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Maurice Williams, songwriter and vocalist of Stay, dies at age 86

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NEW YORK (AP) — Maurice Williams, a rhythm and blues singer-songwriter who, together with his band the Zodiacs, became one of the largest one-time acts in music with the classic ballad “Stay,” has died. He was 86.

According to an announcement from the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, Williams died on August 6, but no further details were provided.

Williams, who had been a author and performer since childhood, was performing in various harmony groups when he began studio sessions with the Zodiacs in 1960.

At the tip, they unexpectedly made history with their recording “Stay”, which Williams had written several years earlier as an adolescent.

With his co-vocalists chanting “Stay!”, Williams channeled most of the song and its appeal to an unnamed girl. Halfway through, he stepped back and gave the result in Shane Gaston and one of rock’s most unforgettable falsetto cries—“OH, WON’T YOU STAY, JUST A LITTLE BIT LONGER!”

Maurice Williams performs the classic ballad “Stay” together with his band the Zodiacs on the TV show “The Village Square.” (Photo: YouTube Screenshot/John1948NineB)

The song, at just over 1 minute and 30 seconds long, was one of the shortest hits of the rock era. It reached primary on the Billboard charts in 1960 and was the band’s only major success.

However, the song was initially covered by bands resembling The Hollies and the Four Seasons, in addition to other acts who made it an old favourite, most notably when Jackson Browne sang it live to tell the tale his 1977 album Running On Empty.

“Stay” was also performed by Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and others at the 1979 No Nukes concert at Madison Square Garden, and its original version was included on the 1987 hit Dirty Dancing soundtrack.

The song was inspired by his teenage crush, Mary Shropshire.

“(Mary) was the one I tried to get to stay a little longer,” Williams told the North Carolina publication Our State in 2012. “Of course she couldn’t.”

Williams’ profession was otherwise a story of disappointment. He wrote one other falsetto outing, “Little Darlin’,” and recorded it in 1957 with the Gladiolas. But the song became successful for a white group, the Diamonds. In 1965, Williams and the Zodiacs recorded a promising ballad, “May I.” But their record company, Vee-Jay, went bankrupt just before the song’s release, and “May I” later became successful for an additional white group, Bill Deal & the Rhondels.

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Like many early rock stars, Williams became a fixture on the concert circuit and on tributes and recorded albums like “Let This Night Last” and “Back to Basics.” He settled in Charlotte, North Carolina, within the mid-Nineteen Sixties, and was elected to the state Hall of Fame in 2010. He is survived by his wife, Emily.

Williams was born in Lancaster, South Carolina, and sang with members of the family in church growing up. He was an adolescent when he formed a gospel group, the Junior Harmonizers, which became the Royal Charms because it evolved into secular music, and then the Zodiacs after the Ford automobile they used on the road. In the meantime, he was a prolific author and needed little time to finish what became his signature hit.

“It took me about thirty minutes to write ‘Stay,’ and then I threw it out,” he later told www.classicsbands.com. “We were looking for songs to record as Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. I was at my girlfriend’s house, playing a tape of songs I had written, and her little sister said, ‘Please do a song with a high voice.’ I knew she meant ‘Stay.’ She was about 12, and I said, ‘She’s of record-buying age,’ and the rest is history. Thank God for her.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Kendrick Lamar Releases Surprise Album ‘GNX’; group chats are going crazy

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Kendrick Lamar, Kendrick Lamar GNX, GNX, GNX album, K-Dot, K-Dot GNX, theGrio.com

There are few things more exciting than receiving an infinite barrage of text messages at the very same time in numerous group chats. This normally implies that something vital has happened in popular culture. Well, the exact same thing happened about noon on November 22, within the yr of our Lord two thousand and twenty-four. Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, higher often called Kendrick Lamar, released the album “GNX”, nod towards Buick Grand National Regal GNXa rare muscle automobile released in 1987 – which also happens to be the yr Kendrick was born.

“GNX” is coming to the tip of what has been a banner yr for Kendrick Lamar. From epic diss records geared toward Drake, to creating the largest song of his profession (and a Drake diss track) on “Not Like Us”, to the “Pop Out” concert streaming live to tell the tale Amazon Prime, Kendrick won this yr. He even received seven Grammy nominations, mostly for “Not Like Us.” And this victory will proceed in the brand new yr. In September, it was announced that Kendrick would stay Super Bowl 2025 headliner will happen in New Orleans. This announcement sparked some controversy and comments from several New Orleans legends similar to Juvenile and most notably Lil Wayne, who felt disrespected; Kendrick immediately refers to this topic within the opening song of the album (all stylized in lower case), “wacced out murals”.

The thing is, Kendrick didn’t sleep for many of 2024. And then, while the remaining of us were minding our own business, listening to other albums that had just dropped, like Ice Cube’s “Man Down,” I began receiving text after text… and I knew that would only mean that something vital happened.

At this point in my life (and possibly even yours), Kendrick Lamar releases are a drop-everything-and-listen event. I immediately went to the streaming service, launched “GNX” and pressed “Play”.

I need to admit that the primary time I heard the album I used to be a bit confused. Kendrick has probably never been more popular or famous; if there was ever a time to drag a Kanye West and release his own version of “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” – an album largely produced as Kanye’s best and most representative of Kanye’s greatness – now could be the time. “GNX” has a far more modern West Coast vibe and is certainly more for his die-hard fans than anyone who just began gaining attention due to his beef with Drake. Maybe that was the purpose; possibly not.

Kendrick Lamar, Kendrick Lamar GNX, GNX, GNX album, K-Dot, K-Dot GNX, theGrio.com
Photo: Dave Free

Either way, I can imagine that folks whose favorite lines are “OV-Ho” won’t be immediately thrilled. I wasn’t immediately blown away (though very amused by how sensitive Kendrick is to what people say about him on social media, well, everyone), but as is all the time the case with Kendrick albums, repeated listens are likely to correct any immediate monotony that I even have about his projects. For example, now that I’ve listened to it just a few times, I can not wait to listen to black college bands playing “tv off” style, which seems like a cousin of “Not Like Us.” The Shoot, Bayou Classic, which also takes place yearly in New Orleans on Thanksgiving Day, stands out as the first time we hear a band playing “TV off.”

Since the album didn’t come out long enough to be reviewed, group chats and social media were abuzz with immediate reactions. This is the a part of music releases I really like, where everyone seems to be listening to the identical thing, offering premature takes that will not even delay the following day. I’m not different; I’m sure I’ll say something about this album that can sound silly by Monday. Shoot, I can have already done it. But that is what happens when great artists release music. We spend time with others after which we refer to them, analyze them, criticize them, praise them, destroy them and let all our prejudices fly free. Love it.

It’s value noting that certainly one of Drake’s diss tracks that did not appear during last summer’s fracas was titled “The Heart Part 6,” and was an apparent try to usurp Kendrick’s pre-album practice of removing a non-album song titled “The Heart.” Well, Kendrick has a song on his recent album called, you guessed it, “The Heart, Pt. 6,” which I feel will probably be released soon Drake. Good job, Kenny.

Argue.


Panama Jackson theGrio.com

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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New music this week: Tyla, Lola Brooke, Coco Jones and more – Essence

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Happy Friday, people! Whether you are drinking a warm beverage or preparing for a fun-filled weekend, this week’s latest music releases set the tone. From sensual R&B melodies to powerful hip-hop anthems, these songs have something for everybody.

Coco Jones leads the pack along with her seasonal album, and Tyla offers a heartfelt change of tone with “Tears.” Miguel’s smooth “Always Time” and Jorja Smith’s tender “Stay Another Day” showcase R&B at its finest, while Lola Brooke and Killer Mike turn up the warmth on “Go To Yo Head” and “Warryn’s Groove,” respectively. Today’s list also includes music from Eric Bellinger, Coi Leray, Blxst and more.

Below you possibly can read our list of latest products.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Serena Williams is cutting short divorce talks for a second time after the couple reunited and put months of rumors to rest

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Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian are still doing well despite months of unconfirmed divorce rumors.

On November 17, Williams and the Reddit co-founder took a walk down memory lane and tested one another by asking questions on themselves and their family in a recent promotional ad. The couple ate a few of their favorite meals and meanwhile checked their glucose levels using Hello Lingo, a glucose monitoring device.

Nearly five minutes into the recording, Williams tested her husband’s memory by asking, “Who said I love you first?”

Ohanian, who shares two daughters, Olimpia and Adira, with the tennis legend, responds quickly by saying, “Mmm,” before writing his answer on the board.

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian recall who said “I love you” first amid divorce rumors. (Photo: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)

“It’s like ‘The Newlywed Game,'” Williams said, writing down her answer, referring to the mid-Nineteen Sixties show “The Newlywed Game,” which tested couples who had been married for lower than two years to see if how much they learn about their relationship. amplifier.

Both Williams and Ohanian turn the board over to reveal their answers and, quite shockingly, they received two different answers. Ohanian wrote that Williams said it first, but Williams claims it was Ohanian.

“Come now. Are you going to lie about this? he declared to Williams, who responded with a laugh: “I said I would be honest.”

“That’s not an honest answer,” Ohanian continued. “I still keep in mind that phone call. Oh, you realize I felt the same, but you certainly said it first.

Williams joked: “My glucose levels were high. I ate some ice cream, my glucose level was too high. Then I tell this guy and I feel like saying things I would not normally say. The moment ended with Williams replaying how she told Ohanian those three special words.

Of course, there was no shortage of reactions from fans who showed their love for the couple and how well they interact of their normal element.

One YouTube commenter he wrote“It’s great to see Serena and Alexis in this normal environment, they are so lovely and have great charisma. I love them even more now and I feel great chemistry between them.”

Someone else said: “I liked this part. They seem to really like each other.”

However, as rumors swirled about problems of their marriage, one fan was confused by the video shared on Instagram.

“I thought I read that they got divorced?” he wrote one person in Williams’ comment section.

Someone else also addressed the rumors, writing: “Where are the haters who said divorce was imminent? Sometimes people will be crazy. Seriously, how are you going to even start assuming things like that about people you have never met?

This summer, fans began speculating that Williams and her seven-year marriage to Ohanian were in trouble after they noticed she hadn’t posted from him on her social media pages in some time.

Moreover, Ohanian was noticeably absent from the June premiere of the documentary “In the Arena: Serena Williams” and was also absent from her side at the Met Gala in May.

But they got back together this summer after they attended the Paris Olympics with their daughter Olympia in July.

Among the many viral moments spent with the Ohanian family, she organizes: umbrella for his wife and the European commentator – who didn’t realize he was her husband – and called Ohanian Serena’s “umbrella holder”.

The tech guru reacted to the moment hilariously by snapping a photo of himself holding an umbrella over himself and his daughter.

Ohanian joked, “I am also a personal Olympia umbrella owner. Sidebar: You all set the bar too low for me and celebrity daddies only get flowers for *admitting* they have kids.”

The proud dad is probably also Adira’s personal umbrella holder.


This article was originally published on : atlantablackstar.com
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