Sandy Posey RIP

Sorry to hear of the death, aged 80, of Sandy Posey who made some memorable pop/country records in the mid sixties including 'Born A Woman' and 'Single Girl'. Born in Alabama, she moved to West Memphis where she became a backing singer for Chips Moman, including on Percy Sledge's 'When A Man Loves A Woman, and for Elvis, Bobby Goldsboro, Tommy Roe and Joe Tex. Her first solo recording for Bell was under the name of Sandy Carmel and wasn't successful but her demo of the Martha Sharp song 'Born A Woman', which is something of an anti feminist anthem, impressed Chips, who produced her recording in Nashville for MGM. This sold over a million copies and her follow up, 'Single Girl' also sold well and reached the UK top 20. She had further success with 'What A Woman In Love Won't Do' and 'I Take It Back'. Sandy moved into the country field in the seventies, produced by Billy Sherrill for Columbia, and had some success with 'Bring Him Safely Home To Me' but later recordings, for Monument and Warner Brothers, failed to become major hits.

Another recent music death is that of Kinky Friedman, (79) who was an offbeat singer. songwriter, humorist and politician, even standing for election as Governor of Texas in 2006. Musically, he formed a surf band King Arthur and the Carrots in 1966 and the satirical but controversially named Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys in 1973. His break came when Commander Cody, of Lost Planet Airmen fame, introduced him to Vanguard records and he recorded an album for ABC and toured with Bob Dylan. Not afraid of bad publicity his songs 'They Ain't Making Jews Like Jesus Any More' and 'The Ballad of Charles Whitman' received a mixed reception and a performance in Buffalo ended early when he lampooned feminism. It's fair to say that he was an acquired taste - one I failed to acquire - but he certainly made his mark. For more information it's worth reading Garth Cartwright's excellent obituary in The Guardian.