January 23, 2012

It isn't often we lose three tremendous talents in the same week. This past week has been almost a blur.

First came the passing of Jimmy Castor. From his days of writing and singing with "The Teenagers" and playing sax behind Prez Prado to the great novelty song "Hey Leroy" and then his own groups and solo work, JImmy had a storied career.

Next came word of Johnny Otis checking out. Mr. Everything in the music business. Band leader, arranger, producer, songwriter, disc jockey and the list goes on. Mr. Otis discovered so many great talents and truly was one of the founders of R&B.

Finally, on Friday, Etta James lost her long battle. Long before Aretha, Etta was the queen. She could sing anything and like all great "SINGERS" make the song her own.  From her first recordings, "Wallflower" (produced by Johnny Otis) through the best arrangement of
"At Last", to "Tell Mama" and so many more, Etta's soul always shown through.

The show plays a sevearl tunes by these three artists, with good reason. There are also birthday guests and a couple of pre-doo wop tunes that mean a great deal to me, personally. It may not be the greatest show for flow but the music is as good as it gets.

Thank you, Jimmy Castor, Johnny Otis and Miss Etta. Your music will be heard as long as there are ears to listen.