Take a look at this video of Ike & Tina Turner performing River Deep Mountain High in the mid-sixties. Yup, Tina singing a great song, nothing better than this. But take a look at the middle Ikette.
It's PP Arnold. You probably don't know who PP Arnold is, but she has an interesting career as an unknown singer. Because when the Ike & Tina Turner Revue hit London, she quit, and stayed, and met some famous people - and had a couple of hit singles. The biggest was The First Cut Is The Deepest.
You may notice the voice. It's nice.
Now here she is with some of her new friends, The Small Faces, who wrote the song, played the music, and appeared in the video.
Now here's the jackpot. PP Arnold sang on the Small Faces' astonishing Tin Soldier, a record that sits firmly in my Top Ten Best Rock And Roll Records of All Time. Here's a video of them performing it - miming, unfortunately.
Notice that despite the fact that she is miming, PP tends to joyfully yell her head off whenever she feels like it. Notice that she has no problem being second fiddle to Steve Marriott. And notice the look on her face at the end of that amazing coda, as she sings the line "... because I love you" - just for a moment I can see in her face everything that music has ever meant to me.
Just another singer. You probably never heard of her.
