Will Etta James come out with a new version of "At Last" when these bastards

[Elwood P Dowd]

are finally kicked out of Washington?

[TomInTib]

1. Now that is about the coolest post that I have seen in a while.

If I had not been over-served (in my own house, no less), I would attempt to write some contemporary...

Oh, screw it...

[Elwood P Dowd]

4. As Marvin Gaye would say

Mercy, mercy, me, things ain't what they use to be.

[anitar1]

2. God, I hope so. She is great. n/t

[Bozita]

3. Play it again, Sam!

[Jazzgirl]

5. My Dad wrote the arrangement for "At Last"

for Etta James. I don't think anybody could do it as well as my Dad did. Unfortunately...he passed away last January...

JG

[Elwood P Dowd]

6. Your dad must have been a brilliant man.

What a great song.

[Jazzgirl]

11. Thank you Elwood and everyone for such kind

comments. Yes, my Dad was brilliant. He and my Mom split up when I was young but I used to spend all my summers in Chicago with him. He would stay up all night and write and I stayed up with him. He always waited until the last minute to write a score and they always came out perfect. He was a perfectionist, a liberal, and a very wonderful Dad.

JG

[Bozita]

7. Your dad created one of the all-time great songs.

Thank you. It's my favorite tune.

Thank you.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

8. An amazing song...

and sounds like an amazing dad. May he rest in peace. :hug:

[NJCher]

9. Wow

I heard Etta sing it in person.



Cher

[rog]

10. One of the all time greatest R&B string arrangements!

I'm so sorry to hear of your dad's passing.

His arrangement of At Last was really a gem, from the first blues lick he gave to the strings ... and the way he had them skip down that scale in the last chorus was so cool. I can't resist quoting that on guitar when I play that tune with a singer.

What other arrangements did he do ... I'd love to hear more.

Don't mean to hijack this thread, but that was a great arrangement.

.rog.

[Jazzgirl]

12. Rog, he did all of Walter Jackson's music, much of

Curtis Mayfield's stuff (album "The Making of You") and a lot of Ramsey Lewis' early stuff too. I still have to get royalty stuff taken care of and there are hundreds (thousands?) of songs he wrote the scores for. Phil Specter tried to get Daddy to work for him exclusively back in the 60's. I remember Dadddy was always talking about not wanting to move to New York. He didn't want to give up his independence either. He was very well-respected in the music industry for his technical and artistic talent.

JG

[rog]

13. He was THE MAN in Chicago.

I pulled out some of my old vinyl ... I should transfer some of this to CD.

He was all over those old Albert Ammons recordings, including with Joe Turner, on alto sax. Also Dee Dee Sharp, Bill Henderson, The Vibrations, Gene Chandler, Barbara Lewis, on and on ... lots of people who recorded in Chicago. He even did some arrangements for Smokey and the Miracles ... and even New Birth/The Nite-Liters. I remember playing Con-Funk-Shun with a soul band in Boston in the 70's ... did he do the horn arrangements for that? Funky.

Anyhow, a truly amazing guy. Thanks for the memories!

Did he live in Chicago his whole life? Did he do the Smokey Robinson arrangements from there, or was he in Detroit for a while?

.rog.

[Elwood P Dowd]

15. Jazzgirl, did your dad have a band while in the Army during WWII

or am I thinking of someone else?

[indie_voter]

20. I'm so sorry for your loss

I lost my dad 2.5 years ago, and it still doesn't seem real.

I love the music your dad made. Peace to you and yours!

[blondeatlast]

14. Wow! My heartfelt respect and sympathy. I still nearly weep when

I hear the opening strains to Etta's version, that's your father's work that gives me the chills.

[Raine]

17. WOW

you must be so proud :thumbsup: it's such a beautiful arrangement...I love the song. :-)

[wicket]

19. I'm sorry about your dad

Sounds like he was one cool guy :hug:

[KAZ]

21. The most arresting opening I've ever heard.

Ever! The arrangement made a great singer a legend. The opening makes me stop in my tracks, wondering how something can be so beautiful. And mid-song, the lightness, and the use of space, is simply breathtaking. Know that there's another soul out here who thanks your father each time I hear it.

Edit: Did he arrange Sunday Kind of Love? Sounds like him.

[MzNov]

16. What a great idea! and hope she would do a version we all could dance to!

LOL. Because we're going to be dancing in the streets!

:hi:

:bounce:

[blues90]

18. The original version is one of my all time favorites .

I listen to it alot .