This one comes by way of my friend C.
Such a sad story. One I'd love to write-out myself, but it's been told so well, here, that there's no point in trying. The piece is long, but it's well worth reading.
There is one thing I'll mention concerning the article, just because it's worth repeating anytime Ahmet Ertegun [or for that matter Jerry Wexler] is quoted. The Rhythm and Blues Foundation was established and initially funded with 1.5 million dollars provided by Atlantic Records because Ruth Brown filed a groundbreaking lawsuit on their ass. As Brown puts it in her autobiography, "For God's sake, where's my money?"
Ertegun may have been a huge fan of Little Miss Cornshucks, but that didn't stop him from issuing an attempted sound-a-like version of her signature song, did it?
Ya know, sometimes it's all about showing a little respect.
[Update: purely by coincidence Twilightzone! is offering the only comp of Little Miss Cornshucks early sides ever produced. You should check it out.]
