Hello everybody, and welcome to the Hpathy Quiz!
Hello, Shana! And by the way, I should probably let everybody know that Shana’s name is pronounced SHAY-nuh, not SHAH-nuh. OK? How many of you have been saying SHAH-nuh all this time? Just curious. The word “Shana” is Hebrew for “beautiful”. So true!
Mom, the ezine has been in existence for, like, 20 years? And you’re only just now telling people how to pronounce my name?!
Has it really been 20 years? I can’t believe that!
Anyway I have a lot of important announcements to make. First of all, an important anniversary: The Beatles came to America 60 years ago today! On February 9, 1964 they played “The Ed Sullivan Show” for the very first time and Rock and Roll was changed forever!
Ringo, George, Ed, John and Paul
Here they are, below, at the Pan-Am press conference after their plane landed. There was a really funny moment where in answer to somebody’s question…John responded, “No we need money, first.”
The question was, “Are you going to sing for us?”
Oh right! You may be interested in hearing that George Harrison had tonsilitis during this trip to America. Their Road Manager, Neil Aspinall, had to stand in for him on Feburary 8th.
You mean for “blocking”?
Yes, blocking. Oh, and Mom… Shouldn’t we explain to our readers from India and Pakistan what “The Ed Sullivan Show” is, or was?
Can’t you do that?
Well, I can try, but, it was your era! It was a Sunday night variety show that all of America tuned into. There were only 3 channels back then. Can you imagine that? Three channels? Being on the Ed Sullivan Show meant that you had arrived! You had hit the big time! 73 million people saw The Beatles that night:
P.S. Paul McCartney has a new book out called Eyes of the Storm. It consists of all the pictures he took on that maiden voyage to America, plus other odd pictures from 1964:
Needless to say, I have to have it.
Do you have any money?
Mom, I’ll have to ask you to please refrain from interrupting—unless you have something relevant to say.
Geesh!
For instance, I imagine you didn’t even know that Jerry Butler is not doing well, according to Earl Young of The Trammps.
What????
According to Earl Young’s Facebook page, Jerry isn’t singing. Earl didn’t say exactly what was wrong, but he asked people to post well-wishes to him.
OMG! I do not like the sound of that, Shana!!!!! I cannot have anything happen to Jerry Butler! He’s a national treasure! He’s been around since at least 1958 when, as the lead singer of The Impressions, he recorded the iconic “For Your Precious Love”—a song that lives on to this day!
Jerry, top row, left
He can’t go anywhere without singing it. I saw him at the Apollo in 1967; he’s a legend!
Jerry, get well soon!
Also Mom, Toni Stern, a song-writer for Carole King, passed away at 79.
Toni Stern and Carole King
Toni filled in as a lyricist after Carole King divorced her long time song-writing partner, Gerry Goffin. You know that Carole and Gerry wrote “Chains” by The Cookies, right? Well, it so happens, that The Beatles covered it.
Shana, what does this have to do with Toni Stern?
Right. OK, so, Toni wrote “It’s Too Late” (from Carole’s iconic “Tapestry” album). Also, she wrote the theme song to our favorite TV show, “Gilmore Girls”!
Toni Stern wrote “I’m gonna follow where you lead”?
Mom, it’s just called “Where You Lead”, OK? She also wrote “Sweet Seasons”, which Carole King performed on the tour I saw with James Taylor in 2010. A few years ago CNN even made a documentary about this tour entitled “Just Call Out My Name” which was a big deal because they had the original band and these two singers have been decades-long friends. They’re cut from the same singer-songwriter, Laurel Canyon-type of cloth.
Carole King and James Taylor
Shana, once again, what does this have to do with Toni Stern?
I guess nothing.
Good grief!
Next up… I have to unfortunately announce that the last member of the original Spinners, Henry Fambrough, passed away at 85.
According to “Soul Tracks”, he had been ill for sometime and was under hospice care but others are saying “natural causes”, so I don’t know who’s right.
He was very thin, even a year ago, Shana.
He retired the year before when they were inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. His passing marks the end of an era for sure. There’s still G.C. Cameron (age 78) who left the group when they left Motown for Atlantic in 1970. He was under contract with Motown and couldn’t go with them, but he gave them his cousin, Philippe Wynne, to take his place and Philippe, ironically, became a big star because of that.
Philippe Wynne
GC Cameron
John Edwards
Also remaining is John Edwards (age 79) who replaced Philippe Wynne when Phillipe left for a solo career in 1977. John sang on two big hits: “Workin’ My Way Back To You” and “Cupid”.
And speaking about John Edwards, apparently after he had a stroke in 2000, G.C. Cameron came back to sing lead for the Spinners again. He appeared on a PBS Music Special to sing “It’s a Shame” (see video below), their big hit on Motown.
Anyway, here’s a Spinners record Henry Fambrough shares lead on: “Ghetto Child”. The first voice you’ll hear is Henry’s.
Henry Fambrough now joins the Spinners in heaven: Bobbie Smith, Pervis Jackson, Phillipe Wynne, and Billy Henderson. R.I.P. to all of you, with love.
Oh, and today I learned that after leaving The Spinners, Phillipe Wynne was featured in Funkadelic (one of George Clinton’s Funk groups). You know that song “Not Just Knee Deep” which appeared in the Kenan and Kel classic, “Good Burger”?
Actually, no; I don’t.
Well, that’s Philippe Wynne singing with George Clinton and the other P-Funk singers. Just wanted to share that brief tidbit before we start the quiz because I found it interesting.
Unfortunately, Shana, I seriously doubt that anyone cares.
I always look forward to that scene in “Good Burger” because it’s a good song and George Clinton himself appeared in it.
Are you finished with your timely announcements?
Yes. Who’s in the Quiz this month?
I’m afraid it’s me.
What? You again? What happened this time?
Well, Shana, I’m glad you asked! It was very weird! I didn’t know what to make of it! I woke up from my nap with my arms hurting! The right one more so than the left. It was a painful achiness. I couldn’t ignore it. I thought it must be the way I was sleeping. I was sleeping on my left side, my arms were bent at the elbows and my hands tucked under my chin. Maybe I strained my muscles? I don’t know as I was asleep at the time! I rolled over on my back to lay my arms down at my side, thinking that might relax them and make them feel better. But nooooo!!!! No such luck!!!
I sat up, moved around, looked for Arnica, tried to do my crossword puzzle, but my right arm felt lame! I could hardly hold my pencil and couldn’t press down with it, I could only write using the slightest pressure.
Arnica didn’t work. I took Carbo veg thinking it might be gas? (I had a mild weird ache in my upper back, that’s why I thought so) but Carbo veg didn’t work either.
Finally, it occurred to me to take _____________200C and YAY!!!!! It worked, so gradually and so seamlessly that I hardly even noticed the pain going away, but it did!!! And rather quickly.
So what do you think the remedy was? Write to me at [email protected] and let me know, the answer will be in the March ezine.
Bye-bye!
Mom, to play us out…
Oy vey! Are you still here?
I don’t know if you were aware of this or not but there’s a full recorded version of “Where You Lead” as sung by Carole King and her daughter Louise Goffin which subsequently became the theme song for our favorite show “Gilmore Girls.” Series creator, Amy Sherman-Palladino, had asked permission to use the ‘Tapestry’ version for the theme, but Carole King said she’d rather re-record the song so it fits the show, which is about a mother-daughter friendship, not unlike the relationship we have!
What, are they idiots too?
Enter Toni Stern who wrote the original, she amended the lyrics to be applicable to a mother-daughter relationship, leading to the most iconic TV show theme in 2000s culture. So. R.I.P Toni Stern, you helped make this happen and we’re forever grateful.
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Elaine Lewis, DHom, CHom
Elaine takes online cases
Write to her at [email protected]
Visit her website: https://ElaineLewis.hpathy.com
