OPEN POST: Manor Music Monday With The Glorious Gloria Lynne!

Greetings music sloots, and welcome to another edition of Manor Music Monday. But not just any edition, for today, a giant of jazz has entered the Manor. We don't always get to celebrate a singer universally acclaimed by critics and taken to heart by the masses - a rare feat, but she did it, and for over 50 years. Top that current pop tarts! So be sure to swing by the Manor's exclusive "Tubesteak!" after hours bar and lounge, because DJ Li'l Scratch will be playing her tunes all night long. 

Yes, it's Gloria Lynne, who burst onto the scene to instant acclaim at The Apollo Theatre when she was only 15 years old. She lied about her age in order to qualify. From there she was off, signing with the legendary Everest Records and soon after scoring hits like "June Night" and "I'm Glad There Is You." Audiences loved her, and not only at her sold-out club dates, but nationally on TV specials with the likes of Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and Harry Belafonte. She even co-wrote lyrics for Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man."

Her 1962 album, "Gloria: Blue," delivers exactly what the title promises: blues. And few knew them as well as Gloria, what with her bleak, impoverished bayou upbringing, her later homelessness in the midst of her career because of thieving management (she talks about that and more in a fantastic interview right here). For me, this is one of her best LPs, and not only because of her breathtaking vocals. When she sings "Trouble Is A Man," for example, it cuts deep; you can feel the pained conflict of a woman who still yearns for the man who caused her such unrelenting heartache.

Now let's take a step in the other direction with Gloria - who took a step in another direction.

In 1970, quite a bit of ink was spilled when our divine jazz chanteuse decided to supposedly "step out of her comfort zone" to record a soul LP. Yet just writing that sentence makes me smirk, because Gloria's soulful delivery has always been one of many reasons why her jazz performances were - and are - so compelling.

Beyond that, "Happy and in Love" is a must-listen for Gloria fans because it allows her to vocally erase, as she always does, the lines between jazz, blues, funk and soul, but this time in a new instrumental context.

In only her third LP, "Try a Little Tenderness" from 1960, her rich contralto vocals are in their prime, bringing life to a wide variety of songs, from "Bali Hai" to "Intermezzo" to the title tune and a whole lot more. I savor this LP regularly. 

What are you listening to this week? DJ Li'l Scratch wants to know.
Till next time...purr, bitches, purr! 🐾

Photo Credits: Getty Images