February 11th marked the 12th anniversary of the tragic passing of one of music's greatest voices, Whitney Houston. Like most monumental events, many of us can recall exactly where we were when we heard the news. The recent Grammy Awards was also a stark reminder given her death was on the eve of the 2012 Grammy celebration. The slate of 2024 Grammy winners may have no memory or knowledge of the dynamic power of Whitney's multi-octave voice. They may be drawn to the drama that dominated headlines and led to the decline of one of the greatest singers of all time. But we remember her greatness. The stunning high notes of I Will Always Love You, the soulful groove of How Will I Know, the sultry delivery of the Black girl anthem Waiting to Exhale, her funky paring with Chaka Khan on I'm Every Woman, and the poised, powerful, and flawless delivery of the 1991 SuperBowl National Anthem withstand the test of time and outlive her physical life. Whitney Houston lives on in our memory forever and stands as a standard of true vocal excellence for a generation lucky enough to have lived with her music.
There is also a generation that will never understand the thrill of hearing the twang of a guitar before the lyrics, "This is our fork in the road, loves last episode, there's nowhere to go," sang by Bobby Smith of The Spinners. Fingers popped and heads bounced. Produced by the architect of The Philidelphia Sound Thom Bell who recorded often in Seattle at the former Kaye Smith Studios, and died in Bellingham, WA, in December 2022, The Spinners topped the charts in the 1970s with a string of hits - Could It Be I'm Falling In Love, Mighty Love, Games People Play, Then Came You with Dionne Warwick, Rubberband Man, and they commanded audiences worldwide with signature smooth moves that was once synonymous with Black music groups. For the thrills and joy they gave a generation of boomers, we pay homage to the recent passing of the last original member of the Spinners, Henry Fambrough who became an ancestor on February 7, 2024, at age 85.