Martha Abbott

Artist: Martha Abbott

LP: Precious Is His Name

Song: "Precious Is His Name"

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Song: "A Passport to Heaven"

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I just had a ten minute phone conversation with Martha Abbott! I was pretty sure the number on the back of Martha's debut LP wouldn't still be hers, but figured I'd call it anyhow to see who it belonged to now. Martha was a little wary before identifying herself, asking several times who I was and why I was calling—she says nowadays she's got to be careful when dealing with strangers and that she doesn't normally answer the phone if she doesn't know the person who's calling. We began chatting after I explained that I'm just a new fan of hers in Seattle who found her record in Cleveland while traveling through Ohio last summer. I let her know that I think her piano playing is absolutely amazing and that I really love her album, so decided on a whim to try calling the phone number listed on the back. 

According to Martha, "Precious Is His Name" was the first song she ever wrote, and this album, made in the mid-'70s, was recorded in Nashville. Her producer there passed away after she made a few records, so she began recording in her hometown of Columbus instead. She's released a total of eight LPs, and they've all sold really well throughout Ohio and in neighboring states. "You can find them everywhere," she told me. Martha no longer travels long distances (her son won't let her) and she's never been to Seattle, but she still performs all around Ohio at churches, weddings, funerals, etc. She has a regular gig playing and singing at two different churches and with their respective choirs; she's recently written five new songs and is currently looking for a producer for her next record. "I found one, but he doesn't do things the way I'd like them to be done," she said. I sympathized with her desire for artistic control, and she told me she feels blessed to have been able to perform her music for so many people for such a long time—"It's all about Jesus." If you're a producer in the Columbus area and you'd like to work with the charming and talented Martha Abbott, or if you'd like to have her play for your church, wedding, or funeral, send me an email and I'll tell you how you can get in touch with her.

Chief Bey and His Royal Household

Artist: Chief Bey and His Royal Household

LP: Congo Percussion

Song: "Asawanda"

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...and speaking of "all places," I found this terrific album full of African percussion at Everybody's Records last summer while I was in Cincinnati. Chief Bey (and His Royal Household) is only credited on the record's actual label for some reason, and not on the LP sleeve, which repeatedly refers to their "TABOO" recording session. That may be due to the fact that everyone evidently "lost themselves" and began "jumping around" during the recording session (see liner notes), or maybe because this same set of songs was also released on an earlier LP called "Taboo," featuring a much more exciting cover. In any case, Chief Bey was born in Yamassee, South Carolina before his family moved him to New York City, where he would become a famed jazz drummer and teacher, working with musicians like Cab Calloway, Miriam Makeba, Pharoah Sanders, and Herbie Mann. Sadly, he died eight years ago, about a week before his 91st birthday. You can read about Chief Bey here and go here to find his obituary in the New York Times.

[ Chief Bey: April 17, 1913 — April 8, 2004 ]

Laila Matar

Artist: Laila Matar

LP: Cairo! The Music of Modern Egypt

Song: "Ishtagnalak Wallah (Part 2)"

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This Capitol Records various artists LP presenting "modern" Egyptian music to a Western audience was something I picked up last summer in Dayton, Ohio of all places. Along with Laila Matar, the record features tracks from Nagah Salamar, Tariq Abdul Hakim, and Ahmed Jabor. I've included an album review here from the May 5, 1956 edition of The Billboard magazine, and the LP's liner notes, which offer a range of tantalizing tips and ideas for your own Egyptian vacation, are included below. Personally, I'd like to spend a relaxing evening at one of Cairo's still-gay cafes!

Lucho Gatica

Artist: Lucho Gatica

LP: Lucho In Mexico

Song: "Suffering (Sufrir)"

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Born in Rancagua, Chile in August of 1928, Lucho Gatica made his first record in 1949. It didn't take long before his "warm and passionate" baritone voice sent his music career up, up and away like those beautiful balloons on the front of his 1959 "Lucho In Mexico" LP. Gatica, who made Mexico City his home in 1957, conquered hearts throughout all of Latin America with his boleros bonitos, and he also enjoyed popularity in the USA, as you can read on Wikipedia here. There's lots more to learn about Lucho Gatica on his website's biography page here, and go here to see a photo of the suave, impeccably-dressed singer receiving his very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. Liner notes and a photo from the back of the album are included below.

 

 

 

 

Jorgen Ingmann

Artist: Jorgen Ingmann

LP: Apache

Song: "Pepe"

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Somehow it seems a tad less offensive when a Scandinavian person dresses up like a "ferocious-looking" Native  American chief than when folks here in the USA do it. Jørgen Ingmann took the title track of his 1961 "Apache" LP all the way to #2 on the American charts, and "Pepe," which perpetuates an entirely different set of ethnic stereotypes, peaked at #15 on the singles charts in Germany. You can read more about the life and career of guitar virtuoso Mr. Ingmann, who'll be celebrating his 87th birthday next month, on Wikipedia here.

Gianni Morandi

Artist: Gianni Morandi

LP: Gianni 5

Song: "Il Giocattolo"

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Italian pop star and heartthrob Gianni Morandi was born in the small town of Monghidoro, Italy in December of 1944. In his youth he helped his father sell newspapers for the Italian Communist Party, shined shoes, cobbled, and sold candy in the town's only cinema. He signed to RCA Italiana when he was just 18 years old and rose to national stardom with the hit single "Fatti Mandare Dalla Mamma." You can read more about the handsome and talented Gianni Morandi on Wikipedia here, find additional info and listen to more of his songs on the European Film Star Postcards blog here, and visit Gianni's official website here, where you'll find his complete discography, filmography, and lots of other neat things.

Gianni Morandi on YouTube:

[ "Fatti Mandare Dalla Mamma" ]

Osiris

 Artist: Osiris

LP: Since Before Our Time

Song: "Consistency"

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Born and raised in Washington, DC in the 1950s, Osiris Marsh's career got started in high school when he performed with the doo-wop group The Stridells (who obliterated rival doo-woppers The Love Tones in the East High talent show, by the way). In 1977 his group Osiris rose from the ashes of The Family, another group he'd helped form just the year before. Osiris released their first LP in 1978, and their "Consistency" single peaked at #77 on Billboard's R&B singles charts. You can read more about Osiris Marsh on Miss Funkyflyy's website here, and go here for info on Osiris the Egyptian god of the afterlife, the underworld, and the dead. You can "like" Osiris Marsh on Facebook here and find photos, lyrics, and info from the "Since Before Our Time" LP included below.