Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY.
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY. When Loleatta Holloway came to record her fifth album, and third for Gold Mind Records Loleatta Holloway, she encountered a very different company. Gone was Norman Harris who’d previously run Gold Mind and who’d been at Loleatta’s side every step of the way, during her Gold Mind career. Norman Harris wasn’t the …
NUTRITIOUS PRESENTS DUKE WILLIAMS AND THE EXTREMES.
NUTRITIOUS PRESENTS DUKE WILLIAMS AND THE EXTREMES. All too often, good music for whatever reason, passes unnoticed. It can be for any number of reasons, from a record company not promoting an album properly, that particular genre of music becoming unpopular, the band splitting up or even the record company becoming insolvent. I’ve come across …
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 …
YARBROUGH AND PEOPLES-GUILTY.
YARBROUGH AND PEOPLES-GUILTY. For Yarbrough and Peoples, the saying about keeping the best until last is certainly true. Their fourth and final album Guilty, which was released in 1985, may not have been their most successful album, but Guilty, which will be released by BBR Records in September 2012 is perceived as their finest. Guilty …
PENNYE FORD-PENNYE.
PENNYE FORD-PENNYE. While most fifteen year olds might spend their summer holidays at summer camp or working a part-time job, Pennye Ford spent time touring with Ohio funk band Zapp, who were opening for Parliament-Funadelic. A year later, Pennye spent time touring Japan as lead singer of funk band Reach. For some people, Pennye spending …
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-UP THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD.
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-UP THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD. For Salsoul Records and The Salsoul Orchestra, Up The Yellow Brick Road would prove to be the end of an era. Up The Yellow Brick Road proved to be last Salsoul Orchestra arranged, produced and featuring the sound of vibes virtuoso Vince Montana Jr. It also proved to …
JUNIOR-JI.
JUNIOR-JI. After being a backing vocalist with UK soul group Linx between 1980 and 1982, it was somewhat ironic that Junior Giscombe’s career as a soul singer was launched after he sang on two tracks for reggae label Pressure Sounds. Soon, Get Up and Dance was getting played on radio in the UK, while the …
SUN-WANNA MAKE LOVE/SUN-POWER.
SUN-WANNA MAKE LOVE/SUN-POWER. In a recent article, I mentioned how during the seventies, Dayton, Ohio was funk central, with the region producing some of the greatest funk bands of the era. From The Ohio Players, Lakeside, Zapp, Slave, Bootsy Collins, Platypus and Sun, who released eight albums between 1976 and 1984. Of these eight albums, …
ARETHA FRANKLIN-LOVE HURT ALL THE WAY.
ARETHA FRANKLIN-LOVE HURT ALL THE WAY. After signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, Aretha Franklin released a string of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums. From 1967s I Never Loved A Man the Way I Loved You and Aretha Arrives, through 1968s Lady Soul and Aretha Now and 1969s Soul ’69 Aretha enjoyed five US …
THE BROTHERS JOHNSON-BLAM!
THE BROTHERS JOHNSON-BLAM! Before Quincy Jones spotted The Brothers Johnson at a Stevie Wonder rehearsal, they’d been part of Billy Preston’s band. After Quincy Jones discovered guitarist George and bassist Louis, The Brothers Johnson embarked on a twelve year, seven album adventure for Herb Albert’s A&M Records. The first four albums The Brothers Johnson released …
PLATYPUS-PLATYPUS.
PLATYPUS-PLATYPUS. In the seventies, Dayton, Ohio was funk central. Among the funk bands emerging from Dayton were The Ohio Players, Lakeside, Heatwave, Slave and Platypus. Of these groups, Platypus stood out. They were the only group to incorporate elements of progressive rock into their music and would record two albums for Casablanca Records in 1979 …
DJ VADIM-DON’T BE SCARED.
DJ VADIM-DON’T BE SCARED. Sometimes, the word innovator is used too often, but in the case of Saint Petersburg born DJ Vadim, innovator is a fitting description of this veteran DJ and producer. Over the past twenty years, DJ Vadim has DJ-ed in sixty-nine countries, played over 2,500 times and still found time to found …
GQ-DISCO NIGHTS.
GQ-DISCO NIGHTS. After a chance meeting with a man walking his dog and a change of name to GQ in 1978, the lives of four musical veterans were forever changed. Later that year, when GQ released their debut single Disco Nights (Rock Freak) in December 1978. and it would reach number one in the US R&B …
DIONNE WARWICK-HEARTBREAKER.
DIONNE WARWICK-HEARTBREAKER. Dionne Warwick found her career at a crossroads in 1978. She was without a recording contract and even contemplating retiring. Her final album for Warner Bros, 1977s Love At First Sight had failed to chart and Dionne hadn’t had an album certified gold since 1968s Dionne Warwick In the Valley of the Dolls. …
DOUBLE EXPOSURE-TEN PERCENT.
DOUBLE EXPOSURE-TEN PERCENT. December 11th 1975 is a significant date in the history Salsoul Records. It was the date that Double Exposure started recording their debut album Ten Percent, which would become their most successful album, and one of Salsoul’s biggest selling albums. Ten Percent which will be released on 17th September 2012 by BBR …
LIPPS INC-MOUTH TO MOUTH.
LIPPS INC-MOUTH TO MOUTH. When Minneapolis based producer Steven Greenberg and the former Miss Black Minneapolis Cynthia Johnson entered the studio to record a single Rock It as Lipps Inc in 1979, little did they realize the commercial success that was about to come their way. Once Rock It was recorded, it was then released …
FIRST CHOICE-DELUSIONS.
FIRST CHOICE-DELUSIONS. Three men played a huge part in the success of two of the most important and successful record companies of the seventies, but despite doing so, don’t get the credit they so richly deserve. These three men are bassist Ron Baker, guitarist Norman Harris and drummer Earl Young. Together, were known as the …
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA.
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA. Sometimes, fate plays an important part in the success of an artist, album or in the case of Saloul Records, a record label. This was the case when Ken Cayre met vibes virtuoso Vince Montana Jr. Ken Cayre wanted to import the Philly Sound to his nascent record label, Salsoul, …
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