I Sang Back-up for Mahalia Jackson

I Sang Back-up for Mahalia Jackson

By Steve

I love the way our days begin.  Sleep lifts naturally.  The morning light is soft, creeping in around blackout curtains.  We are in no rush.  We talk, enjoy being together and may even take a second sleep.  Most days, lingering in bed is decadence without consequence.  But on our first day in Cleveland we would regret being so slow to rise and commence our day.  Our leisurely pace had us arrive at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a little past noon.  Five fast-hours later the building was closing, and we were politely asked to exit.  Five hours is nowhere near long enough to soak in the history, nostalgia, talent and fun to be found in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  We would be back the next day.

When I first considered visiting the RRHF I was worried that it would prove a bore.  Was it going to be a hundred guitars hanging on the wall?  Keith Richard’s signature on one of them wasn’t going to make it special.  If you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all.  And why is the RRHF in Cleveland?  Cleveland isn’t a city I associate with music.  Shouldn’t a Hall of Fame for music be in Memphis or Nashville or Detroit or New York City?  Was Cleveland just looking for something to do on a hot summer day?

The RRHF sits on the shore of the Lake Erie.  Glass pyramids dominate the modern architecture which sports a wide plaza welcoming music fans.  On our approach to the entrance I stopped to read a historical marker.  Now I understood why the RRHF is in Cleveland.  It read,

Birthplace of Rock ‘N’ Roll

When radio station WJW disc jockey Alan Freed (1921-1963) used the term “rock and roll” to describe the uptempo black rhythm and blues records he played beginning in 1951, he named a new genre of popular music that appealed to audiences on both sides of 1950s American racial boundaries – and dominated American culture for the rest of the 20^th century.  The popularity of Freed’s nightly “Moon Dog House Rock and Roll Party” radio show encouraged him to organize the Moondog Coronation Ball – the first rock concert.  Held at the Cleveland Arena on March 21, 1952, the oversold show was beset by a riot during the first set.  Freed, a charter inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, moved to WINS in New York City in 1954 and continued to promote rock music through radio, television, movies and live performances.

Entering the RRHF you are directed to take the escalator down to level zero.  That’s where you pay, get an armband and then proceed to the first exhibit, The Roots of Rock:  Blues, Gospel, R&B, Country, Bluegrass and Folk.   A wall of photos and biographies gives credit to many 20^th century musicians for creating the foundations of rock and roll.  The biographies describe the influence each artist had on other musicians and the development of rock and roll.  When I came to the photo of Mahalia Jackson I was carried back 58 years to my music career on the Las Vegas Strip when I sang backup for Mahalia.  It was at a Christmas concert, I think at the Desert Inn, but I can’t be sure.  Too many years have gone by.  At age 10, I really didn’t know much about Mahalia Jackson, but I do remember the power of her voice and the excitement of the audience when she walked on stage. 

Mahalia Jackson

           I sang with Mahalia Jackson on or about Christmas time 1960. I was a member of the Evening Optimist Club Boys Choir.  I did not know who she was when she came to rehearse with us in the back of a music store, but my parents told me she was a famous gospel singer and I was lucky to hear her sing. 

Unfortunately, puberty took its toll on my voice and I had to give up my dream of being a rock and roll idol.  Unlucky for me, lucky for Frankie Valli. 

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was made for baby boomers.  Although the roots of rock and roll predate boomers, its identification as a new and distinct style of music emerged in our youth.  A walk through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a walk through our lives. Most of us can remember the early days of rock and roll which included outrage over its pernicious influence.  Politicians and church leaders claimed rock and roll’s glorification of sex and drugs would lead to the downfall of American society and even to Satan worship.  I remember the outrage over John Lennon’s claim that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus.  He took a lot of heat for stating the obvious. 

The RRHF contains many thousands of artifacts but they are only there to highlight a piece of history.  It’s the accompanying written words that stir memories and emotions.  You can see the Asher family piano that Paul McCartney and John Lennon used when composing many of their songs.  John talked about that piano and his collaboration with Paul: 

“We wrote a lot of stuff together, one-on-one, eyeball to eyeball.  Like in ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand,’ I remember when we got the chord that made the song.  We were in Jane Asher’s house, downstairs in the cellar playing on the piano at the same time.  And we had ‘Oh you-u-u… got that something…’ and Paul hits this chord and I turn to him and say, ‘That’s it! I said, ‘Do that again!’  In those days, we really used to absolutely write like that – both playing into each other’s nose.”

Asher Family Piano

This piano can sing but I wish it could talk.  It witnessed many events in the lives of the Beatles and could tell some interesting tales.  The piano belonged to the Asher family and was used by Paul McCartney and John Lennon to compose many of their songs.  Paul lived with the Asher family for 2 years and almost married the Asher family daughter, Jane.  Their relationship is a whole separate story.  Jane’s brother, Peter, was half of the duo, Peter and Gordan.  He was a friend of the Beatles and worked with them at Apple records.  Peter still tours and hosts a show on SiriusXM’s Beatles channel.  When we are driving, Nadene and I usually listen to the Beatles channel and enjoy Peter’s broadcast.  He has many personal stories to tell about the Beatles.  One of them is about his first hit record.  He came across an unfinished song written by Paul.  Paul told him John Lennon didn’t think the song was right for the Beatles and it was available to him if he wanted it.  A little while later Peter and Gordon were spotted in a club by a producer from EMI and asked if they had a song they would like to record.  Peter remembered the unfinished song and asked Paul if it was still available.  Paul said yes, wrote out the words and chords and gave it to Peter.  Peter and Gordon went on to record “World Without End” and it became number one in the UK and US.  

Some of the artifacts recall tragedy, such as pieces of airplane wreckage carrying the name Otis Redding.  An accompanying photo shows the airplane being recovered from the lake where it went down a few miles short of its destination.  Otis died in the crash, along with six others.  One band member survived.  Otis had just performed in Cleveland and was on his way to Madison Wisconsin for another performance.  He had recorded “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” three days before he died.  It became Redding’s only single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the first posthumous number-one single in U.S. chart history.

There is a lot to see in the RRHF but the real magic has to be heard. Headsets are everywhere and give you a chance to hear the songs that put musicians in the Hall of Fame.  The third floor Hall of Fame Exhibit honors every inductee.  At individual video monitors you can select a musician and see their induction ceremony and performance.  Watch Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel accept their awards and talk about each other.  Paul betrays bitterness in his words and Art hints at sorrow.  At least that is my impression.  I am sure their relationship was and is more complex than I could ever know.  I would see them in another performance that took place many years after their induction.  They seemed to be at peace with themselves and each other. 

Boomers should not miss the video about American Bandstand.  Performing on American Bandstand was a breakthrough accomplishment for any musician.  As I watched the video I remembered seeing some of the performances 50+ years ago.  Sometimes the performers were already well known but Dick Clark also found singers who were just starting out and only hoping to make it big.  In November 1957 two singers calling themselves “Tom and Jerry” appeared.  They would later be known as Simon and Garfunkel.  Sonny and Cher, The Jackson 5, Aerosmith and Prince all made their first TV appearance on American Bandstand.  Dick Clark’s reign on American Bandstand lasted 30 years, during which he never got older. 

The highlight of the RRHF, at least for me, was the 4-hour showing of the 25^th Anniversary Concert held in Madison Square Garden in October 2009.  Some people call it “the best concert ever.”  I agree.  We walked into the theatre part way through the showing.  Bono and Mick Jagger were singing “Stuck In A Moment.”  Captions were flashing across the bottom of the screen.  They did not distract, instead they added meaning to each performance.  Too often it is easy to miss the words of a song.  But when you see and hear them and feel the emotion expressed by the singer the song takes on a deeper meaning.  It becomes more than a tune, it’s poetry. 

When I first saw Bono and Jagger on the screen I thought, “This is going to be special.”  One great performance was followed by another.  Segments would be anchored by a solo musician or group and they would introduce and perform with other icons of the music world.  We would be run out of the theatre when the RRHF closed at 5:30 pm.  Having missed so much of the concert we decided to return the next day.  I am so glad we did.  This group of performers will never be seen together again:  Crosby, Stills and Nash, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Annie Lenox, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, U2, Mick Jagger, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, BB King, Smokey Robinson, Sting, Aretha Franklin, Jeff Beck and a few others I can’t remember.  This show by itself is worth the price of admission.

    Sir Michael Philip Jagger and Sir Paul David Hewson sing “Stuck In A Moment” at the 25^th Anniversary Concert.  When you watch Sir Michael prance around the stage it is hard to believe he is a great-grandfather.  Bono is known as much for his philanthropic work as his music. Amazingly, U2 has been together for more than 40 years.  

Stevie Wonder sings with John Legend.  Stevie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.  John Legend will be eligible in 2028.  Artists become eligible 25 years after release of their first album. 

In July 1969 I was in Seattle on a summer training cruise for midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy.  I went to a concert by the Supremes.  I remember Diana Ross walking Little Stevie Wonder to center stage to perform.  It is the only part of the concert I remember.  

        Bonnie Raitt singing with David Crosby and Graham Nash. Later, they would be joined by           

Bruce  Springsteen.  

 The Beatles have a prominent place at the RRHF.  Paul, John, George and Ringo have all been inducted into the RRHF as the Beatles and as individual artists. Just to the right of this display is a large monitor surrounded by backlighted replicas of every album recorded by them. As each album is illuminated, a mini-documentary plays on the monitor.  Fun to watch. Fun to be a Beatle.  

BB King

BB King, “King of the Blues,” performing at the 25^th Anniversary Concert with Stevie Wonder.  

There is a lot more to see and hear than what I have described.  I strongly recommend that you travel to Cleveland to see and hear for yourself.  We’ve had great fun seeing the wonders of nature.  Yellowstone is magnificent and the Grand Canyon awe inspiring in its scope.  The magnificent talent you will see at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is just as awe inspiring. 

Nadene writes:

His Eye is On the Sparrow

I did not know who Patti Smith was until I had lunch with her in NYC in 2014. I had been invited to speak about Midwives For Haiti at a fund-raising luncheon at Michael’s (fabulous restaurant near Times Square) for Every Mother Counts. I do not even have the right clothes for such an event so I was a bit nervous. When Christy Turlington Burns introduced the entertainment, this older woman with long gray hair and all black clothes stood up to sing and got situated behind the mic with her guitar. Her daughter sat behind her at a small keyboard. She sang two songs. I looked them up on the way home and realized I had just met a legend.

My only picture of Patti Smith singing at Michael's Restaurant in NYC

A couple of years later, Patti Smith sang one of Bob Dylan’s songs for him when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his poetry and could not make it to the award ceremony.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=941PHEJHCwU.

She forgot some words - there in front of kings and queens! - but still sang “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” in a way that made me weep, partly because the words are so timeless. Now I am still not a fan of most of her music, but after reading her story of living with Robert Maplethorpe in NYC, in unbelievable poverty, in “Just Kids” I am humbled by her strength and audacity to be different.

The fact that we were at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland while Aretha Franklin was in hospice 2 days before she died made her seem larger than life to us. The first song I remember hearing Aretha Franklin sing was “His Eye is On the Sparrow” and I once had it memorized. Aretha Franklin was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That was in 1987.

In case you wonder what a gospel singer is doing in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Patti Smith, you need to visit there in Cleveland, Ohio. We learned that Rock and Roll was born out of a combination of Gospel, Rhythm and Blues, Jazz, Folk, and Country, We were reminded that when Rock and Roll first started it was called “the Devil’s music, evil, and a conspiracy to bring communism to the country. It is no wonder our parents were appalled. I mean with lyrics like “Hunk a Burning Love” (Elvis) and “I Got a Man called Mr. Feel Good” (Aretha Franklin) it was no wonder. Pictures of teens in a frenzy and totally obsessed with Elvis or the Beatles frightened “grown-ups”. I remember hanging out around the cars on a summer evening after church hearing  the older teens discussing that the song “I Think We’re Alone Now” was banned from local radio stations. That made it even more likely they would find ways to hear it.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has quotes from Senators and President Reagan condemning R&R music and forming committees to discuss how to rid the country of its influence. We all know Rock and Roll has frequently been political, as during the Vietnam War years . And quotes scripture in the most obscure places – like “separate the wheat from the chaff” in “Almost Cut My Hair” by Crosby, Stills and Nash. And then there was Woodstock - “We are Stardust, We are Golden, and we’ve got to get ourselves back to the Garden”. Most recently Bono and U2 are known for their social justice lyrics. I cannot get into any metal or “hard rock” or rap music—although grandson Alan introduced me to Mackelmore, which is rap I can tolerate.

Watch Aretha Franklin sing “Think” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY66elCQkYk&t=22s  or “Natural Woman” and you feel the power music has given women. Watch “Wild Horses” sung by a group of stars led by Keith Richards on YouTube and you feel the power of love.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2sNYUQlV7c

There are songs that make you want to dance and songs that make you want to cry and songs that make you feel love for everyone. And songs that bring back memories… We experienced all of that in the 2 days at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

One of the highlights of the 2 days we spent at the R&R Hall of Fame was watching sections of the concert performed in Madison Square Garden in 2005 for the 25^th Anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  There was a song that Mick Jagger sang with Bono of U2 that would have coaxed anyone going through a bad time off a bridge. We listened to it twice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN9Xbinf1LU

And if the night runs over
And if the day won't last
And if our way should falter
Along the stony pass……..