Word is that Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay, the heavyweight great, genius raconteur, conscientious objector and international symbol for black power, has taken ill. We’re thinking very good thoughts for Ali and his family, starting by finding and throwing on the turntable that copy of his 1963 LP for Columbia, I Am the Greatest.
This video is for a single, which is also the title track of the record. We can all be glad Ali/Clay didn’t quit his day job to pursue a career in music, but it’s of course riveting and worth hearing.
This article appears in Jan 14-20, 2015.
