Friday, January 15, 2010
Cream / Liner Notes Gaines and Loss: Remembering Earl Gaines, Legendary Nashville Soul Singer
Posted by Steve Haruch on Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 9:27 AM
In this week's City Limits, Ron Wynn remembers Earl Gaines, local R&B, soul and blues legend.
Earl Gaines' commanding voice, extensive range and emphatic sound made him one of the greatest stylists and performers in the history of Nashville R&B and soul.The 74-year-old Gaines, who died New Year's Eve at Saint Thomas Hospital, helped elevate Music City's black music community to the national spotlight with his majestic lead vocal on the classic "It's Love Baby (24 Hours a Day)" in 1955 when he was the lead singer for Louis Brooks & His Hi-Toppers. In some ways, though, that tune was such a triumph that many people came to define his career mainly on the basis of that song, something that hardly puts his greatness in full perspective.
"For me he's right up there with the greatest in R&B, blues and soul music, period," says Michael Gray, an editor at the Country Music Hall of Fame and longtime scholar of Nashville soul. "There's no doubt that he helped get everything started nationally, but he was a fantastic technical vocalist his entire career. I think the fact he didn't land a lot of songs on the national charts may have hurt in terms of people understanding just how awesome he was really was."
As you may remember, the single "It's Love Baby" also featured a young Ted Jarrett, who also left us last year. Read the rest of Ron's stirring tribute here.
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