Tracks of my Tears #5

Everybody remembers of the song "Return To sender." (released on the B.O of Girls Girls Girls, one of three elvis hawaiian movies peaked at #2 for 5 weeks in its 16-week run on Billboard's pop singles chart. And #1 during three weeks in British pop charts)... That's not an elvis rock'n' roll song but still sounds good (the session reunited scotty moore on guitar, drums for D.J Fontana/Hal Blaine, the yakety sax Boots Randolph... and the Jordanaires for vocals backup), the song is so cool, so pop with an universal theme that anyone can appreciate it.

Written by the duo Winfried Scott & Otis Blackwell, this song tells us the break-up story between a guy (that we'll call elvis) and his girlfriend. Refusing that their love affair is over, Elvis keeps mailing letters to her girlfriend and each letter returns to him thanks to the postman with the mention "return to sender". We don't know what happened before but i think the girl doesn't take time to answer, to give some explications... Bitch.

It's a real damn good novelty song about a love&hate relationship ! Over 14 millions copies only in the us territory (and it really meant something in the past)!

In January 8, 1933, an elvis commemorative stamp has been print in order to celebrate his birthday (his 58 th ! Can someone explain me why have we to celebrate this year?) ... All along the year 1992, America was tear, on the verge of explosion : WHAT MUST WE CHOOSE ? A young dashing elvis by Mark Stuntzman or an old but mature elvis by John Berkley? Ballots paper were distributed in every post offices across america.
It was tough times, America was divided : if you're not with me, you're against me! (personaly, i think both are ugly so...). Even Bill Clinton (ran for president at this time) voiced for the younger elvis ! The counting gave a huge lead (more than 75 %) for Elvis the young.

This elvis stamp remains far far far the most popular stamp of the U.S Postal Service ahead collections of "Legends of Baseball", "Wonders of America" or "Civil War" and for your own pop culture trivia, you should know that many americans after this special release, wrote invalid adresses on their letters just for having their letter back with the mention "return to sender" on it !!!

And now ladies & gentlemen, you can listen this answer song to "Return To Sender..." called "Don't Want Your Letters" by Gerri Granger, soul woman with few songs on northern soul compilations, which shows the point of view of the "ex elvis girlfriend" aka exactly the opposite meaning of the original song ! And we can see abyssal depths separating boys & girls...

Gerri Granger - Don't Want Your Letters
http://www.box.net/shared/1cb8dfknok



Top 25 Most Popular Commemorative Stamps
http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2006/sr06_055dl.htm

Willie Tee Passed Away

The curse of Turbinton's family goes on... One month later after his older brother Earl, a jazz saxophonist, Willie Tee has succumbed quickly of his colon cancer at the age of 63 on Touro Infirmary this september 11. Friends remembered of Willie on http://blog.nola.com/living/2007/09/wilson_willie_tee_turbinton_de.html and it's very blessing...

That's a tough period for me and not only with deaths of willie tee & bobby byrd... But death of any persons related to "Pop Music" remains a terrible shock for me... I think it's just the reflect of the near end of the music I love.

Born Wilson Turbinton in september 6 1944, Willie Tee is an important figure in the creation of this distinctive sound of new orleans. Keyboardist, arranger, producer, songwriter,vocalist, he is also known as one of architects of the early funk of crescent city funk.

When he was a teenager, he made succes with "Teasin You" fantastic mid-tempo soul on Nola produced by the owner Wardell Quezergue who added punchy horns (national distribution by Atlantic). There is many great tunes like "Thank You John", almost the same soulful mid tempo than "Teasin you", "It Was You" with the girls during the chorus and the song that made me cry, completely fall in love with "Walking Up a One Way Street", his majestic nostalgic Northern side powdered by magig trumpets. This song remains one of the best tunes when your gal left you and "tears flow just like rain" and you're walkin' up a one way street... Pretty Picture.

We can remember his part of work with the Gaturs, almost always instrumental, one of the band pionner of the original funk in new orleans where he holds the place of keyboard player... Same funky work with the Wild Magnolias backing with his older brother Earl... With his brother, he also backed up Cannonball Aderley (he dad see Willie performing while he was touring in the same city) (the keyboardist of Cannon, Joe Zawinul died this tuesday... The Curse...) for his passage on Capitol.

Removed in Baton Rouge after Hurricane Katrina ("I litteraly lost everything in a flash") but nevertheless full of life, he shared his passion with the students of Priceton's university and he's always touring until the ultimate dawn of his life. We can see a long moment of his show on youtube http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=4xrT2JU2s_E (Willie Tee At the Carolina Beach Music Awards nov 2005) ad a short video of Walking Up... in Columbia 2007 here http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=VA0FhgXelb0

All my condolences to the Turbinton's family and a funeral will be held on september 22, 2007 at 11 am at Our Lady of the Sea Catholic Church, 1835 St. Roch Ave, New Orleans.

Home of the Groove, your private pillow blog about new orleans, did a couple of great posts on Willie Tee. Have a look !

Willie Tee - Walkin' Up A One Way Street
http://www.box.net/shared/1m4c5agady