AN R&B RESURRECTION SOUL STAR HOWARD TATE PUT HIS DESPAIR BEHIND HIM AND CLAIMED A GRAMMY NOMINATION.Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer Howard Tate doesn't sound like a ghost, but he probably should. The r&b singer had emerged from obscurity - many thought he had died long ago - after a 30-year hiatus that saw him reduced to living on the streets of his native Philadelphia. During those lost years, Tate was entirely unaware his magnificently arranged 1967 album, ``Get It While You Can,'' had become highly prized by record collectors and blues and soul aficionados worldwide. Tate's resurrection is nothing short of remarkable. Most people given a taste of the spotlight normally refuse to relinquish a drop of it unless practically forced at gunpoint. However, Tate, 62, who was known for a fiery, pleading stage act and a string of r&b hits, including ``Stop,'' ``Look at Granny Run Run'' and ``Ain't Nobody Home,'' wasn't built to withstand a relentless touring schedule, unscrupulous promoters and nearly nonexistent non·ex·is·tence n. 1. The condition of not existing. 2. Something that does not exist. non royalty payments. So, he turned his back on it, falling into destitution des·ti·tu·tion n. 1. Extreme want of resources or the means of subsistence; complete poverty. 2. A deprivation or lack; a deficiency. Noun 1. and substance abuse before religion pulled him out of the all-too-familiar spiral of self- destruction. Meanwhile, Tate was unaware his tunes had been covered by Janis Joplin Noun 1. Janis Joplin - United States singer who died of a drug overdose at the height of her popularity (1943-1970) Joplin , Jimi Hendrix Noun 1. Jimi Hendrix - United States guitarist whose innovative style with electric guitars influenced the development of rock music (1942-1970) Hendrix, James Marshall Hendrix , Ry Cooder Ryland "Ry" Peter Cooder (born 15 March 1947, in Los Angeles, California) is an American guitarist, singer and composer, known for his slide guitar work, his interest in the American roots music and, more recently, for his collaborations with traditional musicians from many and B.B. King. Still, there's a happy ending. Tate's well-crafted new album, ``Rediscovered,'' is up for a Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards) are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the record industry. The current President of the Academy is Neil Portnow. next month for best contemporary blues album (his fellow nominees are Marcia Ball Marcia Ball (born March 20, 1949) is an American blues singer and pianist born in Orange, Texas but who grew up in Vinton, Louisiana. This same region spawned other American blues greats, including Clifton Chenier, Janis Joplin, Lonnie Brooks, and Kenny Neal. , Etta James, Sonny Landreth Sonny Landreth (born February 1, 1951) is an American blues musician from southwest Louisiana who is especially known as a slide guitar player. He was born in Canton, Mississippi, but soon after, his family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, before settling in Lafayette, Louisiana. and Susan Tedeschi Susan Tedeschi (pronounced te-DES-ki) (November 9, 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American blues and soul artist. Early life Susan Tedeschi grew up in Norwell, Massachusetts and attended the Berklee College of Music where she received her bachelor of music in ). ``I wasn't getting paid for my work,'' Tate said recently from his home in New Jersey. ``I was frustrated by the whole business back then. Like a lot of black artists, I was disgusted that everyone but me was getting my money. I never got royalties from the songs I wrote, the record company never spent a penny to promote me. But I wasn't the only one. The Temptations didn't get paid. Ruth Brown. Those two girls with the Supremes. There was a lot of us, and it was enough to drive anybody from show business.'' Tate's ``Get It While You Can,'' elegantly produced by Jerry Ragovoy (who wrote or co-wrote the r&b standards ``Piece of My Heart,'' ``Cry Baby'' and ``Time Is on My Side''), was followed by a self-titled album and a reggae-tinged effort titled ``Reaction.'' All three, along with the Ragovoy-produced ``Rediscovered,'' of course, are now available. ``I started getting calls in the early '80s from British music writers asking about Howard,'' Ragovoy said. ``Club owners wanted to book him. Journalists wanted to tell his story. So, I tried to find him, with no luck, eventually coming to the conclusion he'd died, which is what I began to tell people. Then, three years ago, I got a call from a writer in London who asked what it was like working with Tate. I said I've been looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. him for 10 years and this guy said, 'Really? I spoke to him yesterday.' '' The producer hooked up with Tate, bringing him to a studio in Atlanta to determine if he still had the chops to cut an album. ``When I heard him sing, I realized this guy had lost nothing,'' Ragovoy recalled. ``The only difference was, his voice was slightly darker, which added more character. It was a magnificent voice untarnished by time.'' That was clear last weekend when Tate appeared at producer Hal Willner's tribute to Randy Newman at UCLA's Royce Hall Royce Hall is a building on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Designed by the Los Angeles firm of Allison & Allison (James Edward Allison, 1870-1955, and his brother David Clark Allison, 1881-1962) in the Italian Romanesque Revival style and completed . The soul crooner was among the best-received performers of the night; his gospel-tinged delivery of Newman's ``Louisiana 1927,'' ``Every Time It Rains'' and ``I'll Be Home'' won over a crowd that for the most part had no idea who Tate was. The Grammy-nominated ``Rediscovered'' (Private/Arista), which has sold close to 15,000 copies since its July 2003 release, includes 11 Ragovoy originals along with a track co-written by longtime Tate fan Elvis Costello and a cover of the Prince number ``Kiss.'' It's fantastic to hear Tate, whose begging falsetto falsetto (fôlsĕt`tō) [Ital.,=diminutive of false], high-pitched, unnatural tones above the normal register of the male voice, produced, according to some theories, by the vibration of only the edges of the larynx. is as shockingly emotional as it was in the mid-'60s, in such fine form. ``I had some doubts about stepping back into that part of my life,'' Tate admitted. ``When I prayed, God said, 'I gave you that voice and there is beauty in all music.' Jerry also helped persuade me. We go together like a hand and glove Adv. 1. hand and glove - in close cooperation; "they work hand in glove" cooperatively, hand in glove .'' Fred Shuster, (818) 713-3676 fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com HOWARD TATE Known for: A string of '60s soul classics, including ``Stop,'' ``Look at Granny Run Run,'' ``Get It While You Can'' and ``Ain't Nobody Home.'' Background: Tate disappeared in the mid-'70s. A chance encounter three years ago led to the making of ``Rediscovered'' with Jerry Ragovoy, the producer who helmed Tate's classic ``Get It While You Can'' album for Verve in 1967. Grammy connection: Nominated for best contemporary blues album. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) no caption (album) (2) no caption (CD cover) (3) no caption (Howard Tate) |
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