Smorgasbord Music Column – William Price King with The Duet – #1970s – 1970 – The Carpenters – Close to You, Ike and Tina Turner – I Want to Take You Higher

In this series for 2024, William will be sharing some of the iconic duets from the 1960s onwards. Collaborations between artists that were hits around the world and are still enjoyed today.

Thanks for joining me today and I hope you will enjoy this trip down memory lane with me in coming months. William

1970 – The Carpenters – Close to You

In 1970 – The Carpenters were a vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter who produced a distinctive soft musical style, combining Karen’s vocals with Richard’s harmonizing, arranging, and composition skills. (They Long to Be) “Close to You” was The Carpenters’ debut song and breakthrough hit. It peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and remained there for four weeks, spending eleven weeks in the Top 10.

It was called “Billboard’s Song if the Summer” for 1970 and earned the Carpenters a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus in 1971. In the UK the song reached #6 on the UK Singles Chart.

1970 – Ike and Tina Turner – I Want to Take You Higher

“I Want to Take You Higher” was a song written and first performed by the soul/rock/funk band Sly and the Family Stone on the B-side of their Top 30 hit “Stand.” Even though it was a B-side, “I Want to Take You Higher” became a Top 40 hit of its own in 1970, peaking at #38.

That same year, Ike and Tina Turner released a cover of the song that became a hit as well, peaking above the original Family Stone recording on the Billboard Hot 100 at #34 and one position below the original on the R&B singles chart at #25.

Thanks for joining me today and look forward to hearing from you… William.

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

Website: William Price King – Blog– IMPROVISATION – William Price King on Tumblr – Buy William’s music: William Price King iTunes – Facebook – William Price King – Twitter – @wpkofficial – Regular Venue – Cave Wilson