Mary Wells “He Holds His Own” (From the LP Mary Wells Sings My Guy, 1964) Today we celebrate what would have been the 72nd Birthday of The First Queen of Motown, Mary Wells. From 1960 through 1964, with from her fiery self penned debut to her swinging #1 Swan Song, she was the prized possession that…
Category: Soul Birthday
Stevie Wonder “I Gave Up Quality For Quantity” (1965, Unreleased. From Cellarful of Motown, Volume 2, 2005)
Stevie Wonder “I Gave Up Quality For Quantity” (1965, Unreleased. From Cellarful of Motown, Volume 2, 2005) Motown has two Taurus legends that celebrate birthdays on May 13th, so we’re gonna take a full 48 hours to pay proper tribute to both. First up, we’re paying tribute to Stevie Wonder on the eve of his…
Jimmy Ruffin “On The Avenue” (1965, Unreleased. From Cellarful of Motown, Volume #1, 2002)
Jimmy Ruffin “On The Avenue” (1965, Unreleased. From Cellarful of Motown, Volume #1, 2002) Today we celebrate the Senior Brother Ruffin on what would have been his 78th Birthday. Like his brother David, he found his way by serendipity to be a part of the Motown machine (kind of like how Joe Stubbs followed brother…
Lesley Gore “Happiness Is Just Around The Corner” (1966, Unreleased. From Lesley Gore – The Mercury Anthology, 1995)
Lesley Gore “Happiness Is Just Around The Corner” (1966, Unreleased. From Lesley Gore – The Mercury Anthology, 1995) It’s been one of the more devastating deaths this year when it comes to Queer Icons, but the sparkle and light of Lesley Gore still shines on. Starting with her understandable petulant #1 debut and continuing for…
Tammi Terrell “My Heart” (1966 Unreleased, From Cellarful of Motown Volume 2, 2005)
Tammi Terrell “My Heart” (1966 Unreleased, From Cellarful of Motown Volume 2, 2005) It was a little hard to think of a choice for celebrating Tammi Terrell’s 70th Birthday. Surprisingly, although she didn’t have a super huge Solo catalog like a number of her contemporaries, she did record for a healthy portion of the 1960s…
Francine Barker “Don’t You Know Love When You See It” (Columbia 44614, 1968)
Francine Barker “Don’t You Know Love When You See It” (Columbia 44614, 1968) It shouldn’t be surprising that back to back are two birthdays of the two most prominent R&B Duet partners of the late 1960s. And, of course, chances are you know little about their own careers away from their duet partners. Francine Hurd…
Dusty Springfield “I Can’t Wait Until I See My Baby’s Face” (From the LP Where Am I Going? 1967)
Dusty Springfield “I Can’t Wait Until I See My Baby’s Face” (From the LP Where Am I Going? 1967) I wouldn’t be the well rounded nearly 33 year old Queerling without the monumental vinyl coaching on life, love, regret and happiness that one Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien gave me starting in my Pre-Teen years….
Carmen McRae “I’m Always Drunk In San Francisco” (Atlantic 2485-B, 1968)
Carmen McRae “I’m Always Drunk In San Francisco” (Atlantic 2485-B, 1968) Always glamorous with a slightly gutsy glide to her voice, Carmen McRae blurred the lines of what it meant to be a Jazz vocalist in a very Queer way. Today would have been her 95th Birthday, but she left behind a rather epic catalog…
Marvin Gaye “For The Both Of Us I’ll Be Concerned” (1971, Unreleased. From Love Starved Heart: Rare And Unreleased, 1994)
Marvin Gaye “For The Both Of Us I’ll Be Concerned” (1971, Unreleased. From Love Starved Heart: Rare And Unreleased, 1994) It’s perhaps the more bittersweet soulful moments of Spring. Perhaps the most everlastingly cruel April Fools Joke. A Day before his 45th Birthday, the complex relationship between Marvin Gaye Jr. and Sr. was cemented forever…
DJ Larsupreme 