Inspired by the season and the December 11 birthdays of Jermaine Jackson, Brenda Lee, Mos Def, Bread’s David Gates, Perez Prado, Big Mama Thornton, J. Frank Wilson and Jon Brion.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (11-14-20)
Inspired by the November 14 birthdays of Run, Veruca Salt’s Nina Gordon, and Stephen Bishop; and the November 13 birthdays of Cass McCombs, Timmy Thomas, Onyx’s Sonny Seeza and The Teddy Bears’ Carol Connors.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (9-21-20)
Inspired by the 21st night of September and the September 21 birthdays of Oasis‘ Liam Gallagher, Leonard Cohen, Wale, Glasvegas’ James Allan and Swing Out Sister’s Corinne Drewery.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (8-23-20)
Inspired by the August 23 birthdays of The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas, The Drifters’ Rudy Lewis, Andrew Rannells, Happy Mondays/Black Grape’s Shaun Ryder, Rick Springfield, Edwyn Collins, Gene Kelly and Tex Williams.
“https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3C4Rb9b71SzKhrdDVJHHs3”
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (8-8-20)
Inspired by the August 8 birthdays of U2‘s Edge, Joe Tex, Kool Moe Dee, and The Stylistics’ Airrion Love; and the August 7 birthdays of B.J. Thomas, Stan Freberg, Positive K, and Throwing Muses’ Kristen Hersh.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (8-4-20)
Inspired by the August 4 birthdays of Louis Armstrong, Yo-Yo, Frankie Ford, Timi Yuro, and 808 State’s Graham Massey; and the August 3 birthdays of Tony Bennett, Skunk Anansie’s Skin, Syreeta, and Ricky Blaze.
Your (Almost) Daily Playlist (3-21-20)
Inspired by the passing of Kenny Rogers, the March 21 birthdays of The Stylistics’ Russell Thompkins Jr., Solomon Burke, The Prodigy’s Maxim, Eddie Money, Mungo Jerry’s Ray Dorsett, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band’s Vivian Stanshall; and World Poetry Day.
Disco 1975
Nineteen seventy-five was a pivotal year for disco music. The genre was still very young; the name “disco” as a reference to the music genre was coined just two years earlier by journalist Vince Aletti. Disco music crossed over into the mainstream with more frequency, yet was not as ubiquitous a presence on the pop charts as it would become in the ensuing years of that decade. Artists who had their first top 40 singles in 1975 include Gloria Gaynor and KC and the Sunshine Band. In December of 1975, Donna Summer made her first appearance on the Hot 100 when “Love to Love You Baby” made its debut, having already been a smash in the clubs. The Bee Gees updated their sound in 1975 with “Jive Talkin’,” which became their first top ten single since 1971. Ben E. King, who had hits in the early 1960s as a solo artist and as the lead singer of The Drifters scored his first top ten pop hit since 1961’s “Stand By Me” with the funky “Supernatural Thing.” As the lead singer of the trio named after her, Patti LaBelle scored her first top ten hit in over a decade with “Lady Marmalade.” Veteran acts such as Frankie Valli, The Temptations, The Miracles, The Isley Brothers and Esther Phillips filled the dance floors. And it was in 1975 that the world was doing the hustle.
Today’s playlist is made up of forty disco gems from 1975.
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Throwback Thursday – 1974
In 1974, my Grandpa Abe gave me a radio, thus changing my life. That radio became my best friend and music my main interest. I started buying all the 45 rpm records that made the top ten. Soon I was reading the trade magazines, as well as Rolling Stone, Circus, Creem, Song Hits, Hit Parader, Musician, and then some. Who knows what career path I would have chosen had I not latched onto popular music in my pre-teen years?
Tunes du Jour’s Throwback Thursday playlist this week focuses on the music of 1974. It includes the music I heard on the radio back then (eighteen top 40 hits) plus two I discovered later on.
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It’s Jermaine Jackson’s Birthday And I Need To Dance!
When his brothers/ fellow Jackson 5 members signed with Epic Records in 1975, Jermaine Jackson stayed with the quintet’s label, Motown. After all, he was married to the label head’s daughter. While The Jacksons, as the group was now known (Motown owns the name Jackson 5), racked up hits, Jermaine’s solo recording career floundered.
In 1980, his luck changed. After seven years without a top 40 solo hit, Jermaine hit the top ten with “Let’s Get Serious,” thanks in large part to fellow Motown artist Stevie Wonder, who during the 1970s scored eighteen top 40 hits on the pop chart. Wonder produced, arranged, co-wrote, sang backup, and played keyboards and drums on the track.
Besides reaching #9 on the pop chart, “Let’s Get Serious” went to #1 on the Soul chart, where it remained for six weeks. It became Billboard’s #1 soul song of 1980. At #2 was his brother Michael’s “Rock With You.”
“Let’s Get Serious” peaked at #2 on Billboard’s Dance chart. It kicks off Tunes du Jour’s weekly dance party on what is Jermaine Jackson’s 61st birthday.
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