Jul 10 2010
The featured selection this week could well be the biggest hit that never was. The song was written as a tribute to the birth of the composer/performer’s daughter Aisha in 1976. Despite the song’s popularity and extensive airplay, it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100 because the artist never allowed it to be released as a 45 rpm single, despite being requested to do so by Motown Records.
Jul 12 2008
Just saw Stevie Wonder at the White River Ampitheater – Here is the incredible version he did of Chick Corea’s “Spain”. He also did a nice cover of the Stylistics’ “People Make the World Go Round.” I woke up with an “earworm” of it going around in my head.
He presented his daughter Aisha who sang a number & is one of his backup singers (“Isn’t She Lovely” was written about her.) We saw the winner of the Sing With Stevie Wonder contest, a white chick from Lynnwood. Stevie was also joined by Sanjay Malakar of nearby Federal Way, who originally auditioned with “Signed Sealed & Delivered,” which is the song Obama rallies usually close with. (Someone had to whisper Sanjay’s name into Stevie’s ear so he could announce him, as he apparently doesn’t “follow” American Idol either.)
Stevie put in about five plugs for Obama – he overtly said he supports him during the introduction, kept talking about positivity, not being afraid to win, change, hope, moving forward, and ended with “Yes We Can!” He mentioned a racial incident in which some of his band were told a restaurant was closing which obviously wasn’t. “In 2008, in America, this is simply unacceptable,” he said.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
The Ampitheater is huge. It’s hosted Radiohead, Coldplay etc. and provides some competition to The Gorge Ampitheater further to the east. You have to cross some interesting terrain to get to it. Loved the graffiti on the rez and the fireworks stands like Kenny’s Big Kaboom and Safe Insane Fireworks and would drive out there again with a camera, even at today’s gas prices.
The Muckleshoots sold $4 bottles of Dasani water, which is just Seattle water straight out of the tap, and they sold Indian Tacos and Fry Bread for $7, beers for $8. I smuggled in my own pop and could definitely have brought in a camera but I didn’t know.
(more at http://www.silencedmajority.bl… – accepting submissions and comments!)
May 27 2008
I don’t know about any of you, but I missed Buhdy’s Funkaliscious Friday this week. So I thought we could make up for that a bit tonight. I’m afraid I’m sadly lacking in the ability to come up with a catchy theme like Buhdy and others have so often done. But hey, if we’re talking funk, who better personifies that than Stevie Wonder?
Here’s the early one: