The 500 - #119 - At Last! - Etta James

 I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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Album #: 119
Album Title: At Last!
Artist: Etta James
Genre: R&B, Blues, Pop, Jazz
Recorded: Chess/Argo Studios in Chicago, Illinois

Released: November, 1960
My age at release: Not born yet
How familiar was I with it before this week: A few songs
Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #191, dropping72 places
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: At Last!

One night recently, I was sitting in the half-light of the Hyland Cinema, London, Ontario's beloved little repertory and art film house. As the trailers played, my wife and I quietly whispered about the upcoming movies and made tentative plans to see a few selections that we have never seen on the big screen. Two grabbed our attention -- Spirited Away, Hayao Miyazaki's dream-like, Japanese animation film, and Dirty Harry, the Clint Eastwood blockbuster from 55 years ago.

Posters for Spirited Away and Dirty Harry.

Then the feature started and we settled in to watch True Romance, a gritty, 1993 romantic-thriller, written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Tony Scott. It was a movie my wife and I loved in the ‘90s, but had never seen on the big screen. This version was the Director's Cut, restored in stunning 4K resolution.

It’s still an engaging and enjoyable movie, even with the troublesome language that felt edgy in the ’90s but land more uncomfortably today. In fact, prior to the screening, an employee offered a "trigger warning" to our audience. The cast is a who’s who of Hollywood A‑listers, including Patricia Arquette, Christian Slater, Brad Pitt, Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer and Dennis Hopper. Watching it again, after at least 20 years, I couldn’t get over how young everyone looked. Sure, many of them were in their twenties when the movie was filmed, but even Dennis Hopper, who seemed ancient to me in 1993, was only 57. Younger than I am now.

Dennis Hopper as Cliford Worley in a powerful scene from
True Romance - one that features triggering language.

The age factor lingered long enough to follow me home, where I ended up reading about Etta James for this record, At Last!, her 1960 debut. I’ve always imagined her as a woman from another era, impossibly older, carved out of time. But, I was surprised to discover she was born only a year before my mom and was only 73 when she died in 2012. In fact, she was just 21 when she recorded this legendary record. People just looked older than their years back then and they seemed even older when viewed from a teen-age or 20-something perspective.

Etta James in the recording studio, circa 1960.

Born Jamesetta Hawkins, her professional career began in 1954, performing in Nashville clubs and touring in the Chitlin' Circuit, a loose collection of venues located in the eastern and southern U.S.. They provided safe havens for African-American performers and audiences during the time of segregation.

James (she jettisoned Hawkins and switched around Jamesetta to form her first and last names) performed in a wide range of genres, from gospel to blues to jazz and rock. She had many hits, the biggest being the title track from this record, At Last!. However, she struggled with several personal battles, including addiction, physical abuse and incarceration.

She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001. She also received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her number 22 on its 2008 list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time; she was also ranked at 62 in the magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.  Multiple artists and bands, including Diana Ross, Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, Amy Winehouse, and Adele, asserted they had been influenced by her.

James' grave marker in Inglewood, California.

I only really knew the big hits, so spending time with the whole album felt like discovering a hidden room in a house I thought I already knew. The lush, orchestral arrangements wrapped around her voice in an almost physical way -- warm, enveloping, unmistakably intimate. And that voice! That powerful, smoky, earthy contralto, carrying the weight of a lifetime. Which is why it stopped me cold upon realizing how young Etta James was when she recorded it. I’d always imagined her as older, someone who had lived through decades of heartbreak and hard fought wisdom. But she was barely more than a kid, singing about timeless romance and deep sorrow -- emotions seemingly far beyond her years. It’s astonishing how convincingly she harbored  experiences she hadn’t yet lived.

The 500 - #121 - Stand! - Sly and The Family Stone

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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Album #: 121
Album Title: Stand!
Artist: Sly and The Family Stone
Genre: Psychedelic-Soul, Funk Rock, Progressive Soul
Recorded: Pacific High Studios, San Francisco, California

Released: May, 1969
My age at release: 3
How familiar was I with it before this week: A couple songs
Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #119, rising 3 places
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Everyday People

This week’s choice for my Spotify Playlist, is Everyday People from American band Sly and The Family Stone. It is one of  those catchy, earwormy-tracks that never fails to make me feel better about life. Released in 1968, months before the group's fourth studio record Stand! hit the shelves, the song is a catchy two-minute and 21-second ditty that delivers a simple message: All people are fundamentally the same, despite their differences. It promotes equality, unity and empathy by calling out the ways humans divide themselves by race, class, appearance and ideology, and then dismantles those divisions with messages of shared humanity.

It was an important message in 1968 when the United States was reeling from the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Those tragedies and the deepening societal upheaval over the Vietnam War sparked riots in cities across the country. In that climate of grief, division, and uncertainty, Everyday People offered solace, and a reminder that equality, empathy and shared humanity was possible.

A photo snapped moments after Martin Luther King was
shot in Memphis, Tennessee. April 4, 1968.

Unfortunately, the lesson of Everyday People is no less urgent today. As Russia continues its brutal assault on Ukraine, as violence and polarization persist across the United States, and as Gaza struggles to recover from devastating bombing campaigns, the need for compassion and unity remains as pressing as ever. The world continues to fracture along lines of ideology, nationality, and fear.  But, the song’s core truth endures -- we must find ways to live together, or tear each other apart.

ICE agents deployed in Minneapolis gunned down protester
Alex Pretti in January, 2026.

This week, I found myself in a strange emotional juxtaposition, needing Everyday People more than I could ever have imagined. On one hand, the Winter Olympics filled my screens with images of nations coming together in shared celebration. In contrast,  my country of Canada was left reeling from a horrific mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, where eight people, most of them children, were killed and more than 25 were injured. Trying to process the contrast between the two events -- unity on the world stage and heartbreak at home -- left me a little unmoored.

Police tape outside the Tumbler Ridge School, one of two sites
for the shootings.

Talking to my students about the random shootings was designed to help them feel safe and ensure they understood that their emotions were valid. However, they also had to be made aware of  the harmful narratives that quickly began circulating, especially the cruel backlash directed at the trans community after the shooter was identified. In that difficult space, Everyday People served as my personal ballast. The lyrics and music were a gentle reminder that compassion, acceptance and shared humanity are not relics of the past but values that require repeating over and over again. I didn't play them the song, but I might do so in the days ahead to affirm what I want them to understand -- that we, as Canadians...as humans...as everyday people, are capable of something better than fear and division.

The 500 - #142 - A Christmas Gift For You - Phil Spector

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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Album: #142
Album Title: A Christmas Gift For You
Artist: Phil Spector
Genre: Traditional Christmas Songs, 60s Pop
Recorded: Gold Star Studios, Los Angeles
Released: November, 1963
My age at release: Not Born
How familiar was I with it before this week: A couple songs
Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: 

This is a double-shot week on The 500 Blog with album #142, A Christmas Gift For You, arriving a few days after I hit publish on record #129, Remain In Light, by Talking Heads. I skipped this holiday record back in September because it wasn’t Christmas, and I wasn’t ready for sleigh bells in my headphones when I could still take a dip in Lake Erie.

But this week? I’m loving it. These songs are pure joy. A sparkling collection of “evergreen hits” that never age. Note to all aspiring songwriters: If you’re going to write one smash single, make it a Christmas song. It’ll pay you (and your estate) forever -- just ask Hugh Grant’s character in About a Boy. Anyone adding Santa’s Super Sleigh to their playlist this year?

There was a time, in my late-twenties, when I was a bit of a Scrooge about Christmas music. I wanted nothing to do with sleigh bells, jolly holly or crooners. As the holiday season rolled in, I’d cue up anything but Christmas songs. And I’ll admit, I had a little antipathy for those folks (you know who you are) who start decking the halls in late October. The pumpkin’s still on the porch, you’re knee-deep in leftover Halloween candy, and the shlocky Christmas tunes are blasting on repeat? Bah, humbug! I refuse to even think about Saint Nick or the Baby Jesus until after watching the Turkey Bowl football games on American Thanksgiving.

My peccadilloes have, as with many things, softened with time. I still like my Christmas music in December, but give an obligatory "thumbs-up" on Facebook when social media friends post their decorated mantle while the World Series is still on -- baby steps, I know.

For the past decade, I’ve been hooked on the silly social media game called Whamageddon. If you haven’t heard of it, the rules are simple -- Avoid hearing Wham!’s Last Christmas from December 1 until Christmas Eve. If you hear it, you’re out. Simple, but a comical distraction from the madness of the holidays. My students have become obsessed, too. When December rolls around they are excited to share dramatic tales of being banished to Whamhalla after those first unmistakable synth notes hit.

My record? six wins and three losses.. I’m winning again this year… but honestly, I kind of like losing. The story you get, the risk of walking into a store with holiday tunes piping in, it’s all part of the fun.

Plus, if you lose, you get to hear that delightful holiday banger early. And I love it for so many reasons. Lesser known among them is that songwriter/singer George Michael donated all its royalties to Ethiopian hunger relief when the song was released in 1984. In a strange bit of irony, he’d have been jailed in that country for being gay. Tragically, we also lost his talent on Christmas Day, 2016, at only 53.

Gem that he was, Michael's commitment to donating all profits from Last Christmas has become a long-term tradition. Each year since its release, the royalties have continued to support hunger relief efforts around the world through the George Michael Fund, distributing proceeds to multiple charities close to his heart.

Holy Holiday distractions! Let's get back to Phil Spector His A Christmas Gift For You sparkles, even if the man behind it was, as I’ve said before in these blog posts, a reprehensible human being. But the record? It’s a time capsule of joy. It features some of the best female vocalists of the ‘60s, including Darlene Love, The Ronettes and The Crystals, bringing magic to the holiday season.

So, yeah, I've retired my grumpy-pants Scrooge routine and I am embracing all of the holiday hits...as long as it is December.

Happy Holidays to you all and thank you for supporting my blog posts this year.

The 500 - #161 - The Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #161
Album Title: The Dock Of The Bay

Artist: Otis Redding

Genre: Memphis Soul, Southern Soul

Recorded: Between July 11, 1965 - December 8, 1967

Released: February, 1968

My age at release: 2
How familiar was I with it before this week: A couple songs

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Tramp

Recently, I participated in a task force organized by my school's oversight body (Thames Valley District School Board) and my Local Association (Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario) to discuss the safe and effective use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the classroom. In "Initialism-Speak", The TVDSB & ETFO invited me to “talk AI. No wonder teachers befuddle parents when rambling on about education -- we sure love our acronyms and initialisms.

AI generated representation of our task force meeting about A.I.

The invitation was flattering. At nearly 60, it is nice to be considered among the "tech-savvy" educators. I was also chuffed to be assisting with the policy making that will guide the instruction of AI by my colleagues for the next few years. The applications for this technology are growing exponentially and, with students aged 3-18 in our charge, we can't ignore its ubiquity.

AI generated representation of a tech-savvy teacher in an elementary
school classroom.

Unlike my high school math teachers, who incorrectly predicted that we "wouldn't have a calculator in our pockets when shopping at the supermarket", it is gratifying to be part of an organization that recognizes the eventual omnipresence of AI and who is embracing the technology while recognizing the need for safety and transparency in its use.

AI generated representation as a teacher from the 80s warning
a student about the limitations of a calculator in the real world.

Encouraged by the school board’s deliberations, I introduced my Grade 7 students to the subsequently approved AI platform, Microsoft Copilot. I began by discussing plagiarism and used some of their favourite music as my attention grabber. Collectively, my class has curated an extensive playlist of music and, although my charges don't realize it, some of the songs they enjoy feature musical hooks, or samples, of other  artists’ work.

For example, many are fans of the song Lucid Dreams by Juice WRLD (born Jared Anthony Higgins). The hit song, which plays in the classroom several times a week, features a guitar riff that was sampled  from Shape Of My Heart -- a 1993 single by English musician Sting (born Gordon Sumner). Lucid Dreams was a massive hit for the fledgling emo-rapper, WRLD, with 2.8 billion streams on Spotify. However, 85 percent of the Lucid Dreams royalties are funneled directly to the bank account of Sting, who brazenly quipped that the money would "put my grandkids through college". Copyright royalties are a tricky business and Sting's team of lawyers easily leveraged the system to ensure he profited handsomely from a naive WRLD’s decision to allow the use of this sample without a pre-negotiated contract.

The students were incensed. Why would this massively wealthy old musician feel entitled to take so much from a fledgling artist, especially when the guitar part in question comprises only part of the entire song Lucid Dream? Most of it was original material; however, it was built around that initial melody. This proved a good lesson in the rules of intellectual property and ownership. It was also an engaging way for me to introduce the importance of crediting one's sources when borrowing the words or ideas of others.

AI generated representation of Sting taking a bag of
money from a sad Juice Wrld.

To my surprise, while listening to this week's record, The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding, I stumbled on another example. The album's fifth track, Don't Mess With Cupid, features a guitar lick at the start which is replicated on Party In The U.S.A., a massive hit in 2009 for contemporary pop star Miley Cyrus.

However, on closer examination, I realized that the Cyrus song features an interpolation, not a sample, from Don't Mess With Cupid. It is clearly inspired by the Redding track, but is not a note-for- note copy. The two can be heard side-by-side at this website.

Interestingly, Party In The U.S.A. does not give credit to Don't Mess With Cupid for this clear inspiration. So, I suppose you can sometimes get away with some plagiarism, but I'll leave that out of my future lesson.

Cartoon by Fritz Pirillo.

The Dock Of The Bay was the seventh studio record, and the first  posthumous release, by Otis Redding following his death in a December, 1967, plane crash -- an event I covered in my July, 2023, blog about Redding's record, Complete & Unbelievable Dictionary Of Soul.  The lead single, (Sittin' on) The Dock Of The Bay, was a monster hit which Redding completed recording just two days before his death. The rest of the album contains a number of singles, B-sides and previously released tracks.

Tragically, but saliently to this post, Redding earned no money from this legendary soul song and record. His untimely passing ensured his co-writer, Steve Cropper, and Redding’s estate would be the benefactors from this intellectual property. They would also benefit when it was recorded by more than 100 artists and sampled 23 times by contemporary hip-hop artists. (Source: Who Sampled Website)

ADDENDUM

As a side note, my students have won me over with many tracks and, I'll admit, Party In The U.S.A. gets stuck in my head pretty easily now. I have also become a fan of Juice WRLD, who struggled with mental health issues and died of a prescription overdose in 2019 at the age of 21.

Much like my students, I am aggrieved that the massively wealthy Sting would take so much from a young, naive artist who created something beautiful, unaware of  how recording rights and publishing work. Juice WRLD was a talent that, like Otis Redding, was lost far too soon.

The 500 - #165 - Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #165
Album Title: Let's Get It On

Artist: Marvin Gaye

Genre: Soul, R&B

Recorded: Hitsville USA and Golden World Studios (Detroit); Hitsville West Studios (Los Angeles)

Released: August, 1973

My age at release: 8
How familiar was I with it before this week: A little

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #422, dropping 257 spots
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Let's Get It On

It was nearly midnight as the luxury coach pulled away from Saunders Secondary School in London, Ontario, in April, 1983. Aboard were roughly 50 student musicians and a half dozen teachers set to embark on a four-night excursion to Boston, Massachusetts, for a band competition. Eventually, the passengers would find a way to sleep during the 11-hour journey; but that certainly wasn't going to happen for the first few hours -- the excitement was palpable.

As the chartered bus motored its way along Ontario highways toward the New York State border, some students played cards while others listened to music wired from their portable devices into their headphones. One student brought along an impressive boombox and a bag full of D batteries to charge it.

To the delight of many of the passengers, he assumed the role of DJ and cued-up the latest radio hits, including tracks from Culture Club, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson and Toto. He also played a single from soul singer Marvin Gaye, the racy and provocatively titled Sexual Healing from his 17th (and final) studio record, Midnight Love.

Sexual Healing was a massive hit that spring, crossing over from the R&B chart to the pop, dance and adult contemporary hit lists. It reached #1 in several countries, including Canada. That song my first real exposure to this already legendary figure in Motown. Sure, I had heard Gaye's biggest hits, What's Going On?, I Heard It Through The Grapevine and the title track from this week's record, Let's Get It On. But, this was different. Sexual Healing was part of my cultural milieu. I wanted to learn more about the artist dubbed "The Prince of Motown" and "The Prince of Soul". In a time before the Internet, the information I cobbled together was sparse and unencumbered by fact-checking. However, as I researched his life this week, I realized I wasn't far off in what I learned.

He was born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. in Washington, D.C., in 1939 to Pentecostal Minister Marvin Gay Sr. and domestic worker Alberta Gay. He grew up impoverished, living in public housing. He was also raised in accordance with his father's strict code of conduct. According to biographer David Ritz, Marvin Jr. was subjected to "brutal whippings" for even the smallest transgression and described his homelife as, "living with a king, a very peculiar, changeable, cruel, and all powerful king". Gay Sr. also had a troubled childhood  involving domestic abuse, violence and shootings. His decision to become a minister was, in a way, an attempt to escape his own turbulent upbringing. However, as is often the case, abused children become abusers themselves.

Gaye Jr., centre, with his parents.

As a teen, the younger Marvin joined several doo-wop groups, such as The Dippers and the D.C. Tones. He was kicked out of the house at 17 and joined the Air Force, with the hope of working on fighter jets. He was quickly disenchanted with his decision when he, and his peers, were assigned menial tasks. In 1957, he feigned mental illness and received a general discharge. He continued his musical career, forming several vocal groups and improving his songwriting talents. Eventually, he landed a contract with the Motown Studios subsidiary, Tamla Records. It was at this time that he decided to add the silent "e" to the end of his name. In part, he wanted to distance himself from both his father and the unfair negative connotations associated with homosexuality in the ‘60s. However, Gaye also maintained the spelling variation was a tribute to his idol, Sam Cooke, who had added an "e" to his last name.

Gaye was not interested in playing R&B when he began his Motown (Tamla) career. He wanted to perform jazz standards and his first record, The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye, was a commercial disappointment, causing him to return to the studio as a session drummer for other artists – among them The Marvelletes, The Miracles, and Jimmy Reid, earning about $5 a week ($60 adjusted for inflation).

Persistence and hard work eventually paid dividends and he began racking up hits throughout the ‘60s. In June, 1970, Gaye returned to the Hitsville USA Studios in Detroit to record the influential progressive soul and protest record, What's Going On? It appears at  #6 in the 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, but at #1 on the updated 2020 list. It's a record I intend to write about in April, 2028.

Speaking of which, a year later in April 1984, another luxury coach pulled away from Saunders Secondary School with about the same number of student musicians and teachers. This time, the bus was heading to Washington, D.C., and I was not on board. In the intervening year I had become disenchanted with the school band and opted out of the music program in my final year. I am sure someone was playing the hits of the day on that bus, but I am equally certain a hot topic of conversation was the tragic news that had unfolded on April 1st. Marvin Gaye had been shot. The shooter was already in custody and, to the shock of everyone, it was Gaye's father Marvin Sr. who had fired the gun.

Gay Sr. at his sentencing hearing in 1984.

It emerged that Marvin Jr. had interceded in a fight between his parents in their home in Los Angeles -- one that he had purchased for them in 1973. Marvin Jr., much larger and stronger than his 70-year-old father, began kicking and punching him in the upstairs hallway as wife/mother Alberta Gay screamed for them to stop.

The elder Gay retreated to a bedroom and returned with a Smith and Wesson .38 special revolver -- that Marvin Jr. had given him the previous Christmas. He shot his son twice – once in the shoulder, and the fatal bullet in the chest, perforating his lung, heart and liver. He was rushed to California Medical Centre and, at 1:01 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, and pronounced dead.

Initially charged with murder, Gay Sr. was eventually convicted of the lesser crime of voluntary manslaughter after it was revealed that he had a brain tumour that, according to his defense team, likely contributed to his decision-making. However, it seems more likely that the cycle of violence that marred both their lives precipitated the tragedy. As the Greek tragedian Euripides stated 1,500 years earlier; "The gods visit the sins of the fathers upon the children".

Marvin Sr. received a six-year suspended sentence and five years of probation. He lived until 1998 when he died of pneumonia at 84.

Marvin Jr, if alive today, would also be in his mid-eighties, and the world would have likely enjoyed 40 additional years of intelligent, soulful and beautiful music.