THE SIGNAL from David Katznelson
"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."--Douglas Adams
In 2007 I started working on a huge music project, looking at the first 125 singles put out by Specialty Records in the late 40s/early 50s. Specialty would go on to sign Little Richard and produce what some consider the first Rock and Roll recording: Tutti Frutti. OK—there is debate here…any music crazoid in any dark bar in any post-Covid time would get in your face over that accusation, saying that Rocket 88 produced by Ike Turner or Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins might also qualify. And they might be correct too.
Regardless, there was something about those early pre-rock ‘n’ roll years of Specialty….where label legend Art Rupe had tons…TONS…of hits on both the secular and gospel sides of the charts—during a time when both sides of that musical coin would aid and abet the rock ‘n’ roll big bang. Specialty stood above all others in its release of hit after hit after hit from the church and from the streets. Songs of spiritual passion, songs of carnal desires…released to radio and hitting the charts simultaneously time and time again.
Between 2007 and 2009 I scanned hundreds of photos and ephemera, commissioned three writers to do deep notes, mapped out a box set that would celebrate those early years and those early artists: it was the biggest project that I had ever embarked on. And then, the label that owned Specialty was sold. And then, the project was put on the deep back burner.
I got a call from an old friend who currently works at the label at the end of last year. 2021 is the 75th anniversary of Specialty Records…and the box set is back on. Over a decade (and two house moves) had gone by and over the past weeks…with a lot of help from my wife (who will be co-producing and designing the project with me)…we found almost everything I had put together from long ago.
There will be a whole lot of Specialty going on in this house over the next few months, most of the work on my side happening after the kids go to sleep, weekends and a few days off here and there. There will probably be less newsletters for a while so I can spend that time to get this box set done. Celebrate Specialty’s 75th…and Art Rupe’s 104th (yes, he is still going strong). I will still be publishing, and if you don’t mind, I will feature some of the extra photos and ephemera that I have dug up over the years as we go (I will put them at the bottom of the newsletter-with song links attached to the artists’ names)…
Let’s start the Specialty celebration now….together…with one of the greatest songs from the bunch, Percy Mayfield’s PLEASE SEND ME SOMEONE TO LOVE>>>>>
Oh yeah…..
Lou Ottens, Inventor of the Audio Cassette Tape, Dead at 94
I never thought of cassettes as something that was “invented.” They were just THERE…there to be eaten by your cassette player right in the middle of your favorite song…there to be used to make a tape of your favorite songs for your friends. What a revolution. Lou Ottens RIP.
The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, in partnership with the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), today announced the winners of the 2021 Ezra Jack Keats Award (EJK Award), as well as five honorees. Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2021, with the theme of “Advancing Diversity in Children’s Literature,” the annual EJK Award honors exceptional early career authors and illustrators for portraying the multicultural nature of our world in the spirit of Ezra Jack Keats.
Bloopers from Elmo and Robin Williams
These bloopers are as incredible as you would expect. Thank you David Pescovitz!
Did John Steinbeck Write a Horror Story About a Kid Being Chewed By Gum?
Great read…
As One Listens To The Rain
By Octavo Paz
Listen to me as one listens to the rain,
not attentive, not distracted,
light footsteps, thin drizzle,
water that is air, air that is time,
the day is still leaving,
the night has yet to arrive,
figurations of mist
at the turn of the corner,
figurations of time
at the bend in this pause,
listen to me as one listens to the rain,
without listening, hear what I say
with eyes open inward, asleep
with all five senses awake,
it's raining, light footsteps, a murmur of syllables,
air and water, words with no weight:
what we are and are,
the days and years, this moment,
weightless time and heavy sorrow,
listen to me as one listens to the rain,
wet asphalt is shining,
steam rises and walks away,
night unfolds and looks at me,
you are you and your body of steam,
you and your face of night,
you and your hair, unhurried lightning,
you cross the street and enter my forehead,
footsteps of water across my eyes,
listen to me as one listens to the rain
(and in spanish--)
Óyeme como quien oye llover,
ni atenta ni distraída,
pasos leves, llovizna,
agua que es aire, aire que es tiempo,
el día no acaba de irse,
la noche no llega todavía,
figuraciones de la niebla
al doblar la esquina,
figuraciones del tiempo
en el recodo de esta pausa,
óyeme como quien oye llover,
sin oírme, oyendo lo que digo
con los ojos abiertos hacia dentro,
dormida con los cinco sentidos despiertos,
llueve, pasos leves, rumor de sílabas,
aire y agua, palabras que no pesan:
lo que fuimos y somos,
los días y los años, este instante,
tiempo sin peso, pesadumbre enorme,
óyeme como quien oye llover,
relumbra el asfalto húmedo,
el vaho se levanta y camina,
la noche se abre y me mira,
eres tú y tu talle de vaho,
tú y tu cara de noche,
tú y tu pelo, lento relámpago,
cruzas la calle y entras en mi frente,
pasos de agua sobre mis párpados,
óyeme como quien oye llover,
el asfalto relumbra, tú cruzas la calle,
es la niebla errante en la noche,
es la noche dormida en tu cama,
es el oleaje de tu respiración,
tus dedos de agua mojan mi frente,
tus dedos de llama queman mis ojos,
tus dedos de aire abren los párpados del tiempo,
manar de apariciones y resurrecciones,
óyeme como quien oye llover,
pasan los años, regresan los instantes,
¿oyes tus pasos en el cuarto vecino?
no aquí ni allá: los oyes
en otro tiempo que es ahora mismo,
oye los pasos del tiempo
inventor de lugares sin peso ni sitio,
oye la lluvia correr por la terraza,
la noche ya es más noche en la arboleda,
en los follajes ha anidado el rayo,
vago jardín a la deriva
—entra, tu sombra cubre esta página.)
The Specialty project sounds amazing! Keep us posted.