Days of Art – #48: B.B. King

Riley “Blues Boy” King (1925 – 1915). Rest in peace. We know Heaven knows how to sing the Blues. B.B. King performs at Sing Sing Prison in the video above. He later said he thought this was one of his best performances. The entire performance is available on YouTube if you’re interested. Below, he performs…

Days of Art – #47: Stand By Me

Today, 1 May 2015, R&B great Ben E. King, born Benjamin Earl Nelson in North Carolina, died of natural causes in New Jersey. King initially found success as a member of the doo-wop group The Drifters, whose biggest hits were “Save the Last Dance for Me” and “There Goes My Baby,” which he co-wrote. The…

Days of Art #46: Playing for Change

Playing for Change, according to their website “is a movement created to inspire and connect the world through music.” It began in 2002 when its co-founders, Mark Johnson and Whitney Kroenke toured the street of America with a mobile recording studio and cameras looking for “inspiration and the heartbeat of the people.” They found it,…

International Womens’ Day: “All I Do”

Today’s Musical Minute: Did you know that “All I Do,” written and popularized by Stevie Wonder was originally recorded by the late, great Tammi Terrell? In 1966, then-sixteen year old Stevie helped write the song, and Tammi recorded it. Berry Gordy wanted Diana Ross and the Supremes to record the song, but Stevie wanted Tammi.…

100 Days of Art – Day 28: The Roberts McFerrin

Many of you have probably heard of Bobby McFerrin, below, noted singer, musician, and one-man voicechestra/multi-octave singer, beat-boxer, and, conductor. However, did you know that he’s actually Robert McFerrin, Jr. and his father was noted baritone Robert McFerrin (1921-2006)? No, well sit back and take a listen to both men’s work. Robert McFerrin was a…