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Betty Wright’s 10 Best Songs: Staff Picks
Betty Wright was one of the most venerated figures in ’70s soul, funk, gospel and disco — not just a brilliant singer- songwriter, but also an accomplished producer and even an instinctive A&R woman, helping singers and eventual disco stars George & Gwen McCrae sign their first record deal in the late ’60s while just a teenager herself. While Wright’s multi-faceted career has seen her importance and influence trickle down to future generous in numerous ways — including as liberally sampled source material — what still resounds the most are her classic original songs. Following her death this week at age 66, Billboard takes a look back at here at 10 of our favorites from her towering catalog. “Girls Can’t Do What the Guys Do”...
Little Richard Never Won a Grammy, But He Brought Down the House at the 1988 Grammy Awards
Richard’s tone was genial and good-natured, but you can bet that it reflected a genuine sense that his role as a rock’n’roll pioneer had been under-appreciated. Little Richard never won a Grammy in competition, but he provided one of the most memorable moments at the 30th annual Grammy Awards, held on March 2, 1988 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. That was a strong Grammy show to begin with. It was the year Michael Jackson gave one of the most captivating performances in Grammy history, and U2 won album of the year for the first time. Little Richard and David Johansen, former leader of the New York Dolls (who recorded solo as Buster Poindexter), walked onstage to present the award for best new artist. Richard pointed out that Johansen’s hair was styled in a pom...
Jill Scott vs. Erykah Badu in ‘Verzuz’ Battle of Neo-Soul Titans: See Billboard’s Scorecard and Winner For the Showdown
At the end of nearly two months of battles between regional producers, legacy producers, legendary rap producers, R&B and pop producers and writers, the Verzuz series of Instagram live song battles still had a glaring omission from their line-up: women. Lack of women behind the boards in music creation and production is a long-time industry issue, but Verzuz creators and battle commissioners Swizz Beats and Timbaland told fans they were working on a way to bring women into the fold soon. Last night, it finally came to fruition. On Saturday, May 9th, in partnership with Live Nation’s Femme It Foward, the series finally showcased two women for a singers version: neo-soul sisters Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. Fans and spectators joining Jill Scott’s IG live shortly after 7:00 p.m. imm...
Ghetto Fabulous: Andre Harrell Created a Culture of Black Excellence
“My goal is to bring real black America — just as it is, not watered down — to people everywhere through music, through films, through everything we do.” This was the manifesto of 32 year-old, newly-minted entertainment mogul Andre O’Neal Harrell, in conversation with the L.A. Times in 1992 about his $50M multi-media deal with MCA Records. Harrell, who founded Uptown Records, died on Friday, May 8th of an apparent cardiac episode at the age of 59. As the music industry mourns this unexpected loss, a refrain keeps echoing through posts and tributes: Andre’s impact on music and culture was never properly celebrated. In conversations about culture shifters and modern music moguls, Andre Harrell is often relegated to a supporting character role in the Sean Combs story. He’s t...
With Little Richard’s Death, Only Two Members of the Inaugural Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class Are Still Living
Rock’n’roll really does keep you young. But not immortal, sad to say. With Little Richard‘s death today (May 9) at age 87, now just two members of the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are still living — Jerry Lee Lewis, who is 84, and Don Everly, the older of The Everly Brothers, who is 83. The other members of the first class, from 1986, have all died. Three of them were inducted posthumously: Buddy Holly had died way back in 1959 (at age 22), Sam Cooke in 1964 (at age 33) and Elvis Presley in 1977 (at age 42). But all of the other members of the inaugural class lived to see their inductions and in fact made it into the 2000s, which suggests that rock’n’roll really does keep you young. But not immortal, sad to say: Ray Ch...
Little Richard’s History on Billboard’s Charts: ‘Tutti Frutti,’ ‘Good Golly, Miss Molly’ & More
The late star scored over two dozen songs beginning in the ’50s. Little Richard was one of the most influential pioneers of modern music, shaping the evolution of rock and R&B and charting legendary songs on Billboard‘s charts. The icon, born Richard Penniman on Dec. 5, 1932, in Macon, Georgia, died Saturday morning (May 9) at age 87. The singer, songwriter and pianist sent over two dozen songs onto Billboard‘s charts, with his most of his beloved hits having predated the Billboard Hot 100, which began on Aug. 4, 1958. (Prior to the Hot 100’s inception, Billboard published various charts ranking store sales, radio airplay and jukebox selections). [embedded content] He first debuted on a Billboard chart in November 1955 , when “Tutti Frutti” debu...
Here’s How Billboard Reviewed Little Richard’s ‘Tutti Frutti’ in 1955
The song was Little Richard’s first entry on a Billboard chart in 1955. There wasn’t much else like “Tutti Frutti” when Little Richard premiered the song in 1955. The risqué song about sex and dancing, helped Richard land performing slots in clubs, and later established him as a certified hitmaker. The track also earned him his first career Billboard chart entry in 1955, debuting at No. 12 on the Best Sellers in Stores chart in November 1955, and later reaching No. 17 on the Most Played in Juke Boxes tally in 1956. Before that, though, Billboard reviewed the song in the October 29, 1955 issue of the magazine, calling it “A cleverly styled novelty with nonsense words.” Here’s the full mini-review from the magazine, alongside other by The Cadillacs, Piano Red, Margie Day and Rollee McG...
Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Savage’ & Doja Cat’s ‘Say So’ Battling for No. 1 on Hot 100 Next Week
Both songs should surge driven in part by high-profile remixes. Will a stallion gallop to No. 1 on next week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart? Or, will a cat pounce to the highest perch? According to projections based on building Nielsen Music/MRC Data figures, Megan Thee Stallion‘s “Savage” and Doja Cat‘s “Say So” should both challenge for the summit of the May 16-dated Hot 100, thanks to notable gains. On the most recently published chart, dated May 9, the former ranks at No. 4, a new high, and the latter places at No. 6, after reaching No. 5. The tracks are aiming to dethrone “The Scotts,” by The Scotts, Travis Scott and Kid Cudi, as the collaboration is likely to depart the top spot after it launched at No. 1 on the May 9-dated chart. The ...
Andre Harrell, Founder of Uptown Records, Dies at 59
Andre Harrell, music mogul and founder of influential R&B and hip-hop label Uptown Records, has died. Details are if his death are not yet known, but Harrell’s passing was first announced by DJ D-Nice on his Instagram Live early Saturday morning (May 9), and sources have separately confirmed it to Billboard. He was 59. Raised in the Bronx, New York, Harrell started a career in music as half of the early-’80s hip-hop duo Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (with Alonzo Brown). The pair had a handful of minor hits on Billboard‘s Hot R&B Songs chart — the biggest being the No. 31-peaking, Tom Tom Club-sampling “Genius Rap” in 1982 — but Harrell soon found other career aspirations, particularly after meeting Def Jam records founder Russell Simmon...
Rewinding the Country Charts: In 2015, Little Big Town’s ‘Girl Crush’ Began a Record Run at No. 1
The smash ruled Hot Country Songs for 13 weeks. On May 9, 2015, Little Big Town‘s “Girl Crush” hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart for the start of a 13-week command. The reign stands as the longest for a group (of three members or more) in the chart’s six-decade history. The song, written by Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose, became Little Big Town’s second of three leaders, between “Pontoon,” which led for two weeks in September 2012, and the Taylor Swift-authored “Better Man,” a two-week No. 1 in February 2017. The lyrical content of “Girl Crush” caused a notable reaction, with many getting it wrong, thinking that “Crush” is about a woman romantically interested in another woman. Th...
Filter’s Richard Patrick Reflects on ‘Short Bus’ at 25: I Was Done Riding Trent Reznor’s Coattails
‘I had taken a risk that I was going to make it on my own, and not gain notoriety as the guitar player for Nine Inch Nails anymore.’ Richard Patrick spent the last weeks of the winter of 1994 with Ben Grosse at Pearl Sound in Canton, Mich., overseeing the final mixes for what would become his vitriolic industrial outfit’s inaugural offering, Short Bus. Cut off from the outside world, with his focus squarely on finishing his 1995 debut LP, the Filter frontman had no idea one of the unfinished record’s tracks was already in heavy rotation at rock radio stations nationwide thanks to a last-minute request from the producers of the soundtrack for an underknown Billy Zane-anchored horror film. The song, of course, was “Hey Man, Nice Shot,” which appeared in Tales From the Crypt ...
California Governor Allows Some Retail Reopening With Limits
Some Los Angeles County retailers can reopen with curbside pickup only — including stores that sell music, toys, books, clothing and sporting goods. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued the broadest loosening of his stay-at-home order so far, allowing some retailers to reopen but not have customers in stores. The guidelines were made “with an eye on turning the page and moving into a new phase in terms of our economic recovery,” Newsom said. The announcement was the result of improvement in battling the coronavirus. It moves California into the second phase of a methodical four-step process to full reopening. It covers only a sliver of retail businesses as well as manufacturers’ warehouses considered low risk for the virus. Stores that will be allowed to open with curbside...
