Gene McDaniels
| Gene McDaniels | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Eugene Booker McDaniels |
| Also known as | Eugene McDaniels, The Left Reverend McD |
| Born | February 12, 1935 Kansas City, Missouri, United States |
| Died | July 29, 2011 (aged 76) Kittery Point, Maine |
| Genres | Jazz, pop, political |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1960–2011 |
| Labels | Liberty, Columbia. Atlantic, Ode |
| Website | http://genemcdaniels.com/ |
Gene McDaniels (February 12, 1935[1] – July 29, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter, who had his greatest recording success in the early 1960s.
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Biography [edit]
Born Eugene Booker McDaniels in Kansas City, Missouri, United States,[1] McDaniels grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. As well as singing gospel music in church, he developed a love of jazz, and learned to play the saxophone and trumpet. After forming a singing group, The Echoes of Joy, later known as The Sultans, in his teens, he studied at the University of Omaha Conservatory of Music before joining the Mississippi Piney Woods Singers, with whom he toured in California. There, he began singing in jazz clubs, and came to the attention of Sy Waronker of Liberty Records.[2][3]
After recording two unsuccessful singles and an album, he was teamed with producer Snuff Garrett, with whom he recorded his first hit, "A Hundred Pounds of Clay," which reached no. 3 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1961 and sold over one million copies, earning gold disc status.[1] Its follow-up, "A Tear", was less successful but his third single with Garrett, "Tower of Strength," co-written by Burt Bacharach, reached number 5 and won McDaniels his second gold record.[2] "Tower of Strength" reached number 49 in the UK Singles Chart, losing out to Frankie Vaughan's chart-topping version.[4]
In 1962 he appeared performing in the movie It's Trad, Dad!, directed by Richard Lester. He continued to have minor hit records, including "Chip Chip", "Point Of No Return" and "Spanish Lace", each in 1962, but his suave style of singing gradually became less fashionable. In 1965 he moved to Columbia Records, with little success, and in 1968, after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, he left the US to live in Denmark and Sweden, where he concentrated on songwriting. He returned to the US in 1971, and recorded thereafter as Eugene McDaniels.[2]
Compared to What (extract)
Another night a night of love
A hangin' only push an shove
Possession is the motivation
That is hangin' up, the goddamn nation
Looks like we always end up in a rut!
Everybody now, tryin' to make it real compared to what!
(C'mon baby!)
Slaughter house is a-killin' hogs
Twisted children are killin' frogs
Poor dumb red-necks rollin' logs
Tired old lady, kissin' dogs
I hate the human love of that stinking mutt!
I can't use it!
Tryin' to make it real, compared to what!
(Come on baby, now, woo!)
The President, he's got his war
Folks don't know just what it's for
Nobody gives us a rhyme or reason
Have one doubt, they call it treason
With chicken feathers all without one nut
Goddamn it! Tryin' to make it real compared to what!
(Sock it to me! hey yeah!)
After the late 1960s, McDaniels turned his attention to a more black consciousness form, and his best-known song in this genre was "Compared to What," a jazz-soul protest song made famous (and into a hit) by Les McCann and Eddie Harris on their album, Swiss Movement, and also covered by Roberta Flack, Ray Charles, Della Reese, John Legend, The Roots and others.[3] McDaniels also attained the top spot on the chart as a songwriter. In 1974, Roberta Flack reached number 1 with McDaniels' "Feel Like Makin' Love" (not to be confused with the Bad Company song of the same name), which won a Grammy Award. McDaniels also received a BMI award for outstanding radio airplay; at the time of the award, the song had already had over five million plays.
In the early 1970s, McDaniels recorded on the Atlantic label, which released the McDaniels albums, Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse and Outlaw.
In the 1980s, McDaniels recorded an album with the percussionist Terry Silverlight, which has not yet been released. In 2005, McDaniels released Screams & Whispers on his own record label. In 2009, it was announced that he was to release a new album, Evolution's Child, which featured his lyrics, and a number of songs composed or arranged with pianist Ted Brancato. Some of the songs featured jazz musician Ron Carter on concert bass.
McDaniel's "Jagger the Dagger" was featured on the Tribe Vibes breakbeat compilation album, after it had been sampled by A Tribe Called Quest.
McDaniels also appeared in films. They included the 1962 film, It's Trad, Dad! (released in the United States as Ring-A-Ding Rhythm), which was directed by Richard Lester. He also appeared in the 1963 The Young Swingers. McDaniels is briefly seen singing in the choir in the 1974 film Uptown Saturday Night.
McDaniels lived as a self-described "hermit" in the state of Maine. In 2010 he launched a series of YouTube videos on his website, featuring his music and thoughts on some of his creations. McDaniels died on July 29, 2011 at his home.[6]
He supplied the voice recordings for the character "Nasus" in the online game "League of Legends".[citation needed]
Discography [edit]
Studio albums [edit]
- In Times Like These - Liberty (1960)
- Sometimes I'm Happy, Sometimes I'm Blue - Liberty (1960)
- A Hundred Pounds Of Clay - Liberty (1961)
- Gene McDaniels Sings Movie Memories - Liberty (1962)
- Hit After Hit - Liberty (1962)
- Tower Of Strength - Liberty (1962)
- Spanish Lace - Liberty (1963)
- The Wonderful Word Of Gene McDaniels - Liberty (1963)
- Outlaw - Atlantic (1970)
- Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse - Atlantic (1971)
- Natural Juices - Ode (1975)
- Screams & Whispers - Sky Forest Music (2005)
Produced by Eugene McDaniels [edit]
- The First Time - Carri Coltrane, 1999
- Flamenco Sketches - Carri Coltrane, 1998
Chart singles [edit]
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop[7] | US R&B[8] |
UK[9] | ||
| 1961 | "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" | 3 | 11 | - |
| "A Tear" | 31 | - | - | |
| "Tower of Strength" | 5 | 5 | 49 | |
| 1962 | "Chip Chip" | 10 | - | - |
| "Funny" | 99 | - | - | |
| "Point of No Return" | 21 | 23 | - | |
| "Spanish Lace" | 31 | - | - | |
| 1963 | "It's A Lonely Town" | 64 | - | - |
| 1972 | "River" as Universal Jones |
115 | - | - |
Filmography [edit]
- It's Trad, Dad! (a.k.a. Ring-A-Ding Rhythm, 1962)
- The Young Swingers (1963)
References [edit]
- ^ a b c Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 136. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ a b c Biography by Bruce Eder at Allmusic.com
- ^ a b Obituary by Richard Williams, The Guardian, 15 August 2011
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 338 & 583. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Les McCann & Eddie Harris: Compared To What lyrics" at smartlyrics.com
- ^ "GENE MACDANIELS PASSES AWAY | Cashbox Magazine Canada". Cashboxcanada.ca. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 458. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. 296.
- ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 477. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
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