Arthur Conley

USA, 1964-1970

As promised a while ago, today another long article about one of my all time favourites. OK, I have quite a long list with names of singers/groups I like and you will see that the next years in this blog. But yes, Arthur Conley was one of the singers from my list. As I wrote before about Joe Tex as a singer who was underestimated I must be honest and write that the real, incredibly and totally underestimated singer was Arthur Conley. We all know him from the Song “Sweet Soul Music”(Second live song is SSM). Who doesn’t remember the words we all sang with him ”….Do you like good music, Yeah Yeah, ….Sweet Soul Music…..Yeah Yeah….”
But this man had more, much more!
Born January 4, 1946 in Hinesfield, Georgia. Like all great soul singers Arthur started to sing gospel during his childhood. Soon he formed his own band, Arthur Conley & The Corvettes. Rufus Thomas saw the young Arthur performing and was the first to state: 'Boy you're gonna be a star!' At the age of 18 he was discovered by Otis Redding who became his mentor and coach. Together with Otis, Arthur rewrote Yeah Man of Sam Cooke and recorded it as Sweet Soul Music in the Muscle Shoals Studio, Alabama. Sweet Soul Music certified gold and peaked no.2 on the pop and R&B charts, an all-time soul anthem. In 1967 Arthur joined the Stax/Volt revue tour of Europe with Sam & Dave, Eddy Floyd, Carla Thomas, The Mar-Keys, Booker T. & The MG's and Otis Redding.
Just 20 years old and a star. But not prepared for that fame on that age! Surrounded and performing on a daily bases with the best Soul artists and performers in the world. And earnings he could never have dreamed of a short-while before.

Ruurlo, The Netherlands,

1970-2003
When asked why he ended up in this small village in the East of the Netherlands he answered: “I have to follow a path, that path was once crossed by Otis but I am still on the same path. It was a straight line to Ruurlo. Since my early teens I ran around the world. It felt like I blinked my eyes once and my youth was gone, all my friends gone. I was a stranger in a world I did not even know myself. No where I had roots and I felt I needed them! That problem never left my mind. I was always uncomfortable when speaking with strangers. It is now a bit better but I still don’t go anywhere alone. I need a partner! After Sam Cooke died I had the first test. I was suddenly between men who could only speak about their latest adventures with women. Terrible talk which I could not stand. But there was always Otis to protect me. I was different though I did not really understood it at that time. I was clean, shaven, showered every day and after the shows I did not go with the others into nightclubs. I went to my room to watch some tv. After Otis died it all came back. Again between men who could only talk sex. And even worse, the company let me sing songs like: ”It's so nice when it's somebody else’s wife". The first time in the hall where I performed, a man shouted to me “if it was you I would kick your ass". It was right away the last time I sang it”. After that Conley wrote a tribute to Otis Redding called “Otis sleep on“, the most sincere, heart breaking Otis Redding lament. Shamelessly sentimental but very touchy.

"The company tried more and more to let me sing those songs that did not fit to me as a person and I decided on one day to leave to Europe. I made one more song “Another Time”, recorded in Belgium, as to say to my fans in the States that it was over. It was enough and time for a new life. I could wear jeans, not to think about my hair every second and leave all that Soulstar live behind me. When I ended up in Amsterdam I finally felt that my life was good. People understood me in the Netherlands, respected me and I could live like I wanted to live. I found my identity and did not shame myself any longer. The people from Surinam in those times found out who I was and “forced” me to sing again, what I did for a while. But after meeting my Soulmate I decided to change my name in Lee Roberts and to finally finish my life as Arthur Conley. Don’t call me gay as I don’t know what that is, Also I am not bi-sexual but maybe better to call me Unisexual. And now I have roots”.
(Thanks to Sander Donkers, journalist Vrij Nederland, 2001)

Conley, his music:
Arthur Conley was not only a gifted singer he was also a great performer and a talented song writer as well a remarkable person. He could have been one of the biggest stars of his decade, but instead he choose to stay aside. In fact he was a bit like his first single where he sings: "I'm A Lonely Stranger". With the passing away of this great talent the world has lost one of the finest 60 soul singers. Arthur Conley is a severely underrated giant of soul music. Perhaps the paradoxical stumbling block of his career was the huge success of Sweet Soul Music, which overshadowed his real strength, which was interpreting - and often writing - the most beautiful and sensitive soul ballads and mid tempo gems like “Otis sleep on'”. A glance at his discography reveals that he was expected to recapture that cheerful, lightweight rock and rolish atmosphere - not to much avail, both musically and commercially. Please listen to his sensitive numbers like ”There's a place for us”, (one of my favourites. The link will bring you the song but not combined with the correct film, but nice to see!) "Nothing can change this love I have for you", (an original from Sam Cooke, Conley's last live performance on Dutch TV) "I'm a lonely stranger”, “I'm gonna forget about you”, “Let nothing separate us”, “Let's go steady”, “Love got me”, “Love comes and goes”, “Is that you love”, (My real favourie, can listen to it every day. Listen to his voice changing after 38 seconds, how full, strong and yet TOTAL SOUL!!) all exquisite soul performances - but with almost no public recognition. What a shame.

Arthur Conley,

January 4, 1946 – November 17, 2003)

buried at the Public Cemetery in

Vorden, The Netherlands.

who did not have this LP in the 70ies??

Respect!

Linda Cooke

Fans of Soul music for sure know Sam Cooke, (the link brings you to "Blowin' In The Wind, a great song by Bob Dylan but here performed in a great way by Sam Cooke) by many named as "Father of Soul". In his not so long career he wrote incredible beautiful songs, many who became famous after he died. He died in December 1964, 33 years young and, as so often in the US music scene, by violence. In the early 60ies he was a guest in some motel and what happened there is told by many people in different ways. He was shot dead by the owner of the motel after he assaulted her, he was killed because he wanted to rob the place (highly unlikely as he did not need the money), he was trying to catch a prostitute who robbed him and ran into the owners reception desk where she shot him, and some other stories. The truth is that he died, halfnaked in the entrance of that motel leaving a young child behind, his daughter Linda. She was 12 when he died and grew up/raised by her (widow)mother. She followed later the footsteps of her famous father but without big success. Then in, 1980, she married Cecil Womack. Not by coincedence she knew Cecil as his brother Bobby married the widow of Sam Cooke and thus the mother of Linda only 3 months after he was shot dead (1965). Under the name of Womack & Womack, Cecil and Linda released a successful album, "Love Wars". They released more albums and singles but the only famous song was without any doubt "Teardrops" from 1988. A hitsong all over the world.

Now would I not write so much about Linda Cooke if the end was not so special. In the 1990s, when hits in the music scene stayed away, the family moved to Africa with their family and now records with her seven children as "The House of Zekkariyas". I still did not find out which country they went to in Africa. But according to their website (quite amateuristic I would say)
"they have positive directed you in confidence into a glimpse of their present state and future existence". Whatever that may mean. Linda Cooke, Cecil Womack, a short history.
Till the next blog!

Traditions

The sub-title of the blog has been changed into "Sweet Music And Much More" to show you that this blog will contain from now on mainly info about music. Not only about the music I like but also the music I don't like but is loved by million others. I will also so now and then write what is on my mind and I really hope you like to read. Don't hesitate to comment, positively or with positive critics. (meaning you don't agree with me but don't use insults:)

Today I was walking in the centre of Chisinau, the capitol of the Republic of Moldova, a small country between the Ukraine and Romania, a former USSR republic. And I recognised an American because he did not look like any of the locals here but for me and many others it was even clear he was most likely from Texas because of his hat.

It reminded me a bit on the article I wrote in Dutch language that I am not so much into traditions and because the future is for me many, many times more important. I don't like for instance people dressed in National Costume saying "because we do that already for centuries".

For me it shows that those people also did not change much the last centuries. Am I right that people who are very much into traditions also are at the same time the conservative part of the world population, and vice-versa? I think it is and I plea therefore that most of the traditions in the world will be banned. We start with all traditions dating back from more then 200 years ago and we will work on like that till nothing reminds us anymore what happened more then 50 years ago. It doesn't mean that we don't learn history. It doesn't mean that on certain moments (the National Holiday) peope are allowed to walk in the street with clothes resembling what their forefathers were wearing. And playing some idiot games from 1600 or so. But it is not allowed in daily life in 2009. I am of the opinion that keeping tradition alive is not improving peoples thinking about the future and what to do with our planet. Tradition keeps people backward and doesn't help our life nowadays and certainly not the young people who want to spread their wings but are stopped doing so by traditional cultures. So everything older then 50, (besides the lives of human beings and animals and certain types and styles of music) will be banned. Older music shoul not be banned because that is something that can connect people from different places. So no worry, Elvis will stay. And Chopin. But people in National Costumes (wearing it daily) shoul be banned and even, after warnings, be punished for not looking into the future. Another thing I would like to start is a discussion to change all churches, mosques, synagogues and all other houses used for religion to change into disco's. Do you think a group on Facebook with the name "I bet I can find 5 million people who agree to change all religious venues into Disco's" would have a chance? The next blog will be about music again!

New Year!

Happy and healthy 2009!!
For the frequent readers here I must apologise as I again have changed the lay-out/design of this blog. Reason is that I am not so satisfied with the old ones and still not am 100% happy. So, sorry, bare with me the changes and come back to read!