Soul Fixin'

remembering luther.
Tonight across the country, radio formats titled 'The Quiet Storm' are paying tribute to one of its' main ambassadors, Luther Ronzoni Vandross. A premiere balladeer. Today, April 20, happens to be Luther's birthday, he would have been a year shy of 60. It's been nearly 5 years since the world lost Luther. The music of Luther means so much to so many including myself. My early musical memories begin with the music of Luther. My grandmother loved herself "some Lutha.'" One of my many wishes is that both Luther and my grandmother were still alive, how wonderful it would be if I could accompany my grandmother to a Luther concert.
A student of the likes of Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Cissy Houston & The Supremes, Luther was pure genius. When Luther wrapped his silky, smooth vocals around a song it became magical. The proof is in the pudding. Listen to 'Here And Now' or 'Since I Lost My Baby' or 'If Only For One Night.' Luther's rendition of 'A House Is Not A Home' is nothing short of perfection. Luther stole Dionne's song and she knew it and loved it. Peep the video below.

Soul Tracks

The photo above was taken back in 1999 at the Rhythm & Blues Foundations 10th Annual Pioneer Awards. Dionne Warwick presented her younger sister Dee Dee with the foundation's Pioneer Award. Dionne thanked the foundation for paying homage to the "real singer in our family." High praise indeed, considering that Whitney Houston and Cissy Houston are members of the family. On that cold winter night Dionne was right by her younger sister's side, and three days ago Dionne was at her sister's side as she made her transition. The two sisters have never been far apart, sharing a bond that all sisters should share. The two talented sisters started singing gospel together and would go on to be the most in demand session singers of the early 60's. Dionne would go on to enjoy a successful solo career. Dee Dee possessed a more soulful sound and made a name for herself during the era of soul music. A 1968 recording session resulted in 'Foolish Fool,' today's Soul Track selection. In a 2001 interview, Dee Dee reflected on the song "...I didn't like it. I kept thinking, what is he talking about with this song? I just got very creative and once I got into, I could relate. Because at that time, people were giving me their opinions about my personal life and I was, to hell with it, I'm with who I'm with and that's my business." 'Foolish Fool' ranks as one of soul music's most impassioned performances, Dee Dee let it be known that no foolish fool was gonna steal her man. The Grammy's took notice and 'Foolish Fool' was nominated for a Grammy. Since the mid-'70s, she has done backup vocals for Dionne Warwick, and recorded sporadically on her own. Upon receiving the Pioneer Award, Dee Dee proclaimed, "I promise I'll see better days." Dee Dee's better days have come, she is now beyond the reach of pain and suffering, relaxing in paradise.

Soul Heaven

Dee Dee Warwick (1945-2008)
Dee Dee Warwick has joined fellow soul singer Levi Stubbs on the highway to heaven. Delia Mae Warrick passed away Saturday at a nursing home in her native New Jersey. She was 63. Known to the world as Dee Dee Warwick, Delia Mae began her singing career began in 1950's New Jersey, singing gospel with her sister Dionne and aunt Cissy. She was a member of The Gospelaires, The Drinkard Singers (a gospel outfit that featured some of Warwicks' aunts and uncles and was managed by their mother), and The Sweet Inspirations before embarking on a solo career. Along with Dionne, Cissy, Doris Troy, and The Sweet Inspirations, she was one of New York's most in-demand session vocalists, contributing to numerous records by the likes of the Drifters, Aretha Franklin, Chuck Jackson, Garnet Mimms, Nina Simone, and Wilson Pickett. Unfortunately, Dee Dee would remain in the shadows of her famous sister, recording for various labels and garnering sporadic hits and very little support from her labels. However, Dee Dee was able to reach the top of the charts with a few hit songs such as "I Want to Be With You," "Foolish Fool," "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," and "She Didn't Know (She Kept On Talking)." Since the mid-'70s, she has done backup vocals for Dionne Warwick, and recorded sporadically on her own. More recently, she recorded "Family First" with sister Dionne, cousin Whitney, and aunt Cissy, for the soundtrack to the Tyler Perry movie Daddy's Little Girl. Earlier this year, Dee Dee joined her sister in Europe, providing background vocals for Dionne's one-woman autobiographical show, "My Music & Me," which played to sold-out crowds.

Payin' Homage

The Sweet Inspirations had no peer. No girl group could match the sheer soulfulness, vocal harmony, emotional honesty, or vocal intensity of the group. The Sweet Inspirations,consisted of gospel bred singers Cissy Houston, Myrna Smith, Sylvia Shemwell and Estelle Brown, and at one point included at different times Dionne Warwick, Dee Dee Warwick, Doris Troy and Judy Clay. The sweet harmonies of The Sweet Inspirations can be heard on the records of such artists as Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, Jimi Hendrix, Esther Phillips, The Drifters, Elvis Presley and others. The Sweet Inspirations sang backup for numerous Atlantic Record artists virtually becoming house singers at the label. Atlantic Records is were The Sweet Inspirations released their 1967 self titled debut album, a Top 20 R&B best seller, yielding the hit song 'Sweet Inspiration.' The Sweet Inspirations included recordings of soul nuggets 'Do Right Woman - Do Right Man,' 'Don't Let Me Lose This Dream,' and 'Why Am I Treated So Bad.' Riding the waves of success, the group began working on a second album in the spring of '68. Songs of Faith & Inspiration, a gospel LP, was released in the summer of '68 and included gospel standards 'What A Friend' and 'Down By The Riverside' and the Cissy Houston penned 'Without A Doubt,' 'I Shall Know Him' and 'Looking On The Bright Side.' The group went on to record What The World Needs Now, Sweets For My Sweet, Sweet Sweet Soul for Atlantic and perform occasionally with Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley. In 1969 Cissy Houston left the group and embarked on a solo career. The remaining members released an album, Estelle, Myrna, and Sylvia on Stax Records in 1973. Hit play, sit back and enjoy 'Without A Doubt' from Songs Of Faith & Inspiration, 'Sweet Inspiration' taken from the groups' debut album, 'Why Marry' and 'You Roam When You Don't Get It At Home' off the Stax album Estelle, Myrna, and Sylvia.