Aretha Franklin. Maureen McGovern. Cherie and Marie Currie. (I think the last name is spelled that way, though I'm not sure -- might be Curry. It's been a long time since I thought about those two).
Love Etta James. I saw her live at the Long Beach blues festival way back in the day. She needed a bit of help up the stage steps but once she was up there it’s like a switch flipped and she magically got younger before our eyes and ears. Incredible!
I saw her at the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival (Oregon) in the circa 1996, great performance. She did have limited mobility then and she was on a stool at center stage. But she commanded the whole performance and was a force still.
Superb episode on one of the greatest singers to ever live. Saw Etta live a bunch, just astounding was her range and depth. Fortunate to live not far from FAME Studios, and have met and talked with Rick Hall and many of the guys on the “Tell Mama” session. Rick could cut a hit on the guy repairing your toilet, but when he got hold of Etta, it was “game on.” Way to go, Warren…come back to Alabama any time…there are people here who sing and play so good your hair will stand on end! Cheers!
A few years ago I was obsessed with vocal ranges and I searched up Etta James' vocal range and there was a video showcasing it, and I was of course amazed at her voice, the longevity and expressiveness of it, but I was also shook at the range of genres she covered. I mean, she did everything. That led me to getting a hold of her entire discography, and it took me a couple years to properly digest it all and give each album time to be absorbed, so to speak, but I remember how much it blew my mind as I went through them and still does to this day how huge her genre range was. Another thing that also surprised me a lot was how much you can tell how she was doing at the time of each album based on its general sound. The production as a whole gets incredibly dark in the last few projects before she almost lost her career in the early 80s and when she returned the sound was so much brighter and upbeat, matching her frame of mind as well
What a great voice and performer ! Love 'At last' (so soulful) and her slow blues version of Rolling Stones' 'Miss you' (she magnified the original !).
It's so great to hear you talk about album back covers. I spent most of my early teenage years analyzing them and slowly building a sort of web of musicians in my head, which eventually led to discovering neighbouring projects. Etta James singing has a way to touch my soul in a special way.
Wonderful vid Warren, takes me back...way back. A personal favourite of mine is from the album Come a little closer and the song You give me what I want. This is a funk classic and I guess little known these days. Bought the album in 1974 as an import, how times have changed.
What always gets me about famous studios is not the music or the musicians. The thing that gets me is how acoustics shape those rooms and that studios can be instruments themselves.
Great video, thanks Warren! Etta James is one of all-time favourite singers and we covered many of her songs in various cover bands I played in. She has a power in her voice that tells you this woman's for real, that the feeling comes from hard experiences and things she's seen. And like Warren I grew up discovering who's who in the music industry by reading album covers, seeing the same names and connecting the dots . . .
I knew this song for Janis Joplin's full-speed version, one of my favorites of hers. I was waiting for you to mention it in the video. But then I checked and it's one of those live tracks released posthumously. It's added on the Pearl CD. I love that there's a link between Etta and Janis.
Grace Jones is an artist that changed music with her album Nightclubbing in 1981. It contained the iconic song "Pull Up To the Bumper" and the album was nominated for a Grammy. Her reggae music was produced by Chris Blackwell, the same producer who launched the international career of The Wailers, and Bob Marley. Jones changed music because she was one of the first artists to fuse the worlds of fashion and music in one potent package that still looks and sounds fresh today.
Grace Jones at the Hollywood Bowl September 25, and to many other places around the world. An incredible year for live music. My budget was busted a long time ago.
Oh man, you took me back when you said how you would go looking for other artists on the same label. Did that. Then I would find out who influenced them and so and so forth. Loved doing that. And Etta James, what a voice, one of a kind. Great vid man. Take care.
Warren, what a great tribute, and an alert to us all that there's plenty of amazing, earth-changing stuff out there that we really owe it to ourselves to discover and soak up as much as we can. Thanks for loving all this catalogue and archive so much that you're compelled to persistently prod the rest of us into recognition and appreciation. Keep up the good work!
The only thing I knew about Muscle Shoals came from a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. What were we going to do, ask our librarian to find out who played on albums? We sat on the floor and argued about how you would pronounce Doerge.
Yes Warren! For me it was a journey of Eric Clapton > Peter Green > Chicken Shack > Etta James > Nina Simone at Ben’s collector’s Records in Guilford. I adore Ben, to this day for having all those two-tone 45’s and soul records.
Another great video! Can you maybe explain how the recording and mixing process was for vocals back in thouse days? I mean, they did not really had the doubeling, pitching and other studio tricks we use right now. Did they record just one track? This sounds too good to be true...
I discovered her cover of "Misty" from those sessions a few years back. Mind blowing vocal performance. I wish modern pop production would allow for belters. I guess Bruno touches on it, but nothing like the great big voices of the 60s. The last one I can think of to really sing from the gut and belt it out was K-Ci from Jodeci. Everyone else has been safe and focused on "perfect" singing since the mid 90s or so.
@@pascaldeshayes5459 good call on Adele. She definitely dabbles in belting out tunes. Still seems a little safe when compared to Little Richard, Etta, David Ruffin, etc. That likely comes from producers needing to fit in with the times. Maybe I'm not hearing the right Eilish? Everything my daughters listen to is whispered. I often wonder if her career is benefiting from more people listening to her on earbuds than the car radio. When I'm driving my daughters around and she comes on, her vocals are drowned out by road noise. It's very noticeable compared to her peers on the same top 40 stations.
@@liamfitzgerald7528 Hey Liam, thanks for taking the time, that's much appreciated. Adele surely sounds safer than Etta James. Her life probably doesn't depend on her singing as much as a female black singer from the 60s and 70s did. Also, these decades have a special resonance as there was so much happening in terms of ideology and social change. I think the reality of the time was sort of imprinted on the music produced these days. I'm old enough to remember the time when musicians were heroes more than pro video gamers. That was a different period (and, yes, I miss some of it). Regarding Billie Eilish, listen to "My Future". Every single note she sings goes straight to my guts. The rest doesn't resonate as much with me but it seems to echo a fair proportion of teenagers' concerns. I would add the first Bon Iver records to the list of (fairly) current sensitive and vulnerable records. Also, I'm under the impression that there was a turn in the 80s when musicians pushed the boundaries in terms of technique both on instruments and production. This has participated to a sort of shift from the soul to the brain. I still believe that we as humans will always be gravitating towards what speaks to our deep self and thus towards profound music.
@@pascaldeshayes5459 wow!! that 'my future' song is beautiful! I love it. Gives me hope for the future of music. I think we have a misunderstanding though. When I speak of "singing from the gut" and "belting" out a tune, etc. I'm talking about a physical technique of singing. Almost shouting. Singing techniques that existed before the development and wide availability of microphones. Many of the great African American singers of the 50s and 60s developed their own technique for singing in churches. Microphones gave performers the ability to sing with amazing dynamics, varying from soft to loud, chest to head, and still be heard above bands. Made for a lively listen. Unfortunately today we don't hear that as much. Most of the singing is soft as to not strain. Not a lot of risk taking.
@@liamfitzgerald7528 I know what you mean. Yes, 50s microphones have changed how singers sing, definitely. I think Sinatra was one of the first to benefit from this then new technology. I work as a sound engineer and see a few belting singers influenced by the 80s rock and pop coming to the studio. Those voices on the verge of collapsing can be beautiful for sure. I've also recorded gospel singers who project their voices like crazy, as well! So yes, church.
@@Producelikeapro "I got everything from Johnny ... He was my main model ... My whole ballad style comes from my imitating Johnny's style... He was the baddest and the best ... Johnny Guitar Watson was not just a guitarist: the man was a master musician. He could call out charts; he could write a beautiful melody or a nasty groove at the drop of a hat; he could lay on the harmonies and he could come up with a whole sound." - Etta James
@@1dkappe again, it's a video on the making of the song, not a retrospective of Etta, if it were a retrospective of this amazing artist, we would talk about so many people of which of course Johnny would be one. Sorry if English isn't your first language and this doesn't translate properly.
@@Producelikeapro given that I’m an American, you might argue that English isn’t my first language. :-) You have to admit that your otherwise excellent video started out as a bit of a retrospective. No matter. I hope my comments weren’t a real mother for ya. Keep making those videos.
Which artists do you think changed music? Share your thoughts below!
Today, I am actually thinking of Les Claypool haha probably because Primus just released a bonkers EP
@@leefchapman Ha!
JJ Cael . B. T .O. Steve Millerband. Men at work. Stiff little fingers. Jesus and the postilen. love your tv. love from Iceland.
Aretha Franklin. Maureen McGovern. Cherie and Marie Currie. (I think the last name is spelled that way, though I'm not sure -- might be Curry. It's been a long time since I thought about those two).
Echo and the Bunny men. Lips Like Sugar and Killing Moon huanted me while I was stationed in England.
Love Etta James. I saw her live at the Long Beach blues festival way back in the day. She needed a bit of help up the stage steps but once she was up there it’s like a switch flipped and she magically got younger before our eyes and ears. Incredible!
Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate you sharing your experiences!
I saw her at the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival (Oregon) in the circa 1996, great performance. She did have limited mobility then and she was on a stool at center stage. But she commanded the whole performance and was a force still.
She surely was a champ of the blues! Great tutorial!
Thanks ever so much!
Superb episode on one of the greatest singers to ever live. Saw Etta live a bunch, just astounding was her range and depth. Fortunate to live not far from FAME Studios, and have met and talked with Rick Hall and many of the guys on the “Tell Mama” session. Rick could cut a hit on the guy repairing your toilet, but when he got hold of Etta, it was “game on.” Way to go, Warren…come back to Alabama any time…there are people here who sing and play so good your hair will stand on end! Cheers!
Thanks ever so much for sharing! I really appreciate you sharing experiences!
Got to see her at the Hollywood Bowl. What a singer!
That’s amazing
At last
My love has come along
My lonely days are over
Oh yeah yeah at last.
Best song opening EVER !!!@!!
Thanks Gilbert!
Thanks for waffling on Warren! Every video opens a new door for me.
Haha thanks ever so much
What a singer!!!. Great video. Thanks very much
Thanks Joey! You Rock!
"Tell Mama" is a crack band with a singer who had a lot to prove. Etta was a force of nature. Always floors me.
Very well said!
What an incredible story. So much to learn about music everyday!
Thanks ever so much Conor!
A few years ago I was obsessed with vocal ranges and I searched up Etta James' vocal range and there was a video showcasing it, and I was of course amazed at her voice, the longevity and expressiveness of it, but I was also shook at the range of genres she covered. I mean, she did everything. That led me to getting a hold of her entire discography, and it took me a couple years to properly digest it all and give each album time to be absorbed, so to speak, but I remember how much it blew my mind as I went through them and still does to this day how huge her genre range was. Another thing that also surprised me a lot was how much you can tell how she was doing at the time of each album based on its general sound. The production as a whole gets incredibly dark in the last few projects before she almost lost her career in the early 80s and when she returned the sound was so much brighter and upbeat, matching her frame of mind as well
I’ve know a few singers over the years that would compare themselves to Etta James and I kindly respond no…..no you’re not. Love Etta James voice.
Thank you so much for this series.
Thanks ever so much
What a great voice and performer !
Love 'At last' (so soulful) and her slow blues version of Rolling Stones' 'Miss you' (she magnified the original !).
Yes! An incredible talent
It's so great to hear you talk about album back covers. I spent most of my early teenage years analyzing them and slowly building a sort of web of musicians in my head, which eventually led to discovering neighbouring projects. Etta James singing has a way to touch my soul in a special way.
Wonderful vid Warren, takes me back...way back. A personal favourite of mine is from the album Come a little closer and the song You give me what I want. This is a funk classic and I guess little known these days.
Bought the album in 1974 as an import, how times have changed.
One of the best. What a story. Thanks!
Hi Jacob! Glad you enjoyed it!
What always gets me about famous studios is not the music or the musicians. The thing that gets me is how acoustics shape those rooms and that studios can be instruments themselves.
Yes, great studios have great rooms, often great consoles and a great ambience!
@@Producelikeapro I saw “Sound City” and saw how Dave Grohl took the immaculate Neve console and put it in his Studio 606.
Absolutely fantastic, Prof. Huart!
Thanks a ton for putting this serie together.
Thanks ever so much Pascal!
what a voice! Thank you so much for this series.
You are welcome, Lee! You rock
Great video, thanks Warren! Etta James is one of all-time favourite singers and we covered many of her songs in various cover bands I played in. She has a power in her voice that tells you this woman's for real, that the feeling comes from hard experiences and things she's seen. And like Warren I grew up discovering who's who in the music industry by reading album covers, seeing the same names and connecting the dots . . .
I knew this song for Janis Joplin's full-speed version, one of my favorites of hers. I was waiting for you to mention it in the video. But then I checked and it's one of those live tracks released posthumously. It's added on the Pearl CD. I love that there's a link between Etta and Janis.
That's amazing to hear! Thanks for sharing!
Grace Jones is an artist that changed music with her album Nightclubbing in 1981. It contained the iconic song "Pull Up To the Bumper" and the album was nominated for a Grammy. Her reggae music was produced by Chris Blackwell, the same producer who launched the international career of The Wailers, and Bob Marley. Jones changed music because she was one of the first artists to fuse the worlds of fashion and music in one potent package that still looks and sounds fresh today.
Absolutely! I’m a huge fan!
Grace Jones at the Hollywood Bowl September 25, and to many other places around the world.
An incredible year for live music. My budget was busted a long time ago.
@@RockandRollWoman wow! That must have been an incredible show!
@@RockandRollWoman Live music is the best!
Oh man, you took me back when you said how you would go looking for other artists on the same label. Did that. Then I would find out who influenced them and so and so forth. Loved doing that. And Etta James, what a voice, one of a kind. Great vid man. Take care.
Thanks ever so much! So glad you enjoyed the video!
Warren, what a great tribute, and an alert to us all that there's plenty of amazing, earth-changing stuff out there that we really owe it to ourselves to discover and soak up as much as we can.
Thanks for loving all this catalogue and archive so much that you're compelled to persistently prod the rest of us into recognition and appreciation.
Keep up the good work!
Hi Ian! Thank you kindly! I really appreciate it!
Great track, another great story!
Thanks ever so much Tim!
At last , nice documentary 🤘🏽
Thanks ever so much!
P:S I see what you did there haha
@@Producelikeapro love her voice 🥺 so much, and I’m a MetaaaaaaaaaL guy!
Hey Warren...I'm happy to listen to you waffling on for hours. Really appreciate you sharing your insight regarding music and artists. Thanks...
Thanks ever so much Peter!
Fantastic !
Thanks ever so much
Amazing! I love this series ;)
Thanks ever so much Manny!
The only thing I knew about Muscle Shoals came from a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. What were we going to do, ask our librarian to find out who played on albums? We sat on the floor and argued about how you would pronounce Doerge.
Haha I hear you! I still don't know if I"m pronouncing Doerge right!
My fav female singers Esther Phillips/Millie Jackson/Etta James 👍🏼
❤️
Thanks ever so much Audrey!
Notting Hill Record And Tape Exchange? Remember it? A couple of my friends worked there.
Fantastic!
Yes Warren! For me it was a journey of Eric Clapton > Peter Green > Chicken Shack > Etta James > Nina Simone at Ben’s collector’s Records in Guilford.
I adore Ben, to this day for having all those two-tone 45’s and soul records.
That sounds like it journey too! Loved Ben’s! Also Venus Records in Farnham
YYEESSSSS
Yes!!
Fabulous! Know the name,I am worried about the safety of mp3 collection...LOL, loved the history,thanks for the dive.
Haha thanks David!
Até a próxima! (We say this meaning "see you later", or "bye bye" in Brazilian Portuguese)
Lovely
Nice video and very informative. The history of things is always what grips and inspires me and you a good job on this one to Warren.
Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate it
Another great video! Can you maybe explain how the recording and mixing process was for vocals back in thouse days? I mean, they did not really had the doubeling, pitching and other studio tricks we use right now. Did they record just one track? This sounds too good to be true...
As great as David Hood is, I always remember him as the father of Patterson Hood the lead singer of Drive By Truckers.
Thanks ever so much!
I discovered her cover of "Misty" from those sessions a few years back. Mind blowing vocal performance.
I wish modern pop production would allow for belters. I guess Bruno touches on it, but nothing like the great big voices of the 60s. The last one I can think of to really sing from the gut and belt it out was K-Ci from Jodeci. Everyone else has been safe and focused on "perfect" singing since the mid 90s or so.
I'd argue and say that Adele and in a different way Billie Eilish also have their way to sing from the guts.
@@pascaldeshayes5459 good call on Adele. She definitely dabbles in belting out tunes. Still seems a little safe when compared to Little Richard, Etta, David Ruffin, etc. That likely comes from producers needing to fit in with the times.
Maybe I'm not hearing the right Eilish? Everything my daughters listen to is whispered. I often wonder if her career is benefiting from more people listening to her on earbuds than the car radio. When I'm driving my daughters around and she comes on, her vocals are drowned out by road noise. It's very noticeable compared to her peers on the same top 40 stations.
@@liamfitzgerald7528 Hey Liam, thanks for taking the time, that's much appreciated. Adele surely sounds safer than Etta James. Her life probably doesn't depend on her singing as much as a female black singer from the 60s and 70s did. Also, these decades have a special resonance as there was so much happening in terms of ideology and social change. I think the reality of the time was sort of imprinted on the music produced these days. I'm old enough to remember the time when musicians were heroes more than pro video gamers. That was a different period (and, yes, I miss some of it).
Regarding Billie Eilish, listen to "My Future". Every single note she sings goes straight to my guts. The rest doesn't resonate as much with me but it seems to echo a fair proportion of teenagers' concerns.
I would add the first Bon Iver records to the list of (fairly) current sensitive and vulnerable records.
Also, I'm under the impression that there was a turn in the 80s when musicians pushed the boundaries in terms of technique both on instruments and production. This has participated to a sort of shift from the soul to the brain.
I still believe that we as humans will always be gravitating towards what speaks to our deep self and thus towards profound music.
@@pascaldeshayes5459 wow!! that 'my future' song is beautiful! I love it. Gives me hope for the future of music.
I think we have a misunderstanding though. When I speak of "singing from the gut" and "belting" out a tune, etc. I'm talking about a physical technique of singing. Almost shouting. Singing techniques that existed before the development and wide availability of microphones. Many of the great African American singers of the 50s and 60s developed their own technique for singing in churches.
Microphones gave performers the ability to sing with amazing dynamics, varying from soft to loud, chest to head, and still be heard above bands. Made for a lively listen.
Unfortunately today we don't hear that as much. Most of the singing is soft as to not strain. Not a lot of risk taking.
@@liamfitzgerald7528 I know what you mean. Yes, 50s microphones have changed how singers sing, definitely. I think Sinatra was one of the first to benefit from this then new technology.
I work as a sound engineer and see a few belting singers influenced by the 80s rock and pop coming to the studio. Those voices on the verge of collapsing can be beautiful for sure.
I've also recorded gospel singers who project their voices like crazy, as well!
So yes, church.
Agur! In basque!
Cool!
For me, Eddie Cochran, Velvet Underground and The Clash, in that order ;)
When I get a spare moment I’m definitely gonna listen to this!
(Did he mention who her father was?)
… actually I’ve just doublechecked and Minnesota Fats’ widow insisted that he wasn’t Etta’s Father..?
Anyhoo GREAT talents AllRound 🙏
Yes, that was just a rumour. We didn't address it because of that
@@Producelikeapro funny ol’ world, innit?! 😉👍
Great video. Not waffle rather interesting observations :-)
Thanks ever so much
You omitted Johnny “Guitar” Watson, who was hugely influential on Etta James when she toured with him.
Hi Dietrich, this video is on the song ‘Tell Mama’ so we didn’t specifically omit anyone referring the making of the song.
@@Producelikeapro "I got everything from Johnny ... He was my main model ... My whole ballad style comes from my imitating Johnny's style... He was the baddest and the best ... Johnny Guitar Watson was not just a guitarist: the man was a master musician. He could call out charts; he could write a beautiful melody or a nasty groove at the drop of a hat; he could lay on the harmonies and he could come up with a whole sound." - Etta James
@@1dkappe again, it's a video on the making of the song, not a retrospective of Etta, if it were a retrospective of this amazing artist, we would talk about so many people of which of course Johnny would be one. Sorry if English isn't your first language and this doesn't translate properly.
@@Producelikeapro given that I’m an American, you might argue that English isn’t my first language. :-) You have to admit that your otherwise excellent video started out as a bit of a retrospective. No matter. I hope my comments weren’t a real mother for ya. Keep making those videos.
@ 6.24 thats willie mitchel.... northern soul fame
Are denominations biblical? Are they of God?
Too long info!
Love Etta James sound.........But Warren, more specifically what do you think about the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS new Unlimited Love????????????????