Music of Diverse Cultures

Cool Stuff # 2

African American (Blues) & South/Latin America

“Fats” Domino

Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 - October 24, 2017) was one of my favorite rhythm-and-blues artists from New Orleans.  He could sing!!!  He was an African American pianist and singer-songwriter who sold more than 65 million records.  Over 25 of them were gold singles during his career that spanned five decades.  He had eleven Top 10 hits between 1955 and 1960.  Right up there with Elvis, “Fats” was one of the pioneers of rock and roll music.  Some of my favorite songs are “Blueberry Hill,” “I’m Walkin’,” “Ain’t It A Shame,” “Blue Monday,” and “Whole Lotta Loving.”

“Fats Domino was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and during the following year, he won a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.  He was 89 when he died of natural causes at his daughter’s home, who was one of his eight children.  His net worth at his death was approximately $8.0 million! 

“Father of Soul”

Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was another African American singer, song-writer and composer. He was born in Albany, Georgia.  My favorite song of his, during his 58-year career, was “Hit the Road Jack.”  He was an amazing artist that did not let the loss of his eyesight hold him back.  Ray Charles started losing his vision when he was only 6 years old due to glaucoma. 

“Georgia On My Mind” was a 1960 hit that was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.  “Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music” was his first album to hit the top Billboard 200 in 1962.  It was not common for an African American artist to perform country and western music. 

Like “Fats” Domino, Ray Charles was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.  He was a 17-time Grammy Award winner and 10 of his recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Rolling Stone ranked Ray Charles in 2002, #10 on their list of “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”  In 2008, he ranked #2 on their list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.”

On June 14, 1962, Ray Charles was fined $757 in Atlanta after he wouldn’t perform at a dance at Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Georgia.  After letting the public know, he left town because he had learned the larger auditorium floor would be “restricted to whites while the blacks had to sit in the Music Hall balcony.”

Ray Charles was listed among hundreds of artists whose original master recordings were destroyed in the 2008 fire of Universal Studios Hollywood.  It was an American film studio and theme park in Los Angeles County, California.

Ray Charles Robinson died of liver failure in his home at the age of 73.  Numerous musical figures attended his funeral that took place at the First AME Church in Los Angeles.

“Venezuelan friends”

I have some very sweet friends from Venezuela that have opened my eyes to cultures other than mine.  They have great food, music and dance moves.  The youngest, Luna, has a beautiful voice and loves to fish.  Brithany, the eldest, is very intelligent and strives to go to college and major in international business.  Mily, their mom, is a very beautiful lady with a heart of gold.  She has her own business and also takes care of her mother and nana.   

Sadly, I have not seen them recently.  As you have probably seen in the news, their government does not take care of their citizens as they should.  Food, medicine, clothes, gas for their cars, etc. is unaffordable.  The people of their country lead a mass exodus that reminded me of the one I have read about in the bible where Moses lead God’s people out of Egypt to the “promised land.”  America is like the promised land to other countries in the world today.  My friends have a hard time seeing their fellow countrymen suffer while they themselves try to survive.  One day, when it is safe, Lanna and I are going to visit them in Venezuela.