Tierra - "Together" | Radio DAZZ - Music Breaks To Make Your Day!

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Quick Note: I would like to dedicate this song (and some prayers) to Michael and his wife Sol, as well as to my friend, colleague and client, Ms. Bonnie Ross-Parker, the Founder of http://www.TheJoyOfConnecting.com and of http://www.TheLatinaJoyOfConnecting.com.

In the words of Mongo Santamaria (the man who brought Afro-Cuban Jazz into my life, and changed me forever), "Let's put a little beans and rice on it, eh, amigos?"

TIERRA - TOGETHER

The Intruders, an original soul group, did the original version of this song, "Together." It was not a tremendous hit (like "I'll Always Love My Mama," or "Cowboys and Girls"), but it had something romantic about it.

A Chicano group out of California, Tierra, poured life and a Latino lilt into their version of the song and made it one of the greatest breakthrough hits of the disco era. It is soft and delicate, yet the harmonies and definitive lyrics give it undeniable power. I remember hanging around (with a glass of Southern Comfort, which, as I recall, tasted like Aqua Velva aftershave) in one of the neighborhood nightclubs, feeling lost and lonely. I could not and still cannot dance.

The DJ cranked up the volume, the room was bathed in blue light with a cosmos of disco ball crystal stars swirling around the room, and this song came on. I absolutely needed to hold someone, to dance with someone. Shy as I was, the loving pulse of this song, performed by Tierra, brought out a passion and a courage in me that I had never before experienced. There was a young woman standing alone not to far from me, and I walked up alongside her (in my best platform shoes), and said (verbatim!) "Excuse me miss. I know we haven't been introduced, but I love this song. Would you please dance with me?"

I reached for her hand (she was a bit bewildered), she took it, and we pushed our way to the middle of the crowded dancefloor. That was one of the bravest moments of my life. I had finally won a victory over myself.

Enjoy this song by either clicking on the hyperlink below, or on the embedded video player, if it actually makes an appearance. Also, as an added bonus, I have added hyperlinks to two other original recorded versions of the song, both by Tierra...the first is the one I danced to on that fateful night, and the second is in Spanish - even more profoundly romantic. Si?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNKJI14acBo&feature=related