Oops, I of course meant to say Wexler was Aretha’s producer at Atlantic Records. After Columbia failed to figure out what to do with her, Wexler got Aretha out of her contract with them and took her down to Muscle Shoals, putting her in Fame Studios with that studio’s house band, known amongst musicians as The Swampers, the best R & B band ever in the opinion of those who matter. He did the same with other Atlantic singers: Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, Dusty Springfield, buncha others, and took Dylan down there too, for his found God albums.
Before all that, Wexler had produced Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner (one of my all-time favorite singers. I saw and heard him in the mid-80’s at Club Lingerie on Sunset Blvd., backed by a "pretty good" white Blues band, The Blasters), Dr. John, Ruth Brown (SUCH a great singer) and LaVerne Baker (a fantastic singer, check her out). So he knew just what he was getting in Lou Ann, and exactly the musical environment to create for her. Great material, a great band, and a great singer; that’s "all" it takes. ;-)
Sorry, imo Janis was not a great singer, or even a good one. And the Big Brother musicians were absolutely dreadful (what could be worse than a hippie garage band?!). Even her contemporaries were telling her that, and that she should dump them. She stood by them though, until she just couldn’t anymore. She hired The Full Tilt Boogie Band, and that was more like it. The band’s piano player, Richard Bell, was later a member of The Band. What a contrast from the clowns in Big Brother!
Hey, if you wanna hear a really great white male R&B singer from the relatively modern era, listen to Willy DeVille (and the band he debuted in, Mink DeVille). He unfortunately developed a nasty little drug habit, which effected his career. He collaborated with Doc Pomus, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, and Jack Nitzsche (Phil Spector’s arranger and orchestrator, and Neil Young’s piano player on the Harvest album). I would have loved to hear Willy and Amy Winehouse duet, but they’re both dead.
