Twitter Twatter: Chuck Jackson
Over the weekend I was in (what Elvis would call) the ghetto grocery; a store where they play soul oldies from the '50's through the '70's. Peepaw demographics. Often I hear customers singing along to the muzak. I do it myself since I know my Ruby and the Romantics. Often enough these songs repeat.
I was three-fourth's down one aisle when I passed an elderly man refilling a greetings card display, and he started singing along with the sweetest voice. I had hit the end of the aisle, but I turned around and called back to him, "You're singing Chuck Jackson!" He smiled this huge toothless grin and said, "That right!" then he went right back to his singing. Mister? You made my day.
And as a Cube aside, the song "Any Day Now," (1962) was written by Burt Bacharach and that's Burt doing the flutter keyboard work on the organ. Elvis, Luther Vandross and Ronnie Milsap also did notable versions.
I was three-fourth's down one aisle when I passed an elderly man refilling a greetings card display, and he started singing along with the sweetest voice. I had hit the end of the aisle, but I turned around and called back to him, "You're singing Chuck Jackson!" He smiled this huge toothless grin and said, "That right!" then he went right back to his singing. Mister? You made my day.
And as a Cube aside, the song "Any Day Now," (1962) was written by Burt Bacharach and that's Burt doing the flutter keyboard work on the organ. Elvis, Luther Vandross and Ronnie Milsap also did notable versions.
Labels: burt bacharach, chuck jackson, dc blogs, muzak, oldies, The Washington Post, twitter twatter
posted by Washington Cube at 7:59 AM
7 Comments:
I Wake Up Crying was my favorite of his!
Yeah Kate, what a set of pipes on him. I was talking to a friend this morning and read them what I wrote. They said, "Gee, you would think Dionne Warwick would have recorded this, cause it would sound great sung by a woman" (Dionne-Burt,) so I went back to You Tube, and there was Karen Carpenter doing it, sounding pretty damn chipper too, God love her little anorexic heart. How can you sound so ...breezy singing this song? Of course I had to play Luther Vandross' version like fifty times, then email a friend who onced wrote an obit for me on Luther over on my first blog, so now she'll come home tonight and listen to it fifty times. In my mind, Chuck owns this one, with Luther second and Elvis third.
In Atlanta, we have a grocery store that is famously referred to as the "Disco Kroger". It was formerly a big night club called "The Limelight" back in the 70s and transformed into a grocery store after it closed.
It was a notorious "meat market", before and, appropriately, after.
I should have said "was".
The Disco Kroger is actually no more (turned into a "fresh foods" uppity grocery).
Phil: I have yet to go into a market playing disco or that was a disco. I do remember being in the lawyer part of D.C.; i.e. Connecticut Avenue corridor and getting in an elevator to hear Frank Zappa's "Electric Aunt Jemima." The lyrics are:
Ow ow ow ow
Rundee rundee rundee
Dinny wop wop
Ow ow ow ow
Rundee rundee rundee
Dinny wop wop
Electric Aunt Jemima
Goddess of Love
Khaki Maple Buckwheats
Frizzle on the stove
Queen of my heart
Please hear my plea
Electric Aunt Jemima
Cook a bunch for me
Tried to find a reason
Not to quit my job
Beat me till I'm hungry
Found a punk to rob
Love me Aunt Jemima
Love me now & ever more
(Love me Aunt Jemima)
Dit-dit-dit-dit dit-dit-dit-dit
Dit-dit-dit-dit ditty-ditty
Dit-dit-dit-dit dit-dit-dit-dit
Dit-dit-dit-dit ditty-ditty
Dit-dit-dit-dit dit-dit-dit-dit
Dit-dit-dit-dit ditty-ditty
Dit-dit-dit-dit dit-dit-dit-dit dit . . .
Tried to find a raisin
Brownies in the basin
Monza by the street light
Aunt Jemima all night
Holiday & salad days
And days of mouldy mayonnaise
Caress me (ah!)
Caress me (ah!)
Caress me Aunt Jemima
Caress me (ah!)
Caress me Aunt Jemima
Caress me (ah!)
Caress me Aunt Jemima
Caress me (ah!)
Caress me Aunt Jemima
Caress me (ah!)
Caress me Aunt Jemima
Mmm, boy, my lips are gettin' heavy
I can't tell when you're telling the truth . . .
I'm not.
How do I know anything you've said to me is . . .
You don't.
So sorta like hearing "that" right before you go into a meeting with The Playaz viz Timothy Geithner. On second thought, that kinda makes sense.
Fabulous! The music, yes, but mostly you, Cube. How is it that you know everything?
I believe you could be dropped into any situation on the planet and know instantly how to behave, which song to sing, what historical and cultural references to make and not make ...
You are amazing!
Gee Reya. ::blink::
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