Post by Rob Durkee on Dec 29, 2012 23:08:21 GMT -5
By ROCKIN' ROBIN
Two solo singers best known for one major hit record on the same label seven years apart have passed away during the Christmas time holiday period.
Fontella Bass, who had a #3 hit on the Cash Box pop chart in late 1965 with "Rescue Me," died of a heart attack at a St. Louis hospice facility on Wednesday, December 26, 2012. Her daughter, Neuka Mitchell, said her mother suffered the heart attack three weeks earlier and had suffered from from a series of strokes over the past seven years. Bass was 72…and her biggest hit sounded like this…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwt3kr0_l6I
Jimmy McCracklin, who reached #26 in 1958 with "The Walk," died on December 20, 2012 in San Pablo, California. He was 91 and had suffered from a number of health problems. His biggest hit sounded like this…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjhOyYT0yTQ
Ironically, the two singers who died six days apart both had their main hit on the Checker label.
Fontella Bass was born on July 3, 1940 in St. Louis to a musical family. Her mom sang with the Clara Ward gospel singers. Fontella was playing piano and singing in a St. Louis church choir by the time she was five. R&B singer Little Milton later discovered her singing in church and invited her to sing in his band.
Sources disagree as to whether or not Bass co-wrote "Rescue Me." This writer's song database indicated that the song was co-written by Carl William Smith and Raynard Miner. Whatever the case, "Rescue Me" reached #1 on one R&B chart in addition to making #3 on the Cash Box pop chart. Bass was also confused with Aretha Franklin, who redid "Rescue Me" singing instead "Deliver Me" in a Pizza Hut TV ad in 1991. For sure, "Rescue Me" has also been sung by Linda Ronstadt, Pat Benatar, Cher and Melissa Manchester.
Bass wasn't a one-hit wonder though her other two top 40's are relatively forgotten hits. "Don't Mess Up A Good Thing," a duet with Bobby McClure, was a #29 hit in early 1965. Bass' followup to "Rescue Me," was "Recovery," which barely sneaked into the Top 40 at #38.
Bass was quite feisty. According to the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times, she feuded with her record label over money and artist control matters. She didn't reach an agreement over royalty rights to "Rescue Me" until the late 1980's. She also sued American Express over the use of "Rescue Me" in a commercial. A settlement was reached in 1993.
Like Bass, McCracklin wasn't a one-hit wonder. He had four other songs crack the Cash Box pop chart though none reached higher than #67. According to writer Jim Harrington of the Oakland Tribune, McCracklin was famous for the West Coast Blues sound. He wrote hundreds of songs in a career that spanned nearly 70 years. According to Joel Whitburn's Record Research, Jimmy McCracklin was born James David Walker on August 13, 1921 in Helena, Arkansas. Like Jackie Wilson and Billy Joel, McCracklin was a boxer. Jimmy's boxing career was mainly in the mid-1940's. He recorded first for the Globe label in 1946 and formed his first band, the Blues Bashers, in 1949.
"Jimmy was absolutely one of the greatest songwriters," said Ronnie Stewart, President of the Bay Area Blues Society and the West Coast Blues Hall Of Fame. "So many artists covered Jimmy McCracklin's songs because he was the man." Among the performers to have sung McCracklin's songs were Otis Redding and Bob Dylan. Plus, the Beatles and Rolling Stones were inspired by his work.
Two solo singers best known for one major hit record on the same label seven years apart have passed away during the Christmas time holiday period.
Fontella Bass, who had a #3 hit on the Cash Box pop chart in late 1965 with "Rescue Me," died of a heart attack at a St. Louis hospice facility on Wednesday, December 26, 2012. Her daughter, Neuka Mitchell, said her mother suffered the heart attack three weeks earlier and had suffered from from a series of strokes over the past seven years. Bass was 72…and her biggest hit sounded like this…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwt3kr0_l6I
Jimmy McCracklin, who reached #26 in 1958 with "The Walk," died on December 20, 2012 in San Pablo, California. He was 91 and had suffered from a number of health problems. His biggest hit sounded like this…
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjhOyYT0yTQ
Ironically, the two singers who died six days apart both had their main hit on the Checker label.
Fontella Bass was born on July 3, 1940 in St. Louis to a musical family. Her mom sang with the Clara Ward gospel singers. Fontella was playing piano and singing in a St. Louis church choir by the time she was five. R&B singer Little Milton later discovered her singing in church and invited her to sing in his band.
Sources disagree as to whether or not Bass co-wrote "Rescue Me." This writer's song database indicated that the song was co-written by Carl William Smith and Raynard Miner. Whatever the case, "Rescue Me" reached #1 on one R&B chart in addition to making #3 on the Cash Box pop chart. Bass was also confused with Aretha Franklin, who redid "Rescue Me" singing instead "Deliver Me" in a Pizza Hut TV ad in 1991. For sure, "Rescue Me" has also been sung by Linda Ronstadt, Pat Benatar, Cher and Melissa Manchester.
Bass wasn't a one-hit wonder though her other two top 40's are relatively forgotten hits. "Don't Mess Up A Good Thing," a duet with Bobby McClure, was a #29 hit in early 1965. Bass' followup to "Rescue Me," was "Recovery," which barely sneaked into the Top 40 at #38.
Bass was quite feisty. According to the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times, she feuded with her record label over money and artist control matters. She didn't reach an agreement over royalty rights to "Rescue Me" until the late 1980's. She also sued American Express over the use of "Rescue Me" in a commercial. A settlement was reached in 1993.
Like Bass, McCracklin wasn't a one-hit wonder. He had four other songs crack the Cash Box pop chart though none reached higher than #67. According to writer Jim Harrington of the Oakland Tribune, McCracklin was famous for the West Coast Blues sound. He wrote hundreds of songs in a career that spanned nearly 70 years. According to Joel Whitburn's Record Research, Jimmy McCracklin was born James David Walker on August 13, 1921 in Helena, Arkansas. Like Jackie Wilson and Billy Joel, McCracklin was a boxer. Jimmy's boxing career was mainly in the mid-1940's. He recorded first for the Globe label in 1946 and formed his first band, the Blues Bashers, in 1949.
"Jimmy was absolutely one of the greatest songwriters," said Ronnie Stewart, President of the Bay Area Blues Society and the West Coast Blues Hall Of Fame. "So many artists covered Jimmy McCracklin's songs because he was the man." Among the performers to have sung McCracklin's songs were Otis Redding and Bob Dylan. Plus, the Beatles and Rolling Stones were inspired by his work.
