SAM DEES

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Sam Dees (born December 17, 1945 in Birmingham, Alabama USA) is a soul singer, songwriter and producer.

Dees was born into a large family and quickly distinguished himself with his voice. At the age of 9, already champion of several singing contests, he founded his own vocal group, the "Bossanovians". As a teenager he traveled to perform and, in 1968 he recorded his first single at Nashville, Tennessee's SSS International. He put out his next few singles on Birmingham-based Lolo Records. At the same time he was beginning to earn respect as a writer and producer. Chess Records producer Lenny Sachs gave him an opportunity to self-produce two singles on the Chess label, which Dees recorded in a former church in Birmingham. From there he began recording for Atlantic, which released his landmark album The Show Must Go On in 1975.

Since then, Dees recording career moved to the back burner while he wrote hits for other singers, such as "Am I Dreaming" (Atlantic Starr), "One in a Million You" (Larry Graham), "Save the Overtime (For Me)" (Gladys Knight), "Love All the Hurt Away" (George Benson and Aretha Franklin), and "Lover for Life" (Whitney Houston). He released a solo single titled "After All" in 1989, but it only peaked at #95 in the UK.

Dees continues to write and produce. He released recordings on his own Pen Pad label and also recorded for Ardent Records in England - not to be confused with Ardent Records of Memphis, Tennessee. Another English label, Kent Records, has released early unissued recordings which earned high reviews in the European market.

Other previously unissued recordings from the early 1970s are planned for release by Selecta Records whose parent company Millbrand Music control the copyrights to many of Sam's early songs.

His song ‘Lonely for you baby’ was used and referenced in the cult British surf movie, Blue Juice.

"Sam Dees is something else, A prolific writer who has turned out hits for ZZ Hill, Clarence Carter, and the Persuaders, to name a few, he has now decided to do a
few himself. Not since Jerry Butler have I heard anyone handle ballads with such feeling, such empathy. When he sings of the pangs of unrequited love, it's an emotion
with which all of us can identify, and his great talent which will guarentee him longevity and stardom."
- G.Fitz Bartley (East Coast Editor, Soul Publications
Swing Magazine)

ROSIE & THE ORIGINALS

Time to change it up a little - after all it's the long weekend - so here for you doo-woppers:

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Biography by Richie Unterberger (amg)
Rosie & the Originals are one of the best-remembered one-shot artists of the early rock era, getting to number five with their 1960 single "Angel Baby." A slow, simple, and primitively recorded and executed doo wop-shaded ballad, it was distinguished from countless other records of the sort by 15-year-old Rosie Hamlin's unnaturally high, thin voice, which got higher-than-high on the periodic wordless "ooh, ooh-oohs" that served as the record's primary hooks.

The single's gotten more notoriety than might be expected considering that the group never had another Top 40 hit. John Lennon cited Rosie as one of his favorite singers in a 1969 interview in Life magazine, and recorded the song in the mid-'70s for his Rock 'n' Roll oldies collection, although that track wasn't issued until the mid-'80s. In an essay in Rock Almanac, Mark Sten even described the song as "generating a robot mantra devoid of embellishment or variation, the perfect underpinning for Rosie's piercing, disembodied-siren vocal. With 'Angel Baby,' rock had regressed as far as it could, some nameless dread loosed within the collective Top 40 mind had run its course and spent itself in a lost mournful wail. 'Angel Baby' was the final moonlit flowering of rock's medieval phase, paean to a purity and innocence on longer possible in the real world."

The band certainly had no thoughts of inviting such intellectual commentary when they formed in San Diego in 1960. Unable to find a recording studio in San Diego, they cut "Angel Baby" in a barn-like building in the farming town of San Marcos, with a radically different B-side, "Give Me Love," with a vocal by Bluford D. Wade. The group had trouble interesting Los Angeles labels in the song (a Hamlin original) until they convinced a department store manager in San Diego to play it. This attracted attention from kids in the store and a record distributor that happened to be there at the time. Through him they got the single "Angel Baby" released on Highland, and at the end of 1960 it shot up the national charts.

Although Rosie & the Originals recorded a few more tracks, they broke up almost immediately after "Angel Baby" made the charts, in a dispute over the terms of a recording contract they were considering signing. In 1961, Jackie Wilson's manager, Nat Tarnopol, got Rosie a contract with Wilson's label, Brunswick. Brunswick did put out a follow-up single, "Lonely Blue Nights," which made number 66, as well as an album and another single, billing the artist solely as Rosie for all the releases. In the meantime Highland put out a couple of Rosie & the Originals 45s with tracks to which they had the rights.

"Angel Baby," however, was one of those accidents of timing and unique material that couldn't be repeated, and none of Rosie's subsequent recordings -- which, like "Angel Baby," were usually simple pop/rock ballads with a doo wop feel -- could recapture the magic. Hamlin did make another single for the Globe label before leaving the music business to raise a family with her husband, Noah Tafolla, who had been leader and lead guitarist of the Originals. She did some tracks with producer Doug Salma in 1969 in a more updated doo wop/girl-group style that remained unreleased until 1999, when the Ace compilation The Best of Rosie & the Originals was issued.

SAM & DAVE

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Biography by Colin Escott & Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Perhaps no act epitomized soul music as the secularization of gospel more than Sam & Dave. The original pairing of Sam Moore and Dave Prater met in Florida in 1961, and they recorded unsuccessfully for several years before being signed to Atlantic Records in 1965. Atlantic persuaded their Memphis affiliate Stax Records to produce them, and in December that year the writing and production team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter delivered the crisply soulful "You Don't Know Like I Know." Hayes and Porter became the éminence grises behind Sam & Dave, much as Holland-Dozier-Holland pulled the strings behind the Supremes. They wrote, they produced -- and the result was a string of hits, including "Soul Man," "Hold On! I'm Comin'," and "I Thank You," songs that survive as the very epitome of Southern soul. Certainly, Sam & Dave's hits are among the most soulful ever to crack the Hot 100. Their albums often bore the hallmarks of hasty execution, though. The dissolution of the partnership between Stax and Atlantic virtually sealed the fate of Sam & Dave; there were a few more hits (and, later, a revival of interest thanks to the Blues Brothers), but the glory days were over.

Samuel Moore and David Prater were both raised in the South, where they sang in church as children. During the '50s, they performed in soul and R&B clubs before meeting each other in at the King of Hearts club in Miami in 1961. Moore was hosting an amateur-night contest where Prater was singing. Once Dave forgot the lyrics to Jackie Wilson's "Doggin' Around," Sam coached him through the song. Following that night, the singers became a duo and soon became a popular local Miami act and signed with Roulette Records, releasing a handful of singles. In 1965, they signed with Atlantic Records, but producer Jerry Wexler moved the band to the label's Stax subsidiary.

Working with Stax's house band and songwriters/producers Isaac Hayes and David Porter, Sam & Dave created a body of sweaty, gritty soul that ranks among the finest and most popular produced in the late '60s. The duo's 1966 debut, "You Don't' Know Like I Know," kicked off a series of Top Ten R&B hits that included "Hold On! I'm Comin'" (1966), "You Got Me Hummin'" (1966), "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" (1967), "Soul Man" (1967), and "I Thank You" (1968). However, the duo's career began to unravel in 1968, when Stax's distribution deal with Atlantic ended. Since Sam & Dave were signed with Atlantic, not Stax, they no longer had access to the production team of Hayes and Porter or the house band of Booker T. & the MG's, and their recorded work took a slight dip in quality. Though the switch of labels was unfortunate, what really caused the duo's demise was their volatile relationship. While the duo had enormous creative energy, they frequently fought off-stage. Nicknamed "Double Dynamite," Sam & Dave became famous for their energetic, infectious live performances during the late '60s, which complemented the overall high quality of their studio work. They may have communicated on-stage, but behind the scenes, it was reported that the duo could hardly stand each other's presence. The tension caused Sam & Dave to part ways in 1970, just a few years after their heyday.

During the '70s, Sam & Dave reunited several times to little attention. At the end of the decade, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's Blues Brothers routine -- which borrowed heavily from Sam & Dave -- sparked a resurgence of interest in the duo, and the pair performed a number of concerts during 1980. However, their personal animosity had not faded, and they separated after a performance on New Year's Eve 1981. For the next few years, Prater toured as Sam & Dave with vocalist Sam Daniels. During the mid-'80s, Moore revealed the sources of the duo's tensions in a series of interviews. He disclosed that he had been addicted to drugs during the '70s. Prater was arrested in 1987 for selling crack to an undercover policeman. A year later, he died in a car accident. Moore continued to perform sporadically, most notably on Bruce Springsteen's 1992 album Human Touch album. Sam & Dave were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that same year.

Review by Mark Deming


Arguably soul music's greatest tag-team combination, Sam Moore and Dave Prater are best remembered for jumping up-tempo numbers like "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man," but they could also slow down and pull the heartstrings with "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" and "I've Seen What Loneliness Can Do," in which they let their gospel influences take center-stage. While Sam & Dave could harmonize beautifully when they were of a mood, what made their act click was the call and response between Sam's dynamic upper register vocals and Dave's rougher, deeper voice, which complemented one another perfectly while prodding each into pushing the energy level as high as it would go. Sam & Dave also had a secret weapon in the songwriting team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter, who wrote the bulk of the group's hits and gave them material that perfectly suited their back-and-forth delivery (and having the Stax Records session band backing them up didn't hurt, either). The Platinum Collection features 20 of Sam & Dave's greatest songs in fine audio quality, and while this doesn't dig as deep as Rhino's two-disc collection Sweat 'n' Soul: Anthology or boast fine liner notes like their single-disc The Very Best of Sam & Dave, it has four more tunes than the latter set, and is as good an introduction to this duo as you're likely to find. Crank this up and your party will definitely be started.

STAX GOLD HITS 1968 - 1974

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Stax Records is an American record label founded in 1957, originally based out of Memphis, Tennessee. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and blues recordings. While Stax almost exclusively produced African-American music, the label was founded by two white businesspeople, Jim Stewart and his sister Estelle Axton, and featured several popular ethnically-integrated bands, including the label's house band, Booker T. & the MG's.

Following the death of Stax's biggest star, Otis Redding, in 1967 and the severance of the label's distribution deal with Atlantic Records in 1968, Stax continued primarily under the supervision of a new co-owner, Al Bell. Over the next five years, Bell expanded the label's operations significantly, in order to compete with Stax's main rival, Motown Records in Detroit. During the mid-1970s, a number of factors caused the label to slide into insolvency, resulting in its forced closure in late 1975.

Fantasy Records acquired the post-1968 Stax catalog in 1978, and reissued the material in various formats for several decades. After Concord Records acquired Fantasy in 2004, the Stax label was reactivated, and is today used to issue both the 1968–1975 catalog material and new recordings by current R&B/soul performers.

24 GOLD HITS - SEE COMMENTS FOR LIST

THE STAX VOLT REVUE LIVE IN PARIS (1967) VOL. 02

I know there are alot of Stax Volt Fans out there. And I don't want to step on any toes - but I do have quite a few various artist collections. I'll start putting them up - if they are/were on other blog sites, I haven't seen them. My blog knowledge only goes as far back as April when I discovered the music blogs.
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THE EMOTIONS

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Biography by Bill Dahl and Ron Wynn (amg)

A trio of sisters with a strong gospel base, the Emotions (based in Chicago) were one of the leading female R&B acts of the '70s. Lead singer Sheila Hutchinson and her sisters Wanda and Jeanette were only teenagers when they crashed the soul charts in 1969 with the engaging "So I Can Love You," but they sang gospel as children and enjoyed secular fame locally before signing with Memphis-based Volt and working with producers Isaac Hayes and David Porter. When Stax folded in 1975, the group hooked up with Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire, an association that led to the number one pop/R&B hit "Best of My Love" in 1977.

Two years after Best of My Love, Maurice White and the Emotions collaborated on "Boogie Wonderland," which was both a number two R&B and number six pop hit. They issued three more albums on White's ARC label from 1979 to 1981, but were unable to duplicate their earlier success. They moved to the Red label for the 1984 LP Sincerely, which included the single "All Things Come in Time." They issued three other singles from the album, but none made much impact, though each one charted. They then signed with Motown, but issued only one album, If I Only Knew. Sheila Hutchinson was a featured vocalist on Garry Glenn's "Feels Good to Feel Good" in 1987. Pam and Jeanette Hutchinson did background vocals on Helen Baylor's gospel song "There's No Greater Love" in 1990. Wanda Hutchinson and Jeanette sang on Earth, Wind & Fire's Heritage in 1990.

Review by Craig Lytle


Rejoice featured two singles, and both rendered Top Ten action. The first was the rapidly paced R&B number one "Best of My Love." This spirited cut is seasoned with a fierce arrangement, in particular the horns, and incomparable vocals. In addition, it claimed the number one position on the pop charts for five straight weeks. The second single, "Don't Ask My Neighbor," came on a mellower note. This album, the second under the tutelage and production of Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire, could have continued with several more chart-successful releases. The radiance the Emotions impart is heartwarming and uplifting. Their gospel roots bring a welcome spiritual feel to this album, which is a superb effort.

SOULSVILLE SINGS HITSVILLE (STAX SINGS MOTOWN)

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Review by Steve Leggett

This delightful and often revelatory collection features Southern soul makeovers of Motown hits by the musicians and producers at Stax Records, a sort of Memphis meets Detroit knock down that pretty much reveals that soul is soul wherever it's found, whether north or south. Here the elegant pop veneer of several Motown hits are given a layer of grit, grease and gospel fire, and while these renditions don't replace the classic originals, they certainly augment them, revealing new grooves and pockets. Among the highlights are the Staple Singers' 1971 version of the Temptations' "You've Got to Earn It" which morphs the song into revival meeting territory, a blistering "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" by the Mar-Keys, also from 1971, a sparse and striking (and brief) take on "I Hear a Symphony" by Booker T. & the MG's, a country soul make over of "I Wish It Would Rain" by O.B. McClinton, and an epic, 12-minute horn-driven instrumental (and previously unreleased) rave-up of the ominous riff and rhythm of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by the Bar-Kays from 1973. The end result of all this is the sound of Motown plunged into deep soul territory, and it underscores the solid, brilliant songwriting that Motown Records stood for in its prime, because nothing here suffers one bit for the restructuring. Oh, and it makes for one hell of a party record.

YOLANDA ADAMS

Baby Bro (Chris) is going through a tough time at the moment.

I don't have the right words to help him with his journey. But I can say it with it music ... I hope this brings brings you some peace ...

Peace & Love Big Sis.

And now about Yolanda:
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Biography by John Bush




Another in the line of gospel artists putting the soul and fervor back in R&B music, Yolanda Adams was a school teacher in Houston during the mid-'80s and occasionally did modeling work. Her mother had studied music while at college, so Adams grew up listening to jazz and classical music as well as gospel artists such as James Cleveland and the Edwin Hawkins Singers and R&B vocalists like Stevie Wonder and Nancy Wilson.

Yolanda Adams' debut album, Just as I Am appeared in 1988 on Sounds of Gospel. Though she was initially criticized in the Christian community for embracing secular music and fashion to accompany her gospel-themed music, the growth of publicly popular gospel in the mid-'90s pushed her into the spotlight; Adams toured with Kirk Franklin & the Family, and her 1996 album Yolanda Live in Washington was nominated for a Grammy. Songs From the Heart followed in 1998, and a year later she returned with Mountain High Valley Low which topped her live album by winning a Grammy. In 2000 she ventured into new territory by issuing a Christmas album, A Yolanda Adams Christmas. Experience followed a year later.

BROOK BENTON

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Biography by Bill Dahl (AMG)

Born
Benjamin Franklin Peay on Sep 19, 1931 in Camden, SC
Died
Apr 9, 1988 in New York, NY
Silky smooth: that was Brook Benton's byword from his first record to his very last, as the singer parlayed his rich baritone pipes into seven number one R&B hits and eight Top Ten items. Stints on the gospel circuit preceded Benton's first secular session for Okeh in 1953, but his career didn't begin to take off until he teamed with writer/producer Clyde Otis. Benton co-wrote and sang hundreds of demos for other artists before frequent collaborator Otis signed his friend to Mercury; together they pioneered a lush, violin-studded variation on the standard R&B sound, which beautifully showcased Benton's intimate vocals.

Benton crashed the top spot on the R&B charts in early 1959 with his moving "It's Just a Matter of Time," then rapidly encored with three more R&B chart-toppers: "Thank You Pretty Baby," "So Many Ways," and "Kiddio." Pairing with Mercury labelmate Dinah Washington, their delightful repartee on "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" and "A Rockin' Good Way" paced the R&B lists in 1960.

The early '60s were a prolific period for Benton, but he left Mercury a few years later and bounced between labels before reemerging with the atmospheric Tony Joe White ballad "Rainy Night in Georgia" on Cotillion in 1970. Benton later made a halfhearted attempt to cash in on the disco craze, but his hitmaking reign was at an end long before his death in 1988.

REVIEW:


Twelve years after they released Anthology, arguably the definitive career-spanning Brook Benton collection, Rhino adapted the compilation for CD, releasing Endlessly: The Best of Brook Benton. Endlessly features three tracks less than Anthology, yet it doesn't suffer -- it remains a nearly flawless overview of Benton's career, featuring all of his big hits plus many terrific lesser-known singles. Every one of his great singles -- from "It's Just a Matter of Time," "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)," and "Kiddio" to "The Boll Weevil Song" and "Rainy Night in Georgia" -- are here, in a more concise and accessible form than Mercury's double-disc 40 Greatest Hits. That double-disc set remains an ideal choice for collectors, but less dedicated fans will find Endlessly to be essential.
~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine (amg)

GAMBLE & HUFF

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By Steve James

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Three years after The O'Jays were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the two men who wrote and produced their biggest hit, "Love Train," will be joining them on Monday.

Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the architects of the Philly Soul sound of the 1970's, will be the first recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award, in memory of the late co-founder of Atlantic Records.

"It's a dream come true for me because I always wanted to become a songwriter," Huff said in a recent interview with Reuters.

Performers like the O'Jays, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, the Intruders, the Three Degrees, Jerry Butler, Lou Rawls and Dee Dee Sharp recorded Gamble and Huff songs and made Philadelphia the capital of soul after Motown left Detroit and Memphis' Stax Records withered.

Along with "Love Train," their biggest hits were Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones," the theme for the television dance show "Soul Train," "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" and "If You Don't Know Me By Now," Simply Red's version of which earned Gamble and Huff the Best R&B Song Grammy.

The two are responsible for 70 No. 1 pop and R&B singles, 175 gold, platinum and multi-platinum records, five Grammys and more than 3,500 songs to date.

"I have seen the power of music and it is real," Gamble said. "A great song's got to make people feel good. When all the elements come together and you say, 'Turn that up a little bit.'

"Some songs might have hardly any words like 'shoo-bop, shoo-bop' with a good groove and be number one."

For Huff, a good song can also pull the heartstrings. "I've been at parties and one of our songs came on and I watched this girl crying. It was 'Stairway to Heaven' by the O'Jays," he said.

"It's a powerful force -- to stir up someone's inner emotions," Gamble said. "You write a song that makes them reflect back to a break-up or whatever. There's some gospel songs that will make you get up and run around the church."

"RATTLIN' THEM OFF"

The pair, both 64, originally got together 45 years ago, in a band, The Romeos, playing clubs in Philadelphia.

"We performed everything," Gamble said. "All the Top 10 records -- Marvin Gaye, Chuck Jackson, The Temptations, anything. Anybody had a hit, we did it. But we would rearrange them.

"We had a comedian, dancers, go-go girls. And the band was so good that The Intruders used to come over, the Delfonics, Bunny Sigler, Harold Melvin. You'd have local artists come by just to hear us and they would ask: 'Can we do a number?'"

When the band broke up, the pair had the connections to move onto writing and producing. "Writing was spontaneous," Huff said. "We came up with five or six songs in that first sitting. We was rattlin' them off just like that!

"Titles can come out of conversation. I might get them out of books or papers or I might hear someone say something."

"Most of all we write specifically for an artist," Gamble said. "You would have that artist in your mind when you write."

One of their biggest songs came about when they were playing a restaurant and noticed an older man coming in regularly with a younger woman. "I knew the man and I knew this woman was not the woman he was supposed to be with," Huff said.

"And Gamble said, 'He was in here yesterday with the same woman,' that must be Mr. and Mrs. Jones."

"Love Train" meanwhile, was just a catchy title that came out at a time of the Vietnam War and the peace movement. "Gamble was dancing on his seat when I played it," Huff said.

"That song is relevant today because it's the same people we got in that song still doing the same crazy stuff," Gamble said.

**- My Note: This is a new CD hitting stores this month - Gamble & Huff's Greatest Hits. Enjoy!

THE O'JAYS

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Biography by Steve Huey (AMG)
The O'Jays were one of Philadelphia soul's most popular and long-lived outfits, rivaled only by the Spinners as soul's greatest vocal group of the '70s. In their prime, the O'Jays' recordings epitomized the Philly soul sound: smooth, rich harmonies backed by elaborate arrangements, lush strings, and a touch of contemporary funk. They worked extensively with the legendary production/songwriting team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, becoming the flagship artist of the duo's Philadelphia International label. The O'Jays were equally at home singing sweet love ballads or up-tempo dance tunes, the latter of which were often mouthpieces for Gamble & Huff's social concerns. Although the O'Jays couldn't sustain their widespread popularity in the post-disco age, they continued to record steadily all the way up to the present day, modifying their production to keep up with the times.

The O'Jays were formed in 1958 in Canton, OH, where all five original members -- Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, William Powell, Bill Isles, and Bobby Massey -- attended McKinley High School. Inspired to start a singing group after seeing a performance by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, they first called themselves the Triumphs, then switched to the Mascots in 1960. The Mascots made their recording debut in 1961 with the single "Miracles," issued on the Cincinnati-based King label. It earned them a fan in the influential Cleveland DJ Eddie O'Jay, who gave them some airplay and career advice; in turn, the group renamed itself the O'Jays in 1963, after having recorded for Apollo Records with producer Don Davis. Under their new name, the O'Jays signed with Imperial and hooked up with producer H.B. Barnum, who would helm their first charting single, 1963's "Lonely Drifter," plus several more singles that followed. Isles left the group in 1965 and was not replaced, leaving them a quartet; late in the year, they released their first-ever album, Comin' Through. In 1967, the O'Jays left Imperial for Bell, where they landed their first Top Ten single on the R&B charts, "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow (Than I Was Today)." Discouraged by the difficulty of following that success, the group considered throwing in the towel until it met Gamble & Huff -- then working as a production team for the Neptune label -- in 1968. Gamble & Huff took an interest in the group, and they recorded several successful R&B singles together; however, Neptune folded in 1971, leaving the O'Jays in limbo, and Massey decided to exit the group.

Fortunately, Gamble & Huff formed their own label, Philadelphia International, and made the O'Jays -- now a trio -- one of their first signings. The O'Jays' label debut, Back Stabbers, released in 1972, became a classic landmark of Philly soul, and finally made the group stars; the paranoid title track hit the pop Top Five, and the utopian "Love Train" went all the way to number one (both singles topped the R&B charts). It was the beginning of a remarkable run that produced nearly 30 chart singles over the course of the '70s, plus a series of best-selling albums and a bevy of number one hits on the R&B charts. The O'Jays followed up their breakthrough with another classic LP, Ship Ahoy, in 1973; it featured the number one R&B hit "For the Love of Money," a funky protest number that still ranks as one of their signature songs, as well as the ten-minute title track, an ambitious suite recounting the ocean journeys of African slaves. 1975's Survival was another hit, spinning off the hits "Let Me Make Love to You" and the R&B number one "Give the People What They Want." Family Reunion found the group making concessions to the emerging disco sound, which got them their third Top Five pop hit in "I Love Music, Pt. 1." Unfortunately, William Powell was diagnosed with cancer that year, and although he continued to record with the group for a time (appearing on 1976's Message in Our Music), he was forced to retire from live performing, and passed away on May 26, 1977.

Powell's replacement was Sammy Strain, a 12-year veteran of Little Anthony & the Imperials. The O'Jays regrouped on the albums Travelin' at the Speed of Thought (1977) and So Full of Love (1978), the latter of which produced their final Top Five pop hit, "Use ta Be My Girl." 1979's Identify Yourself began to show signs of wear and tear in the group's successful formula, and often consciously attempted to follow disco trends. Although it sold respectably, it marked the beginning of a decline in the O'Jays' commercial fortunes. Undaunted by the increasingly diminished returns of their early-'80s LPs, the group kept plugging away, and never completely disappeared from the R&B charts. They finally left Philadelphia International and signed with EMI for 1987's Let Me Touch You, which melded their classic sound with up-to-date urban-R&B production. Powered by the Gamble & Huff-penned R&B number one "Lovin' You," as well as the increased visibility of Eddie Levert's sons Gerald and Sean (two-thirds of the hit urban group LeVert), the album gave their career a much-needed shot in the arm. 1989's Serious supplied another big R&B hit in "Have You Had Your Love Today?"; with Nathaniel Best replacing Sammy Strain, 1991's Emotionally Yours and 1993's Heartbreaker also placed very well on the R&B charts. The O'Jays' comeback didn't really extend to the pop side, and didn't attract the sort of critical praise earned by their '70s classics; as the new jack swing craze subsided, so did the group's recording activity, though they remained consistent draws on the live circuit. In 1997, now with Eric Grant joining Levert and Williams, they returned with Love You to Tears. A recording layoff followed, during which the group signed with MCA; they debuted for the label with For the Love..., which was released in 2001.

BLACK MERDA

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Usually linked in with the brief explosion of "black rock" bands that followed Jimi Hendrix in the late '60s and early '70s, Black Merda's formula was a good bit more complicated than most, and their debut album blends elements of hard rock, blues, soul, folk, and embryonic funk with a tough and uncompromising political consciousness that makes the disc at once a product of its time and not quite like anything else around back in the day. The guitar work from Anthony Hawkins and Charles Hawkins is tough and organic, whether they're stretching out on extended blues jams such as "Over and Over" and "Windsong" or cutting some hard R&B-accented rock on "Cynthy-Ruth" and "Prophet."
Bassist Vessee L. Veasy (who also contributes most of the lead vocals) and percussionist Tyrone Hite generate a lean but effective groove throughout as they jump from the streetwise soul of "Reality" to the acoustic meditation of "Think of Me." But as good as the music is on this album (and despite bland production from someone named Swan, most of it is very good indeed), what really sets it apart is the dark vibe reflected in the minor-key tenor of the melodies and the bitter realities of the lyrics. Grinding poverty, racism, political and social inequality, the ongoing nightmare of Vietnam, the growing schism between youth culture and the establishment, and the absence of any easy answers to the dilemmas of a nation spinning out of control dominate songs such as "Reality," "Ashamed," and "That's the Way It Goes," and the grim but wholly appropriate fable of "I Don't Want to Die" ends this album as if a lid were being slammed shut on a coffin. Black Merda anticipates the grim consciousness-raising session of Sly & the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On, which wouldn't arrive in stores until a year after this album, and if it isn't the stark masterpiece that Sly's album was, it's good enough that this group deserves to be regarded as much more than a footnote in the black music scene of the early '70s.

Review by Mark Deming (Allmusic)

MADELEINE BELL

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Biography by Andrew Hamilton (Allmusic)

Madeline Bell was born July 23, 1942, in Newark, NJ, and was strongly influenced by her grandmother, who had been a singer. Bell was raised by her grandmother after her parents divorced. Showing a bent toward creative arts, Bell first took piano lessons at 50 cents a pop, but couldn't master the complexities of the keyboard. Next, her grandmother paid for dancing lessons and discovered Madeline would never be confused with Ginger Rogers or Josephine Baker, so the lessons stopped. By the fifth grade, Bell found her calling -- singing -- and she regularly appeared in school shows. At age 11, she pantomimed "Santa Baby," a tune popularized by Eartha Kitt. Bell regularly attended church and sang in the choir. She later joined a group called Four Jacks & a Jill, who sung on street corners. Madeline Bell was the Jill. At 16, she joined the Glovertones, a gospel group, who sang gospel on weekends, often traveling hundreds of miles in an old dilapidated station wagon, to gigs that paid five dollars a member. The station wagon often broke down and many times Bell showed up for work (in a supermarket as a meat wrapper) on Monday mornings both frustrated and dead tired. Luckily, she had an understanding boss, and besides, she could wrap 75 chickens in an hour, which easily made her the fastest chicken wrapper in the house. Her productivity was helped by the R&B music coming from the radio her boss graciously let her play while working.

Her first big break occurred when she met Alex Bradford around 1961 and was invited to join his group after successfully passing an audition. She stayed with Bradford for two years, criss-crossing the United States, playing in too many cities to mention. At the time, Bradford was considered one of the top male gospel vocalists. Toward the end of Bell's first year with the Bradford Singers, they were asked to appear in Black Nativity, a traveling musical that toured all over America and Europe. It was in Britain that she befriended the late Dusty Springfield and performed on many of her background sessions. She also worked in the studio behind Kiki Dee, Doris Troy, Joe Brown, Lesley Duncan, and Kenny Lynch, to name a few. By that time, she had left the Bradford Singers and settled in England. In 1968, six years after settling in England, a bigshot at the United Kingdoms' Philips Records heard her working in a studio and offered a contract. She first released "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," which had previously been recorded by Dee Dee Warwick, Dionne's sister and a fellow native of Newark. Phillips initially released the record in the States on their Mod label, then switched it to Philips when it began to catch fire. It eventually went to number 26 in the United States. A year later she joined Blue Mink, Roger Cook's group, and stayed for four years, scoring on "Melting Pot" (number three, U.K.), and "Our World" (which climbed to number 64 in the States in 1970). Other sides did well in England, "Randy" (number nine), "Banner Man" (number three), and "Stay With Me" (number 11).

Leaving Blue Mink, she returned to both the lucrative world of session singing and soloing in the Netherlands. Bell made a name for herself by contributing with Tom Parker on some CD productions that were popular arrangements of classical compositions. The discs sold quite well. She appeared in the London stage production, Space, hitting the charts again at number 60 with "My Love Is Music," on which she was the featured vocalist. She also toured with the Swingmates throughout the Netherlands and had a leading part in A Night at the Cotton Club. With the Swingmates, she recorded a CD, Have You Met Miss Bell. Still singing, she appears in England clubs like Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club with her group Madeline Bell & her Musicians. She visits the States occasionally, but England has been home to the Jerseyite since 1962.

Review by Richie Unterberger (Allmusic)

Doin' Things (1968) (reissue 2004):
Madeline Bell's final '60s album was, like her first (1967's Bell's a Poppin'), made in Britain under the production supervision of John Franz. And, like its predecessor, it unsurprisingly bore some resemblance to Dusty Springfield's late-'60s work, both because Franz also worked with Springfield, and because Bell sang backup vocals on Springfield records. To stretch the comparison even further, Bell had a style similar to Springfield's (especially in her slight vibratos at the end of phrases), as well as a similar bent for varied soul-pop material. The overall impression was something of a Springfield with a closer connection to genuine black American soul -- a connection that was honest enough, given that Bell was an African-American singer. The songs on Doin' Things, however, weren't as strong as the better material that Springfield interpreted. Still, it's a solid enough record, whether you're coming at it from a sub-Springfield angle or not, and it did contain some obscure compositions by Van McCoy, Billy Vera, Georgie Fame ("For Your Pleasure"), and John Lennon and Paul McCartney ("Step Inside Love," which the Beatles never recorded, but which Cilla Black had previously done for a British hit single). Interestingly, John Paul Jones -- who would join Led Zeppelin shortly afterward, and plays bass as a session musician on the album -- wrote one of the songs, "Hold It," as well as co-writing two others with Bell. [The 2004 CD reissue on RPM, (which this is) in addition to including thorough historical liner notes, also adds six bonus tracks from 1968-1969 singles, among them the Bell-Springfield composition "Go Ahead On."]

JACKIE ROSS

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Biography by Jason Ankeny (Allmusic)
Chicago soul diva Jackie Ross was born in St. Louis on January 30, 1946; the daughter of husband-and-wife preachers, she made her performing debut on her parents' radio gospel show at the age of three. Following her father's 1954 death, the family relocated to the Windy City; there the legendary Sam Cooke, a friend of her mother, recruited Ross for his SAR label, where she issued her debut single, "Hard Times," in 1962. Following a stint singing with Syl Johnson's band, she signed to Chess Records, making her label bow with 1964's "Selfish One"; the single fell just shy of the Billboard pop Top Ten, and Ross soon issued a follow-up, "I've Got the Skill," as well as an album, Full Bloom. The superb "Take Me for a Little While" followed in 1965; unbeknownst to Ross, however, the same song had been recently recorded by New York singer Evie Sands as well, and although Sands' version for Blue Cat actually came first, Chess' marketing muscle nevertheless ensured that their label's rendition proved more successful. Ross' disgust with the situation, combined with the negligible royalties she received from "Selfish One," soon prompted her to exit Chess, and in 1967 she landed at Brunswick; two years later, she moved to Jerry Butler's Fountain Productions, but failed to recapture her earlier commercial success.

RAYDIO

Biography by Ron Wynn
Ray Parker, Jr. created Raydio in 1977, with vocalists Arnell Carmichael and Jerry Knight. Knight was the lead singer on the group's first big hit, "Jack and Jill," in 1978. Other group members were Larry Tolbert, Darren Carmichael, and Charles Fearing. He maintained the band until 1981, although they became Ray Parker, Jr. & Raydio in 1980. The group had another Top Ten R&B and pop hit with "You Can't Change That" in 1979, and then "Two Places at the Same Time" reached number six R&B in 1980. They topped the R&B charts in 1981 with "A Woman Needs Love (Just Like You Do)," which also peaked at number four pop. All their songs and LPs were recorded for Arista.

Review
This was the first of three albums from Raydio. On this album, the group consisted of Vincent Bonham, Jerry Knight, Ray Parker, Jr. and Arnell Carmichael. Formed and fronted by veteran session guitarist Parker, this album produced three Billboard R&B chart singles. Beginning with the Top Ten single "Jack and Jill," Raydio enjoyed national exposure with this single that peaked at number five after 25 weeks on the charts, and it reached the number eight spot on the pop charts, exceeding sales of 500,000. The less popular releases "Is This a Love Thing" and "Honey I'm Rich" respectively reached the 20th and 43th positions on the Billboard R&B charts. ~ Craig Lytle, All Music Guide

R. I. P - PERVIS JACKSON (OF THE SPINNERS)

R.I.P. PERVIS JACKSON
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(*My Note: This was the first 45 I ever bought by The Spinners)

Pervis Jackson - the big man with the smooth bass voice of the soul vocal quintet The Spinners - died peacefully at 2 a.m. on Monday morning, August 18, at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit.
For nearly five decades, Pervis Jackson’s rich, low voice was the glue in the Spinners’ sound, an unmistakable feature on pop, R&B and eventually oldies radio.

Friends and fellow Motown Records musicians are mourning the loss of the Detroit singer, who died “quietly and peacefully” early today at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit, said Claudreen Jackson, his wife of 40 years. He had been diagnosed late last week with brain and liver cancer, just a month after starting to feel ill and bowing out of several Spinners dates. He was 70.

“I don’t know how many people get to live their lives the way they want,” said Claudreen Jackson, “but he was one of them.”

His last onstage appearance was July 19, when the Spinners performed in La Habra, Calif. The group has been a fixture on the casino and festival circuit for years, typically on the road more than 200 days annually.

Surviving him in the group are fellow original members Henry Fambrough and Bobbie Smith. Founding member Billy Henderson died in February 2007.

It’s the second loss this year in the Spinners’ extended family: Longtime manager Buddy Allen died at his New York home in March. His son, Steve Allen, worked as the group’s road manager for several years.

“Pervis was the classiest, nicest, most perfect gentleman,” Steve Allen said. “He never let the fame and the glory years go to his head.”

Known to friends and associates as “Mr. 12:45” -- a nod to his trademark lyric in the hit “They Just Can’t Stop It (Games People Play)” -- Jackson was heralded as a consummate professional, making time to mingle with fans and serving as the group’s de facto spokesman.

“He always said: ‘When the people come to see you, they’ve done their part. It’s up to you to keep them,’.” said Claudreen Jackson.

“What Pervis brought was something nobody else could have brought. It’s going to be hard to find someone who can do what Pervis did,” said Michael Fuqua, who grew up around the group. His father, veteran music executive Harvey Fuqua, helped groom the Ferndale-based Spinners, signing them to his Tri-Phi Records label before bringing them to Motown when he joined the company in 1961.

It was there that Jackson and company cut their teeth, scoring three Top 40 pop hits but failing to achieve the level of Motown peers such as the Four Tops and Temptations. The group’s real success came after leaving in 1972 for Atlantic Records, where they were targeted to the adult market and enjoyed a string of big hits, with Jackson’s expressive baritone underscoring the vocal arrangements: “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love,” “The Rubberband Man.”

Jackson’s distinctive voice was critical to the rise of the group, which stayed in Detroit after its Motown tenure.

“Every Motown group tried to have its own sound to stand out,” said Michael Fuqua. “Pervis was a big part of that for the Spinners. If you listen to his parts, you hear how well his voice carried, how unique it was, without being overbearing.”

Jackson is survived by two sons, Pervis Jackson Jr. and Herbert Briscoe; two daughters, Cindy Holmes and Stephanie Jackson; and eight grandchildren.

Arrangements are incomplete, but services will be Monday. Details will be released later this week by Swanson Funeral Home in Detroit.

THE SPINNERS

Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Allmusic)

The Spinners were the greatest soul group of the early '70s, creating a body of work that defined the lush, seductive sound of Philly soul. Ironically, the band's roots lay in Detroit, where they formed as a doo wop group during the late '50s. Throughout the '60s, the Spinners tried to land a hit by adapting to the shifting fashions of R&B and pop. By the mid-'60s, they had signed with Motown Records, but the label never gave the group much consideration. "It's a Shame" became a hit in 1970, but the label continued to ignore the group, and dropped the band two years later. Unsigned and featuring new lead singer Phillipe Wynne, the Spinners seemed destined to never break into the big leagues, but they managed to sign with Atlantic Records, where they began working with producer Thom Bell. With his assistance, the Spinners developed a distinctive sound, one that relied on Wynne's breathtaking falsetto and the group's intricate vocal harmonies. Bell provided the group with an appropriately detailed production, creating a detailed web of horns, strings, backing vocals, and lightly funky rhythms. Between 1972 and 1977, the Spinners and Bell recorded a number of soul classics, including "I'll Be Around," "Could It Be I'm Fallin in Love," "Mighty Love," "Ghetto Child," "Then Came You," "Games People Play," and "The Rubberband Man." Wynne left in 1977 and the Spinners had hits for a few years after his departure, but the group will always be remembered for its classic mid-'70s work.

Originally, called the Domingoes, the Spinners formed when the quintet were high school students in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale in 1957. At the time, the group featured Bobbie Smith, Pervis Jackson, George W. Dixon, Billy Henderson, and Henry Fambrough. Four years later, they came to the attention of producer Harvey Fuqua, who began recording the group -- who were now called the Spinners -- for his Tri-Phi Records. The band's first single, "That's What Girls Are Made For," became a Top Ten R&B hit upon its 1961 release and featured Smith on vocals. Following its release, Dixon was replaced by Edgar "Chico" Edwards. Over the next few years, the group released a series of failed singles, and when Tri-Phi was bought out by Motown in the mid-'60s, the Spinners became part of the larger company's roster. By that time, Edwards had been replaced by G.C. Cameron.

Though the Spinners had some R&B hits at Motown during the late '60s, including "I'll Always Love You" and "Truly Yours," they didn't have a genuine crossover success until 1970, when Stevie Wonder gave the group "It's a Shame." Motown never concentrated on the Spinners, and they let the group go in 1972. Before the band signed with Atlantic Records, Phillipe Wynne replaced Cameron as the group's lead vocalist. Wynne had previously sung with Catfish and Bootsy Collins.

At Atlantic Records, the Spinners worked with producer Thom Bell, who gave the group a lush, seductive sound, complete with sighing strings, a tight rhythm section, sultry horns, and a slight funk underpinning. Wynne quickly emerged as a first-rate soul singer, and the combination of the group's harmonies, Wynne's soaring leads, and Bell's meticulous production made the Spinners the most popular soul group of the '70s. Once the group signed with Atlantic, they became a veritable hit machine, topping the R&B and pop charts with songs like "I'll Be Around," "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love," "One of a Kind (Love Affair)," "Ghetto Child," "Rubberband Man," and "You're Throwing a Good Love Away." Not only were their singles hits, but their albums constantly went gold and charted in the Top 20.

Wynne left the band to pursue a solo career in 1977; he was replaced by John Edwards. Though none of Wynne's solo records were big hits, his tours with Parliament-Funkadelic were well-received, as were his solo concerts. In October 1984, he died of a heart attack during a concert in Oakland, CA. The Spinners, meanwhile, had a number of minor hits in the late '70s, highlighted by their disco covers of "Working My Way Back to You" and the medley "Cupid/I've Loved You for a Long Time." During the early '80s, they had several minor hits before fading away from the charts and entering the oldies circuit, reprising their earlier material for 1999's new studio effort At Their Best.

JOE TEX

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Review by Richie Unterberger (Allmusic)
Joe Tex had been releasing records for almost a decade before he had his first hit in 1965. This 25-track compilation doesn't come close to including all of them, but it does a good job in assembling the most important of those, concentrating solely on discs he made for the Dial label, almost all of the songs having been cut in 1961-1964 prior to his chart breakthrough. At this point, Tex -- as was the case in the pre-fame recordings of numerous '60s soul stars -- was still searching for a style to some degree, and by and large the cuts aren't as earthy as the ones he'd lay down later in the decade. There are even songs with strong debts to early-'60s dance-novelty tunes ("The Peck"); arrangements similar to those heard in early-'60s 45s by poppy early soul singers like Marv Johnson and Dee Clark; and hints of Clyde McPhatter, Sam Cooke, and doo wop. Yet at the same time, there are also strong pleading ballads much closer to the Southern soul style with which he became identified, all of them written by Tex himself, the slightly James Brown-ish "Blood's Thicker Than Water" being a particular highlight in that regard. Because this isn't Tex at his peak or his most characteristic, you wouldn't recommend this as the first or second anthology to acquire. But if you do like Tex at his '60s peak, it's suggested listening, both because it illustrates his roots and because it's enjoyable on its own merits. Also on the CD are a few tracks that fall outside the disc's principal aim of anthologizing 1961-1964 Dial singles, but are worthy additions that are hard to find on compact disc, including the 1967 holiday-themed 45 "I'll Make Every Day Christmas (For My Woman)" and its flip, "Don't Give Up"; the 1965 B-side "Build Your Love on a Solid Foundation"; and two cuts from a 1965 LP, "Tell Me Right Now" and the Sam Cooke-styled "There Is a Girl."
Tracks

MITTY COLLIER

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Biography by Ed Hogan (Allmusic)

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.

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 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. "I Had a Talk with My 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.

Review by Richie Unterberger (Allmusic)
SHADES OF: THE CHESS SINGLES 1961-1968 (ISSUED 2008)
Though Mitty Collier recorded fairly often for Chess throughout most of the 1960s, she experienced relatively little commercial success. A few of her singles -- "I'm Your Part Time Love," "I Had a Talk with My Man," "No Faith, No Love," and "Sharing You" (all included on this release) -- had some success on the R&B charts, but had Dusty Springfield not covered "I Had a Talk with My Man," Collier would be even more obscure than she is. This anthology collects all 15 of her Chess A-sides, as well as nine of the cuts used on their flips. It might not quite make the case for her as a major lost talent, but it's highly worthwhile soul for those with a taste for something that's both earthy in performance and commercial in production. Collier had a considerably deeper, somewhat huskier voice than most woman soul singers, often taking a more assertive, no-nonsense attitude than was the norm for the era. As to why she didn't have more success, it's down to the most common reason: the songs themselves usually weren't that arresting, though some were quite decent. The best ones here tend to be the earlier tracks, especially "I Had a Talk with My Man," an inspired fusion of gospel and soul; "Walk Away," an intense ballad that also bears a heavy gospel influence; and her admirably tough reworking of Little Walter's "My Babe." Also of note are "My Party," which is almost frighteningly despondent in its full-throated anguish; "I'm Your Part Time Love," a soul-blues answer record to Little Johnny Taylor's "Part Time Love"; and "Miss Loneliness," a 1963 single that's a little poppier than most of her singles, and sounds more worthy of getting some airplay. Chess' production and arrangements are usually stellar on these sides no matter what the era, especially so on some sumptuously orchestrated mid-'60s efforts.

AARON NEVILLE

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Is there such a thing as TOO much Aaron Neville? Maybe, for some people. But for not me.

Anyway, here are a couple that hit the stores recently. Gold (2008) and The Music of Your Life (2008).

Of course, it is his old stuff repackaged but who can blame him - the family properties were under water with Katrina ...
Enjoy!

RANDY HALL

Can't find much on the artist = but got the Allmusic review.
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Randy Hall sings, and plays lead, rhythm, and bass guitars and keyboards. He's accompanied by stellar musicians handpicked by Ray Parker, Jr., who produced the nine tracks. "I've Been Watching You (Jamie's Girl)" updates Johnny Taylor's "Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone." The chivalrous "A Gentleman" will delight the ladies, but the pumping bassline and pulsating beats of "Older Woman, Younger Man" overshadow the lyrics. The tracks, while competent, lack guts, and have no lingering effect. The only midtempo song on the album, "I Want to Touch You," is also the most satisfying. Hall does three ballads -- "I Belong to You," "Feel My Eyes," and "She's My Little Star" -- that are so sweet and sappy they'll gum your speakers.
Review by Andrew Hamilton (Allmusic)

My Note: Quite often I think their is something wrong with his speakers!!

BOBBY WILSON

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A native new yorker, Bobby spent a lifetime perfecting his musical craft. starting out as a classically trained pianist and singing in church, he then traveled the world opening for such artists as The Ohio Players, The Stylistics, Billy Paul, Edwin Starr, Melba Moore, and many others. Bobby ultimately signed on at motown records where he wrote songs for such artists as Mary Wilson and Thelma Houston. an accomplished arranger, Bobby also writes and produces commercials, jingles, and background music for tv and radio.

Bobby hit the major charts on his own with his "I'll Be Your Rainbow" album on Buddah Records, which included three hit singles, "Here Is Where The Love Is," "I'll Be Your Rainbow," and "Deeper and Deeper." Billboard magazine favoribly compared Bobby's range and depth to that of Al Green.

BOBBY EARL WILLIAMS

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Review by Jason Ankeny (Allmusic)

The cliché says that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but few muster the sincerity of Bobby Williams -- a James Brown acolyte with a style and energy comparable to the Godfather himself, Williams transcends his faux-funk origins with grooves that are undeniably genuine. His second LP, 1976's Anybody Can Be a Nobody..., moves past the low-budget grit of his debut Funky Superfly with a sound evoking the silky-smooth sensibilities of Miami funk -- Williams is more of a singer than a shouter this time around, and while some listeners may miss the gutbucket grooves of his previous disc, the record's maturation and sophistication are convincing.

ISAAC Hayes - R.I.P.

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WELL - I can't tell you how sad this makes me feel. I remember when he started changing the music scene - when his music started filtering up to Canada. It makes me feel incredibly old. sigh!!

I remember the first time I saw him live - Spandex pants and a bunch of body chains - seems like just yesterday. And my girlfriend and I decided we would NOT kick him out of bed even if he was eating crackers. (That was/is high praise indeed.)

I can remember him walking into the bar where I worked later that same week - fully dressed. (Good thing 'cause there was about 3 feet of snow outside!!) You could have knocked me over with a feather - I thought I was seeing things. And he was so polite. And soft spoken. AND how good he smelled (Aramis?) ... And how surprised I was - he did not have a big entourage. Just him and his friend.

And how unassuming he was when the band asked him to join them and do a song ....
AHHH I remember it well .... AND here is the song he did ..... AND did he go home alone??? I'll never tell.....

R.I.P. Isaac - we'll miss you ....

ANN PEBBLES

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St. Louis Woman 3 CD Box Set - This boxset is all over the 'net.
BUT - if you don't have it - you do now!!

BIO:
Born on April 27, 1947, in East St. Louis, MO; daughter of a church musical director/gospel choir director; married vocalist/recording artist/songwriter Don Bryant, 1974. Addresses: Record company--Bullseye Blues, 1 Camp St., Cambridge, MA 02140 Phone: (617) 354-0700 Fax: (617) 491-1970 E-mail: id@rounder.com.
As she sang in her hit song "99 Lbs.," Anne Peebles is "99 pounds of natural born goodness, 99 pounds of soul," possessing a powerful and dynamic voice, despite her tiny frame, that distinguishes her from all other singers. Throughout the 1970s, Peebles released a string of hits--often written in partnership with her husband, singer/songwriter Don Bryant--about the darker side of love from the feminine perspective that exerted a significant influence on soul, R&B, and pop music. Her most famous song, 1973's "I Can't Stand the Rain," was one of John Lennon's favorites, and was covered by many artists for years thereafter, including Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott with her 1997 rap/soul version entitled "The Rain" from the album Supa Dupa Fly.
Although Peebles found popular success singing bluesy, traditional R&B music, her roots were planted in the spiritual. Ann Peebles, the seventh of eleven children, was born on April 27, 1947, in East St. Louis, Missouri. At the age of five, Peebles understood that she possessed a natural gift for music while performing at a school talent show. For the first time, singing a gospel song her father once taught her called "Will the Circle Be Broken," she actually heard the power and beauty of her own voice. Peebles, however, was not the only member of her family to embrace music. Her father, a singer, pianist, and guitarist named Perry Peebles, was a minister of music at the First Baptist Church in St. Louis and director of the Peebles Choir, while her mother, also a singer though not a performing member of the gospel group, encouraged and trained young singers. The whole family, including bothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and Peebles herself beginning at the age of nine, were all raised singing in the choir originally founded by her grandfather. He, too, raised his children on gospel.

Touring on the gospel circuit with the Peebles Choir with her ten brothers and sisters, young Peebles performed in shows with such gospel greats as the Soul Stirrers and Mahalia Jackson. She credits both Jackson and R&B legend Sam Cooke, who sang gospel with the Soul Stirrers, for inspiring her as a child. These two singers, as well as soul queen Aretha Franklin, remained personal favorites of Peebles throughout her life. However, she cites her parents--along with their unusual willingness to allow the Peebles children to explore non-religious music in addition to gospel--as her most significant influences. "They welcomed that we listened to secular music because they saw it as a learning experience. Anything different you listen to helps you to learn what other people, other musicians, are up to," Peebles said in an interview with Maria Granditsky, author of Miss Funkyflyy's Ann Peebles Pages. "And when I got ready to venture off into R&B, my mom was no longer living, but my dad encouraged me because he knew that's what I wanted.... He was right behind me on that and that was my encouragement to go off into the R&B field. If it had not been for him, I may not have had that great encouragement there."

Peebles first started dreaming about singing rhythm and blues as a teenager. Sitting in front of her bedroom mirror holding a broomstick as a makeshift microphone, Peebles would imitate stars like the Marvelettes and Mary Wells. All the while, she promised herself that these fantasies would one day become a reality. Her first significant venture into R&B occurred when she began traveling to St. Louis, escorted by her supportive father, to sing in local night clubs. It was on the St. Louis club circuit that Peebles made an important connection with drummer, saxophonist, and bandleader Oliver Sain, who would later write songs for Peebles' first recording. At the time, Sain was the top big-band leader in St. Louis, and Peebles sang with the group numerous times. Sain also knew talent when he heard it. His famous Oliver Sain Revue, formed in 1963, helped launch the careers of vocalist, pianist, and organist Fontella Bass and singer Bobby McClure, among others. And prior to leading his own group, Sain worked with such notables as Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, and B.B. King.

Discovered in Memphis
A trip to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968 changed the course of Peebles' life forever. Her brother, a military serviceman, had a girlfriend who lived in Memphis, and Peebles accompanied him to drive her home after the couple visited the Peebles' family in St. Louis. Upon their arrival in Memphis, the three went out to a club called the Rosewood, where she met trumpeter Gene "Bowlegs" Miller, a veteran of the city's music scene who led one of the most popular bands in town. Peebles asked if she could sing a number with the band, and Miller, who recorded for Hi Records, was so impressed with the young vocalist's rendition of "Steal Away," written by Percy Sledge's cousin Jimmy Hughes, that he took her to try out for a highly influential trumpeter and band leader named Willie Mitchell.
A thriving recording artist, Mitchell and his combo first started recording for Hi in 1961 and soon became one of the label's backbone artists. Besides playing trumpet and to a lesser extent keyboards, Mitchell worked as a producer, arranger, engineer, and songwriter for Hi and several other record companies. He also took an A&R position with Hi in the mid-1960s, convincing label founder Joe Cuoghi, who had built Hi on rockabilly, country, and rock and roll instrumentals, to shift the company's focus to soul music, thereby creating Hi's trademark funky yet refined soul sound with the help of a group of studio musicians known as the famous Hi Rhythm section. Led by the Hodges Brothers--Teenie on guitar, Charles on organ, and Leroy on bass--and anchored by Al Jackson (of Booker T and the MGs) and later Howard Grimes on drums, the foursome played on nearly every record cut at Hi's Royal studio. Located at 1320 South Lauderdale Avenue in Memphis and named after the Royal Theater Cinema it originally housed, the Hi studio produced many of the era's now-classic soul recordings.
Thus, Peebles' chance meeting with "Bowlegs" Miller, leading to the momentous audition with Mitchell, could not have been more timely. For her tryout, Peebles sang the same song she performed at the Rosewood, backed by Mitchell on piano. Amazed and overwhelmed by her voice, Mitchell, who would go on to produce and engineer seven LPs for Peebles, offered to sign the young singer right away. After her father arrived from St. Louis to approve and sign the papers, Peebles, before her twenty-first birthday in 1968, officially landed a contract with Hi, where she would remain until the label dissolved. In fact, "Mon Belle Amou," a 1981 duet sung by Peebles and her husband, Donald "Don" Bryant, was the last single issued by Hi Records. Although Al Green would achieve the greatest commercial success out of all the artists on Hi's roster and now stands as the performer most often associated with the label, Peebles became the first of its R&B performers to earn national acclaim.

Nurtured at Hi Records
In preparation for her recording career, Mitchell educated Peebles about the R&B circuit, introducing her to disc jockeys and different artists and taking her to see R&B shows. Looking back now, Peebles realizes that unlike so many performers, she was fortunate for all the people looking out for her well-being and helping to nurture her career. Among those she met was future husband Don Bryant, an established, though terribly underrated recording artist and an in-house writer for Hi. With his own career as a vocalist uncertain, he chose to concentrate on writing as well as supervising the developing career of his future wife. Upon Mitchell's suggestion, Bryant worked with Peebles on her R&B phrasing and to find songs to suit her style. The couple began dating around 1972 and married two years later.

In the meantime, Peebles, ready to face the world, released her debut single "Walk Away" in 1969, which shot to an impressive number 22 on the Billboard Top 100 R&B singles chart in April. Following a second single, "Give Me Some Credit," Hi issued Peebles' debut album, This Is Ann Peebles, later that same year. Unlike her subsequent albums, Peebles' first release did not contain any of her own original material. Along with covers of Otis Redding's "Respect," Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools," and Fontella Bass's "Rescue Me," This Is Ann Peebles featured the Club Rosewood song "Steal Away" and the "Bowlegs" Miller composition "Won't You Try Me."
Although her next recording, "Generation Gap," missed the charts, "Part Time Love," released in the fall of 1970, rose all the way to number seven on the R&B singles chart and to number 45 on the pop chart. Because Hi could not find enough material for an entirely new LP, they repackaged her debut, along with "Generation Gap" and "Part Time Love" and their respective b-sides, under the album title Part Time Love, also released at the end of that year. Straight from the Heart followed in 1972, yielding four hit singles: "I Pity the Fool," "Slipped, Tripped and Fell in Love," "Somebody's On Your Case," and "Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home." Other notable tracks included "99 Lbs.," written by Bryant, and "What You Laid On Me," composed by Peebles and her friend Denise Craig, better know as Denise LaSalle.

Released Signature Song
The following year commenced with another Top 40 R&B hit, Earl Randle's "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down." Then in August of 1973, Peebles released the heart-wrenching confessional "I Can't Stand the Rain," the song that scored top positions not only in the United States, but around the globe as well, establishing Peebles as an international star and defining the Hi Records sound worldwide. "I Can't Stand the Rain" reached number six on the R&B chart in the United States and entered the United Kingdom charts twice in the spring of 1974. To this day, "I Can't Stand the Rain" remains the vocalist's signature song, while the album of the same name is considered one of the most solid Southern soul albums ever recorded. In 1978, the British group Eruption, featuring Miss Precious Wilson on lead vocals, enjoyed a huge pop hit with their disco version of "I Can't Stand the Rain."

And more than two decades later, in 1997, innovative hip-hop artist Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott sampled Peebles' song on her platinum-selling single "The Rain," featured on the album Supa Dupa Fly. Subsequently, Elliott invited the R&B legend to sing with her on a Late Show with David Letterman television appearance. "It helps me to know that, hey, somebody's listening, somebody loved what I did enough to take it and do it their way," Peebles told Granditsky, recalling her impression of Elliott's version of "I Can't Stand the Rain." "I first heard it when I saw the video. I thought it was clever, the way the song was put with a rap. I really liked it and I saw how fast it was moving. I knew it was gonna be platinum and that thrilled me too, to watch somebody as young as Missy Elliott pick up a song that I've written and recorded, and many others have recorded too. Missy told me that she kinda grew up on my music, that her aunt was really in love with everything I did and that's what made Missy listen to it."
While Peebles' subsequent recordings failed to capture the same level of popular attention as "I Can't Stand the Rain," several hit the R&B charts, further cementing the singer's legacy. Moreover, the quality of her music, as well as Peeble's performing talent, never diminished. Indeed, 1975's Tellin' It is likewise regarded as one of her best outings, featuring some of her most accomplished songs in the southern storytelling tradition. Three singles off the album, the funky "Beware," the sensuous "Come to Mama," and the lovesick "Dr. Love" all made the R&B charts.

In 1977, things started to change at Hi Records. After looking for a new distributor when the label's distribution deal with London Records ended, Hi president Nick Pescue sold the label to Al Bennett's Los Angeles-based Cream Records. Mitchell accepted a new contract under the new ownership, staying on until the end of 1979. However, by 1980, he had left to form his own label, Bearsville, as did the label's biggest star and provider of hits Al Green, who went into the gospel field, and most of the Hi Rhythm group. And without Mitchell, Green, and the Hi band, the label's sound was never the same, despite the fact that several skilled Memphis musicians--including Ben Cauley and Michael Toles, both former members of the Bar-Kays and Isaac Hayes' band--came to the rescue.
Following the release of another well-received album, If This Is Heaven, in 1977, Peebles recorded her final album on Hi. Issued in 1978, The Handwriting Is On the Wall yielded three medium-sized R&B hits: "Old Man With Young Idea," "I Didn't Take Your Man," and "If You Got the Time (I Got the Love)." After that, Peebles decided to take time off to raise her son, though she continued to write songs and participate in occasional studio projects. In the late-1980s, she came out of semi-retirement and recorded a new album, Call Me, released on Mitchell's short-lived Waylo label.

Resumed Recording Career
From there, Peebles signed with Rounder Records' Bullseye Blues label, for whom she recorded 1992's Full Time Love. The album contained all original new songs, some written with Bryant and guitarist Thomas Bingham, and featured the autobiographical "St. Louis Woman with a Memphis Melody." Even though Full Time Love received little exposure, it nonetheless proved that Peebles could compose and sing contemporary music without losing her gritty quality. For her next album, Fill This World With Love, released in 1996, Peebles reunited with the Hi Rhythm performers and the Memphis Horns group. By now, she and Bryant were heavily involved with a local Memphis therapeutic foster-care agency called Omni Vision, Inc., the rewards of which were reflected in the song "Stand Up," a duet between Peebles and Mavis Staples.
In 1999, Peebles contributed to a tribute album devoted to the songs of rock/blues artist Eric Clapton entitled Blues Power: Songs of Eric Clapton, interpreting "Tears In Heaven" as a spiritual plea surrounded by gospel harmonies. Now in control of all aspects of her career, including a new and expanding production company, Peebles remains an artist of rare depth and great contrasts; her extraordinary and powerful voice seems all the more striking coming from such a petite and restrained singer.

by Laura Hightower