Candi Staton Producer Dave Crawford's Vocal Performance Of "MILLIONAIRE""

[remicks]

*****

Well sadly, Dayna's must-read interview with Candi Staton informs us that disco
producer extraordinaire David Crawford has passed on
which has me feeling most solemn tonight.:icon_sad:

In Dayna's interview Candi Staton reveals this :

Dayna: Let's talk about your rendition of Nights on Broadway if we
can, it's such a soulful funky track.


Candi Staton: That was the song right after Young Hearts Run Free. David
was a very temperamental person. Well YHRF was so massive and the
album and the popularity was so big that I, you know I don't want to talk
about people that have gone on, but the truth is the truth...

He was so angry because he was always a frustrated singer, He wanted to
sing himself and he never got the kind of accolades he thought he
deserved, but quite honestly he was a great producer and a wonderful
writer nobody was really drawn to his voice so after that he refused to do
the next album.

We had to go to another producer, Chaka khan's old producer. I can't
remember his name right now...

What interests and saddens me the most in her comments
is that " nobodywas really drawn to his voice" which must have been very painful
for him asa musical talent wanting to express himself .

- If there is any one song I have come to embrace above all others since
coming here to discomusic.com and rediscovering the era all over again ....
it's the Dave Crawford rendition of his self-penned song MILLIONAIRE
which he'd previously produced for The Mighty Clouds Of Joy.

And it is true ....David's voice on it ....well, he's struggling ....

but having said that, I've always given him a pass on it because
its that ordinary guy's struggled delivery that makes the words he's
singing - his earnest feelings as he's reaching to express them , so real and endearing ...

This is a guy's heart felt, emotional outpouring about the grandeur of being in love and
if somehow he were to put a monetary value on what that experience is worth ...
what's invested in a relationship ...all the tears ....all the long passionate nights .....
all the ups and downs .....he'd be a "millionaire" .....

.....
I revel whenever I listen to it and that's often ..... It was MILLIONAIRE that first spurred
me to begin the School Of The Love Unlimited thread of songs that have that Barry White
influence ....MILLIONAIRE being so richly under the influence in its orchestration .....
the instruments in it beautifully textured and complex like the human emotions
they exquisitely mirror ...

I love everything about this... the music... the drama ....... the voice :icon_cool:


....And so dear fellow discomusic.com members,

If ever there were an occasion where you were so inclined as to indulge ol' pain in
the arse remicks ....

... then let this time be it :

.............................


I ask you to give this song of late great Dave Crawford a genteel listen





In memory of
David Crawford ....thank you so much .......

*****

[Dayna]

Candi felt bad saying it and meant no disrespect but fact is fact...She really is a sweetheart..
Thanks for posting the video I had no idea he even sang until she stated that ..And would have not have heard his voice but for your post.
D

[kdavid13]

Hey Remicks - First time listening to this song and I'm glad I did.
Very soulful.

I love imperfections in music - real raw emotions and good ol' groovin' soul music.

Here's to ya Mr.Crawford. :icon_cool:

[Disco Funk]

He did a nice job on Millionaire. He used the same backing track that The Mighty Clouds of Joy sang their version on. You could edited the two versions together or mix them in a mash up so it would sound like he was singing with them!

My favourite song he did was his version of Bad Bad Leroy Brown, the Jim Croce tune. He recorded it in '73 with the Sigma guys and man is it funky and danceable. Not to plug an auction, this person's uploaded an audio sample of the track (I couldn't find it on youtube)

Bad Bad Leroy Brown

Disco Funk

[markydefad]

uh oh....don't wanna tread on remicks' tender toes....but I think Miss Candi was spot on in her assessment of Dave Crawford's talents.
Not very memorable as a vocalist --at least, on first hearing, for sure. :icon_confused:

If I had the talent to write something as memorable as this, I think I would be very content to accept my career as just a composer (music & lyrics) and producer.

(music & lyrics by Dave Crawford)

Young Hearts Run Free

What's the sense in sharing this one and only life
Ending up just another lost and lonely wife?
You count up the years and they will be filled with tears.
Love only breaks up to start over again
You'll have the babies but you won't have your man
While he's busy loving every woman that he can
Uh-huh
Said I'm gonna leave a hundred times a day
But it's easier said than done when you just can't break away---just can't break away..

CHORUS
Oh young hearts run free and never be hung up
Hung up like my man and me....my man and me
Oh young hearts to yourself be true, don't be no fool
when love really don't love you.

It's high time now, just one crack at life.
Who wants to live it in trouble and strife?
My mind must be free to learn all I can about me.
I'm gonna love me for the rest of my days
Encourage the babies everytime they say
Self-preservation is what's really going on today.
Uh-huh.

Said I'm gonna turn loose a thousand times a day
But how can I turn loose when I just can't break away--
Just can't break away...

Chorus
Musical break
Repeat chorus..

Masterpiece. Especially with Candi's perfect vocal.

[kdavid13]

Every time I hear (or read) those lyrics ; I'm reminded that disco music could be more than mere lightweight ditties with "boogie oogie oogie" or "shake your booty" as lyrics.

Great job all around. Candi's such a gifted vocalist.

[remicks]

Hey Remicks - First time listening to this song and I'm glad I did.
Very soulful.

I love imperfections in music - real raw emotions and good ol' groovin' soul music.

Here's to ya Mr.Crawford. :icon_cool:

:icon_cool: :icon_cool:

Dayna:
Thanks for posting the video I had no idea he even sang until she stated that ..And would have not have heard his voice but for your post.

:icon_cool: :icon_cool:
__________________

don't worry about stepping on my tender toes marky ....I wear work boots ...and they're steel toed Give this another listen ....it'lll grow on ya!!

Nice link DF ...Dave Crawford singing BADBLB .....has a Pops Staples/ Staple Singers feel to it .....
but there's only one Pops!!!

I like connecting dots but this one doesn't quite make sense .
Dave produces a winner with Candi Staton ... and isn't that the goal ...( besides being big in the discos ....YOUNGHRF goes to #1 on Billboard's soul chart) ... but he begrudges her a follow-up because he wants to sing???:icon_confused: :icon_confused: :icon_confused:

Timing is everything .....had VICTIM followed YHRF right away .... :icon_cool: :icon_cool: :icon_cool:

I bet Dave Crawford went on to regret that stubborn move .....



*******

[Carpbil]

Just so that folks know.....Dave Crawford didn't just die recently. He was murdered sometime in the 1980s and found in a ditch. He had a bad drug habit that he couldn't handle and sold the rights to "Young Hearts Run Free" and "Victim" to Joe Robinson for $1000 to get some quick cash....His kids have since gone to court and gotten some if not all of those rights back since Dave was in no mindset to make a legitimate business transaction at the time.

So, Dave left us a long time ago. Just didn't want anyone thinking this was a recent thing. Also, David co-wrote his cousin Jackie Moore's hit "Precious, Precious" and produced the Mighty Clouds of Joy's "Mighty High." He also wrote "Whatta Man" that was originally recorded by Laura Lee and later used or sampled by Salt-N-Pepa in their song of the same name.

- Bill

[Disco Funk]

That's really sad to hear, Bill! Thank you for giving us that update. Dave Crawford was definitely one of the pioneers of disco. If you listen to the Sweet Charlie Babe LP he did with Jackie Moore, he had dancefloor material using Sigma Philly guys and Southern studio guys (Muscle Shoals?) creating early disco grooves around '72 to early '73. Then he did all those nice projects with BB King and The Mighty Clouds of Joy, bridging Blues and Disco and Gospel and Disco respectively. A producing genius who sadly fell so hard from grace.

RIP.

Disco Funk

[remicks]

Just so that folks know.....Dave Crawford didn't just die recently. He was murdered sometime in the 1980s and found in a ditch. He had a bad drug habit that he couldn't handle and sold the rights to "Young Hearts Run Free" and "Victim" to Joe Robinson for $1000 to get some quick cash....His kids have since gone to court and gotten some if not all of those rights back since Dave was in no mindset to make a legitimate business transaction at the time.


- Bill

:icon_cry::icon_sad: Having a hard time digesting this .....holding onto all hope that its not so ... although you sound quite credible Bill. GDI, so tragic.

Dave also wrote TIME and here is his cousin's version of it in the hands of Dave as producer:





*****

[Disco Funk]

I just discovered recently that Dave Crawford released Millionaire as a single the year before the LP was released. Why did it fly under my radar for so long? Well, for one thing, he called it 'I'd Be A Millionaire'. And second, the artist listed on the label is 'David'.

The vocal version is on the A side, but there's a nice instrumental version on the B side that runs for about 4:14. It's about 45 seconds longer than the A side vocal version, which is the same length as the LP and the Mighty Clouds of Joy LP version.

Disco Funk

[remicks]

I just discovered recently that Dave Crawford released Millionaire as a single the year before the LP was released. Why did it fly under my radar for so long? Well, for one thing, he called it 'I'd Be A Millionaire'. And second, the artist listed on the label is 'David'.

The vocal version is on the A side, but there's a nice instrumental version on the B side that runs for about 4:14. It's about 45 seconds longer than the A side vocal version, which is the same length as the LP and the Mighty Clouds of Joy LP version.

Disco Funk

Instrumental version eh??
I WANT THIS !!!!! :icon_mrgreen::icon_biggrin:

thank you for passing on the information Disco Funk !


******

[remicks]

*****

EXCITING NEWS !!!!

A new (for me) discovery of a Dave Crawford production !!!

And it's disco !! AND in classic Candi Staton style!!!

But only if
... only if ... Dave had chosen to use the Sisters Sledge for this one instead of Percy ......

Not his fault , but his voice just isn't cut out for this kind of thing ....imo

still --- underneath can be found marvelously classic Dave Crawford material .....




oh how Candi would have torn that apart !!!!

UH-HUH!!!!


*****