Somebody!

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The Brothers And Sisters – I Am Somebody
Toddlin' Town Records – 128
Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, US, 1969
info

A quick break from the Lee "Scratch" Perry tributes to celebrate a birthday... (I hope you aren't too bored with the LSP productions yet though, still have a couple more planned!)

Last weekend, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. celebrated his 80th birthday. Far more important tributes were made, but I figured it was an excuse to share this with you. Reverend Jackson is an institution in my little corner of the world, and I don't say that critically. Organizations are ultimately just made of people. I've come to respect more every year just how fragile these things we build around us can be. And just how important it is to have institutions that weather the storms, that exist (even imperfectly) for our people to draw on, to find some basic structures and lessons when the time comes. The significance not just of his decades of activism, but of Black institutions he's played a central role in leading and maintaining through some very dry times is not lost on me.

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I Am Somebody, as you may have guessed, puts Reverend Jackson's speeches to music on a single released in 1969 or 1970. The message of uplift and pride is delivered over a fantastic backing track written, arranged and produced by the great Richard Pegue. Pegue was a longtime radio personality, DJ, and producer who passed in 2009, a legend in the Chicago soul music and stepping scenes. 

I can't tell you much about The Brothers And Sisters. They released a handful of singles in the late '60s/early '70s on Chicago soul labels Toddlin' Town (part of brothers George and Ernest Leaner's One-Derful records empire) and Pegue's own short-lived Nickle imprint.

A nice male and female vocal group, righteous lyrics from the Rev, soaring Chicago-style strings, over a fast, funk drum workout. What more could you need going into this weekend? The Part II instrumental take on the B side is a real treat. Listening on some good headphones just now, the bass during the last few the song had me grinning after a difficult week.

Here's my belated birthday wish for Reverend Jackson. Enjoy!

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Tracklist
A I Am Somebody - Part I
B I Am Somebody - Part II

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(Now with corrected tags for the OCD among us.)

I may be poor - FLAC (download zip file):
I am proud, I am beautiful - MP3 (stream or download):

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