BOARDSIES DECIDE: Best Song Ever By Black/Partly Black Music Act.

the purple tin

Tracy Chapman

JohnGreenFan

Otis Redding

Reberetta

Thanks to everyone who voted today. Back tomorrow sometime after 12pm with 4th round and 16 more matches-and some fun facts if I'm not preoccupied with watching the snooker!;)

It will be first to 6 votes again.


Third Round Results

Curtis Mayfield  Move On Up  3-6 Prince  When Doves Cry
Cameo Word Up 6-3 Michael Jackson Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
Stevie Wonder Superstition 1-6 Bill Withers Lean On Me  
Fats Domino Blueberry Hill 1-6 Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Edwin Starr War 3-6  Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance With Somebody
The Ronettes Be My Baby 6-5 Nina Simone My Baby Just Cares For Me
Prince 1999 6-4 Barrett Strong Money (That's What I Want)
The Jacksons I Want You Back 6-4 Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child

Ray Charles Hit The Road Jack! 3-6 The Supremes You Can't Hurry Love
Chic Le Freak 6-1 Muddy Waters Mannish Boy
Soul 2 Soul Back To Life 6-3 Lenny Kravitz Fly Away
The Drifters Under The Boardwalk 4-6 En Vogue feat. Salt N Pepa Whatta Man

Gloria Gaynor I Will Survive 6-3 Neneh Cherry Buffalo Stance  
Nina Simone Feelin Good 3-6 Aretha Franklin Respect  
Seal Crazy 4-6 Eagle Eye Cherry Save Tonight
Marvin Gaye Let's Get It On 6-5 Michael Jackson Thriller

Nat King Cole The Christmas Song 1-6  James Brown This is a Man's Man's Man's World
OutKast Ms. Jackson 3-6 Jimi Hendrix All Along The Watchtower  
Louis Armstrong  What a Wonderful World 2-6 Ben E. King Stand By Me
Michael Jackson Beat It 1-6  Bill Withers Ain't No Sunshine

Massive Attack Unfinished Sympathy 6-3  Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg Still D.R.E 
Coolio feat. L.V. Gangsta's Paradise 4-6 Bob Marley No Woman No Cry
Alicia Keys Fallin 6-0  v Michael Kiwanuka  Cold Little Heart
Sam & Dave Soul Man 5 -6 Isaac Hayes Theme From Shaft

The Supremes You Keep Me Hanging On 6-2   Blackstreet feat. Dr. Dre & Queen Pen No Diggity
Jackie Wilson (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher 6-1  Boney M Daddy Cool
Prince Let's Go Crazy 6-2 The Four Tops Reach Out I'll Be There
Wilson Pickett In The Midnight Hour 4-6 James Brown I Got You (I Feel Good)

James Brown Sex Machine 6-1 Bobby McFerrin Don't Worry Be Happy
Aretha Franklin I Say A Little Prayer  6-0 Alicia Keys  No One
Rick James Super Freak 4-6 Tracy Chapman Fast Car
The Temptations Papa Was A Rolling Stone 4-6 Otis Redding (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay

Zaph

Reberetta wrote: »

Rick James Super Freak 4-6 Tracy Chapman Fast Car

Declan A Walsh

So let's see who did not get nominated at all - given the quantity of songs they had, or a specific well-known song.

No Nominations:
1. Hot Chocolate had a load of hits throughout the 1970s and in the early 1980s. They were a multi-racial band led by Jamaican Errol Brown. One of their songs - Everyone's a Winner - was on my short list but missed out in the end. Their most played and re-released song is of course You Sexy Thing.

2. The Equals (featuring Eddy Grant): Baby Come Back

3. Eddy Grant: his big hit I Don't Wanna Dance being an obvious one

4. Joan Armatrading - I would have nominated Love and Affection, but there are plenty of others.

5. Dionne Warwicke

6. Denise Williams - Free

7. The Foundations - Baby Now That I've Found You, Build Me Up Buttercup

8. M People

9. Thin Lizzy or solo Phil Lynott - mistaken for white?

10. The Real Thing - their biggest hit was You to Me are Everything

11. UB40?? - they were multi-racial. Their black vocalist Astro does the lead on Rat in Mi Kitchen and a rap on the extended version of Red Red Wine.

Now look at others who you might have thought would have had more nominations because of the amount of material they put out.....

More Nominations?:
1.Stevie Wonder - loads of hits spanning the '60s, '70s and '80s.

2. Janet Jackson - think she had one nomination - otherwise should be under No Nominations!

3. Whitney Houston - for example: I Will Always Love You, but loads more hits

4. Sade - for example, none of her singles from her debut album Diamond Life, such as Smooth Operator and Your Love is King

5. Will Smith (with or without DJ Jazzy Jeff) - at least one more anyway: Getting Jiggy With It - it was on my shortlist.

6. Diana Ross - Yes, I know she featured in nominations for The Supremes, a duet with Marvin Gaye and one solo (Love Hangover): the last two I nominated! However, she had a load of solo hits spread across the 1970s and 1980s, including her massive hit with the Bee Gees penned Chain Reaction.


Note: I'm not necessarily saying I would nominate all of these myself!

ShaneU

3 Prince songs through :mad: knocking out two of my nominations :mad:

Most overrated artist ever!

Declan A Walsh

ShaneU wrote: »

3 Prince songs through :mad: knocking out two of my nominations :mad:

Most overrated artist ever!

Prince was a musical genius. I did not like all his stuff but one of the songs in question was one of my nominations!

I can't deny that Prince got a few nominations but I'm surprised that his '90s stuff did not really get a look in: Diamonds and Pearls album or The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.

Zaph

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

So let's see who did not get nominated at all - given the quantity of songs they had, or a specific well-known song.

This is the one song I was surprised wasn't nominated at all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bCdrDhUjPo

Reberetta

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

So let's see who did not get nominated at all - given the quantity of songs they had, or a specific well-known song.

No Nominations:
1. Hot Chocolate had a load of hits throughout the 1970s and in the early 1980s. They were a multi-racial band led by Jamaican Errol Brown. One of their songs - Everyone's a Winner - was on my short list but missed out in the end. Their most played and re-released song is of course You Sexy Thing.

Definitely one that deserved inclusion.

Dionne Warwicke

I included Walk On By.

The Foundations- Build Me Up Buttercup

I might have included this classic but they're a bit too white.

M People

No. Just no.

Thin Lizzy or solo Phil Lynott - mistaken for white?

Thin Lizzy too white. Solo stuff ain't that good in my opinion.

The Real Thing - their biggest hit was You to Me are Everything

I thought about them-but I don't like that song at all.

UB40?? - they were multi-racial. Their black vocalist Astro does the lead on Rat in Mi Kitchen and a rap on the extended version of Red Red Wine.

Too white, like Thin Lizzy.

Diana Ross - Yes, I know she featured in nominations for The Supremes, a duet with Marvin Gaye and one solo (Love Hangover): the last two I nominated! However, she had a load of solo hits spread across the 1970s and 1980s, including her massive hit with the Bee Gees penned Chain Reaction.

I think Diana is the most featured artist so she can't complain!

The rest of your suggestions, I'm not too familiar with; or we can probably live without.

One song I realized too late that I should have included is Rose Royce Carwash.

It's difficult to fit everyone in, a plentiful amount of good music produced by black people, we'd be here forever!:D

Zaph wrote: »

This is the one song I was surprised wasn't nominated at all

Someone nominated The Message otherwise I might have included White Lines. The Message is considered more significant but I prefer White Lines myself.

the purple tin

I think there was a good selection of styles across the board: blues, soul, rap, funk, pop, rock n roll.
The talent in this contest was way better than in the best music act contest, it was a wee bit predictable (rock, alt rock etc).

Irish Aris

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

More Nominations?:
2. Janet Jackson - think she had one nomination - otherwise should be under No Nominations!

3. Whitney Houston - for example: I Will Always Love You, but loads more hits

4. Sade - for example, none of her singles from her debut album Diamond Life, such as Smooth Operator and Your Love is King

Note: I'm not necessarily saying I would nominate all of these myself!

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

Prince was a musical genius. I did not like all his stuff but one of the songs in question was one of my nominations!

I can't deny that Prince got a few nominations but I'm surprised that his '90s stuff did not really get a look in: Diamonds and Pearls album or The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.

I expected I Will Always Love You to be nominated, so I opted for I Wanna Dance With Somebody which is my favourite Whitney song.
I nominated Smooth Operator but it went out early.
As for Janet Jackson, it was one of the last artists/songs to eliminate from my nominations, but I have opted for a song from the Rhythm Nation album.

And I agree that Prince was a genius. I do like some of his 90's music, especially the first 3 albums (Graffitti Bridge is a really underrated album), I think though that the 80s were his imperial phase, with masterpiece after masterpiece.

Reberetta

Stay tuned-Next round coming up sometime in the afternoon.

Fun Facts

Nina Simone Feelin Good & My Baby Just Cares For Me
The singer was born as Eunice Waymon on February 21, 1933. “Nina” was her boyfriend’s nickname for her at the time. “Simone” was inspired by Simone Signoret, an actress that the singer admired.

She never had a number one hit. She released over 40 albums during her decades-spanning career and scored 15 Grammy nominations. But her highest-charting (and her first) hit, “I Loves You, Porgy,” peaked at #2 on the U.S.

At the age of 12, Simone refused to play at a church revival because her parents had to sit at the back of the hall. From then on, Simone used her art to take a stand. When she had been fed up with the country’s racial unrest, she penned Mississippi Goddam , her 1964 anthem, which some radio stations refused to play. Some say that the song was banned in Southern radio stations because “goddam” was in the title. But others argue that the subject matter is what caused the stations to return the records cracked in half.

During the late '60s, Simone and her second husband Andrew Stroud lived next to Malcolm X and his family in Mount Vernon, New York.

In 2010, an 8-foot sculpture of Simone was erected in her hometown of Tryon, North Carolina. Her likeness stands tall in Nina Simone Plaza, where she’s seated and playing an eternal song on a keyboard that floats in midair. Her daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, gave sculptor Zenos Frudakis some of Simone’s ashes to weld into the sculpture’s bronze heart. "It's not something very often done, but I thought it was part of the idea of bringing her home," Frudakis said.


Fats Domino Blueberry Hill
Many artists recorded this before Domino, mostly orchestras. In 1940, it was a #2 US hit for Glenn Miller. That same year, Russ Morgan, Gene Krupa and Kay Kyser all recorded it with their orchestras. Louis Armstrong did the song with Gordon Jenkins and his orchestra in 1949; this version was re-released in 1956, going to #29 in America. Other artists to cover the song include Elvis Presley (on his 1957 album Loving You), The Beach Boys, Andy Williams, Kiki, Cliff Richard, Bruce Cockburn.

Ray Manzarek of The Doors admitted on his BBC Radio 2 program that the baseline to "Light My Fire" was based on this song.

By 1960 Fats was rivalling Elvis Presley as one of the world’s top selling rock artists. Between 1955 and 1963 Fats Domino had 35 Top 40 US singles.

He had eight children and all their names began with the letter A!!

He lived in New Orleans. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and his house was ruined and most of his possessions, including his gold and platinum discs were destroyed by the floods.


Barrett Strong Money (That's What I Want)
Berry Gordy, creator of Motown Records, wrote this song with Janie Bradford.

The lyrics to this song came out of one of Berry Gordy's favorite songwriting techniques: he would ask questions and try to answer them. The question was "What do people want most?" According to Janie Bradford, Gordy would ask these questions out loud, and she's the one who answered "money - that's what I want" in response. Gordy came up with what would become the first and third verses, and she found the second verse, with the line, "Your love gives me such a thrill, but your love can't pay my bills."

This song was covered by, amongst others, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones & The Flying Lizards ( Their version was recorded in one day in the band leader David Cunningham's living room and hit no.5 in UK charts).

This was the only hit for Barrett Strong as an artist, but he wrote many classic songs with fellow Motown writer Norman Whitfield, including "Papa Was A Rollin' Stone," "War" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Growing up, Strong was a member of a gospel group called The Strong Singers. He was just 18 when he recorded "Money."


Ray Charles Hit The Road Jack!
This anthem was written by Ray's good friend Percy Mayfield, an R&B singer. He first recorded it in 1960 as an a cappella demo sent to Art Rupe. After he was badly disfigured in a car accident soon after he started performing, Mayfield cut back his touring and made his mark as a prolific songwriter, with many of his compositions performed by Charles. This was the winner of the 1961 Grammy for Best Male Rhythm and Blues Recording. It hit No. 1 in the US charts. The Chantels released an answer song, "Well, I Told You" which charted at #29.


The Drifters There Goes My Baby & Under The Boardwalk
The Drifters cracked the top 10 of the pop singles chart in 1959 with “There Goes My Baby” (remembered for its innovative use of strings and Latin rhythms).

The session to record Under The Boardwalk was scheduled for May 20, 1964, but The Drifters lead singer Rudy Lewis was found dead that morning (the cause of death is unclear, but likely either a drug overdose or heart attack). The session was rescheduled for the next day, and Johnny Moore was called in to replace Lewis. Moore was with The Drifters in 1958 when their manager fired everyone in the band and brought in new members. He was a convenient replacement for Lewis, and stayed on as their main vocalist.

The group was distraught over Lewis' death, and their subsequent performance added a tinge of melancholy to the song, which is about spending some time under a seaside boardwalk with a love interest, out of sight from the crowds above.

Many artists have covered Under The Boardwalk, including The Rolling Stones, John Mellencamp, The Jackson 5, and Bruce Willis.

They continued their string of hits, benefiting from the songwriting prowess of teams such as Carole King and Gerry Goffin and Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus.

The Drifters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.


Wilson Pickett In The Midnight Hour
Pickett wrote this with guitarist Steve Cropper, who wrote and produced many of the soul classics for Stax Records. Cropper played guitar on the Stax session band, Booker T. and The MGs. It was written at the Lorraine Motel, which was located near the Stax studios in Memphis. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot there while standing on the balcony.

"In The Midnight Hour," was Pickett's breakout hit. Atlantic Records gave Pickett the nickname "The Wicked Pickett" after this was released. They used it to promote him, claiming he got it because of his prowess with the ladies. Pickett lived up to the nickname - he spent some time in jail and struggled with drug use before his death in 2006 at age 64.He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991.


The Four Tops Reach Out I'll Be There & I Can't Help Myself (Sigar pie Honey Bunch)
The Motown songwriting team of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland (Holland-Dozier-Holland) wrote Reach Out I'll Be There. Dozier explained: "Brian, Eddie and I often had discussions about what women really want most of all from a man, and after talking about some of our experiences with women, we all three agreed that they wanted someone to be there for them, through thick or thin, and be there at their beck and call! Thus this song was born."

Holland-Dozier-Holland team also produced the songs they wrote. For this one, they told lead singer Levi Stubbs to sing like Bob Dylan on "Like a Rolling Stone," which explains the urgency in his lyrics. Phil Spector once described it as "black Dylan." Telma Hopkins and Joyce Vincent sang backup. They later went on to form the successful vocal trio Dawn along with Tony Orlando.

The Four Tops recorded this in just two takes, and had practically forgotten about the song until it was released, assuming it was a "throwaway" album track. Motown boss Berry Gordy had other ideas and released it as a single. Gordy had a knack for identifying hit songs.

This song has an interesting chart history in the UK: The original hit #1 in 1966, Gloria Gaynor took a disco version to #14 in 1975, a remix of the Four Tops version by the production team Stock, Aitken & Waterman went to #11 in 1988, and Michael Bolton's version hit #37 in 1993.

It was just the second Motown song to hit #1 in the UK, following "Baby Love" by The Supremes, which reached the summit in 1964.


Bobby McFerrin Don't Worry Be Happy
This song reached #1 on the US Hot 100, which is astounding for a song sung a cappella (without instruments). McFerrin recorded it using only his body to make all the sounds. This is the only a cappella song to reach #1 in the US. That sound was big in the '50s and '60s among doo-wop groups, but fell out of favor in the '70s, and by the '80s was often a novelty.Prior to "Don't Worry Be Happy," the biggest a cappella hit in the US was a cover of the '60s hit "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by a Canadian group called The Nylons, which reached #12.

The phrase "Don't Worry Be Happy" was used in some cases to criticize people with a rosy outlook on the world, as if they were oblivious to problems. The most notable use of the phrase in this context came from the rap group Public Enemy in their song "Fight The Power" when vocalist Chuck D declared: "Don't Worry Be Happy was a number one jam. Damn, if I say it you can slap me right here." Chuck later explained that he had no animosity toward McFerrin or this song, but was using the phrase as a call to action.

Robin Williams appears in the video, as does the lesser-known comedian Bill Irwin.

This won Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Performance and Song Of The Year in 1989.


The Temptations My Girl & Papa Was A Rolling Stone
Originally called the Elgins, the Temptations were formed in 1961 from the coupling of two vocal groups based in Detroit—the Primes, originally from Alabama, and the Distants. That same year they signed with Motown.

After a slow start—with the addition of David Ruffin and largely under the direction of songwriter-producers Smokey Robinson and Norman Whitfield—the Temptations turned out a string of romantic hits, , including My Girl. In the late 1960s they shifted to a more funk-oriented sound and to more socially conscious material when Whitfield became the group’s producer and principal songwriter (along with partner Barrett Strong), including the Grammy winning Papa Was A Rolling Stone.

They continued performing and recording into the 21st century but never regained the form that had earned them induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. The group was honoured with a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2013.

Paul Williams, one of the original singers, committed suicide shortly after he retired from the group due to health problems and other differences. The circumstances surrounding Williams's death caused the Williams family to suspect that some form of foul play was the actual cause of Williams's death. According to the coroner, Williams had used his right hand to shoot himself on the left side of his head. In addition, a bottle of alcohol was found near Williams's left side, as if he had dropped it while being shot. The gun used in the shooting was found to have fired two shots, only one of which had killed Williams.

Declan A Walsh

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

So let's see who did not get nominated at all - given the quantity of songs they had, or a specific well-known song.

No Nominations:


8. M People




Note: I'm not necessarily saying I would nominate all of these myself!

Reberetta wrote: »

No. Just no.


It's difficult to fit everyone in, a plentiful amount of good music produced by black people, we'd be here forever!:D

.

As I said, I was not suggesting that I liked all those acts or songs. I was just pointing out the well-known ones that you might possibly have expected to see. I would not have nominated M People myself!

the purple tin

Best of all, nobody nominated the Lighthouse Family

Irish Aris

the purple tin wrote: »

Best of all, nobody nominated the Lighthouse Family

were they that popular back in the day? They were a non-event in Greece, I don't think I could name one of their songs.

the purple tin

Irish Aris wrote: »

were they that popular back in the day? They were a non-event in Greece, I don't think I could name one of their songs.

They were a one hit wonder 'Lifted' from 1995.
The thing is that bloody song was on seriously heavy rotation for years and years, you still hear it now from time to time.
It is a pleasant suprise that they weren't in the contest as a certain wag was threatening to enter them

Declan A Walsh

the purple tin wrote: »

They were a one hit wonder 'Lifted' from 1995.
The thing is that bloody song was on seriously heavy rotation for years and years, you still hear it now from time to time.
It is a pleasant suprise that they weren't in the contest as a certain wag was threatening to enter them

I'm not a fan of them but they were not a one hit wonder. They had a number of hits including Ocean Drive, Raincloud and High, to name but a few.

the purple tin

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

I'm not a fan of them but they were not a one hit wonder. They had a number of hits including Ocean Drive, Raincloud and High, to name but a few.

Oh, i've never heard those ones before thank God

Zaph

the purple tin wrote: »

Oh, i've never heard those ones before thank God

They all pretty much sound the same as Lifted, so basically a one hit wonder.

Kolido

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

I'm not a fan of them but they were not a one hit wonder. They had a number of hits including Ocean Drive, Raincloud and High, to name but a few.

High is a brilliant tune, my fav from them. Saying that, I only know 2 songs.

On a separate note, how far did charles.and eddie get, prettty sure I nominated them but Ove missed quite a bit of this contest, its moving quite fast

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Kolido wrote: »

On a separate note, how far did charles.and eddie get, prettty sure I nominated them but Ove missed quite a bit of this contest, its moving quite fast

Eliminated in Round 1 if I remember correctly. Fairly certain they were up against one of my own nominations (which all made it through to Round 2) and I remember thinking it was a shame to have to vote against Charles and Eddie, as I do like that song.

The J Stands for Jay

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

I'm not a fan of them but they were not a one hit wonder. They had a number of hits including Ocean Drive, Raincloud and High, to name but a few.

Those are all the same song with different names.

Edit: beaten to it

Reberetta

Kolido wrote: »

High is a brilliant tune, my fav from them. Saying that, I only know 2 songs.

On a separate note, how far did charles.and eddie get, prettty sure I nominated them but Ove missed quite a bit of this contest, its moving quite fast

Exited lamely in a fifty minute time-limit first round contest.

Vanessa Williams Colors Of The Wind 2-1 Charles & Eddy Would I Lie To You

Shame, it's a great song.

Reberetta

Round 4, first to 6 votes advances.

ROUND 4
 Prince  When Doves Cry v Cameo Word Up

 

Bill Withers Lean On Me  v Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Prince When Doves Cry v Cameo Word Up 
Bill Withers Lean On Me  v Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine

First to 6 votes advances.

 

Prince When Doves Cry
Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Irish Aris

Ah, things really get serious. . .

Prince When Doves Cry v Cameo Word Up - both my nominations, but we already lost Purple Rain, so we need When Doves Cry for at least another round.
Bill Withers Lean On Me v Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine - both great songs, Lean On Me has really grown on me during this competition.

Zaph

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

Prince When Doves Cry
Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Same as Strawbs for me please

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Irish Aris wrote: »

Ah, things really get serious. . .

Prince When Doves Cry v Cameo Word Up - both my nominations, but we already lost Purple Rain, so we need When Doves Cry for at least another round.
Bill Withers Lean On Me v Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine - both great songs, Lean On Me has really grown on me during this competition.

Same as Aris for me please

The J Stands for Jay

Prince When Doves Cry
Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Kolido

Prince When Doves Cry
Marvin Gaye I Heard It Through The Grapevine, a potential overall winner for me.