"Forgetting You" - James Carr

James Carr was born June 13, 1942 in Coahoma, Mississippi. His father was a preacher and church was young James first stage. He began his recording career in the mid 1960’s just as traditional soul music a la James Brown; was transitioning to a “funkier” sound. His first label was Goldwax Records in Memphis.

“You’ve Got My Mind Messed Up” was the first record which actually made the charts. 1966 was the year he began to be noticed with the release of his most enduring recording “The Dark End of the Street”, written by Dan Penn and Chips Moman. James remained with Goldwax until they closed in 1960.

Health wise, Mr. Carr suffered from both mental as well as medical problems. The former affected his career more than the latter, sometimes resulting in panic attacks which left him speechless in front of an audience. Anti-depressants only worsened the problem for him. For most of the 1970’s and 1980’s he was almost forgotten. It was Peter Guralnick’s book “Sweet Soul Music” which brought him back into the public spotlight in 1986.

In January of 2001, at the all too early age of 58 years young, Mr. Carr passed away from lung cancer. He was living in a nursing home at the time. His voice is so reminiscent of Otis Redding’s that I mistook this song for one of Mr. Redding’s when I heard it the other night in the film “Cold in July.” 

For more about this artist use this link to the blog "The B Side"; 

http://redkelly.blogspot.com/2007/09/james-carr-forgetting-you-goldwax-311.html

"Forgetting You"

As I prepare to lay down here alone dear

I can't help but to keep wishing that you were here

I done you wrong but now you are gone

what can I do?

don't make me live the rest of my life

forgetting you

it's too bad I didn't realize until you were gone

just what it meant to have a love like you for my own

but now that you've gone I can't go on

living here without you

don't make me live the rest of my life

forgetting you

Forgetting you

it will be so hard I know

but listen baby

how can I forget you

every day I love you more and more

come back to me

I'm lone and blue

don't make me live the rest of my life

forgetting you

how can I forget you

when every day I love you a little more 

and a little more

how can I forget you

when you fill my heart with so much joy

how can I forget you

when I love you all so much

how can I forget you

when every day I need you by my side

Oh, I love you baby

I love you from the bottom of my heart

tell me

tell me that we will never part

I love you baby.

"Against All Odds" by Eddie Ray (2012)

News Release

                                                       

Contact:  
Elyshia Brooks                                              
Kreative Group, Inc.
elyshia@ElyshiaBrooks.com
T: 800-511-5410

For Immediate Release

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—He has been called a “national treasure.”  North Carolina native, Eddie Ray, the grandson of a former slave, gives readers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the burgeoning record industry of the 1950s and early 1960s in his newly released memoir “Against All Odds—The Remarkable Life Story of Eddie Ray.” 

Ray, now in his mid-80s, started as a stock boy for Decca Records in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when he was 18 years old and eventually rose to become vice president of Capitol/Tower Records in Hollywood, California, one of the top major record companies in the U.S., the first African-American in such a decision-making role.

But prior to this top post, he was first an extraordinary record sales and promotions man whom acquaintances still describe today as having “an ear for what would sell,” and “a commercial mind.”  It was during some 60 years in the commercial music business that Ray had a significant   impact on the careers of rising stars such as Rick Nelson, Fats Domino, Allen Toussaint, Ernie Freeman, Mike Curb, Irma Thomas, Ernie K-Doe, Sandy Nelson, Pink Floyd, and many others.

Ray also founded one of the first commercial music schools in the country and subsequently was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to serve as a Commissioner of the U.S. Copyright Royalty Tribunal in Washington, DC.

 

“Against All Odds—The Remarkable Life Story of Eddie Ray” takes readers on a journey from the rural foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina to the top executive suites of the dynamic music industry of the ’50s and ’60s. The book opens with a prologue dated October 3rd 2009 at the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where Ray was one of the first inductees.   He notes that the unusual venue of the ceremony is symbolic, indicative of the out-of-the-ordinary events in his life.

Readers will immediately be drawn in from the first chapter, which doesn’t start with his childhood, but a description of his life as a tapestry with people being threads woven through his experiences.  Readers will also learn about the behind-the-scenes operations of independent record companies—hundreds of them formed after World War II, opening the recording door for many artists, especially minority performers.  And most of all they will be inspired by Ray’s courage to take risks from his young life all the way through to his current years.

Robert Williams of “Rooftop Reviews” said of the book, “It was fantastic. In understated tones, he has delivered a living portrait of a time, though long gone, which still influences us until this very day. The book is all about taking chances and trusting your instincts in order to help make your dreams come true. It's the story of a family, raised in segregation, and yet still successful by virtue of hard work.”

Baby Boomers especially will enjoy this book that will evoke feelings of nostalgia as they think back to where they were when certain songs of the early Rock and Roll era became hits.  They will be fascinated by Eddie Ray’s connection with the success of mega-stars such as Fats Domino and Rick Nelson and names they may not immediately recognize, but whose works they certainly will. 

Music historians will appreciate learning about Ray who can be added to the “untold stories” of influential African Americans.  And African Americans will be inspired by his quest to open doors, courage to break racial barriers, and audacity to ignore the status quo. Even music students will find this book enjoyable as they read about the people who laid the foundation for the music business today.

“Against All Odds—The Remarkable Life Story of Eddie Ray” will inspire, inform, and immerse readers as they peer into the personal and professional experiences of his life.

This “living history” makes the book an important autobiography in that it preserves little-known facts about an industry that has had such a tremendous impact on American culture. 

“Against All Odds—The Remarkable Life Story of Eddie Ray,” written with Barbara Jackson Hall, is approximately 200 pages and available in paperback from Amazon.com.

__________________________________________

Note from RT: This is the book which I reviewed here on December 5th. You can imagine how proud I am to have been included in this release, which will be going to many of the major newspapers across the country. My original review can be viewed at the following link;  

http://robertwilliamsofbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2012/12/against-all-odds-by-eddie-ray-2012.html

Etta James

This mornings paper brought me the sad news that Etta James is in the hospital again. The 73 year old singer, who has influenced scores of stars, from Janis Joplin to Beyonce, is battling a blood disorder, along with dementia and lukemia. This incredible woman was born on January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles. She was considered somewhat of a child prodigy, singing solo in church at the age of 5. By age 12 she was living in San Francisco, where she formed her first band, a trio. Soon after that, she was working with Johnny Otis and his band.

The year I was born (1954) Ms. James moved back to Los Angeles, where she recorded the slightly off color "Roll With Me Henry" under the title of "The Wallflower" with Johnny Otis. This was also the year in which she changed her name from Jamesetta Hawkins to Etta James. Her nickname at the time was "Peaches." Her first recording as Etta James was the 1955 release of "Good Rockin' Daddy."

By 1960 she had signed with Chess Records out of Chicago and gave us a string of hits that will never be forgotten. From the soulful "At Last", "All I Could Do Was Cry" and "Trust In Me", her sound got bigger and better. By 1967 Leonard Chess had her working at Fame Studios, where she would record the album "Tell Mama" with the Muscle Shoals house band.

Active as a performer all the way through the 1990's, Ms. James continued to give it her all; from live concerts to TV specials on PBS, she just kept on comin'. Her wit and sass are evident in every performance and recording. She won her third Grammy in 2004 for "Blues to the Bone." Her last album to date was the 2006 release of "All the Way", on which she performed cover versions of her favorite songs. The artists she covered included Frank Sinatra, Prince, Marvin Gaye and James Brown.

Things don't look that great right now for Ms. James. And short of wishing her a speedy recovery, a longshot at best, I can only thank her for the soundtrack she provided to my chidhood on a 6 volt transistor radio. Here's a link to "All I Could Do Was Cry."

http://youtu.be/b-59strhDLY