Notes, Linkage, and the B3

The latest edition of “One Day in Your Life” appeared at Popdose last Wednesday. A commenter to that post wished I’d write one every day. I wish I could, too—it’s still my favorite thing to write. Since October’s coming, the month when the temperatures fall, the leaves change, and time runs in reverse, it seems like a good excuse to write a bunch of them, so watch for a boatload of “One Day in Your Life” posts starting next week.

Later this week, I’ll have a few thoughts about leaving home, going home, and staying home. One Hit Wonder Day is also this week (Thursday, actually), so we’ll have something to do with that, I’m sure.

I haven’t linked to my stuff at WNEW.com recently, so here’s that:
This Week in Rock History: The Adventures of Stevie and Christine
This Week in Rock History: Hot Burrito
Rock 101: Rick Wright
Rock 101: Bing and Bowie
Founding Father: Ray Charles
Founding Mothers

As I was writing this morning, the laptop music stash popped up organist Johnny Hammond’s version of the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses.” Recorded in November 1971, just weeks after the original dropped off the pop charts, it features Grover Washington Jr. on tenor saxophone and Ron Carter on bass, along with session greats Eric Gale and Bernard Purdie, and a string section arranged and conducted by Bob James. The album from whence it comes, Wild Horses Rock Steady, features covers of Cat Stevens’ “Peace Train” (which was in the pop Top 10 on the day Hammond recorded it, with George Benson on guitar), “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” from Jesus Christ Superstar, Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady,” and the recent Perry Como hit “It’s Impossible.” Hammond was still known as Johnny “Hammond” Smith at that point, although he later changed his name to just Johnny Hammond, to avoid confusion with another fine organist a guitarist by the name of Smith. Since we love us some R&B-flavored, B3-drenched soul jazz around here, here you go. (Edited to fix the Smith Hammond was avoiding; thanks to reader JP.)

“Wild Horses”/Johnny Hammond (buy it here)