Fontella Bass -- RIP

Fontella Bass
(photo: CBS News)

The fabulous singer Fontella Bass passed away earlier this week at age 72. The obit in Bass' hometown newspaper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, has useful details about her life and especially her relationship with St. Louis.

She made her name, but not much money for a long time, with her 1965 hit Rescue Me. I have a personal attachment to this song. My parents and I had just moved to New York around the time Bass' song was released. At the time, I listened almost religiously to WMCA, a local radio station that played popular music. (The station has since experienced a number of unfortunate evolutions.) The DJs had a record giveaway to the "first x caller." Don't ask me why, but I called. To my complete astonishment, I won. The radio station sent me a 45 shortly after that.

During the mid and late 1960s, WMCA
gave away "WMCA Good Guy" sweatshirts.
I'd love to own one now.

Ironically, Bass' song snugly fit my desperate outlook at that time. Perhaps more significantly, the record was also my first acquisition of a rhythm and blues song. While many, many more have been welcomed into my life, Rescue Me retains pride of place.

I initially learned of Bass' passing through a most unusual set of events. I was doing some research for a blog post involving a "Desperate Housewives"-style calendar some Spanish women created as a school fundraiser. The photo came from El Pais, Spain's leading newspaper. It was there that I noticed a story about the death of Fontella Bass. The journalist's thoughtful piece suggested to me that Bass was more appreciated in Europe than in her home country.

The story of the transit of African-American musicians between Europe and the United States still has plenty of juice. For some reason, some musicians' careers just take hold in the Old World and can't get a break in the New World. Fontella Bass appeared to be a case in point.

However, Bass could live without Europe. She was an independent woman for whom music was only part of her personality package. Her commitment to religion and to gospel music were constants in her life. She cared about her children. She preferred to live in musically obscure St. Louis than in cities with brighter lights. While she felt justifiably wronged over royalty payments and appropriate credit for her talent, Bass knew she stood well above musical flavors of the month and creations of the star machine. Sometimes, that bitter satisfaction just has to do.

(photo: 45cat.com)