LGBTQ news and entertainment
Pretty much every night, my bedtime routine includes hitting up YouTube on TV and watching a few favorite video clips to lead me to slumberland. Earlier this week, I came across a longtime favorite: Broadway and TV star Nell Carter roaring her way through Steve Winwood’s 1986 classic “Back in the High Life.” Continue reading “Song Of The Day: Nell Carter Roars Through “Back In The High Life””
Running errands over the weekend, Steve Winwood’s 1986 classic “Back in the High Life” came on the music system and it immediately took me back to the heyday of the 80s.
With themes of reflection, redemption and reinvention, the song (written by Winwood and Will Jennings) marches forward clear-eyed and focused.
But I’d be remiss if I didn’t feature my favorite rendition of the song by Broadway and TV star Nell Carter.
Filmed for a TV special – In a New Light: A Call to Action in the War Against AIDS – broadcast July 11, 1992, Carter is a force of nature ripping through the anthem.
In the clip, Carter (who self-identified as bisexual) shares for the first time that her brother, Bernard, had actually died from AIDS in 1989.
I actually attended the dress rehearsal for the TV special in Los Angeles and was thunderstruck by her power onstage.
Watch as she builds and builds through the bridge to a gorgeous release at the 2:40 mark.
And then that growl at 2:52 gives me life!
I’ve literally played this clip hundreds of times.
When I was on national tour with A Chorus Line in Los Angeles, I was invited to the taping of this TV special, and I can only say I wish everyone could have witnessed the power and glory of this amazing performance live, in person.
This is really what being a diva is about: channelling, delivering, “being” at the top of your game.
I simply can’t watch this just once. I just can’t. From about 1:45 on, it’s a visceral, gut-driven performance. Few performers get to a level where they can be so “on point” and access this deep an emotional life in a song.
This is art. This is power. This is reaching people.
Nell is missed. We need more like her. There will never be another like her.