RIP Etta James:
The crystalline soul singer Etta James passed on to the great big choir in the sky, battling leukemia. She was 73-years-young. One of the early “matriarchs” of Chicago’s Chess Records, James mastered the art of ballad-interpreting out-of-the-gate, her most remembered cover, Mack Gordon and Harry Warren’s “At Last” the title of her debut album, while soon thereafter blossoming into a singer/songwriter threat all her own, the smoldering “I’d Rather Go Blind” one of the most infamous ill-credited songs of all time, writing in her autobiography that she gave away the songwriting credit to partner Ellington Jordan for tax reasons. But most importantly she was a beacon of inspiration to an invaluable amount of musicians that followed in her footsteps.
Megaraid:
Conveniently executed as SOPA/PIPA legislation moved around House and Senate desks this week and the free people of the intranets’ various civil protests decrying censorship, the feds swooped in with an indictment and subsequent shut down of Hong Kong based file-sharing site Megaupload.com, claiming the accused of “costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue” from pirated media, the New York Times reported. The accused are chiefly 37-year-old German national/New Zealand resident, Kim “Dotcom” Scmitz, and a handful of employees. Why SOPA/PIPA even matter, as the FBI has clearly shown they don’t need the bills in question to operate, the internet is still trying to understand. Meanwhile, a group of “hackvitists” going under the name “Anonymous” retaliated by shutting down the websites of the Justice Department, Universal Music, the RIAA and a handful of government and music industry sites. And SOPA/PIPA was just put on hold, “in light of of recent events” tweeted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Update: Megaupload renegades its right to go live, at http://109.236.83.66./
Amy Winehouse Tribute Show:
The Amy Winehouse Foundation, that Mitch, the fallen singer’s father launched after the 27-year-old’s death in July, is readying a tribute concert reports the UK Press Association with all proceeds being funneled back into the Foundation and the various charities it supports. In talks to perform are Lily Allen and Jessie J, thus far, Allen saying she “would be honored” to perform in the hypothetically intimate performance encompassing both singers Winehouse influenced and those she had been influenced by. Looking forward, Mitch went on to tell the UK Press Association he and the foundation “will be talking to a variety of people in the coming months and will announce those performing as soon as we can.”
Presidential Love:
“Don’t worry Rev, I cannot sing like you,” consoled President Obama, addressing Reverend Al Green in the front row at the legendary Apollo Theatre at a campaign fundraiser in Harlem, after falsettoing the opening lyric to the soul icon’s gem “Let’s Stay Together.” This was followed by Obama’s case for a second term, pleading, “I am just as determined now as I was then,” and “If you are willing to stand alongside of me, change will come.”
Lyricapsule:
Truth: Supporting his second solo album, Diary of a Madman, Ozzy Osbourne infamously bit the head off a bat back on this day in 1981, thinking it was a rubber toy. If that’s not another reason to hop on board the “Crazy Train,” we don’t know what is.
