1. Chain Gang- Sam Cooke

• "All day long they work so hard till the sun is goin' down, working on the highways and byways and wearing, wearing a frown, you hear them moanin' their lives away then you hear somebody say..." Rolling Stone magazine recently came out with a list of the 100 greatest singers of all time with Sam Cooke ranking 4th. Sam is probably my 2nd favorite singer of all time (behind only Marvin Gaye) so that ranking sounds about right. His voice is soul music. "Chain Gang" with it's "oohs" and "ahs" paints the brutal story of forced labor. Some critics feel that Cooke's sweet voice undercuts the intended tone of the song but I've always felt that his voice held a distinct sad quality. Even in upbeat songs like "Having a Party" the sadness is audible. Sam Cooke was taken from us too soon- I guess it only takes one crazy hooker to shoot you. If you are looking for a great read-"You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke" is one of my favorite books of all time.

2. Strokin'- Clarence Carter

• "Let me ask you somethin'...What time of the day do you like to make love? Have you ever made love just before breakfast? Have you ever made love while you watched the late, late show?" Clarence Carter asks a good question, although I'm not sure there is a bad time of day for knocking boots. "Strokin'" is by far one of the funniest songs in my music collection. Any review I give won't do it justice- it must be heard. The song was released in the mid 80s and while the production doesn't hide that one bit, the song is timeless. "Strokin'" became a word of mouth novelty hit for the good doctor. On a side note, does "word of mouth" even exist anymore in our technology driven culture? "I stroke it to the east and I stroke it to the west, and I stroke it to the woman that I love the best, huh I be strokin'". Classic.

3. Foxy Lady- The Jimi Hendrix Experience

• "I wanna take you home, I wont do you no harm, no you've got to be all mine, all mine. Ooh, foxy lady." In the mid/late 1960s a Seattle guitarist named James Marshall Hendrix went across the pond to the UK in order to get discovered in the US. In 1967 his trio debuted with the album "Are You Experienced". It was the 1st album issued on the Track Records label, a label founded by the managers of The Who. The fact that The Who weren't the first group with a release on the new label didn't sit well with Who guitarist Pete Townshend and helped lead to his rivalry with Jimi Hendrix. "Foxy Lady" is the 1st song on the UK version of the "Are You Experienced" album and was rumored to be written about American model Heather Taylor (who would go on to marry The Who front man Roger Daltrey). Songs from "Are You Experienced" like "Foxy Lady" and "Manic Depression" would help define/redefine the 60s rock era. My favorite song on the album is the incomparable blues masterpiece "Red House".