Good afternoon Ginchers,
It’s Mo’ Music Monday and on this very day in 1959 the Isley Brothers charted with the new modern craze … SHOUT! Who hasn’t been to a wedding, dance, party or event with music that didn’t dance to the song SHOUT? A little bit softer now, a little softer now … hey, ey, ey ey …. hey, ey, ey ey … Shout, come on and … Shout! This phenom began in 1958 when the Isley Brothers closed their show at the Uptown Theater in Philly with a cover tune by Jackie Wilson called “Lonely Teardrops”. Lead singer Ronald Isley could see that his audience was standing and yelling with an un usual energy and decided to extend the end of the song by improvising with words of excitement like Shout … you know you make me want to shout! The response was so great that they ended their shows this way adding more energy and yell back screams. It became such a signature that they decided to record it as a song. The recording took place on July 29, 1959 produced by Hugo and Luigi and released on RCA Records shortly after that. They used studio musicians and invited friends into the studio to get that live performance feel. The song became a National hit and became a staple song for just about every live group that performed. It was later re-released by Joey Dee and the Starlighters to become a hit once agin. The dance craze extended across the Nation and world. It was staple for famous clubbs like the Peppermint Lounge and later became one of the main scenes in the movie “Animal House” … the famous Toga Party scene with Otis Day and the Knights … oh yeah, “Otis My Man!” When I Hear shout today I imediately think about John Belushi taking every one down to the floor with … “A Little Bit Softer Now”. Shout was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the song at number 118 on it’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time! If you are ever at an event or party that needs an energy injection … just pop on “SHOUT” and watch the energy rise … it’s a modern craze … no, it’s a modern phenomenon! Till tomorrow, stay safe, stay healthy, help a neighbor when you can … and, GOD Bless!
Johnny