Died On This Date (December 2, 2011) Howard Tate / Soul Music Legend
themusicsover Howard Tate
August 14, 1939 – December 2, 2011
Howard Tate was an American soul and gospel singer and songwriter who first found his audience during the ’60s and early ’70s. With bluesy soul records like “Ain’t Nobody Home,” “Granny,” and “Stop,” Tate built a sizable following which included no less than Janis Joplin, who recorded his “Get It While You Can” on her Pearl album. After retiring from the music business during the late ’70s, Tate fell into some hard times, and eventually found work as a drug and mental illness counselor and preacher. In 2003, he mounted a much welcomed comeback with the release of the Grammy nominated Rediscovered which was produced by Jerry Ragavoy who died the same for Tate’s hits back in the 1960s. Tate back in A live album followed the following year, and in 2006 he released A Portrait Of Howard, produced by Steve Weisberg and featuring songs by Carla Bley, Lou Reed, and Nick Lowe. Howard Tate died from complications of Multiple Myeloma and Leukemia on December 2, 2011. He was 72.
Thanks to Steve Weisberg for the assist.
What You Should Own
Jim Ford was an American singer songwriter who some have called the “Godfather of Pub Rock,” a back-to-basics form of rock ‘n roll that popped up in the UK during the late ’70s. Ford’s mix of soul, country and folk was an influence on the likes of Graham Parker, Dave Edmunds and Brinsley Schwarz. Ford’s songs have been recorded by Schwarz, Edmunds, Bobby Womack, Nick Lowe, Aretha Franklin, Ronnie Wood, and onetime girlfriend, Bobbie Gentry. By all accounts, Ford seems to have fallen into obscurity after the ’70s only to resurface in 2004. After a deluxe re-issue of his 1969 Harlan County album in 2007, new interest in Ford’s music lead to talks of a new album to be produced by the legendary 