Hi!
Sad news; RIP Denise
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact....f-8e777edf2de0
Best regards
Heikki
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Hi!
Sad news; RIP Denise
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact....f-8e777edf2de0
Best regards
Heikki
Oh, my. She was wonderful. Rest in power.
SO sad to learn of Denise LaSalle's passing. May she rest in peace!
I am very sad to hear this news. Denise was a very talented singer. I knew she had been in ill health for quite some time, but the news still seems to have come as a bit of a shock. May she R.I.P. and thank you for the music dear Lady.Quote:
Originally Posted by heikki
Rest in peace Denise. Thank you for all the music and memories.
Marv
So very sorry to hear this. RIP Denise LaSalle.
As you guys have read many times over the years, this was my girl, so I am devastated this morning. As someone else hinted, even when you realize that someone is in poor health, as she had been, it still comes as a shock. But we should have known that at her age and size, she could not handle that amputation and the other issues she was facing. It would have been a miracle for her to come back from all of that.
We fans certainly have a lot of material left behind to cherish. In fact I am not sure I can think of any other artist who was so virtually unknown in the mainstream [[trust me I have mentioned her often over the years and nobody ever knew her), yet had such an extensive catalog of material.
With that in mind, and I hope this is not considered offensive or insensitive, but it would be wonderful if we now find that there is some unreleased material in the vaults at the various labels and that she will get the re-issue treatment that other passing artists have received. [[Phyllis being one that comes to mind.) Maybe that album that Denise had been working on when she first became ill can somehow still see the light of day.
I know that Malaco especially has been wonderful about keeping her material in print and readily available for purchase, so it will be great to see if there is more than they can release. A boxed set would be heavenly, but I am sure too much to hope for.
So goodbye Denise you little rascal you. Nobody else could put a man in his place the way you could, but at least in each and every case, you made us see that he richly deserved it. RIP.
Rest in peace Denise LaSalle. Thank you for the music.
RIP Denise LaSalle.
I wonder how it is sometimes that an artist creates that one song that breaks through in a big big way , but then can't duplicate the success or come close.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwYFpNYkX6Q
Denise La Salle recorded TRAPPED with the Al Green guys down in Memphis in the HI studios. I wonder if she tried to pitch it to him? I could seriously hear him deliver this. Wonder why he didn't at least cover it as an album cut.
And maybe someone knows how it is that this record then came to be released out of Detroit? :confused:
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/MDUAA...73B/s-l400.jpg
In David Freeland's book LADIES OF SOUL, Denise said that she began recording with Willie Mitchell in Memphis because she was impressed that Mitchell could keep one of her friends on key when he sang. She figured he could do the same for her. The record HUNG UP AND STRUNG OUT began making noise around Detroit and Armen Boladian of Westbound made inquiries to purchase the master.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boogiedown
Denise went on to say that she was still working as a cashier while this was happening, and that she took a month's leave of absence to cut TRAPPED. When they brought the song back to Westbound, the reaction was great. Once it hit, Denise never went back to cashiering.
I quickly became a fan when "Trapped...." hit the airwaves . I also love "Now Run Tell That" . I was traveling through the Carolinas with Mary Wells & Cecil Womack when "Now Run Tell That" first came out & we heard it so much. Mary loved the words. Denise was a great writer. RIP Ms. LaSalle.
She was very popular with the Cabaret/BYOB crowd in Michigan and Ohio.
I have been mildly surprised by the coverage her death has received. The New York Times even covered it. My local paper did as well. Makes me feel good to see her get that much recognition.
I was very surprised that the Orlando Slantenel newspaper also ran a small story on her with photo about her passing. Its been many years since she played small clubs here.
WOW! Didn't know she had gotten amputated. :[[
May she RIP. Great singer.
A video obituary for Denise LaSalle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eP-lJ3mTJc&spfreload=10
I just received a Google alert containing a very nice, detailed article that appeared in the Washington Post about Denise. However, this one quoted her age as being 83, instead of the widely-reported 78 that we have seen elsewhere.
However, according to the Post, their information came directly from Wolfe, who says she was born July 16, 1934 instead of that same date in 1939. You would certainly think he should know his own wife's birthdate but gosh that is hard to believe.
Even if the 1939 birthdate was accurate, that would mean she was 32 before she finally had the hit with "Trapped." But if 1934 is correct, that would mean she was pushing 40 before she finally began to connect with fans and sell some records.
Yes I know it doesn't matter now, but why should there be such a discrepancy? Maybe one of you [[Heikki perhaps?) will be attending the services later today and can give us a report. If I lived 200-300 miles closer, I might have considered going myself, but that side of Tennessee is just a little too far for me.
Hi David!
I read the same article, and also I don't know who to believe now. Denise herself told me that the year was 1939, but in a way I also trust her husband. I think the upcoming David Whiteis' biography clears things up.
If that side of Tennessee is too far for you, David, Finland isn't any closer :-).
Best regards
Heikki
Only Denise knew for sure, but I don't think it is surprising that Denise might have taken some years off her age. When she finally had a bonafide hit, she probably didn't want to be seen as old. It might have cut down future opportunities. After reading the profile on her in the LADIES OF SOUL, it certainly seemed as if she had had quite a life before recording. I hasten to add that that book said she was born in 1941, with a footnote saying some sources claimed 1939.Quote:
Originally Posted by daviddesper
I too have seen the various ages quoted over the years. In fact this is not the first time I had seen the 1934 birthdate. That is why I was hoping someone close to the situation would know for sure.
Around here, they always print someone's birth and death date on the little handout at a funeral, so that would surely tell the tale you would think.
Somewhere else during all of this, I read that Wolfe is only 67. At the time I read that, I was shocked to see that she was that much older than him [[thinking at the time that the age difference would be 11 years.) But could she have really been 16 years older than him??? If so, then Man Size Job was an auto-biographical song that was ahead of its time!!!
thank you for responding with this information Reese. I'm glad to hear such questions got addressed while they could! Sounds like an interesting book too.Quote:
Originally Posted by reese
Tonight in Denise's honor this song is playing in my headphones:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJiraeEOBjE
That was a fun one to hear in the clubs.:cool:
I remember reading in JET or Billboard it seems shortly after "Trapped...."hit, that Denise
was in trouble for harboring a criminal. It was either a husband or boyfriend.
I live in Jackson, TN, where Miss LaSalle lived out her remaining years. A friend of mine videotaped her funeral, which had been postponed due to a recent snowstorm. I'll talk to him and watch the funeral footage and report back when I get a chance.
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