boomp3.com
Baby Brotha at THROWBACK MUSIC has 2 Soul Children up on his site. I already have Genesis up here. So now I'm adding Friction - just in case you don't have enuf Soul Children!
Review by Richie Unterberger (Allmusic)
A slicker, sweeter, and less satisfying outing than their previous LP, Genesis, Friction did nonetheless include their biggest hit, "I'll Be the Other Woman." A little daring for the radio in that it acknowledged an adulterous affair, "I'll Be the Other Woman" was also something of a departure for the Soul Children, putting Shelbra Bennett in the spotlight as lead vocalist (J. Blackfoot had tended to have the most visible leads). Bennett was also lead singer on the less impressive single "Love Makes It Right," a small R&B hit that concludes the record. In the interim, there are lush ballads that get into icky sweetness ("What's Happening Baby") as well as some more up-tempo, funky numbers. The best of the lot is "Can't Let You Go," which smolders a bit thanks to the grainy lead vocal (presumably by J. Blackfoot) and subtle wah-wah guitar.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
CARESS (PATRICK ADAMS)
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Patrick Peter Owen Adams, March 17, 1950, Harlem, New York City, New York, US is an American musician and record producer. He has earned 32 gold and platinum records. He is known primarily for his production, songwriting and engineering work on the New York-based Salsoul Records, Prelude Records and major record labels as well as his associations with various stellar recording artists such as R. Kelly, Keith Sweat, Teddy Riley, Salt-N-Pepa, Jocelyn Brown, Loleatta Holloway, Leroy Burgess and bands (The Universal Robot Band, Logg and Musique). He owns and operates Patrick Adams Productions in New York City.
Career
During his prolific and influential career, dance/club music icon, Patrick Adams has recorded over 30 of his songs and has been involved in over 100 recordings; including Sister Sledge, Loleatta Holloway, Main Ingredient, Shannon, Spinners, Gladys Knight, Skipworth & Turner, Candi Staton, Eddie Kendricks, Herbie Mann, Debbie Taylor, Bumblebee Unlimited, Universal Robot Band, Narada Michael Walden, Ace Spectrum, Rick James, Chatelaine , Cloud One and Bruni Pagan. In addition, Adams has worked with pop, hip-hop/r&b and dance/club acts such as Coolio, Cathy Dennis, Keith Sweat, Teddy Riley, Black Ivory, R. Kelly, Eric B & Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa and Shades of Love, Jeanie Tracy.
Awards
In 1997, Patrick received the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award for the third time including back-to-back occasions. In 1996 he won it for "Keep on Jumpin'". In 1995 he was honored by Billboard for the # 1 dance song "Keep in Youch (Body to Body)" by the Shades of Love. Cathy Dennis' remake of the classic Patrick Adams/Greg Carmichael penned and produced "Touch Me (All Night Long)" became a #1 pop hit single in 1991. For this cover of another Fonda Rae-performed release, Patrick and Greg received the 1992 ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award. Among his hit collaborators, Adams co-wrote the 1979 hit single, "When You Wake Up Tomorrow" with 2001 ASCAP Top Dance Song Of The Year songwriter ("All For You"), Wayne K. Garfield, for dance diva, Candi Staton.
This is the only album released under the name 'Caress'.
Patrick Peter Owen Adams, March 17, 1950, Harlem, New York City, New York, US is an American musician and record producer. He has earned 32 gold and platinum records. He is known primarily for his production, songwriting and engineering work on the New York-based Salsoul Records, Prelude Records and major record labels as well as his associations with various stellar recording artists such as R. Kelly, Keith Sweat, Teddy Riley, Salt-N-Pepa, Jocelyn Brown, Loleatta Holloway, Leroy Burgess and bands (The Universal Robot Band, Logg and Musique). He owns and operates Patrick Adams Productions in New York City.
Career
During his prolific and influential career, dance/club music icon, Patrick Adams has recorded over 30 of his songs and has been involved in over 100 recordings; including Sister Sledge, Loleatta Holloway, Main Ingredient, Shannon, Spinners, Gladys Knight, Skipworth & Turner, Candi Staton, Eddie Kendricks, Herbie Mann, Debbie Taylor, Bumblebee Unlimited, Universal Robot Band, Narada Michael Walden, Ace Spectrum, Rick James, Chatelaine , Cloud One and Bruni Pagan. In addition, Adams has worked with pop, hip-hop/r&b and dance/club acts such as Coolio, Cathy Dennis, Keith Sweat, Teddy Riley, Black Ivory, R. Kelly, Eric B & Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa and Shades of Love, Jeanie Tracy.
Awards
In 1997, Patrick received the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award for the third time including back-to-back occasions. In 1996 he won it for "Keep on Jumpin'". In 1995 he was honored by Billboard for the # 1 dance song "Keep in Youch (Body to Body)" by the Shades of Love. Cathy Dennis' remake of the classic Patrick Adams/Greg Carmichael penned and produced "Touch Me (All Night Long)" became a #1 pop hit single in 1991. For this cover of another Fonda Rae-performed release, Patrick and Greg received the 1992 ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award. Among his hit collaborators, Adams co-wrote the 1979 hit single, "When You Wake Up Tomorrow" with 2001 ASCAP Top Dance Song Of The Year songwriter ("All For You"), Wayne K. Garfield, for dance diva, Candi Staton.
This is the only album released under the name 'Caress'.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
SOUL BROTHERS
THE LONG WEEKEND:
boomp3.com
Ah - what to listen to?
It's hot, steamy humid and gonna rain .....lazy kinda day ...
SO I think I'll just go and get me some Soul Brothers and turn 'em on ....
(Not too many soul brothers missing here!)
boomp3.com
Ah - what to listen to?
It's hot, steamy humid and gonna rain .....lazy kinda day ...
SO I think I'll just go and get me some Soul Brothers and turn 'em on ....
(Not too many soul brothers missing here!)
Friday, June 27, 2008
QUIET ELEGANCE
boomp3.com
Quiet Elegance formed in Detroit, MI, with seasoned soul singers Yvonne "Frankie" Gearing, Mildred Vaney, and Lois Reeves. Vaney (aka Mildred Scott) sang with the Glories and Cut Glass with Orthea Barnes (J.J. Barnes' sister) after Quiet Elegance. Reeves replaced Betty Kelly in her sister's group, Martha & the Vandellas, in 1968 and remained until Martha disbanded the group to seek a solo career in 1972. Gearing (the lead singer and catalyst) had sung with the Glories, the Laddins, and the Steinway's; born in Daytona Beach, FL, she grew up in St. Petersburg, FL. Her brother is the late guitarist Johnny Starr, who went on the road with Jackie Wilson's band when he was 13 and later played in Little Richard's band alongside Jimi Hendrix.
They were managed by the Temptations; (Gearing was engaged to Dennis Edwards). Signed to Hi Records, they were produced by Willie Mitchell and Dan Greer and recorded for Mitchell's Hi Records in Memphis, TN. Mitchell recorded them singing mostly Al Green songs; the results were ultra soulful -- no girl group cloying -- especially "Have You Been Making Out O.K.," but the Temptations didn't want them sounding like female Al Greens, so Greer was brought in to give them a different sound.
None of Quiet Elegance's seven Hi singles did much except anchor on the lower rungs of Billboard's R&B chart. Hi strung the 45s out over a five-year period -- from 1972 to 1977 -- and dropped an LP, but they never really surfaced as recording artists. The performing side, however, was roses. Quiet Elegance toured the world many times with Al Green, the Temptations, Engelbert Humperdinck, and Tom Jones.
They disbanded after the Hi contract ran its course. Vaney-Scott and Reeves returned to Detroit. Reeves still gigs occasionally as a Vandella, but mostly works at her full-time day job. After a couple releases with Cut Glass in 1980 for 20th Century Fox Records, Vaney has been quiet. Gearing, however, has stayed active; she cut solo recordings on Beale Street Records before returning to St. Petersburg in 1978 to care for her ailing grandmother and mom and has been an entertaining staple there every since, appearing in nightclubs, concerts, and plays (i.e., The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, where she played Miss Mona's maid and delivered a sassy rendition of "24 Hours of Lovin'").
Like spring flowers, Quiet Elegance's recordings are popping up all over the place, including on CDs: Complete Quiet Elegance on Hi/Demon Records and You've Got My Mind Messed Up (Hi Records); as well as tracks on the What's the Question compilations.
Biography by Andrew Hamilton (Allmusic)
**MY NOTE: I Only have this - if someone else has the Hi Singles sure would be nice if they'd post it!
Quiet Elegance formed in Detroit, MI, with seasoned soul singers Yvonne "Frankie" Gearing, Mildred Vaney, and Lois Reeves. Vaney (aka Mildred Scott) sang with the Glories and Cut Glass with Orthea Barnes (J.J. Barnes' sister) after Quiet Elegance. Reeves replaced Betty Kelly in her sister's group, Martha & the Vandellas, in 1968 and remained until Martha disbanded the group to seek a solo career in 1972. Gearing (the lead singer and catalyst) had sung with the Glories, the Laddins, and the Steinway's; born in Daytona Beach, FL, she grew up in St. Petersburg, FL. Her brother is the late guitarist Johnny Starr, who went on the road with Jackie Wilson's band when he was 13 and later played in Little Richard's band alongside Jimi Hendrix.
They were managed by the Temptations; (Gearing was engaged to Dennis Edwards). Signed to Hi Records, they were produced by Willie Mitchell and Dan Greer and recorded for Mitchell's Hi Records in Memphis, TN. Mitchell recorded them singing mostly Al Green songs; the results were ultra soulful -- no girl group cloying -- especially "Have You Been Making Out O.K.," but the Temptations didn't want them sounding like female Al Greens, so Greer was brought in to give them a different sound.
None of Quiet Elegance's seven Hi singles did much except anchor on the lower rungs of Billboard's R&B chart. Hi strung the 45s out over a five-year period -- from 1972 to 1977 -- and dropped an LP, but they never really surfaced as recording artists. The performing side, however, was roses. Quiet Elegance toured the world many times with Al Green, the Temptations, Engelbert Humperdinck, and Tom Jones.
They disbanded after the Hi contract ran its course. Vaney-Scott and Reeves returned to Detroit. Reeves still gigs occasionally as a Vandella, but mostly works at her full-time day job. After a couple releases with Cut Glass in 1980 for 20th Century Fox Records, Vaney has been quiet. Gearing, however, has stayed active; she cut solo recordings on Beale Street Records before returning to St. Petersburg in 1978 to care for her ailing grandmother and mom and has been an entertaining staple there every since, appearing in nightclubs, concerts, and plays (i.e., The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, where she played Miss Mona's maid and delivered a sassy rendition of "24 Hours of Lovin'").
Like spring flowers, Quiet Elegance's recordings are popping up all over the place, including on CDs: Complete Quiet Elegance on Hi/Demon Records and You've Got My Mind Messed Up (Hi Records); as well as tracks on the What's the Question compilations.
Biography by Andrew Hamilton (Allmusic)
**MY NOTE: I Only have this - if someone else has the Hi Singles sure would be nice if they'd post it!
JEFF FLOYD
boomp3.com
Jacksonville, FL, native Jeff Floyd (born October 1965) is a throwback Southern soul singer who conjures up images and the aural extremities of the genre's best purveyors, notably Otis Clay and Bobby Womack. His music evokes emotions and feelings that linger long after the song has ended. A start in his church's choir piqued Floyd's interest in music to the point of becoming proficient on many instruments, which helped tremendously in his songwriting, with his baby being the bass guitar. Floyd's mastery of instruments made him an employable commodity who has performed behind some of the industry's giants on the road. He recorded for William Bell's Wilbe Records, but cut an album prior to that association entitled Changing Times, originally issued on his Jeff Floyd Music, and reissued on Japan's P-Vine Records in 1993. Floyd headlined a concert with Trudy Lynn, and the Total Package Band at the Narni Black Festival in Italy, October of 2000. And he played regularly during the '90s with his crew, Jazz Jeff Floyd and the Sweat Band at the Contemporary Jazz Lounge in downtown Jacksonville, as well as performing opening-act duties for many of the major urban artists that rolled into Jacksonville, including a two-day concert with the Temptations at a Mother's Day show at Metropolitan Park.
Biography by Andrew Hamilton (Allmusic)
Jacksonville, FL, native Jeff Floyd (born October 1965) is a throwback Southern soul singer who conjures up images and the aural extremities of the genre's best purveyors, notably Otis Clay and Bobby Womack. His music evokes emotions and feelings that linger long after the song has ended. A start in his church's choir piqued Floyd's interest in music to the point of becoming proficient on many instruments, which helped tremendously in his songwriting, with his baby being the bass guitar. Floyd's mastery of instruments made him an employable commodity who has performed behind some of the industry's giants on the road. He recorded for William Bell's Wilbe Records, but cut an album prior to that association entitled Changing Times, originally issued on his Jeff Floyd Music, and reissued on Japan's P-Vine Records in 1993. Floyd headlined a concert with Trudy Lynn, and the Total Package Band at the Narni Black Festival in Italy, October of 2000. And he played regularly during the '90s with his crew, Jazz Jeff Floyd and the Sweat Band at the Contemporary Jazz Lounge in downtown Jacksonville, as well as performing opening-act duties for many of the major urban artists that rolled into Jacksonville, including a two-day concert with the Temptations at a Mother's Day show at Metropolitan Park.
Biography by Andrew Hamilton (Allmusic)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
JAMES INGRAM
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James Ingram (born February 16, 1956) is an American soul musician. Although most famous for his vocal performance, he is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. Additionally, he is a producer and songwriter.
Early Life
James Ingram was born in Akron, Ohio. He began his career in the '70s as part of the band Revelation Funk with Bernard Lawson, Sr., also from Akron. During this time, Ingram developed a reputation in the Los Angeles area as a session vocalist, and came to the attention of ex-Motown songwriter and producer Lamont Dozier. Dozier invited Ingram to contribute vocals to some material; one such song, "Love's Calling," garnered some airplay. The remainder of the material surfaced in 1980 on the album Zingara.
Career
James Ingram began performing with the band Revelation Funk in the early '70s, moving from Akron, OH, to Los Angeles in 1973. During the '70s, Ingram supported Ray Charles on the road with backup vocals and piano, played keyboards behind the Coasters on Dick Clark's oldies revues, and was Leon Haywood's musical director.
In 1981, Ingram provided the vocals to "Just Once" and "One Hundred Ways" on Quincy Jones's album The Dude. He won a Grammy award for best R&B vocal performance for his work on this album. Ingram's debut album, It’s Your Night, appeared in 1983, including the ballad "There’s No Easy Way." He also worked with other notable R&B artists such as Ray Charles, Michael McDonald, Patti Austin, Anita Baker, Viktor Lazlo, Nancy Wilson, Natalie Cole, and Kenny Rogers. In 1987 he teamed with American vocalist Linda Ronstadt, and had a US Pop No. 2 Hit with Somewhere Out There, theme from the animated feature film, An American Tail. The song garnered Grammy and Academy Award nominations and was certifed gold (over 500,000 US copies sold) by the RIAA. In 1990 James Ingram scored the No. 1 hit on the pop charts with the love ballad "I Don't Have the Heart" from his "It's Real" album in 1990.
Ingram performed two solos on the 1985 recording and video of "We Are the World" and was featured on "Somewhere Out There," a duet with Linda Ronstadt on the soundtrack to the 1986 film An American Tail. He also won a 1985 Grammy Award for "Yah Mo B There," a duet with Michael McDonald. He also co-wrote "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" which was recorded by Michael Jackson on his blockbuster Thriller.
His 1994 composition "The Day I Fell in Love", which he duetted with Dolly Parton, was the theme song for the movie Beethoven's 2nd and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
James Ingram (born February 16, 1956) is an American soul musician. Although most famous for his vocal performance, he is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards. Additionally, he is a producer and songwriter.
Early Life
James Ingram was born in Akron, Ohio. He began his career in the '70s as part of the band Revelation Funk with Bernard Lawson, Sr., also from Akron. During this time, Ingram developed a reputation in the Los Angeles area as a session vocalist, and came to the attention of ex-Motown songwriter and producer Lamont Dozier. Dozier invited Ingram to contribute vocals to some material; one such song, "Love's Calling," garnered some airplay. The remainder of the material surfaced in 1980 on the album Zingara.
Career
James Ingram began performing with the band Revelation Funk in the early '70s, moving from Akron, OH, to Los Angeles in 1973. During the '70s, Ingram supported Ray Charles on the road with backup vocals and piano, played keyboards behind the Coasters on Dick Clark's oldies revues, and was Leon Haywood's musical director.
In 1981, Ingram provided the vocals to "Just Once" and "One Hundred Ways" on Quincy Jones's album The Dude. He won a Grammy award for best R&B vocal performance for his work on this album. Ingram's debut album, It’s Your Night, appeared in 1983, including the ballad "There’s No Easy Way." He also worked with other notable R&B artists such as Ray Charles, Michael McDonald, Patti Austin, Anita Baker, Viktor Lazlo, Nancy Wilson, Natalie Cole, and Kenny Rogers. In 1987 he teamed with American vocalist Linda Ronstadt, and had a US Pop No. 2 Hit with Somewhere Out There, theme from the animated feature film, An American Tail. The song garnered Grammy and Academy Award nominations and was certifed gold (over 500,000 US copies sold) by the RIAA. In 1990 James Ingram scored the No. 1 hit on the pop charts with the love ballad "I Don't Have the Heart" from his "It's Real" album in 1990.
Ingram performed two solos on the 1985 recording and video of "We Are the World" and was featured on "Somewhere Out There," a duet with Linda Ronstadt on the soundtrack to the 1986 film An American Tail. He also won a 1985 Grammy Award for "Yah Mo B There," a duet with Michael McDonald. He also co-wrote "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" which was recorded by Michael Jackson on his blockbuster Thriller.
His 1994 composition "The Day I Fell in Love", which he duetted with Dolly Parton, was the theme song for the movie Beethoven's 2nd and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
KING FLOYD
boomp3.com
AMG 4 stars:
When Malaco released this "best of" collection on its Waldoxy label in 1994, it had been 17 years since King Floyd's departure from the company. After all that time, Floyd was still among the first names that came up during a discussion of Malaco's history. Recording Floyd was certainly among Malaco's finest accomplishments, and Choice Cuts offers considerable evidence of that fact. This 15-song CD, which spans 1970-77, contains all of Floyd's major hits, including "Baby, Let Me Kiss You,
" "Woman, Don't Go Astray" and his signature song, "Groove Me." Equally strong is Floyd's cover of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle," which had been a major hit for Patti Drew in 1968 and received the rock & roll treatment from the Black Crowes in 1990. Those gems are the epitome of deep-fried Southern soul — raw, tough and unapologetically gritty. But while Southern R&B was what Floyd did best, 1976 found the singer experimenting with disco and funk elements on the sleek, danceable
"Body Language." The catchy number became a dance-floor hit, but ultimately, Floyd would be best remembered for his contributions to Southern soul. For those who've never experienced the pleasures of King Floyd, Choice Cuts would be the best starting point.
AMG 4 stars:
When Malaco released this "best of" collection on its Waldoxy label in 1994, it had been 17 years since King Floyd's departure from the company. After all that time, Floyd was still among the first names that came up during a discussion of Malaco's history. Recording Floyd was certainly among Malaco's finest accomplishments, and Choice Cuts offers considerable evidence of that fact. This 15-song CD, which spans 1970-77, contains all of Floyd's major hits, including "Baby, Let Me Kiss You,
" "Woman, Don't Go Astray" and his signature song, "Groove Me." Equally strong is Floyd's cover of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle," which had been a major hit for Patti Drew in 1968 and received the rock & roll treatment from the Black Crowes in 1990. Those gems are the epitome of deep-fried Southern soul — raw, tough and unapologetically gritty. But while Southern R&B was what Floyd did best, 1976 found the singer experimenting with disco and funk elements on the sleek, danceable
"Body Language." The catchy number became a dance-floor hit, but ultimately, Floyd would be best remembered for his contributions to Southern soul. For those who've never experienced the pleasures of King Floyd, Choice Cuts would be the best starting point.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
LARRY SAUNDERS
boomp3.com
Larry's got a fantastic voice -- one that we'd rank right up there with Donny Hathaway or Marvin Gaye, and which is recorded here with sublimely spare arrangements that have a slight southern soul touch, but which are more in the east coast indie mode in which he often worked.
Larry's got a fantastic voice -- one that we'd rank right up there with Donny Hathaway or Marvin Gaye, and which is recorded here with sublimely spare arrangements that have a slight southern soul touch, but which are more in the east coast indie mode in which he often worked.
MIGHTY SAM MCCLAIN
boomp3.com
Listening to Mighty Joe Hicks put me in mind of SAM:
Vocalist Mighty Sam McClain is a specialist in Southern soul-blues, one of the original masters from the 1960s, when the music enjoyed its peak popularity. He carries on the tradition of vocalists like Bobby Bland, Solomon Burke, Otis Clay, James Carr and Otis Redding. His excellent 1990s recordings are now widely available, but that wasn't always the case.
Like so many other soul-blues vocalists, McClain began singing gospel in his mother's choir when he was five. At 13, owing to disagreements with his stepfather, he left home and lived with grandparents for a while before hooking up with Little Melvin Underwood. He worked with Underwood first as a valet and later as a featured vocalist in his road show.
His inspirations included Little Willie John, Clyde McPhatter of the Drifters, B.B. King, and Bobby "Blue" Bland. McClain recalled seeing Bland at the city auditorium in Monroe, La. as a revelatory moment. Years later, McClain would open for Bland at Tipitina's, a blues club in New Orleans. To this day, he considers Bland's nod of approval a high point of his career.
While working at the 506 Club in Pensacola, Fla., in the mid-1960s, he was introduced to producer and DJ Don Schroeder. Working with Schroeder, he recorded Patsy Cline's hit "Sweet Dreams." After this, several other visits to Muscle Shoals Studios in Alabama yielded singles like "Fannie Mae" and "In the Same Old Way." McClain continued to create an ever-broadening audience for his singing via his engagements at the 506 Club and later at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. He recorded a single for Malaco and two singles for Atlantic in 1971 before falling off the music scene for awhile.
For the next 15 years or so, McClain took menial day jobs, living in Nashville and New Orleans. The Neville Brothers and others from the Crescent City scene have been credited with helping him revive his career as a singer. McClain met Mason Ruffner's drummer Kerry Brown, and the two put a band together. Shortly after, they recorded a single for Carlo Ditta's Orleans label, and McClain's recording and performing career was rejuvenated. After recording with Hubert Sumlin on Hubert Sumlin's Blues Party for the BlackTop label in 1987, McClain began to re-establish his former reputation as a great soul-blues singer, touring with Sumlin and his entourage. By the late 1980s, McClain had moved from Houston to Boston. For most of the 1990s, he's lived in Boston and southern New Hampshire.
McClain didn't record his first studio album under his own name until he was 50, through his Boston drummer Lorne Entress, who made a connection with the California-based Audioquest label.
McClain's Audioquest albums include Give It Up to Love (1992), Keep on Moving (1995), and Sledgehammer Soul and Down Home Blues (1996), the last nominated for a W.C. Handy Award. All received rave reviews from the critics, and for the first time in his life, he's in control of his own song publishing rights. Most of the songs on all three albums utilize a full horn section, and on top of this ride McClain's deep, powerful vocals, oftentimes in self-penned songs. (Give It Up to Love has since been re-released (1997) on the JVC label.) Blues for the Soul (2000) was issued on Sundazed and Sweet Dreams followed on Telarc in 2001.
Since the late 1980s, McClain's career has been on the upswing again since he put together some great backing bands and carved a niche for himself in Europe. McClain continued to tour the U.S., Europe and Canada.
Biography by Richard Skelly (Allmusic)
This live recording of McClain from a 1997 tour in Germany demonstrates how clearly interconnected the blues, soul, and gospel are. Songs express his love for people, life, and the Almighty, making the message simple yet mountain moving. The title simply states what his voice carries -- joy and pain.
Review by Char Ham (Allmusic)
Listening to Mighty Joe Hicks put me in mind of SAM:
Vocalist Mighty Sam McClain is a specialist in Southern soul-blues, one of the original masters from the 1960s, when the music enjoyed its peak popularity. He carries on the tradition of vocalists like Bobby Bland, Solomon Burke, Otis Clay, James Carr and Otis Redding. His excellent 1990s recordings are now widely available, but that wasn't always the case.
Like so many other soul-blues vocalists, McClain began singing gospel in his mother's choir when he was five. At 13, owing to disagreements with his stepfather, he left home and lived with grandparents for a while before hooking up with Little Melvin Underwood. He worked with Underwood first as a valet and later as a featured vocalist in his road show.
His inspirations included Little Willie John, Clyde McPhatter of the Drifters, B.B. King, and Bobby "Blue" Bland. McClain recalled seeing Bland at the city auditorium in Monroe, La. as a revelatory moment. Years later, McClain would open for Bland at Tipitina's, a blues club in New Orleans. To this day, he considers Bland's nod of approval a high point of his career.
While working at the 506 Club in Pensacola, Fla., in the mid-1960s, he was introduced to producer and DJ Don Schroeder. Working with Schroeder, he recorded Patsy Cline's hit "Sweet Dreams." After this, several other visits to Muscle Shoals Studios in Alabama yielded singles like "Fannie Mae" and "In the Same Old Way." McClain continued to create an ever-broadening audience for his singing via his engagements at the 506 Club and later at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. He recorded a single for Malaco and two singles for Atlantic in 1971 before falling off the music scene for awhile.
For the next 15 years or so, McClain took menial day jobs, living in Nashville and New Orleans. The Neville Brothers and others from the Crescent City scene have been credited with helping him revive his career as a singer. McClain met Mason Ruffner's drummer Kerry Brown, and the two put a band together. Shortly after, they recorded a single for Carlo Ditta's Orleans label, and McClain's recording and performing career was rejuvenated. After recording with Hubert Sumlin on Hubert Sumlin's Blues Party for the BlackTop label in 1987, McClain began to re-establish his former reputation as a great soul-blues singer, touring with Sumlin and his entourage. By the late 1980s, McClain had moved from Houston to Boston. For most of the 1990s, he's lived in Boston and southern New Hampshire.
McClain didn't record his first studio album under his own name until he was 50, through his Boston drummer Lorne Entress, who made a connection with the California-based Audioquest label.
McClain's Audioquest albums include Give It Up to Love (1992), Keep on Moving (1995), and Sledgehammer Soul and Down Home Blues (1996), the last nominated for a W.C. Handy Award. All received rave reviews from the critics, and for the first time in his life, he's in control of his own song publishing rights. Most of the songs on all three albums utilize a full horn section, and on top of this ride McClain's deep, powerful vocals, oftentimes in self-penned songs. (Give It Up to Love has since been re-released (1997) on the JVC label.) Blues for the Soul (2000) was issued on Sundazed and Sweet Dreams followed on Telarc in 2001.
Since the late 1980s, McClain's career has been on the upswing again since he put together some great backing bands and carved a niche for himself in Europe. McClain continued to tour the U.S., Europe and Canada.
Biography by Richard Skelly (Allmusic)
This live recording of McClain from a 1997 tour in Germany demonstrates how clearly interconnected the blues, soul, and gospel are. Songs express his love for people, life, and the Almighty, making the message simple yet mountain moving. The title simply states what his voice carries -- joy and pain.
Review by Char Ham (Allmusic)
MIGHTY JOE HICKS
boomp3.com
Mighty Joe Hicks took a different approach to the Stax formula of secular gospel, Hicks was a blues-oriented performer whose songs mixed Delta strains with more contemporary sounds.
If you like soul-blues this is for you. (like Solomon Burke, Eddie Floyd, Arthur Alexander & Frederick Knight)
Mighty Joe Hicks took a different approach to the Stax formula of secular gospel, Hicks was a blues-oriented performer whose songs mixed Delta strains with more contemporary sounds.
If you like soul-blues this is for you. (like Solomon Burke, Eddie Floyd, Arthur Alexander & Frederick Knight)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
RANDY BROWN
boomp3.com
Memphis vocalist Randy had a deep, frequently entrancing voice and captivating delivery, though he never enjoyed major success or consistent hits. He recorded for Parachute and Chocolate City in the late '70s and early '80s, often doing songs written by Homer Banks and Chuck Brooks, who also produced much of the material on 'Intimately' and 'Midnight Desire'. Randy's lone hit was "We Ought To Be Doin' It" in 1980, which made it to #16 on the R&B charts. He kept plugging, recording as recently as 1988 for Three-Way Records. The brother of William Brown, a member of The Mad Lads, Randy is still active on the Gospel scene.
The late seventies and very early eighties were the years of the ultra-smooth swaying dancers and very very laid-back bedroom stories. Both styles had a great ambassador in Randy Brown, an ultra soulful singer whose work is sadly very underrated. This man has some serious soul tunes on each and every one of his albums. So don't be misled by his dubious attire on the record sleeves, this is more than just a poor man's Barry White. "Welcome to my room" was completely written and produced by that famous duo Homer Banks and Carl Hampton. Songs with title like "Do it baby", "I wanna make love to you" and "I'm always in the mood" turn out to be brilliant floaters and dancers with all the right moves. Check this guy out, if you like for instance) Prince Phillip Mitchell, Marvin Gaye or David Oliver.
by Greg Burgess
Memphis vocalist Randy had a deep, frequently entrancing voice and captivating delivery, though he never enjoyed major success or consistent hits. He recorded for Parachute and Chocolate City in the late '70s and early '80s, often doing songs written by Homer Banks and Chuck Brooks, who also produced much of the material on 'Intimately' and 'Midnight Desire'. Randy's lone hit was "We Ought To Be Doin' It" in 1980, which made it to #16 on the R&B charts. He kept plugging, recording as recently as 1988 for Three-Way Records. The brother of William Brown, a member of The Mad Lads, Randy is still active on the Gospel scene.
The late seventies and very early eighties were the years of the ultra-smooth swaying dancers and very very laid-back bedroom stories. Both styles had a great ambassador in Randy Brown, an ultra soulful singer whose work is sadly very underrated. This man has some serious soul tunes on each and every one of his albums. So don't be misled by his dubious attire on the record sleeves, this is more than just a poor man's Barry White. "Welcome to my room" was completely written and produced by that famous duo Homer Banks and Carl Hampton. Songs with title like "Do it baby", "I wanna make love to you" and "I'm always in the mood" turn out to be brilliant floaters and dancers with all the right moves. Check this guy out, if you like for instance) Prince Phillip Mitchell, Marvin Gaye or David Oliver.
by Greg Burgess
Sunday, June 22, 2008
SAM COOKE
Enuf said!! It is a twofer Sunday - I couldn't decide what to put up - so here they both are:
Review:
Hit Kit
Some smoking uptempo tunes, wailing ballads, and even interesting pop and novelty material. Sam Cooke was at his commercial peak in the early '60s, and if you ever find this anywhere, grab it quickly. It's well worth having. Someday, a major label will wise up and either put all Cooke's Keen, RCA, and Sar material back in print or put out a huge boxed set package.
Review by Ron Wynn (Allmusic)
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IN MY OPINION: IT DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS:
'A TRIBUTE TO THE LADY'
An album that's seldom been seen and disappeared almost as quickly as it was released. Sam Cooke turned these songs inside out with twisting, awesome interpretations. It was one of the few times he was able to break out of the light pop/teen idol bag in a studio and pour his heart into great lyrics and numbers.
Review by Ron Wynn (Allmusic)
boomp3.com
Review:
Hit Kit
Some smoking uptempo tunes, wailing ballads, and even interesting pop and novelty material. Sam Cooke was at his commercial peak in the early '60s, and if you ever find this anywhere, grab it quickly. It's well worth having. Someday, a major label will wise up and either put all Cooke's Keen, RCA, and Sar material back in print or put out a huge boxed set package.
Review by Ron Wynn (Allmusic)
boomp3.com
IN MY OPINION: IT DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS:
'A TRIBUTE TO THE LADY'
An album that's seldom been seen and disappeared almost as quickly as it was released. Sam Cooke turned these songs inside out with twisting, awesome interpretations. It was one of the few times he was able to break out of the light pop/teen idol bag in a studio and pour his heart into great lyrics and numbers.
Review by Ron Wynn (Allmusic)
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PATRICK HENRY
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Henry has a strong, elastic tenor voice like Chuck Roberson that's just as clean as it was back when he was fronting the Louisiana-based R & B group Patrick Henry & The Liberation Band. Since then he's been one of those talented vocalists that falls beneath the radar anywhere outside the chitlin' circuit but has enough interested listeners to always make a little noise in the South.
Henry has a strong, elastic tenor voice like Chuck Roberson that's just as clean as it was back when he was fronting the Louisiana-based R & B group Patrick Henry & The Liberation Band. Since then he's been one of those talented vocalists that falls beneath the radar anywhere outside the chitlin' circuit but has enough interested listeners to always make a little noise in the South.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
ELOISE LAWS
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The sister of flutist Hubert, saxophonist Ronnie, and vocalist Debra, Eloise Laws was born in 1949, in Houston, TX. She began recording for Holland-Dozier-Holland's Music Merchant label and had a couple singles released in 1972-1973: "Tighten Him Up" and "Love Factory." When the famous songwriting team folded Music Merchant, they signed Laws to Invictus. They released a few singles and her first LP, 1977's Ain't It Good Feeling Good. Due to mismanagement, Invictus folded and Laws jumped to ABC to record Eloise, released later that year. Linda Creed, who co-produced the album, produced 1980's Eloise Laws, released on Liberty. All in Time, for Capitol, followed two years later. During this phase of her career, she was also featured on a number of albums by her contemporaries, including Harvey Mason's Funk in a Mason Jar, Aquarian Dream's Fantasy, Lee Oskar's Before the Rain, Ahmad Jamal's One, and several releases by her siblings. She went inactive as a solo artist until the late '90s, when she released The Key (1999) and Secrets (2003) on her brother Hubert's Scepterstein label. She spent part of the time away from the studio establishing herself in the theater, even co-writing and taking the original lead role in the Tony-nominated It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues. While her recordings have deserved much more recognition than they've been given, the level of notoriety for her stage work — including several nominations and awards throughout the years — has been more fitting.
Biography by Andrew Hamilton (Allmusic)
The sister of flutist Hubert, saxophonist Ronnie, and vocalist Debra, Eloise Laws was born in 1949, in Houston, TX. She began recording for Holland-Dozier-Holland's Music Merchant label and had a couple singles released in 1972-1973: "Tighten Him Up" and "Love Factory." When the famous songwriting team folded Music Merchant, they signed Laws to Invictus. They released a few singles and her first LP, 1977's Ain't It Good Feeling Good. Due to mismanagement, Invictus folded and Laws jumped to ABC to record Eloise, released later that year. Linda Creed, who co-produced the album, produced 1980's Eloise Laws, released on Liberty. All in Time, for Capitol, followed two years later. During this phase of her career, she was also featured on a number of albums by her contemporaries, including Harvey Mason's Funk in a Mason Jar, Aquarian Dream's Fantasy, Lee Oskar's Before the Rain, Ahmad Jamal's One, and several releases by her siblings. She went inactive as a solo artist until the late '90s, when she released The Key (1999) and Secrets (2003) on her brother Hubert's Scepterstein label. She spent part of the time away from the studio establishing herself in the theater, even co-writing and taking the original lead role in the Tony-nominated It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues. While her recordings have deserved much more recognition than they've been given, the level of notoriety for her stage work — including several nominations and awards throughout the years — has been more fitting.
Biography by Andrew Hamilton (Allmusic)
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
SANDRA WRIGHT
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Vermont-based blues and soul singer Sandra Wright began singing gospel in her native Memphis at age four. She majored in music at Tennessee State University and after winning a local talent contest, she got an offer from the National Black Opera Company to join them on a European tour. But she also simultaneously received an offer to join a Nashville R&B group, the Canned Souls. She took the latter and joined them on the road for the next three years. The group was named Cashbox magazine's "Newcomers picked to click in 1969-70'' for their single, 'Unbelievable'. That group split up in 1971, and Wright spent the next 17 years performing in clubs around Nashville. She also recorded several singles for Truth Records, a subsidiary of Stax.
She also sang on numerous radio and TV jingles throughout her time in Nashville, and in 1986, she joined the Nashville Minstrel Players. In 1988, she performed her one-woman play/tribute to Bessie Smith at the Chattanooga Music Festival. By 1990, she was working as the lead singer for another Nashville R&B group, Bordello, leaving for half a year to open for Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown. After her touring with Brown, Wright formed her own group and toured the country. The Sandra Wright Band recorded their debut in 1992 and later that year relocated to Vermont. Her 1995 album Shake You Down is available on the Hipshake Records label.
Wright continues to tour with her blues and soul group and also tours with a jazz trio from her home in Vermont.
Biography by Richard Skelly (Allmusic)
Vermont-based blues and soul singer Sandra Wright began singing gospel in her native Memphis at age four. She majored in music at Tennessee State University and after winning a local talent contest, she got an offer from the National Black Opera Company to join them on a European tour. But she also simultaneously received an offer to join a Nashville R&B group, the Canned Souls. She took the latter and joined them on the road for the next three years. The group was named Cashbox magazine's "Newcomers picked to click in 1969-70'' for their single, 'Unbelievable'. That group split up in 1971, and Wright spent the next 17 years performing in clubs around Nashville. She also recorded several singles for Truth Records, a subsidiary of Stax.
She also sang on numerous radio and TV jingles throughout her time in Nashville, and in 1986, she joined the Nashville Minstrel Players. In 1988, she performed her one-woman play/tribute to Bessie Smith at the Chattanooga Music Festival. By 1990, she was working as the lead singer for another Nashville R&B group, Bordello, leaving for half a year to open for Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown. After her touring with Brown, Wright formed her own group and toured the country. The Sandra Wright Band recorded their debut in 1992 and later that year relocated to Vermont. Her 1995 album Shake You Down is available on the Hipshake Records label.
Wright continues to tour with her blues and soul group and also tours with a jazz trio from her home in Vermont.
Biography by Richard Skelly (Allmusic)
JESSE JAMES
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Deep soul singer Jesse James was born in 1943 in El Dorado, AR, with the handle James McClelland. He moved to the Bay Area while still a child, and came up during the early '60s singing in nightclubs (where his name was changed by an MC who couldn't pronounce his given name). He recorded a few singles for the area labels Shirley and Hit (several with guitar work from Sly Stone), then made the big time when he switched to 20th Century. "Believe in Me Baby, Pt. 1" was a modest pop and R&B hit during 1967, and his self-titled debut LP followed the next year. His biggest hit, 1970's "Don't Nobody Want to Get Married, Pt. 2," reached the R&B Top 20for the ZEA label, and he continued recording during the '70s and '80s for T.T.E.D. and Gunsmoke. The latter was the label for full-lengths like 1988's I Can Do Bad by Myself and 1993's Operator Please Put Me Through.
Biography by John Bush (Allmusic)
Deep soul singer Jesse James was born in 1943 in El Dorado, AR, with the handle James McClelland. He moved to the Bay Area while still a child, and came up during the early '60s singing in nightclubs (where his name was changed by an MC who couldn't pronounce his given name). He recorded a few singles for the area labels Shirley and Hit (several with guitar work from Sly Stone), then made the big time when he switched to 20th Century. "Believe in Me Baby, Pt. 1" was a modest pop and R&B hit during 1967, and his self-titled debut LP followed the next year. His biggest hit, 1970's "Don't Nobody Want to Get Married, Pt. 2," reached the R&B Top 20for the ZEA label, and he continued recording during the '70s and '80s for T.T.E.D. and Gunsmoke. The latter was the label for full-lengths like 1988's I Can Do Bad by Myself and 1993's Operator Please Put Me Through.
Biography by John Bush (Allmusic)
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
CAROLYN CRAWFORD
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Carolyn Crawford was a vocalist on Motown's Tamla label in the 1960s. She sang backup vocals for many Motown artists before releasing three singles of her own, the most successful being "My Smile Is Just a Frown Turned Upside Down." Never receiving the attention or promotion of larger acts, Crawford left Motown in 1965. She briefly returned to music as a background vocalist and occasional producer of minor disco hits in the 1970s. Crawford was a vocalist on Hamilton Bohannon's 1978 hit "Let's Start The Dance". In 1989 she joined Ian Levine's Motorcity project and recorded the album Heartaches including the single "Timeless" which later became a favourite on the UK Northern soul circuit
Today, both her singles and unreleased session material are popular on bootlegged Motown and soul compilations.
Carolyn Crawford was a vocalist on Motown's Tamla label in the 1960s. She sang backup vocals for many Motown artists before releasing three singles of her own, the most successful being "My Smile Is Just a Frown Turned Upside Down." Never receiving the attention or promotion of larger acts, Crawford left Motown in 1965. She briefly returned to music as a background vocalist and occasional producer of minor disco hits in the 1970s. Crawford was a vocalist on Hamilton Bohannon's 1978 hit "Let's Start The Dance". In 1989 she joined Ian Levine's Motorcity project and recorded the album Heartaches including the single "Timeless" which later became a favourite on the UK Northern soul circuit
Today, both her singles and unreleased session material are popular on bootlegged Motown and soul compilations.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
JOHNNY TAYLOR
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Some folks still get them mixed up, so to get it straight from the outset, Little Johnny Taylor was best known for his scorching slow blues smashes "Part Time Love" (for Bay Area-based Galaxy Records in 1963) and 1971's "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing" for Ronn Records in Shreveport, LA. This Johnny Taylor was definitely not the suave Sam Cooke protégé who blitzed the charts with "Who's Making Love" for Stax in 1968; that's Johnnie Taylor, who added to the confusion by covering "Part Time Love" for Stax. Another similarity between the two Taylors: Both hailed from strong gospel backgrounds.
Little Johnny came to Los Angeles in 1950 and did a stint with the Mighty Clouds of Joy before going secular. Influenced by Little Willie John, he debuted as an R&B artist with a pair of 45s for Hunter Hancock's Swingin' logo, but his career didn't soar until he inked a pact with Fantasy's Galaxy subsidiary in 1963 (where he benefited from crisp production by Cliff Goldsmith and Ray Shanklin's arrangements).
The gliding midtempo blues "You'll Need Another Favor," firmly in a Bobby Bland mode, was Taylor's first chart item. He followed it up with the tortured R&B chart-topper "Part Time Love," which found him testifying in gospel-fired style over Arthur Wright's biting guitar and a grinding, horn-leavened downbeat groove. The singer also did fairly well with "Since I Found a New Love" in 1964 and "Zig Zag Lightning" in 1966.
Taylor's tenure at Stan Lewis's Ronn imprint elicited the slow blues mash "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing" in 1971 and a similar witty hit follow-up, "Open House at My House," the next year (both were covered later by Z.Z. Hill for Malaco). While at Ronn, Little Johnny cut some duets with yet another Taylor, this one named Ted (no, they weren't related either). Though he recorded only sparingly during the 1980s and '90s, he remained an active performer until his death in 2002.
Everybody Knows About My Good Thing & Open House At My House - This twofer was released in 2001.
A great simmering soul-blues album. Two R&B hits — "It's My Fault Darling" and the ironic two-part title cut, later revived by Z.Z. Hill — share microgroove space with eight more solid efforts, supervised by Miles Grayson (who co-wrote a good deal of the album). — Bill Dahl (Allmusic)
Some folks still get them mixed up, so to get it straight from the outset, Little Johnny Taylor was best known for his scorching slow blues smashes "Part Time Love" (for Bay Area-based Galaxy Records in 1963) and 1971's "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing" for Ronn Records in Shreveport, LA. This Johnny Taylor was definitely not the suave Sam Cooke protégé who blitzed the charts with "Who's Making Love" for Stax in 1968; that's Johnnie Taylor, who added to the confusion by covering "Part Time Love" for Stax. Another similarity between the two Taylors: Both hailed from strong gospel backgrounds.
Little Johnny came to Los Angeles in 1950 and did a stint with the Mighty Clouds of Joy before going secular. Influenced by Little Willie John, he debuted as an R&B artist with a pair of 45s for Hunter Hancock's Swingin' logo, but his career didn't soar until he inked a pact with Fantasy's Galaxy subsidiary in 1963 (where he benefited from crisp production by Cliff Goldsmith and Ray Shanklin's arrangements).
The gliding midtempo blues "You'll Need Another Favor," firmly in a Bobby Bland mode, was Taylor's first chart item. He followed it up with the tortured R&B chart-topper "Part Time Love," which found him testifying in gospel-fired style over Arthur Wright's biting guitar and a grinding, horn-leavened downbeat groove. The singer also did fairly well with "Since I Found a New Love" in 1964 and "Zig Zag Lightning" in 1966.
Taylor's tenure at Stan Lewis's Ronn imprint elicited the slow blues mash "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing" in 1971 and a similar witty hit follow-up, "Open House at My House," the next year (both were covered later by Z.Z. Hill for Malaco). While at Ronn, Little Johnny cut some duets with yet another Taylor, this one named Ted (no, they weren't related either). Though he recorded only sparingly during the 1980s and '90s, he remained an active performer until his death in 2002.
Everybody Knows About My Good Thing & Open House At My House - This twofer was released in 2001.
A great simmering soul-blues album. Two R&B hits — "It's My Fault Darling" and the ironic two-part title cut, later revived by Z.Z. Hill — share microgroove space with eight more solid efforts, supervised by Miles Grayson (who co-wrote a good deal of the album). — Bill Dahl (Allmusic)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
MITTY COLLIER
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Biography by Ed Hogan
Singer Mitty Collier is best known for her sensual orchestrated ballad "I Had a Talk With My Man," a 1964 Chess single, which ironically wasn't her highest-charting single. A later single, "Sharing You," was a Top Ten R&B hit. "...Man" has been covered by Dusty Springfield (Anthology, 1997), Shirley Brown (Timeless, 1991), Inez Foxx (Memphis & More, 1996), and Marva Wright (Marvalous, 1995), among others.
Born June 21, 1941, in Birmingham, AL, Mitty Collier sang in church as a teen and toured with the Hayes Ensemble, a gospel group. While in college, Collier started singing rhythm and blues in local clubs. While visiting her brother in Chicago in the summer of 1959, a former instructor suggested that she enter talent shows. Winning WGES DJ Al Benson's Talent Contest at the legendary Regal Theater for six weeks straight, she was offered a record contract by Ralph Bass of Chess Records in 1960.
Her first charting single was an answer record to Little Johnny Taylor's "Part Time Love," a number one R&B smash in summer 1963. Collier's "I'm Your Part Time Love" b/w "Don't You Forget It" hit number 20 R&B in fall 1963. Her next hit became her signature song. Inspired in part by gospel great James Cleveland's "I Had a Talk With God Last Night" and produced by Chess staff producer Billy Davis, "I Had a Talk With My Man" b/w "Free Girl (In the Morning)" hit number three R&B on Cashbox Magazine's R&B chart in fall 1964. Another hit inspired by Cleveland ("No Cross No Crown"), "No Faith, No Love" b/w "Together," peaked at number 29 R&B in early 1965.
Collier's other Chess singles were "Come Back Baby" b/w "Aint That Love," the local hit "For My Man" b/w "Help Me," "Sharing You" b/w " Walk Away," "Watching and Waiting" b/w "Like Only Yesterday," "That'll Be Good Enough" b/w "Git Out," and "You're the Only One" b/w "Do It With Confidence." In 1969, Collier signed with Peachtree Records of Atlanta, GA and released the singles "True Love Never Comes Easy" and "You Hurt So Good" b/w "I Can't Lose." Her other releases are the single "Let Them Talk" and the U.K. CD Shades of Genius.
In 1972, Collier left secular music and began singing gospel music. In the '90s, she was a minister at a church in Chicago. Mitty Collier had a feature story in issue number 66 of Goldmine Magazine.
Biography by Ed Hogan
Singer Mitty Collier is best known for her sensual orchestrated ballad "I Had a Talk With My Man," a 1964 Chess single, which ironically wasn't her highest-charting single. A later single, "Sharing You," was a Top Ten R&B hit. "...Man" has been covered by Dusty Springfield (Anthology, 1997), Shirley Brown (Timeless, 1991), Inez Foxx (Memphis & More, 1996), and Marva Wright (Marvalous, 1995), among others.
Born June 21, 1941, in Birmingham, AL, Mitty Collier sang in church as a teen and toured with the Hayes Ensemble, a gospel group. While in college, Collier started singing rhythm and blues in local clubs. While visiting her brother in Chicago in the summer of 1959, a former instructor suggested that she enter talent shows. Winning WGES DJ Al Benson's Talent Contest at the legendary Regal Theater for six weeks straight, she was offered a record contract by Ralph Bass of Chess Records in 1960.
Her first charting single was an answer record to Little Johnny Taylor's "Part Time Love," a number one R&B smash in summer 1963. Collier's "I'm Your Part Time Love" b/w "Don't You Forget It" hit number 20 R&B in fall 1963. Her next hit became her signature song. Inspired in part by gospel great James Cleveland's "I Had a Talk With God Last Night" and produced by Chess staff producer Billy Davis, "I Had a Talk With My Man" b/w "Free Girl (In the Morning)" hit number three R&B on Cashbox Magazine's R&B chart in fall 1964. Another hit inspired by Cleveland ("No Cross No Crown"), "No Faith, No Love" b/w "Together," peaked at number 29 R&B in early 1965.
Collier's other Chess singles were "Come Back Baby" b/w "Aint That Love," the local hit "For My Man" b/w "Help Me," "Sharing You" b/w " Walk Away," "Watching and Waiting" b/w "Like Only Yesterday," "That'll Be Good Enough" b/w "Git Out," and "You're the Only One" b/w "Do It With Confidence." In 1969, Collier signed with Peachtree Records of Atlanta, GA and released the singles "True Love Never Comes Easy" and "You Hurt So Good" b/w "I Can't Lose." Her other releases are the single "Let Them Talk" and the U.K. CD Shades of Genius.
In 1972, Collier left secular music and began singing gospel music. In the '90s, she was a minister at a church in Chicago. Mitty Collier had a feature story in issue number 66 of Goldmine Magazine.
BLOODSTONE
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Biography
Formed in 1962 in Kansas City, Missouri, the group was originally a high school doo-wop group named the Sinceres. The members renamed themselves Bloodstone, learned to play instruments, started a funk band, and eventually moved to Los Angeles. Their eponymous first album, Bloodstone, introduced the songs, "That's The Way We Make Our Music", and "Natural High" which reached the R&B Top Ten, with "Natural High" reaching number ten on the Pop chart. Bloodstone became known for their funk/soul tracks that blended Jimi Hendrix-styled rock music with doo-wop and gospel music undertones. The groups other hits include, "Never Let You Go", "Outside Woman" and "My Lady". Bloodstone was instrumental in the "black rock" and funk movement of the 1970s, and even had a hand in the brown-eyed soul movement with some Latin music-tinged hits. Bloodstone performed with Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Elton John, and The Impressions.
They achieved a moderate comeback in the early 1980s with their album We Go a Long Way Back (1982), whose title track reached the R&B chart top five. The follow-up single "Go Ahead and Cry" reached number 18. The group continued to record into the mid 1980s. Bloodstone also starred in and wrote all the music for a film entitled Train Ride To Hollywood (1975). Founding member Willis Draffen died on February 8, 2002 at the age of 56.
Review:
This reissue of NATURAL HIGH (1996) contains several tracks that did not appear on the original release: "Girl (You Look So Fine)," "Judy, Judy," "Sadie Mae," "Take These Chains," "You Don`t Mean Nothin`" and "Little Green Apples."
Principally recorded at The Village Recorder, West Los Angeles, California and Command Studios, London, England in 1972. Originally released on London (620). If you went by the name alone, you`d expect a group of gothic heavy-metallers, but in fact Bloodstone is one of the most underrated R&B groups of the `70s. Though best known for the mellow hit that gives this album its name, the band used R&B/soul music as a foundation for a fresh new style that owed as much to the Beatles as to Smokey Robinson. NATURAL HIGH was Bloodstone`s commercial and artistic peak (it reached number 30 on the pop-albums chart). Throughout the album, psychedelic experimental touches like backwards tapes and heavily-processed lead guitar mingle with soulful ballads and hard-edged funk. The title track, a top-10 hit, is a beautiful ballad featuring classic falsetto soul vocals and jazzy guitar playing. Bloodstone pays homage to one of its rock and roll influences on a funked-up medley of "Bo Diddley" and "Diddley Daddy." The band can even take a pop song like "Little Green Apples" (one of several bonus tracks on this reissue) and personalize it in its inimitably soulful fashion.
Biography
Formed in 1962 in Kansas City, Missouri, the group was originally a high school doo-wop group named the Sinceres. The members renamed themselves Bloodstone, learned to play instruments, started a funk band, and eventually moved to Los Angeles. Their eponymous first album, Bloodstone, introduced the songs, "That's The Way We Make Our Music", and "Natural High" which reached the R&B Top Ten, with "Natural High" reaching number ten on the Pop chart. Bloodstone became known for their funk/soul tracks that blended Jimi Hendrix-styled rock music with doo-wop and gospel music undertones. The groups other hits include, "Never Let You Go", "Outside Woman" and "My Lady". Bloodstone was instrumental in the "black rock" and funk movement of the 1970s, and even had a hand in the brown-eyed soul movement with some Latin music-tinged hits. Bloodstone performed with Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Elton John, and The Impressions.
They achieved a moderate comeback in the early 1980s with their album We Go a Long Way Back (1982), whose title track reached the R&B chart top five. The follow-up single "Go Ahead and Cry" reached number 18. The group continued to record into the mid 1980s. Bloodstone also starred in and wrote all the music for a film entitled Train Ride To Hollywood (1975). Founding member Willis Draffen died on February 8, 2002 at the age of 56.
Review:
This reissue of NATURAL HIGH (1996) contains several tracks that did not appear on the original release: "Girl (You Look So Fine)," "Judy, Judy," "Sadie Mae," "Take These Chains," "You Don`t Mean Nothin`" and "Little Green Apples."
Principally recorded at The Village Recorder, West Los Angeles, California and Command Studios, London, England in 1972. Originally released on London (620). If you went by the name alone, you`d expect a group of gothic heavy-metallers, but in fact Bloodstone is one of the most underrated R&B groups of the `70s. Though best known for the mellow hit that gives this album its name, the band used R&B/soul music as a foundation for a fresh new style that owed as much to the Beatles as to Smokey Robinson. NATURAL HIGH was Bloodstone`s commercial and artistic peak (it reached number 30 on the pop-albums chart). Throughout the album, psychedelic experimental touches like backwards tapes and heavily-processed lead guitar mingle with soulful ballads and hard-edged funk. The title track, a top-10 hit, is a beautiful ballad featuring classic falsetto soul vocals and jazzy guitar playing. Bloodstone pays homage to one of its rock and roll influences on a funked-up medley of "Bo Diddley" and "Diddley Daddy." The band can even take a pop song like "Little Green Apples" (one of several bonus tracks on this reissue) and personalize it in its inimitably soulful fashion.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
WILLIAM BELL
A principal architect of the Stax/Volt sound, singer/composer William Bell remains best known for his classic "You Don't Miss Your Water," one of the quintessential soul records to emerge from the Memphis scene. Born William Yarborough on July 16, 1939, he cut his teeth backing Rufus Thomas, and in 1957 recorded his first sides as a member of the Del Rios. After joining the Stax staff as a writer, in 1961 Bell made his solo debut with the self-penned "You Don't Miss Your Water," an archetypal slice of country-soul and one of the label's first big hits. A two-year Armed Forces stint effectively derailed his career, however, and he did not release his first full-length album, The Soul of a Bell, until 1967, generating a Top 20 hit with the single "Everybody Loves a Winner"; that same year, Albert King also scored with another classic Bell composition, the oft-covered "Born Under a Bad Sign."
Bell's next solo hit, 1968's "A Tribute to a King," was a poignant farewell to the late Otis Redding; the R&B Top Ten hit "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" soon followed, and a series of duets with Judy Clay, most notably "Private Number," also earned airplay. In 1969, he relocated to Atlanta and set up his own label, Peachtree;
the hits dried up as the next decade opened, but in 1977 Bell capped a major comeback with "Trying to Love Two," which topped the R&B charts. In 1985, he founded another label, Wilbe, and issued Passion, which found its most receptive audiences in the U.K. (although "I Don't Want to Wake Up Feeling Guilty," a duet with Janice Bullock, was a minor U.S. hit). In addition to subsequent LPs, including 1989's On a Roll and 1992's Bedtime Stories, in 1987 Bell was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, that same year receiving the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's R&B Pioneer Award. After 1992, Bell took a lengthy hiatus from the recording studio, though he still performed regularly. In 2000, he released an album of all-new material on Wilbe entitled A Portrait Is Forever and followed it six years later with New Lease on Life. In between he was honored with the 2003 W.C. Handy Heritage Award.
Biography by Jason Ankeny (Allmusic)
It's Time You Took Another Listen
Review
This features William Bell's last major hit, "Easy Coming Out (Hard Going In)," which speaks of the ease of slipping out but the difficulty of returning home in the wee hours of the morning. The album's chocked with smooth Southern soul productions like "Yesterday I Lied, Today I Cried," "Satin Sheets," "Your Love Keeps Me Going," and "Hollywood Streetwalker." This LP is more polished than his Stax releases, a closer marriage to urban than traditional Memphis soul, but a solid commitment from Mercury was lacking. After two hits on two albums, Bell and Mercury parted company.
He switched to Ichiban and then started Wilbe Records in Atlanta, GA, where he records himself and others.
by Andrew Hamilton (Allmusic)
Bell's next solo hit, 1968's "A Tribute to a King," was a poignant farewell to the late Otis Redding; the R&B Top Ten hit "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" soon followed, and a series of duets with Judy Clay, most notably "Private Number," also earned airplay. In 1969, he relocated to Atlanta and set up his own label, Peachtree;
the hits dried up as the next decade opened, but in 1977 Bell capped a major comeback with "Trying to Love Two," which topped the R&B charts. In 1985, he founded another label, Wilbe, and issued Passion, which found its most receptive audiences in the U.K. (although "I Don't Want to Wake Up Feeling Guilty," a duet with Janice Bullock, was a minor U.S. hit). In addition to subsequent LPs, including 1989's On a Roll and 1992's Bedtime Stories, in 1987 Bell was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, that same year receiving the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's R&B Pioneer Award. After 1992, Bell took a lengthy hiatus from the recording studio, though he still performed regularly. In 2000, he released an album of all-new material on Wilbe entitled A Portrait Is Forever and followed it six years later with New Lease on Life. In between he was honored with the 2003 W.C. Handy Heritage Award.
Biography by Jason Ankeny (Allmusic)
It's Time You Took Another Listen
Review
This features William Bell's last major hit, "Easy Coming Out (Hard Going In)," which speaks of the ease of slipping out but the difficulty of returning home in the wee hours of the morning. The album's chocked with smooth Southern soul productions like "Yesterday I Lied, Today I Cried," "Satin Sheets," "Your Love Keeps Me Going," and "Hollywood Streetwalker." This LP is more polished than his Stax releases, a closer marriage to urban than traditional Memphis soul, but a solid commitment from Mercury was lacking. After two hits on two albums, Bell and Mercury parted company.
He switched to Ichiban and then started Wilbe Records in Atlanta, GA, where he records himself and others.
by Andrew Hamilton (Allmusic)
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
OTIS CLAY - REQUEST
I had a request for Hard Working Woman by Otis. I checked my 9 cd's, some albums a few 45's and could only find the song on 1 - Live In Japan - So here it is SweetE811 - In Remembrance of your Mom ... Maybe someone else will have it and post it ????
BTW I consider this my fav recording of his - because he is live. And this is exactly what one of his shows is like .... He's like Etta James - Live - once you see the show - you won't enjoy the studio recordings ... they need an audience to catch a groove. Enjoy!
BTW I consider this my fav recording of his - because he is live. And this is exactly what one of his shows is like .... He's like Etta James - Live - once you see the show - you won't enjoy the studio recordings ... they need an audience to catch a groove. Enjoy!
OTIS CLAY
I have seen Otis many times and never get tired of watching him. It's like seeing Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge or Solomon Burke back in the day - brings back so many memories when all these folks toured in small bars and not large concert halls or arenas - where at the most there were 200 people in the joint. And the cover charge would be about $10.00 or so .... cocktails were extra!!
But of course, a lot of you never got to see those guys up close & personal .... LOL - He knows how to play an audience - and his cover's of O.V. Wrights tunes are great! As general rule I don't like cover artists .....
Bio:
Otis Clay made most of his best-known records in Memphis during the early '70s, but he's still universally hailed as Chicago's deep soul king. In a city filled to overflowing with legendary blues artists, Clay has become the proud standard-bearer for Chicago's enduring soul tradition.
Like so many of his contemporaries, Clay's intense vocal style reflects a gospel background. He made the secular jump in 1965, signing with Chicago's One-derful Records and issuing a series of gospel-tinged soul records that were a lot grittier than the customary Windy City soul sound. Clay inaugurated Atlantic's Cotillion subsidiary in 1968 with a supercharged cover of the Sir Douglas Quintet's "She's About a Mover," produced by Rick Hall in Muscle Shoals shortly before the singer joined forces with Hi Records boss Willie Mitchell. With the relentlessly driving Hi Rhythm Section in tow, Clay waxed his biggest seller in 1972 "Trying to Live My Life Without You," later covered very successfully by Bob Seger.
Although Clay's tenure on Hi may have been his most commercially potent, he steadily recorded and gigged ever since. He is a genuine hero in Japan, where he's recorded two sizzling live albums filled with the churning grooves, punchy horns, and searing vocals that inevitably characterize the best deep soul — no matter where it's recorded, a fact proved by another live set recorded in Switzerland in 2003, Respect Yourself, and released in 2005 by Blind Pig Records. In 2007, Clay returned to the studio and recorded the gospel album Walk a Mile in My Shoes on his Chicago-based Echo label.
Biography by Bill Dahl (Allmusic)
Review:
Best of the Hi Records Years is an excellent collection of Otis Clay's early-'70s heyday, featuring such songs as "If I Could Reach Out" and the classic "Trying to Live My Life Without You." Although these recordings aren't quite as gritty as his singles for One-derful! and Cotillion Records, the tight Hi rhythm section keeps things at a steady, sexy groove, so they are nevertheless excellent and deeply soulful and are arguably his best work, making this compilation an essential addition to any comprehensive '70s soul collection.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic)
But of course, a lot of you never got to see those guys up close & personal .... LOL - He knows how to play an audience - and his cover's of O.V. Wrights tunes are great! As general rule I don't like cover artists .....
Bio:
Otis Clay made most of his best-known records in Memphis during the early '70s, but he's still universally hailed as Chicago's deep soul king. In a city filled to overflowing with legendary blues artists, Clay has become the proud standard-bearer for Chicago's enduring soul tradition.
Like so many of his contemporaries, Clay's intense vocal style reflects a gospel background. He made the secular jump in 1965, signing with Chicago's One-derful Records and issuing a series of gospel-tinged soul records that were a lot grittier than the customary Windy City soul sound. Clay inaugurated Atlantic's Cotillion subsidiary in 1968 with a supercharged cover of the Sir Douglas Quintet's "She's About a Mover," produced by Rick Hall in Muscle Shoals shortly before the singer joined forces with Hi Records boss Willie Mitchell. With the relentlessly driving Hi Rhythm Section in tow, Clay waxed his biggest seller in 1972 "Trying to Live My Life Without You," later covered very successfully by Bob Seger.
Although Clay's tenure on Hi may have been his most commercially potent, he steadily recorded and gigged ever since. He is a genuine hero in Japan, where he's recorded two sizzling live albums filled with the churning grooves, punchy horns, and searing vocals that inevitably characterize the best deep soul — no matter where it's recorded, a fact proved by another live set recorded in Switzerland in 2003, Respect Yourself, and released in 2005 by Blind Pig Records. In 2007, Clay returned to the studio and recorded the gospel album Walk a Mile in My Shoes on his Chicago-based Echo label.
Biography by Bill Dahl (Allmusic)
Review:
Best of the Hi Records Years is an excellent collection of Otis Clay's early-'70s heyday, featuring such songs as "If I Could Reach Out" and the classic "Trying to Live My Life Without You." Although these recordings aren't quite as gritty as his singles for One-derful! and Cotillion Records, the tight Hi rhythm section keeps things at a steady, sexy groove, so they are nevertheless excellent and deeply soulful and are arguably his best work, making this compilation an essential addition to any comprehensive '70s soul collection.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic)
Monday, June 9, 2008
MARVIN SEASE
Daddy B. Nice's #6 ranked Southern Soul Artist
How important is Marvin Sease to Southern Soul rhythm and blues? Before the death of Johnnie Taylor in 2000, Sease was already a chitlin' circuit favorite--a rung or two beneath Taylor, perhaps--but a thoroughly popular and beloved artist due to his "wild man" reputation as the author of such bawdy classics as "Candy Licker," "Ghetto Man" and "Hoochie Momma."
Sease's songs were too sexually explicit for the radio air waves, an adult R&B tradition stretching back through Chick Willis's "Stoop Down, Baby. . . Let Your Daddy See" and Clarence Carter's "Strokin'." But (as is so often the case) the very X-rated notoriety of the tracks stimulated a strong and loyal underground response that propelled Sease's career through a steady succession of colorful and increasingly creditable 90's albums.
**IF you have sensitive ears - this not for you!
How important is Marvin Sease to Southern Soul rhythm and blues? Before the death of Johnnie Taylor in 2000, Sease was already a chitlin' circuit favorite--a rung or two beneath Taylor, perhaps--but a thoroughly popular and beloved artist due to his "wild man" reputation as the author of such bawdy classics as "Candy Licker," "Ghetto Man" and "Hoochie Momma."
Sease's songs were too sexually explicit for the radio air waves, an adult R&B tradition stretching back through Chick Willis's "Stoop Down, Baby. . . Let Your Daddy See" and Clarence Carter's "Strokin'." But (as is so often the case) the very X-rated notoriety of the tracks stimulated a strong and loyal underground response that propelled Sease's career through a steady succession of colorful and increasingly creditable 90's albums.
**IF you have sensitive ears - this not for you!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
LIZZ WRIGHT
This young lady is certainly kickin' butt in the rave reviews department - from Soul to Jazz. Hard to categorize her. I'll put up one review and links to others for you to check out and decide for yourself. I like her - but then again it's my blog - LOL - Check her out on You Tube.
Review:
Southern soul’s genteel side finds perfect expression in Lizz Wright’s latest release, The Orchard. Smart, passionate, and lucid, the gifted songstress from Hahira, Georgia reconnects with the rhythms, lessons, and spirits of her rural past. Finding strength, wisdom, and perspective in the comforting memories of home, Wright bears her soul without the slightest hint of trepidation. Her passionate testimonials on birthplace, love, heartbreak, and life are intensely personal, yet deeply rooted in a much larger tradition. One hears echoes of the country blues found in the work of artists as varied as Terry Callier, Bill Withers, Tracy Chapman, and Cassandra Wilson.
One also hears a woman increasingly comfortable with her own story. Supported by songwriter/guitarist Toshi Reagon, John Leventhal, Dave Tozer, and her producer Craig Street, Wright penned lyrics for The Orchard’s eight originals. Continuing the eclectic style forged on her first two releases, Salt and Dreaming Wide Awake, the burgeoning writer synthesizes different worlds, traditions, and rhythms. None of her compositions lend themselves to easy categorization. The stunning opener “Coming Home” showcases her deep roots in the Holiness church, but the song’s spiritual sentiments extend far beyond the type of religiosity manifest on Sunday morning. The singer’s jazz training shines in her immaculate phrasing on “Another Angel” and “When I Fall”, yet these pop-inflected tunes seem ready made for regular rotation on adult contemporary radio.
Consider Wright a skilled alchemist who refuses to let one genre have the final word. Spirituals, gospel, folk, country, and rock inhabit the same space in her sonic and existential world. Small surprise given Wright’s broad influences and interests, the covers on The Orchard are as diverse as the originals. Once again proving her deft interpretive skills, Wright wraps her beautiful contralto around Ike and Tina Turner’s sultry, “I Idolize You”, Led Zeppelin’s gorgeous “Thank You”, Patsy Cline’s haunting “Strange”, and the Sweet Honey in the Rock classic, “Hey Mann”. She confidently inserts own individuality into these songs without compromising their integrity. Trusting the strength of her stories and the emotional intensity of her voice, Wright sings with a powerful delicacy. Never does she rely on bogus melismas or meandering solos from her band to convey life’s joys and pains.
One drawback to her minimalist approach, however, is her tendency to leave the listener wanting more. A case in point is the spine-quivering “Speak Your Heart”, with backing vocals from Chocolate Genius, Marc Anthony Thompson. Clocking in at three minutes and forty-five seconds, this forthright call for greater honesty deserves another verse, chorus, bridge, or something. Nothing’s inherently wrong with brevity—artistic restraint can be a beautiful thing—but there are times when the songs on The Orchard fade out prematurely.
Time complaints aside, Lizz Wright delivers the goods. Five years into the game, this Southern belle from small town Georgia may not be moving Norah-like units, but she’s definitely lived up to the artistic hype.
Styles:
Vocal,Vocal Jazz, Neo-Soul, Adult Contemporary
http://www.soultracks.com/lizz_wright-orchard_review
http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/artist/releases/default.aspx?pid=11791&aid=4794
http://www.jazzitude.com/wright_orchard.htm
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll
Review:
Southern soul’s genteel side finds perfect expression in Lizz Wright’s latest release, The Orchard. Smart, passionate, and lucid, the gifted songstress from Hahira, Georgia reconnects with the rhythms, lessons, and spirits of her rural past. Finding strength, wisdom, and perspective in the comforting memories of home, Wright bears her soul without the slightest hint of trepidation. Her passionate testimonials on birthplace, love, heartbreak, and life are intensely personal, yet deeply rooted in a much larger tradition. One hears echoes of the country blues found in the work of artists as varied as Terry Callier, Bill Withers, Tracy Chapman, and Cassandra Wilson.
One also hears a woman increasingly comfortable with her own story. Supported by songwriter/guitarist Toshi Reagon, John Leventhal, Dave Tozer, and her producer Craig Street, Wright penned lyrics for The Orchard’s eight originals. Continuing the eclectic style forged on her first two releases, Salt and Dreaming Wide Awake, the burgeoning writer synthesizes different worlds, traditions, and rhythms. None of her compositions lend themselves to easy categorization. The stunning opener “Coming Home” showcases her deep roots in the Holiness church, but the song’s spiritual sentiments extend far beyond the type of religiosity manifest on Sunday morning. The singer’s jazz training shines in her immaculate phrasing on “Another Angel” and “When I Fall”, yet these pop-inflected tunes seem ready made for regular rotation on adult contemporary radio.
Consider Wright a skilled alchemist who refuses to let one genre have the final word. Spirituals, gospel, folk, country, and rock inhabit the same space in her sonic and existential world. Small surprise given Wright’s broad influences and interests, the covers on The Orchard are as diverse as the originals. Once again proving her deft interpretive skills, Wright wraps her beautiful contralto around Ike and Tina Turner’s sultry, “I Idolize You”, Led Zeppelin’s gorgeous “Thank You”, Patsy Cline’s haunting “Strange”, and the Sweet Honey in the Rock classic, “Hey Mann”. She confidently inserts own individuality into these songs without compromising their integrity. Trusting the strength of her stories and the emotional intensity of her voice, Wright sings with a powerful delicacy. Never does she rely on bogus melismas or meandering solos from her band to convey life’s joys and pains.
One drawback to her minimalist approach, however, is her tendency to leave the listener wanting more. A case in point is the spine-quivering “Speak Your Heart”, with backing vocals from Chocolate Genius, Marc Anthony Thompson. Clocking in at three minutes and forty-five seconds, this forthright call for greater honesty deserves another verse, chorus, bridge, or something. Nothing’s inherently wrong with brevity—artistic restraint can be a beautiful thing—but there are times when the songs on The Orchard fade out prematurely.
Time complaints aside, Lizz Wright delivers the goods. Five years into the game, this Southern belle from small town Georgia may not be moving Norah-like units, but she’s definitely lived up to the artistic hype.
Styles:
Vocal,Vocal Jazz, Neo-Soul, Adult Contemporary
http://www.soultracks.com/lizz_wright-orchard_review
http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/artist/releases/default.aspx?pid=11791&aid=4794
http://www.jazzitude.com/wright_orchard.htm
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll
Saturday, June 7, 2008
KING CURTIS
Anyone remember him? Maybe you're too young ....
King Curtis was the last of the great R&B tenor sax giants. He came to prominence in the mid-'50s as a session musician in New York, recording, at one time or another, for most East Coast R&B labels. A long association with Atlantic/Atco began in 1958, especially on recordings by the Coasters. He recorded singles for many small labels in the '50s — his own Atco sessions (1958-1959), then Prestige/New Jazz and Prestige/TruSound for jazz and R&B albums (1960-1961). Curtis also had a number one R&B single with "Soul Twist" on Enjoy Records (1962). He was signed by Capitol (1963-1964), where he cut mostly singles, including "Soul Serenade." Returning to Atlantic in 1965, he remained there for the rest of his life. He had solid R&B single success with "Memphis Soul Stew" and "Ode to Billie Joe" (1967). Beginning in 1967, Curtis started to take a more active studio role at Atlantic, leading and contracting sessions for other artists, producing with Jerry Wexler, and later on his own. He also became the leader of Aretha Franklin's backing unit, the Kingpins. He compiled several albums of singles during this period. All aspects of his career were in full swing at the time he was murdered in 1971.
King Curtis was the last of the great R&B tenor sax giants. He came to prominence in the mid-'50s as a session musician in New York, recording, at one time or another, for most East Coast R&B labels. A long association with Atlantic/Atco began in 1958, especially on recordings by the Coasters. He recorded singles for many small labels in the '50s — his own Atco sessions (1958-1959), then Prestige/New Jazz and Prestige/TruSound for jazz and R&B albums (1960-1961). Curtis also had a number one R&B single with "Soul Twist" on Enjoy Records (1962). He was signed by Capitol (1963-1964), where he cut mostly singles, including "Soul Serenade." Returning to Atlantic in 1965, he remained there for the rest of his life. He had solid R&B single success with "Memphis Soul Stew" and "Ode to Billie Joe" (1967). Beginning in 1967, Curtis started to take a more active studio role at Atlantic, leading and contracting sessions for other artists, producing with Jerry Wexler, and later on his own. He also became the leader of Aretha Franklin's backing unit, the Kingpins. He compiled several albums of singles during this period. All aspects of his career were in full swing at the time he was murdered in 1971.
THE PASADENAS
The Pasadenas didn't belong in the '80s. The band was caught in a time warp; they bounced between '50s doo wop, '60s Motown, and early-'70s funk and R&B. However, they presented these influences when mainstream pop music had become too shallow and over-produced; instead of sounding dated, the group was actually a refreshing change of pace. The band wasn't given much attention in America, but they were superstars in their native England. Formed by twins David Milliner and Michael Milliner along with Andrew Banfield, Hammish Seelochan, and Aaron Brown, the Pasadenas used to be a dance group called Finesse. In the late '80s they signed with Columbia Records and became the Pasadenas.
Not one member overshadowed the other; each of them wrote lyrics and helped with production and arrangements. While their peers, such as Breathe, Johnny Hates Jazz, and Terence Trent D'Arby, also mined soul records from the past, many of the Pasadenas' songs, such as the Smokey Robinson homage "Enchanted Lady," could've been mistaken for the real thing. The band didn't try to modernize the urban grooves of the '60s and '70s; they simply resurrected the excitement soul music used to bring. In May 1988, the group released their debut single, "Tribute (Right On)." It peaked in the Top Five of the U.K. charts, one of many hits for the Pasadenas. The band's concerts received rave reviews for their tight musicianship and choreographed dance moves. Their first LP, To Whom It May Concern, appeared in October 1988, selling in excess of one million copies. The group's final album, Yours Sincerely, was released in 1992. The band landed on the U.K. Top 40 charts five times that year, with the single "I'm Doing Fine" selling more than 200,000 copies. In 2002 Cherry Red Records reissued To Whom It May Concern on CD. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide
Elevate (1991) AND Yours Sincerely (1992)
Not one member overshadowed the other; each of them wrote lyrics and helped with production and arrangements. While their peers, such as Breathe, Johnny Hates Jazz, and Terence Trent D'Arby, also mined soul records from the past, many of the Pasadenas' songs, such as the Smokey Robinson homage "Enchanted Lady," could've been mistaken for the real thing. The band didn't try to modernize the urban grooves of the '60s and '70s; they simply resurrected the excitement soul music used to bring. In May 1988, the group released their debut single, "Tribute (Right On)." It peaked in the Top Five of the U.K. charts, one of many hits for the Pasadenas. The band's concerts received rave reviews for their tight musicianship and choreographed dance moves. Their first LP, To Whom It May Concern, appeared in October 1988, selling in excess of one million copies. The group's final album, Yours Sincerely, was released in 1992. The band landed on the U.K. Top 40 charts five times that year, with the single "I'm Doing Fine" selling more than 200,000 copies. In 2002 Cherry Red Records reissued To Whom It May Concern on CD. ~ Michael Sutton, All Music Guide
Elevate (1991) AND Yours Sincerely (1992)
Friday, June 6, 2008
BOBBY WOMACK
Now if you don't know who he is - shame on you!! That's all I'm gonna say!! AND you don't deserve this - !!!!
But here's a press release:
Bobby Womack's hottest soul classics collected for Capitol/EMI's 'The Best Of Bobby Womack: The Soul Years', to be released May 27 on CD & digitally
7 original Womack albums & newly discovered 1972 Apollo Concert recording to debut digitally on May 27
“As long as I've got that breath and my God-given talent, every time someone thinks of soul music, they'll remember me and say, ‘That's one motherf*cker who wouldn't die.’”
– Bobby Womack
I'm only going to leave this up for a short period of time - this is the stuff 'they' chase ....
But here's a press release:
Bobby Womack's hottest soul classics collected for Capitol/EMI's 'The Best Of Bobby Womack: The Soul Years', to be released May 27 on CD & digitally
7 original Womack albums & newly discovered 1972 Apollo Concert recording to debut digitally on May 27
“As long as I've got that breath and my God-given talent, every time someone thinks of soul music, they'll remember me and say, ‘That's one motherf*cker who wouldn't die.’”
– Bobby Womack
I'm only going to leave this up for a short period of time - this is the stuff 'they' chase ....
Thursday, June 5, 2008
SOLOMON BURKE
I HAD A DREAM (1974)
AND I HAVE A RANT:
1863 - The Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect under Abraham Lincoln
1947 - Jackie Robinson became the first African-American major league baseball player of the modern era. While not the first African American professional baseball player in United States history, his Major League debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers ended approximately eighty years of baseball segregation, also known as the baseball color line, or color barrier.
1963 - "I Have A Dream" is the popular name given to the historic public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., when he spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites among others would coexist harmoniously as equals. King's delivery of the speech on August 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was a defining moment of the American Civil
Rights Movement.
1974 - Solomon released this albumn ...
2008 - we have Barack Obama ... who said 'Change must be done with diplomacy"
Yeah - I know what has all this to do with music? WELL - whenever I listen to this album - all this comes to mind. Never lived it myself, Only seen it when I visit 'Murica, and don't understand it. 'Nuff said!
In the city I live in we are getting our FIRST EVER "Afro-centric school" as they are calling it! Don't understand that either ... why are the immigrants pushing to be segregated?? WHO is going to keep them from fighting & killing each other the way they are now is some of the schools?? They want to move those kids in the various gangs to that school. Who is going to want to teach their - the SWAT team??
In my day my Mother kept the rules on fighting really simple:
Rule 1: If you picked a fight and won - she kicked your azz for fighting.
Rule 2: If you didn't start the fight - and lost it - she your kicked your azz for losing AND then went and spoke to that person's Mother about their rotten kid!!
- AH WELL - I don't want to understand segregation. And I don't want to see it happen in my country either !! - end of rant!
ALL in all - it's a great album - and rarely shared. Enjoy!
AND I HAVE A RANT:
1863 - The Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect under Abraham Lincoln
1947 - Jackie Robinson became the first African-American major league baseball player of the modern era. While not the first African American professional baseball player in United States history, his Major League debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers ended approximately eighty years of baseball segregation, also known as the baseball color line, or color barrier.
1963 - "I Have A Dream" is the popular name given to the historic public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., when he spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites among others would coexist harmoniously as equals. King's delivery of the speech on August 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was a defining moment of the American Civil
Rights Movement.
1974 - Solomon released this albumn ...
2008 - we have Barack Obama ... who said 'Change must be done with diplomacy"
Yeah - I know what has all this to do with music? WELL - whenever I listen to this album - all this comes to mind. Never lived it myself, Only seen it when I visit 'Murica, and don't understand it. 'Nuff said!
In the city I live in we are getting our FIRST EVER "Afro-centric school" as they are calling it! Don't understand that either ... why are the immigrants pushing to be segregated?? WHO is going to keep them from fighting & killing each other the way they are now is some of the schools?? They want to move those kids in the various gangs to that school. Who is going to want to teach their - the SWAT team??
In my day my Mother kept the rules on fighting really simple:
Rule 1: If you picked a fight and won - she kicked your azz for fighting.
Rule 2: If you didn't start the fight - and lost it - she your kicked your azz for losing AND then went and spoke to that person's Mother about their rotten kid!!
- AH WELL - I don't want to understand segregation. And I don't want to see it happen in my country either !! - end of rant!
ALL in all - it's a great album - and rarely shared. Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
NEW ORLEANS FUNK - THE ORIGINAL SOUND OF FUNK
(1960-1975)
Check the title — New Orleans funk is not the same thing as New Orleans R&B or soul, so this may not be the sound that you're expecting. Even if it opens with the Meters, this isn't a compilation that plays to familiar sounds or expectations. Instead, it lays the groundwork for funk as it was known in the '70s or plays forgotten, possibly never-heard sounds from the '70s. So there ain't a single cut here that you will have heard or recognize unless you are an unrepentant New Orleans fanatic; some names are familiar — the Meters, Lee Dorsey, Eddie Bo, Huey Piano Smith, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, and Robert Parker — but apart from Professor Longhair's "Big Chief," there's not a single thing here that regularly makes New Orleans comps or that will be recognized by anyone outside of the devoted. All 24 selections were chosen on one basis — whether their recorded grooves were funky enough to be sampled and reappropriated to something else. Most of them are, but that may be beside the point, since this is a collection for record collectors who don't specialize in this style — they're just looking for grooves. And there are some really good grooves here, but as singles a lot of them fall flat, unless they're delivered by somebody as undeniably assured and engaging as Lee Dorsey, whose two cuts wind up sounding like actual songs because he gives them the illusion of structure, even if they're just jams. Some other songs have the same fate, such as Aaron Neville's "Hercules," but this, by and large, is about sound, groove, and texture — and on those terms it's pretty pleasing. Still, this is not a treasure trove of great lost singles, songs, and performances — just a collection of good grooves worthy of sampling and making for good listening, providing you're into the sound and feel of the funkier side of New Orleans R&B, not the songs.
Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic)
Check the title — New Orleans funk is not the same thing as New Orleans R&B or soul, so this may not be the sound that you're expecting. Even if it opens with the Meters, this isn't a compilation that plays to familiar sounds or expectations. Instead, it lays the groundwork for funk as it was known in the '70s or plays forgotten, possibly never-heard sounds from the '70s. So there ain't a single cut here that you will have heard or recognize unless you are an unrepentant New Orleans fanatic; some names are familiar — the Meters, Lee Dorsey, Eddie Bo, Huey Piano Smith, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, and Robert Parker — but apart from Professor Longhair's "Big Chief," there's not a single thing here that regularly makes New Orleans comps or that will be recognized by anyone outside of the devoted. All 24 selections were chosen on one basis — whether their recorded grooves were funky enough to be sampled and reappropriated to something else. Most of them are, but that may be beside the point, since this is a collection for record collectors who don't specialize in this style — they're just looking for grooves. And there are some really good grooves here, but as singles a lot of them fall flat, unless they're delivered by somebody as undeniably assured and engaging as Lee Dorsey, whose two cuts wind up sounding like actual songs because he gives them the illusion of structure, even if they're just jams. Some other songs have the same fate, such as Aaron Neville's "Hercules," but this, by and large, is about sound, groove, and texture — and on those terms it's pretty pleasing. Still, this is not a treasure trove of great lost singles, songs, and performances — just a collection of good grooves worthy of sampling and making for good listening, providing you're into the sound and feel of the funkier side of New Orleans R&B, not the songs.
Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic)
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
DR. FEELGOOD POTTS
Dr. "Feelgood" Potts
Daddy B. Nice's #72 ranked Southern Soul Artist
Daddy B. Nice's Original Critique:
Dr. "Feelgood" Potts is the father of famed chitlin' circuit singer Sheba Potts-Wright, whose career has eclipsed her daddy's with the success of such hits as "Slow Roll It" and "Lipstick On His Pants."
But through it all Sheba has remained loyal to her father, singing stellar back-up on his best recordings.
That extra dimension has enriched Dr. "Feelgood's" music but by no means been the governing factor in its success. Potts is a seasoned musician and performer, and an engrossing character for Southern Soul fans because of his relative obscurity (even within the chitlin' circuit) until signing with Memphis' Ecko Records in the early years of the new century. It's then that his artistic identity began to emerge.
Dr. "Feelgood" Potts plies the bluesman-as-jokester tradition of Bobby Rush, Clarence Carter (the "Strokin'" phase) and chitlin' circuit legend Poonanny, and the song most responsible for Potts' growing notoriety is undoubtedly 2004's "Make It Talk," a well-executed and hilarious rip-off of Theodis Ealey's monster hit, "Stand Up In It." "Rip-off" is not a derogatory word in this instance, but an aesthetic description of the ferocity with which Potts rewrites Ealey's contemporary classic.
Potts is best doing what he does here, mimicking speech. It's as if he begins each phrase as a monologue and then delivers a singing "spin" to it. The result is a pleasant and soulful authenticity.
Daddy B. Nice's #72 ranked Southern Soul Artist
Daddy B. Nice's Original Critique:
Dr. "Feelgood" Potts is the father of famed chitlin' circuit singer Sheba Potts-Wright, whose career has eclipsed her daddy's with the success of such hits as "Slow Roll It" and "Lipstick On His Pants."
But through it all Sheba has remained loyal to her father, singing stellar back-up on his best recordings.
That extra dimension has enriched Dr. "Feelgood's" music but by no means been the governing factor in its success. Potts is a seasoned musician and performer, and an engrossing character for Southern Soul fans because of his relative obscurity (even within the chitlin' circuit) until signing with Memphis' Ecko Records in the early years of the new century. It's then that his artistic identity began to emerge.
Dr. "Feelgood" Potts plies the bluesman-as-jokester tradition of Bobby Rush, Clarence Carter (the "Strokin'" phase) and chitlin' circuit legend Poonanny, and the song most responsible for Potts' growing notoriety is undoubtedly 2004's "Make It Talk," a well-executed and hilarious rip-off of Theodis Ealey's monster hit, "Stand Up In It." "Rip-off" is not a derogatory word in this instance, but an aesthetic description of the ferocity with which Potts rewrites Ealey's contemporary classic.
Potts is best doing what he does here, mimicking speech. It's as if he begins each phrase as a monologue and then delivers a singing "spin" to it. The result is a pleasant and soulful authenticity.
HONEY & THE BEES
A minor but talented Philadelphia female soul quartet, Honey & the Bees made some relatively little-known records for the Arctic and Josie labels in the late '60s and early '70s with the aid of musicians that played on classic 1970s Gamble-Huff productions. These included Leon Huff himself on piano, and Ron Baker, Earl Young, Bobby Eli, and Norman Harris in the rhythm section; Harris and Thom Bell were among those who contributed to the songwriting. Honey & the Bees spent years on the club circuit, opening for bigger soul acts in Philadelphia and throughout the East Coast before disbanding in 1973. Group member Gwen Oliver married Fred Wesley of the JB's, whom she met when Honey & the Bees opened for James Brown in 1971.
Biography by Richie Unterberger (Allmusic)
Formed:
1965 in Philadelphia, PA
Disbanded:
1973
Biography by Richie Unterberger (Allmusic)
Formed:
1965 in Philadelphia, PA
Disbanded:
1973
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