Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
BANG-MIXED AND COMPILED BY TERRY HUNTER.
BANG-MIXED AND COMPILED BY TERRY HUNTER. Some singles are destined to be commercially successful and referred to as a “classic.” It’s as if it’s written in the stars. That was the case withTerry Hunter’s 2007 single Wonderful, which featured the soulful strains of Terisa Griffin. This was the start of another chapter in Terry Hunter’s …
LOVE COMMITTEE-LAW AND ORDER.
LOVE COMMITTEE-LAW AND ORDER. Gold Mind Records was subsidiary of Salsoul Records, run by legendary Philadelphia guitarist, songwriter, arranger and producer, Norman Harris. Norman was responsible for running the label, discovering the talent and with some of his Philly friends, writing, recording and producing these acts. Loleatta Holloway, First Choice and Double Exposure are just …
PEABO BRYSON AND ROBERTA FLACK-BORN TO LOVE.
PEABO BRYSON AND ROBERTA FLACK-BORN TO LOVE. Collaborations between successful solo artists don’t always work. Musical history proves this. There’s all sorts of pitfalls involved. Then there’s the fact that two egos are involved. So, what looks like being a musical marriage made in heaven, can quickly, turn into a nightmare. Rather than the album …
TAVARES-HARD CORE POETRY.
TAVARES-HARD CORE POETRY. Most groups have just one lead singer, two if they’re really lucky. Not many groups however, have five lead singers. Tavares did. Ralph, Pooch, Chubby, Butch and Tiny each took turns of delivering the lead vocal on each of their albums, including Hard Core Poetry, their 1975 sophomore album, album which was …
BAKER, HARRIS, YOUNG-B-H-Y.
BAKER, HARRIS, YOUNG-B-H-Y. By 1979 Ron Baker, Norman Harris and Earl Young were still the hardest working and most in-demand rhythm section in music. They were currently part of The Salsoul Orchestra and accompanying artists like the undisputed Queen of Disco, Loleatta Holloway, First Choice and Double Exposure. They’d done everything, from writing, arranging and …
IRMA THOMAS-IN BETWEEN TEARS.
IRMA THOMAS-IN BETWEEN TEARS. There’s not many artists whose career spans six decades. Irma Thomas’ does. The Soul Queen of New Orleans released her debut single (You Can Have My Husband But) Don’t Mess With My Man on the Ron label in 1960. Since then, Irma has recorded for some of the best know soul …
SYREETA-SYREETA.
SYREETA-SYREETA. Syreeta had come a long way since she first joined Motown. Back then, she was a receptionist and part-time demo singer at Motown, who had dreams of becoming a successful solo singer. Sometimes, dreams come true. They certainly did for Syreeta Wright. Having started work as a reception at Motown in 1965, she worked …
MASAAKI HIRAO AND HIS ALL STARS WAGON-NIPPON ROCK ‘N’ ROLL THE BIRTH OF JAPANESE ROKABIRII 1958-1960.
MASAAKI HIRAO AND HIS ALL STARS WAGON-NIPPON ROCK ‘N’ ROLL THE BIRTH OF JAPANESE ROKABIRII 1958-1960. The origins of the modern Japanese music industry can be traced back to the spring of 1958. Rockabilly was at the peak of its popularity. A generation of Japanese teenagers, were looking for something they could become part of. …
JAMES GOVAN WANTED THE FAME RECORDINGS.
JAMES GOVAN WANTED THE FAME RECORDINGS. Back in 1967, many an aspiring soul singer headed to Memphis. No wonder. 1967 Memphis was soul central. Labels like Stax and Hi Records called Memphis home. Similarly, Memphis was home to many artists, bands, songwriters and producers. Memphis was also home to many an aspiring unsigned singer. This …
A ROAD LEADING HOME-SONGS BY DAN PENN AND OTHERS.
A ROAD LEADING HOME-SONGS BY DAN PENN AND OTHERS. When eventually, someone decides to write the definitive history of Southern Soul, Dan Penn’s name will loom large. At last, one of Southern Soul’s reluctant heroes will receive the credit they deserve. A quiet, unassuming man, Dan Penn’s modesty belies that fact that, for over thirty …
SOPHISTICATED BOOM BOOM!-THE SHADOW MORTON STORY.
SOPHISTICATED BOOM BOOM!-THE SHADOW MORTON STORY. Enigmatic. That’s a word that’s often used to describe Long Island songwriter and producer George Shadow Morton. In reality, that’s selling Shadow Morton short. It also overshadows the reality that Shadow Morton was an innovative and influential songwriter and producer, who enjoyed a long and successful career. His career …
TRES CHIC! MORE FRENCH GIRL SINGERS OF THE 1960s.
TRES CHIC! MORE FRENCH GIRL SINGERS OF THE 1960s. Back in the sixties, the phenomenon that was ye-ye music swept through much of Europe. This included Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain. However, France was undoubtably the ye-ye capital of Europe. Especially after Serge Gainsbourg success helped popularize the genre. It was French female singer-songwriters that …
PERSONAL LIFE-ONE STEP CLOSER.
PERSONAL LIFE-ONE STEP CLOSER. With so much music being produced using synths, samples, sequencers and drum machines, it’s no wonder music has lost its soul. Sadly, that’s been the case since the eighties. Since then, much of the music being released has a cold, clinical and sterile sound. That’s resulted in many people losing interest …
THE BEAT GOES ON: SALSOUL CLASSICS MIXED BY TOWA TEI.
THE BEAT GOES ON: SALSOUL CLASSICS MIXED BY TOWA TEI. Recently, there seems to be no end of disco compilations being released. Every week, it seems, another batch of disco compilations hits the shops. Many people have been wondering why? Luckily for them, I can put them out of their misery. This is officially the …
DISCO RECHARGE-TANTRA-THE COLLECTION.
DISCO RECHARGE-TANTRA-THE COLLECTION. The name Celso Valli means different things to different people. No wonder. In just six years, seamlessly, his musical career was transformed. Having joined Italian prog rock band Ping Pong, in 1971, the transformation of Celso Valli began in 1977, when he released Pasta and Fagioli. This was one of the first …
DISCO RECHARGE: THP ORCHESTRA-THP NO. 2 TENDER IS THE NIGHT AND GOOD TO ME.
DISCO RECHARGE: THP ORCHESTRA-THP NO. 2 TENDER IS THE NIGHT AND GOOD TO ME. By 1978, when the THP Orchestra entered the studio to released their third album, THP No. 2 Tender Is The Night, the Canadian production team of Ian Guenther and Willi Morrison had just joined disco’s elite. Their previous album, Too Hot …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 