Rhythm & Blues great Tina Turner has successfully petitioned local authorities for Swiss citizenship. Born in Nutbush, Tennessee 73 years ago as Anna Mae Bullock, she has lived in Kuesnacht, on Lake Zurich, since 1995. If Swiss federal and state authorities approve the application as expected, Frau Turner will surrender her U.S. Passport.
Tonight at DC’s Hill Center, another episode of The !!!! Beat, the strange 1966 R&B TV series unearthed by WPFW’s Larry Applebaum:
Sept. 21: Volume Four includes performances by Freddie King, Martin, Maurice & The Radiants, The Beat Boys, The Poppies, Lee Watson & The Panthers, Johnnie Jones, Freddie King, Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five, Gatemouth Brown, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Gwen Davis, Robert Parker, Jimmy Church, Lattimore Brown, Joe Simon, Mamie Galore and Jamo Thomas.
Not all episodes are as as wild as the jam (above) by Etta James, Sir Lattimore Brown, Esther Phillips, Roscoe Shelton, & Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, and David “Fathead” Newman, but even the lip-synced performances are wonderful, and host Bill “Hoss” Allen is so incredibly awful he’s almost good.
“Etta James, one of the great voices of the 20th century who fused R&B with gospel and blues, and scored landmark hits with “At Last,” “Tell Mama” and “All I Could Do Was Cry,” died today from complications related to leukemia. She was 73. James had been battling health problems for many years.”
– “Etta James Dead at 73,” Andy Greene, Rolling Stone
– “Etta James dies at 73; acclaimed blues and R&B singer,” Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times
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The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is back on the National Mall in Washington DC Thursday June 30th to July 4th and July 7th to July 11th. This year’s free Festival features Rhythm & Blues, the culture of Colombia, and the Peace Corps.
