With the recent and sudden passing of the iconic talent that is Whitney Houston I've been thinking a lot about how important it is to honor our family members and friends as well as our icons while they're still here with us.
Did Whitney, Michael, Don, or Etta ever really know or understand the enormous contributions they made to our history and culture? It saddens me to think that maybe they didn't have the capacity to process how their lives have changed ours in some way.
Artists live with the internal battle of always creating something bigger and better, so sometimes the awards and admiration is really short lived. The very drive and energy that make them so incredibly amazing is the very thing that keeps them from knowing their value. While being honored they're already thinking about their next creative challenge.
But that shouldn't change how often we honor their work and accomplishments.
There are tons of artists, people in general, whom I hope feel honored everyday — but since I typically dedicate Friday to music I thought I'd leave a brief mention of four female musical artists who I think deserve a few (more) honorary awards ceremonies, biopics or documentaries celebrating their lives.
Tina Turner was introduced to me early in life by my mother who loved her sound and style. We jammed to her Private Dancer record (yes record!!) in the living room regularly. Ms. Turner's life story is incredible and the fact that she's still doing it in her seventies is remarkable.
Gladys Knight was one of the first soul singers I listened to as a little girl. My father LOVES him some Gladys (she's the only reason he even bothers to watch Dancing With the Stars). We would rock to her many songs with the Pips on our 12 hour drive to where he lived in Indiana.
Gloria Estefan. Sadly, I don't know much about Ms. Estefan but I feel like I should. She too has been jamming for years. Ms. Estefan was another one whose music was played frequently in my childhood home.
Diana Ross. It still baffles me to no end why Diana Ross has NEVER won a Grammy. I mean really, this is ridiculous. Regardless, she is an A+++ star/artist/performer/actress in my book. From girl group to solo career Ms. Ross has rocked the charts with soul sounds and pop winners. Then her style. I would need a whole other post to talk about her style. I LOVE Diana Ross and would love to see a celebration of her life and talents.
What about you? What musicians would you like to see honored?
