Welcome to the round up of some posts that you might have missed this week. I have been offline more than on but I hope to reveal the cover of What’s in a Name Volume II in the next few days. It is done all bar the shouting (Amazon) which as an independent author and not part of KP can take a few days.
Request.
I would be really grateful for an opportunity over the weeks following the book’s release if I might do a guest post. Each one will be sharing the inspiration behind the main character of the story with a short excerpt. If you feel that might fit in with your blog and schedule please email me and once I have a firm release dates I can let you have the weeks that are currently free. sally.cronin@moyhill.com
William Price King is on his summer break now until September. He has gigs in the Nice region which as you know is a very popular tourist destination. I will be reposting one of his contemporary season from earlier in the year to make sure you don’t have withdrawal symptoms.
Horatio Grin caused quite a stir with his essays on the origins of Fairies and this week we revealed the last mystery behind the man…. Quess Who… and the initials are PA… If you would like a FREE Epub or pdf of Horatio’s book which contains additional bonus essays, then the details are in the post.
Robbie Cheadle takes us on a tour of Cape Town to celebrate the release of her latest children’s story and cookbook – Silly Willy goes to Cape Town with some traditional foods from South Africa that definitely brought back happy memories.
Judith Barrow shares the story of her treatment and survival of breast cancer. A must read for every woman.
My thanks to everyone who has contributed this week and of course to all of you for your ongoing support. Enjoy the rest of Sunday and see you soon. Sally
William Price King meets some legends
I thought you might like to listen to one of my favourite tracks while you browse.
To celebrate the release of the latest children’s book Silly Willy Goes to Cape Town, Robbie shares some of the delicious traditional food you can find in South Africa.
The new series of Blogger Daily has begun again and please do not hesitate to let me have the link to your most recent post either in the comments section or by email.
Thank you for joining us today and this will be the last post in this series and also for the summer as William Price King takes a well earned break for a few weeks.. He will be back in September with some other legends of music.
In February 2006, Streisand recorded the song “Smile” with Tony Bennett at Streisand’s home in Malibu. The song is included on Bennett’s 80th birthday album, “Duets.” They filmed a live performance of the song for a special entitled “Tony Bennett: An American Classic. The special aired on NBC November 21, 2006, and was released on DVD the same day. Streisand’s duet with Bennett opened the special.
“Smile”was originally the theme of an instrumental used in the soundtrack for the film “Modern Times” by Chaplin, in 1936. The music was composed by Chaplin and inspired by Puccini’s Tosca. John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added the lyrics and the title in 1954. Nat King Cole recorded the first version with lyrics and the rest is history. Barbra Streisand and Tony Bennett do a fabulous cover of this great American classic. Enjoy.
Following the special with Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand announced a tour which included the classical group Il Divo. She intended to raise both money and awareness for a number of charities that she supported. To date The Streisand Foundation has raised over 7 million in profits to these charities which still occupy much of her time and efforts. Streisand: The Tour, over the 20 concerts, set box-office records grossing over 92 million with profits distributed through the foundation.
In September 2014, she released “Partners,” a new album of duets that features collaborations with “Elvis Presley, Andrea Bocelli, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Billy Joel, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, John Legend and many others.
In “I Still Can See Your Face” Streisand’s tremendous vocal blend with Andrea Bocelli is outstanding and spine tingling. This duet is taken from the 2014 album “Partners,” with an all male lineup. “Partners” topped the Billboard 200 in the first week of its release, making Streisand the only recording artist to have a number-one album in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. It was also certified gold in November 2014 and platinum in January 2015, thus becoming Streisand’s 52nd gold and 31st Platinum album, more than any other female artist in history.
This musical powerhouse has produced some incredible statistics. Apart from producing dozens of gold and platinum selling albums she is second in the all-time charts ahead of the iconic beatles and The Rolling Stones and only bettered by the King.. Elvis Presley.
Apart from selling around 250 million records worldwide, she is the only artist to have earned awards from all the major award institutions, including two Academy Awards, one Tony Award, five Emmys, 10 Grammys, 13 Golden Globes, a CableACE Award, the University of Georgia’s George Foster Peabody Award and the American Film Institutes’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015, she was further honored as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Streisand has been nominated 43 times for a Grammy Award, winning eight. In addition, she has received two special non-competitive awards; the 1992 Grammy Legend Award and the 1994 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. She has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame four times. In 2011, she was honored as MusiCares Persono of the Year by the Grammy Foundation for her artistic achievement in the music industry.
In a last performance for the series, a wonderful duet between Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion.
“Tell Him” was the first single from Dion’s “Let’s Talk About Love” and Streisand’s “Higher Ground” albums. This duet was rejected by non-adult contemporary radio stations. Sony Music Entertainment canceled the U.S. single release, because it did not have a broad enough support to put the song on top of the charts. The song did manage to peak at number five on the Adult Contemporary and number 58 on the Radio Songs charts. However, “Tell Him” was a huge hit outside the US and was, nonetheless, nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals in 1998.
William Price King is an American jazz singer, musician and composer. Originally he studied classical music and opera but over the years his style has evolved to what many refer to as the ‘sweet point’ where music and voice come together so beautifully.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Torme. His jazz album, ‘Home,’ is a collection of contemporary songs and whilst clearly a homage to their wonderful legacy it brings a new and refreshing complexity to the vocals that is entrancing.
His latest album Eric Sempe and William Price King is now available to download. The repertory includes standards such as “Bye Bye Blackbird” (a jazz classic), Sting’s “Englishman in New York,” Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”, Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and other well-known jazz, pop, and rock classics.
William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King
Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking
William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.
(What’s Opera Doc? Warner Brothers Looney Tunes Cartoon)
Opera came about during the Renaissance (or Rebirth) in late medieval Italy.
Which begs the question: What’s the Renaissance Doc?
Well, in a few words… The Roman Empire collapsed in Europe. Then came the Dark Ages: Anglo-Saxons, Franks, Goths, Vikings and as everything settled down, the Normans.
Welcome to the 1st Millennium.
The Pope said, ‘Wouldn’t it be lovely if Jerusalem was in Christian hands.’
Welcome to the Crusades.
The Normans loved Christianity. They just had a problem with the commandments, particularly: Thou shalt not kill. But they weren’t only about meeting new and exotic peoples (and killing them) they also introduced luxury goods: cinnamon, almonds, ginger, and the Greek and Roman Classics; the very books their Viking ancestors burned not 300 years before.
Welcome to the Renaissance.
On the back of Arabic translations of the Greek and Roman Classics the Renaissance (or the rebirth of learning) flourished in City States like Florence, Venice and Rome. Hey, the Italians had a big heritage to live up to. Plus it was a good way of undermining the Pope’s authority. For a couple of hundred years they went Greek and Roman mad, especially when they discovered Greek drama which gives us the words Chorus and Orchestra.
Do you see where I’m going with this?
While they had plays with songs, Greek drama was entirely sung and seemed much cooler. Not sung as in the good bits of ‘Les Mis’, more as in the boring bits; singing instead of dialogue: in the sort of voice we use for nursery rhymes.
‘Wouldn’t it be lovely’ they thought, ‘if WE could have entire plays sung like that?’
Wouldn’t that be class! Blimey it would be the Works!
Opera – Greek (what else) for… ‘the works’
They soon found out sitting through sung declamation (or recitative) for hours on end, while someone scraped away on a bass fiddle, might have thrilled the Ancient Greeks, but…
Time to spice things up methinks!
Welcome to the Baroque.
By 1700, sing-song declamation only moved the action along. The bass fiddle was now accompanied by harpsichord and lute. Songs or arias expressing states of mind were added, growing increasingly lengthy (some 13 minutes long) and ornate. Each opera ended with a chorus where the cast sung in unison, and you might have a duet or two between the superstars.
All this was about to change.
Never ones to be left behind, the French developed their own dynamic version of opera, bejewelled with choruses and ensembles: where the cast sang different things at the same time.
What?
Is this madness?
No, it’s opera! For only opera can have half a dozen people speaking over each other and produce such divine harmony.
The extended scenes and finales of orchestrated impassioned recitative punctuated by short bursts of aria, duet, trio, quartet and chorus wound listeners to fever pitch. The audience went bonkers! It wasn’t long before Italians and Germans followed suit. ‘A la Francese’ was ‘a la mode’!
With revolution in the air, the common man was the hero; not stiff old gods. Comedy not tragedy was king. Mozart wrote his revolutionary comedy ‘The Marriage of Figaro’based on a seditious play banned by the Emperor.
Along came Rossini, whose long career saw the last of the old ditched in favour of the entirely new. By now long arias and dry recitative were virtually extinct. Opera was French school not Italian: flowing and lyric. Rossini was followed by Verdi (Aida), Puccini (Turandot; Madam Butterfly) and Wagner who gave his characters individual signature tunes (motifs) and songs (refrains) repeated through the opera.
If you are timid, but curious, try ‘Les Mis’ or ‘Sweeny Todd’. They are not so different.
So that’s the music, what about the singers?
(From the French movie Farinelli: Il Castrato)
Opera stars were gods and rightly so, for they were no ordinary beings. Not divas or romantic tenors but castrated male sopranos.
Originally women were not allowed on stage. Boys played girls before their voices broke. Men played older women, often speaking falsetto (think Tiny Tim). The word ‘drag’ is Shakespeare’s acronym for Dressed Representing A Girl.
There was a long tradition of men singing high parts in church music because St Paul said women should not raise a voice in church. Just before the advent of opera, the Pope imported a troop of Spanish falsettos to sing in the Vatican choir. They had pure high voices, much better than the squeaky local product. What they were is shrouded in mystery, but it is suspected they were castratos. Eunuchs were used as slaves throughout the Arab World and Spain had not long been liberated from the Moors.
The Baroque loved artifice and ambiguity. Publically castratos were worshipped like movie stars, yet privately considered jokes: half men; a third sex. The church even forbade castratos to marry, as the purpose of marriage was to enable procreation without sin by containing fornication within a holy sacrament.
Poor families of children with promising voices had them doctored around 8 years old. Though it seems cruel, they thought it ensured their financial future. Unfortunately the castrato stars rarely saw it that way. If you wonder why a youngster would be castrated to retain his voice, then listen to Radu Marian, aged 7, sing Mozart’s Queen of the Night aria from The Magic Flute. He grew up to be a male soprano.
Boys castrated before puberty keep their choirboy voice, but with the power of a man-sized larynx. Castration prevents the bones sealing so they also have a huge elastic ribcage to act as bellows. Opera superstar Farinelli could hold a note for over a 1 minute without taking breath. Contemporary reports say male castratos sounded an octave higher than women singing the same note. Their voices had an eerie ethereal quality like angels.
Here Alexis Vassiliev, an endocrinological soprano (who skipped puberty and looks like castrati are described) sings ‘Generoso risuegliati, o core’ from J A Hasse’s opera Cleofide.
By the 1700s women were appearing on stage. In the Papal States where the ban continued until 1800, castratos continued to take male and female roles: the female role often showcasing an up-and-coming young star. Elsewhere female opera singers became superstars in their own right, often taking males roles instead of castratos.
Everything changed in 1806 when the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, although a huge fan of castratos, banned castration as barbaric. Edits reinforcing the ban followed in 1814, and again in 1861 after the Italian war of Independence.
The last castrato on the opera stage was Velutti. In 1825, after a gap of 50 years, he was the first castrato to perform in London, and was considered a freak. People went to see him for the novelty. Newspaper cartoons mocked him.
By 1830 when Rossini no longer had castratos at his disposal, he kept the idea of male sopranos alive by writing his heroes for women in ‘trouser roles.’ Here Marilyn Horne sings the knight Tancredi – one of Rossini’s male parts written for a woman. (The catchy cabaletta starts 4 minute in – this is the bit the Pope banned altar boys from whistling.)
Over the following decade, boys were still castrated, and continued to sing in Church. The last castrato in the Vatican Choir was Alessandro Moreschi who died in 1922 aged 64. He was recorded on wax cylinder in 1902. The recording isn’t great as Moreschi sang into a giant hearing trumpet- somewhat like singing into an old telephone all the enriching harmonics are lost.
When listening we must remember singing styles have changed. When Moreschi sounds like he is hitting bum notes or struggling to hold one, he is demonstrating extremely difficult bel canto techniques only the most highly trained could execute. Here the 40 year old Morsechi sings Ave Maria.
Despite the bans, the castratos’ true death knell was fashion. With the birth of ‘Romantic Music’ (Beethoven) opera had no use for old fashioned castratos, but preferred tenors instead.
The past half century has seen a resurgence of Baroque Opera. New male soprano stars have emerged, some with medical conditions that prevent their voice from breaking, others acquire a high voice through years of training. Listening to them we can begin to understand the strange fascination that dominated opera for 300 years and was once deemed forever lost.
Time to say goodbye, but before I do, an extra treat.
* What’s opera Doc?Is a Bugs Bunny cartoon exploring Wagner’s Ring Cycle, and let me tell you, you never really appreciate Wagner (old Aryan Supremacist that he was) until you see Bugs Bunny as Brunhilde, or Elmer Fudd as Siegfried singing ‘Kill the wabbit! Kill the wabbit!’
Unfortunately the full cartoon isn’t available on You-tube, but this is a bloody brilliant substitute. A live action shot by shot recreation that’s as mad as a March Hare (Gettit!) and camp as a row of tents! The fact both lads claim to be tone deaf only adds to the outrage. Enjoy!
My thanks to Paul for another wonderfully researched and written post.. I am very honoured to have him here as a regular contributor.
About Paul Andruss
Paul Andruss is a writer whose primary focus is to take a subject, research every element thoroughly and then bring the pieces back together in a unique and thought provoking way. His desire to understand the origins of man, history, religion, politics and the minds of legends who rocked the world is inspiring. He does not hesitate to question, refute or make you rethink your own belief system and his work is always interesting and entertaining. Whilst is reluctant to talk about his own achievements he offers a warm and generous support and friendship to those he comes into contact with.
Paul Andruss is the author of 2 contrasting fantasy novels
Thomas the Rhymer – a magical fantasy for ages 11 to adult about a boy attempting to save fairy Thomas the Rhymer, while trying to rescue his brother from a selfish fairy queen.
Finn Mac Cool – rude, crude and funny, explicitly sexual and disturbingly violent, Finn Mac Cool is strictly for adults only.
This week we are going to be sharing some of Barbra Streisand’s collaborations in the 1970s and 1980s that have stood the test of time. Next week we will focus on her films of the 1980s such as Yentl and Prince of Tides.
Today just sit back and enjoy the music.
You Don’t Bring Me Flowers
“You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” originally from the Neil Diamond 1977 album “I’m Glad You’re Here with Me Tonight,” was written by Neil Diamond, along with Alan and Marilyn Bergman. This song was, initially, a solo performance by Diamond. Early in 1978, Streisand covered the song on her album “Songbird.” Radio WAKY-AM/Louisville KY program director, Gary Guthrie, spliced the two solo tracks together as a going away present to his wife, whom he had just divorced. This triggered a media buzz worldwide from “Good Morning America” and “People” magazine to the BBC. Interest in the duet caused such a clamor that Columbia Records was compelled to bring Streisand and Diamond into the studio to record an “official” version in October 1978. The song reached number one on the Hot 100 chart for two non-consecutive weeks in December 1978, producing the third number one hit for both singers. Acknowledgment and gratitude for Guthrie came from CBS with a Gold record plaque, flowers from Diamond and a telegram from Streisand. The duo performed the song at the 1980 Grammy Awards show, a performance released on the 1994 album “Grammy’s Greatest Moments Volume 1.”
Guilty
“Guilty” was Streisand’s twenty-second studio album, written and produced by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees. It became her best-selling album to date internationally, with sales between 15–20 million copies worldwide as well as spawning several hit singles. The title track, and second single from the album, was a duet between Streisand and Gibb, winning the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1981.
No More Tears (Enough is Enough)
“No More Tears (Enough is Enough)” was a 1979 duet that Streisand recorded with Donna Summer. The song was recorded for Streisand’s “Wet” album and also as a new track for Summer’s compilation double album entitled “On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2.” The single went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, making it both singers’ fourth chart-topping single in the US, and number one for four weeks on the disco chart. It was also a big international hit, and made the top three in the UK. Unfortunately, they never performed the song together live after recording it.
Woman in Love
“Woman in Love” is a song from Streisand’s 1980 album, “Guilty,” written by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees. It was her fourth of four Platinum records, and is considered her greatest international hit, reaching number one in many countries, including in the UK Singles Chart. Streisand has openly stated that she doesn’t like “Woman In Love” because she doesn’t believe in the meaning of the lyrics, and has rarely performed the song live.
William Price King is an American jazz singer, musician and composer. Originally he studied classical music and opera but over the years his style has evolved to what many refer to as the ‘sweet point’ where music and voice come together so beautifully.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Torme. His jazz album, ‘Home,’ is a collection of contemporary songs and whilst clearly a homage to their wonderful legacy it brings a new and refreshing complexity to the vocals that is entrancing.
His latest album Eric Sempe and William Price King is now available to download. The repertory includes standards such as “Bye Bye Blackbird” (a jazz classic), Sting’s “Englishman in New York,” Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”, Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and other well-known jazz, pop, and rock classics.
William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King
Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking
William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.
In celebration of our time in America and the wonderful people we met and still are in touch with, here is our second year living in Houston and some of the adventures we enjoyed. We actually ended up visiting all the East and West Coast as well as driving across country.. On this trip we wanted to see the once in a lifetime visit of Halley’s comet.
It is now 1986 and we were very aware that we only had a year left of David’s contract in America and that we needed to step up our explorations. In that twelve months we visited the East and West coasts and made the epic road trip from Houston to New Mexico with a friend to try and glimpse Halley’s Comet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halley%27s_Comet
Halley’s Comet only appears every 76 years and being such a rare visit we needed to find a very special place to try and view this once in a lifetime event . We opted for the car park of Carlsbad Caverns which is an enormous underground network of caves.
We explored the 119 caverns hundreds of feet below ground in the day; at night we returned to the car park miles from any light pollution and lay on ground sheets searching the star filled sky above us. The second night we were rewarded with the most amazing, if very tiny, sight of this elusive comet with our low resolution telescopes and just about with the naked eye. We had taken a rucksack with us with hot coffee and snacks and as we watched this astral display, we heard the rucksack being dragged off into the undergrowth. Fearing we had been targeted by large felines; we aimed our combined torches at the predator. A raccoon stared back at us challenging our refusal to pay the car park fees! We persuaded him that this was not acceptable and were able to enjoy our breakfast at dawn surrounded by deer and a view that stretched for miles across the Chihuahuan Desert.
That year David and I also took advantage of the air miles he had accumulated on all his sales trips and flew to Hawaii for the first of several visits to these magnificent islands. I have to admit at this point that I have always had rather a crush on Tom Selleck…. Magnum P.I and I rather hoped that I might be lucky enough to encounter him on our trip. Whilst waiting for a glimpse of an earthbound comet…. we did some of the usual tourist activities and I splashed out on a wonderful MuuMuu which was set off by my 80s hair.
We also discovered the delight of rum cocktails and completed pre-dinner tasting sessions. The outright winner is the Molokai Mule which is a drink not to be attempted on an empty stomach with the expectation of being able to stand up again afterwards.. It certainly has a mighty kick…here is the recipe for those of you brave enough to attempt! http://www.sheknows.com/recipes/molokai-mule
Eventually my secret wish was fulfilled and the day before our flight back to Houston, whilst at a four way stop near Diamond Head, I was rewarded with a fleeting encounter with Magnum P.I. He was in a convertible at the stop opposite us and as we glided past each other like ships in the night I knew that 1986 had been a very special year!
The music of that year was great with many hits making their way across the Atlantic in both directions. Here is a small selection: Lionel Ritchie – Say You Say Me, Dionne Warwick & Friends– That’s What Friends are For, Robert Palmer – Addicted to Love, Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls, Steve Winwood – Higher Love, Simply Red – Holding Back the Years, Peter Gabriel – Sledgehammer, Madonna – Don’t Preach, Billy Ocean – When the Going Gets Tough and Bananarama – Venus.
In honour of the passing years I have selected Simply Red for this weeks chart track from 1986.
Films were equally interesting in 1986 and we managed to get in a weekly cinema visit wherever we might be at the time. Aliens, Platoon (stunning) The Mission, Crocodile Dundee, The Name of the Rose (highly recommended) Star Trek IV- The Voyage Home, The Color of Money, and Mona Lisa (amazing). Without a doubt the film that followed in the wake of An Officer and a Gentlemen in the romance category, with action thrown in high in the skies for good measure, was Top Gun with the every youthful Tom Cruise. Here is the theme song.. and 30 years later the soundtrack is still on my playlist.
To celebrate some of the most memorable music of Barbra Streisand the focus of today’s post is the music from the award winning movies that she starred in and also composed music for, during the mid- 1960s and early 1970s. William Price King has selected some of her greatest hits from this period along with the background to the tracks.
Hello Dolly is a 1964 musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart, based on Thornton Wilder’s 1938 farce “The Merchant of Yonkers,” which Wilder revised and retitled “The Matchmaker” in 1955. Streisand’s Dolly is a rebuke to the modern anxiety about whether or not women can or should “have it all”. Her Dolly is an impressive striver with a heart of gold who knows what she wants, and her ability to convey joy, longing, and lightness with her voice is unparalleled. Louis Armstrong, whose recording of “Hello Dolly” became a number-one single in May 1964, also performs the song (together with Streisand).
In 1965 building on the success of Funny Girl, Hello Dolly and albums of the early 1960s, Barbra Streisand turned to the new vehicle for stardom, reaching into everyone’s home. Her television show ‘My Name is Barbra‘ was an immediate success and received five Emmy awards and CBS gave her a ten year contract to produce and star in more specials. Barbra was given complete artistic control of the next four productions.
In 1966 ‘Funny Girl’ went to London at the Prince of Wales Theater, followed by the screen version in 1968, winning Barbra Streisand an Academy Award. She also won a Golden Globe and was named ‘Star of the Year’ by the National Association of Theater Owners.
In 1969 Barbra achieved big screen success with the film version “Hello, Dolly!” followed a year later by “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever“. With a step away from musicals she starred in “The Owl and the Pussycat” in 1970 with George Segal and in 1972 “What’s Up Doc?” with Ryan O’Neal. The same year she founded her own production company, Barwood Films with the first being “Up the Sandbox”.
Up the Sandbox was one of the first films to explore women’s changing roles during the sexual revolution of the early 1970s. A number of critics praised Streisand’s performance. According to Pauline Kael, “Barbra Streisand [had] never seemed so radiant as in this joyful mess, taken from the Anne Richardson Roiphe novel and directed by Irvin Kershner. The picture is full of knockabout urban humor”
At the beginnning of the 1970s Barbra Streisand had moved into more contemporary material and found her niches in the pop and ballad charts with her album “Stoney End” in 1971.
“Stoney End,”a Laura Nyro composition, redefined Streisand as an effective pop/rock singer. It was released in the US in 1971 and charted at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It also reached number 27 on the UK singles chart. This recording was a change in direction for Streisand, with a more upbeat contemporary pop sound. When asked by fans during the Q&A segment of Streisand’s Back To Brooklyn concert on October 11, 2012 what “Stoney End” was about, she replied that she still didn’t know.
In 1973 Barbra starred in “The Way We Were” with Robert Redford. Directed by Sydney Pollack with a screenplay by Arthur Laurents, the story follows Laurent’s college days at Cornell University and his experiences with the House Un-American Activities Committee. The HUAC was created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having communist ties. Many in Hollywood would find themselves as subjects of this organisation over the next twenty years or so.
“The Way We Were”won the Oscar for Best Original Dramatic Score and Best Original Song. It ranked at number 6 on AFI’s 100 Years …100 Passions survey of the top 100 greatest love stories in American cinema. The song became a million-selling gold single, topping the Billboard 100 and selling more than two million copies. Billboard named “The Way We Were” as the number 1 pop hit of 1974. In 1998, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and finished at number 8 on AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema in 2004. It was also included in the list of Songs of the Century, by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The next hit that would bring awards for Barbra Streisand was the film “A Star is Born” in 1976 starring Kris Kristofferson.. The plot sees a young woman entering show business, meeting and falling in love with an established star who acts as her mentor. As she becomes more successful his career begins to decline with the resulting dramatic results.
“Evergreen”is the theme song from the film, composed by the diva herself, with lyrics by Paul Williams. Both Streisand and Williams earned an Oscar and a Golden Globes Award for Best Original Song. Streisand was the first woman ever to be honored with an Oscar as a composer. In addition to that, “Evergreen” won the Grammy Award for “Song of the Year.”
William Price King is an American jazz singer, musician and composer. Originally he studied classical music and opera but over the years his style has evolved to what many refer to as the ‘sweet point’ where music and voice come together so beautifully.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Torme. His jazz album, ‘Home,’ is a collection of contemporary songs and whilst clearly a homage to their wonderful legacy it brings a new and refreshing complexity to the vocals that is entrancing.
His latest album Eric Sempe and William Price King is now available to download. The repertory includes standards such as “Bye Bye Blackbird” (a jazz classic), Sting’s “Englishman in New York,” Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”, Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and other well-known jazz, pop, and rock classics.
William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King
Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking
William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.
Welcome to the weekly round up of posts that you might have missed.. It has also been the first week on the summer schedule which will be focused on health, music, book promotions and humour. Throw in some reblogs of some of the outstanding blogs and I hope that when you have time to come in from the garden you will find something that you enjoy.
Apart from my own garden I will be completing a three R’s challenge.. Reading, Riting and Relaxing..I am of course as keen as always to promote authors in the Cafe and Bookstore and those who receive great reviews and those posts will continue. However the Book Reading at the Cafe will be back in September.
After the series on Barbra Streisand in a few weeks, William Price King will be taking his usual summer weeks off for performing and relaxing with his family but will be back in September with a new series.
This is the first summer in four years where we have not been doing up a house to sell, or doing one up to live in. We intend to take some time out to explore and meet up with old friends. I hope to have some photos to share with you of our day trips. I will still be here once or twice a day but I will be around less on social media.
My thanks as always to William Price King and Paul Andruss for their amazing contributions to the blog..Also this week to guest writer Horatio Grin who has shared his research into the origins of our beliefs in gods and fairies, sometimes revealing where the two crossed paths.
Thanks to you for your wonderful support and feedback.
Here are the posts this week in case you missed them.
Welcome to the new series of William Price King meets some Legends. I doubt that anyone reading this has not heard the music of Barbra Streisand or watched her movies. William takes us behind the scenes and also shares her most popular music across the decades. One of the most iconic songs of her early career was from the film Funny Girland has become an anthem for anyone who has worked hard to achieve their dreams.
“Don’t Rain On My Parade,” written by Bob Merrill and Jule Styne, is from the 1964 musical “Funny Girl” and was featured in the 1968 movie version of the musical. Both the movie and stage versions feature Streisand performing the song. In 2004 it finished #46 in AFI’s 100 Years … 100 Songs survey of the top tunes in American cinema.
When we look at the sophisticated and accomplished artist who performs so effortlessly, it is easy to forget that for many the road to stardom was challenging. This was the case with Barbra Streisand who was born into a loving family in Brooklyn in 1942.
Her grandparents on her mother’s side had emigrated from Russia and on her father’s side from Galica which was then Poland-Ukraine. Barbra’s mother Ida had been a soprano before becoming a school secretary and her father taught high school English. Tragically shortly after Barbra’s first birthday her father died at only age 34 from complications from an epileptic seizure. This obviously had a devastating effect on the small family and a financial impact. Ida worked as a bookkeeper to try and make ends meet but it meant that time with Barbra was limited. Eventually the two of them moved in with her grandparents and Ida returned to singing as a semi-professional to help pay the bills. When Barbra was seven years old, her mother remarried Louis Kind and in 1951 her sister Rosalind was born.
As a teenager Barbra became entranced with the movies and the elegant stars that filled the screen. Acting for a living became her dream and one of the ways that she discovered she could gain attention was by singing. She became known in the neighbourhood for her voice and would often practice in the hallway of their apartment building which gave her voice an echoing quality.
By 1955 Barbra was an honor student in modern history, English and Spanish and she also joined the Freshman Chorus and Choral Club. One of her classmates was Neil Diamond who was also a member of choir. At age 14, Barbra saw her first Broadway play “The Diary of Anne Frank” starring Susan Strasberg who became her new role model. She began spending time in the library studying the biographies of various stage actresses such as Sarah Bernhardt and the classic playwrights such as Shakespeare and Chekhov.
Her first walk-on part was in the summer of 1957 at age 15 at the Playhouse in Malden Bridge, New York. This was followed by a couple of small roles and on her return to school at the end of the summer, she took a backstage job a the Cherry Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village. This lead to a part in “Driftwood” working with Joan Rivers.
At age sixteen, she graduated from Erasmus Hall in January 1959, she was fourth in her class. Despite her mother’s pleas that she stay out of show business, she immediately set out trying to get roles on the New York City stage. Barbra Streisand never attended college. After renting a small apartment on 48th street, in the heart of the theater district, she accepted any job she could involving the stage, and at every opportunity, she “made the rounds” of the casting offices.
She took a job as an usher at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater for “The Sound of Music,” early in 1960. During the run of the play, she heard that the casting director was auditioning for more singers, and it marked the first time she sang in pursuit of a job. Although the director felt she was not right for the part, he encouraged her to begin including her talent as a singer on her résumé when looking for other work.
This began a new direction for Barbra Streisand with talent contests and an audition at the Bon Soir Nightclub with a contract for $125 per week. In 1960 at age 18, she was the opening act of Phyllis Diller. Her then boyfriend Barry Dennen who had been encouraging her singing also exposed her to his extensive collection of female singing artists such as Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf that helped Barbra develop her own style.. With a developing sophisticated onstage presence, Barbra Streisand was winning new fans at every performance.
With the help of her new personal manager, Martin Erlichman, Barbra enjoyed success in shows in Detroit and St. Louis and then on to the popular Blue Angel nightclub in Manhattan between 1961 and 1962. This led to her first television appearance on The Tonight Show bringing her talent to a much wider audience.
Her acting dream however was not forgotten, and while still appearing at the Blue Angel, theater director and playwright Arthur Laurents asked her to audition for a new musical comedy he was directing, “I Can Get It For Wholesale.” She got the part of secretary to the lead actor businessman, played by then unknown Elliott Gould. They fell in love during rehearsals and eventually moved into a small apartment together. The show opened on March 22, 1962, at the Shubert Theater, and received rave reviews. She then became Broadway’s most exciting and youngest new star.
“Happy Days Are Here Again,” written by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen, was featured in the 1930 film “Chasing Rainbows.” Streisand first recorded this song in 1962, and it was her first commercial hit. She re- recorded it in January 1963 for her solo album debut “The Barbra Streisand Album.” While this song was traditionally sung at a faster tempo, Streisand’s version stands out because of how slowly and expressively she sings it. It also took on a political meaning.
This was followed by appearances on the “Ed Sullivan Show” and in a number of Bob Hope specials. Liberace was immediately drawn to the young singer and invited her to Las Vegas to perform as his opening act at the Riviera Hotel. The next year Barbra starred in her own show in Lake Tahoe and she and Elliot Gould married.
Streisand signed with Columbia Records that same year and released her first album, “The Barbra Streisand Album” in 1963. It became a Top 10 gold record and received two Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Best Female Performance. At the time, she was the youngest artist to receive those honors, and became the best-selling female vocalist in the country. That summer she also released “The Second Barbra Streisand Album,” which established her as the “most exciting new personality since Elvis Presley.”
Streisand returned to Broadway in 1964 with an acclaimed performance as entertainer Fanny Brice in “Funny Girl” at the Winter Garden Theater. The show introduced two of her signature songs, “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” Because of the play’s overnight success, she appeared on the cover of “Time.” In 1964 Streisand was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical but lost to Carol Channing in “Hello, Dolly!”
“People,” was one of the first songs written for the musical score of “Funny Girl,” based on the life and career of Broadway and film star Fanny Brice. In 1965 Streisand won the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance with this fabulous song. This song has been covered by some of the greatest names in the music industry, including Andy Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como, and The Supremes. In 1998, Streisand’s version was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2004, Streisand’s version on the soundtrack of Funny Girl finished at #13 on AFI’s 100 Years…100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
In Barbra Streisand’s six decade career she has succeeded in several fields of entertainment and has achieved the highest recognition for her artistry including two Academy Awards, ten Grammy Awards, five Emmy Awards, Presidential Medal of Freedom and nine Golden Globes.
She is one of the best-selling music artists of all time with more than 145 million records sold worldwide.
To finish this first part of her career here is another of the show stoppers from Funny Girl and next week we will look at her successful singles in the 1970s.
“My Man” (Mon Homme), written by Jacques Charles, Channing Pollock, Albert Willemetz, and Maurice Yvain, originated in France where it was a hit for Mistinguett in 1916, then popularized in the English speaking world in the 1920s by singer Fanny Brice from the Ziegfeld Follies. This song earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award for Brice in 1999. Composer Jules Styne did not want “My Man” in the Broadway score, but was overruled because Fanny Brice was known for singing this song. In 1965, the song was covered by Barbra Streisand on her album “My Name Is Barbra” and in the film adaptation of “Funny Girl.” Her rendition of “My Man”, sung during the film’s finale, drew additional critical praise to an already lauded performance that earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1968. Streisand later called this a victim song, which suggests that one’s happiness is contingent on another person’s behavior, and shied away from singing the song publicly many times during her career.
I hope you will join us again next week. Thanks Sally
About William Price King
William Price King is an American jazz singer, musician and composer. Originally he studied classical music and opera but over the years his style has evolved to what many refer to as the ‘sweet point’ where music and voice come together so beautifully.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Torme. His jazz album, ‘Home,’ is a collection of contemporary songs and whilst clearly a homage to their wonderful legacy it brings a new and refreshing complexity to the vocals that is entrancing.
His latest album Eric Sempe and William Price King is now available to download. The repertory includes standards such as “Bye Bye Blackbird” (a jazz classic), Sting’s “Englishman in New York,” Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”, Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and other well-known jazz, pop, and rock classics.
William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King
Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking
William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.
For the last part of the Stevie Wonder story (for the time being) we thought that we would share some of the highlights from the last twenty years. Stevie Wonder has not been performing or recording as prolifically as he did until the mid 1990s, but he has released some chart topping singles.
I will hand over now to William to introduce some of these hits from the last two decades.
Despite Stevie Wonder reducing his performance and recording schedule there was no reduction in the quality or popularity of his music. For this finale we are going to share some of the top charting hits of the 1990s and 2000s.
“Gotta Have You” is the first single from the soundtrack of the Spike Lee film “Jungle Fever,” written and co-produced by Stevie Wonder and Nathan Watts in 1991. Rolling Stone magazine said that Wonder had not “sounded so freewheeling, confident and engaging” since his 1980 album “Hotter Than July. The song peaked at No. 3 in the Hot R&B/ Hip Hop chart, making it one of Wonder’s very few Top 10s of the 90s.
Stevie Wonder won two Grammy awards for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song with this beautiful ballad “For Your Love,” which he wrote and produced himself. This song is from the album “Conversation Peace” which is reminiscent of Wonder’s classic albums from the seventies but with a modern sound.
Stevie Wonder won his fourth Grammy award in the category of Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the song “From The Bottom of My Heart.” This single, from the album “A Time 2 Love,” peaked at #7 on the US Adult Contemporary chart.
This beautiful melody, written and sung by Stevie Wonder for the Spike Lee film “Bamboozled” is filled with pain, sorrow, and suffering, as well as hope. This is one of Wonder’s most passionate works. The film is a satire about a modern minstrel show featuring black actors in blackface makeup. Critics found the film a little “too over the top.”
“Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours” was released in 1970 and spent six weeks at number one on the US R&B chart and peaked at number three on the US Pop chart. The song was arranged by Paul Riser and featured a distinctive “sitar-guitar” in the introduction. This was the first single Wonder produced on his own.
It was to achieve further prominence in 2008. In an interview with Rolling Stone, the then presidential candidate Barack Obama named Stevie Wonder as his musical hero… Stevie returned the compliment by performing at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. This song became the unofficial campaign anthem for the future president.
Stevie Wonder continues to advocate for social justice and for those with disabilities. In June 2013 he performed a concert in Marrakesh for negotiators from the World Intellectual Property Organisation, when they agreed on an International treaty providing blind and visually impaired individuals around the world, with more access to books.
In 2014, Wonder received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. The following year, the singer/songwriter/musician was paid tribute by a pantheon of performers on the telecast “Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life – An All-Star Grammy Salute,” recognizing his classic 1976 album.
William Price King is an American jazz singer, musician and composer. Originally he studied classical music and opera but over the years his style has evolved to what many refer to as the ‘sweet point’ where music and voice come together so beautifully.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Torme. His jazz album, ‘Home,’ is a collection of contemporary songs and whilst clearly a homage to their wonderful legacy it brings a new and refreshing complexity to the vocals that is entrancing.
His latest album Eric Sempe and William Price King is now available to download. The repertory includes standards such as “Bye Bye Blackbird” (a jazz classic), Sting’s “Englishman in New York,” Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”, Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and other well-known jazz, pop, and rock classics.
William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King
Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking
William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.
Welcome to some more background to the career of the multi-Grammy artist Stevie Wonder. We are now in the 80s and not only will we share some of his music over the next couple of decades but also hear from some of his fans. Time to hand you over to William Price King to pick up the story.
Hotter Than July (1980) became Wonder’s first platinum-selling single album. The album included “I Ain’t Gonna Stand for It,” and the sentimental ballad, “Lately”. Wonder wrote “Master Blaster Jammin’” as an ode to reggae icon Bob Marley. The song has a reggae feel and was number one on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart for seven weeks, reaching #5 on Billboard’s Pop Singles Chart and #2 on the UK Singles Chart.
Stevie Wonder, a social activist, campaigned to have the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. celebrated as a holiday in the US. The song, “Happy Birthday,” from the album was written for the cause. The song was a big hit in the US and peaked at #2 in the UK. Wonder performed this song at the Diamond Jubilee Concert in London for the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
This album along with Streetsongs by Rick James is all I can remember hearing as I enter into my teens in the summer of 1981. Stevie Wonder had all the Motown greats on this album. What a classic listen to the words in “Rocket Girl” and him paying a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King. I can listen to “All I Do” over and over and over again. THANKS STEVIE YOU ARE A GIFTED MUSICIAN!!!!!!
“Ebony and Ivory,” a duet by Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney, was a #1 hit in the US and the UK in 1982. This song is about the ebony (black) and ivory (white) keys on a piano with overtones dealing with integration and racial harmony on a human level. In 2013, Billboard Magazine ranked this song as the 69th biggest hit of all time on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
That same year Wonder also released his greatest hits compilation Original Musiquarium I, which featured the No. 1 R&B/top 5 pop single “That Girl,” as well as additional hits “Ribbon in the Sky” and “Do I Do,” featuring jazz great, Dizzy Gillespie.
“I Just Called to Say I Love You,” written by Stevie Wonder, is from the 1984 Gene Wilder film The Woman in Red. This song won both a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar for Best Original Song and was a number one hit in both the US and the UK.
Like so much of Wonder’s work, the song appealed to a wide audience, paving the way for it to become Motown’s biggest international hit of all time. The single also won Wonder an Academy Award for Best Song. Wonder accepted the award in the name of Nelson Mandela and was subsequently banned from all South African radio by the Government of South Africa.
I loved the movie and most of all the OST to this wonderful show. The songs recorded by Dionne Warwick & Stevie Wonder are just beautiful & amazing. Songs that still will live on and endure for future years to come. Something that cannot be said for a lot of the so called *new tunes being served up by this new generation. So much garbage out there nowadays. Songs about calling women whores; drug use; fighting & killing etc;etc;etc;…..Buy this album and have an enjoyable journey through your mind. AND…..do get up & dance if a certain song makes you want to do that. I love you Stevie & Ms. Dionne !!
In the latter half of the 1980s Stevie Wonder released two more albums. Square Circle, in 1985, which featured the historic track “Part-Time Lover,” the first song to ever reach No. 1 on the pop, R&B, adult contemporary and dance charts. This was followed in 1987 by the album Characters featuring two No. 1 R&B hits—”Skeletons” and “You Will Know.”
Stevie Wonder was also a part of the iconic “We Are The World,” the African Famine Relief video/recording, and the AID’s inspired “That’s What Friends Are For.” And to round the decade off, he collaborated with Michael Jackson with “Get It” and with Julio Iglesias “My Love”. As a final honour of the 1980s he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
To finish off the post today “Part Time Lover” and we look forward to seeing you again next week with the next part of the Stevie Wonder story.
William Price King is an American jazz singer, musician and composer. Originally he studied classical music and opera but over the years his style has evolved to what many refer to as the ‘sweet point’ where music and voice come together so beautifully.
His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Torme. His jazz album, ‘Home,’ is a collection of contemporary songs and whilst clearly a homage to their wonderful legacy it brings a new and refreshing complexity to the vocals that is entrancing.
His latest album Eric Sempe and William Price King is now available to download. The repertory includes standards such as “Bye Bye Blackbird” (a jazz classic), Sting’s “Englishman in New York,” Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”, Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and other well-known jazz, pop, and rock classics.
William and Eric Sempe have also brought their own magic to the album with original tracks such as Keep on Dreaming and Red Snow with collaboration with Jeanne King
Download the new album. http://cdbaby.com/cd/williampriceking
William is currently in France where he performs in popular Jazz Venues in Nice and surrounding area.
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