I came across this piece of audio bliss while in a dl'ing spree on one of my fav message boards. I've always been a fan of Donny Hathaway. Has voice is pure silk as most people will agree. But its not till u look beyond the music, beyond the voice, that u realize where the true allure of this guy lies. The stories are many and its not truly known which one(s) are correct and which are purely falsehoods.
-"he was really on the DL and could'nt cope with living a lie so he jumped to his death"
-"he owed the mob a GRIP and tho they kept Sinatra on payroll, niggas aint get cut the same slack so they tossed his ass outta the hotel room..
-blah, blah, blah..
Whether or not any of this fodder is true does'nt really explain his importance to not only soul music, but also black manhood.
He was flawed.
His speaking voice was'nt as strong as a man his stature should have been.
He was'nt Handsome.
Because of a few bad breaks, he never reached his full potential.
But despite all these shortcomings and more, he's become post-humously one of my heros.
He wasnt smooth that Marvin,
Pretty like Smokey,
or rugged like Teddy,
he was simply a Complex man. Full of contradictions, self doubt, inner conflicts and strife. But equally filled with love for his family, love for his people, boundless ambition and a soul that begged for Gods approval despite his flaws.
He is me.
Enjoy.
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