Recognising music: how does the brain do it so well and so fast?
01/08/2014
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I knew I recognised the guitar from somewhere. A little brain-racking came up with "Love Is Strange" by Mickey & Sylvia (1956), an unusual sounding song that came to modern prominence via the soundtrack of the movie "Dirty Dancing"
Check it out at 1m 35s. (Video URL is cued to 1:30, but this blog site doesn't want to play ball with that, sorry.) |
A quick check of their release at Wikipedia reveals:
"At a concert at Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. Mickey and Sylvia heard Jody Williams play a guitar riff that Williams had played on Billy Stewart's debut single "Billy's Blues".[3] "Billy's Blues" was released as a single in June 1956 and the instrumentation combined a regular blues styling with Afro-Cuban styling. Sylvia Robinson claims that she and Mickey Baker wrote the lyrics, while Bo Diddley claims that he wrote them. The personnel on Mickey and Sylvia's hit recording of the song included Mickey Baker and Sylvia Robinson on guitar, King Curtis on tenor sax, Haywood Henry on Baritone Sax, Ernie Hayes on piano, Abie Baker on bass, and Panama Francis."
It would appear then, that Mickey & Sylvia were "influenced" both by Jody Williams' riff from Billy Stewart's "Billy's Blues" and by Bo Diddley's lyrics from his number also entitled "Love is Strange" (which see below).
It is interesting as well to see a lady guitarist, not someone seen every day.
"At a concert at Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. Mickey and Sylvia heard Jody Williams play a guitar riff that Williams had played on Billy Stewart's debut single "Billy's Blues".[3] "Billy's Blues" was released as a single in June 1956 and the instrumentation combined a regular blues styling with Afro-Cuban styling. Sylvia Robinson claims that she and Mickey Baker wrote the lyrics, while Bo Diddley claims that he wrote them. The personnel on Mickey and Sylvia's hit recording of the song included Mickey Baker and Sylvia Robinson on guitar, King Curtis on tenor sax, Haywood Henry on Baritone Sax, Ernie Hayes on piano, Abie Baker on bass, and Panama Francis."
It would appear then, that Mickey & Sylvia were "influenced" both by Jody Williams' riff from Billy Stewart's "Billy's Blues" and by Bo Diddley's lyrics from his number also entitled "Love is Strange" (which see below).
It is interesting as well to see a lady guitarist, not someone seen every day.
So there we have it, a direct link.
It just amazes me that a brain can pick things like this up so fast, without even trying really.
I was checking my emails at the time, not even solely listening to music.
04/10/2020
This whole page is yet another example of the pervasive Afro-Cuban influence in popular music of the USA in the Fifties.
e.g. see my posts The Beatles Go Latin, Berry Blues, who knew, An Exploration of non-Flamenco Rumba.
This whole page is yet another example of the pervasive Afro-Cuban influence in popular music of the USA in the Fifties.
e.g. see my posts The Beatles Go Latin, Berry Blues, who knew, An Exploration of non-Flamenco Rumba.
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Postscript 03/09/14
I was looking up Dick Dale, to confirm my vague memory that his Surf music was influenced by Middle-Eastern music (it was, he was of Lebanese descent), when I checked out this early number from 1961. I pricked up my ears pretty quick. Coincidence or influence? |
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Postscript 07/06/2020
Here is Bo Diddley's release, obviously his lyrics are those used by Mickey & Sylvia, but his musical treatment is very different. |
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Postscript 04/10/2020
The guitar riff was also used by Dave "Baby" Cortez in his 1962 instrumental song "Rinky Dink", also credited to Diddley. |