This is a song I always enjoyed. It was recorded by a groove rock group named Nicklebag — not to be confused with that Canadian band — which featured African American Rolling Stones backing vocalist Bernard Fowler and Native American Guitarist Stevie Salas along with a rotating rhythm section that included the late TM Stevens and a host of others.
During the early 90s after the formation of the Black Rock Coalition there were quite a few groups of this kind who came together and attempted to restitch the original links between R&B and Rock and Roll.
Nickbag excelled at this — including some pretty classic covers on their albums from Funkadelic’s “Hit it and quit it” to Heatwave’s “Grooveline” plus many of their own originals like the dynamic “Grow” and “Sweet Thang.”
I choose to do a cover of their original “Love Song (All up in my world)” because it was deeply ironic. The first line of it is “Love song - dedicated to the ones I hate. The ones who instigate.”
I thought that was hilarious.
This segment of cover songs I did were all part of a Black Rock project I was putting together in an effort to highlight the music these artists created in the 90’s, but I never really completed the project.
Rock and Roll music started with Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Chubby Checker as much as it did with Buddy Holly and Richie Valens. Elvis first hit “Hound Dog” was a cover of a song that was originally written and recorded by Big Mama Thornton. Rock is as much Black music as Jazz, Blues, R&B, Spirituals, Honky Tonk, Ragtime and Hip Hop.
We’ve had Beyonce recently venture into Country music and why shouldn’t she? The Bango is an instrument from Africa. Why should people stay in their musical and cultural silos and not venture out into other forms of expression?
In the case of Rock, it already is Black Music. During the late 50’s it was called “Race Music” and even “N*gger Music.” There were race riots during the concerts and the main DJ promoting the music, Alan Freed, was taken down by a payola scandal. Once Elvis went into the army, Rock N’ Roll music died down until it all echoed back to American shores through British artists such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Animals and ultimately Led Zeppelin.
The British Invasion made Rock safe for the masses since it didn’t come with Black faces anymore. Even Hendrix, who had previously performed with Little Richard, James Brown and the Isley Bros. was “discovered” by Chaz Chandler of the Animals went to England and was market back to the U.S. as a British import rather than a Seattle native. It all exploded and has only recently begun to calm down.
In fact, it was so embraced by White people that Black artists — who were being repeatedly ripped-off by other artists [Pat Boone re-recording Tootie Fruiti, Zeppelin borrowing from Leadbelly] — that they rejected Rock as being “White music” and moved off into Funk and eventually Hip Hop. And yes, it it ironic that this band was fronted by a backup singer for The Rolling Stones - so many decades later.
The BRC’s Living Colour turned that around in the late 80’s and in the early 90s’ we were raring to go and complete that transition. Nicklebag was a part of that effort — it just never really jelled and came together despite the efforts of many to make it happen.
So this song goes out to them, the pioneers who tried to recapture their own music heritage.
Salute.
Cover Song - Love Song (Originally by Nicklebag)