Music News

[serious crayons]

So I'm guessing Lady Slaveholding Confederacy didn't go over well with the focus groups?

[brianr]

Apparently there is/was a group in New Zealand called the Chicks and they were asked for their permission for the name change.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=12343242

[brianr]

So sad, Helen Reddy has died
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-30/i-am-woman-helen-reddy-blazed-a-trail-then-left-it-all-behind/10496882

[Jeff Wrangler]

Both Helen Reddy and Mac Davis have passed away. Both were aged 78 years.

I have Helen Reddy's album "Long Hard Climb," which, however, does not include "I Am Woman." It does include "Delta Dawn" and "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red-Dress)." She had quite a voice.

I remember Mac Davis's variety TV show. I always liked him.

[serious crayons]

I remember Mac Davis's variety TV show. I always liked him.

Mac Davis didn't ring a bell with me until you mentioned the variety show. I do remember that.

I remembered two of the songs you mentioned but not "Leave Me Alone." I quickly googled to see if it would be familiar and got a clip from the Tonight Show when Johnny Carson still had dark-ish hair. The song is only semi familiar, though.

The others I could probably sing along with. I wasn't a huge Helen Reddy fan, but I've discovered that any familiar song from the late '60s through maybe mid '80s or so I can often sing word for word whether I liked the songs or not.

[Jeff Wrangler]

I had no idea Mac Davis worked with so many other stars in the music business.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Davis

I had to be reminded of some of his own songs. He always came across to me, anyway, as a likeable person. I always remembered that curly hair. I guess I thought he was cute, I just didn't realize that's what I thought.

I was sorry to find out that the one Helen Reddy album I have does not include "I Am Woman." I could still sing the chorus of "Delta Dawn," but only bits and pieces of "Leave Me Alone" and "I Am Woman." She had such a clear voice.

[southendmd]

Here's a little connection:  Helen recorded Mac's song "I Believe in Music", which didn't go anywhere. However, the B-side, "I Don't Know How to Love Him" (from JC Superstar) was a big hit for her in 1971, a year before "I Am Woman".

I seem to recall most of her songs from the 70s from her Greatest Hits album. 

Anyone remember "You and Me Against the World" (with her daughter Traci)?  Or "Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady"?

[southendmd]

[Front-Ranger]

What a sweet video! I can imagine Jack singing that to Ennis. 

[brianr]

I only know "I am woman" and I don't know how to love him" as I am not a pop song fan but I do know her as a feminist icon in the 70's when we did not believe there was much hope of gaining Gay rights so pushed for women's equality.
Most memorable was her Grammy award acceptance speech by famously thanking God "because She makes everything possible".
She was the first Australian singer to top the US charts.
She had to give up her Australian citizenship to take up US citizenship in 1974 and said after the ceremony that "I feel like I'd like to have a cup of tea and a good cry".  She resumed her Australian citizenship when the subsequent opportunity to maintain dual American–Australian citizenship became available. Something I have been able to take advantage of.
She is a distant cousin of the present NZ Governor-General, Dame Patsy Reddy. In NZ we currently have women in the roles of Governor-General, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and Chief Justice. That would have been unbelievable in 1975 just like same-sex marriage.