Roy Shuler – Actor. Print Model. Blogger. Voice Actor. Inspirational Speaker.

Roy Shuler

Actor. Print Model. Blogger. Voice Actor. Inspirational Speaker.

Music

Blog, Music

Out of the Ashes, A Unifying Sound

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In the midst of so much evil, divisive language, behavior, and vitriol from those who are in positions of ‘leadership,’ along with many of their constituents, I chose and managed to pivot and find some solace during the wee hours of this morning while watching FireAid, a benefit concert assembled to provide assistance to those affected by the wildfires that have devastated Los Angeles.  Off for the day from my Substitute Teacher gig, I got comfortable and excited while crashing on my couch for the chance to see two of my favorite artists perform: Sting and Stevie Wonder. And much like they did for the former’s 60th birthday celebration back in 2011, these two legendary performers appeared together (along with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, no longer bare-chested and adorned in his trademark drawers/shorts), this time, puttin’ a hurtin’ on “Higher Ground,” a hit track from Stevie’s 1973 album ‘Innervisions.’  Powers keep on lyin’While your people keep on dyin’World keep on turnin’‘Cause it won’t be too long I’m so darn glad He let me try it again‘Cause my last time on earth, I lived a whole world of sinI’m so glad that I know more than I knew thenGonna keep on tryin’‘Til I reach my highest ground There’s a strong desire among many to say something; to do something. I get it. People are angry, hurt, dumbfounded, befuddled, and a myriad of other emotions; many at the incredulous lack of empathy, the stark absence of humanity from someone positioned to be the leader of the free world who seems more hellbent on creating division and exacting retaliation than on navigating towards reconciliation.  But in the wee hours of this morning on Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and other outlets there were artists – not just performers – but artists with a collective heart rooted in love, unity, and restoration.  Yup, I’ll stay up late and tune into that any night or early morning of the week…

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Happy Birthday, Sam Cooke

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A few weeks ago, Rolling Stone Magazine released its 200 Greatest Singers List. In what is certain to spur a number of spirited debates, this list will make news for who it excludes as much as for who it includes – and where they are placed. On a personal note, I’m delighted to see that many of of my favorites made the cut: Frank Sinatra, David Ruffin, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Solomon Burke, Steve Perry, the tragically under-appreciated Clyde McPhatter, Jackie Wilson and Gladys Knight (did they really place 100+ singers ahead of them 🤔?) Teddy Pendergrass, Dion, Amy Winehouse, and a few others. Still, from my perspective, the likes of Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops, Marvin Junior of The Dells, Sting, and Sananda Maitreya (formerly known as Terence Trent D’Arby) would’ve been welcome additions. But make no mistake about it: on this 92nd anniversary of his birth, I’m here to talk about Sam Cooke. Reflect, if you will, on the fact that a voice that was silenced 58 years ago the 11th of last month in a still controversial shooting was ranked #3, behind Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston, respectively – two still relatively contemporary voices who left us in 2018 and 2012. The man hasn’t sung a note in almost six decades. To borrow a quote that accompanied the list: “There is American popular music before Sam Cooke and popular music after.” Joe Gross, Rolling Stone Magazine It’s somewhat redemptive to see the ‘pundits’ confirm what 10,000+ members of Facebook’s Sam Cooke Club have known all along. That’s a #1 in our book. Happy Birthday, Sam 🎉

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The Black Sinatra

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For those who really know me, this finding by the folks at Spotify (watch until the end) is no surprise. On this 58th anniversary of his shocking killing, an event that preceded my birth by five-and-a-half months, Sam Cooke has had a profound influence on my thinking and on my aspirations as well as my musical tastes, and, as a vocalist of the first order, on generations of singers worldwide. A Gospel music phenom as a teenager, in seven short years as a secular singer that began with the release of the self-penned classic “You Send Me” in September 1957, Sam managed to carve out a distinctive career as a pioneering Pop, Soul, and R&B singer and songwriter, and, as an entrepreneur that is revered to this day. After President-Elect Barack Obama quoted a line from his magnum opus ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ on Election Night 2008, courtesy of various interpretations on YouTube, TikTok, and beyond, that song is as popular as it ever has been. Here’s what Pop crooner Michael Bublé said about Sam in an interview earlier this year: He also lauds everyone from Pink to Eminem, but saves his highest praise for Sam Cooke, whom he calls “the greatest voice in the history of music.” “It might sound strange for some of you listening out there, [but] I’ve always considered myself a soul singer,” he says. “When people tried to put me into a box and asked me what I was, well, soul singer was always what I wanted to be and who I felt I was. And one of the big reasons for that is Sam Cooke, the greatest voice in the history of music. Not the genre, not a genre, not soul, not R&B. I think music. Sam Cooke was a very special, special performer, a special writer, an incredible human being.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Happy Birthday, Stevland Hardaway Morris 🎉

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If you don’t recognize the name, I’m certain that you’ll recognize the songs. Fingertips. Uptight. My Cherie Amour. I Was Made to Love Her. For Once in My Life. Superwoman. Superstition. Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing. You Are The Sunshine of My Life. You Haven’t Done Nothin’. I Wish. Sir Duke. All I Do. Part Time Lover. These Three Words. From the Bottom of My Heart. Today is the 72nd birthday of the incredible artist, musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and humanitarian Stevie Wonder. I’ve shared with a few people how he helped to change my life as a preteen. I was 11 years old in 1976 when he released, by common consent, his magnum opus, Songs in the Key of Life, the final album in what has been described as “The Greatest Creative Run in the History of Popular Music.” In addition to containing a brilliant array of songs supported by an equally brilliant group of musicians and singers, it was the first album that I recalled having a booklet that contained the lyrics to all of the songs. By learning and reciting those lyrics, unknowingly, this would set me off on a path in which I would embrace the power of words in storytelling as a writer, public speaker, and actor. Almost 50 years after its release, I still listen to this landmark release today. By clicking on the Spotify logo below, I invite you to the do the same in celebration of this phenomenal man. Thank you, Stevie. Happy Birthday 🎉!

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