Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady" & The Whispers "Rock Steady" (examples & comments)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This post is Part I of a two part series on the American R&B songs & children's cheerleader cheers that have the title "Rock Steady".

Part I features videos of Aretha Franklin's 1971 dance song "Rock Steady" and The Whispers' 1987 dance song "Rock Steady". Part I also includes my comments about the inspiration for the title of those two songs, the meaning of the term "rock steady" in those two songs, and information about a dance movement that was usually performed for those two songs.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/rock-steady-childrens-cheer-examples.html for Part II of this series.

Part II of this series features videos & transcriptions of five examples of the children's cheerleader cheer with the name "Rock Steady". Part II also includes my comments about the inspiration for the name of those cheers, the meaning of "rock steady" in those cheerleader cheers, and information about how those cheers might be performed.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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THE INSPIRATION FOR THE SONG TITLE "ROCK STEADY"
I believe that it's very likely that Aretha Franklin's dance song "Rock Steady" was inspired by the name of the Jamaican "Rocksteady" music genre. However, the tune, beat, and lyrics of that R&B song are different from Jamaican "Rocksteady" music.

Furthermore, I believe that the the name of The Whispers' dance song "Rock Steady" was probably inspired by Aretha Franklin's earlier song.

Also, I believe that it's very likely that the name of the children's "Rock Steady" cheerleader cheers was inspired by the 1987 "Rock Steady" song by The Whispers instead of the 1971 "Rock Steady" song by Aretha Franklin. I believe this because I've yet to come across any examples of children's cheerleading cheers* with the phrase "rock steady" (and not just "rock"), or any remembrances of such cheers prior to 1987. If you remember any such cheers prior to 1987, please add a comment below or contact me via cocojams17@yahoo.com.

*By "children's cheerleader cheers", I mean cheerleader cheers & chants that are performed by children and teens in community cheerleader squads and/or in school cheerleader squads prior to colleges or universities.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/classic-jamaican-rocksteady-songs-sound.html for a pancocojams post on Rocksteady music.

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THE MEANING OF THE TERM "ROCK STEADY" IN THE R&B SONGS OF THAT TITLE
In the Aretha Franklin's song "Rock Steady" the term "rock steady" means "to consistently swing your hips from side to side to the beat". In The Whispers' song "Rock Steady", "rock steady" means "to continue to make love".

Not surprisingly, one dance movement that was done to the American R&B songs entitled "Rock Steady", as well as the dance movement done to songs in the Jamaican Rocksteady music genre is to gently swing your hips from side to side in imitation of a boat rocking back & forth.

In children's cheerleader cheers*, "rock steady" means "to consistently excell on the athletic field." Whether any hip swinging is done while performing the "rock steady" cheer or how much hip swinging is done while performing that cheer depends on whether the cheerleading squad is completely mainstream, is completely "stomp & shake", or adopts varying degrees of the African American originated "stomp & shake" cheerleading styles. More information about the "rock steady" term in children's cheerleader cheers and the ways that cheer is performed can be found in Part II of this series.

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FEATURED VIDEOS OF THE R&B SONGS "ROCK STEADY"
Example #1: Soul Train Line Dance to Aretha Franklin Rock Steady



Lockingknowledge, Uploaded on Nov 5, 2011
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Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOj9lPbp1I4 for another sound file of Aretha Franklin singing "Rock Steady"
[embedding disabled by request]. The summary statement of that sound file notes that "Aretha Franklin performs Rock Steady live on Soul Train in 1973, episode 55."

Here's an excerpt about Aretha Franklin's song "Rock Steady" from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Steady_(Aretha_Franklin_song):
"Rock Steady" is a song written and performed by Aretha Franklin and released in 1971, from the album Young, Gifted and Black. The single reached the #9 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that same year. It also peaked at #2 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart. The B-side, "Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)" peaked at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart."
-snip-
Click http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/arethafranklin/rocksteady.html for the lyrics to Aretha Franklin's song "Rock Steady".

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Example #2: The Whispers - Rock Steady Official Video



UnidiscMusic, Uploaded on Feb 11, 2010
-snip-
Here's an excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Steady_(The_Whispers_song):
"Rock Steady" was a single released by American R&B group The Whispers, from their eighteenth studio album, Just Gets Better with Time (1987).

It was released on June 13, 1987[1] and was their highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number seven, and was their second and final number one on the Hot Black Singles Chart.[2]"
-snip-
Click http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858616242/for the lyrics to The Whispers' "Rock Steady" song.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to Aretha Franklin and The Whispers for their musical legacies. Thanks also to the YouTube publishers of these sound files and video.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Read More

More Rocksteady Music Genre Songs (sound files & videos)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a two part series on Rocksteady music. Part II features six Rocksteady songs & one Rocksteady mix.

Part I showcases sound files or videos of Jamaican artists & the songs that were influential in the creation & popularization of Rocksteady music.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/classic-jamaican-rocksteady-songs-sound.htmlfhttp://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/classic-jamaican-rocksteady-songs-sound.htmlor Part I of this series

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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FEATURED VIDEOS
(These sound files and videos are presented in chronological order based on the date of their YouTube posting, with the oldest dated example posted first.)

Example #1: Johnny Nash "Hold Me Tight"



weenielongus,Uploaded on Nov 19, 2007

I saw this one a while back, but I don't see it posted anymore, so until someone else post it, I'll post it!! [1968]

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Example #2: Phyllis Dillon - One Life To Live



clanccy, Uploaded on Jun 19, 2008

Phyllis Dillon - One Live To Live.
AKA..Shirley Kay. Taken from my Album 'One Life To Live' 1971.
Phyllis was one tough bird! Bless Up sister phyllis RIP.
Phyllis Dillon recorded in rough, tough Kingston, Jamaica, at Duke Reid's Treasure Isle studio, but lived in Linton, St. Catherine -- considered the country -- in the middle of Jamaica. The area, a far cry from Kingston, is where she started singing in school, church, and later with a band called the Vulcans. The crack band found employment all over Jamaica. It was at a gig at the Glass Bucket in Kingston where Dillon caught ska and rocksteady session guitarist Lyn Taitt's ears who suggested she see Reid. She was 19, still living at home, and green as grass. Taitt served as Reid's musical arranger at the time. She signed with Reid in 1965 and never recorded for another Jamaican producer, which was unusual, since most Jamaican artists played musical producers going from Reid to Bunny Lee to Coxsone Dodd and so on...

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Example #3: Rollin Rollin - Roy Shirley


yourmanwatson, Uploaded on Jul 14, 2010

Roy Shirley also known as King Roy Shirley and The High Priest (born Ainsworth Roy Rushton Shirley, July 18, 1944, Kingston, Jamaica, died July 2008) was a Jamaican singer whose career spanned the ska, rocksteady and reggae eras, and whose "Hold Them" is a contender for the first ever rocksteady song. He was also one of the original members of The Uniques...

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Example #4: NERIOUS JOSEPH - ROCK STEADY TIME



TheRevivalmaster, Uploaded on Nov 13, 2010

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Example #5: Alton Ellis - Rocksteady



JohnnySkaRocksteady, Uploaded on Nov 18, 2011

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ROCKSTEADY MIX
rocksteady mix volume four



kennykool53, Uploaded on Nov 6, 2010

the cream of jamaican rocksteady music

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RELATED LINKS
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/examples-of-comments-about-aretha.html and http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/rock-steady-childrens-cheer-examples.html for a two part pancocojams series on two R&B songs and children's cheerleader cheers that have the title "Rock Steady".

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the featured vocalists for their musical legacies. Thanks also to the YouTube publishers of these sound files and videos.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Read More

Classic Jamaican RockSteady Songs (sound files & information)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part series on Rocksteady music. Part I showcases sound files or videos of Jamaican artists & the songs that were influential in the creation & popularization of Rocksteady music. The featured songs in this post are "Girl I've Got a Date" by Alton Ellis, "Take It Easy" by Hopeton Lewis, "Tougher Than Tough" by Derrick Morgan and "Hold Them" by Roy Shirley.

Part II features six additional Rocksteady songs & one Rocksteady mix. Part II will be published ASAP.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

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INFORMATION ABOUT ROCKSTEADY MUSIC
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocksteady
"Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966.[1] A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals, and The Paragons. The term rocksteady comes from a dance style that was mentioned in the Alton Ellis song "Rock Steady". Dances performed to rocksteady were less energetic than the earlier ska dances. The first international rocksteady hit was "Hold Me Tight" (1968) by the American soul singer Johnny Nash; it reached number one in Canada.[2]

...As a popular musical style, rocksteady was short-lived; its heyday only lasted about two years, from 1966 until spring 1968.[1] Around this time, young people from the Jamaican countryside were flooding into the urban ghettos of Kingston — in neighborhoods such as Riverton City, Greenwich Town and Trenchtown. Though much of the country was optimistic in the immediate post-independence climate, these poverty-stricken youths did not share this sentiment. Many of them became delinquents who exuded a certain coolness and style. These unruly youths became known as rude boys.

Alton Ellis is sometimes said to be the father of rocksteady for his hit "Girl I've Got a Date", but other candidates for the first rocksteady single include "Take It Easy" by Hopeton Lewis, "Tougher Than Tough" by Derrick Morgan and "Hold Them" by Roy Shirley. In a Jamaican radio interview, pianist Gladstone Anderson said that guitarist and bandleader Lynn Taitt was the man who slowed down the ska beat in 1964 during a "Take It Easy" recording session.[4] Taitt backed this up in a 2002 interview, stating "I told 'Gladdy to slow the tempo and that's how Take It Easy and rocksteady came about. Rocksteady is really slow ska."[5] The record producer Duke Reid released Alton Ellis' "Girl I've Got a Date" on his Treasure Isle label, as well as recordings by The Techniques, The Silvertones, The Jamaicans and The Paragons. Reid's work with these groups helped establish the vocal sound of rocksteady. Notable solo artists include Delroy Wilson, Ken Boothe and Phyllis Dillon (known as the "Queen of Rocksteady"). Other musicians who were crucial in creating rocksteady included keyboard player Jackie Mittoo, drummer Winston Grennan, bassist Jackie Jackson and saxophonist Tommy McCook.

Despite its short lifespan, rocksteady's influence is great. Many reggae artists began in rocksteady (and/or ska) - most commonly reggae singers grew out of rocksteady groups"...

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FEATURED EXAMPLES
(These sound files and videos are presented in chronological order based on the date of their YouTube posting, with the oldest dated example posted first.)

Example #1: Roy Shirley - Hold Them - Reggae Revival



Mikie Dread, Published on Apr 2, 2010

My late great uncle in his glory days. From a little record shop in Orange st, Kingston Jamaica, where he pushed tunes with the likes of Bob Marley, he knew the business inside out and spoke great things of the artists past and gone.. R.I.P. fada Roy
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Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Shirley for more information about Roy Shirley(18 July 1944 – July 2008). Here's an excerpt from that page:
"Shirley recorded "Hold Them" in 1966, credited as one of the first rocksteady songs,[1][4] and inspired by the beat from a Salvation Army band.[3] Shirley attempted to perform "Hold Them" to a ska beat, but unable to make it work, slowed down the rhythm... The song became a massive hit in Jamaica."

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Example #2: Derrick Morgan - Tougher Than Tough (live at the 100 Club)

smoke2jointsblog•Uploaded on Jul 22, 2010
Derrick Morgan performing Tougher Than Tough, live at the 100 Club, in 2008.
-snip-
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derrick_Morgan for information about Derrick Morgan (born 27 March 1940, Mocho, Clarendon, Jamaica). In that page "Tougher Than Tough" is described as "the seminal rude boy classic".

Also, click http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3021121/posts for a recent Chicago Tribune article about Derrick Morgan who continues to perform in 2013.

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Example #3: Girl I've Got A Date - Alton Ellis - Reggae - Rocksteady



Docgreen61, Uploaded on Nov 17, 2011

"Girl I've Got A Date" sung by the late great "Alton Ellis" recorded at "Treasure Isle" a great "Rocksteady" tune
-snip-
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alton_Ellis for more information about Alton Ellis (1 September 1938 – 10 October 2008).

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Example #4: Take It Easy - Hopeton Lewis - Reggae - Rocksteady



Docgreen61, Uploaded on Nov 21, 2011

Taken from the LP "Rusty Dusties" on the "Wildflower" label,This track by "Hopeton Lewis" called "Take It Easy"
-snip-
Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopeton_Lewis for an article about Hopeton Lewis (born 30 October 1947, Kingston, Jamaica).

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RELATED LINKS
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/examples-of-comments-about-aretha.html and http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/rock-steady-childrens-cheer-examples.html for a two part pancocojams series on two R&B songs and children's cheerleader cheers that have the title "Rock Steady".

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
Thanks to the featured vocalists for their musical legacies. Thanks also to the YouTube publishers of these sound files and videos.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Read More