Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Rita Coolidge

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip:

Rita Coolidge

In my own personal big gay church there are many wings. In one such wing reside those who have forged careers by marching to a beat only they can hear. They are originals - unlike any other. Their styles created archetypes upon which many careers were built, but it all began with them. They created it. They own it.

One such diva? 

Rita Coolidge.

The Delta Lady.

If one looks at all the elements which make up this diva... your only option is to declare her truly unique. 

And this diva may have started in the background, supporting other artists, but she didn't remain there long.

Hailing from the south. A Native American. Musically, she's touched on folk, rock, pop, country, MOR, Native American Folk, and jazz. 

She is a musical melting pot, with a voice as eloquent, silky and smooth as the finest honey.

She's been reinterpreting music through her unique musical filter for centuries. 

No one sounds like her. No one sings like her. 

There's an effortlessness to her sound and so much comfort to be found there. 

And though she's bowed to the whims of musical taste, she's always done it on her terms - her sound. 

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The Topic: Early History

"I was living in Memphis right out of college, and I was working for a company that did radio spots. They were the call letters for radio stations. We would do a package and change the call letters for each radio station. After I had some success as an artist, I think I did a Folgers commercial and one for Ford. It wasn’t something I was known for. It was just how I got my foot in the door in Memphis."

"Because I studied music growing up—I studied piano and sang with my family—singing harmony was just something I was born with. When I met Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett at Stax and moved to California, that was really when my big break happened. I got really lucky, and people trusted that I could put together the right group for the right artist. I could direct the people and come up with parts. It was a great time."

"Mad Dogs & Englishmen was, for me, a rock ‘n’ roll university. I had only been out of college for a year and had, kind of, a sheltered life. My father was a preacher and my mother was a school teacher. I had done some work with Delaney and Bonnie and been to Europe with them but there was nothing that could prepare me for Mad Dogs & Englishmen. When we left the A&M lot to go to the airport to get on the plane, there were 55 men, women, children, dogs—and I think the plane only held 45. So, there were people sleeping in the aisles on the plane. It was crazy. And that was just the beginning."

"So, I knew that Joe grew up listening to Ray Charles and he had a big influence on Joe. There was nobody better than Ray Charles, and what a great guy to emulate... If anybody else sang like Joe, their vocal cords would look like hamburger meat, yet he could do it night after night after night. He was amazing, and Joe was the sweetest guy in the world."

"Kris is a wonderful man. He is an extraordinary songwriter. He’s been a close friend of mine and the father of my daughter, so I have nothing but glowing things to say about Kris. Our marriage was volatile. It’s all in the book, and it’s one of the reasons I wrote my book. Not to tell on Kris but to share my experience with him. He’s an amazing guy, and he’s a national treasure now. He’s still on the road, in spite of some issues he’s having with his memory. I think it’s wonderful that he’s still out there doing that. I love him dearly. 

When Kris and I broke up, I think that was the biggest heartbreak for our fans, more than the marriage counterpart. No more Kris and Rita records. I loved being in Nashville and recording. Of course, I’m not a country singer. But being married to one, the music that we made was country and we got two Grammy awards for Country Duo of the Year. It certainly worked. However, it was difficult to be in the studio with Kris. There were wonderful times, too. It was completely reflective of our marriage and our life."

Higher And Higher - Rita Coolidge

Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends -

Rita Coolidge & Kris Kristofferson

Love Me Again - Rita Coolidge

And one last parting shot...

"I got the phone call from my record company and they said, ‘You’ve been chosen to sing the next James Bond song.’ I was amazed because I was always a James Bond film fan. Cubby Broccoli was producing the films at that time. With most films at that time, music was the last thing considered. The movie was almost completely shot before they chose me as the singer. I was told that Cubby Broccoli’s daughter, Barbara Broccoli, who now produces the Bond films, wanted me to be the singer but she couldn’t just say, ‘Dad, I’d like for you to use Rita Coolidge.’ So, she started playing my music at night when Cubby would come home from shooting all day. One night he said, ‘I don’t know who that is but she’s going to be the singer for the next Bond film.’ And Barbara went, ‘Yeah, it worked!’ I got the phone call. Phil Ramone produced the song. They recorded the track and I was not there when they recorded it. I literally just came in and sang. When I went in to record in London, Tim Rice was still in the corner writing lyrics. It was a great record and it absolutely fit the film. But as a piece standing alone, I don’t enjoy performing that song because, to me, it was not complete. He was just trying to get it written as quickly as he could to get the vocals done. That’s just always been my feeling. Everyone wants to hear it, and I just don’t want to sing it."

"James Taylor said, ‘When I recorded You’ve Got a Friend, little did I know I’d be singing it every night for the rest of my life.’ I had that with Higher and Higher and We’re All Alone. I understand those songs and the audience’s appeal. I’m happy to make them happy, but I just don’t do All Time High. I do the others. I’ve got enough of those hits that satisfy the audience without compromising my own needs."