Happy birthday, mama.
Stevie Wonder, “You are the Sunshine of my Life”:
John Coltrane, “Naima”:
Booker Little, “Strength and Sanity”:
Janis Ian, “Tea and Sympathy”:
Abdullah Ibrahim, “Water from an Ancient Well”:
Bob Marley, “Bad Card”:
Living Colour, “Solace of You”:
Morcheeba, “Fear and Love”:
Junior Murvin, “Closer Together”:
Van Morrison, “Into The Mystic”:
Sesame Street turns 40!
Wow.
USA Today has a nice piece celebrating the show.
I could (and probably should) spend all day looking at old clips. Here are a handful that a cursory YouTube search turned up. Let me know what other treasures I overlooked.
My personal favorite, coolest man on planet Herbie Hancock dropping knowledge:
Ray Charles
James Earl Jones
Richard Pryor
Johnny Cash
Wyclef Jean Keepin it Real with Cookie Monster!
Feist
Los Lobos!
Dave Chappelle, Oscar and All-Star Crew (All Glory to YouTube!)
(and speaking of YouTube, Chappelle, Q-Tip and glory…)
From 1988, People in your Neighborhood (featuring Martina Navritalova, Barbar Walters and…Ralph Nader??? Utter genius!)
Okay.
It’s cool enough that the great Stevie Wonder appeared on Sesame Street.
That he played “Superstition” is beyond cool. That he–and his full band–played an extended, scorching version of the song is not only beyond belief, but a real testament to what an indescribable era this was, particularly in regards to our more focus group tested, safe and often antiseptic times. Everything about this clip screams ’70s. The outfits, the hair (including a man who could be ?uestlove Thompson’s uncle on drums) and especially the assembled kids (this is a kids’ show, after all) invited to gather around and shake maracas. Too cool to be believed. And did I mention they do an extended, absolutely scintillating version of the tune? Believe it.
Don’t worry, I know what you’re thinking: Yeah, that was amazing. But what would be really cool is if Stevie interacted with one of the muppets, like, say Grover…
Did I mention that this was the ’70s?
Right on. But if we’re going to relive the ’70s and fantasize about how trippy and real it could be, wouldn’t it be something to imagine Stevie doing a Sesame Street song, maybe even with some ahead-of-its-time talk-box action? (Think Peter Frampton was paying attention?) Yeah, that would be something, huh?
There’s nothing more to say at this point. Except to repeat, for the millionth time: THANK GOD FOR YOUTUBE!
