Tag Archives: Pepe Marquez

Battle of the Bands RESULTS POST – “Too Late to Turn Back Now”

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What?? It’s May 24th already??! How did that happen? Ay-yi-yi… Well guys, my intentions were certainly to jump back in to the Battle of the Bands groove and be efficient and timely but alas, life is having its way with me and my stamina isn’t quite up to optimum levels yet so I must apologize for the tardy Results post. It’s been so crazy around here that I even had to cancel not one but two physical therapy appointments this week! And I only go two times a week. That’s not good. But I am definitely doing all my exercises here at home so I don’t think I’ll fall behind too bad. I mean what’s one week when you’re looking at 16 – 20 weeks of it, right?

Anyway, thanks for the warm welcome back from all my BOTB pals! I sure have missed you guys and it’s good to back with my ‘people’…

I’m glad that so many of you expressed really liking my comeback battle which featured the classic R&B single “Too Late to Turn Back Now” by the soul-singing group of siblings, Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose. It has proven to be a decent battle and at one point was tied as both contenders were neck and neck with the votes.

For me it was a challenge to make a decision on who was going to get my vote. I think both versions are very strong. Taylor Manning’s upbeat delivery and refreshing Carolina Beach vocals were very appealing. And then Pepe Marquez, with a little assist from Tierra’s Steve Salas, gave us a lighthearted rendition, complete with a fun exchange and a few quips between the two, and then we’re treated to a delightful sax solo.  Tough choice because I could truly go back and forth between both covers and enjoy listening to each immensely…and that’s just what I did as I composed this post.

I could go either way and be happy with my choice. I think tonight I’m feeling the Pepe Marquez/Steve Salas version just a wee bit more than Taylor Manning’s. I really liked their amusing dialogue at the beginning and throughout. And then that sax solo, well, that sealed it for me.

–a brief interruption to share something cool that just happened:

It’s a little after 2am as I’m composing this post and my dogs signaled that they wanted to go outside. Time for their final pee before we head to bed. So I let them out, strap on my headlamp and follow them around the yard, picking up any poops that drop. As we are winding it up and walking across the yard, I hear a branch break. I immediately look up into the weeping willow tree and spot movement. My headlamp light is shining into the middle of the treetop and I’m focusing to find out what it is that is moving. I see a long tail and I’m thinking it’s probably a possum (I know, it’s ‘oppossum’ but I just like saying plain ol’ possum). And then I see its head. It’s a SNAKE!! A snake is slithering along; slowly it’s head turns and explores and it’s body winds around the branch, as it’s tail dangles. I stood there fascinated, watching it. I ran in the house real quick to grab my phone and get some video but when I came back out, the snake was no longer visible. And that’s when my obsession took hold and I stood beneath the willow, seeking, shining and searching for a glimpse of the captivating creature. Luca was my protector: he stood there right with me, leaning his body against my legs as if he was acting as my bodyguard. We stood out there in the middle of this night for the longest time, staring up into the tree and slowly moving around it to try to catch another sighting. Literally I think we were out there looking up into that tree for at least 30 minutes! I’m still astonished over the whole thing. I mean I never gave a thought to there ever possibly being a snake cruising around above my head, for God’s sake! That’s a trip! 

Here’s a quick 17-second video of the area of the tree where the snake was last seen hanging out. Not much to see (although he’s in there!) but the best part is the ambient sounds of the night…

Anyway, back to the business at hand:

A tally of the votes means crowning Pepe Marquez the winner of this battle. Pepe came in with 7 votes (including mine) and Taylor Manning had a very respectable 4 votes.

Thanks to all of you for participating in my comback battle! I’ll be back on the 15th of next month (June). Until then, keep rockin’…and be sure to look up when your under a tree…

BATTLE OF THE BANDS – “Too Late to Turn Back Now”

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It’s about time I got back to Battle of the Bands! I have been MIA for too long! You can read a little about why and what’s been going on in my most recent Monday’s Music Moves Me post from last week. I’m obviously still not truly “back in the saddle” as I didn’t have time to put together anything for yesterday’s 4M hop. But I’m moving in the right direction. Slow and steady. I’m thrilled to be back among my Battle of the Bands pals and looking forward to visiting you all this week!

Since it’s been a minute, just a quick refresher on how Battle of the Bands works. A bunch of us choose a song, find two covers of that song and then present a music video of each cover in a blog post and you all get to give a listen and vote on which cover is the best. Then I’ll tally up the votes 6 days later and declare the winner in a Results Post.

Some folks do this once a month (I’m in that category and will post my battles on the 15th of each month) and others do battles twice a month (on the 1st and the 15th). It’s fun! Join us! And be sure to visit all the other BOTB (‘Not Ready for Prime Time’) players. You’ll find links at the bottom of this post.

My battle for the month of May features the song “Too Late to Turn Back Now” by Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose:

“Too Late to Turn Back Now” is the 1972 follow-up single of Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose to their debut hit “Treat Her Like a Lady”. The single had previously been released in 1970 on the Platinum label.

Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose was a family soul singing group from Dania Beach, Florida, that was formed in 1970 and gained popularity in the early 1970s. It was composed of siblings Carter Cornelius, Eddie Cornelius, and Rose Cornelius, who were joined by sister Billie Jo Cornelius in 1972. Cleveland E. Barrett (a childhood friend), an original member of the group, was killed in a car accident before their chart success.

Rose Cornelius had already appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in June 1967 and had been performing in Las Vegas and worldwide, touring in 1970 with a group called the Gospel Jazz Singers. She went home to Florida at her mother’s request to help form the group. Rose wrote most of the background vocals while Eddie wrote most of the songs.

The group hit the pop chart in 1971 with the single “Treat Her Like a Lady” (U.S. R&B Top 20, Billboard Hot 100 #3). The record was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on 2 August 1971.

The act succeeded again in 1972 with “Too Late to Turn Back Now“. This song, written by Eddie Cornelius, had great success upon its re-release, peaking at #5 in the U.S. R&B, #2 in the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 in Cash Box’s chart of the Top 100 Singles for the week of July 29, 1972. “Too Late to Turn Back Now” is ranked as the 34th biggest U.S. hit of 1972. The record was awarded a gold disc on August 2, 1972 for one million sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

While the group failed to find any further success on the scale of their first two singles, two releases, “Don’t Ever Be Lonely” and “I’m Never Gonna Be Alone Anymore” reached the Billboard Top 40. Their final charting single was “Since I Found My Baby” in 1974, from their third and last album.

Here is their hit from the 70s that I so fondly remember. (NOTE: It is only included here for your enjoyment and is not eligible for votes. The battle contenders are listed below).

THE BATTLE

BATTLE CONTENDER #1:  Taylor Manning:

I didn’t find much about Taylor Manning but I believe she’s from the Carolinas and is well-known among the artists and groups in Carolina Beach. If found her on compilations of Southern Soul, Shag and Carolina Beach Music. She recorded the cover of this song in 2007.

 

BATTLE CONTENDER #2:  Pepe Marquez (featuring Steve Salas of Tierra):

This cover appeared on Pepe Marquez’ self-titled album released in 2010.

 

Okay, it all comes down to this:

TIME TO VOTE! Which version do you like better and why? When you’re done voting, please visit these other BOTB participants and check out their cool battles:

Thanks for your participation and your votes! I’ll be back on the 21st to post the results. Until then, Rock On my friends…