Previously on Tuesday's Musical Notes...
"October has arrived!!! Homes are decorated... ...waxing nostalgic...gas up the Camaro, pick out the right cassettes... Lemmy Kilmister...Ozzy Osbourne...#28... The song resonated with the public... ...coming home can be poignant and reflective... ... the beginning of something new. "Times have changed and times are strange, here I am but I ain't the same..." 
And now Cross & Kin productions is proud to present Tuesday's Musical Notes...starting...right...
Welcome to Tuesday and Tuesday's Musical Notes!!! We'd play theme music here, but we haven't come up with just the right chord progression yet. Maybe soon! We're so excited that you decided to click on what we think is one of the most thought-provoking blogs about music in the internetosphere! It is our extreme hope that you discover new music, find out something you didn't know about classic favorites, get more info on artists whose music you enjoy, and perhaps, maybe, just maybe, procure something about yourself in the process.
Each week we spend some time researching the song that will be the focal point of Tuesday's Musical Notes. Every so often we discover a new song ourselves and are instantly engaged in finding out all that we can about it and the artists who write, perform, play on, and produce the said song. This week is a perfect example of such a song. Even if you know the song, you'll soon discover why we migrated in its direction, but for now, sit back and enjoy a classic soul selection from an artist we gratefully just encountered.
According to Google maps, Tuesday's Musical Notes is coming to you just under 2 hours from where some classic soul music was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee. In an abandoned movie theater, Stax Records was founded and Southern Soul was invented. The movie theater served as a recording studio and later on, its vestibule and concession stand served as a record shop. Most importantly it became the hub of a fierce competitor for the source of soul in Detroit, Motown Records.
Stax was founded by Jim STewart and his sister Estelle AXton from which the label's name was derived. (Yup, Grammarly hates the capitalization for emphasis). It fast developed a unique sound that Detroit found difficult to replicate as it was an amalgam of different southern sounds including country, gospel, blues, and of course soul. Stax boasted of its house band Booker T and the MG's which included one of the country's first and most diverse musical band lineups featuring white folk and black folk, making music together and this was the 60s! Stax took that model and framed it as the blueprint by which it would make some of the world's best music and would draw a host of artists, most notably the aforementioned Booker T, Sam and Dave, Isaac Hayes, The Staple Sisters, and Otis Redding.
One of Stax Records' earliest artists was singer/songwriter William Bell. Like many of his contemporaries, Bell began young by singing in church and becoming a fan of the Gospel groups of the 50s. He was one of the first signees to Stax Records and recorded several singles before going into the military including his debut single, "You Don't Miss Your Water", today's featured song.
Bell's biggest accomplishments, however, would come as the writer on several well-known hits. He authored the blues classic, "Born Under A Bad Sign" (covered by nearly everyone!), the #1 R&B hit from 1976, "Tryin' To Love Two", and believe it or not, Bell wrote the 1986 hit by Billy Idol, "To Be A Lover". Most poignantly, Bell is known for penning the memorial song, "A Tribute to a King". He collaborated with Booker T and wrote this in honor of his friend and co-Stax artist Otis Redding, who had died in a plane crash. Bell was supposed to have been on the same flight that took Redding's life, but foul weather resulted in the cancellation of Bell's show.
"You Don't Miss Your Water" became a B-side for the single, "Formula of Love", which didn't get much attention. When DJs flipped the record and played "You Don't Miss Your Water", sales began to grow. Ah, the days when you could hear an artist's complete repertoire of music on the radio...but I digress. "You Don't Miss Your Water" peaked at #95 on the pop charts and was later released (after Bell's military service) on the Stax album The Soul of a Bell.
Incredibly, I have never encountered "You Don't Miss Your Water" even though it has been covered by a diversity of artists that would make Stax Records executives proud: Wendy Rene, Otis Redding, Percy Sledge, The Byrds (Tuesday's Musical Notes - "Turn, Turn, Turn" (The Byrds)), Taj Mahal, Jerry Lee Lewis, O.B. McClinton, Peter Tosh & The Wailers, The Good 'Ol Persons, Brian Eno, and The Triffids. Musicians on the record were also a litany of greats: Jesse "Spooky" Butler – organ, Donald "Duck" Dunn – bass, Howard Grimes – drums, and Marvell Thomas – piano. Many modern performances by Bell also include musicians Booker T. Jones and the Memphis Horns.
Many have surmised that "You Don't Miss Your Water" was written about heartbreak in Bell's life over a woman. The reality is that it was written while Bell was on a concert tour in New York and penned as a response to Bell's homesickness. He wrote it upon his return to Memphis and recorded the song thinking he was making a demo. His misunderstanding led to his career being changed and Bell becoming one of the patriarchs of Southern Soul music. It's amazing how one's misconception of a situation can bring about dramatic changes in their life.
As we observed last week, Jesus was on a journey between Jerusalem and Nazareth, His hometown, where He did not receive a warm welcome. This trip would ultimately result in Jesus and His disciples traveling on to Capernaum, where He was welcome. Capernaum would consequentially become the home base for Jesus' ministry efforts.
The route from Jerusalem to Nazareth for most devout Jews was not a straight line. The prejudice at the time would cause most Hebrew travelers to journey around Samaria, a land where many of the inhabitants were a mixture of Jewish folk and other nations. This made Samaritans "unclean" in many of the priestly views and the cause of great concern to those who would associate with them.
Samaria was also the region where the Northern Kingdom's capital city was located. It would be easy to surmise that some of the tensions remained between the Southern Kingdom inhabitants in Judah and their northern brothers. It was a land that the most devout Jew avoided at all costs. But not Jesus. He took a straight line right through the middle of the "forbidden" land and interacted with the people as He went.
Most notable is the familiar story of the "woman at the well" that we see in John's Gospel. She is a woman who was seeking physical thirst quenching even though her spiritual well was very dry, she was definitely missing her water. The disciples had left Jesus alone beside a well outside of the city while they went to acquire food for the remainder of their journey. It seems the necessity to eat was more powerful than any of the prejudice the disciples may have felt.
While Jesus waits for them a woman approaches to draw water from the well. Instead of shunning her or keeping her from drawing water, Jesus stays to visit her. By doing so, He violates so many of the written and unwritten moral codes of His day. She is a Samaritan AND a woman. To those in her community, she was probably not a woman who had a good reputation either, but Jesus takes the time to visit with her. The woman knew of the social restrictions that Jesus was impinging on and asked Him why He would bother. Jesus replies, "if you only knew who you were talking to, you would be asking me for living water". She observes that Jesus has nothing in which to carry water so she inquires further into what He is saying. She asks if He is greater than Jacob, whom the Samaritans rightly also considered a patriarch. Jesus then unpacks the "water" that He provides. He explains the ramifications of drinking His water and that eternal life is the big win from drinking it. She wants some of this water and boldly asks Jesus for some.
Jesus turns the conversation here away from Himself and back to the woman and her lifestyle. Jesus calls her out on her multitude of relationships and provides her a pathway to worship the God of both the Jews and the Samaritans. This worship comes from a place of the Spirit and truth. She confesses her knowledge of the Messiah and her desire to see Him come. Jesus then reveals to her that He is indeed the Messiah.
Upon the disciples' return, they find Jesus speaking to the woman, yet do not say anything to Him about the encounter. The woman left and went to the city telling everyone about the One she had met and the things that He had said. The disciples attempt to get Jesus to take nourishment, but He is in a place of complete contentment because of His obedience to His mission.
John records that many in the city believed in Jesus based solely on the testimony of the woman. There must have been something very different about this woman as she tells her city about Jesus. Her testimony is considered credible and engaging and the folks want to know more. When they eventually came to where Jesus was, they implored Him to stay with them. Jesus stayed for 2 days ministering to them and many more believed.
I don't know about you but I have gone through some periods in my life where I was missing water. No, we weren't under a boil order or a severe drought. It just seemed that my well was dry. It's at those times in our lives when we sit and wonder, how in the world could this be? Our wonderings cause us to get even thirstier. What we don't realize is our wandering is what brought us to that thirsty position. It's at those times when we need a refreshing drink of life-giving water. That water is available by coming back from our wanderings and getting closer to God, through Holy Spirit. We do this by enveloping ourselves in His Word and surrounding ourselves with His people.
Or perhaps you've never had a drink of this water. Perhaps you are much like the woman at the well and think that you've done too much bad and Jesus would never want to associate with you. Go back and watch that clip from The Chosen. Time and again in the Gospels, Jesus asserts that He wants ALL people to come to Him for salvation, His living water. It doesn't matter what your past may be. It matters what your future will be. Don't find yourself in a position to miss His water. His well never runs dry and you won't be thirsty ever again.
'Til Tuesday,
Loving HIM by Loving You,
randy
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