"Sock It to Me"

[Wilson Gray]

Sam, did you see the television show?

-Wilson Gray

On 6/5/05, Sam Clements <SClements at neo.rr.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Sam Clements <SClements at NEO.RR.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "Sock It to Me"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Wilson Gray" <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Sent: Sunday, June 05, 2005 1:03 AM
> Subject: Re: "Sock It to Me"
>
>
> > Of course. It will be my honor.
> >
> > In 1968. there was a television show on one of the Big Three devoted
> > to the careers of two uknown female song stylists, one white and one
> > black. Unfortunately, the unknown white singer's career came from
> > nowhere and went nowhere. I'd never heard of her at the time and have
> > not heard of her since. Hence, her name escapes me.
>
> Her name was Gloria Loring.  The show, titled "The Singers," was aired on
> ABC on May 11, 1968.   But your characterization of the show as "devoted to
> the careers of two unknown female song stylists" is incorrect.   Every major
> newspaper I can read on Proquest make it clear that Aretha was big
> time("Respect" had won her a Grammy earlier that year) and Loring was a
> newbie.
>
> > The unknown black singer was Aretha, if you can believe that. Given
> > that her career went back to at least 1964 and probably farther, I was
> > stunned to discover that, clearly, no one at ABC/CBS/NBC had ever
> > heard of her.
>
> Her career went back to at least 1961, when she was recording for Coumbia.
> Trouble was, Columbia tried to make her a pop/jazz performer.  It didn't
> work. When she switched to the Atlantic label, and they promoted her r&b
> talents, the became very popular.
>
>
> > Clearly, neither the white power structure nor the average person on
> > the white street had any idea who Aretha Franklin was or even gave a
> > Roosevelt damn. Aretha Franklin had not crossed over the color line by
> > 1967. Q.E.D.
>
> Are you saying that all of her records were sold only to blacks?  On March
> 19th of 1967, "I Never Loved A Man" topped out at #9 on Billboard's Top 40.
> On May 6th of that year(a year before that poor "unknown" was in that tv
> show), "Respect" topped out at #1.   No doubt at least one or two "white"
> stations were playing her songs.
>
>
> > Jesus! - you should pardon the expression - how long have you been
> > living in this country, Ben? Are you really so unaware of the way that
> > things were and are? Don't you recall that, in the _'Sixties,_ the
> > lynching of blacks and even of some Jews was still a commonplace
> > practice?
> >-Wilson
>
> Assuming you're referring to Goodman and Schwermer, I'd hardly call lynching
> of Jews in the Sixties a "commonplace practice."
>
> I notice that Ben has replied better than I can.
>
> Sam Clements
>


--
-Wilson Gray