LIttle Anthony and the Imperials
So, I'm in the office on the computer, and David Letterman's on the TV in the living room. I'm not really paying attention, but suddenly I hear him introduce his musical guests, Little Anthony and the Imperials. I hit Ctrl+S, run for the living room, and crank up the volume!
They performed "Hurt So Bad." It was wonderful. Simply wonderful. All the heart and emotion and soul you could ask for. Shivers ran down my spine when "Little Anthony" Gourdine sang "like needles and pins." His voice was as great as ever — maybe better.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the group (the 50th!), and they sound (and look) amazing. There have been a number of personnel changes over the years (as detailed at the Wikipedia entry), but the group today includes three of the four members who created all those unforgettable hits in the 60s (along with Harold Jenkins, who was a member in the 70s).
Check out the Little Anthony and the Imperials website. Not only are they still touring (nowhere near Denver, dammit), but they've just released a new album that includes new recordings of four of their big hits (including a terrific reinterpretation of "Going Out of My Head"), plus eight new songs. Check out samples at Amazon. Especially you youngsters who have no idea what great r&b/soul music sounds like. I'm buying it.
Great comments! I manage the myspace page for LAI -- can I post this
there?? if so how would you like to be credited?? Or you can post it as a
comment yourself if you prefer www.myspace.com/littleanthonyandtheimperials
Eric, you're more than welcome to post the whole thing at the myspace page.
All you need to do is attribute it to Combs Spouts Off and provide a link
back to my post: