Althouse: Phoebe Snow...

April 26, 2011

Phoebe Snow...

...RIP.

26 comments:

Dan said...: What a musical instrument her voice was. She will be missed.; 4/26/11, 3:50 PM
rhhardin said...: It's always been a railroad train to me.; 4/26/11, 3:52 PM
reader_iam said...: What's "musi"? Shorthand for "musical muse"?

; ); 4/26/11, 3:53 PM
G Joubert said...: She was good.; 4/26/11, 3:53 PM
Crimso said...: Saw her with the New York Rock and Soul Revue ca. 1993. It was kind of a Steely Dan version of Ringo's All-Starr Band (which I saw about the same time and was quite good). When Snow took the spotlight she said "I'd like to sing a medley of my hit."; 4/26/11, 3:56 PM
reader_iam said...: I have a lot of admiration, a lot of respect for her and how she followed through on the choices she made.

Also, I always loved the fact that her name was Phoebe (the Eastern Phoebe bird is unusual among songbirds in that the "fee-bee" song is innate; raised even in isolation, it's perfect). So perfect.; 4/26/11, 4:02 PM
Trooper York said...: She was a great singer and a nice lady. I met her once and she was delightful.; 4/26/11, 4:02 PM
Unknown said...: The name rang a bell, but, until I actually heard the song, I had no recollection of it.

She sounds as if she was a good person.

Hope she and her daughter are at peace.; 4/26/11, 4:11 PM
Hazy Dave said...: Aslo, Poly Styrene, the braces-wearing singer who belted out "Oh bondage, up yours!" with the band X-Ray Spex, has died at the age of 53.

wv: lompful; 4/26/11, 4:31 PM
The Dude said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/26/11, 4:39 PM
Methadras said...: Dear lord, what a shame. I am a big PS fan. May she and her child finally find the calming peace together they can now enjoy.; 4/26/11, 5:07 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Oh so sad.

She had such a unique sound. I saw her in a concert in the early 70's when I was in college. I think it was shortly after that that she dropped out of the music scene to care for her daughter.; 4/26/11, 5:39 PM
Mr. D said...: Very sad. Excellent singer - about as pure an alto voice as has graced the rock and roll era.; 4/26/11, 5:42 PM
Nate Whilk said...: She did the singing on this coffee commercial. Yes, that really is her. I saw her on some talk show at the time and she verified that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNORDpW9338; 4/26/11, 6:11 PM
reader_iam said...: Nate: Oh, wow. That yanks me back a couple of decades.; 4/26/11, 6:14 PM
Harry Phartz said...: Liz Taylor, Phoebe Snow,....

?; 4/26/11, 6:25 PM
William said...: Her back story showed a lot of decency and forebearance. She possessed a distinctive voice, mellow with sorrow and longing. I never knew her but for that one song. One's earthly success is rarely commensurate with talent and virtue.; 4/26/11, 7:00 PM
Angst said...: I first heard Phoebe and her band, "The Snowettes" in a small bar in Memphis - maybe 50 people.

I still get chills with the memory.; 4/26/11, 9:28 PM
MamaM said...: She changed her name after seeing Phoebe Snow, an advertising character for a railroad, emblazoned on trains that passed through her hometown.

Looks like it was about a railroad train to her too, and later became a commitment to a journey.; 4/26/11, 9:46 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: "I've finally settled into realizing that my daughter is what she is," she said. "Any progress she makes is fantastic, but I no longer foresee any miracles happening. I went through phases of the occult and of trying to find every single doctor in the country who could possibly do something. I realize now that I can't move mountains."

The NewAge hippie finally met reality. Sad. Even sadder - her big hit is an ode to a married man. That's pathetic. Not as pathetic as her husband leaving when their daughter arrived, but it makes him, at least, understandable.

There's no honor anywhere in this tale. She took care of her kid. As Chris Rock informed everybody once, you don't get credit for doing what you're supposed to do.

I really don't know how Boomers live with themselves. If these were my personal stories - my behaviors and actions - I could never raise my head in public. Watching them, like watching religious folk as an atheist, is so bizarre. All I can do is wonder "Where did they get this stuff from?" and "How do they compartmentalize the denial?" It must take a lot of effort, especially as it fails.

Oh well, another one's gone. Which hopefully means the world's a little safer and a little saner. One less warbled ode to salvation through adultery, one less Obama voter, one less nightmare I'm expected to salute as a beautiful thing.

I'm not trying to be mean - every death is tragic -but living under the cruelest generation in American history demands that I - who have seen it all - reserve my sympathy for that which, in real human terms, is worthy of sympathizing.

The death of another occultist who made adultery seem cool - probably justifying bringing hell to countless families for many other hippies - don't cut it.

Of course, your mileage may vary.; 4/26/11, 11:03 PM
Gary Rosen said...: "I'm not trying to be mean"

Of course not.

Crack, I think I saw somewhere along the line that you are a musician. Not sure if that means hobbyist or full-time pro. In any case, unless you play strictly religious music, I think it would be really, *really* hard to avoid playing songs that deal with adultery/cheating/fornication etc. at one time or another. And believe it or not, such songs actually predate the '60s.; 4/26/11, 11:42 PM
sunsong said...: Phoebe will be missed! She was a giant among artists.

Here she is with Linda Ronstadt - "oh the married men"; 4/27/11, 12:18 AM
Penny said...: "Of course, your mileage may vary."

Ha ha

It does for sure, Crack.

And maybe we should just leave it at that? ;); 4/27/11, 2:22 AM
Penny said...: "What's "musi"? Shorthand for "musical muse"

Oh heck, wouldn't be my first guess, reader, but hey? I'm just a reader, 2.; 4/27/11, 2:50 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Gary Rosen said...

Unless you play strictly religious music, I think it would be really, *really* hard to avoid playing songs that deal with adultery/cheating/fornication etc. at one time or another.

Wow, and yet somehow I've been able to pull it off without resorting to Jeebus. Maybe that's because my mind doesn't reside in the gutter, pretending it's Heaven. You know, like Catholic priests, or indian gurus, around children or whatever.

Do you actually think it's "really, *really* hard to avoid playing songs that deal with adultery/cheating/fornication "? Really? You must have an EXTREMELY limited knowledge of music.

Use your imagination, man. Actually, I think it's that very lack of imagination that would cause you to say that.

You guys just can't think any longer.; 4/27/11, 11:07 AM
Gary Rosen said...: Let me see if I've got this straight, Crack. On principle you would not only refuse to perform the following songs but you denounce the artists:

Back Door Man (Howlin' Wolf)

Me and Mrs. Jones (Billy Paul)

If Loving You Is Wrong (Luther Ingram)

Let's Get It On and Sexual Healing (Marvin Gaye)

Right?; 4/27/11, 10:06 PM