Worst I Shall Be Released EVER

Date: 2 Feb 2003 05:05:42 -0800
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Size: 3,141 bytes

In a message dated 2/2/2003 12:03:48 AM Eastern Standard Time,
email-address-deleted writes:
> robertandrews <email-address-deleted>
> Subject: Re: Worst I Shall Be Released EVER
>
> "Timothy Herrick" <email-address-deleted> wrote:
> >Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, to name two obvious examples who come to
> mind. struggled with this, would neve mix the two on record and (I don't
> beleive) in concert.
>
> Terrible examples. Aretha rarely mixed gospel & secular, but that didn't
> pose any "struggle" for her at all. If there was a problem, it was among
> some religious folks. Aretha wanted to be a popular singer from day one, &
> her family (including her father the Reverend) totally supported her.
>
These are good examples. once aretha went secular, she could never sing
gpspel songs again. Back then, there was a lot of division. Her reverend dad
supported her, but she did get a lot of flack. Wouldn't it have been great if
Aretha could have sung precious lord in the same concert she did respect? My
point was that for Aaron neville, as well as for Van, this has never been an
issue.
It's weird, when you think about it. Aretha,, and her support from her dad,
who was a gospel singer and famous preacher in his own right, basically took
the line that a scular singer could still be a good chrisitan. It wasn't, she
sings secular but can still sing gospel. No, gospel was only done in the
church back then.
> Before his big hits, Ray Charles was a jazz/blues musician & singer, not a
> gospel artist. He never had a religious vs. secular problem.
>
>
Well, no, he was never a gospel artist, except for, playing piano in the
chuch and learning his music in the church and getting his inspiration from
the church musically. When Ray did his signature tune, what i say, he
basically plagarized a gsopel melody and the call and shout response of
gospel.
What Ray couldn't do, was sing a straight out gospel song. Hell, at least
Aretha does have some gospel recordings out there. Why? Ray had turned
secular.
You do raise a good point though. Robert. It was the gsopel folks who didn't
like their singers singing secular songs. And, come ot think of it, singers
such as Sam Cooke or the The Staples once they went secular, never did a
gospel song again I may be wrong about Cooke, in that, I wonder if he did
Touch the Hem in his later concerts? I don't know. The Staples stopped with
the gospel, but replaced it with a lot of terrific message songs. Of course,
when MLK says you are his favorite group, it goes a long way i imagine.
Funny, while this secular vs religious conudrum was fierece in black gospel.
in country gospel, there doesn't seem to be a problem. The Louvin Bros and
the STanley Bos would mix it up, although i think their records tneded to be
one or the other.
Anyway, how deep a struggle is i guess debatable. But for Van and Aaron, who
are sincerly spirtual guys no matter how whacked ou that spirtuality gets
(theosopy van?) and have no problem singing religious tunes along side love
songs. Aretha and Ray never could do that. I think they wanted to too, but
the times would not allow them