A great pairing of song and artist, and one of the songs that earned Aretha a Grammy.
Don Covay doesn't get enough respect. While he was a hard-working singer, he was far more successful as a songwriter. Besides this one, he also wrote tunes recorded successfully by Chubby Checker, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, and Steppenwolf, among others.
Thanks for that info, David. I didn't know much about Don Covay, so must look into him further when I have time. I appreciate you bringing your deep knowledge about artists and songs, which I must admit I myself don't have.
Agree, this was a song match made in heaven. I listened to so many versions and didn't hear a single bad one.
Such a great song and performance by The Queen! As a middle-class white boy in suburban Houston at the time of its 1967 release, I was 12. Radio Dad had brought the single home, and it refused to leave my turntable! I was mesmerized by (likely) Jimmy Johnson's opening guitar lick....it sounded so rough and dirty. I'd never heard a guitar sound like that!
I've had this discussion with Andres of The Vinyl Room, before, but the sound of the single's vinyl made it sound bright and vibrant, too, and when it got some well-deserved wear on the lead-in groove, those extra scratches just seemed to melt into that guitar, complementing perfectly!
And, you played a clip from my movie! I worked a night on Travolta's "Michael" movie. While I saw him briefly on set (a night shoot at an old dance hall in a tiny town just outside Austin, TX), and we nodded to each other, my night was playing a patron at the dance hall. John Hurt and Andie McDowell were the two principles in my scene, and I could be seen, at one point, in the background exiting the dance hall, while John and Andie were having a convo!
And, I didn't realize Ellie Greenwich was on the record! Was she always a "Sweet Inspiration"? As for Covay and Aretha, they actually followed similar label paths, at least in the '60s. Both were artists on Columbia, and both, around the middle part of the decade, then got signed to Atlantic!
Wow, good catch on Ellie Greenwich! I consulted my copy of Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin by David Ritz, who interviewed a lot of insiders. He quoted Jerry Wexler as saying that he was so excited by the recording that he played the pre-master for everyone, including Ellie Greenwich. She offered that the backgrounds were fabulous but she could hear another part and offered to sing it. He said "Impossible" but listened, rushed her right into the studio to record it, and made "the super-thick harmonies that much thicker." So spot on, Mr Kyle!
Wexler also referred to Covay as one of the "soul royalty" when talking about the people at Otis Redding's memorial service. He told Aretha all about the service in detail the day he returned to the studio and right before she recorded the Lady Soul album. He believes Otis was on her mind and that may have given the songs even more depth. I really do want to know more about Covay the more I learn about him.
You also made me realize I probably should have included the studio version, given your comments on Jimmy Johnson's intro, but I got so excited at her TV and live performances. Every version I watched was great, it was a bear to choose.
How fun that you were in Michael! I've never watched the movie myself. Do you know the timing of your scene? I'm going to watch it and it would be great to see our TuneTag celeb in his earlier days.
Great story about Ellie.....thanks for that! Now, I'll have to listen to that again with "new ears"! Wexler's the one to steer Aretha into the soul lane....Columbia had her singing pop (I think Mitch Miller was still A&R at CBS, and he was VERY MOR-oriented!), which is where Aretha thought she wanted to go....like a Sam Cooke, I reckon! Wexler saved her!
As you can see in our Tune Tags, I enjoy sharing live videos, too, but I also like to present the original studio recording. That Aretha single was one of the first times I can remember having the actual vinyl play a part in the overall sound! Beatles LPs played a similar roll in my early exposure to the long-player!
I made a "highlight reel" of my movie appearances about 2 dozen years ago. My first gig as an "extra" (or background artist, as now we're known!) was in '76, outlined here:
As for "Michael," I was about 15-20 yds from camera, and it was dark! You could just see a door open from far away, in the dark, and a shadowy figure going out of it! When I'd show my highlight reel to my 4th and 5th graders about 15 years ago (at the end of each school year....can you imagine?!), when that scene came on, I saw the shadow exit from far away, and I'd say, "Look! There I am....did you see me? I rehearsed for that for days!!"🤣
Aretha made the right call, or she wouldn't have become our Queen.
Great Ed Asner post, and you were a very convincing bodyguard. Enjoyed The Newton Boys post too. I can see why you did not make being a background artist a lifelong occupation. It seems like a lot of hard work at odd hours in strange places!
But hanging around with Ed, Matthew, Ethan, and Richard Linklater -- pretty cool.
As for the extra work....I spent '80-'93 in L.A., and never was an extra! I moved to Austin in '93, got an agent, and just for extra pocket $, I enjoyed the gigs! Plus (as you can tell), the stories!! And, let's remember, in '95, to pick a date, I was 40....now, I wouldn't even think about doing it! Long hours, lot of standing, lot of sitting...feh! Been there, done that, bought a couple t-shirts!
I just noticed that black-out YT link in the Asner post. AND, I just noticed they've got the whole TV movie on YT in 3 thirds!! I'll have to put those in the article, and mark time stamps where I appear! I'll let you know when I complete the task! I just noticed one of the thirds was deleted on YT....wonder what the problem is. I'll keep searching!
A great pairing of song and artist, and one of the songs that earned Aretha a Grammy.
Don Covay doesn't get enough respect. While he was a hard-working singer, he was far more successful as a songwriter. Besides this one, he also wrote tunes recorded successfully by Chubby Checker, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, and Steppenwolf, among others.
Thanks for that info, David. I didn't know much about Don Covay, so must look into him further when I have time. I appreciate you bringing your deep knowledge about artists and songs, which I must admit I myself don't have.
Agree, this was a song match made in heaven. I listened to so many versions and didn't hear a single bad one.
Such a great song and performance by The Queen! As a middle-class white boy in suburban Houston at the time of its 1967 release, I was 12. Radio Dad had brought the single home, and it refused to leave my turntable! I was mesmerized by (likely) Jimmy Johnson's opening guitar lick....it sounded so rough and dirty. I'd never heard a guitar sound like that!
I've had this discussion with Andres of The Vinyl Room, before, but the sound of the single's vinyl made it sound bright and vibrant, too, and when it got some well-deserved wear on the lead-in groove, those extra scratches just seemed to melt into that guitar, complementing perfectly!
And, you played a clip from my movie! I worked a night on Travolta's "Michael" movie. While I saw him briefly on set (a night shoot at an old dance hall in a tiny town just outside Austin, TX), and we nodded to each other, my night was playing a patron at the dance hall. John Hurt and Andie McDowell were the two principles in my scene, and I could be seen, at one point, in the background exiting the dance hall, while John and Andie were having a convo!
And, I didn't realize Ellie Greenwich was on the record! Was she always a "Sweet Inspiration"? As for Covay and Aretha, they actually followed similar label paths, at least in the '60s. Both were artists on Columbia, and both, around the middle part of the decade, then got signed to Atlantic!
Wow, good catch on Ellie Greenwich! I consulted my copy of Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin by David Ritz, who interviewed a lot of insiders. He quoted Jerry Wexler as saying that he was so excited by the recording that he played the pre-master for everyone, including Ellie Greenwich. She offered that the backgrounds were fabulous but she could hear another part and offered to sing it. He said "Impossible" but listened, rushed her right into the studio to record it, and made "the super-thick harmonies that much thicker." So spot on, Mr Kyle!
Wexler also referred to Covay as one of the "soul royalty" when talking about the people at Otis Redding's memorial service. He told Aretha all about the service in detail the day he returned to the studio and right before she recorded the Lady Soul album. He believes Otis was on her mind and that may have given the songs even more depth. I really do want to know more about Covay the more I learn about him.
You also made me realize I probably should have included the studio version, given your comments on Jimmy Johnson's intro, but I got so excited at her TV and live performances. Every version I watched was great, it was a bear to choose.
How fun that you were in Michael! I've never watched the movie myself. Do you know the timing of your scene? I'm going to watch it and it would be great to see our TuneTag celeb in his earlier days.
Great story about Ellie.....thanks for that! Now, I'll have to listen to that again with "new ears"! Wexler's the one to steer Aretha into the soul lane....Columbia had her singing pop (I think Mitch Miller was still A&R at CBS, and he was VERY MOR-oriented!), which is where Aretha thought she wanted to go....like a Sam Cooke, I reckon! Wexler saved her!
As you can see in our Tune Tags, I enjoy sharing live videos, too, but I also like to present the original studio recording. That Aretha single was one of the first times I can remember having the actual vinyl play a part in the overall sound! Beatles LPs played a similar roll in my early exposure to the long-player!
I made a "highlight reel" of my movie appearances about 2 dozen years ago. My first gig as an "extra" (or background artist, as now we're known!) was in '76, outlined here:
https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/ed-asner-as-huey-long-1976-on-location?utm_source=publication-search
I co-starred with Ed Asner!
As for "Michael," I was about 15-20 yds from camera, and it was dark! You could just see a door open from far away, in the dark, and a shadowy figure going out of it! When I'd show my highlight reel to my 4th and 5th graders about 15 years ago (at the end of each school year....can you imagine?!), when that scene came on, I saw the shadow exit from far away, and I'd say, "Look! There I am....did you see me? I rehearsed for that for days!!"🤣
Aretha made the right call, or she wouldn't have become our Queen.
Great Ed Asner post, and you were a very convincing bodyguard. Enjoyed The Newton Boys post too. I can see why you did not make being a background artist a lifelong occupation. It seems like a lot of hard work at odd hours in strange places!
But hanging around with Ed, Matthew, Ethan, and Richard Linklater -- pretty cool.
As for the extra work....I spent '80-'93 in L.A., and never was an extra! I moved to Austin in '93, got an agent, and just for extra pocket $, I enjoyed the gigs! Plus (as you can tell), the stories!! And, let's remember, in '95, to pick a date, I was 40....now, I wouldn't even think about doing it! Long hours, lot of standing, lot of sitting...feh! Been there, done that, bought a couple t-shirts!
I just noticed that black-out YT link in the Asner post. AND, I just noticed they've got the whole TV movie on YT in 3 thirds!! I'll have to put those in the article, and mark time stamps where I appear! I'll let you know when I complete the task! I just noticed one of the thirds was deleted on YT....wonder what the problem is. I'll keep searching!
Iconic song - for me, Roger Hawkins on drums almost steals the show. As stone-tight a groove as they come.
Just re-listened and focused on Roger. Yes, see what you mean, would even love to listen to that groove on its own. Really grabs you.
In case others want to hear the album recording with the full intro and Roger almost stealing the show, it's here -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0s5CP2kXsc
Thanks for this - had been a while since I heard the full version of 'Chain of Fools.'