Keith & Donna (Godchaux) - 1975 album
Donna Jean Godchaux, who was best known for singing with the Grateful Dead from 1972 until 1979, recently passed away at age 78 after battling cancer. Donna joined the Grateful Dead as a backup singer shortly after her late husband Keith Godchaux became the band's keyboardist in 1971. Keith's keyboard playing shifted the Dead in a different musical direction than before, as his influences were based on jazz and classical styles, in contrast to his predecessor Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, whose style was more blues-based. Donna certainly added something different to the Dead as well, having been their only official female member ever. Donna had previously worked as a studio session vocalist, notably having sung on Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" and Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman". Despite her impressive credentials, Donna was not a great fit for the Grateful Dead, especially during their live shows, where her vocal pitch (and occasional wailing) was often out of kilter. For various reasons, Keith and Donna were asked to leave the Dead in 1979. The following year, Keith tragically died at age 32 after suffering injuries in a car accident, becoming the second of four Grateful Dead keyboardists who have died. Donna continued to perform, but her recorded works were few and far between, not to mention obscure; a 2014 album by the Donna Jean Godchaux Band, titled Back Around, is the only one that is readily available as of this writing.
Keith and Donna Godchaux did record an album as a duo during their time with the Dead, while the band was on a touring hiatus. The self-titled Keith & Donna was released on Jerry Garcia's Round label in 1975. The Godchauxs co-produced and mostly co-wrote the material on the album, which proffered a Southern California brand of white soul music. Both of them sang on the album, and Keith played various keyboard instruments. Jerry Garcia provided lead guitar, and he did impart a Grateful Dead-like vibe, though that vibe was generally more laid-back than the one that the Dead usually exhibited during the Godchauxs' time in the band. On most of the tracks, the duo was also backed by ex-Spooky Tooth bassist Chris Stewart (billed as "Chrissy Stewart") and ex-Wings drummer Denny Seiwell.
Donna's vocals on the album are credibly soulful, and she wisely did not attempt to belt out high notes that may have eluded her range. Keith's singing was even more delicate on this record, recalling the vocals of The Band's Richard Manuel at his most melancholic, and his keyboard work often shows a bebop jazz influence. The album's first side is mostly gentle, beginning with Donna singing a subdued rendition of Ike and Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High", followed by a psych-soul ode to motherhood ("Sweet Baby") which features Merl Saunders playing organ. "Woman Make You" is a good showcase for Keith, both vocally and instrumentally. The tempo starts to move faster on "When You Start To Move", and the bouncy "Showboat" and "Farewell Jack" show the duo working well together at that pace. "Farewell Jack" and the six-minute "My Love For You" demonstrate the best examples of how well Garcia was able to interact with the duo on guitar. The album ends on a Gospel note, first with an a cappella rendition of Mitchell's Christian Singers' 1936 "Who Was John", which Garcia prominently sings on, and also with the epic closing number "Every Song I Sing", on which Donna states that "Every song I sing is a prayer in my own way".
Keith & Donna is a pleasant recording, worth hearing as both a Grateful Dead side project and as a recorded representation of the Godchauxs' musical interests at that time. The duo's California soul sound is also heard to good effect on this official recording of a 1975 concert at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom.
Keith & Donna "Keith & Donna" (Round RX-104) 1975
Track Listing:
1. River Deep, Mountain High
2. Sweet Baby
3. Woman Make You
4. When You Start To Move
5. Showboat
6. My Love For You
7. Farewell Jack
8. Who Was John
9. Every Song I Sing
Keith and Donna Godchaux did record an album as a duo during their time with the Dead, while the band was on a touring hiatus. The self-titled Keith & Donna was released on Jerry Garcia's Round label in 1975. The Godchauxs co-produced and mostly co-wrote the material on the album, which proffered a Southern California brand of white soul music. Both of them sang on the album, and Keith played various keyboard instruments. Jerry Garcia provided lead guitar, and he did impart a Grateful Dead-like vibe, though that vibe was generally more laid-back than the one that the Dead usually exhibited during the Godchauxs' time in the band. On most of the tracks, the duo was also backed by ex-Spooky Tooth bassist Chris Stewart (billed as "Chrissy Stewart") and ex-Wings drummer Denny Seiwell.
Donna's vocals on the album are credibly soulful, and she wisely did not attempt to belt out high notes that may have eluded her range. Keith's singing was even more delicate on this record, recalling the vocals of The Band's Richard Manuel at his most melancholic, and his keyboard work often shows a bebop jazz influence. The album's first side is mostly gentle, beginning with Donna singing a subdued rendition of Ike and Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High", followed by a psych-soul ode to motherhood ("Sweet Baby") which features Merl Saunders playing organ. "Woman Make You" is a good showcase for Keith, both vocally and instrumentally. The tempo starts to move faster on "When You Start To Move", and the bouncy "Showboat" and "Farewell Jack" show the duo working well together at that pace. "Farewell Jack" and the six-minute "My Love For You" demonstrate the best examples of how well Garcia was able to interact with the duo on guitar. The album ends on a Gospel note, first with an a cappella rendition of Mitchell's Christian Singers' 1936 "Who Was John", which Garcia prominently sings on, and also with the epic closing number "Every Song I Sing", on which Donna states that "Every song I sing is a prayer in my own way".
Keith & Donna is a pleasant recording, worth hearing as both a Grateful Dead side project and as a recorded representation of the Godchauxs' musical interests at that time. The duo's California soul sound is also heard to good effect on this official recording of a 1975 concert at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom.
Keith & Donna "Keith & Donna" (Round RX-104) 1975
Track Listing:
1. River Deep, Mountain High
2. Sweet Baby
3. Woman Make You
4. When You Start To Move
5. Showboat
6. My Love For You
7. Farewell Jack
8. Who Was John
9. Every Song I Sing
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