Inner City
was an album cover purchase; I bought it because of the cover graphics.
I would do that a lot when purchasing an album. I was not disappointed;
it was how I discovered Linda Hopkins.
Today is her birthday. Linda Hopkins is a blues and gospel singer who was born Melinda Helen Matthews on December 14, 1924, in New Orleans, Louisiana. When she was performing at the Slim Jenkin's Night Club on 7th Street, in the West Oakland area (link below), she met Johnny Otis as well as Little Esther Phillips who created her stage name, "Linda Hopkins".
photo by Sue Story
During the 1970s, Matthews (Hopkins) performed in the Broadway musical, Purlie, with Sammy Davis Jr. for nine months. In addition, she performed at President Jimmy Carter's 1977 inaugural ball.
Miller had a love of rhythm and blues music and in 1971, she collaborated with poet and lyricist Eve Merriam to write an R&B-influenced score for the musical Inner City, which was conceived by Tom O'Horgan who had previously directed Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar..
Based on Merriam's widely banned book, The Inner City Mother Goose, the
show had a successful run of 97 performances on Broadway. It was
described as "the musical that rocked Broadway with its distinctly
untraditional take on modern urban life," with Matthews's music being
compared to that of The Chi-Lites. In 1972 she was awarded a Tony and Drama Desk Award for her performance in Inner City.
Matthews (Hopkins) first saw Bessie Smith perform Empty Bed Blues
at The New Orleans Palace Theatre in 1936. She greatly admired
Smith and later won critical plaudits for her rendition of Smith in the
1959 theatrical presentation Jazz Train. In 1974 she starred in Me and Bessie, a one-woman show paying homage to the blues icon, conceived and written by Hopkins and Will Holt.
Hellen Miller ~ Inner City
vinyl LP front cover
Cover Artwork – Lenny Meyer
Cover Artwork – Lenny Meyer
photo of cover by Styrous®
Hellen Miller wrote the music for Inner City and some of the songs were sung by Hopkins. One of those tunes is the absolutely beautiful Deep In The Night; my favorite song of the show (link below).
Hellen Miller ~ Inner City
vinyl LP front cover detail
Cover Artwork – Lenny Meyer
Cover Artwork – Lenny Meyer
detail photo of cover by Styrous®
Hoplins goes back to her gospel roots with the song It’s My Belief a bouncey, gentle tune with a fine piano and horn backup.
Hellen Miller ~ Inner City
vinyl LP back cover
Cover Artwork – Lenny Meyer
Cover Artwork – Lenny Meyer
photo of cover by Styrous®
The album cover is a gatefold with a lot of good photographs of the production by Bert Andrews included in it.
Hellen Miller ~ Inner City
Hellen Miller ~ Inner City
Hellen Miller ~ Inner City
vinyl LP, side 1
photo by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
A1 - Fee Fi Fo Fum/Now I Lay Me 1:12
A2 - Hushaby/My Mother Said 2:50
A3 - Nub Of The Nation 1:47
A4 - Urban Mary/City Life/One Misty Moisty Morning 2:42
A5 - If Wishes Were Horses 2:07
A6 - Deep In The Night 4:56
A7 - Jeremiah Obadiah/Riddle Song 2:58
A2 - Hushaby/My Mother Said 2:50
A3 - Nub Of The Nation 1:47
A4 - Urban Mary/City Life/One Misty Moisty Morning 2:42
A5 - If Wishes Were Horses 2:07
A6 - Deep In The Night 4:56
A7 - Jeremiah Obadiah/Riddle Song 2:58
Side 2:
A8 - Shadow Of The Sun - 3:00
A9 - Boys And Girls Come Out To Play/Lucy Locket/Wisdom/The Hooker (“You Make It Your Way”) - 3:53
B1 - Law And Order - 3:07
B2 - The Dealer (“You Push It Your Way”) - 2:40
B3 - Kindness/As I Went Over/Apartment House/There Was A Little Man/Who Killed Nobody? - 6:17
B4 - It’s My Belief - 3:43
B5 - Street Sermon - 6:02
B6 - The Great If/On This Rock/The Great If (Reprise) - 4:44
Companies, etc.
Published By – Sunbeam Music Inc.
Recorded At – RCA Studio C
Copyright © – RCA Records
Credits:
Arranged By [Vocals] – Helen Miller
Artwork [Cover] – Lenny Meyer
Directed By – Tom O'Horgan
Edited By – Don Miller
Engineer – Bob Simpson
Lyrics By – Eve Merriam
Music By – Helen Miller
Orchestrated By, Arranged By, Conductor – Gordon Harrell
Photography By – Bert Andrews
Producer [Associate] – Harvey Milk (2), John M. Nagel
Sleeve Notes – Eve Merriam
Stage Manager – Nicholas Russiyan
Technician – Gus Mossler, Pat Martin
Vocals – Allan Nicholls (3), Carl Hall, Delores Hall, Florence Tarlow, Fluffer Hirsch, Joy Garrett, Larry Marshall*, Linda Hopkins, Paulette Ellen Jones
Written-By [story] – Eve Merriam
Notes:
Musical based on "The Inner City Mother Goose" by Eve Merriam
Gatefold sleeve contains notes and production photos.
Dynaflex vinyl.
Helen Miller, Eve Merriam – Inner City (The Original Broadway Cast Recording)
Label: RCA Victor – LSO-1171
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold
Country: US
Released: 1972
Genre: Funk / Soul, Blues, Pop, Stage & Screen
Style: Soul, Funk, Piano Blues, Musical
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