The Foundations

有消息指稱the Foundations合唱團早期的主唱Clem Curtis已因肺癌病逝(76歲)。

Clem Curtis出生於千里達，15歲的時候前去英格蘭當了職業拳擊手，後來加入了地區合唱團The Ramong Sound當和聲，經過多次的變動，他熬出頭當了主唱，團名也改為the Foundations， Clem Curtis主唱的"Back On My Feet Again" 於1968年得到59名，1969年暢銷曲"Baby Now That I Found You" 則得到11名。

The Foundations在排行榜上名次最好的歌是1969年獲得三週第三名的"Build Me Up Buttercup"，不過Clem Curtis當時已離開該團，因為主唱的位子被Colin Young取代。

The Foundations這一個黑白混和的R&B-pop合唱團，於1970年解散。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzBGdGpdy3M

"Baby, Now That I've Found You"

Baby,

now that I've found you

I won't let you go

I built my world around you

I need you so,

baby even though

You don't need me

now

Baby,

now that I've found you

I won't let you go

I built my world around you

I need you so

Baby even though

You don't need me,

You don't need me oh, no

Baby, baby,

when first we met

I knew in this heart of mine

That you were someone I couldn't forget.

I said right,

and abide my time

Spent my life looking

for that somebody

to make me feel like new

Now you tell me that you want to leave me

But darling, I just can't let you

[guitar & fiddle solo]

Baby, baby,

when first we met

I knew in this heart of mine

That you were someone I couldn't forget.

I said right,

and abide my time

Spent my life looking

for that somebody

to make me feel like new

Now you tell me that you want to leave me

But darling, I just can't let you

Now that I found you

I built my world around you

I need you so, baby even though

You don't need me now

Baby, now that I've found you

I won't let you go

I built my world around you

I need you so

Baby even though

You don't need me

You don't need me no, no

Chuck Berry去世

傳奇歌星/作曲人/吉他手 Chuck Berry上周六(三月18日)在他聖路易家中去世。

Chuck Berry 1926年出生於米蘇里州聖路易，本名Charles Anderson Berry，他本來學當美容師，但他去芝加哥之後認識了藍調歌手Muddy Waters，經Muddy的牽線得到Chess唱片公司的老闆Leonard Chess的青睞，翻唱自鄉村歌曲"Ida Red"的"Maybellene"於1955年獲得了排行榜第五名，Chuck Berry此後沒有回頭，他陸續推出了"Sweet Little Sixteen" (#2-1958)、 "School Day" (#3-1957)、"Rock & Roll Music" (#8-1957) 及 "Johnny B. Goode" (#8-1958)這些暢銷曲。

有趣的是，他唯一的排行榜冠軍曲卻是 1972年在倫敦現場錄製的一首不登大雅的歌"My Ding-A-Ling"，

Chuck Berry曾於1944年因持械搶劫初次入獄，後來又因誘拐未成年少女二度入獄，1979還曾因所得稅問題三次入獄。

Chuck Berry於1984年獲Grammy 終生成就獎，1986年進搖滾樂名人堂，他的金唱片包裝"Johnny B. Goode"還創紀錄的跟航行家太空船飛上太空。

去年底Chuck Berry還籌備新唱片的錄製(請參考 2016年12月1日｢Chuck Berry九十歲出新專輯｣文)，他的不幸去世令歌迷們無限懷念。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO8aEdnHpwY

"My Ding A Ling"

CHUCK BERRY

When I was a little bitty boy

my grandmother bought me a cute little toy

Silver bells hangin' on a string

she told me it was my ding a ling

My ding a ling, my ding a ling

I want to play with my ding a ling

My ding a ling, my ding a ling

I want to play with my ding a ling

And then mother took me to Grammer School

But I stopped all in the vestibule

Every time that bell would ring

catched me playin' with my ding a ling

Once I was climbing the garden wall

I slipped and had a terrible fall

I fell so hard I heard bells ring

but held on to my ding a ling

Once I was swimming cross Turtle creek

many snappers all around my feet

Shure was hard swimming cross that thing

with both hands holdin' my ding a ling

This here song it ain't so sad

the cutest little song you ever had

those of you who will not sing

You must be playin' with your own ding a ling

My ding a ling Your ding a ling, your ding a ling

We saw you playin' with your ding a ling

My ding a ling everybody sing

I want to play with my ding a ling

Sister Sledge

Sister Sledge女子合唱團的創團團員Joni Sledge在亞利桑那州鳳凰城去世，死因還不清楚。

Joni與她的姊妹 Debra、 Kim 及Kathy於1971年在費城組了Sister Sledge這個合唱團，她們起初替一家叫Money的唱片公司錄唱片，直到1975年在Atco唱片公司出的"Love Don't You Go Through No Changes On Me"才進了排行榜前100名，這一首歌雖然在排行榜上最高只得到92名，但是在日本東京舉辦的音樂節得到銀牌獎。

Sister Sledge這個四人女聲合唱團後來遇到製作人Bernard Edwards 與 Chic 合唱團的Niles Rogers 才開始轉運，"He's The Greatest Dance" 於1979年獲得了第9名，接著"We Are Family" (#2-1979)讓她們登上了事業巔峰。

好花不常開，Sister Sledge接著六張單曲只有翻唱Mary Wells 的成名曲"My Guy" 於1982年獲得第23名。

Kathy Sledge於1989年離團去從事個人的歌唱事業，但其餘三姊妹還繼續撐著Sister Sledge的招牌。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBpYgpF1bqQ

We Are Family

Songwriters

NILE RODGERS, BERNARD EDWARDS

We are family

I got all my sisters with me

We are family

Get up ev'rybody and sing

We are family

I got all my sisters with me

We are family

Get up ev'rybody and sing

Ev'ryone can see we're together

As we walk on by

(Hey) and we fly just like birds of a feather

I won't tell no lie

(ALL!) all of the people around us they say

Can they be that close

Just let me state for the record

We're giving love in a family dose

1

We are family

I got all my sisters with me

We are family

Get up ev'rybody and sing

We are family

I got all my sisters with me

We are family

Get up ev'rybody and sing

Living life is fun and we've just begun

To get our share of the world's delights

(HIGH!) high hopes we have for the future

And our goal's in sight

(WE!) no we don't get depressed

'Cause here's what we call our golden rule

Have faith in you and the things you do

You won't go wrong

This is our family Jewel

The Surfaris

1960年代初期的青少年搖滾樂團the Surfaris的吉他手Jim Fuller，三月三日病逝於加州Monrovia(69歲)。

The Surfaris來自加州Glendora，主唱是鼓手Ron Wilson，已於1989年因腦瘤去世(44歲)。

The Surfaris只有一首暢銷曲"Wipe Out" (#2-1963) 但是這一首演奏曲於1966年及1970年二度重新發行，1966年版曾再度獲得16名的好成績，是一首非常受歡迎的演奏曲，已被收進搖滾樂名人堂。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p13yZAjhU0M

David Cassidy

David Cassidy二月20日宣布他患了老年癡呆症，今年已經66歲的他祖父和母親都因這個病而受過很長一段時間的折磨。

David Cassidy公開患病訊息後沒幾天還在加州Agoura辦了一場演唱會，在演出時他口齒不清、忘記歌詞、自己拿麥克風往臉上打、最後還摔下舞台。

David Cassidy在上月底宣布退出表演了五十年的演藝事業，以專心去照顧自己的身體健康。

David Cassidy 1950年出生於紐約曼哈頓區，父母親都是演員(Jack Cassidy與Evelyn Ward)在1970年代很受歡迎的電視影集The Partridge Family｢歡樂滿人間｣裡飾演大兒子Keith而走紅，1977-1983年曾與模特兒Kay Lenz結婚，在弟弟Shun Cassidy的百老匯舞台劇Blood Brothers也曾擔綱演出。

除了The Partridge Family合唱團的幾首暢銷曲如I Think I Love Yoy﹑Doesn’t Somebody Want To Be Wanted...之外，David Cassidy個人曾翻唱原來是The Association 1966年的冠軍曲Cherish，於1971年獲得過第九名，1990年復出推出的Lyin’To Myself則得過第27名。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez-c6aAOt50

CHERISH

David Cassidy

Cherish is the word I use to describe

All the feeling that I have hiding here for you inside

You don't know how many times

I wished that I had told you

You don't know how many times

I wished that I could hold you

You don't know how many times

I've wished that I could mold you

Into someone who could

Cherish me as much as I cherish you

Perish is the word that more than applies

To the hope in my heart each time I realize

That I am not going to be the one

To share your dreams

That I am not going to be the one

To share your schemes

That I am not going to be the one

To share what seems to be the life

That you could cherish me as much as I do yours.

Oh I'm beginning to think

That man has never found

The words that could make you want me

That have the right amount of letters

Just the right sound

That could make you hear

Make you see

That you're driving me out of my mind

Oh I could say I need you

But then you'd realize that I want you

Just like a thousand other guys

Who say they'd love you

With all the rest of their lives

When all they wanted was to

Touch your face, your hand

And gaze into your eyes

Cherish is the word I use to describe

All the feeling that I have hiding here for you inside

You don't know how many times I wished that I had told you

You don't know how many times I wished that I could hold you

You don't know how many times I wished that I could mold you

Into someone that could cherish me as much as I cherish you

And I do

Cherish you