Carla Thomas is the reigning queen of Memphis Soul. She and her father Rufus “Walkin’ the Dog” Thomas, were the first artists recorded at the new STAX studios in 1960. She went on to have a series of soul hits for the label and still performs at age 83. Her younger sister, Vaneese, has been nominated for eight Blues Music Awards and has released her own records, while singing backup for a who’s who of A-List artists, including Aretha Franklin for a decade. On April 13, the Thomas sisters and a couple dozen artists donated their time and talent to a benefit at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY called Musicians for ALS: The Blues and More. It was the second straight year the concert was held, the first in that legendary theater. The impetus for the first concert was that Wayne Warnecke, a local songwriter/musician/producer, who is also Vaneese’s husband, was diagnosed with ALS in 2022. Warnecke spoke movingly on-stage prior to this year’s event about its importance and his gratitude. Their musical friends and others with ALS connections from the industry have teamed up at these concerts to raise awareness and funds for ALS United Greater New York. Some of the artists this year included: The Original Blues Brothers Band, Average White Band, Paul Shaffer, Tom Chapin, Shemekia Copeland, David Foster, the Uptown Horns, the Thomas sisters, and musical director Bruce McDaniel. One of the highlights of the show was Carla Thomas and Paul Shaffer singing a duet of the funky diss track “Tramp”, which Carla originally recorded with Otis Redding. Tom Chapin performed two moving originals in a quieter acoustic setting and finished with his late brother Harry’s chestnut “Cats in the Cradle”. Shemeika Copeland tore down the house with two originals and a cover from her late father Johnny Copeland. The Blues Brothers featured three original members: “Blue Lou” Marini, Tom “Bones” Malone, and Shaffer, along with singers Tommy McDonnell, Rob Paparozzi, and Bobby Harden. All of the acts joined on-stage at the end of the three-plus hour show for an encore of the Spencer Davis Group classic “Gimme Some Lovin’”.
Before the concert, Carla and Vaneese Thomas spoke with WBGO’s Dave Popkin about growing up in Memphis with a showman father, their careers, Musicians for ALS, and more.
