My brother Alex is an ethnomusicologist at the University of Minnesota. He and I have an oped at CNN.com, on the origin of "Stand by Me," which was performed at the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Here is the gist:
The backstory of the perfect royal wedding song
Then there was the gospel choir. As Salamishah Tillet described it in the New York Times, the "awesome power" of southeast London's Kingdom Choir "showcased the sheer breadth of a trans-Atlantic black identity" in its "rollicking rendition of Ben E. King's 'Stand by Me.'"
She was right in her appreciation of the group's performance, which moved all wedding attendees. But there is a backstory to the song that makes it even more appropriate for such an inclusive occasion. It was the product of one of the celebrated cradles of American popular music, a place where artists from different backgrounds collaborated in the creation of a now classic sound.
Tillet refers to "Stand by Me" as representative of the "African-American songbook," and, of course, it was first released and made famous by Ben E. King in 1961. King shared the credits, however, with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, two songwriters working in New York City's Brill Building.
You can read the whole essay here.
Meghan could have done much much better than Harry. He should have known not to wear a Nazi costume. It's inexcusable and unforgivable. She would have been better off with a regular, solid guy.
Posted by: Deep State Special Legal Counsel | May 24, 2018 at 11:16 PM