By Nish (66.119.33.135) on Saturday, March 29, 2003 - 02:12 am:

Every great writer or singer I know of has some kind of odd or distinctive quirk about their style. I don't know how to really describe it except to give examples. You always knew that the 1960s Diana Ross would purr an "ooooh" during the course of a song. Or that Mary Wells would do a breathy "oh-oh-oh-oh" a la "Two Lovers" (oh-oh-oh-oh, I love him so; or "you beat me to the punch, oh-oh-oh-oh"). What are some other stylistic quirks.

Smokey Robinson has an interesting kind of trademark where in a lot of his songs, he will sing a couplet as the song fades out that almost sounds as though it is a spontaneous fit of rhyming and then he falls right in with the regular chorus of the song. A lot of artists with whom he worked do the same thing on some of their songs. Examples: On "My Business Your Pleasure" he sings during the fadeout, "Do everything to let you know I'm doing everything so it can be your pleasure" or in their version of "If This World Were Mine" he sings "I want you to, I hope that you" as the Miracles' chant "gimme plenty lovin' baby." Similarly in their version of "WHat Love Has Joined Together" he sings "ooh don't let nobody come between it, ooh don't say you love me unless you mean it." On the Smokey-written "Operator" Brenda Holloway even picks up on the little habit when she sings at the end "I didn't expect him, please connect him right away." This may be the oddest thread I've ever thought of, but I notice these little patterns because I have nothing else to do, and I wonder if anyone else notices any of these other unique trademarks.

More obvious stylistic patterns include Walter Scott's scatting at the end of songs like "Lady," and David Ruffin's falsetto "hooos" that punctuate certain parts in songs like "My Girl," "Since I Lost My Baby" ('hooo, I'm as lost as can be'). Interesting stuff when you pay attention. Can you think of certain writing or singing patterns of certain artists?

By STUBASS (64.12.97.7) on Saturday, March 29, 2003 - 09:49 am:

HEY NISH...THE BEST THAT I CAN COME UP WITH RIGHT NOW IS...UUUH...GOOT GOD...EEEEEEEOWWW...SPEAKING OF COURSE OF "SOUL BROTHER # 1...JAAAAAAAES BROWN!!!...I CAN'T HELP IT...HHHIT ME!!!...STU

By Eli (141.151.95.92) on Saturday, March 29, 2003 - 10:55 am:

James Ingram has a distinctive howl that he does like a woo-hoo kinda thing as in the end of Just Once and One Hundred Ways and I dont have the heart.

Wilson Pickett's distinctive high pitched scream.

Freddy Cannon's woo-woo
Hall and Oates oh oh oh oh's in a lot of their songs

Jimmie Rodgers also did a lot of oh oh's.

By Soul Sister (65.43.153.219) on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 12:51 am:

Gerald Alston OOOWEE or WELLWELL. Timothy Wilson or Big Maybelle plantivly sucking in breath. Jimmy Scott's behind the beat phrasing putting slow emotion on each lyric.