Dan Hicks on Linda

[rick]

Dan Hicks (of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks) has an interview where he discusses trying to get Linda to record a song.

www.hollandsentinel.com/entertainment/x1783277309/Dan-Hicks-tells-new-Tangled-Tales

<snip>

Of the laidback, jazzy “Song for My Father,” written and originally performed as an instrumental by Horace Silver, and later vocalized by Leon Thomas, Hicks, talking from his home in northern California, said, “Hearing Leon’s version was where I got the idea to do a vocal of it.”

Oddly, the lyrics, mostly in English, suddenly change to Spanish.

“Well, there was a point when we were trying to get a few guests for the album,” explained Hicks. “I’ve always tried to get Linda Ronstadt to do something with me, so we contacted her people. But they said that Linda only sings in Spanish now.”

Hicks laughed at that memory, mentioned that his bass player, who speaks Spanish, translated the whole song, and then Ronstadt’s people were approached again.

“It was like, ‘OK, Linda, here’s a song we’d like you to be on, and now it’s in Spanish. What say you?’ Well, that didn’t work out, but now we do part of it in Spanish.”

<snip>

[the Scribe]

Did Hicks ever record Long Long Time? Or was that Dan Hill? or was it someone else? I seem to remember a male singer having a mild hit with it after Linda's version.

[erik]

Quote by ronstadtfanaz:

Did Hicks ever record Long Long Time? Or was that Dan Hill? or was it someone else? I seem to remember a male singer having a mild hit with it after Linda's version.

The only male singer that had anything close to a hit with it was Larry Santos in 1976 (didn't break the Hot 100).

If memory serves me right, though, I think Linda did perform with Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks at USC in 1974.

[the Scribe]

That's it! It was a regional hit in several areas but not a national hit. I liked his version albeit a little heavy on the drums.