christmas past are back to haunt you like A Christmas Carol, Mr. Scrooge:

This was my Canine Christmas Tail – a true story about my dog Sunshine and her appetite for tinsel.

Here is my take on the 1987 Motown Christmas Special – which featured few Motown acts.

Last year marked the 85th anniversary of March of The Wooden Soldiers – here are 10 things you may not know about the holiday classic.

Have you watched Christmas In Connecticut yet this year? How about that delivery woman?

Copyright issues kept my 60 Degrees Girl Group Christmas playlist out of commission but now it’s back! I plan to post other episodes of my old radio show in the new year.

If you prefer Spotify, I have this to share:

Way back in 2002, when Limewire was a thing and people listened to music on silvery discs, I started creating Christmas CD mixes that I would mail out or give to people. These were received with a combination of feigned delight, veiled indifference and deafening silence. None of these CDs had a pressing of more than 20 copies. I’d like to call them “much sought after” – but no, that’s not really the case, although every once in a while, someone really got into them and would ask for copies of other volumes.

Category: Motown

Dusting Off The Holiday Favorites (2024)

Back To The Girl Zone: 60 Degrees Returns

Dusting Off The Holiday Favorites (2023)

A 60 Degrees Girl Group Christmas

’60s Girl Group Survivors

Tina Turner: 12+ Cover Songs You May Have Missed

Yes Virginia, There Is A Spotify Playlist (2022)

Girl Group Heaven: Ronnie, Rosa & Wanda

The Comfort of Repetition & The Ultimate Christmas Playlist

The Comfort of Repetition & The Ultimate Christmas Playlist

Menu

Menu

Social Menu