Lynda Carter Earns Praise for Jazz Release 'At Last'

11 September 2009
Washington

She was known to millions as "Wonder Woman" on the 1970s television series of the same name. Actress and recording artist Lynda Carter is flying high again with the release of At Last.

Yes, as Lynda Carter proves, there is life after "Wonder Woman." But, with tracks like "You Send Me," her new album begs the question, when did she start singing?

Lynda Carter was introduced to country, blues and classical music while growing up in Phoenix, Arizona. She became a professional singer at age 14, but after winning the beauty pageant title of Miss World USA, she moved to Hollywood, California, to pursue an acting career.

While her role on "Wonder Woman" as the super heroine Princess Diana took her to dizzying new heights, Carter never gave up on singing. In fact, she performed two songs from her first solo album, Portrait, on an episode of her show.

Life after the series was even busier as Carter continued to work wonders in show business. She acted on stage and screen, hosted her own variety shows, endorsed cosmetics as a celebrity promotional model, contributed voice work for video games, and sang in nightclubs. At last, at age 58, Carter has a hit record.

When At Last jumped into the Top 10 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart, Lynda Carter couldn't have been happier. She says, "As someone who started out as a singer, it's always been a dream to be on the Billboard chart."

Carter marked her return to singing with the role of Mama Thornton in a musical production of Chicago in London. Her recent tour of "An Intimate Evening with Lynda Carter" culminated with a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

On At Last, Carter revives the works of Johnny Mercer, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Helen Humes, and George and Ira Gershwin, as well as the Jimmy Harris melody "Cloudburst."

Lynda Carter performs "Blues In The Night" (Harold Arlen - Johnny Mercer) and "Come Rain Or Come Shine Medley" (Harold Arlen - Jerome Kern - Hammerstein - Johnny Mercer) on this album.

Willie and Wynton Pay Tribute to Ray Charles

22 April 2011
Doug Levine
Washington

Many consider the late Ray Charles one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Two of his biggest fans are entertainment icons themselves, Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis. The pair pay tribute to their musical hero with “Here We Go Again: Celebrating The Genius Of Ray Charles.”

A Ray Charles classic from the 1960s, “Busted” features the unlikely vocal pairing of country veteran Willie Nelson and jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. Of course, Ray was a pioneer when it came to mixing musical genres, so it’s no surprise that these two modern innovators decided to join forces on a tribute album dedicated to the man known simply as the “Genius.”

This isn’t the first time Willie and Wynton performed together. In 2007, they collaborated on the Number One jazz album “Two Men With the Blues,” recorded live at Lincoln Center in New York City. Two years later, they teamed up again on their salute to Ray Charles, also recorded in concert at Lincoln Center. They were supported by a five-piece band and a special guest vocalist.

Ten-time Grammy winner Norah Jones joins the Ray Charles tribute on “Come Rain Or Come Shine.” Ray recorded a version of this Harold Arlen-Johnny Mercer hit for his 1959 album, “The Genius of Ray Charles.”

Norah also sings a duet with Willie Nelson on the title track “Here We Go Again,” as well as the ballads “Cryin’ Time,” and “You Don’t Know Me.” All three stars, Willie, Wynton and Norah, sing the Ray Charles favorites “What I’d Say” and “Hit The Road Jack.”

 Ray Charles is mentioned in passing on these pages:

All-Star Recording Pays Tribute to Johnny Mercer
http://mercerjohnny.blogspot.com/2010/04/all-star-recording-pays-tribute-to.html

Tony Bennett
http://mercerjohnny.blogspot.com/2011/12/tony-bennett.html

Aaron Neville

Aaron Neville Releases Nature Boy: The Standards Album
Washington
12 August 2003

Grammy Award-winning rhythm and blues singer Aaron Neville has one of the most recognizable voices in modern music history. With his family group, The Neville Brothers, and as a solo performer, Aaron has recorded a diverse repertoire of funk, soul, R&B, rock, pop and gospel. Aaron Neville offers interpretations of classic American composers on his new CD, Nature Boy: The Standards Album.

Aaron Neville grew up in New Orleans, a city known for its rich jazz and blues heritage. "Jazz was as much a part of my musical education as blues or funk. My brother Charles hipped me [made me aware] to modern jazz when I was a kid. He's always been an inspiration," he said. "My dad, Arthur, was our first inspiration. He loved Nat 'King' Cole's brand of jazz, and 'Nature Boy' was his favorite song. I sing it in tribute to him."

During the 1960s, Aaron Neville recorded for a few small labels in Louisiana before hitting Number 1 on the pop chart in 1967 with his soul and blues tune, Tell It Like It Is.

Joining the Neville Brothers in the 1970s, Aaron helped them earn a string of successful albums. In 1989, Aaron's duet with Linda Ronstadt, Don't Know Much, reached the Number two position. On his new album, Nature Boy, Aaron reunites with old friend Linda on The Very Thought of You.

Aaron Neville's Nature Boy, features songs by legendary American composers such as George Gershwin, Oscar Levant, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer and Cole Porter. Aaron says he wanted to recreate the mood of a small club, and use his voice like a jazz instrument. He also wanted to include ballads that "blurred the line" between jazz and blues.

In the studio, Aaron also called on an all-star line-up of jazz musicians, such as Ron Carter, Grady Tate, Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove, and Aaron's brother, Charles Neville. "These are some bad cats [cool musicians]," he said. "They got the mood just right. For me, jazz is all about mood. Jazz is all about standards that are connected to your soul, connected to your life."

Aaron Neville feels it was a natural progression for him to record an album of standards. "To be singing these chestnuts [old songs] brings me back to my parents. These were the songs they danced to, and they were the songs of my youth," he said. "My folks taught me that music, love and God are all one thing. So, in singing these songs, I feel the spirit of all love."

In April, Aaron Neville was inducted into the Delta Music Museum and Hall of Fame at a ceremony in his home state of Louisiana. He's currently on a U.S. tour with The Neville Brothers.

[Listen to an excerpt of Aaron Neville's recording of the Johnny Mercer/Harold Arlen song "Come Rain Or Come Shine".]

Come Rain Or Come Shine

Blues Greats Compete for Traditional Blues Grammy
By Doug Levine
Washington
17 February 2001

The 43rd annual Grammy Awards will be presented February 21 in Los Angeles, California. VOA's Doug Levine has a preview of the five nominees for Best Traditional Blues Album.

Some of the biggest names in blues are competing in the traditional blues album category, including 85-year-old Robert Lockwood, Jr. Born in Scratch Turkey, Arkansas, Lockwood once played for tips in Beale Street Park in Memphis, Tennessee. He appeared alongside blues greats Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Freddy King and Howlin' Wolf. His version of Robert Johnson's "Ramblin' On My Mind" comes from his Grammy-nominated album "Delta Crossroads."

He's a little bit country, a little rock, pop, honky-tonk and blues. And he's no stranger to the Grammy Awards. Singer Willie Nelson, founder of America's Farm Aid benefit, picked up a Grammy nomination for his album "Milk Cow Blues." The album includes an all-star cast of blues musicians, including B.B. King, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Susan Tedeschi, Jonny Lang and harmonica player Mickey Raphael. If you like the sound of the harmonica, you'll love the album "Superharps."

"Superharps" features four of today's finest harmonica players: James Cotton, Billy Branch, Charlie Mussellwhite and Sugar Ray Norcia. The harmonica, sometimes referred to as the French harp and Mississippi saxophone, was first introduced in the 1800s. It debuted on blues records in the 1930s, and has been a staple of acoustic and electric blues bands ever since.

From the Grammy nominated album "Superharps," that's Charlie Mussellwhite's "Blues, Why Do You Worry Me?" featuring Musselwhite on vocals and harmonica. Now, how often do artists get to compete against themselves in the same category? Leave it to the one-and-only "King of the Blues," B.B. King, nominated not once, but twice for Best Traditional Blues Album. For more than five decades, King has let the good times roll, playing his beloved electric guitar Lucille, and singing the blues to audiences everywhere.

From his album "Let The Good Times Roll," a tribute to R&B great Louis Jordan, B.B. King with "Ain't That Just Like A Woman." B.B. King shares the spotlight with another music legend Eric Clapton on their album "Riding With The King." The guitar masters take on classic tunes by Issac Hayes, Johnny Mercer, Big Bill Broonzy and John Hiatt, as well as the B.B. King original "Ten Long Years." The winner of the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album will be announced February 21 at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California.