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Reply to Isaac

Thanks, Isaac, for the appreciative comment, and also for enclosing the link to Al Green.

The night I composed my tribute to Willie Mitchell I honored his memory by playing a CD of al Green's recordings, which displayed in thier musical magnificence Mitchell's wonderful talents as songwriter, arranger and producer. And also displayed the magnificence of the Hi Rhythm Section, aided and abetted cretively by horns and, when called for, strings as well.

A couple more notes on Willie Mitchell: he was born on March 1, 1928, and died on January 5, 2010. He was paart of the hottest band in Memphis in the 1950s and 1960s, and toured extensively. The Hi Rhythm Section was actually his touring band of the 1960s. It was on one of his gigs that he met Al Green, a then <& quot>down at the heels<& quot> opening singer for his act.

Another note on Green: on one of his most venerated recordings, <">Take Me To the River,<& quot> he begins by dedicating the song to Little Junior Parker, a seminal blues artist of the 1950s and 1960s whose music was an important precursor to soul.

Lastly, I'd like to note that my political commentaries on blues and other pop music are extensively featured in left publications, not only on this Webzine but also in Against the Current, Political Affairs, MRZine, and Socialism and Democracy. Music brings home to me just how much <& quot>The personal is political,<& quot> and in my appraoch and appreciation for pop music I've been inspired by Marxist critic Sidney Finkelstein and his seminal book, Jazz: A People's Music.

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