Whitney Houston: The Icon Remembered

On February 11, 2011, the undisputed queen of pop, Whitney died on a Beverly Hills hotel the same night that she was supposed to sing Clive Davis's grammy party.   The world stopped and the media went crazy  with speculations on how she died and dug up all her personal demons.   I will not go into any details on how she died or any of her personal issues. This site will only honor her life by the beautiful musical legacy she has left behind. Whitney Houston is a arguably the best voice of our generation, a once in a lifetime talent. Nobody sang a song like Whitney, she could take a hit from an already established artist and make it her own and make you forget it was a remake.  "I Will Always Love You",  "I'm Every Woman",  "The Greatest Love of All",  "I Believe In You and Me"  all remakes that are now Whitney classics.  Thank you Whitney for being the soundtrack to our lives. My prayers go out to you and your family.  Whitney's funeral will be held on Saturday February 18, 2011, at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark New Jersey.

Rapper Heavy D. Remembered

The sudden death of  rapper Heavy D last week shocked the Hip Hop community.   During the late 80s and 90s Heavy D and The Boyz had a string of hits such as  Now That We Found Love,  The Overweight Lover, Black Coffee,   Is It Good To You, he also wrote and performed the theme song to the hit 90s show In Living Color and was featured on several  R & B hits with groups like Soul 4 Real and icons Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.

While other rappers were rising to fame in the 90s with their tales of gangster life, using profanity and violent lyrics, Heavy  D proved you could keep it clean and still be at the top of the charts without being considered corny.  Everybody loved Heavy D, he is one of the few rappers I know that even older people adored.    

Heavy who was born Dwight Arrington  Myers will be laid to rest next week  November 18, 2011 at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, New York.    The rap legend died Tuesday November 4, 2011 after collapsing in the hallway of his Beverly Hills condo.  He was 44 years old.

Vesta Williams Remembered

 

It breaks my heart to have to write about the passing of Vesta Williams, simply known in the late 80s and 90s as Vesta!!!  The sassy powerhouse R &B, Jazz vocalist was found dead in a LA hotel room on September 22, 2011. Vesta is known for her signature hit Congratulations, as well songs like Special, Once Bitten Twice Shy and  my personal favorite Sweet Sweet Love.   Although she faded from the charts in the 90s she continued to tour and was known for her soulful, sexy, humorous live shows.    The latest reports say they suspect she died from accidental overdose but nothing has been confirmed.  RIP  Vesta!

Legendary singer songwriter Nick Ashford dies.

 The music world has lost another great, Nick Ashford singer songwriter and one half of the legendary group Ashord & Simpson has died from throat cancer.  Nick along with his wife Valerie Simpson penned tons of hit songs for the likes of Ray Charles,  Diana Ross,  Marvin Gaye, Tammy Terrell and Chaka Khan to name a few.  You know the songs,  Ain't nothing like the real thing, Ain't no mountain high enough, I'm Every Woman, Your Precious love,  the hits go and on.   If you grew up in the 80s you jammed to their hits, Solid as a rock, and Street Corner. Who can forget their sexy love ballad Is it still good to you.

Ashford & Simpson hold a very special place in my heart.  Nick and Valerie opened the lovely Sugar Bar  where they have showcased many up and coming singers, poets etc.  I have had the privilege of performing at The Sugar Bar on numerous occasions and for that I will be forever grateful.   Nick passed away Monday August 22, 2011 and is survived by his wife and two daughters.  He was 70 years old. Rest in peace Nick you music lives on forever.

Amy Winehouse Remembered.

Soul singer Amy Whinehouse, whose album "Back to Black", tore up the charts in 2006 was found dead in her apartment in London on Saturday July 23, 2011. Sadly her talent took a back seat to her troubled life and her struggle with drugs and alcohol. Amy's music was sassy, soulful, raw and real.  Amy sang her pain, told her story through her music with no shame.  Many people will unfairly judge  her by the antics they read in the tabloids or the YouTube videos of her drunken performances.  I think that's wrong, nobody knows what kind of demons she may have been fighting. Everybody has a story. That's why I was disgusted by some of the holier than thou, cold hearted,  judgmental comments made about her death. Despite what anyone feels about what she did in life, is it not still a tragedy to see a young life lost?

My heart goes out to her family. It was reported that her father Mitch Whinehouse learned of his daughter's passing once he landed in New York City.  Mitch was scheduled to perform at the legendary Blue Note, but of course he cancelled the show and headed back to London to be with his family.

Although Amy's time with us was short she left us wonderful music and in my opinion her success influenced British singers  such as Duffy and the lovely Adele,  both talented but neither as  raw and gusty as Whinehouse.   Amy Whinehouse was just 27 years old when she passed, another talent gone too soon.  Rest in peace Amy.

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