THE BLACK MAN WHO DIDN'T JUST STICK HIS FOOT IN THE DOOR FOR THOSE WHO CAME AFTER HIM, HE FLAT OUT BASHED THE FUCKER DOWN, HE WASN'T ABOUT TO WAIT FOR ANY PRISSY INVITE TO THE MAINSTAGE, HE WROTE HIS OWN AND SLID, SPUN AND SQUEALED HIS WAY INTO THE SPOTLIGHT . . . . ALONG WITH NAMES LIKE DAVIS, PARKER, FITZGERALD AND ALI, HE WASN'T GONNA BE ANYBODY'S FUNKY UNCLE TOM, HE SAID IT LOUD AND PROUD FROM THE GET GO AND MEANT EVERY WORD OF IT . . . .
EVEN AT HIS LOWEST EBB, IN JAIL AND OUTTA HIS FUCKING MIND ON BAD SHIT HE COULD STILL GET UP BETTER THAN MOST, PERSONAL TURMOIL WAS NEVER ENOUGH TO KEEP THIS BLACK HOLE FROM SUCKING THE AUDIENCE INTO HIS PULL, AN ENIGMA AS MUCH AS A MEGA STAR, CONTRADICTIONS, JUXTAPOSITIONS AND A WARDROBE FULL OF IRONIES . . . . THE SHARPEST, SEXIEST, HARDEST WORKING, HARDEST TO WORK WITH, FREAK SHOW, AFRO, MAN THIS IS MY SHOW, STRAIGHT UP GENIUS MOTHERFUCKER IN SHOWBIZ HISTORY . . . . GIVE IT UP FOR MR JAMES BROWN, THE ONE AND ONLY.
Yep, artists like Brown were pioneers. Elvis is called The King, but he was more phenomenon than innovator. If there were a king of Rock n' Roll it was a Chuck Berry, and were there a Queen it was Little Richard. Little Richard was so far ahead of his time, with his high energy awesomeness, it's incredible that he ever sniffed the mainstream at all in the stuffy fifties.
ReplyDeleteBrings me to Big Joe Turner, somewhat obscure, but maybe the true Father of Rock n' Roll, combining Delta Blues with forties Big Band music and laying down the foundation.
Right on all counts man, Little Richard, I mean, what the fuck . . . blatantly camp black guy going nuts on stage in front of middle America of the fifties, even Jerry Lee had nothin on Little Dick. Big Joe Turner, crazy wild man, I reckon he and Screamin Jay may have been related somewhere along the line . . . don't get me wrong I love Presley but all he really did was take the black thing to a huge, white audience after diluting it to taste . . . loving the blog mate, it's gonna go ballistic, mark my turds like a stray dog on heat !!!
DeleteYou guys are having a serious discussion about the foundations of rock n roll and all I can see in my head is Eddy Murphy doing his James Brown bit in the hot tub! OOW, It's hot, in the hot tub!!!
ReplyDeleteClassic Wes once again . . . now I'm just laughing to myself remembering it.
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