Friday Song — California Soul by Marlena Shaw
Since I’m pretty guilty of neglecting this blog of late, thought I’d rectify that momentarily by reflecting on a song I usually associate with summer, even though it wasn’t released till November. Memory is funny like that. And as we’ve crossed the solstice threshold, let’s join Peabody and Sherman in the Wayback Machine to 1969. Back when I was attempting to adjust being a first year sophomore1 in high school. In the predominantly white, and very anglo2 community of South Gate3.
Can’t emphasize enough the drastic changes of going from being a 9th grader in junior high, to the low rung 10th of a relatively small senior high4 located 7 miles southeast of downtown L.A.; and being one of the few Latinos living there at the time. I learned quickly to keep my head down, and my eyes and ears open. Though there were also small clusters of African-Americans and Asian-Americans in the student body, there existed a tension5, right along with the expected cliques.
As mentioned in another series, the only time the various racial groups got a chance to relax (and almost get along) was during the weekly dances at this Eastern League6 school when the music (and hormones) took over.
Though the British Invasion had massive influence during the 1960s on the youth, it was equally a golden period for R&B and soul music, as many my age will tell you. So, no matter what was occurring in the cauldron that was high school, I found solace in what emanated out of AM radio, and later FM, along with my turntable. From Detroit’s Motown hits7, with its grand stable of song and artists, to the romantic and lush tunes from Philly via The Delfonics, The Intruders, and more.
From that, while learning to negotiate the school hallways, locker combos, along with dodging the bullying, the jazz and R&B artist, Marlena Shaw came into my life. I later came to learn of her involvement as lead vocalist with Count Basie and his orchestra before striking out on her own and making a mark. What registered was her rendition of California Soul8, a cover of The Messengers release from a couple of years earlier, which was a song written by the famed duo of this genre:
““California Soul” propelled her into the spotlight. The immortally sunny slice was written by powerhouse songwriting couple Ashford and Simpson, was included on her second album on Cadet, a subsidiary of the seminal blues and jazz label Chess Records, and was arranged by Richard Evans and psychedelic soul maestro Charles Stepney. Already recorded by the 5th Dimension and Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Shaw and Stepney plotted out new terrain for the single.” ~ 48hill.org
It has held my ear, and heart, for all these decades9.
With a peerless voice, her version of the song captured a time and place. With a distinct west coast vibe you couldn’t miss, via a genre of music so many were discovering and finally appreciating. No wonder it’d have such staying power that it would become a staple element of ads10 and hip-hop songs; and have me recalling it with the joy felt when out and about during summer’s warm, and school-free, days. Though Marlena’s 2024 passing sadden her fans, she left a legacy that continues to lift me still.
Like a sound you hear That lingers in your ear But you can't forget From sundown to sunset It's all in the air You hear it everywhere No matter what you do It's gonna grab a hold on you California soul, California soul They say the sun comes up every morning And if you listen carefully The winds that ride on the high time Whistle a melody And so the people started to sing And that's how the surf gave birth untold California soul, California soul When you hear the beat You wanna pat your feet And you've got to move Cause it's really such a groove Puts a brand new kind of thinking in your mind And you can't go wrong Cause you're groovin' all day long California soul, California soul They had the melody and the beat But it still didn't seem complete Until they saw two lovers kissin' They knew just what was missin' So happy they were rockin' and reelin' Because they added that lovin' feeling To California soul, California soul California soul California California California
- Back then, there was no “middle school”, involving grades 6th to 8th; there was elementary school, K-6th, junior high school with 7th-9th, and senior high that had the reminder, 10th-12th. ↩
- In the United States: Colloquially used to refer to a White American of non-Hispanic descent, distinguishing them from Americans of Spanish, Mexican, or Latin American heritage ~ Wikipedia ↩
- South Gate, having the official moniker as the “Azalea City”, has had complex racial history. I came to learn of its initial exclusionary housing covenants after moving there from Florence; and being the rare Latino family to do so. In its early years as a predominantly white, working-class suburb, the city actively enforced racial boundaries to prevent non-white residents from moving into the area. It’s now predominantly and vibrantly Latino. ↩
- My class of 1972 graduated 575 students, one of the smaller in the Eastern League of LAUSD that year. They’ve since enlarged into three campuses as the community as grown, as a result. ↩
- Cutting across racial lines, though sometimes economic ones. South Gate’s blue-collar status reflected those who lived and worked there, and those going there from nearby poorer communities, like Watts and Florence, for the jobs and schools. Contrasted with that of the more prosperous white-collar bedroom community on our eastern border, Downey, which some refer to these days as the Latino Beverly Hills. ↩
- It has since reformed, but back then this league consisted of the following high schools: South Gate, Huntington Park (our arch rivals), Bell, Jordan, Theodore Roosevelt, and James A. Garfield. The latter are the two known for their famed, fierce East L.A. rivalry. ↩
- No doubt influenced by Berry Gordy’s Motown label and artists, which emphasized cross-over appeal, and polished delivery. And who would leave Detroit for the West Coast of California. ↩
- While her rendition from the album The Spice of Life missed the US charts initially, it became a massive cult-classic internationally (peaking at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart) and one of the most frequently sampled tracks in hip-hop history. ~ Billboard ↩
- In contemporary measurements, it’s had over 100 million streams on Spotify. ↩
- “Shaw’s 1969 “California Soul” will be instantly recognizable to many today for its use in television ads (such as for Dockers, KFC and Dodge Ram trucks) and sampling in hip-hop songs. WhoSampled.com lists 35 songs that sample it, including “Check the Technique” by Gang Starr, “Sofisticated” by Stereo MC’s and Diplo’s remix of the song.” ~ L.A. Times ↩
It Rains... You Get Wet 
Are you talkin’ to me?