Kathleen Emery is the recording artist of a 1970 rendering of the public domain African-American spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child". Emery's version incorporates fuzz guitar, a funky hip-hop style beat, string orchestra and brass. The song was only released as a 7 inch single on Jazzman records, which is now a collectors item.
On March 27, 1971 "Billboard" magazine announced: "Kathleen Emery will cut her first album for Love Records". However, Emery apparently has no other released repertoire, although may have other recordings under other names.
In June 2013 YouTube user Exnyker shared an unconfirmed information writing that "there were other tracks Kathleen Emery recorded - but this 7" single was the only one released. I'd heard the demo recordings (I'm going back to 1969, here...), and one of the songs was actually very pretty. I think it was a song written for her - about her son, who had died many years before. The song was called "He Had Hair the Color of Wheat". [..] Clark Gardner was her voice teacher, back in the late 1960's. (Clark was a friend of mine - and would play me these tracks.) She was an older woman, who had money, and wanted a career - badly. These recordings were tracks she paid for. [..] Around 1970, she did some cruise ships. She died, somewhere around 1972-1973."[1]
Contents[]
[hide] *1 Discography (singles)
Discography (singles)[edit][]
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child[edit][]
- LOVE records, 1970, 7" vinyl:
A Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child 4:02 - arranged by George Siravo
B Evil ways 3:16 - arranged by Johnny Pate
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child[edit][]
- Jazzman, 1998, 7" vinyl:
A Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child 4:02 - arranged by George Siravo
B Evil ways 3:16 - arranged by Johnny Pate
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child[edit][]
- Jazzman, 2006, 7" vinyl:
A Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child 4:02 - arranged by George Siravo
B Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child (Quantic Version) 3:22 - remix by Will Holland
Cultural Significance and Influence[edit][]
Instrumentation of Emery's version was used by Portishead when Tom Jones did a cover version of "Motherless Child" in 1999 for his album "Reload" including orchestra and Beth Gibbons on backing vocals.