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The Four Tops
Song of the Day: Another helpless love song in the form of a stone-cold 1967 classic marked by superlative, heartfelt lead vocals by Levi Stubbs fronting the Motown band, and written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland
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Otis Redding, 1941-1967
Song of the Day: After yesterday’s classic blues number best known for Lead Belly, another simmering jealousy classic from one of the great soul stars whose life was tragically cut short in a 1967 plane crash aged only 26
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The Animals may have done the best-known cover version, but there are arguably others than better it
To some it’s a masterpiece, to others a dirge, but from 17th century England to 20th century New Orleans, with artists that include Woody Guthrie, Nina Simone, The Animals and alt-J it’s a song that keeps evolving
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Song of the Day: Following a series of gospel sings, let's move into a mixture of blues, soul and an even wider theme with song that brought this star back into the public eye in 2002, backed by The Blind Boys of Alabama
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The Blind Boys of Alabama in later years, including founders Clarence Fountain and Jimmy Carter
Song of the Day: From mountains with Mahalia Jackson and the rain from Rosetta Tharpe and Ray Charles, we turn to similar heights with the great gospel singing group that has been going since 1939 and a songwriter also from Alabama
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Ray Chalres
Song of the Day: After Sister Rosetta Tharpe performing in rainy Manchester in 1964, another great's rendition of a another wet weather number written by Tony Joe White in 1967 from his 1972 album Through The Eyes Of Love
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Aretha Franklin 1942-2018)
Song of the Day: A tribute to the one of the greatest of all. With the passing of Memphis-born Aretha Louise Franklin (25 March 25, 1942 – 16 August 2018), we say farewell to far more than soul singing at its best
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Fatoumata Diawara
Song of the Day: After a series of longer established African stars, a more contemporary one – the Ivory Coast born singer songwriter, from her 2018 album, Fenfo (Something To Say), with a song about mass migration
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Youssou N'Dour
Song of the Day: Moving from Morocco, and another huge figure in African music and the style of mbalax, which mixes jazz, soul, Latin, and rock blended with sabar, the traditional drumming and dance music of Senegal
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Oum El Ghaït Benessahraoui
Song of the Day: From the deserts of Mali with Tuareg band Tinariwen to the Sahara further north, and the sublime singer Oum El Ghaït Benessahraoui from her 2013 album, Soul of Morocco
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Suicide's Alan Vega and Martin Rev in 1979
Song of the Day: The dream goes on, but where might it lead next? Reaching into the power of nightmares and fantasies, an original by the US electro-punk duo of Alan Vega and Martin Rev from 1979 and two contrasting covers
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Roy Orbison, a voice of majestic tragedy
Song of the Day: After Santo & Johnny's exquisite, dreamy melody, a song from the man Elvis Presley described has being the world's greatest singer, her with lovesickness that filters into the subconscious
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Marion Maerz
Song of the Day: After a recent run of German female solo artists and about seeking or not seeking solitude, a 1967 classic written by Ray Davies of the Kinks, and sung by Marion Maerz
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Van the man
Song of the Day: After James Carr's soul classic, let's turn down down an unusually upbeat route written by by the Belfast legend for his 1979 album Into The Music, which includes a lyric inspired by it
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James Carr
Song of the Day: Following Nick Cave's Jubilee Street, let's continue down the magnificent but murky musical road with this 1967 soul classic by the Mississippi-born singer from album You Got My Mind Messed Up
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Mattiel
Song of the Day: Today's entry comes from the the singer-songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia, who is a designer by day and a performer by night, and here her rock-pop-soul songs reflect this, making multiple reference to colours
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Reggie Watts. A performer of infinite jest.
Song of the Day: Following Childish Gambino's laceration of American history and culture, let's move into loopier acerbic perspective with the comedian, rapper and singer from his 2010 album Why Shit So Crazy?
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Eartha Kitt in Las Vegas in the 1950s
Song of the Day: One flower-based song, three great voices doing their versions, all intense, intimate and intoxicating. Let's drink all of them in, interpreting this song written by James Shelton in 1950
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The Foundations
Song of the Day: After yesterday's Les Fleur by Minnie Riperton, we turned to another uplifting flower song by the great British ethnic-mix Motown-style band who were active between 1967 and 1971
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Minnie Riperton in 1971
Song of the Day: After our previous Manchester late-80s dance tracks, when flower power returned with a new chemical twist, we hark back to another petal-infused and influential song by the vocalist linked to our previous Rotary Connection selection
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