women's suffrage, Michael and music

2018 marks the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in Nova Scotia. Specifically, April 26, 1918 was the date the bill was passed in the Provincial Legislature. Other Provinces celebrate other dates. Britain also  marks its 100th anniversary this year; However, none were universal suffrage; there were limits to women. For example,  being 30 or older, Homeowners or married to  Homeowners. Wider enfranchisement came later.

I arrived in Canada on March 15th 1970. I was sleeping on a friend's "Davenport".  Couch surfing before it was a thing. I had no job, only a suitcase and dreams. There were no Sunday papers, so 6 days a week I scoured the classified columns for employment, which was scant at that moment. But I did enjoy reading the paper from front sheet to back. There was a lot of talk about the "Women;s movement". Possibly sparked by the March 20th news item - 

Betty Friedan gave her farewell address as outgoing president of NOW (the National Organization of Women), and called for a nationwide women’s strike on August 26 (the 50th anniversary of winning the vote.  Although, it took the 1965 Voting Rights Act to ensure Black women could execute that right which the 19th Amendment should have granted in 1920.) As the momentum for a women's march built,  and the myth of bra-burners gathered steam, I found most of the people in my new circle were strongly modernists in their outlook. The circle of friends and acquaintances all supported a wider role for women in society. That included the males. 

As noted above, Women getting the vote, women working side by side with men in factories throughout two wars, was not enough to break the many barriers that women faced in life. Regardless of race, ethnicity or status. It was these invisible, but very durable barriers that women needed to break. 

Women had been successful in music and the entertainment industry in limited numbers, but the music itself did not address their struggle and receive wide distribution. 

It took until 1971 for music to catch up. 

Helen Reddy's feminine anthem I am Woman, was out in 1971 on her debut LP but was not a single until 1972 when it topped the charts. Of course, it went on to win the Grammy for single of the year and in her acceptance speech, Helen Reddy, thanked a female God. It was a pivotal moment for increasing awareness of the issue.  Also in 1971, Carly Simon released That's The Way. Although that shortened title belies the mood of the song which the full sentence conveys very well: That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be". It's about a young woman coming of age and seeing her parents unhappy marriage & friends mindlessly settling down and giving up on their dreams.Not sure why, but I bought the 45 when I did not have a record player. Still have it in fact. (Just to re-deem myself, let me clarify, I had a cassette player & a friend put it on a cassette for me to hear in my bare bones bachelor apartment!)

These are the Helen and Carly numbers:

I am Woman - Helen Reddy

That's The Way - Carly Simon

A final thought, regardless of these decades of increasing power and control for women, the #metoo movement has made it clear that society has far to go still. If you are young and powerless when seeking employment, women face not just "barriers" but harassment as men remain the gatekeepers to the entry to so many paths. Mind you, it is clear, young men face similar harassment in many industries, too.

Skip Spence

 Skip Spence was born in Windsor Ontario but grew up in America. He was born on April 18, 1946.
He was one of the early members of Jefferson Airplane. I loved Jefferson Airplane in their early days and played Surrealistic Pillow  again and again in the late 60s and right up to the 21st-century. But Skip apparently was a troubled soul. he left the airplane and joined a bunch of other groups before cofounding Moby Grape,  another great 60s band.
I met Skip  in London in a friends flat in Tottenham Court Road. It was August 1969  Skip had flown in to see the free concert that Blind Faith was putting on in Hyde Park and my friends and I had gone as well and when I return to my friend’s flat, his flatmate introduced me to Skip.  They had become friends when he was studying in California. I have to admit I was a little silly and starstruck and didn’t say anything sensible.  And that particular day though Skip was full of fun and bright, and didn’t foreshadow a terrible breakdowns that he suffered in the 70s .
Skip wrote My Best Friend, a lovely tune the Airplane put on Surrealistic Pillow.

Mik's Life with music and especially music with friends

   Recently, the Rolling Stones released a  CD made up of tunes that they played when they were on the BBC Radio. The recording quality is good and some of the tunes really hearken back to their early blues & rock stuff.  Listening to the tracks  reminded me so much of standing in a room above a pub completely immersed in stale cigarette smoke "groovin' to the vibes" !

   A long time ago, I made  a list of acts I had seen. Of course, 45+ years of moves has meant that a lot of paperwork has disappeared. Recently, I began re-creating the list of performers that I saw live. I shared it with a friend in the UK to compare our memories. 

Not surprisingly, my list from another continent did not match his exactly; Although, from our early years of going to clubs, there was a lot of overlap on many of the artists. Furthermore, it was a large music-loving group that I used to hang out with. Hence, I truly do not recall who was where & when at many of the events. For example, a large group of us saw Janis Joplin at the Royal Albert Hall, and Yes was her opening act. We had the whole row filled with  friends - but who was there with me?  I cannot recall who they were.

   We saw Aretha Franklin, it is my number 1 live show. She & the backing group were dynamite. We were lucky to see the Stax-Volt package. We  were at the London Hammersmith Odeon show, the only one of the series of European shows that had Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas and Eddie Floyd, Arthur Conley plus Booker T & the MG's with The Mar-keys, too. Otis closed the show. I feel privileged to have seen this wonderful artist, when he was backed by the Mar-keys plus the great Steve Cropper & Booker T.

   The early blues fanatics that we were saw Sister Rosetta Tharpe at the Blues & Gospel caravan show. We saw the Yardbirds when  Eric Clapton was with them; and even the time they had Jeff Beck AND Jimmy Page together!!

   My friends, who were not only from school but lived near me, went to see a young Pete Brown; the folksy man who wrote Sunshine of your Love and White Room for Cream. Our school's catchment area was vast. Many of my friends lived miles away. Of course, we journeyed far to see performers.  We were lucky to see the blues era Rolling Stones, (more than once,)  but also all the blues greats : T-Bone Walker, Otis Span,  Buddy Guy (he was just 19 I think). Memphis Slim, Muddy Waters, many, many more. They were at the Croydon Folk & Blues Festival we attended. One of the highlights of a music going life.

   As a DJ with a  Beatles and Beyond show now, the songs from that era, such as The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel and Richard Harris'  MacArthur Park really left an impression on me.

    The odd thing for me is, that, back then, I never owned either of those songs. A good friend  had the 45 RPM of Boxer & and another had Harris' LP which his sister (who lived in the US,) sent him. Every time I was at their places, (I should say, "we were") those songs got played.  Of course, they were also ridiculously popular tunes on the radio and we heard them wherever we hung out. I have a very vivid memory of being in Dorset with all of us sitting outside the pub by the seafront and MacArthur Park came on. I close my eyes and I can "see" us hanging around. Searching out tunes for my show has made me understand that so often my choice of material, and dialogue to go with it, raise memories even from the tunes I never owned or played at home.

   I didn't expect that in the beginning when I started to work for the Station years ago. In addition, the memories become linked together, even if they actually occurred at different times. My brain has simply catalogued them together -- often as "good old times with friends."

Special thoughts of Leonard Cohen
   I so sad hearing of Cohen's passing. Not just his music: Suzanne, Famous Blue Raincoat & others, which reminded me so much of  a dear friend, first, and then of his wife, too.

   But my strongest memory is of sitting with him, and usually, two other friends,  but occasionally a cluster of others. This friend's "apartment" a term I use very loosely (!) as it was more a cold-water,  garret in Highgate, North London. We would be  toasting bread on the gas fire while Leonard sang (& to complete the vision, Janis Ian's Society' Child!)
They were such innocent times full of potential and hope -- our giggles were such a counter-point to the music. Our attempts to "plan for the weekend".... which we were so inept at doing.  The weekends always ending up a mystery. With my friend sleeping over at our house overnight on Saturdays on many an occasion, before a pub & music at lunch time.

   However, Leonard's music, although appreciated by most of us, was linked with that friend because he was the first to buy Songs of Leonard Cohen.  Suddenly, as I heard of Leonard's death, my thoughts flooded back to those evenings in Highgate.

To borrow from Bob Hope, thanks for the memory--  Mr. Cohen and my old friend, MJB.

Tartan Day Playlist (Brief one)

April 6 is Tartan Day here in Nova Scotia 

We have a right to be proud as  Tartan Day in Canada originated with a proposal from the Federation of Scottish Clans in Nova Scotia and has since been proclaimed by all the provincial legislatures. 

In Australia the similar International Tartan Day is held on 1 July, the anniversary of the repeal of the 1747 Act of Proscription that banned the wearing of tartan.

I am 1/4 Scots myself. A member of Clan Borthwick. The Borthwick family still exists in Scotland and own an impressive castle, named unsurprisingly, Borthwick Castle. I haven't  been there to see my bedroom yet, but its on my bucket list.

The next few tunes all show respect for things Scottish.

Loch Lomond sung by Martha Tilton with backing by Benny Goodman & his Orchestra, The Far Cuillins by Andy Stewart and the Skye Boat Song - theme from the Outlander TV series the song features Kathryn Jones.

Another song that harkens of far away places is Vera Lynn's Travelling Home. A tune she recorded in 1957. with lyrics like -

I'm travellin' home
Travellin' home
Far have I roamed from the faces I love
Winds that have blown me on my way
Blow me right back to harbour

appropriate for a playlist for Scotland, (and other distant places.)

The rock n roll show to watch in the UK in the 50's was Oh, Boy! on Saturday's.  It was produced by Jack Good who left UK for California and found fame as the producer of Shindig. Jack just passed away in Sept 2017. The next obscure hit, was from the band who played the backing for most of the artists on Oh, Boy,  Lord Rockingham's XI.  "Hoots Mon". It is a rocked-up version of the traditional Scottish song "A Hundred Pipers", featuring Scotticisms like "Hoots mon, there's a moose loose aboot this hoose!", talk about cultural appropriation!! But, I believe it is done in fun & not meant  in a mocking way. 

SONGS

Loch Lomond - Martha Tilton & Benny Goodman Orchestra.

The Far Cuillins - Andy Stewart 

Skye Boat Song - theme from Outlander featuring Kathryn Jones

Travelling Home -Vera Lynn

Hoots Mon - Lord Rockingham's XI

The Animals

It was summer 63. My friends and I heard of a new group from Newcastle upon Tyne that were up and coming. We went to The Scene Club, one of the  trendy clubs just off Piccadilly Circus. Not our usual haunt. It was a small, stuffy basement club, but the animals were on and they were fantastic. Following the Beatles success on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, the next British band with an American No.1 was the Animals with this classic, House of the Rising Sun.
I helped book them into the Polytechnic for a Saturday Dance, too. They were amazing; again. Another member of the Social Committee sold the television rights to the BBC for 8GBP ! The whole evening  was an amazing success.