The Taste

The Ronettes in LA, 1964

Rockin’ The Fillmore

Meanwhile 1971 saw Laura Nyro in Philadelphia going back to her Bronx roots with Gonna Take a Miracle, her covers album of the soul, pop, gospel and R&B she loved as a kid, her ’teenage heartbeat songs’. Backed by vocal trio Labelle and legendary Philly soul producers Gamble and Huff she channelled these songs through her own unique hybrid sensibility. Désiree was originally a sweet 1957 doo-wop hit for The Charts. Nyro pares it down to a gorgeous hushed reverie, almost a swoon, love no longer a giddy teenage dream but something tender and precious now, haunted by an innocence that’s not coming back, a stillness that understands it won’t last, that all the doo-wop has disappeared.

Billboard ad for Monterey Pop Festival that still lists Beach Boys in the line up.

It Happened In Monterey: Laura Nyro A pensive Laura Nyro at the Monterey Pop Festival, June 17, 1967. Her performance later that evening—anomalous, distinctive, but warmly received—was only the second in public for the 19-year-old New York singer/songwriter. Photograph by Pat Murphy

Painter Hill Road, Mountain Dale, Sullivan County NY. Now abandoned and in disrepair in 2017.

“Picking Up The Sunshine” - Beverley Martyn || “Ball and Chain” - Big Brother and the Holding Company || “Poverty Train” - Laura Nyro || “White Rabbit” - Jefferson Airplane || “California Dreamin’“ - The Mamas and the Papas || “Dancing in the Street” - The Mamas and the Papas

Laura Nyro, 1969 by Joel Bernstein

Interesting fact about her performances at Monterey Pop: it was a longstanding myth (that even Nyro, herself, believed) that, this being her second major live performance at the time, she was booed off the stage. That myth led to this footage, that was of course filmed along with the rest of the performances for the documentary Monterey Pop (1968), being unavailable until The Criterion Collection of the documentary was released (in which case it became available as part of two hours worth of outtakes). Of course, then, the myth was debunked, because if you listen to this and her other performances, the audience clearly enjoyed it - some even might’ve called out “beautiful!”

Laura Nyro (Oct. 18, 1947-April 8, 1997), December 1967, ph: Bob Cato/Sony Music Archives.

apropos of nothing other than that I love them, please enjoy these photos of Laura Nyro & Stephen Sondheim, the most extremely 1960s thing I’ve ever seen

Elton John on Laura Nyro

Laura Nyro and Labelle

Bill Graham Presents Laura Nyro and The Band at the Berkeley Community Center 1970